Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Buzz buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!

Hadrian struggled to wake up from sleep. Sunshine sneaked in and left behind sunspots across the blue-themed bedroom, signalling a new day had begun.

7:00 AM

Hadrian took his time with his morning routine. By this point, he could do it half-asleep, as it had been a part of his life for so long. As he walked down the stairs, a shadow rushed towards him happily.

“Gauf Gau.,” barked Stoutland.

“Oh, good morning, Stoutland. Can you call Leavanny for me?” Hadrian gave the happy dog a squeeze before it ran outside, while he walked to the kitchen to make breakfast.

The sounds of the forest and his Pokémon waking up outside were a part of his morning wellness ritual. It calmed his mind, and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else. On the way out, Hadrian glanced at the calendar on the fridge.

1st August

“Ah, it has been a year. Time flies.” Hadrian mumbled, taking his morning tea and breakfast outside of the house.

–

One year ago

“Dear Mr. Hadrian,

We are so sorry to hear about the passing of your grandfather - Master Theodore Mycelia. On behalf of the Devon Co., I want to offer our sincerest condolences to you and your family. As per our collaboration, we will postpone the discussion of any potential partnerships until a more suitable time and you have our support in any of your decision regarding this issue.

On a personal note, Master Theodore and I have been great friends for many years. His wisdom, skill, and passion know no bounds. I am extremely sad to hear the news and I really treasure all the memories we have together. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any help in both personal and professional matters. Hadrian, please understand that you have my word on this.

I hope you will take time to overcome these challenges and please remember he is very proud of you. His legacy will continue with you.

Warm regards,

Joseph Stone
Devon Co. President

–

Hadrian snapped out of the memory when he heard Stoutland approaching. He quickly saw the shadow of the dog alongside the silhouette of Leavanny. He happily waved to call them to join him for breakfast.

“Have you fed the others their breakfast?” he asked.

“Vanny, vanny.” Leavanny quickly nodded her head to signal she had helped with the task while Stoutland used his not-so-puppy eyes to look at Hadrian.

“Oh, good job. You’re always a good boy, haha. Thank you, Leavanny, you are such a gem! Now join me for breakfast; we have such a busy day today.”

All of them started having breakfast while enjoying the morning on the farm, which had a breathtaking view of the mountains. The House of Mycelia owned a farm called “The Fungi Farm” near Accumula Town in the Unova region. It was definitely not a small farm because this plot of land was even bigger than the town it resided next to. As the name suggested, the House of Mycelia specialized in using mushrooms to create niche medicines and potions for Pokémon (and sometimes humans). The Fungi Farm was home to three major species and their evolution forms: Paras, Foongus, and Shroomish. The Mycelia family had used the spores and mushrooms from these Pokémon to make medicine for a very long time.

Hadrian knew that his ancestors were originally from the Kanto/Johto region and then moved to Unova when the Unova Pokémon League was formed. Mycelia’s medicines and potions were very popular among senior and elite Pokémon trainers as they offered various benefits for Grass, Bug, and Poison-type Pokémon. As was commonly known, the more sensitive Pokémon were to their energy, the easier it was to direct it. And the easier it was to direct their energy, the stronger they became. Some Pokémon were blessed to be born with the natural talent of utilizing their energy because their parents were already proficient in it. The rest, not so much. This was where the medicine and potion came in; they helped Pokémon increase their energy sensitivity and control over time. For Poison-type Pokémon, the potions could help increase the toxicity of their poison for both battle and energy practices. Especially if the Pokémon used the potions while still a baby, it would lay a strong foundation for them to become stronger as they grew. However, half of the reason why the House of Mycelia was famous lay in their Pokémon. To produce powerful and high-quality medicine, the ingredients were very important. The colonies of Paras, Foongus, and Shroomish had been carefully bred and nurtured for many generations to achieve their best potential. Combined with the perfect environment, the mushrooms from the House of Mycelia were heavily sought-after, whether as food ingredients or medicinal products.

Hadrian was technically an orphan as his parents had passed away when he was five years old. He had been too young to understand the pain of their loss. Master Theodore, his grandfather, had raised him since then. When he was ten years old, he had rejected the offer to go on an adventure because he deemed it too dangerous and he wasn’t ready. Hadrian then continued his studies at home with his grandfather until he was thirteen and enrolled in Unova University after a competitive entrance exam to study Pokémon Biology and Chemistry. Originally, he had wanted to study at Celadon University in Kanto, but he didn’t want to leave his grandfather alone as his health had started to decline, so Unova University was a more suitable option to stay close to home. Master Theodore had passed away one year ago when Hadrian was seventeen years old. It had not been unexpected because everyone had been prepared for the moment, but the pain was still too much to endure when it happened. Hadrian had moved back to the farm after and finished his thesis remotely while trying to organize the family business. He had stopped taking orders for a year to allow himself time to recover and make a plan. Fortunately, he had enough potions and medicines in storage to finalize all the old orders and maintain the business.

Hadrian had been prepared to take over the family business, so he was more than ready to do this. He was professionally trained in this area and coached by his beloved grandfather in terms of concocting family-exclusive potions. That was the truth. But the moment you had to take it over, knowing that everything from now on depended on you, was always the scariest moment. You always felt you were not ready. That was also the truth. It was scary to know that the House of Mycelia’s reputation was now in your hands and you had to keep up with it. The worst news was that he was the only Mycelia left, as his grandfather and father had both been only children. So, yes, the House of One Mycelia, to be precise.

“Did you have a good sleep yesterday?”

The two Pokémon stopped eating to nod at Hadrian, signaling that they had an amazing sleep the previous night. Stoutland had been his parents’ Pokémon before they passed away. The farm had a swarm of ten Lillipup, Herdier, and Stoutland to do patrol and protection duties. Technically there was only one Stoutland and the rest were Lillipup and Herdier. They had been adopted by the farm through a deal between his grandfather and the House of Jenny. The Lillipup family had exclusively appeared with Jenny Officers across the region, and there was a reason for it. The House of Jenny in Unova had acquired most of the wild Lillipup they came across and also had a trade program where a trainer could trade their Lillipup or its evolved forms for another Pokémon. The same story also happened with the Growlithe family in Kanto/Johto. Similarly, the House of Joy shared the same method to exclusively acquire Chansey and Audino families. So now it was quite rare to see a wild and uncaptured Lillipup family of Pokémon. Years ago, Master Theodore had made a deal with the Jenny Officers in which he supplied a few rare potions to a Jenny Elder to trade for four Lillipup. Now the farm had ten of them as the result of two Lillipup couples.

Leavanny had a funny story. Apparently, when the House of Mycelia acquired this plot of land, a bunch of Sewaddle had decided they wanted to settle in, so they stayed on the farm. Generations of Sewaddle had been living there since, and Master Theodore had liked them a lot because Leavanny had always been a great help in taking care of other Pokémon and collecting mushrooms. Master Theodore had only captured the final evolution form of Sewaddle, so all the Sewaddle and Swadloon on the farm were still wild animals. Well, let’s say half-wild because they were very human-friendly and adored the Mycelia family members. The farm also had a bunch of Pidove families. They were very similar to the Sewaddle as they had acquired themselves on the farm because they liked the living conditions there: full of food and zero threats. Now the House of Mycelia used them to do air patrol for the farm.

“I will go and check on our mushrooms. Please keep the house clean and safe while I’m gone, okay?”

“TROPIUSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!”

