As the veil of light faded, Kirlia stood in a daze for a long while. Her vision suddenly felt broader, sharper, and yet her body felt unfamiliar.
She waved her little arms, only to realize… they were much longer than before.
Looking down, her previously stubby legs, so awkward to move, had now become slender and graceful.
Her sensitivity to psychic fluctuations had also increased.
Kirlia was adjusting to her new body. Luther, holding Marill, stood nearby, watching as she curiously examined her completely changed self. A wave of parental pride suddenly welled up in him, like watching a child grow up.
Ralts' evolution process had been incredibly difficult to replicate. By creating a strong sense of emotional contrast and urgency, then applying crushing power suppression, Luther had forced her to feel an overwhelming sense of crisis. It was this double pressure that finally pushed her to take the final step in her emotional transformation.
Luther didn't like using such a method, but this time, he had no choice.
Confidence was simply too important for Ralts. A child who had never experienced the satisfaction of being rewarded for their hard work could easily lose direction along the path of growth.
But Ralts did it. That unwillingness, that's exactly what he hoped for.
Just like when he had faced Evergreen, feeling helpless, terrified, unable to hold on to anything.
No one likes that feeling. That's why Luther would rather shed blood than let Evergreen get away with forcing it on others.
And Ralts didn't like it either. That stubborn little one had quietly accumulated experience for so long, all for the sake of this moment of transformation.
Kirlia twirled around, twisting her body as she explored this unfamiliar form. Her steps were light and graceful, like a dancer twirling across the grass.
Luther's entire team of Pokémon gathered around her.
Chansey, still not fully recovered from her own exertions, looked a little scuffed and weary, but the moment she saw Kirlia, she waddled forward and gave her a big hug.
Kirlia was still getting used to everything. Her now longer hands made tactile sensations feel unfamiliar. She rested both hands on Chansey's round, soft body, rubbing them slowly before finally smiling and burying her face into Chansey's plush embrace.
A brand-new body, brand-new sensations, Kirlia was visibly thrilled. As soon as she emerged from Chansey's arms, she pounced over to Jumpluff.
She used to be much shorter than Jumpluff, but now, they were about the same height.
Before, her tiny hands couldn't fully grasp what Jumpluff's cotton puffs actually felt like. Now, she happily kneaded one of them, watching the fluff scatter around her with a joyful sparkle in her eyes. Everything felt so new.
Jumpluff was doing her best to hold back her laughter. Kirlia's touch was ticklish to the extreme. Still, thinking of Kirlia's joy, Jumpluff stood firm and let her have her fun.
Once Kirlia moved over to Espurr, Jumpluff finally trotted back to Luther and leaned against his back, trying to catch her breath.
Now Espurr had become the smallest Pokémon in the group.
She used to stick close to Ralts every day. They were around the same size and had shared a strong bond.
Now, with Kirlia reaching out and patting her on the head, it felt like… she was being babied. Even the way Kirlia talked to her had that indulgent older sister tone.
Still, being held in Kirlia's arms, Espurr couldn't help but snuggle in return, nestling into her embrace and enjoying her warmth.
In Luther's arms, Marill squirmed a bit, then leapt to the ground, only to realize once she landed that Kirlia really was a lot taller now.
As she looked up in awe, Kirlia suddenly reached out and gave Marill's springy tail a little pinch.
With a full-body shiver, Marill immediately rolled over and flailed on the ground, scrambling to crawl her way back toward the safety of Luther's side.
Marill was strong, but Kirlia had used her psychic powers, mimicking Exeggutor's earlier suppression method to pin her down.
"Alright, stop bullying Marill," Luther said. "She still has training later."
Thanks to Luther's words, Marill finally escaped and bolted straight to hide behind Abomasnow.
"Hand," Luther said.
Kirlia obediently reached her hand out to Luther.
He gently rubbed her extended hand, then placed his palm against her body, carefully feeling her new form.
"Thank goodness…"
The soft, pudding-like texture Ralts used to have was still there, it hadn't changed.
What a win! Luther felt like he was in absolute bliss, beyond satisfied.
Yes… all their efforts hadn't been in vain. As long as Luther's journey as a Pokémon Trainer continued, the road would keep extending forward, and Gardevoir would be waiting at the end.
Kirlia watched in confusion as Luther kept touching her left and right, all while humming some strange little tune, her face slowly turning bright red.
Luther's mind wandered. He'd always been curious about what was beneath that skirt-like structure on Kirlia's body, what kind of anatomy it might be.
Curiosity leads to discovery, right?
Luther decided: no better time than now to find out the truth.
"Oh ho, she evolved?" Luther's hand froze in midair.
Gardenia, with a towel draped over her head and sipping water, had just stepped into the courtyard and immediately caught sight of Kirlia.
Forget it…
Luther awkwardly patted Kirlia instead. "No more challengers?"
"Only the scheduled ones are done. Before closing time, we might still get a few walk-ins," Gardenia replied, squatting down beside them. "Come on, let me feel her too."
Now Luther and Gardenia were on either side of Kirlia, comfortably messing with her together.
"Looks like it all went well," Gardenia smiled.
"Thanks to your Exeggutor. If not for such an excellent sparring partner, she probably wouldn't have made the leap."
Gardenia chuckled. "It didn't have much to do with Exeggutor. That final step isn't so hard once you get the mental block sorted. If you really want to thank him, go water him."
Luther didn't hesitate. He grabbed a hose, attached it to the spigot, and started spraying water over the daydreaming Exeggutor standing in the corner.
A rare smile crept onto Exeggutor's otherwise gloomy face. Two of his heads showed visible joy, though the third one still looked grumpy and dark as ever.
Kirlia walked up beside Luther and rose on her toes, reaching out toward the hose.
"You want to try?"
Kirlia nodded.
Luther handed her the hose. "Why not? He helped you a lot, it's only fair you do the honors."
Kirlia used her psychic power to guide the spray of water, breaking it into a fine mist that gently settled over Exeggutor like a soft raincloud.
Exeggutor closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the sensation.
Then Gardenia asked, "So, did Ralts evolve because she was crushed by pressure, or because she broke through her own psychic limit?"
Luther scratched his head. "Pretty sure it was the pressure that pushed her over the edge. After you left, I had Exeggutor go all out."
Kirlia listened to their conversation and simply smiled, saying nothing. She didn't hint to Luther that, in the end, it had been her who broke through Exeggutor's defenses.
Even though she knew Exeggutor hadn't truly used everything he had, and had been holding back per Luther's instructions, the feeling of defeating a Pokémon many times stronger than herself in direct confrontation… That sense of achievement was just too wonderful to let go of.
(End of Chapter)
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