CHAPTER 24

“Alright, Ms. Pastel, that’s one therapy session with one of the Nurse Joys in two days at 6:30 pm. Is that ok with you?”

I looked at the Nurse Joy speaking to me. We were in a secluded room for privacy, but I had almost forgotten that each Pokemon Center had multiple Nurse Joys that worked in shifts to keep the place running twenty-four seven. I was a bit taken aback at how soon the meeting was going to be, but I nodded.

“Sounds good! See you then,” She said, picking up a clipboard. She led me out, and I walked back to the lobby.

Nurse Joys were probably the most underappreciated people in the world. They had to not only be proficient in healing all kinds of Pokemon, but they also had to be good at fixing up humans too, both physically and mentally. Denzel had been right, though. It felt good to be finally taking a step forward. Now I just needed to keep walking. I waited for him to come back from the appointment-making area and smiled at him as he walked toward me.

“How’d it go?” Denzel asked.

“We didn’t even do anything, it was just set up. I see her in two days, at six-thirty,” I said, nodding toward Nurse Joy at the counter, even though it wasn’t her I’d be seeing. “You?”

“In two days as well, in the morning,” He muttered. “So what now?”

“Well, our Pokemon are still in the Center, so I was thinking of going to see how Jacob’s doing,” I said.

He grunted in agreement. “I think I’ll try to spend some time with Budew and then find a stream or a lake for Feebas. He hasn’t been out of the ball in a while.”

“Stay safe around Budew,” I warned. “She still despises you.”

“Oh, I know. She probably won’t like me anytime soon, but I’m making inroads. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.”

“Still, be careful. I’m not joking around with this, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I will. I’ll drop by later.”

We went our separate ways, and I made my way to the human wing of the Pokemon Center. Regular hospitals existed too, but I found them to be cold and unsettling. It was probably all the white and bright lights making me feel nervous every time I stepped foot in one in the past. Meanwhile, Pokemon centers used bright, warm colors that made you feel right at home. I didn’t know the reason for the design choice, but I welcomed it with open arms. Stepping out of the elevator on the second floor, I made my way to Jacob’s room.

“224… 224… there it is!” I said.

I gently opened the door and saw Jacob in a hospital gown, lying on his bed. He had an IV drip injected in his arm, administering some kind of dark fluid, and his skin was covered in bandages. He turned and met my eyes.

“Jacob,” I said with a pause. “How are—” I cut myself off. Of course he was feeling terrible, I was such an idiot. “I came to see you,” I finally said.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Jacob said. His voice was barely audible.

“Why? Can I sit down?” I asked.

“Be my guest.”

I sat down next to his bed.

“And I don’t know, we just don’t know each other at all. I really thought you’d wash your hands off me as soon as you got me to a Center,” He whispered. Now that I looked closer, he was as pale as a sheet of paper.

“I wouldn’t do that. Denzel is coming later too,” I said. A low-volume television was playing a sitcom in the corner of the room. Something about a talking Meowth going on a journey with a satirical version of Team Rocket, I had seen it a few times. “How bad were your wounds?”

“The bites were fine,” He sighed. “Zubat teeth are pretty non-threatening. The poison’s the problem. The doctors say it’ll take at least two months for me to be back on my feet.”

Two months? I thought. But—

“So yeah, no more Circuit for me, I guess. I was honestly thinking of quitting anyway, I can’t even think of going out in the wild again after what happened.”

“I see,” I said. There wasn’t much else I could say— it was hard to find the words. I honestly had wanted to help Jacob recover and maybe get him to travel with us, but he was… broken. I didn’t want him to give up— he could still try again after he got better. But I also didn’t want to disrespect his choice. “Your parents come see you yet?”

“You missed them by a hair, actually. I was going to ask if you somehow found them and told them I was hurt, but they actually got a call from the Center. They were worried sick,” Jacob clenched his hands around the bedsheets. “They didn’t even ask about Starly.”

“You’re their son. I understand that you’re pissed— I’d be pissed too, but you’re their first priority.”

Jacob just grunted and turned away from me. I took it as a sign to stop talking and just stayed with him for a while. I figured he’d feel better with someone here. Or maybe I was just annoying him? Either way, we stayed silent until Denzel came to the room. We stayed there for an hour and then left Jacob to rest.

“He’s really bad,” I said. “He feels… hollow.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Denzel lamented with a sigh. “Let’s just hope professionals help him out.”

We finally got our teams back, and I immediately released Togetic, who immediately flew to my side, brushing her head against mine. I caressed her neck and smiled.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Prrrri!” She squealed.

“Hey princess.”

Denzel released Eevee, who climbed on his shoulder and licked his ear. They were obviously in a good mood. Walking out of the Pokemon Center, I asked Denzel about a body of water for Frillish, and he said that there was a river on route 205. I decided I’d go there at some point since Valley Windworks was on the way there anyway, and apparently, there were interesting Pokemon next to the plant.

“So how long are we staying here?” I asked Denzel. “I’m thinking a week, give or take?”

“We might want to stay for longer to prepare for Eterna. That place is seriously no joke, I want all of our bases covered.”

I nodded. “So how long?”

“Well, we can’t be too long, but I want to really try connecting with Budew here. She seems to like the place. All the flowers and the natural air must be doing wonders for her.”

“So two weeks?”

“That sounds perfect. We’ve also been slacking on trainer battles. We’re always the ones that get challenged and not the ones that do the challenging. We need to make as much money as we can to stock up on supplies before leaving. We’ll probably need bigger bags too.”

