Carol Jenny drops out of presidential
race citing family issues; other
candidates react, offer condolences
Asami Nishimura, Election
Jan. 29, 2011
VIRIDIAN CITY, KANTO—On a stage free
of any campaign paraphernalia, Carol Jenny
announced the end of her candidacy for the
president of Napaj.
The Kanto Times reported Wednesday that
Jenny's mother has been diagnosed with
stage 3 breast cancer. Unnamed sources
from inside the campaign told the
publication that as a result of the diagnosis,
Jenny was "heavily weighing her options."
On Saturday, joined by her husband, two
children, and head staffers on stage, Jenny
choked up when sharing her decision to
withdraw her name from the ballot.
"I am humbled by the outpouring of support
my family has received during this difficult
time," she said. "Campaigning for the
highest office in this wonderful nation has
been an incredible experience. Meeting the
people of Napaj, listening to them, working
with them to address their concerns has
been nothing short of incredible. However,
thinking of the future of my family, I have
decided it is time to withdraw from running."
The other candidates for the presidency
reacted to the news of Jenny's withdrawal,
offering both condolences and praise.
"Although we were opponents, I am
saddened by the circumstances under
which Carol Jenny withdrew," Mitchell
Sinternik told reporters outside his office in
Goldenrod City. "I wish her and her family
the best of luck."
Erol Adalet, formerly a law enforcement
officer like Jenny, applauded her work and
also expressed his well-wishes.
"She has done incredible things in her
career to ensure the safety of Pokemon
and people alike," he said. "She would have
made a fine leader. I wish the best to her
and hope her mother makes a full recovery."
Saffron City Mayor Tom Waylend spoke
briefly of the matter at the end of his
campaign event in Ecruteak City.
"Before I close today, I want to acknowledge
the news of Carol Jenny's withdrawal," he
said. "Her years of public service will not go
unnoticed. I thank her for running a
respectable campaign focused on
meaningful issues."
Connor Blanc released a written statement
via his Chatot account, expressing regret for
Jenny's decision but hope that her mother
"Enedina Jenny, a long-time public servant,
will make a full recovery."
Spokeswoman to the Junia Stevens
campaign Marinda Ortiz said, "From the
bottom of our hearts, we wish Enedina
Jenny good health as she begins treatment
and good luck to Carol Jenny in her future
endeavors."
Greg Abel's campaign has not responded to
multiple requests for comment at time of
publication.
Jeremy Bunt, Marie Guadarrama, Anthony
Lugo, Keion Thomas, Aiyalah
West-Rosewood, and Zoey Williams
contributed to this report.
Follow the reporter Asami Nimishura at
animi on Chatot.
"Wanna hear something funny a student did yesterday?" Candice posed the question abruptly in the middle of their video call, but Zoey wasn't the least bit surprised. That was how Candice worked: layers upon layers of tangents that somehow formed a coherent conversation. Zoey smiled, amused.
"You can always tell me anything," she said as she gave Glameow, who was sitting in her lap, a pat on the head.
"So I did a project where every student was assigned a Pokémon type, and they had to make a poster about it. You know, what it's strong against, weak against, and why—that sort of thing," Candice explained. "Anyway, one boy was doing a poster on the Psychic type. When he listed the Bug type as one of its weaknesses, he wrote it was because 'bugs are scary to weenies.'"
They laughed together. Zoey loved these moments best, moments when they could just chat about silly things that didn't matter. She especially cherished them now.
Zoey's cell phone rang. The laughter died down as Zoey flipped it right-side up to check the caller ID.
"Let me guess—Homa?" Candice teased.
"How'd you know?" Zoey asked with a weary smile. "Let me take care of this really quick. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Candice assured her. "I have to go anyway. I have a dentist appointment."
"Sounds delightful."
"You know I'm excited. I'll talk to you later." Candice blew her a kiss through the screen. "Love ya."
Zoey managed a chuckle
"Love you too," she said. The screen froze, a snapshot of the final moment before Candice ended the connection. Zoey stared wistfully for a moment before picking her phone back up, her expression growing more serious as she did.
