Chapter 260:
After shaking off the effects of Baby-Doll Eyes, Hayashi Kaede first praised Alcremie for using Metronome.
Then, he looked intently at Alcremie and said, "Goodness, don't be afraid. This move is your own power."
Hayashi Kaede was beginning to see things clearly now.
Alcremie's luck was even better than he had imagined.
When it used Metronome, the move it produced seemed to be heavily influenced by its mental state.
When it had no specific intent, the moves were random—like the first time with Mystical Fire and the second time with Dazzling Gleam.
But once it had a clear intention, things changed.
When startled by Victini and wanting to escape, it used Shadow Force.
Although that was Giratina's signature move, and incredibly powerful, using it to flee wasn't exactly wrong.
When it wanted to defeat its opponent, it used Thunder and Precipice Blades accordingly.
When it was just testing moves against Dragonite, Blaziken, Gardevoir, and himself, it used Water Gun, Ember, Attract, and Baby-Doll Eyes respectively.
Though astonished, Hayashi Kaede didn't find it entirely unreasonable.
After all, in the Pokémon world, there was an Ability called Serene Grace—proof that something as seemingly abstract as "luck" truly existed.
It seems so idealistic...
Of course, Hayashi Kaede wouldn't jump to conclusions based solely on this experiment. He couldn't say for sure that Alcremie could always use moves corresponding to its mental state.
It was only a correlation for now.
Still, it was something worth observing more carefully in the future.
If possible, he should let Alcremie try facing different kinds of Pokémon.
After that thought crossed his mind, Hayashi Kaede snapped back to reality—only to notice a new problem.
The Precipice Blades from earlier still hadn't disappeared.
The stone pillar remained, dripping streams of fiery sparks downward.
Although those sparks only left small pits on the ground, leaving it like this indefinitely wasn't an option.
"Is it because it's a Legendary's signature move?" Hayashi Kaede murmured, looking at the still-burning pillar.
Normally, moves like Rock Throw or Stone Edge—those that created rocks from energy—would gradually fade and disappear over time.
Of course, there were powerful Pokémon capable of creating permanent materials, but such cases were rare.
It was similar to Diancie.
The sacred diamonds it created came in two forms: temporary and permanent.
Now, Hayashi Kaede found himself considering whether to keep this stone pillar.
After all, it was the signature move of Groudon, the Continent Pokémon.
If he left it here, it might even prove useful to Fire- or Ground-type Pokémon in the future.
After thinking for a long while, he decided to keep the pillar.
However, some precautions were necessary.
"Alright, Dragonite, Blaziken—help me dig a trench around this pillar." Since the pillar kept dripping fiery embers, he couldn't just leave it exposed.
If something happened, he'd be responsible.
"Blaziken~!"
"Dragonite..."
With their strength, Dragonite and Blaziken quickly dug a trench about two meters wide around the Precipice Blades.
Even then, Hayashi Kaede still wasn't entirely at ease.
He decided to have a few Pidgeot take turns standing guard, just to be safe.
Speaking of which, nearly all the Pidgeotto at home had evolved into Pidgeot by now.
Only three remained unevolved.
That fragment of Lugia's Silver Feather should be usable soon.
For now, Hayashi Kaede held Alcremie in his arms, smiling at Dragonite and Blaziken's eager faces after finishing their work.
He waved cheerfully and said, "Let's go, time to head home for a meal~"
"Blaziken~!" (Yay!)
"Dragonite~!" (Let's go, let's go...)
And at that moment—
Deep beneath the ocean.
A pair of red eyes slowly opened within a cavern in the seabed.
Instantly, all the Pokémon nearby felt an overwhelming pressure—the aura of the Sea Basin Pokémon—and scattered in terror.
Even a Sharpedo, the long-time ruler of those waters, felt its heart pound as it glanced toward the dark depths of the cave.
In the pitch-black ocean, those crimson eyes alone seemed larger than its entire body.
It didn't dare linger a second longer, fleeing the territory it had once claimed.
In the abyss, the awakened Kyogre turned its gaze toward the Eastova region.
It felt a flicker of confusion.
The power of the land... such a faint echo of the land's energy. Who has borrowed His power?
Kyogre pondered only briefly. After confirming that it wasn't its old rival stealing natural energy again, it sank back into slumber...
---
November 8th
Just after breakfast, one of the remaining three Pidgetto evolved into a Pidgeot.
After watching the entire evolution on-site, Hayashi Kaede looked at the newly evolved Pidgeot perched atop the pine tree outside and fell into deep thought.
Although the tree was tall and sturdy...
Originally there had been twenty Pidgetto. Now, eighteen had evolved—plus the lead Pidgeot—making nineteen in total.
Each stood about 1.6 to 1.7 meters tall, with wingspans of three to four meters.
That single pine tree could no longer hold them all.
And this was during the daytime, when several Pidgeot were out making deliveries or accepting challenges.
At lunchtime, when they lined up in the garden, the formation stretched nearly twenty meters long.
One glance revealed a majestic row of powerful birds.
Then there was the Sky Challenge.
Although the challenge's difficulty hadn't changed, everyone's perception of it had.
Before, they had all been Pidgetto—the challenge felt tough but manageable.
Now...
Just one Pidgeot taking flight was intimidating enough.
Still, Hayashi Kaede had no plans to alter it.
The challenge was meant to be difficult.
Now that nearly all the Pidgetto had evolved, and with the Silver Feather soon to be prepared as a special treat, it was almost time to begin provincial delivery services.
As he was pondering, Rotom suddenly flew over from the direction of the breeding house.
"Rotom~! We have a visitor~!"
"A visitor?" Hayashi Kaede blinked. "Who is it?"
"Rotom... I don't know them..." Rotom's screen displayed an embarrassed expression. "But he said he's here to see the Miltank."
"To see the Miltank... That must be Uncle Genmu. Maybe he's here to check if they've been eating well."
Hayashi Kaede rose quickly and followed Rotom toward the breeding house.