Nurse Isabelle and the Johto Pokédex: the Trials of a Field Nurse

#009 Feraligatr

#009 Feraligatr

Feraligatr, the Big Jaw Pokémon. The evolved form of Croconaw and the final evolution of Totodile. When hunting or fighting, Feraligatr is agile and fast, due to its powerful hind legs that are used to kick the ground hard and charge. It can seldom be found near the water. – Nurse Evergreen.

Taking a shaky breath, Nurse Isabelle Evergreen looked up at the house in front of her as Dominic Whitewater reached for her hand. The tips of her fingers were slightly cold and numb, despite the warm autumnal afternoon.

The house in front of her had none of the polished frigidness her own home has, stuck in the past. This home has clearly been lived in and loved. The white paint that had once covered the wood had begun to flake off. The window next to the front door had once contained glass but now sported a massive hole, as if someone's ball had come crashing through. A glance at the younger guy told Izzy what she needed to know; Hal would not even look at the damage.

Instead, he pushed open the door, which was still slightly ajar from where Dominic had come through and entered the house yelling on the top of his lungs:

"MUM! DAD! They're here! Dom brought his girlfriend!" Isabelle glanced at her fiancée who still held her hand.

"Weren't you inside earlier, getting lunch ready?"

"Yes."

"Thought so."

"So, what do you think?"

"The house? It's enormous!" She gestured with her free, left hand. "I know that houses in the city are smaller and more expensive, but I didn't expect a ranch. I mean, do you really need all this room?"

"Yes!" Dominic objected. "We regularly keep abandoned Pokémon in our home. And David has his own office now. Anyway, sweetheart, you're stalling. Let's go," he murmured in her ear as he gently guided her inside.

The side door they took led into a utility room where they had to take off their shoes, according to Dom. Pots with Pokémon food, jars with fruit conserves, and some general tools decorated the plain walls. In the corner, a washing machine was doing its thing, rumbling quietly. The room still vaguely smelled like laundry softener.

The room adjacent to the utility room was the kitchen. The first thing Isabelle immediately noticed was a massive Feraligatr sleeping underneath a dining table set for lunch. When he inhaled, his snores caused the tea cups on the table to rattle. His scarred snout protruded from one side of the table and the entire length of his tail stuck out from the other end. Sometimes, it frightened her how big these starter Pokémon became.

A tall woman stood in the kitchen, pulling a loaf of bread from the oven. Its delicious smell filled the entire room and made Izzy's tummy grumble. Hearing that, Dominic laughed and called out to his mother.

"Yo, ma. I'd like for you to meet Isabelle Lavender Evergreen, my fiancée." Isabelle turned to him.

"You know my middle name? I never use it."

"Yeah, back when you were at the hospital after ... you know, I saw it written on your file."

Making a thoughtful noise, Izzy stepped up to the lady smelling of fresh bread and shook her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," she said with her most brilliant smile. She was aware of the bags under her eyes, which weren't as bad as they had been a week ago. Her nails were clipped and not as meticulously cared for as she'd like them to be.

However, Dominic's mother seemed even less in the grasp of vanity. Her brown hair, the same shade her sons had, was tired in a messy ponytail on her head, as if she'd had better things to do this morning than to carefully style her hair. She was a tall, slender woman, about the same height as Izzy, suggesting Dominic got his height from his father. Sun had tanned her skin and little brown spots that came with age splattered across her skin like Izzy's own freckles. Whereas Izzy's curves almost solely rested on her hips, the older woman's were almost non-existent.

"Vivian Foster. Nice to meet ya, girlie. Now, let's go have lunch. You go sit down, I'll get Hamilton and David," she said. Her hand was shaken once again and with large steps, she left the kitchen.

Dominic chuckled at her slightly confused look as he put the bread on the table and began cutting slices off it.

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know," she said as she sat down next to him, very carefully as to not to wake the Feraligatr still asleep under the table. "Maybe an interrogation like my mother gave you?"

"Nah. Ma's cool," his voice sounded muffled and when she looked at him, she saw he was already eating some of the bread.

"Don't you ever stop eating?! At least wait until everyone's here!" She hissed, swatting his arm. He laughed, wrapped that arm around her waist and gave her a sloppy kiss on her cheek that left crumbs on her skin.

"Ew!" A higher-pitched voice announced. "Yucky." Hal came into the kitchen and sat on the chair across of Dom, who just laughed.

"Just wait until you find a special lady, bud." Hal shrugged and also reached for the bread. Both brothers did not bother waiting for their parents. It made Izzy want to roll her eyes and smile at the same time.

The final member of the family was a smallish man with a bald head ad a slightly chubby build. Whereas everyone wore hiking shoes, plaids and other practical clothing, he was wearing a neat shirt and a tie. Not a childish tie with a Pokémon print on it, but an actual fancy tie in navy blue. His shoes sounded as if they were the proper, leather kind.

As he reached for her with an outstretched hand, she stood up to shake his hand like she was taught. Hal snickered a little, but his mother swatted the back of his head to shut him up.

"Welcome in our home, miss Evergreen," he said in an accent that reminded her vaguely from home.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," she said. "Where are you from? Somewhere urban? I recognise that accent."

At that, the strict-looking man laughed. "Smart one, this lady. Yes, I'm from Goldenrod, the big city of Johto. That accent just won't leave, no matter the twenty years I've lived here. Where are you from?"

"Celadon, sir. The major city of Kanto."

"Ah yes," he said as he sat down. "Wonderful city. Contains just about anything. Tea?"

"Yes please."

And just like that, they ate lunch together as if they were a whole family already. Dom and Hal stuffed themselves. Vivian looked at them in disapproval. David and Isabelle had a cup of tea together, enjoying the aftermath of good food. Whenever Izzy accidentally bumped her sock-clad foot against the Feraligatr underneath the table, he would give the most startling snore, but only Izzy seemed to worry about this. Apparently, he slept here very often and didn't feel like waking for nothing.

When Dominic and Isabelle made eye contact, they smiled at each other, reaching down to hold hands. The meeting had gone great and it truly felt like home.