Over the next few hours, Xinhai kept moving back and forth between the bathroom and the living room.
He washed Blaziken's feathers, running a special brush through the vivid plumage and carefully cleaning away every speck of hidden dust;
He cleaned Krookodile's scales, using wipes specially made for Krookodile to wipe down its thick, dark-red armor. Every scale was carefully brushed, and the wipes slid along the grain of the scales, carrying away tiny grains of sand;
When he rinsed Grovyle's body, clear water ran down its slender frame, making its emerald-green skin gleam brightly and smoothly.
He called Mightyena and Zigzagoon into the bathroom one after the other as well.
Mightyena stood in the bathtub. Its black fur made it look a size slimmer once soaked, but its red eyes were half-lidded, and its tail swayed slowly behind it.
Zigzagoon, on the other hand, spent the entire time splashing around. Only after Xinhai held it down did it finally settle, its tiny eyes narrowing into slits as it let out contented little "haso, haso" cries.
Xinhai carried Charmander and Axew into the bathroom together. Axew splashed about in the warm water for quite a while, while Charmander was given a simple wipe-down with special cleansing wipes.
Weedle was placed in a small, shallow basin, and Xinhai gently wiped its smooth shell with a soft cloth, his movements so light they were almost imperceptible.
Eevee was naturally the last one. It crouched in the shallow water, its large brown eyes half-closed, its fluffy tail floating lightly on the surface like a little furry boat.
Xinhai soaked the fur along its back with warm water, then gently combed through its thick coat with his fingertips, carefully smoothing out every knot.
He did not leave out Milotic and Quagsire, who stayed inside