Hello, dear reader. I am not only a Pokemon fan, but also an aspiring English Major. Please, save your barista jokes for the poetry majors. My idea is to get better at writing, and if there's one thing I know about internet users, it's that some of them can write REALLY well. This being the case, I have a small sample of fanfiction that I wrote, set in time a few weeks after the conclusion to Pokemon Black/White. I'd like to hear your thoughts. It was super fun to write, but as such things go, motivation to continue is waning. Writing tips and criticisms are just as welcome as continuity suggestions.
Thanks so much for your time.
The twin engines roared loudly outside the hull of the small white seaplane as it flew just beneath the clouds on our decent into the Unova region. For probably the hundredth time during the flight, I reached down beneath my seat and felt for the insulated red bag that held the egg I had brought with me. The technology in the fabric of the egg-bag gave off a great deal of heat, and touching it warmed my already sweaty hands. I hate heights and thus, in relation, I hate planes, and flying. But taking a boat from Sinnoh to Unova would not only have been more time consuming, but it was would have been more expensive. I guess what could be gleaned from having said all that is my fear of heights is outweighed only by my impatience and the frugality of my bosses.
Although I had avoided doing so thus far, I finally decided to sneak a peek out of the window next to my seat. Far, far below the deep blue ocean glistened, the massive waves capped with whiteheads.
“And that’s enough of that…” I muttered, quickly pulling my head back away from the glass and the accompanying view. I did my best to suppress a shudder, but didn’t do a very good job.
“What’s the matter?” asked the only other passenger on the plane. He had been sitting several rows behind me, so I hadn’t been able to get a good view of him until now. For some reason, he had abruptly moved up the aisle while I wasn’t paying attention, to sit in the row across from me. He was tall, had very long brown hair, grey glasses that rested on a prominent nose, and wore a blue hoodie with shorts. I could tell with just one look that he was a trainer. In my line of work, you learn to pick up things like that. The ease of his movements, the relaxed position of his shoulders, and the way he held his chin just a little bit too high. This was a guy who was used to winning. That’s my main problem with trainers; they’re too confident and sure of themselves. And if they ever do fail, it’s always a complete shock to them. It’s like they think they’re the only special person in the world, the only one capable of hunting down small animals and capturing them with technology too sophisticated for them to even begin to understand on their own. That’s why they usually don’t make it past the age of eighteen before they quit and focus on doing something more productive with their lives. This guy looked to be somewhere around that age. I held back a grim smile at the thought of the many ways the Unova region could, and most likely would, break him and wipe the dumb look of arrogance off his face.
“Naw,” I finally said in response. “I just don’t get off on heights. I prefer sturdy things. Like the ground.”
The trainer laughed. “Yeah, no kidding. I wasn’t much for flying either when I was younger. But then I became a trainer, and it was just too much work to hoof it everywhere. Better off just learning to deal with it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Makes sense.” I agreed, and looked away. Apparently my subtle hint at wanting to end the conversation didn’t register, because he kept talking.
“So, what brings you to Unova?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing special. Just work.”
“Are you a trainer?”
“No.”
“I am,” he said proudly, and with a big smile. “So far I’ve beaten my way across all the other regions.”
“That’s, like, totally insane, man.” I said, making sure to lace each word with plenty of sarcasm. He stuck his tongue out at me. Ah. So. He knew I didn’t want to talk; he was just being a brat.
“What kinda’ work are you doing?” he continued on with his impromptu inquisition. I sighed and decided to just tell him the truth, and hope that would shut him up.
“I’m a scout for the government. After all of the excitement that went down in Unova with Team Plasma, they’re wondering if they should still invest in opening up the region to more trainers. They’d already begun the process before Ghetsis did his whole thing and scared the crap out of everybody. I’m here to make sure everything’s safe for further advancement.”
The trainer looked at me in disbelief.
“Wait,” he said. “I thought that the professors opened and ran their labs and PokeDex programs independently.”
I shrugged. “Sort of. But the government funds them, in exchange for getting to view the researcher’s results far in advance to the public.”
“Wow…” He seemed to totally shocked, and I took a small amount of pleasure in having totally blown his self-centered little mind.
“It’s not like this is all top-secret info,” I continued. “If you ever bothered to read the last chapter of your trainers manual, it’s all right there.”
