COMPLETE: Trainers of Fanfiction 2020

[Beth Pavell]

Bress
From Pokémon Magic Act & Everlight Stories
By @Daren

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Bress: I became interested in machinery and technology—especially electronics—after visiting the Museum of Crafts and Technology in Everlight as a child. I started planning to become an inventor from that day. My parents were very supportive, and I was able to study and work hard enough to win a scholarship to the Advanced Technology Institute in Lodestrom city. I was in the Institute for five years--studying electronics, engineering, machinery, even medicine creation. After graduating I spent the next decade working for the Republic in various projects and research tasks. After that I saved up enough to open my shop and start doing my own projects.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Bress: My specialty is recreating old human technology—I'm an expert in that field with over a dozen successful reproductions acknowledged in the Republic records--but I do lots of original work and standard productions as well. In fact, now that actual human tech is mostly illegal to trade I’ve been having trouble keeping up with demand for the last year. There’s one thing nobody else has managed—to create entirely new Technical Records instead of copying old human designs. My record for Aqua Jet is what won me official from the Science and Engineering Board to Master.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Bress: Right now I’m teaching an apprentice—a young Salandit named Antonius. He's a good kid and a hard worker. After that I want to try recreating Technical Machines--those human made devices that can teach moves repeatedly. Obviously there's plenty of interest in that! If that works out I think the Science and Engineering Board is quite likely to offer me a position on the governing board--there's not much more an inventor can hope for.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Bress: I get up early and spend some time creating products with Antonius—orbs and other adventuring gear, technical records, Pokégear program discs, and the more boring thing like tools, protective clothing, potions, toys for children, and batteries. My shop’s open twelve hours on weekdays, starting at eight. Running the storefront is pretty simple, although a lot of Pokémon don’t know exactly what they’re looking for and need help, and a few days are unexpectedly busy and I need Antonius to run it while I head out back to make more merchandise. On weekends I work on any special commissions I have—I have an assistant who runs the store on those days, of course. Seasonal shake-ups are common--Red Leaf Arena holds it battle season in the summer so those weeks I get up extra early to make more technical records and potions, while in the winter I create heaters and special electric blankets--and of course I had to restructure a lot of my work when the Republic passed that ban on many human items.

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Bress: I love technology. I love creating things that make other Pokémon’s lives easier or more enjoyable, and to be honest I adore doing things no one else has done! Handing over special commissions is usually the best part--often tricky, and seeing someone's eyes light up when they get a one-of-a-kind item is great.

Interviewer: What's your working relationship like with humans? If you've never worked with a human, would you like to?

Bress: Of course my species doesn't live long enough for me to have met a human, but I wish I could have. Their technology was far beyond what we’ve recreated--if I'd studied under a human scientist I bet I'd be twice as good. I hear the same rumors everyone does that some still exist across the ocean—I hope they’re true, but I haven’t heard any reason to think they are.

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with many different kinds of pokémon? Have you ever worried about being outshone by any of them?

Bress: Yes, on both counts. All sorts come by storefront, of course—adventurers, competitive battlers, ordinary Pokémon looking for high tech goods, and traveling merchants planning to resell up in the Northern Wilds or across the sea. Just about every species—except legendary Pokémon, of course—has come by at some point. As for being outshone, the Republic won't hire Water (or Flying) types for projects involving very large amounts of electricity, so I'm sometimes worried about my career being held back because of a lack of experience in that area. I had wanted to work on that project to build a new high-power generator up in Johrock six years ago--and I was more qualified than most for it--but they turned my application down immediately for safety reasons.

Interviewer: Have you ever had to be in any battles during a working day? How do you feel about that?

Bress: No, thankfully. Red Leaf’s a safe town but even aside from that plenty of members of both the Adventurer’s Association and the Competitive Battling league rely on me for equipment. Those aren’t Pokémon you want to make angry!

Interviewer: What invention of yours are you happiest with?

Bress: The Mark II Pokégear—it actually has a few features the original human design didn’t. I’m really proud of it. I hope someone else can improve the design even farther in the future. There were some things I wanted to do but couldn’t quite manage. To be honest, usually the harder an invention the more I like it, but I actually regret creating the most difficult project I finished. It was a confidential commission so I can't say any more.

 

[LightningTopaz]

Icetales​

From SWAP!
By @Cresselia92

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Icetales: Hmm... truth to be told, this was not a profession I had planned to take. Not as my first choice, at least. To better illustrate, in my family every single member must have some occupation connected to aristocracy and royalty. Alas, as the youngest member of my family and the last who gets to pick their profession, I did not have many available choices by the time I had to pick a choice. The profession of the butler was the one that appealed to me the most, and as such I studied very hard to learn everything I needed to know to be the perfect butler.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Icetales: My specialty lies in the way I serve tea. With my broad knowledge of the various kinds of tea and my complete mastery in the use of my ice powers, I can choose the perfect brand and lower the temperature of the served tea at the most comfortable degree for every specific consumer. To give you a fairly basic example, Ice-types like yours truly generally appreciate a fresh mint tea with no steam and a frosted layer on the cup to protect our bodies from the heat. It may not appear like much, nevertheless, I assure you that an impeccable treatment of the guests and accommodation of their tea preferences can make them far more amicable during negotiations. And as the only Ice-type in the castle, that is something that only I am capable of doing. Gafferine Delcatty knows how to control ice, too, even if her technique is more... shall we say, unfocused?

