ocean-life Junia’s Tales of Misfits and Mimikyu: CH05
Junia’s Tales of Misfits and Mimikyu: CH05
“K̷̛͈̤̺̱͔̬̈́͒͌̈͘ÿ̷̞͗̓u̷͇̣̽̔̕ů̸͍̪̦̼̙̾̏̓ũ̴̱͈̭ù̶̙.̵̰͖̣́̈́́͝ͅ.̸̨͇͍̗͙̍͗̈́̂͜.̴̗̤̼̠͉͈̆̕”“Scrag…”
“Woah…”
Junia had thought that Castelia was impressive from a distance. But up close, it was even more so; gleaming towers of steel, concrete and glass reaching high up into the sky. The skyscrapers were so tall that Junia almost broke her neck trying to look up high enough to perceive their tip. Much to the consternation of the city-slickers along the way whom she either bumped into or were forced to walk around her.
Vicious glares and annoyed clicks baptised the farmgirl’s passage through the urban jungle of Castelia, making her think; “Yup! I made it to the big city alright!” Her ma and pa had warned Junia about the cityfolk’s misanthropy but having now experienced it for herself, she found it more a novelty than anything.
The looming monoliths, the suffocating smells, the chaotic streets and the incessant noise, it was almost daunting to the trio of country bumpkins who timidly shuffled into the metropolis’ borders. Which actually turned out to be a more complicated affair than she had initially thought.
The entirety of Castelia City was surrounded by sprawling barriers designed to repel wind and dust. Which meant that there were limited and very specific entry points to get into its bounds. And needless to say, it wasn’t very often that the city found itself welcoming travelers coming straight from the wastes of the desert by foot — usually people would go through Join Avenue on a vehicle, bike or Ride Pokemon.
So Junia ended up hiking her way through one of the motorways with her Pokemon in tow, earning her a storm of perplexing looks from the passing traffic. Until a kindly ol’ truck driver pulled over and offered the girl a ride atop his trailer.
“Scrag!”
“Oooo… So pretty…”
The thing that caught Johnny’s eyes was a little pastry shop with a whole range of tasty goodies displayed behind glass; colorful and glistening Berry compotes sat atop golden flaky crusts, like a treasure box filled with jewels and riches.
“Scrag…” Johnny gulped and so did Junia. She almost went into the store right away if not for the dizzying numbers displayed on the side to indicate the price.
“Twenty-four Pokebucks just for that tiny little thang?!” The girl was not a stranger to pastries from Gwen’s Pokemart. But those were the cheap and frozen stuff that the woman just reheated in the oven, oftentimes tasting extremely stale and chewy, just like jerky.
“Scrag?”
“Right, you still don’t understand money yet huh, Johnny?” Junia frowned. “Well… Let’s just say that number’s big enough to feed the two of us for a whole meal.”
“Scrag? Scraggy-scrag.” Johnny just shrugged his noodly little shoulders, not entirely understanding what his human was on about, and returned his beady gaze back towards the tasty treats hidden away behind glass.
“Oh darn my bleeding heart…” Junia let out a reluctant groan after seeing how enamored her new friend was at the pastries and moved to enter the shop. “Come to think of it, we ain’t got to celebrating our new friendship yet huh, Johnny?”
“Scrag?” The Scraggy perked up at the girl’s intent.
“C’mon, buddy. I dunno ‘bout you but I’m just about famished after that long trek and could use a bit of a snack.”
“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag!” With a happy cheer, Johnny followed suit as Junia went up to the surprisingly friendly cashier standing behind the counter.
After much deliberation, and plenty of pointed gestures from Johnny, she ended up ordering the pastry that she deemed to be the best value. That was to say, the one with the maximum size for the price while still having some of that alluring jelly in its make.
“Look, Tumbleweed! They even got all you can drink water here with slices of Sitrus inside!” The bumpkin girl’s fervour earned her an amused chortle from the shopkeeper as she set about preparing Junia’s order.
And when they finally sat down, coffers a little lighter, Junia sliced the pastry in half, gave one whole side of it to Johnny and further split the other half so that she and Tumbleweed each got a quarter.
In reality, Junia still didn’t know if Tumbleweed could actually taste anything. But she didn’t want her friend to feel like he was missing out on stuff, so the considerate little girl still shared her food whenever she could.