He shrugged one shoulder, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. He rolled the duel-colored sphere around between his fingers as he said, “But that chapter’s so long. And they told us all before-hand that none of the questions on the qualification exam would be from there. I don’t think anyone in my class has read it.”
“I’m sure your class was just teeming with intelligent people too.”
He was just about to spit out some sort of response when the captain’s voice boomed out of the intercom just above our heads.
“Alright, we’re about to begin making our descent down to the ocean. Please buckle into your seats, put up your trays, and move your seats into the upright position. Thanks so much for flying Pelipper Airlines.”
I didn’t need to do any of those things since I had barely moved since I got on the plane, but the trainer began to busy himself enacting the captain’s orders. I again reached under my seat and felt the warmth of the egg-bag. The egg had been a gift from a very special co-worker of mine just before I left, as a reminder of her. That was another reason I was in a hurry to get off the plane; so I could do my job quickly and get back to my girl. Leaving Sadie always put me in a bad mood.
The plane hit the water smoothly, as far as I could tell. I had my eyes closed and my hands wrapped tight around the egg-bag, trying to find my happy place. As we coasted in towards the docks I breathed a quick prayer of thanks for my safe arrival, and then began to gather up my scarce belongings that I brought with me into the passenger area. The captain of the plane came out of the cabin after we parked, shook my hand, and thanked me again for flying on his plane. I nodded quickly in return and hurried off the flying death trap as fast as my wobbly legs would carry me. I hit the dock feet-first and sucked in several deep breaths of fresh air. The breeze was cold, and tasted like the ocean, but I didn’t care. Anything was better than the stuffy air I had been breathing for the last five hours. After I’d had my fill of dramatics, I slipped the egg-bag over my shoulder, picked up my suitcase, which a dockworker had kindly retrieved from the planes hull for me while I had been savoring the air, and walked off the dock. Much to my chagrin, I heard heavy footsteps following after me, and then slow down once they reached me. It was the trainer. Now that we were both standing, I could see he was a good five inches taller than me, maybe six foot four. I also noticed he didn’t have any luggage.
“Where’re your clothes?” I asked in mild surprise. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those, ‘I’m starting it fresh’ lunatics?”
He winked and at me and gave a sly smile. “Something like that, yeah. I also left all my old Pokemon back at home. I want to purge. Try something new.”
“You could at least have brought some clean undies…” I grunted, and he laughed.
“I suppose that’s true,” he agreed. “And actually, I did bring one Pokemon from home,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball, presumably the same one as before. “This is my Raichu.”
“Very nice,” I said without looking. “I hope bringing a fully evolved Pokemon into one of the most underdeveloped leagues in the functional regions works out well for you.”
He simply smiled again, gave the Pokeball a quick kiss, and slipped it back into his pocket.
“Thanks. I’m sure it will.” We continued walking down the short dirt road towards the nearest town, and he seemed to be paused in thought. Finally he said,
“Collecting more badges and Pokemon isn’t the only reason I’m here, actually.”
I said nothing, but he continued without my prompting, as I thought he would.
“I’m actually hunting someone.”
“Oh?” I said, feigning interest. “A girlfriend? Long lost rich uncle? Your deadbeat father?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” he said. His face and demeanor had grown rather serious, and I found it amusing. It seemed doubtful that he was after anyone I would find interesting.
“His name is Ryan Schmitt JR,” he paused for emphasis, and it gave me just enough time to think about how familiar that name sounded. But I couldn’t place it before he explained it for me. “Though you might know him by his more infamous nick-name, Rocket.”
I whistled in surprise, and then chuckled harshly. “I see. So you’re bounty hunting one of the most famous and dangerous criminals that this world has ever known, huh? Well, listen up kid, and I just might save your life. Don’t. I don’t think you’ll ever find him, but if you did, he’d kill you. Straight out, with no hesitation.”
“Maybe… Or maybe not.”
I rolled my eyes and held out my arm, stopping us both in the middle of the road. The entrance to the small costal town of Nuvema was just a few yards away.
“What makes you so special, kid? You’re just some trainer from Sinnoh. Rocket’s evil, he’s dangerous, he’s brilliant, he’s brutal, he’s-”
“My cousin.” He interrupted. I’ll admit, that one stumped me. We stood there for a long moment, just looking at each other. Eventually I stepped back and shook my head with a sigh.
“Fine. Do what you want,” I said. “I can’t stop you.”
