TWINLEAF TOWN, 10:30

Claus would be lying if he said that the thought of not telling Palmer about the incident hadn't crossed his mind. However, he'd practically instantly discounted it. He couldn't lie to Palmer. The guy was basically his dad, even helping his mother Johanna with taking care of Claus when the widow had to stay after hours at her job.

God, Claus hated thinking of his mother as a widow, even if it was technically true. It made her seem like some crotchety, bitter old lady, and not at all the crazy woman with a fiery spirit she was in reality.

Anyways, Claus had felt bad enough for the lie he'd told Rowan, that wasn't even a lie at all. He wasn't about to lie again where it was unnecessary. And he was pretty sure that it was unnecessary, this time. Palmer was a formidable trainer, but once you got to know him, he really wasn't scary at all.

Barry opened the door to his house, and Claus saw Palmer sitting on a rocking chair, reading a newspaper. He looked up, saw them, and went back to reading. "Hey, boys. Good morning."

Claus stayed silent, so it was Barry's job to speak up. "Hey, dad. Um, we've got something to tell you."

As Barry relayed the encounter to his father with Claus chiming in every now and then, Palmer's eyebrows rose further and further up his face. When the story was finished, the man paused for a second before taking off his reading glasses and sighing as he polished them on his shirt.

"Why am I not surprised," he began in a voice that was far more fond than accusatory, and Claus couldn't bite back a rueful smile. "Of course the two of you would make the acquaintance of the Professor in such a spectacular way. Speaking of which, let Lucy out, would you?"

The ball shook in Barry's pocket, and he pulled it out and pushed the button. The white-furred feline glanced an amused glance at Claus and Barry, who waved sheepishly, before turning to Palmer with a purr, jumping into the chair with him and snuggling up to his side. "Good girl," murmured Palmer, and the Meowstic purred louder.

Turning back to the two of them, Palmer smiled. "Look, I don't mind too much, right? It was an honest mistake, and I hope it won't happen again without my knowledge." Barry shook his head emphatically, and Palmer nodded. "Okay, good." He turned to Claus next. "And you, kid… Well, it was a good save, I have to say. But, I don't appreciate you using me as an excuse like that, right? Nobody appreciates stuff like that, actually, so I hope this will be a one-time thing."

Palmer's gaze was understanding and forgiving, but that was almost worse. Claus stared at his sandals. "Sorry, Palmer. It won't happen again."

Palmer smiled. "Good. I don't like having to chew you two out, so it had better not, eh?" He folded the newspaper, placing it aside and getting up to allow Lucy the entire chair, which she took happily. "Hell, you know what? I'll take you two to Sandgem right now."

Claus's eyebrows rose. "Really? I thought today was your off day."

Palmer laughed. "Kid, just because it's my off day doesn't mean that I want to stay cooped up in the house all day. I'll let Traci know, and then we can be off."

Traci, Barry's mom, poked her head in through a door. "I heard everything! I don't mind at all. You three have fun!"

ROUTE 201, 10:50

The three of them crossed the threshold of Route 201 on their bicycles. Barry and Claus were biking at a rather sedate pace, which was an oddity. However, they had refrained from picking up the speed with unspoken consent. They both knew that if they started a race, Palmer would outstrip them mercilessly, a perk of the Fighting affinity he'd been training since his own youth. Matching his physical prowess would be nearly impossible.

Palmer's Pokemon had joined them on the trip, as well. Charlie, his Masquerain, buzzed ahead of them, his small wings fluttering hundreds of times a second to support his larger body. He didn't look like much, but Barry and Claus both knew that he was strong for a Masquerain, and would probably be enough to deter anything that got too curious on the way to Sandgem. The really powerful wild Pokemon tended to keep to themselves, especially here on Route 201. The grassy path was certainly wild, but it was no Mount Coronet, either.

The journey was uneventful, and the three of them pedaled in a comfortable silence. The few attacking Pokemon, mostly territorial birds who thought that a Masquerain would be easy prey. They were quickly chased away by cautionary blades of wind from Charlie.

The tall grass soon faded into a more beaten dirt path, and soon enough, that became a stone road leading into Sandgem Town. The town was larger than Twinleaf, but not by much. The air was suffused with the salty scent of the sea, directly to the south of the town. A few people occupied the small beach, some of them engaged in a three-way Pokemon battle, but most of them were relaxing. The heat of the late morning sun was the same comforting presence that it was in Twinleaf.

