Science had never been his interest.

[break][break] That had been his father's passion, his brother's skill, and mentor's profession. It was his inheritance. Yet, ironically, somehow he had been a part of it his entire life. He's grown up in laboratories as much as he had in stuffy offices, as much as he'd in tight formal suits that he had been forced to be accustomed to. It had not taken to him like it had other things that his father had taught him.

[break][break] Yet if there was one thing that he could admire from it all, it was the pokemon.

[break][break] Jayden had a soft spot for them, even if he may not always openly admit it.

[break][break] The pharmaceutical company heir strolled through Petalberg Woods just behind the famous head professor Eva Morales . Instead of a cart of eggs, his Noctowl was carrying a batch of them in a large bag and flying just beside them. He had volunteered his time for it — or rather, someone had found him and bullied him into the endeavor. Yet, Jayden strangely found he didn't mind.

[break][break] "There's a nice breeze in the air," he agrees, then blinks at her question. He pauses, then looks down at the eggs on hand. Jayden isn't a breeder — he's not too familiar with them.

[break][break] His head tilts. "Maybe they belong to someone rich or famous?"

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The beating of wings is slow and methodic, and alongside the heat from the nearby Magmortar, it is a comforting reprieve from his thoughts.

[break][break] His smile is polite and professional. "Nice to meet you, Eva. I'm Michail Volkov."

[break][break] 'Eva...' The name rings a bell, but he isn't sure quite what. Only —

[break][break] The boy blinks with surprise. "Dr. Morales?" In his research that he had done before returning to Hoenn, he vaguely remembers an article about a Dr. Morales being appointed to her position. Curiosity flickers through his gaze as he looks at her anew, and then maybe at the eggs that they are transporting.

[break][break] His head tilts. "Maybe they wanted your professional opinion." 'Or maybe it's for experimentation,' but he keeps those thoughts to himself. The league, at least, shouldn't be privy to the more sinister side.

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His head tilts curiously. "Do genetics not play a part?" Perhaps Dr. Morales was the type who believed in nurture over nature.

[break][break] "I don't know much about eggs," he confessed softly, pushing forward. "Father always had more experience in live subjects." At her words, he turns back towards her. Pausing.

[break][break] "A lucky egg? Are some eggs luckier than others?"

[break][break] As he said this, a wheel ran over some stray eggant berries, the blue color splattering against the pavement.

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Ah. So perhaps not all Head Scientists were the same. He thinks briefly of illeana reyes.

[break][break] He glances towards her as she gestures to one pokemon in particular and finds himself mimicking her, fingers ghosting by. He had never quite considered the different textures of pokemon eggs — while he was fond of the live creatures, they'd only ever come his way after their conception. "I didn't realize pokemon eggs were so different," he admits.

[break][break] It's only after she explains it that he realizes. He remembers his father testing a fair few of them in the lab, back in the day. Though he was too young to have realized what the details were. "Do you... think the opposite is possible?" If pokemon could eat things that would help them grow, couldn't they eat something similar to stunt it?

[break][break]Not, of course, that he'd want to.

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"That is... cool."

[break][break] The word feels unnatural in his mouth; he's not used to using such identifiers to refer to anything, save for maybe his ghost-types. Still, he appreciates the words and finds it fitting for the situation. He never thought too much about eggs, so it was interesting to note how relevant their genetic code was... and how it could morph as they developed.

[break][break] "Hm."

[break][break] Pokemon were meant to be used for the glory of the organization, but even Team Rocket wouldn't find much use in a malnourished pokemon.

[break][break] "Do you mean Eviolites?" he asked. He remembered his mother having stolen one from one of her missions. Useless she had said, with a frown. Both of his parents had never really been the types to see much use in preventing a pokemon - or for that matter, a human - from reaching it's full potential.

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He blinks.

[break][break] "Oh, I'm a student. I'm doing a Master's at Slateport University, in Business Administration and Chemistry." If she looked up his name, it would only probably take a few minutes for her to discover his lineage, the fact that he was heir to Wyndon Cross Pharmacuticals. At the moment, the board of directions dictated most of the movement within the organization — but now that Jayden was on Hoenn, perhaps things would change.

[break][break] He looks a little sheepish, rubbing his neck. "I was actually out of the region for a bit — family issues." A pause. "It's nice to be back, though."

[break][break] Violet eyes train on his Noctowl, who flew forward to meet the rep at their destination. They were almost there, after all.

[break][break] Jayden stayed behind though, glancing back at Eva Morales. "I did fight in the Hoenn Star Tournament, after all." His mouth twists in a bemused smile. "I believe we played some frisbree together."

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"It's for my —" he starts, only pausing as he remembers Gavin's words. His father wasn't around anymore, no matter how much the ghost of Dmitri seemed to follow him wherever he went. "My job. I work for a pharmacutical company."

[break][break] That was putting it lightly, at least. Though, he was fairly sure the likes of someone as important as the League's head scientist might not care about trivial things like that.

[break][break] Home.

[break][break] He's not sure if he would call Hoenn home, but it certainly wasn't a stranger anymore.

[break][break] "It definitely was," he says, lips pressed together. "Were you able to tame any of the ultrabeasts?" After all, it wasn't exactly a secret that the winners of the tournament had gotten access to such powerful pokemon — though, he wasn't quite sure how far Eva Morales had gotten in the competition.

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