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Chansey was shocked by Luther's words.
Ever since joining the team, she had gotten along very well with the other Pokémon, and they were all quite familiar with each other.
There was no doubt that the Pokémon with the most potential in the team was Marill, the strongest in terms of combat power was Mismagius, and while Ralts was weak, she was extremely hardworking. Chansey believed that once Ralts evolved, she would undergo a qualitative transformation.
All these Pokémon seemed stronger than herself, and yet Luther had chosen her as something close to the core of the team?
That made Chansey… feel a long-lost sense of excitement.
She had never experienced this kind of treatment before. Even with her previous Trainer, she had only assisted Kangaskhan and taken care of tasks unrelated to battle.
"Confident?" Luther could tell Chansey was a little excited.
Chansey patted herself with her small hands, signaling that she would absolutely live up to expectations.
Jumpluff quickly expressed her support for Chansey and congratulated her.
Espurr and Ralts also hugged Chansey, after all, Chansey had always looked after the two of them.
Marill finally, though reluctant to part with her mountain of snacks, slid down with a plop and showed her support for Chansey too.
Everyone acknowledging Chansey's role as a future core member of the battle system gave Luther even more confidence.
"Ralts."
Luther's voice made everyone who had been gathered around Chansey turn to look at him and Ralts.
"Do you want to evolve?"
Luther's words made Ralts tremble.
Evolving was the thing Ralts wanted the most right now. She had been with Luther all the way, watching as more companions joined them one by one. Azurill had evolved into Marill and had become an indispensable force in battle for Luther.
Was she the only one still stuck in place?
Though Luther always encouraged her, saying that progress isn't made overnight, it requires accumulation. And some Pokémon, even without evolving, could still be incredibly powerful in battle.
Luther had even shown her a video: someone had consistently won wild battles using a Raticate, Magikarp, and Bulbasaur, all carrying Everstones.
Even with such vivid examples, Ralts still couldn't regain her confidence.
She had indeed seen her own psychic powers improve, from being unable to stably control even a single bag of cookies, to now being able to lift Chansey and challenge bigger, heavier objects.
But it still wasn't enough…
It was just too slow. She wanted to grow faster.
Marill, whose body was about the same size as hers, could effortlessly carry things several times heavier. And not only that, it was becoming harder and harder for Ralts to withstand her moves.
Espurr's psychic power completely outclassed her. Lifting Chansey? Espurr could do it casually, effortlessly.
The mental power Ralts had once taken pride in seemed to be meaningless in comparison. Her presence in the team was becoming increasingly faint.
Whenever she stood on Luther's shoulder, she often wondered: was her only advantage left just being "the first to join"? Was that the only reason Luther hadn't sent her back to the research lab?
Luther had strong faith in her, but Ralts was starting to lose faith in herself.
After spending some time at Diantha's villa with Gardevoir, she deeply admired Gardevoir's strength.
Gardevoir told her that once she evolved into Kirlia, everything would be different, and evolving from Kirlia into Gardevoir would be like stepping into an entirely new world.
Ralts nodded furiously.
No matter what it took, she wanted to give it a try.
"It might be very difficult. It might not go smoothly."
That was enough. As long as there was a chance, it was enough. Ralts clung tightly to Luther's hand, unwilling to let go.
"Since you've made up your mind, then starting tomorrow, you'll have only one goal, focus on evolving."
Hearing Luther's reply, Ralts blushed with joy. Luther could even feel the warmth radiating from her little body through his wrist.
If possible, Luther would still prefer that Ralts continue accumulating experience, slowly becoming more familiar with her powers through gradual training, and only then evolve.
However, Luther had keenly noticed the change in Ralts' mindset.
One Pokémon after another had joined the team, and each was clearly stronger than her. No matter how much Luther tried to reassure her, she couldn't help but fall into self-doubt because of her own lack of strength. After all, living alongside the other Pokémon every day made it easy to directly feel the difference in power and growth.
Luther recalled how his parents used to always tell him: "Why compare yourself to others? Just focus on doing your best."
That's sound advice, but how many people can gaze up at towering mountains without feeling small and insignificant?
The root of Ralts' shift in mentality ultimately came down to her own lack of strength, probably tied to her past. Luther now placed great importance on mindset.
The confidence Ralts had finally built up couldn't be allowed to fade. It needed to be reinforced, encouraged, she had to be made aware of her value. Only then could she be nurtured at a steady, measured pace.
"I'm back!" Mai walked in carrying a large bag, no need to ask, it was definitely filled with snacks.
"Seven Pokémon babies hatched all at once at the Day Care today. Everyone was running around in chaos. Good thing I came back in time, otherwise, I don't even know how much of a rush they'd be in right now."
Mai spotted Marill, who was sprawled on her little snack nest and eyeing the bag in Mai's hand with longing. A mischievous thought crossed Mai's mind, and with a smile, she opened the bag and dumped all the snacks right onto Marill's neatly arranged little nest.
The torrent of snacks washed away Marill's carefully built bed, and she ended up buried underneath it all.
"Go on, go on! These snacks are for all of you, there's plenty to go around!"
Mai's Pokémon quickly dove into the pile of snacks, beginning their usual routine of rummaging and munching.
With Eevee leading the charge, Luther's Pokémon joined in as well.
"Were you holding a meeting for your Pokémon?"
"Sort of. Just finalized the training direction for the coming period."
Luther shared his thoughts with Mai, who looked curiously at Chansey, who was standing quietly by the snack pile, neither fighting for food nor asking for attention.
"So you're building your battle rhythm around Chansey? I thought you'd use Mismagius as the foundation."
"Mismagius does have great combat ability, but I saw something in Cynthia and Gardenia that made me think. I reflected for a long time and realized, if I want my own unique battle style, I can't just copy their techniques."
"So, Chansey fits your needs better?"
"Mismagius is suited for aggressive offense. Marill seems trainable for both special and physical attacks. Espurr complements the first two with her damage output. Jumpluff specializes in disrupting the opponent's Pokémon. And Ralts, after evolving, is meant to be the decisive trump card in the endgame."
"What these Pokémon need most is a teammate who can stabilize the battle rhythm, and that role, surprisingly, is best suited for Chansey."
It seemed Mai didn't catch that last sentence. She had already picked up on Luther's real intention from his earlier words.
"You're planning to evolve Ralts?"
"Yes. From now on, she'll dedicate herself fully to becoming Kirlia."
(End of Chapter)