Hadrian gave the order to the two Pokémon while calling loudly to the area around them for Tropius. Tropius was a gift from his grandfather when he attended Unova University because he needed to have a form of transportation, and using public transportation could be inconvenient sometimes.

The sound of the giant Tropius echoed from the forest near the house, and the wind blew stronger and stronger as the Pokémon approached the backyard.

Hadrian took out all the necessary tools he needed for the morning duties while he waited for the Pokémon to land.

“Tropi tropiiiii.” it called.

“Hey, good morning, Tropius! How is everything?”

Tropius happily greeted its trainer by offering the fruits on its neck and asking for some cuddling right away. Hadrian patted Tropius on the back and quickly jumped on for the morning ride. Flying with your Pokémon was always an amazing experience, and Hadrian loved his rides with Tropius when the weather was lovely. Both he and Tropius hated flying during bad weather; he hated getting wet, and Tropius hated being struck by lightning. That day was a lovely sunny day, so the morning ride was great. After ten minutes, Tropius landed on a grassland next to a dense mini-forest. Tropius jumped back to its Poké Ball while Hadrian started walking inside the forest. He could feel the temperature drop because the forest was so dense that it blocked the majority of the sunlight.

“Hmm, 25°C. That’s fine!” he mumbled while writing down the data.

He could see a few red and orange spots moving around as he entered deeper into the forest. He was now in the territory of Paras and Parasect. Realizing someone was coming, a bunch of Paras crawled quickly to greet the young trainer. Hadrian was always grateful that Paras looked more like a crab-like Krabby than a spider-like Pokémon. He was terrified of large spiders. A large cave appeared in front of him, and he quickly walked inside. The cave was quite large with some small holes at the top to allow sunlight to pass through. The cave wall was full of different mushrooms, and some Paras were sleeping among the rocks. Normally, the amount of spores in this cave could make an adult feel dizzy, but Hadrian had been exposed to these spores since he was a kid to the point that his body had a high tolerance to the toxic spores. Although he definitely could not survive it if all the Paras and Parasect in this cave got triggered and released all their spores with full force.

Hadrian quickly checked a few mushrooms to see their conditions and conducted a few normal data-gathering tasks while moving deeper into the cave. At the very end of the cave, there was a huge area with its own small lake. The lake was formed through tiny underground streams and acted as a water/humid supply for the ecosystem in the cave. A bunch of Parasect were resting around, and the largest one woke up the moment the young trainer stepped inside the chamber. It was common knowledge that Parasect were overtaken by the parasitic mushroom Tochukaso when they evolved. However, after years of living with this species, the House of Mycelia had created a potion that could help the Paras keep its sanity when it evolved into Parasect. That was why Mycelia’s Parasect were much bigger and stronger than wild Parasect, as they had more control of their body. Although occasionally the mushroom could take over its consciousness, this was still considered a scientific win for the Mycelia family. It was a generational goal of the family to create a potion that allowed the Parasect to be completely sane. That would be the story for another day.

Hadrian slightly bowed to the big Parasect, as this one was older than his parents and maybe on par with his grandfather. He gently checked the surrounding environment, water quality, and humidity before exiting the cave. He made his way out of the forest and released Tropius. They had two more places to check before returning for lunch.

The Foongus and Shroomish families lived ten minutes away from each other and the Paras family. They both lived in the dense forest but not in a cave, so checking up on them was much easier and quicker. Hadrian loved meeting the Foongus because they were so squishy and he always squished them. They would let him do that because they loved him. His grandfather always said Amoonguss was the most adorable Pokémon ever, and Hadrian kind of agreed with him. The Shroomish family was an interesting one. In contrast, the Shroomish were grumpy, lazy creatures, while their evolved form, Breloom, were grumpy, active creatures. Hadrian still found it so amusing seeing these lazy sleeping mushrooms evolve into such hyperactive boxers.

The morning check was done, so Tropius flew him back to the mansion. Hadrian let it fly away to play with its friends while he headed to the wooden house next to his home. This was the home of two Miltank his dad had bought years ago after a business trip to Moomoo Farm. Hadrian had been thinking about buying or capturing two Tauros for breeding purposes, and this had been on his agenda for quite some time. The wooden house also had three Castform that were sent as a gift from the Meteorology Center after Master Theodore helped them in a research project.

“Hey, can you guys fly out to the forests and make sure the average temperature isn’t too hot? Thank you! You guys are the best.” he said.

The three Pokémon happily flew away to do their job. The farm “hired” them to stabilize the temperature and weather within the habitable area. They couldn’t just turn bad weather into a sunny day completely or fight a storm, but they could keep the temperature stable and slightly increase/decrease other weather-related factors in a small area. Castform could also notify everyone if the weather was changing. They were excellent employees to have.

Hadrian went to his working room to do some paperwork. He opened the curtains to let the morning light slide into the tidy and organized room. He had tons of books across the walls and a snack table full of fruits near his desk. Grabbing an apple, Hadrian opened his laptop to check if there were any new reports or alerts. Because his farm was between Accumula Town and the wilderness, the farm was the first line of defense for the town in case wild Pokémon mass-ran into the town. Usually, this phenomenon happened after the winter when wild Pokémon tried to look for food. But it could also happen if something wrong happened in the forest and mountains that caused a chain reaction for the Pokémon.

In major cities like Nacrene City, Gym Leaders would work with the police force to be the defense line. However, in small towns like Accumula Town, it would be very lucky to have someone strong enough to do the job, as the police station there was tiny with only three to five active officers. Not to say that the House of Mycelia was exceptionally strong, and Hadrian himself was not an elite trainer, but Grass, Bug, and Poison Pokémon were very useful in cases of mass and chaotic attacks. A combination of Sweet Scent, Stun Spore, and Spore was more than enough to put these wild Pokémon out of action.

Crack crack

The door opened as Leavanny brought a cup of tea to her trainer. Hadrian smiled at her as a form of thanks. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing outside, and the sound of Pokémon talking could be heard from afar. It was such a lovely day.

Chapter Text

Lunch was amazing. Hadrian was a great cook and Leavanny was an excellent sous-chef, to say the least. Hadrian loved having lunch with his Pokémon because they were fun to have lunch with and they don’t demand the amount of conversation like humans. His agenda for the afternoon was to concoct some of his family's iconic potions. He would have a business trip soon and he wanted to prepare some gifts. It was also a great way to gently remind people that Hadrian Mycelia is a capable Mycelia potion-maker just like Theodore Mycelia and the House of Mycelia's reputation would be appropriately maintained.

His laboratory, full of expensive machines, was on the third floor of the mansion and it took up the space of a whole floor. Hadrian wore his lab coat and safety equipment while playing meditation music in the background. His lab was a strictly no-pokemon zone so it was extremely quiet here. Meditation music and ambient sounds help him to concentrate and relax his mind.

“You’ve got this Hadrian. You have done this before and you would continue to do this perfectly. May all of your potions bring great happiness and heal all the pokemon who use them. May your hand do justice to these ingredients as they are a gift from Mother Nature. You’ve got this!”

Each potion-maker has their own spiritual practice before concocting potions. His grandfather would drink a cup of hot tea while listening to the wind for thirty minutes before making potions. His dad, as he was told, would do a whole gym routine before concocting. Hadrian didn’t understand how the hell his dad didn’t mess everything up because he would be trembling if he had to do a gym routine before concocting potions. His grandfather just laughed and said everyone had their own way. Hadrian’s routine was words of affirmation. He would say it out loud before making any potions, no matter how simple the potion is.

