Chapter 54 Truly Tamed:
After a conversation before leaving the island, Gardevoir acknowledged Xia Mu as her Trainer.
Although it couldn't fully trust Xia Mu yet, it was willing to start a new life.
As long as Xia Mu was willing to find a way to rescue its younger siblings, it was willing to listen to Xia Mu in everything.
Hearing Gardevoir's heartfelt words, Xia Mu's heart pounded a little.
A wicked thought flashed through his mind, making him feel ashamed.
In his past life, he might have had those kinds of wild thoughts, but now that he was in the Pokémon world, he couldn't afford to think about such crooked ideas.
However, Gardevoir's appearance was really too human-like. As a humanoid Pokémon, especially Xia Mu's Gardevoir, which was 1.7 meters tall, and being the eldest sister in the family, it had a rather mature and sophisticated feel.
"Alright, to welcome Gardevoir's arrival, let's continue with the barbecue and have a big meal tonight."
After Xia Mu changed the subject, Arcanine, Lucario, Red Gyarados, and Beedrill cheerfully shouted.
This atmosphere was very warm, making Gardevoir a little awkward.
Gardevoir wasn't quite ready to integrate into its new family. Watching Xia Mu get busy, Lucario and Arcanine helping out, and Red Gyarados and Beedrill chatting animatedly, Gardevoir felt a pang of sadness.
It turned out its family was just as harmonious and loving as before. Although its parents had left when it was young, they had always lived together, free and unrestrained in the wild.
Gardevoir felt lost and helpless.
Naturally timid, it had tried to appear calm by projecting a strong and stern facade, but beneath that exterior lay a very gentle, older sister type.
Lost in thought, Lucario, at Xia Mu's direction, brought a stack of Pokémon Puffs to Gardevoir.
Timid Pokémon generally love sweets.
Actually, these desserts and cakes were originally bought by Xia Mu for Mew, and the extras were stored in the storage space. It was perfect to let Gardevoir try them first.
'Lucario~~ Lucario~~ Roar~~!' (Master Xia Mu guessed you hadn't eaten in a long time. This is cake, very sweet, have a taste.)
'Garde~ Gardevoir~~' (I, I'm not hungry...)
Gardevoir tried to act tough, but her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl'.
(ω)
Instantly, a blush appeared on its beautiful face.
Its words were tough, but its body was very obedient.
Lucario didn't say much, simply stuffing the cake into its hand, then quickly returned to Xia Mu's side to help prepare the grilled meat.
Gardevoir hesitated for a long time, finally picking up the small fork and taking a bite.
'Garde~~!' ╰(*°▽°*)╯
The sweet cream, combined with the pulp of Aspear and Nanab Berries, made Gardevoir so delicious that it couldn't control itself.
In no time, the entire plate of cake was gone, and Gardevoir felt full of energy, no longer as listless as before.
It had no idea that Xia Mu had secretly added chopped energy cubes to the cake, which explained its remarkable effect.
Amidst the busyness, the sun set, and night gradually enveloped the sky.
Besides the sumptuous barbecue feast, there were other foods as well.
Today was a complete success, so Xia Mu was particularly relaxed.
After all, he had been working tirelessly to level up his Pokémon and scheming for the past few days.
Tomorrow, Xia Mu planned to discuss it with his parents and head to Cinnabar Island.
Time was tight; to get more done, he needed to go earlier.
Perhaps after his parents find out he's going to Cinnabar Island, they'll encourage him to meet his great-uncle, Blaine.
Of course, whether they say it or not, Xia Mu will go, after all, he needs the Cinnabar Gym badge.
This uncle of his father's, based on the original owner's memories, should be similar to his appearance in the anime.
But what he really looks like, Xia Mu
will have to experience it for himself. Because the original owner was afraid of Pokémon, he hadn't met Blaine many times, so naturally he didn't know much about him.
Xia Mu hopes it's like in the anime, because that way his family won't be connected to Team Rocket; otherwise, this great-uncle's identity would be too complicated.
Night deepened.
To build a bond, Xia Mu stayed by the Pokémon's side, especially encouraging Arcanine and Lucario to cooperate and not put too much pressure on Gardevoir, so as to help it integrate.
After some time to adjust, and with genuine care, Gardevoir didn't revert to its initial rampage.
Its condition stabilized, and its intimacy with Xia Mu gradually increased, albeit very slowly.
The friendship level was only 11 points now, meaning it had only increased by 1 point in an hour in an hour.
With other Pokémon, that would have been 20 or 30 points already, since friendship increases fastest in the early stages.
While building their bond, Xia Mu used his knowledge to search for relevant information online.
He wanted to learn more about Pokémon poaching organizations and kept an eye out for the dark web.
Selling Pokémon violates the League Law, but how can they be sold without a designated online area?
If poaching groups wait for clients to place orders before capturing Pokémon, the process would be too slow, and the organization couldn't possibly be this large.
Unfortunately, Xia Mu found nothing. Without special status or an invitation, access to that area is impossible.
But there's no need to rush. He can slowly follow any clue.
He's not worried about Gardevoir's siblings being sold to trainers; in fact, if they are sold to suitable trainers, that would be a good thing.
The worst fear was that if they didn't sell her, she would suffer abuse, potentially even dying, and then there would be no solution.
...
It was past ten o'clock at night when his parents finally returned home from their business dinner.
Xia Mu had been waiting; there were some things he needed to say tonight, otherwise his parents would be busy again tomorrow, and he would have to spend another day on them.
Although his parents had both drunk a little, they weren't drunk and were both sober.
It was a business banquet, so they only drank a little low-alcohol red wine and champagne.
After Xia Mu explained his plans, Xia He and Mu Xiuli were very excited and extremely happy.
Their son was finally going on a trip.
Moreover, after learning that Xia Mu had successfully captured Gardevoir, they were even more proud.
They knew about Gardevoir's situation and thought it would be difficult to resolve her inner conflict, but they didn't expect their son to handle it so quickly.
After talking about these things, Xia Mu naturally told his parents about Rotom, which he had been thinking about during the day.
There are many things he doesn't need to do; his parents have such connections, letting them handle them will only make things much easier.
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(End of Chapter)