A request for an Anon on my tumblr, for a Poketalia AU. This is way overdue but I hope they, and you dear reader, like it. I'm not sure if this is what anon wanted but I tried. In this, I imagine that breeders can sometimes specialize in a specific type of Pokemon, though egg groups for each type can vary, they would just know how to handle all those egg groups.

Breeders have a set of instincts they need in order to be successful. Erika knew this, she's studied it and watched professional breeders live it. They need to look at Pokemon and figure out what that Pokemon wants and actually needs in a mate, because this makes the best offspring.

Her cousins are great breeders, reaching a 80 percent perfected peek of impression compatibility. Now, this doesn't mean the Pokemon will like each other but its a good shot. It saves time and leads to some long lasting relationships. For a trainer that needs fast results, her cousins are the go to breeders. Well as long as they wanted an electric type pairing, her cousins stopped breeding for the other types ages ago but are well known in their type specialty. She thinks that she'd like fairy types, or grass. Maybe water.

In theory she's liked these types, watching them around town and in her studies.

She's not a real breeder yet. Barely handled Pokemon on her own and Gilbert teases her while parading around his eggs, she takes it in stride. Cousins are going to do what cousins do best after all. Ludwig is more polite about it, and her greatest source of inspiration of what kind of breeder she wants to be. Gilbert is likely to be shocked and Ludwig is likely to be cuddled.

She's excited to try her hands at it, but in matters of love she's not good. She's almost afraid to try but she wouldn't tell a soul that. So she studies and memorizes and waits. She hopes she's waiting for something great.

...

"Now Erika, you go to the store and come right back." She nods, in one hand is a shopping list and on the other arm is a empty bag. Ludwig checks his watch and frowns. He seems anxious for some reason. She knows most of the schedules for their tiny shop and can't seem to think of anything that would make him anxious.

She's pushed out the front door. The bell rings behind her and she stumbles around before getting her stride. First she needs to pick up some food from the market and then head over to the Pokemon center. Their town is a medium size but it seems to be busier than usual. A bunch of new faces and new Pokemon wander around, most likely on their way through to the GYM in the next town. They usually come in waves, she hopes that the lines won't be too long.

She waits in the market check out line, her few purchases not terribly heavy she knows she has enough time to finish her errands but she didn't want to worry her cousins. Since they are her only family they worry, in their own way. One of them might come looking for her and she might die if that happened.

Finally she makes it the center, there is one person in front of her. She's thankful for the break, not sure her feet could stand another long wait. He has a Froakie on their shoulder and looks like he's packed for a long journey, she wagers he's a trainer. Maybe a new one, Froakie is a stage one Pokemon, most would evolve their Pokemon when the time came. Seldom has she seen anyone keeping their Pokemon in the early stages instead of jumping at the power boosts of the later stages.

She hasn't seen one around before so she tries to get a good look at it. It seem a bit bored by the discussion, kept crawling around the trainers back. As if trying to take in as much as it could about the center while sticking to it's trainer.

"Thank you very much, please come again!"

"Thank you, I will."

The trainer turns around, she notices that he has lovely deep dark eyes. He wears a few layers of clothing and hiking boots, her suspicions of him being a trainer are pretty founded. She thinks that even though he had been traveling who knows how long out doors he looks very handsome. Slowly she realizes she's staring. She averts her gaze and wonders if she should say anything. He doesn't walk away, maybe he's wondering what to say or if he should say anything at all. She doesn't haven't much experience with males her own age, she didn't interact much with the trainers that came to her cousins and she stayed under their wings most other times.

The situation is awkward but it becomes even more awkward when Gilbert shows up, she assume to figure out what's keeping her. She didn't even notice him until she started to hear some muffled laughter.

She looks at him, confused as to why he would be laughing at this completely mortifying scene. He has his face partially covered with his hand and shuffles out of the trainers' way as he walks by.

Both of the end up watching the trainer walk out of the Pokemon center but she can't decide if she should apologize for staring.

"What was that all about Gillie?!" She tries to keep her voice down is very tense.

"Just..." he clears his throat and tries to drop the smile on his face but can't, " there is a high compatibility between the two of you. But both of you are such dorks you'd never breed."

A few emotions run through her head at once. She shuffles through them and ends up picking one to yell at him about.

"We aren't Pokemon Gillie!"

"...E-Excuse me do you..." She almost forgot she was in line and grabs Gilbert's shirt and pulls him to a corner. The counter lady was probably confused but at least the line could move now.

"And even if we did get along we aren't going to-to...breed" She lights up like a red Christmas light and tries to keep her sensibility.

"Yeah, Yeah. I know, but seriously even Ludwig would have seen the possible chemistry for the two of you," he looks off to the side, "shame nothin' will ever come of it ah, well lets go. You were supposed to be back a while ago."

She follows him out of the Pokemon center, thinking hard about what he said. She could trust his experience but they hadn't even been introduced. It was a pipe dream.

…

A few days pass, two trainers came in wanting to get their Pikachu's bred, must have been boyfriend and girlfriend with the way they cooed at each other. Erika took down their information and numbers and filed them away into the database. Ludwig took the two Pikachu's to their new temporary home and she watched as the nervous little things talked to each other. It was always interesting to watch the Pokemon come in, some were scared, some were brave, some were excited and sometimes after all that wore away and they got used to their new pens and such, they were lonely and she hated that most of all. She could never comfort them the way they wanted to be comforted, by their trainers- to see their favorite human again. It all worked out in the end though. Just took time.

"Hey Erika!" Gilbert approaches her later that evening. He catches her in the hallway between the bedrooms, she's putting their clean cloths back in the dressers, one of her many minor tasks that she's happy to do, it's the least she can do for them while they do their work.

