Chapter Six
Circhester University
Joe was awoken by an irritating buzzing. Opening his eyes and looking for the source, he found his phone ringing. It was Ainsley. Before he answered, he glanced at the alarm clock on the desk.
6:43am
Joe answered the phone.
"'Lo" he muttered, sleepily.
"Joe! It's Ainsley, how are you?"
"Tired," Joe grunted.
Ainsley laughed, "I suppose you're not used to these early mornings, eh?"
"Not quite," Joe replied, "What's up?"
"So I have great news," Ainsley answered, "I've gotten approval from my bosses to hire both you and Kyla."
Joe rubbed his eyes and sat up, "That's great!"
"Yeah," Ainsley replied, "But I had to bullshit them and tell them I already knew Kyla. So do me a favour and stick to that narrative, yeah?"
"No problem," Joe said, "Thanks again, Ainsley."
"S'fine," Ainsley replied, dismissively, "Right, I'll let you get back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright, great," Joe replied, "Have a good one, Ainsley"
"You too."
Ainsley hung up.
Joe was suddenly giddy with excitement. He had planned to go straight back to sleep at the end of the call but suddenly that was the last thing he wanted to do. He called Kyla.
After the phone had almost rung all the way to the answerphone, the line opened and Kyla croaked.
"Joe?" she asked, confused, "What's the matter?"
"Morning, Kyla," Joe replied, "I just got a call from Ainsley. His bosses have given him the OK to hire us both."
"Great!" Kyla said, then added, "But you couldn't have waited a few hours to tell me?"
"Sorry," Joe grinned, "But I was suddenly wide awake."
"Nice for some of us," Kyla groaned.
"I'll let you sleep," Joe said.
"No, no…" Kyla replied, "If I'm leaving today, I've got a lot of stuff to get sorted today. Could you help me pack?"
"Of course," Joe said.
"Can you come over in about an hour?" Kyla asked.
"Yeah but… you haven't actually told me where you live," Joe pointed out sheepishly.
Kyla laughed groggily.
"Oh yeah," Kyla realised, "Alright, well meet me at the Pokemon Center at eight then. We'll head to mine from there. I need to buy some things anyway."
By the time Joe had showered and gotten dressed, fourty minutes had passed. Joe slipped on his hoodie, but after looking outside and seeing that it was drizzling with rain, he put his coat on as well.
The cold air had a bite to it this morning. Joe pulled both his hoodie up and his coat hood to try and keep warm. His breath was a visible cloud in front of him as he walked. The Pokemon Centre was only a ten minute walk from his hotel so when he arrived, he still had twenty minutes to spare.
Once he had met Kyla at the Pokemon Centre, they headed through to the other side of the city centre and into a district of residential housing. Five minutes of zipping through streets and alleys, they arrived at Kyla's place.
Kyla had arranged Machamp movers to put her stuff into storage; they would arrive within an hour. When they entered her home, a spacious house with three bedrooms, Joe found the place cluttered with boxes. Kyla had obviously done some prep for packing up. Together, they boxed up the remaining items and fourty five minutes later, the truck arrived with four Machamp. Within five minutes, they had packed everything into the truck and the driver confirmed with Kyla the location of the storage station she wanted them at.
After they finished packing, Kyla asked Joe to come with her to meet her friend. He agreed, and they set off.
When they arrived, they were greeted by a woman with four young children. Kyla's friend looked overwhelmed, and Joe could see why. Her own apartment was small and cramped, and the kids seemed to be everywhere.
"So… you're really leaving?" she asked Kyla as they approached.
"Yes, I know it's short notice… and I'm sorry to just drop it on you but I have to do this," Kyla replied.
The woman glanced at Joe, then back at Kyla. Her expression softened.
"I know, I know… I'm just going to miss you so much. So, you're the guy?" she said, jerking her head at Joe, "I'm Denise. You better take care of her."
"I will," Joe replied, "Nice to meet you."
"I can look after myself, thank you," Kyla interrupted, "Anyway, the other reason I wanted to meet you is … well, I'm not gonna be living in my house anymore. I'm staying in Circhester and I don't know when I'll be back so…"
Kyla held out the keys to her home.
"You can't - be serious…" Denise looked apprehensive.
"As if I would joke with you about something like that. It's only three bedrooms but you've got the kids and it'll help you a lot. I've already taken my stuff into storage, so the house is just waiting for you to move in."
