"Wait a minute. The Pidgeot already went down, so why are you sending up a Pidgeotto now?"
Though the crisis with Darkrai had mostly been contained, Marcus Gale remained cautious. The thought of two Pokémon of that caliber clashing made his chest tighten.
After all, both were beings that stood above Champion-level. If they truly fought, the damage would be unimaginable. The skies themselves might shatter under their power.
But right now, nothing seed to be escalating. There was no fight, no aggressive movent, just a silent standoff.
So Marcus could only occupy himself by gazing at the horizon, watching the clouds drift, or observing the other Pokémon hovering around them.
Still, when he noticed a lone Pidgeotto fly up toward them, he couldn't help but mutter sarcastically under his breath.
With a quiet command, he had Moltres shift a little forward, its flaming wings spreading protectively to keep the Pidgeotto shielded behind them.
Darkrai's crimson eyes moved slowly, first locking on Gardevoir, then drifting toward wtwo. Its face betrayed nothing.
It did not fear.
Of course, this was not its full power. Darkrai was not at its peak, and yet, even weakened, its presence could bend the air itself.
Gardevoir t its gaze without faltering. The two Pokémon locked eyes in the open sky, and the air between them seed to crackle. It was as if invisible sparks leapt between their stares, pressure building and colliding in silence.
Eventually, it was Darkrai who broke the stare, lowering its gaze ever so slightly.
It had not co here for a battle. Nor had it co simply to reclaim the fragnt of power it once gave away.
It had co to see sothing else the aning of what its power had beco.
Its deep voice echoed through the psychic currents, directed at Gardevoir. "So… you are dissatisfied with the choice you made back then? Or is it that, in gaining my power, you found only suffering?"
Lin Feng's eyes widened. So did Gardevoir's. Neither had expected Darkrai to ask such a piercing question.
It was a cruel dilemma.
If Gardevoir said yes, then it ant the gift Darkrai bestowed had been nothing but a burden. If the power was so painful, then why cling to it still? Why not return it willingly?
And hadn't she already admitted that she rarely used the power herself? By all logic, she should not need it anymore.
So why continue holding on?
Lin Feng hesitated, lips parting but no words coming. He glanced at Gardevoir, silently urging her to speak her truth.
After a long pause, Gardevoir exhaled softly. Her voice carried a gentle lancholy.
"Gardevoir… (Not exactly. When I was younger, I didn't understand much. I thought that gaining strength, no matter the source, was always a good thing.)"
Her gaze grew distant as she continued.
"Gardevoir… (But later, when I evolved from Ralts into Kirlia, everything changed. I ca to despise this power. Everywhere I went, chaos followed. Towns grew restless. Villages whispered about . I had to keep moving, never able to stay.)"
Her tone steadied, the sorrow giving way to quiet acceptance.
"Gardevoir… (Yet after becoming Gardevoir, I learned to let go. Yes, your power brought pain, but it also forced to grow. It honed my strength, shaped who I am. If I had stayed with my kin, following the normal path of my people, I would have simply matured into an ordinary Gardevoir. My life would have been safe, uneventful… and I would never have t the one who beca my heart's chosen trainer.)"
Her voice softened, a faint glow shimring in her eyes.
"Gardevoir… (Every gain demands a loss. And every eting depends on fate.)"
The words were calm, spoken like the tide lapping at a shore, but they carried the weight of years. She was no longer the innocent little Ralts who had once stumbled into the world without understanding. She knew now that everything had a price.
And more than that this power was not sothing she clung to for herself. It had brought with it a curse, one Lin Feng had worked tirelessly to help her bear. To her, that alone made it precious. It was a symbol of their bond.
How could she give it back so easily?
Lin Feng stood in silence, a lump rising in his throat. Her words so simple, yet so piercing left his chest aching with emotion.
What kind of trainer deserved to be called "the one her heart chose"? The thought nearly brought tears to his eyes.
Darkrai studied her for a long mont, then inclined its head slightly. "I see. Then I will not reclaim it."
It had shed fragnts of its essence many tis before. Losing one or two more did not matter. Its purpose was only to check whether those who carried its power had been twisted by it, and perhaps to witness what beca of them.
With that, its crimson gaze shifted. It turned from Lin Feng toward Marcus Gale, who had been quietly standing by. After a mont of contemplation, a shard of pure darkness detached from its body, slowly descending until it hovered before Marcus.
A stone, pitch-black as night, pulsed faintly in the air.
"Human. Take this. It has long been near , steeped in my essence. It will strengthen any Dark-type Pokémon."
"What?" Marcus blinked in surprise, staring at the eerie stone. By the ti he lifted his eyes again, Darkrai was gone, its presence swallowed into the void.
He gawked for a mont, stunned.
"Seriously? I'm a Champion, not so rcenary you throw a tip to!"
Still, he tightened his grip on the stone. A gift from the embodint of nightmares itself? Its value was beyond asure. And better yet, this was his reward from a mission. The League wouldn't demand it be turned over to their treasury.
Lin Feng, too, had seen the stone fall. Instinctively, he activated the Eye of Insight, his unique ability. He had wanted to offer sothing in exchange for the power Gardevoir bore, but Darkrai's aloofness had left him no chance.
What the Eye revealed made him pause.
[SSS-grade Ingredient Darkrai's Netherstone. Having lingered near Darkrai for centuries, it is infused with imnse Dark-type energy. Ordinary beings who approach it will be overwheld, falling into confusion, nightmares, or sleep. Can be steeped in water, gradually diluting its power.
Note: Water infused with it may be used as a seasoning.]
Lin Feng blinked.
"…Wait, a seasoning?"
His mind raced with absurd ideas. What kind of dish could he make with nightmare-flavored water? If combined with Cresselia's Lunar Feather, would it produce so bizarre effect between dreams and nightmares?
His imagination was spiraling when wtwo's calm voice cut in, pulling him back. "Since nothing more is happening, Dragonite and I will depart."
The orange dragon beneath him gave a low, reluctant rumble. Its wide eyes lingered on Lin Feng, unwilling to part.
Only when wtwo urged it forward did Dragonite reluctantly unwrap its arms from around Lin Feng, giving him one last, heavy-hearted glance. Its eyes shone with unspoken expectation.
Lin Feng couldn't help but smile. He shook his head, then pulled out a storage capsule from his belt and tossed it toward wtwo. Psychic energy caught it midair.
"There's enough rations in there to last you and Dragonite for a while. Don't let it go hungry."
wtwo blinked, then gave a rare nod. "Understood."
Dragonite's sorrow lted instantly into joy. It bead at Lin Feng, tail swaying like a child who'd been promised sweets, before soaring away with its partner into the distance.
Lin Feng watched until they vanished into the clouds. Only then did he turn back toward Marcus
And froze.
The Pidgeotto that had been hanging back with them shimred, its form twisting. In its place floated a small, pink Pokémon with a long, flowing tail.
w.
It had been there the whole ti, watching, unnoticed.
Now, its wide blue eyes stared straight at Lin Feng. There was a trace of poutiness in them, a soft, almost sulking expression.
As though to say, "You watched everyone else so closely… but not ?"
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