“A Berry Juice? Thanks!” Jamie’s anxious expression turned in a grateful grin. He released Swirlie from his poke ball and emptied the juice into the Pokemon’s mouth. A few moments later the sugary pink Pokemon was wagging his tail. “Swi!” He barked.
“Swirlie! Feeling better?” The Swirlix climbed on top of Jamie’s shoulder in response and licked his cheek. “Great, now let’s get going— oh, there he goes. W-wait, hmm that’s not quite right.” Jamie grabbed Troy’s arm and guided him a little further down in the direction they had been going… “This is where you want to be.”
“This is the Myriad Color Garden,” Jamie said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “There are quite a few different garden areas here at PMA, in case you haven’t noticed. There’s the Cloud Gardens, the Zen Gardens, the Modern Gardens, the Hot Spring Gardens, the Maze Gardens, the Music gardens… I think that’s all of them.”
The Myriad Color Gardens were called such because they were a four season garden; all throughout the year the variety of flora would bloom depending on which season it was. It was August, so there were bright and pungent marigolds, delicately pink shrub rose, and soft asters that dotted the yard. There were also quite a few leafy shrubs, bushes, and small trees that surrounded the area, planted in a quaint pattern and landscaped to perfection. Jamie continued. “Anyways, about this Pokemon… They like hanging out here. Anyways, it likes hiding in these bushes and shrubs, and likes stealing stuff when people sit on the benches. I heard someone else say it likes to grab food from the trash too. But there’s another reason it’s hard to catch.
“Take a look around. This isn’t the battle facility. These gardens cost a lot of money to install. They're not gonna stand for students just ripping up their grounds, especially when they're not supposed to battling in these areas anyways. We're allowed to attract pokemon, because the school loves any rare pokemon visiting their gardens. But we're not supposed to be battling in places like this, obviously."
Jamie cleared his throat and straightened up, putting his hands on his hips. "So you need to be mindful of where you are on the grounds! In other words, you can’t do something like irreparable damage to anything here. The school’s gonna freak if they see damage done, and it’s not going to take them long to find out who did it. I'm president of the beautification committee, and I'll have to report you to the school authorities myself if I see damage done!" Jamie waggled a finger as intimidatingly as he could.
"Anyways, see the green turf there with no bushes or trees? That's pretty much the only space that's safe to attack that pokemon on. If you can lure it there...” Jamie then suddenly spotted a piece of litter. He marched right over and threw it away into the garbage with gusto. “Ugh, littering! I hate it when people do that, don’t you? I mean the nerve of some-“ he stopped suddenly, staring in front of him. A short tree seemed to be shaking some… And out jumped a pokemon! It was only for a second but Troy's pokedex caught it in the nick of time and scanned it.
Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokemon. The way it brushes away grime with its tail can be helpful when cleaning. But its focus on spotlessness can make cleaning more of a hassle. They pet each other with their tails as a form of greeting. Of the two, the one whose tail is fluffier is a bit more boastful.
Lvl 11
Cute Charm
Pound, Baby-Doll Eyes, Helping Hand, Echoed Voice, Aqua Tail
“-Oooh, that's it! That's it! So, what’s your plan?” The Minccino jumped to another bush quite quickly. Though they couldn't see Minccino, though they approximate where it was based on the bushes shaking. The crafty little gray mouse could see them quite clearly and was observing them.
Troy As Troy finished the Berry colored and flavored pokeball, he got up and continued on his way only to be stopped by the trainer from earlier. Apparently, they're the president of the beautification committee, and significant damage to the gardens isn't allowed. Shuckle can battle pretty well regardless, given that infestation doesn't call upon an actual infestation of bugs and Mud Slap can be washed off with some water without much damage, but it's good to know to avoid tearing up the place with reckless abandon like during the class tournament.
Regardless of how he'd catch it, it seems searching the area with the most trees wasn't the right place, in spite of the earlier description of its habits. The other student pointed him to a relatively clear area where battle could take place with minimal damage, and it just so happens to be where the pokemon was hiding. It was darting between the shrubs and bushes faster than the eye could see, but Troy manages to get a pokedex entry while it was changing spots.
Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokemon. The way it brushes away grime with its tail can be helpful when cleaning. But its focus on spotlessness can make cleaning more of a hassle. They pet each other with their tails as a form of greeting. Of the two, the one whose tail is fluffier is a bit more boastful.
It seems to be a Minccino. They were quite common near Nimbasa city, and Troy always thought they were pretty cute. They also stay cute as they evolve, unlike a certain spider common in his dad's power plants. It's been a while since he's seen one, and they were quite a nostalgic sight. As for its capabilities, he'd need a closer look before making any judgements, but it certainly seems fast.
He addresses the boy who showed him here in hopes of preventing their oblivious interference. "Alright, I'll make sure not to leave anything here or damage the plants. Even if it looks like I dropped something, don't come storming in, okay? I might be here for a while, so you don't need to wait on me either. If I find your things, I'll come find you."
With that, Troy moved his backpack to face the front of his body, if only to be more careful around a pokemon with a penchant for theft, and pulled out his phone with his left hand. He came to lie down on one of the benches, his feet kicked up over the armrest, with his right hand dangling off the side. He placed the berry juice-covered pokeball onto the ground and began absently rolling it around with the tips of his fingers, out of his sight and just begging to be stolen.
Like this, all he had to do was wait for it to take the bait. He held onto his phone securely, acutely aware of the possibility it would be stolen, and took the spare time to research Minccinos. It was frustratingly difficult to get certain pokemon to compete with certain others in a particular combat niche, something he knew all too well when figuring out the best way to train Shinx. Troy needed to know the best way(s) to use the pokemon if he wanted to know the best qualities to look for in one. His father taught him to assess a pokemon's potential and what personalities best suited the development of certain qualities, but that only tells him what that individual excelled in, not what the species did.
That being said, the words 'skill link' caught his attention immediately...
Antoinetta stopped, eyes wide, at the sound of an enthusiastic voice. She'd thought the match a humiliating experience for both herself and Mellona, but some people had admired the performance? And they appreciated Combees? Her smile returning, Netty stood tall and let Mellona out.
"Thanks! She's been training for contests for a while," Netty explained, petting one of Mel's upper heads. The Combee, in comparison to her trainer, didn't seem too bothered by the defeat, instead doing a little twirl for both students. "Combees are pretty graceful dancers anyway, I mean it's an important form of communication for them. So it's only logical to work that into contests." Dropping that fact as that awkward kid in Sinnoh would have made her sound like a nerd, but hopefully it would sound much cooler from a budding coordinator addressing the beginnings of a fanbase.
At least, it would if she managed to keep it together. As others chimed in with questions, Netty's face warmed. Words eluded her. After this morning, of all possible responses to the show, she hadn't expected this. So this was what the thrill of recognition felt like? Don't screw this up, she told herself. Don't screw this up, don't screw this up...
