Part-time Work, Chapter 67

My next destination was Sootopolis City, which was across the ocean to the southwest. Money wouldn't buy me passage on another ship, so I had to get there on the backs of my Pokemon. The only one for the job was Vaporeon, while Pelipper carried Vulpix on his back. And going by Pokemon, it'd take at least an entire day to cross the ocean. Fortunately, there were many small islets along the route, allowing my critters to take sufficient breaks.

Before I departed from Mossdeep, I had to suffer through a bit of embarrassment in purchasing a wetsuit. Since it was November and all, the waters around these parts were already freezing cold. If I was to cross the sea, I'd need the proper attire to not catch pneumonia or something and die along the way. And let me tell you, there's quite possibly nothing more uncomfortable than asking a male sales clerk for help in finding the right size suit.

"Excuse me," I said to the clerk at the store, "I need to buy a suit."

"What kind of suit, miss?" At least he was polite. Not that it helped my case.

"Um," I fidgeted, "a wetsuit."

"Oh. Well," already I could see signs of discomfort on his face, "do you know your size?"

"Well," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "I don't."

"I-I see..." Fortunately, I was the only person in the store that afternoon. Seeing this, the clerk locked the register and came around to my side of the counter. "Well, let's go and try out some sizes."

For once, Vulpix decided to accompany me to the changing room. In the past, whenever I went clothing shopping, she'd hide out somewhere and take a nap until I was done. It was as if she knew awkward hijinks were about to ensue, and she wanted a front row seat.

We arrived at the changing room, and the clerk asked me to wait there while he went to find the suits. It was a painfully tense few seconds, but he did return with quite a few sizes of a plain black suit on hand. He started with the one on top, and held it next to me to estimate the size. It was too small, so he tossed it aside and tried the next one. This one looked to be almost a perfect fit, but just to be certain he tried the next suit as well.

"Try both of these," he said, handing me the suits, "whichever fits best. Then once we know your size, we can find a style that you'd like to buy."

I simply nodded silently, and took the garments into the room. I locked the door, and pulled on it a few times just to make sure the lock was secure. Being all alone in the store with this one other person had me on edge, especially since he knew I'd be undressing in there. I admit I almost didn't go through with it, but I knew that without the suit, I'd be stuck on Mossdeep Island.

It was eerily silent as I got out of my clothes, which was unsettling at first. I had to constantly remind myself that Vulpix was sitting just on the other side of the door, and she wouldn't let the clerk barge in on me. This put me at ease, until I let my mind wander and consider the possibility that Vulpix was already asleep. My boots were off, and next came the actual dress. Just as I was about to slip it off, the clerk's voice rang into the room from outside.

"Have you decided?" His sudden question caused me to yelp out in fear, causing me to lose my balance and fall backwards against the wall. Along with me came the bench that was in the room, causing a loud crash that startled everyone outside.

"Oh god, are you okay in there?" It was just concern for my well-being, but his question caused me to recover from that fall at lightning speeds. I gathered my boots and nearly broke the door down on my way out.

"I'm sorry, but I've gotta go! Thanks for all your help!"

I zoomed past him, running for the exit. Vulpix barked a few times before chasing after me. I really felt sorry for that clerk, having to clean up after me, but I just couldn't handle being there anymore.

~o~

So yeah, contrary to my original plans, crossing the sea by Vaporeon wasn't going to be happening. After that little outburst I couldn't very well return to the store hoping to buy anything, so I was stuck in Mossdeep City for now. With no where else to go for the night, I went to stay at the Pokemon Center, as usual. After leaving my Pokemon with the nurse, I took a seat to ponder my next course of action.

Without money, I couldn't go anywhere. So there really was only one course of action to take!

"Well, looks like there's only one thing left to do," I said to myself. "Find a job!"

"Looking for work, are you?" I turned to see Nurse Joy standing beside me.

"Um, yeah," I said, slightly embarrassed at my little outburst. "Sorry about yelling like that."

