Been a while!
I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter!
Chapter 3 The dream team!
"I don't understand how either of you just aren't bothered about this … We are basically getting dropped from our career tracks! And you're just- not giving a fuck?! Jesus man, getting to where I am now took me twenty years of my life! And now all of that hard work is just gone! Wasted! All of it!" Dr. Leon Smits ranted, his hands flying in his agitation. It had been close to two weeks since he'd first heard the news about his 'promotion' and it seemed that everything had just gone downhill since then. Who would have thought that being advanced to a prestige position in a Pokémon Trainer's personalized team would mean that his new boss would be someone barely a third of his own age?!
"You know that it isn't quite like that. We're not getting dropped… If anything we're just getting some more responsibility."
"Babysitting." Dr. Smits seethed between his teeth.
"Supporting a Pokémon Trainer." Dr. Muller corrected the enraged man.
"Oh, just call it for what it is!" Dr. Smits spat, "Or did you perhaps not hear about the girl's two year ban? She isn't even allowed to do her freaking job, Muller! How are we supposed to show any results if she can't even compete in official battles?!"
"Our jobs aren't primarily focused on her accomplishments, Smits." Dr. Arthur Maes cut in with his usual calming tone, "If anything, Ms. van Vliet being benched just means that we'll have more spare time to work on our own projects."
"I won't be having much time to work on any projects if the little missus is constantly asking us question over useless things! How hard am I supposed to throw my pokéballs again?~ Oh golly! You can evolve my Pokémon with these pretty stones?~ But how can you tell that Pikachu is a girl?!~" Dr. Smits crooned annoyingly at the other two with a high pitched voice, "Seriously, if I had wanted to look after a teenager then I would have had children of my own by now-"
Dr. Muller snorted, "Yeah, because that's the only reason you don't have any kids."
"Watch it, Muller."
"I think it might be for the better if you just let it be, Smits." Dr. Maes said, sighing at the antics of the other supposedly professional scientists. "I mean, I agree with you that having Ms. van Vliet as our team leader is less then favorable but at least you've made your way into a Pokémon Trainer's personal team. That's basically the end goal for most researchers around here and you got it, didn't you? To get to be right at the spot where new discoveries are made… Rather than back in the lads where you'll be looking over the same samples for over fifty times with the dimming hope that you might still catch something new…"
"A bit specific..?" Dr. Muller commented dryly.
Dr. Maes heaved his shoulders. "My point remains the same."
"Except that we're not going to be 'right at the spot of discovery', we've been benched right along with our Trainer! For two whole years- that is if the kid even manages to hold out that long…"
"She will." Dr. Muller assured him with a confidence that caused the other two to look at the man with confusion. "Ah right, yeah. You see, I actually already met her. Had some trouble convincing her parents but Ms. van Vliet, in the very least, seemed more than passionate about becoming a Trainer, Her way with Pokémon is also nothing to spit at!"
"Yeah, I heard about the elevator mishap…" Dr. Smits noted unimpressed.
"I did too, but I think that rumor might have been blown a bit out of proportion. It has to have been actually- 'cause I seriously doubt that they would have placed me in her team if she truly were incapable of teaching her Pokémon to not escape its Pokéball…"
"Oh no, Maes." Dr. Muller let out a snicker, "You've got it all wrong. That Eevee didn't escape its Pokéball, Ms. van Vliet allows it to roam free because she is of the believe that it hates being contained."
Dr. Smits took in a long breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What..?" He could already feel a migraine forming and he hadn't even met the girl yet.
"You… you're joking." Dr. Maes inquired with a frown of his own, his voice came out more intrigued than skeptical though.
"Ha ha! Nope~."
"Hello again! It sure has been a while, huh?" Prof. Adams cheerfully greeted Anna the moment she exited the taxi. The teen blinked in surprise at the sight of the professor and his personal assistant, she sent the man a nervous smile, "Hello, Professor Adams. Erh, thank you for this opportunity?"
The professor laughed and waved off the girl's nervous gratitude, "No problem kid, I wasn't the only one curious to see how this would play out, so getting the rest of the board to agree wasn't that hard! I just wanted to welcome you before anyone else did- though you already met Nico, haven't you?"
"Dr. Muller, you mean?" Anna asked to verified, being a little bit distracted with collecting her suitcases and paying her taxi driver. The man seemed highly confused as to why a teenage girl's was being dropped off in front of the D.P.H. of all places but luckily he didn't seem in necessary to question Anna on it. "He was the one to bring me the good news!"
The professor nod once seemingly proud of himself, "I figured it would be easier for you to get around if you were already made familiar with someone on your team! Speaking off, you are to meet with them in a few, aren't you?"
"Yes sir, Dr. Muller told me over the phone that we'd have our first team meeting in the cafeteria at noon..." Anna explained timidly as she carefully took off her backpack, then she absently waved at the taxi as it drove off. The zipper of the backpack was abruptly pulled down without Anna even having to touch it and Eevee pounced out, whining to himself as he shook out his fur coat. Anna didn't see the look of utter glee coming over the professor's face as he watched the interaction happen before him. Anna gently patted Eevee on its head in greeting and then turned back to look up at the Professor. "I figured I could spend the morning moving into my housing unit? If that's alright?"
"That's perfectly fine, in all honesty we were already expecting you to do so yesterday-" Prof. Adams easily ignored the quiet 'Oh sorry!' from the flustered teen in front of him and turned to his assistant, "so your unit should be all ready to go."
