Disclaimer: These characters are owned by Nintendo, not by me. Cover by topcat-sama and used with permission. View my profile for a link to the picture.

I lean back in my chair, rubbing my eyes before I turn to look out at the city. My office is simple, but the view is what makes it worth the steep rent. As I insisted when searching for an office, it faces south. On a clear day, I can see all of Goldenrod City, the daycare, and even Ilex Forest.

I begin to see spots, so I swivel to look at the papers on my desk. When I started putting the word out that I'm looking for an assistant, I was surprised by the dozens of applications I received. After weeding out the weak resumes and a marathon of phone interviews, I've finally narrowed the applicants down to just a few.

Not surprisingly, the interviews have gone well. First, there's Nate. Although he's a good trainer and a lack of energy certainly won't be a problem, he seemed a little too enthusiastic about this potentially dangerous job. I don't think he's quite prepared for it. And then there's Alexa. I may not have heard much about her before, but she's resourceful, grounded, and used to this type of work. But I should keep an open mind. After all, I have one interview left and she may be the most promising candidate.

I've looked at these resumes long enough, I tell myself, pushing away from the desk. With nothing better to do, I check my mirror. As always, a lock of my black hair hangs out from under my hat. Is that a gray hair? I ask myself, leaning in closer to the mirror. Sure enough, my very first gray hair dangles in front of my forehead with the others.

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry, so I shift my attention to my clothes. As usual, I'm wearing a white dress shirt and black suit pants with matching shoes (my new jacket is hanging carelessly on a hook in the corner). I straighten my solid gold tie and adjust my hat. The hat's my favorite part of the ensemble. It's a just a simple black fedora with a gold hat band, but I always feel more confident when I'm wearing it. I miss my old hat from my childhood sometimes, but this hat is a bit more practical as a professional.

As I adjust my sleeves, I hear a knock at the door as it slowly opens. "Hello? Mr. Hart?" asks a soft voice.

I turn from the mirror to see my final applicant. "Afternoon, Dawn. It's nice to finally meet you. Please call me Ethan."

"Thank you, Ethan," she says, smiling nervously. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well.

"Please, have a seat." I sit at my desk and Dawn carefully sits in the chair in front of me. She's dressed well, in a striking but professional black short-sleeved shirt and a modest pink skirt. A thin pink scarf is wrapped around her neck and she's wearing simple, round pink earrings and white hairclips. I note that she doesn't wear a hat. As she crosses her legs, I see that she's wearing sensible pink high heels.

"You must be tired," I say. "It's a long journey from Sinnoh."

"Oh, only a bit." Dawn says with a small smile. "As soon as I got your message about being a finalist for the position, I took the first boat to Johto and arrived with plenty of time."

"I appreciate that you took the trip," I say, looking down to check my notes. "I see that you have extensive experience as an assistant from your work with Professor Rowan."

"Yes," says Dawn, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs. "I enjoyed fourteen years of working with Professor Rowan. I took notes and recorded data in my Pokédex, and even caught a few Pokémon for him to study. I spent much of my time preforming a wide variety of everyday tasks for the professor, especially in his later years."

I'm well aware of Rowan's recent death, but it would be unprofessional to mention it now. "That sounds a lot like work that you would be doing as my assistant, but there would be little catching or studying of Pokémon. For this job, you would assist me in capturing and studying criminals instead. Would you be comfortable with that?"

"I believe so," she says, adjusting her skirt. "To be complexly honest, Ethan, being a professor's assistant is an extremely competitive field nowadays. I just left an interview with Professor Elm, and from what I've seen, every applicant except me is more qualified. In this job market, chances are slim that I could continue in that field. Anyways, Professor Rowan was a great man, but I don't know if I want to spend my life running errands for aging professors anymore."

What about aging private investigators? I think to myself. "This job can be dangerous, and it isn't always pretty. I need to know if you can handle that."

Dawn nods confidently. "I can."

"Excellent," I say. "Why are you interested in this position? You don't seem the type to be a weekend warrior."

Dawn is silent for a moment. "I don't want my life to stagnate. It seems like I've seen and done everything there is to see and do in Sinnoh. I need to do something new, something important. And it seems like you're making a difference here."

She looks me directly in the eye and the words hang in the air for several seconds. That's the best answer to that question I've heard all day.

I smile. "Congratulations," I say. "You've got the job."

She abruptly jumps out of her seat, composes herself, and then calmly shakes my hand.

"Thank you, Ethan! When can I start?"

"Tomorrow," I say, still smiling. "I'll call you in the morning and we can get started on some more tame cases."

She beams. "Sounds wonderful!"

"Great," I say, opening the door for her. "I'll see you then, Dawn."

After she leaves, I grab my jacket. Now that the interviews are over, I can make Ruby rethink his outdated team and regret his missing toe again.