Author's Note: So sorry I haven't been able to update for a while. Crazy busy the last 2 weeks.
Enjoy!
Ralts was healed two days after Jessie left. We informed Professor Sycamore of the predicament over the phone, and he rescheduled our meeting to the afternoon. I added Ralts to my team. He telepathically communicated with me, asking me to call him "Euphie."
Serena and I took a cab to Professor Sycamore's lab. Walking into the reception office, we were greeted by a secretary who said nothing and gave us a chipped smile.
With a face that conveyed the message, "I wish I got a phone call right now so I wouldn't have to talk to you," she popped a pink bubblegum bubble. Twirling a cherry coloured lock of hair around an aquamarine painted nail, she said finally, "How may I help you?" (There it was again, her fake smile.)
"We're here to see Professor Sycamore, we have a meeting at noon," Serena piped up. "Where's his office?"
The secretary popped a ridiculously large bubble. "Third floor, second door on the right."
"Thank you," Serena said, putting an emphasis on 'thank'. She moved in the direction of the elevator, and I followed. Turning back as Serena pushed the UP button, I noticed her glaring at us through her thick-rimmed purple spectacles before licking her finger (ugh, I hate when people do that) and turning a page of her magazine.
Upon arriving on the third floor, we walked over to the Professor's office door and knocked.
"Entrer Dans," the Professor called out from behind the closed door. Serena opened it and marched in with me cautiously following behind her.
Books lined the wooden shelves filling the beige painted walls. On his desk were several pokemon themed trinkets. I smiled inwardly at his Ralts clock, whose bells on its top looked like the helmet-like protection on the pokemon's head.
"Bonjour! Parlez-vous Francais?" he greeted.
"Je le pare couramment mais Alex ne fonctionne," Serena answered in French. The only thing I recognized was my name, or perhaps that was French for something.
The Professor slicked his tousled black hair off his scalp. "Very well," he said in English, "we will speak in English for his sake." He had a very thick French accent that reminded me of melted chocolate.
"Professor, why did you send us on this mission, if you don't mind me asking," I said.
"Psychology reasons, my boy," Professor Sycamore said with a smile. "S'asseoir. Sit down"
We sat. "I'm trying to discover the bonds formed between pokemon and trainers when they compete," he explained.
I noticed a bag on his desk containing 3 pokeballs, but I didn't get to ask him about it because he continued talking at a brisk pace.
"Now that we've started, I'm going to give you each a short survey. Periodically throughout your journey, you will complete surveys for me over the phone. Understand?"
We nod in response. "Excellent," Professor Sycamore said, handing us both a sheet of paper and a pencil.
Most of the survey was basic info… name, gender, age, hair and eye color. The second half was about my relationship Serena, to which I responded "neighbor, friend". The second question was "Do you get along with this person?" "Yes," I wrote.
The last question asked "How do you feel towards your partner." I hesitated, before answering, "She's my crush."
After the meeting with Sycamore, we went back to the Pokecenter. As I opened the door, I noticed a small advertising card hanging on the handle. It advertised an exquisite restaurant decorated with roses and bluebonnets.
"Belle Petit Mange," I mumbled the name aloud.
"Oh! We should eat there!" Serena squealed excitedly.
"Tomorrow night, for dinner or something. I'm actually really tired right now." I removed the card from the door handle and entered the room, setting it on the countertop.
"Cool, it's a date then," Serena said, switching on the television to a game show: "Who's that Pokemon?"
"A date?" I practically choked out in surprise.
"Yeh. Problem?" Serena said, turning to face me from her position on the couch.
"No," I said, fiddling with my shirt buttons. I grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter, took a bite from it, and munched thoughtfully.
"Guess that Pokemon!" the announcer cried to a contestant as the crowd roared. A shadowed form of a pokemon appeared on the screen.
"Pikachu!" Serena screeched.
"Clefairy!" the contestant answered. A ding sounded out, followed by the announcer yelling, "Correct!" Serena cursed loudly and readjusted her position on the couch. I shook my head and smiled, walking out of the kitchen and into one of the bedrooms. It wasn't until a few hours later that I fell asleep.