Chapter 63:
After having successful exchanged workspace for the Energy Cube, Gardevoir seemed please and nodded to herself. From their interactions over the past few days, this human really did seem kind. He cradled Vulpix, chatted with Milotic, worked the fields with Servine, helped the Miltanks with milking, and even teased Caterpie—mocking that it ate so much, and tease it by saying that Pidgeotto would catch it from the sky?
The tease had made Caterpie tremble and hide in the cowshed for days, only coming out once it realized Pidgeotto didn't care about it.
"Thanks for everything these past few days," Hayashi Kaede called as the truck team drove off. He looked up at Gardevoir and produced an Assimilation Energy Cube. "Here."
This time he didn't toss it—he held his palm open. There needed to be contact; without it, their relationship wouldn't deepen.
Gardevoir drifted down slowly and hovered about two meters away. "Gardevoir," she said—(The weekly allotment hasn't arrived yet.)
"It's a bonus for finishing early," Kaede replied with a small smile.
After a long moment she took the cube with telekinesis and swallowed it whole.
Gardevoir didn't need to read faces to see his intent—his welcome was plain. He wanted her to stay and help on the plantation. Before, the curse would have made her refuse anyone; now she'd seen a sliver of hope that it could be managed. That thought made trusting a trainer possible.
Kaede laughed softly as she finished the cube. "Come work with me. Keep at it, and one day you'll be able to wrest control of that curse from the Nightmare Pokémon."
"Gardevoir," she replied—approval tinged with caution.
His internal readout showed her intimacy rising. Kaede's grin widened. With a telepathic Pokémon like her, honesty and openness seemed to work best.
Gardevoir gave a faint shiver at his eager stare and a hint of annoyance crossed her face. "Gardevoir," she sent—(I will go for now.)
"All right. Come back tomorrow," Kaede answered, and she floated away. He wandered the plantation, then stepped into the Breeding House when it was empty.
An old regular, seeing Kaede's bright expression, teased, "Brother Kaede, you look happy. Did you managed to catch for yourself a Gardevoir?"
"No," Kaede said with a modest shake of his head and a smile, and left the Breeding House.
He headed to the area outside the cowshed—the place Pidgeotto practiced Fierce Storm. He hadn't been idle; he'd cleared a wide space to turn into pasture, with Servine and Alolan Vulpix helping tidy and train. The field would be seeded soon.
"Vulpix! Servine!" Kaede called as he opened the gate.
"Vulpix!" both answered and stopped their drills to run over.
Alolan Vulpix bounded forward first; Servine glided over more reservedly. The newborn Vulpix had grown fast—only seven or eight days had passed, and it was noticeably larger. Its six tails were more agile and its eyes clearer.
Kaede stroked Vulpix's fur and checked the Eye of Exploration.
[Pokémon: Vulpix
Gender: Female
Ability: Snow Cloak
Aptitude: Red
Individual Values: HP (27) Atk (25) SpA (31) Def (27) SpD (25) Spd (31)
Level: 11–15
Moves: Powder Snow, Icy Wind, Ice Shard, Aurora Beam, Tail Whip, Confuse Ray
Intimacy: 95 (She depends on you.)
Happiness value: 60]
"Servine" the green snake murmured, eyes bright. "It learned Icy Wind from the airflow I make with Leaf Tornado—very clever."
"That's amazing," Kaede said, then looked into Vulpix's clear eyes. "How does it feel to learn new moves?"
Vulpix answered with an eager chirp, leapt from his arms, and focused. It gathered breath and released a gust of snow-laced wind; even in summer the ground chilled where the breeze passed and a thin frost lingered for a moment. The ice held its form briefly—it wasn't meltwater but tightly condensed energy—proof Vulpix had grasped the technique's essence.
Kaede laughed, satisfied. "Perfect—now I won't have to run the air conditioner as much."
Vulpix glowed at the praise; it liked being useful.
Servine glanced up with a small smile. Kaede patted Vulpix, ruffled Servine's head, and said happily, "Let's head home. Today went well. We're one step closer to adding another Psychic-type to the team—tonight I'll make you both something nice."