I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
If Gengar had been present at that moment, he would have definitely felt a sense of camaraderie.
Finally, someone could understand his feelings from back then!
And compared to Magmar, the Gengar of yesteryear was actually harder to accept, because he had lived for over two thousand years. What kind of ancient monster hadn't he seen?
Even if humans in ancient times were slightly stronger, they could at most possess the power to deal with ordinary Pokémon. But once a Pokémon reached the Superior level, it was no longer something a human could contend with.
But what about Ash? He, an Elite-level Pokémon, was knocked down with one punch. What the hell!
At this moment, after Ash shattered the Fire Blast in the air, his feet also stomped fiercely on the air. Relying on the powerful impact, his entire body shot towards Magmar on the volcanic rock pillar like an arrow released from a bowstring.
"Magmar, quickly dodge!" Blaine, as expected, possessed the composure of an Elite-level Trainer. After encountering such a maddening and dumbfounding scene, he was still able to react immediately and command Magmar.
Unfortunately, Magmar's psychological endurance was not as good as Blaine's. Rather, his mental state had already collapsed.
His Fire Blast was shattered by the opponent with a single punch, and this was without the opponent even using any move. This exaggerated difference in strength made Magmar show faint signs of 'broken will'.
So, Blaine's command didn't reach Magmar's ears in time, but Ash had already arrived in front of Magmar!
"Goodbye," two faint words echoed in Magmar's ears. The next second, Magmar felt a heavy blow to his stomach, and then he directly lost consciousness.
Ash slowly retracted his fist from Magmar's stomach, not even glancing at the inner wall of the volcano shattered by the subsequent shockwave of his punch. Instead, he let Magmar lean on his shoulder.
At this moment, Magmar had already lost his ability to battle, solely because of Ash's single punch.
However, when Magmar leaned on Ash, Ash's clothes were almost ignited!
Although Ash's body itself was not afraid of Magmar's body temperature, his clothes were not!
Ash, who had originally intended to act like a master without speaking, quickly covered his entire body with Aura, isolating the temperature outside. Otherwise, all his clothes would have been ignited!
Despite that small interlude, the final outcome remained unchanged: the victory of this battle belonged to Ash!
Blaine, standing in the Trainer's seat opposite, had an incredibly complex expression on his face. He couldn't even speak.
Pervert… too much of a pervert!
He had never seen such a perverted human! Even Natsume, the Psychic he met at the Trainer's gathering, was nothing compared to Ash!
Even the Psychic Elite of the Unova region, who was said to be able to destroy a small town after going berserk, was probably no match for Ash!
No wonder Ash said he was confident he could protect Gardevoir. No wonder he said his strength was the strongest in the team. He was truly sincere, not trying to deceive at all!
"I lost. As promised, I will give you those two MEGA Evolution Stones, and I will no longer persuade you to hand Gardevoir over to the Alliance," Blaine said, taking out a Poké Ball and recalling Magmar.
It was clear that Blaine was completely convinced. If even Ash's power couldn't protect Gardevoir, then handing her over to the Alliance would be the same.
After all, the Alliance couldn't have Champion-level Trainers guarding Gardevoir all day long, and unless a Champion-level Trainer personally protected her, who could compare to the power Ash now possessed?
So now, Ash was actually the best candidate to protect Gardevoir.
Because the power Ash had just displayed was at least Champion-level. In fact, even an ordinary Champion-level Pokémon might not be able to shatter a Fire Blast with brute force alone!
Magmar's strength was indeed at the Elite peak, but his ability values were very well-developed. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he rivaled a Champion. Even if a mid-level Champion Pokémon came, it wouldn't be able to stop his Fire Blast so easily.
Considering this, Ash's strength was truly terrifying beyond measure.
After recalling Magmar, everyone didn't linger on the volcano side. The intense battle just now had already caused the volcano to subtly stir.
The Cinnabar Island volcano was a bit 'sensitive'; even slight tremors might cause a volcanic eruption. However, in an unknown corner, Ash forcefully suppressed the rising magma with Aura.
The reason why the Divine Domain level is called the Divine Domain level is that they already have the power to control nature, and even resist nature in reverse.
So for Ash, suppressing a volcano was naturally a piece of cake. If Blaine knew about this, he would probably have his brain crash for ten minutes… After several tens of minutes, everyone returned to the small house where Blaine lived. Blaine brewed a new pot of tea for everyone, and then they all sat down. For a moment, the atmosphere was a bit silent.
On the way back, no one spoke. Ash, however, quietly exchanged a few words with Gary and Misty, but seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he didn't say much more.
Everything was fine after the battle, so why did it suddenly become so somber? Ash couldn't understand either.
Another few tens of seconds passed, and just as Ash couldn't help but want to ask Blaine, Blaine finally spoke: "Sorry, I was thinking about something just now, so I haven't spoken."
"I will give you the two Evolution Stones I mentioned to you before, Ash, but before that, could you please answer the questions in my heart?"
At this moment, Blaine had taken off his sunglasses, and a pair of slightly cloudy eyes revealed a look of utter bewilderment.
Ash nodded in response, indicating that he could ask any questions he had.
"What exactly is that MEGA Evolution? How did you discover it?"
Ash mentally organized the explanation prepared by the seniors in the group and the results he had obtained from consulting Professor Oak, then slowly said, "MEGA Evolution was something I discovered by chance. This evolution requires the help of two items, and sufficient bond between both parties to achieve."
"Actually, this evolution is already being researched in Kalos. According to Professor Oak, Professor Sycamore in Kalos said that some Pokémon have survived to the present, and in order to adapt to changes in the external environment, they have undergone a kind of devolution. This devolution is irreversible."
