Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the OCs I create.
Hearthome City – Pokémon Centre
- Emily Joy -
It's not every day I get to document an unknown species of Pokémon. When I received the message from the clan about a trainer being flagged in my area for an unrecognised capture, I was immediately asked by the clan to speak with the trainer and provide a medical check-up to document everything I could regarding the new capture.
The Joy clan took pride in our in-depth knowledge regarding every species of known Pokémon. We have a dedicated internal server at the main compound that was regularly updated with any new information gained. It was all used to study the proper handling and care that each Pokémon required. All Joys that became full-fledged nurses were granted access to the server to keep up to date with what needs to be known.
I was shocked to see that Souta's profile was the one that got flagged. I felt bad for him after hearing about what happened, and speaking to him a few times, I could tell he was quite kind, so I knew this new Pokémon would be in good hands, but a new species caught in Sinnoh was what really had everyone's attention. We were aware of nearly all species of Pokémon in Sinnoh already.
The problem was while the Joy clan gets notified about a new and unknown species of Pokémon, so does the PLO, who will no doubt want to know where it was caught and whether there are more, but that was for Souta to tell if he really wanted to.
They would not get any information from the Joy clan on where Souta had acquired the Nifflit as promised. After I was done with the check-up, the medical data would be uploaded, but where he came from would be marked and sent to the restricted archive for only the highest authority of the Joy clan to view.
The Joy clan held records on many things, and one of those was aura guardians. The way Souta described forming a pact with the Nifflit sounded similar to how aura guardians have a link with their Pokémon, but there were no records of them being able to summon their Pokémon to themselves, not that we knew of anyway, but seeing him do it was quite a shock.
Summoning my partner Chansey, I say, "Bree, could you please grab the standard equipment for ground types and the new species documents, please."
"Chansey, Chanse," Bree replies, bobbing over to the cupboards as I check the Nifflit's vision.
"Hello there, little one. Me and my partner are going to run a few tests if that's ok with you, and after we're done, I'll have a little treat for you, ok?"
He seemed reluctant at first, but the idea of a treat seemed to perk him up quite a bit.
Switching on my pen torch I say, "Now I just need you to follow the light with your eyes, ok? It'll be a bit bright, so bear with me."
After a quick check of his vision and noting down everything and seeing no visible issues, I move on to checking his claws, fur and beak.
They all seem to be recently groomed and have no issues from a visual standpoint.
"I see that he's recently been groomed. Did you have someone do it, or did you do it yourself, and were there any issues?" I said to Souta.
"Oh, I did it, and no, it was great; he seemed to enjoy it quite a lot, especially shining the crystals on his arms."
Nodding, I check his arms; they are rough to the touch and completely different from the other fur on his body, most likely to help when digging to grind away at the surrounding dirt and stone. The crystals on his arms were quite tough to be able to handle the trauma when digging.
"Is there anything you can tell me about his arms? I can tell they will be helpful in digging, but is there anything else to note?"
After the question, Souta explained what the Nifflit had done to an ore with the fur on its arms and belly; the want to collect ore and gemstones indicate a trait for evolution. After gathering enough, evolution is likely to occur, much like a Tinkatink and their hammer. I will have Souta document everything the Nifflit collects for future reference.
After checking the claws for any cracks, breaks or signs of blunting, I measure the length and curvature and check the sharpness before moving onto the beak. A thorough check shows that the moisture, temperature, and overall health of the beak were in excellent condition.
"I'm just going to lift you over to the scanner, ok?" Getting a nod, I pick the Nifflit up and place him down on the large scanning machine. This will record the weight and size and highlight any notable features in the database. This information will also be used for the Pokédex.
Picking the Nifflet back up, I place him onto the examination table as Bree finishes setting up the equipment for me.
"Thank you as always, Bree." I say getting a "Chansey" and a happy smile in return.
