[h3]The trials continued...[/h3] [hr] [@Ryik] The Minccino saw as Troy began to help clean up the garden. It was quite moved by the display. And the human did such a good job cleaning too, with one human paw nonetheless! Minccino was impressed. This human truly seemed to care… And perhaps that was why the Minccino—after swatting away the pokeball that Troy had thrown—did not run away. Instead, they ran a circle around Troy and then went to the green clearing area. The Minccino mewled and jumped up and down, then crouched down, fur bristling. The Pokemon was challenging Troy to an official fight it seemed, as they wanted to see if this trainer truly was worth joining… Assuming Troy took the challenge, the Minccino would allow him the first move. [hr] [@LuckyBlackCat][@jujube] As the three of them ventured to where Sobble had been lost, they began to search. When Netty commanded Mellona to use Sweet Scent, a flowery and sweet fragrance blossomed in the air. Still there was no sign of a Sobble to be found. Bennett hiccuped. [color=lightgray]“I think he’s too scared to come out… I just don’t know what’s scaring him though. It was a loud sound, then he saw something, turned invisible and ran away!”[/color] He nodded at Zaria’s question. [color=lightgray]“Socho likes sour things… His favorite is Pinap berries but he likes Aspear berries too…”[/color] They ventured further into the rooms and the different hallways that branched off from what they would realize was the East Study Wing of the castle. As they explored this wing, they’d realize that many of these rooms were undergoing redecoration and repairs. Students were still allowed to be here as long as they were quiet and well behaved, since the wing hadn’t been completely closed off. Anyway, with all of them split up, it was Mellona who would be the first to find some wet little footprints and the distinct smell of onions that made her numerous pair of eyes blurry. If they came to where she was, they’d venture into an older classroom that looked like it had been unused for quite some time. The room itself was a large classroom with plenty of space for a close quarters Pokemon battle to take place. The lights were flickering some, the few desks around here had been pushed to the far end of the room, and there were some soft, dusty Pokemon toys lying about. Small wet footprints led to a cramped cranny behind a bookcase where Socho was clearly hiding. [color=lightgray]“Socho! We’re here! Why won’t you come out?”[/color] Bennett sniffled. [color=lightgray]“Please come out. I’m here, it’s okay. Just come back.”[/color] But Sobble did not appear. If Zaria did use her berry to try to draw out the Sobble, that would not seem to work either. [color=lightgray]“I don’t understand why he isn’t coming out… I did scold him earlier but… Socho, are you upset about that? Is that why you haven’t come out?”[/color] That was when the lights flickered and then went off completely. Suddenly they were all bombarded with the soft toys on the ground. It didn’t hurt, but it was certainly bizarre. When the lights came back on, they would also notice something else (if Zaria had used a berry to draw out Socho earlier). The berry she had placed would be gone. [color=lightgray]“What’s going on? Socho please stop!”[/color] Bennett pleaded. [color=lightgray]“Just come home with me! There’s no reason to act like this!”[/color] The light went out once more. Now it was completely dark. Socho had certainly chosen a good place to hide. Now what? [hr] [@Crimson Flame][@zeroSH] The potion managed to alleviate some of the pain, though it certainly wasn’t enough to stabilize the Pidove. Asa and Tim, not knowing how to handle the emergency situation, made their way to the Pokemon center. It was a 15 minute walk from the dorms. The late afternoon sun hung in the sky and a gentle breeze whipped about. It would have been pleasant to bask in, had the situation not been so urgent. As the two boys burst into the Pokemon center, they were able to get a nurse’s attention. [color=lightgray]“Oh my!”[/color] The nurse, whose name tag read ‘Rosemary’ exclaimed. It didn’t take long for her to assess the condition of the Pidove. [color=lightgray]“Broken wing, fever, covered in lacerations, and very young to boot. Where did you find this little one?”[/color] Hearing their answer Rosemary nodded. [color=lightgray]“I see… No doubt it must have gotten attacked. Well you boys came to the right place. Incidentally…”[/color] She looked at Asa and Tim. [color=lightgray]“What are your names? And what track are you boys following at this school?”[/color] She nodded once more at their replies. [color=lightgray]“Asa and Tim. Medical and breeder track… Well, thank you for bringing attention to this Pokemon. Believe it or not, not every trainer cares for wild, injured Pokemon.”[/color] The Pidove cooed feebly and turned her neck towards Asa and Tim, as if frightened of this strange new human and the surroundings. [color=lightgray]“This Pokemon is already attached to you two. You did a good job of making this Pidove feel cared for. Hmm… I’ll be right back. Just wait a few minutes.”[/color] They didn’t have to wait long. Rosemary came back with another nurse, whose name tag read Joanna. [color=lightgray]“I know it’s just the first day, but plenty of breeder and medical trainers take up study here. Asa, why don’t you come with me to the Emergency Ward? I think you’d find there’s quite a bit for you to learn."