The entire venue fell silent after Lucario's punch. The only sounds were a few heavy gasps, one from Jay, one from Volkner.
Lucario backflipped and returned to Ash's side. Ash patted his shoulder. "Nice work. You got one back for Snorlax."
Lucario clenched his fists and nodded. Inside the Poké Ball, he'd been using Aura to perceive the battle outside. Watching his teammate get beaten down like that had left a knot in his chest.
Even though Snorlax had given worse than it got, Lucario still felt that at equal levels, Snorlax wouldn't have lost. But battles were never about fairness. So he'd settle the score himself.
Volkner silently recalled Jolteon. "Good work. Don't dwell on it."
He put the Poké Ball back on his waist and studied Lucario with a scrutinizing gaze. The performance just now was astonishing, but in that fleeting moment, Volkner had analyzed enough. Elite Four High. Elite Four Peak speed and attack power. Another Pokémon that could fight above its tier.
Compared to Snorlax, though, the cross-level gap was smaller. And the critical difference was that Snorlax's boost had come from something Ash did to it externally, whereas Lucario hadn't received any boost yet and was already performing above its level. If Ash could also give Lucario that same kind of terrifying leap, Volkner might as well forfeit now.
On the other hand, if Lucario couldn't access that boost, then it was Volkner's turn to perform.
He didn't delay. He took the last Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it out.
As the light dissipated, a tall and mighty figure landed in the center of the field. Electivire. Volkner's ace.
Compared to Paul's Electivire, Volkner's was a size larger, its entire body covered in yellow and black fur, muscle lines forged like steel. Two thick tails dragged behind it, with wisps of golden electric arcs occasionally flashing at the tips. Even standing quietly, this Electivire felt like a thundercloud about to break.
In the stands, Brock's smile faded. He leaned forward, his gaze locked onto the yellow-and-black figure. Even across the distance, he could feel the oppressive pressure.
"Ash is in trouble." His voice dropped low. "That Electivire is Champion level."
Misty's hands tightened around Togepi. She saw it too. Electivire's level was definitely beyond Elite Four. Since both of them felt it, it was practically certain. The information on Volkner had listed his strongest Pokémon at Elite Four Peak. Clearly, that data was outdated. Volkner had broken through.
Serena noticed the shift in their expressions. Although she couldn't judge Pokémon levels as precisely as they could, she could tell that the air in the entire Gym had grown heavier the moment Electivire appeared. She turned to look at Ash.
At the Trainer's podium, Ash was narrowing his eyes, his gaze firmly locked onto Electivire. Through Aura Sight, he saw clearly. Champion Beginner. Although it was only early Champion, it was still a serious challenge for Lucario.
He didn't hesitate. He raised his left hand, and the Key Stone on his wrist refracted a colorful luster under the Gym's lights.
"Lucario, show your true form. Mega Evolution."
Brilliant light surged from the Key Stone, bridging across to the blue-and-black figure in the center of the field. On Lucario's body, a Mega Stone simultaneously responded. Two pillars of light intersected in mid-air and burst into a dazzling, colorful cocoon of light.
Misty and the others instinctively raised their hands to block the light, but quickly lowered them. They'd seen Mega Evolution too many times for it to faze them anymore.
Facing an opponent whose level was higher than his own, Ash generally relied on two methods to close the gap: Mega Evolution and Aura fusion. If the level difference was small, pure Mega Evolution. If the gap was large, Aura fusion. If the gap was massive, both combined.
The cocoon of light shattered, revealing the figure inside.
This was not the appearance of a normal Mega Lucario.
This Lucario was covered in cyan-blue armor, with silver-white patterns outlining the sharp lines of its face and joints. Golden-yellow fur adorned its chest, and its original bone spikes had transformed into silver rounded armor. Its ice-blue eyes were as sharp as blades, and its lighter color scheme set off an agile posture, like an Aura martial artist hidden in shadow, sleek yet carrying a razor's edge.
Compared to the standard Mega Lucario, this form was slimmer and more agile, with a color palette that had shifted from dark blue and black to black, white, and light blue. Less rigid, more fluid.
"That's Lucario's Mega Evolution?" Jay widened his eyes, looking at Volkner in disbelief.
Volkner recovered from his initial shock, his gaze locking onto the unfamiliar figure. "It is a Mega Evolution. But one that's never been seen before. Completely different appearance from the standard Mega Lucario."
