Jessica's Pokemon Adventure
Chapter 1 (A Window Worker Story) The majority of business students at Jessica’s university had decided to make their fortunes in the city upon graduating. The usual corporate types who buy and sell on the stock markets, shifting piles of clients’ money around in a glorified gambling house, betting that China would not do as well as Russia in trade negotiations with the West, or that the new Alaskan oil field would produce a tidy return for its investors. Bankers, financiers and the usual cliché that graduates could look forward to with a 1:1 degree that Jessica was, unless she messed up badly on the final term, projected to get. However profitable this life promised to be, it held little interest for her. No, the way Jessica saw her talents being used were in the production field. Although many Western countries manufactured a variety of high tech engineering products, like cars and satellites, the real opportunities were in the East. Japan had enjoyed a high level of economic growth for some time. Malaysia was fast catching up and many high tech metal and carbon fibre components had been produced in these countries. China had looked promising for a time, but their growth had stalled. However, oil and gas from Russian pipelines, combined with minerals and natural resources from Africa, which China had been grooming since the 50s, meant that when the country eventually got its butt into gear, it would be very dangerous indeed. So since this was where the future was, this would be where Jessica would be. She had therefore learned several languages. Although her Malay was a little weak, she was fluent in Japanese and Chinese Mandarin and was quite strong in several other dialects and languages. She was therefore confident, having also spent a gap year working in a global cycle manufacturing plant in Asia that she could land the career that she wanted when she qualified. Her parents had also travelled widely when she was growing up, which is why Jessica was able to pick up languages quickly. In addition to study, Jessica spent her free time enjoying the benefits of a university town with broad range of societies. Because she was studying at Cambridge she might have expected to join a rowing club. However, cycling is quite popular in the city and so she joined the Cambridge Union Cycling Club, who would do regular rides into the fens. This would involve a midweek evening ride of about two hours and then a Sunday ride of four or five hours, or around fifty miles. Somehow these rides always ended up at a pub in the middle of nowhere. She also liked running and had won a few medals with the running society. Between the running and the cycling, it was fair to say that her legs were quite strong. She also indulged her creative side by joining the Cambridge Union Pottery Society. CUPS enjoyed a reasonably equipped studio in the basement of one of the colleges, with three electric wheels, a couple of kick wheels, wooden benches, a drying cupboard, a large front loading kiln and enough raw materials to mix up a wide variety of glazes. Jessica like to throw large pots on the wheel. Centring and throwing 12 kg of clay at a time takes a lot of effort and this helped her to develop a reasonable amount of strength in her arms and actually helped to develop her abs. This diversity of activities, along with long hours of study, meant that as well as gaining a good degree, she was popular, had a good circle of friends and was quite fit. During the final year Jessica applied for several positions and also showed her face at the college milk round, where companies come to the university in an employment fair, to attract the brightest and the best that Cambridge had to offer. Tanaka was high on Jessica’s wish list, as they were a long established international manufacturer specialising in electronics. As well as the usual consumer items, Tanaka also boasted a robotics division and a medical division. The fact that this company diversified into several branches meant that there was plenty of opportunity for a young, ambitious woman like Jessica. Another reason why she was targeting a Japanese company, who had traditionally safeguarded the high ranking jobs for the Japanese, was that a falling birth rate on the mainland had opened up avenues which were usually closed to Westerners. Jessica shared her dorms with Holly. Holly, although bright, was easily led and influenced. A bit ditsy at times, but still great for a girls night out and generally a good housemate. Jessica had just finished up Tanakas application and had gone into the lounge for a coffee. “God Holly, I have got so much work to do. But this is a dream job. What about you?” “I don’t have much on at the moment. I have a few jobs that look interesting. I have also applied for Tanaka. All of these applications are pretty much all the same, so it should be a matter of just copying a lot of the text from one of the other forms,” Holly offered. Jessica considered for several moments before answering. “No I think I will do an individual application. If you could have a look at the last one and let me know what you think I would be grateful though. I have pretty much completed it. Just a silly psychological questionnaire