Hi! So I totally forgot to post three weeks in a row. You can blame pokemon snap and finishing out my job. I'll be posting two chapters today to make up for it. Thanks for being patient!
Days later, Layla finds herself attending the gardening class with Jasmine, feeling marginally better. Morty's words and support forced her to take a few days to rest, leave everything related alone and just pretend it never happened. It put her mind at ease to do so, at least for a little while, though Eusine's note kept taunting her all the while.
Now that she's gardening, the realization her plant is long dead brings with it frustration and anger at Archer.
"Layla," Jasmine scolds. She's smiling though, watching her best friend knock her ear flowers pot against the rim of the compost barrel to dispose of it. "I think it's out."
She sighs. "It is. I'm just mad."
"About the daycare?"
"Yes," she sighs again. "What should I do?"
"You know what I'm going to say," she snickers, turning back to her own plant. "Come live in Olivine with me."
Layla rolls her eyes, but sits down to stare at the mess she made. "How can I heal pokemon, feed myself but plants are impossible?"
"Well, the other two come with pretty fast rewards," Erika interrupts.
Her voice makes the two jump and whip around to see the dark haired gym leader smiling at them. She eyes Layla's desecrated pot and sets it straight with another flower in hand. Seeing her work so fluidly makes Layla feel like a clumsy giant, where Layla was messy and impatient, Erika is elegant and patient.
"Most times with gardening, it's the process that makes people happy," Erika continues on. She sweeps up the dirt scattered on the table and deposites it in the pot before adding some more and grabbing a plant from the cart in the middle aisle. Most of the other people in the class have gathered around to watch Erika tend to it. "It's about patience and care people don't realize they need to show themselves."
"So, I am good at things that require patience and care outside of myself?" Layla raises a brow.
Erika nods, letting her Sunflora up onto the table to help with planting. "I believe so just from what I know about you. Healing pokemon requires those same qualities, and cooking, while for yourself, does too. I hear you like to cook for others."
"Yes," Layla slumps in her chair.
Sunflora waters the plant, and sends up a Sunny Day to increase the sunlight filtering in through the windows. It breathes life into the gym, the plant in Layla's pot looking so much more alive than before. Its red flowers are vibrant and full, standing out against its deep green, broad leaves.
"I think if you take care of yourself, and this, like you do pokemon and food... Well," Erika trails off, sliding the pot to her with a gentle smile. "I can't wait to see what'll bloom."
The rest of the class claps and swallows Erika up in their throng as she turns away to help other, more successful than Layla, students in the class. Sunflora hops off the table to trail after her trainer as well, now that her powers are no longer needed.
"Why is she more helpful than my therapist?" Layla gapes after the gym leader.
"You haven't talked to your therapist about your failure with plants," Jasmine snorts, glancing at the name card left in the soil. She laughs harder at the sight and passes it to the brunette, her eyes watering.
Layla accepts the little card with an eye roll, her eyes reading the name 'Busy Lizzie' and frowning at Jasmine. She gestures for her to look more and Layla groans at the scientific name 'Impatiens Walleriana'. The rest of the card details the plant and its care, sounding difficult, but Layla promises to transfer it once it's bigger and to try again.
"I'm out of here," she mumbles, stabbing the card back in the dirt. "Let's go."
Jasmine joins her with her newest succulent, a cute little cactus Layla has wanted ever since she started the class, and with a few more tears in her eyes. "Whatever you say."
Erika's words replay themselves on the way back to her apartment, unable to let go of them without seeing them through. It would make sense as food holds extreme importance to her, something she did with her mom when she was young, and healing pokemon just fulfills her. It would make sense that she could do those things well since the reward is pretty instantaneous.
It continues to spin around her mind as she makes lunch for her and Jasmine, their conversation flowing more towards Jasmine's work as trainers move between the beginning gyms. Trainers have started out in the past couple of weeks, and Jasmine looks forward to facing a few of them everyone's been talking about. It's exciting to hear about it, Layla was never interested in battling for competition, that's too much stress for her.
Though Jasmine is the sixth gym leader and she understands the strength required for that part. It makes her proud, being her best friend and knowing she can hold her own against most trainers.
"Don't you ever get tired?" Layla asks, setting out a bowl of salad while the fish finishes baking in the oven.
Jasmine moves to answer but stops at a knock on the door. She raises a brow at Layla, mouthing 'Morty?', much to Layla's chagrin.
"It's me," Eusine's voice floats through the door.
Chagrin turns to happiness in Layla while the opposite happens to Jasmine thanks to Layla's smug smirk. "Houdini!"
