Shalour City was not quite as big as either Serena or Alex had been led to believe, but that only served to make the large tower in the distance even more imposing.

"That must be the Tower of Mastery. Do you think we should go there first?" Serena asked, Alex squinting at the horizon as it began to darken into oranges and pinks and reds.

"The sun is starting to set. We shouldn't be out after dark, I'm not the only one from Team Flare who lurks in the night. The Pokémon Center is nearby, so we should go there and lay low for the night." He said, though could see from the corner of his eye Serena's pleading face.

"But the sooner I battle Korrina, the sooner we get our answers! Come on, please?" She begged, Alex taking a deep breath before groaning.

"Tch, fine. Let's go."

Serena smiled deviously as she raced off towards the Tower of Mastery, Alex sighing before chasing after her. He was wearing lighter clothes than before with a blue button up shirt and black pants that cut off just below the knee, though he insisted on wearing his black dress shoes still. However, he still didn't want to chase after this girl he had just met because she didn't have patience and he couldn't say no to her. But he had little choice, so he did.

The two finally made it to the Tower and were promptly greeted by Korrina and her two Lucario as well as a strange old man.

"Serena! You finally made it! Welcome to the Tower of Mastery, as well as the Shalour City Gym." Korrina said eagerly, staring at Alex with wonder, though he felt as if the old man was staring into his soul, even from so far away. Korrina skated up to him and held out her hand to him.

"Sorry, I don't think we properly met in Geosenge Town. My name is Korrina, what's yours?" She asked, Alex freezing before glancing at Serena nervously. She gave him a small smile of encouragement, which gave him the confidence he needed to shake her hand and return her friendly smile.

"My name is Alex. I've heard many stories about the Tower of Mastery, but I didn't know the Shalour City Gym was located inside it." He said in barely concealed awe, though Korrina nervously laughed at his compliment.

"Haha, it normally isn't here. Grandfather says this place is too sacred for Gym Battles, but-"

"The current Shalour Gym is closed for repairs as mandated by the Pokémon League." A voice shouted over the group, everyone turning to see the old man had left from where he was waiting to come stand directly in front of Alex. His face was full of disdain as he looked him in the eye.

"My granddaughter will be carrying out all of her duties as a Gym Leader here until the Gym has reopened. You seem to have a keen eye for Mega Evolution, boy, as based on that ring on your finger. So what exactly do you seek from the Tower of Mastery if you have already gone through trials necessary to gain a Key Stone and a Charizardite X?"

The old man did not care for him, that much Alex could tell. What he didn't know was why, but Korrina knew. Both her and her grandfather had a close bond with each of their Lucario, and their partners were well known for their ability to sense auras around others. Through the power of their bonds, some of their ability is passed to their Trainers in turn if they are very close.

The darkness in Alex's aura wasn't intense, it was rather shallow and weak, but it was widespread. There was only a glimpse of hope in him, but both Korrina and her grandfather could sense all of the horrible things he had done, and the only one who would've done so much evil in a short amount of time would be a member of Team Flare. They weren't certain why he was with Serena, someone with a blazingly pure aura that gave Korrina's Lucario a migraine after first witnessing it. But it couldn't be for a good reason.

"I want to bond better with my partner Pokémon so we can harness our shared power to its fullest. We need to become stronger if we are to help this world." Alex said, and while what he said wasn't untrue, it did leave a gaping hole in the full truth.

The old man didn't seem to believe him, but left it at that as his whole demeanor shifted to one of warmth as he held out his hand to Serena to shake.

"I've heard much about you, Serena. My granddaughter speaks highly of you, don't you Korrina?" He said with a teasing smile, Korrina turning red with embarrassment as she looked away from them both.

"That's only because my Lucario keeps running to her without any provocation, I thought it was strange." She mumbled, her grandfather laughing.

"I know, do not worry. I am Gurkinn, the 'Mega Evolution guru' as I've slowly started to be called all across Kalos. You are now standing in the Tower of Mastery, otherwise known as the birthplace of Mega Evolution. It is here that a strange traveler to Kalos and his Lucario came to this spot and discovered two strange stones. After holding the stone aloft, his Lucario managed to surpass his limits and evolve beyond Evolution. Ever since then, my ancestors have passed down this knowledge and the responsibility of providing Trainers the opportunity to gain their Mega Ring and Key Stone until me, and one day, my granddaughter." Gurkinn said proudly, giving a very strong hint that he was proud of his heritage. Not that anyone could blame him, Mega Evolution was still a mystery, if anyone knew about it, it was impressive.

