Chapter 2: Setup

Sydney awoke to the sound of running water. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, leaning against the headboard of her bed. "I slept really well last night…" She stood and stretched. The door to the bathroom opened, and York emerged with a yawn. "Hey."

He sat on his bed. "Morning. We got a little time before check out. Wanna grab some breakfast downstairs, or do you wanna go buy something?"

"We spent 20,000 Pokédollars on this!" She exclaimed. "I'm not spending money on something we could get here!"

"Syd," She looked over at York, who looked towards the ground. "Do you think that we'd make a good couple?"

Sydney narrowed her eyes. "You have three seconds to explain yourself before I pummel you." She quietly warned.

"The receptionist said that yesterday." He awkwardly explained. "She even told me to check the right side of the nightstand." Sydney reached towards it, and York reached out towards her. "Hold on, Syd!"

She opened it and looked inside for a moment, her face growing red. She slammed it shut and looked over at them. "Why did she tell you about those?!"

"What kind of question is that? She thought we were going out! Why else would she tell me about them?"

"L-let's just eat breakfast and get out of here! I want to get all of our stuff as soon as possible! I'm going to take a shower, so get me something to eat when you're down there!" She rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

York sauntered over to the nightstand and opened the secret compartment. Something immediately caught his eye. He rummaged through the compartment's contents and took out a cased CD. "There's an actual T.M for Protect in here." He closed the compartment and slipped the T.M into his bag. "No reason to leave this here. Now, time for some breakfast!"

Sydney took the final bite of the donut that York had brought her from the Emerald Sky's breakfast bar. The two teens were en route to the Emeras City Pokémon Center, where Sydney had a package waiting. From there the two would go to the local Pokémon Lab where the owner, Professor Archer Richards, had something for them.

The two buildings were close to each other and the two reached their destination in a short amount of time. Sydney approached the counter, where a blonde woman in a nurse's uniform stood.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" She asked.

"I'm here to pick up a package for Sydney Collins." The woman went to the back room of the Pokémon Center and returned with a box, handing it to Sydney. "Thank you." She walked over to one of the couches that was in the Pokémon Center, resting the box in her lap.

York sat on a bean bag chair next to her. "That box seems a bit small." He said. "Is everything you need in there?"

"I made sure that everything was here. Just because the box looks small doesn't mean there's not a lot in it." She opened it and pulled out a large black bag. Inside of the bag was a professional camera. A wide smiled crossed Sydney's face. "Perfect!" She set it next to herself and took a charger attached to a small solar panel.

"What's that for?" Asked York, leaning in for a better look.

"It's a solar charger. Since we're gonna be hoofing it the entire time, I'm going to need a way to charge the camera outdoors. That's what this is for." She set that aside and pulled out several SD Cards. "Nice! With all of these, I'll be able to take a bunch of pictures!" She put everything back, except for the camera. "Get comfy, York. It might take a while for me to get used to this thing."'

It wasn't long until Sydney announced that she was ready to go. She slung the camera bag over her other shoulder, now carrying two bags. York stood from his seat and followed her out. While the lab was quite far from the Pokémon Center, it was a distinct building and hard to miss.

Mira Town was crowded when the two had left because of the plethora of people who visit during the summer. Emeras City was even more crowded, but there was no reason for many people to visit the city that time of year. It was simply that crowded.

The lab resembled a mansion, with two gargoyle-like statues out front. York stood in front of the lab, smiling up at it.

"Why're you standing there like a doofus?" Asked Sydney at the top of the steps leading to the door. "You're the one who wanted to come here!"

York ran up the steps and through the doors. Sydney walked in after him. All of the aides turned their attention to the young people who walked in, but only for a moment. One of the scientists approached the two.

"Hello, there." He said. "Can I help you kids?"

York beamed. "Yessir! We're looking for Professor Acher Richards!" He took an ID card from his wallet and handed it to the man. Sydney did the same.

"I see. He was expecting you two." The man handed them their cards. "Follow me."

As he guided them, they saw a few experiments being conducted on Pokémon, and others being cared for. They all seemed calm and happy in the lab. On the second floor, there were nothing but people. In the back was a set of three large monitors, and a single man sat before them all, typing swiftly.

A young woman stood next to him, looking up at the monitors. Her outfit contrasted greatly with that of the lab workers. Rather than business clothing covered by a lab coat, she wore casual clothing. She had on a black and white skirt and a white wool sweater. When the three approached and the footsteps grew louder, she turn to them, her curly pink hair spinning with her.