The personal assistant nod stiffly, not even bothered to look up from her Ipad. "Did Ms. van Vliet remember to bring her ID card?"
"Yes!" Anna piped up and hurriedly pulled her silver plated ID from the front pocket of her backpack and held it out for the assistant lady to see- or take depending on what she wanted with the card. The assistant only hummed and then turned her Ipad around to show the screen to Anna. A layout of a housing unit was show along with the serial number '7E'. "The ID card is also your keycard for your housing unit so be careful not to lose it. The seventh floor and up are also not accessible for anyone with an ID lower than a bronze card. It's like that for a reason so if you do happen to lose your ID be sure to report it immediately."
"Yes ma'am!" Anna promised and clutched her ID close to her chest. Then she crooked her head to the side, "I'm- er… I'm aware of who are carrying the golden and silver plated cards but the bronze..?"
"Those would belong to the personal in each Pokémon Trainer's personalized team," Prof. Adams explained, "It's simply more convenient to have the team members able to get into contact with their Trainer at any time of the day rather than having them call for them from the front desk each and every time they have a question… Rest assured though, no one will be able to access your housing unit but you- well, no one but you and the receptionist who keeps an eye on the spare keys."
"Right." Anna chuckled, admittedly feeling a bit relieved about that revelation. Next to her, Eevee bob his little head in approval.
"Sir?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Prof. Adams sighed and took a step back towards the front entrance. The personal assistant lady already started on her way back into the building without another word to Anna. "I'm afraid that I'm needed elsewhere- I trust that you'll be able to find your unit on your own?"
Anna nod, "Seventh floor, unit 7E."
Prof. Adams chuckled quietly at how serious the young girl seemed to take the situation, "Good. You should find new clothes ready for you in your unit, do remember to put those on when you leave for your first team meeting. It's what all D.P.H. Trainee's are made to wear while they're in the building or out for official business."
"Alright!" Anna instantly agreed, her eyes already sparkling at the prospect of it and Prof. Adams couldn't help but chuckle again as he watched the teenager gathering her luggage whilst she amiably talked to her Pokémon companion. He shook his head good natured at the scene before turning to go back to work.
Meanwhile, Anna was practically shaking with nerves as she double checked her luggage. She felt like she was about to step onto a stage with thousands of people watching her- and she wasn't so sure if she liked the feeling or if she was slowly growing sick…
"Vuee..?"
Anna let out a breath and sunk down to her knees in front of Eevee, the fox-like Pokémon looked up at her with a worried brow. "Sorry, I know- I've been preparing myself for this for ages now but… gosh, it's just as scary as the first time I walked inside…"
"Eev, eevee. Eevuee." Eevee sighed with a shake of his head and then skipped towards the front entrance of the D.P.H. before turning back to give her an encouraging look. Anna smiled softly as she got back on her feet and grabbed a hold of the twin suitcases at her side before joined her friend. Eevee happily yipped and then pounced up onto Anna's shoulder.
Anna snorted dryly, "Sure, no please, I'll carry everything. No problem."
"Vee."
"E-Excuse me!? Miss?!"
Anna blinked and turned to the familiar-looking, near-hyperventilating receptionist as the woman gaped at her with wide eyes. There was a prickle at the back of her neck and Anna gradually became aware of the other eyes on her being- or rather the Pokémon that was now making himself small against the crook of her neck. Anna shifted a bit, uncomfortable with the attention and cast a quick look over Eve. Seeing how nervous the little fox Pokémon was resolved her decision to action. Anna calmly stepped up to the front desk, though she kept in mind to keep her distance from other people. "Yes?"
"Do- do you..?" The receptionist's eyes never strayed from Eevee.
"Oh! No. No, I don't have an appointment- but I don't need one, see?" Anna proudly flashed the receptionist her ID card and the woman gasped in what Anna could only describe as sheer disbelieve. "I actually work here from today onward. I'm Anna van Vliet by the way, and this is my buddy Eevee. It's nice to meet you!"
"Vee…" Eve shyly voiced in and the woman snapped her mouth shut. Then she took a steadying breath, "N-nice to meet you too…erm, is… is it okay for it to be out of its-?"
"He-" Anna corrected and then readjusted her grip on her suitcases, "will be just fine. Thank you. And erh, listen, I'm just gonna go and bring my luggage up if you don't mind, so-"
"Oh! Right, of course-" The woman suddenly seemed to come to her senses, "D-don't let me keep you. Go right on through… The elevator is to the left…"
"I know, I remember." Anna state and sent the woman what she hoped to be a friendly smile before walking off towards the elevator. She pretended not to notice how the people already waiting for the elevator to come down didn't step into it with her- the people inside also evacuated the metal box once they caught sight of who she was carrying on her shoulder. Anna steely kept the smile plasted on her face until the elevator doors closed and they finally escaped the curious and equally terrified eyes following her every move. Anna and Eevee simultaneously breathed out in relief.
"Vuee…"
"You can say that again…" Anna replied and absently pushed in the button for the seventh floor. She was temporarily surprised to see that she actually got permitted onto the floor- and then she remembered why she was even there to begin with. Gosh, she still had trouble believing that she was going to be living inside the D.P.H…. She frowned, as she watched the elevator climb the floors and wondered how it knew that she was allowed to go that high up…
Eve jumped down from her shoulder, onto a suitcase and then onto the floor next to Anna. The little Pokémon curiously started to investigate the metal box whilst Anna stepped back and sat down on the edge of her other suitcase.
