"Lord Aven, could it be the work of a sorcerer?"
Sutter lowered his voice as he asked softly by Aven's side. From Kale's mouth, he had also learned some things regarding sorcerers.
After all, Baron Ruize had once fallen into a coma because of a sorcerer's powers, and the situation before them now seemed rather similar.
"Mm, it's not impossible," Aven nodded slightly. "But I'm more inclined to think this was caused by a Ghost-type Pokémon."
He continued carefully examining Leon's body. At this point, he had essentially ruled out the possibility of it being a state of hypnosis.
That made it quite different from Baron Ruize's case back then. Aven felt that Leon must have suffered a blow to his spirit and mind.
And when it came to dealing damage to the psyche, the most skilled were none other than Psychic-type and Ghost-type Pokémons. Judging from what the knights had described, Aven leaned more toward it being the handiwork of a Ghost-type.
"Damage to the mind… that makes things a bit troublesome." Aven rubbed at the space between his brows.
"Lil~"
Hearing his words, Petilil opened its mouth and turned its gaze toward Chansey.
It remembered that the move Heal Pulse was able to mend injuries of the Pokémon. Unfortunately, neither it nor Chansey had yet managed to learn it.
"Chaaan…"
Chansey too lowered its head in dejection.
Even though both Big Sis and Lord Aven had put their whole hearts into teaching it how to use Heal Pulse, in the end, it still hadn't been able to master it.
"Lil, lil~"
Petilil patted Chansey's shoulder, expressing that this wasn't its fault.
In fact, it felt the problem lay even more with itself. It had already reached the level of an advanced-level Pokémon, yet its progress in training was still slower than Chansey's.
"This isn't your fault. Heal Pulse is indeed a very difficult move to learn," Aven reassured them gently.
At this moment, he couldn't help but recall his own Gardevoir. When it came to healing talent, his Gardevoir was truly extraordinary!
He still remembered clearly that Gardevoir had only needed two days to learn Heal Pulse, its gift for healing surpassing even Chansey's by far.
Aven let out a slow sigh, then turned his gaze toward the medicine table in the sickroom, where a large number of potion ingredients had already been prepared.
"Ralts~"
Ralts stood quietly off to the side, watching everything in silence.
Suddenly, it lifted its head as though struck by a sudden feeling, giving Aven a glance before turning its eyes toward the unconscious knight lying before them.
The next moment, its small body unexpectedly floated into the air, drifting to the knight's side. At the same time, its psychic power surged forth.
At once, a faint pink glow appeared around its body, dispersing into countless rosy particles of light. They drifted gently downward, settling continuously upon the body of the unconscious knight.
"Lil!"
"Chan!"
Everyone in the room was instantly captivated by Ralts' sudden action.
Both Petilil and Chansey widened their eyes, staring blankly at Ralts before them.
From within that soft pink radiance, they could sense a rich wave of life energy, yet at the same time, it felt somehow different from ordinary vitality.
There was no mistaking it—what Ralts had just used was the move Heal Pulse. The very same move that neither of them had been able to learn, yet Ralts was now displaying it before their eyes!
"It really is Heal Pulse…" Aven exclaimed in astonishment, staring at Ralts.
He had never taught Ralts this move deliberately, and yet it had somehow, unconsciously, managed to learn it on its own!
In that instant, Aven couldn't help but see a shadow of his Gardevoir in Ralts. It was as if the two were destined to walk the same path, fated to meet.
Thinking of this, Aven let a small smile curl at the corners of his lips. He couldn't help but wonder if Ralts would one day also be able to learn Gardevoir's other signature moves—and beyond that, perhaps even that one special technique…
"Ralts~, Ralts~"
Ralts kept its eyes shut, recalling the words Aven had spoken before:
Let your mind and body become one. Try to merge psychic energy with life energy, and transform it into a wave of healing.
Suddenly, it snapped its eyes open. The pink glow around it gathered in an instant and condensed into a radiant beam, which shot directly onto Leon's body.
Under the strength of Heal Pulse, Leon's eyelids gave a sudden twitch. Then, to the joyous amazement of everyone present, he slowly opened his eyes.
Just as Aven had judged, Leon had indeed suffered mental damage, and Heal Pulse was precisely the move that could effectively mend wounds of the Pokémon.
"He's awake! The captain's awake!" The knights all shouted with joy.
Leon blinked dazedly, looking around with confusion written all over his face. "What… what happened to me?"
After a short while, fragments of memory before his collapse surfaced, and he cried out in alarm: "That's right, we were in the middle of pursuing the tracks of a magical beast!"
"What about it—what happened to that beast?" He quickly turned to his companions for answers.
The knights hurried to recount everything that had taken place. Only then did Leon's face ease into realization. "I feel much better now. My deepest thanks to Lord Aven for the treatment."
"If you wish to give thanks, then thank Ralts instead," Aven replied, gesturing toward the little Pokémon.
Were it not for Ralts suddenly comprehending Heal Pulse, healing Leon's mental wounds would have been far more difficult.
"Ralts~"
Ralts floated back to Aven's side. The small red horn atop its head twitched faintly as it felt the emotions of gratitude radiating from those around it. It closed its eyes happily, basking in the warmth of their feelings.
"Lil, lil!"
Petilil, however, pursed its lips with a trace of grievance.
Normally, it was the one who received the gratitude of the injured. Yet this time, it had not been able to help at all.
Heal Pulse… I must learn it as soon as possible! The little doll clenched its tiny fists tightly.
"Chaansey~"
Chansey, on the other hand, did not harbor such strong competitiveness.
The little fellow gazed at Ralts with admiration sparkling in its eyes, already thinking that once there was a chance, it would go ask Ralts for advice on how to master Heal Pulse.
"You truly have no memory of anything?" Once Leon's condition had stabilized further, Aven pressed him again.
A mysterious Pokémon had appeared within the Black Forest—this was something that needed to be clarified as quickly as possible.
And as for that Pokémon that had suddenly disappeared without a trace, it was very likely the work of that same Pokémon. If they did not get to the bottom of this, there might be more incidents in the future.
"I'm sorry, Lord Aven. I truly didn't see anything at all," Leon said shamefacedly, lowering his head.
"…I see. In that case, the only option left is to make a trip into the Black Forest ourselves."
This was something Aven had already decided upon earlier. He couldn't simply leave a mysterious, unidentified Pokémon roaming freely inside the forest.
In addition, he planned to contact Count Ruize and inquire about the situation in the Abyssal Caverns. Perhaps there was some connection between the two incidents.
Vaguely, he felt that this matter was anything but simple. If, behind everything, there truly was a Ghost-type Pokémon involved, then its sudden appearance was far too suspicious to be overlooked.
(End of Chapter)