Rei

"Wonderful stuff, Beni! Much obliged," the professor said, happily digging in. "Your potato mochi never fails to please!"

The old man nodded with a satisfied smile, and headed back inside.

"How come no one else is around here?" I asked.

"There's usually a strict time for us to eat, so as not to make Mr. Beni cook all day," Akari explained. "Professor Laventon and people like the captain are just the exception, since his research means he usually never makes it on time, and I'm just tagging along."

So there were alot of people in the survey corps. How high up is Akari in the survey corps?

"Is it good, Rei," Akari asked. "You haven't said anything this whole time,"

"The food is good."

She stared at me intensely.

"No, really, I like it," I said, holding out my hands placatingly. "I just have alot on my mind."

"Oh, yeah," she said, looking chastised. " I'm sorry, I should have thought of that."

"No really, its fine." It really was fine, but she looked so down about it… "Uhhhh, what did you bring me here to discuss, professor?" I said quickly.

"Nothing much, we just need to discuss some logistics," he said. "Now, we can all agree that Rei has proved himself fully when it comes to his abilities."

"That's true. His courage is undeniable."

"It wasn't that much." I said.

"To be perfectly fair, the three pokemon at the beach weren't hostile," Laventon conceded. "But even so, I have no doubt that when you get accepted into the survey corps, we will be able to begin our research in earnest!"

"Does the survey corps really have the leeway to be enjoying a leisurely meal with this outsider," Beni said from behind me. "Your captain just ordered 10 servings of potato mochi, you know. The slow progress on that pokedex of yours is clearly putting her on edge."

10 servings!? What an incredible stress eater!

"I'm sure we'll start to rein in the good captain's stress eating soon enough, Now, have your fill, Rei! And think, if you make it to the survey corps, you'll never have to worry about a meal again. The team provides for all its members, even if said members fell out of the sky!"

"That was quite delicious," professor Laventon said as we got up from the table. "Quite delicious indeed!"

"Yes, the food was lovely. But more importantly, Rei still has a trial to pass. I know he's really good, but-"

"Not to worry. I have complete faith in Rei over here!"

"Lets hope your faith is not misplaced then." A voice said. I turned around and saw captain cyllene approach us.

"Rei, was it? For tonight, at least, we will provide you with a place to sleep. You may use our quarters there." She pointed towards the headquarters. "We'll let you use one of the rooms for the advanced members. But if you fail to pass the trial we put to you tomorrow, you must move on. You will be expelled from the village to meet your fate- and perhaps your death- in the wilds. Akari can guide you to your lodgings." With that declaration, she swiftly moved along.

"Captain Cyllene's somewhat like Hisui, in that they're both quite harsh." Akari said.

"Now now, she simply puts on a stern front to help keep us safe. At any rate, I think it's time we turned in for the night, eh? It's a good thing one can't fall out of the futons we sleep in here, I imagine our new friend has had enough falling for one day! And with that, I bid you both a good night!" Professor Laventon cheerfully walked off.

"Yes, good night." Akari looked up into the night. "A rift in the sky… People falling from it… The world is full of mysteries… Alright Rei, lets go."

"Ah, yeah, thanks," I said, following her as she walked towards the headquarters.

"Most people who join the survey corps don't get such a nice room at first," Akari said as she lead me through the hallway. "They start off in the dorms, where they have some time to prove themselves for the survey corps. Not everyone can make it, after all. Pokemon are extremely dangerous."As she spoke, she pointed at a door that I assumed was the entrance to the dorm rooms. "That's not to say you can't just sleep at your house, but staying close helps build connection, and lets us exchange information quicker since its all in one place." She stopped in front of 4 doors close to each other, and pointed at one of them. "You'll be staying over here for now."

"Thank you, but… why do I get such a nice room in comparison? Not that I'm complaining, but…" Should I have even asked that? I'm such an idiot.

She lifted her hand and counted one at a time. "You have no connections to anyone or anything, you're in a brand new environment, and you have to prove yourself or get kicked out of the corps. I'd say this is perfectly fair to you."

"Well, when you put it like that… thank you."

She smiled at that. "Just rest up for now. You've got a big trial ahead of you. If you need anything, I'm in the room over there." She opened her door.

"But I don't wanna bother you if you're asleep."

"Seriously, if you need anything, just knock, I'm a light sleeper. You can count on me." With that, she shut her door, prompting me to go into my room.

It was a spacious room, with a initial area to leave my shoes in, large implement in the middle that seemed to be for cooking something, a few tables and storage things strewn about, and a sliding door opened up to a futon. They didn't give it to the advanced corps members for nothing. I was restless, but tired, and I had nowhere else to go or do, so I slipped into the futon. As I laid on the futon, a million different thoughts raced through my head. Should I really have come here? This world was so different from what I knew, which I should have expected, but It's still weird. I want to talk to them but… its probably late at night, I wouldn't want to just call them this late at night for no reason. What could I even say to them right now? I could feel myself sweating bullets. And that test I have to take, the professor seems completely unbothered by it, but what if I fail it? Am I just dead? Was Captain Cyllene serious? I… I'm scared to be alone right now. I…