I was in a dream. I knew that, but I still didn't want to believe it. I was walking forward in a tunnel. After reaching the exit, I saw it: the ruins that I had worked so hard to reach; a town, shrouded in mist. In this foggy hinterland resided the truth, which would help me accept what had happened. However, like always, it was never to be. The fog was dispersed by headlights, and from there it was a blur. A beeping blared in my ears.
Light filtered in the room through closed blinds. A clock next to him was beeping that annoying tune incessantly; he immediately shut it off. The time read 7:00 AM.
Kibe lay on a thin bed in a small apartment bedroom: the left side was practically flush with the window. His eyes weren't quite prepared to open the blinds yet, so they were left closed. He quickly rubbed them; despite the racket, the other occupant of the room was completely unresponsive. Plopped on a large furry rug between him and the bathroom door was his partner: a large purple heap. Somehow the alarm never wakes him...
"Hey man, it's time to get up. You and I both know there's no way I'm making it over that fin of yours."
His tail slapped the ground in response, and he begrudgingly scooched over to make room. This was the Mach Pokemon, Garchomp. Kibe had raised him from a baby Gible as a birthday present from his dad. They had gone through a lot together, and Garchomp was the only Pokemon to stay with him from the start of his journey to its abrupt end. He walked past Garchomp into the bathroom and washed up. Before exiting, he combed his hair while looking in the mirror. A tall, pale figure stared back.
After cleaning up and putting on some fresh clothes, he walked into the main area of the apartment suite he shared with one other (human) tenant. Said tenant was definitely awake; Kibe could hear the customary crashing and squawking through the door. However, it would be a little while before he exited his room. He put on a pot of coffee and opened the TV, nibbling at a breakfast bar while doing so. Displayed on the screen was news about the competitive Pokemon battling world.
In the past year, an unnamed trainer had been creating waves of discussion in the space; primarily because they, according to the Pokedex database, were the owner of the Legendary Pokemon Entei. In a somewhat major hack late last year, part of the trainer's data file was leaked, particularly their location at the time: a dorm at the university Kibe attended. Naturally, this resulted in something akin to an inquisition at campus; however, the identity of the trainer remained elusive to this day.
But now, they had started to compete-wearing a mask and continuing to conceal themselves, of course. First, they won the current year's Unova League in short order; now, they had reached the Hyper Class of the Pokemon World Championships without dropping a match. This Monday, they battled in their first Hyper Class match, which was publicly televised on major channels. They defeated an Elite Four member of a faraway region in spectacular fashion, defeating all three of his Pokemon in a row with just his Entei.
That last part was the news flashing on Kibe's TV. In the corner of his vision, he spotted Garchomp drag himself out of the bedroom, crawling on the floor. Kibe had already set his food out, so everything was good on that front. At the same time, however, his roommate's door burst open, and a yellow Pokemon came flying wildly through it.
"What are you doing man?! Don't go crazy like that!"
Kibe's roommate, Peter, rushed out after the Pokemon and grabbed it out of the air.
"...Did you forget to take it out of its Poke Ball before going to bed again?"
The Pokemon Peter was manhandling was an Archen. Widely considered to be the progenitor of all Bird Pokemon, it was a species revived from the ancient past. Peter had dug its fossil up in the desert north of the city.
"Dude, you know I can't let this guy fly out in the Castelia skyline on his own!"
Trotting out of the room behind him was another Pokemon; this one on two legs, stumpy and brown. It was yet another revived fossil: Tyrunt, the Royal Heir Pokemon. A calmed Archen was now perched on his shoulder, expectantly staring at the cabinet. Tyrunt walked over to Garchomp and plopped down next to him.
"If Archen getting confused and lost is the issue, then take him to the park. It makes a racket every morning because you pass out immediately when you get home."
"If I'm this tired before getting home, when exactly would I find time to walk him? You need to be more realistic, Kibe."
Peter was bending over, grabbing the special Pokemon food designed for fossil Pokemon from the cabinet. Ancient Pokemon lived in a completely different environment from modern ones: different average temperatures, atmospheric compositions, the works. Their relative homeostatic levels like body temperatures and nutrient requirements were different as well. So naturally, they needed specially tailored food.
