The few people nearby had gone still, their gazes flicking between the officer and the huddled children. Whispers rippled outward, low and uncertain, carried on the smoke.
Nurse Joy's brows pinched, and she stepped forward with more fire in her tone than Flint had ever heard from her. "Now, hold on! You cannot just arrest them like that!"
Jenny's eyes narrowed. "Oh yeah? Then explain this — why were you the ones we found tucked away here instead of coming out with the rest of the evacuees? And your Pokémon—" her gaze cut to the ring of weary creatures, "—they're battered, exhausted. Looks like they've been fighting."
Joy squared her shoulders and shifted subtly, placing herself between Jenny and the children. "Exactly. They're injured. They need treatment, not handcuffs. You cannot deny a patient medical care."
Jenny's lips thinned. "What I can do," she said, her voice like ice, "is stop criminals from hiding behind excuses." She reached toward her belt, fingers brushing the clasp of a Poké Ball. "And I will."
Flint's chest tightened. Enough. He stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension.
"Nurse Joy's right," he said flatly. "You can't just throw accusations at children and drag them off in shackles while they're bleeding. Not here. Not now. Plus, your reasoning is flimsy at best. They might have been caught on the edge of the blast, and that's why they're injured. The boy's been training for a gym challenge. His Pokémon are exhausted because they've been worked hard — nothing unusual there. And maybe he was just visiting her after training."
Jenny's gaze flicked to him, her voice dry as parchment. "At night. After visitation hours are over? Please. That doesn't explain why you, Nurse Joy, are here instead of at the Pokémon Centre."
Joy let out a sharp breath, her voice tinged with exasperation. "I didn't see the boy return to the Centre at the usual time. I overheard him whispering about visiting her, so I came to check, since, as you said, visiting hours were over, and I wanted to prevent him from entering her patient's room. When I arrived, I caught him sneaking into her room and leading her out through the window. The very moment he got her outside…" her voice dipped, hardening, "…the hospital wing exploded. They were caught in it. She panicked, screamed, and tore her throat wounds open again. When I reached them, she was clinging to him, and he was shielding her."
As she finished, Joy shot Ash a sidelong glance.
The boy's eyes signalled his confusion. After a few moments, his face turned scarlet. "S-Shut up!" he blurted out.
Yellow didn't react. She was still trembling in his arms, her fingers locked tight in his shirt. Her face was pale, her breath too shallow. Flint studied her closely, and the realisation struck him: she wasn't just shaken by the blast. No… she was afraid of Jenny herself.
Jenny pressed on, her tone sharp. "So, they must have some clue as to what happened, as the room that detonated was that girl's. Even if they weren't involved, the fact that they were there means they know something. I still need their statements. So, let me do my job."
Her hand reached out — not for Ash, but for Yellow. The girl shivered, shrinking into herself.
Yeah… Flint thought grimly. Something was going on between them—something he didn't understand.
Then the boy spoke, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "You said it was her room that exploded. But Nurse Joy only said the hospital wing exploded. Not which room. How did you know it was hers?"
The crowd stirred. Whispers grew sharper, some pointing toward the officer.
Jenny froze for a fraction of a second — then snapped, "I had a checkup at the hospital this week. I saw the patient list then and noticed that a colour of all things admitted. I've been coming back daily for treatment from my accident. That's how I knew. It doesn't matter — they still need to give their statements." She reached again for Yellow—
"I'd like to know that as well, Officer Jenny."
The voice was firm, calm, and carried weight.
Brock.
He strode forward through the haze, his Onix looming behind him like a silent wall. His expression was serious, unreadable.
"Care to explain how you knew which room it was?"
Jenny's mouth opened, faltered. "B-but sir—"
"If you want their statements," Brock interrupted, "I can take them myself. I'll be heading to the Pokémon Centre anyway to check on my Pokémon and speak to the patients. As for you—" his tone hardened, "—you are being reassigned to assist the forensic team. Or canvas the area for witnesses. Either way, that's where you're needed."
Jenny's lips pressed tight. "But—"
"That was not a suggestion," Brock said, voice like stone. He stood tall, his shadow falling across her.
A tense beat. Then Jenny clicked her tongue. "Tch. Fine." She turned sharply on her heel and stalked off.
Brock turned to the crowd. "Everyone. I know what happened tonight has shaken you, but please — go home, rest. The police and the Gym will handle this. We'll find who's responsible."
