Jubilife Breeding Center.
Early in the morning, Wayne received an unexpected visitor—Zorro, the Section Chief of the Jubilife City Police Headquarters.
Zorro wore a stylish brown bowler hat and a well-fitted brown suit that exuded elegance and professionalism.
If he were just a little shorter and somewhat plumper, he would perfectly resemble Inspector Megure from Wayne's memories of a detective anime.
Wayne had met Zorro several times before. He was Bell's husband—the same Bell who lived nearby—and was approximately forty-five years old.
"Mr. Zorro," Wayne greeted politely.
Although they had met on multiple occasions, Wayne wasn't particularly familiar with him compared to Bell, who frequently brought her Growlithe over to visit the Breeding Center.
"Wayne, I sincerely apologize for disturbing you so early in the morning," Zorro said, removing his hat respectfully as he saw Wayne.
It was indeed very early—not even seven-thirty yet.
Wayne shook his head dismissively. "It's completely fine. I was planning to get up to train with my Pokémon anyway."
Zorro got straight to the point without wasting time. "Since I have to be at work by eight-thirty, I'll be brief and direct."
Zorro was perpetually busy with police work—a true workaholic dedicated to his responsibilities.
This was precisely why Wayne rarely encountered him around the neighborhood.
"Please, go ahead," Wayne said attentively.
"I would like to ask you to help care for and raise an Arcanine," Zorro stated clearly.
As he spoke, Zorro took out a Poké Ball and carefully placed it on the table between them.
Wayne glanced at the Poké Ball resting on the table, feeling somewhat confused by the request. "Is this about teaching it a specific move?"
A hint of helplessness and sadness appeared on Zorro's normally composed face. "No, it's not about learning moves at all. This is actually a rather long and complicated story..."
"This particular Arcanine is an excellent graduate from our police academy training program. It joined one of our most elite tactical units, but please forgive me—I cannot disclose the specific name of this team for security reasons..."
Zorro paused briefly before asking, "By the way, are you familiar with Team Galactic?"
Wayne nodded slightly. "Yes, I know about them."
Team Galactic had been completely annihilated as an organization. Their leader Cyrus had mysteriously disappeared, and the three high-ranking commanders appeared to have been captured by authorities. Now only scattered grunts remained at large, correct?
Zorro immediately began explaining the situation in detail. "This Arcanine was ambushed during an intense battle operation against remaining Team Galactic members."
"In a secluded cave deep within Mount Coronet, it was hit by a flash bomb at close range, immediately followed by a coordinated group of Electrode using Self-Destruct simultaneously..."
"What?!" Leon couldn't help but exclaim in shock and horror, quickly covering his mouth with his hand afterward.
Zorro didn't mind the interruption and continued explaining the dire situation.
"Fortunately, our response team managed to rescue it in time. Nurse Joy and multiple specialized Pokémon doctors worked tirelessly to treat the Arcanine's injuries."
"Initially, we all genuinely believed it had been fully treated and recovered. However, only its physical injuries had actually healed."
Zorro's expression grew more somber. "After that incident, whenever there was anything even remotely resembling a flash bomb—bright lights, sudden flashes, loud bangs—the Arcanine would become terrified and panic, even during routine combat training exercises."
"We honestly tried many different treatment approaches. Its natural aptitude is truly exceptional, and it's still quite young with many years of service ahead, but..."
Zorro's voice filled with regret. "After multiple comprehensive evaluations and assessments, the professional conclusion was that this Arcanine is no longer capable of safely serving as a police Pokémon. It can only be medically retired from active duty."
This was an incredibly regrettable and heartbreaking story.
An Arcanine that had been an ace performer even within the police force's most elite tactical unit was being forced into early retirement during its absolute peak performance years.
Leon couldn't stop himself from asking emotionally, "Why did this terrible thing have to happen to such a brave Pokémon?"
Zorro shook his head with visible frustration. "Unfortunately, we genuinely don't know the answer either. The doctors can't explain why the psychological trauma is so severe."
Wayne frowned with concern. "Then why exactly did you come to me specifically? I honestly don't think I have the ability to help with something this serious."
Wayne could probably guess what was fundamentally wrong with this Arcanine. It was clearly suffering from a severe psychological illness—something far beyond physical injury.
PTSD—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
This was a mental illness frequently observed in soldiers returning from combat zones, and also in ordinary civilians who had directly witnessed natural disasters or personal tragedies.
Wayne had actually encountered patients suffering from PTSD before in his previous life.
They would seem completely normal during regular daily activities, but upon hearing specific trigger sounds—like a construction machine drilling into concrete—they would immediately cover their ears, hug their heads defensively, crouch down low, and tremble uncontrollably throughout their entire body.
Being able to correctly guess the Arcanine's underlying condition didn't mean Wayne possessed the professional ability or training to actually treat it effectively.
