Chapter 381: First Trial of Mega

It had been licked for nearly four minutes.

Baimu finally gained freedom—along with a shadow that wouldn't leave him alone: a huge, whining shadow that clung to his sleeve with its left mouth, howling the moment it got too far away.

This caused him to be followed everywhere by Meteor People and some higher-intelligence Dragon Pokémon with mocking glances.

"Feels like I've been thrown back to pre-liberation days."

He sighed, feeling all the effort he'd spent cultivating Charizard's independent personality over the past week had been wasted.

There was nothing to be done.

Who could've predicted this would happen out of nowhere?

Baimu returned to the group of Team Rocket members, having thoroughly explored the Team Rocket airship earlier and found nothing of interest.

Rocket Packs?

These things are barely good enough for suicide—there's no value in keeping them.

So after hearing Poliwhirl had browsed through most of the documents and systems on the airship, he descended and began interrogating the Team Rocket members.

Especially Puson and Bashu.

He deliberately woke them up in turn to question them about Super Stones and Key Stones.

Like how many Key Stones and Super Stones Team Rocket had acquired, and where they were stored.

And the current sources of the Key Stones and Super Stones in their possession.

The intelligence gathered was fragmented; Puson revealed more, while Bashu, the deserter, was tighter-lipped.

If not for the other Meteor People nearby, Baimu would've tried knocking out all his teeth to see if the guy could still stay tough.

After learning some of the information, he couldn't help but regret that he couldn't secretly keep Bashu's Key Stone.

First, it had already been seen by so many people; if Young Lady Junsa later reviewed the airship's surveillance logs for evidence, she definitely wouldn't pretend she hadn't seen it.

Second, this thing was clearly stolen from some poor fool—it was stolen property.

If it were ownerless, he might've had Poliwhirl alter the surveillance footage and secretly hide it with inside help, but something with an owner… just felt wrong to use.

Lately, Baimu's moral standards had risen considerably, and he wanted his psychic powers to remain pure.

Otherwise, every time he performed a Mega Evolution, he'd end up picturing some poor kid who'd lost his Key Stone and didn't know where to cry—leaving him uncomfortably uneasy.

Anyway, he'd have plenty more in the future; the anime doesn't have the Special Episodes' rule where multiple Key Stones allow multiple Mega Evolutions—no need to make things harder on himself.

But he was still very curious to try.

"Old Qingliu, can I use the Key Stone to try a Mega Evolution?"

Baimu asked directly.

Old Qingliu blinked, then laughed. "Couldn't resist after seeing that battle? Hah! I understand! When I was young, I was just as excited seeing Mega Evolution…"

As he spoke, he pulled a Key Stone embedded in a chest badge from the pile of stolen goods. "The Mega Stone for Steelix is on that Steelix—just pry it off!"

"No no, I've got a Super Stone already, and the target for Mega Evolution isn't Steelix."

Baimu waved his hand, took the Key Stone, and pointed to the Bisharp nearby.

The first Mega Evolution.

It absolutely had to go to my trump card!

"Sarong?"

Charizard curiously drifted over, puzzled by the small Key Stone.

"This thing's no ordinary item—you'll see soon enough."

Baimu smiled at it, then forcibly pried open its mouth clinging to his sleeve. "Fall back—give me plenty of space. Bisharp! Come here!"

"Guh?"

Bisharp approached, confused.

Charizard glanced at the other Pokémon, instinctively wanting to refuse—but the atmosphere told it the Trainer was doing something serious, so it reluctantly lowered its head and flew off a distance.

Baimu held the badge, slowly placing his hand over the Key Stone.

He remembered that in the anime, most Trainers who triggered Mega Evolution seemed to make a similar touch gesture…

In an instant.

When his skin touched the Key Stone, a mysterious resonance surged into his mind, making him instinctively look toward Bisharp, who was watching him too.

As their eyes met, the Key Stone in his hand and the Super Stone inside Bisharp's left cavity responded instantly, both emitting faint glows like twinkling stars.

"Huh! You got this reaction right away?"

Old Qingliu stared at him in surprise. "When both Key Stone and Super Stone glow, it proves your bond has been validated—they've granted you entry to Mega Evolution. Now, after this threshold, comes the second stage: let go of the Key Stone."

"Understood."