It turned out she didn't have to for everything to go Wepear shaped.
"Pfff, please," a student piped up. "I don't get what you guys are so excited about, it's just a Combee. Don't they have, like, the same four moves until they evolve? And you just saw how well they do against Rock types." The girl fixed her smug gaze on Netty. "You'll have to up your game if you want to make it big."
The rush of pride faded to a sinking sensation. "Oh really?" Netty folded her arms, glaring. "Four moves, many combos, may I remind you." Not that she'd had a chance to pull off any combined moves in the battle. "Anyway, I'd better get going, but trust me, you'll see what I mean."
She hurried into the grounds, fists clenched as Mel buzzed along by her side. Of course that had been too good to be true. "Some people don't know what they're saying," she muttered to the little Bug type.
As promised, she led Mel along the floral-lined paths, letting her explore the vast array of summer blooms. The Combee flitted from sunflowers, to dahlias, to a lavender patch, trying to decide on a favourite nectar flavour. Netty's mouth twitched up. By the time she headed to the dorms, the walk had almost eased her mind... Yet, again, such moments couldn't last.
She opened the door to sounds from the kitchen, and the smell of something sweet baking. Great - she'd gone and ended up with a roommate. Had she really been so nervous about the application, so tired from those sleepless nights thinking about it, she'd messed up some of the requests? Or was it more about the limited places in such a prestigious school? Either way, she was stuck with someone who'd see her at her worst. Hopefully it'd be someone she could get along reasonably well with, at least...
That hope vanished when she reached the kitchen. A complete and utter mess greeted her, flour and food wrappers everywhere. In the middle of the chaos, stuffing her face with what must have been the week's supplies, was Zaria of all people.
"Hey!" Netty put her hands on her hips. "That isn't all yours, you know!"
Zaria didn’t hear the door open as she was too busy eating. But when she heard Netty’s voice, she looked over in the direction of the front door and nearly spat out her food.
“Umf, phwhat? Whab are you doing ‘ere?” Then she swallowed. “Wait a second! Does this mean we’re roommates? Oh man!” The flight from New Bark had been late, she had arrived late, and then in the morning she’d gotten up late for the ceremony. Having a roommate just hadn’t crossed her mind in the midst of all the punctuality problems.
Netty looked pretty ticked. But Zaria hadn’t eaten that much, right? Yet a cursory glance at her surroundings made her realize she had probably eaten a little over the food in the fridge. Oops… She didn't feel like it was her fault though. This penny pinching school doesn’t give enough food! The system sucks! Why were their cafes so expensive? And the school could have stocked more food in their rooms, really. They probably had more than enough money.
“I didn’t realize I had you as my roomie! I thought I was alone,” Zaria laughed sheepishly, taking another bite and swallowing. “But I was just sososo hungry! And the school cafes are sososo expensive! You know?” The oven dinged and she got up, fetching a pair of mitts and retrieving the cake. “I’ll make it up to ya though. I made cake!” She cut Netty a limp slice of her creation. “Haf somb!” Somehow her mouth was full again already, the piping hot cake temperature did not deter Zaria in the slightest.
She thought it was a little gritty, and kind of doughy, but pretty good. Anyone else would have immediately deemed the cake as an inedible mess. “It’s so good! Right?” She beamed. It was completely unclear as to whether she was deflecting, or incredibly dense. “Now, you might still be feeling pretty sour about the food but you can have as much cake as you want! Consider this my gift to you.” That was a fair trade, wasn’t it? Zaria patted herself on the back internally. She truly was the epitome of a kind, selfless, hero. And Netty would obviously be grateful for her generosity.
Magnet came out buzzing. Seeing Mellona he greeted her with a happy swing of his horseshoe magnets and jostled his screws excitedly. “Maaaaaa,” he droned. Maybe he was trying to mimic what Mellona had done earlier? The way he shot out little sparks and tiny jolts of electricity as he floated about in slow, deliberate twirls was a different departure than his usual behavior for sure.
Jamie nodded. “Alright then, I trust you.” His serious expression turned into a grin. “I’ll be cheering you on! I want to see how this turns out, so I hope you don't mind an audience. Good luck.” So Jamie situated himself a bit further away to watch the spectacle himself, walking about 20 feet away from the gardens and settling down in the grass to watch. A trainer actually managing to catch the nimble thief of the Myriad Color Gardens? Jamie hoped it would happen. The number of students coming to the gardens would increase once they heard the thieving pest was gone, and as such, it would make the beautification club look especially good. “Let’s see what you’ve got, transfer student!”
When Troy was reading, he would note how particular Mincinno were about their dens. Though these chinchilla pokemon were not very territorial and often didn't mind sharing living space with other creatures, they were quite aggressive over how neatly their nests were kept. For example, some reports had noted that Mincinno had been seen nesting with flying type pokemon. Many of these avian creatures preened themselves and kept their nests neatly contained, which Minccino seemed to respect. On the other hand, Mincinno were not often seen around Aipom colonies because the monkey pokemon were typically quite messy: when Aipom ate they'd often leave large bits of pulpy fruit or cracked nut shells everywhere, they didn't spend as much time grooming themselves, and their nests were not as well maintained as other pokemon species.
Meanwhile, the Minccino saw the human boy take his place on a bench. Their ears perked and their eyes narrowed as they saw the item the boy had placed on the ground. The Pokemon sniffed the air— the scent of berries wafted over. Hm, but there was another smell too. Metallic, familiar, but also inedible. The Minccino bristled. What was this strange item? Maybe it would make for a fine addition to their collection.
The Minccino darted forwards and leaped towards the pokeball. It seemed it had taken the bait. What now?
Antoinetta sighed. Zaria hadn't known? Ok, she hadn't known about the living arrangements either, so she couldn't fault her for that. Still, a kitchen that looked like two Alcremies had battled there was NOT something she was in any mood to deal with. Neither was a poorly stocked fridge.
To make matters worse, Zaria's idea of fixing the situation was to present her with the cake, if it could even be called one. Watching Zaria carve a crumbling slice, Netty couldn't help wrinkling her nose at the burned smell. How could a cake be blackened on top and practically raw in the middle? "It, uh, certainly looks interesting," she said, her tone leaving no ambiguity as to what she thought.
She hesitated before accepting the plate. With the week's food supply now limited, might as well make do with what was around. Taking a spoon from the drawer, she scooped up a small morsel of the culinary disaster and grudgingly tried it. Her expression twisted into a grimace. This stuff was practically still dough, yet somehow full of grainy lumps. It took all her willpower to swallow the gritty, chewy mouthful.
