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Kanto Region, Channel 20, at the Seafoam Islands.
Eddie gazed into the distance where two connected islands emerged from the ocean mist. These were the islands clearly marked on his Kanto region map - the Seafoam Islands. Like other marked locations, they were substantial landmasses stretching wide across the horizon.
"We've arrived. These are the Seafoam Islands, right?"
"Green, we need to split up now. You must be extremely careful and watch out for your own safety. If you encounter any emergency situation you can't handle on your own, remember to signal me immediately. I'll come to help right away."
Eddie spoke seriously to Green, who had recovered from her earlier distress. She nodded in understanding upon hearing his words.
"Don't worry about me, Eddie. Even if I can't assist you directly because of Articuno's presence, I can still protect myself effectively."
Green forced a smile as she spoke these words. Deep down, she genuinely wanted to help Eddie, but when facing the legendary Ice-type Pokemon, she felt truly powerless in her current state.
"I can't continue like this forever. If I keep investigating what happened in the past, I'll eventually have to confront that legendary bird Pokemon. If I'm still paralyzed by my fear of Flying-types by then, everything will have been pointless."
"Someday, I'm going to overcome this bird phobia - not only for my own sake, but so I can fight alongside him as an equal partner!"
Green silently resolved that this time, she would truly face her deepest fear head-on.
In the past, she wouldn't even dare to consider overcoming this phobia, much less actually confronting Flying-type Pokemon in battle.
This limitation was evident from the fact that her team contained no Flying-type Pokemon whatsoever.
However, after this recent incident - specifically after Eddie's gentle but firm reminder - she finally understood how absurd her condition truly was.
Yes, it was absolutely ridiculous. As a Pokemon trainer, being so terrified that she couldn't even battle properly because of a specific Pokemon type - this was completely unacceptable.
This kind of limitation was extremely shameful, comparable to a soldier being afraid of their own weapons.
If she was going to remain afraid, then why had she chosen to become a trainer in the first place? If fear would control her actions, why was she investigating these past events at all? Wouldn't it be simpler to just pretend nothing had happened and abandon the life she truly wanted?
However, Green refused to choose that path of avoidance. She had chosen to become a Pokemon trainer, and she had chosen to investigate the mysterious events from her childhood.
She was confronting her traumatic past and wanted to resolve all her personal issues once and for all. At this crucial moment, she needed to overcome her Flying-type phobia as quickly as possible.
Green hadn't considered this perspective before, or perhaps she had subconsciously avoided acknowledging it.
But now, she could only hate herself for being such a coward - someone who didn't dare face the things that frightened her. She could only choose to run away and leave everything to Eddie's capable hands.
If this had been in the past, when would Green have ever cared about other people's welfare? She had survived on the streets since childhood, and aside from her adoptive brother, who else had she ever truly cared about?
That changed when she met Eddie and gradually fell in love with this man who understood her better than anyone else. Now, except for a few significant milestones, she and Eddie had shared almost every important experience together.
So what exactly was the relationship between Green and Eddie at this point? Beyond being partners in their investigation, how else could anyone describe their bond?
How could Green possibly accept letting the man she loved bear all the responsibility alone simply because of her own inadequacies?
"Are you feeling reluctant about this? If so, then overcome your fear completely. But for now, leave this matter to me. Protecting yourself is the greatest help you can provide."
Just as Green was making this silent resolution, Eddie's gentle hand ruffled her hair comfortingly.
Looking up at Eddie's reassuring smile, countless thoughts raced through Green's mind before she smiled back knowingly.
It wasn't a forced smile or a playful expression, but rather a soft, genuinely warm smile.
"Alright, I understand completely, Eddie. Go ahead, and please stay safe."
After saying this, Green gently kissed Eddie's lips, then released her Blastoise from its Poke Ball and gracefully jumped onto the Water-type Pokemon's broad shell.
They were approaching the Seafoam Islands rapidly, so they needed to separate and begin their individual missions.
"This girl seems to have finally made her decision."
