I would call this the "edgy" version of pokemon, it also seems to be pretty well developed for a side story. Although the big question that sticks in my mind is will the 2 main pokemon philosophies cross paths and if so how?
Mega evolution and raw power vs Ash's mostly personality and friendship based style. Will Ash get a Mega on his team? Will he cross paths with Alain?
It makes interesting food for thought but I do not think that Ash really NEEDS a Mega on his team, we all know that Pikachu surely will not be evolving. (unless there was some kind of temporary super secret ultimate Pikachu form)
There aren't two main philosophies here, there is one truth - the anime has made it clear time and time again that the only way of bringing out the best in Pokémon is by friendship and kindness. Ash and Alain are both show to be kind and compassionate to their Pokémon. If Alain didn't have a strong bond with his Charizard he would never be able to get it to mega evolve. Despite Alain's cold exterior he was shown to be very loving towards Charizard, constantly cheering and supporting it in battle regardless of whether it won or lost, jumping out of the helicopter to rescue it when it got trapped in the ice and cuddling it when it was a Charmander and calling it sweet. Not to mention as a Charmander, Charizard showed a great deal of affection for Alain. I'd say there as close as Ash and Pikachu and that like Pikachu Charizard has grown to be strong because of Alain's encouragement, support and friendship.
Alain isn't Paul. Paul was little more than a pyschopath who had no empathy, acted with shelfishness and cruelty and achieved his goals via the suffering of others. Alain was serious and determined but he was shown to be a good person. He cared deeply for Charizard and even warmed and developed affection for Mairin giving her a hug after she saved him from the ice. Paul's method of raw power was shown not to work - He only beat Ash due to the inexperience of his Sinnoh Team compared to his stronger Pokémon (Ash's Charizard and Sceptile could have beaten most of Paul's Pokémon), lost spectucularly to Brandon and lost to Ash in the only battle where the result actually mattered in the league. Alain's clearly not like this.
As for Ash getting or not getting a Mega Evolution. So far it doesn't appear that it's overtly likely Ash will mega evolve one of his older Pokémon, but if he did so it wouldn't mean any form of deviation from Ash's strategy or beliefs as a trainer. Ash already has a strong bond with all his Pokémon, especially ones like Charizard and Sceptile and would be able to use mega evolution. Mega evolution doesn't work unless trainer and Pokémon have a strong bond, so it's not fair to describe it as raw power.
