"Bzzz…"
"Buzzzz…"
After some time passed, the ice surrounding the Beedrill gradually melted, and Pikachu's Electroweb finally dissipated.
Once freed, the Beedrill that could still fly hurriedly fled the valley in panic.
As for the ones that were too injured to take off, Ash had Pidgeot and Fearow carry them away and dump them back into the forest outside the valley.
Although the grassy clearing was still a complete mess, with obvious signs that a fierce battle had taken place, the sanctuary had finally regained its peace and tranquility.
"Mr. Ash, thank you so much for helping us."
The young woman approached with Bulbasaur and the other Pokémon following behind her.
"If you hadn't stepped in, we really wouldn't have known what to do against a Beedrill swarm attacking in full force."
"My cabin would probably have been destroyed again, and all the food we worked so hard to gather would have been stolen."
Now that the battle was over and Ash had helped clean up the aftermath, she sincerely expressed her gratitude.
"Hm? You know who I am?"
Ash looked slightly surprised.
If he were in a city, being recognized by fans wouldn't be strange at all.
But this girl lived deep inside Viridian Forest, practically isolated from the outside world.
The fact that she could immediately recognize him genuinely caught him off guard.
"Of course I know you!" the girl replied enthusiastically.
"Not only do I know you, I'm actually a fan of yours."
"Besides, even though I live alone in Viridian Forest, I installed a satellite dish on the roof of my cabin. I can watch television and browse news online whenever I want."
Seeing the confusion on Ash's face, she quickly explained.
"I see."
Ash smiled.
"That's actually quite flattering."
"By the way, I still haven't asked your name."
Holding Clarissa's hand as they stepped out from behind the bushes, Ash politely asked,
"What should we call you?"
"Hello, Mr. Ash. Hello, Miss Clarissa."
"My name is Melanie."
The young woman introduced herself with a somewhat shy smile.
"I've always been rather introverted."
"When I was younger, my parents unfortunately died in a car accident."
"After that, I lived alone in Viridian City for a long time, but I constantly felt lonely and suffocated."
"So I moved to the outskirts of the city."
"Then I moved to the countryside."
"And after that, I kept moving farther and farther away from civilization."
"In the end, I simply chose to settle here in Viridian Forest and live by myself."
Perhaps because Ash was her idol.
Or perhaps because she had spent too many years living alone without anyone to talk to.
Either way, the normally reserved Melanie unexpectedly became quite talkative.
Neither Ash nor Clarissa found it bothersome.
On the contrary, they found her unusual lifestyle fascinating.
"By the way, Melanie," Clarissa asked curiously, "are all these Pokémon yours?"
"And why were those Beedrill attacking you?"
"Hmm…"
Melanie shook her head.
"Actually, this place is more like a Pokémon sanctuary."
"The Pokémon living here aren't mine."
"Most of them were abandoned by their Trainers because they performed poorly in battles or for various other reasons."
"They were physically injured and emotionally hurt."
"When I saw how pitiful they were, I brought them here to recover."
"At the same time, they kept me company."
She gently smiled at the Pokémon gathered around her.
"Once their physical injuries heal and the emotional scars gradually fade with time, I release them back into the wild."
"So they're all wild Pokémon."
"They don't belong to me."
Ash nodded thoughtfully.
"In that case, Melanie, were you previously a Pokémon Center nurse?"
"No, no!"
Melanie immediately waved her hands.
"How could I compare myself to a Nurse Joy?"
"I don't have the qualifications."
"I've never obtained a Pokémon nurse license or medical certification."
"I only know a few traditional folk remedies that can help treat minor injuries."
"Most of what I do is provide food, clean water, and shelter."
"Then I simply stay with them, take care of them, and help heal the emotional wounds in their hearts."
As she spoke, Melanie crouched down and gently picked up a Gloom.
"In this place, Pokémon don't have to battle anyone."
"They can focus on recovering peacefully."
"The companions here encourage one another and live together like a family."
"Our lives used to be very peaceful and quiet."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"But recently, a vicious Beedrill colony moved into the forest outside the valley."
"They attack us every few days."
"They steal the food we've worked so hard to gather."
"Our cabin has already been damaged several times."
"And our supplies are constantly being taken."
"This time, the entire swarm attacked."
"If you hadn't come to our rescue, Mr. Ash…"
"I honestly don't know what would've happened to me or these Pokémon."
As she spoke, her eyes gradually turned red.
The vulnerable expression made her seem particularly pitiful.
"Then what are you planning to do now?"
Clarissa stepped forward, took Melanie's hand, and gently patted her back in comfort.
"Are you going to move again?"
"Mm…"
Melanie shook her head.
"Ever since I moved into Viridian Forest, this isn't the first time we've been attacked by wild Pokémon."
"We've already relocated many times because of situations like this."
"But this valley is everyone's favorite home so far."
"Before the Beedrill colony moved into the nearby forest, we rarely encountered attacks."
"And even when we did, Bulbasaur and the others were usually able to drive the attackers away together."
"To be honest…"
"I don't want to leave this place."
She looked around the beautiful valley, her eyes filled with attachment.
"But with that Beedrill colony living nearby…"
"It feels like we may have no choice but to consider moving again."
Her voice was filled with disappointment and sadness.
Seeing her expression, both Ash and Clarissa felt a little sympathetic.
However, Melanie quickly adjusted her mood.
"Let's stop talking about depressing things."
She looked curiously at the two of them.
"Mr. Ash, Miss Clarissa, what brought you here in the first place?"
"Just yesterday I saw online reports saying the two of you were still in Cerulean City."
Ash laughed.
"We'd already stayed in Cerulean City long enough because of the Water Pokémon Beauty Contest."
"Besides, we still have plenty of things to do."
"So yesterday afternoon we took the train back to Viridian City."
"At the same time, Clarissa needs to catch a new Pokémon."
"We were considering either a Gloom or a Paras."
"Since we had some free time this afternoon, we decided to explore Viridian Forest."
"Then we encountered a Gloom."
"After defeating it in battle and preparing to catch it, Bulbasaur suddenly appeared and carried it off."
"So we chased after Bulbasaur all the way here."
Ash glanced toward Bulbasaur and smiled.
"We never expected to discover this sanctuary."
"Nor did we expect to find you living here in seclusion."
"And now we know that both Bulbasaur and Gloom are Pokémon you've been caring for."
"I see…"
Melanie nodded in understanding.
Then Clarissa suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, right!"
"When we were coming here, we ran into quite a few traps on the way."
"The broken bridge, the pitfall, the hidden net…"
She tilted her head curiously.
"Melanie, were all those traps set by you?"
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T/N:
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