Mu Li never expected that his four Pokémon were currently racking their brains for his band's performance.
The four little ones had already secretly discussed and decided to split up.
Jigglypuff and Sylveon were responsible for holding off everyone at home, while Ditto would transform into Gardevoir to confuse them, and Gardevoir would seize the opportunity to leave home and search for the target Pokémon.
It seemed like a well-planned scheme, but it was actually unnecessary—for four lazy Pokémon who didn't work, who cared where they went?
But, by a stroke of bad luck, just as the four were about to split up, they heard a familiar voice.
“Where are you all going?” Ninetales suddenly appeared behind the four, no one knew when.
The four Pokémon instantly broke out in a cold sweat, embodying the guilt of a thief to the extreme.
The four little ones exchanged glances, thinking to themselves: Could it be this ominous?
Gardevoir, as expected of a God-level Pokémon, had seen all sorts of grand occasions. Even battling Giratina was a common occurrence for her, so her composure was unwavering. She adjusted her mindset almost instantly and asked nonchalantly, “We’re not doing anything, we were just discussing the next performance song. Why did you come over?”
“Is that so?” Ninetales seemed unconvinced. “Are you really just discussing performance songs? Nothing else?”
“Of course. Why, did you hear some bad news?” Gardevoir asked, turning the tables.
Ninetales frowned, still a little uneasy in her eyes: “I haven’t heard any news, but I suddenly had a bad feeling just now.”
“A bad feeling? What kind of bad feeling? You must have felt wrong.” Gardevoir quickly reassured her.
“Oh? How are you so sure?” Ninetales asked, puzzled.
Gardevoir chuckled awkwardly: “What could possibly happen to us at home? Even if there’s a fight, it wouldn’t be up to us two.”
Ninetales nodded in agreement with Gardevoir’s words: “That’s true, but my heart is always restless…”
“Oh, you’re just too sensitive.” Gardevoir comforted her, “Perhaps some recent events have affected you.”
“Is that so?” Ninetales said, half-believing, “I don’t feel like anything major has happened?”
“Perhaps it’s because four God-level Pokémon have arrived, making you feel some pressure?” Gardevoir tried to explain, “I’ve also felt some pressure recently. There are too many God-level Pokémon at home, and I’m worried that if my strength is too low, I won’t be able to help A Li in the future.”
“That makes some sense.” Ninetales frowned tightly, “Could it really be like this?”
“Definitely.” Gardevoir nodded, “You just lack a sense of security. If you feel uneasy, go train with Dragonite and the others. Strength will not let you down. Look at Dragonite and Giratina, when have they ever felt uneasy?”
After much thought, Ninetales nodded and said, “You’re right. Am I really too complacent? No, I need to go train for a while.”
Seeing Ninetales fly away, the four Pokémon finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is it really okay to trick Big Sister like that?” Sylveon said, feeling a little uneasy.
Jigglypuff silently nodded, rarely agreeing with Sylveon’s words.
Gardevoir said irritably, “Isn’t this for our band? Besides, even if she came, she wouldn’t take your two spots.”
“That’s true, but Big Sister is too pitiful.” Jigglypuff expressed her empathy.
“Others don’t know, but don’t you two?” Gardevoir said helplessly, “That’s all her own doing.”
“That’s true, but…” Sylveon was still hesitant.
“I haven’t even said anything, okay?” Gardevoir rolled her eyes and said, “If we’re talking about positioning, she and I are the most conflicted, okay? Besides, A Li isn’t the kind of person who gets tired of the old and likes the new. You two should at least have confidence in A Li.”
Sylveon nodded and said, “You’re right, at least we should have confidence in A Li.”
Jigglypuff still worried, “What about A Li? Can he accept it?”
Gardevoir shrugged, “That depends on her ability. Although I think A Li will most likely not refuse. If he knew how to refuse, how would we have so many Pokémon at home?”
“That’s true.” Sylveon nodded, “Then this matter is up to you.”
Before dawn, Gardevoir secretly walked out of the barrier before using Teleport. This was to prevent Ninetales from discovering her Teleport.
The appearance of a guilty thief was fully embodied in Gardevoir.
Normally, Ninetales wouldn't have the time to care where she Teleported to.
After Teleporting, Gardevoir arrived in another forest.
Upon arriving, Gardevoir was astonished by the environment here.
She remembered that the last time she came, this forest had been completely burned down. The original trees had long turned into charcoal, and even the ground environment had been altered.
It is said that destruction is easy, creation is difficult.
Destroying this forest only requires one or two powerful moves, but restoring it would take several years.
However, the environment here now was in no way inferior to the environment at home. The trees, flowers, plants, and the active Pokémon everywhere, everything made Gardevoir deeply emotional.
