Ask to Join Galarian Star Journey

[jade421]

A ship arrived at the docks of Motostoke, among the various crew of tourists to returning residents to any number of people in-between a young woman stood with with her customized Munchlax bag over her right shoulder as she scanned the massive city with wide eyes. Indeed it had been a lot to take in for the Hoenn native, but as Daphne made her way off the landing platform to the dock the realization of what hit her became crystal clear.

She had arrived in Galar, and her Pokemon Journey had truly began.

Among the sites that had taken her focus, none had been quite as eye-catching as the key namesake the Motostoke Stadium. Really that more than anything had been what brought her interest to travel out of her home and into another region, the famed stadiums where gym clashes were set in that had drawn crowds of thousands. Not only had it been a new way to experience the tride and true Gym experience, not only could it expose her to the famous Dynamax forms which had blown her mind when she heard about it, but there'd be no better way to get her own name out there. If she was gonna become the top Normal Trainer in the world, if she was gonna have her own gym someday she needed to ensure she had the name cred she desired and also pushed herself to new heights. This gave her the chance to do both in one fell swoop.

For now though, she decided to be a specter. According to the guide she had been given there'd be a challenge within the Motostoke Stadium today and if she hurried she had the chance to get there nice and early. So with that she made her way to the large stadium eager to see the action herself.

 

[Crimson Sun]

Before everyone left and started headed for Motostoke Stadium, the trainer with the Riolu gave him a word of mention that he should participate in the Galar League regardless. In his own words: it's going to be more fun the more trainers there are. While everyone else ran ahead, Lucas staggered behind a bit thinking back. He supposed it's no harm in participating, but the uncertainty lingered in the back of his head. Slowly, Lucas followed the crowd of trainers towards the stadium where a load of registrations are happening simultaneously. Having staggered behind, Lucas was one of the last few people in line to get registered. The line was extremely long though, extending to outside the stadium itself. The stadium itself looked quite regal, yet has that rustic charm of Motostoke itself which Lucas still appreciated no matter how much he looked at the city's charms. Taking his gaze off the stadium, Lucas couldn't help but gaze around to see potential competitors.

Slowly moving towards the interior of the stadium, immediately his eyes are drawn to familiar faces. There was the trainer that chased the Slowpoke with his Riolu, both raring to go at the Opening Ceremony. A distance away he recognized the Ghastly trainer from prior with his unique purple fit. With the glaring Ghost working on the outfit, Lucas was pretty sure he was a Ghost-Type specialist or endorsed by Alistar himself. No other familiar faces other than that so far. Lucas assumed Drifblim gal wasn't participating since she wasn't anywhere near the Ghastly trainer and they seemed acquainted momentarily. Eventually, with the quick work of the League staff, Lucas arrived to the front desk quicker than he realized.

"Endorsement and Trainer ID please!"

"Oh! Umm..."

Lucas fumbled through his things, digging out the Endorsement Letter from Nessa and his trainer ID, which showcased an ungodly picture of him. But who doesn't have bad picture days, certainly he wasn't the only one. It took a minute or so, but the female worker returned his Trainer ID and the Endorsement Letter after verifying that they weren't fake.

"Lucas Gayle, endorsed by Nessa. Correct?

"Correct."

"Do you have your own uniform?"

"Nope!"

"Number for your uniform please."

'A number? May I take 81? Actually, no 018, please!"

"All set, here's your uniform. Please change and get ready! The opening ceremony will start soon!"

Lucas was immediately guided towards the changing room where he changes into the a uniform that consisted of the color palette of contrary colors: orange, blue, and white. It was a bit tight, a bit like swimming spandex and slightly short, reaching midthigh. The top has two orange streaks going around his arm sleeves. Centered of the white shirt stood a water droplet insignia with the word water plastered right below it. The orange-and-blue shoes were atrocious though he had to admit. It appeared he got the Water Type Uniform, granted he was endorsed by Nessa herself, though he was sure it was going to cause some confusion. He wasn't necessarily a Water specialist, but more so a trainer endorsed by Nessa herself.

In his hand held a golden loop, which Lucas was informed that it was to hold all the gym badges after he defeats each gym. Lucas assumes there must be a certain order to defeating the gyms as a gym badge certainly can't float midair in the loop if he were to defeat that specific gym first. Gible's Pokeball in his other hand, as he surely can't fit the ball in his swimming trunks, Lucas spoke softly to the ball, affirming the event they've just thrown themselves into.

"Well Gible, we're participating in the League now. We're going to do our best since we're here already. So good luck to us!"

