Professor Yew smiled, an expression with the slightest hint of mischief in it. Having Takara in control of the region's greatest corporation was going to be good, wasn't it? They seemed quite confident in their ability to bend the corporation to their will, and knowing Takara, the professor had no doubt that they'd succeed. "Excellent. I'll have my colleagues get in contact with your office, shall I?"

Watching Shri and Takara's interaction, the professor was almost surprised by the Oran berries -- then realized that she shouldn't have been. If anyone in the entire region had access to expensive berries, it would be the CEO of Salve Co. And she knew Takara well enough not to question or make a big deal of out the fact that they had chosen to share with Oddish.

Oddish, of course, had no idea how expensive the berries were -- but they were still scarce in the wild, and she hadn't had a lot of chances to eat one. Her face perked right up when Shri offered it to her. Not having arms, she couldn't actually take it, but she took a big bite with a happy "Dish!"

Professor Yew nodded, still smiling. Yes, she thought they'd work together well. It was lucky that she and Takara had ended up in these positions of power -- their previous friendship would make it easier for the Lab and Salve Co. to work together. Then again, it wasn't just luck -- they'd both worked hard to get to their positions, and that driven personality had brought them together as students. "I'll keep that in mind, Takara; thank you -- though you must be quite busy as well. How are things going at Salve Co.? This must be considerable upheaval for you as well."

Oddish enjoyed the berry, and Yew enjoyed seeing her nervous little Pokemon relax for once. Shri was definitely a good influence -- and on Takara as well as Oddish, Yew suspected. "That would be quite welcome -- don't be a stranger."

But Takara's question made the smile fall from Yew's face. It wasn't a subject she would have brought up herself -- she didn't like to think about the possibility. Not that it had never occurred to her, of course, but she liked to keep it the topic of dark midnight moments. Still, she knew it had to be reckoned with. "We still have no idea what caused it in the first place, so ... I think it could easily happen again. Until we know more about what happened the first time, we can't rule out that possibility."

Yew ran a hand over her tied-back hair. "Some at the Lab think that the best way to react to the return of Pokemon is to prepare for them to disappear again. That's not my department, but there are contingency plans underway."

"Oh, I know," the professor said, a bit wryly. There were people at the Lab who weren't happy with her position, either. Most of them didn't like that someone so young had seized such an important -- and prestigious -- role. Some, she suspected, would not have been happy with anyone but themselves in her place. "I know you can manage it, but don't forget to take breaks once and a while. Then again, I think Shri plans to help with that, don't you?"

She looked down at the Riolu with a smile. Oddish had finished the berry by now and sat humming happily to herself, her eyes on Shri -- pleased simply to be around her new friend.

"We should make sure that the right departments here and at Salve get in touch, see if we can pool our resources." Though Yew imagined there would be those at Salve who didn't want to share their research with the Lab, a public institution that would use the results for the public good and not for profit. Fortunately, she didn't think Takara was one of those people.

She hesitated, thinking over the matter, before adding, "I think it's worth looking into what happened. That might give us an insight on whether it'll happen again -- and maybe even how to prevent it if it does. But we've been trying to figure that out for decades with no results ..."

The professor smiled, a bit ruefully. There had been a time or two back in school when she had been the one searching for Takara, so she knew quite well that they could avoid being found. Besides, no one was going to burst into her office searching for them. Probably. "I don't think I really have to say this, but be sure to make sure she gets some breaks as well. I'm sure she'll do her best to look after you, but she does appear to be pretty young, even as level-headed as she is."

If anyone could pull Salve Co's teeth, it would be Takara ... Yew didn't envy them the job. Playing corporate politics was not her idea of fun, and her position already involved more of it than she would like. The helping-trainers part of her job was fine, of course, but the Lab's internal affairs could be a little challenging to navigate. "I appreciate that, Takara. I think we'll work well together."

By "we" she meant both Salve Co. and the Lab as a whole and herself and Takara.

Yew nodded, smiling "Yes, it's fantastic. The world feels so much more alive now -- we didn't even know what we were missing, not really. Be sure to take some time to enjoy it -- it would be a pity to spend so much time working and studying Pokemon that we forgot to actually interact with them."

"That sounds like a good idea." Professor Yew nodded, but she smiled ruefully too, amused. It was just like Takara to demand days off for their Pokemon but not for themself. "She'll learn by example, though, so you should be careful to set her a healthy example. 'Do as I say and not as I do,' and all that."

Yew opened her mouth to say more on the subject, then closed it: she didn't need to lecture Takara. They might be a new trainer, but they were also highly intelligent and compassionate. They surely already realized how much Shri would want to spend time with them, follow their example -- like a child, really.

"True," Yew said, wryly. "Sometimes I fantasize about what it might be like to spend time catching Pokemon without paperwork attached. But it's not all bad -- we have access to more resources than the average new trainer, too. I really would recommend going out and trying to catch Shri some friends, though. It'll be a good experience for both of you."

We could always quit our jobs, Yew thought, more as a joke than a serious idea. She doubted Takara would give up their position, for all the demands it placed on them, and she wouldn't know what to do with herself without the Lab's demands on her time.

The professor nodded and restrained herself from offering further comment or advice -- no need to belabor the point. Takara was an adult, and as absent-minded as they could be, Yew knew they would take good care of Shri. And Shri would take good care of them.

"I'll be all right, but I appreciate your concern." Yew smiled. "You know how they say that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life? There are aspects of this job that aren't all smiles and Beautiflies, of course, but seeing new trainers meet their partners for the first time is fantastic."

Takara's next idea gave Yew pause. What if they had grown up with Pokemon? She would be a trainer right now, wouldn't she? Or maybe even a gym leader ... No, she suspected that she still would have gone into research. But she would have spent the last 10 years learning about Pokemon in a hands-on way, rather than studying old records and then, when Pokemon returned, playing catch-up.

She leaned back with a sigh. "We would live in a different world, if Pokemon had been here all along. A better world, I suspect, but there's no use mourning it -- no use crying over split algae. We just have to do our best with the world we have."