Floette Evolves Once, and Nine Flowerpots Appear at the Door

The day after Floette evolved, nine flowerpots appeared outside the shop.

There were two pots each of red, white, and purple flowers, while the remaining three were all blue. The people who brought them ranged from Herb Garden apprentices to ordinary Soul Masters, and their reasons were much the same.

Some said that the blue flower had accompanied Flabébé for nine years and had accumulated enough good fortune for evolution.

Others said that after it had looked over three flowers in the Herb Garden, one had sprouted new leaves, one had straightened up, and the last had bloomed that very day. So long as their own flowers were allowed near it for a while, they would surely grow faster.

Others said nothing at all, merely setting their flowerpots by the door to wait.

When Xia Che opened the door, he nearly thought the Herb Garden had moved in.

"Whose are these?"

All nine people raised their hands at once.

"Take them away."

All nine hands dropped again.

Yue Guan approached from the street corner with a temporarily widened soft carrier slung over his shoulder. Floette sat inside, holding the blue flower that had been with it for life. Its body was much taller than before, yet the rim of the bag still only reached the middle of the blue flower.

When it saw the nine flowerpots at the entrance, it first lowered its head to check that its own blue flower was still there.

"They're all gifts for you," Yue Guan said.

Floette immediately shook its head.

The Herb Garden steward picked up the dark-blue medicinal flower in the middle. "This is the finest one in the garden this year, sent to celebrate your evolution. You can simply accept it. You don't need to replace your original flower."

Floette flew out of the carrier and stopped before him with its own flower in its arms. It looked at the dark-blue medicinal flower, then pushed its own blue flower slightly forward.

The two were similar in color, but their petal shapes, stem lengths, and scents were entirely different.

It pointed at its own flower, then toward the window.

"It already has a flower," Yue Guan said.

"It can raise one more pot."

Floette flew over to the pale-yellow wildflower by the window. There was already one pot there for daily care. With another nine pots added, there would not even be a place to set down the watering can.

Indeedee placed a wooden sign reading "Returned" in front of the dark-blue medicinal flower.

The steward had no choice but to carry it away.

The second person to enter was a young female Soul Master. She was not holding a flowerpot, but a Budew in her arms. The little one clutched her collar with its two vine-like forelimbs, its bud tightly closed.

"I heard Floette evolved yesterday," the female Soul Master said. "Could it touch Budew?"

"What would that accomplish?" Xia Che asked.

"So it can evolve too."

Budew looked up at her, then hid its face against her collar again.

Rotom drifted closer. "Budew usually evolves into Roselia during the day, once its bond with its companion is strong enough, Rotom. Another Pokémon's recent evolution will not transfer those conditions to it, Rotom."

"But we've been together for a year already."

"A year doesn't mean it's willing now," Xia Che said.

The female Soul Master lowered Budew. "Then they can get acquainted, right?"

Yue Guan did not agree on Floette's behalf.

Holding its blue flower, Floette moved half a step closer. Budew caught the flower's scent first, then slowly poked its face out from behind her collar. It did not glow, nor did the bud atop its head open. It merely stretched out one forelimb and touched the outermost petal of the blue flower.

Floette lowered its head to look, then gently touched it back.

The two Pokémon soon separated.

"Does that count as a success?" the female Soul Master asked.

"It counts as getting acquainted," Hu Liena said.

Budew nodded once in her arms.

The female Soul Master was not disappointed for long. She put away the ribbon she had prepared to celebrate its evolution and replaced it with a small packet of Berries for the afternoon.

"We'll continue as usual," she told Budew.

This time, Budew did not hide. It raised its forelimbs and hugged the Berry packet.

The remaining visitors' questions became more specific than the last.

Someone wanted Floette to sit inside their white flower for a quarter of an hour, to see whether it would turn blue. Someone wanted to borrow its blue flower overnight, while another had prepared three ribbons in different colors, believing that tying them on would increase the chance of evolution.

At the mention of borrowing its flower, Floette immediately wrapped both hands tightly around the stem.

"No borrowing," Yue Guan said.

"Only in the shop."

"Still no."

"What about touching it once?"

Floette flew behind him, revealing only half its face.

The smile on Yue Guan's face was nearly gone. Ghost promptly moved the "Returned" sign to the center of the table, saving Yue Guan the trouble of personally asking anyone to leave.

Bibi Dong arrived somewhat late today. She stepped over the water marks left by the nine flowerpots and saw the three ribbons for good luck still lying on the counter.

"Was yesterday's evolution record not clear enough?" she asked.

"It stated Level Nineteen, self-choice, natural evolution," Hu Liena said.

"Then let them read it."

