The room was ablaze with intense white light, the temperature of the distorted space rising higher and higher, the air surging and steaming like boiling water.
The next second, three figures appeared out of thin air in the center of the light, like fish leaping from the water.
As the blinding white light faded, the outlines of the three figures gradually became clear.
It was Steven, along with his Shiny Metagross and a Psychic Earth Puppet with strange patterns.
"Steven?!"
"You…you came here directly?"
Lionel had already guessed something the moment he saw the spatial fluctuations, but he never expected Steven to appear in such a direct way.
Steven's so-called "in person" was actually directly using Claydol's teleportation to traverse an unknown distance and arrive at his hotel room!
That was too sudden!
Steven raised his hand and patted Claydol 's head. He explained with a smile:
"How can talking about it through a screen compare to seeing it in person?
Besides, this surprise is only truly special if you witness it firsthand."
Metagross beside him began to appear, and upon seeing Lionel's Metagross, it emitted a soft glow, shook its metal back amicably, and let out a low 'sing'.
Lionel's Metagross also opened its eyes and responded in kind. With a soft "hear," the two immediately drew closer, exchanging friendly greetings.
Claydol hovered quietly to the side.
The light that had been flowing across its surface had noticeably faded, clearly indicating that the long-distance teleportation had consumed a significant amount of its energy.
Lionel, finally recovering from his shock, quickly invited Steven to sit down, then rummaged through his backpack on the bed and passed a high-grade energy cube to Claydol.
After all, it was a "hero."
Claydol tilted its head, its gaze first fixed on the energy cube, then shifting to Steven, as if waiting for permission.
Steven smiled. He nodded.
Upon receiving permission, the psychic clay figure immediately and cheerfully stepped forward, using its psychic powers to roll up the energy cube, making small, soft sounds, a satisfied expression on its face.
"Steven, the surprise you mentioned is…"
Lionel couldn't suppress his curiosity, his gaze fixed on Steven, his tone full of anticipation.
Steven smiled mysteriously, not answering immediately, but instead, he took an object from his pocket.
It was a pure white bracelet, made of what appeared to be some kind of special alloy, cool and smooth to the touch.
In the very center of the bracelet was a multicolored glass bead. Inside the bead, a flowing light seemed to slowly roLizaa, emitting a soft and mysterious luster.
"This is…"
Lionel's gaze was instantly drawn to the bracelet, a strong sense of familiarity welling up within him.
The style of this bracelet was clearly similar to the head ornaments worn by the meteor dwellers in the Meteor Falls murals.
Only, this one was more exquisite, revealing the ingenuity of modern craftsmanship in every detail.
"Doesn't it look familiar?"
Steven noticed his confusion and explained, holding the bracelet:
"This is the result of the League's research over the past few days, a Mega Evolution Bracelet. It's ready for mass production."
Lionel suddenly understood.
"And that's not all, there's something else...
that was also successfully researched the day before yesterday..."
Steven continued, his smile growing even brighter, and he carefully took out a precious gem from another pocket.
It was a crystal about the size of a thumb, its overall color a mix of blue and white, like a deep sea covered in ice and snow, with a yellow and white leaf-shaped pattern in the center.
A faint energy fluctuation emanated from within the crystal, causing the Metagross beside Lionel to involuntarily take a step forward, its red pupils fixed on the crystal.
The moment Lionel saw this black crystal, his breath hitched, his heart pounding as if it were being squeezed by a giant... An invisible hand intervened.
His heart pounded wildly, his blood seemed to rush at that moment, making his face flush.
Because in his mind, the system space had automatically displayed the information about this crystal:
[Item Name: Mega Evolution Stone (Metagross)]
[Item Function: When used with a Key Stone, it allows Metagross to Mega Evolve]
"Metagross's... Mega Evolution Stone?!"
Lionel's voice trembled, his eyes wide and bulging, staring intently at the blue-white crystal in Steven's hand, almost unable to believe his eyes.
He hadn't expected to see Metagross's Mega Evolution Stone so soon. The League could even create Mega Evolution Stones already.
