His days at the Pokemon Center are usually busy. Sometimes it's completely chaotic, sometimes not. Boring days are rare, and he truly does love his job.

It has the weird side effect of wanting to murder people though. They definitely don't mention that part during the training program.

"Chansey, get a heavier rope, it seems we have a troublemaker."

He scowls as a Jigglypuff manages to keep out of reach; the pokemon continues to make faces at him as it floats away.

His bad mood is made worse when he hears a snicker coming from the other side of the room. There's a waiting room full of trainers that seem to find the situation entertaining, and he has to fight down to urge to start throwing things.

Chansey throws a thicker cord to him, as the Jigglypuff broke the last one, and he pops it towards the pokemon threateningly. He ignores the ringing of his Xtransceiver and chases after the small pokemon floating away from him.

"Stay still already," he says through gritted teeth.

After a struggle, he manages to wrap the cord around the pokemon's foot and ties it to a paperweight on his desk. He picks up the still ringing device.

"What," he bites out.

"Alola!" Kyle sings back.

"Why?" He asks the world briefly before letting out a sigh. "How do you know about the reassignment?"

"I know everything," Kyle grins from their living room couch.

"Did you hack my file or did you bribe my boss again?" He questions with a frown.

"Neither," the other replies, "I saw the folder on the table."

"Oh," he blinks, "that's such a mundane way to find out. Usually everything's over the top with you."

"Sorry to disappoint," Kyle says dryly, "but I can't be a super spy all the time."

"That's not—look, I'm busy. We can talk about this when I get home," he says, well aware the conversation isn't exactly private.

"I'll be here," the trainer promises, "just wanted to let you know that I'm going ahead and getting things packed."

"Don't pack everything, it's only for a year," he warns.

"Got it, so what's up with the Jigglypuff?" Kyle wants to know.

"Some idiot," he begins with vehemence, "decided to teach his Jigglypuff Fly."

"It didn't work." He stresses, "It did not work."

...

He's being given a temporary position at one of the Pokemon Centers in Alola, specifically Melemele Island. Supposedly there's an influx of Kanto and Johto pokemon that the local centers want him to help deal with, but he suspects they just want to use him as a male role model for the local punks.

It's not the first time he's been sent off for PR, and it won't be the last time.

Still, he sees it as a chance to improve his own skills by working with Alolan pokemon and maybe making friends with some nice locals.

And maybe, he thinks, his co-workers will miss him when he's gone, perhaps the blonde-haired co-worker that likes to paint little hearts on her nails.

A goofy smile takes over his face at the thought only to fall at the sight of a deliveryman approaching his desk with an elaborate bouquet.

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.

"You do that on purpose," he accuses the moment he gets home.

"Do what?" Kyle asks airily from the kitchen table.

"The thing!"

"Thing?"

"You know, the—argh!" He throws his hands up.

"Everyone thinks we're together, so every time I ask Lacey out, it looks like I'm trying to cheat on you," his eye twitches.

"And just when I have her convinced, you walk through with flowers or candy and leave them on my desk! And the worst part—the worst part is that they're not for me."

"Well someone has to give those poor pokemon something to be cheerful about," the Ace trainer tells him.

"There was only a Poochyena with a slightly singed tail that one day," he huffs.

"How would you feel being abandoned after some idiot set your tail on fire?" Kyle shoots back.

"It was already recovered! We were just waiting on its trainer to come back!" He throws his hands up again.

"Abandoned by his trainer, atrocious," Kyle scorns mockingly.

"Its trainer felt so bad, she ran off to grab five boxes of pokemon treats. And a grooming kit. And a new pillow," he reminds the other man.

He turns on the kettle already on the stove and grabs two mugs hanging near the stove, one pink and one white with "That's Mr. Joy" written on it.

"I'm leaving in about a week—,"

"We're," Kyle interjects.

"We're leaving in about a week, and we'll be renting out a room out of someone's house. So we can't exactly take everything," he says rooting through the cabinets for Chansey's special tea.

"We're going to have to put some of the stuff in storage and lock up the rest. I don't think anyone will give us trouble, but Roger's agreed to stop by every couple of days," he continues, looking for his own brand of tea.

"We're also going to need—"

"Sunglasses," Kyle nods, "it's pretty important and maybe some new shorts."

"I'm trying to have a serious conversation here," he says irritably.

"As am I," the Ace trainer says, "Alola gets hot. I have to keep wearing this jacket too! Maybe shorts will keep the heat stroke at bay? Oh, and you can wear one of those grass skirts—"

"You know what? Chansey misses you, have a hug," he throws the pokeball at the other's face.

Kyle hits the floor with a thud and barely dodges the summoned pokemon. The Ace trainer doesn't manage to get out of the ensuing cuddle from a delighted Chansey.

He only calls the pokemon off when the kettle starts whistling.

...

They have to board three different ships to get to Alola, and they land on the sunny island a few days later.

They only have two suitcases each, but they both agreed that if they need anything else they could buy it later.

Kyle did in fact decide to undergo an outfit change—the other man wears his official jacket like a cape over a tank top. He also wears lighter pants, and shoes that are a bizarre mix between boots and sandals.

Despite the Ace trainer's best efforts, he only brings his official uniform and some plain t-shirts and shorts.

...

Kyle dashes off the moment the ship docks. Melemele Island has a lot to see on its main street, but the Ace trainer seems unusually excited. The other man keeps whipping his head around as if looking for something.

He doesn't understand how the other guy can run around dressed in black while carrying two heavy suitcases in this heat.

"Ah, man," Kyle exclaims with a hand shading his eyes, "this is bringing back the memories!"

He flicks a gaze over at the trainer warily.

"Memories?" He questions reluctantly.

He's found that anytime Kyle decides to volunteer information about himself, it's solely to make everyone around him uncomfortable.

("Man, this reminds me of—hey, did I ever tell you about my pseudo family growing up?"

He hesitates for a moment.

"No."

"Ask me, ask me!"

With dread, he does so.

"I hated them so much I burnt their house to the ground! Couldn't be forced to stay with them if they had no house, right?" Kyle chortles.)

"Yeah, this was the first placed I lived at that wasn't a hotel or a tent!"

There are a lot of mines in that sentence, so he chooses the safest bet.

"You used to live here?"

"Yep, right here somewhere! Used to go to the beach and play in the sand with my Growlithe everyday. That Growlithe was a moat-building machine. Hated the water though, made filling the moat an epic struggle."

"It's not your Arcanine, is it?" He closes his eyes and waits for it.

"Nope! Parents threw away the frivolous stuff when we moved to Unova. Sadly, Growlithe wasn't a necessity."

Knew it, he thinks with a sigh.

"Got a Purrloin next. It was a demon and I enjoyed losing that one very much. Threw it out with the trash," Kyle says to rile him up.

It works.

"Hey now, you can't just treat pokemon like they're objects!" He starts his familiar rant.

Kyle just picks up his suitcases and strolls away with a grin.