The murmurs slowly faded. Bit by bit, people drifted away, still whispering to one another but leaving the scene behind.
Ash looked up at Brock, his voice soft but earnest. "Thanks, Brock. For… for that."
Brock waved a hand. "You two are nearly the same age as my siblings. I couldn't stand by and watch you get arrested for something you probably didn't do." His eyes narrowed slightly. "But I can tell you're hiding something. You'll tell me later."
Nurse Joy cut in gently, though her voice carried a firm edge. "Later. In private. The girl needs care first."
Brock inclined his head. "Of course."
Flint watched as the boy recalled his Pidgeotto and Butterfree, then adjusted his grip on the trembling girl. Pikachu and Eevee scrambled up onto his shoulders, pressing close as if they, too, refused to let go. Yellow was quieter now, but she still clung to Ash like he was the only anchor she had left.
---------------------------------------------------
Ash's scowl lingered. His thoughts flared hot. 'Why did you do that?'
'Do what?' Roshi asked, the picture of innocence.
'You know!' Ash hissed under his breath. 'Calling her my—my girlfriend like that.' His face went red again.
'Because that's exactly what everyone thought, ' Roshi replied smoothly. 'The way she clung to you. The way you shielded her. That doesn't scream "just friends."'
Ash frowned, blinking. '…Huh? Of course it does. Friends protect friends. That's all it was.'
There was a long pause. Roshi groaned. '...You really don't get it, do you?'
'Get what?'
'That she'— Roshi cut himself off with a sigh. 'Never mind. Forget I said anything. You're hopeless.'
Ash narrowed his eyes. 'I'm not hopeless. I just…don't see what you're trying to say.'
'Exactly, ' Roshi muttered, exasperation dripping from every word. 'Exactly.'
Ash shook his head, stubborn. 'Whatever. What happens now?'
The bird's tone shifted, heavier, more serious. 'Now? You tell Brock what happened at the hospital.'
Ash's stomach knotted. '…Do we really have to?'
'Yes, ' Roshi said firmly. 'Unless you want her to go through that again. You saw her — trembling, coughing blood, barely holding together. Do you want that repeated?'
Ash swallowed hard. 'No.' His voice cracked. 'I don't.'
'All things considered, it was a good decision to return Spearow to his ball to treat him afterwards. It would have been nearly impossible to explain to Officer Jenny.'
'Yeah.'
'Good.' Roshi's voice gentled, just a touch. 'Because Brock will want answers. And this time, you'll need to give them.'
Ash glanced down at Yellow. She was still clinging to his shirt, fragile but unrelenting. His grip tightened protectively.
"I'm ready," he whispered.
-------------------------------------------------------
The Pokémon Centre was quieter than the streets outside, but it wasn't peace — it was the heavy, muffled quiet of exhaustion. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and burnt wood carried in on the trainers who had come straight from the fire.
Nurse Joy led them down a short corridor, her Chansey padding alongside with a tray of supplies balanced in its stubby arms. Ash followed close, Yellow still in his arms, her head resting limply against his shoulder. Pikachu and Eevee clung to him, their ears twitching at every sound.
They reached a small treatment room. Joy gestured to the bed. "Lay her down gently."
Ash hesitated, his arms tightening for a moment before he obeyed. Yellow's fingers lingered on his shirt until the last possible second, then slipped away. She winced as she settled back against the pillow, one hand instinctively rising to her throat.
Joy's eyes softened, but her voice was brisk. "Chansey, saline and gauze. We need to check the sutures."
Ash stepped back just enough to give them space, but his gaze never left her. "She… she hasn't said anything since she screamed."
"I will do what I can, but you have to leave for the time being..."
At this, Yellow's hold on him tightened, and she started shivering a little.
Turning to Brock and Flint, she said, "I don't think that we would be able to leave the room for some time. Can you..."
With a gentle smile, Brock said, "Of course. We will be outside if you need anything."
After they had gone outside, she said, "...Well, against all medical procedures, I have to ask you to stay as support, okay?"
"Okay."
"Luckily, your Chansey was using Heal Pulse, which helped in healing her wounds to some extent, but it still needs some help."
"Will she be alright?"
Nurse Joy spoke without giving away anything, "I don't know."
---------------------------------------------------
After some time, they came out of the room to see that Flint and Brock were standing in the hallway, waiting for them.
Brock asked after pointing to Yellow's throat, "How is she?"
Ash, who was carrying her again, shrugged and pointed his head towards Nurse Joy, who was tense.
