The Pinsir familiarly slung an arm around the Heracross's shoulder.
"Pinsir."
We've gotta stick together to survive here!
"Heracross?"
The Heracross had no idea what the Pinsir was talking about.
"Heracross?"
Why... why do we have to 'stick together to survive'?
"Pinsir."
Don't you think the Pokémon here are all a little... off?
The Heracross was even more confused. It thought all the Pokémon here were really nice.
Mime Jr. often came to play with it.
And so did the other Pokémon.
They were always with it, helping it get better.
Especially after yesterday, it felt like a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from its heart.
The Pinsir was still muttering to itself.
Victor, seeing this, walked over.
Heracross's condition seemed to have improved a lot.
He stood in front of it, took hold of the large horn on its head, and began to carefully examine its body.
The Pinsir, seeing its new buddy being held by the horn, was about to speak up for it.
But then it saw Lilligant and Gothita staring straight at it.
It nervously clacked its own horns together and shrank its neck.
You're on your own, buddy.
Victor finished his inspection. There was nothing wrong with its body.
He then checked its status.
[Heracross]
[Type: Bug, Fighting]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Moxie]
[Known Moves: Arm Thrust, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, Horn Attack, Pin Missile, Brick Break, Swords Dance, Megahorn, Bug Resistance, Close Combat.]
[Mood: Happy]
[Status: Shy, Socially Anxious]
[Friendship: 100]
[Introduction: A Pokémon rescued from the hunters. The trauma it suffered has improved under the care of the Breeding House's owner and Pokémon. The blessings of Lugia and Celebi have further healed its mental state. It seems it could now adapt to life in the wild? But it also seems to have social anxiety?]
He gently patted its head.
"This is wonderful, Heracross," Victor said with a smile.
"Hera... Heracross—"
Th... thank you.
Seeing Victor, Nurse Joy, and many other Pokémon gathered around it, the Heracross became shy and started to stutter again.
Victor couldn't help but laugh.
You don't seem like you have 'Moxie' at all.
You're just like that Modest-natured Azumarill, right? Beating enemies while blushing and raising your Attack at the same time.
He shot a glance at the nearby Pinsir.
"Pinsir."
"Pinsir!"
The Pinsir instantly stood at attention.
Victor suppressed a smile.
"Remember to take good care of your new buddy," he said, gently patting the Heracross.
"Pinsir!"
YES, SIR!
Victor watched the two Pokémon stand together.
He suddenly remembered something.
Heracross loves Sweet Honey, but it's shy. If it tells Pinsir, Pinsir's personality will most likely make it go... and then it'll run into the Vespiquen. Only Gengar and I can get honey from the Vespiquen. They'll probably suffer a heavy blow from her.
Victor had a headache.
He ended up warning both Pokémon.
If they wanted Sweet Honey, they could come and ask him, or go find it themselves in the deep forest.
But they must never go and steal it from the Vespiquen in the forest area.
The Heracross nodded, while the Pinsir was still confused about why.
Victor didn't explain. He figured the Heracross would probably tell it later.
Nurse Joy watched all this quietly.
"They're recovering very well," she said.
Victor nodded. "They are. It feels so good to see them recovering."
"It's all thanks to you, Victor. As expected of an outstanding Breeder," Joy said with a gentle smile.
"Let's go check on the condition of the others."
"Mhm."
After checking all the Pokémon rescued from the hunters, Joy was happy to see that their conditions would no longer affect their normal lives. She clapped her hands.
"To recover this much in such a short time... that's really our Victor."
As she said this, she glanced at Lilligant. She knew better than anyone what Lilligant's condition had been at the beginning.
And now it's grown into such a beautiful, confident, and strong Pokémon.
Victor smiled but said nothing. He then looked around, but didn't see the Misdreavus.
"Gengar, where's your little underling?"
Gengar shrugged.
"Gengar—"
I dunno.
By all rights, when Gengar was at the Breeding House, the Misdreavus would follow it everywhere. But now, it was nowhere to be found.
Victor was puzzled.
"It didn't leave, did it?" he murmured to himself.
But maybe that's for the best. It's all better now. Whether it stays or leaves is its own choice.
Victor led Joy back towards the front.
As they passed the swing set tree, a Misdreavus flew out.
The Pinsir's head was glowing with a white light.
The Heracross was scared and hiding behind it.
"Pinsir!"
Don't be afraid, bro! I'll protect you!
The Pinsir's voice was strong and firm.
Even though only its Bug-type moves could hurt the Misdreavus, it still stood in front of Heracross.
Victor stopped.
"Gengar."
Gengar floated over and gave the Misdreavus a smack on its little head.
"Gengar!"
What are you doing?
Boss, I was just joking with them!
"Gengar!"
Gengar gave it another smack and said something else.
The Misdreavus's playful expression vanished.
It floated in front of Pinsir and Heracross and gave a sincere apology.
"Pinsir!"
"Heracross."
The Heracross, seeing its sincerity, accepted the apology.
Victor then called the Misdreavus over and checked its status.
The Heracross, meanwhile, looked at the Pinsir who was comforting it.
"Heracross..."
Can I ask... why you're protecting me?
"Pinsir."
Because we're best buds!
The Pinsir grinned, showing all its teeth as it laughed.
But the Heracross didn't reply, just stared at it.
The Pinsir's laughter died down, and it scratched the back of its head sheepishly.
"Pinsir."
Because I used to be just like you. So when I saw you, I wanted to protect you.
The Pinsir thought back to its old self, afraid to keep up with its swarm, constantly bullied by other Pokémon.
It had always hoped someone would come and help it, but in the end, it had been forced to grow up on its own.
Now, seeing the Heracross, it decided to become the Pokémon that the Heracross could count on.
The Heracross fell silent.
Although it didn't need to worry about those things while living at the Breeding House, it could feel the emotions coming from the Pinsir.
Finally, it spoke softly.
"Heracross."
Thank you.
"Pinsir!"
Then we're best buds from now on!
The Pinsir grinned and slung its arm around the Heracross's shoulder.
"Heracross!"
Best buds!
Mime Jr., seeing this, ran over.
"Mime~"
Let's all play together!
After checking the Misdreavus's status, Victor saw what was happening with Heracross and the others, and he felt inexplicably moved.
The Misdreavus thought for a moment, then flew over to join them.
"Misdrevus~"
...
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