This elf world is a bit strange

As my bare feet stepped into the bitingly cold water, a chill spread from the outside to the inside and from the inside to the outside, which could not be dispelled even by the bright afternoon sun.

"Come and try it, this is a rare experience. What's even better is that this is our alone time. Right, Dream Monster?"

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The dream demon, feeling indignant, hovered just below the waterfall and flew upward against the falling water.

The icy and freezing waterfall was rushing down with great force, as if there was some other energy or substance hidden in it. Even a dream demon could hardly resist it with its small and light body.

Even though its physical strength is far beyond that of its ordinary peers.

She fell again and again, and stood up again and again. Her fiery long hair was wet and cut into clumps, and the beads on her chest became increasingly dim.

Driven by the nameless anger in its heart, its eyes were still bright, but its companions were worried.

......

......

Big Mouth Baby, Crustacean and Emperor Nabo stand side by side under the waterfall, withstanding the erosion of the water with their tough bodies.

The endless stream of water was like a forging hammer, using the pool of water beneath its feet as a base, hammering at the bodies of several Pokémon like it was hammering pig iron.

The power of nature is vast and boundless. After thousands of trials and tribulations, it searches for and transforms the almost flawless bodies of Emperor Naboo, works on the smallest details, and tempers their wills through endless and long-lasting training.

This is a process of eliminating the dross and retaining the essence.

Over time, the wind fairy who was swimming not far away also became interested. He trotted over, dragging the cotton that had become very heavy after being soaked in water, gritted his teeth, and joined the training of his three companions.

However, compared to the Emperor Nabokov and others who were still able to handle the situation with ease, it did not have a strong physical strength and was already burdened, so it seemed to be struggling. From time to time, it would lose its balance and fall into the surging water, feeling cold and painful.

......

......

"Jera~"

With shining eyes, Heart Scale stared at Firion, and occasionally glanced at everyone who was exercising under the waterfall.

It had tried to get closer several times, but was blocked by the gentle super power of the Sun Eevee.

For it now, this burden is still a bit too heavy.

But seeing the expectant eyes of the little guy, Firion couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted. Looking at the Solebrin running at high speed in the pool, he nodded slightly: "Then go over there, Solebrin, go and help it too. By the way..."

"Buyi~!"

Before he could finish his words, the Sun Eevee nodded in understanding.

"Jera! Jera!"

Xinlinbao ran all the way as if he had been pardoned, almost fell into the water, and even choked on the water.

But this did not affect its bright mood at all.

With a leap, the ambitious little dinosaur jumped to the side of Emperor Nabo, closed his eyes, and welcomed the baptism of the waterfall.

A weak waveguide barrier stretched across its head, but it did not notice that, further up, there was an imperceptible superpower shield that reduced the impact.

On the other side, the already miserable wind fairy received similar treatment. With a slight flick of its slender tail, the falling water was split into two, leaving only a level that was just suitable for the wind fairy's body speed.

Although the power of nature is difficult to directly confront with flesh and blood, there are ways to utilize and rewrite it, which is also the key to why intelligent life is special.

After doing all this, Sun Ibrahimovic continued running as if nothing had happened.

Unlike other companions, Sun Eevee does not pursue an overly strong physique. As early as the last battle with Caidou, it realized its true strengths and weaknesses.

It is not a head-on confrontation with the opponent, exposing its body, which is much more fragile than many Pokémon no matter how much training it has, to a powerful attack. Instead, it makes full use of its own wisdom and agility, looking for opportunities while moving nimbly and dodging, and playing to its strengths and avoiding its weaknesses.

To this end, lower body strength must be a top priority in training.

"Wow---"

The sounds of flowing water were almost continuous, and the splashing water would sometimes even float in front of Firio's eyes. The lavender afterimage shuttled through the cold pool of water, competing with the turbulent current rolling downstream.

......

......

Firio sat quietly on the shore, feeling the sharp or soft touch of the underwater rocks under his feet, and looked at his companions who had already taken action not far away.

Even though it was heartbreaking to see the Dream Demon falling again and again, he had no intention of saying anything to stop it.

