At this time, all the energy of Groudon within Pupitar's body had been fully absorbed, allowing its level to surge to 34—surpassing even Lairon and Honchkrow in strength.
Simultaneously, it had mastered the move Precipice Blades, albeit in an imperfect form. For Pupitar, only this flawed version could be utilized. If it were capable of wielding the true, unbridled power of Precipice Blades, it would no longer be Pupitar, but Groudon itself. Even Groudon in its normal state could only employ an incomplete variant of this devastating technique. Only in its primal form could Groudon unleash the full, unrestrained might of Precipice Blades. The difference lay solely in the degree of mastery.
Aoki approached and lightly tapped the jagged formation of stone blades Pupitar had summoned. Though formidable, there was still room for refinement—something that would require extensive training to perfect.
After assessing Pupitar's progress, Aoki retrieved the Mega Stone from his belongings. He had refrained from letting his Pokémon interact with it during their travels, but now was the perfect opportunity to test its compatibility.
The first candidate ruled out was Lairon, as Aoki already possessed its corresponding Mega Stone. A mere glance at the two stones revealed their differences, confirming that this one did not belong to Aggron.
Among Aoki's team, several Pokémon were capable of Mega Evolution:
Gengar
Swampert
Blaziken (the final evolution of Combusken)
Tyranitar (the final evolution of Pupitar)
Dragonite (the final evolution of Bagon)
Altaria
Diancie (the mutated form of Carbink)
Gardevoir (the final evolution of Ralts, which had only recently entered its growth phase)
Additionally, there were Pokémon like Absol, still residing in the Verdanturf Town backyard, that Aoki had yet to bring along. Even so, he currently had seven or eight Pokémon eligible for Mega Evolution. With the right stones, their power could skyrocket.
Under the careful monitoring of his system, Aoki allowed each Pokémon to interact with the Mega Stone one by one.
First was Gengar, a veteran member of Aoki's team whose bond with him was unshakable. If this stone were Gengarite, it would enable an immediate Mega Evolution. Currently, Aoki possessed three Mega Stones and one Key Stone. If Gengar could Mega Evolve, it would likely become his second ace Pokémon, rivaling even Slowking.
Though Slowking held the highest level, if Mega Evolution couldn't bridge a four or five-level gap at the Champion-tier, then its value would be questionable.
Unfortunately, this third Mega Stone was not Gengarite. However, since the Pokémon didn't understand the significance of the stone, Gengar remained unfazed.
Next was Pupitar. Once it evolved into Tyranitar, it would become one of Aoki's most formidable assets. The difference between a pseudo-legendary Pokémon and its final evolution was staggering—akin to Steven's two Metang being outmatched by a single Metagross.
If this stone were Tyranitarite, its worth would be immense.
Yet, Pupitar's contact yielded no reaction.
Following that, Swampert and Combusken were tested. As two of the three Hoenn starters, both were capable of Mega Evolution. The Hoenn region seemed uniquely blessed, with all three of its starters and even two pseudo-legendaries possessing this potential.
However, the stone remained inert for them as well.
The next candidate was Bagon, the base form of Salamence. As a pseudo-legendary, Salamence stood on equal footing with Tyranitar, making its Mega Stone highly valuable.
Still, no change occurred.
That left only three possibilities:
Altaria
Carbink (still undergoing transformation into Diancie)
Ralts (just entering its growth phase)
These three shared a common trait—they were all Fairy-types.
Altaria was currently a Dragon/Flying Pokémon, but upon Mega Evolving, it would gain the Fairy typing—a combination that made it a nightmare for other Dragon-types. Immune to Dragon moves and capable of striking back with double effectiveness, it had earned the nickname "traitor of the Dragon clan."
Of course, this was all in good humor.
As for Carbink and Ralts, they were already Fairy-types, making their Mega Evolutions equally potent.
Altaria was the first to test the stone. Though unsure why Aoki wanted it to interact with the strange rock, it had grown accustomed to following his instructions. After all, Aoki had nurtured its strength and provided a safe haven for it and its offspring.
The moment Altaria laid eyes on the stone, it felt an odd attraction—not unusual for a Dragon-type, which naturally gravitated toward glittering objects.
But as it drew closer, Aoki's eyes widened in realization.
The Mega Stone began to glow, its energy resonating with Altaria in a way that hadn't happened with the others.
This was different from when Lairon had interacted with Aggronite—back then, Lairon had been in its base form, whereas Altaria was fully evolved.
This was Altarianite.
Aoki couldn't suppress his excitement.
Finally, he had found a Mega Stone he could use immediately.
There was no need to test Carbink or Ralts—the stone's owner had been decided.
Altaria, too, seemed stunned. As it touched the stone, a peculiar warmth surged through it, as though the two were destined to be together.
Confused, it glanced at Aoki.
"That's right. This Mega Stone is yours, Altaria!" Aoki grinned, unable to hide his exhilaration.
Mega Evolution—even across two lifetimes, he had never experienced it firsthand.
Placing the stone in Altaria's possession, Aoki then retrieved the Key Stone from his bag.
"Let's give it a try, Altaria!"
Though it didn't fully grasp what "trying" entailed, the moment Altaria made contact with the stone, something within it stirred.
"Mega Evolve! Altaria!"