A Saga of Tanya the Chansey: 37

It’s dark again, and the gentle pressure on her mind has finally succeeded in quieting Tanya’s whirlwind thoughts.

In here, her injuries are… less real, as if the damage exists outside herself somehow, film layered atop her and just as easily removed.

Then, they are.

From all around, emanating from the comforting dark, an unfamiliar song of love emanates with synthetic crackle. Like a forgotten vinyl record, the echo of a memory still holding power even as it’s removed of all context from when it was first sung. 

Yet, artifice and all, the injuries disappear as if they never were. 

Then the black disappears into blinding light.

Tanya fights back a yawn as the familiar interior of a hospital fades into view, Mauville central. 

She’d not wanted to walk to the pokecenter only to be put into a ball to be healed, so she’d hopped into the ball almost immediately after the fight, as the closest pokecenter also happened to be where they needed to go next for their testing.

Looking around, the ‘mon notes the nurse who’d healed her in the pokecare machine before something white blows in front of her face.

Grabbing it, she grimaces as she pulls a large clump of wool off the side of her head.

Wonderful…

At least it’s not sticky anymore.

She shakes her arm to get the fibers off her arm, fails, then shakes harder only for the clump to dissolve and for half of it to attach right back on her.

…

From behind, she can hear Amelia holding back a laugh so she turns unimpressed eyes over to her partner, but before she can say anything the nurse shoves Tanya’s pokeball into her partner's hands and grips the trainer by her shoulders.

“Alright! She’s healed! Work face awaaayyy!” She says, wiggling her torso and head. “Now! I saw the battle! That was amazing!”

Amelia ducks her head and weakly tries to shake off her relative’s arms.

“...Thanks Aunty Key.” She mutters, struggling harder. “Chansey did most–”

“You predicting the electrode? Oh! I was on the edge of my seat! How did you–”

She’s interrupted as the door to the room opens, revealing an entire crowd of Joys and chanseys. 

“She’s healed right? No more patients in here?

“Congratulations you two! I–”

“I couldn't believe how–”

“Move over!”

Then the room is flooded in excited chatter and a mass of pink and white.

After a few moments pass and the rooms settles, Tanya realizes she’s surrounded by chansey, pressing in on all sides and fussing at everything in arms reach, making quick work of the wool that’s still stuck to her.

“I mean honestly, the cameras don't like to show closeups of ‘mon when they’re too beat up, so I know you looked bad.” One chansey says, pulling a handful of wool away and handing it off to another ‘mon behind her. “That Flaaffy girl had no right hitting you so hard…”

The rest of the circle nods emphatically with their whole bodies, muttering similar thoughts as they work.

“And all the electricity?” Another scoffs. “We can heal it, but that much electricity on a normal type can cause serious neurological damage!”

More nods, and Tanya successfully fights back a yawn as her freshly healed body makes itself known.

There’s too much to do today, she’ll sleep when she’s supposed to.

“Oh no! You’re sleepy?” The ‘mon in front of her says, reaching up to try and put her arms on both sides of Tanya’s face, prompting her to lean away. “Well we have just the spot for a brave battler like you to sleep.”

“I’m fi–”

“I’ll get you some food, you’re still a growing girl!" Another chirps. “You’ve not even finished adipose rarefaction!"

“...somehow…” A voice mutters from behind, only to be met with pointed shushing.

At the mention of food, Tanya’s stomach rumbles hard enough it has her entire body rippling with the intensity and she’s forced to concede that, while sleep is off the table for now, getting a meal is necessary.

Ah…

The ‘mon suppresses a wave of embarrassment.

Yes, some food.

Nodding in agreement, she stops resisting the group’s gentle attempts to herd her toward the door and allows herself to be led over to her partner. 

Amelia glances at her from within her own crowd of nurses, eyes overwhelmed as they’re led out the door.

“–has too many in my opinion, but that's a good thing today.” Says a nurse, gently pulling on Amelia’s sleeve. ”Plus, it’s the middle of the day, so only the night shift would be sleeping in an on-call room.”

