#‧₊˚ ⋅ ✦𓂃 ࣪ ☾. Future’s children‚ hear me sing. ☆ POST GAME.

[paradisegrave]

⊹ ✦ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ✴ * : ★ 【 @a-hell-of-a-lot-of-muses ( Will ) 】 ★ : * ✴ ‧ ⁺ ꙳✦ ⊹

╰ ★ cont. from 「 X 」

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑶𝒉, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒖𝒑, didn't she ? She meant to say something more eloquent than THAT ! Or at least, put an adjective between ' a ' and ' person ' ! Maybe she should have taken Professor Salvatore's classes instead of Professor Jacq's. Maybe then this whole ' communication and socialization ' wouldn't have been so DIFFICULT sometimes.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤI meant a NEAT person ! Likeㅤ—ㅤㅤaren't you a member of the ELITE FOUR ? That's pretty neat !ㅤ❜

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑨𝒉 𝒈𝒆𝒆𝒛, 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒐. She was hoping for a nice and relaxing time where her Pokémon finally got to try her home region's delicacies. Instead, now all of their ' fight or fight ' responses were sky high; especially her family of Mausholds. At least they PAID ATTENTION to her ninety - nine percent of the time.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤJust in case, she holds out one of her blue and black Pokeballs; forcing the hostile mice to retreat just so that NO MORE harm would happen. She'd talk to them and the rest of her Pokémon later but for now, she had to deal with this guy and HIS Pokemon.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤPart of her DID want to accept the other boy's exit and just go back to her original plans. The whole ' social thing ' wasn't her forte at all and this was supposed to be between her and her Pokémon. Considering that the boy's Pikachu pretty much attacked her for food thoughㅤ—ㅤand then that Makuhita wouldn't stop staring at herㅤ—ㅤthere was really only ONE thing she could do.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWAIT. Your Pokémon look hungry. I'm not sure if I have enough Pokepuffsㅤ—ㅤbut I have extra sandwich ingredients if you'd like to join us.ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤI'll make sure my Pokémon don't. Uh. ATTACK yours. They're good about that, I promise.ㅤ❜

@paradisegrave

Regulus could feel the murderous intent from the Pokémon when he went in to grab Pikachu. He was lucky that the trainer told them not to hurt him and Pikachu. He was not ready for a battle against hungry and angry Pokémons.

Pikachu, on the other hand, was determined to try some of the Pokepuff.  

“Pikachu, no, stop. That isn’t for you.”

Regulus turned to the other Pokémon as he glanced over to each of the Pokémon to apologize, “I am also sorry that my Pikachu bothered you during your picnic.”

Just as he was apologizing, the rest of his Pokemon curiously came over to see what their owner and Pikachu has gotten themselves into. Makuhita was the only Pokemon who didn’t fully understand the situation and happily waved hello at the other Pokemon before staring at all the Pokepuffs on the table. Regulus couldn’t help but sigh at both Pikachu’s and Makuhita’s desire for food.

“I hope my Pikachu didn’t hit you too hard. My Pokémon and I can leave so you can enjoy your picnic with your Pokémon.”

[paradisegrave]

⊹ ✦ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ✴ * : ★ 【 @eternalbxtterfly / STARTER CALL 】 ★ : * ✴ ‧ ⁺ ꙳✦ ⊹

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤW - WHERE did you get that ? !ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑩𝒚 𝑻���𝑨𝑻, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 unsettling mechanical beast that BARELY resembled a Gardevior. Or was it supposed to have been a descendant of Gallade ? Who knows; the Area Zero Expedition Team could never figure out the answer to that question out. The researchers all assumed that IRON VALIANT was supposed to be a descendant of both final evolutions. But that was besides the point.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ Had this thing managed to ESCAPE the Great Crater like that Iron Treads ? That was possible; after all, even if the time machine had been shut down after enduring so many time loops; there had still been some PARADOX POKEMON remaining. But did this woman really . . .