“No, you can’t,” he said defiantly. Then his face softened a little. “But thanks for the concern. I understand that it’s a little crazy, but I really think I’m the only one who can do this. I knew Ryan before… Well, before he was Rocket. If he’ll listen to anyone, it’s me.”
We turned and started walking again. We were welcomed with a cheery sign that read,
WELCOME TO NUVEMA
A rural town whose sea breezes give the sense of something coming.
I found it extremely creepy and rather ominous. We walked on past the sign, and I took in the town. It was extremely small, with the largest building easily being Professor Juniper’s lab and complex at the far north side. The houses were organized nicely around the dirt roads that wound through them. There were flower beds, laughing children, and smiling faces.
“‘Dear director,” I said aloud. “The beginning place for the trainer’s journey is perfect. So stereotypically sweet, it’ll make you sick.’”
“What?” my companion asked me. He seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere.
“Nothing,” I muttered. “Just working out what I’m going to say in my first report back to the boss. She would love this place.”
We finally reached Juniper’s lab and stopped just outside the door.
“Well, I guess this is where we part ways,” he said.
“Looks like.” I agreed with a nod.
“I’m going to pick up my gear and then head out right away.”
“Well, I’ll be staying in town for a couple of days. So unless I come upon your blood splattered remains on the road, we probably won’t be seeing each other again.”
He laughed, and held out his hand. I shook it.
“My name’s Harold Schmitt, by the way,” he said. “But everyone calls me Trainer H.”
“I’m Richard Roar. But everyone calls me Rip.”
“Rip Roar?” Trainer H asked with a smile. “Are you serious?”
I gave him a light shove and picked my luggage back up. “I don’t think you’re one to criticize, Harold.” I paused, and then pulled a piece of paper out of my coat pocket and handed it to him. “That’s the number for my Xtransceiver,” I gestured to the watch-like video communication device clasped to my wrist. “Just enter it into yours when they give you one with the rest of your equipment. If you get into any trouble with your manhunt, let me know. Rocket is a menace, and I’d rather see him caught than see you dead.”
“Thanks, Rip,” he said. “I’ll make sure to do that.”
And with that, he opened the door, and we both went inside.
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Trainer H walked quietly away down the hall to the immediate right. If the signs were to be believed, that was the way to the free bunks that were supplied by labs like this. I went in the other direction, towards the main office. First I needed to alert Juniper to my presence, and then I would begin a rudimentary inspection of the area. I reached the front desk, behind which sat a slim man in a nice suit. He wore white, thick rimmed glasses, which created an amusing picture against his chocolate colored skin. He looked up at me and smiled.
“Hello, sir. How can I help you today?” he asked.
I set my suitcase down on the concrete floor, rested my arms against the edge of the tall desk and looked down at him.
“I’m here to see the professor.”
He glanced down at some of the papers lying out before him. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No. But she’ll see me anyway.”
The man frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but the professor’s time is valuable. If you don’t have an appointment, I can’t let you in to see her.”
I sighed, exasperated. I don’t know why I bother with pleasantries. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my government ID badge, a silver disk with my picture set into the middle, and a Mew engraved around the edges.
“I’m special agent Roar with the United Regions government. If you could, please let me in. I’ve had a long day as it is.”
The man blanched for second, then slowly nodded.
“Um, right through that door, Agent Roar,” he said, gesturing to the wide, metal door behind him to my left. “H-have a nice day.”
“Too late for that,” I quipped, picking up my suitcase. I strode quickly to the door and it slid open automatically.
The actual lab part of the building wasn’t very big at all, at least compared to the others I’d visited. The area closest to me had a few tables covered in scattered pieces of paper and a few full vials of colored liquids. The far end of the room was much busier, with lots of tall computer towers covered in flickering lights. Monitors hung from the walls and sat on a few small desks, showing off different numerical sequences that I couldn’t even begin to understand. Between it all bustled a young woman in a long white coat. She had light brown hair that was stacked on top of her head, was wearing a green blouse, and a long skirt. She was also very attractive, which I’ll admit I hadn’t been expecting.
“Excuse,” I said. “Professor Juniper?”
She didn’t seem to hear me.
“Professor Juniper,” I tried again, a bit more forcefully. “If I can please have your attention.”
She jumped a little before she turned around. She smiled awkwardly and pushed a stray lock of hair back into place, and then strode over to me, her high heeled shoes clicking softly against the hard floor.
