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April 4th.
Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Roy stepped off the plane carrying his suitcase, setting foot on this foreign land for the first time.
Actually, that wasn't quite right.
He glanced at the small Cosmog perched on his shoulder, contentedly munching on an energy cube as if it were the most delicious meal in the world. Roy corrected his thoughts with a small smile.
A Pokemon trainer is never truly alone, no matter where their journey takes them. The Poke Balls secured to his belt would always be his companions, carrying his trusted partners wherever he went.
The airport was enormous, and Roy found himself lost among the bustling crowds and countless signs in French. After wandering for several minutes, he spotted a blonde local woman and approached her politely.
"Hi, excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to the departure gates?" he asked in English.
His French was nonexistent, but his English, while not perfect, was sufficient for basic communication during his travels.
The blonde woman looked him over, her eyes immediately drawn to the small Cosmog on his shoulder and the Poke Balls at his waist. Recognition dawned on her face, and she broke into a warm, welcoming smile before launching into what Roy assumed were directions.
Unfortunately, Roy was completely lost.
The woman was speaking English, but her thick French accent made her words nearly incomprehensible. It reminded him of how people from certain regions pronounced "dragon" as "dur-ah-gon" - technically the right language, but practically useless for communication.
Were French people really this difficult to understand when speaking English?
Left with few options, Roy reluctantly tapped into his psychic abilities. Using telepathy, he projected his thoughts directly to the woman's mind. It was a convenient solution - Pokemon could communicate across species barriers, so surely it would work across language barriers as well.
The method was effective, but Roy preferred to avoid using it when possible. Telepathy had one major drawback: it was incredibly conspicuous.
As expected, once the blonde woman realized that Roy wasn't just any ordinary trainer but also possessed psychic powers, her enthusiasm reached new heights. She insisted on personally escorting him to his destination and wouldn't take no for an answer when she demanded his contact information before parting ways.
Roy could handle hostility and suspicion easily enough, but overwhelming friendliness was much harder to deflect politely.
In desperation, he gave her a phone number - specifically, Reece's number. It was a small act of revenge for all the times his friend had dragged him into unnecessary social situations.
This was just a minor episode in his journey, though he suspected Reece would have some choice words for him later.
Thirty minutes later, Roy arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel where he had made his reservation. After checking in and making his way to his room, he immediately dropped his luggage and headed straight for the spacious outdoor balcony.
In the distance, a towering structure dominated the Parisian skyline.
It wasn't the Eiffel Tower that existed in the world Roy remembered from his previous life. That landmark had never been built in this Pokemon-integrated world.
Instead, the famous structure that drew visitors from around the globe was something far more impressive: the renowned Battle Tower.
The Battle Tower rose forty-nine floors into the sky, each level representing a greater challenge than the last. Every floor housed a Floor Master - a skilled trainer who served as the guardian of that particular level.
The strength of these Floor Masters increased dramatically with each ascending floor, creating a pyramid of power that few could hope to conquer.
The system was elegantly simple: trainers paid a registration fee for the right to challenge the Floor Masters. Victory against a Floor Master earned the challenger battle points, with higher floors yielding greater rewards. These points could then be exchanged for valuable prizes offered by the Battle Tower's extensive catalog.
However, there was a catch - each floor could only be challenged once. Failure meant starting over from the beginning, registration fee and all.
Every year, thousands of trainers from around the world flocked to Paris to test themselves against the Battle Tower. Some were rookie trainers seeking to prove themselves, while others were seasoned veterans and even Elite-level trainers looking for the ultimate challenge.
Despite all these attempts, no one had ever managed to clear all forty-nine floors completely.
The identity of the forty-ninth floor's master remained shrouded in mystery, the stuff of urban legends and whispered speculation among the Pokemon training community.
Some rumors suggested it was one of Europe's few Champion-level trainers, sitting at the apex of the tower like a final boss in a video game. Others claimed the entire Battle Tower was an official government facility designed to identify and recruit exceptional talent for national Pokemon programs.
