Chapter 125: Sprigatito Gets Sick
"Bad guys! Run!"
The two men in black heard the approaching footsteps, recalled their Pinsir, and tried to flee with their bags of tails. But Ryu was too fast. He sent one man flying with a Quick Attack and severed the other's Achilles tendon with a Razor Leaf.
"What's going on?"
"Nobody move!" Officer Jenny's voice rang out as she and her plump Growlithe arrived.
"Look at these Slowpoke!" a young man shouted, holding up one with a broken tail. "These scumbags were stealing their tails!"
"It was our family's lizard that protected the Slowpoke!" Mabel's voice rang out from the crowd as she proudly hugged Ryu's arm.
Jenny picked up one of the black bags, revealing the severed pink tails inside. The scene suddenly became quiet and horrifying. The residents all silently stared at the two men on the ground.
"Women, take the children back," Kurt said, walking over. As soon as he spoke, the women led the children away, while the adult men picked up sticks and rakes. Before long, the thieves' hands and feet were broken, and they were sent to the police station.
"Slowpoke have a special significance here," Kurt explained to Ryu. "An old saying goes that when Slowpoke yawn, it will rain. Harming them in Azalea Town is no different from being a human trafficker."
Back at Mabel's house, the moment the door opened, Sprigatito rushed over and crashed headfirst into Ryu's leg, knocking herself dizzy.
"Meow~" she cried, looking up at him as if to ask why he had abandoned her.
"Where did I abandon you? Weren't you having fun with Eevee?" he said, picking her up and wiping the snot from her nose. "Snot-nosed worm, jealous pot, crybaby."
"Meow Meow!!" she patted his face with her paws, her claws retracted. As she did, a sweet, aromatic scent spread from her body.
"Smelly," he teased, pinching his nose.
"Haha, let's go. I'll take you for a bath. You haven't had one since you were born."
He heated some water and gently placed her in a small wooden basin. After a moment of hesitation, she began to enjoy it, humming the sea shanty she'd learned from Corphish. Five minutes later, she was clean.
"Hey! Your fur isn't dry yet! You'll catch a cold!" Ryu shouted as she immediately ran out to play with Eevee. It took ten minutes of chasing her with a towel to finally get her dry.
"See if you don't get sick tomorrow!" he grumbled.
The next morning, a tender sneeze woke him up. He opened his eyes and saw Sprigatito looking at him blankly, a long string of clear snot hanging from her nose.
"I told you you'd get sick," he sighed, quickly carrying her towards the Pokémon Center.
[Inorin Note:
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