"What do you mean the method you used against Koga can't be replicated?"
Blaine instantly caught the key point in Ash's words.
"It means exactly what it sounds like, Blaine. Didn't you watch the recording? Bulbasaur only had that burst of strength because of the Victory Pokémon, Victini. It wasn't something I can reproduce whenever I want," Ash said with a shrug.
"The Victory Pokémon… Victini?" Blaine frowned. "I really didn't notice. I only watched the footage of your battle with Koga, not the recording after it."
He had wondered why Bulbasaur was so abnormally fierce at the time. Pikachu and Charizard also seemed to have exploded in power.Especially Bulbasaur, its strength skyrocketed to an unbelievable level.
Blaine had wracked his brain but couldn't figure out the cause.So the answer was hidden in the footage after the match?
It seemed he needed to break his bad habit of closing recordings the moment a match ended. He'd been missing far too much information.
Making a mental note, Blaine turned back to Ash with a serious look.
"I understand. But I still insist on a full-power three-on-three battle. Only then can you prove that you're strong enough to protect Gardevoir."
"Protect Gardevoir? Your Gardevoir, Ash? What happened? Why would she be in danger?"
Gary, who had just arrived, immediately fired off a barrage of questions. He knew nothing about the deeper situation.
He didn't know Blaine's secrets, the truth behind Ralts's egg, or the existence of Mewtwo.
He only knew Ash had told him to come alone and tell no one where Blaine was.
"Oak's grandson, you don't need to know. The fewer people who learn about this, the better. If you understand, then listen quietly. If not, shut your mouth and watch."
Blaine said this casually, but the blow to Gary's pride was brutal.
"What do you mean 'Oak's grandson'?! I have a name! I'm Gary Oak!"
"I know. Oak's grandson."
Gary: …
"The kind of protection I'm talking about," Ash said, glaring at Blaine, "isn't bound by battle rules. If Gardevoir is ever in danger, I'll protect her with everything I have, rules or no rules."
Blaine blinked.
"What do you mean 'no rules'? Do you… have a method that can't be used in a normal battle?"
Ash scratched his cheek.
"Oh, right, forgot to tell you. I'm actually a special ability user. Even though I'm human, my combat power is currently the highest in the team."
He spoke with obvious pride.
To achieve this level as a human was something even the strongest Trainers' Pokémon often couldn't reach. Even if he relied on "cheats," strength was strength, nothing else mattered.
"Special ability user? Strongest combat power in the team?"Blaine's expression brightened, intrigued.
"In that case, this battle will be a little different. Three-on-three. And the Trainer is allowed to participate. How about that?"
Ash froze for a moment.
Let him participate? Was this old man serious?
He wasn't bragging, but…all of Blaine's Pokémon combined might not withstand one of his Aura Spheres.
But Blaine continued, unaware of Ash's thoughts.
"In a real life-or-death battle, a Trainer's own ability to defend themselves is crucial. If your special ability is trulythat powerful, then even if you lose with your Pokémon, I will acknowledge your strength and grant you the win."
After all, in a real crisis, Ash himself would be the prime target and biggest weakness.
Gardevoir, despite being weaker now, was a Psychic-type. If she wanted to escape, unless there were pre-set Psychic traps, even Mewtwo would struggle to stop her instantly.
So as long as Ash himself could survive… the rest could be forgiven.
"Alright then, three-on-three it is."
Ash cracked his knuckles, a bright grin spreading across his face.
Pikachu beside him lowered its head and sighed.
'Another victim… You really have no idea what it means to let Ash participate personally…'
Blaine walked to his side of the floating battle platform, took out a Poké Ball, and explained the rules:
"The battle format is three-on-three. No level restrictions. The Trainer can participate, but doing so occupies one of the three active slots."
"Also, this is a semi-unrestricted battle. Even as a Gym Leader, I'm allowed to switch Pokémon at will. Any objections?"
He had removed the level cap and the switch restriction. Blaine was truly going all out.
A major reason Ash managed to defeat Koga, aside from his "cheat" at the end, was because Koga wasn't allowed to switch Pokémon. If he had been allowed to switch, Charizard never would've beaten Toxicroak. Koga only needed to swap in his Arbok.
Blaine had clearly studied that recording thoroughly.
He knew Ash's power-boosted Pokémon couldn't sustain prolonged battles. Allowing switching was the most devastating tactical counter to Ash's style.
That was why Blaine lifted the switching restriction.
But Ash didn't mind at all.
You're letting me personally fight in this match. Go ahead, switch as much as you like. We'll keep it "fair."
"No problem," Ash said calmly.
"Good. As Gym Leader, I'll send out my Pokémon first. Consider that my courtesy."
Ash's mouth twitched.
"Blaine, don't say such things just to save face. If you really can't do it, I can go first."
Blaine coughed awkwardly, then quickly threw his Poké Ball.
A flash of light burst forth.
On the field appeared a dazzling golden fox, Ninetales.
The evolved form of Vulpix, Ninetales possessed luxurious golden fur, crimson eyes, and an elegant, noble posture. Legends claimed it could live for a thousand years, though no one had ever seen one that old.
Ash checked its info.
All stats at A-rank.
