the arcanine licking their face doesn't bother nikola at all. they laugh and ruffle the large pokemon's chest fur, then give it a pat on the nose. "we were just doing some exploring," nikola explains as an answer to josh's question. "i've never been in a desert before... i was certain there must be unique wildlife here. but we didn't make it very far before it became clear it's a dangerous journey." if they're going to continue "researching" the pokemon in hoenn, they should probably train their cyndaquil a little more. they've never seriously battled before, and the idea is a little daunting.

almost as if on cue, the "unique wildlife" in the desert makes itself known to them. the latest gust of wind brings with it a cottonee, floating along on the breeze, trilling in panic as it's unable to correct its course. a larvitar chases after it; a friend, or a foe? it's difficult to say. nikola turns, and flammula turns with them. without thinking, nikola's striding across the sand, intercepting the cottonee and grabbing it so that it stops blowing away.

they look back at josh, holding the cottonee in their arms. "nikola catellus," they say, remembering to introduce themself. "wonderful to meet you!"

[ Josh Devlin ]

they'd gone through a lot of job searching and interviews before finally landing this gig. it's probably because they'd completely forgotten how to actually speak properly at an interview, and had treated it more like a casual discussion than anything. after doing some more research, they'd concluded that lying about your skillset and expertise was likely the only way to actually get a job (which they couldn't even begin to understand, but so be it). thankfully, with this position, they hadn't had to fudge the truth too much. they were rather good at filling out forms and entering data into spreadsheets; the rest could come later.

unfortunately, that research had not included how to properly address your boss.

"hello!" they greet him cheerily, flopping down in the chair he just gestured at. they sink into the chair, looking around the office with wonder. they've never actually been somewhere like this (or so they think, anyway). it's... classy? is that the right word? maybe one day they can have a fancy office of their own.

at least the reports should all be in order. "i appreciate you hiring me," nikola says sincerely. "it's a lot harder to find a decent job in a new region than i thought." but the professor must have thought i could handle it, or else she'd have helped me, they tell themself.

[ Amor Rose ]

nikola pauses, brows furrowed. "it's back? are you sure? that seems awfully intimate."

then they focus, shaking their head. "...right! well, it was actually right before i ended up here." it had been very distant, but it had intrigued them enough that they'd tried to follow it. their tendency to get distracted has led them into a number of unpleasant situations, but this one certainly takes the cake for the strangest incident. "i thought it was very odd, because i am very familiar with pokemon cries. typically i can tell exactly what pokemon is making them. but this time, i really had no clue." they shrug. "the odds of finding it by now are disastrously low, unfortunately. surely it would hear us coming, even if we managed to track it down."

flammula is currently trying to avoid making eye contact with camellia's runerigus all while staring in shock at it.

[ Camellia Lemaitre ]

the approach of the jolteon puts flammula on edge: he flares up from his position snug in nikola's arms, the flames licking at their chin. "whoa--!" they yelp, though they don't drop him. instead, they deposit him safely on the sand, where he bristles and hides behind their leg. he's not nearly so trusting as his trainer, who's openly admiring the ride pokemon. they get a good look at all of them, especially the arcanine. "that--" they say, voice shaking with excitement. "i've never seen an arcanine like that before! where is it from!?"

flammula is not quite so ecstatic. having come from hisui himself (not that he can explain this to his trainer, who remains clueless), he's seen plenty of growlithe and arcanine before, having shared a preferred climate with them. he glares at the group, trying and failing to shield his eyes from the sand with his stubby front legs.

nikola approaches josh. "this is fascinating! i've never seen this many large pokemon together like this!" they reach out to the arcanine, offering their hand to sniff. they learned this behavior the hard way, having been bitten by a houndour they got too friendly with some time ago.

[ Josh Devlin ]

they were warned about the desert's harsh climate, but it's one thing to hear about it and an entirely different thing to experience it for yourself. they've got flammula bundled up in their jacket, his long snout poking out, keeping him protected from the sand and wind. nikola, on the other hand, has made the mistake of trying to say "fascinating!" to themself and gotten a mouthful of sand for their trouble. flammula winces from the safety of nikola's arms.

raising  one of said arms to block the worst of the sand, nikola peers into the distance. this might be where they have to stop for today... they heave a sigh. maybe if they had a stronger team of pokemon, they'd be able to brave it. unfortunately, their only pokemon is weak to the many ground and rock types that can be found here, and even nikola has to admit it's not a very sound strategy to go charging into a place where everything can very nearly one-shot them. that, and there's sand going up their nose every time they breathe.

before they can leave, flammula perks up as if he hears something. nikola turns as well, squinting. "huh...?"

[ Josh Devlin ]

they get to their feet, brushing the seat of their pants off. "i see, i see," nikola says, nodding thoughtfully. "you're having better luck than me, then. i'm not sure how to get back home from here." good thing they didn't have any appointments to keep... "i heard a pokemon cry i've never heard before. i followed it here..." they sigh. "and, well, here i am. it's quite a conundrum... i'm a scientist, not a cartographer." as if cartography would have any application in whatever alternate dimension they'd landed themself in.

for a scientist, they seem a little... air-headed. but many scientists were a little odd in the head, weren't they? something about being locked up with all those fumes and chemicals made people lose sight of reality.

