Chapter Forty-Four: Going to the Hospital with Ralts for the First Time

Tang Yi finally understood why Ralts had been so troubled. The sight of that ugly Feebas was likely just the trigger; it set off a storm of emotions that had been buried deep within Ralts, all coinciding with her period of growth stagnation syndrome.

Tang Yi decided to first reinforce his computer’s defenses. He downloaded all the highly rated antivirus programs from within the country, determined at least to block those irritating pop-up ads.

Otherwise, if something inappropriate popped up one day and Ralts saw it by accident, the consequences would be serious.

As for everything else, he could only hope to guide her gently over time.

Tang Yi was beginning to understand why the number of Pokémon girls a trainer could have in the early stages was strictly limited worldwide. Just raising one Pokémon girl brought with it all sorts of worries—if you had too many at once, it truly wasn’t something a young trainer could easily handle.

It was like those harem web novels Tang Yi used to read—it all seemed so satisfying at first glance, but when you thought about it, a man who actually lived like that would surely be exhausted to death.

Raising a healthy, outstanding Pokémon girl was far more complex than he had imagined; the road ahead was long and difficult.

The next day.

After breakfast at home, hoping to avoid long lines, Tang Yi put Ralts in her Poké Ball, boarded the bus, and headed early to the largest general hospital in the city.

In this world, hospitals were divided into two types: human hospitals and Pokémon hospitals. Usually, general hospitals took care of both. These hospitals were larger, their doctors were graduates of top medical universities, their facilities and treatment conditions were better—and, naturally, they had more patients every day.

Really, for minor issues like growth stagnation syndrome, a small Pokémon clinic near home would have sufficed. But since this was Tang Yi’s first time, his concern made him a bit scattered, and he wanted peace of mind—so he came to the big hospital.

It was also Ralts’s first time visiting a hospital. She followed Tang Yi silently, never leaving his side, and as Tang Yi waited in line to register, he kept glancing at the girl beside him.

He was gradually learning to judge Ralts’s mood from her gestures and expressions.

For example, now Ralts had let her green hair fall completely over her eyes, hiding her face and expression. But her small hands, unusually, had reached out to grasp Tang Yi’s hand from behind, holding tightly.

Normally, when Tang Yi tried to hold her hand, Ralts would always resist shyly.

But Tang Yi couldn’t feel happy about it—he knew this meant Ralts was extremely nervous right now, yet as usual, she wouldn’t voice her worries.

Tang Yi now truly detested all the nonsense on the internet. If the online environment was ever cleaned up, he’d raise both hands and feet in support.

He gently squeezed Ralts’s little hand; it was soft and smooth, making him want to squeeze it a few more times. Well, the line for registration was still long, so he indulged a little more.

At first, Ralts didn’t react, too preoccupied with her own worries to pay any attention to her peculiar trainer.

Later, though, she noticed Tang Yi wasn’t content with just her hand—he began to pinch her ears. Her ears were usually hidden behind her green hair, but when he brushed the strands aside, a blush crept up to her ears.

“Lin Tian’s Mightyena wasn’t wrong—your skin really is so pale and smooth,” Tang Yi murmured with satisfaction, feeling proud of his careful care. He couldn’t bear to let Ralts go outside and get sunburned.

“Stop it, don’t mess around!” Ralts finally couldn’t hold back, whispering in protest.

Too much! This was a hospital! How could her trainer be so improper?

People in line nearby cast questioning glances at them, making Ralts even more embarrassed and annoyed. She couldn’t care about shyness anymore, and let a big, red eye peek out from behind her hair, glaring at her innocent-looking trainer.

Sensing that Ralts was genuinely upset, Tang Yi quickly withdrew his hand and smiled, “Alright, alright, I’ll stop.”

The best way to quickly relieve someone’s tension was to provoke some other emotional change, so they’d temporarily forget their anxiety.

Embarrassment and annoyance were, after all, strong emotional shifts.

Tang Yi’s goal had been achieved—Ralts’s body, which had been taut with nervousness, was visibly relaxing, though the downside was that she was now sulking and refused to speak to him.

As long as she wasn’t nervous, that was enough.

They queued, registered, and waited for their number to be called.

After a long wait, Tang Yi finally led a still somewhat angry Ralts into the doctor’s office, which was clean and simply furnished.

A white-haired female doctor sat behind the desk. Beside her was a Drowzee, its neck ringed with white fur, holding a string with a hoop attached at one end.

The Drowzee looked mature, completely removed from the realm of girlhood—meaning she was probably as old as her trainer, both well advanced in age.

“Sit down. You’re here for growth stagnation syndrome, right?” The doctor spoke with gentle ease.

Tang Yi explained Ralts’s symptoms in detail. He’d registered for growth stagnation syndrome, but honestly, he wasn’t entirely sure.

The doctor listened carefully and nodded, “From your description, it definitely sounds like the syndrome. But it seems the symptoms are a bit more intense than what’s typical for Pokémon.”

Tang Yi tensed, “Is it serious?”

“No, it’s really not a big issue,” the doctor reassured him with a smile, turning to Ralts and asking casually,

“Have you felt any discomfort in your body lately?”

“Yes, I have.”

“How long has it lasted?”

“A little over a week, I think.”

Tang Yi glanced at Ralts, realizing the timing matched the period of the selection tournament. He hadn’t noticed it then, and the thought made him feel a bit guilty.

“Where exactly does it feel uncomfortable?”

“It’s just… my body feels a little strange, but I can’t really explain it.”

The doctor prompted, “Is it a sort of emptiness inside?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

The doctor nodded noncommittally and continued, “How’s your mood been lately? Any feelings of sadness or loss?”

“Sometimes, yes. Sometimes those feelings are really strong, and I can’t control them.”

The doctor studied Ralts carefully, “You seem to be in a pretty normal mood right now.”

Ralts couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her trainer.

Normal mood? That can’t be right—I was just irritated by this scoundrel.

Ralts didn’t know how to respond, and instinctively didn’t want to contradict this kindly, gentle old woman.