Nurse Isabelle and the Pokédex - Kanto Edition

[NIP season one] Isabelle Evergreen is a Pokémon nurse, travelling around Kanto to give health care on the road. The story includes themes such as romance, realism, Pokémon variations, and Pokémon as friends with personalities, not mindless tools.

Attention: This story is meant to be read in order.


Chapters 1-3 (Bulbasaur line)

Chapters 4-6 (Charmander line)

Chapters 7-9 (Squirtle line)

Chapters 10-12 (Caterpie line)

Chapters 13-15 (Weedle line)

Chapters 16-18 (Pidgey line)

Chapters 19 and 20 (Rattata line)

Chapters 21 and 22 (Spearow line)

Chapters 23 and 24 (Ekans line)

Chapters 25 and 26 (Pikachu line)

Chapters 27 and 28 (Sandshrew line)

Chapters 29-31 (Nidoran♀ line)

Chapters 32-34 ( Nidoran♂ line)

Chapters 35 and 36 (Clefairy line)

Chapters 37 and 38 (Vulpix line)

Chapters 39 and 40 (Jigglypuff line)

Chapters 41 and 42 (Zubat line)

Chapters 43-45 (Oddish line)

Chapters 46 and 47 (Paras line)

Chapters 48 and 49 (Venonat line)

Chapters 50 and 51 (Diglett line)

Chapters 52 and 53 (Meowth line)

Chapters 54 and 55 (Psyduck line)

Chapters 56 and 57 (Mankey line)

Chapters 58 and 59 (Growlithe line)

 

Spoiler: #001 Bulbasaur

#001 Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur, the seed Pokémon. Right from its birth, it carries a seed on its back that gradually grows in the sun. From this bulb, a young Bulbasaur gains nourishment. For the rest of its life, the seed will grow with its body.
Nurse Isabelle Evergreen was summoned for a sorrowful case. At Oak's lab, a Bulbasaur has gotten depressed and stopped eating. Because Professor Oak feared for the young Pokémon, he had called for a nurse to come to look at him. Upon arriving at the laboratory in Pallet Town, she was let in by the Professor himself and was left alone with some directions as to where the Pokémon could be found. Walking through the hallways, Izzy didn't find it hard to find him. Some of the glass doors were slid open and a creature with a dark green bulb laid on its stomach on the grass just outside of the door, pretending to be asleep in the sun. Experience told Izzy that it was much too tense to be asleep.
Earlier that day, Oak had phoned her:
"Nurse Isabelle, here. How may I help you?"
"Good day, Miss Evergreen. This is Oak, the Pokémon professor. Would you happen to have time to come visit me in Pallet? I've got a case for you."
"Certainly. I'll set out right this instant." There was some rummaging in the background, as Isabelle grabbed her bag and headed out of the door to walk to Pallet. She wasn't far away, thankfully. She kept Oak on the phone. "So, what's this about?"
"I've got a depressed Bulbasaur here. Ever since this year's children, my grandson and his rivalrous friend, chose their starters, he's been down, since he is the only one who has not been picked. Maybe he misses his friends?"
"Interesting. I'll be there in an hour. See you then, Professor!"
But, as she sat down in the door opening of Oak's place, looking at the laboratory grounds all around her, Isabelle had a feeling the problem laid a bit deeper than that. Dressed in a pink shirt and white pants, she bore the colours of a Pokémon nurse. Bulbasaur surely recognised her for what she was already, but he kept lying on his stomach and keeping his eyes shut.
"Hey Bulbasaur," Izzy began. She did not receive a reply, but she had not expected him to answer her anyway.
"Shall I tell you a story? This place reminds me of it. I used to have a really close friend. Her name was Aurora. When we were children, we were the best of friends. No one could separate us. I hope you have ever felt, or will feel, this for yourself. It's the most magnificent feeling." One eye slowly opened and a hoarse croak came out. The grass starter was too well mannered to ignore someone forever.
"About ten years ago, we separated. I went to nurse school because I love Pokémon and I hate seeing them hurt, so I wanted to learn how to make them better. Aurora, on the other hand, felt the longing to wander. She had chosen to adopt a starter and left our town. I was heartbroken. We had been so close. But she went away to become the best Pokémon trainer she could be. Despite having my own reasons to stay, having your friends leave to have an adventure without you hurts."
A light weight on her right leg made Isabelle look down. Bulbasaur had gotten up and laid his chin on her leg, looking up at her. She could never be entirely sure what, but she felt as if Bulbasaur was trying to say something to her.
"I believe you feel the same way. Your friends left. Went with young trainers to have their adventure. And you're still here. That hurts, doesn't it? I know how you feel. Come here," she patted her lap and smiled as Bulbasaur climbed up from her shoes all the way up to her lap. He sat down on her white pants, possibly giving her light grass stains, but that was okay. This little seed Pokémon looked at her with such vulnerability that she couldn't possibly be bothered with the state of her trousers. Isabelle wrapped her arms around him, underneath his bulb, and pulled the Pokémon close for a hug.
"However, not eating anymore is not a good way to deal with this, my little friend," she whispered to him. A soft 'bulba' from him told her he agreed.
She pulled back from the hug but kept her hands around his bulb to keep him stable. It was a bit dry but nothing some water couldn't straighten out. The nutrients from his bulb had kept him healthy. Isabelle looked at him in his red eyes.
"Now, I'm starting my own journey. While there are a lot of Pokécentres, it simply isn't enough to provide healthcare for any and every Pokémon out there. So I'm becoming one of the first travelling nurses. But you know what they say. It isn't safe to go alone. So, my little Bulbasaur, will you come with me and be my starter?"
This request was received with an ecstatic cry and a very sloppy lick. Oak apparently had been watching them, because he came over with lemonade, sandwiches, and a bowl of Pokémon food. There they sat, in the sun, talking excitedly as Isabelle coaxed Bulbasaur to eat some. The first bite was a little hard, but when Izzy praised him lavishly for trying it, and because he discovered how hungry he actually was, Bulbasaur soon began eating again. Despite the fact he was perfectly able to eat from the bowl, he kept his mouth open until Izzy popped a block of food in his mouth. Already, she found herself grow fond of this affectionate Bulbasaur. His emotions switched faster than the weather in the mountains. From utterly depressed to excited as a kid presented with sweets. Then, after lunch, it was time to go. The young nurse promised to call the professor whenever she encountered trouble. He had even given her a Pokédex to fill on her journey since she would most likely be encountering lots of Pokémon. On their way out of Pallet Town, Kanto, Bulbasaur kept leaping in joy as he took in all sights around them. Everything was so much brighter on the start of his very own adventure.

Spoiler: #002 Ivysaur

#002 Ivysaur
Ivysaur, the seed Pokémon. The evolved form of Bulbasaur. The nutrient absorbing bulb on its back has bloomed into a large, pink bud. When Ivysaur starts lying in the sun more and its bulb begins to smell pleasant, it is close to evolving.
With an ecstatic Bulbasaur skipping around somewhere near her, Nurse Isabelle made her way through the gardens of Professor Oak's laboratory. The sun was shining pleasantly, making the day feel as if nothing could go wrong. Isabelle shared her Pokémon's happiness. Just near the outside gate of Pallet town, the nurse and her Pokémon encountered something peculiar. A grass-type, quite similar to Bulbasaur, was stuck in the white wooden fence. Apparently it had tried to crawl underneath but its blooming bud had become stuck. Pitifully, it kept crying out: 'Ivy, ivy, saur, saur!' over and over again. It was clear from its bud and its cry that this was an Ivysaur, Bulbasaur's evolved form.
"Come on, Bulbasaur! Let's help it!" Isabelle called out. She leapt nimbly over the fence and knelt down in front of the Pokémon. Its red eyes were large with distress, larger than the spots on the blue-green skin that had become very familiar to the young nurse. She stroked its head as Bulbasaur wrapped its Vine Whip around its bulb and stomach.
"It's okay, sweetie. Calm down. We'll get you free," she cooed at the stuck Ivysaur. "Bulbasaur, on my count you pull on Ivysaur with your Vine Whip. I'll push from this side." Receiving an affirmative 'Bulba!', Izzy carefully slid her hands under Ivysaur's jaw and placed them on its shoulders. "Ready? Three, two, one. Push!" Pushing as hard as she could, the evolved Grass-type slid free with a pop, rolling over onto its back and bulb. As Izzy leapt over the fence again, Bulbasaur had helped it upright again.
She had wanted to check on Ivysaur to see if it's okay, but apparently Ivysaur and Bulbasaur knew each other. Excitedly, they were talking to each other in their gruff voices, still adorable with young age.
"Hey, Bulbasaur. Do you know Ivysaur?" Bulbasaur nodded with its mouth curved into something that looked like a grin.
"Ivysaur, may I?" She had to interrupt them to make sure Ivy's bulb wasn't damaged. Their flower was very important to them. Aside from a light dent that some time would heal, only Ivysaur's pride was damaged. It did not seem very concerned with that as it talked animatedly to her Bulbasaur. At one point, Bulbasaur even came to her and crawled underneath her hand affectionately, apparently introducing her as his trainer. Ivysaur seemed to approve and allowed Izzy to rub its firm head.
Very pleased to see Bulbasaur so happy, Isabelle sat down on the fence, trying to rub the grass stains out of her white trousers as Bulbasaur and Ivysaur caught up. Then, just as the sun began to show its dusk colours, Bulbasaur and Ivysaur shook vines and Bulbasaur returned to Izzy as Ivysaur returned back to Oak for dinner. Rubbing Bulbasaur's head affectionately, she carried her very own Seed Pokémon over the fence to her home where they would rest before setting out on her journey.

Spoiler: #003 Venusaur

#003 Venusaur
Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur's final evolution and the evolved form of Ivysaur. There is a large flower on Venusaur's back. The flower is said to take on vivid colours if it gets plenty of nutrition and sunlight. It is able to convert sunlight into energy. As a result, it is more powerful in the summertime. The flower's aroma soothes the emotions of people. After a rainy day, the flower on its back smells stronger. The scent attracts other Pokémon.
Nurse Isabelle remembered clearly when she first encountered the final evolution of the Kanto Grass-type starter, Venusaur. It had been on a rather pleasant day on Route 6. As usual, Izzy allowed Bulbasaur out of his ball. After all, how is one supposed to build a bond with a Pokémon if it's always contained in its ball? Once out of his ball, Bulbasaur seemed to scent something. He gave an excited cry and dashed into the tall grass, making him nearly disappear from view. Only the rustling of the grass where it spread for Bulbasaur's bulky body told Izzy where her Pokémon was. It ran to a clearing, near the lake, where a massive shape could be seen. The soothing scent became stronger as they approached. When they were near, Izzy understood what the shape was. It was a Venusaur and it was quite a bit higher than herself. Venusaur were really rare to find in the wild because most Bulbasaur are bred in captivity. The best chance of finding a Venusaur was encountering one that had been freed or abandoned by its trainer.
Near the Venusaur was a bush that caught Isabelle's attention. The yellow, roundish shape of the berries that hung from it was unmistakable. Sitrus berries! She opened her berry case after pulling it out of her backpack. Slowly, she made her way to the berry bush, hoping not to agitate the Pokémon that was not only taller than her but also heavier. Unfortunate, this Venusaur turned out not to be very keen on trainers Grunting its species, a blue cloud waved up from his flower. Immediately recognising it as the move Sleep Powder, Isabelle dashed away, out of reach. Cursing softly, she returned to where she thought Bulbasaur was, only to find out that he had gone towards the moody Venusaur. Totally in awe, he looked up at his final evolution, probably imagining the day he looked like that.
Watching the two of them, it became clear that Bulbasaur tried to impress Venusaur by showing off that he, too, could use Sleep Powder, though all he managed was a tiny little puff. Venusaur laughed and demonstrated it again, making sure not to hit the smaller Grass-type.
Since it was becoming quite dangerous to stay near them, Isabelle wandered off a little to look for more Sitrus berries. She really wanted to have some since they regenerated health and acted as painkillers. She found a couple, but the bushes they were on had already been plucked by other humans or Pokémon. None of them were as full as the bush near Venusaur.
After half an hour, she returned to the place where she left Bulbasaur. To her surprise, Venusaur was looking rather drowsy with a very proud Bulbasaur in front of him. Bulbasaur even held some of the Sitrus berries in his vines, holding them out for her. A brilliant smile curled on Izzy's face and she knelt down in front of Bulbasaur to rub his head thoroughly, whispering the praise he deserved. With his vines, he plucked the berries and gave them to his trainer. Within minutes, her berry case was overflowing with Sitrus berries. Venusaur had fallen asleep while they worked, so Izzy and Bulbasaur left quietly before Venusaur woke up. It would be very useful for a nurse to have a Pokémon that knows Sleep Powder.

 

Spoiler: #004 Charmander

#004 Charmander
Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. From the time it is born, a flame burns at the tip of its tail. The fire is a measure of its life. If healthy, its tail burns intensely. Its life would end if the flame were to go out.
Nurse Isabelle's journey to heal sick Pokémon as a travelling nurse brought her to Cinnabar Island after receiving a worried call from the Nurse Joy there. Living on an island meant that all medicine had to be shipped in and, occasionally, a shipload was late. The late delivery had come in at an exceptionally bad time; since many young trainers had challenged the Cinnabar Gym Leader in the last couple of days and had lost against the Fire Type trainer. Because of this, Nurse Joy was extremely busy with treating the injured and burned Pokémon and could not go to get more medicine herself.
Packed full with supplies, Isabelle arrived by a small fisher's boat, shakily stepping foot on shore again. So, the young Nurse didn't want to waste any time and thus she tugged her bags higher over her shoulders and marched up to the Pokécentre. Because she was a nurse herself, she did not waste time at the reception and walked in, trusting the basic layout was the same to find the medicine storage where she could unpack. Someone would find her as she worked. She still wore the characteristic colour scheme of a Pokémon Centre Nurse so no one would accuse her of being an intruder. Eventually, as she put the last potions away, Nurse Joy herself came walking in. She looked really flustered and absolutely exhausted, but she had her customary smile on her face.
"I'm so glad you're here. Come with me, I have a treat for you that I haven't managed to give attention to, yet. Oh, and take those burn heals. You're going to need them," Nurse Joy said, earning her a very suspicious look from Izzy. Laying the empty bags on the floor, she put a couple burn heals in her own backpack and followed Nurse Joy, who had already left, hastily.
Joy led her into a deeper part of the Centre, where trainers never came. Under a heat lamp in the Hatching Room, two orange eggs laid, unhatched yet. Near those eggs, two very young Charmander sat. They were so young their eyes hadn't even opened yet. And still they swayed those burning tails around everywhere as they crawled and fell over the eggs and each other. It was a good thing a glass wall was built around the hatching area or else they would have fallen off the table.
As Isabelle approached, the reason Joy told her to bring the burn heals became evident. Because they could not see yet, let alone control their flaming tail, they burned themselves and each other with the fire, giving them small burns all over their orange bodies.
Smiling fondly, Isabelle pulled up a chair and took one of the Charmander out of the box and cradled it on her lap, careful of the tail. Tickling it gently with her bare hands, she sprayed some burn heal on the blistered skin, rubbing it in gently. As Izzy worked with the first Charmander, its eyes slowly opened and it let out a soft "chaaaar," making Izzy smile fondly. Young Pokémon were adorable in their innocence.

Spoiler: #005 Charmeleon

#005 Charmeleon
Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon. The evolved form of Charmander. In the rocky mountains where Charmeleon live, their fiery tails shine at night like stars. Charmeleon mercilessly destroys its foes using its sharp claws. If it encounters a strong foe, it turns aggressive. In this excited state, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white colour. It is very hot-headed by nature, so it constantly seeks opponents. It calms down only when it wins.
Charmeleon were known as very tricky Pokémon to handle, especially for starters, because they loved to fight. As long as they fought other Pokémon and obeyed their trainers, all was relatively well, but it occasionally happened that Charmeleon turned against their friends and family. Such a case drew Nurse Isabelle's attention. Still on Cinnabar Island, the parents of those baby Charmander were a pack of Charmeleon. Nurse Joy explained to Isabelle where those Charmeleon could be found but warned her. This pack was rather aggressive. A smaller female was seen amongst them that did not look very well the previous time Joy saw it. Nurse Joy had asked if Izzy had anything to do, if she didn't, could she please look for that Charmeleon. Just to make sure she was doing better.
The Charmeleon were not hard to follow. They had left a path of destruction with burned grass and claw marks in trees. Just up ahead, she could see the Charmeleon walking uphill, towards the volcano. It was becoming a bit colder so they moved closer to the heat of the lava. Just as Izzy came close to the pack, one of the Charmeleon collapsed and crashed heavily to the ground, causing a cloud of dust to billow up. The other Charmeleon barely glanced at their fallen pack mate before continuing. Not wishing to attract the attention of so many Charmeleon without a water Pokémon, Izzy had to hide nearby until the group was gone. Only then did she dash towards the fallen one.
A quick check told her that the Charmeleon was female and was in a rather bad state. Her rusty-red body was covered in scratches that had bled in the past but had already been turned to crusts by her body heat. Whatever skin was not cut up was burned by a fire attack. Her skin was also extremely dry and her claws were tagged. Her tail burned very weakly.
Unsure where to begin, Isabelle checked whether the Charmeleon was still alive and breathing. It may sound crude but there was no use in treating a Pokémon that had passed away. Faintly, some scorching air came out of the Fire Type's mouth to show she was still breathing. As she cast a quick glance around to look for the other Charmeleon, Izzy pulled out a potion from the pack she had always with her and began treating the poor, fallen Charmeleon. If this Fire Type still wanted to go back to her group, she had to rejoin them soon. If not, she'd, probably forever, be cast out.
The Charmeleon made no move to get up, though. Taking the choice for her, Isabelle gathered the Fire-type in her arms and started to carry it back to the Pokécentre. It was lighter than the nearly twenty kilos it's supposed to weigh and it worried her. Charmeleon's flame was still rather weak too, even after administering the potion. If Izzy did not hurry, the Charmeleon wouldn't need to worry about what came after this episode since there might not be anything after it. As Izzy rushed down the side of the volcano, she could hear murmuring behind her. Carefully looking over her shoulder, she saw that the other Charmeleon were back. They did not attack her, though, so the nurse kept walking briskly downhill to get the smaller, female Charmeleon in safety.
It was not hard to get an emergency stretcher for Charmeleon at the Pokécentre. It seems Joy had expected something like this to have happened and had already prepared a room. In there, she worked hard as Izzy washed the dirt off her face. Her pants were yet again filthy because of the dust that caked the ground outside.
After washing up, the young woman stood on the other side of the window overlooking the room in which the recovering Pokémon lied. The smallish Charmeleon rested on a bed nearby, allowing the nurse to watch over her. Her breathing was still too shallow for Izzy's liking and her tail burned merely weakly, though stronger than before. However, the nurse had done the best she could. Now, it was up to the Charmeleon to fight for her life.

