From: Rob (robfrompw@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Sleepless In Slateport Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2003-11-25 20:50:59 PST "Welcome to the Slateport Pokemon Center," a pink-haired nurse named Joy tells the blue-haired woman who just entered the lobby of her workplace, "I'm a bit swamped with sick Pokemon right now, but fortunately help should be arriving soon. Can you please hold?" "I *am* the help." The woman dressed in a white shirt, light blue jeans, and black leather boots sets her suitcase down to put her hands on her hips, "The name's Nurse Marcia. I'm here to help you heal the Pokemon that fell ill on the S. S. Tidal." Nurse Joy narrows one of her eyes at Marcia, "...you don't LOOK like a nurse." "Well, sorry if I actually earned my title as nurse by going to Pokemon Medicine School," Nurse Marcia lifts her hand up and examines her fingernails casually, "Some people prefer that method to relying on nepotism." "What are you implying?" Nurse Joy asks, offended. "Oh, nothing." Nurse Marcia picks up her suitcase and strolls past Joy, on her way to the Center's back room, "There will be plenty of time for chit chat later. Show me the sick Pokemon." "Right this way, Marcia." Nurse Joy has to walk quickly in order to catch up with then lead Marcia into the back room. She gestures to the many stretchers and water tanks placed in the sanitized room. A sick Pokemon is lying on each of the stretchers and infirm Water Pokemon float or swim in each of the water tanks. Most of the ill Pokemon are native to Hoenn. "I only recognize a few of these Pokemon," Nurse Marcia admits as she walks up to a stretcher where a bloated white Zangoose is rubbing his belly with his claws. She gently runs one hand across his belly and asks, "What kind of Pokemon are you?" The Zangoose's eyes suddenly go wide and he lunges one claw at Marcia, thinking she's going to hurt him. She dodges the attack. "You'd better be careful - that Zangoose has been irritable since he arrived. Oh, and by the way, it doesn't matter what kind of Pokemon he is," says Nurse Joy as she looks through a nearby medicine cabinet, seeking a sedative for the Zangoose, "All Pokemon are members of the same species so the same medicine works for all of them. A Potion has the same effect whether you're giving it to a Ralts, Muk, or Shroomish." "Shows what you know," Nurse Marcia sets her suitcase down, snaps it open, and withdraws her stethoscope. She attaches the instrument to her ears and places it on the Zangoose's chest, "Okay, Pokemon, take in a deep breath." The Zangoose does as he's told, despite his suspicion, and Marcia notices his heart rate is high, "You clearly haven't been paying attention to this Pokemon. His heart rate is high. I believe he might be confused. Do you have a Bitter Berry?" "I have a few Rawst Berries in the fridge - they're pretty bitter." Nurse Joy crosses her arms, "I don't know what Rawst Berries have to do with Pokemon heart rates, though." Nurse Marcia rolls her eyes then, slinging her stethoscope around her neck, explains, "Pokemon tend to have high heart rates when they're confused and Bitter Berries cure confusion. Even if he's not confused, a Berry can't do him any harm. Now be a good Nurse Joy and fetch one." As Nurse Joy leaves to the kitchen to fetch a Rawst Berry, she wonders what her cousin was thinking when she recommended Marcia for the emergency situation. Next, Nurse Marcia grabs a medical record placed alongside a light brown Slakoth who appears to be heavily sedated. She reads the notes on the Slakoth then gasps when she sees that he's been given four sedatives in the past 24 hours, "I'll have to ask Nurse Joy about this." Suddenly, an orange Trapinch on a nearby stretcher wakes up and his large jaw starts snapping uncontrollably. Nurse Marcia runs to her suitcase and withdraws a muzzle made for Houndoom. The Trapinch hops over to the stretcher next to his, where a fat green Gulpin is sleeping. He lowers his head towards the Gulpin, his fangs ready to bite into the Poisonous Pokemon, but Marcia forces his jaw shut with one hand and secures the muzzle on his mouth with her other hand. The rabid Trapinch starts shaking his head, trying to knock the muzzle off his mouth, but Marcia grabs his body with both hands and points his head away from her face. When she sees Nurse Joy enter the room, Marcia says, "Nurse Joy, I think these Pokemon are being affected by some sort of long-lasting confusion. This Pokemon I muzzled just tried to eat the green one next to him. I may not know much about Hoenn Pokemon, but I do know that green Pokemon tend to be either Grass Types or Poison types and that blob doesn't look like a plant to me. A Pokemon who's thinking straight wouldn't try to eat poison." "They're not confused." Nurse Joy shakes her head, "They're just irritable because of the aches they're experiencing. I've already tried giving all of them Full Heals, to cover all possible status ailments, and they remain irritable. Besides, didn't you check the Trapinch's record? That Trapinch is so aggressive that his Trainer, who didn't get sick on the cruise and already left Slateport, wants us to release him back to his natural habitat when he's healthy again." "Typical." Still holding the currently squirming Trapinch away from her face, Marcia rants, "A Pokemon doesn't automatically obey a Trainer's every command after being ripped away from its natural habitat and suddenly it's