Phoebe is in danger!
The only ones who can now erase the psychic mark Aoki left on Phoebe are the psychics from the Divine Cult!
"The psychic mark I left on Phoebe has been erased!" Aoki's expression became exceptionally solemn, even a little gloomy.
Looking at it optimistically, the psychic mark on Phoebe was erased; looking at it pessimistically, it's very possible Phoebe is no longer alive in this world!
How could Aoki remain calm in such a situation?
Although Aoki and Phoebe's relationship might not have reached the same level as with Steven, it wasn't far off.
Ever since Phoebe left Mt. Pyre, Aoki and her had maintained a very good relationship. Phoebe herself was a relatively pure girl; although powerful, what she exuded from her heart was innocence and kindness, and that touch of innocence was something Aoki had always yearned for but never possessed.
Not just Aoki, but Steven and Wallace also had a very good relationship with Phoebe.
Even Cynthia and Diantha, though they hadn't spent as much time with Phoebe as Aoki and the others, had interacted with her during the last Sinnoh League, the previous Elite Four Challenge, and even this exhibition match. They also had a great fondness for this youngest, dark-skinned, pure little girl.
So, when they heard what Aoki said, everyone's expressions turned somewhat grim. Unlike the somewhat joyful atmosphere when Diantha joined, it suddenly became silent and oppressive.
"The mark is gone, but you should still know the approximate location, Aoki, right? Let's go there now!" Steven immediately made a decision, quickly recovering from the awkwardness with Aerodactyl earlier. Now, it was about the life and safety of a companion.
Hearing Steven's words, Lance slowly shook his head and said, "Although I'm reluctant to say it, we are already flying at full speed, and Aoki's Salamence is even flying by relying on Pokéblocks. At our current speed, flying there might not be in time."
"And… it might even be a trap set by the enemy, luring us into their net."
Lance's words became difficult to articulate towards the end, but as the oldest person present and the one who had spent the longest time in the detective department, he had the most say in such situations.
It wasn't impossible for the Divine Cult to use Phoebe as bait.
But it was difficult for them to accept, especially Steven and Wallace.
"Then what should we do? We can't just watch Phoebe fall into their hands, can we?" Wallace, who had been silent, also spoke up.
To ignore Phoebe when he knew she was in danger was something he couldn't do.
If he truly gave up on saving Phoebe this time, it would definitely become the most regrettable thing he ever did in his life, the kind of regret that would haunt him whenever he thought about it. The guilt in his heart would surely accompany him for the rest of his life, and that was something he couldn't accept.
"Exactly! Phoebe must be saved!" Steven also said emphatically, his unwavering determination something no one could shake.
Seeing Steven and Wallace's determined eyes, Aoki felt very relieved. Such people were capable of becoming the Champions of the Hoenn region; they possessed such potential and character.
A trace of helplessness appeared on Cynthia's face as she said, "I think you might have misunderstood Lance's meaning. If he were someone who would casually abandon his companions, would you be friends with him?"
She said this because Cynthia saw the helplessness on Lance's face.
He had something to say, but before he could open his mouth, Steven and Wallace had already taken the floor.
"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to say that if we fly there immediately now, we definitely won't make it in time, and we might even fall into an ambush. Instead of rushing over, it's better to plan carefully, discuss countermeasures, and then rescue Phoebe while ensuring our own safety."
"I believe Phoebe wouldn't want us all to fall into danger with her because of her situation."
Lance finally had time to explain. If he were to fall out with the Hoenn group over this matter, it would probably be the stupidest thing he, Lance, had ever done in his life.
Though Lance was a direct descendant of the Dragon Clan, he wasn't born into it. His childhood was only slightly better than that of an ordinary family, and his starter Pokémon, like many League trainers, was a Charmander!
He wasn't particularly noticed by the Dragon Clan when he was young, but Lance was very good at dealing with people from a young age, possessing an excellent skill: making friends, and the friends he made were all those with great potential. This is how, through word-of-mouth, rumors spread about a remarkably talented young man in Viridian City in the Kanto region, which finally attracted the attention of the Dragon Clan.
Only then did the Dragon Clan discover that they had such a talented young man living outside, and based on bloodline, he could be confirmed as a member of the main branch of the Dragon Clan within three years.
Finally, he was brought back to Blackthorn City in the Johto region by the Dragon Clan, and according to the tradition of direct descendants of the Dragon Clan, he had one opportunity to enter the Dragon Clan's Dragon's Den. Lance was incredibly lucky and caught a very talented Dratini, and from then on, he became unstoppable, becoming the Dragon Clan's star.
