After the three of them finished eating, Aaron sat with the old man and Moss, drinking tea and chatting.
After sharing a meal, the old man had completely lowered his guard around Aaron.
He had taken a real liking to this polite, sensible young man who knew exactly how to flatter his elders.
Throughout the meal, Aaron's compliments had nearly made him grin from ear to ear.
As they chatted over tea, Aaron looked at the Scizor nearby and could not help asking,
"Sir… what is this Pokémon called?"
"I've never seen one like it outside."
"Is it unique to this place?"
Although Aaron already knew about Scizor, he still pretended to be curious.
The old man smiled proudly.
"This Pokémon is called Scizor, the evolved form of Scyther."
"It's only natural you haven't seen one outside. Scizor is the guardian Pokémon of our clan."
At that point, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued,
"A very, very long time ago, our ancestors lived on the Lost Continent."
"People there also revered Pokémon battles, and their Pokémon culture was incredibly rich."
"Many tribes lived on that continent, and each tribe had its own Pokémon totem."
"Our clan was one of those tribes, and our totem was a Pokémon connected to Scizor."
As he said this, the old man glanced at the Mega Stone hanging beneath Moss's partner's neck.
Then he went on,
"So only our clan knows how Scizor evolves."
A nostalgic look appeared on his face.
Aaron frowned.
The Lost Continent?
Tribes?
Pokémon totems?
And the Scizor-related totem the old man mentioned…
Could it be Mega Scizor?
Were the other tribes' Pokémon totems also Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution?
Countless questions rose in Aaron's mind.
Suppressing them for the moment, he continued asking,
"Sir, what happened to the Lost Continent?"
"And how did your family end up here?"
The old man lowered his gaze slightly.
A look of remembrance flashed across his face.
"Because our homeland, the Lost Continent, was destroyed."
"Every tribe on the continent was struck by disaster overnight. Almost everyone died."
"Only a small number escaped as the last survivors of their tribes."
Tears shimmered in his eyes, as if he were mourning the ancestors who had died.
"And Moss, my son, and I… we are the last three people of lineage."
"Our ancestors fled that place, recorded the continent's history, and passed down the secrets of our tribe from generation to generation."
The old man glanced at Moss and spoke softly.
Shock appeared on Aaron's face.
According to him, the people of that continent should not have been weak.
How had they been destroyed so suddenly?
"What exactly happened?"
"Why was your homeland destroyed?"
A trace of fear appeared on the old man's face as he answered quietly,
"According to the records left by our ancestors… the creatures that destroyed that continent were called the Dark Ones."
"All we know is that they were incredibly powerful and extremely cruel."
"Beyond that, there are no records."
The old man sighed.
Moss also fell silent beside him.
Aaron frowned deeply.
The Dark Ones?
A completely new term had suddenly appeared.
What exactly were they?
Aaron felt as though he was getting close to the hidden secrets of this world.
Although he still had no idea what the Dark Ones truly were, he now understood the origin of the Scizorite on Moss's Scizor.
It was an heirloom passed down through their tribe for generations.
Aaron guessed that the people of the Lost Continent had known about Mega Evolution long ago.
That meant the continent's strength must have been terrifying.
Yet even then, it had still been destroyed.
Aaron sighed inwardly, and for some reason, a faint desire to become stronger rose in his heart.
If Hualis ever encountered a disaster like that, only true strength would allow him to stop it.
Otherwise, he would end up like Moss's ancestors, forced to flee with nowhere to call home.
I still know far too little about this world…
Aaron sighed softly in his heart.
"Then, sir… why don't you go out into the outside world?"
Aaron asked curiously.
"Hahaha…"
The old man laughed and looked at Scizor.
"If we went out into the world, would the secrets of the clan still remain secret?"
"The state might simply seize them by force."
A weathered look appeared on his face as he spoke.
Aaron fell silent.
In the outside world, the discovery of Scizor might only surprise people a little.
But if the Mega Evolution system were discovered, it would definitely draw the state's attention.
No.
It would shake the entire world.
By then, the old man and Moss would become targets for every major power.
They would be dragged into the conflicts between those forces whether they wanted to or not.
The old man had clearly seen through the nature of this world long ago.
"Aaron… I hope you can help us keep this secret."
The old man looked at him with pleading eyes.
Aaron nodded.
"Don't worry, sir."
"I'll keep it secret."
"And… I also have a secret like yours."
Aaron smiled as he spoke.
"A secret like ours?"
The old man froze, puzzled.
"Could it be that you're also a descendant of a tribe from the continent?"
His eyes widened in surprise.
Aaron shook his head, then looked at Moss.
"Moss… how about a Pokémon battle?"
Moss's eyes lit up.
"Great! I've wanted to battle you for a while now, hahaha!"
"Good. Then let me see the true power of your Scizor."
Aaron's words carried a deeper meaning.
The old man's pupils shrank slightly, and the way he looked at Aaron gained a trace of shock and suspicion.
Could it be… this kid knows Scizor's secret?
"Hehehe… bring it on. My Scizor is really strong."
Moss smiled confidently as he challenged Aaron.
Aaron smiled back.
"What a coincidence. My Pokémon are pretty strong too."