In the following days, Aiden no longer took Sylveon to visit the various attractions of Kitakami.
After encountering the Ursaluna "Bloodmoon" in the Timeless Woods, Sylveon had been in seclusion, focusing on its training.
The goal of its training was simple—to attempt mastering the terrifying move Blood Moon by sketching Bloodmoon.
It seemed that Sylveon had a natural affinity with the moon.
Aiden even began to suspect that it might have originally evolved into a Moon Eevee but decided at the last moment to evolve into Sylveon instead...
For example, after evolving, it naturally learned the healing move "Moonlight," and it could easily understand the principles of Blood Moon through its sketches.
This didn't seem like something a Sylveon should be capable of.
But there was another issue—though favored by the moon and able to absorb energy from it, Sylveon wasn't quite skilled at using this power.
To address this, Aiden opted for a compromise:
If Blood Moon was too difficult, why not start with the low-tier version, Moonblast?
In the game, Bloodmoon first learned Moonblast before eventually mastering Blood Moon as it leveled up.
Once this idea clicked, Sylveon indeed made new progress.
...
Time quickly flew to December 29th, Monday.
That evening, just like the previous days, Sylveon began practicing its moves under the moonlight with Aiden's guidance.
Sylveon had an extraordinary talent for using lunar energy, learning the most practical Fairy-type special attack move, Moonblast, within a single day.
However, Blood Moon clearly had unique techniques in utilizing energy.
"Sylveon, let's not rush into practice this time. Let's try recalling how the Ursaluna unleashed its move."
"Sylvie~"
Sylveon nodded and obediently sat down.
At the same time, its thoughts drifted back to that memory.
Before using that terrifying energy attack...
Didn't that big guy drink a lot of water?
But what connection did drinking water have with using the move?
Sylveon wasn't sure, but it still ran back to the guest room and drank until it felt full, then wobbled back.
It seemed... useless!
After shaking its head, Sylveon prepared to continue recalling.
Just then, Aiden quickly spoke:
"Do you remember that before Bloodmoon appeared, the moon in the sky suddenly turned red, and the color of the moonlight changed, making the environment seem eerie?"
"Vee~!"
With its Trainer's reminder, Sylveon suddenly realized.
So that's how it works—to unleash Bloodmoon's move, one must first influence the energy emitted by the moon above?
It seemed to understand the principle, but...
How to do it?
The moon was so far away—how could its power reach the sky...
Sylveon instinctively looked at Aiden beside it.
Aiden scratched his head.
"Perhaps Bloodmoon couldn't do it either—it was just its aura causing nearby energy to change."
Aura sounded mysterious, but in the Pokémon world, there were many such examples.
For instance, the Alola Island Guardians who brought their respective terrains upon entry, or Yveltal, the god of death from Kalos legends, whose field effects could even cause all life to wither.
Even Galar's Dynamax and Alola's Z-Moves were closely related to the intangible concept of aura.
"Sylve~?"
Aura...
Sylveon looked at the sky, then glanced at itself. It soon arched its body and raised its fur, imitating the posture of the Ursaluna, trying to make its presence appear stronger.
Frilled-neck Lizard Mode, activate!
For some reason, Aiden suddenly thought of this meme from his past life.
But surprisingly, Sylveon's approach was correct.
With its actions, the moonlight falling from the sky quickly turned crimson in their vicinity, resembling the scene they witnessed that night.
Even the air became restless.
"Yes, that's it!"
Aiden instantly became excited, looking up at the blood-red disk now covering the once-pristine white moon within Sylveon's field.
"Try concentrating this violent energy like you would with Moonblast, accumulating it to the limit before releasing it."
After Aiden gave the command, Sylveon quickly began absorbing the crimson moonlight around them.
As the energy accumulated, its originally cute blue eyes quickly turned a striking scarlet under the influence of Blood Moon.
Aiden almost thought it was about to awaken a Sharingan, causing his heart to tighten...
"Sylve~!"
When the energy finally reached its limit, Sylveon's four ribbons gathered above its head, shooting the concentrated energy toward the sky.
