"Cha-tot~"
A cry rang out from above. Silas raised his arm, catching the Chatot as it swooped down.
"Got it. Pyroar has heard the news too, right? Then let's move out as well."
The words that followed were meant for the Kangaskhan beneath him.
"Kang!"
Kangaskhan responded, its eyes slowly narrowing as the power hidden within its massive body began to awaken and spill forth. The earth answered with trembling vibrations and a deep, resonant hum as Kangaskhan broke into a run, faster and faster with each stride, its speed not the slightest bit inferior to the Chatot flying overhead.
Its movement was wild and domineering, like a fully insured semi-trailer charging forward. Anything that dared to block its path was sent flying, smashed aside without mercy. Nothing could stop Kangaskhan's advance.
"Korrina, this is the right direction, isn't it?" Silas asked.
Nestled inside Kangaskhan's pouch, Korrina nodded repeatedly. "Yes, this way, big brother."
"Good. Then we'll soon rescue Riolu and the other Pokémon. You don't need to worry too much."
After offering that reassurance, Silas said no more. Above them, Chatot circled with the flock it commanded, while closer to the direction of Coumarine City, Pyroar had already sealed off the escape route. The poachers had nowhere left to run.
"Big brother, why can't I feel any wind at all?" Korrina asked, her emotions gradually calming as she voiced the doubt in her heart.
Trees were flying backward before her eyes, yet there was not the slightest breeze.
Silas kept his gaze fixed on the distance ahead, his fingers subconsciously brushing against the Key Stone on his wrist. "Kangaskhan is using Normal-type energy to block the violent wind for us."
At the speed Kangaskhan was displaying now, it surpassed even the world's top racing cars from Silas's previous life, and the road ahead was anything but flat or gentle. Most ordinary people simply wouldn't be able to endure it.
This was one way Pokémon made use of their own energy.
"So amazing!" Korrina exclaimed, nodding as though she half understood.
In her eyes, Kangaskhan was only just a tiny bit weaker than her grandfather's Lucario.
...
Route 12, the middle section.
Unlike the forest at the front and the grasslands at the back, the central stretch was a rugged, precipitous mountain region. Only Pokémon like Skiddo, suited to harsh terrain, could survive here.
Inside a hidden cave somewhere in the mountains, frightened cries of Pokémon rose and fell without end. They were locked inside cramped, sealed iron cages, treated like commodities waiting to be sold at any moment.
Among the timid Pokémon, a small blue canine stood out. Its expression was resolute, its gaze sharp as it carefully surveyed its surroundings, searching for a chance to escape.
At the cave entrance, several figures stumbled in, cursing loudly. The bearded man at the front pointed at the other two and shouted angrily, "Lady J told us to come to Kalos and set up an outpost, and before we even started operations, we got spotted! Just wait and see how you'll be punished."
The other two went pale. Memories of punished members within the organization flashed through their minds, sending chills down their spines.
The skinny man's eyes rolled as he hurriedly tried to save himself. "Boss, didn't we catch a Riolu?"
"That's a rare Pokémon. Monkey and I won't tell anyone else. You could raise it as your own Pokémon."
"That it's possible not to report it…" Greed flickered in the bearded man's eyes. Riolu's final evolution was Lucario, an extremely powerful Pokémon.
If he could control such a Pokémon, he might even have a shot at becoming one of the organization's higher-ups—maybe even earning a codename. And when that time came, that bitch Hunter J—I'll make her kneel on the ground and call me master.
The other two exchanged a glance and immediately made their promises.
"Boss, don't worry. We didn't catch any Riolu."
"Yeah, yeah, Riolu? What's that? We only saw a Caterpie."
"That's right, that's right, we only caught a Caterpie."
The three of them chose to secretly keep the rare Riolu for themselves.
As for whether the organization would find out—this place was far from the heavens and the emperor's reach. Who was going to care? If they had the guts, let Hunter J come to Kalos to catch them.
BOOM!
Just as the three reached an agreement and laughed together, a deafening explosion echoed through the cave, accompanied by the shrill scream of a Golbat at the entrance.
A charred, blackened lump rolled to a stop at their feet.
It was the Golbat, knocked unconscious in a single strike.
"Who's there?" The bearded man reacted instantly, hurling two Poké Balls forward.
Out came a Skarmory and a Mightyena—classic villain-standard Pokémon.
Before the two Pokémon could even steady themselves, two beams of energy shot in from outside the cave, striking them with pinpoint accuracy. Both Pokémon were blasted away, slammed straight into the rock wall behind them.
One hit, instant defeat.
In the blink of an eye, three Pokémon had lost all fighting capability, yet the attackers hadn't even shown their faces.
No matter how stupid they were, they understood now—they were no match for the enemy outside.
Run. Run now.
But trapped like fish in a barrel, where could they run?
"Don't just stand there! Everyone attack together and break through!" the bearded man shouted hoarsely, his face dark as iron. "Release all your Pokémon, or none of us are getting out of here!"
The two men snapped out of their daze and began throwing Poké Balls one after another. They commanded their Pokémon to charge forward as shields while they hid behind them, trying to flee toward the cave exit.
As long as they could get out of the cave, they could escape using Flying-type Pokémon.
But would Silas give them that chance?
The answer was no.
"Hoo…" Silas took a deep breath. "Kangaskhan, are you ready?"
"Kang!"
"Then—Mega Evolve, Kangaskhan!"
The Key Stone on Silas's wrist suddenly burst into dazzling, seven-colored radiance, brilliant and mysterious, containing within it the very secrets of evolution.
Kangaskhan responded, rainbow light blooming across its body as well. The two lights extended outward, intertwining and merging together.
Moments later, the radiance completely enveloped Kangaskhan.
The power known as "Mega Evolution" fully fused into its body, awakening the ancient strength sleeping deep within.
"KAAAANG—!"
At that instant, Kangaskhan seemed to shatter the shackles of its own genes, throwing its head back and roaring toward the sky.
The poachers' Pokémon that had just rushed out of the cave were struck head-on. Three Accelgor crashed to the ground one after another.
They were defeated in a single exchange, utterly without the power to resist.
And at that very moment, the rainbow light tightly wrapped around Kangaskhan gradually faded, completely sinking into its body.
What stood before Silas and Korrina was a transformed Kangaskhan.
TN: Won't she still look the same since she didn't have a baby?
Hidden behind a tree, Korrina clapped her hands over her mouth, doing her best not to make a sound. Her pupils widened in shock. "M-Mega Evolution… the same power as Grandpa's. Big brother, you're amazing."
It was Silas and Kangaskhan's first time performing Mega Evolution, and both felt something new and extraordinary.
Through the connection of the Key Stone, Silas could clearly sense Kangaskhan's condition. They had already surpassed mere mutual understanding; now, they were practically one and the same. It was a wondrous, indescribable feeling.
He looked ahead, observing Kangaskhan's changes.
"So only the baby Kangaskhan receives the full power of Mega Evolution?"
Unlike other Mega-Evolved Pokémon, whose bodies underwent obvious physical transformations, Mega Kangaskhan looked almost identical to a normal one. The only difference might be that Mega Kangaskhan felt far more feral—nothing more.
Outward appearance didn't matter. The power of Mega Evolution had truly and completely merged into Kangaskhan's body.
Silas lifted his gaze toward the cave entrance, where a group of Pokémon bared their teeth at them.
Perfect.
You'll do nicely as practice.
(End of Chapter)