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The first MEGA Evolution Stone?
Overall, MEGA Evolution and Gigantamax have their pros and cons. At lower levels, MEGA Evolution has an advantage, while at higher levels, Gigantamax is more advantageous.
"Gigantamax can only be used once per battle and requires recharging for subsequent uses, but MEGA Evolution doesn't have such a restriction, does it? If one could simultaneously use five MEGA Evolved Pokémon and one Gigantamax Pokémon in a single battle, then the power boost would truly be terrifying!"
Brock had a different view on MEGA Evolution. Even if the gains from MEGA Evolution didn't seem to match the effort, it could be stacked with Gigantamax, and even allow for multiple MEGA Evolutions!
If you could perform five MEGA Evolutions in a single battle, even if there was a significant power gap between you and your opponent, you could still reverse the situation with this system.
This almost indirectly elevated a Trainer's level. Compared to Gigantamax, MEGA Evolution also has its own advantages!
Gary thought about it and felt it was true. While Gigantamax was strong, it ultimately had limitations on time, location, and number, especially the location restriction, which was quite fatal for Gigantamax.
MEGA Evolution, however, had no such restrictions. As long as your bond with your Pokémon was strong enough and you possessed the two corresponding items, you could MEGA Evolve anywhere.
And more importantly, MEGA Evolution is cool!
Just imagine, on a stage watched by thousands, you raise your arm, holding the Key Stone, and shout, "MEGA Evolution!"
Immediately, your Pokémon is bathed in countless gazes, radiating the light of evolution, and then becoming even cooler and more powerful!
Just thinking about that feeling sends shivers down your spine, from your feet to the top of your head! That's the true soul of MEGA Evolution!
"What in the world are you thinking? The most important thing about MEGA Evolution isn't all that random stuff!" Blaine saw Gary already lost in his fantasies and interrupted him, annoyed.
"The most important thing about MEGA Evolution is that it can boost a Pokémon's strength by a small amount. Even if the Pokémon's level increases later, it can still gain some power. Don't you know what this means?"
Misty and the others looked at each other, then shook their heads.
A power boost is a power boost, right? Which system doesn't boost power? Simply put, it serves for battles, and the boost from Gigantamax isn't bad either!
Blaine sighed helplessly. These people were still too young and didn't know the hardships of the future path: "Your current Pokémon should all be able to grow stronger with training, right? But in reality, after the Gym level, most Pokémon hit a bottleneck. Some with exceptional talent, sufficient resources, or an unbreakable bond with their Trainer can break through quickly."
"But some Pokémon will be stuck at that bottleneck for their entire lives. They exhaust everything, yet can only go so far. This is the cruelty of reality."
"However, with MEGA Evolution, it's different. Evolving one more time doesn't just mean a boost in the Pokémon's strength; it also means a further development of the Pokémon's inherent potential. Pokémon that had reached a dead end now have hope to move forward again."
"Furthermore, if you give some Gym Leader-level or Elite-level Pokémon a taste of a higher level of power, do you think those Pokémon will find it easier to advance in the future? Now you know what MEGA Evolution represents, right? It's not just a battle tactic; it's also hope for Pokémon to reach higher levels."
Blaine's explanation left everyone stunned. It turned out that MEGA Evolution, besides its use in battles, had such a significant impact on Pokémon development!
One could even say that this system was inherently focused on the future development of Pokémon. Even if one were to disregard the battle-time boosts, just the ability to allow Pokémon whose potential had been exhausted to once again tap into their potential and experience a second spring made MEGA Evolution's value surpass that of Gigantamax.
For a moment, everyone simultaneously looked at Ash. As it stood, Ash, who had discovered MEGA Evolution, was very likely the person who would change the entire landscape of the Pokémon world!
Ash himself was completely bewildered. Did MEGA Evolution have such a function? Why hadn't the big shots in the group mentioned such a thing... In reality, the Ashes in the group hadn't brought it up because Ash's Pokémon didn't need such unconventional methods for improvement. With Ash's bond with his Pokémon and his combat ability, Aura,
as long as he battled as one with his Pokémon, any bottleneck could be overcome. This was far more effective than MEGA Evolution. And with Ash's luck, he was unlikely to encounter Pokémon with relatively low potential.