Potion-making was hard and most of the potions could not even be industrialised. Simple healing potions could be industrialised because they only contain pharmaceutical ingredients to sanitize the wound or act as a push for the pokemon biological body to work faster to heal the wound. Mycelia’s potions, or other energy-related potions, were another different world. These potions were made to contain energy by either solidifying energy sources or transferring energy from natural sources to powder/liquid form. Hadrian knew that there were a few other families that could make potions for Electric-typed pokemon by capturing thunder or solidifying ghost energy to made Ghost-typed potions. He didn’t know how the hell they did it but those potions did exist.

The House of Mycelia dealt with the second kind - transferring energy from natural sources to powder/liquid form potions. In this case, the main ingredients were mushrooms. Mushrooms could also be used as a stabiliser chemical as this ingredient was extremely versatile. No matter which way, the trickiest question was how could the potion-maker add enough energy to the potions. Hadrian would make one of the hardest potions of his House today - a potion for baby pokemon. The sweet spot of this potion was adding enough energy to push the baby’s natural energy control to a new level while their body was still flexible without overloading them.

The potion's name was “The Gate” - meaning it would open the gate to another world of energy control for the user. The worst name ever and his ancestors did not have a way with words for fucking sure. Hadrian quickly checked the ingredients to ensured they were all high-quality and were not rotted. He took out some Parasect’s mushrooms, Amoonguss’s spores, and Breloom’s seeds to do prep work before moving on to other ingredients. He took notes and documents every step of the way because when you were in a lab you needed to write everything down. The next two hours were filled with the sound of machine running, the scent of herbal mushrooms, and paperwork.

“Okay, final step!” - Hadrian mumbled

He closed his eyes and let his gut feelings and other senses took over. The final step was to add the mushroom powder to the mixture to activate it. He had to stop the moment the energy was enough or the whole process would fail. Breathed in, breathed out. Hadrian carefully added the powder to the mixture while feeling the energy generated from the chemical reaction. When he felt like it was enough, he opened his eyes and looked at the scale screen to check all the measurements.

“Yes, finally!!!” - Hadrian sighed slightly knowing he had got this right this time

Sometimes he wished the process of making potions could be standardised more just like baking instead of having to change the ratio between the ingredients every single time. After all, the whole process come down to two things: the quality of the ingredients and the experience of the maker. The mushrooms gathered from the Farm’s pokemon were very high-quality as they had a lot of energy in them due to being grown in a near-perfect environment. If someone took a Parasect’s mushroom from the wild to examine, they would saw the difference in energy-storing level and structure. After years of research, the Mycelia family concluded that the wild mushrooms were more geared towards being poisonous because wild pokemon had to grow their mushroom toxic spores quickly to protect themselves. On the contrary, the pokemon on the Farm had the space and time to grow the mushrooms at their own pace for their own energy storing purposes.

This batch of potion would be enough to made around ten bottles so Hadrian quickly poured them out, labelled them, and stored them in the fridge. He walked downstairs to have a quick snack because the past two hours had been so exhausting. Hadrian grabbed the leftovers from lunch and walked outside to breathe some fresh air. Stoutland was sleeping under a tree nearby and Leavanny might have gone back to check on her colony in the forest. Tropius was nowhere to be found but Hadrian thought he was sleeping somewhere in the forest nearby. Hadrian hummed a random song while enjoying his snack. He needed to go back to the lab quickly to concoct the second type of potion if he wanted to finish his lab’s agenda before dinner.

The second potion type was much more simple than “The Gate” potion. This one did not had a name, everyone just called it Mycelia’s Poison Enhancing Potion. Its benefit was to increase the toxicity of the Poison-type pokemon who use it. The amount of increase would depend on each pokemon. For example, if a wild Venipede in a normal forest uses this potion, it could increase its toxicity up to fifty per cent. But if a Venipede from the Castelia City Gym uses this potion, the potion might be useless because this Gym was specialised in Bug-typed pokemon so they were very likely to have a full routine to train their Venipede to reach the highest toxicity potential. Nonetheless, Mycelia’s potions were still a favourite item among the circle of pokemon trainers if they could afford them. It only took Hadrian around an hour to made twenty bottles of the Poison Enhancing Potion and he made it just in time for dinner.

That night, Leavanny stayed the night to help her young trainer pack all of the potions into an aesthetic packaging. These packages would be sent out as a gift during Hadrian’s upcoming business trip so he wanted to ensured they look as presentable as they could be. He really looked forward to this trip as he had not gone out of the Farm for some time and he misses being in a big city.

Chapter Text

Hadrian closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind blowing through his hair. He was on Tropius’s back flying to Accumula Town. He would be there in no time. The first schedule was to visit Mycelia’s Business unit based in the Town. Hadrian brought tons of fruits and snacks for his Team. They were the backbone of his family’s business and he was forever grateful for them helping him stabilise the chaos after the passing of his grandfather.

Tropius flew to a lovely two-storage building just a little outside of the Town’s centre. This was the Headquarters of Mycelia’s Business unit and the building belonged to his family. There was a little coffee shop on the ground floor while the office space is on the second. Hadrian could spot a few people waiting for him in front of the building.

“Hadrian!!!! We miss you so much!!! And hello to our lovely Tropius too”

Hadrian jumped down and moved towards to hug the middle-aged lady who was walking towards him. Tropius also made a happy sound to the lady.

“Janet, it has been quite some time. I miss everyone too haha”

“Oh Hadrian look at you! You look exactly the same hahahaha”

“Thank you, Wendy. I will consider it to mean I look like I am just sixteen”

“Sixteen your delusional ass!”

Hadrian hugged the young woman who welcomed him with a large smile.

“Stop it Wendy he is technically your boss haha. Come in, we are having lunch and waiting for you to join us”

Hadrian followed Janet and Wendy to the backyard of the coffee store. He could see a table with three more people who are waving to him. Hadrian brought out the snacks and fruits from his backpack and shared them on the table.

“Hi Jack, how are you and your wife? How was you guys' honeymoon by the way?”

“The trip was wonderful. We are still in our honeymoon phase actually and we are very well. Thank you Hadrian and how is everything at the Farm?”

“Everything is fine. We will enter our busy season soon so it feels like the calm before the storm though.”

“How are the pokemon?”

“They are thriving but I think our Parasect are a little bit fat. I will have to see what they eat in the forest, thank you for checking in Tom.”

“Oh do not body shame our Parasect, that is mean Hadrian.”

“I’m just kidding, I love our chubby Parasrct of course. You don’t have to worry Adelaide!”

Everyone laughed and then continued to catch up. As always, the town of Accumula was quiet and peaceful. It was such a lovely day with the wind bringing the scent of late summer to the Town. Tropius was lying down and eating his lunch nearby. The Team’s pokemon were also having their lunch with Tropius. Hadrian thought they were also catching up and maybe bad-mouthing their Trainers together.

The whole team wrapped up their lunch and moved to the meeting room upstairs together. They had to cover some important points today before the busy season.

“Hadrian, how is the preparation going at the Farm before entering our annual order season?”

“Thank you for your question, Tom. The preparation process was mostly done. The main ingredients had all been harvested and quality control was ongoing.”

“That’s good to hear. Our supplement ingredients have been delivered and I will direct them to the Farm for you. We have a few options for our new packaging, I will also send them to you for your feedback. Oh, don’t forget to make spare potions for emergency purposes.”

