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Who knew that being a gym leader meant doing so much paperwork?! No matter, Derek could get through this. He just needed to sit himself down and...

“Uhhh, can I help you?” The gym leader responded to the sound of his door being opened, wondering who or what it could have been. There weren't supposed to be any matches scheduled for today... Turning around from where he sat with his back to the door, the first thing he noticed was the peculiar pokemon in the girl's arms.

“Well that's new...” He couldn't tell what it was, staring at it for a brief moment before averting his gaze back to the girl. “Wait...are you...” Her face was familiar to an extent, something he'd seen during his several years in Hoenn. She was part of the pokemon league, he was sure of it. Derek just couldn't remember the name that went with the face, his eyes squinting as he tried so hard to recall. Alas, it didn't help. “I feel like I should know who you are, but... Could you just tell me?”

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“No, no, not at all! This is just, er... This can wait!” Trying not to come off as rude, Derek's eyes grew wide when he realized she was another gym leader, just like him! “It's nice to to meet you, Cait. Please, do stay a while! There's a seat over...” Looking around, Derek panicked when he realized his was the only chair. “You can use mine, here!” The gym leader stood, holding it out towards her so that she may take it if she preferred. After all, for all Derek knew she had walked here.

Even so... After the realization that he was starting to lose face, Derek swallowed the nervous lump forming in his throat before speaking further. “Is there anything in particular that brings you to me? Do you need help with anything?” Trying to be as generous as possible, he only realized after the fact that an established gym leader like herself probably didn't need the help of a novice. “There's no matches or meetings schedule for today, so please, feel free to ask away.”

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“Yeah... There's a lot more to it than I originally expected.” Letting out a small sigh, Derek pushed that notion aside as he moved to sit on top of his desk. All the responsibility meant he'd get more recognition from the league, and at the very least that made it more like an actual job. His parents wouldn't know what to say if they knew he got this far.

“But it's nice you do that for all the new gym leaders! Certainly makes me feel welcome, thank you.” Among their ranks, Derek would likely reside at the bottom for some time. Not because he was inadequate, but simply because he hadn't an opportunity to prove himself. He was an upstart who didn't possess a single badge, and now it was his job to hand them out? It made perfect sense for him to linger at the bottom, but that just made him ever the more eager to garner a reputation.

“So how are things back in Mauville? Swell, I would hope. Never did get to visit very often...” But maybe now Derek would have reason to? Cait seemed like good company to keep, and he wouldn't mind an 'excuse' to get away from Petalburg every so often. After all, he still aspired to make his way to the top of the pokemon league. And that meant chasing down both gym leaders and the elite four alike...

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“I wish I could make a mess of'em myself.” Derek lets out a small laugh that is cut short when Shaymin finds their way onto his lap, allowing him to pet the pokemon, which he does show gently and cautiously. It didn't seem to acknowledge any boundaries with his personal space, so he didn't think it'd mind...

“Where did this pokemon come from anyway?” None of the regions that he knew of boasted pokemon quite like this, which was both perplexing and amusing. He considered himself lucky to be meeting and, better yet, petting them like so. The bush-like hair on their back was so convincing, it even smelled like you would think it would! “I've never seen anything like'em.”

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“Gods, you say?” Derek questions, his tone considerate in a way that would hopefully keep them from being cross. His knowledge of pokemon didn't breach the likes of myth and divinity, and he doesn't quite view pokemon as something that should be worshiped. The idea was readily and widely accepted, this he knew, but he simply grew up with the view that they should be friends. It was hard to imagine being friends with gods...

“I guess even a god gets hungry... And tired.” Taking note of the slumbering Shaymin, Derek finds it hard not to be enchanted by how trusting the little one was. Perhaps it could sense the good nature in his heart? Or maybe it was just really comfortab- “Wait... You said you come from a tribe that worships Celebi?” This was a 'myth' he was much more privy to, having been a native to Johto region. “Did you ever meet or see them when...so you're also from the Johto region?”

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“Oh, okay... Well at least you got to visit! I've never been to Ilex forest. Or anywhere outside of Blackthorn, really.” It came as a surprise to know that Celebi visited Hoenn at some point in the past decade, or even five years, though perhaps that was why mythical pokemon were not often seen or heard from for long spans of time. Who would've thought they liked to travel to the places where people didn't worship them...

“Was there a particular reason why they migrated to Hoenn?” Growing curious, Derek hoped that he wasn't pushing Cait into discussing what was potentially a touchy subject for her people. And yet, he just had to ask. “I guess it could just be that your people followed Celebi here, yeah?”