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At exactly three o’clock in the morning, the fierce snowstorm that had been raging throughout the night gradually began to subside. The howling winds died down to gentle whispers, and the heavy snowfall reduced to scattered flakes drifting lazily through the cold mountain air.

The good news was that the dangerous snowstorm had finally stopped, allowing them some relief from the brutal weather conditions. However, the bad news was significantly more concerning – Amelia had developed a high fever during the night.

The combination of the extremely cold weather, the high altitude of their location, and the thin mountain air had finally taken its toll on Amelia’s body. Her immune system had succumbed to the harsh conditions, and she now had a dangerously high fever. Her body felt like it was burning from the inside out, radiating heat like a blazing furnace.

“Jacob, come help me quickly!” Maya’s voice rang out through the cave, clearly tinged with anxiety and worry. Although she carried essential medical supplies and portable oxygen tanks in her well-stocked emergency bag, she knew that in such an extreme environment, if Amelia’s condition wasn’t handled properly and promptly, it could truly become a life-threatening situation. “Amelia has developed a serious fever!”

When Jacob hurried into their small tent, he immediately saw that Amelia’s face was completely flushed with an unhealthy red color, and her eyes appeared slightly unfocused and glazed over. Despite her obvious discomfort and weakness, she bravely attempted to reassure Jacob with a shaky voice. “Jacob, please don’t worry about me. I’m fine, really. I just need to rest for a little while, and I’ll be back to normal.”

“How can you possibly say you’re fine when you look like this?” Jacob responded with genuine concern, his voice firm but caring. “You need to lie down immediately and rest properly. What’s her current temperature reading?” He turned to Maya with a serious expression, clearly expecting detailed information about Amelia’s condition.

“Her temperature is thirty-nine degrees Celsius,” Maya replied promptly. She had obviously already taken Amelia’s temperature using a precise digital thermometer from her medical kit.

Jacob knew that any temperature above 38.5 degrees Celsius was considered a high fever and required immediate medical intervention. Such a condition demanded both fever-reducing medication and physical cooling techniques to prevent dangerous complications.

Jacob walked quickly to Amelia’s side and gently placed his hand on her forehead to assess her condition himself. Her skin was indeed burning hot to the touch, feeling like touching the surface of a heated stove. “Did you already give her fever-reducing medication?” he asked Maya while keeping his hand on Amelia’s forehead to monitor her temperature.

“I administered fever reducers just a few minutes ago,” Maya responded efficiently, “but given the severity of her current condition, she’s definitely going to need physical cooling methods as well. Could you please close the tent entrance properly to prevent any cold air from getting inside and making her condition worse? Also, please get the portable oxygen tank from my bag and help her use it for supplemental oxygen.” Maya had clearly encountered similar emergency situations during previous patrol missions and managed to remain relatively calm and focused despite the circumstances.

“Understood,” Jacob nodded firmly and immediately began following Maya’s detailed instructions. He quickly retrieved a portable oxygen tank from Maya’s well-organized emergency bag and carefully helped Amelia position the breathing apparatus so she could receive the vital supplemental oxygen her body needed.

“She’s burning up so severely right now that we absolutely need to implement physical cooling techniques,” Jacob said to Maya with determination. “I’ll go outside and boil some water for the cooling process, and you can handle wiping down her body to reduce her temperature.”

“That sounds like the best approach,” Maya agreed without hesitation.

Jacob released his trusted Charizard from its Pokéball, and with his loyal Pokémon’s reliable assistance using its natural fire-type abilities, he was able to quickly boil a large pot of clean water. He then carefully brought the steaming water into their tent. At the same time, he retrieved a clean, soft towel from their supplies, dipped it into the basin of warm water, thoroughly soaked it, wrung out the excess water, and handed the prepared towel to Maya.

Jacob naturally and appropriately left the task of wiping down Amelia’s body to Maya, since they were both young women and this arrangement would be more comfortable and appropriate for everyone involved.

The two of them worked tirelessly like this for most of the remaining night hours, constantly boiling fresh water and using the warm, damp towels to wipe Amelia’s body for effective physical cooling. They took turns monitoring her temperature and adjusting their cooling techniques as needed. This exhausting routine continued until around noon the following day, when Amelia’s dangerously high temperature finally returned to normal, healthy levels.

