Regaling tales of the Aquarium, Nick walked along with Lyra for quite a while. It wasn't long before the enclosure disappeared from view and the cheerful sounds of happy Pokémon fading from earshot did he realize just how loud Pokémon were. As the ambient sound of a forest overtook them broken only by the occasional exchange between Cyndaquil and Vulpix, Nick took a moment to appreciate where he was. What the two Pokémon said, Nick did not know, but it was reassuring to see Vulpix be communicative. 'Unlike certain cephalopods.' They continued to walk deeper into the forest proper, discussing nuances in handling aquatic Pokémon. Elm has a Corsola, as it turns out.
'I'm absolutely going to want to get me a Corsola. A living coral Pokémon sounds incredible. Is it a living colony? A fully autonomous single unit? So many questions. I really need a Pokédex and access to the Internet. I wonder if Corsola reproduced via fragmentation the same way hard corals did back home." The thought faded as he continued his discussion with Lyra.
Nick verified that they did, in fact, have the Internet in this area. Lyra giggled as she confirmed that yes they had access to the World Wide Web.
'Should have watched more of the anime, apparently. Hindsight really is 20/20. At least it's not all bad, played some of the games, though the sheer difference in scale really can't be measured.' Eventually, they came to a small clearing and rather than dwelling on what he should have spent his time doing, he focused in the present.
Along the edges and in the center, blackened earth stood out against the vibrant greenery of nature. What flora used to inhabit this area has been trampled down hard with only the occasional flourishing plant.
The group walked to the center of the clearing and Lyra pulled out a small, red device from her pocket. "Right. Now that we're at a location far enough removed from the field and any prying eyes, I can give you with this." She hands the device over to Nick, its colour reflecting the stray ray of sunlight piercing through the canopy above. "You technically shouldn't have one yet, but we'll swap it out with the one that comes in when it comes in. Elm never needs to know." She gives him a wink as he takes it from her.
It looks almost like an old flip phone, or a red DS, though it feels significantly more robust than either of those. There is a definitive seam separating two parts of it, and with a carful touch, he opens it to reveal a couple small screens and a litany of interfacing options.
"Do you know what that is?" She asks, a grin overtaking her face.
He gingerly presses a button, and the device lights up. One screen depicts a spinning Pokéball whilst the second shows 'CONFIGURING POKÉDEX, BETA VER. 1.6.6. © DR. SAMUEL OAK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.'
"This… This is a Pokédex? A-an actual Pokédex!?" He stares down in amazement at the device. It was one thing to look at a toy mockup of a Pokédex, but to see one in person? An authentic article?
"You bet your butt it is! Your actual one won't be here until Oak gets around to reviewing the application, but it shouldn't be a problem. He and Elm are still friends, so it's less a matter of if you'll get it and instead when. Until you actually get yours officially…" She motions towards the one in his hands. "You get this! It's a bit old." She trails off. "Incredibly old, actually. But it still works!" Her enthusiasm contagious as she rolls on the balls of her feet, bouncing in place while smiling.
Eventually, the old machine beeps, and the display changes. 'WELCOME, #TRAINERNAME. QUERY?'
"Huh." She added, mild surprise overtaking her enthusiasm. "Configured quicker than I was expecting. Well anyways try it out! Give your Vulpix a scan, they'll probably be the Pokémon you interact with the most, so you should probably try to get as much data and information as you can on them."
Both Vulpix and Cyndaquil look up at him, Vulpix tilting her head. "Here goes nothing, then." He hits a button with a camera symbol on it and aims his Pokédex at the vulpine. After a few moments, it beeps contentedly.
"VULPIX." It states in a grating, robotic voice. "AS ITS BODY GROWS LARGER, ITS SIX WARM TAILS BECOME MORE BEAUTIFUL, WITH A MORE LUXURIOUS COAT OF FUR." It then beeps twice.
Lyra flinches at the noise. "Yeah for one, you can mute that. For two, that is hella out of date. I wonder if it even has a Ninetails entry." She places a finger over her lips, shifting her weight on one foot as she leans against a tree thinking intently. Nick gazes up at her in mild shock.
