In the depths of the ntal world, Ceruledge stood motionless, blankly staring at the scene before her.
Flas. Endless flas.
Raging fire greedily licked at everything it could touch.
The fire beneath her feet slithered upward like a cold, venomous serpent, coiling ever tighter around his body.
Ceruledge, engulfed in the blaze, could no longer tell how long the fire had been burning.
Even the sense of her own existence—her awareness—seed to be lting into the inferno.
Where... is this?
Mustering a shred of ntal focus, Ceruledge tried to make sense of the situation.
But it was a hopeless endeavor.
She didn’t have enough ntal capacity left to think through anything so complex.
She didn’t even know if she was supposed to do sothing.
It was like falling endlessly into an abyss, consciousness slipping further away.
Then—suddenly—a glimr of azure light broke through the encroaching fire, catching Ceruledge’s eye.
Sothing... was erging from the light?
Before she could process it, a petite, blue Pokémon popped out of the glow.
Like a carefree fish darting through water, it spun joyfully in midair.
The searing flas around it didn’t seem to affect it in the slightest.
If anything, the flas looked... afraid.
As if faced with a natural predator, the fire pulled back, retreating to a safe distance and leaving a huge swath of empty space.
Ceruledge stared blankly at the Pokémon in front of her. No response. No reaction.
She simply didn’t have the capacity to react anymore.
The tiny Pokémon—w in the form of Azelf—tilted its head as it observed Ceruledge, who was now playing an eerily convincing ga of freeze tag.
Sha there wasn’t a cara around. This would’ve made for so pri blackmail material.
HD-quality trauma for the archives!
w sighed a little with emotion.
How tis had changed.
Back in the day, blackmail was engraved onto stone tablets. Nobody but the original victims could understand what was written.
No matter how embarrassing the event, once it was immortalized as abstract carvings and paired with so bard’s dramatic reinterpretation, the result was always sothing completely unrecognizable.
Take that ti Kyogre got stabbed in the lung by a single “Oblivion Wing” from a flightless Pokémon and pulled a full-on Black Hawk Down reenactnt in the sea—flopping around like a dying Magikarp, barely hanging on.
And how did humans describe it?
The clash between sea and land.
That was it.
But now? Now we had technology. Everyone’s embarrassing footage ca in high definition.
And w was determined to build a full portfolio of everyone’s embarrassing monts—ready to roast them one by one.
“w~”
After a mont of deep thought—and failing to rember how Azelf was supposed to speak—w gave up on a perfect cosplay.
Sigh... even my flawless cosplayer record now has a blemish.
A little dejected, w floated over to Ceruledge.
As w moved, the flas instinctively made way for it.
Looking at Ceruledge’s blank, brain-dead face, w reached out and grabbed him by the neck.
Then—
“w!”
Yeet!
With a little grunt of effort, w flung Ceruledge like a baseball.
Soaring through the air, Ceruledge's head seed to clear just a little.
She turned, groggily, to look behind her.
And there it was: w, suspended in mid-air, striking a full-on flying kick pose.
w Flying Kick!
“WHAM!”
w’s foot landed squarely on Ceruledge’s face with zero rcy.
Blue energy surged from the point of impact, flooding into Ceruledge’s body.
She dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing to the ground.
Motionless. Silent.
For a mont, one might’ve worried w actually kicked her into unconsciousness.
Thankfully, a few seconds later, Ceruledge slowly stirred.
As she pushed herself up, the flas that had once been so eager to consu her now backed off in fear.
A stark contrast to their previous aggression.
She glanced around, visibly confused, as if trying to figure out what had just happened.
But the blankness was gone from her eyes.
Though she still looked a little dazed, her gaze was now sharper, more aware.
After a few more seconds, she seed to grasp the situation—and looked toward w with a grateful expression.
w rely raised its head with smug pride.
Hmph. Child’s play.
You’re welco~
Leaving those parting words behind, w exited Ceruledge’s ntal world.
If even w couldn’t help fix things, honestly... might as well reset the whole tiline.
anwhile, in the real world, the worried-looking Armarouge noticed the flas on her little sister’s body slowly beginning to shrink.
A soft blue light shimred, and "Azelf" floated out of Ceruledge’s body—
—then spun around mid-air and transford back into the original w.
