Chapter 53 Breaking the Stalemate:
After purchasing the Soothing Bell, Xia Mu, though unsure of its effectiveness, decided to give it a try.
In the game, the Soothing Bell simply calms the Pokémon it's holding, making it easier for the Pokémon to develop affinity with its trainer.
However, in this world, the uses of items are much more diverse.
If the Soothing Bell doesn't work, Xia Mu will try the Shell Bell, the Clear Bell, the Ocean Sound Bell, and so on.
The information notes for these items all contain the four words: "Calm the Mind and Soothe the Spirit."
'Ding-a-ling~~~ Ding-a-ling~~~'
Shaking the seemingly ordinary bell.
A melodious sound emanated from the bell, spreading out with extremely strong penetrating power, first affecting Xia Mu and the four little ones around him, making them feel as if bathed in a gentle breeze, incredibly comfortable.
This kind of bell sound has a strong healing power; it sounds like just an ordinary bell, but for some reason, it's exceptionally enjoyable.
The soothing bell calmed Xia Mu's turbulent emotions, and he even felt a spiritual uplift, his aura becoming more easily controlled.
Not far away, Gardevoir, previously in a berserk state, was finally brought to a halt by the bell's influence.
Anger had clouded its senses, keeping it trapped in its own world, believing that only through such actions could it release its pent-up emotions.
The bell's calming effect effectively suppressed this resentment, giving it a new outlet, and its emotions shifted to sadness and pain.
Seeing this, Xia Mu didn't stop, continuing to ring the bell as he approached.
He felt a deeper sense of unease.
In this world, many Pokémon possessed emotions far richer than those of humans.
Only after reaching Gardevoir did Xia Mu once again control his Aura to communicate through perception.
Communicating with thoughts was perhaps better than speaking.
Closing his eyes, Xia Mu wasn't afraid Gardevoir would continue its antics.
As long as the Soothing Bell remained active, Gardevoir's emotions would be calmed, preventing it from easily going berserk again.
Unless, at this moment, it was suddenly attacked again, or something happened that Gardevoir deeply resented.
A mental connection was established, and the heart-to-heart talk between Xia Mu and Gardevoir began.
A Psychic-type Pokémon with Fairy-type attributes,
Gardevoir actually possessed the ability to communicate telepathically, but after being injured, she closed herself off in her mental world, unwilling to open it to the outside world.
It was like she had built a cage for herself, and Xia Mu had to break in.
Resistance and impact on her mind were inevitable, because the closer one got to their inner vulnerability, the more mental pressure they would suffer.
Gardevoir, unwilling to accept this, forcefully expelled all mental intrusions. Xia Mu, unable to back down, could only press forward under the pressure.
Several times during his advance, he was forced back by Gardevoir's mental power, but finally received help from Lucario's Aura, reaching Gardevoir in the mental world.
Mental communication is far more direct than verbal exchange.
Because you cannot conceal it, nor can you manipulate the mind.
Gardevoir finally calmed down completely. It sensed Xia Mu's sincerity and clearly felt the goodwill he conveyed.
...
In the real world.
The bloodlust in Gardevoir's eyes completely dissipated, and its sharp psychic power quickly subsided.
With the hostility diminished, Xia Mu also regained his senses and opened his eyes.
Looking at Gardevoir's attribute panel now, its friendship level was no longer negative, and its emotion was no longer anger.
Although the friendship level was only 10 points, it had indeed reached the initial stage of acquaintance, showing that what he had done had been effective.
Its emotion became sadness, expressing that even though it had calmed down and accepted Xia Mu, it still couldn't easily resolve its hatred.
"I just accessed your inner world, although only a very small part, but I saw what specifically happened.
"So it wasn't your child who was kidnapped, but your younger siblings,"
Xia Mu said.
'Sar~ Gardevoir~' (Gardevoir's cry)
(Yes, my younger siblings have all been taken away...)
Gardevoir nodded, tears welling in her eyes, her pitiful appearance truly evoking pity.
In this world, Milotic is hailed as the most beautiful Pokémon, but in Xia Mu's opinion, Gardevoir is in no way inferior.
In a sense, Gardevoir is more in line with human aesthetics, both beautiful and with such a perfect form.
Especially in Xia Mu's previous world, Gardevoir was known as the "Waifu Pokémon."
Taking advantage of the opportunity to communicate, Xia Mu used a healing spray to treat Gardevoir while speaking.
The power of Lucario's Aura Sphere earlier... It was no small matter.
Gardevoir initially resisted; emotional wounds aren't easily healed.
However, after trying and confirming the healing spray wouldn't harm it, it gradually relaxed. During the conversation, Lucario, Arcanine, Beedrill, and even the red Gyarados all gathered around, listening to Gardevoir's innermost thoughts.
At crucial points, they would voice their sympathy for Gardevoir's plight.
But that was all they could say; after all, this was the Kanto region, no longer the Hoenn region.
Gardevoir had a premonition of being in a different place when it was captured by Xia He.
This made it even more distressed, and... One of the reasons Gardevoir hates humans is
that it originally wanted to rescue its younger siblings after recovering from its injuries, but it was betrayed by humans and ended up here.
Having learned the whole story, Xia Mu genuinely wanted to help it, but given the current situation, it would be extremely difficult.
First, they needed to find those poachers.
Xia Mu had seen Gardevoir's memories through Aura, so he also saw what those people looked like.
But finding them based solely on that was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
An investigation was needed, and they also needed the help of the League's official forces; otherwise, finding even the slightest clue would be harder than climbing to heaven.
This wasn't like a game where the entire plot was fixed. The lines are fixed.
Perhaps, one could choose to get involved, proactively contact the poaching organizations there, try to find Gardevoir's family, and buy them back with some money.
Poaching organizations capture Pokémon relentlessly, solely for profit.
The Pokémon League strictly prohibits the private sale of Pokémon and the malicious capture of wild Pokémon.
Even so, many still take the risk.
In short, the Pokémon world is incredibly complex; only by venturing into a particular area will one realize the extent of the implications.
Of course, these things must wait until later.
At least until after the Mewtwo incident…
Read 50+ advanced chapters ahead on Patreon!
patreon.com/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)