Just kidding the title is "The Brave and Selfless Buck"
The Skuntank's eyes burned with fury seeing their offspring missing.
Then, without hesitation, they suddenly charged, leaping across a shallow section of the river and pouncing directly toward the opposite bank!
"Not good! These Skuntank think we're their enemies too!"
Jean's expression changed drastically. He quickly retreated while pushing the patrol members behind him for protection.
At the same time, his three Pokémon—Mightyena, Gloom, and Bibarel—leapt to the front, standing firm to confront the enraged Skuntank.
"TANK!!"
The two Skuntank no longer cared about anything else. They lunged ferociously.
Seeing this, Mightyena and Bibarel rushed forward to intercept. In the blink of an eye, both sides clashed, fighting violently.
Almost simultaneously, the patrol members' Bidoof also sprang into action, colliding with the remaining Stunky and bursting into fierce combat.
"Everyone, be careful!" Jean shouted.
"Oddish, quickly pass the news—inform the nearby patrol squads to come support us!"
His Oddish nodded quickly and darted off into the forest. Trained in reconnaissance, it could speedily locate its companions through the scattered grass seeds on the forest floor.
"Buck—wait, where's Buck?" someone suddenly shouted.
Only now did they realize that the newcomer, Buck, was gone. Along with him, his Bidoof and Oddish had also disappeared.
"That's Oddish—that's Buck's Oddish!"
"He seems to have jumped into the river—damn it, what's he trying to do?!"
Sure enough, someone spotted Buck's Oddish by the riverbank, anxiously staring at the surface of the water.
In the river itself, bubbles were rising one after another, and faintly, two figures could be seen swimming in the depths.
Splash!
Suddenly, the sound of water being broken rang out.
Buck's figure shot out from beneath the surface, then quickly plunged back down into the depths again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the same time, in the depths of the water, a series of thunderous booms echoed out, clearly signaling that a fierce battle was taking place beneath the surface.
"He went to save that little Stunky!" someone suddenly shouted. The moment those words fell, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
"TANKK TANKK!!"
Meanwhile, the battle on the field was still raging on without pause.
The two Skuntank were continuously letting out low, guttural roars. Having already lost all reason, their feral onslaught was so overwhelming that even the Mightyena and the Bibarel were being forced back, gradually suppressed and pushed into a disadvantage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A few more violent collisions rang out, and everyone saw the Bibarel's body get slammed into and sent flying straight backward!
"This is bad—both of those Skuntank are intermediate-tier Pokémon!" Jean's face twisted with alarm.
"Tank Tank!!"
Almost simultaneously, another series of beastly roars suddenly reverberated from deeper within the forest.
The next instant, yet another two Skuntank emerged from the trees, each letting out a menacing low growl as they approached.
It was obvious now—these Skuntank all belonged to the same tribe. Through their howls, they had called over their companions.
"Retreat! We need to leave this place at once!"
Jean's face turned grim as he stared at the newly arrived Skuntank.
Judging from the current situation, it was no longer suitable to keep fighting. If they continued, this patrol squad might very well end up completely wiped out here.
Splash! Splash!
But just then, another surge of water erupted with a loud splash.
The figure of Buck broke through the surface once more. Only this time, in his arms, he was tightly clutching a small Stunky.
Splash!
Right after him, a Bidoof surfaced as well.
"Buck and Bidoof—they saved the Stunky!"
"Hurry! Quickly, go help Buck ashore!"
With a series of splashing noises, several other Bidoofs immediately dove into the water to assist.
Meanwhile, the commotion in the river also caught the attention of the Skuntank. The moment they spotted their child in Buck's arms, their feral gazes froze for a second. Gradually, clarity began to return to their eyes.
"TANK TANK TANK!"
They roared loudly, rushing straight toward the riverbank, pacing anxiously at the water's edge as they let out urgent cries.
Finally, with the combined effort of his Bidoof, Buck was dragged up onto the riverbank, completely drenched and struggling. "Stunky—quickly, save Stunky…"
The words had barely left his lips when Buck collapsed unconscious, his body slumping limply to the ground. His lips had already turned a frightening shade of purple-blue, and purple blotches were spreading rapidly across his skin—clear signs of poisoning.
"Quickly! Antidote and healing potions, now!" Jean shouted at the top of his lungs, immediately issuing orders.
As he spoke, he swiftly pulled out an antidote and forced it down Buck's throat. During patrol missions, carrying a supply of medicines was considered standard procedure.
In particular, the potions produced by the Pokémon Breeding House were regarded as the most effective in the entire Aspiration City, renowned and exported far and wide across various territories.
