Chapter 23: Chapter 23

A cloud of white mist expelled from Nina’s mouth as she poured her entire body weight into scrubbing the stubborn stain on the floor.

Seel and Dewgong, despite their innocent appearance, are very promiscuous. Whatever horror stories Nina heard about seals and dolphins in her past life can pretty much all be applied to the Pokemon.

The girl had no idea what resulted in the stain she was currently cleaning, nor was she interested to find out.

“Sup, Nina. Sorry I’m late. Mrs Bitchface wouldn’t let me go until I finished all my homework. I mean it’s just Maths anyway, who the fuck cares how many Oran Berries Jimmy can fit into his basket?!”

Nina laughed at her friend’s ramblings. “Hey Bev, no worries. I already fed your Horsea for you.”

Beverly jumped towards her junior apprentice for an affectionate hug. “Thanks, girl~ You’re the best.”

Nina nearly fell over, but she somehow managed to prop herself up using the handle of her scrub and just giggled in response.

“Nins, we gotta do something about your hair. It’s an absolute wreck!” Said Beverly as she ran her fingers through Nina’s frayed and bleached hair.

This was the result of prolonged exposure to seawater from her and Tini’s frequent fishing trips. Which has resulted in her previously raven black hair to fade slightly and take on a subtle shade of brown. Her hair has also become more fragile and harder to brush as of late due to the drying from the salt water.

“Maybe, but I don’t really know what to do about it. Nor do I have the time really.” Nina’s schedule has been quite dense as of late.

“This weekend!” Announced Beverly. “The two of us can go to Saphira’s for a shopping spree! And I’ll teach you all you need to know.”

“But my Dratini…”

“Tini’ll be fine,” assured the older girl. “He’s been at it for months already. If you stay with him then those bitches will just rope you into being their lackey. Come on, it’ll be fun — nothing beats shopping with your bestie.”

Nina was feeling anxious about being away from Tini. The two of them had been inseparable ever since she caught him. She even carried Tini’s Pokeball with her whenever she went to class.

She gave a weak smile to her friend. “I’ll think about it and get back to you before the weekend. I promise.” Said Nina.

However, Beverly seemed to have gotten ahead of herself and was already yapping about all the fun places she was going to bring her.

“Actually, Bev. I nearly forgot. Do you mind if I leave a bit early today? I need to go visit my mom before visiting hours are over.” Nina had promised her father that she would go in his stead today.

Beverly made an unhappy face. “Is she still freaking out everytime she sees you?”

Nina sighed and touched her hair. “She’s getting better… at least she didn’t totally freak out the last time I went.”

At some point during the past few months, right when her hair was starting to change and her skin was getting a healthy tan, Nina had gone to visit her mother. Both Leanette’s doctors and Patrick had deemed that she was stable enough to interact with her daughter — the source of her trauma.

Needless to say, Nina’s mother did not take well to the slight changes in her daughter’s appearance. Something that her doctor’s did not anticipate. The woman was convinced that they had somehow swapped out her baby for an imposter.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Beverly pulled her in for another hug. “You know that’s all the more reason why we should fix up your looks right?”

Nina frowned. “I dunno Bev… There’s nothing I can do about the melatonin. Though, I did think about dying my hair after the initial freakout. But the doctors said to leave it. They thought this might be a good opportunity for my mom to learn that her daughter is going to continue to change and grow up, and that she’ll just need to cope.”

Nina shrugged. “Not sure if they’re just making shit up and posturing though.”

Beverly wrinkled her nose. “Sounds like a whole bunch of Tauros poo to me.”

“Yeah…” Laughed Nina. “It does, doesn’t it? But she has been getting better so no point triggering her with more changes. You are right that my hair is icky though. It’s such a pain to brush it these days.”

“So does that mean you’ll go shopping with me?!” Asked the sparkly eyed girl.

Nina chuckled. “Sure. Yes, Beverly. I’ll go shopping with you.”

***

Nina shivered as she stepped out of the Cerulean Gym. They were well into December, and while there wasn’t any snowfall, it was common to find a layer of thin ice on the City’s numerous waterways.

Pikachu was at home today and Dratini refused to leave his Pokeball in this weather. Dragon Types were weak to Ice after all. So naturally, her little blue noodle did not handle winter very well.

Nina pulled her scarf up a little to cover the lower half of her face, then psyched herself up with a little hop before heading to the tram station.

