Matthew

The main compounds in Oran berries are most commonly used in what drug class?

C; Analgesic

What is the process caused when a berry with healing properties is consumed by a pokémon?

B; Cellular Hypergenesis

The rest of the questions were similar in difficulty, which was not very. They could've made them more challenging, or at least not a multiple choice, but most of the effort was going into the finals coming up next week.

I gave the slip of paper one last look-over and nodded. Satisfied, I stood up and handed it to the professor.

The professor smiled and accepted my paper. "You're first again; I expected nothing less from you," he whispers.

"It's just a front and back test; I'm sure everyone's right behind me," I whispered back.

Professor Manchineel just smiled. On the outside, he was a gruff-looking man with gray hair and an untamed beard that could be called mangy. He also had some rough facial features and scars in places from sources unknown.

On the inside, however, he had soft spots for the sciences and those that pursued them. He was a busy man, being the head of pokémon research in the region (affectionately referred to as the Pokémon Professor by some). Yet, he made time to teach at the most prominent university in the nation.

With nothing better to do, I returned to my seat and pulled out the study guide. Skimming through it, I was pretty confident in my performance for the final.

This class was the advanced pokémon biology class, which was the final prereq for the course I was here for: pokémon pharmacology.

I closed my eyes and smiled, allowing myself this time while the class finished their tests. Pharmacology wasn't just a goal; it was a calling. There wasn't anything I wanted more than to research and develop new medicine and help advance the medical care for pokémon, and so far, that dream held fast after five years of university.

"Alright, that was the last test handed in. I have nothing more for you all today, so you are all dismissed; don't forget to study," Professor Manchineel said.

We thanked the Professor for class and made for the door.

"Matthew, could I have a word?"

I'd almost made it past the frame before being stopped. The professor was looking at me like he had something important for me. I backtracked and found a seat at his desk.

"What is it, professor?" I asked.

"I know you' usually get lunch at this time, so I'll be brief," he said, straightening his lab coat. "You're a star student, Matthew, and I want to make sure you find a place that will recognize and utilize your talent. Would this interest you?"

"Yes!" I said, not needing to consider. The professor helping me find a future? I'd be stupid to let this slip by.

He smiled. "Excellent; meet me here tomorrow at, say, seven-thirty A.M?"

Seven-thirty? That was early, but it wasn't a problem. "I'll be here."

"You're going places, Matthew. Dismissed; you worked hard."

I thanked him again and left, trying to keep the giddiness inside.

The university halls were as empty as they got at this time of day. Tables and chairs were placed throughout; most were available for students who needed to sit and work, socialize, or just rest.

Instead, I hooked a right and took a sky bridge connecting the medical building to the main campus building, which had what I needed. It was about three in the afternoon, the time I usually grabbed some lunch, so my destination was the food court.

The university hosted many options to attract students, from stalls for the students taking culinary to more traditional fast food. I liked the idea of helping students practice their craft, plus they did it at a discount since the students were getting paid in experience, so they got my business more often than not.

I approached the stall and looked over the broad selection they offered. Seeing items like burgers and burritos on the same menu as pasta and fine-dining dishes was comical, but they made it work.

Not feeling very fancy today, I decided on a burger and approached. The attendant greeted me, took my order, and disappeared through some double doors to prepare it.

A different student immediately took their place at the register; this was their unique system to keep up with demand and ensure students got a fair amount of time in the kitchen.

I took the receipt with my order number and found a table nearby. The food court was always loud, especially at this time of day, so the stalls displayed fulfilled orders on screens.

My eyes wandered around the area. Around a hundred students had the court at seventy-five percent capacity, by my estimate. Some enjoyed a meal in good company of other humans or pokémon, while others ate in solitude.

I watched a group gather around a Flareon and showered it in attention, much to its delight. I, too, felt the urge to join them; it was such an elegant pokémon and seemed like such a joy to hold, but I held off. As uncommon as they were, I was sure I'd see many more later in life.