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋ ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤI'm NEVER eating mochi again.ㅤ❜

[paradisegrave]

⊹ ✦ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ✴ * : ★ 【 @miridicalkalon ( Atsushi ) 】 ★ : * ✴ ‧ ⁺ ꙳✦ ⊹

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. Tireless nights analyzing her Pokédex and trying to figure out what would be the WEAKEST possible Pokémon she could find in Cabo Poco and the surrounding areas. Little Fletchlings tended to be fierce and territorial; bound to PECK at anything that moved. Lechonks were easy to underestimate and could definitely give one a good TACKLE right in the chest if provoked. There was Hoppipㅤ—ㅤbut knowing their luck, it would get BLOWN away before being caught. Even a freak accident could happen where a Magikarp could suddenly evolve into a Gyarados and become a real problem. Every Pokémon had their own little quirks that would could be challenging for a novice to handle. Especially HIM.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤShe had settled on what she THOUGHT was a good Pokémon to start with. SUNKERN were weak and knew they were weak. Those cute little flower Pokemon shouldn't have put up much of a fight at all ! And yet . . .

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤDon't throw the Pokéball DIRECTLY at it's face ! You have to weaken it firstㅤ—ㅤor throw it from the back or it's just going to run away !ㅤ❜

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤFor a guy who's life's passion is COOKING, you sure forget to eat a lot !ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑴𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅 and all of their problems resolved, there really WAS no reason for Arven to push himself so hard. Maybe it was just in his nature or something. Still, SHE certainly wasn't going to stand for it.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤLet me HELP in the kitchen at least !ㅤ❜

@paradisegrave asked:' When was the last time you ate ? Or slept ? Or even brushed your hair ? ' ( Arven )

Arven pauses from working on the straps of his apron for just a moment , probably taking way too long then most people would to answer that question. A small click of his tongue and a snort from Mabosstiff nearby.

“...I plead the fifth.”

A chuff of sorts now from the pokemon which makes Arven bite into his cheek just a little bite.

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋ ʚㅤ★ㅤɞ ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤTAG DUMPㅤ—ㅤIC Tags !

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑭𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 most students at Uva Academy heard of the GYM CHALLENGE and the Elite Four that lay beyond the plethora of gym leaders, it was pretty easy for them to form some images and make some assumptions of the entire thing. The job of the gym leaders was to act as TESTS of the trainsers' strength with each one being more difficult than the rest. The Elite Four was an even more daunting challenge to face and she knew that well enough.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤQuite frankly, it was easy to assume that the gym leaders and the Elite Four did nothing but wait for challengers to step through the hall. She knew that wasn't entirely true though. After all, most of the GYM LEADERS had their lives and hobbies outside of the gym challenge. Surely, the Elite Four did too.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThe girl eagerly listens to the older woman; clearly FASCINATED by her words. It was always interesting hearing about lives of other people who loves Pokémon just as much as her. Especially when she spent so long shying away from people that she'd rather spend her time in secret labs at first.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤYeah ! It's always GREAT battling ! Especially with you and the rest of the Elite Four !ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤBut you TRAVEL ? That's NEAT ! Where do you travel ? Is it just within Paldea or do you go to other regions too ?ㅤ❜

☠🌏– ''What's it like?'' It's nothing she gets asked often, as people often assumed... many things about her job instead of inquiring her about it. But it was a question she was more than happy to answer to.

''Well, it takes a lot of responsibility, y'know. Got a whole lot on my shoulders, lots of things to look after... N' yea', it can be stressful.''

''But it can be very fun n' rewardin' too. I've been workin' here for quite a while now n' every day ya' learn somethin' new! Especially when ya' travel 'round, not just in Paldea but elsewhere. Paperwork can get a bit much, definitely, but nothin' good ol' Rika can't handle! But the best part...''

The second best part.

''...are the battles. No matter the outcome, I always find 'em rewardin' n' thrillin'. But I think ya already knew that, right, kiddo? Nahah.''

