Author's notes: Okay, this chapter underwent FOUR rewrites before I was finally happy with it. Which is way too much, by the way. In the end, this one's still a bit of a mess, but I genuinely cannot be bothered to go back and change it.
Chapter 4 - The new life
I followed Cheryl into the left hallway past the main reception.
"The most important rooms here are the recovery rooms," She moved behind the main reception. "The Head Nurse will send a wounded Pokémon in here via a tube connected outside. After the Pokémon is sent here," She walked inside, before pointing towards a boxy, rectangular machine set into the wall. "Place their PokéBall on this device, and apply special settings based on their injuries or species."
"Alright, and then do I just press this red button?" I gestured at the bright red operator on the side of the machine.
"Yup, you're getting the hang of this quickly, huh?" Cheryl assured me, "However, if they aren't in a PokéBall, like you when you arrived at this Centre, you'll need to place them onto this operating table."
"And use those lights up top to heal them?" I stepped under one; yeah, that felt good. It was like the sun had been plucked out of the sky to heat me up on a breezy day - so perfect!
"Correct!" Cheryl smiled, "It works just as well as the PokéBall device; all the settings for it are located in a panel next to the door. Granted the patients don't move around too much, of course."
"This doesn't seem all too practical for me, though." I turned around, seeing a panel with multiple buttons that were far too high up for me to press. I hummed to myself, "I can't press anything!"
"Well, you have feet, right? Besides, the machines can group certain settings for specific types. Just hit the red button once you've pressed a type's settings." I'll admit that was pretty smart, good to know they have a fail-safe so I won't accidentally doom any patients. Though, the machine itself was, like, three times my height. Although the button wasn't that high up, I was still gonna need a pretty good jump to hit it.
"Now, do you see that tag at the top?'' I followed her gaze to a pink sign atop the door, "Considering you can already read letters, I'm assuming you can comprehend numbers, too," She didn't wait for my answer, continuing immediately, "That's patient room number one. The patient rooms are split into ten, though they're all identical inside. Their main purpose is for treating wounded Pokémon."
"But I thought Nurse Joy had a special device at the reception for healing?"
"Those are for treating lighter wounds, like getting hurt by wild Pokémon, or being defeated by another trainer. Usually not enough to cause you to faint, or be damaged too badly. These ten rooms are for Pokémon who've gotten into a fair scrap."
"Hey, uh… I've got a question."
"Shoot."
"Was that question sheet really all I needed? Aren't there, like, millions of combinations of medicine and berries that are used to treat patients? That's not to mention the fact that I'm not even vaccinated! I can't possibly be helping an injured Pokémon without putting them at risk too, right?"
"Well, yes and no." The pink nurse tilted her head cryptically, "That sheet is very outdated, but we haven't ever spared the time to get it changed. And as for your vaccination… no need. We've already given you a shot while you were asleep."
"Wha-?" I spluttered in disbelief, "Surely I would've felt it?"
"Apparently not. You're a heavy sleeper, did you know that?" Cheryl replied nonchalantly, completely disregarding my surprise.
"I thought these Centres valued consent! What's the point if you're not gonna ask me anyway?"
"Well, if you want to work here, you have to agree to getting stabbed, it's written in the fine print that you didn't bother to check. Some Pokémon are terribly jittery when it comes to these things, so we decided just to give it to you while you were unconscious to avoid any potential problems. We didn't even need to bust out the anesthesia this time!"
"For the love of Arceus, what am I getting myself into?"
After leading me down a long hallway, we came to an entrance with multiple plastic flap doors. I remembered this room - it was for keeping and containing the hospital's stock of goods. "This is the storage room, isn't it?"
Cheryl opened it without answering, revealing a sizable… Oh, nevermind, it's absolute chaos in there.
The warehouse-like location was overrun by panicking Pokémon, I didn't dare to take more than a step in, lest I wanted to be smashed into a puddle by the many sets of feet painstakingly attempting to restock shelves and order packages.
"Is it always this messy?" My scream came over the jostling of the other Pokémon, Cheryl mouthed a 'pretty much' to me, not even bothering raising her voice. Beckoning me outside, I dutifully paced after.
"This is where most of our supplies are located, in case you ever need a Burn Heal or something of that sort, you can come here and get it. Everything has been organised and categorised. So you shouldn't have an issue with finding anything-"
The sound of falling parcels rang from the other room without warning, groans and hissing coming after. I'm pretty sure I heard something of a swear mixed between, too. Cheryl seemed unfazed by this, even if I was nearly jolted off my feet by the sheer force of the sounds.
"Hey, Cheryl, is the Head Nurse okay? She seems a bit… out of it, if you ask me."
"Ugh… Downsizing." There was a brewing storm that appeared on the Blissey's face, but dissipated as quickly as it had come when a high-pitched, exotic voice drowned out the rest.
The Pokémon Centre seemed plenty big to me… How'd it get downsized?
"Seriously, guys. Get it together!" Someone grumbled from the mess before us; Cheryl perked up.
"Now that's who we're after." She turned around, waving to a Comfey who had perched herself above a stack of crumpled cardboard, just finished rescuing a box labelled 'Aromatic herbs' from the molten heap onto a shelf nearby. The Comfey flew over; she also had a small nurse hat perched atop her head, just like Cheryl.
"I know it's a messy bunch, but- Ah, hey Cheryl! Just the 'mon I need to distract myself from the eldritch horrors of working here!" She greeted me excitedly, "Oh, and who's this?"
"This is our newest member working at the Pokémon Centre. Lei, meet Bounsweet."
"Lei?" I asked, "Is that your name?"
The Comfey puffed up her chest, sticking out a tiny hand, "Nice to meet you! As you can see, I wouldn't recommend that you work in the storage , what with all the carnage that occurs on a daily basis - someone might step on you!" I didn't shake her paw, on the account of not having any. She gave me an embarrassed grin and retracted her outstretched limb, "Oh, right. No arms."
