tap tap tap *click* tap tap tap tap *click*...
The professor was fervently tapping away on his computer keyboard. He was writing a paper on the, to him, very exciting subject of how the nocturnal behavior of Diglett and Dugtrio changed with minuscule tectonic movements. Now and then he would stop his writing and scratch his increasingly greying stubble, which matched the short side swept hair on his head, only to resume writing shortly thereafter. He insisted that the increase of blood flow from stimulating the hair roots on his face improved his cognitive abilities. As a professor of psychology, he himself knew that it was nothing more than a displacement activity, but it didn't stop him from trying to prove others otherwise. However, he reached a passage where scratching his face wouldn't help him come up with what to write next.
"Hmm... Ah, yes, of course." He mumbled quietly, rummaging through stacks of paper on his mahogany desk and meticulous rows of hardcover books lining his ceiling-high bookshelves. "No, no, it's not here... Not that one, either. Oh, darnit, where could I have put it?" He continued mumbling to himself, scratching his beard, before slumping down in his revolving chair. "Think, think. When did you last have it?" He thought to himself, rubbing his temples. "Oh... It couldn't be there, could it?"
Just as he came to a realization of where the work he was looking for was probably located, the door to his study was opened by a tall, dark skinned woman carrying a small tray. She gazed over the mess on the professor's desk, clicking her tongue. She grabbed one of the paper stacks, put it down on the floor, placed the tray on the desk, and then went over to open the window blinds blocking the sunlight of the beautiful spring day that it was from entering the study, before plopping her wide set hips down on the chair opposite the desk.
"Really, professor, I don't understand how you can work in the dark like that. And this mess?" She placed a cup of coffee from the tray next to the professor's computer, and lifted another one to her full lips, blowing the steam off the black surface before taking a sip. "You, if anyone, should know how it affects your productivity." The professor sighed, nodding, then took a big gulp of his coffee. A decision he was soon to regret, fanning his open, panting mouth with his hand. "Ooh, that's hot!" The woman clicked her tongue again, rolling her eyes. "Of course it is, professor. It's coffee." She said in a sarcastic tone. "You're always right, aren't you, Shirley?" He said, slightly messing up some of the words while trying to not overexert his scolded tongue. Shirley shrugged, taking another sip. "It's just a quality of mine, I guess." The professor blew several times on his coffee before attempting to slurp some of it again, making an appeased sigh once he did. "Hot, but delicious. Anyway, how's your thesis coming along?" Shirley looked out the window through her burgundy horn-rimmed glasses, pursing her lips. "Good, it's coming along nicely. The lack of stressful factors around these parts is really helping me concentrate, and your abundance of literature is gold worth for my work but... Sometimes I miss the hustle and bustle of the big city, you know?"
Shirley had been a big city gal her whole life, hailing from Castelia City. She was used to buildings so tall she couldn't see the top of them, people running around her trying to meet deadlines, if it so was handing in a months worth of paperwork to their boss or just trying to catch the bus, and a fast-paced life in general. When she got accepted into one of the most esteemed universities in the world, the Comstock University of Creyon, she was of course excited, but even moving from a metropolis like Castelia to Comstock City, whose inhabitants mostly consisted of sleepy scholars, had forced her mind to make a huge adaptation. Right when she thought she was getting used to it, she was recommended to move to Lovelace Town, the southernmost town of the western peninsula, to write her thesis on the complex psychology of psychic-type pokemon. The motivation being that Ezekiel Larch, the most renowned authority on the matter resided there, and that he would be the most useful source, even more so than the vast library and the professors of Comstock. And so, she had moved in with the professor in functionalist villa on top of the picturesque hills of the seaside town of Lovelace, otherwise mostly known as a retreat for elderly people and stressed out, burnt out city slickers who couldn't keep up with the tempo. There, she had great use of the professor's unmatched knowledge and arsenal of literature, in return for being his assistant during her stay. But to be frank, she was bored most of the time.