to fill out and it’s done. That would allow me to go over my assignment one last time before moving onto the class project for Friday.” Holly readily agreed and within minutes had taken Jessica’s place at the computer looking at the multiple choice questionnaire. She must have done a reasonable job, Jessica mused as she sat on the plane, some six months later, heading for one of Tanakas production facilities on a small pacific island. Not only had Jessica got the job, but Holly had flown out a few weeks earlier. So, she mused, her proof reading and ideas for Hollies application must have been reasonable. Holly was not in the production facility though, so she may not be able to hook up with her old room mate straight away. Looking out of the window the view was not overly inspiring. It was a typically self-contained, workers island, where everything belonged to the company. It was similar, in many respects, to the industrial towns of the 19th century, but with better beaches and better workers cottages. In any event, having Tanaka on her CV would not hurt and it offered a great deal of opportunity for the graduate. Strangely, when it came, the interview had been remarkably straightforward. She had splashed out on an interview suit from a second hand shop, in a deep green that showed off her eyes to the best, making them appear larger and deeper. Her long black hair held up by a chop stick arrangement, allowed her freshly curled hair to cascade down her neck, while simple drop gold ear rings subtly stated her elegance. The short skirt helped to show off her long legs, as did the three inch black court shoe. Overall, she was pleased with the effect. It had taken a reasonable effort to get her to this stage, starting with the application form, she had then carried out a telephone interview where she had to answer a series of stock questions. She was then invited to a group interview at the regional offices, where along with thirty people, she was to spend the day performing various group related tasks that eventually led her to be shortlisted for a more traditional panel interview the following week. The panel itself consisted of a regional manager, a member of the HR team and then another manager from, well she was not sure, but she would say that he was from the corporate side of the business. A probing series of questions filled the next hour as Jessica put all of her communication skills to best effect. They asked her about her course, her plans and career goals, as well as her sport and interest in fitness. They seemed particularly pleased with her running prowess and felt that she may be a good candidate to join Tanaka. This was confirmed in writing shortly after and now, just a few weeks after the interview, Jessica Reynolds found herself looking out of the window of the twin engine turbo propped aircraft as it lost height and banked on its approach to a small airfield on the North of an Island owned by the company. To say that she had been whisked off of her feet was an understatement. She had very little time to arrange for furniture to be sold, or gifted to her friends, while her entire life had been crammed into two suitcases. Twenty four years of life and all that she had to show for it was compacted down into the hold of a small aircraft, her life lost amidst the luggage of the three passengers who she shared the cabin with. She idly wondered if they had an equally fast life changing experience. They had made pleasant conversation about nothing in particular, but the talk had quickly subsided now that they approached their destination. It had been a gruelling series of flights to get her this far, flying half way around the world before eventually landing in Tokyo, staying overnight in a hotel near the airport, before climbing onto a charter flight out to one of the islands owned by Tanaka. The island itself, as far as she could see, looked quite modern. Although she had watched the corporate videos, she had still expected palm trees and dirt roads. There were palm trees, but the roads looked well paved. In addition to this she could make out the urban sprawl of modern workers accommodations, shops and parks. The aircraft banked again and lined up for final approach. As it banked she could make out industrial buildings and warehouses rushing towards her as the small aircraft fell from the sky. As the plane levelled out she eventually lost site of the crystal clear turquoise sea, to be replaced by a yellow flash of sand and then the final descent onto tarmac, jarring her from her comfortable contemplation as buildings on the other side of the airport rushed past to the sound of the engines and the sharp squeal of tyres. Eventually the headlong rush slowed and a simple one story terminal building came into site as the plane taxied closer, stopping at its designated parking area. As the plane eventually stopped Jessica unbuckled her seat and retrieved her hand luggage. She hated waiting, but knew that she would be unloaded and deposited at the speed set by the crew of the aircraft as they completed various checks before leaving the cabin and opening the door to the front of the aircraft, having first watched a small vehicle approach and align its boarding steps up with the