Disclaimer: The following chapter mentions and discusses abuse.
The motorboat repeatedly slammed against the churning waves, the white caps seeping onto the floor of the watercraft. With every impact, the engine sputtered a little more, yet the horizon grew closer and closer.
Thunder sounded in the distance, growing nearer with every passing minute. Despite the downpour, the man behind the wheel continued operating the vehicle simply because he had no other option. Driving the boat was his job, after all.
A beeping noise emanated from the device right next to the wheel. Jeff Potter, the boat's operator, was tempted to ignore it, hoping it would stop. Perhaps it was just a butt-dial; that's what he hoped it was, at any rate.
Nonetheless, Jeff glanced at his phone, which was miraculously still functional despite the water exposure. The caller ID indicated that his supervisor was the one attempting to contact him.
The man grunted with annoyance. He didn't want to talk to his supervisor, or anyone else, while he focused on guiding the boat towards the land. But a call from the boss couldn't be ignored, and besides, who else would be stupid enough to take their boats out in this weather?
Amidst the downpour, Jeff picked up his phone. "I'll be there in a few minutes!" he shouted, not caring whether or not the caller could hear him. They'd know what he'd said in a few minutes anyway, because he wasn't far from his destination.
Tucked into the boat's hold were four spherical objects, half red and half silver, bouncing up and down with every crash of the hull against the turbulent sea. Each of them contained precious cargo, too precious to allow to fall into the drink.
"Almost there," Jeff muttered to himself. "Almost there. And then all I have to do is drive back to the mainland."
Of course, there was no such thing as "the mainland" in Alola. The region consisted of thousands of islands, many of them uninhabited. Most were beautiful, though some of the region's cities were anything but.
At long last, the island's terrain came into view. The waters would be crystal clear on a sunny day, the pristine beach so white that it made most of the region's beaches look like shit. The sand was still the color of cane sugar and probably a similar texture (though not a similar taste.)
A dock that rose out of the sea stretched out from the beach. In contrast to the seaside village from which Jeff had launched his motorboat, this island's port was far more modern and made of metal. The pier contrasted the pristine stretch of shore, just the way Mother Nature had intended, and the current, industrial, almost futuristic dock.
Jeff switched his boat into neutral and tied it to the dock. Although he'd done this many times before, his hands shook from the chilly rain as he tied the knots that would secure his watercraft to the metal.
He next grabbed the four Pokeballs from the boat's hold and climbed back onto the dock. Despite his status as being on the wrong side of middle age, Jeff's strong arms enabled him to carry the spherical objects with ease.
On the other end of the pier, a military-style Jeep awaited, driven by a man about Jeff's age. The former man gave the latter a glare as he climbed into the land-based vehicle.
"You're late."
"I know, and I'm sorry about that, Colin," Jeff replied, though his tone suggested he wasn't sorry. "In case you haven't noticed, there's quite a storm out there."
"We were expecting the delivery fifteen minutes ago," Colin said simply. "Could you have left earlier in anticipation of the storm?"
"Look, Colin," Jeff told the other man. "The Pokeballs keep them as they are, and the condition of our cargo will not worsen if they remain in the devices. And they were firmly secured, and I got here as fast as possible."
Colin sighed as he switched the Jeep into drive mode. "We're not going to punish you for that. How could we? You're still our most reliable captain, most of the time."
The Jeep drove through the dense tropical forest that made up this part of the island for several miles. The visibility was low here, even on a clear, sunny day, but Colin drove defensively.
"So what happened to today's cargo?" Colin enquired. "Or rather, why are they cargo?"
"Well, the same as what happened to the other Pokémon in the facility," Jeff replied, taking off his drenched orange hat. "Their owners could no longer take care of them, for one reason or another."
"Makes sense."
After some time on the road, they arrived at a thirty-foot fence topped with barbed wire. Beyond this fence lay the destination of the Pokémon.
"Would you like to do the honors, Jeff?" Colin asked his passenger.
"I'd be more than happy to," Jeff responded, though he didn't feel like it. "Doing the honors" meant going out in the pouring rain yet again, getting even more soaked. But someone needed to do the job, and if this is how Jeff had to make it up to Colin, so be it.
