The conversation left Gardevoir in a long silence. Li Yuan's words had set off a tsunami in her heart; for the first time, she clearly realized she couldn't give her daughter the best life.
According to Li Yuan, if she wanted Ralts to develop better, the best way was to follow him into human society and access human resources and education. But Gardevoir was still resistant to living with humans. Would it really be safe to let her daughter enter a world full of them?
She was torn, but also moved by the life Li Yuan described. A place where they could eat their fill and stay warm every day without worrying about survival—wasn't that the utopia she had always sought?
After much consideration, Gardevoir finally compromised. The human world was dangerous, but at least Li Yuan had shown her a trustworthy side. Perhaps it was time for a change.
"Can you... really guarantee our safety?" Gardevoir looked at Li Yuan seriously.
"With Tsareena here, who would dare bully us?" Li Yuan knew the deal was done. His effort wasn't wasted.
"I need you to say it yourself." Gardevoir insisted. A verbal promise might not be binding to some, but without it, how could she make up her mind?
"Then I swear to you: as long as I have breath in my body, I won't let anyone bully you or your daughter. I will give you a satisfying life. If I fail, you can teleport away anytime, and I won't stop you," Li Yuan swore solemnly. He knew this ritual was necessary.
Gardevoir was an Emotion Pokémon. Once she acknowledged a master, she would entrust all her feelings to them, remaining loyal for life. Being loved by a Gardevoir was a blessing; she would guard you like a knight, never allowing you to be hurt or to die before her. Even a small scratch on you would make her blame herself deeply.
For a Pokémon who valued emotion so highly, caring about a "meaningless" verbal oath made perfect sense. To others, it was just words; to her, it was a formal contract.
Now that the contract was made, she could genuinely accept herself as Li Yuan's Pokémon.
"Don't speak of leaving again. Since I've chosen to follow you, I am yours. I hope you will not fail me," Gardevoir sighed. She lifted his hand and gently kissed the back of it.
From this moment on, she would never leave him, faithful until death.
"Well said, wifey. We'll never be apart from now on~," Li Yuan couldn't hide his smug grin anymore. He finally had the Shiny Gardevoir he had always dreamed of.
He wasn't afraid Gardevoir would see through his "evil scheme." The contract was sealed; she wouldn't leave him over something trivial. Even if he went a little too far, she would remain loyal and do as he wished~.
Even when he blatantly called her "wifey," Gardevoir didn't resist. A seductive blush rose on her pale cheeks, clearly embarrassed and unaccustomed to the title, but she accepted it. In this world, only he had the right to call her that.
"Ralts is your daughter now too. You need to pay more attention to her needs, understand?" Having accepted her husband, Gardevoir immediately shifted her focus to her daughter, slipping into the role of the "matriarch" to lecture him.
"Don't rush it. Our daughter hasn't even had a proper childhood yet. Don't push her too hard; everything needs balance," Li Yuan was happy to pick up a cute daughter. Even if she wasn't his by blood, he could raise her to be a capable girl~.
Thinking about sleeping with two Gardevoirs in his arms in the future made him giddy.
"Hmph! You're too soft. A lenient father spoils the child. She'll be ruined in your hands," Gardevoir scolded.
"Relax. I promise I'll raise Ralts to be at least as strong as Tsareena, okay?" Li Yuan comforted her.
"Hmph. You'd better remember your words." Gardevoir crossed her arms, still unsatisfied with his perfunctory attitude. But sensing Tsareena's immense power, she was moved. If her daughter could reach that level, she would be willing to let this boy "break" her however he wanted.
As a mother, Gardevoir only cared about her daughter. Her own fate didn't matter.
"Ralts! Ralts? (Mommy! Mommy! Does this mean I can be with Big Brother forever?)" Ralts, hearing the conversation, lit up.
Although they hadn't known each other long, Ralts had completely fallen for Li Yuan. To an innocent loli, whoever gave her yummy food was the best person in the world. If she couldn't be with him, she would definitely cry.
"What 'Big Brother'? From now on, you call him Daddy," Gardevoir glared at her daughter, who seemed to have forgotten her mother for a new favorite.
Just moments ago she was shouting about ignoring Mommy, and now that she could stay with him, she was suddenly a good girl again. Learning to flip-flop at such a young age?
"Ralts! Ralts~ (Yay~! I get to be with Big... Daddy forever!)" Ralts threw herself back into Li Yuan's arms, nuzzling his chest affectionately. The thought of being with him and eating delicious cubes forever made her almost die of happiness~.
Seeing her act like she wouldn't marry anyone but him, it was clear that not only Gardevoir, but also Ralts had given her heart to him~.
Gardevoir was shocked. Did this girl fall in love with my man too?
Does that mean both mother and daughter are eyeing the same man?
If she grows up... will she clamor to climb into Daddy's bed too?
Ah... Gardevoir suddenly felt this "recognition" might have been a mistake. She forgot her daughter valued emotion just as much as she did. With how much Li Yuan spoiled her, it would be hard for Ralts not to love him.
Once she fell in love, given their species' nature, she would be loyal to death. When feelings ran deep, Ralts might want to be intimate with him, and Gardevoir wouldn't be able to stop it. She knew herself; even if her love for Li Yuan wasn't intense yet, no one could separate them now. She would never be unfaithful to her chosen master.
Unless she wanted to drive her daughter to death, she couldn't stop her from giving everything to him. That would be forcing her daughter to betray her own principles!
Damn it, how did it come to this? Mother and daughter serving one husband... that's too absurd!