"Opportunity?"
Hearing Gardevoir's words, Axel's eyes brightened a little.
Ever since being with Gardevoir, every "opportunity" she mentioned was never simple.
More importantly, this place is Mt. Coronet. A location where Arceus once descended.
"So this opportunity is related to Arceus?"
Seeing Axel guess roughly right, Gardevoir nodded lightly, her gaze equally unable to hide her excitement.
Back when Gardevoir first appeared, which was on the eve of the Rainbow Rocket Team's emergence, a miraculous creation called a "plate" once appeared.
Those plates all carried wondrous power, even capable of making ordinary Pokémon instantly become "overlord-level" Pokémon.
Because of that, whenever plates appeared, it was impossible to keep them secret, they always caused brutal disputes.
Gardevoir and Axel had searched for a Fairy plate to supplement themselves and to make up for the time Gardevoir wasted during the Kirlia period.
But they had traversed the whole world and still never found any trace of a Fairy plate.
Now, however... the scene here very much looks like signs of a Fairy plate appearing.
The local Pokémon had become exclusionary, completely refusing outsiders' Fairy- or other-type Pokémon to step in, that alone was extremely strange.
Aside from a Fairy plate, Gardevoir couldn't think of any other explanation.
["We must fight for it!"]
Feeling Gardevoir's thoughts, Axel's eyes suddenly lit up.
For the development of Gardevoir and Pheromosa, Axel felt it was absolutely worthwhile.
After all, these were the first two Pokémon he had befriended; they had great significance to him.
Pheromosa's own potential was already very strong, and it had never encountered a suitable opportunity, that would have been one thing.
But now that there was a chance to strengthen Gardevoir again, Axel would definitely not give it up.
"Platinum, I'll have little Ho-Oh send you down the mountain first; then you go back to your family's territory, and Ho-Oh will fly back to find me on its own."
Seeing Axel and Gardevoir's serious expressions, Platinum knew that her staying would be a burden, so she nodded lightly, looked back several times, climbed onto Ho-Oh, and temporarily left.
"Mount up!"
Axel grabbed Gardevoir's arm, helped her onto Glastrier's back, and they set off over the ice toward the temple entrance.
Axel gently hugged Gardevoir's waist and did not have her transform immediately.
After all, the Fairy-type Pokémon here were the natives; if it was possible to avoid conflict, Axel still preferred a peaceful solution.
Besides, what he had on him right now was nothing but resources and money.
Glastrier's gait was fast; before long they trotted on ice-lotus petals and appeared on top of the spear pillar.
Standing in front of the temple now, Axel felt the pressure he'd sensed when overlooking the temple grow even stronger.
That feeling was like being in front of a deity.
Even some of the Northern-nosed Pokémon living on the temple plaza tried their best to avoid the entrance.
Fortunately Axel had seen many deities, so he ignored the oppressive aura and let his gaze fall on the temple entrance.
There, clearly defined, stood two rows of Pokémon.
One row Axel was very familiar with the Gardevoir clan.
About half of them were Gardevoir; the other half looked very similar to Gardevoir.
The only difference was they didn't wear long skirts, and on their heads and arms they bore crescent-blade-shaped appendages.
This was another evolution branch of Kirlia: the male Kirlia's awakened stone-unlocked "close-combat" path.
It's worth mentioning that Gallade does not have the Fairy type; it probably stayed here for the sake of other Pokémon of its own clan.
As for the remaining Pokémon, they were some Ralts and Kirlia.
Seeing that the Fairy-type Pokémon they sensed was also a Gardevoir, those Pokémon's eyes were wary but they did not immediately attack.
The other row of Pokémon was different.
Beside Gardevoir and the Gallade stood a pack of large dog-shaped Pokémon.
Axel had seen this species before, it was one of Lacey's main Pokémon, Granbull.
"BULL!"
Seeing invaders, the Granbull began barking wildly.
Their pink teeth in their jaws danced; they looked extremely ferocious.
If it were a Trainer who didn't know their parents, they would probably be frightened.
But Axel knew very clearly that despite their fierce looks, these were actually extremely timid Pokémon.
Axel didn't even dare greet them, for fear of provoking a stress response from the Granbull.
"Here, have an energy cube."
Axel imitated Platinum, taking out a few energy cubes from his backpack.
Although these cubes were far less tempting than the food he could make, with a bit of processing they would still be attractive.
