As Gardevoir vanished, Li Yuan had to face the reality of the situation.
Gardevoir were empathic Pokémon; they could read human hearts. Subduing one—especially a mother who had been traumatized by humans—wasn't a matter of simple Poké Balls. If she didn't love him, he couldn't keep her. She could Teleport away at any moment, and a Pokémon in a ball was just a paperweight if she refused to come out.
"Meow~ (Looks like she doesn't like you. Your little scheme failed~)" Huanhuan chirped, sounding suspiciously happy. She wasn't keen on bringing a beautiful Shiny Gardevoir into the house to compete for her master's "congee" at night. She wasn't interested in sharing.
"Relax. You think I gave the baby back for free? It's all part of the plan," Li Yuan said, a smug grin returning to his face.
He had expected this reaction. An adult Pokémon wouldn't just fall in love with a rescuer overnight. That was why he had staged the "Teleport race" earlier—to gauge her range and speed.
And while the Ralts was in his arms, he had done more than just hold her. He had used his Aura to leave a permanent "tracking mark" on the little one. No matter how far they Teleported, they were like a beacon on his radar. He was going to play the long game. He'd follow them, protect them from the shadows, and slowly win over the mother by being the "mysterious protector."
"Meow~ (You really are a devious one,)" Huanhuan sighed. She realized her master was a persistent pervert. She'd just have to accept the inevitable "green" future.
"Come on, keep up the Teleport. If we get too far, the mark will fade." Li Yuan pulled Huanhuan into his arms.
Huanhuan pouted but complied. She followed the signal, keeping a safe distance so Gardevoir wouldn't sense them. They trailed the pair until the psychic mother found a suitable new nesting ground deep in a cavern.
Li Yuan set up camp nearby. He didn't approach. He knew Gardevoir's guard was still up; showing up now would only terrify her. He was prepared for a war of attrition.
"By the way, there was one more ball in that guy's bag. What's in here?" Li Yuan pulled out a large tent from his system storage and handed it to a complaining Huanhuan to set up. He then sat down to inspect his extra loot.
The three Houndooms and the Desert Eagles were great, but there was a fourth ball that didn't belong to the Gardevoir pair. Curious, he pressed the button.
A blue, bipedal bird materialized. It didn't even wake up; it just rolled onto its side and continued to snore loudly.
"Piplup, wake up. Dinner's ready~," Li Yuan called out softly.
"Piplup? (Food? Where's the food? Give it to me!)" The Piplup's eyes snapped open at the mention of a meal. It scrambled to its feet, looking around frantically.
Li Yuan pushed a bowl of high-grade Water-type Energy Cubes toward it. The penguin Pokémon didn't even look at him; it lunged at the food, stuffing its face and let out happy chirps of "Piplup! Piplup!"
After it had filled its belly halfway, the Piplup finally paused. It realized the voice feeding it was male.
Wait... my trainer isn't a boy. Did she get a sex change?
The Piplup froze. A cold sweat broke out on its brow. It remembered now—this morning, while it was out with its trainer, a group of scary men had ambushed them and snatched it away.
Does that mean the person feeding me is one of the bad guys?!
"Pi... Piplup? (B-bad man?)" the bird stammered, trembling.
"Do I look like a bad man?" Li Yuan asked, amused. This was the most "derp-cute" Pokémon he had ever seen. "The guys who took you are dead. Do you have a trainer?"
"Piplup! Piplup! (Yes! Yes! Kind human, can you take me back to my trainer? she must be worried sick!)" The Piplup began to beg, its tiny flippers waving frantically. It was a starter Pokémon—its loss would be a devastating blow to its owner.
"I can take you back, but not right now. I have business here. I'll take you home when I'm done, okay?" Li Yuan patted its round head. He didn't mind helping; a stolen starter was a serious tragedy.
"Piplup! (Can you hurry? I'm afraid she'll do something drastic if I'm gone too long!)"
"Do you know her phone number? I can call her and let her know you're safe."
"Piplup... (Uh... that's asking a lot of a penguin. I don't use phones; how would I know a number?)" Piplup looked embarrassed.
"How am I supposed to find her then? Do you know anything useful?"
"Piplup? (I know her name!)"
"Well, that's a start."
"Piplup! (Her name is Platinum! She tells me I'm the best all the time!)" The Piplup puffed out its chest with pride.
"Platinum? Wait..." Li Yuan's eyes widened.
"Piplup? (Yes, Platinum. Did I say it wrong?)"
Li Yuan felt a wave of realization hit him. Platinum—the true name of Dawn (Hikari) in the mangaverse. Cynthia had just visited him to talk about her "younger sister" who refused to evolve her Piplup.
Holy shit... you're the one!
He couldn't reach the girl, but he had Cynthia's personal number. He had been looking for an excuse to "flirt" with the Champion anyway.