This is a story I got from an art trade with  Sillylittlesnivy , about Tommy the Toxel finally dipping his toes into the adult world and getting a job.

LINK TO ORIGINAL: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/40668841/

MY HALF OF THE TRADE: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/40469268/

(Possibly) Fun Fact: The reason I waited so long to upload this was because I wanted to properly introduce Tommy before I uploaded it.

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I contently laid in my bed as the morning approached, embraced by the warmth of my blanket and soothed by the rhythmic suckling of the purple and lightning bolt patterned pacifier in my mouth, all while a satisfied smile was on my face. The sun eventually rose and came to greet me as its rays shined through the windows of my apartment, but not even the bright sunlight was capable of disrupting my peaceful slumber; I continued to happily snooze, only deciding to wake up once my tummy started to loudly rumble.

Now roused from my slumber, I yawned and stretched my arms before I slowly rolled out of bed; in all honesty, I wanted to sleep for longer, but my hunger wasn’t something I could simply ignore. I toddled over to my small kitchen before I opened up the pantry and scanned through its rather limited contents; my eyes fixated on a quarter-full container of oatmeal and I grabbed it from the pantry. After that, I took out a bowl and dumped the oatmeal into it before adding water and opening up the microwave and placing the bowl inside of it.

While the oatmeal was heating up, I waddled back to my bedroom and approached my cherished pile of building blocks with a wide smile on my face before I plopped onto my bottom and sat beside them. I continued to suckle on my pacifier and my smile widened as I began to build a tower with the colorful blocks, happily giggling while it grew taller and taller; no matter the situation, my blocks never failed to entertain me. Right as I put the last block on the tower, I heard beeping sounds coming from the microwave; before I went back to the kitchen, a wide grin formed on my face and I toppled the block tower over, bursting into laughter as the blocks scattered all over the floor.

I headed back to the kitchen and took the bowl of oatmeal out of the microwave, sighing in satisfaction as its pleasant aroma emanated throughout the kitchen. However, no breakfast was complete without some of those juicy berries to go along with it; be it Oran, Pecha, Sitrus, or any other kind, berries were my absolute favorite thing to eat.

A wide smile formed on my face and I swung the fridge open, excitedly hopping in place at the prospect of eating some sweet and juicy...

Huh? I’m all out of berries? Well, I guess there’s nothing wrong with plain oatmeal, right? I sat down at the table and took my pacifier out of my mouth, drooling as I stared at my warm bowl of oatmeal for a few moments. I grabbed some globs of oatmeal with my hands and stuffed them into my mouth, giggling as the gooey mush splattered all over my face. Eating food with my hands was something I’ve always enjoyed, yet when other Pokémon saw me eat like this, they’d always say stuff like “When will you start acting like an adult for once, Tommy? You’ll never evolve into a Toxtricity if you keep acting like such a child.”; I didn’t quite get what they meant by “acting like an adult”, nor did I understand why the way I acted was any of their business in the first place.

Brushing that thought aside, I finished the rest of my oatmeal and grabbed one of my bottles before going back to the fridge and taking out a container of juice; I took the container and tilted it towards my bottle only to eventually realize that I was trying to pour juice from a completely empty container.

Well, guess I’ve got no berries to eat and no juice to drink. What was I gonna do now?

I put my pacifier back into my mouth and went back to my bedroom before I grabbed my yellow rattle and sat down, shaking it around while I thought about this. Several minutes passed until I realized that I needed some kind of job if I wanted to get more berries and juice, but what kind of job was I even going to get? This thought circled around my mind for an even longer time as I continued to shake my rattle; come to think of it, this was the first time I ever thought about getting a job.

Eventually, the idea of landing a job at a berry company came to mind, in fact there was one pretty close to my apartment; I’ve always liked eating berries, so it’d probably be pretty easy for me to get a job like that, right?

Having made my decision, I put the rattle down and took the pacifier out of my mouth as it dangled around my neck. I then scanned through my closet and took out a blue t-shirt. Once I put it on, I walked out of my bedroom and put some blue sneakers on; a satisfied smile formed on my face. I was ready to go.

