Perhaps due to a lack of bond, the shiny Charizard took a considerable amount of effort before finally mastering the method of Mega Evolution. It evolved into Mega Charizard X; its body remained black, but its flames shifted to a vibrant blue.
"Even the color of the flames changed? How miraculous. This is simply wonderful..." Professor Sycamore, who had filmed the entire evolution process, treated the footage like a priceless treasure, replaying it incessantly.
"Thank you so much, Aomori-san. You've been a huge help," Professor Sycamore said. "I'll give you those two Mega Stones. In exchange, would you consider staying here for a few days to help me refine my research on Mega Evolution?"
"I have other matters to attend to, so I might not be able to stay long," Aomori replied.
"I understand. Just a few days will be enough."
"Very well," Aomori nodded in agreement. Being able to obtain two valuable Mega Stones for free was already beyond his expectations.
"Fantastic!" Professor Sycamore said, overjoyed. "You should stay here. The lab has plenty of spare beds."
"Then I'll gladly accept."
"Alain, come here for a moment," Professor Sycamore spoke into his communicator.
Soon, a handsome young man in a lab coat walked over quickly. When he saw Mega Charizard X, his eyes lit up, though he showed no other outward reaction.
"Professor Sycamore, you called for me?" Alain walked to the Professor's side and spoke respectfully.
"This is Alain, my assistant," Professor Sycamore introduced to Aomori and the others. He then said to Alain, "Go help these three guests pick out three rooms. They'll be staying here for a few days."
"Understood." Alain nodded and turned to Aomori's group. "Please follow me."
"Mhm." As Aomori had Charizard revert from Mega Evolution and returned his Pokémon to their Poké Balls, he noticed Alain seemed a bit dejected. He couldn't help but smile inwardly.
"This way, please." Alain led the way while Aomori observed him discreetly.
The Alain before him was no minor character. In the original timeline, he used his Mega Charizard X to defeat Ash and win the Kalos League Championship. He was also the protagonist of a certain special episode; his future potential was not to be underestimated. However, in this world, whether he could still defeat Ash remained an unknown.
"Your name is Alain, right?" Aomori asked.
"Yes, that's right." The current Alain was still quite green. Hearing Aomori address him, he answered somewhat formally.
"I saw you were quite interested in Mega Charizard just now." Aomori purposely omitted the "X," unsure if they knew about the second Mega Evolution form.
"That was Mega Charizard? Was it evolved through Mega Evolution?" Alain slowed his pace to walk side-by-side with Aomori, asking curiously.
"Yes. I obtained Charizardite from Professor Sycamore and successfully evolved it into Mega Charizard."
"Mega Evolution..." Alain recalled the majestic appearance of Mega Charizard X, his heart racing with excitement. "So Mega Evolution really can be achieved. That's incredible."
After composing himself, he said to Aomori, "I have a Charmander. I want it to be able to Mega Evolve too, to become as noble and cool as that!"
"That's a great goal. Keep at it; one day you will succeed."
"Yes!"
…
During his stay at the Pokémon Research Lab, Aomori assisted Professor Sycamore with various studies. He benefited greatly himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the essence of Mega Evolution, the energy of X and Y. Combined with his experience of Metapod evolving into a shiny Butterfree, many new ideas began to form in his mind.
"Hey, today's newspaper has news about Ash," Sabrina said, handing Aomori a stack of papers during breakfast.
Aomori took them and found a photo of Ash and Pikachu on the front page. In Ash's hand was a glittering golden trophy.
"Ash actually did it..." Aomori's expression became complicated for a moment before he broke into a smile. Closing the paper, he said, "Then I can't fall behind. I'll say my goodbyes to Professor Sycamore later today."
…
"We have enough data; the next step is to analyze the underlying causes," Professor Sycamore said to Aomori at the lab entrance. "Aomori-san, thank you for your help. Without you, I don't know when my research would have gotten on the right track."