"What an astute observation." I replied rather dryly, "And thank you, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, along with the fact that I have no arms to lift crates with."
"Wow, you're almost as annoying as that new hire!" She gave me a brief head pat and whipped away before I could bite her. God have mercy, the sass on this girl. It almost rivals my own!
"Don't tease her too much, Lei. She's been through a lot these last few weeks." Cheryl, who apparently decided she was now my guardian angel or something, stood up for me. Not that I needed her to, I feel like my constant glaring would've gotten the message across just fine. "Lei helps out in the storage rooms, everyone listens to her because she's the best at organising things and keeping the workload efficient."
"Yup, helps to fuel my ego, too!" The Posy Picker Pokémon shamelessly admitted, "Though, that also means most of the responsibilities fall to me…" Her complaints were echoed by a voice buried under a pile of boxes from around the corner.
"Lei, I require assistance! I'm trapped by the milk cartons… again."
"In the food aisle? Yeah, I'll be on it in a sec, hold on for now. Vamoose!" Lei made a shooing motion. "Well, it's better this than delivering those darned packages, that's for sure. But that's something for another day. Speaking of which, what are you doing here with Cheryl?"
"Oh, I'm just giving her a brief tour of this establishment." Cheryl said, nudging me slightly with her foot. "Just giving our newest worker a rundown on how things work here!"
Lei mumbled something I didn't hear, "Can I get you anything you need?"
"Yeah, actually. Can you get the standard Pokémon uniform? It needs to be the smallest size, because… well…"
"I'm about as big as a soccer ball, and just as kickable as one, too." I finished her sentence, to which Cheryl gave a sheepish smile.
"Oh, now I wish I had legs. Anyways, I'll be right back." Lei quickly darted away, disappearing into the crowd of Pokémon that were only just beginning to pack up their messes.
"By standard uniform, are you just talking about a stupid hat?" Cheryl had to wear that thing day in and day out, I can't recall a single second where she didn't have the 'uniform' on her head.
"Most of the time, you'll just wear a hat, but some Pokémon also like to wear other clothes, like aprons or skirts. We don't really have all that much to it. It's just more ways to identify yourself as a member of this Pokémon Centre."
"Do I have to wear it all the time?"
Cheryl shrugged, "You'll only need it when you're working, but if you aren't, feel free to take it off and throw it across the room."
Damn, she knows me too well. Already my mind was awash with endless possibilities, almost all of them containing a degree of uncertainty. Was all of this place as unorganised as this pigsty? Apparently delivering packages was a fate worse than death in these parts, or so that Comfey says. Still, I'm not the type to risk it - I'll make a mental note to add that to the greatly-increasing list of things to avoid.
"Cheryl, Bounsweet, I got what you asked for!" Lei floated back, holding a tiny white cap with a pink cross stitched on. "I had to punch a hole through the top, so your stem wouldn't be squashed." Lei giggled mischievously as she placed the cap onto my head.
"Thanks." I muttered, averting my gaze from the pile, where several Pokémon were already in the process of failing horribly in their attempt at piecing the fallen crates back together. From the group, a Fomantis was struggling the most. It gave me a hard, rigid stare that seemed to last for an eternity before wandering elsewhere.
That's quite uncomfortable… What gives, dude? If I had any fingers I'd give 'em the middle one.
Ugh… maybe it's better I can't, that thing might be small, but those leafy scythes could probably turn me into a fruit salad effortlessly. It probably wasn't smart to piss anyone off, since they probably all had a decent grasp over their abilities, whereas I couldn't even tackle a log without bruising my forehead. I'd probably find a way to lose a fight to a Magikarp, if I'm being honest.
Lei let out a hum, presenting a small, metal ladder in her other hand.
A call to Lei's name came from further down the storage room, she half-growled, half-sighed with resignation, "Look, asking me won't help, maybe Fuka can use Psychic to lift the boxes away, why do you need me?!" Waving us goodbye with barely-restrained frustration, she managed to hiss out a brief 'Good luck' before disappearing behind a stack of cardboard.
"Aww… You look so adorable with that little cap." Cheryl gushed beside me.
"Don't even think about it." I growled.
Cheryl let out an amused hum, opening the door out of the chaotic storeroom and into another passageway. "That door will lead us to the right hallway, with another set of recovery rooms marked from eleven to twenty."
I took a gander, they all looked exactly the same, except for room thirteen, which was boarded up by yellow police tape.
"Uh… don't tell me you guys murdered someone, right?"
Cheryl looked wide-eyed for a brief few seconds before returning to her usual composed demeanour, "No, it's just that one of the healing machines in there is missing some parts, and since we didn't have any wooden boards on hand the best we could make do with was the tape."
I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding… My blood pressure shouldn't be strained so much, geez.
We continued past the door, facing a set of stairs. "These lead to dormitories that we allow trainers and their Pokémon to stay in temporarily, if due to an emergency, or because they simply need a place to stay at the lowest cost compared to the local inns and motels. But ever since the staff have complained about wanting to sleep in actual rooms instead of their Poké Balls, we've moved some of the trainer dorms to the spare rooms in the back of the building. Wanna see what's up there?"
"Sure, why not?"
I began hopping up said stairs, taking a few steps at a time. Before I nearly lost my balance, Cheryl grabbed me at the last second. "It's best to take it slow, for a Pokémon that requires jumping like you." She hoisted me up against the hardwood, feeling the heat of indignity well up in myself.
We continued up the stairs, where the scent of something delicious caught my attention. "What's that smell?" I asked, "It's pretty good."
"That's probably our cook, working on some dishes."
"I thought we only ate pre-made kibble from packets?" I asked. Cheryl shook her head.
