He waved his hand.
Darkness mana spread through the area.
The black impurities released by both him and Aqua were instantly vaporized.
The unpleasant smell disappeared as well.
Ash let out a tired yawn.
"I'll be going."
Both beasts looked toward him.
"My body needs rest after advancing."
He then looked at Aqua.
"As for what happened to you, I'll explain it later."
Aqua nodded absentmindedly.
She was still too busy staring at her new tail.
"Yeah..."
Ash waved goodbye.
"See you guys tomorrow."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed back toward Lusar Village.
The advancement had exhausted him far more than he expected.
By the time he reached home, his eyelids felt heavy.
Fortunately, Myra was still busy at the clinic and didn't notice anything unusual.
Ash quietly entered his room.
He closed the door behind him.
Then he practically threw himself onto the bed.
The moment his head touched the pillow, exhaustion overwhelmed him.
Within seconds, he was asleep.
Meanwhile, back at the lake, Aqua was still staring at her tail while Saber circled around her.
The Kroxy poked Aqua's tail cautiously.
"...So you're half-human and half-fish now?"
Aqua immediately smacked him with her tail.
"Shut up."
Saber was sent rolling across the shore.
Aqua looked at her tail in wonder, wondering how she is so much stronger now.
So did Saber.
"What the fuck? How come you're talking now?" he asked, completely bewildered.
Aqua blinked.
Only then did she realize what he meant.
Before, the sounds she made had been interpreted by magical beasts, but now she was speaking actual words.
"I don't know. Maybe it's because of the evolution Ash talked about," she said while examining her new body.
Then she sighed.
"It's a pity though."
Saber looked at her.
"What is?"
Aqua pointed at her tail.
"Now I can't walk on land anymore."
She was both happy and frustrated.
Her evolution had clearly made her stronger.
But being unable to move around on land freely was a serious inconvenience.
Saber scratched his chin.
"Maybe you should try turning your fish tail into human legs."
Aqua looked at him.
"What?"
"Who knows? It might work."
Aqua thought about it for a moment and nodded.
It was worth trying.
She closed her eyes and focused inward, just as she had instinctively done during her evolution.
Soon she found it.
A Deep Cyan sphere resting within her body.
"This must be the mana core Ash always talks about," she thought.
As she focused further, she noticed something else.
Surrounding the mana core was a strange stream of energy.
It resembled a beautiful symphony woven from countless threads.
Aqua stared at it in fascination.
"And this must be my life force."
For some reason, she instinctively felt that this was the answer.
Following her instincts, she gently guided her life force.
Slowly, changes began spreading through her body.
Her fish tail shimmered.
The scales shifted.
Bones and muscles restructured themselves.
After several minutes, the transformation was complete.
Aqua opened her eyes and looked down.
Her tail was gone.
In its place were two slender human legs with light pink skin.
"I did it!"
She jumped into the air in excitement.
Saber stared.
Then he nodded.
"Okay, now that your problem is solved, tell me how you evolved."
Aqua sat down and thought for a moment.
"You remember what Ash told us about mana cores, right?"
Saber nodded.
"Yeah. It's the source of our magic."
Aqua nodded.
"Before evolving, our mana cores are static."
"When we practice magic over and over again, the mana inside us keeps moving."
"The more it moves, the more active the core becomes."
She did her best to explain the concept.
Unfortunately, most of the complicated words went right over Saber's head.
The Kroxy scratched his head.
"Wait."
"So basically, I just need to keep using magic until I either evolve or collapse from exhaustion?"
Aqua paused.
Then she nodded.
"You could say that."
Saber grinned.
"Now that's something I understand."
Without another word, he jumped back into the lake.
Aqua blinked.
"What are you doing?"
Saber's voice echoed from the water.
"Training!"
"I'm not coming out until I evolve!"
Aqua could only shake her head.
Meanwhile, Saber began practicing magic like a madman.
Water mana.
Earth mana.
Again and again.
Hour after hour.
He pushed himself to his limits.
Then beyond them.
Because of his naturally powerful body and years of accumulated strength, he only needed a final push.
And Aqua's evolution had provided exactly that.
Six hours later, in the middle of the night, it happened.
A brilliant golden pillar of light erupted from the center of the lake.
The surrounding water exploded outward.
Mana surged in every direction.
Saber roared.
His body began changing.
Unlike Aqua, his evolution did not make him more human.
Instead, it pushed him toward something far more draconic.
His scales darkened and became tougher.
Two curved horns emerged from his head.
His muscles expanded dramatically.
Powerful wings burst from his back.
His face became more reptilian while still retaining a humanoid shape.
The transformation continued for several minutes.
When it finally ended, the Kroxy was gone.
Standing in his place was a towering humanoid dragon.
Golden eyes opened slowly.
Saber looked down at his new body.
Then a huge grin appeared on his face.
"Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed throughout the Life Woods.
"This is awesome!"
Aqua looked at him and nodded.
"As expected of you. You gained even more muscles. I just hope your brain improved as much as your body," she sneered while swimming gracefully around him, looking him up and down.
Saber snorted.
"Hmph. I'm still better than you. Your scales only cover half your body. Look at me—I'm completely covered."
Aqua rolled her eyes.
"Sure you are."
Then she became curious.
"So, what new abilities did you gain?"
Saber blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Aqua raised her hand.
A light-green droplet of water appeared above her palm.
"This is the bloodline ability I gained after evolving," she explained.
"I call it Mermaid's Tear."
"It can heal injuries."
Saber stared at the floating droplet.
"Really?"
"Watch."
His claws sharpened, and he made a small cut across his own arm.
Aqua guided the glowing droplet toward the wound.
The moment it touched his skin, a gentle green light spread across the injury.
Within seconds, the cut closed completely.