Not much to say before the chapter starts other than I have post-chapter notes to explain a few things if you want to take a peek at that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.
Chapter 2- The Meeting
Four months had passed since Alex took the job and his work ethic made him one of the most likable people on the docks. His prowess in getting Pokémon off the docks was unmatched to the point that veteran workers had to give him his dues. The only downside was that he wasn't much of a talker and didn't really try to know his other co-workers. With Christmas only a few days away, he had to decide on whether or not he wanted to stay at the docks for another year. Registration for new trainers interested in the Indigo League Championships had to be done by December 31st at 11:59pm, but he didn't want to think about it down to the wire.
Each day at work was an interesting one to say the least. Electric types were easy to clear off since the presence of Sandslash alone made them run along. Wild Pokémon of other types were a little harder to clear without incident while some had to be engaged in a battle to get them to leave. A few stowaway Pokémon in cargo ships surprised him from time to time but other workers took care of those cases after he spotted them. Alex wasn't too quick to get involved in a battle unless it was necessary because any collateral damage to shipments would be taken out of his paycheck. He would usually give a warning before a scrap to avoid any surprises.
Living expenses provided by the company totaled roughly 30% of his net earnings for the month which left him a decent amount for food but more importantly, saving it up for traveling necessities if he decided to go out. Nidorino was not left out of battles as it took on any grass types or Tentacool who went to grab packages that accidentally fell into the sea.
For its hard work, Alex was given a spare Body Slam TM disc to bring out more power in his oldest fighter. Nidorino and Sandslash's combined strength made it so they would hardly lose; he managed to keep a rotation going so they wouldn't get tired on the busier days. He made his way to Emily's office after completing another morning shift after the boss quickly mentioned to meet up with her in passing.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked in a somewhat worried tone.
"As a matter of fact, I did. Take a seat please." Alex shuffled his way over to a comfy padded chair. "As you know, it's currently December 20th which means Christmas is only five days away. Our policy is to stop accepting all shipments on the 24th so that all employees can get a nice break before going back to work on the 26th." She looked down at her papers. "It's also because we're a government agency and there are certain rules to follow. Anyway, one of our longest tenured workers has a scheduling issue and is requesting that you take her night shift on the 21st." Alex wasn't entirely sure he could pull off a morning shift and a night shift the same day.
"I can do that," he quickly responded. The prospect of all that money made him swallow his pride and forget about how long it would be. Emily was looking at the schedule again to pencil him in.
"Oh, I almost forgot! She said that she found someone to take your shift on the 22nd so you essentially get the 22nd off in addition to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Her brother is coming in from Cinnabar Island so that's why she needs a cover."
"That makes a little more sense," Alex said with an understanding look on his face. "Still, why shut down for some time even with the city rules? Who handles shipments that come in when we're all gone?"
"A private company that the chairman selects." Alex's mind shifted to the prospect of having the 22nd off, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day off.
"When would I actually punch out tomorrow?"
"You would be working 7:00 am to about 11:00 pm. Are you sure you can handle that? Most of our veterans can't go that long in any department."
On one hand, he would have to be sharp for 16 hours in the cold, but on the other hand…money. "Why not? I mean I'm covered for the next day to recover then I'm back at it the 23rd."
Emily started to look back down at the schedule. "Actually, I took you off the 23rd. Before you say anything, I want you to know that everyone appreciates your hard work." Alex titled his head in confusion. "Productivity is much higher than normal since you showed up because we can sort things faster and not have to worry about injuring Pokémon. The citizens appreciate that their Pokémon aren't going home in total embarrassment. Most people see their Pokémon learning new moves or battle strategies. Also, a veteran wanted the hours and you're still the low man on the totem pole. I will see you on the 26th at normal time."
Alex had left the office stunned in disbelief. Nobody had given him that kind of appreciation in his life. Not even his parents when they were around. A trip to the mart was needed to get some dinner for him as well as his Pokémon; they all would get a much bigger meal after hearing the news.
The sun had set behind the clouds after spending 45 minutes shopping for the best celebratory dinner items Alex could find. Walking back to the apartment was always a little unnerving due to the alleys and tonight was no exception. More often than not, there were usually some hostile Pokémon rattling around just waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting person. He always kept his partners out until he reached the apartment after a Raticate nearly delivered a fatal Hyper Fang his first week in the city. The alley next to the mart was usually quiet except for this time where a Ninetales was rummaging through a trash can.
