"What's going on here?"
Officer Jenny, with another officers, arrived, surprised to see the "natural deforestation" near their city.
"Officer!" Cynthia hurriedly called. "Can you help me get these Pokémon and these two to the Pokémon Center?"
Caitlin was still unconscious after her psychic awakening. Allen, thanks to Combee's bite (though not poisonous), had a sore shoulder as the adrenaline wore off. There were also several unconscious Combee and Vespiquen.
"What happened here?" Officer Jenny asked.
Cynthia explained, "Fire, trees, smoke—Combee were knocked out. We tried to help, but then..."
She recounted the events, including Caitlin's psychic powers and their attempt to stop her.
"You mean all of this... because of her?" Officer Jenny asked again, incredulously.
People with psychic abilities are rare, but that doesn't mean they are unknown. However, Officer Jenny had never seen someone capable of destroying such a large area of forest in one go.
"No, no," Allen winced as he massaged his shoulder, then explained the thunder and the real source of the problem—Raikou.
"Johto's Raikou?" Everyone looked at Allen in disbelief, but he was honest.
He quickly worked with his Poketch and opened his Pokédex, which he had previously used to scan Raikou when the Pokémon had disappeared into the sky earlier.
[...Raikou embodies the speed of lightning. Its roars send shockwaves through the air and shake the ground as if lightning bolts had struck…]
"Incredible," both Officer Jenny and all the officers murmured in awe as they gazed at Raikou's figure.
CLAP!
The sudden clap snapped every officer's attention toward Raikou. "Alright, now we have something more important to focus on, don't we?" she said with a sharp, commanding tone. Her officers nodded quickly and dispersed, ready for the next task.
Time to handle the Combee and Vespiquen!
It wasn't the best plan, but transporting the Vespiquen and Combee to the Pokémon Center was their only option.
Leaving them unconscious and vulnerable to wild Pokémon wasn't safe, and they didn't have enough healing supplies or Pokéballs.
In the end, Officer Jenny's tarp from the police car came in handy. The Combee that had saved Allen followed him, concerned about the situation. Allen reassured it that they were there to help.
After carefully placing them on the tarp, Officer Jenny and her team released Arcanine and several Growlithe, creating a bustling, noisy scene.
"Awooooo~!" Arcanine's deep, powerful howl sent a few Combee buzzing frantically, zipping around like tiny, confused drones.
But the fun didn't stop there — the Growlithe pups, eager to join in, chimed in with their squeaky, high-pitched "Awoooo!" that was more yip than howl.
The sound was so adorably mismatched, it was like a choir of tiny wolves and fluffy puppies.
"Alright, alright, stop with your attention-grabbing antics. You've got work now," Officer Jenny sighed, patting Arcanine before it got to work.
It had been a draining experience, and Allen slumped to the ground at the entrance to the forest.
"Alright, wait here," Officer Jenny instructed, speaking into her radio while Allen slumped down at the entrance of the forest. He closed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh.
"Are you okay, Allen?" Cynthia asked, concerned.
"I'm really tired," he muttered, barely able to open his eyes. "Think I'm just gonna take a little nap."
"Wait! Don't die, please—"
It was too late. In classic Allen fashion, he was already snoring, leaving Cynthia alone with a group of police officers.
Time passed, and Allen remained unconscious, unaware of how much time had gone by.
"Mill~"
"Buneary~!"
It seemed he was hearing some familiar voices.
"You're very lucky things turned out the way they did."
Allen slowly opened his eyes, and this time, he heard the scolding more clearly. He tried to open his eyes fully and soon saw where the voices were coming from. A figure in white, with a bell on her head? Yes, it looked like she was lecturing Cynthia, with Gabite standing beside her.
Who else could make Cynthia and her Gabite stand so obediently, like they were being scolded, if not her grandmother, Professor Carolina?
Wait, Professor Carolina?
"Individual Combee are harmless, but a swarm without a Vespiquen directing them? They could bite you, and without the Vespiquen's command to stop, they won't! After four years of school, don't you know that?!"
