Pokémon orphanage

Just as Taylor was busy applying medicine to Bonk, the door opened.

Taylor turned his head instinctively and saw a strange object slowly floating in. If it had been accompanied by eerie, ominous background music, it could have been a scene from a horror movie.

But Taylor wasn't afraid, as he recognized the psychic glow enveloping the object. It was Casey's doing.

The object drifted over and landed gently beside Bonk.

"Boxing gloves?" Taylor examined the odd item and identified it.

Boxing gloves.

The gloves, used in boxing matches, were crudely made, stitched together from various scraps of fabric, and looked a bit rough.

There was something soft inside, though Taylor wasn't sure what it was.

"Casey even made a pair of boxing gloves?" Taylor was a little surprised but understood Casey's intent.

Bonk had only used Rage Fist once so far. It still needed to use Rage Fist nineteen more times to meet the evolution requirement.

If its hands got injured like this each time, it would be truly painful, so Casey had sewn a pair of boxing gloves. Though it was unclear if they could withstand Bonk's strength, it was a heartfelt gesture.

"Bonk, this is a gift from Casey to you," Taylor said with a smile, and Bonk nodded with difficulty.

"But not now. Wait until your injuries are healed before you start using Rage Fist again," Taylor said, stopping Bonk, who seemed eager to try on the gloves.

Seeing that Bonk's injuries had been treated, Taylor glanced at the Teddiursa, still sleeping in the treatment cabin.

It looked like he'd need to take a Pokémon to the Pokémon Center again.

The Pokémon Center offered free treatment for such injuries, but Taylor had treated Bonk's hand to prevent infection, as a precaution.

"There's still enough time," Taylor checked his phone. It was still over forty minutes until lunch. It would be ten o'clock when he returned, meaning Bonk had struggled for nearly an hour to successfully perform Rage Fist.

Taylor placed Bonk into its Poké Ball, then quickly rode his bicycle to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City and handed Bonk over to Miss Joy.

Miss Joy examined Bonk and took it for treatment without any comment about Taylor.

After all, they were familiar with Taylor and Bonk's situation.

"Taylor, thank you for your hard work. Would you like a glass of fruit milk?" Miss Joy adjusted her skirt, sat beside Taylor, and offered him a bottle of fruit milk.

"Thank you, Claire," Taylor accepted it with a smile, addressing Joy Claire beside him.

Though most Miss Joys shared the same face, Taylor found he could surprisingly distinguish their identities.

It was like telling apart the older and younger siblings among twins.

"Um, Mr. Taylor, are you free tomorrow?" Miss Joy, asked softly, her face slightly flushed.

Taylor paused for a moment.

He had arrived in this world with a 26-year-old body, but Taylor didn't dwell on his age.

After all, he wasn't particularly concerned about it.

But in his 26 years, he had never been asked out by a girl.

"Yes, is there something wrong?" Taylor remained calm.

It wasn't that Taylor was emotionally dense, but he knew Joy Claire's personality.

"It's like this, tomorrow afternoon, the renowned medical doctor Dr. Sophie Joy will hold a class on Pokémon Body Anatomy, Introduction to Internal Medicine Surgery!" Joy Claire's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Taylor's mouth twitched.

As expected, Joy Claire was a bookworm obsessed with medicine.

"Well, I don't know much about anatomy or surgery," Taylor smiled awkwardly.

He had attended a class with Joy Claire before, and the doctor's lecture on "Treatment of Toxins" left a lasting impression.

After watching the doctor poison herself and demonstrate detoxification on the spot, Taylor decided to stay away from such courses in the future.

Otherwise, who knew if he'd be chosen as the next test subject?

After all, the attendees were mostly Miss Joys, with occasional medical students who weren't Miss Joys, plus some medical Pokémon.

"Eh? This is a super awesome doctor who could even be the dean of a center!" Joy Claire tried to persuade Taylor, but he declined.

Taylor couldn't spare an afternoon for a class. The Teddiursa was still in the infirmary, and he needed to check on it regularly, feeding it or administering nutrient solution as needed.

After all, the medical cabin didn't have a function to feed patients.

Though Joy Claire was a bit disappointed, she understood the demands of Taylor's job.

Bonk was returned to Taylor at that moment.

"Taylor, we checked during treatment and found that Bonk's physical imbalance hasn't improved much," Miss Joy sighed, a hint of pity in her eyes.

"Yes, I know," Taylor nodded.

Bonk's meningitis was nearly untreatable, at least with the Pokémon Center's current technology. If the meningitis hadn't been delayed so long, the aftereffects wouldn't be so severe.

The brain, even in the Pokémon world, remained a delicate area where it was treated cautiously.

After leaving the Pokémon Center with Bonk, Taylor rode his bicycle back to the welfare home.

He also needed to prepare lunch.

"For lunch today, Bonk, how about I make you a fruit salad?" Taylor asked with a smile.

Bonk preferred fruits, so Taylor prepared its meals mainly with fruits, supplemented with Pokémon food for nutritional balance.

The Poké Ball at his waist shook.

Taylor knew Bonk agreed with the idea.

While waiting at a red light, a young man, also on a bicycle and holding a bug net, stopped beside Taylor, eyeing the Poké Ball at Taylor's waist with excitement.

"The trainers' eyes meet! That's the signal for a battle! Let's fight!" Young man said eagerly, reaching for a Poké Ball at his waist.

"According to Article 12 of the Area Public Security Management Regulations, Pokémon battles are prohibited in urban areas. Violators will be fined 100 Alliance Coins and sentenced to six hours of community labor," A cold voice came from Officer Jenny, who stood ahead with an expressionless face.

He embarrassedly put away his Poké Ball.