Faust lay in his bed thinking about Professor Ross' offer. It was truly a very timely opportunity. With the emails earlier he had inquired about the details of the trip. He would spend the next two months in Grand Coast City and would have to return to complete his final year of high school. After that, he could directly report to the Researcher's University in Grand Coast City.
For the next two months, he would spend time getting to know the research team and familiarize himself with the experiment. Actually, the thing Faust was looking forward to the most was the opportunity to train his Wimpod by having it battle against the Pokemon at Professor Ross' lab.
Pokemon storage systems were a thing and many trainers chose to keep their caught Pokemon with famous breeders and scientists. Of course, they would pay for it and very handsomely so. But those trainers who could afford to catch extra Pokemon were rich enough.
Wimpod had displayed decent power in his moves. Decent enough for a Pokemon who had just hatched that is. His moves wouldn't cause any real damage right now, he had to grow a bit more for that. Luckily Pokemon grew really fast.
Faust was also looking forward to seeing the Grand Coast City. Sure he would be around more people and would have to be careful with his secrets but it wasn't that big a worry. The system storage was the most useful function, they were all useful but perhaps it had the maximum utility. Imagine having to physically store all the items from the system in the real world. Nonetheless, he would be careful.
As Faust's thoughts drifted from one thing to another he realised that tonight was going to be a sleepless night.
Faust wasn't the only one losing sleep tonight. The AB Network reporters in Grand Coast City were sleepless as well. They had just received the news that Professor Ross had approved the research paper of a young student! Moreover, she was personally flying out to meet him in the morning.
As for the source of the news, nobody knew and Professor Ross didn't care. She thought this was a good thing, the more people knew the less she'd have to explain. Not that she had to explain. Her position in the Alliance was cemented by her hard work and could not be easily leveraged. Her decision would not be questioned and even if it was, the results of the experiment would silence the critics. Besides, what would they call it? Nepotism? She didn't even know Faust Williamson until a few hours ago.
A flurry of discussions broke out across multiple platforms online. The confirmation from Professor Ross' lab further fueled the online frenzy and before long Faust had become a trending topic. Of course, no one knew who he was, in the discussions, he was just simply referred to as 'the chosen one'.
Kyle had just finished up polishing his newly hatched Roggenrola. This wasn't strange as many trainers did many different things to bond with their Pokemon. He had gotten into his bed but was unable to sleep and found himself scrolling through the entertainment news.
'Hmm...Evia debuts a new album with her Jigglypuff. Too girly. But she is hot so I'll support her. Oh...Sam and the Loudreds have a new single! Damn the beats in his last song was dope. Definite download. Oh...this isn't entertainment news, Professor Ross' Chosen One! Wasn't she the one with the fossils recently? What's this about the Chosen One.'
Kyle curiously tapped on the link and read the article. He was instantly jealous of the heaven-defying luck of the chosen person.
'Damn a researcher right off the bat! Where's the justice in that!? Well if he impressed Professor Ross then he should have decent capabilities.'
Ted Hawkins meanwhile was with the mayor of Applegrove Town and the two other senior trainers in the middle of a meeting. They had been notified of a VIP visit about an hour ago. While they didn't have to do a lot since the person concerned herself had not requested anything specific, they would still need to make appropriate arrangements and strengthen security temporarily. They didn't know the reason for the visit but had been told that it concerned the future of Professor Ross' long ongoing research. They thought it was probably the sighting of some rare or new Pokemon or the appearance of an item critical to the research. Never would they guess that it was actually a person.
In a small inconspicuous bar in some part of Grand Coast City, the atmosphere was gloomy. Two men and two women sat at a table in silence while the sounds of the bartender mixing drinks rang out in the background.
"What is to be done about the situation?", spoke a man wearing what looked like an expensive tuxedo.
"We have too little information on the situation right now. I propose we wait till we can get more information", spoke the other man carefully.
"We can't wait, the Professor is so close to making a breakthrough. For Ross to act with such haste is unprecedented. I believe she has truly uncovered a gem this time", said a woman disagreeing with the man immediately.