"We usually only give those to Pokémon when we really don't have much food left ourselves. Or if their injuries aren't serious enough to warrant a special diet. Most of the time the former isn't much of a concern, though, since we just buy the really cheap brands."
"A special diet? Do you mean specialised food for injured Pokémon to help them recover faster? Are you saying I could've had actual food instead of the absolute dogwater crap you've been feeding me?"
"If you don't like it, you can always try cooking yourself," Cheryl scolded me, though I didn't think it was fair at all since I had no arms to cook food with. "Although you'll be required to work in the kitchen often, I can still give you a tour if you'd like. You can even me-"
"Free food? Obviously!" I charged straight ahead, the two wide doors gave way to the delicious scent, now greatly intensified.
"Hey Fuka! What are you cooking up tonight?" Cheryl asked, her voice shocking a small Pokémon who had been looking for something in the fridge.
"Oh, hi Cheryl. And, uhm…"
"Right, Fuka, this is our newest staff member, Bounsweet!"
"Uh… Hello." I responded, the Pokémon drifted out from behind the fridge's door, revealing to be a Chimecho, carefully balancing a plate on the yellow rubbery growth on top of her head, while her long tail, though I don't really know what that part of her body actually was, was wrapped around a carton of milk.
"Hi Bounsweet," She said, slowly setting the plate onto a table. "So… what brings you two here?" She asked, swiftly floating over to a pan on a stove, before drizzling some of the milk from the carton.
"Not much, really." Cheryl pushed me, "I'm just giving Bounsweet a tour, a brief rundown on how things work here."
"Are you the chef here?" I peer around the kitchen. It's barren, save for the Chimecho.
"No… Well, sort of. I was raised by a chef, so I know a good bit or two about cooking. I'm not an officially assigned cook, but… uh, I am here- I-I meant, I work in the kitchen for the most part. Yeah…"
Goodness, her speaking skills could use some work. Not that I should be judging, I'd probably wet myself if I ever saw another Flying type again, let alone speak coherently.
"What sort of food do you cook?" I ask, taking a gander into the open fridge. There were some frozen foods, a paper bag filled with berries, some cans and a carton of half-empty milk.
"Uhm… That's quite a general question… I suppose I'll do my best to make food according to the patient's diet?" Fuka's uncertain answer only affirmed my suspicions - she was the shy type. Maybe I could try and coerce her into sneaking me extra treats… heh, wouldn't that be fun?
No, get it together, you're here to work, not slack off. Now pay attention to what she's saying!
"I… try not to have too much meat in the food, even if the patient is mostly carnivorous."
I hummed, that made sense. Most Pokémon were omnivorous, but subsisted on a diet leaning more to herbivorous or carnivorous depending on their environment and status in the food chain. However, basically everyone could digest berries just fine, maybe sans the mineral Rock types and Steel types that didn't eat at all.
"I mostly cook dishes that utilise nuts and berries because they're my favourite types of food, so I know how to work with them. Uhm, why do you ask? Oh right, no don't worry, there won't be any health concerns, r-rest assured!" She waved her stubby arms around, tail swishing this way and that.
"No no. I was just worried about how much meat you'll put into the food. Mainly since I really can't eat much of that stuff." A few days ago, an in-depth talk with Cheryl revealed the other reason why she'd been feeding me flavourless pet food: it's that I don't have teeth. Meat, and even fibrous veggies were both off the menu for my stomach, leaving only the gross stuff like mushroom soup if I ever wanted to try something new.
"Oh, yes. Like you, most of the staff here are either herbivorous, or follow a mostly herbivorous diet. Cheryl can even feed off of people's feelings of happiness."
I looked to the Blissey, who confirmed my suspicions with a hum.
"But, you know, the Pokémon that require specialised diets are usually in too poor health to handle large quantities of meat. Though proteins are essential for health for some Pokémon, anyway." The wind chime turned away, pot in one hand and a tray of eggs in another.
Was she making boiled eggs?
She seemed to be much better at talking once the ball got rolling in her field of expertise. That shouldn't have been surprising, though.
"Just to be clear: it would be kind of ironic for a Pokémon Centre, a place that supports the rehabilitation and the care of Pokémon, to be extensively consuming other Pokémon, you know?" Cheryl whispered to me.
"Yeah, that makes sense. But isn't that why you heal people? So you can get fed?"
"Please don't assume, dear, I'm sustained by powerful emotions in general. It doesn't matter what type I feel. Pain, fear, anger, happiness, jealousy, it all works for me."
"And you're still choosing to heal despite the fact that you could probably break someone's knees with just one Body Slam? That's… oddly noble."
"Well, there was a time where I used to… help my patients blow off steam if they were willing to tell me who had harmed them." Cheryl's face flushed with a vermillion hue. I could tell it was a past she wasn't proud of bringing up.
That sent a bit of a shiver up my spine. Okay, good to know she has probably broken someone's skull in the past… that's not moderately worrying in the slightest. "Maybe you could pummel that Toucannon for me if we ever see him again. Now, where to next?"
Cheryl seemed relieved I wasn't choosing to push the conversation, though in truth I was afraid that she might punt me if I did. "I'll take you to my favourite place - the lounge!"
"Let me guess: It's the place for relaxing when you're on break?"
"How do you know?" Cheryl stared at me with widened eyes, "Well, in any regard, you are correct."
The scarlet door had a tiny sign reading 'Do not disturb', a cute addition, I must admit. Cheryl pushed it wide open, allowing the two of us to squeeze through.
Inside was a comfy, homely location. A wine-coloured carpet lined every inch of the floor, with cupboards and pantries were on one side of the wall, and a vending machine to the right of them.
In the direct centre, however, a multitude of soft, plush chairs and sofas sat next to a boxy television. A half-asleep Umbreon was idly tapping the remote, switching it from channel to channel. Overall, the room radiated an incredibly cosy atmosphere, how neat.
