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It was official. Summer was here, and rearing its ugly head on the region of Inset. Some people were absolutely reveling in it. Countless girls walked by in next to naught and plenty of guys too. They were soaking up the sun while Tate’s cardigan of the day soaked up the sweat from the small of her back. Even with their climate control in the lab itself she was miserable in the summer. Just looking out at the hazy street just outside their doors made her skin crawl. Let alone when she had to spend part of her morning out back training water pokemon in a blow up pool to prepare them to go with trainers some day.

Summer also usually meant vacations after all, so whoever wasn’t on paid leave for the week would have to pick up the slack. She took her vacation with her husband around their birthdays in the Fall so she was always one staying behind at the lab to cover extra shifts and gaps in the schedule. All in a days’ work though. She was so relieved when the pokemon she’d been working with finally showed signs of fatigue - that was her cue to take them back inside to rest up and get some rest herself.

She’d no sooner put their balls away in a back cabinet where the pokemon in training were kept than she heard the front door chime. So much for her break. She still took her time coming up front, picking up a couple of sandwiches, cups, and a pitcher of lemonade from the break room to pack into the lobby. There was no rule saying she couldn’t have her lunch and work with a trainer too. ”Hello!” she called out into the room as she clomped into it, thoroughly aware of just how gross she felt at the moment. While she’d normally feel relief in the A/C now it only chilled her from the sheen of sweat she’d accumulated - not to mention the splotch of water on one half of her skirt from a splash gone awry during training. This shift couldn’t end soon enough. Hopefully this trainer was one who knew what he wanted or would at least be happy with whatever he got.

”I’m Tate, welcome to our Lab, and Cassiopeia itself if you’re arriving from out of town.” it was a small enough village with plenty of tourists when it came to people travelling for reasons such as receiving a pokemon. She could guarantee he wasn’t from here. The locals knew who was a permanent resident and who definitely wasn’t. He fell into the latter category to be sure. ”If you’re here to receive a starter I need you to fill this paperwork out for me so we can get the ball rolling. And please answer the asterisked questions and prompts aloud to save time.”

The basics were there of course, his name*, date of birth, phone number, email, etc. But then the important long form questions. Experience with pokemon*, what their plans are while in the region*, any former job experience with pokemon or career plans*, if they have preferred types*, types or species they absolutely did not want*, why for each*, and lastly if they were able to provide for their pokemon and care for them properly*, with a final section of check boxes to opt-in for emailed or texted tips about pokemon care and events happening in the region and a lower line or two for his signature.

She took a bite of one of the sandwiches and poured herself a glass of lemonade, gesturing with one hand to invite him to help himself as well if he wished.

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Tate’s eyes narrowed even smaller behind her big round glasses as she found herself having to focus extra hard to understand the man. Did everyone from Johto sound like they’d fallen off a wagon on Route 4?”Well it’s nice to meet you, Kem. Welcome once again.” She’d not missed a last name - or first if he was going by his surname. After all she’d not given him her own. And Nishimura-Szczepański could be quite the mouthful, especially one nobody ever asked for.

As he continued his introduction her suspicions were confirmed for what exactly that kind of dialect meant - he was a farm hand of some sort. It would’ve been a waste of an accent not to go into that line of work. At least he had experience with pokemon, even if it wasn’t in the sense of what they provided them for here. Usually the people she saw could only point to a familial poochyena or something of that nature.

He appeared humble about his experience and she couldn’t help but to wonder if it was an act or if he really didn’t understand that he had a leg up on getting a starter in her book just from that answer. Cowpoke or no, experience was experience compared to none at all with stars in their eyes of being a training champ.

”I’m sorry to hear about your injury - I just want to confirm that it won’t be a hindrance for you caring for the pokemon you may leave with today? No nerve damage that renders you immobile, or head injuries that knock you out, or anything like that?” she hoped for his sake it was a bum knee and nothing completely debilitating.