Seeing Axel pull out some cubes that looked enticing but had almost no energy fluctuation, the Granbull shouted even more fiercely.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
If these energy cubes were placed elsewhere, they might raise wild Pokémon's goodwill significantly, but this was Mt. Coronet.
As the place closest to the divine, the natural berries here had far greater energy than those cubes.
Just this thing?
Not even Tutudog would eat it.
But before they could bark "eat," Axel took out some homemade seasonings and sprayed a few drops on the cubes.
A rich, sweet aroma spread across the summit; a phantom of fairy butterflies even bloomed over those pink energy cubes.
This was the second effect produced after Axel's Breeding Master trait upgraded to Supreme.
Aroma Manifest!
Seeing the fragrant fairy butterflies, the Granbull's eyes changed instantly.
'Eat!'
'Tutudog won't eat it, we will!'
'We're the purebred doggos!'
The Granbull nearer the temple entrance reacted quickly, and by action perfectly demonstrated what "unable to wait" meant.
Some of the more skilled even used Tackle on the ground in front of Glastrier.
"This is... starving crazy?", Axel muttered, and hurriedly put the energy cubes on the ground.
He tried to signal Glastrier to move aside.
Although petting Pokémon was fun, being surrounded and petted by a bunch of Pokémon would not be pleasant!
But Axel had miscalculated...
At the instant the Granbull reacted, Gardevoir and Gallade also moved.
When Gardevoir first appeared, they had been deeply shocked.
The Aroma Manifest, in every gesture, contained unparalleled power.
Moreover, as a secondary attribute, the Fairy energy overpowered the Psychic attribute.
They were very similar to the Gardevoir recorded in their clan lore that once received that "peculiar plate."
There had been little reaction before because they were pondering how this Gardevoir could be cultivated to be so powerful.
Seeing the Aroma Manifest, they finally understood.
The breeder beside this Gardevoir was nothing short of a miracle.
The Gardevoir clan's divisions of labor were clear: the Gallade, specialists in close combat, disappeared from the front and stood between the Granbull and Axel.
The Gardevoir, not suited for close combat but beloved by humans, along with Kirlia and Ralts, used instantaneous movement to appear at Axel's sides.
Gardevoir's hands and eyes were quick; she took Glastrier and disappeared, leaving Axel suspended in midair.
Axel didn't even have a chance to land before he was instantly surrounded.
"No, you came to eat, right? Why are you surrounding me?"
Chapter 378: The Thoughts of Two Tribes
Seeing the Gardevoirs' reaction, the Granbull tribe was instantly dumbfounded.
The leading, towering Granbull stood up, hands on hips, and began yelling at the Gallade leader.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
'Damn it, you guys cheated!'
Gallade crossed his arms, pouting and ignoring the Granbull's accusation, 'What, just because I am handsome, that's cheating now?'
'If you've got the guts, why don't you pink mutts go up there too?'
'Let's see if you don't just get kicked aside.'
"Huff… huff~"
The Granbull leader's nostrils flared with steam, and even his pink body changed color.
No, it wasn't turning shiny.
It was heating up.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!", the Granbull cursed again, his body suddenly radiating a pink glow. His limbs began vibrating at high frequency, he looked ready to fight at any moment.
Gallade wasn't scared in the slightest. Psychic energy gathered on his arm blades, the crescent-shaped edges emitting a sharp aura.
As the two largest fairy-type tribes in the temple, they had long been each other's rivals.
Over countless ages, both tribes had taken turns winning and losing, each alternately holding the Fairy Plate.
However, since both tribes were fundamentally kindhearted, there had never been an incident where one destroyed the other after gaining the upper hand.
In this generation, by sheer coincidence, the two tribes' power was almost perfectly balanced, which was why the Fairy Plate had yet to reappear.
Neither leader feared the other in the slightest.
"Wait... I have something to say!"
On the other side, Axel finally broke free from the circle of Gardevoirs, squeezing his way out from between a pair of long, slender legs.
He set the now completely empty seasoning box on the ground, panting as he shot the Gardevoir a sideways glance.
"Good job, Gardevoir. You ran off without even thinking to bring me along, huh?"
Gardevoir's lips curved upward slightly, ["Relax, Master. Their minds are pure, they just wanted something to eat. It's not like you're short on food."]
["And besides~",] she dragged her tone teasingly, ["what if you were expecting something like this?"]
Axel's mouth twitched, he felt an ache somewhere indescribable.
