Kanto Region, Pewter City
Pokemon Centers, or PokeCenters for short, is a staple governmental facility for every town and city in the Pokemon World. Providing medical treatment and rest to both Trainers and Pokemon tired from their journeys free of charge, these sanctuaries of healing operated by the widely-respected Joy Household are a crucial aspect to any Pokemon Masters in the making. The iconic angels of care, Nurse Joys, stationed in every Center are working tirelessly without rest until every pokemon are the very picture of perfect health. Indeed, due to its popularity among Trainers for its and professional nurses services, PokeCenters are always lively no matter where they are.
It is rare, but those ignorant of the world or unlearned of Pokemon Centers may mistake these buildings as a refuge for those without homes as trainers often neglect their personal hygiene and appearance during their travels, resulting in the unaware often offending trainers and Center staff alike. Don't be like those people good boys and girls.
Here in Pewter's very own PokeCenter, signs of liveliness can already be seen as early as in the new dawn's first light. Sandwiched between the room's window wall and a hospitable bed, a crouching young boy with a face full of sweat was huffing for breath. Behind his brown bangs his gaze scans the destruction mess of the former ward, remaining sharp and alert for his opponent's movements.
"That cheater, who the hell uses a Rattata in a battle between men. Water under the bridge my ass, he clearly still holds a grudge over that."
Mutters of curses trails from his lips until the bedsheet at the furthest aisle lift with an unnatural breeze. This did not escape the boy's sight but only serves to heighten his caution instead. Scrutinising the far away bed, he hears a soft pitter-patter in that direction.
"Bastard, trying to lure me over there. I see what you're trying to pull, but I won't fall for that. In fact, you gave away your position in the only other available hiding spot."
Feeling confident in his deduction he directs his eyes to the bed curtain that was left strangely half draped. The room he was in used to be a standard hospital ward for patients until the conflict took place, transforming the place into a warzone slowly being stripped of any cover. Only three remained with the boy's bed propped up on its side, the double stacked bed on the opposite end of the room on the left and to its right, the suspiciously slightly drawn curtain providing enough cover for a standing adult.
'Both cheaters aiming for a pincer huh...' He has his left and right covered right now by his opponents but that did not matter. He only needed to go after the trainer to win. 'Just one hit, I just need to get in one shot.' Looking at his ammunition pile next to him he despairs over his sore lack of projectiles, his last one is currently in his grips. Should he try a blitz? But that was a high-risk high reward strategy, with large chances of things going sour. It was after all two against one.
'Dammit, it's all or nothing!' After a few seconds of hesitation, he gathers his resolve to risk it all. His pride won't allow him to surrender nor miss the opportunity to win one over his foe. Dashing out around his cover and past the piles of wrinkled mattresses and bedsheets, he sprints across the room in an instant.
"The one behind the bed must be that rat, so the shorts maniac must behind here!"
Spinning on his heel, he did a sharp right turn and yanks the curtains down to make way for his shot. However what greets him was something else...
"Rah?" "The hell?"
A purple rodent with big teeth was holding a pillow menacingly over its head. The surprise against his expectations left the boy momentarily vulnerable.
"Good job Ratty! Do it!"
Another boy of similar age with short hair rushes out behind the double layered bed who was also holding a pillow launches it straight into the frozen boy, the purple creature similarly hurls it towards his opponent.
"Shit, you cheaters!" With no way of blocking the attack on both sides, he swerves the pillow in his grip around in a circle hoping to deflect both incoming projectiles. But alas he was struck on his back with a powerful thump, pushing the air out of him, sending him bending over and knees buckling in defeat.
"Yay! We won Ratty. Hi-five!" "Rah! Tattah!"
The duo jumps around in celebration while the brown haired boy catches his breath.
"That's bullshit and unfair! How could you use your pokemon in a pillow fight!"
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"What are you talking about, a Pokemon Trainer always fights together with his Pokemon. Whether through defeat or victory, Ratty and I will always stand side by side!" "Ra!"
"Unfair is still unfair! You're just salty I can throw a better punch better than you. Come on, you and me one v one right here."
Seeing the grumpy expression still on the boy sitting on the floor, the short-haired boy picks up his cap after it was knocked off and scattered by the gunfire and replies.
"Wah, don't do that! I'm hospitalised in the first place because of your punches bruising me all over. If you're stilled unsatisfied in the first place then go catch a pokemon and we can have a rematch. Here, let me help you out a bit."
Grabbing his bag tucked in the corner to any fire, the cap-wearing boy pulls a red and white sphere separated by a black line and a button. Gazing at the hand holding the ball the brown-haired boy remains silent.
"Fufufu no need to thank me, Vin. Just make sure you catch a really awesome pokemon with that."
"Can it at least be an ultra?"
