Hayashi, Erina, Hisako, and Sabrina gathered around the table, their eyes filled with concern as they looked at the Fletchinder resting on the soft cushion.
"Fletchinder is a Pokémon native to the Kalos region, the evolved form of Fletchling—" Hisako flipped through her Pokédex, her expression puzzled. "But according to the data here, Fletchinder should be around 70cm in size. This one, though..."
At most, it was only 20-30cm, less than half the normal size.
"The Pokédex data refers to average, standard measurements—" Sabrina explained. "But individual differences exist! Well-raised ones grow larger, while poorly raised ones stay smaller."
In other words, it's like average height data—some people are only 150cm tall, while others reach 190cm. That's just how individual variation works.
Erina looked at the unconscious Fletchinder with pity. "This Fletchinder, less than half the average size..."
Must be a pitiful little thing suffering from severe malnutrition.
"But why would it travel all the way from Kalos to Johto?" Hayashi asked, puzzled, as he stared at the Fletchinder on the cushion. "Especially in such a weak state."
To put it bluntly, given this Fletchinder's condition, survival alone would have been a struggle—let alone crossing such a vast distance from Kalos to Johto.
"Perhaps... it wasn't for a happy reason." Sabrina's expression darkened slightly. "Not everything in this world is beautiful. Beneath the light, shadows always lurk."
Hayashi froze for a moment, then quickly thought of the "dark side" within the fairy-tale world of Pokémon—that is...
"Pokémon poachers?"
Sabrina nodded with a grave expression and said, "Fletchinder might be very common in the Kalos region, but it's become extremely rare in the Johto region. So it's possible it was captured by poachers and then sold here—"
Upon hearing Sabrina's words, Erina and Hisako immediately imagined the poor Pokémon suffering abuse at the hands of villains, starving and neglected, given its frail physique.
Hisako murmured, "That's so pitiful... It's just such a tiny little thing..."
"Then we'll treat it extra well!" Erina pressed her lips together and said to Hisako, "Hisako, it's time to show your skills!"
'Ah, right—Hisako is skilled in medicinal cuisine,' Hayashi blinked and looked at Hisako. "That's right! Hisako, you could prepare some nourishing medicinal dishes to help Fletchinder recover."
Hisako nodded vigorously, rolling up her sleeves and flexing her arms. "Leave it to me, Miss Erina, Young Master Hayashi!"
...
...
About ten minutes later.
"Chirp—"
With a weak sound, Fletchinder slowly opened its eyes and looked around in slight confusion, only to see several large faces hovering right in front of it.
"Woof—"
Klahh quickly lifted her head and called out to Hayashi and the others behind her: "She's awake, she's awake!"
"Arf—"
Growlithe followed up with a bark: Come quick!
Upon realizing it was "surrounded," Fletchinder didn't panic. Instead, it calmly scanned the Pokémon around it, as if assessing whether they meant any harm.
"You're awake?"
By then, Erina had already walked over, holding Pikachu. She glanced at Fletchinder, who had gotten up from the soft cushion and was now standing on the table, and asked, "Feeling better? Are you hurt?"
"Chirp—"
Fletchinder shook its head and flapped its wings a few times, as if to show it wasn't injured.
"That's good." Erina visibly relaxed and said softly, "Hisako is preparing food for you. Just wait a little longer—"
Fletchinder had fainted because of Klahh—even if it was just an accident. But considering Fletchinder's frail body and (possible) tragic past, both Erina and Hisako felt guilty.
"Chirp—"
Fletchinder nodded gently and hopped back onto the soft cushion, settling down.
"Quite elegant movements—" Hayashi teased from the side. "Erina, doesn't this Fletchinder move like a proper young lady?"
Erina thought back to Fletchinder's graceful motions and couldn't help but make a slightly amused expression—now that he mentioned it, Fletchinder really did carry itself with a refined, unhurried elegance.
Sabrina speculated from the side, "This Fletchinder must be a Pokémon with a very weak constitution, so it can only move slowly like this."
Just like when Grandpa Kirito woke up after clearing SAO and had difficulty moving due to muscle atrophy from being bedridden for over two years—you can't expect someone who just woke up to put on a skirt, wear stockings, and dance to "Gokuraku Jodo," right?
