After Astrid successfully captured Mawile, Angie extended an invitation to Solrock.
"Solrock, would you like to come with me?"
Solrock was taken aback by the offer. It glanced at its companions, seeing them all nodding encouragingly. After a brief moment of hesitation, it nodded in agreement and floated to Angie's side.
Seeing this, Lunatone's gaze flickered with a hint of loss and envy.
It had always been with Solrock. Now that Solrock was leaving, what would happen to it?
Angie noticed its expression and hesitated for a moment. In the end, he extended an invitation to Lunatone as well.
"Lunatone, would you like to come too?"
Not capturing Lunatone after capturing Solrock would have been unbearable for Angie's sense of balance.
Since he had the means to take care of both, he might as well bring them along as a pair.
Upon hearing Angie's words, Lunatone's eyes lit up. It nodded excitedly and floated next to Solrock. The two Pokémon exchanged glances, their eyes filled with joy.
Not having to part was truly a relief.
With the Pokémon they wanted now captured, Angie and Astrid bid farewell to the others. The Pokémon reluctantly said their goodbyes to the two trainers, as well as to Mawile, Solrock, and Lunatone.
As they were escorted to the cave's exit, Angie and Astrid turned to the Pokémon and said, "Well then, everyone, see you again."
Solrock, Lunatone, and Mawile, their eyes brimming with tears, bid their companions farewell.
With the farewells complete, Angie and Astrid returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls. Then, they released Braviary and Mandibuzz and mounted them.
By now, the sun was setting. The two Flying-type Pokémon carried Angie and Astrid into the sky, soaring into the sunset as they waved goodbye to the Pokémon below.
By the time they returned to Ambrette Town, the sky had already darkened.
After returning Braviary and Mandibuzz, Angie asked Astrid, "I'm staying at the Pokémon Center. What about you?"
"I'm staying at a hotel," Astrid replied.
"Looks like we're not heading the same way, so I guess this is where we part," Angie said.
"See you tomorrow," Astrid said.
Angie nodded. "See you tomorrow."
With that, they parted ways and headed to their respective accommodations.
Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, the first thing Angie did was take his Pokémon to dinner.
After releasing his Pokémon, he introduced the new members to Tyrunt and Magearna. "These are Solrock, Lunatone, and Honedge, who have just joined us. From now on, we're all teammates, so let's look out for each other."
"Magearna~"
Magearna greeted the three new Pokémon warmly.
Solrock, Lunatone, and Honedge responded with friendly greetings in return.
"Tyrunt~ Tyrunt~"
The lively and energetic Tyrunt, who had been cooped up for too long, immediately started rolling around in excitement the moment it was let out.
Angie quickly took out its chew stick from his system storage. With the chew stick to keep it occupied, Tyrunt immediately calmed down.
Once everyone was familiar with each other, Angie said, "Alright, let's eat! You must all be hungry."
"Munchlax~"
"Tyrunt~"
Munchlax and Tyrunt eagerly nodded.
Angie promptly distributed the food to everyone, and the Pokémon immediately began feasting with great enthusiasm.
For Solrock, Lunatone, and Honedge, it was their first time tasting human-made food, and they were instantly captivated by its deliciousness.
The food at the Ambrette Town Pokémon Center was quite good.
Seeing everyone eat with such satisfaction, Angie's face lit up with a "kindly" smile.
Oh, right! Angie suddenly remembered that he hadn't checked Honedge's stats yet!
According to Chandelure, the Honedge that had followed him and Astrid had been carefully selected—it was said to be the most outstanding young member of the Aegislash clan. He wondered if that was really true.
With that thought, Angie activated his Eye of Observation skill.
...
[ Honedge (Everstone) ]
Type: Steel, Ghost
Ability: No Guard
Gender: Female
Level: 48
Moves: Fury Cutter, Shadow Sneak, Autotomize, Aerial Ace, Metal Sound, Slash, Revenge, Night Slash, Iron Defense, Iron Head, Swords Dance, Sacred Sword, Wide Guard.
...
[ Individual Value (IVs) ]
HP: 31
Attack: 31
Defense: 29
Special Attack: 31
Special Defense: 27
Speed: 31
...
After reading the stats, Angie was completely stunned. Saying this was "good" was an understatement.
Its level was a staggering 48, it had learned a comprehensive set of moves, and among its six IVs, four were maxed out, with only Defense and Special Defense slightly lower but still quite high.
But why was it holding an Everstone? No wonder it hadn't evolved despite reaching level 48.
Normally, a Honedge would meet the conditions to evolve around level 35.
Thinking about it, Angie asked directly, "Honedge, why are you holding an Everstone? Is there a special reason?"
"Honedge~ Honedge~"
Honedge who is still eating, floated up to answer him.
It explained that both it and Astrid's Honedge had been specially raised by their clan for trial challengers. To prevent them from evolving before meeting their destined trainers, Chandelure had given them Everstones.
The reason they had learned so many moves was due to careful guidance from their fellow clan members.
Since they had been chosen, the elders of the clan had been extremely strict with them, striving to make them strong enough to protect their future partners.
Despite still being in their basic forms, they were actually quite old.