"if you're here for a reason, maybe i can help." nikola suggests, pushing their glasses up again with two fingers. "and then maaaybe... you can help me get out of here? you scratch my dog, i'll scratch yours?" back. it's supposed to be back. they have a bad habit of mixing up sayings so they become malapropisms.

[ Camellia Lemaitre ]

NIKOLA SAMSA (they/them)
OR
a study in: losing oneself, a dog without a master, misplaced loyalty and affection
TAROT: the fool.

once the assistant to a bit of a mad scientist, nikola allowed the professor to experiment on them little by little. and little by little, after having their memories erased afterwards by a psychic pokemon, they lost their mind. now with only scattered memories of their life beforehand and a certainty the professor will return for them, nikola stumbles through the world trying to figure things out for themself. before the experiments they were cynical and untrusting; now they're pliable, gullible, kind-hearted and loyal.

looking for: people who will help them. people who will manipulate them. friends? enemies? guides? whoever.

STERLING WARDEN (they/them)
OR
a study in: overcoming despair, shutting yourself off from the world, growing up
TAROT: justice.

sterling is a bit of an odd duck, preferring to stay inside and play as a trainer in games than to actually participate in real life. they're overcoming the tragic loss of a friend years ago and have only just started to poke their head out into reality again. they can be a little blunt, and shy, but they care about other people deep down. it might be difficult to get them to open up, and the best method is usually to engage them on their interests (video games, cartoons, and movies). one day they hope to become a pokemon ranger.

looking for: fellow geeks, characters in their age group, role models

MAKI YUKIMURA (she/her)
OR
a study in: family expectations, mafia ties, bitter cold & the fires of hell
TAROT: death.

maki is part of the famous yukimura family. anyone who owns even a tiny bit of technology knows the name, as they produce anything ranging from computers to cars. she's been destined to become a part of rocket from a young age. underneath her kinder, friendlier demeanor is a glacier of apathy and cruelty. the only thing that matters more than rocket to her is her family, who she seeks to please at every possible interval.

looking for: fellow diehard rockets, superiors to impress, people that will fall for her act

REESE RHODES (he/they)
OR
a study in: the spotlight, fake friends, and avoidance
TAROT: the star.

reese is a former contest star fallen on hard times. his old friends all turned on him, spreading rumors about him and putting his personal info online after reese became more famous than them. not able to stand it any longer, he fled to hoenn, where he no longer participates in contests and is just barely scraping by. even though they want to return to doing what they leave, they can't stand having that many eyes on them anymore...

looking for: people who know them from the internet, fellow contest geeks, friends

nikola blinks up at the woman. they look around where they landed, then back at her, as if she's the stupid one. "lying here," they explain. well, she asked what they were doing, and that's exactly what they're doing, right? it doesn't occur to them that she's asking a less literal question.

they sit up with a 'hup', checking over themself for any sign of injury. aside from some pain in their back and neck, they seem to be fine. next they turn to flammula, who's staring at camellia. "you okay, little flame?" nikola asks their pokemon. the cyndaquil realizes it's being addressed and gives a careful nod, eyes now on camellia's runerigus. it's never seen that sort of pokemon before, and it's a little in awe and a little frightened.

nikola fixes the position of their glasses on their face. "are you lost as well? or are you here on purpose?" there's no deception to be seen on their face. either they're a very good liar, or they're as much of an open book as they seem to be.

[ Camellia Lemaitre ]

is this normal? they've been wandering the mechanical wonderland for about ten minutes now, enthralled. anyone else might have shown fear, given the current circumstances, but instead of fear their eyes sparkle with wonder behind their pink frames. at their side trails a small cyndaquil, holding nervously onto their pants leg to avoid being separated. sometimes little flammula has to wonder if there's anything going on inside their trainer's head at all.

nikola vaguely remember something about rifts they'd heard on the news. if they've managed to stumble into one, then it's their duty as a citizen of the hoenn region to investigate it, right?

without looking, they've wandered out onto a massive gear that is slowly turning under their feet. they feel their center of gravity shifting, but before they can react, they find themself falling. their cyndaquil squeaks in shock as, due to the fact that he's holding onto their leg, he tumbles after them. thankfully, the ground is only a few feet away. they hit hard, the wind knocking out of them, and roll a few more feet where the ground is on a slight incline.

and when they open their eyes again, they realize they've rolled into the feet of a stranger.

nikola gives a cheerful little wave from the ground. "hello!"

[ Camellia Lemaitre ]

nikola && madd

i could see a friendship of sorts here? nikola is, notably, not hard to get along with... they're just awkward, weird, and a little exuberant at times. there's definitely some similarities in having past actions they both regret; not that nikola remembers enough to regret it. if madd's willing to be patient with nikola, i think they'd get along fine. the rocket thing wouldn't be an issue to nikola because they're only vaguely aware of what's going on in the region at large.

nikola && calpurnia

erm... this is probably a bad idea on nikola's part, but their backstory makes it very obvious they're susceptible to mad scientist women who only seek to use them. i don't know how much use they'd be to calpurnia, but they're trusting enough that they'd be willing to do almost anything as long as it doesn't actively involve hurting other people. all calpurnia would have to do is spin it so nikola thinks they're helping, and voila, she'd have an unknowing henchman who doesn't realize what they're getting into.