if grasping at a life-saving straw, the tiny Natsume's blue light flashed. A wave of Psychic energy instantly swept over Icarus, who was muttering constantly beside her.
Immediately, Icarus's scarred face appeared before Natsume.
"Icarus~ is that right? From now on, you are my friend, Natsume's friend. No one dares to bully you!" Looking at that ugly, scarred male face, Natsume showed no disgust. Instead, she nodded in strong agreement and slowly stood up, radiating an imposing aura.
As Natsume slowly stood up, her body—which had originally appeared only three years old—gradually grew larger. Soon, with a soft whoosh, she transformed back into a graceful young woman with a cool and serene face.
She coldly huffed at the approaching bloody aura, then waved her hand. A large expanse of blue Psychic energy shot out. Instantly, the bloody mass let out a miserable "Ah!" and was repeatedly forced back.
"I have friends now, so all of you disperse!" Natsume was well aware of the flaws in her own mind, so she seized this opportunity to immediately begin slaying her inner demons.
"Hiss hiss~"
"Ah!"
"Natsume, we will be back!"
"You won't have any friends, Natsume!"
…
Soon, after a one-sided slaughter, the entire sea of consciousness held only Natsume—or rather, Natsume and a full mental projection of Icarus.
"I'm amazing, aren't I, Icarus!" The young woman showed a brilliant smile to Icarus's mental projection.
"Oh! Natsume, you are truly amazing. It is my honor to be your friend, Natsume."
At the same time, the mental projection—manipulated by the young woman—showed an expression of adoration and gesticulated wildly.
"Hehehe~" Looking at the adoring Icarus under her control, a sweet smile appeared on the young woman's cool face. She felt how wonderful it was to have a friend.
However, she was now going to meet the real Icarus, so with a wave of her hand, the mental projection dissipated.
Meanwhile, Icarus, who knew nothing of this, was still muttering in Natsume's ear, his hand still stroking her thigh.
"So soft~" There was nothing he could do. After experiencing the taste of women, he had no resistance to the cold and powerful young woman before him. Coupled with the fact that she had been unconscious and was wearing the special revealing uniform prepared for Ning Hui, it was already quite impressive that he had resisted taking her right then and there.
Of course, his restraint was not due to strong self-control, but rather because he valued his life. In his opinion, Natsume was old enough to surely know about matters between men and women, so he only dared to take small liberties like this. Even if Natsume suddenly woke up, he could explain that he was checking her wounds.
"Mmm Icarus" But unexpectedly, after Natsume let out a soft moan, her long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she actually woke up!
Icarus was so startled that he quickly withdrew his hand, jumped several meters away, and knelt on one knee, beginning to explain.
"Silver Masked Superior, you are finally awake. Because you were severely injured, your subordinate could only help treat your wounds. The clothes you are wearing were the only set found in a scattered space backpack. Just now, I was also helping check your wounds. I hope Superior will understand!"
Because Natsume had never revealed her name, the cautious Icarus still addressed her as Silver Masked Superior.
After listening to Icarus's explanation, she subconsciously lowered her head to look at the clothes on her body. She found it was a very revealing pink and white uniform. Just by looking down, she could see her towering, fair cleavage, and it indeed felt cool below. Her pretty face couldn't help but blush.
She didn't really understand much about matters between men and women, but she had read a few books, so she still knew that girls should be discreet around boys and wear underwear and such.
Of course, desperate times called for desperate measures. Icarus had saved her, and he was now her only friend, so there was no need to worry about being discreet.
On the other side, seeing Natsume looking at her clothes, Icarus was sweating nervously. He was actually gambling on Natsume's character. It was a life-saving grace, after all! She wouldn't go so far as to kill him to silence him, right?
Because he had no choice, he could only gamble. He could only save Natsume. Otherwise, staying here, he would eventually be found by the Wu Neng Family and still wouldn't escape death.
"En, it's fine. Also, Icarus, didn't you say before that you wanted to become close friends with me? Your voice reached my sea of consciousness, allowing me to defeat my inner demons and wake up. So, strictly speaking, you saved me twice. I, Natsume, acknowledge you as my friend, so there's no need to be so restrained."
The young woman looked at the nervous Icarus, a gentle smile appearing on her face, and nodded at him.