“Hello, sir,” she said. Her voice was cheerful and dignified, and she didn’t seem the least bit bothered that I was interrupting her work. “What can I help you with?”
“Hi,” I said, pulling out my badge again briefly and flashing it to her. “My name is Roar, I’m here to inspect the region to see if it’s still a financially profitable endeavor for the government to encourage. I thought the best place to begin was with you.”
To her credit, the professor didn’t appear too shaken by my message. Instead she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Is that right?” she asked wryly. “Well, Agent Roar, you were right; I am the best place to start. I’m the only U.R. funded beginners facility in the region. Even as far as Opelucid, if any kid wants to start his journey, he or she has to come to me.”
I reached into my aviator coat pocket and pulled out a pen and small pad of paper. With a click of the pen I asked, “Are you complaining? You should be reaping the benefits of the trainer’s exam fees.”
She shrugged. “It’s not about the money, agent. I’m a small operation, that’s all. During the start of the summer, we have to set up big tents in the front lawn in which to house the brand new trainers that show up. It’s just not convenient; I want to be able to more fully service more people.”
I jotted down a few lines in my notebook. “I see,” was all I said in response. The professor seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then asked, “Is this about that ordeal with Team Plasma? Because I think we both know that we’re not the only region to have trouble with… Eccentric criminal types.”
That made me chuckle.
“Trust me, professor; I, and others like me, visited each of those regions as well to do follow up on the possible ill effects those ‘eccentric criminal types’ could have on the local economy. This is all standard procedure.”
“Fine,” she turned away and started walking back over to her computers. “I’ll help you however I can. I’d love to see this region thrive even more on the love and interest of Pokemon.”
“Great. Glad to hear I have your support,” I said dryly, and hefted my suitcase up off the floor. “I don’t suppose there’s an inn or hotel in this little Podunk, huh?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
I sighed. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think there would be. I guess I’ll be bunking with the trainers then.” I scowled and stuck my tongue out. “Arrogant little brats.”
“Oh come now, agent,” she laughed. “Is that really necessary? Most of them are just children.”
“Children who should be at home, learning some manners, and other useful skills. You can’t stay a trainer forever.”
“A few can,” she corrected me with a waggling finger. “If they’re the best.”
I walked to the door and it slid open. Before I walked out I called back to her, “For every person who claims to be the best, there’s always someone better. That’s the point.”
Thanks so much for your time.
The twin engines roared loudly outside the hull of the small white seaplane as it flew just beneath the clouds on our decent into the Unova region. For probably the hundredth time during the flight, I reached down beneath my seat and felt for the insulated red bag that held the egg I had brought with me. The technology in the fabric of the egg-bag gave off a great deal of heat, and touching it warmed my already sweaty hands. I hate heights and thus, in relation, I hate planes, and flying. But taking a boat from Sinnoh to Unova would not only have been more time consuming, but it was would have been more expensive. I guess what could be gleaned from having said all that is my fear of heights is outweighed only by my impatience and the frugality of my bosses.
Although I had avoided doing so thus far, I finally decided to sneak a peek out of the window next to my seat. Far, far below the deep blue ocean glistened, the massive waves capped with whiteheads.
“And that’s enough of that…” I muttered, quickly pulling my head back away from the glass and the accompanying view. I did my best to suppress a shudder, but didn’t do a very good job.
“What’s the matter?” asked the only other passenger on the plane. He had been sitting several rows behind me, so I hadn’t been able to get a good view of him until now. For some reason, he had abruptly moved up the aisle while I wasn’t paying attention, to sit in the row across from me. He was tall, had very long brown hair, grey glasses that rested on a prominent nose, and wore a blue hoodie with shorts. I could tell with just one look that he was a trainer. In my line of work, you learn to pick up things like that. The ease of his movements, the relaxed position of his shoulders, and the way he held his chin just a little bit too high. This was a guy who was used to winning. That’s my main problem with trainers; they’re too confident and sure of themselves. And if they ever do fail, it’s always a complete shock to them. It’s like they think they’re the only special person in the world, the only one capable of hunting down small animals and capturing them with technology too sophisticated for them to even begin to understand on their own. That’s why they usually don’t make it past the age of eighteen before they quit and focus on doing something more productive with their lives. This guy looked to be somewhere around that age. I held back a grim smile at the thought of the many ways the Unova region could, and most likely would, break him and wipe the dumb look of arrogance off his face.
