Chapter Text
Nurse First Aid was doing his usual round as trainers nearby came for room and board while stopping by their route to rest during their journeys. He was in the midst of issuing a young Trainer a room key after doing a routine check-up on her Pokemon as was standard procedure for trainers checking in. She and her friends were new in town and came to compete in the local Pokemon Contest being held in the town just up ahead.
She had a nice team which included a Misdreavus and Monferno with her. Despite their rarity, starter Pokemon were a common sight in Pokemon Centers. They were well-known for accompanying new trainers on their journey as their first partner. Her friends were waiting by the cafe for her, having completed their own check-ups and check-ins with their partners. Regarding her Pokemon they were all in good health and well taken care of. Her Misdreavus was a bit of a mischievous diva and tried playing pranks during the exam. Being a ghost type, he naturally became more active at night, hence why they had done their training around dusk.
As a Nurse-in-Training, First Aid didn't let a rambunctious Pokemon get him down, and with Happiny's help, they managed to corral the ghost type. Her other Pokémon were eay incomparison and even Monferno was well-behaved which he was pleasantly relieved by, especially compared to a certain other hot-blooded Infernape he knew with his equally hot-blooded trainer. The line was known for being energetic, but after a nice day of playing and training, plus battling a rather jerky Coordinator also competing, they had worn themselves out.
Though tired, they all still seemed rather proud to have wiped the floor with the self-proclaimed best Emperor of Contests, who had insulted their practice. Monferno let out a sleepy yawn and was ready to settle in after a nice meal at the Center's Cafe. So First Aid quickly finished up and sent her on her way after wishing her luck in the Contest, and giving her a little tip on a nice little stall in the Town Market that sold Evolution Stones.
The young girl perked up, and her Misdreavus' eyes sparkled at the prospect. Misdreavus and his Trainer gave a quick thanks, saying she'd be sure to check it out. First Aid watched her excitedly skip off to her friends waiting with their own partners, which made a smile appear on his face. First Aid loved helping out Trainers and Pokemon, it's why he signed up for this job. He looked over as his own little partner Happiny. She was carrying a rather large stack of paperwork, roughly 3 times her size for him to file away.
"Thanks, Happiny!" He said cheerfully as she easily hefted them up on the desk. So far, this had been a good night. Aside from Rodimus' usual shenanigans, there hadn't been any major emergencies.
His partner was rather strong for her species, which came in handy big time with larger patients. First Aid spared a curious glance through the window of the exam room as Ratchet, the head Nurse of the Center was certainly giving their latest patients an earful. Rodimus and Drift were local Trainers and frequent visitors since Rodimus and his Pokemon, an Infernape he'd had raised since he was young, and a Pombom, who was a new team member. Those 3 often got themselves into trouble somehow. This one must have been a doozy, judging by the rant he could hear from the exam room.
"WHAT IN ARCEUS' NAME MADE YOU 2 THINK IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO DIVE HEAD FIRST INTO A BEEDRILL NEST?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR SENSES?!" Ratchet's voice boomed and practically shook the building. First Aid looked through the window and saw Rodimus and his Pokemon covered in many red bumps on their cheeks that were no doubt from Beedrill stings, but still they remained stubborn.
Bad idea in First Aid's opinion. Ratchet's partner Chansey was currently puffing out her cheeks and tapping her foot, her scowl matching her Trainer's. Chansey had a mountain of patience, but like her Trainer, she too had zero patience for willful stupidity. He could just feel the Double-Slaps coming. in their future. First Aid winced and glanced at his Happiny, who seemed to be relishing in their misery as she giggled. Clearly, she thought that they got what was coming to them. First Aid just sighed at his partner. She was such a little menace sometimes, but he couldn't disagree. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, and Rodimus liked to play stupid games.
"Hey, in my defence, those Beedrill were asking for a fight!"
"Fight my ass! You know Beedrill gather in swarms! Did you think you could just hit them with a fire-type move and get away without getting stung? Then you had the bright idea to dive into the lake? It's no wonder you came in soaked!"
