The Nidoking leader stared blankly at the Yanmas hovering in the sky.
At such close range, it could clearly sense the deep, inseparable bond of blood.
"It seems they've been brought back." Aven smiled slightly.
The Yanmas swiftly descended, gently placing the two iron cages onto the grass.
Through the bars, they could see the two little ones—Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀—both covered in wounds and bruises.
The excitement on the Nidoking leader's face quickly faded, replaced by an expression of pure fury.
Seeing the state of its children, the tribe leader was enraged beyond words.
"Rhydon, open the cages," Aven said, his own expression darkening.
Although he had mentally prepared himself for this, the miserable condition of Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ still pierced his heart like a blade.
One could easily imagine what the two little ones must have endured at the hands of those hunters after being captured!
Those damned hunters had never intended to let them live. If treatment didn't come in time, they would likely die painfully before long.
"Roar…!"
The Nidoking leader gritted its teeth so hard that it felt they might shatter.
Then, despite its exhaustion, it staggered to its feet and dragged its heavy body toward the iron cages.
Stretching out its massive hands, it grabbed the iron bars and yanked with all its might, trying to pry the cage open by force.
But the Nidoking leader was far too weak now. Despite pulling with all its strength, the iron cage didn't budge an inch.
"Roar!!!"
Yet the leader did not give up.
Its muscles bulged as it summoned every ounce of strength left in its battered body, completely ignoring the waves of agony that racked its flesh.
Somehow, someway, power surged within it—and finally, the iron bars began to bend. Slowly, they warped enough to create an opening just wide enough for Nidoran♂ to pass through.
With the first cage torn open, the Nidoking leader let it drop to the ground, then staggered toward the second cage. It once again unleashed every last drop of strength it had to wrench that cage open too.
At last, with both cages ripped apart, the Nidoking leader collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud, completely drained of all energy.
"Leave the rest to me. They'll be fine."
At that moment, a gentle voice sounded beside the Nidoking leader.
It turned its head slightly to see Aven standing next to it, his expression calm but his eyes filled with determination.
In the Nidoking's gaze flickered a trace of desperate pleading—Please, save my children.
It was hard to imagine such a powerful tribe leader showing an expression like this.
"Don't worry. They'll be fine."
Aven nodded firmly, then stepped forward and carefully lifted Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ out of the cages.
A quick examination told him that their injuries weren't just skin-deep—their internal damage was severe. Many of their bones had been broken.
"Lil, lil—"
At that moment, Petilil waddled toward them from a distance.
Although it was utterly exhausted, it knew it couldn't rest yet—Aven still needed its help.
"Tang, tang~"
Soon after, Tangrowth also came over, with Cherrim perched on its arm.
Without needing instructions, Cherrim began to channel the power of Sunny Day, while Tangrowth used Growth, sending waves of nourishing energy toward Petilil to replenish its strength.
"Rhy—!"
Even Rhydon joined in, using Rototiller to till the soil. At this moment, it willingly played the role of a humble assistant, doing everything it could to support Petilil.
"Plume~"
Just then, Vileplume finally returned.
As vibrant grass-type energy flowed from its body, Grassy Terrain spread across the battlefield once again.
Though Vileplume's Grassy Terrain was far weaker than Petilil's and its healing energy paled in comparison, in this critical moment, it still offered significant assistance, granting Petilil nearly the same level of support as Torterra once had.
"Lil... lil..."
Petilil took a deep breath and gently closed its eyes.
In its spiritual world, there had been nothing but darkness. But as it reached out to the natural forces around it, tiny green lights began to appear.
More and more of them came—densely packed—until the green glow filled every corner of its inner world!
Back in reality, Petilil stood perfectly still. Suddenly, its eyes snapped open. With a soft motion, countless emerald lights converged into its tiny hands.
"Meowr!"
Luxio's eyes lit up at the sight.
Having trained alongside Petilil day after day, it recognized what was happening—the energy gathering in Petilil's hands was life energy!
"Lil!"
Petilil stared at the shimmering green light in its palms, its round eyes wide with astonishment and delight.
