You really don't know how much a shower helps after sleeping outside on a bench until you get one.
"Indeedee," The pokemon accompanying me says as he watches me step out of the shower. Pointing to a pile of clothes.
"Thank you Twiddle," I reply as I wear the clothes given to me. mostly plain clothes, beige and white in color. Only a single T-shirt has a purple stripe going down vertically on the left side of the shirt.
Clothes that other employees left behind when they quit, hand-me-downs as a matter of sorts.
"Indee," Twiddle nods as he watches me put on the shirts.
According to Orchid, my new boss, the old Alfronda gym was an old hotel before it was bought by her great grandfather who turned it into a Psychic gym. Explaining all the rooms and expensive interiors of the building.
Now that Pokemon battling is turning into a more serious sport, the Pokemon League in Paldea is taking a more hands-on approach with the Gyms of the region.
"Indeedee?" Twiddle points to my ID card and Pokeball sitting next to the pile of clothes, reminding me not to forget them. I nod in thanks.
Where was I? Yes, Now with the League taking a more hands-on approach, The Old Hotel has become an unofficial gym, the real gym is the office building next door.
However, They have their own staffers and workers, paid for by the league of course.
The Hotel turned Gym, under Orchid's care, still works as a Hotel and Pokemon Gym, with the agreement that all badges given be registered with the official League Gym.
So I'm not actually working at a Pokemon Gym, more of a trainer battle spot, that also acts as a Gym on occasion.
Something like the Battle Chateau in Kalos.
Is it still confusing? Great, because I need to manage the computers here.
Computers, in plural? Yep, I'm the only IT guy here.
"At least that means the pay is good," I whisper to myself before opening Fanny's pokeball to let them out.
They quickly climb my new set of clothes, luckily thicker than my previous set in order to save on the number of holes Fanny makes.
"I still don't know your gender," I say as Fanny ties themself to my lower back once more.
"Indeedee?" Twiddle hurries me up, so I quickly put on some sandals and exit the shower, into my new room. Mostly empty with only a bed, a desk, a small laptop, and a closet for clothes.
Food is communal in the lounge. Or in the dining hall, seeing as this used to be a hotel.
I follow the Indeedee out into the corridor and pass by a few pokemon in the halls on our way to my new boss. before we finally reach the door.
"In Indeedee Indeed," Twiddle points at the door, motioning me to enter, before opening it for me.
"Oh, thank you again," I mumble in reply, before stepping into the room.
The first thing that catches my eye is the large open balcony on the other end of the room. Next are the two couches facing each other with a small coffee table between them. And Lastly are the three figures sitting on the couches.
Dendra, the energetic girl who got me this job.
Orchid, The purple-haired woman who's now my employer and boss.
And lastly, a pokemon I don't recognize. It looks like it's wearing a black and red knight helmet, has a small humanoid flaming body, and two flaming blue eyes, and is calmly drinking a cup of what I can only guess is orange juice.
It's also the first person to spot me enter the room if it raising its arm to wave hello at me is anything to go by.
It also spilled its orange juice in the process.
"Charcadet!" The red pokemon yells as it waves excitedly at me, ignoring the splash of juice leaving a stain on the sofa.
"Dishon! You don't smell like a bench!" Dendra also yelled excitedly as I made my way to the couch, taking a seat when Orchid invites me to.
Taking a cushion on the couch in front of my new boss also means taking a seat next to Dendra, who from what I managed to gather from knowing her for maybe an hour, is physical energy personified.
"So, how is your new room? Pretty snazzy right? Tulip and I always used to play in her room when we were younger. Being surrounded by all these cool pokemon really got my blood pumping, ya'know?" Dendra, I don't know what you're talking about. Was that even a question?
"Tulip is my daughter," Orchid adds to the conversation before sipping from an unidentified warm drink. Dendra simply shakes her head excitedly before returning to her story.
Midway through, Twiddle comes by with a plate of sandwiches. "Indeedee," He says as he lowers the plate onto the table.
"Please, Have a bite you two. You must be famished." Orchid tells us as she leans back on her couch, the Charcadet and Dendra grabbing a sandwich for themselves.
"Sal?" Fanny voices as they crawl from behind me, grabbing a spot between me and Dendra.
"Is this your pokemon? A Variant color Salandit, And what a beauty she is," Orchid says as Fanny and I lean to grab ourselves a sandwich. Revealing to me in the process that Fanny is a girl.
"Sal!" My newly discovered female Salandit says in pride, one claw on her forehead as she tilts is back like a model flipping her hair.
I'm starting to think my pokemon is a bit too spoiled.
And I only had her for 24 hours.
...
After the food, Orchid and Twiddle gave me a more thorough tour of the gym, showing me the computer room where I'll be working from, the employee lounge, and even where the indoor battles take place during days when you can't fight inside,
Overall, the place looked like a hotel. The Pokemon are interesting and I'll definitely need to look up more knowledge on the world and the Paldea region when I'm free, but for my second day in this world, this isn't a bad place to end it.
Taking off my clothes and putting them neatly in a pile next to my work clothes for tomorrow, I slip into my new bed.
I proceed to get nudged aside by a spoiled princess of a pokemon, by I make room for Fanny regardless.
I close my eyes.
Ignore the fire-breathing white lizard sleeping next to me.
And go to sleep.