Spoiler: #006 Charizard

#006 Charizard
Charizard, the Flame Pokémon. The final evolution of Charmander and the evolved form of Charmeleon. Charizard's powerful flame can burn absolutely anything. It uses its wings to fly high. The temperature of its fire increases as it gains experience in battle. A Charizard flies around the sky searching for powerful opponents. However, it never turns its fiery breath on any opponent weaker than itself.
Nurse Isabelle could hear him long before she could see him. The mighty roar of a Charizard echoed through Fuchsia city as she spoke to Officer Jenny about the situation. On Route 15 to the east, a Charizard was throwing a fit. Witnesses told the officer that the Fire-type seemed enraged about something. All of them spoke about his Flamethrower as he set the trees around him on fire, but there was only one witness that testified that the Charizard was limping. Just in case, that's why a nurse was called to help with this. From all the nurses in the nearby area, Isabelle was the bravest. Most Pokémon that were brought to Joy were docile and belonged to trainers.
Calling Bulbasaur from his ball, Izzy knelt down just before the exit of the town. She filled Bulbasaur in about what was going on.
"This Charizard isn't attacking to harm anyone. It's probably hurt and confused. We must keep that in mind. Now, I know that a Charizard would have a type advantage against you, that's why I will not force you to battle it. What we do is this: I will distract it, hopefully not get burnt while you wrap your Vine Whip around it from behind to pin his wings and tail to his body and then use your Sleep Powder. Even if he's stronger than you are, it should still make him drowsy and calm him down some. Okay?" "Bulba!" Since that was as good as an answer as she was going to get, the travelling nurse and her Bulbasaur moved out towards Route 15.
It was a very risky plan and if she'd tell her friends, they'd be very upset with her. But this was her duty as a nurse. This Pokémon needed help and she had to act before a trainer decided to knock the Charizard out with an attack, enraging it even further.
It became hotter and hotter as Izzy approached the site. The trees around here were burning, but the firefighters could not extinguish it until the Charizard would stop torching the whole place.
Bulbasaur sneaked close to the ground, making no noise as he crept away from her to be able to attack Charizard from the back. Isabelle walked slowly and in plain view. The fact that Charizard wasn't doing this to be evil showed in the fact that he did not shoot his flamethrower right at her as soon as he saw her.
"Hey there, big boy," Isabelle said softly, inching towards the enraged Fire-Type with her hands held up. "What's bothering you?"
Severely stressed, the Fire-type huffed and shot fire right up, more to show off than to attack.
"Calm down... Recognise these colours? That's right. I'm a nurse. I can make the pain go away. But only if you let me come close to you," she kept her voice slow and pleasant, trying to be as non-threatening as she could.
Still, the Charizard was too agitated for this because when Isabelle came too near, he reared his wings up to either blow her over or fly up.
"Now, Bulbasaur!" Izzy said urgently, trying her best not to yell. It made her proud to see vines wrap around the orange Pokémon as soon as she gave the command. That dangerous tail and the wings were flattened against his bulky body.
Just in time, Izzy took a few steps back to allow the blue sheen of Sleep Powder to wash over the Fire-type. But the sleep-inducing move came a bit too late. Charizard, feeling betrayed, had shot a small Ember at her, his weakest Fire attack. It glanced against her arm and burned her skin, causing the girl to cry out in pain and grasp her arm. She had no time to worry about herself, though. The Charizard was getting drowsy and had fallen on his behind.
"I'm fine! Keep holding him," she answered the worried cry of her starter. Kneeling onto the scorched grass, Isabelle pulled out his left paw to expose what had been hurting him. His skin was nicely hot but that was no surprise with so much fire-breathing exercise.
She found a nasty cut underneath his foot, probably caused by a sharp rock. That's what had been hurting him this whole time. Taking a potion from her back, she sprayed it over the wound, watching as it healed the cut to a ragged line that would slowly fade as the body's natural healing took over. The pain should be gone as well.
Looking up, she saw the Charizard looking down at her. Because this Charizard was so much stronger than her own Pokémon, Sleep Powder had had very little effect. Isabelle was relieved to see the Fire-type looked sane again.
"Hey there, big boy," Isabelle said again, stroking his belly with the flat of her hand, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her arm. "Welcome back to us. Bulbasaur, release him." On her command, the vine whip drew back, freeing the Flame Pokémon.
"Do be more careful, next time. And if you're in pain, just try to find me, okay?" She patted the Charizard on his arm as he spread his wings to fly off, back to where he came from now that he could fly again without pain.

 

Spoiler: #007 Squirtle

#007 Squirtle
Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. Squirtle's shell is not merely used for protection. The shell's rounded shape and the grooves on its surface help minimise resistance in water, enabling this Pokémon to swim at high speeds. The shell, which hardens soon after it is born, is resilient. If you poke it, it will bounce back out. When Squirtle feels threatened, it draws its legs inside its shell and sprays water from its mouth.
Pokémon could get very lonely and depressed when they were always stuck in their Poké Balls, so whenever Nurse Isabelle had the opportunity to let her Pokémon wander around, she took it with open arms. Today, they were at a lake. At one part of the lake a river came crashing down quite roughly, the source was in a massive mountain, suggesting the riverbed was filled with rocks. After Bulbasaur had drunk his fill, they walked next to the little river, following it upstream. The sound of rushing water on such a clear day was really relaxing for once. Being a nurse was quite hectic.
Upstream, Isabelle found a highly adorable scene. A group of Squirtle were playing in the rough water. They started at a relatively calm spot and let themselves be pulled by the current as they laid on their shells. Judging from their happy cries, they were having a really good time. It made Isabelle smile as she watched them from a bit further away. One of the Squirtle was smaller than the rest. Maybe it was younger, or just tinier in general. The currents especially loved that one, because that Squirtle was swung around the most. It actually worried Isabelle a little.
Izzy absolutely hated it when her gut feeling turned out to be correct. At the tiny Squirtle's next run, a current smashed it against a rock. Two sounds could be heard and neither of them were pleasant: A sickening crack and a pained cry. Floating the rest of the course on its back, the little turtle Pokémon did not enjoy it anymore as it kept crying out in pain. The sound broke her heart. Instincts kicking in, Isabelle dashed to the waterside to rescue the Squirtle who, probably from the pain, was unable to flip over anymore or do anything else, other than cry.
With a mighty leap, Isabelle sprang into the brisk river to get to the Squirtle. Within seconds, even her hair was wet even though she had kept her head above water. The current was stronger than she had expected, but she did not care about it right now. All that mattered was the tiny turtle that needed her help.
Bulbasaur proved himself to be a Pokémon worthy of being a nurse's companion. As soon as Isabelle reached the Squirtle and wrapped her arms around it, he wrapped his Vine Whip around her waist and pulled her back out of the water to prevent her from drowning or being swept away over the rocks.
Crawling back ashore, she smiled at her Grass type, rubbing his head as she kept the whimpering Squirtle against her chest. She had to hold it carefully because her shell was broken. Up close, Isabelle could tell this Squirtle was a female and just generally smaller. She seemed to be just as old as the other Squirtle.
With an injury like this, Squirtle would need to be taken care of for a very long time. So Isabelle turned to the other Squirtle and told them she would go to the nearest town with their friend to have her treated at the Pokécentre. Then, soaking wet, Isabelle marched off to get this Squirtle some help as soon as possible. Luckily the Pokécentre, and a shower, wasn't more than a fifteen-minute walk away.
"The things I do for you Pokémon," Isabelle muttered, wiping her wet, blond hair out of her face.

Spoiler: #008 Wartortle

#008 Wartortle
Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon. The evolved form of Squirtle. It cleverly controls its furry ears and tail to maintain its balance while swimming. This Pokémon is very popular as a pet. Its tail is large and covered with a rich, thick fur. The tail becomes increasingly deeper in colour as Wartortle ages. The scratches on its shell are evidence of this Pokémon's toughness as a battler. Its tail is a symbol of its longevity.
When Nurse Isabelle reached the Pokécentre with the injured Squirtle, Nurse Joy took it to the emergency room after tossing Izzy the keys to the nurse's rooms in the back of the centre. There, Izzy took a well-deserved warm shower and dressed in the standard nurse uniform while hers was drying. It felt weird to wear a skirt again. Braiding her wet hair back in a Dutch braid down the back of her head, Isabelle went down to the waiting area, taking up an entire couch, and spent the waiting time brushing Bulbasaur with a soft brush. She even rubbed his bulb with a soft cloth. By the time Nurse Joy returned, Bulbasaur was napping on a sunny spot of one of the couches, sighing contently.
Without saying anything, Isabelle followed Joy into the room she had placed Squirtle. The tiny turtle had been calmed with some medicine, that much was clear from the soft look in her eyes. She looked tinier than ever because her shell was wrapped tightly in bandages to keep the crack together and allow it to heal properly. To calm the Squirtle down a little when the sedation would wear off, Isabelle took some markers and began to colour the bandages in the colours of her own shell, to look less injured. Joy left her alone to do that, as she was called away to heal someone's Pokémon for them. It took over two hours, but when she was done, the belly was pale yellow again and the top was brown. Putting the last of the lines on the 'shield', Isabelle laid the markers aside and pulled up a chair to watch over the Pokémon so it wouldn't be alone when it woke up. Being a wild Squirtle, this was probably her first experience in a Pokécentre.
Some rustling woke Isabelle up. When she opened her eyes, everything was dark. Experience had taught her that if something woke her up in the middle of the night, it was best not to move right away. And that experience proved to be useful yet again. The window had been opened, the sound of which had woken her up, and several Pokémon made their way inside. Even though it was dark and the colours were not clearly visible, their shapes made it very clear who they were. These turtles must be the injured Squirtle's friends. A bigger turtle stood underneath the window, catching the Squirtle and lowering them on the floor silently. Its tail was much fuller than those of the Squirtle too.
Watching through her eyelashes, she saw how all the Squirtle had brought gifts. They laid berries and shells everywhere, apples and pretty rocks. It was quite touching to see how they cared for their injured group member. The Squirtle left again, able to climb out of the window themselves, now that their hands were empty. The bigger turtle did not leave just yet. It actually came towards Isabelle and laid its hand on her arm. No longer pretending she was asleep, she lifted her head up to look at the Pokémon. It was a Wartortle, the evolved form of Squirtle.
"Hello, there," Isabelle whispered. This Wartortle was a very smart one. Izzy could see its eyes move over her backpack in which some Pokéballs laid. Bulbasaur was still sleeping outside so they were all empty at the moment. Isabelle wasn't worried for Bulbasaur because there was always a nurse at the desk, able to see Bulbasaur laying on the couch. Wartortle looked at Izzy's clothing, recognising the nurse uniform. The female Water Pokémon saw the markers and the drawing on Squirtle's bandages.
"Wartortle," it replied in a voice that was a bit higher pitched, quite like that of the female Squirtle.
"Don't worry about Squirtle. She won't wake up alone. Or do you want to stay here too? You can explain the gifts," Isabelle suggested. Wartortle's reply made her smile. She loved being able to predict Pokémon a little.
Dawn did not take very long to arrive and with the rising sun, the Squirtle awoke too. At first, it was really confused, but Wartortle took a mighty leap onto the bed and started explaining. In her explanation, the turtle also pointed at nurse Isabelle. As they had waited for the light to appear, Isabelle had explained who she was and what she did. Bulbasaur had even woken up to crawl back to his Poké Ball, letting himself in without even a glance at the Wartortle. That was a good sign.
Wartortle's explanation calmed the Squirtle down and, with delight, it began checking out all the gifts and starting on the apples that were left for her. Assured that Squirtle would be fine, Wartortle leapt off and walked to Isabelle. She pointed at the Poké Balls.
"War! Wartortle! War!" It exclaimed in a manner that felt quite diva-like. It was almost as if she said, "You need me. Take me with you."
"Excuse me? Sure, you may come, but I am in charge, Wartortle. Are we clear?" Isabelle asked, pulling out an empty Poké Ball.
"War," it said sulkily and pressed its claw against the button, allowing itself to be sucked in. The ball didn't even shake once, accepting Wartortle into her team.
"You're going to be an interesting one. But welcome to the team, Wartortle."

Spoiler: #009 Blastoise

#009 Blastoise
Blastoise, the Shellfish Pokémon. The final evolution of Squirtle and the evolved form of Wartortle. Blastoise has water spouts that protrude from its shell. The water spouts are very accurate. They can shoot bullets of water with enough accuracy to strike empty cans from a distance of over 50 metre. The rocket cannons on its shell fire jets of water capable of punching holes through thick steel.
"Excuse me!" A male voice called out, causing Isabelle to look around. A young man with wild brown hair approached her.
"How can I help you?" Izzy asked, turning to face the man who was about her age.
"You're a nurse, right. Nurse Isabelle?" Isabelle blinked.
"Yes, I am. Have you heard of me?" The young man smiled and nodded in response to her question.
"I have! You've become quite popular among trainers. I'm quite honoured to meet the only travelling nurse in the world!"
Isabelle smiled bashfully, bowing her head to let the bangs done up hair to fall in her face and hide her blush a little.
"The pleasure is all mine. How can I help you?" In answer to that, the trainer pulled two Poké Balls from his belt.
"My name is Gary. Gary Oak. Could you look at my Pokémon for me? There isn't a Pokémon Centre around but they're not hurt. I'd just like them checked up. One of these two is new to my team and I want to make sure she's feeling okay. The other is one of my best."
"Sure! No problem. Show me the first one." Isabelle said, putting her bag on the ground and briefly prepared herself mentally for whatever may come.
The first Pokémon was a Blastoise. The Water-type was nearly as large as Izzy herself was but much broader. With a focused mind, the young nurse went to work. She checked his teeth and ears for how clean they were. She checked his water spouts to see if they could extend and withdraw properly. She even made the Blastoise trickle a tiny bit of water to listen for any clogs in his spouts.
"Perfectly fine. You've taken very good care of your Pokémon. Was this your starter? Blastoise seems very fond of you," Isabelle praised, which Blastoise confirmed with a long "blaaaaas".
"He was. We've been through a lot together. Now, I've adopted a Pokémon from a Pokémon Centre. Nurse Joy said she could not be returned to the wild because her group had abandoned her, so she had stuck around the centre. I came by and saw her training outside. Blastoise and I went to her and offered to spar with her since that would be much better training. Anyway, here she is. The newest member of my team," Gary said, opening his second Poké Ball.
A Charmeleon came out in a bright light, one that seemed very familiar to Isabelle. It did look much better now but Izzy was rather sure she knew this Fire-type.
"Did you, by any chance, find this Charmeleon at Cinnabar Island?" Isabelle asked, just to be sure.
"Yes. Why?" Gary said.
"I believe that I know this one. I saved her life when I was there. Hey there, Charmeleon. Remember me?" Isabelle asked, lowering her head a bit to get closer to the Pokémon that came to about her waist.
Narrow green eyes looked at the nurse. The female Pokémon took a deep sniff and then launched herself at Isabelle, wrapping herself in a rather violent hug.
"It seems she does," Isabelle said breathlessly, stroking over Charmeleon's head. "I am so pleased to see you have survived. How are you feeling now? How's Mr Oak treating you?" Charmeleon answered in her own language, but her new-found joy in life was easy to recognise.
"Don't worry about a thing, Mr Oak. Your Charmeleon is perfectly okay." Isabelle told the brown-haired young man with a stunning smile.

 

Spoiler: #010 Caterpie

#010 Caterpie
Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Caterpie has a voracious appetite. Its feet have suction cups designed to stick to any surface. It tenaciously climbs trees to forage. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. For protection, it releases a horrible stench from the antennae on its head to drive away enemies.
Walking through the main road of Viridian Forest, Nurse Isabelle did not keep her attention on the road. She was very familiar with the peaceful forest and could walk this blindly if she had the desire to try. With her hands in the pockets of her white trousers, Isabelle looked up. The sun filtered just perfectly through the leaves of the trees, not too much to make its glare too bright, nor too little to make it too dark to see. Isabelle loved the forest in the daytime.
"Miss! Miss! I need your help! You're a nurse, right? Oh please, miss!" A very panicky voice called out, disrupting the silence and chasing away several of the forest Pokémon. A kid came running with a gagging, green worm in his arms. She recognised the worm as a Caterpie, a Pokémon quite perfect for a beginning trainer. However, she had rarely seen a Caterpie breathe that weirdly. It seemed as if it was dry-heaving or had something hot in its mouth.
"What happened to the little guy?" Kneeling down, Isabelle took the Caterpie from the boy. As if it was in severe pain, it rolled its body up. Gently, with her fingers, she opened its mouth. It became clear the Bug-type had been eating something that caused this reaction because it had not swallowed what remained in its mouth. It must have started to get stomach cramps somewhere during the second or third bite of whatever was bothering him so.
"What was it eating?" Isabelle asked next. The boy gave Izzy a red, warty berry with some bites taken out of it. The soft flesh matched the red residue in Caterpie's mouth. Isabelle looked up at the young trainer, sternly.
"Kid, this is a Spelon berry. One of the spiciest berries in existence. Did you not know that Caterpie hate spicy food? They usually only eat sweet berries. How come you did not know this?" The kid had the decency to look ashamed, making Isabelle sigh.
"Give it a lot of water to rinse and then go look for a berry that says 'sweet' on its tag. Feed it tiny bits. A few Pokéblocks tonight, and a normal portion tomorrow morning. Your Caterpie should be fine then, but do take it to Nurse Joy to be sure. And make sure this never happens again, okay? You need to know the taste preference of your Pokémon, too, to be a good trainer. It's not just remembering their attacks." With that, she gave the Caterpie back to the kid.
"Nurse Joy, tomorrow morning. If the water and the sweet berry does not help, I want you to take your Caterpie in today. Am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," He replied dutifully. "Thank you. It will not happen again."

