A/N: Birthday today! Celebrating with some Taco Bell and quality time with my girlfriend. I hope you all enjoy yourselves today. We all deserve it. P.S. I did NOT use a section of the previous version to write this chapter. The definitely didn't happen. Enjoy!
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I looked at my spoils of war. Professor Sycamore forgot to mention ordering anything from his tablets automatically came with a discount, which meant I was able to get more than I originally planned. So, with the ten percent discount giving me 200,000$ worth of items, I got myself the TMs for Protect, Slash, Bulldoze, and Substitute, as well as a box of bulk vitamins and species-specific food plans. That left me with 30,000$, added directly to the 82,000$ in my bank account.
Professor Sycamore told me he would give me access to the lab account for continued access to the discount after completing my first job as a Lab Assistant. That meant cheaper access to TMs, evolution items, and foods for my team. That last part didn't seem important at first, since only Tetsu really needed specialized items like metal ores. But the dietary plans for the Fuecoco and Inkay lines surprised me.
Ingredients like Hearty Grains and hardened Numel Lava concentrated the Fire-Type Energy most Fire Types stored in their bodies. For the Fuecoco line, it needed to be closely monitored until their first evolution to ensure the energy didn't grow out of control and damage their bodies.
For Nautilus, I needed to maintain a high-fat diet to keep his brain healthy and Psychic abilities strong. I ordered ingredients and storage containers/bags, planning to divide portions out ahead of time and not worry about it in the future. It would take some time to get used to it, but I knew I'd eventually be able to eyeball the ingredients when cooking.
As soon as I completed the order, I got a message from Professor Sycamore.
[Augustine: Monsieur, I will send you an assignment directly on the Task app.]
[Augustine: Make sure to accept it before coming to my lab.]
[Augustine: I am giving a lecture that I want you to listen in on.]
[Me: Understood. I'll be there soon.]
My phone chimed immediately. I opened the Task app, seeing a request from Sycamore Labs for an escort job. He wanted me to escort a researcher from the Fossil Lab back to Ambrette Town. The reward was 30,000$ from the lab, 10,000$ upfront. I accepted immediately. That covered all the ingredients I bought for the team.
I made my way to the lab, eyeing the line to enter Prism Tower. As I got closer, Araceli waved me down from the entrance. I ignored the glares and huffs as I passed everyone, walking in with Araceli as she led me through the maze of counters and help desks. The tower looked futuristic from the outside, its glass and steel frame more advanced than any other building. The inside, however, was simple and rather bare. Other than the desks and counters, there were only a few plants throughout the lobby that offered a break from the info screens.
We stepped into an elevator with a few other assistants and researchers. Everyone politely greeted each other. The scent of coffee permeated the cabin as they spoke. We went up to the twentieth floor, where very few people walked around. Most were in locked rooms, hushed voices and sounds of machinery muted in the background.
We walked towards the back of the lab, two voices getting progressively clearer.
"-stand that this isn't normal. Two Mythical Pokémon don't just 'accidentally' bless the same person, Agustine!"
"C'est le cas if they brought someone from another universe." Professor Sycamore sounded exhausted. "We don't know why Legendaries and Mythicals do half the things they do, Hilda. But if they really were playing with interdimensional portals, I'm not surprised Victini and Hoopa brought- "
Araceli cleared her throat, making the Professor jump. "Here is Marco, Professor Sycamore."
"Oui, thank you Araceli," he nodded. He turned back to his phone and said, "We'll discuss this with the others. I'll have Calem schedule a meeting for next week."
He faced me, wearing a pleasant expression as if he hadn't just talked about some serious event.
'What if that was about me?'
If he wanted to tell me, he would. I didn't want to alienate someone with powerful connections just because I wanted to know if he was talking about me.
"Can I get more details on the escort task? Or will that happen after the lecture?"
Professor Sycamore's expression stayed pleasant, but I could tell his eyes were studying me. "The lecture first, mon ami. It starts in five minutes and I need to set up my presentation. I just wanted to ask for your permission to share some things we've learned while analyzing your test results with Nurse Joy."
