The item Venusaur offered made Ash's hand freeze mid-air.
He had been about to politely refuse, but the moment he saw what it was, all thought of that vanished, because what Venusaur held was something of extraordinary importance to him.
Inside the smooth, crystal-clear orb shimmered a faint, coiling gene pattern, transparent, yet radiant with power.
Ash's eyes widened.
"This shape… could it be… a Mega Stone?"
To find a Mega Stone here, of all places? What kind of luck was this?!
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the faint, guiding sensation that had been lingering in the back of his consciousness suddenly faded away.
Ash immediately noticed.
He looked at the Mega Stone lying in Venusaur's vine, then recalled that strange inner guidance, and instantly understood.
"So… that was what it was leading me to."
Carefully, he took the Mega Stone from Venusaur's Vine Whip, turning it in his hand. The gem gleamed faintly under the moonlight, but he couldn't tell whose it was.
He could recognize a Mega Stone on sight, but distinguishing which Pokémon it belonged to… that was another story. He'd have to ask the experts in the group chat later.
Brock leaned over, rubbing his chin.
"Ash, doesn't this gem look exactly like the one we found in that cave before? Only, the color of the core's pattern is a little different."
Even though the cave had been dimly lit, Brock still remembered that gem clearly, it looked almost identical to this one.
And judging by Ash's expression, joy barely contained, it was obvious that he knew something about these mysterious stones.
Ash smiled faintly. "Same type of stone, different function."
Brock blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Let's just say… it's still in the research phase. You'll find out soon enough, Brock."
Ash tucked the Mega Stone safely into his pouch, speaking in that half-teasing tone that made Brock and Misty roll their eyes.
It wasn't that he didn't trust them. They'd been traveling together for months, hiding something from them was practically impossible. But right now, if he started talking about another form of evolution beyond a Pokémon's final stage, even his closest friends might think he'd gone crazy.
Better to show them when the time came.
If this stone turned out to be compatible with one of his partners, then perhaps… it might even come in handy at the next Gym.
Misty and Brock exchanged a glance, half-confused but not surprised. Ash had always been the type to pull a mysterious item out of nowhere and suddenly blow everyone's expectations away in a battle.
They figured this was just another one of those "Ash things", probably a special stone that boosted a Pokémon's strength or something.
Hmph. If he thought he could shock them again, he was mistaken. They weren't rookies anymore! No matter what wild stunt he pulled next, they'd be ready for it.
After parting ways with Venusaur, Ash and his friends left the Mysterious Garden behind. The other Ivysaur returned either to the wild or to their Trainers' care, the forest slowly settling back into calm.
On their way back, they passed many Trainers sprawled unconscious on the ground, those who, like them, had tried to uncover the true nature of the Mysterious Garden, but had failed to pass its trials.
If Misty and Brock hadn't had Ash's guidance, and his Viridian Power, they might have been lying there too.
By the time they made it back to their tent, the horizon was already paling. The light from the Garden's sacred tree had been so dazzling that they'd momentarily forgotten it was still night. Now it was past four in the morning; dawn would come soon.
Misty and Brock didn't last another minute. The moment they crawled into their sleeping bags, they were out cold.
Ash, however, stayed awake. He opened the group chat and asked the details about the Mega Stone.
The reply he got stunned him.
This Mega Stone could be used by one of his own Pokémon.
And more than that, it could be used immediately.
Heart pounding, Ash slipped out of the tent while his friends slept, clutching the Mega Stone. Under the pale starlight, he called out the Pokémon in question and, for the first time, activated Mega Evolution.
It worked, on the very first try.
A surge of radiant energy engulfed them both, the bond between Trainer and Pokémon shining brighter than ever.
Mega Evolution required not only the two stones but also the bond between Trainer and partner, and their bond was unshakable. The success felt almost inevitable.
When the light faded, Ash stared in awe.
The power now radiating from his Pokémon… it was incredible, almost rivaling his Partner Form.
From now on, he'd have two Pokémon capable of receiving that kind of double amplification.
Grinning, Ash quietly returned to camp. Pikachu, Misty, and Brock were still sound asleep, their soft breathing filling the tent.
Not everyone could keep up with Ash Ketchum.
After lying down, Ash slipped back into the group chat. Part of it was to report his findings to the experts; the other part was to ask how he should train Venusaur.
Bulbasaur had followed a light, flexible regimen before, but Venusaur's training would have to be different.
He needed to raise Venusaur's raw strength and also refine its fighting style.
Back at the Fuchsia Gym, Champion Ash had demonstrated the style once, but that was only a starting point. Ash still needed advice on how to push it further.
Breeder Ash: My advice is to leave Venusaur at Professor Oak's ranch. The backyard there is actually better for Venusaur's growth.
Newbie Ash: Why?
Sure, Professor Oak's backyard let Pokémon improve over time, but it couldn't compare to training directly under Ash.
At the ranch, Gengar usually handled the teaching, and the rest was semi-free-range. Training with Ash meant active guidance, plus support from Aura and the Viridian Power.
Out in the backyard, if they got tired, there wasn't much in the way of recovery, Professor Oak could run them through the lab's machines when he had time, but that was about it.
