"Wigglytuff!"
"Wiggly!"
Joseph strode forward, embracing Wigglytuff, who had rushed toward him in return.
Sato was surprised. He hadn't expected Wigglytuff to make its way to the Pokémon Center on its own, waiting for Joseph.
However, this was actually a useful tactic.
He could teach Zoroark and the others that if they ever got separated, they should go to a Pokémon Center. With his ties to the Joy family, it would make things even easier.
All this time, Sato and Joseph had been searching in Viridian Forest, yet Wigglytuff had just turned up here. At least it was found; clearly, Joseph and Wigglytuff shared a strong bond.
Now that the long-missing Wigglytuff had been located, Joseph could finally continue toward Indigo Plateau without further delay.
While waiting for their Pokémon to recover, Sato took the chance to contact Lilian Joy, checking on the progress of collecting Mega Stones.
Without hesitation, Lilian Joy sent over two more Mega Stones.
After testing them out, Sato could only sigh in disappointment. He had no choice but to send them back, the Dark Energy within him didn't react to either of these stones.
So far, he had examined at least five different Mega Stones, but the only one that had responded was the first one he ever tried.
Sato began to suspect that Dark Energy might only react to Mega Stones related to Dark-type Pokémon.
Otherwise, if he ruled out Pokémon that fell under the detection range of his Dark Energy: Dark, Psychic, Bug, Fighting, Fairy, and Ghost; then nearly half of all Mega Evolution candidates would be excluded. Yet, somehow, none of the four stones he had received fit within this scope?
Sato didn't believe his luck was that bad…
Maybe it was time to check in with Lance!
----
"Sato, you big jerk!"
A sharp voice suddenly burst through the phone speaker, making Sato's ears ring.
"…Where's your cousin?"
"My cousin, my cousin! What, you can't even bother to check in on your old friends? Don't forget, you're part of the Brave Fights the Evil Dragon Adventure team too! -BFED.AT-. Tell me, when was the last time you fought alongside us?"
On the other side of the screen, Clair stood with her arms crossed, scolding Sato at full volume.
"I already told your cousin, I'm entering the Gym Leader Qualification Tournament next month." Sato pulled the phone away from his ear, frowning as he spoke.
"You only told my cousin? Do you think I wouldn't care? I'm competing too, you know!"
"You?" Sato raised an eyebrow. He knew that Clair would eventually inherit Blackthorn Gym, but wasn't it a bit too soon for that?
Not every rookie trainer had a head start like Sato did.
"You're looking down on me, aren't you? Hmph! I'm telling you, I'm mad now!"
"Oh... Where's your cousin?"
"Arghhh! My cousin went to Mt. Silver! Here, this is the stone he wanted me to give you! Hmph!"
Fuming, Clair ruffled her hair in frustration before transmitting a Mega Stone over to Sato, then immediately hung up.
Sato shrugged. He was used to this.
Right now, Clair was just a loud, impatient kid. She was a far cry from the powerful Gym Leader she would one day become in Johto.
But as the Mega Stone finished transferring, Sato's eyes lit up with excitement once more.
A Mega Stone for a Dark-type Pokémon!
After patiently waiting for another half hour, Sato collected his Pokémon from Nurse Joy and released Houndoom and Sharpedo.
As soon as Sato held out the Mega Stone Lance had sent, Sharpedo showed no reaction at all... but Houndoom's gaze locked onto it in an instant!
There was hope!
Sato's heart raced. He quickly recalled Sharpedo, exchanged a brief word with Joseph, then rushed off toward the outskirts of town.
----
"This should be far enough," Sato murmured as he arrived at a secluded area, scanning the surroundings.
"Umbreon, Zoroark, stay alert and keep watch. No one gets close... not even Joseph."
"Um-bre!"
"Zor!"
Umbreon and Zoroark nodded solemnly. While they "like" Joseph's presence, their loyalty was first and foremost to Sato.
"Houndoom, we're going to try something new."
"Awooo!"
The moment Houndoom saw the Mega Stone, it had already sensed something. It nodded seriously, eyes locked onto Sato.
"This Mega Stone… can you feel the energy inside?"
Sato brought the stone closer to Houndoom.
"Grr…"
Houndoom locked its eyes onto the Mega Stone, its body beginning to glow faintly with intertwined red and black energy. At the same time, the Mega Stone radiated the same colored light!
"Houndoom, listen carefully. I'm telling you now, you have the potential to evolve even further. And that potential lies in this Mega Stone and the Key Stone!" Sato explained as he pulled out the Trainer's Key Stone.
"It's said that when a Trainer and their Pokémon achieve perfect synchronization, the Pokémon, while holding its matching Mega Stone. And the Trainer, while wielding the Key Stone, can merge their strength, allowing the Pokémon to evolve once more!"
"Awoo!" Houndoom's eyes gleamed darkly. It now understood that another evolution was within its reach. No Pokémon would turn away from the chance to grow stronger!
"Let's… give it a try!"
"AWOOO!"
Sato placed the Mega Stone into a special case and fastened it securely onto Houndoom.
Meanwhile, he grasped the Key Stone in his own hand, putting some distance between himself and Houndoom.
Trainer and Pokémon locked eyes, sensing an unseen force of connection forming between them.
The surroundings fell eerily silent, as if every other sound had vanished, leaving only the beating of their hearts.
A breeze swept by…
For a brief moment, Sato felt as if he could see the deep yearning within Houndoom's heart: The desire to grow even stronger.
And at the same time, Houndoom seemed to sense Sato's determination: To become one with him, to reach new heights together!
"MEGA EVOLUTION!"
Sato unconsciously tightened his grip on the Key Stone as he instinctively called out.
In the next instant, blinding multicolored light burst forth from both the Mega Stone and the Key Stone, forming radiant beams of energy.
The light streams from the Mega Stone and Key Stone converged, and a second dazzling explosion of color engulfed Houndoom completely, forming a massive sphere of energy.
At that moment, Sato felt a surge of power flowing from the Key Stone, slowly transferring into Houndoom.
And in turn, a fraction of Houndoom's energy traveled back through the Mega Stone, reaching Sato.
This energy had no tangible effect, but it allowed their consciousness to remain in sync!
The glowing sphere expanded, and from within, two sharp, white bone-like horns emerged first.
Next, a heavy, bone-plated armor fully encased Houndoom's vulnerable neck!
As the radiance gradually faded, a tall, fearsome, and highly aggressive-looking Houndoom stood before him!
"AWOOO!"
Houndoom howled toward the sky, an overwhelming aura surging from its body in an instant!
Pseudo-Elite Four!
The newly Mega-Evolved Houndoom lowered its gaze toward Sato, now towering over him.
Once again, Trainer and Pokémon locked eyes, mirroring the moment before their transformation.
One second… Five seconds… Ten seconds… A full minute passed.
Then, Houndoom lowered its head, obediently allowing Sato to place his hand on it.
"Congratulations, Houndoom!"
"Awoo~"