Where am I?
My body hurts all over. Why is there a woman's voice? It feels like I am lying down.
My vision keeps flickering in and out. When I try to focus, a wave of heavy exhaustion pulls down my eyelids, leaving me without even a fraction of the strength to open them.
This half-waking, half-sleeping state persists for a long time. By night, with the half-moon hanging in the sky, the fever on Chen Ming's forehead finally drops just a tiny bit.
Professor Oak, who has been waiting nearby, replaces the slightly warm damp towel on Chen Ming's forehead with a cooler one.
After finishing, he glances at the book he brought along.
He has already read most of it, and it is getting late. I wonder if Gary actually remembered to eat properly. Maybe I should go ask Auntie Delia.
Putting the book down, Professor Oak walks over to the videophone and dials Delia's number.
In a small diner in Pallet Town, Ash is sitting in front of the television watching a League match, while Gary is playing with the Eevee Professor Oak gave him.
Ring, ring—
The phone rings.
"Ash—go see who's calling for Mom—"
Delia is busy preparing dinner and cannot spare the time.
"Okay~"
Reluctantly, Ash tears his eyes away from the thrilling match for a few precious seconds.
Ash walks sluggishly over to the phone. "Hello? Who is this, please?"
"Oh, it's just you, Ash. It's Professor Oak. Say hello to your mother for me. Is Gary around?"
Looking at Ash through the screen, Professor Oak bursts into laughter.
He doesn't need to guess to know why Ash is making such a gloomy face.
"He's right here. I'll go get Gary for you."
Hearing that, Ash doesn't hesitate for a second to go fetch Gary so he can take his place.
Watching Gary walk over holding Eevee, Ash still feels a twinge of envy, but compared to that, watching the League tournament is far more important.
"Grandpa, why are you looking for me?"
Gary asks straight to the point.
"Oh, nothing much. I won't be heading back quite yet. Would you like to stay over at Ash's place for the night?"
Gary wears an awkward expression. Coming over for dinner is certainly what he wants—after all, cooking instant noodles in a beaker is a true test of one's willpower.
But having to sleep in the same house as that blockhead of a guy is a bit...
"It seems Gary likes the idea too, so it's settled."
"Gary, go ask Auntie Delia if she has a moment. There's something I'd like to talk to her about."
Without giving Gary a chance to refuse, Professor Oak settles the matter right then and there.
Just then, Delia finishes up her chores. Seeing that Ash is still glued to the television while Gary has vanished, she doesn't need to guess what happened, and she smiles with a helpless sigh.
Meanwhile, Gary walks over looking deeply conflicted, holding Eevee and wearing a gloomy expression.
Gary says, "Auntie Delia, my grandpa is on the phone. He says he has something to talk to you about."
Delia smiles, wipes the water from her hands, and walks over to the phone.
"Hello, Professor Oak."
"Hello, Delia. I'm afraid I have to ask you to take care of Gary for tonight."
"Not at all! You've helped us out so much, looking after Gary is no trouble at all. Is there some other important matter? Gary mentioned you wanted to talk to me."
"Ah, yes. There is one thing. I was hoping to ask you to help look after a child. He's the child of a friend of mine, so to speak, but due to certain circumstances, I'm the only one he could turn to for help. An old man like me just isn't equipped to take care of him."
Professor Oak scratches his head sheepishly, looking genuinely embarrassed.
Delia doesn't think too much of it, though she recalls seeing ramen noodles boiling in beakers whenever she visited Professor Oak's laboratory...
Their own family has received a lot of help from Professor Oak over the years, so looking after a child is no big deal at all—and besides, it might be nice for Ash to have some company.
"You're too polite, Professor. Of course I can look after a child, but I was wondering about your friend..."
Delia agrees, but naturally has to ask out of caution.
"Alas, the child's background is rather complicated. From now on, he will be all alone in the world."
Professor Oak seems to know something, but holds back due to certain reservations, choosing not to tell the whole truth.
Kind-hearted Delia asks no further after hearing that, her heart simply filling with extra warmth and concern for the child she has yet to meet.
"Well, then, I'll leave it at that for now, Delia. I'm hanging up."
Fearing he might slip up if he says too much, Professor Oak seizes the chance to wrap up the conversation and hangs up the phone.
While Professor Oak is making the call, Chen Ming quietly wakes up.
He is still running a high fever, but thanks to his formidable mental strength, he manages to regain consciousness smoothly.
He pulls up his stat panel and sees that his energy points have dropped significantly, though compared to his total pool, it's still a drop in the bucket.
Estimating the time, he realizes he has been unconscious for a full two or three days. He owes his survival entirely to energy points and the help of wild Pokémon.
As for why his high fever refuses to break, it seems that transforming into a human body wasn't just a simple illusion—it made him function like a real, complete human being.
While his consciousness was clouded, Professor Oak was still sitting right there, so Chen Ming dared not make any sudden movements; he has only waited until Professor Oak stepped away before getting up.
With an unfamiliar person around, Chen Ming didn't dare use energy points to cure himself directly.
Now that Professor Oak has stepped out, Chen Ming uses his energy points to lower his body temperature, stopping once he reaches a mild fever.
He can basically confirm he is in a Pokémon Center—a fact he deduces from Nurse Joy's previous visits.
In his human form, Chen Ming's total mental capacity hasn't changed, but his efficiency in using it has plummeted. He can't even manage his most basic capability of blanketing the entire Pokémon Center—though that might just mean this place is quite large...
