Here's a special long Chapter as a Christmas Present!
Disclaimer - I don't own Pokemon
"Nurse Joy!"
Adrian called to the pink-haired nurse as he came running in through the front door, clutching the weakened Nidoran to his chest, with the male right behind him. The nurse looked up, surprised to see him back so soon. "Adrian?"
He nodded, panting slightly from the run from Route 22 back into town, as he gently set his bundled jacket on the counter. "I found this weakened Nidoran on Route 22 while looking for wild Pokémon. I think she might have been attacked by a wild Spearow or something. I did use one of my Potions on her, but I thought I should at least bring her back and ask you to have a look at her in case of any internal injuries. And this little guy could use healing too. He was trying to protect her and took some damage from my Pidgey's attacks".
He gestured to the male Nidoran, which had jumped up to sit on the counter and was currently staring at the bundled jacket with a concerned expression on its face. Nurse Joy smiled gently. "We'll give them a look over to make sure they're going to be okay. Do you have any other Pokémon that need healing?"
Adrian shook his head. "Not at the moment, thank you. Do you know how long it should take?"
The pink-haired nurse smiled softly. "I can't give you an exact time, unfortunately, but it shouldn't be too long. We'll give them a general once over and do a couple of tests to make sure that there aren't any internal injuries. You did the right thing bringing them here, especially the Nidoran . You're right, she doesn't look very well".
The nurse carefully unwrapped the Pokémon from the bundled jacket and laid it on a stretcher that had just been brought to the front desk by a Chansey in a nurse's hat. Nurse Joy smiled gently at Adrian, handing him his jacket back as the Nidoran quickly joined the female on the stretcher. "Why don't you take a seat, Adrian? I'll come and find you if we have any news".
"Thank you".
Adrian shrugged back on his jacket as he walked over to the couch in the Pokémon Centre lobby and sank into the seat, sighing as he released Vee from its Pokeball. "Eevee?" the tiny fox Pokémon queried.
Adrian chuckled, gently scratching his silver-furred best friend behind the ears. "I don't know how long it is going to take us to get through Viridian Forest, buddy. We might have to find a clearing in there to camp for the night, depending on how long this takes. But for now, let's try and get some rest while we wait for Nurse Joy".
With his Eevee curled up to his side, the Trainer felt his eyes slipping closed and his breathing slow, and before he knew it, he was sound asleep.
-Three hours later-
"Adrian?"
The Pokémon Trainer blinked awake, woken by Nurse Joy's voice and a gentle hand shaking his shoulder. He stretched idly, giving Vee a quick scratch behind the ears before sitting up. "Nurse Joy. Is there any news?"
"There is. We ran numerous tests on both of the Nidoran you brought in. You were right that the female had a few internal wounds that a Potion wouldn't be able to heal. The male was okay though, aside from some slight bruising. We'd like to keep them overnight just to keep an eye on the female though. Just in case. Also, if you wouldn't mind coming up to the counter, I have something for you".
Adrian nodded, recalling Vee, and standing before following the nurse up to the counter. Seating herself, the pink-haired nurse rummaged behind the desk for a minute before handing him a room key and a guidebook. "Here you go. I know you probably have your own camping supplies in your bag, but it's getting late and, in all honesty, I'd rather you spend the night here than fail to make it through Viridian Forest before nightfall. And if you're going to be taking the Gym challenge then that guidebook will no doubt be invaluable since it contains information on what to expect from each of the Gym Leaders you'll have to face".
"Thank you, Nurse Joy".
"You're welcome. Go and get some sleep. I'll let you know if anything changes".
Adrian gratefully took the key and guidebook from the nurse, making his way through the Pokémon Centre's few corridors until he reached his room, and after unlocking the door, let himself into the small room and closed the door gently behind him. Shrugging off his jacket, he tugged Vee's Pokeball from his belt and released the small silver-furred Pokémon before setting the ball down on the desk. "Looks like we're staying here for the night, Vee. We may as well take advantage of the time we're here to do some bonding with the other members of our team and a bit of research".
He quickly picked up both of the other Pokeballs that contained his Pokémon, releasing the Pidgey and Rattata in flashes of light. "Aeris. Nibbler. We're going to be spending the night here before we leave for Pewter, so I figured the two of you should at least get to be out of your Pokeballs for a while".
The two other Pokémon made quiet sounds of appreciation, Aeris perching on the back of the chair where Adrian had placed his jacket and watching her trainer with intense eyes with Nibbler making itself comfortable on the chair itself, in a small tent created by Adrian's jacket. Adrian chuckled slightly and settled on the bed, with Vee curling up next to him, and flicked open the book he'd been given by Nurse Joy, turning straight to the page covering the Pewter City Gym. "Listen to this, Vee. The Gym Leader of Pewter City is named Brock and uses the Rock-type. His primary Pokémon for Gym battles against Trainers who are trying to get their first badge are a Geodude and an Onix".
