Two Pokémon had already Mega Evolved.
By the time it came to the third, Baimu knew the process by heart.
But knowing the process wasn't enough. Whether Mega Evolution succeeded still depended on his Bond with Steelix.
"Hope this goes smoothly..."
He took out the Key Stone and felt it responding to Steelix's Mega Stone. A faint glimmer shone deep within it.
That was one sign their Bond was strong enough.
Until now, the Key Stone had remained dormant.
It showed just how much harm came from spending long periods apart from his Pokémon.
Mawile hadn't joined his team much earlier than Steelix—only a month or two, if he counted carefully. Since joining, Steelix had fought beside him against the Hound Team and other forces, large and small.
During the Ejin Force invasion, it had fought alongside Baimu, Aggron, and the others, playing a crucial role.
They had been through life and death together.
Yet only now had Baimu reached the threshold needed to Mega Evolve it. Aggron and Mawile had already begun the next stage of their Mega Evolution training.
"Let's begin."
"Roar!"
Giant Steelix lowered its car-sized head, a hint of anticipation in its copper-red eyes.
Blissey stood to one side, watching them nervously.
"Happy~"
If Steelix suddenly lost control the way Mawile had during its first Mega Evolution, Blissey would be ready to protect their Trainer.
As for climbing the mountain...
To be honest, Blissey wasn't very interested. It only wanted to stay by its Trainer's side; where they lived didn't matter to it.
"Pory!"
Porygon2 popped out of the phone as well.
It took its place on Baimu's other side, its tail connected to the phone like a data cable. Its eyes lit up as it started recording video.
Dragapult blinked from the shadow of a