Jubilife Breeding Center.
Early that morning, an unexpected guest arrived: Zoro, Section Chief of the Jubilife City Police Headquarters.
Zoro wore a brown bowler hat and a well-fitted brown suit. Everything about him exuded elegance.
If he had been a little shorter and stouter, he would have looked rather like the Inspector Megure Li Wei remembered.
Li Wei had met Zoro before. He was the husband of Belle, who lived nearby, and was around forty-five.
"Mr. Zoro."
Though they had met, Li Wei didn't know him nearly as well as Belle, who often dropped by with her Growlithe.
"Li Wei, sorry for dropping in unannounced so early." Upon seeing Li Wei, Zoro removed his hat in apology.
It really was early-not even half past seven.
Li Wei shook his head. "It's all right. I was going to get up to train anyway."
Zoro got straight to the point. "I have to be at work at eight thirty, so I'll keep this brief."
Zoro was always busy with work. He was a workaholic.
That was also why Li Wei rarely saw him.
"Go ahead."
"I'd like to ask you to look after an Arcanine."
As he spoke, Zoro took out a Poké Ball and set it on the table.
Li Wei glanced at the Poké Ball on the table, a little puzzled. "Does Arcanine need to learn a move?"
A hint of helplessness crossed Zoro's face. "No, this isn't about learning a move. It's a long story..."
"This Arcanine was an outstanding graduate and joined our finest unit, but please forgive me for not being able to disclose the unit's name..."
"By the way, do you know about Team Galactic?"
Li Wei nodded slightly. "Yes."
Team Galactic had collapsed, Cyrus had disappeared, and the three commanders seemed to have been arrested. Probably only small fry remained now, right?
Zoro continued explaining. "This Arcanine was ambushed while fighting Team Galactic.
"In an enclosed cave on Mt. Coronet, Arcanine was hit by a flashbang and caught in a group of Voltorb using Self-Destruct..."
"What?!" Comrade Leon cried out in shock, then hurriedly covered his mouth.
Zoro didn't mind and continued explaining the situation:
"Fortunately, help arrived in time. Nurse Joy and the Pokémon doctors managed to heal Arcanine."
"At first, we all thought Arcanine had recovered, but only the physical injuries had healed."
"After that, anything resembling a flashbang would frighten Arcanine, even during training exercises."
"We've tried treatment many times. After all, Arcanine has tremendous potential and is still very young, but..."
"After several assessments, we determined that Arcanine could no longer serve as a police dog. Retirement was the only option."
It was a saddening story.
An Arcanine who had been an ace even among the police force's elite unit had been forced to retire at the peak of a promising career.
Leon couldn't help asking, "Why would that happen?"
Zoro shook his head. "Unfortunately, we don't know either."
Li Wei frowned. "Then why come to me? I don't think I can help."
Li Wei could roughly guess what was wrong with this Arcanine: a serious psychological disorder.
PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.
It was a mental disorder often found in soldiers returning from the battlefield, though ordinary people could also develop it after witnessing natural or man-made disasters.
Li Wei had encountered patients with PTSD before.
They seemed perfectly normal most of the time, but upon hearing the sound of machinery drilling into the ground, they would cover their ears, clutch their heads, and crouch down, trembling all over.
Being able to guess Arcanine's condition didn't mean Li Wei could cure it.
Li Wei wasn't a psychologist.
Feebas alone was enough of a headache. He really had no confidence when it came to Arcanine.
Zoro gave an unexpected answer. "Actually, Mr. Blue suggested it."
Blue had once been Champion and was now the Viridian Gym Leader. Even though Zoro was considerably older than him, he still respectfully addressed him as "Mr. Blue."
*???*
At that moment, Li Wei's face was a picture of utter bewilderment.
Li Wei was puzzled by that answer. What exactly had led Blue to make such a suggestion?
Never mind. I'll ask him later.
Zoro explained the reason to Li Wei.
"Here's what happened. Arcanine's former Trainer-or rather, former handler-heard that Champion Blue was visiting and tried to get in touch with him..."
The chain of events that brought Zoro to Li Wei had been quite convoluted.
First, Arcanine's former handler had asked other Officer Jennys for help. An Officer Jenny had contacted Zoro, and Zoro had contacted Blue...
In the end, Blue had recommended Li Wei.
Arcanine's former handler, Officer Jenny, held an important position in a special unit and couldn't leave at will.
So Zoro had ended up bringing Arcanine over.
Zoro had no reason to lie to Li Wei. He knew perfectly well that Li Wei and Blue knew each other, so such a lie could be exposed at any moment.
Since it was Blue's suggestion, Li Wei did have to give it some thought. "What would I need to do? Cure Arcanine?"
Li Wei had no confidence in his ability to do that.
He didn't like making promises he couldn't keep.
If Zoro required him to cure Arcanine, Li Wei would have to turn him down, however much he wanted to help.
Zoro shook his head. "Just let Arcanine rest and recuperate here. We'll pay the care fees monthly, at the rate for retired police dogs."
In that case, Li Wei had no reason to refuse. "All right. I'll accept."
At the same time, a mechanical female voice sounded in Li Wei's mind. [Ding! You have a new side quest-Arcanine's treatment (optional)...]
A heartfelt smile appeared on Zoro's face. "Wonderful. Thank you so much. I'll leave Arcanine in your care."
With tears in his eyes, Comrade Leon clasped Zoro's hand. "Leave it to us!"
Zoro wasn't taken aback. He could feel Leon's determination. "Please take good care of Arcanine!"
Leon genuinely felt sorry for this Arcanine. He wanted to help Arcanine recover.
"It's about time. I should head to work. I'm counting on you to look after Arcanine."
Li Wei nodded. "Rest assured. You're welcome to come visit Arcanine whenever you like, Mr. Zoro."
Zoro soon drove away.
They had taken on the heavy responsibility of caring for Arcanine, but treatment wasn't something to rush. It would be a long-term process.
There was a good reason PTSD had come to Li Wei's mind: he had realized that Feebas probably suffered from it too.
Li Wei had looked up quite a lot of information specifically because of that.
Feebas's condition was more complicated. It was most likely CPTSD, complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
There were two main contributing factors. The first was prolonged, repeated trauma, such as abuse or school bullying.
The second was feeling small, like a failure, and worthless.
All of those fit Feebas's situation very well.
As the ugly duckling Pokémon, Feebas was deeply unpopular before evolving into Milotic.
Li Wei looked at the new side quest.
Arcanine's treatment (optional): Help Arcanine overcome psychological trauma and become confident! Reward: One of Arcanine's memories. Hint: Related to Dialga and Palkia.
Li Wei chose to accept.
Before you continue