Once the light of evolution faded, Alex was no longer hugging and carrying a 3-foot-tall Pokémon encased in a rock-hard shell. He was now being lifted off the ground by a 6'7" Tyranitar, his feet dangling a few inches above the floor.
"You sly little tyrant, you," Alex said, unable to hide the pride in his voice. "You were waiting for me to make a promise before evolving, weren't you?"
"Tyranitar!" the Pokémon replied smugly.
"Alright, alright, you win. Now put me down."
Tyranitar refused, hugging Alex even tighter as he swung him back and forth like a body pillow.
"Come on. Put me down and show me your moves. I want to see how much you've progressed since I've been gone."
"Tyranitar!" the Pokémon shouted before rushing out of the main hub and making his way toward the training grounds, all while still carrying Alex in his arms.
Alex sighed but made no attempt to escape. He figured the not-so-little tyrant deserved to enjoy his moment of celebration.
As they passed through the hub, Pokémon and the staff working under Vera, Kaia, and Iris all turned to watch. Their chuckles and wide-eyed expressions followed Alex as Tyranitar lumbered toward the training grounds with him still hugged in his arms.
By the time they arrived, a crowd had already gathered to watch the spectacle, clearly eager to see what the newly evolved Tyranitar could do.
"Alright, now put me down and show me what you've got," Alex said.
After finally setting Alex down, Tyranitar rushed off and began demonstrating his moves while Alex recorded everything on his phone.
Name: Tyranitar, Expert lvl 55
Type: Rock Dark, Male
Ability: Sand Stream
Moves:
Advanced:
(+50% Damage): Dark Pulse, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Tackle, Rock Throw, Payback, Bite, Stomping Tantrum, Smack Down, Crunch, Stone Edge, Thrash, Hyper Beam
(+50% Range): Earthquake,
(Effect Up +1): Iron Defense, Leer, Scary Face, Screech,
(Priority + 1): Sandstorm,
Expert: Rock Slide(+100% Range)
Description: Tyranitar, the Armor Pokémon. Its body is covered in a tough, rock-like hide that allows it to withstand devastating attacks without slowing down. Once fully evolved, it becomes fiercely territorial, wandering wherever it pleases and reducing anything that stands in its way to rubble. It constantly seeks out powerful opponents to test its immense strength, and its destructive rampages are said to be capable of reshaping entire areas of land.
It was the standard move proficiency for the defense team, which emphasized wide-area ranged attacks whenever possible. Of all the moves he had learned, Rock Slide was Tyranitar's favorite, allowing him to summon massive chunks of rock that came crashing thunderously to the ground.
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Alex said with a grin. "It's finally time for you to learn even more moves."
Every fully evolved Pokémon surrounding the training grounds immediately winced in fear. They knew exactly what those words meant. Alex's method of teaching new moves was infamous among his Pokémon, and even the members of his home team had personally experienced it. Their training involved not only learning formations but also developing proficiency in their moves, making Alex's method a standard part of their training.
The older members of the group, especially Raticate, watched Tyranitar with pity. They remembered all too well how horrid the experience had been. What Tyranitar was about to endure was completely different from the physical pain they had experienced during normal training. Physical pain could eventually be learned and endured, but the mental anguish caused by Alex's method left a far sharper and more lasting memory.
Unfortunately, Tyranitar had no idea what awaited him.
"Tyranitar!" the Pokémon declared eagerly, accepting the challenge without a hint of fear.
His enthusiasm only drew even more pitying looks from the surrounding Pokémon. Others simply turned away, unable to bear watching what was about to happen.
Soon, one of Vera's assistants arrived carrying a Technical Machine. Tyranitar was recalled into his Poké Ball, which was then placed into the slot on the device. A series of CDs were loaded into the machine one after another and activated in quick succession. As soon as one finished, the next was loaded without pause. The process continued until several dozen CDs had been played.
Each time a CD was replaced, the fully evolved Pokémon winced more visibly, while the younger ones could only stare in confusion. It was difficult to understand just how horrible the experience was unless they had personally gone through it themselves.
