A Sweet Surprise

A Sweet Surprise

		The seminar ended with a round of applause from all the attendees. Jacq walked back to the front of the class and thanked Mr. Torres again for making an appearance today and sharing his research. The man with unkempt, brown hair and chocolate eyes laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. Despite having done this sort of thing many times before, Julio’s not the best at presenting in front of crowds- or at receiving praise for that matter.
		“Ah, of course, thank you for having me,” he blushed.
		Jacq returned a warm smile as the school bell rang out. “And with that,” Jacq pointed his finger upwards to address the sound, “you’re all dismissed. Thank you for joining us today everyone!” Jacq turned to chat with Julio as the attendees, mostly doctors and nurses, shuffled out of the small classroom; a few stayed behind to chat with their classmates and peers.
		Ivy finished jotting down her final thoughts in her notebook and closed it with a satisfied huff. She quickly packed up her things and approached the two bedhead-ridden men conversing at the front of the classroom. Julio was carelessly stuffing papers into his messenger bag and handing some books to the Pawmot standing next to him. Ivy mused to herself, pondering why smart men seem to be so disorganized. She’s been well acquainted with science-y researcher types long enough to notice a trend.
		“Mr. Torres,” she called out to him, “that was an amazing seminar you gave.”
		“Oh, th-thank you. But please, call me Julio.” he assured her.
		“Julio,” Ivy corrected herself, “my name is Ivy. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”
		“Ah, sorry, but I’m in a bit of a rush- my son is waiting for me… somewhere around here.” His voice trailed off.
		“Mind if I walk with you then?” Ivy proposed, smiling at him.
		“Hmm... not at all.” He shrugged. Julio waved back to Jacq as he set off with Ivy. “Thanks again for everything Jacq. ¡Adios!”
		“Pawmot!” his Pawmot chimed in a goodbye from behind the stack of books it was carrying, following closely behind its trainer.
		Jacq chuckled. “Anytime. Send Miko and Mei my regards.”
		Ivy and Julio chatted as they traversed through the halls of Naranja Academy. Ivy inquired Julio about his research and partner Pokémon Pawmot. They talked about; new types of medicines, Ivy’s nursing history, the Pokémon of the Paldea region- all the while, Julio was looking around for his son, a bit panicked. The pair stood out quite a bit amongst all the students in their uniforms, both strangers to the school. Ivy even more so next to the plainly dressed Julio. She was wearing cut-off jean shorts and a cropped, pink nurse’s top. Her hair was in a messy bun and she sported a pair of heart-shaped glasses. They’re non-prescription, but Ivy swears that wearing glasses helps her absorb knowledge better somehow.
		Normally, the classes offered at Naranja Academy are offered exclusively to its students, but today’s seminar was an exception. It’s not uncommon for the academy to host conferences, lectures, and seminars open to the public every now and then. Doctors, nurses, researchers, and students alike were all allowed to attend and listen to Julio present his latest medical research. Ivy was able to secure her spot at the seminar today through her connections with Blueberry Academy back in the Unova region.
		“So this is your first time visiting Paldea? How do you like it here so far?” Julio asked.
		“Yes! It’s great here. It seems like Paldea has a lot of strong Pokémon I haven’t seen before- like that Pawmot of yours.” She leaned back to wink at the Pawmot walking alongside them. The two continued conversing until they eventually reached the entrance hall of the academy.
		“Well, thank you for your time Julio.”
		“It was nice meeting you Ivy.”
		“Likewise. Good luck looking for your son.” Ivy smiled softly.
		“Heh, thanks.” Julio deflated. “My wife is going to kill me,” he sighed.
		The two parted ways and Ivy set out into the courtyard. She stood in front of the Academy gates, right before Naranja Academy’s infamous steps- an arduously long staircase of 153 steps that many students struggle with daily. ‘It really is nice here.’ she thought to herself as she was hit with a warm Paldean breeze.