a 'trouble-maker'. Seriously, I don't know what Trainers did before Silph started using mind-control technology in their Pokeballs. Maybe Trainers always used Friend Balls back then? You know what, when I heal this... Trapinch, was it? When I heal this Trapinch, I'm going to take him with me to teach him how to behave properly. Now, where's his Pokeball?" "In the basket under his stretcher..." Nurse Joy says, "You're not thinking of putting him away in his condition, are you?" "It'd be better than sedating him again." Figuring Nurse Joy doesn't have the strength to keep the Trapinch subdued, instead of handing her the Pokemon, Marcia kicks off one of her boots and reaches into the basket under Trapinch's stretcher with her foot. She presses the button on the Pokeball down there with her big toe and a red beam of light shoots out of it and makes contact with the enraged Trapinch, converting him into energy which is sucked into the Pokeball. She dusts off her hands, puts her boot back on, and grabs Trapinch's Pokeball with one of her now-free hands. "But Marcia," Nurse Joy warns, "We can't treat the Trapinch if he's in his Pokeball..." As Marcia attaches Trapinch's Pokeball to the third slot on her belt, she says, "In his current state and considering his aggressive nature, leaving him outside is dangerous. If I hadn't been in the room, he would have mauled that Poison Pokemon, probably killing himself in the process. Once the rest of the Pokemon here are healed, then I'll worry about Trapinch. I'm sure he'll be fine waiting a little longer for his treatment - he looks like a fighter to me. Did you get a Bitter Berry?" "Yes, it's right here." Nurse Joy hands a small green Rawst Berry to Marcia, "I doubt it'll do any good, but whatever." Nurse Marcia examines the green Bitter Berry she's been given - it doesn't look like the kind she used to see back in Johto. She licks the bottom of the Rawst Berry and grimaces. After verifying that it is indeed a Bitter Berry, she marches over to the Zangoose on the stretcher and places the small green fruit in his mouth. The Zangoose chews it and swallows, but instead of grimacing, he does so happily since he likes the taste of Bitter Berries. He then continues to rub his bloated belly. "See?" Nurse Joy sighs, "Nothing happened. Berries are tasty, not magical." Nurse Marcia narrows her eyes at Slateport City's Nurse Joy, who's currently reminding her of Violet City's Nurse Joy. Marcia remarks, "For someone who has so many patients, one would think you'd have a little patience." She walks over to the snoring Slakoth she looked at before, "Now, on to the next Pokemon. Why did you give this Pokemon four sedatives over the course of one day? Right now he looks like he's never going to wake up. It would be much better if you actually treated your patients instead of drugging them so they don't bother you." "Slakoth ALWAYS look like they're never going to wake up." Nurse Joy explains, annoyed that a person who doesn't even know about Hoenn Pokemon is telling her how to do her job, "The sickness these Pokemon have contracted are forcing them to be over-excited. If Slakoth don't get approximately 20 hours of sleep each day, it can be dangerous to both their physical and their mental health. I gave him all those sedatives to help him maintain a normal sleeping schedule." "Oh." Marcia looks to the side, a bit embarrassed by her ignorance, then approaches a small water tank housing a sickly red Corphish, who's rapidly opening and closing her pincers, as if he were attacking invisible foes in the tank. Marcia diagnoses, "This Pokemon's pincers are behaving just like Trapinch's jaw was. Whoever is responsible for poisoning these Pokemon wanted them to attack everyone around them." "I'm telling you, Marcia, it's just irritation due to their pains." Nurse Joy reiterates, "Full Heal cures confusion. I gave them all Full Heals. They're still behaving the way they did before I gave them medication. We just have to keep sedating the Pokemon until their immune systems take care of the virus that they caught on the cruise. I called you in to help me keep an eye on these Pokemon and sedate them on schedule to give me time to attend to incoming patients, not to act as a miracle worker." "I don't believe in just waiting around when we're not sure what this disease is. There could be terrible side effects of allowing prolonged exposure to the virus..." Nurse Marcia glances around the room to find a good example of what she's saying. "Case in point!" She dashes over to where a woozy Wynaut is sitting on a stretcher, "Look at the size of the tumor growing out of this baby Wobbuffet's head! That can't be normal." Nurse Joy's eyelids lower in frustration, "Marcia. That's a Wynaut. All Wynaut have those forehead protrusions." "..." Once again feeling embarrassed, Nurse Marcia decides to give up trying to be a miracle worker, "Where are the sedatives? My Blissey and I will get to work right away." "There's sedatives and needles in those cabinets over there," Nurse Joy points at two medicine cabinets in a corner of the room, "If you need any help, I'll be at the front desk." That said, Nurse Joy heads back into the Pokemon Center's lobby. Nurse Marcia pulls one Pokeball off her belt and pushes the button on it, releasing Omelette the Blissey, who's happy to be free but sad to see so many sick Pokemon surrounding her. Marcia sighs then tells her partner, "All right, Omelette. Let's get to work." -Marcia