Interviewer: What do you wish you'd known on your first day that you know now?

Icetales: Hmph. The most obvious thing I wish I knew would be knowing that there was another Ninetales in Serenity Town. If I was aware of that, I would have made sure that this whole "swap" mishap never happened, and I would have worked at the mansion from the very beginning and without all the grievances that followed. ...Even though, would things truly have been better that way? This is an answer that I cannot answer, I am afraid. I do not regret meeting Mama Gogo and Mienshao, this much I can say.

Interviewer: What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?

Icetales: One word: etiquette. That is the mantra that any potential butler must know absolutely. Among things everybody must know would be the art of discretion, always asking "Would there be something else, Sir or M'lady?" and elegance. Absolute elegance. These are very basic skills that anyone can master with some accurate schooling and dedication. *smirks* Yes, even a relaxed individual like Firetales could master those skills, if the desire is strong.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Icetales: ...I am unsure about this question. This job is essential to me as a way to gain experience and connections with the world of nobility. There is no knowledge waits for me, nor if I will keep this job or move onto something more ambitious. Nevertheless, I have made a lot of... friends thanks to my job. Yes, friends. It would be most regrettable to leave them behind to pursue something else, wouldn't it? So, for now, I prefer to focus on my current profession. Who knows, perhaps I will be made head butler someday.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Marcus Samson
From Hunter, Haunted
By @canisaries

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Marcus: My religion has always been a strong part of my life. It's been there for me during tough times, a rock in the storm, as they say, and I've seen it help other people as well. And I like seeing other people get better. When they're better, they do more good themselves. And I figured that the best way to share this would be to become someone who shares it professionally. And it's not just about spreading the word - it's helping people regardless of their beliefs. Of course, in the ideal case they'll get more interested about this Arceus business once you've helped them, but forcing it to them is counterproductive. And only being kind to someone if they pay you back isn't very altruistic in the end, anyway.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Marcus: In addition to being a regular priest, I am also a licensed exorcist. I calm down upset ghost pokémon with traditional methods, helping both them and the humans or mon they're bringing misfortune to. I even cooperate with the police on occasion, when there's a dangerous case of possession, for example. I wouldn't say I'm anything special in that field, though, just doing a good job is enough. It's about helping people, not being the best.

Interviewer: What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?

Marcus: Be patient. Sometimes you will meet people who are aggressive or ignorant or dismissive of your help, but you have to remember those people do have their own problems and struggles you aren't necessarily aware of. Something that's clear as day to you might not be so obvious to them, and people never like being made to feel stupid. You have to take things slow sometimes and not think too much about some hurtful comments, as they're typically only made out of anger or confusion. If you keep yourself friendly and open, they will eventually warm up. And if they don't, you can rest assured knowing you did your best and only hope and pray that they'll warm up to someone else down the line.

Interviewer: What do you not like about your job? Are you in a position to change it?

Marcus: Sometimes I do meet people that are a little too spiteful to just shrug off. Some people yell in the streets, "go back to Sinnoh". I tell myself that they're doing it out of their own insecurity, but it still bothers me. There's just so little reason to do something like that; so little gained for so much more lost. But that's just an unfortunate fact of the world, people can be hurtful. It's what a lot of the suffering in the world is caused by in the end. Changing it, I suppose, is what I work every day to try and do. Let the anger and spite pass over me like water off the ducklett's back. I can't let it take hold of me, because then I'll only spread it. Forgiveness and understanding is key. And I think that, too, is infectious, but just advances a little slower. It needs to be given time.

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with many different pokémon? What was a memorable one?

Marcus: It has. I've met plenty of pokémon seeking guidance during my days as a priest. A notable amount of them have come to me about their place in the world, society being mostly humans and their cousins being stuck in the wild and all that. This one time, a nickit came to me, rather young, and asked me what she should do about her instincts to steal. She knew that stealing was wrong according to Arceus, but she also knew that nickits and thievul naturally have an attraction to thievery, and she had her own tendencies to nick pieces of candy from a candy shop - she purposefully kept it very small in monetary value in order to minimize harm. She thought her species was forsaken, the poor thing. Honestly, it did make me ponder for a while, but in the end I could convince her that it was an instinct to help her survive in the wilds. And you can't blame creatures for trying to survive. It might clash with human rules and not have a place in human society, but that didn't mean it was inherently bad. She wasn't stealing to make others unhappy, after all. So I suggested she sought out some other nickit and thievul and suggested a community where they could set up some environment to pretend-play stealing to keep that instinct satisfied while not actually bringing harm to anyone. And I did convince her that, to large businesses, one piece of candy is really not that much and that she shouldn't beat herself up over it and just try not to do it in the future. She unfortunately had to move quite soon, so I didn't see her after that, but I wished her well and prayed for her. Hopefully she did manage to sort that out.

Interviewer: Is the degree of contact with pokémon in your working life something you're happy with?

