Treatment

"Then I'll take my leave."

After updating the Pokédex, Paul ignored Justin, who had been giving him a displeased look the whole time, as well as the other researchers, and after a slight bow, he left the research hall.

He walked straight across the wide grass field and stepped through the gates of Rowan's Research Institute, heading off into the distance.

But before he could take more than two steps, a voice called out from behind him.

"You're leaving so soon? Didn't you take your Pokémon to the institute's medical room for treatment after updating the Pokédex?

"Or are you planning to abandon them later because they didn't perform well in battle?"

Paul froze in his tracks but said nothing.

Reid, who had been leaning against the wall, stood up straight and said, "It's a Trainer's basic duty to send their Pokémon for treatment after a battle. The direction you're heading doesn't have any Pokémon Centers along the way."

Paul was silent for a moment before responding in a low voice, "I understand."

With that, he took out his Pokédex from his pocket and began searching for the nearest Pokémon Center.

Reid approached him and gently pressed the button to close the Pokédex.

"No need to search. The nearest Pokémon Center is still a ways off. Leave the treatment to me."

Paul looked at Reid with surprise.

"What are you waiting for? Bring out all your Pokémon."

"...Understood."

One had to admit, while Paul from the early to mid Sinnoh period was indeed unlikable, his respect for strong Trainers was genuine, and so was his obedience. When Reid asked him to bring out his Pokémon, Paul obediently released the four that had just battled, along with Mr. Mime and Azumarill that didn't get their chance to battle.

Reid immediately began inspecting their conditions.

For someone like Reid, who had spent five years at Professor Rowan's Lab and treated countless Pokémon injuries, even performing surgeries, this task was hardly difficult.

Moreover, since most of them were injured by Unown's Hidden Power, the nature of their injuries was clear, making treatment straightforward.

After identifying the precise injuries and examining the surrounding areas, Reid simply applied healing sprays.

Soon, Murkrow, Magneton, and Torterra's conditions visibly improved.

Compared to them, the situation with Clefable was slightly more troublesome.

Clefable hadn't been injured in the traditional sense but had fainted due to the oppressive atmosphere created by the Dark Aura of the Yveltal that Unown had transformed into.

In simpler terms, Clefable had been scared into unconsciousness.

So even though it had now awakened, Clefable still looked somewhat frail and weary.

It was clear that the psychological trauma had affected it more than any physical injury.

If not handled properly, Clefable might develop a fear of battle or even suffer from some other mental problems.

This was one of the reasons Reid had appeared here—after all, given Paul's personality at this time, there was a high likelihood he would have abandoned it.

Reid's gaze swept over the six Pokémon, finally landing on the figure that resembled a mime actor.

"Mr. Mime, you're the only one here who knows Hypnosis and Rest, right?"

"Mime?"

Mr. Mime, a little unsure of the situation, still nodded when it felt the reassuring aura from Reid, along with the fact that Paul, standing nearby, didn't object.

"Then I need you to use Hypnosis on Clefable."

"Mime?"

Mr. Mime hesitated.

While Paul often required them to attack one another during training, Clefable's clearly off state made it difficult for Mr. Mime to proceed.

Even though it eventually used Hypnosis, the energy supply was inconsistent, and the resulting effect wasn't strong enough to put the weary Clefable into a deep sleep.

Paul's eyes immediately turned cold as he started walking over.

This slight movement was enough to frighten Mr. Mime, causing it to wave its hands in panic and instinctively retreat.

Seeing this, Reid stretched out a hand to stop Paul.

"I'm handling the treatment now, so please don't interfere."

Paul opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent.

After stopping Paul, Reid turned to Mr. Mime again. He crouched down, lowering his center of gravity as much as possible to reduce the Pokémon's wariness, and softly spoke.

"Mr. Mime, I'm not asking you to harm Clefable. You've noticed its condition, haven't you? It's not well, and it might affect it for the rest of its life. Right now, only you can help it."

"Mime… Mime..."

Mr. Mime glanced at Clefable, torn between wanting to help and being too afraid to act.

Reid continued, "Don't overthink it, and don't worry about anything else. Just do your best to use Hypnosis and maintain it. Even if something does go wrong…

"I'm here. I'll take care of everything.

"Trust in my ability and in yourself, alright?"

Sensing the calming and reassuring energy in Reid's words and presence, something it had never felt from anyone else, Mr. Mime pondered for a moment before nervously nodding.

Following Reid's guidance, Mr. Mime carefully used Hypnosis to help Clefable, gently guiding it into a peaceful state, erasing the memory of the traumatic part of the battle from its subconscious.

Even when it struggled with energy control and nearly failed multiple times, Mr. Mime pushed through and completed the Hypnosis successfully, finishing with a Rest to seal the deal.

Seeing Clefable's now peaceful, sleeping face, Reid smiled and said, "Well done, Mr. Mime. Your mastery of Hypnosis is even better than I expected. Don't be so modest in the future."

"Mime... Mime..."

Hearing praise from a human other than its Trainer, something Paul would never say, Mr. Mime scratched its head in embarrassment.

"But the treatment isn't over yet. For the next three days, I need you to help Clefable just like I showed you. Do you think you can manage that?"

"Mime! Mime mime!"

With a confident look, Mr. Mime thumped its chest in assurance.

"Good. That's the spirit."

Reid patted its shoulder, handed out some energy cubes to all the Pokémon to calm them down, and then stood up, walking over to Paul.

"For the next three days, make sure Mr. Mime performs Hypnosis on Clefable as scheduled. After that, the treatment will be complete."

Paul bowed again and said, "Thank you very much for your help."

"It was nothing, but…"

Reid paused and then looked at Paul with a slight shift in tone, "Did you understand what just happened?"