"Almost there… not fully recovered, but thirty percent should be enough. I don't need to fight anyway—just sealing them is safer." After stretching his body and rolling his shoulders, Ash muttered to himself.
"Kaleidoscope Sharingan—Susanoo!"
His eyes snapped open, Mangekyō tomoe spinning furiously. Around him, fiery red energy surged, forming a towering skeleton that rapidly grew muscles, flesh, and armor until a giant warrior loomed over the ruins.
"ROAR!"
Susanoo bellowed, its cry shaking the entire ancient altar as dust and stone crumbled from the walls.
A blazing sword appeared in its right hand, with a gourd dangling from the hilt. Ash concentrated his mental energy, manifesting another spectral arm from Susanoo to grasp the gourd. In its left hand, a massive shield took form—radiant, overwhelming, and unyielding, no weaker than the might of a Legendary Pokémon.
"Ten Fist Sword—Seal!"
Ash commanded, driving Susanoo's blade through the three sealing implements in one motion. Each implement melted like molten rock, collapsing into a strange, glowing essence that was drawn into the gourd.
"Huff… huff…!" Ash gasped, collapsing to one knee, as if reliving the same crushing exhaustion from his very first use of Susanoo.
"Damn it… weapons usually don't drain me this much. So that's it… the Totsuka Blade doesn't consume much when summoned, but using its sealing power takes a massive toll. No wonder Itachi was reduced to skin and bones after sealing Orochimaru—it wasn't just illness."
The truth became clear. Sealing the three relics tied to the super ancient Pokémon had instantly devoured nearly ten percent of the thirty percent mental power he had painstakingly restored. The blade's sealing function was devastatingly effective—but at a steep cost.
After finishing, Ash returned the slate to his storage ring and sat cross-legged again, steadying his breathing. With only two layers of reserves left, recovery came first.
Two hours later, his mental strength had climbed past forty percent. Satisfied, he rose to his feet and prepared to leave.
"Huh? What's this?"
Just as he turned, Ash stumbled over something on the ground. Annoyed, he bent down and picked it up—only to freeze. The object seemed oddly familiar.
"System, identify this item." His memory was still foggy from everything that had happened.
Ding~!
[Item: Beedrill Mega Evolution Stone. Usable three times.]
"Oh… that's why it looked familiar. A Mega Stone for Beedrill, huh?" Ash examined it, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"I wonder if James has stumbled onto anything like this in the Dragonite ruins… Shame it's only for Beedrill."
Still, he couldn't deny its worth. Despite being a Bug-type, Beedrill was formidable—its Poison Jab and toxic techniques gave it terrifying bite. In fact, Ash recalled that Giovanni himself once commanded a champion-tier Beedrill.
Of course, reaching that level required immense dedication. Giovanni's Beedrill had been raised over sixty years, passed down from his mother—its power naturally reaching championship caliber.
Pocketing the Mega Stone, Ash left the ruins behind. Whatever traps remained below, the real treasures were his now.
By the time he returned to the Draconis estate, the sun had already tilted past three in the afternoon. Today had been far too close. If not for the Totsuka Blade, he would have been forced to fight against three super ancient Pokémon head-on.
Even the weakest of the trio possessed the strength of a third-tier Legendary—and as for their grasp of the laws of nature, Ash couldn't even begin to guess.
"Ash, you're finally back!" a familiar voice called. Cynthia approached as he stepped through the gates.
"Where were you all day?"
"It's nothing. Just wandering around. Got lucky, too—picked up something nice."
Ash smiled casually, slipping the Beedrill Mega Stone back into his pocket.
He had no intention of mentioning the super ancient Pokémon. Once revealed, news like that would shake the world and attract too many eyes. His goal was still the Infinity Stones, and the ultra-ancient ruins were the most likely places to hold them.
Until he had explored every region, Ash resolved to keep this secret.
The ruins discovered in the Gopher Region years ago had turned out to be little more than old writings—nothing lasting came of the craze. But if word spread that real ultra-ancient Pokémon slumbered beneath the ruins? That frenzy would never fade.
"This… this is a Mega Stone! Aren't these only found in the Kalos region? How did you manage to get one?"
Cynthia asked in surprise, her voice brimming with excitement as she carefully caught the glittering stone Ash had tossed to her.
In the Kalos region, Mega Evolution was revered as the pinnacle of battle power. Because of the rarity of Mega Stones, even within Kalos, obtaining one was nearly impossible. Their value could not be measured in Pokédollars.
Many regions longed to acquire these stones, but Kalos never traded them away to outsiders.
In fact, one of the defining reasons Kalos was recognized as its own unique region—beyond its vast territory and culture—was because of the power and legacy of Mega Evolution itself.
...
TN:
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