100-Cuz

Amelia wants the ground to open beneath her and swallow her up.

“I can't believe it! My baby cousin! A trainer!” The Joy running the center exclaims with a laugh as she pulls a tray of balls from the pokecare machine, then places it on the counter and picks up the last of four trays in the same motion. “How many badges do you have?”

Maybe teleportation? Chansey is outstandingly skilled at manipulating psychic energy.

“Two.” She says as calmly as she can, feeling the looks her friends are giving on the back of her neck. “But, again, I am still getting my nurse training right now.”

Teleportation is one of those annoying moves where the method one line of ‘mon uses is almost completely incompatible with another. Family in Kanto have figured it out, but while the clan have… a lot of legal exceptions carved out for them, there are limits.

There’s a very short list of moves that are restricted in some way, mostly for safety reasons and it varies from region to region, but things like teleportation are most commonly restricted and Kanto put their foot down, deciding that they want teleporting chanseys to be a Kanto exclusive for as long as possible.

The restriction cannot stop someone else from discovering the move independently, but if any Joy outside of Kanto reveals their partner can teleport, the family in Kanto will be getting –at best– some very suspicious looks.

“Two whole badges!” Tori exclaims as she pops the tray into the pokecare machine, her back to Amelia. “You know Ames, as–”

“Amelia.” The Joy insists reflexively, cringing at the childhood nickname, to which Tori rolls her eyes as she places the last tray on the counter.

“Of course. You know Amelia, as surprised as I am, when you were little I kinda thought you might be interested in doing the contest circuit when you got older. But that might just be my biases poking through there. Dad’s actually on the ribbon hunt right now up in Sinnoh.”

With that, Tori’s eyes flick from family to the other trainers in the room, and in an instant her expression slides back into a perfectly professional smile as her hands clasp at her waist.

“Thank you for waiting, we've restored your Pokémon to full health. We hope to see you again.”

Glancing back at her friends, dreading the looks she knows they’re giving her, Amelia is instead surprised to see them looking at Tori as if she’d grown a second head.

Blinking, Amelia looks back at her older cousin to try and see what they find so shocking, but from everything she can see, there’s nothing out of the ordinary, Tori is practically identical to the ideal ‘Nurse Joy’ everyone in the family has in her head, from the passive but caring smile to the fall of her hair.

Eventually she just huffs through her nose in confusion and grabs all the pokeballs from her tray but Teddiursa’s.

Whatever.

“Thanks Tori.” She sighs, then points at the last pokeball. “Could you do a first time checkup on Teddiursa? I’m just looking after him while his mother receives treatment, but I’m concerned about possible minor malnutrition.”

Her cousin’s eyes flick back to her and instantly her professional mask dissolves, breaking into a wide smile as she grabs the pokeball.

“Sure! I’ll give em’ the old once over in the back. Give me ten.” She says casually, walking to the door to the back and throwing it open. “Chansey!”

As her older cousin walks through the door, Amelia hears Kate mutter something about waiting outside, but the Joy is immediately distracted by Tori’s partner waddling out from the back.

She’d not seen Tori’s partner in years, but she’d known the ‘mon since she was a happiny, it’s just the minor curse of a large family that even very close cousins and aunts can drop out of her life and get lost in the shuffle.

The ‘mon adjusts her nurse’s cap, giving a pleasant smile to everyone as she takes her partner’s place.

The smile widens when she looks at Amelia.

“Chans!” She cheers with a wave.

Amelia half rolls her eyes, smiling despite herself.

“Hey Chansey.”

Still, it’s nice to see her again.

For some reason, likely because Amelia knows she can't say her partner’s name properly, Chansey’s pokeball shakes on her hip before popping open on its own.

The considerably larger ‘mon thuds to the floor with a flurry of confused blinks, a normal side effect of being healed by the pokecare machine.

When inside a pokeball, there’s a range of how aware the ‘mon is that is largely grouped into a few states. Scientists have grouped them into seven phases, each with increasingly complicated names, but the popular two states are ‘dozing’ and ‘asleep.’

