Edit(ed) by: Andrizzi
"ADAM!"
Getting shocked out of my stupor, I looked up, realizing that Lino was standing in front of me.
"Are you okay? You are staring into nothing," he asked, sitting back down on his chair.
Looking around, I realized we were in the cafeteria, after math if I'm reading the clock correctly.
"Sorry, I was kind of distracted."
Recreating the mental separation between my two bodies as I did when I fought myself back at the ranch, I found I could concentrate better on Lino. I knew I was explaining things to Skylar as Kyo, but it was now not something at the forefront of 'my' mind.
I was still suspicious of my ability to do so and would prefer multitasking everything, but that was not something I could do yet.
"I noticed. I wanted to give you this," he said, handing me a letter.
Opening it, I found it to be an invitation from his father to meet him at their house this afternoon to talk about things.
He also asked me to bring Kyoyhoa with me, as he wanted to know if the stones worked. Only after reading this, I realized I haven't tried what would count as a 'normal' mega evolution yet.
Whoops.
The mega evolution has… side effects.
When I used it, a small amount is flowing back into 'Adam', and 'I' had to inhibit that flow of power to prevent the white lines on my hand turning 'my' entire arm into a white and black one.
I'm sure you all have seen an absol in mega form before? Then I'll put this short(-ish).
The wings seem to be fake. I can move them around, and they are surprisingly dense, though. When 'Adam' used a psycho-cut on them, they did not part, and I assumed they could tank some damage on it, but I wouldn't want to bet on that.
My horn becomes stronger, as well. I cannot use stronger attacks with it, but faster, as the new form increases the power output.
After I checked the differences to my default form, I felt around in the wings, and to my surprise, there was more than just fur. There was also a small amount of psychic energy running through them, keeping them in their shape and moving them around.
Remembering how most of my energy stayed in my body while transforming, I tried to turn into a humanoid pokémon again. It worked, but the wings on my back became way larger than they were before in relation to my body, their tips extending below my waist.
They also were brimming with psychical energy, and when I pressed my fur-covered hand against them, I could feel said hand. Going through the wings, I could actually 'feel' muscles, made entirely of psionic energy.
However, that energy was, as I said before, only part of my body. When I tried to fire a psycho-cut from my hand, it had once again way less strength, as 'Adams' attacks do.
As before, a human or humanoid form allowed me way higher control, but at the drawback of having significantly less power at my disposal. The increased power output of my transformed horn was helpful, but it only got me back to around a third of my original power, while I had in my fully human forms access to a bit less than a tenth of my power.
But that meant my attacks were smaller, and it hurt way more to get hit by a sharp, thin edge than a broad, heavy one. All in all, my attacks had the same effect on enemies in both forms.
"{Skylar?}" I asked, having sensed her nearby. I raised an eyebrow. It seemed that with increased control came an increased sixth sense, for whatever reason.
{Are you – what did you do now?} she asked after seeing me.
"{Mega evolution.}"
"Has interesting effects on her humanoid form, though."
{Did you just get the flying type? I know a few pokémon change type when mega evolving, but this is ridiculous!}
I moved the wings around a bit.
"{Don't be ridiculous, there's no way I'm able to fly with these,}" I responded, throwing them down – and launching myself up in the air.
When I came crashing down back on the ground, Skylar was just looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"{Okay, fine, I am able to fly with those. Question is why, they are just fur and psychic energy.}"
Taking one of the wings in her paw, Skylar thought about it for a moment.
{They feel as if there is some form of membrane below the fur, like a glurak's wings.}
"{Yeah, but what would that change?}"
{That energy seems to force it in the form of wings, not allowing it to move around, essentially making the wings airtight. And they are relatively big, so I'm not surprised by what happened.}
"{How do I stay in the air, then?}" I asked, flapping them once, then again. However, the second time I tried flapped them, it felt as if they weren't moving, and I crashed down, back in my anthromorph form with no wings and fur all over my body.
When I later tried to use the mega evolution again, I found that I could stay way longer in it when not using the wings. While they stored much more energy than my body, it seemed it was just stored until I used the wings, and they were just fur while I was fully turned in a pokémon.
Annoyed, I felt around for the energy, and I pushed it out again, trying to bring the wings back. Interestingly enough, a violet glow started to surround my back, but it dissipated, as I found I could not force enough energy in them to initiate the mega evolution.
That I was able to do this at all though meant there were some very interesting things about the mega evolution. Since I could probably transform myself without using the actual mega stones, that meant the mega stones were only a catalysator, not a requirement.
They were one heck of a catalysator, though.
Similar to how I'm able to turn myself as Adam in an Absol. Originally, I needed the energy the stones drew in from their surroundings to do so, but now I could do it without them.
The mega evolution was something completely different, though. I felt how energy was drawn into me, and then releases when I reverted. I just paid no mind to that.
Like before with the use of mega stones, I was also incredibly tired again. However, transforming as both Kyoyhoa and Adam has become a bit more easily lately. Maybe because there is some sort of 'muscle memory' in the energies?
At least I knew I was able to use the mega evolution, so there's that.
Recalled by 'myself' back into the pokéball for the first time in forever since the mega evolution once again exhausted me, 'Adam' started to make his way to Lino's house.
"Adam!"
"Hey, Lino," I said, having entered their house.
It was early evening, and I took a quick look at the sun before turning my attention back to him.
"If you're searching for me, I'll be at your place, training with Hoseki."
I groaned. We needed to find a better solution for that, and while our homes were close together, it still was annoying.
After he left, I followed his father in their living room which was filled with many instruments and rocks.
