Chapter 125: Sprigatito Gets Sick
"This is bad! Run!"
"Pinsir, return!"
The two men in black uniforms clearly heard the approaching footsteps. They immediately recalled their Pinsir into their Poké Balls, grabbed their black sacks, and tried to flee.
But there was no way Will was just going to let them escape. With their Pinsir out, they might have stood a chance. With them recalled, they had no hope of getting away. Will didn't bother showing these crooks any mercy and slammed into them with Quick Attack.
"Aargh!"
One of the men was sent flying, landing face-first in the dirt. Before he could even get up, Will had a foot planted firmly on his back, pinning him.
The other one fared even worse. Will flung a [Razor Leaf] from his arm, slicing the man's ankle. The man cried out and collapsed to one knee.
"What's going on?"
"Hey, what happened to these two guys?"
"Isn't that the Pokémon that Myra brought home?"
"Nobody move!"
The last voice belonged to Azalea Town's Officer Jenny. The police force here obviously couldn't compare to Ever Grande City's; the entire town's security probably consisted of one Officer Jenny and two or three assistants.
As her voice rang out, a plump Growlithe rushed over and stood guard over the kneeling man, while Officer Jenny walked toward Will. Will lifted his foot off the man, waiting for her to assess the situation.
"Look at the Slowpoke!" a young man suddenly shouted, holding up a Slowpoke whose tail had been cut off.
"It must be these two bastards, stealing Slowpoke tails!"
"My poor Slowpoke!"
"The dumb thing didn't even know to run."
"It must have been our Lizard who protected the Slowpoke!" Myra's voice came from the crowd. She immediately rushed out and hugged Will's arm, looking proudly at everyone. She had arrived a few steps late, but she believed Will was a good boy. She had seen how he treated her Eevee and Sprigatito; he would never do anything to harm a Slowpoke.
"It's just as Auntie Myra said."
By now, Officer Jenny had picked up the black sacks from the ground. She opened one, revealing several pink, severed Slowpoke tails inside.
The scene instantly went quiet. Will glanced around. The atmosphere had become terrifying. Nearly a hundred residents of Azalea Town had gathered, all silently staring at the two men on the ground. The two grunts, still groaning in pain, had failed to notice the danger they were in.
"Women, take the children home," Gunther said, walking slowly over. He took one look, understood what had happened, and waved his hand for the crowd to act.
It was clear that Gunther held a lot of authority in the town. As soon as he spoke, the townspeople moved. The women led the young children back to their homes, covering their ears. Even Officer Jenny just shook her head and turned a blind eye, walking away as the adult men grabbed nearby clubs and rakes.
A few moments later, the two grunts, their arms and legs broken, were dragged off to the town's jail.
The Johto League had been established for eighty years, but just a few decades ago, the region was still plagued with unrest. Bandits, robbers, and human traffickers were numerous. The League had spent a great deal of time and effort to quell these disturbances.
Many of the middle-aged and older residents of Azalea Town had lived through that chaotic era. Back then, it wasn't a rare thing for people to kill. If you didn't kill the bad guys, you and your family might be the ones killed. So, when it came to dealing with criminals like these, even the common folk knew when to show mercy, and when not to.
"Let's go."
Gunther washed his hands at the well. He then picked up his Slow-pig and motioned for Will to head back.
"The Slowpoke have a special meaning in Azalea Town. Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors said that a Slowpoke's yawn brings the rain. Because of that, the people of this town have always revered them. Harming a Slowpoke here... is no different from being a child-snatcher," Gunther explained, likely to keep Will from being frightened.
But his words were unnecessary. As someone who had survived the Era of Primal Beasts, Will was long accustomed to the sight of death. Although he avoided killing whenever possible, there were times when one had to be ruthless. The number of lives that had died directly at his hands was certainly over one hundred, let alone those who had died indirectly.
As they reached the door of his workshop, Gunther turned. "It's not early. The Slowpoke seems a little shaken up. You should probably head home for tonight. Come back tomorrow after lunch."
Will nodded and turned back to Myra's house. As he left, he looked back. He couldn't detect any sign of the Slow-pig being "shaken up." It had, in fact, already started to doze off.
