Harold's Residence.
After a satisfying meal, they moved to the living room.
Li Wei sat up straight, "Excuse me, is there anything you need my help with?"
Harrod smiled with relief:
"It seems you've guessed it."
Harrod continued, "It's like this, I have a Pokémon that needs your help.
Of course, it's fine even if you can't, because many people have already failed."
"While I can't guarantee it, I can try my best."
Milotic and Arcanine were once very troublesome, but Li Wei still cured them.
Although Arcanine isn't completely well yet.
After all, Arcanine's task isn't finished.
Hearing that Li Wei was willing to help, Harrod's face showed a genuine smile.
Harrod stood up and came before Li Wei, extending his hands flat, "Please look at my hands first."
Li Wei looked down.
These hands were long and well-proportioned, not rough at all, as Harrod was a third-generation rich heir who had never done manual labor.
But Li Wei saw scars on these hands, which looked like cat claw marks.
Harrod then unbuttoned the cuff of his custom suit to reveal his arm, showing the scars on his wrist and arm.
The longest of these scars were about three centimeters, the shortest one or two centimeters, with a mix of new and old, some already very faint.
They didn't look like they were from Meowth, Persian, or Glameow, which have very long claws; the body size should also be small.
Li Wei found it hard to imagine that someone of Harrod's wealth would personally bathe a Pokémon; it must be out of pure love.
"Were these from the Pokémon you mentioned?"
Harrod gave a wry smile, "That's right, every time I try to bathe it, it's like this, extremely resistant."
"The Breeders and stylists I hired were all scratched without exception, and they never dared to come again after that."
Although it seemed very tricky, Li Wei was confident.
He had Intermediate Affinity and a Super True Human physique; was he still afraid of one Pokémon?
Li Wei said, "Before that, I need to know what it has experienced."
He was able to solve the problems of Feebas and Arcanine because he understood their 'causes'.
Only by understanding the 'cause' well enough,
would it be easier to prescribe the right remedy.
Mr. Harrod took out a Poké Ball.
"It's a Sprigatito, a Pokémon I found on my way back last year.
It was pouring rain that day, and the Sprigatito was just left in a cardboard box, completely drenched.
It was just sitting there, foolishly perched on the edge of the box, watching the passing vehicles...
As soon as someone approached, it would wave its claws to drive others away."
Li Wei sighed, "It must have been waiting for its Trainer, but its Trainer..."
Harrod nodded, "That's right, the Sprigatito was abandoned; I later had someone investigate that matter."
Butler Ron explained the whole story.
This Sprigatito was quite sensitive and didn't like to be close to people, or rather, Sprigatito wasn't good at expressing emotions...
Sprigatito's Trainer lost patience with it.
On a rainy night, the Trainer put Sprigatito in a box, telling Sprigatito to wait for him there...
But in fact, Sprigatito had already been abandoned.
"Seeing Sprigatito like that, I really couldn't bear it at the time, so I brought it back."
"It caught a severe cold and fever from being in the rain for too long, plus a series of complications; it stayed in the hospital for two full months."
"Fortunately, Sprigatito was strong enough to pull through, but Sprigatito and I are still not close enough, and I can't even bathe it."
Li Wei speculated, "Either Sprigatito doesn't consider you its Trainer, or bathing reminds Sprigatito of the day it was abandoned."
From Mr. Harrod and Mr. Ron's explanation, it's possible that Sprigatito has a psychological issue.
Mr. Harrod's expression was a bit nervous, "Then can it still be bathed normally?"
It wasn't that Harrod insisted on bathing Sprigatito;
clearly, he cared deeply about Sprigatito.
He had specifically learned about Sprigatito.
Sprigatito cannot go without bathing.
It even needs to wash its face frequently to prevent dryness.
If Sprigatito doesn't bathe, its fur will turn yellow and have an odor, and it's also not conducive to Sprigatito's development.
Simply put, not bathing is detrimental to Sprigatito's health.
Mr. Harrod continued, "I heard that Sprigatito got sick from the rain before, and not bathing has been one of the contributing factors."
"But as you've seen, it's just too difficult to bathe; trying to bathe it is absolute chaos."
This Sprigatito sounded difficult to handle, but Li Wei wasn't completely without confidence.
"I can try, please release it."
Harrod suggested, "How about releasing it in the washroom first?"
If not released in the washroom, as soon as Sprigatito knew it was bath time, it would immediately get agitated and show its claws.
Li Wei shook his head, "Forcing Sprigatito to bathe only solves the immediate problem; to cure it completely, Sprigatito needs to trust."
Hearing Li Wei's words, Harrod felt for the first time that Sprigatito's problem could be solved.
In the past, the Breeders Harrod hired only wanted to bathe Sprigatito and be done with it.
Only Li Wei was thinking about curing it.
"Dragapult, you all stand back a bit, only Lucario needs to stay."
Metagross, Arcanine, and Milotic were all exceptionally large, which would make Sprigatito anxious.
This would be even less conducive to Sprigatito relaxing for a bath.
Accompanied by a flash of red light, a small, light-green cat appeared before Li Wei and Lucario.
In the middle of Sprigatito's face, there were four leaf-like patterns of a deeper green, and the fur on its chest resembled a collar.
Sprigatito merely glanced at Li Wei and Lucario, then began grooming itself as if no one else was there.
Li Wei squatted down, observing Sprigatito's condition.
Watching Li Wei's actions, Mr. Harrod initially wanted to stop him, but he was already too late.
"Careful..."
Li Wei didn't notice Harrod's warning.
He carefully observed Sprigatito's well-proportioned physique, smooth fur, and shiny whiskers.
This was thanks to Mr. Harrod, who endured the enraged Sprigatito to bathe it.
There was no sign of its past severe illness; Harrod must have put a lot of effort into it.
[Status]: Calm / Bored
After squatting and observing Sprigatito for a while, Li Wei looked up, "It has received very good care."
Harrod and Butler Ron exchanged glances, a hint of indescribable surprise in their eyes, "Strange."
"What's strange?"
Ron awkwardly said, "Generally speaking, if others got this close, Sprigatito would have already gotten agitated and attacked."
Damn, Li Wei wanted to say, why didn't you say so earlier?
Li Wei thought about it; it was probably his Intermediate Affinity, at least Sprigatito wouldn't be afraid of him.
"Sprigatito, want some?"
Li Wei took out an Energy Cube, placed it in his palm, and slowly offered it to Sprigatito...