Chapter 7 - Eve
Viridian City, Age 15
As I stared at the ruins of the Pokémon Center, I felt something I never felt before, at least in this life; cold fury. I assumed I was going to feel sad or guilty, not rage. I remembered the destructive behaviour of those three shameless buffoons, and I also remembered the many times I fantasised about beating them up.
"KENTA!" I heard someone shouting.
I turned to found nurse Joy, looking at me, concern etched on her face.
"Nurse Joy. What is it?" I asked her.
"I've been calling you for a while now, but you didn't hear me. Are you alright?"
"No. I mean yes. I feel fine, why do you ask?"
"You were making a terrible expression" she pointed out.
I immediately put a hand to my face, taking a deep breath, and forcing my face to relax.
"It's nothing. I'm okay. What about you? And the Chanseys? And your patients?" I asked. She smiled at me.
"Rest assured, no one's injured. The patients have been transported to Pewter City, and my sister has confirmed that there were no complications in any of their treatment." I sighed in relief.
"That's good. I heard the perpetrators have escaped?"
"Unfortunately, yes. But don't worry, the police have already gathered all the necessary evidence for their investigation, and reconstruction will start in a few days. All Centers have excellent insurance policies. After all, we do have the occasional Hyper Beam or Earthquake incidents. The Center should be up and running again in a month or so." She explained reassuringly. That didn't make me feel any better.
"Nurse Joy, I'm starting my journey in about two weeks" I told her. She looked at me, unsurprised.
"I know. The way you've been talking since you came back from the Rangers' Camp, your everyday training with Eevee and Bulbasaur, how you barely gave a thought about taking Spearow in, and the many questions you've been asking on how to take care of them when far from the vicinity of any Pokémon Centers. I knew it was going to be very soon" she said, her signature smile unchanging.
"I know you feel like you have a certain amount of responsibility towards this Center. You've spent a lot of time there, trying very hard to learn whatever you could about your Pokémon's health, so it is not surprising you feel attached to this place. Although, you shouldn't." I blinked at the dismissive words.
"All the Centers in the world have the same purpose, and provide the same services, getting attached to one specifically is pointless. It's just a building. No matter how many memories you have of it, you shouldn't find it difficult to let go of it. Something that few people talk about is how it's in the nature of Pokémon Centers to be destroyed. Not like that, of course" she said looking at the ruins.
"The Centers, like the Pokémon themselves, have to evolve. As we learn more about Pokémon, and as technologies keep improving, it is inevitable that Centers must change. It was only a matter of time until we would have to undergone an extensive renovation." She turned towards me once more.
"So, Kenta, don't feel bad about it, okay? I know I don't." I pondered her words.
"I understand. But I will still endeavor to make the perpetrators pay" I said with a note of finality. Nurse Joy just giggled.
"I hope so. There was a strawberry shortcake the Chanseys and I baked yesterday. We left it in the fridge. Someone should compensate us for the ingredients" she joked.
"Chan…Chansey" one of the Chanseys next to her added happily.
I scoffed amusingly, shaking my head. I said my goodbyes, and went home, to start Spearow's training.
Back home, I found Spearow jumping everywhere in the kitchen, flapping it's wings incessantly. He's been doing that since this morning. When he woke up, he tried to reached the lamp on my ceiling. After breakfast, as I headed for the Pokémon Center to inspect the damage, he was trying to fly towards a tree in the garden. I deduced he was attempting to fly again, since he managed to do it once. While he remained unsuccessful in his attempts, he refused to stop. He was stubborn, I'd give him that.
I grabbed him, and with Eevee's and Bulbasaur's help, I explained to him it will take a few more days for him to be able to fly, and that he needs to be patient. In the meantime, I planned to train him on how to fight while he was grounded on his talons. Like many birds, Spearows could walk, run, and hop. I focused on the latter since that was what enabled the best mobility. I taught him how to dodge while jumping back or sideways, and how to counter with a well-placed Peck, or sometimes a strategic Leer. Thanks to my other Pokémon's help, I was able to communicate my explanation properly, and made far much progress that I anticipated.
I trained Spearow until lunch time, we'd then eat, and finally I made him take a nap. According to nurse Joy, naps were important for baby Pokémon, it helped in their growth and development. While he was sleeping, the rest of us did some intense training. We sought wild Pokémon in the vicinity of the city; Route 1 and 22, where we encountered Pidgeys, Ratatas, Spearows, Nidorans, and on rare occasions; Mankeys., I couldn't help but notice how strong Eevee and Bulbasaur have become; not one opponent was able to land a hit on them, and some even fainted in one single attack. We were more than ready to tackle the gyms.