“Aunte, I’ve got tests to do! Then I’ve got to start working with Aunt V–”

“Oh psh!” Another nurse interrupts, fussing with her niece’s other sleeve. “Venessa can take a chill pill. We need an hour, at least, to set the room up.”

A nurse from behind opens her mouth but she receives a stern side eye from the rest of the crowd and it’s quickly closed again.

“We’ll get you some food, you review a little, and when we’re ready you’ll be at your best.” 

“You mentioned that Taillow needs some tests done for a nutrition and training plan right? The bloodwork and physical labs have space! I’ll take a look in the meantime!”

“Least we can do for our little champion.”

Amelia opens her mouth to protest some more, but the attempt stalls as a door opens and she’s –not unkindly– but firmly shoved into the space with Tayna hot on her heels.

“Hey–”

“We’ll be right back with some food for you both! Sit tight!” 

Then the door closes, leaving them in what looks like a bizarre mashup of hospital and hotel, made even stranger by a chest of draws, a crack in which reveals layers of nursing outfits, identical copies down the row.

Looking around, Tanya catches sight of the mirror and notes the fluff covering her body had been completely removed.

Amelia huffs fondly as she flumps down on the bed and tries to fix thoroughly ruined braids with her fingers.

“...They’re family.” She scoffs with a soft shake of the head. “Food sounds nice too.”

Her partner's stomach rumbles again, prompting her to nod even as she pretends the physical reaction isn't happening.

Sure enough, food arrives shortly, a plate of palatable looking hospital food for the human and a large bowl of pokechow for the ‘mon.

Looking up from her meal as she tosses a handful of delicious kibbles into her mouth, Tanya watches her partner mechanically chew through some dry looking lasagna and doesn't envy the disparity in meal quality. 

In short order, the food is consumed and Tanya hops up on the bed and sits down beside her partner as Amelia pulls her school notebook from her sling bag and opens it between them.

“Alright–” She’s forced to pause for a yawn. “...we’ll speed review for the next forty minutes so we need to focus up.”

Tanya nods, scanning over the already memorized review notes.

“RIght.”

With that, the two lean in, taking care not to touch the other as they begin.

Ten minutes later, Tanya blinks slowly, holding herself above the grasp of sleep by the barest of threads, her f– partner snoring softly as she wiggles deeper into the ‘mon’s bulk.

No threats present.

No injuries present.

Tanya allows her eyes to drift closed, mind sinking to that space just above sleep as she keeps guard.

It smells like home.

—--

–_–

—--

Tanya quietly caps her pen and before flipping though the pages of her test for one last check for errors.

Technically she didn't need to do this test, as her natural healing abilities and the assumption that she’d be permanently working with her partner means she doesn't need the same set of certifications as Amelia to become a full nurse.

However, as she’d already spent the past few months studying alongside Amelia, there’s not really a reason for her not to get the full certifications.

Finishing her final review and finding it to her satisfaction, Tanya slips the stack of papers back into the packet it came in, peals away the release coating for the adhesive, and seals the envelope before rising from the desk specifically designed for her line.

Amelia glances at her from across the room, her own test still open, followed by the proctoring nurse and chansey.

“That was fast…” The nurse murmurs as she takes the packet, followed by Chansey taking a step forward.

“Are you ready for the practical?” She asks, equally quietly.

Tanya nods, and she’s led out of the room, down the hall, and into an equally empty adjoining room, though this one has a table lowered to a comfortable height with a red medical bag on it instead of two desks.

Coming to a stop in front of the desk, Chansey holds up a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other,

“Alright.” She starts at a normal volume, clicking her pen, then looking down at her clipboard and reading off of it in a stilted monotone. “In front of you there is a first aid kit. It is important that you understand best practices for emergency stabilization. The instructor –That's me!– will verbally describe a series of injuries, you must describe how you would use only the materials provided to stabilize an injured patient. Do you understand the instructions as I have given them?”

Only after she concludes her speech does Chansey look up to see Tanya nodding as the bag begins to glow a faint purple.

