Post by WARendfeld on Nov 7, 2012 12:26:33 GMT -6
Tender Farming
The distance between Olivine City and Ecruteak City was a short one. Assuming one didn’t get lost or get horribly distracted along the way, transit between the two cities was relatively quick. In Alex’s case, she was confident that she could get between the two cities in a manner of days.
“Alex! Wait up!”
However, Alex wasn’t alone on the trip. She paused and sighed apologetically as she turned back. “Sorry Nick.”
“Sorry, you say…” Huffing as he caught up to his girlfriend, Nicholas looked exhausted. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not used to walking everywhere I go. I drive.”
“You keep in shape.”
“I’m flexible. Illusionists aren’t built for endurance, we’re built for flexibility. Best I can do for a run is a sprint, not a marathon.”
“I guess that means you’re dangerous in tight quarters.” At the illusionist’s quirked eyebrow, Alex shook her head. “Sorry. I keep forgetting you aren’t a movie goer.”
A groan. “I prefer books. You know that.” Nicholas used his staff to steady himself, then took a second to shake down his traveling cloak. “Just try to make sure I can keep pace, okay?”
“I can do that.”
The two continued on, and Nicholas continued, “Besides, if you even tried to tell me that the feature film versions of the Harry Potter books are better than the books themselves, I’d shoot you down in a second. I know enough about movies to know that a lot gets cut out.”
“Actually, I agree with you on that one. I’ve got nothing against character focus, but I don’t want it to come at the expense of cutting out plot points. Plus I prefer how the books ended things to how the movies ended things.”
“Why am I not surprised at your sanity?” He paused as a wind passed through the area and an uneasy expression crossed his face. “Oooh. What is that?”
Alex had a similarly foul look on her face, but she at least recognized the cause. “That’s manure. We must be near a Miltank farm.” At her boyfriend’s surprised expression, she explained, “We’ve got Miltank in the Safari Zone back in Hoenn, and my home is practically next door. A hot summer day and a good breeze coming from the west, and you have a lot of methane heading your way.”
A disgusted expression on his face, Nicholas noted, “Remind me not to visit your place during the summer.”
“You haven’t visited my place.”
“Yet. I figure it’s inevitable, even if both your parents and mine are dead.” A pause, and he pondered aloud, “How would they react to me, anyway?”
“Oh, Dad would like you. Mom would like you too.”
“No issues with my profession?”
Alex shook her head. “Nick, don’t look for approval from the dead. It isn’t healthy.” She smiled and added, “Besides, my sister likes you and approves of you. You’ve gotten past that hurdle, so it’s smooth sailing from there.”
Nicholas smiled, and the two continued on their way until a shout interrupted them. “Hey! You two Pokémon trainers?!” They paused as a slender teen girl rushed up to them, barely winded from running and dressed in a flannel shirt and jean shorts. “Well? Are you?”
The two looked at one another before Alex nervously answered, “I am, officially, but…”
“That’ll work!” The farm girl took hold of Alex’s wrist and tried to drag her along. A few brief tugs, and she noted, “Dang you’re hard to move.”
Nicholas quickly noted with some unease, “Might help if we knew what was going on here. I’m Nicholas, that’s Alex, and you are?”
“Callie.”
“And you need a Pokémon trainer because…?”
“I live on the Miltank farm near here and we’ve got a sick Miltank. I was hoping a traveling Pokémon trainer could help out. We tried calling the Pokémon Center, but Nurse Joy doesn’t do house calls.”
Nicholas looked at her with surprise. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just zap the poor Miltank into a Poké Ball and take her to the Pokémon Center?”
“Nuh-uh. We don’t have them linked to Poké Balls.”
“Well what are we supposed to do? It’s not like we could carry a Miltank.” Nicholas turned to Alex and asked, “Could we?”
“A Miltank weighs slightly less than I do, so no, not easily.” Alex sighed, resigned to the futility in debating further. “Callie, please lead the way.”