Denise took a few moments to process this. She had clearly been struck by Kyla's kindness. Eventually, she managed to respond.
"Thank you," she said.
Denise and Kyla hugged.
"It's fine, honestly," Kyla said, "and I promise I'll come back and visit."
"You're damn right, you will," Denise replied, her voice on the verge of breaking.
"Right, I'm off. Don't like a fussy goodbye. Take care, OK?"
"You too, Kyla," Denise replied.
After Joe and Kyla left Denise, Kyla was done with her preparations. With their bags packed and everything ready to go, they decided with their luggage the best form of travel would be a taxi and headed for the Corviknight Station. A balding man welcomed them when they arrived, helped put their luggage in the trunk of the taxi and headed off as Corviknight spread its enormous wings and lifted them into the air.
The carriage was wide enough to give Joe and Kyla a couple of feet of leg room, with a screen between them and the driver.
"The journey will take around fourty five minutes. If you need anything, press the button above you and the screen will come down so we can talk."
"Alright, thanks," Joe called back to the driver.
He knew this information and the driver knew he knew this information, but it was an unspoken tradition that the driver explain this before putting his screen up, since tourists were so common in Hammerlocke.
The screen was put up and the driver's radio was muted so that Joe and Kyla were sitting in silence next to each other.
"So… you've known Denise a while, huh?" Joe asked, striking up a conversation.
"For a fair few years yeah," Kyla replied, then chuckled to herself, "The first time we met I pulled her out of a burning building."
"Nice little humble brag," Joe smirked.
Kyla shook her head, "Nah, to be honest… I don't like to think about it. We never did find out how the fire started, but we were both in Alola when a forest fire broke out. I managed to get her out but… I got burned quite a bit."
"Shit, I'm sorry."
Kyla waved him off.
"It was a long time ago. I don't want any pity over it. Most of the burns healed pretty well."
There was a small silence. Joe noticed how Kyla didn't elaborate on the burns that didn't heal well and chose not to question her about it.
"Well, anyway… When I got out of the hospital, she had tracked me down and wanted to thank me. We started hanging out and she became one of my closest friends," Kyla explained.
"That's actually pretty cool," Joe replied.
"I've always tried to help her, but she's been stuck in a rut lately. Her house was super small, and she's a single mother of four kids. Even with the help of her Pokemon, it's tough. I couldn't do it. Hopefully now she has a bigger house for her kids, she'll be able to like… just get a foundation under her, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
Joe gazed out of the window. From this high up, the cities and wild areas below were like a work of art. The dazzling sun shone on the region below, despite the cold bite in the air. Joe found himself staring at the region as they moved and pondering on how beautiful it looked.
A short while later, Joe noticed the Corviknight starting to descend as they arrived in Circhester. Joe's eyes widened as they descended towards the city of Circhester. The city was surrounded by lush green hills and quaint cottages. As they flew closer, the city came into view, a mix of old and new buildings and bustling streets. Pokemon were a common sight, roaming around. The University stood out, grand and sprawling, a place of great learning and discovery. As the taxi landed on the rooftop landing pad, Joe felt a sense of excitement and couldn't wait to explore the city further.
As they got out of the taxi, Joe realised how much colder it had gotten. There was no snow, but the city was enveloped in frost. Looking down from the rooftop, a large circular fountain dominated the city square.
"It's just gone midday," Joe told Kyla, "We have to meet Ainsley tomorrow, so we've got the rest of the day to explore the city."
"Sweet. What do you want to do?" Kyla asked.
Joe and Kyla spent the next few hours exploring Circhester, first of all checking into a hotel and dropping off the majority of their luggage, and then taking in all the sights and sounds the city had to offer. They visited the beautiful botanical gardens, where they spent a while wandering among the exotic plants and rare Pokemon. They also took a tour of the famous Circhester stadium, where they watched a gym battle take place where Ice-type leader Melony was defeated by a challenger called Griff, who used a Scizor as his ace.
One of their favourite activities was visiting the market, where they could sample all the delicious local cuisine. They tried everything from traditional Galarian dishes like sweet curry to more exotic fare, like Alolan specialty PokeBean Stew. When the sky started to darken they headed back to the hotel. They had dinner in the attached restaurant and headed to their rooms after. Joe was so exhausted after the long day, he fell asleep on the bed without undressing or even setting his alarms.
