MunchMunch looked up in frustration. They had made it to the horrible thing called a ladder, and it was stopping them from getting out of the well. MunchMunch couldn’t get down a ladder — there was no way he was going to get up one! Plus, it was… really, really tall.

  He looked at the Egg sadly. His Trainer said he could go back into his PokeEgg — Ooops, Pokéball! he thought — but then he’d have to put the Egg down, which made him feel very sad. He looked back up at the ladder again.

  Maybe if he was super, suuuuuuper careful?

  He reached up to try to climb, but his arms were just too little… and also, his tummy was too big.

  Not that that was bad! It meant he was growing up fast, so he could protect everyone!

  But it also meant he couldn’t protect the Egg on the way up the ladder.

  Munchlax sat down and sniffled. It was all just too much, and he didn’t know what to do.

  But then Mama Gastly came.

  “What’s wrong, MunchMunch?” she asked.

  “I can’t climb the ladder,” he sniffled, wiping his face with his paw — which still had mud on it. He still liked mud a lot! Maybe if he…?

  “Munchlax?” Gastly repeated, sounding amused.

  “Huh?” He looked up from his paw. “Oh!”

  MunchMunch felt his face get a little hot. He didn’t like that feeling very much. He hoped it would go away soon.

  “The ladder… my tummy is too big to go up the ladder. But if I go in the Pokéball, I can’t hold the Egg,” he said, waddling up to the ladder and then waddling away — showing her just what a problem it was.

  “Oh… I see,” she said. “How about this? Teddy puts the Egg in his backpack, then puts you in your Pokéball. And then puts your Pokéball right next to it. That way you’re still right together and touching.”

  MunchMunch froze.

  He thought about it.

  And then he gasped.

  “Oh Mama Gastly!” he gasped. “That’s so smart!”

  He promptly waddled over to his Trainer and tugged on his hand. Teddy gave him a head pat (which made him super happy) and gently took the Egg. MunchMunch watched closely to make sure he put it his backpack carefully.

  There was a kind of glass case inside the backpack — MunchMunch didn’t know it had been in there! Seeing the Egg placed inside made him feel better. His Trainer had already made sure the Egg was safe!

  MunchMunch helped him lock it tight, then pointed seriously to his Pokéball.

  “Munch munch,” he said, jabbing a paw toward the inside of the backpack. He had to make sure Teddy knew exactly where to put him.

  Teddy laughed — his Teddy really had a great laugh — and nodded. The sound made MunchMunch feel safe.

  MunchMunch took a quick bite to prepare himself, and then the Pokéball flashed.

  ?

  MunchMunch felt nice and warm — and sleepy — when suddenly there was a flash.

  He opened his eyes and was back in the PokéCenter!

  It felt like he had just gone into his Pokéball!

  His Trainer must be super, duper fast.

  He looked up and saw Chansey standing before him. For some reason, his mouth started making water — just like his eyes did when he got hurt or was super happy.

  Chansey wagged her eyebrows — MunchMunch didn’t even know eyebrows could do that! — and pulled an egg from her magic tummy pouch.

  “Would you like an egg, Munchlax?” she asked.

  MunchMunch gasped. “Yes, please!”

  Chansey laughed and gave him the egg. She had a nice laugh — but it wasn’t as nice as his Teddy’s.

  The egg though…

  It was just so yummy.

  So, so yummy.

  So soft.

  So tasty.

  So warm and happy.

  His eyes started watering too!

  “—Earth to MunchMunch!” he heard Chansey saying.

  He gasped, looking up. He’d forgotten she was there! But the egg was so yummy.

  He reached to take another bite — but it was all gone!

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  That… that made him sad.

  He looked up at Chansey, just in case there was more.

  “That’s enough for now,” she said, patting him on the head.

  MunchMunch took a bite of his forever-snack to hold him over.

  “Thanks, Chansey!” he chirped.

  “Nurse Chansey,” she corrected, wagging a finger at him.

  He watched her finger closely. He waited for magic to happen.

  He was very confused when nothing did.

  “Why didn’t magic happen?” he asked.

  Chansey paused and stared at him, her mouth in a funny “O” shape.

  “What?”

  “When I wave my paw, magic happens!” MunchMunch said. “Wanna see?”

  He started waggling his paw. He hoped something super cool happened!

  “OH!” Chansey blurted, snatching his paw. “How about you don’t do that right now, okay?” she huffed.