"Ugh. You call this a gift?" She set the plate down on the work surface at arms' length. Mellona, who'd been buzzing around a patch of spilled sugar, turned and glared at her. Netty huffed. Yeah that had been a little harsh, but surely someone who'd planned on living alone should know the basics of cooking. Even so, she bit back slightly as she continued. "You know, if you're going to use half the food, you'll want to learn a thing or two about baking. I can show you how it's done, with poffins. Just don't mess up the recipe book."
Mellona, meanwhile, turned her attention to Magnet as he mimicked her greeting dance. Giggling, she returned the twirls, the two Pokemon getting along much better than their trainers.
Troy Cinccino was actually an intensely interesting pokemon. It was the fastest user of skill link, tied with Ambipom, but with much more diverse moves to abuse it. Sure, it didn't learn Fake Out, therefore making it less devastating in a hit-and-run scenario, but spamming normal attacks the way Ambipom was forced to isn't exactly a foolproof plan, and Cinccino would be hard-pressed to find room for Fake Out in the wake of its other moves anyway.
The thing about skill link is that there exists a pair of items, commonly used to evolve Gligars, Slowpokes or Poliwhirls, that, when held by a pokemon, grants their attacks a menacing tenor. With the exception of certain abilities, even the most well-trained pokemon just can't help but occasionally flinch in the face of such attacks, which can be a devastating situation to be in for the victims who are left vulnerable to further punishment. Although the effect isn't usually consistent enough to merit use, combining either item with skill link, which exposes opponents to a barrage of equally menacing attacks that will always connect after the first, produces dizzying results for pokemon and trainer alike.
The prospect was very exciting for Troy, who knew all too well the terror of the Togekiss within his father's collection. Serene Grace is an evil, evil ability, and all the pokemon that have it are sadistic monsters. Togekiss' shortcoming, however, was the low power of its favored move, Air Slash, and its comparatively slow speed, two weaknesses that Cinccino does not have.
Troy was so engrossed that he almost missed the Minccino darting out of its hiding spot toward the berry-covered pokeball. Troy's fingers lowered ever so slightly behind the ball as the Minccino neared it and, with a gentle flick, sent it off, rolling right into Minccino's face. Taking the bait or not, it'd be nice if the pokeball would make the capture attempt while it was still near him, as this would let him get down to business here and now, rather than having to waiting for it to lick the berry juice off of the button or having to coax it out a second time. Once it was in the pokeball, he'd have to be quick, but it should be fairly easy to guarantee a non-destructive battle with it by tossing the ball into the clearing, assuming it wouldn't be caught there and then. From there, even if the capture fails, he should be able to get off an attack on it before it gets away, and could prevent it from escaping using Shuckle's infestation. While not as effective as blocking pokeball return beams in trainer battles, it would at least let Shuckle track it down while simultaneously draining its health and stamina, making it easier to throw more pokeballs at it.
Troy readies himself to spring into action while doing absolutely nothing to avoid making sudden, suspicious movements.
Troy shoves his phone back into his pocket and sits up with both feet already on the ground. The ball hasn't even shaken once yet as Troy grabs it and tosses it over the shrubbery, into the grass. Before it lands, he's pulling out Shuckle's pokeball and throwing it into the grass as well, taking his backpack off of his front and spinning it around his shoulder to rest there by a single strap as Shuckle is released. "Infestation the Minccino as soon as you see it." He isn't sure if it's shaken yet or not, the delay before a pokeball begins to do that isn't exactly familiar to him, and it was hard to keep track anyway, flying through the air as it was. Troy watches with anticipation, hands already searching through his bag for berry juice in case he would need it to keep the Minccino distracted long enough for Shuckle to land Infestation. It wasn't part of the plan, just something he came up with on the fly, so he wasn't sure if he'd get it out in time unless the pokeball shook enough...
Come to think of it, this was the first pokemon Troy tried to catch for himself, isn't it?
Zaria pouted at Netty’s reaction. “Huh?! What’s wrong with it?” And when Netty mentioned teaching her, she insisted, “It tastes fine though!” Still, Zaria was never one to say no to more food. “But alright, if you insist, let’s see what you got!”
If Netty was going to cook, Zaria figured she could clear some stuff away so that was what she did. Bowls were washed, trash was thrown away, and the kitchen was back to looking a little more presentable than before. Zaria worked on some little tasks here and there. But ever a tryhard, she kept butting in with her input: “that doesn’t look like enough sugar. Can we add more?” Or, “can we add chocolate chips? And walnuts? And gummy worms?" Or, "Are you sure this recipe is any good?” Eventually she learned to stop pestering Netty and turn the conversation to something different.
“Those battles today…” Then she threw a dish towel on the counter and groaned. “I went up against accuracy hax! Like c’mon! I didn’t get to show off how good I was. And then Magnet stopped using his electricity. I still don’t get what happened. He couldn't ta run out of electricity, or else he woulda stopped floating.” So why? It was practically impossible to understand how his single eye, metallic chirps, and steel body emoted at times, and earlier had been an example of that. She slumped. “… Well, whatever it was, hopefully Caprea didn’t grade us on those… ‘Cuz then I might be screwed.”
Pushing away those thoughts, she looked at the bowl in Netty’s hands. The batter still needed to be mixed. “Oh! Hey, nevermind that stuff, let me help you with your mixing!” Zaria would show Netty she knew a thing or two about cooking. That would redeem how terrible the day had been, for sure. “Magnet! MIXER MODE GO!!!!”
Immediately Magnet stopped playing with Mellona and flew over to the bowl. Zaria grabbed his left horseshoe unit, while the right one was placed in the mix, so he was sideways facing them. It looked ridiculous. But before Netty could object, Magnet rotated his right unit in the batter rapidly. Needless to say, the mixture flung everywhere. “Ha ha ha! Pretty cool, huh? Now it’s all mixed!” The batter was smooth, but at least half of it had been flung out of the bowl onto the counter, the walls, and of course, Netty and Zaria...
Tim was still humming along finishing up making his dinner, when he heard an unfamiliar voice behind him. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing? You're making so much noise..."
Tim jumped and let out a high pitched scream. ”AHHHH!” It was a miracle he didn’t spill something on himself. He turned around and saw a boy with a face mask on that he had never seen before now, and a Happiny. The Happiny was cute, but where did the boy come from? He wasn’t in any of the classes. He also requested a single room. What was he doing here? Wait... he did show the application to his mom, and she did say she sent out... Oh no... She didn’t... She did... He wanted a single room. Now he would never get a moment alone... ”Um... uh... um... I-I-I...I’m sorry. Um... I-I-I’m T-T-Tim... It looks like we’re roommates... I guess... He shuffled his feet nervously and avoided making eye contact. “Um... D-d-d you want anything to eat? I-I-I was just making dinner... Then Tim mumbled under his breath.“I can’t believe you heard that..”