"What's up, Homa?" she asked, brushing Glameow off her lap as she stood up.
"I wanted to know: When you called Marinda for the quote on Jenny's withdrawal, did you also ask her about an interview with Stevens?" Homa questioned.
Zoey let out a long breath in disbelief that she was bringing it up again. It had been a good two months since Homa initially charged her with the task of wrangling an in-depth story out of the Junia Stevens campaign. Still, every time Zoey so much as approached Marinda, the answer was always an immediate—
"No."
"And why not?" Homa asked a little impatiently.
"I don't know how many times I can ask before Marinda files a harassment charge," Zoey said dryly.
"You've got the right of a free press to back you up," Homa said. "You need to keep pushing her. It should strike you funny that Junia Stevens' campaign refuses to let her talk. It should make you want to dig deeper."
"I'm doing everything I can, Homa," Zoey argued.
"No you're not," Homa said sternly, "because if you were, I'd have a story on my desk by now."
"You're being unfair to me," Zoey continued indignantly. "This isn't me neglecting my job. No other reporter has been able to get an interview with Junia either, and out of all of them, I've been fighting for it the hardest.
A tense silence passed. Then, Homa said, "I didn't say you were being neglectful. You did." Zoey's chest suddenly tightened. Homa continued, "You're doing serviceable work. But you're not doing the work of someone who not even four months ago told me they wanted to write something that matters."
Zoey wanted to respond, but no words came.
"I don't know what's going on right now that's caused you to suddenly slack on the quality of your content. Three or four briefs a week is a bare minimum. You're worth more than that. That's why I sent you of all people to cover this woman," Homa went on. "Answer me honestly: Are you thinking about quitting?"
The question shook Zoey.
"N-No," she stammered.
"That wasn't very convincing," Homa said impatiently.
"I'm not going to leave you hanging in the middle of the election," Zoey said in an attempt to reassure her.
"I don't want you to writing for me if you're just doing it to appease me," Homa snapped. "Where's that Zoey who was fighting tooth and nail with me to follow up on Barry Pearl's fallout from the Sinnoh Battle Frontier? Do you still want to write something that matters?"
"Yes," Zoey said quietly.
"I can't hear you."
"Yes," Zoey repeated, louder and more resolved.
"Then prove it to me and go find out what the hell is up with this woman and her campaign," Homa finished.
Zoey closed her eyes and took in a cleansing breath.
"... Okay," she conceded. She could have offered excuses. She could have brought up Candice. She could have admitted she really had been thinking about quitting. But instead, she only added, "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Homa said. "I just want you to do the good work I know you're capable of."
"I don't know what to do from here," Zoey admitted. "I feel stuck."
"You've been hammering Marinda from the same angle," Homa pointed out. "Try something different. Think outside the box. Maybe you can't get Junia Stevens to talk, but you can get someone else to."
Zoey hummed thoughtfully. The suggestion certainly opened up more possibilities, but she would need time to think about them.
"Okay," Zoey agreed. "I'll see what I can do."
Zoey liked Nimbasa Town. She did not realize how much she liked it until her second trip to the Nimbasa City suburb, with the threat of death no longer looming above her like it had two years ago during the Pokérus epidemic. Her time with the Contests in Unova crusade was, to put it lightly, a stressful one. While she had enjoyed working with her friends, she was glad that period in her life was over.
She considered heading down to the Nimbasa Town Stadium, where the CIU had held its special contest event, just to see if there were any contests happening now. It would be a nice way to clear her head for work and, simultaneously, enjoy the fruits of her labor. However, she learned from an online event calendar that the stadium was presently hosting a Don George Club Battle tournament. A contest wouldn't be held there until next week, and she would be long gone by then.
Her interest diminished, Zoey instead headed to a nearby diner. Once inside, the quiet solitude of her booth allowed the predicament with Junia Stevens to push its way to the front of her mind. She mulled over the situation as she stared absently at the diner's extensive menu. The waitress had to circle back three times before Zoey was ready to order, and even when the food came, she barely touched it. Glameow, sitting on the other end of the booth, eyed the meal—some type of meat, the scent of which was enticing—but contented herself with the specialized Pokémon food Zoey had ordered for her, figuring her trainer would eventually want to eat her own food.
