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

#111 Rhyhorn

Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon. Rhyhorn's brain is very small. It is so dense, while on a run it forgets why it started running in the first place. It apparently remembers sometimes if it demolishes something.

With Nurse Isabelle being constantly on the road as a Pokémon Nurse, and Dominic Whitewater always travelling as a ranger, the two had very little time together. Their way of seeing each other was to either bump into each other by coincidence or meet up at work.

Apparently feeling guilty for not giving her a lot of attention during his time at the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City, Dominic invited her to join him as he spent at least the coming week with him at the Safari Zone, where he worked.

Despite having lived in Kanto her whole life, Isabelle had never been in the Safari Zone, so this was quite a unique experience. She didn't get the full Safari Zone experience, though, because she was a nurse. There was no time limit, nor was she given Park Balls. She had work to do, after all.

Dominic met her just inside the gate, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her in a tight hug. In his embrace, she felt that he had genuinely missed her and she tried to convey that the feeling was entirely mutual. While she still didn't need a man to be complete or be happy, he certainly made her life a lot less lonely. She missed him when he wasn't there.

Only a few minutes in, Isabelle decided her life had definitely been lacking prior to coming here. The Safari Zone was great! There were so many Pokémon, living freely without the fear of being attacked by greedy trainers. The worst trainers could do was throw rocks at them.

A Nidorino and Nidorina were hopping through the grass together, chasing each other, obviously in love. Psyduck and Slowpoke laid floating in the water. Parasect crawled in front of Dom and Izzy, forcing them to wait until he had finished crossing the road.

In a quieter place, tucked in the shade, Dominic sat down with Izzy, apologising he did not bring a blanket for her to sit on. Isabelle merely shrugged, saying the dirt'd wash out.

They were sitting there under a big oak, having sandwiches, chatting pleasantly, watching clouds and occasionally kissing. Resting her head on Dominic's lap, Izzy dozed off in the warm atmosphere of the Safari Zone. She rarely had the opportunity to nap, so she'd take her chance right now.

After what felt like five minutes of sleep, she felt herself being lifted up in someone's strong arms and carried away. She startled awake, seeing Dominic's grim face. Just as they were away from the place they were sitting, a Pokémon smashed into the oak tree with a mighty crash.

As Dominic lowered her to the ground, Izzy looked over to discovered what happened. A Rhyhorn was stuck with his horn in the tree, snarling angrily.

"He just showed up. When a Rhyhorn charges, they don't stop until they hit something," Dominic said, running his hand through his black hair. He looked pale and shaken.

Isabelle laid her hand on his arm. "Thank you for getting me away from there." Dominic grinned and merely kissed her forehead. Their lunch was ruined, their backpacks damaged, but at least they were unharmed. Still, the Safari Zone might not be such a safe place to have a nap.