“Fuuuuhh……”

I took a deep breath.

This was it, the moment when I could finally get some answers. However, everything hinged on how I phrased my questions. If I messed that up, a massive, suspicious mark would be stamped right on my head."

"So, who are you?" asked the woman who was guiding me towards, presumably Castor. Her tone piqued my interest.

"Excuse me?" I found myself confused by her question. What was it that she wanted again?

"I apologize. It's just that Professor Castor has never been this quick to accept—let alone interview—anyone. So I was curious about what relationship you might have with him," she said, smiling. Although her lips curved upward, her eyes remained devoid of warmth. It sent a shiver down my spine. What was she thinking?

"Oh, well, we know each other," I shrugged, playing into it. Maybe she possessed some knowledge, and I could extract it from her. But that appeared unlikely since we hadn't acquainted ourselves. If we had, she would have been more 'familiar' with me. However, Castor was undoubtedly someone acquainted with the previous owner of my body. The question remained: to what extent did they know each other?

"Is that so?" she inquired, her tone neither friendly nor openly hostile, creating an odd atmosphere.

Was she testing me? I couldn't be sure. If she was, why?

So, I shrugged again.

"Yeah, we go way back."

I was venturing into unfamiliar territory here. It felt so awkward, but I had to come up with something on the spot.

"Oh, I see, so you two are acquainted?"

"You could say that," I said, offering a vague response.

She smiled, this time her eyes were smiling, "I'm sure Castor would like that you chose his club.”

Her expression made me feel a bit uneasy, and I couldn't help but sense a familiar resemblance.

She was definitely an eccentric person, alright.

We reached a room, and then she left without saying a word.

Castor sat on his chair, holding a book in his hand and humming a tune to himself. He appeared to be lost in thought. Without a doubt, he was a handsome old man. His hair reached his shoulder, yet it remained long enough to tie into a ponytail.

He appeared to be in his early forties, if not younger.

A small scar ran down his eye. It wasn't significant, just a small scratch. I wonder what caused him to have that appearance.

He wore a normal professor's outfit. Nothing too fancy, it was the same as every other teacher I'd seen. His attire consisted of a crisp white lab coat, complemented by a stylish light maroon polo shirt, a trusty brown belt, and beige pants. Completing his look were a pair of matching brown loafers, exuding an air of professionalism and practicality.

"About damn time," he said, with an exasperated sigh, shoving the book into a drawer.

"What, I'm not that late," I said, puzzled. I played it cool—he knew me did he not?—as he gestured to the seat opposite him.

"Nah, but I've been twiddling my thumbs for the past twenty minutes," he chuckled nervously.

I had a sneaky feeling there was more to it. What was up with that book?

"Come on, take a load off," he said, pointing to a chair. I plopped down and stared at him.

"So, I hear you've decided to join my club," he said, folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Yeah," I replied, meeting his gaze.

"I was wondering what made you choose us," he said, giving me a sly glance.

"I figured I'd give it a shot," I shrugged.

"No, no, no," he sighed, leaning back. "You gotta have a reason for stepping into this den of misfits. We've got over Arceus knows how many clubs in this school alone, most of 'em packed with a hundred or more members. So, if you wanted to be part of our circus, you better have a damn good reason."

"Alright," I said, not sure where he was headed with this.

"Now, let's try this again. Why'd you come here? Lay it on me," he leaned forward.

I stayed silent for a moment, pondering.

I needed a legit reason to join. Something that would make him believe I genuinely wanted to be in his club. If not...

"You didn't come 'cause of me, did you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Ian, you don't have to join just 'cause of me. I ain't looking for that. You gotta find somethin' you enjoy, ya dig?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Sure," I nodded. "But I genuinely want to join."

I wondered what he was getting at. Why the hell would I be here because of him? Was it because of some past stuff? But that's exactly why I came—to uncover what went down, what brought me here in the first place.

"Oh, really?" he said, leaning back.

"Yeah," I nodded, lying through my teeth, but I had to make him believe me. "Why else would I be here?"

"Alright, picture this: Kanto region, thick forest, a lost, banged-up soul seekin' refuge in a dark-ass cave. Rescued, taken under wing, hell, handed a Pokémon even! So, you're tellin' me, you come here and it ain't 'cause you feel... I dunno, indebted? Responsible?"

My eyes lit up, catching on to what he was saying. So, he found me in Kanto, injured, and in a cave. But what the hell was I doing here now? And how did I end up here? He must've brought me, but there had to be more to it.

