Zillia opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm, gaze fixed to the ceiling. Three months without a single dream... the medication was working. Perhaps now, she could finally move on with her life. As the girl moved about her house, getting herself ready to start her day, she found herself passing remnants of her happy life. Had she not trained herself to ignore it, she would no doubt have stopped at the picture from her 16th birthday; her and her parents, together with a young ralts in her arms. Two years old, and yet it was the last sight of the girl smiling... the last time her parents were alive.
Within the hour, she was walking out the door of her empty house, backpack slung over one arm. Today, she had decided, was when everything would change. Today she would find a job, no matter how measly, and she would LIVE. As the day dragged on, this determination began to fail... it was expected for a person of her age to be out there, proving herself as a trainer to defend the entire region. Only prospective scientists were ever exempt from this, something Zillia definitely was not.
With the day almost spent and not even a single resume taken, a thought struck the girl. If only young scientists were the ones getting hired, then maybe that's what she had to do. Building up her confidence once more, Zillia headed straight for the town laboratory. She may not be the smartest tool in the shed, as it were, but there were all sorts of things she could do. Besides, Professor Lennon was there. Playing the family friend card may not be particularly 'right', but if she didn't do something, who knows what she might resort to.
The laboratory was near the edge of town, and the only reason it was even a mark on the map. The League Challenge was a huge spectacle, cleanly combining military training with national entertainment. Any town that didn't have a gym, thus faded in to obscurity... unless they were home to a Pokemon Laboratory. As the large doors opened for her, Zillia took not one step inside before she was grabbed by the arms and pulled inside.
"FINALLY! Who found you? The professor has had us running all around town trying to find you. We wouldn't have had this problem if you had just accepted the phone I bought you."
Kia had barely changed since she first started working with the professor. Boisterous, active, lab coat full of holes and not even a month old. She had taken to dying her hair bright red years ago as a sort of warning signal to all. Originally they were going to do the league challenge together, but when Zillia's parents were killed, Kia decided she would change careers, if only to stay in touch.
"What do you mean? Where are you taking me? What does Lennon want with me? Kia, stooop!"
Kia let her friend go, spinning to face her with a wide grin on her face.
"Don't you know? He wants you, specifically, to help him do some research!"
