This story contains "real world" terms for pokemon based on their looks/relation to real life animals. Please keep this in mind, it made it a lot easier to write when I didn't have to rely on solely the type of the pokemon.
Fair reviews appreciated!
Peaceful, that one word could perfectly explain the small village of Rafflori. Despite the strange name, it was the closest one could get to true serenity. Only about a dozen pokemon called it home, but recently the humble settlement had been trodden upon. For it was the only place where rare plants grew like weeds; and the culmination of healers within Salvation-an old trading town-had regularly sent teams of pokemon there to collect whatever the villagers had gathered that week.
Each household took shifts assembling the offering, and it just so happened that it was the resident healer's turn on that rainy day. Though, if an outsider were to just glance at the pair heading out, they'd be excused for thinking that they had met the village police officer-or, heck: maybe a miner?
A Gigalith towered over a comparatively miniscule Mudkip. Yet, there was absolutely no fear in those tiny blue eyes. In fact, that very Mudkip could be seen dashing under the thunderous feet of the monster all the way to the forest. And while the Gigalith kept an eye on the pink figure, there was little hesitation in his footsteps.
"Nuyt, I think we should focus on finding berries." The low rumble of the massive pokemon's voice practically shook the ground. But he was simply met with a giggle.
"I'm looking! I just ain't finding." The shiny pokemon replied, his head tossing from side to side before a big grin came to his face. "Oh, I got something!" With that, he was off.
Gigalith watched his charge gallop off, a soft sigh escaping him before he started picking some Oran berries from a nearby bush. His maw opened as his great head delicately swiveled around the shrub to find branches rich with the sweet fruit. Just as he started to carefully tug the branch out, a loud cry made his jaw lock.
Coughing up splinters, the healer rushed over towards the sound. He prayed that it wasn't what he thought, that Nuyt was okay.
"G-Giga! W-What do I do?" Nuyt cried as he alternatively stomped his forepaws, this was nothing new to Gigalith so he lowered his head and shushed the child. Despite the pup's cheerful demeanor-and profession-he was awful at managing stress.
"First, take deep breaths. Then tell me wha-"
"C-C'mon, s-somebody's down!" Those words caught the healer's ears, and he thudded after the skittish mudkip with wide eyes. Within half a minute, Gigalith could see what had gotten his charge so frightened.
A lone bulbasaur lay awkwardly sprawled next to a sizable rock, the grey stone was stained with crimson that matched the liquid dripping from the child's head. Despite Gigalith's instincts, he quickly asked Nuyt to check for life. This what the boy was training for, and there was no way the healer was going to risk squishing the already damaged youth.
Nuyt ran over to the other child, his left paw raising to press lightly into the bulbasaur's neck. And after a long moment of eerie silence, "T-They're breathing!"
"Good," Gigalith craned his neck towards a nearby tree, tugging off a branch before setting it next to the children. "Set these on the wound, then I need you to run and get Lucario."
Tiny pink paws worked fast, finishing the rough patch job before switching off to carry the pup all the way to the village. Gigalith watched Nuyt leave, then he looked back down to the strange bulbasaur. The markings were all wrong, clusters of dark green were not found in scale-like structures: but instead they stretched in bands around the child's body and legs.
Though that wasn't the most troubling, as one passive glance over the pokemon's body revealed the biggest mystery. "W-What?" Gigalith leaned down, nudging aside the cub's right paw to get a better view. There, to his horror, was a shackle. Chain still attached and everything.
"What the hell…" he growled, enraged that someone would do this to a helpless child. It was positively disgusting.
"Thank you again, Lucario. I'm terribly sorry for backing out of our duties. I-"
"Don't worry about it," the shorter pokemon waved the healer's worry away, glancing over towards the bed of grass where the unusual bulbasaur lay. Nuyt was carefully cleaning the head wound with a weakened Water Gun, wiping the blood off every now and again with his paw.
"Don't worry," Gigalith said softly, pulling Lucario out of his trance. "I'll head back out once they are stable, I should be able to collect some oran berries before it gets too dark."
But the bipedal pokemon simply shook his head, "Naw. Me and Scyther will just swap shifts with ya. Been meaning to get out of the house anyway."
Gigalith smiled, "That's very kind of you. If all goes well we should have three hands for this upcoming spin."
Lucario nodded instinctually, his eyes once again trailing towards the children. Nuyt had finished changing the leaves for a proper bandage, and he was now laying a few feet from the patient. He gave a weak smile, but it quickly faded. Something wasn't right. This bulbasaur wasn't right.