Palmer quickly excused herself to go and visit the movie theater, which Claus and Barry didn't mind. That was the main reason, besides the Pokemart, that any of them would visit Sandgem in the first place. But this time, the two of them had a different destination in mind.

"Excuse me," Barry asked a woman who was crossing the street. "Do you know which way Professor Rowan's lab is?"

The woman nodded. "Head down this street and take the fourth left. It really stands out, you can't miss it," she added.

Thanking her, the pair waited until she had left their sight. Then, of course, they looked at each other. The straight, nearly empty road and the absence of Traci seemed to have given them both the exact same idea.

"Race to the lab?"

Barry grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

Claus mirrored Barry's smile. "Three, two, one!"

The two of them pushed off, pedaling hard and fast. This was an extreme change of pace from the measured pedaling that they'd been doing until then. Claus's legs started to burn, but Barry was still ahead of him. Slowly but surely, Barry's lead increased. It didn't help that the turn was going to be a left, and Claus was on the right.

Claus smiled as Barry started to lean to the side and turn the handlebars as the turn approached. Well, he wouldn't be ready for this.

Even as Claus slowed down, he concentrated, reaching for his affinity, and gave the metal of Barry's bike a nudge. It wouldn't have been strong enough to push him over normally, but Barry was also leaning to the side, and by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

Claus pedaled past leisurely with his hands off the handlebars and behind his head, whistling as Barry tried to extricate himself from underneath his now fallen bicycle.

"Damn you," Barry said, but he was laughing. Claus got off his bike, kicking out the side stand and extending a hand to help Barry up. "I was going to win! Next time we're doing a race, I'll melt your fucking tires, and see how you like that."

"You'd pay for that," Claus said reasonably, pulling Barry to his feet. "Plus, I didn't do anything. I'm sorry you don't know how to ride fast without falling off."

"Smartass," Barry replied, kicking Claus in the shin and snickering when he swore and hopped away. "Let's get to the lab."

The lady who they had gotten directions from was absolutely right. Professor Rowan's lab stood out like a beautiful Milotic in a school of Feebas. It was a beacon of a building, about twice the height of any other nearby building. Its sleek metal walls shone like a polished mirror, painting the surrounding area with shiny moving reflections.

"Whoa," breathed Barry, and Claus had to agree. It was an intimidating but beautiful sight.

"Well," Barry said, already recovered. "Let's go in!" And without any hesitation, he pushed the door open and marched right through, Claus following close behind.

The interior of the building was just as impressive as the exterior. The floor was pure stone, either polished to an extreme degree or raised by a Rock affinity. It would have to have been an extremely talented Rock affinity, however, as precision of that level was almost impossible to achieve without extreme amounts of time and energy and practice.

The floor, impressive as it was, was only one part of the lab, and everything else was on the same level or greater, and there was too much to take in at once. Sturdy metal tables, with scientists scribbling notes on sheets of paper. Tall shelves packed with books. Screens, as tall as a person, stretching out against the wall with displays projected onto them.

And, of course, the Pokemon could not be missed. An oddly colored golden Charmander stood atop a scanner, blinking curiously as bands of light moved up its body. A Golbat flapped in place, and scientists watched through a glass barrier and jotted observations. A Girafarig stood on the ground, staring down a man and a woman, until the woman flinched and the man, grinning, pumped his fist in the air while adding a tally mark to a whiteboard.

"Ah, Claus and Barry!" boomed a familiar voice. The two of them looked over to Professor Rowan, who had been among those watching the Golbat. He was walking away from those towards the back of the lab, however, and gestured for the two of them to follow.

"I had been wondering when I should expect the two of you," he said as they caught up and greeted him. "I should have known that it wouldn't even be lunchtime before the two of you hunted me down, from your enthusiasm."

The three of them reached a door, and Rowan placed his palm flat on the surface. The door swung open without so much as a push from the professor, though it was made of solid, sturdy metal.

Barry and Claus shared a glance, but Rowan seemed to not notice their surprise, or if he did, didn't comment on it.

"This is where we keep many of our younger Pokemon," Rowan explained as the three of them stepped through the doorway into an outdoor area. "Laboratory conditions are not always ideal for younger individuals, so they are given a home here until they are ready for either release or aiding our research in the lab. We also provide a home for Pokemon that are injured or otherwise hampered in their ability to live in the wild."

The outdoor area was just as impressive as the interior, if not more so. There were less scientists and equipment, however, and many more Pokemon, of all shapes and sizes. Scientists tended to Pokemon, feeding them, grooming them, or doing a variety of other tasks.

