Over the vast sea.
Black clouds pressed down like a besieged city; the sky was covered by thick, heavy masses that blocked all view. Lightning flickered between them, fleeting and blinding. After each flash came a deep, terrifying boom of thunder.
Soon after, as if answering a signal, a deafening roar echoed, and a torrential downpour crashed upon the already raging ocean surface.
Waves rose in layers, one after another, forming enormous walls of water. Each wave, upon reaching its peak, burst in the air like a white flower of foam blooming in the storm.
Amid this furious sea, a Pokémon flew with absolute mastery. Its flying altitude was perfect: a little lower, and it could run upon the wave crests like a true tamer of tides; a little higher, and it would fly among the lightning, as if transformed into a new god of thunder.
This Pokémon's appearance was awe-inspiring.
Its two wings had twisted and fused together, forming an enormous pair of crescent-shaped wings. The dark color of those wings gave it the appearance of a cold and bloodstained crimson moon.
Its head, neck, and torso were slender, with short limbs and a long, narrow tail. Its entire body was built for aerodynamics, allowing it to soar at incredible speeds.
On both sides of its head were three pairs of triangular fins: the upper pair very large, the middle pair extending toward its snout, and the lower pair slanting downward.
Its underbelly was protected by a breastplate-like armor, shaped like a vest, guarding its most vulnerable spot.
Its forelegs were folded tightly against its chest to reach maximum speed—this was its fastest flight form.
And standing upon its back... was a man, upright and defiant. A crimson cloak whipped wildly in the howling wind. (Lance: That's not inspiration, that's blatant cosplay of me!)
Neither the violent gusts, nor the raindrops, nor the ocean spray could touch him; everything stopped ten centimeters away, blocked by an invisible barrier.
His face, though handsome, carried a shadowed expression, devoid of any smile. He lowered his gaze, took out a communicator from his pocket, and glanced at the screen filled with messages.
"Even though I was prepared for this, for it to happen so soon... Is it the chain reaction caused by my interference?" the young man murmured.
The name on the screen revealed his identity: Cain.
Yes—it was Cain, who had just exited the Dragon Space. The Pokémon carrying him was none other than his freshly evolved Salamence... or rather, his Mega Salamence!
The curved wings resembling a blood-red moon were its most striking mark. That was why Salamence was also known by another name: the Crimson Winged Dragon. A truly fitting title.
Inside the Dragon Space, Cain had used the Mega Stone and Key Stone to achieve the transformation. Without any obstacles, Salamence had reached its ultimate form.
At top speed, they burst through the spatial exit and emerged into the raging marine storm. The air itself was dense with suffocating pressure.
Although Salamence's level was not yet particularly high, its flight speed rivaled that of a private jet—nothing to scoff at.
After Mega Evolution, Salamence's ability had changed to Aerilate.
A powerful and rare ability, embodying Salamence's lifelong obsession—from Bagon to Shelgon—with conquering the sky.
From what Cain knew, only Mega Salamence and Mega Pinsir shared this ability.
In battle, Aerilate transformed all Normal-type moves into Flying-type moves, while also increasing their power.
This meant that Salamence could use strong Normal-type moves that, when converted to Flying-type, gained the STAB bonus plus the ability's extra power boost. The result was devastating.
For example, moves like Double-Edge or Hyper Beam—already immensely powerful. In Mega Salamence's hands, Double-Edge, with a base power of 120, became a Flying-type move. With STAB, its power rose to 180. With Aerilate's additional 20% boost, it reached 216—almost double its original strength.
That made its Normal-type moves even more destructive than many natural Flying-type attacks.
And that wasn't even counting the item it carried: a fragment of the Sky Plate, one of the most powerful treasures for Flying-type Pokémon.
Although the fragment was incomplete, it remained a terrifying artifact. Cain couldn't yet calculate how much stronger Salamence would become once it fully mastered the fragment.
But even now, its offensive power was clearly extraordinary.
Moreover, Aerilate had benefits outside of battle as well.
Just like at this very moment—Salamence was achieving an unparalleled flight speed, its wings and the Sky Plate fragment letting it command the skies as if the entire firmament belonged to it.
With a single flap of its wings, its velocity broke through yet another limit.
After the initial rush of excitement over the Mega Evolution, Cain regained his composure.
The reason for his haste lay in the communicator he held: Team Magma and Team Aqua had reappeared!
Not as openly as before, but in smaller, mobile groups—harder to track, and each composed of highly skilled combatants.
They would be even more troublesome foes than before.
And most concerning of all: both organizations had moved almost simultaneously.
(End of chapter)