There were all different kinds of pokémon here with their trainers; the university allowed trained pokémon whose species were reasonably sized and didn't pose an immediate health risk. Sometimes, I wished I had a pokémon companion of my own. Despite being the most revered pokémon veterinarians in the nation, my parents never let us have one at home, claiming it would distract us from our studies.

I didn't resent them for it; they were probably right.

Looking at the order board, I saw mine was ready, so I grabbed it and returned. It was a wonderfully crafted burger with the patty still sizzling, fresh vegetables, and sauce dripping down the side, all packed between two fluffy sourdough buns.

Pure hunger had me take a large bite. The favors burst forth, and it's hard to restrain myself from going for another. Instead, I chased it with a sip of lemonade.

I was working through my food when a group of guys approached where I was seated, talking amongst themselves. I recognized them as students who shared numerous Gen-Ed classes with me.

Apparently, they recognized me as well; they stopped and gestured to me.

"Hey Matthew, how's it going?" one of them asked. I think their name was Trevor, but I wasn't confident.

I smiled politely. "I'm alright," I said.

One of the others spoke up; I didn't recognize them. "How'd you like to come party this weekend? I'm hosting; got one of those awesome senior suites."

This was a surprising offer. Not only did I not know these people much at all, we were only acquaintances at best, but they were inviting me to a senior block party, which were famous for getting quite wild.

"I'm not sure," I said, breaking eye contact. "I have a lot to prepare for next week."

"Aw, come on, you can't turn down a block party like that," Trevor said.

"What do we go to school for if not to party?" Someone else asked.

I'd never been invited to anything like this before. It would be a lie to say I wasn't interested, but the weekend was already allocated to studying, so there was only one answer. "Sorry, but I really shouldn't; I appreciate the offer, though."

They looked at each other and back at me as if I were the strangest thing they'd ever seen. "Alright, see you around," Trevor said flatly before the group walked on, headed toward a stall that served pizza.

I finished my lunch and tossed the trash on the way out. Sometimes, being a good student was like this, but I left feeling I'd made the right choice.

I'd found my way to a study area on the fifth floor. Not many people utilized this space, which was odd. I supposed it was out of the way, but it was away from distraction and had a great view over the Idian savannah.

I tapped my pencil on the table, reviewing the five-page guide for my human anatomy class. I wasn't planning on doing anything even related to humans in a career, but it was a requirement to learn the basics if you're going into a veterinary field, which made some sense. You need to know when you're working with something that could harm you, or maybe you'll discover something valuable for humans.

I looked out the window to the vast grasslands. The University of Ekhol was the most prestigious college in Idian and the Nation. Its name was the Nation's child, and it showed with how well off it was. Enrollment was something around a quarter million each year at this location alone, which was impressive considering there were six other locations across the Idian and Ferta provinces that saw fewer, yet respectable numbers.

The alumni of this place were also impressive; I'd heard that those who invented the Di-Com, a pokémon speech translator, came from this campus.

The nation valued education above almost all else, evident here in Ekhol by how the university owned nearly half its land. Seven buildings were arranged in a circle, each devoted to a particular area of study, from this building for general education to those for medicine, technology, engineering, creative arts, and so on. In the middle of them all was a gigantic park that had to be at least 50 acres. Here, people could do anything they wanted outside, including specified areas for pokémon battles.

Most of the surrounding buildings in the city were unsurprisingly dedicated to housing students. The first "ring" around was exclusively dorms owned by the University; the option was expensive, but they came with their benefits. After this were apartment buildings, convenience stores, and coin laundry; eventually, this area ended with land the University didn't directly influence. Despite being my fifth year here, it was still difficult to fathom how titanic this place was.

I didn't live on campus; I lived away from the city in a private suburb with my mom, dad, and sister. My sister also attended this university but was studying to be a veterinarian like our parents.

I caught myself swimming in distractions. There wasn't any time for that; I had six classes to study for before next week. I steeled myself and got to work.

