A pact sealed

"Chia~"

Drakloak flew down from Chen Shi and proudly showed off its new body to its companions.

Only then did Chen Shi notice a little Dreepy perched on Drakloak's head, looking exactly as Drakloak had when it was first born.

This must have been the little Dreepy that Drakloak had split off from itself.

"All right, Drakloak, come with me." Chen Shi stopped the smug Drakloak.

He led it over to Garchomp and said, "Bro, sorry for the trouble, but could you help me train this little one?"

"It's a pure Dragon-type Pokémon too."

Garchomp initially wanted to refuse.

You expect me to teach just because you asked? Don't I have any pride?

Besides, isn't spending every day cuddling with my wife good enough? Why should I make extra work for myself?

But the moment Garchomp heard Chen Shi's next words, Garchomp thumped its chest and agreed.

"All the booze you can drink!"

"Chomp~"

(Leave it to me, little bro. I'll make sure it gets a proper education.)

The corner of Chen Shi's mouth twitched. He turned to Salamence. "Sis, sorry for the trouble. Please keep an eye on things."

Salamence glanced at Drakloak, sensed the rich Dragon-type bloodline within it, and nodded in agreement.

Only then did Chen Shi relax. Salamence was reliable, at least.

"Roar~"

Salamence called to Drakloak, spread her wings, and soared into the sky. After giving Chen Shi a meaningful look, Garchomp followed.

They usually lived on the mountain behind the house, not here. They were heading home now.

Drakloak glanced at Chen Shi and, seeing him nod, immediately followed them.

"Keh keh~"

Just then, Gengar suddenly floated up to Chen Shi and patted its big belly.

Chen Shi smiled. "I know you're strong too. I'll have you teach Drakloak later."

Only then did Gengar nod in satisfaction.

Next, Chen Shi found Swampert, who was obediently staying beside his parents.

Pokémon: Swampert

Level: 49 (elite peak)

Potential: Champion

Ability: Torrent

Gender: Male

Moves: Water Gun, Mud Shot, Rock Throw, Protect, Water Pulse, Rock Slide, Endeavor, Hydro Pump, Hammer Arm, Earthquake, Bulldoze, Rock Tomb, Rain Dance, Dig, Brick Break, Bulk Up, Ice Punch, Waterfall, Liquidation.

He patted the big fellow's arm and said, "You need to work hard too. The little Dreepy you used to protect is stronger than you now."

"Lah-chee~"

Swampert nodded firmly.

Just then, the large Elite Four-level Swampert beside them-Chen Shi's Swampert's mother-looked at her child, produced a stone from somewhere, and handed it to the younger Swampert.

The moment Chen Shi saw the stone, he blurted out, "Holy shit!"

"Th-this..."

"Where did this come from?"

Chen Shi pointed at the stone, its blue and orange colors interwoven in a distinctive pattern, and hurriedly asked.

The larger Swampert scratched her head, not understanding why little Shi had suddenly become so excited.

Grandpa Chen strolled over, glanced at the stone, and explained, "I collected this stone when I was young."

"At first, I just thought it looked pretty, but it turned out Swampert really liked it."

"I studied it for years without figuring anything out, so Swampert has been carrying it around ever since."

"Is there something wrong with this stone?"

"Of course there is!" Chen Shi said excitedly.

The stone's information had already appeared before his eyes.

[Swampert Mega Stone: A stone that seems capable of unlocking Swampert's hidden potential.]

What the hell did you call a surprise? Now this was a surprise!

There was still absolutely no news of Mega Evolution, and Professor Sycamore had yet to start researching it.

The only person in this world who had mastered this power was Korrina's grandfather.

But even he had only mastered Lucario's Mega Evolution. He knew nothing about the others.

Taking the Mega Stone, Chen Shi asked his grandfather, "Grandpa, do you have any more of these stones?"

"If you do, bring them all out. This is really important."

