Pokémon Slate Gray

Season 1 - Episode 08: The Deadly Doctor

Slate knelt next to the battle worn Cryote as it panted and shivered from the effects of its poisoning. He didn't know what to do. There was no Pokémon Center on Almony Island, and as far as he knew, they were still trapped there due to the Slugish outbreak. Since he hadn't caught the Cryote, he couldn't even keep it in stasis inside a Poké Ball. All he could do was watch the poor pup suffer.

Slate petted the Pokémon's head, but it flinched at his touch. On noticing this, April said, "You stay here, I'm going to see if Bella's okay."

He nodded in reply, and April dashed away towards the distant door. Slate couldn't help lamenting over the battle. They had won—barely—but had he made the right moves? Could the result have been different if somebody else had been fighting? He'd allowed a Pokémon he hadn't even caught to fight on his behalf, without any training and with zero knowledge of its species' capabilities.

As he stared down at the pained expression of the Cryote who had fought so hard for them and the purple blotches scattered across its snow-white fur, Slate couldn't help but feel sick. This was his fault. Perhaps he wasn't worthy of the responsibility that came with being a Trainer?

"Thank you, April," a feminine voice spoke, interrupting Slate's train of thought. "And this must be Slate."

Slate turned to see April approaching, accompanied by a strikingly beautiful woman with vivid green eyes, crimson lips, and waist-length dark hair, which flowed behind her in rhythm with the flapping of her white lab coat. Beneath, she wore a purple miniskirt, revealing a set of long legs that walked toward him on fuchsia-colored high heels.

This was Bella? Had it not been for her lab coat, Slate would never have imagined her to be the former Pokémon Doctor. A model perhaps. But a doctor, and a Gym Leader at that?

"Oh dear, the poor thing," she said, observing the suffering Cryote sympathetically. "Come, bring it through to the pharmacy."

Slate exchanged a look with April before scooping up the Cryote and following her lead.

"Place it on the examination table," Bella instructed as Slate entered the storefront, then advised, "Don't worry. Your Cryote will be fine."

"Really? Do you have healing equipment in here somewhere?" Slate replied as April appeared at his side.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Bella stated enigmatically.

"Then how can you treat the poison?"

"Because it's one of mine," she explained with a sweet smile.

"Huh?" Slate responded.

"Or, one of my Pokémon's, I suppose I should say. I know the makeup of the various toxins of my Pokémon like the back of my hand. Your Cryote was poisoned by my Colosslug's Poison Gas, and here," she paused, reaching for something under the counter, "is the antidote I developed for it!"

April's eyebrows rose at this. "You developed specific antidotes for different types of poisoning?" she asked with intrigue.

"Oh, yes. I find them much more effective than standard curatives. What's more, I only use natural ingredients in my products. You'd be surprised at what goes into standard remedies and potions, especially the ones sold by Slyph Co. It's one of the reasons I left the hospital to become a pharmacologist," Bella elaborated before walking over to the shivering Cryote and administering her antidote.

"So, this is what my mom meant by 'natural medicine.' I suppose you use the herbalist across the road for ingredients?" April enquired.

"Sometimes," Bella answered, "Primarily, though, my work focuses on reverse engineering toxins taken from Poison-Type Pokémon."