"You want to talk about me in your lecture?" I asked. "I didn't know the results had anything that unique?"
"They are not unique, in a sense," he answered. "My lecture is on how humans can interact with and use Infinity Energy, and I wanted to add you to my list of examples. I will not use any identifying information, of course, but it would be great to add more recent research to my teaching materials."
"Ok, I'm fine with that. Is that why you want me to listen to the lecture?"
"Oui. Hopefully this clears up some questions you may have. Let's go to the lecture hall.
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"Hello everyone! I see the room is mostly full, so I'll get started with the lecture. As many of you know, I study Mega-Evolution and the bonds between trainers and Pokémon. In my years of research, I've discovered some things that are truly étonnant."
He released a few Pokémon: Pangoro, Charizard, and Gogoat. To the left of the Professor, Pangoro slammed on the floor with a loud grunt as narrow eyes keenly observed every single one of us. The muscular panda chewed on a twig, arms crossed and rippling with muscle. Charizard let out a roar as the Flame Pokémon hovered in place right next to Prof. Sycamore. The not-dragon scanned the room for a threat before relaxing and snuggling into the Professor's extended arms. Gogoat let out a loud bleat right in front of Professor Sycamore before shaking and laying down on the floor.
"One thing I have discovered is that there are some benefits to creating bonds with Pokémon. I'm not just referring to catching one and having it listen to your commands. I mean genuine bonds between individuals and these magical creatures, something that can only really be found among close friends and family.
"When a trainer and Pokémon develop these bonds, a special energy is created. Normally, Pokémon can only use this energy to strengthen their attacks and bodies. This leads to Pokémon having a noticeable edge against others who don't have that bond."
At this, Gogoat and Pangoro stood up. They both used what was widely considered a basic move: Tackle. Theirs was much stronger than other Pokémon I've seen. "Normally, a translucent white aura covers the user's body, looking more like wisps of smoke than anything. This is a visual cue that Normal-type energy is being condensed to deal damage."
For both Pangoro and Gogoat, a white light shimmered around their bodies, acting like some sort of armor. Though you could still see through it, it was much denser than normal. They crashed into each other. A white barrier, courtesy of Charizard, enveloped both. This prevented damage to their surroundings. We could still feel a shockwave, however, showing us just how strong the attacks were.
"Thank you, Goro and Bouc. Impressive, as usual. As you just saw, even basic moves can grow to be threatening. The density of the Normal-Type Energy changed because the bonds I have with my Pokémon are strong enough to allow for more Infinity Energy to be converted into Type Energy."
He took a moment to quietly praise the two. He then turned to Charizard. "Now, Flamber, get ready. Some Pokémon, including Charizard here, can harness that energy and use it to transform themselves. We call this-"
Professor Sycamore held up a bright, colorful marble. It shined bright at the same time as Charizard started to absorb energy from her surroundings. A bright white light momentarily blinded us before giving way to her transformation. Her skin darkened while her flame grew hotter and brighter. The energy condensed enough for all of us to see it coalesce around Charizard, flowing into her as she roared into a black version of herself with blue flames spewing out of her tail, mouth, and the top of her head. Her scales hardened and became shinier, enhancing the new color scheme. She looked more draconic than before, showing how the Mega Evolution changed her.
"Mega Evolution!"
We all stood in awe, taking in this rare moment to observe as much as we could. The power emanating from Charizard was beyond that of Mega Altaria. It felt oppressive, as if nothing less than utter submission and reverence was demanded. It also gave fleeting feelings of warmth and protection, like nothing could harm me in her presence.
"Only a few Pokémon species have been found to harness the energy of bonds in this way, though we believe all Pokémon are capable with the proper bond and trainer. However, there is another rarer bonus that comes with such a strong bond. The few studies our lab has conducted have shown definitive results. These results show positive effects in trainers, and are the focus of today's lecture."
The screen behind Professor Sycamore turned on to show three different trainers: Bruno Shiba of the Kanto Elite Four, Satoshi Red, who looked a lot like Red from the games, and Caitlin Katorea of the Unovan Elite Four.
