Alex didn't move to hunt the Tauros nest immediately but instead set up a healing station for the Lucario nest. They had just been through a brutal battle and needed some food and rest to get back into fighting shape, so he spared his own Elite ranked meat supply to foster some goodwill.
He also took some time to get to know his latest recruits.
"For the last time," Alex said exasperated, "I am not going to eat any of you!"
Before him stood the Shiny Lucario, standing bravely with arms outstretched, defending her friends from the evil human. Kirlia and Lopunny, on the other hand, stared at Alex with determined expressions, ready to accept their ill fate.
"Lucario!"
"I had that hungry look because I wanted to eat Champion ranked Tauros steaks, not your friends! Gardevoir, tell them!"
Gardevoir chuckled beside Alex before giving them memories of what was expected of them should they choose to join his team.
They paled at the level of combat expected from them. It was beyond what they had learned under the Champion. Luckily, their move proficiencies were up to standard, considering how much time they spent training. Still, from the memories shown to them, they could see that Alex's smaller team could beat their whole nest without losing a single member.
They quickly looked at Alex's other Pokémon, who were meeting the nest. Altaria was having a fluffiness contest with the Lopunny. Frosmoth was taking care of the younger Pokémon while shoving more food into their mouths. Alcremie was giving out her cream and proceeded to use Draining Kiss on anyone who complained about the taste. These playful creatures could destroy them with just a single command from Alex.
Gardevoir followed up with images of their rewards, and they were understandably excited. Elite ranked meat that was usually reserved for the leaders, comforting massages, and grooming. It was a beautiful life that came hand in hand with deadly combat.
Lucario was visibly excited to join the attack team. She had been made fun of by the other Lucario, so she was never attached to the nest except for her two friends who always stood by her. Still, she was worried about Kirlia since he had not been able to evolve. It did not seem like he would be able to keep up with the others.
"Lucario…"
Alex's eyes widened at her request.
"This is a male?" Alex exclaimed. "No wonder he can't evolve. He needs a Dawn Stone. Don't worry, he will fight beside you without any problems. If anything, you need to step up your game or he might overtake you."
Lucario gave him a puzzled look so Alex gave them his pitch.
"Bond with me and I promise to help Kirlia evolve. How does that sound?"
"Lucario!"
"All you need to do is join my team along with them," Alex said while holding out his hand.
Lucario convened with her friends and, after a short discussion, ultimately accepted. Alex's offer was a huge improvement compared to the treatment they received from the nest. As long as they were together, they would be able to thrive.
"Lucario," she said with determination, placing her hand on top of Alex's.
"Kirlia," he said with excitement at the chance to evolve, placing his hand on top of Lucario's.
"Lopunny," she said, unsure but willing, placing her hand as well.
"Excellent," Alex said as he initiated the bond with his energy, their bonds forming without complication.
Alex smiled with satisfaction at achieving his goal for this detour before taking out the Dawn Stone as promised.
It sparkled with a teal glow that matched Kirlia's hair, catching the attention of Lopunny and Lucario. It was beautiful.
Kirlia carefully took it and sent his energy into it. Suddenly, he shone brightly with the multicolored light of evolution. When the glow faded, Gallade stood in Kirlia's place.
"Gallade!" he cried out in excitement, pulling Lucario and Lopunny into an impulsive hug.
They cheered with him at first, sharing his rush of excitement, right up until they actually looked at him.
Their eyes traced the new shape of his body, the clean, defined lines of his blades, the taller frame, the sudden solidity in his stance. The excitement on their faces faltered, replaced by a warm blush as they took in his new masculine form.
Gallade blinked at them, confused at their sudden change of emotion, until another sensation brushed the edge of his awareness.
Across the nest, the Gardevoir looked at him the way predators sized up a prize. Every one of them clearly understood that the modest Kirlia from moments ago had become a mighty Gallade, a mighty fine one at that.
The Gardevoir began to drift toward him with a slow, seductive sway, their intent written clearly in their eyes.
Before they could get too close, Lucario and Lopunny stepped in front of him protectively. They stood between him and the approaching Gardevoir, ready to defend their… friend? Yes, friend… for now.
Meanwhile, Alex was getting hungry looks of his own from the male Kirlia. They rushed to him and asked to join his team in exchange for being able to evolve.
"Sorry, but my team isn't recruiting for now. Tell you what though, my bounty hunters would easily help you all evolve if you join up with them, so think about it."
They looked down sadly at the lost opportunity but held out hope for a chance to evolve. Hopefully, these bounty hunters Alex mentioned would accept them.
Alex had not missed the fact that these Pokémon were all trained in combat formations, making them a poor fit for the attack team. He had accepted Lucario only because of a few factors that barely convinced him.
One, she was ostracized, which meant she trained extra hard compared to the others. Two, she was their best fighter, which meant she was capable of thinking for herself. And finally, yes, it was because she was a Shiny, which made her the perfect bait to toss out when needed.
As for joining his defense team, they could not compare to the Lucario at the International Police Headquarters. Those were trained to military standards and were already perfect for his defense team, while the Lucario here would need to learn moves and slowly build up discipline.
Alex clapped his hands drawing his recruit's attention before taking out his phone.
"Alright, let's see what you can do."