Before he can ponder further, he hears approaching footsteps and quickly resumes his previous posture.
Professor Oak leisurely walks back in, seemingly unconcerned about Chen Ming's safety, knowing what he knows...
He walks over to the bedside and checks the temperature with the palm of his hand. Feeling the stark difference from before, he realizes the high fever has finally broken.
Nurse Joy, busy from dawn until dusk, finally catches a moment of downtime and remembers Professor Oak, who arrived earlier today.
Bearing the medical case notes for the child from the emergency room, she knocks on the door of Chen Ming's ward.
Nurse Joy says politely, "Excuse me for interrupting."
"Please, come in."
"Hello, Professor Oak. Here are the medical expenses for treating that child."
Joy hands the bill to the Professor.
Professor Oak takes a look—the amount is remarkably small.
This world is exceptionally kind to both children and Pokémon; medical treatment generally costs very little, and there are even numerous discounts available.
After settling the bill, Joy chats with Professor Oak about the child's condition, taking the opportunity to check Chen Ming's physical status once more.
Thanks to Chen Ming's formidable mental strength, his wildly racing heartbeat doesn't betray him. Regardless of anything else, Nurse Joy is an undeniable beauty with a unique fragrance about her. It's one thing when he was completely unconscious, but now that he's fully awake, how could he not blush?
As for why it doesn't show on his face—well, he's running a fever, after all, which makes for a convenient cover.
"Everything looks good. He just needs plenty of rest. Once the fever passes completely, he'll wake up."
Joy cradles the medical chart and smiles warmly at Professor Oak. Her gentleness leaves no trace of the stern demeanor she had earlier, and the Chansey by her side looks equally delighted.
"Thank you for your kind words."
Professor Oak is as amiable as ever.
Realizing who the old man before him is, Chen Ming makes up his mind the moment Nurse Joy leaves.
He slowly props himself up, tilts his head, and locks eyes with Professor Oak.
Professor Oak seems to realize something and looks as though he is about to burst into laughter, though he manages to check himself just in time.
"Excuse me, who are you? And what happened to me?"
Chen Ming decides to feign amnesia. Right now, he is essentially an unregistered ghost in the Pokémon World, and he needs to figure out a way around that—starting with getting on Professor Oak's good side.
Professor Oak doesn't mind at all and plays right along without exposing the act.
"Oh, I'm Professor Oak. Today was the day of our summer camp, and I was leading the kids to observe the Pokémon in the forest when I found you lying by a stream and brought you here."
"Do you remember who you are?"
"I remember. My name is Chen Ming, but I don't remember anything from my past. Do you know anything about my past?"
Disregarding how fabricated the story sounds, Chen Ming commits to the persona right from the start.
Professor Oak was originally tempted to tease him a bit, but looking into those watery, wide eyes with cheeks still flushed pink from the fever, his heart softens and he abandons the thought.
"I don't know anything about that. Would you like to come with me for now? You can leave whenever your memories return."
Professor Oak offers with a smile, completely unconcerned about how much his words sound like child abduction.
A small head filled with massive confusion: Are people in the Pokémon World really this friendly?
In the anime, adults of all professions certainly hold immense goodwill toward children, but somehow, something feels a little off right now.
Still, a free opportunity is not one to turn down.
He nods to accept Professor Oak's proposal, though he cannot leave the hospital just yet; he has to wait until the fever is completely gone and the doctors clear him.
It is getting late, and Professor Oak finds a vacant room in the Pokémon Center to stay in for the night.
Honestly, whether watching the anime or playing the games, Chen Ming's curiosity toward Pokémon Centers has never been low. He never expected this kind of hospital to also offer lodging facilities, and the amenities are not bad at all.
Sitting quietly alone in his hospital room, he looks out at the moonlight and ponders his future life.
His choice to come to the Pokémon World was born from a desire to see its many regions firsthand, to meet countless Pokémon, and to no longer embrace mere pixels and soulless plush toys.
It feels as though many of those wishes have already been fulfilled the moment he arrived; all that's left is to walk the paths and see the sights.
Blundering forward without any plan doesn't sound like him at all.
First, he needs to deal with the lingering low-grade fever, which will instantly sharpen his cognitive abilities.
Genetics remains a persistent issue. To make the purpose of his journey a bit less single-tracked, this can serve as one of his secondary goals.
A journey naturally involves encountering Pokémon—should he catch a few to raise?
Why does that feel a bit like Mewtwo, acting as a Pokémon commander?
He shakes off the bizarre thought and continues planning.
He also needs a long-term goal. What on earth should he do?
Pokémon Master, Breeder, Researcher...
They all sound interesting, but none of them spark an overwhelming passion.
Well, he can decide on that later.
Let's stick to the immediate plan: secure an identity to clear his undocumented status, figure out how to resolve the genetic issue, and truly experience this world—all of which can be accomplished during his travels.
Solving the genetic issue will have to start with the Legendary Pokémon, since ordinary Pokémon can't help him with this sort of problem.
Before he knows it, he is lying in bed, tossing and turning as he wonders which mythical or legendary Pokémon to track down first.
Maybe he should look for Mew first? I remember there are a few places it frequents. If all else fails, he can always insert himself into Mewtwo's storyline later—provided he doesn't get recognized, or if he is recognized, hopefully, he won't be beaten to a pulp~