Lauren looked down at her phone, then back up to the building in front of her, and then back down at her phone again. Moments later, a sigh escaped from her nose: one that spoke of baffled disappointment. This really was just her luck.
"Are you sure I'm in the right place?" she asked the phone screen, on which Ivy's giddy face was plastered, looking up at her with a slightly cocked head.
"Yeah, I'm one-hundred percent sure. Why?" the nurse replied, seeming not to interpret whatever Lauren's issue was.
"I thought you said it was a white building with a Pokéball symbol above it?"
"Yeah! That's the one! What's the problem?"
"Cause this is what I'm looking at right now," Lauren said, turning her phone to face the old, run-down-looking warehouse that she found at the end of Trent Street. The address was right, or at least, the address Ivy gave her was a real address, but...
"Oh...uhh..." Ivy said as Lauren turned the phone around, now scowling. What was it with the people she knew giving her bad directions?! Sure, it was sort of her own fault for not vetting the address first on the map app's information, but that wasn't the point!
Ivy, meanwhile, had rushed to her computer screen and was pulling up the information, "Eheh...juuust a sec!"
"Ivy...you're lucky I'm not the violent type..." Lauren growled, glaring ever more at the image of the nurse.
"Now, now," Ivy said, "Ok, got it. Looks like its...two streets west of you. Elmoor Street! Same numbers, though."
"That doesn't even sound like Trent Street!" Lauren complained vividly, squeezing the phone a little. She's already begun to turn westward and make her way there. So much for being early.
"At least I was kinda close, right?" Ivy gave her an apologetic smile, "I'll buy you a drink later to say I'm sorry. Kay?"
Lauren narrowed her eyes, causing her friend to shift uncomfortably, but eventually relented, "Blue raspberry. And cherries!"
"A whole bunch!" Ivy said, winking and quickly taking the opportunity to exit the call.
Lauren sighed deeply, shoving the phone back into her purse pocket and looking ahead. The buildings here were all tall, wide warehouse complexes, so it made it impossible to see between streets. She might've been wandering for hours looking for the place! Unbelievable. That girl was going to get an earful later.
Of course, it didn't help that Lauren was still a bit flustered from earlier. As it turned out, her neighbor-whom she found out was named Amelia-just wanted to borrow a bit of lime which, sadly, Lauren didn't have. To be quite honest, she didn't have much of anything grocery-wise; she'd not had the time to even find the local supermarket and had just been surviving on take-out until she had a moment to breathe.
Amelia didn't seem to mind and even offered to have her over for drinks, which Lauren had managed to duck out of, using the meeting with the Professor as an excuse. Although, was it really an excuse? Prior obligations weren't really excuses, right?
Then again, her having to get here was only part of the reason she refused, the other being that she found herself barely able to speak. It took her almost a dozen seconds just to say hello when she appeared there on the other side of her door, glittering golden locks streaming down over milky-white shoulders and a thin layer of red accentuating a pair of perfectly curved lips. As well as...other curves. No! No, no, it was best she got out of there quickly, lest she started blathering nonsense; and even then, nonsense would've been the best-case scenario.
Lauren shook her head a little, clapping her hands against her cheeks. That was quite enough of that! She needed to look presentable for Professor Clover, not like some rabid schoolgirl with a crush. She needed to follow the proper protocol; doing so would no doubt go a long way toward convincing her sponsor of her maturity, even if right now she was feeling distinctly less mature than she actually was.
On a whim, she looked down at the tiny beast following her, as if hoping for some form of reassurance. It just looked back up at her, however, cocking its head sideways as if confused as to why she was so red. She thought she could detect a knowing look in its eyes, which made Lauren frown.
"You're no help," she said, prompting a tiny yip from the Vulpix, who turned back to face the path ahead and hopped over a drain on the sidewalk. Lauren envied how carefree the fox seemed, and idly wondered if the life of a Pokémon was easier than living as a human. It certainly felt like it.