Looks like the Trainer of a Slowpoke is no ordinary Trainer, either, Will mused. Someone who could connect with a Slowpoke was truly a unique person.
...
"Meow!"
The moment he opened the door, Sprigatito shot out. She saw Will and, without stopping, ran straight into his leg. She immediately bounced off, her head spinning, and fell on her rear end.
"Meow~" Sprigatito looked up, tears brimming in her eyes as she glared at Will, demanding to know why he had abandoned her.
"When did I abandon you? I was only gone for two hours. Weren't you having fun playing ball with Eevee?" Will asked, picking up the kitten. He looked down and saw her nose was running again.
"Snot-nose. Jealousy-jar. Crybaby."
Will carried her to the table and grabbed a tissue to wipe her nose.
"Meow-meow!!"
Hearing him call her names, Sprigatito angrily started batting at his face. But the little one was only tapping him with her paw pads; she hadn't extended her claws at all. As she batted at him, a sweet fragrance began to emanate from her body. This was her natural trait. A Sprigatito's fur gives off a sweet scent that grows stronger with sunlight or when it's agitated, which can mesmerize opponents and make them lose their will to fight.
Sniff~
Will leaned his head down, sniffed the top of her head, and then pinched his nose, pretending to be disgusted.
"~So stinky~"
"MEOW-MEOW!!" Sprigatito was furious now. This time, she used her hind legs too, frantically kicking at his chest.
"Haha, let's go. Time for a bath. Come to think of it, you haven't had a bath since you were born."
"Meow!" Sprigatito was still angry. She didn't understand what a "bath" was. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to do what he said.
"You'll be nice and fragrant after you're clean. Everyone will like you then."
"Meow?"
"Yes. I'll like you too."
Sprigatito's face showed obvious hesitation and temptation. Finally, she just pouted and said nothing, which meant she agreed. Will stopped teasing her and carried her to the washroom. Myra kept a small wooden tub for bathing Eevee. Because her Eevee was so fat, the tub wasn't small, and it was the perfect size for Sprigatito.
Will had heard that many kittens are afraid of baths. He went and drew a bucket of well water, then heated it over the fire before pouring it into the tub.
"Let's try."
Will slowly lowered Sprigatito into the tub of water, tail-first. The kitten shivered but didn't seem to protest too much. Relieved, Will put her all the way in and began to lather her up with the Eevee's shampoo.
"Meow-meow~"
A Sprigatito's temperament is naturally fickle, especially a baby's. Less than two minutes into the bath, she had forgotten all about her earlier anger and began to hum the sea shanty she had learned from Corphish.
About five minutes later.
"Alright, all clean. So fragrant. Come on out," Will said, lifting her out and draining the water.
"Eevee!"
"Meow~"
The moment Will put her down, she heard the Eevee's cry and shot out after it without a second thought.
"Hey! You're not even dry! You'll catch a cold!"
Will, watching her run off, grabbed a towel and chased after her. He caught the kitten and gave her a good rub-down.
"Meow!"
Every time he got her half-dry, she would struggle free and run off to chase Eevee. This went on for ten minutes before she was finally dry.
"We'll see if you get sick tomorrow!" Will yelled angrily as he folded the towel.
"Meow!" Sprigatito replied, tossing her head nonchalantly as she went back to playing.
Will ignored her and went to take his own bath. A little while later.
"Time for bed," Myra's voice called out.
Will immediately scooped up Sprigatito and headed towards the room she had prepared for them. It used to be her son's room, but he had moved to the big city to work and only came back for holidays.
"Go to sleep."
Will held the fluffy, fragrant little furball in his arms and patted her head.
"Meow!"
Sprigatito, however, was still bouncing off the walls, her little legs kicking wildly. It was a long time before she finally tired herself out and fell asleep.
The next morning.
Achoo!
A tiny sneeze woke Will up. He opened his eyes and saw Sprigatito staring at him blankly, a long trail of clear snot hanging from her nose.
"I told you you'd get sick," Will sighed. He quickly picked up Sprigatito and headed for the town's Pokémon Center.
On the way, the residents of Azalea Town all greeted him warmly, some even offering him food. Clearly, his actions yesterday had earned him their goodwill.
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