Kibe snorted. Peter wasn't a burnt-out salaryman; he was a university student in the same year as him. Finals ended a week and a half ago, he had just been partying every night. Kibe walked over to the window door, and the patio beyond it.
"Well, it's not really that scary. See?"
From the patio, he could see the ground, very far below him. Their apartment was on the 27th floor of a huge building; surrounding them was the concrete jungle they lived in, Castelia City. With his things already packed, Kibe sat at the table set out on the patio and drank his coffee. Peter and Kibe were on summer vacation, but both of them were advancing into research positions as was customary of students at the end of their second year. And thus, the majority of their summer would be spent staying in the city.
Garchomp, still refusing to stand on his own two feet, ended up crawling out, lying at Kibe's feet. Behind him, he could hear Peter warming cereal, and the loud crunching of Tyrunt gnawing on his special, coconut sized Pokemon food. They'd be ready to go in a few minutes.
"Yo, Kibe. Did you see this? The kid with the Entei defeated an Elite Four member. I wonder if he's gonna battle in the Circuit."
"Of course I saw it, man. If they're that skilled, I'm sure they will; but not with Entei. They've spent this long keeping themselves shrouded in mystery, I doubt they would want to throw that away for some clout on campus at this point. They'll use other Pokemon and likely win just as much. Anyone who's tamed a legendary Pokemon has to be an incredibly gifted Trainer."
A few minutes later, Peter was ready. He held out his Poke Balls with one in each hand, and returned Archen and Tyrunt. Kibe did the same: he dug out his Poke Ball from a pocket. Garchomp, still on the ground, stared at Kibe expectantly. Kibe, Poke Ball in hand, stared right back.
"At least stand up first, dude."
Kibe saw the light in Garchomp's eyes die, as he heaved a massive sigh and slapped his tail. Garchomp, for the first time that day, managed to drag himself up on his own two feet.
"Garchomp, return."
A bright red light shot out from the orange-shaped device in his hand, engulfing Garchomp. In less than a second, he was safely stored inside. Kibe walked over to the couch, and grabbed his backpack. Peter was waiting at the door.
"Dude, the TV."
"Ah crap," Kibe said as he doubled back and flicked it off. Peter opened the door, and Kibe walked through behind him. They took the elevator down to the lobby, and emerged onto Mode Street. From there, the two walked among the dozens of passerby around them as the throng approached the subway station conveniently placed at the end of the block. Attempting to traverse to the Castelia University campus on foot would take far too long: they needed to be there within the hour, and it was in the northwestern corner of the city.
As one descended into the subway tunnel, they could hear dozens of Poke Balls playing the same sound; people were returning their Pokemon. Peter and Kibe had kept their Pokemon away from the start in anticipation of this.
They entered the subway terminal, and pulled out their passes. They were pretty similar to bank cards. After a couple of minutes, the next train arrived and the two boarded. Peter was able to grab a seat, while Kibe was left standing, packed with other passengers. Several stops later, however, he was also able to sit down as more and more people cleared out. Kibe and Peter were waiting for the last stop before the subway would transfer to the Nimbasa overground line, and make a straight path across the desert.
The subway jolted for the last time as it reached their destination. By then, there were only half a dozen people or so in their cart. The pair exited the tunnel near the edge of the city onto a fairly open road relative to the rest of the city. The buildings were much shorter, and the treeline marking the edge of the city was clearly visible, and the desert beyond that. A distance to our left, the towering metropolis loomed. However, their destination was just a two minute walk away: the Castelia University main campus. Both of them had landed research positions in labs recently, which was a fairly big achievement for second years. Here, though, was where the two would part.
"See you later, dude. You wanna meet up for lunch later?" Peter looked back before continuing off to his destination.
"Nah, I doubt I'll have time. However...I'll make sure you walk Archen today. We can hit up the park and grab dinner after."
Peter chuckled, and nodded. With that, they went their separate ways: Peter to the astronomy building, and Kibe to the Pokemon laboratory hall: the building where he would start in his new position today.
Kibe walked into the Pokemon Research Building, a seven story complex composed of reinforced concrete. Pokemon were fascinating creatures, but also highly volatile, or even dangerous. He walked through a mostly empty atrium to the elevators. As he was carried to the fifth floor, he could see a group of Trainers practicing on the field: they were evidently new recruits. Kibe snorted and walked out.