Hands on hips, w proudly floated in front of Natsu, clearly fishing for praise.
Achievent unlocked: Credit Hogger (crossed out)
"You feel better now?"
Patting w on the head, Natsu turned around with a smile.
Speaking both to Armarouge—and to Chi-Yu.
Whether or not Armarouge was comforted, Chi-Yu definitely felt a weight lift off its chest.
Thank goodness. She’s okay.
The fish, who had been lying flat on the ground, finally dared to lift its head. Watching the flas on Ceruledge’s body fade away, it finally felt at ease.
A little more ti passed, and the strange phenona on Ceruledge’s body finally cald completely.
Once curled up in agony, her body slowly straightened.
The fiery crest behind her head swayed gently in the wind.
Chi-Yu raised its head at the sa ti.
You see that?!
The kid’s fine!
And even stronger than before!
Yes—after everything that just happened, Ceruledge’s strength had clearly taken a leap forward.
His entire presence felt more solid, and there was a newfound composure in his gaze.
As the Pokémon that governs willpower, Azelf’s blessing wasn’t just a simple power-up; it was also a spiritual one.
Pokémon blessed by it gained a kind of “willpower” that gave them the resolve to see things through to the end.
Granted, w wasn’t Azelf.
But in a sense, what just happened could still be seen as Ceruledge receiving Azelf’s blessing—
And in large, generous doses, no less.
Don’t ask why w’s able to do that.
If quality falls short, we’ll just make up for it with quantity!
Maybe it had accidentally gone a bit overboard, because Ceruledge now had this kind of unshakable, immovable presence—
As if her mind were a bottomless black pool, undisturbed by anything on the surface.
Emotionally stable? Nah.
High EQ version: She’s transcended worldly desires.
Aside from that...
Boom!
A fla, flickering with blue and violet hues, ignited along Ceruledge’s blade.
Compared to before, the fla now seed... different.
Looking closely, it almost felt enchanted—like it was drawing your gaze in, refusing to let go.
And sowhere deep inside, sothing started to stir.
Unease. Restlessness.
Smack!
A sharp clap echoed through the air.
Armarouge snapped out of it instantly.
“Alright, now that it’s all sorted, don’t overthink it.”
Clapping his hands, Natsu smiled.
And just like that, the matter was considered closed.
Behind him, Chi-Yu’s head had practically tilted toward the heavens.
w cast a glance in its direction.
Chi-Yu instantly dipped its head.
Submissive.
Sure, it was smug—but Chi-Yu knew full well who the real boss here was, besides Natsu.
With abilities like w’s, it could effortlessly trip him up in a dozen ways, and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.
Better to behave.
Besides, judging from how things were going, it looked like the beating he was expecting might be off the table.
No need to draw attention to himself and risk catching another one.
That’d just be stupid.
With that realization, Chi-Yu quietly floated behind Natsu.
Silently observing this… well, “family reunion” of sorts?
Ceruledge, now fully back to herself, looked down at the fla on her blade, then casually waved it away, extinguishing it completely.
Nearby, Armarouge rushed to her younger sister’s side, anxiously examining her head to toe.
Even though Natsu had said she was fine...
How could she, as an older sister, not worry?
She hadn’t shown it too clearly earlier only because she was afraid it might shake Ceruledge’s resolve.
Now seeing the worry etched on her face, a faint, fleeting smile tugged at Ceruledge’s lips.
This... is what family ans.
He wasn’t sure why, but that line suddenly floated through his mind.
He shook his head, tossing away the tangled thoughts.
Once Armarouge had cald down, Ceruledge turned to express her gratitude.
Starting with Natsu, then w, then Gardevoir—and even the not-so-friendly Chi-Yu.
Even if Chi-Yu had been a bit malicious or just ssing around at the start—
It had still helped her.
Even lent her its power, in a sense.
So a thank-you was still in order.
As Ceruledge bowed her head in thanks, Chi-Yu reluctantly floated out from behind Natsu.
Though clearly unwilling, it still accepted the gesture.
Its feelings were complicated.
But since Natsu had already said this was behind them, then that was that.
Once she confird Ceruledge was alright, Chi-Yu let out a long sigh of relief.
Then she gave Chi-Yu a strange look.