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑨 𝒑𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌. Nemona had definitely taken on the Treasure Hunt before considering she was a Champion - ranked student long before her. Did the school count Arven's whole quest to save his Mabostiff as part of the Treasure Hunt ? Well, she was sure Director Clavell wouldn't be so heartless as to NOT count that. But did Penny even ATTEMPT to give it a go ? Not that she'd blame the girl if she didn't but she would have to ask her later. But as for the man's questions . . .

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWe uhㅤ—ㅤdon't actually HAVE contests or Pokeathalons. I've read about them though ! I think they would be fun to have. Actually, Miss Tulip does make trainers perform before they get to battle her so she'd especially like that. And yeah, she IS the psychic type Gym leader of this region. ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤMaybe I could bring it up to her and she could bring it up to MISS GEETA. It would be nice to have more things to do in Paldea. ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThose last words were more spoken to herself than the man. But she goes back to explaining the whole TREASURE HUNT study and how Uva Academy worked.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤThe GUIDELINES for the Treasure Hunt are actually really LOOSE. The Director really only encourages us to explore the region and culture and get to talk to new people. I think the only real requirement is for us to grow as individuals. I know one of my friends used his to look for Herba Mystica for his Mabostiff. I actually kind of OVERCOMPENSATED by accident and did a lot for my Treasure Hunt.ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWe also have regular classes and stuff. And we have a whole EXCHANGE program with Blueberry Academy if you've ever heard of THAT place. ㅤ❜

As he listened, Will found his interest piqued. He knew that there was no elite four in Galar, and initially he had thought the same about Paldea. However, hearing that they had an elite four and champion of their own was exciting. Perhaps he could meet them one day and test his skills.

"You said that most of the students do the Gym Challenge for their Treasure Hunt, yes? Are there any other activities students do, such as contests or pokeathalons? Is there a battle frontier of sorts?" All of these were commonplace in Johto and Kanto, as well as Hoenn and Sinnoh.

As she described each of the gym leaders and elites in detail, there were a few that caught his interest. This Brassius one seemed like quite the eccentric artist, not unlike a certain gym leader he knew of in Unova. Then there was the pastry shop owner, and the fact that she owned such a shop made her one of the first people he would visit.

"Miss Tulip? I recall hearing about someone with that name having a psychic type gym. Is this true?" If so, then she would be yet another person he would have to visit.

"This Larry fellow sounds a lot like our champion. I do hope he's not stretching himself thin; working yourself to death isn't good, you know." The amount of times they had to pry Lance from his paperwork...

"Your explanations were perfectly fine. I am surprised they allow someone as young as nine to be in a position of such standing. Normally you need to be at least ten to take part in league challenges, and to get your own pokemon." Then again, he had seen many young children battling with pokemon of their own.

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚; taking note of everything the man had said. Judging from his words, it seemed like the rest of the league was FRIENDLY. That was great ! Especially when she had the social skills of a brick ! At least she thought so at least.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤThat's GREAT ! They all sound like a really nice bunch of people ! And I think YOU'RE nice too; especially since you took the time to talk about all this !ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤNow what should SHE say about Paldea ? The region was a big place with a rich historyㅤ—ㅤand that wasn't even taking the GAPING HOLE right in the center of it into account. Well, maybe she should talk about the GYM CHALLENGE as the other was part of a region's ' gym challenge ' .

