"Ugh..."
Arthur groaned, his consciousness floating in a thick, painful fog. Every segment of his chitinous body felt like it had been through a trash compactor.
"Yellowie... you have to get better soon. Please don't die."
Liz's voice drifted into his ears, small and trembling. Then, he felt something cold and round pressed against his mouth. Arthur chewed instinctively. The burst of sweet and sour juice identified it immediately: an Oran Berry.
It was the most common "medicine" in the wild, restoring about 10 HP. To a wild Pokémon, it was the difference between life and death.
Wait... Yellowie?
Arthur slowly cracked his eyes open. He realized he was resting with his head in Liz's lap. The little girl was painstakingly peeling berries and feeding them to him one by one.
"Yellowie! You're awake!" Liz beamed, her eyes red-rimmed as if she'd been crying.
It had been about three hours since the double knockout. Liz hadn't just stayed because of a deep bond—they'd only known each other for a day—but because she was terrified.
If the "Boss" of this swarm died, she knew the other monsters would likely see her as a snack rather than a guest.
"Ouch..."
Arthur tried to shift his weight, but a sharp spike of pain shot through his thorax. He was still in the red. That Heracross had been a beast; the sheer physical scale of that Seismic Toss had dealt massive environmental damage.
However, the risk had paid off. Defeating a high-level giant like that had granted a massive XP dump. Arthur checked his internal clock.
Level Up! Lv. 27 → Lv. 29
New Move Learned: Toxic Spikes
In a game, Toxic Spikes was a niche tactical move. In the wild? It was a revolution. He could now lace the perimeter of his territory with hidden venomous barbs.
Any intruder that wasn't Poison or Steel-type would be poisoned the moment they stepped into his domain.
"Stay here, Yellowie. Don't move. I'm going to find some herbs," Liz said, standing up and dusting off her tunic.
As a child of the Dragon Tribe, identifying medicinal plants was a survival requirement, even for a princess.
"..."
Arthur watched her run off into the brush. He immediately signaled to Goldie and Bella: Follow her. Protect her.
He couldn't believe the guts on this kid. Even he wouldn't wander into unknown territory alone while half-dead.
This was the "Era of Magical Beasts" for a reason—the wild was uncarved, brutal, and hungry.
Goldie and Bella (both Level 22) were mid-tier for this area, but together, few things would dare challenge them.
Liz returned twenty minutes later, clutching a handful of unremarkable green stalks.
"Don't move, Yellowie. This might sting a bit, but you have to be brave," she whispered.
She put the herbs in her mouth and began to chew. Her face scrunched up—the plants were clearly bitter.
Once they were reduced to a green paste, she spat the mash into her hand and reached toward the cracks in Arthur's armor where the Heracross had bruised him.
"What are you doing? That's disgusting! Get that away from me!" Arthur buzzed, his eyes wide as the hand drew closer.
"Good boy... good boy... it's okay..." Liz cooed, using her other hand to stroke the top of his head.
The herbal paste hit his wounds.
For a second, Arthur felt a searing, white-hot agony. His entire body jerked in a violent spasm. Seeing their leader "attacked," Goldie and Bella instantly raised their stingers, ready to skewer the girl.
"Stop! Stand down!" Arthur barked in the swarm's tongue.
He looked at Liz, who was completely oblivious to how close she had just come to being turned into a pincushion. If he hadn't been able to understand her intent, any other Pokémon would have killed her out of pure reflex.
"See? Isn't that better?" Liz's eyes shone with pride.
Arthur sighed. The pain was receding, replaced by a cool, numbing sensation. The "human" skill tree for Medicine was surprisingly effective. He opened his mouth and accepted the next berry she offered.
Three days passed.
In the wild, recovering from a major injury without a Pokémon Center was a grueling process. Most wild Pokémon spent this time hiding and starving. But Arthur had a nurse.
One morning, Liz woke him up. The once-clean princess was now covered in forest grime. Her face was streaked with dirt, and she was starting to smell like the damp earth she slept on.
"Yellowie..." she whimpered, clutching her stomach. "My tummy hurts... and I want to wash. I feel all sticky and gross."
Arthur looked at her. It hit him then: Liz was a human. She couldn't survive on a diet of raw berries and forest floor dew forever. Her digestive system wasn't built for this, and the lack of hygiene was going to lead to infection or sickness.
I have to get her back to her people...
But first, she needed a bath. Arthur carefully picked her up in his arms and took to the sky, heading toward the lake.
"Whoa! I'm flying! Look at me!" Liz giggled, kicking her legs in the air.
She wasn't even worried about falling. Whether it was childish naivety or absolute trust, she was showing the qualities of a "natural-born trainer." That kind of blind faith was a powerful tool for bonding with Pokémon.
As they approached the water, Arthur scanned the shoreline. He needed a place that was safe from both the Arbok's land patrols and whatever was lurking in the depths.