A standard Parasect would be around Nina’s height, maybe a little shorter at around a meter. But an Alpha Parasect would tower over even the likes of Stephen Rockford were he here at around two meters. Their claws large enough to snap an adult human in half if one were to get caught in them.
Melanie’s friend was nowhere near as imposing as the Alpha Donphan that Nina had encountered in the Safari Zone, but she still possessed the same domineering aura that marked a Pokemon as an Alpha. Albeit severely diminished due to her sorry state.
Nina and Melanie watched anxiously behind a glass window as Hikari approached the Alpha. Despite her fragility, the woman was fearless, declining the offer of an escort to go face a grieving Alpha all by herself.
They had only managed to get permission to visit Parasect after a couple of days of negotiation. The nurses wanted to make sure that the mystery poison was completely flushed out of the Alpha before allowing visitors, to avoid the delirium that accompanied her sickened state.
But for whatever reason, Parasect was completely at ease in Hikari’s presence, despite having previously lashed out at the nurse that went to check up on her.
Hikari was cordial, introducing herself and talking about Melanie, a topic that they both have in common, before eventually moving onto lighter topics like her favorite food and her hobbies. Largely avoiding anything that would invoke the Alpha’s trauma. All of it was pretty standard for an initial therapy session
The Parasect mostly just stayed still and listened, occasionally chiming in with a few clicks and cries to respond to Hikari. It just looked like a human and a Pokemon conversing normally with each other. Except from Nina’s point of view, it was a very one-sided conversation since she couldn’t understand Pokespeak.
To her side, Melanie was gritting her teeth and clenching her fist in worry. And it was hard to blame her. Her Parasect friend looked pale and discolored from all the poison that had invaded her system, one of her legs were even severed and was in the midst of regrowing.
But in the end, the session concluded without issue as Hikari merely spent an hour with the Parasect to avoid overwhelming her.
“I’ll try to Teleport to this Pokemon Center and interact with Parasect every day. I would have liked to transfer her over to my ranch, but I know that my husband and his researchers wouldn’t be able to resist running tests and taking measurements of her, so best we leave her be for now.”
Nina nodded in understanding. She still regularly took Espy to the Sea Cottage to be tested, and her Eevee always came out of the lab looking all grumpy and demanding treats. So she knew how bad of an idea it was to subject a volatile Alpha to the same treatment.
“Is Parasect going to be alright, you think? How did she sound to you?” Melanie asked, voice tinged with concern.
Hikari embraced Melanie in a soothing manner and reassured her that everything is going to be okay. “Your friend was a little listless. Overall I think she’s still quite strong. Though I suspect the nurses did not inform her of the fate of her nests. But from what I can tell, she has her own suspicions and is trying to deal with it in her own way.”
Melanie still looked a little worried, but she nodded in understanding at Hikari’s words.
Hikari pulled away and clapped her hands together. “Alright, let’s sneak away and get something good to eat shall we? It just so happens, all three of us are vegetarians and I know of an excellent restaurant here in the city. My treat!” She exclaimed. Only to be turned down by Melanie who wanted to pay instead, to express her thanks to the other woman.
***
“Tiffany wants to adopt one of the lost?” Asked Nina.
“Yeah,” said Kumiko. “Apparently she made friends with one of the Meowths and said she wanted to practice with a regular Pokemon before she’s ready to get a Psychic. And thank you, by the way. That book you lent Tiff really got through to her somehow, she’s a lot less stubborn about things now.”
Nina shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, and it’s mostly Tiffany’s own willingness to improve so I can’t take any credit. A Meowth is good though — even if she doesn’t end up becoming a professional trainer, Meowths and Persians make for good pets.” It would be a different matter if it was an Alolan Meowth since Dark Types can be quite a handful, but the one that the girl befriended was a regular Kantonian variant.
Kumiko patted Nina on the head and thanked her once again. “Also, I’ll make sure to buy you a new copy of that exact same book, if you don’t mind? I saw that girl scribbling notes on it…” she sighed, eliciting a laugh from Nina.
“It’s okay, no worries. I haven’t exactly repaid you for the rebreather and wetsuit you gave me way back when. Think of it as an exchange. Rather I’ll feel like I ripped you off with just a book, so I’ll make sure to pay you back even more in the future.” Nina had since bought a new wetsuit, but she still used Kumiko’s rebreather when she went diving. Waste not, want not and all that.