"It's alright. And if you don't mind, I could use a bit of help now here. Depends on what you're hoping to earn." I couldn't believe my luck!

"Sure! I'd be happy to work here!"

"Thanks! Now, there's nothing I need you to do tonight, but we start bright and early tomorrow, so best get some rest."

"No problem!"

~o~

To start the next morning, Nurse Joy had prepared a nurse's outfit identical to her own. Once I was changed into my uniform, I joined her at the front desk, where she started by showing me how to operate the PRC; the Pokemon Regenerative Chamber. If you've ever wondered as I have about what happens to Pokemon when you hand them to Nurse Joy, it's actually nothing that extraordinary. Early that morning, a boy came into the center needing assistance. Because it was nothing major, Nurse Joy decided to put me through the test on the spot.

"W-Welcome to the Pokemon Center! C-Can I take your P-Pokemon?" I tried to maintain my smile the entire time, but I was unusually nervous.

"A new nurse? That's cool! I've never seen anyone but Nurse Joy take care of the Pokemon here," said the boy, trying to calm me down through small talk. Though what he said had plenty of merit. The boy placed his three Pokeballs on a tray, and handed it to me.

"Thank you, I'll have your Pokemon healed in no time!"

This is the point where normal trainers don't get to see what happens to their Pokemon. When a nurse, in this case myself, put the tray of Pokemon in the machine behind the counter, it is taken to a different part of the center for treatment. I punched in the code that Nurse Joy dictated, and the tray was carried off by a mass of gears to its destination. Later that day she'd show me where they get taken to.

"Your Pokemon are currently being treated," I told the boy, following protocol. "You're welcome to wait in the lobby."

"Thanks! And don't worry, you're doing great! I'm sure you'll be a full-fledged nurse in no time!" He gave me a sly wink, and instantly I felt my face turn beet red.

"Congratulations, Star," said Nurse Joy from behind me. "You're well on your way to becoming a nurse indeed."

"What? How?" I was trying my best to subdue the redness of my face the entire time.

"You've barely started and already the boys are dropping hints. Don't worry, it comes with the job, so get used to it."

"Oh, that! Yeah..." I tried to laugh it off, but for some reason it only made my face feel hotter.

In an effort to cool me down, Nurse Joy took me to my next task, which was sanitize the operating room. You never know when emergency patients would come in, and keeping all the materials sanitized and ready for immediate use was a daily, almost hourly job. It was basically fancy cleaning duty, but I dared not complain; after all, I did come looking for the job in the first place.

By the time I was finished, Nurse Joy had a small brunch waiting for me in the lobby, which I had the distinct pleasure of sharing with the boy from earlier. I was hungry, so I didn't turn the small meal down. I couldn't help but feel as though Nurse Joy was playing matchmaker by making me eat with him.

"I'm Nate," he introduced himself, "from Petalburg."

"Star, from Pallet Town." Not to seem rude, but I was eating as quickly as possible. I'd rather get back to work than have this conversation.

"Pallet? I've never heard of it. It's not in Hoenn, right?"

"No, Kanto," I said between bites of my sandwich.

"Oh, I see." Nate was trying to find something to use as a conversation starter. And every second he wasted was one second closer I was to finishing my meal and getting back to work.

"So, what brings you to Mossdeep City?" Drat, I was just about to eat the last bite of my sandwich.

"The gym," I said bluntly, before shoving the last piece in my mouth.

"Oh, so you're a Pokemon trainer? Why are you working here in the Center?"

"I need some extra money, so I can take a ship to Sootopolis City." With that, I downed the last of the juice in my cup. I was no longer obligated to talk with Nate.

"You know, there's a discounted fare for trainers on the S.S. Tidal. All you have to do is show them your trainer card and they'll slash the price." I just stared blankly into Nate's eyes.

"Really? I didn't know that!"

"Yeah, it's really awesome!"

"Thanks, Nate! Unfortunately, I should get back to work. It was nice talking to you." I gathered my plate and cup, and stood up. Nate mimicked my action for some reason. Rather, I had a feeling I knew what his reason was.