Then she stops herself, the mirroring glow in her eyes disappearing.

Right, it’s clear what the spirit of the instructions intended.

Stepping forward, the ‘mon grabs the bag, slides it over, and unzips it to reveal the exact configuration she’d seen in textbooks describing the kit.

“If you are ready, let’s begin.” Chansey states. “A mightyena has a bite in the leg, it’s swollen and you learn that she’d vomited within the past ten minutes.”

Venom then, here it’s significantly less lethal but vomiting means…

Tanya blinks, running though her options with what’s in the bag.

No poison cures, several kinds of pill, gauze, antiseptic–

Lum extract, undiluted.

Ah.

“In the plastic measuring cup, create an emulsion of lum extract and ethanol at a 1/63 dilution.” She says, pointing at each item in turn. “Apply a thin coating to the wound, wrap in soaked bandages, then retention bandages, then have the patient drink twenty milliliters of the emulsion. Wait ten minutes for response to treatment before assessment and next steps.”

There’s a pause, then the scribbling of a pen as Chansey doesn't allow her face to show what she thinks of the answer.

“Alright, next question. A beautifly’s wing is torn.”

“Clean with water, disinfect with alcohol, then bind with two strips of sterile tape.”

More pen scratching.

On and on, ten more variations of injury requiring every everything inside the kit at least once, until Chansey finally puts down the clipboard and pen.

“Good job.” She says, pride shining though her attempted neutrality as she picks up a sealed scalpel. “Now, you need to–” 

She cuts herself off with a hiss as, in one smooth motion, she rips the protective sterile cover off the scalpel and runs it across the flesh of her arm.

Hur–

Tanya blinks, glowing arm halfway outstretched to the wound as blood quickly wells up from the relatively minor cut.

…No. 

She was told to heal using the kit.

The ‘mon quickly reaches over to the medkit and pulls out everything she needs to treat the wound. Following procedure, it doesn't take long before the cut is disinfected and bound.

Only after she’s done treating the injury does she look up to Chansey’s grinning face.

“Almost got you there.” She smirks. “Goodness knows I messed up when I was your age.”

Tanya considers how to respond for a few seconds as she repacks her kit.

“I appreciate the compliment.” She says eventually.

Chansey giggles, then holds out her bandaged arm.

“Alright. Good work. Now, can you heal pulse for real? We’re almost done.”

Tanya nods and, holding out her arm, calls on the power in her core, barely holding back the overwhelming wave that responds to the gentlest request.

Chansey squints as the motes of healing light erupt from her body, easily pulling away the wound dressing and picking up her clipboard before writing something down.

“It’s not on the test, so I’ll tell you, but you overdid it a little.” She hums, turning a page. “Try to give like… half that to someone who’s actually unconscious. I know you’ve got enough to spare, but it's still good to learn.”

Tanya nods, grumbling in the privacy of her own mind.

…Damn.

With that, Chansey smiles, clicks her pen, and places the clipboard back on the desk.

“Aaand we’re done!” the ‘mon chirps. “I’ll take you to the waiting room for your partner, she should be another…” She looks at the clock on the wall. “Twenty minutes.”

Tanya nods, and as she’s led out the room and walked down the hall, she can hear Amelia’s muffled voice in her ‘reciting’ tone from behind another door. 

As the ‘mon hops up onto a chair in the waiting room, she tries to take a frank assessment of her performance.

Likely she passed, but there were several vaguely worded write-in questions that she wasn't certain how to answer both correctly and succinctly.

The ending essay was… formulaic, but there’s likewise always a chance she misunderstood something.

But, all in all, she likes her odds.

But as the minutes roll on and Tanya allows herself to zone out, her semi-meditative state bureaucratic stasis is interrupted by the door opening after a mere ten minutes and an almost unfamiliar voice becoming audible just beyond.

“...just be a few minutes Taillow, your trainer should be out soon.” A nurse says as she walks in, scratching the neck of the bird who looks as if he’s in a state of pure bliss. “But dont worry sweety, your teammate Chansey is here too!” 