Marcus: Absolutely. I think it's wonderful to get to see so many different kinds of pokémon and help them find harmony in living among humans. It really shows the diversity of life and Arceus's guided creation.

 

[namohysip]

Chelsea Mendoza
By @LightningTopaz
From Pokémon: Stars of the Indigo Stage

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Chelsea: I knew from a young age I wanted to join the Pokemon Musical or the Pokemon Revue--so when an opportunity came up for an audition into Nimbasa's Melody Revue, I took it! I didn't plan to be trained by my elder sister Christine, though--that was just a sweet coincidence.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Chelsea: I don't really specialize in any role per se--I'll play any role you want in a show. Christine is training me in playing heroic roles, if that counts; but I can also do comical roles, like tricksters.

Interviewer: What do you wish you'd known on your first day that you know now?

Chelsea: Getting the lead role is more than just knowing the role front to back--you have to be able to convey their emotions well.

Interviewer: What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?

Chelsea: Don't give up, and listen to those that are better than you--they often have valuable advice for you.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Chelsea: I hope that after my trip to Kanto and taking part in their Grand Musical, I can come back as a better performer, and maybe try the Unova Musical Challenge again.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Chelsea: A typical day as a Musical performer is very busy, but worth it! Sometimes there are last minute changes--the script needs a tweak, an actor got sick and the understudy needs to step in, or sometimes something totally different forces a cancellation. If there's one thing Christine has taught me well, it's to roll with the punches!

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Chelsea: The cheers and applause we get when the show's over--it makes all our hard work and any setbacks worth it

Interviewer: What do you not like about your job? Are you in a position to change it?

Chelsea: Every once in a while, I may have to work with a prima donna director that wants every detail of the script tailored to how they believe the show should look. But all performers have rights, and we try to work with difficult directors as best as we can.

Interviewer: Are there any pokémon employed in your workplace? Is their help essential to keep things running?

Chelsea: Yes! Live Pokemon often appear onstage with us (Legendaries and big Pokemon are often puppets), and help on the crew. If one of us ever forgets a line, my Espeon Athena is right there to remind us!

Interviewer: What qualifications are required to do what you do? Did you have to do some kind of study or training?

Chelsea: Every performer in the Melody Revue trains in an apprenticeship system--learning the basics of acting in a revue vs. a straight play or musical; how to sing, how to dance, how to fight (both with martial arts and weaponry), and circus acts, if the role requires it.

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with many different pokémon? What was a memorable one?

Chelsea: Yes--meeting Ash and his Pikachu Tintri face to face. He's just as good an actor as he is a trainer. If becoming Pokemon Master doesn't work out, he's always welcome onstage someplace!

Interviewer: Is the degree of contact with pokémon in your working life something you're happy with?

Chelsea: Yes--Athena doesn't step in to help unless I ask for help, or she sees I really need help with a scene.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Andrea Dennison
From Land of the Roses
By @Misfit Angel

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Andrea: I will always answer a question like this the same: Luck. But people always insist it's not just luck that got me where I am, so I'll try to take a step back and analyze things objectively. I got into my profession because it was what I wanted to do. I set my mind to it from a very young age, when I nearly blew up my dad's tool shed with a runaway chemical reaction. That was when I knew I wanted to be a scientist. So from there on it was just... a lotta hard work, you know? I cruised through elementary school, got bumped up a year when it came time to make the transition to middle school and again when I went off to high school. I was off to university when I was just sixteen years old, and at that point, I realized the position I was in and how easy it would have been to throw away if I didn't keep up the hard work. Admittedly I did kinda throw it all away four years into my PhD program, but... that's another story for another time. Did I plan for it? Absolutely. You don't get to a prestigious research center after fourteen years of study by accident.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Andrea: I guess my particular expertise is ecology and the effects of pollution on aquatic Pokémon, since that was the last thing I studied -- and did well at -- before I dropped out of university. I don't know how much I'll use it, and I kinda hope I don't. It's boring work. As far as anything only I can bring to the field... I don't think so. Biology, ecology and climate activism are immensely popular right now among my generation, so there's probably nothing unique I bring to the table, especially since I'm so inexperienced compared to some of the other people I work with.

Interviewer: What do you wish you'd known on your first day that you know now?

Andrea: That I should have dressed for the cold highland weather, and maybe worked out in the weeks leading up to my interview. Part of my hiring process involved a trial assignment. I was asked to make the lengthy hike to a nearby community that lacks rail service. Not only was it fucking freezing the whole time, my legs were ready to fall off after the first hill I climbed. I suppose that's a bit specific, so in general, I'd probably say I wish I knew more about office politics, or were more prepared for them. I mistakenly assumed that people with degrees from the various sciences would be more mature than they actually are. Had I known that I would be hazed because I was the first new hire in almost a year, I'd have had a much better time of it.

Interviewer: What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?

Andrea: Stay in school and don't do drugs, kids. Seriously.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Andrea: Next? I hope nothing. This is my dream and I'm here! As far as progression, I'd love to finish my doctorate, get that snazzy Doctor title, and then make a name for myself in the field of biology.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Andrea: There is no typical working day for me. There's a surprising amount of variety in Pokémon research, even in projects that last a couple weeks. But there are also major shakeups, too. I could be working in the lab one day, and the next I'm shipped across the country to study... whatever.

