Chapter 60:
There was no doubt the blue figure was Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir?" Hayashi Kaede murmured, surprised. He had expected Gardevoir to come eventually, but not so soon.
Gardevoir hovered in the air, held by invisible telekinesis; even the faint morning breeze could not lift the hem of her gown. After a whole night of waiting, Kaede's eyes brightened at the chance. "That's perfect. Don't worry—there's work for you today."
He explained quickly: "We're widening the water diversion channel for Milotic. Human construction will stir up a lot of sediment, so I need you to form a temporary telekinetic barrier to separate the diversion channel from the reservoir while they work, to keep the reservoir from becoming polluted."
Gardevoir froze for a moment, clearly taken aback by how naturally Kaede treated the request. The Energy Cubes and Berries she'd taken yesterday had been eaten by the three little ones, leaving only the Berries—something she hadn't enjoyed as much as the cubes. That, and needing a safe place, had brought her back to the plantation.
Kaede, meanwhile, made a quick call to the Fujita Goro construction team. When he explained it was an invitation from Aogiri Town's plantation, they agreed readily. "They'll be here soon," he told Gardevoir, then used the Eye of Exploration to glance at her data again.
Apart from an intimacy level of 5, the readout pleased him more each time. This Gardevoir was remarkable—powerful and talented. Still, Kaede felt she was insufficient compared to Darkrai itself.
Gardevoir stayed silent for a moment, floating with nowhere to rest. Kaede decided to be direct. "Gardevoir—are you carrying a curse?"
At those words, the gentle aura around her tightened. Her telekinetic field swept out like a tide and ringed Kaede for a moment. Gardevoir's internal question flashed: How did you know?
The curse had been bound to her since childhood, woven into the way her powers worked. Whenever someone fell asleep within roughly one kilometer, her powers would involuntarily reach for that person and act as a conduit for the curse. That was why she had to keep moving and find quiet places—so the fewest possible creatures would be exposed.
"I'm a breeder," Kaede said without hiding his thoughts. "I work with Veridian energy. Based on what I saw last night, this isn't an ordinary status ailment—but don't lose hope. There are a few paths."
Gardevoir listened, her crimson eyes guarded.
"It's not exactly a curse in the sense of an unfixable thing," Kaede continued. "It may have been placed by a Pokémon—so you could find the Pokémon that cursed you and ask it to reverse it. Another option is to find a Pokémon whose energy is the opposite of the nightmare energy and let that blessing cancel it out. Both are difficult—your curse is deeply rooted. But I think you can learn to control it. As you grew stronger, your powers narrowed the range. When you were younger it was farther-reaching; now you've brought it down to roughly a kilometer. With training and the right help, you could tighten it further and control the flow."
Gardevoir was silent, then slowly nodded. The curse had indeed given her power and insight, but it had also been a source of constant distress. She had looked among humans for breeders and well-known trainers for answers, but none had solved the problem. This human—could he have something useful?
"Try this." Kaede took out a small bottle and produced a single cube with careful hands.
S+ Assimilation Energy Cube — a Special Energy Cube made from a small amount of A-grade Moomoo Milk and a mid-grade Special Scale Berry. Consuming it temporarily increases Special Attack by 15%–50%. Long-term use can raise a Pokémon's Special Attack stat.
Notes: Highly concentrated energy; not suitable for Pokémon below Gym level.
Effects:
1. Enhances resistance to abnormal states.
2. Increases chance to inflict abnormal status when using moves.
3. Assimilation: long-term consumption helps resist damage from opposing attributes and improves control over external energy.
This was the experimental cube Kaede had prepared when he was trying to refine a cube for Pidgeotto's aerial skill proficiency. Supplies were extremely limited and restrictions applied, so he had not used them on his own team.
He could not afford to waste it—but he wanted to keep Gardevoir.
Gardevoir lifted the cube with telekinesis, studying it hesitantly. The temptation in her chest was obvious; finally she could not resist. She swallowed the cube in one motion.
Energy poured through her like a tide. For a moment her eyes dulled, then they flared—surprise and disbelief mixed across the scarlet irises. She tried to mobilize her own energy and felt the curse's power shift, more under her control than before.
[Congratulations! Gardevoir's intimacy has increased from 0% to 75%. Rewards: ten sacks of high-level fertilizer, ten high-level Rare Candies, and one Intermediate Psychic Power.]
When the system's notice rang in Kaede's mind, he stared. The logged reward listed an Intermediate Psychic Power—more than a simple consumable. He checked the interface again, disbelieving, and then smiled. The system had labeled the reward correctly: a superpower of a sort had been granted.
Gardevoir blinked, still processing the change. She looked at Kaede with a new mixture of wariness and curiosity, then gave a small, almost tentative nod. "I will give you my answer before nightfall," she sent into his mind, and then she hovered, waiting, the telekinetic barrier in her hands already pulsing faintly with controlled focus.