Longer than you expected

Late afternoon sunlight assaults you as you emerge from the dark cave, returning to a world of visibility at last. It’s so much later than you thought it would be! Your feet hurt just from thinking about making that whole trip on foot, especially with how many ladders you’d have had to take. Yet, you still have some walking left before you reach your destination. Sitting atop Onix, you look down at the famous mountain settlement at the base of the path to Mt. Moon. Surrounded by mountains on nearly every side, that’s gotta be Pewter City! It’s a relief to finally see where you’re going. Well, it’s mostly a relief to see anything at all. It’s too early to relax, though. You still need to get down from this mountain trail and kick that Gym Leader’s butt!

You hop down from Onix, offer it a treat for a job well done, and let it return to its pokeball for a rest. The path between Mt. Moon and Pewter City is well-maintained, so it’s not much trouble at all to reach the bottom by foot. Or at least, it wouldn’t be much trouble for a professional athlete. The moon is out by the time you’re finished, and you’re far too tired to kick anyone’s butt, Gym Leader or otherwise. All you want to do is find the Pokemon Center and collapse on your bed. Err… is it really “your” bed if you’ve never even been to Pewter City before? Well, Nurse Joy will make sure it’s in the same room with the same type of sheets as always, so it may as well be your bed. All that’s left is for you to find it and claim it!

Navigation Che-

Oh wait, there it is. It’s literally the first thing you see when you enter the city. Finally, a conveniently located Pokemon Center!

The first thing you’re greeted with is the threateningly smug face of Nurse Joy. You hate to admit it, but it feels almost comfortable to have that awful, sadistic nurse staring back at you when you walk through the door.

“Good evening, Emilia! Looks like you didn’t get knocked up during your vacation in Rifure, did you? What a shame. Well, Prince Charming could always be waiting for you here in Pewter City, so don’t lose hope!” Even if you’re used to her smug face waiting for you, you’re still thrown off guard by the things that come out of her mouth.

“Like I would let anyone make me pregnant!” you huff. “But wait… I never told you I was going to Rifure Town.”

Nurse Joy gets distracted by some papers on her desk and begins shuffling them around while replying. “Yes, well… I’m sure I overheard you mention it at some point. Or maybe I heard it from someone else. Ah yes, Misty knew because of your run-in with her at Cerulean, right? She told me.”

Insight Check: Failed!

Oh, that makes sense!

Joy continues, “Though it makes me realize what a shame it is that there’s no Pokemon Center in Rifure Town.” She extends her arm dramatically, looking wistfully into the distance. “I’ll simply have no idea what happened in your adventure while you were there. What a shame.”

“Oh, I got kidnapped by Team Rocket,” you state nonchalantly.

All of Nurse Joy’s composure seems to evaporate. “What!? You got kidnapped by an evil criminal organization!? What did they do to you? Tell me everything!” The nurse can’t even stop herself from leaning over the counter. Geez, what’s got her so excited?

You elaborate on your time in the Team Rocket Hideout. You try to focus on the cooler, more actiony parts of the story, but Nurse Joy has a lot of questions about the lewder parts of your captivity. “And that’s how Professor Stump and Officer Jenny saved the day! They’re so cool… I hope I can be like them someday.”

Joy’s mood suddenly turns a bit sullen. She rests her elbows on the counter and cradles her head in her hands. “You hope you can be like them someday, huh? You know, I wouldn’t mind if… no, never mind.”

You cock your head. “Is everything okay, Nurse Joy?”

She straightens her posture and clears her throat. “Yes, everything is fine, though that’s just as much thanks to you as that made-up professor and nosy cop. Staying behind to fight the boss of Team Rocket on your own… How courageous! It’s just the type of move I’d expect from a brave heroine, choosing to sacrifice herself to a tragic end for the sake of her allies.”

She said brave heroine, right? “Hehe… thanks!” you chirp, not used to receiving compliments from Nurse Joy.

“Still…” the nurse begins, “I can never forgive Team Rocket for what they did!”

“Right!?” you agree enthusiastically. “What they did was terrible!”

“Indeed! Capturing both you and that police bitch, only to imprison you both underground, far away from any Pokemon Center? How was I supposed to see!? Now I’m left trying to dig up any nuggets of storytelling from you, rather than getting to watch the humiliation firsthand! Does their cruelty know no bounds!?”

“I… don’t even know what I expected,” you sigh.

Having recovered from her spell of sentimentality, Nurse Joy’s broad smile plasters itself on her face once more. “The usual room is ready for you, Emilia. Go on and rest up. After all, the inhabitants of Pewter City deserve to fuck you at your best, don’t you agree? How disappointing it would be if you collapsed after only your first mishap, and other ill-meaning individuals missed out!”

“I’m not going to get fucked! And I’m definitely not going to have any mishaps which end with me getting fucked by ill-meaning individuals! I’m going to get the Gym Badge and leave! Hmph!”

As you walk upstairs to your room, Joy watches with the smuggest of smiles, holding a hand up to her cheek. “That bubbling overconfidence of yours is what makes it so splendidly satisfying to see you proven wrong.” No matter how comfortable this place is, the nurse is impolite as always.