He got out of the car and walked to the keypad, where he typed in the passcode. "804835," he said quietly, naming each digit as he pressed it.
The lock on the gate audibly disengaged at that moment, and part of the fence swung inward. It was important never to touch that fence because it was almost always buzzing with electricity; unlike most of Alola's outlying islands, Lapas Island never lacked power.
"Thanks," Colin told him. "It's not a fun job."
Jeff snorted. "You're telling me."
On the other side of the fence, the facility came into view. From a distance, even from the shore, Lapas Island would have looked pristine, utterly untouched by human activity. You'd be forgiven for thinking that modern technology was an alien concept here.
But that wasn't accurate. The futuristic structure that stood before the two men was proof enough. And once you'd seen the massive complex, roughly the size of a small college campus, your perception of the rest of the island would never be the same again.
Jeff shivered in the chilly rain. "Let's h-head inside," he stammered, involuntarily biting his tongue with each word.
Heading inside is exactly what they did once Colin used his card key on the door. The building didn't contain a mudroom, just a small rug to stomp all the water off their shoes. As a result, the floor could get very slippery on rainy days.
"Arceus, you guys look like you were just swimming!" a somewhat higher-pitched voice exclaimed. "Be careful not to get the floor too wet!"
Colin snorted. "Quite frankly, Bonnie, I think that ship has sailed. But we have a few new Pokémon here; they're in their Pokeballs right now."
Bonnie, a tall skinny woman of thirty or so, gasped. "Those poor things!" she announced, lunging at Jeff as if to grab the Pokeballs.
"Be careful," Jeff said. "I'd think you would know that, being a nurse."
"Oh, I know," Bonnie replied with a deep sigh. "It's just that I hate when Pokémon get abandoned. They must have been through so much before they ended up here."
"Indeed," Colin muttered. "Anyway, I'll have to get back to my office. Jeff, would you accompany Bonnie to the infirmary?"
After all this time working at the Lapas Island Pokémon Sanctuary (LIPS for short), it felt weird to have orders to do such a simple task. But Jeff wasn't going to disobey his boss.
"I will," he promised. Then, turning to Bonnie, he said, "Let's get these four to the medical unit. We'll ensure they're doing okay, and then once they're all stable, they can begin their new lives here."
"How much do you know about these Pokémon?" Nurse Bonnie asked Jeff as they walked down the corridor. "I'm assuming you know the details of how they ended up here?"
Jeff nodded, scratching the slight beard scruff on his chin. "Yes. Three are one year old, whereas the fourth is three years of age."
"So they're mere toddlers," the nurse replied with a frown. "That's just so tragic; little ones like that are vulnerable to broken homes."
"Well, not all of them were broken homes. The Psyduck in one of the Pokeballs - his ball's labeled Caleb, so I guess that's his name - his trainer did break something. His neck."
Bonnie gasped.
"Yes, Caleb's trainer suffered a spinal cord injury and could no longer take care of his Psyduck. His exact words were, 'I don't think I can give Caleb the life he deserves anymore.' And he gave him up for adoption at this sanctuary."
"That's sad," Bonnie replied. "What about the others?"
"Well, there's a Meowth too - his name's Rogan. He was a preemie, or as some say, a million-dollar baby. In this case, literally. His owners could not afford his medical expenses or the support he'll need during his childhood, so they gave him up."
They had arrived at the infirmary, where Jeff handed Nurse Bonnie the Pokéball labeled CALEB. With the press of a button, Bonnie released the sleeping Psyduck from his stasis chamber.
"He doesn't look that bad, actually," the nurse remarked, brushing Caleb's light fur. "He's just a little unkempt, but his owner couldn't help brush his fur, so I see why. But it's rough."
"Yep," Jeff said sadly. "So we should probably keep him here overnight."
"I agree with you," Bonnie responded. "We don't know what diseases they might be carrying. Honestly, I should probably be in full PPE right now, but…".
"Humans don't get the same illnesses as Pokémon," the man replied. "I thought you knew that."
"I mean, yeah, but these little guys can get so much sicker than we can. Even a cold might be a big problem for Pokémon, especially Rogan."