The first item I will be using is a magnetic resonator; it will simulate the "pull" of underground ores to test the Nifflit's foraging instincts. Cycling through various ore types, I was able to determine Nifflit preferred iron and silver with an interest in gold and platinum; everything else he showed no interest in.
I did also note him tapping his tail on the examination table when he felt the pull of his preferred ores. I noted the behaviour down, and a quick confirmation from Souta told me this is how he searched for the location of the ore he could feel by using vibrations.
Checking his tail, the tip split slightly into 3 spade-shaped tips; it was also quite flexible. Instead of digging, it looked more like it was used for scooping dirt that had already been dug.
Next was to test what gemstones he preferred to collect; grabbing the sealed box and opening it revealed tiny chips of all known gemstones. The Joy clan provided each Pokémon centre with a box like this for testing purposes.
Placing each gemstone a bit away from each other on the table, I watch as Nifflit's eyes seem to sparkle in response to each of them. Souta had stood up at this point, keeping an eye on the Nifflit for some reason.
As I went to say something, the Nifflit lunged towards the gemstones and scooped them into a pouch I hadn't noticed on his stomach. Blinking, I turned to Souta, who just sighed and rubbed his face.
"Dennis, hand them back to the nurse Joy; they are not for you to keep." He said, staring at his Pokémon in the eyes.
The Nifflit, in response, crossed his arms and said, "Nif."
"Yes, I know you want them, but we'll find bigger ones for you in the future, ok? If you hand them back over, I'll give you the berry you like after we're done."
Reluctantly the Nifflit reached into his pouch and placed each gemstone back onto the desk; with each clink he seemed to struggle with the next. It made me want to give them to him, but I would end up with a lot of explaining to do.
With a small laugh, Souta says, "Don't worry about it; he wants you to feel bad for him so you can change your mind. They're crafty like that; you've got to keep an eye on them, or they'll pocket anything shiny they see."
"I see. Thank you for letting me know." I say, noting down the behaviour as well as a preference for all gemstones.
"I hadn't realised he had a pouch. Is there anything you can tell me about it?"
"Right, sorry, I forgot to mention that he has a pouch; he uses the pouch to store everything he collects, and it's much larger on the inside than you might think. Imagine it like a poke-touch bag, though be careful if you want to check it since he will get defensive if he thinks you're trying to take what's inside."
"I'll make sure he understands that I just want to check that there are no issues. What flavour berries does he like?"
"He prefers spicy flavours, so I've been giving him Cheri berries."
Reaching into the cupboard, I pull out a poffin box and grab a spicy poffin before grabbing the x-ray machine and releasing my Luxray, Leo. "Leo, I need your help with the small x-ray." I say, getting a nod and "Lux" in return.
After hooking the wires up to Leo, I turn to the Nifflit and offer it the spicy poffin while letting him know I was just checking to make sure there were no internal injuries inside his pouch and reassuring him I wouldn't touch his treasures. He was happy to agree and began chewing on the poffin with gusto.
Watching the machine, I say, "Focus on his stomach, Leo; that's right, just there." After Leo managed to focus on the area I could see inside the pouch, but it was distorted; it was like the inside was constantly moving, and items would appear and disappear each time.
Switching the machine off and unhooking it, I thank Leo and give him his favourite poffin before eventually returning him once he is finished enjoying it.
Switching on my pen torch again, I let the Nifflit know I need to check his pouch physically and reassure him nothing will be taken out.
Checking the rim of his pouch, I don't see any cuts or tears on the rim of it. Pulling it open, I shine my torch into his pouch. Like with the x-ray, the inside was distorted. I could see the light reflect off the objects inside, but it was confusing to look at; there wasn't a border. It was just an empty space with a swirling of colour. I've not seen anything like it before. At least I didn't have to worry about him puncturing his pouch on sharp objects, or even the amount he could store; it seemed endless.
Switching the torch off, I thanked him for his patience and gave him a little scratch under his left ear, which he seemed to like.
