The next morning, I found myself in one of the Center's rooms. Nurse Joy told me she had some results and wanted to talk about them with me.
"Marco, how are you today?" she asked as I walked into one of the many patient rooms. She was currently going through some papers that I assumed had information about me.
"I'm doing pretty well. It's odd to feel so comfortable in Santalune despite never having been here before," I answered. "I feel like I've adapted to the city really quickly. Almost too quickly."
Nurse Joy paused for a moment, focusing on the paper she was about to put down. "That's exactly it!" she exclaimed.
"Huh?" I responded, not expecting the sudden liveliness.
"You see, I wasn't quite sure how to explain what's going on with you. The charts we have, the examinations we've done on you, the tests you took part in… All of it led to the conclusion that you are absorbing Infinity Energy, but your body wasn't exhibiting the normal signs of that phenomenon."
She paused for a moment before continuing, the medical researcher in her shining through. "But what you said made it click. Your body isn't absorbing Infinity Energy. It's adapting to it!"
"Umm, okay," I said, not sure what that meant for me. "How does that affect me?"
"I have no idea," she replied. The deadpan look I offered in response seemed to siphon the energy and excitement she had. "Like I said before, I've never seen something like this. The most I can do is give you an educated guess."
"Alright, let's hear it," I said, sitting down on the examining table.
"Well, my thoughts immediately jump to your body absorbing some amount of Infinity Energy and using it to develop some sort of defense mechanism against anything related to the energy. That, however, is both extremely unlikely and difficult to do. You'd have to be a Pokémon, Aura-user or a veteran Trainer for your body to convert the energy into anything useful. And you're none of those.
"My next guess is that one of the Legendaries has blessed you. That's even more unlikely, but it's happened more often in recent years and could lead to just about anything."
Her tone shifted, muttering to herself as she thought about that possibility. "I know that Calem has been blessed by Xerneas and has an incredibly advanced healing factor. Diseases and injuries that would normally be debilitating can be healed in a matter of hours, and he can easily survive most fatal wounds."
"Now, THAT I can get behind," I interrupted her musing. "I think a blessing from Jirachi or Victini would be great."
"How do you know those names?" Nurse Joy asked, her voice taking a much more serious tone.
"Are the Legendaries not common knowledge? I asked.
"Some are. But many are kept confidential because of the potential danger public awareness would bring," she answered. Her face hardened as she continued. "So, I'll ask again. How do you know those two names in particular?"
"I don't know," I said. "It's just knowledge I seem to have. Like I said, I can't remember much about myself. But Pokémon knowledge is just… There."
"Hmm, maybe a Legendary really is involved," she muttered. "But we can't be sure that it's a positive involvement. I'm going to have to report this to the League."
"What does that mean?"
Nurse Joy sighed, "It means the League is going to have a much more intense interest in you. I can't say for sure exactly what they'll do or think, but I wouldn't be surprised if a high-ranking Trainer popped by to check in with you."
"Sounds like a pain," I said. "Do you think they'll be keeping tabs on me?"
"Honestly, they probably have been this whole time. Lysandre left a nasty stain in Kalos' history, and Calem is insistent on making sure something like that never happens again."
"That sounds like it would conflict with privacy and daily life," I said. The idea of people being secretly tailed and watched just sounded… gross.
Nurse Joy stared at me for a few seconds before chuckling. "Well, isn't that a conversation to be had in a government-funded facility? That's a tricky question to answer. However, I will say this. Many people weren't fans of the League's early involvement in Kalos."
"And now?" I asked. I could tell she was trying to avoid voicing her personal thoughts on the matter.
"Most people seem to think the League is beneficial enough."
"Huh, that's interesting. Anyway, back to what you were saying about me." It would probably be best to not press too much.
"Back to you," she hummed. I didn't miss the way her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. She really must not want to talk about the League. Or maybe she can't. "Based on our initial studies, Professor Augustine's lab seems to think that you're either going to develop some sort of Type specialty or your body is using Infinity Energy to adapt and enhance itself. I'm hesitant to say anything about the future because there isn't enough data to say."