So, what Blaine considered the greatest use of MEGA Evolution was only a moderate help for Ash.
If Blaine knew what the Ashes in the group were thinking, he'd probably be so angry he couldn't breathe. Something others cherished as a Darling held virtually no value for Ash—this was the confidence of a lucky emperor!
"In short, the value of MEGA Evolution is greater than you imagine. However, I know, Ash, you probably don't want to announce this evolution yet, right? After all, if it were announced, the difficulty of obtaining items like Key Stones and MEGA Evolution Stones would definitely increase significantly, and you must already be trying your best to collect these two items. Am I right?"
Ash nodded, confirming Blaine's guess.
Before MEGA Evolution appeared in the public eye, Ash didn't intend to announce this evolution. If it were announced, even Professor Oak probably wouldn't be able to collect any Key Stones or Evolution Stones.
Such things are extremely important to Elite Champions. Even in other parallel worlds, not many people possess MEGA Evolution, let alone in their world where MEGA Evolution hasn't even been discovered yet.
So, Ash wanted to collect as many MEGA Evolution Stones and Key Stones as possible before MEGA Evolution was discovered.
On one hand, it was to equip his own Pokémon that could MEGA Evolve. On the other hand, it would be best if he could also equip Misty and Brock. When it came to good things, Ash always thought of his companions first.
"When did you start collecting them?" Gary asked curiously.
"Just a few days ago. I asked Professor Oak to help me collect them. However, I only showed him what these two items looked like; I didn't tell Professor Oak their specific effects. Otherwise, I was afraid Professor Oak wouldn't be able to resist finding other professors to research them together, and then it would be directly exposed."
Gary's mouth twitched upon hearing this. So you're using my grandpa as a tool, huh? Good heavens!
"I want one too!"
"Uh... then you'll have to see if Professor Oak has collected extra Key Stones. Key Stones are held by Trainers, so one is enough. As for MEGA Evolution Stones, that depends on whether your Pokémon has ancient genes preserved and if there's a corresponding MEGA Evolution Stone."
"MEGA Evolution Stones are different from Key Stones; they're not universal. They depend on the Pokémon species. Each type of MEGA Evolution Stone corresponds to a different Pokémon, so MEGA Evolution is indeed a more troublesome system because Evolution Stones are already rare, and then you need the corresponding species, which is truly very troublesome."
Ash's words slightly dampened the fiery enthusiasm in Gary's heart. It turned out that MEGA Evolution was even more troublesome than he had imagined. Even if his grandpa really collected a lot of MEGA Evolution Stones, whether any of them could be used by his Pokémon was still an unknown.
As for how to identify the types of MEGA Evolution Stones and which Pokémon could MEGA Evolve, even asking Ash probably wouldn't yield an answer. After all, Ash had only discovered it by chance, so how would he know which Pokémon could MEGA Evolve?
These things would probably have to wait until his grandpa collected enough MEGA Evolution Stones, and then slowly experimented with each one, or perhaps he could tell his grandpa the truth about MEGA Evolution then and ask him to help with the research.
"Wait, Ash, you said MEGA Evolution requires a corresponding MEGA Evolution Stone to evolve, right?" Blaine suddenly spoke, as if he had just remembered something.
"Yes, for example, the MGEA Evolution Stone my Gardevoir uses can only be used by Pokémon of the Gardevoir species. Other Pokémon cannot use it."
"How did you discover this? Do you have other MEGA Evolved Pokémon samples?" Without multiple MEGA Evolved Pokémon, it would theoretically be impossible to discover this.
Because Ash wasn't a researcher, he wouldn't know which Pokémon possessed ancient genes. So, even if Gardevoir's MEGA Evolution Stone didn't work on other Pokémon, it might simply be that those other Pokémon didn't have ancient genes that could be activated.
"I do have another Pokémon that can MEGA Evolve, and I've also obtained its corresponding MEGA Evolution Stone. To be precise, that Pokémon should be the first one I had that could MEGA Evolve, and Gardevoir is the second."