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWellㅤ—ㅤevery year, the students of Uva Academy are sent on an independent study called a TREASURE HUNT ! We're all encouraged to explore Paldea and it's rich culture but a lot of the students run off to do the GYM CHALLENGE. Whichㅤ—ㅤI did too. There's eight gym leaders, an elite four, and of course, the ACTUAL CHAMPION which is different from the champion - ranked students.ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤThere's Miss Katy who's super sweet ! She runs a little patisserie and her baking is the best ! Then there's Mister Brassius who's JUST a little eccentric. The man jumped off a windmill just to challenge me but he's a really talented artist and helped with the design of his city ! Iono is REALLY high energy and can be overwhelming but streaming with her was fun ! Mister Kofu is this big teddy bear who owns a seafood restaurant and I had to help him go shopping once or twice. Mister Larry is SERIOUSLY overworked and he's working a double job as a gym leader AND an Elite Four member but he does a good job at it ! He treated me to LUNCH after the battle too ! Miss Ryme apparently used to be a teacher at Uva academy but she decided to become a rapper and a gym leader. She does double battles and she has a super cute dancing ghost dog ! Miss Tulip is this elegant model who I REALLY need to ask to teach me about makeup sometime because my Mom always nags me about it. Mister Grusha is a little bit cold but he seemed to be warming up after a rematch we had recently !ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤOogh, she'd never talked so much in her LIFE.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤI've already mentioned Poppy; she's the NINE YEAR OLD that's super strong and poor Mister Larry with his double job. Miss Rika is this super cool big sister kind of ladyㅤ—ㅤbut she can make a WOOPER be terrifying ! And Mister Hassel is actually my art teacherㅤ—ㅤbut I was really surprised when he had some really strong Pokémon too ! That's about all of them except for the CHAMPION - RANKED STUDENT I had to face and the ACTUAL CHAMPION. And then the Blueberry League too. I hope that wasn't TOO confusing !ㅤ❜

"To her, yes." However, Lance had his fair share of losses, namely from the trainers originating from Pallet Town and New Bark Town. Then again, those trainers were exceptionally strong and provided quite the battle that kept their spirits burning. Will's own loss at the hands of a trainer from New Bark only fuelled his desire to grow stronger, along with the hope of a rematch.

At her question, Will let out a chuckle. "Absolutely; Falkner can be a bit passionate about bird pokemon, but he is easy enough to get along with. Bugsy, Whitney and Jasmine are some of the nicest gym leaders you'll come across, though beware the Miltank.

Morty is a bit of an odd one, but he is of the calm sort; Chuck is close with Bruno, one of my fellow elites, and both are obsessed with their martial arts training. However, both are equally nice and welcoming. Pryce may come across as stern, but he has much wisdom to share and will teach you a lot. Do dress warmly before going to Mahogany Town, though.

As for the elites, I did mention Bruno already so I will focus on Karen and Koga. Koga used to be the gym leader in Fuchsia City in the Kanto region before joining our ranks, and he is a ninja master. While he is kind, you will want to be on alert.

Karen is a dear friend of mine, and while she has a strong personality, she is nowhere near the same as Clair. However, she is the second strongest before Lance, so it would be wise not to get too comfortable around her.

As for myself? I'll let you be the judge of that~" He felt he already gave enough of an overview, and while he didn't divulge each gym leader specialty, Will did drop some hints as to what she could expect going forward. The rest would be a surprise.

"I don't believe I have, but I do wish to visit at some point. I have heard many interesting things about the region and I would like to know more."

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤGeez, it sounds like this Lance guy is PRETTY STRONG if he hasn't even lost once !ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏ㅤ—ㅤbut it was still impressive that the man could be challenged over and over and over again by a woman who clearly wanted NOTHING more than to defeat him and still hasn't lost once. The girl ponders; wondering what else she could ask.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWell, I guess I have ONE more question. Is the REST of the Indigo League nice ?ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤShe didn't mind the fierce battles and going all out. That was just the very nature of the world of Pokémon and the society. But people that took it too far and were outright MEAN to their opponents were just a bit intimidating. This Clair didn't SOUND like a bad person and maybe she was nice in all other aspectsㅤ—ㅤbut it DID sound like she could take losing a TINY bit better. Oh well, she would have to deal with that if she ever DID challenge the woman.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤAlso, have you EVER been to Paldea before ? I can tell you more about it if you'd like. Unova too but I've only ever been to one of the school's there.ㅤ❜

"I completely agree with you, and I think Clair knows that too deep down. Every now and again she does need to be reminded." And that was left to Lance or others; Will knew better than to interfere in that sort of business.

