Jiang Han and Steven stood facing each other.
"Your Beldum has evolved."
Jiang Han looked at the Metang floating in front of Steven, with its thick arms and crimson single eye, calmly stating the fact.
A hint of a smile appeared on Steven's handsome face.
"Your Sandile hasn't been idle either, right? Let me see the results of your time."
Before he finished speaking, he had already entered his battle state, his eyes focused.
"Here it comes!"
Jiang Han didn't waste words and threw his Poké Ball.
A flash of red light, and a lithe Krokorok with a fierce gaze appeared on the field. It opened its large mouth full of sharp teeth and let out a low roar at Metang, carrying the dry heat and wildness of the desert.
"It really did evolve."
Steven's praise was heartfelt.
"Then, I'll attack first. Metang, Bullet Punch!"
The moment the command was given, Metang was like an arrow leaving a bow. Its silver-white body drew a straight line through the air, its metallic fist flashing as it closed in on Krokorok's face.
Extremely fast!
Jiang Han's pupils constricted slightly. As expected of Champion-level training, this Metang's explosive power far exceeded its peers.
"Sand Attack!"
Krokorok remained calm in the face of danger, its front claws digging fiercely, kicking up a large amount of sand to form a sand screen.
Metang plunged into the sand screen, its speed inevitably affected and its vision obscured.
Now!
"Dig!"
Krokorok's large body, with an incredibly flexible posture, instantly burrowed underground, leaving only a deep hole behind.
For a moment, only Metang remained on the field, floating in mid-air and alert to its surroundings.
Steven's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't panic.
He didn't let Metang blindly attack the ground; instead, he had it stay still, close its eyes, and use its Psychic powers to sense the energy fluctuations underground.
This was a manifestation of the understanding between a Trainer and their Pokémon.
However, he had miscalculated one thing.
Krokorok's Dark-type nature gave it a natural shield against Psychic-type detection.
Steven soon realized this as well. He opened his eyes and decisively ordered: "Metang, use Iron Head directly below you!"
A prediction?
Jiang Han's heart stirred.
Metang's entire body took on a steel-like luster, and like a meteorite, it plummeted straight toward the ground!
But this was the moment Jiang Han had been waiting for.
"Right there, Crunch!"
A second before Metang was about to hit the ground, the earth on the other side suddenly exploded!
Krokorok burst out of the ground, carrying the momentum from below. It opened its bloody maw, shadow energy gathering between its teeth, and bit down hard on Metang's arm, which couldn't be defended in time due to the descent!
"Creeeeak—"
The ear-grating sound of metal grinding rang out.
Even Metang's incredibly hard armor developed fine cracks under Krokorok's well-planned strike.
"Wu—"
Metang let out a cry of pain.
"That's it, finish it!"
Jiang Han pressed the advantage.
"In your dreams!" Steven was full of fighting spirit. "Metang, grab it, Metal Claw!"
Enduring the intense pain, Metang's other intact arm suddenly grabbed Krokorok's body. Energy gathered at the tip of its arm, turning into a sharp claw strike that slammed hard into Krokorok's back!
Boom!
Both sides took massive damage simultaneously and were blown back by each other's force, landing at their respective Trainer's feet.
As the dust cleared, both Pokémon were panting heavily. However, Krokorok, relying on the Ground-type advantage over Steel-type and its Dark-type benefits, ultimately stood more firmly.
At that moment, a uniformed staff member walked in and informed Steven that he needed to go to the waiting area early.
"Let's stop here, Jiang Han."
Steven calmly withdrew Metang. Instead of being frustrated, his face burned with an even stronger will to fight.
"Your Krokorok is very well-trained, and your tactics are interesting. Next time, I won't let you break through my defense so easily."
Jiang Han smiled and withdrew his equally exhausted Krokorok.
"Anytime."
...
After the battle was the fossil press conference that Devon Corporation had been preparing for a long time.
The venue was set in the top-tier press hall of the Devon Building. Media reporters from all over the world had already packed the scene, their Shinny flashes making it as bright as day.
Steven changed into a well-tailored, expensive suit. Standing under the spotlight, he transformed from a battle-loving Trainer back into the strategic heir of the corporation.
"Guests, friends from the media, welcome to the Devon Corporation Fossil Resuscitation Technology Achievement Press Conference."
Steven's voice was steady and magnetic, spreading throughout the venue via the microphone.
He didn't waste words and got straight to the point.
With his gesture, the giant electronic screen behind him lit up, displaying various fossils of different shapes.
"Devon Corporation's Fossil Resuscitation Technology has made breakthrough progress in the past year. We have successfully awakened the dormant ancient genes within fossils and brought them back to the world."
