#gym challenger pia

[estuary-scholar]

Idle Animations!!

So, while I was playing Pokemon Sword & Shield for a while, I noticed if you leave the screen on for too long, the characters make idle animations! Of course they’re small details but I caught my four favorite gym challenger NPCs.

I know Pia’s thinking but it looks like she’s asleep LOL. Maybe she got tired of the player waiting and decided to do a 5 second nap during the battle? The smartest of the 15 challengers has got to get some rest somehow.

Deneb is doing what I call her “Sassy Arms” moves. She is quite impatient, maybe because she wants the battle to keep going perhaps? I dunno but she is too precious for this world. I honestly love Deneb’s sweet and energetic presence.

Yue seems quite deep in thought. Maybe she’s thinking about her own thoughts and maybe is lost in her calm mind? (I headcanon her as perfectionistic, but ultimately quite calm.)

Kent’s doing what I also call “The Scrappy-Dusty.” He’s dusting himself off, ready to start out fresh into something new! He’s got a good air momentum, that’s for sure.

I swear these four are like a quartet. Can’t be without each other and just generally like being together.

Also I’m tagging you, @a-tale-of-legends I thought you’d like to know this tiny detail here.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Hey there! I just noticed your blog and I came to ask something! I’m glad you took notice of the gym challenger NPCs in Galar, and I was wondering about something, what are your thoughts on Pia, Deneb, Kent, and Yue? Do you have any headcanond about them, and if they had a bigger role in the Sword and Shield storyline, what would you have done?

FINALLY. AFTER ALL THIS TIME. SOMEONE ASKS ABOUT THE GYM CHALLENGER NPCS.

God it's been so long since I've even thought of them that I fear I might not remember my specific hcs, let alone their given personalities, but I'll try!!!!

Pia

MY GIRL PIA

Of all the gym challenger npcs, she's the only one who was able to make it to the semi finals...quarter finals? She's the one who is beaten by Hop before he faces the player! The fact that she even made it that far with just grass types is hella impressive!!!!

I've always seen Pia as a steady force. Stern, focused, but kind and willing to guide others if needed. She also isn't a stick in the mud, either! Just that she takes the gym challenge pretty seriously.

She's a gym trainer of Milo's gym, and was thus, nominated by him to go on the gym challenge. She seems to be a bit exasperated by him based on her dialogue in game, so I imagine working with Milo is something else, hehe. Enough for her to be just slightly annoyed ( though maybe it's also he believed in her enough to even do the gym challenge, haha! Pia seems like someone who is really humble, so recognizing her own achievements and skill might be hard for her)

I've always imagined her, Deneb and Dunne to be a trio! Two orange-brown haired idiots and their green haired friend that keeps them out of trouble.

Oh, yeah, and Deneb and her get into a relationship :)

One last thing: in general I don't really see the npcs getting super involved with the plot, but I can see Pia being like a semi mentor figure the player and Hop would encounter now and again. Someone older who's respected and kind.

Deneb

SPEAKING OF DENEB!!! Deneb my energetic athletic queen. This woman has a can do attitude about everything! Nothing can get her down. The gym challenge actively tests that, but it's fiiiiine.

I believe in game she said she's from kanto? ( checks) yep! she's from kanto! She also says she's from the fighting dojo, which means the place is still running lol

She kinda feels like a fish out of water, not only being from a different region, but just culturally speaking Galar is. Very different from Kanto. Much more flashy. A lot more eyes on you. But despite all that, she still carries one with a big ol grin and fierce determination!

She actually stopped the gym challenge around the same time as Dunne- around Piers gym. Between all the weird stuff that's been going around, plus just Spikemuth not being open, it was kinda a big morale dive. Still she doesn't regret it - she brought word of the fighting dojo in kanto, and she got to really bond with her pokemon. All in all, she's satisfied~

As for how her and Pia got together, I just like to think them traveling together with Deneb's energetic optimism and Pia's steadiness is what ultimately brought them together. Poor Dunne is a third wheel in all of this lol.

I think she does return to Kanto after the gym season has died down, but she and Pia still maintain their relationship. Maybe one moves to the other's region at some point?

Kent

I'm really sorry Kent, I do not have much for the guy, mainly bc I. Do not remember his quotes. So we're going off vibes and ignoring whatever he says canonically.

Kent, when I first saw him, gave me the vibe of honestly a good young lad.

Outside of the player, I always saw him as the youngest of the NPC trainers. Maybe in his late teens?

He's a sweetheart, always wanting to prove himself and be helpful to others!

Dreams of traveling across the world with his flying types.

Yue

Unlike Kent I do remember a small few hcs for her.

Her and Wei I hc as siblings!

Yue is.... Honestly a perfectionist lol. She likes to keep things clean and precise - this extends to herself greatly.

She tends to be very hard on herself when she doesn't reach a certain expectation. Compared to her brother's callous confidence, she uptight and insecure.

She loves food, but is insecure by how much she eats.

I don't remember when exactly she stopped appearing....I think maybe around Kabu's gym?

Her and Phoebus are friends :) I like to think Phoebus is a chef and encouraged Yue to simply enjoy her food instead of fretting over it ( note: I'm considering Yue being a picky eater, and if that's the case, he'll offer to cook her specific meals to her liking :) )

Thanks for the ask!!!! Not all the gym challenger NPCs rotate my head equally ( honestly it's. It's really just Pia and Deneb) but this was very fun!!!!

[nightmare-does-shit]

Hey there nightmare. This is Tide Anon’s true form here. I’ve been kind of having trouble keeping my interests in mind and not letting myself fall to the negative things around. Because life’s been feeling like Chris Mclean messing with me again. Would you happen to have any advice on thinking positively? When life’s not being nice? Anyways, I had probably one of the strangest art requests thus far, and I dunno how you’ll pull this off but, I’m wondering, how would you draw Gym Challengers Pia & Deneb from The Pokemon Sword and Shield games in your iconic and awesome style?

(Pia’s the left one. Deneb is on the right.)

sorry about the odd and out of place request, but I’m kind of just feeling down again. I’ve been worrying too much about things I cannot control.

Nah don't worry about it, I'm totally cool doing any art requests ya give me (even though 99% of the time my art block makes me lazy)

So here's a quick sketch of them (sorry if it looks rushed lmao)

Also I'm not the best with advice but I'll try

When feeling down I like to think of all the positive things that happened to me the past week. Whether that's simple things like enjoying a meal or spending time with family. I try not to wallow in my own sadness and self pity, because the only person that can really make you feel better is you. Also, try not to listen/watch sad stuff. Listen to music that makes you happy, read a book, take a walk outside, write down all the things you're grateful for. Sit outside, talk with people, watch funny shows, do cringe things. Be happy and appreciate the fact that you're still you!

The negative thoughts won't stay forever, and the sooner you accept things and take time to relax, you'll be a lot happier. Life is beautiful, and FUCK all the not nice shit in life. That doesn't define who you are now, and in the future.

You got this :)

[deerdeardarling]

Over the course of swsh you can see where the other gym challengers stop/get stuck and the only ones asides the player and main rivals that get to raihan are phoebus, theemin and pia.

Pia feels like the most obvious choice of who gets past raihan bc she's a grass trainer so the person that hop fights before the player in the semifinals might be gym challenger Pia

Ooh, cool!! god i love all the little details in this/these games, i've never noticed that before i only really paid attention to the girl with the blipbug who was kinda like the players first fan, and how her pkmn evolves as you get through the game! In my personal poke verse (ChosenZVerse), i have it to where one of my oc's, Malik; whose Raihan's younger brother, fight and lose against Hop (and yes it is hyped up as the brothers of legends in the region battling against one another and also foreshadowing~)

[lostparadox]

Pokémon Sword and Shield (Rewrite) : Strongest characters

This will be the list of the trainers strongest to weakest (main timeline and in the Galar region)

1. ‘New Galar Champion’ Victor (6 Pokémon and G-max)

2. ‘New Chairman of the Galar League and former champion’ Leon Woodrow (6 Pokémon and G-max)

3. ‘Dojo Master and former champion ‘ Master Mustard Mishima (6 Pokémon and G-max)

4. ‘Next Pokémon professor’ Hoppleton ‘Hop’ Woodrow (6 Pokémon and G-max)

5. ‘Next shop owner’ Gloria (6 Pokémon and G-max)

6. ‘Dojo Matron’ Heidi ‘Honey’ Mishima (6 Pokémon and G-max)

7. ‘Voice of Spikemuth’ Marnie Baines (6 Pokémon and G-max)

8. ‘Brash Battler of Ballonlea’ Bede Consgrove/Rose/Lancaster (6 Pokémon and G-max)

9. ‘Tamer of dragons’ Raihan Qadir (6 Pokémon and G-max)

10. ‘Lightning-fast strategist’ Michael Growth (6 Pokémon and G-max)

11. ‘The ice-cold professional’ Melanie ‘Melony’ Volkov (6 Pokémon and G-max)

12. ‘The earth forger’ Garth (6 Pokémon and G-max)

13. ‘The hard-rock crusher’ Gordie Volkov (6 Pokémon and G-max)

14. ‘The silent boy of mystery’ Allister Callum (6 Pokémon and G-max)

15. ‘The Galar karate prodigy’ Beatrice ‘Bea’ Duncan (6 Pokémon and G-max)

16. ‘The Sky-high flyer’ Ace (6 Pokémon and G-max)

17. ‘The genius of steel’ Rhodney (6 Pokémon and G-max)

18. ‘The ever-burning man of fire’ Kabu Kaguya(6 Pokémon and G-max)

19. ‘The raging wave’ Nessa Crawford (6 Pokémon and G-max)

20. ‘The fighting farmer’ Milo Flockhart (6 Pokémon and G-max)

21. ‘The normal type of extraordinary’ Amelie (6 Pokémon and G-max)

22. ‘The bug-catcher of amazing things’ Midge (6 Pokémon and G-max)

23. ‘Steel-thorn rose and former champion’ Peony ‘Steel Peony’ Rose (6 Pokémon and G-max)

24. ‘Head of Team Yell’ Piers Baines (6 Pokémon)

25. ‘New Professor of Galar’ Professor Sonia Magnolia (6 Pokémon and G-max)

26. (Tied) ‘Bea’s parents and former gym leaders’ Lima Duncan (Psychic) and Mauis Duncan (Fighting) (6 Pokémon)

27. (Tied) Battle tower trainers

28. ‘Telekinetic trouble-maker’ Avery Kingsley (6 Pokémon and G-max)

29. ‘Pretty girl with a poisonous personality’ Klara Adkins (6 Pokémon and G-max)

30. ‘Former Galar League Chairman and Former Head of Macro Cosmo’ Daniel Rose (6 Pokémon and G-max)

31. ‘The mater of fantastic theater’ Opal Lancaster (6 Pokémon and G-max)

32. (Tied) Restricted Sparing trainers

33. ‘Professor of Galar’ Professor Constance Magnolia (6 Pokémon and G-max)

34. ‘Brash archeologist’ Bray Zenn (6 Pokémon)