The content for my pokémon biology class was already thoroughly studied, but I still spent time with it, pleased to be working with stuff tied to my major. After that, I opted for psychology and sociology, highly specialized fields doled out as gen-eds in the university. They didn't really interest me, but my confidence was high that I'd also do well here.

Then there were the others: written communications and finance, more gen-eds designed to give one basic tools for after-college life… and finally, calculus. I wasn't the biggest math person, and I struggled through the semester, but it stood on the path for my future, so I'd get through it.

Students infrequently came and went as I powered through study guides and worksheets. There wasn't room for any possibilities besides success.

I didn't know how long I'd been working until the setting sun began shining into my eyes through the window. Wow! It was already sundown?

My phone on the table said it was going on seven; I'd been here over three hours and finished studying for two of my classes.

Alright, time to head out. I collected my things and made my way to the side entrance, which was directly connected to the underground parking lot.

I had a car but didn't drive to school as the roads around here got predictably quite congested. Instead, I biked a path connecting my home district to downtown Ekhol.

The exit led to more stairs and a set of escalators for those unable to do them. It took a minute to descend since the garage was about thirty feet underground.

My bike was where I'd left it: locked to one of the rack stalls. It was a shiny blue color; my dad had bought it for me when I'd got accepted into university, and I'd made sure to take good care of it. I dug my helmet out of my backpack, unlocked the bike lock, and got going.

Thankfully, the architects thought to avoid steep inclines for the vehicle entrance; I enjoyed a smooth ride to the surface without the need to walk the bike up.

The entrance emerged behind the park, which made sense because the garage was beneath it. As I rode past, I saw people dotting the open space here and there, enjoying what remained of the day.

Soon, I was out of sight of campus as the bike trail led me away and through the savannah. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride; I'd make time to bike by my choice if I had any to spare.

My phone vibrated in my pocket; I reached in and found it was my dad calling me.

"Hello?"

"Hey Matthew, just got home and saw you weren't here; where are you?" He asked. His voice was baritone, but also beginning to pick up the coarseness from age.

"I'm on my way home, going through the fields now," I said.

He takes a second to respond. Knowing him, he was nodding despite having no way for me to actually see. "Alright, I'll see you when you get here, but be careful out there; they're saying there's some crazy stuff that's been happening in our neck of the nation."

"I'll be alright; see you in fifteen minutes."

"Okay, goodbye."

I hung up and dropped the phone back into my pocket. I wasn't too worried about what he'd said; it always seemed to be something in this nation.

I looked out through the vast open fields. It was, of course, beautiful to behold, but I was always more interested in the other details, like the lack of pokémon living in this space. I was subscribed to news outlets covering the issue, but annoyingly, nothing concrete ever seemed to come up; it was like trying to scratch an itch under your skin.

It didn't make sense that a population would disappear like it did; it went against nature itself. I remember a time when this wasn't true, when countless different species would be out and about. There were still some pokémon to be seen from time to time, but this place wasn't anything like it used to be.

I was convinced that something wasn't right but lacked answers like everyone else. Maybe one day, I'll find a position to help find those answers.

The estimate I'd given to my father was accurate; I was leaving the wild land and approaching the private district where I lived. Very showy houses made up the perimeter and didn't stop once you've breached it. Some houses had three stories; some were accompanied by a fountain. Some had extravagant gardens, but they all had something to tell about who lived there.

These neighborhoods were not my destination, however, so I kept going.

The streets and yards were, for the most part, deserted as the streetlights engaged for the night. This place didn't see activity like the city did when the sun went down.

Up the road a little further, I'd reached the iron fencing surrounding our house. I approached the gate and entered a six-digit code before the gate parted for me.

The land my parents owned was beyond impressive. A brick driveway cut through the yard and ended at a four-car garage. The lawn was a healthy green, which was kept up year-round with an automatic sprinkler system.

Around the perimeter of the fence were bushes, and along the paths were many different flowers. The backyard was expansive and had some trees growing here and there. Everything that grew in the ground was cared for by a groundskeeper who came daily; I never saw them since I was usually gone or busy at that time, but my dad assures me that he certainly didn't do it at his age.

