Alex slowly made his way through the University of Texas campus, taking multiple glances towards the football stadium as he walked past it and approached a roundabout with a pair of sidewalks leading to a set of stairs on each side, leading to higher ground where the majority of the campus buildings are. Alex continued to look down at his phone nervously, paranoid that he'd make a wrong turn and get himself completely lost. Even though his phone's GPS pointed out there were only two more turns he had to make. Otherwise, it was mostly a straight shot.

Or at least, that's what the GPS claimed it was. Alex paused and kept glancing back and forth from his phone to the sidewalk in front of him. His gaze shifted into confusion. "Okay, it... led me to a dead end? Where am I even supposed to go after- oh." Alex continued to walk even as he muttered to himself, and saw that the staircase, in fact, did not lead into a dead end like he assumed it did on first glance. There was still a sidewalk on the upper level. Alex let an annoyed and slightly embarrassed exhale out through his nose and pinched his eyebrows together. "That's what I get for not exploring any part of this campus outside of the football and baseball stadiums... and maybe a shop or two on Guadalupe." Alex just shook his head and proceeded up the stairs, continuing past many of the university buildings.

It may also have been his nerves making him more absent minded than normal. Alex kept on uncomfortably shifting his posture, even as he made his way towards the biology building as quick as possible. With the job introduction on his mind and little else to take his mind away from it, Alex felt himself getting more and more tense the closer he got. But he knew it had to be done. The opportunity that the job offered was just way too good to pass up. Especially with him being a mew. He could find a lot of extremely important information on what makes pokemon biology tick. Maybe even a lead as to why they transformed in the first place... maybe. Alex was very doubtful on that front, however. Maybe they could find out a lot about pokemon biology, but the act of transforming itself seemed like pure magic. Alex was at a loss as to how anyone could even begin to explain it.

Alex glanced around him as he walked along the university campus and did a double take as he finally noticed something unusual. Alex was slightly perplexed to see the large number of young adults populating the school grounds. Almost as if... 'Did they actually start the semester on time? Why?' Alex made an uneasy face and his pace slowed ever so slightly. 'The guy on the phone did mention something about them being busy starting up the fall semester, but I thought he meant in preparation to start on a revised schedule. Not starting this very moment. Why on earth did they delay football season but not the fall semester?' Alex scoffed and shook his head. 'That just seems absurd.'

But what caught Alex's attention even more than the school semester being in progress was the students populating the university campus. Or to be more specific, what the students even were. Alex was surprised to see a handful of pokemon making their way from building to building. Some using their increased running speed and new flying power to get places quicker, while others seemed to just be casually strolling around in their pokemon form like it was normal for them. They were still very few in numbers- far far less than the one-in-fifty rate that supposedly took place. 'Even so,' Alex thought, 'the fact that there are people carrying on as pokemon at all... I guess that means people are becoming more comfortable with the idea of pokemon?'

He flashed a small smile and decided to briefly look around and see what kinds of pokemon he could find that were out and about. He saw a noibat flying overhead towards one of the buildings, though seeming to struggle the slightest amounts keeping itself in the air. Alex saw a lounging tyrogue in the shaded area under a large tree, resting its eyes with its arms also crossed. And Alex also spotted a vaporeon and a jangmo-o casually walking alongside each other having a conversation of some sort. The magic of the scenery before Alex was not lost on him. Alex felt his heartbeat speed up and his excitement levels grow as the pokemon fan in him cherished what was happening. 'It's like... wow, every dream of pokemon being real just seems so small now, compared to actually seeing it in person.' Alex didn't kid himself. It wasn't perfect. Not even close to it. The world was still a giant mess for the most part. And yet... it was small moments like this that made Alex remember why he loved pokemon in the first place. It was one thing to imagine it, read about it, or browse fan art online. It was another thing entirely to actually experience living in a pokemon world in person.

Alex's positivity didn't last for too long, however. Alex's attention was caught by the multiple other students walking around campus, and he couldn't help but notice some of the other looks the pokemon were getting. Most of the students weren't giving a second look towards the pokemon and just went about their days, and some even smiled along with Alex. But on others still, Alex saw looks of concern. Distrust. Outright disgust. Alex's smile faded into a frown and his cheer turned into sadness for all of the pokemon, as well as irritation for the people who weren't even giving them a chance, despite them likely not even knowing the pokemon. The pokemon, much to their credit, didn't seem to be very fazed by the negative looks they've been receiving, and were mostly just ignoring them entirely. Alex let out exhale through his nose. 'Well... good for them, I suppose. Still, would it kill those idiots to be the least bit understanding?' Alex, figuring there was no way to resolve the issue right away, elected to just shrug it off and move on. He was downtown for a reason, after all. Shouldn't get too distracted by other things along the way.

