Moonlight, cool as water, flowed silently into the quiet garden of the Celadon Gym.
At night, there were no challengers at the Celadon Gym, and most of the staff had returned to their homes to rest.
So, it was very quiet.
Inside Ash's room, the lights had already been extinguished... When the moonlight was this good, it honestly didn't make much difference whether the lights were on or off.
The cold, clear moonlight had a flavor all its own.
Ash was not asleep; instead, he sat back-to-back with Pikachu on the tatami mats in the center of the room.
Scattered between them was a deck of Pokémon cards, the tools for their cultivation tonight.
"Phew..." Ash closed his eyes, trying hard to eliminate distracting thoughts from his mind.
No words were needed, not even eye contact. They were simply feeling... feeling the rhythm of each other's breathing, feeling the subtle pulse of life transmitting through their spines, and that trust and tacit understanding that required no explanation.
Although they shouted about friendship and courage during battles, they also had to be prepared for it during ordinary training.
If you want to unleash idealistic battle power, you must have the foundation to unleash it, right?
"Pika..." Pikachu also had his eyes closed, and the electric sacs on his cheeks occasionally flashed with an extremely faint electric light, rhythmic like breathing.
His tail curled gently, the tip occasionally swaying unconsciously.
They held many different cards in their hands.
The rules were simple: without using Psychic powers or electromagnetic induction, relying solely on intuition, they would simultaneously play a card to see if they could play the same one.
This was not a test of luck, but a tempering of telepathy that transcended the five senses.
In actual combat, various methods could be used to amplify this. But in training... it was best not to use any method to cheat in this segment.
Ash's finger paused slightly in the air; a vague feeling guided him to touch one of them.
And Pikachu's small paw also pressed onto a card.
The two placed the cards next to each other simultaneously and flipped them over.
Under the moonlight.
The images on the two cards were clearly visible—both were [Pikachu] Pokémon cards flashing with electric light.
"Success!" Ash opened his eyes, turning back to exchange a smile with Pikachu.
Currently, out of 66 flips, they had been correct 35 times.
A success rate of over fifty percent.
This probability was not low; after all, this wasn't flipping a coin with only heads or tails. Ash and Pikachu each held 30 different cards. Theoretically, the probability of playing the same card was only 3.33%.
Ash could feel that the invisible bond was becoming clearer.
Pikachu rubbed against his back, letting out a satisfied "Pika~" sound.
However, outside of this harmonious telepathy, Ash also vaguely perceived the subtle emotional fluctuations of other members of the team.
Especially... that little fellow who was not in his room at this moment.
Misdreavus had gone out wandering.
*
Meanwhile.
Outside the door of Erika's room, under the open-air corridor filled with the fragrance of plants.
Misdreavus was floating listlessly beside Erika, her small body seemingly shrouded in a layer of low atmospheric pressure.
"Mis... Mis, mis..." She let out mumbled sounds of distress and unclear meaning, her large, round eyes filled with conflict.
To evolve, or not to evolve?
This thought entangled her like a vine.
She longed to become stronger, longed to be able to protect everyone at critical moments like Pikachu, instead of only being able to watch from the side or use illusions and pranks to interfere with the enemy.
Evolving into Mismagius would significantly increase her power; this was the fastest route.
But... deep in her heart, she was also a little afraid.
Afraid of change, afraid of losing her current self, afraid that after evolving, she would no longer be herself...
This is the difference in Pokémon personalities.
Different Pokémon have different personalities and thoughts; they are not all cookie-cutter copies.
Erika had just finished her evening meditation. Wearing simple and elegant pale purple sleepwear, her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
She looked at the preoccupied little fellow beside her and smiled gently. She didn't speak immediately, but just lightly patted the cushion beside her.
Misdreavus hesitated for a moment, but still floated over, landing on the cushion and curling up her body.
"Are you still troubled by the matter of evolution?" Erika's voice was like the night breeze brushing past wind chimes, soft and pleasing to the ear.
"Mis!" Misdreavus nodded vigorously, lifting her small face, her eyes full of confusion.
Erika reached out a finger and gently tapped Misdreavus's forehead.
"The heart has power, Little Misdreavus."
She looked toward the bright, pristine moon in the courtyard. The moonlight spilled onto the surface of the pond, stirring up sparkling silver light.
"A true heart possesses true power."
"Deceiving others might be easy, but deceiving yourself will only lead your power astray in the end."
She spoke slowly:
"By nature, you are not a warlike child. Your power comes more from play, dreams, and the inspiration and joy found in pranks."
"Forcing yourself to pursue evolution for the sake of becoming stronger—if this is not your heart's true desire, then even if you evolve, you will not be able to unleash your true power. You might even feel pain."
Erika gently gathered Misdreavus into her arms, letting her lean against her more comfortably.
"Pokémon with warlike personalities and clear goals, like Gyarados, actually find it easier to figure out what they want—which is to become stronger and defeat their opponents."
Intelligence has the benefits of intelligence, and straightforwardness has the benefits of straightforwardness... but likewise, each has its own downsides.
"But you are not such a child."
"The root of your power lies in the complexity and subtlety of the [Heart]."
"So, you need to listen to the voice of your inner self more patiently and figure out what it is you truly want."
"Is it purely for power?"
"Or is it to better protect your companions?"
"Or, is it simply the fear of being left behind?"
Erika's words soothed Misdreavus's confused heart.
"...So, just let nature take its course."
"When that true thought becomes clear, and there is no longer the slightest hesitation or self-doubt, your heart will tell you the answer."
"At that time, whether you choose to evolve or not, you will be able to explode with a true power that belongs to you."
Erika felt that for Pokémon like Misdreavus, who only needed a suitable item to evolve, the timing should be emphasized even more during evolution.
