Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

And what occupies the Donghuang region is actually a black Liekongzuo... Could this be the reason for the pre-Qin veneration of black?

Xia Chen thought to himself with a touch of wicked humor.

However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and no matter how powerful Donghuang's Liekongzuo is, it cannot be found in a short time, so Xia Chen quickly brought the topic back to the main point.

"Lord Dragon God, Groudon and Kyogre down below are going berserk! Go and stop them!"

Lie Kongzuo remained unhurried. "I know. I sensed it when I came down. No rush. Let them fight for now. Before that, we have something else to do."

Xia Chen asked curiously, "What is it?"

Liekongzuo did not answer, but instead soared into the air, its body suddenly growing larger and longer in a beam of emerald light.

In just a few moments, it expanded to almost ten times its original length, and its gentle temperament transformed into unparalleled majesty under the influence of its size.

"Come on up!"

The roar of the dragon echoed at the top of the Sky Pillar, its loud, bell-like sound conveying a gentle meaning.

Xia Chen hadn't expected there to be a Rayquaza ride today. Afraid that Rayquaza might change its mind, he didn't hesitate to pull Cynthia along to ride the Gulton "transfer" and then climb onto Rayquaza's broad, flat back.

"Hold on tight!"

After a thoughtful reminder, the Sky Train, like a long aerial train, swept through the whistling air currents and suddenly set off amidst Xia Chen and Cynthia's soft exclamations.

…………

Although it wasn't Xia Chen's first time riding a legendary Pokémon, his excitement remained undiminished.

The truth is, Guleton usually doesn't act like a mythical beast, so Xia Chen hardly treats it as a legendary elf anymore.

Cynthia behind her did the same.

Although she tried her best to maintain a calm and silent demeanor as a senior in front of Xia Chen, the slight trembling of her tightly pressed body revealed that her inner self was not as composed as she appeared.

This Rayquaza has a very good personality, and thoughtfully activates an energy barrier similar to that used by Guruton to shield the two passengers from strong air currents.

Otherwise, the strong winds alone would have been enough to freeze them both into ice pops.

Perhaps due to the difference in strength, Rayquaza was even faster than Gullardon. Xia Chen and Cynthia hadn't experienced Rayquaza's flight for long before their speed and altitude both suddenly decreased.

Passing through the clouds, Xia Chen mustered his courage and looked down, only to find that he had moved from the south of Liuli Island to the north.

What is Liekongzu doing here?

Estimating that he would get an answer soon, Xia Chen didn't rush to ask Lie Kongzuo. Instead, he followed it to an island.

There were hardly any people or elves on the island, and there wasn't even much vegetation; it looked utterly ordinary.

Without putting Xia Chen and Xilona down, Rayquaza hovered in mid-air, about several tens of meters above the ground, its dragon head slightly lowered.

Immediately, a beam of brilliant golden energy, imbued with a terrifying aura, suddenly poured down, bombarding the very center of the island.

Judging from the energy it exudes, this seems to be a dragon-type move, perhaps dragon breath?

But looking at the island that had been blown into a giant crater, Xia Chen suddenly fell silent. If it was just dragon breath, then it was far too terrifying.

Ignoring the smoke and intense heat from the explosion that filled the island, Liekong carried Xia Chen and Xilona to the giant crater.

Then, Xia Chen understood why Lie Kongzuo had descended upon this place.

Beneath the giant crater lay a massive meteorite shimmering with seven-colored light!

"Keep that little pebble for yourself; it doesn't even have enough energy to fill a tooth gap."

Xia Chen actually detected a hint of arrogance in Lie Kongzuo's voice.

Xia Chen retorted, "If it's not enough, just ask me. I have more. I even had someone bring more over. I guarantee there will be plenty."

Lie Kongzuo replied, "If I enter that state, I will instantly drain all the energy from the meteorite. Are you willing to do that?"

Xia Chen was surprised. Could the energy of the keystone be completely drained?

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing; perhaps it was another example of the disparity between two worlds.

"There aren't many meteorites with this kind of energy; I only know of two or three. I have to use it every time those two idiots fight, it's such a hassle..."

Rayquaza was unusually complaining about Kyogre and Groudon, but Xia Chen had no time to pay attention to that and instead inquired about something else.

"From what I understand, besides the Key Stone, completing Mega Evolution also requires a stone that corresponds to a Pokémon. Does the Dragon God know where that stone is?"

Without Mega Stones, Key Stones are useless to humans. Xia Chen wanted to ask Rayquaza about Mega Stones.

It rules the sky and, theoretically, possesses information about all special energy meteorites. If even it doesn't know, then perhaps no one else in the world knows.

Lie Kongzuo gave Xia Chen a meaningful look, "You know quite a lot, huh..."

Well, judging from that tone, Rayquaza definitely knows there's no doubt about it.

Xia Chen stared at Lie Kongzuo with eager eyes, and the kind-hearted Dragon God reluctantly gave him a promise.

"After this is over, I'll take you to find it. That meteorite fell almost two thousand years ago, and I only remember its approximate location."

As Xia Chen nodded with delight, Lie Kongzuo suddenly said, "But before that, I need your help."

Chapter 333 Super Rayquaza, Descends!

"I understand. You mean that to complete the super evolution, I need to establish a connection with my mind?"

Xia Chen said thoughtfully.

Rayquaza's request is simple: help it achieve Mega Evolution.

