"Kibo, Touya?"
It was his turn. Touko had gone before him, just moments before, and had only left the office for a few seconds before he heard his own name called. Bianca and Cheren were near the end, their surnames dictating so in the alphabetical order.
Touko flashed him two thumbs-up, mouthing the words, "You got this!" as he followed the aide into the office.
Touya knew Professor Juniper. Or, more accurately, knew of, and had seen her a few times outside of her lab, talking to neighbors. She lived on the second-floor of the building, which he realized today was a loft above the laboratory. Dedicated to her work, no less. Her office was just as organized as the rest of her laboratory.
Which was to say, wasn't very organized at all.
The professor was leaned over sheets of papers, and Touya could see his own face looking out, amongst his sister's and her two friends. Detailed reports and transcripts, no less, that they had requested be sent from their school in Accumula. A few more pages sat to the side, with faces of classmates that Touya barely recognized.
The aide that let him said, "Professor Juniper."
"Yes?—Oh!" She'd been absorbed in her own world, but her hazel eyes sparkled upon seeing another person to interview in the room. "Thank you, Melissa." She turned to the aide, who nodded, and left the room quickly. "Touya Kibo, right?"
Her hand was held out. Touya gulped and shook it. He wore his lighter gloves today, the ones that allowed more breathing room, but he knew that it was just a tad bit sweaty. She's going to ask about the gloves, he thought.
The professor didn't notice and motioned for the seat behind him to take. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Touya."
"L-Likewise." Why did you say that, Touya? Idiot.
She shuffled a few papers on her desk, setting them down haphazardly and pushing stray hairs back into the messy bun that sat lopsided on her head. "Salutatorian of your class, great recommendations from your teachers... I'm impressed." Professor Juniper said.
Touya nodded in response. He'd gone through the interview the day before, a fake one that he and Touko tried to set up to practice with each other, but it had ended with unnecessary giggles and a late-night snack break that kept them up until two in the morning. The pros of being graduated, they didn't have to worry about getting up early to graduate, at least. "Thank you." He added at the end, though, a bit quietly.
"I have all these official documents telling me about what kind of student you were, and what your work ethic was. And I am impressed. But I need a bit more information about who youare as a person. Tell me about yourself."
He gulped. The baneof all questions he'd been expecting in interviews, both in college and beyond. There wasn't anything interesting about him, nothing that particularly stood out.
"Well..." He paused for a moment, but no, wait, Touya's pausing for too long. It shouldn't take this long to talk about himself, he should know how to do this, damn it! Like you practiced with Touko, c'mon... "I've always enjoyed reading about Pokémon— not scientific books about them, but more of the mythology and history behind them. I guess I'm a big history fan."
Which, knowing what Professor Juniper studied, the origins of Pokémon... It was definitely an asset to Touya's choice.
"History, huh? What's your favorite historical moment?"
"I'm a big fan of the story of the Swords of Justice and the Unovan Civil War." It had always been his favorite, as a kid; the story of the Unovan Civil War. Though it had happened hundreds of years ago, some of the issues are still a bit of a big topic. Are Pokémon considered enslaved by their trainers? Should it be right for Pokémon to be forced out of their natural environment? The story that came out of the civil war that fascinated Touya the most was the story of the Swords of Justice—three famed legendary Pokémon, said to travel the region to deal out justice against people who purposely hurt and enslaved Pokémon. Myth says the three legendaries defended a forest against an onslaught of the side that favored Pokémon slavery, and it had caught on fire—
Touya realized he was rambling and had said everything aloud. "—and, yeah. It's my favorite story."
Professor Juniper's eyes twinkled a bit more. She was just as fascinated as he was, it seemed. "Impressive! I've had a few people come in liking history, but their knowledge didn't extend as far as yours did."
Impressive echoed through his head.
"Touya, what kind of a Pokémon trainer would you be?" Professor Juniper asked. "As you know with the job, I'll be giving out the three elemental starters for Unova, and I'm sure you know how rare these three are. I need to know that they would be in good hands, of trainers that I could trust."
