Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

…………

"Sana."

Sensing the changes in its body, Gardevoir, which had just completed its evolution, slowly opened its eyes. Beneath its sky-blue short hair, its crimson, jewel-like eyes seemed to shimmer with a mysterious and captivating light.

Just standing there, her tall and graceful figure and elegant and mysterious temperament captivated the attention of everyone, including the elves.

Even the moonlight shining in from the window seemed to be drawn to Gardevoir, willingly serving as a backdrop and casting a spotlight that belonged only to her.

Under the moonlight, she was the only breathtaking beauty in the world, surpassing all others.

Xia Chen was momentarily mesmerized as he gazed at the evolved Gardevoir.

Elegant! Absolutely so elegant!

At this moment, Xia Chen finally understood why Gardevoir was nicknamed "Wife Beast".

This elf is simply Arceus's complete and exquisite expression of all beauty.

And Shiny Gardevoir is the pinnacle of pinnacles!

"Sana!"

As soon as Gardevoir opened her eyes, she saw Xia Chen and Sylveon standing at the door.

Before it could even properly experience the changes in its evolved body, Gardevoir leaped up and pounced on Xia Chen like a swallow returning to its mother's embrace.

Saying it's "a swallow throwing itself into someone's bosom" is a bit inappropriate.

It's fine to use it like this for Ralts, or even Kirlia, since it's only a little over a meter tall at most, which is quite small compared to Xia Chen.

But when Gardevoir evolved into a "swallow" that was slightly taller than itself and pounced on it, Xia Chen felt somewhat helpless.

It seems her temperament hasn't changed anytime soon; she's still a little girl who never grew up.

…………

"Sana~"

Gardevoir was overjoyed to finally embrace Xia Chen in the pose she had fantasized about a thousand times, and she was reluctant to let go for a long time.

Seeing that Gardevoir still didn't want to let go, Xia Chen said with a wry smile, "Alright, let go, you're poking me and hurting me."

What hurt Xia Chen wasn't the large root or anything, but rather the two red horns that originally grew on Kirlia's head and moved to its chest after evolution.

Although this thing isn't made of steel, it's still quite hard.

"Sana."

Upon hearing this, Gardevoir loosened its arms somewhat disappointedly, giving Xia Chen his freedom.

call

Although it wasn't quite as dramatic as just escaping suffocation, Xia Chen still breathed a sigh of relief.

Touching the spot on his chest that had been poked and felt a little sore, Xia Chen looked up and finally had a chance to take a close look at the girl he had grown up with.

"He really is a bit taller than me."

He gestured a little and realized that his initial feeling was indeed correct; Gardevoir was indeed a bit taller than him.

That's really high!

Xia Chen felt a little emotional.

You should know that he is not short. Sixteen or seventeen years old is the time when boys grow the tallest. After a year of development, Xia Chen's height has grown to about 182 cm.

Although Gardevoir appears to be taller than she actually is, she should be at least 185 cm tall.

This is about 25 centimeters taller than the average height of the Gardevoir race.

Tsk tsk, now she's truly cemented her reputation as a cool and aloof older sister.

However, in reality, data such as exceeding the average height of the species indicates that the Pokémon has been raised and nurtured better than ordinary Pokémon.

Like Sylveon and Milotic, they are larger than their counterparts of similar strength. However, since Gardevoir and Xia Chen are similar in size, Xia Chen is more sensitive to them.

Compared to her fairly normal height, Xia Chen noticed something else about Gardevoir that was even more unusual.

…………

"Hey, Gardevoir, something seems a little off about your left eye?"

Xia Chen let out a soft "hmm" and began to carefully observe Gardevoir's left eye.

"Sana?"

Gardevoir instinctively raised her hand and touched her left eye, but found nothing unusual.

Xia Chen scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Don't you feel anything? Then it should be fine. It's just that the color is a little darker than the right eye, and it looks a bit... captivating."

"Sana."

Upon hearing Xia Chen's description, Gardevoir was stunned; its color deepened and became even more captivating.

Could it be the Eye of Amridor?

Gardevoir suddenly realized that the small gem that had been in her hand had disappeared.