"Yes, yes," he replies, accepting her hug easily.
She knows when he sees Jasmine because his arms tighten around her and she holds back her laughter. Instead, she pulls away and says, with feigned innocence. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, actually," Jasmine coughs, making Layla whip around to face her. "I texted him."
"What's happening?" she glances between the two of them.
"Eusine says you're joining him and Morty to the Ruins of Alph this week. I'm thinking you should stay with me for a while. Take a break from Celadon, spread your wings a bit," Jasmine wrings her hands while speaking, clearly nervous Layla would feel betrayed at their planning.
"You're not going to pack my stuff and move me to Olivine in that time are you?" Layla glances between the two with a raised brow.
Eusine snickers, glancing at Jasmine. "I told you it wouldn't work."
"Guys!"
"He's kidding!" Jasmine holds up her hands, coming over to smack his arm."I'm serious. I want you to hang out with me. Now that the tournament is over, there won't be trainers coming through again for a while. It'll be fun."
It does sound fun. Going to the beach, eating at the seaside restaurants and just relaxing with Jasmine. No daycare, no funeral, no trouble. The owner's don't want a decision for another couple weeks or so anyway. The oven beeps and Layla ushers Eusine into the apartment to get comfortable, while she gets the fish out. Her mind weighs the options in her head, all of it coming together a little too perfectly. Jasmine may have called Eusine to talk some sense into her, but she wouldn't have told Erika to say anything to persuade her. Right?
Layla perks at the sound of her phone going off, setting the food down at the table and gesturing for them to eat before she dashes to her room to answer it. The number is unfamiliar but she answers anyway.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Layla Ostergaard?" A feminine voice greets on the other line.
"Yes, this is she," she responds in a formal tone, returning to the main room.
"I'm Nurse Joy calling from Azalea Town. I've been getting an influx of pokemon coming through and your name was the first to pop up on the registry of trained nurses," she explains and Layla's heart thumps in her chest. "I need some help and was wondering if you could come down tonight? We will reimburse you for the travel costs and put you up in accommodations here."
"Yes, yes. Of course!" She gasps, ignoring the looks from Eusine and Jasmine. "About how long do you need me for?"
"Just a few days, I'll explain more when you get here," she says and Layla can hear typing at a computer. "Remember to keep your receipt from the train station, see you at 8 in the morning tomorrow?"
"Yes, ma'am!" She beams. They finish up and Layla squeals at the other two, sitting down to serve herself some food too. "I'm going to Johto!"
"What?" They frown at her.
"Who was that?" Eusine demands between mouthfuls.
"Nurse Joy, in Azalea Town," Layla grins. "I put my name on a registry for Johto so I could get my name circulating in the jobs there. It was a long time ago, but she found me first in the list."
"Registry?" Jasmine asks, stabbing at her salad. "What is that exactly? You've said it before."
"When you go to nursing or vet school, you get an overview of how to take care of pokemon," she explains to them. "There are too many types to be in-depth for each one, so they give you two, or three, years in proper school to learn them. Then, when you graduate, you can sign your name on the registry for anyone to call you to work in their center. It's a less intensive way to get experience or a good foot in the door for grad school to get a doctorate or to get into an apprenticeship, like how I want to."
"So, you're specializing in bug types?" Jasmine tilts her head, she shudders at the thought.
"No," she laughs. "I'm not sure about specializing, but I want to be able to do surgeries among other things. The apprenticeship will give me those skills starting with pokemon going through Olivine."
"It is a wide range of types," Jasmine nods. Then she lights up with her own smile. "Okay, then you'll be coming to hang with me right?"
"Yes! Joy said it would be a few days, I leave today," Layla beams as they continue to eat between words. Clearly, Layla's sudden excitement has them wanting to move fast to get her out of Celadon. Jasmine thanks whatever being put this together so perfectly.
"Perfect," Eusine claps his hands as they finish up and clean the dishes. "I am going to rest up tonight and head to Morty's tomorrow. Let me know when you're in Olivine, okay?"
"Sure thing," she accepts his hug and watches him awkwardly pat Jasmine on the shoulder before disappearing out the door. "So, you and Eusine?"
"Shut up," she flushes. "He texted me about asking you to go to Johto."
"Mm," Layla hums, not convinced. "Well, save your wine, sweets and gossip for later. Help me pack?"
"Of course."
Layla packs work clothes for at least five days, just to be safe, and then more for a vacation at the seaside. Jasmine's house sits just steps away from the sea and she plans on soaking up as many rays as possible. Just in case, she grabs her formulary for pokemon based on types and size as well as her stethoscope, a gift from her father. It feels good to hold her stuff, knowing she'll be put to good use soon.
