Spiritomb's Autism

"Father! What are you doing?!"

Seeing the waitress beside them on the verge of tears and Stone still enthusiastically ordering with spittle flying everywhere, Steven knew his father's old habit had acted up again. Whenever he was happy, he would thoughtlessly try to bring out the very best things—but that would make everyone else feel awkward!

"Hahahaha! Steven, come take a look. What else should we order? There are too few dishes here. I don't think there's much in this whole menu, so I added some other things, but there are still too few dishes. What else do you think we should order?"

When Stone saw Steven hurrying over, he immediately spoke excitedly, completely failing to notice how awkward everyone around him was. That was an entire menu! And he still thought it was not enough? Even if they only took one bite of each dish, there was no way they could finish all that!

"Father, you've ordered too much."

Looking at the menu that was practically a book, Steven helplessly rubbed his forehead, snatched it away, and handed it to the waitress standing nearby.

"You decide what to arrange. Bring out some Pokémon food too, but not too much; we brought some ourselves as well. Also, just serve everyone a single-person meal. If anyone has something they specifically want to try, tell the waitress."

Steven made the decision firmly. He absolutely could not let his old man keep messing around. Fortunately, his father would be flying back tonight. Otherwise, this would be far too embarrassing!!!

"All right, I'll have the kitchen prepare it immediately."

The waitress looked as though she had been granted a reprieve. Stone had just ordered a pile of rare ingredients that their restaurant did not have and could not obtain, many of them Pokémon ingredients. Where was she supposed to find those? Even if they could make them, they needed to be reserved in advance. Take Slowpoke Tails, for example—this was not Alola, where Slowpoke were common enough for every household to use them as side dishes!

Watching the waitress leave as though she had used Agility, Steven's face darkened slightly. His father was always so unserious.

"All right, all right. Chairman Stone meant well."

At that moment, Professor Carolina, who had not spoken until then, stepped in to smooth things over and ease the awkward atmosphere somewhat. Thus, the farce temporarily came to an end. Since this was originally a buffet restaurant, there were no large tables. The four adults sat at one table, while the three young people sat at another.

"Your Gible has been raised wonderfully."

As soon as he sat down, Steven noticed the Gible beside Cynthia. Its proud, upright posture made it obvious how well it had been raised, even to someone who knew nothing about Pokémon.

"We've grown up together since we were little, but Mr. Blake—"

"Don't call me mister. Just call me Blake. I'm not used to people being so polite."

Blake interrupted Cynthia. Being called mister felt awkward no matter how he thought about it.

"All right, Blake. There is something I wanted to ask. Since your family specializes in raising Ghost-type Pokémon, I wanted to ask how I should raise this child."

As Cynthia spoke, she tossed out a Great Ball. The next moment, a Pokémon resembling a potted plant appeared before everyone.

"This is... Spiritomb?"

Blake looked at Spiritomb, and the moment she met his gaze, she seemed frightened and immediately shrank back into the Odd Keystone.

"This child is a little afraid of strangers. She's far too introverted."

Cynthia spoke helplessly. Spiritomb was clearly recorded as a ferocious Pokémon, yet she was afraid even of seeing people. All that could be said was that Pokédex records could not be fully trusted. Every Pokémon was different, and records were merely records.

"Indeed, I can tell. But it isn't a major problem."

As Blake spoke, purple-black light shone from his hand. Steven and Cynthia's eyes immediately widened at the sight. They knew the Ghost-Taming Clan possessed special abilities, but this was their first time seeing them in person. Meanwhile, the moment Spiritomb appeared, James had noticed them. He did not speak, merely watching quietly, as did the other three. Blake's actions made Professor Carolina and Chairman Stone look curiously toward James. James said nothing, only made a quiet gesture, indicating that they would talk later.

As the purple-black glow in Blake's hand brightened, Spiritomb, who had been hiding inside the Odd Keystone, sensed a comforting aura. After pondering for a while, she slowly poked her head out of the Odd Keystone.

"Zinuu—"

A faint sound came out, nothing like Spiritomb's usual cry.

"An unmistakable case of autism. It's rare in other Pokémon, but for Spiritomb, who are already highly susceptible to schizophrenia, it isn't uncommon."

James walked over, purple-black light glowing from his hand as well. However, compared to Blake's, the color was lighter and far less dense.

"That's what I thought too. It shouldn't be a major issue, though. Cynthia, how long have you had this Spiritomb?"

Blake nodded, then turned to ask Cynthia.

"Less than a month. I found her by accident among a pile of stones carved with ancient writing."

Cynthia replied.

"Then that's it. Clearly, this is a Spiritomb who spent a long time alone in ruins or deep within a cave. Prolonged loneliness caused this Spiritomb, already prone to schizophrenia, to develop autism as well. As for treatment, there aren't many other options. She can only gradually recover over time. At least she is still willing to interact with the outside world, which means the autism has not become too severe yet."

Watching Spiritomb's purple, phantom-like body sway slightly along with the movement of the energy in Blake's hand, James thought for a moment before speaking.

"But she ignores me completely. Every time I let her out, Spiritomb immediately shrinks back into the Odd Keystone. No matter how I talk to her, she ignores me."

Cynthia said helplessly.

"That's normal. Spiritomb are naturally highly sensitive to the outside world, so it isn't easy to communicate and connect with them. But there is a way to speed up the process. Simply put, first create an environment where Spiritomb feels comfortable."

Blake thought for a moment before answering.

"What kind of environment would that be?"

Cynthia took out a notebook and asked with utmost seriousness. They were both researchers; although it was not obvious normally, they were very serious when it mattered.

"First, a dark environment. That's standard for most Ghost-type Pokémon. You can tell just by looking at our Poké Balls—we use Dusk Balls almost exclusively."

As Blake spoke, he took out the three Poké Balls on him. Without exception, they were all Dusk Balls.

"However, you don't need to change her Poké Ball. She hasn't attacked or resisted you, which means she still trusts you somewhat. It's just that because of her autism, she has yet to take the first step. You only need to take things slowly. Find a room and make it into a darkroom, leaving only faint lighting to imitate natural light. That will do."

James reminded her.

"What was the environment like where she originally lived? If it was a cave with flowing water, it would be best to add a water source and the sound of running water. After that, I suggest buying a batch of Ghost Gems. The aura they give off can make Spiritomb feel at ease. I have some here, so use these first."

As Blake spoke, he grabbed a handful of Ghost Gems from his waist pouch. Anyone who did not know better might have mistaken that handful of Ghost Gems for plastic decorations.

"Th-that's so many gems?!" This time, it was Steven who cried out in surprise.