Eventually, the building came into view and Lauren breathed out a sigh of relief. She was still going to give Ivy what-for, but at least she came through in the end, even if it did make her a little late.
She made her way briskly along the sidewalk, stopping to wait on the street light before jogging up to the pathway leading up to the place. It was quite big. Bigger, even, than Ivy had made it sound, though it was more so just spread out, not tall. Just as the nurse said, it was sleek and white, and a green Pokéball symbol was displayed prominently above the entrance, where Lauren soon found herself.
The door was automatic and she walked in, her companion in tow, and stopped to look around. The lobby wasn't all that big: only a minimum number of seats and a glass window against the far wall next to a big white door. There was another door adjacent to that one, but it was larger and looked much more intimidating.
Deciding to stand clear of both, Lauren made her way across the room, coming to stand before the glass pane, and peered into what she assumed was an office of some sort-probably a clerical assistant. Unfortunately, however, there wasn't anyone to be found within the room, though she could clearly see a half-drunk cup of coffee sitting next to the computer screen on the desk below.
She tapped on the glass and spoke a greeting, then did so again a little louder when no one answered. Was no one here? She pulled out her phone, checking the time. Five minutes past the hour. She was later getting in than she thought she'd be. Maybe the professor got tired of waiting?
Lauren frowned, tapping a few more times, "Helloooooo?"
Still, no answer. Lauren sighed, looking around the room. Nice job, Lauren, you've ticked off your boss already.
She was about to go and have a seat, hoping the professor would take her apology easily when her eyes fell on the door next to the window. It was...open, if only a little, and as she leaned closer, she could hear what sounded like faint music coming from the hallway beyond.
Lauren bit her lip. Should she just...? No, wait, it would be rude to enter without permission. Then again... She looked down at the Vulpix, who was already trying to wedge her nose into the room beyond.
"You think so too, huh?" Lauren said, almost whispering to the Vulpix, who stepped back and barked at her. "Alright, but if we get in trouble, I'm going to say this was all your idea." The creature gave her a look that Lauren took as uncaring nonchalance and waited for her to open the door.
Lauren crept into the hallway at first, still a little unsure of the whole situation, but when her little friend bounded forward towards the door at the far end of the hall, she hurried to catch up. The music was getting progressively louder as they neared it and she knocked as they came to stand in front of it.
Still no answer, but as loud as the music probably was on the other side, she was hardly surprised. Who in the world listened to heavy metal in a laboratory?
The Vulpix rose, placing her front paws on the door, and barked up at Lauren, to which she frowned in answer, "Ivy's the pushy one, not you! You're picking up a few too many bad habits for my liking, you know."
Despite her words, her eyes went to the door handle. Much as she hated to admit it, the Pokémon was right: she had already dared to come this far, no point in hesitating now.
The music blared into her ears as she opened the door and poked her head in, peering around. It was a large, pure white space that was partially separated off by a plexiglass wall. This side of the room appeared to be some sort of observation, and she noticed a smaller room to her right that looked like some sort of control functions in it. On the other side of the glass, however, the entire room was caked from wall to wall in a variety of different machines, none of which Lauren recognized or could even hazard a guess on. One did look a little like a centrifuge, but was entirely too big for needs like that, and looked ancient compared to the technology she'd seen at the hospital where she'd done her clinical trials.
Eventually, her eyes settled on a singular figure drenched in a large white lab-coat, busy at work in front of a rather gigantic computer screen at the far end of the room opposite her, their form bobbing to the music. Music which, as it happened, was emanating from the miniature control room.
Lauren's first thought was to try the door leading into the lab, but she hesitated. If protocol here as anything like it was in the hospital, then she'd have to go through screening before she entered lab areas, and since she didn't know what all was required for that...
With little else to go on, she walked over into the small control room, looking around for some way to get the woman's attention. Before she could do more than glance over her options, however, the Vulpix jumped up on the workstation, stepping on several buttons as it did and barking.