It had been trying for so long to draw life energy from nature—and now, at this crucial moment, it had finally succeeded.
"Petilil, it's up to you now."
Aven had just finished setting Nidoran♂'s broken bones. He turned and smiled gently at the little healer.
"Lil!"
Petilil nodded vigorously, pressing its glowing hands against Nidoran♂'s battered body.
A soft green radiance spread across Nidoran♂, enveloping it in a cocoon of soothing light. Life energy flowed like a spring, mending its broken body.
"Nido..."
Perhaps because the pain was fading, Nidoran♂, though still unconscious, let out a faint murmur.
"Nido!"
The Nidoking leader watched with bated breath.
Hearing its child's voice stirred a powerful surge of emotion—it felt its eyes welling up.
As the life energy continued its work, Nidoran♂'s furrowed expression slowly relaxed, its tiny face no longer twisted in agony.
Seeing this, Aven finally exhaled in relief. Nidoran♂'s life had been saved. Though full recovery would still require more treatment, the danger had passed.
"Next is Nidoran♀."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Aven moved quickly to the little female.
She lay quietly on the grassy ground, already wrapped in a faint green glow—the residual effect of Grassy Terrain.
Earlier, Vileplume had tried to use the terrain's energy to aid Nidoran♀'s healing. Though the results weren't great, it had helped a little.
"Nido..."
The Nidoking leader shifted its gaze toward Nidoran♀, then gave Vileplume a look full of gratitude.
As for Aven and Petilil, who were still working tirelessly—it no longer knew what words or gestures could express its feelings.
"Whew... Nidoran♀'s injuries are much lighter," Aven said after his examination, breathing easier.
Most of her wounds were external—likely from repeated lashings with a whip. Nidoran♂, on the other hand, bore clear signs of fierce battle.
It was obvious what had happened: after being captured, Nidoran♂ had fought desperately to protect Nidoran♀, suffering grievous injuries as a result.
Once Aven had carefully treated the wounds, Petilil gathered another surge of life energy from nature and began channeling it into Nidoran♀.
The bloodied, ragged wounds knit rapidly under the emerald glow.
"Lil... lil..."
Despite using external energy, Petilil's little body swayed slightly from dizziness—the cost of overexertion.
"Petilil, thank you. Take a good rest now."
Aven gently scooped it up into his arms. If this were his previous life, he would have let it rest in a Poké Ball. Now, the best he could do was cradle it close.
"Nido... Nido..."
The Nidoking leader staggered closer, its eyes fixed on Aven.
"They'll be fine," Aven reassured. "But for now, their lives have only been saved—they'll still need time to fully recover."
The Nidoking leader trembled with emotion, nodding vigorously. Then, to everyone's astonishment, it bent down in a deep bow before Aven, as if to offer its heartfelt thanks.
"Take good care of them," Aven said softly, patting the massive creature's shoulder.
Casting one last look at the Nidoking tribe in the distance, he turned wearily and headed back toward the Safari Zone with his team.
"Nido! Nido!"
The Nidoking leader watched him leave without blinking.
"Roarrr!"
Far away, the Nidoking tribe erupted in agitation the moment they saw Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀.
But because of Rhydon's looming presence, they dared not charge forward, instead pacing anxiously in place.
Now, seeing the human walk away with his Pokémon, they finally couldn't restrain themselves and rushed to their leader, surrounding him in a tight cluster.
"Nido! Nido!"
The Nidoqueens gathered protectively around Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀.
Yet the two little ones were still too weak to move. The females could only huddle together in worried silence.
"Nido..."
Suddenly, Nidoran♀ opened her eyes.
Her gaze darted wildly, full of fear, as terrible memories of those two human hunters flashed through her mind.
But then, as her eyes swept over her surroundings, she froze. A heartbeat later, her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Woo... woo..."
Great teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
"Nido! Nido!"
The Nidoqueens around her broke into sobs as well, their voices mingling in a chorus of relief and grief as they embraced one another.
(End of Chapter)