"You wastrel! How big do you think my allowance is! I even had to save up two month's worth to get Ratty's Pokeball."
"It's not that much, I'm not even asking for a master."
"A Master!? Why don't you just go rob Silph Co.!?"
"Actually someone will do that eventua-"
At this moment the door to the room opens and a pink-haired lady in white uniform pokes her head inside.
"Have you boys seen any of the potions stock? I looked everywhere and asked around but- !?"
"Ah, it's Nurse Joy!" "Geh, it's the witch!"
Looking at the devastated room her words got caught in her throat, after the initial shock she then spoke her following words each slowly and very carefully.
"What, happened, to, this, room, ?"
"It was his fault!" "It was his idea!" "Rah!"
"I asked once will do again: What, Happened, Here?" Though the question stayed the same, there was now an underlying chill behind the words that cause the two boys and one critter to break out in sweat.
"We had a pillow fight..." The cap-wearing boy with a guilty conscious decides to be honest.
"He let out his Rattata and it knocked over everything!" The brown-haired boy with no shame shoves the blame aside instantly.
"Tah!? Ratta!" The Rattata feels accused and proclaims innocence.
"Hoh? A simple pillow fight manages to put dents in the ceilings and walls?" The nurse continues to interrogate the three with her inquisitive glare. The scene behind the trio came out of a painting from hell.
"We may or may not have used the Center's potion stock and stuffed them in the pillows..." The capped-boy continues his confession.
"We just so happened to find some potions the Rattata must have stolen, so we put them to good use." The brown-haired continues his web of lies.
"Tattah! Rah!" The Rattata demands to speak with its lawyer.
"You...Three...Did...What!?" The stern face crumples into the expression of a furious demon.
"We're very s-sorry! We were j-just, feeling s-stuffy after, d-days of not moving around, and and..." The boy in a cap is now the boy in tears.
"Y'know, we've long since recovered and there's no need to keep us in hospital. What's wrong with stretching your legs a bit and testing the potion's manufacture of quality at the same time. It benefits us and everyone else, win-win! As for the walls...I'd say part of the fault laid with you trapping us, oh and also the Rattata." The brown-haired boy's shamelessness reaches no limits!
"Rah! Rah Rah Tah!" The Rattata accuses the system of corruption and questions if there's any justice in left this world.
"YOU MONGRELS THREW LIFE-SAVING MEDICINES AGAINST THE WALLS TO HIT EACH OTHER FOR YOUR SILLY GAMES!?" With each word the three had spoken, her face twists more and more. The rage meter of the once-kind-and-caring-nurse is hitting maximum capacity and beyond.
"Uwaaaah!" The tearful boy loses control behind the dam in his eyes and in his bladder.
"Eww, gross man. Go tighten that leak. They only hit the walls because the other two was too quick, so they're mostly to blame. The feral rat I understand but damn... I guess the shorts do make a difference." Seemingly unaware of his impending doom, the fearless boy sidestepping the puddle muses about the aerodynamics of comfy shorts and considers switching his own.
"Rattata! Tatta! Rah!" Rattata says he will see everyone in hell.
"CHANSEY! KANGASKAN! PIGEOT! Please help me escort these-"
Just as the angry nurse was calling out her helpers to deal with three troublemakers, a sudden deafening roar shook the whole area.
KAAAAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
"There was an explosion near the healing ward!" "There's injured people here!" "Pokemon! What happened to the recovering pokemon!?" "Is anyone without their pokemon?" "What about potions? Are the potions safe?"
Numerous cries of unrest and panic continue to overlap each other, making it difficult for those present to get a clear grasp of events. The people scrambling in confusion on the lower floors was in a stark contrast to the brown-haired boy's composure as if he had assumed these events were going to occur. Kicking and jiggling the nearby pillowcase stuffed in potions at his feet he turned to his fellow partners in crime.
"See, like I said. Win-win. Now let's book it!"
Jolting the other boy and his little bucktoothed friend out of their muddled daze, the two boys and one rodent went ahead to dash across town leaving behind the fuming nurse.
---
As the morning crowd around the formerly lively Pokemon Center continues to thicken, three figures can be seen overlooking the incident in the shadow of an alleyway opposite side of the road to the smoking building.
Their details are fuzzy at best, with only their silhouette outlines depicting them to be 3 humanoid figures, one with a mushroom head and the other had a head with a large curl. The third member in the shadows, however, appeared to be at knee height with whiskers and triangular ears coming from its oval head.
After observing the situation for another minute, they had enough confirmation that the mission was a success and retreated into darker shadows as if they were never there in the first place.
Meanwhile, on the front face of the ruined building, a young boy with black hair wearing red was sighing about his current dilemma.
"Haa... Poli and Saur can't heal up and all I have is this Pikachu..."
