The midday sun of a spring day beat down upon Professor Birch's Littleroot Town Reserve. It was a sprawling complex of several acres, with features criss-crossing the grounds like rivers, plains, and small, rocky hills. Pokémon of all shapes and sizes roamed their enclosures, grazing and mingling amicably with one another. All of them belonged to a trainer in the Pokémon League, but while they weren't within their trainer's party, they resided here. The professor and his small team of aides and researchers took care of each and every one of them, all the while studying their habits and behavior. At the forefront of this massive enclosure was a white three-story building, the laboratory, sitting upon the main road that led back into town. It served as both the home of everyone on the professor's team as well as a place where more in-depth studies could take place... with express permission of the Pokémon's trainers, of course.

Crouched just in front of this building's rather large front garden was a short man of about 20 years, wearing a black pair of cargo pants and a grey t-shirt. His name was Blair Whitacre. The shirt was smeared here and there with dirt, as were his hands and some of his rounded face. An assortment of Weedle, Wurmple, and Caterpie were slinking around tall flowers and bushes, grazing upon their leaves and branches as he watched. Occasionally, the researcher would reach and take a half-eaten shoot or leaf after a Pokémon moved on from it and give it a good, hard look. A mostly black hoodie and a belt lined with six variously colored pokéballs were slung along a nearby fence, shed because of the increasing heat. Despite this morning's rain, the humidity was very apparent and uncomfortable.

After a while, it was clear that whatever he was looking for wasn't there. He straightened up with a grimace, knees aching from holding that position for so long. Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, the sound of the lab's front doors opening caught his attention. Looking over at the short path that ran between the road and the lab, he caught sight of Professor Birch himself striding in his direction. Blair had a feeling he knew what this was all about, but he tried to play it cool. The professor had been badgering Blair about it for the better part of three weeks now, ever since he found out that she would be coming. Blair had managed to delay giving an answer, but as today was supposed to be the day, his decision needed to be made. The little game Blair was playing with Birch's mind was about to come to an end.

"Still no luck?" Birch asked, taking Blair's pained grimace as a sign of another failed experiment.

"Nothin'," Blair responded, shaking his head and moving over towards his hanging belongings. He wiped his hands off on the inside of the hoodie, staring down the road that eventually led into town. Still no signs of a visitor so far....

Birch made no reaction to Blair's odd habit of wiping his hands off on just about anything. He knew that Blair had spent years on the road, moving from town to town all over the world in search of Pokémon and badges. When you made a life of roughing it, you were bound to develop some rather unsanitary habits. "That's too bad," Birch remarked, not really sounding all that involved in the matter. The preoccupation with something else was evident. Blair knew what was coming next. "But... you know, Blair," Birch continued, sounding hesitant, "She's bound to be here any minute now.... And since you've never said 'no' outright... I just thought I might give you one last chance, you know?" He tried to smile at the former World Champion trainer, one hand stroking his impressive beard, but it looked obviously forced.

Blair actually cracked a smile, gripping the fence and leaning back against it with his legs crossed at the ankles beneath him. "Professor, with your constant badgering, I'd wager you've given me about fifty 'last chances'," he remarked coyly, letting his snappy wit get the better of him, "So you'll be delighted to hear that I've already been preparing to leave for the last few days. My bag is packed and sitting on my bed, Professor. You've won.... I'm going."

Birch looked positively delighted at Blair's response, clapping his large hands together. "Wonderful! Wonderful!" he cried with gleeful triumph, "I've always said you don't belong in a lab, Blair! You belong out there, making a name for yourself again! I know for a fact this is your way back in it all!" Then, before he could stop himself, he continued: "Oh, I must let her father know! He'll be delighted!" With that, he dashed back towards the lab before Blair could get in another word.

"Always the excitable one, isn't he?" Blair murmured to seemingly no one in particular. However, there was always someone listening to him... someone he'd known for over a decade. They were always less than an arm's reach away in case of danger or otherwise. There was a dazzling flash of light as the green and white pokéball on his hanging belt released its contents. A rather tall and stoic Gallade appeared next to Blair, his defining feature a vicious scar just below his right eye. "I take it she's close by, Slash?" Blair asked the psychic Pokémon, despite already knowing the answer. The Gallade gave a slow nod, gesturing towards the road with his head. "Good. Let's hope this isn't a complete waste of my time...."

