Every Pokémon evolution represented a qualitative leap in strength. Evolution didn't just raise a Pokémon's base stats, it also increased its level. It was effectively a double boost.
That was why almost everyone in the world advised against keeping Pokémon unevolved.
Evolution is power.
If an unevolved Pokémon wanted to defeat a fully evolved one, its talent had to far surpass the opponent's, and it had to work harder than the opponent by an overwhelming margin.
This was the price of staying unevolved.
Of course, some evolution, like Scyther evolving into Scizor, didn't change the species dramatically. Those weren't true "evolutions" so much as form shifts: one emphasizing speed and attack, the other emphasizing defense and attack.
Pseudo-legendary Pokémon were on an entirely different level.Their evolutions gave huge stat jumps, far more than normal Pokémon.
If a regular Pokémon gained around 100 points total per evolution, a pseudo-legendary might gain 120–150.
After two evolutions, a pseudo-legendary's base stats were simply incomparable to an ordinary Pokémon's.
But if an ordinary Pokémon, such as a Starter Pokémon, could undergo a third evolution…
Everything changed.
A stat jump from 300 → 400 was vastly stronger than 200 → 300, even though both were "+100."
Now imagine:
Mega Evolution allows a final-stage Pokémon to evolve once more.
"Let's see how much power your Mega Evolution really adds," Blaine said at last, setting aside his swirling thoughts. Whatever the case, the battle had to continue.
Ash silently closed his eyes.
His Aura merged with Gardevoir's.
'Aura is with my heart.'
A tremendous Aura burst from Mega Gardevoir. The bond forged by Mega Evolution, combined with Gardevoir's physically reinforced form, allowed her to withstand far greater amounts of Ash's Aura than before.
Before any Pokémon reached the God Level, their ability to handle Aura depended entirely on physical endurance.
The greater the endurance, the greater the boost.
Originally, Gardevoir had only been mid-tier. After Mega Evolution, she had risen to peak level.
With Ash's Aura amplifying her…She now possessed the strength of a regular Elite Four-trainer Pokémon.
Even Ash was surprised.
During her first Mega Evolution, the boost was nowhere near this large.
At most, she could jump one sub-stage. Even with Aura stacked on top, she couldn't reach this level.
But this time, her strength had suddenly surged another whole tier.
Why?
Ash's expression shifted as he recalled everything Blaine had explained earlier.
Blaine had mentioned that Gardevoir carried a portion of Mewtwo's essence in her gene chain, and that theoretically, Gardevoir could use that power.
But since it was buried deep in her genetics, it couldn't be activated normally.
Unless Mewtwo helped extract it, or unless she evolved.
Blaine believed Gardevoir was already at her final evolution, so he naturally assumed there was no way to awaken that essence.
But reality was different.
Gardevoir could still evolve through Mega Evolution.
Each Mega Evolution stimulated the dormant psychic essence.
That was what propelled Gardevoir into high tier.
"So this is the source of your strength…? Is this power coming from you, Ash?"
Blaine's perceptive eyes narrowed.
After seeing the Aura erupt from Gardevoir, he instinctively looked not at her, but at Ash.
He could feel it.
Whether it was the Mega Evolution, or the overwhelming power flowing through Gardevoir afterward, everything originated from Ash.
Ash nodded calmly.
There was no point in hiding it, not when he planned to fight Magmar himself later anyway.
"As expected."
Blaine inhaled deeply.
"Then show me the power of your special ability. Ninetales, Flamethrower!"
Ninetales reacted instantly.
Fire gathered densely at her maw, and then erupted forward in a blazing torrent.
The scorching blast tore through the air toward Gardevoir.
Ash shifted his gaze slightly, and Mega Gardevoir vanished from sight.
Since Blaine insisted on playing shamelessly, Ash saw no need to hold back either.
Using telepathy for command created an instant advantage. Even the most seasoned Trainer would be a half-step slower unless they could predict his moves in advance.
The Flamethrower missed, but Blaine didn't show the slightest disappointment. That was merely a probe.
He understood the agility of Psychic Pokémon very well. His first priority was restricting her movement.
"Ninetales, Disable!"
"Woooo~!"
Ninetales cried sharply, and a heavy wave of psychic force rippled across the battlefield.
Gardevoir, who had just teleported to safety, touched down, only to be struck immediately by Disable.
Disable sealed the last move used.
Which meant: Teleport was locked.
And losing Teleport was no small blow for a Psychic-type.
Without it, her natural flexibility was crippled. With her fragile body, and the level gap between her and Ninetales, once she was hit cleanly, it would basically be over.
"Blaze Abyss."
With Gardevoir pinned, Koga went on the offensive again. This time, dodging would not be so easy.
Ninetales gave a chilling howl, and the temperature of the battlefield skyrocketed.
The air rippled as if the atmosphere itself were burning. Around Gardevoir, layers upon layers of blazing fire erupted, wrapping her completely in a hellish inferno of flames.
Protect.
Ash's calm voice resonated in Gardevoir's mind.
Gardevoir raised her hands, and a bright green barrier blossomed around her, holding back the sea of fire.