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Andrea: This is hard to answer, since I like pretty much every aspect of it. Some of the work can cause my eyes to glaze over and make me wish I was dead, but most days it's great. I get to research new ideas, go to places I normally wouldn't, interact with Pokémon species most people don't even know exist... Lotta good about my job.

Interviewer: What do you not like about your job? Are you in a position to change it?

Andrea: Honestly? The location. The Reiland Institute is in the city of Loch Alstan which I've always heard was beautiful, but my experiences told me otherwise. There's crime everywhere. Even the cheapest rent is absolutely insane compared to my old apartment. Winter practically extends into June thanks to the altitude, nearby mountains and the lake the city is named after. Can I change it? Probably not, unless I ask to be sent to one of the smaller research centers the Institute operates elsewhere in the country... But those aren't quite as glamorous and are a lot more specialized -- boring, in other words.

Interviewer: Are there any pokémon employed in your workplace? Is their help essential to keep things running?

Andrea: There are, actually, and they're not just research subjects! My supervisor was telling me how part of the building's power supply is generated by a handful of Electrodes. There's also apparently a Blissey serving as a nursing assistant down in the medical wing. Rumor has it that a Rotom is in charge of the security systems throughout the institute, though I'm not sure I believe that one, heh.

Interviewer: What qualifications are required to do what you do? Did you have to do some kind of study or training?

Andrea: As far as the biology department at the Reiland Institute is concerned, I barely squeak by in terms of qualifications. A four year degree is the lowest requirement to earn a position at the Institute, though most people have six or eight years of study under their belt, and years of experience on top of that.

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with any particularly memorable pokémon?

Andrea: Technically? It's actually something I encountered before I got my job, but during my studies so I guess I'll count it. At one point, while I was on a field study in the arctic circle, I got a glimpse of an extremely rare subspecies of Gyarados that rarely leaves the lightless depths of the arctic seas. It must have come to the surface in search of food, because it was absolutely terrorizing a Walrein colony on some rocks and shoals off the coast of where I was staying at. I don't think I'll ever forget that.

Interviewer: Is the degree of contact with pokémon in your working life something you're happy with?

Andrea: I'd be happier if I could just work with the safer and more cuddly species, I admit. Tangling with a Steelix in its natural subterranean environment isn't my idea of a good time, for example. Not that I've experienced that! I should be grateful for that...

 

[LightningTopaz]

Angelo
From Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation
By @namohysip

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Angelo: Well, I've always enjoyed drawing, and I don't think it's just because of my instincts. Being able to express myself through art... It's peaceful, don't you think? I had been encouraged to join the Thousand Hearts--an organization to help Pokemon in need, you see--but I'm just not a fighter. I don't have the spirit for it. I'm not very sociable, either. Being able to just hole myself up in my little home, making comics... I'm one of the lucky few talented enough to make a living off of it. It was my calling. And now, I don't have to go back to the Hearts again.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Angelo: I'm much more versatile than most Smeargle, I think. I'm well-practiced in all kinds off two-dimensional art, and I've even done paintings for sculptures! But one thing that sets me apart from the average artist is the fine lines. Not a lot of Pokemon have the sort of grace required for detailed, delicate drawings. And, well, I suppose being able to quickly go to my destination with some of my old power also helps get the commissions done on-site much faster. I guess that's a more practical application...

Interviewer: What do you wish you'd known on your first day that you know now?

Angelo: There are a lot of strange Pokemon out there with even stranger requests. But... whatever pays for food, right? Sometimes you have to humor them... a little. But perhaps don't cave for some of those requests. It'll haunt you.

Interviewer: What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?

Angelo: It can be very lonely at times. You spent a lot of time trying the same drawing over and over, the same line until you've run out of paper to work with. Don't be afraid to draw over your drafts if you don't like what you see. Nobody will know.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Angelo: Next? I don't think I want to go to a next. I'm happy right where I am. Perhaps if my comics really take off, I can ignore commissions, but to be honest, I like changing up the routine now and then. I don't think I'll ever truly abandon the random bits of work I can do for Pokemon in need.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Angelo: Well, I don't really have much of a work day compared to the average working 'mon. I'll wake up at around noon, have breakfast, draft out a few sketches or perhaps a full page if I'm in the mood, and then have lunch. I'll open my doors around then or earlier, let others in for commission requests, though I've had to raise my prices to lower demand so I could focus on my main work. There was a bit of a shakeup when I was asked to do some restoration efforts in a nearby village, though. There was a random mutant attack--oh, don't give me that face, it happens--and I had to help restore some of the ruined art there. They were so happy! I helped with reconstruction of the buildings, too, and healing up a few of the injured, but that's neither here nor there. It was such a wonderful mural! I hope I can do something large-scale like that in a few seasons.

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Angelo: It's such a wonderful creative outlet. I can write the grandest battles, the most heart-stopping clashes, such wonderful characters, and I don't have to lift a finger to do the fighting! Well, er, I suppose I do have to lift a few fingers to get the drawings done, but--ah, it's just not so life-threatening.