With that, Blair returned to cooly leaning against the fence by the path, waiting for his next companion to come walking by.

Inside a small house in Littleroot Town, there sat a girl with pale red hair, her eyes staring determinedly at the pokeball on her desk.

"Come on... It's not going to be hard. Just... suck it up and GO!" Julie whispered to herself, still seated on the edge of her chair. Her legs were fidgeting, her nerves going wild. Her room wasn't neat, but it wasn't dirty either. She had piles of clothes scattered everywhere. The clock on her desk read 7:30 AM. She'd been up for about an hour or two now, preparing herself, making sure she had on nice clothes, that she was packed, that she'd taken a shower. She wanted it to be perfect, though she felt herself slowly going crazy because of it. She sighed and placed her head on her desk, prepared to give up.

Maybe I'm just not... ready.

BAM! Her eyes shot open and she straightened up faster than a bullet, her eyes darting to her door. There, in her door frame, stood her father, his read hair tied back into a sloppy ponytail. His blue eyes were lit with excitement, a wide smile on his face.

"Jule!" He yelled, Julie's Eevee running inside from between his feet. "I just got a call from Birch! He told me that a friend of his is in fact going to accompany you on your journey. You don't have to go it alone, dear." He explained, walking in and sitting down on her bed near her. He placed his hand on her shoulder lovingly and smiled warmly at her. Her eevee, Piko, jumped up onto the bed and sat next to him, staring over at her expectantly. Julie let out a long sigh, smiling over at the two.

"Thanks, you two." She said as she smiled and poked at Piko's nose. "Your enthusiasm is uplifting." She told them, pulling away.

"You'll be fine." Her father told her, his smile warm. Piko called out to her, almost as if it were smiling.

"Yeah... Alright. Well, how do I look, Dad?" She asked, standing up and spinning for him. She heard Piko call to her, it's voice small and cute. Julie giggled. "Thanks Piko!" She replied, giggling. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail much like her fathers but tied up with a small ribbon. She had on a matching blue and white shirt with matching caprices and shoes. Her bag sat by her desk, small yet big enough to hold what it needed to.

"I think you look fine, Jule." Her father told her, shaking his head. "You'd better get going. Birch is expecting you soon. It's almost nine!" He continued, motioning toward the clock that now read 8:43 AM. She sighed and smiled at him.

"I guess so." She replied, a heavy feeling in her chest. She picked up her bag, placing Piko's pokeball inside and walk to the front door with her father. "I'll call you when I can..." She told him, looking down at her hands, she had them in front of her, holding her bag. She felt her father's lips brush against her forehead as he leaned down.

"Good. You do just that. I'll be here when you need me." He told her before walking back inside. Julie took in a deep breath and looked down to Piko.

"Ready to go, little guy?" She asked and the small pokemon responded by jumping and running circles around her. She giggled and began to walk down their drive way, headed towards the Lab. It wasn't long before the Lab came into view, all of the pokemon playing together gleefully behind the fenced in area. Piko ran over and called out to a few of them. Julie chuckled as she watched them interact, amused by her pokemon's nature.

I wish I could be that confident.

Her attention was next struck by the man leaning against the fence, watching her. She blinked, looking around to make sure he was, in fact, looking at her.

"E-Excuse me. W-Who are you?" She asked, her brows furrowed and her hands already together in front of her, rubbing together nervously. The scar on the side of her stomach itched, for what reason, she didn't know. "I... I'm l-looking for Professor B-Birch." She told him, looking over at the pokemon in the fenced in area. Piko was still calling out to them, her tail wagging excitedly.

Blair was able to give her a lengthy look as she made her approach; the road from town ran over some pretty open ground. Her Pokémon of choice was an Eevee; that much was evident. The versatile Pokémon offered plenty of options down the line, so it was a rather popular starter all over the world. It seemed a very friendly and energetic fellow, which made Blair wonder just how useful it would prove in a fight. Slash, being a compete opposite of the Eevee, and a total diva, narrowed his eyes slightly at it. Blair, feeling this irritation flow through their strange bond, put a hand to the Gallade's shoulder as the pair drew close.