“Naw,” I finally said in response. “I just don’t get off on heights. I prefer sturdy things. Like the ground.”
The trainer laughed. “Yeah, no kidding. I wasn’t much for flying either when I was younger. But then I became a trainer, and it was just too much work to hoof it everywhere. Better off just learning to deal with it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Makes sense.” I agreed, and looked away. Apparently my subtle hint at wanting to end the conversation didn’t register, because he kept talking.
“So, what brings you to Unova?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing special. Just work.”
“Are you a trainer?”
“No.”
“I am,” he said proudly, and with a big smile. “So far I’ve beaten my way across all the other regions.”
“That’s, like, totally insane, man.” I said, making sure to lace each word with plenty of sarcasm. He stuck his tongue out at me. Ah. So. He knew I didn’t want to talk; he was just being a brat.
“What kinda’ work are you doing?” he continued on with his impromptu inquisition. I sighed and decided to just tell him the truth, and hope that would shut him up.
“I’m a scout for the government. After all of the excitement that went down in Unova with Team Plasma, they’re wondering if they should still invest in opening up the region to more trainers. They’d already begun the process before Ghetsis did his whole thing and scared the crap out of everybody. I’m here to make sure everything’s safe for further advancement.”
The trainer looked at me in disbelief.
“Wait,” he said. “I thought that the professors opened and ran their labs and PokeDex programs independently.”
I shrugged. “Sort of. But the government funds them, in exchange for getting to view the researcher’s results far in advance to the public.”
“Wow…” He seemed to totally shocked, and I took a small amount of pleasure in having totally blown his self-centered little mind.
“It’s not like this is all top-secret info,” I continued. “If you ever bothered to read the last chapter of your trainers manual, it’s all right there.”
He shrugged one shoulder, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball. He rolled the duel-colored sphere around between his fingers as he said, “But that chapter’s so long. And they told us all before-hand that none of the questions on the qualification exam would be from there. I don’t think anyone in my class has read it.”
“I’m sure your class was just teeming with intelligent people too.”
He was just about to spit out some sort of response when the captain’s voice boomed out of the intercom just above our heads.
“Alright, we’re about to begin making our descent down to the ocean. Please buckle into your seats, put up your trays, and move your seats into the upright position. Thanks so much for flying Pelipper Airlines.”
I didn’t need to do any of those things since I had barely moved since I got on the plane, but the trainer began to busy himself enacting the captain’s orders. I again reached under my seat and felt the warmth of the egg-bag. The egg had been a gift from a very special co-worker of mine just before I left, as a reminder of her. That was another reason I was in a hurry to get off the plane; so I could do my job quickly and get back to my girl. Leaving Sadie always put me in a bad mood.
The plane hit the water smoothly, as far as I could tell. I had my eyes closed and my hands wrapped tight around the egg-bag, trying to find my happy place. As we coasted in towards the docks I breathed a quick prayer of thanks for my safe arrival, and then began to gather up my scarce belongings that I brought with me into the passenger area. The captain of the plane came out of the cabin after we parked, shook my hand, and thanked me again for flying on his plane. I nodded quickly in return and hurried off the flying death trap as fast as my wobbly legs would carry me. I hit the dock feet-first and sucked in several deep breaths of fresh air. The breeze was cold, and tasted like the ocean, but I didn’t care. Anything was better than the stuffy air I had been breathing for the last five hours. After I’d had my fill of dramatics, I slipped the egg-bag over my shoulder, picked up my suitcase, which a dockworker had kindly retrieved from the planes hull for me while I had been savoring the air, and walked off the dock. Much to my chagrin, I heard heavy footsteps following after me, and then slow down once they reached me. It was the trainer. Now that we were both standing, I could see he was a good five inches taller than me, maybe six foot four. I also noticed he didn’t have any luggage.
“Where’re your clothes?” I asked in mild surprise. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those, ‘I’m starting it fresh’ lunatics?”
He winked and at me and gave a sly smile. “Something like that, yeah. I also left all my old Pokemon back at home. I want to purge. Try something new.”
“You could at least have brought some clean undies…” I grunted, and he laughed.
“I suppose that’s true,” he agreed. “And actually, I did bring one Pokemon from home,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball, presumably the same one as before. “This is my Raichu.”