"Don't mention it. I got what I wanted too," Aomori said with a smile. "Well, we'll be taking our leave. If you need further help, feel free to contact me."
"I will."
"Alain, I hope that the next time we meet, you've become a great figure in your own right," Aomori waved goodbye.
"I will work hard!" Alain watched Aomori's group leave, then turned to the Professor. "Professor, I want to go on a journey."
"Go if you want to," Sycamore said, patting Alain's head. "I happen to need someone out in the field to help me investigate Mega Evolution anyway."
"Alain, no matter what happens in the future, remember that this place is always your home. If you get tired of traveling, you can come back anytime."
"Professor..." Moved, Alain nodded heavily. "I will!"
…
After accompanying Sabrina and Latias for a bit of sightseeing in Lumiose City, Aomori and his group returned to the Hikōkyū. Mew had already departed for parts unknown, while Mewtwo was busy studying the Beedrillite.
Aomori walked to its side and asked, "How is it? Any progress?"
Mewtwo didn't look up as it replied, "I have recorded the energy fluctuations within. Soon, I will be able to develop a device to detect these fluctuations. In other words, this device will help me find Mega Stones." Ever since Aomori told Mewtwo it could also evolve further, it had become increasingly proactive in its research.
However, it didn't know that it didn't actually need a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve. Not just Mewtwo, but most Legendary Pokémon could do it, likely because of their deep understanding of energy. Aomori was very satisfied with Mewtwo's drive and decided to tell it later, though with its intelligence, it might figure it out on its own soon.
"Good. Keep at it. The day you finish is the day we head to the next world."
"Another world..." Mewtwo glanced at Aomori before returning to its work.
Aomori didn't mind and left the room. Before ending the dungeon, he had one last important task to complete.
…
"Roar!"
Deep in the ocean, a Gyarados opened its massive maw at the human before it. But the human remained unfazed, not even sparing it a glance. This made the "Big Menace" feel provoked. I have to teach him a lesson and show him whose territory this is! It swung its tail, creating a violent current toward the human.
"Go away, don't annoy me." Aomori waved his hand back, reversing the current and pushing the Gyarados far away.
Dizzy and disoriented, the Gyarados immediately realized it had run into someone it couldn't mess with. Seeing that the human's attention wasn't on it, it quickly swam away.
"Not here either?" Aomori retracted his Mind's Eye and sighed. He had spent a whole day diving deep into the sea but hadn't found a trace of Lugia. Finding one specific Pokémon in the vast ocean was like looking for a needle in a haystack; the chances were slim.
He had specifically come looking for Lugia to find a tenant worthy of his Master Ball. After much thought, he had chosen Lugia as his top pick because he already had powerful allies for the sky and land; only the ocean remained a blank space. Capturing Lugia would fill that void.
Unfortunately, after wandering near towns said to be blessed by Lugia in legends, Aomori still couldn't find it.
"Do I really have to beat up the Three Legendary Birds again to summon Lugia, the Guardian of the Seas, just to ask if it can introduce me to a subordinate or two?" Aomori quickly dismissed the idea; such an action would ruin his "nice guy" image among the Legendaries. "Forget it, I can't waste too much time here. Moving to the second target."
He flew out of the sea and headed straight for the sky. Returning to the Hikōkyū, Aomori asked the AI, "Aichan, check if any meteors are falling to Earth recently."
"Understood, Master." A moment later, Aichan replied, "Master, according to the Space Agency, the next meteor fall will occur in three days."
"Three days?" Aomori nodded. He could use these three days to keep looking for Lugia. If he failed, he would go for his second choice—Rayquaza, the Master of the Skies.
…
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Aomori still found nothing in the ocean, so he flew to the location Aichan had mentioned.
"Rayquaza is a flying dragon; it should be just as dominant in the ocean if it wanted to be. Plus, it can defend against that giant meteor in the One Punch Man world or Boros's invasion, though I probably won't need it then. Most importantly, Rayquaza just looks cooler!"
Thinking about it this way, Rayquaza seemed even more suitable than Lugia.
