"Ga!" With a sharp cry and the sound of flapping wings, Taylor looked up.
A Murkrow flew down from the sky and landed on Taylor's hand, turning its head toward the gate while calling out.
"Kuro, has another Pokémon been abandoned?" Taylor frowned slightly, and Kuro nodded.
Taylor turned off the stove, hurriedly left the kitchen while still wearing his apron, and followed Kuro to the front door.
After pushing open the iron gate, Taylor saw a red-and-white Poké Ball on the ground with two hundred Alliance Coins placed on top.
He looked around but couldn't find the person who had left it.
"Another abandoned Pokémon..." Taylor muttered, picking up the Poké Ball. As he did, the Poké Ball shook slightly before going still.
Kuro hopped onto Taylor's wrist, staring at the Poké Ball with big eyes filled with pity and curiosity.
Taylor closed the gate. The Poké Ball in his hand wasn't heavy, but he could already sense the information within it:
Teddiursa
Normal/Fighting Pokémon
Near Death
Stage III erosive skin disease caused by forest fever, urgent treatment required
Taylor quickly took the Poké Ball to the infirmary and opened it.
A foul stench immediately filled the air. Kuro screeched and jumped back onto Taylor's head. After a moment, unable to bear the smell, it flew out of the room.
Taylor deftly put on a mask.
Even with the mask, the stench lingered at the tip of his nose.
Before him was a small Teddiursa. Its once-cute appearance was now far from adorable, likely to give nightmares to anyone faint-hearted.
The Pokémon breathed rapidly, each breath causing pus to ooze from the festering wounds on its body.
Large patches of tattered skin hung from the Teddiursa's body. The eroded wounds emitted a disgusting odor, with tiny insects wriggling within them. Taylor put on gloves and gently touched Teddiursa's head.
The Teddiursa trembled all over, too weak to move. Only the faint rise and fall of its tattered chest proved it was still alive.
"It must be very painful. Just hold on a little longer," Taylor said softly, sensing the little one's mental anguish. A faint green light glowed from his palm, and the Teddiursa's breathing eased slightly.
Though its condition improved marginally, Taylor remained silent. The Evergreen Power could heal Pokémon injuries, but it was ineffective against severe diseases like this. The Teddiursa needed more intensive treatment.
And intensive treatment meant high costs.
Erosive skin disease was particularly expensive to treat, and Taylor suspected this was why the trainer had abandoned the Teddiursa.
"Fortunately, I have a cheat..." Taylor muttered. He gently picked up the Teddiursa, taking care to be as delicate as possible. Despite his caution, a piece of eroded skin fell off with a soft *plop* onto the ground.
The Teddiursa didn't react, and Taylor carefully placed it into the treatment cabin.
[Forest fever erosive skin disease, stage III. Low-level treatment cabin can only maintain life stability. Please upgrade.]
Reading the instructions on the treatment cabin, Taylor removed his gloves and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Taylor wasn't from this world. Like the protagonists of popular isekai novels, he was a transmigrator.
There was no sudden death from overwork or a truck to another world. On his way home from work, Taylor had spotted an old, dirty Charmander doll on the ground, missing its hands and tail.
He bent down to pick it up.
When he looked up, he was in the Pokémon world.
Smooth and seamless.
Fortunately, Taylor had a golden finger: a system that bound him to this stray Pokémon orphanage, making him its director.
[Upgrade low-level treatment cabin: 1000 happiness points]
Taylor pursed his lips as he read the cost.
Happiness points were earned based on the joy of the stray and abandoned Pokémon he took in. In the two months he'd been in this world, Taylor had earned only 1,100 happiness points. This was partly because his orphanage was still new and had taken in only a few Pokémon.
"I was planning to save up for that..." Taylor hesitated but decided to upgrade.
With the upgrade, the sci-fi treatment cabin became more advanced.
[Treatment time: 7 days]
Seeing the estimated time, Taylor wiped his hands, removed his gloves, and tossed them into the medical waste bin.
Erosive skin disease was somewhat contagious, but as long as one avoided contact with the pus, infection was unlikely.
The gloves were now useless.
Looking at the now-calm Teddiursa in the treatment cabin, Taylor began disinfecting the area while mentally drafting the report he'd need to write later.
Though he was bound to the role of orphanage director, Taylor genuinely enjoyed the work. He had no desire to become a trainer or chase the title of gym champion in this world. Back when he played Pokémon games, he'd grown tired of being the champion.
Over the past two months of running the orphanage, Taylor had come to love his job.
"Ga!" Kuro flew back down and perched on Taylor, curiously eyeing the Teddiursa in the treatment cabin.
"Let's go. We still need to cook later. Let this little one rest," Taylor said, patting Kuro's head. He glanced at the sleeping Teddiursa, chuckled softly, and walked out of the infirmary with Kuro.
It was still early, but Taylor needed to prepare breakfast for the orphanage's residents.
Making breakfast wasn't too complicated. A bucket of near-expired milk donated by Evergreen Ranch and some ordinary vegetables served as breakfast for the herbivorous Pokémon.
For the carnivorous ones, Taylor prepared large cans of discounted Pokémon rations from the supermarket, along with more of the nearly expired milk.
Once everything was ready, Taylor moved the breakfast to the dining area. The orphanage was still quiet, so he rang the small brass bell nearby.
Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor outside the cafeteria. Taylor grabbed a cushion and placed it on a nearby pillar.
As the footsteps grew closer, an Infernape burst in. It moved so quickly that it crashed into the cushion Taylor had set up, falling to the ground with a *thud*. It shook its head and stood up.