-
The nearby Miltank farm was, by Alex’s estimation, an almost idealized version of how a farm would look by Alex’s estimation, one small main building for office work and living quarters with a large barn adjacent. It surprised her how clean the various stalls were, though she suspected it was as much about hygiene as it was comfort for the various Miltank. Still, it was clear that despite the preparations made by the farm’s staff, something had gone wrong.
“Callie, what are you doin’, bringin’ in folks from outside to deal with our mess?”
“But Daddy…!”
“But nothin’! I get you want Lulu to get better, and I want that too, but we can handle it ourselves! We don’t need to waste other people’s time with it!” The older man sighed and turned to the two trainers. “I’m sorry about this. My daughter means well, but…”
“But she gets a little ahead of herself.” Alex smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I can relate. And I’m happy to help if I can. Believe me, this isn’t an imposition, but the sooner I take a look at Lulu, the sooner I can try to help her and we can get out of your hair.”
The old milk farmer nodded in ascent. “Alright then. Callie, show ‘em where Lulu is.”
Relieved, Callie led the two along, with Nicholas commenting, “No offense, but wouldn’t bringing in folks from outside generally solve the problem?”
“Don’t take what my dad said the wrong way, he’s fine with bringing people in to help. He’s just stubborn, y’know? Me, I just want Lulu happy and healthy again.”
“Well hopefully I can help.” As they reached the stall where Lulu was kept, Alex let out a saddened moan. “Oh, I really hope I can help.”
Seated in a mass of hay was Lulu, a Miltank with a pallid look on her face, her mood barely brightening as Callie approached and knelt down beside her. “Hey Lulu. These two are gonna help you get better, okay?” As Alex knelt in front of her, the farm girl asked, “Anything you need?”
“Information helps.” Alex slipped off her backpack and began rummaging through the pockets. “How long has she been like this?”
“Since this morning. We found her like this when we came in to milk her and the other girls.”
“So this is recent. Okay, often do you clean these stalls?”
“Once a day, and the cleaning stuff we use is safe for humans and Pokémon, assuming they don’t eat it. Even then, we keep it locked up.”
“You monitor what they eat?”
“Yeah, but all they eat is grass, berries and Poffins.”
Finally retrieving what she was looking for, Alex pulled a small flashlight from her bag. “Okay, Lulu? I want you to open your mouth for me, okay? Open wide and big and say ‘ahhh’.”
“Luuu…” Lulu did as she was told, and Alex clicked her flashlight on and looked inside the Pokémon’s mouth.
“Okay, good girl, you can close it now.” As her patient did as was told, Alex turned to Callie and explained, “Good news is that we can rule out anything environmental. Now none of the other Miltank are sick, right?” The farm girl nodded, and Alex continued, “Alright, so it’s isolated to her. That’s good news no matter how you look at it. I’m no expert, but I’m guessing she’s just gotten a bug. You got Oran Berries?”
“No, we usually give them Sitrus Berries instead.”
“As logical as that seems, that might be overdoing it.” She pulled a small plastic bag from her bag containing several Oran Berries and handed it to Callie. “Give Lulu one of these every few hours until they’re all gone, and she’ll be fine.”
Callie looked at the bag with some surprise. “That simple?”
“If it doesn’t work, consult Nurse Joy.”
-
“That feels like a really anticlimactic detour.” The two had departed the farm, and Nicholas quickly amended, “Not that I’m complaining or anything, and I’m glad we could help out, but I feel like we didn’t really accomplish anything.”
Alex shrugged. “Not everything has to be cosmic and life-changing.”
“Fair enough. So, did your dad teach you about Pokémon medicine, or did you intern with a Joy?”
“That would be my dad. A small part of me’s afraid that if I spend too much time around a Nurse Joy, my hair will turn pink.” At her boyfriend’s surprised expression, she amended, “I know it wouldn’t, don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t.” A sad smile, and he noted, “I wish I’d met him.”
“I wish I’d met your dad too. I’d have liked him.”
