Joy nodded.

"Thank you," she said. She smiled. "Once all is said and done, would you like me to look over Growly for you before you leave?"

Jenny smiled at that. "Sure," she agreed. "Never hurts to give him a little check-up." She nodded, and then squared her shoulders. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She headed off to go talk to the two girls.

Joy nodded and let Jenny go do her job.

In the baths, Ithica was fortunately out of the bath and mostly dressed by that point.

Jenny did knock before she entered the baths.

"Come in," Mel said, figuring it was Nurse Joy. "We're decent."

"We didn't mean to take so long," Ithica added as she finished dressing and went to open the door.

"My name is Officer Jenny," Jenny said when she spotted the two girls, nodding to them. "Nurse Joy called me over, and I need to ask you two a few questions."

Ithica blinked, though she was nervous.

"Sure," she said, regardless. "What did you want to ask?"

"The two pokemon you brought in aren't registered to you," Jenny said. "In fact, the two of you don't seem to be registered at all. I can't fin you in any system."

Ithica couldn't help a small wince.

"No, we're not registered," she admitted. "But we can explain the pokemon." She glanced at Mel for support and then back at Jenny. "We had to escape a Rocket base. They were hoarding rare pokemon, so we set free all the ones we could as we got out. Those two decided to stay with us, and wouldn't listen when we told them to go."

Jenny blinked at that. Twice.

"Do you have any proof of that story?" she asked after a few moments of silence. "That's all very convenient for you two, I must say."

"Not... really," Ithica admitted. "I don't know how to get back to the Rocket base to show you, unless Mel does." She glanced at her friend.

Mel shook her head. "All I know is we ran from the base, hit the forest, came out this side." She shrugged. "Unfortunately I don't think I can give much more exact directions than that. Running for my life kind of took most of my concentration."

Jenny frowned. "So you don't have any proof, you don't have any identification, you just have the two pokemon you brought in," she said to confirm.

Ithica wanted to deny it, but it wasn't as if Jenny was wrong.

"That about sums it up," she said with a grimace and a small shrug. She paused. "I mean, unless you can get a psychic-type to verify for you that we're telling the truth? Is that even a thing? That seems like it should be a thing."

Jenny paused at that, because it was occasionally used, and she did happen to know someone...

"Alright. You two, don't go anyway. Stay in the Center, got it?" She'd have to get one of the Chancey to keep an eye on them, but that shouldn't be too hard.

Ithica saw her pause and blinked.

"Oh wow, it is a thing," she murmured to Mel. "That's kinda cool." She nodded to Jenny anyways and settled in to wait.

Jenny got one of the Chancey to sit in with the two girls before she went to go find Joy and update her.

"That's... kind of cool actually," Mel muttered.

"I wonder what she'll bring back," Ithica mused as they waited. "An Abra? Or a Drowzee? Ooh, or a Jynx."

"We don't even know for sure what area we're in," Mel pointed out. "Could be something else for all we know."

"True," Ithica said, nodding. "Ralts? Gothita? Ooh, Delphox!" She grinned.

"Nerd." Mel grinned playfully at her, leaning back in her chair. "You just want to play with all the psychic types."

"I kind of do," Ithica admitted, grinning. "But come on, they're cool, and you'd like Delphox, it's part fire."

"Oh I know. I never said they weren't cool." Mel grinned. "But I think I like my fire-types better. And dark."

Ithica couldn't help but snicker at that.

"Well, you've got a fire bug, now," she teased. "Though nobody can deny that Volcarona are badass."

"Oh totally. They're bomb." Mel paused and then snickered at her own pun.

Ithica snorted at that, dissolving into giggles.

"That was bad," she gasped.