"You know, you don't have to wait exactly until the specified time. I'm sure that the professor is already inside."
Ahead of Kibe was a brown-haired girl, loitering outside of the suite that was his destination. He first met her during the interview stage of the application, a little over a month ago.
"I'm just being considerate. Punctuality goes both ways. You're rather early as well, aren't you? There's still twelve minutes until we're supposed to meet her."
"Well, that's because I'm not so nervous that I can't even open the door."
"Wha- Hey!"
Kibe walked past his soon-to-be research partner and opened the door to the professor's suite. He was met with something resembling a meeting area, with a conference table and projector on one side, and a lounge on the other, partitioned by a glass wall. There were several doors in the back, presumably leading to the lab and various offices. Already present in the room was their employer: on the couches in the lounge, not the professional chairs in the conference room. Kibe strode in, followed meekly by the other girl.
"I could hear everything, you know?" the bespectacled woman giggled.
"Well, it's good that I got here when I did, or you would've had a little too much fun at her expense."
The pair sat across from her on a couch, with one seat in between.
"In any case, why don't we all reintroduce ourselves to each other? I'm Miranda Foxglove, PhD in Pokemon Biology. My goal is to get you guys to call me Miranda. I'm a Castelia native! This is my partner, Beheeyem."
A pale Beheeyem floated up from behind the couch and sat next to her. It was an odd Pokemon, like something out of a science fiction movie.
"...well, isn't that a bit hasty? My name is Kibe, an undergraduate student majoring in Pokemon Biology at the Pokemon College here at Castelia University. I want to learn more about Pokemon Types, and I moved here from the Sinnoh region a few years ago. My partner is Garchomp."
Kibe let out Garchomp, who curled up at his feet.
"Nice to meet you both! My name is Arienne, an undergrad Pokemon Engineering major. I want to research the healing powers of Pokemon, to put them to use in modern medicine. I'm from Nimbasa City, and commute here from there. My partner is Audino!"
Noticeably more relaxed now, she sent out a stout pink Pokemon, which was renowned for its healing properties. Audino are used as healers throughout the Unova region. It happily patted Garchomp on the head and sat in between Kibe and Arienne.
"Friendly, isn't she? I raised her to be kindhearted. By the way, Dr. Foxglove, does that Beheeyem have a rare coloration?"
"You noticed! I was prepared to brag about it and everything too… Yes, my Beheeyem has a very rare coloration as opposed to the stronger orange they usually have."
"I've personally never seen one of these Pokemon in person before in my entire journey across the Sinnoh region… quite impressive."
Foxglove smugly leaned back on her couch and hugged Beheeyem.
"Yes you're the cutest Pokemon in the whole world~~ Ahem. With the introductions out of the way, I'd like to start describing your roles here at the lab today. "
Kibe, Arienne, and Audino straightened up. Garchomp silently regarded her.
"We went over this after the interviews, but my goal for this summer is for you two to get used to working together as a team, as well as the other members of my lab. You'll need to develop a research-oriented mindset and work ethic, as well as the practical skillsets required. To that end, I'll have you guys do a handful of separate projects this summer. After all, doing the work yourselves will develop your skills far faster than little old me trying to teach you everything I know.
You'll mainly be working with each other, but there will naturally also be situations where you'll be on your own, or with completely different people you've never met before. Adaptability is the most important part of being a field worker! With that said, generally I'm expecting Kibe to be doing most of the heavy lifting field work wise given his practical experiences, and Arienne to act as his technical support. However, both of you will need to become independently skilled, so sometimes I might ask for you guys to reverse the roles."
"I prefer not frolicking around in the mud, so I'm totally fine with that arrangement! Computers ARE my specialty, after all." Arienne was very enthusiastic about this prospect. Kibe saw fit to rain on her parade:
"You do realize that you're still going to have to come on-site, right?"
"...Eh?"
"Most of these locations are pretty remote, and could require multi-hour treks on foot to reach. We're probably going to camp out a lot, too; prepare for mud and sand to seep into your tent!"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"
Kibe and Foxglove roared with laughter, and Arienne reached over Audino to smack him on the head. The three of them continued to discuss their arrangement for a few more hours, until lunch rolled around.