Robert Dean
June 21st, 10 Years Ago
Pallet Town, Kanto
The jog to the laboratory was mostly uneventful, which was a welcome change of pace considering everything that happened prior. The song the reporter girl sang fluttered through the air as the trio of trainers approached the smoking laboratory. When Robert entered the lab, the first thing he noticed was the devastated condition it was left in: shards of glass peppered the floor while an assortment of papers were strewn about, likely caused by the thieves' frantic attempts at finding the papers they were looking for. The redhead cringed as he recalled the efforts he took to secure the papers were rendered moot, but shook it off as he took in more of his surroundings. Despite the smoke that leaked out of the building and polluted its interior, Robert was unable to find any kind of fire, which served as a mild relief. As Robert's eyes began to tear up, he realized the reason there was no fire to be found was because the smoke that leaked out the building was tear gas rather than ash.
Fully aware of his surroundings, Robert's attention shifted to the people present. The first person he took notice of was Acacia, thankfully alive enough to serve as the cleanup crew. Feeling a bit sheepish at seeing him clean while he did nothing, Rob felt compelled to help out, but not before listening to the second person that held his attention. The person in question was a girl around the same age as the reporter identifying herself as Nakano Saito, an assistant professor that received Professor Rowan's recommendation and more importantly, a guide for his upcoming journey. Upon hearing the prospect of having someone approximating a mentor, Robert's thoughts were mixed about the ordeal. At first, he was skeptical, thinking that Nakano could be someone like the thieves that had malicious intentions veiled beneath a cheery exterior. However, Mith quickly put those doubts to rest by reading her aura as best he could and finding that she was as genuine as they come. Now knowing that the assistant professor wasn't lying, Robert was still unable to come up with a way to respond to her. Sure he had originally came for guidance, but the idea that he could get consistent advice from someone didn't occur to him. He also couldn't answer on the behalf of the reporter girl either, having just met her, he wasn't opposed to her tagging along, but figured that she'd be better off making that decision. At a loss for words, Rob found it best to help Acacia clean up after the mess that was made, starting by picking up any paper he could locate and placing it on an easy-to-find desk.
A few hours of a combined cleaning effort allowed the Pokémon Laboratory to return to a fraction of its former glory. Sure, papers were stacked atop a desk rather than be lined in their proper filing cabinets and plenty of equipment needed to be replaced, but at least the lab wasn't left in complete disarray. This fact, along with Acacia's proficient explanation of recent events, gave comfort to Professor Oak when he saw the state of his lab upon his inevitable return. Out of the kindness of his heart, the old Professor allowed the trainers that gathered around to gather their bearings at the laboratory before setting out on their journey once again. Using the opportunity he was granted, Rob called his parents about the recent events using his Rotom Phone. His mother reacted with a mixture of pride and worry, proud that her son fought against the thieves, but worried about his safety. After reassuring his mother that he was ok and that he wanted to continue on his journey, Rob hung up the phone and walked over to Professor Oak. He came to Pallet Town for his guidance, and now was finally the time to get it.
"Um, Professor..?" Rob approached Oak hesitantly, understanding that he was a busy man and not wanting to irritate him after an already stressful day. Fortunately, the Professor turned to the rookie trainer with a smile, offsetting any worries the redhead had.
"Yes? What can I do for you?" Oak asked, shifting his gaze from Rob to the Bulbasaur that, unbeknownst to Rob, had been behind him. Oak chuckled when he noticed the Grass starter hiding behind the boy's leg, but chose not to reveal that information until later.
"I wanna know your beliefs about Pokémon growth," Trying to sound certain, Rob blurted out his question in the most basic form that he could think of, "What's the best way for a Pokémon to grow? That's what I'm asking,"
"Truth be told, young man, I don't believe there is 'best' way for Pokémon to grow," Gently placing his hand on Rob's shoulder, Oak began to give an informal lecture, "The way a Pokémon grows has to be assessed by a trainer. Different methods work for different Pokémon. As a new trainer, I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone, grow with your Pokémon. Trying new things and exploring new avenues is an essential part of a trainer's experience. As long as you're willing to keep an open mind and trust your Pokémon, you'll do fine," Rob pondered over the words the Professor shared with him, nodding slowly as the professor spoke.
"While I'd love to answer more of your questions, I don't want to halt you from your journey," Oak smiled before turning his attention to Nakano, "If you do have any more questions, I'm sure Ms. Saito would be more than happy to answer them for you. But on the topic of questions, I think someone has one for you, young man," At first, Rob was confused by Oak's statement, but his confusion was alleviated upon feeling a slight nudge on his right ankle. Turning to the source revealed the Bulbasaur that had helped earlier, tightly clutching a Pokéball in his vines.
"You wanna come with?" Tilting his head, Rob tried his best to make sense of the Bulbasaur's gesture. His inference was ultimately confirmed when the grass type nodded slowly while extending the Pokéball out to the boy's hand. Rob happily grabbed the Pokéball and returned the Bulbasaur's nod, finalizing that the two would travel together. Heeding Oak's second piece of advice, Rob turned to Nakano once he realized it was getting dark out.
"I don' think I'm gonna make it very far from here at this hour. You mind teaching me how to camp for the night Ms. Saito?"