"Um, Star? D-Do you...?"

"Hmm? What is it?" I knew what he was going to ask, and oddly enough I was being surprisingly calm about it all. Nate took a deep breath before finishing.

"Do you have a b- uh, I mean friend?"

"A friend? Yeah, I have a few friends, why?"

"Uh- what I meant was, do you have a boy... friend?" My heart skipped a beat, despite seeing this coming a mile away. I just smiled at him gently.

"Sorry, Nate, but I do."

"Oh, well, that's great! Yeah, um, I'd better let you get back to work, then."

Nate looked rather sad, almost heartbroken, I'd guess. That was probably pushing it a little, but either way I made my way out of there quickly. I knew me, and I'd probably find some way to make him feel better, and there was really only one way I could do that at this stage. I tossed my plate and cup into the trashcan, and returned to the front desk.

"Enjoy brunch?" Nurse Joy was jotting down something on a piece of paper.

"Yeah, it was great," I said, eager to get assigned something to do away from the lobby.

"I'm glad. Now, I've made a small list here of chores that I'd like you to do while I take care of the front desk. If you have any trouble, don't hesitate to ask." She handed me the list, which didn't look so short at first glance.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Oh, and Star?"

"What?" I looked at Nurse Joy, who gestured with her eyes towards Nate in the lobby.

"He actually ask?"

"Ask what? Oh, that. Yeah, he did." Figured there was nothing else to say about the matter. At least, I hoped I was on the same page as Nurse Joy.

"I'm a bit surprised you didn't turn red as a tomato again, considering."

"It's nothing," I said, trying to get away from her now as well, "I already have a boy- I mean, friend."

"Oh, I see. Lucky guy then, hmm?" Nurse Joy smiled.

I didn't give her an answer that time, slinking away to the other side of the Center to get started. Though I said that to both of them, my mind began to question this very statement. Did I have a boyfriend? Someone close in that regard? I stood still for a moment, trying my hardest to remember a name, a face- anything I could.

Nothing came from my memories.

~o~

"Here you go, Star," said Nurse Joy as she handed me the envelope with my day's earnings. My first instinct was to open it and see what I had made, but that wouldn't be very polite in front of my boss.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy. If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay and work another day. Money is something I could use even after Sootopolis City, since I'm planning to visit the Battle Frontier next."

"Well," she said, looking around the counter, "unfortunately there's not much else that needs doing around here. You worked much faster and harder than I originally thought you would."

"Just doing my best," I replied with a smile on my face.

"I don't want to turn you down, though..." Nurse Joy looked through some papers, trying to find me something else to do tomorrow. If she couldn't find anything, I was prepared to just say it was alright.

"Oh! I have the perfect thing! It's bending the rules a bit, but I can always smooth it over with the League later. If you have no objections to the task, that is?"

"Of course not! Whatever it is, I'll get it done!" I didn't know what was in store for me yet, though.

"Perfect! I have to gather up the papers, so don't you worry about a thing until tomorrow morning. It's still pretty early, so why don't you go on and freshen up upstairs, and take the rest of the night off? You've earned it, 'Nurse' Star!"

I was about to ask just what she'd be having me do the next day, but after agreeing with it I didn't want to seem rude. Had to break that habit of myself, to be honest. Still, I took Joy's advice and ran upstairs to take a shower and change back into my own clothes. Once I was done, it was still daylight outside, which was odd considering it was nearing seven o'clock. What's worse, I had a guest downstairs.

"Oh, Nate," I said, trying to hide my disappointment mid-sentence. "What are you doing here again?"

"Well, I thought I could treat you to dinner? I'm sure the food here at the center isn't as good as a restaurant. Not that I mean it's bad, Nurse Joy!"

"Don't worry about it, Nate. Star, why don't you go with him for the night? Mossdeep is quite lovely at night, and it's always better with company, right?" I sighed at Joy's suggestion.

"I guess."