“Note that! Thank you, Tom. I will need your help when shipping and logistics affairs come into play.”

“My turn! Hadrian, will we keep the price the same for this order period or will we adjust it?”

“My say is to keep the same price. I will not decrease the price because it will signal that the potion is not as high-quality as it was in my grandfather’s time. But I expect the sales will be a little bit down.”

“Note that. It is alright if the sales are down because we still have enough money to sustain the business as long as the annual sales do not decrease over 30%.”

“Actually I would disagree with Hadrian and Adelaide on this point. This year sales might even increase because our loyal customers will purchase as a support to Hadrian and tribute to Master Theodore. I mean all of our loyal customers are friends of Master Theodore so they will feel the emotional duty to support Hadrian. If we can prove to them that Hadrian’s ability to make potions is as same as Master Theodore, we are all good businesswide.”

“Thank you Wendy for your input. I’ll try my best! Jack, are there any new regulations from the League regarding the quality control process of potions?”

“So far everything is as usual. They will send staff to do random safety checks after the potions are made and ready to be shipped. Will keep you updated!”

“That’s good. Wendy, please make sure we have put all of the information on our website regarding the order period and send press releases to the media too. Also, contact the orphanage and tell them the Mycelia Fund Support Program will continue this year. Last year I didn’t do it due to the passing of my grandfather but I know he wants me to continue this support.”

“Copy that, Hadrian!”

“I guess we’re done for the week. I will oversee the process and make sure our website can handle the traffic during the upcoming peak period.” Janet looked around the table and noticed everyone had finished talking.

Hadrian continued to take out some snacks and passed them around the table. The meeting had used all of his brain power.

“Why do you have so many snacks with you Hadrian?”

“Why do you keep eating them, Wendy? These are healthy snacks so why not eat more? And I am hungry after the meeting. Oh, by the way, how is your son Adelaide? I remember he wants to go on the journey to become a pokemon trainer?”

“Yes, he does. His 10th birthday is coming soon and we are discussing his potential first pokemon.”

Everyone’s ears popped off because of curiosity. No matter how many times, conversations about pokemon always captured people's attention.

“What are the choices?” - Hadrian curiously asked.

“He loves Water-type pokemon so we are thinking of getting an Oshawott. But we are worried that we do not have enough priority to choose Oshawott. Many other kids also want Oshawott. In case we can’t get Oshawott, we will try to request a Squirtle from the Kanto region although it will be just as hard. Our last solution is Panpour.” - Adelaide sighed

“I think the choices are solid. Let’s cross our fingers that your late husband’s contribution was enough to request an Oshawott. My wife’s first pokemon is also an Oshawott. ” - Tom commented

“My dad’s first pokemon is a Tympole and now Seismitoad is still living with us. You could consider them.” - Wendy suggested

“Well my son says Tympole did not look cool enough.” - Adelaide made a grumpy face

“Well that is mean, but understandable for a boy this age. I wanted an Axew when I was young hahaha.” - Jack commented

“At least you guys can choose from the starters, I was not qualified for it but I got to meet my beloved Cinccino so I’m not complaining.” - Wendy winked

“Don’t worry Wendy. I also do not qualify for the three starters.” - Hadrian interrupted

“Wait what? Really? I thought you didn’t want them but you actually were not qualified to get one?” - Wendy gasped

“Well I didn’t really need to have a starter but yes I was not qualified for one when I turned ten years old.” - Hadrian shrugged

Not everyone got the chance to receive the pokemon starters because of limited availability. Adelaide's husband was a senior ranger of the Pokemon League before he passed away on duty so their family had priority. Hadrian also knew that each regional professor had some spots that they can decide to give out to talented young trainers who were not eligible to receive the starter. At least in Unova, Professor Juniper’s Lab held an academic competition every year for ten-year-old kids to compete for a chance of getting a pokemon starter if they were not qualified for the region’s policy. But it was very competitive.

Many young trainers got their first teammate from their local breeders or take their parents’ pokemon’s offspring. Hadrian was not qualified to receive the trio since his family didn’t work for the Unova Pokemon League. He wasn’t bothered by that because he didn’t aim to become a trainer and his family had pokemon for him to choose from. However if asked from a technical standpoint, the Unova starter wougive you a huge leap ahead if you want to become a pokemon master and compete in the annual Vertress Conference. The pokemon starters not only have high potential with two evolved forms but also are carefully bred with tight quality control. There is no wonder why the Vertress Conference every year is dominated by trainers whose first pokemon are Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott.

“Anyways, if he changes his mind, you can always ask him to get one of the pokemon on the Farm Adelaide.” - Hadrian offered

“Um he says Bug-type and Grass-type pokemon are too weak so he doesn’t want any. He is very stubborn and won’t listen to me.” - Adelaide made the face again

“Well that was misleading. It will be dangerous if he goes on the journey with this kind of mindset. Bug-type and Grass-type pokemon are the most dangerous in the forest at night.” - Tom and Jack both exchanged a concerned look

“That is why I will take him to the Farm to do a battle with Hadrian or the Pokemon themselves to show him the power of “the weak pokemon” in the wild” - Adelaide winked

“Ohhhh he will definitely cry. You are mean Adelaide hahahahahah.” - Janet commented

“I will definitely beat the soul out of him hahahahaha. He needs to learn the lesson! Just a combo of Spores and Stun Spores was enough to keep him humble.” - Hadrian laughed.

“Well if your son wants to be a Water-type specialist, he will have to move away right because we don’t have any big lakes in this area. And we are not near the ocean too.” - Wendy wondered

“Yes he’ll probably move away. What can I say, teenagers, they need their own space I guess” - Adelaide sighed

“Don’t worry Adelaide. I’m sure he will come and visit you frequently. I can always approve your annual leave if you want to visit him” - Hadrian comforted

“Don’t worry. After he endures all of the struggles of being alone and being an adult. He will surely go back. I think you need to be worried that Adelaide will be sick of him staying at her house after he has grown up hahahaha” - Tom laughed

The Team exchanged a few jokes before heading out. Hadrian hugged goodbye everyone and go through some final business information before jumping onto Tropius.

“I mean if you guys miss me you can always commute to the Farm to work. We have an office there too!”

“Why would I have to commute so far just for work? I love our remote and hybrid working policy so no thanks.” - Wendy pointed out

“Yeah no thanks but we can go there during autumn for a team picnic. The scenery is the best” - Janet suggested

“Ohh I agree!” - Adelaide and Tom supported

Hadrian laughed and then took off with Tropius. Their next destination was the Unova University which was in between the Accummula and Nuvema Town.

Chapter Text

After forty-five minutes of flying, Hadrian could see the campus of Unova University. It had been a year since he last came here and he miss being a university student. Unova University was still pretty as always. The mixture of modern architecture and sandstone buildings had given this institution an unwavering beauty. All of the memories and knowledge Hadrian had gained during his time here was what made him miss it the most.

Tropius landed down the area outside of the gate and he signalled Hadrian that he wanted to fly around to play.

“Okay just please come back in three hours. We need to had dinner okay?”

Tropius happily nodded and flew away. Hadrian made his way to the security check at the gate. After showing his student card, he walked toward the main buildings. He took out a little camera and took a few pictures of the central area of the university. The view was always epic here.

“Is that Hadrian? Hello it had been some time!”

A female voice catched his attention. Hadrian turned around and saw a light brown hair woman with a lab coat waving.