"Easy, boy," he murmured softly. They certainly didn't need things getting off on the wrong foot. Blair didn't want to scare her off or anything. Birch was trusting him completely with this endeavor, albeit a slightly strange one. If this somehow failed, there was no telling whether or not he'd ever get his job and lodging back.

Finally, the two made it near where Blair was leaning. As soon as Julie opened her mouth, it was painfully evident just how nervous she was. From the stutter to her voice to the thing she did with her hands, she seemed an absolute mess already. Blair couldn't blame her. This wasn't just your average walk in the park. Just like a great many things, it fell upon him to belay those misgivings.

Blair gave her a gentle smile, which contrasted sharply with the seemingly permanent sadness of his eyes. He moved off the fence and closed the gap between them. "Well then, you've come to the right place," he responded with as much enthusiasm as his normally low-key personality would allow, "He's just inside. I'll just need you to take a breath before you meet him, okay?" A soft chuckle escaped him as he extended a hand. "I'm Blair Whitacre, by the way. I work with the professor.... Or, at least, I used to." It wasn't easy maintaining eye contact with her; she seemed to want to look anywhere except at him.

Julie let out a soft sigh at his response. She knew she was but with her paranoia it always helped to have it confirmed. She couldn't help that she was like that, she'd always been for as long as she could remember. She knew she thought too lowly of herself but she couldn't help it. She always saw what sort of bad things could happen to her. She was the complete opposite of her pokemon, too afraid to take a chance.

She nodded and turned to face Blair, a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you." She told him after taking the breath like he'd suggested. "I'm Julie. J-Julie Smithwood." She told him, stuttering a bit. She'd almost forgot to tell him her last name, though... would it have even mattered? Still, she didn't want to seem rude. She blinked a bit, his last statement finally processed. He used to work with Professor Birch? What had made him stop? She felt pressured to ask but at the same time she had many things she'd rather not talk about so she assumed the same for him.

"Let me call Piko over and we can go inside..." She told him, sending him a quick smile before calling over her pokemon over. She turned to Piko, bent down with her hands on her knees and slapped them, yelling out, "Piko!" The young eevee looked up, it's ears perking up. It called out to her and then ran, well more like bounced, it's way over to her. She chuckled at him and picked him up, preferring to carry him in her arms. She looked over at Blair and then at the pokemon near Blair, a Gallade. She smiled at the pokemon warmly and then looked back at Blair to wait for a response. She could have gone in herself but she, again, didn't want to appear rude.

Blair glanced over at Slash as the excitable Eevee pranced towards them, daring him to react. The Gallade resumed his normally passive pose, watching with mild interest. Satisfied, Blair nodded towards Julie as the Pokémon jumped into her arms. "Quite the energetic one you've got there!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards Piko, "Old Slash here, on the other hand... well, he's not one for emotion, obviously. Still... he's got it where it counts." Slash offered a bit of a nod in response, blinking twice.

With a shrug, Blair plucked the Gallade's green and white pokéball from his hanging belt and recalled the psychic Pokémon. After reducing the ball to its portable size, he clipped it back onto his belt before wrapping the leather accessory around his waist. There was no fiddling with belt loops or other such nonsense. Blair just pulled it tight and snapped the seatbelt-style buckle so the belt rested at a slightly skewed angle across his hips.

Flipping his discarded hoodie over his left shoulder, Blair gestured to Julie. "Come on in. Let's get out of this heat for a little," he offered, turning and beginning the short walk to the entrance. "The professor's been antsy about your arrival for a while now. I think he's got some stuff for you, too," he called over his shoulder. During the short walk, he reflected on just how he should approach this little 'project'. It wasn't something he'd really considered until now. Something told him that patience was going to be key... as was trying as hard as possible not to get involved unless it were a life-threatening situation. Getting through to Julie might also prove a bit of challenge, as from what he'd seen so far, she was quite timid. Of course, that could've just been her nerves. Maybe she'd be a bit more relaxed after they'd been together for longer.

