Chapter 257:
Hayashi Kaede stood frozen in place, taking a moment to process what had just happened.
He then looked around.
The Miltank, sheltered by the barn walls, hadn't witnessed Giratina's theft.
The Combee were huddled inside their hive, so they naturally missed the act as well.
After all, in just a single second, who could have known that a barrel of Grepa Berry Wine had vanished from the barn?
But—
Kaede clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and stared at the spot where Giratina had appeared. Though he eventually relaxed his hands, he couldn't help but mutter in frustration.
"Seriously! What was that look just now?!"
The glance Giratina had thrown his way was like it was looking at any ordinary creature.
Under normal circumstances, he would have found that perfectly reasonable.
After all, Giratina was a being born from light and shadow—the deity of the Reverse World.
He was just an ordinary plantation owner.
But—
He had been standing right there in the barn! And it had just taken his stuff?
Without even a word?
Kaede let out a breathless laugh, caught somewhere between disbelief and exasperation.
Thinking about it, Mew was much better. Mischievous as it was, at least it knew to bring something to exchange the first time it showed up.
As his laughter faded, Kaede felt a wave of helplessness.
Because even though he had seen Giratina "openly" and "boldly" take his wine barrel, he couldn't think of any way to deal with it.
Start a fight?
Beat it into submission?
Then lecture it like a scolding teacher—"Giratina, this is wrong. You can't steal my wine."
Well… nice idea, but reality was harsh.
Provoking a battle with a Legendary Pokémon would mean risking not only Aogiri Town, but possibly Aogiri City as well.
For some reason, Kaede suddenly thought of Dragonite.
Was this how it felt when it was "delivering messages" under Mewtwo's command?
He sighed helplessly and looked at the remaining Grepa Berry Wine in the barn.
Kaede returned to his room, rummaged around, found two storage capsules, and went back to the barn.
He planned to store away some of the wine—about twenty barrels at least.
He had no idea what Giratina's alcohol tolerance was, but he assumed it was substantial.
What if it drank a barrel a day, like a bottomless pit?
His Gardevoir still needed Grepa Berry Wine too.
He needed to save enough for Gardevoir and the others to last until next autumn—when the new Grepa Berry trees he'd planted would finally bear fruit.
"So stingy—didn't even leave a single reward for the trouble. And to think I was feeling sorry for it earlier… a lonely dragon in the Reverse World. Now it seems it deserved being controlled by Hoopa and getting slammed into a wall by Shiny Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent in the movie…"
Grumbling to himself, Kaede walked over to the shadowy spot where Giratina had appeared and filled the two storage capsules to the brim, finally feeling a bit more at ease.
This way, Gardevoir, Mewtwo, and the others would have enough wine for the winter.
After his little rant, Kaede was about to leave the barn to store the two capsules safely.
But before he could take a step, a chill swept through the air, and his vision abruptly darkened.
Kaede froze, instinctively glancing down at the ground.
In the lantern-lit barn, the bright floor was suddenly covered by a spreading shadow.
The shadow grew larger and larger until it enveloped his entire body.
He swallowed hard and thought, No way… did it hear me?
Then, stiffly, he turned his head—and nearly jumped out of his skin.
Sure enough, Giratina, which had just vanished into the shadows, was now right in front of him again.
This time was different.
Before, it had been ten meters away, snatching a barrel before disappearing.
Now, its enormous face was right up close.
The yellow ring-like collar encircled its long neck, its gaze icy cold.
"Its head is so big," Kaede thought numbly.
His second thought came just as quickly—even Mewtwo's stare wasn't this terrifying.
Unlike before, Giratina seemed to have entered its Origin Form. The previously tattered wings were now long, black tendrils that drifted restlessly at the edge between light and shadow.
For a brief, breathless moment, Kaede and Giratina faced each other in silence in the barn.
Once he'd gathered himself, Kaede quickly activated his [Eye of Exploration].
---
[Pokémon: Giratina]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Ability: Pressure]
[Potential: Divine]
[IVs: HP (31) Attack (31) Sp. Atk (31) Defense (31) Sp. Def (31) Speed (31)]
[Strength: ??? Level]
[Moves: Shadow Sneak, Dragon Breath, Shadow Ball, Shadow Force…]
[Pleasure Value: 10]
[Friendship: 11 (Its initial impression of you is favorable.)]
---
Whew…
Seeing an actual number under the Friendship, Kaede's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
It seemed Giratina hadn't heard him after all.
Otherwise, with the kind of personality he imagined Giratina to have, even this bit of Friendship would've dropped to zero.
Controlling his trembling, Kaede looked up at Giratina's massive head and was just about to greet it.
But before he could speak, Giratina turned away and melted back into the shadows.
The whole process was swift—too swift for him to react.
Kaede stood there dumbfounded until he noticed a wooden barrel sitting where Giratina had been.
Clearly, this wasn't the same barrel it had just taken, but an empty one from a previous "borrowing."
"Heh, so it knows to return the barrel."
Kaede couldn't help but chuckle at the gesture.
He walked over and bent down to take a look.
Pulling out his phone, he shone the flashlight inside.
It wasn't completely empty—a shallow layer of Grepa Berry Wine still coated the bottom.
But then, his expression turned strange.
Because the wine looked… different.
---
[A-Tier Grepa Berry Wine (Reversed) — Grepa Berry Wine that has passed through the Reverse World and returned to the normal world. Its effects are completely inverted.]
[Culinary Effect 1: Long-term consumption rapidly decreases Psychic abilities. If consumed long-term by the creator, the rate of decrease is accelerated.]
[Culinary Effect 2: Heartening (Reversed) — Creatures that consume this together will develop a mutual dislike.]
---
Kaede: "????"