Join my p@treon for more chapters
p@treon.com/Tempest_29
Key Stones contained massive amounts of life energy, while Mega Stones held the genetic coding that corresponded to Pokemon Mega Evolution sequences.
Roy was now one step closer to unlocking the secrets of Mega Evolution.
"Come out, Lucario," Roy called, holding the newly acquired Mega Stone.
He couldn't wait to test his theory. Once Lucario materialized, Roy carefully handed over the pale blue stone and asked, "How does this feel to you? Do you sense anything special about this stone?"
Lucario accepted the Mega Stone and stared at it intently, attempting to detect any unusual sensations or resonance from the mysterious gem.
After several long moments, Lucario shook its head slowly.
"I don't feel anything unusual," it communicated through their aura connection. "It seems like an ordinary stone to me."
"I see..." Roy pondered this result thoughtfully.
Actually, this outcome made perfect sense. If Pokemon naturally possessed sensitivity to their corresponding Mega Stones, then Mega Evolution would have been discovered by humans on Earth long ago, rather than remaining hidden until Roy's arrival.
Presenting a Pokemon with genetic code that had been missing from their species for generations was like showing a person their distant ancestor's DNA sample - there would be no immediate recognition or special reaction.
While Roy continued examining the Mega Stone, Lucario suddenly issued a warning.
"Someone is approaching," it alerted him through their psychic bond.
Roy's own aura abilities confirmed the alert, and he instinctively placed his hand on the Poke Balls at his waist while turning to observe the approaching figure.
The newcomer was also an Asian young man, appearing to be in his early twenties - several years older than Roy. He was approaching with a friendly smile and relaxed posture.
"Are you...?" Roy asked cautiously, noting that the stranger didn't seem to harbor any hostile intentions.
"Hello there! My name is Arlo, and I'm a professional trainer," the young man introduced himself with continued warmth.
"Excellent situational awareness!" Arlo praised. "As a trainer traveling alone, you must maintain this kind of crisis awareness at all times. Being able to demonstrate such caution at your age... you're truly worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Henry and Caroline."
Hearing the stranger speak fluent Chinese and reference his homeland, Roy allowed his defensive posture to relax somewhat.
"Mr. Ma, are you also here to participate in the tournament?" Roy inquired.
"That's correct," Arlo nodded affirmatively. "International competitions that allow us to compete against talented trainers from around the world are quite rare, and the prize offerings are exceptional. I've set my sights on one of the advanced training manuals - it becomes available to the top four finishers. What brings you here, Brother Roy?"
Despite being able to achieve professional trainer status before age twenty-five, indicating exceptional talent, Roy had no recollection of anyone named Arlo in the professional training circuits.
Any trainer capable of reaching professional level would have to win numerous battles and competitions, making it impossible for genuine talent to remain completely unknown. Even during Roy's novice trainer days in the Capital region, he had maintained a certain level of recognition and reputation.
The absence of any information about this supposedly accomplished trainer struck Roy as suspicious, but he maintained a friendly expression while responding.
"What a coincidence - my goal is also reaching the top four," Roy replied with a smile.
"Oh? You're also aiming for the top four?" Arlo's expression showed slight concern. "From what I understand, the competition quality this year is exceptionally high. I'm afraid it might be quite challenging for younger participants to achieve their objectives."
"Could you provide more details about the competition?" Roy asked with genuine curiosity.
Arlo appeared to have plenty of time available, so rather than continuing their conversation in the open Battle Tower lobby, they relocated to the facility's dining area. Following traditions from their shared homeland, they settled in for a proper conversation over a meal.
Soon, Roy had gained comprehensive understanding of what to expect in the upcoming competition.
The most significant challenge would come from the professional trainers who were heavily favored to win the championship.
According to Arlo's information, six professional trainers had entered the competition: four from various European countries, one from the United States, and Arlo himself representing China.
Six professional-level trainers meant that if Roy wanted to reach the semifinals, he would need to defeat at least one professional-level trainer in direct combat.
The second major concern involved exceptionally talented trainers from Roy's own generation.
Takeshi Aihara, a fighting-type specialist from Japan, aged twenty-one.
