This was written for The PokePod Project, which means over on Ao3, there's a podfic version of this available along with 150 others.

"Our patient here today is a wartortle named Kumiko."

You keep a sunny smile on your face as you struggle to lift Kumiko smoothly for the cameras to see her and her mangled tail. There's a fine line to walk with this sort of feel-good glurge. It has to be dramatic and tragic and serious, so people feel they're getting their money's worth, but you couldn't be a downer about it because what people are paying for is the happy part, and you couldn't, absolutely could never, be angry.

The host mugs at the camera a bit, giving a roller-coaster version of the wartortle's Horrific Disfigurement (trademarked all rights reserved Mr. Pocketmon Incorporated). "A wartortle's tail is the only limb a wartortle can't retract into its shell!" he tells the camera.

They almost can. The only way one would lose half a tail is if she had been in a situation where after going into her shell, something had grabbed hold of the tiny protruding end of her tail and no one interrupted it long enough that it could win the tug of war against a wartortle's extremely powerful musculature.

But the former owner said it'd been an accident, so sudden, so unexpected, so not someone's fault, so that's what it was. You smiled at them like you always do. If they're surrendering a pokemon, you'll tell them they're saints if you have to. Kumiko and the rest of the pokemon are what matters.

And even if he's butchering the explanation, it's still raising awareness for viewers who might own a wartortle that wartortle are not completely safe when they withdraw into their shell. That's something.

Back to you, smiling. "The tail of a wartortle isn't only beautiful," you say brightly, as if no one could be expected to know anything further on the subject. "It's also used to control their direction while swimming, and the lengthy fur holds air used for extended dives." You don't elaborate on how air in their tail helps with that. That was not a Fun Family-Friendly Fact (trademarked all rights reserved Mr. Pocketmon Incorporated). If something takes more than a sentence to explain, it's no longer fun or family-friendly, but Boring (no trademark by anyone because no one wants it near their content).

"Wow!" the host says. "So Veronika, you're saying it hasn't been able to swim properly ever since!"

"Exactly!" you chirp back. "Because they're so important to how a wartortle moves, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. But thanks to Mr. Pocketmon's donation -"

"- And thanks to all my subscribers -"

"- and thanks to all you subscribers out there, we're able to fit her with a custom prosthetic replacement today!"

You stop petting Kumiko to pick up the prosthetic and display it for the cameras. The host oohs and ahhs at the luxurious synthetic fluff covering the functional part, and you move the meticulously designed straps for attaching it that were most of the cost aside so they don't get in the way of the view. "It's beautiful! It looks just like the real thing! Hold it up against the wartortle."

You do so, very carefully. Kumiko gets scared by anyone touching what's left of her tail. But when this premiers online, there will be a donation bar next to it, and people will want to see this. You've explained it, slowly, gently, interspersed with apologies. They want to see what their money might end up as before they'll give anything. You smile so brightly as he says, "Wow! It's like nothing ever happened!"

You say, "Once this is attached properly, she'll be able to swim just like before!" and you pet Kumiko as the cameras keep rolling.

"Maybe even do some battles again, haha!"

"Haha!"

Yellow: When tapped, this POKéMON will pull in its head, but its tail will still stick out a little bit.
Stadium: The tail is covered with a rich fur. It stores air in the fur before taking extended dives underwater.
Silver: It cleverly controls its furry ears and tail to maintain its balance while swimming.
Crystal: Its long, furry tail is a symbol of longevity, making it quite popular among older people.

Also inspired by the extensive work people have done on animal prosthetics, in particular a false tail made for an alligator because they rely on the tail's weight to counterbalance the swing in their normal gait.