A blazing pillar of fire shot up from the bottom of the volcanic crater. The Moltres that had previously been defeated by Zapdos reappeared. Because it could burn its entire body in the magma within the crater to heal its wounds, Moltres had already fully recovered.
After being "reborn," Moltres emerged from the crater, cried out a few times toward Red, then turned its battle-hungry gaze toward Zapdos, clearly intending to continue their earlier fight.
"Hey! Hurry up and fight me again. I was just careless earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have lost to you!" Moltres said stubbornly, though its expression unexpectedly showed urgency.
"Sigh~ stubborn as ever. Who's going to bother with you~"
Zapdos shook its head helplessly, completely indifferent. In its eyes, Moltres was already a defeated opponent.
Having just beaten Moltres, Zapdos had no desire to fight it again, not even bothering to look up at it.
Seeing itself so blatantly dismissed, Moltres snapped. Furious, it continuously spewed flames around, venting its dissatisfaction, trying to reignite Zapdos's desire to battle.
Unfortunately, Zapdos wasn't moved at all. Instead, it rolled its eyes at Moltres as if looking at an idiot, thinking the bird in the sky was nothing more than a tantrum-throwing child. This nearly made Moltres fall from the air out of anger.
"Is this really one of the Three Sacred Birds? Why does it feel like the relationship between Pidgeot and Fearow…" Yulon Nan couldn't help but complain, even suspecting the Moltres in front of him was just a Fearow in disguise, daring to tarnish the sacred image of Moltres in his heart.
Seeing that Zapdos had no intention of continuing the fight, the still-battle-hungry Charizard prepared to step forward and engage Moltres. Just as it spread its massive wings, ready to fight, the Thousand-Year Gengar beside it hurriedly stopped it.
"Charizard, it's rare for me to gain this brand-new ability of Mega Evolution. Please let me have this Moltres and let me show off~"
Thousand-Year Gengar pleaded, puffing its lips and acting cute, looking pitifully at Charizard, whose fighting spirit was gradually fading.
This shameless behavior disgusted Charizard so much that it simply gave up on fighting Moltres. After all, it only wanted a warm-up.
"Moltres, although Zapdos doesn't want to fight you, this guy's strength will definitely satisfy you," Red said jokingly, pointing at the eager Thousand-Year Gengar.
"That's right—so satisfying you'll be stuffed!" Thousand-Year Gengar chimed in, licking its lips repeatedly, carefully taking out a Mega Stone from its body and gripping it excitedly.
"Brother Lance, do Mega Stones really have the magical ability to let Pokémon temporarily evolve?" Yulon Nan asked curiously.
"Of course. Mega Evolution was first discovered in the Kalos Region. It surpasses the current limits of Pokémon evolution—it's a higher level of evolution," Lance explained slowly, signaling Yulon Nan to lower his head and listen carefully.
Although he didn't understand why Lance specifically wanted him to lower his head, under the pressure of his cousin's authority, Yulon Nan obediently complied.
"Pokémon that undergo Mega Evolution temporarily unleash hidden power, gaining abilities unattainable through normal evolution."
"At present, this evolution only appears in specific Pokémon. Mega Evolution is a temporary state and cannot be maintained permanently."
"After Mega Evolution, a Pokémon's total base stats increase, and its type and abilities may also change."
"To use Mega Evolution in battle, two conditions must be met. First, the Trainer must carry a special item called a Key Stone, which resonates with the corresponding Mega Stone on the Pokémon. Second, there must be a deep bond between the Pokémon and the Trainer."
"However, exceptions always exist. According to the data recently uploaded by Red, powerful Pokémon can achieve Mega Evolution through their own strength. This also indirectly supports the hypothesis that Mega Evolution is actually a return to a Pokémon's original form."
After listening to Lance's explanation, Yulon Nan was about to praise his cousin's vast knowledge when he noticed that Lance had already taken out a stack of research papers and was eagerly preparing to continue explaining.
"I see… If you didn't pull out research papers right in front of me, I might admire you even more," Yulon Nan complained, turning his head to watch the impending battle between Thousand-Year Gengar and Moltres, eager to witness the brilliance of Mega Evolution.
"Boss, there's no need for a warm-up between us. Let's go straight into Mega Evolution!" Thousand-Year Gengar said excitedly, gripping the Mega Stone tightly.
"Of course. I wouldn't want to disappoint you!"
Red smiled as he pressed the Key Stone in his palm.
"Break through the shackles, return to origin! Answer my call—Gengar, Mega Evolve!"
A powerful aura erupted simultaneously from Red and Thousand-Year Gengar. The power of their bond transformed into countless strands of light, connecting their bodies, followed by a dazzling burst of evolutionary light from Thousand-Year Gengar.
"This feels amazing—I'm totally hyped!" Thousand-Year Gengar exclaimed excitedly, its mouth even trembling.
As the white light faded, the Mega-Evolved Thousand-Year Gengar revealed its brand-new form before everyone.
In its Mega-Evolved state, half of Thousand-Year Gengar's body was hidden in another dimension. Its size had increased, and sharp spikes covered various parts of its body. The lower half of its body was purplish-red, its once-pointed tail now grew spikes, and at the center of its forehead was a yellow, coin-like object with a hollow center.
What surprised Lance and Yulon Nan even more was that its skin was no longer the usual purple, but an eerie pure white.
"Pokémon: Thousand-Year Gengar (Mega Evolution Form)
Type: Ghost + Poison
Ability 1: Levitate
Ability 2: Cursed Body
Ability 3: Shadow Tag (Prevents all non-Ghost-type Pokémon without Shadow Tag from escaping, switching, or fleeing.)
Moves: Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Perish Song, Hex, Dark Pulse, Dream Eater, Psychic, Disable…
Personality: Mischievous, dislikes restraint, cares about companions' opinions
…"
"Woohoo~ I feel power surging through my whole body!" Thousand-Year Gengar shouted excitedly, preparing to fight Moltres.
"Gengar, since Moltres doesn't have a Trainer commanding it, you can fight freely this time," Red said, stepping aside to let it battle on its own.
"Got it, boss. There's no way a small fry that lost to Zapdos could be my opponent!" Thousand-Year Gengar boasted arrogantly, clearly not taking Moltres seriously—even though it carried the bloodline of one of the Three Sacred Birds.
To teach this "arrogant" Ghost-type Pokémon a lesson, Moltres decisively unleashed Flamethrower. Blazing flames burst from its beak, forming a thick pillar of fire that surged toward Thousand-Year Gengar.