"Is there a way to find out?" I asked. I would really like to know if I'd be able to manipulate some sort of energy. I wouldn't say no to becoming a Water elementalist.
"Not safely, so no," she responded. "I think we'll find out with time, so there's no need to rush it."
"True, but," I said, an idea forming in my head, "would it be harmful to practice against my Inkay? I mean, my first real adventure to catch a Pokémon would've gone smoother if I had been able to at least dodge."
The frown on her face immediately gave me the answer. "Absolutely not! You're going to get needlessly hurt, especially given that Inkay probably can't fully control himself while using any moves. That takes considerable skill and training you won't have until at least your third badge."
"Sheesh, no need to yell at me like that," I said, rubbing the side of my head. "You're right in front of me, Nurse Joy."
"Then don't suggest such idiotic ideas," she said, turning her head away from me and crossing her arms.
"Right. Well, I'm going to go for a walk," I said, standing up. "It's a nice day out, and Inkay and I recently settled our differences. We're going to grow stronger."
"That's nice and all, but how is a walk going to help you get stronger?" she slowly asked.
"It's going to be a very enthusiastic walk," I responded with a wide grin. Her expression only grew more suspicious at that, so I decided it would be better to just leave. "Okay, seeyoulaterbye!" I shouted out as I rushed out of the room.
Sometimes, it really was fun to mess around with someone despite being a grown ass man.
Once we were outside, I inhaled deeply. It really was a nice day. The sun was out, the sky nearly spotless, and a gentle breeze kept the warm temperature from becoming uncomfortable. Inkay took his place on my head, sleepily chirping out whenever I abruptly stopped.
"I… In…" he yawned out, a pulse of energy going through my head. Inkay's meditation over the last few days hadn't led to much in terms of his skills or anything like that, but he'd gathered a decent amount of Psychic energy. Granted, that seemed to be the only thing he could do for now. Once he gathered it, the energy would quickly disperse.
"It's not time to sleep, ya' bum," I said. "We're going to complete some jobs, not the errands we've been doing. Let's see what they got." I pulled out my phone and opened the Tasks app, an app that Mitchel messaged to say would be useful. The app automatically connected to my League profile and sorted through the available jobs to recommend a few to start out with.
"Alright, they have berry picking, berry picking, package delivery, and… help with cleaning an attic? Seriously? That's no different from what I was doing before," I complained, causing Inkay to grumble. "Let me scroll through them real quick."
I continued to look through the different jobs, though most of them were more of the same thing. I guess the League took the safety of new Trainers seriously. Or they wanted some achievements under my belt to ensure quality results. Either way, they obviously weren't giving me anything good. "Bah, whatever. I think I need to do several of these before getting anything good. For now, I'll just see if anyone needs a hand with anything."
I walked through the commercial district and hoped to come across someone who needed serious help. I stopped and helped the occasional person with minor issues like moving a heavy box indoors or looking for a dropped item. It often led to a small conversation with whoever I helped and smiles from all parties. Because I had quite the stash of berries from previous errands, I also completed any task that required gathering berries if I had enough berries and the person requesting help wasn't out of the way.
Eventually, it was time for lunch, and I wanted to explore our options. I stopped at a rather busy bistro, Bistro Anaïs. It was owned by an elderly couple who still ran the kitchen by themselves. A younger employee, most likely a grandchild if it was a family-run restaurant, came over to take my order. When I asked what their preferred items were, they replied with, "Honestly, usually whatever they tell me to eat. It's always delicious."
"Perfect. Do you think they'll mind if I ask for the chef's recommendation? For myself and my sleepy Inkay here."
"You know," the server said, a small smile forming, "I think they'd be happy with it as long as you don't complain. It's been a while since they've made anything outside of a recipe."
"Sounds great, thank you. I'll have some water, please."