"Hopefully they'll get used to us being here quickly…" Anna commented absently. "It would suck if it was going to be like how it was at home…"
"Vuee, eevuee."
Anna smiled softly down at her little buddy, "well, at least in this place they're not going to freak if we want to bring a new friend over."
"Vuee!" Eevee agreed and Anna giggled.
The elevator door opened and both trainer and Pokémon belatedly noticed that they had already arrived at the right level. Seeing that the extended area was pretty much deserted Eevee pranced forward and began exploring from a safe distance from his Trainer whilst Anna moved the suitcases out of the elevator.
Unit 7E wasn't a far walk from the elevator and Anna's first impression of the place was that it was futuristic-looking and white- very much so like the rest of the D.P.H., though she was sure that if it were up to her there would be some colour getting splattered around one way or another at some point in time. The unit seemed to be about seven by eight square meters and Anna was quick to note that she was able to see the grounds through the windows on the oppositive side of the unit- a big plus in her book. The kitchen opened up directly to the left of her and a breakfast bar seemed to separate the kitchen area from the living room. She gleefully noted that she had her own T.V. now, but that cheer dimmed once she saw that she didn't have a wall or anything to separate her bedroom from either the living room or the kitchen. Which was weird. Though she supposed that it did show off how spacious the room was… The bathroom was entirely closed off- which she was incredibly thankful for- and was situated directly to the right of the front door. Lastly, and most surprisingly, in the farthest right corner behind the bathroom she found an honest to god walk-in-closet.
It was in this closet that Anna came to realize that she hadn't just received a set of Trainee clothes but rather an entire wardrobe of it. It looked like the closet of a cartoon's main character whose animators were too lazy to draw other clothes- Anna let out a snicker at the mental comparison.
"Vuee!" Eevee suddenly called out to her and Anna turned back around to see what her little buddy wanted. She stepped out of the bedroom area and joined Eevee in the living room where the little fox Pokémon was pawing at an enforced metal briefcase which lay on top of the coffee table. Anna hummed in puzzlement as she sat down on the couch and carefully pulled the briefcase towards her, the locks easily flicked open and the lid was lifted- Anna gasped. Inside were at least a dozen shiny new Pokéballs.
Eevee yipped and excitably skipped around on the cushions of the couch, then the little Pokémon all but head butted Anna in the side to paw insistently at her backpack. Anna laughed at Eve's antics, understanding immediately what the fox-like Pokémon wanted her to do. She carefully slid the backpack from her shoulders and opened up the zipper.
"Caterpie?" She inquired quietly, "You awake in there?"
"Prriii…" The bug Pokémon complained as it slowly heaved itself upright.
"Vee! Eev, eevuee!" Eevee yapped and Caterpie instantly became more awake. "Cat?" He asked softly and turned back to look up at Anna. Anna nodded happily and leaned over to grab one of the Pokéballs from the briefcase- she barely had it in her hand when Caterpie crawled out of her backpack, onto her arm and latched onto the tiny red and white ball. The Pokéball grew in size, snapped open and then Caterpie got engulfed in a red light. A second later and Caterpie was gone and the Pokéball clammed shut. Anna could feel it sway in her hand and with a soft plink it settled. Anna let out a squeal of delight and reopened the Pokéball to let the little creature out again.
"Welcome to the team!" Anna cheered as Caterpie reappeared on top of the coffee table. Eevee immediately went over to butt his head into his friend and Caterpie wiggled around just as happily. The two Pokémon started to play together in celebration and Anna sighed out in content, happy to finally have Caterpie's presence in her life solidified.
The Trainee's outfit was obviously designed to allow easy movement. It was aerodynamic, sleek and quite obviously the real deal. It was also something Anna wasn't used to wearing and currently felt rather uncomfortable in, though she supposed that with time that hopefully would change. It wasn't like it looked inappropriate on her or anything- it was just that she wasn't used to wear anything skintight. The outfit existed out of a pair of black sport leggings with subtle grey highlights and a set of orange stripes going across the outside of her thighs. It easily blended further into the matching tank top on which a small symbol was displayed at the center of her chest; a thin white circle with no further additional features- an incomplete Pokéball. The signature of a Pokémon Trainee. The same symbol was also displayed on top of the left breast pocket of her jacket which, like the rest of her outfit, existed out of a black material with subtle grey highlights though the insides of the jacket was a burned orange in colour. She also got a nice pair of sneakers with the same coloration of black with grey highlights and an orange heel. Anna was never much of a nationalist herself but she found that she didn't quite mind the obvious representation for just this once. She shook her head roughly. Heck, if she were to compete in any League across the globe then she'd be representing the Netherlands- so she might as well get used to it! Anna smacked her hands against her cheeks in determination- the sound of it alerted Eve and the Pokémon settled her with a worried frown. Anna huffed out as she stared herself down in the mirror. "I'm alright- just getting myself pumped up is all."
"Vuee!" Eve approved loudly, his big brown eyes glowing as his determination mirrored her own. "Eev! Eevee!" Eevee cheered and rushed out of the bathroom- Anna startled and quickly hurried after him. "Hey! Hold on!" She grabbed her new belt with the special adherents for her Pokéballs from her bed and clammed it in place around her waist, then when she passed the breakfast bar she snatched up her ID card and put that in the breast pocket of her jacket. Eevee impatiently barked up at her, "Yeah, yeah! I'm ready!" Anna replied as she opened the door for the two and then they were racing for the elevator- laughing all the way.