Even with such status, Lance didn't swell with pride, still maintaining his good habit: making friends!
Making friends for Lance wasn't just talk; his friends were spread almost all over the Pokémon world.
So, to ask such a person to give up on saving a companion, Aoki believed Lance would absolutely not do it.
Phoebe definitely needed to be saved, but Lance also made a lot of sense.
For a moment, everyone fell silent again, unsure of what to do at this moment.
Steven and Wallace looked at Aoki with great understanding. Ever since he mentioned Phoebe might be in danger, Aoki hadn't spoken. From Steven and Wallace's understanding of Aoki, they believed he could make the most correct decision.
"Lance is right. We can't let all of us fall into potential danger just to save Phoebe," Aoki said in a deep voice.
Hearing Aoki's words, Steven and Wallace both showed incredulous expressions.
Aoki also saw their expressions, but he hadn't finished speaking, "But we also have to save Phoebe, and we need to do it as quickly as possible, otherwise it might be too late."
"So, I suggest we split into two teams. One team will follow at the fastest possible speed, and we'll send the fastest and strongest person to rescue, and also to scout ahead to see if there's really an ambush from the enemy."
This was Aoki's plan.
However, there was one very dangerous part of this plan, one that could even be said to put all the dangers of this operation on one person's shoulders.
This was a very dangerous thing for any of the six people present, and the person who went at the fastest speed might not even be able to save Phoebe, and could very likely get themselves caught as well.
Therefore, the requirements for this person's strength were very high; they needed to be able to stall until the others arrived.
Hearing Aoki's suggestion this time, it was the plan with the greatest chance and also the least danger among all the plans, given their passive situation.
Of course, that was for most people. For the one who charged ahead, it was akin to rushing into a tiger's den.
"I'll go!" Steven and Lance spoke almost at the same time.
In their opinion, among the current group, only Lance's Dragonite and Steven's Aerodactyl could accelerate further. Neither of these Pokémon had reached their maximum speed yet; if they wanted to accelerate, they could still do it, especially Lance's Dragonite.
Wallace, Cynthia, and Diantha, all three of them, did not have their own flying Pokémon, so they were immediately excluded.
As for Aoki, although his Salamence was the lowest level among all the flying Pokémon, perhaps due to its talent, it was actually able to barely rival Lance's Dragonite, which was just a step away from the Champion's first hurdle, in terms of flying speed.
But this was already Salamence's limit; further acceleration was almost impossible, so Aoki was also excluded by Lance and Steven.
The two of them speaking in unison surprised even themselves, and they exchanged glances.
Steven erased the last trace of resentment he had towards Lance for his earlier suggestion, while Lance greatly admired Steven's sense of responsibility and commitment.
To be honest, among the six people present, only Aoki's strength was somewhat unfathomable to Lance. The others truly weren't as strong as him; even the battle-maniac Cynthia was the same, after all, Lance was on average about two years older than them. He didn't even qualify for the Sinnoh League because he was too old.
However, both of them clearly had confidence in their own strength.
Lance believed he was the strongest here and the oldest, so this matter should be handled by him.
Steven, on the other hand, became even more confident in his strength after receiving the Mawile Mega Stone from Aoki. Moreover, most of his Pokémon were Steel-type, possessing strong defensive capabilities, which could allow him to stall for the longest time.
"Let me go," Lance said. "I'm the oldest, I've lived a few more years than you, and I have more resources than you."
"No, I'll go," Steven also said. "My Pokémon are all Steel and Rock types, capable of withstanding the strongest impacts. Even if we encounter an ambush, I can hold out until your rescue arrives."
Just as the two were about to engage in a three-thousand-word debate on who should go "die" first, Aoki, who had been silent for a long time, spoke again.
"Stop arguing. I proposed this suggestion, so I'll go this time! If you two waste any more time, the rescue might be too late!"
"And even if your Pokémon can accelerate again, their speed is still a bit slow. This time, I'm the most suitable to go!" Aoki said decisively, and began to prepare.
"My Dragonite can still accelerate, but your Salamence has already reached its limit..." Lance couldn't help but say.
Although Lance had considerable confidence in Aoki's strength and wouldn't be able to guarantee a 100% victory if he were to battle Aoki now, he was skeptical about Aoki's speed.
"Besides me, none of you can know the exact location where the psychic mark disappeared, nor do you have special psychic abilities to find the Divine Cult members who might be ambushed around. Even if you are confident in your own strength, if you enter an ambush, you might end up with the same fate as Phoebe!"
"And if you fall into an ambush, you might not even have a way to send information." Aoki slowly pointed out the unsuitability of Steven and Lance.
