The nurse at the Pokémon Center didn't take the Pokémon and lash out with a "How have you been taking care of your Pokémon?" like in the anime. She simply looked grave as she carefully took Bounsweet from Ash, afraid that the slightest mistake would let the wind snuff out its flickering flame of life.
"You're strong, okay? You've held on this long, so hang in there a little longer." As Ash handed Bounsweet to the nurse, he spoke softly to it. He didn't know whether Bounsweet could hear him right now. He simply wanted to offer it a little encouragement.
"We'll do our best." With those words, the nurse immediately carried Bounsweet into the emergency room.
Ash panted, his entire body drenched in sweat.
He took his wallet to the counter to register Bounsweet and pay the fees.
...Come to think of it, he didn't have a League Card yet, so he wasn't eligible for subsidies.
"Huh? This Pokémon isn't yours? You haven't registered it?" the receptionist asked suspiciously.
Ash shook his head. "It's probably wild. It fell out of a Murkrow's claws."
The receptionist understood. He chuckled and handed Ash back his money and identification.
Ash was confused, but then the receptionist explained with a smile, "There's no charge for Pokémon without an owner."
Ash paused. As he took his things back, he wondered what would happen if he never registered it.
...That would come down to their judgment. Besides, it was illegal-keeping an unregistered Pokémon.
What's more, they could generally tell whether a Pokémon had anything to do with you just by looking at it.
There was no point thinking about that.
Ash sat restlessly on a chair outside the emergency room. Unlike the one in the anime, this Pokémon Center's emergency room had no transparent window.