Neither was aware of a strange man hiding behind an ajar doorway, grinning scheming to himself as he watched the two go.
Stepping into the cafeteria was even worse than what she'd gone through earlier this morning. People seemed to freeze the moment they caught sight of an out of pokéball Pokémon perched on the shoulder of a teenager dressed in Pokémon Trainee gear. Anna didn't know how to react to it other than simply try and ignore it- though doing so didn't exactly resolve the discomfort she was feeling at being watched from all possible angles. Eevee, the poor thing, didn't seem to handle it much better and he once more curled himself in the crook of her neck. Anna patted him on his back and then decidedly kept her hand on him for further comfort as she looked over the sea of people in the cafeteria for the familiar sight of Dr. Muller. She wasn't so lucky…
"What do you think you're doing in here dressed like that?" A man suddenly spoke to her from a nearby table and Anna almost jumped in fright, she hadn't expected anyone to talk to her… If possible, even more eyes turned to look at her now with the sudden commotion, some merely curious and others in alternative stages of offence… Anna shifted on her feet in discomfort.
"I have a meeting here in a few..?" Anna tried to explain just as Eve scoffed up at the man.
"You can't walk around in here like that. It isn't a costume!" The stranger continued to berate her as he stood up from his table and neared her. Eevee growled lowly under his breath when the man got a little too close for his liking and Anna frowned at the accusation being thrown her way. "The Trainee program isn't a joke. Some of those guys actually died trying to make it in that line of work! And it's really disrespectful for you to just parade in here with your little dog-"
"Dan-." Another man urgently grabbed onto the stranger's- Dan's- arm to pull him back but Dan didn't seem to have any of it as he continued to glare down at Anna.
"I know." Anna replied with a careful iciness to her tone. Admittedly, the sheer size of the man scared her but she just wasn't willing to stand down. She had earned her right to wear the uniform and she wasn't about to be bullied out of it simply because of a misconception-
"Then why are you-?!"
Anna would never admit it out loud but she sure took pleasure out of the instant drainage of colour that pulled the red from Dan's face the moment she pulled out her ID card. "I work here- and also, can you not call Eevee a dog? It's quite rude."
"I- yes, I…" Dan gasped out and then jumped back as if shocked, eyes wide in fear as they locked on the creature on her shoulder. "T-that's a-?!"
Anna lifted one of her brows and slipped her ID back into her jacket's breast pocket. "Not a dog? Yeah, I'm aware of that too- But thanks anyway."
"Vuee." Eve deadpanned from her shoulder and by then Anna couldn't keep a grin from forming anymore. "Don't worry though. As long as no one agitates him, Eve won't be causing any trouble."
"R-right… I…" Dan stumbled for a bit, seemingly lost for words. He left not much later without another word and Anna felt strangely victorious as she watched the grown man sit back down at his table with his tail between his legs. She let out a huff in amusement as she walked further into the cafeteria. The two friends sat down at an empty table- Anna on the squishy bench and Eve on top of the table- as they waited for the rest of their team to assemble. There were still people looking at the two of them- but after that little confrontation it seemed that their own nervous jitters had completely disappeared into thin air.
"I heard you're already causing trouble." Dr. Muller teased her the moment he was within her hearing distance. Anna was quick to note that there were two more men in lab coats following after him with matching bronze ID cards. "A little bit early don't you think? You haven't even technically started yet!"
"Vuee!" Eevee protested for her and Anna let out a dry huff of amusement, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure either you or Professor Adams had something to do with that or was me becoming a Trainee supposed to remain a surprise for the rest of the D.P.H.?"
"No." Dr. Muller replied as he took a seat next to her on the bench. Across of them, the other two men sat down and Anna eyed at them curiously. One of them was bigger than the other two and seemed a bit stout. The man was a dirty blond and sported an awesome mustache- the kind that was well kept and curled slightly at the ends. It gave him a very distinguished look when combined with the serenity that just seemed to ooze out of his pores. He also wore that kind of sweater thing that Dr. Muller seemed to prefer and carried what seemed to be a little phone or maybe a recorder in the chest pocket of his lab coat. The other man appeared… unimpressed to say the least. He didn't exactly frown at Anna or anything but he kept his arms crossed and combined with the crease in his brow insinuated that he wasn't exactly happy at the current moment either… His brown hair- peppered with grey- was neatly combed in place though despite this he still looked the most disheveled out of the three. His blue tie was hanging loose around his collar and he sported a morning shadow beard which made Anna wondered when the man had last slept. "But even so, I'm pretty sure the word got around well enough without our direct involvement anyway so… Why bother, right? Now I believe introductions are in order…"
A hand was suddenly in front of her and Anna instinctually grabbed onto it with a smile, the man with the mustache shook their hands before he quickly retreated it again when she suspected Eevee got a little too close for his comfort. "I'm Dr. Arthur Maes, I'm going to be your team's specialist in the field of Pokémon Medical sciences and I will also be the one researching your connection with them."
"Connection?" Anna repeated as both her and Eve crooked their heads to the side in confusion.
Dr. Muller snorted softly under his breath and the still nameless man raised one of his eyebrows at the girl. Dr. Maes appeared pleased and nod, "Exactly that."
Anna frowned and shared a wondering look with Eevee.
The nameless man took a long breathe as if to prepare himself, "I'm Dr. Leon Smits, I excel in the Natural sciences of Pokémon- which basically means that I'm to be this team's encyclopedia when obscure questions arise."
