Chapter 235:
Hayashi Kaede shook his head, deciding not to dwell on their still-processing thoughts.
There weren't any powerful Pokémon around the plantation. Even in the nearby forest, the strongest ones were only at the Gym Leader level. Although the Alolan Vulpix looked small, its energy level had already reached the Gym Leader level.
Besides, Uncle Ryo's Lucario was stationed in the forest. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
After chatting for a while longer, it was almost noon.
Sure enough, right around lunchtime, the little ones came back—covered in dust and looking utterly dejected.
They complained that they couldn't find the Life Pokémon anywhere in the forest—only Caterpie and Beedrill. Worse yet, they had gotten into a scuffle with a few Beedrill.
In the end, they'd provoked the entire Beedrill swarm and had to flee for their lives.
Luckily, the Alolan Vulpix was capable enough to help them retreat safely from the forest.
A helpless Hayashi Kaede could only tell them that the Life Pokémon was actually in the Kalos Region!
Separated from here by a vast ocean, there was no way they could reach it just by walking.
They would have to fly a very, very long way.
Hearing this, the little ones immediately wilted.
But their disappointment didn't last long. The delicious food Hayashi Kaede had prepared quickly stole their attention, and they decided that eating came first. The task of "luring" the Life Pokémon to become their partner could wait for another day.
After lunch, Sprigatito woke up once.
The moment it opened its eyes, it became restless, pestering Younger Sister Indeedee and insisting it wanted to see Hayashi Kaede.
Having just finished cleaning up, Hayashi Kaede rushed back to his room and scooped the little one into his arms. Only after soothing it gently did Sprigatito finally calm down.
After drinking its milk, the newborn Grass-type quickly drifted off to sleep again.
That made Hayashi Kaede breathe a sigh of relief.
Looking at the tiny Sprigatito sleeping soundly on the bed, he couldn't help but feel that it was particularly attached to him.
When the Alolan Vulpix was first born, it hadn't been nearly this clingy—it could easily be looked after by Servine for a while.
Maybe it's just because it's the first day?
Hayashi Kaede quickly convinced himself of that.
After all, Sprigatito was a very sensitive Pokémon.
Right after birth, it definitely needed plenty of attention and care.
After gently covering the little one with the small blanket originally prepared for Alolan Vulpix and the Eevees, Hayashi Kaede headed for the kitchen.
Afternoon was always the busiest time—he needed to prepare Energy Cubes for tomorrow's Breeding House sales.
Although the work was tiring, Hayashi Kaede enjoyed it, especially since he wasn't working alone.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he saw pink psychic energy swirling through the air. Under Gardevoir's control, various ingredients floated gracefully, moving to their designated places as if guided by invisible hands.
Berries drifted out of the storage balls and into the blender, their juice extracted and pulp filtered.
The thickening starch mixture was blended with water, then poured in batches into Energy Cube molds—ready to solidify.
"Gardevoir~" (Sprigatito fell asleep?)
Hearing Gardevoir's gentle voice, Hayashi Kaede smiled. "Yeah, sorry I'm late."
Gardevoir said nothing, merely shrinking the range of its psychic field to make space for him.
Grinning, Hayashi Kaede joined in the work.
When it came to making Energy Cubes for the Breeding House, the two of them were a well-practiced team—especially with psychic powers helping speed things along.
Roughly two hours later, they had finished the entire batch for tomorrow.
As they cleaned up, Gardevoir glanced curiously at Hayashi Kaede.
Normally, he would head outside around this time—to play with the Pokémon, train a few, or just relax. It was usually the happiest part of his day.
But today, he stayed in the kitchen instead.
"Gardevoir?" (What's wrong?) Gardevoir asked softly.
"I'm just thinking about something."
After packing the solidified Energy Cubes into storage balls, Hayashi Kaede turned to face Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir?" (Are you worried about Jirachi's problem?)
"Well… yeah."
Seeing that Gardevoir had seen right through him, Hayashi Kaede didn't bother denying it.
"I've been thinking about Jirachi's wish-granting mechanism," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
That issue had been troubling him for days.
Granting wishes wasn't creating something from nothing—it was using Jirachi's own energy to reasonably fulfill the wish.
For example, in the anime, when Ash, May, and Max wished for snacks, the treats that poured down from the sky were actually from a nearby vendor's stall.
You couldn't make unreasonable or impossible things appear.
Like in the movie Jirachi: Wish Maker—when the magician Butler tried to use Jirachi's power to revive Groudon, what appeared instead was a monstrous, unnatural Earth Demon.
Although it was extremely powerful, it wasn't Groudon.
If it's not Groudon, then it's not Groudon.
Was it because of insufficient energy?
At the time, Jirachi had opened its True Eye, absorbing the massive energy of the Millennium Comet.
Even so, the "Groudon" created was merely a twisted construct of energy, not the real thing.
Would using a wish to break Jirachi's thousand-year slumber also lead to such irreversible phenomena?
He was just about to voice his worries when Gardevoir lightly tapped his forehead.
"Gardevoir…" (You don't need to tell me. You're the expert here, I wouldn't understand it anyway.)
Then her tone softened.
"Gardevoir…" (But it's alright. Whether it succeeds or not, you've brought Jirachi happiness.)
Her voice was warm and calm.
"Gardevoir…" (Just like when you helped me back then. Even if the Nightmare Curse hadn't been lifted, maybe I wouldn't have stayed, but I would still remember that there was once a human who tried so hard to help me, just like you care for all those children now.)
"Gardevoir…" (If you're still uncertain, perhaps you should go talk to Jirachi. Ask what it thinks.)
With that, Gardevoir floated out of the kitchen, heading toward the plantation to pick the ripe Berries of the day and sort them for tomorrow's batch.
Her life now was peaceful, perhaps even monotonous but she cherished it deeply.
After all, she had spent a long time wandering alone.
If the curse had never been lifted, she would still be drifting somewhere, without a home.
Hayashi Kaede stood there, quietly mulling over her words.
"Ask for its thoughts?"
Come to think of it, he had never really asked Jirachi what it wanted.
"…I should go ask."