		“You should enjoy this too.” She reached for the Heal Ball attached to her belt. “Come on out…” With a toss of the ball, her partner Pokémon “Chansey!” appeared beside her.
		“Chansey!” the pink Pokémon pipped.
		Ivy undid her messy bun, letting her long, pink hair cascade behind her like knives. She removed her glasses and put on a pair of red fist guards that she procured from her bag, tugging at the cuffs to make sure they’re snug. She flashed a devious smile at her Chansey.
		“You ready?”
		“Chan!” Chansey, matching Ivy’s competitive energy, sneered in return.
		“Last one down there’s a rotten Chansey egg!” Ivy yelled out as she leapt from the top of the steps, her Chansey running at great speeds behind her trying to close the distance between them. The two raced with great fervor, startling nearby onlookers. Despite Ivy’s hyper feminine appearance, she is actually quite the muscle head, often initiating these bouts of strength and endurance with her Pokémon.
		It’s this streak of brutish behavior that got Ivy kicked out of nursing school. Although she’s a great student who had high marks, her violent tendencies and unorthodox practices were not tolerated at the Saffron University she attended in the Kanto region. In truth, Ivy feels that Pokémon should battle to their fullest potential with no fear for their own safety. She justifies this ‘fight with reckless abandon’ mentality with the notion that she can heal any Pokémon back to tip top shape. This ideology and her passion for absolute strength above all else leads others to view her as a bit of a menace.
		“Coming through!” She yelled out.
		Were it not for her warning, the poor souls casually walking down the stairs would have been bowled over by Ivy and her Chansey. The race ended with the two of them finding themselves in the center of Mesagoza, arguing with each other as to who got there first.
		“I totally got you this time!”
		“Chansey chan!” Chansey protested.
		“You wanna fight!?” Ivy got up in Chansey’s face.
		“Chansey!” Chansey huffed, not backing down. Tensions rose as they mashed their foreheads into each other. Just like her trainer, Chansey also has quite the temper, and neither we’re giving an inch.
		“Fine…” Ivy sighed, backing off, “Let’s call it a draw for now.” She winked at Chansey and extended a hand out to her.
		“Chan.” Chansey acceded, reaching out to accept Ivy’s peace offering.
		“Phew… those are some stairs, huh?” Ivy looked back at the grandeur of the academy
		“Chanseeey.” Chansey agreed.
		“Oo, look Chansey.” Ivy pointed to two trainers riding by on green, reptilian Pokémon. “Those must be Cyclizars. I heard the people of Paldea ride those Pokémon like bicycles.”
		“Chansey!” Chansey pointed to a different trainer whizzing by on what looked like a larger, tougher, red Cyclizar- her reddish-brown and pink hair trailing behind her in the wind.
		“Woah… I wonder what that was. Do you think they make different models of Cyclizar or something?”
		“Chan chan.”
		“You’re probably right.” Ivy chuckled. “Whatever it was though, it looked tough.” She smiled down at Chansey. “Nothing that we couldn’t handle though, right?”
		“Chansey! Chan chan.” Chansey flexed her arm muscles and shadow boxed the air in front of her, getting a laugh out of Ivy.
		“Attagirl.” Ivy clapped her on the back. “C’mon, let’s go shopping.”
		The two walked around central Mesagoza, popping in and out of the different shops that lined the plaza. People sat with their Pokémon at outdoor tables enjoying refreshments and chatting- the city was lively and festive. It made Ivy lament that her time here in Paldea was short, but she vowed to come back and visit again some day.
		Ivy was admiring the large battlefield that served as the centerpiece of the plaza when Chansey prodded at her leg for attention. Chansey pointed to a shop that had a picture of none other than herself plastered on the window.
		“Chansey Supply? Good eye Chansey, let’s go check it out!” Ivy praised Chansey with loving head pats. “We can stock up on supplies while we’re here.”
