Cynthia has officially approved this technique, declaring it usable. This meant that Luther needed to step up his training in this area.
Cynthia enthusiastically guided him, sharing her insights on researching the technique. He could understand every word she said, but actually commanding his own Pokémon to perform the technique was an entirely different story.
The other Pokémon practicing with Garchomp stared in awe as he casually switched between moves without missing a beat. Each of them looked at him with admiration.
Garchomp was very satisfied with the attention. The more they watched, the more eagerly he demonstrated.
It was strange; the one with the best learning ability on Luther's side should have been Marill. Yet, after a whole morning of practice, Luther still hadn't seen her. Where did she run off to this time?
"Garchomp, where's my Marill?"
Garchomp paused his teaching and pointed to the small shed at the far end of the courtyard where they stored Pokémon food.
When Luther arrived at the shed and saw that the huge piles of food inside hadn't been torn apart, he sighed with relief.
However, Cynthia stared in disbelief at the transparent bags on the shelves.
"This is way less than before."
Luther blinked. "Less? It looks very neatly stacked to me."
"The problem is that Garchomp and Gastrodon are my biggest eaters, so I always stock extra food for them. But now, they're getting the same amount of food as everyone else..."
A "glup glup glup" sound came from inside the shed. Luther pressed a hand to his forehead without even looking.
Torn-up plastic bags littered the floor. In the center of a mountain of food, Marill fought her way through it with absolute devotion, her expression fierce and determined.
Luther wanted to drag Marill out immediately, but Cynthia stopped him.
"It doesn't cost much. If she already ate it, then she already ate it."
"It's a matter of manners, though..." Luther sighed.
Marill had clearly noticed the two of them. She slowly lifted her head, expecting to be scolded.
"What flavor do you like?"
Cynthia's question left Marill dumbfounded. Though she suspected it might be a trap, the temptation of food was simply too much to resist.
Marill pointed to the empty Gastrodon-labeled packaging scattered on the floor.
Cynthia glanced at them, took out her phone, and made a call.
"Gastrodon's food won't be enough. Use the recipe I gave you before. You're asking how much…" Cynthia looked at Marill. "Let's start with one truck."
"Yes, one whole truck. The usual transport size. It should arrive before dark, right?"
After receiving confirmation, Cynthia hung up.
Luther was stunned. Marill's eyes sparkled as she burst through the food pile and hugged Cynthia's leg.
"Hey, hey, hey... remind yourself who your actual Pokémon Trainer is!"
"Remember what I told you once?" Cynthia grabbed Marill and examined her thoroughly, as if checking her condition.
"You mean about appetite and evolution?"
Cynthia nodded. "I was always curious. With Marill's food intake, she was definitely preparing to evolve. But judging from her strength, she should've passed the threshold for evolving long ago."
Luther still didn't quite understand and looked confused.
"I pulled up the video from the Snowpoint City Gym battle. The match between Marill and Spheal left a deep impression on me. Do you know what level Candice's Spheal actually is?"
Luther thought for a moment. "If I had to describe it, I'd say that during the battle, I could clearly feel that its speed, move power, and stamina were incredibly strong."
Cynthia tugged gently on Marill's tail, calming her as she finished the examination.
"Your Marill defeating that Spheal proves she's already very close to Candice's Spheal in strength, maybe even surpassing it. A Pokémon with evolved-level strength without actually evolving...that's not common."
"To be honest, I'm really looking forward to seeing what she'll be like after she evolves. But the choice is yours."
Cynthia took an Everstone necklace out of her coat and tossed it to Luther.
"I don't need this anymore. If Marill really wants to stay in this form and stay by your side, you'd better be prepared. At this rate, she might evolve accidentally while eating."
Marill glanced at the Everstone in Luther's hand, then at the pile of food beside her. Her expression showed rare hesitation.
Luther remembered something Cynthia had once told him: "No matter what, always ask a Pokémon for its opinion. So, if you put this on, you can stay as you are. If you don't like it, I'll return it to Cynthia."
Marill's eyes darted between the food and the necklace before finally landing on Luther.
She motioned for him to stretch his arms forward and stand up. Then, she searched the shed and found a wooden barrel several times larger than herself. She lifted it and handed it to Luther, signaling for him to hold it.
"It's so heavy. What are you trying to say?" Luther hugged the barrel, his legs trembling, clueless about what could be inside to make it so heavy.
After watching him struggle, Marill hopped up and helped him set the barrel down. Luther was about to ask a question when Marill suddenly leapt again, grabbed the Everstone necklace, and put it on herself.
She adjusted to the feeling for a moment, then happily dove back into the mountain of food to continue eating.
Luther was still trying to figure out the meaning of her actions when Cynthia pushed him out of the shed. Before leaving, Cynthia told Marill to come train once she had finished eating and helped her close the door.
"The size of that barrel is pretty much the same as Marill after evolving."
Seeing that Luther was still confused, Cynthia gave him a hint.
"I once asked Candice why her Spheal refused to evolve. She said that after evolving, she wouldn't be able to hold it anymore."
This matched the explanation that Luther had heard before. Spheal probably thought he wouldn't be cute anymore after evolving.
"For many Pokémon, the thing they cherish most—the thing they never want to lose, is the embrace of their first Trainer from their childhood."
"To them, that's the place marked as theirs. The place that will always belong to them. Just like you want a home—a place to return to—they think your arms are the only place they want to go back to."
Luther turned toward the shed and let out a silly laugh.
At Luther's feet, Darkrai did not understand a word Cynthia had said. For a wild Pokémon, a tree hollow that shields them from the wind and rain is more than enough, no need for so much sentimental complication.
But when Darkrai heard mention of the battle against Candice's Spheal, he recalled Marill's desperate comeback in that fight.
No matter how he asked, Marill could never explain it clearly.
Could those things… somehow be connected?
(End of chapter)
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