Interviewer: Could another species do what you do, or does your job rely on your specific natural abilities?

Angelo: Well, while it's advantageous to have good grasping paws, I don't think my kind are exclusively capable of art. I've seen several other species able to do the same, and to great effect, even technical art! But I suppose it's not a calling for everyone... I don't want to discriminate, after all. It may be harder, but I believe with enough hard work and determination, you can get into art.

Interviewer: Have you ever had to be in any battles during a working day? How do you feel about that?

Angelo: I've had a few rowdy fighters make requests to me who were a little cheap. They asked if they could get a discount if they beat me in a fight, and, well, I'm not really interested in that kind of fighting. Still, in a perfect storm, where I need a change of pace and I find a rowdy commissioner, I accept. ...Do I win? Well, yes, I do. I almost became a Heart, remember? And my father, well, he trained me quite a bit with our versatility. So, if I ever did need to defend myself, I like to think that I'd do just fine.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Cecilia Matthews
From Orre: The Desert
By @Ryoma Maser

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Cecilia: This definitely wasn't planned for. I had to leave my job at my dad's mechanic shop for, um, "personal reasons," so I needed a new job. But kinda due to those "personal reasons" no one really wants to hire me. For about six months I was job hunting, until my current workplace was willing to give me a chance.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Cecilia: I haven't really thought about it to be honest. I guess if anything, I would like to go back to school once I save up enough. I never got a chance to go to college and I would think the higher education would help me go further in life. If not, I would really like to further my art career, I've always like to draw and I've always wanted to do something more with it than have it has a hobby.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Cecilia: Well, usually I'm out making deliveries, so I'm often jumping through the different cities and towns of Orre. If not making deliveries, I'm often helping in the main room for sorting packages getting ready for delivery the next day.

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Cecilia: This might sound a bit cliché, but I really like nice my coworkers are. My boss Mr.Dodds, is very kind and understanding, it's because of him giving me a chance that I have this job in the first place, he even allowed me to use my hoverbike instead of one of the company vehicles. Though it always seems for some reason that he's has some interior motive. There's is also his daughter Ari, who's the receptionist, who gave me a lending hand on my first day and we ended up becoming fast friends, while giving me some of her Dad's hidden reasonings behind his back.

Interviewer: Are there any pokémon employed in your workplace? Is their help essential to keep things running?

Cecilia: If there are, I haven't found them yet. Granted, Orre is in a Pokémon drought so in what Pokémon we do have that aren't battlers often are on hold for more important jobs than package delivery.

Interviewer: What qualifications are required to do what you do? Did you have to do some kind of study or training?

Cecilia: There really wasn't needed qualifications. I guess besides a driver's license, we do need some knowledge of all the locations in Orre besides that we get all the training we need from the workplace itself.

 

[namohysip]

Gil
From Dispatch Deferred
By @unrepentantAuthor

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Gil: I was actually built to be a courier many, many years ago by something or someone I don't even remember. That was so long ago, I've lost all memory of it! But I still know in my heart that I am meant to make deliveries, so that's what I'll do.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Gil: I don't even know if the Heart Town Mail Depot will even have me listed as an employee anymore. I couldn't blame them for considering me missing, presumed dead, after a generation or two. And that's if they're still in business! I ought to see if Frontier Town has a postal service that would care to employ me. I sure hope so!

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Gil: I spend more time walking than any other activity. I am - was, the courier for the outermost settlements, like the village that became Frontier Town. That means very long travel routes on dirt paths, and an awful lot of walking. My first big shakeup was my last, when a bandit knocked me out so hard I didn't wake up for over a hundred years. I don't think they come bigger than that!

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Gil: I find pleasure in all parts of my work! Most of all, I am happy to see people's pleasure at receiving a package they've been expecting. Or equally, a letter that comes as a surprise! It is better even than their thanks.

Interviewer: Could another species do what you do, or does your job rely on your specific natural abilities?

Gil: Many pokémon could make exceptional mail couriers! It only takes diligence, conscientiousness, patience, courtesy, hardiness, and integrity. Many pokémon have those qualities! Of course pokémon with the power of flight might make swift deliveries over difficult terrain, but they're vulnerable to the changing weather and may run out of stamina on very long trips. That's where I come in! I don't get worn out, or sleepy, or need to stop for lunch breaks. So I just keep walking, all the way to distant places. I could walk to the edge of the world to deliver a letter!

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with many different kinds of pokémon? Have you ever worried about being outshone by any of them?

Gil: I meet every kind of pokémon on my deliveries, mostly at their houses but sometimes on the mail route. There used to be half a dozen different species working in my depot back home! But I don't mind if someone outshines me. If they did, then probably they're very special and did a great job! That's something to celebrate!

Interviewer: Have you ever had to be in any battles during a working day? How do you feel about that?

Gil: Oh, well. I did get in one battle, I think. I don't know if it really counts. Tamuk the chesnaught highwayman assaulted me on my last delivery, but I didn't land even a single hit on him in return. Is it a battle if you get knocked out that fast? I don't know that I ever want to get into another fight again, after that, but... if someone tries to take people's mail off me again, I'll have to. It's my duty!