"Did you?"
You know, Lance originally only had the Mega Stones for Aerodatyl, Gyrados and Charizard.
But then he thought about it again and felt it made sense.
It had been almost two months since the secret of Mega Evolution was revealed.
Under the coordination of Chairman Goodshow, researchers from the four regions devoted themselves to research and development, combining clues from the Meteor Falls murals with modern technology to develop a new Mega Stone for Pokémon. It was a natural progression.
"Yes, it's Metagross's Mega Stone."
Steven's smile carried a hint of pride. He raised the Mega Stone in his hand and pointed to the matching white bracelet on his wrist;
"Come on, let me show you the true power of Mega Evolution. Metagross, are you ready?" "
The Shiny Metagross beside him let out a low growl, its red pupils blazing with intense light, clearly unable to contain itself any longer.
Daiwu put on his evolution ring, slowly bringing the Mega Stone in his hand closer to the Key Stone, chanting:
"Let the light of the stone become our bond, Metagross, Mega Evolve!"
"First!"
The Mega Stone and the Key Stone simultaneously erupted with dazzling light, transforming into a torrent of brilliant energy that instantly enveloped the Shiny Metagross.
The Pokémon in the room were all stunned by this powerful energy:
Milotic's tail tightened slightly, Larvesta.'s eyes widened, while the two Vulpixes hid behind Lionel, only their fuzzy sacs peeking out, watching with curiosity and timidity. A flash of white light.
The Metagross stared intently at the pillar of light, its eyes reflecting the dazzling brilliance.
Its body trembled with excitement, and it emitted a low, chanting sound.
It was a yearning from the depths of its soul.
The energy within the pillar of light grew increasingly violent, and the faint, ear-piercing sound of metal rubbing together could be heard. As the light gradually shifted, the Metagross's body underwent a dramatic transformation.
Its size expanded and grew at a visible rate.
Its already enormous body became even more robust, and the cross mark on its body changed from golden to a deep blue.
As the blue light of the cross mark surged, an extremely terrifying wave of psychic power spread out like a tsunami, freezing the air in the entire room, even the light seemed to dim. A slight twist occurred.
Under the influence of this astonishing psychic power, the Super Metagross slowly levitated, completely freeing itself from dependence on the ground.
Even more astonishingly, its four metallic arms were growing and thickening wildly.
The original metallic arms became as thick as battering rams, extending to its front, their massive claws gleaming with a sharp luster, seemingly capable of tearing anything apart.
Behind it, four smaller metallic arms slowly extended, encircling its back and forming an impenetrable defensive barrier.
Including the four massive golden arms in front, it now possessed eight metallic arms.
The white light gradually faded, and a completely new, steel fortress-like Pokemon appeared in the forest. Before him:
[Pokémon: Mega Metagross]
[Type: Steel, Psychic]
[Category: Definite Pokémon]
[Ability: Hard Claws (Possesses terrifyingly hard claws, greatly increasing the power of close-range attacks.)]
[Moves: Thunderbolt, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Starburst Belt, Aura Boost, Explosion, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact.....]
The Mega Metagross's stats clearly appeared before Lionel's eyes.
Its ability had changed from "Clean Frame" to "Hard Claws," and just from the name, one could feel its unyielding offensive desire.
Eight metal arms each performed their function: the forearms were for offense, the hind arms for hammer defense, and with that terrifying Blade, the Mega Metagross at this moment... It was undoubtedly a perfect fighting machine.
The Metagross beside Lionel's eyes gleamed, its gaze fixed on Steven's Shiny Mega Metagross, its body emitting a series of booming sounds.
The Mega Metagross's hovering posture, its imposing eight arms, and its almost overflowing power all stirred its heart.
So, it could possess such a form!
Larvesta was already stunned, its little head tilted back slightly, its mouth agape.
It never dreamed that Metagross could evolve, and such a cool evolution at that. How many ornaments could those eight metal Hands hold?
Larvesta stared at Mega Metagross's eight massive metal arms, its eyes gradually losing focus.