Alex's phone buzzed in his hand indicating that he was close to another turn. Alex briefly looked down at his phone's GPS and raised his eyebrow at the name. 'Speedway? No other name. Just... speedway? Huh,' Alex thought idly as he mindlessly turned the corner onto the pathway without sparing a second look, 'bit of an unusual name. Is it even a road, or is it just a-' a loud canine cry interrupted Alex's thoughts. Alex'd heart flipped as a black and white colored canine creature barrelled towards him at a high speed. The canine began skidding to a halt on all four paws as if to stop his momentum, but it was unable to slow itself down all the way. Alex braced for impact as best as he could as the creature lowered its head, and the canine plowed straight into him, striking its head into Alex's most sensitive spot in his chest.

Alex yelled out as he felt a dull throbbing pain explode in his chest and, after stumbling backwards a few steps, crumbled to his knees with one hand clutching his chest and the other holding himself off the ground, with his face screwed up in agony. 'Fucking- AGAIN?! Why does the universe insist on kicking me while I'm down?! Fuck!' Alex grunted in pain and turned to face the offending party, only to be met with the face of a very ticked off absol. Alex's irritation instantly blinked into nervousness, not liking the look he was being given. The dark type pokemon snarled and barked loudly in Alex's face, causing him to flinch hard to the point where Alex stumbled backwards onto his backside. "A-ah, hey, look, I'm sorry for running into you, but-"

Alex was cut off with another angry sounding bark. The absol aggressively listed a paw, causing Alex's heart to drop. Alex cringed and looked away, bracing himself for some sort of attack, but instead of the absol's paw coming down onto Alex, a loud guttural roar that came from behind Alex interrupted the confrontation. Alex instinctively looked looked behind him to see the owner of the roar, when a large blue scaled paw with a set of three white claws glowing a light aqua color rushed straight past Alex's face and intercepted the absol's paw before it could hit Alex. Alex let out a loud panicked yell, still on the ground, and scrambled away from the skirmish, pain momentarily forgotten.

Alex hurridly stood himself back up and made a start to run away from the attacking pokemon, taking only a single glance backwards to see if he was still being focused down, only to realize he wasn't the source of attention anymore. Instead, a blue bipedal dragon with a red head and red spikes was taking an aggressive stance towards the absol, putting itself in between the disaster pokemon and Alex. Alex halted his getaway as soon as he recognized the new pokemon. "Wha- a druddigon?!"

The absol took a small hop away from the dragon pokemon as the dark type's blow was parried with excessive force, and it let out a noise that sounded to Alex like a nervous bark. The druddigon responded with an aggressive sounding snarl of his own. Alex steadied his breathing and, having a clearer picture of what the situation was, figured that he was no longer the center of attention and began to take small half steps away from the two arguing pokemon. 'Well whoever the druddigon is, thanks for saving me, but I'm just uh, gonna... wait a second.' Alex paused his backwards shuffling and narrowed his eyes as he took note of the dragon pokemon's unusual behavior. It seemed to be making multiple glances towards Alex, even as he was arguing with the absol. For some reason, the dragon pokemon seemed to be showing a considerable level of concern for Alex. Then Alex's eyes went wide as he realized. He knew a druddigon. And he knew he happened to be a student at the university as well. "Wait... Preston?!" he nearly shouted.

The dragon pokemon in question glanced towards Alex more directly after hearing the name that Alex called, and gave a swift nod before returning his attention back to the absol. The absol let out a series of barks that sounded defensive, but was cut off mid-sentence by the druddigon, who then let out another loud growl, almost to the level of a roar. The absol then responded with a jittery bark before his body began glowing a bright white. The dragon responded by taking a fighting stance and brandishing his white claws as they began to glow an aqua hue once again, but he relaxed slightly as he realized that it wasn't an attack. The dragon backed off on its energy and lowered his claws again, still carefully eying the transforming pokemon as it turned into a scruffy looking blonde haired male with a rather large school backpack. The man reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out his wallet, swiftly pulled out an ID from it, and brandished it to the dragon.

"There! See? Student ID. You gonna let me go now, bro? I'm already late to class," the man nervously complained.

The dragon peered closer at the ID the man was holding to him, squinting his eyes to get a better look at it, and after a few seconds, let out a short low growl and made a swiping motion, shooing the man along.

The man scoffed, tucked his ID back in his wallet, and started moving slowly past the dragon pokemon, eyeing him carefully as he went. The moment he was past the druddigon, he focused his attention to the pathway in front of him. Alex could hear him mutter something under his breath. "Fuckin asshole..."

Alex and the druddigon watched as the man began to break out into a jog right before transforming once again into his absol form in order to sprint away. The druddigon shook his head with a look of disgust on his face, still facing the direction of the man.

Alex moved his attention back towards the dragon pokemon and carefully stepped towards him. "Hey um... you're Preston, right?" he asked semi confidently.

The dragon pokemon's expression instantly relaxed considerably and he let out an amused exhale, flashing Alex a smirk, and began glowing white as he transformed back into his human form. In his place, Alex's former coworker stood, just as Alex had suspected. "Getting yourself into trouble once again, huh Alex?"

