Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Sneasel was very comfortable. Some people treated the wounds, while others fed her milk.

Aoki was exhausted.

Don't underestimate the methods of healers. When treating Pokemon with wound medicine, special techniques are used to speed up recovery, reduce pain, and accelerate the bonding of tissue.

The physical resilience of Pokemon is far greater than that of humans. Even though Sneasel had suffered severe injuries, Aoki's massage and application of wound medicine allowed some wounds to scab over instantly, while smaller wounds disappeared completely.

With a bottle of milk from Miltank, Sneasel was able to stand up normally and move around.

Only now did Sneasel truly face the human who seemed weak yet remained calm.

He had seen it in the previous battle—Murkrow and Slowpoke had defeated him largely due to this human's commands.

He looked at Aoki with a complex expression.

Aoki met his gaze without hesitation and said, "Sneasel, you are already my Pokemon. Whether you want to admit it or not, you have only two choices now."

"First! You become my Pokemon. I will help you grow, help you fight, and you will enjoy everything you desire, like milk! There are also various held items and food!"

Sneasel listened to Aoki's words without expression, but when he mentioned "milk," a slight change flickered across his face before he quickly suppressed it.

Although Sneasel's self-control was strong, Aoki could still see the spark of interest in his eyes.

Smirking inwardly, Aoki knew he had found his leverage. He was now 50% sure he could completely subdue him.

However, when he spoke again, Aoki's tone became serious, and his eyes grew cold as he stared at Sneasel.

"Second! If you refuse to fight for me, I won't force you. I will still provide you with food, but you will never leave a Pokeball until you die!"

This choice was essentially life or a fate not much different from death. To be trapped inside a Pokeball forever—was it not the same as imprisonment?

Upon hearing this, Sneasel could not suppress his rage any longer. As a wild Pokemon, he had valued freedom above all else, and now this human wanted to take it away.

That was worse than death.

"Caw!"

Sneasel cried out, taking a battle stance. If death was his only option, he would fight to the end.

Seeing Sneasel's movement, Slowpoke and Murkrow immediately took defensive stances, prepared to counter any reckless attack.

Aoki did not back down. As a Trainer with a strong sense of control, he would not compromise.

In his eyes, Sneasel's potential was exceptional, and he admired his fighting spirit and willpower. If he could not mold him into a valuable ally, then it was better to imprison him rather than let him fall into enemy hands.

Selling him to the Hunter Guild was a last resort, only if Aoki found himself in desperate need of money.

However, as long as Sneasel chose to fight for him wholeheartedly, Aoki would treat him no differently than his other Pokemon.

At this tense moment, when battle seemed inevitable, Miltank rushed into the middle, stopping Sneasel and waving her hands repeatedly, trying to calm Aoki.

At the same time, she picked up the half-empty bottle of milk that Sneasel had left in the corner and handed it to him.

"Miru~" Miltank spoke softly.

"Sneasel~" Sneasel took the half-full bottle with a blank expression, listening as Miltank chattered on.

Miltank grew increasingly animated, even pulling Slowpoke into the conversation. The unsuspecting Slowpoke found himself repeatedly smacked on the back. He grimaced slightly from the force but did not dare move away.

Murkrow watched the scene, recalling Miltank's battle with an Arbok earlier. A part of him was relieved he wasn't the one being hit this time.

"Ah dong, ah dong!" Slowpoke winced from the smacks but forced himself to play along, calling out in agreement.

Seeing Miltank enthusiastically explaining things while gleefully smacking Slowpoke, Murkrow found it amusing how both Pokemon had turned against Slowpoke so effortlessly.

But Miltank remained oblivious to it all, increasing the force of her smacks until Slowpoke finally couldn't take it anymore.

Miltank reached a moment of peak excitement, raising her hoof dramatically. Seeing the impending strike, Slowpoke quickly sidestepped.

"Bang!"

Miltank's hoof struck the ground, creating a deep groove and a web of fine cracks.

A sudden silence fell over the area. Only now did Miltank realize what she had done. Looking around sheepishly, she bowed her head as if nothing had happened.

"Gulp!"

Two audible gulps broke the silence—one from Slowpoke, relieved he had dodged in time, and the other from Sneasel, who would never admit he had previously thought Miltank was weak.

Even Aoki was surprised by Miltank's sudden display of power. He had initially believed her strength had only surfaced in the battle against Arbok due to the boosting effect of Endure. But now, it seemed she possessed strength beyond his expectations.

Yet, Miltank's antics had a positive effect. The tension between Aoki and Sneasel eased, and at least Sneasel was no longer in an aggressive stance.

As the only female in the group, Miltank had a unique ability to maintain balance among the others.

After a moment of silence, it was Miltank who pulled the reluctant Sneasel forward, bringing him to stand in front of Aoki.

Though Aoki had no idea what Miltank had said, it was impressive that she had managed to pacify Sneasel, who had been so fiercely opposed to him moments before.

Now that Sneasel was no longer resisting, Aoki saw no need to follow through on his threat. It had merely been a tactic to force his compliance.

He reached out to pat Sneasel's head to solidify their new understanding.

"Caw!"

Sneasel turned his head, avoiding Aoki's hand.

Aoki's hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment. Instead of pulling it back, he retrieved two bottles of milk from his pack and placed them in Sneasel's arms.

As Sneasel looked at the bottles with a reluctant, conflicted expression, Aoki seized the moment to ruffle his head with a grin.