July 8th

1996

8:30 A.M.

Monday

Angelina slept under the comfortable fleece blankets of her bed, all while the pitter-patter of raindrops sounded off as they lightly hit the window. It was a rainy day, with dark-gray clouds that covered the sky and blocked any sunlight. Making everything dreary, but at least the plants would be sufficiently watered. Small puddles formed on the sidewalk with some water draining into the underground sewer through the sidewalk drains. 

It was another day for Nicholas at the Blue Bell Advertising agency, he’d been doing so well as a Diaper Model for the company ever since he was signed up. Even his parents were sent photos by the manager, and they all looked very nice. For the moment, it was a normal morning. 

After five minutes, the snivy was startled awake by the loud coughing fits coming from her little brother. She rushed out of bed, throwing her blankets off to the side, and made her way over to the pup to check on him!

“Hey Nicholas, are you okay?!” asked the grass snake with concern. 

“I’m cold… and my tummy hurts!” said Nick as he held onto the plastic bars of his crib, convulsing as he did so. The pup then proceeded to projectile vomit onto the bedroom floor, with his sister dodging out of the way before she got hit with the nasty projectile. Both Ranae and Lonstan entered the room to check on their little boy, only to be shocked about the mess on the floor.

“Oh goodness… What happened here?!” asked the serperior as she slithered over to her son while avoiding the disgusting puddle. Lonston followed after her. 

“He started coughing, and then he vomited onto the floor! Mom… I think he’s come down with some sickness!” said Angelina as the pup started coughing again, whining in the process. The fighting-type had gotten some vomit on his blue footed pajamas.

“Not good, I think we need to check the news. There could be a new disease that just appeared recently!” said the gardevoir as he looked at his son, and gave him a pat on the back to try and comfort him. 

“Angie, go with your father to the living room! I’ll keep an eye on Nicholas…” said Ranae.

“Right away, mom!” she responded.

Both Angelina and her father rushed downstairs and turned on the television. Being broadcasted at this moment was an emergency alert announcement from the Unova Emergency System, which followed after a few short screechy beeps and a slightly long beep. The black background had a yellow and green biohazard symbol behind the white text:

Emergency Alert! 

We are experiencing a local biological outbreak within the city!

Mayor Reinhardt has authorized the following transmission at the request of the Unova Health Organization and the Unova Center For Disease Control, please listen carefully!

At 8:31 A.M this morning, an influx of young children and adults started coming down with an unknown disease, with symptoms including but not limited to: Fever, Sweating, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Coughing Fits, and Dizziness!

Doctors and Epidemiologists are baffled, but will immediately investigate the cause and origin of this infection in order to gain answers. According to a recent report from the Striaton General Hospital, over fifty-five people are confirmed to be infected during normal checkups, with a majority of them being children! This number will increase over the next couple of hours!

If you have any family members or know anyone with these symptoms, please dial 412-651-223! It’s imperative to act quickly, for the purpose of containing this disease and helping contribute to researching a vaccine!

At this time, all roads in and out of the city have been blocked off by infection checkpoints to prevent the disease from spreading beyond the city-limits. This will also allow for smoother transportation of any infected individuals. The only people allowed to go beyond the checkpoint are as listed:

Epidemiologists, 
Doctors
Hazmat Specialists

If you are currently working in one of these occupations, you must show your employee identification at the checkpoint. Failure to do so will prevent you from leaving, and you’ll have to stay home until the outbreak is declared to be under control. 

This emergency broadcast will remain on the air for the next twenty-four hours, please keep your radio or television on for further updates. It’s important that we stay united as a community during this unexpected event. Don’t delay, and don’t ignore instructions! We’ll get through this outbreak together, this isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with a local outbreak. Stay safe, and stay informed!

The narrator for the announcement went silent afterwards, immediately displaying a counter for the number of infected individuals in the area. The current number was now fifty-nine! This greatly frightened Angelina, while her father stared at the screen with great concern. 

