Catching that Bulbasaur was nothing out of the ordinary.
After all, in the end, when it was defeated, it seemed quite willing.
That single Bulbasaur already surpassed in quality all the Bulbasaur currently on Cain's private island.
However, after capturing it, Cain had the feeling there might still be more Bulbasaur in the area.
Because based on what he had observed along his entire path, most of the low-level Pokémon he encountered belonged to larger groups.
Mainly because within those groups there were adults who protected and guided the younger ones, allowing them to grow safely.
On the other hand, solitary Pokémon rarely had established offspring. It wasn't that they couldn't reproduce, but their young had a much harder time surviving. Although if they did survive, their combat ability was notable.
So Cain began exploring the forest in search of more.
And indeed, he found several more Bulbasaur, all of which were defeated effortlessly by Ralts and then captured by Cain.
With each Bulbasaur defeated, Ralts's queen-like presence grew stronger.
Especially when facing others, her attitude of utter disdain reminded Cain of a certain figure from his memories. Though, of course, Ralts was still very young, and that majestic presence was still a bit too large for her.
Only when she was with her companions did she show her softest, most natural side.
While expanding the search area, Cain finally found a different Pokémon: an Ivysaur!
However, it was also defeated without complications by Ralts. Its level wasn't very high.
After defeating the Ivysaur, Ralts's commanding presence reached its peak, and her body began to emit a white light.
Cain showed a surprised expression.
He had felt something coming due to the changes in Ralts's energy, but he hadn't imagined that this was the condition for her evolution.
Even so, he reacted quickly. As soon as he saw the white light surrounding Ralts, he pulled out one of the quality-enhancing potions he had prepared.
Ralts drank it in one gulp, though her expression showed some distaste at the flavor. But soon, that look disappeared.
The quality-enhancing potion began to take effect, and Ralts's evolution became irreversible.
Before the white light completely enveloped her, a pale blue energy emerged from her head.
That energy took on an illusory form: a figure like a small Pokémon with two tails, similar to a cat—Azelf, the god of willpower from the Sinnoh region!
"Is this... Azelf's Blessing?" Cain narrowed his eyes.
Ever since Azelf granted his blessing to Ralts, it hadn't shown any obvious effects.
But during her training and growth, Cain could faintly feel how Azelf's will influenced her.
And now, as she evolved, that blessing was finally going to manifest.
...
At the same time, in the Sinnoh region, in an alternate dimension above Lake Verity, on an island...
Azelf, who was sleeping on a cloud in the middle of the lake, suddenly opened his eyes.
The Alakazam watching over him noticed his awakening immediately, showing a puzzled expression.
Normally, when Azelf entered slumber, it took him much longer to wake, but this time only a few months had passed.
Azelf floated above the lake's surface, gently moving his two tails over his ears.
He stared into the distance, as if he could perceive something far away.
"Lord Azelf, have you awakened because someone with a powerful will is approaching?" Alakazam asked respectfully, teleporting to the shore.
Azelf slowly shook his head.
His eyes glowed with unknown psychic energy, as if peering through countless layers of space to gaze directly at the evolving Ralts.
"The little one is evolving. She's grown quite well. But... why is she in that man's space? That figure hasn't appeared in a long time..." Azelf murmured.
As the Pokémon who had granted the blessing, he immediately sensed the moment of evolution.
...
"Riilss!"
Azelf's blue glow fused with Ralts's mind, making her let out an involuntary cry.
Cain tensed.
He activated the system to monitor in real time all changes in Ralts's body.
He detected no abnormalities. In fact, all metrics were exceeding known limits.
The white light of evolution intertwined with threads of pale blue energy.
When all of Ralts's parameters rose to a new level, the light burst forth, revealing the new figure within.
Floating in the air.
Her body was now white, and she looked like she was wearing a ballerina's skirt. She had very thin green legs.
Unlike before, her hair no longer completely covered her eyes; now she had bangs that fell to her shoulders.
The two red horns on her head had changed position, now located at the sides, resembling decorative clips.
Kirlia.
Although this Kirlia was slightly different from others.
A small lock of pale blue hair mixed with the green, just on the right side of her bangs.
That gave her an even more noble aura.
The evolved Kirlia looked like a little princess, a charming girl with regal bearing.
She floated in the air, examining her new body up and down, then squinted with joy.
She was clearly pleased with her transformation.
Then she saw Cain, who was watching her with a smile.
Shouting "Papa!", she flew toward him.
But now Kirlia was no longer as small as before, and didn't quite fit in his arms like when she was a Ralts.
Cain stroked her head tenderly as his system scanned her new data.
Pokémon: Kirlia (Dark Purple)
Gender: Female
Level: 20
Type: Psychic + Fairy
Ability: Trace
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Memento, Destiny Bond, Misty Terrain, Ally Switch
Basic Moves: Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Disarming Voice, Lucky Chant, Magical Leaf, Heal Pulse
Learned Moves: Icy Wind, Skill Swap, Ice Punch
TM Moves: Protect, Psyshock, Psychic, Dream Eater
Kirlia, after evolving, had reached Dark Purple quality!
"How much did it cost Azelf to grant a blessing like this...?" Cain was stunned.
Until now, he had never seen a Pokémon of Dark Purple quality captured by another trainer. Even Black-quality Pokémon had only been observed among legendary Pokémon.
Though this Kirlia had probably just crossed the threshold into Dark Purple and was at the lowest grade, even that minimum required an incalculable cost.
It was likely that even Azelf hadn't expected that, at the moment of evolution, Kirlia would be supported by a quality-enhancing potion developed through decades of research by the League's top breeders, and that she would be scanned and reinforced by a system with technology surpassing that of the Pokémon world itself.
The result was simply perfect.
(End of chapter)