Chapter 14:
The Daycare Dilemma
The three trainers went their separate ways. After walking for a few miles Kathy was bobbing with excitement.
"I can't believe we're going to see so many cute baby Pokemon!"
"Yeah. I bet I'll get to see all kinds of new Pokemon too."
"Well that shouldn't be too hard. It's not like you've known much about Pokemon anyway."
"Hey! That's not fair!"
"What? Admit it Nathan, if not for Phillip you would not have got this far."
"I would too!" He looked at the ground. "It just… might have… you know… taken a little longer."
"Don't get all whiny on me. You should be proud of yourself. You've come a long way."
"Whatever. I'm a great trainer! The greatest you've ever met anyway!"
Kathy laughed as they continued their march through the woods a little bit longer.
"Kathy, where do you think Phillip is going?"
"I'm not sure. Apparently, something happened in Ilex that he felt he needed to pursue."
"Yeah. I had a pretty cool vision there too. I was standing on one side of stadium and I had dozens of powerful Pokemon. I was a very powerful trainer."
"Are you sure that wasn't a dream Nathan?"
"No! I promise you! I saw my future!"
"Okay."
"Did you see anything out there Kathy?"
"I did."
"What did you see?"
"A flashback-"
Just then a tiny yellow, round-bodied Pokemon with black stripes and bulky arms with three claws instead of fingers, and two horns on top of its head that resembled the prongs of a plug cut them off on the path alongside a two legged Pokemon that had a red body with a yellow, flame-shaped marking on its stomach. Its head was covered with large lumps, and it had a rounded, yellow beak.
"What are they!?" Nathan yelled and pointed the Pokedex at them.
"ELEKID, WHEN IT HEARS THE CRASH OF THUNDER, ELEKID'S MOOD IMPROVES. IT CAN BE USEFUL TO RECORD THAT SOUND AND PLAY IT WHEN ELEKID'S FEELING DOWN."
"MAGBY, ITS BODY TEMPERATURE IS ALWAYS AROUND 1100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. IF MAGBY FALLS INTO A SMALL ENOUGH POND IT WILL DRY IT UP."
"Don't let them get away!" a young lady a few years older than Kathy yelled out to them.
The two trainers ran out in front of them in order to cut them off. Nathan squatted, sticking his hands out trying to divert the two Pokemon in the opposite direction. The Magby jumped back and blew an uncontrolled smog attack at Nathan. He dropped down to his knees choking on the air, when the lady caught up to them. She put her hands on her hips and yelled at the two infant Pokemon directing them back to the white house with a red roof. The young lady with blue eyes and purple hair apologized for her tone and then introduced herself.
"Hi! My name is Faith! We've been a bit short staffed recently since my grandfather has been away taking care of my grandma." She looked down at the ground with a sad look on her face.
Kathy looked on Faith with compassion.
"I'm so sorry. Is there anything we can do to help?"
"That would be lovely!"
Kathy took Magby and Elekid by the hands as she walked back towards the daycare facility. Faith led the two trainers with a hop in her step. As they passed different rooms and areas of the facility Faith explained to them what it was for and why it was set up the way it was. Kathy was energized and excited by all the information. Nathan would often go off on his own to see the various different Pokemon in the facility.
The group reached the furthest room in the back to find a pregnant Jynx.
"This here is Jynx. She has been with us for years acting as the group mother. She's a bit older and has had a lot of issues lately. We're very nervous at this point."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kathy asked.
"Right now we need to make sure she has enough calcium."
"Where can we find calcium?" Nathan asked.
"Calcium is found in dairy and certain vegetables. There is a cabbage field a couple of miles east of here, but I have been so overwhelmed taking care of all the babies here I am unable to go get some."
"We'll go get it for you." Nathan volunteered.
The two of them headed east. As they passed a leafy brush, Brett and Betty popped their heads out of the bushes.
"Now that those two brats have left we can finally capture all these baby Pokemon and give them to the boss and then we will finally be back in his good graces." Betty said.
The two of them snuck closer to the daycare. They blasted through the roof. Kathy heard the explosion and turned around and ran to the daycare.
"Go get that calcium!" Kathy yelled to Nathan over her shoulder.
Nathan took off as soon as she finished her statement. Kathy arrived at the daycare and released Exeggcute and Abra. Brett and Betty had Faith cornered in the playroom. As the baby Pokemon attacked Spinarak would cast a web and web them up. Kathy burst into the room with Exeggcute and Abra looking at the webbed up baby Pokemon.
"You jerks! Way to attack helpless babies!"
Brett and Betty ignored Kathy's remarks and recited their rhyme about flying to the highest heights. Kathy interrupted them.
"That's enough out of you two! Exeggcute Stun Spore!"
Spinarak jumped back out of the reach of the stunning powder.
"Poison Sting!" Brett yelled.
Spinarak fired its poison sting attack at Exeggcute severely weakening it.
"Oh no!"
Kathy knew grass types were weak to poison types.
"Abra!"
Before she could give an order Abra looked confused and started floating upside down. Kathy froze not knowing what to do.
"Charge at Abra with your bite attack Zubat!" Betty screamed.
Abra flew back and crashed into a wall.
"Hit Exeggcute with another poison sting Spinarak!" Brett shouted.
"Reflect!"
Exeggcute created a light shield that repelled the sting back at Zubat. Zubat began to fly lower, with its breathing more forced. As Zubat and Spinarak began to overwhelm Abra and Exeggcute a blast of fire hit them from the living room.
"Hit them with another ember attack Cyndaquil!"
Zubat and Spinarak were knocked into Brett and Betty, all four of them catching on fire.
Faith grew in courage as she saw Kathy and Nathan stand up to the two thieves. Jynx charged at the four of them with more strength than she had in a while.
"Ice punch Jynx!"
As if they were hit by double the strength of Jynx the four of them flew back through the hole in the ceiling they came in at.
"TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"
Nathan and Kathy went into the back room with Jynx and Faith.
"Here's the cabbage you requested." Nathan said with a giant smile on his face.
"Thank you so much!"
Faith fed the cabbage to Jynx as Nathan and Kathy cut the baby Pokemon free and began cleaning the rooms. After an hour or so Jynx screamed at the top of her lungs. Nathan and Kathy ran to the back room. Faith was helping Jynx lay her egg. Kathy was in awe by the miracle while Nathan passed out.
Faith was ecstatic. Jynx seemed lighter and had a unique glow about her. Jynx spoke to Faith and the two seemed to have a conversation that Kathy could not understand. Faith walked over to Kathy.
"It seems that as a thank you for saving us Jynx wants you to have her egg."
Kathy shrieks in excitement. The shriek woke Nathan up. He woke up rubbing his head. His eyes slowly opened. He congratulated Kathy and thanked Faith for everything. As they were saying their goodbyes to the baby Pokemon Nathan noticed that one was missing.
"I think you're missing someone."
"Oh no… not again. That little guy is nothing but bad luck." Faith said. "We've had a full day. Sableye always comes back though. We can look for him in the morning."
As Kathy and Nathan discussed what else they could possibly see in the Goldenrod area as they waited for Phillip, they bid their farewells.
Meanwhile in a field miles away Brett, Betty, Spinarak and Zubat limp and moan about their injuries, a hundred feet behind them they were being haunted by a tiny Sableye.
To be continued…