"Ratty, please-" Drift tried to defuse the situation as well as soothe his crush's temper. First Aid wished him luck but knew his efforts were in vain. Once you lit Ratchet's fuse, there was no stopping it.
"Don't defend him Drift, or he'll never learn! He knows what he did wrong, and he needs to face the consequences of his actions!" That shut the Aura-using Trainer up as his Lucario just put a paw on his shoulder and shook his head. There was no winning this fight; it was better to let it go and beg for forgiveness now while he can.
Yeah, First Aid was going to let Ratchet handle all that. Oh, there's the phone ringing! Perfect timing!
First Aid went to answer, "Hello, you've reached the Pokemon Center-."
"This is Pokemon Ranger Prowl coming in for an emergency treatment. My Ranger ID is S23-5750. I have a wild Falinks with multiple battle injuries and a severe status condition. Symptoms present as signs of severe poisoning. Possible tracking and poaching victim, long-term signs of abuse. Be advised, the Falinks are lacking the Brass unit and have been separated. ETA 5 minutes. We're going to be coming in by flight!"
Of course, he just had to Jynx it. First Aid immediately sprang into action at Prowl's words. He may be a Nurse-In-Training, but coordinating with their local Rangers' Union was part of basic training, and Ratchet made sure he pounded it into his head as they made visits to the Headquarters to check up on all their Pokemon as well as the ones they protected in the Preserve. They still remembered the raid with the initial trafficking ring a while back. Some of the Combaticons got away, but those who escaped were clearly still in business. If they were operating somewhere nearby, they were still a major problem and a threat to their Center. He had Happiny immediately set to prepping the trauma bay as he ran to the exam room to alert Ratchet.
"I swear, it's like you 3 only have one brain cell to share between you 3 numbskulls! You're as bad as a Wooper- no wait, that'd be an insult to the Wooper! I've seen Wooper with better common sense!" Wow, he was really hammering into them. The still-dripping fire puppy Pokémon whimpered in shame as he and his Trainer and teammate were scolded. Ratchet was mid-rant while tying bandages.
"Ratch, don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Drift tried in vain to salvage this. Ratchet just glared at him as he set Pombom's cone with the little fire type, who whined in discomfort and was already scratching at it to get it off. Drift shrank back in shame.
"Don't try Drift! You only encourage his stupidity! Now, here's the cream. Pombon isn't allowed to take the cone off until it does its job on those stings, and I trust you at least have enough sense not to scratch them yourselves, or do you need cones too?" He addressed Rodimus and the flaming Pokemon beside, who wore matching pouts. Experienced they were, yes, but smart they were not. First Aid bet money they'd be back in a week, having scratched. He knew Ratchet was serious about putting them in cones. They were usually reserved for younger Poemon who didn't know better, but Ratchet was not above using it on idiots who didn't learn. "You're lucky they didn't know poison sting. If you do any more stupid crap to make you land in my med-bay again, I'll tie you to this bed next time! Now go and think about what you've done! Chansey, show them out if you will?" Chansey led them out while giving Drift a list with explicit instructions to keep them from doing any more stupid things, like scratching, while the pecha-oran cream mix did its job.
When Rodimus, his Pombon, and his Infernape showed signs of protesting, Chansey gave them all her infamous glare and charged up a double-slap, which quickly made them all shrink back. Drift was sulking as he once again lost his chance to get in his crush's good graces and followed his thoroughly chided best friend out.
"Nurse Ratchet!" First Aid cried as he ran in, which made Ratchet snap his head toward him, knowing something was wrong. In all his time and experience as a Nurse, Ratchet had grown a 6th sense for these things, and nothing lit a fire under him like a Pokemon in dire need. He snapped out of his tirade and did a complete 180. As expected from someone in the famous Joy family!
"We've got an emergency patient being brought in! We need you in trauma bay!"
Ratchet's expression turned serious as he marched to the front to meet the patient."What's the ETA?"