The smile turned proud, and Nicholas noted, “He’d have liked you too.”
The distance between Olivine City and Ecruteak City was a short one. Assuming one didn’t get lost or get horribly distracted along the way, transit between the two cities was relatively quick. In Alex’s case, she was confident that she could get between the two cities in a manner of days.
“Alex! Wait up!”
However, Alex wasn’t alone on the trip. She paused and sighed apologetically as she turned back. “Sorry Nick.”
“Sorry, you say…” Huffing as he caught up to his girlfriend, Nicholas looked exhausted. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not used to walking everywhere I go. I drive.”
“You keep in shape.”
“I’m flexible. Illusionists aren’t built for endurance, we’re built for flexibility. Best I can do for a run is a sprint, not a marathon.”
“I guess that means you’re dangerous in tight quarters.” At the illusionist’s quirked eyebrow, Alex shook her head. “Sorry. I keep forgetting you aren’t a movie goer.”
A groan. “I prefer books. You know that.” Nicholas used his staff to steady himself, then took a second to shake down his traveling cloak. “Just try to make sure I can keep pace, okay?”
“I can do that.”
The two continued on, and Nicholas continued, “Besides, if you even tried to tell me that the feature film versions of the Harry Potter books are better than the books themselves, I’d shoot you down in a second. I know enough about movies to know that a lot gets cut out.”
“Actually, I agree with you on that one. I’ve got nothing against character focus, but I don’t want it to come at the expense of cutting out plot points. Plus I prefer how the books ended things to how the movies ended things.”
“Why am I not surprised at your sanity?” He paused as a wind passed through the area and an uneasy expression crossed his face. “Oooh. What is that?”
Alex had a similarly foul look on her face, but she at least recognized the cause. “That’s manure. We must be near a Miltank farm.” At her boyfriend’s surprised expression, she explained, “We’ve got Miltank in the Safari Zone back in Hoenn, and my home is practically next door. A hot summer day and a good breeze coming from the west, and you have a lot of methane heading your way.”
A disgusted expression on his face, Nicholas noted, “Remind me not to visit your place during the summer.”
“You haven’t visited my place.”
“Yet. I figure it’s inevitable, even if both your parents and mine are dead.” A pause, and he pondered aloud, “How would they react to me, anyway?”
“Oh, Dad would like you. Mom would like you too.”
“No issues with my profession?”
Alex shook her head. “Nick, don’t look for approval from the dead. It isn’t healthy.” She smiled and added, “Besides, my sister likes you and approves of you. You’ve gotten past that hurdle, so it’s smooth sailing from there.”
Nicholas smiled, and the two continued on their way until a shout interrupted them. “Hey! You two Pokémon trainers?!” They paused as a slender teen girl rushed up to them, barely winded from running and dressed in a flannel shirt and jean shorts. “Well? Are you?”
The two looked at one another before Alex nervously answered, “I am, officially, but…”
“That’ll work!” The farm girl took hold of Alex’s wrist and tried to drag her along. A few brief tugs, and she noted, “Dang you’re hard to move.”
Nicholas quickly noted with some unease, “Might help if we knew what was going on here. I’m Nicholas, that’s Alex, and you are?”
“Callie.”
“And you need a Pokémon trainer because…?”
“I live on the Miltank farm near here and we’ve got a sick Miltank. I was hoping a traveling Pokémon trainer could help out. We tried calling the Pokémon Center, but Nurse Joy doesn’t do house calls.”
Nicholas looked at her with surprise. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just zap the poor Miltank into a Poké Ball and take her to the Pokémon Center?”
“Nuh-uh. We don’t have them linked to Poké Balls.”
“Well what are we supposed to do? It’s not like we could carry a Miltank.” Nicholas turned to Alex and asked, “Could we?”
“A Miltank weighs slightly less than I do, so no, not easily.” Alex sighed, resigned to the futility in debating further. “Callie, please lead the way.”
