PokéMonster Hunter

3 - Initial Quest

Professor Hawthorn had multiple different scales and skin samples from different Pokémon scattered upon a large table at the back of the library, shimmering in a dim candle light. Her hair was tied up in a tight orange bun, with a white lab coat draped over her shoulders. A pen lay limp in her right hand as she drooled ever so slightly onto the table's clearing where her head rest.  Just seeing a professor passed out was a curiosity to Bazel.

"Ummm hello? Professor?" The young man approached but before he could tap her shoulder, an assistant quickly grabbed his wrists and quickly shushed him.

"Don't wake her, this is the most sleep she's gotten in the past week." It was an aggressive whisper that Bazel thought was pointlessly forced. The assistant dragged him over towards a side room - Professor Hawthorn's personal quarters - and lit some candles quickly.

"Oh, what's going on?" Bazel inquired, now able to get a good look at the dutiful assistant. She was a woman in her late twenties, skin barely showing any age though fairly tanned from being out in the Irydian sun. She wore glasses at the end of her nose, but once she had the light on, she took them off and hung them limply at her shirt's collar. Her hair was also up in a bun, though a little more frazzled than Hawthorn's, with some loose hairs peaking out. The bags under her eyes betrayed her energy, as she seemed like she was running possibly on adrenalin alone.

"Professor Hawthorn keeps sending me into the field to get more specimen and finally got to sleep. If she wakes I'm going to have to go back out and I just need a break at this point." The woman sighed and laid back into a chair. 

Bazel was taken aback but nodded, sitting in a chair opposite of the assistant, "Fair enough, maybe I can help? I'm Bazel and looking to become a hunter here, just came from Johto."

The assistant's face lit up at the offer, an unconstrained glee rose her voice half an octave, "Oh! So you aren't just trying to be an adventurer? You actually want to help the professor?"

"I mean, I guess? I'm trying to start over here and any job sounds better than none." 

The assistant nodded and leaned forward, her eyes squinting, "That makes sense, but I hate to ask, do I know you? You look familiar."

Bazel immediately shift and put more weight into his arms, preparing to get up from the chair but was cut off by the assistant, "Oh well, it doesn't matter. I'm sure you have your circumstances." She leaned back and relaxed with a sigh, "I'm Reina, assistant to Professor Hawthorn." 

Bazel followed suit to relax, trying to release his tension. "Nice to meet you."

Reina nodded and closed her eyes, reading something almost like a script, "Now how does she say this? So any new prospective hunter has to prove their worth before we can trust with any quest. For this, we give a single mission, to gather three items and hunt a specific Pokémon. Once proven, we can proceed with the Hunter Certification."

He took in all the words the assistant spoke, eager to start on the quest. "Okay, so what are the specifics?" 

"Bazel, do you mind going to the chest at the foot of the bed?" Reina asked almost begging, she had propped her legs up and started to massage one of them where it had started to swell up slightly.

"Sure." Inside the chest, there were several bladed weapons and shields sorted haphazardly, though all identical.

"Go ahead and take a sword and shield." She nodded in encouragement and started to rub a fragrant lotion on her ankle.

The sword and shield that Bazel grabbed were almost as plain as could be, the shield was a simple round stone shield with a leather framework, the sword just as simple and made up of a material that felt slightly stronger than plastic. After sheathing the weapon and securing it to his waist, he returned to the assistant.

"So that weapon is classified as a (Normal) Sword and Shield, inspired by the first hunter who appeared on Irydia. It is the most basic weapon, so much so that if you ever lost any of your weapons, you can buy that nearly anywhere on the island. Your mission is to hunt a Nidoran, either male or female, and bring back materials from it. You will have to butcher the Nidoran you hunt to gather the materials, but in order for you to survive out here, that is the most basic skill you will need.

"In addition, we need you to gather one of the following items - iron ore, crystal shard, and a small fang. As for why, it will make sense once you come back from the quest. Understood?" 

Bazel nodded and thought back to how he felt the first time he harvested a Slowpoke as compared to the hundredth. Different Pokémon but definitely something he was prepared for. The assistant also reached into her pocked and pulled out some Zenny. 

"Now please take this and also make sure to buy some potions and other basic hunting needs in case it takes longer than you expect to find the Nidoran. It really shouldn't, they are one of the most populous species close to town, so I imagine you'll be back before nightfall."

"Of course," He was eager to get started, thinking back to how small the Nidoran he encountered were and how easy this hunt might be. "Thank you for the chance Miss Reina, and if she wakes before I come back, please thank Professor Hawthorn as well." He reached forward to shake her hand, which she graciously accepted. The grip she exhibited though was greater than Bazel had expected though, and she noticed his eyes going from their hands to her own eyes.

"And Bazel, don't take this as a joke, but be safe... Irydian Pokémon are nothing like you've imagined."