He was the adopted son of Japan's Fighting-type Elite Four member and commanded three professional-level Pokemon. This essentially made him equivalent to a quasi-professional trainer like Jaxon.
Since the competition format was three-versus-three battles, Takeshi Aihara's competitive strength rivaled that of full professional trainers, though his smaller roster made him vulnerable to strategic team composition targeting.
The other major threat was the daughter of a local French noble family.
Zenia Reginald.
She was nineteen years old - the same age as Roy - and held Peak Trainer certification.
"That's incredibly impressive," Roy commented with genuine surprise upon hearing about Zenia's accomplishments.
The standard requirement for Peak Trainer certification was owning six Pokemon that had each achieved A-rank evaluation scores.
Since Metang hadn't completed its final evolution yet and currently maintained only a B+ ranking, Roy himself hadn't technically reached this standard. Of course, his actual battle strength could easily overwhelm most Peak Trainers, even without deploying Z-Moves, since both Mimikyu and Electabuzz performed well above their official rankings.
Even so, this was the first time Roy had encountered such an accomplished trainer among his age peers.
The world was truly vast, and traveling beyond familiar territory was essential to avoid becoming narrow-minded.
"It's not particularly surprising when you consider her background," Arlo explained with knowing smile. "Zenia's family represents old French nobility with centuries of heritage. Her father happens to be the current French Champion, Connie Reginald."
Roy understood immediately.
A Champion's daughter - essentially the same advantageous position as Henry.
During Henry's freshman university year, he had probably possessed similar strength levels.
"This represents only the information I've managed to collect," Arlo continued with a chuckle. "There may be other hidden talents that I haven't discovered yet."
"For example, meeting you here today, junior. If I hadn't happened to visit the Battle Tower, I never would have noticed such a dangerous competitor. Even professional trainers are genuinely concerned about your Z-Moves, fearing they might become stepping stones for your advancement."
"You're being too generous - I'm still far from professional level," Roy responded modestly.
He picked up a piece of baguette from the dining table and offered it to Little Cosmog perched on his shoulder.
"Want some more?" he asked gently.
"Cos!" Little Cosmog nodded enthusiastically, apparently having completely forgotten about the threatened dinner punishment from earlier.
Lucario picked up a nearby hot dog and began eating as well.
The two trainers continued their conversation for another hour, and as evening approached, they decided to part ways.
After Arlo's figure had completely disappeared from view, the gentle smile vanished from Roy's face, replaced by a cold, calculating expression.
"Something's not right about that person," he muttered.
During their entire conversation, Roy had appeared to relax completely and chat freely with Arlo, but in reality he had maintained constant vigilance. Mimikyu had been waiting in his shadow the entire time, ready to strike, and Lucario had never been recalled to its Poke Ball.
Using his aura abilities, Roy hadn't detected any malicious intent from the stranger.
Being able to conceal emotions from master-level aura detection was extremely rare. Logically, there should be no cause for concern.
But Roy's instincts insisted something was wrong, particularly because...
"He never asked about Little Cosmog," Roy observed quietly.
Everyone who met Roy for the first time invariably asked curious questions about what species Little Cosmog represented. Upon learning it was essentially a mascot that only ate and slept, people either lost interest or found it endearing.
But Arlo had shown no curiosity whatsoever.
Roy had deliberately made several obvious attempts to feed the little Pokemon during their conversation, practically inviting questions.
Was Little Cosmog the actual target? Or was this person attempting to make Roy suspicious for some other reason?
Roy's alertness had reached maximum levels. He hadn't expected to be targeted on his very first day abroad.
This timing seemed impossibly fast. Had someone leaked information about his travel plans?
"Lucario, did you notice anything unusual about him?" Roy asked.
"No," Lucario responded through their connection. "I maintained constant readiness, but he showed no signs of planning any aggressive actions."
Still unable to reach definitive conclusions, Roy glanced at Little Cosmog, who remained completely carefree and focused entirely on eating, then reached out to lift it up with slight irritation.
"Eat, eat, eat - that's all you ever think about," he muttered.
"Let's go back and research his background information."
"Co!" Little Cosmog began crying pitifully while staring longingly at the distant dining table.
You were so gentle with me just moments ago - why are you being rough now? Was that kindness all fake?