He had proposed this suggestion from his own perspective, so he was definitely the most suitable person for this vanguard mission.
"Then unless you have an even faster Pokémon," Cynthia said.
In her opinion, Lance was the most suitable for this, even Steven was slightly less so.
However, after this incident, whether it was Cynthia, Diantha, or Wallace, they all felt that they must train a flying Pokémon next time, otherwise it was too inconvenient.
They hadn't felt it so clearly in the Pokémon world, but here, it felt impossible to move an inch without a flying Pokémon.
Aoki shook his head and didn't explain.
Although he wasn't very willing to show this in front of so many people, they were in a critical situation now, and it was something that would be announced anyway once they returned to the Pokémon world.
"I trust all of you one hundred percent, so I hope you can keep this secret for me. When the time is right, I will definitely choose to announce it," Aoki said out of the blue. Everyone except Steven didn't understand.
Of course, Steven understood. He stared at Aoki and the Salamence beneath him with wide eyes, asking in disbelief, "Aoki, can your Salamence also..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
What Steven actually wanted to ask was, could Aoki's Salamence also Mega Evolve?!
After Steven learned about Mega Evolution, Aoki had explained some basic knowledge to him, such as not every type of Pokémon could Mega Evolve, and that his Armaldo and Cradily couldn't Mega Evolve.
So Steven knew that Mega Evolution was a special ability belonging only to a small number of Pokémon, and this special ability would make the growth potential and maximum growth of these Pokémon even higher.
Aoki nodded and took out three Poké Balls from his pocket, summoning three Pokémon.
Gardevoir, Blaziken, and Gengar.
Seeing Aoki preparing, Lance didn't say anything more. Anyway, if Aoki's flying speed wasn't up to par later, he was ready to charge out at any time.
In this matter of life and death, he would not choose to yield.
With great power comes great responsibility; this was something Lance had always believed in.
"Gardevoir, I have some urgent business, so I need to leave first. You'll follow Steven and the others, guide them, and tell them my position. If you sense a violent fluctuation in my psychic energy, tell them to be careful," Aoki instructed Gardevoir.
Hearing that Aoki might be in danger, Gardevoir seemed anxious, but she was no longer the little girl who used to cling to Aoki's arm and act spoiled. She knew this was what she needed to do this time, and although it was difficult for her to accept, she gritted her teeth and nodded firmly.
Cynthia and Diantha were also Gardevoir trainers, so they could clearly sense Gardevoir's disappointment and helplessness.
For a moment, both of them treated Aoki's Gardevoir as their own Pokémon, holding her hand and comforting her.
Aoki didn't have much time to tend to Gardevoir's mood; she was no longer a young Pokémon. With her peak Elite Four strength, she could already stand on her own, and this was the pressure she should bear.
The subsequent transformation truly shocked everyone, including Steven.
"Mega Evolve! Salamence!" A Key Stone appeared in Aoki's hand, and he let out a low cry.
"Roar!!!" Accompanied by Salamence's exhilarating dragon roar, a large amount of colorful Mega Evolution energy enveloped both it and Aoki.
At this moment, Salamence's and Aoki's wills were connected!
When the colorful Mega Evolution energy dissipated, the true Scarlet Moon—Mega Salamence—appeared before everyone!
As for Salamence's transformation, Lance and the others were truly frightened. Their understanding was subverted, and it was the kind of subversion that felt like picking up their brains, kneading them roughly, then slamming them to the ground, stomping on them twice, and then adding two more kicks.
Salamence could actually evolve further?
And Salamence in this form... was so cool!
While Lance and the others were stunned, only one question appeared in Steven's mind: when he had Mega Evolved his Pokémon not long ago, had he been as cool as Aoki was now?
In that instant, Steven had already envisioned all the Mega Evolution poses for his Pokémon for the rest of his life, even conceiving ideas for how to carry his Key Stone.
Aoki ignored the shocked crowd. It was indeed like this the first time one witnessed Mega Evolution, like a self-proclaimed scholar entering the Academy of Sciences.
"Gengar, transfer Blaziken's ability to Salamence," Aoki said to Gengar.
This was Aoki's final trump card: his speed specialist, Mega Salamence, combined with Blaziken's Speed Boost ability, plus the Sky Plate fragment!
Following Aoki's command, Gengar swiftly transferred the Speed Boost ability to Mega Salamence through Imposter and Skill Swap, then disappeared into Aoki's shadow.
Blaziken was then recalled by Aoki.
"Everyone, I'll go ahead! Be careful on your way!" Aoki said lightly, patting Mega Salamence's neck.
