The Kirin's Approach

The Research Fellow

   "Well that was a bust," Ash mutters. The sore spot on his temple agrees. The ice pack does little to soothe the pain.

   He walks up to the second floor of the Cerise laboratory feeling defeated, but also annoyed. He's been imagining falling onto his bed all day, but now that he's finally back at the laboratory, it's like his shoes have turned into bricks. 

   Using the railing to half support, half pull himself along, he manages to make it to the top of the stairs and drags his feet to his bedroom door. It's cracked open, but there's no light from inside. The curtains are still drawn shut over the window from this morning. 

   Thinking back on the argument he and Gou had over who would earn the top bunk, Ash is grateful that he lost that round of rock-paper-scissors. At the thought of climbing that short ladder, Ash would be more content sleeping on the floor. 

   He flops onto the bottom bed and feels Pikachu settle on his chest, equally wiped out. "Didn't work out the way we thought, huh?" he chuckles, then remembers something.

   Fishing out his Rotom phone and wincing at the light, Ash logs in to the digital archive he and Gou share. It's an organized mess detailing their findings on their many missions as research fellows. Ash opens up a new file. It will add to the many documents that he's submitted as the sole research fellow.

   He mutters his findings aloud as he types them, formatting them the way Gou taught him. "Reported Anomaly: herd of Cramorant raiding shops in Galar to consume their silverware. Discovery: Cramorant were being controlled by an Alakazam, who had lost its spoons. Theory: Without its spoons, Alakazam's psychic powers become too unstable for it to control." His throbbing head is testament to that.

   Having done the bare minimum, Ash shuts his phone off and shelves the rest of his thoughts on the project for tomorrow. He hadn't woken up this morning to be tossed around like a ragdoll all day, after all.

   He also hadn't agreed to be a research fellow just to end up doing all the work himself. It's a bitter thought, but he's in a bitter mood. The last document that his partner contributed to dates back to a few months ago, and the research missions haven't slowed down to accommodate his lack of help. 

   He can feel himself getting worked up, so he strokes Pikachu's fur and feels the little mouse Pokemon start to purr contently. The vibrations begin lulling him to sleep...

   The door slams open. Light pours into the room.

   "I've got big news to share!"

   Damn it, Gou.