"Professor, you have guests." Said the aide. "It's the children from Mira Town that you were waiting for."

The man continued typing. "Thanks for bringing them in. You can get back to work."

Once the aide left them, he turned in the large swivel chair and crossed on of his gray khaki clad legs over the other, folding his hands in his lap and smiling at the two. The top buttons of his light blue business were undone and his black tie was loosened. His black half rim glasses were slightly crooked.

He fixed his glasses. "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you." He said. "Tell me, was your trip from Mira Town alright?"

"Yes, it was!" York happily replied. "There weren't any complications!"

Sydney put a hand on her hip and scowled at him. "What about the thing you wanted to check out last night? I heard police sirens outside the hotel."

"Huh? Oh yeah. Some woman got robbed and I caught the guy."

"Impressive!" Said the professor. "Have you had much experience battling?"

"No sure. To be honest, I think I just got lucky. His Pokémon was a perfect match for Colonel."

"Colonel? I assume that's your partner." York nodded. The professor leaned forward in his chair and looked at York's cheek. There was a small scar on it. "Did it have something to do with that?"

He touched his cheek and chuckled. "Yeah, he did that. It was a long time ago, though."

"What was it that you had for us, professor?" Sydney asked.

"Ah, yes." He turned to the young woman who was standing next to them. "Melanie, could you go fetch the supplies?"

"Sure thing." She began walking away from the three.

"Is she another one of your assistants?" York asked. "She does exactly looked dressed for this job."

"Melanie is a med student who training with IHPHA. She was assigned to a mission with the KDDF. Her companions are out right now."

Sydney bit her thumb. "The International Human & Pokémon Health Association… and the Kinsei Domestic Defense Force. I can kinda understand IHPHA sending someone to scope out a lab to make sure they aren't doing anything sketchy, but what about the KDDF? What do they want with you?"

"I'm just helping them out with something. There's absolutely nothing sketchy going on."

"If you say it like that, then it sounds a little sketch…" Sydney grumbled under her breath.

Melanie returned with a tray that held two PokéNav Pluses and a Pokédex*. While there were five different models of the Pokédex, the one on the tray was like a handheld video game console, red and black with two green buttons on the right side.

"Here are the things I wanted to give you. Go on, take 'em." Said the professor.
The two reached for the PokéNavs, but didn't touch the Pokédex, and looked at each other instead.

Melanie looked at the two with a perplexed look. "Is there something wrong?"

"Actually, there kinda is." York looked back at the professor. "There's only one Pokédex here."

"I'm well aware. While PokéNav Pluses are pretty expensive, they can be bought. Pokédexes have to be made, and contain information on nearly all 719 known Pokémon. We can't give them out all willy nilly. We can only spare one for you two. That's the protocol that the higher ups gave us."

"Nearly all of them?" York inquired. "What do you mean?"

Melanie answered his question. "Pokémon like legendaries don't have concrete scientific information that people like Professor Richards can put in a Pokédex."

"And I swear that some of them are urban legends. Cubone's is complete nonsense, to name a few."

"You're the one going for the league." Sydney said. "You take it."

"You're looking to enter the Kinsei League Conference next July, right?" Asked Professor Richards as York picked up the Pokédex.

"Yeah."

"Then the Emeras Gym should be your first stop." He told them.

The two trainers looked at each other in silence for a moment, then to the professor.

"I'm busy here, so I can't show you where it is. Could you do that for me, Melanie?"

"Of course." She returned to plate and waited for York and Sydney by the elevator.

Once outside, Sydney punched York. "I can't believe you didn't know there was a gym here! I thought that we'd have to leave as soon as we arrived!" She patted the camera bag. "Now I'll be able to take some pictures of the area before we leave."

"Well, I'm sorry!" He retorted. "I always paid attention to my dad's battle during each League Conference, not the gyms he went to before then!"

"I'm not too sure that the Gym Leader is prepared at the moment." Melanie told the two. "The gym is supposed to be open right now, but she might have had something come up."

"Does she have another job or something?" Sydney asked.

"All Gym Leaders have second jobs. Most of the time, their gym acts as their workplace, too."

"Melanie, could you mark down the locations of the other gyms for me?" She nodded, and York noticed a red cross badge on her left arm. "Oh yeah, the professor said you were with IHPHA and that you were working with the KDDF. Where are the guys you came with?"

"Looking into the Hundred Eyes." She calmly told them.

The Hundred Eyes was the name of a notorious gang that operated worldwide. The name comes from a rumor stating that there are only one hundred members in the gang, with much of the work being done by hired thugs. They've operated for several decades, avoiding being completely snuffed out by authorities.