In the very back was a very expensive pool. It was themed like a mountain spring, complete with rocks piled up along the side and water running gently over the top; my parents enjoyed it a lot.

I pedaled my bike into the garage. The house and the garage were separate, which was nice since you didn't get woken up at night or early morning if someone started a car.

The front door was unlocked for me, so I walked through and locked it behind my entrance. The house itself was enormous. It was suitable for a family of eight plus guests, with everyone allowed their own room. The interior was lavish, with marble flooring, granite surfaces, and light-colored wood, giving it a shiny appearance. High-end furnishings were the standard in every room, and a crystal chandelier was above my head twenty feet up. I couldn't begin to imagine the figures my parents parted with for this property.

Being renowned as the best veterinarians in the nation came with its perks, I suppose.

"Matthew, is that you?" my dad called from the kitchen. I heard the sink running; he must've been washing dishes.

"Yeah," I said, walking in to greet him. "I don't understand why you insist on washing your dishes; the dishwasher is right there."

He shrugged and finished drying a plate. "I've told you, it doesn't do the job right," he said, putting the plate away and grabbing a fork. "Sorry, you were taking a while to get back, so we ate without you. The green bean casserole is still on the table, though it might need to be warmed."

"That's no problem," I said. I took my plate, scooped a helping of food onto it, and set it in the microwave. While waiting, I got the milk out, poured myself a glass, and put it on the table.

I looked at my dad again, who went back to washing dishes. He was an older man, quickly approaching his sixties. He didn't even try to hide his graying hair; either it didn't bother him, or he didn't care to.

He worked at the Idian Grand Clinic, the same as my mother, which served humans and pokémon alike. Their intuition was unmatched in the field; they were brilliant veterinarians, and as such, they got to work with pokémon of top-class trainers, celebrities, and other icons of the nation. I always enjoyed hearing them talk about who they'd met over the years.

Their clinic operated on the findings that healing processes in both species were more effective in the presence of each other; they made friends and even had adoptions for the pokémon in some circumstances.

I looked up to my mom and dad; they gave their all with their work, both in and out of the clinic. They weren't satisfied with anything less than perfect, but, critically, they understood they had to settle sometimes.

The microwave beeped, and I retrieved my food before taking my spot at the empty table. I took a bite and found I'd put it in for too long.

"So, how was class today? You ready for next week?" my dad asked.

I nodded. "I've still got some classes to study for, but I'm confident I can make it another four-point-oh year."

"You make us proud, Matthew. Once you get out, you'll have everyone busting down your door, begging you to join them."

I didn't doubt that, being an excelling student with parents everybody knew, but…

'"Thanks, and while you're probably right, I've already got a place in my sights," I said.

"Is that so?" he asked. "If I might ask, where would that be?"

"Diamond Laboratories."

My alarm blared, rousing me. I switched the alarm off, stretched, and got going for the day.

I'd stayed up until eleven, studying for an extra three hours. I was able to get one more class checked off the list in that time.

I got excited about the events occurring within the next week. I was almost ready for finals, summer was almost here—which meant easy summer classes—and Professor Manchineel wanted to discuss things with me about my future; things couldn't be any more perfect.

Picking out a change of clothes, I chose a regular pair of shorts and a short-sleeved tee with the university's logo, my favorite shirt.

I hopped in the shower and got cleaned up before headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast in me for the day ahead. There, my sister was making bacon and eggs, still in her nightclothes.

"Good morning, Brittney," I said.

She looked up and smiled. "Good morning, Matthew," she said, tending to her bacon. "So, I heard you're meeting with the Pokémon Professor."

"Yeah, he brought me aside yesterday and said he wanted to discuss my future," I said. "I'm not sure what he can do for me, but I'm excited to find out."

Her smile grew. "Proud of you, brother. You work hard enough; I think this was coming your way sooner rather than later."

