"So that's how it is—an unexpected incident before the Gym battle," Ethan Carter thought, the corners of his mouth twitching.
It felt like one of those RPG game tropes: If you want to challenge the Gym, you must first help the Gym Leader solve this special event.
"Then can you tell me where Leader Brock is?" he asked politely. "If it's something that threatens the city, I'd like to do my part."
The boy standing at the Pewter Gym's entrance—Brock's younger brother—shook his head firmly."I appreciate it, but please don't get involved. Team Rocket is dangerous. Leave it to my brother and the League."
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Ethan watched his back, touching the bridge of his nose. "Charmeleon, I think we've just been underestimated."
"Rua~!" Charmeleon gave an indignant cry—In the Gym battle, I'll show him the strength of a true genius.
Ethan chuckled and shrugged. "Forget it. If they don't need our help, let's head to the Pokémon Center and take care of Grandpa Fuji's errand."
Karen was still busy at the Pewter Science Museum, so Ethan made the trip alone—Charmeleon and Munchlax in tow.
The automatic doors of the Pokémon Center slid open. Nurse Joy greeted him with her usual bright smile. "You must be the volunteer from the Pokémon House. Please, come with me—the three Pokémon are in the backyard."
In the shade of the backyard garden, Ethan finally saw them:
Oddish — Intimacy: -6
Sandshrew — Intimacy: -5
Mankey — Intimacy: -18
The reasons for their abandonment were scrawled plainly in the files:
Oddish and Sandshrew had been deemed too weak, losing battle after battle and learning new moves at a painfully slow pace.
Mankey, on the other hand, had potential rivaling top-tier Pokémon—but a hair-trigger temper. One night, it woke up angry for no reason, burst out of its Poké Ball, and pummeled its trainer in their sleep.
Now, the Grass-type and Ground-type huddled together in a corner, shivering like frightened children, while Mankey rattled the bars of its cage, roaring loud enough to startle the Pidgey roosting nearby.
"That one's been locked up since it arrived," Nurse Joy said, catching Ethan's gaze. "He's attacked every Pokémon here. We have no choice."
Ethan nodded. "I understand." Mankey's fury was no mystery to him—Primeape, its evolved form, was infamous for fighting itself into exhaustion. This one had the makings of a future powerhouse, but without proper outlet, that anger was poison.
"Still," Ethan added, "we can't keep it caged forever."
Nurse Joy blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Do you have any clothes that can take a serious beating?"
"…Are you planning to wear them and let it hit you?" She looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. When he asked for a doll instead, Joy nodded slowly. "We do have a Chansey doll—a gift from a trainer once."
"Perfect. Throw it in."
Ethan caught the sharp glare from the real Chansey, who looked personally offended.
He raised his hands defensively.
"Hey—this is for therapy. If I had armor, I'd go in myself."
With visible reluctance, Chansey handed him the doll. Ethan opened the cage just enough to toss it inside, then stepped back.
The destruction was instant.
In under ten seconds, the doll was in five pieces, cotton fluff swirling like snow. Chansey's glare could have melted steel.
Ethan half-expected the egg-shaped nurse to shove him into the cage next.
Five minutes later, Mankey's breathing slowed. The rage had burned itself out—for now.
Ethan stepped up and unlatched the cage. This time, the Fighting-type only stared at him, too drained to attack. In the corner of his vision, the system pinged:
[Mankey's intimacy: -18 → -17]
"Impressive," Nurse Joy said, genuinely surprised. "It's calm."
"Anger is an emotion that needs release," Ethan explained. "For a species like Mankey, keeping it bottled up only makes the explosion worse. Give it something to vent on, and you can channel the energy instead of letting it cause chaos."
Chansey huffed and turned away, though Ethan caught the tiny twitch at the edge of its mouth.
With Mankey settled, Ethan turned to Oddish and Sandshrew. He didn't crowd them—just knelt and offered food, speaking softly.
These two weren't aggressive—they were empty. Defeat had stripped them of confidence, and now they avoided battles entirely. They would need steady encouragement, the same way he'd coaxed Charmander back from the brink.
A voice called from the front. "Leader Brock's here!"
Ethan straightened, giving each Pokémon a final pat before following Joy inside.
At the entrance stood a tan-skinned young man kneeling dramatically before Nurse Joy, voice dripping with theatrical affection: "Ah, beautiful Nurse Joy! A day without you feels like three years. It's only been since this morning, and I nearly perished from longing."
Ethan's lips twitched. Yup. That's Brock.
Behind him stood Officer Jenny from Saffron City, a bag of Poké Balls in hand.
"We engaged Team Rocket at the base of Mt. Moon," Jenny explained, handing Joy the bag. "Many of our officers' Pokémon were injured and need treatment."
"Do you know why they were here?" Joy asked.
Jenny's answer made Ethan's eyes narrow. "A treasure map—one said to lead to a Legendary Pokémon."
Ethan took an unconscious step forward, straining to catch every word.
Behind him, little Munchlax sniffed the air and spotted a truck stacked with ripe fruit crates. He glanced at Ethan, then back at the truck. The distance was growing. His eyes darted.
"Ka~…" He made his decision. And trotted off in pursuit.