Orion walked away from the Ferrum Gym, hugging Riolu. He barely noticed where he was going. After the invitation, Krastin told him to head back to Nurse Joy and to think about it for a bit before deciding.

Should I join Krastin's Course? Orion thought.

The idea of training under a gym leader was very enticing. If Krastin hadn't told him that he expected full effort, and for Orion to follow all his orders, Orion would have blurted out yes right there and then.

It's not like I have anything better to do… Riolu needs to become stronger. I also need to figure out this Aura business and find a way to earn money.

"Ri!"

He looked down in surprise as Riolu tapped his cheek and pointed infront of them. He saw he was standing before the door of the Poke Center, showin that he had somehow still managed to find his way there even while lost in thought.

"Right, let's go and clean some more rooms," he said, deciding to think about it while in bed that night.

Stepping into the Poke Center, there was no sight of Nurse Joy but a loud shuffling came from above.

"I'll be right there!"

Nurse Joy came down, stopping halfway down the stairs when she saw him.

"Orion! How did it go with Krastin?"

Orion walked to the stairs, looking up. Nurse Joy beckoned him while she walked back up.

"It went alright. I had a battle with Benny and lost, and Krastin asked if I wanted to join his Pokemon Course," Orion said, following her.

Nurse Joy's eyes widened as she focused on Riolu. 

"You should get him some food and let him rest then! Battles are very strenuous. We still don't have the old healing machines back up and running, and it might be years before the professors figure out how to make them work again."

"Krastin gave us a healing potion and some food," Orion said. But you are right. I think it's a good thing for you to go and rest!"

Riolu yawned but shook his head.

"Don't worry," Orion said. "I'll stay here, cleaning the rooms while you sleep."

"Rioooo, ri!" Riolu said, shaking his head, then flexing his arms.

"You sure?"

"Ri!"

Orion grinned at Nurse Joy, who had been watching the conversation.

"Well, I guess we will both help!"

"Very well," she said with a shrug.

Orion ran to 'his' room and put the book and the filled-up healing potion there before starting. 

For the next few hours, Orion cleaned another three rooms. Riolu helped at the start, but after that fell asleep near the door, only waking and following Orion when he finished with a room. 

At some point, Nurse Joy left to get some food, and when she finally called from downstairs, Orion was tired and sweaty but fulfilled. He'd cleaned most of the rooms of the heavy debris, leaving only some light things.

As he walked down the stairs, the scent of food wafted up from below, waking Riolu, who was curled up in his arms.

"Riiiii," Riolu said, yawning.

"Definitely," Orion said, sensing the desire for more food from the tiny Pokemon. 

He fully agreed, as his stomach was clenched tight. It had been a long time since he'd only had to make do with breakfast and dinner, and when he saw the two plates and steaming porridge with sidedishes, he almost rushed to sit.

"Hands!" Nurse Joy said, smiling as she raised her hand to stop him. 

Orion blinked in surprise, then rushed to the bathroom, relieving himself and washing his hands and face before hurrying back into the room. Riolu was already stuffing his mouth, and Orion quickly joined them at the desk.

"Now, let's eat before you fall over," Nurse Joy said.

For the next few minutes, the only sound was that of Orion scarving down everything on his plate. He barely noticed the surprised look of Nurse Joy.

When he finally finished, he leaned back and moaned contently.

"Orion, I think you should accept Krastin's invitation. Otherwise, you are going to need to get some more work soon," Nurse Joy said softly.

Orion looked up worriedly, and Nurse Joy's lips curved up in a slight, sad smile.

"You can help me for another day to clear out the rest of the debris and swipe up, but after that, I won't have much more work for you. Also, I… don't have enough coins to feed both of us."

Orion looked at the plate, suddenly guilty. He'd eaten everything without even saying thanks. 

"Is it hard to make money?" he asked carefully.

It is and has been for years," Nurse Joy said, looking around. "But hopefully, that will change soon. The Neos City Gym is sending out trainers to the surrounding towns to help clear out the more dangerous pockets of Pokemon. That should help, and I'm hoping that some will stay here so I can earn a bit, but beyond that… its hard."

Orion crossed his sore arms and looked at Nurse Joy. He wanted to ask her a bit about herself and why she was doing the whole Nurse Joy thing, but that meant he would have to share something about himself. Krastin had told him to keep the portal story to himself and just tell everyone he was from a tiny village far north in the forests.

The thing was, he didn't want to lie. It felt annoying, and he liked Nurse Joy.

After thinking for a bit, he decided he could just tell her he was from a tiny ranch far up north. Beyond that, he could add most of what was real. Probably.