My sister Brittney was two years older than me and was also in university, but where I diverged a little, she decided to follow in our parents' footsteps directly and was working to become a veterinarian. She was close to graduating, so she was accepted into an internship as a vet tech at a smaller clinic in the city.

"Thank Brittney, it means a lot to me," I said, smiling back.

She nodded and plated her food. I pointed at the cookware she'd used. "You don't have to wash those; I think I'll make some eggs, too."

"Sure thing," she said and sat at the table.

I made small talk with her as I cooked. We were close; I rarely found myself unsure about anything, but she was always there to help me work things through when I needed it. My only resentment was that I didn't get to see her much, only for a little while in the morning and sometimes at night. We were both busy with our studies, and she was often called into work and perform night observation.

It was rough, and I wished it didn't have to be that way, but it was necessary for our success.

Soon enough, my food was done, and she was off to work. My parents were allowed to sleep in on weekends, so I wouldn't see them before heading to the university.

I dipped a triangular piece of toast into the eggs I made; the yolk burst and coated the tip of the toast. Delicious.

As I ate, I pulled out my phone and went online. I liked to keep up with current events (mostly in case there was any news about the die-off) but only had the time when I ate. A headline hit me on the front pages.

Phantom Four Terrorist Group Attacks Pokémon Center in Venu City.

Oh no, not again. This group has been all over the news lately, and the members have quickly been labeled as terrorists. This time, they firebombed the heart of the city and successfully raided a pokémon center of over a hundred pokémon in their care.

As much as I didn't want to think about it, events like these were becoming more and more commonplace and increasingly difficult to ignore. It seemed like people everywhere were just… going mad. Whatever the case, there wasn't anything I could do about them, so all I could do was keep my focus on my studies and hope these tragedies were stopped.

When I finished my food, I put the plate, glass, and utensils I dirtied into the dishwasher. As courtesy, I hand-washed the pans used to make breakfast so they were ready for the next person.

It was about seven when I left the house and got going on my bike. The sun was just over the distant hills, providing light as the streetlights flicked off.

There wasn't anyone on the bike trail this morning, which wasn't all that strange; it was very niche and took you to a very specific place. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the residents of those private neighborhoods paid the city to pave it.

The grass in the savannah swayed gently in the chilly morning breeze. I wondered why the professor wanted to meet so early in the morning; I supposed he was a busy man… did he work weekends?

A subtle smell hit my nose and tore me from my thoughts. It smelled like… fire? I pulled the handbrakes a bit too hard for my speed; the bike drifted and fell sideways.

"Ugh," I grunted as I hit the blacktop. I crawled out from under the bike and assessed my injuries. My right arm and knee got scraped, and my shirt tore at the shoulder where the logo was. I groaned at my ruined attire, but I was okay. Thankfully, the importance of helmets was instilled in me, or there'd been a head injury to top it off.

The smell of smoke only got stronger as I got up. Looking around, I found it coming from the other side of a small hill.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out an emergency beacon, a small device about the size of a checker piece. It was a very simplistic device designed not to require much thought in high-adrenaline scenarios.

A small dial on the side was turned until the top said "Fire," then I pushed the dial into the device and dropped it on the ground. It was now broadcasting an emergency signal calling for the fire department.

I sighed; it was my first time needing to do such a thing. The beacon was something you knew you always had but hoped you never had to use.

…So now what?

I reached back into my bag and found my phone; it was quarter after seven; I had fifteen minutes to get to the university and meet the professor, so I'd better get going.

But… I didn't. I couldn't determine if it was curiosity, concern, or something else, but it felt like I had some responsibility to attend to here. Maybe I did hit my head?

Whatever the reason, something was stopping me from getting on my bike and riding away. It was pointless to stand here, so I stowed my bike in a patch of tall grass and walked to the smoke.

Around the hill, I was surprised to see a sizable chunk dug out of the hill, not visible from the bike path. A wide tunnel descended a few feet into the ground and seemed to open into a den area, at least what I could see from the black smoke plumbing out.

