Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 469 Hospital, Differences in the Unova Region
The following day, Feiyun City Hospital.

Natsume, carrying a small bag of medicine, walked through the corridor filled with the smell of disinfectant towards Jiaozi's private room.

This morning, he was awakened by a suffocating heat, his pajamas almost completely soaked with sticky sweat.

The culprit behind this "heat source" was the proud child curled up in my arms, burning hot like a small furnace.

I touched her forehead, and sure enough, she had a fever.

Helpless, Natsume had to cancel his plans for the day and rushed to the large general hospital with the feverish Jiaozi in his arms.

“That’s strange,” Natsume frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the busy corridor.

A nurse rushes along pushing an equipment cart, a patient slowly moves along with an IV stand, and family members sit exhausted on a bench, talking in hushed tones.
Everything looked like a typical hospital scene.

But soon, Natsume sensed something inexplicably off.

He stopped and paused for a moment.

There are no Pokémon here!!

There were no Chansey or similar dolls following the nurses, no Pikachu or Eevee to keep the patients company, and not even a Pidgey or Dove that are commonly seen outside the window.

In this world where humans and Pokémon coexist and are inseparable, a large hospital that is so "clean" seems particularly jarring and unnatural.

Natsume frowned thoughtfully, wondering if there was some reason behind this.

Faced with the unknown, the researcher's instinct led Natsume to subconsciously open his phone and start searching for relevant information online.

Soon, he saw separate announcements about hospitals and Pokémon Centers on the Unova League's official website, dated March of last year.

In addition, new regulations have been introduced prohibiting the bringing of Pokémon into human hospitals.
"What the hell is this?"

Natsume narrowed his eyes.

What is the purpose of this regulation?

The alliance provides substantial subsidies for healthcare.

Natsume subconsciously assumed that some high-ranking official wanted to profit from this reform.

But soon, his attention was drawn to some news.

"A Pokémon protection organization held a seven-day, seven-night protest in Castelia City, calling for a complete separation of human hospitals and Pokémon centers to avoid the possibility of cross-infection!"

Upon seeing the name of that infamous organization in the research community, Natsume raised an eyebrow slightly and clicked on this "headline" from last year.

After reading it, Natsume frowned.

The fact that such a large group of people could be gathered in Unova's most bustling city, Flying Cloud City, in such a short time indicates that this so-called Pokémon protection organization is definitely not some superficial civilian organization.

Their influence in the Unova region is somewhat beyond Natsume's imagination; even at Oak's lab in Kanto, these guys were able to gather a group of people to protest.

Since Hezhong is their base of operations, the lesions are certainly more severe there.

He took a look at the organization's recent activities.

It's nothing more than using the guise of acting in the best interests of Pokémon to spend the League's money and gain fame for themselves.

Moreover, from a professional perspective, many actions taken towards Pokémon are meaningless or even have negative effects.

For example, increasing sewage discharge and creating more stinking mud ecological areas. Aren't you two being ridiculous?
But apart from such obvious examples, in most other protests, ordinary people lack the ability to distinguish right from wrong.

This has resulted in them having a considerable number of supporters in the United States.

Natsume casually turned off his phone and rubbed his temples, looking troubled.

He initially thought this so-called Pokémon protection organization was just a dog kept by Team Plasma.

But now it seems that this is absolutely not the case. Even though Team Plasma has almost collapsed, the organization is still active and its influence is growing.

Natsume shook his head, temporarily suppressing his doubts, and quickly walked towards the proud child's ward.

Pushing open the door, I saw Jiaozi lying quietly on the clean white hospital bed.

She changed into a loose hospital gown, which made her figure appear even smaller and thinner.

Her usually meticulously combed, jet-black hair was now somewhat disheveled, with a few strands soaked in sweat clinging to her pale forehead and cheeks, adding to her fragile appearance.

Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a faint shadow under her eyes. Her breathing was shallow, and she looked like a fledgling bird that had been soaked by wind and rain and needed to be carefully protected.

The medicine was slowly dripping from the IV tube.

