The Pokemon Center's outdoor rec center

It’s convenient that the Cinnabar Island Pokemon Center has an outdoor recreation center, but maybe that’s to be expected on a sunny, tropical island. Not to mention, there’s no shortage of space with the island all but deserted. With the Sun at the peak of noon, the sky is bright and the air is hot. For the most part, your pokemon are taking well to the beautiful weather.

Dugtrio is burrowing along the racetrack, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. But, surprisingly, Dugtrio itself is being left in the wake of Vileplume, who’s running faster than you’ve ever seen before. Ninetales, who you thought would be much more energized in this weather, is instead simply stretching and basking in the sunlight. She seems happy, at least, though you’re a little worried about the pops and crackles of air around her as embers flick on and off. She’s not gonna burn anything down on accident, is she?

Some distance away, Primeape and Onix have found an activity that you’re not entirely sure you understand. Both of them are pounding away at the ground of the tennis court, Primeape using its fists, and Onix using its tail. Is it a competition? Are they caught in an endless cycle of firing each other up? Are they just testing the integrity of the rec center’s facilities? Hopefully they don’t break anything.

Golduck seems to have found its own way to survive in the heat by jumping into the pool. But, diligent as ever, she’s not just slacking off. She’s practicing her accuracy by shooting water at a nearby target. What’s she aiming at? …You, of course. It’s been half an hour of this heat and you’re already splayed out in the grass like a corpse. If not for Golduck occasionally landing its pot shots, you’d certainly be dead. At least the metric ton of sunscreen you’ve basted yourself in will preserve your body long enough to be discovered and embalmed.

Just as you’ve resigned yourself to withering away and dying, you feel a shockingly cool sensation. You look up to see Nurse Joy placing an ice cold bottle of water on your forehead. “I believe I’ve lectured you before about collapsing in non-sexy ways. Do you not even have enough sense to stay hydrated in the heat?”

You let out an unintelligible groan as you sit up, take the bottle, and down half of it immediately. “Thanks, Nurse Joy. You’re the best!”

“I’m the best? How wonderful! I’ll keep that close to my heart when I’m nursing you back to health from heatstroke. …Not! The water bottles in the Pokemon Center are free, so drink them!” She walks back inside, muttering, “My condolences to that ‘professor’ of hers…”

I-It seems you’re causing a bit of trouble for both Professor Stump and Nurse Joy today… Well, that just means you’ll have to prove them right for taking care of you! You walk over to where Onix and Primeape are, noting that they seem to have found a rhythm and are slapping the ground like a drum. Let’s see if you can do something about Onix’s accuracy…