After treating the first patient of the day—a Meowth—the large counter displayed on the online clinic page ticked upward, the number shifting from 579 to 580.
Yesterday, during his first consultation session, Ash hadn't set any limits. Trainers flooded in with appointments, and he'd been so overwhelmed that he didn't even have time to use the restroom. Even so, by the time he finished treating everyone, it was already seven or eight in the evening.
Learning from that experience, today Ash strictly controlled the workload, releasing only 300 appointment slots.
But even after cutting the number nearly in half, the math still didn't favor him.
Two hours meant 120 minutes. Dividing that by 300 patients meant each Pokémon would need to be treated in just 0.4 minutes.
Clearly impossible.
So Ash had no choice but to extend his working hours while pushing himself to increase efficiency.
He had originally thought he might finally get a chance to take a bathroom break today.
Turns out, that was wishful thinking.
Still, this outcome wasn't unexpected. Yesterday, he treated 579 patients. If today's number dropped too drastically, it would draw criticism. So he deliberately reduced the workload gradually instead of sharply.
Over the next couple of days, he planned to slowly bring it down further—eventually stabilizing at around 200 patients per day, keeping the consultation window within two to two-and-a-half hours.
That way, he could still copy enough skills, accumulate sufficient experience for his Viridian Blessing, and avoid sacrificing too much of his time for other responsibilities.
But until that balance was reached, today… he simply had to endure.
Starting at 3:30 PM, Ash worked nonstop until 6:20 PM before finally finishing the session.
"Alright everyone, today's consultation is over. I'm about to end the stream—thank you all for staying with me."
Throughout the entire session, he'd barely interacted with the livestream chat due to the workload. But now, as he prepared to log off, he saw the screen filled with warm, heartfelt messages.
For a moment, he felt genuinely touched.
"Ash, you worked so hard!"
"Yesterday you treated 579 patients, and today even with only 300 slots, you're still this busy…"
"You didn't even go to the restroom once—this is too much!"
"Please reduce the number of appointments tomorrow!"
"Thank you all for your concern," Ash said with a soft smile. "I'll think about adjusting the numbers. And thank you again for staying with me this whole afternoon."
"I'll be logging off now. See you tomorrow at the same time—3:30 to 5:30 PM."
With that, and an urgent need for a restroom break, Ash ended the stream immediately.
Only afterward did he glance at the statistics.
At peak, today's stream had reached 4.6 million viewers.
And despite barely looking at the camera or interacting with fans for hours, he had still received gifts totaling 230,000 Poké Dollars.
"…That's about what top influencers used to get," Ash muttered, slightly stunned.
He wasn't short on money. Teaching a Magikarp a single move like Tackle could already earn him 200,000 to 250,000 Poké Dollars.
But this felt different.
That income came from business—payment for a service.
This, however… was recognition of him as a person.
It wasn't a huge amount in comparison, but it made him unexpectedly happy.
Of course, Ash didn't keep the earnings to himself. He chose to split the livestream gifts evenly with Clarissa.
After all, while he gained skill copies and growth in his Viridian Blessing from the work, Clarissa was helping purely out of goodwill—and their relationship.
Even if she didn't lack money as the daughter of Joy Rong's family, Ash refused to take that for granted.
"Clarissa, we received a lot of gifts this afternoon. Give me your bank account—I'll transfer half to you."
"No, it's fine," she said, shaking her head. "Those were gifts for you. And I already have an allowance—I don't need it."
"That's not the point," Ash replied calmly. "Because you don't need money, I never offered you wages. Talking about money would cheapen your sincerity."
"But how do you know those gifts weren't for you? Maybe the fans thought you were adorable."
"And besides, this isn't just money—it's a gift. You have to accept it. Otherwise, next time I'll feel awkward asking you to help."
"…Alright," she finally agreed, giving him her account details.
Ash passed the information to Rotom, setting it so that from now on, all future livestream earnings would automatically split—half transferred to Clarissa's account.
No need to bring it up again. No risk of money complicating their relationship.
"Clarissa, you worked hard today. Go freshen up and change—we'll head out for dinner."
"Let's also check if Gary and Green are back. After dinner, I'll take you to the city battle arena. I haven't gone for a few days because of the clinic, and Pikachu and the others have started complaining."
"Okay," she replied with a bright smile, nodding obediently.
At first, her interest in the battle arena had been simple—an excuse to spend more time with Ash.
But now, after being around him for so long, influenced by his dedication, she had begun to understand something deeper.
Strength mattered.
Not just for traveling together someday without holding him back—
But also for becoming a truly exceptional Pokémon doctor.
--------------
....
PokePals's Note:
From the latest comments, I understand that many readers feel the pacing of this fanfic has been somewhat slow. Thank you all for your patience and support. I'll do my best to begin Ash's journey as soon as possible and pick up the pace moving forward.In the meantime, feel free to check out my latest Pokémon fanfic release and read it alongside this story!
✦ Pokémon: Endless Genesis of the Chosen One ✦
It's published under my secondary Webnovel account: MPHFics.
Feel free to read both stories in parallel, and I hope you enjoy it.