Professor Carolina scolded Cynthia, who pouted in response.
Allen tried his best not to cringe at the rebuke, keeping his eyes shut and pretending to be asleep. But unfortunately for him, the mischievous Buneary had already spotted his finger twitching.
With a little hop, Buneary bounced onto his chest and began patting his face, making exaggerated "Buneary~!" noises as if loudly announcing, "Look! He's faking it!"
Bulla, the gentle Miltank, understood the situation and happily trotted over to grab some fresh Miltank milk. She opened the bottle with a gentle nudge and presented it to Allen with hopeful, big eyes.
How could Allen still pretend to refuse with Bulla giving him that look?
He sighed, slowly opening one eye and giving Buneary a look of defeat. "You're supposed to be on my side..." he groaned.
"Buneary~!" But Buneary just puffed out her little chest and gave him a proud, victorious stance, as if saying, "I had no choice, you left me no option!"
It wasn't until Allen joined Cynthia that he became the target of Professor Carolina's scolding. That was when he finally learned what had happened after he passed out.
Officer Jenny had called in the Pokémon Rangers from Jubilife City to assist with the situation. Their primary task was to carefully transport the injured Pokémon, along with the alert Combee, to the Pokémon Center.
Apparently once there a very nervous Nurse Joy had to heal up the Vespiquen first, with several Combee hovering literally over her shoulder the entire time.
Once the Vespiquen had woken up and been calmed down, with the help of an "expert" and his Pokémon who had been able to talk to the Vespiquen, the Combee swarm had also settled down and were allowed to be treated for their own wounds.
For most of the time, Allen remained asleep, completely drained from dealing with roller skating, Raikou, and now the bug Pokémon. Nurse Joy had given him a thorough check-up, hooked him up to an IV with drugs and saline, then placed him on a gurney in the corner while she focused on the Pokémon.
About ten hours after he collapsed, Professor Carolina used her connections to reach out to Professor Rowan, who, knowing about Allen's accident, immediately pulled some strings. Using his influence, he ensured that Allen received the best treatment available and arranged for them to be transferred to Celestic Town.
"So this is Celestic Town already..." Allen thought — before a chill shot down his spine.
No way... Grandma—
Allen gulped. Standing at the door was his grandmother, already glaring at him furiously, a feather duster in hand, ready to punish him.
"Grandma, wait—!"
The second round of scolding began without mercy.
After about fifteen or twenty minutes of dizzying lectures, Allen finally sagged in relief as his grandmother stopped.
"Grandma, what about the factory?" Allen asked anxiously.
Thanks to his Uncle Haaland and Aunt Drasna, who were currently helping run the silk factory, everything had been going smoothly.
This year, Allen had planned to use the opportunity to learn more — but he hadn't expected to run into such an accident so soon.
"Don't worry about that. What's important is that you get better first. Once you've recovered, then you can check on your factory," Grandma Dracelia replied reassuringly.
Apparently, he was fine — just a few harmless Combee bites that left him a little sore. According to Grandma Dracelia, he would recover completely in about three days. Nurse Joy had also given him antibiotics to make sure there wouldn't be any complications.
"As it stands, you're lucky the Vespiquen chose not to take offense," Grandma Dracelia said, her tone turning serious. Then she added, even more firmly, "But they've lost a lot of their home. If things had gone even slightly differently, the Vespiquen would have been entitled to seek restitution."
"She could do that?" Allen asked, wide-eyed.
"There's a law firm in Jubilife City that helps Pokémon who have been harmed. Don't worry — it's all being taken care of," Grandma Dracelia assured him.
Allen nodded and let out a deep sigh of relief.
Two days passed. In Celestic Town, there was a clinic everyone was familiar with, and Caitlin was being treated there.
"Allen, where are you going?" Cynthia asked curiously, always accompanied by her Gabite.
Allen nodded towards her and replied, "I'm going to visit Caitlin today to check on her condition. Are you coming with me?"
Cynthia smiled. "I've finished my homework and don't have anything else to do, so why not?"
"Then let's go!" Allen said with a grin.