Wayne was not a licensed psychologist or therapist by any means.
Just dealing with Feebas's issues alone was already giving Wayne a persistent headache. He really wasn't confident about successfully helping this traumatized Arcanine.
Zorro provided an completely unexpected answer. "Actually, seeking you out was specifically Mr. Blue's personal suggestion and recommendation."
Blue had once been a Champion Trainer and was currently serving as the Viridian City Gym Leader. Even though Zorro was significantly older than Blue in years, he still respectfully addressed him with the honorific "Mr."
Wayne's mind went completely blank for a moment. ???
Wayne was genuinely puzzled by this surprising answer. What possible reason could Blue have for making such a specific recommendation?
He'd have to call and ask Blue about this later.
Zorro proceeded to explain the complete reasoning to Wayne.
"The situation is this: the Arcanine's former Trainer—or more accurately, its former handler—heard that Champion Blue had recently visited Jubilife City and desperately tried to arrange a meeting with him for advice..."
Zorro's path to eventually finding Wayne had been extremely circuitous and complicated.
First, the Arcanine's former handler—an Officer Jenny—had asked other Officer Jenny colleagues for assistance. Those Officer Jennys had contacted Zorro due to his high position. Zorro had then managed to track down and consult with Blue during his visit...
Finally, Blue had directly recommended Wayne as the best option available.
The reason the former handler couldn't come personally was because this particular Officer Jenny held a critically important position within a classified special operations unit and could not leave her post freely or travel without authorization.
So ultimately, Zorro had volunteered to personally bring the retired Arcanine here himself.
Zorro had absolutely no reason to lie to Wayne about any of this. He was well aware that Wayne and Blue were acquainted, which would make this a lie that could be exposed and verified at any moment.
Since this was Blue's direct personal suggestion and recommendation, Wayne felt obligated to seriously consider accepting. "What exactly would I need to do? Actively treat its psychological condition?"
Wayne still wasn't particularly confident about this entire matter.
He strongly disliked making promises about things he couldn't reliably deliver on.
If Zorro was asking Wayne to completely cure the Arcanine's PTSD, then Wayne would have to honestly say he was unable to help with that level of treatment.
However, Zorro shook his head and clarified. "No, nothing that demanding. Just allow it to recuperate peacefully here at your Breeding Center. The monthly recuperation fees will be paid regularly according to the official standard rate for retired police Pokémon."
Given those reasonable terms, Wayne had absolutely no reason to refuse the request. "Alright, I accept responsibility for caring for it."
At precisely the same moment, a mechanical female voice sounded clearly in Wayne's mind.
"Ding! You have received a new side quest—Arcanine's Treatment (Optional)..."
A genuine smile of relief and gratitude appeared on Zorro's previously worried face. "That's absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for accepting. I'm entrusting this Arcanine's care to you completely."
Leon, with visible tears welling up in his eyes, firmly grasped Zorro's hand. "Leave it to us! We'll do everything we can!"
Zorro wasn't surprised by Leon's emotional reaction. He could clearly feel Leon's sincere determination and compassion. "I'm counting on you both!"
Leon truly felt deep sympathy and sorrow for this brave Arcanine. He genuinely wanted to help cure it and restore its confidence.
"It's almost time now. I really should get going to work. I'm entrusting the Arcanine's wellbeing entirely to you," Zorro said, preparing to leave.
Wayne nodded with commitment. "Please rest assured. Mr. Zorro, you're also welcome to come visit and check on the Arcanine anytime you wish."
Zorro quickly departed, driving away in his police vehicle.
Wayne had accepted the heavy responsibility of caring for the traumatized Arcanine, but its psychological treatment wasn't something urgent that required immediate action. This would be a long-term, gradual healing process.
Wayne had very good reasons to think of PTSD as the diagnosis, as he'd recently realized that Feebas likely suffered from it as well.
Wayne had specifically researched and looked up extensive information about this condition.
Feebas's situation was actually more clinically complex. It most likely had C-PTSD—Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
There were two main triggering factors for C-PTSD: first, long-term and repeatedly recurring exposure to trauma, such as ongoing abuse or persistent school bullying over extended periods.
Second, developing deeply internalized feelings of being small, worthless, like a failure, or fundamentally inadequate.
These diagnostic criteria all matched Feebas's documented history and observed symptoms extremely well.
As the species commonly known as the "ugly duckling Pokémon," Feebas was notoriously unpopular and frequently mistreated before successfully evolving into the beautiful Milotic.
Wayne carefully examined the details of his new side quest.
Arcanine's Treatment (Optional): Help Arcanine overcome its severe psychological trauma and become confident again!
Reward: A segment of Arcanine's suppressed memory.
Hint: Related to the Legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia.
After reading the quest details carefully, Wayne chose to accept the challenge.