Reuniclus and Slowbro

'Trading Pokemon'... 'Feeding Pokemon'... 'General Care of Pokemon'... 'Troubleshooting a Pokeball'... nothing, there was nothing in the Official Pokemon Trainer's Handbook about this. Not that I was expecting there to be anything, but there had been hope for some advice. Even just a recommendation of another book or resource. Of course, if someone had told me this had happened to someone else, I wouldn't have believed them. It had all been an accident, but it just seemed too stupid to happen. But in the middle of it, the idiocy or not of it was the least of my concerns.

Next to me on the generic blue couch of the Pokecenter, Alora was sitting as a pile of blue goo, her face against the cushion. She wasn't even trying to look like the doll she often seemed to be, or floating in the air. It was a little surprising to me that she had the awareness to be upset about this. But maybe it shouldn't be. Evolving into a Reuniclus had made her behave in a more intelligent manner. She was a Pokemon, though, and it always seemed like they were lesser than human. Anyone who claimed otherwise was a bleeding heart romantic. But seeing her like this, I was starting to wonder.

Pokemon work for humans. You just see it everywhere that you don't think it's maybe they work with us. They work on constructing buildings, they move things for us, they fight for us, they act silly for our amusement... and they don't demand much in return. Food, shelter, water, and love. Such a vague word, love. They say that the best Trainers are the ones who show the most love for their Pokemon, but then they never say what a loving Trainer does. For much of my life, I thought it was just words, and that there was some secret method that the best Trainers kept to themselves. But maybe those who truly love their Pokemon notice sooner who their Pokemon are, what kind of individuals they are.

Time seems to drag on, but the nurse on duty at the front desk eventually called my name. "You can go back to meet with your Slowbro and the doctor, in room 225, up the elevator."

"Okay, thanks," I called back. Then I looked down and saw the goo pile quiver. "Come on, Alora."

"Mmmmmm,"she replies, muffled by the couch. Not wanting leave her by herself, I picked her up as best I could. Holding a Reuniclus is a bit like holding thick gelatin, as their true body is covered in a deep layer of a translucent blue substance. And since she was too upset to use telekinesis, her whole body was limp. Fortunately she stayed in one piece, so I was able to balance her on my hip while I opened doors and worked the elevator panel.

In room 225, I found Harold sprawled out on a raised bed. The strange gray Shellder that was clamped onto his tail had its eyes closed, resting on its own pillow. The Slowbro himself raised his head on seeing me enter, even though the majority of it was wrapped up in a cast. Waving a paw at me, more languid than usual, he called out, "Yaaaaaaaaaa."

The doctor put a hand on Harold's shoulder to restrain him from getting up. "He's going to recover, but I'm afraid there might be brain damage we haven't been able to detect yet. He could have problems late on, so I have to put a flag on his registry that he's not allowed to participate in Pokemon battles for a year. He should be reviewed after that, but that flag may become permanent."

I nodded. "Okay." What should I do about that, I wondered I never thought I'd be taking care of a Pokemon that was incapable of battling.

"I have to put a similar flag on your Reuniclus for causing this," the doctor added, causing Alora to shudder. "But that one will have to be contested in court if it is to be removed after a year. Sorry, but a Pokemon who causes this kind of damage to another is legally a problem."

"I'm sure it wasn't intentional," I said, thinking about how she'd been ever since I had to make the emergency call for Harold. "She has this habit of telekinetically pinching the ear of a person she wants attention from." And she could pinch harder if ignored further. That's how I think it escalated to crushing his skull. She really couldn't have meant to do that and just misjudged her strength.

"Due to the influence of the Shellder, a Slowbro is incapable of feeling pain," the doctor said. "And they seem to have a drastically reduced sense of touch as well. We have to inject paralyzers into him to keep him in place to heal, and even then I've seen one wander off when badly injured. Even so, we can't have her in battle again."

I was at a loss then. Winning the Pokemon League challenge had been a dream of mine for years. For a while, it was tempting for me to try giving Alora and Harold away so that I could continue. There were wild Pokemon all over the place. I even knew where to hunt down a Solosis and Slowpoke to replace them with; training new ones up would be faster than waiting on a year for these two.

But, these were my Pokemon. Harold watched me, his yellow eyes peering through the cast asking me why he was being made to stay inside instead of going out to play or sleep. And Alora had her face buried in my side, quivering and not wanting to face what she had done on accident. That day, they no longer seemed like any other Slowbro and Reuniclus out in the world. They were Harold and Alora... Pokemon that depended on me. They loved me, and sought out my love in return.

That evening, I went to the front desk and asked the nurse to take my name off the Pokemon League registry. Harold needed watching after in case something had gotten messed up in his brain. Alora needed comfort and reassuring that she was still a good Pokemon. And I needed to focus on meeting both of their needs.

…

Reuniclus B2/W2 entry: They use psychic power to control their arms, which are made of a special liquid. They can crush boulders psychically.

Slowbro Soul Silver entry: Naturally dull to begin with, it lost its ability to feel pain due to Shellder's seeping poison.

Not only did I have these two entries, but this one was inspired by two other sources: Team Plasma and Team Galactic. The first one is just in general, but Galactic is rather specific, with the grunts that talk to you in their Eterna City Headquarters. One even says something along the lines of, 'these things are common; you can find them in any field and forest. Why're people getting so upset? They should just catch new ones.' True, that might just be 'bad guy' talk, but maybe that kind of thinking is more pervasive in the Pokemon world.