35. ‘Careless archeologist’ Cara Liss (6 Pokémon)

36. ‘Scary secretary’ Oleana DeVito-Rose (6 Pokémon and G-max)

37. (Tied) ‘Reformed elites’ Edward ‘Sordward’ Arthur/Gilbert ‘Shilbert’ Arthur (6 Pokémon)

38. ‘Schoolboy’ Marvin (6 Pokémon)

39. ‘Former electric gym leader’ Berto (6 Pokémon)

40. (Tied) ‘Oleana’s elites’ Group of Macro Cosmo employees

41. ‘Normal Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Yue

42. ‘Flying Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Kent

43. ‘Ground Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Dunne

44. ‘Grass Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Pia

45. ‘Fire Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Phoebus

46. ‘Water Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Vega

47. ‘Electric Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Corvin

48. ‘Rock Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Cher

49. ‘Fighting Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Deneb

50. ‘Ghost Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Wei

51. ‘Ice Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Izar

52. ‘Flying Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Kent

53. ‘Dragon Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Terry

55. ‘Bug Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Polaire

55. ‘Steel Type Gym Challenger Specialist’ Theemin

56. ‘New head of Team Yell and New Galar League Manager’ Gym trainer Joshua (6 Pokémon)

57. ‘Mum’ Ally (6 Pokémon)

58. ‘Mayor of Freezington’ Mayor Percy (6 Pokémon)

59. ‘Darlin Daughter’ “Nia” Peonia (6 Pokémon)

60. ‘Diggin’ Pa’

61. ‘Diggin’ Ma’

62. ‘Older brother of the Digging duo’

63. ‘Younger brother of the Digging duo’

64. ‘Young boy genius’ Hyde Mishima (6 Pokémon)

65. (Tied) Dynamax adventure partners and Max Raid Adventure partners

66. (Tied) Macro Cosmo employees

67. (Tied) Gym Trainers

68. (Tied) Battle Cafe employees, Hairstylists, Clothes shop owners

69. ‘Interviewer Reporter’ Gillian

70. ‘Cameraman’ Cam

[niksixx]

Plus One

We’re on part 4 already!!! I’m soooo excited for this part. I plan on throwing a few curveballs and cliffhangers in the remaining parts of this mini fic, and I can’t wait for your reactions! 

Note: This fic takes place over the course of a few months!! Just keep that in mind while reading!

A/N: Please leave comments telling me what you think🖤

*Picture is NOT mine. Found on Google. Credit to the owner.*  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Pia’s POV*

I look in the mirror, completely unsatisfied yet again with my outfit of choice. Ten years out of high school and I find myself still caring about what my old classmates will think of me. I sigh before pulling off the simple blue dress and toss it on my bed dejectedly.

It takes me another fifteen minutes to find a better outfit and soon I’m staring back at myself adorned in heeled boots, black pants, and a skimmery gold long sleeve shirt.

I give myself a half smile just as the bell rings. I make sure to grab my purse, filled with lipgloss and a generous amount of breath mints, before heading down the steps.

My heart squeezes in my chest. In leather pants and a black button up shirt, Nikki grins happily. I’m well aware of his eyes examining the length of my body, and I don’t try to hide that I’m doing the same thing to him.

“When’s the last time you were this dolled up?” He asks, pressing the softest kiss to my cheek. There’s no one watching. He doesn’t have to appear affectionate. So why does he?

I snicker back at him before locking the door behind me. “It’s not like I’ve had anywhere to go. Now come on, we’re going to be late.”

~~~

Every inch of the school is decorated in navy blue and maroon streamers. Balloons are tied to chairs, littered on the gymnasium floor, and floating to the ceiling. Teachers stand by the entryway while old friends mingle about. I spot my friends laughing at a circular table in the back of the gym, and my hand slides into Nikki’s before pulling him in that direction.

“You made it,” Vince remarks, giving us a nod. “We didn’t think you were coming.”

“We wanted to make an entrance,” Nikki answers with a lighthearted laugh, giving my hand a squeeze. “Fashionably late and all that jazz.”

I walk around the table, exchanging hugs and quick pecks on the cheek, making sure to even press a tiny kiss to Vivian’s growing stomach. It’s good to see everyone together again. Sure, we’re all used to seeing each other on the weekends, but life has caught up to many of us, making it difficult to keep to our regularly scheduled adventures.

“So, you and Nikki,” Charlotte whispers, only for the girls to hear. My lips quirk up in a smile. “It’s about time you got your happy ending.”

“Let’s not jump ahead,” Viv interjects, stuffing a brownie into her mouth. No one says anything about the six other brownies piled onto her plate. How ironic it’d be if baby Alice May ended up hating chocolate. “They just started dating a month ago. But, I am mad I had to find out from Amanda,” Viv pouts before sinking her teeth into another treat. “How’s he been treating you?”

“Like a queen I hope,” Amanda chimes in, swirling the straw in her drink.

I see how happy they are for me, and I have to push away the nagging thought that screams it’s not real. No matter how much I want it to be real, and no matter how well Nikki treats me, that thought is ever-present in my brain.

“He’s amazing,” I say breathlessly, sneaking a quick peek at Nikki. He laughs at something Tommy says, eyes crinkling in delight. His smile is wide and genuine. “He’s unlike any man I’ve ever been with.”

Charlotte shakes me happily. “How many dates have you been on?”

“A few. We went out to dinner one night, a museum another. We stay in sometimes too. Order pizza, watch movies, play games. He even cooked for me last night. Being with him is an adventure I never want to end.”

~~~

*Nikki’s POV*

From the gymnasium bleachers, I watch with a grin as Pia and Charlotte dance with a few classmates. My eyes stay glued on Pia. The more she smiles and laughs, the more I can feel a dopey grin widening across my face.

I can feel my chest tighten as I watch her. It’s a feeling I’ve been having for a few days now whenever I’m around her and I can’t quite place what it is. From the dance floor her eyes find mine and she winks subtly, and the tightness is present once more. I balance my elbow on my knee, cheek in my palm, and sigh.

“You’ve got a little drool right there buddy,” Tommy pokes the corner of my mouth and I swat his hand away, frowning.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Tommy rolls his eyes, crossing his ankles and leaning back on a higher bleacher. “How long are you supposed to keep up this act?”

I’m well aware of the extra emphasis placed on act. “Only a few more months. After her work party and cousin’s wedding, I am a free, single man again.”

“Uh huh,” Tommy tuts, his eyebrow raised in question. “So there’s absolutely no chance that this fake relationship turns into something real.”

I straighten my shoulders, shooting Tommy a warning look. He’s treading in deep water. “Don’t start. I don’t see her that way. Never have.”

Tommy was never one to listen. He takes a swig of water, brows raised as if to challenge me. “But you’re starting to.”

“Enough,” The word comes out harsh through gritted teeth. I ball my fists tightly, lowering my voice. “Be careful with your next words, man. I’m serious.”

Tommy chuckles, shaking his head. It’s a game to him. My reactions are his entertainment. “You won’t do shit and you know it. Seriously, man, what gives? I can see it on your face. You’re falling for her, aren’t you?”

I’m about to open my mouth but commotion on the dance floor stops me. I turn, scrunching my brows as Pia and Charlotte dart over to where Tommy and I are sitting.

“What’s going on?” Tommy asks, looking frantically between the girls.