As it happened, however, one of those buttons appeared to control the intercom, and so when the Pokémon let out its cry, it blared over the music and causing the woman working in the lab to fling herself backwards. The rolling chair, not one to balk at a little inertia, carried the woman almost all the way towards the other end of the room where it eventually crashed into a table which, fortunately, had nothing of any real consequence on it.
"G-get off of there!" Lauren scolded, grasping the Vulpix and putting it gently on the ground, then quickly found the button to turn off the music. Once done, she activated the intercom and spoke it into, "I'm so sorry! We were just trying to find a way to get your attention! My name is L-"
"Lauren Hart!" came the woman's voice as she jumped up from the floor where she'd finally come to a rest. "Yes, I've been expecting you!"
Lauren was momentarily speechless as she watched the woman effortlessly dust herself off and straighten her lab coat. She seemed completely unfazed by what had just happened and wore a broad smile beneath bright blue eyes. Her wheat-colored hair had fallen out of its bun during the crash and now scattered over her shoulders, making her look every bit the part of what one might think of when they hear the words 'mad scientist'.
"Professor...Clover...?" Lauren said, still wary about the fact that the woman had taken a tumble. Maybe she had a concussion and this was adrenaline driving her...?
"That's my name!" the woman said, giving a casual one-finger salute. Lauren wasn't quite sure what to make of her demeanor, but she seemed...friendly enough if a bit animated. "Well don't just stand there, come in, come in!"
"Err..." Lauren said a bit vacantly but eventually did as she was bidden, entering the lab with her Pokémon close at heel. As she approached, she started to extend her hand, but soon found herself grappled as the Professor closed her arms around her, squeezing.
Lauren was instinctively taken aback and tried to wriggle free, but to no avail. In White Garden City where she'd grown up, such public displays were reserved only for close friends or partners, of which the Professor was neither, and so it took a moment for Lauren to get her bearings back when she was finally released.
"First off!" Clover said, her hands still firmly on Lauren's shoulders, "I'd like to give you my thanks! That was some impressive heroism you showed the other day! One of the emergency crewmen who rode with me to the hospital told me everything on the way and by golly, I think I might've been a goner if you and your Pokémon hadn't arrived on the scene!"
Lauren still couldn't quite formulate words and had since given up on escaping the Professor's iron grip, but it didn't really matter since she was hardly allowed any time to speak before the scientist continued.
"And second!" Here, the Professor released her and took a few steps back, clapping her hands together and offering up an apologetic motion, "I'm very sorry! If I hadn't been so concerned with making sure the results of my research escaped the blaze, you wouldn't have had to step in like you did!"
Here she actually gave Lauren a chance to respond, though the meek girl was now even more embarrassed that someone who was likely a decade her senior was kowtowing before her. "O-oh, no, please..." she finally managed out, "I was just happy to-"
"Nonsense!" Professor Clover exclaimed, now assuming a more casual air, putting her hand on her hip and leaning partially to one side. "You risked your neck to help out a stubborn old windbag, and I appreciate it! Which is exactly why I wanted to ask you to come here."
"Oh...r-right..." Lauren said, slowly coming fully back to reality, "The girl at the Pokémon Center... She explained it...sort of. You're my...sponsor?"
"That's right!" Clover beamed, "When I came to later that day, I'd planned to contact you and thank you sooner, but when I saw that you were an unsponsored trainer with a Pokémon, I decided that would be the best way to show my gratitude! You were planning to apply for one anyway, right? Fortunately, as a Pokémon Professor of some repute, my influence carries quite a bit of weight in regards to these sorts of things, although you're actually the first trainer I've ever sponsored, so I do apologize that it took so long!"
Lauren mostly just let the professor talk without attempting to interrupt. Some of this made sense, but it still surprised her how swiftly all these decisions had been made. The woman certainly did come off as the impulsive sort, though in this case, Lauren was grateful for that fact.
"Now then!" Clover said, clapping her hands, "I bet you're wondering about how all this works, right?"
Lauren nodded and the professor motioned towards a table where a few chairs were set up. She followed, sitting across from the intrepid woman and the Vulpix immediately hopped up into Lauren's lap. The professor just smiled.