Baimu nodded slightly, realizing Old Qingliu was guiding him, and acted without hesitation.

As his fingers left the Key Stone, the strange resonance weakened—but still lingered deeply in his heart, like a profound imprint.

"Close your eyes. The Pokémon, close yours too."

Under Old Qingliu's guidance, Baimu and Bisharp slowly shut their eyes.

"Don't touch anything. Don't speak. Can you still sense each other's presence? Nod if you can."

Both nodded.

In the pitch-black void, the other's presence stood crystal clear beside them.

"Good. The secret of Mega Evolution is to amplify the other's presence infinitely—imagine a psychic chain linking you together. This requires both of you to work together. Understood?"

Baimu understood. Bisharp didn't understand because it didn't comprehend the words.

So Baimu explained it carefully to it, including how to imagine the psychic chain—only then did Bisharp begin to grasp it.

Charizard nearby had also heard, and though it seemed unrelated to it, it memorized the details anyway—might be useful someday.

When the time came, if it showed initiative, the Trainer would surely praise it.

After carefully observing Baimu and Aggron for a moment, Old Qingliu continued, "Don't worry if it doesn't work the first time. It's perfectly normal for Mega Evolution to fail — just try a few more times."

"I understand."

Baimu's hand gently stroked Aggron's heavy steel armor; the cool sensation transmitted through, and his originally somewhat restless heart quickly calmed.

He exchanged a look with the latter, and before he knew it, some intense desire welled up from within.

To evolve!

To complete this Mega Evolution successfully!

The same meaning shone in both their eyes.

"Hiss… haa…"

Baimu took several deep breaths, adjusted his condition, placed his hand on the Mega Stone again, and asked softly, "Ready?"

"Guuoh!"

Aggron let out a muffled roar.

The instant they touched the Mega Stone, each other's presence suddenly became intense; the hazy sensation suddenly turned clear, like a shadow gradually lifting its veil.

No need for any chuunibyou lines or templates.

As both sides released chains of the heart toward each other along with their shared resonance, causing some unbreakable connection to rapidly form, Baimu instinctively murmured:

"Mega Evolve!"

"Guuoh!

"

Seven-colored light and dazzling white radiance shone from Aggron's body, and countless chains of light shot out.

They connected with the chains released from the Mega Stone in Baimu's hand.

Both their hearts instantly became heavy, as if some weight pressed upon them, creating an indescribable burden — but it was still within their capacity to bear.

In an instant, Aggron's body underwent a dramatic change.

First, the straight, needle-like horn jutting from its forehead rapidly retracted and extended upward, forming a blade-like long horn.

Its center of gravity pressed slightly forward; massive, heavy armor continuously extended from its chest, belly, and back; two long spikes jutted from the backs of its arms; and its shoulders flared up like flying daggers.

Its limbs and tail became far more thick and sturdy — it was as if it had evolved from a light tank into a heavily armored king of tanks!

The light faded.

Its silver-white body was fully revealed in the sunlight, like a walking metal fortress.

"Guuoh…"

Mega Aggron exhaled white smoke from its mouth, yet there wasn't much joy on its face — because the power brought by Mega Evolution was too immense, nearly swallowing its thoughts whole.

It finally understood why its heart had felt heavy just now.

Energy!

Energy as if inexhaustible!

Even though it had rarely experienced its typing energy running dry, being so full it nearly burst through the armor on its body surface, with power overflowing outward, still made it feel utterly terrifying.

So this is how difficult Mega Evolution truly is!

It turned its head with some difficulty to look at Baimu, whose expression was also a bit strange.

Clearly, the two of them felt an equal suppression at this moment, transmitted clearly between them through the heart chains.

"Guu—"

Mega Aggron tried to extend its claws, but halfway through, colored light rapidly lit up on its body surface, and it vanished as if it had disappeared.

It had returned to its original form.

"Rooar… rooar…"

"Haa…"

Aggron and Baimu — one panting heavily, the other exhaling with sweat on his brow.

Never imagined that merely maintaining a Mega Evolution state would be so draining, let alone that it would automatically release.

Did they fail?

They instinctively looked at Old Qingliu.

"Not bad, not bad~"

The latter pinched his beard and nodded very satisfactorily. "To reach this stage on your first Mega Evolution is truly praiseworthy. I imagine if we add a bit more sense of crisis, going straight into battle isn't out of the question."