"That's everything; he's perfectly healthy. If you do feel like anything is wrong, please head to the nearest Pokémon centre immediately.
I would also like you to keep an eye on the number of ores and gemstones he collects. I have a feeling he will evolve when he reaches a specific amount, and if he isn't able to dig frequently for any reason, then I recommend providing him a mud bath every so often; it will keep his skin and fur healthy since he's built for burrowing."
"The items you used to groom him are perfect, but he doesn't need grooming every day, so you're best doing it once a week."
"Thank yo—" Souta stopped and recalled the Nifflet back to his ball before he reached the gemstones again.
"Sorry about that. As I was saying, thank you. I'm glad there are no issues. I promise if anything pops up, I'll be right back, and I'll try my best to keep track of what he collects."
"No problem, that's all I ask for; you'll have your hands full with that one. One more thing: I couldn't get a proper reading on his pouch, and from looking inside, there doesn't seem to be any issue, but please be careful of him storing sharp objects just in case."
"Also here, I did promise him a treat once he finished his check-up," I say, grabbing another spicy poffin for him and handing it over to Souta.
"He'll be delighted." He says, putting it in his bag.
"As promised, the Joy clan will keep how you obtained him a secret but expect the PLO to reach out to you; they'll wish to find out as well. Would you be ok with the Joy clan providing his medical records to various professors to look through and the PLO if they ask?"
"I trust you; I'll speak with the PLO when I'm ready, but for now, they'll have to wait. As for sharing his medical records, I'm fine with that; I'm sure it can be quite exciting for people to see information on a new species."
After packing everything away and escorting Souta to the front of the centre, I head to my office to make a call to the matriarch of the clan, as I prepare myself for a long discussion.
[Split]
Hearthome City Gym Stadium
- Souta -
It has been a day since Dennis had his check-up; he tried to play it up like a great grievance was done against him and was all but demanding compensation. It was funny to watch him acting, pointing at me and holding his chest and fainting. I was tempted to buy him an award. He soon stopped after getting the poffin nurse Joy had given me.
Today though I decided to watch a gym battle that had been advertised since I've gotten here; it was between the current gym leader Fantina vs. ace trainer Cinder, who was a fire-type specialist. Ace trainers could challenge gym leaders to hone their skills or to challenge a member of the Elite Four; they had to defeat each gym leader's main team before they could challenge an Elite Four member for their position.
Cinder had currently defeated 4 gym leaders, with Fantina now being her 5th challenge. If Cinder failed, then she had 2 more tries to beat Fantina before being unable to challenge the Elite Four again until next year. This allowed ace trainers to focus more on training before attempting the challenge again.
The tickets I purchased were cheaper than I thought, and when I asked why, it was because of my status as a trainer. It turns out they wanted trainers to witness high-level battles as motivation to improve, so they lowered the prices for them. I thought it was a good idea.
Unlike the games, the gym wasn't a small building with an arena; it was an entire stadium, and it was massive. My seat was in the middle row on the left side of the stadium, which had a great view of the arena. Not that we needed to directly look at the stadium with the PokeVision box floating in the centre of the stadium close to the roof with the assistance of 4 Magnezone. It was this world's equivalent of a jumbotron.
The main event would be starting soon; we already had some pre-event battles on the 6 arenas located in the centre of the stadium. They were all trainers aiming to get their badges for this year's Lily of the Valley Conference. Most trainers would have cancelled their battles at the gym today due to the crowds, but those that didn't seen it as an opportunity to get their name known and hopefully snag some sponsorships.
I saw everyone moving away from the stadium grounds guided by security, and once everyone was clear, the stadium rumbled and the clunking sound of heavy gears started. The stadium ground itself sank into the ground before splitting into 4 separate parts and disappearing underground, only to be replaced by 4 new ones.
Instead of the new stadium grounds containing 6 arenas, it was one giant arena; the south side contained a massive fire-type biome. It had everything you would expect from small volcanoes that had flowing lava to ash-like sand, and on the north side was a biome perfect for ghost types, broken buildings, trees dotted around and a graveyard all coated in a thin fog.