Touya had imagined, as a kid, what kind of Pokémon trainer he would be. Would he take on the Pokémon League challenge, like Touko had dreamed of as a child? Probably not. He didn't really know what kind of trainer he would want to be, or if he would even geta Pokémon. He loved Pokémon, but they could be expensive to care for, and their family could barely afford two.
After the minor geek-out with Professor Juniper, Touya had relaxed a bit, but now he was stiff again. "I—I'm not sure." He didn't know what kind of trainer he would be. He noticed the Professor nod and write something down on his paper. Shit. "I guess—it's just. I don't know what specific kind of trainer I'd be, but I know that I'd want to be the best for whatever Pokémon I got. Does—does that make sense?"
Professor Juniper nodded. "Alright, so. A masked burglar has broken into the lab, and you're the only one here at night. With whatever Pokémon you had, what would you do first? Would you A, battle the burglar, given he had a Pokémon, B, hide and call the authorities, or C, make sure the lab equipment is safe and secure before taking on the burglar?"
Oh. This was a strange interview question, but Touya supposed it was a possibility. Not particularly in Nuvema, but it was a possibility, nonetheless. What would he do? He would—he would probably hide. He was a bit of a coward, and he knew it. But he'd want to make sure that everything was safe from the burglar, wouldn't he. "If—if it's possible, I think I'd do a mixture of B and C."
The professor's eyebrow quirked up. "Explain, would you?"
"Well, I would try and make sure everything was safe, first. But I'd try and be quiet, because I—I don't want to alert the burglar? And then I'd find a way to call the authorities, and either hide or... Well, I guess all three."
She wrote a few more things down on his paper, circling something. "Thank you. Now, do you have any allergies, medications, or something of the like that I should be aware of?"
Touya gulped. He was expecting this question. He was expecting a lot of questions—not the burglar question, in particular—and he was expecting one of these to be there. It was nice to inform an employer of any particular allergy or medication, which even though it was illegal to take in account before hiring, allowed the employer to figure out a way to work with it. If Touya had an allergy to the natural pollen that grass-types gave off, then he wouldn't be working with a grass-type.
He pulled on his gloves, nervously. He had to tell her. He didn't want to lieand say nothing, because there was something, and why he always wore gloves. It would impede him if he had to work with his gloves off at any point. His parents, even Touko suggested that if Professor Juniper asked, that he should tell her.
But it was his secret to spill.
"I... Yes." Professor Juniper didn't work for the Pokémon League. She worked with them in assisting trainers by giving them League-sanctioned starters on this side of Unova, like her father did in the north, but she wasn't an official employee. "I'm a P.U.A."
Professor Juniper stopped writing. "A P.U.A., you say?"
Touya nodded. Discrimination based on psychic or unusual abilities was recently made illegal in Unova. But there were still some people that still held those beliefs, that people like him were unnatural and not-human and freaks, and he prayed to whatever deity was listening that Professor Juniper wasn't.
"What's the name of your ability?"
Oh. Well, he wasn't expecting that. Or the sudden zeal that filled Professor Juniper.
"Clarivoyance. Level-D."
Clarivoyance. The ability to see memories of any living person or object. Level-D. An ability activated through physical contact that is very sensitive.
Professor Juniper, then, smirked, scribbling more down on the paper. "Level-D. Is it skin-sensitive?"
Touya nodded, gone mute by the sudden energy that filled the professor. He motioned to the gloves on his hands. "I—if I touch anything with my palms, or, uh, the soles of my feet, it activates. If anyone touches me, it activates too."
"Debilitating?"
"Sometimes. I—I either space out for a bit, or collapse. Depends on what I'm seeing."
"Does it affect even nonliving objects. Say, a vase?"
Touya nodded. Where was she going with this?
"Thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you, Touya." Professor Juniper stood up, reaching her hand out again. Touya followed and shook the hand again. "I'll let you know within the next week or so if you've gotten the job or not."
"Uh—thank you." He was being pushed out; he could tell. There was something about Professor Juniper that was a bit... eccentric. He knew he messed up a few times, but what was it about his ability that she suddenly...
Oh.
