#086 Seel

Seel, the sea lion Pokémon. Seel hunts for prey in the frigid sea underneath sheets of ice. When it needs to breathe, it punches a hole through the ice with its horn. – Nurse Evergreen.

Because the Joys were usually too understaffed to leave their centres unattended, Nurse Isabelle took the house-calls from various people with sick or injured Pokémon. It was not only a splendid way of earning some money, it also gained her invaluable experience. One day, the "Three Sensational Sisters" called from Cerulean gym. Despite some less than stellar reviews, they did seem to care about their Pokémon. The gym always so awfully humid, though.

Upon arriving at the water-type gym, she was greeted kindly by the sisters themselves. What stuck her first was how young they were. They did not seem any older than her, if at all. Why weren't they at the beach?

The sisters invited her to release her water-types, assuming she had some, and to join them for lemonade at the main pool as they sat on the bleachers. Isabelle could see why she'd been called, though, as the girls chatted along. The bleachers were stained and broken in some locations. In the middle of the pool floated a white shape upside down in the water, lacklustre. Wartortle, who had been released, swam around it, seemingly worried despite her usual aloofness. A Poliwag and a Poliwhirl trod water nearby too, watching over their sick friend.

The three girls did not seem to notice as Isabelle walked down the bleachers to kneel down at the edge of the pool. Behind her, the Sensational Sisters were talking about an event that was going to happen in Cerulean, today. Apparently, there would be a festival which focused on the beauty of Pokémon, this afternoon. Isabelle only noticed because Wartortle peeked up from the water to listen to the sisters, having abandoned the unconscious Pokémon in the middle of the pool.

"Wartortle." Isabelle called for her water type. No response. "Wartortle!" She tried in a louder voice. Still nothing. Her Wartortle was almost hypnotised by the talk of the beauty competition.

Isabelle grunted in annoyance and made a splash by slapping the water surface, which actually hurt her hand. Startled, the Poliwag fled, the Poliwhirl cried out before swimming away, and it even got Wartortle's attention who swam over to her. The Seel in the middle of the pool did not respond, though. This was incredibly concerning.

"Wartortle. Let me make a deal with you. You help me with Seel over there, and we'll go to that fancy fare later, okay? Now, push Seel over to me and keep him in place. I don't want it floating off."

Wartortle has never helped her so well. This is what their partnership could have been had things not gone differently. She pushed Seel to the edge where Izzy was sitting, with her medical bag open. She had taken off her shoes and dangled her lower legs in the water for balance.

First and foremost, Seel wasn't dead, thankfully. It seemed conscious as well, just unresponsive. Using a stethoscope, she checked Seel's heart and lungs. When she came to her stomach, though, she heard something out of place: cramped gurgles. It seemed the little guy had eaten something weird and felt really, really sick now. If only he could throw up what it was, he could feel better instantly.

With her face scrunched up in distaste, Isabelle gave it one of the pills she preferred not to use. The body absolutely hated it and made whoever took it throw up immediately. While Wartortle held it still, Isabelle cradled his head and fed it the tiny pill. It worked miraculously quick. Within a few seconds, she had the water type barfing all over the place, like a chubby rocket. It got in the pool, it hit Wartortle, and even Izzy's trousers and pants reeked of puke and chocolate. It had been chocolate what the Pokémon had eaten.

"Ew!" The sisters behind her supplied. Seel, however, seemed to feel totally fine again, started clapping its flippers while excitedly calling. When Izzy let go, Seel swam away swiftly through an unseen tunnel down below.

"Daisy, can you turn the extra filtering in the pool? Lily, you should call the janitor to have this cleaned up. Violet, I'd like a shower. Could you show me the way to one?" Isabelle called out to the leaders of this gym without looking at them. She stood up slowly.

The girls did not dare to defy a woman covered in barf. As the girls cleaned up their gym, Isabelle and Wartortle shared a shower. Wartortle sat in a tub with some Pokémon-proof soap, and Isabelle took a quick shower, having tied her hair in a bun so it wouldn't get wet much. Being a travelling nurse had long since eroded Izzy's modesty around her team. After Izzy's clothing was put in gym's laundry, to be done in a few hours, Isabelle knelt down to wash Wartortle's shell as the water ran over both of them. They stayed in a bit longer than usual, taking great care not to smell foul anymore. A preference they both shared.

Luckily, Isabelle always had a change of clothes with her, living mostly out of her backpack. Dressed in jeans and a three-quarter sleeved shirt in Rattata purple, Izzy checked on Seel one more time. The little guy was swimming around excitedly - in a smaller, clean pool. For the first time in a while, he ate again. Seel would be fine for now, but a talk had to be had.

"Ladies, this is serious. No more chocolate. You need to be more responsible towards your Pokémon." Isabelle told the girls sternly.

"I have no idea where he got it from but indeed, no more chocolate." Violet told her, which sounded like a lie to her. Still, she let it go for now.

"Now, Wartortle, are you ready to go to that fair?" Wartortle cried out and dashed for the door, eager to go. "Ladies, I'll be back later to pick up my clothing from the washing. I'd like to check the rest of your Pokémon as well, if you don't mind. Thank you, again." And then Isabelle left with Wartortle excitedly walking behind her.