At this moment, feeling the steady drain of his energy, Hakuya nodded thoughtfully.
It wasn't just physical stamina; his mental focus was also impacted to a certain degree. This was likely the negative side effect of Mega Evolution. However, for Hakuya—who had his body constantly tempered in the randomized world and further enhanced by the Rock-type Gym Badge—this was completely within his acceptable limits.
"If the drain is only this much... I conservatively estimate that I could Mega Evolve four Pokémon simultaneously right now."
Calculating his current physical and mental stamina drain, Hakuya arrived at this astonishing conclusion.
So what if Trainers in reality could only Mega Evolve one Pokémon per battle? His residency was registered in Littleroot Town within Randomized Emerald. The terms and conditions for using Mega Evolution didn't apply to him.
"Nai~"
At this moment, watching the Mega little jet plane flying across the sky like a shooting star, a look of envy appeared on Alcremie's face.
She also wanted to possess a new, powerful form like Latias.
"You don't need to be so jealous. You have another form too, Alcremie." Hakuya reached out and smilingly rubbed her head.
"Once we travel to the Galar region in the future, if we can get our hands on a Dynamax Band, you'll be able to transform into an ultimate, invincible, colossal Gigantamax form. You'll look exactly like a massive, multi-tiered wedding cake from a high-end dessert shop~"
"Nai~"
Alcremie pressed her lips together, her eyes instinctively shooting out little stars.
Trusting her Trainer unconditionally, she naturally didn't doubt Hakuya's words.
If I turn into a giant, colossal multi-tiered cake...
Alcremie shifted her gaze to Hakuya standing beside her, and the more she thought about it, the more "criminal" her thoughts became.
In the past, when she was a Milcery, she was only the size of her Trainer's palm. Even after evolving into Alcremie, she still barely reached his knees, constantly being picked up and held like a small plush toy.
Then... when I Gigantamax in the future, will it finally be my turn to pick up the Trainer?
Although she nodded calmly on the surface, Alcremie's mind was filled with bizarre and highly questionable thoughts.
"As for Floragato, after evolving into Meowscarada, you also have..."
Turning his head to face the large cat, whose eyes were sparkling with anticipation, Hakuya was just about to comfort her like he did Alcremie. But for a moment, he genuinely couldn't think of any new form Meowscarada had after evolving.
Does that overused, dime-a-dozen Terastallization even count?
His face twisted in conflict, Hakuya stumbled over his words.
Seeing this, the highly observant Floragato's eyes went wide, and she lunged right into Hakuya's face.
Are you telling me I don't have one?!!!
The large cat was thoroughly displeased by Hakuya's sudden hesitation.
In her eyes, the scene of Mega Evolution just now was incredibly romantic.
The Trainer shouting out his heartfelt desire, raising the Evolution Bracelet symbolizing their bond high into the air. And Latias, bathed in a seven-colored light, roaring towards the sky, her heart completely connected with the Trainer's as she obtained an unprecedented new form.
She also wanted a "matching wedding ring" with her Trainer like Latias, and to sign a contract to never divorce!!!
"You do, you do! Once we get to the Paldea region, you have a Terastal form where you wear a massive, glowing crown on your head, Floragato!"
Dizzied by being shaken back and forth by her vines, Hakuya quickly raised his hands to surrender. Relying on his memories of playing the games in his past life, he used a branch to draw the eighteen different types of Terastal Crowns on the ground.
"After Terastallizing, besides wearing this shiny, sparkling crown, your strength will also receive a massive boost, Floragato. It won't be inferior to Latias or Alcremie's forms at all."
Compared to Mega Evolution and Gigantamaxing, the Terastal phenomenon massively increased the tactical depth of a battle.
—The change in Terastal type fundamentally altered a Pokémon's offensive and defensive capabilities.
First, it allowed a Pokémon to turn a defensive disadvantage into a type-matchup guessing game.
The most classic example was Heatran (Fire/Steel). By choosing Tera-Grass to eliminate its massive Ground-type weakness, it could turn around and use [Tera Blast - Grass] to completely suppress Water-type opponents that previously had the upper hand.
Secondly, it allowed offensive sweepers to use Terastallization to either boost their Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) or increase their coverage.
