Chaser and a Thousand Words

"Oh, man..."

Sometimes, it could be hot, even in the fall, Goh was learning. He was sitting on the couch beneath the stairs of the Cerise Institute, tugging at his collar.

"Maybe I should get a drink of water..."

He frowned at the idea after considering it a moment further. If he spilled anything on the suit he was wearing, even water, he was sure Chloe would never let him hear the end of it.

The Cerise Laboratory had come into a curious bit of fortune. Recently, a research magazine renowned by Pokémon Professors the world over had given a great award to the lab and its research staff in thanks to their efforts in solving the mystery of the town locked in eternal night. The magazine wanted to run a full spread on the laboratory, including the professor, the technology, the assistants, and of course, the research fellows.

Part of this spread would be profiles on all of them, and for the profiles, they were instructed to send in formal pictures to present the best foot forward for the lab. Professor Cerise had agreed, and had even purchased some expensive cameras to take the highest grade pictures with.

One of these cameras sat next to Goh on the couch instead of his beloved Grookey or even his fellow researcher, Ash. The Pallet Town native had managed to get Mr. Mime involved in assisting him in taking the needed pictures for the magazine, but he had also mistakenly left without telling Goh where he was going to have his pictures taken, and so Goh was stuck asking for more help.

He had texted Chloe while she was at school, asking for her help, and she agreed to help him easily enough after he explained why Ash couldn't do it instead. So now he waited for her to arrive, already dressed up in the best suit his parents could find in his size.

While he was no stranger to fashion trends, he was fully aware of how all the layers came together to hold in his own body heat, raising his temperature by a few degrees while he sat, waiting. He couldn't have the Pokémon with him, either, lest Grookey's dirty paws leave marks on his suit for this important picture.

He'd definitely go to spend time with them after all this was over with.

He took out his phone again and checked the time, seeing when Chloe should arrive. Seeing that she usually arrived ten minutes or so from now only made him groan. He felt like a prisoner to his own clothing. He tugged to loosen the string tie a bit, trying to give himself at least a little more breathing room.

The familiar call of "Yamper, yamper!" outside the door told him that, perhaps Chloe was arriving more quickly than he originally thought. He sat up and turned his head towards the door, only to see it open and for his friend to step inside.

Chloe was of course dressed in her school uniform complete with her backpack. She quickly let out her Eevee from the Poké Ball she must have been waiting in ever since Chloe left the school grounds, and her fluffy Pokémon immediately leapt into playing with the rotund pup, rolling him over onto his back and digging her paws into his belly.

Chloe was giggling at the sight as Goh stepped over, holding the Camera in its box under one arm. "Hey, Chloe," he said. He could feel the sweat already beading on the side of his face. "Are you ready to get this show on the road?"

Chloe looked up at him, her familiar smile at the ready, but as she took him in more, her eyes went wide in what Goh could only assume was shock.

Goh's suit was a classic fit, colored white, with a full, long-sleeved jacket that he had buttoned up. Underneath the outermost jacket, he wore a black vest, and under that vest was a gray, long-sleeved button-up shirt. The string tie he had loosened earlier was a deep red with a gold snapping button to hold it closed. He felt it was a bit childish for him not to have it tied properly, but he frankly didn't have the time nor interest in learning how to tie it properly and he didn't have Mr. Mime around to tie it for him like Ash did.