"So, Ian," Castor stretched out my name, placing his hand on the table, breaking the silence that hung in the room. "You've been awfully quiet, and I know there's a circus goin' on in that head of yours. But if you wanna roll with this motley crew, you gotta give me an answer. A reason why you came here. So, what's your reason?"

I pondered for a moment. I needed a reason, one that would make him believe.

"Joining your club was a well-thought-out decision," I replied, meeting his gaze head-on. "I'm genuinely intrigued by what it's all about. The mysteries, you know? They pull me in."

He reclined in his chair, looking off to the side. What the fuck was even happening here? Was this convo making any sense? I was confused as hell. If only I knew about my past and the connection I had with Castor, I could speak with some goddamn confidence. All I had was bits and pieces to rely on.

Then he turned back to look at me.

"Is that so…" he said.

The silence stretched, getting under my skin. Was he suspicious? Did I just screw u? Was this the moment I blew it?

Suddenly, he threw his head back and erupted into laughter, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

"Bwahahaha!" he bellowed, wiping the corner of his eyes. "Okay, Ian, you pass the vibe check. You really thought I'd deny you over some dumbass reason? Hah! I'm always down for new recruits! Preferably of the female variety," he winked.

I blinked, my lips thinning into a line.

"Aw, don't give me that look," Castor chuckled, catching his breath. "I'm just messin' with ya. We're an adventurous bunch here, and your quirky reason ain't gonna scare us off. Hell, we thrive on unconventional folks like you."

I let out a nervous laugh, relieved that I hadn't blown my chance.

"Now that we've got that settled, let me give you a taste of what you're in for," he said, leaning in closer. "We're bold, outspoken, and experienced in all sorts of wild escapades. From unravelling ancient mysteries to exploring uncharted territories, we've done it all. We’ve picked on a whiff recently, about another one. Might go on some escapade soon. So get your tits ready.."

My curiosity piqued, I leaned forward, eager for more details.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Castor called out, straightening up.

"Professor," A familiar voice sounded, coming inside, smiling. “It is time.”

That woman… Hmm, did something happen?

"Well, Ian, I'm afraid this is it. I need to deal with other applicants. You're free to take a seat around and wait for me if you want," Castor said, making a hand gesture that meant get the fuck up. "Or you can leave."

I got up, and walked out the door.

Cyndaquil immediately came out of the PokéBall and hopped on my shoulder.

"Kiu!" he squeaked, nudging my cheek with his snout.

I rubbed him in response, trying to cheer myself up. I didn't know what to make of the convo I had just had. It was weird. While walking back to the dorm, I thought about Cyndaquil's training. I needed to start his training.

Training Cyndaquil, a Fire-type Pokémon, would involve a combination of physical conditioning, battling practice, and developing its overall skills and abilities.

Building a strong bond with Cyndaquil would be crucial, and I was already working on this, spending time with it, showing affection, and ensuring it felt comfortable around me.

As for commands, that, too, I had began already. Playing fetch and testing the moves was a part of it. Simple commands like like "come," "stay," and "fetch" helped a lot with this. It helped me develop discipline and control over its actions. I also made sure to reward it with pats and rubs and treats when it did something correct. That reinforced it in his brain.

There was still a lot to learn and teach and train, but this was definitely a beginning.

Down the way to the dorm, there was a field—a training field, to be more precise, and that was exactly what prompted me to think about all this.

Suddenly, my eyes fell on someone.

Ash?

Ash donned a blue vest with yellow outlines, a white undershirt with short sleeves and a red stripe, indigo shorts with black outlines, and black sneakers with blue highlights. He also sported a red hat with a black Poké Ball design formed into the letter C.

He was surrounded by a few students, who were laughing.

Was he in some sort of trouble?

Upon further notice, I saw that Gary was with him, standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"You really are hopeless at this, aren't you?" he said, sighing in disappointment. "What did I even expect."

Pikachu was lying on the ground, twitching. It was still alive, though. I wonder what happened exactly.

"That was awesome!" another student, a girl wearing a beige shirt with a darker-colored V-neck sweater and khaki cargo pants said, holding a video camera. "Gary, you are so cool!"

"Yeah, yeah, come on, let's go. There's no need to spend time with pathetic people."

Gary then turned towards me and scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, look who we have here," he sneered. "We meet again."

I ignored him and walked up to Ash. From the looks of it, he and Gary just had a battle.

"What happened?" I asked, kneeling next to Pikachu.

"Huh? Oh, Pikachu is just..."

"I told him he should give up!" the girl said.

I frowned, not really sure how to take that. Did she think that was the correct thing to say?

Instead of paying them any heed, I picked up Pikachu and offered Ash a hand, "Come on, let's get you both patched up."

Yeah, they looked like they needed some help.