While I was getting ready, I saw that piece of glossy type paper shaped like a helix on my desk. One of the servants must have found it in my jumper pocket and placed it on my desk for me. I went over to it took it, and sat on my bed. Clark floated after me.
"What's it say?" Clark asked, looking down at it.
"It says Team EVO." I said, looking at it.
Clark tilted his head a little. Elgy? "What's Team EVO?"
"I'm not sure. But I haven't heard of any group before that starts with the word Team that ended up being good. So maybe it's bad." I looked down at the paper, and held it to Clark. "What do you think?"
"Hmm…" Em… He looked down at it for a long time, then at my face. "I can't read." I flopped back onto my bed in response, holding it over my head. I turned it over and saw more writing. "What's that?"
"More words. Let me read it to you." I ahem'd, and read to him, "Are you looking for friends? Looking for wisdom? Looking to support a great cause? Look no further than Team EVO."
Clark interrupted me. "It sounds pretty good so far. Friends are good, right?"
"Right, friends are good, we like having friends." I said, glancing to him, before looking back at it and continuing reading. "The legends state humans and Pokémon were once one, and throughout time, we have tried to control them. Team EVO believes humanity is a pox upon all Pokémon and that we must do our best to prevent any further damage."
Clark interrupted me again. "What's a pox?"
"Ionno. It sounds bad." I read the rest of it. "Look no further than how humans treat Pokémon to see how true this is. If you're interested in joining the cause, look behind your nearest Pokémon Center for meetings held every Saturday night. Pokémon are welcome only outside of Pokéballs. All ages welcome." I lowered it, staring at my ceiling. "Huh."
"Are we going to go?"
"Yeah we're gonna go!" I sat up and grinned at Clark. "I want to meet new people, and they sound like that guy we met at the Pokémon Center. It doesn't sound like it's bad, does it?"
Clark shook his whole body as a 'no.' "I want to meet other people who are nice," he said in a small voice.
"I'm sure we'll meet lots there. Now, how are you coming with me?" I got up and put the paper away in my drawer. I felt a weight on my head, though not obscenely heavy. A look to the mirror revealed he was splayed atop my head. I readjusted my lab coat. "That works!" I headed down stairs. As I did, I could feel him playing with my hair again. "You like my hair a lot."
"Yes. It feels nice. I don't have any hair or fur."
"Yep, you're naked."
"Is that bad?"
"No, Pokémon go around naked, it's natural."
"Are humans natural with clothing? Or is naked natural for them too?"
"I… don't know! We can ask Perry. I'd say we can ask Mara, but she's grumpy."
"Mara acts like she ate an Apicot berry," Clark said, wiggling on my head.
I rolled my eyes. "I should call you Wiggles, you move so much."
"I can't help it, my tail moves my whole body!"
"How can something so small move your whole body? You have next to no tail!"
"I'm very happy!" El!
When we got to the lab, I headed towards where Mara's station was. I saw her and Randall talking. Randall's hand was on her shoulder as he spoke to her. I couldn't hear them too well. He seemed aware of my presence and let his hand slide off her shoulder. "Ah, you're here, good. Mara will be taking care of you from now on, as you know." I nodded. Mara extended a hand to me.
"… I look forward to educating you, Miss Riches." She had on a smile that reminded me of the ones that Mom gave people sometimes. I shook her hand anyway. It was expected.
"I look forward to being educated…?" I glanced to Randall. He nodded his head.
He went to my bags I brought in and set them on my desk. He took a key out of his pocket and gave it to me. It was a small key. "Here. It's for locking your desk. You put your belongings in there, then lock them up whenever you leave your desk. You remember how to use a computer, right?" I nodded. "Good. You have access only to our network, so you won't be able to read manga or anything like that." I snapped.
"Is that Elgyem going to be here the whole time?" Mara asked uneasily. I nodded to Mara.
"His name is Clark."
"Is he well behaved?"
"Yes, he's very well behaved. He protected me from a Litwick."
"Why did you instigate a fight with a Litwick?"
"I didn't!" I frowned at Mara.
Randall shook his head at Mara. "She didn't. The nurse in Opelucid gave us an earful over it. Anyway, good luck you two, I'll be off working on my own. Don't let her bother Perry until she's learned enough."
As Randall walked away, Mara said quietly, "I thought he was going to share in babysitting duty…" She inhaled and gave me another one of those charming, fake smiles. "Alright then. Set up your desk and then talk to me." She went to her seat and immediately went to work on her Pokéball designs.
As I was packing away my belongings, I whispered to Clark, "So what about her? Is she trustworthy?"
"I don't know. She seems like she's friends with Randall, so I don't like her."
"They do seem like they might be really good friends. My mom doesn't even let Randall touch her shoulder. But I never saw my mom and Randall as friends."
Mara rolled in her chair near me. "Do you always talk to yourself?"
I jumped a little. "No!" I said. "Sorry! I just. Thinking to myself."
"Do it more quietly. I don't need my work interrupted by you any more than it already is." She rolled back to her desk and went back to designing.
Elgyem. He didn't telepath to me that time, but I had a feeling of what he said, so I gave a nod in agreement. This wasn't going to be a fun job, and I began to wonder why I had taken up the job in the first place. I couldn't remember, but something told me it was kind of pointless now.