"Why did you decide to become a Nurse Joy?" he asked, feeling odd to ask someone that. 

Nurse Joy looked at him, seeming very confused. Then she blinked and sighed sadly. "Ah right, you wouldn't know about this as you weren't here last year."

Orion felt worried as he saw a tiny tear appear in Nurse Joy's eyes, but she wiped it away without seeming to notice.

"Ri…?" Riolu asked, looking at her with large worried eyes.

"Don't worry. I'm fine," Nurse Joy said, looking at Riolu and Orion. "Have you heard of the issues we are having with Ditto and Zorua?"

Orion nodded quickly, suddenly not sure he should have started asking questions.

"Well, a bit over two years ago, they infiltrated Old Ferrum, and before we knew what was happening, they had started attacking the guards with Pokemon."

Nurse Joy looked at the table, her hands slowly twitching.

"We lost nine people that day. Good, honest people who had done all they could to guard us. My husband, Durant, was one of them."

Orion felt his mind freeze over, and he swallowed. 

"I am… so sorry I asked," he said, feeling horrible.

"No, no!" Nurse Joy said, waving her hand. "Please, you couldn't have known. Besides, it's good to talk about it every now and again."

She looked at him with glistening eyes and such a strong resolve that Orion could only nodd dumbly.

"After that happened, I didn't know what to do for a long time. I wanted to help the guards, find those responsible, but… I have no Aura, so it's not like I can find a Pokemon to bond with. A little over a year ago, news came from Neos City that they had finally rebuilt enough of a defense to start sending out trainers to help the nearby towns. They asked every town to set up a local gym and a Pokecenter to assist the trainers that would be coming."

Orion stared at her, incredulous. They had only started rebuilding gyms a year ago? What had they been doing for the last fifty years? Nurse Joy didn't seem to notice the turmoil he was going through, and she continued, arms clasped before her chest.

"As soon as I heard it, I knew it was what I could do… had to do! I contacted Neos City's Pokecenter through the trader network and let them know I would open up Ferrum Town's Pokecenter. I got a small package to get me started and a letter asking if I would be willing to take up the mantle of Nurse Joy."

Orion swallowed, feeling a deep sense of respect for her. Feeling his eyes burn a bit, he quickly looked around. 

"You must be wondering what I did for a year," she said with a laugh. "Well, it took a while to convince the Major to allow me the job, and after that, I had to remove the massive amount of clutter from the Poke Center. I've actually only finished that a month ago and have been trying to fix the ground floor."

"Why doesn't the mayor help you with supplies and people to clean this place up?" Orion asked, feeling a tiny seed of anger boil in his stomach.

"Hah! As if it were that easy. Everyone has so much to do, and Mayor Dennis isn't really able to tell them what to do anyway. The best he could have done was send guards, and well.. They are very much needed where they are."

Orion felt his anger deflate before it could really get anywhere, and he frowned. He felt like someone should have helped Nurse Joy... but who?

"Well, now I'm even more happy that I could help," he said. "If I can do more, let me know!"

Nurse Joy smiled and shook her head. "For now, I'm almost ready to start seriously cleaning the rooms. Then, I'll need to see if I can find some paint for the walls and a way to start stocking up on healing potions. Finally, I'll need to figure a way to get enough poke-berries."

Orion hummed thoughtfully. He'd not thought about poke-berries, as they were a given back where he was from, but he knew of some locations north of his uncles' range where there were many wild bushes. The problem was that going there would be far too dangerous right now. He wondered if he could help her by finding some paint somewhere. 

"Well, I need to clean up and head home," Nurse Joy said. "Sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you! You too," he said, picking up Riolu.

As he walked towards the staircase, Orion looked back to see Nurse Joy stacking the plates, her face slack and her eyes dull.

He wished he could help her feel better. 

I'll try and find some paint, and when Riolu and I are strong enough, we are going to find those poke-berry bushes, he thought. 

The space behind the Pokecenter was big enough that he could find some young saplings and attempt to replant them. Even if the chances were low, he'd done so for his uncle before, and he knew he would be able to get at least some growth. Besides, with no wild Pokemon roaming the town, eating them and even a few bushes would be a great start for Nurse Joy to harvest the seed-bearing ones!

Feeling a growing determination to at least try, some of his sadness for Nurse Joy's plight faded, and he walked to his room.

"Ri!"

"Definitely," Orion said, grinning as he rubbed Riolu behind the ear. 

He entered his room, and the book he'd gotten from the Library drew his eye. The tiny bit of lingering sadness faded into the background, now fully replaced by his determination. He picked up the book, flipping it open. It was time to figure out what was going on!