"3 minutes. Happiny already has the bay prepped and ready to go."
"And our Patient?"
"A Falinks with a rare non-shiny coloration." Ratchet hummed with mild interest at that tidbit, more interested in their condition. Colored mutations that weren't the already rare shiny colors were even rarer. "Ranger Prowl is bringing it in. He reported it had multiple defensive battle wounds, as well as a possible severe poisoning and older scars that point towards tracking and long-term abuse." Ratchet swore under his breath. He knew very well about the rumors of the poachers being near; the Trainer gossip that came through the grapevine was rife with it, and the Ranger Union was investigating. Ratchet made sure his medbay was prepared for a mass influx if they busted these guys. Hopefully, they would finally shut them down for good this time. For now, it seemed like his first patient was already on his way. "One more thing, the Falink is missing its Brass."
Ratchet swore a variety of colorful swears First Aid hadn't heard before as he picked up the pace to meet Prowl when he landed.
"It's a good thing you brought them here when you did. They're in rough shape," Ratchet reported while Happiny gently hefted them all onto a bed at once from the gurney that Chansey pushed into the room. They immediately placed them on there as they met Prowl outside when he landed with his Noivern and 5 little passengers. It was easier for the egg Pokemon to coax them on it and to handle them, as most Pokemon had an innate sense of trust in the line as well-known healer species and others like it.
It was why Centers had Chansey and other healing Pokemon as partners. First Aid came over with a scanner to do some tests, only to have the fighting type shrink back in fear while the bigger ones growled and tried to threaten him with their horns. They huddled closer to Prowl, their sole source of comfort. Chansey and Happiny cooed at them, hoping to calm them.
"From what I can tell, the bug one's been fighting off the poison for a while now and is running a fever. They likely wouldn't have made it back to the Headquarters' medbay."
"I unfortunately didn't have any Pecha Berries or Antidotes on me at the time, so I thought it would be more efficient to bring them here as quickly as possible." Prowl didn't regret giving his last few berries and antidote to a young boy's party who had run afoul of a Foongus' Poison Powder earlier that day, but he wished he could have done more.
"It was a good call. You did everything you could," Ratchet reassured as he examined the skillful first aid. "Your quick treatment brought them valuable time."
The one with the hook-shaped horn glared up at Ratchet as he tried to get closer to further examine their injuries. Ratchet just sighed, knowing this was going to be a difficult patient. Then he noticed them sticking close to Prowl.
"Prowl, I need to examine further and treat them, but their likely history of abuse makes it hard for them to trust humans, which makes it hard to treat them. But, they seem to trust you, so I'm going to need your help."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Comfort them, be their rock. I need you to reassure them that they're in a safe place and can trust us to treat them."
Prowl looked down at the 5 little troopers who were huddling in a protective ball near his side of the bed. He was a bit unsure as he wasn't the best at comforting. But he attempted as he reached a hand out to the glaring Second-in-Command and rubbed his head. "It's alright. The men who did this to you won't come back. This is a Pokemon Center, a safe place for Pokemon where you can rest. I know you don't feel like you can, but I need you to trust me." He glanced over at Ratchet as the little glare followed his gaze. "Ratchet is an impeccable Nurse. He and First Aid will do their best to make your friend better again, along with all of you."
The little fighting-type's eyes shifted to its big teammate in worry. Prowl followed his gaze as the largest trooper panted and sweated. It was pale, with a dark purple blush from the poison on his face. He glanced back, still mistrustful, but unsure now. Prowl met his eyes with his best serious look. "If you can't trust them, then trust me. I promise you, Ratchet and First Aid won't hurt you. If they do, I'd arrest them on the spot." Ratchet snorted at the suggestion he'd break his medical oath, but Prowl ignored him as the Falinks trooper looked down in thought as if considering its options. "Besides, the faster you heal, the faster we can find your Brass." This greatly intrigued the substitute Brass.