As he finished speaking, the curtain on one side of the stage was pulled back, and several large transparent ecological tanks appeared before everyone.
"Wow!"
A wave of exclamations rose from the scene.
In the ecological tanks, several Pokémon never seen before were moving leisurely.
A Pokémon with a spiral shell and blue tentacles was swimming in the water—it was Omanyte.
Another looked like an ancient horseshoe crab, with a dark brown shell and dense appendages under its abdomen—it was Kabuto.
Furthermore, a massive Aerodactyl flapped its wings and roared softly in the largest tank—it was Aerodactyl!
The reporters' camera shutters were nearly broken from over-clicking.
"Mr. Steven! Will this technology affect the ecosystem?"
"Will these resurrected Pokémon be available to the public?"
Facing the tidal wave of questions, Steven remained calm and answered them one by one, perfectly showcasing Devon Corporation's positive image and technical strength to the world.
Jiang Han sat below the stage, watching Steven's effortless performance, and couldn't help but feel moved.
This was a true favored son of heaven.
After the press conference, Steven saw off Roxanne, the Gym Leader of Rustboro City, and Wallace, the future master from Lilycove City, who had also come to support him.
He very generously gave Roxanne a newly resurrected Kabuto and Wallace an Omanyte, much to their delight.
Once everyone was gone, the noisy venue finally quieted down.
Steven let out a long breath, tugged at his tie, and returned to his casual self. He grabbed Jiang Han, who was about to leave, and leaned in mysteriously.
"Jiang Han, we have the best relationship, so I must give you something good."
Saying that, he pulled an exquisite wooden box from his coat.
"These are treasures I've collected over the years while mining all over the world. Pick one, don't be polite."
As Steven spoke, he turned his head and closed his eyes, wearing a conflicted expression of "hurry up and pick, I'll be heartbroken no matter which one you choose."
Seeing his combination of arrogance and pain, Jiang Han felt suspicious.
What the heck? Steven's collection?
He's a stone fanatic; what kind of good things could he have collected? Wouldn't it be some weird rock dug out of a mine?
Seeing no movement from Jiang Han for a while, Steven couldn't help but urge: "Hurry up, don't be polite with me! There's nothing I, Steven, can't give away!"
Jiang Han gave a bitter smile.
Big brother, it's not that I'm being polite, it's just that I really don't think much of it!
But seeing Steven's serious look, he couldn't say no. Jiang Han had no choice but to brace himself and open the box.
The moment the box opened.
A soft rainbow light, as if containing ten thousand colors, overflowed from the box, making Jiang Han squint slightly.
He was stunned.
When he adjusted to the light and saw the contents of the box, he froze in place.
This... this was no pile of broken stones!
This was clearly a mobile treasure trove!
On the velvet lining, various precious stones were spread out.
Extremely high-quality Sun Stones and Moon Stones, with almost no impurities, were piled inside like they cost nothing, emitting a soft glow. There were even several extremely rare Dawn Stones and Dusk Stones!
Taking any one of them out would be enough to drive ite merchants on the market crazy!
Even an outsider like Jiang Han could see that these stones were worth a fortune!
His breathing unconsciously quickened.
However, his gaze swept over these brilliant gems, and finally, his eyes were fixed on an inconspicuous stone in the corner.
It was a transparent round stone, about the size of a pigeon egg, with a strange spiral pattern on the surface and a deep darkness at its center, like an eye staring into the abyss.
Among the many radiant ites, it looked so ordinary, even a bit eerie.
But Jiang Han's heart skipped a beat the moment he saw it.
That was...
That was essence!
The ultimate key that could connect the bond between a Trainer and their pokémon and unlock Mega Evolution!
Jiang Han felt his blood boil in an instant!
He forced down the wild joy and excitement in his heart, making his expression look as calm as possible, even adding a hint of indecision as if he were having trouble choosing.
He reached out a slightly trembling hand, carefully bypassing those priceless ites, and finally pointed to that plain-looking round stone in the corner.
"I'll... I'll take this one."
His voice sounded a bit dry because of the deliberate suppression.
"This pattern is quite special."
Hearing this, Steven, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, let out a huge sigh of relief. He opened his eyes and saw that Jiang Han had chosen that weird stone, and a smile of relief instantly appeared on his face.
He slapped Jiang Han's shoulder heartily:
"Haha! I knew your taste was weird! I picked up this stone in some ancient ruins. Besides being a bit good-looking, I studied it for a long time and didn't find any use for it. Fine, since you like it, it's yours!"
Jiang Han clenched the essence tightly in his palm.
The cool touch of the stone and that strange spiral pattern served as constant reminders that this was not a dream.
He looked up at the deep night sky outside the window.
He knew that a brand new era, one that belonged to him, was about to begin.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898