A level of refinement nearly identical to Koga's trained Pokémon.
This was what distinguished an Elite. Not just high levels, but carefully cultivated ability values.
Throughout his journey, Ash had seen many high-level Pokémon with poor stats, maybe B-rank at best.
Only Elite-class Trainers consistently raised both level and ability values.
This might even be tied to the Elite promotion itself.
If Blaine was sending out a mid-tier Pokémon first…then the second would be high-tier. And the third would be peak.
Blaine clearly meant to test Ash gradually, and also hinted that his Elite proficiency might be even higher than Koga's.
"The first is Ninetales, huh… Then I've made my choice. Gardevoir!"Ash threw his Poké Ball.
Light flashed, and the elegant, blue-haired queen appeared on the field.
"You're sending out Gardevoir first?" Blaine raised an eyebrow. "But your Gardevoir is waek compared to my Pokemon. From what I understand of your boosting ability, you can only push her to a certain level. There's no way she can defeat me."
Blaine said this with absolute confidence.
All of Ash's known battle data was already in his hands. Even that absurd boosting method was limited by the Pokémon's base level.
Charizard defeated Toxicroak due mostly to that mysterious flame.Pikachu beat Arbok with bizarre moves.
He also knew about Gardevoir's special trait, the Infinite Learnability inherited from Mew's genes. She could theoretically learn any move.
But that still required strong moves to learn, and more moves didn't equal more power.
A wide move pool meant flexibility, but not necessarily victory.Without a decisive finisher, Gardevoir's moves would be meaningless against Ninetales.
"That's not necessarily true," Ash said.
He pulled something from his pocket, a rainbow-colored gemstone, and lifted it high.
"Gardevoir, show your true strength! MEGA EVOLVE!!"
Blaine: ???
'What is that? What evolution?!'
Before Blaine could react, Gardevoir raised her hands. A large gem emerged from within her chest and glowed brilliantly. Light engulfed her entire body, and she began to transform!
The radiance lasted only a moment.
When it faded, a new form stood before them.
Her once pure-white gown had turned completely black. Her arms now looked like they were covered in sleek, black gloves, giving her an aura of cold mystery.
Her entire figure emanated elegance tinged with an eerie, almost supernatural chill, like a spirit queen drifting through winter snow.
This was Gardevoir's next level of evolution, MEGA Gardevoir!
The Mega Stone Ash had obtained in the Mysterious Garden turned out to be Gardevoir's stone.
After her evolution, Gardevoir looked even more like a queen than before, her presence now carried a true monarch's dignity, radiating an aura that felt untouchable.
Blaine, and even Misty and the others watching from below, were completely stunned.
What… what is this?!
How could Gardevoir evolve even further? Wasn't this a bit too insane?!
Normally, hiding a few moves, a hidden ability, or some concealed strength was already pushing it, but hiding a whole extra evolution?
"Why can a fully evolved Gardevoir evolve again?!"
Gary was the first to crack, shouting in disbelief.
It wasn't his fault. Anyone in the Pokémon world who knew what a Gardevoir was supposed to look like would be screaming the same thing after seeing this.
Blaine even yanked off his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was hallucinating. But the black-and-white Gardevoir floating on the field was still there, very real.
Gardevoir really had evolved. And into a form no one had ever seen before.
While everyone gaped in silence, Ash didn't launch an attack.
This was the first-ever appearance of Mega Evolution, he needed them to see it properly. If he started battling right away, they wouldn't even have time to be shocked. How was he supposed to enjoy Blaine and Misty's expressions then?
He was fifteen. He was required by age to show off.
Even after being tempered by all the "bigwigs" in his group chat and becoming more mature, there were still some things he couldn't change:
When there's a chance to flex, you flex. Not doing so is basically a crime.
"Mega Evolution… letting a fully evolved Pokémon evolve again to an even higher level. Is that the effect of those two orbs you mentioned, Ash?"
After a good ten seconds, Blaine finally managed to calm himself. He suppressed the pounding in his chest and looked up at Ash.
He had clearly seen the gemstone that flashed in front of Gardevoir just now, it looked almost identical to the two stones he had locked in his safe.
Thinking back to Ash's earlier claim that he knew what those stones were for… it wasn't hard to guess:
Gardevoir's further evolution was tied to that item.
"More or less," Ash replied. "I call that item a Mega Stone, and this further evolution of Gardevoir is Mega Evolution.' It lets a Pokémon that's already in its final form evolve again to an even higher stage, giving it another qualitative leap in power."
His voice was calm. His heart, on the other hand, was already doing laps.
This… this was the joy of having information and prior knowledge.
Even the name of the phenomenon came from him.
Mega Evolution.
That alone felt so good he was practically floating.
Blaine ignored Ash's obviously forced composure and sank into serious thought.
If this kind of evolution allowed a fully evolved Pokémon to evolve once more… its significance was truly monumental.
Why were pseudo-legendaries so powerful? Why were they called pseudo-legendaries?
Because after their final evolution, their base stats were on a level other Pokémon simply couldn't match. At the same level and with the same investment in abilities, pseudo-legendaries were essentially a full tier stronger than anyone else.
But if a Pokémon could undergo a fourth stage of evolution…
Then the entire game changed.
...
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