Ralts' condition was a bit dire.
She lay quietly in Shiko's arms, her breathing faint and weak.
A breeze slipped through the trees, brushing past Ralts' face. Her green hair fluttered up, revealing her small, pretty features.
Delicate.
At a glance, she looked like the kind of adorable little girl that made people feel protective.
But unfortunately…
Her expression was drawn, exhausted, and wan.
Ralts' eyes narrowed into a thin slit, as if she were looking at Shiko.
"Th… thank you…"
Those broken words echoed directly in Shiko's mind.
In that voice, there was gratitude—and relief.
"It's okay. Don't worry!" Shiko replied with Telepathy, soothing her.
Ralts didn't answer.
She only shifted with effort, turning to the side and pressing closer to Shiko's chest.
Charmeleon's body warmth made her feel unusually safe and comfortable.
The next second—
Ralts' eyes slowly closed.
Her faint breathing…
vanished entirely.
Shiko's body jolted.
From within Ralts, he could no longer sense any energy fluctuation or signs of life!
Shiko hurriedly checked Ralts' condition.
On her status panel, it was marked as: Dying.
Dying!
Meaning Ralts' state right now—
If they didn't seize the time to treat her…
then the outcome would be death, without exception!
"This is bad! We have to get her to a Pokémon Hospital immediately!" Himeko had noticed Ralts' condition too, panicking.
But the problem was—
They were in Wintergreen Forest.
To return to the hospital in the city—
without a Flying-type or a ride Pokémon to carry them—
it would take at least an hour!
An hour!
By then, Ralts would already be cold.
Himeko spun in place, frantic.
She couldn't accept watching such a pitiful Ralts die right in front of her.
"Right! Revival Herb!"
"I remember Wintergreen Forest has Revival Herb!"
"Hurry and find it! If we find it, we can save her!"
Himeko's eyes lit up as she found an idea.
But she also knew—
Revival Herb was an extremely rare kind of precious plant.
Wild ones were especially hard to come by.
Wintergreen Forest was so vast…
Whether they could find it in time was anyone's guess!
Ralts' odds of survival were extremely slim!
But now, this was the only method left.
They could only place their last hope—
on that sliver of possibility!
"Shiko! Lopunny! Hurry—go search the forest!"
"Let's hope our luck is a little better! Find Revival Herb and save her!"
"Shiko?! Shiko?! Did you hear what I said?"
"Shiko?! What are you doing?"
…
Himeko looked at Shiko standing completely still and grew anxious.
At a time like this,
why was he spacing out?
After pushing him again, Himeko suddenly realized—
Shiko had pulled a green plant out from somewhere.
It looked ordinary.
But it was giving off a hazy green glow.
Within that green light—
there was an incredibly powerful, exuberant vitality!
This…
This was Revival Herb?!
Himeko froze.
She never would have imagined—
that with a flip of his hand, Shiko would produce a Revival Herb!
Th—this…
"Lo-pun! Lo-pun!"
Lopunny recognized it at once—this was the very Revival Herb she had given Shiko before.
Shiko carefully placed the Revival Herb into Ralts' mouth.
If Himeko hadn't reminded him,
he really would have forgotten about it.
Only a few seconds after feeding it to her—
Shiko felt a heartbeat from Ralts, strengthening from faint to powerful!
She was alive again!
The next second—
a dense, forceful surge of Psychic-type energy began to well up from Ralts' body!
Like ripples,
it spread outward from her—
overflowing into the surroundings!
That surging Psychic-type energy swept across the entire forest!
Once again, it startled every Pokémon in Wintergreen Forest into fleeing!
"Ral…"
Ralts slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision cleared.
The first thing she saw—
was Shiko.
"Ralts~~"
Ralts let out a soft, sweet cry, nuzzling close to Shiko's chest, looking as if she were acting spoiled.
Feeling the life returning from Ralts' body,
Shiko finally let out a breath.
He'd saved the little one at last.
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]