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

After the initial shock, Gardevoir began to consider the reasons for the difference between the two.

The factors that are obvious are nothing more than a few: evolution, the boost from superpower enhancement, and the most unpredictable mixture of emotional energy.

It's unclear which of these plays the most important role, but Gardevoir has a way of figuring it out.

Using the simplest method of controlling variables, first send a strong mental thought that does not contain emotional energy, and you can derive the emotional energy bonus from the two numbers.

After deducting the 20% super-power enhancement bonus, the effects of all three factors can be calculated.

The clever and quick-witted Gardevoir immediately began conducting experiments.

Half a minute later, she immediately received another set of data.

2413!

In other words, the Eye of Empyrean provides approximately a 1.5x bonus.

After removing the 1.2 from the super-powered enhancement, the standard damage from this mental attack is...

2010!

Hmm. Barely reaches the elite level, but still far from Sylvanas and Milotic.

However, the damage from Moon Power and Water Cannon is slightly higher than that from Spiritual Power, and my older siblings have indeed trained for longer than me, so it's normal for there to be some difference.

…………

Having figured this out, Gardevoir roughly understood its current level of power and the wonderful use of emotional energy.

However, although she can now deal damage equivalent to an elite-level one-star spirit, it does not mean that her strength has reached that level.

Because such a move cannot be used casually.

After experimenting for a while, Gardevoir came up with several key points and limitations regarding the use of emotional energy.

Firstly, emotional energy can be applied not only to offensive moves, but also to enhancement moves like meditation, status moves like hypnosis, and even terrain/weather moves like fog or rainmaking.

Somewhat similar to a catalyst for a move, in attack moves it naturally increases power, while meditation increases the enhancement effect and duration, and the same applies to the Misty Terrain.

Gardevoir had no subjects for her hypnotic experiments, but she guessed that it might be during the time her opponent was asleep.

In conclusion, the application of emotional energy is wide-ranging and practical, and there are likely still functions that need to be developed.

Of course, everything comes at a price.

Using emotional energy to enhance techniques inevitably comes with its side effects.

That is, the longer energy cycle results in an increased time for releasing techniques.

The release of ordinary mental power is very simple: circulate super-energy, gather it in your body and mouth, and then release it.

With just over a second, Gardevoir, whose moves are highly skilled, can execute these three steps.

However, if you want to use emotional energy, you must first channel the energy to your left eye and activate the energy contained in the Eye of Amrita.

The energy merges, then mixes and carries this energy back to the body, finally allowing it to be released.

A single move requires five steps to execute.

In addition, the extended energy flow path leads to the consumption of emotional energy in activating and integrating emotions.

Taking all factors into account, the release time of a powerful mental thought catalyzed by emotional energy requires at least three seconds.

This level is roughly the time it takes for an amateur-level Pokémon to unleash a move.

The situation on the battlefield changes in an instant, and three seconds is more than enough time for a Pokémon with above-average speed to get close.

For Gardevoir, whose durability is not high, the threat posed by this situation is self-evident.

…………

Despite the significant limitations of fusion moves, Gardevoir was not discouraged.

She kept in mind what her trainer Xia Chen had said: as long as you don't give up, there are always more solutions than problems.

There are ways to reduce the side effects, and after thinking for a while, Gardevoir came up with several.

For example, accelerating the flow of energy within the body, starting with the left eye to gather energy and thus reducing the path length, improves the fusion efficiency of the two energies, and combines the steps, allowing the two energies to merge and flow simultaneously.

If these improvements can be implemented, they can effectively reduce the release time of moves.

However, all of this ultimately depends on one's own mastery of emotional energy.

Gardevoir was acutely aware of this.

Therefore, the task is arduous and the road ahead is long.

Gardevoir was pondering improvements to its Fusion Moves when there was a knock on the door.

"Sana?"

Gardevoir turned her head and saw Xia Chen just as he pushed open the door to the training room.

"Gardevoir, you really are here. Why are you training so early today? Come on, let's go downstairs and have breakfast first."

You're eating breakfast already?

Gardevoir looked up at the clock on the wall and realized that it was already 7:30. Unconsciously, she had been studying emotional energy for more than two hours.

Fortunately, the time was not wasted, and the research on energy has been quite fruitful. All that remains is to try and work hard.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Gardevoir smiled sweetly and pounced on Xia Chen.

"Sana~"

"Gardevoir, you poked me again!"