The location choice for this year's European Youth Championship made perfect sense - what better venue than the Battle Tower itself?
"Registration opens tomorrow," Roy mused aloud, studying the imposing structure.
"cos co!" Little Cosmog nodded enthusiastically in agreement, though Roy suspected it was just mimicking his tone rather than understanding the words.
"Since we're already here, though, I should at least go take a look for myself," Roy continued.
"cos!" Cosmog repeated with the same enthusiasm.
Roy realized that Cosmog was essentially just echoing whatever sounds seemed appropriate. It was still quite young and hadn't developed sophisticated communication skills yet.
"cos!"
After the third identical response, Roy felt his patience wearing thin. "You're not getting dinner tonight," he said firmly.
Cosmog's expression immediately shifted to one of absolute horror. The half-eaten energy cube tumbled from its mouth and hit the balcony floor with a small clatter.
"Co..." it whimpered plaintively.
When Roy showed no signs of relenting, Cosmog sadly picked up the fallen energy cube and began nibbling it with exaggerated melancholy, casting pitiful glances in Roy's direction.
Roy could almost hear its thoughts: 'When I first agreed to travel with this human, the deal was three meals a day plus room and board. Now he thinks I'm useless and keeps threatening to dock my pay!'
It was a classic case of buyer's remorse, from Cosmog's perspective.
Later that afternoon, Roy made his way to the Battle Tower itself.
As a foreign trainer, Roy didn't enjoy the same privileges as local French trainers. Basic services like Pokemon Center healing that would be free in China now came with fees attached. However, his Trainer ID was recognized internationally, which at least gave him access to most facilities.
At the Battle Tower's entrance, Roy presented his Trainer ID and underwent facial recognition scanning before being granted entry. A staff member guided him through the facility's rules and regulations.
The format was straightforward: 3-versus-3 Pokemon battles between challenger and Floor Master.
The registration fee was steep - 100,000 euros per attempt.
Roy did quick mental math, converting to Chinese yuan. "Eight hundred thousand yuan?" he muttered under his breath.
While this amount wasn't particularly burdensome for him given his recent financial successes, from an ordinary person's perspective, paying 800,000 yuan just to register for a challenge was absolutely outrageous.
Even worse, the registration wasn't permanent. Each floor could only be challenged once, and any defeat meant paying the full fee again to start over from the first floor.
Essentially, that 800,000 yuan bought you a single "resurrection coin" in video game terms.
Roy had to admire the business model: attract trainers with valuable prizes, sell expensive resurrection coins to less skilled challengers who served as a reliable income source, and simultaneously identify exceptional talent for recruitment. Whoever designed this system was a marketing genius.
"With such expensive resurrection coins, the prizes must be incredibly valuable to justify the cost," Roy reasoned.
He accepted a tablet computer from the staff member and began browsing the prize catalog available for battle point redemption.
His assumption proved correct.
Even the lowest-tier prizes included valuable evolution items: Fire Stones, Water Stones, King's Rocks, and even Electirizers needed for evolving Electabuzz into Electivire.
Though in Roy's case, an Electirizer would be useless. His Electabuzz had already mastered mega-level voltage control, making the electrical energy stored in a standard Electirizer seem pathetically weak by comparison. It would be like offering a AAA battery to power a nuclear reactor.
The mid-tier prizes featured training manuals and guidebooks written by European Pokemon masters, along with rare Pokemon eggs including starter Pokemon from various regions.
The highest-tier prizes were truly extraordinary: advanced training techniques developed by Elite Four members and even some created in collaboration with pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
Roy found himself increasingly curious about the true identity of the Battle Tower's owner. The scope and value of these prizes suggested connections and resources that went far beyond a typical private enterprise.
"Wait, what's this?" Roy paused, staring at an item classified as a low-tier prize.