Jeff stood there as Bonnie placed the Psyduck onto a small bed and started hooking him up to a few monitors, attaching stickers to his chest, and placing an IV in his arm. "We'll just give them some medicine to ensure they don't get an infection," she said sweetly.
Bonnie then repeated the same process with Rogan. The Meowth was significantly smaller than the Psyduck; he looked almost painfully thin. Once he was hooked up to the IV and monitors, Bonnie turned to Jeff.
"Could you release the next Pokémon?"
Jeff nodded and pressed the button. In the flash of cyan light, a Vulpix appeared on the ground, which caused Bonnie to gasp.
This Vulpix was tiny, not more than a year or two old, yet her fur was covered in bruises.
"Oh my Arceus, Jeff…why didn't you tell me?"
"These Pokémon were in their Pokeballs when I received them," the man responded simply. "I knew she had been abused, but I didn't know the exact extent of it. If I had, I would have given advance warning."
Bonnie did not respond; instead, she gently stroked the Vulpix's fur, tears filling her eyes. Jeff hated to ruin the moment, but he had to give the important information.
"Her name is Kerala, and she's also one year old. Even at that age, they could walk quite well, and she ran away from her trainer. She was found in an alleyway in Moraga City with all these bruises; it's entirely possible she has internal bleeding as well."
"I can't cry," Nurse Bonnie replied. "I just can't. I have to stay strong for her sake."
"She's unconscious right now," Jeff said in response. "I think that's pretty obvious, but it's not like she'd hear you cry."
"I have to focus on the job at hand. Being a nurse means that sometimes you can't save every life, and you will lose people and Pokémon."
There was more silence except for Caleb's and Rogan's heart monitors. Bonnie wiped the tears from her eyes, then did the same with her hands on her uniform.
"Okay…and then the last Pokéball. What's his name?"
"Finn. He's an Ivysaur, three years old. As for why he's here, well…I'll make that obvious right now."
Upon pressing the Pokéball's button, Jeff released Finn the Ivysaur, who was unceremoniously deposited on the floor. And Bonnie clenched her fists, looking as though she were trying not to faint.
"He's so thin!" the nurse gasped. "And his eyes seem to be rolled back in his head."
Jeff nodded. "When he was found, he was very malnourished and extremely dehydrated. Had he not been in a Pokéball, I don't believe he would have survived the journey to this island."
Bonnie hooked Finn up to the machines, hanging a bag of fluids from the IV machine his leg was connected to. When that process was complete, she turned to face Jeff once more.
"I think they'll all be fine, medically speaking. We'll keep the Pokémon in the infirmary overnight, and then we'll take them to their new home once they recover. Thank you for bringing the Pokémon here - Lapas Island is infinitely better than their previous living situations."
Jeff winked at Bonnie. "I was just doing my job, ma'am."
That's what he told himself whenever the going got rough. He felt certain that this was what Bonnie did as well. A job, no matter how unpleasant it may be, must be done.
Under most circumstances, Bonnie would either have giggled or been disgusted at what she saw as a flirtation; a flirtation, furthermore, brought upon her by a man over twenty years her senior. But she didn't show any discomfort with Jeff's words.
"I guess I'm just numb to everything" she said softly. "It's a terrible situation, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."
"It'll be okay" Jeff replied. "You're helping them. We all are, and we're giving them a better home. Doesn't that feel good?"
"Well, yes" Bonnie admitted. "It's just…who would do this to them? These aren't people. These are animals."
"I know. And you're saving them from that situation."
Nurse Bonnie's eyes were wet with tears again. "I just…I just wish we could have prevented their troubles in the first place. But we did the best we could do."
"And that's all anyone can ask for" Jeff told her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to head out now, and I need to get back to the mainland before it's too dark."
"Be safe, will you? I know you need to return to Moraga City, but it won't do us any good if you're lost at sea. The world needs more people like you, Jeff Potter."
Jeff winked yet again. "I'll do my best. I'll make sure they have plenty of friends once they've settled in."
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, which I had a great time writing. Reviews, favorites, and follows are greatly appreciated.
If you ever want to talk to me, I'm active on the Emerald Library Discord and a few others. You can find me at SnowLabrador#2967 on that platform. I'll see you all next time.