In front of its eyes.
A metal box suddenly appeared, along with aromatic, granular food and two crystal clear green potions.
Zorua's bewildered eyes filled with surprise.
Hope for life drove it to use its last ounce of strength to stubbornly hurl itself into the metal box.
The rich energy brought a slight change to its parched body.
The food was delicious, and the potion's effect was excellent, but what left the deepest impression on it was the subtle warmth and lingering scent on the box.
At this moment.
Two crystalline tears slid down Zorua's cheek.
...
...
"Chimchar, I'm fine, no need to comfort me."
Natsuhiko said to the Chimchar on his shoulder, calming his complicated emotions.
"Grr?"
Chimchar looked puzzled.
Natsuhiko didn't say much more, gently wiping his cheek with his hand, brushing away two streaks of moisture.
The water had warmth.
Was it Chimchar's saliva?
Natsuhiko didn't mind at all, mysteriously feeling much better.
This might be the bond between humans and Pokémon.
He looked around again.
The scene had turned pitch black.
Even the glow from Chimchar's body seemed to be swallowed by darkness the moment it touched it.
Had Natsuhiko not felt his feet securely on the ground, he might have suspected he'd fallen into some endless abyss.
A bright beam of light suddenly appeared before him.
It was like a door slowly opening in the darkness.
Natsuhiko hesitated briefly, then stepped toward the door.
As he entered the door, some Unown appeared where he had just been standing.
A faint glow enveloped the Unown, and they communicated without words.
Yet, from their eyes, one could see deep amazement and surprise.
The Unown "D," which Natsuhiko first saw, looked very weary, with its eyes drooping, seeming quite exhausted.
After some unknown deliberation among the Unown, "P" supported "D" and, along with the other Unown, formed a dark line drifting toward the door Natsuhiko had entered.
With a ripple, one by one, the Unown passed into the closed door.
The Unown initially found it amusing to create an Illusion Realm to scare Natsuhiko.
After all, being disturbed from their slumber was no joyful matter.
However, even they couldn't figure out why things had unfolded in an unforeseen way.
Thus.
The Unown decided to investigate whether the issue lay with them or with Natsuhiko.
And even the Unown didn't notice.
In the darkness where Natsuhiko had been standing, two crystal drops quietly remained.
When everything finally settled back into silence.
A special Unown, appearing listless and half-open, with droopy eyes, appeared beside the two crystal drops.
If Natsuhiko were here, he would surely recognize that this Unown symbolized not a letter but a "question mark"!
The "Question Mark," tilting its head, displayed rare curiosity in its lazy eyes.
But it seemed to sense something, stood up, took a long, deep look in a particular direction, then turned and vanished into the darkness.
——————
A tiny bit of a plot hint was laid in the previous chapter. Didn't think the story would develop like this, did you? Hehe—don't doubt my meticulousness~~
Hisui Region's Zorua and Zoroark, in the illustration!