Mega Evolution was the innovation that had reshaped the entire Pokémon world's battle system. No matter how disconnected Volkner had been from the outside world, he knew what Mega Lucario looked like. And this wasn't it.
In the stands, Misty and Brock exchanged glances, both seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.
"Since when did Ash's Lucario have this form?" Misty tilted her head, puzzled.
Brock was thinking the same thing. They'd both seen Lucario's previous Mega Evolution. The standard form was bulkier, darker, carrying a heavy sense of raw power. This one was the opposite. Slender, neat, cold-toned. A completely different style.
Serena looked at the martial artist-like Lucario, and a flash of memory crossed her mind. The special Mega Stone that Ash received from Gurkinn back at Shalour Gym. At the time, Gurkinn had said it showed no reaction at all, just like an ordinary stone. But Ash had said he'd find a way to make it work.
"Could this be the form from that Mega Stone Gurkinn gave Ash?" Serena murmured.
Brock stroked his chin. "A new form triggered by a different Mega Stone. That would explain it."
Misty's gaze returned to the field. The sleek posture intertwined with ice-blue and silver-white, with that touch of golden yellow on its chest, was striking under the Gym's lights. Compared to the previous Mega Lucario that radiated brute muscular force, this one possessed something different. Not overwhelming dominance in power, but something closer to technique. Refined. Precise.
This Lucario might not match the original Mega form in raw physical strength, but its techniques would be on another level. Against a power-type opponent like Electivire, that could yield unexpected results.
"That guy's come up with something new again." Misty said, the corners of her lips curling up. Every once in a while, Ash made people look at him with fresh eyes. He'd always been like this.
Volkner stood at the Trainer's podium with his arms crossed, staring at Ash with burning eyes. From the moment this boy walked through the door, he'd been constantly shattering Volkner's understanding.
"Just how many secrets are you hiding?"
Ash scratched his cheek and grinned. "World's a big place. There's always something you haven't seen."
"True. But this is the first time I've had my worldview demolished this many times in a single day." Volkner's mouth twitched into a helpless smile. "Alright. Show me what this new form can do."
"Lucario, let's show him. Aura Sphere!"
"Arooo!"
Lucario let out a clear howl, bringing its palms together in front of its chest. Bright blue energy surged from its palms, but the concentration far exceeded anything it had shown before. The color had deepened dramatically, almost concentrating into black.
Lucario thrust its palms forward, and the hyper-compressed Aura Sphere left its hands, dragging a dark blue trail of light as it blasted straight toward Electivire. The air in the Gym hummed as it passed, and the ground churned up with fine cracks from the escaping energy.
Misty and the others couldn't help holding their breath. Just from the momentum alone, this Aura Sphere had completely surpassed the Elite Four level. This was a Champion-tier attack.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt." Volkner suppressed his shock and gave the command calmly.
Electivire slammed its fists together with a dull impact, then raised its thick arms high. Golden lightning erupted from its black-and-yellow body, transforming into two thick pillars of lightning that intersected and merged in mid-air, colliding head-on with the incoming Aura Sphere.
Golden thunder and deep blue Aura collided with a bang. For an instant, the entire Gym seemed to go mute, and then a dull roar exploded like a thunderclap. The shockwave spread in all directions, kicking up gravel and smashing it against the protective barrier, stirring up ripples. The Gym shook violently and the lights flickered, but fortunately returned to normal quickly.
Jay instinctively raised his hand in front of his chest, only lowering it slowly after the shockwave passed. He stared at the nearly shattered arena, his expression beyond words.
Aura Sphere and Thunderbolt had cancelled each other out. An even clash. But for an Elite Four High Lucario to match a Champion Beginner Electivire's output was absurd. The gap between Elite Four and Champion was far larger than the gap between High and Elite Four.
Snorlax earlier had bridged its gap through Belly Drum and Aura fusion. It had external factors. But this Lucario had done it with Mega Evolution alone.
Mega Evolution was powerful, but it shouldn't be able to span a gap this large.
Ash looked at Lucario's back, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes. This new Mega Evolution had its own distinct strengths, just like the difference between Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y.
The standard Mega Lucario was a dual-wielder. Both physical and special attack packed a punch, with physical being slightly stronger. But Mega Lucario Z was different. It was a pure specialist. Where the standard form spread its boost across both offensive stats, Mega Lucario Z dumped everything into special attack.
That was why an Aura Sphere from this form could match a Champion Beginner's Thunderbolt head-on, even though Lucario's base level was only Elite Four High.