Chapter 144: Gardevoir's Lack of Stamina
"We do, but first, we need to locate the World Tree."
From Mew's aura, Hikaru could vaguely sense the direction of the World Tree. Initially, he had planned to stay in Kyoto a while longer, at least until the system's monthly trait refresh. However, given the urgency, there was no time to wait.
"So, we're heading to find the World Tree next?" Latias asked eagerly.
She loved exploring with Hikaru the most. The memories of their travels still filled her with joy, especially that night in a small inn when Hikaru had promised to show her the world's wonders someday.
"Yes," Hikaru confirmed, noticing Latias's flushed cheeks as her excitement grew.
Instinctively, he reached out to pat her head, running his fingers through her silky hair. The texture was as smooth as the finest fabric. But he quickly withdrew his hand, realizing something.
It felt perfectly natural to pat Latias on the head when she was in her Pokémon form, but now that she had taken on her human form, the gesture felt different.
Latias, however, saw no issue. She leaned into him affectionately, her fiery red ponytail brushing against his shoulder.
Hikaru sighed deeply as he glanced at the unconscious Mew.
So far, it seemed that every Legendary Pokémon he encountered had been riddled with misfortunes—Articuno, Latias, Manaphy, Kyogre…
Kyogre had been the exception, appearing to assist him. But now Mew, the mythical Pokémon itself, was in such a dire state.
Why were these incredible beings always facing hardships?
Although he had long dreamed of visiting the World Tree, the urgency of Mew's situation left him no choice but to prioritize the journey.
With a sigh, Hikaru took out the bottle of Life Essence. This time, he had Gardevoir create a psychic barrier around them, ensuring that the powerful energy wouldn't attract unwanted attention from powerful Pokémon in Kyoto.
He carefully opened the jade bottle and allowed a single drop of the essence to trickle into Mew's mouth.
As soon as the liquid entered, it transformed into radiant light, spreading throughout Mew's body. Its flushed face began to regain its natural color as the fever subsided.
A few seconds passed. When Mew showed no further signs of improvement, Hikaru's expression turned serious.
"It seems this Life Essence alone won't work. We need to take it directly to the World Tree."
Before embarking on the journey, Hikaru decided it was time to revise his Pokémon's training plans. Each Pokémon had its unique growth path, and adjustments were necessary to ensure their continued development.
He turned his attention to Pupitar.
Ever since evolving, Pupitar had entered a "dormant yet growing" state. It was still a feisty little powerhouse but had grown more composed with age. When it was awake, its favorite activity was training its Armament Haki. Often, it would ask Hikaru to spar with it using his Aura Sphere. When Hikaru was busy, the role fell to Greninja or Charizard.
In these sparring sessions, Pupitar rarely let them go easy on it. Under such rigorous practice, its mastery of Armament Haki had improved significantly.
What once felt clunky now flowed smoothly, and its defensive strength had reached impressive heights. Even Fighting-type Gym-level Pokémon couldn't faze it.
Hikaru's Aura Sphere, which rivaled a top-tier Pokémon's Energy Ball in power, barely scratched Pupitar's armor.
"Pup…" Pupitar grunted, its tone calm yet confident.
Its slow evolution felt like an unyielding grind. Perhaps it was time to seek a trait that could expedite its growth into Tyranitar—something tailored to its preferences.
Hikaru's gaze shifted to Greninja.
Greninja had been struggling with its emotions lately. Its less-than-stellar performance during the National High School League still weighed on it. Being outmaneuvered by Inteleon and later knocked out by Vikavolt's dual Thunderbolts had been a harsh blow.
After the competition, Hikaru had reassured it, "The High School League is just the beginning. Bigger stages await—like the Youth League and the Pokémon World Championships. The crowds there will be even bigger, so you need to prepare and show them your true power."
Motivated by Hikaru's words, Greninja threw itself into training with renewed vigor. Together, they focused on perfecting its Rasengan attack.
[Trait: Rasengan (Purple)]
With this trait equipped, Greninja can learn the 120-power Rasengan move. Can evolve into Sage Art: Rasengan.
Progress: 90.1%/100%
Greninja was tantalizingly close to evolving this trait into a red-tier one.
Traits, however, didn't stop at red. The golden tier awaited beyond—and perhaps even higher levels.
Greninja's stackable, upgradable traits made it uniquely poised for incredible growth. With Bloodthirster, Bladedancer, and Rasengan, the possibilities were endless.
"Gekkoga!" (What's the plan, Hikaru?) Greninja tilted its head curiously.
"I think you need a trait to speed up your upgrades," Hikaru mused. "Something to help you level up these traits faster."
His gaze then landed on Gardevoir.
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[Pokémon: Gardevoir]
Ability: Telepathy
Gender: Female
Aptitude: Elite
Level: 44
Skills: Psychic, Double Team, Protect, Psyshock, Teleport…
Equipped Traits: Psyshock, Combat Drain, Focus of the Mind (Fixed), Final Whisper, Healing Specialist, Illusion (Fixed), Psychic Tempest (Fixed)
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"Gardevoir~"
Noticing Hikaru's attention, Gardevoir floated over and wrapped him in a gentle embrace. "Garde~" (Hug, please!)
"Alright, alright," Hikaru relented with a chuckle, hugging her lightly. He gently tapped her forehead, muttering, "You've grown bolder. I remember when you were a shy little Ralts."
"Garde~" (That's because I like you even more now!)
Indeed, Gardevoir had grown far more expressive. Rather than maturing into independence as expected, she had become even more attached to Hikaru.
Hikaru gave her a quick hug before pondering her training plan.
Gardevoir's Psychic-type moves boasted incredible damage output, particularly with Psychic Tempest. However, the drawback was glaring—using it drained her completely.
Her endurance was a glaring weakness. At just 68 base HP, her stamina left much to be desired.
"If only there were a way to boost her stamina and maintain her energy…" Hikaru muttered.
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