Who did this? Was there anyone inside? Should I go check? Thoughts came racing through my head, and I couldn't grasp a single one. I didn't know what to do in this scenario, but… I knew I wanted to do something. My mind was proving useless in this situation, so maybe it was better to continue without it.

So that's what I did; pulling my shirt over my face, I took weary steps into the den. The smoke made it hard to breathe and stung my eyes, but I could make something out through the flames.

It was a body, a body of a pokémon.

That turned out not to be the worst of it. I gasped and immediately began choking; there were multiple bodies, both pokémon and human!

I collected myself and knelt to examine the pokémon first. The species was native to the area—a Pyroar; this one was female, judging by the mane, and had several dots of missing flesh in her body, which looked like gunshot wounds.

I looked around some more; there were two other females and two males; their bodies were in similar condition as this female: riddled with holes.

The humans were a gruesome sight. Three bodies were combusting; their skin was already charred black, and their clothes were burned away. One had their stomach ripped open, and I quickly looked away. I'd seen what was inside people, but not in such a brutal manner. I was going to be sick.

A couple of handguns with what looked like homemade attachments lay on the ground. Another item caught my eye: a strange black disk that shined in the light of the flames. There was no time to investigate, so I decided to grab it.

Was there anyone alive down here? I don't know why, but it never occurred to me, so I quickly looked over the den: mutilated humans, dead pokémon, fire and smoke everywhere… Wait, what was that in the far corner?

It turned out to be a sorrowing sight: Behind the pokémon was a bed of straw that was quickly catching fire. Inside the bed laid four eggs, three of which were becoming bleached like a cataract eye.

I squinted to try to get a better look.

One, two, three. Three were bleached.

Neglecting my own safety, I dashed through the raging inferno as fast as I could because one egg still maintained a vibrant reddish-brown.

I felt the hairs on my forearms and forelegs becoming singed, but I didn't care. Despite how hot its surface was, I grabbed the egg and pulled it from what would've been its fiery grave.

Bursting from the den, I coughed and gasped for fresh air. Now that I wasn't surrounded by the roar of flames and insulated by dirt, sirens could be heard in the distance.

Why did I do that? It was a terrible idea! Not only was I late for meeting the professor, but I was also made unpresentable with my skin and clothes tinted black from the ash, not to mention my favorite shirt was tarnished, and my hands undoubtedly had first-degree burns.

But…

My eyes found the egg, sitting in the grass beside me. Despite the situation it emerged from, it looked fine.

I smiled. It was profound, but I'd felt the same as in the food court yesterday.

The sirens grew closer, and I felt the need to hide the egg, so I opened my backpack and quickly slipped it inside.

It took a couple more minutes, but a truck from the Ekhol Fire Department arrived and began working. Among them was a single patrol car, out of which stepped an officer somewhere in her fifties. Worryingly, she approached me.

I read her patch as she approached: "Thomas." The shoulders of her uniform bore three chevrons. She was no doubt at least fifty, but her body was probably in better shape than mine.

Her eyes stared directly into mine; they were looking for something. "Good morning, sir," she said. Her voice had the inflection of someone who'd spoken to thousands of people, and I was just one of them.

"Good morning, officer," I said, trying to rightfully convince myself that I didn't do anything wrong.

She pulled out a pen and pad. "What's your name?"

"Matthew Merzehl."

"Got ID?" She asked. I nodded, extracted it from my wallet, and handed it to her.

She inspected the card, jotted down some information, and returned it to me. Either she didn't notice my last name or didn't care. "So what happened here?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I don't know, officer. I was biking the path about ten minutes ago and saw there was a fire."

Officer Thomas was intent on taking every word I'd said. "This grass could've gone up real good if you weren't here to report it," she said, though I picked up an edge of suspicion. "So why are you all covered in soot?"

I resisted the urge to brush some off. "Because I walked in there and checked it out,"

She stopped writing and rolled her eyes up to look at me. "You went in there to check it out? Sir, do you realize how dangerous that is?"

"Yes, officer."

