Pokemon: A New Path-Pokemon 545: The Duty of a Doctor

The appearance of Cyclizar Mask triggered a wave of excitement in the Alola region, but eventually, peace returned with the hero's mysterious disappearance.

Cyclizar Mask's true identity grew even more intriguing in people's hearts.

Amidst this atmosphere, a new day dawned at Naoki's Ranch.

With the first golden rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon, Naoki and his Pokémon woke up, ready to begin their daily routines.

After enjoying the nutritious breakfast lovingly prepared by Indeedee, the energetic Eeveelutions dashed out the door. They raced through the fields, joyfully bounding across the sunlit grass.

"Slow down!" Naoki called out, strolling leisurely behind them, carrying a large basket.

As the Eeveelutions raced past the stables, Spectrier and Glastrier curiously raised their heads, captivated by the lively scene. However, all they caught was a brief glimpse of fluffy tails disappearing into the distance.

"Here you go—breakfast time!" Naoki cheerfully announced, pouring fresh Ice Root Carrots and Shaderoot Carrots from his basket into the feeding trough.

Spectrier and Glastrier eagerly lowered their heads, munching happily. Watching them, it was impossible to imagine these two Pokémon were legendary steeds once revered in the Crown Tundra. Here, they simply enjoyed life as ordinary ranch horses.

Naoki smiled warmly, gently patting their heads.

It seemed these two majestic horses had truly adapted to ranch life!

The playful Eeveelutions next passed by the Gogoat pen, where three Gogoats lay dozing comfortably on the soft grass. Hearing the commotion, they lazily opened their eyes, yawned widely, and watched the Eeveelutions run by.

A delicious aroma of fresh grass dumplings drifted toward them.

Turning their heads eagerly, the Gogoats saw Naoki approaching.

"Here you go, your favorite grass dumplings! Hungry yet?" Naoki called out, emptying the treats into their trough.

When he looked back, the three Gogoats had already gotten up and were eagerly nudging his arms, startling Naoki briefly.

"Meaaa~!"

The Gogoats affectionately rubbed their heads against him before eagerly digging into their breakfast.

The ranch buzzed with vibrant energy in the morning. Dewdrops sparkled on blades of grass as a gentle morning breeze refreshed everyone.

Combee fluttered from their hive toward blooming flowers to gather nectar for sweet honey, while Butterfree lazily perched on the roof, calmly observing the sun rising higher into the sky.

Hardworking Dragonites arrived one by one, picking up packages and flying off to distant lands under the guidance of Rotom Phone.

Nearby, Farfetch'd practiced its leek techniques diligently. Suddenly, a gentle rain shower fell on the nearby crops, courtesy of Dragonite using Rain Dance to help water the fields.

The refreshing rain nourished the growing plants, making the Dugtrio peek their heads out from the earth to enjoy the fresh air. They could already imagine how plump and delicious the vegetables would be when fully grown.

Thinking of the delicious dishes Naoki would cook for them, the Dugtrio drooled happily, excited for harvest time.

After completing his morning rounds and feeding all the Pokémon, it was already 7:30 a.m.

Returning home, Naoki found Happiny eagerly waiting for him with hopeful eyes.

"Happy!"

"Yes, yes, I remember! I promised I'd teach you today," Naoki laughed warmly.

A few days ago, Happiny had expressed her heartfelt wish to become a Pokémon doctor, hoping Naoki could help her learn. However, due to his busy schedule with the Battle Royal competition, he had postponed their lessons until now.

Technically, Naoki was also supposed to start his Alola Island Challenge soon, as part of his reward for winning the competition.

However, with Cyclizar Mask drawing so much attention right now, Naoki decided to wait until things quieted down before starting his Alola Island Challenge.

In the meantime, he planned to take Happiny to visit the Pokémon Center in town today!

As Naoki prepared to ride Koraidon to see Nurse Joy, several trainers suddenly rushed into the ranch.

"Mr. Naoki!"

Naoki blinked in surprise, recognizing the excited faces before him as trainers who previously challenged his ranch's trials.