This was how our life occurred everyday. In just a few days, Spearow grew considerably, both in terms of size and maturity. At the end of the week, not only he was able to fly, albeit clumsily, he no longer required assistance from his two fellow Pokémon to understand my words. From then, I started developing his intellect, just like I did to the other two. I dedicated the last week of our stay home to Spearow. In the mornings, we would practice battling, both on land and in the air, and in the afternoons, we would study. Eventually Spearow was ready to fight his first wild Pokémon. The results spoke for themselves; Spearow defeated most of his opponents easily. Not only he was physically bigger and stronger, with my instructions, he knew exactly where to hit to do the most damage, resulting in him learning Focus Energy.
Eventually, we were ready to embark on our journey.
The day before setting off, I visited the ruins of the Pokémon Center one more time. I was pleasantly surprised how all the rubbles were cleared, and reconstructions had already begun. I saw many Machokes carrying immensely heavy-looking materials with barely any effort, and concluded that the new Center would be completed in no time. During which, Nurse Joy was working in a Pokémon Clinic, located in a nearby building. While the clinic was good enough for basic injuries, health monitoring, and energy restoration, in the more severe cases, which required professional equipment, the Pokémon, in their Pokéballs, were transported to the nearest Center; the Pewter City Pokémon Center.
I went to the Clinic for one last check-up, and to say goodbye to Nurse Joy.
"Everything is in order. Your Pokémon are completely fine" she said happily.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
"I am especially happy with Spearow's progress" she said looking up at my bird who was flying around the room joyfully.
"It helps that he has a lot of energy" I replied proudly.
"It's only been two weeks and he's almost the size of a Pidgeotto. You must have been diligent with his care. I'm impressed"
"I couldn't have done it without your guidance. With all the information you provided, there was little chance for me to screw up" I pointed out.
"That was nothing. Anyone can see that this was mainly due to your efforts."
"Well, I had a lot of help. Not just you, but also my grandparents, and Eevee, and Bulbasaur. The three of them are practically brothers at this point"
She smiled at my words. Then she stayed silent for a few minutes. I could see her expression changing, she was thinking of something, something very important judging by the serious look on her face.
"Kenta. I have a very important favor to ask you" she said. I did not hesitate.
"Anything" I replied. I knew her well enough to know that what she would ask of me was well within my capabilities. I owed her too much to even consider refusing. She was surprised by my response, and smiled again, this time gratefully.
"My little sister, she's sixteen. She's also traveling. I want you to accompany her on her journey."
I blinked at the information, not sure what the issue was.
"Is she a Pokémon trainer as well?" I asked for more information. She shook her head.
"No. She's a Roaming Nurse."
I stared at her in surprise. Roaming Nurses were very rare. They were Pokémon medics who travel to various locations, often dangerous ones, to help injured or sick Pokémon. These places are too far and secluded to have a Pokémon Center, so Roaming Nurses went instead to solve the problem. What makes them so rare was the high mortality rate. Wild Pokémon could potentially become very aggressive. It was not unheard of that they attack or kill humans just for entering their territory. There were also life-threatening incidents; drowning in a raging river, falling in a ravine, trapped in an avalanche, etc. Roaming Nurses were required to write their will before setting off. For someone to choose this vocation, they must either be very brave, or very reckless.
"Isn't she too young?" I asked tentatively.
"My sisters and I all said so. We tried for years to change her mind, to no avail. She already obtained her nursing license, and has already passed the tests required for her to become a Roaming Nurse. Seeing how serious and dedicated she was, there was nothing left for us to do but support her. If you go with her, knowing that she won't be alone, would reassure me. Not for free, of course; she'll be able to provide you medical aid on the road, which would help you on your journey. It'll be mutually beneficial."
I thought about it for a moment. This would mean that if she stopped to help a Pokémon, or if she's tasked to go somewhere where she's needed, I'll have to drop everything to accompany her. It would be quite inconvenient. However, like I said, I owed Nurse Joy too much to refuse.
"Alright. I'll do it" I said firmly.
"Thank you, Kenta!" she breathed out, relieved.
"Chansey, bring her here please" she addressed her Pokémon.
"Chan-chan-sey" it replied happily.
While we were waiting, Nurse Joy told me a bit about her sister. She told me that she was stubborn, practical, and very strict with everyone, especially herself. She also had a strong sense of justice, and did not tolerate any actions that resulted or could result in the harm of a Pokémon.
Eventually, we heard footsteps, and the door to the examination room opened. Standing at the doorway, was a younger version of Nurse Joy, her expression serious and wary. Nurse Joy stood up and went to the girl. Placing a hand on the latter's shoulder, she introduced us.
"Viv, this is Kenta, the one I told you about. He's agreed to accompany you on your journey. Kenta, this is my little sister, Vivian Joy."
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I hit a block. I know the story I want to write, but could not bring the words out. Hopefully the next chapters will come easier.