Chapter 255:
"Huh?"
Seeing Hayashi Kaede suddenly approach, the sister Indeedee tilted her head, looking up at him curiously.
Although she already stood about a meter tall, she still had to crane her neck to meet his eyes.
Luckily, Hayashi Kaede crouched down right away.
"So, do you remember… that night when Victini suddenly appeared in front of an Alcremie and startled it into using Metronome?"
"Huh?"
The sister Indeedee paused for a moment, thought back, and then quickly nodded. That night had been quite memorable.
"Huh?" (What's wrong?)
"It's nothing serious. I just wanted to ask if you happened to pick up a wine flask that night?" Hayashi Kaede asked, recalling the one from that evening.
"Huh?"
The Indeedee sister shook her head, then looked at him and cautiously asked, "Huh?" (Was it lost?)
"It's fine, it's just a wine flask." Hayashi Kaede patted her head gently, a sudden gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes.
He seemed to have realized something—but he wasn't completely sure yet.
He still needed to ask the Alcremie from that day.
Under the puzzled gazes of the Indeedee sister and Gardevoir, Hayashi Kaede quickened his pace toward the breeding house.
Gardevoir, curious about what he was up to, floated after him.
Soon, Hayashi Kaede reached the breeding house and stopped before the group of Alcremie.
Scanning the confused crowd, he quickly spotted the strawberry-flavored one—the little Alcremie who knew Metronome—and carefully lifted it into his arms.
Caught off guard, the small Pokémon blinked in confusion, but upon realizing it was Hayashi Kaede, it relaxed.
(・∀・:） "Alcremie…?"
"I just want to ask you something." Hayashi Kaede realized he might have sounded too urgent.
Taking a deep breath, he softened his tone. "It's about that night…"
He repeated the same question he had just asked the sister Indeedee.
After confirming the details, he continued, "So, after you used Copycat that day, did you instantly appear in the Berry Plantation? Or… how exactly did you get there?"
"Alcremie?"
The Alcremie tilted its head, recalling the event. A flicker of fear passed through its soft pink eyes.
That day, it hadn't just been teleported to the plantation—that alone wasn't what frightened it most. It had felt as if it were pulled into another world entirely. Everything around it had turned upside down, and it had no idea where it was.
"Alcremie…"
The little Alcremie recounted everything as best it could.
Then, looking up at Hayashi Kaede with a pitiful expression, it added, "Alcremie…" (I never want to use that move again. It was too strange… I thought I wouldn't make it back.)
Listening to the Alcremie's trembling voice, Hayashi Kaede began piecing things together.
But he couldn't help saying gently, "It's not about never using it again."
"This is your power."
"The strength of your power is what protects you. A sweet little one like you—if you were in the wild without it, you might've been eaten already."
He wasn't trying to frighten the Alcremie, only to help it understand.
In the wild, Pokémon like Alcremie, born without strong parents to protect them, were often easy prey. Those that survived developed clever defenses or symbiotic relationships.
Take Tatsugiri (sushi like pokemon), for example—hiding safely in Dondozo's mouth (water sea creature Pokemon). Or the tiny Applin, concealed within an apple shell.
::＞_＜:: "Alcremie…"
The Alcremie around him froze, their faces filled with panic.
"Alcremie…" (Don't eat me… I can give them my cream instead…)
"Alcremie…" (Scary…)
"Alcremie…"
Seeing them all in distress, Hayashi Kaede didn't stop there.
"Before they eat you, they won't bother negotiating for cream first," he said seriously.
The Alcremies' eyes widened even more in alarm.
Finally, Gardevoir floated forward, placing herself between Hayashi Kaede and the frightened group. She gave him a helpless look. "Gardevoir…"
Her expression clearly said, "Why are you scaring them like this?"
She wanted to reassure the Alcremie—"It's fine, it's fine. Kaede's other Pokémon will protect you."
But then she remembered: ever since arriving at this breeding house, nearly every Pokémon here was a little… unusual.
So she simply sighed instead.
"Ahem… no, no…"
Under Gardevoir's calm gaze, and seeing the Alcremies' genuine fear, Hayashi Kaede scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I just wanted it not to be afraid of its own power."
He gently lifted the strawberry Alcremie again. "It's fine, really. As long as you're here in the breeding house, nothing will happen."
"Alcremie…" The little one still trembled slightly, haunted by the idea of being eaten.
Hayashi Kaede could only soothe it softly until it calmed down again.
Then he remembered—he hadn't explained how Metronome worked to this particular Alcremie before.
So he continued, "The move you've mastered is like a random move selector—it can copy and reproduce a random move from others. It's not dangerous in itself; you just need to learn how to control your energy flow when using it."
Even as he said this, Hayashi Kaede found the situation remarkable.
This Alcremie had used Metronome only three times.
Yet, two of those times, it had replicated moves belonging exclusively to Legendary Pokémon.
That's right.
Based on the Alcremie's story, the last time it vanished and reappeared elsewhere, Metronome hadn't produced Teleport at all—it had likely triggered Shadow Force, Giratina's signature move.
And the missing wine flask from that night?
It must have been sucked into the Reverse World along with that dimensional rift.
Then…
Although it sounded absurd, the only explanation Hayashi Kaede could think of was that Giratina, intrigued by the wine flask, had taken it, tasted the Grepa Berry Wine, found it delicious—and decided to take the whole barrel afterward.
Otherwise, there was no reason why none of the Aura-sensitive Pokémon nearby had detected any trace of it that night.
The strawberry Alcremie blinked up at him, still unsure. "Alcremie?" (So… should I practice this move? Will it make me stronger?)
Hayashi Kaede smiled and shook his head. "It's fine if you don't. Everyone will protect you anyway. But… if you do want to practice, and you're scared, then—hmm—ask Gardevoir to watch over you. She'll help."
He turned his gaze toward Gardevoir. "Right, Gardevoir~"