After I walked out of my apartment, I made my way to a green building, stopping at the front of the entrance and looking up at the tall structure before eventually going inside. The building was quite large, and the walls were painted a light shade of green. However, what stood out to me the most was the fact that all of the Pokémon in the building were wearing some kind of fancy suit or dress; was dressing up in funny-looking outfits a requirement for being an adult? If so, I wasn’t so sure I’d have an enjoyable experience.

However, that was the least of my problems, as I didn’t know my way around this place, nor did I have the slightest idea where or who I’d ask about getting a job. I spent several minutes aimlessly wandering around the building and sidestepping around other Pokémon before I stumbled upon a set of elevators. I didn’t know what else to do, so I pressed the button to open the elevator door and stepped inside of it.

However, this presented me with yet another problem, as I didn’t even know which floor I wanted to go to. I eventually decided on pressing the button that would take me to the top floor, as I figured that the button with the highest number just had to be the best option. While the elevator made its ascent, I
couldn’t help but be entranced by the simple elevator music; I shook my tail and wiggled my bottom in tandem with the music, though it abruptly stopped once the elevator reached the top floor.

I stepped out of the elevator and toddled around the area, my footsteps echoing throughout the hall. However, I still had absolutely no idea where I was going, and the fact that there were no other Pokémon in sight gave me no indication of progress. Nonetheless, I spent several minutes toddling around the area, which proved berryless. I figured I'd just leaving the building altogether.

After turning another corner, I spotted a Servine in a red dress outfit and red heels holding a clipboard in her hand; she looked like a pretty serious Pokémon, so I could only assume that she was the one I’d talk to in order to get a job here. I ran up to the snake Pokémon and she turned to face me upon hearing my footsteps. As she turned around, I spotted a name tag clipped to her outfit that read “Cheryl”.

“Hm? What’s a small child like you doing here? Are you lost? Do you need help finding your parents?” Cheryl asked me with a concerned expression on her face.

A noticeable blush immediately formed on my face; this wasn’t the only time I’ve been referred to as a child, though that never seemed to make things any less embarrassing. However, given the genuine expression of concern on Cheryl’s face, it was clearly an honest mistake on her part as opposed to an attempt at belittling me.

“N-no, I’m not lostht and I’m not a child.” I responded a little nervously.

Cheryl’s expression immediately went from one of concern to one of sheer confusion and I saw her do a double take before looking back at me.

“You’re... not a child?” she responded. “Then are you an adult dressed as a child? Is this some sort of joke that I’m not picking up on?”

“No! I’m not making any kind of joke! I justht want a job here!” I replied with a nervous expression.

Cheryl’s eyes narrowed and she glanced at me for a few moments, almost as if she was examining me for any signs of deceitfulness. Eventually, her expression slightly softened after she realized I was being truthful.

“Well...ok then.” Cheryl said, though a hint of confusion was still present in her voice. “May I have your name?” she asked me, giving her clipboard a cursory glance.

“Tommy.” I quickly replied.

“Hmm...Tommy.” Cheryl said to herself while looking through her clipboard. “I don’t see your name on my clipboard. Did you ever schedule an interview?” she asked me.

“Um, what do you mean?” I said as I my head in confusion.

“What do I mean? You’re supposed to schedule an interview in advance, that’s what I mean.” Cheryl let out an exasperated groan and her expression formed into one of visible annoyance. “Wait a minute, did you think you were simply gonna walk in here and get a job just like that?”

“Um, yeah?” I continued to scratch my head in confusion; I didn’t see why getting a job had to be this tricky.

“Well, I hate to break it to you, Tommy, but that’s not how the adult world works. Getting a job is a process, you know.” Cheryl responded.

“Well, um, then can I justht have the interview now?” I looked up at Cheryl with an innocent smile.

“Tommy, I already told you, that’s something you need to schedule beforehand.” Cheryl tapped her foot impatiently.

“Come on, pleeeeeease? I justht want some money cause I’m all outta berries!” I said with wide eyes and a pleading expression.

Once again, Cheryl’s eyes narrowed and she continued to stare at me as an expression of uncertainty remained on her face. Eventually, she let out a sigh and eased up.