Anna worried her brow and nod once. She got the feeling that 'obscure questions' didn't entail whatever questions she might have when doing her homework… Which was fine, but- "To be completely honest, what you're describing sounds more useful to someone who's already a Pokémon Trainer- since I'm probably not going to encounter much that's unknown while I'm here…"
Dr. Smits seemed to stiffen as he settled her with a calculating gaze and Dr. Muller hummed his agreeance, "True as that may be, it's common practice to have experts such as Smits on the personal team of a Pokémon Trainer."
"It's actually proven that establishing the teams earlier on in the Trainee program improves their overall teamwork in future scenarios, as being able to observe a Trainee's process throughout the lead-up program should offer them better understanding of how the Trainer and their Pokémon go to work." Dr. Maes explained and then sent Dr. Smits a look, "And although not exactly incorrect in his explanation- Dr. Smits role in your team is actually to help you get a better grip on the needs of your Pokémon. Like how to improve their living conditions for instance or how to properly evolve them into their next evolutionary stage."
Dr. Smits threw up his hands in mock-surrender, "Which are all basic concepts that you can easily look up in our library. Look kid, I'm just going to come out and say it- I'm having doubts about you. Granted, your relationship with your Eevee is a peculiar one and I'm sure Maes is all over that, but I just can't see you thriving as a Pokémon Trainer. Are you even aware of what that job entails? It isn't just battling in the Leagues, you know."
"It's also involves resolving clashes between Pokémon and men and actively working to increase our understanding of them." Anna countered, "Though I'll admit that my knowledge on what it means to be a Pokémon Trainer isn't absolute- the news rarely gives the whole story after all, if at all… But that shouldn't be any different from anyone else who starts out like me. So… Really this just boils down to my age again, doesn't it?"
"If the Pokémon don't do you in then it will be the physical coaching." Dr. Smits reasoned, his arms crossed again in resolution. "The training you'll be expected to go through is infamous for being gruesome on even grown men. How exactly are you expecting to pull that off? And sure, you've got a little more time than the others because of your two year ban but in the end the results are expected to be on the same level as the other Pokémon Trainers. Can you honestly say that you'll be able to get to that point in only two years time?"
"I can!" Anna proclaimed confidently, her fists balling tightly in her lap. Next to her Eevee yapped feeling just as spirited. "It wouldn't be fair if the Pokémon were the only ones being trained after all!"
"you…" Dr. Smits gaped just as Dr. Muller fell into muffled snickers. Dr. Maes' eyes lifted in amusement, "I guess that's one way to look at it…"
"Getting over-confident isn't going to change the fact that you not physically fit." Dr. Smits coldly pointed out and Anna winched at the, probably unintentional, nab at her weight. "When I said that grown men had trouble with the coaching I was referring to people who've already been training themselves for years on end in preparation before they even got accepted into the program!"
"Then I'll just need to work even harder than them!" Anna fired back.
Dr. Smits was about to retort again when Dr. Muller stretched out his arm in between the two. "We get it. There are a lot of doubts and a plethora of things we still need to work on before Anna's ready to be a proper Trainer- but that's going to be my issue to worry about." The outstretched hand reached back and lazily plopped onto Anna's head as Dr. Muller offered her a reassuring grin, "You just need to focus on keeping up the good work."
Anna mirrored the doctor's grin and nod.
"Good." Dr. Muller nod and retracted his hand, then pointed it accusingly at Dr. Smits. "And you need to stop bullying her-"
"I wasn't-"
"You so were-"
"Guys." Dr. Maes warned and although both doctors fell silent neither seemed all that willing to drop it. Dr. Maes huffed and looked over at Anna, "Try not to mind Smits. We all share familiar worries over this unusual arrangement but if he truly objected to being a part of this then he would have passed off the opportunity the moment it was offered to him."
Dr. Smits seemed to flush at being put on the spot and glared over at Dr. Maes- it went ignored. "We're actually quite fortunate to be working with you. Under normal circumstances it could take Pokémon Trainers ages for the Pokémon to obey their orders." Dr. Maes sent a meaning full look down at Eevee as the creature played with a paper napkin. "But you seem to have no problem to have them listen to you- this one even seems to be domesticated which is almost unheard of outside of the agricultural business…"
Anna grimaced as Eevee piped up in indignation, sending bits of napkin flying and Anna mindlessly started picking them up to keep Eevee from possibly swallowing them. "Erh… Yeah, no. I don't really see it as Eevee being domesticated… I didn't really do anything to tame him either, rather it's just- he just listens to me because we're friends?"
"Friends?" Dr. Smits asked with a lift of his eyebrow- a dubious look which the other two men at the table seemed to so what mirror.
Anna nod and shared a brief look with Eevee, "I don't really order him to do anything- it's more like we have this understanding between the two of us, I guess? I never really liked the whole 'master and their subjects' relationship between Trainers and their Pokémon. It all just seems unnecessarily inconsiderate to me."
"Vuee!" Eevee seemingly agreed and gently bobbed his head up against Anna's chin. Anna smiled at the action and then directed her attention back to a curious looking Dr. Maes. "But you were making a point earlier..?"
"Ah- Yes. As I was saying, because you already have an easy time making connections with Pokémon, it leads me to believe that any time we'll lose on your training will be compensated on by your Pokémon's willingness to cooperate with you."
