Gardevoir had to admit, she had fallen in love with the taste of Energy Cubes.
She never imagined city folk ate so well. Did the boy's Pokémon eat like this every day?
As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. Originally, Gardevoir didn't think her lifestyle was bad, but compared to the life of a human's Pokémon, she realized she had been living in a doghouse.
Aside from the Energy Cubes, Gardevoir also saw the large tent Huanhuan had set up. The interior was luxurious; the soft, plush bedding was a world apart from her nest of dry grass and leaves. It was the difference between the moon and a firefly.
Even if she worked hard her whole life, she would probably never be able to give her daughter this kind of lifestyle.
The thought was a bit crushing.
"Baby, you have to stay home for a while. Don't interact with those people anymore, understand?" Gardevoir was genuinely scared now. She wasn't afraid Li Yuan was a bad guy; she was terrified he was a good one.
If Li Yuan was good, and Ralts slowly fell in love with him, what would she do? Stop her daughter from being with him, or accept that her daughter had been stolen away? Both choices were painful.
The best solution was to cut off contact now, before Ralts was seduced by the illusion of a better life. Following a human was just slavery with extra steps. They would make you fight when they wanted, and make you warm their beds when they wanted. Was trading freedom and beauty for comfort really worth it?
"Ralts! Ralts! (I think Big Brother is a good person!)" Ralts retorted timidly. She didn't understand why her mommy hated Big Brother so much. He gave them yummy food and wasn't mean like the bad hunters!
"What do you know? He's just being nice to trick you. He'll sell you off, and you'll still be counting the money for him like an idiot," Gardevoir said sternly.
"Ralts! Ralts! (No way! Big Brother wouldn't trick me!)" Ralts was too young to understand nuance. She only knew Big Brother was nice to her, so Mommy saying bad things about him was wrong.
"Look at yourself now. If he asked you to leave with him, would you go?" Gardevoir asked.
"Ralts! (No!)" Ralts pouted, puffing out her cheeks.
"Really? Then remember what you said today. Don't let Mommy see you getting tricked by him," Gardevoir warned.
"Ralts! (Hmph! Mommy is a dummy! Mommy is mean! I'm not talking to Mommy anymore!)" Ralts, unable to win the argument, threw a tantrum. In a flash of psychic light, she vanished from her mother's sight.
Gardevoir panicked. Did her daughter just run away from home?
Her daughter learning Teleport wasn't necessarily a good thing. Now she couldn't restrict the child's movement. If she teleported somewhere strange and couldn't come back, what then?
Gardevoir quickly looked down. To her relief (and frustration), Ralts hadn't run far. She was back in the human's arms, burying her face in his chest and looking like she never wanted to see her mother again.
This gave Gardevoir a headache. Since the kidnapping, her worldview had been shattered. Before, her daughter would never disobey her. In Ralts's eyes, her mother was everything. If she was upset, she would run to her mother's arms, not a stranger's.
Had her daughter really been stolen away? That was harder to accept than the hunters taking her by force. At least when the hunters took her, Ralts still loved her mother. Now, it seemed Mommy wasn't as good as an outsider!
No! Absolutely not! I'm her mother! How can I be ranked lower than a stranger?
Gardevoir teleported down angrily, confronting her daughter in Li Yuan's arms. "Come back with Mommy right now!"
"Ralts! (No! I don't know Mommy!)" Ralts's temper flared, and she defied her mother.
"If you keep this up, Mommy will get really angry!" Gardevoir frowned, her tone sharpening.
"Wuu...!" Ralts didn't dare talk back anymore, but she refused to leave Li Yuan's embrace.
Li Yuan felt Ralts hug him tighter, burying her face in his chest and sobbing softly, seeking his protection. He knew winning Ralts over was key to conquering Gardevoir, so he couldn't let the little girl down. He hugged her gently and looked at Gardevoir with disapproval. "Hey, Gardevoir, why are you yelling at the child?"
"None of your business! Do I need your permission to educate my daughter?" Gardevoir glared at him. This was all his fault, and she hadn't even settled the score yet!
"I have to disagree with you there. That's not how you educate a child. The best way to make a child listen is to build a close relationship first," Li Yuan lectured like an experienced parent.
"What do you know? Don't lecture me. Do you think we're close?" Gardevoir was unhappy with his attitude.
"See? You get angry the moment things don't go your way. That's not how a good mother acts. Is this your first time being a mom?"
"Nonsense. Can there be a second time?"
"Forget it. Let me demonstrate." Li Yuan shook his head. Gardevoir hadn't been exposed to human society, so her thinking was conservative. Arguing was useless; he needed to shut her up with facts.
Li Yuan looked down at the loli in his arms and pulled a precious Life Energy Cube from his inventory.
Unlike the Psychic-type cubes, Life Energy Cubes were universal and contained a trace of pure life essence. It wasn't just delicious; it made every cell in the body rejoice, unlocking potential like nothing else.
As soon as the cube appeared, Gardevoir stopped arguing, staring at the small block in shock. Ralts sniffed the air, instantly captivated by the aroma that was even richer than the previous cubes. She looked up at her Big Brother with starry eyes.
"Ralts! Ralts! (What is that yummy thing?)" Her tears vanished instantly.
"This? This is a snack for obedient children. Who is the obedient child here~?" Li Yuan waved the cube in front of her.
"Ralts! Ralts! (Me! It's me! Can I have it, Big Brother?)" Ralts begged.
"Can Ralts promise Big Brother that, from now on, you won't run into anyone else's arms except mine? If Big Brother finds out, no more yummy snacks for you~," Li Yuan teased.
"Ralts! (I'll listen to Big Brother!)" Ralts's little hands reached for the cube.
"Then it's a deal. Ralts won't disappoint Big Brother, right?"
"Ralts! Ralts! (Ralts keeps her promises! Pinky swear!)"
Ralts hooked her tiny finger around his, signing the contract without hesitation.
"Good girl. Here is your reward. As long as you stay good, Big Brother will give you these often~." Li Yuan handed over the Life Energy Cube.
Ralts nodded furiously, popped the cube into her mouth, and melted happily into Li Yuan's arms.
Li Yuan cast a smug look at Gardevoir, as if saying: See? My education method works better, doesn't it?
Gardevoir's face went dark.
Is that education? That's bribery! If I had those cubes, I wouldn't need you to tell me what to do!