"Mmnnngh..."
Waking sometime in the middle of the night or early morning, the first thing Jason noticed was that his body ached all over. Second was that, despite the air feeling cool and Korrina sleeping sloppily to his right, her left leg across his body, he was blanketed in sweat.
Following the heat to its source, a heavy weight pressing against his left flank, Jason wasn't too surprised to find Ren cuddling him.
'Allowing her to sleep with me on the train might have been a mistake...' Jason thought, exhaling faintly from his nose. He and Korrina had pulled out a comfortable bed for her to sleep on once she got tired of exploring the island and presumably training with Luca, but there she was, nestled in the nook between his side and arm, curled up like a cat.
'Whatever...it's not worth waking her up over...' Jason decided, closing his eyes and doing his best to return to sleep. Unfortunately, the aches in his body, combined with Ren radiating heat like a furnace, made it impossible. Instead, he ended up lying in silence, contemplating the future until it was time for him and Korrina to get up and complete their morning routine...
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After spitting out toothpaste mixed with water, Korrina, modeling a black tank top and plain white panties that hugged her figure, asked, "What are your plans for today?"
Tilting his head, Jason, who was using a toothbrush to clean Ren's teeth as she sat on the counter, asked, "What else would I do but spectate your matches? Train?"
"I mean, it's definitely an option," Korrina affirmed, poking her tongue out. Then, clarifyingly, she noted, "You could also remain here and get to know our Trainers and facilities. I'm sure Jaxon or Tammy would be happy to be your and Ren's training partners."
Shaking his head, Jason asserted, "The two of us will have plenty of time to train, study, and improve ourselves at the Pokémon School. Right now, I believe Ren will benefit the most from observing powerful Pokémon and their Trainers battling in WCS matches."
"Then I'll have to do my best to put on a good show~" Korrina hummed, winking playfully before slipping past Jason to exit the bathroom ahead of him.
"Aaaaaah—"
As Jason briefly followed Korrina through her reflection, Ren, as if to remind him he was in the middle of brushing her teeth, produced a low intonation from her throat.
"Yeah, yeah..." responded Jason, returning his focus to the task at hand. In the process, he noticed that a few of Ren's teeth were loose, but that was normal for young, so-called baby Pokémon. It was also yet another sign that she was close to evolving, so while carefully flossing her sharp, three-ridged molars, he made a mental note to prepare some clothes that would fit her evolved form in advance. Lucky for him, Luca wasn't the only Lucario residing at the Tower of Mastery...
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After completing their preparations, Jason, Ren, and Korrina, the latter wearing a Lucario-themed battle ensemble, made their way to what was effectively a cave-themed menagerie and training hall containing most of the Gym's battle-ready and in-training Pokémon.
"Is that a pagoda...?" asked Jason, noticing a multi-tiered green-roofed structure on the far side of the cavern that resembled an ancient Shaolin Temple with crimson walls and golden ornamentation.
"That's right," confirmed Korrina, her blue eyes glistening as she glanced in the direction of the pagoda and revealed, "My ancestors came to Kalos from the Sinnoh Region many generations ago. Back then, there were a lot of clans fighting for territory and superiority, so we migrated here to avoid being caught up in the conflict and to continue our pursuit of self-mastery alongside Pokémon. The Tower of Mastery was constructed as a reminder of that pursuit."
"Then, your ancestors constructed the Tower of Mastery?" asked Jason, removing Ren from his shoulders so she could run ahead and acquaint herself with the many, predominantly Fighting-type Pokémon residing in the underground habitat. This included several Machop and Machoke—weight training and wrestling under the supervision of a Machamp. And perched atop several pillar-like rocks were Meditite and Medicham being guided through meditation by an Alakazam.
"Honestly? It's difficult to know for certain," responded Korrina, shrugging casually before staring off into the distance as she noted, "Records and stories tend to get skewed over dozens of generations and thousands of years. That's one of the reasons my mom studied history, archeology, and geomorphology. She was totally obsessed with unveiling secrets that had been lost to time..."
"You miss them both, don't you...?" asked Jason, his voice a comforting whisper as he supportively slipped the fingers of his right hand through Korrina's left. In response, she turned to stare directly at him, her large blue eyes appearing to glisten faintly as she affirmed, "I do. But while my mother was obsessed with the past, I know in my heart that she wouldn't want me to be stuck living in it. That's why I plan to keep charging ahead, full-steam—no brakes."
"And I'll do my best to catch up to you..." Jason appended, leading to a sudden increase in tension as he and Korrina became immersed in each other's gaze.
"Well now, I hope I'm not interrupting anything..." remarked an amused-sounding, distinctly elderly tone.
With the voice practically emanating from behind him, Jason couldn't help but startle. Korrina, on the other hand, lit up and exclaimed, "Grandpa! It's about time you showed your shiny head!"
"Hey! I'm not bald, yet!" countered the voice's owner, an aging man with absurdly long and bushy eyebrows that flared and swopped out similarly to Korrina's bangs. He was somewhat short, barely cresting 160cm, and while he wasn't bald, the only hair on his otherwise shiny head was a thin strip of platinum blonde at the very peak of his crown.
As Korrina laughed at the man's, her Grandfather's, response, the bushy-browed elder cleared his throat by coughing into his right fist. Then, with sharp, discerning, steel-grey eyes, he glanced at Jason and noted, "You must be Jason Springfield, Korrina's friend from another world. Greetings. I am her Grandfather, Gurkinn Masters."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir," affirmed Jason, inclining his head and body respectfully. His first instinct was to extend his hand for a handshake, but as Gurkinn had positioned his hands behind his back, it didn't seem appropriate.