Interviewer: Do you ever feel unhappy that you didn't choose your profession, but did what your creators made you for?

Gil: No, not at all! I can't imagine how anxious and indecisive I would be if I couldn't be a courier any more. I guess the next best thing would be something similar, like working in the local item storage to retrieve and secure items in the lockers. I'd be like a sandshrew at sea doing any other kind of work!

Interviewer: Have you had any trouble with adjusting to living in a different era to before?

Gil: Not as much as I feared, actually! I worried that everything would be different, and I might not be needed, but pokémon still speak the same language, they still live similar lives, they're still kind and brave and interesting, and most of all, they still need things delivered. For everything else, Miss Brisa and Mister Al are helping me learn new things!

Interviewer: What's it like being friends with Brisa and Alejandro?

Gil: Miss Brisa is a very special person! I will always be grateful to her for digging me out of the ground, and for helping me make that awfully late delivery, and for letting me stay with her! But she's very strange sometimes, and I feel I'm never quite saying the right thing around her. I wish I could help her as much as she's helped me. Mister Al is a really interesting gentleman, and he's a great teacher, so it's always a pleasure to visit his workshop. He does keep offering me cigarettes, though. He doesn't mean to be impolite, I think he just keeps forgetting I don't breathe.

Interviewer: What do you think of Frontier Town?

Gil: Well, it's very different from Heart Town or Little Scriven, but I think it has a lot of charm. Seeing as I know more folks here than are probably still alive back in the heartlands, I might stick around for good. I really ought to at least visit my old home and see if it's even still there, though. I had a book I wanted to finish! I hope it's not in disrepair. It would be nice if someone was able to make it their home while I was gone.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Ashleigh Martin
From Setting Sun
By @Felly

Interviewer: How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?

Ashleigh: I always dreamed of being a detective. I wanted to do something that would let me make a difference in the world, and being a detective just seemed like the right thing to do. Bringing justice to families gives me that sense of making a difference that I crave.

Interviewer: What's your particular expertise? Is there something only you can bring to your field?

Ashleigh: It’s not really something only I can bring to the field, but my superiors have always praised my relentless determination and unwillingness to stop until justice is served. My partner also chose me because of my ability to go undercover; he praised my willingness to do research so I could play the part I’m meant to play well.

Interviewer: What do you wish you'd known on your first day that you know now?

Ashleigh: Just how hard this job can be. I always knew being a cop would throw things at me that would be heartbreaking, things that would be hard to handle, but I never realized I’d see some of the things I’d see until I became a cop. There’s a dark side to the world that most people don’t see, and to the unprepared, it can destroy a person. Also the amount of traveling I’d have to do for this job. Jet lag is no joke.

Interviewer: What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?

Ashleigh: Be prepared. This job throws a lot at you. Some days are great, others can be hard. Even the most closed off people have to learn to lean on their partners, on their coworkers, to keep themselves from falling down a Buneary hole they can’t get out of. Everything’s fast paced too, and one mistake can lead to putting the wrong person behind bars and letting a criminal continue to roam free.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Ashleigh: I’m not sure yet. I just got to my position in the International Police, so I’m not really looking to move on. I’d like to stay here for a while and absorb everything I can before I consider moving on. I don’t think this is the end of the road for me yet, but I want to do everything I can here first.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Ashleigh: To put it simply, no two days are alike. Days in the office can be pretty dull, since those are typically the days where I’m focused on paperwork and I’m in between cases. My coworkers can make them a little more exciting, but being out in the field is a lot more exciting. Those days are the most unique. One day, I could be traveling to a whole new region, and the next, I’d be undercover trying to get any information I can to help me with my case.

Interviewer: What do you like most about your profession, and why?

Ashleigh: I love being able to see the world and bring justice to families. It’s a sense of fulfillment that I don’t think I’d be able to get anywhere else. I’m always getting to find new places to explore and meet new people that I probably wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to do if I’d never taken this job.

Interviewer: What do you not like about your job? Are you in a position to change it?

Ashleigh: The paperwork and the jet lag. I’m not sure I could tell you what’s worse. They’re both necessary evils of the job though, so they’re just things I have to live with.

Interviewer: Are there any pokémon employed in your workplace? Is their help essential to keep things running?

Ashleigh: The International Police doesn’t actually employ any Pokemon, at least not to my knowledge, but everyone has their own that they bring with them to work. My team of six consists of Piplup, Delcatty, Altaria, Ampharos, Lopunny, and Flareon. They’re each special in their own way, and they certainly help liven things up around the office when there’s nothing to do. They’re also helpful out in the field.

Interviewer: What qualifications are required to do what you do? Did you have to do some kind of study or training?

Ashleigh: My journey to this position started out with me being a beat cop in the Johto region. It was a few years before I made detective there, but once I did, I worked hard to make a name for myself and bring justice to families. My captain actually recommended me for an opening with the International Police, and after a successful interview, I was accepted into the ranks. There’s been a lot of sleepless nights of studying and days of training that wore me out and made me question if all of this really was for me, but at the end of the day, after seeing everything that I’ve seen and doing everything that I’ve done, I know that I’ve chosen the right path and all of the training and studying to get here was worth it.