I had read about it, but it was another thing to see them actually create and use their own biomes for the stadium. Apparently, all stadiums had every biome deep underground; they were well maintained and would be used for major events such as this. The challengers could request what biomes they preferred and could even mix and match their half of the field if they wanted.
The stadium's floodlights dimmed as 4 theatre lights were switched on and pointed at an announcer who was standing on a floating platform in the centre of the stadium.
Looking down at Dennis in my lap, I say, "Get ready, Dennis; we're about to see a real Pokémon battle." I had gotten a few looks due to him, but I can't just keep him in his Poké Ball all the time, and I wanted to show him an actual battle. People are going to find out soon anyway now that he's had his check-up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, trainers and coordinators of all ages, welcome to the main event! Prepare yourselves for the clash between the alluring spectres of the night and the beasts of the inferno!
To the north, hailing from the Sinnoh region, she is the alluring, soul-capturing mistress of ghosts. Known as the Gym Leader of Hearthome City and the master of the Relic Badge, let's hear it for the Ghost-type specialist... FANTINA!"
The lights pan to Fantina as she seems to float into the arena; hovering at her side is her signature Pokémon, Mismagius, as they both take their place on the trainer platform.
"And to the south, a rising powerhouse who burns with an all-consuming flame! An Ace Trainer whose passion for battle is matched only by the searing heat of their team. Specialising in the raw power of Fire-types, please welcome... CINDER!"
The lights pan to Cinder as she steps forward. She wore a black tactical suit with an orange trim; in the centre of her back was a Poké Ball surrounded by flames. Her hair was a smoky grey colour with orange and red tips that reached her shoulders. She wore black lipstick with the edges fading slightly into orange, almost like fire creeping from the edges of her mouth, and she wore smoky orange eyeshadow.
"Will Fantina extinguish the flames of the opposition, or will Cinder's heat prove to be too much to handle?"
"This will be a 3v3 battle. Are both trainers ready?" The referee says, looking towards them both.
Getting a nod from both, he shouts, "BATTLE START!"
"Let's show her that dreams can just as easily become nightmares!" Fantina proclaims, her voice coming out with a haunting cadence. Across the arena, the Ace Trainer twirls her Pokéball on the tip of her finger. "We'll show you the reason you shouldn't play with fire."
Both trainers tossed out their Poké Balls at the same time.
The Ace Trainer opened with a Torkoal, and the arena was instantly transformed thanks to Torkoal's ability Drought. You could physically see the air shimmer with the haze of heat. Torkoal was holding Heat Rock; you could see it attached to his neck in a protective case, making sure Drought would last much longer.
Fantina decided to send out Chandelure first, allowing her to make use of Torkoal's Drought; its iron frame creaked as it floated in the air.
"Eruption!" Cinder commanded instantly. Following his trainer's command, the holes in Torkoal's shell erupted with a volcanic torrent heading straight towards the opposing Pokémon.
Chandelure, deeming the move not a threat, stayed in its position waiting for the move to hit; the move hit Chandelure dead on, and instead of receiving damage, it absorbed the flames thanks to its ability Flash Fire. Chandelure's purple flames flared in intensity due to the power boost it received.
"Magnifique," Fantina whispers. "Shadow tactics, darling." Receiving the order, Chandelure spun at a fast pace before sending out a Shadow Ball; the ghostly orb struck with force, sending Torkoal back.
"Set up and shine bright, Torky." Shouted Cinder.
Groaning, Torkoal retreated into its shell, and set up Stealth Rocks across the arena. Jagged, glowing stones buried themselves into the earth, disappearing from sight. Reappearing from its shell, Torkoal immediately cast Solar Beam without needing to charge it up due to drought being in effect. The bright beam tore through the arena, hitting Chandelure only for it to be replaced by a substitute.