"Hmmmn...you have a curious aura about you...very curious indeed..." remarked Gurkinn, his somewhat beady eyes surveying Jason from head to toe. Before Jason could ask what he meant, however, Korrina chimed in, asking, "Grandpa, if you're here, does that mean you've brought what I asked for?" with sparkling, expectant eyes.
"Indeed," responded Gurkinn, nodding sagely before reaching into the inner breast pocket of his muted purple, nearly grey top and pulling out a large, faintly shimmering, cream-colored marble with a beige, brown, dark brown, cat-eyed swirl at the center.
"Awesome! You're the best, Grandpa~!" exclaimed Korrina, snatching the marble, a refined Lopunnite, from her Grandfather's hand and giving him a tight, suffocating hug.
"Uncle! Uncle...!" croaked Gurkinn, hastily tapping Korrina's forearm with a desperate look on his face. Unfortunately for him, Korrina was too excited, leading to a loud, echoing pop as she inadvertently cracked his neck with her slender, deceptively powerful arms...
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After returning topside to get her Grandfather fitted with a padded neck brace, Jason, Korrina, and Ren returned to the underground with Gurkinn and most of the Shalour Gym's Trainers to witness Laani's first attempt at Mega Evolution.
"Alright, Laani! You can do this...!" shouted Korrina, striking a bold series of poses as she bellowed, "Shatter your limits! Burst forth with the power that dwells deep within you! Megaaaaa Evolution...!"
As Korrina completed her impromptu incantation, which was primarily a means of hyping herself and Laani up, bands of rainbow-hued electricity erupted from the hemispherically shaped, gem-like keystone embedded in her left, fingerless glove. At the same time, nearly causing her to drop it, bands of gold and beige-brown electricity erupted from the Lopunnite in Laani's hands, joining with electricity emanating from Korrina to create an expanding field of transformative energy.
'So this is Mega Evolution...' Jason noted, his expression serious as he observed the phenomenon unblinkingly. He had seen several Pokémon Mega Evolving through broadcasts, but witnessing and feeling it in person was completely different. The air felt as though it was suffused with static electricity, and though it was faint, he could detect a flowery musk he had come to associate with Laani pervading the area.
"Yeaaaah!"
"Wooooh!"
"You go, Laani...!"
As Shalour's Gym Trainers and their Pokémon cheered her on, Laani's body began to undergo drastic changes. Her height didn't change much, but her waist tightened, and her muscles became more defined. Her legs, in particular, gained considerable definition while the previously brown fur covering them darkened—gaining a glossy sheen before tearing in several places like a pair of sheer tights with brown fur poking through them. The same happened around her chest and neck, becoming a natural halter top that kept her noticeably larger breasts at bay...
'This is ridiculous...' thought Jason, closing his eyes and exhaling from his nose. As her transformation stabilized and the light enveloping her naked body faded, Laani looked more anthropomorphized than ever. She had an hourglass figure, a very round bottom, thick thighs, and, though he wasn't sure of their actual size, what looked like C, possibly even D-Cup breasts. And though she retained her leporine features, including a snout, a slitted pink nose, and a cleft philtrum, her face was markedly more human, with defined cheekbones and angular, naturally narrowed eyes...
"Awesome! I knew you could do it, Laani! Great job~!" exclaimed Korrina, striking a pose and pumping her right fist as Laani, ostensibly intrigued by her transformation, inspected her body. The pom-pom-like fur around her forearms and calves had contracted and flattened, becoming sleeker and more compact, almost like forearm and leg guards. And as she clenched her four-fingered hands into fists and tensed the muscles in her body, she could feel tremendous power surging within her—a sentiment emphasized by her defined abs, back, shoulder, and leg muscles.
"Lowann..." muttered Laani, her pink, black-sclera-backed eyes glistening as she caressed her abs with her right hand. Then, feeling a sudden urge to move her body, she spun on the toes of her right foot and performed a lightning-swift, air-tearing kick that produced a powerful gust of wind that kicked up a swirl of dust around her.
"How is it? You're feeling a lot stronger, right~?" asked Korrina, sporting a knowing smile as she approached Laani and posed with her hands on her hips.
"Lowapanni," responded Laani, her eyes flashing as she glanced back at Korrina with clear excitement and a distinctly human, battle-hungry smile. In fact, if the two were compared side by side, there were some striking similarities between Laani's expression and Korrina's, almost as if she had gained the latter's features.
'Then come. Show me your power...' interjected Luca, dropping down a few meters in front of Laani in a relaxed, battle-ready pose with his left hand behind his back and his right extended invitingly. When Laani saw this, her eyes flashed anew. Immediately after, she leaped forward with such momentum that a small explosion was produced in her wake. At the same time, her body became a brown and vanilla-hued blur that spanned the ten or so meters separating her from Luca faster than those watching could blink.
BOOM
As Laani's reverse spinning kick, empowered by Fighting-type energy, connected with Luca's guard, a spherical pulse of faint orange and pale, bluish-white energy emanated from the point of contact, similar to how an electromagnetic pulse might be represented in a movie. From there, Laani went on the offensive, her expression a wide-eyed, battle-hungry grin as she did her best to overwhelm Luca with her newfound speed and power.
"Laani strong..." Ren muttered, her voice low and her body trembling with excitement atop Jason's shoulders. Jason agreed with this sentiment, but at the same time, he couldn't help feeling that Laani was getting ahead of herself. She initially had the look of an adrenaline junky on a high, but as her attacks failed to overcome Luca's defenses, her expression gradually morphed into a look of barely-contained fury...
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