“Daddy… I am scared!” said the grass snake.

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright! I’ll call the number on the screen, maybe we’ll get some medical assistance!” said Lonstan as he walked over to the living room phone and picked it up, dialing in the number. 
While the husband was on the phone waiting for someone to pick up, his wife slithered downstairs and entered the living room quickly. She was holding Nicky with her vines.

“Is the sickness getting worse, mom?” asked Angelina. 

“Afraid so, sweetie. He may be having a moment of dizziness, since he had trouble keeping himself up and fell sideways onto his crib bed.” said Ranae.

“Poor little Nicky…!” said the grass snake as her father was able to finally get his phone call through. The responder on the other side of the line sounded like a female in her forties.

“Welcome to the Unova Center For Disease Control hotline, how may I assist you today?” asked the lady in a calm tone.

“I’d like to make a case report, I think my son has this new disease that recently popped up!” said Lonstan. 

“One moment please, your call will be transferred to UCD Director Chris Maxon. This will take a few moments.” the lady said as she began to transfer the call over to the director.  While this happened unexpectedly filled his diaper with a watery mess as he whined.

“Oh dear… sounds like you have diarrhea as well! I know… it doesn’t feel comfortable at all!” the serperior said as she brought the pup upstairs to change his diaper. After two minutes, a male voice on the other side of the line resumed the call.

“Chris Maxson here, I’ve been told you have a case to report,” said the man.

“Yes, I believe my son has this new disease!” said the gallade.

“I see, can you please list the symptoms?” He asked.

“Coughing Fits, Diarrhea, Vomiting, possible chills, and Dizziness.” said Lonstan.

“Thank you… from what I’m hearing here, it sounds like your son has a severe case. We are sending two Hazmat Vans to your location right away. Can you please give me your address?” asked Chris.

“025 Roseberry Way, and also one question: Why aren’t you sending an ambulance?” asked the gallade.

“Our Hazmat Vans are equipped to deal with sudden outbreaks, and allow for easy transfer of the infected. Your son will be taken to the hospital and placed in the underground quarantine center. Our trusted medical professionals will take it from there.” said the man.

“Alright then, I’m putting my trust in you. If you dare screw anything up, you will be sued for negligence.” said Lonstan.

“Don’t worry, your son is in good hands. I’ve got two more questions: how old is your boy, and where has he been in the last few days” asked Chris.

“He’s one year-old, we adopted him last year from Blisswood Orphanage. He’s been to the Striaton City Mall and Blue Bell Advertising. His full name is Nicholas Marbette.” said the gallade.

“Thank you for this information, you may now hang up the call. We appreciate your information!” the director said.

Lonstan ended the call and put the phone back in its slot, sitting down on the couch as he let out a stressful sigh. His daughter sat next to him and said “Is Nick going away somewhere?” 

“He’s going to be transported to the hospital, and I am going to trust them to take care of him. We have to have faith that he’ll be well cared for.” said the gallade as his wife returned downstairs with the pup after changing his diaper. He was still in his blue footed-pajamas. 

“Did you call for medical assistance?” asked Ranae.
“Yes, Nick is going to be transferred to the hospital and placed in a quarantine center. The Unova Center For Disease Control is sending over two Hazmat Vans.” said Lonstan.

“Well… I guess there’s nothing else we can do for the moment.” said the serperior as she looked at her son and said to him “You'll be going away for a while honey, see it as a little vacation of sorts. A trip. We’ll see you after you get all better!”

“Coming with me?” asked Nick.

“Sorry hun, but we can’t go with you.” said Ranae. 

“But… but… waaaaaaah!” the pup exclaimed as he began bawling. He wanted the rest of the family to be with him, so he wouldn’t be alone.

“Oh sweetie, I know you want to be with us… but we can’t do much for you!” said the serperior as she cuddled with her son.

“Son, I know it's not easy to understand. What I did was for the sake of your health, I’d really hate to see your condition get worse over the next couple of days. I’m putting my trust in those who will help you however they can. You won’t be alone, you’ll be with medical professionals.” said the gallade. 