aircraft door. The peace and quiet were now shattered as she disembarked and worked her way through customs, retrieving her luggage beforehand and, along with the other passengers, being met at the terminal by a small Japanese woman holding a placard containing Jessica’s name, along with those of the other passengers. She had expected heat and she had expected some discomfort, having come directly from a moderately cool Cambridge, to a much warmer Japanese mainland airport, she thought she knew what the climate would be like. However, the southward journey to the actual island felt like the temperature had ramped up to gas mark 5 on the oven and she was blasted by a wall of heat as she stepped out of the plane. This was the height of summer though and she had been expecting something of this nature. But reality was always different to your expectations and she mentally groaned as she noted dark sweat patches start to form under her arms. Another hour in a seven seater car saw Jessica the third person to be deposited at her lodgings on the other side of the island. She was met by another company representative and shown to her apartment complex which boasted a swimming pool and, according to the representative, a small shopping area on the other side of the complex. Jessica was too tired to care. Having said her goodbyes to her guide, who would come to collect her the following day for her orientation, Jessica found herself showered, wearing a comfortable light cotton nightie and collapsing into bed. Jessica awoke in the early morning with the sunrise just pouring through the open window of her apartment. She had not pulled the blinds and that was the reason for her early awakening. Leaning over she grabbed her mobile phone to check the time. At the moment her phone was quite useless, but once she could set up WiFi she should be able to access the internet. She was not sure about telephone contracts on the island, but would ask about this during her orientation. The apartment had the feel of a hotel suite, as well as a guest information brochure. Reading through the brochure enabled her to access the employee social internet on her phone, but could not access the employee sections of the company site until she had completed her induction. During breakfast of a fruit salad from the basket she had found, as a part of her welcome pack in the kitchen, she had watched the news while she marshalled her thoughts for the coming day. The international news was the usual mixture of wars and politics. The local news held more interest. Jessica had been following the story, since she left England, of a Japanese athlete who had been struck by meningitis. She had become a quadruple amputee. Jessica could not imagine what she was going through, but she was recovering slowly and she had stated that she intended to resume her running career and enter the Paralympics. Jessica could not help but be inspired. After a longish shower, where she took care to shave her legs and arm pits, Jessica sorted through the outfits that she had unpacked yesterday. A simple lightweight skirt and jacket in light choral, combined with an ivory blouse gave the correct business impression, while remaining lightweight enough to stay comfortable, she felt that she would make a good impression on her first day. Twenty minutes later, having made up her face, brushed her hair and selected simple jewellery, she was ready when she heard a knock at the door. A small Japanese man in a lightweight business suit stood at the door smiling broadly. The Orientals are typically smaller than westerners. Jessica being quite tall for a woman anyway, at five foot ten, but even so she doubted that the skinny businessman standing before her could have been more than four foot five. “Ohayō gozaimasu Townsend San?” the man stated before bowing to the precise angle required for a formal greeting. Jessica smiled before answering that she was, returning the bow. “I am Mr Yamato. I am your induction co-ordinator and trainee liaison. If you will follow me, we will head over to the main offices and start your induction”. Jessica was instantly grateful for all of the time that she had spent learning the language and, after exchanging a few pleasantries and retrieving her hand bag, she followed Mr Yamato out of the building towards one of the many bus stops around the island. They did not have long to wait before a small bus arrived. Although there were a few people on the bus it was not what Jessica would consider crowded. Not after some of her experiences with public transport in England. However, soon she was seated next to her diminutive colleague, exchanging the usual bland pleasantries that fill the time and help to forge business relationships. The next seven hours were to prove a whirlwind of activity. After signing in at reception and going through security to get an employee ID and become registered on the IT systems, she had to sit through an hour long induction speech. This was followed by a whirlwind tour of the head office and surrounding buildings, before being shown to the office where she would be working. Mr Yamato proved to be an invaluable guide, easing her through the various stages of induction. “So how long will you be with