Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 273: Crossing the Line

Ralts was extremely dangerous. Even without evolving, it was still an unmatched presence at the elite level.

There was no need to mention Pichu, who was practically just an accessory. Even Umbreon wouldn't last more than a few moves against Ralts.

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Sato had agreed to help Ralts stabilize the condition within its body, but that didn't mean he feared it.

Let alone allow Ralts to insult the Pokémon companions he recognized and cared for.

In Sato's eyes, even if Ralts could now unleash Elite Four-level power and help him defeat countless powerful enemies. It still wasn't worth even a fingertip of Umbreon or the others!

Sato coldly looked down at Ralts. Ralts defiantly looked up and locked eyes with Sato.

"Ralts!"

Ralts suddenly raised its hand. A wave of invisible psychic power lightly brushed across Pichu's face.

Slap!

The force was light, but weak little Pichu still tilted its head from the impact, almost falling off Sato's shoulder.

"Ralts!"

Sato's eyes gleamed with a vicious light. Dark Energy cover his right hand as he grabbed Ralts by the neck and lifted it into the air.

"Ra...Ralts!"

Ralts didn't struggle at all. Its black-and-red eyes stared coldly at Sato from under its bangs. Even as its face flushed red from the pressure of Sato's grip, it continued to lock eyes with him.

"Not afraid, huh?" Sato suddenly grinned, then withdrew all the Dark Energy from its body and hurled Ralts away.

Until now, Sato had always kept a small amount of Dark Energy around Ralts to ease its internal pain.

But now that Ralts had crossed the line, let it suffer.

The moment Ralts was thrown away and left the range of the Dark Energy, the three energies inside its body began to clash violently again.

It couldn't even stabilize its posture to land properly. Its whole body was powerless, and it crashed hard onto the ground. No one paid it any attention.

Joseph and Mark had witnessed everything just now, but neither said a word. They only stood quietly, watching.

Proud Ralts still hadn't recognized the severity of its situation. Striking Pichu had clearly crossed Sato's bottom line.

The cabin fell silent. Pichu lay obediently in Sato's arms, looking up at him in worry, as if asking whether it had done something wrong.

Sato smiled and gently patted Pichu's head. "It's not your fault."

"Umbre!" Umbreon lay by Sato's feet and, for once, offered a rare "words" of comfort.

Hearing that Umbreon was acknowledging it, Pichu's eyes lit up. It jumped out of Sato's arms and rushed over to snuggle.

"Breon!" Umbreon instantly leapt two meters into the air, once again dodging Pichu's attempt at closeness.

On the other side, Ralts lay sprawled on the cold floor, enduring the intense pain raging inside its body. As it listened to the sounds of Umbreon and Pichu playing, it felt a wave of despair.

'That human...' was he really going to abandon it?

It was once the proud ruler of the Seafloor Cavern... and now it had fallen so low.

Maybe it had been ten minutes, or half an hour, maybe even an hour or two. At first, Ralts had merely endured the pain, refusing to cry out.

But now, it didn't even have the strength to scream. It felt like its barely recovered body was being torn apart all over again.

In a daze, it seemed as though a massive shadow suddenly blocked out the light above its head.

Without the direct sunlight, Ralts actually began to feel a little better. As the light dimmed, it lost consciousness.

Right before passing out, Ralts thought it was probably going to die like this. No wonder it didn't hurt anymore.

"Pichu Pichu!"

"You really want me to help it? It just slapped you for no reason and insulted Umbreon," Sato said, squatting beside Ralts, inadvertently blocking the direct sunlight. Yet, he didn't even glance at it.

Pichu, still visibly upset about earlier, hesitated. But seeing that Ralts had passed out from the pain, it couldn't help but feel pity.

"Pi...chu Pi-chu!"

Pichu gently rubbed against Sato, then nodded seriously.

"What about Umbreon?"

"Um!" Umbreon, who had been hiding some distance away, also gave a reluctant nod.

"Alright, we'll do as you both say."

Sato reached out, grabbed Ralts by the back of the neck again, and placed it onto the couch.

He activated Dark Energy, allowing it to swirl around Ralts. Though unconscious, Ralts's furrowed brow eased, and it drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile, Pichu dragged over a little blanket and gently covered Ralts, making sure it wouldn't catch a cold from the sea breeze.

"Pichu Pi!"

That clever little Pichu then ran over to Joseph and tugged at him, urging him to examine Ralts.

"Sato?" Joseph glanced at Sato with a knowing smile.

"Go ahead. If even Pichu isn't mad anymore, why should I be?" Sato replied while brushing Umbreon's fur, not even turning his head.

"Alright, got it. Chansey, come help me out," Joseph said, crouching down to begin his checkup.

"Chansey!"

...

By evening, Ralts slowly awoke from a restful nap.

When it woke, it felt incredibly light. The three energies inside its body were no longer clashing, they had settled into peace.

Out of the corner of its eye, it spotted that human -the one it both feared and resented- sitting quietly nearby.

Sato was casually scrolling through news on a tablet: another dark organization taken down by an officer, some underground lab caught experimenting on wild Pokémon, a rookie trainer suddenly making waves...

Looking at Sato in this calm state, Ralts suddenly thought, 'If he didn't move, maybe he wouldn't be so annoying.'

But the Dark Energy surrounding it reminded Ralts... it was very much alive.

"The Gogoat's Grass Milk on the table is still warm. Drink it while you can."

"Ralts!" Ralts was startled, quickly turning its head away. It had spaced out just now... how embarrassing.

It peeked back at Sato, who hadn't even moved, then looked at the steaming glass of Gogoat's Grass Milk on the table.

Gulp, gulp, gulp...

Grmrm!

Ralts's little face turned beet red, its limbs stiff. In all its life, it had never experienced anything more humiliating.

"Pichu?"

Right at that moment, Pichu, who had been sleeping in Sato's arms, woke up and looked at Ralts groggily.

"Pi-chu chu?" 'Your face is all red, are you sick?'

"Ra...ralts..." Ralts snatched the Gogoat's Grass Milk and gulped it down desperately, afraid its stomach might make another noise.

"Pichu Pichu!" 'So you were just hungry! I have some mini cakes too!'

Pichu reached back and pulled out a small cake, holding it out for Ralts.

"Ralts... cough cough!" Ralts choked, eyes wide in alarm as it stared at Pichu.

'You're a demon!'

Out of Ralts's view, Sato was pressing his lips together, suppressing a laugh while quietly giving Pichu a thumbs-up.