“Very nice,” I said without looking. “I hope bringing a fully evolved Pokemon into one of the most underdeveloped leagues in the functional regions works out well for you.”
He simply smiled again, gave the Pokeball a quick kiss, and slipped it back into his pocket.
“Thanks. I’m sure it will.” We continued walking down the short dirt road towards the nearest town, and he seemed to be paused in thought. Finally he said,
“Collecting more badges and Pokemon isn’t the only reason I’m here, actually.”
I said nothing, but he continued without my prompting, as I thought he would.
“I’m actually hunting someone.”
“Oh?” I said, feigning interest. “A girlfriend? Long lost rich uncle? Your deadbeat father?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” he said. His face and demeanor had grown rather serious, and I found it amusing. It seemed doubtful that he was after anyone I would find interesting.
“His name is Ryan Schmitt JR,” he paused for emphasis, and it gave me just enough time to think about how familiar that name sounded. But I couldn’t place it before he explained it for me. “Though you might know him by his more infamous nick-name, Rocket.”
I whistled in surprise, and then chuckled harshly. “I see. So you’re bounty hunting one of the most famous and dangerous criminals that this world has ever known, huh? Well, listen up kid, and I just might save your life. Don’t. I don’t think you’ll ever find him, but if you did, he’d kill you. Straight out, with no hesitation.”
“Maybe… Or maybe not.”
I rolled my eyes and held out my arm, stopping us both in the middle of the road. The entrance to the small costal town of Nuvema was just a few yards away.
“What makes you so special, kid? You’re just some trainer from Sinnoh. Rocket’s evil, he’s dangerous, he’s brilliant, he’s brutal, he’s-”
“My cousin.” He interrupted. I’ll admit, that one stumped me. We stood there for a long moment, just looking at each other. Eventually I stepped back and shook my head with a sigh.
“Fine. Do what you want,” I said. “I can’t stop you.”
“No, you can’t,” he said defiantly. Then his face softened a little. “But thanks for the concern. I understand that it’s a little crazy, but I really think I’m the only one who can do this. I knew Ryan before… Well, before he was Rocket. If he’ll listen to anyone, it’s me.”
We turned and started walking again. We were welcomed with a cheery sign that read,
WELCOME TO NUVEMA
A rural town whose sea breezes give the sense of something coming.
I found it extremely creepy and rather ominous. We walked on past the sign, and I took in the town. It was extremely small, with the largest building easily being Professor Juniper’s lab and complex at the far north side. The houses were organized nicely around the dirt roads that wound through them. There were flower beds, laughing children, and smiling faces.
“‘Dear director,” I said aloud. “The beginning place for the trainer’s journey is perfect. So stereotypically sweet, it’ll make you sick.’”
“What?” my companion asked me. He seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere.
“Nothing,” I muttered. “Just working out what I’m going to say in my first report back to the boss. She would love this place.”
We finally reached Juniper’s lab and stopped just outside the door.
“Well, I guess this is where we part ways,” he said.
“Looks like.” I agreed with a nod.
“I’m going to pick up my gear and then head out right away.”
“Well, I’ll be staying in town for a couple of days. So unless I come upon your blood splattered remains on the road, we probably won’t be seeing each other again.”
He laughed, and held out his hand. I shook it.
“My name’s Harold Schmitt, by the way,” he said. “But everyone calls me Trainer H.”
“I’m Richard Roar. But everyone calls me Rip.”
“Rip Roar?” Trainer H asked with a smile. “Are you serious?”
I gave him a light shove and picked my luggage back up. “I don’t think you’re one to criticize, Harold.” I paused, and then pulled a piece of paper out of my coat pocket and handed it to him. “That’s the number for my Xtransceiver,” I gestured to the watch-like video communication device clasped to my wrist. “Just enter it into yours when they give you one with the rest of your equipment. If you get into any trouble with your manhunt, let me know. Rocket is a menace, and I’d rather see him caught than see you dead.”
“Thanks, Rip,” he said. “I’ll make sure to do that.”
And with that, he opened the door, and we both went inside.
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Trainer H walked quietly away down the hall to the immediate right. If the signs were to be believed, that was the way to the free bunks that were supplied by labs like this. I went in the other direction, towards the main office. First I needed to alert Juniper to my presence, and then I would begin a rudimentary inspection of the area. I reached the front desk, behind which sat a slim man in a nice suit. He wore white, thick rimmed glasses, which created an amusing picture against his chocolate colored skin. He looked up at me and smiled.
