As everyone knew.
A bond was the prerequisite for Mega Evolution.
But as something of the mind, a bond had an abstract quality all its own. It could neither be seen nor touched; it existed only in the heart.
Fortunately, Key Stones and Mega Stones, the keys to Mega Evolution, could reveal whether a bond was strong enough.
"Resonance..."
Baimu looked at the Key Stone in his hand, glowing faintly. A tiny current of warmth, so gentle he would have missed it if he hadn't paid attention, flowed from his palm through his body and gathered in his mind.
The Mega Stone ornament on Mawile's head seemed to give her a similar sensation.
Intangible, yet real.
The key to successful Mega Evolution was to magnify that sensation and each other's presence in their subconscious minds. Their Psychic Resonance would stimulate the Mega Stone's energy to pour in and awaken an evolution beyond evolution.
Well practiced by now, Baimu guided Mawile to close her eyes.
"Stand still. Feel where I am. Feel how I move."
He fell silent, closed his eyes, and began to move slowly, tracing Mawile's outline in his mind.
It was a technique he had learned from the Draconids. He had already seen it work when Aggron first underwent Mega Evolution.
Previously, Mawile had been unable to Mega Evolve because they could not magnify their awareness of each other enough to strengthen their mental Resonance and imagine a Mind Link connecting them. Their Bond had not been strong enough.
But they had spent a long time working on it.
Combined with the experience of mental Resonance that Spacetime Power had given him, Baimu believed the time had come for him and Mawile to take that step together.
As expected, the sensation he had first felt when resonating with