"Great! If you'll follow me, I know this great place where we can have dinner!" Nate went the extra step in having the center's automatic doors open for me. This wasn't what I had in mind at all for the evening, but you know what they say.

Variety is the spice of life. What's the worst that could happen on this 'date'?

~o~

Expecting something hilariously wrong to be recounted? Well, you got your wish.

The restaurant Nate chose was in fact quite lovely, but it had all the undertones of a romantic spot, which put both of us in quite the awkward situation. Nate was clearly smitten by me, flattering though it was, but I honestly didn't want anything to do with him. He was just another face I met on the road. Still, I was determined to enjoy the evening, at least, with Vulpix at my side. Nate had his own Pokemon, too: an adorable little yellow bird Pokemon called Torchic.

Well, after the food was ordered, Nate drummed up some conversation. Pokemon-related, as you'd guess, since he knew next to nothing else about me. It served as something to pass the time, sure, but I ended up cutting it short once the food had arrived at our table.

"I appreciate what you're doing, Nate," I told him, trying to be as polite about it all as possible. "But if it's alright with you, I'll pay for my part of the food."

"What are you talking about? I said it was my treat, so don't worry!"

"If you say so, but I already told you: I'm just not, you know. Looking for anyone right now." In the midst of the atmosphere, it felt it a bit embarrassing to admitting I had a boyfriend, considering it would be a lie.

"That's not why I brought you here, I just wanted to be friendly, is all!" His words probably meant it, but I could tell his heart didn't. Still, rather than make it any more uncomfortable, we both got straight to eating. This is where things started to go downhill.

"Nate, could you pass me the salt?"

"Sure," he said, but instead of doing the simple thing of handing it to me, he went for a different approach. "Torchic, why don't you show Star how good you are at following orders? Pass her this."

I remained silent the whole time, fearful that a single word would somehow break the bird's concentration and cause a larger catastrophe. Torchic took the shaker in his beak, and with his neck turned sideways, walked across the table to hand it to me. It was all well and good at first, until he handed me the shaker. Forgetting his orientation, Torchic straightened his neck and dropped the shaker. I managed to grab it, but the damage was done. Salt poured all over my plate, completely ruining my meal.

"Torchic! Look what you've done!" Nate's scolding only made things worse. Dejected, Torchic turned around swiftly to return to his seat, when his foot accidently kicked my plate over. All of that food was now smeared over my dress, and despite my best efforts, dripping into and onto my boots.

Well, to spare the details, the waiter felt for my plight, and offered to give me a new plate at no cost, but it didn't help my ruined clothes. The evening was already ruined in my book, so I decided to ruin it for Nate as well. Vindictive, yes, but I didn't care at this point. I took off my boots, to prevent them from getting damaged further, but decided not to go crazy trying to clean myself up. The outfit was ruined anyway, so no sense fussing over it. When my next plate arrived, I got right to work eating, saying not a word to Nate.

"Star?" He said after a few moments of silence between us. "Shouldn't you try and clean yourself up a bit before eating?"

"My dress is already dirty and ruined," I said to him coldly. "So why bother? If you don't mind, I'm trying to eat here."

"Well, that's true, but you look a bit... well..."

"Dirty? Messy? Sloppy? It's your fault!" I screamed, causing a few heads to turn towards us. "I politely asked for you to pass the salt, and you go and ask your Pokemon to hand it to me. It's your fault!"

"I-I'm sorry," he said, too ashamed to look me in the eye.

"Sorry won't fix my dress," I spat back. The mood was ruined entirely now, so I wasted no time in finishing my meal. Once I was done, I stood up and stared him down.

"Thank you," I said grudgingly, "for the wonderful evening."

Nate didn't say a word back. By this point, the food on my dress was stuck there, dry as a bone. I practically stormed out of the restaurant, and no one said a word to me as I did. I made my way through the dark streets of Mossdeep, which were, as Nurse Joy had said, quite lovely. The streets were lit up with traditional candlestick lanterns, and the stars in the sky were glowing bright. Were the entire night like this, it would've been a more pleasant memory.