Alex, despite himself, let off an indignant huff. "Hey, it's not my fault. Trouble just seems to find me. I've barely gotten a break since day one of this whole mess!"

Preston gave an uncharacteristically amused snicker, which quickly shifted to a look of slight irritation after glancing around him. "Hold that thought," he muttered to Alex before facing the bulk of the pathway. "Alright guys, clear out! Nothing to see here! Just stopping a fight! Carry on with your business!" he yelled out in an authoritative tone.

Alex fixed a bemused look towards Preston, wondering what that was all about, but after taking a glance of his surroundings himself, Alex noticed that they had drawn a modest sized crowd. No doubt due to the brief pokemon encounter which very nearly turned into a full on battle. Alex let out an exhausted exhale and slowly and firmly rubbed his fingers over the temples of his head in an attempt to get his mind right. 'Jesus, I've already got enough on my mind as is. Can I just avoid being the center of conflict as well as the center of attention in general for just one week? One week. All I'm asking,' Alex griped internally. Alex let out a low frustrated grunt and dropped his hands again.

"You alright, man? That dumbass didn't rough you up too bad, did he?" Preston asked with a twinge of concern in his voice.

Alex sighed and shook his head, focusing on his friend again. Only then did Alex's eyes shoot wide open, fully realizing the state Preston was in. Alex didn't notice it at first because Preston approached him with an air of relative confidence, but it was obvious that Preston had lost a lot of weight. He looked very pale and appeared borderline anemic. Preston had very little light in his eyes, despite the seemingly good mood he was in. Alex felt a chill go down his body and his jaw dropped in shock. "I- uh... Preston...! Dude, are you okay? You look... horrible!"

Preston snorted in amusement and flashed Alex a mirthless grin. "Now that's kinda rude, talking that way to an old friend. Besides, I asked you first."

Alex stammered slightly, feeling awful for simply glossing over what looked to him like a serious health problem. "B-But Preston-"

Preston interrupted Alex before he could get any further. "Alex, I'm serious," he said, lowering his voice to a concerned mutter, "I saw you go down pretty hard there. Did he hit you that hard? Or is your chest just still healing?"

Alex simply gawked at his friend for a few seconds longer before finding his words again. "I um... w-well it's both? Sorta...?" he weakly offered, still unable to verbalize his thoughts very well through the shock of seeing his friend's state.

Preston raised an eyebrow and Alex felt a cold jolt run through his body when he saw Preston's eyes darken slightly. "Alex, answer me straight. How hurt are you still? Did that pokemon make things worse?" he asked in a dangerously low tone, adding an additional level of venom to the words 'that pokemon.'

Alex swallowed nervously, feeling somewhat intimidated by his former coworker's sudden dark shift in tone, and made a start to explain that it wasn't as bad as before, but then he took a moment to calm down and think. 'Wait no, ugh, I forgot. I can't tell Preston about that. Otherwise he'd figure out my identity as a pokemon. Probably quicker than Eli or Isaac since he seems to have actually started researching pokemon stuff, if the hospital visit was any indication. As far as he knows, I'm still really hurt. I should play it off like that...' Alex winced and gripped his chest in pain as he thought to himself. 'Funny enough, I don't even have to exaggerate my pain just cuz the universe likes using me as a punching bag apparently,' he mused in pained amusement. "I'm uh... well I could be better. Ribs still cracked. And that hit totally didn't help matters... b-but it was just an accident!" Alex quickly added, noting the growing look of silent fury in his friend's eyes, "Honestly, it looked like the guy was just being reckless and I just happened to be in the way. I don't think he set out to attack me, right?"

Preston let out a silent and quick enraged snarl before calming himself with a breath. "Typical, of course someone like him wouldn't... whatever. Do you need medical attention or something?"

Alex shook his head quickly. "No, it's really not that bad. I-" Alex hesitated for a brief moment before finishing his thought in a different way than he originally intended, "It- my doctor said I'm good enough to go out in public now if I'm careful and if I take pain pills. And honestly, it's been perfectly manageable. I just... that hit kinda aggravated things a little bit is all." Alex finished, letting out a tired and sad exhale. 'I really hate having to lie to my friends about this, but until I know for sure that it's safe to be a mew and anyone knowing me won't suffer any consequences...' Alex internally sighed as he continued the thought in his head, 'But no, there's still just too much heat on me right now. I'd rather limit giving any extra information to just Eli and Isaac for the time being.'

Preston studied Alex's expression for an uncomfortable length of time that happened to be only a few seconds, before letting out a sigh, looking away from him. "I'm sorry about that, man. Glad to hear you're doing better, at least. Even if it's just a bit" Preston paused and continued after Alex nodded in acknowledgement and gave him his thanks, "tch, I just hope that idiot's recklessness doesn't prolong your recovery time," he muttered darkly.