"This is where you'll relax and take breaks, the TV can only be on for an hour, though. Then it'll turn off and you're gonna have to manually turn it back on again. Some bozo left it on overnight for a few days and the electrical bill skyrocketed, so that's why we implemented that as a precaution." The screen flickered, then turned as black as night. The Umbreon blinked, now wide awake. The Moonlight Pokémon blew a raspberry and hopped up to smack the edge of the TV.
"I'm more surprised that that thing hasn't been totally totaled yet." The static blurred in and out of vision, before it returned to its scheduled programming.
"We haven't spared an electrician to fix it, and Rotom apparently can't."
"There's a Rotom living here?"
"Yes, they're hiding in the copper wiring. If a device suddenly comes to life and tries to bite you, like that printer did earlier, that's because of them."
I swallow rather loudly, to which Cheryl gives me a comforting stroke around the top of my leaves, "Don't worry. If Rotom's pranks get too out of hand, they'll answer to me. So long as you're aware, you should be fine."
Cheryl's statements only reaffirmed my beliefs that she was completely willing to throw hands if something didn't go her way. Are all Blissey secretly like this?
"If you want a bite to eat, use the pantry by the wall, but don't look at the clock. That thing is your worst enemy, got it?" She kept her gaze pinned to the ground, seemingly finding a great amount of interest in looking at the rug instead.
Failing to see what she meant, I was about to ask for an elaboration before the Umbreon from earlier groaned in dismay.
"I swear, it's been at least an hour since I last checked! How is it only five-fifteen?!" His gravelly voice seething with rage, the Dark type flung the remote into the clock, nearly shattering it with a deafening 'crack' and storming off elsewhere.
"That clock is the one thing the Head Nurse insists on replacing, no matter how many times we break it." Ignoring the shattered glass and picking up the remote with a remorseful undertone, Cheryl pointed it at the TV and watched as it turned on. "You want a snack? There's an assortment of snacks in the pantries, and a variety of drinks in the vending machine. I wouldn't recommend going for the peanuts or acorns though, you wouldn't be able to digest them."
The sky-blue machine was filled with rectangular boxes and square paper packets. I could see an obnoxious looking Meowth advertising little chocolate bits with a cheesy thumbs up.
"Funny thing is: many of the staff can't actually use the vending machine, we either get our hands or claws stuck trying to reach inside or we simply cannot reach the buttons at all."
"What? Then why do you even keep it around, then?"
"It's like you said: who doesn't like free food? Rotom bugged the vending machine out so much that it no longer accepts payments, and will just dispense whatever you want so long as you can click it."
"That's so cheap…" I deadpan, yet a grin still worms its way onto my face. "But I'll be sure to bash my head against it for the gummies at some point."
"Go ahead, just don't hurt yourself, okay? Actually, I'll save you the trouble."
She tapped the machine, and after that didn't work, resorted to hitting it. When the gummies did eventually fall into the vending machine's flaps, her stubby arms were nowhere near long enough to grab it. In an astounding display of strength, she hoisted the whole thing into the air and shook it upside-down, handling what must've been at least several hundred kilograms without so much as a huff. God, just how strong was this lady?
She handed me the slightly-crumpled packet and told me to take a seat. I'll be absolutely sure to never get on her bad side, lest I want to be turned into mangosteen jam.
"What's the… special occasion?" I sample one of the fruit-flavoured candies in my mouth, quite tangy. Was this cannibalism in a way? Eh, let's just hope I don't get a mangosteen-flavoured one.
Fishing about the cabinets, Cheryl pulled out several rectangular devices before settling on one labelled 'employee instruction tape'.
"Ever seen one of these?" She flashed the cassette at me. I didn't get a chance to say much, but I guess my dumbfounded expression also didn't leave much room for interpretation."This is VHS tape, they don't have many of these around anymore. It's a short video guide helping rookies acclimate to their new workplace, you're obligated to watch it at least once before you officially start work tomorrow, so without further ado."
She… slotted the clunky VH… What was it called again? Whatever, she stuck the tape thingy into another weird looking box with a flappy entrance. The TV's static changed to a blurry video of Nurse Joy welcoming me to my new environment.
The next half an hour is about the most mind-numbingly boring crap ever, as she explains to me basically everything Cheryl has already told me, sans the healing machine. Instead, it's replaced by 'magical bandages' or whatever, clearly made in a time before the existence of such revolutionary technology. Arceus, just how old is this cassette anyway? It takes a monumental effort not to fall asleep in Cheryl's lap, even if she did exude this aura of relaxation that made me go slack against the couch.
"You got all that?" Cheryl nudges me awake from my beauty sleep, a strand of drool running down my face. Forget anything I said about staying awake through the whole thing - the recording really was that monotonous.
"Hm? Uh… yeah, probably."
"Okay, if you didn't, you'll probably lose the job."
I end up inhaling so hard I choke on my own saliva, retching and convulsing until Cheryl has to bring me a cup of water from the faucet to calm my constricted airways.
"That was a severe reaction." She states, while gently rubbing my back and watching my coughing die down. "We probably didn't even need to watch that, you seem well-acquainted to cohabitation with humans for a Wild Pokémon."
"Yeah… spent a lot of time around them in the past."
"In fact, I've been meaning to ask this, how did you become so smart? You can even read fluently without a problem!"
"... Is that unusual?"
"Yes, quite. It took me years to grapple with the human language, let alone read it. Were you the recipient of a former trainer?"
"I'd rather not say," I groaned, fearing that my big mouth would give myself away even more. "That information is withheld to me alone."
"Alright, if it's something so personal. I can understand. Oh! And here we are, one last room of importance, the sleeping quarters, if you'll follow me…"
Opening a small door near the back of the lounge, I saw several smaller doors, with one being padlocked at the edge. The hallway was certainly… not very organised, which appeared to be a running theme in this Pokémon Centre. There was a pillow jammed in one of the doors, and a blanket that looked so old and wrinkly it must have somehow survived a stampede.