  MunchMunch shrugged. He could try again later with Mama Gastly.

  “I thought your name was Chansey?” he asked, glancing up at the big pink Pokémon.

  She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “You said Nurse Chansey,” MunchMunch said, thinking hard. “Do you have two names?”

  “Oh, you silly goose,” Chansey laughed, patting him on the head. People sure liked patting him, but he didn’t mind!

  “I am a Chansey. Nurse is my job,” she explained.

  MunchMunch scrunched his eyebrows. He tried to waggle them, but it didn’t work, so he just scrunched harder.

  “You are a Munchlax — that’s the kind of Pokémon you are,” she continued, poking him and fussing over him. She even stuck a stick in his mouth, but told him he couldn’t eat it.

  That didn’t make any sense. Things that go in the mouth are for eating. Even he knew that.

  “And your name is MunchMunch,” she concluded.

  MunchMunch jumped up. “Oh! So you are Nurse, and I am MunchMunch!” he exclaimed.

  “Uh… not exactly,” Chansey sighed.

  MunchMunch sighed too. His head was starting to hurt.

  Thankfully, his forever-snack had another bite ready.

  It didn’t help his head, but it made his tummy happy.

  “A name is what you’re called. A job is what you do,” she finished. “Now wait here. I’m going to check on Gastly, and then you’ll both be free to go.”

  Then she left the room.

  MunchMunch sat there, thinking super hard.

  Nurse Chansey was nice, but she made his head hurt.

  Still, he needed to learn everything he could — because that’s how he would get stronger!

  And she helped with that.

  So she was nice.

  Not nice like food…

  But also, she did have the magic tummy-pouch food.

  So that made her extra nice.

  He took a munch of his favorite-snack and just sat there, thinking and enjoying the food.

  ?

  The door opened a little while later, surprising MunchMunch out of his thoughts.

  “Gastly and your Trainer are waiting for you,” Nurse Chansey said with a smile.

  “Okay!” MunchMunch said, hopping down from the table in excitement.

  He heard a crack — but he didn’t feel hurt.

  He checked underneath himself… and noticed the floor had broken a little.

  “Oops?” he said.

  “Right… you are growing very quickly,” Chansey sighed. “That’s good, but I’ll have you use that table over there next time.”

  She pointed to a table on the other side of the room. That one was only a few inches off the ground.

  “Okay!” MunchMunch giggled. He was growing up so fast, he was even breaking the floor now!

  His Trainer and Mama Gastly were waiting for him in the front, along with the pink-haired two-legs.

  MunchMunch paused, staring at Mama Gastly.

  Maybe that’s why she doesn’t like when I call her Mama…

  Because it’s not her job — like Nurse Chansey?

  That was definitely something to think about. But he’d need lots of food for that much thinking.

  He waddled up to Gastly and nodded seriously.

  “Hello, Gastly. I’m Protector MunchMunch,” he said proudly.

  Both Nurse Chansey and Mama Gastly seemed to think that was very cute — because they started cooing and telling him how adorable he was.

  MunchMunch didn’t really like it this time though.

  He was being serious!

  He felt his face start to frown again.

  Nurse Chansey seemed to notice, because she stopped and turned to his Teddy, pulling something from her pouch.

  Teddy immediately froze.

  It… it smelled —

  He had never smelled anything like that before.

  His mouth watered so much he couldn’t even keep it all in.

  Nurse Chansey showed whatever it was to Teddy, then pointed to MunchMunch.

  Teddy nodded.

  Chansey turned to him, unwrapping what she was holding.

  “Munchlax — this is for you,” she said, handing it over with a smile.

  “It’s called chocolate—”

  But MunchMunch wasn’t listening anymore.

  The chocolate was in his mouth.

  And it melted.

  It spread the most wonderful flavor in the whole world —

  All. Over. His. Mouth.

  MunchMunch knew, in that moment:

  This was the reason to get strong!

  So he could have as much of this chocolate thing as he wanted!

  Oh! Oh! Oh!

  He was distracted by a sound in the background.

  Someone was going “Oooooooooooooooooohhh,” nonstop.

  It just kept going.

  He looked around to see who it was…

  …and realized it was him.

  Everyone was staring at him.

  And then, as one, they all burst out laughing!

  MunchMunch felt his face get a little red —

  But then he started laughing too.