Day Care of Domino 4: - Normality (Written by Ray Venn Hakubi)
Jamelia frowned to herself as she studied the small rodent that was attacking one of her spare PokeBalls. The ball had fallen off the shelf she kept them on and rolled under a cabinet. The rodent looked somewhat like a ratatta, but it was much smaller – only a couple of inches long – with huge, round ears and a straight tail.
"Um... excuse me..?" There was a soft voice at the office door and a quiet knock. Looking up, Jamie saw probably the last thing she expected to see in the Daycare at this time of a saturday afternoon – a perfectly ordinary Japanese schoolgirl.
"Yes? Is there something I can help with..?" Jamie asked, catching the rodent with a dart of her hand and standing up, cupping it in her hands.
"Yes, I... oh! What a cute mouse!" The girl squeaked. "Can I hold him?"
"Uh... sure." Jamie blinked. So it was a Mouse. "It's wild though."
"I don't think so." The girl smiled, holding out her hands. Jamie deposited the small, brown creature in them. "He's sitting much too still. I think he must be someone's escaped pet."
"I'm glad I found him, then." Jamie chuckled. "Otherwise someone would probably have eaten him. I don't have anything to put him in though..."
"A cardboard box would do, if you put some holes in it." The girl smiled. "What about that one?" She pointed at a brown cardboard box on the desk.
"OK." Jamie nodded, emptying the pencils out of it and piercing a few holes in the side. The girl slid the mouse into the box and closed the lid.
"We should put some straw in there for him or something." She passed the box to Jamie, who nodded.
"It's in the store-room. What was it you wanted help with?" She smiled.
"Oh... um..." The girl blushed slightly. "Well, um... do you have to be special to understand the Pokemon?"
"Mm... I guess." Jamie replied, suddenly guarded. If this was another person here to beg her to sell one of her charges into private care...
"That's great." The girl smiled. "Well, um, not really, there's a man-shaped one with a big nose complaining about some children trying to steal his coin..."
"Oh! That would be Hypno." Jamie smiled. "I guess hearing him is pretty normal, he's a psychic type..."
"Don't say normal!" The girl exclaimed, exasperatedly.
"Er... Ok..." Jamie mumbled, flinching slightly in surprise. "I'd... er, better go talk to those children..." She wormed her way around the girl and headed over to the entrance. "You children, leave him alone." It took her about five minutes to sort out the kids and get Hypno's coin-on-a-string back, then she turned around to find the girl from before standing about three inches behind her.
Needless to say, Jamie jumped a mile.
"If Hypno is psychic, can he do love fortunes?" The girl asked.
"Don't sneak up on me like that." Jamie grumbled. "And yes, he can do love fortunes. Hopes and dreams are his specialty."
In the time it took for the Daycare Leader to blink, the girl was already kneeling in front of the Pokemon and bowing to ask for his guidance.
"Great Hypno, can you tell me if it's true?" She asked, eagerly.
"Hmm... Hypno..." The pokemon mumbled, swinging it's coin and concentrating. The girl's eyes were drawn to the pendant and she started to fall into a trance. "Hyp... no...." It repeated, slowly.
"Oh. That doesn't mean anything." The girl mumbled, disappointedly. "Onapetto..?"
"Um... miss." Jamie tried to interrupt.
"I wonder if it means... but no..." the girl mumbled, absorbed with herself.
"Excuse me..?" Jamie tried again.
"She might treat him like that... oh, Sensei..."
"Miss!" Jamie half-shouted. What was this girl's problem? Was she crushing on her teacher or something?
"Huh?" The girl blinked at her, innocently.
"What's your name? Did you have a reason for coming here before Hypno distracted you?"
"Oh!" The girl smiled. "My name's Nami. Nami Hitou!"
"Urk." Jamelia broke.
"Um... miss Frances?" Nami asked, waving her hand in front of the Daycare Leader's face. "Was it something I said?" She asked Hypno when there was no response. The hypnotist Pokemon shrugged, and the girl sighed and left.