Meanwhile Rocky sniffed the Happiny, and then happily licked her face.
Asa scowls just a bit underneath his mask as the boy in front of him lets out a scream. Well whatever, Asa thought. I should expect a reaction like this, since I know how gloomy and weird I look. Asa takes a moment to analyze the boy while he stammers out a response.
”Um... uh... um... I-I-I...I’m sorry. Um... I-I-I’m T-T-Tim... It looks like we’re roommates... I guess..."
Hm, can’t tell what kind of career track he’s taking based off how he’s dressed… He looks pretty young though. Are we even in the same grade? He felt twinges of jealousy at Tim’s youthful mop of black hair and his cartoony childishness. After all, Asa felt like he looked like twice his own age.
”I suppose. It’s unfortunate, though nothing much can be done about it now…” Asa mumbles quietly in response, still taking the situation in.
“Um... D-d-d you want anything to eat? I-I-I was just making dinner..."
Asa shrugs. ”…Since you’re offering.” Asa didn’t know how to cook. His choice of meal was often just a sandwich of some kind, since those were easy to throw together. Asa took a seat at the table. ”If we’re going to be roommates, we might as well discuss some ground rules over dinner.” The tone of his voice was cold and formal. And why not? There was no point in making friends. Once anyone found out about his choice of study… Well, he didn’t blame people for thinking he was a monster. He is one, even if it was painful to admit. ”The name’s Asa, by the way.”
The food was served and Asa removed his mask to eat. He was surprised to find the food was pretty good in both taste and presentation. Still, he wanted to hold off on the complements. He didn’t know Tim and didn’t feel like inflating anyone’s ego. There was some silence as they ate, and Asa broke it after a few minutes. “I keep the AC at 70 degrees. I’d prefer it we kept it quiet around here, no parties or anything of that sort. And let’s make sure we pick up after ourselves. I don’t want to have to pick up anyone’s laundry or trash... Alright?”
Happiny had readily accepted Rocky as a new friend. She patted his face with her small arms and had a huge smile on her face as she did so. The little egg shaped Pokemon hopped up and down, trying to climb on Rocky’s back. She wanted a ride too, apparently.
Netty and Zaria would be interrupted by the sound of sobbing and knocking coming from outside their door. If they went to go check it out and see who was crying…
A boy who was in some simple loungewear was crying in the hallway outside their door. “He’s lost! I can’t find him...” Turning to see Netty and Zaria, he sniffed and wiped his tears away hurriedly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you guys. It’s just that I lost my Sobble, Socho. I… I came here because I heard the some of the top 4 transfer students from class 2A were here…” He blew his nose on a handkerchief.
“We were walking around the dorms… Something startled him and now he’s gone! Socho just got so scared and you know what happens when Sobble get scared, right? They can go see through just like water. And I can’t find him! Please, you guys have to help me.” He turned to Zaria. “You’re a ranger, aren’t you? You help with stuff like this, right? Please, I need to find my Socho…” He sniffed again and wiped his nose on his shirt.
If they chose to go along with him, they’d be led to a winding, dimly lit corridor. There were all sorts of hallways, annexes, stairwells, and alcoves scattered about the grand castle that was PMA. In this corridor, there were also a few study and sitting rooms about. Perhaps Sobble was somewhere around here? They’d need to look for him. Also, what had startled him in the first place?
"I'm not sure, it was some kind of loud noise or something..." The boy sniffed. "My name's Bennett by the way... Thank you for helping me..."
Tim and Asa’s terse dinner conversation was interrupted by a soft thump at their balcony window. Whatever could it be? Well, if they decided to check it out…
They’d come across a small, young, very feeble Pidove. The poor thing had what looked like were scrapes and cuts all over their small, feathery body. Their right wing stuck out at an angle as well. Things didn’t look good, that was for sure. The little Pidove cooed and coughed. They had been attacked by a wild Pokemon most likely, and had probably just gotten away. Their condition looked critical... What were Tim and Asa going to do?
Minccino darted towards the ball and swiftly caught the berry juice covered device with their mouth. Unfortunately, the ball was not triggered, and the Mincinno was able to grab the device and scurry away back into the bushes… If Troy pulled Shuckle out to do an Infestation during this though, the attack would hit.
The Minccino scurried back into the bushes, cautious and wary. The Infestation pulled and scratched at their fur, but the Pokemon was not too worried. The attack didn’t hurt too much, although it was an annoyance. They lay flat and close to the ground, ears perked and fur bristling. The Minccino’s plan was to lay low and away from Troy, fully aware of what was going on now.
The Infestation attack would whittle some health away, but once it stopped, the two opponents would be back to square one. The Minccino would avoid and use the cover of the bushes while keeping a watchful eye on its den while Troy would have to lure it out again. However, Jamie had just realized something watching all of this. He thought back to when the Minccino jumped out where someone had littered earlier…
“Troy!” Jamie shouted. “I think I know a way to get the Minccino out!” He rubbed his glasses and muttered under his breath, “I hope the beautification club doesn’t find out about this…” Then he ran to the open grass and did the unthinkable: he tipped over the trashcan and garbage spilled out. “Ohhh, please forgive me Beautification Board! I swear I’m doing this for good! I promise I'll clean this up afterwards! Waaah!” He ran away, keeping his distance from the park clearing, which was just as good because the Minccino instantly leaped out of the bushes, crying with dismay.
How dare these humans make a mess of their den?! The den that they worked so hard to keep spotless and clean. The information Troy had read earlier suddenly made a bit more sense. Of course, Minccino were not aggressive or territorial usually, until someone threatened the cleanliness of their den. The Pokemon was out in the open now, distracted by all the filth and rubbish about, trying to clean up. Actually, the poor thing looked quite distressed... So now what? Would Troy attack? Or try to help the Minccino out?
Tim served dinner, and they ate in silence for a bit. Tim wasn’t sure if Asa liked it or not. He hadn’t expected anyone else, and thus made the meal to his taste. Tim was a vegetarian, and used meat substitutes where needed, and he wasn’t sure his roommate would appreciate that. He ate it, and didn’t complain. That was a good sign he supposed, but he didn’t say anything at all. Tim made a note to ask what kind of food he liked later. When things were less awkward.
Soon Asa broke the silence with a bunch of ground rules for living together. Tim nodded. It sounded fair enough. ”T-t-that’s fine... I’m not much of a partier anyway...” Then the silence continued as Tim struggled to come up with something else to say.
At least their Pokémon we’re getting along. Rocky had given the Happiny a ride around the room. Although that stopped when Rocky heard a thump on the window, and the rock dog barked to get his trainer’s attention.
