Achromatic

2: Assignment

"Kibo, Touya?"

It was his turn. Touko had gone before him, just moments before, and had only left the office for a few seconds before he heard his own name called. Bianca and Cheren were near the end, their surnames dictating so in the alphabetical order.

Touko flashed him two thumbs-up, mouthing the words, "You got this!" as he followed the aide into the office.

Touya knew Professor Juniper. Or, more accurately, knew of, and had seen her a few times outside of her lab, talking to neighbors. She lived on the second-floor of the building, which he realized today was a loft above the laboratory. Dedicated to her work, no less. Her office was just as organized as the rest of her laboratory.

Which was to say, wasn't very organized at all.

The professor was leaned over sheets of papers, and Touya could see his own face looking out, amongst his sister's and her two friends. Detailed reports and transcripts, no less, that they had requested be sent from their school in Accumula. A few more pages sat to the side, with faces of classmates that Touya barely recognized.

The aide that let him said, "Professor Juniper."

"Yes?—Oh!" She'd been absorbed in her own world, but her hazel eyes sparkled upon seeing another person to interview in the room. "Thank you, Melissa." She turned to the aide, who nodded, and left the room quickly. "Touya Kibo, right?"

Her hand was held out. Touya gulped and shook it. He wore his lighter gloves today, the ones that allowed more breathing room, but he knew that it was just a tad bit sweaty. She's going to ask about the gloves, he thought.

The professor didn't notice and motioned for the seat behind him to take. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Touya."

"L-Likewise." Why did you say that, Touya? Idiot.

She shuffled a few papers on her desk, setting them down haphazardly and pushing stray hairs back into the messy bun that sat lopsided on her head. "Salutatorian of your class, great recommendations from your teachers... I'm impressed." Professor Juniper said.

Touya nodded in response. He'd gone through the interview the day before, a fake one that he and Touko tried to set up to practice with each other, but it had ended with unnecessary giggles and a late-night snack break that kept them up until two in the morning. The pros of being graduated, they didn't have to worry about getting up early to graduate, at least. "Thank you." He added at the end, though, a bit quietly.

"I have all these official documents telling me about what kind of student you were, and what your work ethic was. And I am impressed. But I need a bit more information about who youare as a person. Tell me about yourself."

He gulped. The baneof all questions he'd been expecting in interviews, both in college and beyond. There wasn't anything interesting about him, nothing that particularly stood out.

"Well..." He paused for a moment, but no, wait, Touya's pausing for too long. It shouldn't take this long to talk about himself, he should know how to do this, damn it! Like you practiced with Touko, c'mon... "I've always enjoyed reading about Pokémon— not scientific books about them, but more of the mythology and history behind them. I guess I'm a big history fan."

Which, knowing what Professor Juniper studied, the origins of Pokémon... It was definitely an asset to Touya's choice.

"History, huh? What's your favorite historical moment?"

"I'm a big fan of the story of the Swords of Justice and the Unovan Civil War." It had always been his favorite, as a kid; the story of the Unovan Civil War. Though it had happened hundreds of years ago, some of the issues are still a bit of a big topic. Are Pokémon considered enslaved by their trainers? Should it be right for Pokémon to be forced out of their natural environment? The story that came out of the civil war that fascinated Touya the most was the story of the Swords of Justice—three famed legendary Pokémon, said to travel the region to deal out justice against people who purposely hurt and enslaved Pokémon. Myth says the three legendaries defended a forest against an onslaught of the side that favored Pokémon slavery, and it had caught on fire—