It was unsettling that such a beautiful Pokémon was in a place like this. Who in their right mind would not want a Ninetales? Alex knew city Pokémon weren't favored for an average trainer or household because they were more likely to be undisciplined but a Pokémon like Ninetales should've gotten a home based on natural beauty alone. Alex took one step into the alley and its eyes darted to the dock worker. For a solid minute, they just stood in silence trying to feel each other out while remaining cautious of each other. Nidorino had a low growl going on until he noticed.
"Stop that Nidorino. It hasn't done anything yet." The poison type immediately stopped and sat by his feet awaiting orders. "Let's see if I have something here… ah ha!" The spike in volume made the Ninetales jump a little bit but she slowly took a step closer once he held out his hand. "It's an apple! Not much, but you probably wouldn't like whatever is in this bag considering I only have these two with me. My name's Alex by the way but I don't think you'd like it if I stuck around." To his surprise, it carefully stepped closer, sniffed the apple, and then proceeded to eat it out of his hand. Once it was done eating it looked up at the young man standing in front of her.
"You are a very kind trainer. Only the second one I have seen in my lifetime."
Shopping bags hit the ground as Alex just stared at the Pokémon he gave food to. She had a very beautiful voice. Sailors would joke about sirens but even this voice exceeded their alleged beauty. "Y-y-you can talk!?" he asked it complete disarray. "But…you…didn't…even…open…your…mouth." His voice faded by the time he finished his sentence.
"It is telepathy. Not all Ninetales can do it yet I was blessed with this gift to speak to humans after some intense training. Sadly, there has not been a reason to use it to communicate until now."
"So you're telling me that you're wild? You have no trainer at all?"
"That is correct. All who have tried to capture me were nearly heartless so I fled or won against them in battle. I sense that you are not that way, yet you own two Pokémon yourself." Her voice was so soothing yet gave him the chills. Alex didn't even know basic information on about 80 Pokémon, let alone that some could talk to him in his language. He scratched his back with one hand sheepishly while holding a smile.
"Well I haven't really been trying to go to all the gyms. I work at the docks just a short distance away instead. My job is to guide strays off to safety when everyone else is working. Yeah we battle, but I'm not really into injuring them; just focused on getting them to move." He soon noticed a series of cuts on her front left leg. "You should come with me to at least get the cut covered." She immediately took a battle stance while Nidorino mirrored her sensing Alex was in trouble. "Nidorino, stand down! You know not to attack any wild Pokémon unless they attack first or I order a command!" A hesitant Sandslash wanted to jump in while Nidorino reluctantly walked back to his master. "You too Sandslash. No attacking unless it attacks first." The sight of them retreating made her relax; she then started to sob.
"I am so sorry…I have never had anyone offer to do this before. Please forgive me!" She proceeded to place her front paws on his shoulder and bury her head in his chest while moving to a full cry. His warm hand softly rubbed her head.
"It's okay. Come on, let's go." The four of them made in back to the well-lit road only for Alex go back into the mart for a split-second after he saw how emaciated the fox Pokémon was. While the tails were still healthy looking, the rest of her looked awful in the light.
The walk back was still tense between Alex's Pokémon and her so much so, that Ninetales was put in the front while Alex acted as the buffer while his two original partners were in the rear. She still had her doubts in her mind until they walked up the outside stairs into the apartment.
It was just as Emily described it and Alex didn't mind the first time he saw it: clean overall, a glass window by the front door with blue drapes, 32-inch screen television, white walls with a few posters for decoration, a plain brown couch for three, a plain brown loveseat, cream colored rug, plus a reclining chair that Alex bought. Black and white tile floors were exposed where the rug did not cover the floor. Kitchen materials were mysterious to her until he pointed out each one and explained its function. The toaster, microwave, and oven surprised her the most since he didn't have a fire type and wondered how he ate hot meals.
He let her roam around after his two original partners were called back. She picked up his scent as she moved to the left of the living room television since that was where his bedroom was. His room was also modest with a desk, chair, lamp, dresser, closet, more posters, and a full-size bed. After her exploration was done she opted to sit on the living room carpet just staring out the glass window by the front door.
"I have the medicine here. This might sting a bit," Alex called while he came from the kitchen. A Super Potion spray was applied and she jerked immediately. "I know it hurts but it'll be better soon. I promise." Bandages were wrapped around it for good measure. She just lied down on all fours with a concerned look on her face. "Would you like to stay the night?" Ninetales thought about it long enough to where Alex had to snap his fingers to make sure she wasn't in a trance.
"I do not want to be a burden. I should really get going." He proceeded to pet her head to calm her down.
"Nonsense! Make yourself at home. Don't worry about those two; they just aren't used to new Pokémon since I really don't travel."
"Thank you, Alex." She soon fell asleep on the couch after giving him a lick on his face.