Zoey, meanwhile, tapped her nails methodically against the table.
Someone to talk to. Someone who could—and would—tell her about Junia Stevens. Someone who wasn't actually Junia Stevens herself, seeing as Marinda Ortiz wouldn't let anyone get anywhere close to her.
She needed to start somewhere. And she needed to start with the questions she had.
Zoey flipped open her notebook and began to write.
—Where was Junia Stevens born? Where did she grow up?
—Was Junia Stevens ever a trainer? Did she go on a journey?
—Does Junia Stevens have any immediate family? A significant other?
—What did Junia Stevens do between graduation from Canalave University (1999) and beginning employment at the Eterna Historical Museum (2006)?
—Does Junia Stevens plan to hash out the details in her policy ideas, or will she just continue to share general sentiments?
—What motivated Junia Stevens to run in the first place?
—Why do staffers refuse to let reporters interview Junia Stevens?
—Is Junia Stevens aware of her base of scientific support? What is she doing for them?
—How does her degree in space archeology affect her political stances?
—What even is space archeology?
That was adequate for now, Zoey thought, as she placed her pen down. She glanced over the list of questions, pondering who might have the answers.
Start easy. Zoey picked up her phone, did some searching online, and then dialed a number.
"This is the office for the College of Science and Technology at Canalave University." A friendly, though very much robotic voice answered Zoey's call. "For questions about admissions, please press 1. For questions about a specific degree program, please press 2. For—" Zoey pressed 2. "Please hold while we connect you with one of our representatives."
Zoey again began to drum her fingers against the table as an odd though admittedly somewhat catchy jingle began to play. After a couple of minutes, a distinctly human voice answered.
"Good afternoon, you've reached the office for the College of Science and Technology at Canalave University," a young man said. "My name is Aaric, and I'll be helping you today. What can I do for you?"
"Hello," Zoey said. "My name is Zoey Williams. I'm a reporter for the Hearthome Chronicle covering Junia Stevens' campaign. She graduated with a bachelors of science in space archeology from your college in 1999, and I'm looking to learn more about your program and the field of space archeology."
"O-Oh! Sure," Aaric stammered out. Zoey figured he was probably just a student worker who had expected to speak with a prospective applicant and not a reporter from a major publication. "Um… Let me actually see if I can connect you with someone who can better answer your questions."
"That would be great. Thank you."
At the sound of the on-hold jingle, Zoey fell down a Buneary-hole of bureaucracy. She was transferred from the program director to the dean to an admissions representative and somehow back to Aaric before ending the call herself. Thankfully, she had been able to piece together a decent understanding of the school's space archaeology program along the way, and that was more than she'd had in days. With newfound enthusiasm, she quickly began searching for her next contact.
Every ten or so minutes, Zoey's waitress would anxiously walk past to check if she had started her food. Once, she politely interrupted to ask if everything was okay. Zoey assured her it was and felt bad, so she bought a cup of coffee. It was horribly grainy, so she didn't touch it either. Glameow had long finished her meal and was instead staring longingly at Zoey's food, but her trainer remained too distracted to notice.
"Good afternoon. You've reached the Eterna Historical Museum front desk. How may I help you?"
"Hello, I'm Zoey Williams from the Hearthome Chronicle. I'm covering Junia Stevens's campaign." Zoey had repeated the same statement several times over that afternoon, and it was starting to sound tired. "Stevens was employed at this museum as a curator before resigning to run. Could you please put me in contact with her former supervisor? I'd like to ask them a few questions."
"Certainly. Please hold."
The shift for Zoey's waitress ended. An elderly woman replaced her. The sun was beginning to wane. Glameow, bored from staring at her trainer's now-spoiled food all day, had taken a nap. Zoey was actually feeling hungry now, but when her new waitress took her untouched meal away and asked if she would like anything else, Zoey still refused. She couldn't eat while speaking.
