Chapter 541: Mega Evolution Wave

"Roar—"

The frost-covered Dragonite lay sprawled across a rockery, panting violently as if it meant to cough its lungs out.

In the distance.

A Walrein's gaze was unfocused, its fat head swaying back and forth.

Its opponent's speed was so fast that trying to track it with its eyes nearly made it dizzy.

This was the eighth battle Dragonite had been through lately, and yet—

Not a single one had been won.

At first it was because Baimu and it lacked coordination, so whenever it fought solo Wallace always found an opening; later on Wallace began regularly fielding fairly high-level Pokémon.

Regulars of the Contest spectaculars, members of Champion teams—he'd seen them all in turn.

All of them were opponents who couldn't simply take Dragonite down, but were also very hard for the latter to defeat.

Scenes like this.

Even though Baimu later clawed a few wins back through his other Pokémon, the battles of these past days still left him half-doubting his life choices.

Why was winning even one match so damn hard?

Stranger still, the more Dragonite lost, the more stable its emotions actually became.

It no longer hid in corners at mealtimes, a smile would occasionally surface on its face, and at night its silhouette could be spotted nearby—giving the impression that nothing had ever happened.

Of course.

Baimu had indeed specifically told the Hydreigon and the others to stop bringing up Dragonite running away from home, to spare the thin-skinned creature the heartache of remembering.

But this turnaround was honestly fast.

Had it moved on?

Didn't really seem like it.

Every day it went into battle eager enough, attacking and dodging with everything it had.

It still didn't dare loudly echo his occasional battle cries, but that had nothing to do with its mindset—pure embarrassment, that's all.

Baimu went to consult Adam and Wallace; both said there was nothing wrong with Dragonite, and that these signs actually reflected a personality that valued action over words.

Action, huh…

"Good work."

He recalled Dragonite into its ball, bowed to Wallace across the field to thank him, and called it a day.

Counting from when he'd obtained the Glass Badge, nearly two weeks had passed.

Under Adam's technical guidance and Wallace's real-combat coaching, Pokémon like Aggron saw quite impressive growth every day.

Milotic not only learned 【Recover】, but also mastered 【Twister】, perfectly inheriting Adam's Hydro Pump signature.

The rest of the Pokémon each had their own gains in moves and battle patterns.

Compared to training on his own, the efficiency was off the charts.

On par with Ash's special training sessions specifically used to power up fast for Gyms and the League Conference.

Put simply.

No matter how tough the opponent, no matter how badly he'd lost before, once Ash calmed down and put his Pokémon through special training, within a few days he'd gain the power to turn defeat into victory.

Baimu felt that, being coached by these two, his progress was enough to brush shoulders with Ash's special training.

On the other hand.

Thanks to Wallace generously sharing his Mega Evolution experience, Baimu's understanding of Mega Evolution deepened, indirectly boosting Aggron's post-Mega-Evolution strength.

And how to get Steelix to Mega Evolve—he seemed to have faintly groped his way toward an answer too.

But the biggest gainer was actually Mawile.

No longer able to bear the Mega Evolution energy, it was no longer in "Ultraman mode"—that is, reverting within minutes—and the explosive power from its Huge Power ability was becoming easier and easier to handle.

To improve its control, lately it had been eating biscuits only after Mega Evolving, and as a result had been forced to eat crumbs for days on end.

It even crushed a whole set of its beloved cloisonné teacups, breaking Mawile's heart.

【Growing Pains】.

That's what Mawile called the ill-fated teacups, insisting Baimu find a place to bury the broken set, tearfully bidding them a lingering farewell.

Later he learned from Porygon2 that Mawile was copying a TV drama it had been watching lately.

The Princess Klefki in it handled her beloved tea set exactly that way.

Baimu was left speechless.

But after perfectly mastering its power, Mawile's beloved possessions were safe, and its personality shifted back from cautious to "arrogant."

Yesterday it was even reported by Hydreigon for plotting something against Steelix.

Plotting what?

Trying to lift it like a dumbbell.

Just hearing about it felt like a grave insult to Steelix—did it grow that big and that heavy just to be a giant dumbbell?

Naturally Mawile flatly denied it, and at the same time beat the hell out of Hydreigon, that troublemaking, snitching scoundrel.

Hmm?

You ask how it knew Hydreigon was the one who snitched?

Then you have to ask the real snitching expert—Porygon2, which Baimu called the Pokémon version of the "Imperial Guard."

