"Everyone take your seats—and don't touch the walls," Asher warned, glancing at Rodnick in particular.
Rodnick raised both hands in surrender and flopped into his seat.
"The vehicle's motion is controlled by internal gyros. Touching the walls might interfere with its balance sensors and—well, let's just say we don't want a re-enactment of that spin crash incident in Sector Four."
The vehicle hummed to life. The kids braced, but the motion was surprisingly gentle. The outside sphere began to rotate slowly, generating kinetic energy that propelled them forward.
"The engine's nearly silent to avoid agitating Pokémon in nearby ecosystems," Asher explained as the vehicle cruised smoothly across the uneven terrain. "Some species mistake loud engines for roars. Staraptor flocks, for example, might divebomb what they think is a territorial challenge."
"That would be cool," Rodnick said.
"No, it would be a medical bill," Asher replied flatly.
Sersi leaned toward Michael. "Do you think the spatial stabilizer is made using Pokémon power? Like... maybe artificial Registeel cores or something?"
Michael adjusted his seatbelt. "Nah. Mom said it's more like how Poké Balls work—energy compression and modulation. You need formal PokéTech training to even begin to understand it. They teach it in specialized academies."
Rodnick groaned. "That's so lame. Why study that stuff unless you're not good enough to become a trainer?"
"Dude," Michael muttered, rolling his eyes, "just because you don't want to do it doesn't mean other people don't. Everyone's got their thing."
Even though he kind of agreed with him deep down, he still threw the line out there—mostly because the driver, who looked like a serious, quiet man with a Shuckle keychain, might've been one of those very engineers.
The vehicle slowed to a stop as the landscape outside shifted. A metal structure came into view—sleek, fortified, humming softly. The control base for the dungeon's spatial stabilizer was built into a natural rock ridge, armored with reinforced polymer panels the color of dusk.
"Alright kids, this is it," Asher said as the hatch hissed open. "Welcome to the heart of the dungeon's stability system."
The air outside was cooler now, tinged with metallic ozone from the active stabilizer coils buried in the rock.
Sersi turned to Asher, curiosity glowing in her eyes. "Brother Asher, what material do they use to build these bases? They look like mini Fortresses."
Asher scratched the back of his head. "I'm not totally sure, but I heard it's a synthetic polymer. Supposedly stronger than the exoskeleton of an elite Heracross. You should ask your cousin Rayden—he's the family nerd when it comes to this stuff. How's he doing, by the way? Haven't seen him in ages."
"Oh, Rayden? He's in the south. Went off to do his PhD at Morson Institute—Advanced Sciences and New Era Technologies. Still calls Aunt every weekend to argue about data compression algorithms."
Asher laughed. "Classic Rayden. Bet he's still mad that his dad wouldn't let him test that PokéBall disassembler in the basement."
They stepped onto the stabilizer platform, the hum of technology thrumming underfoot like the purr of a giant slumbering Metagross. Ahead, the gateway into the core of the breeding dungeon shimmered gently—stable, for now.
But every dungeon held secrets.
"Welcome, Mr. Asher," came a gruff voice from ahead.
A pair of guards stood at the entrance to the base, giving curt nods as Asher and the children approached. Moments later, a young woman in her twenties appeared, balancing a tablet in one hand and adjusting her glasses with the other.
"Mr. Asher, I'm Cassie," she introduced herself with a polite smile. "Junior breeder here. I'll be showing you and the kids around the base."
"Don't bother with me," Asher replied, waving a dismissive hand. "Just let the base's Security Captain know to keep an eye on the kids. I have a call to make."
"Yes, sir." Cassie nodded briskly and turned to the children with professional cheer. "Alright, let's begin your tour!"
Two hours and several "Please don't touch that" moments later, Cassie returned with the kids in tow, having completed a full sweep of the base, including a stop at the spatial stabilizer—which, to the children's delight, had been humming ominously.
"Thank you, Sister Cassie!" Sersi said sweetly, beaming up at her.
"Thanks for the tour," Michael and Rodnick chimed in, clearly impressed.
"You're very welcome," Cassie replied, her smile softening. She couldn't help but be surprised by how polite and well-mannered they were, considering the pedigrees they came from. Most children with elite family backgrounds wouldn't say thank you if you handed them a Master Ball.