Spoiler: #011 Metapod

#011 Metapod
Metapod, the cocoon Pokémon. The evolved form of Caterpie. The shell covering this Pokémon's body is as hard as an iron slab. Metapod does not move very much. It stays still because it is preparing its soft innards for evolution inside the hard shell.
On days like these, Nurse Isabelle wondered who was happier she had become a travelling nurse: Nurse Joy or herself. After a quiet first month, the requests had started to pour in of rumours of sick or injured Pokémon, all sent in by Nurse Joy. There were even requests of Pokémon that were just in the way, but those came from Officer Jenny. Isabelle sighed, smoothing her tied-down hair flat and pushing some stray locks away. It wasn't that she hated doing those requests; she loved the work. It was just that running errands felt silly.
Today's errands involved some Metapod. They had evolved just outside of Viridian Forest and now clung to trees near a frequently travelled road. Her job today was to move them to someplace safe nearby where they could evolve without danger.
The Metapod were really easy to find. Their green colour contrasted nicely with the brown bark of the trees. Just east of Viridian forest laid a less frequented part of the road, since many travelled through the forest, instead of around it.
"All right, you guys. Come on out," Isabelle said, opening her two Pokéballs. Bulbasaur and Wartortle came out. Bulbasaur, as usual, was really happy to be out. He came close for a pet on his head and then ran on his stubby legs around them, for some happy exercise. Wartortle was much calmer. The female Water-type was, like Izzy, not fond of getting dirty and a bit vain, but she hadn't caused any trouble. While she wasn't tight buddies with the excitable Grass-type, she did not seem to hate him either. She just had a big ego.
"Okay. Today, we're moving these Metapod. They're in danger of getting trampled here." Isabelle explained where they would take them and emphasised that they must be handled carefully. She did not want any of them damaged, no matter the hardness of their shell.
They started with the low hanging ones because they could pluck them off themselves. The string of silk that kept them to the tree was easily cut. And so began a long day. All three of them plucked a Metapod and walked the way to the side road Isabelle had chosen for them, placing them a bit out of sight.
As they needed Bulbasaur's vines to pull down the higher ones, Isabelle reflected on how grateful she was neither of her Pokémon had become bored yet. That would have been a bad case scenario.
"You're doing great, you guys. I'm proud of you," Isabelle told them as they took an afternoon break, sitting on the grass near where they placed the Metapod. The Metapod took this mass moving silently, not even talking at all. It suited Izzy. This was much better than angry Metapod. As lunch, Isabelle gave her Pokémon a berry with the taste of their preference. They may be more expensive than normal Pokémon food, but her Pokémon deserved it.
Her Pokémon's personalities shone through in the way they ate. Like how Bulbasaur tackled life, he ate the berry with gusto, digging in as if it were the best thing he ever tasted or the last thing he would ever eat. Wartortle, on the other hand, sat up properly and took small bites of her berry, savouring every bite. Just as they were going back to work, Isabelle noticed that Bulbasaur's bulb has a blue-ish gleam. Curious.
The rest of the day went by faster. It seemed the Pokémon were quite tired of this dreary job and worked harder to get this done as quickly as possible. It only took two more hours for all Metapod to be brought to safety.
"Phew," Isabelle wiped her forehead. "Glad that's done. Let's go to Viridian Pokémon centre. You deserved a really long sleep. Want to sleep in your ball or..." Surprised, Isabelle stopped talking as Bulbasaur lit up.
She did not need to guess what was happening. This light was one of the clearest tell-tale signs. Even Wartortle stood next to Izzy to watch. As they waited for Bulbasaur to be ready, the nurse laid a hand on Wartortle's head, smiling down at her affectionately.
It merely took a minute but it felt much longer. When the light had subsided, Bulbasaur was gone. Instead, a slightly bigger Grass-type stood on the exact spot where Bulbasaur had stood. Only his colouring was different and the bulb had budded into a gorgeous pink bud. He even smelled different. From an earthy scent that reminded her of some healing herbs, he now smelled distinctly more flowery.
Bulbasaur had evolved into Ivysaur.

Spoiler: #012 Butterfree

#012 Butterfree
Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon. The final evolution of Caterpie and the evolved form of Metapod. Butterfree has a superior ability to search for delicious honey from flowers. It can even search out, extract, and carry honey from flowers that are blooming over six miles from its nest. The wings are protected by rain-repellent, poisonous dust. As a result, this Pokémon can fly about even in rain. If you see one flapping its wings, be careful not to inhale any of the dust.
Merely a week later, Nurse Isabelle was called to Viridian City again. The town, once so calm and peaceful with children playing with their Caterpie and their mothers watching over them as they chatted and gossiped, now laid barren. There was not a single person out on the street. All the doors were shut and the windows were closed as if they were scared of something. The hospital and Pokémon centre were very busy, though.
Route two, leading to Viridian forest, did not look much better. Some purplish sheen hung low over the ground. Isabelle deduced that it was a residue of poisonous powder. One that probably caused the town to be a ghost town. Staring at this scene, Isabelle found Officer Jenny with a mouth cap.
"Let me guess. The Metapod evolved?" Isabelle asked, causing Officer Jenny to nod. "How many were taken ill by their toxic dust?"
"All the children and their Pokémon," came the muffled reply. Izzy wasn't surprised. Butterfree were very pretty Pokémon, being basically huge butterflies. However, their wings scattered poisonous dust, making them a bit tricky to handle. It was their way of protecting themselves against other Pokémon.
"Shall we chase them off to Viridian Forest?" Isabelle suggested.
"We?" Jenny asked, looking around them. "I'm not going,"
"My Pokémon and I," Isabelle said, releasing her Ivysaur and her Wartortle. The nurse had already briefed them last night when they were near Viridian again. But just to be sure, Izzy had stocked up on antidotes.

Chasing away Butterfree was only slightly more entertaining than moving Metapod was. These butterflies were not challenging at all to the Pokémon of the young Nurse. With Wartortle's Water Gun and Ivysaur's Vine Whip, the nurse's Pokémon did not come near enough to get poisoned by the butterflies. However, with the whole lot of them, the air was poisoned as well. Not for the first time that day, Isabelle found herself wishing she had a flying type to get rid of this poisonous fog.
Getting rid of the Butterfree was the easy part. When they had finally left for Viridian Forest, bullied away by water and vines, Isabelle's Pokémon collapsed on the ground. Walking towards them, feeling quite dizzy herself, Izzy gathered the heavy Ivysaur in her arms and told Wartortle to hold onto her back, or to her braid if she must. Like that, they staggered away from Route 2 to the city in which the fog was thinning already. There, Isabelle administered the antidote to both her Pokémon and headed with them to the Pokémon centre.
At the Pokémon centre, it did not matter that Nurse Joy was busy with poisoned Caterpie. Isabelle could take care of her own Pokémon, and so she was given her own treating room for them. Laying them on oxygen, she could tell that her Pokémon would be fine once the antidote had cleared away all poison in their bodies. Izzy sighed as she felt how feverish she was herself. She didn't like the poisonous types. They were a lot of effort to treat with a lot of consequences for the one treating them.
Despite being sick, Isabelle watched over her Pokémon all night and only when she was sure they were healthy again did she call them back to their balls and headed up to go to bed herself. Pokémon would always come first for her.

 

Spoiler: #013 Weedle

#013 Weedle
Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokémon. Weedle has an extremely acute sense of smell. It is capable of distinguishing its favourite kinds of leaves from those it dislikes just by sniffing with its big red nose. Often found in forests and grasslands. It has a sharp, toxic barb of around two inches on top of its head. Its poison stinger is very powerful. Its bright-coloured body is intended to warn off its enemies.
Nurse Isabelle had some fond, and at the same time terrible, memories of Weedle. The first time Izzy worked with a Weedle was at Nursing School. Here, an elderly Joy taught other Joys and whoever wished to learn to be a nurse how to be one. The Joys are incredibly good at what they do. It felt like as if the Joys were born to become nurses. Isabelle sometimes thought it to be a bit sad.
At Nursing School, Isabelle had become good friends with a girl called Wendy Foxglove. Together with Wendy, they were the only non-Joys in her class of ten and so they stuck together. Wendy was a really sweet girl with a really submissive personality. Whenever something looked bad or someone was angry with her, she flinched and retreated in her mental shell to protect herself. And so, Isabelle protected her.
Something Wendy was good at was getting Pokémon to trust her. No matter what Pokémon they were dealing with, as soon as she touched them, they relaxed. Izzy had been quite jealous of that and tried her best develop such a gift herself. It had taken a very long time for Izzy to see that forcing to become what she was not, only agitated the Pokémon she was treating. Only after she had learnt this and became confident in her own ability and skills of treating Pokémon, did she become truly good at it.

One of the first lessons on Bug Pokémon, they worked on a Weedle alone. Every girl had her own Weedle and it needed to be bandaged. Unlike Caterpie, Weedle did not lay still one moment. Within mere minutes, every girl was agitated with the wiggling worms. Some even had boils on their hands from being stung by either of their poisonous horns.
Isabelle was struggling too. Getting some bandage around a worm wasn't hard, but the tiny little feet shouldn't be covered or else the Weedle couldn't move anymore. So they had to be quite precise with it, too. Weedle, she suspected, was having too much fun. Whenever a bit was going well, it did a barrel roll to undo it all. But when Izzy placed one hand on its body to hold it down, its tail swung up to sting her harshly. The head did the same whenever she tried to hold down the tail. Holding her painful hand, Izzy realised she either needed to subdue this worm or needed someone to help her.
In the front of the class, the elderly Joy was having a great time. Seeing young nurses struggle and seeing them realise being a nurse isn't only cuddling with the cute Pokémon was very amusing to her.
Eventually, with blisters and boils all over her hands, Isabelle finished last, not counting the Joy whose Weedle had slithered away and was nowhere to be found. Despite being last, she managed and, therefore, passed the class, making Isabelle feel very proud.
Later that day, Wendy sat next to her as Izzy had her boils treated by the elderly Joy.
"Try being kind to them. You're really kind, Izz. Just be yourself to the Pokémon. They'll feel it," Wendy said in her usual soft voice.
If she could, Isabelle would run a hand through her hair but both were pinned down, under treatment.
"It's so hard. Why can't they see I am trying to help and just stay still?" Isabelle complained a little, grumpy from the searing pain in her hands.
"Because they're upset. You're upset now too and don't stay perfectly still either, even though you know I am trying to help. Try to imagine what they're feeling. Pokémon merely in pain are easy to treat. But they can be afraid, confused, angry, or very sad. And that affects the way you must treat them. Keep that in mind, ladies." The elderly Joy spoke up.
This lesson rang through her head on the day she treated the confused Charizard, the one with the cut in its paw. Wherever the elderly Joy had gone after she passed away, Isabelle hoped that she watched over her and that she was proud of her student.

Spoiler: #014 Kakuna

#014 Kakuna
Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon. The evolved form of Weedle. Kakuna remains virtually immobile as it clings to a tree. Almost incapable of moving, this Pokémon can only harden its shell to protect itself when it is in danger. However, on the inside, it is extremely busy as it prepares for its coming evolution. This is evident from how hot the shell becomes to the touch.
Even nurses took the day off, occasionally. When no emergency calls have been made and no wild Pokémon seem to be in trouble, Nurse Isabelle took the rare free time to relax. As was the custom, Ivysaur and Wartortle were released from their Pokéballs.
There was a tiny stream nearby. Not enough to bathe in, but Wartortle enjoyed herself none the less. The water seemed to be pure and so, sitting on a rock in the sunlight, the vain turtle began washing and grooming herself, taking extra good care of her gorgeous tail.
Ivysaur, on the other hand, stayed very close to Isabelle. Sitting cross-legged with Ivysaur on her lap with his eyes closed in bliss, Izzy searched through her Pokédex for more information on Ivysaur. She had a vague memory that her Grass-type starter could learn something around this stage.
"Aha! Take Down!" Isabelle exclaimed triumphantly. Ivysaur merely opened one eye at the noise.
"Let's learn Take Down, Ivy. That should be very useful to be able to take down a Pokémon after you put it to sleep. Some remain standing, you see? Come on, silly sleepy head! We'll nap later, okay?"
Reluctantly, Ivysaur stood up from her lap, allowing the young nurse to get up as well, but before doing so, Isabelle rubbed her Pokémon over the head, affectionately.
As Izzy and Ivysaur searched for a proper target to practice on, Wartortle merely glanced at them before continuing what she was doing. Isabelle didn't mind as long as her Water-type Pokémon did not run into trouble.
Just a bit further was a massive apple tree. The apples were big and red and looked really juicy.
"Let's try to get those, shall we, Ivysaur? Take Down is basically a harder Tackle. You will receive recoil so let's not use it too often, okay? I don't want you to get hurt. Ready, Ivysaur? All right. Take Down on that apple tree!" Isabelle called out the last part, pointing at the tree she wished her Pokémon to attack.
Eagerly, Ivysaur dashed towards it, charging at full speed. As he bashed against the tree, Izzy was very happy the Bulbasaur line had tough skulls, because it sounded a tad painful. They were rewarded with a load of apples that came crashing down, perfectly ripe and very edible.
Proudly, Ivysaur took one of the apples in his maw and ran towards his trainer, fully expecting her to be very happy with him for successfully getting them some apples. But instead of pride, horror was to be seen on Isabelle's face.
This horror was caused by what else was shaken loose by the tree. Several cocoons slid and fell down from the tree, laying on the ground among the apples. They were not green like the harmless Metapod. These were beige and, therefore, they were Kakuna. To make matters worse, one of the Kakuna began to light op, signalling an evolution.
"Nope. Nope. We're out of here," Isabelle decided. Without explaining herself, she recalled her Pokémon to their balls, grabbed her backpack and ran as fast as she could. Because the evolved form of Kakuna were very known to attack humans and Pokémon with the slightest cause, and disturbing their tree was reason enough.
Isabelle did not look over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. She ran to Viridian City as fast as she could, not resting until she was in the Pokémon centre. Panting, she stopped there against the counter. One did not even have time to get fat and lazy around here, living among Pokémon.

Spoiler: #015 Beedrill

#015 Beedrill
Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. The final evolution of Weedle and the evolved form of Kakuna. Beedrill is extremely territorial. No one should ever approach its nest–this is for their own safety. If angered, they will attack in a furious swarm. It has three poisonous stingers on its forelegs and its tail. They are used to jab its enemy repeatedly.
Clutching a cup of tea, Isabelle watched the sunrise after a very intense day and night. The tea in her mug had gone cold, but the nurse did not notice. Ivysaur laid on her lap, making soft sounds to coax his trainer into touching him. He seemed very worried for the golden blonde and would stay with Izzy until she felt better. Putting her cold tea aside, Isabelle wrapped her arms around the Grass-type and held him as she relived the previous day.

Nurse Isabelle's journeys had brought her all over Kanto. A day that Izzy remembered clearly was in Kanto's northernmost city, Pewter City. The city of the Rock-type Pokémon and people. Everyone who lived there was as hard as their Pokémon. Honest and hardworking. Isabelle was fond of these people.
Having arrived there late at night the previous day, Isabelle only had some time to look around town when the sun rose again. However, as she descended the stairs from the guest area, an air of panic could be felt in Pewter City Pokémon Centre. Jogging towards the emergency room, she found Nurse Joy standing over a peculiar shape.
"Joy, what's going on?" Isabelle asked as she entered the emergency room. The advantage of being a nurse was that she could simply barge in and offer her assistance.
"A Beedrill. He has been Frozen!" Joy told her, perplexed. And indeed, in the ice block on the treatment table, the Poison Bee Pokémon could be seen.
"How is that possible? Ice-type Pokémon are incredibly rare in Kanto," Isabelle said, causing Nurse Joy to shake her head.
"We can only guess. Right now, we need to thaw this Bug-type. The problem is, because Ice-types are so rare, we do not have any Ice Heals since we have never needed them. Of course, I have sent for them to be collected but that might take days before it arrives her. I need your help. We need to try to thaw it manually. It's Beedrill's only chance."
Like that, with the heater up high, the two nurses worked hard to thaw the ice around the Bug-type Pokémon. Isabelle did not own any Fire-types and Joy didn't even have any Pokémon.
However, without Ice Heal or any berries that would give the same effect, it was looking dire for Beedrill. Till long past the sun had set again, the ladies worked on thawing out the yellow and black coloured Pokémon, only taking a tiny break to eat something, brought by an apprentice at the centre that Isabelle did not know.
Past midnight, Beedrill's temperature was reasonably normal but still, the Bug did not move. Daring to get close to the territorial Pokémon, Isabelle listened for a heartbeat, fearing the worst. And indeed, there was no heartbeat, just as Izzy feared.
With shaking hands, Nurse Isabelle woke Joy, who had slumped in the corner of the emergency room.
"Joy, Beedrill is dead. His heart has stopped." Her voice did not shake as she said it, seemingly very calm. On the inside, she cried for the poor Bug Pokémon.