Grandpa Chen nodded. "I do have a few more. Let Gardevoir fetch them."

Hearing his grandfather's words, Gardevoir vanished with Teleport.

Grandma Chen also came over and asked in puzzlement, "Little Shi, do you know what this stone does?"

Chen Shi's excitement settled down. After a moment's thought, he said, "This thing is extremely important and powerful."

"Grandpa, Grandma, remember to collect these things discreetly."

"In the future, calling them strategic assets wouldn't be an exaggeration."

Both elders' expressions immediately grew serious. They knew their grandson wasn't one to make empty boasts.

It seemed these stones were even more important than Grandpa Chen had imagined.

Soon, Gardevoir returned to the front of the villa with a small wooden chest.

Grandpa Chen glanced at the chest, a trace of nostalgia flashing through his eyes.

"These are all the odd little things your grandma and I collected when we were young."

Grandma Chen looked wistful too, as though remembering her youth.

But Chen Shi had no time for that now. He stepped forward and opened his grandparents' treasure chest.

The contents nearly dazzled him: a King's Rock, a Razor Claw, Mega Stones, Key Stones, and all sorts of miscellaneous objects.

Chen Shi left everything else alone for now and took out all the Key Stones and Mega Stones.

He counted three Key Stones and five Mega Stones.

The Mega Stones were for Blaziken, Alakazam, Gengar, Beedrill, and the pseudo-Legendary Tyranitar.

Looking at the Mega Stones, Chen Shi felt a little disappointed. Right now, only the ones for Swampert and Gengar were usable.

The others weren't much use for the time being.

Grandpa Chen asked, "Little Shi, shouldn't you tell your grandma and me what these stones do now?"

Chen Shi gave a mysterious smile and walked up to Swampert with a Key Stone.

"Here, Swampert. Hold this stone."

Swampert scratched his head and accepted the Swampert Mega Stone in confusion.

Chen Shi held the Key Stone in his hand, coating it in blue psychic power.

"Swampert, look into my eyes."

Swampert grew serious too, fixing his gaze on his Trainer's eyes.

The two elders had no idea what was happening. The surrounding Pokémon sensed the solemn atmosphere and fell quiet as well.

Looking at Swampert, Chen Shi somehow found himself recalling their first meeting.

Back then, his grandfather had taken him to meet a Mudkip who had just passed his infancy and was training hard.

Chen Shi had approached him with a specially made Mudkip Pokéblock and asked:

"Mudkip, would you like to be my partner and travel with me?"

"I'll help you get stronger and take you to challenge all sorts of powerful opponents."

"I'll take you to the greatest stage in this world and have everyone cheering your name."

"No matter what dangers we face, we won't abandon each other or give up."

"Will you?"

The young Mudkip remembered his mother's words. Looking at the boy crouching before him, he nodded firmly.

The boy chuckled and held out his fist.

"Then our pact is sealed!"

Mudkip made a fist too and gently bumped it against the boy's.

"Ka-lo~"

(Our pact is sealed.)

Every little moment Chen Shi and Swampert had shared slowly surfaced between the boy and the Pokémon.

"Lah~chee~"

Suddenly, Swampert roared and held his fist out to Chen Shi, clutching the Mega Stone.

"Hahaha, all right!" Chen Shi laughed. His right hand, holding the Key Stone, shone with rainbow light as he firmly bumped it against Swampert's enormous fist.

Their hearts became one in the light radiating from the Key Stone.

"Swampert, Mega Evolve!"

"Lah~chee!"

The light of Mega Evolution emerged from Swampert's hand and covered his entire body in an instant.

The two elders watched in disbelief.

"Dear, th-this...?"

The light of Mega Evolution quickly faded, revealing an entirely new Swampert before them.

His body had grown even larger, his muscles bulging as though ready to burst.

The black fins on his head had lengthened too, resembling a pair of sharp blades from a distance.

Mega Swampert had arrived!

Mega Swampert