#085 Dodrio
Dodrio, the triple bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Doduo. Watch out if Dodrio's three heads are looking in three separate directions. It's a sure sign that it is on its guard. Don't go near this Pokémon if it's being wary - it may attack. The heads aren't the only parts of the body that Dodrio has three of. It has three sets of hearts and lungs as well, so it is capable of running long distances without rest – Nurse Evergreen.
It may have taken Nurse Isabelle a while but eventually she had called Dominic after their fight in the mountains surrounding Pewter City. It felt incredibly embarrassing to be unsure if he wanted her back, but she missed him terribly. Luckily, one of Dom's best qualities was that he was easy to smile and slow to anger. Whatever frustration he held for her was long gone. All anxious tension Isabelle had had about calling him had been for naught. He apologised for the silence and accepted hers easily.
Good-naturedly, he invited her over for something fun. He asked her to meet him in a town in between where they were now and he promised he had something fun planned when they got there.
Izzy's trip there was wonderful; Pidgey tweeted in the trees as she passed by, Butterfree fluttered around, and Caterpie scurried away as Isabelle rode by on her Ponyta. When the forest cleared and the open fields began, Izzy nudged Ponyta into an easy gallop. Together, they ran. Every single day, her blue fired steed became stronger and more confident, able to carry the nurse further. The young horse also became more comfortable with the changing surroundings. Open fields were pleasant now, even if they weren't surrounded by mountains. Forests were interesting, filled with Pokémon she'd never seen before. Once, Isabelle had had to wait for half an hour as Ponyta met and toyed around with a brave Sandshrew. Izzy couldn't be more proud of her hore.
Riding up into the town, Isabelle was met with cheers and greetings as she rode in on her horse. People seemed generally happy to see her, which made the nurse feel guilty for not even knowing the name of the town. Some villagers pointed her in a direction, presumably to the centre of the town. There, she saw a man with a Dodrio; the human and the Pokemon were of the same height. That dark mop of hair combined with that broad-shouldered frame was unmistakable. Nearby, she descended from Ponyta's back, secured the reins and swung her arms around his neck from the back.
"Guess who?" She asked, playfully.
"Ehm. Santa?"
"What? No!" Grinning, he turned around. His beard was recently trimmed and looked neat and well-kept. It suited him. She longed to kiss the scar underneath his left eye, but he did not feel comfortable with anyone but him touching his face, he once told her.
"Just teasing, honey. Glad you could make it," he told her, kissing her forehead. Due to the height difference, it was the closest in reach "Now, who's this gorgeous lady? Look at you." Admiringly, he circled Ponyta. "Where did you get this beauty from, Izz?"
"I can't tell you. You'd want one of your own."
"Well, of course. She's magnificent."
"She truly is. Ponyta is very young but has been raised in a herd that grazes on a mountain that's rich with copper. That's what caused this colour of flame. Because they've been living there for a long time, generations likely, the copper might be permanently in their bones. If not, I expect her fire to return to normal any day. Also, in theory, if I feed her something with strontium, her fire will be a gorgeous wine-red colour. I'm afraid it might poison her, though, so I have not tried it." Isabelle's passion was in the effects of the environment on Pokémon, such as the sea Squirtle she had encountered, and tended to go on for a very long time about it. Dominic, however, listened with interest and without interruptions. With a sheepish smile, Isabelle realised she'd been monologuing a little.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Listening to that probably wasn't why you called me here."
"Don't apologise. I love hearing of your research and passions. Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed the excitement of the people and the decorations at all. This town hosts Pokémon racing, and I'd like to invite you to a race. At first, I planned on doing it both on Dodrio, but now you've got a Ponyta, it's even more perfect. The little lady would love the competition, from what I've been taught about them."
And like that, Isabelle found herself on Ponyta at the starting line next to Dominic riding a Dodrio. This was to be a friendly race, between Isabelle and Dominic only. Truth be told, Izzy was much more comfortable in the saddle than Dom looked on that three-headed bird. Instead of being scared of the noise, Ponyta seemed to revel in it. The excitement swept her up when she realised she'd be racing someone, like she probably had with the other foals of her herd, back at home. Her flame burned brighter than ever, without burning her rider.
"Go!" The announcer shouted and the two were off. Dodrio was a bit slow to start, seemingly in an argument with its heads, so Isabelle took the lead. Effortlessly, Ponyta accelerated into a fast but rhythmic pace as her hooves clopped on the street. The route was a very short one; just two laps around the village, allowing all town folk to get a good look.
By the time Isabelle entered her last lap, Dom was playing catch up behind her. His inexperience with this particular Dodrio made him slower than Izzy and her Ponyta. She dared even say that she and Ponyta had established a bond of trust, sometime before this race. It might even have happened in the run this morning. Regardless, Dominic came very close, but just near the finish line, a sad-looking head from Dodrio burned his beak on Ponyta's tail from being too eager and flinched. The stumble in pace allowed Isabelle to win with ease.
She was greeted with cheers from what seemed like all of the townsfolk. Apparently, bets had been placed on her and all over, people were rushing to claim their winnings, or grumbling to themselves that they should never have trusted that 'bearded lout'. So that's why this town liked the races so much. Gambling was their income.
As Isabelle fed and watered Ponyta, brushing the white coat as the horse drank, other people raced each other. One race involved a boy on a Nidorino and a girl on a Nidorina. There were even people who whose Caterpie, determined to show which was the fastest (they only did one lap or else they'd be there all day). Eventually, the inevitable happened. A girl on a Doduo got in an accident as she was, according to onlookers, cut off by her opponent.
As Isabelle ran to the scene, the girl sat on the ground, cradling her scraped knees. Tear marks on her cheeks told Izzy the panic had caused tears to well up but she was merely sniffling now, calmer. Good, thought Izzy, almost cruelly. The noise would further aggravate the Doduo, which was her only concern right now. One of the heads was perfectly okay but the other one had taken a beating and hung limply. Some blood dripped down its beak, as the other head watched with concern.
Gently, Isabelle cupped the injured head. As Izzy stroked it over its head to check the cut and felt whether the skull was broken, it cried out in pain, resulting in the other head to peck Izzy hard in her shoulder. In pain, Izzy cursed hard enough to make some people chuckle, but she did not punish the other head for it. He merely tried to protect himself. Or was it themselves?
Never mind the identity of Doduo, it did seem to have a fractured skull. That wasn't something a simple potion could solve, so Isabelle fed the other head a narcotic berry, to make both of the heads fall asleep. Just as their eyes closed, the ambulance of the Pokémon centre of the nearest city arrived to take over. Giving her findings to the paramedic, Isabelle accepted a cloth to clean her bloody hands.
From behind, Dom wrapped his arms around her waist. He'd been watching on, close enough to jump in if need be, but without getting in the way. "It's never a quiet day with you, is it?"
"It's not my fault this happened. Accidents happen whether I'm around or not." Izzy replied snippily, massaging her bruised shoulder.
He kissed her neck. "I know, sweetheart. I'm just very proud to be with you." Despite everything, Isabelle smiled fondly.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you," she said quietly.
"It's alright. I realise it sounded a bit like an accusation. Truth is, it's one of the many things I like about you."