A Choice at the Boundary

"Is it that good, Ruri?"

Yue Jifei was surprised. She knew just how picky her Espurr was.

"Meow-pa!"

Espurr nodded, then went on eating.

Dian nodded as he watched Espurr. He had looked up information on the species before and noticed something most Pokéblock recipes for Espurr had in common: they contained ingredients that stimulated psychic power.

That did not mean there was anything wrong with those Pokéblocks. Quite the opposite. Eating them over the long term would certainly benefit Espurr by helping its psychic power grow.

But Espurr already had trouble controlling its psychic power. That was why it often covered its ears, trying to keep that power from running wild.

Still, could covering its ears really be enough to prevent its psychic power from leaking out?

Dian thought it was more likely a psychological restraint—or, to put it simply, a form of self-suggestion.

Covering its ears could be seen as a signal, an act of resistance.

Some Psychic-type Pokémon had telepathic abilities, though that did not necessarily mean they could hold entire conversations mind to mind.

Pokémon capable of that were exceptional. Most could only vaguely sense emotions, or communicate feelings through the heart in a way similar to a Capture Styler.

For Espurr, though, failing to control that ability perfectly could cause a kind of backlash.

Whether it wanted to or not, emotions and voices from the outside world might pour endlessly into its ears.

So Espurr covered its ears to stop its psychic power from leaking out and protect itself. Its habit might be more complicated than Nishinomori V's broad description in the Pokédex suggested.

Of course, that was only Dian's guess. He was not an Espurr, so he could hardly understand its actions completely.

One conclusion remained: for Espurr, powerful psychic abilities were not just