Right after administering Buck's antidote, Jean rushed over to the unconscious Stunky. Its little belly was grotesquely bloated—it had clearly swallowed far too much river water.
"That's right! First-aid techniques… Lord Aven taught us first-aid knowledge for emergencies like this!" Jean took a deep breath.
Quickly recalling the instructions Aven had once drilled into them, Jean pressed his hands firmly against the Stunky's abdomen and began performing rapid compressions. Soon enough, mouthfuls of river water spurted out from the little Pokémon's mouth.
Slowly, the Stunky's eyes fluttered open. It let out a weak groan, its gaze hazy and unfocused as it looked around. Seeing this, every patrol member present finally let out a breath of relief.
"Tank Tankk Tankkk!"
At the same moment, the two Skuntank bolted over and began frantically licking their child with their tongues, fussing over it without pause.
By now, they understood clearly that it was these humans who had saved their young one. They kept lowering their heads and bowing in a show of gratitude.
Pokémon really were this simple—when shown kindness, they would never forget it. If given the chance, they would always choose to repay that debt.
"That's… that's really a relief. Thank goodness for the Skuntank…" the patrol members murmured one after another, their taut nerves finally easing. Many of them turned their gazes toward Buck his Bidoof in the distance.
Just moments ago, it had been Buck his Bidoof who had risked their lives diving into the river to rescue the Stunky. Without them, all of them would have been in grave danger. The Skuntank parents, driven mad with rage, would never have listened to their explanations.
"No good—the antidote isn't working!" At that moment, Jean's expression abruptly shifted, his face paling in shock.
Even though Buck had already been given the antidote, there wasn't the slightest sign of the poison in his body receding.
"How can that be? This is an antidote made by the Breeding House!" the other patrol members exclaimed, their expressions growing grim.
"Try the healing potion! Use the healing potion on him!"
Another vial was quickly pulled out and poured down Buck's throat.
But this time, instead of relief, Buck suddenly let out a pained groan, his face twisting in agony. The healing potion wasn't healing his injuries at all—instead, it seemed to be intensifying his suffering!
"Back! We need to head back—get him to the Pokémon Center, quickly!" Jean shouted, panic rising in his voice.
At this point, he was certain—the only place that might still save Buck was the Pokémon Center. With the presence of Petilil and skilled apothecaries stationed there, any injury could be treated.
…
Fairhaven Town – Pokémon Center
Inside the building, Petilil in a nurse's outfit glanced across the room at the recently evolve Chansey, who was also dressed in the same attire.
For some reason, Petilil couldn't help but feel that Chansey looked especially fitting in the outfit—as if the uniform had been designed specifically for it.
"Chaan~ sey~!"
Chansey twirled happily in place, clearly delighted and satisfied with its appearance.
"Mm, yes—now this really feels like a proper Pokémon Center." Aven stood off to the side, nodding with approval.
A moment later, however, he sighed with a hint of regret. Without a Nurse Joy present, the Pokémon Center still felt like it was missing something.
"Chansey, since you've put on this uniform, you must also understand the responsibility that comes with it."
Looking at the cheerful Chansey, Aven gave a small smile, but his tone turned earnest as he offered his words of instruction.
"Chanseey!"
Chansey turned its eyes to him and nodded solemnly.
From Aven, it had already learned what a Pokémon Center was and what its role here would be. It was determined to help both Pokémon and humans alike.
The thought filled Chansey with anticipation. Adjusting the nurse's cap perched on its head with its short arms, it looked at Aven with a radiant, angelic smile.
Aven reached out and patted Chansey's head, then turned to the Petilil at his side with a smile. "Petilil, I'll be counting on you from here on."
Hearing his words, Petilil puffed out its chest, expressing confidently that it could handle things.
Over this period, since the Pokémon Center had lacked a Pokémon proficient in healing moves, Petilil had been tirelessly helping out.
If Chansey could quickly master healing moves, Petilil could finally take a step back, devoting more time to its own training and growth.
Ever since the assassination attempt they had experienced, Petilil had developed a strong desire to grow stronger. It also longed for the day when it, too, could participate in such battles.
"Lil, lil!"
Letting out a few soft cries, Petilil began to gather life energy around its body.
Seeing the gentle glow, Chansey's round eyes lit up, instinctively feeling a sense of warmth and intimacy toward the energy.
Cautiously, it stretched out a hand and touched the life energy, allowing it to gradually seep into its own body.
Little by little, a faint pink aura began to radiate from Chansey's form, rippling softly with life energy fluctuations.
"This is… healing energy?" Aven's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched.
It wasn't just him—even Petilil's gaze brightened in surprise.
(End of Chapter)