Piercing through the thick white clouds, Aomori reached the calm stratosphere, Rayquaza's primary domain. Looking up, he could see many meteors streaking across the sky, a meteor shower caused by atmospheric friction. Many were vaporized by the heat, but many outliers attempted to fall to Earth.
This was when Rayquaza went to work.
A figure emitting a green fluorescent glow streaked across the sky. Searing beams of light erupted from its mouth continuously, filling the sky and shattering the trespassing meteors into dust. This powerful physique, flexible movement, and precise shooting, this was clearly an elite among the Rayquaza species.
"I choose you." Aomori nodded in satisfaction.
Once the meteor shower ended and Rayquaza had cleared the sky, Aomori seized the moment. With a flash of speed, he appeared before it, waved a friendly hand, and said, "Hello, my name is Aomori. Do you happen to know Groudon and Kyogre?"
The response he received was a Hyper Beam.
"Such a short temper?" Aomori dodged effortlessly and shook his head. "No tolerance at all. Clearly, you aren't the leader of your group. That means I can capture you without any guilt, Rayquaza."
"Roar!" Rayquaza seemed completely enraged by Aomori's words. It lunged toward him, its claws glowing with white light as it slashed out mercilessly.
Aomori intended to test Rayquaza's strength. He didn't dodge. Instead, he took a stance and threw a punch.
Boom!
Fist met claw, and both figures were sent flying back simultaneously.
"Not bad," Aomori said, shaking his numbing arm. "Fighting in mid-air with no leverage makes close combat a bit difficult. Let's try a projectile clash then."
With a snap of his fingers, a large number of lightning orbs appeared around him. He pointed forward, and the orbs flew toward the Rayquaza. Simultaneously, Aomori crossed his hands and condensed energy, preparing for the next wave of attack.
Faced with Aomori's tide-like assault, Rayquaza's expression grew serious. It fired a series of Hyper Beams. The orange-red beams swept through the lightning orbs, causing a chain of massive explosions.
"Now!" Aomori's figure suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was behind Rayquaza. The condensed energy in his hands erupted, striking the defenseless Rayquaza squarely. From his time spent with Sabrina, Aomori had learned Teleportation; this was its first use in real combat, and the results were brilliant.
Hit by the lightning blast, Rayquaza began to fall. However, Legendary Pokémon are incredibly tough and won't be defeated so easily. it quickly stabilized itself, the killing intent in its eyes growing heavier.
"Roar!" Rayquaza let out a long cry. It charged at Aomori, a brilliant green glow covering its entire body. In an instant, it crossed the distance and was upon him.
"I... Dragon Ascent?!" Aomori, nearly swearing, quickly used Teleportation to dodge the impact. But Rayquaza's speed only increased as it charged again.
"If that's the case, let's settle this with raw power. Ittou Shura!" Aomori burned his life force, concentrating all his physical strength and energy into his right hand, throwing his strongest punch.
Boom!
The massive force transmitted through both bodies, causing them both to cough up blood and fly backward.
"It's not over!" Aomori's fighting spirit peaked. He teleported behind Rayquaza again. Before the effect of Ittou Shura faded, he landed dozens of consecutive punches on its body, tearing its skin and flesh.
"Go, Master Ball!" Using the last of his strength, Aomori hurled the Master Ball at Rayquaza.
A flash of red light, and Rayquaza was sucked inside. It shook violently for a few minutes before finally falling still.
Seeing this, Aomori floated in the air and sighed in relief as he recalled the ball to his hand. After using Holy Light to heal most of his injuries, Aomori opened the Master Ball and released Rayquaza.
Under the influence of the Master Ball, its hostility seemed much lower; at least it didn't immediately go on a rampage.
Aomori looked directly into its eyes and said, "Well? I defeated you fairly. Being my companion isn't an insult to you, is it?"
Rayquaza stared at Aomori with its large, copper-bell eyes for a long time before finally giving a slight nod.