"You also won't be expected to go on any missions yet and although it's too bad about the work place experience you'll be missing out on, this does heighten your passing percentage quite a bit." Dr. Muller pointed out.
"Just passing isn't good enough…" Anna heard Dr. Smits mutter under his breath and Anna smirked into her hand, finding herself agreeing with the disagreeable man. She turned to Dr. Muller, "You said that before, that I won't be expect to go on any mission… but does that actually mean not at all or..?"
Dr. Muller seemed to consider it, "Well, you could be asked to join in on some if they happen to be short on manpower… but those instances are far and in between since most rather not have any amateurs around who could potentially mess up the entire mission… You could also request to handle certain mission, though they will most likely not be… dangerous per say. And you'll also need our 'okay' to be considered as qualified to handle said mission- which we can promise you will not be anytime soon."
"Understandable…" Anna breathed out, only a little bit disappointed.
"Ah~ there you are!" A new voice suddenly boomed through the cafeteria and Anna frowned as the so what familiar looking man marched right on over to their table. She couldn't quick place why the man looked familiar to her as she was pretty sure she never actually met him before. He had a notable tan and light blond hair which contrasted almost harshly with each other. He also had some of the bluest eyes Anna had ever seen on a person and a big bright smile which seemed a bit off to her. Then she took note of the black jacket that the man was wearing- one familiar to her own but with the glaring difference of a fully formed Pokéball symbol displayed on his breast pocket just above a pair of tiny national flags. This guy was a real life Pokémon Trainer- one Anna suddenly recalled having see in battles on TV before.
She still couldn't place his name though…
"The facility's newest addition!" The man all but cheered her grace, pulling even more eyes towards there table. Anna gave the man an uncomfortable smile since just because the attention he attracted was unwanted didn't mean that the guy himself was doing it on purpose. Besides his attitude kind of reminder her of Prof. Adams and he was a nice person- "You know, I heard that you were a bit younger than our usual Trainee but I didn't expect you to still be in your teens! Man, you must have some serious talent if the board allowed someone your age onto the program!"
"I-I just know how to get along with Pokémon, I guess?" Anna replied, feeling rather self-conscious at both the complement and the spectacle the man was making of her.
"Well that much is obvious!" The man crowed and then settled his gaze on Eevee, "I sure have never seen a Pokémon act like a lap dog before- you must have disciplined it really well!"
"Vuee!" Came Eve's instant and vehement protest. And Anna quickly grabbed hold of the little Pokémon- knowing that if she hadn't the man would have gotten his nose tackled into the back of his skull… "He's not a 'lap dog' nor an 'it'!" Anna retorted defensively in Eevee's stead. "He's an Eevee."
The man laughed and jokily threw up his hands in surrender, "Of course, my bad~."
Anna felt Eve's growl vibrating against her hands. And yeah, she was definitely starting to dislike this guy too.
"I was actually hoping to catch you before I went on my next mission." The man cheerily disregarded both Eve's and Anna's obvious annoyance. "I wanted to give you a gift- see it as a congratulatory present for making it into the program!"
Anna blinked. Not having expected their conversation to suddenly twist in that direction.
"Here you go-" The man held out his hand towards Anna and she released one of her hands on Eevee to offer him her palm. Something cold, smooth and round was dropped into her palm and Anna furrowed her brow as she looked over the seemingly normal Pokéball he had given her. Seeing the confusion crossing her face the man let out another snicker. "The board decided against giving you a starter since you already have your Eevee. But that seemed a little unfair to me, so here you go~. Treat it well, yeah?" The man explained with a merry wave of his hand and then left without another word said.
Anna blinked after his retreating figure in perplexed confusion as Eevee wiggled his way out from under her hand and went to sniff curiously at the new Pokéball laying innocently in her hand. "That was… weird."
Dr. Maes solemnly nod his agreeance as Dr. Muller pulled up his nose in a familiar sentiment, Dr. Smits frowned down at the Pokéball in her hand. "I suppose it was nice of him to gift you a starter though… I wonder if it's one of our own or something he caught outside of the Netherlands?"
"What are the starter Pokémon used here?" Anna wondered.
"The D.P.H. usually goes for Poliwags since they're in abundance." Dr. Smits shrugged his shoulders, "We can check later to be sure."
Anna smiled at the prospects of it and shared a grin with Eevee, "Look at that Eve, we already have half a team!"
"Eevuee!" Eevee cheered.
Dr. Muller made a noise of confusion, "Half a team? Isn't it just Eevee and this one?"
"Ah no," Anna shook her head and attached her new friend to her belt. "I also caught a Caterpie sometime ago-"
"The D.P.H. only gave you your Pokéballs today." Dr. Muller recalled dryly.
"Who said anything about me using a pokéball?"
Dr. Smits and Dr. Maes could only blink as they both slowly came to realize that they were in for something interesting in the future if this troublesome girl had any sway in it… Dr. Muller sighed in an amused show of exasperation then stood up from the table. "Never mind- say, how about we take you on a little tour around the facility? Then afterwards we can check out that new Pokémon of yours."
"Sounds awesome!" Anna cheered and sprang up to her feet. Eevee yipped along with her in equal excitement as he moved closer to Anna and jumped- without warning- onto her shoulder. Anna wasn't even fazed as she turned to follow after her human team mates. "Hey, who was that guy just now anyway?"
Dr. Muller stumbled and sputtered in unexpected laughter.