“It’s Viv,” Pia answers, waiting a moment to catch her breath. “Her water just broke.”

~~~

In Vivian’s arms, the tiny pink bundle squirms away. There’s a smile on each one of my friend’s faces, Mick especially, as he strokes the top of his daughter’s head.

“She is so beautiful,” Amanda gasps, tears filling her eyes at the sight of her godchild. Even Tommy’s eyes are bright with unshed tears as he gazes at his new goddaughter, only a few hours old. “We’re so proud of you, Viv.”

Beside me, Pia squeezes my hand. I look down, smirking at the tears that are falling from her eyes, and instinctively brush them away. When I turn forward, I’m greeted with Vivian’s eyes narrowed, holding me captive. No one else seems to notice, and I squirm under her intense gaze.

“Now I hope you know I love you all, but this new momma is hungry and tired,” Viv chuckles, rubbing her growling stomach. Mick is the first one out of the room, no doubt sprinting to the cafeteria to find something semi edible for his wife to eat. Everyone nods in understanding. We begin to file out into the hallway, but Vivan’s voice stops me.

“Nikki,” I turn around, again met with Vivian’s hard gaze. “Close the door. Stay here.”

I freeze. Her voice is anything but welcoming. My fingers twitch as I close the door to the room, taking a hesitant step toward her.

“I thought you wanted to rest,” I say dumbly, stuffing my hands into my pockets. It was never easy to tell what Vivian was thinking, but her face always gave away how she felt.

“I do, but we need to talk first,” Viv’s voice is low and even. She sucks in a breath, exhales, and glares. “Why are you doing this to my best friend?” She shakes her head. “A fake relationship? Really?”

I frown, the realization dawning on me. Mick had told Vivian. “What are you getting at, Viv? Pia asked me to be her fake boyfriend. I’m not doing anything to her.”

It’s a scary sight, Vivian chuckling darkly. “Wow. You really are oblivious, huh?” When I don’t answer, Vivian continues, voice softening. “You really expect me to believe that you don’t know Pia is in love with you?”

I blink. “What?”

Viv rolls her eyes exasperatedly. “Pia is in love with you, Nikki. Somehow, everyone else can see that except you.”

Hate is a strong word and I don’t use it very often. But at this moment, I hate Vivian. I hate the way she’s looking at me. I hate the way I feel so small under her scrutiny. But most of all, I hate the way she’s acting as if I’m in the wrong.

“She doesn’t love me,” I respond with a laugh. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Vivian laughs quietly, repositioning Alice in her arms. “Of course you don’t think so. You never pay attention. I do, and I have over the years. You don’t see the way she watches you when you talk, so fascinated by anything you have to say. You don’t see the way she laughs when you tell a stupid joke. And by the way, she’s the only one who’s ever laughing. You don’t see the way her cheeks flare up when you compliment her and she tries to hide it by looking away. You never, ever saw the devastation in her eyes when you chose each one of us over her. That’s your problem, Nikki. You don’t see.”

My pulse races and suddenly I’m warm all over. The ground beneath me begins to sway, and my fingers lock around the back of the single wooden chair beside the hospital bed. I lower myself down, rubbing the tension from my temples, trying to understand.

Vivian’s hand on my shoulder is light. I’m tempted to push it away, but I know she means well. “This relationship...this fake relationship, is going to end up with one of you hurt. And it’s not going to be you.”

“Why does everyone think something is going to go wrong? First Mick and Tommy, and now you,” I pull the chair closer, gripping Vivian’s hard. She flinches, but says nothing. “You said my problem is that I don’t see. Then help me, Viv. Help me see. If Pia loves me like you say she does, then why did she ask me to be her fake boyfriend and not her real boyfriend, huh? I’m clearly not good enough to be her real boyfriend, right?”

Viv sighs, thumb brushing over my knuckles. “She asked you because she trusts you. And this fake relationship gives her the chance to experience a real relationship with you, one that you never gave her because you were too busy using me, Charlotte, and Amanda to occupy your time. You want to know a secret? You just told me why you never gave Pia the chance. Because in your mind, you don’t think you’re good enough for her. And for someone that puts on the front that he doesn’t want a relationship with her, you certainly are going to lengths to prove this one is real.”

“I know I’m not good enough,” I spit back. “I just...I just know it. I can act the part and put on a show, but that’s all this is. It’s a goddamn show.”

I can see the blood rushing to Vivian’s cheeks. “You stubborn jackass, you know that’s not true. You only have to play the part in public. And believe me, you’ve done one hell of a job with that, so explain to me why you’re still dating her in private? Movie nights? Game nights? Homemade dinners? Explain that to me.”

For the tenth time that night, I’m speechless. Why was I still dating her in private?

“So what do you suggest then?” I ask seriously after a long, silent moment. “That we just call it off completely? Because I can do that right now.”

Viv shakes her head, eyes wide. “If you have no intentions of making this a real relationship, then you need to stop acting like it is behind closed doors. No more movie nights. No more game nights, homemade dinners, none of that. Because the more you do that, the more she’s going to fall in love with you, only for you to rip her heart out in the end.”

[pokemonthingsandstuff]

Ohhhhh boy, since Gym Season is coming to a close, the rumor mill is really spinning. Do you want to know some things that I've heard? I'll tell you some things I heard.

To clear things up, as they get older, Allister and Bea are still going to share Stow-and-Side Stadium and neither of them have any intents on taking it for themselves. I talk with these two regularly, we're friends and we train together. They're best friends, and they've confirmed this with me personally.

Also, Circhester Stadium might finally get handed off to someone not in the Snowdun family. Someone from the Minor League is going to get a promotion until Gordie and Melonie figure something out. Not sure who yet (That's usually decided after the Gym Challenge.), but I've got my eyes on the Flying or Electric leaders.

Rapid-fire round for fun: Milo is still not Nessa's official rival, Nessa is going to continue wearing her swimsuit as her official attire, Kabu is not retiring this year, Bede still has his old Psychic-type pokemon and they still live happily he just doesn't use them for battle, Marnie is in fact changing her official attire this year, and Raihan is not going to move to Triple Battles.

Also, by far my favourite rumour I've heard so far about myself is that my insistence on wearing dresses and skirts is just a sponsor thing for clothing companies. Actually, I just don't like wearing pants. They're restricting.

And I'm just going to address this now before it gets out of hand again: No, they don't keep hitting me with pokeballs on purpose. It's almost always an accident. The one exception was James doing James things, and he didn't even throw it hard.

Oh, and I can't forget this one! Challenger Pia did not smuggle a Leavanny into Galar. I don't even know where that one came from. However, Challenger Phoebus did absolutely illegally get a Castform from Sinnoh. He has been arrested, and he's awaiting trial.

Yes, Opal and Mangolia are still alive. No, Mustard will not be rejoining the League, but Honey and a few dojo students were considering. We're still working through that. Yes, Rose is still in prison, that was at least 10 life sentences he was given. He's not getting out any time soon. No, we're still not answering questions about Sordbert and Shielward. Yes, we're trying to start a ranger program. The Knights of the Wild may be an ancient organization, but it's basically volunteer ranger work. Yes, we're trying to bump the minimum age up to 15. You know why.

This isn't too dramatic of a year, all things considered. You should've seen the backstage when I was 13. I will never understand how Team Rocket keeps cropping up everywhere, but I have never been more annoyed since then.

[ddagent]

All hail to sugar daddy Jaime! Can I bribe you for more? :)

You certainly can! This is C&G’s 125th prompt!! Today hasn’t gone as planned, but I’m hoping this story will be the start of a very creative few days before my return to work next week. Happy reading!

Jaime needed noise. A pop song on the radio; mindless chatter from his driver. Something to distract from tomorrow’s itinerary, already forwarded and amended, or the few last-minute emails that required replies Anything to distract from another long, dull day as VP of Lannister Holdings. 

But, nothing. 

His driver, Peck, didn’t even announce their arrival at Jaime’s building, White Sword Tower apartments. The doorman allowed him entry with a single incline to the head. The couple that passed him in the foyer gave Jaime a glance and nothing more. The young woman at the reception desk had no reason to talk to him; all mail and messages were already organised. But he wanted noise. After a long day of meetings, emails, contracts, Jaime craved something to make him feel human again.

Thankfully, as was true of all Lannisters, Jaime had someone on the payroll for just that. 

In the lift, Jaime pulled out his phone and scrolled to his contact for Sweetling. 

Tell me something about your day.

A pause; three little dots appeared and then vanished. The lift crawled up to the penthouse and, just as the doors opened, a message from Brienne arrived.

Sweetling: Professor Stark gave a lecture about the Second Long Night, and I yelled at one of my classmates when he said no women were fighting in the battle. 

That’s my girl. 

Once again, the three dots appeared and left just as quickly. Jaime smirked as he stepped off the lift and fumbled for his door keys. Sweetling, blue_eyes, Brienne was a curious thing. A shy maiden sometimes; a bold knight in moments. They had met three times now: their initial coffee date, a lunch between meetings, and a Sunday morning jog. He enjoyed her company, and if it took a rent payment, money for books, and a gym membership to do so, then Jaime would pay it all.

The fact that Brienne rebuffed his attempts each time was just…adorable. 

Inside the penthouse, Jaime discarded his briefcase and jacket before checking his phone. (1) message from Sweetling. 

Sweetling: How was your day?

I’d rather talk more about yours.

Tossing his phone on the kitchen island, Jaime used his left hand to loosen the knot of his tie. When the two strips of fabric hung around his neck, he checked his notifications to see if Brienne had responded. 

Sweetling: Nothing major. A couple of lectures. Met for coffee with a friend. Now working on an assignment and looking to make dinner. 

Oh? What’s on the menu for tonight?

Jaime looked in his own fridge. A few bottles of imported beer; some eggs and a suspicious-looking takeaway container. He made a mental note to ask Pia to organise a grocery delivery; man could not subsist on jelly beans and chocolate buttons alone. 

Sweetling: Don’t judge me. Remember, I’m a poor student. 

Sweetling: Plain pasta and tomato ketchup. 

Oh, Sweetling. 

Sweetling: I said no judgements. And my name’s Brienne.

I’m going to buy you dinner, Sweetling. No arguments. In exchange, I get to decide what we watch over dinner.

Jaime pressed send and immediately realised his mistake. From what little he’d read about successful sugar daddy-baby partnerships, boundaries were vital. Despite her lacklustre dinner, Brienne might not want his company or his offer of food. They hadn’t arranged a ‘date’ for tonight; their next one was Saturday afternoon at the museum. While the three dots appeared on his phone screen, Jaime tapped out a quick message. 

You can say no, Brienne. I won’t be offended. I understand you may have other plans. 

Sweetling: I get three vetos about what we watch. Do I need to send you my address, or do you still have it?

He did. He fired off a text confirming their date and then got to work on buying Brienne dinner. There were a handful of takeaway menus shoved in a drawer that Jaime had ordered from over the years, ranging from the spice of Dornish dishes to the richness of Myrish food. Jaime just didn’t know what Brienne would prefer. The easiest thing to do would be to text her; enquire as to her preferences. But Jaime didn’t believe in doing things the easy way.

So he ordered his favourite dishes from them all.

One quick change of clothes, a single text to Peck to bring the car around, and Jaime was heading off to Fleabottom for an evening of good food and great company. He arrived at Brienne’s building just as the first delivery driver made their appearance. The intercom outside was busted, but someone had used a sugar sachet to wedge the front door open. Hanging his head, Jaime once again considered the prospect of moving Brienne elsewhere. A conversation for another time. 

He followed the delivery driver up, only to pass another one on the hall outside Brienne’s flat. She stood, framed in the dim light of her open doorway, with a bag of takeaway already in her arms. Her face softened as Jaime approached, only for her forehead to pucker at the sight of even more food. 

