From the moment the sovereign Venusaur sent its kin to investigate the truth, the relationship between Jiang Tiansheng and the Venusaur flowed as harmoniously as a stream.
Throughout the long night, Jiang Tiansheng and his companions tirelessly treated the injured Pokémon, whose lives seemed especially fragile under the dim light.
Currently, the injuries of Jiang Tiansheng’s three quasi-Elite-level Pokémon were the most severe, like flowers battered by a storm, hanging by a thread.
He brought out many rare healing items and even summoned a Gym-level healing Pokémon—a Blissey.
However, the damage inflicted by the sovereign Venusaur was like a brand on the very source of life, beyond the full healing capabilities of a Gym-level Blissey.
Their treatments could only slightly alleviate the injuries; for a complete recovery, they would need to return to a Pokémon Center and use professional medical equipment.
This made one sigh in realization: injuries at the Elite level, unless treated by a healing Pokémon of the same tier, were truly difficult to eradicate completely.
This was because Elite-level attacks contained unique elemental power, like a ghost lurking in the darkness—hard to grasp and even harder to dispel.
Since it couldn’t be dispelled, healing naturally became a challenge.
The Greninja, however, was fortunate; its injuries were lighter, requiring only some rest to heal on its own.
On the other side, the sovereign Venusaur, though severely wounded earlier, had the advantage of its home turf. The forest’s shelter allowed it to recover slowly.
With the attentive care of its kin, its injuries gradually stabilized, and it was expected to fully recover in a day or two.
Seeing this, Jiang Tiansheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe toward this forest sovereign.
He secretly thanked his luck that he hadn’t been determined to kill it earlier; otherwise, the outcome of today’s situation would have been uncertain.
Soon, the Venusaur’s kin sent to investigate returned with information. After learning the details, the sovereign Venusaur relayed everything to Jiang Tiansheng and the others.
“My kin have confirmed that along the route where the Kecleon took the Bulbasaur, there are almost no traces left,” the Venusaur said slowly.
“The only thing that seems suspicious is that in the afternoon, the Kecleon group appeared to be acting unusually.”
“However, during that time, no other Pokémon witnessed what exactly happened.”
The Venusaur continued, “My kin also asked the Kecleon leader just now, and it only said it was a fight between two Kecleons.”
With the trail cut off here, the Venusaur quietly watched Jiang Tiansheng and the others, waiting for their response.
After some discussion, Zhou Zhiwen, Wang Jian, and the others concluded that the problem likely lay with the Kecleon group.
Wang Jian even admitted that his own Kecleon was exceptionally talented, and that fight might very well have been its doing.
“After the three of us talked it over, we felt that fight was quite suspicious,” Wang Jian began.
“It’s very possible that our Kecleon got into a conflict with a wild Kecleon and ended up losing.”
“As things stand now, either the Bulbasaur escaped on its own, or it’s still under the control of the Kecleon group.”
Zhou Zhiwen took over, “But considering the Kecleon group isn’t very strong, they wouldn’t dare offend you, the forest sovereign. So we guess the Bulbasaur likely slipped away secretly.”
Jiang Tiansheng relayed these speculations to the Venusaur.
After hearing this, the Venusaur found it quite reasonable.
It pondered for a moment and decided that since it was injured and couldn’t stop them from leaving, it would rather let them go than risk keeping them.
If they had truly deceived it, there would be plenty of opportunities to pursue the matter later.
Thinking this, the Venusaur couldn’t help but feel proud of its cleverness.
“After living so long, I really have gotten smarter,” it thought to itself.
Then it spoke: “You may leave. I will continue investigating the matter. As for the one who took my grandson, I won’t pursue it further. You and the Alliance have cooperated for years, and I trust your handling of him won’t disappoint me.”
“Also, if I still can’t find my little grandson afterward, I’ll summon you again. By then, either find my grandson or prepare for battle.”
The Venusaur mused inwardly: “Sigh, this is really a helpless move. How could I not be anxious when my grandson is taken? But the Alliance is indeed powerful, and I can’t truly fall out with them. I just hope they handle this properly.”
There was no helping it—the Alliance had many strong members, and it had been beaten before when it didn’t comply. If it weren’t for being so furious this time, the Venusaur wouldn’t have caused such a commotion.
Though it had its own backing, it was old now, and avoiding trouble was better than seeking it. It still had to think about its kin.
Even the sovereign Venusaur, powerful as it was, felt somewhat helpless. As long as it wasn’t alone, it had to consider future generations.
Hearing the Venusaur’s words, Jiang Tiansheng breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they could leave. Even with an Elite-level Pokémon in hand, he was still shaken.
He thought to himself: “Damn it, if I hadn’t been cautious and brought a guardian Pokémon this time, I’d have been done for. Next time, I’ll bring my whole team along.”
Zhou Zhiwen also relaxed. This time had been incredibly perilous, with multiple close calls. It was lucky they made it back alive.
Wang Jian, upon hearing this, was completely stunned.
He had been in a decent mood, but now, reminded by the Venusaur, he realized that even if the Venusaur didn’t come after him, he wouldn’t fare well when he got back.
It seemed his remaining years would be spent in prison.
Wang Jian seemed to lose all his spirit.
Jiang Tiansheng signaled to Zhou Zhiwen, who took out a special pair of handcuffs, cuffed Wang Jian, and locked away all of Wang Jian’s Poké Balls in a custom-made box.
Wang Jian offered no resistance to these actions—he couldn’t fight back anyway, so he just accepted it.
After handling this, Jiang Tiansheng told the Venusaur that he would leave some people at the edge of the forest. If anything came up, they could contact them first to see if it could be resolved.
The Venusaur thought it over and agreed, signaling them to leave quickly.
It muttered to itself: “Sigh, this is the only way. I hope they truly take responsibility, or I won’t let it go. I’m injured, and there’s an unfamiliar Elite-level nearby—I’d better be cautious.”
Injured and with a strange Elite-level Greninja beside it, the Venusaur felt very insecure.
Seeing the Venusaur like this, Jiang Tiansheng found it somewhat amusing.
Was this the older you get, the more afraid of death you become?
If the Venusaur had heard Jiang Tiansheng’s thoughts, it would have cursed him endlessly: “It’s not you about to die, so of course you’re not scared.”
Soon, Jiang Tiansheng and the other two left the Chunhua Forest.