Poliwag was sleeping very soundly. Mai explained to the slightly panicked girl that most Pokémon who have difficulty hatching tend to behave like this; they'll naturally wake up when they get hungry, so there's no need to be nervous.
The girl's name was Claire. Her parents were both born in the Kalos Region, but now they were settled in Hearthome City. In her own words, she considered herself a native of Sinnoh.
During Poliwag's deep sleep, Claire constantly exchanged tips and experiences with Mai about raising Pokémon. This was the first time she was personally taking care of a Pokémon.
Claire sat on the ground with Poliwag sleeping soundly in her arms, occasionally blowing a bubble. Mai took several measurements of Poliwag's physical data. While it looked a bit skinny, it didn't appear to have any major issues.
"These days, people who actually attend school diligently and only start traveling after acquiring a solid foundation of knowledge are a very rare breed,"
Claire said with a laugh as she described the scene at her school, something that surprised Luther, who had never experienced this world's school system before.
According to Claire's description, the basic academies were not that different from those in Luther's original world, aside from the curriculum's different focus, primarily centered around Pokémon knowledge.
Class sizes like Claire's, no more than twenty students, were almost unimaginable to Luther, since his classes had never had fewer than forty or fifty students.
Not everyone in those schools aspired to become Pokémon Trainers either. Most students enrolled with the hope of securing more stable and promising careers in the future, and a group of people who had already planned out their lives in advance.
There were, of course, specialized schools specifically for Pokémon Trainers, but Claire had never attended one, so she wasn't too familiar with the details.
As they chatted idly, Poliwag slowly opened its eyes, still groggy and dazed. It blinked sleepily at Claire, then looked around.
With everyone watching curiously, Poliwag hesitated for a moment… and then started crying.
Claire panicked, thinking she had done something to make Poliwag uncomfortable. Luckily, Luther and Mai reacted quickly. Just then, Chansey and Eevee, who had gone to prepare Pokémon food, came back carrying a feeding bowl.
For some reason, Luther felt like Chansey looked a little frustrated, and Eevee also seemed a bit annoyed.
Mai took the feeding bowl and was just about to hand it to Poliwag when Luther stopped her.
Poliwag stared at the food, drooling, but didn't move. He vaguely understood that the person holding him, Claire, was the one who would be raising him, so he held back, drooling as he gazed at her with eager eyes.
"What's wrong?" Claire was also a little confused.
Luther's gesture snapped Mai out of her daze. She sniffed the food in the bowl and frowned.
"This smells like... Ink Pecha Berry."
Mai choked and coughed a little. Luther quickly handed her some water.
The name of the berry sounded unfamiliar, it was probably another unique berry of this world.
After taking a few sips of water and recovering, Mai continued, "Normally, this kind of berry is used to help newborn, weak Pokémon regain energy. Because it has a very intense flavor, after eating it, the baby Pokémon feels warm and cozy, even fragile ones will perk up and make it through the most dangerous observation period."
"That... actually sounds like exactly what we need, doesn't it?" Luther let out a sigh of relief.
Mai looked like she wanted to explain something, but after several false starts, she clenched her fists, picked up the feeding bowl, pushed the door open, and walked out with an icy expression on her face.
Before Luther could even figure out what was going on, Mai had already disappeared down the corridor.
Claire was just as confused. She had heard about the effects of that berry and knew it was supposed to be beneficial for Poliwag, so why did Mai seem so upset?
The one who was most distressed was Poliwag. He watched as the food in front of him was suddenly taken away. His eyes welled up with tears, thinking that his new trainer was displeased with him, and he began to cry again, this time, no amount of comforting from Claire seemed to work.
Chansey came over carrying an empty bowl, placed it in front of Claire, and then pulled an egg out of her pouch. She gently cracked it open.
A rich, mouth-watering aroma wafted through the air. Poliwag immediately stopped crying and sniffled as he inhaled the sweet scent in the air, watching as Chansey carefully poured the golden egg liquid into the bowl.
Holding the bowl filled with golden yolk, Chansey nudged it closer to Poliwag.
Claire hesitated. She wasn't sure if it was safe for a newborn Poliwag to eat something like this, plus, it seemed that Chansey belonged to Luther. Would this be considered overstepping?
Even so, Poliwag, despite being tempted by the aroma, held himself back, waiting for Claire's permission.
"Let him eat. According to the Pokédex, eggs laid by a Chansey are extremely nutritious."
The moment she heard the word "Pokédex," Claire made up her mind.
"Go ahead, eat."
Poliwag immediately dove into the bowl, eagerly sucking down the egg liquid face-first. Chansey could only set the bowl down and retreat back to Luther's side.
Watching Poliwag eat so happily, Claire blushed and said, "It should've been my responsibility to think of a solution. Sorry for troubling your Chansey."
"It's no trouble at all. I often ask Chansey to cook me an omelet as a midnight snack. Eating eggs is no big deal for me."
Luther's words made Chansey chuckle as well.
"You're a Pokédex holder?"
"Yeah, oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. Luther, from Sandgem Town."
Luther used to think of himself as someone from Twinleaf Town. But after what happened with Shiran, he felt there was nothing left in Twinleaf worth holding onto.
Claire repeated Luther's name a few times, as if trying to recall something.
"You're that guy, the one who tutored Basil, and helped him go on a winning streak among Trainers his age?"
"Huh?" It took Luther a moment to process. "I guess… if the Basil you're talking about is the apprentice Trainer from the Hearthome City Gym I know…"
"I knew it!" Claire's voice startled Poliwag, who accidentally spat out a mouthful of egg liquid with a splurt. She quickly grabbed a towel to wipe his face.
Once Poliwag caught his breath and resumed eating, Claire continued, "I never expected to run into you here."
"From your reaction… am I supposed to be famous or something?" Luther was completely baffled.
"There are stories about you floating around in the Hearthome City youth Pokémon Trainer circles."
Claire thought for a moment and added, "For example, when you first joined the Veilstone Gym, you apparently beat up every Trainer who came to challenge the Gym. You also had a 2-on-2 battle with the then-shy Basil and helped him shine during the fight. Ever since then, Basil's been on a winning streak. Plus, people say you're no longer accepting new apprentice Trainer students…"
What kind of nonsense is all this?
Where were these rumors even coming from? This is just ridiculous!
(End of Chapter)
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