		The two lost track of time perusing all the different variants of mints and vitamins the store had to offer. Ivy ended up checking out with a large assortment of medicines and herbs. Thanks to her flirting efforts, she was able to net herself a pretty sizable discount on her purchase. In reality, Ivy came off as threatening more than flirtatious, and the young clerk behind the counter had a feeling she might have hurt him otherwise.
		“He-here you go miss.” The clerk sheepishly slid the shopping bag across the counter.
		“Thanks cutie!” Ivy winked at him.
		The clerk managed to sputter out a goodbye despite flinching. “Th-thank you for shopping at Chansey Supply, have a-“
		BOOM!
		The sound of a loud explosion roared out from plaza, making the already tense clerk yelp. Ivy quickly snatched the bag up and ran outside in a hurry, Chansey following right behind her. A small crowd had gathered around the center battlefield, applauding what seemed to be the end of a battle. In the middle of the battlefield stood a small child shaking the hand of another trainer. Beside him, a fainted Electrode rocked back and forth. Its eyes were spiraling and a big smile was plastered onto its blackened body. Ivy quickly relaxed at the sight of it all; it was clear now that the explosion must have came from them. As the crowd slowly dispersed, Ivy walked on over to the small child.
		“Hey kid.” Squatting down to his level, she was a bit surprised to see the blonde boy was wearing a disposable face mask and eyepatch. Afraid the kid might have been hurt, Ivy immediately went into nurse mode.
		“Are you okay?” she asked as she examined him over for signs of injury or sickness. “You’re not hurt are you? Do you have a stuffy nose? Runny nose? Pink eye? Sore throat? Maybe a bird Pokémon pecked your eye out— I sure hope not. May-”
		“Y-yeah, I’m okay…” the boy interjected, feeling a bit overwhelmed by this stranger bombarding him with questions.
		Ivy was unable to discern any cause for worry and relaxed a bit.
		“Hmm... Alright.” she conceded. ‘Probably just some weird new fashion trend or something.’ she surmised.
		Ivy could tell by the glint in his visible, brown eye that the kid wasn’t too bothered by the presumed loss he just suffered. Little did she know that what she was mistaking for a fighting spirit was actually a gambling addiction.
		“You’ve got guts kid.” Ivy smiled at him and reached into her shopping bag, pulling out one of the herbs she had just purchased. It had 3 green leaves and was covered in a light dusting of some sort of reflective powder. “Here— give this to your Pokémon.”
		The young boy cautiously took her gift and looked it over in his little hands. “What is this thing?” he asked.
		“It’s a revival herb— it’ll have your Electrode feeling like brand new in no time.” she explained. “Oh, it is pretty bitter though.”
		The boy stood there contemplating for some time before feeding the herb to his fainted Pokémon. Its face puckered for a moment as it struggled with the strong taste of the herb, but soon after, color returned to its body. The Electrode jumped high into the air, brimming with energy.
		“Electrode!” The boy called out. He happily embraced his revived partner. “Thank you miss!” he gleamed at her from behind his mask.
		“Don’t mention it kid.” Ivy dug around in her trainer bag, the one she keeps attached to her belt. “Here— you should take these too. They’re not as strong as the herb, but they don’t taste nearly as bad.” She placed some revives in the little boy’s hands. “And this.” She handed him a heart-shaped lollipop. “Every checkup deserves a treat. Besides, losing doesn’t always have to be so sour, but I’m sure you already knew that.” She winked.
		The little boy pocketed the revives and then undid the wrapper around the lollipop. He lifted up his mask slightly to put it into his mouth, lowering the mask once again afterwards. He sucked on it happily, its stick poking out from under his mask.
		“Mmm, tasty! Thank you very mu- Oh!“ The little boy suddenly scampered off to a nearby sign and picked something up off the floor. Bewildered, Ivy swore she saw a tiny, gray something scurry away from where the sign stood as the boy approached it.