Speaking of ugly things, the carpet had a stain on it that… I really didn't want to know the origins of…
"These doors all lead to your own dorms. it's usually two to three Pokémon for each one, and don't worry, it's a lot larger on the inside than it seems."
"Alright, but can I get my own room?"
"I literally just said everyone had to bunk."
"Great, no privacy for me then." I groaned.
"Don't worry, these rooms are still separated by gender. So you won't be seeing anything you don't want to see!" Cheryl joked, putting on a playful expression."
My face turned stony. "Enlightening."
"Hmmm." Cheryl hummed aloud to herself as she went through a list on a small tablet attached to a wall. "All the rooms seem to be filled, except this one! Alright Bounsweet, whether you like it or not, you'll be bunking together with me and Carole!"
"Are you kidding me?" I mumbled, "At least tell me who Carole is!"
A door in front of me suddenly burst open, cotton flew outwards in all directions, the fuzzy clouds drifted all around us. I looked at Cheryl, "I don't suppose that was Carole, was it?"
An Eldegoss popped her head out of the room, her eyes widened with fear at our sudden intrusion. "Ow, my cotton! I didn't accidentally kill someone, did I?"
Cheryl let out an amused chuckle, "No Carole, there's none of that happening right now. I was just taking our newest staff member on a short tour, this was to be our final stop."
"Oh, alright. Well, excuse the mess I made, I'll go clean this up." She turned around to look at me, "So you're the new recruit I've been hearing about… sorry to hear that you'll be bunking with me and Cheryl tonight."
"Huh? Why so?"
"Well, if you see anyone sleepwalking at the first crack of dawn, it's either Cheryl or the ghost of a patient we failed. Be wary of that, okay?"
My face paled slightly, I thought I was beyond the age of getting scared by ghost stories. But for all I knew, we could be sleeping directly atop a bloody graveyard.
"Carole, stop this nonsense, you're scaring her!" Cheryl smacked the Grass type upside the head, sending out another burst of cotton in every conceivable direction.
"Wait until she hears about the phantom in our electrical outlets. If… say, a printer or a light starts blinking or moving in the dead of night, blame it on Rotom! Personally, if I were you, I'd stay far from the surgical tools, it's not just machines that Rotom can possess!"
I titled my head in confusion, "Pardon?"
"Try not to cause a scene!" Carole headed off, apparently going to the janitor's closet to get some cleaning supplies.
"By the way, Carole, you better not tell Bounsweet any of your ghost stories tonight. If I catch you keeping another one of our staff members up again because of you…!" Cheryl called down the hallway, to which a mischievous chuckle followed. "Carole's our cleaner, or rather, the only 'mon who actually bothers tidying stuff up. She's a bit wary of grime, I'm afraid. So she's our impromptu janitor. Which, I think, might be a bit odd. Considering her… assets weren't really meant for cleaning and repairing. She sometimes causes more messes than she cleans up, that's not even getting into how clumsy she can be at times… But I suppose I don't really have much say in it."
The door to our room was still left wide open, the inside filled with absurd amounts of cotton. It made me wonder how much of that stuff that Eldegoss could create. Though considering her entire head was one massive cotton ball, I'd wager it was a lot.
There was a curved shelf embedded to the side of the wall, but no books, just what looked to be a manual, which I doubted I'd ever touch unless Cheryl forced me to. A desk and a lamp were squeezed together in the corner, the former strewn with pens and loose paper, and the latter covered with a blanket of dust. Guess no one here was into creative writing.
There was a flower pot next to a pillow fort - no plants, however. Maybe the Centre thought Carole served well enough as the bonsai decoration for this room that they didn't bother installing an actual plant.
Finally, the inside of the room seemed very standard. It was a pastel pink colour with hearts for the wallpaper - very girly indeed. A bunk bed was at the left-hand corner, along with a round, cushiony pillow that resembled something a person's Pokémon would sleep in; it wasn't fit for a human at all.
… Not that I was one. Realisation slapped me across the face.
"Please don't tell me I'm sleeping in that pet bed?"
"Jackpot, buddy, I'm sleeping in the bottom bunk, and Carole's going on top. Out of the three of us, you're the smallest in size, I hope you don't mind."
I groaned in annoyance as quietly as I could, if Cheryl noticed, she didn't respond to it.
A slidable door opened to reveal a rather pristine bathroom, in contrast to the chaotic bedroom. I wasn't a neat freak by any means, and especially since the terrors of school camp trips had lowered my expectations for good dormitories so much that this was practically heaven compared to the orphanage I had to sleep in last year. Yeah, this was more than okay.
"That's our bathroom, it has all the basics. Toilet, sink, shower, et cetera. And that's about it! That concludes our tour of this Pokémon Centre. According to the Head Nurse, you'll be officially starting work at the Pokémon Centre beginning tomorrow!"
Great… given this place's cast of… 'quirky' individuals, I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. But beggars can't be choosers, huh? At least I had Cheryl with me, she seemed… mostly normal. At least not as weird as the others were, anyway.
When we walked back to the lounge room, we passed by Carole again, who was holding a dustpan and a broom this time with her leafy hands.
"By the way, I saw a padlocked door earlier. What's in there?"
"It's the Head Nurse's personal office. She doesn't want us messing with her stuff when she's busy at the front reception." Cheryl's plain explanation made me groan in dismay.
"I thought it'd be, like, an awesome killer dragon you guys are keeping restrained or something…"
"Right, because that's not dangerous at all." The sarcastic quip from the Blissey caused me to huff indignantly.
"Oh, come on! Being sardonic is my job!"
When we made our way back to the set of stairs again, this time with the intent of making our way down, I was a little shocked to find that I couldn't. My short little legs were simply unable to take even a single step forwards without resulting in me tripping down the entire flight.
