The moment the time jump ended, a platinum light burst forth and quickly faded into calm. Like drifting through a soap bubble wall separatin
The moment the time jump ended, a platinum light burst forth and quickly faded into calm.
Like drifting through a soap bubble wall separating worlds, Paul passed through chaos and floated back toward the distance.
When Paul opened his eyes again, he found himself near Vermilion City, right where he had been before crossing dimensions.
The Poké Ball containing his Crystal Onix immediately began to twist and shimmer, vanishing in a pulse of energy. It had been auto-transferred to a distant breeding facility.
However, the Hisuian Poké Ball holding Mewtwo remained securely in Paul's pocket.
After all, the ancient setting of Hisui lacked teleportation technology, and those Poké Balls had no system protocols to limit the number carried. Even if one were to carry a hundred Hisuian Poké Balls, they wouldn't be auto-transferred.
But Paul wasn't thinking about Mewtwo right now. His mind was consumed with worry for the team that had been injured in the battle against it.
Many of his Pokémon had sustained serious injuries in the fight to capture Mewtwo. Main among them was Electivire. Though it hadn't been hit more than twice, the damage it took was terrifyingly severe.
One punch from Mewtwo's Double-Edge almost killed it outright. Right now, Electivire was only clinging to life thanks to the Poké Ball's life-locking mechanism.
That was why Paul didn't dare send it out for treatment himself. The moment he returned to the main world, he bolted straight to the nearest Pokémon Center in Vermilion City.
Once there, he handed Electivire's Poké Ball directly to Nurse Joy, asking her to focus solely on its treatment.
Nurse Joy first tried using the healing machine meant for minor injuries and stamina restoration, but it became immediately clear that Electivire was in far too critical a condition. She grabbed the Poké Ball, called for Chansey, and rushed into the operating room.
With Chansey's Egg Move used to stabilize Electivire and restore a bit of its stamina, they immediately began emergency surgery.
Paul stood in silence outside the operating room, gazing up at the light that had not dimmed once since surgery began. Eventually, he turned and walked toward the rear garden of the Pokémon Center. There, he released the rest of his team and began treating them one by one with berries and healing items.
Once Torterra had recovered its composure, things became much easier. A few uses of Forest Healing had most of the remaining Pokémon in stable condition. The rest just needed time to rest.
Checking the clock, Paul noted that only about three days had passed since he left this world. The difference in time flow between dimensions was uncertain, especially since he had just come from the anime universe.
"You two should return to the Daycare center to rest."
Looking toward the worn-out Ninetales slumped on Torterra's back and the loyal Samurott standing guard beside it, Paul gave the order.
"Wooo..." Ninetales let out a weak cry. Its battle against Mewtwo had left some minor mental damage. A couple of days' rest would do it good.
"Chaah~" Samurott had no objections either. It had gained a lot from this experience and just needed time to internalize it. The location didn't really matter.
At the Daycare center, Reggie's Pokémon and Ninetales would be more than enough for sparring.
"Return."
With a nod, Paul recalled both of them and contacted Reggie by phone. He made no mention of Electivire's condition.
After a few brief words, they exchanged Samurott and Ninetales for Ursaluna and Aggron.
"Go rest. Stay here and try to assist Electivire from afar if you can."
After recalling Drapion and Garchomp into their Poké Balls, Paul patted Torterra on the head and returned to wait by the operating room.
"Raaa..."
Torterra watched Paul's figure disappear into the building, then turned to face the Pokémon Center, eyes focused and unblinking.
As a careful and intuitive Pokémon, Torterra could sense that Paul was not in his usual state. Combined with Electivire's absence, it could guess that Electivire had been critically injured and was undergoing emergency treatment.
Mewtwo had fought ruthlessly. Even though Torterra had recovered significantly, it still felt dizzy, like it had a lingering concussion.
If Torterra was still feeling that way, how badly hurt was Electivire?