Hypno scratched his head, watching her go. She seemed fairly normal, anyway, at least compared to most of the people who came in here.
"Z... z... zetsuboushita..." Jamelia twitched.
"Um... excuse me..?" There was a soft voice at the office door and a quiet knock. Looking up, Jamie saw probably the last thing she expected to see in the Daycare at this time of a saturday afternoon – a perfectly ordinary Japanese schoolgirl.
"Yes? Is there something I can help with..?" Jamie asked, catching the rodent with a dart of her hand and standing up, cupping it in her hands.
"Yes, I... oh! What a cute mouse!" The girl squeaked. "Can I hold him?"
"Uh... sure." Jamie blinked. So it was a Mouse. "It's wild though."
"I don't think so." The girl smiled, holding out her hands. Jamie deposited the small, brown creature in them. "He's sitting much too still. I think he must be someone's escaped pet."
"I'm glad I found him, then." Jamie chuckled. "Otherwise someone would probably have eaten him. I don't have anything to put him in though..."
"A cardboard box would do, if you put some holes in it." The girl smiled. "What about that one?" She pointed at a brown cardboard box on the desk.
"OK." Jamie nodded, emptying the pencils out of it and piercing a few holes in the side. The girl slid the mouse into the box and closed the lid.
"We should put some straw in there for him or something." She passed the box to Jamie, who nodded.
"It's in the store-room. What was it you wanted help with?" She smiled.
"Oh... um..." The girl blushed slightly. "Well, um... do you have to be special to understand the Pokemon?"
"Mm... I guess." Jamie replied, suddenly guarded. If this was another person here to beg her to sell one of her charges into private care...
"That's great." The girl smiled. "Well, um, not really, there's a man-shaped one with a big nose complaining about some children trying to steal his coin..."
"Oh! That would be Hypno." Jamie smiled. "I guess hearing him is pretty normal, he's a psychic type..."
"Don't say normal!" The girl exclaimed, exasperatedly.
"Er... Ok..." Jamie mumbled, flinching slightly in surprise. "I'd... er, better go talk to those children..." She wormed her way around the girl and headed over to the entrance. "You children, leave him alone." It took her about five minutes to sort out the kids and get Hypno's coin-on-a-string back, then she turned around to find the girl from before standing about three inches behind her.
Needless to say, Jamie jumped a mile.
"If Hypno is psychic, can he do love fortunes?" The girl asked.
"Don't sneak up on me like that." Jamie grumbled. "And yes, he can do love fortunes. Hopes and dreams are his specialty."
In the time it took for the Daycare Leader to blink, the girl was already kneeling in front of the Pokemon and bowing to ask for his guidance.
"Great Hypno, can you tell me if it's true?" She asked, eagerly.
"Hmm... Hypno..." The pokemon mumbled, swinging it's coin and concentrating. The girl's eyes were drawn to the pendant and she started to fall into a trance. "Hyp... no...." It repeated, slowly.
"Oh. That doesn't mean anything." The girl mumbled, disappointedly. "Onapetto..?"
"Um... miss." Jamie tried to interrupt.
"I wonder if it means... but no..." the girl mumbled, absorbed with herself.
"Excuse me..?" Jamie tried again.
"She might treat him like that... oh, Sensei..."
"Miss!" Jamie half-shouted. What was this girl's problem? Was she crushing on her teacher or something?
"Huh?" The girl blinked at her, innocently.
"What's your name? Did you have a reason for coming here before Hypno distracted you?"
"Oh!" The girl smiled. "My name's Nami. Nami Hitou!"
"Urk." Jamelia broke.
"Um... miss Frances?" Nami asked, waving her hand in front of the Daycare Leader's face. "Was it something I said?" She asked Hypno when there was no response. The hypnotist Pokemon shrugged, and the girl sighed and left.
Hypno scratched his head, watching her go. She seemed fairly normal, anyway, at least compared to most of the people who came in here.
"Z... z... zetsuboushita..." Jamelia twitched.