Professor Juniper studied the origins of Pokémon, practically history. If she got her hands on an artefact that could tell the story, then he. Oh. He didn't even realize the ironic connection between his ability and his love of history.
"Kimura, Cheren?"
"Good luck, Cheren!" Bianca's voice echoed throughout his skull.
Touya hoped he could get the job.
🌠🌠🌠
And he got it. What the hell. Touya got the job, he was officially an assistant to country-renowned Pokémon Professor Aurea Juniper, and his job was starting today, the same day he got email.
Dear Touya Kibo, the email began.
It was a pleasure getting to know you at the interview. You stood out against the rest of the applicants because of your love of history and learning new things, along with the hard work you'd put into your schooling in your past life. Of course, I'm supposed to be unbiased surrounding P.U.A.s, and while your ability allowed you to stand out against the other applicants, that was not the reason you were hired.
Please meet me today at the laboratory at one, if you're able to. If not, please email me a time that would work within the next week.
Yours truly,
Professor Aurea M. Juniper
He got the freaking job.
And... Touko didn't.
"I kinda knew I wasn't going to get it." She admitted sheepishly, behind the divider of the room as Touya changed quickly out of his pajamas. It was already twelve-thirty, and the lab was a good mile away from their house. He'd gotten into the terrible habit of wearing his pajamas all day, but today it was going to stop.
"But you're smart, and you're kind, and you love Pokémon, and you're good at battling..." Touya couldn't find his jacket, his favorite blue jacket. Where was it? He glanced under his bed.
"Yeah, but the professor is looking for really smart people, not just people who battle well." Touko said. "That doesn't matter, though, I already am—" She stopped, mid-sentence.
Touya froze, and then peered around their room divider. "You're what?"
Touko's cheeks flushed, and she glanced away. Meatloaf lounged on her bed, stretched out and taking an afternoon nap. His sister picked the Pokémon up carefully, and then he noticed that Touko was ready to leave, too. A bag was packed next to her bed, and...
She's leaving. "Today?"
Touko nodded. "Yeah. I was waiting until we heard from the professor, but I made this decision a while ago." The Patrat in her arms shifted, and she gave in, returning Meatloaf to his Pokéball. "I'm going to challenge the league!"
It was always her dream, to take on the Pokémon League. And she was such a talented battler, better than Cheren and better than Eri, and she could definitely take it on and go far. She could probably make it to the eighth gym, and maybe even the Elite Four themselves. She would go far, and Touya believed in her, but...
But she was leaving.
And Touya was going to be alone. Whether he stayed in Nuvema or left for the region, too, he wouldn't have his sister by his side.
"Hey, Tou-tou." His sister's presence was by him, and he felt her hands grab his arms. Strangely enough, the ability that he'd been cursed (or gifted) with since birth, never worked on her. She was immune, or he was immune to her—one of the two—and he leaned into her arms. "I know it's going to be hard. But it'll be fun, too, you know? We each are starting a new adventure!"
They were. Even if Touya stayed in Nuvema, but he felt like the job at the Professor's lab was going to be anything but stagnant. Maybe he'd travel around, too?
"We'll see each other again." Touko smiled, her ever-present, bright smile. It was almost blinding. "It's not a goodbye, it's a—"
"--See you later." Touya finished.
🌠🌠🌠
Apparently, both Bianca and Cheren had gotten the job as well. Bianca had shown a love of learning in everything, even if her grades weren't always that good, she always tried to improve them more. Cheren was... Well, Cheren.
"I'm glad all three of you could make it here on time!" Well, Touya was a few minutes late, but it didn't seem like Professor Juniper was very timely of a person. He shifted uncomfortably from the stares that the three of them were getting from other assistants and aides. "Now, I called you here immediately for—"
"For the three starters?" Cheren interrupted. He had a habit of doing that to everyone, and Touya supposed it wouldn't be gone for just a professor. His mind just worked too fastfor everyone around him.
"Yep!" Professor Juniper was unaffected by the interruption. "I was originally going to send them to one of your houses, since you all live so close together, but I figured it would be easier to get everything done in one swing here." She mentioned to an aide, who Touya recognized as Melissa.
