Mete glanced back at where his pokemon were chowing down on the meal Ysabel and Rolfe had prepared, the couple being too stubborn to take ‘no’ for an answer. Neither Bert nor the Nidoran had dietary restrictions that made the honeyed meats dangerous for them, and he could hardly deny them the treat after their hard work that morning.

He sighed. He’d really need to negotiate a name with the rabbit pokemon when they had time, but for the moment the mission and initial training took precedence.

His gaze turned back to the video phone that he’d been surprised to learn the couple owned. As much as he might feel bad about impinging upon their hospitality even further, he could put that feeling aside given his need to speak with the professor. He looked between the phone and his pokemon, judging the distance. Between the television the couple had playing and the distance between himself and the Charmander and Nidoran, he judged that they’d be unable to hear the conversation he needed to have.

When the call connected, the woman he knew as Professor Rosewood looked back with a sharp gaze framed by her braided locks of blonde hair. She was one of the youngest professors on record, and from what Mete had been able to find out the other academics in the region had given her a run for her money between their years of experience and simple prejudice. But she’d earned her position regardless.

“Professor, good morning,” he said, holding the phone part of the video-phone to his cheek.

Her smile was thin but genuine.

“Good morning Mete. I hope you arrived safely?”

“I did,” he said, “I reached Hawthorne last night just in time to scare off some belligerent Cottonees, but we haven’t heard anything since then. We spent the morning training.”

The Professor quirked an eyebrow. “You haven’t investigated yet? I didn’t think your Charmander was in need of any further training for a simple investigation mission like this.”

“Ah, well you see…” Mete said uncertainly, “On our way here there was an urgent posting in one of the centers. There was a rabid Houndour, and we tracked it down quickly. But it had gotten ahold of a young Nidoran and after taking it to the center…”

Rosewood nodded in understanding as she swiftly connected the dots. “The Nidoran chose to join you, and while you prioritized arriving at Hawthorne, you wanted to get some training in rather than rushing out into the surrounding forests immediately.”

“Sorry Professor. Should we have…?”

The woman shook her head. “Staying to ensure another attack didn’t occur is understandable, especially given a new element on your team. I can’t imagine that keeping another pokemon in stasis was an attractive proposition for you either.”

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Mete grimaced, looking to the side. “I just… I don’t…”

Rosewood’s intense expression softened then. “Easy, Mete. You don’t need to defend your thoughts on such to me. Kindness is not weakness, regardless of what some in the leagues today might say.”

“Have you spoken with your Nidroran about Bert?”

Mete’s eyes shot back to Rosewood.

“You told me that you’ve spoken with your Gastley about it. I’d advise that you do the same for your Nidoran sooner rather than later, especially if you plan to introduce them to each other.”

Mete nodded slowly as the professor’s advice once again acted as a bitter but necessary pill.

“One more thing, Professor,” he said, “we did some baselines. Nidoran can use Peck, but can’t seem to use Leer.”

The professor tilted her head back and to the side questioningly, raising a hand to her chin in thought.

“That’s certainly unusual,” she replied neutrally, “though I can think of a few possible explanations.”

Mete remained silent, wanting to hear the professor out rather than interject his own suspicion.

Rosewood narrowed her eyes. “How does the Nidoran behave with regards to yourself and Bert?”

“Obediently, and with full understanding I think,” the trainer replied with as little inflection as he could.

The professor pinched the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes for a full three seconds saying nothing. She opened her eyes, and they shared an unspoken look of resigned agreement. When she spoke, it was with a note of steel in her voice.

“I’ll check some records discreetly,” she said, “Be careful with that one. Runaways and abandoned pokemon are especially prone to trust issues and are easily alienated. They can also push themselves harder than is healthy if not carefully monitored. You may even want to talk to Bert privately.”

Mete furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you sure I shouldn’t see if anyone can take him in? There’s got to be someone in the village-”

He clammed up as Rosewood got that familiar look and laughed, shaking her head as the tension visibly drained from her posture.

“Mete, if it were anyone but you… you’ll be fine.”

“Professor…”

Rosewood smiled knowingly.

Sighing, the trainer nodded. “If you say so. Anyway, I’m planning to do some cursory scouting this evening. Might not come to anything, but I’ll check in again once we have something to report.”

The professor wished him luck, and they went through the motions of the ending-a-call pleasantries, but Mete’s heart wasn’t in it. When he finally hung up the phone, eyes closed, and let out a long sigh, he thought he was ready to try and figure out how to get Bert aside to speak privately.

Looking over at his pokemon once more, he frowned as he realized what he was looking at. The Nidoran was digging through his trainer pack while Bert looked on with an expression somewhere between concern and confusion. When the poison rabbit came up holding Mete’s pokedex, the trainer made a quick decision, picking up the phone once more to hold it to his ear as he kept a surreptitious eye on the pokemon.

This was definitely what one of his friends might have called ‘suspicious but telling behavior.’ He decided that he would observe for the moment as he listened to the dial tone in one ear.