However, even though her fever had broken, Amelia’s face remained worryingly pale, and she complained of feeling dizzy and disoriented. Her overall condition was still quite poor and fragile, and she appeared as though she might faint at any moment if she attempted to exert herself.

“We need to head back to base camp as quickly as possible,” Maya said with obvious concern. She had been working tirelessly all night to care for Amelia and now looked noticeably haggard herself, with dark circles under her eyes and an exhausted expression.

“Absolutely, that’s the best course of action,” Jacob agreed immediately.

Taking advantage of the relatively good weather conditions at midday, with clear skies and minimal wind, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to begin their journey back to safety.

“Amelia just recovered from her serious fever, so it would be far too dangerous for her to ride on a Flying-type Pokémon by herself,” Maya observed, looking at Amelia’s still-weak and haggard appearance with genuine worry. “I think you two should ride together on one Flying-type Pokémon for safety reasons. Jacob, please make sure she doesn’t catch a cold from the wind during the flight. Her body is still extremely weak and vulnerable right now.”

“I can manage on my own,” Amelia protested weakly, clearly not wanting to cause additional trouble or inconvenience for her companions. “My fever has completely gone down, and I’m feeling much better now.”

“Don’t try to act tough when you’re clearly still unwell,” Jacob responded without any hesitation or false politeness. He frowned with concern and spoke to Amelia in a firm but caring tone. “Just listen to what we’re telling you and be sensible about this.”

Upon hearing Jacob’s direct and authoritative words, Amelia obediently lowered her head and stopped trying to argue with their decision. “Jacob, I’m sorry for causing so much trouble for you again,” she said quietly with genuine remorse.

“If you truly understand that you’re causing some inconvenience, then just be cooperative and don’t try to pretend you’re stronger than you actually are,” Jacob replied, though his tone was gentler now. He released his powerful Charizard from its Pokéball and gestured toward the magnificent Fire and Flying-type Pokémon. “Come on, climb up and get comfortable.”

Charizard looked directly at Amelia with an expression that showed no signs of resistance or displeasure on its reptilian features. Instead, the large Pokémon revealed what appeared to be a friendly smile and acted very submissive and accommodating, seemingly having no objection whatsoever to Amelia riding on its back.

Of course, this cooperative behavior was merely Charizard’s outward appearance and didn’t necessarily reflect its true inner thoughts. As a highly intelligent and qualified trickster with a naturally cunning personality, Charizard had long ago learned the valuable skill of hiding and carefully controlling its genuine emotions when the situation called for discretion.

Although Charizard felt some internal conflict and indignation on behalf of Nina, whom it considered to be Jacob’s primary romantic interest, it certainly wasn’t foolish enough to easily expose its private thoughts and emotions in such a delicate situation.

After all, what if this particular woman eventually became its trainer’s chosen partner and decided to make things difficult for Charizard in the future as revenge for any perceived slights? As a highly intelligent Charizard with excellent strategic thinking abilities, how could it possibly risk taking sides prematurely when the romantic situation remained unclear and fluid?

Charizard had developed a simple but effective philosophy: as long as it played things safe, avoided actively taking sides in romantic matters, and didn’t make any fundamental mistakes in judgment, it would remain invincible and secure. No one would be able to shake its important and irreplaceable position in its beloved trainer’s heart and life.

In Charizard’s worldview, women might come and go over the years, but Charizard would be Jacob’s loyal partner forever. The bond between trainer and Pokémon transcended temporary romantic relationships.

Charizard had long been developing sophisticated strategies and thinking several steps ahead, like a master chess player planning moves far in advance. No matter who eventually became Jacob’s chosen life partner in the future, Charizard was confident that it would always remain irreplaceable and essential to its trainer’s happiness and success.

Charizard’s entire approach to these complex situations was built around being extremely cautious and diplomatic. Unless someone achieved the equivalent of having a “crown prince” – meaning a clearly established and permanent position in Jacob’s life – Charizard would always follow its master’s lead without question and avoid making waves.

While secretly feeling quite pleased with its own cleverness and strategic thinking, Charizard also made sure to carefully memorize Amelia’s physical appearance and mannerisms for future reference. At the same time, a burning curiosity and desire for gossip ignited in its heart. It found itself mentally comparing Nina, Julia, and the Amelia who was now standing before it, trying to determine which woman its beloved trainer truly liked the most and had the strongest romantic feelings for.