Not to mention, Nina was only able to become a Gym Apprentice thanks to that chance encounter with Daisy at the Sea Ranger outpost.
The woman knelt down and pulled Nina into a hug, gently caressing the girl’s head. “It’s fine, Nina. No need to be all stiff about it. I’m glad that you found a good use for all that old stuff. Just promise me that you’ll stay safe and happy, yeah?”
Nina nodded and returned Kumiko’s embrace.
***
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
And so, Nina’s five day trip in the Hidden Valley Estate came to an end. Originally, Melanie had some events planned during the last few days of their trip but after Team Rocket’s incursion, she gave all her staff some time off to decompress. So the last few days ended up being quite boring for the rest of the group.
The only reason why they didn’t leave earlier was because everyone was concerned about the the condition of the Alpha Parasect and wanted to stick around to support Melanie.
During their last day, they decided to leave in the morning after breakfast and take Bobby and Tiffany on a day trip to Saffron City, since the two kids didn’t get to go yet.
“I want to go see Sabrina in her Gym!” Exclaimed Tiffany. The girl was currently holding onto her Meowth like a giant plush toy. And Nina had to admit, the two made for a very cute pairing.
Kumiko nodded. “We’ll have to see if they have any tickets for sale.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” chimed Misty. “Are you forgetting that you’re with a Gym Leader? I’ll even get you backstage access to that uppity bitch if you want.”
“Please, hun. Mind your language in front of the kids,” rebuked Ali. Though it was clear that his tone was a playful one.
“Oh god, Uncle Ali is hopelessly in love. I really wish Misty won’t go and break his heart.” The man may be very good at hiding it, but Nina could tell that her uncle’s mind was in a very fragile state at the moment. Likely due to whatever harrowing experiences he’s had to endure during his years in the Crater.
“I’ll pass,” said Nina. “There were a few books I couldn’t find in the store and I wanna go see if the Saffron City Public Library has them. Also, I didn’t get to go sightseeing the last couple of times I was here.”
In truth, Nina just wanted to avoid seeing Sabrina again. Having her mind read was not a pleasant experience. So she wanted to get her mental shields up to par before another reunion.
Nancy and Bobby also passed on going to the Gym, the woman said she wanted to go visit one of her husband’s restaurants and greet the staff members there.
Ali nodded and handed Gardevoir’s Pokeball to his niece. “Make sure to stay safe and call us if anything happens. Better yet, have Elizabeth Teleport you out of there immediately,” he instructed.
The man then turned to Misty with a mischievous expression. “If we’re splitting up anyway, then how about the two of us go on a romantic date? After we get Kumiko and Tiffany into Sabrina’s Gym, of course.” Misty returned the sentiment with a kiss and a smirk, while Nina tried her best to hold back the contents of her stomach.
After the group split up, Nina took the subway to the south of the city. She had lied earlier about going to the library. Whatever book she wanted could be found online as ebooks anyway. What she was really after was the house of Mr Psychic.
She remembered that in the games, the man would read the player’s mind and gift them with a TM for Psychic. And while she didn’t really need it, since Espeons could learn it naturally anyway, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to try her luck and maybe get something out of it.
Nina also wanted to test Sabrina’s claims that Mew’s Gem will help to protect her mind. And to her knowledge, Mr Psychic was completely harmless as far as his background goes. Worst case scenario, the guy would just think of Nina as a weird kid and chase her off.
***
There was a whole suburban district to the southern side of Saffron City. The entire neighborhood was connected to the city with only a single highway and one subway station. The vibes kind of reminded Nina of New Jersey in a way, with its seemingly endless grids of houses.
Nina exited the subway station and found herself in a sizable little shopping district that mainly catered to the locals. “Shit, now what?” The girl was flummoxed. The entire suburb itself was the size of a satellite town, and she had not anticipated needing to search through such a large area.
“Tiin…” cried a meek Tini
“Hmm? Are you hungry buddy? I guess it is lunchtime huh. Let’s go find something to eat while we think then.” The train ride over was about an hour long, just to give an idea of how far away this place was. So it was already approaching lunchtime by the time that Nina arrived.