"She must have been through a lot," he mumbled to himself. "I don't know what her deal is but she'll probably leave in the morning. In the meantime, I'll just quietly turn on the television and peek over occasionally."
Alex never made it to bed, opting to sleep on the recliner to keep an eye on her until he was fading. He grabbed the comforter and gently placed it on her while he found a spare, thin fleece blanket for himself. He could've sworn she smiled before he went to sleep.
A thin layer of snow blanketed the city when Alex had to head off to work. A double shift was not something he wanted to do today until he remembered how much money he was getting for it. What made it better was that the Ninetales sent him off with another playful lick to the face. He told her that she could stay until she felt like going off again; he didn't want to assume she was happy in the apartment after how hesitant she was last night. She took full advantage of the offer by going back to sleep once he left.
Packages were practically flying off the ships once Alex arrived to work. Once he was spotted with his trusty Pokémon, he was called on to move some smaller Christmas packages. Three hours had passed before the first wild Pokémon came onto the dock. A Fearow had made its way close to a ship hauling food which was a fairly common occurrence on any other day. Alex educed that this one must've been heading to Cinnabar Island and wanted a quick meal. Nidorino attempted to talk to it until it charged at the poison type; Alex saw the whole exchange.
"Poison Sting!" Poison needles were enough to fend off the predator this time around as Fearow didn't put up a front. "They're not into it as much I guess," he mumbled while he went to pet Nidorino. No more curious Pokémon made it to the docks due to the massive temperature dip that happened around noon. Light snowfall compounded the misery that everyone was experiencing until the morning shift ended.
"You staying Alex?" a co-worker asked in the toasty break room with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Yeah, but I think I can do it." His co-worker just stared at him in awe.
"You're one crazy man. Then again, if anyone could do it then it would be you. See you after Christmas!" Bodies were all over the place as the night workers replaced the morning ones. Alex had gotten a lot of confused looks since the worker he replaced was long gone by this point but he didn't care.
Snow continued to fall at a moderate pace as afternoon turned into evening. Alex also continued to unload goods until he thought he spotted a Pokémon through the snow making its way closer to him, only to vanish when a group of workers stepped in front of him with a large dresser and the snowfall picked up.
The remainder of his shift was uneventful due to the lack of Pokémon to shoo plus the volume of shipments to move had been decreasing since dinner. However, he was asked to stay until 11:45pm to help clean up any sizeable trash or sort packages that still didn't have a home. Throughout the night, he constantly thought about what Pokémon could've been walking to him but he just shrugged it off as mental fatigue since he had worked 12 hours before the incident happened. Punching out and relaxing in the break room was a relief for him and his cold Pokémon.
Vermilion looked beautiful on the way back home. Yellowish street lamps made the snow turn gold for a split second and the lack of wind ensured they fell so gently on top on strings of lights set up by the city. An object in the mart alley right by the main road caught the corner of his eye. He slowly approached the object only to see it was a dead Raticate covered in claw marks.
"Poor thing never stood a chance," Alex muttered under his breath. One alley over was pretty rowdy for this time of night which made him curious. It sounded like two Pokémon were mating based on the long cries of one partner while the other yelped as he got closer. He pretended not to acknowledge it until Nidorino gnawed at Alex's leg. He felt horribly embarrassed even stopping when walking past it would be more sensible.
"What is it other than two Pokémon ma…" Alex cut himself off after seeing a Ninetales and what he assumed was a male Persian in the middle of the alley caught in the middle of a mating session. She was cut up everywhere in addition to the front left paw having a much deeper wound compared to the one he healed. He quickly decided that this looked far from natural.
"Help me! Someone! Anyone!" The screams confirmed his suspicions. A hiss came from the Persian before it dug its claws in her side and dragged them a few inches at a time while still mating with her.
"If you ever leave me again, you'll end up like that Raticate. I'd never kill you though; I'd miss this fine body of yours," it hissed, although Alex couldn't understand it. "I think you've raised your body temperature afterwards so you wouldn't get pregnant but I wasn't sure until I saw you doing it last time. You may have gotten away with it the past few weeks, but not tonight!" Its claws dragged across her side for a few more inches; she howled in pain. "If you think about running like last night or heating up after I'm done with you, I have a few friends willing to stop by to teach you a lesson."
"Just take the claws out of my side! Please!" While still having his way with her, he took a claw out and punched her in the side before digging back into the same spot.
"Shut up! You know that without me, you're nothing! Now I'm almost done so you must be getting close too. Don't heat up if you know what's good for you."
Alex wasted no more time revealing himself by jumping into the alley.