Barry and Claus both stared, neither bothering to hide their amazement as they took in the variety of Pokemon. They knew that even if they were limited to Pokemon that were about their level, there would be an obscene variety for them to choose.

"Dawn!" called Professor Rowan, and one of the lab assistants, kneeling down in the grass, turned her head and made to stand up. She was probably around their age and rather pretty, with longish dark blue hair and a white beanie.

"This is Dawn," said the Professor, introducing them. "She has been one of my finest interns, and she's been in charge of helping out with the younger Pokemon recently."

Dawn ducked her head at the Professor's praise, smiling shyly. "Thank you," she said quietly. She looked back up at the two of them, curious. "Was there something you needed from me, Professor?"

Rowan nodded. "Dawn, these young men are Barry and Claus." Dawn nodded at the two of them, and Claus nodded back. Barry, next to him, waved. "I've told them that I would allow the two of them to choose a lab Pokemon to start their gym challenge with. Since you are familiar with the Pokemon here, I've decided that introducing these young men to their first Pokemon partners will fall to you."

Dawn looked extremely pleased. If Claus had to guess, he would assume that she was happy to be relied upon for such a task, and that she was proud of Rowan's trust in her.

"However, before I release the two of you to Dawn, I have some things I must take care of." Rowan shifted his backpack so that he could access it more easily, and carefully pulled out two shiny devices with a screen the size of Claus's hand. Claus smiled as he recognized them, and a gasp from next to him told him that Barry did, too.

"If you are willing, I would like to request your assistance with the Pokedex project," Rowan explained, wholly unnecessarily. "A common misconception is that the project requires trainers to capture as many Pokemon as they can. This is not true. Simply using the team that you befriend on your journey and documenting information about them will suffice. After all, quality trumps quantity."

He met their eyes, first Claus, then Barry, and a smile stretched beneath his bushy mustache. "Judging by your reactions so far, I assume that you will be accepting."

"Of course," said Claus, at the same time as Barry whooped, "Hell yeah!" and startled a poor Kirlia that was picking at pokebeans nearby, causing it to squeak and vanish in a flash of psychic energy.

Dawn, who had been listening to the conversation silently, disguised a laugh as a cough into her elbow. Rowan chuckled. "That is good to hear, especially since I will be entrusting you with the lab's Pokemon, hmm? It will be good to keep an eye on them as they grow and mature, away from home." The Professor handed each of them one of the Pokedexes, and with unspoken consent, they traded the instant that they were handed to them. Claus and Barry grinned as they clutched their new white and black models, respectively.

"It's just a matter of the color, sir," Claus felt compelled to explain when Rowan raised an eyebrow.

Rowan nodded. "There is no difference between them aside from aesthetics, of course. If you wish to, know that you can purchase related accessories, not all of them purely visual, at most Pokemarts."

Suddenly, Rowan's expression became more serious. He wasn't angry, but he was definitely more solemn than he had been previously. "I feel compelled to remind you that being a trainer is no trifling matter. It is a matter of obligation and love. When one captures Pokemon, they have an obligation to not simply train them, but to be willing to change their lives to help them. Trainers must know what limits they are willing to push themselves to when dealing with their Pokemon, and if they are not willing, then it is their responsibility to realize that and release their Pokemon back to the wild, or to a trainer who is better suited."

Rowan's gaze was piercing. "I cannot, in good conscience, hand over Pokemon to those who do not understand that. Do I make myself clear?"

Barry, probably still riding the high of getting a Pokedex, was quick to reply flippantly. "Obviously, Professor! Claus told you in the morning, and I'll tell you in the afternoon, and we'll repeat it as many times as we have to. We love Pokemon! What, do you think scaring us is gonna- ow! Claus, what was that for?"

Claus withdrew his elbow. "Don't mind his rudeness, Professor. We understand what you're saying, and appreciate the reminder."

Rowan's eyes softened. "That is good to hear. In that case, Dawn, if you would introduce these two to their potential partners?"

NOTES

Again, Claus hates lying.

Palmer is basically Claus's dad too, and his family helped out Johanna after Claus's dad died because they're KIND PEOPLE

Palmer has a fighting affinity because it's 100% on brand. Just have the image of Claus and Barry, a few years ago, arm-wrestling when Palmer shows up and is like "yo, let me join!" naturally, the two of them run screaming for their lives.

Lol Claus cheating in the race, but also Barry will definitely get comeuppance

I had way too much fun describing the lab

Here's Dawn! Hi Dawn.

A somewhat slow chapter, this time. But still a kind of important one! Don't worry, the pace of this story picks up soon.