Chapter 11: A Fragile Seedling

I followed at a normal pace, moving into the Laboratory. My arm still ached from my maneuver on the ship, so I kept both in my coat pockets to rest. I would be fine if I got some rest over the next few days.

'She practically flew in here, huh?'

"Haaaa~"

I let out a long yawn, fumbling for the door handle to follow behind. 

Clack-Bam!

""Ugh!""

A girl rushed out before I could find it though, knocking into me when I was off-guard. I focused hard to slow down, forcing my brain to work as I stabilized my fall with my arms to not crack my skull open. My focus slipped as soon as I was safe, and the world returned to normal. My head ached from the stress on my brain, but I would be fine. 

"...Well hello to you too."

A head shorter than me and with blonde hair, she seemed fairly thin but packed a punch just a second ago. She had fallen back as well, but only landed on her butt. I got up, giving her a hand to stand as well. She was light, barely a hundred pounds- a bit lighter than normal for a woman her height. Maybe she was a teenager?

"Oww… Sorry, sorry! I'm in a rush. Please, excuse me."

I stepped aside, and she ran off just as fast as Amanda did a moment ago. 

'No, I think she's even faster…?'

"Goodbye as well, I guess."

I muttered to myself, walking forward into the door. I noticed Amanda fidgeting in behind the desk of a man in a white labcoat. He was talking to a redheaded woman on a video call- 

'Ugh, she has a ton of makeup. It's really tacky.'

"Ah, Mykah. Sorry, the Professor's in a meeting, one second!"

Amanda whisper shouted to me after noticing I had come in. I walked up beside her, the steel floor matching the black walls in drab-ness. It was almost like the color scheme of our ruins- not that we had much of a choice once the magic activated. If there were glowing blue runes on the walls then I'd really feel at home. 

"...And above all else, make sure she's there for the pickup. "

My ears pricked up. 

"...I assure you that things have already been set into motion."

"...Er, Professor Jenner? I've brought the new trainer as requested… Ahem."

He whipped around in a hurry once she cleared her throat, turning off the video call. 

'...That was very shady. Is this human trafficking? Or maybe an under the table deal with a rare pokemon?'

"O-Oh, Amanda. I didn't think you'd get here so soon."

"So soon? We're technically late, Professor."

He smoothed his golden hair- probably out of nervousness, but it seemed natural like a habit. 

"In any case, welcome to my laboratory, Mykah! Ah, Tesla called ahead to fill me in on the details, so don't worry too much since I'll handle the bulk of the paperwork for you. I am the lead scientist here at Gearen Lab-"

"Professor, you always put the trainers through this lengthy introduction! Can't we just skip this for once?"

Her tone betrayed her impatience. She certainly wasn't doing it for me because of what happened, but I could see the look of regret on the Professor's face at her words. 

"A-ah, I suppose you're right. In that case, please take Mykah and help him choose his starter- I'll get started on that paperwork for you, so come let me know which one you choose as soon as you finish so I can mark it down."

"Oh man, this is the best part!"

Amanda jogged over to the stairs, taking a moment to gesture me forward before she went up. The professor was smiling behind his desk, but something about his smile seemed fake. I couldn't tell if he was still regretful at having almost droned at me or if he was nervous about me seeing the video call earlier. 

'…That girl who ran out of here. Is she who they were talking about? Why did she seem in such a hurry…? Maybe she knew?'

"Go ahead, Mykah. Your starting pokemon holds more significance than you might think!"

He sounded normal though. 

'I guess I'm just on edge. I'll… pass over it for now. I need some sleep before I make stupid decisions.'

"Alright. Thanks, Professor!"

I walked up the stairs with a fake smile of my own, hearing the cries of dozen of pokemon. My clothes didn't leak water, having squeezed the bulk of water out before I stepped inside the lab. It didn't make it much better though, since wool would just latch onto it. 

"Alright, he's coming in soon, so quiet down! "

A whisper shouted to the pokemon got the sounds to stop as I approached the door. I paused, unsure if they were ready. 

"Show off your best attitude if you think he's the trainer for you! …Yes Oshowatt, your shell is beautiful. Now shh!"

Seemed like it. The sounds started again as the opaque glass door smoothly opened. 

"Here they are, Mykah!"

Dozens of pokemon locked eyes with me as I stepped into the room, and they chittered and made noises to each other as I walked up to Amanda. 

"This is a hard decision, but if you're having trouble I can recommend one for you!"

"Alright. But… there sure are a lot…"

"Heh, take your time. If a Pokémon's nature doesn't match your personality it'll make it a much tougher journey for the both of you, so feel free to have a chat before-"

Taatatatatata-!

"Osha~!"

A blue oshawott was holding up its shell in front of me. It had jumped off of the table and run up to me, its small head barely reaching my knees. It waved its sparkling shell around, its prized possession I was all too familiar with seeing… But it looked strange. 

'Aren't their shells… yellow?'

"Er, Ms. Amanda-"

"Just Amanda. I'm too young to be a Miss!"

Dang, more cultural differences than I thought. Or maybe it's just her- hard to tell with that fashion sense. 

"I'm a bit new to Aevium and didn't look anything up, but do Pokémon use cosmetics here?"

The blue, purple and green multicolored shell sparkled in the light as if it was made of glitter. Not nearly the oshawott I knew of- not by a mile. 

"Ah! Of course, but usually only the humanoid kind. But you're wondering about our little guy here, right? He's a rare kind- a shiny."

"Yeah, I can tell by the stardust. But usually shiny oshawott are… the same? They have orange shells, but this little guy has…"

"Osh osh!"

Now dancing, the oshawott swung its sharp shell at me. Seems like he didn't like the tone I used. 

"Heh, it's just one of the many differences in Aevium. Most shiny Pokémon have alternate forms here- we have a few more here as well!"

She gestured to the rest as the oshawott ran away from me and to its place on one of three long tables. They seemed organized by type and region- both of which Cheren had instilled in me when he was catching me up on the basics. I didn't know all their names, but their colors were a dead giveaway. 

'...Is that a fire and water type? But it's partly yellow as well…'

"Since Oshawott doesn't seem to mix well with you, how about you talk to the grass types? They seem eager to meet you, and it fits your… fashion sense?"

'…noted, she doesn't like good fashion.'

"…Explains the hat."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"Ah, nothing. I was just wondering which one would match well with me."

She smiled and stepped back before pulling out her phone to play a game.