Alex shifted uncomfortably. He could feel the total disdain for the absol radiating off of Preston. It felt unnatural. Alex couldn't help but wonder what the pokemon had done to get on Preston's bad side. Sure, the dark type was acting like an ass, but surely something else had to have taken place to get on Preston's bad side like this? "What uh..," Alex started, catching Preston's attention again, "what even happened with that guy, anyway? Y'all seemed to be talking for a bit. Do you know him?"

Preston scoffed. "Him? Hell no. Never seen him before in my life. And frankly, I'd rather keep it that way. Anyone who's that negligent with their use of their pokemon form, especially an absol, of all things, and who's that quick to try and get into a fight doesn't need to be anywhere near people," he spat venomously.

Alex was very perplexed with Preston's attitude towards someone who was otherwise a complete stranger to them. "I guess, but like... it didn't seem like he was that bad. Sure, the guy was acting like a total jackass, but couldn't he just have been pissy cuz he was already late to class and we were just in the way at the wrong time? Or, I was, rather," Alex said carefully. Even before Preston had a chance to respond, Alex was eyeing his coworker with serious concern. 'Preston, what's happening to you, man? You never used to be like this around people. Even ones with way more foul attitudes than that guy.'

Preston fixed a patient but firm glare at Alex. "I get that, Alex. I know he probably was just some idiot college kid, but the fact of the matter is, he's abusing his pokemon form and not even considering someone might get hurt because of it. I dunno if you've noticed, but people have started to become more lax with their pokemon forms. They're out on casual strolls in them. But none of them are even considering the ramifications of what may happen if they get into an altercation. Almost no one knows how to control it yet."

Alex pursed his lips. He in fact had noticed the nonzero number of people using their pokemon forms around campus as he made his way to his destination. "But Preston, no one's harming anyone. They're just going about their business like normal. Even that guy was just running. That's it," he said with his voice gradually weakening.

Preston's gaze grew more and more impatient and irritated. "Yea, right now they are. But what about when they randomly decide they wanna pull some dumb shit with one of their moves and end up hurting over a dozen people? Hell, even the ones that aren't casually waltzing around in their pokemon form could suddenly get a single dumbass idea in their head and kill three people. Kinda like the one that got you hurt and Nick all but killed. It just takes one action from any one of em and several people would be fucked because no one seems to want to practice any restraint with dangerous abilities," Preston ranted, his tone growing more and more angry and aggressive as he spoke.

Alex's jaw almost dropped at the level of distrust Preston had in anything pokemon related. "But, what about you...?" he almost whimpered, unable to stop himself from voicing his thought. Alex regretted saying it almost instantly. He stiffened up when Preston shot him a very dark glare. In that moment, Alex saw so many negative emotions in Preston's eyes that it genuinely scared him.

"Alex, I'm gonna ask you this one time because I know you didn't mean anything by it, but please. Never. Say that again," Preston muttered in a silent enraged tone, "I transformed only because I saw you were in danger. I transformed because it was an emergency. Got it?"

Alex took in a shallow breath and nodded quickly, too nervous to say another word for fear of setting him off even more.

Preston's gaze softened, recognizing Alex's extreme discomfort, and let out a frustrated grunt. "I'm sorry, man, I don't mean it that way," he said in a far more relaxed but exhausted tone while bringing a hand up to his forehead, "I've had quite the couple of weeks and I think it's starting to get to me." A few additional moments of silence told Alex that Preston was dropping the subject entirely.

Alex took a deep breath and his whole body shuddered after having a lot of tension wash away in an instant. Still feeling very uneasy at the sudden mood whiplash, Alex studied his former coworker. Even putting aside his deteriorating physical state, he looked emotionally beaten beyond recognition. 'Has he... even had a chance to properly grieve?' Alex felt a sharp pang of sorrow for his friend as that question rang out in his head, remembering him telling Alex about the sheer volume of loss he had experienced within the first few days of the world changing event. Alex took a tentative step towards Preston and carefully rested a tense hand on his shoulder. "Hey... you okay, man?" The question was ridiculous. Of course he wasn't. But Alex hoped the simple gesture would at least lift him up a bit.

Preston flashed Alex a bitter smile. "Heh, not even close. But life goes on, so I must too."

Alex relaxed a bit more and returned Preston's smile with a sad one of his own. "I suppose so... well if you ever need-"

"I know, I know," Preston interrupted with a chuckle. He gave Alex a quick pat on his back and took a deep calming breath before facing him again with a curious look. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you weren't a student?"

Alex shook his head. "I'm not here for a class. I'm here for- ...well I was gonna say 'an interview,' but that's not quite-"

Preston's eyes widened slightly. "You're at the university for a job? Huh, well guess that explains why you look like you're going to church. What are you gonna be doing?"

