Chapter 7: Doctor’s Orders
In the end, Brock and I ended up just getting some ice cream, and we walked through the starlit streets as we ate. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” Brock asked.
“Tomorrow?” I hadn’t given a single thought to tomorrow, but I knew I had to do some serious research so I could get back to Papa. Papa. I hadn’t thought of him all day either. I felt a pang for neglecting my mission most of the day! True, I had been doing some study on rock-types with Forrest, but I hadn’t done any Diamond Onix study at all!
“Well, tomorrow I should really focus on my study of Onix. I-I’d like to find out what gives it it’s…” I searched for the words Tall Man had used,“...special properties, but I have no idea where to start!”
“Hmm…” Brock thought for a moment. “Well, if I take the afternoon off tomorrow, I could take you up to Mount Moon, where you caught Onix. Maybe we’ll find some clues. Yolanda’s been obsessed with Clefairy lately and has been begging me to help her catch one, so we might as well bring her along, too. Mount Moon is one of the best places to find Clefairy.”
“And I think she’ll have other reasons to come with us…” I joked under my breath, then agreed aloud. “Sounds like a good plan. Would you mind if I joined you at the Pokemon Center tomorrow morning, too?”
“Not at all!” Brock smiled. “I know last night you were asking me what I do, so now you’re going to find out first-hand?”
“Exactly.”
We reached my hotel, and said our goodbyes for the night.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” I said, suddenly feeling shy.
“See you, Annie,” Brock smiled as I entered the hotel.
Right as I’d come through the doors, I had to duck to avoid a gush of water aimed in my direction.
“Sorry!” Petra called from across the room. “I was using Staryu’s Water Gun to clean the glass.” As soon as I had hurried out of the line of fire, Petra started up again. “Staryu, use Water Gun again!” Staryu sprayed the glass with water, and then Petra, pretending to be a ninja, spun the mop and slapped it against the glass. “And back! And forth! And back! And forth! And ha!” She held the mop high above her head and twirled it like a bow staff. “Yaaaaah!”
“Do you always clean like that?” I asked, not quite sure how to react. Petra’s cleaning methods were… unconventional, to say the least.
“Only when my parents aren’t looking,” she grunted as she went back to attacking the glass.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Petra. I’ve got to get an early start tomorrow.” I waved as I entered the elevator.
In my room, I got out my phone and called Team Rocket as I had been instructed. This time, Scary Lady answered.
I groaned inwardly.
“Boss Giovanni is busy at the moment. Just give me your report,” she snapped out like an order.
“I spent the day studying rock-type Pokemon, and have made plans for an expedition on Mount Moon to discover the origin of the Diamond Onix.”
“Good.” Scary Lady smirked. “You’d better get that data quick. Time is running out.”
Before I could reply, the call fizzled out. My heart pounded in my chest. Her words rang in my mind. Time is running out. I could only hope I could find what I was looking for. But what, exactly, was I searching for? I knew I was supposed to discover what makes Diamond Onix, well, diamond. That much I knew. But how was I to know exactly what to look for?
“I’ll find a way, Papa,” I whispered as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
In the morning, I raced to the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy was at the front desk when I entered the lobby. “What can I do for you, Annie?” she smiled.
“I’m here to see Brock, er, Dr. Harrison?” I squeaked.
Just then Brock came around the corner. “Hey, Annie! I see you’re here bright and early,” he smiled.
“I came almost as soon as I woke up. I hope you haven’t had all the fun without me,” I teased.
“Nothing too exciting. Just discharging a couple overnight patients. They’re both at full health now, and sent home with a Pokemon treat.”
“Sounds like they’re happy, then. I’ll bet you’re a wonderful doctor.”
Brock ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. “Well, I don’t know about that…”
Joy interjected, “He has been a great help, especially now that summer’s almost here. Summer’s our busiest time, because young trainers are out of school and have more time to go visit gyms.”
“How many patients do you see on an average day?” I asked.