However, they had waited a long time without finding trial challengers, making the elders very anxious. All of them had been eager to finish their trials, fulfill their promise to the king, and then live freely.
Because they could wait no longer, Chandelure had deliberately thrown the key to the ruins outside, which was how Astrid had found it during her adventure in the Glittering Cave.
After hearing Honedge's explanation, Angie was dumbfounded. "So we were able to enter the ruins because of Chandelure's plan?"
"Honedge~"
Honedge nodded.
These Ghost-type Pokémon were way too clever! Angie couldn't help but be amazed.
"Do you want to remove the Everstone now?" Angie asked.
"Honedge~"
Can I?
Honedge looked at him expectantly.
"Of course, whenever you want. I respect your choice," Angie assured.
"Honedge~ Honedge~~"
Take it off! Take it off!
Honedge excitedly flipped through the air.
"Where's your Everstone? I'll help you remove it," Angie asked.
"Honedge~ Honedge~"
Honedge floated closer to Angie, revealing the spot where it had hidden the Everstone.
Only then did Angie notice a small slot in Honedge's sheath, where a stone was tightly wedged—it was indeed an Everstone.
As soon as he removed it, a brilliant light radiated from Honedge's body.
It was the light of evolution.
Wrapped in radiant light, Doublade's form was rapidly changing, transforming from a single sword into a pair of twin blades crossing each other.
This was Doublade, the evolved form of Honedge.
"Doublade~ Doublade~"
Having evolved, Doublade was overjoyed. It eagerly unsheathed itself, slashing back and forth in the air, with flashes of cold light trailing behind.
Due to its Shiny coloration, Angie's Doublade looked different from an ordinary one.
A normal Doublade had white blades, pink eyes, and light purple ribbons with pink ends.
However, Angie's Shiny Doublade had deep red blades, yellow eyes, and dark purple ribbons with yellow ends.
Angie quickly said, "Doublade, come back and eat. This is a public place—be careful not to hurt anyone."
"Doublade~"
Hearing this, Doublade swiftly returned to continue its meal.
At this moment, Munchlax approached Angie and pointed at the Everstone in his hand.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Angie asked in confusion, "You want this Everstone?"
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax nodded.
Angie was puzzled. "Why do you want it? Don't tell me you don't want to evolve either?"
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Munchlax shook his head, indicating that he was still in training. He wanted to evolve only when he reached a level of mastery that satisfied him.
Of course, there was another reason—he knew that after evolving, his body would become massive. He wouldn't be able to snuggle into his master's arms or sleep in the same bed anymore.
He wanted to stay in his current form for a little longer and spend more time with his master.
By wearing the Everstone, he could accumulate strength and evolve whenever he wished.
Angie didn't know what Munchlax considered a "satisfactory level," but since he was so determined, he didn't object.
He pinched Munchlax's cheek and said, "Alright, whatever you want!" With that, he placed the Everstone in Munchlax's hand.
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax happily tucked the Everstone into his thick fur before trotting back to eat.
Munchlax's fur was like Gengar's belly—it could store anything.
Afterward, Angie checked the data of Solrock and Lunatone, which turned out to be quite normal—just at the level of ordinary wild Pokémon.
But Angie didn't mind. After all, he didn't intend for them to battle.
After dinner, Angie took his Pokémon for a walk outside, watched some battles in the Pokémon Center's backyard, and finally returned to his room.
He then video-called his Pokémon at home for a while before finally going to bed.
The next morning, Angie and his Pokémon met up with Astrid at a breakfast café for a meal together.
When Astrid saw that Angie's Honedge had evolved into Doublade, she was shocked.
"How did your Honedge evolve overnight?"
Angie smirked mysteriously. "Want to know the secret?"
Astrid eagerly nodded, her eyes full of anticipation. "Of course! Tell me!"
"Hmm… What should I do? It's a secret, you know. I don't just tell anyone." Angie teased.
Frustrated, Astrid smacked him. "Spill it!"
Seeing that she was getting impatient, Angie finally relented. "Our Honedge were already at a high enough level to evolve. They just had Everstones equipped. The moment we removed the Everstones, they evolved instantly."
"Huh???" Astrid widened her eyes in surprise and turned to her Honedge. "Is that true?"
"Honedge~ Honedge~"
Honedge nodded.
With Angie's help, Astrid removed the Everstone from her Honedge, and sure enough, it evolved into Doublade.
Using his Eye of Observation, Angie checked Astrid's Doublade and found that it was nearly identical to his in stats and moves.
Since both of them planned to leave Ambrette Town in the afternoon, they decided to explore a bit after breakfast.
Their first stop was the town's famous aquarium.
Inside, they saw all kinds of Water-type Pokémon—schools of Luvdisc, ancient Relicanth that had survived since prehistoric times, and even deep-sea Pokémon like Kingdra.
They also visited the Poké Mart, where both Angie and Astrid bought Eviolites for their Doublade.
To evolve into Aegislash, Doublade needed a Dusk Stone, but neither of them planned to evolve theirs just yet. The Eviolite was the perfect held item for them.
