Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 299: -◙-Hidden-◙-

Ralts's situation was far too unusual, and the things it had gone through were too strange. There was no existing experience or precedent that could serve as a reference.

It could evolve freely, and during one of those evolutions, it had been forcibly infused with a completely different kind of energy: Dark Energy.

The key issue was that Dark Energy had a suppressive effect on one of the original energy types within Ralts's body, and so it had uniquely entrenched itself inside.

Locked in a constant internal battle, mutually suppressing and resisting each other, Ralts had no control over it, leaving her in constant torment.

Now, Ralts had made up her mind. Even if it cost her life, she wanted to obtain what she called freedom.

The next day, their planned departure was temporarily delayed. Sato specifically asked Nurse Joy to lend them an empty, fully sealed operating room.

Once he replenished his Dark Energy to full, Sato entered the operating room together with Ralts. The only one that followed was Gengar, who could phase through walls.

Last night, with Joseph's help, Sato had fully understood and familiarized himself with Ralts's plan.

After hearing everything, he was astonished; but he also faintly felt that there might be a chance it could succeed.

The role he had to play in the process wasn't an easy one either, but if it could bring about the expected result, it would all be worth it.

"Let's begin when you're ready." Sato sat down on a stool. Ralts stood on the medical bed. The two -Trainer and Pokémon- locked eyes and nodded at the same time.

Sato extended both hands and began releasing a large amount of Dark Energy, carefully condensing and guiding it to securely envelop Ralts.

Once the Dark Energy had formed a completely airtight shell around her, she looked just like a Pokémon Egg cloaked in black mist.

"It's ready!"

"Ralts~"

A slightly echoed voice came from within the Dark Energy. Then, dazzling white light began to emerge inside.

Ralts was evolving again!

Because of the Dark Energy surrounding her, only a faint glow of the evolution light could be seen from the outside.

The light grew stronger and stronger, and Sato intensified his Dark Energy output. At one moment, he suddenly felt a tiny portion of his energy being absorbed.

Step one: confirmed possible!

Wrapped in Dark Energy, for Ralts to evolve, she had no choice but to absorb external energy as a supplement.

Her innate Psychic power was more than enough to trigger evolution, multiple times even, so previously she had always drawn in Fairy-type energy during the process.

But now, there was only Dark Energy available outside. Take it or leave it!

"RALTS!"

A pained scream suddenly came from within the Dark Energy, but Sato's expression remained unchanged as he continued to channel energy.

Last night, the two of them had agreed: unless he heard a specific signal, the evolution must not be interrupted.

The screams became more and more agonizing, but the Dark Energy continued to be steadily absorbed.

Nearly three minutes passed like that.

Suddenly, the rate at which Ralts absorbed the Dark Energy surged. Sato immediately increased the transmission rate to maintain the integrity of the energy shell, making sure no other type of energy could slip in.

Not long after, Sato sensed the white light inside gradually fading... it seemed the evolution was complete.

He didn't dare stop the flow of Dark Energy until Ralts gave two calls in the pre-agreed rhythm. Only then did Sato slowly withdraw the energy.

As the Dark Energy dissipated, Sato finally saw what Ralts looked like after evolving. As expected, something had changed.

After evolving into Kirlia, fortunately, Ralts hadn't lost any limbs. Its overall appearance wasn't much different from a typical Kirlia.

Except, the part resembling a skirt had turned entirely black instead of white.

Sato could clearly see that Kirlia was rather displeased with this black-and-white outfit.

But as it sensed the faint traces of Fairy-type energy still lingering inside and the already deeply rooted Dark-type energy, Kirlia couldn't help feeling a bit excited.

Then came the inevitable fear and worry.

Evolution was supposed to be a refinement of one's life essence, something comfortable and enjoyable.

But the evolution just now had been excruciating. Kirlia had nearly passed out from the pain, and even thinking back on it made her body tremble.

Right now, the Fairy-type energy hadn't been completely eliminated. That meant there was still a chance it could return. Just as she had expected, the second evolution would be necessary.

"Kirlia!" After resting for a few minutes and regaining some strength, Kirlia nodded at Sato, signaling that she was ready to continue.

Sato didn't say anything more. He extended his hands again, unleashing a surge of Dark Energy that completely enveloped the Kirlia-sized Pokémon.

This time, Sato wrapped her even more tightly in the energy; he didn't want to risk running short of Dark Energy mid-process and being caught off guard.

"All set," Sato said, and Kirlia immediately began to glow with the light of evolution.

There was no hesitation this time. From the beginning, Kirlia absorbed Dark Energy at the same maximum rate as during the first evolution, and her speed kept increasing.

Sato was alarmed and quickly amplified the output. The transfer rate was so high that he could already feel a dull pain building in his hands.

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

He couldn't help but think: last night, he had vowed confidently that nothing could go wrong for him. Now, here he was, getting smacked by reality.

The Dark Energy was transferring so fast that even his own hands couldn't withstand it.

And the key problem was... Kirlia's absorption rate was still climbing. To avoid failing at the final step, he had to push himself even harder.

"This was seriously a loss..." Sato grit his teeth and muttered, but he didn't slow down his movements.

Since he had already agreed, he had to see it through. If you make a bold claim, you better be the one to back it up.

Besides, his hands were just mildly aching... for now. Inside that Dark Energy "sphere", Kirlia's screams were so harrowing they sent shivers down Sato's spine.

What kind of pain could drive a Pokémon to such madness? She was probably fainting from the agony, only to be jolted awake by even more.

As he poured Dark Energy into her, for the first time, Sato genuinely wished that Kirlia could be reborn from this.

Normally, evolution didn't take very long. But due to the special nature of this case, the entire process dragged on for a full ten minutes.

When the white light faded and the screams stopped, Sato waited for a long time but heard no voice or sound from Kirlia.

He waited a few more minutes, but his own Dark Energy reserves were nearly depleted, and finally, he had no choice but to withdraw the energy.

As the Dark Energy dissipated, Kirlia was gone. In her place stood a Gardevoir dressed in a pitch-black evening gown.

Using his Dark Energy to check, Sato could no longer sense even the slightest trace of Fairy-type energy inside Gardevoir.

Now, only the original Psychic energy remained... along with the familiar Dark-type energy that had been transformed by Sato's own Dark Energy.

However, the newly evolved Gardevoir had fallen unconscious. Whether there were any side effects... they would only find out once she woke up.

Chapter 299: The Black Gardevoir