Trials of a Champion - Kanto [Pokemon x OC]

18 Handle with Scare

Following Nurse Joy's instructions, we ended in front of a sturdy residence two stories high with a one story extension on the side. It was a marvelous house, the kind in which most kids dream about growing up: the front door located dead center, a covered porch, and four small windows near each corner. Someone planted a rose garden in front, carefully planned and loved.

Plus, the dwelling sat just a few short blocks away from Pokémon Tower.

It disappointed me that Paul didn't find as much appeal in the Pokémon House as I did.

"What's so special about this place?" he asked.

"Not sure. Nurse Joy said we could learn something here as Pokémon Trainers."

"Well, let's get this over with, then."

Paul's voice dripped with disinterest, so I shot him a look. "You could wait outside if you're that uninterested. This should only take a minute."

"Nah, I'll come. It's too cold to wait out here, anyway."

I begrudgingly held the door open for him. "Suit yourself."

The house was welcoming from the very beginning. Windows let natural light into the room and made the furniture glow. The floor was an old fashioned parquet with a blend of deep homely browns, contrasted by green garden walls and a bold white baseboard. A rug had been laid out over the wood.

The first feature that stood out was a fireplace big enough to park a car in. A neat pile of chopped wood stacked against it, and just three feet away was a coffee table surrounded by soft, velvety chairs.

A long polished table sat to the left, just before a bar that opened into a kitchen. This table was encompassed by much less comfortable-looking chairs, plus a billboard with a calendar, various messages, and photographs. Upon the walls were more photographs of people and Pokémon, so obviously loved.

A wooden door sat on our right, and another sat just beside the kitchen, and a set of stairs at the back spiraled up to the second floor.

The one odd trait about this room: the lack of people. "Hello? Is anyone here?" I called.

"Yes!" chirped a voice.

A young girl emerged from the right door. She gently shut it before skipping over to us.

"Hello. Sorry to bother you," I said. "We're travelers stopping through Lavender Town to check out the Pokémon Tower, and Nurse Joy recommended we visit the Pokémon House first."

"Then, you're in the right place!"

"So, what exactly is this Pokémon House, anyway?" Paul asked.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Wait? You mean, Nurse Joy recommended this place but didn't say anything about it?"

I shrugged. "I tried asking but she stepped away before I had a chance."

"Oh, well, this is a place where we take care of abandoned or orphaned Pokémon."

My heart sank. "Abandoned Pokémon?"

"I'll show you. This way, please."

She led us through the door from which she emerged.

We found ourselves in a bright, open barn with back-to-back animal pens. They contained a variety of Pokémon: an Oddish, a Growlithe, Vulpix, Rattata, Bellsprout, both genders of Nidoran, and many others. Several men and women stood inside the room tending to the Pokémon or cleaning the pens.

"Look at them all," I muttered. Pikachu and Luxio both whined at the sight.

"I had no idea there were so many abandoned Pokémon," Paul said.