“Alright, I’ll give you a quick interview. Be grateful that I don’t have any pressing matters to attend to at the moment.”

I didn’t know if Cheryl accepted this out of kindness or pity, but that didn’t really matter to me. I smiled and waddled into her office, though I was still quite nervous.

“Alright, first things first, I’d like to see your resumé, Tommy.” Cheryl said to me once she walked over to her desk.

My smile faded and my nerves immediately shot up; first I’m told to schedule an interview and now I’m told I need some kind of "resumay" thing? Why did this have to be so difficult?

“My...my what?” I stammered and instinctively put my pacifier in my mouth to calm my nerves.

“You... don’t know what a resumé is?” Cheryl groaned in exasperation. It was pretty clear that she was getting impatient with me. “It’s what lists all of your accolades and accomplishments. Look, if you don’t have one of those, can you tell me about your talents at the very least?”

Suddenly, I felt the sensation of a big load dumping out of my bowels, causing a large lump to form in the back of my diaper as it sagged between my feet, a dopey grin habitually forming on my face and I gave my diaper butt a nice pat.

“I... uh.... what?” Cheryl looked at me with a shocked and wide-eyed expression and she seemed to be at a loss for words. “Never mind, I... I have no further questions...”

“So, isth that it? Do I get the job now?” I asked her before I channeled electricity into my diaper and vaporized the mess within.

“Mother of Arceus...” I heard Cheryl mutter under her breath before she looked back at me. “Look, it’s pretty clear that you have no idea what you’re doing, but I’ll give you some advice just so I don’t feel like this was a complete and utter waste of my time. First of all, you need to actually plan ahead for job interviews; you can’t just waltz in here and expect me to give you a job. Secondly, formal attire is crucial, as you need to make a good first impression if you want a shot at a job. I’d... uh... also recommend ditching the pacifier... among other things.”

“Well, uh, thank you. Bye bye!"

I left the office and headed back to the elevator. As I descended, I thought about the advice Cheryl gave me, and it seemed like every piece of it would come in handy. Well, every piece except that part about ditching my pacifier, cause I sure wasn’t giving that up.

Eventually, I walked out of the building and made my way back to my apartment. It was back to square one for me. Keeping Cheryl’s advice in mind, I went to my bedroom and took out my computer, looking up the nearest berry company and quickly scheduling an interview three hours in advance.

That turned out to be pretty easy, now it was time to do that "resumay" thing; if it was just about listing your skills, then I reckoned it would be a walk in the park. I smiled and enthusiastically opened up a blank document. Now it was just a matter of putting all of my talents such as... uh.... such as- wait, what exactly was I talented at?

I crawled over to my rattle and shook it around as this question bounced around my mind, though it didn’t take terribly long for something to come to mind. I figured I was pretty good at eating berries, and that’s gotta be super useful at a berry company, right?

I added that to the document, and then for good measure I also added that I was decent at talking to Pokémon. With that, my "resumay" was now complete; because of all of that hard work, I felt that I most certainly deserved some time to myself.

I put my pacifier back into my mouth and crawled over to my pile of blocks and with a wide grin on my face, I stacked them up one by one as I tried to make the tallest tower yet. The tower continued to grow taller and time seemed to quickly pass until I had used every single block, Usually, knocking over my block towers was the part I enjoyed most, but this one was simply too good to knock over; I looked up at the tower with an even wider smile on my face and started to crawl around it so I could view my creation from each and every angle.

I wanted to play for longer, but I suddenly yawned and felt my body become heavy; guess job interviews were more draining than I thought. I crawled onto my bed and put the blankets over myself, further comforted by the pacifier in my mouth. After starting at the ceiling for a bit, I promptly fell asleep.

My nap was rather peaceful and I slept soundly. I woke up feeling very refreshed and energized, probably because I slept for two and a half hours.

Wait, two and a half hours?

I took a cursory glance at my alarm clock and I gasped upon checking the time. Oh geez, the interview I scheduled was in five minutes! I gotta hurry up!