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with many different pokémon? What was a memorable one?

Ashleigh: It has! I think the most memorable experiences are reuniting Pokemon with their trainers. There’s a joy in finding a new friend in a Pokemon, but when that’s ripped away from you by someone else, there’s an even greater joy in being reunited with your best friend.

Interviewer: Is the degree of contact with pokémon in your working life something you're happy with?

Ashleigh: Yes and no. Reuniting Pokemon with their trainers and watching my own Pokemon play with my coworkers are always sights that bring joy to my heart even on the worst days. They’re sights that make this hard job easier and a little more fun. Cases involving death are always hard though, whether it be a Pokemon or human. At first, it tore me up inside, and I’d go home and cry myself to sleep. Now I’m desensitized to it because it’s just something I’ve learned to deal with from seeing it so much. I’m still not sure what’s worse, being so desensitized to it that it doesn’t even bother me anymore or the idea that if it ever happened to me, I’m not sure how I’d handle it, if I’d just accept it or if it’d destroy me.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Bethany Pavell
By @Beth Pavell
From Kanto: There and Back Again

Interviewer: What qualifications are required to do what you do? Did you have to do some kind of study or training?

Bethany: Well, having a good languages degree is always helpful, but these days even that's scarcely necessary. Travel writing's really all about character, anyway. Personally, I think discipline is really the key character qualification. Curiosity is good. Passion is great. Discipline will keep you going, because in this game there's always a deadline looming.

Interviewer: What do you wish you'd known on your first day that you know now?

Bethany: The industry wants what it wants. In many ways the life of a travel writer is not a creative one. You find yourself either chasing trends or trying to preempt the next one. In some ways, too, you find yourself writing to a house style. I've been lucky enough to write a book that has allowed me to be somewhat more honest than is usually the case, which has allowed me to somewhat cut loose.

The internet is changing things. The folly of trend chasing is still there - if anything, it's faster-paced and more intense. As a result your income is even more tenuous than it is in the print media. But the other edge of the sword is that you have a kind of creative freedom otherwise denied to you.

Interviewer: Has your job brought you into contact with many different pokémon? What was a memorable one?

Bethany: Oh, invariably. Stories involving pokémon are almost a cliché in the travel writing genre; they're certainly among the most common filler stories for the magazines. As to the most memorable ... I was once covering the summer festival season on the Whirl Islands. A combination of bad weather and a worse breeding season had contrived to all but ruin the appearance of the chinchou, but by complete happenstance they were replaced by one of the biggest lapras migrations in 100 years. Usually lapras are shy of humans, of course, and rarely linger around waterways so full of activity, but for reasons no-one seems to have explained they remained in the islands for more than five days. In the end I wrote a completely different story - but that is the way of things sometimes. You have to remain adaptable.

Interviewer: What's next after this for you? How do you hope to progress your career?

Bethany: The apex for this line of work would be to work in television, I suppose. A handful of travel writers do make it to such rarefied heights. There's a growing trend for comedians to take the niche of TV traveller - who knows where that will lead, but what is certain is that while it exists the field is narrowed for travel writers. Much as I'm not sure I approve of that development, I'm not sure I would want to be in that very hypothetical situation.

Interviewer: What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?

Bethany: Travel writing is all shake-ups. You're entirely at the mercy of transit schedules and the timetable of whatever events you're trying to cover. Delays, cancellations, and changes are par for the course. If there is anything typical to my days, it's a period every day where notes and photos are organised and backed-up.

 

[Misfit Angel]

Prema Kannagi
By @System Error
From Prema Kannagi: A Move to Adjudicate

Reporter Akari Schrader: "Before we get into the real meaty questions, would you mind introducing yourself and your shrine?"

Lady Prema Kannagi: "Yes, of course. My name is Prema Kannagi, the future head priestess of the Kannagi Shrine. My family dates back to the feudal period of Japan. For how it came to be, in those times, people were often unsure what to make of powerful Pokemon now commonly dubbed Legendary. Two types of religions were founded around them: those who worshiped out of reverence or fear, and those who promoted understanding. Our shrine was the latter, with my ancestors Yuku, Agnis, and Emu founding it after encounters with the essences of soul. Oh, more commonly known as the lake gods." "Throughout our history, we - along with our contemporaries, the Mitsutri Clan - have aided many leaders of our country and region in spiritual and Legendary Pokemon related matters. Though that role has waned in the last 60-70 years, we continue to use our faith as a means of encouraging unity with Pokemon and each other."

Schrader: "How did you get into your profession? And, was it something you'd planned for?"

Prema: "This is a role I was born into. Members of our family have headed the shrine since the very beginning, most often through blood, but at rare times through marriage as well. As my father and I are the sole remaining members of our family, it falls upon me to head it and our shrine someday."

Schrader: "The Kannagi Shrine was traditionally based out of Celestic Town. Why did you move to Veilstone City?"