 

Spoiler: #016 Pidgey

#016 Pidgey
Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. A common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction. It is capable of unerringly returning home to its nest, however far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings. It is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back.
Sometimes, Nurse Isabelle did not find the Pokémon in need. Sometimes, they found her.
Coming from Cerulean City, Isabelle found herself on Route 24, walking a gorgeous wooden bridge over a river. This path would lead to the sea, where she would visit Bill the Pokémon researcher. He was always interested in what she did and what she encountered on her journey.
Her thoughts of what she would tell Bill about Ivysaur's evolution were interrupted by something falling down and landing heavily on the wooden bridge with a painful sounding 'thump'.
Jogging towards the fallen object, Isabelle could see it was a bird. An unconscious one. Cradling it carefully in her hands, she saw the Pidgey's wing was broken, possibly from the fall but not excluding an attack. However, as Isabelle looked up, all she could see was the calm sky after the storm from last night.
"Pooh," it softly cooed, opening its eyes briefly before shutting them again. It was obviously exhausted. What was most striking about the bird was the little cap on its head and the cylinder on its back. This was obviously a mail-Pidgey.
As Isabelle carried it back to Cerulean City to take it to the Pokémon centre, she reflected on how she loved these birds. Being very docile, they were popular with young kids but anyone could raise them.
At Cerulean City Pokémon Centre, an adult man was at the desk, inquiring about something. He seemed quite agitated from the volume of his voice.
"Have you seen my Ace? Have you seen him?!" Without much success, Nurse Joy tried to calm him down. He could, however, not be soothed. Behind him, Isabelle held up the injured bird to show Nurse Joy and she nodded, moving to ask for a treatment room through the computer. However, the man saw the nod and turned around.
"That's my Ace! What have you done to him, you terrible woman?" He made a grab for the injured bird. Furious, Isabelle pulled the bird out of his reach, cradling it against her chest
"Woah! Calm down, you! I found the Pidgey when it fell from the air. I didn't do anything to it so calm down! Joy, the stretcher? Ah, there it is. Thank you," she said, laying the bird on the stretcher and watching it being rushed away. Then she turned to the man who was fuming that his Pidgey was carried away, though he seemed to realise it was safe in the Pokémon Centre.
"How dare you talk to me like that?" Isabelle demanded to know, placing her hands on her hips. "How dare you jump to conclusions without even pausing to ask what's going on? First, you are rude to my colleague, and then to me? Go home and return when you're calm, or send someone else who can identify ownership over this mail-Pidgey. Pidgey won't be going home anytime today, so return tomorrow morning at the earliest."
To her surprise, he nodded, turned around, and left. Joy behind the counter sighed in relief. Isabelle had to smile at her.
"Sometimes, you have to be firm with them."

The following morning, the man returned and calmly asked to see his Pidgey called Ace. He did not mention the previous day and that was fine with Joy. Showing the contract of the Mail Carrier Service, Ace was identified and returned with the man with his wing bandaged yet awake and looking much better than he did before.

Spoiler: #017 Pidgeotto

#017 Pidgeotto
Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgey. Pidgeotto claims a large area as its own territory. This Pokémon flies around, patrolling its living space. If its territory is violated, it shows no mercy in thoroughly punishing the foe with its sharp claws.
After a satisfying training session between Ivysaur and Wartortle with only Normal-type moves such as Tackle, Nurse Isabelle rewarded her Pokémon by brushing them by hand. Ivysaur was easily pleased and soon took off to nap in the sun, but Isabelle was quite busy by brushing Wartortle's tail just right. Izzy didn't mind. If her Water-type wished to be very concerned about her hygiene, then that's okay with her.
Her backpack stood against a tree in which a lot of medicine and healing berries were stored, along with personal items such as ribbons to tie her braid with.
On the exact moment Izzy finished brushing Wartortle's tail, something swooped by and snatched her bag from underneath the tree, flying off with the rather heavy backpack.
"Hey!" Isabelle called out, indignant, which woke up Ivysaur from his sun soaked nap. Izzy leaped up, together with Wartortle. "There goes our food! Get that bird!"
Ivysaur, bless him, immediately jumped up and started chasing the strong Flying-type Pokémon. Even Wartortle ran after them, not wishing to be left behind, probably. Like that, the three of them dashed after the bird that was stealing the backpack.
"Wartortle, Water Gun. Ivysaur, Razor Leaf!" Isabelle commanded. Her Pokémon may not be in their top shape as fighting Pokémon but weighed down by the bag, the bird should make an easy target if it didn't get too far away.
Eventually, it was Wartortle who managed to bring it down with a well-aimed Bubble. The bird crashed down, dropping her bag, and turned around, ready to fight. Upon closer inspection, Isabelle saw it was a Pidgeotto. This was surprising because Pidgeotto usually weren't strong enough to carry such a bag, but this one apparently was.
"Wartortle, Bite! Ivysaur, stand by to get my bag back with your vines." Isabelle ordered. The Bite went great but Pidgeotto retaliated with a Peck, which hurt Wartortle. While those two fought, Ivysaur reeled her bag in, getting what they came from. Now, the Pidgeotto must be defeated because it was clear he would not give up.
"Wartortle, Rapid Spin!" That made a nice hit. Bashing into the bird at full speed while rotating withdraw in her shield, her Water-type managed to slam the bird against a nearby tree.
Wasting no time, Isabelle chucked a Pokéball that way to catch such an extraordinary Pidgeotto. And indeed, after a few tense wiggles, the ball pinged and Pidgeotto was caught.
"All right! Good job, Ivysaur, but especially well done, Wartortle. You did great!" Isabelle cheered.

After patching up Wartortle, Isabelle let out Pidgeotto from his ball to introduce herself and have him meet the team.
"All right, Pidgeotto. Firstly, no more stealing. Understood?" The bird cooed at her, seriously. "I am Isabelle. I am a travelling Pokémon Nurse. These are Ivysaur and Wartortle. We're a team from now on and I expect you to get along. Your duties as a member of this team involve listening to me whenever I command you to do something and occasionally parcel service. Only when we work as a team can we help Pokémon in need. Okay?" Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Pidgeotto nodded. "All right! Welcome to the team, Pidgeotto."

Spoiler: #018 Pidgeot

#018 Pidgeot
Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. The final evolution of Pidgey and the evolved form of Pidgeotto. This Pokémon has a dazzling plumage of beautifully glossy feathers. Many Trainers are captivated by the striking beauty of the feathers on its head, compelling them to choose Pidgeot as their Pokémon. It spreads its gorgeous wings widely to intimidate enemies. It races through the skies at Mach-2 speed. By flapping its wings with all its might, Pidgeot can make a gust of wind capable of bending tall trees
Because of the forceful manner Pidgeotto was captured with, Nurse Isabelle announced a training afternoon. So as Ivysaur napped again (he could be so lazy), and Wartortle refused to come out of her ball today, Isabelle was trying to bond with the courageous bird, seeing what he could do. After testing his speed and attack power, Isabelle decided that he was skilled enough to learn Aerial Ace.
Finding thick branches, Isabelle swung them up for Pidgeotto to cut through with Aerial Ace. They worked together like that, until, in the early part of the afternoon, a shadow passed over the two of them. Since the sky was clear, Isabelle looked up to see what might have caused this shadow. A massive bird flew over them and landed not far away, revealing it had a rider. The man dismounted the bird and together, they approached Isabelle, Pidgeotto, and the dozing Ivysaur.
The bird the man rode was a Pidgeot, the evolved form of Pidgeotto. It was absolutely gorgeous with its colourful feathers. And the man looked not bad either. He was taller than Isabelle and had a slender frame. He seemed in great control of his body since he did not move clumsily at all. He wore a simple white shirt and black trousers. Nothing too fancy but very convenient for travelling.
"Hello there! I couldn't help seeing you and your Pidgeotto," he started with a brilliant smile. "Do you mind if we join you?" His smile worked contagiously and Isabelle found herself inviting him over and introducing him to Pidgeotto and Ivysaur, who was still sleeping. One would expect Isabelle worked him too hard from the amount of naps he took.
"Nice to meet you, the three of you. I'm Dominic Whitewater and this is a Pidgeot I rented to get from Celadon City to Cinnabar Island."
As Dominic and Isabelle sat down next to the sleeping Ivysaur, with Izzy petting the Grass-type, Isabelle talked about her job as a travelling nurse. Dominic seemed really enthusiastic about it, so Izzy told him about Charmeleon and where she is now. The smile on his face warmed her heart.
"That's amazing, for her to find someone to take care of her like that. I currently have no Pokémon on me. Mine is still at home, because a thunderstorm would pass over there in my absence and she wishes to be there when it happens. She loves thunder." That made Isabelle smile at him.
Pidgeotto and Pidgeot were playing in a peculiar manner. It seemed they were trying to outdo each other, which was a tad unfair since Pidgeotto wasn't fully evolved yet. But despite this, Pidgeotto seemed to be able to keep up pretty well to Pidgeot, only losing on the speed department. He will be an amazing Pidgeot when it is his time to evolve.
Next to her, Dominic looked at his watch and saw the time. He kissed her hand and rose from the grass. "I am terribly sorry, Miss Nurse, but I must go to be in Cinnabar before the sun sets. I hope to see you again." He took a quick bow, headed over to Pidgeot and took off.
Staring after him, Isabelle stood facing the direction he went long after he was gone. Ivysaur found her like that, causing him to be confused to what he missed.

 

Spoiler: #019 Rattata

#019 Rattata
Rattata, the Mouse Pokémon. Rattata is cautious in the extreme. Even while it is asleep, it constantly listens by moving its ears around. It is not picky about where it lives–it will make its nest anywhere. Living wherever there is food available, it ceaselessly scavenges for edibles the entire day. Its fangs are long and very sharp. They grow continuously, so it gnaws on hard things to whittle them down.
"Isabelle! Psssst! Isabelle!" A whispered voice woke the aspiring nurse up. She was disorientated for a moment, having dreamt she flew a Charizard in a journey around the world. When she opened her eyes, she was still in her bed in her dorm room of the Nursing School. Her friend and classmate, Wendy Foxglove, knelt in front of her bed. "Oh good, you're awake."
"Hm? What time is it?" Isabelle mumbled sleepily, rubbing her emerald eyes. Her golden hair was loose, not braided at night, and the waist-long curls laid on her pillow, shimmering a little in the moonlight.
"Long past midnight, but Isa, I need your help." Only Wendy called her Isa. To everyone else, she was Miss Evergreen, Isabelle, or Izzy. Slowly, Isabelle got up from bed, not entirely awake yet.
"I did a thing..." Wendy began, causing Izzy to narrow her eyes.
"What did you do, Wendy?" Isabelle sat up to prevent falling asleep again.
"I ... ehm ... I took in a nest of mice," she stammered, fiddling with the front of her sleeping shirt, looking down at her feet.
"Mice? What kind?" Isabelle asked urgently, in a whisper. "Where?"
"Rattata. In our room," was the reply.
"In our ...? Oh goodness, Wendy..." Isabelle ran a hand through her hair.
"They were scared and hungry! They were so young; one was still in an egg. I could not leave them. Their mother was nowhere to be found, not a single trace. And believe me, I looked!" Large brown eyes filled with tears.
"Okay, okay. Don't cry, Wendy. But they have to go. You need to return them to the wild before they're too old and before Nurse Joy finds out." To Isabelle's surprise, Wendy nodded.
"Let's do it right now!" She hissed, surprising Izzy again. The shy girl never was this bold or forward.
"Now? Right now? Goodness, that's why you woke me, isn't it?" She sighed and looked around for her shoes and her coat. Wendy was already dressed and stood ready with a large basket from which some muffled squeaking came.
Barely dressed, the two girls sneaked out of the dorm room and made their way outside. Despite there being a curfew, no one was in the hallways to check on them. The Pokémon guarding them were very fond of Wendy and did not stop her.
At a patch of tall grass outside of the School's gardens, Wendy knelt down and took one of the Rattata out of the basket with trembling hands. The girl had yet again tears in her eyes, Izzy saw as she looked at her.
"Come on, do it. We don't have all night. They might remember you and come back to play." That was encouragement enough for the sensitive girl. One by one, Wendy pulled them out of the basket and put them down near the tall grass. Following their instincts, the Rattata dashed away right when their paws touched the ground. In less than a couple minutes, all three of them were gone.
"Well done, Wendy," Isabelle merely said, wrapping her arms around the shivering girl. "They're able to defend themselves. They'll be fine. You saved them from starvation when they were younger, but it's time for them to go now."

Spoiler: #020 Raticate

#020 Raticate
Raticate, the Mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Rattata. Raticate's sturdy fangs grow steadily. To keep them ground down, it gnaws on rocks and logs. It may even chew on the walls of houses. The webs on its hind legs enable it to cross rivers. It searches wide areas for food.
There was a rat where it should not be. That was Nurse Isabelle's first reaction when she heard about the problem at hand. A Raticate had crossed the water in his search for something to chew on, probably, and ended up in the Power Plant. From the owners of the Power Plant, she heard some news about agitated Pokémon in the Power Plant. They used Pokémon to run this place and the Raticate was causing a disturbance.
Arriving at the highly electric venue, Isabelle easily found where the Raticate let himself in; there was a hole in the wall with teeth marks everywhere. Sighing, Isabelle opened the front door of the Power Plant with the key card she borrowed.
For some reason, the Power Plant always gave her the creeps. The building had been abandoned many years ago and many electric Pokémon were now living here. Since Isabelle did not have any Pokémon resistant to electric attacks, she hoped she would not encounter any. All the old equipment still stood here, gathering cobwebs and dust, looming eerily over her.
Walking as silently as she could, she followed the path of destruction left by the Raticate. Chewed on beams, scratched metal. It apparently tried to bite everything.
At the other end of the massive hall, she found the Mouse Pokémon. It laid on the ground, twitching as if electrocuted. Finding a chewed on cable nearby that sparked ominously, Isabelle decided that electrocution was exactly what had happened. What was also noticeable was the state of his teeth. They were longer than it should be, which might be an indication why it was so frantic to find something to chew on.
"Come on, you little troublemaker. Let's get you out of here." Wrapping her arms around the paralysed rat, she heaved it up from the ground. It was a tad heavy but nothing she couldn't handle. Her backpack had been this weight on more days than she liked to admit.
Pidgeotto was waiting outside with a makeshift stretcher to carry the Raticate to the nearest Pokémon centre. However, just as Isabelle exited the Power Plant through the front door, the Raticate seemed to be revived again and bit down hard on her arm. Crying out, she dropped the rat on the ground, clutching her sore arm.
"Oh, you ..." She bit back a curse as the Mouse Pokémon dashed away, out of sight, away from the Power Plant. Apparently, it wasn't too defeated, after all.
Stroking the red spot that most definitely would bruise hard, Isabelle walked back to the worried Pidgeotto.
"It apparently doesn't want to be treated. His loss. Let's go, Pidgeotto," She stroked his head, undid the stretcher and let her bird fly with her as she left the site of the Power Plant, after looking behind her once more and muttering an insult to the Biting rat.

 

Spoiler: #021 Spearow

#021 Spearow
Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Spearow has a very loud cry that can be heard over half a mile away. If its high, keening cry is heard echoing all around, it is a sign that they are warning each other of danger. Eats bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speed to stay airborne.
While travelling, it is important to take good care of yourself. So whenever she had the chance, Nurse Isabelle would have a proper lunch and a good rest before she would continue her day. Occasionally, she found a picnic area, with trash bins, a lot of tables to sit on, an outhouse, and a tap for fresh water. As Isabelle arrived at such stop, she saw a couple with young children sitting at one of the picnic tables.
"Hey there. Do you mind if I let my Pokémon out?" Isabelle asked, just to be sure. The parents said they did not mind at all, but only if the Nurse didn't mind her Pokémon being petted. Since that was okay with Izzy, she released Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Pidgeotto.
As she prepared three bowls of food for her Pokémon, the young children approached them. Ivysaur sat up straight, trying to look his best and cutest. The youngest of the two girls fell for his charms and was petting his green head. The boy, however, was totally impressed by Pidgeotto and his coolness. He would squeal and applaud whenever the Bird Pokémon did a flying trick. The most surprising attention spent was by the eldest girl, and eldest child of the three, to Wartortle. Whispering in awe how pretty she was, the girl came closer. Wartortle seemed very pleased in her vain way that someone finally appreciated her beauty and let herself be admired and petted. Her tail was especially a huge success since Wartortle had taken excellent care of it. It was silky soft and shone like silver.
Smiling, Isabelle turned her attention back to the food, deciding that neither her Pokémon nor the children would be harmed.
Screaming, however, made Izzy turn around. It was the mother who screamed and the father swiftly gathered his children. Within a minute, the family left running. Pidgeotto looked confused, Wartortle was insulted, and Ivysaur looked especially heart-broken.
Trying to find out what the cause was of the blind panic, Isabelle approached with the bowls of food. There, she saw it. On the table the family had been sitting near, a flock of birds descended. Four Pidgey and a Spearow.
Spearow were normally very ill-mannered birds. To see one with a flock of Pidgey was surprising, to say the least. The Pidgey, however, seemed to fully accept the Spearow as one of them. They stood together and chattered as if they could understand each other.
Pidgeotto, being his courageous, bold self, approached the Pidgey and Spearow. They spoke for a moment before Pidgeotto nodded his head towards the Spearow. Apparently, it was good. He was one of them, however strange it may sound.
Then the Spearow flew off, allowing Isabelle and her Pokémon to eat lunch. When everyone was nearly done eating, Isabelle started to pack her backpack again. Some berry bushes were nearby and so Izzy wanted to count how much of everything she had. She definitely needed berries that could cure poison. Pecha berries, for example. Those very soft, very sweet, pink berries. Berries like ... exactly that one. A berry had appeared in front of Izzy's backpack. A Pecha berry, conveniently. Looking up, the Spearow was there.
"Did you bring me this? Thank you! Are there more?" Isabelle asked kindly, causing Spearow to fly off right away. While Spearow was gone, she opened her berry case to store the Pecha berry away. One more case of poison she could cure. Besides, many Pokémon seemed to love these.
Spearow, and even the Pidgey, came back with more berries. Spearow carried another Pecha while the Pidgey had Cheri berries which cured paralysis. Useful when working with electric types.
"Come on, you guys," Isabelle called out to her Pokémon. "Let's follow them. I need these berries." Izzy rubbed the Spearow over its rough, brown plumage. "Thank you, Spearow. You're a star. Keep up the good work." In a tender moment, the Spearow rubbed its head against her hand. She could see this Spearow being either an amazing Pokémon for someone one day, someone who'd just stand still and look at the actual Pokémon instead of generalising it, or being here, leading the Pidgey since Spearow fully evolves sooner than Pidgey do.

