Lackey? Field research? Complete the Pokédex… I was a sucker for beautiful women but this was taking it too far!
I caught 5 Pokémon, risking the lives of me and Ralts several times and I wasn't even being paid to do so?
This could not stand.
"I refuse." I stood up, scraping the chair backward as I nearly slammed my hand on the table. "What do you take me for?"
"I'll pay you heft—"
The chair scraped and I was seated once more.
"I'm listening."
Mable sighed.
"Like I said, the reason I did this was to find someone that would do proper field research for me…" She said. "And since you completed it in under three hours after the announcement then you're hired, it's pretty simple."
"So what exactly do you need my help with?" I asked. This was a lab… they had countless workers here and even this receptionist.
What couldn't she do?
"Well…" Mable placed a hand under her chin. "Where do I even start…?"
"Before that, I have a question. You said something about completing the Pokédex. I can literally search up data about every single Pokémon in the world and I'll see it so why are we still trying to complete the Pokédex?"
"You're right." Mable sighed and looked at the receptionist. "Get me a coffee…"
"Boss, the coffee machine is quite literally next to you." The receptionist said while massaging her forehead and Mable glanced to the right of her table.
The coffee machine was against the wall and at the nozzle, there was even a cup already sitting there.
"I forgot." She groaned and then leaned over, flipping the warm switch and heating the coffee in the machine before turning back to me. "Now… like I was saying, that's usually what I tell rookie trainers when they turn 16 and get their first Pokémon."
Right… that was the age for getting your first Pokémon.
You could get one after that like me probably but at 16, nobody would question you about having a Pokémon.
Originally it used to be ten but everybody in the world gradually expressed concerns with ten year olds traversing mountains and forests filled with dangerous wild Pokémon just because they wanted to get gym badges… especially with criminal syndicates everywhere and children with Pokémon being kidnapped left and right.
I saw that in an article yesterday and honestly at least they would be a bit sensible.
It was scary to imagine what would happen when a 10 year old that wasn't even fully educated headed out of the house to become a 'Pokémon Master' with a Pikachu.
"If you tell them to attempt to complete the Pokédex, they would try hard to get all the Pokémon they can and get stronger in the process to at least attempt defeating all the gyms. So no, you're not going to be filling any Pokédex. It's already been filled in several times over… for all regions in fact, by Red who is one of Professor Oak's students and got the award for being the first person in the world to 'Catch them all' except Legendaries of course." Mable said with a jealous look on her face.
It seemed like she wanted someone like this Red person to work for her.
He also seemed a bit familiar and once again I couldn't really remember why, but I felt in awe. Calm down stupid body, I'm not attracted to men.
"I see…" I said and then she turned off the switch on the coffee machine, pouring the hot coffee into the cup and placing it on her table.
"So now, do you know what a Wild Zone actually is? Of course you don't know much, you just walked into one for the first time today." She said. "The mayor in his infinite wisdom has decided to drop wild Pokémon into the middle of a city and call it urban redevelopment… which is wonderful and fantastic. I love Pokémon, truly. But nobody… not a single person in that entire city hall building has stopped to ask what happens to a Fletchling when it's living between a café and a construction site instead of a forest. How it eats… How it sleeps… Whether the noise is killing it slowly… Whether it's thriving or just surviving… Nobody knows because nobody has bothered to find out, so I brought it up and imagine the gall—"
She paused her rant to drink half the cup of coffee, letting some dribble down the side of her lips. I considered leaning forward to wipe it but I really liked my life honestly.
"He put me in charge of everything… so alongside trying to prepare for the Interregional Pokémon Research Summit and doing my usual work, I have to balance this as well." She dragged a hand down her face and then looked at me. "But that's where you come in. I need specimens… specific ones, captured under specific conditions, and documented properly. Not whatever some kid threw in a box and forgot about… I want actual field research. And since I…"
She gestured vaguely at the building around her.
"…am not permitted to leave Lumiose City freely, I need someone out there doing it for me." She looked at me through her visor glasses. "You caught five Pokémon in a Wild Zone this morning without dying. Congratulations, you've cleared the lowest possible bar. You'll complete research tasks as I assign them… I'll pay you a hundred thousand Pokédollars a month plus a special item per completed task."