"We can talk about it in his room. Shall we go there? We are attracting a lot of looks."
Turning around to see that yes, they were being watched by the various trainers and the patients there right now, Brock replied, "Of course. Lead the way."
With that, they went to Ash's room in the Pewter Pokémon Centre.
When they were in front of the room, and Ash was opening it, Brock turned to the other man. "Sir, I would have to ask you to go away, as this is a private matter for the Gym Leader. Even if you had helped them get to the hospital when they arrived, you are not required to give the testimony. You can go now."
Ash asked, "You are going, Flint?"
Brock and Nurse turned to him. "Flint?! Isn't his name supposed to be Takeo?"
Ash looked confused. "But he said that his name was Flint when I met him."
They all turned to look at Flint or Takeo for an explanation. Sighing, he said, "Enter the room. We can talk there, and I will explain everything."
"No, you cannot. You have to tell us why you are so invested in this!" Brock replied while going for his belt.
"I am involved not because I am a citizen, " At this point, Flint removed his beanie and fake beard to show his true face, to which Nurse Joy and Brock gasped, "but as the former Pewter Gym Leader, I have the right to know as well."
"Dad..." Brock growled out, and he would have hit him were it not for the people beside him.
"Wait, you are the former Gym Leader?!" Ash asked in surprise.
Flint replied gravely, "Don't just stand here. Enter. We all have questions that need to be answered."
With that, all of them went inside the room to discuss events.
------------------------------------------------
Flint started first, "So Nurse Joy, what about the girl's injuries? Do you think she would be able to tell her side of the story?"
Nurse Joy shook her head solemnly as Ash, Yellow, Pikachu, and Eevee leaned in to hear the answer. "I am afraid her screaming out has ended her up in her permanent loss of her voice. She will recover but will never be able to speak." Seeing Ash's group's looks, she added, "The only way for her to get her voice back would be the Ditto-cell transplant surgery that can only be done in the Saffron and Celadon cities, but the cost of surgery is high."
"Well, her parents will have to pay for that. Nothing can be done on our end on that part. Young girl, when do you think that your parents will come to collect you?" Flint asked Yellow.
Yellow just tightened her hold on Ash, and tears started forming in her eyes. Ash widened his eyes and asked her gently, which echoed in the silent room, "Was he the only member of your...?"
Yellow nodded while crying on being reminded of her uncle.
Flint asked the shocked Ash, "Do you know anything, my boy?"
After a few moments where he held her tighter against him, he said, "Yeah." With that, he told them everything about how he met Yellow and what followed afterwards of meeting her. He also talked about the incident at the hospital.
At the end, everyone else was silent. "Dear God." Nobody knew who said that, but it echoed.
"It wasn't enough. She has lost her voice and her family as well." Ash finished.
After some time, Flint asked, "Ash, did you say that the man and his Pokémon were behaving differently than usual?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah, they were."
Nurse Joy turned to look at Flint, "Do you know anything about it, sir?"
Flint sighed at that, "Yeah, I do. It also has to do with the reason I left my family as well for these years." Brock straightened up at that and looked at his father in shock. "All of you have to promise me that whatever we discuss here remains among us only, is that understood?"
All of them nodded. Brock needed answers. For his family. For him.
Flint drew in a breath, heavy with something more than weariness.
"First… I owe you an apology, Brock. I never meant to leave you with so much on your shoulders. I thought Lola would stay. I didn't expect her to abandon you and the others. That's on me. And I'll make it right."
Brock's fists tightened at his sides. His voice was hard. "Why, then? Why vanish for years? Why us?"
Flint's eyes dropped to the floor. "Because the League ordered it. There's a syndicate… most of Kanto doesn't even know they exist. They are called the Black Thorns. The league higher-ups gave the name."
Nurse Joy frowned. "I've never heard of them."
"You weren't meant to," Flint said grimly. "The League buries their name. They don't wear uniforms. No calling cards. They move in shadows — and anyone who sees too much doesn't live to talk about it."
Brock's brow furrowed. "What do they deal in?"
Flint's mouth thinned. "Performance enhancers for Pokémon battles. Illegal hallucinogens. Black-market medicine carved from endangered Pokémon parts. Their product's stronger, cleaner, and more addictive than anything else out there. And deadlier."
Ash spoke up, his voice tight. "You mean like… that man. His Pokémon. They were too strong. Too… wrong."