A dozing pokemon is largely aware of the outside world and can easily choose to exit the pokeball if they want, for some ‘mon this phase lasts a few minutes after entering the ball, others never go further.

Asleep is a state of deep stasis, where the ‘mon is almost completely unaware of the world outside or the passage of time. When ‘asleep’ the only way a ‘mon is coming out on their own is after they start getting hungry, which due to the stasis state inside the ball can take weeks.

Even still it’s not true sleep, they get some limited benefits like they’re sleep, but they cannot heal and it can only blunt the exhaustion that sleeping outside of a ball fixes.

Current advisory is that a ‘mon that remains in their ball overnight should have at least one night out of ball rest every three days out of ball spent active.

The one major exception for pokemon resisting the deep stasis is the pokecare machine, which is known to push almost any ‘mon into the ‘asleep’ state.

From Chansey’s posture and confusion it’s clear she was in that state, or at least very close to it, but the fact she managed to get herself out of her ball while asleep is…

…Well Amelia should be more surprised.

Returning Chansey’s backpack, Amelia watches her partner chatter with the other ‘mon of her line while strapping it back onto herself.

Only a minute or two after Chansey gets herself restraped, a disheveled looking Tori exits the back room, hair askew, blouse cut up with a mess of scratches, and holding a violently shaking pokeball with both hands.

Oh no.

Amelia flinches at the sight.

He’d been so calm recently! She didn't think he’d…

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“Sorr–”

Tori cuts her reflective apology off with a slightly strained laugh.

“Feisty one you got here!” She grunts, hurriedly shoving the pokeball into Amelia’s hands before taking a quick step back.

The step back proves to be a good idea, because the handoff gives Teddiursa the moment to escape from his ball and appear on the counter with an enraged snarl.

“Teddi– Ur?” He stumbles, looking around as he sees Amelia and Chansey, then hurries towards them with an accusative paw pointed at Amelia’s cousin. “Ursa rs!”

With a speed that nothing that big really should be able to move at, Chansey scoops the ‘mon up from the counter and starts chattering at him in a low voice as Amelia struggles to come up with a suitable apology.

Because it doesn't matter if he’s not technically joining them on her journey, it’s Amelia’s responsibility as a trainer to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen.

After a moment, she bows her head.

“Seriously, sorry Tori. I won't let this happen again.”

Her cousin gives a slightly dismissive hum.

“Eh. I mean yeah, you really should. But I’ve dealt with worse, it’s not like he was actually trying to get me, didn't even break the skin.” She says, pinching her apron with two fingers and sighs. “I really liked this apron though…”

Amelia flinches again, bowing her head deeper.

“Sor–”

“Oh relax.” Tori waves her off. “Anyways, Teddiursa is fine, needs some more iron, calcium, and simple sugars in his diet. He’s close to evolving too, his next hibernation if his training doesn't speed that up, if I had to guess. If he starts trying to bulk up a bunch –even if it’s before fall– make sure he gets enough food.”

Some part of Amelia is insulted that Tori thinks she needs to say that to her, but her cousin had just had to deal with proof that she’s not a competent or fit trainer.

Shame and self-recrimination circle and pound through her head as she calmly nods.

This kind of slip cannot happen again.

She made a promise, that she’ll give everything she can at both nursing and training with the understanding that she’ll need to meet her own standards at both, or she might as well be doing neither.

It wont.

“Alright.” She says calmly, a professional smile on her face. “I can buy you a new apron if you wa–”

“Cuz. I have like thirty of these things at home.” Tori dismisses with a scoff, starting to untie her apron. “Actually, the contest scene is having one of their big events so hotels might be a bit booked. If you want to sleep over? I've got a guest room.”

Amelia considers the offer for a moment, then shakes her head.

“Thanks, but no, maybe if it was just me but I’m traveling with uh…” She pauses, realizing her friends aren't behind her anymore, they’re waiting outside the center. She gestures at them. “I’ve been traveling with them, and I wouldn't feel right rooming with family and leaving my friends high and dry.”

Of course the option exists that Tori could open her home to all of them, but Amelia wouldn't ask that of anyone, even family.

Tori looks out the sliding glass doors like she’s doing some mental math, then nods.

