"Oh. My. Arceus. He's an idiot. Why did he let his Ferroseed do that?"
"I don't know, but she seems really upset and anxious."
…
"Oh, look! He's finally moved. He'll wake up within the next few hours. I'll have Chansey let Ferroseed and Inkay know."
…
"… Hey, you. You're finally awake."
I shot up in my bed. "I'm not with Ulfric!"
"Who the hell is Ulfric?"
I turned to see a blonde with a camera in one of her hands. Her emerald eyes bore into my own with an intensity that made me uncomfortable immediately. "I don't remember."
"Hmm, Interesting. I'll have to let Calem know to look out for an Ulfric, whatever that is. I'm surprised that you -."
"Argh, fuck! That hurts," I yelled, writhing in pain and trying not to move, which caused more pain.
"Yep, there it is," Viola said. She walked over to the left side of the bed. "Nurse Joy must really care about you. You should have seen her face when we walked into your room last night."
I couldn't even reply. Viola reached over to the screen above my head and tapped something. After a minute, I heard the door open. I felt the familiar warmth of Chancey's Heal Pulse flow from my chest to the periphery of my body.
"Chansey, you should be considered pseudo-Legendary Pokémon," I moaned as the pain receded.
"Cha Chan!" Chansey exclaimed with a pleased smile.
Viola smiled. "Not many people view Chansey as a crucial part of the medical staff, you know."
I looked over at Viola, really taking in the Gym Leader. Her pants were surprisingly baggy. She used a white ribbon to hold her green cargo pants up. Her hung at her side, the green strap complimenting her pants. Her white crop top exposed toned abs and muscular arms, highlighting her fitness.
"Yeah, I don't think most people realize just how involved they are in daily operations," I replied. "But both Chansey and Nurse Joy have taken care of me, and I can't even begin to thank them for helping me find my feet."
"Yes, they're an amazing. I've always wanted to do a photoshoot of them while they're working, but they deny me every time I ask," she said, her smile growing bigger. "You'd think being the Gym Leader means I can do what I want. But there's a lot I can't do no matter how much I want to. Well, it's probably for the best."
I nodded. "Probably for the best. I don't think it would be good if Gym Leaders could do what they wanted. It would lead to another Giovanni."
"And that's something we definitely want to avoid," Viola agreed. "That's also why the League is adding pressure on companies and politicians to keep transparent records of everything and everyone. Lysandre fooled a lot of people.
"Well, that's really all for me," Viola said, stretching. "I just wanted to meet you and see what you're like."
"League orders?" I asked, laying back down. Nurse Joy told me the League would be keeping tabs on me, but I wasn't expecting the Gym Leader to meet me just to get a feel of what type of person I am.
"Something like that," Viola said with a neutral smile. "Can't wait for you to challenge my Gym. See ya!"
I sat on the bed, my right shoulder, chest, and stomach aching from being stabbed by Ferroseed's spikes.
'I hope the room is clean. I'd rather not clean up all that blood.'
I closed my eyes, rubbing my chest to help with the ache. Ferroseed's terrified face as I blacked out burned itself into my memories. I hope she wasn't terribly traumatized. I wasn't sure what effects trauma would have on Pokémon. I'm sure Nurse Joy would know.
Almost as if she read my thoughts, Nurse Joy walked in with Ferroseed and Inkay. Ferroseed didn't have much of a face, but her bright yellow eyes and the way she trembled in Nurse Joy's hands told me everything. Inkay floated over, his eyes full of concern.
"Ik?" he asked. He spoke softly, as if he were scared to hurt me.
"I'm fine, buddy. Thank you," I said with a smile. "Nothing I can't recover from. Are you alright?"
Inkay took a breath before nodding, floating up to rest on my head. "Right where you belong."
I turned to Nurse Joy, who wore a soft smile. Ferroseed caught my eye and turned around, trying to hide herself. "Hey, it's okay Ferroseed."
"Seed!" she exclaimed in a grating voice. It was like rusted gears turning after years of dormancy.
"Yeah, I did get hurt. But you didn't know I'm very squishy and I was expecting you to jump for a hug," I said. Understanding flashed in her eyes. I hoped that it would spare me an unnecessary lecture. "Look at me, baby girl."
Ferroseed looked turned around, the guilt in her eyes weighing them down to comical levels. "It is not your fault. You didn't know the spikes would hurt me. Now you do, so learn to control them and I'll give you all the hugs you want."
Ferroseed's eyes widened. "Here, see if you can retract your spikes. When you do, you can lay down here with me."
Ferroseed's eyes glowed with happiness. She spent a few minutes in Nurse Joy's hands trying to bring her spikes into her shell. It took a while, but eventually they wobbled and moved. Nurse Joy put her down on the edge of the bed while she learned to control her spikes.
"Well, that was very heartwarming, Marco. I do have to apologize. I thought you intentionally picked her up and got yourself hurt," Nurse Joy said.
I chuckled. "I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid Miss Joy."
We both laughed, then focused on Ferroseed. She had a few spikes left and was intently focused on getting the rest inside of the shell. "Ferroseed is exceptionally healthy. She's even got a few surprises that will help you as a Trainer."
"Really?" I said, caught off guard. "Does that mean I should start training her?"
"Not yet," she answered. "It's best to wait a few weeks for newborns. Most can already use their moves, which helps them survive in the wild. However, training is not recommended because it can stunt a Pokémon's growth and even cause issues like clastosophy, which causes Pokémon to forget moves they've trained."
"Huh, I've never heard of that before," I said. "Actually, no, I have. Are Move Deleters a thing?"
"Not anymore," Nurse Joy shook her head. "They went out of business about ten years ago when the medical field won the fight against privatization of medicines. Before then, Move Deleters had a monopoly on the cure for clastosophy. So, if you wanted a Pokémon to only forget a specific move, you had to go to them."
"That sounds like a long legal battle."
"You have no idea," she sighed. "Anyway, it's best to wait until Ferroseed naturally uses a move for the first time. Once she does, she's ready for training."
"Got it, thank you Nurse Joy!"
"Not a problem at all," she said. "Also, once you're up, we're going to do a baseline function test on you. Nothing too bad. Just some more physical fitness tests and exposure to Type Energies. I'll be back in an hour."
She left the room, leaving me with a napping squid and a metal ball with one spike on her head. "You're doing great, love," I encouraged her. "All the other spikes are gone. I think I can hug you know."
I pulled Ferroseed in, holding her to my chest. She was very heavy. My new Pokémon was only two and a half feet, but she weighed nearly a bit over fifty pounds. I picked her up and held her at eye level. She looked a bit uncomfortable, but her eyes narrowed near the top when she looked at me in what I assumed was a smile. "You need a name. So does Inkay. We're gonna have to workshop a nickname for both of you, that way I don't confuse you for a wild Pokémon."
"Kay," my starter growled out.
"Oh, shut it, emo boy." I rolled my eyes. He could be so dramatic. I looked back at Ferroseed and brought her in for a hug. "You're really cute, you know that Ferroseed?"
She hummed, vibrating against my chest.
*squitch*
*gasp*
I looked down, seeing Ferroseed's spikes sticking out again. Blood seeped down a green spike.
"Inkay, get Nurse Joy."