PiPo: OH MY GOD YOU GUYS I'M ALIVE.

So sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just been incredibly busy with life. And school. Because I have decided that school is no longer a part of my 'official' life.

By the way, I know that I tend to switch between tenses... I do that unconsciously, and I apologize ahead for that.

Chapter Five

The blond watched from his comfortable place on the sofa as his friend and fellow assistant ran towards the video phone on the Professor's desk. He quietly sighed as he patted his Mightyena's head. "Who is it, Tracey?"

The brunet grinned at him. "Not too sure. It's from the Celadon Game Corner, though."

"What does the Game Corner want? Does the Professor owe them money again or some shit?" He snorted.

"Wills." His friend warned him with a mock glare before picking up the receiver and answering the phone. "Hello?"

The familiar sound of the Cerulean Gym Leader's voice echoed throughout the room. "Hello?"

Wills sighed, and then walked out of the room, his Mightyena following him. Tracey and Misty were probably going to start talking about the encounter with Team Rocket and how they plan on getting that Eevee back in time for the new trainers. He smiled a bit when he thought of Filo, Paul, and Cherry, the new trainers that will be picking out their first Pokémon tomorrow. He then thought of how great everything would be, should they rescue Eevee and bring it back so that they would be prepared for a fourth trainer.

… Oh, who was he kidding? Knowing Eevee's abductor, there'd be no chance of bringing it back at all.

Mightyena nuzzled its Trainer's hand, whining quietly at how sad its Trainer was.

"Don't worry, Mightyena," the blond smiled sadly at his Pokémon, "I'm fine. I'll be fine tomorrow, too."

The large canine still did not look convinced.

"I'm fine, really." He grinned, and then patted his companion on the head, earning him a relatively cheerful yip from his Pokémon. He opened the door leading to the lab's back field, where they, Professor Oak and his aides, took care of all of the Pokémon that trainers from Pallet Town would send them via PC, and then motioned for the canine-like creature to get out. "It's getting late, pal. I'm gonna head up to my room, so, why don't you go get some rest now, too? We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

The dark Pokémon glanced one last time at its Trainer, and then slowly made its way towards the fields. His Trainer was not the only one who recognized the intruder's voice. A distant memory of a time when Wills was still a young boy (and it was still a Poochyena) floated through its mind. Wills was laughing and teasing another human who looked almost exactly like him. They were playing in the forest, along with another Pokémon... It was small, and blue... The other human always carried it around... It was an Azurill if Mightyena remembered correctly...

The memory was cut short when Mightyena walked right into the side of Ash Ketchum's sleeping Snorlax, causing the canine to run a safe distance away from the other Pokémon, lest the sleeping giant decide to roll over and completely crush him.

A barely audible knock sounded from his bedroom door before Tracey walked in with a tray of what was supposedly his dinner. "Wills, Misty told me that if you don't eat, she'll kill you."

Said blond looked up from his laptop for a second before going back to his research. He huffed. "Well, then, let her come. If I die, you guys can explain to the Professor why I wasn't able to finish my report on the Pokémon from the Unova region."

Tracey sighed, and then made his way towards his friend. He placed the tray down on a bare spot on Wills' desk, gathered up all of his courage, as he knew that the blond had quite a temper, and then slammed the laptop (as gently as he could so as not to damage it) closed. The other boy sputtered.

"Tracey, you asshole!" Wills all but yelled, "I didn't save it! Now, I have to rewrite that entire last page –"

"Wills! You haven't been eating properly since that stupid Team Rocket incident!" The other boy yelled back, leaving the blond shocked at his outburst. "I get that Eevee being stolen is pissing you off, but think of how everyone else is feeling!" He glared at the other boy, who was staring at him with a shocked expression. "But, look on the bright side, will you? We've got so many people helping us look for them, now! There's Ash, Gary, the gym leaders..."

"I don't care!" Wills screeched, his voice somewhat hysterical. "Yes, I'm ticked off about the whole Eevee thing, but –"

"What is going on here?" A newly awoken Professor Oak stood at the door frame, arms crossed, and his hair ruffled. "What is with all this yelling at," he glanced at Wills' Murkrow clock that hung on his wall, "three o' clock in the morning?"