"The other Gardevoirs are nothing like you, alright…"
After saying that, he ignored her smirk, which now curved into a Nike logo shape, and pulled her toward the middle, between Gallade and Granbull.
Looking at the way these Pokémon were all yearning for fairy food, he felt there was still hope of helping Gardevoir secure the Fairy Plate.
As long as he was careful with his negotiation skills and sensitive to their moods, it shouldn't be too big a problem.
Thinking this, Axel began to organize his words.
But before he could even speak, he suddenly felt something strange under his right hand.
Whatever it was, it felt a little rough, dry to the touch, and had a boing boing bouncy feel to it.
It turned out to be… a small Snubbull.
"Huh?", Axel looked at the Granbull chieftain, utterly confused, "Why are you giving me this?"
"Bru!", Granbull pushed the little Snubbull forward, gesturing for Axel to hold it in his arms.
Gardevoir's expression turned peculiar, ["Master, he says that since you're my Trainer, that makes you the little Snubbull's godfather now."]
["Also, he's agreed to give me the Fairy Plate…"]
Axel: "..."
'Wait a sec, these wild Pokémon have started selling their kids for favor now?'
He wasn't that kind of person.
Yet his body acted before his mind, he reached into his backpack, took out more Pokéblocks, fairy gems, and crystal honey, then pulled out a big pot.
"Relax, everyone eats their fill today!"
Gallade blinked in confusion, staring at Granbull.
'Bro, that's our tribe's Trainer, why are you acting so friendly?'
'Oh right… forgot, you're a dog.'
Realizing this, the Gallade chieftain vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, there was now a cute, squishy Ralts in his arms.
"?", Axel turned to Gardevoir.
["Gallade says he wants you to be his godfather too…"], Gardevoir blinked and felt a sudden tightness in her chest.
She hadn't expected Axel to have this much charm even among Pokémon. For no reason at all, she suddenly felt like she'd gained a ton of rivals, and it gave her a headache.
Axel quickly figured out what was going on.
Thanks to the Breeder tag he possessed, he had practically become a walking breeding machine.
Even if it didn't show all the time, the influence was real.
For normal Trainers, raising even three Gym Leader–level Pokémon would take half a lifetime, like Ishida, the Pokémon Center director, who'd poured years into it.
But him?
With this tag's support, in less than a year, he'd built a team averaging over level 50.
And most of them could even battle far above their level.
Even top-tier Pokémon like Gardenia's and Raihan's couldn't resist the appeal of his food, so how could these wild fairy-types possibly do so?
The Fairy Plate was powerful, sure, but it could only strengthen a single Pokémon.
For these wild Pokémon, his cooking might actually be an even greater "treasure", something that could enhance the strength of their entire tribe.
Axel scanned the area using his system panel and saw that most of the Gardevoir and Granbull tribe members were around level 30, with only a dozen or so at Gym Leader level. That immediately gave him confidence.
"No need for this godfather thing for now… You can see, my team's already got plenty of Pokémon."
Gallade and Granbull exchanged glances, both showing faint disappointment in their eyes.
But the next words out of Axel's mouth reignited their hope.
"However!"
"Since Gardevoir brought me here, that means it's fate. How about I make some food that's easy to preserve and leave it for your tribes?"
Gallade and Granbull looked at each other again. And this time, their eyes shone with delight.
Perfect! After fighting for so many years, they were honestly tired.
They didn't even want to leave the mountains anymore, what use was great power, anyway?
After so many years of battle, all their fun had vanished. Their kin woke up every day just to train, eyes locked constantly on that one Plate.
Uh, getting off track… But that Plate was still too precious to just hand over to outsiders.
Now, though, the outsider was a Gardevoir, and her Trainer had even managed to win over the Granbull tribe.
Giving the Plate to a Gardevoir, without it harming their tribe's balance, that was clearly the best outcome.
Gardevoir passed the thoughts of both Pokémon to Axel's mind, and he immediately felt relieved.
Being able to obtain the Fairy Plate without disrupting the local balance, that was the best possible result.
And he had no intention of letting these Pokémon suffer losses, either.
More importantly, as his cooking skill improved, a bold idea had already taken root in his mind.
Especially after seeing the thick, rich energy within Mount Coronet, that idea had only grown stronger and clearer.
If he could succeed, he might be able to give these two tribes something as precious and lasting as the Fairy Plate itself. A true treasure they could pass on for generations.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
p@treon•com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 40 advance chapter through P@treon.