Alias Jones fiddled with the noose around his neck. For the life of him he couldn’t get the blasted thing to look right. His brother, Patrick, laughed out by his side and gently spun Ali around to face him.
“You know it’s really not that difficult,” teased Patrick.
Ali scoffed. “What’s the point of this damned thing anyway?!” He exclaimed, referring to the necktie that his brother was adjusting for him at that moment. “Are you people so masochistic that you have to have something choking your neck at all times. As if all the red tape wasn’t enough bondage for you all.”
Patrick chuckled. “It’s just a formality. Most people don’t need to wear them on the regular. Just be thankful they’re not suspenders.”
“What’s wrong with suspenders? At least they serve a purpose. Unlike this decorative silk noose.” Ali grew up reading a lot of adventure novels about the industrial era, back when the world was more isolated, with an abundance of unknown regions and Pokemon to discover. As such, he had a fondness for the old-timey fashion of that time period.
It was his love of those same adventure novels that spurred him to go out and see the wider world. He wanted to be like the heroes depicted in their pages; handsome, daring and cunning. To explore treacherous temples, strike down conniving villains, and rescue damsels in distress.
“Yeah… I forgot that you had a thing for suspenders… There, all done.” Patrick straightened his brother's tie and sweeped Ali’s shoulders to straighten his shirt, then turned the man back towards the mirror to await his judgment.
“Thanks, Patrick. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.” Despite Patrick’s humility, Ali was of the firm belief that his brother is one of the most remarkable people he knew. And that was on a list that includes lots of big name trainers and researchers.
He sincerely believed that it took a lot of dedication and courage to root oneself and single-handedly provide for an entire family. Unlike their own parents who were whimsical at best, and irresponsibly negligent at worst. At the very least, it wasn’t something that Ali believed he was capable of accomplishing on his own.
Patrick laughed and gave his brother a reassuring pat on the back. “You’ll do just fine,” he said. “Remember, just be yourself. Interviewers can sniff out lies like a Growlithe sniffs treats. Also, I know it’s called an interview, but treat it like a conversation. Ask questions of your own, engage with them, and form a connection. The Ali I know isn’t some passive Slowbro anyway.”
Ali mouthed all of Patrick’s advice in an attempt to memorize them. When it came to stuff like this, his younger brother knew best. The man had gone through his fair share of interviews and has even conducted interviews of his own.
“Thanks, bro,” said Ali. And with that, Patrick left the house with Leanette to go out on a date, allowing Ali to have the apartment all to himself.
Ali took in a deep breath and did a little hop to psyche himself up, in the same way that he would often see his darling little niece do when she was feeling overwhelmed. He had to admit, the little jolt to his brain does kind of help.
The nervous man glanced at the time and sat down on his brother’s living room sofa to grab the bulky laptop that Nina had lent to her Uncle Ali just for today. The endearing little girl had even written down detailed instructions on a piece of paper for Ali, teaching him how to operate the machine.
“Let’s see here… This is the power button… Then I put in the password… And then which icon do I click? The one that has a magnifying glass with a Porygon… Aha! Found it.” Ali was never really good with technology. He always had to rely on the people around him to even check his email. So hopefully this job wouldn’t require him to be computer savvy.
The job he was about to interview for was with International Police, or Interpol, as they were more commonly known. He got inspired by their eventful trip to the Hidden Valley Estate. Seeing the harm caused by Team Rocket and the emotional state of the usually cool and collected Misty made him realize that there were lots of ne'er-do-wells in this world, and that he could do a lot of good by dedicating his life to locking them up.
He could have joined more conventional law enforcement, but that required time in the Police Academy and Ali had always been a poor student. Interpol was great since it also allowed him to satisfy his travel itch from time to time. And it was actually Misty who brought the job notice to his attention, which he was extremely thankful for.
As the time of the interview approached, Ali straightened his back, took in another deep breath and put on his best smile. “Dammit Ali, why do you gotta feel like peeing right now?! Didn’t you go just now?”
But before he could even consider another bathroom run, the blank screen blinked into life as Ali was diverted from the waiting room over to the digital conference room where the stoic faces of two men and one woman in generic black suits awaited.
“Hello, Alias Jones I presume?” Began the man sitting in the middle.
Ali let out his most charming smile, showcasing his pearly white teeth. “Indeed, Alias Jones at your service. Hello to you as well, and thank you for having me today.”
The man did not reply, simply nodding curtly and scribbling something down on a piece of paper. The tension in the air was enough to make Ali sweat, his blasted necktie feeling like it was closing in on his throat to strangle him. “Why does it feel like facing down an Alpha feels easier than this?”
