Chapter 501:
"And then?" Kaede couldn't help but ask.
"Ninetales~" (It got defeated by my Ice Beam!)
"Sylveon~" (That's right~ I also followed up with a Hyper Voice.)
"Actually, that's not quite how it is..." Although inwardly amused, Kaede promptly began to explain. "That Charizard's Trainer is a Professor among us humans. He knows a lot. Charizard really is a Fire and Flying-type Pokémon!"
The two Pokémon's chatter came to an abrupt halt.
They might not have fully believed what the Professor said, but hearing it from Kaede made them pause in surprise.
"Ninetales?"
"Sylveon?"
"Ninetales ..." (Huh? Why? It clearly look like a dragon, and... his Charizard clearly couldn't withstand my Ice Beam or Little Nine's Hyper Voice.)
"Is it possible that your strength simply surpasses that Charizard's? The Fire-type Elite Four member—the Charizard you need to challenge in your dreams—that's the Charizard that matches your true strength."
"Type advantage isn't absolute. In the face of an overwhelming power gap, any type advantage becomes irrelevant. By the way, you didn't do anything too serious to the Professor's Charizard, did you?"
"Ninetales..." (No, just froze it for a bit, then thawed it out quickly...) Alolan Ninetales replied cautiously.
The other three Pokémon also looked somewhat embarrassed.
"Alright, alright. I'll explain the relationships between types to you all tonight..." Kaede patted their heads, unable to suppress a laugh.
Little Nine's personality, coupled with this encounter during its first observation session, clearly meant Dr. Rosen's future research recordings would probably be more challenging than he imagined.
After sending the Pokémon on their way, Kaede let out a long sigh, then quickly focused his attention inside the house.
Next up... he is going to "appease" Gardevoir...
Sigh.
Kaede soon spotted Gardevoir on the sofa after entering the house and looking around. Hmm, Gardevoir was not in the kitchen, so it was waiting for him to come and explain.
Kaede walked over and sat down beside it, looking at its unusually calm face. He couldn't resist giving its cheek a gentle pinch.
Σ(°-°;) : "Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir's expression clearly showed surprise, looking somewhat dumbfounded at Kaede, clearly not expecting such an action.
Then it voiced its confusion, "Gardevoir?" (What are you doing?)
"You seem to be in a bit of a mood..."
Kaede stated the reason for his visit. "So I wanted to make you smile."
(#｀-_ゝ-): "Gardevoir...."
It looked somewhat exasperated, then smiled anyway. "Gardevoir..." (Smiling. And then?)
"Not just smiling, but being happy." Kaede continued making demands.
"Gardevoir..." This time, Gardevoir seemed to be laughing in exasperation and couldn't help but retort, "Gardevoir..." (Such a unreasonable demand. Being happy or not depends on you doing things that make me unhappy.)
"Then tell me, what did I do?" Kaede indicated he was ready to listen.
"Gardevoir?" (Why did you have to go help it?)
Gardevoir immediately raised its question.
This "it" naturally referred to Zoroark.
Helping it inevitably involved messing with time. But it had seen the being associated with time—that immensely huge existence that even Lugia struggled against.
But this was something that could have been avoided.
It wasn't necessary to take the risk of offending such a being. When it sensed Dialga launching an attack towards Kaede, Gardevoir's heart skipped a beat inside the Poké Ball.
Recalling it now still brought a sense of fear.
It took hold of Kaede's hand, expressing its concern.
This emotional fluctuation transmitted over, and Kaede was also taken aback.
He had considered Gardevoir might worry, but hadn't expected it to worry this much. The emotions coming through their telepathic link were overwhelming. And in an instant, he understood why the usually emotionally calm Gardevoir was upset this time.
From his perspective, while perceiving Zoroark's past, he hadn't just learned its history; he had clearly felt the tragic past, everything that happened between Zoroark and its Trainer, and the emotions involved.
Those events, in reports, might just be words. But after experiencing them firsthand, Kaede subconsciously felt sympathy for Zoroark and thought... he should help.
Moreover, when he asked Giratina to take him to find Dialga, he hadn't discussed or consulted with Gardevoir or any of his other Pokémon.
This was clearly a very dangerous matter.
It involved battles between "Them."
But in Kaede's subconscious...
He possessed the True New Human Body constitution, plus various other power boosts... even in a clash between Legendary Pokémon, he wouldn't suffer any injuries...
But Gardevoir didn't know that...
It had already told him—in this little house, he was the most important. He was the key to this Breeding House!
If something happened to him, everything would turn to illusory bubbles.
No wonder Serperior had left without a word earlier.
After processing all this, Kaede fell silent for a moment, then immediately raised his right hand. "...I admit my fault, I was wrong..."
"My Fault..."
Pia!(ｏ ‵-′)ノ"(ノ﹏<.): "Gardevoir..."
Gardevoir patted his head.
But Kaede wasn't sure how to explain. He couldn't very well say, "I'm an indestructible cockroach," could he?
Even if he was indestructible, Dialga had just demonstrated its capabilities, like trapping one in a time loop.
He also realized that some Legendary Pokémon's methods might be problems he couldn't solve?
For example, Giratina could simply trap him in the Distortion World. Without a way out, no matter how tough he was, he couldn't exactly smash the Distortion World, could he?
Just as Kaede was lost in thought, Serperior chose that moment to slither in from outside. It held a Pecha Berry in its mouth. Judging by the berry's size, it likely came from the central Pecha tree in the orchard.
Kaede's gaze fell on this Pecha Berry, and he subconsciously activated his [Eye of Exploration].
[Legendary Ingredient – Mutated Sacred Pecha Berry: A certain obsession caused it to mutate. Contains abundant vital energy. Can be fed to a recently deceased living being to revive it. Possesses a death-defying effect.]