"Kung fu can kill enemies, but it can also save lives."
"Sigh..."
Nurse Joy was utterly at a loss over that answer. Turning to the next drawing revealed her pressing a hand to her forehead in distress.
Nurse Joy wanted to find the source of Chansey's obsession, expose its flaws, and steer her away from that misguided fixation.
But Chansey's answer was far too vague. A master? Saving people with kung fu?
"Chansey, I'm sorry, but work at the Pokémon Center isn't right for you."
Nurse Joy picked up an envelope from the desk.
"The Luxury Resort is hiring massage therapists to serve its guests. If you're gentler with your hands, you could make a good life for yourself there. You might even meet a Pokémon Trainer who's right for you."
Chansey's lips moved twice. Clearly, she had something to say but couldn't bring herself to say it. The image left that moment unspoken: in the sunlit office, the two faced each other.
The next image showed them in the same positions, but Chansey now held the letter of recommendation. She had silently accepted Nurse Joy's helpless yet well-intentioned suggestion and was bowing toward the desk.
No matter how much she wanted to become a healer, Chansey's work at the Pokémon Center had come to an end...
Chapter 33: Remarkable
The third set of images unfolded. Shen Qi braced himself for screams, but no such sound erupted.
The images were very peaceful, with no speech or dialogue.
In a large bathhouse drawn in colored crayon, Chansey was mopping the floor.
In the next drawing, Chansey was scrubbing wooden bathtubs and washing the towels and bathrobes used by guests.
It looked like a peaceful life. A wandering Pokémon had found steady work. Yet there was no spark in Chansey's expression. She was utterly downcast.
The Luxury Resort had arranged her duties cleverly. Even if no one at the bathhouse wanted Chansey's massages, she could put her strength into cleaning. Unlike an intern at the Pokémon Center, she wouldn't eventually have to treat someone.
Of the final two images, the first showed Chansey bowing farewell to a blonde woman in a dress.
"That's Akiho."
She was the owner of the Luxury Resort. In FireRed and LeafGreen, players could earn valuable rewards by showing her the Pokémon she wanted to see at the resort.
In the last drawing, Chansey resolutely turned to leave. Akiho reached slightly forward, clearly wanting to ask her to stay.
No voice sounded, which meant she hadn't actually spoken those words.
"Sigh."
The memories he read from Chansey lacked the dramatic intensity and tragic ending of Lilligant's. From beginning to end, they were filled with quiet repression and helplessness.
Lilligant had merely been a purchased Pokémon who happened to end up with a Pokémon Trainer who understood her. The beginning of her story had been positively fairy-tale-like, its soaring heights followed by a terrible fall.
Chansey had never truly gotten what she wanted.
That was hardly surprising. The path she wanted to take was even more outlandish than a wealthy young lady driving race cars.
Shen Qi could empathize with what Akiho had felt when she wanted Chansey to stay at the Luxury Resort.
It was easy to foresee how Chansey's stubborn ideas would make finding a normal job difficult anywhere. Even out in the wild, few Pokémon would dare befriend her.
Staying at the Luxury Resort wasn't a beautiful ending, but it was a relatively stable outcome after compromising with life.
Chansey had understood those good intentions. Otherwise, Akiho and Nurse Joy wouldn't have appeared in her important memories.
"Pokémon that unlock Emotional Scripts... really do have serious issues."
Click.
The bathroom door opened, and Chansey shuffled weakly out.
In her weakened condition, supporting her entire egg-shaped body on those tiny arms and legs was clearly a struggle.
"Do you need me to help with anything?"
[It's okay. I'm doing pretty well now.]
The way Chansey had to brace herself against the wall to stand steadily was hardly convincing.
[How are you doing, Shen Qi?]
"I wasn't really hurt. I could've been discharged ages ago."
[Then... could I trouble you by staying at your place a few more days?]
"Of course."
Just as Shen Qi had expected, Chansey had no intention of lingering at the Pokémon Center. Being here reminded her of the helplessness and setbacks she had faced while pursuing her dream.
Yet back then, Nurse Joy and everyone else had only criticized Chansey's obsession at most. They hadn't made things difficult for her or treated her as an enemy.
That kindness only made her feel worse...
"We just need to handle the paperwork downstairs, and then we can go home."
"Jili..."
Lightly holding the hem of Shen Qi's shirt, Chansey followed slowly behind him.
Without her usual fierceness and boundless enthusiasm, she seemed rather frail, fitting the most common image of a story's heroine.
Honestly... Shen Qi still hoped Chansey would return to her old self soon.
A glance at the data on the inspection card showed that Chansey's physical health index had risen from 51% to 53%. Her recovery was extremely slow.
Yet her physical attack was still rising. It had gained another two points since she got up.
At the Pokémon Center's front desk, Shen Qi thanked the medical staff on duty.