“Are we expecting other people?” she asked, as six dishes of Pentoshi takeout were thrust into her arms. 

“Just us,” Jaime said, lifting up on his toes to brush his lips against Brienne’s cheek. He loved the way her face flushed when he did that; an innocence he found both charming and attractive. “I didn’t know what you liked.”

Her teeth toyed with a plump bottom lip. “You could have asked.”

“I could have.” He paused, grinning. “Now, are you going to invite me inside, or are we going to eat in the hallway.” 

“I wouldn’t advise it.” 

The hallway was fucking filthy; a bug scuttled across the floor, muddy footprints decorated the dents in the wall and – fuck, was that blood? Jaime didn’t even want to know. Inside Brienne’s flat was a slight improvement. The walls were grey, the Fleabottom stench permeated the inside, but it was homey. Photographs and books on the shelves; a weathered sofa with a handknit blue throw. Brienne cleared away her textbooks and laptop from the coffee table and replaced them with the food. 

“I’ll get some plates; make yourself comfortable.” 

Jaime did. Settled himself on the floor and reached for the remote. Brienne had a Webflix account – or, rather, she shared her Webflix account with someone called Renly. I’ll buy Brienne her own account, he decided, as he scrolled through her list. And a new television. Jaime had just found an action film set during the Dragon Age when the door went again. Three delivery drivers stood on the other side. He took the food and began unpacking it on the coffee table. 

When Brienne returned bearing plates and cutlery, she sighed. “That’s far too much food, Jaime.”

“You can have leftovers.”

“For a month.”

He snorted. “Two weeks at best.” Jaime patted the space beside him on the thinning rug. “Sit. Eat. Relax.”

Brienne raised a single eyebrow; Jaime leant back on the edge of her sofa, challenging her to disagree with his proposal. She was stubborn. Already Jaime knew that Brienne would have eaten plain pasta with ketchup rather than spend money on more food when she had this in the house. But nutrition was important, and if buying two hundred dragons’ worth of takeaway made sure his Sweetling was fed, then he would pay every last halfpenny.

Halfway through the film, both stuffed, Brienne rested her head atop Jaime’s shoulder, and he felt like he had been fed, too. 

[letswritefanfiction]

Pokémon Alphabet Challenge: Q is for Quota

A/N: This takes place just after XY070, Beyond the Rainbow!

Circles were a constant bother in drawing until you realize that, with perspective, nothing is ever a perfect circle. So Tracey had long since given up the elusive goal of mastering geometric shapes in favor of mastering perspective.

But the Ledyba he was currently trying to sketch was certainly making the job difficult. It was flitting about erratically as it flew from flower to flower, helpfully pollinating the more lush areas of Professor Oak’s Pokémon habitat, but constantly changing which angle it was at in relation to Tracey’s hidden spot in the bushes.

Still, a decent sketch was coming together. Working at Professor Oak’s was a dream come true. Not only because Professor Oak was his idol, but because of all the Pokémon he was able to sketch every day, all from different regions. He had even recently been able to start making some serious coin on some sketch commissions. And Professor Oak paid him for his assistance, of course, though most of that was through food and lodging.

“Ehem.”

…Speaking of which…

Tracey jolted up from his spot in the bushes, slightly startling the Ledyba as twigs and leaves went flying and Tracey began rambling. “Sorry, Professor! I was feeding the Pokémon, but I got a little distracted by this perfect Ledy—”

“Tracey.”

“Whaa? Oh. It’s you.”

Tracey rapidly calmed down as he realized that it wasn’t his boss coming to scold him for breaking on the job. There were more Pokémon sent to the lab every day and the job of feeding had just gotten to be too much for the old Professor to handle. So most of the weight had fallen squarely on Tracey’s shoulders, and Gary’s if he was available.

And it was Gary who was in front of him now, looking slightly amused at the outburst, a smirk tugging at his lips. But unlike the Gary that Tracey had met when he’d first come to work at the lab, this Gary had kind eyes twinkling along with it.

“Expecting me to confiscate your art, Tracey?” Gary joked. “I’ll give it back to you after class if you promise not to daydream.”

Tracey blushed. “Sorry. I was just about to move onto the Water Pokémon.”

“Nah, actually I’m here to take over your job,” Gary said, heaving the bag full of Water Pokémon chow onto his shoulder. Somehow he managed to do it a lot more gracefully than Tracey had ever managed to. He usually suffered a bit until the bag got down to half. “You’ve got a phone call.”

“A phone call?”

Tracey grabbed the mostly empty bag of Grass Pokémon chow he’d finished up with before getting distracted, and headed for the lab.

He was slightly sweaty by the time he got inside—early fall in southern Kanto was only modicums better than the heat of the summer—and was thankful that his headband kept the worst of it in check. After all, Gary hadn’t told him who was on the phone, so he wasn’t sure if he had someone to impress or not.

When he finally reached the monitor, it turned out that he shouldn’t have worried.

“Ash! Hey! How’s Kalos?”

“Hey, Tracey,” Ash said, his face shaking slightly in the frame. That and the background of the wilderness gave away the fact that he was using a mobile device for this call. Unusual. Tracey hoped that it didn’t signal anything urgent. “Kalos is great! I just got my fifth Gym Badge, so it won’t be long until I’m qualified for the Kalos League!”

“That’s great news, Ash,” Tracey said. “On this side, your Pokémon are doing really well. All are happy and healthy.”

“That’s really great to hear, Tracey,” Ash breathed, sounding oddly relieved. Like his Pokémon could be in any other condition in the Professor’s—not to mention Tracey’s!—care.

There was a brief moment of silence as Tracey expected Ash to continue, but as that was looking continually less likely, he took it upon himself to get to the point. “It looks like it’s starting to get dark there. Any reason why you’re calling so late?”

Ash glanced back at the sky, the screen wobbling more as he did so. It didn’t look like it was sunset yet, but the sky was looking like it was hitting that point of pale blue-gray just before it did. And since the days were still pretty long, Tracey had to bet that Ash and his friends had already had dinner, and that Ash should be preparing for sleep wherever he was.

“Uh, yeah, kinda,” Ash said, his voice higher than usual. “I guess I just have a lot on my mind.”

Tracey knew that’s when Misty would make a comment about how that was rare or dangerous, but insults aside, Tracey did know that that kind of issue was uncommon for Ash. Honestly, he was kind of flattered that Ash was turning to him instead of just laughing it off with Pikachu or whatever it was that he normally did that kept him so carefree. In fact, Pikachu wasn’t anywhere in frame, which was strange. A chill hit Tracey’s stomach as he hoped that nothing had happened to him.

“Well, what’s up?” he asked, trying not to make any assumptions.

“I…” Ash scratched the back of his head, glancing away from the camera for a second. “I just released one of my Pokémon.”

“Oh, Ash…”

A ragged laugh escaped Ash’s lips. “Yeah. Believe it or not, Lapras was the last one that I did that for. Well, except for Charizard, of course.”

“Gosh, Ash, that’s gotta be tough. I wish I had more to say.”

Truthfully, Lapras’s goodbye had been sad, but Ash hadn’t seemed devastated by it. He’d handled it like a pro. This seemed to be hitting him harder, and it left Tracey unprepared.

“Just remember that it’ll be better off for this, okay?”

Ash looked at Tracey skeptically. “How do you know? You never met Goodra?”

Ah, so it was a Goodra. That would have been interesting to study…Focus, Tracey!

“But I know you,” Tracey said firmly. “I saw what pushed you to release Lapras and it was obvious that that was for the best. Why did you leave Goodra?”

“To go back to its friends now that it was strong enough to protect them,” Ash mumbled.

“Exactly,” Tracey said. With anyone else, that kind of logic would have been a shot in the dark, but with Ash, there was no doubt in Tracey’s mind that he would only leave his Pokémon behind with the best of intentions.

“I just wish it wasn’t so hard. Or that I could see how things turn out.”

As Ash was looking at the ground, the bill of his hat completely shielding his face as the grief seemed to strike him anew, Tracey was hit with an idea.

“What if you could?”

Ash’s head shot up. “What? How?”

“Well, not exactly,” Tracey quickly amended. “But why don’t you give a call to your friend Iris? She was the one you were with when Charizard rejoined your team, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah…” Ash affirmed, looking confused as ever.

“She’ll be able to give you a firsthand account of how great Charizard was doing after spending time away,” Tracey explained. “Just to give you some reassurance.”

Ash nodded slowly. “Right…” Then, all at once, he perked up. “Thanks, Tracey! That’s a great idea!”

“No problem, Ash! Now, if you don’t mind, I have a Ledyba sketch to finish before Gary realizes I’m off the phone,” Tracey said slightly conspiratorially. He rarely planned to goof off at work. It just seemed to happen before he realized it…

“What? You didn’t finish the first time around? You’re usually so fast!” Ash exclaimed.

“Yeah, well this Ledyba wouldn’t stop flittering about and pollinating all the trees.”

“You know what Brock told me?” Ash started. “Just feed it a Nanab Berry. That will keep it from flying so irrita—wait, no—errat…so crazily, you know?”

Tracey thought about it for a second, and it checked out. To think, a piece of advice from Ash, when Ash had been the one looking for advice. Who’d have ever thought such a thing could occur?

“Thanks, Ash! Now, don’t forget not to be a strang—”

Tracey cut himself off when he realized that Ash had already said goodbye and hung up. Tracey shook his head with a good-natured smile as he turned off his own monitor. The kid always had been one-track minded…

Being a new Gym Leader was hard. It felt like every day it was being proven why she wasn’t competent in the job. Yeah, she managed to cream the weak, little kids that showed up thinking that just because she was the newest Gym Leader in the region, she would be a pushover. But then stronger Trainers came to her Gym, thinking the exact same thing. But they destroyed her, especially if they had a solid team of Ice Types. God help her if Fairy Types showed up. Her only blessing was that they were rare in Unova.

Every day was hard. Living in the city still sucked, losing sucked, and to top it all off, she felt like the PIA was looming over her, waiting for her to lose too many Battles.

The only thing that was really getting her by was that she knew what it was to be in this city and hate it. That had been when she’d been in school at the academy. At least here the challenge was Pokémon Battling and proving herself.

That she was prepared to do.

And she’d gotten a membership at a rock climbing gym so that Officer Jenny didn’t have to ride her ass about climbing on city buildings this time around.

She was training her Emolga and Excadrill—her only hopes against Fairy Types—when the phone rang. It was irritating to be interrupted, but when she saw Emolga come to a landing, panting heavily into the dirt floor, she realized that maybe it was time for a break anyway.

“Get some water, guys!” she shouted as she tried to remember where the phone was. Luckily she could just follow the ringing.

Finally, she managed to locate it—left on the kitchen counter—and panted into it, “Hello?”

“Iris?”

“Ash?!” Iris went on the hunt again, this time for the monitor to which the cordless phone was attached. Fortunately, that never moved, so it was much easier to locate, she flicked it on, saying “What a surprise!”

“Yeah!” Ash said. “Listen, I’m calling because, well, see, I caught a Goodra—well, it wasn’t a Goodra then, it was a Goomy—but—”

“You caught a Goodra!” Iris gasped, eyes instantly lighting up. “I dream of having a Goodra on my team!”

Iris let herself fangirl for a second before she noticed Ash’s perturbed expression.

“Sorry. Go ahead.”

“So, the thing is, I just had to release it back into the wild,” Ash admitted. “And, well, I was wondering what you thought of Charizard when you first met him? Since he’s a Pokémon that I let go of, you know?”

Well, now it made sense. Why Ash was calling, why he looked particularly disturbed. And, honestly, now that she knew where it was going, she figured that altering the course was the best route for both of their sakes.

“Oh, Ash, I don’t know what to tell you. Yes, Charizard was strong and very impressive when he returned to your team.” Then, in a grumble: “I mean, he would have beaten me and Dragonite, even though you two had spent years apart from each other.”

Ash was looking at her expectantly, as though he was hungry for more affirmation.