An untimely evolution might cause a lack in some sense of existence.
After all... not all Pokémon like to fight.
This is a problem that gives many Trainers a headache.
Finding a Pokémon with outstanding talent, only to discover that this Pokémon loathes battle.
There are a minority of people who attempt to guide and change a Pokémon's nature... but one rarely hears of any results.
So for a Trainer, a Pokémon's personality is more important than its talent.
Of course, the talent can't be too rotten.
You can't exactly find a cripple missing an arm and a leg and compare them to a normal Pokémon.
How can a disabled person missing two legs compete with a normal person in a race?
Misdreavus leaned quietly in Erika's arms.
She looked up at the bright moon in the sky that seemed capable of shining through the human heart, and the confusion in her eyes seemed to dissipate a little.
Erika spoke no more, simply holding her... Some things are only useful if you figure them out yourself; no matter what others say, it's useless.
The two were immersed together in this night where the moonlight was like water, letting the tranquility soothe all anxiety.
*
In another room prepared for guests, Misty was also sleepless.
She sat by the window, leaning against the sill, her palm propping up her cheek.
Misty gazed at the same moon outside the window, Erika's words from during the day echoing in her mind.
"Bond... connection... next step..."
She muttered to herself.
Misty actually had some impression of Erika's explanation regarding the secrets of bonds.
Once, her parents had said similar things to her.
But her parents were no longer around.
What Misty found most absurd was that there were actually no records left behind regarding this content.
Misty had asked her three older sisters.
The reply she got was—everyone is different.
The [Heart] cannot be described concretely.
All written records become distorted.
If you just look at the text, you simply cannot empathize.
"My heart... what exactly is it like?" Misty couldn't help but ask herself.
She loved Water-type Pokémon and longed to become a great Water-type Pokémon Master, elegant and powerful like Mr. Wallace.
But this longing always seemed separated by something.
The relationship with Gyarados, which was an inheritance akin to responsibility and protection, indeed lacked the experience of growing together from zero like Ash and Pikachu.
In the end, she hadn't been the one to capture Gyarados.
Gyarados's initial favorability toward Misty was too high... just like a dog seeing its owner give birth to a child.
Had Misty truly opened her heart completely and viewed Gyarados as a partner to whom she could entrust everything without reservation?
Or in her subconscious, did she still rely on its identity as a "guardian" left by her parents?
Of course, making up for this issue wasn't actually very difficult; it would just take some time.
It was just... Misty wanted to solve it now.
She was still very ambitious, especially watching Ash growing at flying speed.
"The power of the heart between Trainer and Pokémon is a two-way street."
"If there are barriers and confusion within my own heart, how can I expect to achieve the deepest resonance with my Pokémon?"
She talked to herself.
Just as Misty's thoughts were in turmoil and she felt endlessly confused about her own heart.
Click—
A slight sound came from her waist.
Misty subconsciously looked down.
She saw a Poké Ball open automatically.
A soft white light flashed.
That Psyduck with the big head and dull eyes appeared on the floor of the room.
"Gua?"
Psyduck held its head with its claws, tilting its head and looking vacantly with those unfocused eyes at Misty, whose mood by the window was obviously down.
It seemed to have sensed the chaotic and uneasy waves in its Trainer's heart.
This Psyduck's mental talent was indeed very good; it possessed Psychic-type aptitude.
In fact, some Pokémon could theoretically have a Psychic-type secondary attribute added.
It was just that because the number of such individuals was too scarce, the Pokémon academic community hadn't separated them out.
Just like the difference between Sabrina, Caitlin, and ordinary people.
Misty stared blankly for a moment.
She looked at this clumsy Pokémon she had captured not long ago, who always seemed a beat slower than everyone else.
Unlike Gyarados's majesty and power, Psyduck looked so unreliable.
But at this moment, it had appeared on its own when her mood was at its lowest.
Misty crouched down and extended her hand, gently rubbing Psyduck's head.
A surge of inexplicable warmth, mixed with a little helplessness, welled up in her heart, washing away some of her irritability.
"Sigh..." Misty sighed, her tone carrying an intimacy and teasing she didn't even notice herself.
"You dumb duck, when will you be able to evolve and become a bit more reliable?"
Golduck was not only cooler than Psyduck, but its physical fitness was also much stronger than Psyduck's.
"Gua???" Being patted on the head, Psyduck seemed even more confused.
Its head tilted to the other side.
Psyduck clearly didn't understand the complex emotions in Misty's words at all; it simply felt instinctively that the Trainer's touch made it feel comfortable.
Looking at Psyduck's dumb look of never figuring out the situation, Misty suddenly couldn't help it and burst out laughing.
The heaviness and confusion in her heart seemed to be dispelled quite a bit by this simple-minded duck in this moment.
Perhaps bonds didn't always need to be earth-shattering. This kind of plain, even somewhat comical companionship was also a comfort to the soul and a source of strength.
Life isn't only about the earth-shattering moments.
Plain and simple is true.
Misty pulled Psyduck into her arms, feeling its docile, or perhaps dull, response.
She cast her gaze toward the bright moon outside the window again, her mood gradually calming down.
The moonlight spilled silently and equally into every corner of the Gym.
Illuminating Ash and Pikachu's increasingly tacit practice.
Listening to Erika full of enlightenment for Misdreavus.
Witnessing the possibility of a new bond quietly sprouting amidst the confusion as Misty held Psyduck.
This night, the subject of the [Heart] was quietly unfolding in the hearts of every person and Pokémon.
As for Brock?
He didn't need it.
He had taken this class long ago.
Brock's parents had been alive all along, and he could basically contact them whenever.
____
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