'Great, I already messed up before I could even leave the city. I couldn't even get a single Pokémon! Sycamore is probably going to send me back to Team Flare, but what happens then? How do I explain this to the other grunts? I can't go back, never. I have to convince him that I came here on my own, and not for Team Flare.'
Professor Sycamore flipped the light switch. "Since when does Team Flare organize solo missions? You always come in a group." The ex-Team Flare grunt looked at his feet, avoiding eye contact. He was too scared to face the Pokémon Professor directly. "I'm not part of Team Flare." Sycamore snickered, and turned around. "Yeah sure, your outfit really doesn't tell me otherwise. Follow me, please, and put that Pokéball back where you found it."
He decided that listening to what Sycamore said might be the only way to gain his trust. He placed the Pokéball back in its holder, and followed the Professor back to the hall. He saw that Sycamore walked upstairs, without looking behind a single time, to check if he was really coming after him. 'He's giving me a chance to escape. I could run away right now, and he would do nothing about it.'
He stopped in the center of the hall, and looked at the window. Then, he followed Sycamore up the stairs. He saw him going in one of the many rooms, but he left the door opened. He looked inside, and saw the Professor talking with a scientist. 'Why are they all awake so early? The sun isn't even up yet, and the citizens of Lumiose City are all still asleep, but the scientists in the Pokémon Lab are already active.' He took a deep breath and stepped inside the room.
Sycamore turned to the ex-grunt, and he could see a faint smile on his face. "I gave you the opportunity to get away, yet you didn't take it. That is very interesting for a Team Flare member." This time, he did look the Pokémon Professor right in the eyes: "As I said, I am no longer part of Team Flare. I left the organization to fulfil my dream of becoming a successful man. But I guess you won't believe that either?" Sycamore smiled at him. "Team Flare or not, you are certainly a unique young man. Tell me, what is your name?"
'My name...' The thought of his name made him shiver. "I don't have a name." Again, Sycamore smiled. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation a lot. "Clara, could you tell us the name of this boy?" The scientist started rapidly pushing buttons on her computer. "Of course I can! If I can trace the fingerprints on the Pokéball he touched, I will have his identity in no time!" She seemed way too enthusiastic about this, as if she had been waiting for this moment for years.
Sycamore got up from his chair, and walked to the printer on the other side of the room. He took the paper that was just printed, and looked at the information on it. "There we go. Elijah Zero, born and raised in Lumiose City. Parents, unknown. Other relatives, unknown. Well, at least we know your name now." He looked at Elijah, who was shaking heavily on his feet. His face had turned as red as his outfit. "Please... Never call me that again. I can't stand that name."
Professor Sycamore laughed as he sat back down. "Never mind that. You must know that I still cannot entrust you with a Pokémon quite yet, it is too dangerous. However, if you decide to stay here for the rest of the day, I might consider it. Clara could be your guide for today, and she will keep an eye out for anything suspicious. So, how does that sound to you?"
Elijah could not believe what he heard. 'I broke into the Pokémon Lab, attempting to steal a Pokémon. And still, after that, he will allow me to stay here?' The scientist looked at him hopefully. He suddenly realized that she didn't care if he was a Team Flare member or not. She didn't mind it at all, unlike everyone else. "That would be amazing." Sycamore clapped in his hands. "Then we have a deal. Clara, I will leave him with you for now, I have some other things to do."
The next hour, Clara showed him every corner of the Pokémon Lab, quite literally. Elijah tried to pretend he was interested, but that was really difficult. Eventually, she guided him to the final room. "This is our Pokémon Climate Resort. In here, we keep different species of Pokémon for research, while they stay here under the best conditions. Please be careful, as they might attack you. Some of them are really energetic, you know?" With a bright smile, she opened the doors, and Elijah saw the great environment inside.
It was as if they were in a beautiful park, the only difference being that there was a roof above their head. There were bushes and trees, a pond and even a tiny waterfall. And the best part was that there were Pokémon everywhere. Suddenly, he heard someone screaming from behind. "Clara, what are you thinking? You can't just bring a Team Flare member in the Resort, are you insane? Just wait until Sycamore hears about this!" Elijah looked over his shoulder, and saw a male scientist scolding Clara.
Clara's mood instantly turned from happy to angry. "Listen Brandon, Sycamore already knows about this boy. In fact, he was the one who told me to serve as a guide for today. So think before you start yelling like a child the next time, all right?" The scientist gave Elijah a sceptical look. "So that's how it is. Good guy Sycamore gives everyone a change, doesn't he? That will be his downfall one day, I'm calling it. Don't expect everyone to be like him, grunt. Sycamore is probably the most sympathetic man you will find in Kalos, the rest won't accept you that easily."
Clara punched his shoulder. "Don't talk like that! Can't you just go somewhere else, I'll take over from you." Brandon sniffed, got his stuff, and walked away. Elijah assumed that even scientists had problems with teamwork sometimes. When Clara turned around, she was once again happy and energetic. "Hey, it seems like you have some visitors!"
In front of Elijah, three Pokémon were staring at him, keeping a safe distance. He knelt down to tell them it was safe. Slowly, the middle one walked closer to him. Clara watched in amaze how good this former member of Team Flare could take care of Pokémon. "That is the only Fennekin we have been able to find. They seem to be a very rare species, so we are very proud of this one!" Elijah played a bit more with the Pokémon, and other Pokémon approached him shortly after. He spent the rest of the day playing with the various Pokémon, and before he knew it, it was already night again.
"I'm glad to see that you treat our Pokémon so well." Sycamore's voice startled him, as he hadn't seen him coming in. That was when Elijah noticed that it had turned dark outside, meaning that he spent many hours playing with the Pokémon. "Tomorrow, we will see what happens next, but first we must rest. We have an extra room where you can spend the night, so don't worry about that."
The Fennekin was sad that her new friend had to leave already. Elijah promised that he would come back tomorrow, which cheered her up a bit. However, when he laid in his bed, he couldn't fall asleep. He wanted to go back to the Pokémon, and play some more with them. 'Maybe I can just sneak in there, just for a short while. I'll be back before anyone notices I'm gone!'