It all started the day John met a peculiar little Togepi, when Delibird delivered food to his doorstep. Togepi had waddled in behind Delibird, its curious eyes scanning its surroundings. John had instinctively handed it a fruit, only for the mischievous Togepi to slap it out of his hand with an impish grin.
Later, John found himself bumping into a shiny Ralts on his way back to his Gameboy. The odds of encountering one were astronomically low, but there it was—a shiny, glowing Ralts right in front of him.
John couldn't shake the connection between Togepi and his streak of luck. A few days after meeting the Togepi, he ran into a shiny Aron. On both occasions, The Pokemon had been nearby, as if it were some cosmic harbinger of fortune.
"Could it really be Togepi?" John wondered, scratching his chin. "Is this little guy super lucky, or am I just imagining things?"
Togepi had always been linked to luck in both folklore and Pokemon lore. Its abilities, Serene Grace and Super Luck, were no small part of that reputation.
Serene Grace increased the likelihood of moves causing secondary effects, while Super Luck boosted critical-hit chances. Combine that with Togepi's adorable demeanor, and it was no wonder people thought of it as a symbol of fortune.
The old saying went: If you treat Togepi with kindness, luck will find its way to you in return.
John wasn't superstitious, but after running into not one but two shiny Pokemon, he started to wonder if there was something to it. "Better safe than sorry," he decided.
John turned his attention back to his Gameboy, where the towering Mirage Tower loomed before him. A prompt appeared on the screen:
[Yes/No to enter the dungeon: Ancient Mirage Tower]
[Recommended Level: 45]
"Recommended level 45? Guess I'm in for a challenge." He hit [Yes], and the screen flickered as his character entered the tower.
The first floor was enormous, far larger than the earlier two- and three-story versions he'd explored. This one felt as big as three basketball courts combined.
At the center of the room stood an imposing Aggron, its silver armor glinting in the dim light. Above its head, the display read LV47.
John grinned. "Time for Steelix to shine!"
He selected his Pokeball, releasing the massive steel serpent onto the battlefield. Steelix hit the ground with a resounding boom, its enormous body coiling with power.
Aggron roared, and a ball of silver light began to form at the center of its helmet.
"Flash Cannon," John muttered, watching the light intensify.
"Steelix, use Earthquake!" he commanded.
Steelix reared up, its tail raised high before slamming down onto the ground with devastating force. The tower shook violently as cracks spiderwebbed across the floor.
Aggron's Flash Cannon blasted forward, slamming into Steelix with a metallic clang. But Steelix barely flinched, its incredible defense shrugging off the hit.
When the dust settled, Aggron lay sprawled on the ground, fainted. Its once-pristine armor was now riddled with cracks.
[Defeated Aggron LV47, gained 3,334 EXP]
"That's all? Even Flannery's level 42 Arcanine gave more EXP than this," John grumbled, though he quickly tossed a Pokeball to capture Aggron.
Later, John checked Aggron's stats.
[Aggron (Steel/Rock-Type)]
[Ability: Rock Head (prevents recoil damage)]
[IVs: HP (31), Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Attack (23), Special Defense (24), Speed (21)]
[Moves: Metal Sound, Harden, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Iron Head, Flash Cannon]
"A three-IV Aggron with Rock Head and a treasure-tier Metal Coat? Not bad," John said, nodding in approval. The Metal Coat boosted Steel-type moves by 25%, making it a valuable addition to his team.
He sent Aggron to the PC, mentally filing it as a potential breeding candidate. "This one's going to sit at the top of Professor Birch's Aron ranch," he joked.