ALL NOVEL Chapter 78 – Friendship
Arbok felt a comforting sensation emanating from her body; it was primarily warm but interspersed with hints of cold.
'Where am I?' she wondered.
As she slowly opened her eyes, the surroundings appeared slightly blurred. She noticed several dark silhouettes in front of her. A moment later, her vision cleared, revealing numerous Pokemon.
Why are they here?
"Ekanssss," Ekans happily wrapped around her.
"Charbokk?" Arbok was taken aback to realize she was still alive. She remembered that the last blow from Fraxure had nearly been fatal.
"Chansey, Chansey, Chansey," Chansey expressed relief at her survival.
"Charbokk?" Arbok, in her confusion, turned to Chansey for answers.
"Chansey, Chansey," Chansey gestured towards Wartortle, Cherrim, Cherubi, and then Floyd.
"Charr~ Hiss," On spotting Floyd, Arbok recoiled and hissed as if issuing a warning.
She then noticed Fraxure, whose gaze was fixed on her. This made her uneasy, prompting her to back away.
"Chansey, Chansey, Chansey!" Chansey tried to explain the situation, then proceeded to chastise Floyd sharply.
Floyd caught onto her intentions. Turning to Arbok, he warned, "Don't cause trouble here, and be cautious with your actions. Cross me, and I will pursue you."
Arbok was chilled by his stern gaze and mentally made a note of his threat.
Floyd then turned his attention to Onix. Onix, sensing his focus, retreated, seemingly wondering, 'What does he want with me?'
"Fight with me," Floyd challenged.
"Ohhhh," Onix immediately refused, thinking, 'Is he serious? I'm not seeking my end here.'
Having seen the fierce battle with Ursaring and Arbok's near-death experience, Onix didn't have the courage to face him.
"Not interested? What if I offer you food?" Floyd presented a pokeblock to entice Onix.
"Ohhhh," Onix declined, sweating heavily, thinking, 'Is this some sort of joke? My life is more valuable than food.'
"You Rhydon?" Floyd turned his attention to Rhydon.
But the latter stepped back.
"You Wepinbell, long time no see," Floyd greeted her, but that latter also stepped back.
Feeling somewhat defeated, Floyd's attention shifted when he heard Kang Jihoon, "Floyd, how about a match against me?"
"You, against my Fraxure?" Floyd regarded him skeptically. Not out of fear, but doubting Elekid's capability to withstand Fraxure, especially when Elekid had failed to best Axew before his evolution.
"Are you joking? I'm not challenging Fraxure. I want to face your serpent," Kang Jihoon clarified, pointing at Dratini.
Upon being indicated, Dratini's eyes sparkled with anticipation. He looked towards Floyd, signaling his willingness.
Observing Dratini's eagerness, Floyd agreed, "Alright, give me a moment." He approached Blastoise and others, advising caution around the newly arrived wild Pokemon.
Blastoise conveyed understanding with a nod.
Chen Yu glanced at Arbok and then at Floyd, exhaling a resigned sigh, "We should head back."
"Captain?" Hu Tianyi's voice betrayed his reluctance.
"What can we achieve staying here? Tell me, can you best Floyd?" Chen Yu posed.
"No," Hu Tianyi admitted, sounding regretful.
"How about the snake? Can you overcome her?" Chen Yu gestured at Arbok.
"No," came Hu Tianyi's response.
"We need to bury our comrade to rest first," Chen Yu began walking, with Li Qin in tow.
"I understand," Hu Tianyi acknowledged, sounding disheartened.
They soon left the scene.
After two hours of rigorous training, Floyd and the rest concluded their session. He had sparred with Kang Jihoon, Ivan, Jonathan, Bianca, Le Mai Linh, Yamada, and others, offering them tips for their Pokémon.
All had faced off against Floyd but none prevailed. Floyd truly hoped to battle Arbok, Onix, and Ursaring. However, the trio showed clear apprehension, either stepping back or sending warning signals whenever he approached.
Meanwhile, Ryota seemed eager to play with Ekans, much to the alarm of Inoue and Aizawa. They held onto Ryota to prevent him from approaching while the child cast pitiful looks at Floyd.
