The Gym Leader and the Nurse (Pokémon)

[Likesn]

Defeat. That feeling of being completely powerless after succumbing to something or someone you just couldn't handle. Misty was certainly not used to that feeling. Being a gym leader since she was a girl, there were only a handful of times when other trainers managed to beat her in a Pokémon battle and it has been years since the last time that happened. Even now, in her mid-twenties, she was spending most of her time in the gym, honing her Pokémon battle skills in order to make sure she won't be defeated in battle again. No, her current defeat was not related to Pokémon. Perhaps all the long hours in the gym had something to do with her current state. As a trainer specializing in water Pokémon, Misty spent a lot of time in the pool of her gym and even when she wasn't in the pool she would often get wet from one of her precious Pokémon splashing water on her during training. She loved her Pokémon, so she didn't mind. However, it was now the middle of winter and the temperatures were very low. Misty often found herself shivering when she left the gym at the evening, wet, cold and tired after a long day of training. Those might've been some serious warning signs, but when Misty found herself defeated it was very sudden, to her at least. The thing that defeated Misty was simply the common cold. It didn't feel very common to Misty though: She was so congested she couldn't command her Pokémon during training and her sneezes made it hard for her to speak at all.

"Huaeish Tshoooooooo!" Misty's Starme jumped out of the way as two snot rockets were launched out of his trainer's uncovered nostrils.

"Dod't you dare judge be, Starbe *sniffle* you shoot out buch bore liquid thad that whed you attack" Misty said and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

Fortunately for her, she was alone in the gym. All the other trainers seemed to have decided that the raging storm outside was a sign that this wasn't a good day for training. Not Misty though. She was not going lot the storm stop her, nor her cold for that matter.

"Cobe od *sniffle* let's do a few bore Heai TsSha! roudds" she told her Pokémon. They seemed unusually reluctant though.

"You guys! We have to do sobe traidig!" she told them. "I'b a Huash Tsha! gyb leader. I have to be at by absolute Hei Tshoooooo! best".

This was somewhat strange. Normally, Misty didn't have to convince her Pokémon to train with her, since they happily did so. They knew what she demanded from them and she knew what they wanted to do. It was the kind of understanding that top trainers and their Pokémon have. That's why Misty soon realized what her Pokémon were trying to tell her.

"O.K. *sniffle* I'll go see a doctor" said Misty. She needed to blow her nose and there were no tissues nearby, so she blew her nose into her hands and washed them in the pool. It was gross and she knew it, but the water in the pool would be cleaned before anyone would ever notice.

"Heai Tshooooo, Ha Ish Tsha!" Misty let out two more obnoxious sneeze as she headed towards the Pokémon center. The doctor was currently away, so Misty figured that her best chance of getting medial treatment was the Pokémon center.

"Welcome to Cerulean city Pokémon center" a pink-haired nurse greeted Misty when she walked into the center. "My name is Joy. How may I help you today"?

"Do you happed to have ady Hua Tshooa! cold bedicide? *sniffle* For hubads I bead?" Misty asked.

"Huh... we don't usually take care of people in here" Joy said, scratching the pink hair on her head.

"Hea Tshoooooooo!" Misty let out another uncovered sneeze. "Could you please just *sniffle* check"?

"I'll see what I can do" said Joy.

When the nurse went to search for medicine in the back room, the sniffling Misty was left alone in the empty center. She was glad when she noticed a box of tissues on the nurse's counter. Taking a handful of tissues, she relieved her overflowing nose with a series of wet, gurgling blows.

"Sorry, I couldn't find any cold medicine" Joy said when she returned to the counter.

"That's O.K. *sniffle* I'll just returd to the gyb, I guess Heash Tshooooo! Thadks adyway" Misty said and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Joy called after her. "You can't just go, not with a cold like that".

"Well what do you *sniffle* wadt be to do?" Misty asked.

"Come with me" Joy replied. "I have an idea".

Misty followed Joy to a room in the back, where the nurse gestured towards a bed.

"Here" she said to Misty. "Why don't you get in there? I'll be back in a few moments".

Misty wanted to argue, but her head was starting to spin from her congestion, so getting into a nice warm bed seemed like a good idea.

"Drink this" Joy told Misty a few minutes later, when she returned with a steaming mug.

"Did you fidd sobe bedicide after all?" asked Misty.

"No, but I made you tea" Joy replied. "It should help you feel better".

Misty was a bit skeptical, but the tea did help her a bit. Unfortunately, the steam tickled her already irritated nose.

"Ha Esh Tsha, Hei TsSha, Huash Tshooooooo!" she sneezed all over nurse joy.

"Bless you" Joy told her. "Here, let me help you with that" she said before taking a tissue and helping Misty blow her nose.

"You seeb to kdow what you're doig" Misty told her.

"Well... taking care of Pokémon is what I do best, but I guess it's not very different from taking care of people" said Joy.

"Huea TsheSha! *sniffle* Defeatig people id Pokébod battles is what I do best" said Misty.

"Now you're gonna have to defeat this cold, and I'm gonna help you with that" said Joy.

Misty was not used to being weak, but now she was sick and needed someone to take care of her. It turned out that Joy was just the perfect person to do that. The nurse did her best to take care of the sick trainer and after about two days Misty was finally starting to feel a bit better. Unfortunately, Misty had a very poor sense of hygiene and she almost never covered her snotty sneezes. Thus, it was not surprising that joy ended up catching Misty's cold. The poor nurse's nose got pink just like her hair and she was sneezing constantly.

"Ha Tshioo, Ha Ha Tishoo! Oh Bisty *sniffle* I'b so sorry *sniffle* but I dod't thidk I cad keep takig care of you buch lodger" said the sniffling nurse.

"Dod't be sorry Huash Tshoooooo! I bight still be sick *sniffle* but I'b feelig buch better thadks to you" Misty said before blowing her nose.

"I'b glad to Hi Tshioooo! hear that. It's such a shabe that I caught your cold. Baybe a better durse would't have A Tshioooo, Hi Tishoooo! caught it" said Joy.

"You're the best durse id the world" Misty told her.

"Really? You Haaa Tshioooo! *sniffle* bead that?" Joy asked before blowing her nose.

"Of course I do" Misty replied. "Id fact *sniffle* baybe it's tibe I start Hue Tshoooo, Haaa Etsh Shea! takig care of you'.

"I'd really like that, Bisty *sniffle* thadk you I Tshoooo, Ha I Tshooo, Ai Tshiooooo, Ha Ti Shooooooo! sneezed joy.