"Welcome back, Star! How was your-" Nurse Joy cut herself off once she got a look at me. "Oh dear, what happened to you?"

"Dinner," I said, looking down at my clothes, "can't you tell?"

"Well," she answered, holding back some giggles at my joke, "it suits you?"

The silence lasted for only a few seconds before we both burst out laughing. I might've been agitated at Nate, but there was something quite funny about the way I looked at that moment. I guess the night wasn't that bad, after all.

~o~

The next morning, I donned my nurse get up a second time before speaking to Nurse Joy. Today Vulpix decided not to tag along, and stayed upstairs by my things all day. Had I talked with Joy beforehand, I'd have learned that my tasks today wouldn't require the uniform.

"Remember how I said I needed to bend some rules for today? Well, I spoke with the League, and got them to agree to a temporary ID badge for you!"

"Temporary ID? For what?"

"Several things, actually! You said you were on your way to Sootopolis City, and then the Battle Frontier, correct?" I nodded. Nurse Joy gave me a smile, and then produced a blank card similar to my own trainer card.

"What is it?"

"A temporary Nurse's Assistant card. I couldn't keep you on as a worker with no jobs to do, so I asked the League to mobilize some paperwork to get you a job in the League itself! If you pass the exam, you'll be a Nurse's Assistant!"

"Whoa, wait up," I said, taking in only half of what she just said. "Exam? You mean I have to take a test today?"

"Oh, don't worry! I'm sure you'll do fine! Listen, if you pass, and get this job, your future beyond Pokemon training will be secured! Working for the League is a great opportunity, and usually difficult to get into. You don't have to follow the road to becoming a nurse, either; any job within the League is at your grasp once your foot is in the door!"

"Alright, if you say so. But what does any of this have to do with me going to Sootopolis City?" Nurse Joy leaned in close, dangling the ID card in my face.

"Certified Nurses, as well as their assistants, get to travel for free." My eyes lit up at the sound of that. Instinctively I went for the card, only to have it yanked out of reach just beforehand.

"Pass that test, and it's yours, Star."

"I'm ready when you are!" As if to disagree with me, my stomach let out a small rumble, begging for something to eat. "After breakfast, of course."

I won't bog down this tale with the specifics of the test, or breakfast that came before it. Being a test for people looking to enter the medical field, of course plenty of the questions revolved around the use of medical equipment. Fortunately, my crash courses throughout the previous day with Nurse Joy prepared me for most of the questions, while the others were pretty much common sense. The other half of the exam were questions pertaining to Pokemon. Again, thanks to my experiences on the road, I was pretty sure I aced that portion of the exam without a single error.

Once I was done, I turned in the packet to Nurse Joy, who got right to checking my answers in front of me. Naturally, she asked me to take a seat, which only helped to raise the tension. What if I had gotten something wrong, something really silly like what purpose does a Pikachu's cheeks serve? I had a tendency to second guess myself like this when the pressure started piling on, as you can tell.

"Well, Star," began Nurse Joy, causing me to leap out of my seat run to the front desk.

"Yes?"

"Um, you got a few questions wrong," she started somberly, which instantly got my imagination cooking up worst case scenarios. "But, it looks like you just barely made the passing grade."

"What? So I passed?" Nurse Joy nodded, handing me the blank ID card.

"Here you go, you're now a Nurse's Assistant under instruction from the Pokemon League's Division of Health. Long story short, you're a nurse-in-training."

"Yay!" I held the card up above my head, my latest trophy.

"Okay, settle down. I'll have it prepared for you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, there's a few other things I found for you to do today to earn your keep. Here's the list." We exchanged items, and without asking another thing I got right to work.

I was on cloud nine at this point, with that major accomplishment on my hands. Sure, Nurse Joy had taken advantage of me by getting me to scrub down the entire lobby, but I didn't care. I couldn't wait to call Mom up later that evening and tell her what happened. Having panicked at the store had been the best thing I'd possibly ever done before!