The female Pyroar stepped forward and gently licked the girl's face twice.
The girl murmured unconsciously, mumbling something about "a hundred consecutive wins on an adventure journey," words that made little sense.
Hayato moved closer and crouched down.
"From what I can see, there are no obvious external injuries. It doesn't look like she was attacked by wild Pokémon. Her skin is flushed, her face is pale, and her body is trembling uncontrollably."
He placed a hand on the girl's forehead.
It was burning hot.
Most likely, she had been frightened and developed a fever.
"The temperature's very high—probably around 39°C. That's not good."
A temperature that high counted as a serious fever. If it continued, it could cause irreversible harm to the body.
She needed to cool down immediately.
Hayato didn't have any medicine on him. The ranch had some basic fever medicine, but it probably wouldn't do much against such a high fever.
After thinking for a moment, someone came to mind.
"Pyroar, could you help me take her somewhere? There's someone there who can treat her."
As he spoke, Hayato lifted the girl into his arms.
Naturally, he mounted Pyroar's back and pointed ahead.
"That way."
Beside Route 12, at a Miltank ranch, a Stoutland lay lazily on the ground, enjoying the warm afternoon sunlight.
The next moment, Stoutland suddenly became alert.
It sprang to its feet, locking its gaze in one direction as its body lowered into a combat stance.
"It's me, Stoutland! Is Sister Penny at the ranch?"
Hayato 's voice arrived before he did, instantly easing Stoutland's vigilance.
Stoutland barked twice and led Hayato into the ranch.
Pani, who was currently checking the health of the Miltank herd, suddenly saw three figures rushing toward her.
The sudden appearance of two unfamiliar Pyroar beside her startled her so badly that she screamed.
"It's me, Sister Penny!"
Hayato quickly jumped down, patting Pyroar to signal it to stop.
"Oh—it's you, Hayato ."
Pani patted her chest, still shaken, and curiously looked at the two Pyroar.
"Are they your Pokémon too? They look incredibly strong."
"Pyroar and I are friends," Hayato explained casually.
He then lifted the girl off the female Pyroar's back.
"Sister Penny, please take a look. Pyroar found her in the wild. She's running a high fever and the situation doesn't look good."
As a Junior Pokémon Breeder, Pani had learned some basic medical knowledge.
With just one glance, she understood the girl's condition.
After placing a hand on the girl's forehead, she immediately said,
"Quick, follow me. There's a medical room over here."
The first priority was to bring down the fever. Pani gave the girl a fever-reducing medicine made from Berries.
The effect was immediate.
The girl's body temperature quickly dropped, and her condition stabilized. Before long, soft breathing and faint snores filled the room.
Hayato and Pani exchanged relieved looks.
Even the Pyroar couple, who had been peeking anxiously through the window, visibly relaxed.
"Good thing Sister Penny was here," Hayato said. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do."
"Not really," Pani replied with a smile. "If you hadn't brought her here in time, even I might have been helpless."
"Then the real credit should go to Pyroar."
Their conversation didn't last long.
After informing Pani, Hayato prepared to return to the ranch.
With her watching over the girl, he felt reassured.
Tomorrow, once the girl woke up, he would take her to Officer Jenny so she could be escorted back safely.
On the way back, the female Pyroar learned that the cubs had been left behind.
Naturally, she began complaining to the male Pyroar.
Only after Hayato repeatedly assured her that the cubs were safe did she finally calm down.
From the way she treated her offspring, it seemed this was her first time giving birth and also the first time establishing a pride.
Thinking about Kangaskhan back at the ranch, Hayato wondered if she could learn a thing or two from Pyroar.
If nothing unexpected happened, Kangaskhan would likely give birth to a baby Kangaskhan during autumn or winter.
They soon returned to the ranch.
Even before they got close, cheerful roars from the Litleo could be heard.
The female Pyroar clearly relaxed upon hearing them, though she still shot her mate a resentful look.
You were supposed to watch the kids, and you just dumped them on someone else. What kind of father does that?
Inside the ranch, the three Litleo were in excellent condition.
Kangaskhan had put all of her "childcare experience" into action, and the results were fantastic.
When the Litleo saw their parents return, they merely glanced at them—
Then continued playing happily around Kangaskhan .
Well then.
After just a few hours apart, the kids weren't even close to their parents anymore?
This made the female Pyroar furious.
She immediately turned around and smacked the male Pyroar again.
A quarrel between the couple wasn't exactly good news.
Hayato walked over to Kangaskhan and whispered something in her ear.
Kangaskhan nodded in understanding.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Pyroar couple paused their argument, Kangaskhan gently led the female Pyroar away.
One was a new mother, the other a mother-to-be.
They had plenty in common—and plenty to talk about.
Kangaskhan shared her childcare knowledge, while the female Pyroar talked about raising cubs.
The two got along wonderfully.
Meanwhile, the male Pyroar had clearly taken that beating for nothing.
"Pyroar, it's getting late today. Why don't your family stay at the ranch for the night?"
Hayato invited them.
"I'll make dinner. You can leave after eating."
Pyroar responded immediately.
Extra spicy.
Hayato seriously suspected that Pyroar had come here just for that Spicy Boiled Pork Slices .
"Sure," Hayato agreed.
Then he turned toward the Cinccino that was sticking close to him and scooped it up into his arms.
"What would you like to eat?"
His tone softened noticeably.
"Chi~chi~"
Cinccino snuggled in his arms and rubbed its cheek against his.
The tiny gesture was irresistibly adorable.
"How about some glutinous rice cakes?"
Cinccino's ears twitched shyly as Hayato gently pinched them.
"Go play for now. It'll be ready soon."
When he entered the kitchen, Hayato glanced at the shelf where he stored ingredients.
Fortunately, he had restocked a few days ago. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough food to host the Pyroar family.
For Spicy Boiled Pork Slices , the most important thing was the spice.
Hayato first prepared a special chili sauce to ensure it met Pyroar's expectations.
[Secret Chili Sauce]
A super-super-super spicy chili sauce. Do not attempt to taste it casually. When added to certain dishes, it becomes extremely popular among some Pokémon.
Looking at the three "super"s at the beginning of the description, Hayato paused with his chopsticks halfway to dipping them in.
Forget it.
Better not risk it.
Besides the boiled pork slices for the Pyroar couple, Hayato also prepared several meat skewers.
Two extremely spicy dishes were more than enough to satisfy Pyroar's cravings.
He then made dinner for Kangaskhan , Cinccino, and the others.
But Hayato didn't stop there.
Today, he also planned to prepare a baby Pokémon dish.
It would serve as practice in preparation for the future birth of Kangaskhan's baby.
Normally he wouldn't have the opportunity—but today there were three Litleo cubs at the ranch, so nothing would go to waste.
Soon, Hayato had an idea.
He peeled and diced tomatoes and potatoes, then minced beef into a paste.
All were ingredients already available at the ranch—nothing would be wasted.
Compared to regular cooking, baby food was actually simpler to prepare.
Before long, the baby Pokémon dish tailored to the Litleo's taste was finished.
At the same time—
A notification appeared before Hayato 's eyes.
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