-
The nearby Miltank farm was, by Alex’s estimation, an almost idealized version of how a farm would look by Alex’s estimation, one small main building for office work and living quarters with a large barn adjacent. It surprised her how clean the various stalls were, though she suspected it was as much about hygiene as it was comfort for the various Miltank. Still, it was clear that despite the preparations made by the farm’s staff, something had gone wrong.
“Callie, what are you doin’, bringin’ in folks from outside to deal with our mess?”
“But Daddy…!”
“But nothin’! I get you want Lulu to get better, and I want that too, but we can handle it ourselves! We don’t need to waste other people’s time with it!” The older man sighed and turned to the two trainers. “I’m sorry about this. My daughter means well, but…”
“But she gets a little ahead of herself.” Alex smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I can relate. And I’m happy to help if I can. Believe me, this isn’t an imposition, but the sooner I take a look at Lulu, the sooner I can try to help her and we can get out of your hair.”
The old milk farmer nodded in ascent. “Alright then. Callie, show ‘em where Lulu is.”
Relieved, Callie led the two along, with Nicholas commenting, “No offense, but wouldn’t bringing in folks from outside generally solve the problem?”
“Don’t take what my dad said the wrong way, he’s fine with bringing people in to help. He’s just stubborn, y’know? Me, I just want Lulu happy and healthy again.”
“Well hopefully I can help.” As they reached the stall where Lulu was kept, Alex let out a saddened moan. “Oh, I really hope I can help.”
Seated in a mass of hay was Lulu, a Miltank with a pallid look on her face, her mood barely brightening as Callie approached and knelt down beside her. “Hey Lulu. These two are gonna help you get better, okay?” As Alex knelt in front of her, the farm girl asked, “Anything you need?”
“Information helps.” Alex slipped off her backpack and began rummaging through the pockets. “How long has she been like this?”
“Since this morning. We found her like this when we came in to milk her and the other girls.”
“So this is recent. Okay, often do you clean these stalls?”
“Once a day, and the cleaning stuff we use is safe for humans and Pokémon, assuming they don’t eat it. Even then, we keep it locked up.”
“You monitor what they eat?”
“Yeah, but all they eat is grass, berries and Poffins.”
Finally retrieving what she was looking for, Alex pulled a small flashlight from her bag. “Okay, Lulu? I want you to open your mouth for me, okay? Open wide and big and say ‘ahhh’.”
“Luuu…” Lulu did as she was told, and Alex clicked her flashlight on and looked inside the Pokémon’s mouth.
“Okay, good girl, you can close it now.” As her patient did as was told, Alex turned to Callie and explained, “Good news is that we can rule out anything environmental. Now none of the other Miltank are sick, right?” The farm girl nodded, and Alex continued, “Alright, so it’s isolated to her. That’s good news no matter how you look at it. I’m no expert, but I’m guessing she’s just gotten a bug. You got Oran Berries?”
“No, we usually give them Sitrus Berries instead.”
“As logical as that seems, that might be overdoing it.” She pulled a small plastic bag from her bag containing several Oran Berries and handed it to Callie. “Give Lulu one of these every few hours until they’re all gone, and she’ll be fine.”
Callie looked at the bag with some surprise. “That simple?”
“If it doesn’t work, consult Nurse Joy.”
-
“That feels like a really anticlimactic detour.” The two had departed the farm, and Nicholas quickly amended, “Not that I’m complaining or anything, and I’m glad we could help out, but I feel like we didn’t really accomplish anything.”
Alex shrugged. “Not everything has to be cosmic and life-changing.”
“Fair enough. So, did your dad teach you about Pokémon medicine, or did you intern with a Joy?”
“That would be my dad. A small part of me’s afraid that if I spend too much time around a Nurse Joy, my hair will turn pink.” At her boyfriend’s surprised expression, she amended, “I know it wouldn’t, don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t.” A sad smile, and he noted, “I wish I’d met him.”
“I wish I’d met your dad too. I’d have liked him.”
The smile turned proud, and Nicholas noted, “He’d have liked you too.”