Li Yuan chuckled seeing Korrina send out her Ace immediately. She was clearly going all out in desperation.
He hadn't even chosen his Pokémon yet, and she exposed hers. Asking for a counter?
But then again, against his Protean Eevee and All-Type Cat, avoiding type disadvantage was impossible. Better to go head-to-head with her strongest.
"Gym Leader level. Looks like Miss Korrina put a lot of effort into Lucario." Li Yuan observed Lucario with interest.
This Pokémon caused cheers. It wasn't ordinary.
Lucario's stats were starter-tier, but its rarity rivaled Pseudo-Legendaries.
Pseudo-Legendaries bred normally. Lucario required a specific Aura environment to be born.
In the anime, Ash's Lucario was a dead egg until it sensed Ash's Aura.
Even with an egg, hatching it wasn't guaranteed. Very rare, very strong.
Korrina hid Lucario for 9 matches. Her strength was real.
Sadly, she met him.
"You have Gym Leader levels too. What's surprising?" Korrina dismissed it.
Most seniors were Veteran+. But every National Champion had at least one Gym Leader-level Pokémon.
Without one, how could she aim for the championship?
"Different. I reached Gym Leader level via Mega Evolution," Li Yuan shook his head. His Pokémon were naturally Veteran-rank (Gardevoir just reached Veteran+).
"Why don't you say you're only a sophomore?" Korrina rolled her eyes. A sophomore with this strength? Be satisfied!
"Uh... sorry. Haven't been to school in so long I forgot I was a student." Li Yuan spread his hands.
"You..."
"Ignore the small stuff. Let's discuss something bigger."
"What?"
"Student Korrina, want to date me after the match?"
"Ah? You want to pick me up?" Korrina paused, blushing.
She knew this boy had ruined many girls since the tournament started. She thought those girls were loose, throwing themselves at a playboy for petty benefits.
In her view, Super Blaze, Partner Pokémon, Awakening Berries—all could be achieved through training. No need for external help.
Only Mega Evolution fascinated her.
But standing in front of Li Yuan, seeing his handsome face, she felt an impulse of love at first sight.
Forget the berries. Even without benefits, she wanted to date him.
Damn. Those girls weren't gold diggers; they were blinded by lust!
"Not 'pick you up.' I want to make friends. Speaking of which, I just remembered I have a Lucarionite..." Li Yuan bribed openly.
"Cough... forget Mega. I'm not interested in stones. I just want to be friends," Korrina blushed at her own words.
Damn, it's a Mega Stone! You know how strong Mega Evolution is! It's beyond training! Don't you want to see your Pokémon's Mega form?
I want it so bad!
"Deal. I'll leave this Mega Stone with you for safekeeping." Li Yuan took the Lucarionite from his inventory and telekinetically sent it to Korrina.
Seeing this, the people wanting to curse Li Yuan for shamelessly ruining girls fell silent.
Although no one knew what it looked like, the internet valued these stones at over 100 million. He just gave one away. If he doesn't ruin girls, who is qualified to?
And they realized something terrifying. How did the stone fly to Korrina???
If Gardevoir did it, fine. But Gardevoir wasn't out. There were no Psychic Pokémon on the field.
Does... HE have psychic powers???
Holy shit! A Psychic human! Can you be more ridiculous? You hacked yourself too?
"R-really giving it to me?" Korrina took the stone with trembling hands, afraid to drop it.
"Just 'safekeeping.' To make it yours, you have to survive a date with me~," Li Yuan reminded.
"What date? It's making friends." Korrina was stubborn, embarrassed to admit dating a playboy publicly.
"Right, right. Friends." Li Yuan didn't care about labels. Once in his bed, the ending was the same.
"So... how do I use it?" Korrina couldn't wait.
"You have a Lucario, so you must know some Aura. Try communicating with the Key Stone using Aura. Stay calm. Think about your Lucario." Li Yuan taught on the spot.
"Mmph. I'll try." Korrina nodded excitedly. She took a deep breath to calm down.
Closing her eyes, gripping the Key Stone, she focused on her memories of getting stronger with Lucario.
Korrina was talented. Soon, the Key Stone glowed, resonating with the Lucarionite held by Lucario.
Chains of light erupted, connecting them, building a bond bridge.
Trainer and Pokémon's consciousness and Aura connected. The bond changed Lucario's form.
"Lucario!!!"
Lucario Mega Evolved!
Still Lucario~.
But the fur color deepened. Two new Aura sensors appeared on its head. It grew slightly taller.
Overall, still recognizable, but cooler.
(Although Korrina's Lucario was female, "cool" might not be the best word.)
"This is... Mega Evolution?" Korrina looked at the familiar yet strange Pokémon, trembling with excitement. She felt her heart connected to Lucario.
It wasn't an illusion; it was the Key Stone connection.
She felt Lucario was strong. Super strong. Unbelievably strong!
Before, Lucario was Gym Leader level. After Mega Evolution, its strength jumped a whole tier, reaching Pseudo-Elite.
Pseudo-Elite!
Even with "Pseudo," being linked to "Elite" meant absolute power.
"Don't celebrate too early. Lucario is different. The sudden surge of Aura can disturb her mind if not controlled. You need to stabilize her." Li Yuan warned quickly.
He sensed Lucario's Aura was chaotic. She couldn't control the sudden increase.
Aura is like a magnetic field; chaos leads to disaster. Lucario's emotions were wrong. She was about to go berserk, like in the anime.