The next morning Eliana woke up and went to nurse Joy's counter to turn in her key.
"Thank you for staying with us! I hope you enjoy your journey!" Nurse Joy chirped, giving her a bright smile.
Eliana smiled back, a genuine, sweet smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, thank you! I'll be sure to be careful, what with all those rumors about a dangerous killer on the loose."
Nurse Joy's own smile tightened almost imperceptibly. "Yes, well don't worry, the police are doing everything they can to find who this person is. Have a safe trip dear."
Eliana walked out of the Pokémon Center and into the bright morning sun. The path to her next destination, HopHopHop Town, led east along the coast. It was the fastest way to get to Vermillion City, then it was a quick trip to Saffron City. The road was paved at first, but soon gave way to a packed dirt track that wound through rolling hills and dense forests.
The cheerful buzz of Fuchsia City faded behind her, replaced by the rustle of leaves and the chatter of wild Pokémon. A Pidgey swooped low over the path, and a Mankey screeched at her from a high branch before vanishing into the canopy. It was peaceful. Boring.
She had been walking for about an hour when Ralts suddenly went rigid on her shoulder. A sharp, piercing thought cut through the ambient noise of the forest, a single, clear image projected into her mind: a small, yellow creature with long, black-tipped ears and large, terrified eyes. It was pinned against a rock, cornered by a hulking Nidorino, its purple hide bristling with poison.
She broke off the main path, pushing through a thicket of ferns that left damp prints on her shorts. Ralts guided her, the psychic image in her mind growing stronger with every step. She found them in a small clearing. The Nidorino had the Pikachu cornered, its horn glowing with a faint purple venom. The little mouse Pokémon's cheeks were sparking with weak, desperate electricity, but it was useless against the advancing ground type.
(¬_ ´¬ ), Ralts gave his trainer a questioning look, why would she intervene in this situation?
Eliana caught Ralts glance and answered,
Ralts eyes widen with understanding, before he turned to watch the show. alongside his trainer.
The Nidorino charged, a blur of purple muscle. The Pikachu, with a agility that belied its small size, tried to leap straight up into the air but was caught before it got far. The Nidorino's horn gouged a deep furrow in the Pikachu's side. The Nidorino's horn didn't just stab, it let out a concentrated shock of venom that made the Pikachu's body convulse violently. It let out a pained squeak and staggered, trying to shake the larger Pokémon off. The Nidorino held it still its weight pinning the Pikachu to the ground.
The Pikachu convulsed again, its eyes rolling back in its head as the toxins flooded its system. The fight, if it could even be called that, was over. The Nidorino sniffed at the twitching body, then nudged it with its horn as if to make sure it was truly down.
A surge of something cold and clinical went through Eliana. It wasn't pity or disgust, but pure, intellectual curiosity. She had read about this before, but watching it happen in person was a completely different experience. The raw, unvarnished efficiency of nature.
Ralts wondered if they should finish off the Pikachu, a flicker of something akin to impatience in his mental tone. The Nidorino had clearly lost interest in its now-inert meal and was wandering off to do whatever else wild Pokémon did.
"No," Eliana murmured aloud. "Let's see what happens."
The Pikachu wasn't dead. Its sides were fluttering with shallow breaths, its body trembling. The poison was working its way through its system, but its life force was stubbornly holding on. As Eliana watched, she wondered how long the poison would take to kill the creature, especially without the help of an antidote, or Pecha Berry, since it was a wild Pokémon.
She stepped out from behind the ferns, her movements slow and deliberate, not wanting to startle the wounded creature. The Pikachu's ear twitched and its eyes cracked open, hazy with pain and confusion. It saw her, a small human girl, and a fresh wave of terror washed over it. It tried to scramble away, but its limbs wouldn't obey, its body locked in a painful tremor.
Eliana knelt down a few feet away, her expression unreadable. She didn't offer comfort or make soothing noises. She simply observed. The Nidorino's poison was a nasty piece of work, designed to incapacitate prey slowly while it bled out from the stab wound. The Pikachu's small body was fighting a losing battle.
She reached out with her mind, not to control, but to listen. The Pikachu's thoughts were a chaotic storm of pain, fear, and a desperate, primal instinct to survive. It's heartbeat was slowing down and Eliana could feel its life force slipping away for good.
Ralts wanted to know if the creature was dead yet, a bored tone in his mental voice.
"Almost," Eliana said quietly.
As if on cue, the Pikachu let out one last, shuddering breath, its body going limp. The faint crackle of electricity in its cheeks died out completely.
Eliana stood up, dusting off her knees. She nudged the small body with the toe of her shoe. It was a waste really, the Nidorino hadn't even eat it.
(¬‿¬) Ralts tilted his head, happily. Finally they were leaving, he hated spending time in places like this. The dirt and grime got everywhere on his light colored body.
As Eliana pedaled away, leaving the small, still form in the clearing, she felt quite satisfied. New knowledge was always a good occasion, regardless of how she got it.