"That was Sander de Groot- he's one of the four Pokémon Trainers still currently active at the D.P.H.. The other three are; Femke Peeters, Thijs Wilson and Jamar Baker. " Dr. Smits tiresomely answered the girl as their little group exited the cafeteria.
"Didn't Wilson go inactive awhile back?" Dr. Maes inquired lightly.
"Oh yeah… One of three then."
"What happened to Wilson?" Anna asked with some concern.
The group abruptly stopped moving as Dr. Muller and Dr. Maes seemingly needed to take a moment to ponder over how to answer the girl's question when Dr. Smits, aggravated at the other two, decided to answer. "He and his team went missing for some time in Brazil. Apparently they had a run-in with a pack of Pyroar and managed to scare the litleos enough to set off the parents. Wilsonlost most of his left arm and got the skin on his hip burned to a crisp- the rest of his team were less lucky, though one other also managed to survive."
"Smits…" Dr. Maes started but was quick cut off again.
"I'm not going to fucking sugarcoat it." Dr. Smits reprimanded the man through a sharp hiss and then stared Anna down with a heavy expression, "If this is the job you want then fine. Whatever. But I refuse to let you go into all of this blind- so you better be prepared to hear a lot of awful things because I will personally tell you exactly what other teams have been up to and how they got screwed over."
A tense silent followed.
Dr. Muller placed a hand on Dr. Smits shoulder to get him to back off from the poor girl. "Smits, that's really not-"
"Thank you."
All three doctors turned to look at Anna in either worried, confusion or a mixture of both. Even Eevee seemed a little unsure of how she was going to react to Dr. Smits harsh words and it let out a little 'Vee?' in concern.
Anna smiled at Dr. Smits' perplexed face, "For taking me serious, I mean. It isn't very hard to see that most people around here don't really know what to do with me. And I think that, at some point or another and whether they are aware of it or not, they will treat me with kiddy gloves on. But I don't want that. I can't learn anything from that. So… I guess what I'm trying to say is, erh….Thanks for being an asshole?"
"Yeah okay," Dr Maes eventually broke the silence and turned to Dr. Muller, "I can see why you like her."
"I haven't seen any other Trainees around..?" Anna inquired absently as their little group of five walked down another one of the D.P.H. many twisting hallways. Anna had already given up hope of ever finding her way around here well over an hour ago and was now simply content in listening to the Doctors in her company as they rattled off facts and little anecdotes about the rooms they passed. They had already strolled through both the hospital wings- one for the humans and the other for the Pokémon. She'd been shown the grounds outside from the observatory deck and had even been shown some of the laboratories where her team apparently tended to dwell in. It was all incredibly impressive and intriguing- and terrifying.
She was absolutely loving every second she got to spend in this place.
"You'll run into them eventually." Dr. Muller assured her with a lazy shrug of his shoulders, "Either in the cafeteria, the communal areas or in the gym… I believe that- including you- there are… eight Trainee's currently in the program? Most are still new though so you might not even meet them before they decide to throw the towel in."
"Or before they get themselves killed." Dr. Smits cut in with a slight turn of his head, his voice flat. "Bottom line is, Trainee's rarely last. So the D.P.H. tend to leave the group bonding exercises for when the Trainee's are more experienced and less likely to break under high pressure. After all, it would be regrettable if an entire batch of potential Pokémon Trainers went out merely because one of them made a bad call."
"Alrighty then, no trust falls in the foreseeable future…" Anna commented quietly and shared a look with Eevee.
Dr. Meas cleared his throat just as the next set of doors slid open before them. "This is the adjacent lab to the Trainers gyms. In here we'll be observing your physical progress by monitoring your heart rate, breathing pattern, blood pressure-"
"You can monitor all that just by me being down in one of these gyms?" Anna gasped in wonder.
Dr. Meas harrumphed in mirth and stepped up to a nearby table- Anna furrowed her brow at his retreating figure and sent a confused look over at a amused Dr. Muller who shook his head. Dr. Meas moved back in front of her and held out a small metallic band- one that both Anna and Eevee blinked at in wonder.
"May I have your none-dominant hand?"
Anna held up her right hand and Dr. Meas easily slipped the band on her wrist. And then the metal suddenly shrunk, clinging tightly to her wrist and Anna let out a squeak in surprise. Eevee barked up in alarm, growling at Dr. Meas as the Pokémon seemed to have his attention split between the retreating doctor, the evil machine on Anna's wrist and Anna's slowly easing expression.
Anna let out a shaky chuckle. "All good, all good… That surprised me…"
"I'm sorry. I probably should have forewarned you about the fine tuning of the wristwatch. It needs to be snug to get a good reading you see." Dr. Meas apologized to Anna though his eyes noticeably never left Eevee's hunched form on her left shoulder.
"It's alright." Anna waved him off in hopes to further ease the sudden tension in the observation room, "So this thing will keep a check on my health?"
"Essentially yes, but it's also able to tell the time."
Anna let out an amused huff as Eevee, once more, settled against her neck. "Cool."
"You're expected to wear that thing 24/7." Dr. Smits commented at her from his seat in one of the spinny desk chairs. "So that includes when you're sleeping or taking a bath. People are going to be keeping tabes on you from this point on until you kick the bucket- and even after that there will be people going through your remains in the name of science. You up for it, kid?"
"Honestly, I'll probably forget that I'm wearing the thing by the end of the week." Anna admitted and sent Dr. Smits a droll look, "Besides with how our social media seems to be progressing a thing such as 'privacy' wasn't going to be feasible in my future anyway."
