Chapter 4 Surprise... but foreseeable rejection

When Roy woke up again, the bus was already very close to Sandgem Town.

He checked the time on his phone and saw that only an hour and a half had passed. Roy stretched lazily, feeling refreshed from the good sleep that replenished his energy after staying up late the previous night.

As he stretched halfway, Roy's movements became careful. He suddenly noticed that Azurill and Ralts were sleeping soundly.

Glancing at the Sandgem Town sign visible from the window, Roy took out a Poké Ball and temporarily returned the two little companions inside. Then, he checked around to make sure nothing had slipped out of his pockets due to his sleeping position.

"Sandgem Town, Sandgem Town. Passengers whose destination is Sandgem Town, please be mindful not to miss your stop," announced the bus driver as he parked the bus at the station.

There weren't many people getting off with Roy. Initially, when the bus departed, it was two-thirds full with passengers headed to Oreburgh City. Most of them got off at the stops between Sandgem Town and Twinleaf Town. By the time it stopped at Sandgem Town, the bus was almost empty.

Initially, Roy was thinking about how to find Professor Rowan's research lab after getting off the bus. However, as soon as he stepped off, Roy's eyes landed on a massive domed building atop a hill across from the station.

Approaching closer, Roy realized that while the lab buildings were not numerous, the area they covered was astounding. The first gate of the lab was almost a kilometer away from the main research buildings. Within this radius, countless pokemons belonging to the lab were actively moving about.

Roy pressed the intercom button on the gate, and after a moment, a short-haired female researcher in a white lab coat appeared on the screen.

"I'm Roy from Twinleaf Town. Director Cilan helped me arrange a meeting with Professor Rowan today."

The night before departure, Roy had entrusted Director Cilan to contact Professor Rowan through their personal connections. He was well aware of the impact a good introduction could have.

Due to social anxiety in his previous life, Roy had always struggled with interpersonal interactions. This made him keenly aware of the importance of connections. Each social circle had varying levels of friendliness towards outsiders, but having a recommendation from someone within that circle changed everything.

"Roy, right..." The female researcher picked up a device resembling a communication board, checked it for a moment, then pushed up her glasses and leaned closer to the screen to carefully scrutinize Roy.

After confirming his identity, the electronic lock "clicked" open.

"Go straight along the path by the gate. Professor Rowan is waiting for you in the main hall of the research lab. Oh, by the way..." The researcher glanced at Roy, "I heard you used to have a Pokémon Phobia?"

"Used to."

Satisfying the researcher's curiosity, Roy entered the research lab.

Curiously looking around, Roy observed that most of the visible Pokémon in the lab were primarily Water, Grass, and Flying types. Occasionally, he could spot some Rock and Steel types, but he didn't see any other types—at least not the ones he was familiar with.

As Roy gazed at a Tropius tending to a small Grass-type Pokémon in the distance, a line of Vileplume leading a group of Gloom and Oddish marched through the grass field of the lab, blocking Roy's path.

Suddenly, Roy remembered something and released Ralts and Azurill from their Poké Balls.

Once Ralts was perched on his shoulder, the little girl seemed visibly excited. It was the first time this little girl, who had only moved around near the care home since birth, had seen so many Pokémon active together.

Azurill's mouth was agape, her eyes sparkling. According to Director Cilan, this Azurill had recently hatched and was likely at the most curious stage of exploring the world.

At the rear of the procession, Oddish, leading the group of Pokémon, looked up at Ralts looming above it on Roy's shoulder. Suddenly, it stopped in its tracks, the two Pokémon staring blankly at each other.

Roy glanced at Ralts and then at the adorable Oddish, feeling it necessary to ask Ralts, the future queen of the party, for her opinion, "How do you feel about adding an Oddish to the team?"

After evolving into Vileplume, the Grass and Poison-type combination might be quite common, but in the world of animation, battles were not turn-based. Although there were base stats, IVs and EVs seemed non-existent, or in other words, it was all about the bond between trainer and Pokémon.

Just as Roy was considering whether to take the Oddish with him, the lead Vileplume returned angrily, casting an unfriendly glance at Roy before swiftly leaving with the Oddish.

Was that a look of disdain?

"That Vileplume is a star in the research lab. Grass-type Pokémon all listen to her. She probably misunderstood that you had strange intentions towards the Oddish," the female researcher, who had been watching the scene unfold, couldn't help but explain to Roy as they stood at the entrance of the lab.