The item Torkoal held glowed purple before exploding into a bright flash of the same colour. After substituting, Chandelure appeared at the side of Torkoal and used Poltergeist, causing Torkoal to take heavy damage from his own item.
"Finish it, darling." Fantina said calmly to Chandelure, who charged up another Shadow Ball and fired it straight at the unsteady Torkoal.
"Tank it, Torky, and counter." Torkoal preparing himself for the damage used Endure as the Shadow Ball slams into him as he stays up before using Rock Tomb, at the same time sending the summoned boulders into the Chandelure before moving into a Bulldoze and slamming the Chandelure head-on, only for it to Substitute again and fire off another Shadow Ball into the back of Torkoal, who goes down this time.
"Torkoal is unable to battle! Ace Trainer Cinder, please send in your next Pokémon!"
Withdrawing Torkoal, Cinder whispers into the Poké Ball before sending her next Pokémon out.
The crowd cheered, seeing a Charizard appear, a popular starter Pokémon from Kanto.
"Let's do this, Ruby." Cinder shouted as she twisted the bangle on her wrist.
The crowd gasped as the Charizardite Y on its neck glowed with power. An intense evolutionary light exploded from Charizard as it mega evolved into Mega Charizard Y; it spread its wings wide, breathing flames to the sky, announcing itself to the world.
"Return, darling." Fantina announced.
"Gym Leader Fantina has used her only substitute! Please send out your next Pokémon!"
Fantina brought out her Gengar. As it entered, the Stealth Rocks flew at the Gengar, dealing damage that the ghost Pokémon just grinned and shrugged off.
"Show them your magnificent form!" Fantina grabbed her necklace, and Gengar, like Charizard, glowed bright with the light of evolution, and appearing in its place, half submerged in the ground, was Mega Gengar, with a third eye now on its forehead.
Shadowy tendrils appeared from the ground, slithering towards Charizard as the Shadow Tag ability triggered, preventing Charizard from being switched out of battle. Charizard tried to evade it but was caught no matter how much they tried.
"Rip and Tear, Ruby," Cinder commanded. Flying high, Charizard swoops into a dive, heading straight towards Gengar.
"Don't let them, Cheshire; show them a nightmare."
Gengar appears behind Charizard with Shadow Sneak, getting a sneak attack off. In retaliation, Charizard's fangs glow with dark energy as she sinks them into Gengar using Crunch, earning a roar of pain from Gengar due to the super effective move.
Gengar uses the moment of being held close to use the move Confuse, which makes Charizard's eyes widen, giving Gengar enough chance to slip away.
Charizard is confused and begins lashing out blindly, firing random moves; a Dragon Breath managed to clip Gengar, and hearing the noise, Charizard charged in with a Flame Charge only to hit the volcanic mountain, which ended up snapping it out of its confusion in the process.
Gengar used this moment to launch a Sludge Bomb, coating the Charizard's scales in toxic purple poison as the damage began to eat away at her.
"We're on a timer, Ruby. Turn up the heat." "Take it out of the sky, Cheshire," both trainers said at once.
Both Pokémon were low on energy from the mega evolution and the moves exchanged, so a final confrontation was about to take place.
With a roar from both Pokémon, they both unleashed their moves. Gengar unleashed a fully charged Thunder, and Charizard used Heat Wave.The sun and Blaze-boosted Heat Wave from Charizard spread out from her; it was so hot the blast began melting the floor as it passed along the ground before engulfing Gengar in the flames. At the same time, the Thunder came down from the sky like a judgement, hittingCharizard as she seized up mid-flight, her mega evolution coming undone, and crashed into the ground unconscious. When the flames had cleared, Gengar was also out of his mega form and unconscious.
"Both trainers Pokémon are unable to battle! Could both trainers please send out their next Pokémon!"
After both trainers returned their Pokémon, both whispering into them before sending out their next Pokémon.