Having walked together all the way, the emotions between him and the dream demon have long been closely connected, and no one knows the character of his partner better than him.

Sometimes lively, sometimes willful, sometimes jumpy, and sometimes resolute, it is quirky but also considerate and mature. There is no doubt that it has always been the backbone in the eyes of other partners, even with Emperor Nabo, who is the best at taking care of people.

But beneath this ever-changing appearance, its heart is still soft and sensitive, and it houses a gentle little girl.

When seeing a tear-jerking scene, the surging love and compassion will turn into a kind of obsession and strength, and it will not be over until it is completely released.

There is no doubt that the wild Pokémon with mediocre talents but bravely fought won its respect, and their ultimate failure also aroused a certain injustice and unwillingness in its heart, as if it wanted to shout for its self long ago. It stood up and fought against the creations of nature with its frail body.

Using the finite against the infinite is like Don Quixote's charge against the windmills. All you get is nothingness and a naive, retrograde little spark.

Today, this tiny spark still burns stubbornly in the cold water, and even though it has begun to flicker, it is still as bright as before.

......

......

"thump"

Once again, for the umpteenth time, he fell and hit the bottom of the pool.

Coughing violently, the dream demon struggled to the surface of the water and spat out the water he had just choked on.

The icy water soaked through her petite and frail-looking body, taking away her remaining calories and energy.

Amidst fatigue and inexplicable grievance, a pair of large hands reached into the water, picked up the dream monster, and held it to the chest.

The clothes on my chest were completely wet and stuck to my body, feeling uncomfortable.

"Madge!"

"You are very tired, right? It's time to rest."

Putting his head on the other's, feeling the wet and cold little head, Firion whispered while using his body temperature to warm the dream demon.

The companions also gathered around one after another and cast concerned glances at the dream demon, although they did not quite understand why the dream demon had such a strong reaction to what happened today.

The Solevil raised its tail high and gently touched the Incubus' back.

Having also come out of powerlessness and helplessness, it can better understand the dream demon's feelings at the moment, but it can only understand, not empathize.

"You all should go and do your own things. The Dream Demon and I will be alone for a while."

After sending away his worried but helpless companions one by one, Firio picked up the dream demon and wrapped it tightly in the large bath towel he had prepared, leaving only its little face exposed.

In the waist-deep water, Firion walked towards the shore, one foot deep and one foot shallow, and then further away, until he reached the steep slope that even the wild Pokémon failed to climb.

"Maggie..."

The little face was wrinkled, the dream demon's expression was very frustrated, and his voice was weak, showing both fatigue and sadness.

He carefully wiped his wet body with a large towel, rubbing it gently from time to time to raise the temperature of his body surface.

Firion's words were a bit bleak: "There are always some things that you can't do even if you try hard. This is true for Magikarp and others, you too, and us all."

Looking down the steep slope, the dense queue that had formed when we came up had disappeared. The wild Pokémon that had failed the challenge could only lick their wounds in silence, waiting for the next opportunity that might never come.

"Madge!"

The dream demon, who never admits defeat, suddenly stood up and looked towards the waterfall fiercely, gritting his teeth but unable to do anything.

Seeing it like this, Firion seemed to have returned to nearly two years ago.

At that time, the weak Dream Demon was defeated over and over again. He had the same expression after each failure, and then he trained even harder, until his former opponents turned into vulnerable defeated opponents one by one.

Thinking of this, a sense of intimacy and joy arises spontaneously.

"Success is certainly a good thing, but failure is also a treasure. Only those who have surpassed their failures are true heroes. Maybe one day, the big Magikarp will come here again. Then it will be greeted by new challenges beyond its imagination. It sounds cruel, but also quite romantic, right?"

The soft tone seemed to harken back to those long days when he and the Dream Demon were alone together, and it was soaked with precious memories.

The dream demon nodded thoughtfully, crawled out of the bath towel, and fell on Firion's wet chest again. Although it was a little chilly, it made it feel particularly warm.

Ever since the little Eevee and the others joined the family, I have fewer opportunities to be alone and act like a spoiled brat like today. It's partly because I can't save my face, but also because I'm shy as I've grown up.