"Miss Walters is correct. A variable at this juncture is very perilous for our future. After the discovery of the Mossy Rock and Leafeon, the Professor is closer than ever to completing his work on Project Eevee. At this point, it's only a matter of time but even so, Professor Ross is a threat. After the last Scientific Exhibition, she came very close to uncovering our secret. Luckily Miss Walters and I were there to intercept the informant", saying so the man in the tuxedo paused for a moment before continuing.
"But Amos is correct. We know too little to act at the moment. Is our contact on Professor Ross' visiting team to Applegrove tomorrow?"
"She is. She confirmed it an hour ago", said the last woman picking up a glass and elegantly sipping from it.
"Good. Tell her to observe and if feasible probe the variable. If she can she should try and get any information the variable has on the Eevee project. We cannot act directly for now but we can try to obtain any information willingly divulged from by the variable. Also, create a file on the variable once we know who it is. The meeting is adjourned. Oh and one last thing, don't mess it up. Our fates are tied with the success or failure of the research. I don't know about you but I do not want to face the Professor's wrath", said the man in the tuxedo lifting himself off the chair as a Kadabra appeared and teleported him away.
Amos picked up a glass and emptied it in one go.
"The Professor is a scary individual."
Hearing him the two women shuddered involuntarily and quickly left to act on the job that they had been given.
Faust felt like he couldn't breathe properly. As time passed he began to suffocate and woke up in a panic clawing at his face. Feeling Wimpod's cool hard shell, he tried telling it to get off and somehow understanding its trainer's muffled voice the Wimpod quickly let go.
Scurrying off the Wimpod came to the empty food bowl and hopped inside it. Looking at his Pokemon, Faust sighed and looked at the clock. It was 5 am, he had slept for a little over three hours.
"Next time just poke me, please?", saying so Faust got up and took out a bottle of Moomoo milk pouring it into the bowl.
"Wimpod!", exclaimed the Pokemon and plunged into the milk. Faust walked towards the bathroom grumbling.
"No wonder people don't train Wimpods. They are an endless black hole for resources."
Faust took a long, relaxing shower and leisurely put on his XY series outfit. He then checked the Daily Item list and seeing nothing interesting he simply chose 'An Assortment of Frosted Pokepuffs'. Stepping out of the bathroom he felt something clamp onto his leg and saw the Wimpod looking at him with crescent-shaped eyes.
Picking up the Wimpod he put it on his shoulder and went downstairs to make some breakfast. By the time Faust finished up, it was only 7 am. Professor Ross had said that she would meet him at his house at 10 am. He still had 3 hours and looking at the comfortably sleeping Wimpod on his shoulders he didn't have the heart to wake it up for training. So he decided to browse the internet randomly to kill time.
Meanwhile, at the small airbase in Applegrove Town, a number of junior trainers, three senior trainers as well as the mayor of Applegrove Town were waiting for the arrival of Professor Foss.
"Hey Ted, do you think that Professor Ross' visit has anything to do with the 'chosen one' that's being talked about on the internet?", asked Andy, one of the trio of the senior trainers.
"Don't think so. I mean if there was such an individual in Applegrove Town he would've made waves a long time ago. Besides, there hasn't been anyone with Researcher level grades in our small town in over a decade. Even Old Liu's son only became a Lab Assistant in Misty Mountain town. No one from Applegrove has ever gone on to become a researcher in Grand Coast City since its establishment", replied Ted Hawkins thinking about the matter.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
The discussion ended there and no one thought much of it. Time passed quickly and the sound of helicopter blades was heard as a few black dots appeared in the sky over the large grove of apple trees.
A Charizard and a Flygon appeared first. Their trainers were wearing Alliance Combat uniforms with two letters RL printed out in the front in a minimalistic yet elegant font. The two Pokemon flew towards the large group of trainers and Pokemon on the ground, kicking a miniature dust storm with their landing.
As the dust cleared, two trainers a man and a woman appeared. The man was heavily built with a scar across his left eye and the woman was built like a model the loose combat uniform barely able to conceal her curves. The two of them looked at the people present once and turned to face the incoming helicopter.
"It's an honor for us to host the esteemed Professor Ross", the mayor spoke nervously to the mature and intellectual-looking woman in front of him.