"Hey there! Did you come to challenge another trial? Unfortunately, I'm a bit busy today, so the ranch trials are temporarily closed," Naoki explained gently.

The girl among them shook her head energetically. "No, we're not here to challenge any trials!"

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The boy beside her excitedly jumped in, "Your Alcremie! Mr. Naoki, your Alcremie is incredibly skilled with Metronome, right? Last time, it defeated my Pokémon by using a really powerful move through Metronome!"

Naoki immediately felt cautious but kept his smile steady.

"Oh, you mean that? Yes, my Alcremie is quite skilled with Metronome, but that's because a really powerful trainer taught me!"

He quickly decided to invent a convenient mentor to avoid suspicion.

"Huh?" The young trainers looked confused. "So, Mr. Naoki, you're not Cyclizar Mask?"

"Cyclizar Mask? Isn't that the trainer who stopped the legendary Pokémon from fighting?" Naoki acted astonished.

The three trainers studied his shocked reaction closely but found nothing suspicious.

The girl sighed in disappointment, "Aww, we really thought you might be Cyclizar Mask!"

The boy nodded, agreeing, "True, Paldea and Alola are so far apart. Plus, Mr. Naoki has all these Pokémon to take care of—it'd be impossible for him to leave for so long."

After all, traveling between Alola and Paldea takes quite a while, even by plane.

"Such a shame…" Another boy suddenly remembered what Naoki had mentioned. "Oh, Mr. Naoki! Didn't you say a powerful trainer taught your Alcremie?"

Naoki nodded convincingly, "That's right. It was about seven or eight years ago when I was traveling around the world. I encountered this mysterious trainer deep in a forest."

"He shared his Pokémon-raising wisdom with me, and later, I applied it to raising my Alcremie."

"Whoa, could that mysterious trainer have been Cyclizar Mask?!" Naoki's eyes widened dramatically, feigning realization with perfect acting skills.

"So lucky!" The innocent young trainers believed him wholeheartedly, their faces filled with admiration. "We wish we could meet Cyclizar Mask too!"

However, the girl felt a nagging suspicion, perhaps a woman's intuition?

Noticing Naoki appeared busy, she tugged at her friends, politely excusing themselves before heading out.

However, instead of leaving immediately, the three trainers decided to ask around town.

Eventually, they learned that there was a man who regularly visited Naoki's ranch around 5 PM each day to pick up supplies.

"Let's ask him!" the girl suggested excitedly.

If this man regularly saw Naoki during these pick-ups, he'd definitely know whether Naoki was Cyclizar Mask!

Soon, the trio found Zack at the marketplace, loading boxes onto his truck.

After listening to their questions, Zack, wearing a shirt with a towel draped around his neck, took a thoughtful puff of his cigarette.

"Naoki? At the ranch at 5 PM, you say?" Zack repeated, slightly puzzled.

"Yes!" The trainers nodded eagerly.

Zack laughed warmly. "Of course he is! Every day around that time, Naoki personally hands over the supplies. He even has Koraidon and Cyclizar help load goat milk onto my truck! Naoki's as honest as they come—always spending time on his ranch with his Pokémon. The only time he ever left was years ago for an agricultural conference. No way he's running around Alola."

"Oh, I see..." The girl thanked Zack sincerely. "Thank you very much, sir!"

The trio said goodbye to Zack and headed to a nearby café to discuss their findings.

"Looks like our guess was completely wrong. Mr. Naoki isn't Cyclizar Mask after all," sighed one boy.

"Aw, that's disappointing. I thought we'd be the first to discover Cyclizar Mask's true identity!" another trainer added sadly.

The girl thoughtfully replied, "Maybe Cyclizar Mask wears a mask because he doesn't want anyone to know who he is. We shouldn't keep bothering him."

...

Meanwhile, at the Pokémon Center:

Naoki dismounted Koraidon, holding Happiny gently in his arms. He looked up at the Pokémon Center's familiar sign and smiled warmly at Happiny.

"We're here!"