Spoiler: #022 Fearow

#022 Fearow
Fearow, the Beak Pokémon. The evolved form of Spearow. Fearow is recognized by its long neck and elongated beak. They are conveniently shaped for catching prey in soil or water. It deftly moves its long and skinny beak to pluck prey. With its huge and magnificent wings, it can keep aloft without ever having to land for rest.
Today was a bit windier than normal. Autumn had come. Nurse Isabelle had tied her hair tightly into her accustomed braid to prevent it from going everywhere. Her sneakers made crunching sounds over the fallen leaves and snapped branches. Despite the weather, Isabelle enjoyed herself. The sound of the wind rustling the branches and remaining leaves was one of her favourite sounds of nature.
This sound was interrupted by two others. The first was the frightened squealing of a Caterpie, accompanied by the angry roaring of a bird. A Fearow, Isabelle guessed from its cry. And indeed, when she came closer, the massive bird was pecking away at a tree from which the shrieking of the Worm Pokémon could be heard.
No matter how much it pained her, this was nature. Birds eat bugs, after all. However, something unexpected happened. With a gigantic swing, Fearow dug his beak deeply into the hollow tree in which Caterpie was hiding, resulting in him getting stuck. Taking his chance, Caterpie snuck out of the hole, made a show of climbing over Fearow's body, got blown off, rolled a bit, rightened himself, and slithered off. Furiously, Fearow flapped his mighty wings, causing tiny gales to whip up the leaves from the ground.
Isabelle ran to the agitated bird, eager to help. With ease, the bird made a mess of her hair as she tried to avoid those powerful wings.
"Calm down! Calm down! I'll get you out of there. Don't make me call Ivysaur to use Sleep Powder on you," she warned. That seemed to calm the bird down a little. He still made angry sounds, muffled by his closed beak, but did not flap his wings as much. His body was tense in anger, though.
Wrapping her arms around his feathered body, Izzy helped tug him free, careful to support his neck. Such a long, thin neck couldn't be very strong. After a few mighty tugs, he finally shot free of the hollow tree. As Izzy fell on her bottom on the ground, the Fearow spread his wings and soared off.
"Well, you're welcome," Isabelle huffed, brushing the stray strands of hair out of her face, before getting up and continuing on her way again.

 

Spoiler: #023 Ekans

#023 Ekans
Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. The older it gets, the longer it grows. Ekans curls itself up in a spiral while it rests. Assuming this position allows it to quickly respond to a threat from any direction with a glare from its upraised head.
The first encounter with a fairly uncommon type was usually memorable for a child. Young Izzy clearly remembered the wonder she felt upon seeing the Pidgey fly near the fountain on the main square.
Isabelle Evergreen grew up in Celadon City. This massive town had many facilities, including a Grass-type gym. As the daughter of a Pokémon nurse, the 10-year-old often went with her mother to check on the Pokémon used in there. She had a friend there, too. Young Erika, whose mother was the Gym leader. Together, they petted the Bulbasaur and the other Pokémon that walked around in the fragrant gardens of the Celadon gym.
On one afternoon, Izzy sat in the outskirts of town on a bench near the road, watching the tall grass sway in the wind. Trainers came and went, to challenge Erika's mommy. Excitedly, the girl with the golden, braided pigtails would ask the trainers to show her their Pokémon. Once in a while, one would comply. Izzy made quite an adorable sight with her blushing cheeks, emerald eyes, Butterfree t-shirt, and Bulbasaur bulb backpack.
Rustling brought Izzy back to the present. She had been thinking about the Electric-type the previous trainer had. She had never seen anything like it. It had been taller than her, too. The grass rustled again, signalling a Pokémon nearby. Izzy did not have any Pokémon with her. Sometimes, she brought one for safety, borrowed from the Pokémon centre to give it some exercise and to protect herself, but Izzy had not done so today.
The grass parted and a snake slithered out. Brilliantly purple and longer than she was tall, the serpent was not a pleasant sight for an unarmed girl.
"Ekanssss," it hissed as it slithered along. Izzy kept very quiet, not wanting to draw its attention or chase it off. Just as it was passing by, it stopped right in front of her bench, so close that if little Izzy would stretch out her foot, it would touch the snake. She wondered if it felt hot or cold to the touch.
The snake rose up and turned around, facing the girl that was beginning to get quite scared. The way the snake looked at her didn't sit well with her.
"Ekanssss," it said again, flickering its tongue to taste the air, which Izzy found very creepy. Izzy held as still as she could. Her breath came out in tiny gasps and her knuckles were white from gripping the bench so tightly.
Without any obvious provocation, the Ekans lunged at her. It bit down on her shoulder and wrapped itself around her body. The place where it bit began to burn immensely right away. Without even thinking about it, the young girl screamed in pain and terror, unable to move as the surprisingly strong snake wrapped its long body around hers to keep her still. Over and over, she screamed until the burning in her shoulder became too much and everything went black.

In the hospital, her mother told her she had been found by a trainer who had rescued her, but he had nearly been too late. She had been badly poisoned and would need to stay in the hospital for quite a while.
The poison was cured, the wound healed, and even the scar was barely noticeable on her left shoulder. The fear for Poison-types never left her though and continued to plague her for the rest of her life.

Spoiler: #024 Arbok

#024 Arbok
Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon. The evolved form of Ekans. This Pokémon is terrifically strong in order to constrict things with its body. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once Arbok wraps its body around its foe, escaping its crunching embrace is impossible. The pattern on its belly appears to be a frightening face. Weak foes will flee just at the sight of the pattern. To intimidate foes, it spreads its chest wide and makes eerie sounds by expelling air from its mouth.
The memory of that unfortunate first encounter with an Ekans came to haunt her whenever she dealt with a Poison-type. But, as many Nurses agreed, a Nurse's opinion of Pokémon could never prevent her from doing her duty. Whenever a Pokémon needed help, it must be given at all times.
Nurse Isabelle's faithfulness to this rule was tested when a trainer stopped her on the road. His Pokémon was injured and because there was no Pokémon centre around, he asked the Nurse that was travelling by herself. Her outfit gave her away as a Nurse, since we wore the trademark colour shirt and white pants, along with some comfy sneakers that looked to be fitting to the colour scheme.
"An injured Pokémon? Sure, I'll check it out. Just a cut, you said, on her tail?" Isabelle knelt down as she withdrew her pack from her back, to get some disinfectant and bandages.
"Yeah. Nothing much, but it's hurting her. Arbok, come on out!" Isabelle froze when the trainer called the massive Cobra Pokémon to come out. Of all Pokémon, it has to be a snake.
Arbok were huge. They were 3,5 meter long, making them over twice as long as she was high. Raising up her head, Isabelle looked anxiously at the snake, looming in front of her. She took a shaky breath.
"I need you to do something for me," she told the trainer. "Can you make sure your Arbok does not move? I'd prefer it if she faced away from me. I've had some bad experiences with snakes randomly attacking me," she trailed off. Even the memory made her shoulder ache.
"One bit you? Oh damn, I'm so sorry. I can promise you that my Arbok is really well raised. She won't harm you, I promise!" He sounded so concerned. "Arbok, can you do that for the kind Nurse? Look away and keep still. She can make the pain in your tail go away," he told his female snake, who obeyed him without question.
Sighing, Izzy cleaned her hands and knelt down near the tail, seeing the deep, red cut on the purple flesh. It was quite striking. For now, she merely inspected the wound, looking at it from all angles. It was slightly raised and a bit inflamed, but not infected. The fact Arbok was a Poison type surely helped with that.
"I'm going to clean the cut now. It may sting a little, but it'll prevent an infection, which can be avoided easily with some care. Please make sure Arbok doesn't move. Her tail is strong enough to knock me over and send me flying." The trainer repeated Izzy's command to the snake. It helped Izzy to talk to the trainer instead of the snake.
Spraying some Potion on the wound, Isabelle saw the redness already lessen a little. Then she asked to have the snake lift up this part of her tail just a little so the bandage can be wrapped around it.
Touching the Cobra Pokémon as little as possible, Isabelle expertly wrapped the wound with the bandage. This was easy. She practiced this: bandaging in the least painful way possible. There was a technique to prevent it sliding loose and in a manner worthy of a Nurse, she knew this. Her hands shook a little with her racing heart, but she still managed to bandage Arbok properly. Not her neatest job ever, but this would hold to let the snake heal.
When it was done, she let out a very deep sigh, standing up and stepping back. She wiped her forehead, which felt clammy, and packed her bag again as the trainer received confirmation from Arbok the pain was less and the bandage was tight. By the time Izzy was ready to look at the trainer again, the snake was gone.
"There. All done. I'd prefer it if you didn't fight with her until she doesn't feel pain anymore. A confirmation from another Nurse that the cut is healed is most preferable, but you may not encounter any before it's healed. If the bandage does fall off before the wound is healed, head over to the Pokémon centre right away. Do not keep travelling without it. Pokémon welfare before badges, always. Okay?" The trainer said he understood her, thanked her greatly, and even gave her an antidote, as a wry and tiny bit inappropriate gift of thanks.
As she watched the trainer go on his way again, Isabelle congratulated herself for a job well done. This was what a Nurse was about.

 

Spoiler: #025 Pikachu

#025 Pikachu
Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon. This Pokémon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up. Whenever Pikachu comes across something new, it blasts it with a jolt of electricity. If you come across a blackened berry, it's evidence that this Pokémon mistook the intensity of its charge. It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose.
It always saddened Nurse Isabelle when people look down on Pokémon. Every case like that was one too many. Regretfully, a discarded Pokémon case found her in Vermillion city.
Isabelle was actually in Vermillion City to check on the Pokémon aboard the S.S. Anne. Being confined on a cruise ship didn't do much good to some Pokémon. However, in the Pokémon centre, a sailor approached her. He was the jolly kind of sailor. He was a bit chubby, but his face was made for laughing. His eyes were serious, though, when he approached her.
"Hello, miss Nurse. Do you do house calls?" He asked her solemnly. Isabelle nodded, a bit too surprised by the question inside a Pokémon centre to answer. "Good. Could you come over to the Vermillion Gym? I'll meet you there." After saying that, the sailor nodded his head and waddled off.
Curiosity got the better of her, so Isabelle found herself in front of the tackily decorated Gym. Massive thunderbolts were attached to the building, to make clear it was an Electric Type Gym. To be honest, it looked like a child designed the building, Isabelle thought.
In front of this building, the sailor stood, cradling something in a blanket against his body with his short arms. When Isabelle approached him, he nudged with his head to follow him elsewhere. They did not travel far, to a small house near the Gym.
Once he was sure the door was closed, he laid the bundle down on the table. The care he took not to shake it too much and to lay it down softly suggested something of value, or something living. This behaviour was suspicious to Isabelle. What was so important in this bundle that such secrecy was required?
He then folded the cloth away, revealing a yellow rodent. Something terrible had happened to it, because it shied away from the sailor's hands, flinching at every sound.
Upon being gestured to check it out, since she was a Pokémon nurse, the sailor began to talk, softly.
"This Pikachu belonged to Lt Surge, from that Gym. I am a trainer there, with a Pikachu of my own. This one hatched from an egg laid in the Gym, so the Gym is all he knows. As you might know, Lt Surge looks down on unevolved Pokémon. This Pikachu does not want to evolve. Lt Surge tried to make him by forcing a stone onto him often. This morning, he was fed up with him. What he did exactly, I don't know, but this is the result."
The Pikachu seemed to be most scared of men, since it did not flinch from Izzy's soft hands. Sitting down on a chair, the young Nurse moved slowly and carefully so she wouldn't spook the poor Electric-type. She rubbed his cheeks, checked for internal injuries. A tiny relief was that the Pikachu had no physical injuries. However, it did not explain what had happened.
"I think that this Pokémon is very wary of humans, now. Lt Surge is probably the only man he knows and all he had done was force this mouse to do stuff he did not want to. You have a Pikachu, you said? I suggest you have them meet. If you are a good trainer, this Pikachu might see not all men are forceful like the lieutenant. If Pikachu does not recover, it's a good idea to release him." Isabelle stood up from the chair, rubbing the Pokémon on his little head. He was so skittish. It broke her heart. While Lt Surge didn't abuse the poor thing, being kind was entirely different.
The sailor sighed and nodded, thanking her for her advice. Isabelle touched his arm in consolation.
"Don't worry. If your heart is in the right place, he might see that too. Don't give up on him." She smiled softly at the chubby sailor.

Spoiler: #026 Raichu

#026 Raichu
Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Pikachu. This Pokémon exudes a weak electrical charge from all over its body that makes it take on a slight glow in darkness. If the electrical sacks become excessively charged, Raichu plants its tail in the ground and discharges. Scorched patches of ground will be found near this Pokémon's nest. When its electricity builds, its muscles are stimulated, and it becomes more aggressive than usual. It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size.
Growing up in a busy city like Celadon, Nurse Isabelle found herself longing for some tranquillity occasionally. This time, she decided to go to the sea. Route 25, near Bill's Lighthouse. She loved this place.
Pidgeotto was flying around, soaring over the sea. Wartortle was out, too, playing in the waves. Ponds and baths weren't enough for a Water-type to stay healthy. They needed real water every now and then. Her cries told Izzy she was feeling much better. Ivysaur was around somewhere, too. The sun was shining and so Izzy would be able to find him napping somewhere.
"Hello? Whose Ivysaur is this?" Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Nurse Isabelle turned around and saw a familiar man standing a bit further off. His orange Pokémon was fuzzing over what seemed to be her Grass-type, who was totally out cold. Not wanting to keep him waiting, Isabelle jogged over to where they were, trusting Pidgeotto and Wartortle to take care of themselves and each other.
"He's mine. I'm sorry, he just likes the sun... Oh! Hello there!" Isabelle recognised the man as Dominic, the guy with the borrowed Pidgeotto. She, in her Nurse-themed outfit, was much easier to recognise and she received a smile back.
"Hey there, Nurse Isabelle. Fancy meeting you again," he told her. Dominic Whitewater was a tall, thin trainer with a heart of gold. From their previous conversation, they found out that they thought the same about Pokémon welfare; that they were friends and partners, not tools for personal gain.
"So this is the Pokémon you spoke about? A Raichu. Nice choice," Isabelle praised, kneeling down in the sand in front of the dark orange mouse. Her fur looked healthy and her mild temperament told Izzy she wasn't over-charged. "She looks great," the nurse told Dom with a smile.
Dominic beamed back at her. "She should. This little lady is quite important to me. Aren't you, Rai?" He asked her.
"Rai! Rai!" Raichu replied energetically.
Dominic ran a hand through his black hair, which was made messy by the sea wind and smiled down at the golden blonde.
"I was on my way to find some lunch. Perhaps you'd like to come with me, to share a picnic?" His smile held more warmth than the sun did.
Isabelle stroked Raichu's head bashfully. "I'd like to, but preferably here. It's been so long since my Pokémon could play. I'd hate to call them back now while they're having so much fun."
Dominic nodded. "Good thing I came prepared then. Ta-dah!" He called out, revealing a picnic basket. It made her laugh. "I have enough food for two, and for four Pokémon. Please join me?" He asked. Isabelle couldn't help but agree.
So there they sat on the sand. Their backpacks functioned as tables and all around the two trainers sat the Pokémon. An Ivysaur, a Pidgeotto, a Wartortle, and a Raichu. Strangely enough, Wartortle and Raichu were sitting together, chattering in the way only girls could do. Isabelle explained to Dominic that Wartortle used to watch over a band of Squirtle and, therefore, was rumoured to have quite a soft spot for young Pokémon. Dominic nodded and told her that Raichu tried to nurture anything. Big or small, young or old; it didn't matter to Raichu. She even cared for him. That made Izzy smile.
Isabelle noticed that Dominic preferred to pay attention to Pidgeotto rather than Ivysaur. She wasn't entirely sure why. It couldn't be her Ivy's personality since it's just an affectionate napper. Because of the pleasant mood of the picnic, Isabelle decided to ask him if she'd ever see him again. Not today.
As the sun set, they finally finished all of the food. They had been sitting there for hours. Talking to Dominic was so easy that time flew by. Pidgeotto had already returned to his ball to rest. Ivysaur was sleeping, yet again. Wartortle and Raichu were searching for something in the sand of the beach. Possibly shells.
Standing up and brushing the sand off their clothing, they both packed again. Isabelle would stay with Bill in his Lighthouse and Dominic would go to Cerulean City. They shook each other's hands as they said goodbye. In the background, Wartortle and Raichu were hugging.
"Well, then. I do hope to see you again. It's been a pleasure having lunch with you," Isabelle smiled up at the tall male.
"The pleasure is all mine, princess," he smiled. He kissed her hand, recalled Raichu, and walked off.
Isabelle shook her head to get herself together, recalled her own Pokémon, and headed off to the lighthouse in the distance.

 

@[member="BiohazardSr"] Thank you so much! That means a lot to me!

Spoiler: #027 Sandshrew

#027 Sandshrew
Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon. Sandshrew has a very dry hide that is extremely tough. The Pokémon can roll into a ball that repels any attack. At night, it burrows into the desert to sleep. Sandshrew's body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive in an arid desert.
For the last few days, it had been raining mercilessly. Water-type Pokémon were really happy with this, but other types not so much. On the first sunny day after the heavy rain, Nurse Isabelle walked around to check out the damage. The most obvious issue was that the rivers had flooded. The people in the towns weren't in dire need of help. They merely had wet ankles. Nurse Isabelle was worried more for the Pokémon.
It didn't take long to find her one. On the place where there used to be a grassy slope, filled with burrows, none of the ground was visible anymore. The entire slope was covered with murky water. The ground was soggy and mud-covered, making it very weak and unable to support weight or hold the structures built in it by the Ground-types.
Speaking of the Ground-types, a Sandshrew laid on the mud-covered ground, seemingly unconscious. Sandshrew hated water, so to see one laying in the muddy water was concerning at the very least. Isabelle immediately called Ivysaur out of his ball.
"Ivy, use Vine Whip to pull Sandshrew out of the mud," she commanded. Grunting determinedly, the Grass-type followed the order right away. His claws dug into the sludge as he jerked hard to free the Sandshrew from the sucking grip of the muck. As Isabelle fully expected him to, Ivysaur was able to pull it free and onto the dry grass which had been spared from the muddy water. The grass had dried in the sun.
Against her wish to clean the Mouse Pokémon up, Isabelle ordered the Sandshrew to be laid down in the sun. Rather than a bath, the Ground-type would benefit much more from simply drying in the sun. It was a Pokémon capable of handling a desert, after all.
As Sandshrew laid in the sun, drying up, Isabelle sat nearby, guarding it. Ivysaur napped next to the Sandshrew. Her Grass-type could be so lazy sometimes, never skipping a possible nap. About an hour or two after the Sandshrew was pulled from the mud, its eyes opened. Carefully, Isabelle crawled closer, stroking its head gently while smiling and making soothing sounds. With her hands, she brushed the dried mud from its dry skin. This little Pokémon would be okay. This knowledge relieved Isabelle. She loved fortunate endings.