[/color] Joanna piped up. [color=lightgray]"That's right, and you're Tim, correct? Well there’s an Egg Ward here as well. Trainers on the breeding track learn about the care of special case Pokemon eggs here, or pokemon eggs that are medically abnormal in some way. It's similar to the Daycare, where you'll be spending more time, but here you'll specifically learn about catching certain conditions early so you understand how to deal with them.”[/color] Joanna then paused and gave them a gentle, comforting smile. [color=lightgray]”If you’re worried about the Pidove, I completely understand. We’re still waiting for more updates. I know you may be worried, but try not to be. We have some of the best equipment and professionals here in the region.”[/color] They had impressed some faculty with their ability to care for and comfort Pokemon. Getting initiated into some tasks may have seemed intimidating, and the sick Pidove may have loomed in their minds, but it was also a good opportunity for them to learn. Would they accept? If they declined there would be no penalty, of course. It was up to either of them. [hider= if Tim decided to go to the Egg Ward] Tim would be led down a series of hallways and annexes until he came upon what they called the Egg Ward. It was different from the rest of the center, which was white and sterile because it had to be. Here the walls were painted with a colorful mural of a forest teeming with cheerful pokemon. The egg cases themselves were even brightly colored. And of course, there was a whole chest of squishy toys for delicate newborn creatures to enjoy. It seemed that this room was meant to be a cheerful, gentle invitation into the world when the eggs hatched. There was also a great deal of care put into each and every egg, with each one having its own incubator and monitoring device. Joanna explained the eggs, pointing them out one by one. [color=lightgray]"Each egg here is monitored individually, but that's also why this Ward has limited space. We only have room for about 100 or so eggs, so it's important to get these babies hatching. So we can free up room for others."[/color] She gestured around the room. [color=lightgray]"Now, pokemon eggs do hatch faster with other pokemon around. And we do have the pokemon assistants make regular visits to this room. But these eggs are just too delicate to be out and about without care."[/color] She pointed at pink egg with a beige strip around it that had a slight crack in its shell. [color=lightgray]"This one was dropped by a trainer, and needed to be taken here for monitoring. The embryo of the pokemon is still developing, though we don't know what it is yet."[/color] She shined a light into the shell where Tim would be able to see an amorphous shadow. [color=lightgray]"It does seem fine for the most part, but we're keeping this one for observation."[/color] They explored other eggs and Joanna continued explaining. [color=lightgray]"Did you know? There's research and evidence to support that pokemon can actually hear and process what's going on even when they're inside their egg... Fascinating, isn't it?"[/color] They continued with Joanna pointing out some conditions that Tim may or may not have seen. Some were rare conditions, where the eggshell was discolored with a substance that looked like mold. Other eggs looked like they had soft, almost malleable shells. Finally they came to a large, beautiful, gold and scarlet egg. [color=lightgray]"This one hasn't hatched for a long time,"[/color] Joanna said sadly. [color=lightgray]"When that happens, it's nearly impossible to figure out why. The pokemon inside seems healthy but... It just doesn't seem to want to come out."[/color] There was quite a bit going on. How was Tim taking all this? [/hider] [hider= if Asa decided to go to the Emergency Ward] Asa was led straight down a long hallway where nurses and pokemon doctors bustled about. Many of them were wearing masks and gloves just like him, and there was plenty of hand sanitizer around. It was a germophobe's dream, truly. In any case, he was taken to the room where the Pidove was. He wasn't allowed inside the room, but there was an observation window he could watch from. [color=lightgray]"They're administering some antibiotics first, and then they're going to try to set the wing. The pokemon is very young, so they need to be extremely careful. Bird pokemon bones are especially fragile,"[/color] Rosemary said. They watched that for a few minutes. [color=lightgray]"Come along, there's an actual surgery you'll be able to see."[/color] So they went a little further down some hallways and found a room where there was an operation being done on a Patrat. [color=lightgray]"This pokemon has a heart condition, and they're surgically fixing the faulty valve."[/color] They entered the operating room where the doctor, Dr. Julius Graham, professor of Pokemon Health Studies, was performing the surgical procedure. His brow was furrowed and he appeared to be concentrating intensely. [color=lightgray]"That's Dr. Graham. He's the director of the medical program here, so you'll have a class with him at some point,"[/color] Rosemary said. [color=lightgray]"What kind of medical specialty do you want to go into, Asa?"[/color] There was a lot going on. How would Asa respond? [/hider]