Aleron snickered. "I love helpful little towns. I really do." She grinned as she headed towards the lab.

Margaret grinned as well and followed her friend to the lab. Lucky for them, it was still open, and there were a few aides inside milling about with the Professor.

"Professor Birch?" Aleron guessed, looking at the Professor. When he blinked and turned to them, she grinned. "Professor Oak says hi."

Birch grinned broadly.

"Ah, you ladies must be from Kanto, then!" he said cheerfully. "Welcome! What brings you all the way out here?"

"Well, we've been talking to Professor Oak, and he suggested we come see you. We're interested in the old legends. Well. The Legendary pokemon, anyway. And we don't know about this region's." Aleron shrugged. Vulpix investigated a few things before going to sit on her feet. Aleron just looked exasperatedly amused.

"Well, now," Birch said, stroking his short beard in thought. "Let me think for a minute... I want to say that our region has named somewhere around ten legendary pokemon." He looked at the girls. "Why the interest? You aren't going to go hunting for them, are you? Nobody is sure if most of them even exist."

"Nah. We're just doing research on the legendaries from all the regions." Aleron shrugged. A little white lie never hurt... "Besides, just because no one knows if they exist doesn't mean they're not out there somewhere."

"Ah, I forgot..." Birch said. "You ladies are from a region where your legends are, more often than not, fact." He shrugged a little. "That's not the case here in Hoenn. Many of our legends have no proof of any sort, not even recent sightings like you get in Kanto."

"Hey, never know when we might get lucky." Aleron grinned. "Besides, Professor Oak said you'd be the best person to talk to in this region about the legendaries." And a little bit of flattery never hurt anyone.

"He would," Birch replied with a bit of a grin. Going over to a bookshelf against one wall, he pulled down a single volume. "I suppose, then, if you want to know about our legends, you start with Kyorge and Groudon, then," he said. "And Rayquaza. Legends say they created the entire region, from the land to the sea to the sky. Latias and Latios as well, since they supposedly created the human soul and gifted it to mankind." He pulled down another book. "Then the trio of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. There isn't much known about those three, really. And finally Jirachi and Deoxys. They are separate legends, but both supposedly from outer space." He handed the girls the two books. "Everything should be in these."

Aleron took the books, rather surprised. "Great. Thanks." That had been surprisingly easy. And helpful. "We'll return these once we've got what we need."

"Ah, it's not exactly free information," Birch said, scratching the back of his head a little and looking a bit sheepish. "Since you both know Oak, and he likes you enough to send you here, maybe I could ask you girls for a favor?"

Aleron blinked. "Sure, ask away. Sounds like a fair trade." To her, anyway. Information for a favor? Not bad, really. Especially not for a Professor.

"New trainer registration for this part of the region just ended," Birch explained, going over to one of the tables. There was a box on the table that he reached into, and he pulled out a plain pokeball. "And I found myself with one more beginner's pokemon than what was needed to give to new trainers. I would keep the little thing myself, but I've already got my hands full with my research, I couldn't give it the attention and training it deserves." He looked at the girls. "Would one of you like to take it with you?"

Aleron blinked. "What is it?" She wasn't familiar with the Hoenn region pokemon, so she'd rather know what it was before agreeing to take on a water type or something.

Birch opened the pokeball, and a little Torchic appeared shaking itself out and looking around curiously.

"Are either of you familiar with the pokemon of our region?" he asked. When Margaret shook her head, he continued, "this is a Torchic, a fire-type. Its final evolution is into Blaziken, giving it a dual fire- and fighting-type."

Aleron had to resist the urge to just pick it up and go "Oh, fire type, mine~". But she did grin and crouch down to get a better look at the Torchic. "Hey there," she said quietly. "Feel like going exploring with us? I've even got some other fire types so you won't be the only one in the group."

The Torchic looked at her and cheeped and went over to investigate her and then sit on her foot determinedly. Aleron grinned and had to resist the urge to cuddle the little pokemon.

Birch nodded a bit, satisfied with that reaction from the Torchic. That particular pokemon was Adamant-natured, one of those that didn't like to take 'no' for an answer, and it seemed like it liked Aleron.

"He's yours if you want him," he said to her. "He needs someone who can put the time into training him, and I just don't have that kind of time."

"Oh that won't be a problem. He'll fit right into my group." Aleron grinned, pleased.

Birch nodded satisfied.

"Alright, then," he said. "Now, since you're both friends with Oak, I suppose I should offer you both a place to spend the night while you're here, unless you've already found somewhere?"

"We haven't yet," Aleron said, rather hopefully. A place to stay would be very nice.

"Well, I'm sure we can find a pair of cots around here," Birch replied, glancing around. "Arceus knows, we pull enough all-nighters around here."

Aleron grinned at that. Ah yes, Professor Oak did the same thing sometimes. She just moved out of the way and picked up Torchic to start having a quiet conversation with the pokemon.

Birch raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment. It was a well-documented phenomena in Hoenn that some trainers learned how to understand certain pokemon. It was definitely a learned skill, and usually not developed until later in a trainer's career, but it did happen. Instead, he went and talked one of his aides into looking for the overnight cots for the girls.

As soon as two cots were procured, Aleron sat down with a happy sigh, Vulpix settling in her lap. "Well, we've got some reading material." She handed over one of the books to Margaret.