Chapter 271: Evolution, Enter Cradily!
To an ordinary Pokémon, the Fountain of Life was an incredibly high-level source of energy, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But to Celebi, it was just a supplement for quickly recovering its stamina—its daily bread.
Therefore, Celebi didn't place much importance on the Fountain. It was far more interested in Basalt, this person whose past was invisible to it. So, if Basalt and his Lileep wanted some of the Fountain's water, what was the harm in giving them a little? After all, such a weak Pokémon couldn't absorb much anyway; its body wouldn't be able to contain it.
And in return, Celebi could take the opportunity to observe them a little longer.
"Cele-bi~"
With a thought, Celebi's incredibly powerful yet subtle psychic energy activated, easily breaking through the barrier the Exeggutor had set up.
Not only that, but as its psychic power enveloped Basalt and Lileep, their thoughts and emotions began to change without them even realizing it.
"Lileep, we can't give up so easily and let that ruler look down on us. Let's go, we'll keep moving forward!"
Basalt's line of thinking did a complete 180. The logic didn't add up, but he didn't feel anything was amiss.
"Nee-nee~"
The same went for Lileep. It just nodded excitedly and led Basalt towards the Fountain of Life.
This time, without the Exeggutor's interference, their journey was smooth.
Half an hour later, they finally laid eyes on the Fountain of Life they had been dreaming of.
"Exegg-utor..."
Although it was thoroughly annoyed with Basalt and Lileep, the Exeggutor could not disobey Celebi's command. So now, it could only hold its nose and let them find the Fountain, its face still sullen.
As Basalt approached, it used its psychic power to warp the space and light around it. Even though the Exeggutor was standing right by the spring, Basalt and Lileep couldn't see it.
Meanwhile, Celebi remained completely invisible, watching everything unfold from its god's-eye view, playing its games with the mortal world.
"Is this the Fountain of Life?"
Basalt's eyes widened as he stared at the emerald-green spring at the base of the small hill.
As for Lileep, the moment it arrived, it leaped directly into the Fountain, immersing itself in the abundant energy. The temptation of the life energy was simply too much for it to resist.
"Exegg-utor!"
The Exeggutor's mouth twitched violently, a vein throbbing on its forehead. This Lileep was too much! Absorb the energy if you must, but what's the meaning of jumping right into the spring? After it's been contaminated, how is the Guardian supposed to drink from it?
"Lileep, how does it feel?"
Basalt smiled, seeing nothing wrong with the situation.
I found the Fountain of Life, after all!
"Nee-nee~"
Lileep's eyes had already curved into crescents, its face a picture of pure bliss. At the same time, the roots within its body extended wildly, greedily absorbing the energy from the spring water.
It was full of life energy, with a hint of extremely high-level Water-type energy. The air, meanwhile, was thick with rich, high-quality Grass-type energy.
Water, Grass, and Life—three types of energy flooded Lileep's entire being.
This place was simply heaven.
"Drink up, drink up! Absorb as much as you can. It would be best if you could drain the whole spring!"
Basalt smiled, his greed getting the better of him. He didn't know that after Lileep had leaped into the spring, the ruler Exeggutor's impression of him had soured even further.
"Exegg-utor!"
The veins on the Exeggutor's forehead bulged. It couldn't understand for the life of it why the divine being was being so kind to them.
"Cele-bi~"
Compared to the Exeggutor's rage, Celebi just covered its mouth and giggled, not bothered at all.
The pool wasn't large, only a few dozen square meters. If it were ordinary water, Lileep could have drained it in minutes.
But this was the Fountain of Life, and the energy it contained was too immense. With Lileep's current capacity, even if it absorbed with all its might, the water level didn't seem to drop even a centimeter.
But under the nourishment of the spring, Lileep's state had already begun to change. Its life force was being nurtured, its constitution naturally strengthened. The halo of light around its body began to flash with a golden hue, flickering in and out of existence.
"Is it starting to evolve?"
Basalt's eyebrow shot up, his face full of anticipation.
VMMMM!
The moment he spoke, Lileep was enveloped in a brilliant white light.
"Here it comes!"
Within the white light, Lileep's form began to slowly grow, its body becoming larger and more robust. Its previously straight body began to bend over, as if its head had gotten bigger but its neck and torso hadn't thickened to match. At the same time, its petals slowly opened and moved from the top of its head to a position around its neck.
As the evolution progressed, Lileep seemed to become completely immersed in the process, enjoying the joy of becoming stronger. Its Storm Drain ability activated on its own.
Compared to before its evolution, its Storm Drain was now far more powerful. It was just an unconscious activation, but the surrounding moisture, as if summoned, rushed madly towards its body.
In an instant, all the moisture within a radius of dozens of meters around the Fountain of Life was stripped away.
The surrounding plants, naturally, shriveled and withered in an instant, and the affected area continued to expand.
The soil also lost its moisture, gradually turning to desert.
"Exegg-utor!"
The Exeggutor's eyes were bloodshot with fury. As the ruler and elder of the forest, the sight it hated most was the destruction of plant life. Lileep's actions were challenging its very limits.
"Cele-bi~"
But just then, Celebi once again held the Exeggutor back. It raised its hands and formed a brilliant, azure droplet of water in front of it, which it then flicked towards the evolving Lileep.
Life Dew.
As the Forest Guardian, Celebi's action was not only to help Lileep evolve but also to prevent the surrounding vegetation from being completely drained and dying.
Basalt was staring intently at Lileep, but he didn't see the droplet at all. In his eyes, he only saw Lileep suddenly activate Storm Drain, then quickly stop. Afterward, its life energy began to surge, and even its size started to increase.
"What's going on?"
Basalt didn't understand, but he was still amazed.
Following Bronzong and Excadrill, Lileep's body was also starting to undergo a super-sized transformation.
And as its size increased, so did its aura. At the same time, its body's storage capacity expanded, and its absorption ability increased dramatically. The water level of the Fountain of Life, which had barely seemed to budge before, now finally began to drop at an extremely slow rate.
"Exegg-utor!"
The Exeggutor was shocked. This was the divine being's offering!
And Celebi, who had been so "helpful" just a moment ago, finally felt a ripple of emotion. The amount of energy Lileep was absorbing had already exceeded its expectations.
But to stop it now... would be a bit embarrassing.
Before long, the light finally dissipated, and Lileep's form had changed.
It was a green, plant-like Pokémon. It had yellow markings on its head, neck, and torso. Its head had a crescent-shaped opening with a pair of round, yellow eye-spots, but its real eyes were hidden in the darkness within.
It had eight pink tentacles surrounding the base of its head like flower petals. Its long, flexible neck had a yellow ring in the center. It rested on four short, thick appendages, and it had an oval, yellow, target-like marking on its chest.
This was Lileep's evolved form.
"Congratulations on your evolution, Lileep... oh no, Cradily!"
Basalt ran forward and hugged the Cradily by the edge of the spring, his face full of excitement.
"Dily-da~"
Its cry had changed, its voice deeper but also louder and more powerful.
It gently rubbed its head against Basalt's face, an affectionate gesture.
Although it had evolved, and its personality had changed slightly, it was still his Lileep. That would never change.
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