The route from Cerulean Gym to the hospital was quite familiar to her by this point; two stops and a transit. Then walk 5 minutes to reach the white sterile building.

Hospitals all seem to have the same scent to them, no matter which world Nina was in. That of latex, disinfectant and plastic. She walked up to the tired looking receptionist to register herself then proceeded to head towards her mother’s room.

Leanette had long since been moved out of the padded cell that Nina first saw her in, having been deemed stable enough by the psychiatrist that she wouldn’t hurt herself. Her new room was a private suite with a simple bed, sofa and kitchenette for beverages.

The Pokemon League offered excellent insurance to their employees and immediate family, which meant Patrick had no issues affording a certain standard of care for his wife.

Nina walked into the room and saw her mother and grandmother peeling oranges while watching some sort of farming show on TV. Note oranges and not Oran Berry. While they may look similar, they weren’t the same.

“Hey mom, hey grandma. How’s it going?” Greeted Nina.

“Nina! My favorite granddaughter!” Melina Ashes rose from where she was sitting and went over to give her granddaughter a passionate hug, lifting her up into the air and spinning her around a few times.

Leanette sighed. “Mom, that’s enough. You’re making her dizzy… Come here, Nina. Let me have a good look at you.” Nina’s mother patted the side of her bed to beckon her daughter.

As Nina’s grandmother let her down, she gave a look to the elderly woman, to which she responded with a small nod. “It seems mom is stable today. That’s good.”

It took a lot of work, but Melina had finally learned to take it easy when in the presence of her mentally unstable daughter. That said, she still couldn’t help but butt heads with Patrick whenever he was around, which was why the man was absent today.

“Hey mom, you look good today. Have you eaten yet?” Said Nina, as she went to sit next to her mother.

Leanette nodded. “Your grandma bought me some food. How about you, you’re looking a little skinny,” she said, as she examined Nina’s cheeks.

“Not yet, mom. I just came straight from the Gym. I’ll grab something on the way back home.”

Leanette frowned. “Nina… have you been eating junk food again? I told you, eating Munchies everyday isn’t good for you.”

“It’s not Munchies, mom…” Whined Nina “There’s a new Paldean place that opened up recently and they make the best mushroom pizza.”

“And pray tell, how is pizza not junk food?” Questioned Leanette.

Nina sputtered. “Well… erm…”

The pizza place was really convenient to her because not only is it on the way, but Nina’s six — nearly seven — year old body couldn’t finish a large pizza by herself. So she would have plenty of leftovers remaining which she could have for dinner the subsequent nights. It was budget friendly as well since it’s cost efficient. Not that her mother needed to know any of this.

“I mean I don’t just eat the pizza, I also supplement with some Berries for all the nutrients I need in a day,” said Nina in an attempt to assuage Leanette’s worries. “Besides, I’ve been eating fish recently for some extra protein whenever my Dratini catches extra. I know you’ve bugged me a lot in the past about eating some meat.”

Nina did not miss the twitch in her mother’s eyes when Dratini was mentioned. This was intentional on her part.

Leanette was still a little sensitive towards the presence of Pokemon. But the doctors thought that she might benefit from people bringing up Pokemon in casual conversation to, for a lack of a better term, humanize the creatures in her cognition and slowly ease her into becoming more tolerant of their presence.

“That’s great, honey… You should eat meat more often.” Leanette’s eyes glazed over briefly as she reached out to pat her daughter on the head.

“She’s right you know,” chimed Melina. “If you don’t eat more meat, you can’t grow up strong like grandma.” To illustrate her point, Nina’s grandmother rolled up her sleeves and flexed the incredible mountains she calls her biceps.

“Won’t have enough energy to wrangle a Dragon if you aren’t big and strong like me!”

Nina poked and prod at Melina’s muscles, mouth gaping in awe.

“Don’t they get in the way, grandma? Like, you know, after you’ve gone to the bathroom and stuff. Wouldn’t it be hard to reach behind you?”

Melina laughed out loud at her granddaughter's crude question. “Then you just gotta wipe from the front, you silly!”

“Mom!” Exclaimed Leanette. “Stop teaching Nina weird things. And Nina, dear… Some things shouldn’t be said out loud.”

Nina simply giggled in response and Melina joined in with her laughter. From the looks of things, it wouldn’t take much longer for Leanette to be discharged.