That man, it's that man—why does it have to be him...
Enzo was screaming internally, feeling like the entire world had gone dark around him.
"Right now, he's the only one I can think of," Link said, rambling as usual, unknowingly stabbing deeper into Enzo's fragile heart over and over again.
As if recalling something, Link added, "Aven seems to be quite skilled at making poisonous potions."
Skilled at making poisonous potions... Enzo closed his eyes in agony. The poison infecting the Luxray had been concocted by that very man—an incurable poison!
'What should I do now?'
'Should I go ask this Aven apothecary for help?'
'He'll definitely recognize me. He will! And then what will he do?'
'There's no way he'll help me. What should I do?'
Holding his head in his hands, Enzo was utterly lost. He desperately wished a hole would open in the ground so he could just jump in and disappear.
"Sir Enzo, are you feeling unwell?" Link looked over, puzzled by the pale-faced nobleman.
Enzo forced a smile. "N-No, it's nothing. I'm just a bit tired."
"Then let's head out quickly. I'm good friends with Mr. Aven—I'll help persuade him to help us," Link offered enthusiastically.
Standing beside him, Phyllis gave a sweet smile at just the right moment. "Then we'll be counting on you, Mr. Link."
Finally, the dazed and disoriented Enzo was pulled out of the room by Link and hurried off toward the outside.
Phyllis watched them leave, her refined brows furrowing slightly. Anyone with eyes could tell Enzo had been acting strange earlier.
Does he know this Aven... Phyllis speculated, and judging by his reaction, their relationship was far from friendly.
As she recalled the details Link had shared about Aven, something suddenly clicked in her mind, and her beautiful eyes widened slightly.
The Petilil... This Aven apothecary has a Petilil...
…
On the stone road outside Aspiration City, a carriage was speeding along, pulled by a Rhyhorn.
Enzo sat quietly inside the carriage, scenarios playing out in his head of what might happen once he came face-to-face with Aven.
From what he could tell, Aven was the only one who could save Luxray. No matter the cost, he had to convince him to help.
Should he test the waters first? Or confess directly and beg for forgiveness?
What price would he have to pay for forgiveness? Money? Something else? And what if Aven refused to help—would he resort to force?
The more he thought about it, the more his head throbbed with pain. Everything was a chaotic mess.
…
At Mike's Farm.
As usual, Aven was training his Petilil.
After the ambush the night before, his urgency to grow stronger had only intensified.
The Petilil felt the same. Recalling the battle from last night, its blood seemed to boil with excitement.
I want to become stronger. I want to defeat more opponents!
By this time in the afternoon, after finishing training sessions for Poison and Absorb techniques in the morning, the Petilil was now practicing Leech Seed in the forest.
Nearby, little Andy sat on a rock, holding the bandaged Starly in his arms, watching the Petilil's training with fascination.
That morning, seeing Starly injured had frightened Andy. Despite the bird's resistance, the boy insisted on taking care of it properly.
Unable to escape, Starly had no choice but to submit to the boy's doting care. However, compared to Andy's fussing, it found Aven's training of far greater interest.
It could hardly believe that the Petilil—who once needed its protection—had become so powerful under Aven's guidance!
Last night, it was the Petilil and the Luxray who had turned the tide against their foes: another Luxray and two Mightyena.
And judging from Aven's words, the Petilil had played a decisive role in the fight.
Starly had battled that same enemy Luxray before, so it knew just how strong it was—let alone the addition of two Mightyena. In that situation, its little teammate had triumphed where it probably would not have.
At the forest's edge, the Luxray lay resting. When it noticed Starly glancing its way, it briefly lifted its head in acknowledgment.
But in the next instant, Luxray's ears perked. It suddenly lifted its head fully, gaze fixed on the direction of the farm entrance. Its body tensed as it rose to its feet, face serious.
"Luxray, what's wrong?"
Aven, who was instructing the Petilil, looked toward it with a puzzled expression.
"Meowr!"
The Luxray nodded at Aven, lowering its body into an alert posture, ready to strike.
The next second, it dashed toward the front gate!
"Another intruder?" Aven's expression changed. He didn't waste a second and bolted after Luxray.
Little Andy hadn't quite caught on to what was happening, but seeing everyone else running, he quickly followed suit.
As they neared the front gate, Aven saw from a distance that a carriage had pulled up at the entrance.
Then, he spotted two men standing beside the carriage, chatting with Uncle Mike.
Luxray came to a stop, watching the carriage from afar. Aven's gaze followed its line of sight, spotting the Rhyhorn that had pulled the vehicle.
Clearly, Luxray had sensed the presence of a magical beast and reacted accordingly.
However, since it was a domesticated Rhyhorn with beast gear attached, there didn't appear to be any immediate threat.
On the other side, Enzo had also noticed Luxray rushing toward them and nearly bolted in fear.
But then he remembered that he had applied a special fragrance to his body the day before, one that masked his scent. The Luxray shouldn't be able to recognize him.
Sure enough, the Luxray stopped some distance away and didn't come any closer, allowing Enzo to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Then, his gaze shifted and landed on the young man he had seen just yesterday. Painfully, he closed his eyes.
This is absolutely the last person I wanted to see...
"Apothecary Aven, we meet again!" Link called out with a wave and a bright smile.
Aven walked over and greeted him with a smile. "Mr. Link, long time no see." He had a good impression of this talkative apothecary.
Then, his eyes moved to the man beside Link, whose awkward behavior drew his attention.
"Mr. Link, who is this?" Aven asked, confused.
(To be continued.)