I didn’t even bother taking my pacifier out of my mouth as I hastily rummaged my closet for some kind of formal attire. To my dismay, I couldn’t find anything of the sort, so I simply kept what I had on and grabbed my computer before I quickly ran out of my apartment. After a few minutes of running, I stopped at the front of a smaller green building, panting in exhaustion for a few moments before I slightly regained my composure and rushed inside until I found the proper office. Upon entering, I spotted a Breloom and a Grovyle, both in black suits.

“Well well, so I reckon you’re Tommy. Gotta say, you showed up right in the nick of time.” the Breloom said with a chuckle before he introduced himself. “I’m Bradford, pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise, Tommy. I’m Grayson.” the Grovyle said, though I caught a hint of skepticism in his voice. “But, um, if I may ask, what’s this childish getup all about? Don’t tell me you’re actually a-“

“No, I’m not a child, and no, thith isthn’t a joke.” I quickly responded, not wanting a repeat of last time.

“Ooh, an assertive one, I like it!” Bradford said with another chuckle.

“Anyway...” Grayson said with an expression of indifference. “I’d like you to show us your resumé.”

“For sure!” I opened up my computer and smiled with pride as I put in on their desks; this was certainly gonna knock their socks off!

Bradford and Grayson looked at my computer, though I saw that Grayson in particular had a rather annoyed expression.

“Wait a minute, let me take a better look at this.” Grayson pulled my computer closer to him, and I saw his expression form into one of annoyance as he continued to look at it. “There’s... only two sentences on this.”

“I mean, thats two more then what I had lastht time.” I responded.

“What? Is that supposed to impress me? You’re telling me you didn’t even write up a resumé for your last job interview?” Grayson asked me in disbelief.

While Grayson rambled on, I noticed Bradford looking at me with an expression of interest and curiosity, as if he saw something in me that his colleague couldn’t notice.

“Look, Tommy, if you think something like this is going to cut it, then you’ll be dismayed to know that-“

“You’re hired.” Bradford suddenly interjected.

“WHAT?!” Grayson looked over at Bradford with an expression of utter shock on his face.

I wasn’t sure why Grayson was so upset, cause I was overflowing with joy. I couldn’t believe that I finally had a job for myself, much less a job that revolved around one of my favorite things to eat.

“Oh come on, don’t you see, Grayson?” Bradford said with yet another chuckle. “If the peculiar attire alone doesn’t make it obvious, clearly this is someone who is bold, someone who’s not afraid to go against the grain, and we need more Pokémon like that in this company.”

Grayson glanced at me and groaned before looking back at Bradford. I guess the Grovyle didn’t like me all that much, but I didn’t really get why.

“Look, I know you like to be optimistic, Bradford, but this is too far. You think I’m gonna be fine with letting some useless kid work for us?” Grayson said angrily.

“I’m right here, you know. I already told you I’m not a kid. I’m twenty yearsth old, in fact.” I said back with a glare.

“Twenty? You sure you didn’t add an extra zero by mistake?” Grayson harshly retorted.

“Grayson, come on now, that’s no way to treat our newest employee. If I didn’t see anything useful in Tommy, I wouldn’t have hired him, and you’ll see exactly what I mean tomorrow.” Bradford said to Grayson before he looked back at me with a smile. “Anyhoo, sorry about all of that, my colleague sure is strict.” I saw the Breloom glance at the Grovyle
before looking back at me. “I’ll be seeing you bright and early next morning, yea?”

“Yep! Thee ya tomorrow!” I smiled and left the building.

Throughout the entirety of my walk back to my apartment, a wide smile remained on my face, cause it sure was nice to know there was someone out there who had faith in me. Other Pokémon told me that I was incompetent, that I was useless, or that I didn’t know how to grow up, so Bradford’s encouraging words were a much needed change of pace.

Upon entering my apartment, I heard a loud rumble come from my tummy I guess job interviews could also make you hungry, who would've thought?

I waddled over to my fridge and looked inside, smacking my lips as I spotted a box of chicken nuggets. I opened it up and dumped all of the nuggets onto a plate before placing them in the microwave. While the nuggets heated up, I couldn’t help but energetically toddle around the kitchen, as I was teeming with excitement at the prospect of being able to work at a berry company. Eventually, the nuggets were ready and I took them out of the microwave. It was unfortunate that I still didn’t have any berries or juice to go with them, but at least I knew it wouldn’t remain this way for too long.