Dr. Smits snorted and spun himself back to face the little screen.
"We're going to do a physical tomorrow and the day after to see where you're starting from." Dr. Muller told her then, "then I'm going to be busy for a while to get your schedule planned out for the next two years or so… I'd advise you to come down here while you wait on me to get a head start anyway- just don't overdo it. It would suck if you had to start off with an injury because you over exerted yourself… And then I would just need to alter my schedule again, so…"
"And it would, of course, be terrible that you got yourself injured." Dr. Meas added with a side eye at Dr. Muller, then looked back over to Anna, "There might be other people in here to process some date in our stead- most they'll get to do with your advancements is comment on it. Don't listen to them if it veers too far off your workout schedule. They have to come to us first before we consider changes and they know it."
"Okay, no spontaneity to the schedule." Anna nod to herself, "The schedule is good and will be obeyed without question."
"Atta girl." Dr. Muller noted, sounding pleased and then settled her with a long suffering look, "Do me a favor and never lose that mindset, yeah? I've had to work with countless know-it-alls before and, believe me, it gets old very quickly."
"You've been on a Trainer's team before?" Anna asked curiously.
"No, I've been working with scientists."
"If you do happen to obtain an injury in here, or anywhere really, I'll be notified trough the wristlet and will either come to you directly or check up on you in the hospital wing. It really depends on how severe the injury is and if you'll profit from first aid." Dr. Meas went on to explain.
Anna looked down at her watch, "So this thingy will be able to pinpoint exactly what kind of injury I've got if I were to get one?"
"It's more of an educated guess- it's constantly collecting date on your physic and any unexpected altercations will instantly be noticed. Pain sensory will also be taken into consideration and then those symptoms will be listed and weighted by the… " Dr. Meas trailed off as he took note of the younger girl's distant look, "It just knows."
"Cool, cool."
Dr. Smits huffed as if it pained him to get out of the chair and walked off to the next pair of sliding doors, the remaining of their little group followed soon after. "Come on, last stop of the day- get Miss van Vliet her Pokédex."
"There's still-"
"No. Nope." Dr. Smits refused Dr. Muller's correction, "We've already passed by most of which she'll deal with in the next year. I doubt you even remember how to find anything at this point-"
"Well-"
"-so how about we leave the rest for when its actually required and let her get accustomed to her new equipment for the rest of the evening? Then we can catch some actual sleep for once…"
"Sleep does sound tempting." Dr. Maes noted lightly and the two turned to look at Dr. Muller and Anna. Dr. Muller sighed out his exhaustion though whether it was because of his own lack of sleep or the fact that he had to deal with slacking coworkers wasn't clear to Anna. So she decidedly decided to answer for him.
"If I have to give my all to become a Pokémon Trainer than you guys need to do the same if you want to continue working on my personal team." The doctors surrounding her seemed to go ridged- and their little group stopped walking as they turned to warily eye at her. Anna found herself confused and a little bit unsettled under their scrutiny. She wondered if it was something she said. It wasn't that weird for her to expect something like this, right? Surely they couldn't expect her to be the best if they weren't willing to do their best to help her get there. She needed them on their top-game too! Anna swiftly glanced up to Dr. Muller, "How much time in my schedule were you planning to set out for sleeping?"
"An eight hour minimum?" Dr. Muller blinked down at her, so what befuddled. "It's supposedly promotes optimum health and-"
"Okay, then from now on so do you guys." Anna stated and went on ahead, looking around. "Where's that other lab supposed to be at?"
"You're…" Dr. Smits gaped at her. Wondering, perhaps much like his coworkers, if this could technically count as an official order from a superior.
The three doctors hurried to catch up with the teenager and wordlessly lead her through the next few bends in the hallway.
"I don't think I've had a full night sleep since I started college…" Dr. Maes commented breathlessly almost in disbelieve.
"Van Vliet-" Dr. Muller started.
"Oh! You guys can all just call me 'Anna' by the way- I'm not used to people calling me 'van Vliet' or 'Miss van Vliet' or things like that. It kinda makes me feel like I'm at the dentist or about to get scolded…"
"Ah- that's fine. At work we usually call our coworkers by their last name since calling each other 'doctor' would just get messy… Since, you know, pretty much everyone in the labs is some kind of doctor…" Dr. Muller stopped himself from trailing off further. "Anna, I assure you that the three of us are quite capable of taking care of-"
"Yourselves?" Anna supplied the man and then started feeling the embarrassment creep up on her. "I wasn't presuming that you weren't, it's just- you guys made it sound like you've been overworking yourself so- I didn't mean to actually order you or anything but-"
"Vue." Eevee said and softly bonked his head against Anna's jaw.
"No, no. Please order us to-"
"Maes, shut up." Dr. Muller sighed out and settled Anna with a small smile, "It was kind of you to think of us but I promise that it isn't necessar-"
"Speak for yoursel-"
"Maes, I swear to go-"
"We'll catch our rest when we can. You just focus on yourself and your Pokémon for now." Dr. Smits redirected the conversation back, giving Anna an appreciative look. "Remember, we're your support team- not the other way around."
The group fell silence then, the only sound echoing in the halls was their footsteps as they continued on their way.
"That was so swee-"
"Fuck off, Muller."
"Hey, watch your language!" Dr. Maes berated Dr. Smits and Anna snickered.
I love the dream team. The scientists are so much fun to write while they're bickering.
Also, we're meeting our new Pokémon in the next chapter!