"Seadra, are you ready?"
At the entrance of the Secret Kingdom, Ethan held a Dragon Scale in his hand as he spoke to Seadra.
"Seeaa!"
Seadra nodded seriously, though the doubt in its eyes was impossible to hide.
Was this scale really enough to successfully evolve?
"Then let's begin."
Ethan nodded and placed the Dragon Scale, which had been set into a necklace, around Seadra's neck.
"Meltan, create a spatial magnetic field."
Then, Ethan turned to the Meltan beside him.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan nodded and began using its power to open the passage to the Secret Kingdom. A powerful spatial energy surged throughout the area.
Boom!
Seadra, wearing the Dragon Scale, was stimulated by the spatial energy, and its body began to shine with a soft light.
However, after a few moments, the glow slowly faded, and the evolution was not completed.
"Could it be that its strength still isn't enough?"
"Or that the spatial stimulus isn't sufficient yet?"
Ethan frowned slightly. The conditions for Pokémon's special evolutions were threefold: absorbing the energy of the item they carried, receiving the stimulation of the Secret Kingdom's spatial energy, and possessing the strength and potential required for evolution.
Apparently, Seadra had not fully met one of those requirements yet.
Even so, the mere fact that its body had emitted the light of evolution showed that it indeed possessed the necessary potential.
"How lucky, I found a Seadra that meets the evolution conditions." Ethan exhaled in relief.
These conditions had been discovered recently by the Pokémon Researchers Guild after intense studies. The results showed that not all Pokémon could evolve, even if they had everything required.
For example, one of the guild's researchers had an Onix with terrifying power. They had already prepared the Metal Coat and, using the guild's instruments, could generate almost 90% of the necessary spatial stimulus.
Even so, that powerful Onix still couldn't evolve into a Steelix. It was proof that special evolutions weren't as simple as they seemed.
"Looks like we're still a bit short."
"But don't worry, you'll evolve soon."
Ethan smiled as he spoke to Seadra.
At that moment, Seadra, still feeling the energy that had flowed through its body, opened its eyes wide.
Evolution!
It really could evolve!
Its expression changed completely. It looked at Ethan, then at itself, and a different light shone in its eyes. For the first time, it truly acknowledged this human.
He hadn't lied! It really could evolve!
"Seadra, my evolution method is correct."
"The light of evolution you emitted is the best proof."
"Therefore, there are two possible reasons for the failure: one, your current strength still isn't enough; and two, you haven't yet managed to fully guide the Dragon Scale's energy."
"So, during this next period, I'll prepare a special training plan for you. Your task will be to sense the energy within the scale and learn to control it completely. That won't just help you evolve — it'll greatly enhance your power afterward."
After analyzing it in his mind, Ethan had found the best possible solution.
Seadra nodded immediately. Now it trusted Ethan completely.
"Good. Now, show me all your moves, so I can design a proper training method for you." Ethan took out paper and pen from his backpack and smiled.
After a while, Ethan looked at the notebook where he had listed Seadra's moves and fell into deep thought.
Currently, Seadra had mastered the following moves: Hydro Pump, Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun, Twister, Agility, and Dragon Rage.
The fact that it had inherited Dragon Rage proved that its talent for the Dragon type was excellent. That was crucial for its evolution into Kingdra, as it would gain the Dragon type and could fully unleash that potential.
Moreover, among its moves, the most important one was Agility — its core move — which allowed it to maximize its speed.
Ethan also discovered that its ability was Sniper, an ability that could greatly boost its offensive power. With the combination of Sniper and Agility, it could become a fast long-range shooter, capable of striking from a distance with lethal precision.
...
Half a month later, in front of the Secret Kingdom entrance.
"Seadra, ready?"
Ethan spoke to the Seadra wearing the Dragon Scale, whose eyes now radiated great confidence.
The response was a firm yes. It looked up at the sky expectantly, longing to see its new form.
"Then let's begin. I'm counting on you, Meltan."
Ethan nodded and looked at his metallic companion.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan replied cheerfully, activating its magnetism to the maximum. The spatial magnetic field expanded in the air, slowly opening the passage to the Secret Kingdom.
Boom!
Feeling the spatial energy once again, Seadra, carrying the Dragon Scale, burst into a brilliant white light.
The light expanded, and Seadra's body — once covered in spines — began to swell, its tail lengthened, and its angular snout became rounder.
Boom!
When the light faded, a figure resembling a seahorse appeared before them. It had horns like those of an eastern dragon and fins on its gills — none other than Kingdra, Seadra's evolved form.
After half a month of hard training, Seadra had finally evolved successfully.
Ethan let out a sigh of relief — everything had gone according to plan.
"Congratulations, Kingdra."
Ethan smiled as he spoke.
"Kiind!"
Kingdra nodded happily and began to observe its new body with curiosity.
It was now far stronger than before. That familiar feeling of power surging through it...
That was evolution!
(End of Chapter)