Professor Birch

After lunch, Kam took Zeno toward the train station. They had spent a long time at Kusunoki Shipyard, and it was already past one by the time they finished eating, so they did not go to the Oceanic Museum.

A wide river lay in front of the train station plaza, flowing all the way out to sea. The pedestrians passing by were all in a hurry. A bespectacled middle-aged man paced anxiously by the riverbank.

"My briefcase fell into the water, but I can't swim. Could some kind person help me? The documents inside are very important. Please, I'm begging you."

After hearing him out, the pedestrians only paused briefly before leaving. They were already pressed for time, and besides, the river connected to the sea. Finding the briefcase now would be nothing short of a miracle. They had no time to spare for this.

"Don't you have a backup? The river's flowing. Your briefcase might have drifted out to sea by now."

Seeing a grown man on the verge of tears while no one paid him any attention, Zeno could not help feeling sorry for him.

"No. I only finished organizing this data today, and I haven't had time to back it up. Please, help me." The man grabbed Zeno's hand and spoke excitedly.

"All right, we'll help you look for it, but don't get your hopes up too high."

Kam had originally planned to ignore him, but Zeno had already agreed. After all, Zeno was his kid. Zeno liked helping people, and Kam could do nothing about it.

Besides the two of them, Carvanha, Mantine, Octillery, and Cloyster also came out to help. Seeing the four Water-type Pokémon, the bespectacled middle-aged man regretted not catching a few himself. Unfortunately, his Graveler could not swim either, just like him. Otherwise, this would never have happened.

Zeno and Kam searched in the river for a long time. Kam and the others had nearly swum all the way to the river mouth, yet they still had not found the briefcase.

"Carvanha, did you find anything?"

"Ya~"

"How are we supposed to find it? Seriously, it was probably swept away ages ago."

"Yaya!"

"Uncle Kam, what do we do?"

Zeno was starting to regret it. Not only could they not find the briefcase, they were going to miss the train too.

"Search a little more carefully. If we still can't find it, then forget it. Don't worry about the train either. It's fine if we leave a little later."

"Okay."

The six of them split up again. This time, Zeno dove straight to the bottom of the river. Seeing that they had not surfaced after so long, the bespectacled man on shore grew increasingly flustered.

"Hiraiwa, why are you still at the train station? I've been waiting for you forever!"

"P-Professor!!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Hiraiwa looked up and saw the person he most feared seeing right then—Professor Birch.

"What happened?"

"Professor, I'm sorry. My briefcase accidentally fell into the water, and all our research data is inside."

Seeing Professor Birch, Hiraiwa no longer dared to hide the truth.

"This..." Even with Professor Birch's gentle temperament, he could not help getting a little angry. "You should know that this is the result of several months of everyone's hard work, including yours."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Professor, I'm truly sorry!" Hearing Professor Birch say that, Hiraiwa could not hold back his tears.

"All right. What's the situation now?"

"Two kind people are searching underwater. It's already been over forty minutes."

"Sigh, prepare yourself mentally. I won't blame you, but you need to think about how you'll face everyone at the institute."

"It's my responsibility. I'll bear it."

Zeno wandered around the riverbed for a while without finding anything. Then, he suddenly spotted a Kingler ahead of him, leisurely eating something. Zeno swam over, intending to ask it.

"Kingler, have you seen a briefcase around here?"

"Ka ka~"

"Uh, it's black and rectangular, about this big, with two handles on top." Zeno gestured with his hands, unsure whether it could understand.

"Ka~ Ka!"

"Really? You've seen it? Where?"

Kingler pointed at a large rock ahead. Following the direction of its claw, Zeno finally saw the briefcase wedged in a crack between the rocks. The bag had been stuck in the same place all along and had not drifted far at all. Hidden by the rocks and water plants, it was impossible to spot without getting close.

"Kingler, thank you."

"Ka ka!"

Kingler waved its large claw at Zeno, signaling that there was no need to thank it, then went back to eating.

Carrying the briefcase, Zeno swam toward the surface. The moment he emerged from the water, he shouted, "Found it!"

Professor Birch and Hiraiwa heard him and hurried over to help him up. Seeing the familiar briefcase, Hiraiwa quickly opened it to inspect the documents inside.

"Professor, they're a little wet, but the data is intact." Hiraiwa's voice trembled with excitement.

"That's good."

Hearing the commotion, Kam walked over as well. Seeing that the two of them were soaked through, Professor Birch was a little concerned.

"Thank you both so much this time. If you're not in a hurry, why not come to our place and change into some dry clothes?"

"You're Professor Birch!"

Only then did Zeno notice the man beside the bespectacled fellow. He wore a simple white researcher's coat over a dark blue shirt, brownish-green shorts, and a pair of plain sandals. He had a slight belly and a ring of beard around his face.

"That's right. It's me."

"Professor, I'm your fan! Can I have your autograph?"

Zeno was extremely excited. The man standing before him was Hoenn Region's leading professor, someone he had admired greatly since childhood.

"Haha, that's no problem at all. You should change your clothes first, though. You don't want to catch a cold."

Professor Birch was delighted to see such an enthusiastic young fan. Children these days all admired Champions and the Elite Four, so Zeno's unusual admiration made him curious.

Only after hearing Zeno shouting did Kam realize that the short man in front of him was Professor Birch.

Zeno and Kam followed Professor Birch to his residence in Slateport City. It was a house assigned to him by the League, serving as his temporary home in Slateport City.

"Judging by your clothes, you don't seem to be from around here. What brings you to Slateport City?"

"Hello, Professor. My name is Zeno, and this is Uncle Kam. We're only passing through Slateport City. Uncle Kam is taking me to enroll at Rustboro Trainer School." Zeno found Professor Birch very approachable and was not afraid of him at all.

"Oh, Rustboro Trainer School. Their requirements are quite strict. It seems little Zeno here is a genius too!"

"No, no. A teacher from our village recommended me. He even gave us the business card of a teacher from Rustboro Trainer School's admissions office." Zeno felt a little embarrassed at Professor Birch's praise.

"Haha, if your teacher was willing to give you that business card, it means he thinks highly of you. That shows you're quite outstanding."