The ‘mon twitches, eye rapidly opening and locking onto hers as he’s carried closer.

“Wh–”

“You were so good!” The nurse coos as she gently places her cargo on a table, next to some magazines. “I’ll be sure to tell your trainer exactly how well behaved and healthy you were!” She says, grabbing a manilla envelope of papers from under her arm and waving as if to highlight it.

Tanya hums in recognition.

Someone did mention doing benchmark tests to determine a training plan.

The ‘mon holds out an arm for the documents.

“Would you mind if I look over those?”

The nurse smiles widely, handing over the papers.

“Of course you can hold them!” She cheers, masking the nonsense with enthusiasm. “Just remember to give them to your partner when she gets here!”

Tanya keeps herself from rolling her eyes as the nurse hands over the papers and makes a speedy exit as she opens the file and starts scanning over its contents.

Inside, she scans over a synopsis of an entire battery of tests, measuring every conceivable metric and, a few pages later, cross sections of a full volumetric scan with key areas marked and annotated.

Tanya takes in the information with squinted eyes, trying to make sense of it using her incomplete knowledge of medicine.

Thankfully, marked at the top in pen, is the note that these results had been sent to one ‘Taff’ as well, the same woman who’d worked with Tanya’s nutrition plan.

But as the pages are gripped in psychic energy and freeze in the air before her, Tanya’s focus is disrupted by a hesitant voice from below.

“So…” Taillow starts. “...What’s that? If you don't mind me asking.” He adds quickly.

Glancing down at the bird as he cranes his neck to get a good look at the floating papers, Tanya releases a ghost of a sigh.

“Some tests that measure various aspects of your health.” She says simply. “It allows us to determine a healthy meal and exercise plan to ensure optimal health and maximize results per unit effort invested.”

Taillow blinks, uncomprehending.

At the sight of those eyes, Tanya releases a much more heartfelt sigh as she tries to figure out how to simplify.

“This allows us to determine how much you can train safely, as well as what to eat and how much so you don't hurt yourself trying to work too hard.”

There’s a pause as the smaller ‘mon seems to consider the words, then his eyes widen in realization.

“...Oh!” He chirps, squinting at one of the cross sections of his body uncomprehendingly. “That sounds complicated…”

Tanya nods, looking back at the papers and reshuffling them as she tries to determine why his iron levels weren’t flagged as alarming on this report.

“It is.” She hums. “We’ll be getting the help of a specialist.”

There’s another silence, longer this time. Long enough for Tanya to grab a pen from the table and start calculating some basic statistical estimations on a blank page before Taillow speaks up.

“You’re doing all this… so I don't get hurt?”

Her writing stutters for a moment in thought, then continues as if it never happened.

“In the most basic terms? Yes, this is to avoid training injuries or vitamin deficiencies, by definition it’s to avoid getting hurt.” She answers distractedly, speaking off the cuff as she tries to remember a taillow’s metabolic slope. “It’s the same thing that was set up for me, though it was a more continuous process from my birth, and it helped me greatly.”

From the corner of her eye, Tanya sees her teammate looking at her with eyes as if he’d never seen her before.

“...I–” He starts, but Tanya inadvertently cuts him off as she finishes her thought.

“It allowed me to push myself just before the point of injury, though I couldn't get quite as close without the aid of a specialist like you’ll be getting now.” She says, jotting down the most basic outline of acceptable training before blinking and looking down to the ‘mon with an apologetic expression. “Sorry, I cut you off. You were saying something?”

Taillow doesn't move as he looks back up at her, frozen with his mouth open and an incomprehensible mess of conflicting emotions running across his face. 

But before any of it can resolve, the door to the waiting room slams open.

“I’m done!” Amelia shouts strutting inside with a bombastic flare. “And you better bet I crushed it!”

---

A/N: Patron changed their creator side UI since I last posted. which is weird.

But anywho!

Sorry this is late! But it's here!

Hope you all enjoy!

Ta-ta All!