If she Terastallized into her base Grass or Dark typing, given the sheer power Meowscarada would possess in [Omni-Transformation]—building off a base Attack of 170 and Special Attack of 116—the damage output of her moves would be absolutely staggering.
However, despite Hakuya's best efforts to explain that Terastallization was just as strong as Mega Evolution and Gigantamaxing... to the beauty-obsessed Floragato, who prided herself on being a ladylike Pokémon, the idea of wearing a massive, clunky crown far larger than her own head—even if it sparkled like diamonds—completely failed to meet her aesthetic standards.
"Meow... meowha?" After reviewing the concept art her Trainer had drawn, the large cat was utterly dumbfounded.
Why does that tsundere losing-heroine jet plane get such a cool Mega Evolution form, and that 'Wall of Sighs' Alcremie gets a Gigantamax form big enough to easily pick up the Trainer...
...but when it comes to me, I only deserve an ugly, giant crown strapped to my head?!
Feeling the malicious intent of the world targeting her, Floragato crouched under a nearby tree, sulking and drawing circles in the dirt.
Seeing this scene, Hakuya, wanting to comfort her but unable to find the right words, let out a long sigh.
Unless Arceus—the mastermind behind all this—couldn't stand it anymore and decided to code a unique "Bond Phenomenon" form for her on the spot, if Meowscarada wanted greater power in the future, she'd just have to obediently wear the ugly crown.
Right at that moment, having finished soaring through the night sky, the little jet plane flew down, her face brimming with joy.
"Congratulations, Latias." Hakuya opened his arms, smiling as he congratulated her.
Possessing a Mega Evolution form, the little jet plane was now undeniably the strongest Pokémon on his team.
Before Mega Evolving, she could brainlessly spam Draco Meteor to stack her Special Attack.
After Mega Evolving, her impressive base stats, coupled with the Special Defense drop from [Beads of Ruin], meant her strength could keep up with the vast majority of overpowered monsters in the randomized world.
"La-woo~"
Still riding the high of excitement, Latias dove straight into her Trainer's embrace.
Compared to before, the Mega-evolved little jet plane was noticeably heavier.
But it didn't take long. Feeling Hakuya's warm breath just inches away, Latias—who had eagerly tackled and hugged him tight just a moment ago—jolted violently. Realizing what she had just done, her snow-white cheeks instantly flushed with a faint blush.
She turned her face away, gently pushed her Trainer back with her claws, and in the blink of an eye, turned into a streak of white light and slipped back into her Poké Ball.
Even though she had Mega Evolved, her tsundere nature hadn't changed one bit.
"What a dishonest little Latias..."
Feeling his arms suddenly empty, Hakuya looked down at the Poké Ball on his belt playing dead, and laughed helplessly.
He originally wanted to take advantage of this empty clearing to have the little jet plane spar with the [Omni-Transformation] Floragato, just to test exactly how much her strength had increased after Mega Evolving.
But it turned out a simple hug was enough to trigger this little jet plane's underlying tsundere code and overload her CPU. He figured she wouldn't revert to her normal state until tomorrow.
"I guess testing her strength will have to wait until next time." Hakuya shook his head, then suddenly remembered something else. "Hmm... didn't Roxanne mention earlier that Steven was coming over in a few days?"
If he remembered correctly, the real-world Hoenn Champion was supposed to arrive in Rustboro City around this time.
On one hand, he was coming to pay him the money for the fossil he bought a while back. On the other hand, although she didn't state it explicitly, Hakuya could easily guess that the Hoenn Champion, much like Wallace, had taken a strong personal interest in him.
Every Trainer who becomes a Champion is essentially a battle maniac at their core.
With the exception of Alder, the Unova Champion who had grown increasingly melancholic following the death of his partner Volcarona, all the other Champions possessed varying degrees of battle obsession. After receiving Roxanne's intelligence report, it made perfect sense that Steven, tired of digging for rocks, would follow a sudden whim to come and battle him.
And compared to an internal sparring match, battling a powerful Champion-level Trainer was obviously far more valuable.
Besides, he was currently itching to see exactly what tier his strength belonged to in reality.
"Alright, it's decided then. I'll use him to test the waters when we battle." Hakuya finalized his plan to violently elbow Steven using Mega Latias.