Professor Rowan's Pokémon lecture obviously couldn't continue in this place any longer.
So Ash and the others quickly left.
Their next destination, Celestic Town, was already close.
On the first night of travel...
During dinner, Ash called out a certain mischievous friend.
"Gligar, you rascal. You used to love making funny faces at us when we first met, but I know you've been working hard lately. Your training's been intense—so, are you ready to evolve?"
"Ahya ahya!"
At the mention of evolution, Gligar nodded enthusiastically.
He really wanted to evolve. But his evolution required a Razor Fang.
And without Ash's say-so, there was no way for him to do it on his own.
Ash chuckled at the sight of Gligar nodding with all his might.
This little guy must've been waiting for this day.
With a flip of his palm, Ash pulled a Razor Fang out from his system inventory.
It gleamed like a wickedly sharp tooth.
"Ahya!"
Gligar's eyes sparkled at the sight of it.
He had been craving this item for a long time.
Ash tossed the Razor Fang over.
Gligar snapped it up with one of his claws.
"Bzzzzt!"
The moment Gligar touched the Razor Fang, his body lit up with a powerful glow.
"Gaa-leyaaa!"
Gligar had evolved into Gliscor!
Now towering with a dark-brown body, powerful pincers, and a scorpion-like stinger tail that screamed intimidation.
A terrifyingly cool aura surrounded him.
__
[Pokémon]: Gliscor
[Category]: Fang Scorpion Pokémon
[Type]: Ground, Flying
[Ability]: Hyper Cutter, Sand Veil
[Hidden Ability]: Poison Heal (Activated)
[Potential]: Blue
[Level]: 50
[Moves]: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Poison Jab, Harden, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Agility, Fury Cutter, Feint Attack, X-Scissor, Swords Dance, Sky Uppercut...
Gliscor had a wide range of attacks, though his glaring weakness remained—quadruple weakness to Ice.
"Gaa-leyaaa!"
Now a proud Gliscor, he grinned and wrapped Ash in a big hug, pulling one of his signature funny faces again.
Dawn watched the scene and couldn't help but sigh dreamily.
"So that's Gliscor, huh? Looks so majestic... I wonder when my Piplup will finally evolve?"
After Gliscor, it was Electabuzz's turn.
To evolve, Electabuzz needed an Electirizer—a Power Booster.
Electabuzz had a more stable foundation than Gligar.
Ash took out the Electirizer he had prepared long ago.
Just like Gligar, the moment Electabuzz laid eyes on it, his desire was obvious.
He wanted power.
Evolution would grant him a significant leap forward—and the booster would enhance his internal electricity, too.
A win-win.
"Heinihou!"
Ash tossed the item, and Electabuzz caught it with both hands.
The evolution began.
First came the tail.
One tail split into two, each even longer than his body—almost like twin whips.
Then his entire body grew—becoming bulkier, taller, and more imposing.
"Niiihou!"
He had evolved into Electivire!
"That's my Electivire… Man, it looks awesome!"
Ash admired his newly evolved powerhouse with excitement.
He'd always had a soft spot for Electivire.
"Wow! Two evolutions in a row—Ash, you've got some real magic going on. As soon as they touch those items, it's instant evolution!"
Dawn and Anabel had already packed their things.
"Ash, should we get going?" Dawn asked.
"Pipipipipip!"
"Pika!"
"No rush. Let's rest early tonight. We're almost in Celestic Town, and they're hosting the Celestic Contest. You and Piplup should use tonight to think over your performance moves."
Since they were close, Ash didn't want to rush.
Dawn pulled Angie along to begin training their Pokémon for the upcoming contest.
The night passed quickly.
By early morning, after breakfast, the group was ready to depart.
If all went well, they'd arrive at Celestic Town that very day.
Cynthia should already be there.
And Galactic...
Their next big move was probably about to begin.
After all, their target was the Adamant Orb, being flown in from Eterna City.
__
Ash sat beside Riolu, holding something behind his back.
"Hey Riolu, look what I've got here. Based on that model you liked so much, I carved two more for you. I even tried to match your poses."
Ash and Riolu had grown closer over time.
But strangely, Riolu still hadn't evolved—even though his evolution required only a high enough friendship during daylight hours.
Riolu looked at the two wooden figures Ash handed him with joy.
He already had one—the one carved by the old man from the Lucario Kingdom. Now, with Ash's gifts, he had three in total.
He gently removed the string from around his neck.
At the end of it was a tiny pouch for holding these figures.
"Riolu Riolu~~"
The aura pup chirped in delight.
Then—
"BZZZZT!"
It happened.
Riolu evolved.
His overall form didn't change drastically, but now he had two hanging appendages beside his ears instead of one.
"Lucario!"
He had evolved into Lucario.
Cool. Powerful. Majestic.
He stood tall beside Ash—finally evolved after their bond had crossed the threshold.
The third evolution of the day!
Ash smiled warmly at him.
"Good job, Lucario. I'll be counting on you from here on."
"Pikapi!"
Pikachu grinned beside Ash on his shoulder.
Despite being level 82, Pikachu didn't give off the vibe of a high-level powerhouse at all.
Lucario nodded firmly, determined to live up to Ash's expectations.
__
With that, Ash's evolution plan was halfway complete.
Only Grotle and Monferno remained.
Unlike the others, they evolve naturally and didn't need any items.
But now, they'd been surpassed by Electivire and Gliscor.
By the time they reached Celestic Town, the sky was already glowing orange.
Dawn, full of excitement, dragged Anabel straight toward the Pokemon Contest Hall to sign up for the Celestic Contest!
Ash, meanwhile, pulled out his Pokétch and dialed a certain number.
"Doo doo doo..."
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T/N:
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