"Bear with it, alright? It might hurt a little."
"Meganium…"
Meganium shut its eyes tightly in fear, its entire body tensing up.
Seeing this, Silas reached out to soothe it while speaking gently to comfort it.
The larger Phione used the move Take Heart, filling it with courage, bolstering the timid Meganium's spirit.
Lowering its head, Meganium nudged Silas lightly, as if to say that it was no longer afraid.
With courage swelling in its heart, Silas quickly took out a bottle of Hyper Potion spray and applied it twice to the wound on Meganium's leg.
Meganium still could not help letting out a soft "Meganium~" as it endured the sting, its small face scrunching together in effort.
The healing effect of a Hyper Potion was six times that of an ordinary Potion.
Within only a few seconds, Meganium was able to stand up shakily, having basically regained its ability to move.
"Do not move around. I will bandage your wound."
Gently patting Meganium, Silas wrapped a bandage around the injured area and finally tied it into a neat butterfly knot.
Stretching out its slender neck, Meganium lowered its head to look.
The wound no longer hurt.
In its heart it thought that humans were truly amazing, exactly as that Chatot leader had once said. They were capable of anything.
Meganium had been born and raised on this island and had never seen a human before.
The only things it knew were what it had heard not long ago when the Chatot leader passed by with its flock.
While Meganium had helped treat the frightened bird Pokémon, the Chatot leader had told it some stories about humans.
Before Silas could react, a soft pink tongue suddenly smeared his entire face with drool.
Silas froze in confusion.
Meganium itself was stunned for a moment. Seeing the glistening saliva on Silas's face, it panicked and shrank back.
A flush instantly appeared on its cheeks and spread all the way down its long neck, turning it completely red.
The large pink petals around its neck curled inward as it buried its head inside them.
How embarrassing. How could it have done something so impolite?
Meganium let out a small "Meganium~" as it softly apologized to Silas.
Wiping his face, Silas did not mind at all.
"It is fine. I will go see how those two are doing."
Hearing him mention the others, Meganium suppressed its embarrassment.
Its flower bud opened slightly, revealing its eyes as it secretly observed.
The battle between the two Grass type Pokémon was nearing its end. Tropius and Grovyle were both covered in wounds, glaring fiercely at each other, already at the end of their strength.
Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokémon, had a grass green body with a rose red belly. Leaves of varying numbers and lengths grew from its tail, wrists, and head.
"Noiv?"
(Is Silas going to stop them?)
"No. Let them fight until a victor is decided."
Silas shook his head.
If they could not determine a winner now, they would only end up fighting again later.
"Grovyle!"
Grovyle's eyes sharpened. With its powerful leg muscles, it leapt up into the treetops in a single bound.
Tropius suddenly lost sight of its opponent and looked around anxiously.
Unfortunately, it could not find Grovyle at all.
Silently appearing above Tropius, Grovyle's arm leaves glowed with a vivid green light.
It aimed directly at Tropius's vulnerable spot. In a flash of blade like light, Tropius fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Grovyle~"
Striking a pose with its arm raised like a blade, Grovyle felt incredibly cool.
When it looked up, it saw Meganium running toward it. Overjoyed, Grovyle opened its mouth, its eyes instantly turning into pink hearts as it spread its arms wide for an embrace.
But the expected hug never came.
Meganium ran straight past it.
"Grovyle!"
Blinking in disbelief, it turned its head with a shocked expression.
Meganium rushed to Tropius's side, calling out softly and anxiously.
Then the petals around its neck bloomed, releasing a healing pulse.
With the treatment, Tropius regained some strength and slowly stood up.
The two gently pressed their heads together, nudging each other affectionately.
Their long necks curved together into the shape of a heart.
Grovyle stood frozen in place.
What it had thought was a battle for a mate was not that at all.
Tropius and Meganium loved each other mutually. There had never been even a single centimeter of space for Grovyle to intervene.
Grovyle dropped to its knees.
So had it really won?
Silas struggled not to laugh, his shoulders trembling as he walked over and patted Grovyle on the back.
"It is alright. Even though you lost in love, at least you won in strength."
"Grovyle~"
Grovyle turned away gloomily, its entire being sunk into despair.
Silas's consolation felt like salt rubbed into an open wound.
"Here, have a banana." Silas handed one over. "Let the past stay in the past. Meganium might not have been right for you anyway. Your life is still long. You will definitely meet a partner who loves you as much as you love them, just like Tropius and Meganium."
"When that day comes, you would not want to defeat someone in front of the one you like either, right?"
Grovyle thought about it. It truly would not want that to happen.
"Then you need to grow stronger. Only with enough strength can you protect the partner you love."
"Grovyle!"
After swallowing this bowl of love flavored chicken soup for the soul, Grovyle reignited its fighting spirit.
It transformed heartbreak into motivation, standing upright with renewed determination, a sharp light bursting forth from its eyes.
Taking the banana from Silas, it devoured it in a few bites and even wiped its mouth with its claw afterward.
Watching this transformation, Silas muttered to himself that this fellow was really easy to fool.
Grovyle then walked over to Tropius and Meganium on its own.
It spoke earnestly, clearly giving up on the so called competition. There was no hostility left in its eyes.
Tropius was easygoing as well and even took the initiative to share some fruit.
Meganium offered its blessings too.
Seeing this scene, Silas smiled.
"You three have not eaten yet, right? Come with me."
Without giving them a chance to refuse, Silas had the Phione push them along to the campsite.
They returned at just the right time. The seafood soup was ready to be served.
With two seafood dishes, plenty of fruit, even with the addition of Grovyle and the other two, there was still more than enough food for everyone.
Silas even thoughtfully prepared a deluxe platter of mixed berry milk for each of them.
The coconut milk soup had almost been entirely monopolized by Manaphy, but fortunately there was still plenty of other food to go around.
After lunch, Manaphy, completely satisfied, returned to the Temple of the Sea to continue sleeping.
The Phione gathered nearby, whispering softly among themselves.
The little Phione, tired from playing, curled up inside Kangaskhan's pouch and fell fast asleep.
Morpeko exercised on its wheel.
Tropius and Meganium, after confessing their feelings to each other, stayed close together, radiating an almost tangible sweetness in the air.
Grovyle sat far away on a large rock, staring at the distant black dot on the horizon where sea met sky.
It wanted a sweet romance too.
It wanted to leave this place, to venture out into the wider world and search for its own true love.
Grovyle made up its mind.
It was going to leave.
Meanwhile, the Phione surrounded Silas, performing their final farewell ritual with him.
"You are preparing to leave?"
"Phione!"
The larger Phione nodded.
They had played happily today and tasted many delicious foods they had never experienced before.
"You are not going to say goodbye to the little Phione? When it wakes up and cannot find you, it will be very sad."
(End of Chapter)