[Eevee's departure seemed like a minor event, with little effect on anything… at least for now.]
[If there was a single victim in all this, it was probably poor Gengar.]
"Gengaaa!"
The purple fatty's face twisted in pure indignation as it flailed its stubby arms, protesting loudly at Elias.
There were three Pokémon in this squad—so why was it the only one being dragged into this mission? Was this discrimination or what?
Fine, Gardevoir had a valid excuse. But why did Eevee get a pass too?!
Watching his fuming Gengar, Elias didn't bother responding. He simply flexed his fist, faint psychic energy crackling around it.
Instantly, Gengar transformed from a raging protester back into his usual, harmless-looking self.
But Elias wasn't a complete tyrant.
Seeing Gengar settle down, he reached out and gave his first Pokémon a few firm pats.
Unlike the solid forms of Gardevoir and Eevee, Gengar's body was more like marshmallow—soft and a little springy, making it oddly satisfying to touch.
"Gardevoir and Eevee have their own reasons, so… I'll be relying on you to protect me this time, Gengar."
Elias's voice was gentle.
Hearing this, Gengar looked visibly flustered. It bashfully waved a hand, its face torn between embarrassment and pride.
"Gengaaa~"
It suspected Elias was manipulating it—but so what? It was willing to be manipulated!
You could always count on the purple fatty.
---
[At noon, under your firm insistence, Gardevoir begrudgingly got out of bed.]
[Since the festival wasn't until the evening, you still set aside time for training with Gardevoir and Gengar.]
[This earned you plenty of complaints from both of them.]
"Gardevoir, can you shorten the activation time for [Teleport]? And improve its accuracy?"
Elias glanced at the stopwatch in his hand.
Hearing his request, Gardevoir frowned slightly in distress.
"The activation time… I think I might be able to reduce it a bit," she admitted.
"But… do I really need to be that precise with [Teleport]?"
She didn't quite understand Elias's demand.
In her opinion, a margin of about a meter from the target destination was perfectly normal—practically negligible in real battle situations.
There was no need to be that obsessive about it.
But Elias clearly didn't agree.
Instead of explaining, he pinched her cheek lightly, half-scolding:
"In a real battle, a one-meter difference can be everything."
"It could decide the outcome of the entire fight. If you don't take this seriously, you might regret it later."
"Mmrrm… fine."
With her cheek still being tugged, Gardevoir mumbled her reluctant agreement.
Only after Elias let go did she rub her face and pout in dissatisfaction.
Elias sighed inwardly.
Because of their constant psychic energy exchange, Gardevoir never had to worry about running out of power. As a result, her battle record was almost flawless.
But that also meant she had become complacent—neglecting finer details that could push her even further.
Fixing this wasn't going to happen overnight.
Still, when he noticed the sun starting to set, Elias finally waved a hand.
"That's enough training for today. Let's go enjoy the festival."
Since Gardevoir had just finished training, a thin layer of heat clung to her, giving her a slight glow.
The effect made Elias even more curious about how she'd look in a yukata.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir's eyes lit up at his words.
"Alright!"
...
Shortly after, Elias, Gardevoir, Blue, and Silver headed out together.
"You two go have fun, but don't wander too far," Elias instructed the kids as they reached the festival street.
After all, he had brought Gardevoir out on a date—it wouldn't be proper if other people were around.
"Got it!"
Neither Blue nor Silver had any objections.
Having been trapped in the Masked Army's base for years, everything outside felt new and exciting to them.
Even without Elias's permission, they wouldn't have been able to suppress their curiosity.
After sending the two off, Elias turned his full attention to Gardevoir.
By now, she had already changed into her yukata.
She had chosen a deep purple yukata adorned with a signature Butterfree pattern, the sleeves and collar embroidered with delicate golden threads.
The length just barely covered her feet, and thanks to her habit of using psychic energy to move, she had a natural, graceful lightness to her steps—like a butterfly in flight.
Gardevoir didn't ask him whether she looked good.
She didn't have to.
His stunned expression had already given her the answer.
...
"Elias, I want some Alcremie ice cream."
Halfway through the festival, Gardevoir clung to Elias's arm and pointed toward a nearby stall.
At the sound of her voice, the Alcremie behind the counter bounced up and down excitedly.
Elias couldn't help but find it amusing.
Pokémon body parts being used as ingredients wasn't uncommon—like Farfetch'd's leeks or Slowpoke tails—but Alcremie was one of the few Pokémon that could actively serve as a dessert.
Seeing Gardevoir's expectant gaze, Elias went ahead and bought two cones.
"Don't eat too fast—it's cold," he reminded as he handed one to her.
"Garde~"
Gardevoir nodded obediently and began slowly licking the ice cream, a blissful expression on her face.
Unlike her delicate approach, Gengar—who Elias had let out—had no such patience.
It opened its massive mouth and chomped down on the entire cone—wrapper and all.
"Gengaaa!"
The sheer recklessness of that bite made Elias wince.
Just then, Gardevoir lightly tapped Elias's shoulder.
"Wait here for a moment—I want to check something out."
She pointed toward another street.
Elias frowned slightly but, after confirming there was no danger, nodded.
With permission granted, Gardevoir tugged up her yukata slightly and quickened her pace.
Just a moment ago, she had felt something.
Not psychic energy—but something close to life energy, reminiscent of what she had sensed from Ho-Oh.
Pondering this, Gardevoir arrived at a more open part of the festival.
The energy was coming from—
A small shop directly in front of her.
"Pryce's Ice Sculpture Shop?"
Reading the sign, Gardevoir tilted her head, frowning slightly.
Ever since her last encounter, the mere sight of the word "ice" gave her an unpleasant feeling.
"Young lady, would you like to take a look inside?"
A gentle voice suddenly called out.
An elderly man with white hair, seated in a wheelchair, had just rolled out of the shop, smiling warmly at her.
Given the strange energy she had sensed, Gardevoir hesitated for a moment—then nodded.
"…Alright."
---
T/N: everything is gonna be over soon...