“Scrag!”
“Yup, time to dig in, Johnny.”
So they did. And the moment that the cornucopia of tangy, sweet, buttery and delectable flavors graced their tongues, the girl and her Scraggy shared a disbelieving glance then proceeded to scarf down the rest of their pastry with all the frenzy of a starving Lycanroc. Even licking the plate clean of any crumbs afterwards.
“Scrag! Scraggy-scrag!”
“I know, Johnny. That was incredible! I kinda want another one too…” Junia wilted. “But erm, maybe we can come back after we meet with the Mimikyu society people…?”
“Scrag… Scraggy, scrag.” Johnny nodded in affirmation. He may not understand money but he could sense the selflessness and love behind Junia’s actions, and did not want to trouble her any further.
The Scraggy got down from his seat, jumped up onto Junia’s lap and gave her a manly pat on the shoulder, eliciting a storm of giggles from the girl.
“Hehehe… Thanks for understanding, Johnny. Now let’s have our fill of Sitrus water and make our way to the Pokemon Center. Gotta have you properly checked out after all that time spent in the sand.”
“Scrag!”
***
“Woah… You’re real pretty, miss. Are you a Nurse Joy?” Junia asked, the moment that her number was called to the counter.
The pink-haired woman blushed and giggled at the girl's flattery. “That’s very sweet of you, hun. But, no. The girls in my line of work just like to dye our hairs pink as a homage to them — the Joy Clan only operates in the Eastern Regions, you know? But their contribution to Pokemon healthcare as a whole simply cannot be understated.”
Junia nodded. All the TV shows she watched always featured a Nurse Joy character so she just assumed that all pink-haired nurses were Nurse Joys.
“Now then, judgin’ from the looks of ya, I’d say you just had a really long day out in the desert. Are you lookin’ to get your Pokemon checked out?”
Junia beamed and lifted her Scraggy onto the counter. “Yup! Johnny here challenged me and Tumbleweed to a battle. We ended up becoming friends, but he did take a bit of a nasty hit. Can you have a look at him and make sure he’s okay? And Tumbleweed too!”
“‘Course, hun. We get our fair share of Scraggies here on this side of Unova. And the other one is…” The nurse’s smile stiffened then twisted into a little frown at the sight of the scarecrow on Junia’s shoulder. “That erm… I need to make a quick little call. In the meantime, how ‘bout you return your Pokemon to their Pokeballs and place them on this little tray for me, would that be alright with you?”
“Yes ma’am!”
The nurse responded with another feeble smile then turned her back on the girl to reach for a phone screwed to the wall. “All personnel please be advised, we have a Code Black in the building. I repeat, we have a Code Black in the building…”
All throughout the Pokemon Center, staff members jumped into action, making sure to check and double check that all contingency measures were in place while the nurse at the reception made a second call to the Central Pokemon Center in downtown Castelia to request for a specialist who could handle Mimikyus.
“Is erm… Is everything okay?” As oblivious as Junia was, even she was able to sense the frigid air in the room. “We err… We can go somewhere else if you guys are busy…”
The nurse cooed. “Aww… There’s no need to worry, sweetie. We can check on your friends here no problem. But before that, can I have a look at your Trainer’s License please?”
Junia gulped then reluctantly handed her card over to the woman.
“Thank you, hun. Now let’s see here… No permit. But, there’s a letter of guarantee from…” The nurse’s eyes widened as her pupils darted around to read the contents of Junia’s profile. “I see. Well I supposed that should be good enough for now…”
The woman cleared her throat and returned her attention back to Junia. “Now then, sweetie. We’ll be able to examine your Scraggy no problem. But for your darling Mimikyu…” The farmgirl stiffened. “We might need a bit of time. Mainly because there’s really only two nurses in the entire city who are qualified enough to handle Pokemon of his… calibre. And one of them just so happened to be out of town. So depending on how busy the other one is, it might take a while for Mimikyu to be seen.”
“So erm… should we leave and come back later then?”
“You can do that. Or you can hang around in this Pokecenter until our specialist nurse arrives?” The woman smiled. “Have you eaten yet? We’ve got quite the extensive menu here in our cafeteria. All free of charge, of course. Normally we restrict access to staff only, but I’m sure we can make an exception for an adorable little sugarpie like you.”
