บท 34: Day Care and the First Meet
"Finally!! I am here," I said to myself in an inaudible tone. Elekid was feeling sleepy, so I recalled him inside the Pokéball.
I looked at the Main Gate, which had statues of Audinos on both sides. The sculpture work was very detailed, not missing anything out. The Gate seemed huge but pretty old, as I could see signs of aging in the corners.
As I walked through the gates of the Pokémon Day Care, a sense of serenity washed over me. Huge thatched-roofed buildings stood amidst the lush green meadows, and the gentle rustling of leaves and chirping of bird Pokémon filled the air. I was immediately greeted by a Guard, who was wearing typical knight armor. I showed him the Academy's emblem and the mission details, to which he immediately stepped aside, indicating for me to go in.
I then walked past him and heard his voice again, "Excuse me, but can you be more careful inside because a member of the royal family is currently receiving services. Don't be rude or offend them, this is just my advice." he suggested.
'Talk about timing!' I thought curiously.
I noticed the royal banner fluttering in the breeze just outside the entrance of the main building. The Pokémon Day Care is highly regarded by the royal family, who often visit to ensure their beloved Pokémon are well taken care of.
I ignored the main door and tried to take a quick look around, as this is my first time here.
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The stalls around the stables were clean and well-maintained, with soft straw bedding and wooden partitions for privacy. I also saw some Rapidash being groomed by one of the caregivers.
Many water Pokémon were playfully splashing around in a small pond nearby, supervised by another caregiver.
In another corner of the Day Care, some Pokémon were being utilized for field work. I saw several Rhyhorns plowing the fields, with a caretaker guiding them. I heard that the Day Care trains Pokémon in all sorts of ways; all that's needed is the money to afford their care.
At least on the outside, this seemed like a great Day Care center. No wonder it was frequently visited by the royal family. The most obvious thing I noticed after going around was that this Day Care had very few outsiders; most of them were either guards or caretakers. So it got me thinking if the royal member who is visiting today booked the whole day.
'Well, it doesn't matter either way. It's time to submit the mission and take some rest for the day,' I thought, stretching my hand out as I walked towards the main building where the Day Care accepts Pokémon for caring.
The door was made of solid oak, sturdy and weathered from years of use, with intricate carvings adorning its surface. The carvings depicted all the legendary Pokémon of Unova. I tried to touch the carvings on the door but was immediately affected by the cold surface.
"Why is this so cold?" I said, pulling my hand back. But before I could comprehend the situation, I heard weird noises from inside.
Scuffle-scuffle-scuffle Thump-thump, bump-bump, as if someone was colliding with various objects in their path.
Then the door swung wide open with a bang, and I was knocked down by a bowling ball-sized object.
The sudden impact made me wince in pain,"Who the Fu..." I immediately stopped mid-sentence because what I saw next shocked me.
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The Princess POV:
As the only princess of the kingdom, I was accustomed to dealing with royal duties and responsibilities. However, one challenge had me completely stumped - my mischievous Snorunt. It was a recent birthday gift from my dear brother, and while it was undeniably cute and charming, it caused constant trouble. Despite my best efforts, I struggled to discipline her as she refused to obey my commands. She wreaked havoc in the palace, creating bizarre ice sculptures in the hallways and playing pranks on the guards.
What made matters worse was that this particular Snorunt was exceptionally intelligent for a baby Pokémon. Her ability to think and remember things at a glance was uncanny. I found myself at my wit's end, feeling unsure if baby Pokémon were supposed to be this skilled.
I finally decided to seek help from the royal daycare, known for its expertise in handling unruly Pokémon. I arrived with Snorunt in tow, and the experienced caretakers greeted me warmly. I explained my predicament and expressed my concerns about Snorunt's behavior. The caretakers assured me that teaching newly hatched Pokémon was not a problem, but little did I know that the real challenge would arise the moment I released her from her Pokéball.
As the caretaker tried to inspect Snorunt, I held the mischievous Pokémon in my arms, hoping she would be on her best behavior. However, as soon as the inspection began, Snorunt's playful nature burst forth. She squirmed and giggled, slipping out of the caretaker's grasp with a mischievous grin. Before anyone could react, she darted away, leaving chaos in her wake.
