About two hours later, the raccoon stood on the table, looking down at his belly in astonishment. Then he shook his tail, stretched his shoulders, and turned in a circle on the spot.
Gazing at Schiller with shock, the raccoon said, "Are you sure you're just a psychologist? You're a miracle worker!"
While scribbling in the medical record, Schiller responded, "You're welcome; however, I want to know what kind of trouble you've got yourself into?"
Mentioning the problem, the raccoon's expression changed. He gave a troubled look, waved his hand, and sat at the edge of the table. Swinging his legs, he said, "We haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Rocket, but you can call me Rocket Cat. What about you?"
"You're a cat? Aren't you a raccoon?"
"I don't know what a raccoon is." Rocket Raccoon shook his head, "My former owner called me 'cat'… or some other pet's name. I don't quite remember. After those machines invaded my brain, my memories became increasingly blurred."
"My name is Schiller Rodriguez. Given the pronunciation of my surname might be difficult for you, just call me Doctor Schiller."
"Alright, Dr. Schiller, thank you for saving me. But I advise you to stay out of this. This isn't something that humanity can handle."
Rocket Raccoon, arms folded and trying for a deep expression, looked at Schiller who gave a smile and pulled up a chair to sit across him. "Well, I need to know what it is first. Would you like to talk about it?"
Rocket Raccoon gently touched his chest with his claw. Though his appearance hadn't changed, he felt renewed inside. The mysterious substance used by the doctor to painlessly replace his mechanical parts was nothing short of a miracle.
Rocket Raccoon knew he had been on his last legs. His body was damaged, causing nerve damage, which led to unregulated nerve discharge that rendered his body uncontrollable. The immense pain affected his spirit and kept him in a state of stress, leaving him unable to think rationally.
This wasn't his territory; it was Asgard. Had Aran called for help earlier, even a hundred stacked Rocket Raccoons wouldn't stand a chance against an Asgard Guard.
The doctor had saved him. Rocket Raccoon thought that the amazing mist might be the doctor's special ability. It made sense, considering the doctor must have been invited to Asgard for his unique skills.
Like other members of civilization, Rocket Raccoon too had heard of the human race and was aware of the extreme disparity within them. Any human he would have had contact with interstellarly would have been exceptionally strong. This doctor was perhaps the same.
With this thought, a flicker of hope ignited in Rocket Raccoon's heart of despair. He held a particular trust in doctors, so he leaned over the edge of the table, lowered his head, and said, "I reached here by stowing away on a Dodel Federation ship."
"I ran into some trouble in Centaurus. I knew I had to find an opportunity to escape, but those damned interstellar pirate ships were everywhere. I had no choice but to hide in a Dodel Federation merchant ship. Soon I was sent to the Star Port."
"The merchant ship was not secure without guards. So, I hid inside a box of tributes and ended up on a tribal royal family's ship. On the ship, I heard that multiple tribal royal families were heading to Asgard for a banquet, so I snuck onto the one with the laxest defense."
"I knew that no matter how daring those space pirates were, they wouldn't dare to intercept a ship heading for a feast in Asgard. As expected, I left the Centaurus system successfully with the team."
"Initially, I wanted to jump ship halfway there, but their security was strangely strict. I never got the chance and almost got caught trying to escape. I was seriously injured in the process."
"Upon arrival in Asgard, I had lost all hope because I thought I'd never pass Asgard's security checks. But luckily, my vital signs were extremely weak, and my small size allowed me to go unnoticed at the bottom of the gift box."
"The Asgard guards did discover me but considered me part of the tribe's gifts for the Divine King. Some civilizations like to gift special animals or plants from their planets, so they dismissed me as a gift and stored me in a warehouse."
"I intended to seize an opportunity to escape from the warehouse, but Aran was so worried about messing up the Divine King's gifts; he insisted on checking the warehouse. Concerned that he'd find me, I slipped into his carriage when the warehouse doors were open, hid in the package carried by his butler, and followed him back to his bedroom."
"But the butler was too rough when storing the package. I was shaken, and the wound on my back tore open. The pain was unbearable and made me scream. That's how I was discovered."
"At that time, I was not in a good mental state. Their tribe knew some illusion magic. They continuously tortured me with illusions and mental magic… I might have inadvertently revealed some secrets, including why I was being pursued in the first place."
A pained expression crossed Rocket Raccoon's face, but Schiller noticed something crucial. He asked Rocket Raccoon: "When exactly were you discovered?"