The morning after Ash and his friends departed, he woke with a restless energy that refused to be contained. The encounter had stirred something in him—a fire that had been quietly smoldering beneath the surface of his isolated existence. Watching Ash's determination, seeing the spark of potential in those young eyes, had reminded him of something important.
He wasn't done growing. Not even close.
Red had been strong—impossibly strong by any normal standard. His team could defeat Elite Four members without breaking a sweat, could challenge legendary Pokémon and emerge victorious, could dominate any battle with the kind of effortless precision that made opponents question their entire lives. By any reasonable measure, he had reached the pinnacle of what a Pokémon trainer could achieve.
But reasonable measures meant nothing to someone who had been given a second chance at life.
He stood at the entrance of his cave, watching the sunrise paint the frozen peaks in shades of fire and gold. The partner Pikachu sat on his shoulder, its ears twitching in the crisp morning air, its small body warm against his neck.
Stronger, he thought, the word echoing through his mind with crystalline clarity. I need to become stronger.
Not for the sake of power itself—that path led only to emptiness, as Red's years of isolation had proven. But for the sake of those he might need to protect. For the sake of challenges yet to come. For the sake of being ready when the world needed him.
He had glimpsed the future during his time in this world—fragments of knowledge from a life lived watching anime and playing games. He knew that threats existed beyond Team Rocket's petty schemes. Legendary Pokémon could awaken with world-ending intentions. Criminal organizations could rise with ambitions that made Giovanni look like a pickpocket. The very fabric of reality could be torn apart by those who sought to remake existence in their own image.
When those threats emerged, he needed to be ready.
The training session that morning was brutal.
He pushed his Pokémon harder than ever before, demanding more speed, more power, more precision than they had ever demonstrated. Charizard blazed through aerial maneuvers at speeds that created sonic booms. Blastoise's Hydro Pump carved new channels in the frozen mountainside. Venusaur's Solarbeam vaporized training dummies in single, devastating blasts.
The legendary birds engaged in mock battles that would have leveled small cities, their elemental powers clashing in spectacular displays of fire and ice and lightning. The legendary beasts raced across the mountain's slopes at speeds that blurred the line between movement and teleportation. Lugia and Ho-Oh practiced their signature attacks, Aeroblast and Sacred Fire leaving scorch marks and craters across the summit.
Even Mewtwo pushed itself, its psychic abilities creating distortions in space-time that made his eyes water just to look at. The Genetic Pokémon was always seeking to improve, to evolve beyond its already incredible capabilities, driven by the same restless energy that now consumed its trainer.
But it wasn't enough.
No matter how hard they trained, no matter how much they improved, there was a ceiling—a limit beyond which normal methods couldn't push them. They were already at the peak of their evolutionary potential, their movesets optimized, their stats maxed out through years of dedication. Further improvement required something more.
Something extraordinary.
He called a halt to the training as the sun reached its zenith, recalling his exhausted Pokémon to their balls for a well-deserved rest. Only the partner Pikachu remained outside, its energy seemingly inexhaustible despite the morning's exertions.
He made his way back to the living quarters, his mind churning with possibilities. There had to be a way to push past the limits, to access levels of power that even Red hadn't explored. Mega Evolution came to mind—the phenomenon that allowed certain Pokémon to temporarily evolve beyond their final forms, accessing reserves of strength that defied conventional understanding.
But Mega Evolution required special items. A Mega Ring for the trainer, containing a Key Stone that resonated with the bond between human and Pokémon. And a Mega Stone specific to each species, carried by the Pokémon that would undergo the transformation.
He didn't have either of those things. Red's belongings, comprehensive as they were, didn't include any materials related to Mega Evolution. The phenomenon had been rare even before his isolation, restricted to a handful of trainers in the Kalos region who had mastered the technique.
He slumped down on his sleeping mat, frustration gnawing at his chest. How was he supposed to become stronger if the tools he needed simply didn't exist?
The partner Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and scampered over to his traveling bag, which sat in its usual spot against the cave wall. It pawed at the bag's opening, then looked back at him with an expression of curious confusion.
"Pika pi?" it asked, tilting its head to one side.
He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what had captured its attention. The bag contained the same supplies it always had—dried food, spare clothing, healing items, the photographs he had shown Ash. Nothing unusual, nothing new.
But the Pikachu was insistent, pawing at the bag with increasing urgency. "Pika pika! Chu!"
He pushed himself up and walked over, kneeling beside the bag to investigate. What could possibly—
His hand touched something that shouldn't have been there.
The object was small and smooth, roughly the size of a marble, and it pulsed with a warmth that seeped into his fingers like sunlight. He pulled it out of the bag, his breath catching as he recognized what he was holding.
A Key Stone.
