Seeing its big, shiny eyes staring at her, Ash couldn't help but smile. "This is your prize, so of course it belongs to you."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to take down that Vespitoxin alone. Go ahead, take it," she said before returning to the task of wrapping her arm.
Ash wasn't sure if the attacks of the giant Vespitoxin carried venom.
To be on the safe side, she rummaged through her backpack and retrieved an antidote injection she'd purchased from the school infirmary earlier.
Without hesitation, she administered it to herself.
When Ash finished everything, she noticed that Larvavine was still staring blankly at the crystal core in front of it, completely motionless.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked curiously.
Her question seemed to flip a switch.
In an instant, two shimmering pools of tears welled up in the Larvanine's glossy black eyes.
Ash: ???
Wait, do insects even have tear glands?
Hold on… Is this really the time to be thinking about that?
"Hey… don't cry!" Ash hurriedly scooted closer to Larvavine.
She wanted to reach out and comfort it but she hesitated.
She worried that the bloodstains on her hands might dirty its body.
Left with no other choice, she asked anxiously, "Are you hurt?"
But at Ash's concerned question, Larvavine only shook its head, tears keep streaming down from its eyes even more heavily as it tried to show that it wasn't injured.
That left Ash completely baffled.
Not injured? Then why is it crying?
She couldn't figure it out.
Wiping her hands on her clothes, she gently placed her palm on Larvavine's tiny head and gave it a soft pat. "A strong Spirit Beast wouldn't cry so easily… Are you admitting that you're just a weak little Spirit Beast?"
"Larvavine… Larvavine…"
Perhaps it was the warmth from Ash's hand, or perhaps it was her words, "Are you admitting you're just a weak little Spirit Beast?" that struck a chord in Larvavine's prideful heart.
After hearing Ash's words, Larvavine surprisingly stopped crying.
It even lifted its little head and gently nuzzled against Ash's hand, which was still resting on its head.
"Haha… that tickles…" Ash chuckled and patted Larvavine lightly on the head again, stopping it from continuing to rub against her hand. "Alright, alright, since you're fine now, hurry up and eat this crystal core. It should help you evolve a little faster…"
Ash moved her hand away from Larvavine's head and gave the giant Vespitoxin's crystal core another push toward it.
For Insectum-type Spirit Beasts like Larvavine, evolving to a higher stage as soon as possible was very critical for survival in the wild.
Their combat strength was too weak, and a slightly stronger Avis-type Spirit Beast could easily kill them.
In fact, it didn't even have to be an Avis-type Spirit Beast; any Spirit Beast that was a little bit more powerful than Larvavine could end their life without much effort.
Ash had grown fond of this clever and spirited Larvavine.