Professor Ross looked at the mayor who was trying his hardest and smiled slightly accepting the handshake.
"You shouldn't be honouring me, Mr Mayor. The real reason for my coming here is an individual. I believe you have read about it online. I am looking for the one they refer to as the 'chosen one' "
"What!? The 'chosen one' is from Applegrove!?", the Mayor exclaimed.
Beckoning to one of the trainers behind her, she had him give the mayor a very thin file. The Mayor opened the file excitedly and read through it.
"Ted! It's the Williamson boy! You never told me he was this academically gifted!", the Mayor exclaimed looking at Ted, this drew the attention of all people present to Ted. Even Professor Ross looked at the middle-aged trainer with interest.
"You know Mister Faust?", asked Professor Ross.
"Ah, I umm, yes ma'am...I mean Professor. Sorry. Yes, I do know him he is the child of close family friends. He stayed with me as a kid after his parents died in an exploring incident but I didn't expect him to be...a genius", replied Ted flustered a bit at the sudden attention.
"Oh, I see. Well, I can't wait to meet him. Please lead the way", said Professor Ross. The mayor looked at Ted and motioned for him to take over. Ted nodded and did as he was told.
Faust saw multiple cars pull up in front of his house. A few trainers ran out of them and encircled his house.
'Damn this makes me feel like a terrorist.'
Faust saw two unique individuals step out of the car in the middle and open the door. An elegant and familiar face appeared out of the car.
'She looks more beautiful in person and without those geeky glas-'
Faust's thoughts froze as he saw the man next to the Professor looked up at him. Faust quickly moved away from the window.
'Damn that man is scary perceptive.'
Faust collected his thoughts and went downstairs to receive his guests. As soon as he opened the door he saw the Professor who looked at him and smiled. Just as he was about to greet the Professor, he saw the Charizard next to the scary man and froze.
[ Pokemon: Charizard(♂)
Ability: Blaze
Type: Fire/Flying
Aptitude: Blue
Strength: Peak Elite Stage(Lvl: 70)
Moves: Air Slash, Dragon Claw, Heat Wave, Flamethrower, Dragon Breath, Fire Fang, Fire Spin, Inferno, Flare Blitz, Metal Claw, Breaking Swipe(TM), Rest(TM), Shadow Claw(TM), Outrage(TR), Dragon Pulse(TR)]
'Wow amazing! Peak Elite! So many dragon type moves. This Charizard could wipe Applegrove Town off the map.'
Charizard was one of his favourites from the original show. Faust couldn't help but look on in admiration at the magnificent Pokemon.
Looking at Faust staring at the Charizard silently Professor Ross thought he'd been scared stiff. She suddenly smacked the back of the scarred man's head and he looked at the Professor confused.
"Scar you moron, way to make a positive first impression. Recall that monster of yours before it causes the kid to have a heart attack. Can't you keep yourself from bullying kids whenever you come across one!?"
Scar sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and recalled the Charizard.
The disappearance of his object of observation broke Faust out of his daze.
He suddenly exclaimed, "Hey I was observing the Charizard! Send it back out!"
Silence permeated the scene before Professor Ross burst out laughing.
"Kid...I mean Mister Faust you seem to be quite an interesting person. I look forward to our work together", she said holding out her hand which Faust looked at for a moment and grabbed in a firm handshake.
"Now without any further delay let's get going. We can talk on the way", said Professor Ross pulling Faust towards the car.
"But my laptop and my-"
"My idiot brother will get your stuff it's the least he can competently do", Professor Ross said cutting Faust off mid-sentence.
"Huh? Oh okay...wait he's your brother!?", Faust exclaimed.
Professor Ross and Scar both looked at him in confusion.
"No, I mean this level of genetic variation in appearance makes one wonder", said Faust quickly and looked up to see Scar's face full of black lines.
Looking at her muscle brained brother, Professor Ross sighed and said, "I can't help but wonder sometimes as well."
Scar had an aggrieved expression on his face as he watched the two get into the car. He turned towards the house and couldn't help muttering.
"Genetic variation... it's not my fault I took after our father."
Suddenly Charizard appeared next to him and started patting him on his shoulder consoling him.