"Ah, I see. Sometimes I forget that your brain isn't used to not having to produce large quantities of epinephrine, and that you..." The professor's words trailed off as he was met by a deadly stare. "Ezekiel, are you trying to diagnose me?" She emphasized 'diagnose' with a sharp tone. He held his hands up despondently, and smiled apologetically. "No, no! I would do nothing of the sort!" Shirley had a sip of her coffee, squinting with distrust at the professor. "I thought so..." He let out a sigh of relief internally, and mumbled "Phew, barely got off the hook there..." before having a sip of coffee himself. "What was that?" Shirley said, raising her voice. "Ah, nothing, I swear! I was just rambling to myself about a book I seem to have misplaced. But I think I know where it is. Acquiring it might prove to be a bit of a hassle, though." "You mean it's not in the house?" Shirley inquired, throwing a look at the bookshelves covering the walls behind the professor. "That's exactly what I'm saying." he confirmed, nodding. "Oh, well, tell me if you need any help with getting it. I could use a reason to get out of the house for a bit." He chuckled. "I'm sure you could."
The pair of them both having finished their coffee, Shirley lifted the empty cups back onto the tray, getting ready to carry it back into the kitchen. The professor stretched his back, watching her getting up. "Was there anything else?" he inquired, asking before she left. She stopped in her movement, and seemed to remember something important. "Ah, that's right..." She put the tray back down on the desk, lifting the over sized knitted turtle-neck jumper she had received as a gift from her grandma to her waist, pulling a small, white envelope out of the pocket of her khaki pants. "This came in the mail this morning. It's from someone named Ray, from Johto. That's your nephew, isn't it? The one you wrote to, asking to come?" The professor lit up, seeing the letter. "Yes, yes, that's quite right. Okay, now, let's see here..." He accepted the envelope from Shirley's hand, pulling a letter opener from one of his desk drawers. Sitting properly in his chair, his eyes scanned the contents of the letter from side to side, rereading it a couple of times to make sure he wasn't missing an 'unfortunately,' or a 'but...' anywhere. Having been reassured that he wasn't misinterpreting it, he laughed triumphantly. "Yes! I knew it! He agreed to participate! I mean, sure, I had a few doubts, but... The important part is that he's agreed, and I knew he would!" Excitedly, the professor reread the letter once more. "And, he'll be arriving by train tomorrow! This is just wonderful news. Alright, Shirley, we need to prepare the boat to go pick him up. If we have everything ready in time, we can leave first thing in the morning. I have some errands to run, which means that in the spare time before the train arrives, you're free to do whatever you please." Shirley smiled, glad that she would get to escape the dreary place where she currently found herself, even if just for a short while. "Sure thing, professor. I'll make sure everything is ready in due time." She practically skipped with glee out of the study to the kitchen with the tray, putting it down in the sink before texting her friends from the university, deciding to have a small get-together.
The next morning, Shirley dressed nicely in a purple dress, black tights, some high heels, and she put on make up for the first time in what felt like ages. She knocked on the door to the professor's study without reply, so she opened it and peeked her head inside. The professor was wearing a marine blue suit with a white shirt, and a striped tie mixing the two colours. He even wore a shiny pair of black leather shoes. She was surprised, as this was the most fancy she had ever seen him. "Well, someone's looking smart today." The professor looked up from emptying a small brown trunk, finally acknowledging Shirley's presence. "Ah, sorry didn't see you there." He scratched the back of his head, smiling at her compliment. "Hehe, thank you. Sometimes, even dusty old guys like me feel like dressing up, you know?" Shirley smirked. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, are you ready?" The professor emptied the last bit of miscellaneous items from the trunk, closing it back up. "Yes, I'm ready. Just forgot that I needed something to carry the stuff with. So, if we're both ready, let's go."
Before leaving, Shirley put on a white coat, since it was still a bit chilly outside, especially because the sun was occasionally hidden by a few scattered clouds that morning, but the professor settled for a pair of shaded aviators. They drove the professor's convertible down to the docks, where a medium sized motorboat was bobbing up and down as the ocean waves slowly rolled towards the shore. The professor hopped on, offering to help Shirley, but she declined, briefly pulling her heels off and hopping on herself. With a few tugs on the engine string, the motor was up and running, and the two were off towards Jouleburgh City.