A vivid crimson beam of energy shot into the heavens, the powerful recoil forcing Sylveon back several steps until Aiden caught it.
"It actually learned it..."
Gazing at the crimson beam flying toward the sky, which hadn't yet dissipated, Aiden couldn't help but express his amazement.
Moreover, he could feel that unlike Bloodmoon's purely destructive energy attack, Sylveon's move truly deserved the name Blood Moon.
Since moves that borrow lunar energy are generally Fairy-type, the Blood Moon Sylveon unleashed indeed contained highly concentrated Fairy energy.
Aiden couldn't say whether it was influenced by Sylveon's Pixilate ability or if the moon above truly lent it some power, allowing it to use this move.
In any case...
Sylveon learned Blood Moon!
And this experience of learning an exclusive move also inspired Aiden—
Could he let Sylveon see more of the world in the future, learning even more unconventional moves?
...
December 31st, Tuesday.
Before leaving Kitakami, there was one last thing to do—
Hot springs!
At the center of Kitakami was a dormant volcano called Oni Mountain. Influenced by deep geothermal energy, the area remained warm even in winter.
With a volcano came natural hot springs.
This was also one of Cynthia's main reasons for inviting him to Kitakami.
For people from Sinnoh, a winter without soaking in hot springs was incomplete!
When Aiden arrived at the hot spring inn, Cynthia and Caitlin, dressed in kimonos, had been waiting for some time.
Seeing him arrive, Cynthia gracefully turned around, her shiny golden hair swaying in the air, looking stunning.
"Let's go~"
With Cynthia leading the way, Aiden and Caitlin quickly followed behind.
"Did you think you'd be bathing with Cynthia?"
Caitlin, who had been walking ahead, suddenly slowed down to match Aiden's pace, smirking mischievously.
"But unfortunately, you won't get that chance~"
Finally finding an opportunity to score a point against Aiden, Caitlin was in high spirits. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging all the way to the sky.
"..."
Aiden could only respond with silence.
Are you some elementary school kid? Even competing on this...
However, seeing their improved relationship during this time, Aiden ultimately refrained from making that sharp remark.
Just like you shouldn't talk about Dragon Dance in front of Garchomp, Caitlin was very sensitive about her petite figure.
If he angered her now, their hot spring trip might go up in smoke.
Soon, they reached the end of the corridor and stopped.
The hot spring baths were separated by gender, so here Aiden would temporarily part ways with Cynthia and Caitlin.
However, before leaving, he had one request for Cynthia.
"I plan to let the Pokémon soak in the hot springs too, so..."
As he spoke, Aiden pressed the buttons on two Poké Balls, and Sylveon and Ogerpon soon appeared in the corridor.
"Pon?"
"Sylve~!"
Feeling Caitlin's intense gaze, the two cuties that emerged instantly gathered around Aiden.
"Ogerpon and Sylveon will be temporarily entrusted to you."
Aiden squatted down, gently patting their heads before looking up at Cynthia.
Although technically the hot springs didn't restrict Pokémon by gender, it was still better to separate them.
His current team of five Pokémon had a 2:2:1 gender distribution.
Riolu and Bagon were male, while Ogerpon and Sylveon were female.
As for Miraidon...
Like most Legendary Pokémon, it had no gender.
"Alright."
Cynthia smiled faintly, mimicking Aiden's actions by squatting down, seemingly inviting Ogerpon and Sylveon.
"Sylve~!"
Sylveon, who already had a close relationship with Cynthia, naturally didn't refuse. It immediately trotted over, rubbing against Cynthia's legs.
"Pon..."
Ogerpon blinked, looking up at Aiden with pitiful eyes as if saying:
Are you leaving me with someone else?
Ever since being officially captured by Aiden, Ogerpon had rarely left his side unless inside its Poké Ball.
Only by staying close to him could it find some sense of security.
Perhaps its extreme fear of loneliness stemmed from centuries of isolation.
