Nina woke up with an aching neck. Hikari had apparently asked a servant to move Nina and Tini back to their room after she fell back asleep again. But the damage to her cervical spine from sleeping on the floor had already been done.

Naturally, the girl was not in the best mood as she languidly poked at her breakfast. The one saving grace being that the lady of the house was also vegetarian so there were plenty of food options for her.

“Morning ladies!” Greeted the chipper Bill, as the man bent down to kiss his beloved wife.

“Morning, love.”

“Morning!”

“Morning…”

“So what are you girls planning to do today?” Asked the Pokemon Professor. “Unfortunately my schedule for the day is not kind to me, but I can arrange for a research assistant to show you two around if there’s anywhere you want to go.”

“Beach day!” Declared Beverly. Her sentiments were echoed by the Pokemon as both Luna and Tini cried out in agreement. “Miss Grumpig over there needs some cheering up and what’s better than a beach day with her bestest bestie.”

Nina glared at her ‘bestie’. “And who’s fault do you think it is?”

“I. Do. Not. Snore!’ Argued Beverly.

In response, Nina looked down at the basin where Luna was at for the Horsea’s support. “Luna, does Bev snore?”

The Horsea averted her gaze and gave a guilty “Sea…”

Beverly gasped. “Traitor! How could you stab me in the back like that?”

“Sea. Horsea…”

“You know Miss Mizuhana, snoring in children might be indicative of some latent chronic issues. I would suggest following up with a physician when it's convenient,” chimed Bill, once he was done laughing at the comedy act taking place before him.

Beverly’s face paled at the Professor’s words, much to Nina’s amusement.

Ignoring the distress he caused, Bill then turned to address Nina. “And Nina, would you mind sparing me some of your time after breakfast. There are matters which we must discuss.”

Nina agreed. Normally she would be feeling excited about what’s to come, but the revelations from the night before were still haunting her mind.

***

The place that Nina was brought to for the little ‘talk’ with Bill was the section of the ranch where they housed the Eevees and the Eeveelutions. It was the same place as yesterday where she and Beverly went to play with the Eevees.

Despite the repeat visit, the area was as impressive as ever with various biomes stuck together to accommodate the different Eeveelutions and their preferences.

There were generators set up for the Jolteon, a cave for the Umbreon, a heat retaining sand pit for the Flareon, a pond for the Vaporeon, forests for the Leafeon and so on. One can even discern which Eeveelution an Eevee was inclined towards from their tendency to spend time in a specific biome.

“Now then, Nina,” began Bill. “As I mentioned to you yesterday, I only give out Eevees to trainers who I think are either worthy or interesting enough to catch my attention.” The man paused for dramatic effect as they slowly walked amidst the furry brown creatures who all congregated around Nina after recognising her as the Berry girl.

“And after my own personal observations and a stellar endorsement from my wife — who I must add, is the best judge of character that I know — I have come to the conclusion that you are one such person.”

Nina gave a weak smile. “But didn’t you also say that you don’t give out Eevees to beginner trainers? Not only am I a beginner, I’m also under aged. So technically, I’m not even a proper trainer.” Her tone was hesitant since she really wanted this, but she was also apprehensive about Mew’s machinations. There was also a sour note in Nina’s mouth at the idea that she might not have ‘earned’ this opportunity at all.

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“Then again, I suppose meeting Tini was also a fluke. And back then I hadn’t even met Mew yet. Or has everything since my arrival in this world been preordained somehow? If that’s the case then I might as well just fuck it and do whatever I want. Since my intention doesn’t matter anyway. At least not to the gods of this world.”

“Nina, Nina? Are you okay?” Nina must have zoned out for longer than she intended because Bill was now looking at her with deeply concerned eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, Professor…” she sputtered. “I’m a little out of it today.”

“Tiin~” the concerned Tini gave his partner a boop on the nose as always to cheer her up, though it wasn’t as effective as it usually was.

Bill chuckled. “I’m no stranger to sleep deprivation myself. But if I may?” The man’s tone suddenly took on a more serious note. “My wife is a very perceptive woman, sometimes frighteningly so. And while I’m not privy to the conversation between the two of you, I would still like to apologize if anything she said happens to have dug a little too deep.”

Nina hastily shook her head to deny the man’s assumptions. “No, not at all. You don’t have to apologize for Hikari. In fact, I should be the one apologizing to your wife. I.. I might have been a little rude to her last night…”

Bill ruffled her hair a little in assurance. “There’s no need to worry about her. She had quite the positive impression of you. And there’s no need to deny it either, I’ve been at the receiving end of her microscope plenty of times. Whatever you may think of yourself, know that my wife and I approve of you as a person and as a trainer. In fact, she’s the one who tends to be overprotective of the little ones. So no need to worry at all.”

“But that still doesn’t eliminate the practical concerns,” argued the girl. “And I already have Tini as my starter. Wouldn’t people take issue with this?”

“Like I said before,” continued Bill. “The reason why I don’t endorse beginner trainers is because they simply don’t have the right mindset to raise an Eevee. You’re different, you’re aware of all the pitfalls and are mature enough for the responsibility.

