Y/n Ketchum is the brother of Ash Ketchum, and a lab assistant to Prof.Elm over the summer. He' also incredibly lazy. But hey, he tries.
He's so lazy, that on his tenth birthday, the day children get their pokemon, he slept through it. The whole day...
I slowly opened my eyes, my vision clearing up slowly as looked around. I was in a hospital room of some kind, my bed sheets were white and there was a heart rate monitor next to the bed.
I slowly raised my head, seeing Togepi and Nidoran asleep on a nearby chair. Togepi was leaned against Nidoran, as one of Nidoran's ears covered his body. It was really cute, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
My chuckle woke up Togepi, who slowly looked over to me and went wide eyed as he saw me.
"Togepi!" He cried, jumping down to the floor and onto the bed, "Toge, pi-pi!"
He leapt into my arms and nuzzled against my chest, as I felt another weight on the bed. I looked over to see that Nidoran was climbing up to the bed, leaning against my body.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked, "Nothing hurting?"
"No, they were perfectly fine," A new voice announced, "You on the other hand..."
Nurse Joy walked into the room, holding a clipboard. Her Chansey came bounding in behind her, and stood beside the bed as Nurse Joy stood on the other side.
"You sustained a few bumps and bruises, a bunch of cuts, and there are some scars in your future," She read off the clipboard, "But other than that, you just overexerted yourself and passed out. The gentleman who brought you in is in the waiting room, if you'd like to go see him. There is also an older gentleman who wants to talk to you."
"Thanks," I said, slowly pushing myself out of bed and leaning against the Chansey, "Hey, where am I?"
"Cerulean City," Nurse Joy answered, "The cave in shut off a lot of paths from Pewter, but the gentleman who brought you here found another way around the mountain."
"Wish I knew that ahead of time," I replied, "Thanks again."
"Take care of yourself Y/n," She said, "Also, you might wanna change your clothes before leaving."
I looked down, realizing I was still in a hospital gown with my back showing. I blushed slightly, before turning to grab my clothes.
"T-thanks for the warning."
[Timeskip]
I walked out into the waiting room, missing the comforting feeling of my hat on my head. My jacket was also full of holes and burned on the edges, stained permanently with ash. I stepped through the door and immediately recognized the guy who I had saved from Team Rocket in Mt.Moon.
"Oh, you!" He said, standing up, "I so glad to see you're okay!"
"Uh, thanks," I said, shaking his hand, "I hope your fossils are okay."
"Oh yes, of course," He replied, "They're perfectly fine."
"I guess I have you to thank for getting me to safety?"
"Yeah, I do have you to thank for saving me from those Team Rocket brutes," He turned and grabbed the two fossils off the seat behind him, "That's why I decided that I wanted to give you one of these."
He held out the two fossils, and I waved my hands.
"Oh no, I couldn't," I said, "These must be valuable."
"Well, not really," He answered, "I was planning to donate them to the Pewter City Museum anyway. But I figured that a trainer like you might be able to reawaken the Pokemon inside."
"Thank you," I said, "I guess I'll take... that one."
"Ahh, the Helix Fossil," He explained, "They say that this belongs to an ancient Pokemon that scoured the ocean floor. There are also some people who worship this fossil as a deity of sorts."
"Cool," I said, placing the fossil in my burnt bag, "Thank you very much."
"No, thank you."
He gave me one more firm handshake, before leaving the PokeCenter. I watched him leave, before I noticed a man in a suit walking towards me. He had white hair and a bushy mustache, as well as a small pin on his collar that took the form of a gold shield crossed over with two silver swords.
"Greetings, Master Y/n," He said, bowing slightly, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
His accent was heavily Galarian, his poshness gleaming through with every word. Yet, he also felt implicitly trustworthy, like a comforting grandfather.
"Uhh, the pleasure is mine," I replied, "But, who are you? How do you know me?"
"Ah, where are my manners?" He said in surprise, "I am Keith, the head butler and confidant of Mr.E, the current CEO of PokeTech."
"PokeTech!?" I exclaimed in surprise.
PokeTech was the largest company in the world, and the main producer of pokeballs, potions, and pretty much anything a good trainer uses. It was a multi-billion pokedollar company, but that left one question.
"Why are you here talking to me?"
Keith only chuckled, "Mr.E has been keeping a close eye on you for a while now. He believes that you have a lot of talent and potential."
"Really?"
"Yes," He responded, "In fact, he gave me this for you."
He held out an envelope, and I took it out of his hand. I looked it over, seeing the unmarked envelope and the old fashioned wax seal on the back.
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I tore it open and pulled out the piece of paper inside. It read:
"Dear Master Y/n Ketchum,
It is a pleasure to finally be able to speak to you, even if only over this letter. It's been many years since we last saw each other in person, and I believe that you would most likely have forgotten me at this point.
However, that is beyond the point.
The point of this letter is to inform you that I am interested in a business venture between the two of us. An endorsement, or more correctly, a sponsorship.
I will offer you the chance at the newest and greatest technology from PokeTech Labs, medicine from PokeTech Meds, and a large monthly paycheck from our company.
In return, you will continue your Gym Challenge as regularly as possible, but with our logo and reputation at your back.
If you wish to accept the sponsorship, the attached paperwork should be filled out and returned to Keith. If not, then I shall not push the issue any further, and you will not hear from us again.
I hope you consider.
Sincerely,
Mr.E"
I looked up from the letter and back to Keith, looking over the words again and again. It seemed to good to be true, even as I read the attached contract.
"Well..." I said, "I guess there's nothing to say. It's a good deal."
"Mr.E will be glad to hear that."
"But, can I ask a favor?"
Keith raised an eyebrow, urging me on.
"Can you get me a new hat and jacket? My old ones were blown up."