"Wait, like, the Ninetails? As in Vulpix-can-evolve-into-the-Ninetails Ninetails?" He looks between his orangey friend and the intensely thinking girl.
She shakes her head, throwing her thoughts to the side before returning his look. "I mean… Yeah? If you could find a powerful enough firestone, that is." She looks down at the six tailed fox. "And manage to not get cursed into the next millennium. You need to be very confident in not only yourself and your Vulpix, but also in your relationship and bond."
She shifts uncomfortably. "Not that you asked, but best get it out now before either of you get your hopes up. And this goes for Vulpix too, since a Fire Stone evolution is no small matter. Seldom does a Growlithe make it through into Arcanine unchanged, let alone a Vulpix and Ninetails. It's… A lot. Though, still worse for the Ninetails." She looks over at the Vulpix, before cautiously continuing.
"There's legends of people evolving a Vulpix only to suffer at their hands. Mind control, countless curses, psychic imprisonment, they're fearsome whose limits aren't quite known… And those are just the non-violent means. A ghost story that's told around the new year is someone being torn apart by the psychic powers of a resentful Ninetails." She shudders at the thought. "An Arcanine is big, strong, and breathes fire. Ninetails… We don't even know everything they can do." She reaches a hand up, scratching the back of her neck. "And Blaine is still showing off new things every League. Things that shouldn't be possible for a Ninetails, or even a fire Pokémon to do."
Nick ponders the possibility of catastrophe, shrugging it off. 'Can't be worse than-' His vision narrows as he gets lost in his thoughts, falling into an endless void from which there is no bottom.
The sirens, heat, smell of smoke, indistinct chatter of people trying to coordinate, their words lost on him.
It's gone.
It's all gone.
She's not coming back.
She's-
"Nick?" A worried, feminine voice echoes from around him.
He shuts his eyes to the memories.
Banishing them to the depths of his mind.
His vision widens, the world around him regaining colour and vibrancy.
He blinks twice, separating himself from the shackles of the past as he takes in his surroundings once again.
Lyra looks over towards him. "Don't let my stories give you the wrong idea though. Plenty of people have a Ninetails and are happy and living. You could be one of them!" She overly emphasizes the positivity near the end of her statement as if trying to drown out her previous lecture of the dangers.
He sighs, looking towards Vulpix and imagining the power potential they have. 'Let's just enjoy the present. No need to get wrapped up in future what-ifs.' A slight smile appears as they look into one another, a flicker of hope igniting.
"I think I'm good, for now. Thank you though. Maybe in the future, but that'd mean I need to get a Fire Stone. Until then, I got this Pokédex, a field, a trainer, and a Pokémon. What do you say we do some of that promised training?" Nick reluctantly takes his gaze away from the vulpine and looks towards Lyra.
She visibly relaxes, the tension melting away as she more heavily rests on her tree. Vulpix' ears twitch as Lyra mutters something under her breath before she speaks properly.
"Alright!" Her previous enthusiasm returns "So, Pokédex. Has a list of growth moves Pokémon should learn as they grow and develop as well as a list of all the TM's a given Pokémon can be taught. The TM's department is ever changing, so that's more of a fast and loose rule. You'll need to update that every so often. Though chances are one of the other Pokédex holders will probably get to it before you. That's a whole other ordeal I'm not getting into right now and will probably leave to Elm when it comes to expectations. Anyways, Vupix." She takes a moment to catch her breath before continuing.
"Depending on how old and strong your Vulpix is, I would probably err on the side of more move options than less. That confidence she has doesn't just come from anywhere. Plus..." Lyra looks down at the canid who is still firmly placed against Nick's leg. "She knew enough to seek help. That's not an innate skill, as far as I know." The little canid looked towards Lyra.
"Elm wanted to give her a physical to get a gauge of how they're doing, get an estimate for age, power, all that fun stuff. but she wouldn't let him or anyone touch them for more than a few seconds. Especially not once they figured out why he wanted to get close." She lets out a sigh as the Vulpix turned her gaze upon the blonde boy. "Hell of a fiery one you got there. I feel like you'll have your hands full for quite a while." Hearing the comment, Vulpix pouts and gives him a look with her baby-doll eyes.
