Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Become My Partner, Charmander!
"I think it means there are Dugtrio ahead, so we need to slow down and pass carefully!" A middle-aged man stood up and confidently stated.
Heath felt that the man's answer made sense. After all, the appearance of Dugtrio meant the ground would be riddled with holes. In that sense, Dugtrio and Diglett could be considered harmful Pokémon.
Especially in towns and residential areas, devices to repel Diglett often had to be installed to prevent them from digging and undermining the foundations of buildings. Such incidents had occurred before.
Heath remembered reading in the news about houses collapsing due to Dugtrio burrowing underneath, leading League experts to remind everyone to purchase Diglett repelling devices.
However, it was impossible to install such devices on every road in the wild.
Yet, Diglett were very useful in agriculture, helping to aerate the soil and being good partners for farmers.
"Wrong, that's not the correct answer." The teacher shook his head, and the class continued to discuss.
Heath was surprised. He had thought the man's answer was correct, but it turned out not to be.
"Is it a prohibition on Dugtrio driving? Or maybe it means no Diglett ahead?" A girl stood up and asked curiously, but the teacher shook his head again.
Now Heath was really curious. What was the correct answer to this question?
"This was a real question on last month's written test. The correct answer is this," the teacher said with a smile, pointing to the problem on the board. Heath suddenly understood—it was a recently added question.
"Slow down and pass carefully." The teacher said seriously. The other students in the classroom nodded instantly, and Heath also nodded.
But then Heath realized something was off. What did Dugtrio have to do with slowing down and passing carefully?
"We discovered that on roads near Diglett burrows, there is a peculiar group of Dugtrio that will race against vehicles traveling over 40 kilometers per hour." The teacher continued seriously.
Heath stared blankly at the teacher, wondering if this was some kind of joke. Why would Dugtrio race cars?
"This group of Dugtrio exhibits a behavior of chasing high-speed vehicles by rapidly digging until they surpass or can no longer see the car. This has caused significant issues for road maintenance by the League." The teacher explained further, making Heath shake his head in disbelief.
It was the first time Heath had heard of Pokémon racing cars, but considering the world of Pokémon, he wasn't too surprised. He had seen surfing Pikachu; racing Dugtrio didn't seem that unbelievable.
The teacher continued explaining another question from last month's test, making Heath twitch with amusement.
[Multiple Choice] When driving on the road, if you suddenly see a rare protected wild Pokémon ahead and behind, what should you do?
A: See that Pokémon? Hit it! Get a "Jail Time Experience" voucher.
B: Aim and throw a Pokéball quickly.
C: Time to show off your expert driving skills and drift around it.
D: Honk to scare off the wild Pokémon. If that doesn't work, press the emergency avoidance button in your car.
"I think anyone would choose D, right? This is practically a freebie," Heath shook his head. If someone got this question wrong, they really weren't meant to have a driver's license.
And indeed, the answer was D. However, many people had chosen B, which puzzled Heath at first, but then he understood.
After all, Pokémon do shrink when entering a Pokéball, theoretically avoiding being run over by a car. But you had to aim accurately for it to work.
Heath spent the whole afternoon studying, refreshing his knowledge. By now, he was numb to it all. He felt that even if he saw a Slowpoke drifting a car someday, it wouldn't shock him much.
"I feel like getting this driver's license is really tough. I hope I can pass on the first try," Heath sighed as he got into his food truck.
Zorua had already fallen asleep. She had dozed off during the teacher's lecture, sleeping soundly without snoring, which was a relief for Heath.
Heath set his destination. He had received a message from Nurse Snow during the class that Charmander had woken up after treatment, and Heath needed to complete the formal adoption procedures.
To that end, Heath had bought a Pokéball. It was his second Pokéball, originally meant for Zorua, but she disliked Pokéballs so much that Heath had given up on the idea.
When Heath arrived at the Pokémon Center, he saw Nurse Snow looking a bit tired.
"Nurse Snow! I'm here to complete the paperwork." Heath handed her a jianbing.
"I've been waiting for you, Heath. Your Charmander was seriously injured," Nurse Snow smiled as she took the savory crepe, but she didn't start eating right away. Instead, she walked with Heath and explained.
Heath nodded. He knew Charmander had been severely injured, almost to the point of death.
"The most serious injury was caused by a Scald attack. Charmander's skin was severely damaged. If it weren't for Chansey's excellent care, it might not have survived." Nurse Snow briefly explained.
Heath was taken aback. Scald was a very difficult move to master. It seemed likely that the "concerned citizen" was actually a Pokémon hunter.
After collecting the adoption documents from the office with Nurse Snow, Heath went to Charmander's ward. Charmander was lying in bed, covered in bandages.
Now Charmander looked more like an unfamiliar Pokémon, but its lively eyes still sparkled.
"If you can capture Charmander with a Pokéball, you'll complete the adoption process," Nurse Snow stood aside, still holding the jianbing.
Heath felt a bit nervous as he walked over and looked at Charmander, who was staring at him with a mix of emotions in its eyes.
"Charmander, would you like to be my partner?" Heath asked softly.
(End of Chapter)
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