“Professor Juniper! Long time no see, how is everything?”

“Everything is going well. We are preparing for a new school year so everything is a little bit busy. It doesn’t help because I have to prepare to give out pokemon to all new trainers as well. And just call me Aurea, Hadrian! You have graduated and I consider you a friend of mine rather than my student. Don’t be too formal!” - Professor Juniper shrugged

“Then Aurea it is. How is the enrolment process this year?”

“Not too many people as always. People want to know everything about Pokemon except studying them academically hahahaha” - Aurea laughed

“I mean you cannot expect teenagers to want to study pokemon academically instead of going on fun journeys with them. And you also cannot expect people who have already started working to suddenly drop everything and study.” - Hadrian raised his eyebrow

“I know but I just want to complain. Don’t be so serious Hadrian. You enrolled here when you were thirteen.”

“Because I am a paper nerd!”

“Nerd, yes. Paper, hmmmm, debatable. Anyways, are you here to see my dad?”

“Yes I have an appointment with Professor Cedric. I’m here to collect my graduation certificate and degree, to be honest.”

“It’s such a pity that Master Theodore cannot be here to witness this. I’m so sorry Hadrian!”

“It’s alright. He knew I would pass with flying colours. By the way, because I meet you here, this was your gift.” - Hadrian smiled

“You don’t have to but thank you. Wait, is this the famous Mycelia’s The Gate potion?” - Aurea gasped

Hadrian nodded while Prof Aurea was unboxing the packaging to see. She opened the lids to see the liquid and a sweet scent was around the air.

“Excellent quality and smell. Did you make this?” - Prof Aurea asked

“Yes, considering it my official debut as the Heir of the House of Mycelia” - Hadrian nodded

“I can see a future where you will be a highly sought-after potion maker Hadrian. I always wonder why you were not famous earlier if this is the quality of your potion-making ability.”

“Because I didn’t want to have a hundred of people coming to my house challenging me for a battle or being thrown into the brutal news cycle so I asked my grandfather to hide stories about me from the media. And for the record, I only successfully made this potion last year. So, I’m not THAT kind of genius. I’m just smart and my granddad made me practice everyday.” - Hadrian explained

“Still a huge achievement. And I know you have been trained your whole life for this but it doesn’t make this any easier” - Aurea raised her eyebrows

“I am humbled to had your recognition. Enough about me, catch me up on your research”

“Oh, I just had a ton of new ideas and research directions but I’m way too busy to act on them now. The technology for pokemon trading machine had just had a new breakthrough so I expect to dwell into that as well. We just got a report that a trading machine made a Poliwhirl evolve into a new pokemon called Politoed after the owner sent it back to her hometown from a Pokemon center.”

“What? That is so interesting. Why it have never happened before? People send Poliwhirl around all the time?”

“Apparently, the Poliwhirl held a King’s Rock with it while being sent”

“So a new pokemon and new evolution discovered by chance? Who’s in charge of this? This news is huge, it will shake the researcher’s community.”

“Professor Oak is looking into it. The League has contained the information to stop the news from being released to the public before we have more research. But I heard the price of King’s rock in the black market has increased significantly.”

“If Professor Oak is looking into it then it’s good. I’m just afraid that people will inflate the King’s Rock price too much. Anyways, I guess we will have some more new pokemon evolutions being discovered.”

“Maybe or maybe not. We’ll have to see whether this was an isolated phenomenon or a kind of evolution. If you are interested, I’ll send you the papers when we have new updates.”

“That will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Aurea! Anyways, I have to go now, we’ll catch up later!”

Hadrian waved goodbye to Prof Juniper and headed to the main building. He walked through the empty hallway while being lost in memories of when he was a student here. He could see a few pokemon running around on the schoolyard. Hadrian stopped at an office and knocked on the door.

“Please come in!” - A warm voice welcomed him

“Professor Cedric. It has been a while!”

The grey hair man stood up to give Hadrian a hug. The smell of coffee was still on his lab coat. The office, filled with wooden walls and details, was very well organised with tons of books everywhere. Natural lights shone into the room from the large oval windows.

“Hadrian! My…”

“I know I’m your favourite student and I know you say this to everyone so let’s skip this Professor” - Hadrian followed up

“Oh, didn’t be so serious Hadrian. I know you always…”

“I know I always finish your sentence but it is because your style of stopping in the middle of the sentence is killing me, Professor. Anyways, I have a gift for you” - Hadrian laughs

“Oh my, is this the iconic Mycelia’s potion?”

“Yes, it is and I made them. I literally just have the same conversation with Aurea five minutes ago.”

“So, you have met her. Yeah, I forgot she is also on campus today.” - Professor Cedric smiled

“Do you guys even communicate with each other about your schedule?” - Hadrian raised his eyebrows

Professor Cedric just laughed it off. He quickly checked the potions and made a satisfying face.

“I will buy some more when you open the order process.”

“You will have a priority spot Professor.” - Hadrian nodded

“Anyways, here is your degree certification. I hope you know that this is a huge achievement and not everyone can survive this course. You must be proud of yourself and I wish…”

“I am very proud of myself Professor and yes I also wish my grandfather is here today too. But he knew I would achieve this and I had never let him down!”

“Another good news, wanna hear?” - Prof Cedric teased

“No!” - Hadrian smiled

“You are not funny!”

“I am, in fact, very funny!”

“Your thesis had been accepted to be published in the Unova’s Young Researcher Journal and one of the Oak Lab’s Fellows is very interested in your idea. She asked me to connect her to you for further discussion.”

“Oh my, it’s actually amazing news. Thank you, Prof, I cannot do this without your unwavering support. Please give me her details and I’ll get in touch.”

“No worries, Hadrian. You also have to acknowledge your work as well. Any interest in studying a PhD?” - Cedric offered

“Not now Professor, I need to take a break. Maybe in ten years time?” - Hadrian laughed

“If so, please continue to do research. We were always in need of young researchers!”

“I will. I actually want to submit a proposal to conduct a new research on my farm. The topic I will do this time focuses on the effect of breeding on pokemon’s toxicity level.”

“Still very board. What were the details?” - Prof Cedric asked

“I will ask the League for a bunch of Oddissh, Gloom, Vileplume, and Bellossom and then I will mate them with my farm’s pokemon. The Farm’s pokemon will always be the mother. I will measure the toxicity level of the newborn and compare it with baby pokemon who are not breed mix-raced.” - Hadrian answered

“Very practical and convenient for you. It aligns with your research interest and you are already familiar with your pokemon. The Oddish family is also very common and not too rare so the League will provide you them if the proposal is approved. I can calculate around twenty papers you can write just from this request alone. But knowing you, I feel like there is something more, tell me Hadrian, what are you up to?” - Cedric winced

“Haha I can hide nothing from you Professor. My Farm needs new pokemon line so that I can avoid inbreeding.” - Hadrian winked

“Using research results as a trade for a high-quality new line of pokemon for your family business. I bet you also plan to create more potions with the help of the Oddish family because they also had toxic spores and plant-based ingredients. Witty as always Hadrian, I approve this hahahahahahahaha.”