Spoiler: #028 Sandslash

#028 Sandslash
Sandslash, the Mouse Pokémon. The evolved form of Sandshrew. Sandslash's body is covered by tough spikes, which are hardened sections of its hide. Once a year, the old spikes fall out, to be replaced with new spikes that grow out from beneath the old ones. Sandslash can roll up its body as if it were a ball covered with large spikes. In battle, this Pokémon will try to make the foe flinch by jabbing it with its spines. It then leaps at the stunned foe to tear wildly with its sharp claws.
Somewhere near Pewter City, Nurse Isabelle's help was needed again. A couple of miners were doing maintenance on the Rock Tunnel, removing rocks that are in the way, fortifying the ceiling, and other stuff Isabelle had never been interested in. But that wasn't why she was there. One of the Pokémon helping the miners had fallen ill.
Sitting in the small, but cosy house of one of the miners, Isabelle was kneeling on the ground next to the sick Mouse Pokémon. The poor thing had a harsh fever, probably from working too hard. Pokémon tended to go far for their trainers and sometimes too far. The heat from the fireplace made the cabin nicely warm. The Sandslash preferred heat over cold so this should make it feel better and help it heal easier.
While Isabelle was doing her best to bring the Sandslash's fever down, her Ivysaur helped the miner whose Pokémon she was treating. Ivysaur could Dig a little and could use the training, having napped way too much over the last weeks. Izzy had been going a bit soft on her affectionate starter.
Meanwhile, Pidgeotto was out to fly to the Pokémon centre to get some medicine for this Pokémon. All Nurse Isabelle could do now was make sure the Sandslash drank enough and kept warm.
Izzy's heart melted for this Sandslash. Even delirious with fever, it constantly sought praise and recognition. Its trainer had apparently raised it with a lot of positive reinforcement. Izzy had noticed he treated it this way from the way he said goodbye to his Pokémon, leaving with her Ivysaur. He had knelt in front of the Mouse Pokémon and whispered to it to take it easy and rest up. He had said that Sandslash was his champion and even champions needed rest occasionally.
While waiting for Pidgeotto to return, the Sandslash had left its place in front of the fireplace and crawled up against Izzy, so she got herself comfortable in front of the fireplace and allowed the spiky mouse to snuggle against her chest with its chin on her shoulder. Because it had so many spikes, Isabelle could not pet it but that Sandslash didn't seem to mind this. Like this, the Pokémon fell asleep.
By the time the sun set and the miner came home with her Ivysaur, the Sandslash had napped for hours and even had a Potion to regain strength. The spiky mouse was feeling much better. Ivysaur, however, wasn't as pleased. It was very tough work, working for a miner and he was entirely covered in mud. His mood brightened a lot when his Human brushed him until he was all clean and shining, fed him an amazing meal with the tastiest Pokémon food, and then allowed him to sleep on her bed with her in the Pokémon centre tonight.

 

Spoiler: #029 Nidoran♀

#029 Nidoran♀
Nidoran ♀, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidoran♀ has barbs that secrete a powerful poison. They are thought to have developed as protection for this small-bodied Pokémon. When enraged, it releases a horrible toxin from its horn
The summer had officially ended and with autumn, a lot of wind and rain came. Today was such a day. It was raining so hard that Nurse Isabelle couldn't see a hand in front of her eyes. The wind nearly blew her over. She needed to find shelter and fast.
Covering her face with her arms to prevent rain from getting into her eyes, Isabelle took step by difficult step. The Squirtle-patterned raincoat she was wearing wasn't doing much to keep her dry. Her white pants were sticking to her legs, and her socks were so wet every step was accompanied with a squishy sound.
Suddenly, Isabelle heard something, causing her to stand upright and try to hear over the gale. There it was again. A piteous cry for help. It did not sound human so that meant a Pokémon was in trouble. Leaving the path, Isabelle went straight to the sound, keeping her eyes out for any Pokémon that might still be out in the rain.
After slipping and falling twice, causing her trousers to be covered with mud, Isabelle found the source of the sound. Underneath a tree, a small blue Pokémon was huddled, trying to keep itself warm. Those ears and barbs, in that colour, were unmistakable; it was a female Nidoran. It was curled up and whimpering, being rocked back and forth by the merciless wind. It was very curious to find one alone. Usually, they stuck together, especially in weather like this.
Coming closer, Isabelle was noticed by the frightened little Pokémon. It looked up at her with its pleading, big eyes. Kneeling in front of her, Isabelle rubbed the Nidoran's head with her thumb. For a moment, she had forgotten the weather. The tree sheltered them from the rain, anyway.
"Many years ago, I would have loved to capture you. I love Nidoran. But why must you be so poisonous?" Isabelle asked the pure Poison-type. Despite her cute looks, she did not trust it. She didn't trust those barbs or the tiny horn on her head.
Isabelle took her raincoat off and wrapped it around the female Nidoran, protecting the Poison Pin Pokémon from the rain and herself from those pins.
"I hope you like Squirtle," She mumbled, referring to the pattern on her raincoat as she covered the Nidoran. "Come on. Let's go find shelter. You're shivering," Isabelle said. It was truly a shame she could not give this Pokémon the love it deserved. This would have been such an easy capture.
The light blue Pokémon was a tad heavy but nothing Isabelle couldn't carry. Ivysaur was heavier than this tiny one.
Not far away, Izzy found a cave. After exploring carefully, she declared it safe to rest in. Shivering because she was really cold, Isabelle wished she had a Fire-type Pokémon. She could certainly use the warmth right now.
Something bumping against her leg made her look over curiously and then tense up. The Nidoran had left the raincoat and was snuggling up against her leg, burying her snout underneath her paws to make it darker or something.
That night, Isabelle slept restlessly. Whenever the tiny rabbit-like Pokémon moved, she was afraid of being hit by her Poison Point. So when the morning came and the sun rose, she was happy when it woke up. Only, there was a tiny problem. It would not leave. The female Nidoran followed her around, maybe thinking Isabelle was her mother now? With a sigh, the golden blond nurse decided to look for the mother. She should be around here somewhere.

Spoiler: #030 Nidorina

#030 Nidorina
Nidorina, the Poison Pin Pokémon. The evolved form of the female Nidoran. When Nidorina are with their friends or family, they keep their barbs tucked away to prevent hurting each other. This Pokémon appears to become nervous if separated from the others. When feeding its young, it first chews the food into a paste, then spits it out for the offspring. The female has a gentle temperament. It emits ultrasonic cries that have the power to befuddle foes.

The following morning after Nurse Isabelle had rescued the little female Nidoran, the rain had stopped. Holding an apple in her hand as breakfast for on the road, Izzy left the cave in a good mood. It felt amazing to be able to walk normally again, albeit carefully because of the mud everywhere. This rainstorm had left the forest a mess. A cry made her freeze. Behind her, the young Nidoran came running towards her, crying for her to wait so she can catch up. Isabelle sighed.
"Come on, you. Go back home. It's not storming anymore," she sounded slightly cross, but that was because she did not want the cute yet poisonous Pokémon following her. It would be so easy to just catch it right now, but she could never love her the way she loved her other Pokémon. No, Nidoran should go home. It obviously had one. They could not survive alone for very long.
The blue Pokémon ignored Izzy's words and sat at her heel, waiting for the nurse to start walking again. With an annoyed sigh, Isabelle started walking again. She'd have to find its mother for her.
Not far ahead, after only an hour or two of walking, Isabelle heard something. The Pokémon sounded in great distress so Isabelle jogged towards the source of the sound. A Nidorina sat on the side of the road, crying out over and over again. Even Nidoran's poking could not cheer her up.
Around the Nidorina, the ground was a mess. Scorch marks were everywhere, even on the trees surrounding the area, most likely coming from a fire-breather while the claw and skid marks probably belonged to its opponent. The Nidorina smelled the ground, laying on the grass next to an imprint of a collapsed Pokémon. Clearly, she had known the Pokémon that had collapsed there.
Snapping a branch under her foot accidentally, Isabelle made herself known. The Nidorina shot up, with fearful eyes. At least, her wailing had stopped. It cowered away, as if afraid of humans. This was odd behaviour for an otherwise gentle kind of Pokémon.
On the road, heavy boot prints showed in the mud. Combining those with the signs of a fight, it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. A trainer must have captured a Pokémon here, using his own Fire-type.
"You knew this one?" Isabelle pointed to the indentation in the grass. The Nidorina nodded, causing Izzy to sigh. Oh dear, a broken heart. While Isabelle ran a hand through her hair to think of what to do to soothe her distress, the Nidoran began talking to the Nidorina. At first, the bigger blue Pokémon didn't listen much but Nidoran must have said something that seemed like an amazing idea to Nidorina. They both cried out in excitement and ran over to Izzy, both sitting patiently at her heel.
"Are you kidding me? Both of you? Go away! I don't want you to follow me!" Yet again, they ignored her. So it's true what men said about women. Females seemed to be selective of hearing. Isabelle groaned.
"Fine! But as soon as I find you shelter or a better place to stay, I'm leaving you there. Surely, there's a mother Pokémon or human willing to take you two in," she grumbled as she walked off with her increased, blue tail.

Spoiler: #031 Nidoqueen

#031 Nidoqueen
Nidoqueen, the Drill Pokémon. The evolved form of Nidorina and the final evolution of the female Nidoran. Nidoqueen's body is encased in extremely hard scales. It is adept at sending foes flying with harsh tackles. This Pokémon is at its strongest when it is defending its young.
One morning found Nurse Isabelle and her blue tail in a tiny, rural town. It did not have a gym or a Pokécentre, so Isabelle stocked up at the berry farm. The elderly couple that stood in the store was very happy to do business with her while their children and grandchildren took care of the berries. Because she had such lovely Nidos following her, the elderly woman gave her a small discount on the berries, allowing Izzy to purchase more for the same money. Completely stocked up on berries that took care of any ailment and also some healing berries, Isabelle asked the lady if she were interested in adopting the Nidoran.
"You see, I found this one in the forest nearby, all alone and cold. I don't want to take it since she needs a lot of attention and probably a mother. I cannot be that person for her."
To her disappointment, the lady from the berry shop shook her head.
"I'm sorry, I am too old to take in a young'un like that. But I know something that might help you. Every week or so, a giant blue one, a Nido... Nido... Nidoqueen! That was it! A Nidoqueen passes through town, followed by a lot of tiny ones like those two you got there. She's due today, so maybe that's the mother you're looking for, my dear?"
Isabelle thanked the lady and exited the shop, smiling. It sounded like the perfect solution.
Outside, Isabelle didn't have to wait long. As she sat on the grass, eating lunch, with the female Nidoran snuggled against her leg, a loud cry startled all of them. Despite being really nervous about those poisonous spikes from Nidoran, she had to admit the small, blue Pokémon was rather cute. Now she felt bad for it as it leapt into the air, startled by the noise. The ground vibrated a little with every step the Pokémon approaching made, which was presumably a Nidoqueen with her posse of Nidos. Frightened, the female Nidoran began to cry out pitifully, drawing the attention of the Nidoqueen. Because of that, Isabelle faced a mad looking Nidoqueen.
This Nidoqueen was absolutely massive. Normally, they didn't get bigger than adult humans, but this one certainly was. As Isabelle stood, the Nidoqueen was taller than her.
"Hey," Izzy started uneasily. "Are these two yours? I found them crying in the woods." Isabelle didn't point at the woods in fear she might look threatening. "Nidoran? Is this your mother?" The wailing blue Pokémon didn't seem to hear her.
The Nidoqueen called out softly, a tone of voice Isabelle remembered from her own mother. Both the Nidos that had been following her perked up right away. Nidoran ran towards the Queen to rub her poisonous, little spikes against her leg while the other Nidorina in the Queen's posse took care of Izzy's depressed one.
"Take good care of them, Nidoqueen," Isabelle told her, probably unnecessarily. "Nidorina seems to be mourning. And Nidoran certainly could use some love."
The Nidoqueen nodded slowly, apparently recognising Isabelle as a worthy caretaker and then turned around to resume her journey with an even bigger posse of Nidos. Isabelle had had to step back to avoid her spikes but after that, she watched both fondly and with pain in her heart as her tail left her. They had been cute, yet so poisonous.

 

Spoiler: #032 Nidoran♂

#032 Nidoran♂
Nidoran♂, the Poison Pin Pokémon. Nidoran♂ has developed muscles for moving its ears. Thanks to them, the ears can be freely moved in any direction. Even the slightest sound does not escape this Pokémon's notice. It scans its surroundings by raising its ears out of the grass. Its toxic horn is for protection.
Now that the female Nidoran and the Nidorina that had been following her been delivered safely to a good home, Nurse Isabelle made haste to get out of this forest. She was quite uncomfortable with all these Poison types. They all looked so adorable but the sight of their spikes and pins made her skin crawl. She felt filthy because of the rain from the last days, combined with the mud which is now coating her shoes and legs up to her knees. Isabelle couldn't wait to get to a Pokémon centre and get a nice, hot bath. She'd wash Wartortle, brush Ivysaur and Pidgeotto, and just spend a quiet evening with her non-poisonous Pokémon. Yes, she knew Ivysaur was a secondary Poison-type, but as long as he didn't know any venomous attacks, he was harmless.
Unfortunately, her bath had to wait. In the middle of the road, with its paws deep in the mud, a pink Nidoran sat. It looked very happy to see her, making Isabelle sigh inwardly. Her adventures in this forest weren't done yet, apparently.
The Nidoran looked absolutely filthy. He appeared to have been digging because his front paws and face were brown with mud. The entire forest was sludgy after the heavy rainfall that had occurred around the time that Isabelle had found the female Nidoran.
"What have you done to yourself? Look at you!" Isabelle called out, unable to stop the urge to mother it a little. The Nidoran looked at himself in a puddle and seemed to shrug, not caring about how he looked. So different from her Wartortle, Isabelle thought.
"So... what's up?" She asked the Nidoran. He looked really happy she asked. He jumped off the road into the grass and began barking at her.
"Ni! Ni! Ni!" He ran a couple paces and then called out to her again. "NI! Ni!"
Isabelle had worked with enough Pokémon to know that this one wanted her to follow him. Mourning her poor sneakers, which until recently had been white and pink, she trudged off the road into the thick of the wood again. The Nidoran kept racing ahead, calling out for her impatiently.
"Yes, yes. I'm coming," Isabelle couldn't hide the annoyance in her voice. The lack of sleep and hygiene was catching up with her. She realised she had had it easy up until now, always able to stay near the towns and have shelter in the Pokécentres. But merely visiting Gyms and townsfolk was not all she set out to do. Helping wild Pokémon, far from where humans normally travelled, needed to be done, too.
A bit ahead, Nidoran was digging furiously. Taking a deep breath, she bottled her frustrations and focussed on the task at hand. A Pokémon had called her here, probably to see something. While she had expected an injured Pokémon, this didn't appear to be the case.
Eventually, Nidoran found what he was looking for. Filthier than ever, he trotted over to Isabelle with a rock in his maw. Taking the stone carefully from Nidoran's mouth, she wiped it off on her white trousers. Underneath the muck, it appeared to sparkle nicely. Holding it in the sunlight that managed to shine through the leaves of the trees, Isabelle could see veins running through the stone.
"This is a Moon stone," Izzy said, clearly in awe. She had not expected the Poison-type to be able to find such a thing, being a little prejudiced against them. "Well done, Nidoran. Do you want to keep it, to evolve later?" Nidoran shook his head. He gently nudged his nose against her hand in a manner that said 'you keep it'.
For the first time in days, Isabelle smiled at the helpful Nidoran and carefully stroked his muddy head.
"Thank you, Nidoran." Izzy stored the stone in her backpack to be used later.

Spoiler: #033 Nidorino

#033 Nidorino
Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon. The evolved form of the male Nidoran. Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might. It raises its big ears to check its surroundings. If it senses anything, it attacks immediately. The horn on its head secretes a powerful venom.
With her coat closely wrapped around her body, Nurse Isabelle braced herself against the cold December air. She was very fond of this coat because it was so gorgeous. It gradiently changed from white to blue. In the transition, the white changed to snowflakes upon a blue sky. Her white hat, scarf, and gloves were nothing out of the ordinary. All purely functional, as they should be.
As Isabelle walked through the familiar forest, she reflected on how she had had some adventures here with several members of the Nidoran evolution line. It seemed so long ago but it couldn't have been more than two months. She wondered how they were doing. The lost female Nidoran, the depressed Nidorina. Even that messy male Nidoran. She hoped Nidoqueen took good care of them.
Soft whimpering broke the silence of the forest in winter. Izzy's thoughts immediately flew to the lost Nidoran and she dashed towards the sound. The source of said sound wasn't hard to find because it was larger than the Nidoran she had expected. It wasn't blue either.
Curled up underneath a bare tree was a light purple Nidorino. The poor thing was shivering on the frozen ground and obviously malnourished. Concerned for his health, Isabelle squatted near it, feeling his head for a fever. He had none. Actually, he was undercooled, which was much more concerning than a fever. His spikes looked rather dull, too.
Pulling her bag towards her, she immediately sought for her berry case. Food was of the most immediate concern right now. A juicy berry should give the poor guy some energy to start moving again. If Isabelle left him here like this, the Nidorino would starve.
Suddenly, she had an amazing idea. Nidoqueen and her posse should live around here; she could take care of this one. Grabbing a Pokéball from her belt, she enlarged it and summoned Wartortle.
"Wartortle, I need your help," Izzy spoke urgently. Her Water-type was strong against ice and could endure this wintery cold. "There is a Nidoqueen nearby. She should live in a cave with a lot of Nidoran and Nidorina. Can you please find her for me and call her here?" After staring at her Mistress for a long moment, Wartortle turned around and ran off, without giving any kind of verbal agreement. Isabelle sighed. The relationship between her and her Wartortle was getting worse. Soon, it would be time to think about what was best for Wartortle.
Feeding the weak Nidorino some of her nutritious berries, Izzy waited anxiously for Wartortle and Nidoqueen. It felt like ages before she heard the thumping sounds of a very heavy Pokémon approaching. Wartortle didn't stop running and let herself back into her ball as Nidoqueen thundered towards Izzy and the Nidorino.
"I found him like this. I've been trying to feed him some of these berries..." she showed said berries to the Nidoqueen. "..., but he doesn't respond much. Please, Nidoqueen, take him in your posse. He will die, otherwise. He cannot survive alone; this much is clear!"
Nidoqueen grunted, stooped down, and swept the Nidorino up, who had lost consciousness. Then the matriarch stomped away to her den. Isabelle grabbed her bag and followed the blue Pokémon that was taller than she was.
In the den, Nidoqueen laid him down and barked orders to the Nidorina around, who immediately began gathering moss and food to warm him and feed him. While most Nidorina looked quite the same to her, Izzy recognised one. The Nidorina that had been depressed. There was something about her horns or snout that Izzy found familiar. The Nidorina that had been in mourning for a lost mate now scuffled close to the weak Nidorino and gently started licking his nose and snout as if to encourage him to open his eyes. And he did, softly calling out for her. Nidorina moved to press her body against his, sharing her body warmth.
From the entrance to the den, Isabelle watched fondly. It seemed another Pokémon has found a happy ending. Both Nidorina and Nidorino had found someone to live for and would probably be okay now.

