"Where's Serpent King?"
Lin Feng asked again, recalling what Gardevoir had mentioned earlier.
"Gardevoir," she murmured softly, "it seems much better after returning today, but you still need to pay attention. Lately, it has seemed a little aggrieved, the kind of feeling that builds up quietly inside."
Lin Feng nodded repeatedly. He had noticed it too. After all, Serpent King had been one of the first Pokémon to join him. Just yesterday, it had even actively displayed its tail as if seeking comfort. That alone was enough to reassure him.
"Gardevoir," she continued gently, "then it's settled…"
Seeing Lin Feng nod, Gardevoir smiled softly. "Gardevoir," she added, "you don't need to rush. I will help you sense how the little ones are feeling."
"Thank you, Gardevoir. You're amazing!" Lin Feng said sincerely. He truly felt that the daycare only felt complete with Gardevoir there. Without her, handling some of these matters alone would be almost impossible. Thinking back, persuading Gardevoir to stay had been one of the best decisions he had ever made.
But Gardevoir's next words struck him even more deeply. She withdrew her hand from his head and placed both of his hands gently into her own, smiling warmly.
"Gardevoir," she said softly, "it's alright. For you, there are many of them, but in their world, most of it revolves around you. You are the heart of this home."
Her words pierced straight through Lin Feng's chest. He froze, trying to find words, yet unsure of what to say. All he could do was watch as Gardevoir released his hands, then waved her own, dissolving the psychic shield around the room. She guided him to the door and softly said, "Gardevoir," (Go rest early.)
"Ah… okay."
Half-dazed, Lin Feng left the room. As he reached his own door, he suddenly paused. Something tugged at his mind, a feeling that he had overlooked something. He glanced back at Gardevoir's room and recalled what Jirachi had mentioned earlier about the Pokémon he had encountered in the past. Suddenly, everything clicked.
His Pokémon aside from Glaceon, Serpent King, and the Eevee trio he was intimately familiar with their lives before being captured. But the rest of the Pokémon had histories he only vaguely understood. Their lives before joining him, the people and Pokémon they had known, remained largely a mystery.
Gardevoir, for instance, had only mentioned being cursed by Darkrai and helping rescue young Pokémon. But what of her life before that? Who had she met? What had she experienced?
Dragonite, for example, had only told him it had delivered messages for Mewtwo. But where had it come from originally? Who were its friends?
As for Salamence and Goodra, both had been subjects of Team Rocket experiments. And Sweet Bamboo… its mother had been captured, leaving it behind. Did it miss her?
In the wild, most solitary Pokémon that had offspring would let them grow independently, eventually leaving to ensure the survival of their species. Yet some Pokémon naturally chose to raise their young together, like Kangaskhan or Pandar.
"I've overlooked so much…" Lin Feng muttered to himself, feeling a twinge of headache.
Since arriving at the plantation, most of the Pokémon had focused their thoughts on it. But he had failed to consider the depth of their pasts. He began to understand Liang Feng even more. Even with his Eternal Force and his role as a breeder, it was easy to overlook such details. As Gardevoir had said, he was the center of their world, but in his world, there were many of them. Perhaps, he thought, the world of each Pokémon was equally important.
He mentally reminded himself to pay more attention. Even at his own door, he did not enter immediately. Instead, he walked back to the plantation. Once he found Sweet Bamboo asleep, he finally returned to his room.
October 25th.
Lin Feng rose early as usual, preparing breakfast for all the Pokémon before taking Dragonite and Salamence for a flight into the sky. Today's trip to Changsha City would be brief likely only taking a morning.
Moreover, after two days of elimination rounds, only eight contestants remained. The competition rules had changed: the previous five-minute time limit was removed, and during the semifinals, both participants had to use two Pokémon each for 2v2 matches, also subject to challenges from the audience.
Lin Feng, however, paid little attention to the rules. Upon reaching the contestant area, he went straight to the back, closest to the audience seats. Qin Shu and Jirachi, who had been eliminated yesterday, were already there. Despite their loss, neither seemed downcast. A night of entertainment had recharged them both.
Seeing Lin Feng, Jirachi excitedly pulled a storage ball from her bag.
"Jirachi!" she exclaimed, "Look! These are the dolls I got from the claw machine yesterday with Mew!"
"Oh?" Lin Feng raised his eyebrows, curious. He realized why Mew hadn't been seen feeding Blaziken the night before it had accompanied Jirachi to play the claw machine.
Jirachi's excitement grew as Lin Feng showed interest. "Jirachi!" she said, "There's one of Gardevoir, one of Sweet Bamboo, and even Blaziken!"
She eagerly pulled out doll after doll from the storage ball. Qin Shu had accompanied her and Mew to collect them. They had not used any psychic powers or tricks simply persistence. They had played until past midnight to gather every Pokémon doll from the daycare that had once shared food with Jirachi.
Although the Pokémon didn't make wishes, Jirachi felt that collecting these would bring them joy.
"Yo-meow~"
Invisible Mew gently tapped Lin Feng's face, signaling its presence.
"Hehe~" Qin Shu, sporting dark circles under her eyes, could not hide a sense of pride. "It took us a long time to collect them all. I also got one for my Wartortle and Shleaf."
Although she had fretted over the money spent, seeing Jirachi's happiness and Lin Feng's wide-eyed reaction made it all worthwhile.
Lin Feng, astonished, accepted doll after doll from Jirachi's hands. When he could no longer hold more, he released all his Pokémon for them to receive their gifts: Glaceon, Goodra, the Eevee trio, Serpent King, and the rest all received a doll specially chosen for them.