In the Pokémon world, there are not only medical personnel who treat Pokémon but also those who treat ordinary people. However, Dawn was quite special because she aspired to become a Pokémon Center medical worker, which was an incredibly challenging endeavor.
After all, the medical work in Pokémon Centers was almost entirely monopolized by the Joy family. The Joy and Jenny families had deep roots in each region's league. For someone who wasn't part of the Joy family to join a Pokémon Center was quite difficult.
The Joy family had strict requirements not only for their own family members but also for others who wished to become Pokémon healthcare providers, imposing nearly impossible standards. Some people joked that if medical students lived in a daily hell of exams, then Pokémon medical students already resided in hell.
There was a saying in the Pokémon world: "To persuade someone to study medicine is to be struck by lightning; to persuade someone to study Pokémon medicine is to be cut to pieces," highlighting the difficulty for non-Joy family members to become Pokémon healthcare workers.
Heath recalled that the Dawn in front of him had been studying for five years now but still hadn't successfully joined the Pokémon Center or worn her dream uniform.
"This is something I came up with, but having some herbal tea wouldn't hurt, right?" Heath scratched his head. Trying to popularize herbal medicine in the Pokémon world was an exceptionally difficult task, especially since this world lacked the traditional herbs he was familiar with.
Otherwise, Heath thought he could become an herbal medicine doctor or collaborate with the Joy family to develop and research, achieving financial freedom and historical recognition if successful.
But Heath was just daydreaming. He hadn't even read basic herbal medicine texts or the Compendium of Materia Medica. Remembering that barley tea could dispel dampness was only because he had drunk it before.
"Hmm, that does make sense. I'll have a cup of barley tea and a breakfast crepe without an egg but with sausage," Dawn said, enlightened, making Heath want to laugh.
"Dawn, how many years have you been trying for the Pokémon healthcare qualification?" Heath asked while making her breakfast crepe.
"Six years now. The examiners all know me. It's been so hard," Dawn sighed, clutching her book.
"Did you fail last year? What was the problem?" Heath asked as he diced the sausage and added it to the breakfast crepe, also drizzling it with ketchup since Dawn liked it.
Dawn reached for her backpack but hesitated and didn't take it out.
"I wanted to show you my notes, but it's humid right now, so I won't. The question was about a Snorlax lying on the beach, getting bitten by an Arbok, then a Golbat, sprayed with poison powder by a Vileplume, stung multiple times by a Beedrill, and having both a Nidoqueen and Nidoking sit on it. How would you treat such mixed poison injuries?" Dawn rattled off, making Heath's scalp tingle.
What kind of Snorlax would endure such an ordeal? The examiner might as well have asked if every poisonous Pokémon in the world attacked Snorlax at once. Treating such a mixed poisoning scenario was unimaginable.
Heath packed the breakfast crepe and handed it and the barley tea to Dawn.
"Good luck!" Heath could only offer these words of encouragement to the struggling Dawn. Becoming a Pokémon healthcare worker was truly difficult, making Nurse Snow's achievements even more impressive.
The Joy family had rigorous internal assessments, and any Joy who passed was highly trustworthy. This was why the league had no issue with the Joy family controlling medical resources.
The Joys and Jennys were the constants in every league, no matter the region, providing a solid foundation.
[You served Dawn. You received "Basic Pharmacology of Pokémon"]
Heath looked at the thick book in his cabinet and closed the door, realizing he'd never open it to self-torture.
"Why did I decide to read this book?" Heath regretted, holding the thick pharmacology book. He had opened it out of boredom due to poor business caused by lingering fog and damp weather, but now he regretted it. The medical terms were overwhelming.
He quickly locked the book back in the cabinet, preferring to teach Farfetch'd a few more dishes than attempt to read it again.
[You triggered a special task: Give away thirty cups of barley tea to those in need to receive a random puzzle piece reward.]
Heath was surprised. How did he trigger a task just by sitting still?
Despite feeling reluctant to give away tea for free, the potential reward persuaded him. He decided to go for it, believing his golden finger was generally reliable despite occasional odd rewards.
He quickly gave away thirty cups of barley tea to Officer Jenny, who was patrolling on her motorcycle.
[You received a random puzzle piece.]
A puzzle piece appeared in Heath's pocket. He pulled it out to see it was plain white with nothing else on it.
"What's the point of this reward?" Heath wondered, baffled by the white puzzle piece. Was he supposed to piece together an image of Gardevoir in a wedding dress?
Unable to figure it out, he stored the piece away, thinking it might be useful once he collected more.
(End of Chapter 87)