The next thing Joe knew, he was awoken by someone banging on his door.
"Joe, it's Kyla - wake up!"
Joe stirred from his bed. He stared at his phone to see he had four missed calls and that it was 8:48am. He groggily stumbled to his door and let Kyla in.
"Sorry, I completely crashed last night," Joe said.
Kyla rolled her eyes, "Well, they stop serving breakfast in twelve minutes."
"You go, I need to shower," Joe said, "I'll grab something from a PokeMart later."
"Suit yourself," Kyla said, shrugging, and left again.
Twenty minutes later, Joe was ready to go. He packed his small travelling bag with a few necessities and headed to the hotel lobby to meet with Kyla.
"I'm starving," Joe greeted her.
She rolled her eyes again, "I did warn you."
"It's fine, I'll get some sandwiches on our way to the university."
"What time are we meeting Ainsley again?" Joe asked.
"Nine thirty. So you'll have to be quick."
They rushed to the closest mart and Joe picked up a few cheese sandwiches and a soda that he consumed as they walked.
"Early mornings are really not for you, huh?"
"I'm working on it," Joe munched.
Joe saw the university from a distance as they approached and thought of its reputation around the region. Nestled in the heart of the Galar region, it was a beacon of education and research, drawing students and scholars from all over the world. He couldn't believe he was about to start a job there.
The university was a grand, sprawling complex, made up of dozens of buildings, each one dedicated to a different field of study. From the gleaming towers of the engineering department to the lush gardens of the botanical research centre, there was something for everyone at Circhester University.
As one walked through the main campus, they would be struck by the beauty of the architecture. The grand halls were adorned with intricate carvings and frescoes, depicting scenes from Galar's rich history. The lawns were perfectly manicured, and the fountains sparkled in the sunlight.
"Joe, Kyla, fantastic to see you," Ainsley greeted them as they approached, "How did you settle in last night?"
"Good, we found a nice hotel," Joe replied.
"Remind me to get you reimbursed for that later. We'll sort out accommodation from now. So, Circhester University. Welcome."
"It's beautiful," Kyla said, "There's like, an aura around it, you know?"
Ainsley nodded approvingly, "The university is more than just a pretty face. It's a place of innovation and discovery, where brilliant minds came together to push the boundaries of what was possible. The professors are renowned in their fields, and the students are among the brightest and most ambitious in the world."
"Sounds great," Kyla replied.
"You could probably go on forever, couldn't you?" Joe smirked.
Ainsley grinned, "Why, yes. The university's research facilities are state-of-the-art, equipped with the latest technology for studying Pokemon and their habitats. The labs are constantly buzzing with activity, as scientists and students work tirelessly to uncover new insights into the mysteries of the Pokemon world.
Beyond the classrooms, there is a lively campus culture at Circhester University. The student body is diverse and vibrant, with clubs and organisations for all interests. From the Pokemon trainers club to the literature society, there is always something to get involved in.
For those lucky enough to attend Circhester University, it's a place of endless opportunity and lifelong learning. It is a place where dreams are made, and where the future is forged."
Ainsley finished his spiel and Joe slow-clapped.
"Impressive. How long did it take you to memorise all that?"
"Couple of months," Ainsley grinned back.
"So what's the plan?" Joe asked as the three of them walked through the campus.
"Right, so, we will sign you both up first. Anyone who works here gets a campus card and access to the university app. That'll give you unlimited access to our research and study material," Ainsley explained, then lowered his voice, "And with your roles, you'll have access to private research as well."
"And once we're signed up, you can finally tell us what this is all about?" Kyla asked.
"Yes," Ainsley confirmed, "and you'll get to meet the UPID team."
"How many of you are there?" Joe asked.
"Our core team is six people," Ainsley said, "you two will make eight."
"Damn, you really are keeping this tight-lipped, eh?" Joe asked.
"When you see, you'll understand why," Ainsley replied in a tone which made Joe feel uneasy.
They headed through the main entrance of the university and after Ainsley spoke to the receptionist, he guided them up a hall, through some double doors, and down another hallway, which led to his office. His office was small and unassuming, but there was enough room for his desk and three visitors.
"Take a seat," Ainsley instructed Joe and Kyla. He opened his desk drawer, pulled out two sets of thick documents, and told them both, "here's a pen each for you: start reading and signing."