As the white light slowly faded, a strange-looking Pokémon appeared before everyone.
It stood over two meters tall, its body covered in yellow armor-like plating marked with black rings.
Its twin stingers resembled sharp lances, gleaming with a cold, deadly light beneath the sun.
Mysterious black markings ran across the lance-like needles, giving them an even more ominous appearance.
Beneath them was another pair of smaller stingers, each radiating a dark metallic sheen.
Its tail had become slimmer and harder, like a metal capsule, ending in a razor-sharp yellow poison stinger.
Its narrow reddish-brown eyes glowed with dangerous intent.
Three pairs of translucent white wings buzzed behind it.
This was Beedrill's Mega Evolution form,
Mega Beedrill!!
…
The old man and Moss were both stunned when they saw Mega Beedrill.
The old man swallowed hard and muttered,
"That's right… this is the Mega Evolution form of Beedrill recorded in our ancestral history."
Then he looked toward Aaron in shock.
"Aaron… are you also a descendant of one of the tribes?"
Aaron shook his head slightly and smiled.
"No, sir. I just happened to obtain this Mega Stone by chance."
The old man hesitated for a moment before speaking thoughtfully,
"Perhaps it was left behind by the Beedrill tribe…"
"Maybe they perished long ago, but passed their inheritance down to someone fated to receive it."
"And by coincidence, you obtained both the Beedrillite and a Key Stone."
Aaron: "…"
The corner of Aaron's mouth twitched slightly.
Although he admired the old man's imagination, he really wanted to say:
Sir… you've got it completely wrong.
My Mega Stone was rewarded by the System.
System: "???"
Rewarded by who?
Watch your tone. Call me the Supreme System.
Naturally, Aaron could never actually say that out loud.
If he did, the old man would probably think he had gone insane.
So Aaron could only force a smile.
"Maybe that's true…"
A warm smile appeared on the old man's face.
After "figuring things out," the way he looked at Aaron became noticeably more affectionate.
This really must have been fate.
The guardian totems of two ancient tribes had crossed time and space to meet once again.
And now they would battle.
Perhaps this truly would make up for the regrets of their ancestors.
The old man's eyes became slightly moist.
Then he turned toward his grandson.
"Moss… stop holding back."
"Show him your strongest power."
Moss nodded seriously before looking at Aaron with excitement burning in his eyes.
"Aaron… I'm really happy right now!"
"I never expected you to be this strong. Your Pokémon even possesses the same kind of evolution as Scizor."
"Then let's fight with everything we have!!"
Moss was genuinely thrilled.
For a Trainer, meeting an evenly matched opponent was one of the greatest joys possible.
Aaron nodded.
A bright smile appeared on his face.
"Then come at me, Moss!"
Their gazes locked together.
The fighting spirit between them burned hotter and hotter.
Moss looked toward Scizor, and Scizor looked back at him.
Astonishing battle intent flashed through Moss's eyes as he shouted,
"Scizor… let's go!"
"Show Aaron our strongest power!"
"Scizor!!"
Scizor swung its giant pincers, a sharp gleam flashing through its eyes.
At that moment,
Moss closed his eyes tightly.
The Key Stone hanging around his neck and the Scizorite attached to Scizor's body erupted with brilliant white light.
The two streams of light connected instantly.
A low hum filled the air as dazzling starlight burst forth, so bright that nobody could keep their eyes open.
Within the radiance, Scizor's body rapidly began to change.
Its frame slowly grew larger and more imposing.
A sharp ringing echoed through the air before the white light finally faded.
A completely new Pokémon appeared before everyone.
It stood roughly 2.5 meters tall, its body wrapped in crimson steel armor.
Black metal plating covered areas such as its face, abdomen, and joints.
Its gigantic pincers were lined with sharp, jagged teeth, giving them a savage appearance.
Two pairs of short white wings extended from its back, allowing brief bursts of flight.
Its entire figure resembled a crimson armored war machine—domineering, fierce, and overwhelmingly powerful.
An immense pressure radiated from its body.
This was Scizor's Mega Evolution form—
Mega Scizor!!
"SCIZOR!!"
Mega Scizor swung its massive pincers and let out a deep roar.
BOOOOM!
A terrifying aura burst outward from its body, violently sweeping dust and debris into the air.
Its eyes burned with overwhelming fighting spirit as it locked onto Mega Beedrill hovering above.
A gleam flashed through Aaron's eyes.
Only now did he realize that both Mega Scizor and Mega Beedrill had temporarily risen from elite-late stage to gym-early stage.
It was similar to Frog Boss's Bond Phenomenon.
Back then, Frog Boss had temporarily risen from gym-early stage all the way to gym-late stage.
Mega Scizor's Ability remained Technician.
But Mega Beedrill's Ability had undergone a complete transformation.
Adaptability!!
Adaptability: boosts the power of moves that share the user's type by fifty percent.
What did that mean?
Combined with the normal same-type attack bonus, Adaptability effectively doubled the power of Beedrill's Bug- and Poison-type moves.
And Mega Beedrill's stats were even more terrifying.
Its base Speed stat had reached an absurd 145.
Its base Attack stat had climbed to 150.
Combined with Adaptability, it had become a true high-speed assassin Pokémon.
Anything struck head-on by Mega Beedrill would be screaming in pain.
Mega Scizor vs. Mega Beedrill!
The Mega showdown was about to begin.