Dorara

Gallade carried Aron all the way to the Pokémon Center. Luckily, it was strong; if it had been them, they probably would have struggled just to lift it.

After treating Aron, Joy stormed out, glaring at the three of them with an unfriendly look.

"Which one of you is Aron's Trainer? This is far too irresponsible! It's still so young—how could you abuse it like this?!"

Joy had originally held a favorable impression of the three of them, but that was now completely gone. What she despised most were Trainers who mistreated Pokémon. No matter how outstanding someone was, character mattered most.

"Joy, you misunderstood. This Aron is a wild Pokémon. We ran into it in Granite Cave, and seeing how pitiful it was, we brought it to the Pokémon Center for you to examine." Zeno had not expected Joy to hate wrongdoing so fiercely, so he hurriedly explained to prevent any unnecessary misunderstanding.

"Wild? How could that be? It looks like it hatched only recently. Where is its mother? Did you see her when you took it away?"

Joy was deeply confused. Pokémon mothers were generally very responsible. They would care for their children until they were capable of surviving on their own before leaving. Aron's mother should have stayed by its side at all times while it was this young.

"We asked Aron. Its mother was captured by poachers."

"Poachers? Have those people already snuck into Granite Cave?" Joy was shocked, but when she considered Aggron's value, she understood.

"I'm sorry, I misunderstood. You're very caring Trainers. As for the poachers, I'll speak with the local government and do my best to tighten security around Granite Cave."

"It's fine, as long as the misunderstanding has been cleared up. Joy, how is Aron doing?" Since none of them were professionals, Joy's assessment was naturally the most reliable.

"Very poorly. Its body is already severely malnourished. Recently, it has been eating soil and broken rocks with very little energy in them. But it is still a Steel-type Pokémon, so it would be better for it to eat metallic minerals. If this continues, its future growth will be seriously affected."

"Joy, please help it. Whatever it lacks, please make up for it as much as you can. Money isn't a problem for us." Afraid that Joy would not believe her, Sapphire even took out her raw Thunder Stone for her to see.

"Don't worry. As a Pokémon doctor, ensuring Pokémon's health is my duty. It's too weak right now, and I'm afraid it may not be able to handle too much nourishment at once. Let's wait three days first and see how well it adapts."

"Alright, thank you, Joy!" After thanking her, Sapphire looked toward her two senior brothers.

"We brought Aron out, so we'll wait until it fully recovers before heading back," Gu Yan said, understanding what she meant. He also sympathized with Aron.

They had spent the entire day wandering around Granite Cave and were all exhausted. Although they were worried about Aron, they fell asleep not long after lying down.

The Pokémon Center had a dedicated area for Pokémon to play in. Aron was frightened by the unfamiliar environment, and there was even a Geodude playing there. The moment Aron saw it, it shrank into a corner in fear.

"Geodude, don't bully the little one. Keep this up and I'll cut your lunch in half," its Trainer warned immediately, thinking it had bullied Aron.

Geodude was utterly baffled. Was it because it was too ugly and had scared the little one? It even went to look in the mirror. No, it was such a handsome little rock. Seriously. To avoid having its lunch reduced, it could only stay farther away from Aron.

When Sapphire and Zeno arrived, they saw Aron curled up alone in the corner, too afraid to go out and play. Sapphire slowly approached, and when Aron sensed someone coming closer, it began to tremble.

"Aron, don't be afraid. It's me. Do you remember me?"

Sapphire's voice was very gentle. Hearing the familiar sound, Aron relaxed a little and slowly turned its head to look at her. Two crystal-clear tears still clung to its pale blue eyes.

Zeno found the scene especially heartwarming and could not resist taking a picture of them. His junior sister might be a little spoiled, but she truly loved Pokémon from the bottom of her heart.

"Don't worry. All the Pokémon here are friendly. They won't bully you. Do you want to go play with them?"

Sapphire stroked its head. Aron looked over, clearly tempted, but it still did not dare approach them. It merely edged closer to Sapphire.

"Senior Brother, how about calling out your Carvanha to play with it?"

"What are you thinking? Carvanha looks so fierce. I'm afraid it'll scare Aron even more." As soon as Zeno said that, the Poké Ball at his waist shook twice.

Hearing that, Sapphire thought about it and decided he was right. She would just play with Aron herself.

Joy had her own work to do and could not watch over Aron all the time. After Zeno consulted with her, they decided to try making food suitable for Aron. Having studied under his teacher for so long, Zeno had some skill, and the food he made received Joy's high praise.

After staying at the Pokémon Center for three days, Aron's condition improved greatly. It was no longer as listless as before, and it had become much braver as well.

Still, Joy was not entirely at ease about its condition, so she planned to have a proper talk with the three of them.

"When do you plan to leave?"

"Probably within the next few days. Is something wrong, Joy?"

"Although Aron has improved, its current condition makes it unsuitable to return to the wild. Also, it can only act a little more naturally around the three of you. If possible, I hope you can take it with you when you leave."

"Is that alright? Its body hasn't fully recovered yet."

"It'll be fine. I've seen enough over the past few days. With your current ability, Zeno, you would have more than enough skill to take the entry-level Breeder exam. This Aron does have some issues with its personality. Once it has fully recovered, you can release it somewhere suitable. If both sides are willing, you can also catch it."

"Alright, no problem."

Gu Yan felt that Aron and Sapphire got along quite well. Even if they did not intend to catch it in the end, Littleroot Research Lab could still afford to raise it.

Sapphire was delighted to hear the news and immediately crouched down to look at Aron.

"Aron, are you willing to come with us?"

"Coo coo!" Aron nodded happily.

"That's great! Let me give you a name. How about Dorara?"

Sapphire happily tried to pick it up, only to forget that she could not lift it at all. She could only awkwardly scratch under its arm.

Aron was not ticklish, but it really liked the name Sapphire had given it. It smiled and narrowed its eyes.