Kalia was astonished; during Charmander's last visit to the Dream World, it had not yet evolved into a Charizard. The sudden transformation upon entering this realm puzzled her greatly.
Despite her confusion, Kalia saw this as a positive development. She knew well the immense strength of a Charizard, and if it could fully utilize its combat power in the Dream World, they would easily dominate the surrounding area near their cabin. They might even venture further without fear of encountering powerful Pokemon.
"By the way, Kalia, you haven't told me about Charizard yet. What exactly happened?" Julian suddenly asked. Although the fact that Charizard didn't revert to Charmander was intriguing, his primary curiosity lay with Mega Evolution. He had been waiting since Kalia promised to explain it once inside the Dream World.
"No problem, I'll tell you now," Kalia nodded in response. Sharing this information wasn't an issue, as eventually, all Trainers would learn about these concepts.
"You see, when Charizard transformed unexpectedly earlier, it was due to a technology developed by Professor Evergreen. Similar to Z-Moves but distinct from them, it's called Mega Evolution."
"Mega Evolution..."
Kalia patiently explained everything about Mega Evolution to Julian, who listened with wide-eyed amazement.
"That's incredible! I had no idea our Sebas region has developed such groundbreaking technology," Julian exclaimed excitedly after hearing her explanation.
Mega Evolution represented a transformative leap, significantly enhancing a Pokemon's capabilities. As witnessed during their encounter, Kalia's Charizard effortlessly dominated all the high-level Trainers' Pokemon.
"Can my Charizard also mega evolve?" Julian asked, already envisioning his own Charizard achieving this feat.
"The Professor mentioned it requires emotional resonance; both the Trainer and Pokemon must share a deep bond. While I don't fully understand it, I feel like my connection with Charizard meets those requirements, enabling us to achieve Mega Evolution," Kalia replied. Although she had some insights, the concept of emotional bonds remained somewhat elusive to her; however, she knew her relationship with Charizard was strong.
"Emotional bond? Sounds complicated." Julian scratched his head, glancing at his nearby Charmander. He believed they shared a good rapport, but he acknowledged it likely wasn't yet at the level required for emotional resonance.
"Don't worry, as long as you genuinely care for your Pokemon, the bond will only deepen over time. Achieving emotional resonance is just a matter of when," Kalia reassured him. She believed that showing true affection towards Pokemon would be reciprocated, creating a mutual connection.
"That makes sense," Julian nodded in agreement.
"Let's familiarize ourselves with the surroundings first," suggested Kalia. Although her Charizard was at full strength in the Dream World, the other Pokemon were still in their initial stages and needed to enhance their capabilities.
Time passed swiftly as Kalia and Julian began directing their Pokemon in battles to rapidly improve their abilities. In the Dream World, Pokemon progress quickly, akin to reclaiming their original power levels.
Lian stood aside, gazing into the distant sky, feeling somewhat puzzled. He had arranged for little Zapdos to fly near his cabin within these few days, but upon entering the Dream World last night, he expected Zapdos to have already embarked on its journey.
Considering Zapdos' speed, it should have reached the vicinity of the cabin by now; however, Lian couldn't spot any trace of the electric bird, which struck him as odd.
"Could it have encountered a powerful Pokemon?" Lian wondered. Although weaker than himself, little Zapdos had achieved a high level of strength. With daily combat training in the Dream World and its innate talent as a Zapdos, its abilities advanced rapidly.
Throughout his journey, Lian hadn't come across any exceptionally strong Pokemon. Even if little Zapdos did face one, escaping should have been effortless for it, making it unlikely that it wouldn't have reached the vicinity of the cabin by now.
"I need to go find it."
Lian didn't want to waste time; Lunar Feathers were scarce, and his primary goal was to explore the entire Dream World thoroughly.
The system only allowed him two hours per day within the Dream World, which felt insufficient even with bursts of speed. Now, having entered alongside Kalia, he could stay for at least three days, and there was no way he'd let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
Thus, Lian decided to search for little Zapdos while Kalia commanded her Pokemon in battle nearby. Fortunately, the area around the cabin lacked formidable Pokemon, mostly consisting of beginner-level creatures.
Roar!
With a gentle roar, Lian signaled to Kalia before spreading his wings and flying off into the distance.
"Charizard has flown away," Julian quickly alerted upon seeing Lian depart. In this Dream World, allowing Charizard to roam freely seemed unwise.
"I know, he'll return," Kalia responded nonchalantly. Although unsure of Charizard's intentions, its roar indicated something significant. With Charizard's high intelligence, it must have had important matters to attend to, even if she didn't know the specifics. Regardless, she was confident that it would come back.
"Aren't you concerned?" Julian asked. If his Pokemon suddenly left, he would be extremely worried, fearing they might not return.
"I trust Charizard."
Kalia and Julian continued directing their Pokemon against wild ones in the Dream World. Since Julian's Pokemon were still at initial stages, with limited strength, the battles posed some risk, requiring his undivided attention.
Over time, the Pokemon rapidly regained their prowess. Once they re-mastered their most effective moves, their combat abilities soared exponentially.
As both trainers ventured further, seeking stronger opponents for their Pokemon, the challenges intensified.
***
Lian continuously flew further, heading towards the direction where he usually entered the Dream World from the system space.
Since little Zapdos had agreed to meet him, Lian suspected that something might be hindering its arrival.
As he soared through the sky, Lian constantly scanned for any energy fluctuations around him. Being a Flying-type Pokémon, if there was a battle involving Zapdos, it would undoubtedly take place high above.
Suddenly, Lian detected faint energy disturbances. Due to the dim environment of the Dream World, his visibility was limited, but he could still sense these energy shifts.
"Zapdos, indeed, a battle seems to have erupted."
Lian swiftly accelerated towards the source of the energy fluctuations.
Soon, he spotted Zapdos engaged in combat with several other Pokémon, appearing somewhat distressed and overwhelmed.