"You haven't let me out for a long time. Is there finally something you can't handle that needs my help?" Zeraora grumbled the moment it emerged from its Poké Ball, voicing its discontent.
"Alright, alright, my bad," Sam replied, scratching his head. "The thing is, no one around here has seen you before. If I let you out in public, we'd get mobbed like a traveling circus act."
"Then why let me out now? Just to handle those two clowns over there? They're just Trainers. You could have let me out earlier too, you know."
"Well, I didn't exactly plan to let that guy walk away unscathed. It's a bit much for Lucario to take on two opponents at once, and I kind of want that guy to suffer a little," Sam admitted, a hint of mischievous malice in his voice.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?! I've never seen anything like it!" the Hunter across the field yelled, stunned. "Kid, you're full of secrets! Even if I kill you, all this will be mine! Arceus has finally smiled on me! I'm gonna be rich!"
"Zeraora, he's enjoying himself way too much. Take him down—Plasma Fists, end it in one strike."
Zeraora surged forward, its fists glowing with crackling blue electricity.
"Arbok, use Bite! Houndoom, go with Flamethrower!" the Hunter barked.
But Zeraora was already a blur. Using Agility, it zipped past Houndoom's flames and landed a crushing Plasma Fists strike. Houndoom collapsed instantly. Without slowing, Zeraora closed in on Arbok and KO'd it with another electrified blow.
The Hunter's smug expression turned to panic. Desperate, he threw out every other Poké Ball he had—low-level, undertrained Pokémon—all to stall for time.
"Go! Hold it off!" he yelled, then turned to flee.
"Trying to run? Lucario, Extreme Speed!" Sam commanded.
Lucario darted forward like lightning. The remaining Pokémon tried to get in his way, but—
"Zeraora, use Thunderbolt!" Sam ordered.
Zeraora unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, instantly paralyzing or knocking out the Hunter's remaining Pokémon. Lucario caught up with the Hunter and landed a brutal Bone Rush to his leg, breaking it. The man fell and crawled, groaning in pain.
As Sam walked over, the Hunter turned and groveled.
"I—I can recognize a strong Trainer when I see one. Please! Let me live. I'll serve you—I'll be your slave if you want!"
"Now you regret it? Where's all that confidence you had earlier? You're not sorry for hurting Pippi, you're just sorry you messed with the wrong person. I'll kill hunters like you every time I find one. Lucario—Aura Sphere, headshot."
As Sam turned and walked toward the Clefairy, Lucario's glowing Aura Sphere charged and flew straight into the Hunter's skull. The resulting crack made Sam flinch slightly—his first time ordering a kill.
Even though he hadn't looked back, the sound alone made him shiver. He took a deep breath and focused on Clefairy, speaking through telepathy.
"It's alright now. No one's going to hurt you anymore."
"Thank you. I'd like you to take care of this little one," Clefairy said softly, cradling something in its arms. "You seem like a kind person. I've cared for it since I found the egg. Please look after it for me."
Sam looked down. It was a Pokémon Egg—decorated with soft blue and white squares.
"Wait a second… that's a Togepi Egg! Those are super rare. Even in Kanto, most people have never seen one."
"Please take it. I can't leave my tribe, but this is my thank you to you."
Clefairy handed him the egg, along with a glowing Moon Stone.
Sam gently accepted both, healed Clefairy using the power of Verdant Grace, and retrieved the Poké Balls the Hunter left behind. He'd originally come to Mt. Moon to find a Moon Stone, so with that goal complete, he continued his journey toward Cerulean City.
Upon arriving, Sam headed straight to the Pokémon Center. Even with Verdant Grace, his team needed rest. As he settled into his room, he checked his haul: 2 Luxury Draws and 30 Standard Draws.
"System, can I trade Standard Draws for Luxury ones? The rewards from the basic ones are kind of underwhelming."
"Ding Dong! Host's request detected. System upgraded: 10 Standard Draws = 1 Luxury Draw."
"You're the best, System. If you were a person, I'd marry you."
"...Host, please show some respect."
"Just joking. Anyway, convert them and give me a five-Luxury draw streak."
"Ding Dong! Five Luxury Draws incoming…"
"I offer up Zeraora's eternal singleness for gold! (I'm obsessed with CS:GO!)"
"...I might not be human, but you're a real clown," Zeraora muttered from the side, despite being genderless.
"Ding Dong! You've received:
Lucarionite (Lucario's Mega Stone)
Shiny Froakie
Charizardite X
Rare Candy (XL)
Charizardite Y"
Sam stared at the results. "Holy—Zeraora's presence is too good for luck. And a shiny Froakie?! If I can get a Greninja, maybe I can even Bond Evolve!"
Anyone who'd seen Pokémon XYZ had dreamed of Ash-Greninja.
He summoned his Pokémon. After rigorous training, Charmeleon was now Lv. 30 and Lucario had reached Lv. 48. Charmeleon wasn't quite ready for Gym-level fights, so Sam used the Rare Candy XL, pushing him to Lv. 40. A burst of light enveloped Charmeleon, and he evolved into Charizard.
Sam tied both Charizardite X and Charizardite Y to Charizard's wrists—wondering what would happen. Could it choose which Mega Form to take, like Mewtwo?
He then equipped Lucarionite on Lucario's neck, and asked the System to reshape his Key Stone into a wristwatch. After that, he summoned the shiny Froakie.
Froakie
Ability: Protean
Nature: Timid
Moves: Water Gun, Pound, Growl
Potential: Overpowered
The light-blue Froakie had foamy bubbles around its neck and looked incredibly cute.
"System, can this Froakie use Bond Evolution?"
"Affirmative. This Froakie has the potential to achieve Bond Phenomenon via Aura Synchronization with you."
"No wonder Ash's Lucario wanted to train with Greninja—there's a deep connection there."
After feeding the team some Poké Puffs and letting them rest in the Pokémon Ranch, Sam began to plan for tomorrow's Gym Battle. Cerulean Gym, while one of the weaker ones, was a Water-type Gym—and most of his team was disadvantaged. He didn't want to expose Zeraora yet, fearing attention from powerful Trainers or worse, criminal organizations.
That's when he remembered—he hadn't checked the Pokémon left behind by the Hunter. Among them was a Magneton at Level 40. Unfortunately, it wouldn't obey him without a badge—or some persuasion.
Sam released it and spoke to it via telepathy.
"Your old Trainer is dead. Fight for me in tomorrow's battle and I'll let you go afterward. Refuse, and I'll 'release' you… permanently."
Magneton buzzed in panic and nodded vigorously.
With everything prepared, Sam finally drifted into sleep. Compared to sleeping rough outdoors, the Pokémon Center bed felt like heaven.