Then, before Red and the two Pokémon's astonished eyes, Blastoise's Mega Stone floated in front of Red. Immediately after, the backpack resting on the rock behind Red also began to levitate strangely.
Under Red's surprised gaze, the other five Pokémon's Mega Stones also flew out of the backpack one after another, gradually gathering in front of him and connecting with Blastoise's Mega Stone to form a circle.
After the six Mega Stones gathered successfully, the Key Stone in Red's palm emitted a dazzling light. Then, it floated into the center of the six stones and released six rainbow-colored ribbons, connecting with all six Mega Stones at once.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for unlocking the Power of Bonds!]
As the voice fell, the Key Stone and the six Mega Stones gradually fused into a single rainbow Key Stone. Unlike ordinary Key Stones that appear multicolored on the outside with black patterns in the center, this one was different.
The rainbow Key Stone formed from the fusion of six Mega Stones had patterns in its center that also shimmered with powerful rainbow light. It slowly floated before Red, as if he only needed to stretch out his left hand to grasp it at will.
(The Power of Bonds? Could this power allow Pokémon to Mega Evolve directly?)
Red extended his left hand in confusion and tightly grasped the rainbow Key Stone. Since this was a power granted by the system, he held little doubt. He could clearly feel the connection between himself and the stone.
The rainbow Key Stone's predecessor was the Key Stone Red wore and the six Mega Stones carried by his Pokémon.
Because of this, the rainbow Key Stone felt intimately connected to Red.
Soon, guided by waves of warm energy, the rainbow Key Stone gradually dissolved into Red's hand, as if it had never existed.
Under the astonished gazes of Blastoise and Snorlax, a rainbow Key Stone pattern slowly appeared on the back of Red's left hand, faintly radiating a powerful, multicolored glow.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for mastering the Power of Bonds!]
(The Power of Bonds: Bypasses the requirement for resonance between a trainer's Key Stone and a Pokémon's Mega Stone, directly using the bond between trainer and Pokémon to generate evolution energy.
Allows trainers and Pokémon to trigger Mega Evolution without carrying Key Stones or Mega Stones, without causing excessive physical strain on the trainer, and with no limit on the number of Mega Evolutions.)
"Now this is quite a remarkable power…" Red said with a slight smile, his excited gaze turning toward Blastoise as he prepared to test this new ability.
"Ka-me—"
Blastoise also sensed Red's intent and immediately clenched its fists with excitement, looking forward to its new form of Mega Evolution with him.
Under Snorlax's curious gaze, the Key Stone pattern on the back of Red's left hand emitted a dazzling rainbow light. The light transformed into ribbons that connected to Blastoise's body, and under the glow of this bond, Blastoise Mega Evolved once again.
"Ka-me—"
As the brilliant light of evolution faded, Mega Blastoise with its three cannons reappeared. There was little difference from its usual Mega Evolution using a Mega Stone, but its strength seemed to have improved slightly.
"Snor…"
Snorlax looked at Blastoise enviously, then turned pitifully toward Red, pointing at the Key Stone pattern on Red's hand, clearly asking whether it could also Mega Evolve.
"Here, have some Pokéblocks to fill your stomach first."
Seeing Snorlax's eager expression, Red couldn't bring himself to tell it that it actually didn't have the ability to Mega Evolve.
To avoid making Snorlax feel sad, Red quickly changed the subject, taking out Pokéblocks from his backpack to distract it.
Fortunately, the well-behaved Snorlax shifted its attention, instinctively focusing on the Pokéblocks in Red's hand.
After receiving Red's approval, the gluttonous Snorlax took the Pokéblocks, opened its mouth, and swallowed them, licking its lips contentedly while patting its belly.
The energy contained within the Pokéblocks was enough that just a few pieces could satisfy Snorlax's massive appetite.
Blastoise, now back in its Mega Evolution form, once again looked at Snorlax with fighting spirit, preparing to carry out the battle they hadn't been able to complete earlier.
Seeing this, Snorlax nodded decisively and stomped forward with heavy steps, using Hammer Arm against Blastoise.
'Bring it on!' Blastoise said excitedly, charging forward and launching a Body Slam.
"Bang—"
Blastoise and Snorlax collided head-on. For a moment, neither could overpower the other, resulting in an awkward stalemate.
To temper its own strength, Blastoise restrained the urge to use Aura-based moves, afraid of accidentally injuring Snorlax by going too far.
After all, with Mega Blastoise's current strength, defeating Snorlax was more than manageable. Just repeated Aura Sphere attacks with type advantage would be enough to overwhelm the slow and bulky Snorlax.
(I'll set aside the idea of creating custom Pokémon Mega Evolutions for now. Modifying all the data would be too troublesome, and I don't have the motivation for it at the moment. Besides, some fan-made designs online don't match Nintendo's aesthetic at all—they're way over the top.)
...
The next day
Today was the important day Red would head to the Indigo Plateau to participate in the Indigo League. On the day of departure, Red specially went to Professor Oak's Laboratory to switch the Pokémon lineup he carried on his belt.
A short while later
Just after stepping out of Professor Oak's Laboratory, Red immediately saw Delia waiting outside. She was holding his travel backpack, clearly having guessed that he planned to set off today.
"Why leave a few days early to travel alone? Wouldn't it be better to set out together with Ash?" Delia asked in confusion.
"Because making you say goodbye to two children at the same time would be too heartbreaking," Red replied, pressing down his cap slightly as he took the backpack from her arms.
"You child…"
Delia embraced Red reluctantly, feeling the warmth of her son.
Though unwilling to part, knowing Red's dream, she ultimately let go and chose to watch him leave.
"Compared to others his age, Red is far too mature," Professor Oak sighed. "But that kind of maturity also makes those who care about him feel heartache…"
"Red, do your best… but don't push yourself too hard…" Delia said softly, reluctant to see him go.
"Boys always set out on journeys with grand ambitions in their hearts."
Professor Oak looked up at the blue sky dotted with white clouds and couldn't help but remark.
(Goodbye… Pallet Town!)
With that thought, Red turned and left without looking back, simply waving his right hand continuously to bid farewell to Delia and Professor Oak.