Tim, relieved to get out of this uncomfortable situation for a moment, went over to see what his Pokémon was barking about, and immediately frowned when he saw it. ”Oh no no no...” He saw a clearly injured Pidove. Tim took it in his hands. He knew he should have put some gloves on for this, but he didn’t exactly have any handy, and the poor bird may not have a chance for him to find some... ”Oh you poor thing. You need help bad.”
”Asa, we got a problem! He gently laid the Pidove on the counter. ”He’s hurt. And I can’t just leave an injured Pokémon alone.” He started pacing around in circles nervously. “I would help out my mom at her clinic, but I’ve never actually had to do a procedure! We’ll need bandages, possibly some antibiotics, and I don’t have any of those things handy. Will spraying some Potions even do anything in this instance?” Then he looked at his roommate. ”You! You have the mask, and the Happiny. Pleeeease tell me you can do something useful? I don’t know how much time this poor thing has! He then started stroking the Pidoves head, and cooed over it. “It’s ok little guy. We’ll help you...”
Rocky the Rockruff lv. 11 Tackle* Sand Attack* Double Team* Leer* Endeavor Last Resort Thrash
Troy The Minccino took the bait, but it was all for naught as the pokeball failed to trigger. Troy was on his feet, ready to grab the pokeball, but the Minccino simply carried it away in its mouth and hid in a bush. It lingered a bit in the process, more than Troy expected, possibly thrown off by the weight of the pokeball, giving Troy the opportunity to send out Shuckle and land Infestation. This mirrored his original plan B, to use Infestation to track it down and continue applying Infestation or disrupt its coordination with Mud-Slap. They're a pair of accurate moves that minimally harmed the greenery, so they were usable to some degree even if Minccino was hiding, and as long as he stayed on Minccino's trail, it should get worn down eventually. The specialty of human hunter-gatherers was persistence hunting after all. It may have been drawn out, but it's not like he didn't have all day. The spectating student, however, didn't have the patience for that and decided to interrupt. It annoyed Troy at first, given that he specifically asked him not to, but when he dumped the trash out into the clearing, it sent Minccino into a tizzy immediately. The student then ran off, as if he couldn't bear to see the results of his actions. It was confusing at first, but the more Troy thought about it, the more it seemed infuriating. If he knew it would behave this way, why didn't he do it from the start? Was he just trying to goad Troy into doing it so he wouldn't have to? Right after threatening Troy over damage to the garden and ranting about people who litter? What was his plan even, to get his stuff back, then yell at Troy? If he wanted to see if Troy could do it differently, why didn't he just leave and let Troy's plan play out, like Troy asked? He knew enough about trapping moves to know how they were applicable in hunting a wild pokemon down, did the student not?
He still hadn't been told his name, but the president of the beautification committee was honestly infuriating. The most irritating part of it all was owing him a debt for helping Troy, because as annoying as the situation was, his actions were still a net positive in terms of saving Troy's time. Persistence hunting can take hours if things drag on, and even if he had to put up with the hypocrisy of the student's plan, they eventually got on with it and spilled the trash themselves. I suppose this is one way to avoid getting him angry at Troy over it, though it'd be a lie to say it was something he thought to do, since... Troy shares some things in common with Minccino, one could say.
To begin with, why is this Minccino so obsessed with cleaning? It could have just waited for them to leave before cleaning it up. Minccinos were cleanly, but this bordered on obsessive compulsion. Either that, or it just didn't care about what might happen to it while cleaning, which Troy wasn't sure whether to interpret as insulting to him or indicative of its desperation. He sighed, watching Minccino try to pick up the trash with its tiny paws while the lingering dregs of the Infestation stung at it and returned Shuckle to its pokeball, thereby freeing Minccino from the attack.
Troy walked up to the Minccino and the trash, crouching down and nudging the Minccino aside. It was honestly just in the way for trash of this size. It didn't get the memo at first, but started realizing what was going on as Troy began cleaning up the trash fast enough to monopolize the trash bin. Troy bulldozed huge chunks of the trash back into the dumpster before grabbing big piles of the mess that Minccino had to clean piece by piece and tossed them in, pile after pile. He could paint the whole garden brown with Mud-Slap later if need be, but owing anything to the smarmy fuck from the beautification committee didn't sit right with Troy.
In a flash, all the trash was back in the dumpster, which Troy returned upright. He had only used his right hand, which was still stained with berry juice, thus keeping his left hand clean. Minccino was already swiping away at the grass with its tail to get off any incidental muck that remained. While it was still distracted, Troy pulled out another pokeball with his clean hand and tossed it at Minccino when its back was turned.
The rest of their dinner continued in silence as the only sounds that could be heard were the occasional plink of silverware and their Pokemon playing together. Sometime during dinner, Tim’s Rockruff barked at a startling sound. Tim got up to check out the balcony and Asa heard him mutter ‘no’ several times. When he turned around, Asa’s eyes widened. There was an injured bird Pokemon in his hands. Tim was certainly right, the poor thing did need help badly.
”Here.” Getting up and making his way to the counter, Asa reaches into his pocket and gives a mini hand-sanitizer to Tim, along with a pair of nitrile gloves. He thinks about Tim’s suggestions. ”We can try spraying a potion, it’ll relieve some of the pain.” His brow furrows. The bird Pokemon’s wing was a different story. It was crumpled and bent in a painful looking way. ”But it’s just a temporary fix. There’s a lot going on with these injuries and a potion isn’t going to be enough. In particular, this wing needs to get taken care of, stat.”
Asa runs to his room and grabs a potion, some bandages, a shoebox, a soft blanket, and some antibiotics. ”First, let’s spray the Pidove with some potion and see the effects that has. This may sting… Hang in there.” The potion is sprayed on the Pokemon.
Truthfully, Asa doesn’t think there’s much he can do. Similar to Tim, he’s only helped out during medical procedures, but has never actually repaired broken bones or done any kind of surgical work. His knowledge of medical sciences and medicines is sharp, and his lab techniques are precise, but his actual applied medical skills are still green. Still, he doesn’t want to seem clueless. And there are still things they can do to alleviate the circumstances. “Happiny, come here. You need to comfort the patient.”
The little Happiny leaps onto the counter and sits close to the Pidove, a worried expression on her face. Gently she strokes the Pidove’s face with a delicate touch and tries to warble something reassuring to the Pokemon.
Next, Asa stuffs the blanket in the shoebox creating a little bed for the injured Pokemon. And places the bird inside.
”… That’s a little more comfortable.” He glances at the bandages and antibiotics he’s brought. ”I can put some stronger medicine on the cuts, but… I don’t know how to bandage this wing.” He’s angry at himself for admitting it, but trying to bandage a wing when neither of them know how to do it would be dangerous. ”Isn’t there a Pokemon center on campus? Let’s transport this patient there. I think they'll be able to help better than we can.”
Minutes into the cooking lesson, Antoinetta already regretted her decision.
