An unfamiliar ceiling.
Eevee opened its eyes; there were no rusty iron bars in sight, and the scent lingering in its nostrils wasn’t the disgusting smell of mold and blood from the sewers.
Instead, a faint milky scent lingered in its nose.
Eevee subconsciously sniffed, picking up the scent of fabric that had been dried in the sun.
A strange scent…
yet it brought a sense of comfort.
In the depths of Eevee’s short memory, there were only cold cages, rude shouting, and spoiled food that would be snatched away by its companions if it didn’t fight for it.
Warmth was a trap.
This made it feel unprecedented panic.
Comfort meant death.
The vigilance carved into its bones made Eevee spring up from the soft bedding.
Ignoring the tearing pain in its abdomen, it used all four limbs, trying to flee like a madman.
Clatter—books on the nightstand were knocked to the floor, and the decorative doll was kicked into the corner.
Eevee crashed around the not-so-spacious room, its claws scraping against the floor with a harsh sound, turning the originally neat and cozy room into a mess in the blink of an eye.
Just as it was about to crash into the closed door— “Click.” The sound of the lock turning rang out.
Kaname pushed the door open.
The bitterness that hadn’t faded from her mouth made her frown, and the scene before her made her stop in her tracks.
It was a mess.
The ungrateful little guy was hunched in the corner between the wardrobe and the wall, its fur standing on end, emitting a fierce, hissing sound from its throat.
“…I knew it.” Kaname sighed and closed the door behind her.
She didn’t grab a broom, but walked straight over.
Eevee bared its teeth, attempting to scare off the human child with a fierce expression, and the moment she approached, it exerted force, trying to dash out from the side.
If it were a healthy Pokémon, Kaname’s five-year-old body would definitely not be able to react in time.
But Eevee was far too weak right now.
Its movements were as slow as a replay in Kaname’s eyes, and the wound on its abdomen limited its explosive power.
Kaname just waited for the right moment, not even needing much technique, and her fair, delicate hand reached out quickly, accurately, and ruthlessly—snap.
It was grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
“Eevee!!” Eevee panicked, kicking its legs, trying to turn its head to bite that hand, but the feeling of helplessness from being suspended in mid-air made its resistance look particularly ridiculous.
Ignoring the struggle of the little thing in her hand, Kaname carried it back to the bedside.
[Warning: Target’s body temperature is abnormally high.] [Wound Analysis: Signs of bacterial infection detected, inflammation is spreading.
Simple herbs can no longer suppress the progression of the illness; it is recommended to use antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs as soon as possible.] The cold system prompt in her mind confirmed Kaname’s hypothesis.
As expected.
Although Pokémon have tenacious vitality and self-healing abilities that can be called a racial talent, it must be built upon a foundation of sufficient physical strength.
This Eevee was clearly in a state of long-term malnutrition, and combined with excessive blood loss and shock, the emergency treatment just now could only be considered as keeping it alive.
“Don’t move.” Kaname scolded it in a low voice, regardless of whether it understood or not.
She grabbed the coat that had been used as a nest, and with skilled movements, wrapped Eevee up like a spring roll, leaving only its furry head exposed.
Having its limbs bound, Eevee could only twist its body in futile rage.
Just as Kaname was adjusting the hem of her clothes, something shiny slid out of her pocket and fell to the floor.
Kaname glanced at it casually and picked up the Candy.
Looking at this beautifully packaged strawberry-flavored hard Candy, the unbearable bitterness of the herbal medicine in her mouth seemed to well up again.
On a whim, she peeled off the Candy wrapper.
Taking advantage of the moment Eevee opened its mouth to use Astonish, Kaname moved quickly and stuffed the pink Candy directly into its mouth.
“Mmph?!” Eevee’s eyes widened instantly, a gurgling sound emanating from its throat, subconsciously wanting to spit it out.
However.
The moment its tongue touched the Candy.
A taste it had never experienced exploded in its mouth.
Sweet.