He in turn bends over, scratches her head eliciting a happy "Pix!", and says "Awe, aren't you just the cutest. You're not getting out of your health checkup that easily though, missy. It'll be a fun learning experience for the both of us! I get to try something new, and you get to make sure you're the best you you can be!" He gives her a warm smile, doing his best to convey warmth and reassurance to his little fox.
'Something new is an understatement.' He realizes, thinking over his attempt at a reassuring comment. 'Giving a physical to a mammal is something new. Giving a physical to a Pokémon is out of the realm of comprehension. I mean hell, doesn't one of the Pokédexs say that Slugma is the temperature of the sun?' Glancing over the Vulpix, she huffs, hops off his leg, and walks a couple meters away before sitting down. Distinctly facing away from the pair of trainers behind her.
Lyra giggles. "Well looks like she doesn't share the same enthusiasm as you do." She says, adjusts her position against the tree, idly picking at a piece of bark.
Nick sighs. "She'll come around. Worst case, I'll bribe her with food. Wonder what kind of berries she likes."
The Vulpix' ear twitches at the mention of berries, but she remains steadfastly looking away.
"In any case," he continues. "Shall we get on with the trainer-ing? The training of the trainer? Trainer training?" He looks around the small clearing in the forest once again. 'This doesn't look like an area fire Pokémon would train. It looks too… Living. And fire risk-y.'
"Absolutely!" Lyra produces a second Pokéball and tosses it to the ground. "C'mon out, Sentry. You know the drill by now."
In a flash of light, a little Sentret appears. The little rodent had black and brown stripes along its tail, with long ears dotting his relatively spherical frame. It looked reminiscent of the vague recollection Nick has of the creature, though it looks much more rodent-like and has much fluffier fur.
It immediately pushes itself up by its tail and quickly looks around. Its eyes linger upon the newcomers, and particularly upon Vulpix before moving on. After a few moments, it looks to Lyra, gives a single nod, and wordlessly climbs into a nearby tree almost disappearing from sight as it does so.
"Well, we have our forest fire alert system in place now. Should worst come to worse, we can call Ethan and have him bring over his Feraligator." She produces a second Pokéball. "Though I don't think my Cyndaquil nor your Vulpix have the power necessary to start one."
Tossing the Pokéball to the ground, she calls out. "Come on out, Chiko. Might as well enjoy the forest and practice your plant growth while we're here."
In a second flash of light, a large dinosaur-like creature makes its appearance. A Meganium stands nearly as tall as Nick, and as it blinks its eyes open, looks at the man at eye level. He takes a step back in surprise.
"Woah." Is the only word he can squeeze out as he's met face-to-face with sauropod. 'It's one thing to see it on a screen and read its size. It's another thing to have it in front of me and actually have to acknowledge the magnitude of it.'
"Isn't he impressive? Chiko here was my first Pokémon. Been through it all. Up to the Elite 4, no less." She pushes off her tree and walks over towards the green behemoth, rubbing his back as she comes to his side. "Sadly, Lorelei and her damned ice brigade was too much. Been a few years, though. Maybe we're due for a rematch." She ponders to herself silently. "Though, didn't she step down? That psychic guy took over. What was his name…"
Nick loses focus on the Meganium before him. "Will." He says, contemplating the concept. 'The Elite Four. They're a thing here. Legitimately.' He recalls the forms he Elm helped him fill out. The words 'Johto League' now appear in emphasis. 'I'm a trainer, who's participating in the Pokémon League, and who, assuming I'm competent enough, will have to fight not only him but the Elite Four as a whole as well as the Champion.'
"Huh." He says, as Lyra looks at him. "You know of him?" She asks, face cloaked with mild surprise.
He shrugs. "It's complicated." Eyes drawn to the large Meganium. 'He and his psychics always used a whole lot of status effects from what I recall. First of the Four was really just the worst and it was a race of trying to blitz him down before everyone got confused and everything went to hell.' He shudders. 'I do not miss that part.'
"In any case, let's get these guys and gals training! You good to keep practicing your growth, Chiko?" The reptile turns to his trainer and gives a nod before wandering to the edge of the clearing and sitting down.
They then proceed to stare.