She smiled as her nerves would allow, giggling slightly at Slash. She didn't see anything wrong with being different from Piko. Besides the little eevee did have way too much energy. "He's... certainly a lively one..." She replied softly, walking with Blair towards the entrance. It was a bit humid, a wonder the pokemon could play outside so comfortably. Soon enough, they'd get tired and want to come inside though.

She held onto Piko, her fingers rubbing the small pokemon's fur. His eyes darted around the room as they entered the building. She chuckled, amused. If Piko could do one thing, it was make Julie happy. Blair's words from before ran through her head. What did Professor Birch have for her? She didn't know, she hadn't the slightest idea. She also didn't know who the person was she'd be traveling with. She didn't see anyone besides Blair here that looked like a trainer, though she could be wrong.

She looked around the room, hanging on to Piko as he struggled to get free of her grip. "Shh. Or I'll have to put you in your pokeball." She whispered, pulling her mouth down to the pokemon's ears. He stopped and looked up at her and then resigned to looking around the room with her. She smiled and continued watching. There were several researchers all around. Some at desks with or without computers, some at shelves and filing cabinets and some at strange machines she knew nothing about. It was all white and sterile, with the exception of a few pictures of pokemon on the walls. They all seemed so happy... It'd been so long since she'd seen Professor Birch, since she'd... She sighed, her heart sinking once again. She looked up when Professor Birch walked in the room, suddenly surprised to see them.

"Oh! Good! You're here! Julie, it's so good to see you again!" He called out to them, walking over and wrapping his arms around Julie, giving her a warm hug.

"H-Hello P-Professor..." She replied, holding Piko in such a way that he wouldn't be crushed by the man.

"I'm so glad you're willing to give it another shot." Birch said as he pulled away, smiling widely at her. She simply nodded, not sure what to say. Yes, she was ready to give it another shot... to try again.

Blair sort of hovered awkwardly in the background, not quite sure if he should say anything. This was her show after all; he was just an honored guest of sorts. He did raise his eyebrows with mild interest when the professor called it 'another shot'. So she'd tried this before? It certainly wasn't unheard of for someone to turn back, either on the same day or a few weeks in. Life on the road was not for everyone. It made more sense as to why he was being asked to accompany her, but it irked him that the professor hadn't told him this before.

Blair cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Professor, I need to get my bag," he informed him, turning his head to Julie, "I'm assuming you know this... but maybe not? I'm to accompany you, you see.... Point you in the right direction, you know?" An awkward smile crossed his face as he finished. How was she going to take this news if she didn't already know?

"Anyway," Blair returned his attention to Birch, "I'll just be a moment. You've probably got some stuff for her anyway, right? Pokégear or something?" He shrugged, gesturing for them to continue as he stepped out of the room and towards the stairwell around the corner..

She blinked, watching Blair interact with Professor Birch. And he told her. "You?" She mumbled, a bit stumbled. She stifled a small chuckle. She'd been talking to the person that was going to accompany her all along. Maybe it was fated. She smiled and turned to look at Professor Birch as Blair left.

"You seem much better the second time around. Maybe Blair is already helping?" the professor asked, smiling down at her. She simply nodded, a smile still evident on her face. "Good!" He said, chuckling at her response. He walked over to a cabinet and began moving things around.

What's he looking for?

She blinked when he came back with a blue device, the pokedex.

"It's yours!" He told her, huffing because of the strenuous activity. She smiled at him and took the device and placed it in her pocket, smiling up at him.

"Thank you, Professor. For everything..." She told him, looking down, her nerves coming back.

"Not at all. You should know how to use it but if you don't just ask Blair, I'm sure he''l help you." He explained to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him expectantly. "You're a capable girl, Julie. I know you can do this." He continued. His eyes were soft yet serious, his words true. She nodded her head silently and smiled at him. "Now go. Don't keep that boy waiting too long!" He told her, pushing her away. She stumbled a bit but avoided falling. With a smile, she looked around for Blair, unsure as to where he was.