"Dr. Hiro?"
Minato initially drew a blank at the name.
Recognition followed quickly. Within the Pokémon Center, only one person earned that title. The physician had treated Eevee's injuries on multiple occasions. Since their first meeting, Minato had encountered him frequently at the center. The doctor, sharing Minato's hometown connection, viewed the youth with distinct warmth. He had always taken time to answer Minato's questions regarding Eevee's condition.
In Minato's eyes, the doctor ranked among the finest individuals he knew.
"I am acquainted with Dr. Hiro," Yosuke said.
"Following the disaster alert issued for Minami Town, we established immediate contact with local law enforcement and the Pokémon Center. Upon learning the exact coordinates where the D-level Special Zone materialized, Dr. Hiro accessed your contact information and discovered you were missing. Recalling your tendency to conduct special training near that location, he surmised you had likely encountered danger within the zone. He promptly alerted us."
"He expressed particular concern that you and Eevee might attempt something reckless inside the zone. He urged us repeatedly to initiate rescue operations without delay and conduct thorough searches."
"Ah, regarding the incident... due to the remote location where this D-level Special Zone manifested, virtually no other individuals were present in the vicinity. You were the sole unfortunate victim..."
Yosuke studied Minato and Eevee. Neither appeared to be the obedient type.
A rookie trainer with a one-month-old Eevee provoking a powerful Pidgeot? Such behavior hardly suggested compliance.
"That... was simply poor fortune," Minato offered with a bitter smile.
Eevee released a lengthy sigh.
After some flight time, the Charizard descended.
To Minato's surprise, numerous personnel had established a forward position nearby, including law enforcement officers.
"That area ahead marks the safety zone. You must proceed on foot through security screening. I will escort you," Yosuke stated.
"Wait!"
Minato's expression shifted suddenly. He had nearly forgotten. The Lansat Berry seeds remained in his possession. Without hesitation, he retrieved them and pressed them into Yosuke's puzzled hand.
"Eevee and I discovered these accidentally. They appear to be Berry seeds. They should prove useful to you. Please accept them," Minato said.
"The Pidgeot likely targeted us because of these. We may have inadvertently stolen its food source."
Minato had preserved the seeds after Eevee consumed the fruit. Current circumstances precluded keeping them for personal cultivation or sale. Legal statutes stipulated that all resources appearing within Special Zones located within national territory automatically became property of the Trainer Association.
Should Minato attempt to retain them, confiscation would follow inevitably.
Rather than surrendering them under duress later, presenting them to his rescuer seemed preferable. If Minato's assessment held merit, this individual, capable of mounting rescue operations within a Special Zone likely held rank as a Professional Trainer.
As core constituents of the Trainer Association, Professional Trainers possessed entitlement to portions of the Special Zone resource allocations.
"Berry seeds?"
Yosuke examined the seeds in his palm.
Fresh...
He fixed Minato with an intense look. A clever young man indeed.
"I have never encountered this variety before. However, I accept them. The Trainer Association shall conduct proper valuation."
"Must Professional Trainers surrender all Special Zone acquisitions to the Association?" Minato inquired with surprise.
"Circumstances vary considerably. During rescue missions such as this, we operate under profit-sharing agreements with the Association."
"Since you have transferred these to me, they constitute my personal acquisition. They would serve little purpose remaining in your possession," Yosuke explained.
"I shall handle the processing. Once the valuation concludes, I will inform you of their worth. Should they prove beneficial to me, consider this a personal debt incurred."
"Ahaha... that is unnecessary. The debt runs in the opposite direction. You have my gratitude," Minato replied, scratching his head.
Several seeds hardly seemed valuable. The Special Zone contained an entire Lansat Berry tree, after all.
Nothing compared to the value of his and Eevee's survival.
Merely escaping with their lives satisfied Minato completely.
Furthermore, compensation for psychological trauma likely awaited him. That prospect pleased him considerably.
Most significantly, Eevee had already consumed the Lansat Berry fruit. Given the circumstances at that time, no authority could dispute this fact.
That consumption represented the true prize.
...
Yosuke subsequently delivered Minato to the safety zone.
As anticipated, security personnel conducted a thorough body search.
When the inspection yielded nothing of significant value, officials provided Minato and Eevee with comfortable accommodations.
A thin-haired elderly man attended to Minato personally, inquiring repeatedly about his physical condition. A psychologist accompanied him, though upon observing that neither Minato nor Eevee displayed symptoms of shock, the mental health professional offered only brief words of comfort.
The optimal rescue window for D-level Special Zones typically spans thirty minutes. Minato and Eevee had not only missed this critical period but also survived six hours entirely. Such endurance qualified as miraculous.
The remote location of this D-level Special Zone's manifestation meant no witnesses detected the anomaly before the Trainer Association's monitoring systems registered it. By the time authorities confirmed Minato's six-hour disappearance, most had presumed him deceased. Preparations for mourning had already commenced.
No one anticipated that a high school student could sustain himself within a Special Zone for such a duration.
The relief proved most pronounced among the administrative leadership of Minami Town and the Heiwa City Trainer Association.
Zero casualties surpassed all other outcomes.
Minato never learned the specific method by which the Trainer Association facilitated transit between spaces. Such operational details remained beyond his current clearance level.
Upon exiting the Special Zone, Minato encountered Dr. Hiro at the Pokémon Center. According to Yosuke's account, this man had been instrumental in organizing his rescue.
Minato and Eevee expressed their gratitude immediately.
"Your safety matters most. Focus on rest now. Law enforcement has contacted your parents. Avoid specialized training with Eevee for the immediate future. The Black Forest has been designated off-limits. Dimensional gates connect everywhere to the Special Zone now. Significant time will pass before authorities declare the area fully secure," Dr. Hiro said.
"Ah..."
Minato and Eevee froze simultaneously. Without access to that forest, their specialized training regimen faced termination.
Eevee had not yet fully mastered the Tree Stump Training Method. Substantial room for improvement remained...
"Very well."
No alternative existed. Though disappointed, Minato accepted the reality without protest.
This interval provided an opportunity to consider strategies for confronting Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Eevee..."
Upon hearing the Black Forest had been sealed, Eevee, perched upon Minato's shoulder, expressed profound relief. The Pokémon patted Minato's head with a paw pad, signaling him not to despair.
Fate had decreed this outcome.