The city of Jouleburgh was mostly an industrial hub, and while the general feel of it was certainly different from the more artistic Castelia, Shirley could feel at home there. As the boat cruised through the blue water along the western peninsula to the other side, some of the clouds cleared, and the sun shone bright. Shirley thought about taking her coat off, but the chilly breeze from the speeding boat made her decide against it. A few Wingull sailed up next to them, crying in glee while riding the wind with stretched out wings. Shirley smiled, looking at them, but suddenly there was a loud noise, and the Wingull scattered. A larger motorboat than theirs sped past right next to them, creating a wake that caused the boat to violently bounce up and down. "Hold on!" The professor shouted while trying to balance the boat as best he could. "Who were those idiots!?" Shirley screamed after them, enraged by such foolish and inconsiderate behavior. Once the boat settled, the professor scratched his beard and sighed. "I don't know, I don't recognize that vessel. Whoever they are, they've probably almost reached the docks by now, so we have very little chance of catching up to them. Even though I'd like to give them a right scolding..." The rest of the trip passed silently, with both the professor and Shirley too shook up to want to talk. But, soon enough, they reached the docks of Jouleburgh City.
Shirley's friends were waiting at the docks, watching the boat pulled in. Upon seeing them, Shirley's anger washed right off, and she shone a bright smile at them. She and the professor got off the boat and greeted the welcoming committee, Shirley giving them each a big hug, and him shaking their hands politely, introducing himself. "Well, girls, it was fun meeting you, but I should get to business. Shirley, don't forget to be at the station the time that we agreed on. With that, I bid you adieu, ladies." He signed off by feigning to tip his hat at them, and they waved goodbye. As soon as he had left, the girls stared at Shirley with funny expressions. "What?" She asked, bothered by their mischievous looks. "You didn't tell us the professor was such a silver fox!" One of them burst out. "Yeah, he's totally different from how you've described him! I thought he was gonna be scrawny and boring, or wear moth-eaten clothes or something." Another added. Shirley rolled her eyes, jokingly pushing her friends away from her. "Well, he doesn't usually look like this. Normally, he's cooped up in his study wearing the same stuff he's been wearing for days, and..." She was interrupted by one of her friends clinging to her back and laughing. "Or, perhaps you've just been trying to hide him away from us all this time? Perhaps you want him all for yourself?" the group continued to laugh and bicker, making their way into the city center to socialize. Shirley threw a squint at the direction the professor had went, wondering if he had dressed up so just to impress her friends.
"Express train from Goldenrod City, Johto, arriving at platform 4B shortly."
The message echoed through the station hall.
"Next stop, Jouleburgh City, Creyon, final destination."
The message resounded through the bullet train which Ray was riding. And, as promised by the automated voice, the train pulled up at platform 4B in front of an anxiously awaiting professor and his assistant. Once the sliding doors opened, people flooded out of the many carts on the train. As soon as Ray stepped out on Creyon soil, he was spotted by the professor, who waved intensely while walking up to him. Once Shirley noticed who the professor was waving at, she was surprised by his stature. "Um, professor, is the boy in the green shirt your nephew?" He smiled, nodding proudly. "Yup! That's good ol' Ray alright!" Shirley scratched the base of her afro, which was being held up neatly by a beige headband. "Not to be offensive, but... Does he really look like the type of person who should be going on a journey by himself?" The professor stopped, and put a hand on Shirley's shoulder. "Shirley, a trainer's capacity is not decided by their physical prowess, but rather by their ability to mentally connect with their pokemon. And, in that sense, I have full faith in Ray." Shirley still had her doubts, but said nothing. After all, the professor was known for his ability to judge people and their qualities, and she didn't know of an instance where he had been wrong.
"Ray, my boy! You're finally here!" The professor gushed, bending down to put down his trunk and to hug his nephew. "I'm so excited to start off this cooperation with you. You must tell me about your travel. Was the undersea train ride to your liking? Was it a bit scary? How's your mother? Oh! I nearly forgot!" The professor pointed a hand at Shirley. "This is Shirley. She's writing a thesis at my place, while helping me out with my research as well. She's benevolently decided to aide me in this project we're about to start, and really, it wouldn't be possibly without her." Shirley looked down at the much shorter Ray, and held out a hand for him to shake. "Shirley. Shirley Ainsworth. It's a pleasure to finally meet. The professor's told me much about you."