"Nidorino…use Double Kick as hard as your legs will allow you," Alex ordered in the calmest tone that Nidorino had ever heard; it could feel the anger behind the calm. The result was not good enough for Alex's taste as the Persian stopped to dodge the potentially fatal attack. Unnerving calm came from the next order as Alex did his best to keep his anger bottled up to avoid scaring the wild Ninetales. "Again Nidorino." Yet another dodge came from the feline. "Poison Sting then Body Slam. Trust me on this." Persian thought it was in the clear by dodging the needles until it looked up at the mass of purple coming down on it. Paralysis forced it to lie there as Alex picked her up.
"It h-h-hurts everywhere," she said weakly as he tried to hold her where there were no cuts. Her entire backside was red from either tenderness or blood from the cuts that streaked from the sides. Alex made a split-second decision in his head after he assessed her condition.
"Shhh. It's okay. We're going to my place. I just need your faith in me," he whispered in her ear as he knew the Pokémon Center was further away compared to his apartment. There was no way to tell how bad the injuries were in the dark alley, but he wasn't willing to risk her dying in his arms in the cold night on the way to the center. Nidorino was still on edge after seeing the Persian staggered to its feet. The moment Alex went to leave the alley was the moment Nidorino used Double Kick to send Persian flying into a group of trash cans; it still was twitching in pain.
"I can't bring myself to kill a Pokémon so I'm sorry if I can't get more revenge for you. Let's get you cleaned up," he whispered while blood slowly made its way onto his jacket sleeve.
The only sound that was going on in the city so late at night was the whimpering of the Ninetales on the way back to the apartment. Sandslash and Nidorino had a guilt trip with each whimper or short breath by Ninetales considering the current circumstances and how they acted when they first met. The rate of snowfall increased after the scuffle in the alley; the accumulation from the past 24 hours had gotten up to a foot in some places before the new wave came during work. Large piles of snow covered the stairs to the third-floor apartment as they approached. Sandslash did not wait for an order to start clearing the snow even though it made him feel weak. Slowly they ascended the stairs until they all reached the inside of the apartment.
"Alright you two that was great work" Alex said in a monotonous tone. "You will be rewarded later. Now return." Both Pokémon lowered their heads before they were hit with the red beam.
Ninetales had become unconscious from exhaustion after Alex silently applied his only Hyper Potion all over the white fox but he was thrilled she was breathing. Applying bandages was tricky, but he still managed to do an effective job of covering up all her serious visible wounds. She was carried to his room where he gently laid her on the bed before tucking her under the fleece lined comforter and getting some supplies for later. He silently managed to turn his desk area in his room into a makeshift bed although he was planning on staying awake until she woke up.
The thought of her dying in his room ran through his head because although the Pokémon Center had more resources, trying to get there this late in the horrible conditions would be too taxing on both of them. He silently cursed at the lack of experience he had as a trainer to make such a critical decision, the fact that he only had one emergency Hyper Potion at his disposal, and owning only four spare Super Potions for his own teammates.
Late into the night, she finally started to breathe steadily in her sleep. Alex tried to figure out what to do when she woke up and no matter what he did, it wouldn't be an easy conversation. Alex reflected on the trip home as the clock reached 4:30am and he finally put his head into his hands and started to snivel and cry as quietly as he could.
He knew he had just performed an early Christmas miracle.
A few tidbits that I'd like to explain: the 30% for expenses comes from my personal experience when I was in apartment my senior year of college. I ran the numbers from my old paychecks and adjusted the cost of things with roommates and came to that number; just wanted to explain that if people think it's too little or too much.
Chances are that you, the reader, may know this, but I'd like to point out for those who may not know: a siren is best described as female mythical creature that has a human top half and the lower half of a bird or mermaid. They would sing or use their beautiful voice to attract sailors and their ships to the rocks where the ships would eventually sink or the sirens would eat the sailors when they tried to escape. Anyway, I wanted to really show how elegant a Ninetales could sound like and that was the best example I could think of.
A shout-out to people who have worked back-to-back shifts at work or long shifts in general. There was a time when I worked at a restaurant and due to a staffing issue, I worked 9am to about 11pm (or whenever closing was that night; it varied) and then I had a span where I worked Friday night 4pm-12:30am then Saturday morning at 7am then Sunday morning at 7am. Quick turnarounds aren't fun but it feels so good when the shower is over, you eat some food, and finally when your head hits the pillow. For those of you that may be in that cycle or working overtime regardless of the job, keep pushing. I get where you're coming from. Cheers to you! You have my respect.
Last, this chapter was my first mature scene ever so I would greatly appreciate any feedback or thoughts.
That's all I have for now, see you next chapter. Have a good day :)
-W4f