“Now then, Mr Jones. I see that you have quite the resume,” continued the man in the middle. “What prompted an individual like yourself to apply for this position? I believe you do understand what the role of Interpol Liaison for the Kanto Region entails, yes?”
Ali nodded with a stiff smile. “Yes, actually. Basically, I’m to act as a middle-man for Interpol and the local authorities. Stepping in to represent the agency whenever an incident occurs that infringes upon Interpol's jurisdiction.”
The man nodded and continued scribbling. “An adequate if somewhat basic interpretation. The general scope itself is as you said, but the actual details of this role is a fair bit more nuanced. Merely representing our agency is not enough. A liaison also acts to actively advocate for Interpol's interests and at times function as a bulwark to resist the… willfulness of the Pokemon League.”
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Ali cleared his throat and adjusted his neck tie. “Do you mind giving me an example just so that I can make sure our understandings are aligned?”
The interviewer smiled faintly for the first time and Ali swore to give his brother a big kiss later for his sage advice.
“Of course,” said the man. “Say for example, an Ultra Wormhole was found in Kanto. The likelihood is slim of course, but we’re merely entertaining hypotheticals here. As everyone well knows, all matters pertaining to Ultra Wormholes are firmly within Interpol's jurisdiction. In such a hypothetical, how would you, as our hypothetical liaison go about handling the matter?”
Ali cleared his throat again. “I suppose the obvious first step would be to report the matter to Interpol and move to secure the location of the Wormhole? I’m not entirely sure about the nitty gritty of your processes. But at some point, I’d probably have to contact someone in the League to discuss the handling of the Wormhole. Since we would need the Indigo League’s cooperation in dealing with any crisis that occurs within their borders.”
The man nodded again and followed up with another scenario. “Now say for example, this hypothetical Wormhole emerged in the Safari Zone, a nature reserve wholly under the management of the Indigo League. And our counterparts in the League took advantage of the fact to deny Interpol access to the site by citing environmental disruption as a concern.”
The man then clicked his pen a few times and gave it a twirl. “However, the underlying intent behind said hypothetical is one where the Indigo League wishes to obstruct our Interpol agents in conducting their duties, all so that they may procure Ultra Beasts of their own for research purposes. How would you go about resolving such a situation?”
Ali let out a stiff smile as his sweating intensified. “W-well as you mentioned, there’s a lot of nuances with every situation. In this case I suppose we can only try our best to negotiate for entry.” The man clicked his pen again and began scribbling indifferently.
“However!” Continued Ali. “I do personally know a number of Safari Rangers from my travels and a couple of them owe me some favors. So I suppose while the diplomacy is ongoing, there’s really no point in lying still. I might reach out to my contacts and try to conduct an independent investigation on the League’s intent. Hopefully, I’ll be able to find some sort of bla- I mean, leverage to use in our negotiations.”
The man in black nodded and continued scribbling, but said nothing else. Next, the sole woman among the interviewers spoke up.
“Tell me, Mr Jones,” her tone sounding more cordial than her colleague. “I can see that you’re a very well traveled person. Can you tell me what your expectations are regarding this particular role?”
Ali smiled naturally, feeling more comfortable with this question. “Well, even the sturdiest of Pidgeots need to make roost at some point. I’m hoping for more stability in my life. My recent… work in Paldea has instilled in me an appreciation for family. I’m hoping to maybe follow in my brother’s footsteps and start a family of my own,” he said, somewhat pensively.
“But at the same time, I don’t think I can ever give up on my desire to travel. So I’m hoping that this job represents a decent compromise to that end.”
The woman nodded, scribbling notes of her own. “The job may not be as exciting as you imagined. There’s lots of paperwork and tedium involved when it comes to dealing with bureaucrats. And make no mistake, you will be dealing with bureaucrats on a day to day basis. In fact, one might even say that’s the main bulk of the job. What do you say to that?”
Ali laughed. “Well I suppose I should start taking lessons from my brother then!” he answered simply.
Next up, the other guy in a suit spoke up. And the words that man recited were ones feared by interviewees all across the globe. “So Mr Jones, tell me about your plans for the next ten years…”
***
After finally liberating his neck from the abominable silk noose. Ali left the apartment to get some fresh air and stretch his body after that strenuous ordeal. He felt utterly exhausted, and yet his mind won’t let go of the interviewer's words and his subsequent responses, replaying them over and over again and thinking of other things he could have said instead.
He knew that ruminating on past events will do nothing to change the outcome, but it was inevitable for humans to feel regret. It was how they identify mistakes and learn to do better, propelling their weak species to continuously innovate to reach their current position in the world.
“Uncle Ali, are you okay?”
