"Two idiots. Don't you know that carelessness leads the hunter to become the hunted?"
Another black-robed man emerged from the shadows, accompanied by a spider Pokémon, Ariados.
A Haunter floated beside him as well, quickly finishing off the Pokémon left behind by the two dead men.
After all, these Pokémon had already been through battle and were at their breaking point. Moreover, this black-robed man's two Pokémon seemed extremely powerful.
Once the battlefield was cleared, the black-robed man removed his hood, revealing a scarred, weathered face. His gaze toward the girl was filled with lustful greed.
"Heh, such a beauty. Didn't expect I'd get to enjoy this too!"
The girl had thought she'd encountered a kind-hearted trainer who would save her, after all, wasn't that how all the storybooks she'd read went?
But the man's words, along with his perverted stare, made her feel like she'd fallen into an icy abyss.
She'd barely escaped one danger only to face another.
Just as the man's thick hand was about to touch the girl's skin, an extremely fast black shadow suddenly appeared.
The Haunter beside the man instantly reacted, using Protect.
Ting~
The attack failed, and the black shadow quickly retreated, melting back into the darkness.
"Who's there!"
The man roared angrily, immediately pressing his back against a tree trunk. His eyes widened as he warily scanned the dark forest around him.
He hadn't expected that after taking advantage of the situation, there was still someone hidden in the shadows who hadn't made their move yet.
"Coward hiding in the shadows! If you have any guts, come out and fight me face to face!"
The man released two more Pokémon. Though they weren't high-level, having them seemed to provide some sense of security.
The dark depths of the forest remained silent.
The man's nerves grew increasingly tense with the atmosphere. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and he could only hear his own breathing and the girl's quiet sobs.
"Damn it, shut up and stop crying..."
The man grew irritated by the girl's weeping and cursed angrily.
At that moment, energy attacks appeared simultaneously from four directions around the tree he was backed against.
The man quickly ordered his Pokémon to use Protect, but ultimately a weakness was found. That black shadow flashed again, like a Death's scythe silently harvesting the man's life.
The girl stared in stunned silence, realizing it was actually a Murkrow.
"The hunter becomes the hunted?"
"Little did you know, there's always a bigger fish in the pond."
A confident, clear young voice rang out.
"Are you alright?"
Sieg revealed a kind smile as he helped the collapsed girl to her feet.
Delicate, smooth, with a hint of warmth.
It felt like touching warm stone, incredibly comfortable.
This was Sieg's first impression upon touching the girl's wrist, before quickly realizing and releasing her hand.
Sieg deliberately put on a shy expression, scratching his head.
He was already extremely proficient at putting on this kind of act.
The girl stared mesmerized at this "prince on a white horse" who had come to rescue her. She wiped the blood spatters from her face, feeling inexplicably overwhelmed.
"Waaah, woo woo woo~~~"
She threw herself into Sieg's arms, crying loudly. Her small hands clutched desperately at his clothes, unwilling to let go, as if this could give her some sense of security.
After a long while, the girl's crying gradually subsided. Seeming to realize their current position was rather intimate, a blush crept up her cheeks.
From childhood to now, she had never been this close to any male.
But if it was this young man who had saved her, she didn't mind; a strange feeling stirred in her heart.
She buried her head in Sieg's chest, sniffling quietly.
"I'm Luna Solance. You can call me Luna." The girl's face reddened slightly, not quite daring to look directly at Sieg.
Seeing Luna's shy expression, Sieg knew his "hero saves the damsel" performance had been quite successful.
Attitude is the mask of the heart.
A girl who hadn't yet experienced society's harsh lessons didn't know how to properly conceal her emotions.
"You can call me Sieg."
"Miss Luna, how did you encounter those criminals?"
As a member of the Solance family, she should theoretically have protection when going out. For this girl to be alone was rather strange to Sieg.
However, he had a general guess, the girl's thoughts weren't difficult to read.
Obviously, Luna hadn't recognized that the Kadabra she'd bought came from Sieg's stall.
"I came out to buy some resources for my little Frost. The family usually handles purchasing, but I was curious, so I snuck out..."
Luna's thoughts were quite simple. Having no wariness toward Sieg, who had saved her life, she explained everything honestly.
When mentioning sneaking out, she pouted slightly, her pretty face reddening with embarrassment.
The "little Frost" she mentioned was probably the Glaceon that had appeared in the earlier battle.
The scene fell silent for a moment, with Sieg not knowing what to say.
"Sieg, I've already contacted my family. Rescue should arrive soon, so we... let's just wait here." Luna lowered her head, speaking softly.
"Late at night, it is indeed dangerous for a girl to be alone." Sieg nodded in agreement.
He retrieved dry matches and kindling from his spatial backpack. The lit flames effectively dispelled the surrounding darkness, bringing both of them some warmth.
This location was less than fifty kilometers from the nearest town, Fallarbor, so rescue wouldn't take long to arrive.
The girl's Pokémon had suffered greatly in the recent battle, with the most severely injured. Even her strongest, Tropius, was now extremely weak.
The girl's tear stains hadn't yet dried as she sorrowfully treated her Pokémon, helping them recover from their wounds.
"Just one meeting, and she trusts me this much? Are girls nowadays really that gullible?"
Seeing the girl's complete lack of wariness toward him, Sieg felt slightly moved.
But ultimately, he summed it up in three words: naive and trusting.
"Use this instead, it's a healing potion I prepared myself."
Sieg took out a bottle of emerald-green liquid. It was made using a Grass-type Pokémon's heart, with some precious medicinal materials added.
For instance, Energy Powder purchased from Lavaridge Town's herb shop.
"You can even prepare potions?"
Luna asked curiously while feeding the emerald healing liquid to her Pokémon.
"I'm a Pokémon Breeder. I can make some simple healing potions." Sieg sat cross-legged by the fire, resting with eyes half-closed, not bothering with the girl's attempts to express gratitude.
Too many words at a time like this would actually be counterproductive.
Every sentence he spoke was perfectly calculated, neither arousing the girl's suspicion nor letting her take this debt too lightly.
Sure enough, Luna gathered her red dress around her, hugging her knees as she crouched by the campfire. Her eyes gazed at Sieg's handsome face, lost in thought.
When Sieg's gaze swept over, she hurriedly lowered her head, seemingly embarrassed at being caught staring.
Sieg's lips curved slightly upward. He knew how easily the "hero saves beauty" scenario could capture a young girl's heart.
A hero's rescue, a maiden's awakening love.