Melissa was probably the only other native person to Nuvema who worked there. Probably because Professor Juniper was her wife, after all. When she wasn't working with her wife, Melissa Juniper was attending the garden outside the lab, and writing a blog about gardening and being the wife to a Professor.
She held a box, with three Pokéballs inside. Professor Juniper took all three in both of her hands and released them. The light released soon began to form three creatures that Touya recognized well.
Snivy, the grass-type. Tepig, the fire-type. Oshawott, the water-type. Touya and Touko would have debats on who would get what Pokémon when both of theem were younger, as if they could afford the luxury of reserving one. But look at Touya now. He was getting one of them... for free.
"I'm aware that two of you have Pokémon already." She motioned to Bianca and Cheren, who nodded. "Would you like to let them out, to meet the starters as well?"
"Oh, that'd be fun!" Bianca dug into her bag quickly, and Cheren pulled his only Pokéball out of his pocket, and both of them released their own Pokémon, almost in perfect sync. The familiar Lillipup and Purrloin appeared, Rufus and Cleo. "Rufus, look, one of these Pokémon is going to be joining us!"
The Lillipup barked, wagging his tail.
The three starters looked inquisitively at the other two Pokémon. Tepig ran up immediately to the other two, full of energy, and introduced himself in their own language. Rufus barked enthusiastically, and Cleo looked at him before her tail wagged, once. Curiosity or annoyance, no one knew.
One of the starters hung back—the grass-type, Snivy. She seemed a bit more hesitant with the other two, before she looked up at Touya in confusion, curiosity, something.
Touya wanted the Snivy. So badly. It seemed like she wanted him, too, but she was a bit shy.
"So, who wants to go first?"
"With all due respect, Professor..." Cheren adjusted his glasses. "I believe the Pokémon have already chosen."
It was true. Though Tepig had introduced himself enthusiastically to Rufus first, he seemed more intrigued by Cleo. Oshawott had tripped on his way running over, and Rufus helped him up, and they both chittered and barked at each other. Snivy, on the other hand, was staring straight at Touya.
Professor Juniper looked at all three, before nodding. "I suppose so."
Melissa handed them each the respective Pokéball. "Oshawott is full of energy, Bianca, but he can be a bit clumsy sometimes. He misplaces his scallop on his stomach a lot, so keep an eye on it if he's out of his Pokéball."
"Of course!" Bianca was already holding both of her Pokémon, Oshawott and Rufus tightly.
"Cheren, Tepig is full of energy like Oshawott, too. But he can be a bit headstrong, sometimes." Melissa explained. "He has a habit of running into danger too much, and his genus catches colds easily. I don't think you'd end up anywhere that's snowing or raining anytime soon, but make sure he at least has something on to keep him warm." Melissa said.
Cheren nodded. "Anything specific I should look out for?"
"I think I have a sweater I could give you for him, if it does get cold and wet."
"Thank you."
Melissa stopped at Touya, last. She looked him over, once, and he felt like he was shrinking under her gaze. Snivy had approached Touya carefully, following Melissa's lead. "Snivy is very shy and small, I'm sure you noticed. She was the runt of her litter. Keep an eye on her outside of her ball, she can be a bit flighty sometimes. But she's a great battler."
Touya nodded.
"Thank you, Melissa!" Professor Juniper said. "I'm sure you two know how to input your Pokémon's names, right?" Cheren and Bianca were already fumbling with their Pokéballs, and Touya looked over his. He'd seen Meatloaf's ball before, but it was a much older version, and didn't have a screen built-into the ball. It was small and thin, almost unnoticeable, but the screen did fade to black with his touch. Words flew across the screen.
SNIVY – LV 5 – FEMALE – OVERGROW
"Ah!" Bianca leaned over Touya's shoulder suddenly, mindful of not touching him. "When Snivy appears on the screen again, double tap it." The words were looping around, and sure enough, the word SNIVY appeared again. After tapping on it twice, it froze. The word was spaced out, and it had underlines after the Y for a few more spaces. "It's a bit like a combination lock. Scroll up and down for the letters. It's a bit tricky to do the first time."