Ali lifted his head from the park bench where he was sitting to see the ridiculously cute sight of his beloved niece and her Pokemon.
The girl’s hair was all damp and clumped together, indicating that she had just returned from her weekly dives. Wrapped around her was Nina’s Dratini who was mirroring his trainer’s expression and staring at Ali with the same concerned eyes.
On top of his niece’s shoulder was the girl’s haughty little Eevee who was leisurely hanging on, making Ali wonder how the girl was even able to sustain the weight of two decent sized Pokemon on her. And riding atop a cooler that Nina was dragging around by its handle was Patrick’s Pikachu who had also joined in on the excursion.
The girl covered in Pokemon looked ridiculous, but Ali couldn’t help but let out a warm smile at the sight of his adorable niece.
It usually took some time for children to learn how to live alongside Pokemon, something that Ali himself had to go through as well. But to his knowledge, Nina was an absolute natural when it came to her aptitude with Pokemon. To the point where she even earned the acknowledgement of Misty, a seasoned Gym Leader.
“Hey, there’s my favorite niece! Did you just come back from diving?”
Nina nodded and asked her Pokemon to go play in the park while she sat next to Ali and gave him that same insightful gaze that the girl had always possessed. Sometimes, it really feels like the girl could just see right through him to all the deep seated insecurities he had hidden away from the world.
“How was the interview?” She asked, getting straight into the heart of the matter.
Ali chuckled. “About as well as you’d expect from a thirty six year old man who’s never had a stable job in his life. Your father is a remarkable man, you know that?”
Nina shook her head. “Dad has things he’s good at and things he’s not. You’ve been all over the world and have seen sights other people could only dream of. In my mind, you’re a very remarkable person too. One of the greats, in fact. There’s probably only a handful of people in this world who can do what you did.”
Ali laughed. His niece had always had a way with words. Truly, she has inherited only the best from their family’s piddly little genepool.
Ali gave a bright smile at his niece’s encouragement. Or at least he hoped he did. It was a little hard to tell what his face looked like given his current mood. He couldn’t let himself appear weak in front of Nina. He knew better than anyone how much his niece worshiped him.
In her mind, Ali was a hero. Someone who she aspires to become one day. But little did she know, Ali considered her as his guiding light as well, one that shines brighter even than Arceus’s radiance in the deepest and darkest depths of Area Zero.
The inbox full of emails from Nina that he would find everytime he returned to civilization was the only thread he could climb to restore his sanity after an excursion into the abyss. Reading about Nina’s recent events, her joys and anxieties of finally owning Pokemon, the stressful work at the Gym, her friends and family — all of these little mundane things helped to ground him and maintain his humanity.
As a matter of fact, he would always ask the researchers at the lab to help him download the emails onto his Rotom Phone just so that he could read them during the most strenuous of nights in Area Zero. Because as much as he loved his Pokemon, there was something special about a human connection that they simply cannot replicate.
Nina was unconvinced by her uncle’s facade, puffing up her cheeks to glare at him. “Is this about your time in the Crater? You can tell me stuff you know? Without needing to go into specifics. It’s not good to keep things bottled up like that.”
There it was again, Nina’s keen insight. Ali felt a little inadequate as an adult for being exposed by a child so easily. He reached out to pat his niece on the head and assure her once more that she was fine. Just a little bothered by some of the things he said in the interview.
But in truth, the scars behind his back were throbbing. Misty often said that they were sexy and loved to caress them. And Ali did not have the heart to tell her about the pain they caused him.
The wounds have long since healed of course, but everytime they throbbed, Ali was reminded of the broken Key Stone dangling around his neck and the Charizard who stayed behind in exchange for his worthless life. And his heart would feel like it was being grated on by a million Sandshrews.
“Come on, let’s go get dinner,” suggested Ali. “You parents have gone off on a little date so no one’s home right now. It’ll be my treat.”
Nina scoffed. “Between the two of us, you’re the one who’s unemployed, Uncle Ali. If anything it’ll be my treat.”
Ali laughed out loud at the deep cut that his adorable little niece had just delivered to him and pulled her in for a hug that would put even a Bewear to shame.
The girl yelped in surprise and struggled to pry herself loose before sticking her tongue out at him. “I wanna go back home and drop off the fish first. Then we can go,” said Nina.
“Alright, what do you want to eat, boss?”
“Munchies!” Nina exclaimed, eliciting more laughter from Ali.
“Kids and their junk food…” And yet, he couldn’t help but spoil his one and only niece.
It was not until two weeks later that Ali got an email from Interpol, notifying him of his successful transition to the second round of interviews. “Oh boy… Here we go again.” He thought.