"Oh? You blocked it, but how long can you last?
Ninetales, increase the firepower!"
Koga intensified the assault.
Level advantage, stamina advantage, and terrain advantage.
They were on a volcano.
Even without Sunny Day, volcanic regions were overflowing with Fire-element energy.
Fire-type attacks here were naturally boosted, almost comparable to fighting under harsh sunlight.
Ninetales's flames were easily more than 50% stronger than normal.
Could Gardevoir really endure this?
Ally Switch.
As the flames surged hotter and hotter, and her Protect barrier trembled under the strain, Ash activated his hidden trump card.
Gardevoir's orange eyes flashed blue, and in an instant, she and Ninetales swapped positions.
Now it was Ninetales standing in the heart of the Blaze Abyss.
This was exactly why Psychic Pokémon were nightmares in same-tier battles.
Their toolkit was full of unpredictable, reality-bending moves.
A moment ago, Gardevoir was about to be burned alive, and with a blink, Ninetales was trapped in the hell she herself had created.
Even Koga's face twitched behind his sunglasses. He didn't expect such a clever escape after Teleport had been sealed.
However, this development was not entirely bad for him.
The inferno roared around Ninetales, threatening to swallow her whole, but then something strange happened.
The flames abruptly stopped spreading.
Instead, they began spiraling inward, as if being inhaled, before pouring directly into Ninetales's body.
Ability - Flash Fire.
Fire-type attacks no longer harmed Ninetales. Instead, they were absorbed, boosting both her Attack and Special Attack by 50% for all future Fire-type moves.
Blaze Abyss wasn't hurting her at all.
It was empowering her.
"Ash really slipped up," Gary muttered from the sidelines.
"Ninetales only has two abilities, Drought or Flash Fire. Since Drought didn't activate the moment she appeared, it had to be Flash Fire. It was easy to guess."
Although Gary was simply stating a fact, his smug tone made Misty's temper flare. Hugging Togepi tightly, she snapped,
"If it were you facing that Pokémon, you'd be too stressed to breathe, let alone calmly analyze Ninetales's ability!"
Gary: …
'Hey, what did I even do? Why am I the one getting attacked?! Ash really did make a mistake!'
But his instincts warned him not to talk back. Otherwise, he'd learn firsthand what "an unreasonable woman" truly meant.
Of course Ash knew Ninetales might have Flash Fire.
The problem was that in that moment, his Aura had not yet broken through the Disable effect, while Blaze Abyss was already close to overwhelming Protect.
With no time left, he had to use Ally Switch.
Even if Flash Fire ended up empowering Ninetales, there was nothing he could do.
'Our counterattack… Gardevoir, use Psychic.'
After a few rounds of testing, Ash had grasped most of Ninetales's combat parameters, her wind-up speed, her attacking habits, the rhythm of her movement.
Now it was his turn.
Gardevoir's orange eyes glimmered, and an invisible force burst outward toward Ninetales.
"Ninetales, Extrasensory!"
Psychic attacks were nightmares for inexperienced Trainers; you couldn't see them, track them, or block them if you didn't know how.
But Koga was no rookie.
Even invisible Psychic techniques had patterns, subtle distortions in the air, shifts in posture, the rhythm of focus.
He caught it in an instant.
But even so, telepathic command gave Gardevoir a decisive edge.Koga's reaction was still half a beat too slow.
Psychic seized Ninetales mid-motion, her body locked up as if caught between massive invisible hands.
Gardevoir lifted both arms, shadowed by the dark veil of her Mega form, and clenched them.
Ninetales let out a sharp cry of pain.
Mega Gardevoir's special attack power was monstrous. Her already S-rank ability values, combined with the stat surge from Mega Evolution and the psychic essence hidden in her genes, made her overwhelming.
The Psychic bind didn't just immobilize Ninetales, it crushed her.
Extrasensory should have been capable of breaking the hold in theory…but Ninetales wasn't a native Psychic type.
Gardevoir's special attack was simply too much.
Koga's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
This wasn't the power of an ordinary level Pokémon.
Even a true high tier Ninetales should have been able to force a break with Extrasensory.
'How much did that Mega Evolution boost Gardevoir's psychic strength?'
At this point, only a much stronger move could break free, but using one would drain Ninetales severely.
A few seconds later, Koga made his decision.
"Return, Ninetales."
A red beam shot out from the Poké Ball. In an instant, Ninetales vanished, the binding shattered.
Ash's jaw dropped.
'Wait, can you even do that?! Recalling a Pokémon to escape a bind is way too cheap!'
Koga rolled the Poké Ball lightly in his hand, then smirked at Ash's expression.
"This is what real combat is, Ash. Battles without switches are far more exhausting for the Trainer. I'll admit, your Gardevoir surprised me. Now… let's see how you handle this one."
He clipped Ninetales's Poké Ball back onto his belt, drew another, and threw it.
A flash of light burst open, revealing a large, majestic canine with a blazing mane and powerful stance.
The Pokémon famed for its speed: Arcanine.
...
Read chapters ahead @keepsmiling 818 p@reon