“And who exactly do you think will take issue with this? Who are these ‘people’ that you speak of?”

Nina sighed. “I’m looking to enroll in the Vermillion Flame, maybe… To be honest, I’m still on the fence, but it’s to my understanding that the faculty as well as the general public don’t approve of a fledgeling trainer being afforded so many privileges. I already have a Dratini, if we add an Eevee into the mix, wouldn’t this incur some backlash.”

Bill laughed out loud at Nina’s paltry concerns and gave her another pat on the head. “Oh my dearest child… It is good to be sensible, but don’t you think you’re perhaps being a little too sensible?

“You’re right that someone of a humble background like yourself might incur the ire of certain jealous parties. But I find that such blatantly uncouth behavior serves as an efficient way to filter out the rabble. In fact, this is a trick that I learned from Hikari herself while I was just a wimpy young inventor — Knowing thy enemy is key to besting them in battle.”

Nina chuckled at the uncanny Pokemon world version of Suntzu’s famous quote.

“And in regards to the school,” continued Bill. “Such sycophants can easily be appeased by pure status. I doubt they would turn away a talented young girl endorsed by both myself and the Cerulean Gym. Such foolishness will make them a laughing stock amongst their peers. Not to mention, do you know what most newbie trainers do when they get their first Pokemon?”

Nina shook her head, too out of sorts to work her brain for the moment.

“They go and catch Pokemon!” Exclaimed Bill. “So rest assured that most of your future classmates are likely to have two Pokemons on their belt. In fact, the school imposes a two Pokemon limit on first years precisely to account for that fact.”

Bill was right. Nina had studied up on trainer school regulations so she knew about the carry limit for students. For first years it was two, but that limit will automatically increase by one more when they advance to the next year. Or alternatively, students can earn extra carry limits by scoring within the top five of the midterms or doing well in specific school events.

Nina smacked herself in the face to get herself together. Prompting a concerned Tini to lick the girl on her reddened cheeks.

The girl gave a gentle smile and a boop to her partner Pokemon. “I’m fine, Tini. Just trying to wake myself up. No need to worry.”

Nina took a deep breath. “If the weather is outside of my control then just ride the waves until I reach calmer seas. No point trying to fight the will of a Mythical Pokemon. Instead, I should just shore up whatever advantages I can to face whatever may come.”

After finding her resolve, Nina turned to look Bill in the eyes. “Thank you for the offer, Bill. I would be honored to adopt one of your Eevees. In fact, I swear that I will give them the best life that they deserve. If ever you see me going astray, please rescue them away from me. I don’t ever want to hurt any of my Pokemon, whether it be intentional or not.”

Bill gave the girl a bright smile, then knelt down and held her by the shoulders. “What you just said at the end was more than enough to validate my decision. I am sure that you will grow up to become an excellent trainer, one of the greats in fact.”

Nina blushed at the high praise and squirmed a little. “And if I may be so bold to ask. Do you know what I would need to do to get my hands on a Pokedex?”

Bill chuckled. “I would give you one myself were I to have such authority. But unfortunately, only Professor Oak, the inventor of the Pokedex cum our Regional Professor, along with Champion Lance and his Elite Four are allowed to hand out Pokedexes — not that those battle maniacs care to do so. In reality, it’s mostly Sam who screens potential Pokedex recipients.”

Nina nodded in understanding. It seems she’ll have to rely on Roxy for this, if her guess on the woman’s intentions were correct.

“Although, I can write to Sam and ask if he’d be willing to add you to the list. The man trusts my judgment and being a Gym Apprentice means that you will likely receive one automatically once you come of age anyway.”

Nina shook her head. “Beverly will receive one, I know. But I don’t plan on taking up the Gym’s sponsorship offer. Doing so comes with obligations which I’m not keen on.” The image of her in a string bikini being ogled at by the masses sent shivers down her spine.

“And there’s no need to write to Professor Oak either, I think I’ll try to earn a Pokedex on my own merits. If I fail then, well… Maybe?” The last part was added in a sheepish tone. It would be stupid of Nina to be without some form of contingency.

Bill chuckled at the girl’s determination. “I applaud your resolve. No worries, I’ll cover for you if you fail, though I highly doubt you will.” The man said the last part with a smirk, so Nina suspected that Bill must know something.

“Also, I understand your reservations about being sponsored by the Cerulean Gym. In fact, I can promise you a sponsorship right now for when you come of age.”

Nina widened her eyes so much that her eyeballs nearly fell out of their sockets. She was kind of expecting the Eevee, but not the sponsorship. “A-are you sure? I thought you don’t really do sponsorships?”

“I rarely do sponsorships, doesn't mean I don’t do them at all. I’m curious to see where you’ll go in the future so just think of it as a silly whim of mine. And I’m sure my wife would approve of my decision so no need to worry about me getting into trouble. She’s been nagging me about nurturing the next generation anyway.”

Nina gave a stiff nod, unsure of what to say other than “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now enough talk, let’s move on to the most exciting part of today’s meeting — choosing your Eevee!”