At a plant.
Unflinchingly.
Lyra watches them a moment before giving a content nod. "As for us, we're going to practice our fire moves! Well, Cyndaquil will. You and your Vulpix can practice anything, really. Though Ember is always a great starting point. Being able to control one's own fire is important, and it'll give you and I a chance to see what kind of heat she's packing." Cyndaquil lets out a chirp, looking up at Lyra.
"And it'll give little Cyndi here a chance to show off what he's been practicing!" She'll look at the small blue mammal, kneel, and point at a fallen log maybe thirty centimeters in diameter. "Alright, whadaya say we give em the ol' razzle dazzle? Hit it with an Ember!"
Cyndaquil will take a deep breath, the flames on his back flaring as he does so. "Cyndaaaa…!" He says, either charging or hyping himself up. "…Quiillll!" Before unleashing a burst of flaming embers from his mouth. The fire shoots through the air before colliding with the fallen log, embers showering the area.
The log itself endured minor scorching, though it seems the grass took brunt of the blast as the embers dispersed away from their intended target. It was all quickly smothered by the lingering dampness.
Lyra cheers before patting the flaming fuzzball, cautious not to burn themselves on his flaming back. "You did it! Amazing job, just like we practiced!" The Cyndaquil looks overjoyed and throws its arms in the air with an enthusiastic "Quil!"
Nick pries his eyes away from the adorable display to look towards his Vulpix.
Her head is turned, facing the celebrating pair, emotions indiscernible from the distance. He feels apprehension regardless. "Alright Vulpix, what do you say we give that a shot? If Cyndaquil can do it, I know you can." He motions towards the mildly scorched log.
Vulpix looks to him, face a mask of indifference before standing up and carefully walking over to the log, her tail flicking and twitching, its beauty distracting from a hidden force as she eyes the smothered embers.
"Okay." He looks between the log and the vulpine, sweat dotting his brow as he measures his breathing. "Vulpix?" He asks, confidence wavering. The fox looks towards him again, small tuft of fur on her head favouring one side.
"Ember."
Vulpix turns to the log and with a deep breath, unleashes a torrent of burning. The air warps as the sudden change in heat shifts the molecules between her and the log. It took active focus to not flinch at the display.
If Cyndaquil was a candle, Vulpix was a roaring bonfire.
It took mere moments for a barrage of flaming embers to collide with the damp log, violent crackles of energy released as the collisions explode into a shower of sparks, smoke, and wood. Smoke covers the log in inky blackness as the only evidence it remains are the glowing remains of the sudden strike of heat.
'It's safe, Nick. Lyra is a professional. Nothing bad is going to happen.'
The smoke lingers and unlike Cyndaquils demonstration, it takes several seconds for the void of smoke to disperse.
However, once it does, it's a telling story.
The log was pushed back several meters wedged against a tree with a significant hole punched into it. What was once a lightly touched log now holds a large fist-sized hole. While not actively burning, it glows with radiating heat.
Between where it once was and where it is now, the ground is covered in glowing remains. In one spot, a small flame glows brightly resisting the moisture of the area and clinging to life. Before Nick can begin to respond, a Sentret descends from the canopy, landing next to the flame. They watch it for a few seconds, examining the small remnant of embers before smothering it. As it looks towards Lyra, it licks its palms and gives a small chirp before returning to a nearby tree.
Lyra looks flabbergasted, her previous bravado reduced to ashes much the same way a large part of the log was. Her gaze alternates between the log, Vulpix, and Nick.
They stand in silence, looking at the minor devastation that occurred before their very eyes.
Eventually, the small source of fire gives a definitive "Vulpix." Before returning to her trainer's side. Looking at her, she look confident or satisfied, though her walk showed more appreciation than anything. 'I wonder how a Vulpix can so easily convey such emotion, are all Pokémon like that?'
Lyra is the second to speak. "Sweet Arceus, I was not expecting that much of a blast from a small Vulpix who I wanted to say hasn't had a trainer or trained." She looks at the log once more. "Either your Vulpix has secrets, or they have a hell of a fire burning within them."