Set into a ring of polished black metal, the rainbow-colored gem seemed to swirl with internal light, its surface dancing with colors that had no name. It was beautiful beyond description, radiating a power that made his skin tingle and his heart race.
A Mega Ring. Someone had placed a Mega Ring in his bag.
But that was impossible. He had been alone on this mountain for—
His hand brushed against something else in the bag, something that definitely hadn't been there when he had packed it. He reached in again, his fingers closing around a second object that pulsed with a different kind of energy.
A stone. Larger than the Key Stone, roughly the size of an egg, with a surface that seemed to shift between deep blue and fierce orange depending on the angle. A stylized X was etched into its surface, marking it as something specific, something purposeful.
Charizardite X. The Mega Stone that would allow Charizard to access its most powerful form—Mega Charizard X, the black-scaled dragon whose flames burned hot enough to melt steel.
He sat back on his heels, staring at the items in his hands with a mixture of wonder and confusion. These objects hadn't been in his bag an hour ago. He was certain of that. He had rifled through the bag just this morning, looking for a protein bar, and there had been nothing unusual inside.
So where had they come from?
The partner Pikachu climbed onto his knee, peering at the stones with obvious fascination. "Pika?" it asked, reaching out one tiny paw to touch the Mega Ring.
A spark of electricity jumped from the Pikachu to the Key Stone, and for just a moment, the gem blazed with brilliant light. Then the moment passed, and everything returned to normal.
"Pika pika!" The electric-type seemed delighted by the reaction, its cheeks sparking with excitement.
He looked at the items again, turning them over in his hands, trying to understand. Someone—or something—had given him exactly what he needed, exactly when he needed it. The timing was too perfect to be coincidence.
Was this a gift from whatever power had brought him to this world? A tool provided to help him face challenges yet to come? Or was there some other explanation, some rational reason for these objects to appear in his possession?
He had no answers. But then again, he had no answers for most of what had happened to him since dying on that rainy street in his original world. Being reborn as Red, inheriting a team of legendary Pokémon, waking up on a frozen mountain with the memories of two lives fighting for space in his skull—none of it made sense by conventional standards.
Perhaps he should simply accept the gift and move forward.
He slipped the Mega Ring onto his left wrist, feeling the Key Stone's warmth pulse against his skin. The fit was perfect, as if the ring had been made for him specifically. The colors within the gem seemed to intensify as it settled into place, responding to his presence with eager anticipation.
The Charizardite X went into his jacket pocket, safely stored until he could find a way to give it to Charizard. The Mega Stone needed to be held by the Pokémon during evolution—usually in the form of a special collar or armband that kept the stone in contact with their body.
He would need to fashion something appropriate. Later, after he had tested whether the Mega Ring actually worked.
He made his way outside, the partner Pikachu reclaiming its spot on his shoulder. The afternoon sun was warm despite the cold air, and the sky was a brilliant blue that seemed to stretch on forever.
He released Charizard from its ball.
The fire-type emerged with its characteristic roar, flames erupting from its mouth in a burst of heat that melted the snow around them in a perfect circle. It was magnificent—six feet of muscle and scales and barely contained power, its wings spreading wide as it stretched after its rest.
Charizard turned to look at him, its intelligent eyes curious about the unscheduled release. Usually, afternoon training didn't start for another hour or so.
He held up the Charizardite X, letting the light catch its shifting surface.
Charizard's reaction was immediate and dramatic. Its eyes went wide, its tail flame blazed brighter, and it let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a growl. The dragon-like Pokémon recognized the stone—recognized what it represented—and its entire body trembled with barely contained excitement.
He approached slowly, holding out the stone like an offering. Charizard lowered its head, meeting him halfway, its hot breath washing over him in waves that should have been uncomfortable but somehow weren't.
I want to give you this, he conveyed through their bond. I want us to become stronger together. But I need to know—do you want it?
The answer came not in words, but in feelings that flooded through their connection. Eagerness. Determination. A fierce, burning desire to evolve beyond current limits, to access power that had only been dreamed of. And underlying it all, absolute trust—the belief that whatever he asked, whatever he proposed, it would be for their mutual benefit.
Charizard wanted this. Charizard wanted this more than almost anything.
The only question was how to make it work.
He examined the Mega Stone, trying to figure out the logistics. In the games and anime, Pokémon typically wore their Mega Stones in specially designed accessories—collars, armbands, even embedded in their own bodies in some cases. He didn't have any such accessories available.
But he had something else. He had Alakazam.
He released the psychic-type, the spoon-wielding Pokémon materializing with its typical air of intellectual superiority. Alakazam's massive mustache twitched as it assessed the situation, its eyes flicking from the Mega Stone to Charizard to the ring on his wrist.
I need your help, he conveyed. Can you shape metal? Create a collar or band that will hold this stone against Charizard's body?