Lauren decided to use the moment of silence to try and steer the conversation in as direct a line as possible. Something told her that she shouldn't let this woman take the reins. "So...Ivy-that girl I mentioned at the Pokémon Center-she said that I'm supposed to do...something? To prove I can take care of a Pokémon?"
"Precisely," Clover replied, leaning back in her chair a little and hooking one leg up over the other, "Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd just ask you some questions, sign the papers, and let you go on your way, but there are rules to this process that supersede that. After all, Pokémon are incredible creatures, as you no doubt have realized, and possess capabilities far beyond that of any human effort or human technology."
Lauren nodded, recalling the charred scene they'd left in the subway. She'd gotten a first-hand look at just how strong these creatures and their unique abilities could be, so it made a measure of sense that they shouldn't be trusted to just anyone.
"So...what do I have to do?"
The professor smiled a little, "Well, the Board of Pokémon Safety's rules are pretty vague on how we're supposed to test trainers-believe you me, this is all pretty new to both of us. From what I understand, however, the goal is just to obtain an understanding of Pokémon, how they live, how to take care of them, and how they affect the world as a whole. Most people do this by becoming trainers and go out into the world on 'Pokémon journeys'."
Lauren winced, eliciting a smirk from her sponsor, followed by a wink.
Clover continued, "But I think that's a little too old fashioned. You're not a pre-teen and I suspect you have your share of prior obligations you need to attend to, so I've opted to try something a little different with you.
Lauren wasn't sure if she should feel fortunate to have come across an understanding sponsor like Professor Clover or worried about what the implications of 'a little different' might mean.
"I'd like you to help me with my research," Clover said finally, smiling.
"O-oh..." Lauren said, trying to hide her sigh of relief behind words. "What...are you researching? And...how can I help? I'm...just a medical student."
"I'm glad you asked!" the professor said, leaning forward, eyes flashing with a sudden sheen of excitement, "Well, as I said before, I'm a Pokémon Professor, meaning that I study Pokémon!"
"Oh...that's right," Lauren said, thinking back, "Your focus is on the relationship between people and Pokémon, right?"
"Very good!" Clover smiled, "You've done your homework! Yes, my work specifically deals with the bond between people like you and," she paused, looking down into the eyes of the Vulpix in Lauren's lap before continuing, "creatures like this!"
She looked back up, meeting Lauren's gaze, "In fact, you two are actually of particular interest to me."
"What...do you mean?" Lauren said, suddenly a little less fortunate.
"My understanding is that you've only recently come into possession of that Pokémon, yet you've managed to work together to save someone from a burning building, as well as defeat a seasoned opponent in battle with multiple opponents."
Lauren's heart jumped and she swallowed, "How did you know that?"
The professor didn't answer and instead went on, "In the short span of time that you and that Pokémon have been in contact, you've managed to sync perfectly, and while it isn't unheard of for things like this to happen, it doesn't happen so quickly without your Pokémon having undergone specific training. Training like that usually is done when a Pokémon is meant to be given as a trainer's 'starter' companion. According to the information from the scans that were taken at the Pokémon Center, however, your Pokémon doesn't have that training...and yet..."
Lauren gulped, instinctively pressing back into the chair as Professor Clover leaned even further over the table, resting her chin on the back of her hand.
"...and yet, even now while that chair you're sitting in is reading your vitals, I can see that your hearts are beating in perfect unison. Not to mention...so is your breathing."
Lauren looked down at the Vulpix, who craned her neck around to look back. It...was true. Even though her breath was a little quickened, the Pokémon breathed in and out at exactly the same moment as she did.
"An impossible bond..." the professor said softly, "Just what are you two to each other, I wonder...?"
Lauren didn't have an answer, nor could she. All she could do was stare deep into the pupilless brown eyes of the fox in her lap. If there were any words for the feeling inside of her, she didn't know them, but she wondered about it all the same.
What...am I...to you?