me Yamato San?” Jessica asked. “Typically I will be working closely with you for the first two weeks. After that I will leave you to settle in. Since you are a part of the management training program, I will act as a liaison between you and the company to ensure that you are able to gain all of the training, throughout the various departments, for the remainder of the course. You are not the only management trainee that we have on the island. In fact all of the trainees are in your apartment block. I live in apartment 7a, so that you can talk to me at any time. As well as the monthly one to ones, I like to have an open door policy for those in my charge, so that they can come and find me at any time to discuss issues that they might have.” Staggering through the door some hours later, Jessica felt exhausted. She had come home on the same bus as her liaison, but had stopped at the corner shop to get some essentials in. In addition to this she had been given two sets of the company uniform, a nondescript grey trouser and jacket affair, with a peaked cap. The company logo was emblazoned on the left breast. Despite the bland mouse grey colour, she still liked what it did to show off her curves. After making a cup of tea she put the radio on and began to cook her evening meal. After lunch she spent her time reading the company literature and induction booklets, while listening to the TV on the background. Over the next few weeks Jessica got into a routine of jogging, before breakfast when the day was still moderately cool and then heading for work after a quick shower. She started to make friends and generally find her feet as she settled into the company. She had met Holly on the occasional Sunday, for a get together and meal, as well as texting every other day. But other than that, at the weekends she shopped, pre-cooked ready meals and also explored the local area for things to do. She even found a traditional potter and went to visit him in his studio. Unlike western wheels, the Japanese use kick wheels that are sunk into the floor so that the potter sits over the wheel and kicks a wheel attached to the lower part of the assembly below ground level. It was fascinating to watch and she was even permitted to have a go on the wheel. She bought a traditional tea set for her home. Unlike a British tea pot, the Japanese have a handle protruding out of the side, similar to a soup bowl. This has been thrown as a cylinder before being stuck on to the side, rather than the rear of the pot, at a 90 degree angle to the spout. A simple Celadon glaze finishing off the pot and handle less cups nicely. This, she felt, would be an importance piece of ceramic to own if she invited friends around for tea. Unfortunately, cycles were a bit of a luxury item on the island, given how much it would cost to get one shipped over from the mainland. As such she would not be able to indulge in her passion for some time. She therefore had to be content with jogging until such time as she could order a bike, since she had already seen some likely trails for training. She did not limit her jogs to the local circuit that she used in the morning and would usually explore further afield at the weekend. One such foray gave her pause for thought. Jessica was out jogging on one of the footpaths that linked the various worker villages on a Saturday morning when she came to a main park. As she was jogging along she thought she saw a Pokemon. Stopping in her tracks she looked more closely and no she was not mistaken. A Pokemon was walking on four stubby legs along the path ahead of her, being led on a lead by a young Japanese woman. The pair disappeared into the trees ahead of her, on a path that branched towards a series of worker cottages. She was tempted to follow them, but did not want to appear rude. However, she had trouble gaining her rhythm for another half a mile. Although perplexing, she did not want to disturb Mr Yamato and so waited until Monday morning before questioning him about it. They still travelled in on the bus and so she brought up the subject when she sat next to him. “Yamato san. I saw something quite extraordinary over the weekend and hoped that you could help me”. Mr Yamato considered. “I would be more than happy to help you with any questions that you have. This is what I am paid for after all Townsend san”. “I was out jogging the other day and, while running through one of the parks, I thought I saw a woman leading a Pokemon on a lead along one of the parks. Ummmm. I know I did not imagine it, but what is going on? Why would somebody dress up in costume?” Mr Yamato smiled before answering. “You have heard of Aname?” “Yes. It is a major part of modern Japanese culture. I have heard that people like to dress up as characters and go to conventions. Is that what is happening here?” “Yes. Many of our workers love Aname and like to dress up as their favourite characters for parties or functions. We even have two Commicon events each year, which some of the staff love to attend. The next one is due next month. I can send you the details if you would like Townsend san?” Mr Yamato beamed. Jessica considered before beaming a wide smile in return. “Yes. I think I would like that. Thank you Yamato san.” ...