Flint nodded. "Exactly. The drugs twist both trainer and Pokémon. Aggression spikes. Sometimes type matchups mean nothing. And once a trainer's hooked… they lose themselves. Permanently."
Joy's face paled. "So, the one Ash fought—"
"—was likely under their influence," Flint finished quietly. "Or worse. Rumours say they've begun experimenting with Hypnosis. Turning people into disposable weapons. That would explain a suicide attack."
The silence in the room thickened.
Ash's hand curled protectively around Yellow's shoulder. "So… they were behind what happened at the hospital?"
Flint's gaze hardened. "I can't prove it. But the way that man and his Pokémon moved — glassy eyes, unnatural coordination — it fits. If they were willing to plant explosives in a hospital wing… then it wasn't random. Either it was a distraction… or they were after someone."
Brock leaned forward. "Then why target Yellow?"
Flint's brow furrowed. "Ash, you said she was attacked in the forest. And she flinched at Jenny. Are you sure that officer wasn't one of them?"
Yellow froze at the words, trembling harder, her fingers twisting Ash's shirt in a silent plea.
The silence hung heavy in the room. Yellow trembled faintly in Ash's arms, her hands curled tight in his shirt. Pikachu pressed close against his leg, Eevee's ears twitching as if listening for threats that weren't there.
Brock broke the quiet first. "So. The hospital wing explodes. Officer Jenny shows up immediately after, already knowing which room. That doesn't sit right with me."
Suddenly, Flint stilled and growled, which jolted the others at his behaviour.
"Dad?" Brock asked nervously.
Flint's jaw tightened. He rubbed a hand over his face, voice low. "That might be my fault."
That brought him the undivided attention of the room's occupants.
Ash blinked. "Your fault?"
Flint nodded grimly. "I've been undercover for years. To everyone in Pewter, I'm just a garbage collector. Not even the police knew who I was. The only time I ever went to the station was the day I met you two, and you said that you had been attacked in Viridian Forest. I had to report it — it was too close to Pewter, too dangerous to ignore. I never removed my disguise. And the officer taking statements that day… was Jenny."
Joy's expression darkened. "So the only person you ever told—"
"—was her," Flint finished, his voice like gravel. "It was the first time I reported to any police after going undercover. That's it. If she somehow had the room number when the hospital wing went up…" He trailed off, his shoulders stiff. "Then either she leaked it, or she was working with them from the start."
Everybody else paled at that a little, and Flint continued while shaking in frustration and self-loathing.
"Damn it… I gave her the description myself. I should have known that something was off when she asked if Yellow was able to speak while asking if she wore a specific dress that Ash just described, and she was still limping from whatever happened in the forest. Why did I not see it earlier?!"
Ash, with a pale face, asked, "Didn't you also say that you had given my description to her? And she saw me today as well. That explains why she kept going after us. She already decided we were involved. What's going to happen to us now?"
Brock scowled. "And if the others in the department believed her accident story, they would've trusted she could still handle reports. That gave her the perfect cover."
Nurse Joy's lips pressed thin. "Which means the leak wasn't the police. It was her. There might even be some members of theirs in the police as well. We do not even know how many there are."
Flint cursed under his breath, and that added to his worries.
After Flint blamed himself silently for some time, he turned to Yellow and slid her a piece of paper and a pen and spoke with a bit of desperation, "I know it is hard for you to remember again, but can you write down everything about what happened at the forest? We might be able to use it for something. Anything."
Yellow took them and froze. She weakly put down the paper, took out the cap and put the pen on the paper, not writing anything. She stayed like for several seconds while everyone was watching her expectedly. The rest looked at each other in worry, thinking that something was wrong as she was breathing a bit heavily now.
"Yellow?"
Hearing Ash call her name, Yellow flinched a bit and looked at him, scared as if waiting for something that would come.
Nurse Joy frowned a bit before taking a book from the desk and giving it to Yellow. "Can you read the letters of the title?"
Yellow was looking at the book while holding it with shaking hands, and that confirmed something that she had begun suspecting.
Ash asked with a hint of concern, "Can you not..."
At this, Yellow just started shaking again.
Nurse Joy spoke solemnly, "It is as I just feared, it seems."
The men in the room turned toward Nurse Joy, waiting. Yellow had shrunk against Ash's side, curling in on herself, her trembling more visible now.
Joy's gaze softened as she crouched slightly, lowering herself to Yellow's level before speaking. "Ash, you said you found her leaning against a tree, yes?"