Junia pursed her lips in consideration, ready to turn down the offer. That was, until her stomach betrayed her with a little grumble.
The nurse chuckled. “How ‘bout this, why don’t you go and take a seat back at the waiting area. I’ll go and get Scraggy healed for now and we’ll hold onto Mimikyu and his Pokeball for safekeeping until our expert arrives. Then, once Scraggy’s all healed up, Audi here’ll bring him back to you and escort you both to the cafeteria for a bite to eat. How’s that sound?”
“Au~ Dino~!”
Junia wanted to protest but she was swiftly distracted by the pink and flooffy Audino who walked out from behind the reception to give Junia a gentle hug.
“Hehehe… You’re so warm and soft, Audi…”
“Di~ Dino!”
The nurse giggled at the sight and gave Junia an assuring pat on the head. “Don’t you worry, Miss Carlson. I promise you that nothing bad is going to happen to you or your friends. Professor Jones was very explicit about that in her letter… We just want to make sure that everybody who comes to visit our center remains safe and happy. Is that alright with you?”
Junia pouted but ultimately nodded in agreement. In the end, it was the mention of her benefactor that mollified her, having been reminded of Nina’s assurances before she left.
***
By the time that Audi the Audino came by the cafeteria to fetch Junia and Johnny, the pair was stuffed to the brim with trays upon trays of empty platters stacked atop their table.
“Au… Dino~”
“Huh? Is it time already? Has that special nurse person arrived, Audi?”
“Au~ Dino!” The Audino nodded, her flooffy pink ears flopping up and down in affirmation.
“Thanks Audi. But erm… Oof! I think we got a lil’ too carried away with the food.”
“Scrag…”
The girl burped and so did her Scraggy. It couldn’t be helped. Just like the nurse receptionist had said, the food here was all super tasty and also completely FREE! It would be a shame for Junia and Johnny not to eat their fill.
“Didididi~” The Audino giggled then gave the precocious duo soothing little pats on their bulging bellies before beckoning for them to follow.
The place they were taken to was an examination room in a secluded wing of the center. And when they arrived, the person who was sitting there waiting for them was an elderly and surly looking nurse lady with a perpetually grumpy frown on her face.
“Tch. Finally! Kept me waiting long enough. Honestly, couldn’t you have just taken her straight to Central?”
The other, younger nurse in the room, the same receptionist who greeted Junia at the front, replied with a wry smile. “We’re just following protocol ma’am. And as mentioned, she is without a permit.”
The older woman scoffed. “So then why am I here? You shoulda called the League to handle things instead.”
Junia saw the younger nurse twitch ever so slightly, veins throbbing from exertion. “We’ve already been through this ma’am. That’s because we have a letter of guarantee here from Professor Melina Jones of Indigo.” She said, passing her tablet over to her superior.
“At present, we have been asked to treat it as an interim permit and service Miss Carlson as we would any certified Mimikyu handler.”
“Heh.” Another scoff as the grumpy old woman swiped at the tablet. “If she really is certified then we wouldn’t even be having this conversation! Lemme see here…” The woman snorted. “Hmph! The League’s latest golden girl… And which Hydreigon did you kill to grab her attention?”
“Err… Excuse me?”
“I’m talking about this letter, girl! How’d you get your hands on this?!”
Junia frowned. “If you’re talking about Professor Nina, she came by our settlement to investigate Tumbleweed…” The girl then briefly regaled Sett-16’s ‘Creaker’ problem and everything that transpired since, earning her yet another scoff from the prickly old nurse.
“Hmph! Youngest Pokemon Professor my geriatric ass… Those greedy little shits, always handing out titles like candy. I told them! Can’t risk lowering our standards just for a few pennies but noooo… What has she done to deserve it anyway? All this glory seeking and thirsting for glamour… It should all be about science, I tell you! Science!”
Junia furrowed her brows in confusion but was smart enough to at least keep her mouth shut. She could tell that the old woman was mad at Professor Nina and not her. So no point catching her ire too.
“Sorry about her…” The younger nurse whispered as she leaned in close to Junia. “The head nurse used to dream about becoming a Pokemon Professor and, well… that never came to be. She’s like that even with region sponsored trainers, so don’t take it too personally.”