With a silent prayer for Electivire, Torterra found a hidden spot near the Center, rooted itself into the earth, and began to absorb natural energy to restore its strength.
At the same time, it focused on sensing Electivire's presence within the Center, trying to channel the life energy it absorbed to help it from afar.
Outside the operating room, Paul leaned against the wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable, and eyes fixed on the door.
"I'm sorry... I hit too hard..."
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Battle and training always come with risks. Going all out is a form of respect for your opponent. This isn't your fault."
Paul glanced at his pocket and used his psychic connection to respond to Mewtwo, then added:
"If you truly want to help Electivire, study your Aura powers. Try to learn Heal Pulse and use it to aid in its recovery."
"Heal... Pulse?"
Mewtwo was confused. It learned quickly, but it was still a newborn lacking basic knowledge. Unlike force-based moves like Aura Sphere or Shadow Ball, Heal Pulse was on a different level.
"Rotom. Establish a mental link with Mewtwo. Send it the data on Heal Pulse."
Paul called out telepathically to the Rotom Phone in his pocket.
As a dimension traveler, Paul didn't use Pokémon abilities in conventional ways. Psychic-type Pokémon could use mental links for deep communication, paired with telepathy and projection for far more efficient learning.
"Got it, Rotom~"
With a cheerful reply, Rotom began transmitting information on Heal Pulse into Mewtwo's mind.
The atmosphere quieted once more. Five minutes later, Mewtwo's voice returned to Paul's thoughts, followed by a unique wave of energy emanating from within the Poké Ball, drifting into the operating room.
At the same time, faint green light seemed to come from nowhere, converging on Electivire's location.
It was Torterra's Forest Healing, cast at full range!
"Only restore strength and energy. Don't seal the wounds."
Paul instructed via telepathy.
Nurse Joy was still operating. It would be a disaster if the healing sealed a wound mid-surgery. These moves were meant to stabilize Electivire's vitals and improve the chances of a successful operation.
Time passed slowly. Inside, Nurse Joy paused in surprise at the strange light and pulse of energy, but then redoubled her efforts.
Eventually, with a soft click, the operating room door opened. Nurse Joy stepped out, pulling off her mask, visibly exhausted.
"The surgery was a success. Electivire is out of danger. However, the damage to its spine is severe. It will take at least six months to regain basic mobility, and a year before it might battle again. There's still a chance of permanent impairment."
Normally, Nurse Joy would have given Paul an earful. But she was too tired now, so she just muttered and let it go.
"Thank you... so much."
Paul didn't argue. He bowed deeply.
"You... Forget it. Electivire is in intensive care now. You can visit in a bit."
Seeing Paul's bow, Joy swallowed her rebuke, waved him off, and left to rest.
"Hah..."
Paul walked to a nearby ICU window and looked in at the sleeping, stabilized Electivire.
The tension finally left his body, and his furrowed brow eased ever so slightly.
No matter what happened, Electivire was the very first Pokémon Paul had ever chosen in this world. His most important partner. A bond that was irreplaceable, period.
As for what Nurse Joy had said about a long recovery period, that wasn't much of a concern.
After all, between Mewtwo's Heal Pulse and Torterra's wide-range Forest's Healing, there were already multiple ways to accelerate Electivire's recovery.
Not to mention—what about that mythical Pokémon Mew constantly on Mewtwo's mind, rumored to reside at the Tree of Beginning?
If Mew transformed into Xerneas, the Life Pokémon, and channeled its purest restorative power, bringing Electivire back to peak condition would be nothing more than a matter of time.
Even without Mew's help, Paul knew of a special location—a sacred spring where the waters were said to hold miraculous healing properties. There was a good chance Electivire could be completely healed there.
As it happened, that destination was precisely where Paul intended to go next.
But he wasn't in a rush. For now, he stayed at the Pokémon Center with his team, letting Mewtwo and Torterra aid in the recovery process.
...