Prowl pulled it closer as gently as he could and rubbed his helmet again. Soothed by both Prowl and the egg Pokemon's reassurances, the little trooper finally nodded his head as his hook gleamed. Prowl's mouth curled up at the edges, but he never broke his gaze with the little Falinks component. "Good, thank you. Rest assured, I will make sure Ratchet and First Aid stay in line." Prowl released him as the second-in-command took hesitant steps toward Ratchet and nodded in his large teammate's direction, though he still huffed as if he doubted his skills. It was good enough for Ratchet; it wasn't like 20 years of working in the medical field meant anything to a wild Pokemon. The Head Nurse just took what he could get.
"Ok, let's get started," Ratchet said as he examined his most pressing patient. The largest trooper was treated with antidotes and antibiotics for the fever to get it down, then given a Sitrus Berry and Pecha Blend. Ratchet dressed its wounds and added a healing salve on the cracked and damaged parts of his shield and horn.
"This should help encourage the damaged parts to seal up and heal. While the antidote does its job, I want this big guy on bed rest for now."
Due to the severity of their injuries, Ratchet didn't want to put them in the quick-healing machine. Some things couldn't be fixed just like that with super advanced tech. These old scars and likely the new ones from their new injuries were one of those things. He continued, treating each trooper one by one. The scarred one tried to ram into Ratchet's hand before the Second-In-Command let out a sharp, "Link!" which the scarred one seemed to want to argue before a few more cries from the huffy one made it grumble and back down.
He then went on to treat the one who kept his shields lower to form a faceplate over its mouth. Ratchet had to get Prowl to coax him into drinking his medicine for the pain. Once he tested it with a sniff and his teammate urged him to take it, he downed it and recoiled in disgust. He quickly went for the water Prowl held out in a cup, which made Ratchet chuckle a bit.
"I know it tastes like a Skunktank's ass, but it'll do the trick." Ratchet kept on, treating the skittish small one who had to be held in Prowl's arms as Ratchet applied bandages. Finally, Ratchet got to the temporary leader, who seemed to analyze and critique every move Ratchet made. Sometimes he huffed, as if in disapproval at how tightly Ratchet tied the bandages or applied the medicine.
It almost made Ratchet feel like he was back in med school with his every move being criticized. Prowl was going to have a fussy one on his hands. Ratchet didn't envy him. In the meantime, the big one had fallen asleep to rest and recover his strength. The fact that his breathing evened out and he was able to sleep without issue meant the medicine was working on the poison.
"Ok, everyone's good to go. I want to keep them overnight since not having their Brass can be a major mental strain on a Falinks. They don't do well when separated, so I'll need to monitor their mental health. Other than that, these four will be good to go once their injuries heal up. As for the big one, I'd like to keep him in observation for an extra day or two to make sure the poison is weakening," Ratchet finished up.
"Understood. I need to give my report about what happened to Ultra Magnus. After that, I need to return to the scene and further investigate to see if we can't pick up on some clues." With the Falinks safe and recovering in Ratchet's capable hands, Prowl made to get up and go. But his attempt was stopped short by the cries of the smallest Trooper, whose legs were still sore and raw from the chaffing of the rope, hobbled up to jump into his arms and nuzzle into his shirt.
Prowl had to sit down on the bed to catch him. This then set off the other 3 who seemed affronted at the idea of Prowl leaving and also clung to his shirt, as the flustered Ranger tried to shush them before they woke their bedridden teammate. Ratchet just crossed his arms and looked at the scene before him. "Please, I need to go back to work and find the men who did this to you. I need to report this and-" He was cut off by cries of discontentment and fear at the idea of him leaving them right now.
"Well, Prowl, looks like you've been outvoted."
"This is not a democracy!" He whisper-yelled. "I can't just stay here while there are poachers out there, likely with even more Pokemon held captive." Prowl didn't want to mention it in front of them, but Ratchet caught the silent addition of 'including their Brass' at the end. But they stayed quiet as they didn't want to make them even more distraught, thinking about their missing leader.