In an instant, Mega Salamence shot out like an arrow from a fully drawn bow, its speed completely overwhelming Lance's Dragonite and Steven's Aerodactyl at that moment.
And because of the Speed Boost ability, Mega Salamence's speed was still accelerating at an astonishing rate, disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.
When Aoki, riding Mega Salamence, had completely vanished, Lance and the others finally reacted.
Looking at the incredibly fast Mega Salamence, they were at a loss for words.
"What... was that?" Finally, Lance was the first to ask.
At this moment, Lance and Wallace were riding his Dragonite, Diantha and Cynthia were riding Lance's Charizard, along with the now-calmed Gardevoir, while Steven was still riding his Aerodactyl alone.
But at this moment, Lance and Wallace, as well as Cynthia and Diantha on Charizard's back, all seemed a bit confused.
However, after scrutinizing everyone's faces for a long time, they finally found a hint of smugness on Steven's face!
And from Steven's words just now, they also gathered that Steven had some idea of what Aoki was about to do.
Steven knew more than them!
This was the most genuine thought in the four people's minds at this moment.
Everyone shifted their gaze to Steven.
Steven felt a shiver down his spine from their stares.
There was no helping it. If everyone had been ignorant of the situation, it would have been fine; they could all be "fools" together.
But at this moment, there was one person in the crowd who knew more than everyone else, and while others were shocked like "fools," he was secretly smug. How could they tolerate that?
As the saying goes, "a crane among chickens"; Steven had incurred "public wrath."
Helpless, Steven could only say, "This is Mega Evolution, a special evolution method discovered by Aoki. It hasn't been announced yet, but I believe that after this incident is over and we return to the Pokémon world, he will tell everyone, but in a way that minimizes negative impact.
When he left just now, he said he trusted you completely, which is why he showed it to you. I hope you won't reveal this matter before he is ready, and don't betray his trust."
After a slight pause, Steven continued, "Actually, this is only the second time I've seen it. The first time was similar to your reactions. I promised Aoki not to say too many details, so if you want to know more, you should ask him properly after we rescue Phoebe this time."
Steven had promised Aoki. Saying this much was already out of respect for Aoki's trust in them. If he said more, Steven would feel like he hadn't kept his word.
Mega Evolution... these three words now occupied everyone's minds.
The shocking scene of Salamence's Mega Evolution had clearly imprinted itself in their minds, but everything would have to wait until Phoebe was rescued before they could properly ask Aoki.
Meanwhile, Aoki was riding on Mega Salamence's back, flying at maximum speed towards the place where Phoebe's psychic imprint had disappeared!
When the Speed Boost ability reached its maximum stacks, Mega Salamence's speed was simply terrifying. All the flying Pokémon that had intended to block their path had barely begun to charge when they could only see Mega Salamence's tail.
Aoki truly experienced the thrill of "as long as I'm fast enough, you can't hit me."
During the flight, Aoki suddenly transmitted a message to Salamence, "Alright, no need to suppress it anymore. This might be the best time for you to break through!"
That's right, Salamence's level had already reached 74, just one step away from the pseudo-Champion tier.
In fact, not long after entering this continent, Aoki, who had been fully nurturing Salamence, already knew that its strength had reached the peak of the pseudo-Elite Four.
However, following Aoki's consistent method of nurturing Salamence, he would always allow it to brew and accumulate more when it was about to break through a barrier. This was beneficial for Salamence's strength improvement after the breakthrough.
Salamence had been suppressing itself for some time now. Although it was still far from Aoki's requirements, in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures were naturally called for.
A Salamence breaking through to the pseudo-Champion tier would undergo a significant qualitative change, and this change would further boost its speed.
Hearing Aoki's words, Salamence truly wanted to let out a long roar to the sky.
In its Mega Evolved form, with Speed Boost and the Sky Plate fragment, its speed could be described as lightning-fast.
As a Pokémon that had gone through the long and flightless periods of Bagon and Shelgon, the pursuit of the sky had almost become an obsession for it. Now, being able to spread its wings and fly freely was the lifelong wish of its draconic existence fulfilled.
What it pursued now was only speed, faster, the fastest speed, and as long as it completed the breakthrough, this speed could break through its limits.
"Roar!!!" A dragon's cry echoed across the entire sky, making the Pokémon that had initially intended to charge forward freeze in place after hearing this powerful roar. Their most primal fear told them that charging forward again would mean death!
Boom!!!
The aura around Mega Salamence swelled and erupted. Amidst this stirring dragon's roar, it directly completed its breakthrough, once again shattering its own shackles and raising the energy capacity bottleneck by more than just a notch.
