Nathan left the fusion device humming quietly in the corner and turned his attention elsewhere.
"A whole day is far too long," he thought. "I'll just come back tomorrow when it's almost done."
With that decided, he released several of his other Pokémon and began a round of light training.
Inside Nathan's private mystic realm, there were many wild Pokémon, but none of them were particularly powerful. What he wanted to do right now was focus on raising the level of his Ditto.
It had already been in his possession for quite some time, yet its progress was pitifully slow. At present, it was still only level seven—the absolute lowest of all the Pokémon in his team.
Aside from Ditto, his other Pokémon also needed to keep growing stronger. With both Mewtwo and Volcarona now stepping into the realm of legends, the gap in strength between them and the rest of his partners had grown ever wider.
For someone who aimed to become the strongest trainer, such an imbalance was something he absolutely could not allow.
After heading into a secluded corner of the mystic realm where many weaker Pokémon gathered, Nathan ordered his team into battles.
Time flew by quickly.
By the end of the day, his Ditto had climbed from level seven all the way up to level twenty-two. Looking at this progress, Nathan couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
Compared to before, the speed at which his Pokémon could now level up was several times faster.
In the past, he hadn't had any of the rare items that boosted experience, nor did he have a wealth of resources to devote to training.
Now, things were completely different. With the Golden Lucky Egg in his possession, the rate of growth was astonishing.
If he focused on one Pokémon, it would take less than a month to raise it to the level of an Elite-tier powerhouse. With enough persistence, it was even possible to push one all the way to Champion-level in that time.
Even after reaching level twenty-two, Ditto still retained its usual form—an amorphous purple blob when idle.
But in battle, it would always transform into its opponent, mimicking their moves to defeat them.
Nathan found himself particularly fond of this unique fighting style.
However, as Ditto's level rose, he also discovered its drawbacks.
While Ditto could indeed copy an opponent's form and even fight stronger than them at times, the amount of experience it required to level up was far greater than that of an ordinary Pokémon.
And this was only the beginning.
The higher its level climbed, the more terrifying the experience demands became. To gain just one level would require an enormous amount of battling.
Even with the Golden Lucky Egg, Ditto's leveling speed was destined to be far slower than his other Pokémon.
It was just as people said: when God opened one door, He shut another.
Originally, Nathan had planned to grind diligently for a month or two and raise Ditto to around level seventy or eighty in one go.
But now, seeing the sheer amount of experience it would take, he abandoned that plan.
Without at least a year or two of consistent training, it simply wasn't realistic.
Rather than pour endless time into Ditto, he decided it was better to focus on training his other Pokémon while letting Ditto gain levels at its own pace.
Soon enough, the fusion device was nearing completion.
Timing it carefully, Nathan returned to check on it. The machine was still buzzing loudly, just like the day before.
He couldn't help but feel relieved. "Good thing I didn't sit here waiting the whole time, or I'd have gone crazy."
Finally, with a crisp ding, the twenty-four-hour cycle ended.
A brand-new Mega Stone dropped from the bottom of the fusion device.
It looked completely different from the original two stones.
Now, it had transformed into something resembling a flawless gemstone—clear, brilliant, and dazzling with multicolored light.
Holding it in his hand felt less like holding a stone and more like cradling a star plucked straight from the heavens.
"Mewtwo," Nathan said, eyes shining with excitement, "let's try out your brand-new form."
He lifted the gemstone high.
"Mewtwo, Mega Evolution!"
This time, the process was different.
Previously, whenever Mewtwo Mega Evolved, its body would be engulfed in pure white light.
But now, it was wrapped in radiant hues, a swirl of mixed colors that blended together so intricately it was impossible to say what the dominant shade was.
The kaleidoscopic light consumed Mewtwo completely, and then—much faster than before—it changed.
In the past, Mega Evolution had always taken twenty to thirty seconds at minimum.
But this time, in just five seconds, the glow faded, revealing Mewtwo's new form.
The sight left Nathan stunned.
Unlike its previous X and Y forms, which each leaned clearly toward either physical might or psychic finesse, this new form combined traits of both.
The fleshy tendrils at the back of Mewtwo's head had grown longer, though the ends faded into near-transparency, as if dissolving into the air.
Its body, meanwhile, had developed more defined musculature—not bulky like a bodybuilder, but streamlined, sleek, and radiating explosive potential.
It was elegant and intimidating all at once.
The only question now was how strong it truly was.
"Volcarona, come out!" Nathan called, releasing his trusted partner.
The best way to measure power was through battle. Only in combat could a Pokémon's true strength be revealed.
As Volcarona fluttered into the air, Nathan gave his instructions. "Fight freely, but don't go too far. Light injuries are fine, but no killing blows."
The two legendary-level Pokémon immediately launched into battle.
Even Nathan, their trainer, kept his distance for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
He watched from afar, a swell of pride rising in his chest.
Volcarona had been with him since the beginning, nurtured step by step until it ascended to the legendary tier.
Mewtwo, though captured much later, had also grown under his guidance, rising to legendary heights.
Now, the two clashed at full power.
The battle escalated quickly, becoming ferocious and unrestrained. Their strikes devastated everything in the vicinity.
The shockwaves of their exchange covered at least five miles, and at the center, the terrain was utterly annihilated.
One of Mewtwo's punches even left a crater more than ten meters deep.
This was the terrifying might of legendary Pokémon.
As he observed the duel, Nathan began to understand.
If Mewtwo's X form was like a warrior and its Y form like a sorcerer, then this new fused form was both—a warrior and a mage rolled into one.
Or rather, a close-combat mage.
The fusion of the two stones hadn't made Mewtwo lean toward either brute force or psychic mastery. Instead, it had enhanced both simultaneously.
This was far beyond the sum of its parts.
He recalled that long ago, he had once let Mewtwo and Volcarona spar. At that time, neither had managed to defeat the other.
But now, Nathan estimated that Mewtwo's strength might actually surpass Volcarona's.
Of course, unless they went all-out in a true battle to the death, he would probably never know for sure.
And there was no way he would ever risk the lives of his own Pokémon like that.
After a massive collision that sent both Pokémon skidding backward, Nathan quickly intervened, calling an end to the spar.
He had already seen enough to understand Mewtwo's new combat style. There was no need to push it further.
Recalling both Mewtwo and Volcarona back into their Poké Balls, he left the mystic realm and returned to his manor.
"You're back?"
Lily, who had been waiting at home, greeted him warmly when she saw him walk in.
Nathan nodded, though his expression wasn't particularly cheerful.
After being with him for so long, Lily immediately noticed—something was weighing on his mind.
(End of Chapter)