"These stairs were not designed with Bounsweet in mind, were they?"
Cheryl ruffled her entire body, "Unfortunately, they weren't. You can ride on my cap. Since there's no way for you to get back down."
Arceus, she reminds me of my mum, always neglecting me when I needed her most, and then coming back to pester me when I was already halfway wading across the river - our relationship was abysmal. The frustration bubbling in my chest came to a head as someone offered me a hand, which I smacked away ungratefully and hissed.
"Ugh! Like I said, I don't want your help, I've told you multiple times now and I'll say it once more if I have to!" I flung myself downwards, away from her hands. My mum cried out but she couldn't reach me, her hand held over the ledge just so, like she was waiting for someone who'd never return her love.
My eyes snapped back to reality… just as I missed my first step due to a lack of both length and height upon which my leg could sufficiently cover. Did that sentence sound complicated? Sorry, I'll dumb it down. In other words, I fell down a flight of stairs.
'Falling' probably isn't the right term - I ended up bouncing the moment I hit the wooden plank, spiralling upwards without control as gravity worked its magic and I was forced to descend, my face making its introduction with yet another wooden plank.
Moments before I collided with a wall where the stairs turned slightly to the right, a hand grabbed me while I was bouncing in mid-air. Cheryl tsked and pulled me up, pain blossomed around my sides, followed by a haziness in my head.
"Ow…" I groaned, my head spinning.
A blurry shade of pink appeared on my face as Cheryl clutched me tightly against her chest, my breath hitched in my esophagus, choked between a sob and a whimper.
"B-Bounsweet, are you alright? You…"
"Yeah, I rolled down the stairs. You don't have to remind me…"
I twisted and turned, forcing myself not to lower my embarrassed gaze into Cheryl's eyes.
"No… not just that, you were yelling. Something about your parents. Were they mean to you?"
"I… I don't know?" I felt like it was a reawakened memory, and yet it was already fading in my mind like some kind of forgotten dream. Was it a clue of some sort? I hadn't the foggiest idea as to what it could've been hinting at, but it wasn't natural, that was for certain - No one gets a flashback looking at a set of stairs.
"You're feeling awfully confounded. Just try to relax… You're safe, no one will hurt you." Cheryl brought me up to her fur. Nuzzling and revelling in its comfort, the beating in my chest slowed down, it no longer felt as if my heart was about to fly from my throat.
She held me like that for a couple of minutes, just long enough for my nerves to settle. Cheryl's friendly smile returned, she set me down on the ground, as I jumped down the last few stairs without falling.
Although I wasn't much of a hugger… I didn't want that to end. I tried burying the soft feeling deep down, but knowing the Blissey, she probably already sensed it anyway.
My body felt sore, but that was it. Maybe I should be more concerned about that memory I'd just experienced, but in the interest of not confusing the crap out of everyone, I stuffed the vision into the forgotten corners of my head. I'll try figuring it out myself, later.
"Wait. I-I just fell down all of that," I staggered, leaning onto Cheryl for balance, "How come the only thing I'm feeling is just vague discomfort?"
"Pokémon are a lot, lot more resilient than people. Every Pokémon can withstand attacks made of pure magic and stand right back up without problems! Falling down a set of stairs is no issue."
My face heated up as I realised how stupid my question must have sounded; I heard Cheryl stifling a giggle.
Rounding the corner, we ran into a Wigglytuff, who was carrying a small cart. "Hi Kashu!"
"Good day, Cheryl!" The Wigglytuff replied, before looking at me, "Is this the new recruit I've been hearing about?" I noted that he had a lulling voice, likely from all the times he had to Sing unwilling patients to sleep so that they could be administered vaccine shots and whatnot.
"News seems to get around quickly in this place. Well, I'd better remember not to spill any secrets to anyone here." I replied, to which the Wigglytuff gave a quiet chuckle.
"Bounsweet, this is Kashu, he's the second in command here. He usually takes over when his trainer, the Head Nurse, leaves the Centre for her own business."
"How pleasant to meet you."
"Out of everyone here, Kashu's been working here the longest, as long as the Head Nurse has. He's had his fair share of scrapes and bruises. And is filled with knowledge and experience on how to fix all sorts of wounds, from minor scratches to missing body parts."
I tried my best not to imagine what that would look like. Urk, I feel a bit green.
Kashu let out an exasperated hum, "I've told you many times Cheryl, I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do in my line of work. Helping others is what a nurse is supposed to do. Also," He blushed slightly, "You're making my duties sound a lot more extreme than what they actually are."
"That doesn't mean you're anything less~" Cheryl said, sending him a wink.
I was feeling green again, though this time for very different reasons - I tried very hard to hold down my gagging reflexes. Nevermind, I retract my earlier statement. Turns out, I was the only straight-man… I meant 'straight-woman' in this whole Pokémon Centre! This'll be wonderful for my mental health, especially when the two pink puffballs were making out in front of my very eyes.
Note to self: Never stay in the same room when these two are together.
By the time those two lovebirds were finally done with… whatever they'd been doing (I didn't want to stick around and find out), Cheryl returned to where I sat and announced that the tour had concluded.
"And that's that! So, what do you think? Got any questions you want to ask?"
"Is… Is everyone here insane?" The petrified voice comes out a bit more timid than I'd like, as if I was a frightened animal, it's not a good look, I'll admit.
"That depends on your point of view." Cheryl giggles, "I promise it's not so bad once you get used to working here. I'd be more than happy to accompany you for the first few days if you want."
"Maybe… But I won't really get better at interacting with others if I just stick behind you all the time."
"Atta girl." She gave me another head pat, which I brushed off with a grimace.
"Actually, I do have a question: Is there a specific group of Pokémon required for the night shift? Since I know Pokémon Centres are always active."
