[Sabrina:] What incredible psychic power… After Mega Evolving, Mewtwo's psychic abilities seem to have improved exponentially. Is that why its head became larger and its body smaller?
[Caitlin:] Well, it's highly likely that Mewtwo's Mega Evolution not only boosts its overall strength but specifically focuses on enhancing its psychic power. At the same tier, in this form, Mewtwo's psychic abilities are undoubtedly more terrifying.
[Professor Oak:] So its head got bigger, huh? You know, Mewtwo is actually quite cute like this!
[Mewtwo:] ...
[Mewtwo:] The combination of Mega Evolution and Black Ash's Aura Fusion allowed me to jump directly from the beginning of Legendary-tier to its peak.
[Mewtwo:] The scale of this improvement is truly unbelievable… Each minor stage within the Legendary-tier is probably a greater leap than the entire gap from Elite Four to Champion. Yet this improvement… is simply inconceivable.
In reality, under the full power of Black Ash's Aura Fusion, Mewtwo could be elevated to around mid-Legendary-tier. Adding Mega Evolution on top of that then pushed it to the peak of Legendary-tier. Even so, this remained an incredible, almost unbelievable level of improvement for a Legendary-tier Pokémon.
[Mewtwo:] Not only that, at the same tier, the Mega form is 30 to 40% stronger than the normal form!
Thirty to forty percent at the Legendary-tier… that was no ordinary, outrageous improvement! So… Mewtwo's Mega Evolution was abnormally powerful!
[Lance:] Good grief, that big of an improvement? I was thinking with this lineup, Black Ash could take the lead against Ho-Oh, but now it seems… he finally has the capital to seriously challenge Ho-Oh!
[Steven Stone:] Right. Mega Mewtwo and Dark Lugia—if these two Pokémon join forces, they should pose a considerable threat to Ho-Oh.
[Will:] Coupled with Black Ash's masterful control of his Pokémon's abilities and his grasp of battlefield situations… I can only say Lord Ho-Oh is in danger!
Mega Mewtwo and Dark Lugia naturally weren't as strong as Ho-Oh, who held a special providence. Beast Guardians with providence are stronger than the normal peak of their tier, though not quite reaching the next level. Essentially, they are peak Legendary-tier plus the power of providence, making them stronger than a normal peak Legendary. Judging by surface combat power, it seemed Black Ash was still no match for Ho-Oh, but… the bond between Pokémon and humans, as well as human strategy, are forces that can sway the tide of battle! The biggest difference between Mega Mewtwo and Dark Lugia compared to Ho-Oh was that they also had Ash! Therefore, Black Ash now truly possessed the strength to challenge the Phoenix King!
[Ho-Oh:] With this fighting power… I really am in danger!
[Lugia:] Why not just admit defeat? You've already acknowledged him as the Rainbow Hero. Wouldn't it be better to avoid a beating?
[Ho-Oh:] ?
[Ho-Oh:] Who told you I'd get beaten? You can't say for sure who would win or lose! Besides, that's me in another world. How could he know what Black Ash's current combat power is like?
[Lugia:] Okay, fair point.
[Elesa:] Speaking of which, now that Black Ash has saved Alto Mare, isn't it Kanon's turn to pledge herself to him later?
[Serena:] ? ? ?
[Kanon:] ? ? ?
[Misty:] ? ? ?
[Flora:] (╯▽╰)
Pledge herself? If someone had good looks, immense strength, and high moral character, of course she'd be willing. Otherwise, how could she ever repay such a debt? Be his servant in the next life?
[Caitlin:] Elesa, your perspective is truly fresh and refined… But you know, what you said is quite probable.
[Kanon:] No… that's not the case, right?
Was she that superficial a person? …She was!
...
In the Black World —
Ash and Mewtwo had finally calmed the world-destroying flood. After the waters receded, even with Mewtwo's current strength, it couldn't help but feel drained. First, this was its first time Mega Evolving, and it had just broken through to Legendary-tier—precisely less than two days ago. Then it immediately wielded such terrifying power, which was undoubtedly a severe test of its control. Secondly, this tsunami wasn't purely a force of nature; it also contained the power of the shattered Heart Dew. The combination of these two forces was why Mewtwo had struggled so much. In summary, as shown above...
Flash—
Mewtwo's body was once again enveloped in light. The next second, it reverted to its original form. It couldn't sustain the drain of the Mega state. This power had stimulated all its psychic energy and also consumed a massive amount of its stamina. After all, it was its first Mega Evolution. Being able to achieve this level was already particularly impressive.
