Leaving the arena, the two walked along a tree-shaded path while Mashiro reintroduced himself and explained his background to Blue.
“Oh?
Inheriting a gym left behind by your parents all on your own?” Blue looked slightly surprised.
“That’s no small feat.
But I can tell you’ve got plenty of drive.
Keep it up—I’m actually rooting for you.”
He was quite interested in the “Peak Battle” format Mashiro had proposed, and as someone who always appreciated hard workers, his tone naturally carried a bit more praise.
Then, Blue changed the subject, slipping his hands into his pockets with a smile as he got down to business.
“The move your Excadrill used earlier wasn’t Earth Power at all, was it?
That had to be a brand-new move no one has ever seen before.”
“You noticed?”
“I’m a Pokémon Breeder too, you know.
If I couldn’t even tell that much, I might as well start over from learning the type chart.” Blue chuckled, shaking his head, before becoming serious again.
“Is there anything more you can share about that move?
Of course, if it’s confidential, don’t worry about it.”
“It’s fine,” Mashiro replied, not hiding too much.
Since this was a prime opportunity to build a good relationship with Blue, he explained, “Excadrill learned it from a Legendary Pokémon.
It’s essentially that Legendary Pokémon’s signature move, but Excadrill’s compatibility with it was exceptionally high, so it managed to master it.”
“Squish~”
Inside his pocket, Squishy peeked out quietly for a glance.
Blue nodded gently.
If it involved a Legendary Pokémon, it was completely normal for him not to recognize it.
He didn’t pry into the Pokémon’s identity—that kind of information was usually priceless, and even if Mashiro told him, Blue couldn’t guarantee he could ever track it down.
“Fair enough.
There really are countless mysteries left for us to discover about Pokémon,” Blue couldn’t help but sigh.
“As a researcher, the deeper I dive into understanding them, the more unfathomable they seem.
I truly hope that one day we can catch a glimpse of their true origins.”
Mashiro remained silent, though he couldn’t help but snicker internally.
*If you were actually thrown back into ancient times to search for Arceus, you probably wouldn’t enjoy it very much.*
Putting those thoughts aside, Mashiro voiced his own question.
“Mr.
Blue…”
“Just call me Blue.”
“All right.”
“Judging by your Tyranitar’s Mega Evolution earlier, you must be extremely proficient with that system, right?”
“Of course!”
“I’ve read Professor Sycamore’s papers on Mega Evolution many times over.
Every time, I can’t help but marvel at what a monumental discovery it is,” Blue said with hands in his pockets, his tone full of admiration.
“Unfortunately, there are still countless unsolved mysteries surrounding Mega Evolution.
Although Professor Sycamore believes Kalos is its birthplace, where did it truly begin?
How were the Mega Stones born?
To this day, no one can say for sure.”
“Maybe Mega Evolution didn’t originate in Kalos at all, which is why no one can figure it out,” Mashiro blurted out instinctively.
As a transmigrator, he knew with absolute certainty that the true origin of Mega Evolution was the Hoenn region three thousand years ago, and the very first Pokémon to achieve Mega Evolution was the ancient ruler of the skies—Mega Rayquaza.
However, without solid proof, he didn’t dare blabber about it now.
Hearing this contrasting viewpoint, Blue actually found himself agreeing.
“That’s certainly possible, but who can say for sure?
Personally, I hope Mega Evolution becomes more widespread.
A battle system that more Trainers can use is a truly good system.”
“Indeed!” Mashiro wholeheartedly agreed.
He recalled how in the game *Pokémon Legends: Z-A*, Mega Evolution was practically ubiquitous—not only because a certain corporation mastered mass-production technology for Key Stones, but also because events like the leakage of “Mega Energy” caused the number of various Mega Stones to surge, making them cheaper than a pair of celebrity-endorsed shoes…
Returning to the topic at hand, Mashiro asked the question he cared about most: “If I wanted to obtain a Key Stone, what should I do?”
“Hmm?” Blue only now realized that the young man in front of him wanted to learn Mega Evolution too.
Unfortunately, Mega Evolution had not yet been popularized, so both Key Stones and Mega Stones were extremely rare.
“If you want one, you could go to Professor Sycamore.
He’s been researching Mega Evolution non-stop and has plenty of Key Stones on hand.
Or you could buy one online.
Compared to Mega Stones, which are nearly impossible to find by chance, Key Stones aren’t as rare.
They can be artificially manufactured, though the current technology is still immature and the success rate is very low.”
“However…” As Blue spoke, he suddenly pulled a small box out of his satchel.
Upon opening it, two Key Stones gleamed with a distinct luster under the setting sun.
“I just happen to have two extra!”
Mashiro: “!!!”
“Haha, Professor Sycamore often asks Trainers like us who use Mega Evolution to gather data, so he gave me a few extra.
The only shame is that Mega Stones are way too hard to come by—I’ve only managed to get two so far.”
Blue sighed softly.
Aside from his Tyranitarite, he only had a Heracronite, and obtaining those required pulling strings through his grandfather, Professor Oak.
Unlike that guy Red, who could probably walk down the street and casually pick up a Charizardite—total main character treatment.
Hearing this, Mashiro’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and an idea instantly formed in his mind.
He had originally only meant to ask about ways to acquire a Key Stone, never expecting the opportunity to walk right up to his door.
“Squish!” He gently soothed Squishy, who seemed to be protesting, with his other hand.
Looking at Blue, he offered a smile.
“How about a trade?
I happen to have two Mega Stones I don’t need—Blastoisinite and Pidgeotite—and I happen to need Key Stones.”
He planned to make Mega Evolution the signature feature of his gym rather than restricting himself to a single type, using Mega Pokémon as his powerhouse lineup.
That was his true vision for the gym’s future.
Gazing at the two distinctly colored Mega Stones in Mashiro’s hand, Blue’s previously relaxed expression froze.
His breathing hitched, almost believing his own eyes were playing tricks on him.
“This…
Are these really Blastoisinite and Pidgeotite?
No…
they look completely real!”
Having thoroughly studied Professor Sycamore’s papers, Blue was intimately familiar with the forty-plus discovered Mega Evolution forms.
He carefully examined the spiral light patterns within the stones, confirming that these were genuine Mega Stones.
Blastoise and Pidgeot were ace Pokémon that had accompanied him for years.
Knowing they could take another step forward without being able to reach it had been an agonizing feeling.
Now, someone was standing right in front of him with the exact Mega Stones for those two Pokémon.
“…”
Mashiro actually wanted to complain himself about why his quest rewards had been these two specific stones.
Perhaps it was because the quest was related to Blue, and these two happened to be his iconic partners.
“Well?
What do you say?” Mashiro asked again.
“No problem!
I’ll take both!”
“Great!” Mashiro handed the two Mega Stones over without hesitation, seemingly uncaring about their current astronomical market value.
Blue solemnly accepted the Mega Stones, then handed the two Key Stones over to Mashiro, his tone sincere.
“I owe you a huge favor.
Even though two Key Stones might barely match the market price of one Mega Stone, trading Key Stones for precious, priceless items like Mega Stones is taking far too much advantage of you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Mashiro didn’t mind.
These items were useless to him at the moment, so trading them for more immediately valuable resources was a far better deal.
Besides, he understood a fundamental truth:
The Pokémon world ran on personal favors and relationships!