I looked down at my plate and smacked my lips once again before I grabbed a few nuggets and stuffed them into my mouth; they were so easy to make yet they tasted so good, and this only compelled me to eat more of them. I grabbed the rest of them and greedily scarfed them down, a wide grin forming on my face as I gave my full belly a satisfied pat.

However, it wasn’t too long before I yawned and felt my eyes become heavy. Slowly but surely, I made my way back to my bedroom and opened up my closet with the remaining energy I had left. I looked around for a bit before my eyes eventually spotted my blue onesie, which I grabbed before shutting the closet. I then placed my feet into the onesie and pulled it up to my chest before zipping it up.

I smiled contently as the warmth of the onesie enveloped my body, though this only caused my body to become even heavier. It was so comforting that it made me want to fall asleep right on the spot, though I resisted the temptation and wearily toddled over to my bed. The moment I climbed onto the bed, I pulled the covers over myself and gave a comforted sigh as my head promptly fell onto my pillow.

Securely nestled in my bed, I popped my pacifier into my mouth and happily suckled on it, smiling as I closed my eyes and started to fall asleep. However, before I drifted off into a deep sleep, I felt the sensation of a large lump forming in the back of my diaper. I was probably messing myself, but truthfully, I didn’t really care. Eventually, my bowels emptied themselves and I had to slightly spread my legs to accommodate the mess lurking in my diaper. Normally I’d use my electricity to get rid of the mess, but right now I was way too tired for that. Plus I kinda like having a poopy diaper, if I'm being honest. Besides, being a poison type had its perks, as it made me incapable of getting any kind of rash. My smile widened and I gave the back of my onesie a firm pat before completely drifting off to sleep.

I slept soundly through the night, though I squirmed and fidgeted as the sun’s rays started to peek through my window, not wanting my slumber to be disrupted as I tried to keep my eyes shut. It was only after a few more minutes passed that I realized I had to get up for my first day of work.

Eventually, I opened my eyes, though I felt a little groggy upon waking up. Guess I wasn’t used to waking up early for stuff like this. I yawned and began to stretch, though I heard a loud squishing sound come from my onesie the moment I sat up, as if to remind me of the mess I made before I had fallen asleep. I chuckled in response and patted the lump in my onesie before I concentrated a strong current of electricity into my diaper and erased the large mess.

With that out of the way, I hopped out of my bed and toddled to the kitchen. I then opened up the pantry and groaned upon realizing that its contents were even more limited than they were the day before; at the very least, it was a comforting thought to know this wouldn’t be the case for long.

Finding nothing of use in the pantry, I opened up the fridge and took out a carton of milk before pouring it into one of my bottles. After putting the bottle in the microwave, I toddled over to the couch and sat down, thinking about what my first day of work at a berry company was going to be like. Maybe I’d get to make berries of my own, or maybe I’d create new kinds of products with them. Ooh! Maybe I’d get to taste test the berries! Boy, that sure would be amazing!

I smiled at the thought, though it was soon disrupted by the beeping of the microwave. I waddled over to the microwave and took the bottle out, which now felt rather warm in my grasp. I quickly went back to my same spot on the couch and lifted the bottle up before biting down on the nipple. I was immediately rewarded with a torrent of warm milk to my taste buds and I sighed in satisfaction while I greedily drank from my bottle, contently patting my tummy once I was finished.

Finished with my breakfast, I went back to my bedroom and approached the large block tower I had built yesterday. I smiled as I prepared to knock it over like I always do, and knock it over I did with a smack of my tail. Again I laughed as the tower crumbled and the blocks scattered all over the floor.

I then sat down and grabbed a handful of blocks, eager to build something new. I was about to start building, but then I quickly realized that I wouldn’t have time for such things since I had to go to work pretty soon. As excited as I was for my first day, I couldn’t deny that it felt really strange to have some kind of responsibility on my shoulders, to not be able to solely dedicate my time to staying in my apartment and playing to my heart’s content.

