Pokémon: Changeling

Chapter 7 – Leaving the Center


The next day I was woken up by Nurse Linn before the sun was even up. Apparently, I needed to start my physical examination earlier if Brandon was going to be able to sign me out by noon. However, before I could begin, Nurse Linn needed to check my wounds and change my bandages. While I did not have to move much for her to examine the wound on my right forepaw, I did have to stand for her to examine the wounds on the underside of my torso.

At first, I was hesitant. I had not really moved much since waking up in this body, so standing up on four legs instead of the two I was used to seemed like a daunting task. However, once I finally tried it, I stood up as if I had always been a quadruped. Standing up on four legs seemed eerily natural; I did not even have to think about it at all. It was like my ears and tail; which I had noticed I could easily control like I always had them. As with previous revelations about my body, I was alarmed by how it was yet another indicator of my lost humanity, but at least I would not have to learn how to walk again.

After a barrage tests ranging from having me hold a thermometer in my jaws to x-rays followed. While none of it was difficult and my wounds barely bothered me during most of the tests, I was still sore and the tests were very tedious. It was annoying, but I did figure out by looking at the clocks and eavesdropping that they used the exact same time system here as they did in my world. At least I would not have to relearn how many hours were in a day or anything like that.

I was also able to learn that I was in the Vaniville Town Pokémon Center. Despite the fact the area I was in seemed like a small clinic, the building apparently also apparently had an inn and small cafeteria for Trainers in it as well.

The fact that I was apparently in Vaniville Town did not go unnoticed by me either. If memory served, Vaniville Town was the starting town for the protagonist in the Pokémon X and Y games, so I was in Kalos like I initially suspected. Thankfully, that was the generation of games I was most familiar with, so hopefully I would not be totally clueless about every place I went and everything I encountered.

Around noon, I finally finish my tests and Nurse Linn brought me out to meet Brandon. He wore the same black patrol cap, satchel, and belt from yesterday. However, this time he had on a jacket and a green scarf. As we exited through a pair of white double doors into the large similarly colored waiting area, Brandon looked up from the paperwork he was filling out with a pen at the front desk.

He quickly put down the pen and rushed over to kneel in front of me, his eyes almost level with mine.

"Hey, Remus! You feeling better today?!" he asked with boundless enthusiasm.

I answered with a quick affirmative bark. He moved his hand to scratch my head but caught himself before he was even a quarter of the way there.

"Sorry," He said apologetically, "force of habit."

I smiled, nodded, and waged my tail in hopes of getting across my point that I accepted his apology.

"Thanks for understanding," he replied. "Let me just finish up this last form and I will be able to take you home."

Nurse Linn returned through the double doors and, since I did not have anything else to do, I curled up against the desk, not far from Brandon's feet as he finished filling out the paperwork. In retrospect, I guess my willingness to curl up on a dirty floor without a second thought was yet another sign of my lost humanity, but it when unnoticed by me at the time; it just came naturally. After a few minutes, he finished and handed the paperwork and pen back to the nurse behind the desk.

"Thank you!" she happily replied. "Now remember to let him get plenty of rest. That means no battling or heavy exercise, but walking is fine. And, make sure to change his bandages daily. On Wednesday, bring him back to us so we can confirm he has fully recovered. After that, he should be good to go."

"Sounds good," Brandon replied while quickly tapping at a dark green PDA-like device strapped to his wrist. After a second, he looked up at the nurse and stated, "Okay, it's in my calendar. See you later Nurse Elise!"

He then turned to me and drew his unmarked Poké Ball from his belt. "Remus, return." I was too surprised to resist as the red beam of light that hit me. In a split-second, I felt myself painlessly fade into energy and enter the strange device.


Author's Note: I am sure Remus' experience inside a Poké Ball will be total peaceful and not at all traumatizing.