"Yes?" She looks at him, she can't imagine what this conversation could be about. She didn't think she messed up on anything recently.

"So I hate to drop a bomb on you or anything like that but," he seemed awkward and uncomfortable, "So you think that maybe you'd want to start a journey of your own or something like that?"

She puts the basket on the floor and stares at him, she didn't want to but it was too heavy and she didn't know how long this conversation would be. Her hands were empty now so she grabbed the edge of her apron. "What do you mean?" They wouldn't want to kick her out...could they?

He sighs, "It's just Ludwig thinks that maybe at some point you'd want to go join those trainers that always come through town, go explore the world or something like that, and I just think that he has a point." Oh.

Deep, heavy heart to heart talks were not Gilbert's forte, in fact if she could be honest, putting his foot in his mouth was more his talent. And while she understands what he means to say it just feels odd...but right.

"So, like, we're not pushing you out or anything like that but we can call some people and get you started and maybe, I dunno, you can go see the world a little..."

"I..."

"I mean you don't have to, just think about it. It's alright for me and littler bro to be stuck here 'cause we already did our journeys this is what we want, but..." He sighs and turns to head back from where he came, "Just let us know, alright?"

She stands in the hallway blinking at the place her cousin stood only seconds before.

…

She takes the whole of 24 hours to make her choice. Though they had probably expected her to take longer it was really something that in all her nervousness and fear that she knew she had to do. She wonders if Ludwig realized that she would never be able to ask for this on her own, but this push, it was perfect and needed.

Ludwig looks sad as he hands her the Dedenne that they had been waiting to give her. Her backpack was stuffed full of books, and lists. Guides to the various places she might end up seeing and a list of places she should go see.

She leaves them with rotation schedules, a guide to using the software they use to enter in new clients and trainers into the database and a list of the things they need to get soon from the store. Gilbert was almost in tears and she made sure to hug him extra hard, Ludwig was more stoic but she left him with a kiss on the forehead and a promise to come back with stories. They've raised her for so long, it seems almost criminal to leave them but this...it was something that was going to be good.

She promises to call often and her stomach is in a knot so tight it could snap. She holds Dedenne and promises that they'll protect each other. This seems to help calm everyone down a little. Dedenne squeaks at her and looks determined, she feels confident that Dedenne would try his hardest and she feels confident that she's gonna try her hardest. She walks away from the place she's called home but knows she still has their love.

She stops in the market and Pokemon center she doesn't tell the clerks that she's leaving because she doesn't want too many people to know. She heads north and makes the first step outside of the city limit. The forest she used to run around in as a kid seemed larger than she remembered. Larger but not suffocating.

"Well, here we go..."

Her foot crunches on the dry grass and she hears a yelp from somewhere further in the forest. She thinks about calling out to whoever it was but she didn't need to, someone comes limping towards her. She quickly runs out to met them, hoping for the best. She can't do much if its a bad wound but she can help. Life is a strange thing, it's the trainer from the Pokemon center. He's bleeding from his knee, she loosens her hold on Dedenne and he jumps down. She slides into the side of the boy and supports him.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

The trainer lets out a slightly sad laugh, "I slipped." He blushes slightly. She thinks it makes him look lovely though. He seems receptive to her help, not trying to turn away from her help and they start to go towards town. Dedenne follows close behind her, she knows she doesn't have to worry about him.

They move forward in silence until "I don't think we've met."

She tries not to blush, "We'll we've...seen each other...uhm...my name is Erika, I'm a beginner breeder." This is the first time she's introduced herself that way, and it felt right. She might not end up being a breeder by the end of this journey, whatever happens, happens. But it felt right, it felt good, she felt better, like it fit.

"I'm Kiku, I'm a new trainer." He either didn't remember the episode at the Pokemon center or didn't want to bring it up. She was thankful for that.

"Where's your Froakie?" She noticed it wasn't around.

"Fainted, I was on my way to town for healing when this happened..." he seemed embarrassed about it. She doesn't think less of him for it though, Gilbert had a bad habit of slipping in the kitchen. She doesn't know what to make him feel comfortable about it, so she just lets it be.

"Well, I'm glad that I found you...I mean, when I did so I could help, not that you got hurt, ah err that came out wrong." She berates herself in her head.

He doesn't say anything for a moment but she sees him smile.

"I'm glad you came when you did too. It's good to have someone looking out for me, even if it is a stranger."

She was happy to hear that. They soon pass into the park and find a bench. Ungracefully the two of them got him seated. His knees were exposed in his shorts and he still had the same worn hiking boots on. She puts her backpack on the ground and takes out the first aide kit.

"It doesn't look too bad!" She smiles, and pours some water over the knee. She's used to doing this sort of thing. Between the rowdy electric Pokemon at home and the rowdy cousins she's done this a time or two. She cleans the wound, and wraps it up.

She ends up sitting next to him on the bench and Dedenne jumps into his place on her lap.

"It...ah, feels better. Thank you very much Ms. Erika." She smiles.

"It was my pleasure, if you want we can go to the Pokemon center, unless... you want to do that alone later."

Kiku seems to think about it, long and hard, a faint blush spreads across his face, "I think maybe...if you would be willing to, we should stick together? I haven't seen a friendly face in a while Ms. Erika, you are certainly that and if your medical knowledge is any indicator you would be a very nice person to have around."

She pets Dedenne on the head and he lets out a squeak that she thinks is encouragement. It would be nice to travel with someone, if that's what he means. Alternatively she'd help him to the center and leave if that's what he'd want. She needed to make her own choices now, he had put the offer out there.

"I would like that." It's simple, she would...see where this would go. Sure, Gillie could have been wrong and he could be a creep but as she watches him shuffle his feet and try to hide his smile she thinks Gillie was right. She had her own instincts and they were telling her this could be something good.