At this moment, Albert's figure suddenly appeared from the side.
Ralts froze, quickly hiding behind Albus, too scared to look at Albert.
Seeing Ralts' reaction, Albus looked at Albert with a serious expression. At this moment, he had a strange feeling—almost like he was abducting someone's daughter.
No, he wasn't trying to abduct Ralts!
Albert remained silent, and Albus guessed it must be communicating with Ralts through telepathy.
Whatever Albert was saying, Ralts' mood visibly sank lower and lower.
Albert paused for a moment, hesitating, a trace of impatience flashing in its eyes.
Then, it cast its gaze toward the human standing before it.
Albus immediately straightened up, his whole body tensed.
A voice of indeterminate gender suddenly echoed in his mind: "Do you want to take it away?"
Albus froze for a moment, then quickly realized it was Albert speaking.
In the anime, May's Pokédex described Ralts as follows:
"Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. The pre-evolution of Kirlia, it uses the horn on its head to sense human emotions. It rarely appears before people, but when it senses positive emotions, it will approach them."
Its final evolution, Gardevoir, could create small black holes with its bare hands and even Mega Evolve.
Who wouldn't want a Pokémon with such immense potential, one that would willingly sacrifice its life for its trainer?
So, Albus answered honestly, "I do."
Albert stared at him for a long time before responding, "You don't have the ability to protect it."
It was the truth, and Albus had no way to argue against it.
If their roles were reversed, he wouldn't feel comfortable giving away his well-behaved, innocent daughter either.
He remained silent. Albert then turned to Ralts and, in front of Albus, asked: "Do you really want to leave with this human?"
"Ralu..." Ralts hesitated. It could feel Albert's emotions—reluctance, sadness, and deep concern.
Albert sighed, then softly said, "Then do as you wish."
With that, Albert turned and walked away alone.
"Ralu..." Ralts hesitated, gripping the corner of Albus' clothes, standing there uncertainly.
Albus suddenly felt like a villain, even though he hadn't done anything wrong!
With a helpless sigh, he knelt down and gently told Ralts, "Your father is worried about you. He's afraid to let you go."
Thinking about it, Albert must have known that if Ralts left, they might never see each other again.
Unlike a Braviary raising its Rufflet with tough love, Albert's love for Ralts was different. It had protected Ralts carefully, shielding it from harm, wanting to keep it safe forever.
"Ralu..." Ralts was extremely sad.
Albus comforted, "Go after him. Spend more time with your father. I live here, so if you ever want to visit, you're welcome anytime."
Ralts thought for a moment, then turned and ran after Albert.
After a few steps, it glanced back at Albus, hesitated, then used Teleport—and disappeared.
Albus sighed and rubbed his nose. Holding Will Young, he walked away from the river.
"Gah!" Will Young let out a confused cry.
Albus felt defeated. If Will Young could follow instructions, he wouldn't be struggling so much with catching Pokémon.
Perhaps sensing his frustration, Will Young brought back an easy-to-catch Pokémon that very night.
[Species: Budew ♀]
Type: Grass, Poison
Ability: Leaf Guard
Base Stats: 280 (HP: 40, Attack: 30, Defense: 35, Special Attack: 50, Special Defense: 70, Speed: 55)
Known Moves: Absorb, Stun Spore, Seed Bomb
Current Mood: Nervous
Physical Condition: Tense (Terrified)
Friendship: 0 (Completely unfamiliar with you)
Looking at the tiny green Pokémon curled up on the table, Albus couldn't help but poke it with his finger.
Budew—the Bud Pokémon. Its evolved form was Roselia, a Pokémon often used by NPCs to block pathways in games. Its final evolution, Roserade, had an impressive Special Attack stat of 125.
Budew trembled in fear, eyeing the intimidating bird in front of it.
Albus sighed. "...What did Will Young do to it?"
To calm the frightened Budew and gain its trust, Albus tried his best to smile warmly as he gently picked it up.
Before evolving, Budew was tiny, only about 20 centimeters tall. Its body was connected to the unopened flower bud on its head, and its eyes always seemed squinted—almost like a baby wearing a bib.
"Gah?" Will Young blinked in confusion.
Wait!
Albus suddenly realized something.
Could this Budew belong to someone else, like that Pikachu from before?
Not wanting to take someone else's Pokémon, he found a clay pot, filled it with fresh soil and grass, and "planted" Budew inside.
According to the ecology book he had borrowed from the library, Budew—before evolving into Roselia—was still immature and needed to absorb nutrients from the soil to grow.
It also required warm sunlight and clean water.
As he watered Budew, Albus tried to communicate, "Hey there, can you understand me?"
Gradually, Budew relaxed. The small bud on its head swayed slightly, indicating it was feeling comfortable.
Then, Albus saw its Friendship stat rise from 0 to 5.
Huh? That worked?
He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Nini~" Budew finally relaxed, letting out a soft, cute cry.
Albus had to admit—it was adorable.
But since he couldn't understand Pokémon speech, he needed to ask Elvina if anyone at the school had reported a missing Budew.
By the time Elvina replied, it was already the next morning.
She sat on the sofa, sipping the tea Albus had prepared, while looking at Budew basking in the sunlight on the windowsill.
With a smile, she said, "Your place has changed a lot since my last visit. It feels more lively now."
"Really?" Albus glanced around. He had only moved the furniture a little.
"Yes, it looks tidier." Elvina chuckled. "I checked with the school—no one reported a missing Budew. Do you want to keep it?"
So, Budew didn't have a trainer?
Excitement flashed in Albus' eyes. "Yes! I want to be a trainer!"
Just then, Will Young playfully nudged Budew. In response, Budew fired a Seed Bomb at him.
But instead of dodging, Will Young simply ate the attack.
Albus stared, speechless.