FIELD TRIP

As she had done every Monday, Jenny scribbled notes from her textbook. Her pen dancing perfectly across the page, never hesitating or resting. The room around her was still and quiet besides the occasional sigh of frustration from a fellow researcher. Jenny paused for a moment to flip the page she had just been reading when a loud creak from the elevator broke the silence. The young intern stared at the doors waiting anxiously to see who was going to walk out.

As the doors parted, a familiar face entered the office. Professor Tsuga immediately began trying to raise the morale of the office before speaking to a few of the researchers. Although she was officially the Professor's Aide, she was mostly just reading and taking notes. As she sunk back into her seat, she grabbed her glasses and began to clean them on the bottom of her shirt. She heard the Professor call out for a "Miss Carter," but didn't really pay attention to it, thinking it had to be a more important researcher than Jenny the intern. But as she put on her glasses she realized that Prof Tsuga was looking at her and seemed to be waiting for her to get up. She then spoke of their plans for the day.

Jenny's heart began racing when she heard the Professor and began packing up her notebook and the Pokeballs that had rolled out of her purse. She swung the strap over her head and got out of the stiff chair she had spent the beginning of her day in. As she got up she noticed a few of the other employees were staring at the young aide. All pens and groans ceased when the professor was around. The shy, student glanced at the ground, keeping her face hidden until she was beside the Professor.

"So where are we going?" Jenny mumbled, looking up to meet eyes with the Professor. A small smile spread across her face as excitement washed over her. Prof. Tsuga didn't seem so intimidating inviting Jenny on a field job, but up close was a different story.

"I don't think so!" The young intern replied with anticipation in her voice. The bleak room's population was still watching the Professor and Jenny's interaction with curiosity. Out of the corner of her eye see saw two younger researchers whispering while staring at the pair, obviously about the red head. Although anxious about how well she'd do, Jenny's heart was beating mostly with excitement. This was her first field job and she knew she'd have to do well to impress her superior.

Thinking about the instructions she had just received, Jennifer felt a bit disappointed. Catch and release? Where was the fun in that? And how was she supposed to record the behaviour of them when they evolved? The young intern was ready regardless but she needed to know if this was going to be a solo field trip or not.

"So Professor Tsuga, a-am I going to be going alone?" She asked as her voice shook. What if something went wrong while she was out on her own? She had never been to Kiloude city or the Safari zone, and the though of going alone make her body tense. She clutched at her purse strap as she added, "Or are you coming along too?"

The professor had noticed the young student's anxiety and began reassuring her. As Jenny listened, her nerves began to ease slowly. The professor's voice was soothing yet still professional and reminded the intern of her mother's voice. As a kid, Jenny's mother had often been the one calming her down when she was stressed.

"No it's alright! I'm just a bit nervous but I have my Pokemon if anything happens." She replied to the professor's offer to take her Charizard. Jenny had seen the flame Pokemon a few times but she knew how it liked to sometimes misbehave and didn't want to deal with that in a situation. Flora and Manny would be enough to help even if they didn't have much training. The professor continued on and eventually offered the girl to keep one of the Shinx cubs for research.

"Of course!" Jenny exclaimed, eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning. Shinx were adorable as cubs and the red head wasn't going to pass up the opportunity for a rare Pokemon either. As she glanced around at the room, the researchers began getting back to their work. The buzz of the professor's only lasted a few minutes and more important things needed to get done. Her anxiety had been replaced with confidence as she thought about conducting research at the Safari Zone. Hopefully like the professor she would pass it amazingly.

"What time does the train arrive?" The patient intern inquired shifting her weight from her right leg to her left then back again. Although still nervous about the possibility of something going wrong, the shy student was pulsing with excitement.