Beneath the thick layer of ice Misty had created, the wound on Alex's arm had finally stopped bleeding. The cold from the ice seeped through his sleeve, leaving his skin slightly numb, but the sharp pain had eased considerably.
To speed up his recovery, Misty didn't hesitate to take a muscle enhancement pill from her bag and hand it to Alex. This medicine not only accelerated muscle regeneration but also helped restore lost stamina. She was confident that, given Alex's extraordinary physical condition and endurance compared to ordinary people, he would be fully healed in less than two days.
Thankfully, in this world, medical technology was far more advanced. People could place an injured Pokémon into a Poké Ball, then put it into a specialized healing machine, and within just an hour, the Pokémon would recover nearly all of its physical strength and energy.
Perhaps it was because of the people's adventurous nature that the pharmaceutical industry here had also developed many powerful hemostatic, pain-relief, and muscle-recovery drugs — specifically for trainers who might get injured on their journeys. Of course, such medicines didn't come cheap, and they were even harder to obtain without certain connections or credibility.
"Thank you, I don't know what I would've done without you!"Once the first aid was done, Misty stood up, clenched her fists, and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, her voice filled with sincerity.
"It's nothing, just a small matter," Alex replied calmly, as if the incident wasn't worth mentioning.
"My name is Misty. What's yours?"It seemed Misty only just realized she hadn't yet asked the name of the man who had saved her.
"Alex," he answered simply, then walked over to a large moss-covered rock nearby and sat down.
Alex pulled out some rations from his backpack and began eating, taking small bites to replenish the energy he had lost. He casually handed some to Misty as well. After a moment's hesitation — perhaps out of politeness — she accepted it. Given the long chase after Gyarados, she was likely starving.
After eating, some color returned to Misty's face. She wiped the corner of her mouth, then suddenly remembered the scene from earlier. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Alex, when you saw Gyarados attacking me, how did you know it was my Pokémon?"
Alex took another bite of bread, chewed slowly, and answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:"This is nothing but forest — there's no large body of water here."
"A Water-type Pokémon like Gyarados wouldn't just appear naturally in such a place, so the chance of it being wild is almost nonexistent."
"And if you were so worried about it, that meant you were its trainer."
"Pokémon only attack their trainers if the trainer has done something unforgivable."
"But seeing how concerned you were about it, that rules out the possibility of abuse. That means it was provoked by something else to act this way."
Misty was momentarily stunned by his sharp and logical deduction. Inwardly, she felt a hint of admiration — with just a few clues, Alex had pieced together the entire situation.
When Gyarados was mentioned, Misty's gaze dimmed. She took a Poké Ball from her belt, inside which Gyarados lay unconscious.
In a low, sorrowful voice, she murmured:"Gyarados was stolen a week ago."
"A week later, it returned on its own… but it had become extremely aggressive, attacking everything it saw."
"To stop it from causing more destruction, I chased it all the way from Cerulean City to here."
"I was in such a rush, I only brought a Starmie with me… which is why I ended up getting hurt by Gyarados."
After speaking, Misty stood up and bowed once more to Alex.
"All right, it's just a small matter, don't worry about it," Alex waved his hand as if brushing away the formality, then asked, "So, do you know who stole your Gyarados?"
Misty's eyes flared with anger."It's definitely Team Rocket!"
"This isn't the first time. They specialize in stealing other people's Pokémon and taking them back for biological experiments!"
"They must have stolen my Gyarados!"
"Those Team Rocket scum… they'd better never let me catch them. If I do, I'll never let them go!"
Her voice echoed through the forest, mixing with the rustling of leaves. Alex stayed silent, shaking his head slightly. He knew well that Team Rocket's power was no joke. They had survived in Kanto for so long not by luck, but by sheer strength.
Even a Gym Leader, no matter how skilled, would find it hard to take on such a massive organization.
Perhaps Misty noticed the look in Alex's eyes, because she clenched her fists tighter, her voice becoming firmer:"I know I'm not strong enough now… but I'll train. One day, I'll defeat Team Rocket and avenge Gyarados!"
"And I'll make sure they never conduct such cruel experiments on Pokémon again! Never!"
Alex quietly observed her, an unexpected sense of respect stirring in his heart. He was the same as Misty — seeing Pokémon not just as partners, but as friends, as family. If one day, Lucario or Gardevoir were captured and turned into tools for experiments, he too would go berserk, just like that Gyarados.
"Keep going, I believe in you," Alex said with a faint, warm smile.
"Thank you, Alex."
"By the way, congratulations," Alex stood up, extending his hand toward Misty.
"Huh? Congratulations on what?" She tilted her head in confusion, but still took his hand.
"Congratulations — you've found a companion who shares your goal."
Her eyes trembled slightly at his words. She smiled, then burst into tears, gripping Alex's hand even tighter.
"Misty, here's my number. If you run into any trouble, contact me," Alex handed her a small scrap of paper with hastily written digits.
"Alex, same for you. If something happens, come find me!" Misty wrote a number on another piece of paper and handed it to him.
Once the matter of Gyarados had settled for the time being, Misty decided to return to Cerulean City to treat it. Alex, meanwhile, prepared to head to Pallet Town to meet Professor Oak.
"All right, I'll be on my way," he waved, starting to walk off.
"Yes, see you next time… companion!"
Misty remained where she stood, gripping the paper tightly. Her eyes followed him until his figure disappeared completely among the trees.