Spoiler: #034 Nidoking

#034 Nidoking
Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon. The evolved form of Nidorino and the final evolution of the male Nidoran. Nidoking's thick tail packs enormously destructive power. With one swing, it can topple a metal transmission tower. Once this Pokémon goes on a rampage, there is no stopping it. It is recognized by its rock-hard hide and its extended horn. Be careful with the horn, as it contains venom.
Nurse Isabelle was a firm believer in quality time with her Pokémon. Today, she was taking care of her Pidgeotto. She'd been training him for search and rescue, which included steady flying, strength, and many other useful skills. Only this morning had he officially finished his training to become one of the first Medical Birds. Pidgeotto seemed to love doing the training. He always had had a knack for the daring activities, but Izzy never thought her bird was so heroic. With his chest puffed out, he extended his right leg so Isabelle could attach the wrap around it to mark him as a Medical Bird. No matter which Pokémon centre or even pharmacy he went, this wrap ensured he would be given whatever Nurse Isabelle asked for on an official note.
In the main hall, a commotion could be heard. The double doors had swung open and many men entered. Most of them were in black with sunglasses. The fifth one, flanked by the men, wore a brown suit. Mr Brown Suit slammed his hand on the counter, startling a young Joy, and demanded that someone was to heal his Nidoking. Sighing, Isabelle smoothed down the skirt of the trademark nurse uniform and headed over to the main hall, leaving Pidgeotto to observe his wrap in the mirror.
"Can I help you, sirs?" Isabelle asked in her best, most professional voice, even though she had little patience with such demanding, arrogant men. Mr Brown Suit turned around to face her. As his eyes dragged from her head to her shoes and back, Isabelle looked at him. She realised who he was and her stomach dropped. He was Giovanni, Viridian Gym Leader and suspected member of Team Rocket. Nothing has been proven yet, unfortunately. Giovanni was a tall, broad man. He could have been handsome one day, but all the smirks and frowns that appeared on his face made him look rather frightening. It did not help that he had several bodyguards, all taller than both Isabelle and Giovanni.
"You're no Joy," Giovanni stated, crossing his arms. Isabelle merely smiled.
"That would be correct, sir. I am Nurse Isabelle. Just as medically trained as all the Joys. At your service," she gave the tiniest of curtsies, just to mock him. She pulled her braided hair over one shoulder after it had slipped off.
Giovanni seemed to think for a moment before deciding he did not care which nurse he was talking to. He extended his hand and threw a Pokéball at Isabelle.
"Nidoking is crippled. His Poison Point is no longer working. Without his Poison, he is of no use to me. Make sure he gets his poison back or make sure he doesn't wake up." Giovanni growled. This startled Isabelle, but she did not dare lecture him. She bowed her head, cradling the Pokéball in her hand, and motioned for the group to follow her to Examining Room 1.
In there, she released Nidoking from his ball and ran a general series of tests on him. The Nidoking was exceptionally well trained. It did not move a muscle without the command of his trainer. He didn't even listen to Isabelle much. Izzy noticed that this Nidoking was buffer than any she had seen before. Giovanni apparently didn't only keep his own body in shape.
The cause of the lack of poison was surprisingly easy to find, even though Isabelle had expected this result.
"Your Nidoking isn't crippled, sir. He is merely exhausted. Has Nidoking been in a lot of battles, recently? Yes? I thought so. Using his ability so often caused Nidoking to run out of poison. Nothing incurable. Too many battles and not enough rest. Don't use Nidoking for battles for the coming week and he should be fine. If you doubt he will, you can bring him back next week for a new check-up, and the Joy on duty will tell you the same."
Isabelle patted Nidoking's shoulder. "You've taken good care of Nidoking. I'm always pleased to see that. I'd prefer it if I could examine your other Pokémon, too. If it's too much hassle to bring them all here, we could arrange a date that I visit your Gym and examine them there."
With an appointment in her agenda to visit Viridian Gym for an examination, Isabelle said goodbye to Giovanni and his men, exhaling deeply. That man was terrifying and had the ability to make everyone feel uncomfortable.

 

Spoiler: #035 Clefairy

#035 Clefairy
Clefairy, the Fairy Pokémon. On every night of a full moon, groups of this Pokémon come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired Clefairy return to their quiet mountain retreats and go to sleep nestled up against each other. It is said that happiness will come to those who see a gathering of Clefairy dancing under a full moon. The moonlight that it stores in the wings on its back apparently gives it the ability to float in midair.
A rustling sound woke Nurse Isabelle up. She was sleeping in one of the guest rooms of a small-town Pokémon centre. Sleepily, Isabelle looked at her bedside clock, which told her it was in the middle of the night, somewhere between two and three in the morning. Stroking her long, curly hair away from her face, she tried to figure out what woke her. Something pale and radiating was searching through her bag before going back to the open window. 'Clefairy,' it chanted before leaping out.
Suddenly awake now, Isabelle leapt out of her bed and looked out of the window. There, radiant in the light of the full moon, bounced the Clefairy soundlessly through the sleeping town, aside from occasionally singing its name. Isabelle hurried to get dressed. She pulled some trousers over her Raichu-orange pyjama shorts and merely swung her coat over her black pyjama shirt on which a Raichu was sleeping with an old-fashioned nightcap on. She quickly pulled on her sneakers, grabbed her Pokéballs and was out in less than five minutes.
Her long, golden blond hair whipped in the wind behind her as Isabelle chased the Clefairy. Searching for clothing to wear had revealed something was missing from her bag. Her necklace with the teardrop hanger made of iridescent crystal. It had been an 18th birthday gift from her mother and she was rather fond of it. Unfortunately, with her line of work, she couldn't wear it, but she always kept it with her. Now, the Clefairy had taken it.
In the town, Isabelle saw more than one Clefairy, making it very hard to determine which one had stolen from her. Other townspeople were up too though no one seemed as frantic as the young nurse was. She was stopped by a young couple.
"The Clefairy! They took something from me!" Isabelle could not keep her cool and looked around her agitatedly for either the Clefairy that stole from her or a way to escape these two people.
"We know, dear. Calm down," said the man. He seemed perfectly calm. "They do this every full moon. It's considered very good luck if something of yours was taken. Come on, I'll show you. We'll watch them."
Sceptically, Isabelle followed the couple, that walked infuriatingly slowly. They made their way to Mount Moon, but they did not enter. They went up, over a well-hidden path Isabelle would have missed otherwise. The path led to a clearing on the mountainside, where the Clefairy were, bouncing and twirling around a heap of shinies. Combined with their chanting, it seemed as if the Clefairy were singing.
Against the wall of the clearing, the young couple sat down, embracing. They watched the Clefairy as if it were the most romantic thing they ever saw. Resting her back against the cold rock, Isabelle watched with crossed arms, ready to pounce the moment they took off with the shinies. But her paranoia appeared not to be necessary. The moment the sun came up, the Clefairy stopped and bounced off again, yawning. They probably would snuggle up somewhere, Isabelle read back in her studying days, but right now she was more concerned with finding her necklace.
More and more people showed up to look for their jewellery and gems. Eventually, Izzy found it. Holding the pendant in the light of dawn, she once again marvelled at how gorgeous it was. Truly unfitting for a practical girl like her, yet so pretty to look at.

Spoiler: #036 Clefable

#036 Clefable
Clefable, the Fairy Pokémon. The evolved form of Clefairy. Clefable moves by skipping lightly as if it were flying using its wings. Its bouncy step even lets it walk on water. It is known to take strolls on lakes on quiet, moonlit nights. A timid fairy Pokémon that is rarely seen. It will run and hide the moment it senses people. Its hearing is so acute it can hear a pin drop over half a mile away. It lives on quiet mountains.
Usually, at the nursing school, Sundays were really calm and quiet because all the teenagers tried to sleep in. Not today, though. Even though the sun had barely risen, excited chatter could be heard all over the hallway as students talked to girls of other dorm rooms.
Sleepily, Isabelle and Wendy came out of their beds, standing in the doorway while rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Izzy's hair nearly reached her waist when wet but since it was awfully curly this morning, it hung somewhere between her shoulders and elbows. Wendy's dark-blonde hair was messy too. Neither of the girls looked as well-groomed as all the dressed Joys in the hallway.
"What's up?" Isabelle asked groggily, inquiring after the reason of this loud chattering.
"Didn't you hear?" A Joy in her final year at the school asked. "Clefable have been seen nearby!" Then she rushed off, with her camera. Some Joys carried sketchbooks, while others merely brought their photographic memory. Isabelle looked around for Petra, who was another non-Joy around here, but Wendy yanked on her arm.
"Clefable, Isa! Clefable!" She said excitedly, looking as chipper as all the other girls.
"Yes, I heard that, unless you're trying to imitate their call?" Isabelle was clearly not a morning person. Wendy merely laughed.
"No. I'm gonna find one! And you're coming with me." She decided. Isabelle groaned.
"Do I have to? It's so early. It isn't even seven yet."
"Yes!"
In a group of many Joys in casual clothing, the girls of the nursing school headed over to the rocky area where the Clefable were allegedly seen. Wendy was chatting animatedly about how she loved their gentleness and kept telling Izzy about the useful skills they could learn, such as something that might be called something with healing. Izzy wasn't really paying attention.
At the place where they have been seen, all girls split up, as if not to startle the possible Clefable. Isabelle followed a couple of older Joys who were just as excited to find these very odd Pokémon as Isabelle was. None of them believed Clefable were actually here. They all had to learn how shy they were.
After an hour or two, most girls went back to the school. None of them had been able to find any sign of the Clefable. Feeling hungry herself, Isabelle looked for Wendy, knowing she'd be the last one to leave. That girl simply did not give up hope.
While very full of faith, Wendy Foxglove wasn't the most elegant one of the two. Finding out where she had gone wasn't hard for Izzy since the path was marked by broken branches and trampled flowers.
In quite a lovely, secluded place, Isabelle found her friend Wendy, surrounded by large, pinkish Pokémon. Upon hearing her approach, they all looked at her and chanted as one, "Clefable!" After that, they ran off. Well, ran? They made big, exaggerated steps as they bounced away, as if gravity did not apply to them.
Wendy was still sitting on the stone where she had been, as if she had been having tea with the Clefable. Upon Isabelle's curious look, she merely smiled, got up, brushed her trousers off, and started walking back. Isabelle looked at her receding form for a long time. What a curious girl.

 

Spoiler: #037 Vulpix

#037 Vulpix
Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. At the time of its birth, Vulpix has one white tail. The tail separates into six if this Pokémon receives plenty of love from its trainer. The six tails become magnificently curled. Inside Vulpix's body burns a flame that never goes out. During the daytime, when the temperatures rise, this Pokémon releases flames from its mouth to prevent its body from growing too hot.
Nurse Isabelle hadn't been on Cinnabar Island ever since she rescued a Charmeleon. While it hadn't been very good weather back then in early autumn, it was in the beginning of spring now. On the island, the weather was usually much warmer than the rest of Kanto, so Izzy was dressed accordingly. It felt so good to be out of that nurse's outfit for once. Wearing a sky-blue t-shirt with a Sandshew resting underneath a palm tree on it, and some jeans shorts, Isabelle couldn't even be recognised as a nurse anymore. Her golden blond hair was done up in a bun with a few strands framing her face.
As Isabelle walked over the path that led up to the volcano, she sighed at her porcelain legs. She had spent so much time working that her tan had completely gone back to milky white. Oh well, while there were Pokémon that needed her help, Isabelle couldn't take any time off.
While her time at Cinnabar may look like a holiday, it actually was not. She was on her way up to the Cinnabar Gym, one of her favourite ones based on the Pokémon used. Blaine used Fire types and most of them were so adorable. Vulpix, for example: the elegant fire fox with the gorgeous tails.
Blaine awaited her at the door of his inn. Isabelle could feel his eyes drag from her exposed legs up her body to finally settle on her face. He always did this, and it unsettled Izzy a little, but so far, he had meant no harm.
"Hey there, Blaine. I see you received my message. I thought I'd drop by. Surprise visit and all, to check that you're taking proper care of your Pokémon," Isabelle said, smiling brightly.
Blaine stood there in his bald-headed glory, wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, doing his belly-shaking laugh.
"Nah, little lady, you just want to cuddle with my Pokémon some more. But that's okay. I got a little task for you, and I'm sure you'll like it!" He winked at her, creepily.
Following Blaine inside, he actually led her to the volcano. The place had more rooms than just the battlefield, and in one of them, where it was nearly unbearably hot, Isabelle saw an egg laying on a blanket. Two things were immediately noticeable about the egg. Firstly, it had the characteristic pattern of a Vulpix on it, being those gorgeous tails, so the kind of Pokémon that was in that egg wasn't hard to guess. But the second thing was much more worrying; the egg was cracked!
"Blaine!" Isabelle called out, utterly startled and fearful for the unborn Vulpix's life. "What happened here? How could this happen? I hope it wasn't you who did this!" She glared at him warningly, but he merely raised his hands innocently.
"No, little Missy. I did not do this. You know I'm worthless with female tasks like this." This earned him a frown from the blonde. "I found the egg like this," Blaine continued, as if he did not see Izzy. "It was near the geysers so it must have been launched? I have no idea what exactly happened, but I tell you, I did not do this. So, do your nurse magic. Save this Vulpix," he demanded. Isabelle sighed.
"Because you asked me so kindly..." She mumbled. Both of them knew she'd never deny an assignment like this. Life was much too precious to Isabelle not to accept it.
For the next few days, Isabelle didn't see much sun either. One of Blaine's gym trainers, who also had a Vulpix, was an excellent cook and made sure both Blaine and Isabelle ate properly. He had quite a task to get Isabelle to leave the antechamber in the volcano.
Then, late at night on the third day since Isabelle arrived at Blaine's Gym, the egg began to shake and crack even more. In her education, Isabelle had watched a fair share of hatchings but they always remained special to her. If she could not have been a nurse, she would have loved to work with eggs. It had been her second choice in life.
The egg wiggled and cracked further, before finally bursting open, flinging egg shell shards all over the place. The little Vulpix inside was a fighter, this much was sure from the way he survived the crack and the way he hatched.
After blinking a couple times, he opened his eyes and yawned adorably. Taking the fox in her arms, she checked him gently for any injuries or deformations. To her relief, she found none. He was quite a big boy, almost as big as grown Vulpix. His one tail was properly white and shone so brightly, it looked as if someone had brushed it all evening.
As the Vulpix kicked off the shell shards off his blanket and curled up, Isabelle wondered about one thing. Who would be his mother?

Spoiler: #038 Ninetales

#038 Ninetales
Ninetales, the Fox Pokémon. The evolved form of Vulpix. Legend has it that Ninetales came into being when nine wizards possessing sacred powers merged into one. This Pokémon is highly intelligent–it can understand human speech. Ninetales casts a sinister light from its bright red eyes to gain total control over its foe's mind. This Pokémon is said to live for one thousand years.
With the newly born Vulpix in her arms, Nurse Isabelle finally left the volcano. For a long moment, she merely stood outside with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the wind on her overheated skin. Vulpix, however, soon got bored and wiggled his way out of her arms, walking his way down the path to the inn on unsteady paws.
Following Vulpix, Isabelle headed to the area behind the inn, where some of the Gym trainers who did not come from Cinnabar Island lived. At the very least, Isabelle wished to thank the trainer who had fed her while she took care of the egg.
Izzy found him at the back exit of the inn, brushing his Vulpix. He greeted her and invited her to sit next to him on the porch. The newly born Vulpix climbed on her lap, still attached to the nurse since she had been the first thing he saw when he hatched.
As Isabelle watched silently how the trainer brushed his Vulpix, the young one tries to coax a reply out of the older fox. It was easy to keep track of who was making a sound since the male's voice was lower. Then Isabelle noticed something about the female Vulpix.
"Hey, your Vulpix only has three tales," Isabelle said. The guy, called Cain, nodded.
"That's right. Cinder — that's her name — hatched only just before winter. She's too young to battle just yet, so Blaze, my Ninetales, nurses her until she's about a year old," Cain said. Isabelle nodded thoughtfully.
"Could your Ninetales take this Vulpix? Blaine said the egg was alone, and I cannot raise him myself. He should stay with the gym."
"That's an excellent idea!" Cain exclaimed. "Blaze sure wouldn't mind. While she is nursing, she does not have to fight and get her fur dirty." He jumped up, with Ember in his arms. "Oh... ehm ... is it alright if I take that Vulpix from you, then? I mean ... it's not yours..." The poor guy looked so embarrassed to be even asking such a thing, making Isabelle laugh.
"You have to ask Blaine. Vulpix was born in his gym. But I am okay with it. Aren't you, Vulpix?" "Vul!" The fire fox cried out.
As they headed over to where the nursing Pokémon rested, Cain explained he lived in the inn. Having come here with an egg and an overprotective Ninetales, he could not be of any use fighting for the gym, so Blaine appointed him the cook of the inn. Luckily for him, he said, he loved cooking. Isabelle smiled at him and thanked him for cooking for her, only just not realising she had wanted to thank him in the first place. It had been delicious, she said.
In a building with open boxes, barks and neighs could be heard from the several Pokémon inside. A soft cry came from the box they were headed to, causing Cinder to squirm and dash inside. By the time Cain and Izzy arrived, the fox was already nestled comfortably underneath Blaze's nine tails as Ninetales lounged in the box.
Isabelle knelt in front of the two and set the young, male Vulpix on his paws in front of them. Giving him a tiny nudge, she encouraged him to go to them. Standing at the arch of the door, Cain and Izzy watched anxiously to see if he would be accepted in the little family.
Blaze, the Ninetales, sniffed the male fox for a long minute before licking his snout. She pulled him near with her front paw and licked his head and snout vigorously. Isabelle could breathe again. She smiled at Cain and whispered:
"If Blaine is okay with it, you have yourself a new member of the family."
Later in the evening, Isabelle said goodbye to Blaine and Cain on the porch of the inn. Blaine heavily tried to convince Isabelle to stay longer; surely, Vulpix is too young to be left behind, but Isabelle convinced him Vulpix would be in good hands under the excellent care of Cain's Ninetales.
"Come back soon, then!" Blaine told her as Isabelle waved goodbye, walking down the road. "E-mail me!"
Taking the boat back to the mainland, Isabelle regretted a tiny little that she could not have enjoyed the island a bit more, but hatching an egg had been nearly as good for her soul as time off would have been.

