The Sick Clamperl

Before they knew it, Zeno and the others had been busy for more than two months. More than half of the vacation Professor Birch had given them was already gone.

Thanks to the professor, the ranch's initial expenses had been very low. The main cost had been labor. Since the number of Pokémon had increased dramatically, the villagers of Big Shell Village no longer came to the nearby waters to gather materials.

The food they fed them every day had not cost much either. It was all made from materials Uncle Kam and the others collected, requiring only some manpower. Zeno taught the villagers how to make it. Though it was not as refined as the food sold on the market, everyone was happy with it.

Uncle Kam planned to reduce how often he went out to sea once the Clamperl ranch was finished, but for now, everything continued as usual. This ranch had brought hope to the villagers, and everyone felt that life was becoming more promising.

Although work at Clamperl Marine Ranch was progressing smoothly, Zeno always felt that something was missing. He just could not put his finger on what was wrong.

"Senior Brother, there isn't much of our vacation left, but this ranch seems..."

"Something's wrong."

"Right, right, right! Senior Brother, you noticed it too?"

"It's Clamperl breeding season. They should be pairing up, but the Clamperl here have absolutely no interest in it. They're way too laid-back." Gu Yan had not thought much of it at first, but after observing them for a month, he realized something was off.

"Why is that? Senior Brother, do you know the reason?"

If these Clamperl did not reproduce, there would be little point to this ranch. They could not keep importing them from elsewhere forever.

"I'm not too sure either. Why don't you ask them?"

Zeno was speechless. He had never expected his senior brother to say something so unreliable. How was he supposed to ask them? Ask why they were not dating?

"Forget it. I'll go down and catch two of them later. Senior Brother, give them a full checkup. If we really can't find anything, we'll send the data to our teacher."

"That's all we can do."

The Clamperl beneath the sea were all full of energy and did not seem to have any problems. They all loved their current lives. Not only was the place comfortable, but they had delicious food every day.

After a month, Zeno had long since become familiar with them. They all liked him, and whenever they saw him, they happily gathered around him.

Zeno explained why he had come, and the Clamperl were all very cooperative, clamoring to get health checkups. Zeno selected two of the most marriageable ones from among them.

Gu Yan examined them for ages but simply could not see anything wrong. His cultivation was still lacking.

"I can't tell. I did my best."

"It's fine. Let's send the data to our teacher."

Professor Birch had gone out again. Zeno waited three days before finally receiving his call. The latest Pokédex had comprehensive functions and supported video calls. Having not seen his teacher for so long, Zeno really did miss him a little.

"Teacher, we finally got news from you. Everything was going smoothly on our end, but these Clamperl are like monks. Senior Brother and I are completely out of ideas."

"Hahaha, you've really had it rough. You even have to worry about this sort of thing for them." Professor Birch could not help laughing when he heard that.

"Teacher!"

"All right, all right, I won't tease you anymore. I took a quick look earlier. At first glance, there's nothing wrong with the data, but some minor details are off. I can't tell much from the data alone. Send two of them over, and I'll study them carefully."

"Okay."

Big Shell Village did not have a Poké Ball transfer device. This technology had been invented by Professor Bill of Kanto and had only begun to be implemented in other regions in recent years. In the Hoenn Region, only a few major cities had transfer machines. With no other choice, Zeno had to make another trip to Lilycove City.

After Zeno transferred the two Clamperl, he overheard people at the Pokémon Center discussing a Wailmer show. He immediately remembered what he had promised Sapphire.

Their vacation was nearly over, yet he had not bought anything at all or gone to see the Wailmer show. Luckily, that guy had reminded him. Otherwise, he would not be able to handle the young lady's temper.

Buying things would not be troublesome. There was still enough time to order a custom Wailmer plushie. The problem was that Wailmer shows were not held every day. Thankfully, his teacher had called today, or he probably would have missed it.

Zeno and his senior brother hurried over. The show was only just about to begin. It was also organized by Ocean Park. Originally, it had merely been a benefit for local residents, but in the end, crowds of people came after hearing about it.

"Good thing we made it." Zeno found a good spot and quickly turned on his Pokédex's recording function.

It was Zeno's first time seeing a Wailmer show. More than a dozen Wailmer gathered together, and the sight was quite spectacular. Though it was called a show, it was really just watching whales spray water. Still, Zeno felt that alone was enough of a selling point. Watching Wailmer spray water was incredibly cool.

There was actually an opportunity to interact with the Wailmer afterward, but there were simply too many people, so the two of them did not join the crowd.

After watching the show, Zeno went to order a custom Wailmer plushie. As for local specialties, he could come back to buy them on the day they left.

Professor Birch did not contact Zeno until two days later. This made Zeno suspect that the problem was serious, leaving him worried the entire time.

"Teacher, the Clamperl are okay, right?"

"They're sick."

"What illness? Is it serious?"

"You've made a major discovery this time. It's a new kind of disease. It does not pose the slightest threat to their lives, but it affects their reproductive instincts. It really is quite unusual."

"Then what do we do? I have more than two hundred of them here!"

"Don't worry. I've already solved the problem. Since it's not my specialty, it took me a little longer. I'll send you the medicine formula in a moment. It's not difficult. The two of you should be able to handle it."

"Okay. Sorry to trouble you, Teacher."

"It's no big deal. Oh, make sure you record the data and organize it properly. This is quite a novel topic. Write a short paper when you come back."

"Ah, we have to write a paper too?"

"This is a good thing. What are you thinking? It's a great opportunity to make an appearance before the Pokémon League. Others would beg for a chance like this, yet you don't want it?" Professor Birch was quite dissatisfied. His disciple was good in every way except that he lacked ambition.

"All right, I understand."

"Oh, and the two Clamperl you sent over are already together. Looks like you have quite the talent for matchmaking."

"Hahaha, that's great." Zeno was delighted to hear the news. His long selection process had not gone to waste.

Zeno and Gu Yan spent an entire day making the medicine to treat the Clamperl's disease. But when they thought of the more than two hundred Clamperl waiting for it, their future suddenly looked bleak.

By the time they had made more than two hundred doses, the two of them were too exhausted to move. Most absurd of all, they still had to feed it to the Clamperl one by one.

Numb with exhaustion, Zeno decided that once this job was done, he would never take on this kind of work again.