Nick sits down and places a hand on his Pokémon who radiates warmth both physical and emotional, their fur a smooth coarseness. He looks towards his fellow trainer. "Did she do well then?" He asks with genuine curiosity. 'The air feels a few degrees warmer than it did, was all this really from Vulpix?'
Lyra gives a nervous chuckle. "I'd say so, yeah. She's got a hell of an innate strength to her. If you get her focused, she's going to be a veritable powerhouse. It's going to spook a lot of people, which is a blessing and a curse."
She shivers, before relaxing once more. "In any case, that was an impressive first display. Though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from the mythical trainer who fell from the sky."
Nick attempts to hide his reddening cheeks and looks to Vulpix who has what looks like a small smirk. With a quiet whisper, he leans down to them. "For a little fox, you seem to know a lot."
The vulpine retorts with a simple "Vul." Before nuzzling his hand, a reassurance emanating from them.
"Well." He continues, sitting upright once again. "Shall we practice some other things? Pokédex has quite an impressive list of moves you should innately know and even more you can learn." He looks over the Pokédex once again and reads over the list of moves your average Vulpix would know.
"While you do that, I'm going to tend to little Cyndaquil and Chiko." She turns to approach the Meganium before hesitating. After a few seconds of indecision, she turns back to the man and his fox, tucking away a few loose strands of hair in the process. "I know you probably know this, but I'm going to say it anyways because it'll clear my conscience. Strength is important, but your connection even more so. Working together as a cohesive unit will beat out raw strength any day of the week."
Nick gives a smile and a nod. "I had a feeling. I'm not too worried about it.
'Ember, Tail whip, Roar, Quick attack, Will-o-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Imprison? Spooky. Flamethrower, Safeguard, Grudge, now I know why Ninetails are feared, Firespin… I remember there being more. Maybe its just the age of this showing. In any case.' He clicks several buttons before settling on Tail Whip.
"Let's go with something less… Intensive. How's Tail Whip sound?" Vulpix looks up, and with a tail whooshing flourish, gives a happy "Yip"
A few hours of light training is all it takes to build up some heavy exhaustion. Rather than simply stand back and observe, Nick often physically got involved with Vulpix' training. This stood as a stark contrast to what his body intended for him. Despite feeling like a week ago already, he did only wake up here this morning and was beginning to feel the consequences for such actions. Yet despite having to take increasingly more frequent breaks, Vulpix is as energetic and spry as ever. 'I'm going to have to get a laptop or something, there's a lot that needs writing down. Like just how damn bouncy she is.'
Each time Nick had to sit down, Vulpix was right by his side despite his encouragement to continue practicing. Every time he took a rest, she came over to check up on him and personally verify that he was in fact just needing a break.
Eventually, she would resume her training and settle for making frequent glances back towards her injured trainer. Not without ensuring that Nick felt adequately loved and cared for. Whether it was a few minutes of warm fire fox on his lap, a lick to his cheek, or simple vulpine words of encouragement. On one occasion, he swore he heard a non-Lyran voice say 'Better.' Alas, despite spending several minutes listening and investigating, he did not hear it again.
Around noon, Lyra's phone rang. She quickly pulled out a small device to answer. 'Oh right, they have Pokégear here. Do they call them phones?' As he wondered, he eavesdropped on the conversation without actively trying to. There was simply little other noise to distract from it.
"Yes?" Lyra said, responding to the voice. "Again? Seriously." The voice continued. "Y'alright. I'll be right over, though it's cutting into Nick and I's training time… Mhm… We will. Take care." They close the mobile device and let out a sigh. "Ethan got himself trapped in a barrel again. The Chansey's either can't or are too reluctant to hurt him to get him out, Feraligator would just smash the barrel, and Elm ended up making an impromptu adventure and is currently halfway to Florando through Route 29. Something about the fax machine dying and needing a Pokécenter. I don't know." She pulls out two Pokéballs. "Cyndaquil and Sentry, walk or ball?"
Cyndaquil gives a tired squeak and looks at his ball. With a click, the ball opens and Cyndaquil disappears in a flash of light.
From above, Sentret descends, and with some grace, lands on Lyra's back. "Really?" She asks, trying to look at the brown fuzz ball. "Alright, sure. Keep an eye out for any plants of note. Need to get Chiko more familiar with stuff. You good to go Nick and company?" She looks between the bruised blonde boy and the friendly fire fox.
