It's a dark and solemn sky under which I advance up the tower. There are no others here- just the giant, marble Lucario staring ruefully down at me. He almost looks disgusted, if that's possible.

I wonder to myself what the people who made it were thinking.

Pich soars overhead, stopping to sit on the snout of the scowling Lucario and preen her feathers.

Rune is just trying to get up the stairs, one thrust of a stick into the ground after another. He pants furiously as he does so, his tongue lolling out.

"Are you okay? I did put Chrona in the Pokeball, I can do it for you too..."

"FINE." Rune says loudly.

Pich chirps, "I'm good."

I look at my two Pokeballs. Four... it's a team of four now. I bite my lip, inwardly thinking that this may have been a mistake. Then again, if Korrina challenges me up here, I can always decline. I'm not going to seal myself into a death trap.

Not after Mimsy and Gaile.

I finally reach the top and open a door, hoping it's the right one. Wind rushes in from outside, and I step out onto a dimly lit balcony overlooking the town. A balcony, naturally, just large enough for a good fight. Korrina is sitting there, slouched back with a disinterested look in her eyes. She looks up when she sees me, suddenly returning to consciousness. "You're late."

"10:03 PM." I say. "Not that late."

She claps twice and the lights go out. I have a few seconds to adjust to the darkness before Rune runs his stick along his robe and catches it on fire, like lighting a match.

"What did you need me here for?" I ask, instantly regretting how rude I sound.

"Well, I was going to teach you how to Mega Evolve." she said. "Unfortunately, we need to make some preparations first, if we're going to have a fair fight."

"Alright. What should I do?" I ask.

"Put them in their Pokeballs." Korrina instructs, pointing at Pich and Rune.

"What?!" I say, confused.

"More Pokemon out is cheating. It messes with how fast you can form bonds with a Pokemon. I want to see your skill, not theirs."

Pich and Rune both look terribly indignant.

"I'm not going in." Rune says with an upward tilt of his nose.

"Do we have to? It's so tiny... and dark..." Pich buries her face under her wings to muffle her voice, "and cold..."

"Listen, I can't force you to do anything. I can promise that what I learn right now can make or break us. I don't want anyone else to die... and, well, Mega Evolution may have something to do with... home." I sigh the last word. Home seems light years away now.

"And where is home?" Korrina asks.

"Johto."

Her eyes widen. "Oh Arceus. You don't know."

I give her a look of shock and disgust. "Know what?!" I'm almost crying. "What do I not know?! Everything?! I'm just... I'm just stuck here! In this body, in this region, in this freaking universe! I want to be home!"

"You're from... Johto." she says. "Nico! Hazel! Come on out!"

Two Lucario come from her Pokeballs in one stream of blue light that splits into two, ending with the two Lucario facing each other across the field.

The wind blows furiously over the four of us.

"Is she lying?!"

The taller, most likely older Lucario looks at her and dips down to one knee. "No, she isn't. Her aura indicates that this is the one we're looking for. One out of two, at least."

Korrina visibly flinches. "We're screwed."

"Yes, yes we are." She replies.

"Listen. I can tell you what you need to know, but you're going to have to trust me. Put your Pokemon away."

Rune and Pich finally consent.

"Fight with me." asks the smaller Lucario, the one standing closest to me. He's the one who looked at me earlier, the odd wayward Lucario who came to me after leaving Lumoise.

I notice that he has a triangle with odd markings in it engraved into his bone.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Mark of the damned. Nothing important." He mutters back. "Will you fight with me or not?" He holds out his paw, and I shake it. Suddenly, his fur ruffles in the breeze, levitating as if it was blown by something from another world. Blue energy runs up my arm from where we shook.

"Ready?" Korrina asks.

"Ready." I reply.

I yell, "Nico, Aura Sphere!"

Nico charges a ball of aura, snarling fiercely. He launches it with amazing grace, yet Hazel jumps aside easily.

"Well, let's make this a real fight!" Korrina yells. Her eyes glow gold and she flashes, and I try to do the same.

Nico resists the foreign presence, and I can almost feel him mentally shoving some things aside. Nevertheless, we are united, all though it feels uneasy and unstable.

I'm Lilly, I tell him. I am an Ampharos.

I know, he replies. You are an open book.

Korrina and Hazel kick out, knocking us over. Nico's reflexes kick in and we jump away to the side, barely hurt.

"YOU CAN DO BETTER!" Hazel yells, and I can hear Korrina's voice carried over to her new form.

With a battle cry, we strike them straight below the chest (careful to avoid the dangerously sharp spike in the center) and they slide back, barely hurt.

They form a bone from aura and then we do the same, twirling our makeshift blades in ways no real sword could ever be used.

With a quick parry and then an upwards thrust, our bone is thrown aside and onto the floor below, where it clatters and disappears.

Looking for another strategy, we go for a Power-Up Punch, hoping to gain some attack power. Careful not to leave ourselves open, we dive in quickly, aiming again for below the chest. We don't land it- they hit us back with the bone again, then the bone disappears.

Their paw moves like lightning- even Nico's enhanced perception can't tell where it will land next. We manage a few clumsy dodges, barely missing the paw, and then they feint left and hit us right in the stomach.

Their jab lands in the same area we were reaching for earlier with the same attack, right under the spike, knocking the breath out of us. We fall back, skidding to the floor. Slowly, we stand up, pressing our paws together then slowly moving them apart while building aura power. The bright blue reminds me of something... evolution. They're far more skilled than us, but Mega Evolution may be the only way to win.

"PRESS IT OUT! ALL OF YOUR FURY, ALL OF YOUR ANGER!" They yell again.

It clicks at that moment- I don't need anger.

I remember shaking Nico's paw, and before that every other time I've bonded with a Pokemon. I remember home, the red sun setting over the Lake of Rage, the way the wind whistled through the trees of Johto. I just need to accept it.

I'm the trainer now.

Energy pours from both of us, and I can feel each change. Our braids grow longer until they are almost twice their previous size, rippling with pure aura. Spikes grow to match our others- one on each arm, two on our back paws. Our coat grows long and luxurious, a golden color that ripples in the blue light that now sparkles from our paws.

I can sense the movements of everything around me, every feeling and emotion. I'm not just sharing his mentality, I'm sharing his world. I'm home again, if only for seconds.

"AURA SPHERE!" We call, pressing our paws together to let the energy condense and shoot out in a great, beautiful firework display of energy and light.

Korrina and Hazel take the blow right to the stomach. They come back up, lunging upwards with the same blow as before- Power-Up Punch. Although it's stronger this time, so are we- we block it with a Bone Rush, swirling the bone over our head before thrusting it upwards into their chest.

They fall backwards, skidding, and Korrina flashes back. Hazel returns to her normal form, and I retreat as well, returning to mine.

"That's Mega Evolution." Korrina says bluntly.

I'm still gasping for air.

"Well, you should know, I was going easy on you. I could've mopped the floor with you- I have the soul of a Lucario. I match up perfectly with my partners."

"Yeah, well maybe I'll get an Ampharos."

"You don't mean that."

"Okay, maybe it would be a bit weird. Like controlling myself." I mutter, "Then again, I really just feel awful controlling Pokemon in general."

"Listen kid, I can only help you go so far, but it looks like you have this under control. If you need me, I'll be there." She holds out her hand, a smile across her face. "Thank you for the battle. Allies?"

"Allies." I say, nervously but shaking her hand with vigor nonetheless.