"Buyi~~"
Eevee bounced over, holding a mysterious stone it had taken from Obstagoon's arm in its mouth, and came to the front of Natsuhiko, who was treating Monferno's injuries.
Monferno's fighting style is the fiercest, but it's also the most dangerous and prone to injury.
Therefore, it sustained the most severe injuries.
Natsuhiko didn't bring Cherrim, leaving them in the pasture in Suiyi Town to take care of Tree Fruits.
Now, it seems he might need to recruit a new "team medic."
If he comes across a suitable one, he shouldn't miss the opportunity.
After finishing treating some wounds on Monferno, he then looked at what Eevee was offering.
A stone with an irregular shape, faintly glowing with a multi-colored light, due to the light refracting through its internal structure, was not emitted by the stone itself.
"What is this?" Natsuhiko weighed the stone in his hand, somewhat puzzled.
It looked very much like the "Dragon Crystal" he had obtained before.
But it seemed a bit different.
However, the Dragon Type energy it contained wasn't fake.
"Latios."
Natsuhiko called Latios over.
"Oss?"
"Give it a try."
He handed the special crystal stone to Latios.
Upon sensing the energy contained within, Latios showed a delighted expression.
It had sensed a faint Dragon Type energy fluctuation before, which made it notice the anomaly on Obstagoon's arm.
But how should this thing be used?
Should it just eat it?
Latios looked at Natsuhiko in confusion.
Natsuhiko pondered slightly, then suddenly looked up at the sky, pursed his lips, and said, "Try going up again."
Although still confused, Latios didn't hesitate upon hearing Natsuhiko's words.
It folded its wings and shot upwards like a jet.
At around ten meters, it was stopped by a powerful convective current from above.
"Oss?"
But Latios noticed that although it was still being stopped, the height it reached this time was slightly higher than before.
The increase in height was not obvious, but it was indeed higher.
Seeing this, Natsuhiko's suspicion was somewhat confirmed.
He gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded Celestial Pillar and roughly understood the function of this crystal.
"Could it be... we need to collect enough of these to reach the Celestial Pillar?"
If so, things could become complicated.
Not only would they need to head towards the Celestial Pillar, but they also need to collect these crystals along the way.
With a wave, he signaled Latios to come down, and once again took the crystal.
He lightly rubbed it with his fingertips and then let out a helpless smile.
"Is this Rayquaza's trial?"
If that's the case, they might need to "disturb" some Pokémon races encountered along the way.
No one can say for sure which Pokémon might be carrying this crystal.
But if it's a race, the item is likely with the race leader.
"It still needs verification, let's see if we'll encounter another formidable race later," Natsuhiko thought silently.
If they indeed need to collect enough crystals to reach the Celestial Pillar, Natsuhiko is facing a pressing issue.
He must quickly find a "team medic."
Although Latios can use "Healing Fluctuation," Latios is Natsuhiko's training target, and it can't fully take on the "team medic" role, as doing so would waste its abilities and this opportunity.
Finding a dedicated "team medic" to focus on healing Pokémon would be the most efficient solution.
Even if Natsuhiko brought plenty of Healing Potions, they would run out due to frequent battles.
Natsuhiko removed his backpack.
He took out all the potions he brought this time and sorted them to know exactly what he had.
Classified and organized according to different functions like recovery, treatment, special effects, and status.
Healing Spray, Status Spray, Revival Potion, etc.
This time.
He brought a total of 15 Good Healing Sprays, 5 Full Health Sprays, and 2 Full Recovery Sprays, all falling under Healing Sprays.
Also, Status Sprays, 10 Interpretation Sprays, 5 each for anti-paralysis, anti-sleep, burn ointment, and thawing, and 2 Panacea Sprays.
Along with Revival Potion, 5 Vitality Fragments, and 3 Vitality Blocks.
Some of these he made himself, while others were purchased from the black market and Pokémon pharmacies.
The Revival Potion is the most expensive, while Vitality Blocks are worth hundreds of thousands, making them extremely costly.
Originally, Natsuhiko thought bringing all these potions should be enough.
But now, it seems if collecting these crystals requires battling many Wild Pokémon and even Pokémon races, without an excellent "team medic," these potions would not suffice.
After using one Good Healing Spray on Monferno, 14 were left.
He stood up, surveying the grassland.
As Linoone and Obstagoon were defeated, some previously scattered Wild Pokémon gradually returned.
"Currently, the goal is clear: the first target is to find a 'team medic,' only then can we safely train these little ones and consider collecting crystals," Natsuhiko murmured to himself.
On the grassland.
The probability of finding a Pokémon fit to be "team medic" might be slightly higher.
Glancing over the Linoone and that Obstagoon on the ground.
After a brief consideration, Natsuhiko chose to capture some of them.
The ones he collected shared a common trait except for Obstagoon.
They all had the "Pickup" trait.