Nicolette looked down at her shoes and scowled slightly as Claude laughed at her. She wished she could come up with a quick comeback for what seemed like another scornful remark, but such things weren't her area of expertise. Anyway, the professor seemed to support her enthusiasm, and that lifted her spirits. His regard was more important than that of some random trainer.

All thoughts of impressing anyone ground to a halt as Professor Birek described their mission. Nicolette nervously eyed the mysterious box, unconsciously clutching the friend ball on her bag's strap as she did so. She looked down at Alphonse. The Furfrou seemed uneasy, too; some hair on the back of his neck was standing up. But Alphonse had been trained to maintain composure at all times, and he forced his gaze away from the box, though his wary attitude remained. He frowned at Nicolette's bag with concern.

"P-Professor..." Nicolette began tentatively. "Can you tell us more about this professor? What are his qualifications, and how long have you known him?" The black-haired woman sighed. "I apologize, I must sound rude. I just want to make sure something this powerful doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

"I'm sure you know at least a little about Shadow Pokemon," she continued. Nicolette kept clutching her friend ball as she spoke, as if the Pokemon inside would burst out if she didn't hold him inside. "I admit I know nothing about how they were created. I just know an evil group altered them somehow to make them like heartless fighting machines. Forgive me, it just seems like some of the scale's effects are similar to those experienced by the Shadow Pokemon."