A pause occurred to allow her to finish writing things. "So, did you find anything in there?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yes, officer, three human bodies and five pokémon bodies. The humans were burnt and mauled, and the pokémon were shot; the guns the humans most likely used are still down there."

"Did you touch the firearms?" she asked with an accusing tone.

"No, officer."

Officer Thomas took a long pause this time to write everything down; when she was finished, she clicked her pen and put everything away. "You didn't find anything else?" she asked.

For a moment, I hesitated. The answer was yes, but I was reluctant to relinquish it.

My eyes caught a glimmer of a shiny object, the jagged black thing I'd forgotten about after leaving the burrow; I must've dropped it. Now that I could see it in the sunlight, it looked like carbon fiber, weaved into hexagons and taking the vague shape of a disc. What purpose did it serve?

I walked over, picked it up, and held it out to her. "I found this thing, though I couldn't tell you what it is or what it's for," I said.

The officer was immediately interested in the object and took it from me. "I knew it!"

She stared at the disk for a solid minute before turning to me again, almost like she'd forgotten about me. "You're free to go; there's nothing more I need from you."

"Thank you, officer," I said before grabbing my backpack and going to retrieve my bike.

"Sir!" the officer suddenly called to me.

I turned to face her again; her eyes were locked on my backpack with intense curiosity.

"Yes, officer?"

She said nothing momentarily before looking and pointing toward the bike path. "Take your beacon since you're still here; I already reset it for you."

I stifled a sigh of relief. "Thank you, officer."

My legs pushed the pedals as though they could go fast enough to turn back time and get me to university at seven-thirty. The added weight of the egg quickly proving a hinderance as my muscles strained to get the bike going.

Some of the ash flew off me with how fast I rode, but I was still far from presentable anymore.

I rode through the tunnel behind the park and into the parking garage, hastily chaining my bike and running up the stairs.

Once I reached the room to meet Professor Manchineel, he was at his desk reading.

"Professor! I'm so sorry I'm so late! I was on my way, and I saw a fire in the savannah and-"

Woah, woah, slow down, Matthew! I can hardly understand a word you're saying," he said.

I took a minute to catch my breath. "Sorry," I muttered.

"It's quite alright. You are late, but you also look like you were used as a chimney sweeper."

The professor slotted in a bookmark and put his book down. "Now, why don't you explain again what happened? I'd be lying to say seeing my star student in such a way didn't pique my curiosity."

"Right. I was on my way here, and there was a fire in the savannah. For reasons I can't explain, I couldn't just leave after I'd reported it, so I walked in to see what it was," I said.

The professor nodded as I explained the scene to him: bloody, messy, grotesque. He didn't seem as interested in that, however.

"Yes, a terrible scene you stumbled across, but what made you walk in?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I wish I could tell you more beyond I felt a foreign impulse."

I realized I was still wearing my backpack, so I almost dropped it before stopping myself. "Oh! I was able to help somehow, though," I said before opening it and producing the egg."

The professor's eyes widened. "My, what a specimen! The hues on this one are spectacular, aren't they?"

In agreement, I nodded. "Yes, it is quite pretty to look at."

He reached out, asking to hold it; I let him take it.

"Mmm, from its weight, it's pretty far along, I'd infer."

"Really?" I asked in awe. "You can get that from how heavy it is?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's a little trick that can be useful at times," he said before looking at me. "I've been looking for an egg like this for my studies; I could take it off your hands if you wish."

The idea was met with the same reluctance as when I was talking to Officer Thomas. I couldn't explain why; I didn't have time to take care of an egg, let alone the pokémon after it hatched, but the notion still was unacceptable.

I shook my head. "Sorry, professor, but I feel like the pokémon inside this egg is somehow my responsibility."

"Mm," he grunted. "I see. Well, I have some supplies I can lend you for the summer for incubating the egg and caring for the newborn once it hatches, but if you change your mind, I would be happy to take it off your hands."

"Thanks, professor!" I said, even though I already knew that wasn't going to happen.