"Fist Fighting Frenzy! Nothing beats a Fighting Aura Pokemon," he said softly, a goofy grin on his face. "I wish you could see this, Synthia! It's so ridiculous."

He lay down on the bed, reading the first page.

"Of the eighteen types, fighting aura is by far the most useful in our current day and age! Perhaps not as flashy as some of the others, it makes up for it with simple, raw power!" Orion read out loud, unable to stop a soft laugh. 

Whoever wrote this must have had Fighting Aura, he thought. The we are better vibe was too clear. He grinned as he continued to read.

"The great deal of aggressive normal-type Pokemon that roam the wilds of Ferum mean that those with our aura and ability to find fighting-type Pokemon are by far the most suited to defend the towns and cities. With effective type matchups and few to no ghost Pokemon around the populated areas, there is little that can stop a strong fighting-type Pokemon! However, never forget that no typing effectiveness will ever guarantee a win! Keep attention to the moves, your surroundings, and the time of day! Death is never far away..."

Orion's laugh was gone as he looked seriously at the page. 

Death is much easier to find now, he thought, feeling worried. At the same time, he wondered how much the people still recalled about typings. Fighting might be great versus normal types, but there were more types that were effective against them, and he didn't believe there were only normal types around. He'd already seen flying types and water types, and from at least the water types, he knew they were aggressive enough.

Besides, I'm sure there will be plenty of bug and grass-type Pokemon around, he thought. Then he thought about the nearby mountains and the plethora of rock, ground, and poison Pokemon looming there, and he shook his head. Either all those were gone, which he doubted, or the people hadn't explored very far yet. A tiny voice added that perhaps they had forgotten about them, but he didn't believe that. 

Still, I guess it would be a good idea to head back to the Library tomorrow and see exactly what they do know.

Humming thoughtfully, he flipped to the next page.

"If you were one of the lucky few to get a fighting aura, congratulations! You will have learned many things about aura before, but like every other one, fighting aura has its own peculiarities. A few days after you bond your first Pokemon, you will start feeling the changes. At first, your body will start growing, even if you were already fully grown, and your muscles will harden. Your appetite will increase tremendously, and you need to make sure you eat enough. If you don't, you might fall unconscious!"

Shit, Orion thought, swallowing back his sudden fear. 

That meant he really needed to get more food. Krastin's Course suddenly looked even better.

I'll sleep on it, but if I can't come up with something else, I'll tell him I'll join tomorrow, Orion thought.

"Although no trainer is ever as strong as a Pokemon of the trainer-types, our aura will allow our bodies to become as close to a Pokemon's as possible. A year after you have bonded with your first Pokemon, you will be able to lift rocks that no normal person can, run fast, and jump high. You will be able to endure stronger hits and dish them out. However! Be warned! As strong as you are, don't attempt to battle any high-rank Pokemon for real. It will end with your loss and likely death."

Orion looked at the page, then read it again. 

I wonder what the other typings get, he thought. Did that mean that a psychic aura gave psychic abilities? He shivered at the thought of someone being able to read his mind.

Wait, what do feary types get? he grinned as he imagined a trainer that had turned pink. 

Focusing back on the book, he slowly read through it, learning about simple practices he could do to increase his perception of his aura. There was also an entire section on meditation that was intended to keep his growing battle lust under control. One read of what could happen if he didn't made, him decide that he'd be picking that up as a morning routine starting tomorrow.

Beyond that was a long list of basic moves for Fighting Types. The first page had an interesting snippet that made him frown.

"A Pokemon can learn many moves, either by watching other Pokemon or because they are ingrained in their species. If you are exceedingly lucky to find one of the ancient world's TM discs, you can even teach your Pokemon moves that are not normally available to our typing. However, knowing a move and using one are two different things. To use the move in combat, your Pokemon must train it rigorously until it becomes instinctive. For some reason, lost in time, adult Pokemon can only truly master four moves at any given time. As soon as you have them focus on one more, this will come at the cost of being able to use another. To keep the ones you want, have your Pokemon train them daily."

So, they don't have many TMs left? I wonder if there are any Technical Machines left in Neos City, Orion thought.

The way it was written suggested there had to be.

As he flipped through the following fighting type moves, he was glad to see that as much as the Pokemon themselves had changed, the moves were as he remembered them. Even then, he did notice there were far fewer moves than he remembered, and that was based on just what he recalled.

Closing the book, he shuffled further down and closed his eyes.

I wonder if they know about egg moves, he thought.

His last thought before falling asleep was to head back to his computer, which had digital books with all known Pokemon moves and how to train them.