Inside Professor Oak's laboratory, Ash thoroughly explained everything he knew about MEGA Evolution.
"So, to summarize," Professor Oak said thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses, "to trigger MEGA Evolution, you need a MEGA Evolution stone and a Key Stone, the two items you asked me to collect, and a sufficiently strong bond between Trainer and Pokémon. Is that correct?"
Ash nodded and gave him a thumbs-up, clearly impressed.
"That's exactly right."
"And once the battle ends, the energy is exhausted, or the Pokémon loses its ability to fight, the MEGA Evolution automatically reverts," Professor Oak continued. "In other words, it's a system for temporary combat enhancement, but one that's more stable and versatile than Gigantamax."
The more he spoke, the brighter Professor Oak's eyes became.
This system Ash had discovered was nothing short of extraordinary.
Beyond the massive boost to combat strength and base stats during battle, MEGA Evolution also offered tremendous benefits outside of combat.
For example, if a Pokémon was stuck at a bottleneck, simply experiencing a higher realm through MEGA Evolution would drastically increase its chances of breaking through afterward.
It was practically a walking cheat code.
For Pokémon capable of MEGA Evolution, bottlenecks wouldn't disappear entirely, but compared to before, raw talent would matter far less. Only at extremely high realms, such as the Mid - High level, would the breakthrough effect begin to weaken.
Before reaching a certain level, this method functioned almost like an external plug-in, an absurdly powerful accelerator for growth.
This effect alone was enough for MEGA Evolution to completely overshadow the Gigantamax system.
Ash and Professor Oak discussed MEGA Evolution for nearly an hour. Professor Oak asked in detail how many MEGA-capable Pokémon Ash already knew of, and whether there was any reliable way to distinguish different Evolution stones.
Ash could only scratch his head helplessly.
He knew some of the Pokémon that could MEGA Evolve, but as for identifying the stones themselves, he had no reliable method. He could only rely on Pokémon instinctively resonating with them.
The reason he'd been able to identify the stone Professor Oak held earlier was simple, he had asked experts in a group chat.
On his own, he couldn't recognize them at all.
Afterward, Ash demonstrated MEGA Gardevoir.
However, when he attempted to activate MEGA Venusaur, the evolution failed.
This wasn't due to a lack of bond.
It was because the Key Stone had run out of energy.
Before understanding the Key Stone's true purpose, Professor Oak had already discovered that it contained an enormous amount of life force, life force capable of regeneration. The problem was that conventional methods couldn't extract or utilize it.
As a result, the Key Stone had been casually set aside, regarded as nothing more than a valuable gemstone.
Now, MEGA Evolution revealed its true function.
But it also exposed a limitation: once activated, the life force within the Key Stone would be completely consumed.
To use it again, the stone had to slowly accumulate life force on its own. Only once it reached a sufficient threshold could MEGA Evolution be triggered again.
According to Professor Oak's estimates, this recovery would take about two hours.
Which meant that performing MEGA Evolution twice in a single battle was impossible, unless one possessed multiple Key Stones.
Interestingly, this principle was very similar to Gigantamax.
Gigantamax could only be used once per battle, not due to an imposed rule, but because the energy within the Gigantamax Band was completely exhausted after activation. It typically took half a day to recover, unless recharged at a Galar power station.
The Key Stone worked the same way.
Since Ash had never attempted consecutive MEGA Evolutions before, even this limitation was something he'd only just discovered.
"It seems MEGA Evolution can only be used once per battle," Blaine said thoughtfully."But even so, MEGA Evolution combined with Gigantamax would still be terrifying. This isn't a simple case of one plus one equaling two."
Even with these flaws, Blaine clearly recognized the system's overwhelming potential.
Two Pokémon receiving system-level enhancements in the same battle would already be enough to overturn conventional combat logic.
In truth, these so-called flaws weren't flaws at all.
