When Officer Jenny—who had just apprehended the so-called "decoy" unit—rushed back to the emergency center for backup, she was met with a bizarre sight. A group of Pokémon Hunters had been stripped stark naked, tied up in the beaming sunlight, and left for passersby to gawk at. Jessie, James, and Meowth stood guard over them.
Chansey had long since returned to helping inside after the battle ended. Though she hadn't directly attacked this time, her mission was the most significant: protecting the injured Pokémon.
After the Hunter attack, Ash and his team encountered no further hiccups. The surgery on Nidoking was a complete success. Without even taking a moment to catch his breath, Ash immediately moved on to treat the next patient. The medical marathon finally wrapped up by late afternoon.
The Continental Hotel subsequently delivered their lunch. Ash, his companions, Team Rocket, and Dr. Proctor sat together in a circle, eating and discussing the recent events.
"So, you're saying this Hunter organization came to attack us? But how did they know there was a medical emergency here? And why would they go out of their way to prepare a decoy unit?" Ash felt the Hunters' operation was full of suspicious holes.
James thought for a moment and chimed in, "That shouldn't be right. We were just hired to help transport the Pokémon this time... Wait! Vicious! Did we get sold out?!"
Hearing the name of that bastard Vicious, Ash raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, "What do you mean, sold out?"
Perhaps James had been working with Ash's group for so long that his filter had worn off, because he blurted out immediately, "Dammit! Vicious knew we were transporting the Pokémon. It was definitely him..."
Scratch!
With Meowth's signature Face-Scratch attack, James abruptly shut his mouth.
"You idiot! Whatever it is, save it for when we get back! We're eating right now!"
"Oh, sorry..."
Realizing he had definitely said too much, James obediently sat back down and resumed eating. Ash pondered for a second before saying, "If that's the case, I suggest you check your vehicle to see if it's been tampered with. After all, if the Hunter organization's operation was planned in advance... there's only one possibility. Your car crash was part of the plan too."
Ash didn't finish his thought, but Meowth, the brains of Team Rocket, nodded. "Yeah... the twerp is right. Looks like we need to give the Boss a heads-up..."
Watching Ash casually discuss these things with Team Rocket, Suzie quietly nudged Ash. "Ash, how do you know so much about this?"
Her question made Ash realize he might have said a bit too much. Meowth thoughtfully covered for him: "You could call it an occupational hazard for the Boss. Don't forget, the Boss has a massive family empire to manage. If he couldn't scheme and calculate, he'd have been eaten alive by now."
Hearing Meowth's explanation, everyone nodded in understanding. Meowth had previously mentioned the idiotic things done by Ash's distant, opportunistic relatives. Naturally, as Ash's business rivals, they would employ even dirtier tactics.
"By the way, what was that 'Black Jack' thing Dr. Proctor mentioned earlier?" Misty asked, subtly shifting the heavy topic. She was genuinely curious about the nickname.
Dr. Proctor almost choked on his food. After recovering, he laughed, "Ah, Black Jack! That's the nickname we doctors gave Ash. As for the reason, you'd know if you watched that new movie from Kalos."
He pulled out a DVD disc. The cover featured Diantha and Ash, heavily in makeup.
"This is a promotional movie Ash and Diantha shot a while back, acting as a tribute to doctors. The story is quite good and helps a lot of people understand the hardships of our profession, saving us a lot of grief. Since Ash played the lead, I started calling him Black Jack."
"Huh! Let me see, how did I miss this?" Misty leaned in, curious. She didn't recall ever seeing this movie.
"Oh, actually, Ash just filmed this recently. It's currently only showing in Kalos theaters. We doctors just got lucky and received an advanced complimentary copy."
"Ahem, Old Proctor, stop making fun of me. If Diantha wasn't the female lead, I'd have made you play the main character," Ash said, slightly embarrassed, before turning to the group. "Don't let his frivolous attitude fool you. This guy is a top-tier surgeon who's won multiple awards. Though I have no idea why he likes hiding out in this small town."
"Because I hate too much trouble. But speaking of which, how is your friend Steven doing? Even though it was a minor issue like you said, he shouldn't skip his follow-up exams."
"Don't worry, Steven has been taking good care of his eyes. He's basically fully recovered now."
"Is that so? That's good to hear. Still, what a pity. Ash, if you focused entirely on medicine, your achievements would be astronomical."
Relieved that Steven's eyes were fine, Dr. Proctor looked at Ash with genuine regret, believing his medical talents were being wasted.
Ash sighed helplessly. "Forget it. I know my own situation best... Misty and Brock know what I'm talking about."
"No, I think you're already amazing, Ash." Misty knew exactly what he meant. Many of Ash's current achievements came from the accumulation of his past life's memories. Ash had already sacrificed and paid so much just to cure Lusamine.
"Alright, enough about me. The ones who really deserve praise today are Team Rocket. Thank you three for your help today."
"Huh?"
Team Rocket was stunned to hear Ash actually complimenting them. Ash continued, "Anyone willing to step up and protect the injured is, in a way, pretty damn good in my book."
"...Th-Thank you..."
The sudden praise left the trio feeling flustered. Ash then looked over at Chansey and patted her head. "But I really need to give the biggest praise to you, Chansey. You did an incredible job maintaining Light Screen to protect the hospital. You did what those two doctors were supposed to do, and you never dropped your guard until every last Hunter was taken down. You did amazing, Chansey. Sometimes, the real battlefield isn't the fight itself, but fulfilling your true duty. You did a great job. You've really grown up."
"Lucky!" (I love you, Papa Ash!)
Hearing Ash's words, Chansey smiled gently. Then, her body began to emit a blinding white light. She was evolving!
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
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