Alex flashed a nervous smile and instinctively grabbed onto one of his arms with his free hand. "Well keep in mind I don't actually have it yet. Hell, it's not even an actual interview. They just told me to come in whenever and they'll give me a quick walk-around. But to answer your question, it's a research assistant position. Why? Looking for a job, yourself?"

Preston shook his head. "Nah, not this time. Even if shit didn't hit the fan, I'd have quit the warehouse job anyway. At least during the semester. I tried managing class and a job at the same time last year, but it just wasn't working for me."

Alex made an inhaling hissing noise with his breath to signal his empathizing with his friend. "Yeeaa that can be tough to do. After the fall semester, though?"

Preston gave a noncommital shrug, looking mostly indifferent. "Eh, maybe. We'll see how it pans out. How much you gonna make at this job, anyway?"

Alex closed his eyes and flashed his friend a tired smile momentarily before opening them again and giving a slight headshake. "Dude, it's not an interview. I don't have the-"

Preston gave Alex a pointed stare. "Alex. Do me and yourself a favor. Just own it. You're gonna get the job."

Alex pursed his lips and began to shy his gaze away from Preston, not knowing how to respond. 'Well he's definitely acting a bit more like his old self, at least,' Alex thought to himself in dry amusement. "I'm uh... I'm gonna be making twenty an hour there."

Preston's stare shifted into a small smirk. "That's a bit more like it. Twenty, huh?" Preston let out an impressed whistle. "That's not too bad for just assistant work. Gonna be working decent hours?"

Alex opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it after half a second with an unsure look on his face. "Huh, you know what, I didn't think to ask that."

Preston didn't react beyond a single nod. "Right, I'd ask them about that during the interview. The pay sounds good, but if you're only gonna be working two days for five hours each, well then you may need to find some sort of backup." Preston looked at his watch and cursed under his breath. "Hey man, I gotta get to class. I'll catch up with you later, alright? Good luck at the interview. And be careful on this pathway. It's called 'Speedway' for a reason," he said quickly, starting to take small steps backwards.

"It's-" Alex started to correct Preston again on it not being an interview, but with an amused scoff and another headshake, he just decided to let it go. "Thanks, man. Was nice seeing ya."

Preston gave a nod and his expression became depressingly serious again. "You too. And please, keep your distance from pokemon, ya hear? Especially ones you don't know and double especially while you're still healing. Don't wanna hear about you getting hurt again."

Without giving Alex the chance to respond, Preston turned around and jogged towards the nearest building, leaving Alex with several conflicting emotions. Alex chewed on the inside of his lower lip and, with nothing further to do at that moment in time, simply turned towards the building he was originally headed towards, taking a quick look at his phone's GPS to make sure he was on the right track. Alex, much more aware of his surroundings now, mostly kept to the side of the pathway to stay out of the way of the multiple people speeding past on scooters, skateboards, or simply some people and the occasional pokemon jogging along to get to their destination.

And yet even as he made sure to stay out of the way, Alex continued to dwell on his former coworker's warning to him. Whether or not it was fueled by him suffering massive losses, it was becoming very obvious to Alex that not only did he not trust pokemon-kind, it appeared as if he was becoming outright hostile towards them. 'That look in his eyes,' Alex thought to himself with his gaze drifting down towards the ground as he walked, 'I don't think I've ever seen him like that before. That... genuinely terrified me.' Alex stuttered in his movement as a rather unnerving thought occurred to Alex. If that absol had been any more aggressive, if the misunderstanding wasn't cleared up relatively quickly, how far would Preston have gone? Was it about protecting Alex, or was it more about setting a pokemon straight? Alex took a calming breath and tried to shake off the negative thoughts of his friend, but he couldn't escape the doubt that was in his mind any longer. 'I feel bad for having these thoughts about a friend, but... I don't know if I trust him enough to know my identity anymore. Even if I wasn't already hiding it for his own safety, I just... I don't know how he'd take it. At all.'

Alex, recognizing that he was no longer having any positive thoughts about his former coworker, forced himself to stop thinking about it any longer, and instead focus on making his way to the university's biology lab. But even as Alex got closer to his destination, he once again found himself getting more and more nervous. This time, however, it had very little to do with the job Alex was pursuing.

Alex walked through the front door of his apartment, wiping a small amount of sweat that had collected on his forehead. "Isaaaac. I'm baaack," Alex called out in a sharp voice, shutting the door behind him.

Isaac, who was sitting on the couch in a forward leaning position with a joycon in each hand, glanced up from the television to his roommate. "Hey, hun! Back so soon? How'd it go?"

Alex let out a breath to release any remaining nervous tension he held in his body. "It went pretty well! Got myself an official interview coming up. Hang on, gimme a sec to change before you bombard me with questions," Alex quipped as he went towards his room, internally chuckling at his roommate's snort of amusement, and quickly changed out of his formal wear and back into a loose pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt. Alex made his way back to the living room and flopped onto the living room chair, grimacing in pain slightly, feeling his injury smart at the sudden movement."Ugh, ow," he muttered. He held onto his chest for a few seconds while the pain faded, then allowed himself to lazily lounge in the chair. "Relaxing after changing out of formal wear. Underrated as fuck feeling," Alex remarked, looking at the TV to see what his roommate was playing. Breath of the Wild.

