Warning: N/A
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Pokémon Roots
Crystal
"Ah, Kris, just the woman I wanted to see. We need another round of Zubats for the Johto office."
The gravely voice caused Crystal to spin around from where she was standing in front of her desk. Sid Gallagher, the Supply Management Specialist and head of the Pokémon Procurement Services Department in the Safari Zone Head Quarters was leaning casually against the door of Crystal's tiny office. His dark hair was streaked with silver and thinning at the top. Sid's short but bulky frame blocked the hallway from view. Her boss' years as a Pokémon Ranger in the Fiore region had given him muscles that Crystal didn't have names for. She was always surprised that every time he moved his tight suit didn't burst at the seams.
Crystal shook her head at her boss. "No way, Sid. That'll have to go on backorder." Surprise widened the older man's eyes. Crystal sighed.
"You forgot, didn't you?"
Sid looked sheepish. "Your birthday?"
A massive eye roll was sent his way. "No. I'm only here to drop off a file. I'm on vacation this week. I filed for time off two months ago. You okay'd it last week, remember?" Her very forgetful boss needed to be reminded of things often. His secretary had her hands full with his schedule as he would frequently double book meetings, assign agents to the wrong region and forget holidays. Margie Birch, the secretary in question, was a saint and after not receiving her vacation confirmation, Crystal had gone straight to the woman who had dealt with the matter in minutes.
Sid slapped his forehead in recollection. "Of course! You and that boy of yours. What's his name? Bronze? It was something traditional."
Crystal smiled. Sid was endearingly clumsy. "It's Gold, Sid."
Sid fiddled with his silk, crimson tie. His suit was black with dark gray pinstripes and his white button down was immaculate. As usual he was dressed to the nines. "Yeah, Gold. How is the kid?"
"I'd be able to tell you if I ever had time to see him." Crystal shot back playfully.
Sid laughed. "You're a hard worker, Kris, and the best field agent we've ever had."
His words made Crystal feel warm and her cheeks glowed pink. Pride for the recognition of her hard work made the twenty-year-old stand a little straighter, her head held a little higher.
Sid let out a groan. "Now I'm going to have to talk to that freelancer about getting in some Zubats this week."
"Jason's not that bad, Sid. " Crystal enjoyed Sid's irritation with the Office's on again off again field agent, Jason Foster, because it meant he wasn't annoyed with her.
"He's not you, Kris." Sid had light green eyes that were the color of old glass and they were warm with affection. Crystal viewed the man as a surrogate uncle who, if he weren't her boss, would have spoiled her rotten, whenever she was around.
"Thanks Sid, but I think he can handle an order of Zubats." She winked and zipped up her coat. It was charcoal grey and waterproof, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows to reveal the patterned linen lining. Underneath the hooded affair Crystal was wearing a white woolen sweater, black leggings and dark leather riding boots that molded to her legs.
"That kid can barely handle tying his own shoes."
"I'm on vacation! Talk to Jason." Crystal threw her hands in the air, exasperated at Sid's poor attempts to try to get her to work.
Sid raised open palms in what was universally understood as the, I come in peace, gesture. "Okay, alright, I got it. Enjoy the time off. Where are you going anyway?" His tone was conciliatory. Despite his muscular physique, Sid hated conflict.
Mollified by the unspoken apology, the corners of Crystal's mouth curved into a small smile. "Lavaridge Town in Hoenn."
"Lavaridge? Wow, that's fantastic! The hot springs are amazing!"
Crystal laughed at Sid's excitement. He was coming up on the final stretch of his forties and yet the man still sounded like a little boy. "We are staying with a friend of Gold's and I am definitely going to check out the hot springs."
Sid gave her a sideways look, and Crystal knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth. "If you see any Numel or Slugma, we could definitely-"
"No!" Crystal yelled, interrupting him. "And if you call me while I'm gone, I'll take an extra week off."
She grabbed the strap of a beat-up pink messenger bag, a relic from her Pokémon Trainer days. "Remember, if you need something this week, talk to Jason. I'll call Margie when I'm back in Fuchsia." Her tone was clipped and left no room for argument. Her boss looked properly contrite and Crystal sighed.
"Be good while I'm gone and try to be nice to Jason." She patted Sid on the arm and she stepped past him and into the hallway.
"Have a good time." He smiled at her, and Crystal shot him a mouthful of pearly whites. "I'm sure I will, as long as no one bothers me." She said pointedly.