"However, the fact that you get angry and sad about something like this shows that you still have the same love and fighting spirit as before. This makes me very happy. This is what I like most about Little Dream Demon. After all, we are just like that Magikarp, surpassing ourselves time and time again to get to where we are today."

"Machi~!"

After finding a comfortable position to lean back, the spoiled and cute little guy who used to pounce on Firio's face and act coquettishly every day appeared again.

Everything is changing.

Increasingly powerful strength, increasingly mature mind, and heavy responsibilities.

But nothing has changed.

Tangled together by countless threads of emotion, a tight connection that can't be separated no matter what.

Absolute trust and tacit understanding of being one and the same.

And the same ideals as before.

Partners who have been together all the way from ordinary and obscure are always the most special existence to each other.

"Actually, you're not only sad about Magikarp and the others' failure, right?" Firion stroked the still damp but gradually warming body of the Dream Demon, and revealed its true thoughts, "You're also sad about your own pressure, the pressure of being chased by King Nabo and Sol Eevee, as well as everyone else who is growing up."

"Maggie..."

Being alone, the dream demon no longer concealed his hidden thoughts and nodded frankly, showing a bit of loneliness.

It has always been the one that works the hardest. Even Kog'Maw, Nabob the Emperor, or the Kabutops that joined the team later, are not as hardworking as it is in training.

But watching them make rapid progress one by one, the invisible pressure turned into shackles that locked its heart tightly.

It has a strong personality and always wants to be the strongest one. Although it cannot be seen on weekdays, this little bump always exists.

"When you saw Magikarp's failure, it was like you saw your own failure. Otherwise, you wouldn't want to help them. You understood such a simple truth a long time ago, and I never even had to teach you."

The superpower turned into a faint light of light green, simulating the prototype of the seemingly real [Power of Evergreen], calming the Dream Demon's turbulent mood. After years of getting along, Firion knew every little expression of its, and just by seeing the little mouth curl, he knew that he had hit the nail on the head.

"Ma...chi..."

Choking with sobs, the emotions accumulated over the past few days turned into tears, which then fell down like a flood that broke through a dam.

"It's good to cry a little, it's no big deal." The warmth in his chest gradually spread, and Firio's hand gently patted the dream demon's back, just like when they first met, gently soothing her, "Pretending to be mature is not your style. I like the little dream demon who dares to love and hate the most, it was like this before, it is like this now, and it will be like this in the future. But I always believe that my dream demon will be the strongest, so don't hide anything, tell me everything, okay?"

The faint sobbing sounds gradually grew louder, allowing all the accumulated emotions to be released.

The past few months have been full of ups and downs, wins and losses, growth, dangers, opportunities, joys and sorrows, but I no longer have the opportunity to talk smoothly like when I first met, and I can only hide it in my heart, and it keeps accumulating more and more.

All in all, although it is now the irreplaceable core of the team, not long ago, it was just a little guy who had just emerged from fear and psychological shadow and was completely dependent on Firion.

Tears filled with bitterness and sorrow fell on Firion's chest, shattering the nightmare's disguise, which was already gradually becoming fragile.

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After a long time, one person talked and the other listened, and all the grievances in their hearts were poured out.

The heavy burden that weighed on the dream demon's heart was finally relieved.

The dream demon, who finally relaxed, lay quietly in Firion's arms, her cheeks slightly flushed. She felt shy but also enjoyed the quiet and comfort of the moment.

"Quick! Quick!..."

Faintly, a faint yet familiar voice sounded again.

Firion and the Incubus' eyes widened at the same time.

At the end of the distant sight, a hint of orange-red appeared.

The Magikarp, who had just returned empty-handed, actually launched another challenge.

"whoosh"

The dream demon's silhouette drew a long, narrow black line in the air and flew straight into the distance.

"Maggie! Madge!——"

With a mixture of joy and surprise, the little dream demon, which had already rushed far away, called out loudly to Firio who had just stood up.

Firio hurriedly put on his shoes and socks and strode forward. The joy and shock in his heart were no less than that of the excited dream demon.

The story of the fish leaping over the dragon gate is never simple, but it is precisely because of its complexity that the challenge process adds a bit of legendary color.