"Thank you very much for your time," Zoey said after speaking to not the first, not the second, but the third former colleague. "I appreciate it."
"You're welcome. Have a good evening."
Zoey hung up but continued writing in her notebook. The dinner rush was starting; Zoey could tell because the front of house was abustle with waitstaff seating incoming families, dates, and groups of traveling trainers. She was considering packing up her things and heading back to the hotel to make room for customers who were actually going to eat something—but then she heard her name.
"Zoey? Zoey Williams!"
The voice was familiar. Zoey perked up and turned in the direction of the sound and saw it was Lucas Damon of all people.
"Lucas?" she inquired, blinking. He waved to her but approached cautiously.
"I wouldn't have expected running into you here of all places," he said.
"I could say the same to you," Zoey mused. "I'm here to cover Junia Stevens' event tomorrow. Did you come all the way out to Unova to see her again?"
"Oh no," Lucas corrected. "I'm actually on a sort of vacation."
"That so?"
"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "I came to see the Club Battle Tournament."
Zoey knitted her eyebrows together.
"You… came for a little tournament?" she asked doubtfully. Zoey could understand traveling to see a premier battling event, like a League or Grand Festival, but the Club Battle was very much a local niche.
"I know it sounds odd," Lucas said, letting out a laugh. "But I can explain."
At this point, Zoey realized Lucas had been standing throughout their entire conversation, which she didn't foresee ending anytime soon. Which was fine—it was an excuse not to leave.
"Why don't you sit down?" Zoey offered.
Lucas seemed surprised, and hesitant, but he eventually slid into the seat across from her, trying not to disturb Glameow's spot. He did anyway, and Glameow glowered at him before hopping onto the tabletop and crossing to her trainer's side. Lucas sent Glameow an apologetic look but directed his attention back to Zoey.
"It sounds backwards, but the reason I came is because I'm actually a huge fan of the Sinnoh League," Lucas explained. "I've watched just about every League on tape, have almost all the winners from each year memorized—"
He stopped and chuckled in embarrassment when he saw Zoey crane an eyebrow.
"—I know, it's a bit fanatical," he said. "Can't help it, though. My grandfather competed, my dad competed, and I competed. The whole family's into it. Anyway, the Club Battle is where a lot of serious Sinnoh League competitors come to practice leading up to the League once they've earned their eight badges. Sinnoh doesn't have a consistent tournament circuit like the Club Battle."
"Oh, I see," Zoey mused.
"It's weird, right?" Lucas smiled weakly.
"No, no," Zoey quickly recovered. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. It's good to be passionate about something. Every winner memorized, though, huh? That's impressive."
"It's completely useless knowledge," Lucas acknowledged, now a little more relaxed. "But I guess if Professor Rowan ever needs to know the winner of the 2001 Sinnoh League, he'll have an answer in no-time flat."
"Who was the winner of the 2001 Sinnoh League?" Zoey asked lightly.
"Tobias J. Tatum," Lucas answered immediately. He then shook his head. "Man, that was one of the most incredible Leagues I've ever seen. It was the one where Paul Rebolledo and Ash Ketchum faced off in the quarterfinals, before either were ever famous—uh, as Champions, I mean."
Zoey tiled her head and slightly narrowed her gaze, bemused by the strange emendation.
Lucas continued, "It was one of the best battles I've ever watched. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time watching it live on TV. I wasn't competing myself because I was traveling through Hoenn at the time. Looking back, I sort of wish I would've competed in Sinnoh again. I would have loved to battle either one of them. They're your friends, right?"
That definitely weirded Zoey out.
"... Yeah," she said slowly. Lucas realized he was towing the line and coughed, changing the subject.
"Anyway," he said, "how's your reporting going? I have the article where you quoted me pinned up in my office."
Zoey found that a little more endearing and tried to shake off her suspicions.
"It's a grind," Zoey said, putting it nicely, "but I'm working at it."
"I can see that," Lucas nodded, indicating her notebook. The page it was flipped to was filled top to bottom with writing. Zoey managed a smile.