“Too many to count, it seems,” Joy shook her head. “They all come in for so many different reasons. Some come in to be recharged after a tough battle. Some come in to be treated after they’ve been injured; others come just for a check-up. Still more are brought in to be transfered. But I’m happy to help all of them, no matter why they come.”
“And now that I’ve got my own clinic here as well, we’ve been seeing even more Pokemon brought in,” said Brock.
“I know you told me the other night how you help with various issues that Nurse Joy doesn’t normally treat,” I nodded.
“Right,” Brock agreed. “I’ve got quite the collection of notebooks I filled up while on my travels and during my apprenticeship. I took notes about just about every known Pokemon and its unique needs and preferences. And last week, I took the time to organize them, so I wouldn’t waste time searching through the stack.”
Just then, the doors opened, and in burst Petra. Her face was flushed, and wisps of glossy black hair were plastered to her forehead, which was beaded with sweat. As soon as she’d made it inside, Petra stopped, panting, and clutched her knees.
“What’s the rush, Petra?” Brock asked.
“You know her?” I wondered aloud.
“Of course I know her. Her parents own the hotel you’re staying at, and she’s in Yolanda’s class at school.”
“Right.” I wanted to smack my forehead. Of course Brock would know everyone that lives in his hometown.
“It also doesn’t help that she’s constantly getting herself--and her Pokemon--into scrapes and is therefore a regular visitor to the Pokemon Center…” said Joy.
Petra by now had caught her breath. “Nidoran needs help,” she choked, her eyes large with desperation. “It got confused, and I don’t know why, and now it’s really gonna hurt itself!”
“I’ll handle this.” Brock quickly recalled his Chansey into its Pokeball. Then he grabbed his backpack from beside the reception desk and slung it over his shoulder. “Annie, you want to see what I do?”
I nodded, my eyes widened.
“Show us the way, Petra.”
Brock and I rushed through town, following Petra up the street to the hotel and struggling to keep up. For a little girl, she sure is fast, I thought. Petra threw open the doors and Brock and I hurried in behind her. In the lobby, Petra’s Nidoran was running around in circles, often bumping into things.
“See?” Petra half-sobbed. “I don’t know how it got confused, or how to make it stop!”
“Leave this to me,” Brock assured her. “I’ve got some Lum berries that should cure the Confusion, but we’ll need to get Nidoran to sit still long enough to eat one.”
“Okay,” Petra nodded, sniffling a little.
“Well?” I nodded to her. “Let’s catch it!” I waved her to join me in chasing Nidoran through the lobby. I made a mad dive toward Nidoran, but as my hands tried to close around it, it leaped through my grasp. “Well, I almost had it,” I shrugged. At that, Petra and Brock laughed and followed suit.
“Nidoran! Come on!” Petra cried, running after it.
“Hey, Petra! Get your Staryu to use its Water Gun!” I suggested, a plan forming in my mind.
“What?”
“Oh, I think I know what you have in mind, Annie,” said Brock. “Yeah, Petra, if you can get Staryu to steer Nidoran in the right direction, we can grab it.”
“Alright,” Petra shrugged. “We’ve tried everything else.” She pulled out her Pokeball. “Stayu! Help me out!” Staryu stood as tall as it could muster. “Use your Water Gun to chase Nidoran towards us!” Water gushed in a garden hose-like stream from Staryu’s topmost point. Nidoran scurried to the side to avoid the water. “That’s it!” Petra cheered! “Now, make it go this way!” Nidoran ran in my direction.
I made another leap and dive for Nidoran. I closed my eyes as my hands attempted to close around the small Pokemon. When I opened my eyes, to my surprise, there was Nidoran, wriggling against my grasp. “Ha! Got it!” I gasped.
“Great!” said Brock. He pulled a Lum berry out of his berry case. “This should get Nidoran feeling back to normal. Here you go, Nidoran.” Brock held the berry up to Nidoran’s mouth, and as he did, its eyes lost their glassy look and became bright again. It sniffed the berry, took a tentative first bite, then quickly devoured the entire berry.