"Thank you for looking after us."
"You're welcome. It's our job. Shen Qi, don't rush back to school. You'd be better off resting a few more days, and so would your Pokémon."
The staff member at the front desk looked at Chansey without any unusual reaction, apparently not recognizing her. They probably hadn't been here during her internship.
That was just as well.
In the games and anime, Pokémon Centers were completely free for Pokémon Trainers. Some Pokémon Trainers who weren't doing well even lived in them.
That obviously wasn't possible in reality. At most, after becoming a professional Pokémon Trainer and earning certain honors, they would receive a limited allowance of free services each year.
Fortunately, Shen Qi had contributed to protecting the wild Pokémon on Island 6, so the Security Bureau covered all the treatment costs, including Chansey's.
While they were talking, Nurse Joy, who was in charge, heard Shen Qi was being discharged and came over.
"How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good." Shen Qi thanked her again. "I should've come to tell you in person, but it's working hours, and I was worried about interrupting your work."
"Hahaha, it's fine."
Shen Qi paid extra attention to Chansey. Sure enough, she had become embarrassed and uneasy.
When she left the Pokémon Center years ago, Nurse Joy had recommended her to the Luxury Resort. Chansey had chosen to leave once again, determined to follow her own path.
After all these years apart, what had she accomplished...?
She had merely carried out her so-called ascetic training in the wild, living like a destitute fool. In the end, she'd still suffered an accident and wound up in the Pokémon Center on Island 5.
"Chansey, I remember you."
As soon as Nurse Joy spoke, Chansey's already timid body visibly tensed.
"You really did it. You became an excellent doctor."
Shen Qi froze at those words. Chansey was even more stunned. After a full five seconds, she abruptly lifted her head to find Nurse Joy smiling gently at her.
"Most of the injured Pokémon brought here from Ruins Valley on Island 6 were in good condition. Their initial treatment was beautifully done. Even some of the more seriously injured Pokémon avoided further deterioration because you intervened..."
Nurse Joy gave her a thumbs-up. "Achieving that without medical equipment or medicine really made us see you in a new light. You're remarkable."
Silence...
The scene was as quiet as the fragments Shen Qi had seen through the [Memory Image] item. Unlike those memories, however, this silence held no repression or helplessness. It was the wordless turning point before powerful emotions erupted upon receiving recognition.
It was the brief silence of someone walking through a pitch-black tunnel when a beam of light suddenly shone in.
"Jili!"
Chansey curled her plump little hand into something resembling a fist, as if to say this was nothing yet. The pinnacle she sought was still far away.
Unfortunately, she was far too weak. Posing without leaning against Shen Qi made her feet slip, and Chansey fell to the floor, rolling away like a bowling ball.
Several Chansey in nurses' uniforms were taking inventory beside the lobby. Caught off guard by the impact from behind, their round bodies toppled too, bumping into one another and rolling off in even more directions.
This was no longer bowling. It had upgraded to billiards-snooker.
Shen Qi hurried to help the medical staff frantically stop the Chansey rolling all over the floor. For a while, the scene was utter chaos.
Chapter 34: Master
After leaving the Pokémon Center, Shen Qi visited the Island 5 Security Bureau. Once he had answered a round of questions resembling a formal statement, he retrieved the Little Sheep he had temporarily left there.
The Security Guards knew Shen Qi understood very little about the incident. He was merely a passerby returning Pokémon to Ruins Valley who had promptly reported the disaster after discovering it.
As for what had triggered the psychic storm, their investigation had yet to find an answer.
Shen Qi wanted to suggest Deoxys... but that was a guess based on his memories as a player and his knowledge of the anime. Telling the Security Guards would sound far too strange, and it might not even be correct.
Instead, Shen Qi tactfully asked whether it could have been a "divine beast," such as a mythical Pokémon or a legendary Pokémon.
The Security Guards said they weren't sure. That was only a vague possible direction for their investigation. Natural causes might also have produced abnormal energy fluctuations, much like an ordinary weather-related disaster.
In the end, Shen Qi still didn't say the name hovering on his tongue: "Groudon"...
First, Xatu had said Groudon was responsible. Later, Celebi had seemed to agree. But when Shen Qi approached it differently and mentioned the concept of "ancient Pokémon," the Security Guards were visibly holding back laughter.
They didn't need to say it. They clearly thought this was a high school student's fantasy. Most passionate young boys and girls were like that, wanting to become top professional Pokémon Trainers and forge bonds with legendary Pokémon...
There were countless such fanciful dreams. They certainly seemed amusing to working adults who had spent years weathering society, yet they couldn't actually laugh.
Among countless youngsters, someone would eventually succeed. There was no need to belittle children's dreams.
"Let's go home."
"Jili!"
Before you continue