"I'm profiling Junia Stevens," she said.
"Oh? That ought to be interesting," Lucas remarked. "I'll read it. I feel like I still don't know a lot about her."
"That's why I'm writing it." Zoey folded her arms on the table. "I'm guessing this means you still wouldn't consider yourself a supporter of Junia Stevens?"
"No—I mean, yeah," Lucas corrected himself. "Yeah, I still wouldn't call myself a supporter. I'm probably gonna be undecided up until election day."
"Hey. Take your time, I say," Zoey said.
"Will do. Anyway, speaking of time, I think I've taken enough of yours." Lucas stood up. "It was nice seeing you again."
"Nice seeing you again, too," Zoey said. Once he left, Zoey tried to focus her mind back on work. She flipped back through several pages of notes to the initial list of questions she had written hours ago. Of the ten she originally posed, she had answered a grand total of…
Two. What space archeology is, and some of what Junia Stevens did prior to being hired at the Eterna City Museum.
Granted, she had answered them thoroughly. And she had plenty of extraneous information about the historical significance of space archeology, Canalave University 1996 admissions information, Junia Stevens' work ethic, and several of her former colleagues' experiences working with her. But two regardless. Not even a quarter of the total.
Zoey sighed and sank into the booth. Junia Stevens' former supervisor and all of her colleagues described her as a "private woman." None were quite sure where she was born. She didn't talk about her family. One mentioned she had Pokémon but didn't know if she had ever competed with them. And under the student privacy policy, Canalave University could not legally release any records about her.
She looked over the questions again. Who else could she ask? Where could she get this information? She tapped her pen against the table a few more times before inspiration struck.
Zoey picked up her phone and went into her contacts.
One ring.
Two rings.
"Hello, Zoey?" The other end of the line sounded mildly confused.
"Leaf!" Zoey was happy she picked up. It was getting late in Kanto.
"Oh, so this isn't a butt-dial?" Leaf asked a little wryly. It had been a while since they last talked one-on-one, and Zoey couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"No," Zoey said. "I have a question for you related to a story I'm working on."
"I'm not going on the record this late at night."
"I'm not asking you to."
"... All right then, shoot," Leaf agreed. "What can I help you with?"
"The G-Men maintains a database on registered trainers, right?" Zoey asked. "And it's updated each time someone uses a Pokémon Center or enters a contest, tournament, Grand Festival…"
"Or League," Leaf affirmed. Zoey smiled victoriously, but Leaf suddenly groaned and added, "Arceus, you're not working on a story about the database hack, are you? I thought we put that to bed in October. Do you know something?"
Zoey straightened up in surprise. She had actually forgotten all about the hack into the database. It had fallen out of the news cycle, and she had been hyperfocused on Junia Stevens anyway.
"No," Zoey quickly corrected. "I'm working on something else—I'm trying to write a profile on Junia Stevens. The two are unrelated."
Leaf hummed, sounding unconvinced, but said, "Then I'm guessing you're looking to request her trainer record."
"Can I?"
"Yes," Leaf said. It was the first "yes" Zoey had heard in a long time, and it sounded just as sweet as she hoped. "Do you have a pen ready? I'm going to give you the email to Agent Charles Mook. He manages records. He'll pull them for you."
"Leaf, you're the best," Zoey breathed.
"Don't you forget it."
"How long will it take?"
"I dunno," Leaf flippantly replied. "Mook is like 200 years old and half-dead, so it might take him a week just to read the email."
"... And you wonder why your database was hacked?" Zoey asked dryly.
"Shut up," Leaf scoffed. "Do you have the pen ready?"
Zoey finally returned to her hotel and picked up some extra food for herself and Glameow on the way. For Glameow, it was some treats for sticking out the whole afternoon in the diner; for herself, it was actually only some crackers and a beer, but it was sufficient. Sitting at her desk, she tore open the box of crackers and nibbled on a few as she reviewed her notes. Then, she broke open the beer, had a long swig, and picked up her phone for the umpteenth time that day.
