This kiss... made the two of them a bit awkward. It was everyone's first time, and it was so sudden.
To ease the atmosphere, Riku immediately took out the glass box from behind him. Looking at the blue berry inside, May probably understood what was going on.
"Riku, you've cultivated a new berry again?"
"This one is quite pretty."
Previously, Riku had taken May to the berry forest on a small island. As a Pokémon Coordinator, May actually knew quite a bit about most berries. However, she didn't recognize any of the berries Riku grew and even suspected they were just ordinary fruits from cross-breeding. She didn't expect that today, Riku would actually cultivate a new type of berry again.
"Here, it's for you," Riku smiled. "This kind of berry is good for Water-type Pokémon. My Lapras said it was great after eating it."
May was stunned. "Really? Then I have to ask Blastoise. If it doesn't want to eat it, I can't force it."
"Come on out, Blastoise."
Thump—
Blastoise instantly popped out of its Poké Ball and landed on the ground. Seeing Riku and May together again, it felt helpless inside. However, it soon noticed the berry in Riku's hand, and its eyes immediately lit up.
Whether it was Blastoise or other Water-type Pokémon, as soon as they saw this light blue berry up close, they could feel the abundant Water-type energy emanating from it.
May had been observing Blastoise's expression the whole time. Seeing the longing and excitement in its eyes, she knew the berry Riku had cultivated was probably more precious than she had thought.
"Actually, never mind," May suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "Riku, you have Lapras now. Even though it's a dual Ice/Water-type Pokémon, this berry should also be effective for it."
"It's okay," Riku smiled. "Lapras has already eaten this kind of berry. I specifically kept this one for Blastoise."
Riku's words made May feel a bit touched.
If Blastoise hadn't been right there, May probably would have kissed him again.
Once the ice was broken, May felt incredibly refreshed after the kiss. Especially since Riku smelled so nice and fragrant. The islanders who lived long-term on the Orange Archipelago would definitely have a fishy, sea-like smell, but Riku was a rare exception. Anyway, May had never smelled that fishy smell on him.
"Blastoise, thank you for your help during this time." Riku turned to face Blastoise, smiling as he took out the berry from the glass box. "I hope you'll like this berry."
Blastoise took a deep sniff of the berry's fragrance. Just that alone made it feel comfortable all over, and its own Water-type energy seemed to be stirred up.
"Eat it." Riku handed over the berry. "Thank you for carrying me these past few days. I hope you can become even stronger and protect May well."
Blastoise nodded firmly, glanced first at May, and then swallowed the berry in one gulp.
"Waa-woo, waa-woo!!"
Who would have thought that less than a minute after Blastoise ate the berry, it suddenly collapsed, even rolling around on the ground in pain.
May was so scared that her heart almost jumped out of her chest, and Riku was also a bit frightened.
That was the Pokémon May had been with for many years. If something happened to it, Riku would probably never have the face to see May again.
"Lapras, come on out!"
In his urgency, Riku immediately summoned Lapras.
Lapras looked confused. It hadn't expected to see such a bizarre scene as soon as it came out. It was quite familiar with Blastoise.
When it was first caught, it had been a bit resentful towards Blastoise. Now, after discovering Riku's various secrets, it was actually quite grateful to Blastoise for helping Riku at that time.
"Waa waa—"
Lapras hurriedly turned its head to look at Riku, asking what was wrong with Blastoise.
Riku quickly replied, "It just ate a Water-type berry. You seemed to only feel uncomfortable last time. Now tell me clearly, can Blastoise handle it?"
Riku was already prepared to exchange for first-aid pills from the system at any time. Never mind five thousand points; facing this situation, he would use up all his points to save Blastoise first.
Seeing May's eyes reddening with worry, Riku actually felt a bit uneasy.
"Master, it's okay," Lapras replied after a while. "The reason Blastoise is in so much pain is because its level isn't high enough, so it can't quite handle it. It'll be fine if it just endures it for a bit, after all..."
Lapras didn't finish the rest of its sentence.
For Pokémon like the three legendary birds and Groudon, eating this kind of Law berry was as easy as eating a meal. Lapras had seen it that day. They didn't show the slightest discomfort; in fact, they seemed to enjoy it.
Even if they directly ate a hundred berries, the three legendary birds and Groudon would probably only get full, not suffer as much as ordinary Pokémon like them.
After a long while, Blastoise finally recovered. It looked around blankly, then looked blankly at its own hands. It suddenly felt that it had changed. Its appearance was still the same, but its understanding of Water-type energy was now on a different level.
Just one berry had such an effect. Blastoise hadn't dared to even imagine it before.
It looked at Riku with excitement, but this look made Riku tense up again.
"What's wrong? Are you still uncomfortable?"
Riku was a bit annoyed, already planning to exchange for a first-aid pill, but Blastoise shook its head vigorously and patted its shell, indicating that it was feeling great now!
With Blastoise's little episode, the somewhat awkward atmosphere caused by the kiss had eased a lot.
After staying for a while longer, Riku planned to return to the island. After all, May seemed quite busy because of the Elite Four issue.
But just as he walked out of the house, a huge figure happened to fly overhead.
Riku was stunned. "Is that Drake's Dragonite?"
"Didn't they say that Drake left the Orange Archipelago to seek training outside after losing to that Trainer?"
"Why is he back again?"
May shook her head. "I'm not sure either. It's probably because of the Elite Four."
"As the strongest Trainer in our Orange League, Drake definitely has to come back to take charge..."
Take charge?
May's words lacked confidence. Even if Riku was clueless, he could tell that Drake was no match for the Elite Four.
Looking up at the gloomy sky, Riku felt that the Orange Archipelago might be facing another turbulent time.
---Support with power stones