The Pokémon expert glared at his two teenaged assistants. Before he was disturbed, he was having a most splendid dream that included being able to finally complete his International PokéDex (without the declaration that there was another region in which there are a crap ton of new Pokémon), and he would very much appreciate knowing why, exactly, Wills and Tracey started yelling at each other at an ungodly hour of the night.

Or morning. The current situation could pass for both.

Wills and Tracey stared at their boss/mentor, both very surprised, as they have not seen the Professor look so upset about a matter that did not concern Pokémon or research (or when his pizza is not delivered on time, but nobody has to know that). The Professor tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for a reasonable answer from his younger aides. "Well?"

Tracey sighed, and was the first to speak. "We're sorry, Professor... I was just telling Wills," he glared at his blond friend, "that he needs to eat in order for him to help catch Team Rocket so that we could get Eevee back!"

Wills just shifted uncomfortably under the gazes of the other two in the room.

Professor Oak blinked. Oh. That's what this is about.

The older man just sighed, and then leaned against the door frame, understanding completely why Wills was behaving that way. "Tracey, just leave Wills alone for now. He'll come down to eat whenever he wants to."

The brunet stared incredulously at his boss/mentor. "But, Professor –"

"Wills isn't stupid enough to deny food to the point that he becomes really sick," the Professor glanced at Wills, "am I right?"

Truthfully, Wills could not care less about his health at the moment, but if eating food meant that both Tracey and Oak will get out of his room to let him finish his research paper, then so be it. He nodded, reopening the document containing his research. "Yeah, yeah. I'll eat soon. Just let me finish my paper."

The Professor gave them a satisfied smile before turning around to head back to his room. "Good. Now, I don't want to hear anymore yelling at three o' clock in the morning."

The two aides could have sworn that they heard their boss mumble something about 'teenagers being full of angst', but they did not say anything.

A couple of hours later, all of the Professor's aides, including Wills and Tracey, were gathered in the main lab, waiting for the new Trainers' arrival. While Tracey was assisting the others in making final adjustments to the PokéDex that the new Trainers were about to receive, Wills was giving the starters their breakfast. He smiled as he watched the Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur devour the Pokémon food that he had made for them earlier that morning.

Because, in all honesty, he tried very, very hard not to burn any of the kitchen appliances down like he did a few days ago when he was making his own meal. So, he was very proud of himself that the Pokémon were enjoying their food as much as they were.

"You know what, you guys?" He asked as the Pokémon were finishing the rest of their food, "One day, you're gonna come back to this lab, and you're gonna be really strong, and you'll have a bunch of stories to tell us!"

The Pokémon all yipped happily at him, excited to tell their old friends about the new adventures that they had with their new Trainers. Wills' smile faltered for a second, before he reached out to gently pat their heads. "I know you guys are worried about Eevee, and you want to get her back." The three nodded. "I'm sorry, but don't try to do anything just yet. You should never underestimate Team Rocket," he spat the words, "you never know what they're gonna do, y'know? So be careful."

"Hey, Wills, if you're done with your farewell speech, then bring 'em over here. The newbies're almost here!" Wills glanced back at the 'new guy' at the lab, Lexan, who was grinning at him, holding his Riolu in his arms.

He grinned back. "Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to let 'em know that they shouldn't try anything against Team Rocket, yet, y'know?" He stood up, motioning for the three Pokémon to follow him as he walked up to Lexan. "I mean, it'd suck hard if they lost a battle against 'em."

Lexan sighed, leading them into the main lab, where everyone else was waiting. "I know exactly what you mean, bro." He petted Riolu, who squirmed a bit at the unexpected contact, "I'd hate to lose Riolu or Grovyle t' those guys."

The blond nodded in agreement as he stopped in front of a small platform, bent down to pick up the three Starters, and then gently placed them onto it. He stretched as he turned to face his colleagues. "So, are they here, yet, or what?"

Professor Oak smiled. "I'm sure they'll be here any second, Wills." He patted Tracey on the shoulder, "Tracey," he said, "why don't you check to see if they're here now?"

