After taking the medicine Pierce provided, the Volkarian team showed noticeable improvement—except for Sophia, whose condition remained unchanged. The other four looked much better.
"Lucario, Heal Pulse!" Alexei commanded.
Heal Pulse worked best on Pokémon, with diminished effects on humans. Moreover, Lucario wasn't a specialist in healing like Blissey.
When the pulse of healing energy washed over Sophia, it had no effect—instead, she coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Lucario: 'Am I… cursed or something?'
The failed attempt made Lucario doubt itself. It glanced at Alexei, unsure whether to continue or stop.
Alexei signaled for it to stop.
After that last mouthful of blood, Sophia's condition rapidly deteriorated—her breath growing weaker by the second.
Anton and the others were panicking and pacing in circles, completely at a loss for what to do.
The Drakorian team had already given them their medicine, which meant they likely didn't have anything stronger.
At this point, Sophia was too weak to even speak, though it was clear she still wanted to say something to her teammates.
"She's not really gonna die, is she? Julian, hurry up and do something!"
Ember, who had initially been watching like it was a show, suddenly changed her tone. She had some history with this woman, so while she didn't like her, she didn't actually want her dead.
Pierce also approached Julian. "Can you save her?"
He knew Julian was the only one here who had a shot at saving Sophia. If even Julian couldn't do it, then Sophia really was done for.
Compared to Pokémon, human bodies were as fragile as glass.
Before Julian could even respond, Anton had already walked over—and dropped to his knees in front of him.
Julian: (+_+)?
'What the heck?!'
Anton: "I was wrong earlier. I was impulsive, hot-headed—please, save Sophia. If you can heal her, you can kill me right now if you want!"
He then turned to look at Sophia affectionately, but she had already fallen unconscious, so she didn't see the look he gave her.
Confirmed. That look was pure simp energy.
This wasn't some mutual love story. Nope. Just one-sided devotion.
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Steelix."
Julian pointed at Steelix beside him.
Anton didn't hesitate. He bowed his head and kowtowed to Steelix.
Steelix: 'Ohhh, this feels good.'
"Here."
Julian took out a small glass vial containing a single drop of 'Heavy Water'.
This drop alone could regrow limbs—and it was also the best remedy for internal injuries.
For Sophia's condition, this single drop would be more than enough.
Anton, recognizing its value, accepted it gratefully, murmuring thanks before rushing back to Sophia's side.
After taking the Heavy Water, Sophia's complexion visibly improved, her cheeks quickly regaining their rosy hue.
Within minutes, she regained consciousness.
Julian studied the Lucario in front of him. While it couldn't compare to his own, it was still well-trained—and, interestingly, a female. His own Lucario was male.
'I wonder if Lucario has a thing for foreign ladies,' he thought idly.
Alexei's Lucario also observed Julian curiously. It could sense the Aura radiating from him, so it didn't mind his scrutiny.
In fact, it could feel the presence of a fellow kindred spirit from Julian.
Once Sophia regained her strength, she approached Julian. "Thank you, Julian."
Julian gave a slight nod in response.
Anton, still anxious, added in concern, "Sophia, you have just recovered—don't push yourself!"
Thanks to the Heavy Water, Sophia's internal injuries were completely healed. On the other hand, the medicine Anton and the others had taken was just ordinary medicine, meaning they were now the real patients.
'You're the one who shouldn't be talking.'
'With that look on his face and attitude—if this guy's not a simp, I'll write my name backward.'
'As a man, being this pathetic—utterly disgraceful.'
Julian couldn't help but shoot Anton a disdainful glance.
"We need to leave quickly. People from Celestria and Gallia are pursuing us," Sophia warned.
Julian's eyes lit up slightly at that.
Pierce immediately asked, "Roughly how far behind are they?"
If they were far enough, maybe they could set an ambush—
"I'm not sure, but I don't recommend fighting them here," Sophia cautioned.
The underground cavern was vast, but at the end of the day, it was still 'underground'. If over a dozen Elite-level trainers battled here, the entire cave system would collapse.
And when that happened, it would be the trainers themselves who'd be in danger. A mutual destruction scenario was entirely possible.
If Julian's group hadn't arrived, and if they'd truly been cornered, they might have taken that risk.
But now that they had allies—and options—they weren't going to throw their lives away.
Moreover, countless Pokémon lived in these caves. A collapse would mean massive casualties—an unforgivable sin.
"Alright. Let's leave this place first," Pierce nodded.
"Is there an exit where you came from?"
The path Julian's group had taken aligned with Sophia's intended direction.
"Yes."
Steelix had found the exit earlier, and the tremor source had also originated from that direction. The five of them had followed that path straight ahead until they ran into Sophia's group.
"Then let's move. We'll talk more once we're out."
The group of ten began heading back the way Julian's group had come from. Along the way, Pierce took the chance to ask Sophia about the situation with the Celestrian and Gallian teams.
When they learned that Sophia's group, despite being outnumbered, had managed to ambush and kill one trainer from Celestria and two from Gallia, even Pierce—a hardened soldier—couldn't help but be impressed.
And thanks to Sophia's account, they also gained a better understanding of the strength levels of the trainers from those two nations.
But what truly caught Julian and the others' attention was the mention of the Seer, Kate, from the Celestrian team.
She possessed the ability to foresee the future and divine fortune or misfortune.
In a secret realm like this, such an ability made her an invaluable asset—though it came with heavy restrictions. The biggest drawback was the immense mental strain it placed on her.
Without trusted allies guarding her, she wouldn't dare use it at all.
Julian had never paid much attention to international affairs. He only knew about some of the major families within his own country; he was almost completely clueless about foreign ones.
Outside of occasionally scrolling past videos of foreign women on social media, he had zero interest in anything beyond his own borders.
So this was the first time he'd heard that psychic abilities could be used for divination.
But this was likely a mutated form of psychic ability—something inherited through a specific bloodline. Otherwise, why would only Kate's family have this power?
After all, there were nearly a hundred trainers worldwide with Advanced-level psychic abilities—yet none of them could perform divination. Only Kate's family.
"The exit is just up ahead."
After more than three hours of travel, they finally reached the cavern's exit.
Sophia and the other four had stayed in the underground cavern for days. Now, suddenly stepping into the outside world and feeling the sunlight, they were momentarily disoriented.
But the warmth of the sun quickly lifted their spirits.
*****
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