Adrian paused, thinking, for a few minutes, and then sighed. "None of you three have any moves that are strong against either of Brock's Pokémon. In fact, Aeris is at a disadvantage because Rock type moves are super-effective against Flying types. Nibbler and Vee, neither of you have advantages or disadvantages here, but… ugh. Vee, you can probably take out his Geodude fairly easily using Tackle and Quick Attack, and we might be able to get some decent damage done on his Onix. But we really need to do some training in Viridian Forest before taking on the Gym, especially since we still have seven gyms to go after that".
He read in silence for several hours, occasionally stopping to take notes or remark on something to Vee, before sighing and putting the book down, noting that all three of his Pokémon had fallen asleep. "Alright, I guess I should try and get some sleep too… Big day tomorrow, after all".
He slipped under the covers and closed his eyes, soon falling into a deep sleep.
-Roughly 4 hours later-
Adrian was woken by the sound of an explosion from down the hall. Bolting upright and swinging his legs over the side of the surprisingly comfortable bed, he stood, quickly reaching for the red and white balls on the desk and recalling his Pokémon. "That didn't sound good".
Slipping through the door, he slowly made his way through the corridors to the lobby, stopping when he was approached by an older man in a black suit with the letter R emblazoned in the center of the shirt in a bright red. "Team Rocket!"
"That's right, kid. Now hand over your Pokémon, if ya know what's good for you" the Grunt smirked evilly.
"No. Now get out of my way".
Before the man could react, Adrian brought his knee up, driving it hard into the Grunt's crotch. The man stumbled back, wincing, and Adrian slammed his fist into the criminal's jaw, taking him down with a quick punch. "Crime doesn't pay, idiot".
Stepping over the injured man, who was now in a groaning pile on the floor, Adrian moved further down the corridors, soon entering the lobby, where he noticed another Grunt threatening the Center's Nurse Joy with a Pokeball. "Listen, lady. All we want is the Pokémon. Hand them over and we'll leave".
"No! These Pokémon belong to the Trainers! You can't have them!"
"Then we'll just have to take them by force! Go Sandshrew!"
Adrian's mind worked quickly. Sandshrew, huh? Ground-type, probably with Sand Veil for an ability. Useless ability unless in a sandstorm. Limited movepool, especially when young. Best Pokémon for this situation? Vee is strongest, but doesn't have any moves that would be super-effective in this situation. Aeris knows Gust, a Flying-type move. Nibbler? No, too weak. Aeris it is then. "Go, Aeris!"
The Grunt threatening Nurse Joy whirled to see Adrian standing there, Aeris hovering in front of him. The older man smirked evilly. "Your little Pidgey against my Sandshrew? You're on, kid".
Adrian smiled wolfishly. "Let's just end this quickly so I can go back to sleep. Aeris, use Tackle!"
The bird Pokémon nodded, diving at the slightly-larger Pokémon, crashing straight into the burrowing Pokémon and sending it crashing against the wall. It slumped to the floor, unconscious, for a few seconds before springing back up. "Sandshrew! Poison Sting!"
"Blow it right back, Aeris. Gust!"
"Defense Curl!"
"Finish it with another Gust!"
"Sandshrew!"
A second Gust attack slammed the Grunt's Pokémon against the wall again. It struggled to its feet, barely conscious, and took two steps forward, but just before the Grunt could order another attack, a small purple blur burst from the open door to the clinic and struck it in the side, sending it tumbling across the floor until it came to a halt, finally knocked out. The Pokémon responsible landed easily in front of Adrian, and the Trainer smiled slightly as he recognised it as the Nidoran that they'd helped earlier. "Good timing!"
"Nido! Nidoran!"
Adrian watched as the panicked Team Rocket Grunt recalled his Sandshrew and raced from the Pokémon Center, and then knelt, giving the small Pokémon a scratch behind the ear. "Good job finishing off that Sandshrew. You wanted to protect your sister, huh?"
"Nidoran!" The Pokémon exclaimed, nodding.
Adrian smiled. "I thought so. Here's an idea… Why don't you and your sister come along with us? There's plenty of space on our team for you both, and you'll both get to grow stronger. What do you say?"
At the tiny rabbit-like Pokémon's nod, Adrian stood, smiling warmly. "Alright then, it's settled. You'll come with us when we leave for Pewter tomorrow morning. For now though, let's go back to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us, after all".