Bright sunlight streamed into the small building, and for a moment, I panicked. The last three days were filled with dangerous mornings and it took me a moment to recall where I had ended up. When the panic finally subsided, I rolled over and stretched. My new mat was far more comfortable than the frozen ground of the last few days, and I almost didn't want to get up. But, given the harsh words of the man in charge, I wasn't quite ready to test the limits of my new-found comfort. Pulling on the cloths Rei bought me yesterday, I started for the door, stopping just before opening it. Something felt off, and I struggled to put my finger on it. I took a look through the room, and my eyes locked onto the mask. I felt... incomplete. Donning the mask felt like putting on a warm coat in the cold winter, cozy and comfy. I gave my head a gentle shake, and when the mask didn't fall, I decided I couldn't leave without it. The village was already buzzing with activity, even as the sun had just barely peeked over the mountains. Rei waited patently nearby, and waved me over the moment he saw me. "Hehe, like the mask I take it?" I gave him a smile, followed by a nod when I realized he likely couldn't see. "What cha end up using to keep it in place." I responded with a shrug, "it just kinda... fit?" "Oh?" There was a flash of concern, but he covered it with a laugh. "Hehe, quite the coincidence then. Glad you enjoy it." There was a huff as a new thought crept in. "Kamado is talking with the professor right now. I guess we're headed out to the obsidian fields in a bit to go study one of the 'mons out there. Well... *you're* gonna go study." He hands me a book with a wooden cover and bound in twine. It's well crafted, and as I flipped through it, I recognized several species already written out in it. The art was impressive, all the more so realizing it was done by hand, likely in the field. "Woah... this is beautiful." He gave a sheepish smile. "It's... a collaborative effort. I'm no artist, so most of the drawings..." He trailed off, a frown masking some deeper thought. "A-anyways. For today, that's yours. Professor has his eye on a specific weasel he wants more notes on. Ress is gonna get us out there, but apparently you're gonna be doing the work today. Which also means," he started fishing for something, handing me a small red and white wooden ball, "You're gonna need someone to help you out. That's Twig." I gave him a slightly confused look. Something was familiar about the ball, but it wasn't immediately coming forward. "Well, he's inside the Pokeball. that's one of the professor's inventions. Convenient transport for pokemon. Also makes getting them out of danger easier." I shook my head. That seemed... right, but cruel at the same time. "You just... put them inside? it's so small." He chuckled at my concern, and for a moment I had my concerns. "Nono, see, try throwing it, you'll see what happens." I nodded, still concerned, and tossed the small wooden ball. With a flash of light, a turtle with a leaf on it's head popped out. He was so much larger than the ball, I almost missed what had actually happened. "Wait, what? He fit... in..." My mind trailed off as pieces clicked together. I was still unsure how, but this was all making sense. "I... I see." Rei gave me a big smile and a thumbs up. "He's gonna be your partner for the day. The professor wants," He paused as the man in the strange hat wandered over, "Rei, I hope you've been getting our new friend acquainted with-oh my! Is that the mask you found?" I gave a small giggle at his shock and nodded. "Yeah, we talked yesterday about one of the pokemon she had run into. Seemed appropriate." Laventon looked the mask over, concern growing as he took out a pad and made some notes. I withdrew a bit in response. "Hmmm, interesting. Well, it is yours Rei, so I won't tell you who you can and can't gift things to. Anyways, did Rei tell you what your job is today?" I shook my head, "not quite. He was just getting to that. Something about observing an weasel?" He closed the little notebook and tucked it away in a bag. "Yes, a Buizel. My hope is with enough information we can befriend them. The people here are always so terrified of pokemon, but if you're anything like Rei, my guess is you have a special connection with them." Rei looked *very* uncomfortable at that sentence. "I... guess? I'm not sure what he and I share in common, but if documenting keeps a roof over my head, I guess I'm in." Laventon clapped his hands together and smiled. "Excellent! Ress! We must depart at once. Oooh, this is exciting. More hands will make quick work of our research." I looked over to Rei, trying to find words to say, but he spoke up first. "The professor is a good man. He'll do his best to keep a place for you. Trust me." His words were confident, but his face betrayed his concern. I opted to just let it go for the time, and made my way over to the large wooden gate. --- The trip to the fields was uneventful, and by the afternoon we were already setting up camp. Rei had given me a general lay of the land, including the bridge I would be stationing at to find the Buizel. As I poked at the stew we had made for lunch, he sat down and showed me a few images