"Enough about legends, Grandfather, Serena wants the Mega Ring and Key Stone. Should we not allow her the chance to earn it?" Korrina asked, Gurkinn shaking his head.

"Professor Sycamore said there would be five total here for the Mega Ring, and as this young man already has one, we still have to wait on four more." He said, though, was interrupted by the sound of footsteps rushing in to see Shauna, Tierno, Trevor, and Calem all running in at that moment.

"Is that the Mega Evolution guru?" Tierno asked, Trevor elbowing him in the arm.

"Don't shout so loudly, this place is sacred. We have to be respectful." He hissed, Tierno apologizing sheepishly to Gurkinn, though the old man merely smiled once again.

"Nonsense, the sanctity of this place was soiled today before you all arrived." He said with a pointed look towards Alex, who swallowed nervously and avoided eye contact.

"Anyway, welcome to the Tower of Mastery! This is where you will go through the challenges necessary to earn the power to harness Mega Evolution, but there is one slight hitch. I only possess one Mega Ring, so you will have to decide who amongst yourselves will be given the opportunity to possess it." Gurkinn said gravely, everyone glancing at one another before Tierno piped up.

"I'll pass. Pokémon battling isn't really my scene. So, Mega Evolution would be way out of my league."

Trevor was next.

"I want to complete the Pokédex first. If you try to do too much at once, you won't accomplish anything." He said.

Shauna was last.

"Me, too! It really would be a cool memory, and it does look interesting...but I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew." She said, the three of them nodding in agreement, leaving Calem to turn to Serena and hold out his hand.

"Guess this means we can battle each other for the Mega Ring. How about it?" He asked, Serena nodding in agreement.

"Let's do it!" She said, shaking Calem's hand.

Alex didn't know why he felt a pang of jealousy in his heart as seeing them shake hands. He decided it wasn't important.

————

Xerosic was deep in work in his lab while his Grunts bustled around him with their next task, always working, always obeying. He was in charge of overseeing his division as well as keeping 42 and 51 in line, and that meant keeping tabs on all of their locations, though only one was away from base.

According to the 3D map he was examining, 42 was standing where Xerosic was sitting, but at the surface level.

"What are you doing, 42, standing idly about in the open like that?" Xerosic muttered to himself, pulling open his Holo-Caster's files and allowing him to listen to audio.

"Hey, Serena! Is that you?"

A young female's voice, one that Xerosic couldn't pinpoint at that moment, but he recognized the name of the girl she was referring to. The Trainer that 42 was set to capture.

"Who's your friend?"

Friend? That couldn't be right, there was no one else in sight besides 42 and the Trainer, unless...

"Oh, he's not a friend, he's an...acquaintance."

Xerosic narrowed his eyes. Surely, she couldn't be referring to the most trusted Grunt of Team Flare as an acquaintance, correct?

He was about to open the camera files before a warning sign came up, saying the files had been corrupted and that all cameras were down.

It was too much of a coincidence to be brushed over. Xerosic needed to investigate this, and he knew exactly how. His face twisted into a horrible grin as he pressed on his Holo-Castle.

"51, come down to my lab at once."

————

"Whew, you've certainly grown stronger since the last time we've battled, haven't you? You've won the opportunity to earn the Mega Ring, congratulations! Though just because you will have a Mega Ring doesn't mean you can rest easily, I'll still beat you!"

The match had been close, but Serena had prevailed in the end. Everyone was clapping and cheering for her, even a quick glance at Alex gave her a small smile from him, which felt the most earned.

"Thank you, Calem. Gurkinn, I'm ready to climb the tower for the Mega Ring." Serena said, the old man grinning mischievously.

"In time. However, I believe you still have a Gym Leader to battle, right?" He asked, gesturing to Korrina who spun around in a circle excitedly in her skates.

"Woo, I've been waiting so long for this! Are you ready, Serena?" She asked, Serena nodding eagerly, pulling a Poké Ball from her bag and releasing her Braixen.

"I, Serena Batton, officially challenge the Shalour City Gym." She declared, Korrina's expression suddenly turning serious as she gestured for her Lucario to step forward.

"Everyone, back away. This could get dangerous and I don't want any of you getting hurt."

The friend group, Alex, and Gurkinn all moved to the sidelines of the battlefield, excited to see what this battle had in store. Alex was especially interested as he could sense the confident air around Serena, a gleam in her eye. He felt that strange jealousy once again, but it was for a different reason. Now wasn't the time though, he had to watch his future opponent carefully for her strategies.

Because of course he was going to challenge her again. No matter what.