Nick and Vulpix meet eachothers gaze, and silently exchange words. A moment passes before Nick speaks. "Much to my dismay, I don't know how much more I can handle. So, yes. We're good to go." His stomach grumbles in agreement. "Also food, food is good."
Lyra nods. "Alright, let's kick it. Come on, Chiko. We're heading out." She begins to set off as the Meganium stands up and slowly follows suit. Where he once sat, there is a circle of different types of bright and colourful flowers. A small bush seems to have spontaneously grown, though the specifics escape Nick. "You did well today, by the way." She adds. "At this rate, we should hopefully make the lab independent from the Poké Mart and the markets as a whole. Which at the rates they're charging, not soon enough. Come on, you two." She motions for Nick and Vulpix to follow.
Nicks gaze lingers on the plants. 'Did he grow those?' He shakes his head. 'Future problems.'
Seeing Lyra's Sentret upon her shoulder, he looks down at his Vulpix. "Would you like uppies and to be carried?"
Vulpix gives an enthusiastic "Vulpix!" as they hop up towards their trainer.
Nick slowly bends over and picks them up, placing them on their left shoulder. "You can use this an opportunity to balance your practice-" He stops, correcting himself. Practice your balance. I can speak I swear." Vulpix licks his ear in response.
The five of them then set out, starting with a jogging pace in order to more quickly rescue the barrel boy.
As they make it back to the field, they see it largely barren with most of the Pokémon present all at one end next to the fence closest to the house. By the house, they can see a second, smaller group of congregated Pokémon.
"There he is. Probably."
"This has happened before?"
"Yep. You'd think he'd have learned. Sooner he's out, sooner we can not worry about it."
The pair make their way over, pace slowed from the prior run and catching their breath as they walk. Vulpix shifted from standing and balancing on his shoulder to laying down on it, front paws on his front, back paws back, with their midsection keeping them supported. 'Going to pull a muscle if we do this often. Need to get you a back pack or something.' He ponders fitting Vulpix in a backpack, allowing her to peak out. 'Or wear you like a fox-fur, draped around me as a fashion statement.'
As they approach the situation proper, they hear what sounds like a conversation, albeit muffled and nonsensical. The Sentret aboard Lyra makes its hasty escape with the distraction, and leaping from their transportation, sprints towards the nearby group of its fellow kind. Lyra will give a half-hearted wave while quiet-shouting "Stay out of trouble, you!"
The closer they get, the more the incoherent shouting resembles words. "What? No! Just grab the barrel and pull! Carefully!" The muffled voice shouts.
As they get closer, they can see past the circle of Pokémon. There appears to be an upturned barrel on top of a pair of legs.
The Feraligator gives a low rumble in response.
"Look, we've practiced your strength training, you can get it off!"
The Pokémon around him look over at Lyra and Nick, their amusement evident. Feraligator's exacerbated look is apparent that this is not the first time an event like this has occurred. Lyra leans toward Nick and whispers. "We could always just leave him here for a while."
Nick smiles but shakes his head. Replying in kind, "Tempting, but I need to be a good role model for Vulpix. Plus he makes good food and I'd rather not be poisoned in the future."
Lyra gives a silent giggle. "You're right, who would make the food?! We'd starve!"
She closes the distance and knocks on the barrel. Eliciting a scream. "Waha! Who's there?!" The muffled voice calls out.
"It's me you dumbass. Here to rescue you. Now, roll over." She gently nudges the barrel.
The voice replies "Do you know how long I spent trying to sit up?!"
The brunette sighs. "And I can't help you if you don't roll over. I bet Nick's Vulpix could roll over, and yet you're arguing with me on this."
"Oh god is he here?" The pair hear a resigned mumble. "Fine."
The barrel beings to list before landing on the ground with a resounding muted thunk on the grass. Lyra sets to work extracting the trapped man. Within thirty seconds, they pulled out a backpack, tool belt, three bags of Pokéfood, and for one reason or another, a cowboy hat.
With the excess contents removed, Ethan is able to easily remove himself from barrel.
