#061 Poliwhirl
Poliwhirl, the tadpole Pokémon. The evolved form of Poliwag. While Poliwhirl is capable of moving on land, it prefers to stay in freshwater ponds and lakes. When out of water, it releases fluid to keep its skin moist. It is always covered in an oily fluid that allows it to slip away from enemies. The swirl on its abdomen is smooth, however, undulating slowly. Staring at it induces drowsiness – Nurse Evergreen.
The morning after meeting Wendy, Nurse Isabelle took a look at the local town's request board, usually involving hospitable strays, runaways, and troublesome wild Pokémon. They were basically quests and occasionally just as exciting. Starved Growlithe, Meowth stuck in a tree. One flyer stood out. Several sick Poliwhirl, who lived in the pond in the local park. Taking that file with her, Isabelle headed out, after taking a photo of the board for her blog. These boards got so little attention that it was an interesting opportunity to write about.
The pond was surprisingly far away from the normal walking route. The path was less well kept here and the further she went, the worse it became. By the time she came to the water, Isabelle was determined to call the park rangers, who were wildlife experts dedicated to a specific area. There was filth everywhere! Some people had apparently held a party here. Bottles of Blastoise Bubble laid everywhere along with food wrappers and pizza boxes. Plastic bags floated on the surface of the water. Nearby, a Poliwhirl had got his left arm and leg stuck in the hole of one of those bags, leaving him unable to swim. He'd apparently been like this for a long while, because he was just floating around on his back, having given up the struggle. He just stared at the sky with an alarming lack of alertness.
Furious, Isabelle grabbed a Pokéball from her belt and released Wartortle. As soon as the flash of light had disappeared, Izzy pointed at the Poliwhirl.
"Wartortle, go and push that Poliwhirl to the shore," she commanded. However, Wartortle took one look at the murky water, sniffed the stench around her, and shook her head. She stepped close to the nurse, pressed the button of her own Pokéball and went back inside.
"What the …? For goodness sake, Wartortle! I am so sick of your attitude! This Poliwhirl needs help and you're too squeamish to swim? Ugh. We're talking later." Isabelle took a minute to compose herself and then she released both Ivysaur and Pidgeotto.
Still fuming at Wartortle's insolence, Isabelle didn't speak much, aside from commanding moves to be used. She tried her hardest not to take it out on her other two Pokémon because they did not deserve her wrath. Regardless, they felt her unhappiness and seemingly worked even harder. Ivysaur dragged Poliwhirl close with his vines. Since Poliwhirl did not show any signs of recognition that he had been released once Izzy cut the plastic with a pair of scissors, Isabelle laid him on a cloth stretcher she'd attached to Pidgeotto, sending him off to the Pokémon centre with a little note attached that more might be coming. She made a mental note to reward the two of them properly later, as they did exactly she trained them to do.
While waiting for Pidgeotto to return, Isabelle stood up and took out her phone from her pocket. She had this neat app, which was rather simple. No video or anything; just voice calling. It served her well, though. She called the central number of the local rangers.
"Hello. This is Nurse Isabelle. Please send a team, for I have a dire situation at Cerulean South park. Over."
No patience for niceties, she merely did her job, provided the coordinates of her location, then hung up. Soon, people would come to clean this up. Until then, Isabelle would have to transport as many ill Pokémon as she could.
During the call, Ivysaur had found a Poliwag with an open cut on its back. It wasn't bleeding anymore, which was good, but it didn't look clean either. So as soon as Pidgeotto was back, he was sent on his way again.
Luckily, those two seemed to be the only ones. The other Pokémon that lived here had left their pool, hovering in the reed nearby, hiding until the area was clean again. Stroking a nearby Poliwhirl's slimy head, Isabelle smiled wryly. She'd called back her Pokémon, which were exhausted from the amount of work.
After reporting this to the police station and checking in on the Poliwhirl and Poliwag brought in, Isabelle finally called it a day. That night, one bed was empty in their room. Wartortle's ball was still on her belt, under the bed. Pidgeotto, in the top bunk above Izzy seemed indifferent, but Ivysaur was abnormally affectionate tonight. It seemed the little grass type was fonder of Wartortle than she was of her team. Isabelle didn't sleep a lot that night, wondering why Wartortle must be this way. Had she, as a trainer, done something wrong? Ivysaur and Pidgeotto turned out perfectly fine.