"So, is there a possibility of activating the ancient genes within a Pokémon, thereby achieving a higher level of evolution?"
"After research, Professor Sycamore indeed confirmed that as long as the ancient genes within some Pokémon can be activated, the Pokémon can achieve a higher level of evolution. However, he has not yet discovered the method to activate these genes."
These were Professor Oak's exact words, so even if Blaine went to Professor Oak, there would be no discrepancy.
Because prior to this, he had indeed gone to understand the principle of what is called MEGA Evolution.
It must be said that Professor Sycamore is indeed a genius. To have conducted research to this extent without a MEGA Evolution Stone and a Key Stone, if he had those two items, he might have discovered MEGA Evolution long ago.
Blaine also showed a thoughtful expression upon hearing this. So MEGA Evolution also involved research into gene chains. He had been studying gene-related experiments, yet he hadn't discovered anything at all.
However, the direction of his gene research and Professor Sycamore's research direction were also somewhat different. One was researching deeper, more ancient aspects of genes, while the other was researching gene fusion, replication, and so on.
Although both types of research were gene research, they could not be confused.
"So, the item that Professor Sycamore's side lacked to activate gene evolution just happened to fall into your hands, and then you just happened to experiment and discover MEGA Evolution?" Blaine asked Ash with a strange expression.
Even though Professor Sycamore had already confirmed that Pokémon had a higher level of evolution, in reality, without a MEGA Evolution Stone and the other item Ash mentioned, he would never be able to achieve MEGA Evolution.
And Ash just happened to discover MEGA Evolution. Was this Ash's luck again?
"You could say it's a coincidence. The main thing is that my Aura can observe the connection between these two things, so I had Gardevoir wear this MEGA Evolution Stone, and then I used Aura to link the power of these two gems, finally achieving MEGA Evolution."
Ash said, releasing Gardevoir, and having Gardevoir take out the MEGA Evolution Stone from her body. He also took out his Key Stone and placed it in front of Blaine.
He wasn't afraid that Blaine would snatch these two items. Firstly, Blaine wasn't that kind of person. Secondly, trying to snatch these two items in front of him… even if you brought Lance, you wouldn't be able to do it.
Blaine took the Evolution Stone and Key Stone from Ash's hand, his gaze focusing on the Key Stone. He had already seen the Evolution Stone, but he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the Key Stone.
"Is this the other item you said is needed for MEGA Evolution?"
"Yes, I named it Key Stone, meaning the key to unlocking Pokémon evolution, and it sounds like 'key'," Ash unceremoniously appropriated the research results from another world. Anyway, no one in this world had discovered it, so he had the final say.
"Key Stone, huh… truly a wondrous thing. If you were to place these two items in front of Professor Sycamore and say they could be used to unlock a higher level of Pokémon evolution, he would probably go bankrupt to trade those two items from you," Blaine said with emotion, returning the two gems to Ash.
"What did you mean by evolving through bond? Besides these two items, are there other conditions?"
"Yes, didn't I just say that MEGA Evolution is achieved by linking the power of two items through Aura, thereby activating Gardevoir's ancient genes? So, if there's no Aura, what would be used to activate the power of the Key Stone and Evolution Stone? That would be bond."
"The deep bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon can serve as a bridge connecting the two, thereby achieving the effect of Pokémon evolution. If the bond is insufficient, MEGA Evolution cannot be performed."
Ash's words were not only for Blaine but also for Misty, Brock, and Gary.
They actually knew nothing about MEGA Evolution, but they would definitely come into contact with it and use it in the future. Learning more now would be of greater help in the future.
"This system is too complicated. Gigantamax is much simpler," Gary grumbled, expressing his dissatisfaction with the complexity of the MEGA Evolution system.
This thing not only requires two items, but also specific Pokémon, and a sufficient bond between the Pokémon and the Trainer. It's incredibly troublesome.
In contrast, the Gigantamax of the Galar region can be performed as long as there is a Dynamax Band. However, that system has requirements for the battlefield, otherwise, if Gigantamax spread to various regions, the Galar head Alliance's title would have already been solidified.
"Harsh conditions are only natural. You also don't see how exaggerated the increase this system provides to Pokémon is," Blaine didn't care about these harsh conditions. After all, compared to the exaggerated boost, this level of conditions was considered minimal.
"That's only because it's Ash's Pokémon that get that kind of boost! Ash has the ability to empower his Pokémon with his own abilities. Do other Trainers have that? How much can a simple MEGA Evolution even boost?" Gary questioned.
He had already learned about the special nature of Ash and his Pokémon through Misty and Brock.
He had never even heard of the ability to merge one's own power with a Pokémon's; it was simply a monstrous ability. And Ash, possessing such power, and his Pokémon, naturally couldn't be viewed with common sense.
MEGA Gardevoir seemed much stronger than her normal state, but Ash's power was augmented within her. How much MEGA Evolution itself could boost was still unknown.
"As for the extent of the boost, it can probably consistently increase by one small stage, and the base stats will also increase. For a beginner professional, fighting a high-level professional after MEGA Evolution should not be a problem."
"However, the increase in power and ability becomes less noticeable at higher levels. At the Elite and Champion levels, the overall increase might only be one small stage."
Ash made an estimate, converting the overall boost of MEGA Evolution.
Excluding his Aura fusion, MEGA Evolution brought an overall increase in power and strength, while Gigantamax offered powerful stamina, strong moves, and special effects accompanying each move.
As for Z-Moves… that system in the rural countryside, to be honest, not many people in the entire Alliance even knew about it.
Ash only learned about the Z-Move system in the group. It can only be said that Alola's reputation was indeed too low.