“I don’t think you should regret that choice, and if that helps you feel better about Goodra, then great. But I get the feeling you’re looking for emotional support and, uh, I’m not so good at doing that with humans. I think you should talk to Cilan about all this instead. He might be able to give you what you want.”

Ash’s brow furrowed, like he wasn’t completely following her. “But I don’t know what I want.”

Iris shrugged, offering the best she had: “He might give it to you anyway.”

“Fair enough!” Ash exclaimed. “Good luck with everything at the Gym! Not that you need it, I’m sure!”

“Oh, I need it,” Iris said. Her voice was light with good humor, but something deeper in her expression said that she really believed it.

Ash, who had looked like he was about to hang up, stopped and looked at Iris. “Is everything okay at the Gym?”

Iris sighed heavily, feeling her emotions bubble up a bit as she did so. She took another steadying breath to squash them down. “People just keep on coming in with type advantages and sweeping the floor with me. So many Ice Types…”

He seemed to consider her for a moment before he said, “Well, Excadrill is your only Pokémon that isn’t weak to Ice, so maybe focus on strengthening his Steel moves?”

Iris rolled her eyes. What a kid! “I’ve been doing that already, Ash,” Iris said dryly.

Ash didn’t seem to catch on to her derogatory tone and went back to thinking. Don’t hurt yourself, Iris thought to herself. “Maybe you need to train yourself?” Ash finally suggested. “Maybe part of the problem is that you’re still afraid of Ice Types.”

Iris was about to cut him off and say that that was not true when he barreled on forward.

“Ooh! You should talk to Misty! She totally knows what it’s like to have to bring a Gym up and she has Ice Types! She could totally help you! I’ll give you her number!”

Ash proceeded to do just that while a bewildered Iris sat by, copying the number down out of habit, not even knowing if Misty would know who she was upon calling—she, herself, only had any concept of who Misty was through the stories Ash had told including her back when they were traveling together.

“Great!” Ash exclaimed, clearly excited by his assuredly amazing idea. “Now you call Misty and I’ll call Cilan! Bye-a, Iris!”

Iris sat, looking at the numbers she had scrawled on her arm. She sighed and looked back at the video phone.

It was worth a shot.Things had been tense at the Straiton Gym since Cilan’s return. Unfortunately, that had been many months ago, and Cilan was feeling much like a tough pie dough: overworked.

Somehow, after the debacle with Morana, his brothers had decided that he was head Gym Leader. Even though he was the one who wasn’t even technically in the Trainer class. He was a Connoisseur in addition to being a Gym Leader and restaurant co-owner. So shouldn’t they be the ones picking up the slack?

The problem was, it had happened so subtly that Cilan hadn’t even noticed anything was wrong at first, like unknowingly drinking a mixed cocktail: by the time you realize something’s off, it’s already been going on far too long. Chili and Cress would just hand Battles off to him in favor of working at the restaurant. Cilan hadn’t thought anything of that, especially since Chili usually passed it off with the excuse that Cilan needed to make up for his time away. The excuse had seemed suitable at the time, but now it was past its expiration date. Surely, his brothers couldn’t be holding a grudge against him for that long! They had encouraged him to continue on his journey with Ash, after all.

Cilan was currently trying to work his way out of that very situation with Chili, who was insisting he take on a Battle against a girl and her Pignite. Sure, Chili’s Pansear wasn’t strong against a Pignite, but poor Pansage was weak against it! If anything, Chili should have been bothering Cress, who was only doing some simple baking in the kitchen.

Fortunately, the phone began to ring at that very moment, and Cilan called out a brusque, “I’ll get it!” leaving Chili with his Gym Leader responsibilities.

Saved by the bell, Cilan thought.

The strange thing was that the ringing was the sound of the brothers’ personal phone rather than the restaurant phone. That’s why he was rushing to answer it at all, rather than letting the current hostess on duty answer what would assuredly be nothing more than a reservation or question about the menu. Phone calls in the restaurant were completely ordinary. But Iris and Ash weren’t great about using the phone, so it was more frequent that he made outgoing calls than he or his brothers received any.

“Hello, Striaton Restaurant and Pokémon Gym, Cilan speaking.”

“Hi, Cilan!”

“Ash!” Cilan said in surprise. “A call from you is like an extra helping of dessert! What can I do for you?”

Ash quickly caught Cilan up on what had led up to this particular phone call, and Cilan was left perplexed. He was flattered that Iris thought that he was well suited to the task, but he honestly thought that she was selling herself short. Iris had proved herself to have great empathy, not just for Pokémon, but towards Ash and himself many times over. But he supposed that was a train of thought for another day. Right now, his friend, Ash, needed him.

“Well, if you’d like an ex post facto evaluation between you and Charizard, I can give you one,” Cilan offered.

Ash paused. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I’m looking for.”

“The bond between you and Charizard was like that of a fine ganache. Two ingredients long separated, and wonderful on their own, but whisked together into one perfect creation, glossy, seamless, and delicious. And somehow better together.”

Ash’s head had tilted to the side through the explanation, almost falling out of frame. “Huh? What’s a ganash?”

Cilan sighed; he should have known better than to fall into a food-related rambling around Ash. Inevitably, it would either confuse the boy or make him hungry. “Ash, it was clear that you and your Charizard continued to carry a strong bond even in the years you were apart. That is why you were so strong, even upon your first battle reunited. N said the same thing.”

“He did?” Ash said, looking slightly more interested. “What did he say?”

“Oh, I don’t remember exactly.” It had been a while back; it wasn’t as though Cilan could remember word for word. But somehow, the things N said, tended to resonate more with people than just any old passing phrase. “He said he could sense the bond from when you’d been together, and how strong that was, and he could sense the time that you were apart. But that you were, uh…er…Oh! You were the truest of friends.”

Ash seemed to smile at that, perhaps slightly buoyed by Cilan’s words. Cilan sure hoped so.

“Does that make you feel better?”

“Yeah, a little!” Ash said, cheerily. His inflection sounded more enthusiastic than the paltry words that came out of his mouth. Cilan wasn’t sure which to believe; either way, it made him feel as though he hadn’t completed his duty as a friend.

“You know what?” Cilan asked, struck with inspiration. “Didn’t you trade one of your Pokémon to Dawn back when you were traveling with her?”

“Yeah,” Ash responded, confusion clouding his face once again. “Her Ambipom used to belong to me as an Aipom.”

Cilan almost laughed at Ash’s lack of understanding. Why, it was totally obvious! “You should call Dawn and ask about her Ambipom. Because she knew it when you had it and she can tell you how well it’s been doing since she’s had it.”

All at once, Ash’s face lit up to the expression that Cilan had been hoping to see: Ash’s usual tangible excitement. “That is a great idea, Cilan! Thanks!”

“Wait one second! Cilan is getting no thanks around here!”

Cilan turned around in his chair, surprised to see Chili standing behind him, sweat beaded on his forehead and dampening the shorter sections of his hair. “Chili? What happened? Aren’t you supposed to be battling that challenger right now?”

“I lost, okay? Again! I was going to win, but then his Pignite had to go and evolve into an Emboar!”

“Ooh, cool!” Ash said. Cilan cast him a look, but Chili pointedly ignored him.

“So?” Chili started, impatiently tapping his foot. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Uhh…”

“Sounds like it was a great Battle!”

Chili turned to take in Ash for the first time since he had arrived in the room. “Weren’t you listening? It wasn’t a great Battle! We lost!”

“Everyone loses sometimes,” Ash replied easily. “Losing makes you better too!”

Cilan and Chili turned fully to Ash, considering him more seriously now.

“Besides, it must have been a pretty close Battle if Emboar had to evolve to keep it going, right?”

Chili seemed to soften, some tension releasing from his shoulders, and the veins going back into his neck, like a boiling broth cooling down to a simmer. “Yeah, I guess it was pretty close in the end.”

“I bet it was,” Ash said confidently. “You guys are all such great Trainers!”

“Really?” Chili asked. “But the last time you heard about us battling, Cress and I had just almost lost the Gym.”

“But you learned a lot, right?”

By this point, Cilan was sitting back, watching the exchange between Chili and Ash with a light smile beginning to show on his face.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“And you’ve learned a lot since then, right?”

“Yeah…”

“And I bet you learned even from this battle you just had, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess I did,” Chili said, some of that fiery light beginning to return back into his eyes.

Ash pumped a fist and returned Chili’s expression. “So now you’re even more prepared for the next Battle that comes your way!”

“Yeah!” Chili exclaimed, returning to the doorway. “Bye, guys! I need to train!”

“Bye!” Ash said, waving despite the fact that Chili was long-gone.

“Thanks for that pep talk, Ash,” Cilan said after a few moments’ quiet.

“What pep talk?” Ash asked. “We were just talking.”

Cilan smiled. Typical Ash. “Yeah, well, thanks for that.”

“Anytime!” Ash said cheerfully. “I have to go call Dawn now. Bye!”

“Goodbye, Ash.”

Not a moment after the call ended, Cilan heard shouting from the kitchen.

“Cilan!” Cilan reflexively turned at the sound of Cress’s voice. “Chili? Anybody?”

Cilan remembered at just that moment that Cress had been holding down the restaurant all by himself that whole time. He hurriedly got up to help his brother serve. Perhaps they would all be a little more balanced in the days to come.

Over the years, Dawn had learned that losing streaks weren’t as bad for her as they were for others. Typically, they brought her down for a bit, but she always bounced back stronger. She’d begun to realize that back in Sinnoh when she’d manage to win the Wallace Cup—over May of all people!—and it had come back a few times since when she seemed to be losing Contest after Contest.

But Johto had not been treating her well.

May had said it was fantastic there, and Dawn had been quick to believe her, since it was where May had built up a lot of her reputation as the Princess of Hoenn. But Dawn was feeling more than a little chewed up and spit out.

Not that she’d been totally failing. She’d lost the Wallace Cup this time around, but there’d been no need to worry, because the season in Johto hadn’t even technically started yet. So she’d come back from the defeat and charged headlong into the Contest season. So far she had four ribbons. Which wasn’t bad. But the Grand Festival was only weeks away, which was very bad.

To top it all off, the only friend that Dawn had in the whole region was Kenny, who’d also traveled down for the Wallace Cup as well, then deciding to stay for the season. May and all her friends had already done Johto and had circled over to Kanto, only staying in Johto for the duration of the Wallace cup. None of Dawn’s other rivals were there either, not even Ursula, for Mew’s sake!

Nevertheless, Dawn was enjoying the fact that she and Kenny had just so happened to end up at a lot of the same Contests. It was nice to have at least once old friend to decompress with every once in a while.

She was currently on the road to Azalea Town for her penultimate shot at that last ribbon when her new Pokégear began to vibrate. Dawn stopped in her tracks, causing Piplup, who had been trailing behind her and wasn’t able to hear the near-silent vibrations of the device, to run into her legs.

“Oh, sorry, Piplup!” Dawn hastily apologized before answering the call. “Hello?”

“Hi, Dawn! It’s me, Ash!”

A thrill looped around Dawn’s stomach as she searched for a place along the well-trod road to sit. There was a decent-sized rock only a few feet away, and Dawn plopped down on its smooth surface, resting her elbows on her knees. “Hi, Ash!”

Dawn was immediately overcome with the impulse to high-five Ash, but of course she knew there was no way to do that through a phone. Piplup scrambled up onto her shoulder and waved. “Piplup!”

“Oh, Piplup says hi, too!”

“Hey, there, Piplup!”

Dawn expected Pikachu to pop into frame just then, but it seemed like it was just Ash on the other side of the line. But judging from the shadows all around Ash, it was rather late in—Kalos, was it?—so perhaps Pikachu was already asleep. Dawn took that moment to take off her hat to keep her own face from being shadowed in the video camera. “What’s up?”