A pseudo-Champion strength Salamence!
Plus the Mega Evolution boost!
Bang!!
A sonic boom erupted beside Salamence, accompanied by a ring of white airflow that suddenly appeared around Mega Salamence.
Like a pure white ring of fire, Mega Salamence passed straight through it.
Supersonic!
Generating a sonic boom!
Even Aoki's heart trembled slightly. He hadn't expected Salamence, in its current state, to be able to exceed the speed of sound!
This was the first time Aoki had seen a Pokémon capable of exceeding the speed of sound. Even Drake's strongest Salamence, or Steven's Latios, he hadn't witnessed them breaking the sound barrier. Of course, it was also possible that they hadn't flown with all their might like Salamence was doing now.
After exceeding the speed of sound, Salamence was even more impossible for ordinary Pokémon to catch up to. Even some Champion-level flying Pokémon could only suck in Mega Salamence's exhaust, left far behind.
Aoki clung tightly to Salamence's back. At this moment, if it weren't for the protection of his psychic powers, Aoki felt that he definitely wouldn't be able to stay on its back. No one could, unless they were those excessively strong martial artists.
Pokémon: Salamence (Light Purple) — Mega Salamence Form
Gender: Male
Level: 75 (78)
Type: Dragon + Flying
Ability: Aerilate (Speed Boost)
Held Item: Sky Plate Fragment, Salamencite
Egg Moves: Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance, Fire Fang, Dragon Rush
Basic Moves: Fly, Protect, Dragon Tail, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Rage, Ember, Leer, Bite, Dragon Breath, Headbutt, Focus Energy, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt, Scary Face, Flamethrower, Double-Edge
Learnt Moves: Draco Meteor, Heat Wave, Dragon Pulse, Snore, Outrage, Aqua Tail, Hyper Voice, Defog, Zen Headbutt
TM Moves: Protect, Roost, Earthquake, Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Shadow Claw, Stone Edge, Double Team, Dragon Tail
This was the data of Mega Salamence that the system could scan at this moment. The levels and abilities in parentheses were its temporary attributes.
The system would convert all Mega Evolution boosts, apart from base stat increases, into level additions to the Pokémon's original level.
The Speed Boost ability was transferred from Blaziken through Imposter.
From this data, Mega Salamence's strength didn't seem to be all that impressive. While its light purple aptitude combined with level 78 was formidable, compared to a Mega Tyranitar, the difference was not insignificant.
However, the data scanned by the chip was not just this. The most important aspect was Mega Salamence's flying speed, which completely exceeded the speed of sound (340 meters per second), reaching 350 meters per second.
Don't think that it's merely an extra ten meters per second. One must know that when speed reaches its extreme, further improvement becomes incredibly difficult, and the extra ten meters per second already exceeded Aoki's imagination.
However, Aoki saw that Salamence's adrenaline value was completely maxed out, and he roughly understood that this was largely related to Salamence's current excitement, pushing its various bodily functions to the limit.
Salamence, flying at full power and breaking the sound barrier, allowed Aoki to rush to Phoebe's location at the fastest possible speed... Meanwhile, on the other side, a huge spatial rift stood in mid-air, with several figures lingering beneath it.
"Soon, very soon. I can already clearly feel that the spatial blockade of the entire continent is weakening at a rapid pace. Then our people will be able to come in!" A middle-aged man in yellow clothes clearly showed excitement on his face.
Not far from him, there were two other people, but their movements at the moment were not so coordinated.
A young man with a mask that only covered his eyes was holding a very thick vine, tying up a girl who looked younger than him and had somewhat dark skin.
This girl was Phoebe, whom Aoki was currently preparing to rescue.
However, at this moment, Phoebe's face was filled with disbelief, staring blankly at the person who was tying her up.
Her spatial equipment and Poké Balls had already been removed, but she was mostly surprised and disbelieving, as if she couldn't believe that the person in front of her had subdued her.
The middle-aged man in yellow, seeing no one respond to him, suddenly felt a bit bored and then noticed the other young man diligently tying the girl.
He pouted and said, "What are you keeping this little girl for? She has a psychic imprint left by someone else on her. Although we've erased it now, the other party should probably have some sense of it. It's not just you and me who have recovered spatial perception now.
Instead of spending time tying her up, you might as well just deal with her directly. Prepare well, set some traps, and see if the people who come to rescue her later can be ambushed.
Of course, if you have any special preferences, just pretend I didn't say anything."
The yellow-clad middle-aged man said this, but the other young man ignored him and continued with his task.