Chapter 289: Ten-Year-Old Girl Raids Cannery at Night, Thirty Burly Men Drop to Their Knees and Call for Mommy?

The video continued playing.

After successfully winning her fourth Ribbon, Hina stayed in Solaceon Town for a few more days.

It wasn’t because she wanted to rest.

The main reason was that after she’d taken down the entire poaching ring a few nights earlier, all the injured Pokémon they’d rescued had been temporarily placed at the Pokémon Center.

That created an enormous amount of extra work for Nurse Joy and the rest of the medical staff.

So Hina decided to stay at the Pokémon Center for a while and help care for the injured Pokémon.

At the same time, she could learn some of the Pokémon Center’s medical techniques.

What Hina hadn’t expected—

Was that this supposedly perfect solution would end up backfiring.

Apparently, someone had filmed her heroic feat of single-handedly taking down the entire poaching ring and uploaded it to a Trainer forum.

The title was outrageously exaggerated—"SHOCKING! TEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL RAIDS CANNERY AT NIGHT, THIRTY BURLY MEN DROP TO THEIR KNEES AND CALL FOR MOMMY!"

Without Hina herself knowing anything about it, the post went completely viral.

And after the post blew up—

The Pokémon Center’s average daily visitor count increased by seventeen times.

Most of the Trainers who came weren’t even in any hurry.

They simply lined up, all because they wanted Hina to personally examine their Pokémon.

"Apparently she really can understand what Pokémon are saying..."

"No kidding! Haven’t you seen that forum post? Thirty grown men! She made them drop to their knees just like that!"

"No, listen. I want her to check my Charmeleon. Lately, it keeps staring out the window and sighing. I think it might’ve fallen in love."

"That’s nothing. My Pikachu keeps stealing my glasses and wearing them every day. I think it’s trying to usurp my position."

"Doctor! Doctor! Please look at my Mightyena! Lately, it keeps staring at me with this really suspicious expression!"

The sudden wave of enthusiasm frightened Hina.

She instinctively shrank behind Quaquaval.

A cold gleam flashed across Quaquaval’s sunglasses.

It stepped directly in front of Hina.

Snap!

With a flick of one wing, it produced a small note it had prepared in advance.

A single sentence was written across it—FOR MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS, PLEASE LINE UP. FOR CASUAL CONVERSATION, TURN RIGHT AND EXIT. THIS HUMBLE DUCK DECLINES ALL UNNECESSARY SOCIAL INTERACTION.

The entire room went silent for three seconds.

Then—

Thunderous applause erupted.

"A Quaquaval that can write! Isn’t that Master Ducky, the one who moonwalks online?!"

"Master Ducky is so cool!"

"Master Ducky! I’m your fan! I’ve watched your moonwalk tutorial a hundred times!"

"Master Ducky, can I have your autograph?!"

Quaquaval pushed up its sunglasses.

Then it reached beneath its other wing and pulled out an entire stack of palm-sized cards.

And began signing autographs on the spot.

That successfully diverted a large portion of everyone’s attention—

Taking some of the pressure off Hina.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Raihan]: Hahahaha! Who came up with that forum-post title?! I hereby declare them a genius of journalism!

[Flint]: I remember there only being one guy calling the Staraptor in the cage "Mom." How did the headline turn that into "thirty burly men collectively drop to their knees and call for Mommy"?

[Volkner]: That’s clickbait media for you.

[Steven]: Hahaha! That’s nothing! Years ago, some reporter wrote an article titled: "SHOCKING! HOENN CHAMPION APPEARS IN A CAVE LATE AT NIGHT AND DOES THIS TO A ROCK!" I clicked on it, and all it showed was me examining a stone with a magnifying glass! What a disappointment!

[Wallace]: ...What exactly were you hoping to see?

[Brock]: So news headlines can be written like that... (Frantically takes notes.)

[Gary]: Why are you learning this? I don’t think this has anything to do with your goals.

[Brock]: How does it have nothing to do with my goals?! I’m learning it so I can write a marriage advertisement someday! "SHOCKING! KANTO’S MOST PERFECT SINGLE MAN, BROCK, OFFICIALLY INVITES ALL BEAUTIFUL OLDER WOMEN IN THE WORLD TO COME MEET HIM!" Well?! Doesn’t that have impact?!

[May]: It definitely has impact. But I feel like Officer Jenny would come arrest you before any beautiful older women came to meet you.

[Brock]: WHY?! WHY MUST MY PATH TO LOVE ALWAYS BE FILLED WITH SO MANY OBSTACLES?!

[Croagunk]: Croag. (Poison Jab strikes Brock in the kidney.)

[Brock]: Numb... I’m numb...

[Shauntal]: Inspiration is surging through me! All right, my next novel will be called Thirty Sons and Their Staraptor Mother. What does everyone think?

[Falkner]: ...Would anyone actually read a novel like that?

[Shauntal]: Creativity is freedom.

[Phoebe]: Come to think of it, Quaquaval seems even more dependable after evolving. Even in a situation like this, it’s able to help take some of the pressure off Hina.

[Raihan]: Of course! Could the Master of our mighty Quaxmen possibly be an ordinary duck?!

[Steven]: The fact that Brother Asher isn’t actually the founder of Quaxmen is still one of history’s greatest missed opportunities.

[Tiana]: There’s a portrait of Dad hanging in Quaxmen’s main headquarters in the future, you know! Underneath it are the words—"Founding Patriarch." (￣ω￣)

[Asher]: ...

[Steven]: HOLY—! Niece Tiana, what does that portrait look like?! Can you describe it to me? I want to paint one and hang it in my house too!

[Tiana]: Dad is sitting super handsomely in a chair with his clothes on. There’s a whole row of Quaquaval standing beside him, and every single one is wearing sunglasses. And underneath them are tons and tons of Quaxmen disciples bowing!

[Sidney]: ...Isn’t that a cult? Why does this sound less and less like a legitimate sect?

[Siebold]: The doctrine itself seems perfectly reasonable. No overtime. No pointless competition. No being a corporate beast of burden. Sounds quite healthy.

[Volkner]: So when exactly is the Sinnoh League being converted into the Sinnoh Branch of Quaxmen?

[Lucian]: As soon as Cynthia gets back and signs the paperwork.

[Cynthia]: ...What nonsense are all of you talking about?

The video continued playing.

Hina was crouched in a corner of the Pokémon Center’s backyard, giving Eevee one final examination.

"The injury on your leg has healed."

Her fingers gently brushed across Eevee’s hind leg.

Emerald-green motes from the Power of Viridian seeped from her fingertips.

"You can travel with me now."

"But you still need to be careful."

"Don’t run too fast, okay?"

Eevee rubbed its head against her palm and gave an incredibly soft, sweet cry.

"Vee~"

"Because..."

Hina’s voice became even softer.

"There seem to be even more people outside now..."

"There are."

Shaymin poked its head out and looked toward the Pokémon Center’s entrance.

"And they all seem to be looking for you."

Hina slowly turned her head.

Through the narrow gap between a trash can and the wall, she peered outside.

The line at the Pokémon Center entrance was already stretching almost all the way to the street corner.

"Shaymin..."

There was a hint of despair in Hina’s voice.

"Maybe we should leave today..."

"Through the back door."

"Too late."

Shaymin waved one paw.

"There are lots of people at the back door too."

Hina fell silent for two seconds.

Then she quietly pulled Eevee into her arms—

And shrank even farther behind the trash can.

"N-No problem..."

"If we just wait here until it gets dark..."

"They’ll leave eventually..."

"Probably..."