"Why do they need IHPHA and a Professor to deal with them?" Sydney asked. "Are they not confident in their own abilities? That's a little sad for the organization that exists for the sole purpose of protecting our region's citizens."

"It's not that simple. I barely know why they asked for me, actually. I'm doing this because once I return, I'll become an official IHPHA nurse." She looked up into the sky, speaking softly.

Some time later, she stopped in front of a building that had two Pokémon Statues. The building looked quite normal, but with the international Pokémon Gym symbol resting on top of it.

York looked up at the building. "What does the gym leader do, exactly?"

"She's a pet trainer. If a Pokémon is misbehaving, people bring them here and she disciplines them so they behave at home." Melanie explained. "Can you two handle yourselves from here?"

"We'll be fine." Sydney replied. "We'll just use our PokéNavs if we get lost or anything. They'll help us find our way. Thanks for brining us."

York thanked Melanie as well, and she left the two. York took a breath and walked towards the gym. He paused in front of the doors and pushed them open.

"Hello? If the Emeras Gym Leader is here, I'd like to battle her!"

Sydney punched his arm. "You don't go barging into a gym and ask for a battle like that, you dweeb!"

A young man approached the two. "Welcome. The gym leader, Aera, is here. She's busy though. Will the two of you be able to wait?"

York rubbed his arm. "Yeah… could you bring us to her? I'd like to see what she does."

The young man complied and brought the two past the lobby. Past it was a large room that seemed like a bit of an obstacle course or a playroom. There was various equipment set up all over it. In the center, a young woman with deep blue hair held a bone shaped treat high up. On the ground, a Growlithe was eagerly wagging it's tail, barking and jumping up towards it.

"Calm down Growlithe!" She ordered. Her voice was forceful. Upon hearing it, the small Pokémon calmed down a bit, but was still eager to get the treat. "If you sit, you get the treat. Roxie!" A slightly larger Growlithe who was resting stood up and walked over to her. "Sit, girl!" The Growlithe sat down and waited. She knelt down and gave the Pokémon the treat, patting her head. She then looked looked at the other Growlithe expectantly.

It hesitated for a moment and then sat down itself, looking quite nervous. She patted it's head and fed it a treat of it's own.

"That's a good boy! The treat was good, right?" It gleefully barked. "Exactly! Listening to your owner is a good thing, so do that, and you get a tasty treat, okay?"

York took Pawniard's Pokéball off of his belt and let him out. "There she is, Colonel. The first step in our journey to the top. Watch her closely." Colonel nodded and began focusing intensely on her.

Sydney sighed. "And how will seeing her train that pup help you in battle? Pokémon battling isn't anything like this. She might've gotten her Pokémon to obey her every word through something like this, but I don't see how that relates to battle tactics."

The two stood off to the side, watching as the small Growlithe was tested with basic commands and rewarded with a treat each time, occasionally having to have the older Growlithe set an example. After a few hours, the Growlithe and it's owners left. York and Colonel approached her.

"Ah, hello." She said. "Are you here because of your Pawniard?"

"No, miss." York replied. "Are you Aera?"

"Yes, I am." She smiled at him. "You're looking to challenge me to a battle, aren't you?" York nodded. Aera looked at him quizzically and circled around him. "How many Pokémon do you have, exactly?"

"O-only Colonel." He replied, a tad uneasy. "Is that a bad thing?"

Her expression grew a bit disappointed. "Gym Battles are three-on-three matches. You could take me on with your Pawniard alone, but it would be tough. I'd recommend picking up another Pokémon or two. There aren't many more discouraging things a new trainer can go through than losing their first gym battle."

"I-I see. I'll see if I can catch another Pokémon then. Thank you for your advice." York turned to leave, but Aera stopped him.

"I specialize in Flying Types, by the way. You're going to want to keep that in mind when you look for your next team member."

"Thanks again!" Sydney followed him out and he let out an exasperated sigh. "Great. I was hoping I could get the badge already."

"You could try. She never said you couldn't. But this is probably for the best. You wouldn't last with just Colonel. I'm sure of it."

"Don't you have any faith in me?"

"Not really." She grabbed his arm. "Now that that's done, I'm going to go take some pictures with my new camera!"

"D-do I have to go with you?"

She tightened her grip on his arm significantly. "If you can break free, you don't have to."

"Ow, ow , ow! Alright, alright! If you wanted me to go along, you could just say so, Syd!" She twisted his arm. "Ow!"

*=ORAS Pokédex