"Exactly," Professor Oak agreed. "This limitation doesn't diminish the impact of MEGA Evolution in the slightest."
"If this system becomes widespread, there will be a fundamental divide between Trainers who possess MEGA Evolution and those who don't."
Professor Oak could already foresee the future.
At present, the Galar Region, armed with Gigantamax, occupied a dominant position.
Meanwhile, the Alola Region, which possessed another miraculous system capable of unleashing devastating one-time techniques, remained relatively unknown due to its remote location and underdeveloped education system. Outside of Alola, very few people even knew Z-Moves existed.
And even if they did, acquiring Z-Moves required completing the Island Challenge, far more demanding than obtaining a Gigantamax Band.
As a result, Galar had surged ahead in recent years, even producing a Champion like Leon, who stood above all others. Subtly, the region had begun trending toward becoming the world's strongest League.
Now, with the emergence of MEGA Evolution, Galar's dominance would inevitably be challenged.
And the number of Trainers who mastered MEGA Evolution would directly determine the rise, or fall, of entire regions.
At present, only a very small number of people in the Kanto region were aware of MEGA Evolution.
By exploiting this information gap, Kanto had a chance to surge ahead of the other regions.
Escaping the humiliating label of "last-place League" might very well depend on this system alone!
"Alright, Ash," Professor Oak said, waving him away impatiently, "go check on your Pokémon in the backyard. Gardevoir, stay here. I want to carefully observe just how much of a boost MEGA Evolution provides."
At this point, Professor Oak's attention was entirely focused on MEGA Gardevoir. Ash, now thoroughly ignored, could only roll his eyes helplessly.
He turned and headed for the backyard, but halfway there, he suddenly paused.
"Huh? Where's Gary?" Ash asked, glancing around. "Didn't he come back to Pallet Town too?"
"Oh, he left early this morning," Professor Oak replied without even turning his head. "Went on dates with his girlfriends. He said today's his last day of vacation, starting tomorrow, he's going all in on training for the Indigo Plateau Conference."
Hearing that Gary wasn't around, Ash didn't linger in the lab. After asking Gardevoir to come find him once Oak finished collecting data, he headed straight toward the backyard.
Calling it a "backyard" was honestly misleading.
It was more like an open-air wilderness reserve.
Rolling grasslands stretched out before him, dotted with flowers, trees, ponds, and carefully designed environments. Professor Oak had built this place specifically for Pokémon to live and train freely.
Without interacting with anything, simply walking across the entire area would probably take more than two hours.
Ash released his Aura, sending it rippling outward.
Almost instantly, familiar presences responded.
Tauros galloped across the plains. Butterfree fluttered beside his partner. Pidgeot circled high above. Gengar was lecturing Primeape. Aerodactyl followed behind Ash at a leisurely pace, while Krabby splashed happily in a nearby pool.
These were all Pokémon Ash had entrusted to Professor Oak.
Everyone, I'm back.
Ash's Aura carried his voice directly into their hearts.
The reaction was immediate.
Every Pokémon in the backyard dropped what they were doing and rushed toward him.
"Pidgeot!"
The first to arrive was Pidgeot, clutching a bluish berry in his talons. After landing in front of Ash, he raised his claw and offered it proudly.
"You even brought me fruit? Thanks, Pidgeot."
Ash casually took the berry and popped it into his mouth without hesitation.
Sweet and slightly sour, delicious.
It was clearly one of the fruit trees Professor Oak had planted here. Given how well everything was maintained, Venusaur had probably contributed quite a bit.
"Hehehe… you're back?" Gengar's eerie voice suddenly echoed from behind him.
Anyone else might have jumped out of their skin, but Ash wasn't afraid of ghosts. Besides, he had already sensed Gengar approaching.
"Yeah. I've collected all eight badges," Ash replied with a grin. "You wouldn't believe how intense the last battles were. Luckily, your Trainer is incredibly skilled, I barely pulled through! Otherwise, I might not have made it back~"
Ash deliberately exaggerated, leaving Gengar momentarily stunned.