"Zoey, do you have any idea what time it is in Sinnoh?" Homa asked with yawn. Zoey wasn't even going to point out the hypocrisy.
"I wanted to report what I learned today," she said.
"Oh?" Homa seemed more awake at that. "What did you learn?"
"Not… much…" Zoey admitted. "I know what space archeology is."
Zoey half-expected Homa to scoff and tell her to call back when she had something more relevant. Instead, after a short silence, Homa curiously inquired, "... What is space archeology?"
"It's actually pretty interesting," Zoey said, flipping back a page in her notes. "It's the study of human-made items in space for the purpose of historical documentation and cultural preservation. A space archaeologist studies satellites, orbital debris—that sort of thing. The program studies director for the science and tech college at Canalave, said it's also more than what we would consider modern." Zoey paused to drag out the word. "They also study items they believe may have been put into space from early human civilizations."
"How is that possible?"
"They're not sure," Zoey admitted. "Pokémon like Clefairy and Elgyem came up quite a few times in our conversation."
"Huh," Homa mused, pleasantly enlightened.
"It now makes sense why Junia Stevens worked at a museum," Zoey said. "She's not the typical scientist. She's also a type of historian."
"Right… Well, is that all?" Homa asked.
"No, actually." Zoey turned a page in her notebook. "I know more about what Junia Stevens did between graduation and working for the museum."
"Now we're getting somewhere. Go on."
"According to her former boss at the museum, she was previously employed with something called GAG," Zoey said.
"What does 'GAG' stand for?"
"He doesn't remember. He said it was a STEM advocacy group," Zoey answered. "I've tried to find it, but no luck. Typing 'GAG" into a search engine isn't very effective."
"Hm," Homa hummed thoughtfully. "Well… Junia Stevens does advocate for increasing a focus on the STEM fields in education, so I guess that makes sense."
"One more thing," Zoey continued. "I put in a request with the G-Men for the trainer records of Junia Stevens, Marinda Ortiz, Satchel Thomas, Jennifer Dey, and myself."
"All of those?" Homa sounded somewhat incredulous. She then asked, "Why you?"
"You told me to go in-depth, and I'm doing just that," Zoey said. "I need a point of comparison between a file whose history I'll know and a file whose history I won't." She smirked to herself before adding, "And I think I know how I'm going to find out the rest of Junia Steven's history."
After Homa, there was one last phone call to make. She saved it for now not only because she wanted to catch Homa before she went to sleep, but also because she was anxious to make it. The rest of her story, really, hinged on its success.
"Good evening. You're speaking with Marinda Ortiz, spokesperson to the Junia Stevens campaign. The answer is still no, Zoey."
"I'm glad you recognize my number," Zoey said wryly, twirling her finger on a piece of loose hair. "Shockingly, I'm not calling to ask for an interview with Junia Stevens."
"Oh. What do you want, then?" Marinda asked, loosening up.
"I'd like to schedule an interview with you," Zoey said, getting straight to the point.
"... Excuse me?" Marinda sounded suspicious. "What are you playing at?"
"Nothing," Zoey assured her. "Look, I get it. You want to protect your candidate, and you don't want her talking to the media one-on-one. Fine. But the public still deserves to know about her. If not from her own words, then from yours."
"... Good night, Zoey."
"N-No, please!" Zoey uncharacteristically stumbled over her own words, briefly losing her cool at the prospect on Marinda hanging up. "Please. Consider it." Marinda was silent. Zoey searched for her resolution again, then said, "Junia's event doesn't start until 2 tomorrow. Meet me at the little diner on 11th Street and Northern for breakfast. Let's say around 8? And… if you're not there, I'll respect your decision."
Marinda was silent a moment longer. Then, she repeated, "Good night, Zoey," and hung up.
Zoey had every finger and toe crossed when she walked into the all-too familiar diner a couple minutes past 8 the following morning. She scanned the area, her breath in her throat—and seeing no flash of vibrant, scarlet hair, her heart began to sink.
Then a break. In the corner, she spotted Marinda sitting at a small table, her eyes glazed over as she look at the menu. Zoey let out a massive sigh of relief and grinned before hurrying over. Marinda flicked her unimpressed gaze toward Zoey when she approached.
