Crisis

Chimchar seized the opening. Fighting spirit surged through his body, the flame on his rear flared high, and roaring fire enveloped his right fist as he slammed it onto Fearow's head with a bang!

Boom!

An explosion rang out, and flames burst apart. The Fearow that had been so overbearing moments earlier let out a mournful cry, its eyes rolled back, and it dropped from the air with a thud.

"Awesome!"

Wang Yao threw his arms up and cheered excitedly. He had never expected a bunch of rookies like them to defeat such a vicious Fearow!

"Huff, huff..."

Chimchar stood on Fearow's back, panting heavily. Those consecutive Fire Punches had taken a considerable toll on his stamina.

Ye Qing quickly checked Chimchar's information. Sure enough, after that battle against a vastly stronger opponent, his strength had surged, taking him straight to level 8!

Su Yiqin recalled her injured Swablu once again, then looked at Ye Qing, who stood in front of her, and thanked him softly. "Thank you."

"No..."

Before Ye Qing could finish, he heard hundreds of wings beating!

"Oh no, a flock of Spearow! Run!"

Ye Qing's expression changed drastically. The miserable chase that idiot Ash had endured back then spoke for itself.

Although the other three had no idea how terrifying being chased by Spearow could be, Ye Qing's pale face told them how serious this was!

Hundreds of Spearow burst out of the woods and attacked the four of them in a frenzy!

"Run! Run!"

Ye Qing recalled Chimchar, grabbed Su Yiqin, who was still standing dazed beside him, and sprinted toward the dense forest!

"Holy shit! Run, babe!"

Wang Yao and Sun Xiaowei were terrified too. Pampered as they were, they had never faced anything like this. Their minds went blank as they fled back the way they had come.

Su Yiqin covered her ear with her right hand while Ye Qing gripped her left, pulling her along as they raced in the opposite direction.

The flock split in two, charging after them as though they would not stop until they had torn all four of them to shreds.

After several minutes of running, Ye Qing's clothes had been slashed in several places, and Su Yiqin was struggling for breath behind him.

"I can't go on!"

Su Yiqin's heart pounded, and her lungs felt as though they were on fire and about to burst.

Ye Qing glanced back at the Spearow still pursuing them relentlessly, his mind racing for a way out.

"Whoosh..."

Just then, the sound of rushing water suddenly came from ahead.

"We're saved!"

Su Yiqin had slowed their escape considerably, leaving both of them bruised in several places from the Spearow's pecks.

They pushed through a patch of bushes, and a rushing river about three meters wide appeared before them.

Ye Qing could no longer afford to hesitate. He wrapped his right arm around Su Yiqin's waist, held her close, and leaped hard toward the river ahead!

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere. In the blink of an eye, the swift current swept them far downstream.

Ye Qing had underestimated the Spearow's temper after all. The flock shot into the water like arrows, sending up spray.

And that was the end of that. Unable to swim, the Spearow immediately choked on water. After a brief, halfhearted search, they fled in disarray.

"Glug, glug..."

Ye Qing choked on several mouthfuls of water, and the air in his lungs dwindled rapidly. Everything had happened too suddenly for him to think earlier. Only now did he realize he could not swim!

Holding her breath, Su Yiqin kicked her long legs rapidly through the water, dragging the nearly unconscious Ye Qing toward the surface.

"Splash, splash!"

The moment their heads broke the surface, they spotted a drop barely a dozen meters ahead.

"A waterfall!"

They exchanged a glance, but before they could think any further, the current swept them over.

Fortunately, the waterfall was only two or three meters high. Ye Qing plunged into the pool and swallowed several mouthfuls of water. Seeing Su Yiqin floating motionless nearby, he mustered every ounce of strength to drag her ashore.

"Huff, huff..."

Ye Qing lay sprawled on the ground, gasping violently. The thought was terrifying. If Su Yiqin had been unable to swim too, they might both have ended up dead at the bottom of the river.

Su Yiqin was not much better off. Her clothes were damaged in several places, and because she had lagged behind Ye Qing earlier, she had suffered even more wounds from the Spearow's pecks.

"Come out, Chimchar."

It took Ye Qing quite a while to recover. He took out a Poké Ball and released Chimchar.

"Ooh..."

As soon as Chimchar emerged, he supported Ye Qing, letting him lean against him and rest.

By then, the sky had begun to darken, and beasts' roars rose one after another throughout the forest.

Looking around, Ye Qing discovered that he was in a basin beside a pool. From time to time, Pokémon such as Goldeen and Poliwag surfaced to watch them furtively.

These Pokémon were wary of strangers. Once they realized Ye Qing and Su Yiqin had no intention of leaving, they could only disappear back into the pool one after another.

The river continued deeper into the forest, with dense woods lining both banks.

Looking at Su Yiqin lying motionless nearby, Ye Qing had Chimchar help him stand and walk over to her.

"Su Yiqin? Wake up!"

He patted her wet cheek and checked her breathing, then sighed in relief. Thankfully, she had only passed out.

"Ooh..."

Chimchar tugged at the corner of Ye Qing's clothes, holding his empty little belly with a forlorn look.

"Hungry? Give me a moment."

Ye Qing could not be bothered to correct Chimchar's pronunciation anymore. He stroked his head and told him to wait a little.

Chimchar had exhausted himself in the battle earlier and urgently needed to replenish his energy.

Fortunately, his backpack was still with him. Ye Qing opened it to see whether there was anything useful inside.

Wang Yao and the others had prepared these supplies in advance. Aside from the Chimchar food he had brought himself, his backpack contained only a flashlight, a blanket, and some food and medicine.

Ye Qing took out Chimchar's food to tide him over. Looking at his own soaked clothes and Su Yiqin's, he decided to get a fire going first.

Su Yiqin's drenched clothes clung to her body, outlining every curve of her lovely figure.

Ye Qing had never even held a girl's hand before. Seeing her lying there so vulnerable and inviting, he could not help feeling restless.

Smack!

What am I thinking? How could I betray Gardevoir!

He slapped himself, shook his head to banish those wayward thoughts, then bent down, picked up Su Yiqin, and carefully laid her beneath a tree.

"Chimchar, go get me some branches."

Every Poké Ball had a biometric fingerprint lock, so Ye Qing could not open Su Yiqin's Poké Balls. With no other choice, he had to put Chimchar to work again.

Of course, if the Pokémon inside became excessively hungry or had an exceptionally strong desire to resist, they could leave their balls on their own.

"Ooh-ah."

Chimchar quickly grabbed a handful of food and stuffed it into his mouth. With his cheeks bulging, he reluctantly stepped away from his food bowl, lingering for a long while before finally running into the forest to gather branches.

After the branches had been arranged into a pile for a campfire, Chimchar opened his mouth and spat out an Ember. The dry wood immediately caught fire.

Ye Qing stripped down to his underwear, tore open the back of Su Yiqin's clothes with his hands, and sprayed the medicine he had prepared onto her bruised back.