After more than half a year apart, the most obvious change Ian sensed in Sha Sha was that it had indeed become "smarter."
After becoming a Second Energy Level Magic Beast, and with lightning-aspect Origin Matter and various rare metal solutions promoting the development of its nervous system, Sha Sha's thoughts had become far more nimble.
He could tell from the fact that it was now able to happily communicate with him.
Boss, look, the egg is shaking!
Sha Sha wanted to show Ian the results of all its care during this time. Its words had begun to follow patterns; their meaning was clear, and its thoughts were very coherent.
The only drawback was that once Sha Sha started talking, it could no longer control its levitating flight.
The moment its head moved, it plummeted from midair back into Crystal Lake, splashing lakewater all over the cavern and sending clear currents slapping against the rock walls.
Normal. Sha Sha had only recently learned electromagnetic levitation, and it did not find this embarrassing at all. Instead, it continued communicating with Ian: Energy, density increasing. Lake water and island both very comfortable.
None of this was true language, but fragments of information perceived through psychic power and mental communication.
Sha Sha's meaning was clear: the Origin Matter in Crystal Lake was rising, and both the lakewater and the central Crystal Island made it feel extremely comfortable.
Moreover, having advanced into a Steel-Armored Shark, Sha Sha could now leave the sea and live on land after using electromagnetic levitation, so long as it ensured that the Origin Matter within its body did not leak away.
After all, Steel-Armored Sharks were essentially earth-aspect Magic Beasts that lived in water. The reason they needed to live in water was merely because they lacked organs for