He wanted to wake up, yet he also wanted to sleep a little longer.
The next time his awareness stirred, the warmth of sunlight was gone, and the surface beneath him was soft and flat.
"Mmm..."
As he sat up, the blanket covering him slipped off. Shen Qi held his foggy, heavy head, unsure whether the lingering sensation came from exhaustion or sleeping too long.
Outside the window, the sun slanted westward, spilling light onto the brand-new clothes beside his bed. Back in Ruins Valley, Shen Qi had scrambled and tumbled several times, badly tearing his clothes. They clearly weren't the folded set beside him.
Looking down, he saw that he was wearing blue-and-white striped hospital pajamas, with "Island 5 Pokémon Center" printed on the chest.
As he stayed awake longer, his spirits gradually picked up. Shen Qi realized he had been brought to the Pokémon Center for treatment. Presumably, the Pokémon injured last night and the people involved had also been taken care of.
"Chansey!"
Shen Qi's bed was by the window. On the other bed, in the opposite direction, lay a perfectly round pink ball. It was unmistakably Chansey.
She was deeply asleep and didn't wake at his call. There were no monitoring devices or IV supplies in sight, so her condition was probably all right.
He pressed the call button beside his bed, and a nurse soon answered.
"Bed 112, Mr. Shen Qi? We'll be right over."
"I feel pretty good. I just wanted to ask where my phone is."
His personal belongings were on the bedside table: his wallet and keys. Only his phone was missing.
"Mr. Shen Qi, the phone that was in your pocket was smashed into pieces. What's left of it is in the bedside drawer."
My-phone-
The call ended, and the nurse and doctor were on their way.
Holding his phone, now broken into five or six pieces, Shen Qi wanted to cry but had no tears.
He'd only had around 10,000 b in savings to begin with. After breaking his previous phone and having his Little Sheep extensively repaired, he barely had any money left.
There was a soft knock at the door, and a large group filed into the ward. Along with doctors and nurses, there were Security Guards.
"How are you feeling, Shen Qi?"
Officer Jenny was the first to enter.
"I... still feel a little sleepy."
"In recognition of your bravery, the Sevii Islands Police Station has decided to award you 50,000 b."
"Well, now I'm wide awake!"
What broken phone?
Who's Phone? I don't know them.
The Pokémon Center had examined Shen Qi. He had only a few superficial injuries, and his drowsiness came from excessive mental fatigue.
No kidding.
Shen Qi knew perfectly well what had happened. In a single night, he had been forcibly pushed from being unable to sense Psychic-type energy to perceiving it clearly. He'd also had to eat eggs along the way, enduring another layer of psychic impact.
It was hardly surprising that he was drained.
"Nurse Joy, how is my Chansey?"
"She... is a little more complicated. She may need a very long recovery period."
"What happened?!"
Most of the Pokémon caught in yesterday's psychic storm had suffered physical injuries. They could already sense Psychic-type energy, so aside from the mental pressure, their injuries really had mostly come from falls and collisions.
Chansey had no visible wounds or signs of bandaging. Why would she need such a long recovery period?
"Chansey seems to have been grazed by a very unusual form of radiation. Her body has become very weak, but there's nothing we can really treat or repair with medication. She can only rest and wait to recover on her own."
Most Pokémon had much sturdier bodies than humans. After all, they used energy more efficiently and had greater reserves within them.
It wouldn't make much difference whether Chansey stayed at the Pokémon Center to rest or went home. She only needed to return for a checkup every week or even less frequently.
Hearing that she could recover on her own, Shen Qi realized the injury wasn't too serious and breathed a sigh of relief.
Now he just had to wait for Chansey to wake up and let her decide.
Still, it was obvious that Chansey wouldn't stay at the Pokémon Center to recuperate.
The Island 5 Pokémon Center and the Luxury Resort had left her with less-than-pleasant memories of work.
With so many people present, Shen Qi couldn't ask directly. Once this group left, he would have plenty of opportunities to speak privately with a few medical staff members. He could ask then.
Not long after they left, one of the Security Guards returned.
"Shen Qi, here's the phone you asked us to buy."
"Thanks for the help, and for making another trip for me."
"Not at all."
"By the way, Security Guard, do you know that Chansey?" Shen Qi asked tentatively.
