Chapter 155: The Inner World of Feebas

"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Feebas said despondently.

"Why are you apologizing?" Tang Yi asked, momentarily stunned.

"It's because I made things difficult for you." Feebas seemed to have slipped back into the demeanor she had when they first met.

"Then was what Wei Chenhai said the truth?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Feebas gave a start and immediately refuted, "He's lying! Although he used to take me out often, he... he always brought many female friends along, had me carry their bags and go shopping for them, and then made me take pictures of them. He, he even said that someone as ugly as me being allowed to take pictures of them was the greatest act of charity, and that I should know how to show gratitude."

By the end, Feebas's body was trembling slightly. She was only offering a polite and restrained retelling; heaven knows how many more hurtful things Su Chengtao had said to her in the past.

"Alright, don't talk about it anymore." Looking moved, Tang Yi interrupted Feebas. "I believe you. So, you shouldn't be the one apologizing."

Tang Yi primarily trusted the police. Officer Wang Wan had mentioned that the police had previously investigated the matter, and he believed their investigation wouldn't be wrong.

"But..."

"Actually, I've been wanting to ask you, why did you decide to tag along this time?" Tang Yi asked softly.

Feebas fell silent.

Tang Yi sighed. "Is it because you wanted to see whether that person would regret it after you left, or if he would miss you? Is that it?"

"No, it's not!" Feebas's voice rose slightly, sounding intermittent as if overcome with emotion. "Maybe, maybe at the very beginning I had that thought, but, but it's not like that now! It's not!"

Figuring that Feebas probably didn't want to admit it, Tang Yi chose not to press her. "Fine, if you don't want to say it, never mind. I was just asking out of curiosity; you don't have to answer."

"It really isn't!" Feebas grew anxious, took a deep breath, and said, "I, I just wanted to see up close what the dynamic between you and Ralts is actually like."

Realizing she had let something slip, Feebas simply decided to continue. "I've also interacted with Sister Butterfree and Fang Tianze, but they've been together for a very long time. Sister Ralts is different. You and I are both Pokémon born not long ago, yet your relationship looks so special. I, I was just extremely curious."

Tang Yi and Ralts exchanged glances. This answer was completely unexpected.

It just went to show that Feebas had probably been influenced quite a bit by Su Chengtao in the past and was rather adept at putting up a facade. Even Butterfree and the others likely hadn't seen through it.

Ralts, however, suddenly panicked for no apparent reason, stammering, "W-what could possibly be special about him and me?"

Tang Yi was speechless. That remark felt like an explicit denial that only confirmed her guilt.

A faint smile broke through the worry on Feebas's face. Hesitating for a moment, she took the initiative to step forward a couple of paces, reached out to take Ralts's arm, and spoke slowly.

"That day in the plaza, that meal was the happiest time of my life. Actually, I could already tell back then that the way you looked at me was very different—it wasn't disgust, nor was it mere pity; you genuinely cared about me. I was so surprised at the time, even finding it hard to believe that someone like me could actually have someone—a complete stranger, no less—care about them."

"Ahem, let me interrupt for a second. I was the one who bought you that meal, you know," Tang Yi couldn't help chiming in.

Feebas gave him a calm glance. "I heard all about it later. It was only because Ralts insisted that you came back. Otherwise, you would have just been like everyone else—gawking for a moment and then walking right past, wouldn't you?"

Tang Yi somewhat helplessly realized that although Feebas, like Ralts, was mostly unaccustomed to expressing her feelings, Feebas might stay quiet, but she was by no means as innocent as Ralts.

Perhaps because she had experienced too much of the warmth and coldness of human nature from a young age, Feebas was far more sensitive to such things, and her emotional intelligence was sometimes even higher.

Yes, what she said was essentially true.

Before that moment, to Tang Yi, Feebas was merely an unfortunate girl he had happened to cross paths with. If not for Ralts's insistence that day, he truly wouldn't have made a special trip back.

Tang Yi had no way to refute this.

Feebas didn't mind. Looking at Ralts, she continued, "Later on, at the orphanage, you came to see me again. I really found it incredible back then, and I couldn't help wondering if you had some sort of hidden motive. But then, as we interacted more and more, I realized that you really just cared about me purely."

"After that, my life gradually got better. Butterfree and Officer Wang and the others were also genuinely kind to me, and I'm very grateful to them. But, but I know very well that all of this is because of you. If it weren't for you, if I hadn't met you that day, my life would never have changed."

"Later, I, I heard you complaining about your Trainer, saying he was too terrible. I was so angry at the time. How could someone as kind and pretty as you be bullied by anyone? S-so I started paying attention to you two, and then I realized your relationship didn't look the way I had thought. I couldn't quite figure it out, but, but I just wanted you to have a better life. You couldn't become someone like my past self."

By the end, Feebas's speech was disjointed again. It seemed she didn't want to voice all of her innermost thoughts, or perhaps she wasn't entirely clear on how to express them. But the bottom line was simple: she was truly grateful to Ralts for changing her life, and therefore she hoped Ralts could have a better future.

This was an answer Tang Yi had never anticipated.

Come to think of it, during that period, Ralts did frequently complain that he was too terrible and so on. To an outsider, it was bound to cause some misunderstandings.

Ralts was quite embarrassed as well, but she felt even more awkward explaining her relationship with Tang Yi, having no idea how to even bring it up.

In the end, Tang Yi broke the silence. "I understand. Rescuing you that day was just a matter of various coincidences falling into place. But regardless, you have a better life now, and both Ralts and I are happy about that. So, we also hope you can let go of the past and live your life with more confidence."

If they hadn't happened to run into Su Chengtao today, Feebas might never have spoken these innermost thoughts aloud.

Hearing those final words, Feebas gave Tang Yi a complex look, realizing that this person could indeed see right through her mindset at a single glance. Even so, she nodded gently. "Yeah, I will. Actually, I used to imagine what it would be like if I ever ran into him again, but... seeing that person today, I still didn't know what to do. I've made things difficult for you."

Gritting her teeth, Feebas's eyes carried a look of worry.

She understood too well that because of her, tomorrow's match had become a must-win. Otherwise, the two people standing before her would surely end up being mercilessly mocked once again.

Pity that there was nothing she could do.