A Mega Stone that was entirely silver-white, with the special symbols inside slightly darker, more of a silver-gray hue.
Upon seeing this Mega Stone, Aoki was certain it was the same one he had encountered in his past life. Back then, he had never discovered which Pokémon it belonged to.
But now, as he held it, his heart skipped a beat. He could feel a strange connection—this Mega Stone resonated with one of his Pokémon.
Unlike the Mega Stone he had obtained from the leader of the Kabutops before, which gave no reaction, this one emitted a faint, discernible energy. Aoki's psychic abilities allowed him to sense it.
He immediately took out several Pokéballs and released all his Pokémon. With the Houndoom already captured, there were no immediate threats in the area.
The moment they emerged, the Pokémon were delighted by the beautiful surroundings and immediately wanted to explore and play. However, Aoki stopped them. Though the area seemed safe, elite-level Pokémon could still be lurking nearby, and his team wasn't ready to face them yet.
His goal was to test whether this Mega Stone would react with any of his Pokémon.
First, he tried it with Gengar. As the only Pokémon on his team capable of Mega Evolution and already in its final form, Gengar would provide the most immediate benefit if this were its Mega Stone.
But there was no reaction.
Next, he tested it with his other Pokémon. Generally, Pokémon that hadn't reached their final evolution wouldn't show an obvious response to a Mega Stone. However, subtle signs might still be detectable, especially with Aoki's psychic sensitivity and the help of his system.
Among his team, five Pokémon could potentially Mega Evolve upon reaching their final forms: Combusken, Marshtomp, Larvitar, Aron, and Bagon.
Combusken and Marshtomp were already in their second-stage evolutions. If this were their Mega Stone, the reaction should have been stronger. Yet, after testing, Aoki ruled them out.
That left Larvitar, Bagon, and Aron. His heartbeat quickened slightly.
If this were Larvitar's or Bagon's Mega Stone, it would be an incredible find. Though both were pseudo-legendary Pokémon that would take considerable time to fully evolve, their Mega Evolutions would be immensely powerful.
But to his disappointment, neither Larvitar nor Bagon showed any reaction when the stone was brought near them.
That left only Aron.
Aoki's intuition grew stronger. The silver-white coloration of the Mega Stone matched Aron's metallic body—or its final evolution, Aggron. In hindsight, he should have considered Aron first, but he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up prematurely.
Holding the Mega Stone, he slowly approached Aron, who was happily munching on a piece of ore.
The moment the stone touched Aron's body, both Aoki's psychic senses and his system detected a faint energy pulse. It vanished almost instantly, but it was unmistakable.
None of the other Pokémon had triggered such a reaction.
This could only mean one thing—this was indeed an Aggronite, a Mega Stone capable of evolving Aggron into Mega Aggron!
Aoki's heart raced.
He had finally found a Mega Stone that matched one of his Pokémon!
All his effort had paid off.
Drapion hadn't dug through dung in vain.
The other Pokémon didn't notice Aoki's excitement, but Slowking, whose psychic abilities had recently strengthened, sensed the surge of joy in his Trainer's aura.
Slowking deduced that the Mega Stone must belong to one of Aoki's Pokémon. Given the energy fluctuation, it was likely Aron's.
Under normal circumstances, this would be cause for celebration. But considering where the Mega Stone had come from...
Slowking glanced at Aron with pity.
Poor thing.
Best to keep quiet, though. If Aoki found out, he might take it out on someone—and Drapion was the most likely target.
Speaking of which, Drapion was still meditating under the waterfall.
Though Aron couldn't use the Mega Stone yet, Aoki now had a clear path forward. He carefully stored the Aggronite in his bag.
Once Aron evolved into Aggron, they could test it properly. But reaching that stage would take time and training.
As his Pokémon finished their meals, Aoki sat back on the grass and exhaled deeply.
It was rare to have such a peaceful moment.
This journey had accomplished everything he'd set out to do. Though there had been minor setbacks along the way, the results were more than satisfactory.
Bagon had officially begun its physical training under Aoki's guidance. After finishing its daily weight exercises, it could only watch enviously as Larvitar and Aron crunched noisily on their diamonds.
Then there was the discovery of the Mega Stone—a major success.
Beyond that, Aoki had gained plenty of other rewards.
Torchic had evolved into Combusken fulfilling a key part of Team Magma and Team Aqua plan. The experiment with the Potential Potion on a dark-cyan-potential Pokémon had also yielded positive results.
Slowking had broken through to the Quasi-champion level, and its potential had risen to light blue.
There were smaller victories too—capturing a pack of Houndoom as guards, defeating Roxanne, the Gym Leader of Rustboro City, and further strengthening his team.
Reflecting on everything, Aoki realized that though the journey hadn't been long, he'd achieved a great deal.
Stretching out on the soft grass, he soaked in the sunlight. His Pokémon, mimicking him, sprawled out lazily after their meal.
Bagon, still adjusting to life outside the caves, stayed close to Aoki. This was its first time feeling the sun's warmth, and it seemed to invigorate the little Dragon-type.
To Bagon, this new life felt like a dream—one it didn't want to wake from.
For now, the entire team rested peacefully, enjoying the rare tranquility.
Meanwhile, Drapion continued its meditation beneath the waterfall...
Unbeknownst to Aoki, two immensely powerful figures were rapidly approaching from the sky!