I let Nidoran go and it ran to Petra, who scooped it up both tearfully and joyfully. “Oh, Nidoran! You’re not confused anymore! I was so worried! Thank you both very much!” she looked up at Brock and me.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Brock smiled, then he became serious again. “What was the last thing that happened before Nidoran got confused?”
Petra thought for a moment. “Well, I had this new berry I gave it to try…”
“What kind of berry was it?”
“I have another one with me.” Petra opened her berry case. “Here. It was one just like this one.” She indicated a small, green berry with yellowish spots.
“Hmm. I think I see your problem. What’s your Nidoran’s nature?”
“Rash,” Petra answered. “That’s why it likes to battle, unlike most other Nidoran.”
“Well, then that’s just it. Pokemon with Rash natures dislike bitter berries such as the Aguav Berries you have here. If your Pokemon dislike the flavor of the berry you give it, it may become confused.” Brock opened his own berry case. “Why don’t you try giving it a dry berry, such as this Persim Berry?”
Petra accepted the berry and offered it to Nidoran, who gobbled it right up.
“See?” Brock smiled. “You just have to know which berries are good for which Pokemon, and which ones aren’t.”
“Wow! You sure know a lot about berries!” Petra exclaimed.
“I use them all the time in my clinic,” Brock explained. “Natural cures such as berries are more effective with Pokemon than man-made medicine, and the Pokemon like them better, too. Now, are your Pokemon going to need anything else? Otherwise, I’ll go back to the Pokemon Center.”
“Nope, I think we’re all good. Thanks, Dr. Harrison!”
“You’re welcome, Petra. We’ll see you later.”
“See you later, Petra,” I waved as I followed Brock out the door. “So that’s what you do as a Pokemon doctor?” I asked.
“Pretty much, although not every day is this exciting,” Brock answered. “We don’t usually have a lot of emergencies such as this one.”
“That’s good,” I said. “Sounds like you keep everyone safe and healthy.”
“That’s my job.”
In the end, Brock and I ended up just getting some ice cream, and we walked through the starlit streets as we ate. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” Brock asked.
“Tomorrow?” I hadn’t given a single thought to tomorrow, but I knew I had to do some serious research so I could get back to Papa. Papa. I hadn’t thought of him all day either. I felt a pang for neglecting my mission most of the day! True, I had been doing some study on rock-types with Forrest, but I hadn’t done any Diamond Onix study at all!
“Well, tomorrow I should really focus on my study of Onix. I-I’d like to find out what gives it it’s…” I searched for the words Tall Man had used,“...special properties, but I have no idea where to start!”
“Hmm…” Brock thought for a moment. “Well, if I take the afternoon off tomorrow, I could take you up to Mount Moon, where you caught Onix. Maybe we’ll find some clues. Yolanda’s been obsessed with Clefairy lately and has been begging me to help her catch one, so we might as well bring her along, too. Mount Moon is one of the best places to find Clefairy.”
“And I think she’ll have other reasons to come with us…” I joked under my breath, then agreed aloud. “Sounds like a good plan. Would you mind if I joined you at the Pokemon Center tomorrow morning, too?”
“Not at all!” Brock smiled. “I know last night you were asking me what I do, so now you’re going to find out first-hand?”
“Exactly.”
We reached my hotel, and said our goodbyes for the night.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” I said, suddenly feeling shy.
“See you, Annie,” Brock smiled as I entered the hotel.
Right as I’d come through the doors, I had to duck to avoid a gush of water aimed in my direction.
“Sorry!” Petra called from across the room. “I was using Staryu’s Water Gun to clean the glass.” As soon as I had hurried out of the line of fire, Petra started up again. “Staryu, use Water Gun again!” Staryu sprayed the glass with water, and then Petra, pretending to be a ninja, spun the mop and slapped it against the glass. “And back! And forth! And back! And forth! And ha!” She held the mop high above her head and twirled it like a bow staff. “Yaaaaah!”