		“Aha! Lucky lucky!” he cheered, showing off the shiny coin he found to his Electrode. “Thanks again miss!” he called out, waving to her with his new coin in hand. Ivy waved back and nodded as the kid ran off in the direction of Naranja Academy, his Electrode rolling with him.
		“Hmph. Weird kid.”
		“Chansey.”
		“Yeah, I guess... Oh! Chansey, look!” Ivy pointed to a food stall nearby and rushed on over. “Kanto Crepes!?”
		“Chansey chansey!”
		“Greetings from Kanto! How about a taste of the crepes that are all the rage right now?” the woman behind the stand greeted them.
		“Yes please! Hmm…” Ivy studied the menu. “Which one do you want Chansey?”
		“Chan!” She pointed to the picture of the strawberry crepe on the menu.
		“Oo, yummy pick Chansey. Can we get two Strawberry Whipped Cream Crepes please?
		“Good choice— I really like that one too! I’ll make it extra tasty for you guys. That’ll be 19 hundred.”
		Ivy handed the woman 1,900 Pokédollars and she got to work, whipping up those crepes in no time and placing them inside a striped cardboard pocket. It’s colors were reminiscent of a Heal Ball- Ivy’s favorite type of  Poké Ball. Each crepe received a generous dollop of whipped cream and 3 strawberries each. The crepe woman handed a dessert to both of them.
		“Ugh, so cute! Thank you so much.” Ivy turned to her Chansey. “Ready Chansey?”
		“Chan.”
		“Cheers!”
		The two bit into their crepes at the same time, enjoying a burst of shockingly sweet goodness. The whipped cream was light and cool, and the strawberries were delectably juicy. All that deliciousness wrapped in a warm crepe made Ivy weak in the knees.
		“Mmmm… so good! Reminds me of my college days.” She reminisced.
		“Chanseeey.”
		The crepe woman, content with herself, dusted off her hands at yet another satisfied customer. “Glad you like them!”
		Ivy and Chansey enjoyed the rest of their crepes leisurely exploring Area One south of Mesagoza. The open air Pokémon Center was a pleasant surprise to see, but the sight of the Nurse Joy stationed there left a bitter taste in Ivy’s mouth.
		“Look at her… standing there all high and mighty. She probably thinks she’s so much better than us. I oughta scrub that dumb look off her face myself.” Ivy grumbled to herself, clenching her fists. The malice radiating off of her body was almost palpable, so much so that Chansey had to reign her back in. Ivy decided she wasn’t going to let past grudges taint her time here.
		“Chansey chanse.” Chansey pleaded.
		“You’re right, you’re right. Sorry. We’re only here ‘til tomorrow and I won’t let any Nurse Joy ruin the rest of our trip.”
		“Chaanse?”
		“Promise.”
		“Chansey.”
		The two continued on the path to Los Platos. Ivy was surprised to see the wild Pokémon here were so friendly. The duo found themselves in the company of new travel buddies in the form of a wild Pichu and Pachirisu. Ivy didn’t mind of course, she always finds it exciting to meet new kinds of Pokémon. A memory of her time spent in the savanna biome crossed her mind— constantly having to run away from wild Rhyhorn and Tauros. That time when she got caught in a Galvantula web also came to mind. She shuddered.
		“The Pokémon here are so much kinder than those back at the terrarium, don’t you think Chansey?”
		“Chanth.” Chansey replied with a mouthful of crepe. She went to take another bite, only to realize that the crepe she was holding was no longer there. The culprit- none other than the Pachirisu that was accompanying them- was scampering off in a hurry towards the next town, the stolen crepe in its mouth. Its Pichu accomplice wasn’t far behind.
		“CHANSEY!!” Chansey turned red with anger and gave chase.
		“Maybe I spoke too soon...” Ivy sighed, reluctantly joining in the pursuit. 				chase“Chanseeey! Waaait uuuup!”
		The chase ended with what remained of Chansey’s crepe falling flat on the pavement, the Pachirisu and its Pichu buddy long gone. Chansey stood there, mouth agape, mourning the loss of its precious dessert.