"Eh, doesn't look like you've gotta choice there."
"But, Ultra Magnus needs to hear about this. I need to send in my report-"
"Screw the report, Prowl! Right now, the only person these 5 really trust is you, and I'm not about to leave them alone in a strange new place with people they don't trust. You can stay the night, and if you want to do that report so badly, you can do it here. Magnus won't mind if it's a little late this time, and if he does? Well, I'll call him myself. He can answer to me!"
Prowl just stared in shock at the prospect of Ratchet getting into it with Magnus. Jazz would probably pay to see that. In Prowl stupor, the smallest Falinks trooper had fallen asleep in his lap. The snoring and slightly painful poking of his horn jolted Prowl from his shock as he looked down. He sighed in defeat as he readjusted the little one in a more comfortable position.
"Alright, I'll stay. But I will need to inform Magnus about this."
"Already on it. First Aid?"
"Calling him as we speak!" His apprentice chirped. Ratchet smirked. That's his apprentice!
"I'll also need an overnight bag if I'm to stay here with them."
"Don't worry about all that, Prowl. Magnus just gave his approval and sent someone to your house to pick up your things and inform your Pokemon." First Aid reassured, thought Prowl wasn't worried as Metagross and Indeedee could certainly take care of themselves for one night.
Just lovely. For every minute he spent here, it was another extra minute for the poacher to get away. But it wasn't like he could go anywhere with a pile of Pokemon on him. He was effectively trapped and simply decided that surrender was the best option here. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll stay with you."
The Falinks just nuzzled closer as Prowl's eyes softened for a bit, though he'd never admit it.
Green decided it would be the perfect time to let herself out of her ball and join in on the impromptu cuddle session. Prowl just sighed deeper as he was nuzzled by his giant green bat.
Not 2 seconds later, out popped Absol and Umbreon, who also snuggled into his sides and settled down.
"You three are incorrigible."
They seemed to take it as a compliment as Absol did a slight flourish and flicked her head up while Umbreon simply purred a unapologetic "Bree~." Green also joined in with a content chirr. Prowl just sighed and settled in, resigning himself to his fate.
Ratchet snickered as Prowl shot him a dirty look. "Really?"
"Yes, really. I should take a picture and send it to Jazz. You make a nice little picture there." Prowl rolled his eyes as Ratchet put his hands up in false surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying that you may have another Metagross situation on your hands." Prowl huffed at the ridiculous notion, and they shifted topics.
"So, think it's the same guys?"
"Most likely, we never could bring Onslaught's last 2 conspirators into custody."
"Judging from their defensive wounds, it looked like most of the damage came from claws, but the poison in the big one's system was likely inflicted by a blunt force move that made direct contact. My guess is along the lines of Poison Jab."
"That fits Vortex's M.O. His Sneasel specializes in those kinds of attacks. If he's still active, most likely Swindle is too, and they're still working together."
Prowl looked worriedly at the large one, finally sleeping soundly. He was finally able to rest after likely putting up the largest fight to protect his teammates. He was also worried about the missing member of their unit. The Brass was arguably the most important component of a Falinks unit, and they couldn't function at full capacity without them. He needed to find their Brass soon. Ratchet locked on to Prowl's sudden tenseness.
"Don't worry Prowl. These little guys are tough, and if the big one is anything like them, he'll pull through. They all will, especially the one with the little huffy attitude!" Now it was Prowl's turn to snort in amusement. "I imagine their Brass is the same way," he then mused. Prowl hoped so. He relaxed as his Pokemon nuzzled further into him in comfort. He supposed it had been a long day. Rest was paramount if he wanted to get a head start on his investigation tomorrow.
Ratchet watched as they did this and pushed himself from where he was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He pulled the door too to give them some privacy, making a mental note to have First Aid check-in in a few hours.
It was still a bit early to tell, but he wondered how long it would take for this one to join his team like Metagross had. Prowl's 6th team slot had been awfully empty for a while now.