Mable had said so many things within a brief period of time honestly and it was hard to keep up with what she was saying…
There was apparently some professor contest she had to prepare for and she needed help documenting the behaviors of wild Pokémon that had moved into Wild Zones, but I was more focused on the 100k I was being offered…
"And not only that… you see that dome behind the building? There's a place where I can keep all your Pokémon alongside the ones you capture for me. I'll also handle the feeding of your Pokémon, sponsor your Pokéballs and…"
"No need to say anymore." I decided with a nod. "I accept."
She was essentially offering to handle everything concerning Pokémon except training and for what? A bit of research notes… This would surely be a breeze.
"I see… Rhyx, provide the contract." Mable said and the receptionist reached into one of the many drawers in the office and pulled out a file containing one sheet of paper, placing it on the table in front of me. "Read through all of it and then sign if you like the terms. I won't distract your Pokémon training that much."
I read through the contract and it was pretty much what she said, apart from the fact that if I failed to complete any research tasks in a month then she had the right to take back the 100k she had given me including an extra 50k for wasting her time.
There was also a clause where I had to write my name and age as well as provide an ID for verification so I did just that.
"Alright, I'll sign. Give me a pen." I said and she handed one over. I lifted it and Ralts helped me remove the cover as I signed it and handed it back.
Once she checked it over, she returned my ID with a sweet smile while handing the contract to Rhyx.
Truly… women were beautiful.
"Congratulations, you're now an official Field Researcher of Lumiose City's Research Center." Mable said while finishing up her coffee. "Before you leave, I'll have you install the specific app I've made where I can give you research tasks. But for now, why don't I take you to go see the dome? Rhyx, clean up here and return to your spot."
"Yes Professor." Rhyx said and then Mable stood up, walking to the door and turning to me.
"And you… Paxton. Follow me. If you stare at my ass while we walk then I'll strip your salary and make you an overworked scientist instead." She said and left through the door.
I staggered out of my seat and followed but Rhyx gave me a happy wave before I left.
"Good luck Paxton, I know you'll do well." She said and I smiled at her before closing the door behind me.
…
We were now in another elevator on the other side of the hallway, heading downward.
"Do you hate teenagers or something?" I asked.
Those quips she kept shooting weren't helping my case at all… I couldn't be mistaken for a pervert. I liked looking sure, but I'd prefer if you knew I was watching.
"Not at all. I think that's a very good time to be alive." Mable said.
She had somehow pulled a smaller book out of her pocket and was already reading it as the elevator descended. "Though at that age, boys are really horny and try to stick their dicks into anything. I handle a few 16 year olds every year who come here for their first Pokémon and they all keep staring at me like that… I don't mind it but it's weird."
I wanted to say something but she cleared her throat.
"That means you shouldn't get any ideas… I'm your boss and you should be more focused on impressing me. If you perform my research tasks properly, I'll even fly you out of Kalos to do regional research."
The elevator pinged to a stop and the doors opened.
"We're here." Mable walked out and I followed after… and my throat went dry.
The dome was transparent and though you couldn't see anything from the outside but there was a whole world inside.
It was the kind of place that made you forget a city existed around it… there was wide open terrain stretching back further than it had any right to given the building above.
There were trees with real canopy and a stream cutting through the far left side with open grass fields in the middle and raised rocky terrain toward the back.
The light inside was warm since it came from outside and the whole place felt alive like this was nature with birds moving between branches and Pokemon all around.
Just then one of the aides came running past with a bowl of feed in his hand and a large Arcanine bounding alongside him and a Growlithe yipping at his heels trying to keep up.
"I call it the Dome." Mable said. "It's a reserve where your Pokémon can live in their own natural habitats. It eats through a great amount of the city's budget to keep it running but we manage."
She glanced at the running aide with the expression of someone who had decided not to comment. "Alright come on, let's go heal up your Pokémon."
We walked to a building that sat inside the Dome not too far from the entrance.
Inside was a woman in a maid uniform with brown hair standing behind a counter and a healing machine with slots beside her though there was a different machine on the far end of the table that I didn't recognize.
"You can heal your Pokémon here. It's our own mini Pokémon Center." Mable said. "Give her the Pokémon that need healing."
I brought out the five Pokéballs of the Pokémon I had caught and the woman had me put them in a tray before slotting them into the machine.