------

"November 3rd, the first week of staying at Cynthia's house."

"If I had to sum up this week with one keyword, it would definitely be 'fulfilling.' That applies to me, as well as Sylveon, Milotic, and Gardevoir."

"The daily routine seems pretty much the same. I'm woken up by Gardevoir poking me in the morning. Of course, Gardevoir got used to its body and could retract its horns. Then I do early morning training with Teacher Gadria, followed by breakfast and Teacher Cynthia's breeding class. After lunch, I sometimes play games with Cynthia for a while, and then train with the Pokémon. After dinner, I have free time, which usually involves meditation, prenatal education for the Pokémon eggs, playing some fun games with the Pokémon, and occasionally I'll go shopping in Lucky City with the two teachers."

"The frustrating thing is that Cynthia is just too popular. She's constantly being spotted and asked for photos, and this Sinnoh champion is quite approachable and usually agrees. That's not a big deal, of course. But the problem is, every time a stranger posts a photo of her online, I'm in it. Over time, rumors started circulating online that Cynthia and some mysterious man have started living together. Now I get a transoceanic phone call from the Padia or Carlos regions almost every two days."

"However, apart from this rumor, everything else is good news. First, there's my current progress in training my psychic abilities. As the saying goes, a good teacher produces a good student. Under the guidance of Teacher Gadria, my psychic strength has improved by leaps and bounds. A week of training is almost equivalent to a month before. At the same time, I have also successfully mastered my first move, Psychic. The move power meter shows that my current Psychic attack damage is a whopping 386, which is almost comparable to an amateur-level Pokémon."

"Perhaps afraid I'd get arrogant, Teacher Gadalia casually threw out a psychic ball, 24788, umm, it almost made the machine smoke. I feel like if it were a field battle, no one could beat Gadalia, right? Anyway, let's set a small goal for now: to defeat Gadalia in a one-on-one fight in the future!"

"Of course, Gardevoir has made even greater progress. Pokémon grow in strength fastest for a period after evolution, and Gardevoir has now broken the long-standing balance of power between Sylveon and Milotic, establishing itself as a three-way powerhouse. The biggest contributor to this is the mysterious energy hidden in Gardevoir's left eye. That energy seems to enhance the power of Gardevoir's moves, but it also has the side effect of increasing the casting time. However, Gardevoir says she can handle it herself, so I'm not interfering. Mainly, even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

…………

"Of the other two members of the Big Three, Sylveon's recent performance in team training matches has declined, losing to Milotic and Gardevoir more than once. Originally, she could have gained the upper hand among the three Pokémon with her extraordinary battle experience and skills. But after Cynthia's reminder, Sylveon is now like a completely different Sylveon in battle. Many moves that she could previously dodge are now hitting her. However, this is not a bad thing. It is clear that the current Sylveon is gradually shedding its reliance on instinct. Breaking through and rebuilding, I believe that the reborn Sylveon will be even stronger than before."

"As for Milotic, its recent growth rate has slowed considerably. Of course, this doesn't mean its progress is too slow now, but rather that its progress a while ago was astonishing. But that's fine too; growth is certainly gratifying, but consolidation is also an indispensable part. After learning from Cynthia's Milotic for a period of time, it's clear that its mindset and attention to detail in battle are much stronger than before. Speaking of which, what Sylveon wants to forget is actually what Milotic wants to obtain; the life of a Pokémon is truly full of drama."

"The three giants have all steadily advanced to the elite level. As for the remaining two, Zoroia and Draco Messia, we can only say that their future is promising. But overall, Zoroia is still a bit stronger than Draco. After all, the latter is still a pseudo-legendary cub that hasn't even evolved into its second form. To put it more sensually, it has huge potential. I never need to worry about the little fox. Perhaps due to past experiences, she is the most independent Pokémon in the team besides Sylveon. Her growth rate is no slower than the other companions, but without the qualitative leap of evolution, she isn't as eye-catching. I look forward to the day when she evolves and amazes the world."

"While Little Dragon's progress is equally impressive, his moment to shine will come later. However, with all his accumulated efforts, he is bound to have a breakthrough. With access to top-tier resources and the nurturing of that Giratina scale, his future is definitely not inferior to that of Sylvanas and the others."