Isaac was too busy with his game to look back at Alex, but Alex could still see an amused smirk on his face. "So. The job? What all did you do there? You said you'd be getting a formal interview now?"

Alex nodded and leaned forward in his chair, more directly facing Isaac, who was still mainly focused on his game, though still obviously listening close. "Right, so. Um..," Alex paused to figure out the right place to start, "So when I got there, they basically had one of the higher ups who happened to be free at the time give me a very quick tour of the place basically showing what they did and how they did it. It's mainly going to be in lab stuff, trying to figure out what species reacts to which environments in what way, and to my understanding, they can do that with small tissue and blood samples from various pokemon volunteers of different species. Some days there will be field work just to see how certain moves and elements work, which abilities affects the environment around them and how, lots of fun stuff.

"Now... seeing as I don't really have any biology experience, I'm not gonna be doing any of that, myself. I'd basically just be a glorified note taker- well no, it's a bit more than that. I'd be recording the results of tests as it happens, taking video of some tests, helping in discussions regarding scientific hypotheses, and sometimes directly helping out in field tests, among other things," Alex took a breath after finishing his lengthy explanation. "I need some water," he stated out loud while getting up again to move to the kitchen.

Isaac made a couple of impatient sideways movements to get a better view of the television as Alex passed in front of it. "You're talking as if you're for sure going to get the job. Is it a done deal, hun?"

Alex grabbed a tall glass from the cabinet and pulled out a refillable filtered water jug from the refrigerator. "Ah well, not quite yet, but the guy who gave me a tour all but told me that they really did not care in the slightest that I didn't have any biology experience. They're really hurting for labor, specifically for pokemon research, mostly cuz there's just a labor shortage in general. Some people are still really feeling the effects of day zero, I guess," Alex paused to pour himself a glass of water before putting the water jug back in the refrigerator, "About the only thing they really required was the ability to effectively document information and the ability to follow instruction when needed. Both of which I think I've got a pretty good head for."

Isaac glanced over to Alex from his game for a moment, shooting him a confused look. "That's... it? No qualifications of any sort?"

Alex blinked, feeling like he was forgetting something now that his roommate mentioned it. "Oh wait, yea," Alex suddenly responded after a few seconds of thinking, "They also wanted me to get some lab safety certification, but they're not making me do that until they know for certain they wanna hire me."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "I hope you don't mean their own personal certification to quickly get people in."

Alex shook his head and leaned down, propping himself against the loveseat with one arm, with his glass of water in hand. "No, no, it's an official certification used nationwide. I think they said it was called WHMIS? I don't remember."

"Seems like quite the important detail to just gloss over, hun."

Alex shrugged and took a sip of water. "Well again, they told me I wouldn't need to worry about it until after they hire me. Mostly cuz it costs money to get."

Isaac gave a slow but large nod. "Aahh, okay. Fair enough, then. Well glad it went okay! Think you're gonna get it?"

Alex gave a rather curt nod. "Yea, we talked a bit about pokemon stuff too and the guy I was with was impressed with how much game and lore knowledge I had. Said it could help a lot for finding out what things to test and build hypothesis on. Said I seemed confident and knowledgeable and thus a great candidate. Though it did help that I ran into a guy I used to work with at the warehouse who gave me a small bit of advice."

Isaac glanced over to Alex again with a surprised smile. "Which was?"

Alex's head hung down the slightest bit as he recalled his encounter with Preston. "He basically told me to have and show confidence in myself and good things will happen naturally. Not in so many words, but that was the gist of his message."

Isaac chuckled. "Ah, the ol 'fake it til you make it' speech. It's pretty funny how often it works... Alex? You okay, hun?" Isaac had made another glance towards Alex and saw his slumped over posture.

Alex looked up at Isaac after hearing his shift in tone. "Oh yea, I'm fine. I'm... well, kinda. Not really."

Isaac paused the game and set his joycons on the coffee table, shifting his sitting position to face Alex more directly. "Is something about the job bothering you?"

Alex shook his head. "No, it-," he cut himself off, and after a few seconds of silence, he moved around the loveseat to sit in it and faced Isaac directly as he started to speak out about his worries, "It's one of my friends who used to be a coworker of mine at the warehouse. He has... had it rather rough since this whole thing started, even moreso than me. Far more, in fact. He lost like half of his friends and family to accidents that happened during the initial transformation, and I think he's suffering some kind of PTSD from it."

Isaac's leaned his body backwards with eyes widened as he took in what Alex told him. "Jesus... you think he's gonna be okay?"

