Kirlia Evolves

The night can conceal many things.

Sin, desire, conspiracy, and existences that defy common sense.

In the desolate wilderness, shadows gathered unnaturally, like flowing, filthy liquid or vast, dark clumps. Anyone faint of heart would easily be frightened into screaming.

Akesato, the boy in the midst of it all, felt not a hint of discomfort. Instead, he wore an excited smile, his red tongue darting across his lips. The expression looked for all the world like—a pervert!

The shadows seemed provoked by Akesato, surging and roiling as if to spray him head-on.

However, just before the shadows could strike, a white light suddenly ignited within the darkness.

Pure and clean, it stood in stark contrast to the surrounding filth.

Wherever the white light touched, the filth retreated, carving out a sanctuary around the boy.

Akesato looked toward the source of the light, his expression softening instantly. "Thank you, Kirlia."

"Kirl~"

Accompanied by a crisp response, a peculiar girl emerged from the light.

She wore a white dance dress, her limbs possessing a slenderness beyond human reach.

Her hair was a vibrant emerald green, adorned with red spikes that looked like hair ornaments, and her eyes were red, radiating a charm unlike that of any human.

Kirlia took light, dancing steps, circling Akesato. Though she made no sound, Akesato understood her meaning clearly.

As Kirlia drifted to his right, he reached out skillfully and rubbed her head.

"No need to hold back; it's already useless. Sorry for keeping you suppressed for so long. This time, just let it all out."

"Kirl~"

Kirlia nodded gently, her weightless body rising into the air.

At the same time, the space around the white light began to distort, rippling with irregular yet brilliant iridescence.

Unlike the previous repulsion, this radiance was far more overbearing. The shadows lurking in the dark had no time to retreat before they were swept into the light, ground down into dust-like particles.

A gust of evening wind blew, scattering the dust until no trace remained.

"Good work, Kirlia."

Akesato opened his arms to the strange girl as she descended slowly. She leaped lightly into his embrace, her "Kirl-Kirl" chirps carrying a hint of coquettishness.

Akesato first lifted her high, then pressed his forehead against hers. He stared unblinkingly with clear, dark eyes at this wondrous existence who had always been by his side, and whispered.

"This is the last time I'll call you that. The next time I speak your name, it will be a different one."

With that, the boy closed his eyes. In the darkness, a familiar status panel leaped before his eyes. The number 29, which had lingered for so long, ticked upward to 30.

Level 30. Finally. Come on, I can't wait to see the brand-new you.

"Kirl!"

Like an elegant ballerina, Kirlia spun out of Akesato's arms, lifted her skirt with both hands, and performed a curtsy.

In the next instant, pure white light once again enveloped her petite body.

When the light dispersed, the girl was a girl no longer.

Her height had grown from 80 centimeters to 160, and her limbs had become even more slender.

The color scheme of her hair, dress, and ornaments remained unchanged, yet they were arranged with a more mature air.

If Kirlia had been a young girl, she was now a grown noble lady.

The lady maintained her noble posture, greeting him with a more mature tone and pronunciation.

"Gard~"

Akesato's posture remained unchanged, but the excitement on his face could not be hidden.

Eight years. A full eight years. He had finally waited for this moment.

A perennial top-tier favorite in Pokémon popularity polls, the number one "Pokémon wife," the subject of countless fan works, and an inductee into the "humans shouldn't, at least they shouldn't" series.

Beautiful, obedient, powerful... she filled the void between Pokémon and Digimon single-handedly.

Careless as he was, the curve of his lips became uncontrollable again.

Fortunately, he saw Gardevoir's puzzled side-profile and her half-step retreat, forcing himself to compose his expression.

Whether it was Gardevoir, Kirlia, or even Ralts in her previous stage, they were all unusually sensitive to emotions. They loved sunny, positive feelings and loathed negative, dark ones.

Akesato did not want his own unconscious thoughts to affect Gardevoir.

"Congratulations, Gardevoir."

"Gard~"

This sentence seemed to flip a strange switch; Gardevoir lunged forward with practiced ease.

However, with her adult height, she no longer needed Akesato to lift her to be at eye level. She simply stood on her tiptoes, and they pressed their foreheads together.

That wasn't all. After expressing her affection for a moment, Gardevoir exerted strength with her hands and actually lifted Akesato up.

"Hey, hey, I'm not really used to this."

At first, Akesato wanted to refuse, but catching the joyful expression on Gardevoir's face, he let her have her way.

"As long as you're happy. It used to be you sitting on my shoulders, then later I'd carry you in my arms or on my back; now it's your turn to lift me, and that's just fine."

Hearing Akesato say this, Gardevoir became even more delighted, trying out everything Akesato had done for her in the past in reverse.

Sitting on his shoulders during her childhood as a Ralts.

The high-lifts, bridal carries, and piggyback rides from her time as a Kirlia.

Even though Akesato was sixteen this year and his height had long since surpassed 170 centimeters, it didn't look the least bit out of place when Gardevoir did it.

This was because Gardevoir had another nickname: the "Psychic Queen." She possessed Psychic Power, and with just her telekinesis, she could twist and crush enemies at will; lifting a person was effortless for her.

At the end of their play, Gardevoir kept both herself and Akesato in a floating state, asking with a soft rustling sound.

"Sure, let's go home."

Akesato stretched his arms wide. Although his posture was languid, Gardevoir, who had lived with him for eight years, could sense the high spirits hidden beneath that laziness.

She had only seen this side of Akesato twice.

Once was when she was first born, when he jumped up and down, shouting, "After so long, I've finally hit the jackpot," and "Ralts, Kirlia, Gardevoir are the best!"

And now, this moment—where no words were spoken, yet it meant more than any expression could.

Though she didn't quite understand why her master was so happy, Gardevoir didn't mind.

If her master was happy, she was happy; she was, after all, the most loyal Pokémon.

With a gentle pull of her hands and the aid of her telekinesis, the boy and the girl headed together in the direction of home.

In the past, it was Akesato who brought her home when she was small; now that she had grown up, she could do many things she once couldn't.

Their home wasn't anything extraordinary—just an ordinary bungalow with a gravel path in front and some flowers planted on either side.

They weren't expensive plants, but they were well-tended, giving the plain little home a unique charm.

Because they had flown back, Akesato and Gardevoir didn't use the front door, drifting directly into their room.

With Gardevoir's Psychic Power, even if the window was locked from the inside, opening it wasn't difficult, and it left no trace behind.

As his feet touched the ground again, Akesato poked Gardevoir on the forehead. "It's getting late, let's get some sleep. We'll find a chance to come clean to Mother tomorrow."

Before his words had even faded, the door across from the window was pushed open, accompanied by a voice:

"No need for that. Whatever you want to say, you can say it right now."