Who would drink something like this?
It lowered psychic power and even reduced affinity, didn't it?
But then, a spark of inspiration lit up in his eyes.
The change in the honey grape wine was just a glimpse of something bigger.
In other words, any dish taken to the Reverse World and brought back would have its effects reversed?
This information was invaluable.
Although most of the dishes Lin Feng had developed so far had positive effects…
There were always some whose effects were less than ideal, leaving him feeling frustrated.
For example, the water soaked with the Nether Stone, which contained energy from Darkrai, caused nightmares.
If that water were spun through the Reverse World, could it become water that induced pleasant dreams instead?
Speaking of which, Giratina didn't seem as aggressive as he had imagined.
Although frightening at first sight, after drinking the wine, it thoughtfully left the barrel behind.
"So that's not entirely bad news."
Lin Feng pondered these thoughts, staring at the shadow where Giratina had vanished.
At the same time, he began to understand why Giratina had left so abruptly.
As both the controller and the guardian of the Reverse World, it couldn't stay away from its domain for long.
Nearby, the Gods of Time and Space watched over the real world.
Every time Giratina moved from the Reverse World into reality, surely the Time and Space Gods could sense it?
He guessed that after several trips back and forth, the God of Space must have noticed as well.
Sleeping Palkia had been startled when Giratina appeared in the real world. It woke up quickly, but Giratina returned immediately to its own world, allowing Palkia to finally rest peacefully.
Unexpectedly, less than a minute later, Giratina was back in reality.
This might even have frustrated Palkia… Why this constant in-and-out?
Truthfully, realizing that Giratina wasn't as unreasonable as he'd imagined made Lin Feng's desire to "please Giratina and earn rewards" grow even stronger.
"But before that, I need to prepare food that Dragon- and Ghost-type Pokémon love!" Lin Feng muttered under his breath.
The last time he had faced Rayquaza, everything had been too sudden. He hadn't been prepared at all.
At that moment, Gardevoir arrived at the Cow Shed, carrying Alcremie.
"Gardevoir?" Lin Feng asked.
"You found the Pokémon that stole the honey grape wine?"
Lin Feng nodded helplessly. "I found it, but… it's extremely powerful, and I still can't figure out its personality."
Gardevoir nodded; it wasn't surprised.
Anything capable of taking honey grape wine right from under its nose had to be incredibly strong.
But since it had drunk the honey grape wine, there was no need to worry. Gardevoir understood the wine's effects.
Seeing Gardevoir hold Alcremie, Lin Feng asked, "What are you planning?"
"Gardevoir," it said. "I want to take it to the forest to test its use of Encore."
Lin Feng's interest piqued. "Good, good. I'll come too."
The little Alcremie had used Encore three times, two of which were moves usually exclusive to Legendary Pokémon. He suspected that its luck attribute might have already maxed out.
He couldn't resist seeing this for himself.
Gardevoir placed its hand on Lin Feng, and in an instant, they were transported to the riverbank at the edge of the forest.
Bang!
Just as they arrived, a loud crash echoed in Lin Feng's ears.
Looking closer, he saw Dragonite and Blaziken facing off across the river.
They had agreed on the battle area, restricting Dragonite from flying too high.
This was partly to prevent Blaziken's flames from igniting the forest, and partly to limit Dragonite's speed advantage from high-altitude flight.
The temperature around them had risen noticeably.
Looking up, the sunlight blazed as if it were midsummer it seemed Blaziken had used the Sunny Day move.
Even so, Blaziken panted as it stared at Dragonite. In this confined space, it couldn't fully use its speed advantage. Plus, Lin Feng was training it to develop combat skills, so evasion wasn't an option.
Blaziken inhaled deeply, igniting flames around its fists, and launched a Quick Attack toward Dragonite.
Dragonite stayed calm, concentrating energy in its Dragon Claws, catching the fiery fists as Blaziken struck.
On the opposite riverbank, an old man sat fishing, watching the battle with an approving expression.
He muttered to himself, "Xiao Feng's Pokémon are getting stronger. I hardly ever see them battle, and yet they've grown so quickly."
The old man was puzzled.
Every morning he had only seen Blaziken running in the forest. Now, after evolving, it had become such a powerful Pokémon so quickly?
"Uncle Liang."