"Okay, Superior Natsume." Hearing Natsume acknowledge his life-saving grace and even reveal her name, Icarus breathed a sigh of relief. Still unsure of Natsume's personality, he continued to address her as Superior.
Seeing Icarus still half-kneeling and calling her Superior, her brows furrowed, and she immediately questioned him.
"Why are you still calling me Superior? Are you going back on your word! I remember you said before that you wanted to become close friends with me. Now that I'm awake, you're going back on it, not wanting to be friends with me, Natsume. Is that it!"
"No, no, Supe…" Suppressed by Natsume's powerful Psychic energy, Icarus quickly began to explain, his words almost slipping out as "Superior" again before he quickly corrected himself.
"Natsume, it's just that my strength is low. I'm not even Elite-level, and my status is just that of a commoner squad leader. I feel unworthy. What I said before was just because you were unconscious, and I dared to say it."
"Oh, so you're saying you didn't mean to go back on your word?" After understanding Icarus's meaning, the cool young woman immediately asked again.
"Mmm, mmm. As long as you don't dislike me, Natsume, I am willing to be your friend." Feeling that things were taking a turn for the better, Icarus quickly added.
"Alright, then we are friends. Come back and sit. Continue chatting with me."
Hearing Icarus say this, a brilliant smile appeared on the young woman's face again, momentarily captivating him.
"Oh, oh, okay!" Coming back to his senses, Icarus immediately sat back down beside the young woman, following her suggestion.
After sitting back down, the two stared at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment. Icarus was still restrained, unsure of Natsume's personality, and dared not speak carelessly. Natsume was purely because it was her first time making a friend and she didn't know what to talk about. The atmosphere was awkward…
Suddenly, the cool young woman remembered something. Icarus seemed to have been stroking her thigh earlier, which made him keep muttering and seem to have endless things to say. Perhaps this was what was missing!
"Whoosh" She used a faint Psychic power to control Icarus's left hand and placed it on her right thigh, then lowered her head and said to Icarus, "You continue talking"
"This~ this!" Feeling the smooth touch on his left hand, Icarus was shocked for a moment. He seemed to understand Natsume's personality a little. Adhering to the principle of "I'll do whatever the boss tells me to do," Icarus began to explore without any reservations.
Chapter 284: Friends
After a few simple trivial topics, such as "Are you still in pain?", "Are you thirsty?", and "Are you hungry?", Icarus relaxed a bit. He realized that Natsume seemed even more innocent in some aspects than Xiao Ling had been before, and she placed extremely high importance on him, her newly recognized friend. She was very happy and beamed with joy even when discussing those trivial topics. To understand more and to make plans for the future, he directly asked,
"Natsume, can you tell me about your past? After you've finished, I'll tell you mine."
"En~" As expected, the young woman, who was making a friend for the first time, did not refuse this topic. She readily agreed and began to tell her story.
"When I was three years old, my Psychic power burst out and killed… Then I was arranged by the clan elders to cultivate in a secret room until I was 15 and defeated the younger generation of Goldenrod City, obtaining an Abra. These past three years have been about breaking through Gyms, governing the city, and joining Team Rocket was also because…" Natsume's story was concise and clear. She finished in a short while. Because she had faced her inner demons this time, she no longer needed to seal away her memories. She told Icarus about the Psychic burst at age three and even the real reason for joining Team Rocket.
After listening, Icarus immediately had a clear understanding of Natsume. Natsume was a young woman with extraordinary talent, but whose future had already been planned out. She was proficient in all aspects but very innocent and persistent when it came to making friends.
He had to admit that he had truly gotten a good deal this time. He had become her friend precisely when Natsume was suffering from mental trauma, and he was her only one. Therefore, his position in Natsume's heart was extremely, extremely high!
Thinking of this, he immediately reached his left hand further inside while also showing a righteous expression on his face and solemnly promising Natsume,
"Natsume, I promise I will always be your friend!"
"Mmm~ En, Icarus, tell me about yours." Although the young woman felt Icarus's closer movement beside her, she only let out a soft moan, without any intention of stopping him. Instead, her pretty face slightly flushed as she glanced at Icarus, indicating it was his turn.
