It was Krookodile; it walked with steady steps, its broad claws firmly supporting a steaming bowl of soup.
Steam rose from the bowl, bringing a rich and fresh aroma that instantly stimulated Ariel's dulled sense of smell.
Krookodile walked to the bedside and placed the soup bowl on the nightstand, its sharp eyes revealing a trace of hard-to-detect concern at this moment.
Almost simultaneously, a blue figure silently glided to the side of the bed—it was Greninja.
It knelt on one knee with an elegant posture, its head slightly tilted toward Ariel as its large eyes quietly watched him.
Ariel tried to speak, but his throat was so dry he couldn't make a sound.
He gave up on speech and instead focused his mind.
Possessing Psychic powers, he had a second method of communication.
As his Psychic power established a direct connection between Ariel and Greninja,
a gentle and direct stream of thought was immediately transmitted from Greninja. The information was vast yet orderly, imprinting itself directly into the depths of Ariel's consciousness.
Without needing to say a word, he easily received everything Greninja wanted to express.
Through Greninja's mental transmission, Ariel learned about what had happened.
He had unexpectedly lost consciousness at sea; the specific reason was something even Greninja hadn't fully grasped.
At the time, his entire body had fallen into the freezing seawater, his consciousness completely gone.
Greninja had pulled him from the sea immediately and, relying on its incredible endurance, swam with him toward the blurry land in the distance.
During the long journey, they happened upon a small island.
Greninja dragged Ariel onto the island. To seek help, it released Krookodile and Malamar using the Poké Balls on Ariel's waist.
The events that followed carried a bit of humor in Greninja's description.
With Krookodile's steadiness, Malamar's cunning, and Greninja's own resourcefulness, the three Pokémon launched a "brainstorming" operation on the island.
In their own ways, they scouted the island and eventually discovered a city at its center, where they found this Pokémon Center.
When they discovered that this place could provide medical services for humans, they decided to bring Ariel inside.
As for how exactly they brought an unconscious human and three large Pokémon silently into this fully equipped luxury private room, Greninja's stream of thought did not elaborate.
Ariel didn't look into it either; at that moment, his physical weakness left him no time to worry about such details.
Ariel's thoughts turned to Greninja, asking how long he had been unconscious.
Greninja's thoughts responded clearly:
Three days.
Three days?
This number sent a sudden jolt through Ariel's heart.
He had actually been unconscious for three whole days!
This exceeded his expectations and filled him with genuine astonishment.
Just what could have caused him to fall into such a long slumber?
He began to rapidly backtrack in his mind, reorganizing everything that had happened recently.
Ultimately, he pointed all his suspicions toward Mega Evolution.
After thinking it over, the only explanation he could find was that powerful and unfamiliar force.
Mega Evolution, an ability he had only recently mastered, clearly drained his mental energy far more than he had originally anticipated.
Facing two Gym Leader Level enemies, he had maintained his Mega Evolution state throughout almost the entire encounter.
The battle had lasted a long time, and every move and style of the enemy was accompanied by a massive mental burden.
Perhaps, during the intense clash, the excitement of the adrenaline surge caused him to ignore the limits of his body and mind.
He had thrown himself heart and soul into the battle, enjoying the sense of control that power brought, completely failing to notice that his mental energy was being overdrawn at an alarming rate.
When everything ended and all threats were neutralized, the tension snapped, and his brain entered a forced state of dormancy.
Ariel tried to clench his fist, feeling the slight strength returning to his knuckles.
Though weak, at least his mind was clear.
He felt secretly lucky that after those opponents fell, no new threats appeared.
If there had been other enemies lurking on the battlefield or any stragglers, the consequences of his three-day unconsciousness would have been unthinkable.
He didn't even dare to imagine what kind of predicament his Pokémon would have faced in such an environment.
A chill rose from his heart, making him feel a lingering fear regarding his own recklessness.
"It seems I must invest more energy into training for Mega Evolution."
A firm thought emerged in Ariel's consciousness.
"Next time, I absolutely cannot let this situation happen again."
He knew well that completely losing the ability to protect oneself was a major taboo for a Trainer.
Power was certainly important, but the mastery and understanding of that power were even more critical.
He needed to research the mechanisms of Mega Evolution more deeply and find a way to balance the mental drain, rather than just relying on willpower to push through.
Just as he was immersed in his reflections and plans for Mega Evolution, a rhythmic knocking came from outside the door.
It wasn't heavy or light, but it pulled him from his thoughts back to reality.
The door was pushed open, and the person who entered was Steven.
Ariel was slightly startled; his body hadn't fully recovered, but his mind began to work, speculating on the reason for Steven's appearance here.
Steven's gaze fell on Ariel, carrying a mix of inquiry and relief.
He approached the bed with a casual yet steady posture.
"You're finally awake."
He spoke, his voice calm.
"That Krookodile fellow caused quite a stir just to get you in here."
Steven briefly explained the situation; it turned out Krookodile had carried Ariel on its shoulder and barged into the Pokémon Center.
He happened to recognize the unconscious Ariel and stepped in to resolve the misunderstanding at the Pokémon Center.
Afterward, Steven arranged a room for Ariel.
Ariel was shocked.
He looked at Krookodile, recalling Greninja's previous description, which had indeed omitted quite a few details.
Seeing Krookodile's face full of pride, Ariel felt there was nothing he could do and no real need for punishment; this was just the Pokémon's personality.
He still expressed his gratitude to Steven.
Subsequently, Steven revealed to Ariel,
"Three extremely vicious Pokémon have appeared around Mossdeep City, turning the local ecology upside down. The citizens are spontaneously organizing groups to eliminate them."
Steven warned Ariel.
"If you plan on adventuring, remember to be careful."
Without further disturbance, Steven left.
After Steven left, Ariel muttered to himself,
"Extremely vicious Pokémon?"
His gaze inadvertently drifted toward his three Pokémon:
Krookodile admiring its own tail, Malamar using its tentacles to crush a dummy to pieces, and Greninja training its Water Shuriken accuracy.
It couldn't be those three, could it?
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