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"Alright...alright...I haven't captured a Pokemon in forever..." you think back to the last time you had...and it's all the way back in Nalsu Forest where you caught Scatter. Great. That's it. You're doomed. Plus, you don't even have a single Pokeball on you!

"Here," Jeongguk tries to stifle his laugh as he hands you a Pokeball. Your cheeks flame. He's laughing at you!

"Thanks," you utter as you take it from his hand and you notice the different color of the Pokeball. It's a black Pokeball, with a yellow 'H' on it. "Why's it a different color?" 

"Oh, that's an Ultra Ball," says Jeongguk, smiling. "It has a 4x catch rate of a normal Pokeball. Don't waste it. That thing cost me a thousand two hundred." 

You hold the ball made of gold in your hands as you look at the bird picking at its wings, cleaning it with its beak. It certainly likes clean, doesn't it? Okay, you've got this.

"Try to sneak up on it," Jeongguk suggests. "Use a smaller Pokemon. Mimikyu seems to be a good Pokemon for this." 

You almost forgot Mimikyu's just floating around your shoulder. As if knowing what to do, Mimikyu darts over to the Pokemon, effectively evading its detection by flying over to its back and without your command, screams and Swablu yelps.

"Disarming Voice." You look back up at Jeongguk and he points at your Pokedex. Despite being unable to display information on Mimikyu other than its name, gender, level, ability, moves learned and health level, you can see the moves it's using. You watch as the Swablu turns around and plucks a blue berry from the three and flies up into the air. 

"This is now a Sky Battle," Jeongguk grins as you and he watch Mimikyu fly into the air, along with Swablu.

"Mimi! Shadow Ball!"

A ball of dark energy appears from Mimi's cane and fires towards Swablu. The ball of energy passes through Swablu and it smirks at Mimi.

"It's a Normal-type Pokemon, so Ghost-type moves won't have an effect on it," Jeongguk explains. "Just like how Normal-type moves won't affect Mimikyu." 

"Err...err..."

"Watch out!" Jeongguk shouts as Mimi gets hit by something in the air. You gape as Mimi shakes its head. "That's Natural Gift. Depending on the berry the Pokemon's holding, it becomes a different type. The Swablu was holding an Oran Berry, which means it would be Poison." 

"Disarming Voice again!" 

Swablu is hit once again by the sound attack, and it falls backwards, blue body battered. It drops the Oran Berry it's holding and dives down to another tree, grabbing another berry. A purple berry.

"It's a Kasib berry," Jeongguk says. "And you might want to watch out. Natural Gift will be Ghost-type, meaning it'll be super effective against Mimikyu."

You look back up at the batlle to find Mimikyu looking at you, waiting for instructions as green light emits from Swablu's body. Swablu screeches as it releases another Natural Gift attack, and you watch as Mimikyu skilfully dodges the dark energy, the dark energy crashing into a pile of rocks and it explodes.

No, it didn't explode. That pile of rocks is...

A Graveler!

"Eeek!"

Rocks fly in your direction as the enraged Graveler rushes at you. You close your eyes, raising your arms to protect yourself against the rocks and brace yourself for the impact that never comes. When you open your eyes, you see Jeongguk standing in front of you, eyes narrowed, face dark as he watches the Graveler. The Graveler turns angry, and it explodes suddenly. You watch in awe as Jeongguk's Weavile creates a gust of frozen wind, the ice shards cutting the rocks into pieces as the rock piles together to form Graveler again, but it's fainted now.

"That was Explosion," Jeongguk turns back to grin at you, and you can't fathom how bright that smile is. "It would've killed you if I'm not around."

Jeongguk, you sigh in your mind, playing the knight in shining armour with his silver Honedge and riding on a Rapidash coming to your rescue.

"Anyways, looks like the Swablu is too frozen to resist you," Jeongguk points at the Swablu, frozen from the Icy Wind attack.

Jeongguk smiles as you throw a Pokeball and Swablu goes in obediently, not even managing to struggle as the Pokeball clicks shut.

Jeongguk walks over to the Pokeball and hands it to you. "There you go."

You pick up the Pokeball and grin. Now you've got another Pokemon to add to your arsenal!

"What'cha gonna name it?" Jeongguk asks as Mimikyu flies to your side.

"It's Swablu, right? Then it'll be Blu!" You smile as you click Blu's Pokeball to your belt and you and Jeongguk head over to the Tower of Mastery.

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You push the doors open and you find that the tower is empty. You look around. There's a spiral staircase leading all the way up to the top, and there are doors leading to other rooms. You wonder where all the other disciples are as you make your way further into the dark room, with Jeongguk in tow. Mimikyu is by your side, floating and taking in everything around it. Jeongguk seems tense, his Greninja being wary as well, looking around at everything with a sharp gaze. The only thing that's interesting is the tree in the middle.

Being the idiot you are, you lean against the tree and survey the room.