Ash nodded, confused.
"Normally, no attacker would leave a child like that. It suggests she wasn't placed there gently, but thrown… or struck hard enough to land there. If she hit her head when it happened, that could explain the rest." Her voice carried the weight of experience, careful but steady. "Sometimes, head trauma does strange things. The body heals, but the mind… it forgets the simplest of skills, as though they've been erased. I've seen patients forget how to walk. Others forget how to hold a spoon. And in her case…" she glanced gently at the unused pen on the table, "…it looks like reading and writing may be what she's lost."
Ash's eyes widened, panic creeping into his tone. "Then—how does she get better? Is it permanent?"
Joy shook her head quickly, holding up a calming hand. "No, not permanent. At least, not usually. The concussion itself seems healed — your Chansey's Heal Pulse likely took care of the physical damage. But the memory of how to do those things doesn't always come back on its own. Her voice is likely gone unless a Ditto-cell transplant can be done. As for her memory loss… that's harder to predict. It may come back with time and relearning, or it may not."
She sighed, her expression tightening with quiet sorrow. "It's not easy. It takes time. And more than medicine, it takes someone willing to stay with her, to guide her through it."
Then, after a pause, she added softly, almost reluctantly, "We could send her to the orphanage… They'd have staff who could try."
At that, Yellow's head jerked up. Her eyes went wide, shimmering with fear, and she shook her head violently. Her whole body curled tighter against Ash, fingers fisting in his shirt as though the suggestion itself was unbearable.
"...Or not." Nurse Joy ended a bit softly, looking at Yellow. Sighing, she continued, "It would seem that she does not want to be sent to the orphanage, so somebody needs to take care of her for the time being. Who will do so?"
The room remained quiet for some time with no one volunteering for it.
-----------------------------------------------------------
(Inside Ash's Mindscape)
'Did Nurse Joy say true, Roshi?'
'Yes, she did.'
'I want to help her.'
'You do know that it will be hard to help her, and it will be nearly impossible to get the money for the surgery?'
'I-I-I know that.'
'No. No, you don't. You should just forget about your fantasies. They never happen.' Roshi rebuked.
Ash quietened down and looked at Yellow through his eyes, who was looking at everybody else now, with her face losing hope every moment as the silence stretched. He decided something then and there.
'I am not going to leave her at all. I promised to protect her as best as I could for her dead uncle, and I do not want her to feel grief again.'
'You do know that it will be very hard and difficult to do so? You will have to teach her everything, to read, write, and other such things that will take time. Are you prepared to devote the time to it, knowing that it will take time from your training?'
'Yeah. And I will not spend all the time training; they need rest, too. During that time, I would help to teach her again. I left her before alone; I will not do that again.'
'Look who has matured.'
'T-thanks, but I need your help with it as well. I think that I might mess up somewhere.'
'Nah. That you are fussing over it shows that you want to do it properly. Well, there is also an issue of communication with her and helping her to find a way to command her Pokémon to fight. That can be possibly done with...'
(Back in the real world)
----------------------------------------------------------
Yellow was feeling the walls close in on her as the silence stretched on in the room.
"Well, it seems..." Nurse Joy started.
Yellow felt a hand on her head.
"I will do it."
Turning her head to look at the person whose familiar voice helped her so many times in the stunned silence, she saw Ash placing a hand on her head.
"Ash, this isn't a promise you can make lightly. You'll be taking responsibility for her education, care, and safety. Do you understand that?"
"I know. And I'll still do it. I left her alone before, and I had regretted it. I do not want to have any regrets about it, and I will not leave her alone ever again."
"Are you sure about it?"
Looking at Yellow's eyes, he said with finality, "Yeah."
"Well, it seems that was taken care of. Now what do we do about the fact that they might be targeted next?"
"Tell the truth."
Flint's words had startled everyone in the room.
"What?!" Brock held his dad by the shirt.
"I mean what I said, tell the truth."
"Why would we do that knowing their life will be in danger?" Nurse Joy asked with some heat.
Flint snorted, "You are not thinking about it properly at all."
"Explain," Brock said coldly.
