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

#081 Magnemite

Magnemite, the Magnet Pokémon. Magnemite attaches itself to power lines to feed on electricity. If your house has a power outage, check your circuit breakers. You may find a large number of this Pokémon clinging to the breaker box. Magnemite floats in the air by emitting electromagnetic waves from the units at its sides. These waves block gravity. This Pokémon becomes incapable of flight if its internal electrical supply is depleted.

A very long time ago, Nurse Isabelle helped a chubby sailor who had taken in a depressed Pikachu, whose spirit had been broken by something Lt Surge had said or done. It had been really scared of humans, and Isabelle had been forced to give the advice of maybe releasing Pikachu to the wild if he didn't learn to trust the Gym Trainer.

Now, back in Vermillion, Isabelle longed to see him. With a light jacket on against the chilly sea wind, she walked over the pier at the harbour part of town. Despite it being nearly midday, it felt rather early in the morning. This was probably due to the dark, stormy clouds above. All around her, sailors worked hard to get their wares safely in storage before the storm hit.

Near her, a little group worked happily, singing and laughing. The leader of the group was the same chubby sailor she had met before the winter, who traded his sorrowful look for a wide grin as he carried crates from the ships into the warehouse. Behind him, unmistakeable with his yellow colour, walked Pikachu with a far smaller box. He sang along to the general melody of the sailor's song, which suggested they sang very often. His cheeks were sparking with energy, due to good health and the approaching storm. Behind the two of them floated something that looked like a Magnemite, carrying something made of metal with his magnetism. It beeped happily along, making the sailor's song the most peculiar Isabelle had ever heard. Nevertheless, it made her happy.

"Good day, sailor. How are things?"

"Lady nurse! Bless me soul, is it really you? We're amazing, thank ye. Look at me little buddy, Pikachu! Like you said, lots of love did it for 'im. Turned back to normal, he did. Look at 'im go! I'm so proud of 'im." Putting the crate he was carrying aside, he shook her hand vigorously. "Everyone! This is the nurse I've been telling yer about. She told me not to give up on me buddy Pikachu." Many sailors came to swarm around her, hoping to be able to shake her hands. Apparently, Pikachu was now some sort of mascot of the harbour, along with Magnemite.

"I've found that little un on one of the boats we've been unloadin'. Stuck to the wall, he was. Poor guy. So I took 'im in and Pikachu and me nursed 'im back to health. Yeah, we did." He nodded proudly, grinning. "The two of them are mates now. Best mates ever. Never go anywhere without one another."

Having brought away their cargo, Pikachu leapt up onto the sailor's shoulder while Magnemite floated nearby. Both were fully charged on electricity and really well kept. Pikachu might be a bit on the chubby side and so Isabelle gave the sailor a kind warning. That only made him laugh, holding his belly.

"Sorry, lady nurse. Can't do. We all love our food. But, I'll be careful. Don't want me buddy to get ill."

When the storm broke loose, all sailors had taken shelter at the inn, having finished their work. There, they drank beer (Izzy had a cup of tea), and laughed and joked and played games. Seated on a table in the middle of the room, Isabelle was constantly handed a new Pokémon to check their health. Whenever she proclaimed one healthy, they cheered and clapped, and whenever she had a remark or a piece of advice, the owner was whistled at. It was all very good-natured, though, and Izzy couldn't stop smiling. They kept buying her a new cup of tea whenever she finished hers, or tiny snacks for her to eat. When she, in the end, hugged a Psyduck to her chest, claiming it was very cuddly and adorable, the owner went entirely red as he blushed, receiving cat calls from the other men. Despite being the only girl there, she was treated with the utmost respect, as if she were their queen. It was the most fun she'd had in days. That reminded her, though. She had to call Dom tonight, if only to check on him.