With still 2 Pokémon left, Fantina chose to send out her oldest partner, Mismagius. As she enters, she's attacked by the shards from Stealth Rock but doesn't even flinch from the damage she took; the Life Orb around her neck pulsed ominously like a beating heart.
Having had enough of the blazing heat, Fantina pointed at the sky and said to her. "Be a dear, Belle, and do away with this weather, Rain Dance!"
Mismagius began chanting a haunting melody. The glaring sun was washed away by heavy, dark-grey clouds. As a downpour began, the scorched floor and lava hissed with each droplet of rain hitting them.
Cinder was less than pleased with losing the weather advantage, having her power cut in half from the rain.
At the same time, Cinder had brought out her final Pokémon, Magmortar. It was using the held item Assault Vest, raising Magmortar's special defence by 50% but not allowing it to use any moves other than offensive ones; it stood as the rain evaporated off its red-hot cannons.
"Quick and powerful, Maggie, we've got this."
"Same as usual, Belle, dazzle them."
Magmortar charges towards Mismagius, firing a Thunder at her; the bolt zipped through the rainwater and connected with Mismagius, the electric volts causing spasms in its ghostly frame.
In retaliation to the Thunder, Mismagius used Power Gem. The barrage of shimmering gems struck true and shattered against Magmortar's body, doing a lot of damage. The Life Orb glowed, draining Mismagius' health further for the damage boost Power Gem had gained from it.
Magmortar rushed Mismagius, landing a Thunder Punch and a Fire Punch one after the other. With Magmortar so close, Mismagius used Astonish, causing Magmortar to flinch as she followed up with a Dark Pulse but didn't get the second flinch. The Life Orb glowed twice, draining more of Mismagius' health.
Both Pokémon were barely standing, and the rain was crashing down now, and steam had started to rise.
"Finish it, Maggie!" shouted Cinder.
Magmortar, hearing its trainer use Fire Blast, the move travelled fast and was in the shape of the kanji for fire.
"Take it with you, Belle!" Fantina commands, her voice low and determined.
"No, Maggie!" Cinder shouted too late; now that the move was already heading for Mismagius, who was grinning creepily.
The Fire Blast had been weakened by the rain but still had enough damage to finish Mismagius, who had been chipping away at her own health with each offensive move. The Fire Blast covered Mismagius, but as it hit, there was a purple tether from the chest of Magmortar to the chest of Mismagius, who had connected them through the move Destiny Bond. Magmortar gasped before fainting along with Mismagius.
"Ace Trainer Cinder is out of Pokémon! The winner of the battle is Fantina!"
Both trainers returned their Pokémon before meeting up in the middle and shaking each other's hands and thanking each other for the battle.
"What a spectacular battle, folks! I'm not sure about you, but I was on the edge of my platform for the whole fight. It could have been anyone's battle. Can we get a round of applause for Fantina and Cinder, please!"
He's right; that was an amazing Pokémon battle. I thought it would be more drawn out, but they were hitting hard and fast and barely letting each other rest, and the mega evolutions – the sheer power that radiated from both Pokémon – were amazing.
Standing up along with the rest of the crowd, I clap as best I can with Dennis in my arms as he copies everyone else and claps along too. I could see it in his eyes as we were watching the battle; he was in awe at the abilities being thrown out.
I look forward to having some battles of my own in the future.
Thank you for reading. ^^
The medical check-up for Dennis is done; I know nothing about how check-ups would usually go and was just winging it and researching what I could and how vets might do it and twisted it into how you would do it on Pokémon.
Also, a big Pokémon battle – I know events like that would be 6v6, but I was testing the waters and decided the challenger could decide a 3v3 or 6v6. All Elite Four and Champion battles will be 6v6 whenever we reach that point.
Let me know what you thought of the Pokémon battle and let me know what you think I should work on if you see any issues; it helps. I'm looking to get a second Pokémon for him in the next chapter; it will be a water type and one of my favourites. I'm debating even making it a shiny.