Interesting choice of interior decoration at least.
"So, I wanted to know how good you could use the mega evolution, mind telling me?"
I sat down, then pulled out the two stones.
"Well, did you hear the news about the incident near the café a few days ago?"
He nodded.
"A pokémon seemed to be so angry about being attacked that she turned one of them in a pokémon, and there's a huge amount of speculation why or how."
Opening my hand, I showed him the key stone Lino gave me from him.
"Well, she used this key stone. I can tell you that because it was my absol that got in that situation."
"Really?"
I shrugged.
"After hearing that, I was quite surprised, but not in a bad way. Anyways, she told me she used a key stone to do so, as they are catalysts for transformations. But back to your question, yes, the mega evolution is working flawlessly."
"I assume you have a strong bond with your pokémon, then?"
Oh, you have no idea.
"Yeah, that's true. And while we sometimes fight with each other, it's never serious."
"You fight with your pokémon?"
I nodded.
"It makes for a good test on reflexes and strength."
Taking something from a shelf, he held out another, blue mega stone to me.
"What is that?"
"Well, I remember Lino telling me that you somehow got acquainted with Okubo's manectric."
"Yeeess…?"
"This is, as far I know, a mega stone for manectric. I want you to see if that's true."
"Well, one moment, please," I said, releasing Kyoyhoa.
After she saw the mega stone, she lifted it, then placed it back down and said Imai's name. I nodded, then recalled her.
"It is," I said, handing him the stone back.
"What did you just do?"
"Well, Kyoyhoa has met Imai often enough to know his signature. While being of the dark type, she has amazing psychic powers. Point being, the stone corresponded with the signature of Okubo's manectric, which was what she said in abridged form."
"I think I understand. Did you know that there are mega stones for nearly a fifth of pokémon?"
I shrugged.
"No, I expected there to be more. Mega stones are probably formed near populations of the pokémon they are for, right?"
He nodded.
"Well, as far as I see it, they can be created for each and every pokémon, given enough time."
I handed him the tablet, showing the article 'Seto' wrote earlier.
'Creation of mega stones.
Mega stones enable pokémon and trainers that have bonded to reach new heights in battle. They change the pokémon by drawing in energy from their surroundings and changing the pokémon to make them stronger. After the battle, the mega evolution, as it is called, reverses.
But how are those stones created?
Dr. Geoidal discovered that mega stones are likely to be found in specific rocks near pokémon populations. Nothing was thought about it, but there is a high chance that the energy of the pokémon causes the stones to form in the first place.
Unluckily, I have no access to the specific mineral that forms a mega stone, but I am sure I could synthesize a mega stone, given enough time.
However, I will not reveal the process to do so, similar to the transformation of humans into pokémon I talked about in my last article. Since this has a high chance of being dangerous and used to boost rich and criminal people, I will first test my theory before revealing anything else.
If I am right though, it means that the mega evolution is accessible for every pokémon. And it fits with what we know about the mega evolution as well. Why do some pokémon have no mega evolution – and some even two?
When I manage to create a mega stone for a pokémon we do not know of yet to be able to mega evolve, I will continue this. Until then, I'm out.
-Seto.'
"I did not know I was that famous."
"You are just one of the few people who are working on mega evolution, you are bound to be mentioned when they are only three or four people on the continent researching this."
"True. But this Seto, do you know where I can meet him personally? I'd like to talk with him about his theories."
"Well, Seto has a mailbox in this city," I said, scrolling down on the webpage until the address of said mailbox was visible, alongside an e-mail address and profile.
"Convenient. Do you think he'd appreciate me sending him the mineral mega stones tend to form in?"
I shrugged.
"Why are you asking me that? Send him mail or e-mail and ask him."
"True. Now, you maybe know I'm an enthusiast of pokémon fights, right?"
I nodded.
"Lino told me as such."
"Then I'd like you to ask how you can have any chance of fighting a pokémon."
"Rules. No powers, no disabling blows, and of course an opponent made from flesh and bones. No way I'm fighting an onyx."
"Well, on that I can agree. Now, you are looking after the amaura that wanted my son as his trainer, right?"
"Yes? Your point being?" I asked, taking a sip of the tea he made earlier.
"You know both well. Are they fit for each other? I have seen it often enough that pokémon and trainer seem to be a fit, but then part after just a few weeks."
I shrugged.
"They'll be fine. Lino visits often to play and train with him although not being allowed to fight with him yet," I responded, placing the cup down.
"That's good; thank you," he said, seemingly having gotten to the reason he asked me to come over today.
After that, I noticed something interesting. He was a geologist, right?
"Could you give me a fire stone, by the way? I have a vulpix now, and I'd like to evolve it someday."
I could get such a stone by myself using the coins from the gym, but I wanted to try something. Also, I wanted to wait with buying anything with the coins, there was a high chance I'd need them later.
"Fire stones are common; I think I can give you one. They are quite easy to find," he said, pulling out one such stone from a nearby drawer, filled with evolution stones.
Pocketing it, I thanked him, then we exchanged goodbyes and I left.
It could be possible to evolve a pokémon not instantaneously, but rather slowly. If that's true, it could also help with many of the problems that come with rapid evolution.
Placing the stone on a shelf next to my books over pokémon, I remembered I could not use it right now. After all, Kitsune could barely talk and run. I'd need to wait a while longer before allowing him to evolve.
After releasing Kyoyhoa, I climbed in my bed, her lying beside me. From my perspective, it was much like I'd have a sister of mine sleeping with me, nothing lewd about it.
The fact that my dad thought it was, though, did nothing to dissuade me.
END OF ACT 4