She sincerely hoped it could evolve into a higher stage and gain the strength to protect itself.
That way, it could survive much longer in the wild.
After all, it was the first Spirit Beast friend she had made.
"Go on, eat it," Ash said softly whole nudging the giant Vespitoxin's crystal core closer to Larvavine's mouth.
This time, Larvavine didn't reject Ash's kindness.
It lowered its head and opened its mouth as wide as it could.
With a crisp crunch, the crystal core which was about the size of a baby's fist, was bitten through and swallowed by Larvavine.
After finishing it, it even let out a satisfied burp, making Ash laugh as she asked, "How does it feel?"
Larvavine tilted its head, savoring the sensation for a moment, then lowered its head and pressed its belly with its tiny limbs.
When it didn't sense any significant change, it looked disappointed and shook its head at Ash.
It couldn't feel much difference in its body.
When it swallowed the crystal core, Larvavine had felt a surge of pure and rich life energy rising within its body.
However, for some reason, nothing seemed different afterward, and its body remained unchanged.
This left Larvavine dejected, feeling like it had wasted Ash's kind gesture.
Ash, however, saw things more clearly.
"If an ordinary crystal core were enough to easily satisfy the energy needed for a Spirit Beast to evolve, wouldn't the world be in chaos by now?" Ash remarked with a soft chuckle.
"It's okay," Ash reassured Larvavine, placing her hand gently on its head again. "These things aren't as miraculous as you imagine. It's normal if there's no immediate effect."
"You don't need to feel too down or burdened by this… Evolution has always been a gradual process of accumulation. You can't expect to become powerful overnight. But I believe you'll definitely grow into a strong Spirit Beast in the future."
"Larvavine…"
Larvavine let out a soft sound, still looking disheartened.
Ash realized that continuing to comfort it wouldn't be very effective, so she decided to change the subject. "By the way, how did you end up here?"
She had been curious about this for a while, and now was the perfect opportunity to ask.
"Larvavine~ Larvavine~"
Hearing the question, Larvavine froze for a moment, then tilted its head and let out several chirps as it looked at Ash.
Although Ash couldn't fully understand what it was saying, she managed to catch a few key words and piece together the gist of its story.
Just as she had suspected, Larvavine had followed her from Solvale Town to Azure Bay Mountain when she left the Solvale Town yesterday morning.
According to Larvavine, it had seen Ash pass through the small park early in the morning.
Initially, it had wanted to greet her and share a delicious fruit it had found in the park.
However, Ash had walked right past it, completely oblivious to its presence.
Driven by curiosity, Larvavine decided to follow her.