"Mr. Natsume?" Hearing the door open, Kyouko struggled to open her heavy eyelids, her voice hoarse and weak from illness, her eyes still somewhat unfocused. "Are you feeling any better?" Natsume walked to the bedside and placed the medicine on the bedside table.

"I'm much better. I'm sorry to have troubled you," Jiao Zi said softly, her face flushed with guilt as she struggled to sit up.

"Lie still and don't move." Natsume tapped her little head. "The doctor said you're overworked and have caught a chill, so you need to rest."

After exchanging a few words, Natsume was about to pour her some water when he suddenly remembered, "Oh right, I think I forgot a fever-reducing spray at the pharmacy. I'll go get it."

"Mmm," Jiaozi nodded obediently, then closed her eyes wearily.

Natsume walked out of the ward again and gently closed the door.

Just as he was about to walk towards the elevator, his gaze was drawn to the scene outside a private hospital room at the end of the corridor.

The door to that ward was completely blocked by a group of reporters carrying cameras and microphones, with flashes going off one after another and a cacophony of questions buzzing around them.

"Miss Cattleya, would you mind sharing how you subdued the assailant?"

"Why haven't I seen you use telekinesis often before?"

As he drew closer, Natsume realized that Cattleya, who had been picked up by the butler yesterday, seemed to be in this hospital as well.

An elderly butler, dressed in an elegant tailcoat and with a solemn expression, stood at the door. He slightly raised his hand, his movements graceful yet carrying an undeniable force, and slowly closed the ward door, shutting out all the noise.

Before the heavy door closed completely, Natsume vaguely heard fragments of conversation coming from inside.

inside the door.

Isolated from the noise of the outside world, the ward was exceptionally quiet.

Caldelia sat up in bed, her face still somewhat pale, but her spirits were relatively good.

She was sipping the warm water that the housekeeper had handed her.

“Miss,” the butler bowed slightly, his voice low and respectful, “Master and Madam are very worried after hearing the news. They hope you can return home immediately to recuperate. The family’s private medical team is on standby.”

Cattleya's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly as she gripped the water glass.

She raised her eyes, which had regained their clarity, and gently shook her head. Her voice was gentle, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible distance: "Please thank Father and Mother for their kindness on my behalf."

"But it's fine here. The doctor said I'm alright, just overworked."

“Going back now would only cause unrest at home.”

Her words were brief and to the point, but the butler immediately understood her concerns.

The young lady was worried that if the large and unstable psychic power within her body went out of control when she was weak, it would affect her close family members.

This protection of family members comes with a heavy burden of self-restraint.

A complex look of heartache flashed in the butler's eyes, but he didn't say anything, only respectfully replying, "Yes, Miss."

Cattleya put down her water glass, her gaze somewhat unfocused, as if she were recalling something.

Her slender fingers unconsciously caressed the bed sheet.

“By the way, Uncle,” she suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with hesitation and inquiry, “on the plane, besides me, did you notice any other people with powerful telekinesis?”

"Or... has anyone in particular come close to me?"

Upon hearing this, the butler became even more focused.

He subconsciously glanced down at a small, inconspicuous silver badge pinned to the pocket of his suit vest.

This is a specially designed telekinetic fluctuation monitor, specifically designed to warn of Cattleya's power going out of control.

That day, the telekinetic wave detector only detected Cattleya at the scene.

He thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook his head with great certainty: "Miss, according to the monitoring records and on-site observations, no one on the plane except you emitted strong psychokinetic fluctuations at the time."

"The source of all the abnormal psychic fluctuations clearly points to you."

He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty and a hint of lingering relief: "The immense mental power that pulled the plane back from the brink of crashing was undoubtedly a miracle accomplished by you, Miss, all by your own strength."

"You are a hero to everyone."

Cattleya listened quietly, her fingers gripping the sheets tightly, her knuckles clearly visible.

In the depths of her crystal-clear eyes, the faint glimmer of hope that had just ignited flickered like a candle in the wind at the butler's resolute answer, eventually fading away and being replaced by deeper confusion and self-doubt.

Was that feeling of perfect control, like divine intervention, really just a delusion experienced when near death?
(End of this chapter)