"Happy?" Happiny curiously stared at the uniquely shaped building, recognizing the symbol immediately. Wasn't that the Poké Ball used to capture Pokémon?

"This is a Pokémon Center," Naoki explained gently. "It's a special place dedicated to healing injured Pokémon."

Naoki stepped inside, Happiny looking around eagerly.

In the morning, the Pokémon Center wasn't crowded. Trainers who had stayed overnight were leisurely enjoying breakfast together with their Pokémon, filling the place with a relaxed and cozy atmosphere.

Nurse Joy and her Audino stood behind the counter, carefully sorting through medical records of injured Pokémon.

Seeing Naoki coming over, Audino, wearing its nurse's hat, raised its head and offered a warm smile.

"Audino~"

Nurse Joy turned upon hearing Audino's gentle voice, pleasantly surprised to see Naoki.

"Oh? Naoki! What brings you here today? Did one of your Pokémon get hurt?"

"No, everyone's fine," Naoki assured her gently. He looked down affectionately at Happiny in his arms. "My little Happiny wants to become a Pokémon doctor and help care for Pokémon on the ranch. So I thought I'd bring her here to observe how professional nurses and doctors work."

"Ah, I see!" Nurse Joy smiled, delighted. She gazed warmly at Happiny and added kindly, "What a thoughtful Pokémon you are! Don't worry, Audino and I will be happy to show you around."

"Audino~" Audino echoed sweetly, matching Nurse Joy's gentle expression.

"Happy?" Happiny tilted her head, intrigued.

Naoki gently set Happiny down. "Go ahead, Happiny. Let Audino and Nurse Joy show you what being a doctor is all about."

Audino cheerfully approached Happiny, gently guiding her into the Pokémon Center.

Nurse Joy looked back, "Naoki, would you like to join us?"

"Thank you," Naoki replied, following along with Koraidon.

Inside, the Pokémon Center was exactly as Naoki remembered from his travels—far more than just a clinic. It was a comprehensive facility that included patient rooms, a cafeteria, lodging, and leisure areas.

Just like in the anime, traveling trainers could freely receive treatment for their Pokémon, meals, and accommodations here.

In one of the rooms, a few Pokémon lay quietly on beds, connected to IVs as they recovered.

Happiny curiously peeked through the window.

"These Pokémon are severely injured and need careful care," Nurse Joy gently explained. "But Happiny, why do you want to become a doctor?"

"Audino?" Audino helpfully repeated Nurse Joy's question to Happiny.

"Happy!" Happiny declared confidently, "Because these Pokémon need help!"

"Audino~" Audino smiled approvingly, clearly sharing Happiny's sentiment.

Nurse Joy also understood Happiny's earnest feelings and continued, "But becoming a Pokémon doctor involves a lot of hard work."

She elaborated, "Aside from caring for injured Pokémon, you'll need extensive knowledge, such as identifying medicines, accurately diagnosing conditions, and administering proper treatments."

"This is crucial because the wrong treatment could worsen their injuries, endangering their lives."

"Furthermore, doctors and nurses train themselves rigorously. They use moves like Sing to ease a Pokémon's pain by helping them sleep and Heal Pulse to treat injuries."

"Happy!" Happiny responded energetically. Naoki had already explained these duties during their journey to the center, so she wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, her determination only grew.

Besides, yesterday Pawmot had assured her that if there was ever an injury too difficult to treat, they could always use Gogoat Milk. That way, any Pokémon would instantly recover!

"You have wonderful determination!" Nurse Joy praised Happiny's spirit enthusiastically.

After the tour, Nurse Joy retrieved several notebooks from her room and handed them to Naoki.

"These are my notes and experiences from nursing school. Naoki, you can share them with Happiny. Also, my Audino will be happy to help out."

"If you're free, feel free to bring Happiny here every evening after 5 PM. Audino can share practical nursing tips with her."

"Thank you so much," Naoki gratefully accepted the notebooks from Nurse Joy.

He mentally noted to gift Nurse Joy some fresh watermelons and produce from his ranch to express his appreciation.