Name: Lucario, Elite
Type: Fighting Steel, Female
Ability: Inner Focus
Moves:
Advanced:
(Effect Up +1): Life Dew, Screech, Helping Hand, Copycat, Detect, Work Up, Calm Mind, Metal Sound, Quick Guard, Swords Dance, Heal Pulse, Protect, Endure
(+50% Damage): Rock Smash, Vacuum Wave, Final Gambit, Reversal, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Force Palm, Bone Rush, Meteor Mash, Dragon Pulse, Close Combat, Bullet Punch, Bulldoze
Expert:
(+100% Damage): Extreme Speed
Description: Lucario, the Aura Pokémon. Known for its mastery of both physical combat and spiritual energy, Lucario can sense and manipulate the aura of other beings with remarkable precision. By focusing this energy through its paws, it can unleash devastating waves or strikes capable of overwhelming even the strongest opponents.
"Inner Focus prevents flinching, which is good for tanking. All moves are at Advanced, with Extreme Speed at Expert. No Priority trained moves, but at least they're more effective," Alex commented before giving recommendations. "A trip to the TM should round you out nicely. It shouldn't take long to get all your proficiencies in order, given your experience. We'll also need to put you on a strict diet to sort out your Effort Values, but overall, not bad."
Name: Lopunny, Expert
Type: Normal, Female
Ability: Limber
Moves:
Advanced:
(Effect Up +1): Double Team, Agility, Charm, Cotton Guard
(+50% Damage): Tackle, Power-Up Punch, Mach Punch, Draining Kiss, Brutal Swing, Headbutt, Iron Tail, Bounce, Dynamic Punch
Expert:
(+100% Damage): Quick Attack
Description: Lopunny, the Rabbit Pokémon. Known for its agility and elegant kicking techniques, Lopunny can move with lightning speed while maintaining flawless balance. By combining its acrobatic skills with powerful leg strikes, it can outmaneuver foes and deliver crushing blows in rapid succession.
"Limber prevents paralysis," Alex said, glancing over at Gallade, the lucky bastard, before returning to his assessment. "Quick Attack is perfect since it can help you with placement. Overall, more than enough to act as a supporter."
Alex would have preferred an Infernape or Mienshao instead, but bonds between teammates were far more important, as they allow for maximum coordination in battle. Still, a Lopunny wasn't bad, since they were difficult to take down due to their speed and defenses.
Name: Gallade, Expert
Type: Psychic Fighting, Male
Ability: Sharpness
Moves:
Novice: Slash
Advanced:
(Effect Up +1): Growl, Double Team, Hypnosis, Life Dew, Charm, Calm Mind, Heal Pulse, Confuse Ray
(+50% Damage): Disarming Voice, Confusion, Draining Kiss, Psybeam, Psychic, Dream Eater, Future Sight, Magical Leaf, Mystical Fire, Future Sight
Expert:
(-75% Cooldown): Teleport
Description: Gallade, the Blade Pokémon. Known for its precise sword-like arms and tactical fighting style, Gallade can anticipate an opponent's moves and strike with pinpoint accuracy. By channeling its inner energy into its blades, it can deliver swift and devastating slashes, capable of slicing through both defenses and obstacles alike.
"Sharpness? Excellent! You'd be perfect as an attacker. Your moves are significantly lacking, but it's nothing a quick visit to the Move Relearner and a TM wouldn't fix. Teleport is… a bit of a waste, but it shouldn't be a—" Alex suddenly paused as suspicion started building.
"Gallade, can you show me how you use Teleport?" he quickly asked.
"Gallade," the Pokémon said with a nod before suddenly vanishing and reappearing 10 meters away in an instant.
Alex and Gardevoir's eyes widened at the sudden move. The distance Gallade covered wasn't impressive, they could have achieved that with a quick step in less time, but what stunned them was the total lack of casting time.
A -75% cooldown reduction isn't usually game-changing because most moves are limited by their execution time, not their cooldown. Only Priority moves like Quick Attack or "fire and forget" moves like Gravity benefit significantly from such reductions.
Teleport, in particular, has -6 Priority because it requires time to visualize and calculate both the starting point and the destination. Even with a reduced cooldown, the casting process still dominates the move's total duration, making it slow to repeat.
What Gallade had done, however, was instantaneous, close-range teleportation, completely bypassing the normal casting time, a feat neither Alex nor Gardevoir had ever witnessed.
"How are you doing that?" Alex asked, struggling to contain his bewilderment.
"Gallade!" he said with a shrug.
"Gardevoir, translate," Alex requested.
'He focuses purely on the destination without paying attention to his surroundings. It's reckless and could easily get him killed with even the slightest miscalculation. And there's the limitation of only being able to use it with direct line of sight. I don't think he can Teleport the way it's normally done.'
"Basically, he isn't calculating his teleportation but simply trusting his guts!?" Alex exclaimed.
Gardevoir nodded equally bewildered. She would never be able to pull off such a teleportation as she relies heavily on calculations.
"Do the others know how to do this as well?" Alex asked.
All three nodded, unsure why he seemed so concerned. To them, the entire Ralts line in their nest used Teleport this way. It was why Jenna couldn't just teleport back to Veilstone City while escaping.
"So, either genetic or taught. Have you ever suddenly just lost a Ralts while it was practicing teleportation?"
They nodded again, this time solemnly. They assumed those missing Ralts had teleported somewhere dangerous and never made it back.
"No wonder," Alex muttered.
It was clearly a learned technique, one with a high chance of killing the user, which meant it couldn't be bred into them, only trained. That alone made this particular nest of Ralts, Kirlia, and Gardevoir unusually valuable. No one would risk an expensive Ralts just to teach it a method that could easily get it killed.
He would have loved to sell Pokémon with this trait for a premium, but a promise was a promise. This particular advantage would stay within the Silver Network.
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