“Do you always clean like that?” I asked, not quite sure how to react. Petra’s cleaning methods were… unconventional, to say the least.
“Only when my parents aren’t looking,” she grunted as she went back to attacking the glass.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Petra. I’ve got to get an early start tomorrow.” I waved as I entered the elevator.
In my room, I got out my phone and called Team Rocket as I had been instructed. This time, Scary Lady answered.
I groaned inwardly.
“Boss Giovanni is busy at the moment. Just give me your report,” she snapped out like an order.
“I spent the day studying rock-type Pokemon, and have made plans for an expedition on Mount Moon to discover the origin of the Diamond Onix.”
“Good.” Scary Lady smirked. “You’d better get that data quick. Time is running out.”
Before I could reply, the call fizzled out. My heart pounded in my chest. Her words rang in my mind. Time is running out. I could only hope I could find what I was looking for. But what, exactly, was I searching for? I knew I was supposed to discover what makes Diamond Onix, well, diamond. That much I knew. But how was I to know exactly what to look for?
“I’ll find a way, Papa,” I whispered as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
In the morning, I raced to the Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy was at the front desk when I entered the lobby. “What can I do for you, Annie?” she smiled.
“I’m here to see Brock, er, Dr. Harrison?” I squeaked.
Just then Brock came around the corner. “Hey, Annie! I see you’re here bright and early,” he smiled.
“I came almost as soon as I woke up. I hope you haven’t had all the fun without me,” I teased.
“Nothing too exciting. Just discharging a couple overnight patients. They’re both at full health now, and sent home with a Pokemon treat.”
“Sounds like they’re happy, then. I’ll bet you’re a wonderful doctor.”
Brock ran his hand through his hair sheepishly. “Well, I don’t know about that…”
Joy interjected, “He has been a great help, especially now that summer’s almost here. Summer’s our busiest time, because young trainers are out of school and have more time to go visit gyms.”
“How many patients do you see on an average day?” I asked.
“Too many to count, it seems,” Joy shook her head. “They all come in for so many different reasons. Some come in to be recharged after a tough battle. Some come in to be treated after they’ve been injured; others come just for a check-up. Still more are brought in to be transfered. But I’m happy to help all of them, no matter why they come.”
“And now that I’ve got my own clinic here as well, we’ve been seeing even more Pokemon brought in,” said Brock.
“I know you told me the other night how you help with various issues that Nurse Joy doesn’t normally treat,” I nodded.
“Right,” Brock agreed. “I’ve got quite the collection of notebooks I filled up while on my travels and during my apprenticeship. I took notes about just about every known Pokemon and its unique needs and preferences. And last week, I took the time to organize them, so I wouldn’t waste time searching through the stack.”
Just then, the doors opened, and in burst Petra. Her face was flushed, and wisps of glossy black hair were plastered to her forehead, which was beaded with sweat. As soon as she’d made it inside, Petra stopped, panting, and clutched her knees.
“What’s the rush, Petra?” Brock asked.
“You know her?” I wondered aloud.
“Of course I know her. Her parents own the hotel you’re staying at, and she’s in Yolanda’s class at school.”
“Right.” I wanted to smack my forehead. Of course Brock would know everyone that lives in his hometown.
“It also doesn’t help that she’s constantly getting herself--and her Pokemon--into scrapes and is therefore a regular visitor to the Pokemon Center…” said Joy.
Petra by now had caught her breath. “Nidoran needs help,” she choked, her eyes large with desperation. “It got confused, and I don’t know why, and now it’s really gonna hurt itself!”
“I’ll handle this.” Brock quickly recalled his Chansey into its Pokeball. Then he grabbed his backpack from beside the reception desk and slung it over his shoulder. “Annie, you want to see what I do?”
I nodded, my eyes widened.
“Show us the way, Petra.”
Brock and I rushed through town, following Petra up the street to the hotel and struggling to keep up. For a little girl, she sure is fast, I thought. Petra threw open the doors and Brock and I hurried in behind her. In the lobby, Petra’s Nidoran was running around in circles, often bumping into things.