“You cannot blame me because research in this aspect was very underrepresented.” - Hadrian shrugged

“I can understand. People always overlook the majority of Grass-type and Bug-type pokemon in both battling and researching. I will help you lobby for approval after you had formally submitted your research proposal” - Cedric took a sip of his coffee

“Thank you, Professor. You are the best!” - Hadrian slightly bowed

“Mention of strong pokemon. I just have a meeting with an old friend the other day - Professor Carolina. She has a niece whose name was Cynthia. I saw Cynthia’s pokemon hanging around her backyard. It was a Garchomp. A very well-trained and well-nourished one.” - Cedric gossiped

“How old is Cynthia?” - Hadrian asked

“She is just sixteen. And Carolina flexed with me that she has a wealth of knowledge about Pokemon ancient myths and stories as well.”

“That’s crazy. Being a dragon rider so young and also have a wealth of academic knowledge. Garchomp is not an ordinary dragon, it is a pseudo-legendary kind of dragon. Her ability must match to people in the Village of Dragons” - Hadrian commented

“I know! Aurea also told me the House of Blackthorn in Kanto has an Heir who is around seventeen. He is also a kind of genius. His name was Lance I believe.” - Cedric added

“Yeah I know the Blackthorn family. They are very famous and their members always have a Dragonite with them. The amount of money and resources to raise a Dragonite is insane, let alone a strong one.”

“Aurea told me his Dragonite is one of the most well-trained Dragonite she has ever come across. Give him twenty years and he will likely be on the same level with Professor Oak’s Dragonite.”

“That is crazyyyyyy!” - Hadrian’s eyes widened

“Mention of this topic. I know that the Heir of the Devon empire, Steven Stone, is also a genius. He has a shiny Metagross. My grandfather commented that he can be at least an Elite Four if he continues to work towards this direction. And he is a little bit younger than me, seventeen I believe.” - Hadrian ate some snacks

“Give me some, I love this snack. This young generation will outdo everyone when they have reached their full potential. Maybe you can try to battle them, Hadrian.”

“You are asking me to use a bunch of mushrooms to battle two pseudo-legendary dragons and a pseudo-legendary Metagross? Are you serious Professor?!!!! The only way I can win is maybe assassinate them with poison and their pokemon will rip me apart after.” - Hadrian joked

The duo continued to talk until the sun had set and Hadrian could see Tropius was flying back to the university campus. Hadrian gave his supervisor and Professor a hug before heading towards Tropius. They would meet again soon!

--

Hadrian and Tropius flew back to the Train Station in Accumula Town. Both of them had a quick dinner before jumping on the train. It was already near midnight when he got to the place he rented for his stay in Striaton City. Hadrian immediately went to sleep, it had been a busy day.

Chapter Text

Both of them woke up the next morning, rested and fresh. Hadrian went to the famous Striaton City Gym Cafe for brunch.

“Mr. Mycelia?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Please follow me, we have reserved the table by the garden per your request”

“Appreciate it, thank you.”

The only thing Hadrian didn’t like about this place was that it was always so busy and bustling. Obviously the reason might be because it was still an active gym. But oh boy they had the best cheesecake and their Pokemon-bakery line was just wonderful. Hadrian and Tropius certainly attracted a lot of attention because not many people had seen a Tropius before and a pokemon of this size definitely did not go undercover.

Tropius looked at Hadrian shyly and blushed at the attention he received. He was so shy and socially awkward.

“Hey, do you want to go back to the pokemon ball?”

Tropius considered for a few minutes but then rejected the offer. He adored the sunny day and the bunch of cakes in front of him. Hadrian just nodded in response and went back to his laptop to do some work.

“Excuse me, Mister, is him or her your pokemon?”

Hadrian turned to the sources of the sound to see three adorable kids with different hair colours looking at him wide-eyed.

“Oh hello there, who do I have here?” - Hadrian smiled

“Hi, my name is Cilan, this is Chili and Cress, my brothers, nice to meet you. Are they your pokemon Mister?” - the boy with green hair eagerly answered

“Hello, Cilan, Chili, and Cress. Nice to meet you, my name is Hadrian. This is Tropius, he is my best friend.” - Hadrian and Tropius nodded in response to all three young boys

“Hello Tropius!” - all three said in union

“Wa, he is so big and beautiful and green!” - Cilan exclaimed

“He has wings, can he fly?” - Chili asked

“He also looks like a big tree.” - Cress added

Hadrian’s lips curved upwards, this was so amusing. Tropius looked at him shyly, he certainly adored the kids but he was also shy because of the attention.

“Tropius is indeed beautiful and green. He can fly, he usually takes me flying with him actually.”

“Is he a grass type?” - Chili asked

“But he can fly, he must be flying type” - Cress added

“He can be both, you guys.” - Cilan argued

“He is indeed both, your pokemon knowledge is good Cilan.”

“Thank you, but I have never seen him or heard his name before.” - Cilan blushed at the compliment

“He is not Unovan native pokemon, he came from Hoenn and it’s quite far away. You have to go there by airplane!” - Hadrian explained

The three boys took turns to go around Tropius to see him clearer. Tropius even allowed the boys to touch him and offered them some of his fruits. Hadrian knew he always had a soft spot for children. They played with him for an hour while Hadrian was chatting with Cilan, the kid surely wanted to learn more about pokemon in the future and adored grass-type pokemon. Hadrian was thrilled to know that and he offered Cilan a few helpful tips on learning about pokemon.

The duo said goodbye to the kids when they had to leave for a business meeting. Tropius looked at Hadrian while the three kids went back to the Pokemon Gym, it was their home by the way.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” - Hadrian asked

Tropius looked at him speciously. He knew his trainer, Hadrian, must have been thinking about the kids’ hair colors.

“Fine, I was thinking about their hair colours, they said they were brothers, not cousins. Maybe their dad has green/red hair and their mom has green/blue hair?”

Tropius spun a leaf to his trainer’s face.

“Hey, that’s rude! I know speculating this is inappropriate but I was just curious okay. Let’s go or we will be late!”

–

Hadrian saw Janet waiting for him in front of a coffee store next to a Devon Corporation building. He waved and ran towards her.

“Hi Janet, thank you for coming, how was the train ride?”

“Hadrian, glad to see you look so fresh! The ride was as tedious as always, but I brought my book to read. Anyway, are you ready for the meeting?”

“Yes, but I will grab a coffee real quick before going in.”

As the General Director of Mycelia’s Farm business unit, Janet usually accompanied Master Theodore on various business trips, and now it was Hadrian's turn to be accompanied by her. Hadrian was truly grateful for her and his Team. The duo went inside the Devon Corp building and was quickly greeted by the company’s representative. All three of them exchanged formalities and jumped straight to business. The meeting went smoothly as they only need to revise the contracts instead of negotating new ones.

“Well, I guess we have the general clauses figured out, I will leave my Director Janet here with you to discuss the details before we call it a day.”

“Perfect, thank you Mr. Mycelia for your time, me and Janet will take the rest from here. As I know you have another meeting, Mr. Stone is waiting for you in his office, my secretary will walk you there.”

“Appreciate it, thank you for today and we’ll talk later. Janet, feel free to take a rest if everything is done early, no need to wait for me, we’ll meet during dinner.”

Hadrian stood up and followed the secretary. Mr. Stove’s office was on the top floor of the building.

Hadrian ignited the conversation to avoid the elevator's awkward silence, “I heard that all Devon’s buildings have a reserved office on the top floor for Mr. Stone?”

"Oh, yes, but it’s just half of the truth. Other senior executives of the company can also use that reserved office. Oh, we’re here. Just knock on the door. Would you like a cup of coffee?" the secretary said diplomatically, leading Hadrian to the door.

“A cup of tea would be fine, thank you,” he answered before entering the room.