It had been a while since Dawn had heard from Ash. First of all, the boy just didn’t call a lot in general. He wasn’t even good at keeping in touch with his own mother. But, usually, he seemed better at keeping in contact with the friends who weren’t traveling—like Brock or Misty—as Dawn always was. Even though everyone had mobile devices now, Dawn supposed there was something strange about being called on the road. It was like taking a pit-stop while you were still surrounded by trees and nothingness.

Ash gave a little chuckle. “Heh, it’s a bit of a long story at this point,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

Dawn twisted into a slightly more comfortable position, taking one hand and resting it behind her on the rock. “For you, Ash, I’ve got all day.”

Fortunately, she was ahead of schedule for arriving in Azalea Town, so—despite the time crunch she was on for the Grand Festival—her next Contest wasn’t going anywhere for the moment. Besides, it might take her mind off things.

Nevertheless, Ash recounted the last few calls in the only speed he had—full throttle—going through Goodra and Tracey and Charizard and Iris and Cilan, leading all the way to Ambipom and Dawn.

“Well, Ash, you don’t even need me for this!” Dawn exclaimed with a giggle as soon as Ash had finished blurting everything out. “You had Buizel. You know he was happier battling with you than performing with me!”

“I guess that’s true…”

“Oh, man, even better example!” Dawn exclaimed. “Infernape! You can’t even pretend to me that he would have been better off with Paul than with you. And—no, Ash, I can see on your face what you’re about to say—no, he wouldn’t have been better off in the wild either.”

Ash seemed to pout, maybe even blushing a little—though the lighting on his side was so terrible that everything just looked kind of gray-blue. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

“Yes, you were. But you brought out the strength in him that only a trainer can do. In fact,” Dawn began, her eyes alight with a new idea, “you should just call Paul. I’m sure that even he would admit it.”

Ash was in deep at that point. Even he knew that. He’d made so many calls his phone was hot in his hand. But at this point, what was one more call?

“Fine,” Ash surrendered. “You and Ambipom win your next  Contest, okay?”

Dawn sighed. “I’m not so sure that’ll happen. I haven’t won anything in weeks.”

“Aw, that’s too bad,” Ash said. “But what’s that got to do with your next one?”

She sweatdropped. Surely he was joking? “I’m not doing well, Ash,” she explained as though she were speaking with a small child. “That means that I’m likely not to do well next time.”

“But you’ve won a lot in the past too,” Ash said simply. “You’ve won a lot and you’ve lost a lot. Me too. I have no idea how I’m going to do at the Laverre Gym. But I’m still gonna try my best!”

Dawn looked at Ash, dumbfounded. How could someone go from saying something so stupid to sounding so wise?

“Thanks, Ash,” Dawn said dumbly. Then she shook out of it and gave him a fiery look. “Now go call Paul.”

“Will do!” Ash grinned.

Paul was training in Unova. He’d done Kalos the year before—he was not amused by Diantha’s career choices. He was in the midst of comparing two Roggenrola when his phone rang. He let it ring once. Twice. Then he was irritated. He yanked it out of his pocket and spat, “What?”

“Hey, Paul! I—”

Click.

Ash sat dumbfounded for a second. He was certain Paul had picked up. Why would he hang up on him? He looked at the phone as though it was the one that had done him wrong. Paul was probably busy with something. Maybe he’d call back later. It had been too long since they’d last caught up! Maybe Ash could call Reggie to see what Paul was up to…

No, no, he was getting off track! Well, if Paul didn’t want to talk, there was one other person who was there with him in Sinnoh…

Let no one be fooled: Pokémon med school for was just as hard as human med school.

Scratch that—it was harder. Because all humans share near identical bodily functions. Brock had been busy learning about 800 different Pokémon and what would be unique about treating every one.

Frankly, it had been making his head spin.

Fortunately, he had come into school with a lot of practical experience—one of the reasons he’d been accepted into the best med school in Kanto—from his travels with Ash, his internship with the Pewter City Nurse Joy, and he time on Valencia Island with…you know who.

Nevertheless, he was loving it. He felt confident that the Gym was in good hands now that Forrest was the official Gym Leader. And now that both his parents were back home, he knew that he didn’t have to worry about the kids either. But still, it was nice to know that he was only in the next town over and could visit home any weekend he wanted to. He hadn’t made much use of the fact, but it was comforting nevertheless.

But at just this moment, Brock wasn’t thinking about school or family or being a doctor; he was thinking about the plausibility of taking a brief nap. He’d just come from his lecture class on Fairy Types—the Type class that he was doing the worst in. He’d tested out of the Ground and Rock Type classes because he knew a lot about them, but Brock knew hardly anything about Fairies. Understandably, the class exhausted him.

His next class was a practicum class that—so far—was mostly reiterating the work that he had done with Joy. And, more importantly, it wasn’t for a few hours. So he could probably squeeze in a nap…

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call!

Well, not with that going on.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call!

He really needed to change that ring tone.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring! Phone call! Phone call!

Most people just kept their phones on vibrate.

Ring ring ring! Ring ring—

Better answer it. It could be the fam.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Brock!”

“Ash!”

Suddenly feeling a bit more awake, Brock opened up his laptop to switch the call over to a larger screen. “Hey, man! How’s it going?”

“Well, Paul hung up on me, so I thought I’d call you.”

Brock blinked. “Um, okay.”

Ash seemed to maybe, possibly realize that his answer hadn’t been much of an explanation. His face took on a strangely serious shape and he tried again. “I’ve been trying to figure out if releasing my Goodra was the right decision.”

“And you thought Paul was the best person to ask about that?” Brock deadpanned.

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. “I was telling Dawn: it’s kinda a long story at this point.”

Dawn too? Was Ash trying to meet his quota for calling his friends this year all in one day?

Brock glanced down at the time on his laptop screen. His next class wasn’t for a couple of hours. He’d still be able to fit in a healthy nap, even if he did settle down for a chat with Ash.

“Okay, I’m confused,” Brock said, when Ash had finished recounting what, at this point, was definitely a mess of a story. “Why do you think that Lapras is the last time that something like this has happened?”

Ash eyed Brock with a narrow gaze, almost condescendingly, if Ash were capable of such an emotion. Brock would have been offended, if he had any shame left. “Because Lapras is the last Pokémon that I released?”

“Yes,” Brock agreed, nodding his head. “But you leave all of your Pokémon at Oak’s lab every time you start a new journey. You don’t just have a handful of outlier Pokémon that you’ve released; you’ve left almost every Pokémon you’ve caught at Oak’s lab. Most have probably spent more time there than with you.”

When Brock saw the way Ash’s face fell, he realized that maybe his clinical assessment didn’t make his friend feel better. Oof, maybe he’d been spending too much time in the classroom and not enough with his friends and family. Like, talking to people. He really needed to go home. Or visit Misty. Or something.

“I’m sorry, Ash,” Brock said. “I didn’t mean it like that. Starting fresh has given you the opportunity to bond with new Pokémon.”

“I hope that I would have done that anyway,” Ash mumbled.

“And it’s given Professor Oak the opportunity to easily study Pokémon from all over the world,” Brock continued. “That’s been invaluable.”

“I didn’t really set out to do that, though.”

“That’s kind of my point!” Okay, it hadn’t been, but Brock was improvising here. “You never plan out what you’re doing, but you always end up doing the right thing and helping people. Releasing your Goodra is just like that. Letting Professor Oak care for your Pokémon while you’re not using them does that.”

“I just…” Ash began. “Doesn’t it sound like I’m abandoning them?”

“No,” Brock said firmly. “Abandoning them is like that what Damien kid did to your Charizard. You give your Pokémon a choice. When you tried to leave Pikachu, he came back because that was what he really wanted, and you welcomed him with open arms.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Brock looked at Ash. It was hard to read his expression, as it seemed to be growing quite dark in Kalos, but he was looking down, which usually wasn’t a good sign for Ash.

“Am I making you feel any better?”

Ash’s head shot up. “Oh, yeah! Totally.”

Definitely not. That was Ash’s fake happy voice. He sold it well, but Brock had never known anyone to fall for it before. The kid was just too dang easy to read. Brock sighed. He was really out of practice with the older brother act.

“Okay, look, why don’t you continue your apparent night of calling everyone you know and call May?” Brock suggested. “She was there when you first left your Pokémon behind. I’m sure she can objectively tell you that you’ve always done the right thing when it comes to your Pokémon.”

“Um, okay?”

“She’ll probably be better at boosting your spirits than I am.”

Brock hung up the phone, feeling strange about what had certainly been his weirdest conversation with Ash to date. He wished that he could have helped more, but he had an idea of who could really knock some sense into Ash Ketchum.

And May was the perfect person to stall him out until Brock talked to her.

“Yeah, I would do that too,” May said into her phone.

Drew was leaning against a tree, brushing through his hair with his fingers. He didn’t think that May even realized that she had stopped walking some time ago. So, Drew was left bored, watching as May gesticulated, talking on the phone with Dawn.

He thought about doing something passive aggressive, like getting a Pokémon out and beginning to train (loudly) right there in the middle of the road. Or maybe just continuing to walk. But, knowing May, she probably wouldn’t notice.

They weren’t officially traveling together anyway, so if he did walk far enough ahead to lose her,  she’d probably just think they were going their separate ways again.

So, there he was, waiting on her. As per usual.

“Wait, Dawn, I’m getting another call…Oh, wait, it’s from him! I’ll have to call you back.”

It took everything Drew had in him not to groan.

He knew he should have traveled with Solidad.

“Hey, Ash!” May chirped.

This one was a video call, leaving Drew privy to both sides of the conversation as May held out the phone in front of her.

Lucky him.

“Hey, May,” Ash said, his tone coming out duller than Drew was used to hearing it.

“Dawn told me that you feel kind of crummy about letting go of one of your Pokémon.”

“Oh, she did?” Ash asked, surprise coloring his voice.

“Yeah. Not that we were talking behind your back or anything!” May frantically added.

Drew scoffed. “Technically, you were.”

If May heard him, she ignored him. But Drew would have bet his aqua pants that she didn’t even remember that he was there.

“Yeah, well, I just got off the phone with Brock, and he said that I should call you and, uh, ask you what you thought about my leaving all of my Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Islands behind with Professor Oak.”

“What I think?” May echoed. “I think it was fine. I mean, did you love them any less?”

“Of course not!”

“And they know that,” May stated. “I mean, look at me. I haven’t used my Munchlax in a Contest in ages because it just doesn’t make much sense there. It doesn’t mean that I favor my other Pokémon to it. And it doesn’t make me a bad Coordinator. Right?”

Drew blinked. That was surprisingly astute for May.

“Right,” Ash echoed.

“So then the real problem is just that you’re sad about one of your friends leaving and you need comfort, so you know what you’re gonna do?”

Ash looked taken aback. “What?”

“You’re gonna call your mom.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are.”

“O-Okay,” Ash said. “I’ll do that right now…Bye, May.”

May lost her authoritative expression and gave Ash a glorious smile and a wave to boot. “Bye, Ash!”

May clicked the phone off and slipped it into her fanny pack, completely unaware of Drew’s dumbfounded expression.

“May…” Drew began. “That was…wow. I can’t believe you thought of that all yourself.”

“I didn’t.”

Drew narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“All of that is just what Dawn and were talking about on the phone. We both said that if we were upset like that, we’d call our moms.” And then she turned to him, catching him completely off guard with a stricken expression. “Drew, am I a bad Coordinator for not using Munchlax?”

Drew sighed. There was the May he knew.

“Not if you let us get to the next town before nightfall.”

Delia was getting started with lunch. Since her household was only made up of herself and Mimey—who  didn’t usually eat human food—this shouldn’t have been a big to do, but for the past couple of years, Delia had been making lunch for herself and the Oaks. It had started with her bringing over little things like pies and casseroles—she knew how busy the Professor was and Tracey had better things to do as an assistant than make a meatloaf.