The group turned a corner and found Asher deep in discussion with the base's Security Captain and several guards in tactical vests, Poké Balls clipped to their belts with military precision.
"You're saying it was heard near the southern edge of Base-3?" Asher asked, raising an eyebrow as he processed the report. He turned his sharp gaze to the guard who had delivered the news.
"Yes, sir," the man said, nodding. "We just received word that—"
The sentence was cut short by the unmistakable sound of small, rapid footsteps approaching.
Everyone turned to see the three children standing just a few paces away, clearly having caught wind that something was off.
"Michael, you and your friends head over to the breeding site," Asher said casually, though his eyes never left the map the Captain was holding. He waved a hand at the guards, signaling them to start moving toward the area of disturbance.
"Bro, is something wrong?" Michael asked, concern creeping into his voice.
"Aww, baby brother's worried about me," Asher said, grinning as he reached out and gave Michael's hair a fierce, affectionate ruffle.
"Ugh—get your hand off my head, damn it!" Michael grumbled through gritted teeth, trying to swat him away.
Laughter rippled through the group—guards included.
"It's nothing serious, kid. I've got this." Asher's expression softened for a beat. "Now get moving, or you'll miss your Pokémon's egg hatching. And trust me, those things don't wait for dramatic timing."
Michael rolled his eyes but motioned to Rodnick and Sersi to follow him toward the exit. The trio headed off, excitement returning to their steps as they made their way to the breeding site—where something far more adorable (and hopefully less explosive) awaited them.
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Hey everyone! Sorry for missing the update yesterday—had some personal stuff to handle at home.
But I'm back now, and to make up for it, I'll be posting four chapters today! Two for yesterday, and two more to push the story forward. Hope you're ready.
Now, let's talk Power Stones!It's time to Mega Evolve this Rayquaza of a story and push it up the rankings. 💥If we hit 100 Power Stones by the end of the week, I'll drop a special bonus segment—a full 3000-word chapter (or divided into multiple chapters, you know me). As a gift for your support and a boost for our journey!
Also, a huge thanks to everyone who's been following, reviewing, and commenting. But we still need more reviews! Your feedback means a lot—criticism, praise, suggestions—I read it all and use it to make the story even better.
Speaking of shoutouts—Big thanks to Alice_Chris_Noah for sending in a character template! Here's a quick peek:
Name: Alaian NoahType Focus: Human-like Fighter PokémonCore Team: Greninja (Protean), Lucario (Mega available), Scizor (Technician/Mega potential), Gallade, Bisharp, Blaziken (Speed Boost). Possibly Kubfu, though still debating because of the mythical status.
Personality: Calm and kind when not in battle, but passionate and intense when training or fighting. Loves meditation and even sparring personally with his Pokémon. Definitely the type to chase strong battles.
Possible Roles: Could be an Aura Guardian, a champion or ex-champion, or even a top officer in the Aura Legion—the military division I mentioned back in the World Changes chapter that deals with wild Pokémon disasters and criminal threats.
Since Lucario and Gengar are popular (and likely won't be on the MC's team), I'm making Alaian a major character within the Aura Legion—to do justice to Lucario's spotlight in the story.
Also, if any of you have characters you'd like to see appear in the story, now's the time! Drop your templates in the comments before I fill out the rest of the major character slots myself.
Oh—and before I forget…The System is coming. Very soon.👀 Stay tuned.
Now, real talk :
What's your favorite Pokémon?
More importantly… should Micheal catch it? (≧∇≦)ﾉ
Got a cool idea? Toss in your fav Pokémon with a backstory, quirks, weird habits—heck, even give it a dramatic slow-mo entrance if you're feeling spicy. If it fits the vibe, I'll totally try to weave it into the story!
Enjoying the ride?
Hit that Add to Library button so you don't miss the next chapter!
Got theories, feedback, or just wanna geek out about Dragon-types and dratini eggs? Drop a comment—I read 'em all.
And lastly...
POWERSTONES.💎💎💎
Feed 'em to this story like they're Rare Candies and help it mega evolve!
( •̀ ω •́ )✧