A hall attendant hung the record plaque by the door. It contained only four lines: Flabébé reached Level Nineteen, the opportunity for evolution appeared naturally, it accepted it of its own will, and the blue flower had always been the original flower.

Xia Che added the final line: "No proxies."

A young man holding a white flowerpot read it twice. "Natural evolution... does that mean we should put our companions out in the wild?"

"Natural means no Evolution Stone is required," Rotom said.

"It accepted it itself. Can its companion agree for it first?"

"No," Yue Guan said.

"The blue flower has always been the original flower. Could I place my flower beside it and count it as half of the original flower?"

Floette poked its head out from behind Yue Guan and seriously shook it once.

The young man picked up his flowerpot. "Understood."

Someone beside him asked, "What did you understand?"

"All three are impossible."

He left quickly, sparing Xia Che the need to answer each question in turn.

Zorua looked over the plaque, then conjured nine empty flowerpots lined up beneath it. The illusion was even neater than real flowerpots, and after reading the sign, the visitors silently picked up their own pots.

Before noon, the entrance was finally empty.

Only then did the people who truly needed to come enter the shop.

Aunt Lin the tailor brought the soft carrier she had taken apart the previous night, ready to measure Floette again. She had not brought a new flower, only three types of broad cloth, two kinds of soft lining, and a roll of round-edged fasteners that would not snag petals.

"Which one shall we try first?" Aunt Lin asked.

Floette flew onto the table by itself. It touched the edges of the three broad cloths in turn with its flower stem. The first was too stiff, the second would leave fine fibers behind, and the third was soft and smooth without clinging to pollen.

It pushed the third one toward Aunt Lin.

"The only color is gray-blue."

Floette touched it again, indicating that the color was fine.

The gold-trimmed cloth Yue Guan had prepared was put back into the materials box by Floette.

Ghost said, "That's the third time today."

"What is?"

"Your gold trim didn't get used."

Aunt Lin measured Floette's width while it held its flower, then had it fly between two hanging panels of cloth. Floette went straight through first, and the blue flower brushed one side. It backed up and switched to the sideways posture it had practiced yesterday, passing through smoothly.

"Widen the opening by another inch, and add a soft strap inside to secure the flower stem," Aunt Lin said. "It should fasten the strap itself."

Floette tested the round-edged fastener. Only after confirming it could undo it with one hand did it nod.

The alterations would take half a day. The temporary carrier was left behind, while Aunt Lin took the old bag back to resew it.

That afternoon, Aunt Lin delivered the altered bag.

The new opening was an inch wider than before, and the inner soft strap was divided into upper and lower sections. Floette first placed the blue flower inside at an angle, fastened the lower round clasp itself, then had Yue Guan put the carrier over his shoulder.

Yue Guan walked around the front hall once. When he turned, the blue flower did not strike the edge of the bag, and Floette could fly out through the side opening on its own.

"What if the clasp gets stuck?" Hu Liena asked.

Aunt Lin had Floette get inside again, fastening only the lowest strap. Floette pulled the round ring from the inside, and the soft strap immediately loosened without trapping the flower stem.

The second time, she deliberately let Yue Guan's cloak cover the bag opening.

Floette did not force its way out. It tapped twice from inside, and Yue Guan stopped and lifted his cloak. The two tested the signal again, confirming that even amid the noise of the street, he could feel the faint tremor from the carrier.

The old flower-crown cushion had been sewn into a small inner pouch and was still placed beneath the base of the blue flower. Floette touched the familiar soft surface and contentedly settled the flower stem against it.

"You really don't want gold trim?" Yue Guan asked one last time.

Floette pointed at the new gray-blue edging around the opening, then at its blue flower.

There was already enough color.

Yue Guan could only save the gold thread for other clothes.

Indeedee wrote in the supply records that the carrier fitting was complete. Floette could go out at its usual time tomorrow, with no need to schedule another display for its new body.

After completing the retest, Floette returned to its resting mat. It did not touch the evolution plaque by the door, merely placing its blue flower on the raised stand, drinking water, and finishing the actual portion recorded yesterday.

Magby watched the entire process from another mat.

Yan asked it, "Do you want to sit by the door for a while too and pick up some good luck?"

Magby stared at him.

Yan shook his head himself. "No need."

Only then did it hand over its training wristband.

Today still followed the plan: two rounds on the soft posts, with a quarter-hour break in between. There were no temporary tasks, nor was there an extra step added just to reach Level Thirty.

After all nine flowerpots had left, only the original pale-yellow wildflower remained by the window.

Having rested enough, Floette flew over while holding its blue flower and loosened the soil in that pot once.

What it had done before evolving, it still chose to do itself after evolving.