Said teen grinned at him, and saluted before walking over to the front door. "You got it, boss!"

"Welcome to the world of Pokémon!" Professor Oak greeted the three young trainers as they entered the lab, Tracey following closely behind them. He smiled as he motioned to himself. "I am Professor Oak! And –"

The tallest of the trio, Paul, laughed. "Really, Professor, we grew up in Pallet Town. You've known us since forever. Is it really necessary to introduce yourself and what, exactly, you do for a living?"

The Professor shrugged as he stepped towards them. "It's protocol. Anyway," he grinned at the three new trainers, "are you guys excited for your first Pokémon? You'll soon be going on adventures to different regions, battling new rivals, gaining new friends..."

All three of them nodded ecstatically, trying their hardest not to let out random squeaks of happiness. Wills watched this scene looking very amused. Whenever new Trainers were coming in to receive their very first Pokémon, it always made Wills remember when he first got his Poochyena (now Mightyena) from his father. He was exactly like them before, and then he would turn around, a pair of eyes identical to his own watched him as he held out his new friend. He watched as a pair of lips curved into a small smile, and let out a quiet voice...

... Congratulations, Brother.

People say that it's bad to dwell in the past, but, really, these memories are all he has left of her. He would always want some time to himself and let himself remember how happy he was before, but, of course, being one of Professor Oak's, the authority on Pokémon, aides, he was always abruptly interrupted.

"WILLS!" Smack. A hand that was not his made contact with his forehead, causing him to step back.

... Yes. He was always interrupted like that.

He growled slightly at the owner of the hand that just smacked him. "What?"

Lexan just grinned at his angry friend. Though he only worked in the lab for a couple of months, he grew used to Wills' expression randomly switching from one of complete bliss to one of extreme annoyance in a blink of an eye. "Can you do the honours of showing the Trainers the Pokémon?"

The blond blinked at his taller friend. "... Oh, yeah. Sure." He shifted so that he was facing the trio, grinning. "Follow me, guys."

He started walking to the main lab, where he left the Starters on the platform. Wills glanced back at the three newbies behind him. "So, you guys know which one you want, yet?"

New Trainers were always put in some sort of Pokémon school when they were younger, and it just so happens that these three learned everything they knew about Pokémon from Professor Oak himself. So, everyone in the lab, save for Lexan (since he did not live in Pallet Town until a couple of months back), already knew exactly what kind of kids these three were, and all were satisfied that these Starters will be entrusted to them.

Once they reached the lab with the Pokémon, Wills walked behind the platform with the three Starters and smiled at the newbies. Paul, the tallest of the three, was the most mature, and so he allowed the other two, Filo and Cherry, to run up to the platform and observe each Pokémon. Cherry, the only girl of the group, fawned over how cute each of them was. Filo, the second tallest, then scolded Cherry, as "it's not just about their appearances, you know", to which the girl just slapped him across the face and hissed an "I know! Gosh!".

"Alright, guys," Wills said once he had enough of their squabbling, "we'll give you some time to talk it over, and then you gotta tell us which one you like, alright?" He watched as they all nodded, and then grinned. "Good. So, talk it over, and we'll be waiting for your answer!"

At this point, Professor Oak and a couple of the other aides walked in. Wills was about to ask where everybody went, but decided against it, and just assumed that the others were just returning to their daily tasks of caring for the Pokémon in the fields, and conducting their research, etc.

"Well, well!" Oak nodded his head at the new Trainers, "Have you all decided yet?"

The lab was filled with silence as the trio glanced at each other one last time, grinning, and then nodded at the lab folk. Filo spoke up for them. "Yeah, we've decided, Professor!"

Wills raised an eyebrow. "Really? It's only been a few minutes. Are you sure that you've decided? We can give you more time, if you want. There's really no hurry."

"We're sure!" Cherry clapped her hands, excited. "We discussed this over the phone last night, too, so we're sure!"

The lab folk looked at each other before looking back to the newbies, each of them with a small smile gracing their expressions. "Alright," Lexan said, crossing his arms, "go ahead. Choose your very first Pokémon, you guys."