It made a soothing familiar sound… the exact one I somehow already knew without being able to explain why.
She unslotted them afterward and handed them back to me.
"Please before you exit the Dome, bring back the Pokéballs of the Pokémon that will stay here." She said. "I will keep them at hand."
"Thanks for the help Marie." Mable said and we walked out. "I'll register you here once I leave, so when you have more than 6 Pokémon in your party and catch an extra one, it'll teleport here and Marie will handle it."
We stopped under the shade of a tree.
"So now… send out the Pokémon that you caught from Wild Zone 1." She said and I nodded, releasing each of them from their Pokéballs one by one.
First was Fletchling who immediately flew to the branch of a nearby tree, angled herself sideways into the small wind and let it blow against her feathers.
She was at it again…
Bunnelby, Mareep, Scatterbug and Weedle followed after and the moment Weedle landed on the ground, the Professor's eyes flew wide.
"An Alpha Weedle… in Wild Zone 1?" She asked while taking hold of my hands. "You actually caught an Alpha? Do you understand how rare this is? Alpha Pokémon don't just appear anywhere… their biology is fundamentally different from standard specimens, elevated cellular density, accelerated neural response and move access that defies their standard learnset entirely. The data alone from a single Alpha is worth months of regular field observations…"
Then she realized she was standing a little too close and moved back a step, coughing into her hand.
"What I meant was that you've completed one of the research tasks I was going to assign you." She said with recovered composure. "But that doesn't mean you should get slacking… neither in your Pokémon training nor in completing more research tasks. Not all jobs pay 100k after all. But first… Bill!"
She called out across the Dome and a man came running.
He was wearing an aide coat but hadn't bothered to button it and wore nothing underneath, which explained the build that he had. I was quite jealous.
"Yes Ma'am!" He arrived with a salute and Mable looked at him.
"Bill here is our resident train-aholic. He has weights on and he gives them out too. If you're planning to strengthen your Pokémon's physical power or even your own, I'd advise training with him." She said. "Now you can do what you want... Come back up when you're ready and I'll pay you the money for completing the research task as well as the special item."
With that Mable went back to the elevator and was gone.
I looked at Bill.
He was a little taller than me and everything about him said that he had not wasted a single day since deciding to be strong, what else would explain his six pack abs?
"So what kind of weights do you have?"
Bill brought some small bands out of his pocket.
They looked like simple rubber exercise bands, especially the kind that came in a set of five from a bargain store and were used once before ending up in a drawer somewhere.
"These are Gravity Compression Bands." Bill said with the calm of someone explaining something very serious. "Standard issue is set to 50 kilograms distributed across the body. The compression is applied the moment the band is activated… it doesn't add bulk but instead it adds load. Smart trainers start their partners on these before evolution so the muscle memory is already built in when they hit the next stage."
He held one out toward a specific band. "This one is the starter model with thirty kilograms and good for beginners."
"I doubt this weighs as much as you said. It's a simple band." I said and Bill chuckled.
"If you think so then why don't I activate one for you right now?" He suggested and I nodded, setting Ralts down first.
He placed the band around my arm and pressed the small button on the side and immediately the ground cracked under my feet.
"Fuck!" I dropped straight to the floor and the breath left my body in one go, the weight pressing down through my entire frame from that single point on my arm outward like gravity was being personal.
I could not get up… I tried and nothing happened. "So fucking heavy!"
"It seems like you have more training to do, young one." He spoke as if he were fifty and then turned to look at Fletchling up in the tree. "You need some weights on you too."
"Fletch?!"
…
Money changed people… It even changed me, that was for sure.
I looked more different than usual and what happened? I had spent a portion of my first paycheck on looking classy since working as a Field Researcher wasn't for everyone.
I was wearing a fitted black turtleneck with dark trousers that had white stripes on the side, a sharp white coat over everything and clean white sneakers on my feet and even changed my cut, turning it from whatever it was originally to dark matted hair.
After the Hair stylist did my hair, she even tried collecting my number. I was a Lady-killer alright.
Ralts was on my head and Fletchling was in her Pokéball… ultimately these two were the main team since we had gotten the most training done and looking back at it from Stacy, the people in Rank Z of the Z-A Royale wouldn't give much fight anyway.
Right now with the clean fit, I stood in front of a red gate signaling the Battle Zone.