“Fair. Anyways, I’m supposed to be on the clock and the after school twerp rush should be getting here any minute.” She says, half to herself as she rips a piece of paper off of something and jots down a phone number. “Here’s my landline, I’m usually at home after six. We seriously need to catch up.”

Amelia smiles, pocketing the number as she steps away from the counter.

“Absolutely, it’s been great seeing you!” She calls over her shoulder with a wave as she spins to face the doors.

“See ya cuz!”

Smiling at the surprise meeting with her older cousin, Amelia’s good mood lasts just past the moment she walks out the center doors and sees the looks her travelmates are giving her.

On impulse, she ignores the looks and starts power walking toward the center of town, where she hopes some hotels will be.

They’re only staying one night so even if they are mostly full up, maybe–

“Soooo...” Tyler drawls as he pulls up alongside, despite Amelia ignoring him. “I’m not saying you knew her… but–”

“That was a fluke.” Amelia rebuts, not looking at the smile she knows is on the boy’s face.

“Hey! I’m not saying it wasn't!" Tyler counters defensively, Kate appearing at Amelia’s other side as he does.

“Also, I’m sorry but it’s so weird seeing Nurse– a Nurse Joy act so… Uh…” She trails off, and the reminder of the looks they were giving her cousin make Amelia look at her friend.

“Act so what?” She asks, struggling to keep the accusation from her voice.

“Well… so normal I guess.” Kate continues with a wince. “Not that they dont– Not that you– …You get it right? Nurse Joy always acts like…”

She trails off again before putting on a strained looking fake smile, tightly grabs her left hand with her right, and locks her elbows straight.

Amelia rolls her eyes, irritation undercut by amusement at the stilted ‘Joy’ act.

“Yea. It’s called professionalism.” She counters, quickly brushing down her shirt, clasping her hands at her waist as she walks, and continuing in the professional demeanor she’d practiced and observed her entire life. “The Joy clan is in the position it is because of our unyielding devotion to care. We are one of the few constants across all of history and the entire world. It’s our purpose.”

Her momentary channeling of Great Grandma Mimi has her travelmates flinch back in surprise.

Sam huffs a second later.

“You know it’s so weird when you do that?”

Amelia unclasps her hands and grins at the boy. Putting on the ‘Joy face’ when people are least expecting it was one of her favorite tricks at school. It’s the rare kind of trick that only gets better the longer someone knows her, because for some reason it surprises them more.

Then she notices Kate giving her a… strange look.

“...Purpose?” The trainer asks slowly, to which Amelia nods, tilting her head in confusion.

“Yeah? I mean we’ve been healers for literally all of recorded history.” She explains, idly playing with a loose lock of pink hair near her ear. “I was quite literally born to do the job. I’ve known my entire life who I’m going to be. I’d say it’s my purpose.”

The Joy finishes speaking with a shrug.

Honestly, it’s hard to imagine going through life just… not knowing what their purpose is. She assumes people outside the family just… pick something?

That sounds way too stressful. How do they know it’s the right choice?

But as she looks at the rest of the group, Amelia notices the weird look Kate is giving her has spread to everyone else.

The Joy looks down at herself to make sure there’s nothing off, but can't see anything.

Why are they looking at her like that–

The sight of a hotel distracts her from the confusion, footsteps quickening as she gives out a triumphant hum.

“Ah. There’s a hotel.” The trainer proclaims, pointing to it. “I’ve actually got something I want to test, so I’m sorry if this is annoying but I’ll need your help.”

She’s had this on her mind since the hot spring, and this is the first time she has the opportunity to do an empirical test.

“...Sure?” Kate responds, the answer sounding like a question. “What’s up?”

Showing her friends that not all Joys know each other turned out to be a bust –due to a complete fluke of chance– but Amelia hasn't given up on correcting their misunderstandings.

Because while, yes, the pink hair makes people a bit nicer, it’s not like people are bending over backwards to accommodate her. Certainly not enough to just hand over goods and services for nearly free, she’s sure of it.

And with this simple experiment she’ll prove it.

“Alright. Here’s the plan.”