Get Stronger by Pleasing Pokémon? Who Needs to Be a Trainer!

”Garde…”

In truth, Gardevoir had already been paying attention to Dragonite’s condition. The moment it saw Dragonite take flight, it acted immediately.

Behind it, a glow like a crescent moon appeared, finally falling upon Dragonite.

After taking the full brunt of this Moonblast, the already-drunk Dragonite collapsed with dignity, falling into a deep sleep. Gardevoir caught it with psychic power, then allowed Lin Feng to return it to its Poké Ball.

Milotic, on the other hand, was much easier to deal with.

Even though it was drunk, it floated quietly in place, twisting its body as if overheated, clearly uncomfortable under Gardevoir’s psychic grip.

”Great… two more lightweight drinkers added to the list…”

Seeing Dragonite subdued without causing trouble, Lin Feng let out a breath of relief.

If Dragonite had gone wild from being drunk, just one attack would have been enough to devastate the entire orchard.

Taking over Gardevoir’s psychic hold, Lin Feng guided Milotic toward the reservoir.

The moment Milotic’s body touched the water, it looked far more refreshed, poking its head above the surface to gaze dreamily at Lin Feng.

”There you go… be good, sleep it off.”

Lin Feng patted its head without overthinking, then hurried back to the garden.

He was worried more Pokémon might start drinking themselves into trouble.

Compared to the mild rice wine from before, this honey-grape wine was at least twice as strong.

Sure enough…

By the time he returned, two more Pokémon were already tipsy Eevee and Primarina.

Luckily, before he arrived, their wine cups had already been taken away by Gardevoir.

One thing was immediately obvious.

Shy little Primarina, who normally never dared to get close to Serperior, was now boldly leaning against it, playfully patting Serperior’s long body. In the past, there was no chance it would have dared to approach.

In the entire orchard, the only Pokémon who had a somewhat friendly relationship with Serperior were Alolan Vulpix and Milotic.

And now, Gardevoir could be added to that short list.

The rest like Bounsweet or Combusken wouldn’t even dare talk to it.

But now, both Primarina and Serperior looked relaxed and at ease. The only difference was a faint blush across Serperior’s face, though it showed no discomfort.

Clearly, this time Serperior had controlled its alcohol intake, and the two had grown closer through the wine.

”Not bad at all!”

Seeing this effect, Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction.

Though there had been some small hiccups, he was quite pleased with the honey-grape wine’s results.

Afterward, under Lin Feng’s careful supervision, nearly every Pokémon had a small taste of the wine.

Including himself.

Unlike the light fragrance of rice wine, the honey-grape wine was much richer, and far stronger than Lin Feng had expected.

If rice wine could be said to have an alcohol level of around 5,

then this honey-grape wine was closer to 20. No wonder so many Pokémon had gotten drunk.

Fortunately, with Gardevoir and Lin Feng keeping watch, most Pokémon were stopped before they crossed from tipsy into truly drunk.

And thanks to the wine’s warming effect, everyone’s bonds grew visibly stronger.

After lunch, by around one in the afternoon, the post-drinking drowsiness set in. Lin Feng immediately ordered everyone to take a nap.

By then, the rain had also begun to ease.

Exhaling in relief, Lin Feng turned to look at Gardevoir.

From the moment it first experienced the honey-grape wine, it hadn’t stopped drinking. Now its face was faintly flushed.

Seeing this, Lin Feng couldn’t help but worry aloud. ”Gardevoir… promise me you won’t get drunk, alright?”

His concern was justified.

If Gardevoir got drunk… he truly wouldn’t know what to do.

”Garde?”

Gardevoir set down its cup. Hearing Lin Feng’s plea, it smiled softly, then nodded. ”Gar.” (Alright.)

It finished its last glass, cheeks glowing even redder, and floated to Lin Feng’s side. Its usually gentle voice now carried a lazy, magnetic quality. ”Garde~” (This wine tastes so much better than the last one.)

Most importantly…

It could feel its strength rising much faster after drinking.

The higher alcohol content suited it.

It preferred strong liquor.

Watching Gardevoir like this, Lin Feng swallowed nervously.

He was truly afraid it might get drunk…

”…Just…” After a pause, he added, ”Please control your intake. Don’t overdo it.”

”Garde~” (Pfft haha!)

Seeing Lin Feng so cautious and worried, Gardevoir suddenly burst into laughter.

Its laughter was bright and carefree, stretching into a wide smile that softened its whole face.

It was the first time Lin Feng had ever seen it laugh like this, and he couldn’t help staring in surprise.

Placing its hand gently on Lin Feng’s head, Gardevoir’s expression softened. ”Garde~” (Don’t worry. I’ll help you guard this place.)

With that, it yawned, its own drowsiness catching up. ”Garde…” (Alright, I’d better go too. They’re all asleep now. I’ll make sure they don’t have nightmares.)

”…Wait a second.” Lin Feng checked the time and stopped Gardevoir before it left. Taking out a special Rare Candy, he said, ”Here, this is for you.”

For other Pokémon, he might occasionally forget and skip a day.

But for Gardevoir, he never once missed.

Because more than anything, he wanted to solve its curse as soon as possible.

”Garde~”

Floating over again, Gardevoir accepted the candy. After swallowing it, it felt the energy surge within, then cautiously channeled the curse inside its body.

To its astonishment, the cursed energy flowed smoothly, completely under its control, without resistance or pain.

For a moment, it froze.

Then joy burst through its mind.

At last…

It had finally overcome the curse that had haunted it since birth.

And not just overcome

It had nearly perfected it.

The curse’s power was now fully its own to command.

”Garde~!”

Lowering its gaze to Lin Feng, its heart overflowing, Gardevoir floated forward and wrapped him tightly in its arms. Its voice trembled with irrepressible excitement. ”Garde~!”

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