“Mhm. I’m really nervous about it. The stories that come out of that place…”

Denzel nodded somberly. “But we’ll make it.”

Just as he finished his sentence, we noticed a group of people crowding around a nondescript building. We decided to give it a look, and as we got closer, I noticed a sign at the edge of the building, obscured by the crowd.

Monthly Floaroma Tournament → Sign up here! Five hundred Pokedollar entry fee.

1st place: Ten thousand Pokedollar and a secret TM.

2nd place: Five thousand Pokedollar

3rd place: Two point five thousand Pokedollars

“Ten thousand Pokedollars for first place? That’s as much as we got when we beat Roark!” I said, feeling surprised.

“Tournaments are big money makers for the city, so it makes sense that the prize pool would be high,” Denzel said. I could feel the excitement in his voice.

“Want to sign up?” I asked.

“You read my mind,” He answered with a grin.

The reason we hadn’t seen that many trainers in Floaroma was apparently because they were all signing up for this tournament, because Arceus damn, there were a lot of people. We slowly filtered into the building when I let out a small gasp after seeing a familiar face. Cecilia Obel and her group were also signing up. I straightened my back when they passed us, but she didn’t even glimpse at me. I felt foolish for being so nervous around her. Why was I even nervous around her? After pondering for a few minutes, I deduced that it was probably because she was such a good trainer. It was intimidating to recall how she had control over a dragon. If she was in the tournament, I wanted to try my best to fight her. I walked up to the counter with renewed motivation.

I handed in the five hundred pokedollar fee and looked at the rules. They were similar to what the rules had been in Roark’s gym, except that we were only allowed to use two Pokemon and no switch-ins. I thanked the stars above for how convenient this was for me, and Denzel explained that it was probably because the Circuit had just started and everyone was so new. Of course, there was also the possibility that someone who had obtained multiple badges last year would sign up, but I assumed they wouldn’t bother with such a low-level competition. It was clearly meant for newer trainers.

The tournament was to start tomorrow and take place over a few days on the outskirts of the city, in a place the locals called the meadow, north of town. Apparently, they farmed honey there, and I wouldn’t mind trying some. After we signed up, I decided to finally make my way to Valley Windworks. On the way, I stopped by the river and let Frillish follow along while I walked on the shore until we had to change course. Togetic followed me in the air. She was getting more agile with her flying, often doing twirls and spins, and then glancing at me to see my reaction. I praised her every time. She obviously wanted to impress me, and I found that really cute.

Valley Windworks took my breath away. Wind Turbines stretched for miles and miles until they reached the power plant itself. They were honestly bigger than I thought they’d be. To the right, a large mountain range separated Floaroma from the south of the region.

“Wow,” I muttered. It was at times like this and when we exited the Ravaged Path that I was overcome with a feeling that was hard to describe. Like I was finally realizing the scale of Sinnoh. I had come a long way since my sheltered life in Jubilife.

I broke into a jog. The path was flat, and I had decided to go on runs twice per day. If I stopped after the first day, I’d be disappointed in myself. Frillish and Togetic followed close behind me. It was easier today because I wasn’t carrying my backpack. All I had were a few empty Pokeballs at my hip.

After twenty minutes, I heaved as I leaned against my knees.

“It’s easier my ass. I’m still cooked by the end of it,” I said, wiping sweat off my brow.

“Ele?”

My head whirred toward the sound behind me. Frillish and Togetic both got in front of me and cried out menacingly. A yellow Pokemon with stripes of black fur and plug-like horns on its head looked at me curiously. It wasn’t attacking, so I grabbed my Pokedex and scanned it.

Elekid, the electric pokemon. Elekid stores electricity in its body. If it touches metal and accidentally discharges all its built-up electricity, this Pokémon begins swinging its arms in circles to recharge itself.

Type: Electric

Really? I thought. The electric pokemon? Ten points for originality, Pokedex.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, crouching so I appeared less menacing. “Did you follow me here?”

“Kid! Elekid, kid!”

“Woah, you’re talkative,” I commented. It was probably peaceful because it was used to humans. Employees at the power plant probably walked or drove by here every day. “Well, unfortunately, I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Ele…” The Pokemon crossed his arms and closed his eyes like it was thinking.

I didn’t walk all the way up the power plant, obviously. I wouldn’t even be allowed to access the inside. There were a lot of electric types hanging about, and I scanned them all with my Pokedex. Shinx, Pichu, Pikachu, Magnemite… they were everywhere. I wondered if the plant had no problems with them stealing their energy.

“Kid!”

I jumped. “You’re still here? Man… what do you even want?”

“Elekid!” It exclaimed, pointing at my hip. I glanced down and noticed he was staring at my Pokeballs.

I frowned. “What? You want to join me?” I asked in disbelief. Pokemon willingly joining humans wasn’t unheard of, of course, but it was rare and I didn’t expect it to happen to me. I stared into Elekid’s eyes and wondered what in its life had led it to this point.

I grabbed a Pokeball and stared at it. It’s not like I hadn’t come here hoping to catch something, but this felt too easy. I captured it and waited until the confirmation ‘beep’ sound to relax. Togetic and Frillish seemed just as confused as I was. I released Elekid, who screamed with a voice way too loud for its body. I scanned it again with my Pokedex to see its moves, gender, and ability.

Moves: Thundershock, Swift, Thunder Punch, Charge, Leer (click for more information)

Ability: Static (click for more information)

“You’re a male, huh? Well, Elekid, welcome to the team, I guess?”