With the coming of winter, the standard uptick of patients kept the Eterna City Pokemon Center in a constant buzz of activity. While pokemon were resistant to many illnesses, that didn’t mean immune. Many trainers also stopped by to get medication for the flu or other winter maladies before continuing on their journeys.

  What wasn’t common, thankfully, was the need for therapy. Therapy was a service they provided to all who asked, and all Joys were trained to give sufficient care in case the need arose. While not a specialist, Joyce had done her fair share of helping those in emotional trouble. Most people could wave off a narrow escape with their partners in tow—the lesson learned and never to be repeated. Yet, not everyone was so lucky, and that was when they were called in to help.

  After checking that she had everything in order, Joyce peeked her head outside of her office to find Chansey finishing up with her rounds. “Everything okay? Are we good to go?”

  “Chansey!” Chansey replied with a nod and a face full of happiness. Rarely was it that her partner frowned, and when she did so, things were dire indeed.

  “Go find Cleffy and let her know it’s time to leave. I think she’s in the cafeteria begging for scraps again… If we wait any longer, we’ll be late for our appointment with Smeargle.” After waiting for Chansey to go about her task, Joyce grabbed her things and made her way through the hum of activity of the Pokemon Center and arrived outside at the designated teleportation area.

  While this area wasn’t required, it was designed specifically for remembrance. The pokemon who teleported their trainers needed a solid grasp on their destination, and most Pokemon Centers had a prefabricated and designed location to match for teleporting. If you could remember one, you could remember them all. If a disaster happened out in the wild, a pokemon could teleport to their nearest pokemon center with a modicum of accuracy that could save them or their trainer, as long as they knew where the center generally was.

  “Chansey! Chanse Chanse!” Chansey exclaimed in joyous tones as she waddled out of the center with Cleffy in tow. Soon enough, they all held hands, then in a woosh of motion, they teleported to Berry Falls.

  Joyce’s feet crunched down on a fresh but thin blanket of fallen leaves as they appeared in front of Ethan’s outdoor patio. No matter how many times she’d visited, the sight of his homestead ranch was a beautiful gem, untouched by many of the problems that arose in cities. To her left, Ethan’s rows of berry trees were brimming with berries—ripe, colorful, and full. One of the Gloom which called this place home was tending to some of the trees with practiced movements, making sure that the trees continued to flourish even out of season.

  To her right, on the edge of the tree line, covered in orange and brown leaves, she spotted the hidden line of Oddish, deep asleep and waiting for trouble. Their bright green heads stood out in a sharp contrast to the yellow, red, and orange leaves surrounding them, giving away their ploy.

  Before she even took a step, she checked behind her. Out in the meadow, Ethan’s Ursaring was checking in on their visitors from the mouth of her cave. After a simple cursory look, the big previous alpha of the forest wandered back inside her home to leave them be.

  While he might not know it, Ethan’s home was well defended. She didn’t think that he planned these defenses—especially the Oddish—but she did think that he subconsciously wanted it. With his empathic ability, the nearby pokemon probably picked up on his feelings and adapted to protect their home. It wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but it wasn’t exactly normal.

  Well… Maybe it was when you lived in Eterna Forest. She wasn’t an expert.

  Shaking away her drifting thoughts, Joyce led Chansey and Cleffy up the stairs to Ethan’s home and knocked on the sturdy wooden door. Moments later, Ethan’s Smeargle opened it with a cautious peek through the gap. Once he recognized them, he smiled and opened it wide to let them inside.

  “Heya, Smeargle. Relaxing while Ethan is away on business?” Joyce asked as she stepped inside with a beaming and friendly smile, earning an equally bright smile in return, along with a nod from the humble painter pokemon.

  “Shuu?” A small cry echoed out from the kitchen to her right. Ethan’s Shuckle was there on the ground with a small pile of sorted berries in front of him. In Shuckle’s noodly arms, he had two berries entwined within his limbs, each with a mighty chomp taken out of them. Some berry juice dribbled down Shuckle’s chin as the Rock and Bug type smiled at them. “Shuuu!”

  “Chanse!” Chansey greeted, waddling over to Shuckle to chat, studying the red shelled pokemon’s mound of treats.

  Joyce set her things down on the nearby table and looked around Ethan’s home. Not much had changed, but it was oddly uncomfortable when you were in someone else's home without them being there. “So, do you want to have our chat out here? Or is there somewhere more comfortable you’d like to be? Also, did you remember what we talked about last time? Have you worked on anything?”

  Smeargle nodded to her last question but looked around the living room before shaking his head. He motioned for her to follow along, and led her directly into Ethan’s room, where the painter pokemon had been busy.

  Right at the foot of Ethan’s bed, Smeargle had his easel set up and ready. The canvas atop the easel was already filled with dark paint, depicting a surprising scene.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Joyce followed Smeargle as he approached his artwork and showed it to her in full. Right behind the easel, set up on Ethan’s dresser, was a very small photo which Smeargle had been using as a reference. Joyce picked up the old and small photo and felt a weight settle in her chest.

  The photo was a picture of Ethan and what could only be his mother in a lively bar with one another. The family resemblance was there, and as a Joy, she was definitely an expert when it came to family resemblances. In the photo, Ethan had short hair that was only a few inches long, and he wasn’t as skinny as he was now. The smile he had alongside his mother wasn’t a smile she’d ever seen from him either.

  She felt pity for him, although he wouldn’t want it. To know that you can never see your own mother again was heartbreaking.

  “Are you painting this for him?” Joyce asked, eyes still drinking in the small photo in her hands. “I think he will love it… but it may hurt him as well.”