"Who says she hasn't? In fact, she's battled him so many times that I have lost count! To this day Clair has yet to best him, and I think that bothers her greatly.

However, she doesn't let that get her down, and I think that's a very admirable quality." Her determination, drive and passion to beat Lance in battle had encouraged him more than once. Of course he'd never tell her that; letting such praise go to her head wasn't a good thing.

"It's up to you. I do not mind answering your questions~"

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔; definitely not something she had very fond memories of. Though, parts of it she could understand and parts of it she still thought was rather trivial. She had felt TERRIBLE when she had stripped Kieran of his status as Champion of the Blueberry Leagueㅤ—ㅤbut she had kind of been tossed into that whole Blueberry League thing inadvertently by the rest of them. Not like she had a choice. Even if the entire thing had been resolved after their battle together with Terapagos, she still felt BAD about it.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤYeah, I GUESS I could understand that. I might be a little upset too if someone got the Champion title before me even if I put in a lot of work. But I still don't really think she should let it interfere with her work.ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThough, her experiences at Blueberry Academy and the unfortunate road she took to Champion made her realize SOMETHING ELSE weird about the whole situation.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWait, if she's THAT angry about it, couldn't she just try to battle him and take the title from him ? Or is it a complicated system like Paldea where's there's Champion - ranked students but only one actual champion ?ㅤ—ㅤOr should I just STOP ASKING QUESTIONS and tell you more about Paldea and Blueberry Academy because I can do that too !ㅤ❜

"Wait, the steel type elite in Paldea is only nine?" Granted she was only one year younger than some of the champions that have come and gone, but it was still unheard of for children to rise through the ranks. Now he was curious as to her skills.

"Double battles, you say? That is something we rarely do here, but it sounds like quite the challenge." And one he wouldn't mind participating in more. "It reminds me of the Battle Subway in the Unova Region, which has a line that deals with double battles. I hear the master of that line is quite powerful~"

At her comment, Will couldn't help but laugh. "Right? Granted I think it's more of a jealously thing on Clair's end, for Lance doesn't seem all that bothered. I think it's because he was once an elite, and is now the champion and got to that title first, but I could be wrong." He was just repeating what he heard through the grapevine, and from the masters themselves.

"Yes, that is correct. We are to accept defeat and hand out the winnings accordingly; some just take a little longer than others to admit to defeat."

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤThe Steel specialists at Paldea and Blueberry ARE really impressive. Paldea's Steel Elite Four member is this little girl named Poppy. She's only NINE and I heard she's planning on going to Uva Academy next yearㅤ—ㅤso it's really crazy she managed to become an Elite Four member before attending the school in our region. And then Blueberry'sㅤ—ㅤshe's more of a friend of a friend but her name is Amarys. She's REALLY strong. I almost lost to her. They exclusively do double battles at Blueberry too so it's even more of a challenge. ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑯𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 to the other Elite Four member. It was really neat learning about all of the DIFFERENT REGIONS she had never been to before and never got to challenge and it seemed to be the same for the older man as well.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤButㅤ—ㅤit seemed as if not everything was sunshine and roses. Geez, THAT family business sounded complicated. The brief but bitter rivalry she had before had been bad enough but at least that had been FIXED.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤUhhhhㅤ—ㅤgeez, okay ! That sounds really wild ! Being masters of Dragon Pokemon is a weird thing to beef aboutㅤ—ㅤif that's what being a DRAGON MASTER is. but I guess there's a lot I don't know about.ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤBut uhㅤ—ㅤisn't it kind of Pokémon battling law that Gym Leaders and Elite four members are supposed to ACCEPT defeat from trainers ? All of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members and even the Champions I've met were really nice about that ! Well, aside from one incident but it blew over at least.ㅤ❜

"Well, the steel type is known for its high defence, which is the specialty of Jasmine in Olivine City. She is our resident steel type gym leader. If you take the Johto League challenge, you will meet her on your sixth gym in, or fifth if she's not tending to the ampharos in the lighthouse."

