Chapter 162

【"It's safer if I come along. Besides, there's strength in numbers."】

【She and Little Lisa also have combat capabilities when it counts.】

【"Kika, what is that hanging around the Charizard's neck?"】

【Erika had wanted to ask for a long time, but she just hadn't found the opportunity.】

【Taking advantage of everyone chatting, she hurriedly asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.】

【Kika: "This is a Charizard Evolution Stone."】

【As she spoke, Kika took another stone out of her pocket. "There is a legend passed down in Charizard Valley that when a Charizard's strength reaches its peak, if the trainer and the Charizard each wear an Evolution Stone, the Charizard can evolve to an even higher point."】

【"But it's probably fake. I've tried it; the Charizard has no way to evolve at all."】

【"Aren't you forgetting one thing? This is my Charizard!"】

【Ash was afraid that if he didn't speak up, Kika would forget that this Charizard was his Charizard.】

【"By the way, Kika, can I discuss something with you?"】

【Ash had his eye on the stone in Kika's hand.】

【Ever since he obtained the Heracross Evolution Stone from Bugsy, Ash had been searching for the matching stone, but he had never had any luck.】

827 【To think he would actually see it here with Kika.】

【"Don't even think about it. This is a treasure passed down through generations in our Charizard Valley."】

【Kika swiped the stone and hid it in her pocket.】

【"Stingy." Ash rolled his eyes at Kika.】

【It was just a stone, what was the big deal? He didn't believe that Kika was the only one in the whole world who had this stone.】

Leon: "Charizard's Mega Stone and Key Stone?"

Clair: "Kika, why do you have a Charizard Evolution Stone and Key Stone in your hand? And why have you never told me?"

Kika: "Didn't you watch the video? This is a treasure passed down through generations in our valley! As for why I didn't tell you, you don't have a Charizard, and you aren't from Charizard Valley, so why would I tell you?"

It was true that they were best friends, but being best friends didn't mean she had to tell her everything.

Clair: "Friendship over."

Diantha: "I have a premonition that the Charizard Evolution Stone and Key Stone will very likely all be taken away by Ash."

Kika: "Impossible. As the guardian of Charizard Valley, I will not let anyone else take away the treasures of the valley!"

Malva: "Heh, I'm just afraid that by then, what Dark Ash takes away won't just be the Evolution Stone and Key Stone; even you, Kika, will fall into Dark Ash's hands."

Clair: "In that case, wouldn't Kika be making a huge profit?"

Kika: "？？？？？？"

145: Hearts in Sync, Mega Charizard Appears!

【Ash didn't encounter any obstacles before entering the Crystal Tower, but after entering, all sorts of troublesome things came one after another.】

【First it was the group of self-destructing Electrode, then the Gastly and Haunter's Night Parade, and the carnival of bird Pokémon; Ash and his friends encountered all kinds of bizarre events.】

【After overcoming various difficulties, Ash and his friends finally ran into the final boss.】

【Entei, who claimed to be Molly's father.】

【"Get out of this Crystal Tower, and I can pretend nothing ever happened."】

【Eerie purple flames erupted from Entei's mouth.】

【A massive fireball slammed into the ground beside Ash's feet, missing him by only a few centimeters; this was Entei's warning to them.】

【Facing a legendary creature head-on for the first time, Erika and Kika were still a bit fearful. As for Misty and Brock, they were long used to it; having traveled far and wide with Ash, they had seen all kinds of Pokémon, so what did Entei count for?】

【On the other side, Ash and Charizard were already rolling up their sleeves, ready for battle. Last time they fought a real Entei, they were thoroughly crushed by it. This time, facing a fake Entei, they had to regain both their face and their pride.】

【A month had passed since the last battle with Entei. In this month, Charizard's growth could only be described as rapid. Plus, this opponent wasn't the real Entei, so as soon as they clashed, Charizard successfully suppressed its opponent.】

Lance: "Hiss. Dark Ash's Charizard has gotten stronger again."

The Charizard of the Ash in their world was suppressed from start to finish when facing the Entei created by the Unown, but Dark Ash's Charizard, on the other hand, was actually beating the phantom Entei from the start.

The gap between the two sides was a bit too large.

Misty: "There's no harm without comparison."

Originally, everyone was already very satisfied with Ash's Charizard's performance; after all, everyone knew exactly what it was like before heading to Charizard Valley. Having trained in Charizard Valley for a month, everyone was already very satisfied with its current strength.

But now, compared to Dark Ash's Charizard, it felt a bit unpleasant.

It wasn't that Ash's Charizard wasn't good enough; it was that their standards had been raised by Dark Ash's Charizard.

The most depressed person at this moment was definitely Ash's Charizard.