"Poor little thing," Hayashi sighed, reaching out to poke the Fletchinder on the cushion, only to be met with a look of utter disdain from the bird, as if it were staring at a complete idiot.
"?"
Hayashi blinked, then said with a complicated expression, "I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like I just got judged by a bird."
Sabrina was already doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach—the sheer perfection of Fletchinder's contemptuous expression had instantly shattered her weak resistance to humor.
Erina, too, turned her face away, covering her mouth to suppress her laughter—no matter how you looked at it, getting mocked by the very bird you were trying to tease was just too perfect.
"Tch, this bird's got no charm," Hayashi clicked his tongue, muttering under his breath.
"Chirp—"
Fletchinder side-eyed Hayashi, grumbling internally about how this human seemed a bit dim.
"?"
A giant question mark popped up over Hayashi's head as he pointed at Fletchinder, his voice rising in disbelief. "It's judging me?! Did you all see that?! It's totally judging me!!"
The atmosphere was downright jovial, and Sabrina had already collapsed into a giggling mess—honestly, Hayashi was a little worried about her. Her sense of humor was just too fragile!!
What if, in the future, some villain defeated her by bombarding her with bad jokes until she was too exhausted to fight back, then did all sorts of terrible things to her?
Like eating KFC in front of her on Crazy Thursday, or drawing turtles on her face, or—even worse—using the gems she'd painstakingly saved for the rate-up banner to pull on the standard banner instead…
Outrageous. Absolutely outrageous!
...
...
"The chicken soup is here—!" Hisako announced cheerfully, carrying a large bowl. "I made this special jelly for Fletchinder!"
"Ooh, that looks delicious!" Hayashi eyed the crystal-clear chicken soup jelly and couldn't help but ask, "How'd you make it so fast?"
"Thanks to Kurage—" Hisako patted the little Vulpix beside her, then set the bowl on the table, turning to Fletchinder. "Here, try it! This is my pride and joy!"
"Chirp—"
Fletchinder let out a disinterested chirp, eyeing the bowl with an air of haughty indifference—Hayashi couldn't shake the feeling that the bird looked like a spoiled princess being served a common meal by a servant.
He raised an eyebrow and said to Fletchinder, "Don't underestimate Hisako's cooking, alright? She's been Erina's personal assistant for years! Erina wouldn't keep anyone incompetent around her!"
"Stop it—"
Erina blushed cutely, prompting Hayashi to wrap an arm around her waist, pull her close, and plant a loud kiss on her cheek.
"Wah—!"
Hisako immediately covered her face with her hand, then looked toward Hayashi and Erina with wide eyes—More, please! I love watching this!
"..."
Fletchinder was speechless. She was a bird, not a dog. Why was she being fed dog food? Was this appropriate? No, it wasn't.
But... could she even eat this?
Fletchinder gave the bowl of chicken soup jelly a disgusted glance—it looked all soft and squishy, with weird little bits floating inside. It seemed downright suspicious! Was it spoiled?
"This is really tasty, give it a try—" Hisako scooped up a small spoonful of the jelly and said, "There are bits of chicken in it too. Here, try it—"
"Chirp—"
No, I don't want to eat it! I don't want to eat something this weird, take it away, take it away now!
"Chirp chirp—"
"I'd rather die, starve to death out there, drop dead from exhaustion than eat such weird stuff!"
The Fletchinder screamed defiantly, but during its struggle, its beak accidentally brushed against a small piece of chicken aspic. The burst of flavor flooding its mouth left the little bird frozen in place.
"Peep?"
W-wait, this is... delicious?
The Fletchinder stopped resisting. It opened its beak, allowing Hisako to feed it the spoonful of chicken aspic. After savoring it for a couple of seconds, it transformed into a feathered arrow, diving headfirst into the bowl and devouring the entire serving like a whirlwind. Then, it sprawled lazily in the empty bowl, letting out a satisfied burp.
"Peeeep—"
Hic... So good!
Hayashi stood by the table, looking down at the Fletchinder with its swollen belly, and couldn't help but sneer. "Oh, the mighty, unyielding Fletchinder—brought to its knees by a bowl of chicken aspic?"
"Peep!"
The Fletchinder's face flushed red (if birds could blush). It protested—it wasn't gluttony! It just... hic... didn't want to disrespect Hisako's kindness! That's why it reluctantly... hic... finished the whole bowl!
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