"Is that… so?"

"Of course! You can be more confident. Even I, when I was young, had to go through a period of grueling special training before I could successfully Mega Evolve with my Altaria."

Old Qingliu looked at Aggron, his face full of undisguised admiration. "To be able to suppress that violent power without being consumed or affected — your Aggron, whether in strength or spirit, can be called powerful!"

After this round of praise.

Baimu and Aggron exchanged a look, both showing smiles.

Suddenly.

Shouts came from the distance.

"Lei Gong! Why is Lei Gong here!"

"What is it doing here? Wait! We can't let it get close to here!"

Has that Raikou finally arrived…

Baimu's brow lifted slightly, then, as if thinking of something, his expression changed rapidly. He set down the Mega Stone and said, "I'll go take a look. Please continue to trouble yourself with this group of Team Rocket!"

"Alright… why is he running so fast?"

Old Qingliu had just nodded when he discovered the other had already run over twenty meters away, with the Three-Headed Dragon close behind like a shadow.

So urgent!

You could say he went there for Lei Gong's sake — he didn't even take the Bossgodora with him, so could it be he just wanted to watch the show?

Can't figure it out, can't figure it out.

Old Qingliu shook his head again and again.

On the other side.

All Baimu hurried to the vicinity of the Dragon Elder's home, and sure enough, he spotted Lei Gong standing in the courtyard, looking on indifferently at the Meteor People and Dragon Pokémon surrounding it on all sides.

When facing a group of strangers, what Lei Gong usually showed was not aloofness, but a hidden hostility.

"Wait! Misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding! It's my friend!"

He ran up to Lei Gong, held out a hand in a blocking gesture, and explained to the gathered Meteor People, "The reason I knew Team Rocket would make a move on Meteor Falls was because I got the information from Lei Gong here!"

The Meteor People immediately lowered their guard upon hearing this.

They had only been saved by this child half an hour ago; they couldn't possibly turn around and deny him now, refusing to believe what he said.

And Lei Gong, looking at All Baimu's back, also slowly retracted its attacking stance.

The Dragon Elder appeared, supported by a single person.

"Everyone stand down. Lei Gong is a guest who has come from afar; give it and All Baimu some space to talk."

The Meteor People, who had already intended to leave, immediately scattered quickly, and the Dragon Elder departed as well, as if he had only come to say that one sentence.

All Baimu let out a sigh of relief, turned his head, and complained resentfully: "Why did you only show up now? It's all over! Been over for ages!"

"Grr…"

Lei Gong looked him over carefully, confirmed he wasn't injured, and then couldn't be bothered to explain. It glanced twice at Team Rocket's location but didn't go over, instead silently going into the house, finding a spot without broken glass, and lying down.

【Honestly, I've been using Wild Fruit Reading to read books and catch up on updates lately, with source-switching and many voice options —. yeguoyuedu works on both Android and iOS.】

After staying on guard for so many days without showing itself, it ended up appearing here.

If it weren't for its keen perception, it would probably have had to wait until evening to find out; arriving this quickly already counted as fast.

"You… you rest. It looks like Miss Jenny and the others have arrived."

All Baimu briefly tidied up the broken glass on the floor, then drew the curtains for it, knowing this fellow didn't like prying eyes. "I'll be right back—"

That's what he said.

But by the time he returned, two hours had already passed.

He had clearly notified them by phone that there was a Team Rocket airship, yet the technician who came actually said he couldn't fly it!

Even Porygon can fly it and you can't!?

Combined with taking statements, tallying losses, and dealing with stolen goods, it wore All Baimu, the person involved, out thoroughly.

Just when he finally regained his freedom, he learned that the Dragon Elder wanted to hold a small meeting at the Dragon Shrine. To be honest, he really didn't feel much like going.

"Go on. They're discussing giving you a Key Stone — are you really not going?"

Words like a voice from the heart sounded out.

All Baimu froze for a moment, turned his head, and saw a familiar figure had at some unknown point arrived on the veranda.

"…I have a question."

He said to Miss Xijiana, whose face was full of smiles: "Did you all agree beforehand to dump all the troublesome stuff on me, and then come out yourselves once the dust settled?"

"Nope."

"Haha, I'll believe that."

All Baimu let out two utterly expressionless "haha"s.