In the wasteland surrounding an abandoned village, countless shadows were gathering. They moved unnaturally, flowing across the ground like dirty liquid before merging into large, pitch-black masses. Their twisted shapes were enough to make an ordinary person scream in terror.
Yet the boy standing among them seemed completely unaffected.
Akira watched the approaching shadows with an excited smile. His red tongue slowly brushed against the corner of his mouth, giving him an expression that could only be described as somewhat perverse.
As if angered by his reaction, the shadows suddenly surged forward. The black masses rolled toward him, threatening to swallow his entire body.
Just as they were about to reach him, a brilliant white light flashed through the darkness.
The pure white light spread outward, forcing back the surrounding filth. Wherever it passed, the shadows retreated, leaving a clean space around Akira.
Seeing this, Akira turned toward the source of the light, and his expression immediately softened.
"Thank you, Chirulian."
"Chiru~"
A crisp, cheerful voice answered him.
From within the fading light emerged a strange girl dressed in a white dance dress. Her limbs were unusually slender, with proportions that were clearly different from those of an ordinary human.
She had vivid green hair decorated with several red spikes, while her equally red eyes possessed a charm that could not be found in humans.
The girl was Chirulian, the Pokémon who had accompanied Akira for many years.
She floated lightly around him, circling him once as if trying to communicate something. Although she spoke only through her usual cries, Akira understood what she wanted to say.
When Chirulian moved to his right, he naturally raised his hand and gently rubbed her head.
"I know, I know. You don't have to hold back anymore."
Akira looked at the surrounding shadows and smiled.
"They're useless to us now anyway. Sorry for making you suppress your strength for so long. This time, you can let everything out."
"Chiru~!"
Chirulian nodded happily before floating a little higher.
The next moment, the space surrounding her began to distort.
The white light expanded, and brilliant colors appeared within it, spreading outward in uneven ripples. The surrounding air twisted under the influence of her psychic power.
Unlike the gentle light that had driven away the shadows earlier, this attack was far more direct.
The nearby shadows barely had time to react before an invisible force pulled them toward the distorted space.
Then, under the overwhelming pressure, the black masses were crushed into countless dust-like particles.
A night breeze swept across the wasteland, carrying away the remaining dust. Within moments, every shadow in the area had disappeared.
"Good work, Chirulian."
Akira opened his arms toward the girl descending from above.
"Chiru! Chiru~"
Chirulian immediately threw herself into his embrace, rubbing against him affectionately while letting out several happy cries.
Akira caught her with practiced ease and lifted her into the air. Then he gently pressed his forehead against hers.
Looking into those familiar red eyes, he could not help feeling a little emotional.
She had been by his side for so many years, and now the moment he had been waiting for was finally here.
"Chirulian, this is the last time I'll call you by that name."
His voice grew softer as he continued.
"The next time I call you, it'll be by a different name."
After saying that, Akira slowly closed his eyes.
In the darkness before him, a familiar status panel appeared.
The number that had remained unchanged for so long finally began to move.
LEVEL
29 → 30
Level thirty!
Seeing the number finally change, Akira could barely contain his excitement.
"Finally! Level thirty!"
He opened his eyes and looked at Chirulian, his smile growing wider.
"Come on, Chirulian. I've waited long enough. I can't wait to see your new appearance!"
"Chiru!"
Chirulian responded with an equally excited cry.
She lightly pushed herself away from Akira's arms and spun through the air like a ballet dancer. After landing a short distance away, she lifted the sides of her skirt with both hands and performed an elegant curtsy.
Then, in the next instant, a dazzling white light enveloped her entire body.
Akira watched without blinking.
Within the light, Chirulian's figure began to change. Her small body gradually grew taller, and her once delicate limbs became longer and more developed.
The transformation continued for several seconds before the brilliant light finally faded.
Standing before Akira was an entirely different figure.
Chirulian, who had previously been only eighty centimeters tall, had now grown to one hundred sixty centimeters.
Her green hair, white dress, and red decorations had retained their familiar colors, but her overall appearance had undergone a remarkable change.
The small girl who had accompanied Akira for so many years now possessed the graceful appearance of a mature noble lady.
Her slender figure and elegant posture gave her a beauty that seemed impossible for an ordinary human to possess.
Maintaining her curtsy, she raised her head and greeted Akira.
"Gar~"
Even her voice had changed, becoming deeper and more mature than before.
Akira stood motionless.
However, the excitement written across his face was impossible to conceal.
Eight years.
He had waited eight whole years for this moment!
From the small Ralts he had first obtained, to Chirulian, and now finally Gardevoir.
The Pokémon standing before him was the result of all those years of patience.
Looking at Gardevoir's beautiful appearance, Akira felt that everything had been worth it.
Her beauty, obedience, and overwhelming strength were all things he had once only dreamed about in another world. Now, they had come together in a single being standing right in front of him.
The corners of his mouth began to rise uncontrollably.
However, before his imagination could wander any further, Akira noticed Gardevoir tilting her head in confusion.
"Gar?"
She even took a small step backward.
Akira immediately controlled his expression.
He almost forgot.
Whether she was Gardevoir, Chirulian, or even the little Ralts from eight years ago, she had always been extremely sensitive to the emotions of those around her.
Moreover, she naturally preferred bright and positive emotions.
Although Akira was not entirely sure what she had sensed just now, he certainly did not want his stray thoughts to affect her mood.
He quickly adjusted his expression and smiled normally.
"Congratulations, Gardevoir."