This custom had slowly evolved into her staying at the lab so they all could eat whatever she had made, which had evolved into her inviting them over to her house for dinner—why bother transporting the food when you could just transport the people?—which had somehow become lunch for four at the Ketchum residence every afternoon. This being because she knew those boys, what with all the time they had to spend feeding the Pokémon in the lab, had no time to feed themselves. She hardly liked the idea of them living off of protein bars and coffee for lunch.

So it was quite a hitch in her routine when the phone rang as she was dropping some potatoes into hot water to cook.

“Ketchum residence.” Delia said as she grabbed the corded phone off the hook and continued with the potatoes.

“Hey, mom!”

“Ash!” Delia, making a quick decision, left her potatoes—they’d be fine on their own for a few minutes—and ran to the video phone in the living room. “Darling, how are you?”

“I…I’m sad,” he admitted.

“Oh,” Delia said, taken aback. Ash didn’t usually come to her with anything but good news, so this was a switch. More than that, she knew her little boy to be a very happy kid. So once her feet were back under her, her mom alarms were blaring in her ear. “What’s wrong?”

Ash had never been one to hold back information, so before he knew it, he was spilling the whole stupid story to her. He was sad about something that he’d done half a dozen times before with nary a qualm. He’d been telling all his friends the same dumb story for the past, what? Half hour? Hour? He didn’t know, but long enough for it to get pretty dark out.

“Aw, Ash, I wish I could give you a hug,” Delia said, her forehead scrunching with worry. Ash suddenly saw how much deeper those lines had gotten since the beginning of his journey, and he wanted to give her a hug too.

Saying: “Thanks, mom,” was the best he could do, however.

“I have to say, though, Ash…has it made you feel better to talk to all of your friends?”

“Huh?” Ash blinked. “Well, yeah. May gave good advice, and so did Cilan and—”

“No, Ash,” Delia interrupted gently. “Hasn’t it felt good just to talk to your friends? Regardless of what they say. Isn’t it nice to check in with them? See what’s happening in their lives?”

“Sure,” Ash said. “Of course!”

“Because,” Delia explained, “it seems that that’s your whole problem.”

“What do you mean, mom?”

“Your Pokémon are you friends. And you’re sad to leave them. And you continue to have to do it. Perhaps you’d feel better if you kept in better contact with your friends, both Pokémon and human. And your mother.” Delia added that last sentence with just a hint of a scolding tone.

“Maybe you’re right,” Ash said, a new smile growing on his face.

“Of course I’m right. I’m your mother.”

They both laughed and Ash felt a better than he’d felt all night. Not a lot, but just enough.

“So, you’re going to continue what you’re doing,” Delia commanded. “Why don’t you give Gary a call? He’s your oldest friend, and I didn’t notice him on your list of people that you’ve talked to this evening.”

“Nope, not yet!” Ash affirmed.

“Then call him. And make sure to tell him that if the mashed potatoes are gluey this afternoon, it’s because you were chatting my ear off.”

“Gramps! We really have to scrape up the cash to hire a secretary!”

Gary had just come inside from finishing Tracey’s job of feeding the Pokémon. And he had to say, he was much more time effective than the Pokémon Watcher was.

And now he was off to do another thing that wasn’t his job. Answering the phone.

Again.

“What?” Gary asked sharply, his tone clearly telling whomever was on the other end that he was sweaty from being outside feeding dozens of Pokémon.

“Er, hey, Gary…”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Gary turned on the video feed and gave Ash a look that he hoped put forth the fact that he was one hundred percent done. “You again?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s me.”

Ash answered like it was a real question, and Gary couldn’t help but feel his sharp edges dull a little.

“What do you need, Ashy-boy?”

“I just wanna talk. Oh, and tell you that if the potatoes are gluey it’s because I was talking to my mom.”

Gary shook his head, deciding not to touch that one and instead focus on Ash’s first statement. “Really? It seemed like you actually had something that you wanted to talk about when you were looking for Tracey.”

“I did,” Ash said simply. “But now I just want to talk to you. If you’re not busy!”

Of course he was busy. He lived at his place of work. Even when he was sleeping it felt like he was on the job. Every moment spent relaxing was a moment that he was supposed to be working.

But…he could make time for Ash.

“I have all the time in the world, Ashy-boy,” Gary said kindly. And then his expression took on its normal edge and he somehow managed to look down at Ash through the screen. “Time for you to explain why you were on the phone with Tracey, then your mom, then me when you haven’t talked to any of us in months.”

Ash—or what little Gary could see of him in the dark—looked taken aback. Gary figured as much.

Ash had never much been able to keep up with Gary.

Gary became more incredulous as the story fell out of Ash’s mouth. He’d hardly known Ash as a person to lack confidence or ever second guess his decisions. No wonder the kid’s behavior of the last hour had been so erratic.

Still, when the story came to a close, Gary had only one thing to say:

“Ash, you’re an idiot.”

Ash, for his part, looked a little offended, leaving Gary glad that he still had the ability to rile up his old rival. Ash had become so mellow in recent years he hardly resembled the hotheaded kid that Gary had set out with at the beginnings of their journeys. Sure, Gary had changed too, but he could appreciate the joy in going through a good-old regression every once in a while.

Gary could practically see Ash’s brain stagger as he asked, “Wah…Why?”

Such a simple boy.

“Just call Misty. She’s the only one of us who’s ever been able to knock any sense into you. I mean, you called Paul before Misty?”

Gary couldn’t help but laugh at that one. Sure, he’d never had the pleasure of meeting Paul himself, and Ash couldn’t bring himself to say too much negative about the Trainer, but still. He seemed like someone you’d cross the street to avoid.

“Well, my mom said that I should call my friends, so I guess—”

“I don’t care. Call her.”

Misty had been surprised to see Brock show up unannounced at her door. Ever since he’d begun university in Cerulean she’d told him that he could drop by any time he wanted, but…well, he hadn’t done it yet, so she figured he hadn’t taken the invitation literally.

Well, apparently he had.

Not that had she minded. Sure, she’d been wet from a swim and her skin had been peeling—the chlorine dried it out—but he’d seen her far worse. She could hardly bring herself to care at all.

At the present moment, they were seated on the couch with some tea, Brock spinning threads about his apparent social incompetence—and maybe that’s why he couldn’t get a date? But he said to put a pin in that until later—and Ash being sad about releasing a Pokémon.

Well, Misty had been there for every instance of Ash giving up a Pokémon. Butterfree (both times, if the St. Anne counted), Pidgeot, Lapras. And then, of course, Primeape, Squirtle, and Charizard. Charizard had been by far the saddest, if she remembered right, and it had taken Ash a while to bounce back from that one. And then there was the instant buyer’s remorse that he’d gone through with Butterfree and that Raticate (which had almost led to their demise…she should probably remind him of that fact. He’d grown far too comfortable since she’d gotten her bike back and she needed something to nag him about).

But if she compared both of Butterfree’s goodbyes, then it was clear that the difference was in whether Ash thought what he was doing was right for Butterfree. It had nothing to do with selfishness and it was…just pure Ash.

Somehow, it wasn’t altogether a surprise to Misty or Brock when Ash called. Brock even had the good sense to leave the room. Misty only hoped that it wasn’t with the intent to snoop through her sisters’ stuff. He’d been creepily disappointed enough when she’d told him they were out of town.

“Hi, Ash,” Misty said, unable to keep a full smile off her face, even though she knew she was supposed to have sympathy for the tough time Ash was going through.

“Hey, Mist.”

“Brock told me about your day.”

Ash chuckled, which Misty took as a good sign. “Yeah, apparently it’s been traveling through the group.”

“So, what chain of events brought you to call me?”

“Well, mom said I should keep in better touch with my friends and Gary wants you to knock some sense into me,” Ash recited perfectly, as though the second part of that wasn’t completely insulting.

Misty smiled. He was just too adorable. “Well, you’ve come to the right place.”

Ash laughed, more fully this time. “I figured.”

“You wanna know what this sounds like to me?” Ash nodded. “It sounds like you’re growing up.”

“Growing up?”

“Yeah. You’re feeling connections deeper, you’re becoming more emotionally complex, and you know better the consequences of your actions.”

“Heh, that doesn’t sound like me.”

A laugh escaped out of Misty. Ash was nothing if not honest.

“I just mean that you’re not the hopeful kid sending worms out against birds anymore. Now you know that if you leave a Pokémon behind, you may never see them again. That’s scary. And your body is, you know, processing that.”

Ash shrugged. “Well, yeah,” he said soberly. “I know all that because…well, it’s happened now.”

Misty smiled, shaking her head. “That’s called life experience, Ash. That’s growing up.”

“I’m not sure I like it then.” Ash pouted, jutting his lip out at Misty like it was her fault.

“Well, then I think now’s the time when I knock some sense into you,” Misty said, cracking her knuckles. “You’re a good person for releasing Goodra, Ash. Of course, I don’t know the circumstances, but you’re you, so of course it was the right thing to do. And the advice that our dear friend Brock should have given you is that if you feel bad about leaving so many of your Pokémon with Professor Oak, then you can always trade them in for a bit. It’s not like it’s a mistake that you can’t rectify. Just like you’re checking in with me right now, you can check in with them any time.”

“You’re right,” Ash admitted sheepishly. “Of course you’re right.”

“Like I said. You came to the right place.”

There was a small pause as the two looked at each other, Ash’s expression morphing into a grin somewhere along the way.

“You really think that I’m growing up?”

Misty felt just a hint of a blush kiss the tips of her ears, but she chose to ignore it. “Well, if any of us thought that you were ever capable of growing up, then yeah. We’ve just decided at this point that it’ll never happen.”

“No,” Ash said, his voice full of jest, “I heard you say it. You said that I’m emotionally complex and I understand the consequences of my actions.”

“Yeah, like now,” Misty said. “If you don’t stop pulling at that thread, then I’ll figure out a way to punch you in Kalos without ever having to leave my Gym.”

“Why are you so mad?” Ash asked through a laugh. “We’re just talking about my emotions!”

“And we’ll have one more to talk about when you receive that punch. Pain.”

“…You know, I bet my friend Clemont could come up with a machine for that.”

“Great, I’ll call him.”

Again, silence settled over the phone line, the two of them waiting to see who would break out of their violent scenario first.

It was Ash, of course.

“Thanks, Mist. For the talk.”

Misty breathed out, the violent energy seeping out of her and rendering her posture hunched, but comfortable. “Of course. Any time, Ash.”

“Maybe…Maybe more often than I’ve been doing?”

Misty felt a bit of joy bubble up in her stomach, but she suppressed it, let it bring a blush to her cheeks. “That would be great.”

“Cool,” Ash breathed, looking relieved, as if he’d thought she’d say no. “In that case, I’m gonna go, so that we have more to talk about later.”

Misty shook her head. Leave it to Ash to come up with the ironclad logic.

“Sure. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Mist!”

“Bye, Ash.”

The phone clicked off and Misty pressed her fingertips to the still-warm screen. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a rasped, “Bye, Mist,” behind her.

“Brock!”

“ ‘We’re just talking about my emotions.’ ”

“Brock,” Misty said again, this time devoid of fear. Instead, her voice was low and dangerous. “If you heard all that, then you also heard the part about me punching him. I’d like to remind you that that was a very real threat, and he’s in Kalos.

“You’re in my living room.”

The threat was just enough to draw a very feminine squeak out of Brock as Misty proceeded to chase him around the house.

Brock ended up taking a swim that day.

[sorcerermarlwulf]

Native Unovan, transferred to Kanto after Surge is removed from his Gym by the PIA

Type: Electric. Badge:

