Saying goodbye to the group was an event full of mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’d miss them so much, and I was so proud of them for going out on such an epic journey. On the other hand, I don’t think I could bear to hear them talk about all this stuff I’m not going to get to experience.

At least it wasn’t a drawn out affair. Gwen had given me a quick hug and then ran off at the speed of light while yelling that she’d forgotten to buy camping supplies. Leo gave me a hearty laugh and bragged how he’d come back as the Indigo Champion by the end of the month. After that though he gave me a serious, meaningful embrace before jogging to catch up with Gwen.

Jack was last, and as usual, he wasn’t a hugging man. He gave me an honest look and told me he’d always be free to talk if I needed it, and with a mock salute he strolled down the street in the same direction the other two had gone.

Which left me a few days later, in my room, looking up Youtube tutorials about how to tie a tie properly. My suit was quite raggedy, and maybe a little bit on the smaller side. But it was the only one I owned, and I sure as well wasn’t going to buy a new one for a potential job as a Lab Assistant.

“Gahh! Fuck it, who says I need to wear a tie anyway?!” I shouted, while launching the piece of fabric at the kind old man on the screen who was showing how to get the stupid thing on properly. How on earth am I supposed to get a job in a lab if i can’t even fucking dress myself? I should head over to Magbys Pizzeria instead…

Just at that moment, there was a subtle knock on my door. “You can come in mom,” I said with a sigh.

“Need some help?” She offered with a kind smile.

“Yeah mom, if that’s ok.”

“Of course darling. You know, usually, it’s the dads job to teach these sorts of things to his son. But it can’t be that hard, can it? I just want to say I’m proud of you Ethan. You’ve been dealt a bad hand, and you haven’t let it ruin you. You’re still striving for something worthwhile. Ever since your father left, I don’t think I even wanted to feel better. I didn’t want to try harder than just wasting away working shifts at the Diner. But it cost you opportunities in life, and I can’t ever forgive myself for that. You deserve all the normal things kids your age get to do. And I know you don’t have them just yet. But you will. I promise.”

Before I could even attempt to comfort her and say how this wasn’t her fault, she had already whirled around and left the room. Not long after I heard the front door close, signaling that she’d left for work.

I looked down, and noticed that my tie was neatly wrapped around my neck.

– –

The waiting room for the interview was actually less full than I expected it to be. There couldn’t be more than a dozen people sitting around, waiting for their name to be called out and led into the interview room.

I decided to spend this time brushing up on my preparations for the interview. The job was a Lab Assistant for a man named Oscar Cullen. He wasn’t a celebrity household name Professor like Oak or Elm, but that might have more to do with the fact he grew up in Unova, and only moved to Johto a few years ago. He was considered to actually be an authority on archeological sites and ancient Pokemon, even going so far as to have restored some fossils to life. This was an incredibly rare process, and it could only be counted on one hand the number of people who could seriously brag about such a claim.

Still, since he hadn’t actually done anything since he’d arrived here in Johto, it seemed like the scientific world wasn’t taking him all that seriously? That’s what it looked like to me at least. Or maybe he was just a guy who wanted to fly under the radar? Who’s to say.

“Mr Ethan Aurelian, please step into the office now.” A very polite looking assistant said while stepping into the room. Realizing that this was it, I stood up and tried my best to calmly walk through the room and into the office. In my opinion I was doing a pretty terrible job, as I was very nervous and was sort of jittering about with no fluidity in my movements. The assistant didn’t seem to notice though, and with a bright smile closed the door behind her, leaving me alone in the room with Dr. Oscar Cullen.

The first thing I noticed was that he was not your average looking Professor. He did not have that wizened old guy look. This guy was barely thirty years old by my estimate. He had a sort of rugged looking facial hair, and sat in his chair in a very casual manner. He did not look at all comfortable in the traditional lab coat he wore.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Ah, Mr…Ethan Aurelian, correct? Please, take a seat.” He gestured to a nice wooden chair opposite where he sat beside his desk. While sitting down, I took a quick glance at some of the stuff littering his desk. Maybe it’d give me a clue to help with the interview. There was a nice looking globe of the known world, some precious gems in protective casings, and loose bits of paper that seemed to be covered in scribbled writing.