Lyra takes a few steps back and looks at the rattled boy. "You really have to stop doing that. And stop wearing a backpack when you get into a barrel."
"I dropped my keys! Okay, I'm not having this conversation for a fourth time. You can laugh all you want but we both know I'm the brains of this operation and the fashionable yet reserved chef. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to shower."
Faced by restrained grins and stifled laughs, Ethan makes his way inside. Feraligator returns to the pond, and the other Pokémon gradually disperse.
Nick stares at the entire series of events with mild amusement. Judging by the movement of the fox on his shoulder, Vulpix seems to enjoy it as well. 'At least we share a common sense of humour. There's probably hundreds of jokes I could tell that would be original.' He delights at the notion. 'Note to self: verify cultural norms of any jokes one attempts to make lest they fall flat or I look silly.'
Lyra eventually turns to Nick, satisfied that the situation has been largely resolved. "So that's Ethan, might have met him before. Often gets up to shenanigans…" She trails off. "The stories I could tell. But! That'll be for another day. So. Since we're back here, anything you need? Food notwithstanding, I mean."
The Vulpix wielding man ponders a moment. 'Sleep.'
"I might just uh. Go lie down. Though I have to ask, do y'all have like, a laptop or something I can borrow? And or a journal? I kind of lost-" He's reminded of his car, which was left somewhere in the forest. 'I should probably check if I left anything in there. And collect anything of remaining value.'
"… Everything, basically. Used to journal back home, was a great way to keep my thoughts organized. I can pay you or the lab back once I get that alleged paycheque but." His mind wanders once more. 'I wonder how much I'll even get. If it'll be enough to exist or if I'll have to work as a cashier at a Poké Mart.' He shakes the thought. 'Future problems.'
Lyra beams. "Absolutely! While the laptop will be a loaner until you get either a proper one or a Pokégear, the journaling supplies are on the house. If there's one thing we have a surplus of, it's stationery supplies. I'll toss together a little kit, let's head in." Lyra pats the Meganium that has been following her religiously on the head. "We're going to head in for a bit, feel free to relax out here."
The Meganium bows its head before taking a resting position in the shade by the door, staring intently at the ground once more.
"With that done," Lyra continues. "Let's head in! We have paper to find. Though we can probably raid Elm's personal stash since the fax machine is broken. He probably won't miss it." She shares a mischievous grin as her hair begins to win the battle against the containment of her hat, unaided by the run nor the Sentret she carried most of the way.
They quickly moved to The Professor's office, cracking the door to ensure it was vacant. Once confident, Lyra slipped in and turned on the lights.
Much to Nick's surprise and mild disappointment, it was a mundane office. A desk, a filing cabinet, a bookshelf filled with what looked like textbooks, though whose contents were unknown, fax machine which appeared to be smoking somewhat, and more loose papers than any one man should have. 'Looks like The Professor isn't one for organization.' Lyra sets to work grabbing scattered objects.
A few pens, some highlighters, a mechanical pencil with some lead, washi tape, and a small blue book. Lyra held out the book while tossing the rest in a small box before collecting more. Taking the book, the cover read 'LABORATORY MANUAL. PROPERTY OF CELADON UNIVERSITY.' Cracking it open revealed the back of the cover reading 'IF LOST, PLEASE RETURN TO _ OR RETURN TO UNIVERSITY SERVICES.' As well as several hundred blank pages. 'Fresh book, nice.'
She then hands the box, well filled with the prior utensils, sticky notes and other small cards to Nick to free her hands for additional rummaging. She mutters "Come on, come on, I know they're here somewhere…" While checking book after book.
"What uh. What are you looking for?" Nick asks, looking over his box of miscellaneous supplies. The Professor did not disappoint, most of this stuff appeared to be high quality and would hopefully survive the potential wrath of a flaming fox.
Lyra continues her searching. "You'll see, just have to…" Her voice fades, lost in the search before finally exclaiming. "Ahah!" She shouts, producing a single piece of paper.
"And this." She continued, presenting the page with an royal flourish. "Is for you."