It had originally been counting on this spectacular battle against Entei to reverse everyone's prejudice against it, but now it seemed there was no chance.

Sigh, the baby's heart is bitter, but the baby can't say it.

Bruno: "If this goes on, Dark Ash won't even need to make a move; just relying on Charizard will solve all the problems."

This was not the ending he was looking forward to.

Hey, phantom Entei, put in some effort! At least force out Dark Ash's true strength.

【Being suppressed in battle was something Entei had never encountered since its birth.】

【On the other side, Molly also looked worried because Entei was caught in a bitter fight.】

【In order not to let Molly worry, and to maintain a father's dignity, Entei exploded with power.】

【Purple demon flames scattered from Entei's mane; at this moment, Entei looked exactly like an envoy from hell.】

【Under the conviction that it could not fail, Entei began to suppress Charizard.】

【Charizard on this side was also unwilling to admit defeat; its little girlfriend was still watching its duel on the sidelines, and it didn't want Little Lisa to see its pathetic side.】

【But the strength gained from conviction is limited. It was different from the phantom Entei; the phantom Entei had a large group of Unown as its backing. As long as Molly firmly believed that Entei was invincible, then Entei's power would be endless. It was different; it had its limits.】

【Charizard even triggered its Blaze ability, but even so, it still couldn't secure a winning position and could only barely maintain a stalemate. What gave Charizard an even bigger headache was yet to come.】

【As Entei suppressed Charizard once again, Molly became even more confident in Entei. Because Molly believed even more firmly that Entei was invincible, Entei became even more powerful.】

【In such a cycle of positive feedback, the invincible Charizard couldn't hold on anymore.】

Blaine: "Is this a bit ridiculous? The strength of this phantom Entei is almost comparable to the real Entei, right?"

Flint: "Blaine, are you underestimating the phantom Entei too much? If this continues, let alone Entei, it's going to surpass Ho-Oh. How is this supposed to be fought? As long as Molly firmly believes Entei is invincible, Entei's power will climb step by step; there's simply no limit in sight."

Giovanni: "How to fight? Isn't this simple? Isn't Entei being held back by Charizard? Just send out another Pokémon to sneak attack Molly, and the match will be won easily."

Lance: "Despicable!"

Lorelei: "Giovanni's suggestion is a bit despicable, but in the current situation, it seems that's the only way."

Cynthia: "It's not yet time to use such methods. Mew hasn't made a move, Dark Ash hasn't made a move, and there are still a bunch of trump cards left. Dark Ash won't use such extreme measures. Moreover, this is a good opportunity to temper Charizard; Dark Ash won't miss it."

It's a crisis, but also an opportunity. How many times in a lifetime can one encounter the chance to battle a legendary Pokémon? Once encountered, one must certainly have a hearty battle. Anyway, if it were her, she wouldn't use Giovanni's tactics unless it was a last resort.

【Seeing Charizard struggling more and more, Ash was also preparing to make a move. At this moment, Kika called out to him.】

【"... Hey, Ash, try this."】

【Kika tossed her precious Key Stone into Ash's hand.】

【"?"】

【Ash looked at Kika with a puzzled face.】

【Wasn't this Kika's heart and soul? She wouldn't even let him touch it, so why did she just toss it to him?】

【"I also want to see just how strong your Charizard can be."】

【"Also, remember to return it to me when you're done!"】

【Kika reminded him.】

【Ash didn't answer, because at this moment his attention had been completely drawn away by the Key Stone in his hand.】

【The moment he held the Key Stone in his hand, a mysterious power connected Ash and Charizard together.】

【As long as he put his mind into the Key Stone, Charizard could begin a brand-new evolution. But just at this moment, Ash hesitated.】

【His sixth sense told him that this was an incomplete evolution. Although the Pokémon could gain incredible power from this evolution, the price was that they had to endure pain during the evolution.】

【This was the true meaning of Mega Evolution: exchanging pain for power.】

Diantha: "Professor Sycamore, is this true? Will the process of Mega Evolution cause harm to Pokémon?"

Professor Sycamore: "Perhaps Dark Ash is right. Mega Evolution is a form of torture for Pokémon, but in order to make their trainers happy, the Pokémon endure the pain brought by Mega Evolution. This is probably the real reason why Mega Evolution requires a sufficient bond between the Pokémon and the trainer. Without a sufficient bond, the Pokémon would simply not be willing to sacrifice for the trainer."

Professor Kukui: "If that's really the case, then does Mega Evolution still have any significance for research?"

Professor Oak: "Short-term Mega Evolution shouldn't cause much harm to Pokémon. The longer it lasts, the greater the damage the Pokémon sustains."

Professor Rowan: "We should find a time to properly discuss the matters regarding Mega Evolution."