Oldale Town.
A quiet & quaint little town bridging the gap between Littleroot Town & Petalburg City. Despite activities there being kept at a minimum, there were still travellers coming through that remained appreciative of the luscious green scenery that covered the small town. All that stress that pressurized them in bigger, much more industrialized cities, would momentarily wash away as they eased their minds with the toned-down scale.
As for Pokémon trainers, they'd have the luxury of having access to services provided by a Pokémon center and the Nurse Joy assigned there.
Not much would be happening for the Nurse Joy working Oldale compared to her sisters that worked in bigger cities, but that didn't stop her from caring about her work whenever trainers came in to ask for her to care for their Pokémon that have been gravely injured in battle. No matter the condition, no matter the challenge, & no matter the trainer's distress, Nurse Joy never backed down from any case.
The trainers she'd see most of the time are youngsters practising to become real Pokémon trainers since now, they weren't ready for a region wide journey. While there are repeat visits from said youngsters, Nurse Joy admired their energy that they put on display, and often encouraged them by assuring them that, if they kept up their energy, they'd make great trainers one day.
This was another one of those days. She'd been entrusted to a couple of youngsters' Pokémon, a Ralts & a Whismur. The two youngsters waiting anxiously in the lobby had a relatively good friendship, but overall, had some heated rivalry moments on occasion. When it came to Pokémon, however, the two young boys would put aside their heated arguments and cared for one another's Pokémon.
"Alright, here we go! Whismur & Ralts are good as new!" Nurse Joy smiled as she held out a Poké Ball tray to the boys.
"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" They chanted in unison, taking their Poké Balls with their Pokémon inside.
"Of course, boys! Now you two take care of one another!"
"We will!"
"Bye, bye, now! Hope to see you again, soon!" Nurse Joy chanted, seeing them walk out of the main lobby as they left the center.
Exhaling, Nurse Joy couldn't help but smile to herself. She was born for this line of work, and every single time she heals a Pokémon and sees trainers' happy faces when they leave, it's what made it all worth it.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she was almost spooked when a little girl ran into the Pokémon center, her Poochyena at her side.
"Nurse Joy! NURSE JOY, NURSE JOY, COME QUICK!" The girl panted.
"Alright, alright, slow down…" Nurse Joy replied. "What is it, what's going on?"
"It's…It's-" The girl wheezed, still trying to catch her breath. "There's a scary looking man sleeping just outside of town…!"
"A scary man? Where?" Nurse Joy hastily came around and left her the front desk. "What's going on? Is he okay?"
"I already called Officer Jenny after my parents told me to when I got home, but she said she'd be over as soon as possible, so she told me to come and get you so I…"
Out of breath, the girl coughed and continued to wheeze. Luckily, Nurse Joy's partner, Chansey, was there ready and alert with a cup of water in its hands.
"Thank you, Chansey." Nurse Joy said, taking the cup.
"Chansey!" The Pokémon chanted.
"Tell me where this man is…but first, here, drink this." Nurse Joy told the girl, as she accepted the cup.
"On Route 101…" The girl sighed, exhaling as though relieved after the drink.
"Chansey! Look after the place while I'm gone, alright?"
"Chansey!" The Pokemon replied happily as it nodded and waved, while taking back the cup that was now empty.
"Alright, let's get going. This 'scary man', we're going to find out what's going on, okay?" Nurse Joy assured, as she patted the young girl's shoulder.
"Okay!"
Exiting the center's front door, Nurse Joy, the young girl, and her Poochyena started off as the two ran and talked some more.
"So what does he look like?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Well…he's got a big coat, has a gray backpack, and I think his skin is slightly tanned."
"A big dark coat? Hmm, anything else?"
"When I saw him on the ground, a little journal in his hand, and some sunglasses. I only found him because of my Poochyena running off on its own."
"Alright!" Nurse Joy nodded. "Whoever he is, we'll take care of him."
It wasn't too far now until Nurse Joy and the girl reached the place where the 'scary man' was down for the count. Getting closer, they saw a police motorcycle with a passenger compartment on the side, as the Officer Jenny the girl called was already on site, carefully assessing the man's condition.
The man's coat that the girl described, had been loosened up a bit, revealing his slightly tattered shirt and pants. He appeared well dressed, yet still had looks of a man who'd gone through some kind of trouble. But right now, they could only speculate why he ended up the way he has.