The use she was intending to do after school.
Her duffle bag manages to fit her clothes and toiletries, saving her the need to ride a taxi to Saffron. So, alongside Jasmine and her Skarmory, Layla sets her back on the ground and calls out Aves. Her flying type stretches his wings, despite his short stature, he's more than capable of carrying her and her bag. The pokemon nuzzles her with his beak before leaning down to let her climb on, she grips his soft feathers and leans with him as he picks up her bag in his talons and takes off.
The rush of air around her never gets old, neither does the feeling of her stomach dropping and then leaping as they reach proper height and he shoots forward. Wind blasts past her, refreshing and cool, as they say goodbye to the lights below for the beauty of the forest separating the two cities. Flying between Celadon and Saffron takes just over forty five minutes, a relatively short trip.
Both cities are flourishing with people and pokemon, the streets burdened with traffic at nearly all hours of the day, and sidewalks just as busy. There's a platform outside the station the pokemon land in, the girls handing them Oran berries for their work before returning them to their homes. Layla shoulders her bag and scurries ahead of Jasmine, aware the gym leader isn't fond of crowded spaces.
The train station is as immaculate as the day it opened. High ceilings let in the slowly fading afternoon light, while the floors shine with cleanliness. Voices echo as people come and go through the station, some meeting with family while others disappear into the crowd to continue their private lives. Some pokemon scurry around, service pokemon or just companions for families with kids.
Layla feels more energized as she walks up to the ticket booth to get hers, she slips the receipt into her purse and follows the arrows to the gate. The train left more than an hour ago, so she has no need to sit as it will be back any minute. Jasmine remains close, her eyes tracking everyone's faces as she toys with her hair until, finally, a computerized voice announces the train's arrival.
The two find the least busy section and take a seat, ready to enjoy the sight that will blast past them. Once the train gets moving, the two lapse into companionable silence, sitting close together to avoid any unwanted attention. Though most people will recognize Jasmine as a gym leader and leave her alone, there's always one idiot willing to push the envelope.
Four hours later, the train comes to a stop in Goldenrod City, the destination barely any different than the place of origin. The Johto counterpart may be a fraction smaller than Saffron, but it's just as lively. Layla has only been over once or twice with some school friends, just a year or two ago, to experience the nightlife. But it seems so much longer now that she's graduated.
"You don't have to fly with me to Azalea," Layla gathers Jasmine in for a hug after getting her ticket scanned into Goldenrod. "I'll let you know when I'm heading over."
"Okay, also let me know what you'll be taking care of!"
They bid each other farewell, taking off on their flying pokemon to their towns. Goldenrod lies north of Azalea separated by Route 34 and the Ilex Forest. It's not as long as a flight from Celadon to Saffron, lasting barely thirty minutes. It gives Layla time to control her breathing and focus on what she wants to get out of this job.
Azalea Town is a cozy little town in southern Johto. A small lake sits in its western corner, drifting into the forest, with some lake property on the edge of town. The center lies in the north along with the hotel she'll be staying at with the gym towards the middle of town. There's not much for entertainment, the usual being two cafes, a sandwich shop, a gym and a library. Layla's never been before, but is glad for her search during the train ride to not expect too much.
She checks into the hotel, finding her reservation already covered by the Pokemon Center, and settles into her room easily. While the cabin-like feel of the hotel is cute, Layla isn't sure she could live in it full time. Tossing her things on the extra bed, Layla sends a text to the family group chat letting them know the story before picking out pajamas and heading to the bathroom.
From impromptu therapy from Erika to a small job in Johto, her day went a lot differently than she expected it to and she's grateful. Eusine and Jasmine were right to stop by, she would have cocooned herself in her covers if they hadn't stopped by or a call hadn't come. The negative residue of going to a funeral is hard to wash off, even as she steps under the hot spray of water. Still, she forces it to the back of her mind in preparation for her day tomorrow.
Center work is fast paced and specific. Each Nurse Joy likes things done a certain way and she hopes to catch on fast, no doubt other nurses will be helping as well.
'Glad you made it safe, have fun. Bring back souvenirs, love.' Her father messages first and she smiles at the screen.
'Azalea Town? Sounds cozy :)', her mother responds.
The change of scenery brings a sense of peace, like she's hiding from what happened and it won't follow her here. Despite that feeling, it takes a bit or her to sleep, her thoughts changing from Archer to work tomorrow and the excitement following that. She'll finally be putting her skills to better use.
Eventually she falls asleep reviewing the steps to caring for Slowpoke, her current issues falling to the back of her mind.