The lights suddenly flash on as something grabs you from behind. You scream as it lifts you up into the air. No, no, no! You like your feet down on the ground, thank you very much! You manage to figure out that it's a Pokemon, and that they are two arms that are lifting you up. Your Pokedex beeps, annoying the h*ll out of you when the Pokemon suddenly releases you, thanks to Greninja's Shadow Sneak attack. 

Once you're free, you take out your Pokedex and check the Pokemon out. It's tall, mostly brown, with round, green circles of what looks to be leaves on its arms. It stares at the two of you menacingly. Is it wild?

Sudowoodo. Level 35. Type: Rock. Moves learned: Rock Slide, Ice Punch, Mimic, Flail. Ability: Sturdy. Sudowoodo camouflages itself as a tree to avoid being attacked by enemies. However, because its hands remain green throughout the year, the Pokémon is easily identified as a fake during the winter.

So that tree is a Pokemon! Well, who would've thought that?

"Watch out!" Jeongguk grabs your arm and pulls you to the side just as rocks fall from the ceiling above...from nowhere, apparently, but they're still rocks nonetheless. Mimikyu flies to the top and releases a cry, Disarming Voice, managing to damage Sudowoodo a little. Greninja joins in the fight. Faint Attack misses it, thanks to its agility, and Greninja shoots out water from its mouth, the water converging into a shuriken shape and it hits Sudowoodo full on on the chest.

Sudowoodo is hit backwards but there's another bright flash of light, blinding you for a moment there. Something sticky descends onto you, and when your eyes adjust again, you see that you're covered in a sticky web. Eww...absolutely disgusting. You look up and see the perpetrator. It's a spider Pokemon, but it looks nothing like Galvantula. Instead, it's red with purple and black and has purple and yellow legs. You watch as it skitters about. Great, Jeongguk's busy with one, so you have to deal with this one.

You barely manage to get your Pokedex out to check this Pokemon out.

Ariados. Level: 35. Type: Bug, Poison. Moves learned: Spider Web, er Punch, Signal Beam, Bounce. Ability: Insomnia. Ariados's feet are tipped with tiny hooked claws that enable it to scuttle on ceilings and vertical walls. This Pokémon constricts the foe with thin and strong silk webbing.

"Mimi! Shadow Ball!"

Mimi flits about, shooting spheres of dark energy at Ariados. To your dismay, Ariados dodges most of it and shoots a sticky web of its own, managing to stick Mimi to the wall. Mimi struggles, but it can't get out.

The web that has you captured is suddenly cut open and you see Weavile giving you a grin. Jeongguk's Greninja is still fighting hard, since Sudowoodo has a surprisingly high agility. You pull out a Pokeball and throw it, the Pokeball opening and Drifblim pops out.

"Floon! Ominous Wind!"

A gust of cold air envelopes the room, giving me an eerie feeling as fog gathers. Ariados is hit by the strong, slicing wind.

"Gust!"

At that moment, Ariados's eyes sparkle and it rushes forward at an unimaginable speed, slashing at Floon with its claw-like legs. How is that possible? Floon should have hit first...

"That's er Punch," Jeongguk's back suddenly hit yours. He's swapped in his Greninja for his Haunter, which is firing Shadow Balls at its target, Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo doesn't seem to be doing too well either. You nod, trying to understand what Jeongguk means by that sentence.

Floon still hits with Gust as usual, the wind flying from behind and hitting Ariados, almost taking it out.

"Hey, what say you we swap Pokemon for a while?" You can almost hear the smile in Jeongguk's voice.

"S-Sure! Okay," you nod as your Pokemon suddenly swap, Floon being on Jeongguk's side and Haunter being on yours. All of a sudden, you're consumed with a bright flash of light. Haunter's changing form right in front of your eyes! What does that mean?

Is that why Jeongguk wanted to trade you Haunter in the first place?

The new Pokemon leaps out of the light and uses a Confuse Ray, sending the Ariados into a blind panic as the bug Pokemon skittles about, not even knowing what it's doing as it launches spider webs here and there. Gengar finishes it off with a Night Shade attack.

Gengar. Level 39. Type(s): Ghost. Moves learned: Night Shade, Dream Eater, Shadow Ball, Confuse Ray. Ability: Levitate. Sometimes, on a dark night, your shadow thrown by a streetlight will suddenly and startlingly overtake you. It is actually a Gengar running past you, pretending to be your shadow.

Jeongguk seems to be done on his side too. With Hex and Ominous Wind, he manages to take down Sudowoodo. He turns to you, apparently not broken a sweat, and he smiles. "Let's trade back."

"Is that what it is? Trading?"

"You've never heard of it?"

"Well, I did," you answer. "People back in Bausn traded Pokemon all the time. Just that...I didn't know some Pokemon can evolve when you trade them." 