“Hello, sir. How can I help you today?” he asked.
I set my suitcase down on the concrete floor, rested my arms against the edge of the tall desk and looked down at him.
“I’m here to see the professor.”
He glanced down at some of the papers lying out before him. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No. But she’ll see me anyway.”
The man frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, but the professor’s time is valuable. If you don’t have an appointment, I can’t let you in to see her.”
I sighed, exasperated. I don’t know why I bother with pleasantries. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my government ID badge, a silver disk with my picture set into the middle, and a Mew engraved around the edges.
“I’m special agent Roar with the United Regions government. If you could, please let me in. I’ve had a long day as it is.”
The man blanched for second, then slowly nodded.
“Um, right through that door, Agent Roar,” he said, gesturing to the wide, metal door behind him to my left. “H-have a nice day.”
“Too late for that,” I quipped, picking up my suitcase. I strode quickly to the door and it slid open automatically.
The actual lab part of the building wasn’t very big at all, at least compared to the others I’d visited. The area closest to me had a few tables covered in scattered pieces of paper and a few full vials of colored liquids. The far end of the room was much busier, with lots of tall computer towers covered in flickering lights. Monitors hung from the walls and sat on a few small desks, showing off different numerical sequences that I couldn’t even begin to understand. Between it all bustled a young woman in a long white coat. She had light brown hair that was stacked on top of her head, was wearing a green blouse, and a long skirt. She was also very attractive, which I’ll admit I hadn’t been expecting.
“Excuse,” I said. “Professor Juniper?”
She didn’t seem to hear me.
“Professor Juniper,” I tried again, a bit more forcefully. “If I can please have your attention.”
She jumped a little before she turned around. She smiled awkwardly and pushed a stray lock of hair back into place, and then strode over to me, her high heeled shoes clicking softly against the hard floor.
“Hello, sir,” she said. Her voice was cheerful and dignified, and she didn’t seem the least bit bothered that I was interrupting her work. “What can I help you with?”
“Hi,” I said, pulling out my badge again briefly and flashing it to her. “My name is Roar, I’m here to inspect the region to see if it’s still a financially profitable endeavor for the government to encourage. I thought the best place to begin was with you.”
To her credit, the professor didn’t appear too shaken by my message. Instead she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Is that right?” she asked wryly. “Well, Agent Roar, you were right; I am the best place to start. I’m the only U.R. funded beginners facility in the region. Even as far as Opelucid, if any kid wants to start his journey, he or she has to come to me.”
I reached into my aviator coat pocket and pulled out a pen and small pad of paper. With a click of the pen I asked, “Are you complaining? You should be reaping the benefits of the trainer’s exam fees.”
She shrugged. “It’s not about the money, agent. I’m a small operation, that’s all. During the start of the summer, we have to set up big tents in the front lawn in which to house the brand new trainers that show up. It’s just not convenient; I want to be able to more fully service more people.”
I jotted down a few lines in my notebook. “I see,” was all I said in response. The professor seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then asked, “Is this about that ordeal with Team Plasma? Because I think we both know that we’re not the only region to have trouble with… Eccentric criminal types.”
That made me chuckle.
“Trust me, professor; I, and others like me, visited each of those regions as well to do follow up on the possible ill effects those ‘eccentric criminal types’ could have on the local economy. This is all standard procedure.”
“Fine,” she turned away and started walking back over to her computers. “I’ll help you however I can. I’d love to see this region thrive even more on the love and interest of Pokemon.”
“Great. Glad to hear I have your support,” I said dryly, and hefted my suitcase up off the floor. “I don’t suppose there’s an inn or hotel in this little Podunk, huh?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
I sighed. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think there would be. I guess I’ll be bunking with the trainers then.” I scowled and stuck my tongue out. “Arrogant little brats.”
“Oh come now, agent,” she laughed. “Is that really necessary? Most of them are just children.”
“Children who should be at home, learning some manners, and other useful skills. You can’t stay a trainer forever.”
“A few can,” she corrected me with a waggling finger. “If they’re the best.”
I walked to the door and it slid open. Before I walked out I called back to her, “For every person who claims to be the best, there’s always someone better. That’s the point.”