Nurse Isabelle and the Kanto Pokédex: the Diary of a Travelling Nurse

#041 Zubat

Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat lives in abundance in caves. It has evolved to have neither eyes nor nostrils, instead navigating through dark environments with echolocation. As demonstrated in research, it will leave its abode at night with a mass of other Zubat in order to seek prey. During the daytime, Zubat sleeps hanging upside down in caves, forests, or under the eaves of old buildings, avoiding sunlight at all costs. Daylight causes Zubat to become unhealthy, and prolonged exposure can even burn its skin. However, captured and trained Zubat have been recorded as being much more tenacious in the daytime, even when directly exposed to sunbeams.

It was a beautiful, warm day. The first truly warm one since Nurse Isabelle left Cinnabar Island. So to make the most of it, she found a grassy clearing with plenty of sun and shade. There, she released her Pokémon to enjoy the weather with her.

Pidgeotto, her medical bird, immediately took off to soar the cloudless skies with his mighty wings. Wartortle lounged in the shade, generally being busy looking pretty. Ivysaur sought the sunniest spot on the field and laid down to nap there. With the amount of sun he sought, Isabelle wondered whether he was getting ready to evolve. A Venusaur might be a bit unhandily big, but his strength would increase.

After a while, Pidgeotto called out for her, swooping down to get her attention. It appeared he had found something he desperately wished her to see. Glancing at her Pokémon, she decided not to call them back. She did wake Ivysaur and asked Wartortle to come with her. The three of them followed Pidgeotto, two of them grudgingly.

Whatever Pidgeotto found, it wasn't far. The trees thinned as they neared the mountain, making the reason for her bird's insistence clear. A Zubat flew around outside, making his little 'kst'ing sounds. The poor thing seemed to be so confused among the scarce trees, flying back and forth in a frantic manner. What was worse is that his blue skin was turning red-purplish; he was getting a sunburn! Untrained bats could not take sunlight, as this unfortunate one proved.

"Ivy, could you catch it for me with your Vine Whip? Gently, please," Nurse Isabelle asked calmly. Zubat were pretty speedy, so she could be unable to catch it in the way she might have been able to sneak upon a Pidgey or a Spearow. Pidgeotto distracted the Zubat and Ivysaur was able to slip his vines around his tiny body. The Zubat didn't like this one bit, flapping in an even more frantic manner, screeching out.

"Wartortle, gently douse it a little with your water. Let's cool it down," Isabelle ordered, and thankfully, Wartortle obliged. The Zubat cooled down a little, both literally and figuratively, when he was soaked. Then Isabelle took the miserable bat from Ivysaur, folded his wings around him, and cradled him against her body. Helpful Pidgeotto had already guessed what she was going to do and located the entrance to the cave in the mountain.

As Isabelle entered the cave with the Zubat in her arms, she noticed that many Zubat were hovering near the entrance. Quite a lot of them accompanied her as Isabelle walked inside, bring their kin home. It was a beautiful moment, to have an honour guard of Zubat.