Chapter 398:
"He's still not leaving..."
They didn't know that the two of them slacking off was caught, but seeing Kaede staring directly at them now, both Mew and Victini knew that if they didn't start gathering nectar now, they would definitely be suspected.
However, Mew had only transformed into a Combee, and Victini was also transformed by it. How could either of them possibly know how to gather honey?
"Alright, alright, you two, stop pretending. Change back..."
Seeing their clumsy honey-gathering techniques, Hayashi Kaede quickly called them out.
Never mind not gathering any honey; he didn't want them to end up damaging the flowers.
"Combee..."
One "Combee" looked at the other. Seeing it also remain motionless, it didn't want to move either.
"Fine, fine... I'm talking about you two little rascals!"
Seeing the two Pokémon still pretending, Hayashi Kaede directly used his psychic power to lift them both and bring them before him.
This was quite telling. If these two Combee could resist his psychic power, it would definitely prove they weren't Combee.
But even when caught and brought right in front of him, Mew still refused to change back.
Left with no choice, Hayashi Kaede had to pull out his trump card.
He took out a bottle of powder ground from this year's newly planted Catnip.
For the little cat, what it had taken previously was last year's leftover stock. Catnip, like flowers, loses its potency over time if not used.
So this fresh Catnip was simply the perfect lure for Mew.
Sure enough, as soon as Hayashi Kaede poured out a bit of the Catnip, one "Combee's" breathing immediately became rapid.
At first, it tried not to look at the Catnip in his hand, but it wasn't long before it flew directly onto Hayashi Kaede's hands, reverted to its original form, and started rolling around on them.
(≧∀≦)ゞ: "Mew...!" (Catnip... catnip....)
Over there, Victini, who was maintaining its illusion with psychic energy, could only revert to its true form upon seeing this scene, watching Mew and Hayashi Kaede from the sky.
After all, its last visit was only for two days, and so much time had passed since then, so it felt a bit too shy to talk to Hayashi Kaede right away.
Kaede lifted Mew by the scruff of its neck, looking at the entranced little cat, and couldn't help but grin. "Heh, thought I couldn't handle you, huh?"
At this moment, Mew had no time to pay him any mind. Only after satisfying its craving did it look up at Hayashi Kaede with a languid expression. "Mew?" (Caught again...)
Hayashi Kaede didn't answer that directly. Instead, he held it and asked, "You were gone for over twenty days this time, and you left Altomare. Were you looking for Victini?"
To be honest, the moment he saw Victini, many of his questions were answered.
No wonder Mew could stay away for so long even after Jirachi fell asleep; it turned out Victini had appeared.
"Mew~ Hehe..."
Mew gave its signature mouth-covering laugh, neither admitting nor denying it. It slipped out of Hayashi Kaede's grasp, flew into the sky, and hovered next to Victini.
This reaction basically confirmed it.
Hayashi Kaede followed its gaze, his eyes settling on Victini. He greeted it first, "Victini~?"
Although they hadn't seen each other for a while, seeing this human again—who had previously made it delicious macarons and helped it reunite with the old king—made Victini feel very happy.
It even directly raised its right hand and gave a characteristic greeting.
( •̀ ω •́ )y: "Vee...!" (I'm Victini~!)
"Alright, alright, I know..." Hayashi Kaede rubbed his forehead and beckoned to it.
The next moment, the latter briskly flew in front of him.
"Now that you're out, does that mean the Guardian Pillars have been shattered?" Hayashi Kaede asked a question whose answer he already knew.
If it could come out, it definitely meant the Guardian Pillars were broken.
This didn't surprise Hayashi Kaede.
Because in Victini's movie, the towering Guardian Pillars were also shattered by Victini itself.
This showed it always had the ability to break the barrier confining it.
Staying guard there for over a thousand years was entirely due to the mental barrier being hard to break.
Seeing how happy it looked now, it was clear it no longer had those worries.
So, the drink he provided had been meaningful.
It prevented Victini from dwelling in the past...
"Victini...~"
Victini nodded, looking around left and right, its eyes filled with amazement.
The last time it visited, there weren't so many berry trees here. But this time, it was surprised to find the garden filled with all kinds of berry trees.
And these fruits were even larger than the ones in Eindoak Town.
It loved it~!
Because the fruits in Eindoak were also very large.
Then, it flew off with Mew towards where the other Pokémon were.
It wanted to tell everyone they were back~!
Even if it might only be for a short while again.
"Sigh... these two..." Hayashi Kaede shook his head where he stood, then headed towards the kitchen.
He didn't know Victini's purpose for coming, but Mew's reason for returning was likely that the food in its storage capsules had run out, and it needed a refill.
Shouldn't he prepare that for it then?
...
Time passed leisurely, and soon it was lunchtime.
Not only had the other Pokémon returned to the Breeding House, but Mew and Victini had also taken their seats, ready to eat.
Kaede walked over, carrying storage capsules filled with macarons and various other foods.
╰(*°▽°*)╯: "Victini~!"
When Victini saw that plate of macarons, its eyes immediately lit up.
Hayashi Kaede had originally thought it was because the food in the storage capsules Mew took had run out, but that wasn't entirely the case.
The main reason was that Victini, who had been staying with Mew recently, had also depleted its own storage capsule of macarons that Kaede prepared for it, as the two Pokémon had been feasting heartily.
That's why both Pokémon stayed away for so long this time.
"It's a pity it's not the season for pumpkins yet, otherwise I could try making you some rainbow-colored versions," Hayashi Kaede said cheerfully as he brought the food over.
Speaking of which, recently, the berry trees had been maturing like crazy under the effects of Serperior's Grassy Terrain.
Quite a few mutated berries had actually appeared.
But most of the mutation effects just added a slight boost to the original effects, so Hayashi Kaede hadn't paid them much mind.
He just processed them into Energy Cubes as usual and sold them at the Breeding House.
But occasionally, some rather strange berries would appear.