"Ah Nurse Joy. I'm glad you're here!" Officer Jenny greeted.
"How is he?"
"He's alive. Just looks a bit exhausted from his journey, wherever he came from. He's got a couple belongings, but I did find some identification on him that suggests that he's from Littleroot Town. Apparently, this young man goes by Vincent."
"Vincent…" Nurse Joy's mind began to wander. "Where have I…?"
"But that's not far from here!" The little girl yelped, causing Nurse Joy to regain her focus. "What should we do? Should we take him home?"
"Well…there aren't exactly hospitals nearby, but maybe I can take a look at him back at the Pokémon center." Nurse Joy suggested.
"Looks like there's not much of a choice so it wouldn't hurt to try." Officer Jenny shrugged and nodded. "Help me get him into the passenger seat of my bike, Nurse Joy. We'll slowly bring him drive him back to the center."
"Of course." Nurse Joy nodded.
"What about me?" The little girl asked.
"We'll take over from here." Officer Jenny smiled. "If you want to follow us, you're more than happy too!"
"Best to try and lift him gently…" Nurse Joy recommended.
"Alright," Officer Jenny cautiously grabbed hold of one of the man's arms.
"We'll carefully lift him on his feet three."
"Right." Nurse Joy replied, grabbing the other.
"One, two, THRE-Woah! He's heavier than he looks!" Officer Jenny remarked, as she struggled with Nurse Joy to lift him. "But up we go!" She exhaled, placing him inside the seat.
"Phew…" Nurse Joy exhaled. "Nothing to it…" She cackled nervously.
With darkness fogging his consciousness for a long period of time, it took some time until Vincent had regained his lost energy, not before waking up and coarsely coughing, taking a breath as he woke up.
Looking down, he could see the water tubes connected to his arms, IV straps, in addition the white blanket covering him, the blue hospital gown that replaced what previous clothing he had on, and a machine monitoring his heart rate.
"So I'm in a hospital bed…?" Vincent murmured to himself. "Hey! Hello?! Is there a doctor around?" He called out, as he clamped over his stomach with his arms, still feeling the aching hunger that affected him hours ago. "Oh, fuck me, I could use a bite to eat."
"I'm here, sir. Don't worry!" A voice called from behind a door.
With the door opening, and the person stepping inside with a small tray of food, Vincent could almost feel a type of sinking feeling in his gut as time seemed to move at a standstill at the sight of that pink hair, that hairstyle, and that awfully familiar gown.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" Vincent cursed under his breath. "Nurse Joy…? Nurse Fucking Joy? No, no, no, that can't be possible."
"Sir…sir. Please, calm down. I'm only here to help." Though she didn't hear what he said, she continued to approach him calmly. "You've been out for a while, so I imagine you'd be hungry. I brought you something small…so please eat."
"Okay…yeah." Vincent said as he accepted the tray. "Yeah…" His arms shook uncontrollably with the utensils placed in his hands.
"Please, sir, there's nothing to be afraid of here, I assure you." She patted his wrist, gently gripping his arm. "I promise, I'm only here to help you. I can help you eat if its too much to handle right now."
"…No, no." A perplexed Vincent exhaled, feeling a warmth shiver throughout his body. "I've got this. Thanks anyway."
With his arms relaxed, he adjusted himself as he sat a bit more up and focused on the food in front of him. He ate and drank slowly, but much to his satisfaction, he was able to consume the small plate of food and drink the full cup of water.
"So…how'd I end up here? Where is this? Who are you?" Vincent asked, as he took one last gulp of his water.
"This is the Pokemon Center in Oldale Town and I'm the Nurse Joy that runs it. Now, typically I don't often treat people here, but with yourself, you're the first human patient I've had in years."
"Ha…" Vincent cackled. "That's…heh heh. Wow…I can't believe this is really happening. I'm curious," He turned his head, regaining a serious tone in his voice. "Did you get me all the way back to your center by yourself?"
"No, I was assisted by a good friend of mine." Nurse Joy replied.
"And that would be…who?"
Vincent nearly jumped at the sound of yet another knock at the door. That wasn't the end of it though. What really sent chills flowing through his veins was yet another familiar voice, which made him brace for another stunning reveal just like with Nurse Joy a few minutes ago.
"May I come in, please?"
