"Huh?"
Lin Feng stared, his expression exaggerated in bewilderment.
What the heck? He'd searched high and low all day and hadn't found Gardevoir and now Rotom was telling him it was in his plantation?
"Yes! Yes! Hurry and take a look! It picked every single ripe berry in the plantation!"
Hearing Rotom's anxious voice, Lin Feng didn't even bother opening his front door. He grabbed Pidgeotto's talons in one swift motion. "Let's go!"
"Pidgee!"
Pidgeotto let out a sharp cry, a note of anger creeping into its voice.
Its job was to guard the crops in the plantation, and now it was being told that everything had been harvested without its knowledge?
The thought made the flames flicker around Pidgeotto's feathers. With a few powerful wingbeats, it carried Lin Feng high into the air above the plantation.
Even from over ten meters up, Lin Feng instantly spotted something amiss.
Where the plantation had once been lush with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, now there was only a sea of green leaves, with a few unripe fruits still hanging on the branches.
Near the irrigation pond, all the harvested fruits were floating midair, neatly sorted by type. Above them hovered a graceful figure bathed in a soft blue glow.
It seemed to hear the sound of Pidgeotto's wings. The figure lifted its head, and blood-red eyes glimmered as they met the gaze of Pidgeotto and Lin Feng.
There was no doubt about it it was a Gardevoir.
Meanwhile, in the pond, Milotic was blasting Water Pulses at Gardevoir nonstop, but every jet of water smashed harmlessly against an invisible barrier.
Milotic was utterly helpless.
"Let's head down."
Lin Feng used the power of Verdant Force to soothe Pidgeotto, then had it carry him closer to the ground.
"Pidgee!"
When they were just two or three meters from the earth, Lin Feng let go of Pidgeotto's talons and landed lightly in front of Gardevoir.
He couldn't help studying it carefully.
Compared to an ordinary Gardevoir, this shiny one was noticeably different. Its hair shimmered a striking blue, and the inner lining of its flowing white gown was blue as well. But the diamond-shaped crest on its chest and those eyes were a vivid, blood-red, giving it an otherworldly, eerie beauty.
It was currently floating in midair, psychic energy lifting its elegant skirt, an expression of cool detachment in its crimson gaze.
"Garde?" (Are you the owner of this plantation?)
Lin Feng nodded, activating Appraisal Eye at the same time.
[Pokémon: Gardevoir]
Gender: Female
Ability: Telepathy
Potential: Gold
IVs: HP (31), Attack (18), Defense (25), Sp. Atk (31), Sp. Def (31), Speed (31)
Level: 78–79
Moves: Growl, Confusion, Mystical Fire, Double Team, Misty Terrain, Disarming Voice, Psychic, Draining Kiss, Moonblast, Future Sight…
Description: A shiny Gardevoir who, as a Ralts, was cursed by the Nightmare Pokémon Darkrai. Her eyes became infused with the energy of that curse, turning a blood-red hue. Sleeping near her induces vivid nightmares.
Friendship: 0 (It feels indifferent toward you.)
Happiness: 0 (Wondering what price it must pay for these berries.)
Holy crap…
Lin Feng had already been suspicious when Rotom mentioned that Milotic couldn't put up any resistance under Gardevoir's control. But he hadn't expected Gardevoir to be this powerful!
And with perfect IVs in four stats and gold-tier potential…
He'd never seen such an outstanding "ordinary" Pokémon before.
But
Cursed by Darkrai?
Lin Feng was stunned, still scanning the information when a soft, clear voice like rippling spring water suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Garde." (I want these berries. What do you want in exchange?)
"You mean you want to trade for these fruits and vegetables?" Lin Feng probed carefully.
Gardevoir nodded slightly, offering no further explanation.
"It's not exactly a trade if you help yourself without asking…"
He hadn't even finished speaking when Gardevoir interrupted him.
"Garde…" (Look at your Milotic.)
Lin Feng turned to look.
Milotic was still floating in the pond, staring at him with anxious eyes. Energy rippled through its body, surging as though desperate to break free of Gardevoir's control.
But that surging energy was being rapidly drained, only to be replenished just as quickly from the Ocean Crystal buried beneath the pond, whose energies flowed ceaselessly into Milotic's body.
As a result, Milotic's energy levels were rising at an alarming pace.
31… 32… 33…
[Pokémon: Milotic]
Gender: Female
Ability: Cute Charm
Potential: Gold
Level: 34–37
Moves: Water Gun, Water Pulse, Tackle, Disarming Voice, Aqua Ring, Twister, Dragon Tail, Recover, Ice Beam, Safeguard, Muddy Water, Hydro Pump…
Friendship: 100 (It trusts you completely.)
Happiness: -20 (Why can't I break through…?)
Lin Feng, upon seeing this, hurried to the pond's edge. Clenching his right fist, he smashed it hard into the water's surface.
CRACK.
A sound like shattering glass rang out. The psychic barrier splintered under Lin Feng's blow. The moment it broke, Milotic darted out of the pond, swiftly gliding to Lin Feng's side and glaring warily at the floating Gardevoir.
"It's okay."
Lin Feng comforted Milotic, then looked up at Gardevoir hovering above.
He understood Gardevoir's meaning perfectly.
She was offering a trade: in exchange for the fruits and vegetables, she'd used her methods to make Milotic stronger.
But to Lin Feng, that was completely unnecessary and even counterproductive.
If he wanted his Pokémon to grow stronger, he had plenty of ways to make it happen. He'd collected more than a dozen Medium Rare Candies over the past few days, enough to push Milotic to gym-leader level, or even dominant-tier.
But forcing a Pokémon to absorb power too quickly would only leave it unable to control the energy within its own body, possibly leading to dangerous energy leaks like what had once happened with Lapras.
Using psychic manipulation and emotional pressure to force Milotic to absorb the Ocean Crystal's power wasn't Lin Feng's way of training his partners.
He simply wanted his Pokémon to grow strong happily, at their own pace.
"You seem like a fairly reasonable Pokémon. But using emotional pressure to force my Pokémon to grow that's not what I want to see. And besides, that Ocean Crystal in the pond was something I placed there myself. With or without you, Milotic would have absorbed its power eventually."
"And another thing…"
"Why do you need so many berries? Are you raising a whole flock of Ralts?"
For Gardevoir herself, these berries likely held little real value. If she just needed food, she wouldn't have to gather so much.
Lin Feng suspected that Gardevoir planned to bring the berries back for other Pokémon to eat.
"Garde?"
Gardevoir blinked, clearly surprised as she glanced down at the pond's surface. There was a flicker of disbelief in her usually calm eyes. Lin Feng's sharp question snapped her back to her senses.
A faint crease appeared between her brows. "Garde…" (Then how can I pay for these berries?)
That single punch from Lin Feng had left quite an impression on her.
This was the first human she'd ever met who radiated such power since the day she'd been driven from her territory by her own kind and forced to survive alone.
"It's simple," Lin Feng said, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Work for me."
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