Alex let out a sad exhale. "I really don't know. He hasn't given any details beyond who was killed, but... I dunno, man. It sounds like he hasn't had a chance to properly let out his emotions. Like he's either not letting himself, or something is legitimately getting in the way of having time to himself to process it all. Either way, it kinda worries me cuz first of all, he looks really weak and sick, even though it looks like his energy level is... kinda the same, I think? And second, it seems like he's been taking out his anger on the one commonality that every one of those accidents had. The pokemon." Alex pursed his lips and looked down again. "It seems like he seriously resents all pokemon for even existing. Which... I mean, I guess I can't blame him, given how he lost his friends and family, but still..."

Isaac leaned forward again as Alex explained himself and slowly nodded. "Hmm... have you suggested he see a therapist? Cuz it really sounds to me like he's gonna need one."

Alex shook his head sadly. "No, I haven't, but a similar thought did cross my mind. You're probably right, he needs to see one, cuz... I don't think he's giving himself the chance to properly let out his grief."

"Mm," Isaac grunted in response while also eyeing Alex carefully. "...there's something else you wanna say, isn't there?" he asked, no doubt seeing Alex's sad and thoughtful expression.

Alex shot the smallest of smiles towards his roommate. "Nothing gets by you, does it?"

Isaac returned the smile with a shrug. "Call it intuition. It helps that I've known you for over a decade now."

Alex let out a brief chuckle before his expression became one of melancholy again. "I just can't help but feel like I'm not doing enough to help him. And at the same time, he's been lashing out a bunch and I've just seen so much... negativity radiating off of him, that I don't even know if I should. Is that..," Alex leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and placing his head into the palms of his hands. "Is that a shitty thing for me to say?" he asked dejectedly.

Isaac stood up and walked over to Alex to give him a quick sideways hug, which Alex neither reciprocated, nor did he deny. "You're a good friend, Alex. And I'm sorry to hear that your other friends aren't doing so hot."

Alex didn't react other than tilt his head vaguely in Isaac's direction. "But?"

"But," Isaac continued as he sat down on the couch again, facing Alex with a serious expression, "you have to understand that not every issue is one that can be fixed just by talking with friends and family. Not to say that they don't help, but it's just a fact. You simply aren't well equipped to deal with the level of emotional trauma he very likely has right now. That's what therapists are for, after all."

Alex let out a frustrated grunt and lifted his head from the palms of his hands. "I still feel like I should be able to do more than just... I dunno, offer an ear to him. Suggesting he see a professional just seems like I'd be saying 'hey, do this! Not my problem anymore!' I don't like it."

Isaac took a patient breath and fixed an empathetic look towards his roommate. "Alex, that's not doing nothing. Look, say for example that you could find a way to help him, and you did... how long would it take? If what you've told me is accurate, it sounds like he lost more than a few people in his life. That kind of hurt doesn't go away right away. It takes time. Months. Maybe even years if he's been suppressing his emotions long enough. And in the meantime, what would that do to you? I don't think you're fully understanding just how much of an emotional toll that would take on you. You'd essentially be taking on that level of emotional pain onto your shoulders for that entire time." Isaac leaned in closer to drive his next point in home. "Don't do that to yourself. I know it seems like you're doing a major disservice to your friend, but again, you just aren't equipped to deal with that. That's what therapists are for."

Alex buried his face in his hands again defeatedly and did not respond for over a minute as he processed Isaac's words. Alex heard a quiet clacking noise, that he assumed was Isaac picking up the joycons again. Alex lifted himself up off his hands and slunk back into his seat. Isaac was still eyeing him with worry. "Okay, but... what am I supposed to do about him in the meantime?"

Isaac flashed a friendly smile at Alex. "Focus on yourself, hun. That's all you can really do. Suggest your friend see a therapist and be there when you can, for sure. And real quick, is he the type to bounce back?"

Alex thought about Isaac's sudden question for a moment and gave a nod. "I'd say so, yea. He's a pretty proud guy. And kind of a hardass. He doesn't usually let things keep him down for long. Usually, at least," Alex muttered, knowing full well this case could be very different.

Isaac nodded. "Well perfect, then. Once he start's going to therapy, he'll be on the road to recovery. And in the meantime, you just do you. You've got a pretty good job that it sounds like you're in a good position for, great pay, and it relates to something you really enjoy, right? Focus on that. Your friend Preston will be just fine, given enough time, cuz it sounds like he won't want to let what happened keep him down for too long anyway. Especially if he sees you doing well for yourself."

Alex let out an unsatisfied grunt. "I know, I know..," Alex lounged in his seat for a few minutes longer, digesting all of Isaac's advice, while Isaac in the meantime unpaused his game to continue playing. It took some time of sitting in silence, but Alex eventually started coming to terms with the fact that his roommate's advice was likely the best course of action. After accepting that, Alex began mentally working out what he should do next. He sat up straight in his seat again, facing his roommate with a little more confidence than before. "Yea, you're right. I guess I can still support Preston without going overboard. He'll be fine eventually... I think."