"There are quite a few," Jeongguk nods, as you trade back your Pokemon. At least you're happy Floon came back. Floon seems quite happy too. "Pokemon evolve in different ways. Some of them evolve by levelling up, such as from Sewaddle to Swadloon and Larvitar to Pupitar. Some evolve when you expose them to stones, like Floette to a Shiny Stone and Skitty to a Moon Stone. Some evolve when it's close enough to the trainer, like from Golbat to Crobat and Togepi to Togetic. Some evolve when you trade them, like Haunter and Kadabra. Some evolve when you level them up by trading them with items such as Rhydon and some evolve when you level up with them holding that item like Happiny."

Your mind is whiring as you give him a sheepish smile, "Say what again?"

Jeongguk laughs, a melodious sound, you think, as you can't help but grin.

"It is a lot to take in, but that's the beauty of evolution, isn't it? Seeing your Pokemon grow stronger and bigger and better," Jeongguk pets his newly-evolved Gengar, which it nuzzles its head against. "Of course, there are some Pokemon that don't evolve, like Kecleon and Corsola." 

"Whoa, you sure are knowledgeable," You say. At that moment, you look around and realize that Sudowoodo and Ariados are gone. There are click-clack sounds coming from the staircase. You turn around and see a few people walking down, clapping. Clapping at both you and Jeongguk.

You see Jeongguk give them a suspicious and surprised look as they line up in one line. One of the shorter ones walk forward and bow.

"Good afternoon. My name is Do Kyungsoo," he introduces. "Disciple of Master Suho. You seem to have passed the test." 

"Passed the test? What test?" you ask. The other disciples are standing behind Kyungsoo with their Pokemon, all of them giving you looks that challenge. Steely gazes.

"To challenge us, of course," Kyungsoo smiles. "There are eight more of us, and nine levels of this tower, notwithstanding the first floor. Proceed to the final floor after beating the last of us."

"Uh..." you don't know how to respond to this. Is this the challenge of the Tower of Mastery?

Each of the other disciples introduce themselves to you. You learn their names: Jongdae, Yifan, Zitao, Luhan, Minseok, Baekhyun, Yixing, and Sehun, each one of them stronger than the previous one.

"It'll be a Double Battle for each floor," Kyungsoo informs you, an amused look on his face. "May the odds be in your favour."

With that, each disciple bids a hasty goodbye as they head to their stations. As you pass by Kyungsoo, he says, "It's been a long time since we had challengers."

Looks like losing isn't an option.

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Reader:

Partner Pokemon: Mimi (Mimikyu) Level 36. Moves learned: Slash, Grudge, Moonblast, Shadow Ball

Pokemon:

Dish (Gloom). Level 38. Moves learned: Giga Drain, Stun Spore, Moonlight, Sleep Powder
Chim (Monferno). Level 37. Moves learned: Torment, Cut, Flame Wheel, Close Combat
Scatter (Vivillon). Level 38. Moves learned: Bug Buzz, Supersonic, Aromatherapy, Draining Kiss
Floon (Drifblim). Level 38. Moves learned: Ominous Wind, Stockpile, Hex, Gust
Blu (Swablu). Level 34. Moves learned: Natural Gift, Refresh, Take Down, Mirror Move

Jeongguk:

Partner Pokemon: None

Pokemon:

Weavile. Level 40. Moves learned: Screech, Night Slash, Icy Wind, Snatch
Greninja. Level 38. Moves learned: Water Shuriken, Faint Attack, Spikes, Shadow Sneak
Rufflet. Level 39. Moves learned: Tailwind, Defog, Aerial Ace, Slash
Gengar. Level 39. Moves learned: Shadow Ball, Night Shade, Dream Eater, Confuse Ray
Meowstic. Level 38. Moves learned: Disarming Voice, Charm, Reflect, Psyshock

Moves used:

--Disarming Voice (used by Mimikyu): startles the foe with a loud cry.
--Shadow Ball (used by Mimikyu): Sends a ball of dark energy at the enemy
--Natural Gift (used by Swablu): Changes the type of its moves depending on what berry it's holding.
--Explosion. (Used by Graveler): The name says it all :)
--Icy Wind (Used by Weavile): Slows the foe down as the user sends a gust of cold wind.
--Shadow Sneak (Used by Greninja): The user's shadow sneaks up on the foe and hits it from behind.
--Faint Attack (Used by Greninja): The user moves so stealthily that it's accuracy is usually a hundred percent.
--Water Shuriken (Used by Greninja): The user shoots water in the shape of shurikens at the foe. Usually hits 2-5 times.
--Spider Web (Used by Ariados): The user shoots out a sticky web, preventing the foe from switching out.
--Ominous Wind (Used by Drifblim): The user launches a gust of ghostly wind at the foe, sometimes heightening the user's own stats.
--Gust (Used by Drifblim): The user launches a gust of wind at the foe.
--er Punch (Used by Ariados): The user will attack first, but can only deal damage if the foe is using a damage-dealing move.
--Confuse Ray. (Used by Gengar): The user sends a sphere of ghostly energy at the foe, Confusing it. 
--Night Shade (Used by Gengar): The user attacks the foe with ghostly energy.