The campfire crackled, and meat skewers sizzled on the rack, dripping with oil.
Delia flipped the skewers, glancing toward the pool from time to time.
Dragonair was coiled beside her, chewing rapidly. A small biscuit was hooked on the tip of its tail, and its eyes were narrowed into slits. Misty sat opposite them, holding a skewer of grilled mushrooms. She blew on it twice before taking a bite, grimacing at the heat.
Pikachu lay by Roy's legs, its ears twitching occasionally.
The atmosphere at the campsite was peaceful.
Delia arranged the grilled skewers on a plate, counted them, and looked toward the pool again.
"Roy," she called out.
"Yeah?"
"Why hasn't your Dratini come back yet?" Delia set down the plate. "It's been quite a while since it said it was going for a swim. The meat is going to get cold."
Roy set down his water bottle and checked the time on his Pokéddex.
It indeed had been quite a while.
"It said it was going to swim in that pool over there; it's not far." Roy stood up and brushed the grass clippings off his pants. "I'll go take a look."
As he spoke, he unclipped several poké balls from his belt and clicked the recall beams in sequence, withdrawing the resting Pokemon.
Delia also stood up, moved the remaining skewers to the edge of the grill to keep them warm, and patted Dragonair on the head.
"Misty, keep eating. I'll go with Roy to check it out," Delia said, turning back to Misty. "Just leave the things there; I'll come back and pack up in a bit."
With a meat skewer in one hand and a mushroom in the other, Misty's mouth was stuffed full. She could only nod twice with an "mm-hm" and waved her hand at Delia, signaling her to go quickly.
Dragonair popped the small biscuit from its tail tip into its mouth, twisted its body, and glided out after Delia.
Roy walked in front, passing through the small grove they had come through earlier. The fallen leaves rustled underfoot, and sunlight leaked through the gaps in the leaves, shimmering like scattered gold on the ground.
The pool was less than a hundred meters ahead, formed by a stream. It was a medium-sized pool, so clear that the rocks at the bottom were visible.
As they emerged from the woods, the pool appeared before them.
Roy spotted Dratini immediately.
It wasn't in the water.
Instead, it was lying on the grass by the pool.
Its body was curled up, its tail trailing on the ground, motionless.
Roy's pace quickened instantly, and he almost broke into a run. Delia followed behind him; seeing Dratini's state, she also grew frantic, lifting her skirt and starting to run.
Dragonair's expression changed instantly.
It lunged forward, faster than both Delia and Roy, darting to Dratini's side in a flash. Its long body coiled into a circle, surrounding Dratini. It brought its head close to Dratini and let out a panicked low cry.
"Ah, ah!! Baby! Baby, what's wrong!"
Roy knelt down and placed a hand on Dratini.
Dratini's body was shivering.
It wasn't a shiver from the cold, but a chill radiating from within. Its scales felt wet and cold to the touch, but beneath that chill, a scalding heat was seeping out from deep inside its body.
"Mi..." Hearing the commotion, Dratini barely managed to open its eyes a crack. Seeing Roy and its mother surrounding it, its voice was as thin as a mosquito's. "Master... Mama..."
Delia also knelt down, her face filled with anxiety.
"What's wrong, Dratini? Were you attacked?" she asked, her voice soft yet urgent as she gently stroked Dratini's head.
Dratini slowly shook its head, the movement so sluggish it seemed to take all its strength.
"No... no attack." Its voice was intermittent, and its tail tip brushed against the ground. "I just... swam deep in the water for a while... when I came up, I felt... so cold... so tired..."
As it spoke, it closed its eyes again, its body curling even tighter.
Delia placed her hand on Dratini's body, and as soon as she touched it, she felt something was wrong.
Cold. The surface of the scales was terrifyingly icy.
She then touched Dratini's chin and neck.
Hot. That heat seeped out from beneath the scales, as if a fire were burning inside its body, yet held tightly in check by that outer layer of ice.
"Its whole body is burning up!" Delia stood up abruptly, her face pale. "Roy, you stay with it. I'm going back for medicine!"
She turned and ran. Dragonair watched Delia's retreating back, then looked at the Dratini in its coil. Its tail slapped the ground, its entire body conveying distress.
Roy didn't just wait idly.
He stood up, walked to the edge of the pool, took a deep breath, and spread his Aura.
A transparent ripple of Aura expanded from his body, causing slight ripples on the water's surface. The pulse sank beneath the water, sweeping over the water weeds, through the crevices in the rocks, and into every corner.
Nothing.
There was no Aura reaction from any powerful individual, no hidden aggressive Pokemon, not even any large fish.
The Aura in this pool was clean, containing only the faint Aura of some wild Pokemon—little creatures that couldn't even be considered to have combat power.
It wasn't an attack.
Roy retracted his Aura, knelt down, and reached into the water.
The moment his fingers touched the surface, he frowned. It was very cold.