 

Spoiler: #039 Jigglypuff

#039 Jigglypuff
Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokémon. Jigglypuff's vocal chords can freely adjust the wavelength of its voice. This Pokémon uses this ability to sing at precisely the right wavelength to make its foes most drowsy. When this Pokémon sings, it never pauses to breathe. If it is in a battle against an opponent that does not easily fall asleep, Jigglypuff cannot breathe, endangering its life.
Nurse Isabelle spent most of the boat ride from Cinnabar Island out on the deck. It was a lovely day with only the slightest breath of wind and just enough sun not to feel cold. When the boat reached the harbour of Kanto mainland, Isabelle was one of the first ones to disembark.
Before doing anything else, Isabelle merely walked through town to get used to the change of motion. Having stood on the deck of a boat for several hours, her body still thought the ground was rocking in waves.
While the blond nurse was walking around, she found a kid sitting glumly on the playground in front of the Pokémon centre. There, he watched the trainers go in and out with their Pokémon, either chatting happily or with very concerned looks on their faces. For a while, Isabelle simply leant against the monkey bars the gloomy kid was sitting on, silently.
"It's not fair," the kid eventually mumbled, signalling to Isabelle he wished to open up.
"What is?" Izzy merely asked in a soft voice, not looking at the boy yet. She kept her eyes on a young trainer who tried to convince his Beedrill to go in his Pokéball.
"I want to have a Pokémon, too."
"So, why don't you catch one?" Such a simple question yet the answer was rarely this simple.
"Dad won't allow me. He says it's too dangerous. That Pokémon are too dangerous. That I'm not grown up enough to tame a wild Pokémon."
Isabelle looked at the boy. He didn't look that young, maybe something like nine years old.
"You do not have to catch and tame a Pokémon in order to have one, you know?" The blond nurse said. That got the kid's attention.
"Really?!" His entire body language changed. From a slumped 'I hate the world' aura, he now seemed so much brighter. Isabelle smiled at him and nodded.
"The Pokémon centre has a shelter. Nothing big enough to have its own building, but occasionally Pokémon are brought in that cannot return to the wild. Either they've been abandoned or cannot fend for themselves anymore. Shelter Pokémon rarely are good fighters, but I doubt you want a Pokémon to fight with." Isabelle looked at him thoughtfully.
The boy shook his head so violently that he shook off his cap.
"No ma'am. I just want a friend. To play with and feed and have fun with."
Isabelle smiled, recognising her own young self in the kid. She wished to have a friend just like that when she was younger. She could play with the Pokémon in the centre, but it was never the same as having one for herself.
Standing up straight again and getting out of the sandpit, Isabelle held out her hand.
"Come on, then. Let's see if Joy has a friend just for you."
The child was skipping in joy, holding Isabelle's hand, as they entered the Pokémon centre. Nurse Joy behind the counter recognised Izzy (almost every Joy did, by now) and greeted her kindly.
"Hey there, Isabelle! Would you like to have a room? I have one free with a view of the sea." Isabelle smiled at the pink-haired nurse.
"Thanks, but no thanks. I just came from Cinnabar and am not staying here tonight. It's only morning. I've got something different today. Do you have any adoptable Pokémon, by any chance?"
Nurse Joy looked down into the hopeful eyes of the sandy-haired kid, recognising him as the merchant's son.
"For Jacky, I presume? I have two. The first one is a very old Nidoking, which I doubt is very suitable. But the second one might be just right." Nurse Joy said, mostly to Jacky. Then she looked at Izzy and said: "Long term treating room 5."
Isabelle thanked her and headed over to said room, wondering what could be in there that Joy thought suitable for the boy. Opening the door with the master key card every nurse had, they headed inside.
On the table in the middle of the room sat a very pink Pokémon. Isabelle recognised it immediately and gasped. Surely, this wasn't a suitable Pokémon for a young boy? As Jacky rested his forearms and chin on the bed, Isabelle headed over for the description on this Pokémon.
"Jigglypuff," Isabelle read out loud. "While normally hard to handle because of their tendency to Sing, this male Jigglypuff has been born without much of a voice, the previous trainer said when she left it behind here. Jigglypuff is unable to cause anyone to fall asleep with his voice."
Hearing the nurse's voice, Jigglypuff woke up. With his appealing, large eyes, he glanced down at the child that looked up at him adoringly. Feeling his ego stroked, Jiggly puffed himself up and got ready to sing, but all he managed to bring out was a "Jiii~", it being only the first note of his characteristic song. Then he deflated, sadly, and turned his back on the two humans in the room.
"So, Jacky. This Jigglypuff is up for adoption. As you heard, he cannot Sing and, therefore, is unable to do many attacks. Be careful, it can slap you, though, but this Jiggly doesn't seem very aggressive." Isabelle stroked the poor Balloon Pokémon over his head. "What do you think?"
"I love it!" Jacky shouted, startling Jigglypuff. Behind them, the door slid opened, revealing Nurse Joy and two people Isabelle did not recognise. Who they were wasn't very hard, since Jacky answered that for her. "Mom! Dad!" He held up the Jigglypuff in his hands above his head. Because Jigglypuff are basically air, they did not weigh a lot. "Can I puh-lease have this Pokémon?"
After a lot of begging by Jacky, explanation by Nurse Joy, and discussing between the parents, the male Jigglypuff finally had a new place to call home. Joy told Isabelle later she had called the parents as soon as the two of them were gone, having had a feeling Jacky would want to adopt the Pokémon. As the family walked out of the Pokémon centre, being one of the happy people Jacky used to envy, Isabelle and Joy high-fived each other. Another success story. It was good being a nurse.

Spoiler: #040 Wigglytuff

#040 Wigglytuff
Wigglytuff, the Balloon Pokémon. The evolved form of Jigglypuff. Wigglytuff has large, saucerlike eyes. The surfaces of its eyes are always covered with a thin layer of tears. If any dust gets in this Pokémon's eyes, it is quickly washed away. Wigglytuff's body is very flexible. By inhaling deeply, this Pokémon can inflate itself seemingly without end. Once inflated, Wigglytuff bounces along lightly like a balloon. Their fur feels so good that if two of them snuggle together, they won't want to be separated.
The sun had long since set and Nurse Isabelle and her team were getting ready for bed. They'd gotten a four person, bunk bed room, so each of her Pokémon could have their own bed for once. On the two bottom beds, Ivysaur and Wartortle would be staying. Ivysaur was already asleep under the bed Isabelle would sleep on as the young nurse finished brushing Wartortle's tail. Brushing her own, long hair through, Isabelle looked at Pidgeotto through the mirror, who stood watch on the other top bunk. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw his eyes drooping. It's been a long day for them all.
As Isabelle casually brushed through her blond hair, she heard voices outside her door. It was faint, but she'd recognise one of those voices anywhere. Putting down her brush, Isabelle swung a robe over her Raichu pyjamas and headed outside. Her bare feet made no noise on the tiles of the Pokémon centre they were staying in.
In the main lobby of the centre, a girl stood with her back towards Izzy, talking to both Nurse Joy and a pinkish Pokémon that stood on the ground. Walking up to the sandy-haired girl, Izzy placed one hand on her hip and said in her best authoritative voice:
"So, where have you been?"
The girl leapt into the air, startled. Whatever she'd wanted to say, Izzy would never know, because the moment the girl turned around, she recognised Isabelle. With a shriek, she launched herself at Izzy, hugging her tightly. Grinning, Isabelle hugged her back.
"It's been a while, Wendy Foxglove."
Later, Isabelle and Wendy both sat on chairs in Izzy's room, talking quietly under the watchful eye of Pidgeotto. The golden blonde pointed out her Pokémon which she had partnered up with since the start of her journey, while Wendy introduced her to her own Pokémon, Wigglytuff. The Balloon Pokémon obediently sat on Wendy's lap as she explained that she'd adopted it for their amazing ability to soothe a Pokémon. Their singing was great for calming agitated Pokémon and their fur was incredibly soft when taken care of properly. Isabelle had to agree her Wiggly looked amazing. She was so well-mannered and kind, just like Wendy. Wiggly and Wendy, Isabelle joked, causing both girls to giggle.
Then, on a more serious note, Isabelle told her of her own life. Of how hard it was to keep on travelling, always looking for Pokémon in trouble. How she started visiting the gyms to make sure they treat their Pokémon properly. And Isabelle told Wendy that she had met someone. That certainly got the gentle girl's attention.
"His name is Dominic. I met him and his Raichu recently, near Bill's lighthouse." Isabelle sighed as she thought of him.
"You don't sound so happy..." Wendy said.
"It's just that I'm very conflicted. I really like him. He makes me laugh and eases whatever burden I'm carrying at the moment..."
"But...?"
"But it'd be impossible to date him. I won't settle down. I'll keep on being a travelling nurse until I can walk no more. That's hardly ideal to date a guy."
"But you said he's a traveller, too, right? It could work out when your paths cross and maybe even travel together if he doesn't mind."
Isabelle nodded slowly, mumbling something affirmative.
After talking a bit more, the nurses hugged and said goodbye. Wendy would be staying in a different room. Isabelle knelt down to hug Wigglytuff, too. A friend of Wendy's is a friend of hers.
"Follow your heart, Isa."
After that bit of advice, given by Wendy, she left the blonde's room to allow them to get some sleep

 

Spoiler: #040 Zubat

#041 Zubat
Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned. Even though it has no eyes, it can sense obstacles using ultrasonic waves it emits from its mouth.
It was a beautiful, warm day. The first truly warm one since Nurse Isabelle left Cinnabar Island. So to make the most of it, she found a grassy clearing with plenty of sun and shade. There, she released her Pokémon to enjoy the weather with her.
Pidgeotto, her medical bird, immediately took off to soar the cloudless skies with his mighty wings. Wartortle lounged in the shade, generally being busy looking pretty. Ivysaur sought the sunniest spot on the field and laid down to nap there. With the amount of sun he sought, Isabelle wondered whether he was getting ready to evolve. A Venusaur might be a bit unhandily big, but his strength would increase.
After a while, Pidgeotto called out for her, swooping down to get her attention. It appeared he had found something he desperately wished her to see. Glancing at her Pokémon, she decided not to call them back. She did wake Ivysaur and asked Wartortle to come with her. The three of them followed Pidgeotto, two of them grudgingly.
Whatever Pidgeotto found, it wasn't far. The trees thinned as they neared the mountain, making the reason for her bird's insistence clear. A Zubat flew around outside, making his little 'kst'ing sounds. The poor thing seemed to be so confused among the scarce trees, flying back and forth in a frantic manner. What was worse is that his blue skin was turning red-purplish; he was getting a sunburn! Untrained bats could not take sunlight, as this unfortunate one proved.
"Ivy, could you catch it for me with your Vine Whip? Gently, please," Nurse Isabelle asked calmly. Zubat were pretty speedy, so she could be unable to catch it in the way she might have been able to sneak upon a Pidgey or a Spearow. Pidgeotto distracted the Zubat and Ivysaur was able to slip his vines around his tiny body. The Zubat didn't like this one bit, flapping in an even more frantic manner, screeching out.
"Wartortle, gently douse it a little with your water. Let's cool it down," Isabelle ordered, and thankfully, Wartortle obliged. The Zubat cooled down a little, both literally and figuratively, when he was soaked. Then Isabelle took the miserable bat from Ivysaur, folded his wings around him, and cradled him against her body. Helpful Pidgeotto had already guessed what she was going to do and located the entrance to the cave in the mountain.
As Isabelle entered the cave with the Zubat in her arms, she noticed that many Zubat were hovering near the entrance. Quite a lot of them accompanied her as Isabelle walked inside, bring their kin home. It was a beautiful moment, to have an honour guard of Zubat.

Spoiler: #041 Golbat

#042 Golbat
Golbat, the Bat Pokémon. The evolved form of Zubat. Golbat bites down on prey with its four fangs and drinks the victim's blood. It becomes active on inky dark moonless nights, flying around to attack people and Pokémon. Once it bites, it will not stop draining energy from the victim even if it gets too heavy to fly.
For the nurses with a bigger ambition than simply being a Pokécentre nurse, extra degrees were made available. In the way Nurse Isabelle became something similar to a field medic, some of her colleagues had specialized in Pokémon psychology or therapy. Today, Isabelle stayed at a Pokémon centre where a Joy worked with a degree in echolocation. Echolocation was the practice of using supersonic waves to inspect the insides of a Pokémon without having to perform surgery, using Zubat. Isabelle didn't really understand much of it, but judging from the fact people travelled from all over Kanto to get treatment, both humans and Pokémon, it must work well.
In order to pass on the knowledge, the Joy with the Zubat was currently training some other nurses. From the ten nurses that started, only six were still taking classes. Some dropped out because they found it boring or too hard, others were forced to quit because their grades weren't satisfactory. Isabelle felt a bit bad for them, but getting her own degree and official permission to be a travelling nurse had been just as tough.
Sitting in the back of the class, watching the echoscopy Joy teach, Izzy recognised her as one of her classmates. After class, they'd have to catch up. Isabelle had Pidgeotto on her lap and was stroking the bird casually as she listened to the lecture. Joy had a Butterfree out, who could also learn Supersonic. However, as she demonstrated, it wasn't as powerful as Zubat's Supersonic and vital injuries could be missed because of this. She showed on her computer that not the full picture of Jigglypuff on the table could be seen.
Suddenly one of the girls stood up. She pulled a Pokéball from her bag and summoned forth a Pokémon. When the light subsided, a Golbat was flying around in the classroom. Isabelle shuddered. There was something about that Poisonous, blood-sucking bat that really freaked her out.
"I'm sure Golbat is strong enough! We'll be able to see even more!" The girl seemed so excited about her idea. However, the Joy teaching wasn't so thrilled.
"Megan, no! Don't —"
"Golbat! Supersonic!" Megan ordered, pointing dramatically at the Jigglypuff.
Then, there was complete pandemonium. Golbat's Supersonic was too powerful for the laptop, causing it to explode loudly, startling all occupants of the classroom, including Isabelle and Pidgeotto. The Supersonic hit the Jigglypuff who, with this added dose, became completely confused. Startled and confused, she became entirely frightened and started crying so loudly everyone had to cover their ears. The fire from the blasted laptop caused the sprinklers to go off, so everyone got wet, too.
Needless to say, for such reckless behaviour, Megan was asked to leave the premises and return next year if she still wished to become specialised in ultrasound.
Far away from all this chaos, Ivysaur and Wartortle were walking around the Pokémon centre. Isabelle had tied a white bow around Ivy's and Wartortle's neck to indicate they are already with a trainer.
In the lobby, a trainer sat with her Pokémon. While Ivysaur struck a conversation with the Vulpix, Wartortle inspected the trainer. She was a gorgeous, elegant lady. Her hair was the colour of Vulpix's coat and curled in a similar manner. She wore a black cocktail dress and black, suede pumps. Her Vulpix looked just as beautiful. Healthy, well-mannered, poised, and perfectly groomed. Ivysaur saw Wartortle looking longingly at the duo and ran off to get Izzy.
When Isabelle came into the lobby, soaking wet with a towel around her shoulders, she found her Wartortle on the lady's lap. The bow had been discarded, laying uselessly on the ground. The lady was polishing Wartortle's shell with an expensive looking wax. Bitterly, Isabelle looked at the wealthy lady. While she looked so perfect, Isabelle looked rather ragged; she was wet, her hair was messy, her shoes a bit muddy, and her clothing of mere cotton. Still, Isabelle straightened her back and approached the lady with a smile.
"Hey there. Your Vulpix looks gorgeous, but I do believe that's my Wartortle,"
The woman in black did not look up, keeping on grooming Izzy's Water-type.
"Ehm, excuse me?" Isabelle tried again.
"I heard you the first time. How could you possibly let your Wartortle get so filthy?"
Insulted, Isabelle frowned at her.
"I take good care of my Pokémon. I just travel a lot and they do get a little dirty from that, but I groom them regularly."
"Well, you're doing a lousy job. Pokémon can be so much prettier when you spend enough time and money on them." Something about the way this lady spoke annoyed Isabelle to no end.
"That may be your opinion, but my job does not allow that. Wartortle, come." To Isabelle's utter surprise and astonishment, Wartortle shook her head and turned her shield on her. "Wartortle!" Isabelle exclaimed, indignant as the lady laughed at her. With her cheeks coloured with shame, Isabelle recalled Wartortle to her ball, from which she could not exclaim. Followed by snide remarks on how she supposedly raises her Pokémon, Isabelle stomped off, followed by abashed-looking Pidgeotto and Ivysaur.