Dr. Solanus

Dr. Solanus

Knock, knock knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Hearing the voice, Jing He was somewhat surprised, but he still replied.

With a click, a middle-aged man wearing light brown archaeological attire and round-framed glasses pushed open the door and walked in. He looked rather listless.

"Dr. Solanus."

Seeing the visitor, Jing He quickly recalled his name from his memories.

Dr. Solanus, full name Solanus Takao, was a doctor who studied meteorites and rocks. He was also a history instructor at Canalave Pokémon Academy. His office was right next door to Jing He's Pokémon Psychology Consulting Room.

Much like Jing He, Dr. Solanus's history classes attracted very few students. The meteorites and rocks he specialized in were even more obscure subjects than Pokémon Psychology.

The difference was that Dr. Solanus was a genuine doctor.

"Jing He." Dr. Solanus forced a smile. "Could you make me a cup of coffee?"

Watching Dr. Solanus slowly make his way to the desk, pull out a chair, and sit down—especially noticing the dark circles beneath his glasses—Jing He asked in surprise, "Don't you dislike coffee?"

Though he said that, Jing He still got up and began working the coffee machine.

"Don't mention it." Dr. Solanus shook his head weakly. "I haven't had a good night's sleep these past two days."

Before long, Jing He expertly brewed a cup of coffee and placed it before him.

Its rich aroma spread through the room.

"I can tell." Jing He gestured at his heavy dark circles.

Dr. Solanus gave a bitter smile, picked up the coffee, hesitated for a moment, then took a huge gulp.

The next instant—

His entire face crumpled up like a discarded newspaper.

"Hiss, so bitter." He set down the cup, frowning tightly. "I really don't understand how you people like drinking this stuff."

His brow soon relaxed, and he seemed a little more alert.

"It relies entirely on bitterness to wake you up, doesn't it?"

"But it really does work."

Jing He was speechless.

"If you drink enough of it, you'll definitely come to like it too. When that happens, you can apply to the Academic Affairs Office for a coffee machine."

Solanus shook his head.

"Forget it. I'm hardly ever in my office anyway, so there's no need to waste public resources."

Jing He merely shrugged, then changed the subject. "By the way, did you make some new discovery this time? You actually went two days without sleeping."

At the mention of his discovery, Dr. Solanus immediately perked up. Adjusting his glasses, he said:

"I did find a pretty good rock this time. It's highly valuable for research, and one of my students found it. But that isn't why I haven't been sleeping."

After briefly describing the rock they had found, Dr. Solanus became listless again.

He scratched at his hair, which resembled a bird's nest, and said with distress:

"I don't know what's going on. Ever since I came back, I've been having nightmares for the past two days. One after another. I can't sleep properly at all."

Nightmares?

Jing He froze.

After looking Dr. Solanus up and down, his expression turned slightly serious. "You haven't provoked something you shouldn't have, have you?"

"Something I shouldn't have provoked?"

Dr. Solanus's face instantly went pale. He stammered, "Y-you mean... ghosts?"

A doctor who dug around in the dirt like him had naturally heard plenty of legends about "digging up ghosts," but he had never encountered one himself.

And in the world of Pokémon, ghosts truly were not rare.

Jing He smiled faintly. "Don't be nervous. Maybe something that happened during the exploration made you anxious or uneasy, or perhaps some fright triggered your subconscious self-protection mechanism to interpret that fear in a certain way."

He continued soothing him. "If there really were a ghost, it wouldn't just make you dream about 'it,' would it?"

As he spoke, he stood and walked toward a corner of the consulting room, where an exceptionally comfortable single sofa sat.

It was where he usually took naps.

He patted the backrest. "Want me to help you get some proper rest?"

Dr. Solanus hesitated, but soon patted his cheeks with both hands and drained the remaining coffee in his cup. "Later. I finally feel a little more awake, so I need to hurry and finish writing my lesson plans. The term is about to start."

Hearing that, Jing He naturally let him be and lay down on the sofa himself.

"Then you'd better hurry."

His lesson plans had been finished long ago.

There simply weren't many to write.

Dr. Solanus patted his cheeks again, thanked Jing He, and strode out of the consulting room.

Judging by his posture, it seemed he was about to pull off another classic case of "one pen, one person, one night, one miracle."

Drizzling rain tapped against the window, leaving specks of water like scattered stars.

"Mm..."

Jing He opened his sleepy eyes.

Only then did he realize that he had unknowingly slept until evening. The sky had already darkened.

The once-bright afternoon had turned gray and hazy. Mist kicked up by the falling rain draped the entire city in a thin veil, adding a touch of mystery.

"Jing He."

Suddenly, a low, hoarse, somewhat distant voice drifted over.

Hearing that weak voice, Jing He instinctively shuddered and bolted upright. "Who's there?!"

"It's me, Solanus."

Only then did he make out the figure standing in the dimness.

Jing He let out a breath. Rubbing the goosebumps on his arms, he slowly stood and said irritably, "Dr. Solanus, you still haven't gotten off work?"

Solanus said helplessly, "I just finished up. Even if I went home, I don't think I'd dare sleep. I saw you hadn't left either, so I thought I'd ask you for a favor."

"Now?" Jing He glanced outside. "You're not going home?"

"I'm used to it."

Once Jing He got up, Solanus immediately lay down on the sofa.

He was single anyway. To save time for his research, he sometimes slept at the academy.

"Alright."

Jing He rubbed his dry eyes and yawned.

He pulled over a chair and sat beside him.

Dr. Solanus seemed to have prepared himself already. With his hands resting on his chest, he closed his eyes.

"...Slowly. First, take a deep breath. Hold it, then exhale. Now, you're very relaxed. You're lying on a lawn, beneath warm sunlight..." Jing He's unhurried, gentle voice was like a spring breeze brushing over the heart. His magnetic tone made one's mind unconsciously relax.

Hypnosis.

With Solanus actively cooperating, it was quite easy for Jing He to give him some simple sleep-inducing hypnosis.

In fact, according to the original owner's memories, this was not the first time he had helped Solanus sleep.

Before long—

Even breathing came from Solanus.

"Rest well."

Watching the peacefully sleeping Solanus, Jing He stood and carefully closed the door.

Time to get off work.

What he did not know was that after he left, a faint reddish glow suddenly lit up over Solanus's chest.

Immediately after, strands of black thread began winding upward.

Slowly, they gathered into a mass.

A pair of eyes emerged.

They looked at Solanus lying on the sofa, irritation flickering within them.

It was soon replaced by curiosity.

Then they turned toward the closed door, the curiosity in their eyes growing stronger.

"Koujie?"

How could that person do it too? After a brief hesitation, it slipped through the door like gas and followed after him.