This was something Ralts had to be told eventually.
Even if Chen Shi wanted to hide it from her, the truth could not stay buried forever.
So he explained everything slowly and gently.
When Ralts learned that her mother's death had also been connected to her own disappearance, tears began gathering uncontrollably in her already grief-stricken eyes.
Her tiny body trembled as she desperately tried to hold them back.
"Ral... Ralts..."
At last, a broken cry escaped her.
Her voice was filled with agony, guilt, and despair.
The overwhelming sorrow seemed ready to drown her completely.
She had followed Chen Shi here full of hope, believing she would finally see her mother again.
Instead, she learned that her mother was dead.
When she tried to seek the truth, her own father struck her down.
And now Chen Shi had told her that her mother's death had happened partly because she had run away.
That was the final blow.
Ralts completely broke down.
Her tears fell like beads from a snapped string.
Drip.
Drip.
Dragapult and Florges sighed and turned their heads away, unable to keep watching.
Chen Shi remained silent.
He took a packet of tissues from his pocket and slowly wiped the tears from Ralts's face.
Liya and the others stood nearby without making a sound.
Their expressions were filled with fear and unease, and none of them even dared breathe too loudly.
At some point, a large crowd had gathered around them.
There were men and women of all ages, though women made up the majority.
Curiosity and nervousness mixed on their faces as they stared toward the scene.
Yet no one dared approach.
They remained at a relatively safe distance, occasionally whispering among themselves as they tried to guess what had happened.
The atmosphere was tense and stifling.
After a long while, Ralts's uncontrollable sobbing gradually subsided.
But the lively light that had once filled her eyes was gone.
Now they resembled a pool of stagnant water, utterly lifeless and devoid of hope.
It was as though she had lost every trace of love or expectation she once held for the world.
Only endless sorrow and despair remained.
Chen Shi's heart sank.
This was bad.
He immediately pointed toward the injured Gardevoir nearby.
"Little one, don't you want revenge?"
"They are the ones responsible for killing your mother."
At those words, a faint trace of life returned to Ralts's deadened eyes.
Revenge.
Revenge!
That was right.
She still had to avenge her mother!
Seeing this, Chen Shi immediately continued,
"Those Gardevoir have already been badly injured."
"You can deal with them however you want."
"No matter what you choose, I'll support you."
"Ral... Ralts..."
The flames of hatred burned inside her.
Ralts rushed madly toward the wounded Gardevoir and attacked them with every move she knew.
Unfortunately, the difference in strength was simply too great.
Her attacks barely caused any damage.
Chen Shi stepped forward and pulled the frenzied Ralts into his arms.
"Little one, if this had happened in my own era, I would have helped you grow stronger and allowed you to return for revenge yourself."
"But I don't know how long I'll remain here."
"So I'll have to let one of our companions help you."
He smiled faintly.
"There's nothing shameful about borrowing the strength of your companions sometimes."
Chen Shi glanced toward Metagross.
Metagross immediately understood.
"Qiu, wait!"
Liya shouted anxiously.
Chen Shi acted as though he had heard nothing.
Metagross did not stop.
In the end, while the Gardevoir remained unconscious, Metagross destroyed their minds with psychic force.
Their bodies remained alive for only a moment before all brain activity ceased.
"Meta!"
After finishing, Metagross pointed toward Gallade and asked what should be done with him.
Chen Shi fell silent and lowered his gaze toward Ralts.
She merely shook her head without speaking.
No matter what had happened...
Gallade was still her father.
"Fine. We'll leave it at that."
Chen Shi rubbed Ralts's mushroom-shaped head before turning toward Liya.
"Remember my name."
"I am Qiu."
"You're welcome to come find me for revenge whenever you like."
Liya stood there blankly and said nothing.
The Psychic Tribe had suffered a devastating loss.
Gallade, their strongest protector, had sustained unprecedented injuries.
All their powerful Gardevoir were dead.
Only the younger Kirlia and Ralts remained.
No one knew how many years it would take for the tribe to recover.
How could Liya possibly dare seek revenge?
...
High in the sky, Chen Shi held Ralts in his arms as he rode slowly away from the tribe on Dragapult's back.
The strength of these large tribes had exceeded his expectations.
He had originally assumed that the strongest Pokémon in this era's major tribes would only be at the Gym level or perhaps the quasi-Elite level.
He had not expected them to possess Elite-level Pokémon.
"It seems I can't judge every tribe by the Meteor Tribe's condition," Chen Shi murmured.
After all, these were only the tribes surrounding Meteor Falls.
Who knew whether even stronger tribes existed elsewhere?
Fortunately, Victini had now reached the Champion level.
Traveling through this era would be much safer from now on.
"Ralts?"
(Why did you help me?)
Ralts suddenly asked from within his arms.
Chen Shi answered without hesitation.
"Because we're companions."
"Of course I would help you."
Ralts fell silent again.
Although Chen Shi had helped her, she still felt that his explanation for wanting her as a companion was unreliable.
She did not completely believe him yet.
Chen Shi gently rubbed her head.
"Don't be sad."
"With us beside you, no one will ever bully you again."
"We can live together and eat delicious food together."
"Whether we're happy or upset, we'll face everything together."
"Ralts?"
(You already have so many powerful companions. Why did you choose me?)
Chen Shi patiently explained,
"They were all weak once."
"They only became strong little by little."
"Take Dragapult, for example."
"He used to be so weak that he couldn't even defeat a Caterpie."
"Now he's the leader of my entire team."
Dragapult let out a heavy snort, twin streams of white air puffing from its nostrils.
Was Chen Shi never going to let that Caterpie incident go?
"Ralts~"
(Will I become strong someday too?)
"Of course."
"As long as you're willing to work hard, I'll help you become incredibly powerful."
"Ral... Ralts?"
(Do you really want me to be your companion? You aren't lying to me?)
Chen Shi couldn't help laughing.
So the little one still suspected that he had some other motive.
He looked directly into Ralts's eyes, his expression completely sincere.
"Don't worry."
"I truly only want you to become my companion."
"Nothing more."
"And whenever I make a promise, I keep it."
A long-forgotten warmth gradually entered Ralts's heart.
It was like thin rays of light slowly piercing the darkness and cold that had buried themselves deep inside her.
Little by little, warmth returned to her frozen and despairing heart.
In this dark world, she had once again found somewhere she could depend on—
A place she could trust.
Ralts buried her face in the crook of Chen Shi's arm and silently began to cry.
...
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