Having never tasted any sweetness, Eevee’s pupils, originally vertical, even dilated slightly, leaving only its tongue instinctively wrapping around the Candy, sucking on it cautiously.
For an Eevee born in a black market cage, having only eaten spoiled food and hard, dry berries, this sweetness that struck the soul was simply magic.
Its originally fierce expression froze, and its struggling movements ceased.
Looking at the instantly quiet Eevee, Kaname snorted in annoyance.
“Eat up; once you eat it, you’re an accomplice.” Although the little one was temporarily soothed, the fundamental problem remained unsolved.
—Inflammation.
The system indicated that human anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics were equally effective for Pokémon, provided the dosage was controlled.
But the problem was the source.
Kaname felt her empty pockets.
As an orphan, she had no pocket money, and although the Daycare Center provided meals, medicine was considered a controlled item and was locked in the infirmary cabinet.
Moreover, it was dark now; she had no reason to go out to buy medicine, and even less reason to ask the teacher for anti-inflammatory drugs.
Unless…
Kaname sat on the edge of the bed, her ruby-like eyes scanning the dim room.
Finally, her gaze locked onto a small stationery knife used for sharpening pencils.
Kaname stood up, picked up the slightly dull knife, and slowly extended the blade.
“…Keeping you was a huge loss.” She turned around, looking at Eevee, which was still savoring the sweetness of the Candy, her tone as calm as if she were discussing what to have for dinner.
Eevee looked over, and the next second, its expression turned to terror.
Kaname raised her right hand, the blade pointed at her left palm.
Without any hesitation, she slashed down forcefully.
“Hiss—” Bright red blood instantly gushed from her fair palm, and the pain surged straight to her brain along her nerves.
“Eevee?!” The Candy in Eevee’s mouth almost fell out.
It shrank its neck, trembling uncontrollably.
Even though it had seen humans whipping their own kind, and seen humans using Thunder Shock to punish other Pokémon, Eevee had never seen a person harming themselves with such a blank expression.
Kaname ignored Eevee’s look of seeing a monster.
Tears welled up in her eyes due to the instinctive physiological pain, instantly blurring her vision and rolling down her cheeks in large drops.
Although her mind was very clear, this five-year-old body was still too honest.
“Perfect, I even saved on eye drops.” Kaname looked at her blood-covered hand, nodded with satisfaction, and then put on a panicked expression, pulled open the door, and stumbled out.
“Teacher!
Teacher!!
Wuwuwu…” The miserable crying instantly echoed through the corridor.
Ten minutes later.
Kaname returned to the room, sobbing, her left hand wrapped in thick gauze.
The terrified duty teacher bandaged her with layer after layer, fussing over her, much more caring than she had anticipated.
Kaname felt the medicine bottle in her pocket with her uninjured right hand.
Taking advantage of the moment the teacher was frantically searching through the first aid kit and turning away to get more gauze, Kaname pilfered the anti-inflammatory medicine.
“Click.” The door was locked again.
Kaname wiped the undried tears from her face, and the timidity and pain on her face instantly vanished.
She walked to the bedside.
Eevee was still huddled in the clothes, and seeing Kaname return, its body trembled even more violently; its originally guarded gaze now contained only pure fear and awe.
It didn’t dare to move, and even its breathing was cautious.
“What are you afraid of?
It’s not like I’m cutting your flesh.” Kaname unscrewed the medicine bottle with one hand, poured a bit of powder onto her fingertip, and mixed it with a little warm water to dissolve it.
[Scanning…
Medicine match successful.] [Please apply the medicine to the abdominal wound and accompany it with a light massage to promote absorption.] Kaname reached out her right hand toward Eevee.
Eevee instinctively wanted to shrink back, but after seeing the eye-catching white gauze on Kaname’s left hand, it froze in place, allowing the slightly cool small hand to lift the soft fur on its belly.
The medicinal liquid was applied to the wound, bringing a hint of stinging pain.
But Eevee didn’t make a sound, just stared wide-eyed at the human before it.
Moonlight spilled in through the window, illuminating the girl’s calm profile.