With a shrug, I got up and went over to my closet before taking out a yellow t-shirt which I quickly put it on. I found a pair of yellow sneakers after leaving my room, and put those on as well. I know I didn’t have any kind of “formal” attire, so to speak, but the fact that my shirt and shoes were matching colors had to be a good thing, right?

Regardless of all that, I was ready to go and soon waddled out of my apartment. It was nice to not have to rush over to the building like I had to for yesterday’s interview, as it gave me the time I needed to compose for whatever kind of work I was going to do on the first day.

I eventually entered the building and approached the same office I went to yesterday. Upon entering, I came face to face with Bradford and Grayson once again. The Breloom looked at me with a smile, while the Grovyle looked at me with what seemed like an annoyed scowl.

“Well, there’s the man of the hour. Welcome to your first day of work, Tommy!” Bradford said to me.

“Yes, welcome to your first day here.” Grayson said to me, though the annoyed scowl remained on his face. Guess he still doesn't like me too much.

“Anyways, Grayson is gonna show you the ropes for what you’re gonna do today.” Bradford said before he looked back at the Grovyle. “Think of it as an opportunity to get to know our new employee better.” he said to him with a smile.

“Of course.” Grayson replied as his scowl slightly softened. “Tommy, follow me.”

I walked out of the office and followed him from behind, a smile formed on my face as I thought about what my first day would entail.

“Thoo, um, what am I gonna do today? Am I gonna make berriesth? Am I gonna eat berriesth? Do I get free berriesth here?” I asked him.

“No, no, and no.” Grayson responded with a groan. “If you think this job is just going to be all fun and games, then you’re sadly mistaken.”

“Well, um, then what do you do here, Graython?” I asked him.

“I’m on the marketing side of things along with Bradford. We’re the ones who do all things related to advertising and analyzing the markets so that we can sell our products as efficiently as possible.”

I couldn’t help but yawn in response. I didn’t fully understand what that last part meant, but it sure sounded boring.

“Um, that thoundsth kinda boring, don't 'cha think?” I said in response.

Grayson stopped like a stone in response to my question, causing me to almost bump into him. Shortly after, he turned around and looked at me with a glare that would rival a Luxray.

“Look kid, you need to realize that work and play are two completely different things. Sure, this job may not fit all of the parameters for 'fun', but I do it because it’s what I’m good at and because it’s what pays the bills. It seems there’s still much you need to learn about the adult world.”

From that point forward, I walked behind him in silence. We walked down multiple flights of stairs, and by the time we made it all the way down, I found myself standing in a large warehouse-like area. Stacks of colored cardboard boxes scattered the area, along with a few other other Pokémon carrying the boxes from one side of the hall to the other.

“Alright, Tommy, here’s your first assignment for the day,” Grayson said to me. “Those colored boxes of berries need to be organized so we know which kinds of berries to distribute to certain stores. I know your resumé leaves more to be desired, but I assume carrying boxes is something you are more than capable of doing, right?”

“Mmhm, but I have justht one question.” I said, looking up at the Grovyle.

“Ok, and just what is that question?” he replied.

“Can I eat the berriesth in those boxthes?” I asked.

“No, Tommy, you may not eat them.” Grayson said with a sigh.

“Awww, not even justht one berry?” I whined and a frown formed on my face.

“Once again, no. Those berries aren’t for you, they’re for the customers who pay for them. Questions aside, I’ll be back in a few hours, for I have my own business to attend to.” Grayson turned around and I watched him walk back up the stairs before he was eventually out of sight.

The moment he left, I couldn’t help but groan in annoyance. I didn’t think working at a berry company would require me to lift boxes of all things, cause how was I supposed to have any kind of fun doing such a boring task?

Trying to cast my boredom aside, I walked over to one of the piles of boxes and grabbed a yellow one from the bottom of the pile before walking to the other side of the area and placing it with the other boxes.

This seemed simple enough, but it wasn’t long before I realized how repetitive it all was. Walk to a box. Pick up a box. Walk to the other side. Put the box in the pile. Walk to a box. Pick up a box. Walk to the other side. Put the box in the- Uggggh! I can’t take this anymore! Was this what it meant to “grow up”? Was this what being in the “adult world” is like? If so, I certainly didn’t like it.

