Shun cleared his throat and found himself under the attention of five Elite Four-level Trainers at once. The pressure lasted only until he caught Reiji's encouraging look; after that, he straightened and spoke with much more confidence.
"Most Pokémon stop evolving once they reach their final stage. But some of them can go even further."
Shingo reacted before he could stop himself. "That's impossible."
The room turned toward him, and he immediately realized how that had sounded. He scratched his cheek and wisely kept the rest of his objections to himself. Reiji had not contradicted Shun, which was already enough to suggest this was not some ridiculous rumor.
Shun continued without making anything of the interruption.
"It's called Mega Evolution. The League discovered it while exploring another region. Unlike ordinary evolution, it requires two special stones and a strong bond between the Trainer and Pokémon."
He took out the stones Bruno had given him and held them where everyone could see.
"The first is a Mega Stone, and every compatible species has its own. This one is Lucarionite, the Mega Stone used by Lucario."
Shun raised the second stone.
"This is a Key Stone. The Trainer carries the Key Stone, the Pokémon carries its Mega Stone, and the two resonate with each other. But owning the stones isn't enough. If the bond between Trainer and Pokémon isn't strong enough, Mega Evolution won't happen."
Naoki, Tai, A.J., and Shingo studied the stones in silence. None of them had ever been given such a straightforward explanation of the process before, and even those who had heard fragments of information about unusual evolutions had never seen the pieces laid out this clearly.
"I can show you," Shun said. "It'll make more sense once you see it happen."
He released Lucario into the open part of the living room.
"Lu?"
Lucario appeared alert rather than alarmed. Its ears shifted as it examined the unfamiliar faces around Shun, and Aura spread quietly through the room as it checked the intentions of everyone nearby. Once it found no immediate hostility, the tension left its posture.
Shun walked over and rested a hand against its head.
"Lucario, we're going to Mega Evolve. Ready?"
"Lu."
Lucario nodded and sat down briefly to steady itself before the demonstration.
While the pair prepared, Reiji turned toward Blastoise and Sharpedo. Both were still beside him from the previous conversation, and he placed their respective Mega Stones in front of them.
"Watch carefully. You two can do this as well."
Blastoise took its stone carefully between its claws. The moment it made contact, its expression changed; whatever energy rested inside the stone felt strangely familiar, almost as though the object belonged with it despite having never touched it before.
Sharpedo had a less elegant solution.
Without hands, it simply opened its mouth and took the stone between its teeth.
Reiji stared at it for a moment.
"Don't swallow that."
"Shar."
Sharpedo shifted the stone onto its tongue instead and seemed perfectly satisfied with the arrangement. It felt the same strange compatibility Blastoise did, its body rocking slightly with excitement as it explored the unfamiliar energy.
A.J. watched all three Pokémon and finally voiced what the others were thinking.
"You really believe a fully evolved Pokémon can change again?"
Naoki folded his arms. "Boss does."
For him, that was apparently enough.
Tai was less certain, though not because the idea was completely new to him.
"I've heard something similar at Team Rocket headquarters," he said. "Not Mega Evolution specifically. There was an experiment involving a Pokémon that changed into something closer to an ancestral form. It went berserk and caused a mess in the facility, and everything about the incident was sealed afterward."
That memory made him much less willing to dismiss Shun's explanation.
Shingo rubbed his temples.
"Tonight I learned Spider has a Legendary Pokémon, got handed a theory for producing Elite Four-tier Pokémon, and now you're telling me final evolutions aren't necessarily final."
He looked accusingly at Reiji.
"You could've spaced some of this out."
Reiji smiled. "You're doing fine."
Shingo did not look convinced.
Still, the implications had already caught his attention. If Mega Evolution worked the way Shun described, it could eventually reshape high-level battles. A temporary transformation that pushed an already powerful Pokémon beyond its ordinary limits would become enormously important the moment enough Trainers learned how to use it.
That realization was exactly why Reiji wanted Shingo involved.
"Ready?" Shun asked.
Lucario opened its eyes and rose smoothly to its feet.
"Lu!"
Trainer and Pokémon moved into position opposite each other. Shun lifted the wrist bearing his Key Stone, while Lucario held Lucarionite securely.
Shun took one final breath.
"Lucario, Mega Evolve!"
The Key Stone answered first.
Multicolored light burst from Shun's wrist, and Lucarionite flared at almost the same instant. Streams of energy stretched between Trainer and Pokémon, joining in the space between them before wrapping around Lucario's body.
Everyone in the room fell silent.
The light thickened until Lucario's outline was almost completely hidden. Its body began changing inside the glow: its frame grew leaner and more aggressive, the fur behind its head lengthened, and the markings across its body darkened and spread. Red appeared at its paws and along the ends of its longer fur, while the spikes on its hands and chest became more pronounced.
Lucario threw back its head and cried out as the energy surged through it.
The force of the transformation rolled through the room strongly enough that even the experienced Trainers watching from the side instinctively focused their attention. Aura spread outward from Lucario in a dense wave, much stronger and sharper than before, while the remaining light twisted around its body before finally beginning to fade.
When the glow cleared, the Pokémon standing in front of Shun was unmistakably Lucario—and yet obviously something more.
Mega Lucario stood revealed at last, radiating an intensity that had not been there before. Even without seeing it battle, the difference in power was obvious.
Shun exhaled slowly, a broad smile appearing on his face.
Mega Lucario looked back at him, equally energized.
Reiji watched the transformation more carefully than anyone else.
Mega Evolution did not simply add raw power. Lucario became stronger across both physical and special offense, allowing it to make even better use of the mixed fighting style the species was already known for. More importantly, Mega Lucario gained Adaptability, making its Fighting- and Steel-type attacks hit considerably harder than they normally would.
Aura Sphere was an obvious example. Lucario already used the move exceptionally well; under Mega Evolution, the stronger same-type bonus pushed it even further.
Blastoise stared at Mega Lucario, then looked down at the Mega Stone in its claws.
Sharpedo stopped playing with its own stone.
Both Pokémon had clearly understood the point of the demonstration.
This was exactly what he had wanted them to see.
Mega Evolution was real.
And sooner or later, they were going to learn it too.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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