"You're not talking about Aerodactyl, are you?" Brock asked with a strange expression, because the first MEGA Evolution Stone discovered was found in Aerodactyl's habitat. So if Ash had a Pokémon that could MEGA Evolve, it was most likely Aerodactyl.
Ash nodded in acknowledgment. There was no longer any need to hide the fact that Aerodactyl could MEGA Evolve.
Anyway, Blaine had already finished battling, and Aerodactyl's MEGA Evolution would eventually be revealed to everyone in the future, so he might as well say it.
Blaine was also stunned upon hearing this. So, this kid already had two MEGA Evolved Pokémon!
Silently making a fortune, huh!
But that wasn't the point. The point was... "According to what you're saying, these two Evolution Stones of mine should also be exclusive Evolution Stones for certain Pokémon, right? I suppose the way to differentiate Evolution Stones is by looking at the patterns in the middle of the Evolution Stone, and the patterns in the middle of these Evolution Stones of mine are different, meaning these two Evolution Stones correspond to two different Pokémon."
As Blaine spoke, he opened the safe he had placed aside, once again revealing the two MEGA Evolution Stones inside.
The gene-like patterns in the middle of the two Evolution Stones were purple-blue and purple-pink respectively, clearly indicating they were not the same type of Evolution Stone.
Ash knew very little about the types of MEGA Evolution Stones, so he wasn't sure which Pokémon these two Evolution Stones belonged to. He would have to get them and ask in the group to find out.
However, since the patterns on the two Evolution Stones were different, they should be Evolution Stones for two different Pokémon, he thought.
"They should be two different Evolution Stones, right? By the way, Blaine, what did you say earlier? These two Evolution Stones suddenly appeared next to Mewtwo when he was born?"
"That's right, I can confirm that they appeared out of thin air. But Ash, there's one thing I need to tell you: these two Evolution Stones... both have some kind of connection to Mewtwo. I'm not sure what the connection is, but these two Evolution Stones are definitely related to Mewtwo."
Blaine said, closing the safe, and then continued: "This box of mine is a safe that can block Psychic detection, so Mewtwo has never discovered that I'm holding these two Evolution Stones. But when I occasionally open the box, I've seen through the monitor that Mewtwo always has strange reactions. That is to say, as long as these two Evolution Stones appear, Mewtwo will sense them. This seems a bit different from what you said, Ash!"
Ash's statement was that each Pokémon required a different Evolution Stone to evolve, and the way to differentiate different types of Evolution Stones was by looking at the patterns in the middle of the Evolution Stone.
However, the two Evolution Stones he held were clearly different Evolution Stones, yet Mewtwo sensed both of them. Why was this? Could it be that both of them were Mewtwo's Evolution Stones?
"There's also another point," Brock interjected at this moment, "According to Professor Sycamore's research, what's called a higher level of evolution is actually a reversion to ancient forms by activating ancient genes within the body. As an artificial Pokémon, how could Mewtwo possibly have genes that could revert to an ancient form?"
The mystery seemed to deepen at this moment. The meaning represented by these two Evolution Stones seemed to become very complex.
If these two Evolution Stones were truly connected to Mewtwo, could Mewtwo also undergo MEGA Evolution?
But MEGA Evolution was clearly a phenomenon of reversion to ancient forms within a Pokémon's genes. As an artificial Pokémon, where would Mewtwo get any ancient forms to revert to? Could it be due to the Mew genes within him?
Even if that were the case, why would his dedicated MEGA Evolution Stones generate around Mewtwo? All these mysteries might only be answered after meeting Mewtwo and the leader of Team Rockets.
Everything they were thinking now was merely speculation. Whether those two MEGA Evolution Stones truly belonged to Mewtwo, and whether they could truly allow Mewtwo to MEGA Evolve, could only be answered after meeting Mewtwo.
"Take them. If you have a chance to meet Mewtwo, consider it solving this puzzle for me. But I still want to say... unless you have a Champion-level Pokémon or combat power, your first and only option when encountering Mewtwo is always—run!"