Moreover, it is not in the place in the mind where the system has prepared to store rewards for itself.

Could it have really gotten into my eye?

The sudden and unknown situation made Gardevoir a little flustered.

She would certainly accept absorbing the legendary spirit's things, but she was genuinely at a loss about them being integrated into her own body.

After all, she had never heard of or experienced anything like this before!

Keep a calm mind and think things through.

Gardevoir attempted to transfer energy to its left eye, which seemed to have merged with the Eye of Memredor.

Suddenly, a strange red light burst from Gardevoir's left eye and shot towards Xia Chen, who was standing right in front of it.

Because he was so close to Gardevoir, the red light entered Xia Chen's body before any of the Pokémon could react.

"Sana!"

Gardevoir cried out in alarm, regretting and blaming herself for her reckless behavior.

She hadn't even figured things out herself, yet she made this attempt in front of Xia Chen and ended up hurting him.

At this moment, the elves behind him also realized what was happening and ran forward to surround Xia Chen, looking at him with worried expressions.

…………

Xia Chen looked somewhat dazed. He waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. This doesn't seem to be a move. I wasn't hurt. On the contrary, I think I even sensed Gardevoir's emotions?"

This is quite abstract; even Xia Chen, who said it, didn't quite understand what he was trying to express.

Although it was a bit strange, that was his most direct sensory experience when he was hit by that beam of red light; he felt Gardevoir's deep affection for him.

Well, it's not that strange for Pokémon to like their trainers, is it?

Seeing that Xia Chen was alright, the Pokémon all breathed a sigh of relief, especially Gardevoir.

While the other companions were unaware of the origin of this red light, Gardevoir knew it all too well.

This power originates from the legendary spirit Memrito; if it were truly a damaging move, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Fortunately, the situation wasn't that bad.

However, what does Xia Chen mean when he says he felt his own emotions?

Gardevoir was somewhat puzzled, but she knew that the Eye of Memrigold, which had become one with her, was definitely not simple in its effects.

But we can't try it now. Just because nothing happened just now doesn't mean we can't guarantee it won't happen later. Let's wait until we're alone to do the experiment.

Over there, Xia Chen had a rough idea; he guessed it was probably something his own elf had concocted again.

While it's become somewhat commonplace, isn't modifying one's own body a bit too avant-garde?

He carefully considered his words and then reminded her, "Gardedoll, try to avoid dealing with things that are difficult to control, okay?"

“Sarva.” Gardevoir nodded sadly.

I didn't want this to happen, but it wasn't my choice.

…………

Seeing Gardevoir, who was slightly taller than him, looking aggrieved, Xia Chen smiled slightly.

He's still a child at heart.

"Alright, anyway, congratulations on evolving into Gardevoir! You are now a mature Pokémon, just like your older brothers and sisters."

The "older brother" and "older sister" obviously refer to Milotic and Sylveon.

Xia Chen reached out, wanting to touch Gardevoir's smooth, sapphire-blue short hair as he used to, but suddenly realized that with her current height, he could no longer reach it.

Xia Chen coughed awkwardly and was about to lower his hand when Gardevoir in front of him seemed to understand his heart. It obediently squatted down, looked up at Xia Chen with its delicate face, and its crimson eyes were full of attachment and love for its trainer.

In a daze, Xia Chen seemed to see the scene of Ralts when it was just born, the tiny Ralts, not much bigger than his own palm, snuggling up to him.

Beneath her, Gardevoir naturally took Xia Chen's hand and placed it on her head, just like when she was a newborn, and closed her eyes contentedly, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

After a pause, Xia Chen released his hand, smiled gently, and helped Gardevoir up.

"You're not the little girl who used to lie in my arms anymore. From now on, it's your turn to protect me."

"Sana."

Gardevoir stared blankly at Xia Chen, suddenly realizing that the trainer she once adored could now look her in the eye as an equal.

She nodded gently but firmly, her eyes reflecting Xia Chen's face.

"Sana!"

From now on, it's my turn to protect you!

…………

"I went out for a while, and when I came back, Kirlia had evolved?!"

Cynthia and Gadria were surprised by Kirlia's sudden evolution.

However, it was unexpected, yet also quite reasonable.