Among all the women Charizard had encountered during its time with Jacob, purely from an aesthetic and physical appearance standpoint, its personal favorite was actually not Nina, not Julia, and surprisingly not even Amelia. Instead, Charizard found itself most drawn to Maya, whom it had only just met during this patrol mission.

The reason for this unexpected preference was quite simple and straightforward: as a rare Shiny Charizard, its natural coloration featured predominantly black scales and skin. Maya happened to have the darkest skin tone among all the women Charizard had observed, making her coloration the closest match to its own distinctive appearance. This similarity created a sense of kinship and familiarity that made Charizard feel naturally drawn to her presence.

However, when it came to personality traits and character rather than physical appearance, Charizard still held the thoughtful and consistently kind Teacher Nina in the highest regard and considered her the most genuinely likeable person it had encountered.

Jacob was completely unaware that his trusted Charizard harbored so many complex and mischievous thoughts in its highly active mind. He was entirely focused on the practical task at hand – properly adjusting his and Amelia’s seating positions for the safest and most comfortable flight possible.

To minimize the risk of Amelia catching another cold during their flight, and to ensure maximum safety for both passengers, Jacob spent several minutes experimenting with different arrangements. After trying various configurations, he finally decided that the best approach would be to have Amelia sit facing toward him, positioned directly in front of his body, and then tuck her securely inside his thick winter overcoat.

This careful arrangement would ensure Amelia’s physical safety during the flight while also providing her with essential warmth and protection from the cold mountain air. Additionally, with Jacob’s considerable height advantage, his view of their flight path wouldn’t be obstructed by Amelia’s position in front of him.

Although this seating arrangement was admittedly quite intimate and brought them into close physical proximity, Amelia didn’t act shy or embarrassed about the situation. She simply and practically tucked herself inside Jacob’s warm overcoat, immediately feeling much more comfortable and protected from the harsh elements.

The two of them sat face to face in this close arrangement, briefly made eye contact with each other, and then both looked away somewhat awkwardly, each focusing their attention on different aspects of their surroundings.

Fortunately, it was the middle of winter, and both of them were dressed in multiple thick layers of warm clothing. This meant there was no direct skin-to-skin contact between them, which helped avoid any potentially uncomfortable or embarrassing situations.

“Are you ready for takeoff?” Jacob asked, lowering his head slightly to speak directly to Amelia in a gentle voice.

“Yes, I’m ready,” Amelia nodded in response, though her voice was barely audible, as quiet as a mosquito’s whisper.

“Let’s go, Charizard. Take us home safely.”

Upon hearing Jacob’s clear command, Charizard immediately flapped its powerful wings with great enthusiasm. It put all of its considerable strength and energy into the takeoff, launching them into the air like a fired arrow. The dragon-like Pokémon flew much faster than its usual cruising speed, clearly eager to get its trainer and the sick passenger back to safety as quickly as possible.

The sudden and dramatic acceleration caused Amelia’s body to lean heavily into Jacob due to the physics of inertia and momentum. Acting on pure instinct, she wrapped her arms tightly around Jacob’s waist for stability and security, and her face ended up gently pressed against Jacob’s broad chest.

Feeling the subtle movements and shifting weight on its back, Charizard’s mouth curved into a distinctly mischievous grin. The expression on its face looked exactly like that of someone who had just successfully executed a perfectly planned Nasty Plot attack – satisfied, cunning, and more than a little pleased with itself.

At the same time, the crafty Pokémon quietly turned its large head to glance back at Jacob with a brilliant and obviously fake smile spreading across its features. It was showing off its impressive white teeth in an exaggerated grin and giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up gesture with its right claw, presenting the image of a cheerful, innocent, and sunny Charizard who had absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever.

This particular facial expression and body language reminded Jacob strongly of Nina’s Kommo-o, which had opened the door for him when he first visited Teacher Nina’s house that memorable day. The resemblance between the two Pokémon’s mischievous expressions couldn’t be described as merely similar – it could only be described as absolutely identical in every detail.

Jacob felt his blood pressure rising dramatically as he observed his Charizard’s current behavior and obvious scheming. He couldn’t help but seriously wonder when exactly his once-noble Charizard had started developing such manipulative and cunning tendencies.

Other people’s Charizard were known for being brave, handsome, dignified, and mighty creatures that embodied the noble spirit of dragon-like Pokémon. So why had his particular Charizard become so insidious, cunning, manipulative, and absolutely full of elaborate tricks and schemes?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep