Lian, who has been taking care of Kleavor for years, is very familiar with its physical condition. After a thorough check, his tense expression finally relaxes.
"Fortunately, the injuries on the King appear serious, but they are mainly external wounds left by Water and Fire Attribute energies. The bones and vital areas have not suffered significant damage."
Ash and Cynthia had been controlling their attacks from the beginning.
They needed to make Kleavor lose the strength to resist further, but never intended to truly harm it.
Irida immediately took out the medicine she had prepared in advance and carefully applied it to Kleavor's injured spots.
This medicine couldn't suppress the Golden Power, but it could help Kleavor recover from the battle wounds.
"We really owe it to you this time." After treating the wounds, Irida turned and deeply bowed to Ash and Cynthia, "Thank you for bringing Kleavor back to its senses."
"And thank you for protecting the people around the Grandtree Arena."
Ash hurriedly stepped forward to support Irida: "Miss Irida, there's no need to be so formal."
"We are now also members of the Hisui Region. Faced with such a situation, we certainly couldn't stand by."
Cynthia stood beside Ash, her gaze softening significantly.
She knew that Ash meant every word he said.
Even if this task had nothing to do with the Stone Tablets, and they hadn't received any reward, as long as he knew Kleavor was suffering, he would still choose to help.
Ash has always been like this; he would willingly help those in trouble, both people and Pokémon, and even risk himself for unfamiliar lives.
Once, when she was in a desperate situation, Ash appeared before her, and now, they had come together to the ancient Hisui Region.
No matter what lies ahead, she would face it together with Ash.
"Sister." Ash's voice pulled Cynthia back from her thoughts, "It seems that Kleavor is waking up."
Kleavor, who had fallen on the ground, moved slightly.
Opening its eyes slowly, the rage influenced by the Golden Power had completely dissipated.
Its black pupils were clear again, and its aura became much more stable.
"King!" Lian immediately crouched in front of Kleavor, "How do you feel?"
Kleavor looked at Lian, who was full of concern, and nodded gently.
"Kleavor..."
The simple response brought tears to Lian's eyes. For the past month, Kleavor had gone into a frenzy each time it appeared. It would not respond to Lian's calls and could not recognize the Pearl Clan members who had guarded it for generations.
Now... the familiar King had finally returned.
Lian had so much to say, but in the end, all his emotions were distilled into one sentence.
"Welcome back, Kleavor."
"Roar~"
Kleavor responded again and then turned its gaze to Ash.
It could clearly feel that the one who truly helped it escape the Golden Power was the young boy before it.
After the gentle green light entered its body, the rage that had tormented it gradually subsided.
It finally regained control over its body.
"Roar~ Roar~"
Kleavor softly expressed its gratitude to Ash.
Irida and Lian could only discern a very calm tone, but they couldn't understand the intricate meaning.
Ash smiled, "No need to thank me, I just did what I was supposed to do."
He walked up to Kleavor, extended his hand, and gently touched Kleavor's head.
"We did hit a bit hard earlier to make you recover, sorry about that."
"Ash, be careful!" Irida's expression changed, "The King doesn't like others approaching it casually!"
Lian also quickly stepped forward.
"You just battled the King. It might still remember those attacks!"
Even Adaman was prepared to take action at any moment.
Kleavor, by nature, wasn't exactly gentle.
Even before the appearance of the Golden Thunderbolt, it only allowed Lian and a few Pearl Clan members to approach.
Just now, Ash and Cynthia had commanded Pokémon to launch a Skill Link attack on it.
Now, extending his hand to touch it seemed very dangerous.
But to everyone's surprise, Kleavor showed no hostility. It even lowered its head, allowing Ash's hand to easily touch it.
Under Ash's touch, Kleavor closed its eyes, showing a comfortable expression.
Lian froze on the spot, his face gradually showing disbelief.
"Is... is this really the King? I've taken care of the King for so long, and rarely could I touch its head directly. Why does the King willingly bow to Ash after just meeting him?"
Irida slightly twitched the corner of her lips, "You are the Warden of the Grandtree Arena. Isn't this something you should ask yourself?"
"Precisely because I am the Warden, I find this strange!" Lian's voice raised significantly.
He's admired Kleavor for so many years, usually needing to cautiously observe emotions to get close.
Ash just defeated it with two Pokémon, yet immediately received unprecedented intimacy.
This was difficult for Lian to accept for a moment.
Cynthia stood in the back, unable to hold back a gentle laugh.
No matter how outstanding Lian was, he was still just a young boy.
His current reaction seemed like discovering that the Pokémon he admired most favored someone he just met.
But with Ash, Cynthia found nothing unusual about this happening.
Ash seemed to be naturally trusted by Pokémon.
More importantly, he never changes his attitude based on a Pokémon's status or power.