Don’t get it wrong—she wasn’t about to go beat the thing up on her brother’s behalf.
Sure, she could be impulsive, but that didn’t an she was brainless.
She knew exactly who she could and couldn’t take in a fight.
Right now, though, she couldn’t help but wonder—
If Ceruledge could gain this kind of power from the experience...
Then maybe I could too...?
For a brief mont, the thought flickered in her mind.
But she quickly stamped it out.
It sounded great and all, but probably best avoided.
She didn’t know how Natsu felt about it—
But from what she could see, he didn’t exactly approve.
And she was right.
Natsu didn’t oppose Pokémon striving to grow stronger—
But he wasn’t too keen on them always looking for shortcuts, either.
Ceruledge’s case could still be chalked up to a mont of reckless impulse.
But the next Pokémon to try this route wouldn’t have that excuse.
If they still went through with it, that ant they’d made up their minds.
In that case, Natsu could only give them his blessing.
“Wu~”
With a soft chi toward Natsu, Chi-Yu darted back to its lava bed, eager to resu its nap.
Damn, the outside world’s way too dangerous.
Go out for so air, get mobbed by mushrooms.
Try to escape, get cornered by humans.
Even just chilling quietly here, you’ve still got Pokémon showing up ready to die.
Better to just go back to sleep.
Only sleep made it feel even slightly safe.
Forget everything else.
With a leap, Chi-Yu plunged into the lava and vanished from sight.
Once it was gone, Natsu turned to Ceruledge and Armarouge.
“Alright, you two should head back too.”
“Ceruledge, spend so ti getting used to this power. Learn to control it smoothly.”
“If you run into any trouble, go ask Ting-Lu.”
Originally, Natsu had ant to say Chi-Yu—
But after seeing how it was dodging Ceruledge like the plague, he figured that option was probably off the table.
Better to ask Ting-Lu instead.
Even if the source of their powers was different, the general category was close enough.
There might be so overlap.
“If you’re still unsure, you can also bring so Pokéblocks and ask w—or maybe even Manaphy.”
“They’ll probably have so useful advice.”
“And Armarouge, I know it’s a hassle, but keep an eye on Ceruledge for the next few days.”
He gestured at w, who was now nonchalantly tugging on his hair.
To outsiders, w was still an elusive, mythical figure.
But to the farm residents?
The so-called “dignity of a legendary Pokémon”? The pride of a divine beast?
Didn’t exist.
As long as you ca bearing “offerings,” w would usually help—so long as your request wasn’t over the top.
At this point, w’s reputation on the farm had surpassed even Persian, making it the de facto number two around here.
Not that Persian really cared.
Aside from Corviknight constantly using it as joke material, nothing much had changed.
Whatever. I’ll just beat him up later.
Armarouge nodded seriously to show she understood.
Then, pushing Ceruledge’s head down, she bowed deeply to Natsu.
Usually playful and carefree, but in this mont, she radiated the dignity of a proper older sister.
“Gardevoir, take ho.”
“I wonder how i’s doing…”
Waving with a smile, Natsu looked to the Gardevoir behind him.
Feeling like she hadn’t been of much help, Gardevoir had stayed silent this whole ti—but now she gave a small nod.
She raised her palm, and with a soft glow of psychic energy, she and Natsu vanished.
Not quite—strictly speaking, it enveloped Gardevoir, Natsu, and w, who was currently sprawled atop Natsu’s head.
At the mont, w had switched positions, lying on its back across Natsu’s head.
The upper half of Natsu’s field of vision was completely obscured by a pink feline forehead.
---
In the Berry Grove, i gently set down the last Bounsweet.
“Go on, go play.”
“Chuu!”
The Bounsweet cast a nervous glance at Ralts before scampering off.
That thing was absolutely a demon!
It gulped down the Pokéblock i had offered, then bolted without so much as a thank-you.
It was only a matter of ti before the tale of the demonic Ralts spread across the entire farm.
And when that happened, Ralts would gain infamy—not as Gardevoir’s little sister, but as a terrifying figure in her own right.
Not fa, but notoriety.
“So, you’re done over here too, huh?”
Seeing i already packing up the tools, Natsu hurried over to help.
“Yup. Where did you run off to just now?”
“? Oh, I…”
While gathering the tools, Natsu began to explain what had just happened.
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