“I’ll miss you while you’re being treated, Nickster. I want the best for you, little brother! When you come back, we can watch your favorite TV show: Alphabet Avenue!” said Angelina. The young pup hugged his mother as he whined, having another coughing fit shortly after. The mother continued to hold onto her son until the Hazmat Vans arrived.

Ten minutes later, the loud blaring of ambulance sirens was heard in the distance. However… These sirens sounded deeper in tone and had yellow and green coloration to their lights. Two large vans that were similar to ambulances sped down the street of Roseberry Way, immediately stopping at the Marbette’s household. 

These vehicles had the coloration of fluorescent yellow and green, with biohazard symbols on both sides. The front and back had license plates that said ‘Hazmat’ written in black text to indicate that this was a Hazmat Specialist vehicle. Three men in Hazmat Suits exited from both vehicles, immediately running to the door. There were a total of six men. Two were holding a container and glass tube for collecting hazardous materials. One was holding a large briefcase containing cleaning supplies.

 The main man leading to the team knocked on the door and shouted “The Hazmat Specialists have arrived, please exit your house promptly!”

The family heard the shouting from the living room and exited their home, leaving the door open as three of the men entered the house quickly and started searching for any samples of biohazardous materials. They needed anything they could get to help with researching a vaccine. Two men stayed outside to address the family.

“You must be here for my son, well… he’s right here.” said Lonstan as he took the baby boy from his wife and handed him to one of the men. The man held onto the pup and nodded his head.

“Thank you for being cooperative, we’ll be taking him away now while my men clean the house and look for any samples of hazardous materials.” said the man as the young pup looked at him worriedly. The whole outfit and that N95 mask seemed rather scary. He looked at the pup and said “Don’t be afraid, this is just protection against anything that might be hazardous to us. I’m guessing you’ve never seen anyone in a Hazmat Suit.” 

Nick nodded his head without responding, he watched as the man put him over his shoulders and took him to the back of the first Hazard Van. His family waved goodbye as they entered the back of it, they watched as that one man closed the doors.  It was now him and the stranger whose face was mostly hidden. The other man got back into the first van and started driving off.

“Listen… I know you don’t trust me kiddo. Usually those who are young are told to not trust strangers, but trust is something that is earned not given.” said the man. “I am Dabien, I work for the Unova Health Organization as a Hazmat Specialist. I am going to be part of a team sent out to investigate where the disease originated from and put a stop to it before it spreads to other cities and towns in the region. I can promise that we’ll do our best!”

The back of the Hazmat Van had many drawers that were filled with supplies: medicines, biohazard containers, cleaning supplies and much more. Dabien opened a drawer that was labeled ‘Bio Diapers’ and took one out, along with a plastic diaper cover. It has three tapes on it, and it had a light-blue coloration to it. The pup looked at it as he began to feel unsteady, which meant he was experiencing another dizziness spell as the baby was laid flat on the seats.

“Looks like you're  experiencing another dizzy spell, it will pass eventually. Now… I am going to put into Bio Diapers. They are like medical diapers, but they are meant to keep everything in since it has a tight fit. It may not be the most comfortable, but it’ll prevent any leaks.” said the man as he removed the kid’s pajamas and diaper, putting them into a separate bag, taping the Bio Diaper on shortly after. 

He then grabbed a red bracelet with a body temperature reader on it from another drawer, strapping it on the pup’s left wrist. Nick didn’t really have much energy to respond with, so all he could do was stare at it. The pup let out another coughing fit as the man was getting out some children’s cough medicine. It was a purple liquid in a small vial with a metal lid on it. The fighting-type looked at it and thought it was juice as he opened his mouth. 