Doublade already had high Attack, and its Defense stat was an astonishing 150. With an Eviolite, it would become even more formidable. The purchase was well worth it.
After buying the Eviolites, they walked out of the Poké Mart, chatting and laughing with their Pokémon.
Just then, a young man suddenly appeared before them, looking directly at Astrid.
"Excuse me, are you Astrid?"
Astrid nodded. "Yes, that's me. Do you need something?" She looked at the tall, handsome young man in confusion.
Angie and Astrid both noticed the Mega Ring on his wrist, with a Key Stone embedded in it.
The young man introduced himself. "My name is Alain. I'm here to challenge you."
Astrid blinked. "Challenge me?" She couldn't help but wonder—am I really that famous now?
"You have Mega Evolution, don't you?" Alain asked directly.
Hearing that, Astrid immediately understood.
So that's what this is about—a Mega Evolution challenge.
Never one to back down, she nodded. "Alright, I accept your challenge!"
Then she asked in confusion, "But how did you know I was in Ambrette Town?"
Alain replied, "A video of your battle here was uploaded online. I happened to see it, and since I was nearby, I decided to come check it out."
Astrid nodded in realization. "So that's how it is." She had indeed had a battle in town before.
With how advanced online networks and communication had become, it wasn't surprising that someone had uploaded footage of her battle.
Since Ambrette Town didn't have an official battle arena, Astrid and Alain moved to an open grassy field outside the town where they could fight without restrictions.
Angie was asked to be the temporary referee.
"If both sides are ready, then send out your Pokémon!" The temporary referee, Angie, called out loudly.
As Angie's words fell, both trainers simultaneously pulled out their Poké Balls and released their Pokémon.
There was no surprise on Astrid's side—it was an Absol.
As for Alain, his choice was Charizard.
Seeing the Mega Stone embedded in the collar around Charizard's neck, both Angie and Astrid immediately had a moment of realization.
From the moment Alain had suggested that Astrid use Mega Evolution, they had suspected that he, too, possessed a Mega Stone.
Speaking of Alain, his identity was far from simple.
He was formerly the assistant of Professor Sycamore, a renowned Pokémon Professor in the Kalos region.
And Professor Sycamore was a pioneer and leading authority in the study of Mega Evolution in Kalos.
To aid the professor in researching Mega Evolution, Alain set out on a journey with his Charmander, traveling across various ruins in search of more Mega Stones.
Throughout his journey, both he and Charmander grew stronger, and eventually, Charmander evolved into Charizard.
During this time, Alain met a person who altered his resolve—the famous Kalos entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was also the leader of Team Flare, Lysandre.
Afterward, Alain severed contact with Professor Sycamore and became one of Lysandre's subordinates. Following Lysandre's orders, he traveled across the regions, seeking out trainers with Mega Stones, battling them, and collecting Mega Evolution energy.
The Key Stone in Alain's possession, as well as Charizard's Mega Stone, were both given to him by Lysandre.
Of course, Alain was unaware of Lysandre's ambition to destroy the world and create a new one. He simply believed that Lysandre wanted to study Mega Evolution and that Lysandre could help him grow stronger.
Angie didn't recognize Alain nor did he know that Alain was affiliated with Lysandre, so he still thought of him as just an ordinary trainer.
"Then, let the battle begin!" Seeing that both Pokémon had been sent out, Angie announced loudly.
As soon as Angie's words fell, Astrid was the first to take action, commanding Absol to launch an attack on Charizard.
"Absol, Psycho Cut!"
"Absol—!"
With a fierce roar, Absol swung its curved horn, sending a massive purple blade slashing toward Charizard.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Alain commanded in response.
"Charizard—!"
Charizard let out a roar, flapping its wings to ascend into the air, dodging Absol's Psycho Cut before opening its mouth and unleashing a pillar of flames toward Absol.
"Absol, Double Team!" Astrid shouted.
"Absol—!"
Absol's body flickered, multiplying into over a dozen identical clones.
Without missing a beat, Astrid called out again, "Psycho Cut!"
Immediately, all the Absols swung their horns, launching multiple purple energy blades at Charizard from different angles.
Alain shouted, "Charizard, Dragon Claw!"
"Charizard—!"
Charizard spread its arms, its claws instantly enveloped in a massive green energy aura.
With swift and powerful movements, Charizard slashed with its claws, shattering the incoming Psycho Cut attacks one after another.
With the initial exchanges complete, Alain turned to Astridand said, "Let's stop holding back and fight seriously!"
Astrid smirked. "Just what I was thinking!"
She reached for the Key Stone embedded in her right-ear earring and placed her fingers on it. "Absol, unleash your power—Mega Evolve!"
At the same time, Alain pressed his index and middle fingers against his Key Stone. "Respond to my heart, Key Stone! Surpass evolution—Mega Evolution!"
As their voices rang out, a brilliant rainbow light burst forth from both trainers' Key Stones, as well as from Absol's and Charizard's Mega Stones. The light completely enveloped both Pokémon.
Within the dazzling radiance, their forms underwent dramatic transformations.
As the glow faded, Mega Absol and Mega Charizard stood before them, ready for battle.