East Kinnow Pokémon Center—this was Reiji's third visit, but the first time he could finally walk through the front doors openly and without guilt.
Back when he first arrived at the Pokémon Center, the League-designed medical building didn't attract much attention. As always, Kinnow City was a tourist hub, and it saw all types of travelers. Trainers and Pokémon of all kinds were common sights.
A Trainer wearing a hood, accompanied by a Poliwhirl and a Spinarak, wasn't unusual in a city . If he were walking around with a starter Pokémon, that might have drawn some interest—but Poliwhirl and Spinarak were far too ordinary to turn heads.
They weren't nearly as eye-catching as Nurse Joy herself. Once inside, the Center's clean and streamlined layout also caught Reiji's attention.
He queued up with the crowd of Trainers. All around him were others holding Pokémon or Poké Balls, nurses bustling about, and Chansey pushing medical carts—typical support Pokémon.
Since so many Trainers brought in their Pokémon for treatment, the staff were clearly busy. But as expected of the League's most vital medical facility, everything remained efficient and orderly.
The Trainers here were also well-mannered; unless it was an emergency, everyone waited patiently for their turn.
This Center had more Nurse Joys than most. Aside from the one manning the front desk, there were two more working alongside regular nurses. Perhaps because it was a port city, the center was busier than usual, so the League had dispatched three Joys to cover the area.
The Pokémon Center embodied the League's highest medical standards. It also served as one of the League's core tools for expanding influence by offering certified Trainers free treatment and support.
Of course, only League-certified Trainers qualified for those benefits. Freelancers like Reiji—who didn't even have a Trainer registration—could forget about free services unless they were willing to pay.
Still, the place remained packed. After all, it was the only place offering full, trustworthy medical care for Pokémon.
Eventually, Reiji's turn came. It was his first real look at Nurse Joy up close—and no doubt about it, she was beautiful.
Oval face, fair skin, elegant features, slender build—everything you'd expect. Pink nurse's uniform, pink hair. As for her face…
Well, hard to explain. Not that she wasn't pretty—it's just that he couldn't tell her apart from the other Joys. There were three of them here, and their similarity was about 99%.
Probably only one person in the world could really distinguish the nuances between each Joy.
When it was his turn, he recalled Poliwhirl and Spinarak into their Poké Balls, pulled out Pelipper's too, and handed all three balls plus his ID to Nurse Joy.
"Nurse Joy, I'd like to register these three Pokémon."
"Please hold on a moment. This won't take long." She took the Poké Balls and ID, placed them on the computer, and began entering Reiji's Trainer info.
If the police were responsible for civilian ID records, then the Pokémon Center handled Trainer registration. The police and Pokémon Centers—both were crucial arms of the League.
Beyond benefits like contribution points, free meals, lodging, and treatment, Centers also kept detailed Trainer records: first Pokémon, number of Pokémon, health status, travel history…
They even issued notices, bounties, and alerts. Most wanted individuals were dangerous criminals.
Reiji, of course, was one of them. The bounty poster described him as a "man in black with a Spinarak on his shoulder."
So why didn't anyone notice? Easy—no one believed a wanted robber would dare stroll into a Pokémon Center.
Besides, those bounty missions on the wall weren't for kids. They were assigned to elite or veteran Trainers. Children couldn't take them even if they wanted to.
Joy finished registering the three Pokémon and Reiji's Trainer ID quickly, then handed everything back.
"Trainer Reiji, your registration is complete. You may now carry your Pokémon around the city freely and participate in street battles."
"Thank you." He took the Poké Balls and put away his ID, though he didn't release the Pokémon yet.
Seeing how reserved he was, Nurse Joy guessed this might be his first visit. Even though she looked tired—faint dark circles were visible under her bright face—she still smiled warmly and asked gently, "Would you like your Pokémon to have a medical check-up as well?"
"May I ask…" Reiji was about to inquire about the cost, but before he could finish, the impatient Trainer behind him started grumbling.
To Reiji, he'd only taken two minutes. But to some itchy-skinned types, that was already two centuries.
He'd wanted to ask how much a full check-up would cost, but seeing how people behind were already losing patience, he gave up for now. He could always come back another time.
His Pokémon had made it through this far. A few more days wouldn't hurt. He mainly wanted to check for lingering damage from training.
He knew all too well the danger of hidden injuries. In his past life, even pro athletes had their careers ruined by them.
They might not show symptoms at first, but they accumulate. Over time, they could become serious issues—diminishing performance, ruining potential, or even leading to death.
A Trainer had to be vigilant about this. No room for neglect or carelessness.
If there were hidden injuries, the sooner they were treated, the better. But treatment required money. For unlicensed rookie Trainers like Reiji, treatment at the Pokémon Center wasn't free.
He planned to deal with the spoils from the Pokémon hunter first, then return for a full medical exam. Cost wouldn't matter then—he just wanted his Pokémon to stay healthy.
When it came to technology, he couldn't speak for other fields, but in medicine, the League was undoubtedly number one. No one questioned that.
Even Team Rocket's medical tech couldn't compare. The League's vast network of Pokémon Centers gave it unmatched clinical experience in Pokémon care.
He trusted the League's medical system.
Before leaving, Reiji gave Nurse Joy a polite smile and exited the Pokémon Center.
It was only 8:00 PM. The city's nightlife was just getting started. Most shops were still open.
A hundred meters away stood six large battle arenas, packed every night.
Even from this distance, he could hear the cheering crowds, the roars crashing against him like waves.
But he had no plans to join them. The weaker matches bored him, and the popular ones were too crowded.
Besides, he had a mission tonight—to investigate the market prices of Pokémon-related goods.
He'd already guessed how this would go: anything tied to Pokémon would be expensive.
First, Trainer-related items were always pricey. No surprise, given how popular Trainers were.
Second, Kinnow was a tourist island city. And like in his past life, vendors in tourist cities were… "enthusiastic." Probably had their carving knives sharpened, ready to slice open every visiting Trainer's wallet.
So he didn't expect reasonable prices. Just wanted to get a rough idea.
For that, there was only one place he needed to go: the department store between the Pokémon Center and the battle arenas. It had everything.
Before heading in, he released Spinarak to rest on his shoulder but didn't bring out Poliwhirl.
Too many people. Too many unfamiliar things. If Poliwhirl got lost, it'd be a huge pain.
Spinarak didn't have that issue. It always clung to his shoulder and moved with him.
Once ready, he stepped inside. The first floor was mostly clothing stores, so that's where he started.
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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