		“There, there.” Ivy consoled her partner. “Here, you can have the rest of mine.”
		“Chan chaan.”
		Ivy and Chansey spent some time in Los Platos as Chansey finished Ivy’s crepe, still feeling a bit dejected. It’s a quaint little town with a lot of friendly folks. Since the sun was getting low in the sky, one of its denizens suggested that Ivy hike up the hill and visit the Poco Path Lighthouse to watch the sunset.
		“A great idea.” Ivy agreed.
		It didn’t take much time at all to make it to the lighthouse. Instead of climbing up to the top, Ivy decided the view from the cliff side was good enough. She propped herself up against the rickety post fence, just in time to watch the sun dip below the horizon line. Sunlight danced across the ocean’s orange waves, causing them to sparkle and glow a reflective white.
		“Ahhh… this is the best.” She sighed.
		“Chan-seeey.” agreed Chansey.
		“Pawmi.” A third party chimed in.
		Ivy and Chansey turned their attention to the small rodent sitting on one of the posts next to them. It looked like a much smaller version of the Pawmot they met earlier except… this one had pink fur that seemed to almost sparkle.
		“P-p-p-p… Pink!??” Ivy exclaimed. A sense of disbelief washed over her. She questioned reality, wondering what she did to be so blessed with such luck. This incredibly rare and cute Pokémon encounter was definitely the highlight of her trip to Paldea, however Ivy’s excitement startled the little Pawmi and it began to run away.
		“Oh no you don’t— Chansey! Don’t let it get away!” she called out, quickly taking out a Lucky Punch from her bag and tossing it to Chansey. Chansey quickly equipped the gloves, excited for the battle that was about to ensue.
		“Mega punch!” she commanded.
		“Chaaaan-SEY!” Chansey, red boxing gloves on her hands, charged up a powerful punch and rushed at the pink Pawmi. The Pawmi however was too fast for Chansey’s attack. It quickly jumped out of the way and let loose a jolt of electricity. Although the Thunder Shock was rather weak, Chansey was surprised that Pawmi managed to avoid her attack.
		“Quick on your feet are ya?” Ivy was beaming, this little guy had potential. “Come on, let’s see what else you can do!” she goaded it.
		“Grrrr.” Pawmi growled at them. Although it was more endearing than threatening, it managed to quell Chansey’s fighting spirit a bit.
		“Hold your ground Chansey.”
		“Chan.”
		“C’mon, is that all you got little guy?”
		Pawmi continued to growl at them until... SHWING! It went on the offensive with a Scratch attack- just as Ivy had hoped.
		“Chansey now!” she called out, “Counter!”
		“Chaaaan-“ Chansey tanked the Scratch with no issue and grabbed Pawmi by the arm. She began to heave Pawmi over her body- judo style.
		“Pawmamama!” The Pawmi panicked as it was being swung through the air.
		“-SEY!” Chansey slammed Pawmi into the ground behind her, its small body bounced off the hard earth, knocking it unconscious. That’s when Ivy pounced, ready to seal the deal.
		Instead of throwing Poké Balls like a normal trainer, Ivy essentially punches the Poké Ball into the Pokémon she’s trying to catch- one of her many bad habits. With a Heal Ball in hand, she screamed as threw a punch at the Pawmi’s limp body, still suspended in the air from Chansey’s counterattack.
		“AHHHHHHH!” she roared. POW!
		The Pawmi was sucked into the Heal Ball and Ivy held onto it as it wiggled in her hand. One wiggle… two wiggle… and… click. The Pawmi was captured.
		Ivy clutched the Poké Ball with both hands as she began to shake.
		“Yaaaa-HOO!!!” she rejoiced, jumping in the air.
		“Chanseeeeey!” Chansey also hopped up in celebration.
		Ivy kissed the Heal Ball containing her newly caught team member.
		“Talk about an amazing souvenir!”