"Lucario? Are you alright?" Gigialith asked, catching the attention of Nuyt who lifted his head from his paws.
"Huh? Oh yes. I was just mapping out some routes." He replied, holding back a sigh of relief when Nuyt settled back down. Gigalith was mother-henning him the whole way out the door, until Lucario finally assured the healer that everything was perfectly fine.
Hearing the voices slowly die down, the pink pup spared a glance towards the door then carefully got to his feet. His tiny legs were little help in speed, but they made up for it in their near silent steps. Though, he didn't recall the kitchen being this far before.
"Sincerely, thank you for understanding. This hopefully won't take too long, but both I and Nuyt need to be here should the child need something." The massive monster said, shuffling his feet in an attempt to be closer to the ground. It was tricky being so tall, especially with pokemon unfamiliar with him. But everyone around the village knew how soft he truly was.
"Hey, we're a community. If we don't help each other, who will?" Lucario smiled, genuinely this time. "Besides, the world's going to hell. We all have to stick together." It was something rarely talked about, but everybody knew the chaos just outside the confines of their village.
The illness couldn't get them here, surely. It was simply too remote.
"Yes, and that is why within the week I'll be heading out on shift. That gives us five days, and if the cub isn't ready by then…" Gigalith paused, the mere thought of that possibility scared him. The head injury was pretty severe; but if any good was to come of it, at least it was fresh. That meant no infection could settle before being washed away by Nuyt's water gun.
But the gentle giant wasn't left to struggle very long, a calm hand brushed his foot as Lucario offered some of his aura to Gigalith. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the physical body was not the only thing subject to injury.
"Thank you, again. But, I should probably-"
"Already gone," the biped shrugged lightheartedly, turning around before beginning his trek back home. "You take care, Gigalith. Tell Nuyt that everything's going to be okay."
"Will do!" The healer called back, waiting a few moments before finally stepping back inside his hut. "Nuyt, are you hungr-" he paused as he caught the tiny amphibian gnawing on an apple core.
Caught red-handed, the pup simply gulped down what little was in his mouth and then forced an anxious grin. "S-Still fresh!" he chuckled softly, swishing his tail behind him before finally deflating under Gigalith's stare.
"Nuyt, please wait for me before you go digging into the cupboards. You'll make yourself sick." the elder pokemon said gently, he only wanted that mistake to have happened once.
"I-I know, I just didn't wanna bug you." Nuyt replied timidly, that and the fact that he never knew when was a proper time to interrupt an adult conversation. Grown ups just talk so much.
"You're forgiven. Now," Gigalith lifted his head to reach on top of one of the cabinets, "Wouldn't you rather have this?" he presented the child with a fresh Perfect Apple.
Nuyt's eyes went big whilst he leapt to his paws, his rudder tail shaking from side to side as his tiny feet started to tap on the wood floor. Luckily Gigalith was humane and didn't make his charge wait for long, the apple was set down and seemed to have never touched the ground as the pink blur was on it in a heartbeat.
"Than ooo!" was the last slurred words the healer would hear before Nuyt disappeared into the other room. This was a bit concerning since the small mudkip often neglected to pick up after himself, and rotting food was not a risk they could to take with the patient.
"Nuyt, please bring that back out her-" words caught in the pokemon's throat when he came to the bedroom doorway. The pup was carefully setting up a grass nest a few feet in front of the bed for the bulbasaur. It was far too small for Nuyt, so what was he making it for-oh, oh sweet Arceus. "Child, never change."
Nuyt tilted his head to gaze up at his mentor, the Perfect Apple was set-untouched-on the grass nest. The skin of the fruit glistened from the soft spray the pup had sprinkled on it. An adorable attempt to keep it fresh. "Do you think they will like it?"
Gigalith lowered his head to nuzzle his charge, "They will love it." he assured the child, smiling softly when Nuyt gave off a gentle growl. That was his version of a purr, something he'd picked up from a vacationing Meowth last summer.
"Try and get some rest, I'll wake you if our patient's condition changes." He promised, right after he earned a yawn from the pup.
"C-Can I stay here though?" Nuyt asked in the midst of his yawn.
"As long as you sleep."
"I'm going." he mumbled, laying his head back down on his paws with a heavy sigh. He opened one eye slowly to gaze at the newcomer, a small smile coming to his face before he finally settled down.
"Goodnight, child." Gigalith whispered, grabbing a nearby cloth before draping it over the pup. He then went to head back to the kitchen, pausing at the doorway. He looked back towards the slumbering bulbasaur, "Please hold on. I won't let anyone harm you again."