"Gummy worms in a cake? Seriously?" She stirred the batter, huffing as Zaria questioned the recipe. "And of course it's good, it's one of Alfred Morgan's recipes. Surely you know who he is." Netty showed Zaria the picture on the cookbook cover, a chubby, jolly man with a classic chef's hat, a Slurpuff by his side. "And if you don't, as well as a top-notch celebrity chef, he's a contest star. So every poffin baker in the region knows to take his example."
Laying the book out again, Netty thought over Marvalo's unique contest system, and tried not to shudder. She'd been thrilled to find out the region had not just a battle league, but a contest one. Half the gym leaders, including Fairy type specialist Alfred, faced aspiring coordinators. Now, though, the idea of taking on a league seemed more terrifying than exciting, given how badly she'd done earlier. If she'd lost to someone with zero contest experience, how would she stand a chance against the best of the best?
She wasn't the only one with regrets; Zaria vented her own frustration about the tournament. "Well that's weird. Tessa might know what could have caused it," Netty said. "But yeah, those match-ups, tell me about it. I was up against a Rock type, how is that even fair?"
That was Zaria's cue to try to lighten the mood. Emphasis on "try". Before Netty could react, Zaria grabbed Magnet and plunged him sideways into the batter as an impromptu mixer. Cake mix splattered all over the kitchen, a good portion of it flying in Netty's face.
Spluttering, Netty set down the bowl and wiped her eyes. "What in the name of Arceus do you think you're doing?!" Zaria, as if she hadn't realised what a spectacularly dumb move that had been, even had the nerve to laugh. "Yeah, it's mixed all right," Netty fumed, "and it's everywhere except in the freaking bowl. Just look what you've done to my favourite dress! And..." She gasped, holding up the mixture-covered cookbook, the pages completely illegible. "Do you have any idea how much this book cost? You'd better buy me a new one!"
Mellona, dodging batter drips from the ceiling, couldn't help giggling at the state of the two trainers. Netty rolled her eyes at the Combee - and groaned at the next sound she heard. A knock at the door. This was the worst possible moment for a visit. Just as she was about to say it wasn't the best time, sobbing noises took her aback.
Hurrying over, she opened the door to the teary-eyed boy. "What happened? And, uh, don't ask." She glared at Zaria, indicating her responsibility for their current state. Once the boy had explained the situation, Netty nodded. "I'll help too. Combees have keen senses, I'm sure Mel here can help track him down. Just gonna change, then I'll be right on it."
She took a clean dress and headed to the bathroom, where she hurriedly changed. As ridiculous as she felt, she wasn't going to shower just yet - the sooner they found the missing Sobble, the better. Hopefully they wouldn't run into anyone else. Dabbing her arms with a face wipe, she followed the boy. Bennett, as he introduced himself.
"Hmm..." She peered down the labyrinth of a hallway, doors leading to spacious rooms and a network of other corridors. Lavish furnishings provided many places a Sobble may hide. Mellona buzzed overhead, turning this way and that for any sign of the missing Pokemon. "Mel, if he's around here, a Sweet Scent should lure him out and put him at ease," Netty suggested.
Flapping her wings hard, Mellona wafted a cloud of floral-smelling pink powder through the corridor.
“H-huh? Buy you a new one…?” Uh oh, in all her eagerness to help, Zaria now realized how much of a disaster she had made the kitchen. If it had been bad before, it was absolutely terrible now. How did she keep messing up? And now she owed Netty a cookbook? There was no wriggling out of this one, though Zaria still squirmed. “Well, you can wash your dress, right? Haha... And you’ll get your cookbook! Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean this up, alright?!” Sheesh Louise. Anything to avoid more scolding. She honestly wasn’t sure how she would get to the batter on the ceiling, but decided to worry about that later. Out of all this she had at least learned that she could perhaps approach Tessa, the gym leader that had watched their battles, about some advice on Magnet.
Just as she was going to go do that, covered in cake batter or not, Zaria heard some knocking and sobbing. Not wanting to miss anything, she zipped over to the door. There stood a crying boy who then proceeded to explain he had lost a Pokemon.
“There, there. Don’t cry! I’ve found tons of missing Pokemon so this’ll be no problem! And by the way, I could have won first place in the class tournament but the rest of ‘em just got lucky. Anyways, let’s go!” She didn’t bother changing, as she felt it could wait, though they did have to wait for Netty.
Once they arrived to the area where Bennet said Socho had been lost, Netty had her Pokemon use Sweet Scent. Well Zaria wasn’t going to be outdone. Even if this wasn’t a competition, and though she knew it was better to have more people looking for the lost pokemon, she so desperately wanted to prove herself by finding the missing Sobble first. Especially after today, after the morning assembly where she had cried in front of everyone, the class introductions, the tournament, baking, she needed to show off how excellent she could be.
So Zaria looked at the pokedex entry for Sobble. She figured she could try and get some clues about the pokemon's behavior. That was usually what Rangers did when tracking pokemon anyways.“When they’re scared, Sobble tend to cry… And attackers won’t be able to resist weeping. Hmm…” She slammed a fist into her palm. “I have an idea! If we get close enough to the Sobble, maybe we would start to cry too. And let's look for water on the floor. Since Sobble can produce a bunch of sweat and tears, we should be looking for wet footprints.” Then she paused and held her chin between her thumb and forefinger.
“Hey Bennett, does Socho have a favorite berry?” Whatever Bennett answered, if Zaria hopefully had said berry, she would take one from her inventory. “Let’s split up and do a quick sweep. I bet you if one of us starts crying or sees some wet footprints, that means we’re near the Sobble. We can at least narrow down the room he’s in that way. And then maybe we can lure him out with some food, too.” So she went into the nearest room and started her process of elimination. Bennett may have been crying, but the rest of them weren’t. She hoped her plan would work.
The Minccino saw as Troy began to help clean up the garden. It was quite moved by the display. And the human did such a good job cleaning too, with one human paw nonetheless! Minccino was impressed. This human truly seemed to care… And perhaps that was why the Minccino—after swatting away the pokeball that Troy had thrown—did not run away. Instead, they ran a circle around Troy and then went to the green clearing area. The Minccino mewled and jumped up and down, then crouched down, fur bristling. The Pokemon was challenging Troy to an official fight it seemed, as they wanted to see if this trainer truly was worth joining… Assuming Troy took the challenge, the Minccino would allow him the first move.
As the three of them ventured to where Sobble had been lost, they began to search. When Netty commanded Mellona to use Sweet Scent, a flowery and sweet fragrance blossomed in the air. Still there was no sign of a Sobble to be found.
