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"Roar!!"
With Aerodactyl pushing its speed to the absolute limit, what would normally take nearly an hour was completed in just half an hour—they blasted straight out of the desert!
And the very first thing after leaving the desert—was to find a nearby town!
Without even bothering to clean the sand off himself, Liam spotted a town marked on his navigation map. He immediately directed Aerodactyl to fly straight toward it. And once they found the town—Aerodactyl didn't bother hiding at all, landing directly at the entrance of the Pokémon Center!
"Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy! Please take a look at this Vibrava! It looks seriously injured!"
Without even recalling Aerodactyl, Liam leapt down, burst through the Rescue Center doors, and rushed to the counter, placing the PokeBall in front of Nurse Joy.
"Ah?! Oh! Please leave it to me! Please wait a moment!"
At first, Nurse Joy hadn't even reacted to Liam's dusty appearance. But the moment she saw the PokeBall, she immediately took it and hurried inside to begin treatment.
Vibrava's injuries were quite severe. Although Liam had already performed emergency treatment, full recovery would still take some time.
After Nurse Joy left, Liam turned and headed toward the door, intending to recall Aerodactyl first.
But just as he had taken a few steps—
"Ah! Ouch…! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you! I'm really sorry!"
"ROAR!!"
A childish apologetic voice mixed with Aerodactyl's slightly annoyed roar came from outside.
Liam frowned slightly and quickened his pace, opening the door—
And the moment he did, a small figure crashed straight into his chest!
"Oof! Wuu… that hurts…"
Liam didn't move an inch, but the small figure fell flat onto the ground. One hand held his head, the other his backside, as he looked up at Liam with teary eyes.
Only then did Liam realize—it was a frail-looking little boy with green hair.
"Roar!"
At that moment, Aerodactyl lowered its massive head, glaring fiercely at the boy and letting out a threatening growl.
"Ahhh! Help! Big brother, help! The monster is going to eat me!"
The boy looked no older than six or seven. Having never seen an Aerodactyl before, he was completely terrified. He scrambled behind Liam, clutching his clothes and refusing to peek out.
"Heh, alright, Aerodactyl, behave. Don't scare the kid. And you too, Lorelei—just sitting there watching the fun? Get down already."
Liam smiled faintly, then stepped outside, pressing a hand against Aerodactyl's head as he spoke.
"Hehe~ I thought the little guy was pretty cute—so clumsy, I just wanted to see his reaction. Don't worry, Aerodactyl was just teasing him."
Lorelei slid gracefully down from Aerodactyl's wing and walked over.
"Roar~ roar~"
Aerodactyl nodded as if agreeing.
"Heh, alright. Aerodactyl, return and rest. You worked hard."
"Roar~"
Liam patted its head and recalled it into its PokeBall.
And the moment Aerodactyl disappeared, Liam turned around and saw the little boy staring at him with sparkling eyes!
"Wow! Big brother, you're amazing! Was that big guy your Pokémon? Are you a trainer? If you can catch such a powerful Pokémon, you must be really strong, right?!"
The boy's eyes were filled with admiration as he spoke excitedly.
"Heh, cute kid. Not scared anymore? I am a trainer, but whether I'm strong or not… that's hard to say."
Liam chuckled, clearly liking the boy.
At this moment, Lorelei leaned down and whispered in the boy's ear—
"Little guy~ your big brother here is one of the strongest trainers in both Kanto and Johto."
"Wow! Really?! Big brother, you're that amazing?! I wish I could become that strong too someday… but…"
The boy's eyes lit up even more—but the next moment, something seemed to weigh on his mind. His expression dimmed, like a deflated balloon.
"Hm? What's wrong? 'But' what? Anyone can become a strong trainer. Do you have some trouble?"
Liam asked curiously.
But before the boy could answer, Nurse Joy returned from the back.
Both Liam and the boy walked toward the counter.
"Nurse Joy! How's Vibrava doing?"
"Nurse Joy! How's my Kirlia?!"
"Hmm?" ×2
They both glanced at each other, and Liam smiled, gently patting the boy's green hair.
"Oh, it's you, Bugsy. Don't worry—your Kirlia has fully recovered. I'll bring it out for you shortly. As for your Vibrava, sir—its injuries have been treated and stabilized. However, it was badly hurt and will need time to recover. It must not battle for a while. I'll return it to you in a moment."
As expected, Nurse Joy's skills were impeccable. In just a few minutes, Vibrava's condition had already stabilized.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy!"
Both Liam and the boy expressed their gratitude.
Soon after, Nurse Joy brought out two PokeBalls and handed them to Liam and Bugsy.
"So your name is Bugsy, huh? You're already raising your own Pokémon at such a young age—that's impressive. When you grow up, you'll definitely become a strong trainer."
With Vibrava safely returned, Liam felt relieved and smiled at the boy.
But Bugsy only gave a bitter smile and said—
"…But my Kirlia… never listens to me."