Chapter Seventy-five: The Origin of Mega Evolution Stones

“Kidd! Kidd! Kidd!”

…

May fifth, evening.

Outside the Nibi City Museum, Kidd’s fans waved placards and flags, shouting their idol’s name at the top of their lungs.

The Officer Jennys were clearly frustrated by the commotion, but all they could do was maintain order at the scene—the museum had imposed a ticket limit today, so most people were left outside.

As Amu entered through the VIP passageway, she glanced at the crowd and remarked, “That Kidd… It’s one thing for young girls to like him, but I bet most of those men are just faking it for attention…”

“Hey!” Misty shot her a glare, warning her not to be so crude.

Inside the museum, the crowd had not yet converged on “The Wrath of Gyarados.” After all, it was only six o’clock, and there were still more than three hours before Kidd’s promised appearance.

Amu and Misty had already explored the other exhibition halls two days earlier, so they made their way directly to the gallery housing “The Wrath of Gyarados.”

Due to the restricted flow of visitors and the absence of moonlight at this hour, the hall was not overcrowded.

Suddenly, a ripple of alarm swept through the room…

The crowd clustered around the glass wall of the pool suddenly recoiled in fright.

The Gyarados inside had just awakened and was surging toward the glass wall.

Even knowing the wall was there, the sight of such a massive Gyarados charging at them startled everyone, and they instinctively drew back.

But as the crowd withdrew, one could clearly see a little girl still standing there. Instead of retreating, she patted the glass and called out, “Long Long, Long Long! Are you alright?”

The Gyarados rubbed its snout against the glass near the girl.

But it didn’t linger long—after circling the tank once, it returned to the center display.

“Long Long…”

“Chino, no, you mustn’t… It’s too dangerous.” The woman beside her hurriedly pulled the little girl away.

Amu recognized a man approaching—probably Mr. Kyuji, whom she’d seen two days before—coming over to speak with his wife and daughter.

Why “probably”? Amu was terrible with faces and had only met him once, so she had to confirm with Misty.

“That’s Mr. Kyuji’s youngest daughter… They say she’s close with the Gyarados, though for the Gyarados, it’s just a bit of familiarity,” Sonoko explained as she joined them.

The late Ms. Mina’s Gyarados only paid slightly more attention to her granddaughter than others, but just “slightly”; otherwise, it would not have remained guarding “The Wrath of Gyarados.”

“Daddy, daddy, when can we bring Long Long home?” the little girl tugged at Kyuji’s hand.

Kyuji’s face had gone ashen.

Big Five approached, grinning. “Hahaha, anytime you want. I never forbade you from taking Gyarados home… After all, using Pokémon as collateral is illegal, so you don’t owe me any money. Right, Officer Jenny?”

He turned to Yumi, who followed with a grim expression—she’d witnessed Kyuji’s repayment and could tell Big Five had played a trick.

“You scoundrel… That ‘Wrath of Gyarados’ is also Oka’s Mega Stone…” Kyuji began to argue.

“Oka” was the formal stage name for this Gyarados when partnered with Ms. Mina; “Long Long” was its private nickname.

But this time, Big Five had brought bodyguards, and with Kyuji held back, he said leisurely, “No, this is a wild Gyarados I’m currently fostering, who happened to carry a Mega Stone. According to the Fourth Amendment to the Mega Stone Property Law, I am its rightful owner!”

The origins of Mega Stones remained a mystery, but among those discovered, many were found carried by wild Pokémon—Pokémon scholars believed wild Pokémon instinctively sought out Mega Stones of their own kind, yet without a Trainer and a Key Stone, they could not Mega Evolve on their own.

Some scholars argued that the Key Stone was only an aid, and that a Pokémon, on reaching sufficient growth, could theoretically resonate with a Mega Stone and trigger Mega Evolution by itself.

This raised the question: was it legal for Trainers to obtain Mega Stones from wild Pokémon, or was it considered abuse?

The major leagues eventually reached a consensus in the Fourth Amendment to the Mega Stone Property Law: if a Pokémon can Mega Evolve, the Mega Stone belongs to the Pokémon itself and cannot be taken by humans; if it cannot, humans may claim ownership.

The Jenny clan had their reservations, but banning the collection of Mega Stones from wild Pokémon faced too much resistance.

As it stood… after Ms. Mina’s death, Gyarados Oka could no longer Mega Evolve and had not been captured by anyone else; technically, it was a “wild Pokémon.”

Big Five had tampered with the collateral contract, rendering it void—if not for Yumi and the Suzuki family being present, he would have forced Kyuji to repay him and then demand the return of Gyarados Oka.

Fortunately, Yumi had promptly invoked the law prohibiting Pokémon as collateral.

Now, “The Wrath of Gyarados” was, on paper, a Mega Stone picked up by a wild Gyarados under Big Five’s temporary care, thus belonging to him.

Amu, observing all this, nudged Conan, who seemed deep in thought.

“What’s your problem?” Conan snapped, annoyed.

“You should get closer to him…” Amu suggested.

“Cut it out! I’m thinking about how Kidd might sneak in! He said he’d ‘come on the moonlight’… Any ideas?” Conan asked absently.

“If it’s the moonlight… wouldn’t he just come in through the skylight when the moon’s out?” Amu’s answer was straightforward.

Conan shot her a look and chuckled, “Yeah, Uncle Kogoro reasoned the same thing.”

Amu felt a twinge of disdain from Conan…

Seeing Conan still pondering, Amu asked, “When he escaped last time, how did he pass through that glass? Have you figured it out?”

“Huh? What’s there to figure out? Kidd’s a master of acrobatics and psychic powers… He can’t teleport on his own like Sabrina, but with a Pokémon using Teleport, it’s perfectly feasible,” Conan replied confidently.

Amu: …

So she’d wondered if it was some magic trick, but it turns out it was just that simple and direct?

“It’s not hard for him to sneak in, but… that Gyarados isn’t so easily fooled, especially if he tries to hide underwater. No matter who he disguises as, it’ll attack him!” Conan insisted.

“Do you think… maybe the Gyarados right now is actually Kidd in disguise?” Amu mused aloud.

Conan rolled his eyes. Even if they didn’t know Kidd’s exact methods of transformation, some basic laws still applied. How could anyone disguise themselves as such a huge Gyarados?

Meanwhile, Amu kept staring at “The Wrath of Gyarados” and the Key Stone, making Conan increasingly suspicious.

Noticing Conan’s look, Amu ruffled his hair and said, “I’m definitely not Kidd in disguise, right, Shinichi?”

“Ahem, ahem!” Conan quickly and nervously interrupted Amu’s dangerous words, glancing at Ran to make sure no one else had heard. Only then did he calm down.