Ever since he'd discussed secretly monitoring Pokémon relationships with it, the thing had somehow downloaded a video-recording patch from somewhere.

It even skipped cameras entirely—just stream straight from Porygon2 to his phone.

So far no Pokémon had noticed.

But Baimu had also quietly warned Porygon2: if Aggron and the others ever found out about this, the lightest consequence would be a beating; as for the worst, he had no idea what might happen.

Dubious II paid it no mind.

How kind its little companions were, no? Even if they found out, they'd surely just laugh it off.

Surely... right?

Dubious II, who had never seen Aggron lose its temper, began to hesitate.

All Baimu could do was wish it good luck.

He reviewed the recent events in his mind.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Mi Ke Li walking over with a smile.

"You and Dragonite are showing better and better teamwork. That growth didn't come easy."

He replied, "That's also thanks to your help, Mi Ke Li-san."

Not winning is not winning.

It didn't mean he and Dragonite had gained nothing at all — at the very least, the latter's ability to handle pressure had visibly improved.

Their coordination had grown considerably as well.

The proof: the accuracy of pinpointing positions while hidden had risen, and the range had widened.

Just as, even though he couldn't see the underground scene, Baimu could tell exactly where Steelix and Aggron were as they dug down.

"I told you, you don't have to be so polite."

Mi Ke Li laughed and patted his back, saying, "Being like that even in private — that would really trouble me."

Compared to the middle-aged gentleman Adam, Mi Ke Li didn't cling to verbal etiquette when dealing with people, and even encouraged a certain someone to be more casual.

But perhaps it was because he'd received too much of the other's care.

Baimu found it hard to treat Mi Ke Li with the same attitude he used with Sitseri, so he had to fall back on the tone he used when speaking with Champion Dawu.

He hadn't expected the other to still find it too formal.

He could only laugh awkwardly a couple of times.

"Haha..."

"Still, the fact that you weren't fixated on making Dragonite win faster is really a relief."

Mi Ke Li said warmly, "I assumed you'd be impatient for quick results and deliberately raised the strength of the Pokémon you sent out, but it looks like you understood long ago that training Pokémon is a long process."

So it really was on purpose, huh...

Baimu twitched the corner of his mouth. Ever since hearing that he'd only been training Pokémon for a year and a half, this former Champion's attitude toward battling had undergone some subtle shift.

Just as if not wanting to let him take a certain wrong path, suppressing him in roundabout ways.

No wonder Miss Liuqi occasionally mentioned her uncle with a mix of mild exasperation and undisguised admiration and longing.

Anyone who didn't know would think she was being tsundere.

"Pressure is also motivation — I understand that."

The only thing Baimu had been worried about before was Dragonite.

But since this guy was fine, he had nothing to worry about either; the rest of his Pokémon were even less likely to have any issues.

After learning the real gap between themselves and the Champion, basically every Pokémon was holding back a surge of energy, ready to push their strength up a notch.

Even Luvdisc did an extra ten minutes of practice every day—

Setting aside whether it was voluntary or "voluntary."

"Sigh, Baimu-kun being so smart is a good thing, but as your mentor, I do feel a bit lonely."

Mi Ke Li suddenly sighed.

It was like he'd gotten his hands on a game account that was almost finished, and halfway through playing suddenly realized there was nothing left for him to do — you could say the gaming experience was gone.

Baimu didn't dare pick up the thread.

Mi Ke Li asked again, "Oh right, has Champion Dawu contacted you recently? I recall he seemed to have gone on a business trip to Kalos?"

"He hasn't."

——

Things on the Kalos side weren't entirely without progress.

A recent report from Sitseri indicated that the Floette that had successfully infiltrated had gathered quite a bit of evidence of Team Flare producing weapons of mass destruction.

Also, they had recently completed an operation called "Z."

"Z"?

Isn't that Zygarde?

Seeing this message, Baimu understood that Z2 had most likely already been captured by Team Flare.

Alain, who cared too much about Chespin and Mairin, had lost all basic judgment and helped Team Flare capture Zygarde — then at fifty percent of its power — through irregular means.

He couldn't even hear the latter's wailing.

Did he ever stop to think whether human welfare built on Pokémon suffering was what he'd wanted in the first place?

If Professor Sycamore found out about this, he'd surely slap him a couple of times to knock some sense into him.

Of course.

Baimu couldn't be bothered to follow this guy's emotional journey; he cared more about that fat scientist in Team Flare.

If he remembered right, the guy was called Xerosic — that fellow had probably already begun building a mind-control system capable of manipulating Zygarde and even humans.