Although it is the leader of the Hoenn trio, its two younger brothers are quite powerful in their Primal Reversion state, and it would be difficult to defeat them without Mega Evolution.

Besides the Key Stone and Mega Stone, the other essential element for Mega Evolution is the bond between the Pokémon and its Trainer.

Although Rayquaza and the Latios siblings seemed to appear to be able to complete Mega Evolution without needing the final condition in Hoopa's movie, in this world, Rayquaza's own account is the definitive one.

In the game, Mega Evolution originated in Generation VI, the generation whose main stage was the Kalos region, but the Kalos XYZ trio could not Mega Evolve.

On the contrary, two of the Hoenn Legendary Pokémon received Primal Reversion, a form similar to Mega Evolution, and the eldest even became the only Pokémon in the game that can Mega Evolve without a Mega Stone. Isn't that a kind of NTR (Netorare, a term used to describe romantic relationships between characters)?

Given this context, it's not hard to understand why the origin of this world's super evolution is closely related to the Hoenn region rather than the Kalos region.

"Super evolution... that's a fairly apt term."

Rayquaza's head bobbed slightly up and down. "Although I don't need the Mega Evolution Stone you mentioned to enter that form because of some kind of energy stored in my body, I do need a spiritual vessel."

After the introduction, Lie Kongzuo solemnly said, "Now, abandon all distracting thoughts."

Xia Chen was also a little nervous from being sat on by Lie Kong. Super evolution was a first for him.

I thought this first time would be with Gardevoir, but who would have thought that Rayquaza would take it away from me today, making this a very memorable first time.

I'm sorry, Gardevoir, I'm dirty...

"Didn't I tell you to clear your mind? What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"

Rayquaza couldn't make a frowning expression, but his tone was quite disdainful.

Xia Chen was shocked. "You actually spied on my thoughts?"

Liekongzuo showed no embarrassment whatsoever, stating matter-of-factly, "As I said, we need to establish a spiritual connection."

Cynthia watched the interaction between the human and the dragon with a strange expression. She hadn't seen much of the legendary elf's divinity, but instead felt that he was just as childish as Xia Chen.

The halo is gradually being peeled away, and the Hoenn leader, the Sky Dragon, and the ancient legendary Pokémon seem to be just so-so after all.

…………

After some lighthearted banter, Xia Chen finally began to follow Lie Kongzuo's guidance, clearing his mind of distractions, calming his emotions, and preparing for his first super evolution.

As a superhuman, Xia Chen's control over his mental power far surpasses that of ordinary humans. He can clearly sense a powerful mental force gently entering his mind.

He did not resist, but responded by probing out his own spiritual power.

Rayquaza's spiritual power is as vast as the ocean; compared to it, Xia Chen, who can barely be classified as a psychic, is merely a river flowing into it.

However, the two vastly different spiritual energies resonated in a strange way under the energy radiation of the meteorite beside them.

A brilliant golden light shot into the sky, and at the same time, the emerald aurora on Rayquaza's body lit up.

Two dazzling beams of light converged and merged in the sky above Xia Chen and Lie Kongzuo. As the fusion deepened, Lie Kongzuo was enveloped in a golden radiance that was completely different from the light of evolution, tinged with a bluish-green hue.

Visibly, under the radiance, Rayquaza's body structure also underwent tremendous changes!

Super Rayquaza's green skin shimmered with an emerald-like light, and a black and gold pattern resembling the symbol "Δ" appeared on its forehead.

The two horns on the upper lip extend to the front of the mouth in an arching shape, looking dangerous and sharp.

Four long, ribbon-like structures, radiating golden light, emerged from the ends of the two horns on its head and the upper lip. The original circular pattern shone even brighter, as if inlaid with golden jewels.

Cynthia, who watched the entire Mega Evolution livestream from the sidelines, was filled with amazement. The original Rayquaza was already quite imposing, but the Mega Rayquaza, which evolved from it, was even more divine and handsome.

As the Mega Evolution ritual ended, Mega Rayquaza suddenly opened its eyes. As it looked around, two majestic gazes shot out from its golden eyes, which shone as brightly as stars.

On the other side, Xia Chen frowned, barely opening his eyes, and looked somewhat weak.

Cynthia asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

Xia Chen hissed and gasped, then shook his head: "It feels strange, like my mental strength is constantly weakening, but I'm fine now."

Rayquaza explained, "Don't worry, this is a normal phenomenon that occurs with [Bonded Ones], used to maintain my... Hyper-Evolution state. In fact, his mental strength is already many times that of the previous Bonded Ones."

It stretched its body slightly and casually exhaled a cyan-gold dragon breath onto the sea beside it, causing a huge wave to surge up from the surface.

"Not bad, this is the strength I should have."

Lie Kong looked at Xia Chen with increasing satisfaction.

Cynthia seemed to be deep in thought.

Rayquaza's point is that a Pokémon's strength after Mega Evolution is closely related to the trainer's mental fortitude.

It seems I'll have to go back and ask that girl, Cattleya, for advice on how to train my mental strength.

Gazing at the strange sight of half the sun blazing and the other half torrential rain in the distance, Lie Kong pondered for a moment and said, "The super evolution can't be maintained for too long. Let's go. Those two guys, hmph..."

…………

Meanwhile, on the sea between Liuli City and the underwater cave, a fierce and evenly matched battle continues.

The waves surged, lava erupted, and the earth cracked.

The clash between water and fire, land and sea, has never ceased.