Sid chuckled. "You are coming in loud and clear, Kris. Get off the radar, and tell Copper I said hello!"
Crystal gave him an affirmative head nod and walked away without correcting him. Sid meant well, but he would probably never remember the name of her boyfriend.
The Pokémon Procurement Services Department was on the second floor of the Safari Zone HQ in Fuchsia City. The area she was in held all of the tiny offices of the field agents who worked for PPS. The hallway that linked them all together led to the main office where Margie Birch sat at the front desk. In addition to working as Sid Gallagher's secretary, she also greeted visitors and gave out information.
Crystal had to walk through the main office to get to the stairs and so she stopped by the front desk to say goodbye to her favorite secretary.
"I'm about to head out Margie. Thanks again for getting my time figured out."
Margie Birch was a middle-aged, curvaceous, bespectacled lady, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. She smiled fondly at the young woman. "Oh that was nothing, darling. You know how Mr. Gallagher is. I hope you and Gold have a lovely time." She spoke in soft tones that seemed to caress her words.
Crystal made a mental note to get the sweet woman something on her trip. Trinkets that she could use to brighten up her desk. Margie had a niece who was a Trainer, that would regularly send her an assortment of strange objects she found in her travels, but lately nothing new had arrived for the woman's desk. Surely she would find something for Margie, after all, without her, nothing at the office would ever get done. Crystal said her goodbyes and left.
She lived on the top floor of a small apartment building in the middle of Fuchsia City, which was a five-minute walk from her office. It was the first of April and Fuchsia City was responding to middle of spring with windy mornings that were brisk and bright. It wouldn't take her long to reach her place, but Crystal walked slowly. A gust of wind caused her dark teal locks to snap across her face and she spat hair out of her mouth. She ear tucked the rest of the flyaway mess.
It had been three and a half years since she had moved permanently to Fuchsia City. Crystal had been a decent Pokémon Trainer until she was sixteen years old and realized that being a champion was something she could never realistically aim for as a career. She'd understood that after a talented nine-year-old had defeated her in battle.
Instead she'd focused on her own personal strengths. Crystal had a talent. It was something that no one else could do as well as she could. This talent had first gotten her a freelance position with the Safari Zone at seventeen and led to a full-time job offer not two months after that, which was practically unheard of.
Crystal's innate ability was that she could catch any Pokémon. It may not seem like a talent, but it really was something special. Crystal had never failed to catch a Pokémon using only one Poké Ball. It was as if she knew the exact moment to use it, or that the Pokémon actually wanted her to catch them. Whatever it was, Crystal had the highest salary in the PPS because no one else could even come close to matching her in the amount of Pokémon she brought in for the Safari Zone. She had the best catch rate of any Trainer to ever register in any Region.
Crystal was the best.
But because she was the best, she'd been working non-stop for over three years. This was her first vacation since she'd been offered the job in Fuchsia and she was determined to enjoy every sweet second of it. Gold was waiting for her on Cinnabar Island, where they would get on a plane and fly to Lavaridge Town.
She finally reached her apartment, unlocked the foyer door and walked to the elevator. She went right up to fourth floor and walked directly to her apartment at the end of the hall. She let herself in, grabbed a duffel bag that was sitting by the way, glanced around to make sure everything was fine and dandy, and then she stepped into the hallway, closing and locking the door behind her.
When Crystal was outside of the building she pulled a Poké Ball out of her jacket pocket. She smiled before pressing the gray button in the middle of the container. Red light flashed and formed into Xatee, one of Crystal's oldest friends. As a marker that this Xatu was on her team, she had placed a small, navy blue star sticker underneath the Flying/Psychic Pokémon's eye.
Xatee looked at Crystal, trilled lightly and fluffed her green feathers. Crystal stroked the Pokémon's soft head, which was around the height of her shoulder.
"Are you up for a trip, old friend?"
In response, Xatee unfolded her wings and flapped them, rising off the ground. Crystal laughed and picked up her duffel bag. She slung it across her back so that its strap and the strap from her messenger bag made an 'x' on her chest. When Xatee was above her head, Crystal reached up and grabbed the Pokémon's feet with both hands. The scaly talons clamped around her wrists and Crystal knew that nothing would make Xatee let go.
"Alright, I'm ready. We are going to Cinnabar Island! Don't drop me!"
And before Crystal could finish saying 'ready', they were up in the air and gone.
AN: Thank you for reading chapter three of Pokémon Roots. Please enjoy and review.
-Suka