Touya nodded. What was he going to call Snivy? He didn't want to call her something that everygrass-type was called. He leaned down slowly to Snivy's eye-level. "What kind of name do you want?" He asked, quietly. He wanted something from mythology. "Gaea? Artemis? Chloris? Meliae?"
She chirped, the first noise that he'd heard from her, at the last one. Meliae it was—Melfor short. Tree nymphs from mythology. The name could also be related to Melissa's, though unintended, the realization did make Touya blush.
Bianca was right about the nicknaming system being hard to use for the first time, but he slowly got the nickname down, and Mel was his Pokémon.
Mel was his Pokémon. Touya had a Pokémon. Even if she was shy and not sure about him yet.
"Now, your first assignment! Melissa, if will..." Melissa's wife-status really gave her a lot of opportunities at work, it seemed. Melissa nodded, and brought out another box, of strange, rectangular objects that looked like the phone Touya had stuffed in his back pocket. They each had a different color—red, yellow, blue. The three primary colors, no less.
Cheren's eyes lit up immediately. "Are those Pokédexes? The newest model?"
Professor Juniper nodded. "Correct, Cheren! These Pokédexes are the newest model, top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art..." She looked for a few words, turning to Melissa.
"Fresh out of the factory?" Melissa suggested, shrugging.
"Brand-new." Professor Juniper said. "For our research into the origins of Pokémon, we require a lot of data on various Pokémon, across the region. A lot of the aides and assistants can't leave this area and travel on foot because of family, relationship, commitment issues, or other reasons. That's where you three come in."
Touya liked where this was going. A bit. There was a lot of anxiety in it, but he was liking what he was hearing for his first assignment. And he wasn't going to be the only one doing it, at least.
"I want you three to travel across the region, gathering information on Pokémon as you do! The cool thing about these Pokédexes is, if you would like the honors, honey—" Professor Juniper held the box of Pokédexes as Melissa took one of the three, the yellow one, and pointed it at Rufus.
The Pokédex beeped, indicating a scan, and Melissa turned it around, showing all three of them. There was a general description, probably from the older dex, and a blank space at the bottom.
"Older versions of the Pokédex didn't allow for direct note-taking into the system." Melissa explained, handing the yellow Pokédex to Bianca. "These ones allow direct note-taking, and it is added to our system here once you have a WiFi connection in any town."
"So we're able to take notes on this instead of having a separate notebook?" Cheren asked as he was given the red Pokédex. Touya got the blue, which matched perfectly with the color of his favorite jacket. Mel already had all her information placed in, along with the information of Oshawott and Tepig.
"And if one of you catches a Pokémon the rest don't, you're able to sync the information together." Professor Juniper explained. "Fascinating, isn't it?"
Touya nodded. All of this was very fascinating, but he didn't pack for a journey like his sister did, and, apparently, both Cheren and Bianca. All of his stuff was still at home. Maybe he should've seen it coming? He'd have to head back home to get packed and say goodbye to his family.
"Now, you have your assignment!" Professor Juniper said, pointing at the Pokédexes the three of them held. "You'll get paid bi-weekly, not based on the amount of Pokémon you run into, more by the amount of notes you put in, but the least you'll get for your travels is 5000 Poké bi-weekly."
5000 Poké every other week? That was a lot of money, Touya's eyes widened in surprise. And that's the bare minimum they'll be paid for this? It's a job, it's a real job—Touya expected minimum, not nearly 5000 bi-weekly. Amazing. Astounding. Holy Arceus. He didn't want to get into this job just for the money, and he was glad that Professor Juniper didn't mention anything about money in the interview. It was a pleasant surprise.
"You can leave whenever you want to, but please take your time! Do tourist-things! Enjoy yourself out there—hey, maybe even take on the league challenge or something!" Professor Juniper said, excited. "I'm sure you three have stuff to do now, right?"
Bianca nodded, filled with the same zeal as the professor. Cheren was a bit more stoic than her, but he was smirking and his Tepig was running around his ankles in circles, pumped. And Touya felt like...
Well, he felt like he was floating.