Not much use, then.

Before I sat down, I remembered to offer him a handshake, and he responded with a smile and gave my hand a nice strong grasp.

“Now let’s see here,” he mumbled, while bringing up a piece of paper. “Freshly graduated, strong academic results, no criminal convictions… no owned Pokemon?” He eyed me with a curious look. I gave him a firm shake of my head, and he hummed. “Good. At least half of those dolts in the waiting room thought that rule didn’t apply to them. Well, I like you so far. So tell me, why work for me instead of starting a journey like most kids your age?”

Ah, I knew that question would come up.

I’d thought about lying. Who would want to hire some useless idiot who couldn’t even afford to go on a journey? I should just say I’ve always wanted to be a Researcher or even Professor, and be done with it.

But then I thought of my mom, and the shame she was carrying around even now about our financial situation. If I was ashamed of it myself, how could I fault her for the guilt she was going through. No, I was going to be honest, and if this guy didn’t like it, he could go fuck himself.

“I couldn’t afford it, sir. I need a job to support my mom, and it was either applying as your Lab Assistant, or working at a Pizzeria. This looked a lot more interesting.” I said with a dull tone.

Instantly, Dr Cullen's face softened, and he looked at me with a sad expression. It wasn’t just sad though, there were more emotions there. He looked back down at my application sheet, then sat in silence for a few minutes.

Suddenly, he spoke up. “You know, I was poor back when I lived in Unova. Homeless, actually. Castelia city is not kind to homeless people, especially a young kid like me who knew nothing of the world. By pure luck really, I found myself deep in the Desert Resort just north of the city. And in that place, I found an old ruin that looked like it hadn’t been seen by human eyes in centuries. And in that place, I found treasure and secrets that turned my life upside down. It’s funny how trinkets of the past can secure, even save, your future.”

Well that wasn’t a story about him I could find out from my research. Not knowing what to say, I decided to agree with him and nod in understanding.

“Well, to be honest Ethan, I think you could be a great fit for the team. And I’m a complete sucker for a sad story. If I could help you and your mom in your time of need, then I would be very happy indeed. I’ll start by offering you this job. This is not an act of pity, mind you. If it were not for your stellar academic results, you would not have even made it through the door. Now, before we proceed with the stupid paperwork, do you have any questions for me?”

Shit, this was all moving so fast. He hadn’t asked me any of the questions I’d prepared for. No hypotheticals like if you were given a Donphan and you couldn’t give it away, what would you do with it? (that was an extra dumb question.) I kind of floundered for a few seconds, until something came into my head and I just blurted out.

“I do, sir. You see, you seem quite intent on the no Pokemon rule. Can I ask why that is?” I said tentatively.

Dr Cullens mouth flicked up into a maniacal grin and he held up his arm and outstretched it horizontally. There was a lightning flash of bright colors coming in through the open window behind Dr Cullen's desk, and a giant Pokemon was perched on his arm. It was large, almost as big as me, and covered in vibrant feathers of red, blue, yellow and green. Its claws looked as thick as daggers, and its body ended in a scaled tail that swished back and forth.

I screamed in shock and actually fell out of my chair, and continued to scramble away from the monster. When it eventually looked like we were not under attack, I managed to calm down.

“This is Vitosa, my Archeops,” He said with a chuckle. “He’s an ancient Pokemon I revived from a fossil. He’s from an ancient era, where life was a constant life and death battle for survival. As such, he has some trouble playing well with others. Usually it’s fine, Isarr can keep him in check. But quite frankly I don’t need some snobby trainer unleashing their Pokemon in my delicate habitats, messing up the balance it needs. Also I don’t want to have to deal with the legal hassle if Vitosa here roughs up some baby Pokemon. Or trainer, for that matter.”

Well, that certainly made sense. Though out of all of that, the one thing I focused on is who, or what, on earth was Isarr that they could keep this beast in check? Deciding that this whole place was a madhouse and I’d signed myself up for way more chaos than I had expected, there was only really one thing left for me to say.

“So when do I start?”