After what felt like many hours, I saw everyone else start to head back and I breathed a sigh of relief. I was about to head back as well, but then I heard a loud rumble come from my tummy and I instinctively turned around, facing the many boxes of berries. I knew I was told not to eat them, but on the other hand, I sure was hungry.

I looked around the area, and upon realizing that nobody else was there, I slowly walked back to the pile of boxes and a gleeful smile formed on my face as I opened up a yellow box containing large amounts of Sitrus berries. Even if I was told not to eat them, I figured that having just a few berries wouldn’t hurt, right? I grabbed a handful of the berries and stuffed them into my mouth, my smile widening as their sweet juices enveloped my taste buds.

However, right as I was about to close up the box, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I quickly turned around and immediately spotted Grayson looking at me with a rather angry expression.

“Are you kidding me, Tommy?! I told you not to eat those!” he said to me with a raised voice.

“But I justht had a few of them!” I replied with a sheepish smile. “Bethides, I carried the boxthes like you asthked.”

I saw him look around the area for a few moments before looking back at me.

“Well... at the end of the day, you still did the work I asked of you.” he said with a groan. “I don’t want you eating those berries ever again though, got it?”

“Aww, ok.” I replied with a shrug.

“Anyways, it’s time you come back with me. You’ll be getting your next assignment from Bradford.”

I nodded and began to follow Grayson back up many flights of stairs before returning to the office building. Whatever this new assignment was going to be, I sure hoped it wouldn’t be as boring as the last one.

“Ah, welcome back.” the Breloom smiled as Grayson and I walked back into the office. “Tommy, this next assignment is one that every first-timer has gone through. Today, you’re gonna show us what you’re capable of by selling berries the old-fashion way, and by that I mean going door to door throughout the town.”

I wasn’t too sure how to feel about this, but any thought I would have had was disrupted from Grayson’s interjection.

“Look, I know it’s tradition and all, but do you think we could move this to another day? Given his lack of a resumé, he probably doesn’t even know how to do a sales pitch, and I’d rather not waste time that could be spent on more productive matters.

For some reason, this only made Bradford’s smile widen until he was grinning from ear to ear.

“With someone like Tommy, we won’t need to teach him how to do a sales pitch!” the Breloom replied.

“I... don’t get what you mean.” the Grovyle replied with a puzzled expression.

“I told you yesterday that I had a reason for hiring Tommy, didn’t I?” Bradford replied as the grin remained on his face. “I remember that you mistook Tommy for a little child when you first met him, and that’s something we can use to our advantage. The fact is, nobody is gonna say no to a little child selling berries to them. It's foolproof! Heck, Tommy’s even got a yellow t-shirt and sneakers on, it’s like he planned for this.”

For once, I saw Grayson crack a smile in return.

“You know, I must admit, that’s not a bad idea.” the Grovyle responded.

The two Grass-types then looked at me with curiosity, though I was still quite confused.

“Tho, uh, what am I thuppothed to do then?” I asked them.

“Simple, you just gotta act cute and ask the customers to buy your berries. I’d suggest putting that pacifier of yours to good use.” Bradford replied.

“Huh? Um, ok then.” I put the pacifier in my mouth and started sucking on it; other Pokémon would usually call me immature for having a pacifier, so it was quite strange to hear someone tell me to use it.

“Perfect, now let’s head out.” Bradford said as he grabbed a pair of keys from his desk.

I then followed the two Grass-types out of the office. We made our way outside of the building and I saw Bradford use his keys to unlock a light green car parked nearby. I crawled into the back seat while Bradford and Grayson sat in the driver’s and passenger seat respectively. After a few minutes of driving, they stopped near a col-de-sac with numerous houses around it.

“Alright, here’s your first stop. You better make this worth my time.” Grayson said to me before handing me a basket with many small boxes of berries.

Tentatively, I hopped out of the car and walked up to one of the houses. I stood at the front door for a few moments, since I honestly had no idea how I was gonna do this. Eventually, I knocked on the door and was soon greeted by a Wigglytuff staring me right in the face.

“Oh! I haven’t seen you around here before. May I help you?” she asked me.