Upon the sheet she presents are a series of stickers featuring Octillery, Remoraid, Vaporeon, Magicarp, Wailmer, Feebas, Tentacool, and countless other Pokémon. "Some water friends for the water boy!"
Nick gingerly takes the sheet, looking over each of the residents upon it and couldn't withhold a smile.
"Thank you." He says, voice small. "This… This means a lot. I know it's not much, but. Thank you."
The fish, octopus, squids, whales. It gives him a sense of nostalgia. Vulpix nuzzles his cheek and gives it a single lick. Nick returns the favour by giving her a kiss on the head.
"Oh, right, laptop. This was the fun half. One moment." Lyra turns to the bookshelf, and carefully extracts a thin metallic block. "One laptop! Bit small, but it'll get the job done. Just… Browse cautiously, yeah? And don't look up anything you wouldn't want your Vulpix seeing."
Nick rolled his eyes, before setting the sticker sheet in the box and accepting the laptop. "Thank you for this, too. And basically just everything. I can't... I can't tell you how appreciative I am." His voice cracks as he speaks. His eyes growing somewhat damp. 'Can't say I deserve any of this kindness.'
The girl waves him off. "Don't you worry about it, just doing the right thing. Now, I remember you saying you needed to rest, so quit standing here gettin' all sappy and rest! There's a time and place for everything, but not now." Without so much as giving a moment for a retort, the girl begins shooing Nick out of the room. "Go on now! Git!"
Nick caves. "Okay, okay. I'm going. Do I just go back to the first bed or-"
"Absolutely not!" She almost screams before closing the door to the office behind her. "We will not be having our royal guest staying in an examination room. No, we have a guest room just for you." She walks three doors down before opening one. "Behold! The room of guest royalty!"
Nick peeked in, hopes somewhat rising.
It was the same room.
His face fell.
"Hah!" Lyra gave a hearty laugh, capped off by a snort. She raises her hands and hides behind them in. "Sorry, but you should have seen your face. No, this one. Other side."
She motions to the door opposite the one that was just opened. Nick opened this one and revealed it to be a comparatively small but well-furnished room. Deep red carpets, a single bed in the corner, a comfortable looking cloth chair to one side and a wooden chair and desk on the other alongside a sparsely populated bookshelf. A couple paintings lined the walls, one of a man whom Nick could not identify, and the second of a concerned looking Psyduck.
'It's not much, but I'll take it and love every second of it.'
"This shall be your room. You can stay here as long as you like." Lyra says as Nick steps in. "I'm going to head back out and make sure there's no immediate problems. Feel free to rest, someone will check in come dinner if you're still not up and about. Just to make sure you don't have any like, late onset brain bleeding."
The bruised man carefully sets down his newly gifted materials on the table and gingerly removes the Vulpix that has been perched on his shoulder, placing her on the bed. "I'll probably be fine, but I appreciate the concern. Step one is feel less like I've just ran a triathlon."
Lyra nods, "I'll be around. Don't hesitate to shout. Hang in there though, yeah? First few days are the worst, just gotta keep your head up." Without waiting for a response, Lyra departs, closing the door behind her.
Nick takes a seat on the bed, exhaustion finally setting in as he lets his body unwind. "Well, I have a lot I need to note and document. But for right now? I think I'm just going to rest. I can get my notes down once I get up." He turns to his Pokémon. "What do you say, want to take a nap?" Vulpix gives a nod, before circling a spot on the bed and curling up, using their tails as a blanket. Nick quickly follows suit, barely having the energy to change before getting into bed.
The moment he hits his pillow, he's out like a light.
A nap was desperately what her trainer needed.
A nap was not what Vulpix took.
Instead, she remained awake and watched over the battered man while he rested. For her, it was not enough to merely be there, no. She had to ensure she was doing everything she could to help and protect him. A part of her chastised itself for not letting herself rest and relax, though that part was quickly silenced when he began to shiver in his sleep despite his blanket.
She stood up, moved to him, and did her best to cover him with her tail. After a few minutes the worst of the shivering faded, and she was left alone once again with only his breathing to break up the eerie silence of the lab.
'No.' She corrected her thought. 'I'm not alone.'
She looked over her sleeping trainer once again, the tension he held all but gone while he rests.
