Pokemon Earth’s Parallel World: Dragon Trainer
Chapter 111 – Echoes of Empathy: Saving Starly

"What the heck is she doing? Is she training?" Floyd shook his head, thinking that what Starly was currently doing was not training but rather courting death.

Swablu immediately noticed Floyd's presence and abruptly tugged at Bianca's hair.

"Ouch, what are you doi—eh… Floyd?" Bianca was about to reprimand Swablu when she inadvertently caught sight of Floyd. Her face suddenly flushed, and she hurriedly detached Swablu from her hair.

"Tweet?" (What are you doing? That's my spot, hmph) Swablu pouted, seeing Bianca remove her from Bianca's hair.

Bianca turned her back to Floyd and awkwardly fixed her hair.

"Bianca, are you watching that bird—" Floyd stopped mid-sentence when Bianca suddenly blurted out, "Hiii~"

"Huh? Hi? What?" Floyd was puzzled and inquired further.

"N-n-n-nothing, d-d-don't m-m-mind it," Bianca stammered, reverting to her previous state of stuttering. Floyd sighed, wondering if there was a remedy for stuttering; he really wanted to give Bianca one.

"I'm asking because I saw you observing that bird earlier, so how about you take that bird into your team," Floyd suggested, looking at her.

Bianca averted her gaze. "M-m-me? I, I…" She was at a loss for words.

"Yes, you," Floyd quickly interjected, knowing that waiting for Bianca to finish could take a while, so he simply nodded.

"I, I'm n-not s-sure," Bianca hesitated, but Floyd assured her, "That bird already has no owner, and if we let her go alone, for sure she would die."

"Come on, let's go," Floyd encouraged, tapping her shoulder and walking towards Starly.

"Hii~" Bianca's face turned beet red again at his action, and she froze in place, becoming like a statue.

"Tweeet," (Bianca, are you okay?) Swablu expressed concern.

Swablu was about to land on top of Bianca's head when Bianca shielded herself, saying to Swablu, "No."

"Tweeet?" (WHY?) Swablu became agitated, attempting to perch on Bianca's head, but she continued to fend her off while covering her head with her hands.

"Tweeet!" (That's mine, how could you?) Swablu protested.

Meanwhile, Starly noticed Floyd approaching her. She was looking worse for wear and feeling dizzy. She tried to fly away, anticipating that these humans would return her to Chansey again. She didn't want to go back wrapped in bandages; all she desired was to train, to become stronger.

But her dizziness overwhelmed her, causing her to sway in mid-air, and Floyd quickly caught her.

"Starl~ Starl~ Starly," Starly continued to struggle in Floyd's grasp but lacked the strength to free herself.

"Look at your body; it's covered in bruises. Stop moving, or you'll aggravate your wounds," Floyd admonished the stubborn little bird. He carefully held the uninjured part of her chin with his right hand, as Starly's head and beak were already injured, while supporting Starly's back at the center of her two wings with his left hand.

"Starrrrrr~ Starrrrrly~" Starly persisted in her struggle, flapping her wings and kicking with her small feet, but it was futile against Floyd's hold.

With both of his hands occupied, Floyd couldn't move; he couldn't reach for the healing powder on his back. His Pokémon were also not present, as they were currently training.

"Bianca, what the hell are you doing there? Come here and help me!" Floyd's frustration grew as he called out to the unresponsive woman.

"Starrrrrr~ Starrrrrrrly~" Starly felt the pain intensifying with her continuous movements but still strived to escape.

"Hiii~ Y-yes," It was the first time Bianca had been scolded by Floyd, and she felt mortified as she hurried over to him, bowing her head.

"Tweeet~" (Hmph, serves you right), Swablu seemed to express with a touch of vindictiveness.

Swablu, Chikorita, Poochyena, and Tailow followed behind.

"What am I going to do?" Bianca had already appeared behind him.

Floyd was surprised that she could speak directly, thinking, 'Does she need to be scolded before she can speak normally?' But he dismissed the thought, as he was still cradling Starly in his hands.

Floyd felt like he was holding a struggling chicken about to be slaughtered. Unable to turn around, he lowered his back and instructed Bianca behind his backpack, "You know what it looks like, right? The Healing Powder, get it."

"U-uhm, thi-this," Bianca snapped back to reality, realizing she was near Floyd's back, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she hesitated to move.

"Hurry up!" Floyd, noticing her hesitation, tried his method of shouting again.

"Hiii~ Yes!" Bianca felt pressured and began to act.

"Tweeet~" (Finally!) Swablu cheered, raising her right wing, having finally managed to perch on Bianca's head.

Bianca ignored her and started searching Floyd's backpack, surprised by its capacity. 'What is this? The space inside is unscientific!' Bianca marveled internally, as Floyd unknowingly revealed one of his secrets to someone he wasn't close with.

"Starrrrrr~ Starrr," Starly began to feel weakened and dizzy. The backlash of her previous injuries started to resurface, but with her willpower, she was determined and struggled to stay conscious.

"Starly, do you realize what you're doing? You're risking your life; you're courting death. Do you think you'll get stronger this way? No, you're only hastening your end. You know nothing, you lack the nutrition to sustain your training, and your training methods are improper. Why didn't you ask us for guidance? It would have been easier, and I could have taught you," Floyd expressed all he wanted to Starly, hoping she would calm down.

Starly ceased her struggles when she heard Floyd's words and began to reflect. She recalled the time she couldn't assist her master, feeling powerless due to her weakness. Hu Tianyi's question, 'Why are you still alive?' still echoed in her mind. She wondered that person was right; her master was dead, so why was she still alive?

Then tears began to fall, "Starrr~ Starrr~ Starrr~ Starrr~"

Seeing her cry, Floyd's heart softened, and he gently hugged her, caressing and patting her head, offering her a comforting embrace, allowing her to weep against his chest and release her sorrow.

"Starrr~ Starrr~ Starrr~ Starrr~" Starly didn't resist this time; she clung to Floyd, continuing to release her pent-up grief.

"Tweeet~" (Poor little bird, hu hu hu) Swablu, already teary-eyed, moved to Floyd's right shoulder and gently patted Starly's head with her wing.

Tailow, also moved, flew to Floyd's left shoulder and touched Starly's head with his wing.

Chikorita and Poochyena, also moved by sympathy, cried as they rushed to Floyd's leg.

"Bianca, have you found it?" Floyd inquired.

"Is this it?" Bianca presented the bottle to him.

"Yes, that's the one," Floyd confirmed, then he gently placed Starly on the ground, and said, "You want to get stronger, right? So this time, you must listen to me and heal. We will guide you on how to train properly."

Starly, still emotional and feeling the warmth from Floyd, seemed convinced and nodded.

Swablu and the rest of Bianca's Pokémon gathered around Starly, full of concern.

Floyd carefully applied the healing powder to each of Starly's bruises.

Starly felt comforted; the pain in her body was still present, but it had lessened thanks to the Healing Powder.