#101 Electrode

Electrode, the ball Pokémon. The evolved form of Voltorb. Electrode eats electricity in the atmosphere. On days when lightning strikes, you can see this Pokémon exploding all over the place from eating too much electricity – Nurse Evergreen.

Despite how much Nurse Isabelle loved to see the dark colours of the sky and hear the rumbling of thunder rolling closer, it was high time to find shelter. A storm this powerful would not be appreciated by either of her Pokémon that could carry her. Ponyta hated water and by extension rain, and her Pidgeot would be shot out of the sky by lightning. So Isabelle spurred Ponyta into action, cantering along the road, searching for the closest place to hide from the upcoming tempest before the first rain fell.

A bit further along the road, there was a sign proclaiming berries for sale. Where there were berries for sale, there had to be a farm! So Isabelle opened the gate from Ponyta's back – which would be very difficult even if Ponyta wasn't so restless – and trotted up the lane towards the farm building. It was a low building with a thatched roof. She passed rows and rows of berry trees, which made Isabelle very eager to buy some. Painkilling Oran berries had run out a long while ago.

Arriving at the farm house, Isabelle dismounted and called Ponyta back, who was very eager to leave as the first droplets were falling. Someone must have seen her coming, because the door opened to reveal a heavy-set lady with a flour-covered apron.

"Quick, girl! Get inside!" Wasting no time, Isabelle did as the lady told her and hurried inside the pleasantly smelling ranch. She wiped her shoes on the doormat and took her Squirtle-patterned raincoat off. Many pictures lined the hallway, depicting many generations that had lived in this farmhouse. From somewhere deeper into the house, a scent like potato stew came.

"Thank you so much, ma'am. My name is Isabelle Evergreen. I'm a Pokémon nurse." Isabelle said with a slight bow to the woman who let her in.

"I am Bianca. Welcome to my home. A Pokémon nurse, you say? Oh, what luck! Egbert! Egbert!" She screamed suddenly, startling the young blonde. "Egbert! I found a Pokémon nurse!"

"No need to shout, woman! Where did you get the girl from?" came the grunted reply. Egbert took his time to walk over to them, which suggested to Isabelle that his wife often called for him like this.

"She just showed up, like a sign from above!"

Isabelle wasn't quite sure what to think of the gangly man and his plump wife. "Is anything the matter?"

The woman's voice turned all sweet and pleasant again. "A little bit. Our Electrode doesn't feel so well, you see? We use him for electricity in the house. A bit far away from the city, you see? And he's been feeling unwell for a few days now. I told Egbert to go get a nurse, but he hadn't done it yet, and boom!" Thunder struck, causing the man, Egbert, to curse. "There you are!"

Isabelle laughed sheepishly. "I was just looking for somewhere to hide from this storm. I promise you I did not fall from the sky."

"And we were looking for a nurse!" Yes, she had already said that. The woman repeated herself quite a lot. "So it all works out!"

Picking her backpack up again from where she had put it down after coming inside, Isabelle have them a kind smile. "I'll do what I can. Could you show me your Electrode?"

She was taken to the basement, which was a rather creepy place; it was dark, it smelled vaguely like mushrooms and socks, and all kinds of unidentifiable sounds could be heard. When the lights were turned on, Isabelle could finally see what was going on.

An Electrode, as expected, was inside the common contraption for harvesting electricity from electric types. Nothing unusual there. Yet the Electrode looked really bad. If possible, the orb looked slumped. Isabelle immediately felt sorry for it.

"He's out of electricity. There's no doubt about it. Have you been using a lot these days, or forgotten to charge him?" Isabelle asked. Bianca shook her head, but Egbert looked rather uncomfortable. "Sir?" The nurse asked, sternly.

"The Kanto League was on. So I kind of watched a lot of television. Like, all of the battles. The winner had this awesome Nidoking and-…" He stopped as soon as he noticed the glare of his wife.

"This is your fault?! My poor Electrode. Please, nurse girl, heal my Pokémon." The woman sounded rather hysterical.

"Don't worry, ma'am. This storm is actually the perfect time to charge up your Electrode. Normally, a lightning bolt is a bit much but in this state, it'll be just what your Pokémon needs to feel perfectly fine again. Sir, could you unhook him and bring him upstairs and out of the farm?"

With a glare from his wife, Egbert did as he was asked. Within half an hour, Electrode laid alone in the field opposite of the berry farm. Egbert held his worried wife as Izzy merely watched with her arms crossed.

Feeling the electricity in the air, Electrode began to spark weakly, acting as a lightning rod. And indeed, the next surge of lightning hit the Pokémon. Isabelle winced when the woman screamed. She apparently didn't know how tough Electrode were. When the sky turned dark again, Electrode rolled back on his own, sparking happily and excitedly.

"Oh, lady nurse, you did it! You saved my poor Electrode," Bianca cried out as she hugged Izzy in a chokehold against her chest.

"Actually, nature did it," Isabelle choked out, but no one heard.

As thanks for her work, Egbert made her a warm meal, as Bianca prepared her a bed. The following morning, a basketful of various berries laid ready with a note of thanks. Isabelle smiled as she packed them in her backpack. It felt good to help people, Izzy thought, as she waved goodbye from Pidgeot's back before ascending into the air on her way again.