“Um, c-can you b-buy my bewwies?” I said nervously while I held a box to her, my pacifier causing me to lisp everything I said (well, more than usual).

“Aww, why of course I can, cutie!” the Wigglytuff smiled at me and took the box from my hands before replacing it with some coins.

“T-tank you.” I said before I walked away.

I stood in place for a few moments to regain my composure, though I just had to ask myself this one question: how did that actually work? No, that had to be some kind of fluke, or maybe that Wigglytuff was just being really nice to me. I guess I’d just have to find out for myself and try again. So I walked over to the adjacent house and knocked, which caused the owner, a Raichu, to open the door.

“Oh, hello there! Who are you?” he asked me.

“I’m Tommy. Wanna buy thome bewwies?” I asked, trying to come off as more confident this time around.

“Awww, sure thing, pal!” he took a box and gave me the money in exchange.

Once again, I was in complete shock that it worked, but I sure wasn’t gonna complain about that. I approached the other houses and, to my satisfaction, I got the exact same result. With a smile on my face, I went back to the car and was met with resounding approval from the two Grass-types.

“Dang, you got sales from all the houses there. Gotta say, that’s some pretty impressive work, Tommy.” Bradford said to me.

“I must admit the same. Truthfully, I didn’t expect much from you, but this is quite a pleasant surprise.” Grayson added with a grin.

We continued this process from neighborhood to neighborhood, all while the sales continued to rack up. However, as satisfying as it was, I was getting awfully tired by the time we had gone to the last neighborhood.

Drowsily, I trudged over to the last house and knocked on the door, and shortly after knocking a Lurantis answered the door.

“Yes? Hello?” the Lurantis said as she stared at me.

“Hewwo, you wanna buy thome bewwies?” I asked with a smile as I held a box out to her.

“Hm? Berries? Sorry, I’m not interested at the moment.” she replied.

“Pweeeease? Just one boxth?” I pleaded, as I just wanted to finish on a good note.

“Look, you’re cute and all, and I appreciate the offer, but I’m just not that intere-

SPLOOOOORTCH!!

Without warning, a large torrent of mess piled into my diaper, causing it to become very lumpy as it slumped onto the ground. At that point, I was just gonna turn around and take my leave, but instead something else happened.

“Oh, good heavens! That’s absolutely rancid!”

Suddenly, she grabbed the box of berries and dropped some money onto the ground.

“Ok, I bought your berries, now can you please leave?”

“Um, ok then.” I walked back to the car, though not before cleaning my diaper with a surge of electricity. Once I got back in, I saw Bradford and Grayson looking at me with a mix of shock and satisfaction.

“Wow, I know I told you to act like a little kid, but I didn’t think you’d be that committed to the act. That’s dedication on a whole new level.” Bradford said with a laugh.

I was about to interject and say that it wasn’t even intentional, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing it would be better that way.

“No kidding. I guess Bradford was right when he said you were bold.” Grayson added. “I wouldn’t have even done a thing like that for all the money in the world.”

I smiled, proud of the job I had done and the respect I had gained from my colleagues. It was a pleasant drive back to the company building, and once we all got out of the car, our work was done.

“Once again, Tommy, amazing work out there today. I look forward to working with you again tomorrow morning.” Bradford told me with a nod of approval.

“Mm-hmm! Theeya later.” I was about to leave, but I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned back around and saw that it was Grayson -of all Pokémon- who stopped me.

“Before you go, I think it’s only fair that I apologize to you.” the Grovyle started to say to me. “I know that I tend to come off as rather... abrasive. If you thought I hated your guts, I can’t blame you, but just know that I said such things out of genuine concern for the company I value so much, not out of hatred or malice.”

Grayson took a deep breath and sighed before he continued to speak.

“Look, I’ll be honest, you are the most peculiar Pokémon I’ve ever met by a long shot, and I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone stranger than you. However, you got the job done, and that’s something I have to respect you for.”

He turned around and faced the building, though not before giving me one last salutation.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Tommy. You have a good rest of your day.” he said to me before walking back inside the building.

With that, I turned back around and walked back to my apartment, proud of what I had accomplished in spite of all the difficulties.

Maybe, just maybe, the adult world was something I could get used to.

End