–

The office was elegant, in a very corporate way. There was a wall made out of glass looking out at the city skyline. Hadrian grinned when he saw the silhouette standing in front of the glass wall.

“Uncle Joseph!”

“Hadrian, you look amazing!” Uncle Joseph turned around and gave Hadrian a tight hug

“How are you doing? Thank you for taking the time to come here and see me.”

“Nonsense, I will always give you my time and I have to fly to Unova for business either way,” he gestured to Hadrian to take a seat, “So, how is everything at the Farm?”

“The Farm stays the same just like the last time you were there, I have not changed it much. The Pokemon are safe and healthy, as they should be.”

“Good to hear, it has been a year since Theodore’s funeral. How are you doing, Hadrian?” - Joseph asked, tone soft.

“It still hurts, but the pain is less now. The Farm just feels empty without him here now. You are his friend, how are you doing, uncle?”

“He was a great friend and he has lived such a life. We used to have so much fun when we were young. He was much older than me but his youthful energy made him us feel like we were the same age. We could not spend much time together like we wanted, life got in the way, but I had no regrets. I’m doing fine, Hadrian, thank you.”

Both of them took a moment to drink some tea, comfort silence filled the room. “I want to share with you a good news, I have collected my degree from Unova University so I’m now officially graduated!” Hadrian winked, trying to uplift the mood.

“That’s wonderful, congratulations! So, what is your plan from now on, Hadrian?”

“Well, the first priority is to resume all of the Farm’s operations. Then I will work on some of my research ideas and potions R&D as well.”

“Sounds solid. Anything else you have in mind?”

“Probably travelling around if I have time,” Hadrian said, feeling like there was something more happening but he didn’t know yet.

“Are you interested in hearing some advice from this old man?” Uncle Joseph suggested, looking thoughtful and serious.

“I’m always in need of your wise words, uncle.”

“Theodore and I chatted with each other here and there. I’m aware of some of your grandfather’s ambitious potion ideas. And you, Hadrian, you are also an ambitious young man. You will carry on some of Theodore’s ideas and make your own inventions as well, which is a good thing. But a good creator will need to have the strength to protect it,” Uncle Joseph took a sip of tea and continued, “You should consider levelling up your Pokemon training skills.”

“But…” - Hadrian was ready to argue back.

“I know what you wanna say, Hadrian. Since the passing of your parents, you have had really bad impressions of the Trainer path. And I know you are also a pacifist at heart. But there are people who are keeping a close eye on you and Mycelia’s legacy. Your grandfather also knew that too. Some people are really interested in your family’s potion recipes.”

“Then why have they not done anything to get their hands on our recipes yet?”

“Because they think that Bug and Grass type pokemon are weak, the risks do not justify the potential benefits for them to act. Attacking a close ally of the Unova League is not a wise decision to make if there are no worthy prizes. Hence I said there are interests. The moment those interests turn into greed, there will be troubles. So, Hadrian, when that time comes, you will need to have enough strength to protect your legacy.”

“If they have not done anything yet, what makes you think they will do something in the future, Uncle Joseph? I think we can just let them think that Mycelia’s family potions are not that valuable and I can continue my life in peace.”

“The world is changing, Hadrian. More and more pokemon are being discovered and new inventions happen every day. What if we discover a really powerful Bug or Grass type pokemon in the future? What if you create potions that can boost any type’s strength? And also, you can not underestimate people’s greed, if they sense weakness, they will jump at the chance to acquire more power.”

Hadrian leaned back and closed his eyes. He didn’t expect such a heavy discussion today, he thought it would be light-hearted and funny all the way. At least this meant Uncle Joseph considered him as the Head of the Mycelia House rather than a friend’s grandson. Logically, he understood the message here. The battle of benefit, power, and politics was a game that he was officially a part of. Emotionally, he was tired. Either way, Uncle Joseph was right and he should make use of these wise words.

“So, how can I become strong enough?”

“There are different methods to do so and I suggest you utilise all of them. First, become a strong enough trainer. That doesn’t mean that you have to be at the Elite Four level, but you should be strong enough to enter the Vertress Conference theoretically. Second, make allies, and keep a close relationship with the Unova League. Third, by being valuable enough so that other people can’t afford to lose you. You have that potential Hadrian!”

“I will think about it carefully, thank you Uncle Joseph for having this talk with me.”

“None of that now, you know that I have your back. Devon Co. will be one of your allies but I can’t back you up on everything because I have other shareholders to justify to. But I will do my best, you have my words on that.”

Both of them silently agreed to change the topic to something lighter. They chatted about the good time they had with Master Theodore and some personal but not significant stuff. The previous discussion was heavy enough to fry Hadrian’s brain so he was very pleased with the do-not-need-to-think-much-before-saying topics. Uncle Joseph was thrilled when Hadrian gifted him the new potions he had made before they wrapped up the day. Hadrian gave the older man a warm hug before rushing out to dinner with Janet.

It was quite a day, he was tired and happy at the same time. At least he still had a lot of time to make plans before things got better or worse.

Chapter Text

Hadrian and Tropius spent the weekend going around Striaton City before travelling back to the Farm. Hadrian didn’t look forward to all the paperwork waiting for him at home but they wouldn’t disappear if he kept ignoring them. So, straight back to business, he went.

Hadrian quickly caught up with Leavanny and Stoutland to see whether there were any changes he should notice. Tropius accompanied him in flying around the farm to check on all the colonies. They were healthy and thriving as the autumn season was approaching.

Hadrian’s Team had opened reservations for Mycelia’s potions while he was away and all the spots had been sold out in minutes, as they predicted. He let out a huge relief, at least he would have money to function the business in the next financial year. He would take orders around late summer to early autumn, harvest mushrooms in autumn, concoct potions in winter, and send orders out in spring next year. That was how his business processed mushroom-based potions. For non-mushroom-based potions, they took orders year-round. Non-mushroom-based potions usually use spores, which he could collect anytime, as the main ingredients.

–

Today Hadrian had a scheduled call with the Oak’s Lab Fellow who was interested in his works. Prof Cedric gave him her contact details. Being a fellow at one of the most famous scientific institutions in the world was such a dream. Hadrian had read and skimmed through her works. This Alice researcher was a genius with her research. He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the connecting signal appeared on the computer screen.

“Hi, you must be Hadrian, sorry for being late, nice to meet you, how are you doing?”

“Hi, Alice. No worries, I’m actually early so you’re all good. Lovely to meet you too, I’m doing great today, so excited for our chat. Hope you are having a good day as well.”

“Thank you. The weather in Pallet Town is wonderful today so I am indeed having a really good time.”

Alice was in her mid 30s with short hazel hair. Her vibe and confidence reminded Hadrian of Adelaide, his company’s Finance Director. They both shared a strong, fierce, cut-to-the-chase, and I-wont-deal-with-your-shit energy. Luckily, their similarity made Hadrian less nervous, at least he knew how to communicate with her kind of personality.

“Anyways, I have read your thesis. Such wonderful and quality work coming from a young researcher, I didn’t expect this level of quality coming from some who have just graduated. I know you have some shortcut with your family background but I do like your ways of thinking. And by the way, you look younger than I expected you to be, you do look your age. Kids these days are just old.”

“Thank you,” Hadrian blinked in surprise, not really knowing how to react. “Maybe it’s because I have a round face, so I appear younger.” He tried to redirect the conversation back to research. “I’ve also read through your work. Your main interests lied in Poison type, so I was surprised to learn you had an interest in my thesis.”