  After she tore her gaze away from the small photo and placed it back onto the dresser, she sat beside Smeargle on Ethan’s bed as the painter positioned himself to continue his artwork. Smeargle’s hand paused for only a moment, probably thinking about her words, before carrying on to finish his gift for his trainer—not his old one, his new one he had accepted.

  “We should wait until Chansey comes in here to begin in full, but I want to ask if these sessions have made you feel any better? I can tell you’ve come a long way already, but I want to hear it from you.” Joyce said calmly, waiting for Smeargle’s response.

  Without pause Smeargle nodded, but continued painting.

  “Have you decided on anyone else to show your appreciation too?” Joyce continued, earning another nod. “That’s good then—”

  Just then, the door to Ethan’s room opened up and Chansey made her debut. “You want me around this time or do you want to chat alone?”

  Smeargle’s hand slowed, his head turned in thought, then nodded towards the door. The answer was simple enough. Joyce stood and gave Smeargle a quick rub on the head. “I’ll go for a walk then. Check in on Jocelyn. Come find me if you need me, okay?”

  “Smear.” “Chansey!!!”

  Chansey took her spot as she exited Ethan’s bedroom to give them some privacy. Hearing some commotion in the kitchen, Joyce stuck her head around the bend and saw Cleffy, Shuckle, and Pachirisu digging around in Ethan’s refrigerator. It didn’t seem like they were causing trouble, so she waited and watched the event unfold.

  Cleffy was holding open the refrigerator door as Pachirisu stood on Shuckle’s red shell like a stepstool. The electric rodent’s front half was hidden in the fridge—his fluffy tail twitching as he rummaged—but when he came out and held aloft his prize, Joyce mentally snorted. Pachirisu held up a small wooden plate wrapped in clear saran wrap. On the plate, a helping of rice, a side of veggies, and some artfully cut up berries in the shapes of stars decorated the plate.

  Pachirisu placed the plate down on the ground and tore away the plastic covering without any fanfare. Within moments, all three were eating the pre-made meal that Ethan had obviously made for his pokemon while he was away. As Pachirisu shoveled a thick piece of broccoli into his cheek, she was spotted.

  “Pachi-pach-pachirisu!!!” Pachirisu zoomed across the floor and then right up her leg to clamber onto her shoulder, startling her just a bit. The damn fluffy rodent then grabbed her head and turned it towards the guest room while chittering with anticipation.

  “Okay! Okay! Calm down! Don’t push!” She swatted the little grippy hands of Ethan’s electric type as she made way for the guest room. Once opened, Pachirisu sprung from her shoulder without care, landing on the bed in one big leap. He rummaged in the cushions piled up high on the mattress, and then heaved out the Pichu egg he’d been taking care of. With some more instant squeaks of “Pachi!” and more grabby hand motions, Joyce made her way over to check on the egg.

  The egg was due. That much was apparent without any need for pokemon care schooling. It shook and vibrated at a near constant rate—the telling sign of birth. “Anytime now, Pachirisu. It could be in five minutes, or a few days. Only time will tell.”

  Pachirisu slithered around the egg, circling it like a Growlithe, and made sure his tail was properly wrapping it up. Then, surprisingly, he spat out his cheek-stored broccoli bit and placed it next to the egg while talking. At her best guess, he was trying to coax or bribe the little thing out of its shell.

  Adorable? Yes. Helpful? Not really. If this little Pichu was going to be anything like her Pikachu, then maybe some ketchup would have done the trick. But, who knows… maybe Pachirisus love for the green veggie would carry over instead.

  Seeing as she was being ignored now that her services had been rendered, Joyce made her leave and left the house to meet with Jocelyn at the Pokemon Center. The chilly air along the way and the crush of leaves really hit home about the changing of seasons. Soon, there would be snow falling and coating the leafless forest. Many trainers would have trouble during these times, and maybe even find their way to Ethan’s ranch for reprieve.

  Before she knew it, she breached the barrier of the Pokemon Center, feeling the blast of warmth as the automatic doors opened wide. As she expected, nobody was waiting in the lobby and Jocelyn was fiddling with a datapad at the front desk, oblivious to her entry. Her Machoke, Chopper, who stood behind his trainer, noticed her and flashed a mischievous grin.

  “Help! Help! My pokemon! Help!” Joyce screamed drastically, causing Jocelyn to panic and fumble out of her chair. The datapad in her hands flying through the air only to be caught by the uproariously laughing Machoke.

  “Aunt Joyce! That was mean! Don’t do that to me!” Jocelyn yelled indignantly as she realized what was going on.

  “No promises.” She replied, a grin spreading across her face. “How's the slow life here at Berry Falls?”

  “Boring… There’s maybe a visitor once every other day. Nothing major, just some trainers biting off a little more than they could chew.” Jocelyn huffed and settled back into her chair, swiping her datapad back from her Machoke with a threatening glare that didn’t make the body-builder stop laughing. “They should probably bring back the partner system. Going alone here is asking for trouble, especially with winter coming.”

  With her elbows on the counter, Joyce leaned forward comfortably. “Wish you were somewhere else?”

  Jocelyn sputtered, “No! No. You got this place for me to spread my wings. I am very thankfu—”

  “Just be honest.” Joyce cut in, leveling her gaze at her niece.

  “... kinda.” Jocelyn set her pad down and slumped in her chair. “I… I don’t think Ethan and I will be friends. We get along now, but… the damage has been done. We don’t talk much because I fucked it all up.”

  Joyce let a beat of silence pass. Then, without thinking about what was coming out of her mouth, she made an offer.

  “Wanna trade positions with me?”

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