My guards and I sprang into action, moving quickly to catch Snorunt as she scampered around the huge hall. Her icy powers came into play as she created slippery paths, causing my guards to slide and stumble. Snorunt giggled and frolicked, thoroughly enjoying her mischievous escapade. It was a challenging game of cat-and-mouse as we pursued her through the daycare, calling out to her in an attempt to calm her down and prevent further chaos.
But Snorunt proved to be a cunning and agile Pokémon, outwitting us at every turn. She climbed onto shelves, knocked over toys, and even used her icy powers to create random sculptures that added to the mayhem. My guards and I found ourselves chasing after her, trying to anticipate her next move, but she always seemed one step ahead. Snorunt reveled in the attention and mischief she was causing, giggling and frolicking as she evaded our grasp. Her playful antics had turned the daycare into a chaotic playground, and we were determined to catch her before she caused any more trouble.
Unable to contain the situation any longer, I finally turned to my trusted knight, Oliver, and commanded him to use his Pokémon to catch Snorunt. He released his newly acquired Ponyta and instructed it to use a mild Ember on Snorunt, making sure it was not too intense. My heart raced as I watched Snorunt notice the Ponyta and make a run for the door, which was unfortunately not locked. I realized with horror that a simple push would open it.
"Oh no!" I thought anxiously. "The door is not locked, Snorunt might escape!" I watched as Ponyta released Ember towards Snorunt, who had already slid past the guards and reached the door.
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Back to Arthur POV:
The door swung open with a loud bang, and I was knocked off my feet by an object the size of a bowling ball. The sudden impact made me wince in pain,
"Who the Fu....." I immediately stopped mid sentence because I was rendered speechless by what I saw.
An orange ember shot straight at me, and my reflexes kicked in. Time seemed to slow down as I assessed the situation with a calm mind. The flame approached lazily, seemingly harmless. With a swift roll to the side, I narrowly dodged the ember's path, my agility allowing me to sidestep with precision. I could feel the heat brushing against my skin as I smoothly evaded the incoming attack.
As time resumed its normal flow, I stood there, slightly relieved but composed. But then I noticed a cold sensation in my hands, and as I looked down, I saw a Snorunt staring at me with an intense gaze. Its expression changed rapidly, from relief to surprise, and then to happiness.
Before I could fully comprehend the situation, I found myself surrounded by guards.
"You! Who are you? The Daycare is closed to outsiders today," said one guard cautiously, while the others drew their swords, misunderstanding the situation.
"I'm not here to cause trouble. I came to submit my mission, not to avail any services from the Daycare," I said, showing them my Academy badge.
The guard in front inspected the badge for a moment before commanding the others to disperse and apologizing for the misunderstanding.
"Sorry about the ember attack. It was a mistake on behalf of my Ponyta. Can you please return the Snorunt to us?" he said, sounding embarrassed.
'I was actually surprised by how polite he was'
"Snorunt ....Runt Snorunt" it said explaining something in anger to me while also comfortingly rubbing his head in my palm.
"I am sorry, I can't understand you" I said to it and then turned towards the Knight.
"It's alright, it was just an accident," I replied, handing the Snorunt back, but it seemed to resist, wiggling its tiny feet in protest.
"Runtt.....Snorunt.."
The guard, named Oliver, seemed surprised by the Snorunt's actions and excused himself to go inside the room.
As I waited, I couldn't help but glance at the opened door and was captivated by what I saw inside. A young lady who appeared to be around my age had a regal aura about her, with confident movements and fluid hand gestures that exuded grace. She had an oval-shaped face with long flowing brown hair, complemented by bright eyes with long lashes, a petite straight nose, and charming dimples that added to her exquisite appearance.
"Is she the princess?" I wondered in awe, as I realized she must be of royal lineage. She looked surprised as she turned towards me after a brief conversation with Oliver, and they both walked towards me at a leisurely pace, while Snorunt in my hands still refused to let go. I couldn't help but notice my hands starting to freeze due to the Pokemon's icy powers.
'Wait! Don't tell me this is the Snorunt that Prince bought? Fuck!! but how can this Snorunt recognize me?' I thought while my brain started second guessing and questioning.
I suddenly realized that the Princess had already come two metres away from me
I quickly gave a courteous bow,
"Your Excellency, I am Arthur Jones from the Striaton Academy," I said quickly changing my expression.
The princess looked at me with curiosity in her eyes as I introduced myself. I could tell she was used to being treated with respect and reverence. She spoke in a melodic voice that carried authority, but also a hint of amusement.