"For some trainers, the bonds they have with their Pokémon have led to impressive physical enhancement, as seen in Bruno Shiba, the Fighting-type Elite Four member who can go toe-to-toe with his Machamp."
At this, a clip began playing. It showed Bruno sparring with his Machamp, both grappling with the other and slamming each other onto the floor and sending out flurries of kicks and punches. We saw a moment where Bruno caught one of Machamp's punches and used that as leverage to lift the Pokémon and slam him down hard.
"For others, these bonds have developed into Psychic abilities or boosts to abilities that are already present. Caitlin Katorea, an Elite Four member of Unova, has said her Pokémon have helped her with controlling her Psychic abilities."
Another clip played. This one showed a young girl with puffy brown hair with several bows throughout keeping it in place, a white dress, and white dress shoes. It spanned out to a battle between a Klinklang and Solosis, in which the Solosis fainted after taking a point-blank Flash Cannon. The girl shouted in anger, several items floating in the air and then being sent flying towards the Klinklang and their trainer, who was pelted by rocks and twigs.
Another clip of the same girl clad in white played, this time older and also losing a Pokémon battle. She once again shouted in anger, but this time nothing happened apart from glowing blue eyes. The other trainer flinched, apparently expecting an attack of some sort, sighing in relief when nothing happened.
"For Caitlin specifically, her bonds have increased the subconscious control of her Psychic abilities, no longer responding to her emotions as they did previously."
Now, a clip of Red, or Satoshi, played, showing him mid-battle against Mewtwo. His Charizard had mega-evolved already, the same evolution as Professor Sycamore's own Charizard. Satoshi's Charizard was flying around, swiftly dodging Mewtwo's attacks while sending Air Slashes and Dragon Pulses at it. They exchanged blows when they got close to each other, deciding close-quarter combat to be the focus of the battle. Charizard seemed to be taking more damage and losing whatever stalemate was present.
Satoshi gave an encouraging shout, getting closer to the battle in an effort to support his Pokémon. After this, Charizard roared, newfound energy surging through it to help squash whatever advantage Mewtwo had. This boost put Charizard back on the same level as Mewtwo. Satoshi jumped onto Charizard's back, which somehow massively boosted Charizard's speed. Mewtwo sent a Psychic wave towards Satoshi, who swiped his hand out to disrupt the attack and rendered it useless.
"For others, such as Satoshi Red of Pallet Town, the original Pokédex holder for Professor Oak, the bonds they have with their Pokémon can lead to temporary boosts mid-battle, more than the Pokémon themselves can use. This boost is stronger the closer the Trainer and Pokémon pair are and can even lead to Trainers helping their Pokémon in battle with some supporting acts, as we just saw from Satoshi disrupting Mewtwo's attack.
"There is still a lot we don't know, mostly because these bonds are extremely difficult to form for the average trainer. Those we can study are not very diverse, leading us to study the same few phenomena. Cependant, we believe there are countless different ways for this bond energy to interact with trainers and Pokémon."
Prof. Sycamore paused for a bit. He scanned everyone in the room, this time taking at least ten seconds to scrutinize each person he had observed earlier.
"Well, that was before. Over the last several months, our lab has made a tremendous breakthrough. Thanks to an individual we have promised to keep anonymous, our research has finally found a possible reason for the phenomena we have seen today. It embarrasses me to say the answer was right in front of our faces this whole time."
Professor Sycamore went into Professor mode as he talked about my case, presenting the same information Nurse Joy told me with terrifyingly greater detail. My initial physical tests, my reactions to Type Energy, and my more recent test results were laid bare for everyone in the room to scrutinize.
"As you can see, this individual's body is rapidly adapting to the Type Energy it comes into contact with, converts Type Energy into Infinity Energy, and reinforces itself to more readily resist the damage received from Infinity Energy via Type Energy.
"In the end, the answer we were searching for was Infinity Energy. We still do not know why certain individuals can interact with it, or why our bonds with Pokémon make it possible. But this individual has shown that humans can indeed safely use Infinity Energy, even if unintentionally. Our lab will continue to research this interaction, hoping to one day uncover the secrets of Infinity Energy and its role in our world."