"How about that? This is the power of Mega Evolution."
Steven's voice carried a hint of intimacy as he gently stroked Mega Metagross's body:
"After Mega Evolution, Metagross's Psychic power increases exponentially, allowing it to easily levitate and become immune to Ground-type moves like Earthquake.
Combined with its two pairs of giant golden claws in front and two pairs of smaller golden arms behind, it's practically invincible."
Mega Metagross lowered its head, gently nuzzling Steven with its head, letting out a gentle cry, a stark contrast to its previous ferocious aura.
Steven looked at the undisguised longing in Lionel and his Metagross's eyes, his smile deepening.
He took out another set of items from his inner pocket.
It was another blue and white Mega Evolution Stone, and a snow-white bracelet identical to the one from before.
Clearly, it had been prepared beforehand.
"Here, this is for you." He handed the box to Lionel, his eyes gleaming with encouragement.
"Want to try it too? It might be a little difficult the first time, but you can get a feel for it. I'll have my Mega Metagross guide you; it will transfer the control over evolution energy to your Metagross."
Lionel took the box, and the moment his fingertips touched the Mega Stone, a familiar energy wave traveled from his fingertips, resonating strongly with the Metagross beside him.
The Metagross let out a low, excited growl, its red eyes widening, staring intently at the Mega Stone, its body leaning slightly forward—it was urging him on.
Steven's Mega Metagross slowly approached, hovering in front of Lionel's Metagross, two blue psychic waves emanating from the cross marks on their foreheads, weaving into an invisible net in the air.
Lionel could clearly feel the two Metagross...
They were communicating using telekinesis, discussing the energy flow during Mega Evolution, the details of physical changes, and how to synchronize with the trainer's motivational guidance…
Countless pieces of information flowed like streams from Steven's Mega Metagross to Lionel's Metagross.
Lionel's Metagross had its eyes closed, its body trembling slightly, and the light in its red nozzles flickering, clearly processing this information rapidly.
After a short while, it suddenly opened its eyes, nodded vigorously at Lionel, and let out a firm cry.
"Ready."
"Then let's begin." Lionel took a deep breath, held the Mega Stone in his palm, and put on the white bracelet.
He mimicked Steven's actions, slowly bringing the Mega Stone closer to the Key Stone on the bracelet. Sunlight locked onto the Metagross beside him, and he silently recited the bond between them.
Just as the Mega Stone and Key Stone touched, two dazzling lights erupted simultaneously.
In an instant, a blurry Metagross shadow suddenly appeared in Lionel's sea of consciousness, the shadow tightly connected to his consciousness, carrying a warm and powerful force.
He could feel it; it was the soul of his Metagross.
Writing was its will to become stronger.
"Approach it…"
A voice rang in Lionel's mind, indistinguishable whether it was his own thought or Metagross's inner voice.
He obediently extended his consciousness closer to the shadow, and the shadow seemed to sense something, slowly moving towards him.
The instant their consciousnesses gently touched, a surge of immense energy erupted from the point of contact, flowing into Metagross's body through the psychic bond.
"--!"
A burst of light erupted, bathing the entire room in dazzling white.
Lionel's Metagross let out a deafening roar within the light, its body beginning to change at a visible speed:
Its size expanded wildly, its four metal arms became incredibly thick, and the smaller metal arm on its back unfolded like a flower bud. The cross mark on his forehead turned a deep, damp blue…
The entire process was fluid and natural, without the slightest hesitation, as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times.
As the light gradually faded, a colossal steel beast, almost identical to Steven's super Metagross, hovered in the center of the room.
Its eight metal limbs slightly opened, and psychic energy rippled outwards like a tide, causing the air to ripple.
It looked down at Lionel, its red pupils filled with affection and excitement, and uttered a gentle "roar."
[Pokémon: Mega Metagross]
[Type: Steel/Psychic]
[Category: Fast-Foot Pokémon]
[Ability: Hard Claw]
[Moves:]
The system panel refreshed as scheduled. Lionel looked at the imposing Mega Metagross before him, speechless with excitement.