Junia shrugged. “It’s alright, ma’am. We got plenty of old grumps like her in the settlement too. You should see my nan when she gets going — woman could talk the ears off a Swoobat.”
“You there! Girl!” Junia jolted at the address. “Where’s this Mimikyu of yours? I’m too busy and important to be wasting time sitting here with you!”
Junia huffed — people who liked to say they’re too busy and important were never too busy and important, as her ma liked to say — and bit back her remark as she turned her gaze towards the younger nurse who got up with a sigh to retrieve Tumbleweed’s Pokeball.
“Hmph! That’s a Mimikyu alright. Looking a little rustic with that outfit, but ain't the worst I’ve seen. What is this? Burlap? I hope this wasn’t used to contain fertilizer…”
“M̷̖̲̪͑į̷͙͆m̷̖͖̂̄̾̚ȉ̴̻̫͇-̸̳̀k̶͔͚͚̖̕y̵͉̝͘͝ǘ̶̡̬̮̙ù̵̳̖́̍!̶̘͙͓̇́͒͂”
“Oh shush, you. Your voice is grating on my ears. And you,” The head nurse abruptly turned back towards Junia once she was done doing a cursory check of Tumbleweed’s disguise. “You said this one got involved in a battle?” The girl nodded. “Tell me how that went. Be concise but leave no details behind!”
“Err…” Junia was not sure how she could do both at the same time but she decided to first narrate Tumbleweed’s most recent battle with Johnny then steadily worked her way backwards to some of the other scuffles her friend got into while being hunted by the residents of Sett-16.
“Stop!” The old woman gestured. “That’s good enough. Next time, don’t bother bringing your Mimikyu in unless he gets hit with elemental or soul damage. Physical damage will only really affect his clothes. So if you see a tear or sumthin’, get it fixed up right away before he accidentally kills you or somebody else.”
Junia blinked then just continued sitting there with a blank stare. “Wait, that’s it? What do you mean by soul damage?”
“Tch! I ain’t got time to teach you, girl! Go and ask that baby professor of yours! See, this is why Mimikyu trainers need to be certified. Honestly, what a waste of time.”
Junia breathed in deep to keep herself calm. The girl reminded herself that the head nurse was just old and that old people tended to get super grumpy with age. “She ain’t no different than those old growlers back in the farm.”
“Professor Nina’s busy with her own business and I don’t wanna bother her ‘less I have to. Can’t you just tell me now? Pretty please, ma’am?”
“And yet you think it’s fine to bother me?! No! I ain’t got the time nor patience for this nonsense. Go and look for that cosplaying oddball in that little club of yours. You’re supposed to be going there, right?”
Junia nodded, managing to surmise that the old nurse was referring to the Mimikyu Appreciation Society.
“Have you already been?”
Junia responded with a shake of the head.
The head nurse clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Then what’re you waiting for?! Go then! Git!”
And with that, their meeting was abruptly concluded and the younger nurse escorted Junia back to the front door. “Sorry again about her. Usually we try calling the other head nurse but there wasn’t a choice today.”
Junia beamed. “No worries! I’ll make sure to study up next time as well.” Because she really did need to know her Pokemon better anyways. “But er… Mind if I trouble you for directions to the Mimikyu Appreciation Society? All these streets and avenues and numbers are getting me all cross-eyed.”
The woman chuckled. “Of course, honey. Do you have an address I can look at?”
“Mm-hm!” The girl chirped as she happily pulled out some of the notes that Nina left her.
***
Author's note:
https://linktr.ee/zebraunicorn
Advance releases are pretty much back in full swing now for those of you who are missing Nina's journey.
And here's a reminder that Nintendo is jacking up prices of the Switch 2 in September. So, if you're looking to buy, now would be the time.
And let's just be honest here, knowing Nintendo, it's unlikely that they'll restore prices back to the original MSRP even after the RAMpocalypse is over. Especially if they know they can get away with it. Which they can.
We know that the Switch 2 will still be relevant for another decade or so anyway. And given current market conditions, it is unlikely that any of the major players will be rushing to push out a new gen console anytime soon. So no PS6 or Xbox 2 (or whatever they want to call it) in the foreseeable future.