The sun hadn't set yet, and with the bright sunlight, the pool water should have been warmed up.
But this water was as icy as if it had just gushed from deep underground; it was even a bit bone-chilling to the touch.
He then touched the rocks by the water.
The rocks were also chilled by the water.
"Something's wrong with this water," Roy muttered. He shook the water off his hand and quickly walked back to Dratini.
Dratini was huddled in Dragonair's embrace, its body still shivering.
Dragonair rested its head on Dratini, letting out a series of low whimpers from its throat—a form of comfort understood only among Dragon-type Pokemon.
"It's okay, Mama's here," Dragonair's voice sounded like it was on the verge of tears.
Roy knelt down and placed his hand over Dratini's body.
Dratini's shivering improved slightly, but only just a little.
"Roy!"
Delia's voice came from the direction of the woods, sounding frantic.
She ran over, panting, carrying the first-aid kit, but the expression on her face was very wrong.
"This is bad!" Delia knelt down as she reached them, fumbling to open the kit. "We're out of medicine."
She opened the kit to reveal a few scattered bottles of spray, some fever reducers, and a bit of wound ointment.
She rummaged through it, picked up a bottle of fever-reducing spray, and shook it. Her face fell further.
"All the way from the Reserve to here..." Delia's voice was urgent and self-reproachful, "it's been all grasslands, hills, and forests. We haven't passed a single town, let alone a city. We used some of our supplies in the Reserve, and more during training here. We don't have enough now."
She shook the fever spray again and again, spraying it onto Dratini's body. The spray landed on the scales, creating small white bubbles.
Dratini's body was still shivering, but the frequency slowed just a tiny bit.
"There's only this much left in the bottle." Delia bit her lower lip, looking at the bottle with reddened eyes. "This dosage won't be enough to suppress a fever of this level."
Without a word, Roy scooped up Dratini, cradling it in his arms. Dratini's head hung limply over Roy's arm, its tail dangling loosely.
"To the nearest town." Roy hadn't even finished his sentence.
Suddenly, there was a movement in the grass.
Roy's Aura reacted instantly. A human Aura was approaching—gentle, with a soft frequency, devoid of aggression.
It was a girl.
Then, the bushes were pushed aside, and a figure stepped out from the woods.
It was a girl with her hair in a bun.
Her hair was light green, coiled into a round bun at the back of her head and held by a wooden hairpin. She wore a white, ancient-style top with narrow sleeves and a fitted waist. Below, she wore loose, bright red pants tucked into gaiters, with straw sandals on her feet.
She carried a bamboo basket on her back, filled to the brim with plants.
The girl looked up and saw them.
"Excuse me," she spoke, her voice clear and pleasant, her tone gentle. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"
Delia, who was kneeling on the ground packing the kit, quickly stood up.
"One of our Pokemon has an abnormal fever." Delia pointed to the Dratini in Roy's arms, her tone urgent and earnest. "We're out of medicine. We used too much on the way, and we don't have enough..."
The girl looked in the direction Delia pointed.
First, she saw Delia.
Then, she saw what was behind Delia.
Dragonair was following anxiously, its long body slightly arched, its head peeking over Delia's shoulder. Its watery eyes were fixed on Dratini, and its tail lashed back and forth uneasily.
The girl's eyes widened instantly.
"Dra... Dragonair?"
Her voice jumped an octave. She leaned back slightly, her bun swaying. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide and round.
Her expression was exactly like that of a fan encountering their idol on the street.
The girl's mouth opened and closed, then closed and opened. She stood there stunned, one strap of her bamboo basket slipping off her shoulder.
But she quickly snapped out of it. She pursed her lips tightly, took a deep breath, and forced her gaze away from Dragonair, looking back at Delia.
"I... I know a bit about herbal medicine." When the girl spoke again, there was still a hint of excitement she hadn't quite suppressed, but her tone had become serious. "Maybe I can help! Where is the sick Pokemon?"
Roy took a step forward, lifting the Dratini in his arms slightly higher.
"Here." Roy's voice was steady. "Thank you very much for your help. Please take a look at my Dratini."
The girl's gaze fell on Dratini.
In that instant, her expression underwent a triple transformation.
First, she was stunned.
Then her pupils contracted, her eyebrows shot up, and her mouth fell open again.
Finally, she seemed frozen in place. A leaf fell from her basket and drifted to the ground, but she didn't notice at all.
"Dra... Dratini!"
Her voice was half a pitch higher than when she had seen Dragonair.
Her eyes darted from Dratini to Roy, then to the Dragonair circling anxiously, and finally back down to the listless Dratini in Roy's arms.
Two of them.
Today, she had seen two legendary Dragon-type Pokemon.
One Dragonair, one Dratini.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head vigorously, her bun bouncing twice.
When she opened her eyes, her gaze had changed.