She could not, in good conscience, let him take a starter if he could pass out on the road and leave it locked in a ball forever or loose and under risk of attack from any number of wild pokemon or rogue trainers out to steal pokemon as well. Maybe even someone she’d turned away before for being incapable of caring for a starter from the lab.

She walked over to the cabinets where they kept the pokeballs full of starter choices and plucked a few out to present to him. In theory you would think it easier if they had no preference - but that just made it harder to narrow down who to bring out. When you could only present three pokemon out of all you had on hand who would you send out?

Maybe keeping it to Johto region pokemon would be helpful since he seemed unsure of his knowledge outside of what he already knew. It could help him get an easier foothold on his start here in Inset. She didn't have to worry about the types who tended to whine about not wanting to see the pokemon they saw back home, the ones who came here for the special sorts they didn't have in their regions.

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Tate nodded to his reply about his injury, her eyes widening at the minimum amount of weight he would have to be able to lift to do his job. That would be hard for most anyone, she would imagine, to do day in and day out. It was no wonder the injury he’d sustained in school had only gotten worse over the years. She tsked as her back turned but she kept her thoughts to herself. It wasn’t her place to correct someone on the path their life had taken so far - only to be sure she set them on the best foot forward from here on so long as they weren’t a danger to their pokemon.

”Well, Kem, everything checks out with your paperwork and I don’t see any reason to keep you from seeing the pokemon I’ll be offering to you to choose from today. Just please take your time getting to know them, because it’s important that you match their dreams and aspirations just as much as they line up with yours. It’s also good to keep an open mind and try to be flexible in this process. And of course, be respectful.” she cringed a little as she hoped her last comment didn’t come across as too nagging. She’d been told by more than one trainer that she could be overbearing or condescending but she didn't mean to be. She just cared an awful lot about the pokemon they had here and wanted to make sure the trainers had all the information they would need to be successful with them.

”Let me know if you would like to see all of your starters at once or talk to them one at a time. I’ll release the first one now.” she told him, trying to give trainers the option these days. Sometimes it could be overwhelming to deal with three strange pokemon all at one time, stressful to both sides really. Especially when it came to hurting feelings. With the click of a button on one of the balls in her hand and a shimmer of light, his first starter choice came into view.

< Och! Wot’r ye doin there laddy? Dinnae yer mam ever teach ye tae wipe yer feet at th’ dour? > the bird with the thick burr of a voice squawked at him. < Yer gonny track in tae mud an muck, ye whopper o’ a shite! > waving his sprig of leek at the cowboy as if pointing out the invisible to the naked eye specks of dirt in the tile.

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The little duck squinted at his shoes and stuck the stalk of veg into his beak as if chewing on a pipe in careful study and contemplation. < Och! Ah see laddy! Mah peepers dinna see as they had! Was ye wantin te look fer eh starter, eh? > he removed the leek and smacked his beak together as if smacking his lips to savor the flavor.

Tate nodded, ”Yes, Farfetch’d. I’m going to send out the other two starter options as well now. Mind your manners.” she clicked the buttons on the other balls to reveal Cyndaquil and Electrike, ”Cyndaquil and Elektrike, this is Kem.”

The Electrike gave a little wag of her citrine tipped tail and yapped in greeting, her eyes soft and serene but with a twinkle of mischief in their depths. No words were spoken which would lead one to believe she had yet to master pokespeech. Just what she wants one to think.

The Cyndaquil gave a bored yawn and looked around the room, < This isn’t the library…. > he protested under his breath with a scoff. He took his time to look around before finally settling his gaze on the cowboy. He gave a little sniff of disapproval at his whole….”look” and didn’t bother saying hello.

The Farfetch’d wagged his leek at them both, < Straighten up, ye twats! Act like ye’ve got a wee bit o sense in yer skulls! > he wapped the pair on their heads. ”So much for manners…” Tate ground through her teeth at him.

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