Without pausing his game again, Isaac responded without missing a beat. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but things will get better. The good thing is, the absolute worst of the situation is past us right now."

Alex was tempted to make an ill timed joke about the world possibly suffering another random transformation, but chose not to. Alex, instead, chose to ask about a curiosity he had. "Hey, how come you seem so good at giving advice, anyway? You're only a year older than me and it sounds like you have life figured out."

Isaac chuckled. "Trust me, you're probably better off not being like I am right now. I had to experience life a lot in a short amount of time. Not all of it was bad, to be fair, but still," Isaac paused with a small headshake and a stiff exhale, "didn't leave me a lot of room to grow on my own pace."

Alex gave an understanding nod, not knowing how to respond. Instead, he began thinking of what to do next, and after deciding there was only really one thing he could do at that moment in time, he stood up and began making his way towards his room. "Well in any case, thanks for hearing me out, man. I appreciate it."

Isaac glanced back at Alex with a friendly smile. "Hey, no problem. And try and stay positive. Sometimes the universe just has a funny way of getting things to work out just right."

Alex didn't respond verbally, but did shoot a quick friendly smile back at Isaac. He went back to his room and pulled out his phone, opting to simply stare at the lock screen as he mentally prepared for his next action. Alex unlocked his phone and saw that he had a message from Eli. Alex was half tempted to respond, but decided to do it later. Otherwise, he may continuously put off talking to Preston. Alex pulled up Preston's number, hovered his thumbs over the keypad, and before he could second guess himself, began typing out a message.

Over the course of the evening, Alex has been going back and forth between messaging Eli and Preston while he tried to take his mind off of the day with some video games. Eli provided a further distraction from the stress filled day with talks about training, future meetups, and more video gaming stuff, both pokemon and non-pokemon related.

It was really Preston's messages that were stressing Alex. Preston had not taken it well when Alex first expressed his concern over his well-being with the suggestion of seeking therapy. Alex wasn't too surprised. Preston was always a very proud person. But even he could see his own shortcomings if he was forced to. It had taken a bit of coaxing, but eventually, it seemed that Preston had calmed down enough to where he was willing to listen to reason. From there, Alex was able to convince Preston that his deteriorating physical and mental state was not, in fact, a normal thing. And so after nearly an hour of verbal prodding, Preston eventually begrudgingly admitted that 'maybe seeing a therapist might do [him] some good.' Alex wasn't able to get him to commit to it right away, but it was certainly a start.

Alex eventually bade him goodnight, seeing he was relatively okay for the moment and that he wasn't going to get any more commitment from him for the time being. For the remainder of the evening, Alex played games on his PC, occasionally responding to Eli's messages until Eli went to bed, mostly so Alex could keep his mind off of the very eventful day. But even as he lost himself in his collection of PC games, Alex kept mentally replaying the day's events, from being hit in the sore spot twice, to the very emotionally charged chats that took place shortly after. And there was also a job opportunity in there somewhere. Alex let out a tired chuckle as he realized just how exhausted he was after such a trying day.

Alex decided to head to bed a bit earlier than normal after feeling the initial wave of exhaustion hit him. As he turned the lights out and settled himself in his bed, Alex took one more look at his phone, staring at a very specific message he got earlier in the evening. It was from his potential employer, detailing where and when the interview was taking place. That Monday. That didn't leave Alex too much time to prepare. Only three days until then. And yet, Alex felt oddly relaxed. It may have been Preston's advice that gave him that needed nudge, but it may have also been that the guy giving the tour all but told Alex he would easily get the job as he was. Maybe it was both. In any case, Alex had a very calm smile on his face. Eventually, Alex locked his phone and set it on his bedside table, and continued to stare at the darkened ceiling for a few moments more with nothing but his thoughts.

'You know,' Alex thought, 'long as this day was, I think it was pretty damn good. Still pretty hard to ignore the giant upside of the job I'm almost entirely certain I'm going to get. And Preston... ugh, I feel really bad for him still. But at least now he's starting to see that maybe he needs help getting through a massive life altering event for him. I don't know how okay he's going to be, but... he's strong. He can pull through it.' Alex turned to his side, getting himself comfortable so he could drift off to sleep soon. 'Yea, the world may still be out of sorts, but I think I'm doing pretty damn well all things considered.' With that last thought, Alex shut off his mind, closed his eyes, and finally drifted off into dreamland.

((Sorry for how late this was. I had another one of those moments where I kept revising a single part of the chapter a few times over until I was satisfied.

And real quick, I'm probably going to be posting less of these author's notes in the future for personal reasons, but just so you guys know, I'm always reading your comments and reviews and I'm always thankful for them. I know it doesn't seem like it, but that's just cuz I don't know how to respond half the time, haha. Thanks again for following along with my story. Til next time!))