As Mewtwo reverted from its Mega state, Ash also ended the Aura Fusion. He too felt weakness wash over his body; it wasn't just Mewtwo that had been heavily drained. Fortunately… in the end, the crisis was perfectly resolved. As for his physical exhaustion, resting for two or three days would fix it.
The trainer and Pokémon slowly floated back to the Grand Cathedral. Kanon and the others were still waiting eagerly. The retreat of the tsunami was visible to the naked eye. When they saw the waters receding, they knew Ash and Mewtwo had succeeded. Besides feeling fortunate and overjoyed, they also felt a sense of incredulity, especially Kanon. She had originally thought that even if Ash could calm the tsunami, Alto Mare would still suffer some damage. Unexpectedly… Ash had directly controlled the tsunami capable of destroying the entire city! This power… was he a god? By the way, Ash had been flying earlier. The situation had been urgent then, so Kanon hadn't paid attention. Only now did she realize—how can a normal person fly?! Also, it was Ash who shattered the device trapping Latios with that punch earlier, right? For a moment, Kanon's brain was a bit overloaded. Was all this something a human could do?!
"Are you okay?"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Seeing Ash return, Misty and Sabrina quickly ran over and supported the tired Ash on their shoulders.
"Haha, I'm fine. Mewtwo is much more exhausted than I am. With this little drain, I'll recover after one good meal."
Seeing the two girls so worried about him, Ash didn't hesitate to show a reassuring smile. Kanon, witnessing this, was momentarily stunned, her bright eyes tinged with a trace of melancholy. Ben, observing the whole scene, secretly shook his head in his heart. It seemed his granddaughter's first love was about to end in failure. But honestly… that boy who rode in on colorful auspicious clouds, swept away Latios's suffering, and rescued Alto Mare from peril—what girl wouldn't be fascinated after seeing that! It was reasonable for his granddaughter to fall for him, but the other party already had two confidantes! Wait a minute… Two??? Then his granddaughter wasn't completely without a chance!
...
[Kanon:] ? ? ?
Kanon sent a string of question marks, then stared wide-eyed at her grandfather sitting not far away. Was something wrong with this bad old man's thinking? When a normal person sees someone with two girlfriends, what's their first thought? Shouldn't it be to keep their granddaughter away from the fire?
[Professor Kukui:] Uh… Kanon, is your grandfather a bit too liberal?
[Lusamine:] In this world, strength commands respect. Black Ash has the ability to stand at the pinnacle of the world. It's not surprising Ben Gray would have such thoughts.
[Lillie:] Mom, what do you mean? Calculating by status, do you also want your daughter to be the fourth one?
[Lusamine:] Rationally speaking, I definitely don't want that. I just want my daughter to have a happy relationship. Whether her partner is strong or not doesn't matter to me.
[Lusamine:] Precisely because of that, if you truly like someone, whether you're the fourth, fifth, or sixth, I would encourage you to follow your heart.
[Lusamine:] But the prerequisite for all this is… I believe that person is worthy of you being the fourth, fifth, or sixth. Otherwise, I will do everything in my power to dissuade you!
[Lillie:] Mom...
Seeing this, Lillie understood. What her mother meant initially wasn't that Ben Gray wanted his granddaughter to be the fourth because of Black Ash's strength, but that because his granddaughter liked him, and Ash was so powerful, he thought Kanon still had a chance… just like her mother's protective mindset. Although Lillie was somewhat touched by her mother's fiercely protective nature, she still felt it was too controlling… Judging by that last sentence, that was indeed the case, and perhaps her childish rebelliousness was acting up. Anyway, when she saw Lusamine say those final words, she felt uncomfortable, as if her life had to unfold under Lusamine's control…
Mom… I will live my own life!
Lillie secretly resolved in her heart.
...
In the Black World — After a brief moment of tenderness, it was time to figure out how to deal with the two sisters.
Back in the Grand Cathedral, the crazily spinning machine had stopped, but Rian had no way to get out because the machine's hatch was jammed. Unless a Pokémon helped, she would probably be trapped in the cockpit for the rest of her life. Meanwhile, the doll that was Sanna still sat quietly in the corner. She was roaring madly inside, but no sound came out. For the first time in her life, she felt utterly helpless and hopeless. Seeing Sabrina return, a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. Even going to jail… was better than this! Unable to make a sound, unable to move, like the living dead!
"Sabrina, what do you think we should do with them?"
"Since they're already dolls, we could throw them into the water. They'd spend the rest of their lives in the sewers."
Ash: …
Really? Did it have to be that cruel?
But Ash thought about it again. Compared to the crimes they had committed… perhaps this punishment was the most fitting for them. Some people… didn't deserve mercy. They had to pay the corresponding price for their mistakes.
Therefore… under Sanna's horrified gaze, Ash slowly nodded.
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