It was a gemstone, pale gold in color with an intricate red and blue leaf-like pattern engraved in its center. Roy's pulse quickened as he recognized the distinctive design.
The characteristic feature of Mega Stones was precisely this leaf-pattern motif.
"World Tree Orb... they actually gave Mega Stones such a grandiose name? Typical," Roy muttered with amusement.
His primary goal for this European trip was acquiring Key Stones and Mega Stones, so he had thoroughly researched both items beforehand.
The discovery of Key Stones and Mega Stones had occurred thirty years ago, though their true purpose remained unknown to the general public.
Key Stones were officially designated as "Life Stones." Governments worldwide were investing heavily in research, trying to unlock and harness the massive life energy contained within these gems. They were classified as strategic resources due to their perceived potential.
Mega Stones, meanwhile, were known by various names: "World Tree Orbs," "Leaf Gems," or simply "Pattern Stones."
Unlike Key Stones, Mega Stones showed no detectable energy signatures when scanned by modern equipment. Their function remained completely mysterious. However, their natural beauty and obviously non-artificial origins made them popular among collectors and gemstone enthusiasts.
Collectors treated them like antique jewelry or rare minerals - items with stable value and potential for appreciation, similar to real estate investment strategies.
Unfortunately, since no practical application had been discovered, Mega Stones had gained a reputation as "pretty but useless" in recent years, causing their market value to decline steadily.
Roy had heard that many collectors were looking to sell their Mega Stone collections, viewing them as failed investments.
This situation presented a perfect opportunity for Roy. His secondary goal during this European trip was collecting as many Mega Stones as possible, regardless of whether his current Pokemon team could use them.
The reason was simple: Roy possessed knowledge that no one else on Earth had. He understood Mega Evolution better than anyone, and he knew that once this phenomenon became public knowledge, Mega Stone prices would skyrocket beyond imagination. A single Mega Stone could easily become worth enough to buy several luxury properties in major cities.
Scanning through the Battle Tower's prize catalog, Roy counted twelve different Mega Stones available for redemption. Since they were currently considered mere collectibles, the battle point requirements were surprisingly reasonable.
According to his calculations, reaching the twentieth floor of the Battle Tower would earn him enough points to claim all twelve Mega Stones.
"I wonder if there are Mega Stones for Lucario, Blastoise, or Metagross among these," Roy murmured, studying the catalog images carefully.
The photographs made it difficult to determine exactly which Pokemon each Mega Stone corresponded to. Real-world items often had subtle differences from their video game counterparts, making precise identification challenging without hands-on examination.
But that was fine. He just needed to reach the twentieth floor.
Roy smiled confidently and headed toward the Battle Tower's registration office, Cosmog still perched contentedly on his shoulder.
The challenge ahead would be significant, but Roy felt prepared. His team had grown considerably stronger during their time in China, and this would be an excellent opportunity to test their abilities against European training methods and Pokemon.
As he approached the registration desk, Roy's mind was already strategizing team compositions and battle plans. The Battle Tower awaited, and with it, the Mega Stones that would prove invaluable in the future he alone could foresee.
The staff member at the registration desk looked up as Roy approached, professional smile in place. "Good afternoon, sir. Are you interested in registering for a Battle Tower challenge?"
"Yes," Roy replied confidently. "I'd like to register for the full challenge, starting from the first floor."
The staff member's eyebrows rose slightly - most foreign trainers started with preliminary information sessions rather than jumping straight into registration. "Excellent, sir. The registration fee is 100,000 euros, payable immediately. Are you prepared to begin your challenge today?"
Roy nodded, pulling out his credit card. "Absolutely. Let's see what the Battle Tower has to offer."
As the transaction processed, Roy felt a familiar excitement building in his chest. This was what being a Pokemon trainer was all about - testing yourself against unknown challenges, pushing your team to new heights, and claiming victories that seemed impossible to others.
The Battle Tower would soon learn what Chinese training methods could accomplish.