"Eh, we don't really have a night shift. Well, there's this one Umbreon and his trainer… Joseph? I don't remember. But that's it. Even though the staff members are usually allowed to rest from seven onwards, we can still get called to action. The Head Nurse and Kashu have to keep up their work ethic around the clock, so you can probably imagine how taxing it is for them."
Yikes, and she was still bothering to be nice to an ungrateful scrub like me? Okay, I respect that - I'll try to get out of her way from now on.
"The night staff… or just the Umbreon, come along at seven-thirty in the evening, and they work until six. We get up at six as well; the night staff usually leave everything ready for us to use when we take over for the day shift. But sometimes we need to clean things up some more. The Pokémon Centre closes temporarily for one hour, and re-opens at seven in the morning."
"Wait, you guys close? I thought these buildings were open 'round the clock."
"We don't have enough nocturnal staff to get through the night, nor human staff members to tidy up and greet people at the front reception, so the Head Nurse needs a break every once in a while."
"That… sounds terrible. You know, I'm starting to notice this recurring issue stemming from not having enough workers, why don't you guys just hire more people?"
"Well, it has to be approved by the Head Nurse… which just hasn't happened. You're right, though, I'll ask Kashu later. He's her Pokémon, so maybe he's got an idea."
"Yeah, it feels like a lot of the folks here are… how do I put it? A bit stressed?"
"It can definitely get pretty messy," Cheryl tapped her foot, "One time, a patient was on fire when he ran in here."
"Spare me the details." I said, uninterested, "Do we need to have any experience in order to work as a nurse?"
"I didn't have any experience when I came here, but I just learnt more on the job. Since you're new here, you can go around and ask for easier jobs to help you prepare for more difficult tasks in the future."
"Is there… like, a system for this? Or are we just winging it every day?"
"The latter." The Blissey clarified.
"Doesn't seem very smart for a hospital… but anyways, how long have you been here?"
"Time moves funnily here, I've never really kept much of a record. So I can only assume a rough estimate of around several years. It's not like I have anywhere else to go, so this place is practically my home now."
"What time is dinner?"
"Really, that's what you wanna know?" Cheryl gave me a sarcastic quip, which I still thought seemed a bit out of character, but continued anyway, "From the information I know, dinner only starts at seven-thirty at night. After we've finished packing things up and cleaning any messes made by our patients. Breakfast is at six-thirty. While lunch is at one in the afternoon. For lunch, the staff members take turns, a few go in to eat, and swap their positions with others after they're done. Every day you'll be allocated break times. With a minimum of one and a maximum of three each day. The amount depends on your role. The t-"
"The tougher the job, the more time you'll have to relax." I cut her off, Cheryl nodded.
"It's currently six-thirty- Really? It's only six- Ah… shouldn't have looked," A rumbling laugh escapes from me as I watch Cheryl shield her eyes from the analogue clock as if it was poison. "The night staff will be arriving soon. Come on," She motioned to one of the hallways leading to the storage room, "Let's see if we can go help anyone pack anything up."
"Hey, why do you keep referring to the night staff as plural, since it's just one 'mon. Plus Nurse Joy and Kashu, I guess."
"It used to be a full-on operational staff team. Ask the Umbreon when he shows up, I suppose. But I think they recently disbanded because of budget reasons, or something like that."
Another underpaid group of overworked workers? How poor was this place?!
I'm surprisingly fortunate, truth be told. I've really gotta start pulling my weight so they don't kick me out for being just an extra mouth to feed, especially since they've hardly got enough to go around themselves!
After a brisk walk, we reached the storage room once again. The first Pokémon I saw was a tiny Fomantis, probably the same one from earlier, struggling with a heavy box. Cheryl's face immediately frowned, "That's one of the newest recruits. He's… well, he's similar to you - incredibly intelligent, though he probably doesn't use that gift very well."
The Fomantis must have seen me watching him from the corner of his eyes, because he certainly made a show out of attempting to lift the package over and over again, to no avail. Eventually, he looked at me with pleading eyes, almost begging me to help. I don't know what really came over me that caused me to do what I did, but I bounced over and nailed the box with Rapid Spin, sending it flying into a shelf, only slightly rattling the contents within.
Usually, I wasn't the type to take action unless absolutely forced to, but I felt pretty proud about that one. I opened my eyes expecting praise, only to be greeted with… a little more? The Grass type was up in my face, black eyes nearly sparkling as his face pressed against mine.
"You're quite strong, aren't you? Enchantée, milady! Say, has anyone ever told you that your lovely yellow eyes are like twin topaz gems glimmering under the twilight sky?"
What.
The.
Fu-
"I'm sorry, 'enchan-' what now? What are you even saying?"
"Say, would you care to join me for dinner tonight? I'd love to learn all about you!"
"C-Can we slow down? I don't even know your name…"
"That's enough, Kokiri, our poor Bounsweet's been through quite an ordeal today." My personal lord and saviour stepped in, shooing off the mantis, who launched a playful wink at me before bouncing away with a spring in his step.
"Very well, I'll see you at dinner~"
I've never questioned my own existence as much as I did now. Why's he walking all funny? Looking to the Blissey for an explanation, she gave me nothing but a covered giggle and a pat on the back.
"Awwww… You're getting along so well with everyone already."
"I-I can't tell if you're joking or not and it's very unnerving."
"I'll treat you to something nice for dinner. Consider it a welcome gift of sorts, won't you, dear?"
My attempts to control the gleefulness that must have welled up at the prospect of eating something other than gross kibble doesn't slip by Cheryl's watchful eye. I can barely contain the delight lodged in my throat as I voice my question.
"What is it?"
"You'll have to wait and see!"
This time, I willingly rode up the stairs in her hat, the stubborn pride I once clung desperately to all but vanished at the anticipation of good food.
At this point, I think I've learned to just accept things as they come here, because nothing makes even the most remote amount of sense anymore.