Observing this, Floyd recognized Aizawa and Inoue's concerned expressions. Although he couldn't understand it, he guessed that Ryota wished to engage with that small snake. He considered it might be good for Ryota to interact with Ekans, helping bridge the gap between the new wild Pokémon and the group. However, he remained aware of the potential dangers.
Ekans looked at him curiously and saw Caterpie and Squirtle by Ryota's side. He remembered that they seemed to be the ones who had rescued him before. He hadn't seen what had happened, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that the Eevee who had attacked him was already bound by Caterpie's String Shot.
"Ekanssss," Ekans began to slowly approach them, which frightened Aizawa and Inoue. Blastoise, Floyd, Yamada, and everyone else became alert.
"Charbokkk~" Arbok warned her son to come back. She was about to make a move when she noticed the cold eyes of Blastoise, Floyd, and Fraxure staring at her, which made her shiver and stop in her tracks. However, she still looked worriedly at her son.
Seizing the moment, Ryota broke free from Aizawa and Inoue's grasp and rushed to Ekans.
"Ryota~" Inoue shouted.
"It's dangerous!" Aizawa exclaimed.
The scene made many hearts skip a beat.
"Ekanssss," Ekans became alert as he saw the young boy. However, his vigilance faded when Ryota patted his head gently. Ekans looked at the boy with both confusion and curiosity, then shifted his gaze to Caterpie on the boy's head and the following Squirtle.
"Nyaaaaw~"
"Squirtle!"
Both creatures greeted Ekans with friendly faces.
"Ekansssss!" Ekans responded with a greeting and expressed his gratitude. He then refocused on the child.
"Can you play with us?" Ryota asked with a smile.
"Ekansssss?" Ekans replied, seeming puzzled.
"Huh?" Ryota was equally confused, not understanding Ekans's response. However, he then heard Floyd say, "He's asking what 'play' means."
Although Floyd couldn't understand Ryota, he could understand Ekans. Noticing Ryota's confusion, he offered a translation.
Gaining some clarity, Ryota continued, "Playing means having fun together with your friends. This one on my head is called Caterpie, and this is Squirtle. They're my friends, and we play together."
"Nyaaaaaw"
"Squirtle!"
Ryota introduced his Pokemon pals. A week had already passed since they arrived, and by now, everyone had familiarized themselves with the names of a few Pokemon, especially on their own and those in Beast's Sanctuary.
"Ekanssss?" Ekans inquired further.
"He's asking what 'friends' are," Floyd interpreted.
"Friends are those with whom you can play, have fun, and eat together," Ryota explained.
"Ekanssss?" Ekans asked another question.
"He's asking if 'eating together' means eating you?" Floyd said with furrowed brows, alerting everyone.
"You can understand?" Kang Jihoon asked doubtfully.
"It's easy," Floyd just nodded, didn't tell the reasons why.
"No, no, how can you eat me? If we become friends, we should protect each other," Ryota assured Ekans.
"Ekanssss?"
"So, that's why you protected him earlier," Floyd translated.
"Yes, I want to be your friend!" Ryota eagerly stated.
"Ekanssss?"
"He's asking where you can play," Floyd informed.
"Here, come with me, I'll show you," Ryota said excitedly.
"Ryota-kun," Aizawa called out in fear, echoing the sentiments of the others.
"Ekans~" Ekans began to follow out of curiosity but was interrupted by…
"Charbok!" Arbok issued a warning. Ekans halted, turning to his mother.
"Charbok!"
Ekans hung his head in disappointment.
Floyd approached them, "Just let him go, don't worry, nothing will happen."
"Floyd-san? It's dangerous," Yamada expressed his concern.
"Hisssss," Arbok hissed a warning at Floyd, but Fraxure's presence by Floyd's side kept her cautious.
"You're still worried? If I had wanted to kill you both, I would have done it earlier!" Floyd said coldly.
Arbok's expression grew somber, realizing the truth in his words. She had nearly died, but was saved by these very people.
"You, don't cause trouble. If you do, there will be consequences here. Now go," Floyd warned Ekans, who shivered and nodded in agreement.