"I'll go!" Steven and Lance said almost at the same time.
Both of them knew that, between the two, only Lance's Dragonite and Steven's Aerodactyl could still increase their speed. Neither had reached their limit yet, especially Lance's Dragonite.
Wallace, Cynthia, and Diantha did not possess Flying-type Pokémon, so they were ruled out from the start.
As for Cain, although his Salamence was the lowest level among the Flying-type Pokémon present, thanks to its natural talent it was able to fly almost at the same pace as Lance's Dragonite, which was only one step away from the first threshold of the Champion level.
However, that was already Salamence's limit; increasing its speed any further was practically impossible, so Steven and Lance also ruled him out.
The fact that both of them spoke at the same time surprised even themselves. They looked at each other.
Steven wiped away the last trace of discomfort he felt toward Lance, while Lance deeply admired Steven's sense of responsibility.
To be honest, among the six of them, only Cain's strength was something Lance could not accurately gauge. The rest, including the combative Cynthia, were below him. After all, Lance was, on average, about two years older—so much so that he did not even meet the age requirements for the Sinnoh Tournament.
Even so, both of them had absolute confidence in their own strength.
Lance believed that, as the strongest and the oldest, that responsibility should fall on him.
Steven, on the other hand, after obtaining Mawile's Mega Stone from Cain, had even greater confidence. Moreover, most of his Pokémon were Steel-type or Rock-type, with exceptional defense, which would allow him to endure for a longer time.
"Leave it to me. I'm the oldest and have more accumulated experience," Lance said.
"No, I'll go. My Pokémon can withstand the strongest impact, even if I fall into an ambush," Steven retorted.
Just as they were about to begin an endless argument over who would go "to die first," Cain, who had remained silent, spoke again.
"Stop arguing. The plan was mine, so this time I'll go. If you keep wasting time, by the time you arrive it'll already be too late. And even if your Pokémon can accelerate, you'd still be a bit slower. I'm the most suitable."
Cain spoke firmly as he began to make preparations.
"My Dragonite can still accelerate... but your Salamence is already at its limit," Lance said, unable to help himself.
Although he had considerable confidence in Cain's strength, and even doubted whether he could defeat him with absolute certainty in battle, he still questioned his speed.
"Besides me, none of you can determine the exact location where the psychic mark disappeared, nor do you possess psychic abilities to detect members of the Sacred Church hidden around."
"Even if you're confident in your strength, if you enter an ambush, you could end up just like Phoebe. And once trapped, you might not even be able to transmit any information."
Cain explained one by one the reasons why Steven and Lance were not suitable.
He had proposed that plan from his own perspective, so he himself was the one who best fit the role of spearhead.
"Unless you have another Pokémon that's even faster," Cynthia interjected.
From her point of view, Lance was still the best option; even Steven was a bit behind.
After this incident, Cynthia, Diantha, and Wallace all decided that in the future they would have to train a Flying-type Pokémon; without one, mobility was far too limited.
In the Pokémon world it was not so obvious, but here it felt as if being unable to fly was equivalent to being unable to advance.
Cain shook his head without explaining anything.
He did not like revealing that in front of so many people, but the situation was critical, and in any case it was something that would be made public once they returned to the Pokémon world.
"I trust all of you completely, so I hope you'll keep this secret for now. When the time comes, I'll make it public," Cain said abruptly.
Everyone except Steven was confused.
Steven, however, understood. He opened his eyes wide, staring at Cain and the Salamence beneath him.
"Cain... could it be that your Salamence can also...?"
He did not finish the sentence.
What he really wanted to ask was whether Cain's Salamence could also Mega Evolve.
Cain nodded, took three Poké Balls from his pocket, and released three Pokémon.
Gardevoir, Blaziken, and Gengar.
Seeing that Cain was already preparing everything, Lance said nothing more. If Cain's speed was not enough, he was ready to rush out immediately.
In a matter involving human lives, he would not allow any compromises.
The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility; that was Lance's belief. (Translator: Uncle Ben would be proud of you, Lance.)
"Gardevoir, I have something urgent and must go ahead first. Then follow Steven and the others, guide them and tell them my location. If you sense a violent fluctuation in my psychic power, warn them to be careful," Cain instructed.
Upon hearing that Cain might be in danger, Gardevoir was clearly unsettled. However, she was no longer that little one who clung to Cain's arm with childish gestures; she knew this was the task she had to fulfill now. Although it was hard for her to accept, she gritted her teeth and nodded firmly.
Both Cynthia and Diantha were trainers of emotional Pokémon, so they could clearly perceive the loss and helplessness she felt.
For a moment, both of them treated Cain's Gardevoir as if she were their own Pokémon, holding her hand and comforting her continuously.
Cain did not have much time to attend to Gardevoir's emotional state. She was no longer a young Pokémon; with strength at the Advanced Elite level, she had long since been able to stand on her own. That was a pressure she had to learn to bear.
What happened next was what truly left everyone—including Steven—completely stunned.
"Mega Evolution! Salamence!" Cain shouted in a low voice as a Key Stone appeared in his hand.
"¡¡¡GROOOAAARR!!!"
Accompanied by Salamence's inspiring roar, enormous amounts of multicolored Mega Evolution energy enveloped both the Pokémon and Cain.
In that instant, Salamence's will and Cain's were completely connected.
When the multicolored energy dissipated, the true crimson moon appeared before everyone: Mega Salamence!
Faced with that transformation, Lance and the others were genuinely terrified. Their understanding of the world was mercilessly shattered, as if it had been taken, squeezed, thrown to the ground, and trampled repeatedly.
Salamence... could it still evolve?
And moreover, that form... was incredibly imposing!
While the others were still in shock, only one question arose in Steven's mind: when he had performed the Mega Evolution of his Pokémon earlier, had it been as impressive as Cain was right now?
At that moment, Steven had even begun to imagine how he would perform every future Mega Evolution of all his Pokémon, including the exact way he would carry the Key Stone on himself.
Cain paid no attention to the group's reactions. The first time someone witnessed a Mega Evolution, it was always like this—like a convinced scholar entering a scientific academy for the first time.
"Gengar, transfer Blaziken's ability to Salamence," Cain ordered.
That was his final trump card.
His speed specialist: Mega Salamence, with Blaziken's Speed Boost ability, plus the fragment of the Sky Plate.
Following the order, Gengar used the move Role Play and the move Skill Swap at maximum speed, transferring the Speed Boost ability to Mega Salamence, then sank into Cain's shadow.
Blaziken was immediately recalled.
"Everyone, I'll go on ahead. Take care of yourselves along the way," Cain said calmly, patting Mega Salamence's neck.
In an instant, Mega Salamence shot forward like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow, completely and effortlessly surpassing Lance's Dragonite and Steven's Aerodactyl.
Moreover, thanks to the Speed Boost ability, its speed continued to increase in a terrifying manner. In the blink of an eye, it vanished entirely from everyone's field of vision.
It was only after Cain and Mega Salamence disappeared that Lance and the others reacted.
Gazing at such speed, no one knew what to say for a long while.
(End of chapter)