Alakazam's response was a surge of mild offense—as if the request was beneath its considerable abilities—followed by resigned acceptance. It raised one of its spoons, psychic energy crackling along its surface.
A chunk of metal ore—pulled from somewhere deep in the mountain by Alakazam's power—floated into view, hovering before the psychic-type. The spoon glowed brighter, and the ore began to reshape, its form flowing like liquid as it was molded by pure mental force.
Within minutes, a collar had taken shape. It was simple but elegant—a band of dark metal with a setting at its center perfectly sized to hold the Charizardite X. Alakazam had even added small flame motifs along its edges, a nod to Charizard's typing that seemed almost whimsical coming from the normally serious psychic-type.
The collar floated over to Charizard, who lowered its head to allow the band to be fastened around its neck. The Mega Stone settled into its setting with a soft click, and immediately the fire-type shuddered as the stone's energy began to resonate with its own.
"Rawwwr!" Charizard's roar was different now—deeper, more primal, thrumming with power that hadn't been there before. Its tail flame blazed even brighter, shifting through colors that shouldn't have been possible for a normal fire.
The partner Pikachu watched all of this with obvious excitement, its cheeks sparking in anticipation. "Pika pika!" it encouraged, clearly eager to see what would happen next.
He raised his left hand, focusing on the Key Stone in his Mega Ring. He could feel the connection between the two stones—the Charizardite X and the Key Stone—a thread of energy that linked them across the space between. All he had to do was pull on that thread, to activate the bond that would trigger Mega Evolution.
But was he ready? Was Charizard ready?
He looked into his Pokémon's eyes and saw the answer reflected there. The same determination that had carried them through countless battles. The same trust that had been forged over years of partnership. The same desire to grow, to improve, to become more than they currently were.
They were ready.
He closed his eyes and reached for the bond.
The Key Stone blazed with light, its rainbow colors exploding outward in a corona of brilliance that was visible for miles. The Charizardite X responded in kind, its blue-orange surface erupting with matching radiance. The two lights merged, forming a bridge between trainer and Pokémon, a connection that transcended the physical and touched something deeper.
He felt Charizard's consciousness pressing against his own—not intruding, not invading, but merging. For a moment, he was Charizard, experiencing the world through dragon eyes, feeling the fire that burned eternally in dragon blood. And Charizard was him, sharing his memories, his emotions, his absolute determination to become stronger.
The bond. This was the bond that Red had spoken of, that he had tried to convey to Ash through gestures and photographs. Not just friendship or partnership, but genuine fusion—two beings becoming one for a single, transcendent moment.
And then the evolution began.
Charizard's body was engulfed in light, its form expanding and shifting in ways that defied normal biology. Its orange scales darkened, deepening to a blue-black that seemed to absorb the sunlight. Its flames changed color too, shifting from yellow-orange to a brilliant, searing blue that was hotter than anything it had produced before.
Wings that had been impressive became massive, their span doubling as they reshaped into more angular, more aggressive forms. Claws lengthened, sharpened, became weapons capable of rending steel. The flame at the tip of its tail blazed blue, matching the fire that now erupted from the corners of its mouth in constant, barely contained streams.
Mega Charizard X stood before him, and the mountain itself seemed to tremble.
It was massive—easily nine feet tall, with a wingspan that could have shaded a small house. Its eyes burned with blue fire, intelligent and fierce and utterly focused. Every line of its body spoke of power beyond measure, of a predator that had evolved past all competition.
And it was still his Charizard. Beneath the transformed exterior, he could feel the same personality, the same loyalty, the same burning desire to protect and serve. The Mega Evolution had enhanced its power, but it hadn't changed who it was.
"Rawwwwrrr!" The roar that erupted from Mega Charizard X was unlike anything he had ever heard. It wasn't just sound—it was force, a physical wave of pressure that knocked snow off the surrounding peaks and sent wild Pokémon fleeing in terror for miles around.
The partner Pikachu clung to his shoulder, its eyes wide with awe. "Pika..." it breathed, clearly impressed despite its own considerable power.
He reached out through their bond, feeling the enhanced connection that Mega Evolution provided. Charizard's strength was incredible—far beyond what it had possessed in its normal form. The blue flames it produced were hotter than anything in nature, capable of melting rock and vaporizing water instantly. Its speed had increased dramatically, its reflexes sharpened to supernatural levels.
And there was something else. Something new.
He could feel it in the way the air moved around Mega Charizard X, in the way the ground seemed to bow beneath its claws. The Mega Evolution hadn't just made Charizard stronger—it had changed its typing. Where before it had been Fire and Flying, now it was Fire and Dragon.
A true dragon. Finally, after all these years, Charizard had become what it had always looked like.
