Gardevoir remained quiet. It always felt like Lin Feng was just piling more work onto it.
But looking at the adorable little creature that seemed a bit excited, Gardevoir couldn't help but take it gently from Lin Feng's hands.
"Of course, Alcremie," Gardevoir said softly. "If you have the time, it's fine."
"Alcremie…"
The strawberry Alcremie smiled.
Seeing this peaceful scene, Lin Feng nodded silently to himself before quietly leaving the nursery and stepping into the orchard.
Winter had officially arrived.
Some of the fruit trees were beginning to turn yellow, their older leaves withering faster than new ones could grow. The orchard looked rather desolate now.
"Bulbasaur…"
"Nothing at all…"
Rushing toward him were an Alolan Vulpix with its team of Eevees, along with a Slurpuff.
Alolan Vulpix ran fastest, leading the way along the exclusive Blue Stone path connecting the orchard, the Cow Shed, and the garden. Eevee followed closely behind, while the slower Slurpuff lagged at the rear.
"Slurpuff… wait for me, wait…"
Compared to the canine-like Pokémon such as Alolan Vulpix and Eevee, Slurpuff was large and slow. Luckily, Alolan Vulpix occasionally stopped with Eevee to wait, preventing Slurpuff from falling too far behind.
"Nothing at all…"
Seeing Lin Feng, Alolan Vulpix couldn't help asking, "Nothing? Are you planting trees?"
"No…"
As the weather turned colder, Salamence and Serperior refused to move. Only Alolan Vulpix grew more energetic. Being an Ice-type Pokémon, it loved this weather. It even dragged the cold-sensitive Slurpuff along in playful antics.
It was like children playing in the snow despite the chill, they couldn't resist having fun. Lin Feng wondered if, when real snow fell, Slurpuff would need to build snowballs.
"Alright, alright. Go play. I have work to do," he said, stepping aside to let them pass. Then he headed toward the Cow Shed, pausing briefly by the reservoir.
"Milotic?" he called softly.
The roar of water echoed across the surface, ripples spreading outward. Soon, a sleek head emerged from the water, followed by two long, elegant tentacles.
A pair of pale red eyes locked onto Lin Feng.
Milotic swam to the shore, stretching its neck to rest its head beside the crouching Lin Feng. Seeing that Milotic seemed to want pets, he couldn't help but place his hand on its head.
"I just wanted to ask something," Lin Feng said gently. "In the past few days, have you noticed anything unusual in the water?"
The simplest way to pass through the Reverse World was via water or mirrors. That meant irrigation channels and reservoirs. The channel extended from the river beside the forest all the way to the new orchard, garden, Cow Shed, and finally to this reservoir.
"Milotic?"
As Milotic swam back into the water, its tail swaying behind it, it returned a moment later, shaking its head.
"Everything's fine?"
Lin Feng nodded and patted Milotic's head again. Then he stood and walked toward the Cow Shed.
To be honest, he felt a little tense. He had seen many legendary Pokémon before Mew, Victini, Jirachi, Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Moltres but knowing that Giratina had taken an interest in his sake barrels still made him uneasy.
According to its behavior in the movie, Giratina wasn't as easy to communicate with as Rayquaza. Its personality was a bit irritable. The battle between Dialga and Palkia had influenced its Reverse World. It had quietly searched for the two legendary Pokémon, eventually finding an opportunity to drag Dialga into its Reverse World, ready to teach it a lesson.
However, due to various reasons, it failed to defeat Dialga and was instead trapped in a time loop. Lin Feng had never encountered a Pokémon like this before and once would have called it a competent trickster. But having experienced it firsthand, he couldn't label it that way anymore. This was not weakness.
"Luckily, it drank honey grape wine," he thought.
Seeing the Cow Shed stacked with barrels of honey grape wine, he relaxed. The wine had a calming effect, naturally fostering closeness among those who drank it. All the Pokémon in the orchard had consumed some. Luckily, it wasn't sake. Sake could make one speak the truth when drunk, potentially causing trouble in the Cow Shed.
Lin Feng checked the system rewards from the past few days. From late October to now, there were no rewards linked to Giratina. Its threshold for pleasure didn't seem low.
"Should I try to please it?" he wondered, deep in thought. It was a question requiring careful consideration. He didn't know Giratina's personality well and worried it might suddenly get angry. Still, in the movie, Giratina remembered its "savior," Ash, and stopped attacking in time. That gave Lin Feng some confidence.
"Oh no, I'm so conflicted…"
He hesitated briefly but almost immediately regained composure.
Before him, in the shadows cast by the stacked barrels, the water surface darkened, rippling like liquid ink. A yellow-headed, red-eyed Pokémon emerged. It only showed its head, but already towered above Lin Feng. From subtle shadow shifts, he could tell it had a pair of black, ghostly wings.
Ignoring Lin Feng completely, it grabbed a barrel of honey grape wine in its mouth and vanished into the darkness. The whole process was seamless, lasting barely three seconds. Only once did it glance at Lin Feng before triumphantly carrying the barrel into the shadows.
If not for that glance, Lin Feng would swear the entire action had taken less than a second.
Lin Feng muttered, "??? Stealing right in front of me, what's left of justice? What's left of the law?"