"Oddish?"
In front of the girl, an Oddish suddenly noticed Fuyuki and the others behind them.
It tilted its head, observing them with a mix of fear and curiosity.
"Eh?"
The girl who was feeding looked back in confusion as she saw the Oddish's reaction.
"And you are—?"
Her gaze first fell on Fuyuki, then moved to the powerful Raikou beside him, and she couldn't help but be startled.
That Pokémon—it looks very powerful!
"Hello, my name is Fuyuki, I'm a Trainer passing through." Fuyuki smiled and pointed to the little ones behind him, "The Pikachu in the forest brought me here. I heard from them that this is Pokémon Home, and there are many Pokémon here who need help, so I wanted to see if there's any way I can help."
Melanie wasn't too surprised by Fuyuki's identity; after all, Trainers often passed by this area.
"Help—"
Melanie looked thoughtful, then said with some difficulty: "There actually are a few Pokémon who were recently injured. I've been worried about how to handle it—this place is too far from a Pokémon Center, and the herbs here are almost gone."
Injured? That's easy to handle, Fuyuki thought.
He stepped forward and offered, "I happen to have brought some Potions with me."
"That's wonderful, thank you so much!" Melanie welcomed Fuyuki with a face full of gratitude.
The Pokémon around the wooden house also gathered around, looking at the newcomer curiously.
The Squirtle beside Fuyuki also looked around curiously.
"Squirtle Squirtle!"
It poked a Rattata's tail one moment, then nodded a greeting to an Oddish the next.
Gastly floated in mid-air, quietly circling an injured Caterpie before quickly hiding back by Fuyuki's side like a mischievous little follower.
Raikou lay quietly on the grass not far away, the sunlight falling on its golden fur, making it look exceptionally gentle.
It watched the scene with a calm gaze, seemingly observing.
The surrounding Pokémon, who were initially a bit timid, saw that this legendary Pokémon had no ill intent and gradually relaxed. A brave Rattata even sneaked over to sniff its paw.
Raikou just lowered its eyes slightly and didn't drive them away, letting the little ones approach.
Meanwhile, Fuyuki knelt down and began to carefully examine the injured Pokémon in front of him.
There was a Caterpie stung by a Beedrill, a poisoned Pikachu, and a Rattata with an injured front paw.
Melanie knelt beside him, her brow furrowed with worry.
"Many of these children are Pokémon who were abandoned by humans and have suffered emotional trauma. Others were left by the roadside to die by their Trainers after being injured in battle—"
"I established this place as a Pokémon Sanitarium specifically to take in these children. Here, they don't have to fight; they can recover from their injuries, encourage each other with their companions, and live together," Melanie said gently.
"Abandoned just for being injured in battle?" Hearing this, Fuyuki immediately frowned. Wasn't it a Trainer's responsibility to treat their injured Pokémon?
"That's right." Melanie couldn't help but sigh.
"No matter what, these children are innocent."
As she spoke, she reached out and stroked an Oddish's head.
"Na-kusa—" The Oddish looked at Fuyuki with some fear, appearing very dependent on Melanie.
"This child was abandoned as a burden by its Trainer because it was too weak and got injured in a Pokémon battle, failing to defeat the opposing Pokémon," Melanie said. "When I found it, this child was already on the verge of death."
"In the first few days after it arrived, it was so sad about being abandoned that it couldn't even eat. It only recently started to recover—"
"That Trainer went too far!" Fuyuki gritted his teeth in anger. He felt there were issues with the Pokémon League's system; the age for Trainers to receive their starter Pokémon should be raised.
A ten-year-old kid doesn't understand responsibility at all, nor what being abandoned by a Trainer means to a Pokémon.
It would be one thing if everyone loved Pokémon as much as Ash, but the problem is that not all Trainers are like that.
"Oddish, don't be sad. You're not at fault; it's all that Trainer's fault!" Fuyuki said indignantly.
"Na-kusa—" Oddish looked at him blankly. Seeing this human comforting it, its heart couldn't help but be touched.
When one sees injustice on the road, one should draw a sword to provide help.
Fuyuki didn't draw a sword; instead, he took a small pinch of shimmering Sacred Ash from his backpack and gently sprinkled it on the wounds of the injured Pokémon.
With a flash of light.
The Pokémon, who had been trembling in pain, instantly widened their eyes.
Their wounds were healing at a rate visible to the naked eye, leaving not even a single scar!
"Na-kusa—"
"Raticate!"
"Sss-woo—"
Oddish, Rattata, and Caterpie were shocked, but they soon realized that the human in front of them had provided help to them.
They cried out gratefully, circling around Fuyuki. Some rubbed against the back of his hand, others gently tugged at his clothes; they were so cute it made one's heart soften.
Melanie, watching from the side, was dumbfounded: "W-what kind of healing method is this? It's too miraculous!"
"Just a little secret recipe," Fuyuki smiled. "By the way, I also brought some food. Let's all eat together."
He took out the prepared Pokémon food and spread it out across the ground.
The previously quiet Pokémon Home instantly became lively. The Pikachu ate their food with satisfied faces, Squirtle and Paras competed to see who could eat faster, and Gastly floated nearby, secretly giving a berry to each of its friends.
A warm atmosphere spread through the forest.
Fuyuki leaned against a tree trunk, watching the Pokémon playing together, and his lips couldn't help but curl upward.
Raikou lay quietly beside him, its tail gently sweeping the ground as if responding to this tranquility.
Melanie sat nearby, watching the scene, her eyes slightly moist.
"Since I established Pokémon Home, this is the first time I've seen everyone so happy. Thank you so much!"
Fuyuki said softly, "They just need a little companionship and care."
As soon as he finished speaking, an abandoned Oddish slowly walked over and gently hugged Fuyuki's ankle, crying softly, "Na-kusa, na-kusa."
This Oddish was thanking him.
Fuyuki stroked its small head and smiled gently.
Not far away, several Pikachu climbed onto Raikou's back, carefully lying there and communicating with Raikou using the electricity on their cheeks.
This is a unique way of communication between electric-type Pokémon.
Raikou remained motionless, letting the group of Pikachu roll around on its body.
Gastly floated over, rubbing its cool body against Fuyuki's cheek and shaking its body proudly: "Kekeke! (Fuyuki, I also helped distribute the treats! Aren't I great?)"
"You're great," Fuyuki rubbed its head. "Our Gastly is getting more and more impressive!"
Seeing this, Squirtle also trotted over, raised its small paw, and patted Fuyuki's hand as if asking for credit.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled spots of light. A gentle breeze carried the scent of grass and flowers.
No intense battles, no urgent journeys—just the purest, warmest companionship between humans and Pokémon.
Fuyuki looked at everything before him and sighed inwardly.
This is probably what the most beautiful part of a journey looks like.