Aside from the possibility that this young man already knew about his research project, Lu Xinghe could think of only one other explanation.
Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain how Oliver had guessed a concept that had never officially appeared before.
That explanation was—
Oliver had already formed similar ideas himself, and may have even put them into practice.
Oliver calmly explained:
"It's actually quite simple. The moment I arrived, I noticed that the Pokémon gathered outside your research facility are all fully evolved forms.
If they were meant to protect you, their overall combat strength doesn't quite match that role.
"Second, most of the tools inside your lab are related to special evolution methods.
For example, the Reaper Cloth used for Dusclops to evolve into Dusknoir, and the Shiny Stone required by many Pokémon for evolution. Nearly all the items here belong to this category.
"Third, the Pokémon blueprints you've drawn depict forms that have never appeared in the world before.
"And finally—most importantly—
I'm also researching Mega Evolution, so I was able to connect everything immediately."
After speaking at length, even Oliver felt a bit thirsty. He picked up his cup and drained it in one go, his posture relaxed and confident.
Lu Xinghe fell silent for a long time.
This young man had been in his research institute for less than half an hour, yet had already delivered shock after shock.
Then, a new thought surfaced in Lu Xinghe's mind.
Since Oliver was also researching Mega Evolution, why not exchange ideas?
After all, two minds are better than one. Their research directions might even complement each other.
Lu Xinghe finally spoke:
"To be honest, I've been working on this project for ten years, and I've already hit a bottleneck.
Why don't we exchange our findings? Perhaps we can inspire each other."
Oliver considered this briefly.
Although he already understood the general process of Mega Evolution, Lu Xinghe had spent a full decade researching it. Exchanging ideas could very well bring unexpected gains.
He nodded in agreement.
"Since I suggested it," Lu Xinghe said,
"I'll go first, as a sign of sincerity."
The moment he began speaking about research, his demeanor changed completely.
The playful old man vanished, replaced by a serious, focused scientist.
"My initial idea came from something I witnessed with my own eyes," Lu Xinghe said slowly.
"I once saw a Pokémon that had already reached its final evolutionary stage emit the light of evolution again.
"Although the evolution ultimately failed, I kept that thought buried in my heart.
"Ten years ago, I finally had the opportunity to retire from the public eye and conduct secret research…"
Every Pokémon evolution is a leap in life level—this was common knowledge in academia.
But theoretically, the higher the life level, the harder it becomes to advance further.
Lu Xinghe recalled that some Pokémon required special items to evolve, so he shifted his focus to those items.
Hearing this, Oliver couldn't help but admire him—
Mega Evolution indeed required special stones, and Lu Xinghe had identified the correct direction almost immediately.
During his experiments, Lu Xinghe even discovered some previously unknown evolution methods:
Slowpoke resonating with the King's Rock to evolve into Slowking
Seadra resonating with the Dragon Scale to evolve into Kingdra
However, he ultimately concluded that these were not forms of "transcendent evolution," but simply undiscovered evolution paths, since their life levels did not exceed the standard threshold.
These findings were later published anonymously on the academic forum.
After testing countless items, Lu Xinghe still failed to find a way for a fully evolved Pokémon to evolve again.
So he changed approaches.
He attempted to irradiate Pokémon with specific energy waves, hoping to stimulate their genes and force evolution.
The result was severe rejection.
The Pokémon experienced intense pain, and Lu Xinghe immediately halted the experiments.
This closely resembled the forced Mega Evolution seen in Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel Magearna, where artificial Mega Evolution waves caused Pokémon immense suffering due to the lack of emotional synchronization with their Trainers.
Fortunately, Lu Xinghe had stopped in time.
But after two major failures in direction, his research stagnated, unable to move forward.
Even though Oliver already understood Mega Evolution well, hearing Lu Xinghe recount ten years of research still left him deeply impressed—especially by the precision of his thinking.
"So for now," Lu Xinghe sighed,
"my research is at a standstill."
Oliver thought for a moment before speaking:
"I think your direction—using items to promote evolution—is correct.
But you're missing one thing."
"One thing?" Lu Xinghe frowned.
"Yes," Oliver said.
"Emotional power."
Mega Evolution requires more than just a Mega Stone and a Key Stone.
It demands a deep bond between Trainer and Pokémon—sometimes even true mental synchronization.
Oliver continued:
"I like to think of the stones as the key that opens the door to Mega Evolution.
The bond between Trainer and Pokémon is the compass—it guides you to that door."
"Emotional power…" Lu Xinghe murmured.
This was a point he had never seriously considered.
Yet the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
Primeape grows stronger the angrier it becomes.
Magikarp evolves through accumulated rage.
The move Return increases in power based on how much affection a Pokémon has for its Trainer.
His intuition surged once more—
a powerful feeling telling him that this direction could truly unveil the secret of Mega Evolution.
"You should continue researching along this line," Oliver said.
"I have some additional ideas, but they're not fully proven yet. Once I make further progress, we can discuss them."
The two exchanged contact information.
Oliver thus became one of the very few people in Xia Country who could directly contact Lu Xinghe at any time.
By now, both cups were empty.
Lu Xinghe picked up the kettle again to pour more water. Oliver raised his hand to stop him—
But Lu Xinghe firmly poured it anyway.
"Everyone has underestimated you," he said seriously.
"Myself included. But you deserve this."
At this moment, Lu Xinghe had already placed Oliver on equal footing with himself.
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