The Average Factor - (Pokémon, Larry!SI)

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Work. Work never changes.

Sometimes one has to inquire... what's the point of work? Well, making money for a thing. But then, what's the point of money if you are already rich? When is work no longer necessary? Once you are 'rich enough' or perhaps when you are 'old enough'?

This is the kind of questions I ask myself at time when I decided that I would live this new life as my current character would: as a slave for a 'soulless company'.

My name is Larry. I work for the League in the Paldea region, and while I am a SI... I have no reason to aim for more in life. Being in the Poké-world is already nice and adventures meant putting myself into trouble. After all, this was the Game-verse with some negligible changes to my current situation.

No Ash and no Manga!Red. There were only player-tier trainers and that was all. Oh, and Legendaries were not 'catcheable'. Someone tried, and they died. Horribly.

So yes, it was just me, my work suit, my paperwork, my two jobs and-

"Man, you are so lame! Are you really the Gym Leader?"

Kids. Most of which are mean troublemakers that have quite the mouth. Engaging in 'same-leveled' conversations usually leads to issues on my part and rewards on theirs considering that I am the 'adult' of the situation.

"That would be correct, I am-"

"Lamey~. And I will show you who's going to be the next champion!"

...

I am not much of a trashtalker, but I am a follower of the malicious compliant doctrine. If you treat me bad, then you deserve to get the boot - in the form of a 'lame' defeat. With just Komala, Dudunsparce, and Staraptor (my Evolved Starter), the Medali Gym had a fairly 'light' composition made mostly by Normal Type Pokémon.

So, the challengers that came at my Gym was made by 80% of morons. I wouldn't say some of those were utterly lost causes, but their silliness in thinking this was an easy gym was just ridiculous. Especially when they didn't bring anti-Normal teams to face me.

Most of my work time was split between the Medali Gym and paperwork. Testing trainers, handling some documentation regarding new public works, maybe even additions to the gym itself. Elite Four-related chores were rare due to the limited amount of kids made it to the tougher fights, or couldn't make it past Rika's quizzes.

The food served here was good, the air was pleasant despite feeling less like working in a cubicle with others in similar conditions and... more like I was the only one feeling like this. Maybe it was a lingering depressing attitude the original Larry left behind in this body, maybe I was becoming more like him as I allowed this lifestyle claim more of myself.

I was enjoying a quick snack, nothing that could put much mass in my stomach and that wouldn't upset my usual eating habit.

But as I welcomed the same old challenges and the same old patient waiting for new trainers to test, I was given quite a surprise when I turned to glance at the entrance as I saw a new figure step into the gym. And I recognized the face of said tiny figure on the spot.

Bolting rapidly and grinning eye to eye, little Poppy was soon blitzing around customers and waiters alike. The child was young, roughly late kindergarten/early elementary school She had eyed me almost immediately, zooming to get to where I was sitting and... struggling to get on the stool. I helped her up and-

"Larry! I am bored."

"Poppy," I merely greeted and offered her a menu. "Would you like something?"

She nodded, the child picking some sandwiches before giving me a pout.

"Are you still busy?"

"That is indeed the case."

"We could skip your shift and go play around," Poppy offered giddily. "You don't like working, don't you?"

"I am afraid I am mandated by contract to say I do, Poppy," I replied curtly, yet I offered a relaxed look. "But I have to admit today is quite the slow day." As usual.

"Hu-huh! There's nothing to do, but it feels like something should be happening!"

I actually nodded in agreement at that comment.

While I can find similar sensations across the day I could find back to the previous shifts, I couldn't help but notice how there was an air of 'something is going to happen quite soon' around. Even the challengers of today felt like it was them having 'luck' in facing 'Lamey'.

Sadly for them, that wasn't the case.

Despite this odd feeling, I continued my day as if nothing was meant to happen, but as Poppy started to bring up a few projects she was planning to do with Rika's help, our attention was taken to our 'work phones'. The League always handed out a professional phone for both Gym Leaders and Elite Four.

Right now, both of those that I had in my two roles were buzzing with their similar alarms. Poppy picked up hers and gave it a look.

"Oh, Geeta's calling a big meeting! What do you think it is about?"

"I have no clue, Poppy."

I sighed at this abnormal and sudden development, turning to my vice and I had the gym closed for the day as I flew with Poppy on my Staraptor to reach the meeting. The girl kept on asking me what could have gotten Geeta to call a meeting for the entire circuit to take part to, and I was just unsure myself on what may have brought the Champion to contact everyone for this meeting.

Once we arrived, Poppy bolted to the meeting room, with my poor legs trying to catch up with such a nimble girl but... I ended up reaching the door to the room a few seconds after her and the rest of the Elite Four were already chatting quite loudly with Geeta.

Poppy reached up to chat up with them, but I paused at the edge of the table, frowning over a copy of the documentation that had been prepared for the meeting as I read it and instantly knew what was going on.

Draft to Stop Trading with the Zirca Region - Correlation with recent Mythrill-caused deaths.

My eyes narrowed at the names 'Zirca' and 'Mythrill', neither of which were familiar to me on a meta-level, but I was familiar of both through my life as a member of the Paldea League's Elite Four: the former was a region known to be ruled by a pseudo-dictatorship which was divided heavily between 'Upper/Rich Zirca' and 'Lower/Poor Zirca'. To say that the region was deemed a hot topic would be an understatement with its very recent effort to restore diplomatic ties with the world following some unsavory involvement in 'pacifying' a nearby region.

Mythrill was a more recent issues born from Zirca. While the official channels refused to give a name to the creator of this dangerous meth-like drugs that worked on both Humans and Pokémon, it was publicly known by those in the higher posts of the international governments that Dorado-Zirca Ltd. and its CEO, Dorado Guerrero, had a hand in allowing the drug to appear in the streets and spread beyond the regional borders.

Having heard just scarcely of some 'disturbances' at the edges of the region, I hadn't connected that this situation had been this bad if Mythrill had gotten into Paldea and...

The topic of the meeting coupled with Zirca's known aggressive diplomatic nature were sure going to make things a little more unusual than past times - hopefully things were going to resolve as civilly as possible, because I could already tell the paperwork was going to be a nightmare from the get-go.

AN

...Larry!SI and it's about Zirca 2036! The 'Normal Guy' vs. a lot of troublesome individuals. But no one suspects who Larry may end up drawing the attention the most from. And no, it's not Yorra.