Lin Feng called out.
"Oh," Liang responded, putting down his fishing rod with a smile and tapping the water's surface. A Gyarados immediately leapt from the river.
He rode the Gyarados toward Lin Feng. "Xiao Feng…"
Lin Feng was surprised. "Uncle Liang, when did you catch that Gyarados?"
Liang had lived in the town for many years. Lin Feng knew all of his Pokémon.
Liang had three: a Lucario, a Venusaur, and a Mismagius.
Lucario protected the forest, Venusaur liked staying in its Poké Ball and basking in the sun with Liang during summer, and Mismagius… Lin Feng had only seen it once in his childhood.
Where had this Gyarados come from?
"Well… um… how should I explain?" Liang said, glancing at the Gyarados.
"This river used to only have a Magikarp. You know I fish when I'm bored, and for a while, I kept catching it. I kicked it once, and… it evolved."
"After that, it never left. I realized it must have been hungry in the wild, and even after evolving, it still feared hunger…"
Lin Feng's expression twisted in disbelief.
Was it really possible to evolve a Magikarp just by kicking it?
Liang quickly changed the topic. "Are you here to watch them battle?"
Lin Feng took Alcremie from Gardevoir. "Mostly a test. My Alcremie learned Encore, so I want to see what moves it can pull off."
"An Alcremie that knows Encore? That's rare," Liang said, amazed, recalling an old memory.
He told Lin Feng about the time he had brought Venusaur to the Zongheng Championship, encountering a Togekiss that could also use Encore. Despite his Venusaur's advantage from Poison and forest terrain, Togekiss had triggered Overheat after three Encores, toppling Venusaur with a powerful Fire move.
"Ah… I talked too much," Liang said with a nostalgic smile. "Since you want to test Encore, you'll need an opponent. Let my Gyarados try."
Lin Feng hesitated. He wanted Gardevoir to control Alcremie's Encore.
"Don't worry," Liang said, looking at Alcremie. "What could such a small Pokémon do with Encore?"
He glanced at Gyarados. It opened its massive jaw and nodded indifferently at the little Alcremie.
"Alright then."
Lin Feng gave Alcremie a gentle pep talk. "Just use Encore like before. Aim at it."
"Alcremie…"
Alcremie trembled, but nodded timidly and began channeling energy.
Above, clouds darkened, and a storm brewed.
Lightning coiled through the clouds, striking Gyarados with incredible force.
A surge of electricity coursed through it, paralyzing it and sending it crashing into the water.
Gardevoir immediately used Psychic to lift Gyarados from the water, protecting it from further harm.
"Alcremie!"
Alcremie stared at the storm in awe, unable to believe the move it had just executed. She had just defeated a massive dragon in one strike!
Lin Feng checked on Gyarados using the Power Stone, confirming it wasn't seriously injured. He breathed a sigh of relief and applied a Super Potion, carefully infusing its wounds with the Power Stone's energy.
Soon, the electric damage healed almost completely.
Liang, still impressed, shook his head. "Xiao Feng, your Super Potion really works that well?"
He asked, "Is that… a Thunder-type move?"
"Yes… I think so," Lin Feng replied, watching the dissipating storm. He awkwardly apologized. "Sorry, Uncle Liang. I didn't expect it to use that move. Next, let Gardevoir try."
Gyarados, a Water/Flying Pokémon, had been struck down by a powerful Electric move. No wonder it was incapacitated.
"Don't worry. I still have Venusaur," Liang said. "Your Alcremie was lucky just one Encore and it pulled off a perfect move."
He recalled Gyarados and released Venusaur, explaining the situation. Venusaur glanced at Alcremie and, like Gyarados, agreed without hesitation. It refused to admit defeat, unwilling to believe it could be beaten by Encore.
Lin Feng still wanted to refuse, but Liang insisted.
"Alright," he said.
Lin Feng assessed Venusaur. Its flower stalk towered nearly two meters high, and it radiated immense power level 61-64.
Truly, a Pokémon that had competed in the Zongheng Championship. It shouldn't get hurt this time.
He looked down at Alcremie.
"One more time?"
"Alcremie!"
Bolstered by her first success, Alcremie quickly used Encore a second time.
Instantly, a blazing, sharp stone pillar shot up from the ground…