in the book. Variations of the different creatures, including some very large ones. Alphas. He also emphasized how important it was I stay clear of them. A task that would be easier said than done due to one patrolling the area, coupled with Kamado's insistence that the research be done before nightfall. Part of the "test". Professor Laventon cut me slack by keeping the list simple. Either catch one for research, or get some notes on at least two ways they fought. Rei suggested the former, but I still didn't feel great about shoving them in the tiny wooden capsules, so he also gave me a few pointers on avoiding getting too beat up. By the end of lunch, I had a full belly and a full head. "Alright, times wasting, lets get you over there." I nodded as I stood and stretched. As much as these creatures had me concerned, the moment he was up and excited, so was I. It was a short walk to the bridge, and within a minute I could see many small yellow otters running around. or maybe they were weasels. Little of both? Rei gestured to one of them. "Alright, there's your target. Keep an eye out for the big one with two tails, and see if you can provoke them into an attack. Remember, we're here for research, so either get notes quickly, or try to remember them, ok?" He ruffled my head, nearly knocking the mask off. I could feel my heart rate raise. Same as before... were we? I shook the thought free. He's from an entirely different world, there's no way we were related. Refocusing, I lifted the mask off, eyeing my targets. A few were swimming, seemingly very adept even at a young age. Possibly an important note. They also were... able to make water? Odd but important I guessed. But that wouldn't do, so I lowered the mask again and started sneaking closer. "Don't forget, you have an ally to help. Twig is more than capable in a fight." My hand brushed the wooden capsule, gently pulling it from my belt, and I nodded. I managed only a few steps before a growl echoed across the plains. A quick scan of the area didn't immediately reveal it's origin, so I scrambled into the nearby shrub. Jumping down from the very cliff we had been surveying from was an absolutely massive, two tailed Buizel. It's eyes glowed a fierce red, and I could *feel* the energy radiating off of it. That must have been the Alpha. Everything in my head told me to run, but I fought it down. Either I stayed and got the data, or I ended up in a far worse place. My body shivered at the thought of returning to those icelands. No, I would stay and get that data. I needed to coax the smaller ones to attack. If Twig was as good as he claimed, perhaps he could distract the alpha? I tossed the ball toward the alpha, and the small leaf turtle popped out, giving an absolutely adorable roar. Also absolutely ineffective, which mean the alpha was staring dead at me. Reason finally took over, and I bolted. If Twig had done *anything*, I didn't notice it, and neither did the alpha. Buizel scattered as I ran toward the water. It occurred to me as I tried to jump in that I might have picked the worst direction to go. If the smaller ones were natural swimmers, the larger one must have been an athlete. My theory was confirmed a few moments later as it managed to land a massive paw on my back. Pain shot through and I choked on a mouthful of water. A firm kick kept it from grabbing me, and a second to it's snout left it reeling just long enough for me to get to the other shore. I suspected it wasn't expecting a human to fight back quite the way I had. A lucky strike? probably. Either way, once I had made it, I *booked* it. The whole way, making mental notes on everything I saw. How the creatures helped one another, the green energy one gave the alpha, seemingly fixing it's snout immediately. My own panic as it stared me down. But it didn't follow. Either it didn't want a round two, or more likely, I had made it far enough away that it didn't feel threatened anymore. I sat down and tried to catch my breath. "Fox! Fox, are you ok? That looked brutal." Rei was running up from the cliffside. "Come on, get up. Lets get you back to camp so you can dry off and try again." I smiled and shook my head, tapping it a few times. "No, that's fine. Just get me a pen and that book." --- Professor Laventon looked like he was about to puke, and the entire time I was writing I wished he would, if only so he'd stop talking. Despite his constant stream of rambling, and my terrible penmanship, I managed to get down a chunk of the notes, and when the professor finally looked them over, he gave me a tentative thumbs up. "Not quite the research I had in mind, but it shows your ability to keep track of things in the heat of battle. Now... we just need to get you better trained for actual battle." My back ached in response, and I winced. "Y-yeah... I guess. Rei, I don't suppose you have pain relievers?" He just shrugged. "I know some of the plants here can help when chewed, but not quite my specialty." I made note and tried to stand back up. Ress was already eager to get going, and with that failure I wasn't about to delay anything. Camp came down fairly quickly, and once the fire was buried, we made our way back to Jubilife. -- [Prev](./Chapter%204.md?v) | ~~Next~~