Finally, once the last CD had finished playing, the Poké Ball was removed from the machine and Tyranitar was released. It emerged and simply stood there, staring blankly ahead with half-lidded eyes and a vacant, almost stupid expression. A thin trail of drool ran down its chin, while one of its limbs occasionally twitched for no apparent reason.
"Gardevoir!" Alex called.
Gardevoir immediately teleported to his side.
"Add Tyranitar to the defense team near the Rhyperior pair. I want him gradually acclimated to the formations until he can keep up with the rest of the team."
"Gardevoir~" she replied with a nod.
"Good," Alex said before walking away, leaving Tyranitar to begin his new training regimen.
As Alex slowly made his way back to the main hub, he glanced to his left and spotted what looked like an apartment building. Rather than being constructed as a single structure, however, it was made up of individual modular rooms stacked together like bricks. What made the building remarkable was that every material used in its construction was Master ranked. Not only would it last for centuries without showing any noticeable signs of weathering, but it could also withstand damage from Elite rank and below without a scratch. This was one of the many structures that would gradually be transferred to the island.
Alex nodded, satisfied with the progress, before continuing on his way.
He entered the main hub, rode the elevator to the top floor, and stepped into the living room, only to find an unexpected guest waiting for him. She was surrounded by the kids, who eagerly crowded around her with items for her to sign, clearly thrilled to meet someone so famous.
The girls surrounding her were just as happy, though for a different reason. Her presence meant they could share Alex's attention more evenly, taking some of the pressure off them and easing the burden of dealing with his libido, especially now that he had just returned.
"Hey, Alex! I finally decided to come and join you permanently," she said, shyly ducking her head as she looked at him with an expectant expression. "I hope you don't mind."
"Why would I?" Alex said as he approached and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off the floor. "It's good to finally have you all to myself, Marnie."
It had been over a decade since Alex first met Marnie, when they discovered that their energy compatibility was strong enough for him to genuinely feel love for her. Of course, that feeling was artificial, much like the emotions Mesprit had granted him. Even so, if he had never met Mesprit, it would have been the closest thing to love Alex could have ever experienced.
That initial connection gradually deepened over the years. Alex and Marnie set aside a day each year to spend together, with Alex visiting whenever he could and keeping in regular contact between visits. With each passing year, their feelings grew stronger, creating a bond fundamentally different from Alex's physical relationships with Maylene and Bea.
"So, why did you decide to come now?" Alex asked. "Not that I'm complaining."
"It's because I'm at the peak of Champion rank," Marnie replied, still held tightly in his arms. "I figured it would be better to follow you to the island rather than risk accidentally revealing that I've reached Master rank while working as a Gym Leader."
"What about the Gym in Spikemuth City?"
"I handed it over to Bea. She was tied with Allister for the Gym Leader position in Stow-on-Side, so it made sense to hand it over to her now that I've retired."
"Well, you picked the perfect time. I just got back from a dimensional expedition, so I'll be spending the next year on vacation."
"Hehehe… I know. I had Vera contact me as soon as you arrived."
Alex wasn't the only one who kept in regular contact with Marnie. Vera and the girls had also stayed in touch with her over the years, eventually adding her to the group chat used by Alex's various partners. Since not all of the girls stayed at the main hub all the time, the group chat allowed everyone to stay connected and kept Clarissa, Lyra, Mika, and Sable in the loop as well.
They all knew that Alex had developed genuine feelings for Marnie, separate from the emotions the girls had developed for him through the Love Trigger. Because of that, Marnie had long since been accepted as someone important to Alex, even before she finally decided to join them.
"Welcome to the harem," Vera said, officially. "We're happy to have you."
"Just in time, too," Kaia added. "Alex is pretty pent-up right now."
"Ewww…" the kids groaned as they made their way out of the living room, more than happy with their autographs from the former Gym Leader.
Marnie blushed but didn't complain as Alex carried her toward the master bedroom, clearly eager to make up for lost time.
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R-18 Chapter available on Patreon.