Bennett hiccuped. “I think he’s too scared to come out… I just don’t know what’s scaring him though. It was a loud sound, then he saw something, turned invisible and ran away!” He nodded at Zaria’s question. “Socho likes sour things… His favorite is Pinap berries but he likes Aspear berries too…”
They ventured further into the rooms and the different hallways that branched off from what they would realize was the East Study Wing of the castle. As they explored this wing, they’d realize that many of these rooms were undergoing redecoration and repairs. Students were still allowed to be here as long as they were quiet and well behaved, since the wing hadn’t been completely closed off. Anyway, with all of them split up, it was Mellona who would be the first to find some wet little footprints and the distinct smell of onions that made her numerous pair of eyes blurry. If they came to where she was, they’d venture into an older classroom that looked like it had been unused for quite some time.
The room itself was a large classroom with plenty of space for a close quarters Pokemon battle to take place. The lights were flickering some, the few desks around here had been pushed to the far end of the room, and there were some soft, dusty Pokemon toys lying about. Small wet footprints led to a cramped cranny behind a bookcase where Socho was clearly hiding.
“Socho! We’re here! Why won’t you come out?” Bennett sniffled. “Please come out. I’m here, it’s okay. Just come back.” But Sobble did not appear. If Zaria did use her berry to try to draw out the Sobble, that would not seem to work either. “I don’t understand why he isn’t coming out… I did scold him earlier but… Socho, are you upset about that? Is that why you haven’t come out?”
That was when the lights flickered and then went off completely. Suddenly they were all bombarded with the soft toys on the ground. It didn’t hurt, but it was certainly bizarre. When the lights came back on, they would also notice something else (if Zaria had used a berry to draw out Socho earlier). The berry she had placed would be gone.
“What’s going on? Socho please stop!” Bennett pleaded. “Just come home with me! There’s no reason to act like this!”
The light went out once more. Now it was completely dark. Socho had certainly chosen a good place to hide. Now what?
The potion managed to alleviate some of the pain, though it certainly wasn’t enough to stabilize the Pidove. Asa and Tim, not knowing how to handle the emergency situation, made their way to the Pokemon center. It was a 15 minute walk from the dorms. The late afternoon sun hung in the sky and a gentle breeze whipped about. It would have been pleasant to bask in, had the situation not been so urgent.
As the two boys burst into the Pokemon center, they were able to get a nurse’s attention.
“Oh my!” The nurse, whose name tag read ‘Rosemary’ exclaimed. It didn’t take long for her to assess the condition of the Pidove. “Broken wing, fever, covered in lacerations, and very young to boot. Where did you find this little one?” Hearing their answer Rosemary nodded. “I see… No doubt it must have gotten attacked. Well you boys came to the right place. Incidentally…” She looked at Asa and Tim. “What are your names? And what track are you boys following at this school?” She nodded once more at their replies. “Asa and Tim. Medical and breeder track… Well, thank you for bringing attention to this Pokemon. Believe it or not, not every trainer cares for wild, injured Pokemon.”
The Pidove cooed feebly and turned her neck towards Asa and Tim, as if frightened of this strange new human and the surroundings. “This Pokemon is already attached to you two. You did a good job of making this Pidove feel cared for. Hmm… I’ll be right back. Just wait a few minutes.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Rosemary came back with another nurse, whose name tag read Joanna. “I know it’s just the first day, but plenty of breeder and medical trainers take up study here. Asa, why don’t you come with me to the Emergency Ward? I think you’d find there’s quite a bit for you to learn."
Joanna piped up. "That's right, and you're Tim, correct? Well there’s an Egg Ward here as well. Trainers on the breeding track learn about the care of special case Pokemon eggs here, or pokemon eggs that are medically abnormal in some way. It's similar to the Daycare, where you'll be spending more time, but here you'll specifically learn about catching certain conditions early so you understand how to deal with them.” Joanna then paused and gave them a gentle, comforting smile. ”If you’re worried about the Pidove, I completely understand. We’re still waiting for more updates. I know you may be worried, but try not to be. We have some of the best equipment and professionals here in the region.”
They had impressed some faculty with their ability to care for and comfort Pokemon. Getting initiated into some tasks may have seemed intimidating, and the sick Pidove may have loomed in their minds, but it was also a good opportunity for them to learn. Would they accept? If they declined there would be no penalty, of course. It was up to either of them.
Tim would be led down a series of hallways and annexes until he came upon what they called the Egg Ward. It was different from the rest of the center, which was white and sterile because it had to be. Here the walls were painted with a colorful mural of a forest teeming with cheerful pokemon. The egg cases themselves were even brightly colored. And of course, there was a whole chest of squishy toys for delicate newborn creatures to enjoy. It seemed that this room was meant to be a cheerful, gentle invitation into the world when the eggs hatched. There was also a great deal of care put into each and every egg, with each one having its own incubator and monitoring device.
Joanna explained the eggs, pointing them out one by one. "Each egg here is monitored individually, but that's also why this Ward has limited space. We only have room for about 100 or so eggs, so it's important to get these babies hatching. So we can free up room for others." She gestured around the room. "Now, pokemon eggs do hatch faster with other pokemon around. And we do have the pokemon assistants make regular visits to this room. But these eggs are just too delicate to be out and about without care."
She pointed at pink egg with a beige strip around it that had a slight crack in its shell. "This one was dropped by a trainer, and needed to be taken here for monitoring. The embryo of the pokemon is still developing, though we don't know what it is yet." She shined a light into the shell where Tim would be able to see an amorphous shadow. "It does seem fine for the most part, but we're keeping this one for observation."
They explored other eggs and Joanna continued explaining. "Did you know? There's research and evidence to support that pokemon can actually hear and process what's going on even when they're inside their egg... Fascinating, isn't it?" They continued with Joanna pointing out some conditions that Tim may or may not have seen. Some were rare conditions, where the eggshell was discolored with a substance that looked like mold. Other eggs looked like they had soft, almost malleable shells. Finally they came to a large, beautiful, gold and scarlet egg.
"This one hasn't hatched for a long time," Joanna said sadly. "When that happens, it's nearly impossible to figure out why. The pokemon inside seems healthy but... It just doesn't seem to want to come out."
There was quite a bit going on. How was Tim taking all this?
Asa was led straight down a long hallway where nurses and pokemon doctors bustled about. Many of them were wearing masks and gloves just like him, and there was plenty of hand sanitizer around. It was a germophobe's dream, truly. In any case, he was taken to the room where the Pidove was. He wasn't allowed inside the room, but there was an observation window he could watch from.
"They're administering some antibiotics first, and then they're going to try to set the wing. The pokemon is very young, so they need to be extremely careful. Bird pokemon bones are especially fragile," Rosemary said. They watched that for a few minutes. "Come along, there's an actual surgery you'll be able to see."