"As for that Pokémon egg that's suspected to be Goomy, Sylveon has been replenishing its energy regularly every day. Although it doesn't look any different from the outside, according to Lucario's Aura Detection, the little life inside is becoming increasingly active. Once its activity level returns to that of a normal Pokémon hatchling, it should be able to hatch through normal means. Little guy from a thousand years ago, I'm really looking forward to your arrival."

…………

November 11th, sunny.

"During my second week staying at Cynthia's house, the sun shone brightly every day, but it was hard to find warmth in it. After being away from home for over a month, I'm starting to miss Donghuang."

"Yesterday, we held a simple farewell banquet for Teacher Gadria, but it wasn't for the turn-based players; we were heading back to the Battle Castle. Speaking of which, I was meditating and training by the lake alone this morning in the cold wind, and I'm still not used to it."

"Starting this week, Cynthia has had to get busy too. After all, she still holds the title of Sinnoh Champion, and there are many League-related matters that require her to handle. However, she's much lazier in this area than when it comes to training and archaeology. She avoids many less important official duties whenever possible. And her excuse is always entertaining guests who have come from afar—that is, me. As a result, when people from the League came, they looked at me with eyes that said, 'You're a bully who picks on the weak.'"

"Principal Yu did call me during that time, basically asking when I was coming back. The school team rotation tournament ends at the end of this month, and the qualifying rounds for the Donghuang Youth Trainer Tournament will follow immediately. Beijing University only has ten spots, and these ten spots will naturally be selected from the school team, which means it's a competition of thirty to ten. I don't know what the format will be. But it doesn't matter. No matter what the rules are, on the battlefield, strength always speaks. If the goal is to win the tournament, it would be too beneath us to be so concerned about the rules of the qualifying rounds."

"These are the only changes in our daily lives. The changes in the Pokémon themselves are even smaller; the phrase 'steady progress' is enough to summarize them. However, there have been some changes in the unhatched Pokémon eggs. A few nights ago, when I was playing a board game with Sylveon and the others, the Pokémon egg next to us moved slightly, which Gardevoir and I both noticed. Lucario, who arrived later, also said that the Pokémon egg's activity had fully recovered, and it can now be hatched."

“Lucario is, after all, a barefoot doctor. The next day, we took the Pokémon egg to the Pokémon Center for a follow-up check-up. Nurse Joy agreed. However, due to malnutrition, the little life inside the egg was very weak and might take even longer to hatch. The incubation time for pseudo-legendary Pokémon is already long, and with this added factor, the due date is almost next spring. But as long as it hatches, all the waiting will be worthwhile.”

"As I wrote this, the Pokémon egg on the table seemed to move again. I really look forward to the day I meet it."

------

At this moment, inside the fairy egg.

As beautiful as jade, the life-giving energy continuously seeped through the eggshell into the fairy egg, and was then greedily absorbed by the soft, limp object in the darkness.

As life energy continuously acts on the body, Noodle Baby's consciousness gradually awakens.

She felt as if she had been asleep for a very, very long time, so long that she seemed to have lost the concept of time.

In a brain that is almost fully developed, the last memory that has been sealed away for many years seems to be that of myself when I was still an egg, wrapped in a sticky, soft thing, and then put into a sealed thing.

Because Goober perceives the world through its Pokémon egg, there are many things it doesn't understand.

However, some things don't need to be learned; they are innate.

For example, emotions.

Sticky Baby vaguely remembers that before falling asleep, the last thing it sensed from outside the eggshell was a mixture of sadness and faint hope.

This time, however, I woke up with a deep sense of joy and anticipation.

"Sticky Baby, absorb the nutrients quickly and come out soon! Everyone wants to see you."

"Buyi~ (Come out quickly so your big sister can pinch you~)"

"Puff! (You're the final piece of the puzzle for our world championship!)"

"Sanai~ (I know you can hear me, the outside world is much more wonderful than inside this little eggshell~)"

"Yo! (Life as an elf is not worth it, but Xia Chen is!)"

"Messi—(Now that you're here, I'm not the weakest one anymore. No, I mean, I've prepared a gift for you!)"

Are they talking to me?

Nian Nian Bao was a little confused. She couldn't understand most of what was said, but she could feel a kind of warmth in it.

It was so touching that Noodle Baby moved slightly and instinctively shifted.

Immediately afterwards, an excited shout came from outside the eggshell: "It moved! It must have heard it!"

Just then, a strange, hard-sounding voice suddenly echoed in Sticky Baby's mind.

…………