I apologize for any issues with the writing. Here is an improved version of the text:
The princess murmured in thought, trying to recall where she had heard my last name before.
"Jones? Where have I heard that last name?" she pondered aloud, expecting a reply.
"Your Highness, I am grateful that you remember our humble family name. My late father was the Baron of Undella Town, and now I am just a commoner studying at the Striaton Academy," I responded.
"Oh! I remember reading about it. I am sorry for your loss, but first things first," she said, taking a closer look at the well-behaved Snorunt in my arms.
"Interesting! Can you tell me how you calmed her down?" she said pointing at the well behaved Snorunt in my arms.
"Well I am not sure. As you can see I was just knocked down by her and then she seemed to not leave me," I said feigning ignorance.
"Hmm...really? I just get the feeling that you're lying," she replied, signaling for Snorunt to come.
Fortunately for me, Snorunt seemed to understand the gesture and immediately jumped onto her, rubbing her chin affectionately.
"You see, she's a new addition to my team but she's very naughty. She's always looking for attention, I could never understand why. She listens to my commands during training but not afterwards, and I thought she didn't like me. But as you can see, that's not the case," explained the princess, affectionately rubbing Snorunt's head.
I internally thought, 'Well, why are you telling me that?'
"I've heard about your highness' talents before. I'm sure you'll overcome whatever it is that's troubling you," I said, trying to end the conversation.
"You don't need to be so perfunctory. Anyway, why are you here? I'm sure my overprotective brother booked the whole day," she said, giving me a questioning gaze.
I then explained my mission to her, and she immediately replied, "You're so lucky to go on missions alone. I always have people around to protect me, so I can never do such things," she said with a look of longing.
I didn't know what to answer, so I stood there awkwardly.
"Anyway, go in and submit your mission. I've already lost faith in the daycare after the chaos my Snorunt caused," she said disappointedly, signaling for me to go inside.
I nodded in relief, bid her farewell and entered the building.
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Princess POV:
"Now that he's gone, tell me what's happening here?" I said gently placing my Snorunt down.
I knew how much Snorunt hated anyone touching her. She didn't let my brother, my mother, or even my father, who is the King of the whole kingdom, touch her. It was strange to see how comfortable she seemed in that guy's hands.
[Hehe...I'm so happy I got to see him. I was searching for those same eyes in the palace. I looked everywhere, but no one had similar eyes as him. I'm confident he's my father,] she said, patting her chest in happiness.
"What? Father? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.
[It's true. You know how I never forget anything I see. As long as I can remember, he's the first person I saw, but for some reason, he was covered in weird clothes at that time. I also have a sister, and I'm pretty sure I felt her presence just now. I don't know how, but I can feel this chilling energy that's different from ice type from him. I'm confident my younger sister is with him. I remember the presence of my yet-to-be-born sister beside me when I hatched,]she said, giving a lengthy explanation that only made me more confused.
"So what you're saying is that you hatched in his presence and can feel your younger sister's presence on him?" I asked to reconfirm.
[Yes, if there's anything I'm confident in, it's my eidetic memory,] she said, reassuring me.
"So all those occasional tantrums you were causing were to find him and your sister?" I asked back, to which she smiled slyly.
[Of course not...I don't know why, but I love the faces of people when they get annoyed or irritated. I feel more energized from it,] she said excitedly, then whispered the last part, [and...I was also missing my family...]
"Don't worry, I'm always here for you," I said, picking her up and comforting her.
I had always heard about some intelligent Pokémon gaining consciousness while still in their eggs, mainly Psychic, Fairy, Dragon, and Ghost types. Does that mean Snorunt's parents were Ghost types? It made sense why she caused so much trouble. Ghost types were known to be troublemakers and feed off negative energy from people. But in Snorunt's case, I was sure she was just letting her stress out for not finding her sister or that guy.
"Don't worry, when that guy finishes submitting his task, we can have a good chat and maybe even meet your sister if he really has her," I said, to which Snorunt immediately replied, [Really?]
"I give you my word on that!" I said, reassuring her.
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Sorry for the late update guys . Very busy these days but finding time here and there to write it.
You don't need to give power stones are anything. Just enjoy the story and have patience with me as I can only do one per week (sometimes every two weeks).
next chapter: delay due to work so hang in there....
Also correct me if there are any errors.
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