Chapter 13: Liz's Care
"Hmm…."
Ryū, whose consciousness was hazy, moved his body uncomfortably.
"Kikō… you have to get better quickly."
Liz's voice sounded in his ear. Then, Ryū could feel the child putting something into his mouth. Ryū chewed instinctively, and based on the predominantly sweet and sour taste, he could tell it was an Oran Berry. The Oran Berry looks like a purple orange and has the same effect as a Leppa Berry; it restores 10 HP when eaten. It is a very common berry in the wild and is usually used by wild Pokémon to fill their stomachs.
"It's warm, what's going on?"
Ryū gradually opened his eyes. Then he realized he was being held by Liz and fed berries.
"Kikō! You're awake."
Liz smiled happily when she saw Ryū open his eyes. She had been quite worried during the two or three hours Ryū was unconscious. It wasn't that their relationship was that good; she had only known Ryū for less than a day, so how could their relationship be particularly good? She was just afraid that if Ryū, the boss, died, no one would be in charge, and the Magical Beasts under him would eat her.
"Pain."
Ryū tried to move but found that his whole body ached, and he could barely move. Although he had regained consciousness, his condition had not fully recovered. He didn't expect that Heracross to be quite strong, especially with the inherited move like Seismic Toss. Seismic Toss, combined with that exaggerated height and weight, dealt explosive damage. However, the results were also obvious. Defeating this Heracross across multiple levels provided Ryū with a large amount of experience, allowing him to level up by 2 levels, from level 27 to level 29. He also learned a move like Toxic Spikes.
Judging solely from the move effect in the game, a move like Toxic Spikes seems useless in the wild, but its actual effect is certainly more than that. Later, he could scatter Toxic Spikes around his territory. Those Pokémon who trespassed into their territory would fall into a poisoned state as long as they were not Poison or Steel types.
"Kikō, stay here obediently and don't move around. I'll go find you some herbs."
Seeing Ryū's pale face, Liz stood up and ran off. For children living in this Magical Beast era like her, learning about wild herbs is a required course for growing up, and even a princess of a tribe is no exception.
"…"
Ryū looked at the little girl who ran off by herself and quickly ordered the Kikō and Suzume beside him, "Protect her."
He really didn't know where this child got the guts to run around alone. Anyway, even he wouldn't go out and run around alone on a normal day. After all, if you're not careful, you could lose your life. The Pokémon of this era are called 'Magical Beasts' for a reason. These uneducated Pokémon in the wild don't know what it means to show mercy. To compete for survival resources, they can eliminate all their enemies, just like humans.
Although Kikō and Suzume are only level 22, which is only a mid-level standard in this area. However, if the two are together, there really aren't many Pokémon who dare to come up and provoke them. So, Liz returned with a few blades of grass in her hand less than half an hour after she ran out.
"What is it?"
Ryū looked at these ordinary blades of grass and didn't think they were any different from the wild grass seen everywhere nearby.
"Kikō, don't move around. It might hurt a little, so you have to bear with it."
Liz put the blades of grass into her mouth and chewed. After chewing a few times, Liz's face wrinkled up, indicating that the grass was very bitter. Then, she spit the mushy herbal medicine onto her hand and smeared it on Ryū's injured area.
"What are you doing? That's disgusting, take your hand away!"
Ryū's eyes widened. He watched as Liz's hand got closer and closer.
"Good boy~ Good boy~ It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt~"
Liz thought Ryū was afraid of pain. So she quickly used her other hand to stroke Ryū's head to comfort him. The herbal paste was smeared on Ryū's body. The next moment, Ryū felt immense pain, and his whole body trembled violently. Kikō and Suzume beside him thought Ryū was being attacked and were so anxious that they instantly intended to stab Liz to death.
"Stop!"
Ryū quickly shouted, while also looking at Liz with some exasperation. Didn't this little girl know how dangerous what she was doing was? It was only because he could understand what the little girl was saying. If it were a Pokémon who couldn't understand or couldn't listen because they were in too much pain, that one moment of intense pain would be enough reason for them to launch a fatal attack on Liz. By the time the Pokémon reacted, Liz might already be gone.
"How is it, Kikō? Do you feel much better?"
Liz's eyes lit up, completely unaware of what had just happened. She was just simply happy that Ryū was doing a little better now. Thinking of this, she quickly grabbed some more berries and fed them to Ryū.
"…"
Ryū glanced at Liz, then opened his mouth and obediently accepted the feeding. Humans' 'care' skills are indeed higher. After that, Ryū silently accepted Liz's care.
Three days passed without him realizing it. It is really quite difficult for wild Pokémon to recover from their injuries on their own. No wonder most wild Pokémon are unwilling to fight other Pokémon of equal strength. Once injured, it's almost impossible to recover in three to five days. If they are unlucky during these days, they will have to go hungry all the time. It might even increase their chances of being preyed upon by other Pokémon.
"Kikō~"
One morning, Ryū woke up to Liz's call. He sat up and looked at Liz beside him. The little girl who initially looked clean and cute was now covered in dirt, her face was covered in dust, and there was an indescribable smell on her body.
"What is it?"
"My stomach hurts… and I want to take a bath. My body is sticky and uncomfortable."
Liz covered her stomach with a wronged expression, looking extremely pitiful.
"…"
Ryū was momentarily in a daze. Only then did he remember that Liz was a human, and ultimately different from them, the Pokémon. Not taking a bath all day and eating berries, her body would sooner or later have problems.
'I have to send this child back….'
Ryū frowned and muttered silently in his heart. However, for now, he decided it would be better to take Liz to clean herself up first. So Ryū picked up Liz and carried her towards the lake, flying.
"Waa~ I'm flying~"
Liz looked down from mid-air and couldn't help but excitedly wave her arms and legs. She didn't worry about affecting Ryū's flying and accidentally falling together. Ryū didn't know whether to say Liz was carefree or simply trusted him. If it was the latter, then Liz was simply a natural trainer. This kind of blind trust is foolish in human society, but it is a powerful weapon when dealing with Pokémon. A powerful weapon that can greatly increase a Pokémon's affection.