"No problem, I'll bring that right out."
I placed Inkay on the cushioned seat and opened my phone. I had officially completed four Tasks and earned myself 600$ that would be deposited tomorrow. That qualified me for a few more Tasks with a slightly higher difficulty rating, though the rating wasn't all that much higher. Out of ten stars, berry picking jobs were rated as being Zero Stars, and the jobs I could now do were a max of One Star. At least they paid slightly better. The server brought me a tall glass of water and two small bowls of salad. Both contained mixed greens, potatoes, green beans, a chopped boiled egg, and various types of chopped berries.
Inkay dived right into his salad, immediately devouring the berries and potatoes. I took my time to taste each ingredient. The mixed greens were okay, though I wasn't sure what to expect from plain spinach, lettuce, and arugula. The potatoes were soft inside but still firm, with just enough salt to bring out the delicious carb's flavor. The green beans were similarly well salted and not overcooked, which meant their texture wasn't mushy. The eggs provided a nice texture and flavor difference, balancing out the salt of the potatoes and green beans. The berries provided much more flavor, with sweet, spicy, and some slightly sour berries providing a freshness that was missing.
Just as Inkay and I finished our salads, the server brought out a fluffy slice of cake that smelled like breakfast, a platter of fries topped with sliced meat, and two small bowls of soup.
"For the mignon Inkay, our bacon, cheddar, and onion quiche with a bowl of onion soup. For you, monsieur, our steak-frites au jus. Please enjoy your meal. These were what the chefs were planning to eat on their lunch break."
"Thank you! It smells delicious. Tell the chefs we will enjoy this with our souls," I responded, receiving an amused smile. Inkay ignored the utensils in favor of breaking pieces off with his still-developing Psychic powers, making it a training session as well. I grabbed a piece of steak, taking a small bite to sample the meat itself. It was tender and juicy, cooked perfectly medium-rare. The light, earthy tones of an herb balanced its strong flavor out.
I dipped the steak in the bowl of juice and enjoyed a burst of rich flavor as a reward. The fries were crisp and well-seasoned, adding a nice little crunch to each bite. Altogether, it was a perfect savory lunch. Inkay thoroughly enjoyed his food as well, if his excited chirps and quickly disappearing quiche were anything to go by.
Our server walked over and refilled our water. "How was your lunch?"
"It was delicious," I said with a satisfied sigh.
"Inkay!"
"I'm glad you both enjoyed it. I shall let the chefs know."
"Please do," I said. "A lunch like that deserves to be praised."
"That it does," they said. "I'll leave the check for you here. Stay and rest a bit before leaving."
"Thank you," I responded before looking at the check, an action that removed the soul from my body. Our lunch ended up costing me 846$, and I did not have nearly enough. I coughed out loud to get the server's attention.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have enough to pay for the bill," I said, causing the server to frown. "I don't want to leave without paying, however. Is there something I can do to pay for the meal? Or would you accept a later payment?"
"We do not accept payments later. Let me talk with the owners," they said, leaving me with a sense of guilt. I really wasn't expecting such an expensive lunch. What did they use? Meat from a Legendary?
The server came back with an older woman wearing a chef's coat and a dirty apron. "Gran- Chef Anaïs, this is the customer who cannot pay for the meal."
The chef glared at me with piercing green eyes. "Monsieur, why do you come to mon restaurant if you know you do not avoir assez d'argent?"
"I'm sorry. The PokéCenter charged me less than 100$ before I became a Trainer. I wasn't expecting it to be so much," I answered honestly.
"Ah," the older woman said, her eyes immediately gaining a happier shine. "A Trainer. That would change la quantité. Down to 352$."
"I'm sorry, but that's still too much. I just bought an incubator for an egg."
Her eyes immediately gleamed with eagerness. "Ahh, would you be able to do a faveur?"
"A favor?" I repeated, a bit unsure.
"Oui," her smile turned almost predatory.
"Uh, I guess?"