Aside from shiny coloration, certain sex differences, and regional variations, Pokémon of the same species were almost indistinguishable in the games. Even their heights and weights were identical.
In reality, there were differences. The Pokémon Center's Chansey who had come in earlier was slightly taller and less round, and some had gentle features while others looked stern.
As a result, after interacting with one several times, a Pokémon Trainer could pick out a familiar individual from a group of Chansey.
"Sorry, I really don't know this Chansey."
"That's all right. I was just asking."
The Security Guard had other matters to attend to, so after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he said goodbye and left.
Shen Qi studied the still-sleeping Chansey, thinking that if he could claim another third-stage reward at 50%, he would receive a [Memory Image] and reconstruct her most deeply imprinted memory.
Huh? There really is a 50% scenario reward waiting to be claimed.
As expected, weathering danger together and rescuing Pokémon really sent Chansey's romance progress soaring...
Wait!
["Speedy Hot Girl," Romance scenario progress: 50%] [Progress reached 50%. Third-stage romance reward awarded]
"It's Lilligant's!!"
The "Speedy Hot Girl" scenario had already reached 50% during their private lunch-break meeting yesterday. Now... it was at 52%.
Unless the progress had dropped and then risen again, there was no reason to award the reward a second time.
Oh, right...
Cold sweat ran down Shen Qi's forehead... Yesterday, we agreed to meet at noon today. Lilligant promised to help me take part in the Pokémon Photography activity!!!
He hurriedly opened his phone, then relaxed.
It wasn't the day after yesterday anymore. Judging by the date on the display, Shen Qi had slept for over a day. His arrangement with Lilligant had been made the day before yesterday.
He checked his messaging app.
Yesterday at noon, Lilligant had arrived as promised. After waiting ten minutes, she couldn't resist sending a message.
ID Lilligant: If you don't show up soon, I'm going to get angry!
Five minutes later: I'm really going to get angry!
Half an hour later: Answer me... I'm not talking to you anymore.
An hour later: Where did you go...?
Toward evening: Don't scare me!
From then until now, Lilligant had sent more than thirty messages.
Given how rarely she used her phone and how difficult typing was for her, she had probably used up half a year's worth of chatting.
Shen Qi hurriedly replied with an explanation, trying to make it sound as unthreatening as possible. At the same time, he figured out why he had received the 50% reward a second time.
When Lilligant had waited ten minutes, fifteen minutes, and half an hour, she must have gotten angry. Her romance progress had fallen below 50%.
Then she had quickly realized that Shen Qi wasn't deliberately standing her up. The longer he was missing, the more serious the trouble must have been.
Realizing she had misunderstood Shen Qi, Lilligant had felt guilty instead, and her romance progress had risen a little further.
Chapter 30: Energy Chakra
"Huh? Lilligant's calling?"
He had only just sent his message when the caller's name appeared on the screen, leaving Shen Qi rather surprised.
Lilligant couldn't speak human language, so why was she calling... Oh!
Shen Qi could more or less guess. Lilligant wanted to hear his voice.
"Good afternoon, Lilligant."
The sound of Grass Whistle came through the phone. The game interface didn't change. As expected, he couldn't exploit remote communication to bypass the distance restriction on text prompts.
"I'm doing fine. Yesterday, I took Chansey back to Ruins Valley..."
There was no need to deliberately hide Chansey's involvement. Lilligant knew such a Pokémon existed. What concerned her most now was what had happened and how Shen Qi was doing.
"A storm of energy erupted there, and then... Celebi... Groudon... that's how it happened."
Once he finished explaining, the call ended.
Five or six minutes later, Lilligant sent a message saying it was all too bizarre. She had heard of Celebi, the god of the forest, but she really knew nothing about Ancient Pokémon.
Fortunately, Shen Qi had sounded quite energetic, which reassured her considerably.
ID Lilligant: I'll go to Island 5 to see you...
ID Shen Qi: You don't have to make a special trip. I'll be back in a day or two.
After another round of somewhat clumsy reminders, Lilligant told Shen Qi to rest well and stopped sending messages.
"I'd better get well soon. We still have photos to take."
Glancing at Chansey in the neighboring bed, Shen Qi felt a touch of helplessness amid his worry.
Before you continue