Under Ogerpon's gaze, Aiden could only smile helplessly and pat its head again.
"Don't worry, it's just a hot spring soak. We'll meet again soon."
"Pon..."
Reluctantly stepping out from behind Aiden, Ogerpon hesitated for a moment before timidly reaching out to grab Cynthia's sleeve.
So, so cute!
Seeing its little action, Caitlin instantly felt her nosebleed coming on from sheer adoration.
Why does such an adorable cutie belong to Aiden?!
Feeling a sudden surge of resentment, Aiden gave Caitlin a strange look.
"Hmph!"
Caitlin decisively turned her head away, letting out a soft humph.
"Then, see you later~"
Cynthia smiled faintly, waving goodbye to Aiden before leading the two Pokémon and Caitlin into the curtain.
Seeing this, Aiden quickly entered the other side.
The hot springs in the Pokémon world were abundant with life energy, allowing Pokémon to relax their bodies. They even had the magical effect of accelerating Pokémon egg hatching.
Thus, Aiden decided to let his Pokémon experience it too.
After entering the hot spring area, Aiden retrieved three more Poké Balls, soon releasing Riolu, Bagon, and Miraidon.
"Baaaagon!"
Upon appearing in an unfamiliar environment, Bagon showed no fear. Instead, it was instantly curious about the steaming hot spring and wobbled over.
Because it had just been born, Aiden hadn't let Bagon out much during this trip.
After all... this little guy was quite stubborn. He feared it might provoke wild Pokémon and get beaten up—or act like it was doing now.
"Gon!"
Approaching the hot spring, feeling the abundant life energy, Bagon didn't hesitate and leaped in with a leap of faith.
Predictably, something unexpected happened.
Due to Bagon's body structure, its head accounted for more than half of its weight.
So, after entering the hot spring, it quickly flipped 180 degrees, ending up head-down, flailing its tiny arms to splash water.
Seeing this, Aiden quickly stepped forward, grabbing its short legs and pulling Bagon out, revealing a helpless smile.
"Bagon!"
Even after nearly drowning, this stubborn-headed Bagon showed no panic. Instead, it laughed loudly and cheerfully.
"Don..."
After emerging from its ball, Miraidon quickly sprawled by the edge of the hot spring, enjoying the humid air with a look of comfort.
In a way, it maintained its dragon persona.
"Rii..."
Riolu touched the hot spring water, quickly retracting its hand.
Though ordinary water, it contained unique energy fluctuations.
A great place to train!
Under Aiden's watchful eye, Riolu quickly stepped into the hot spring.
However...
Unlike Bagon, when Riolu's feet touched the water's surface, it defied common sense by standing steadily, soon walking on the water.
Reaching the center of the hot spring, Riolu even sat cross-legged on the water's surface, seemingly meditating with the life energy in the water.
So Aura could be used like this?
Aiden was stunned. His Riolu could form energy spheres and control Aura to walk on water—had it wandered into the wrong movie set?
He didn't know if it was legal, but regular Riolu definitely wouldn't use Aura like this.
No wonder the Isle of Armor Dojo didn't accept slackers—his Riolu was instantly recognized by those two bear masters...
On Aiden's side, everything was peaceful. On the women's side, things were livelier.
"Does it feel good? Does it hurt a bit?"
"Pon~"
Though initially scared, under Cynthia's gentle care, Ogerpon quickly relaxed completely, letting Cynthia wash its body.
As for Sylveon, it floated blissfully on the water's surface, spinning circles with the flow.
"..."
Caitlin inadvertently glanced at Cynthia, then looked down at her own body underwater.
Instantly, she felt self-conscious.
Damn it, next time I absolutely won't bathe or soak in the hot springs with Cynthia!
We both have blonde hair, but how can the gap between people be so large!
...
After leaving the hot spring inn, Aiden watched Caitlin, who had suddenly lost her energy, with confusion.
What happened to this little girl? How did taking a bath make her so self-conscious?
After concluding their refreshing hot spring trip, this journey to Kitakami finally came to an end.
---
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