She forced down her fan-like excitement, replacing it with a look of serious focus.
She took the bamboo basket off her back, set it on the ground, and knelt down.
"Please lay Dratini flat. I need to check its scales and mouth first." The girl's voice became professional.
Roy followed her instructions, gently laying Dratini on the grass and letting its body stretch out as much as possible.
The girl knelt down and reached out, first feeling Dratini's body, then turning over a scale to check the skin underneath. Finally, she gently pried open Dratini's mouth to observe the color of its oral cavity.
"Cold body surface, red rash under the scales, flushed oral mucosa..." the girl murmured as she examined it. She then turned Dratini over to observe its belly. "Irregular cold spots on the abdomen. This is a 'cold-trapped fire' symptom caused by the invasion of cold energy."
She looked up at Roy and Delia with a certain expression.
"It's not a normal fever. Its body has been invaded by yin-cold energy. This cold energy has trapped the heat inside, preventing it from dissipating. That's why the exterior is cold while the interior is burning."
As she spoke, she turned to rummage through the herbs in her basket. Her fingers moved rapidly among the leaves and roots, chanting, "Two of these leaves, three of these roots, this one needs to be crushed for a poultice..."
Delia knelt beside her to help hold Dratini, watching with gratitude and admiration as the girl skillfully selected the medicine.
"Thank you so much for helping. This is wonderful!" Delia said sincerely.
The girl flashed a smile at Delia, her hands never stopping.
"I'm glad I can help. This situation needs to be handled quickly. If it lingers, the cold energy will take root in the internal organs, and then it'll be trouble."
She pulled out a few green leaves and a yellow root, then took a small mortar and pestle from the basket and began grinding the herbs. Her movements were fast and practiced, clearly a skill she had grown up with.
She took a small clump of the ground herbs and applied it to Dratini's belly and neck. As soon as the herbs touched the scales, Dratini's body twitched slightly, then slowly began to relax.
Next, the girl pulled a small cloth pouch from her basket. Inside were some dried herbs wrapped in a clean cloth, which she placed under Dratini's head as a medicinal pillow.
"Let it smell this and breathe it in slowly. The medicinal vapor will enter its body through its breath." Kiyomi clapped her hands and stood up, then leaned over to observe Dratini's reaction.
Dratini's furrowed brow eased, and the frequency of its shivering dropped noticeably. The tip of its tail even twitched slightly.
Seeing this, a large weight was lifted from Delia's heart, and she quickly thanked her again.
The girl shook her head, her expression becoming serious.
"These herbs can only temporarily relieve the symptoms and prevent the internal cold energy from spreading." She looked at Dratini on the ground, then at Roy and Delia.
"But for 'cold-trapped fire' of this severity, topical applications and inhalation alone won't eradicate it."
She paused, choosing her words.
"If you trust me, you can come home with me. My name is Kiyomi. My family has generations of herbal medicine heritage. The medicine my grandmother prepares is much more effective than what I have here. If we go back and have her prepare a dose, Dratini will fully recover after drinking it for two days."
The moment she finished speaking.
A light screen suddenly popped up in Roy's vision.
Ding!
[Triggered Quest: Help Kiyomi's Paras regain its confidence and complete its evolution!]
[Quest Reward: blooming flower — After being consumed by a grass-type Pokemon, it can cleanse all defects and bring it to a perfect state.]
The quest panel expanded. Roy recalled that there was indeed a beautiful girl skilled in medicine near Matsumo Town; it seemed this was her.
He looked at the reward description on the panel.
blooming flower.
Cleanses all defects and achieves a perfect state.
It was a good item, and the quest didn't seem difficult. It would be a perfect way to repay Kiyomi for her help with the treatment.
Roy looked back at Kiyomi.
"Alright, then we'll trouble you."
Kiyomi was momentarily stunned by how readily he agreed, then a smile blossomed on her face.
"Thank you for trusting me!" She turned to pack her bamboo basket, her movements much more lighthearted than before. "My home is just down the mountain. It's a half-hour walk, and the path is easy."
Just then, footsteps were heard from the woods.
Misty emerged from the bushes, still holding an unfinished skewer of grilled mushrooms.
"Hey, what are you guys doing? I'm full and you're still not back," she shouted as she walked. Then she saw Kiyomi, the stranger, and paused. "Eh? Who's this?"
Delia quickly explained the situation to her.
After hearing this, Misty quickly finished chewing her mushrooms, walked over to see Dratini with the herbs applied, then looked at Kiyomi. She said "Thank you so much" and helped Delia pack the first-aid kit.
As Kiyomi knelt to pick up the bamboo basket, Roy stopped her.
"Let me help you with that." Roy bent over, lifted the basket, and swung it onto his back.
The basket looked full, but it wasn't actually that heavy.
"Thank you." Kiyomi glanced at him and didn't refuse. She then led Roy and the others toward the mountainside...