"I'm glad you came," Zoey said.
"I only came because I knew it would get you to stop calling me at every hour," Marinda grumbled.
"Regardless of your reasoning, I'm glad," Zoey said, sliding into the seat across from Marinda. Marinda sucked in her breath.
"Let's just get this started," she said. "Satchel expects me in an hour."
"Does he know you're here?" Zoey asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Marinda answered. Her eyes narrowed before she added, "What, do you think I'd go behind his back?"
"No, I—" Zoey breathed. She needed to be careful. Marinda could be touchy. "Sorry." She pulled out her notebook and set her cell phone on the table. After she opened her audio app to record their conversation, she paused long enough to look at Marinda and ask, "Are you fine with this?"
"Sure," Marinda said wearily. Zoey turned pressed "record" and straightened up
"Let's start with you," she began. "Where do you come from? Where were you born?"
"I'm Sinnoh-bred," Marinda answered. "I was born and raised in Oreburgh City. Most of the staff is Sinnoan."
"Oh? Why's that?" Zoey craned an eyebrow.
"Well, it's not like there's a conspiracy behind it," Marinda huffed. "Junia Stevens was not a politician before deciding to run. Most of the staff is made up of people she knows. She's also from Sinnoh, so a lot of the people in the campaign are, too."
"Do you know where in Sinnoh?" Zoey asked.
"Not off the top of my head."
Zoey pursed her lips. She had been so close to getting another of her original questions answered, but it was no matter.
"So… what I'm hearing is that you knew Junia before the campaign?" Zoey probed. Marinda nodded. "How did you meet?"
"She was a junior when I was a freshman at Canalave University," Marinda replied. That was an interesting detail, Zoey thought. They attended college together. Then Marinda added, "We worked together."
That was far more interesting.
"Did you both work for GAG?" Zoey asked.
"Wh… What?" Marinda straightened up. Zoey repeated the question, and Marinda seemed unsure of how to answer, igniting Zoey's suspicions. She narrowed her gaze.
"... What does GAG stand for?" she asked carefully.
"GAG?" Marinda blinked. "GAG… It stands for—stands for nothing."
"Nothing?" Zoey repeated, surprised. Marinda seemed to settle down again.
"GAG is a STEM-field advocacy group," she said. "It lobbies for increased funding in STEM programs and interests, which are deeply underappreciated by society. That's why it's called GAG—as in, there's a 'gag' on STEM research in favor of petty political interests. Satchel, Junia, and I were all members." After a brief pause, Marinda added, "I didn't mean to sound so shocked. I was just surprised you knew, since it was so long ago."
With only a few sentences, Marinda had deftly painted a clearer picture of Junia Stevens' reasons for running and how she had initially managed to build her base of support. The feeling that the sciences were underrepresented and unsupported was apparently a universal feeling among the entire research community, and Junia Stevens encapsulated that. Zoey was more than satisfied.
"I spoke with Junia's former employer yesterday," Zoey explained. "That's how I found out about it. It must have been on her resume, or she must have mentioned it to him at some point."
"Must have," Marinda mused.
"So you, Junia, and Satchel all worked for GAG…" Zoey repeated. Marinda nodded. "What about Jennifer Dey?"
"Oh no." Marinda shook her head. "She's different."
"Different? Different how?" Zoey asked.
"I'd rather not talk about Jennifer," Marinda quickly dismissed.
Zoey straightened up at that, about to press on why—but then the waitress, the same one that had first served Zoey the day before, came by to take orders. Marinda only asked for a drink, and Zoey ended up ordering the same thing as yesterday, but this time with the intention of actually eating it. It had looked good before she ended up getting sucked into her work.
The interview continued on. Zoey dropped the subject of Jennifer Dey, but now, she couldn't shake the image of Marinda's face when Jennifer had interrupted them at that Slateport fundraiser more than two months ago.
For whatever reason, Zoey realized, Jennifer Dey didn't sit well with Marinda either.