"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 seemed to be escalating. There was no fight, no aggressive movement, 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 Mewtwo. 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 met its gaze without faltering. The two Pokémon locked eyes in the open sky, and the air between them seemed 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 come here for a battle. Nor had it come simply to reclaim the fragment of power it once gave away.
It had come to see something else the meaning of what its power had become.
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 meant 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 melancholy.
"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 came to despise this power. Everywhere I went, chaos followed. Towns grew restless. Villages whispered about me. 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 me pain, but it also forced me 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 met the one who became my heart's chosen trainer.)"
Her voice softened, a faint glow shimmering in her eyes.
"Gardevoir… (Every gain demands a loss. And every meeting 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 something 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 moment, then inclined its head slightly. "I see. Then I will not reclaim it."
It had shed fragments of its essence many times 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 became of them.
With that, its crimson gaze shifted. It turned from Lin Feng toward Marcus Gale, who had been quietly standing by. After a moment 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 me, steeped in my essence. It will strengthen any Dark-type Pokémon."
"What?" Marcus blinked in surprise, staring at the eerie stone. By the time he lifted his eyes again, Darkrai was gone, its presence swallowed into the void.
He gawked for a moment, stunned.
"Seriously? I'm a Champion, not some mercenary you throw a tip to!"
Still, he tightened his grip on the stone. A gift from the embodiment of nightmares itself? Its value was beyond measure. 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 something 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 immense Dark-type energy. Ordinary beings who approach it will be overwhelmed, 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 some bizarre effect between dreams and nightmares?
His imagination was spiraling when Mewtwo'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 Mewtwo 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 Mewtwo. 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."
Mewtwo blinked, then gave a rare nod. "Understood."
Dragonite's sorrow melted instantly into joy. It beamed 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 shimmered, its form twisting. In its place floated a small, pink Pokémon with a long, flowing tail.
Mew.
It had been there the whole time, 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 me?"
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.