Prema: "Well. It is no secret that we have been losing prominence over the past 60-70 years. It was not only the move to free religion across the nation, but more people are becoming non-exclusive practitioners or turning to monotheistic religions. My father thought that we could stave off our shrine's decline by expanding out, even if it means leaving the town we essentially founded. So far, this move has been going modestly well for us."

Schrader: "Do you have any plans for further expansion?"

Prema: "You will have to ask my father about that."

Schrader: "What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into your line of work?"

Prema: "We are always welcome to new people who wish to join our shrine. Though there is something I must stress to those who may be hesitant. The Kannagi Shrine is not focused on worship, as some of our contemporaries are. What comes first to us is promoting living life with virtue and respect to the natural world, as well as fellow people." "If those qualities befit you, or you simply wish to help others with charity work, then that is all it takes to stand as a member of our shrine. We use ancient stories, like those in Sonzaitoku - also known as The Virtue of Existence - as a means to teach lessons about life. And for those who do wish to delve into the spiritual side, our senior members and myself will assist in the necessary tutoring and training to become an acolyte."

Schrader: "What is a typical working day like for you? Are there many shake-ups?"

Prema: "My days at present often consist of training to fulfill my future role as head priestess. As for...‘shake-ups’, there are times when my father calls upon me to put some of what I have learned into practice. For instance, giving speeches and lessons. Just recently, I had to lead a prayer as well. There are also times when I must tend to the shrine itself, performing tasks such as tending to flowers or counting donations."

Schrader: "What do you like most about your profession, and why?"

Prema: "I suppose that would be opportunity to meet so many different people and Pokemon, and aid them with their problems. If you can do something to improve matters, even if it is a minute contribution, then you have done something worthwhile. As we say: though you cannot make the world perfect, you can make it better."

Schrader: "What do you not like about your job? Are you in a position to change it?"

Prema: "I lament that many of those people I do meet have negative traits such as selfishness and greed. It is far more common than you might realize. I suppose at times as well I can frustrated by...no, never mind. It is nothing that can be helped."

Schrader: "What frustrates you?"

Prema: "Well. I can say this. The thing that frustrates me the most are those who do not respect Pokemon at all. I do not mean those who use them for power, as even they appreciate them in ways such as their strength. I am speaking of those who simply view them as a means to an end, and nothing more than that."

Schrader: "Have you ever run into many of those people?"

Prema: "Unfortunately, a few. May we get off this subject?"

Schrader: "What qualifications are required to do what you do? Did you have to do some kind of study or training?"

Prema: "As part of the requirements to head the shrine, I must do regular spiritual training. In times past, I had to study our family's history, books like Sonzaitoku and Densetsuki, and myths not just from our culture, but others as well."

Schrader: "What other myths have you studied?"

Prema: "All kinds. As an example, I studied the legends of the heroes from Unovan myth. There are a lot of parallels between cultures. To understand this is to be able to understand each other."

Schrader: "What does your spiritual training entail?"

Prema: "That is secret. Can I continue with the question from before? I had not finished answering before you interrupted." "It is not just limited to the training of the mind. Public speaking is of course something I have had to learn. Moreover, in ages past, members of our family were expected to become adept with the blade and Pokemon. Though learning how to use a weapon is unnecessary in these times, we continue to practice the raising of Pokemon, and still practice kendo for ceremonial purposes."

Schrader: "Have you ever had to be in any Pokemon battles before?"

Prema: "Yes, sometimes."

Schrader: "Are you any good?"

Prema: "I just stated that we raise them extensively. While engaging in battle is not something we need do in modern times, we nevertheless do learn. So yes, I have done so with some success in the past. Of course, it cannot be overlooked that training is another way to bond with Pokemon. I speculate that is why the tradition has held, even though the original intent was a means to defend our lords and ourselves."

Schrader: "Fair enough. Is there anything else to your training?"

Prema: "Yes. There is one final thing I will have to do at some point to complete my training, known only as The Rite. This is a tradition that all heads to the shrine have underwent for over 600 years. As it is written: 'With one's own feet, travel far to the lakes of Sinnoh. To each, in solitude, make a prayer in the cavern. Then venture to the center between and leave there an offering.' This is often performed after the person has turned at least 16, and has completed all other training."

Schrader: "A bit of a different question for you now. Is there any truth to the rumors about you and that new official who worked with the Demon, Nori Carino?"

Prema: "There are rumors about us?"

Schrader: "Are you seeing each other?"

Prema: "Well, we meet often, which involves sight of one another. So I suppose yes."

Schrader: "I meant, are you dating?"

Prema: "W-what? ...no, no. That's not...Nori is simply a close friend. It is nothing like that, no. Furthermore, my father would not approve of someone who has no interest in joining our shrine."

Schrader: "But if he did approve, would you?"

Prema: "...Ms. Schrader, this is going far beyond the intended scope of our interview. I answered your previous inquiry out of politeness. However, if you are going to persist in asking personal questions, and I mean that in general, we will end this here."

Schrader: "All right, no further questions in that case. This has been reporter Akari Schrader, having brought you an exclusive interview with Lady Prema Kannagi. Will this shrine with deep roots in our country's history finally sink, or will it once again soar?"

Prema: "I intend to see that it soars, thank you very much."