It was similar to the Wild Zone gate except it was red and as I took another step forward, my Rotomphone flew out of my pocket and opened the Z-A Royale app in front of my face.
"Welcome Trainer to the Z-A Royale… As you registered, I'm sure you've read our terms and conditions so you know what you got into." It was the voice of the same woman from the ad yesterday, except this was more like an automated message. "Now let's begin. The Z-A Royale is split into many sides… Firstly, we have the point aspect."
The Z-A Royale app displayed a screen showing my current Ticket Points at zero with the target amount to earn a Challenger's Ticket sitting above it.
"If you manage to gather the amount of points you need from battles, you receive a Challenger's Ticket and can challenge another trainer who has wrapped up their own to a Rank Up match. Next, medals…"
The medal bar in the bottom right of the screen was highlighted.
"Trainers don't pay prize money if they lose a battle in the Z-A Royale but Prize Medals are added to the victor's balance after every win. At the end of the night when the Battle Zone closes, those medals convert into Pokédollars at a rate of ten Pokédollars per medal. But here's the part that matters… the more trainers you defeat in a single night, the higher your multiplier. Beat enough opponents and that medal pool doubles before it converts. The cap sits at two times your total after ten wins. So the smarter you grind, the more you walk away with."
I liked the sound of that.
"Next are cards… These are holographic and exist within the Battle Zone. If you pick a card and complete its objective in or before your battles, you receive more points which speeds up the process of getting your Challenger Ticket. Now I'm sure you notice there are several Battle Zones across the city and each one has its own rank. The Battle Zone you're stepping into is for Z-Ranks only. There are separate Battle Zones for other ranks, which prevents stronger trainers from preying on weaker ones to grind for Challenger Tickets. I've held you up long enough. Proceed into the Battle Zone and battle to your heart's content."
My Rotomphone went back into my pocket.
Sure these rules existed but Taunie had already reviewed them with me this morning. I couldn't help wondering where she was right now though… I hadn't seen her since morning after all.
Regardless, I stepped into the Battle Zone and unlike with the Wild Zone, it felt like stepping into something different.
Music played in the background and I was vibing with it.
"Now let's find som—"
"Oi!" Someone called out and I turned to see Félix looking at me with a scowl. Did I do something to anger this simp…?
He stopped in front of me.
"Where's Taunie?" He asked.
"I don't really know." I replied with a twitch of my eye. This guy was blocking me off… He was Rank Z too, right? Did he want to battle?
"Do you want something?" I asked and he took several steps backward.
"Once you lock eyes with a Trainer in the Battle Zone, you can't refuse the battle." Félix said while taking hold of a Pokéball and I did the same with Fletchling's Pokéball. "I don't know where you came from but Taunie hasn't stopped talking about you since yesterday… You'll pay…"
This guy was supposedly our age too and even Stacy sounded more mature than him.
"Sure sure, I'll pay." We threw the Pokéballs at each other and the two met in the air, colliding before flipping back as they opened with both Pokémon emerging in a simultaneous flash of light.
[Author's Note]
First of all, thank you so much for reaching our goal. It means a lot that I have readers who actually enjoy my work… What started as a Pokémon fic I just wanted to write because there were too many translations to read has become something I genuinely enjoy even more because of you all, so I've delivered on the two bonus chapters.
Also, we Pokémon fans are eating good. The Pokémon Champions trailer dropped earlier today and damn… We need Winds/Waves soon.
I changed up a few things in this chapter… the journey age mainly, because I don't like the idea of 10 year olds running around as "adults." Also, if the internet exists, couldn't we just search up every single Pokémon? And I'm surprised nobody in the Pokémon franchise streams catching them all.
So unlike the game where you catch Pokémon purely for Mable's research tasks, I expanded on it properly here and gave a brief hint that Paxton will be traveling to other regions as well… we can't limit ourselves to Lumiose after all.
Last but not least, the Z-A Royale Battle Zones. It's easy to show the player just challenging zones in the game but it can't work the same way here since stronger trainers would just farm weaker ones for Challenger Tickets, so I split them by rank.
Phew, all this writing has me hungry… but thank you genuinely! As for a new goal, let's get 100 Power Stones for 3 bonus chapters! The more Power stones we get, the more readers we can gather and the more people get to enjoy.
Kaigiri out!