Worried about Machop's injuries, the two hurried along without saying a word.
Unlike the mountains around Rusturf Tunnel, this was a low hill blanketed in lush vegetation. Beneath the sunlight, the trees cast shadows of all shapes across the ground.
Many of the Pokémon living here watched the pair with curious eyes. Fortunately, none came over to bother them or block their path.
They followed the road for a long while. As it grew wider, the trees thinned, and soon a town appeared at the end of the road.
It looked about the same size as Verdanturf Town, small enough to take in at a glance, with roughly the same number of houses. The only difference was that the people of Verdanturf Town planted flowers, while the people here preferred trees. Nestled among the mountains, the two towns were like twin brothers.
In no mood to admire the scenery, they hurried into town. Sure enough, there was no Pokémon Center. With no other choice, Yong quickly approached a middle-aged man who had just stepped out of his house.
"Hello! Sorry to bother you!"
"Hello! Who might you be?"
The man stopped, looking curiously at the boy rushing toward him.
"We're trainers passing through. This Machop is badly injured. The people in Verdanturf Town told us there was a doctor here, so we came straight over."
"Oh! I see!"
The man nodded thoughtfully, then examined Machop's condition before telling them,
"Unfortunately, I could help if the patient were human, but I don't know much about Pokémon."
Yong and Chengjie grew anxious at his words. Machop's treatment couldn't wait any longer.
"Sir! Is there really nothing you can do?"
"Uh... let me think... oh, right!"
The man's expression suddenly changed. He struck a fist into his palm and exclaimed,
"Of course! If it's a Pokémon, Miss Ayako might be able to help!"
"Miss Ayako? Is she a doctor?"
Seeing a glimmer of hope again, Chengjie immediately asked.
The man shook his head, then nodded when he saw the boy's spirits sink again. He hurried to explain,
"Miss Ayako wasn't a Pokémon doctor before, but she was a Pokémon Coordinator! She even won a Pokémon Contest championship! By now, she should be a doctor!"
A Coordinator? And a Pokémon Contest champion, too! Yong's eyes lit up.
Pokémon Coordinators differed from ordinary trainers. They raised Pokémon specifically for Pokémon Contests rather than conventional Pokémon battles!
Coordinators paid close attention to their Pokémon's appearance and condition. They groomed and dressed them up, feeding them Berries, Pokéblocks, and Poffins to improve their condition. They also focused on training their Pokémon's moves, including how dazzling and polished those moves were.
None of that, however, had much to do with treating Pokémon.
What truly mattered was that Coordinators had to keep their Pokémon healthy, giving them regular checkups and treatment to ensure they could put on dazzling displays of their moves and perform difficult routines!
That required Coordinators to study and master Pokémon treatment methods more thoroughly than ordinary trainers and become familiar with their anatomy.
Since Miss Ayako had won a Pokémon Contest championship, even if her expertise fell short of a true Pokémon doctor's, she was still far more capable than Yong and Chengjie.
As long as Miss Ayako could give Machop a basic examination and treatment, they would have enough time to reach Mauville City and find Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center for the final treatment.
Right now, time was what they needed!
Yong asked again,
"Then could you tell us where Miss Ayako is?"
Without hesitation, the man readily pointed toward the largest house in town.
"Miss Ayako has been here for quite a while. She studied medicine at Dr. Masuda's home! She's finished her training now and taken over his clinic!"
He scratched his head sheepishly.
"It slipped my mind, actually. Our town's Dr. Masuda can treat Pokémon, too! But he isn't here right now."
Yong and Chengjie were even happier to hear that. A trained Pokémon doctor would be even better!
"Great! We'll go right now!"
Chengjie's impatience flared up again. Seeing this, Yong thanked the man, and the two ran toward Mr. Masuda's house.
The man watched them and shook his head.
"Young people really can't sit still..."
Mr. Masuda's home was a small two-story building with a sign by the entrance that read "Pokémon Clinic."
The sight put them at ease. Yong stepped forward and knocked gently on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Who's there?"
A young woman's voice came from inside. Soon, the door opened, revealing a beautiful young doctor.
Her long, dark green hair was gathered into a bun and tied with an orange ribbon. She wore a white nurse's uniform and a dark green skirt. Beside her stood a catlike Pokémon with a cream-colored body, large purple ears, and a purple ruff.
Delcatty!
Delcatty
"Hello! I'm Dr. Masuda's assistant, Ayako! What can I do for you?"
"Ah! Hello, Miss Ayako! We need your help!"
The two explained what had happened. Then, under Miss Ayako's guidance, they entered a large treatment room on the first floor.
"Put this little one on this table!"
Miss Ayako gave her instructions and put on gloves. She gestured for the two to stand quietly to one side, then stepped forward. Her hands gently moved over Machop's body in a steady rhythm, and she checked Machop's pupils from time to time. Then she removed the bandages wrapped around the leg, examined it carefully, and recorded her findings on the computer. Delcatty lay nearby, watching quietly.
As Yong watched Miss Ayako work, his expression grew strange.
Wait, am I watching traditional Chinese medicine? Come on! These are definitely traditional Chinese medicine techniques!
Standing beside him, Chengjie didn't notice his odd expression. He watched the sleeping Machop anxiously.
After a long while, Miss Ayako finished her examination. She finally let out a breath of relief and told them,
"The injuries aren't too serious. Although this little one was poisoned earlier, the treatment was prompt and there was no damage to the internal organs. As for the leg injury, it only looks serious, but..."
Miss Ayako hesitated, and Chengjie quickly asked,
"But what?"
"There's no need to worry so much."
Smiling to reassure Chengjie, Miss Ayako took another pair of blue gloves from the medical kit beside her and changed into them.
"This little one is too weak for extensive treatment right now. I'll first stimulate the acupoints to activate the body's own recovery abilities. That way, healing will happen naturally."
Seeing that the two still looked worried, Miss Ayako rolled her eyes and said with an amused smile,
"I'm Dr. Masuda's final apprentice, and I finished my training ages ago. I even run this clinic myself. Besides, with a Pokémon's constitution, once its natural recovery begins, it'll be more effective than treating a human. You can relax!"
The two exchanged an embarrassed glance, and Yong hastily assured her that wasn't what they had meant.
"Sorry for the trouble, Miss Ayako!"
Paying them no further attention, Miss Ayako began pressing her thumbs against carefully chosen points on Machop's body. Sometimes she pressed briefly, and sometimes she held the pressure for a long time. Avoiding the wound, she gently lifted Machop's leg into her hands and held it, then slowly applied pressure to relax the tense muscles.
As the treatment continued, the sleeping Machop unconsciously let out a soft groan.
"Chi..."
It sounded relaxed.
No longer worried, Yong and Chengjie waited quietly to one side.