Especially as she gradually delved deeper into this woodland, she had originally thought that all the trees here were newly planted, having only grown for less than two years and still being saplings. Yet, the Growth of these trees was in no way inferior to the remaining trees on the original mountain. The further she walked, the better the Growth of the flowers, plants, and trees became. Many trees grew as tall as three or four stories.
“Such a strong life aura. It’s been a long time since I came here, I didn’t expect the environment here to have become so good…” Gardevoir was surprised as she admired the beautiful scenery in the forest, and at the same time continued to walk deeper into the forest.
Along the way, she initially encountered some Pokémon, but the deeper she went into the forest, the fewer Pokémon there were. Towards the end, she couldn't even see a Caterpie.
The surrounding forest became exceptionally quiet, which not only didn't make Gardevoir feel panicked, but instead seemed to put her into a Calm Mind state, as if all sounds in the world had disappeared, and even her state of mind became as clear and transparent as if washed by rainwater.
“This place is too suitable for Calm Mind.” Gardevoir couldn't help but feel delighted. In such an environment, her recently somewhat restless state of mind gradually stabilized, and even her cultivation improved by a few points.
Crossing this dense forest, Gardevoir quickly saw the treehouse behind the trees, which was Gardevoir’s destination.
“Little Gardevoir? Why did you come here?” A voice suddenly rang out. Gardevoir looked in the direction of the sound, and it was a giant Venusaur lying in front of the treehouse who spoke.
“Senior Venusaur, long time no see!” Gardevoir greeted politely. Gardevoir dared not be presumptuous with this one.
Venusaur was Mu Li’s earliest Pokémon, even earlier than Dragonite in following Mu Li.
Previously, Gardevoir hadn't noticed, thinking that the high concentration of life aura in this forest was formed by these trees and plants. But now, seeing Venusaur, she realized that her guess was exactly the opposite.
The reason why this part of the forest grew so lush was precisely due to the influence of this one.
It was precisely because of this one’s influence that the life aura of the forest was so strong.
Other Pokémon might not perceive it, but for a Psychic-type Gardevoir, in her perception, the vitality emanating from Venusaur had already far exceeded her understanding. If she had to compare, perhaps only Ho-Oh’s vitality would be slightly superior.
Ordinary Grass-type Pokémon could rapidly increase their Grass-type energy simply by approaching Venusaur, and flowers, plants, and trees also grew rapidly due to this abundant Grass-type energy.
But when Gardevoir’s perception spread to the treehouse next to it, the whole world changed.
If the outside world, due to Venusaur, was like a vibrant big tree, that room was like a mysterious space, a space filled with Psychic power.
That was where Alakazam resided—one of Mu Li’s six main Pokémon.
Even more terrifying was that both the Grass-type energy and the Psychic energy were merely energies naturally emanating from the two Pokémon in their natural state. Yet, these energies alone were enough to cause a huge change in the surrounding environment.
The Psychic power in that room was almost stagnant. Ordinary humans and Pokémon, merely by looking at it, might be confused by the diffused Psychic power and fall into illusions, unable to extricate themselves.
However, for Gardevoir, such an environment was simply a natural cultivation sanctuary.
“Did A Li send you?” Seeing Gardevoir seemingly distracted, Venusaur couldn't help but ask.
“No, I didn’t come to find you two seniors this time.” Gardevoir explained, “I came this time to invite Hatterene to join our band.”
“Oh? Your band is still around?” Venusaur’s tone finally showed some fluctuation, and Gardevoir clearly sensed the helplessness in Venusaur’s tone.
“It’s still around, Senior.” Gardevoir also felt a bit helpless. In earlier years, because the band often performed on the farm, some Pokémon who preferred peace had some complaints about them. However, everyone usually got along very harmoniously, so everyone gradually got used to these minor issues.
However, Gardevoir and the others also knew the importance of moderation. Even when holding concerts, it was only once a month, so it didn't affect the farm's environment too much.
“Because A Li needed to perform outside, we needed to recruit another keyboardist.” Gardevoir explained.
As soon as Gardevoir finished speaking, a clear, somewhat childish female voice suddenly rang out: “Ah ah ah ah!! What band?? What band??”
What followed was a humanoid Pokémon—it was the Pokémon Hatterene.
She looked like a graceful young girl, with a large witch's hat on her head, and a long whip-like tentacle extending from behind the hat. At the tip of the tentacle was a spherical orb, from which three cylindrical tentacles branched out, looking like hands.
It is said that this is the part Hatterene uses to perceive information from her surroundings, and it can also be used like a hand.
Her body seemed to be wrapped in hair, revealing only a girlish face, and her lower body looked like she was wearing a pink and white gradient skirt, appearing like a lost girl in the forest.
Venusaur habitually tried to cover her ears, but found that the sound was directly through telepathy, so she could only shake her head helplessly and say, “I told you, don’t be so boisterous. You’re so cute, can’t you act like a lady?”
Hatterene immediately composed herself and asked coyly, “I wonder if I heard correctly, are you here to invite me to join the band?”