Compared to staying with Ash, progress would be slower.
If there wasn't a real difference, Ash wouldn't be rotating his team all the time.
Breeder Ash: Venusaur is a special case. He's carrying a trace of Xerneas's power now. With any divine power, you need that deity's recognition before you can truly use it, the same goes for the Rainbow Feather you obtained and the Life Branch.
Breeder Ash: Venusaur was acknowledged by the Life Branch partly because of his exceptional aptitude, and partly because he shares qualities with Xerneas.
Breeder Ash: Xerneas is a Fairy-type, called the God of Life, a guardian of the land itself. He has many titles, but they all circle back to life. Venusaur's point in common with Him is his immense vitality.
Breeder Ash: Since Venusaur has inherited a bit of Xerneas's power, he can train using a Xerneas-style method, drawing on the life force of the earth and the vitality of living things to strengthen himself.
Breeder Ash: Tapping the earth's life force requires Venusaur to be out in the open for long periods, constantly drawing it in. That means keeping him outside the Poké Ball. A Pokémon this large would really slow your travels, and he'd be hard to miss.
Ash fell silent, thinking it over.
If training had to happen with Venusaur outside all the time, their journey would definitely drag, and traveling with a huge Pokémon would attract attention.
In the wild, fine. But in cities, there were rules against keeping a giant Pokémon out for too long, it would block traffic.
By that logic, sending Venusaur to Oak's Laboratory was the best option.
Breeder Ash: Also, at the laboratory, besides the earth's life force, all the flowers, grass, and trees hold vitality that Venusaur can cycle through. You can't stay in forests every day. No matter how you look at it, Oak's place is the best environment.
Newbie Ash: Uh… if Venusaur drains Professor Oak's trees, he'll kill me, won't he?
The gardens were lush and thriving. If Venusaur turned them into a wasteland, Oak would probably come after him with a cleaver!
Breeder Ash: You're overthinking it. Venusaur's absorption isn't simple "take and deplete." It's absorb → give back → reabsorb, in cycles.
Breeder Ash: This positive cycle doesn't just prevent the surrounding plants, trees, and soil from withering, it actually makes them grow even more vibrant. Professor Oak will be thanking you, not the other way around.
Newbie Ash: !!!
Seriously? There's something that good? Then Oak really should be grateful!
Professor Oak had always complained that maintaining the garden's ecosystem took ages and was a massive headache.
Different Pokémon required completely different environments, and to give each one a proper habitat, Oak was constantly expanding and fine-tuning the backyard.
But both time and resources were limited. Money wasn't really Oak's issue, it was the time and delicate ecological balancing that drove him crazy.
If Venusaur could really bring about the miraculous effect Breeder Ash described, then sending him back to the lab would be the perfect decision.
Newbie Ash: Thanks, expert! I'll talk to Venusaur about it tomorrow and send him back then.
Breeder Ash: No problem. But by the way… hasn't your Pikachu been stuck at the same level for quite a while?
Newbie Ash: Huh? I don't think so. Pikachu only reached his current level less than ten days ago. There's no way he'd advance again that fast.
Breeder Ash: Oh? Only ten days? I thought it had been longer.
Ash stared at the message, a strange thought stirring in his mind.
Could it be that his Pikachu would soon hit a bottleneck?
Or maybe… this was something all Pikachu across parallel worlds experienced?
He decided not to dwell on it for now. If Pikachu really did get stuck at this level, he could always ask about it in the chat group later.
The next morning, once everyone woke up, Ash took them to the Pokémon Center first. From there, he called Professor Oak's Laboratory and reported everything that had happened in the Mysterious Garden.
When Oak heard that Bulbasaur had evolved directly into Venusaur, he was stunned.
Evolution was common, sure, but two consecutive evolutions in a row? Practically unheard of.
When Ash had first told him he was heading to the Mysterious Garden for a "perfect evolution," Oak hadn't quite understood what he meant. Now that he'd seen the result, it all made sense.
"But I really didn't expect the Mysterious Garden to contain something so extraordinary…" Oak mused aloud.
"Ahem, Professor," Ash quickly cut in before Oak could say too much. "You can study Venusaur all you like later, but I actually called to say, I'm planning to send him back."
He shot a sideways glance at Misty and Brock, who were listening nearby. If they realized this trip hadn't been sparked by Oak's information, he'd have to think up an excuse fast.
Oak blinked, surprised.
"Send him back? But Venusaur just evolved! Shouldn't you be spending time helping him get used to his new strength and moves? You usually keep your strongest Pokémon by your side."
Ash then explained his "theory" about Venusaur's future growth, carefully leaving out any mention of Xerneas. He simply said that after absorbing the Life Branch, Venusaur had awakened a special power connected to life itself: he could draw life energy from the ground, circulate it, and even give it back to enrich the earth.
When Oak heard that Venusaur could help enhance the garden's ecosystem, his fatigue evaporated instantly.
"Send him back right away!" Oak said, eyes gleaming.
He might not get excited about many things anymore, but when it came to improving the garden's environment, this was like music to his ears.
A perfect solution had just landed right in his lap.