The next morning was Monday. Jessee and Meowth had to still do training exercises, despite the fact that 1/3 of their team was down. I tried to push what had happened to my brother out of my mind, as I still had work to do with Professor Conifer. I gathered up all my notes and headed off to the laboratory.

"These are very well done." Professor Conifer told me after looking over all of my work. "Yes, I think you are ready to move on." She laid my notes down on the table and gestured for me to follow her over to the door. "Come with me."

I followed her through the hallways into a wing of the facility that said "Pokemon Housing." As we walked she told me, "You've shown an outstanding aptitude toward this work; it's time to move on to the next step: Working with the Pokemon." She led me down a corridor lined with large cages each containing a different pokemon. Each one had a small card tied onto the cage stating the pokemon's species, type, gender, size information, genetic statistics and the like.

I suddenly got a weird feeling when I saw a cage with a very small charmander, who's tail flame seemed to be unnaturally low. I bit my lip. "Professor Conifer…these pokemon are cared for, aren't they?"

"Hm? Oh, of course." Professor Conifer assured me, glancing at me through the corner of her glasses as she continued to walk. "These pokemon receive the best food and medical care anyone could ask for. However, you have to understand, this is a testing facility, so obviously there will sometimes be casualties…" We passed by a cage that was draped by a white cloth. My heart jumped into my throat, but she went on, "However, I can assure you, that we do our absolute best to be sure that no pokemon suffers. Sadly, we can't save them all—obviously you know that all that lives must come to an end at some point."

"Of…of course…." I choked out, trying to not let on that this sudden dark turn had taken me entirely by surprise. This revelation had me feeling dizzy and a little faint. Obviously I knew that all people and pokemon must pass on, but she just seemed so…passé about it…!

I was interrupted from my thoughts when there was a break and the seemingly endless rows of cages were traded in for a tall steel fence. Lying on the floor on a scant pile of straw was a ponyta.

I could not contain my giddiness. I momentarily lost all my professionalism and forgot my syncope and squealed like a young child. I dashed over to the fence and held out my hand toward the equine pokemon and clicked my tongue. The ponyta raised it's head; slowly it stood up and stepped toward me, reaching out with its nose and tickling my palm with its whiskers. "That's it…Oh, you're such a sweet baby, aren't you…!" I cooed, gently stroking its cheek with the back of my index finger.

"He seems to like you." Professor Conifer stated, stepping up next to me. "He doesn't typically come up to the other scientists—even if we call him."

I chuckled at the compliment, "Well, I did live on a rapidash ranch for most of my life, so I guess I kind of developed a knack for these pokemon." I looked back at the ponyta, who was now lipping the sleeve of my lab coat.

"Well, I'll be sure to let the others know that this ponyta particularly likes you, and that you are to be the main person to work with it." Professor Conifer replied turning and starting her way toward the double doors at the end of the hall. As she left, the ponyta suddenly snorted and turned away from me, walking around to face the corner of its containment, cocking its hind foot and dropping its head to the floor. Its beige coat was covered in pock-marks and scars, which didn't necessarily strike me as odd at first, until I noticed that its flaming mane and tail, like the charmander's earlier, seemed unnaturally docile and low, it's black hooves were cracked, and its eyes, which should normally be so wild and full of life, were dull and hardly glinted in the light at all.

"Professor Conifer…" I piped up as the professor started to push the door open. "This ponyta is sick."

"Hm?" Professor Conifer asked, letting the door close and coming back over to beside me. She pulled off the card tied to the bar of the fence and looked it over. "Mmm…No, it says that all of this ponyta's vital signs are normal…and it was just given an examination yesterday morning."

I shook my head. "I'm telling you, something is wrong with him. A ponyta at his age should be much more active. Its eyes should be bright and shiny. And its hooves should be as tough as diamonds—the fact that his are cracked at all is a sign of vitamin deficiency."

Professor Conifer thumbed through the ponyta's health and stat card again. "Mmm… All our medical staff say that this ponyta is perfectly healthy."

"Have them check him again." I pressed, more firmly. "Call Nurse Joy if you have to, but this pokemon is not well!"

"Jess, I understand your concern. Truly I do," Professor Conifer offered, laying a hand on my arm. "But I can assure you, this pokemon is doing just fine. Possibly just a little dreary from the medications we've been testing. I promise you, we keep these pokemon in perfect health." She paused, seeing her affirmations were not winning me over. "If it will make you feel better, I will talk to the medical staff and have them run another checkup."

This did not make me feel any better, because if the medical staff had missed something as obvious as cracked hooves, there was no way they could be competent at their job, but I was getting nowhere with this woman. I sighed. "Alright. Just so long as he gets looked at," I replied, silently hatching a plan to help this poor pokemon.

"Very good, now come along." Professor Conifer continued, ushering me away toward the door. "We have a lot of work to get to this morning."

I managed to cast one last look back toward the ponyta, who had it's eyes weakly open and was watching me. He closed them and expelled a sigh, which sent the little stalks of straw scattering about his feet. Then the door slammed shut behind me and I couldn't see him anymore.