Dinner was rough. I sat with Cheryl, since I was the most comfortable around her (though that wasn't saying much). Circling the plastic table were Fuka, Kashu and Carole (the latter of whom I nearly bumped into by accident). A lot of Pokémon were interested in asking me questions and starting conversations with me. I tried to politely tell them to buzz off. And most of them did - I didn't talk very much. And Cheryl, being the motherly nurse she was, made sure I got my personal space.
Speaking of dinner, while my other workmates ate on the chairs provided, I had to sit on the table itself because… once again - too short. It was either the table or the floor. It didn't take a genius to guess which option I chose in a heartbeat. I didn't want to be stared at.
From my position on the floor, I eyed Cheryl as she plopped her food down on the table, the lone bowl signalling that the portion size was meant for a single person only.
"... Uhm, what were you gonna treat me to?" I try my best not to sound ungrateful, with so many Pokémon in the room, I can't help but feel like someone's sizing me up… Maybe it's just my instincts as prey, but something told me to duck under the table just in case someone tried to turn me into dessert…
"Ah, right, watch this."
Before my very eyes, I watched in shock as the Blissey plucked her own egg from her pouch and bathed it in an orange glow. While I was busy being perplexed by that apparent violation of logic, the egg's top cracks away, revealing a masterfully soft-boiled interior.
"And it's okay for me to eat… that?"
"You deserve something nice after today."
I'm… a bit weirded out by the preparation method, I won't lie. I knew many Pokémon had at least some part of them that was edible (or in my case - every part) but to eat the eggs my own doctor laid? That's taking it to another level that I'm not comfortable with breaching.
Seeing my tentativeness, Cheryl scoops out a spoonful of the liquid yolk and prepares to feed it to me like a baby.
"Okay, okay, I'll eat it, alright?" Sticking my tongue in through the broken shell, one tiny lick is all it takes for me to start snarfing the thing down like it's my last meal. The chunky whites are irresistibly smooth, like melted butter, but aren't so rich in flavour as to make you sick after a few bites. It's the yolk that's the pièce de résistance of the whole meal, however. Despite having no seasonings, it runs down my throat in a savoury blast that warms my stomach inside-out. It's like I'm eating happiness condensed - it's that good. In my haste to devour it all, I accidentally bite off bits of the eggshell, but it doesn't matter. When you're eating heaven in every bite with a taste worth dying for, a couple sharp fragments won't come close to stopping you.
"Did you enjoy your meal?" Cheryl leaves her bowl for a napkin, giving me a brief window to glance at her plate - all kibble, plus some roasted berries, but nothing close to the decadence I just had the luxury of experiencing.
"Delicious. Best thing I've ever had, period." There's something blurring my vision, the waterworks aren't stopping. As Cheryl wipes my mouth and eyes, I hiccup to her, "S-Sorry… Got some… uh, yolk in m-my eyes…" The occasional sobs and quivering lips only further the stutters in my voice, but at this point I could care less. It's been the first time in weeks since I've felt things were going my way. And maybe it's just the side effects of eating that egg… but I genuinely felt alright about the future - like I had a chance to return to my human body. The thought pushed more wetness down my cheeks, though not entirely out of sadness.
"Of course," She courteously nods, "Let me clean that off of you."
Ah… I could get used to this. Spellbound by the moment - at the confirmation that this wasn't all a dream, I failed to see the half-eaten berry core fly at my forehead.
Well, now I really know where the 'mess hall' got its name from. Turns out table manners are the last thing on your mind when you aren't even tall enough to reach a seat, let alone use the utensils provided to eat your food instead of just sticking your face into the bowl and hoping the kibble gets into your mouth.
Luckily, I barely parry the oncoming fruit with my sepals, spinning it just so to send it flying… directly into someone else's plate.
"How dare you hurt that elegant lady, you fiend?" The odd Fomantis, whose name I believe was 'Kokiri', lept from his chair with an unbridled rage. Tossing his own food into the air with a deft flick of his scythes, Carole was beaten back by the barrage and had to retreat temporarily under the table… only to return about five seconds later bearing heavy artillery in tow.
"Pffft, it was an accident! Besides, why are you guarding her specifically? Ooh, could it be you have crush on-"
"Hush your foul mouth at once, brute! I will not be undermined by- Gah!" He didn't even finish speaking, before the Eldegoss lobbed a container that barely missed his head, instead impacting against the Umbreon next to him.
The black feline bared his fangs, glowing rings amplifying in power all the while. "Who did that?!" He whipped a can high into the air, arcing over the table to the other side.
"Oops." Carole muttered, directing his attention to her.
This sparked an all-out war that I had to dodge while simultaneously eating food without hands. In the aftermath, I had to wipe my face and my back (how did the crumbs even get there?) with a towel three times before I went to bed.
Duly noted, I'd like nothing more than to retract my previous statement regarding the peace and tranquility of this location, because it's anything but!
Needless to say, by the end of the day I was more than ready for some peace and well-deserved rest.
The pet bed was rather degrading, but I knew I didn't have much choice in the matter. The Pokémon Centre seemed to always be running on a tight budget. Hopping into the bed, it was very warm and snug. Surprisingly, I had just enough space to move around and get comfortable in. Pulling a fuzzy red blanket over my head, I closed my eyes, drifting off to a comfortable rest. Finally… some peace and quiet in this ridiculous place.
"The eggs it lays are filled with happiness. Eating even one bite will bring a smile to anyone." (Blissey's Platinum entry)
Many thanks to Pokelego999 for beta reading this shit show before it went live and I publicly embarrassed myself in front of the internet, couldn't have gotten it done without you, dude!
Partially inspired by Fabhar's Shaded Silk (A human-turned-Ariados stuck as the only 'normal' person in a world of unhinged lunatics, all while trying to balance her sanity between chaotic events that seem specifically targeted towards ensuring her demise)