Seviper… poisoned.
In the setting of Pokémon, Poison-type and Steel-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned or badly poisoned by Toxic.
From a realistic perspective, this is clearly unreasonable.
After all, poisons are classified into several types like Neurotoxins, Cytotoxins, and Hemotoxins, not to mention chemical toxins besides biological ones; how can they all be lumped together?
However, not understanding doesn’t mean not respecting.
Since the laws of this world operate this way, Edward must not only abide by them but also respect them.
So, was it a Salazzle that attacked the Seviper?
Or some Pokémon that can use Soak?
These were the two possibilities that immediately came to Edward’s mind.
Poison.
No matter where it is, it’s unwelcome, a synonym for despicableness and evil.
Fortunately, all things have their mutual generation and restriction.
Where poison is bred, an antidote must be nearby.
Plus, regardless of how the Seviper was poisoned, it inherently possesses extremely strong resistance.
If it can pull through this, it might even find a blessing in disguise and enhance its own toxicity.
After treating the Seviper’s injuries, Edward went the extra mile and made some camouflage for it.
Then, he hit the road again.
This time he didn’t have any Poké Balls; for a Pokémon that wasn’t his, Edward had done as much as anyone could be expected to.
…
Edward felt his way forward for a while longer.
As he went deeper, water resources became visibly more abundant.
Waist-high weeds grew everywhere, and he never knew which step would land him in a puddle.
He even accidentally stumbled into a habitat of a group of Corphish.
If he hadn’t run fast, he might have had spicy crawfish for dinner…
And unknowingly, more clouds gathered in the sky, making the already poor visibility even worse.
Even when Edward took out the flashlight he had prepared in advance, it was like a drop in the bucket.
Clearly, today was over.
And in the future, it would be best to come during the day.
“Off to a bad start~”
Humming a little tune as he headed back, Edward muttered to himself absentmindedly.
He simply took off those shoes he had brought from Earth, which were now completely ruined.
He also rolled up the pants he had just bought a couple of days ago to above his knees.
With a piece of foxtail grass he’d picked up dangling from his mouth, he looked just like a wild child from the countryside.
Strolling freely and happily under the moonlight.
No longer thinking about what new Pokémon he might encounter.
However, things often go against one’s wishes.
Bang!!!
A sudden loud bang echoed through the silent night.
Pokémon are fighting!
Originally, according to Edward’s principle of non-interference, he wouldn’t have gone to get involved.
The type of injuries it sustained wasn’t for the purpose of hunting.
It was primarily for torture.
This was also why Edward first suspected a Zangoose.
But even if Zangoose had evolved the targeted abilities of Immunity and Toxic Boost during generations of racial warfare with Seviper…
…it was absolutely impossible to evolve a toxicity that could overpower Seviper’s.
In other words… there’s a “bad kid” on this wetland!
Territorial disputes, personal or racial grudges, even cruel predation—Edward had decided to let nature take its course.
But if it was “bullying,” he would let that fellow know…
…what it means to be the Master of the Secret Realm!
Crack~
The muscles in his legs contracted instantly.
And in the next second, all the terrifying power contained within erupted.
Finally, as the earth shattered…
Edward dashed out like an arrow from a bow, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.
…
“Gu-lie!”
“Jie-qie!”
As he drew closer to the scene.
Edward could clearly hear the cries of both combatants.
One was deep, yet seemed filled with infinite rage.
The other was crisp, carrying fear and pain.
Suddenly.
Edward’s mind sketched the image of a poor girl being domestically abused by a drunken gambler father.
His guess seemed to be right, and Edward immediately felt his temper rising.
His already unnaturally fast speed increased once more.
Finally, at the moment the Drapion’s attack fell…
…he rescued the helpless and nearly despairing Mawile from its tail with sharp claws.
Yes.
The combatant, or rather, the perpetrator, was somewhat unexpected—it was actually a Drapion.
And the one being tormented was actually a Mawile…
Both of them were beyond Edward’s expectations.
For this pair, only the size difference seemed reasonable.
As a Poison and Dark-type Pokémon, Drapion is indeed cruel and tyrannical by nature, but it isn’t famous for its toxicity, let alone liking to use poison.
Most importantly.
It doesn’t have the ability to poison Poison or Steel-type Pokémon.
So what kind of sickness did it have to attack a Seviper first and then a Mawile?
…
“Are you okay?”
“Jie, jie-qie~”
Edward looked at the Mawile in his arms, covered in wounds.
Is it that fierce?
Is this guy on drugs?
Edward’s suspicion wasn’t just directed at this Drapion’s toxicity.
Its state was also visibly wrong.
Its eyes were wide with rage, its aura violent, and while its body was the traditional purple…
…it seemed far too dark.
The blue dots that were originally on its joints had turned a strange rose-red.
“Calm down!”
Edward switched from a bridal carry to holding it with one arm.
With his other hand free, he made the classic gesture of a traffic policeman.
He unintentionally showed off the Fairy Crest on his palm.
But this Drapion clearly wasn’t going to buy it.
“Roar—”
Having its prey snatched away stimulated its already irritable heart to become even more manic.
Rage turned into volume, and it launched an attack directly at Edward in the form of a skill.
Snarl!
Boom!
The sound waves turned into Dark-type energy, blasting the ground open.
But Edward had already dodged calmly, and at the same time, he gave up on the method of using communication to solve the problem.
The Pokédex says.
Drapion is very arrogant, but it appears docile in front of Hippowdon.
Well, that’s easy then.
As long as it’s not the Honey Badger type, Edward would let it see…
…what a Terrifying Upright Ape looks like.
“Normal Punch!”
…
Splash!
Edward:…
There were too many weeds; Edward hadn’t noticed at all that there was a wide pond behind the Drapion.
He successfully punched the Drapion flying, but he couldn’t carry out any further education.
Edward stood by the shore for a while, unwilling to give up.
But he didn’t know if that Drapion had passed out or slipped away.
It didn’t come up for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Mawile’s condition was getting worse, so he could only prioritize the more urgent issue.
…
Compared to Seviper, Mawile’s situation was much more serious.
It wasn’t that Drapion’s toxicity had increased in such a short time.
Rather, compared to Seviper, who is already skilled at using poison, Mawile had far too few existing antibodies.
It’s like a physically strong ancient person traveling to modern times.
Even if Louis came, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the bacteria and viruses in the air and food.
Fortunately, Mawile has a petite figure, so even without a Poké Ball, it was easy to carry.
Edward took it directly back to his base.
“Tyrogue! Tyrogue, stop sleeping! Quickly, go invite the Chansey Bodhisattva!”