"Oh…"
The person walked in. That blue uniform and green blue hair…Vincent remembered who she was as clear as day.
"Oh my God…an Officer Jenny."
"Vincent…? Vincent?" She called out, trying to get his attention.
"Yes, Officer?" Vincent straightened his composure as he brushed off the initial shock. "Is there something I can help you with? Wait a minute…how do you know my name?"
"Formal right off the bat, huh?" Jenny inquired. "I can respect that. And it's because of this." She replied as she held up his supposed ID.
"Oh wait!" Vincent gasped. "You guys have my stuff, right?"
"It's in good hands. We've got everything stored away safely in the center."
"Phew…" Vincent sighed, laying his head back on his pillow, yawning. "Dammit…I don't have my watch on. What time is it?"
"It's…nearly midnight the last time I checked." Nurse Joy answered. "Officer Jenny, if I may? Maybe we-I mean, you could question him tomorrow?"
"Hold on. I want to set the record straight." Vincent spoke up as he straightened his posture again. "I'm not under arrest, am I?"
"Well, don't give me a reason to, and I won't have to arrest you. Officer Jenny glared. "We were just there to help you here."
"I appreciate that." Vincent croaked with a nod.
"For now, I'd say it's best that we all get some rest and we can have a talk tomorrow." Nurse Joy smiled.
"Alright." Vincent nodded.
"Seems fair." Officer Jenny put her hand on the doorknob, ready to turn and pull the door. "I'll see you two in the morning." She waved as she left.
After Officer Jenny left, Vincent turned back to an inquisitive Nurse Joy who seemed fixated on looking straight into his eyes. Part of him was feeling uncomfortable, but that line of though broke as Nurse Joy broke the silence.
"Anything you'd like before we call it a day? You okay sleeping in this room for the time being? I promise I'll lend you one of our rooms tomorrow."
"Actually, there is one thing…can I have my notebook and my pencil?"
"Absolutely!" Nurse Joy chanted. "I'll be right back."
"Take your time." Vincent remarked.
Being left with silence in his own isolation, he though really carefully about how he was going to articulate the words that he was going to write on the page the second Nurse Joy gave him those two things. Just like back in the forest, he felt a resistance to seeing these things in person, and yet there was a slight giddiness and excitement that felt nostalgic and alive.
"Okay." Nurse Joy walked back into the room, handing him the items. "Enjoy yourself. You often keep a journal?"
"When the opportunity arises, yeah." Vincent nodded.
Once again, there was that inquisitive stare as Nurse Joy seemed to still have a grip on the notebook that Vincent was about to take.
"You okay?" Vincent asked.
"I'm fine." Nurse Joy chuckled, letting go finally. "I'll see you in the morning, Vincent."
"Yeah…see ya."
Stepping out of the room, Vincent immediately got to work and wrote as fast as his mind raced from the inspiration that hit him like a freight train. Whether or not he was still scared or still excited, he just let it all out on the page.
Nurse. Fucking. Joy.
Officer. Fucking. Jenny.
There I am, just unconscious and barely alive in Route 101 of all places, and the next thing I know, I wake up and I'm being fed some small bits of mashed potatoes and a little bit of hamburger meat. What was in that meat, I wonder? Doesn't matter. I'm rejuvenated and I'm not starving anymore.
I used to always think back then that Pokémon Centers were for Pokémon and Pokémon only, but I guess I was wrong, and they occasionally treat people here? Even if they don't, I'm one lucky son of a bitch.
I'll admit, Joy and Jenny look gorgeous in person, but I'm not looking into dating or falling in love with one of them. That was Brock's job.
Now that I think about it and as I write about it, I wonder…who else is waiting for me in this world? Brendan? Wally? May? Ash Ketchum? Brock? Max? Nobody? Maybe it depends on what elements of the games and anime exist. Either way, if I was younger, I'd have probably been slobbering over the fact that I'm in this world right now. But as for the possibility of coming across those guys, that'd be a pretty slim chance…plus I'm too old for this Pokémon stuff.
I can't stay here. I've gotta get out of here.
Nurse Joy sat on her office chair, staring out into the night sky from her window. Crossing her arms as she leaned back, she was deep in thought.
"I've seen those brown eyes before…I just know it." Nurse Joy yawned. "No, that was a different boy. No point in thinking about this now…let's get some rest."