The triage desk at the Hundred Beasts Pokemon Center looked at the state of the patients being brought in and knew exactly what had happened.
Rigid bodies, curly hair, and the occasional flicker of static electricity on the skin—all signs of paralysis.
"How many is this now?"
"Since this month... this is the 15th, right? Don't they have a workers' protocol?"
The nurses at the hospital complained about the patients' condition. At first, they would worry about their health, but as similar patients became more frequent, the doctors and nurses got used to it.
Faced with conditions that weren't life-threatening and for which they had well-established treatments, they didn't get anxious. They had even treated kids who had stuffed light bulbs in their mouths, and some less-trained ones might even burst out laughing.
This was actually a good thing. It's much better for a doctor to joke around than to look troubled or serious.
This was clearly the result of workers violating safety protocols.
"Where's the Cheri Berry? This one's symptoms are mild; one should be enough."
"lucky~"
At the mention, Chansey already took out a small cherry-like Berry from the emergency kit. These medical staff had incorporated Berries into their routine medicines. Moving here was like signing a slave contract.
Their range of activities would be restricted to the territory of Hundred Beasts, but no one really cared about such things. Ordinary people wouldn't go to sea without reason, and even the Navy couldn't guarantee absolute safety on the seas. They were not Heavenly Celestial Dragons enjoying extraordinary levels of protection.
In fact, that kind of protective force wasn't 100% effective either; Rocks had already proven this to the world. But the Heavenly Celestial Dragons, who self-proclaimed as gods, didn't care about such matters, and most people were too afraid of the consequences to act against them.
Most ordinary people lived their whole lives on an island, sometimes never leaving their village.
The climate in Wano Kuni is rare in the Grand Line, with distinct seasons. Combined with the diverse local customs of its six towns, residents lived here happily, so items from Hundred Beasts gradually flowed into their hands too.
The Cheri Berry was crushed into a paste in the container, then poured into the patient's mouth along with the juice. It would take some time to take effect, but the paralyzed person suddenly widened his eyes.
"....Spicy! So hot! Water, give me water!"
Once his body regained control, he started looking for water everywhere. Although the paralysis was gone, his tongue still felt on fire, and his lips were slightly swollen.
"Remember this lesson now, huh? Let's see if you dare not wear gloves next time."
The nurse handed him a glass of ice water, slightly alleviating the effects of the Cheri Berry. Also known as the Spicy Cheri Berry, it might look like a cherry, but its taste is only spicy.
For some Pokemon, this spiciness is quite enjoyable, but for humans, it is too overwhelming.
Though it has excellent effects for curing paralysis and treating electric shocks, the taste is not so easily accepted.
In fact, the Hundred Beasts Pokemon Center has a neutralized version of the medicine, which is an antidote made from Cheri Berries but is more expensive.
To teach them a lesson and for cost-effectiveness, the nurse directly opted for the Cheri Berry.
...
On the vast plains of Shimi, Eldegoss, Whimsicott, and Jumpluff still lived here, though the local ecosystem had become more complete.
"Baa~"
The flock walked across the pasture, bleating from time to time.
Their most distinctive feature was that their skin was blue.
Wano Kuni already had cow-like and pig-like Pokemon species, and now the gap was filled with sheep-like Pokemon.
The Fluffy Pokemon - Mareep.
Aside from their deep blue skin, they had pale yellow fluffy wool, and their ears and tails were striped black and yellow, ending in a tail bulb-like structure.
It was now the wool harvesting season in Wano Kuni. Unlike ordinary sheep, Mareep's wool harvesting season was only three months in the summer.
In regular months, Mareep's wool was no different from ordinary sheep's, but in summer, it underwent a special transformation.
During the summer, Mareep's hair would keep growing until it all fell off, but in just a week, it would become fluffy again.
Wool could be collected three to four times a month. During shearing, some wool might stick to its body, requiring manual removal, which carried a certain risk.
In this respect, Mareep was similar to the Fur Race, as it could store static electricity through friction with its fur. Once it had accumulated enough static, its fur would expand to twice its usual size, making that wool the most comfortable and the most dangerous.
If someone is tempted to touch its wool without following the protocol, they might end up paralyzed from electric shocks. Injured wool workers often couldn't resist the temptation.
Since touching Mareep doesn't lead to injuries 100% of the time, there's always someone itching to try.
Mareep's primary purpose was for their wool. After summer shearing, it was spun into textiles, just in time to be sold in autumn and winter. The textile department under the Hundred Beasts Fruit company had already gained a foothold in the cotton and linen industry and was now expanding.
Static was an unavoidable issue with wool products, and Mareep had a characteristic: if unprocessed, their wool could easily generate static electricity, something intolerable for all but masochists.
However, after specialized treatment, it could be used to make static-free woolen clothing, quickly capturing the market with this feature.
"This way, sheep, don't crowd; it won't rain for a while."
A few shepherds guided Mareep to the clearing in Shimi. At this time, the sky over Shimi was dark, clearly about to rain. Whimsicott had already retreated to their dormitories, while Jumpluff and Eldegoss began to seek shelter from the rain.
But Mareep was different; they sought lightning strikes.
Literally seeking out lightning strikes. When charged with electricity, Mareep's wool becomes fluffier and glossier, aiding in their growth, a common trait among Electric-type Pokemon. Lightning is like food for them.
Even Zeraora would regularly recharge, and their fur shares this electrical absorbing trait, but Zeraora gained better control over electricity by forgoing generating organs.
During thunderstorms, Mareep would invariably appear in groups, collectively courting lightning strikes...