The inside of the gym has been reburbished into a neon-lit arcade, wires leading to the ceiling and into the backroom. The actual games are varied but the focus is on a bank of specific consoles used for training Rotom for Rotomdex work, selecting for higher aptitude with human interaction. Multiple Joltik/Galvantula use the wired ceiling as a way to move around the gym. Gym Leader sees the arcade as a first step towards improving Vermillion Port.

Available Gym Pokemon (various evolutions/number based on skill of challenger):

-Galvantula

-Rotom

-Electabuzz

-Magnemite

-Ampharos

[estuary-scholar]

My Personal Headcanons About the Gym Challenger NPCs

No other comments. Straight to the point.

Out of all 4 of my main favorites, Pia is the oldest and smartest. (I know this isn’t anything important but I feel like all my fave challengers are in reaping range 12-18. So Pia’s 18, Deneb is probably 16, Yue 17, and Kent probably 13.)

Speaking of, Kent isn’t actually of Galar. He fell from heaven after trying to deliver cloudberries but he ended up falling from the clouds. He ended up breaking his angel wings and that’s why he’s bound to the earth. (So no, he did not sin.) It also explains why he speaks of flying in a non-metaphoric sense. So yeah. He’s a literal angel.

Deneb is very good at percussion. She’s a big fan of drums like twice the size of her no less. Sometimes being assigned the bass drum roll in Marching Band, or Timpanis in orchestra.

Pia is a huge nerd. Often taking in data she collects about ratios of win-loss battles she has or often studies the flora of the Galar region as well as monitoring the star Caph. (Oh, and she hates Team Star’s Eri, because her excuse? The Caph Squad stole her name.)

Yue, when feeling frustrated or upset watches a ton of horror movies and web series. It helps her a lot. (It was kind of Wei’s fault for exposing her to that stuff.)

[a-tale-of-legends]

Hey there again R! Happy 2025 to you! It’s me yet again, and of course I come bearing questions about the gym challenger NPCs, but maybe more of a what-if scenario.

What if, The Gym Challengers all had their own spin-off anime? Each focused on a different one each time. (I.E. Episode 1 reveals Pia’s Origins Episode 2 sees Deneb’s persistence at Spikemuth etc.) Would you like that idea? Honestly, I’d do anything for more content involving Pia, Deneb, Yue, and Kent any day. They’ve somehow taken their place as my fave characters in Sword and Shield despite being clear roster filler.

Oh, that sounds fun! I wouldn't mind seeing one tbh. It's something unexpected, but I love Pia, so anymore more of her would be great!

[phgq]

NCIP head calls for united front to fight for IP rights and protection 

#PHinfo: NCIP head calls for united front to fight for IP rights and protection 

NCIP Chairperson and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF - ELCAC) Executive Director Allen Capuyan outlines the reforms they are pushing for the Commission and the government's whole - of - nation - approach to bring government programs and services in IP communities in the country. (CCD/PIA CAR)

BAGUIO CITY, Oct. 17 (PIA) - - The National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) calls for continuing unity in pushing for better understanding, recognition, respect, promotion and protection of indigenous people( IP) rights.

NCIP Chairperson Allen Capuyan issued the challenge in his keynote message during the Regional Development Council – Cordillera- led 22nd Anniversary of Indigenous People Rights Act (IPRA) and IP Month celebration at the PFVR gym here.  He noted that 22 years after the enactment of IPRA, indigenous people remain to continue to face many issues and concerns, which the NCIP now is bringing into the mainstream of governance. 

Capuyan, who is also Executive Director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF – ELCAC),  affirmed that left leaning groups affiliated with the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army (CPP – NPA) continue to take advantage of the IPs  by recruiting them to their cause and their revolutionary tactics against the government.

As the NTF – ELCAC head and a former military man himself, he assured that he is not militarizing the Commission but rather, he is continuing his lifelong advocacy to fight for IP rights and protection, through the government’s “Whole –Of - Nation – Approach” in ending armed conflict in the country and in ensuring the delivery of services in every community, especially in the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, which are mostly IP ancestral domain.

“What we are doing at NCIP is beyond what the military is doing;  we are making sure that we can mainstream all the issues of the IPs and make sure that our agency is responsive (to such concerns),” Capuyan stressed.

Kalinga Congressman and House Committee on IP Communities and Indigenous People Chairperson Allen Jesse Mangaoang, in his message during the program, enjoined for continuing partnership in pushing for IP rights.

“Thus, my fellow indigenous people, my message today  is not only a call to celebrate but also an earnest plea to you,  my brothers and sisters, to continue to fight for our rights to ensure that the IPs like us benefit  equally from the rights and benefits that are granted to other members of our society,” Mangaoang  said.

“And to always protect our natural and cultural heritage individually and collectively, we have to continue to fight for our recognition, self – determination and acceptance”, he added.

Mangaoang also assured that that their committee in Congress will continue their endeavor to advocate for laws and policies that will duly advance the right to self determination and protection of environment and ancestral domain and respect for human rights for the indigenous people.

The RDC – CAR Committee on IP Concern chaired by the NCIP spearheaded the program and a parade for the IPRA at 22 observance and IP Month celebration. (JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)

  Kalinga Congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang (with gong front left) joins the indigenous people of their province in  a cultural presentation. A proud IP, Mangaoang  assures continuing legislative support for IPs   and  indigenous communities. (CCD-PIA CAR)

      ***

References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "NCIP head calls for united front to fight for IP rights and protection ." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028612 (accessed October 17, 2019 at 05:44PM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "NCIP head calls for united front to fight for IP rights and protection ." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028612 (archived).

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ONE Championship held the official open seminar and meet and greet for “ONE: A New Era” on January 21, 2019 at Gold’s Gym South Tokyo Annex in Tokyo, Japan. The event featured Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight World Champion Angela “Unstoppable” Lee.

Media and students took part in the activities. Johnson, Alvarez, and Lee each gave a martial arts demonstration featuring their favorite techniques followed up by a warm-up pad session and a question-and-answer portion.

Taking place at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on March 31, 2019, “ONE: A New Era” is the first ever ONE Championship event in Japan. It will feature four title bouts, one of which is a trilogy bout between Bibiano “The Flash” Fernandez of Brazil and reigning ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon of the Philippines.

Lee made her professional mixed martial arts debut with ONE Championship in May 2015 and has since been on an absolute tear, railing off nine straight victories, seven of which have come by spectacular finishes. At “ONE: A New Era,” she moves up a weight class to challenge ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan for a chance to become a simultaneous two-division ONE World Champion.

Alvarez and Johnson are ready to make their highly anticipated ONE Championship debuts at “ONE: A New Era.” They are both former champions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

At “ONE: A New Era,” Alvarez will face Timofey Nastyukhin in the lightweight division. On the other hand, Johnson will face Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu of Japan.

In the main event, reigning ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines defends his title against former champion Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki of Japan. Meanwhile, here is a clip from the recent open seminar in Tokyo featuring Johnson, Alvarez and Lee:

Ticket information for ONE: A NEW ERA is available at www.onefc.com and on LINE Ticket at https://ticket.line.me/sp/ONEChampionship as well as Kyodo Tokyo, Ticket Pia, Lawson Ticket, and E-plus.

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

[PHOTOS] Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, Angela Lee conduct ‘ONE: A New Era’ seminar in Tokyo, Japan ONE Championship held the official open seminar and meet and greet for “ONE: A New Era” on January 21, 2019 at Gold’s Gym South Tokyo Annex in Tokyo, Japan.

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Winter afternoons in Barcelona. Talking pilates with Alan Menezes is always a pleasure. 🙏🏼🙏🏼😎😎 Chris Instagram Tags PilatesEVO is an additional qualification for teachers of Pilates that introduces challenging new combinations of movements and deeper elements to enhance the experience including NLP, Meditation, functional training and Meridians. To find out more about how to study Pilates online or at the PilatesEVO Studio and School in Barcelona please click on: www.pilatesevo.com #pilatesevo #sport #fitness #gym #barcelona #pilatesstudio #pilates #surfing #pilateslover #musician #happy #music #love #yoga #tattoo #pilatesteacher #actor #model #follow4follow #vegan #training #swag #pia #workout #snowboarding #superyacht #singer #sun #muscle #coffee (at Pilates EVO)

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Diversity makes English learning abroad fun and effective. Ysabella met a lot of friends from different countries.

The will of the younger generation to study English is so firm that they pack their bags and choose an academy abroad that suits their personal language needs. 19-year-old Lê Thanh Hồng from Vietnam flew in to Baguio City, Philippines in order to improve her English skills. Improving one’s English Skill and traveling abroad is an educational trend that she wants to experience. Educational trend is an understatement; she would rather call it passion. Her passion to experience something new through English is admirable. Let’s get to know Ysabella and check her over-all Pines English Academy experience.

Ysa thinks that learning English abroad built her confidence.

Why did you choose Pines International Academy?

I have chosen Pines International Academy as my school because of its English Education quality. I am studying  IELTS course at Pines Advanced (Chapis) Campus. It is famous with its IELTS Guarantee Course. Teachers are certified and well-trained. They have the knowledge and experience about English in a way that we can use for the future. Second, I love our school atmosphere. Studying in Chapis Campus is so convenient because the facilities are complete. It has Wi-Fi, gym and the neighborhood is nice and peaceful. I also think that the best location is Baguio City where Pines International Academy is located. The cool atmosphere makes me feel comfortable. I can concentrate on studying. Third, I have met new foreign friends from Japan, Korea, Thailand and Mongolia. During break time, I can have more conversations and practice English skills with them.

How did you know about Pines International Academy?

I found lots of information about PIA on the internet and watched interesting videos of Pines students. The teaching method of Pines teachers is good.

 Why do want to study English?

I am preparing to study abroad, so I would like to be exposed in an English speaking environment. Most of the time, I utilize the language with my teachers and friends. I’m confident to study abroad and converse with other English learners from all over the world.

Ysa utilizes English language 90% of the time with her friends from Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan and Korea

What is your favorite class?

My favorite class is Speaking as I can express my idea to my teachers. They check  my pronunciation and grammar for me to come up with an ideal answer. Also, they give details and effective coaching. At the end of the class, they give me a list of feedback.

 What will you miss about PIA ?

I will miss the ambiance in Chapis Campus and spending time with my teachers and friends. We have a lot of unforgettable memories here like challenging classes, attending Friendship night and relaxing times together on weekends. I will keep in touch with everyone.

Ysa built remarkable ties with her teachers

My name is Isa. I am inviting you to come join Pines International Academy. Pines International academy is the best school for your English. You will not only improve your English but excel in the coming years. Before coming here, I couldn’t express myself clearly in English. Do you want to become like me? Confident English Speaker, come to Pines Soon. I am challenging you~

The Spring of Ysabella’s English Improvement The will of the younger generation to study English is so firm that they pack their bags and choose an academy abroad that suits their personal language needs.