"Charizard... transcend your limits, Mega Evolution!"
The Key Stone in Ethan's hand resonated with the Mega Stone inside Charizard.
Guided by Lucario's aura power, trainer and Pokémon found their point of synchronization.
The energies of both stones intertwined in the air.
Boom!
A dazzling light enveloped Charizard. His form began to transform, rising toward a higher level.
At the same time, Ethan felt the Key Stone fiercely draining his mental energy.
Fortunately, his mind was linked to Lucario's, which absorbed a large part of the burden.
Even so, Ethan still felt his mind extremely heavy, as if he had stayed awake for several days straight; a constant sense of drowsiness overwhelmed him.
"Sha!"
"Cac!"
"Shuck!"
"Viiibbrraa!"
At that moment, a series of cheers from the Pokémon echoed beside his ears.
When he opened his eyes and looked up into the sky, he saw a completely new Pokémon appear before him: it was exactly the Mega Charizard Y that he remembered.
Mega Charizard Y resembled the ordinary Charizard in some ways, but the cream-colored areas extended from the lower jaw. On the back of its head, a third central horn had grown, longer than the other two original ones.
Its neck and snout had shortened, while its limbs, tail, and wings had lengthened. Small wings had sprouted from its wrists; the edges of the wings on its back had become more jagged; three small spikes appeared at the tip of its tail, and a long spine grew along its back.
Moreover, the flame on its tail burned far more intensely. Its sharp horns, elongated tail, and enlarged wings granted it a flying ability that surpassed even that of a jet aircraft.
"Chaaarrzz!"
Suspended in the air, Charizard roared excitedly.
At the same time, its body suddenly became wrapped in flames, releasing a terrifying temperature.
It could feel that inside it now surged an incredibly terrifying power. That strength was so overwhelming that even the "Sunny Day Dragon" state seemed far inferior in comparison.
"We did it. Mega Charizard Y, Fire/Flying-type. And after Mega Evolving, its Solar Power ability has transformed into Drought."
Seeing this, Ethan's face showed a satisfied smile.
After so long, Charizard had finally completed Mega Evolution.
At that moment, Ethan's other Pokémon also turned their gaze toward the Mega Charizard Y in the sky.
They too could sense how powerful it had become. Just its aura power alone already far surpassed that of the Quasi-Elite level Alakazam they had previously faced.
"Tyran!"
A look of expectation also appeared in Tyranitar's eyes.
Ethan had told it that it also possessed the ability to evolve once more.
When that time came, it too would obtain such formidable power. Ethan had not lied to it.
Not only Tyranitar—who had been "persuaded" by Ethan with the promise of Mega Evolution—but the other Pokémon also showed hope in their gazes.
Since Ethan had not explained the reason why they could not Mega Evolve, they still didn't know that in reality not all of them had that possibility.
As for that point, Ethan had not told them clearly, nor did he plan to.
Even if in the Pokémon world there were no known Mega Evolutions for Sandslash, Cacturne, or Slowking...
Who could guarantee that they truly didn't exist?
Perhaps they simply hadn't been discovered yet.
Therefore, Ethan decided to let them keep that hope, waiting for the arrival of a miracle.
"Sha!"
"Cac!"
Sandslash and Cacturne began to grow impatient, eager to test how much Charizard's strength had actually increased after Mega Evolving.
However, just as they were about to challenge it, they saw a flash on the body of Mega Charizard in the air, and suddenly it returned to its normal form.
All the Pokémon were stunned.
An evolution could revert?
It was the first time they had witnessed something like this. Had the evolution failed?
"This is an evolution, but it's temporary."
Ethan's voice sounded at that moment, leaving the Pokémon surprised.
They looked toward him and discovered that he had collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted.
Sandslash and Cacturne immediately ran to his side, and Slowking used Heal Pulse to restore his energy.
"I'm fine, I just consumed too much mental energy."
Ethan waved his hand and looked at Lucario, who also appeared fatigued.
Clearly, maintaining the aura power to fuse his mental energy with Ethan's had caused enormous strain for Lucario.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard descended and rubbed its head against Ethan.
Then it looked at Lucario, expressing its gratitude.
This time, without Lucario's aura power support, it would never have been able to complete Mega Evolution so smoothly.
That feeling of overflowing power was simply intoxicating.
"It seems this time I was the one who failed," Ethan said, touching his nose somewhat helplessly.
Lucario and Charizard immediately shook their heads.
"Yes, I know. At least now we've found the problem that prevented Mega Evolution. The next step is to overcome it."
Ethan nodded with a smile. He already had the next training program planned.
One of the key points was finding a way to increase his own mental strength.
However, in the real world he still didn't know what method existed to improve human mental energy, which frustrated him.
If he had to mention options, he could think of two possible paths.
The first was to find mental training methods in a Secret Kingdom, such as discovering the ruins of Saffron City's Gym, Sabrina's Gym, and uncovering the meditation techniques used by psychics.
The second was to find a legendary Pokémon. He remembered that many of them could grant psychic powers to humans through their divine authority. For example, the power of the Aura Chosen Ones came from Arceus.
Of course, finding a human mental cultivation method was extremely difficult, so Ethan leaned more toward the second option.
That meant strengthening Lucario's aura power and mental strength even further, so that it could better assist him in communicating with the energy of the Key Stone.
And that was obviously far more reliable and simpler than finding a human mental training method.
In fact, Ethan already had a plan to help Lucario rapidly improve its mental energy.
"Alright, alright, I know. After the World Championship, I'll take you to search for the Mega Stones. As long as we find the Mega Stones, with our bond it will be very easy to Mega Evolve."
Ethan smiled to reassure the Pokémon surrounding him, giving them hope.
It was a kind lie: it provided them motivation while invisibly strengthening the bond between him and his partners.
After chatting for a while longer, he let the Pokémon return to their respective training.
As for him, due to the heavy mental exhaustion, he felt dizzy, so he returned early to the resting area to recover.
(End of Chapter)