SS029

Pokémon: Mega Evolution Special I (Japanese: ポケットモンスターXY特別編 最強メガシンカ ～Act I～ Pocket Monsters XY Special Episode: The Strongest Mega Evolution ~Act I~) is the first Mega Evolution Special and the first special episode of the. It first aired in Japan on April 3, 2014 (just after XY021) and in the United States on May 31, 2014.

Blurb
Alain and his Charizard are on a mission to seek out and challenge Mega-Evolved Pokémon! They battle and defeat Astrid and her Mega Absol, unaware that they’re being watched. The observer is a young Trainer named Mairin, who’s just started her journey with her Chespin—and who has a lot of questions about Mega Evolution! Alain tells her he doesn’t have all the answers, but she’s still asking questions when he gets a call and has to leave.

She follows him to a cave, where he finds a Mega Stone. When he emerges, he’s challenged by Dragon Tamer Remo and his Mega Garchomp—with the Mega Stone on the line! Alain wins again, and afterward, Mairin tells him that she wants to learn to use Mega Evolution, too. But first, she’ll have to catch some more Pokémon!

Alain helps Mairin catch a Flabébé, and then he disappears when she takes it to a Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy tells Mairin that he went to a nearby restaurant to challenge the owner, Siebold of the Elite Four, and his Mega Blastoise. Mairin catches up just in time to watch the battle! The type disadvantage is too much for Charizard to overcome even after it Mega Evolves, and Alain is defeated—but Siebold is impressed with his strength. After the battle, Alain continues his journey, and Mairin is determined to go along with him and find a Mega Stone of her own!

Plot
Mega Evolution: A new type of evolution. Some Pokémon are capable of Mega Evolution, but are there other Pokémon capable of it?

A named Alain battles another trainer with his Pokémon,. His goal is to be the top trainer in battles involving Mega Evolution. Charizard battles against, a Pokémon raised by Astrid. Both Pokémon Mega Evolve after Alain challenges Astrid to Mega Evolve her Absol. Charizard prevails over Absol by using to counter Absol's. Mairin, a spectator of the battle, wants to know what happened to Charizard and Absol when they Mega Evolved. But then she brings up gossip from Lumiose City that a rampaging ran loose and that a trainer freed her from enemy control, and afterwards saves a Pokémon falling from Prism Tower. This causes Alain to have a flashback, when he was Professor Sycamore's aide. Professor Sycamore was studying Mega Evolution and wants to know how it works and if it affects all Pokémon. Alain then wants to search for a Mega Stone to witness its power, which Professor Sycamore approves, and allows him to take a along. Suddenly, he receives a call where to go next, with Mairin tagging along, her curiosity piqued.

Mairin finds Alain in some old ruins. Inside, Alain finds a Mega Stone, but is troubled to what Pokémon it corresponds to. As he walks out, a man named Remo challenges him to battle, claiming that he needs the Mega Stone to bring it to his boss. Alain accepts, and Remo introduces to Charizard a Garchomp, Mega Evolved. The two Pokémon have an air battle, both suffering serious wounds after a fall, with Charizard winning and Garchomp collapsing from his wounds. Mairin, with some advice from Alain, catches, her first Pokémon with. They then to heal their Pokémon, Alain leaving to battle, leaving her alone.

Nurse Joy tells Mairin that Alain left to challenge Siebold of the Elite Four. Mairin catches up to the two to watch the battle. Charizard faces off against a, Siebold's Pokémon. Both Mega Evolve and battle, with Mega Blastoise having the advantage with its and being a Water-type. Charizard tries to evade Blastoise's attacks but succumbs to its Hydro Pump. On the road again, Mairin wants to follow Alain so she can get a Mega Stone and Mega Evolve her Pokémon so she can beat him. He just shrugs and remembers Professor Sycamore declaring mankind is entering "a time of great change". But woe be in his way, for in a laboratory, there are charts displaying Mega Evolution and its possible power. A man smiles slyly as he looks for information.

Major events

 * Alain meets Mairin, a beginner.
 * Alain finds a Gyaradosite.
 * Mairin catches a, which she nicknames "Bébé".
 * Alain has a against Siebold of the Kalos Elite Four, but loses.
 * Mairin decides to travel with Alain.

Humans

 * Alain
 * Mairin
 * Lysandre
 * Astrid
 * Remo
 * Siebold

Pokémon debuts

 * Y
 * X
 * Y
 * X
 * Y
 * X
 * X
 * X
 * X
 * X
 * X
 * X
 * X

Main series debuts

 * (Mega Charizard X)

Humans

 * Alain
 * Mairin
 * Nurse Joy
 * Siebold
 * Professor Sycamore (flashback)
 * Lysandre
 * Astrid
 * Remo
 * Sophie (flashback)
 * Siebold's butler
 * Restaurant patrons
 * Trainers

Pokémon

 * (flashback)
 * (Mega Charizard X; )
 * (Mairin's; Chespie)
 * (Mairin's; ; Bébé; new)
 * (Professor Sycamore's; flashback)
 * (Mega Blastoise; Siebold's)
 * (Mega Absol; Astrid's)
 * (Mega Garchomp; Remo's; Garchoo)
 * (painting; flashback)
 * (×2; flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)
 * (flashback)

Pokémon in the intro

 * (Mega Venusaur)
 * (Mega Charizard Y)
 * (Mega Blastoise)
 * (Mega Alakazam)
 * (Mega Gengar)
 * (Mega Kangaskhan)
 * (Mega Pinsir)
 * (Mega Gyarados)
 * (Mega Aerodactyl)
 * (×2; Mega Mewtwo X and Y)
 * (Mega Ampharos)
 * (Mega Scizor)
 * (Mega Heracross)
 * (Mega Houndoom)
 * (Mega Tyranitar)
 * (Mega Blaziken)
 * (Mega Gardevoir)
 * (Mega Mawile)
 * (Mega Aggron)
 * (Mega Medicham)
 * (Mega Manectric)
 * (Mega Banette)
 * (Mega Lucario)
 * (Mega Abomasnow)

Cast
! colspan=6 | Special appearances by


 * }

Trivia

 * This special was aired between XY021 and XY022 in Japan.
 * This is the first appearance of a male in the.
 * This is the first time multiple Mega Evolved Pokémon are featured simultaneously in the anime.
 * This episode marks the debut of in the anime.
 * With this, all variations of have been featured in the anime.
 * This is the first time has been used by a non- Pokémon in the anime.
 * Excluding Pikachu shorts, this is the first dubbed anime feature not narrated by Rodger Parsons or Mike Pollock.
 * Mairin references and the events of Lumiose City Pursuit!.
 * Excluding flashbacks, this episode marks the only time Alain has been seen losing a battle with another.

Errors

 * In the flashback in which Professor Sycamore appears, his female Garchomp has a cut on her fin, a male-only trait.
 * In the credits of the English dub, Astrid's voice actress, Kate Bristol, is incorrectly credited as "Kate Briston".

Dub edits

 * In the Hindi dub, the intro scene with the multiple Mega Evolved Pokémon and the title card was skipped, and the episode started directly from the scene after the title card.

In other languages
Mega-Entwicklung – Sonderfolge I SME01 PME01 SS029 ポケットモンスター XY 特別編 最強メガシンカ 〜Act I〜 精灵宝可梦 XY 特别篇 第1集