“Oh yes, I know your thesis is about the correlation between plant-based poison, mushrooms to be exact, and power-nurturing ability, which seems irrelevant to my interests. However, I am interested in your perspective on poison as a source of healing and boosting pokemon natural power, instead of looking it as a source of destruction and contamination.”

“Well, my family has a history of using poisonous ingredients to concoct potions, I have held that perspectives since forever. Just like vaccine, we use ‘poison’ to train biological immunity.”

“I am interested in your argument within your thesis that plant-based poison has a ‘liveness’ element in it and that is what makes plant-based poison effective in concocting potions. Are you arguing that other kind of poisons are less effective in the same capacity?”

Hadrian blinked and hesitate for a moment. It was scary, he felt he was going through his thesis defense meeting again. But at the same time, he appreciated that Alice actually read his thesis from top to the bottom. Regarding her questions, he didn’t have enough knowledge to answer.

“I honestly don’t know. I only argue that plant-based poison is effective in concocting potions, not saying that other kind of potions are less effective. Most of our family’s potions use ingredients contained Bug-pokemon poison energy as well, and it is just as effective. I don’t have much practical experience with Ghost type poison or pure Poison type pokemon’s poisons to make a meaningful comparison.”

Alice nodded thoughtfully while considering my answer. Just by looking at her expressions, I knew more questions are coming up. I was so not ready for such an intense discussion today, she truly went straight to business, no pleasantries and talking-about-the-weather conversations. Leavanny had thoughtfully brought him some drinks and snacks while he was on the call. Leavnanny could see his trainer was sweating on the call, he hummed happily, sometimes his young trainer needed to be humbled. Now with Master Theodore gone, no one was there to humble his trainer anymore.

“Very well, from my research, poisons produced by Grass type and Bug type pokemon are different. They attack at the tissue level and they target the biological side of the victim. Other type of poisons are more like mere destructions, acidic, destroying everything on its path. So, what applications of this phenomenon can be used in pokemon battles?”

“Battles? I can’t think of any. I also didn’t have ‘pokemon battles’ on my mind when I did this thesis. My research was purely for potion-making purpose.”

“So, will you direct your research so that its results can be more applicable in battle situations?”

“I don’t think I will? My main focus is still on how to utilise it for healing and potion-making purposes.”

“Interesting. Let me tell you, most of Poison type research grant requests from young researchers in the Kanto and Johto regions this year have been focused on the battle ground.”

“Well, I assume because most of the funded money are from organisations that want to see results in improving battling abilities. So young researchers have to chase for that money to fund themselves.”

“That is so true, young man, urghh why are these people so obsessed with battling. But I also think that young people think battling is way more cooler than healing or potions making. Anyways, it is a true problem in not divesting enough funds for non-battle-focused research.”

“Let just say I am lucky to have a financial background to pursue my niche.” - Hadrian nodded

Alice and him continued their discussions for two more hours. They talked about tons of different stuff, Hadrian was mainly listening, he learnt so much from her. For a moment, he felt like he was back being a student in a classroom, a feeling he didn’t know he missed so much.

“Ooops, time does fly. Let’s wrap up today’s talk Hadrian. You are surely interesting, send me your upcoming research proposals. I will try to see whether I can snatch you a spot in next year’s inter-regional academic conference.”

“The one in Indigo Plateau? I heard that it is extremely competitive to have an invitation.”

“Yes, but we do have a youth track for young potential researchers. And I can sneak you in the diversity quota of that youth track because your research focuses on Bug and Grass pokemon in a non-battle setting, which is already so rare.”

“If we play the minority cards right, plus having glowing recommendations from me and Professor Cedric, you might have a chance to have an attending spot. But before all of that, you really need to submit a good research proposal.”

“Wow, all of that just for a chance to attend? I think I have underestimated the competitiveness of that conference.”

“Oh it is so competitive you couldn’t even imagine, especially at senior researcher level. Last year, the Unova region had to politically intervene to expand spots because so few of their top researchers were chosen. Anyways, it is still a year for you to prepare, don’t worry about it now. I have to go now, great talk Hadrian, keep in touch.”

“Likewise Alice, see you soon.”

Hadrian had to take sometime sitting in his office alone to debrief after the call. It was both intense and enriching. Alice was quite a woman, brilliant and straightforward. He appreciated her directness and not sugarcoating anything. Anyways, it was time for dinner. Nothing was that important when you were hungry.

–

The soft autumn wind was blowing and half of the farm’s trees had turned yellow, signalling autumn is coming in full swing. Inside, Stoutland was sleeping lazily under the desk while his trainer was stressing going through all of the paperwork. Autumn is also unfortunately the tax season in Unova and Adelaide’s Team just sent him a bunch of receipt requests to finalise their report. If he delayed this any further, Adelaide would kill him herself.

“All of the new technology invented every year and I still have to scan each receipt for tax season.” He so wanted to give up at this point. Leavanny, as considered as always, brought him some berries juice. “Oh Leavanny, I wish you can understand the pain of preparing tax paper.” he sighed while Leavanny gave him a this-is-your-responsibility look. “Fine, I know, I just want to say it out loud, will get to work now.”

Hadrian worked diligently across different stacks of receipts and invoices he had on his table. He made sure to scan and labelled them correctly before sending them off to Adelaide and stored them away.

Suddenly, his phone rang. It was from Prof. Cedric. Hadrian quickly took the call while going to the balcony for some fresh air.

“Hi Prof. Cedric, I hope things are all well for you?”

“Hi Hadrian. Yes, everything is going well. Let’s just skip the small talk. I have some news for you.”

“Oh, I’m all ears.”

“I just called my friends in the Unova League and walked them through you research’s idea that you had mentioned to me. They quite like the idea, but they do suggest you request a Unovan native pokemon line instead of Oddish from Kanto. I also agree with my friend’s suggestion. I think you can negotiate for more benefits if your research proposals focus on Unovan native pokemon.”

“I have never thought of this to be honest. I have my eyes on Oddish for quite some time but I guess their suggestion makes sense. I will probably need some time to consider this.”

“I think you should Hadrian. If you don’t mind, I would suggest Petilil line. They share similarities with Oddish line and this change will not affect your original research ideas.”

“Petilil is a brillian suggestion, Prof. Thank you, I will definitely look into this matter.”

“My friend said that they could snatch you some more money if you go on with this route. Bug/Grass type research in medical and non-battling setting is critically needed. The Joy Foundation will happily give you money and support for this as well. I can lobby for you to have a spot at the annual Unova Research Conference. But again, you don’t have to if you do not want. I believe you have your own considerations when choosing Oddish and you also have enough money to conduct research on your own. Just my suggestion but I will support you either way.”

“No, Prof. Cedric. I truly appreciate your suggestion, I will definitely look into it and will let you know soon,” Hadrian smiled.

“Very well, then good night to you.”

“Likewise to you Prof. We will catch up soon,” Hadrian said goodbye while looking out at the view of the farm under the bright moonlight.

Leavanny had prepared the dinner after he finished. They shared the meals together before walking outside for a walk. Tropius was waiting outside when he walked out of the door.

“Do you want to take a walk with me?”

Tropius happily agreed. Hadrian, Leavanny, Stoutland, and Tropius casually walked around the farm. Leavanny hummed a soft melody that Hadrian couldn’t name, but he was enjoying it. So many things to do, but for now, he would just take a deep breath. One thing at a time.