He paused. "Of course the elite four are a step above the gym leaders, so I imagine the ones you have faced proved to be quite the challenge." Though having elite fours among academy students was interesting. He would have to ask more about them later.

"...Clair and Lance are cousins hailing from the same clan of dragon masters. They have a bit of a fierce rivalry, though Clair seems to take it far more seriously than our champion. It's a bit of a sore spot for her, hence why I mentioned earlier not to bring it up if you can help it. She's already been quite difficult to deal with in regards to handing out her badge upon defeat; mentioning Lance would only make matters worse."

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤGeez, I'm lucky that OUR normal or fairy type specialists didn't have any of that. The STEEL Elite Four members at Paldea and at Blueberry Academy made me feel like I was fighting several tanks. ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒔, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 how to take care of Paldea's Elite Four at least. With Blueberry Academy, she had only had one shotㅤ—ㅤand she knew well enough that from this point onward, there WAS no time machine. But at least now, losing battles wasn't a life or death situation anymoreㅤ—ㅤeven if it felt like it sometimes.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤThe odd comment about family makes the girl blink though. She hardly knew anything about Johto's Elite Fourㅤ—ㅤlet alone their FAMILY MATTERS. It felt kind of weird to ask; especially when she never pried that much into the personal lives of her own region's gym leaders she was MUCH more familiar with. But the man DID mention it, she supposed.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤShould I ASK ? You I mean. About the whole COUSIN thing.ㅤ❜

"Not to look at, no. Battling one, however, is a different story entirely.

There is a reason it has the word tank in its name." The pokemon was known for being notoriously hard to take down, not unlike the chansey. Whitney's miltank in particular also had Rollout, which has felled many a trainer due to how drawn out her gym battles tended to be.

"The eighth gyms tend to be the most challenging, for they are the last hurdle a trainer must overcome before challenging the best of the best. I have heard that such gyms in other regions could give Clair a run for her money.

Then again, the opposite might also be true." Especially given the dragon tamer's temperament. "I will warn you: Do not get on her bad side, and whatever you do, do not mention her cousin. In fact, do not even utter his name."

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤI've NEVER seen a Miltank in person before ! Is it really that terrifying ? ㅤ❜

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ𝑶𝒃𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚, 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈; especially when it came to Pokémon. The literal four mice hiding in one of her moon balls were a FORCE to be reckoned with, after all. As a trainer though, of course she would want to learn more about Pokémon.

ʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤMiss Clair sounds like something, though ! I remember MY eighth badge was difficult ! All of the gym leaders in Paldea are rather impressiveㅤ—ㅤit sounds like Johto is just as challenging ! Do you really not get that many challengers ?ㅤ❜

"You must be reading my mind~!

Yes, I would recommend taking on the Johto League; most tend to view it as easy and not much of a challenge, but I have heard many a horror story from the gyms of Whitney and Clair. In fact, most challengers give up at the third gym due to Whitney's Miltank.

For those that manage to get seven badges, Clair tends to be their last stop of the journey. She tends to go all out and show no mercy, and is the reason I get so few challengers in the first place."

[paradisegrave]

˗ˏˋㅤʚㅤ★ㅤɞㅤ‿︵ㅤ˗ˏˋㅤ❛ㅤWellㅤ—ㅤwhat would YOU recommend ? Probably the JOHTO LEAGUE, right ? What's it like ?ㅤ❜

"The Indigo League challenge is an excellent choice. However, you will want to choose between the Kanto gym challenges, and the Johto ones. Both count toward the eight badges needed to challenge us, and not many will choose to mix and match."