"Lapras, increase your speed and reach the island before Green arrives."
Eddie watched Green standing confidently on Blastoise's back, waved farewell, then commanded his Lapras to accelerate.
He was planning to provide cover support for Green in case Team Rocket discovered her when she made landfall on the island.
"Lapras~~~" (Understood, accelerating now)
Lapras called out melodiously, then expelled a powerful Ice Beam from its mouth, instantly freezing a solid ice path directly ahead. The Transport Pokemon then gracefully glided onto the frozen surface and began skating forward at tremendous speed.
"You're actually going to skate across the water. That's remarkably clever thinking."
Anyone familiar with Pokemon knew that Lapras could move faster by skating on ice than by swimming through water, but this wasn't what truly surprised Eddie.
What amazed him was that he had simply given the command to increase speed, and Lapras had independently determined that skating would be the fastest method, then immediately used Ice Beam to create the necessary frozen pathway.
"We of the Lapras species are all highly intelligent creatures, so this kind of tactical thinking is quite elementary for us."
Suddenly, a clear female voice resonated directly within Eddie's mind, startling him so much that he nearly lost his balance.
"...It's you speaking. You can actually communicate telepathically. Incredible - Misty really gave me someone extraordinary."
Eddie addressed Lapras with genuine amazement. Although Lapras didn't turn around to face him, from those telepathic words, he was absolutely certain that Lapras was communicating with him directly.
This wasn't Eddie interpreting meaning through his Power of Viridian abilities, but rather Lapras establishing direct mental communication through psychic telepathy.
Lapras possessed exceptionally high intelligence and could understand human language perfectly. A select few Lapras could even communicate with humans using telepathic abilities.
However, Lapras with telepathic capabilities were extraordinarily rare. After all, not every individual of the species could develop this remarkable psychic ability.
"My previous trainer, Misty, never realized I possessed telepathic abilities. But even if she had known, she still would have entrusted me to your care."
"She frequently talks to us Pokemon about you when she thinks no one is listening. She genuinely cares for you deeply, so even though you have relationships with other women, you should pay more attention to her occasionally."
Eddie felt somewhat embarrassed hearing this revelation. Green and he had shared intimate moments while riding on Lapras's back previously, and apparently Lapras had been aware of everything.
Now that Eddie had discovered Lapras could communicate telepathically, would she report these details to Misty the next time they met?
"Don't worry about that concern. As I mentioned, Misty doesn't know I can communicate telepathically, and I don't plan to reveal this ability to her."
"It's not that I don't trust Misty personally, but because of our telepathic abilities, too many members of our species have been captured by humans seeking to exploit us. I must consider the safety of both myself and my fellow Lapras. The fewer humans who know about this capability, the better our protection."
"As for you, my new trainer Eddie, you possess the Power of Viridian. According to the ancient legends of our species, humans blessed with the Power of Viridian are the ideal companions for Pokemon everywhere, so I chose to communicate with you directly."
Eddie had to admit that Lapras truly possessed remarkable intelligence. She had anticipated and answered virtually every question he wanted to ask, leaving him momentarily speechless.
He realized he had nothing left to inquire about, since everything had been thoroughly explained.
Regarding how Lapras knew Eddie possessed the Power of Viridian, this could actually be observed through his natural communication with Pokemon.
When people watched Eddie interacting with Pokemon, they simply assumed he had exceptional rapport with them, never suspecting that Eddie could actually understand Pokemon speech.
However, from the Pokemon's perspective, Eddie was clearly engaging in genuine two-way conversation with them. Although they didn't fully understand how Eddie could communicate so naturally, they definitely recognized this ability, since they could comprehend both human and Pokemon languages.
"Well, you've addressed everything I wanted to ask. I don't have any other questions right now. Let's continue forward."
Eddie said nothing more. Looking at the Seafoam Islands now within easy reach, he was eager to begin their mission.
Just as he had told Green moments earlier, they were only facing Team Rocket operatives. He simply needed to eliminate the threat completely.
He had come here specifically to accomplish this goal!