He ran forward and threw his arms around Mega Charizard X's neck, ignoring the searing heat that radiated from its body. The dragon-type rumbled with pleasure, lowering its head to nuzzle against him with surprising gentleness for a creature of such devastating power.
We did it, he conveyed through their bond. We evolved together.
Mega Charizard X's response was a surge of pride and affection, of gratitude for the gift he had given it. The Mega Evolution was temporary—he could feel the energy slowly draining, the transformation unable to sustain itself indefinitely—but the experience would never be forgotten.
When the light finally faded and Charizard returned to its normal form, they stood together in the snow, trainer and Pokémon, both breathing hard from the intensity of the experience.
The Mega Ring still glowed faintly on his wrist, its Key Stone now linked forever to Charizard's Mega Stone. They could do this again whenever they needed to—access this incredible power, achieve this perfect fusion of strength and will.
And next time, they would be even more prepared.
He recalled Charizard into its ball, letting the exhausted fire-type rest after its first Mega Evolution. There would be time for more testing, more training, more exploration of what this new power could do. But for now, he needed to process what had happened.
Someone—something—had given him a gift. A tool that would allow him to push past the limits that had constrained even Red's incredible power. He didn't know who or why, didn't understand the mechanism by which the items had appeared in his bag.
But he was grateful.
The partner Pikachu climbed back onto his shoulder, nuzzling against his cheek with obvious affection. "Pika pi!" it chirped, clearly pleased by the day's events.
He scratched behind its ears absently, his mind already racing ahead to future possibilities. Mega Evolution was just the beginning. There were other forms of power enhancement in the Pokémon world—Z-Moves, Dynamaxing, techniques and abilities that he had only ever experienced through games and anime.
If the Mega Ring had appeared when he needed it, perhaps other tools would appear as well. Perhaps this mysterious benefactor—whatever it was—would continue to provide what he needed, when he needed it.
Or perhaps he was on his own, and this was a one-time gift meant to set him on a path he would have to walk himself.
Either way, he was stronger now than he had been this morning. And tomorrow, after rest and recovery, he would be stronger still.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of fire and gold that reminded him of Mega Charizard X's blazing form. He watched the light fade, feeling a sense of peace settle over him despite the intensity of the day's events.
He had come to this world with nothing but borrowed memories and a body that wasn't his own. He had struggled to understand his place, to find meaning in an existence that defied all logic and reason.
But slowly, surely, he was building something new. A life, a purpose, a reason to keep climbing even when the summit seemed impossibly far away.
The mountain wasn't the destination. It was the journey.
And his journey was just beginning.
That night, he dreamed of fire.
Not the destructive fire of his death—the screeching tires, the blinding headlights, the moment of impact that had ended one life and begun another. This was different. This was creative fire, transformative fire, the kind of blaze that burned away impurities and left only strength behind.
In the dream, he stood at the center of an inferno, surrounded by flames that should have consumed him but instead felt like a warm embrace. His Pokémon circled around him—all of them, from the starters to the legendaries—their forms wreathed in the same transformative fire.
And they were changing. Evolving. Becoming more than they had been, accessing powers that had always existed within them but had never been unlocked.
Pikachu blazed with golden light, electricity crackling from its fur with enough intensity to power a city. Mewtwo's psychic aura expanded until it encompassed the entire dreamscape, its mental power becoming indistinguishable from reality itself. The legendary birds merged into a single, impossible creature, their combined elements creating something entirely new.
And at the center of it all, he burned brightest of all.
When he woke, the dream faded but the feeling remained. A sense of potential, of possibility, of limits that were meant to be broken.
The partner Pikachu was already awake, watching him with those bright, intelligent eyes. It had shared the dream somehow—he could feel echoes of the experience in their bond, traces of the fire that had transformed them both.
"Pika?" it asked, tilting its head.
He smiled—a genuine expression that came easier now than it had in those first confused days—and reached out to stroke its fur.
We're going to become so much stronger, he promised. All of us. Together.
The Pikachu's cheeks sparked with excitement, its tail wagging like a happy Growlithe. It believed him. It always believed him.
And this time, he had every intention of living up to that belief.
The sun was rising over Mt. Silver, painting the frozen peaks in shades of gold and rose. Another day was beginning, full of possibilities and challenges and the endless pursuit of strength.
He stood, stretched muscles that were sore from the previous day's exertions, and made his way to the cave entrance. The Mega Ring gleamed on his wrist, its Key Stone catching the morning light and refracting it into a rainbow of colors.
Today, he would train harder than ever.
Today, he would push past limits that had seemed insurmountable.
Today, he would take another step on the journey that had no end.
And somewhere in the world below, a young trainer named Ash was doing the same thing—training, growing, preparing for a future confrontation that would define them both.
The mountain waited, patient and eternal.
And he was ready to climb.