Each of them took a tentative step forwards. Wills patted the each of the Pokémon's heads for the last time as he watched the Trainers step towards the Starter of their choice. He smiled as the Pokémon's feet shuffled excitedly as their new Trainers approached them. Filo was the first to outstretch his arms. Everyone watched as he slowly picked up the Squirtle, and grinned widely at him. Cherry soon followed suit, as she reached out, and brought the Charmander up and hugged him. Paul did not have to do anything, as the Bulbasaur squealed happily, and then leapt into his arms.

Everyone applauded. Tracey walked up to them, and clapped them each on the back. "Congratulations, you guys! We've got your PokéDex and PokéBalls out in the other room, so c'mon! Follow me!"

"Wills," the Professor whispered harshly once the three new Trainers walked out of the lab with their new Pokémon, "I've spoken with everybody about this, and we all feel it would be safer for them," he motioned to the trio walking away, laughing, "to be accompanied by a more experienced Trainer."

The blond just huffed and crossed his arms. "Wouldn't that take away the entire purpose of their journey? I mean, if someone were to escort them, then –"

Oak chuckled. "No, no. You don't seem to get it. We just need a couple of experienced Trainers to... Follow them for a bit, until they feel as thought they won't get into any trouble."

Wills glanced at his boss. "Isn't that called 'stalking'? I'm pretty sure that's a crime, Professor."

"It's for their safety," the Professor told him sternly, "I've already told them to try to keep out of Team Rocket's way, but I'm not sure if they'll keep that promise. You know how those three are."

Yes. He knew exactly how those three are. He inwardly groaned as he remembered the huge, easily avoidable mess that they caused in the lab just a few weeks ago when Tracey had fully told them to not touch anything, and yet they did, and all of these random Mankey and Aipom appeared – where the hell did they come from again? –, and oh Arceus, the shattered glass and all of the wasted Pokémon food...

... It was needless to say that Wills was convinced. He sighed as his shoulders slumped. "Alright, then, who's gonna be the stalkers? I'm pretty sure Ritchie's not doing anything..." He paused, "Where the hell is Ritchie, anyway? I remember he came in here to ask about his Eevee –"

The older man shook his head. "No, it's not going to be Ritchie. I've spoken with Tracey about this, and we've decided that both yourself and Lexan will be... 'stalking' them, as you say."

The blue eyed teen gaped at his boss. "You're kidding."

Oak shook his head. "I'm not."

"Why am I going? I still have a bunch of stuff to do, and a crap ton of research papers to finish and send to Professor Ivy and Professor Elm..."

"I thought you'd be happy that you'd be going, honestly," the Professor shrugged, "after all, if you watch over them, then you have a greater chance of going after Team Rocket, like Ash and Gary and the others. You're Pokémon could also use a bit more exercise, too, actually. Out of all of the Pokémon that're out in the fields behind the lab, yours are the only ones that haven't been outside of Pallet Town since... Forever."

Wills huffed and crossed his arms. "I'm not going, Professor. You can send Lexan and Tracey, or someone, but I, for sure, am not going." He growled. "And what makes you think that I wanna go after Team Rocket so badly, anyway? I'd really appreciate it if you stop assuming things about me, 'cuz really, I don't wanna freaking go."

Even after his whole speech about assuming things that are not true, Wills found himself later soaring in the sky on his Pelipper, Lexan on his Altaria closely behind. He groaned and prayed that they do not run into Team Rocket on this journey... He may not be able to control himself. He glanced back at his taller companion. "Lexan, d'you see 'em, yet?"

"Naw," Lexan shook his head, "but, Wills, shouldn't we have borrowed like, a Fearow or a Pidgeot, or somethin'? I mean, an Altaria and a Pelipper in this area?"

The blond shrugged. "As long as we're a safe distance away that they won't see us, I guess. Anyway, it's not like we're gonna miss a lot on the road to Viridian City, so why don't we just head over there and chill for a bit?"

His companion nodded, and then both teens sped off on their bird Pokémon to the first city.