AN: Warning! Tobacco use! Please don't smoke boys and girls! :)
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I stared at the clock in the corner of the room, watching the seconds tick by at an agonizingly slow pace. Whatever words are being exchanged right now sounds like distant, deep mumbling. What was the topic about? Whatever, I'm too tired to bother remembering. The double shot espresso I had earlier today has worn off already, and I'm already feeling the aftereffects.
Finally, a discernible voice announces, "-and that concludes tonights meeting. Thank you for coming everyone, you are all excused."
Right, that's why I'm here. Another boring Paldea League meeting with old man Larry talking his head off about budgets and revenue and other business terms. I'm just a receptionist! Shouldn't this be discussed with the corporate slimeballs that run the league instead of us? Whatever. I yawned and packed up my stuff before following my colleagues out the meeting room, down the empty hallways, before arriving at the dimly lit parking lot, where we went our separate ways.
"Bye Larry, bye Hassel, bye Poppy's mom. See you all tomorrow." I said as I left the parking lot.
"You too, Rika." I hear them say. I waved my hand in reply, too tired to look back. Working overtime for the 4th day in a row does that to a person. Trudging my way to a lone bus stop just outside the League building, I sat down on the cold wooden bench and exhaled loudly, waiting for my bus to arrive. Quickly growing bored, I soon found that "feeling" creeping up upon me. Instinctively, I reached into my pocket and took out a pack of Marlboro.
I drew a cigarette, stuck it in my mouth and lit up. The tobacco stick glowed dimly in the darkness as the flame died out, leaving embers at the tip. Putting my lighter and pack away, I took a long, deep drag, letting the warm, choking- no, mild, smooth, and relaxing smoke flow into my mouth and lungs. My head lightens up and my muscles relax as I blew out a puff of smoke, watching it dissipate into the night sky. I rinsed and repeated, and before I knew it, the cigarette was just a tiny stub. I tossed it onto the ground and snuffed it out.
Looking to my left, I saw nothing coming down the road. Seems like my bus is running late. Again. And it's Thursday, meaning I still got to work tomorrow. I groaned to myself as I drew and lit another cigarette. Is this my 5th one today? 6th? I dunno, I lost track. I put my lighter away, and before I can take another puff of nicotine, a familiar voice jarred me up.
"Aye yai yai, Miss Rika, what are you doing out here this late?"
I turned towards the source of that voice, to find Chairwoman Geeta standing behind me.
"O-oh, Chairwoman Geeta, nice to meet you." I greeted, drawing up my reserves of dignity. "Just waiting for my bus to come. And it's late again."
"I see. May I sit down?" she asked.
"Sure, I don't see why not." I shrugged. "Some company might make this wait less boring."
Geeta sat down besides me and we both stared idly across the street. After a while, Geeta spoke up. "Shouldn't you reign in your smoking, Rika? I'm sure you know its detriments."
"Lung cancer's killing me in 20 years. I'll die to this stress in 20 months." I said as I took another drag and blew out a puff of choking, gray smoke. I noticed Geeta wrinkling her nose, trying to not breathe in the smoke. "Sorry."
"Well, if you don't mind me asking, is the stress really that bad?" Geeta asked.
"You tell me, Chairwoman-"
"Please, Ms. Rika. We're outside of work, just Geeta is fine." she said. God, how does one maintain this constant air of professionalism? I never get it.
"Well, Geeta, you tell me. I'm working two jobs right now from early in the morning to late at night, just so I can pay my bills and not starve. I have to go to interviews, conduct interviews, attend meetings that I have no interest in, I'm working over time since Monday, and of course my bus is late. Can you blame me for doing something to try and relieve my stress?" I ranted. It felt kinda good, finally releasing a bit of this pressure.
"No, I don't feel justified criticizing you." Geeta said, placing her palm on my back.
"I work like a dog, yet I still have to pinch my budget!" I rubbed my forehead, letting it all out. "If I want to buy a luxury or something, it takes me so long to save up, and why should I even try? I won't have the time to enjoy it anyways. And I feel alienated from my friends because I spent so much time working I can barely hang out with them."
Geeta listened quietly, before saying "My condolences, Rika, I never knew that."
"And now-" I continued, as I have more to spare, "I'm a tobacco addict! When I was a little girl, I was taught smoking is bad, and I told myself I won't smoke, but look at me now. At this rate I'll get lung cancer before I'm out of my twenties." I flicked my cigarette onto the ground with disgust, watching it smolder on the sidewalk.
"If I knew being an Elite Four would entail all of this, I wouldn't have accepted that damn invitation in the first place!" I spat with venom. Immediately a sense of regret and shame creeped down my back. I turned to look at Geeta. I could see shock, but also sadness in her eyes. "S-sorry, I didn't really mean to say that..."
"It's... it's alright, Rika." Geeta finally replied. "I guess I'm at fault here too. As your superior I should've taken notice that work is taking a toll on you. So, I'm sorry about that."
"Nah it's alright. Guess we are both idiots then eh?" I poked, causing Geeta to chuckle.
"Don't test your luck girl, or I'll have you working on the weekends too." Geeta replied, though her tone made it obvious she was joking.
"So, what now? I mean, we can't let this keep going on forever." I asked.
"Well, I'll certainly see what I can do." Geeta said. "Maybe I can arrange for a raise to you all, and maybe add paid vacations to the benefits plan, you guys deserve it for all your hard work. No promises though."
"There's a catch, isn't there?" I asked.
"I want you to quit smoking." Geeta replied matter of factly.
Well ok, what was I expecting? "I knew it." I said with a slight chuckle. "Granted the reason why I smoke in the first place is because of working too much, I can certainly try to quite. You got yourself a deal, La Primera." To prove I'm being serious, I chucked my box of cigarettes into the nearby garbage bin. I swear I could feel the pride in Geeta's smile.
We then sat together underneath the dim light of a nearby lamppost, the only sounds coming from the occasional wild Pokemon. After a few minutes, I was alerted to a different sound.
"Ah, looks like my bus is here." I noted as the city bus pulled up and opened its doors. "Well, I'll be seeing you, Geeta."
To my surprise, Geeta instead joined me on the bus.
"Don't you own a car?" I asked as we took our seats.
"I do, but it's been a while since I took a bus home." she said nonchalantly. "Besides, I figured you can use someone to talk to one the way home."
I shook my head as I let out a hearty laugh. "You can really be both the most insufferable and most amazing boss in the world."
"I take pride in that ability, Ms. Rika."
The bus made its way down the road and into the highway which is illuminated like a Christmas Tree by car lights and lampposts. After a couple minutes, Geeta turned to me, grinning like a child. "Did I tell you about the time when I was just a beginner, and I accidentally threw my wallet at a wild Pokemon instead of a Pokeball?"
I looked at Geeta with an amused and skeptical look. "Sounds like a load Tauros shit but do tell."
"Alright, so it was 23 years ago, back when I just began my journey..."
As Geeta continued her story about her bumpy beginnings, I leaned into my seat and listened. Seems like this will be a pretty short ride home.
The End
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AN: I uh... dunno what to say here. This story did get delayed for a few reasons, being writers block and getting sidetracked by video games. I have plans to rewrite one of my older works, so be on the lookout for that... eventually. But other than that, I hope y'all have a great day. Oh, and don't smoke please. Until next time, StrangeFryingPan out!