"Gar~!"
As soon as she heard those words, Gardevoir's expression brightened.
Without hesitation, she threw herself into Akira's arms, just as she had done countless times before.
Only this time, things were a little different.
With her new height, she no longer needed Akira to lift her up. She only had to stand on her toes to press her forehead against his.
Gardevoir seemed delighted by this discovery.
However, she apparently was not satisfied with simply embracing him.
After rubbing her forehead against his for a moment, she suddenly wrapped her arms around his body and lifted him off the ground.
"Hey, hey! Wait a second!"
Akira instinctively grabbed her shoulders.
He had always been the one carrying her around. Being lifted by Gardevoir so suddenly felt rather strange.
"I'm really not used to this!"
"Gar~"
Gardevoir responded with a cheerful cry, showing absolutely no intention of putting him down.
Looking at her happy expression, Akira could only shake his head helplessly.
"Fine, fine. As long as you're happy."
After thinking about it, he laughed.
"When you were little, you used to sit on my shoulders. Later, I carried you in my arms and even gave you piggyback rides."
He reached out and patted her head.
"Now that you've grown up, I guess it's your turn to carry me around."
"Gar!"
Gardevoir became even happier after hearing that.
And once she realized Akira had no intention of stopping her, she immediately began experimenting.
First, she lifted him high above her head.
Then she tried carrying him in her arms, just as Akira had done with her countless times before.
After that came a piggyback ride, followed by a bridal carry.
She even attempted to put him on her shoulders, apparently remembering how she used to sit on his when she was small.
Akira could only laugh as Gardevoir enthusiastically tried every method she could remember.
Although he was already sixteen years old and stood over one hundred seventy centimeters tall, his weight meant practically nothing to her.
After all, Gardevoir was known as the Psychic Queen.
With her powerful telekinesis, she could crush enemies without even touching them. Carrying a single human was naturally an effortless task.
In fact, even while holding Akira, Gardevoir could move around with remarkable ease.
The two continued playing for quite some time before Gardevoir finally seemed satisfied.
By then, she had already used her psychic power to lift both of them into the air.
Floating beside Akira, she tilted her head and called out softly.
"Gar?"
Akira immediately understood what she meant.
"Yeah, sure. Let's go home."
He stretched his arms lazily, loosening his shoulders after their little game.
Although his movements looked relaxed, Gardevoir could still sense the excitement hidden beneath them.
In all the years she had accompanied him, she had only seen Akira this excited twice.
The first time was when she had just been born.
Back then, Akira had jumped around excitedly, shouting about how lucky he was and repeatedly mentioning how wonderful Ralts, Chirulian, and Gardevoir were.
At the time, she had been too young to understand most of what he said.
And now, eight years later, he was showing that same excitement again.
Gardevoir still did not completely understand why her master was so happy about her evolution.
However, she did not particularly care about the reason.
As long as Akira was happy, she would naturally be happy as well.
After all, she was his most loyal Pokémon.
"Gar~"
With another cheerful cry, Gardevoir gently took Akira's hands.
Her psychic power spread around them, and the two figures began moving through the night sky toward home.
Thinking about it, their positions had changed quite a lot.
In the past, when she was still small, Akira had always been the one taking her home.
Whether he carried her in his arms or allowed her to ride on his shoulders, she could always rely on him.
Now that she had finally grown up, there were many things she could do for him in return.
And judging by the smile on Gardevoir's face, she was very much looking forward to it.
...
Akira's home was nothing particularly special.
It was a simple, single-story house with a gravel path leading toward the front door. Ordinary flowers had been planted neatly along both sides of the path.
Although none of them were particularly rare or expensive, they had clearly been tended with care.
Together with the well-maintained house, they gave the entire place a warm and comfortable atmosphere.
However, since Akira and Gardevoir had returned by flying, neither of them bothered using the front entrance.
Instead, they headed directly toward the window of Akira's bedroom.
The window was locked from the inside, but such a simple obstacle naturally posed no difficulty for Gardevoir.
With a slight movement of her psychic power, the lock clicked open.
The window slid aside without leaving the slightest trace of damage.
The two then floated into the room and gently landed on the floor.
Once they were inside, Akira reached out and lightly tapped Gardevoir's forehead.
"All right, it's getting late. You should go to sleep first."
"Gar?"
"Don't worry. I'll find a chance to come clean with Mom tomorrow."
After all, Gardevoir's evolution was not something he could easily hide.
Her appearance had changed so much that anyone who had seen Chirulian before would immediately notice something was different.
It would be better for Akira to explain everything himself rather than let his mother discover it unexpectedly.
However, before he could even finish speaking, the bedroom door suddenly opened.
Click.
A familiar woman's voice came from the doorway.
"No need. Whatever you want to say, you can say it now."
Akira froze.
His body stiffened in place, and for a moment, he did not even dare turn his head.
The room became strangely quiet.
Only after several seconds did he slowly turn toward the door.
Standing outside was a woman who appeared to be a little over forty years old.
She had black hair and dark eyes, along with a beautiful face that bore a certain resemblance to Akira's.
Looking carefully, one could see several similarities between them.
Both had attractive features, and the gentle curves around their brows and eyes gave them a naturally approachable appearance.
However, their similarities were mostly limited to those features.
Their facial structures were different, and even the impression they gave others was not quite the same.
Akira's gentleness was something he had developed through habit. Most of the time, it was simply a harmless expression he wore to conceal his true nature.
Like a sharp sword kept hidden inside its sheath.