"That bad?" Gengar asked skeptically. "What kind of opponent could push you that far? Even a Champion-level Pokémon wouldn't be enough. And if your Pokémon couldn't handle it, you definitely could."
Gengar didn't underestimate Ash's Pokémon, but he respected Ash himself far more.
Ash's Pokémon were undeniably talented, among the best in the world. But they were still growing. Without Ash's support, even all of them together wouldn't be his match.
Ash, however, was different.
Since arriving at Oak's Laboratory, Gengar himself had grown rapidly. Yet when he tried to gauge Ash's strength, it was like staring into a boundless ocean, utterly unfathomable.
In all his thousand-plus years of existence, among both humans and Pokémon, Gengar had never seen anyone like Ash.
By his estimate, Ash's level was at least above high-Champion.
So what kind of enemy could threaten him?
"Well," Ash said, pinching his fingers together, "a little stronger than Champion-level… but still a bit weaker than God-tier."
The "tiny bit" gesture he made might as well have represented an entire universe.
After all, Mewtwo wasn't just slightly stronger than a peak Champion, nor was she only slightly weaker than a god.
Gengar's ghostly expression shifted instantly, shock written all over his face.
Something above Champion had appeared… and Ash had survived it?
What kind of monster had his Trainer encountered out there?
He simply couldn't tell whether Ash had confronted that monster head-on… or narrowly survived by retreating at the last moment.
Soon after Gengar arrived, Muk, Krabby, and the rest of Ash's Pokémon gathered around him one by one.
Whether they were longtime companions or Pokémon he hadn't battled with much, every face was lit up with genuine happiness at the sight of their Trainer.
For Pokémon like Tauros and Muk, Ash hadn't used them frequently in battle. Even so, he regularly rotated them out for training.
They might not have shared life-and-death battles with him yet, but they weren't strangers either.
And that was fine.
Once the Indigo Plateau Conference began, there would be no shortage of opportunities for every Pokémon to prove themselves.
Misty and Brock watched the scene with knowing smiles.
Distance didn't weaken bonds. Time didn't erase them.
As long as a bond had been forged between Trainer and Pokémon, it would only grow stronger as the days passed.
Ash was the clearest example of that truth.
After the brief reunion, Ash released all the Pokémon he had been carrying with him.
At that moment, every single one of Ash's Pokémon was finally gathered together.
"Everyone!" Ash shouted, raising his arm high.
"There are just over two months left until the Indigo Plateau Conference! Let's get stronger, and win the Indigo Plateau Conference Champion title!"
A chorus of cheers erupted across the backyard.
And just like that, the two-month special training officially began.
Seven days later…
Over the course of those seven days, Ash's schedule was packed from dawn to dusk. Training, sparring, recovery, every day followed a brutal routine.
His Pokémon improved steadily across the board.
But during those seven days, something major happened.
Mewtwo disappeared.
Ash had learned about it three days earlier.
Lorelei was the one who contacted him. The very first thing she asked was whether Ash had felt anything strange lately, any sense of being watched, any unfamiliar presence nearby.
Mewtwo was missing.
Lorelei suspected that if Mewtwo went looking for anyone, it would be Ash.
In this world, aside from her creator and the now-vanished Giovanni, the only person who had left a deep impression on Mewtwo was the Trainer who had defeated her, Ash.
Blaine reported nothing unusual. Giovanni was nowhere to be found. All that remained were continuous reports of Team Rocket being dismantled across the region.
Ash was the last remaining lead.
Unfortunately, Ash felt nothing out of the ordinary.
With his current strength, if a being like Mewtwo had been watching him, even from afar, he would have noticed.
The absence of any sensation meant only one thing.
Mewtwo wasn't anywhere near him.
So then…
Where had Mewtwo gone?