"You are going to report to the police about what happened, which would definitely be read by Officer Jenny. If we are properly suspecting it, there would be a high chance that she will contact the members to tell them about it. I can then track them and possibly deal with them. I am far more dangerous than what I show; the failing trainer is just a ruse after all. Even if I am unable to find the method of contact, they would still find that both of them know nothing about it. Yellow cannot talk or write about what happened in the Viridian Forest. She never told the boy about it, as she was unconscious for days after she was rescued and was barely able to talk. As long as we say and maintain that Ash had come across them by accident and that we believe that they were attacked by Team Rocket in the hospital as a form of retaliation of sorts. Now we just need a believable reason for the Rockets to attack Ash."
"I think I can help with that."
With everyone turning to him, Nurse Joy said, "Ash, do you remember the reason you got the room free?"
Flint, Brock, and Yellow looked at Ash, and both Brock and Flint asked, "You got this free?! How?!"
Sighing tiredly, he and Pikachu looked at Nurse Joy, "Really? Did you have to mention it now? It is supposed to be a secret after all."
Nurse Joy countered, "Not the attack by the Team Rocket."
Ash and Pikachu blinked, and Ash said, "True."
Flint asked him, "There was another attack on you?"
Nodding, Ash replied, "Yeah. Team Rocket had attacked the Viridian Pokémon Centre, and I had driven them off after defeating them. The same ones attacked me in the Viridian Forest as well. How will this help us in this situation?"
"It will help a lot!" Flint exclaimed.
Brock continued from his father in a calm tone, "It would be possible now to accurately pin the blame on Team Rocket without having you involved with that organisation. As the Gym Leader, my words will be more believable, and that you were actually attacked by them before will mean that the police will be on the lookout more, and the people will also scrutinise you, with some keeping a tab on you. Even if members of that were present in either group, they would be unable to act. The Pokémon Centre is now being guarded by policemen and trainers here as well. That is taking into account that they still try to attack you when all of us believe that you were attacked by Team Rocket. To maintain that, I have to send some of the trainers in the Viridian Forest to keep up pretences."
"Really? You will do that?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. It is the Gym Leader's duty to protect the life of the citizens of his city, and you two fall under it as you are staying in the city, even if temporarily and have not caused intentional harm."
"Well, now that we know what we need to do, we should get going without making it more suspicious for anybody. We keep this quiet. The public thinks it was Rocket. Let them keep thinking that. If the Black Thorns realise we know who's pulling strings, they'll come after us. And they won't stop."
Everyone in the room agreed.
Brock looked at everyone. "Good. We should now go back to our duties before we raise suspicions. Ash, I am afraid that we have to postpone the Gym battle for some time to deal with this mess."
"It's alright. This is far more important than that, after all."
Flint looked at them both and made a decision. "About the gym battle of yours, I have a few suggestions. Why don't you both..."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Brock and Ash had agreed to the changed terms of the Gym battle after Ash checked with Yellow if it would be okay for her to see it. Yellow immediately agreed. Ash felt really bad that she had to go through so much and promised himself to look after her.
He had taken the page and pen that Flint had passed to Yellow and wrote something on it. Handing it to Nurse Joy, he asked, "Can you get them for us afterwards?"
Taking the page, she looked at the contents with a raised brow. She then gained a look of understanding and promised to get them afterwards, and they should rest. She put the folded note in her pocket, where she felt something. Taking it out, she saw it was a Poké Ball. Trying to remember what it was for, she widened her eyes before giving it to Ash.
"What is that Poké Ball for, Nurse Joy?"
Nurse Joy sheepishly said, "Remember the injured Doduo you gave me? This is his Poké Ball. I had taken it yesterday to give it to you, but after you sneaked off, I completely forgot about it. Now that reminds me, you forgot to give me your Pokémon for treatment after that battle in the hospital. I need to treat them, especially Spearow."
Scrambling to get their Poké Balls, he handed them to Nurse Joy while receiving the Poké Ball for Doduo. Nurse Joy promised to return them after they had healed.
"You two should get a good sleep, as growing children. Come to me for the food; she needs specialised food for her not to irritate her wounds further."
With that, they closed the door.
Nurse Joy met up with Brock and Flint, who had reapplied his hat and fake beard, in the hall. They started walking back to the main lobby.
"Nurse Joy."
"Hmm?"
"How long do you think it will take her to regain her ability to...?"
Sigh. "I don't know. It will take time for it to happen if she hit her head at all."
"You think that she..."
A nod. "Might be, both of us know how the system is nowadays."
A forlorn sigh.
"True..."
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(AN: Sorry for the late chapter. If there are any errors, do point them out. Will highly appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do comment your thoughts on this and tell me if there was a place I could have improved.)