“Take it easy kiddo… this medicine should alleviate that cough for twenty-four hours. I’m also going to put a bracelet on you that will indicate what kind of case you're suffering from. There’s three types: Severe, Moderate, and Minor. Red, Yellow and Green respectively. It also has a body temperature sensor built into it.” said Dabien as he took the lid off. He then slowly poured the liquid into the pup’s mouth, watching as he drank every drop. The pup whined after drinking the medicine, he thought it might’ve been some oran-berry juice. “I know… it's really bitter, but it will help you!

The baby looked at him as he began to yawn, his eyelids feeling heavy. The Hazmat Specialist looked at him and smiled from behind his mask, pleased that he was beginning to relax. The medicine he gave him does have the chance of making the user drowsy. 

While the pup slept, the man used this opportunity to grab a blood sample while they waited to arrive at the hospital. He grabbed a small syringe and got to work, he made sure to only take a small volume of blood for the time being. Once that was done, he secured the infected blood into a small bag and labeled it as ‘Infected Blood. Patient: Nicholas Marbette.’
After a short while, the driver arrived at the hospital and parked right at the front entrance. 

Dabien exited from the back immediately and rushed inside the nearest open elevator. Watching as the doors closed. He then pressed a biohazard symbol as a voice from the elevator voice box said “Please insert identification card!” The man took out a plastic bright-yellow identity card and inserted it into the slot for five seconds. Once an affirmative ding sounded off, he took the card out and put it back into his pockets. 

“Welcome Dabien McAster, taking you to the Quarantine Center!” said the voice box as the elevator made its descent. 

The Quarantine Center was an underground floor located below Striaton General Hospital, utilized for containing anyone infected with unknown diseases during an outbreak. There were six rooms: Room A, Room B, Room C, Research Lab, Examination Room, and the Control Room. 

The entire area has a sterile appearance to it since it's cleaned very often, it has white marble floors with white walls. The lettered rooms are for containing any infected individuals. The first room was for young children with the second one being for older kids. Room C was designated for adults. 

Each room was designed to be large, for the sake of housing many infected individuals. The first room had cribs, beds, a changing table, sink, food cabinet, medicine cabinet, and plenty of toys to play with. The two last rooms were different, but had just as many important necessities. 

When the elevator reached the Quarantine Center, the doors opened automatically as Dabien stepped out while holding the sleeping pup over his shoulders. He entered Room A and closed the door behind him, the infected children in the room watched as the man put the pup in an open crib that had glass walls. Looking at the red bracelet around Nick’s arm, he was the first severe case, while the rest of them were minor to moderate cases. 

“Rest easy kiddo… someone will come and check in on you later.” the man said as he tucked the pup in and left the room, heading to the Research Lab so he could hand over the blood sample to the scientists. He hoped that the kid would make a good recovery, he’s internally filled with sorrow over the many children that’ve been infected by this disease, doing his best not to show how sad he was. 

After ten minutes, a twenty-two year-old Bayleef in a White Hazmat Suit entered the first room to check on the children. She had a medical pack on her back that contained some supplies to help treat the younger ones. This is Julie, she’s a Hazmat Nurse at the hospital. They all wore white suits with a red cross on the front. This young lady was assigned to Room A in order to keep an eye on the kids. 

The bayleef looked over at Nick, and noticed that his body temperature was at 50.1 degrees fahrenheit from the bracelet sensor. She’d quietly said to herself “Oh my… your body is getting cold, little one!” Using her vines, she’d open her medical pack and pull out a heating patch with two white tapes on it. Julie carefully taped it onto the pup’s forehead and stood by the pup’s side until someone came to relieve her. 

Back at the Marbette’s house, the Hazmat Specialists there had finished cleaning and collecting samples. They also determined that Angelina and her parents weren’t infected, but should quarantine for the time being. The three agreed as those men headed out and got back into their van, driving away quickly. 

“Daddy… is it going to get worse?” asked Angelina.

“Unfortunately, that is the case. Things are going to get worse before they get better…” said Lonstan.

“All we can do is let these people do their jobs, and hope they can get a vaccine out quickly!” said Ranae who was worried for her little boy.