No, no, no... She was correct, in some sense.

After a brief explanation, the female researcher led Roy inside, pushing open the door to the research lab.

Through the corridors of the lab, the female researcher led Roy around several corners until they finally arrived at a spacious room. In the sunlight streaming through the skylight, an elderly man with silver-gray hair, dressed in a white lab coat, stood with his back to them, using some instruments to measure something on a Shellos.

"Doctor, this is Roy, who has an appointment with you today," the female researcher reminded the somewhat distracted Professor Rowan.

Professor Rowan paused for a moment, slowly turning around. His gaze lingered on Roy for a while before he reached out to stroke the Shellos' body and said, "Alright then, let's end things here for today. The rest will be up to you."

As the female researcher carried the Shellos out of the room, Professor Rowan gestured towards the sofa nearby, indicating for Roy to sit.

"I've heard about your situation from Director Cilan. You mentioned wanting to travel, become a trainer, and... you want a Pokédex, right?" 

Roy nodded.

"I may not be able to grant your request because you don't have the qualifications to own a Pokédex," Professor Rowan stated firmly, causing Roy to be taken aback. In less than a minute of entering the lab and sitting down, he was already being rejected without a word spoken between him and the professor.

"Professor Rowan, could you please tell me the reason?" Roy wasn't willing to give up. Initially, he had only come here for a sense of ceremony, trying to start his journey with a Pokédex just like Ash did.

But things had changed now. This straightforward rejection made it hard for Roy to accept. He was eager to know what he lacked that deemed him unqualified.

Professor Rowan picked up a paper file from the table beside him. "This is the dossier that Cilan sent me about you. It describes your work at the healing center and your work attitude. A great introduction, touching even, especially for someone with a fear of Pokémon."

Professor Rowan said it with a straight face, and the compliment coming from him felt unusually solemn.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Roy asked.

"It is a good thing," Professor Rowan replied, still wearing his serious expression, "for your work as a healer."

"So, you mean I can't become an excellent trainer?" Roy grasped the point.

"Cilan mentioned that just half a week before you overcome your fear, you had an accident involving drowning. After that incident, you began to challenge the nightmares that had haunted you. It's only been half a week since you made the decision to travel after overcoming your fear."

Professor Rowan looked at Roy, who seemed lost in thought. His gaze was sharp. "Have you truly overcome your fear?"

Roy suddenly realized his mistake.

The original Roy's fear was deeply ingrained, lasting for over a decade without being able to interact normally with Pokémon. But after he replaced him through reincarnation, his mentality had changed too quickly.

In Professor Rowan's eyes, Roy hadn't completely overcome his fear. He was merely attempting to adapt through endurance, trying to push through the pain. So the professor saw through it but didn't point it out, paving the way for him.

However, in the eyes of Professor Rowan, who had no prior interaction with Roy, the decision he made seemed impulsive, full of recklessness. He hadn't actually cured his fear, yet he deceived Cilan, trying to solve the problem through endurance.

This flaw was simply indefensible. These research scholars clearly had studied Pokémon phobias extensively, with a deep understanding of ingrained fears. Roy's case, where he was clearly trying to endure rather than genuinely overcome, would surely raise suspicion.

There was no way to explain it. Trying to justify it through a mental approach would only lead Roy deeper into Professor Rowan's field of expertise. Lying in someone else's domain was simply suicidal.

"Cilan mentioned that it was Ralts who saved you when you drowned. It seems that you took being saved by Ralts as an opportunity to try and overcome your fear. And then, you chose Ralts as your first Pokémon, indicating that you hoped Ralts could witness all of this with you."

Roy really wanted to tell Professor Rowan that he chose Ralts mainly because of her incredible look. It wasn't as deep as he was making it out to be.

But he couldn't say that. He had to continue along the path set by Professor Rowan's thoughts.

"Yes, I lied to Director Cilan. I still fear their presence, but is that contradictory?" Roy tried to portray a trembling appearance but spoke with as much conviction as he could muster. "Ralts' kindness showed me that my fear of them all this time was wrong."

"I wasted over a decade, rejecting them from my life, refusing to understand them... Ralts gave me courage. Though I am still afraid, I have come here, seeking an opportunity to break free. Do you judge a person's qualifications solely based on a resume?"

"I never judge a person based on flat data," Professor Rowan tossed the file he was holding aside. "But they do have their value as references."