By dawn the next day, Electivire finally woke up.
"Vireee~..."
Its eyes opened slowly, hazy and dazed as it stared blankly up at the ceiling. A strange weakness pulsed through its body, and a dull ache throbbed from its lower back as if someone had ripped its spine out.
Just as Electivire tried to sit up, a hand gently pressed its head down, preventing it from moving.
"Your spine's badly injured. Just rest for today, don't move around."
Paul entered Electivire's blurry field of vision, his expression was strict and serious.
He'd seen the X-rays, Mewtwo's Psystrike-enhanced Counter had nearly shattered Electivire's entire spine column with one hit.
It was a miracle the big guy was still alive at all. If not for Electivire's naturally tough build, Paul might already be on his way to the Tree of Beginning, carrying a lifeless husk and praying Mew could turn into Ho-Oh and bring it back...
"Viree..."
Electivire didn't protest. It obediently lay back on the bed, but its mind drifted back to the battle that had brought it here.
It remembered vaguely charging at the mysterious Pokémon named Mewtwo with a Giga Impact brimming with crackling thunder... only for Mewtwo to take the hit without even flinching.
Then came the counterattack, a single devastating punch and everything went black.
"Viree?"
Snapping out of the memory, Electivire looked to Paul urgently, eyes filled with worry.
Had I won? Or had all my effort been in vain?
"You lost. So what do you think happened to the others?"
Paul folded his arms and looked away, his voice now dark and unreadable.
"..."
Electivire's face fell. Deep inside, it had already suspected the answer.
"I see… so we really lost."
"Have some faith in your teammates."
As he spoke, Paul reached into his pocket and took out a Poké Ball—one of the Hisui-style balls.
He opened it, but no Pokémon came out.
"...?"
Electivire blinked in confusion. If they hadn't caught Mewtwo, then what was the point of showing it an empty ball?
Before it could figure it out, a series of familiar voices echoed from outside the room.
"Gaaar!"
"Raaa~!"
"Aggrr!"
"Draah!"
The Pokémon outside, Torterra and the others had heard the commotion. They crowded around the window, peering in one after another, joyful smiles on their faces.
"Vireee~!"
Seeing their warm honest smiles, Electivire couldn't help but grin back.
"Look this way."
Paul patted Electivire's head again, then nodded toward the opposite corner of the room.
As the light shifted, a tall humanoid figure slowly emerged from invisibility—Mewtwo.
"My apologies. I went too far."
Mewtwo bowed his head slightly.
When it came to humans, Mewtwo's views were complicated. But toward other Pokémon especially Paul's own, he showed a softer side.
He respected Electivire both as a fellow of Paul's team and as a worthy combatant. In fact, Mewtwo suspected that if Electivire had been born with equal power to his own, their fight might have ended very differently.
"Viree~"
Electivire's grin immediately vanished.
Getting defeated was already hard enough to stomach. Now his opponent was standing right in front of him, apologizing for going too hard?
That was worse than being beaten, it felt like an insult to his pride.
Victory and defeat were just part of battle. Life and death? The same.
No need to apologize. What did Mewtwo think he was, a wimp?
"..."
Mewtwo was dumbfounded. Never in his life had he encountered a Pokémon with such a bizarre mental circuit. He glanced sideways at Paul, silently asking for help.
"It forgives you." Paul said flatly. "And it expects you not to hold back next time either. Go all-out."
That was just how Electivire was. When it lost, it never blamed the opponent. It only thought, I wasn't good enough.
Most Pokémon with that kind of mindset tended to be cold, stoic types—silent, and brooding warriors.
But Electivire? A total dimwit.
Always cheerful. Always grinning. Aside from picking fights and bullying his teammates for fun, he acted like a happy-go-lucky idiot.
Which was why Paul wasn't somehow worried about his mental state.
No matter how badly he was beaten, he'd bounce back in a few days, just like always.
(End of Chapter)
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