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Bill sighed.
While recruiting Silas reduced considerably the charge on his back, he still had to deal with all the damned paperwork and legalese.
He could manage it until Angus' return, but if the latter had to deal with it, another nervous breakdown wouldn't be a question of if, but of when.
"Well, ain't got no choice. We've got to hire a secretary."
And he started contacting the papers so they'd publish the call for a secretary in the classified ads.

It was a disaster.
Many people were interested, and pretty damn competent, but none of them were willing to participate in the building part of the job.
"COME ON!!" yelped angrily Bill as the latest one, a Kecleon, scrammed. "I did precise in the ad that they'll have to dirty their hands! They can't read or what?!"
"That makes me think, Silas knows about that for him?"
"Duh," snarked the Empoleon.
A silence.
"How many left?"
"None," muttered bitterly Arno.
"Fuck... What are we..."
"Have no fear, your savior's here!" hammily shouted a voice before entering the room.
Fittingly, it was Cid.
"Cid? What do you mean?"
"I found a secretary!"
"Really?! Where is he?!"
"Come on, man, show yourself!"
Slowly, almost reluctantly, an Electivire entered the door.
"Er, why is he already in our gear?" asked Don.
"Because he's already got the job in the bag, he's that good!" replied the Emboar.
"Uh, you're exaggerating, Cid," mumbled the Electivire.
"So, ready for the interview, mister..."
"Niko. And yeah, I think so..."

Ten minutes later, Niko was hired.
He was far from being the best of the interviewees, but he had decent skills and experience, and he was willing to participate in the physical stuff.
But the interview made a problem clear.
That Electivire was pathologically shy.

"So, see you tomorrow at 8 am. We will start the training for the building part. Same for you, Silas."
"Okay..."
"All right."

Before the Big Arms Inc boys left to go home and sleep...
"Cid, where the hell did you find Niko?" asked Bill.
"Well, he was lurking in front of our truck. He yelped my name in surprise when he saw me, I recognized him, I talked to him, he confessed he wanted to try the job interview but hesitated to, I convinced him to try, and there we are?"
"You convinced him, or you dragged him?" asked Anton.
"... Yeah, I know, he's so shy that's pathetic. I don't understand why, he wasn't like that in high school, all the contrary..."
"Yeah, it was obvious you two already knew each other. You were pals?"
"Actually, he was my bully."
"... What."
"Oh, with me, he never went beyond making me letting him copy off me, but he was the school's bully. Loud-mouthed, braggart, threatening to punch when he wanted to take something, frequently in detention... The absolute opposite of today."
"What happened to him?"
"Dunno. After high school, I never saw him again. Until now."
"First an accountant who hates boredom, now an overly shy secretary. This group is turning into a freak show," snarked Clyde.
"Pot, kettle, etcetera," snarked back Bill.
As the boys finally left, Cid started really wondering what could have happened to Niko, to change him like that...

Art by  hikaze
Original here: https://twitter.com/HikazeDragon/st.....82323664289793
Cid and Niko © me
Emboar and Electivire © Game Freak