Regardless of what was happening on the League's side, Oliver was extremely tense as he stared at the Kirlia in front of him.
A faint white glow shimmered across Kirlia's body, yet it never fully expanded to envelop her completely.
It had already been three days since Oliver submitted his research paper. At first, he had been puzzled as to why it still hadn't passed review—but soon, another incident completely diverted his attention.
While helping prepare Energy Cubes one day, Kirlia's psychic power suddenly went out of control.
Not only did the crafting fail, the machine itself was directly destroyed.
That scared Oliver badly. He immediately checked Kirlia from head to toe, worried something might be wrong. Yet after repeated examinations, there were no abnormalities at all—it seemed more like an accident caused by a brief lapse in control.
After asking Celebi, he received an explanation:
There were many reasons psychic power could spiral out of control. In Kirlia's case, it was most likely because her psychic power had grown too strong, surpassing the level she could currently regulate.
But afterward, Oliver had Kirlia use her moves several more times—and there was no sign of instability.
That left him confused.
Psychic power shouldn't fluctuate like that… so why was it sometimes strong and sometimes weak?
"Could it be…?"
A vague guess began forming in Oliver's mind.
Soon after, Kirlia started showing signs of excessive sleepiness. She would occasionally fall asleep even while eating or training.
At that point, Oliver was almost certain.
Unstable psychic output, fluctuating strength, sudden drowsiness—
Kirlia was standing right at the threshold of evolution.
When he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
She ate top-tier Energy Cubes every day.
She wore Lugia's Silver Wing close to her body at all times.
Her training instructor was Celebi itself.
With conditions like these, it would be strange if she didn't evolve by now.
Under Oliver's careful arrangements, Kirlia's body finally began to emit evolution light today.
But the light was too weak—it never managed to fully cover her body.
"What's going on?" Oliver asked, turning to Celebi.
Celebi pondered for a few seconds before replying:
"Bi~ It's probably because her foundation is far too solid. Compared to ordinary Pokémon, her evolution is much more difficult. The intensity of the evolution light isn't enough to meet her requirements."
Oliver nodded slowly.
Kirlia really was blessed beyond measure.
From childhood, she had been subtly influenced by the Silver Wing. Her diet had always been the best possible. Later, she even received Celebi's life energy, boosting her potential further. Even her move training had been personally guided by Celebi.
These conditions were far better than what Milotic had during her evolution.
Any one of these advantages would be priceless to other Pokémon—yet Kirlia had all of them stacked together.
No wonder her evolution was so difficult.
Oliver suddenly recalled how, back when Feebas evolved into Milotic, he had fed her every last top-tier Energy Cube he had to make it succeed.
"So it's an energy issue…" he murmured.
There simply wasn't enough power to support Kirlia's evolution, which was why the evolution light refused to complete itself.
In other words—
She was evolving… but not fully evolving.
"Will this harm Kirlia?" Oliver asked anxiously.
Celebi nodded seriously.
"If this state lasts too long, she may permanently lose the chance to evolve—and remain a Kirlia for the rest of her life."
Oliver's heart sank.
"Are the top-tier Energy Cubes enough?"
"No," Celebi replied. "They contain a lot of energy, but the digestion speed is too slow. It won't be fast enough."
Oliver clenched his fists.
Was there really no solution?
At that moment, his gaze fell on the Silver Wing tucked into Kirlia's hair. It was faintly glowing.
"Kirlia," Oliver said quickly, "try using your psychic power to stimulate the feather on your head."
Kirlia nodded, closed her eyes, and focused her psychic power on the Silver Wing.
Instantly—
The silver feather erupted with radiant light, intertwining beautifully with the white evolution glow surrounding her body.
As the Silver Wing gradually poured its energy into Kirlia, the evolution light grew brighter and brighter—
Until it finally wrapped around her entire body.
The light slowly faded.
The small, childlike figure had grown to nearly human height. The ballet-like skirt transformed into a flowing white gown.
Standing there now was—
Gardevoir.
From a psychic loli, to a psychic少女, and finally—
A Psychic Queen.
"Gardevoir, congratulations."
Oliver finally let out a long breath, a fatherly smile spreading across his face.
He had been with her since she was still an egg—watching her hatch, grow, and mature, all the way until this moment.
It truly felt like the relief and pride of a father who had finally raised his daughter to adulthood.
Gardevoir floated toward a full-length mirror and carefully examined herself. She smiled and nodded in satisfaction.
Her slightly curled green hair.
Her white, gown-like body, elegant and flowing.
The red horn from her head now resting on her chest and back.
Her green arms resembling long gloves stretching to her shoulders.
"Garde~"
After evolving, Gardevoir seemed even gentler than before. The mischief she once had as Ralts and Kirlia was gone—now she radiated an aura of grace, warmth, and calm dignity.
Oliver shook his head vigorously.
This is ridiculous—what am I thinking? She's a Pokémon!
…Though, to be fair, it was no wonder so many people online worshipped Gardevoir, even claiming they'd rather stay single their whole lives than not have one.
Oliver opened Gardevoir's status panel.
Pokémon Status
Pokémon: Gardevoir
Level: Advanced – Late
Potential: Elite Four Level
Ability: Telepathy
Held Item: Gardevoirite
Moves:
Dazzling Gleam
Moonblast
Psychic
Evaluation:
A truly miraculous Gardevoir. Countless encounters and blessings have given her astonishing potential. Nurture her well.
Oliver rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
She had skipped two entire stages, jumping straight to Advanced–Late the moment she evolved.
He had never even heard of something like this.
At most, Pokémon occasionally skipped a single stage—and even that was rare enough to be legendary.
While admiring herself in the mirror, Gardevoir suddenly noticed something. She removed the Silver Wing from her hair.
The feather's glow had dimmed noticeably.
It was clear that too much energy had been drawn out during her evolution.
"Garde~"
She looked genuinely upset—not because the item was valuable, but because it was Oliver's first gift to her, something that had accompanied her throughout her childhood.
Oliver smiled and reassured her.
"It's fine. As long as you're safe, that's what matters. I can always give you more gifts later."
Celebi flew over at that moment and explained calmly:
"The energy inside it was just overused. Even fragments of a divine Pokémon possess spirituality. It will naturally absorb ambient energy over time and recover."
Only then did Gardevoir finally relax and smile again.
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