Dr Akihabara couldn't help but gulp as he gazed upon the figure sitting on his chair with an Abra floating besides him. The mysterious individual had his face covered with a dark mask, while wearing gloves and a greyish yellow trench coat that was worn and tattered from years of use. The coat was adorned with various pockets and straps, with a large bulge on one side suggesting that the stranger was carrying a weapon of some sort. The Abra floated beside him, its psychic powers emanating a faint glow, as it telepathically communicated with its master.

If anything, the guy looked like one of those 90's detectives, straight out of a Noir film. The room was dimly lit, with only a small lamp providing light. The walls were adorned with various posters of Pokemon and scientific formulas, while the floors were cluttered with notes and papers. The smell of stale coffee and mold hung in the air, as the sound of raindrops tapping against the windows filled the room.

The stranger was reading through notes that Dr Akihabara had left on the ground, his eyes scanning the pages with precision and speed. Meanwhile, Abra looked at the scientist in disgust. 'Why isn't he dead living in this dump? Don't tell me, he is like those lizard people I keep hearing about that control the world .... no, he must be different, (gasp) he is a cockroach person that is secretly controlling the government.' Abra thought as he psychically picked up a pen and paper before writing on it. He needed to record this discovery before he was taken out.

Ignoring the conspiratorial Abra, the stranger looked up from the notes as Doctor Akihabara demanded. "Who are you? How did you get in?" Dr Akihabara was thinking who was this stranger and what did he want with him? It wasn't like he had any money and his fame had long since faded to obscurity for five years until he could perfect his research on the Porygon Project.

"Apologies, the door was open but I did knock before entering," The man said with a very subtle voice modulation. His voice was low and gruff, with a hint of an accent that Dr Akihabara couldn't quite place. "Clearly no one told you that an unlocked door isn't an invitation to enter." Dr Akihabara said with sweat dripping down his face as his paranoia was getting to him. "I don't have any money on me and you can tell from my living conditions that I am barely living above the poverty line. So, you can just leave and I won't tell the police, I promise as long as you don't hurt me."

Dr Akihabara's words caused the stranger to speak up. "Doctor Akiba Akihabara, I'm not here to steal your Ponyta, I've come to make you an offer." The mysterious man said. "I've got ties to an influential organization that wants to use someone with your particular set of skills." The stranger reached into his coat and pulled out a small card with a logo that Dr Akihabara didn't recognize. "Here's my contact information. Think about it, and give me a call if you're interested."

"Not here to steal my Ponyta, you say..." Dr. Akihabara pondered for a while. "Interesting choice of... words." He said "You must be a Pokemon lover like me." The stranger nodded, a small smile on his face. "They do fascinate me, like most living beings do." The mysterious man replied with a nod of his head. "I'm a firm believer that life… no matter the adversity it faces, always finds a way

Dr. Akihabara gave him a wide smile.

"Apologies for my previous rudeness. It's been a while since I spoke with another man of science. Please, do elaborate further on your offer."

"I will be straight with you Doc, my

organization is beyond puzzled as to how

someone with your résumé of

achievements has escaped its radar for so

long." The masked man handed him a phone that the doctor inspected for a moment.

" Our offer is to hand you the necessary funds and the adequate equipped facilities to aid you in your research for the digital pokemon, in return you will provide us with the pokemon. Of course, you will still receive all

the accolades and admiration a genius of

your caliber deserves, but we will be

expecting you to present Porygon to us first."

"Do I look like someone that requires a

strong backing?" Dr. Akihabara asked, this

time with less aggressiveness in his voice.

"You see, I'm nothing if not resourceful

and crafty."

"But that's exactly the point of my visit."

The mysterious man replied. "Alone by

yourself, you've already gone this far. Just

imagine what new discoveries you might

accomplish with the best equipment

money can buy and with a steady supply

of test subjects. Besides…" The mysterious

man said while grabbing something from his trench coat. "Consider this a sign of good faith."

Dr. Akihabara widened his eyes in surprise. "It

is… it is…"

" While, I don't know if you would accept our offer but I can't help but frown that a man of your talents has to struggle in this world just because of your ambitions." The

mysterious man replied as he handed a stack of 10,000 pokedollars to the shell shocked doctor. "My organization has the necessary abilities to give you the life you truly deserve."

"I-I…" The Doctor muttered as the years

he spent isolated perfecting his work

seemingly returned to him. "I thank you for this, it really means a great deal to me."

"Don't mention." The mysterious figure replied as he moved to leave the place.

"You should be receiving a more formal invitation through that phone I gave you. If by some reason you still end up deciding to not work with us, I wish you farewell."

The man stopped. "Oh, and don't worry about your rent, the last six months have already been paid. Consider it one last incentive, my organization is really invested in making business with you. You can use that money to get yourself something nice."

As he was left alone, the scientist with delusions of grandeur finally stopped to consider his current situation and decided that it was time to change.

Abra glanced at the Doctor before he teleported both the man and himself to Saffron City.

[ Saffron City - Pokemon Center ]

The bathroom was small and cramped, the tiles on the floor were chipped and stained, the paint on the walls was peeling and the lightbulb flickered. The mysterious man appeared in the bathroom, his face obscured by a hooded cloak. He stood there for a moment, before his face began to melt and drip like wax, revealing Austin's smiling face underneath. As the goo transformed back into an exhausted Ditto, Austin stroked the Pokemon's head and said, "You did great out there, buddy." Ditto leaned into Austin's arms before falling asleep.

Austin smiled at the sleeping Ditto and Abra, who was floating beside Austin, asked telepathically, { Are you sure that cockroach man would accept your offer ? }

Austin replied, "He will." Abra asked again,

{ Why ? } Austin hesitated for a moment, "Because I gave him a glimpse of way to succeed in his ambitions." Austin said with a little uncertainty in his voice since Dr Akihabara was able to make two porygons in the anime and after some calculations, it would have taken a month or so for present day for the doctor to have completed a Porygon.

Whether the doctor accepts his offer or not was of no concern to Austin as he could just steal Porygon when it was completed. Austin took a deep breath as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie, his hair was neatly combed and his eyes were filled with determination. He wondered what had happened to him, a few months ago the thought of stealing, violence and manipulation to accomplish his goals wouldn't be an option, but now look at how he had turned out. Life truly is unpredictable.

As Austin opened the bathroom door, he was greeted by the sight of all of his Pokemon and yellow, who were all watching some kind of movie. The room was dimly lit and the sound of the movie was playing in the background. Austin's Pokemon were all sitting on the floor, their eyes fixated on the screen, and Yellow was sitting on the couch, her eyes also fixated on the screen. Watching everyone's peaceful faces, Austin couldn't help but smile. He thought to himself, "Maybe this is what it's all about, peace and happiness."

As he walked over to the couch and sat down beside Yellow, he couldn't help but feel content. The sound of the movie, the peaceful faces of his Pokemon, and the company of his friends. This is what life is all about, he thought to himself as he sat there, watching the movie and enjoying the moment.