"Are you sure this is all right?" Gary asked, slightly overwhelmed.
He hadn't actually done anything to deserve such a gift. With luck this good, he figured, bad luck was probably waiting around the corner.
"Mega Evolution comes only to those destined for it," Grandma Zinnia replied. "I cannot promise Latios will master it—fate decides such things."
"Then, on Latios's behalf, thank you," Gary said politely.
"No need for thanks. Let Latios give it a try."
"Have him fly into the meteorite crater and bring back a fragment."
Gary nodded. "Latios, go ahead. It's fine if nothing happens."
Latios dove toward the crater.
A moment later, an image flickered before Gary's eyes—Latios had activated Sight Sharing, projecting his field of vision to those he trusted.
"This is the bottom of the crater?" Zinnia whispered in awe. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
Even Grandma Zinnia, usually serene, leaned forward with interest.
"Latios can transmit what he sees," Gary explained.
Latios soon reached the crater floor. A massive trench split through the center; the meteorite lay half-buried in stone.
He raked the surface with Dragon Claw. Rock shattered, revealing a prismatically glowing shard.
Gary's eyes widened. The meteorite's life-energy hadn't dissipated—just been sealed beneath stone. Bathed in that light, Latios felt the resonance flood every cell in his body.
"Gary, your bag is glowing!" Zinnia cried.
Gary looked down—rainbow light spilled from his waist pouch.
He pulled out the Mega Ring: the Key Stone inside was blazing with color.
In the games, Latios needs both a Mega Stone and a Key Stone to Mega Evolve, yet in the movie, the twins transformed without any Key Stone at all.
"Channel the Key Stone's power," Grandma Zinnia instructed. "It may allow Latios to evolve."
"All right—Latios, Mega Evolve!"
A pillar of rainbow light shot up from the crater, flaring brilliantly before fading. The shared vision vanished.
Gary stared into the pit. Forced Mega Evolution could drive a Pokémon berserk; if Latios lost control, stopping him would be nearly impossible.
Latios's cry rang through the air. A violet figure burst from the crater—Mega Latios.
His formerly blue body was now deep purple. His frame had grown sleeker, the fins on his back extending into streamlined, blade-like wings.
Latios's twin offensive stats had skyrocketed; aside from his still-mediocre Ability Levitate, every point of his 700-base stat total now radiated battle readiness.
"Woo!" Latios wheeled back to Gary, vibrating with exhilaration.
Gary laid a hand on his partner's arm and pulled up the updated Pokédex data:
[Type: Dragon / Psychic]
[Potential: Legendary]
[Ability: Levitate – Immune to most Ground-type moves]
[Moves: Stored Power · Helping Hand · Confusion · Tailwind · Safeguard · Dragon Breath · Luster Purge · Zen Headbutt · Dragon Pulse · Simple Beam]
[Tutored Moves: Waterfall · Body Slam · Solar Beam · Thunderbolt · Shadow Claw · Hyper Beam · Rest · Liquidation · Aura Sphere · Dream Eater]
[Friendship: 255 / 255]
[Held Item: Latiosite]
The only change was the newly listed Latiosite.
But where had it come from?
"Latios, could you change back?" Gary asked.
A flash of light—and Latios returned to normal.
Zinnia stared, nearly drooling with envy.
"Do you feel anything extra on you?" Gary asked.
Latios reached into his interspatial pouch and pulled out a pale purple gem marked with a lilac-and-blue spiral—his own Latiosite.
"A Mega Stone!" Zinnia gasped.
"Grandma, did you give that to him?"
"No," Grandma Zinnia said softly. "That Mega Stone was just born."
So the stone had formed inside Latios himself—humans had nothing to do with it.
"Grandma, are Mega Stones created by Pokémon?" he asked.
"Yes. When a Pokémon is bathed in life energy powerful enough, a Mega Stone can crystallize within its body."
Gary looked down at the glowing gemstone in his palm, wonder spreading across his face.