So they went a little further down some hallways and found a room where there was an operation being done on a Patrat. "This pokemon has a heart condition, and they're surgically fixing the faulty valve." They entered the operating room where the doctor, Dr. Julius Graham, professor of Pokemon Health Studies, was performing the surgical procedure. His brow was furrowed and he appeared to be concentrating intensely. "That's Dr. Graham. He's the director of the medical program here, so you'll have a class with him at some point," Rosemary said. "What kind of medical specialty do you want to go into, Asa?"
Asa did all he could to comfort the poor Pidove. In the end, they both agreed to take the baby Pokémon to the Center. They were professionals, and they would know what to do.
When they got there, they got a nurses attention, who assessed the condition of the Pidove, and got their names and what track they were in. Nurse Rosemary took the Pidove to the back, then came out a few minutes later with another nurse named Joanna who offered to show Tim the Egg Ward. Tim’s eyes lit up. This wasn’t what he was expecting when he came here, but he was excited to see some eggs, and maybe some cute baby Pokémon while he was there. After they reassured them that Pidove would be ok, Tim took up the offer.
Tim followed Joanna down the hallway to the Egg Ward. The room was different from the rest of the sterile center. The walls were colorful, and images of cute Pokémon were depicted on the walls. It was designed to be appealing to baby Pokémon.
The most important feature was all the eggs that were being cared for. Each one had a reason for why they had to be there. Tim felt bad them as Joanna pointed them out. He hoped these eggs would hatch into healthy baby Pokémon one day.
Then they came up to a large gold and red egg. Joanna explained that egg had been in the ward for a while, and it would not hatch. No one knew why the baby didn’t want to come up. Joanna explained that Pokémon can actually hear what’s going on inside the egg. He had read about that theory before, and decided to test if that was true. He quietly approached the egg, and spoke to it softly. ”Hey little guy… You don’t know me but um… I understand why you wouldn’t want to come out. The world can be a scary place sometimes… If I had a safe place to hide, I wouldn’t want to come out either. But… you should still come out… The world isn’t scary all the time… There are some good people in the world, and one day you can find somebody who will love and care for you like you deserve… There’s no rush though… You can take your time… But there will be people here who care when you’re ready…”
Tim sighed and walked away from the egg. He doubted it would actually do anything. If the baby Pokémon didn’t want to come out, what good would a complete strangers words do? It was worth a shot though.
Troy It took a while, simply, to answer Minccino's challenge with some modicum of sincerity. Troy couldn't help but stand and stare at Minccino, who was expectantly doing the same, waiting for him to send out Shuckle. It felt unnatural, having been strung along by that other student, and it left a sour taste in Troy's mouth, to receive Minccino's gratitude like this. Well, that wasn't all, either.
Troy had skipped over it earlier, but as he brought his pokedex out again, he confirmed that Minccino's ability was Cute Charm. In essence, it was worthless. Blatantly inferior. Troy had made it a point to not rely on his father's resources, barring some widely available vitamins, and ability patches were not easy to come by. Although it seemed like a talented specimen, not even having Technician drastically reduced its usefulness, even as an interrim pokemon. Why is he even doing this? Because he fears Shuckle getting taunted and losing in a dramatically pathetic manner? Because the journey of a successful trainer involves amassing a wide array of tools, many of which quickly become redundant? Because he let himself think finding perfection like the breeders on the Caecilius ranch could be so easy? Troy ran his clean hand through his hair as a scowl tarnished his ever-placid facade. He could feel his composure slip as the frustration mounted. He liked Cinccino. He kinda liked this Minccino. Still, Cute Charm is fucking useless and so is Rivalry. He got wrapped up in capturing Minccino regardless because he was told the Minccino had a stash of garbage he had to retrieve, but seeing this Minccino demand a battle of him, like it was testing him after it already failed his test, pissed him off.
Troy took a deep breath, as he so often found himself doing, fixing the expression on his face. He was an expert at mental resets and no one could tell him otherwise, but he still found himself changing his course of action. A crack in his inflexibly infallible mask. Cognitive dissonance, he thought, as he made the conscious choice to act on his emotions. What difference does it even make? -Since this is all irrelevant to the end result. He took a step forward and came to a stop near the grass Minccino stood on. "What exactly do you think you're waiting for? Get in the ball or don't, I don't care anymore." He tossed a pokeball on the grass in front of Minccino. An olive branch, a symbol of defiance, a cynical ultimatum, he didn't know himself what it should have represented, but the burden of decision lifted off his shoulders like a pile of bricks. Perhaps the gesture was just a coping mechanism, as if to put the blame on Minccino rather than himself for not meeting his impossible standards. He didn't like this line of thought, because it was obvious to himself and any hypothetical higher beings capable of reading his thoughts like posts on a forum that he didn't like such stringent pursuits of perfection, but it was unavoidable and irreconcilable with his goals and obsessive compulsive nature.
He awaited Minccino's response, holding off on threats just yet, already wondering how many days he would have to cover the gardens with mud before Minccino would give back the things it stole.
Nurses came and talked to them, updating them on the Pidove's condition. Though Asa had long learned not to get attached to patients and subjects. Of course he hoped the pokemon would be okay but in his heart, he had already accepted the worst possible outcome. To be a medical professional you had to prepare for the worst case scenario, after all.
In other words, the Pidove's fate is out of their hands and there's no point in worrying. Seeing the set up of the hospital and what he can glean for his future studies sounds interesting and productive, so he agrees to go with the Nurse. Their first stop is seeing the Pidove as some pokemon doctors are setting the wing. He tries to pay as much attention as possible. If he can glean something... maybe the next hurt pokemon he sees, perhaps he can set their broken bone. Although it's definitely a stretch and he knows it, that doesn't stop him from trying. The Pidove still looks fragile but the doctor's look capable and Asa is left feeling a little more assured.
They move on to another operating room where the nurse explains that the pokemon in question is getting an open heart surgery.
Amazing... TV isn't the same as seeing it in real life. He feels his hands shake just some. His precision in a lab is pretty good, but beakers and chemicals are not living things. And at least you can repeat experiment steps even if you have to start all over. The dexterity needed to do actual surgery is an entirely different matter. There is no starting over if you make a mistake... I'll need to see about an internship with the Doctor. Or one of the medical professionals here. I know I can study, I know I can learn. But I'll need a good mentor.
His thoughts are interrupted by a question. "What kind of medical specialty do you want to go into, Asa?"
There are so many different medical specialties that his mind drew a blank when she asked the question. He knew that he wanted to specialize, narrow his niche instead of being a broad generalist. "Well you see... I like pharmaceuticals and developing medicine for pokemon," Asa said, mask still over his mouth. "There are so many illnesses that don't have cures. I'd like to be the one to find those answers. I know I want to do research and have my own lab, but as for other my actual medical practice, I'm not sure." He shook his head. "I'm still figuring that out. Do I need to know before I meet with Dr. Graham?" If so, then I'll figure it out beforehand.
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