"Tyran!"
Tyranitar let out a soft murmur.
If someone else had heard it, they might have thought it was a weak Pokémon softly whispering.
Cain gently stroked Tyranitar's arm.
He felt a smooth surface beneath his hand.
Normally, a Tyranitar's armor would have a rough texture, like polished stone. But his was different.
Probably due to having eaten diamonds for so long.
"You don't need to be so sad. You have to look ahead, but also remember that you had a great mother. Live for her too."
"You saw it yourself. Your mother was an incredibly strong Tyranitar. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to become weak."
"Neither your mother nor your species wants you to live as a weak Pokémon."
"That's why I decided to tell you the truth. It wasn't easy for you to survive," Cain spoke directly into his mind, transmitting everything slowly to Tyranitar via telepathy.
Tyranitar didn't respond much, but Cain knew he had heard and understood him.
He remembered the time right after he hatched from the egg. Even though he was small as a Larvitar, he was surprisingly heavy.
To keep him from feeling bad, and to be able to carry him, Cain always used all his strength—until he was exhausted.
Back then, he was the youngest on the team, and all the other Pokémon took great care of him.
He lived carefree, like a mischievous little one.
As a trainer, Cain didn't force him to train from birth, but let him enjoy a childhood full of play.
And he always cheered him on for every bit of progress he made.
While Tyranitar was lost in his memories, Cain pulled a small red backpack from his storage space.
It was the same one he used when he was a Larvitar—always carried on his back.
Now that he had become a Tyranitar, he couldn't carry it anymore, but upon seeing it, the memories came flooding back.
Tyranitar looked at the red backpack in Cain's hands: it was just like before, even the contents hadn't changed. It was full of diamonds, always overflowing, never empty.
Every time he ate, Larvitar would stash some diamonds in the backpack as if they were snacks.
But it never emptied.
Because Cain always made sure to fill it up again.
Upon seeing that little backpack, Tyranitar smiled... but tears welled up in his eyes.
A man (or Pokémon) doesn't cry easily—unless his heart is truly broken.
He looked at Cain.
To him, Cain had always been a massive figure, like a mountain, capable of solving anything—like a father.
But now, compared to his current size, Cain looked so small...
And yet, the image he had of him in his heart was more imposing than ever.
Yes, he had survived thanks to the complete sacrifice of his mother.
But it was also thanks to Cain's care and effort that he was able to live and grow.
To finally reach the final evolution he had always dreamed of.
Seeing Tyranitar's expression, Cain knew he had finally overcome his emotional block.
Maybe the memory of his mother would still be a sensitive spot, but no longer a weakness.
And in the future, it would make him even stronger.
Cain smiled and patted his armor.
"Alright, you're a big guy now. Look how tall you are. Crying doesn't suit you, you know?"
Upon hearing that, Tyranitar quickly stopped crying and wiped his face with his hand.
Maybe those would be the last tears of his life.
His expression turned serious again.
He was finally starting to resemble the fearsome Tyrant of the sandstorms from the legends.
Cain nodded in satisfaction, then opened the red backpack and showed him all the diamonds inside.
"This is my last stash. I saved it just for you, now that you've evolved. From now on, you'll be facing even stronger enemies... and much tougher training," said Cain.
Tyranitar nodded repeatedly, eagerly accepting all the diamonds.
And with an excited expression, he gulped them down in one bite.
Crunch!
Crack!
For the Larvitar he once was, diamonds were no longer difficult to chew—and now as a Tyranitar, even less so.
He chewed happily, savoring those diamonds filled with meaning, while his fighting spirit blazed.
Gulp!
After swallowing them, his excitement was uncontrollable.
"TYRAN!"
"TYRAN!"
"TYRAN!"
Three roars in a row, letting out all the emotions he had kept bottled up.
Cain could feel their bond had grown even stronger.
From the outside, it might've seemed like he had only spoken a few ordinary words, nothing special.
But in truth, those words condensed everything he had lived through with Larvitar and Pupitar—all the memories etched into his heart.
And now, he was releasing it all.
At this moment, Mega Evolution should no longer be a problem.
Seeing Tyranitar roaring with enthusiasm like a wolf under the moon, Cain also stood up and took out a Key Stone.
"What do you say, Tyranitar? Want to try Mega Evolution?"
Tyranitar fell completely silent.
His eyes widened, shining with surprise and excitement.
Mega Evolution!
After witnessing the Mega Evolutions of Aggron, Blaziken, and Gengar, how could he not want it too?
He never imagined that now he could experience that miracle himself.
"Tyran!" Tyranitar nodded firmly.
Cain also got serious.
"Tyranitar, Mega Evolve!"
As his voice dropped, his psychic power channeled through his mental energy, infusing the Key Stone.
The energy of Mega Evolution, shining like a rainbow, emerged from the stone, spinning, seeking, and connecting with the Mega Stone that Tyranitar carried.
The sand between the rocks began to rise, one grain at a time.
It swirled around Tyranitar, dancing with the energy of Mega Evolution.
"ROAAAAAR!"
All the energy was absorbed at once by Tyranitar, and with it came such a powerful shock that he roared again with force.
The surrounding sand gathered so thickly that it completely hid Cain and Tyranitar in a sandstorm.
With the help of the Mega Evolution energy, Tyranitar's body began to transform.
The first Mega Evolution always takes a little longer.
Both the trainer and the Pokémon must adjust to the new body and attribute changes.
Tyranitar's body began to show the first signs.
BOOM!
A loud explosion came from his back, as if his body could no longer contain so much energy and power.
Six irregular spikes emerged from his back, extending outward.
It was as if a switch had been flipped...
Tyranitar's Mega Evolution... had begun!
(End of Chapter)