Though he was surprised he could recall the other's full name, he didn't dwell on it, silently pondering Team Flare's current progress.

He'd sent messages to Champion Dawu's side, but they vanished without a trace.

If not for having related contact with Miss Xijiana — the person of the stars tasked with watching the giant rock, who told him Champion Dawu was still staying close to Lysandre —

He would almost have thought the dignified Hoenn Champion had been caught by Team Flare through some underhanded method.

And with Team Flare having reached this stage, Champion Dawu, who had received his warning, would certainly not be completely unaware.

The only possible reason for the latter's inaction is one—

The evidence chain is insufficient.

As the side of justice, to bring Fladali to justice for his premeditated malice cannot rely on guesswork; without concrete evidence, even knowing Fladali's plan, one cannot act.

Conversely, acting rashly would only alert the snake and fail to crush him in one blow.

"I suppose Champion Dawu is also troubled…"

Baimu believed Champion Dawu was also troubled over how to handle Fladali; the more he learned of Fladali's true nature, the clearer it became that imprisonment could not extinguish his ambition.

Looking across the games, manga, and anime.

Fladali's eventual endings never seem to include redemption.

The game vanished under the light of the ultimate weapon, the manga fell upon the rubble created by Kyogre's divine earth power, the anime disappeared alongside the destroyed monolith.

The silence between them amounts to nothing but the word "death."

It would be best to send him to join Korrina— in the anime, that guy was captured by the handsome one and got life imprisonment for sure.

Right now.

Baimu was pondering whether he should go to Kalos, and what he could do once there.

Better not go running around like a headless fly.

It would waste his own time and easily cause trouble for Champion Dawu and the others.

Force Fladali to act prematurely?

Lionhead was clearly waiting deliberately until the Lumiose Conference opened, intending to strike when the Kalos populace arrived in Lumiose City, so he could easily mow them down in bulk.

From this, it's clear that Team Flare could have acted long ago.

If so, why not use the power of Z1 "Softee" near Yuki's side to launch a surprise raid on Fladali's laboratory— if possible, rescue Z2; if not, force Team Flare to act prematurely to seize Z2…

Hss!

Why do I feel like a villain?

Fladali's laboratory is right near Lumiose City; Champion Dawu and the others could fly there in a helicopter in no time.

But wouldn't that risk provoking the Legendary Monolith and still lead to "mass slaughter"?

Baimu recalled his original intent in confronting Fladali—

To prevent Team Flare from causing widespread destruction in Lumiose City and harming innocent civilians and Pokémon.

But upon further thought.

He found himself even more inclined to go to Kalos, with the goal of rescuing Z2 from Team Flare's grasp and preventing the Monolith from going berserk.

Come to think of it.

Baimu remembered he needed a reason to go to Kalos…

Ah!

"Super Evolution Wave!"

He recalled the movie "Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages."

In it, there appeared a device that used innovative mysterious science to forcibly Super Evolve Pokémon without Key Stones or Super Stones, ignoring the bond between Pokémon and Trainer.

The Orre region lacks the distinctive features of the Alola, Galar, or Paldea regions, and is not as bountiful as the earlier regions.

Perhaps, after improving the Super Evolution Wave so it no longer causes Pokémon pain, it could be applied to Orre's Gym Battles.

Become the signature feature of Orre's Gym Battles.

Whether in the Alola arc, Key Stones and Super Stones were so abundant that every Gym Leader had one, which is why Brock and Misty possessed them, remains unknown.

At any rate, it's better than nothing.

"Hmm… I wonder where Ash and the others are now; the plot probably hasn't started yet."

Baimu searched for information on the Azoth Kingdom; in the movie, the villain made the entire kingdom's wall fly up— such a massive event would surely make the news.

No search results prove it hasn't happened yet.

"I hope it's after the lessons end."

Baimu glanced at the calendar; nine days remained until Adam's lessons ended.

He pulled the Lucky Scale from his pocket, "Grant me luck~"

Though practice suggested this thing demanded a price to manifest its power, he still hoped to catch the movie.

He suddenly remembered that movie didn't just have the Super Evolution Wave—it also had a Shiny Haunter.

Crucially, that Shiny Haunter had no connection to the villain; after discovering the Super Evolution Wave device destroyed and Jarvis fallen, it slipped away.

Without a moment's hesitation.

Such a turncoat… ah no, a Pokémon who abandoned darkness for light— needs Haohaodi Sect training!