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

#117 Seadra

Seadra, the Dragon Pokémon. The evolved form of Horsea. Seadra can swim in any direction while facing forward by rapidly flapping its fins and tail. It catches its prey by spinning its body to create large whirlpools. When its prey is exhausted, Seadra swallows it whole using its long snout. Seadra's venom is toxic enough to induce fainting in humans, but is prized among practitioners of traditional medicine. Seadra makes its nest by either wriggling between or anchoring itself to branches of coral under the ocean. After a female Seadra gives birth, the male Seadra will take care of the young. It is markedly vicious, and will mercilessly attack those who venture near its nest.

One of the saddest things Nurse Isabelle could imagine was a Pokémon outgrowing their Trainer, just as a Trainer could outgrow their Pokémon. It was genuinely heart-breaking. Still in Cerulean City, where she'd be for a small while, a man entered the Pokémon centre. With the tell-tale wristband, he looked like he just came out of the hospital. He looked very pale and seemed to be shaky on his feet. Concerned, Isabelle approached the man.

"Hello, welcome to the Cerulean City Pokémon Centre. My name is Nurse Isabelle. How can I help you?"

The man looked positively miserable. He held a Pokéball in his bandaged, trembling hands and when he looked at Isabelle in her nursing uniform, his eyes watered.

"Will you sit down with me and have a cup of tea?" Isabelle asked, knowing she needed to calm the man down before she heard what was going on. The man simply nodded.

A short while later, clutching a cup of floral tea, Izzy crossed her legs as she sat in the meeting room with the man. The ball laid unexplained on the table. Isabelle couldn't be sure, but she thought it twitched a little.

"First of all, before I begin my story, I beg of you not to judge me too harshly. I tried everything I could, but I can't take it anymore."

Isabelle nodded. "I promise. Now, please tell me."

The man took a deep breath. "My Horsea was the cutest. Always chipper, always eager to play. He would swim with me whenever he could, even in the bathtub." He gave a shaky smile. "I loved him truly. He brought joy to my life."

Isabelle smiled encouragingly at him after taking a sip of her tea. Inwardly, she grimaced; not enough sugar in her tea. It was rude to walk away and get some more, though.

"Then he evolved," the Horsea-owner said. Isabelle winced a little. She suddenly had a clue where this story was going; Seadra could be as vicious as Charmeleon. "He... he changed! His spikes would stab me, his venom would make my body feel weak. I've woken up in the hospital often enough due to the effects of that venom. T-that's why I'm here, today. The doctors advised me to ... to say goodbye to Seadra. I can't take care of him anymore," the man with the bandaged hands sobbed. He buried his face in his hands as his shoulders shook. "My poor little buddy. I don't want to betray him so!"

So the ball on the table contained the Seadra, whose gentle owner could not handle him anymore. Izzy moved to sit next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I cannot say anything to relieve the pain of losing a Pokémon this way. All I can do is to make sure Seadra will be cared for here and hopefully find a new trainer soon, one who'll love him as much as you loved him. It's worth considering adopting a new Pokémon, soon."

The man slapped her hand away, angrily. "You have no idea what it's like!"

Izzy stood up, crossing her arms. "Oh, I believe I do. I've traded away my Wartortle because she prefers doing contests over travelling with me. I've left my sweet Ivysaur with a good friend of mine at the Celadon Gym because he found an Ivysaur he was infatuated with. Do not for one moment assume you're the only one who has had to say goodbye!"

Then she looked away, her lower lip trembling. With Ivsaur's leaving so fresh in her mind, her emotions were high. "Please hand over your Seadra at the desk and fill in the necessary paperwork. I'll set up an adoption entry for your Seadra." She gave a slight bow and left the room, abandoning her cup of tea in the meeting room. She told the Joy in the lobby about the man who'd come soon and then left, saying she'd do paperwork in one of the offices. Then, in the silence of the offices in the back of the centre, she cried for the Pokémon that had left her team.