Chapter Eighty-Seven: Pokémon Medical Care

In the world of Pokémon, there are, of course, not only medical professionals who care for Pokémon, but also those who treat ordinary people. However, Dawn was rather unique—she aspired to become a nurse at a Pokémon Center, which was an exceptionally difficult path to take.

After all, the Joie family had essentially monopolized the healing work at Pokémon Centers. In every region and league, the Joie and Officer Jenny families had firmly established themselves. For someone outside the Joie lineage to join a Pokémon Center was a daunting challenge.

The Joie family held themselves to strict standards, but their requirements for outsiders wishing to become Pokémon nurses were nearly impossible to meet. People often joked that if medical students lived every day in the hell of college entrance exams, then Pokémon medical students already resided in hell itself.

Hence, there was a saying in the Pokémon world: “Persuade someone to study medicine, and you’ll be struck by lightning; persuade them to become a Pokémon nurse, and you’ll be cut by a thousand blades.” It was clear just how hard it was for anyone outside the Joie family to join their ranks.

Heath remembered that the Dawn before him was already in her fifth year of study, yet she still hadn’t managed to join the Pokémon Center and don the uniform she dreamed of.

“This… is something I came up with myself, but there’s no harm in having some tea, is there?” Heath scratched his head. Trying to popularize traditional medicine in the Pokémon world was an incredibly difficult task. Moreover, the familiar medicinal herbs from his previous world didn’t even exist here.

Otherwise, Heath thought he might have become a herbalist or teamed up with the Joie family to develop new treatments—if they succeeded, wouldn’t he achieve financial freedom and leave his name in history?

But that was just idle fancy. He hadn’t even read basic foundational books on traditional medicine, and the only reason he remembered that barley tea could dispel dampness was that he’d had it before.

“Well… that actually makes sense. I’ll have a cup of barley tea and a pancake roll, but no egg—please add sausage instead,” Dawn said, suddenly enlightened, making Heath want to laugh.

“Dawn, by the way, how many years have you been taking the Pokémon nursing qualification exam?” Heath asked as he prepared the pancake roll.

“This is my sixth year. The examiners all know me by now—my life is just too hard.” Dawn hugged her books with a look of misery and sighed.

“You didn’t pass last year? Was there a particular question that tripped you up?” Heath chopped the sausage into small pieces and added them to the pancake, drizzling ketchup on top—Dawn loved ketchup.

Dawn reached for her backpack, hesitated, and then left it alone. “I was going to show you my notes, but with all this damp weather, it’s better not to. Anyway, it was a short-answer question: A Snorlax was lying on the beach and got bitten by an Arbok, then by a Golbat, then dusted with poison powder by a Venusaur, and stung several times by a Beedrill. To top it off, it was sitting on both a Nidoqueen and a Nidoking…”

Listening to Dawn’s endless list, Heath felt his scalp tingle.

What did that Snorlax do to deserve such a comprehensive ordeal? Why didn’t the question writer just say every poisonous Pokémon in the region took a shot at it?

And when the final question was how to treat such a mix of toxins, Heath was sure the exam writer was a bit unhinged. Never mind how a Snorlax could survive that many attacks—just gathering that many poison-type Pokémon on a single beach would be a feat in itself.

Heath packed the finished pancake and handed it and a cup of barley tea to Dawn.

“...Good luck!” Heath looked at the beleaguered Dawn—there were so many things he wanted to say, but in the end, all he could offer was these simple words. Being a Pokémon nurse truly wasn’t for everyone. Thinking of it that way, Miss Joy was remarkable in her own right.

The Joie family’s internal examinations were notoriously strict. Every Miss Joy who passed and emerged from them was worthy of trust. No wonder the league had no complaints about the Joies controlling medical resources.

The Joies and Jennys were the constants; the leagues changed like flowing water. That was the reality in every region: no matter where the league was, the Joie and Jenny families were always its foundation.

[You have served Dawn. You have obtained “Pokémon Basic Pharmacology.”]

Heath glanced at the massive tome in his cupboard, which looked heavy enough to kill someone. With a heavy heart, he closed the cupboard door, convinced he would never attempt to open it, much less torture himself by reading it.

“…Why am I so foolish, trying to read this sort of book?” Staring at the dauntingly thick “Pokémon Basic Pharmacology” in his hands, Heath regretted it deeply.

The persistent dampness, combined with the lingering mist, meant business was terrible today, and in his boredom, Heath couldn’t resist reaching for the book from the cupboard.

But after a little while, he regretted it. The book was filled with endless medical jargon and unfamiliar terms. He recognized every character, but put together, they made no sense to him.

Heath decisively locked the book back in the cupboard. He swore he’d rather teach his Farfetch’d a few more recipes than ever attempt to read it again—it was a book fit only for Pokémon nurses.

[You have triggered a special quest: Give away thirty cups of barley tea to those in need for free and receive a random puzzle piece as a reward.]

Heath was momentarily stunned. Sitting here in his cart, a quest had fallen into his lap—how could he trigger a mission without even moving?

Although giving away tea for free made him a bit reluctant, the promised reward convinced him to go for it. Sometimes the rewards from his “golden finger” were odd, but most of the time, they were worth it.

Thirty cups of barley tea—this was not too difficult, especially since it was free. Heath flagged down Officer Jenny as she patrolled the street on her motorcycle and managed to give away all thirty cups.

[You have received a random puzzle piece.]

A puzzle piece appeared in Heath’s pocket. He took it out and saw that it was entirely white—nothing else.

“This quest was pretty simple, but what is this reward even for?” Heath stared in confusion at the blank puzzle piece. Was he supposed to piece together a picture of Gardevoir in a wedding dress?

Baffled, Heath could only put it away for now. Perhaps when he collected more pieces, it would prove useful.