“See?” Petra half-sobbed. “I don’t know how it got confused, or how to make it stop!”
“Leave this to me,” Brock assured her. “I’ve got some Lum berries that should cure the Confusion, but we’ll need to get Nidoran to sit still long enough to eat one.”
“Okay,” Petra nodded, sniffling a little.
“Well?” I nodded to her. “Let’s catch it!” I waved her to join me in chasing Nidoran through the lobby. I made a mad dive toward Nidoran, but as my hands tried to close around it, it leaped through my grasp. “Well, I almost had it,” I shrugged. At that, Petra and Brock laughed and followed suit.
“Nidoran! Come on!” Petra cried, running after it.
“Hey, Petra! Get your Staryu to use its Water Gun!” I suggested, a plan forming in my mind.
“What?”
“Oh, I think I know what you have in mind, Annie,” said Brock. “Yeah, Petra, if you can get Staryu to steer Nidoran in the right direction, we can grab it.”
“Alright,” Petra shrugged. “We’ve tried everything else.” She pulled out her Pokeball. “Stayu! Help me out!” Staryu stood as tall as it could muster. “Use your Water Gun to chase Nidoran towards us!” Water gushed in a garden hose-like stream from Staryu’s topmost point. Nidoran scurried to the side to avoid the water. “That’s it!” Petra cheered! “Now, make it go this way!” Nidoran ran in my direction.
I made another leap and dive for Nidoran. I closed my eyes as my hands attempted to close around the small Pokemon. When I opened my eyes, to my surprise, there was Nidoran, wriggling against my grasp. “Ha! Got it!” I gasped.
“Great!” said Brock. He pulled a Lum berry out of his berry case. “This should get Nidoran feeling back to normal. Here you go, Nidoran.” Brock held the berry up to Nidoran’s mouth, and as he did, its eyes lost their glassy look and became bright again. It sniffed the berry, took a tentative first bite, then quickly devoured the entire berry.
I let Nidoran go and it ran to Petra, who scooped it up both tearfully and joyfully. “Oh, Nidoran! You’re not confused anymore! I was so worried! Thank you both very much!” she looked up at Brock and me.
“That’s what I’m here for,” Brock smiled, then he became serious again. “What was the last thing that happened before Nidoran got confused?”
Petra thought for a moment. “Well, I had this new berry I gave it to try…”
“What kind of berry was it?”
“I have another one with me.” Petra opened her berry case. “Here. It was one just like this one.” She indicated a small, green berry with yellowish spots.
“Hmm. I think I see your problem. What’s your Nidoran’s nature?”
“Rash,” Petra answered. “That’s why it likes to battle, unlike most other Nidoran.”
“Well, then that’s just it. Pokemon with Rash natures dislike bitter berries such as the Aguav Berries you have here. If your Pokemon dislike the flavor of the berry you give it, it may become confused.” Brock opened his own berry case. “Why don’t you try giving it a dry berry, such as this Persim Berry?”
Petra accepted the berry and offered it to Nidoran, who gobbled it right up.
“See?” Brock smiled. “You just have to know which berries are good for which Pokemon, and which ones aren’t.”
“Wow! You sure know a lot about berries!” Petra exclaimed.
“I use them all the time in my clinic,” Brock explained. “Natural cures such as berries are more effective with Pokemon than man-made medicine, and the Pokemon like them better, too. Now, are your Pokemon going to need anything else? Otherwise, I’ll go back to the Pokemon Center.”
“Nope, I think we’re all good. Thanks, Dr. Harrison!”
“You’re welcome, Petra. We’ll see you later.”
“See you later, Petra,” I waved as I followed Brock out the door. “So that’s what you do as a Pokemon doctor?” I asked.
“Pretty much, although not every day is this exciting,” Brock answered. “We don’t usually have a lot of emergencies such as this one.”
“That’s good,” I said. “Sounds like you keep everyone safe and healthy.”
“That’s my job.”