"Although the books say so, Icarus is my friend, and the books also say that only close friends can touch each other. Doesn't that prove that Icarus's intimacy with me is increasing! Come on, Natsume, you must hold on tight to your first friend!"
"Me? Oh, my experiences are much richer than yours, Natsume." Seeing that the cool young woman beside him did not stop him, Icarus's face lit up with joy, and he began to speak slowly.
If he knew what Natsume was thinking, he would probably be extremely grateful to the clan elders who taught her. Even if they had just thrown books at Natsume and let her self-study, it was fine, but the books they gave her were very old and full of ambiguous teachings.
Actually, it was hard on those white-haired clan elders. How could those old grandpas clearly explain such things to a young girl? And those books were all their treasured editions from back then!
"I was an orphan at first. When I was 15, I bought a dead egg from the black market, and then I had a Bellsprout, which is now a Weepinbell…"
Icarus's story was long and detailed, and Natsume listened with great concentration. She also knew this was an opportunity to understand her friend.
However, as Icarus spoke, his passion rose. After all, a stunning young woman was right in his hands, and it was already impressive that he had held back for so long.
Since he understood his position in Natsume's heart, he no longer wanted to hold back. Of course, taking Natsume right then and there was still not an option. Natsume's body was much more severely injured than his, and she was still in recovery.
So he stopped narrating and grabbed the young woman's right hand with his now moist left hand. Through their recent conversation, he already knew that Natsume still couldn't walk, but she could perform some simple limb movements.
"Natsume, we are close friends. I've helped you for so long, so you help me too. We help each other while chatting."
"En~" Natsume's face flushed at this request, but she still didn't refuse. She softly agreed, and then they began to help each other.
"Oh! Good. I'll continue. Next, I went and traded for a Pidgey, which is the Pidgeotto over there, and then we…"
Icarus, being helped by Natsume, showed a joyful expression and continued to tell his story.
The story was long, and the night was also long… On the morning of the new day, Icarus was feeding Natsume breakfast, which was also cooked Pokémon meat. Anyway, there were still many edible Pokémon carcasses here, and Natsume hadn't fully recovered yet, so she still needed food for replenishment.
"Icarus, I want that lean meat, not that fatty meat." The young woman looked at a piece of Pokémon meat Icarus had picked up, which had a lot of fat, with a look of distaste.
"Uh… okay." Hearing Natsume say that, he gave a wry smile, bit off the fatty meat with his mouth and ate it himself, then handed over the lean meat.
"Mmm mmm Icarus, what you cooked is very delicious." After their heart-to-heart talk last night and helping each other, their relationship had also developed rapidly—or rather, Icarus had opened up a lot. So the young woman didn't care about these small details at all. She swallowed the lean meat in one bite, chewing and praising.
Actually, limited by the conditions, what Icarus cooked was very ordinary. As the Psychic Queen of Goldenrod City, Natsume had eaten all kinds of delicacies. However, because it was cooked for her by her friend Icarus and fed to her piece by piece, under psychological influence, she felt very satisfied and it tasted very good.
"It's good that you find it delicious, Natsume. But shouldn't we be setting off? None of your Pokémon are with you."
Icarus helped wipe the oil from the corner of her mouth and said gently.
For such an innocent young woman, even if she was the Psychic Queen, Icarus—after understanding the situation—handled it with ease.
"Oh, that's right. But although my Psychic power has barely recovered to Elite-level, my body still can't move."
The young woman didn't dislike Icarus's slightly intimate actions at all. They had already done more intimate things to help each other last night, so who would care about this? She only remembered she had three Pokémon when Icarus mentioned them!
"It's okay. I can carry you. I'm sure your Pokémon must be very anxious too."
Hearing the young woman say this, Icarus immediately understood that his status was actually above the Pokémon Natsume had personally raised. He was overjoyed inwardly, but on the surface, he still said gently, looking as if he was considering the young woman.
"Then~ then alright. Thank you, Icarus. Actually, there's no need to rush. In my senses, they are still alive and in good condition, but the distance is a bit far, and I was severely injured and couldn't send them my location. Otherwise, they could have teleported back directly."
Seeing Icarus being so thoughtful, Natsume's eyes showed gratitude, and her favorability toward Icarus increased another notch in her heart. However, she also explained that it was actually fine to wait slowly here.