Chapter 42: The Confrontation
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Ren started the Ralts coldly.
‘Why did you do this!’ Ren shouted.
‘You could have been killed! Why did you not heal me!?!’ Ren screamed.
The Ralts looked down onto the ground.
Its body was shaking.
‘Well? ANSWER ME!’ Ren shouted once again.
The Ralts began to tremble.
‘I wanted to be useful… I-I-I wanted to help.’ The Ralts whispered quietly.
Ren was angry. Extremely angry.
‘All for that. All for a simple self-worth, you did that? Why? Are you fucking retarded? Your life was nearly over. You would have been wiped out from this planet and I might have been next!’ Ren continued to rant.
Ren did not know what came over him.
He should not have been so angry. He understood the reality of this world. He understood that it was all Pokémon for themselves.
So why was he so shocked when the Ralts charged into battle without any concern for its life? Why did he feel this way… why did he feel so betrayed? Ren realized something.
He cared. He cared for the Ralts… and he did not want to lose it.
‘Are you going to leave me?’ The Ralts said.
‘What?’
‘I said… are you going to leave me?’ The Ralts replied with greater magnitude.
‘I heard your question. Why would you ever think that?’ Ren shouted back.
The Ralts looked at him sadly.
‘Am I useful to you?’ The Ralts said softly.
Ren’s words were stuck at the bottom of his throat. He began to question himself. Was that how he had acted? Ren remembered his battles, his continuous orders and his limited interaction with the Ralts. Even when he explained things to it, he did so unwillingly and with little detail.
A realization struck him.
He had treated the Ralts like a tool.
Ren sighed.
‘I am also sorry.’ Ren said.
Ren understood that he had developed some connection to the Ralts. He did not think that he would ever feel a connection to another living thing.
But this feeling…
Ren felt that if the Ralts died, he would be sad.
‘This must be what it means to care… to have a connection with another living being.’ Ren thought.
‘Why?’ The Ralts said, confused.
‘I am sorry for making you feel that way. I hereby promote you. You are my friend. I will not abandon you. So don’t do stupid stuff like that again.’ Ren said.
The Ralt’s face went blank for a few seconds.
It did not care about the whole ‘promotion’ thing. It was used to Ren’s weird way of talking.
‘What is a friend?’ the Ralts asked.
Ren was struck.
How to answer that… Ren was also inexperienced in that area.
‘I guess… that if I had to answer, then a friend is someone who you trust… someone who sticks with you. Someone who you help in tough and hard times.’
‘So you’ll stay with me?’ The Ralts asked.
‘Yes.’ Ren replied
‘Forever and forever.’ The Ralts said.
The Ralt’s sad face beamed into a gigantic smile.
‘I don’t think that’s what I said.’ Ren thought. He could not bring himself to say it in front of the Ralt’s wide smile.
The Ralt’s eyes landed on Ren’s deep wound.
It instantly became sad again.
‘Because of me… you got hurt.’ The Ralts said.
The Ralts floated up to Ren and activated its skill.
[Life dew]
‘I am sorry…’ The Ralts once again whispered. The aura surrounding the life aura seemed to intensify a bit.
‘Emotion…’ Ren thought.
Emotions seemed to strengthen the Ralt’s abilities. As the Ralt’s continued to develop emotionally, its skills would only continue to develop and get stronger.
Ren’s wounds began to rapidly close.
Ren moved his body to the corpse of the Squirtle.
‘I am going to eat some of the corpses, even though you basically killed it.’ Ren said.
‘You should eat it… Ren.’ The Ralts said softly.
Ren reached down to consume the corpse of the Squirtle before abruptly lifting his head.
‘What did you call me?’ He asked the Ralts.
‘Ren… was I not allowed to call you that. Sorry. Sorry.’ The Ralts began to apologize profusely.
‘No it's not that. Where did you hear that?’
The Ralts thought back.
‘I hear you so it in battle.’ The Ralts said, confused.
‘What?’ Ren replied. ‘When do I say it?’
‘It’s always like ‘come on Ren!’ or ‘you can do it Ren!’’ The Ralts quoted.
Ren was embarrassed. ‘What the hell did I say?’ Ren thought.
‘What else have you heard?’ Ren asked.
‘Some other things...fucker’ The Ralts trailed off.
Was this Ralts the devil? Or a saint?
Had he corrupted this saint with his words?
Ren was embarrassed. He had actually sent those things to the Ralts.
‘Ok… ok… call me Ren. Whatever. What do I call you?’
Ren wanted to restart the relationship. He wanted to restart everything. Not as master and familiar but as equals.
‘Name… I don’t have one.’
It seemed that the Ralts knew what a ‘name’ was, yet did not know what ‘a friend’ was. Its ‘knowledge’ seemed to be quite random.
Ren thought about it.
‘I’ll give you one.’ Ren decided.
The Ralt’s eyes shined.
‘Really? Thank you so much!’ The Ralts said softly.
The Ralts was much livelier than previously. It was more vibrant.
Ren thought that it suited it more to be like this. Bright and cheerful.
‘Eva. That will be your name.’ Ren decided.
Ren thought of fairies. It was the perfect name for a creature like the Ralts.
Ren hoped that the Ralts would continue to defend his back through their upcoming battles.
‘Eva… I like it! My name will be Eva from now on. Call me Eva, Ren!’ The Ralts called out.
‘Of course.’ Ren agreed.
Ren began to consume the flesh of the Squirtle. The flesh of the Squirtle entered his stomach and was quickly converted into bioenergy.
[Ding! You have gained one bioenergy. Your body slightly heals]
The messages of the system went off within his head. A cool feeling swept over Ren’s wounds.
Ren’s body instantly felt rejuvenated.
Host Name: Ren
Species: Draconic Ekans (Adolescent)
Element: Poison
Level: 3 [Limit: 5]
Bio-Energy: 110/70
Length: 361 cm
Spirit: 41
Power: 27
Wisdom: 17
Agility: 29
Defense: 31
Skills: Breathless Breathing Technique [32%], Poison sting [37%], Terrorize [62%], Acceleration [75%] Tier 2 - Limit breaker [25%] Pokémon Appraisal [51%] Spirit Concentration [31%], Stealth [7%]
Passive Skills: Tier 2 - Spirit Control [7%]
Racial Skills: Shedding [35%], Draconic body [11%]
‘I want to show you something.’ Eva said suddenly.
‘You don’t owe me anything.’ Ren reminded it.
‘You are my friend and friends help each other’ Eva replied purely.
Ren was struck. The Ralts had used his own words against him.
Right… they were friends. His first friend in a foreign world. It filled his heart with warmth.
‘Yeah… you’ve got me there.’ Ren said.
Eva turned around and began to float away. Ren followed it.
Two bodies.
One long and one floating humanoid-like shape disappeared into the shadows of the forest.