"Sure, I'll have someone send them over afterward. Just remember one thing: don't wreck the place."
"Your grandfather left you that ranch. If you ruin it, I won't be able to face him..."
Although Qingmu said that, he had already started making plans.
His son wanted to run a ranch. What should he send over?
Mareep? Miltank?
He would need plenty of feed, and new tools, too.
He should also throw in two crates of Pokéblocks. If the boy really did end up starving the Pokémon, there would still be a chance to save them.
As he thought, he started making a list, not forgetting to get in one last jab:
"Just so we're clear, don't come crying to me if you lose money."
"Come on, that's no big deal."
With that, Yushu hung up.
He sat holding his phone for a while, still sorting through the jumble of memories in his head.
A gentle voice beside him interrupted his thoughts.
"Yushu, your Pokémon have recovered."
He looked up to see Nurse Joy standing behind the counter, smiling at him.
Chansey held up a tray with six Poké Balls neatly arranged on it.
"Yes, thank you, Nurse Joy."
Yushu took the Poké Balls and thanked her.
He only had six Pokémon in total, but that was actually a normal number.
After all, not everyone had Mama Brock looking after them on their travels, with Professor Oak back home to help care for their Pokémon. For most people, putting together a full team was enough to bankrupt them.
"You're welcome."
Nurse Joy tilted her head, a hint of curiosity in her smile. "Are you staying in town, Yushu? Not challenging Gyms anymore?"
"Yeah. I'm not cut out to be a Trainer, so I came back to try something different."
Yushu said it frankly.
He had truly let go-or rather, he had never really taken it up in the first place.
After all, he had only recently gotten his bearings. Those obsessions felt like a movie he had watched: they moved him, but he wouldn't get lost in them.
"That's a very good idea. What suits you is best."
"Finding what you truly want to do matters more than anything."
Nurse Joy's voice was very gentle.
She had seen far too many Trainers follow that path until they broke down, and she had also seen some change course halfway and find a new direction.
In her eyes, admitting that you weren't suited to something took more courage than stubbornly banging your head against a wall.
"Yes, that's what I think, too."
Yushu smiled and was about to turn to leave, but something in a corner of the lounge caught his eye.
In the Pokémon Center's lounge, an Aipom was hopping restlessly back and forth on a seat.
"Kee! Kee!"
Its long tail kept lashing, its paws repeatedly scratching its upper arms and back. Its short cries never stopped, sounding urgent and distressed.
The boy beside it looked barely over ten. He bustled around anxiously and reached out to hold it, but Aipom dodged away.
It looked very resistant.
"Let's leave it there for now, then. That little boy seems to be having some trouble."
Nurse Joy followed Yushu's gaze, frowned slightly, and prepared to go help.
"I'll leave you to it."
Yushu had been planning to leave anyway. He hadn't even seen the ranch yet.
But just as he took a step, he suddenly perked up.
Information about Aipom had just appeared in his mind.
[Pokémon: Aipom] [Type: Normal] [Ability: Run Away] [Level: Late beginner stage] [Moves: Scratch, Tickle, Swift, Sand Rush, Baton Pass...] [Status: Agitated (foreign objects embedded in three places on the back and upper arms, with localized redness, swelling, and inflammation)] [Recommendation: Remove foreign objects and apply anti-inflammatory ointment.]
Yushu froze.
He blinked, then blinked again.
The panel was still there.
What was this? A golden finger? A transmigration perk? Or some kind of system panel?
Before he could think it through, Nurse Joy had already approached Aipom.
She gently reached out, trying to get close.
But Aipom was agitated and wary of anyone approaching.
The moment Nurse Joy reached toward it, it flicked its tail, nearly striking the back of her hand.
Seeing this, Yushu spoke almost without thinking. "Could you let me try?"
Nurse Joy turned back, looking a little surprised:
"Yushu, you..."
"I should be able to handle it."
Yushu had no idea where his confidence came from, either, but the panel had spelled out the problem clearly. All he had to do was follow its instructions.
Now this was the right way to use a golden finger.
Yushu walked up to Aipom without immediately reaching out.
First, he crouched down until his eyes were level with Aipom's.
The little boy beside him warned:
"Be careful, mister. Aipom's in a bad mood today..."
(Pan's Paradise: Baring your teeth? Send it over!)
But Yushu obviously couldn't do that. His voice was soft. "Aipom, trust me. You'll feel better soon."
Aipom watched him warily, its tail still swishing uneasily.
But perhaps it was tired, or perhaps Yushu's gaze was too calm; it didn't dodge away again.
It simply stared at him with its round eyes, as if judging whether this person deserved its trust.
Yushu slowly reached out, moving very, very slowly, giving Aipom enough time to see his every movement clearly and confirm that he meant no harm.
Once Aipom finally lowered its guard and stopped shying away, he gently parted the fur on its back. Sure enough, he found several wooden splinters embedded in its skin.
The skin around them was red and swollen, clearly inflamed.
He held his breath, pinched a splinter between his fingertips, and gently pulled it out.
"Kee..."
Aipom flinched at first, but soon, as the splinters were removed, its expression visibly relaxed, and its tail stopped swishing.
"There. You're all right now."
Yushu gently patted its head, then pulled a small bottle of his usual anti-inflammatory medicine from his pocket.
Trainers spent every day out in the wild, so this was standard equipment.
He squeezed out a little and applied it to the swollen patches. Aipom didn't resist, its eyes narrowing comfortably.
Kenichi put his hands on his hips. "So it was splinters! Aipom, you went rubbing against wooden posts again, didn't you?"
Aipom averted its eyes.
"Kee." (What are you saying? I can't understand a word.)
Nurse Joy leaned over for a look, then understood. "So that's what it was! Aipom has a rather unusual body structure. The hand on its tail is too big, and its front paws are too small, so it can't reach its back."
This sort of problem was actually quite common, but the language barrier made it hard to find the cause right away.
She paused, looking at Yushu with a little more curiosity:
"Yushu, how did you notice?"
Yushu kept a straight face. "Uh... observation. I reached that conclusion through careful observation."
He was a Trainer. Surely it was perfectly reasonable for him to know how to observe Pokémon.
"Thank you, mister! My name's Kenichi. Thank you for helping Aipom."
The little boy thanked him alongside Aipom.
"You're welcome. I'm Yushu."
Yushu smiled.
Aipom was now waving its tail, looking much more comfortable.
"Are you a doctor, Yushu?"
Kenichi tilted his head.
Yushu paused, then smiled:
"I... don't think so..."