“Vee!” But before Nina could go any further, Espy began pawing her trainer’s head to get her attention.
“What’s up, Espy? Is something wrong?” Nina’s Eevee pointed to the side, bringing her attention to what appeared to be a sleazy looking old man staring at her.
The man was wearing what looked like boxer shorts, a stained wife beater over a very pronounced beer belly, and sporting a thin looking comb over on his balding head.
At this point, conventional wisdom would tell Nina to flee from the creepy looking pedo man. And Tini certainly agreed as the Dratini took up a defensive stance in front of his partner. But Nina simply held her cute little bodyguard back and casually strolled up to the guy.
“Hi there, can I help you?” She asked.
The man snorted, making a very disgusting nasal sound. “That should be my question, girlie. Aren’t you the one looking for me?”
Nina smiled. “Are you Mr Psychic? Wow, you’re actually Psychic!”
Mr Psychic huffed. “Of course, how else would I know to look for you here?” He explained how he had a premonition the day before, telling him to be here at this time to meet with someone. “And apparently, that someone is a little brat. What a waste of time, I was hoping for a hottie like Sabrina…”
Nina’s eyes twitched, thinking all sorts of rude thoughts about the old man in her head to gauge his reaction. “He can’t read my mind. That’s good. Either that or he’s a really good actor, but I doubt it.” It appears what Sabrina said about Mew’s Gem was true.
“Well I’m sorry if that's how you feel, mister. But I had a premonition as well,” she lied. “That I would meet someone who’d be very helpful in developing Espy’s gift. Would that someone be you?” She asked as she gestured towards the Eevee lounging on her head.
Mr Psychic rubbed his chin and gave Espy a scrutinizing gaze. “Hmm… Got a little welp, have you? Sure, I might have something for her.” The man reached behind him to produce a transparent CD case holding a pink TM inside.
But just as Nina reached her hand out for it, Mr Psychic raised the item out of her reach. “But I ain’t giving this to you for nuthin’. You owe me a meal at least.”
Nina beamed. The price of lunch was cheap compared to a rare TM. “Done, just so happens we were headed to lunch anyway. Do you know any good local spots around here?”
Nina gingerly grabbed hold of the TM case with the tips of two fingers, after noticing that Mr Psychic did not have any back pockets on his boxer shorts. “Cause, you know? They’re boxers.” The girl did not want to even imagine where the man had been keeping it before their meeting.
She also ended up following the man to a local beef bowl shop, one that served Miltank meat over rice. Fortunately they also served other foods as well, and she ended up ordering a set of natto over rice, with miso soup and fried tofu at the side. They didn’t provide service to Pokemon though, so Nina had to return Espy and Tini with an apology and promised to treat them to a feast later.
It was all worth it, because the man gave her a TM for Calm Mind. A move that would be very useful for Espy’s development. “Especially if she learned how to use it passively the way that Eric does.”
In the games, Calm Mind boosts a Pokemon’s special attack and defense. But in real life, that translated to Espy having an easier time focusing her Type Energy which would allow for faster and more devastating attacks, while making it easier for her to perceive attacks leveled against her to dodge or react in a way that would mitigate the damage. Basically, it was a watered down Ultra Instinct mode.
Nina was so excited that she used the TM immediately after she parted ways with Mr Psychic, since Espy was already in her Ball anyway.
TMs were CD shaped for a reason, the central hole fits perfectly with the button on a Pokeball. So Nina pressed the button on Espy’s Pokeball in a pre-designated sequence to activate TM reader mode and slotted the disc onto it.
The moment that she did, the TM began spinning and glowing in the pink light of Psychic Type Energy as all the information contained within got absorbed by the Pokeball and infused into Espy’s mind.
TMs effectively recorded data and stored it in the form of Type Energy. So theoretically, so long as there was still Energy contained within the TM, it could be reused over and over again until it was depleted. The one gifted by Mr Psychic however, dulled and cracked after a single use. Indicating that it was either old stock or used goods. Not that Nina was going to complain. Free was free.
Nina released Espy from her Pokeball and the pair of girl and mon grinned giddily at each other over their latest gain. Espy was so happy that she even hummed along with Nina and Tini on their train ride back to Saffron City proper, something that she wouldn’t care to do normally.