 

[PyroGaleZX]

In the waiting room, the League staff did a headcount of all the trainers, getting them into groups. Alito and Riolu got into one group, being led to a door where another League Staff signaled for them to wait. Alito looked around and grinned before the lights in the stadium went out and a spotlight was centered on a man in a gray suit and black hair.

"Good Afternoon everyone, my name is Rose, chairman of the Galar Region's Pokemon League," the man introduced himself, "Here in the Galar Region, we take pride in our Pokemon Battles, which is why me and my friends at the Marcos Cosmos have given it our all to make each season of the Gym Challenge better than the last." Rose then looked to the side as a Holographic projection of a Gigantimax Charizard roared loudly into the crowd, which was quickly met with an equally loud round of applause, "We've used some fairly advanced technologies at Marcos Cosmos to bring you the Dynamax Band, which allows trainers to Dynamax, only when they are in range for a Power Spot!" Rose explained as a projection of the band appeared, "But enough of the science, no one here wants to learn about that," Rose chuckled, "You're all here for this!" Rose clicked a button as spotlights began flashing over different figures in the stadium, "Yes, the Gym Leaders representing our Major League Championship!"

A green spotlight went over a muscular farmer man with a green scarf around his neck, "First is the tough rancher, and Grass-type expert Milo!" The spotlight then moved to a woman with black hair, blue highlights, and a model swimsuit on, "Second is the Galar Region's top model, the Water master Nessa!" A red light flashed over a stern looking man in a red uniform and a towel around his neck, "Third is the Pokemon Veteran with the burning passion of a volcano, let's hear it for Kabu!" Two spotlights circled around two trainers, a confident looking girl and a shy boy, "Next for the first time in the League's history, a dual Gym run by the team of Allister, and Bea, masters of the Ghost and Fighting-type battling styles!" Again the circles spun around to an older lady dressed almost completely in pink clothes, "Fifth is our long-time running, Fairy-type Gym Leader Opal, the performance master who is known for holding a second place record here in the Championships!" The lights danced before moving to a young man dressed in stylish clothes and a tough looking woman in winter clothing, "Next is the Mother-Son duo, tough as the peak of a freezing mountain! Gordie and Melony!" The lights danced as the centered on a pale man with black and white hair, he held a mircophone on its stand close to himself, "Next is the famous Dark-type Gym Leader who focuses on battling without Dynamaxing his Pokemon, give it up for Piers!" Lastly the lights focused on a man wearing attire that made him looked a bit like a dragon, "Last, but certainly not least, he's the number 2 in the region, master of the dragons and weather centered battling, he's Leon's rival! Raihan!" The crowd roared with applause to the Gym Leader before more spotlights hit the entrances where all the trainers were gathered.

"Now!" Rose stated, "Let's give a big round of applause this year's Gym Challengers!" Rose exclaimed. The crowd roared with applause as the League Staff gave the signal, and the trainers began walking out of the stadium and onto the pitch where cameras circled around, filming the event.

 

[KiNg ThE GrEAt]

King took his uniform, it was number 13 he loved it always as a child he then sat back down and applauded the gym leaders and rose also. All of his pokemon clapped, Except for Plusle He Said "PLUSSSSS!!!" trying to boo them. Again

 

[jade421]

Daphne entered the stadium as it seemed the enrollment sped along, and quickly she had made her way to the front desk as she was confident about her chances of registration. Though for this league it seemed a touch unique as far as who was accepted to be a participant of it. Before her sat an older woman behind the enrollment stage as Daphne passed her Pokedex and ID to which she quickly scanned and referenced something on her monitor.

"Let's see let's see. Daphne Wilkson. A Hoenn native. I believe you said your endorsement was of Norman yes?" The woman asked to which Daphne quickly provided a slip and signed seal of paper which had confirmed as such. "Yes ma'am right here." Daphne clarified as the woman scanned the paper and adjusted something on her monitor before she spoke once more.

"Do you have a number for your uniform?" The woman asked, and when Daphne had nodded no she seemed to nod along to it. "I see, what number would you like for your uniform?"

Daphne thought it over before she came up with the number she'd like to have. "I would like to take 7 please."

Soon enough a uniform was presented to her as the woman added. "Here you go, Change and get ready. The opening cermony is to begin soon." The woman informed and after a quick thank you Daphne took her Pokedex & ID back as she moved to the girl's changing room and quick as a flash had gotten settled in her new uniform. Seemed to be a soccer style get up; a white top with black thin lines along the base and two green streaks along the sides along with a pair of short white bottoms and a blue skirt to cover it. Complete with some athletic shoes and gloves she had to admit the Galar aesthetic was hard to beat as she quickly made her way to the other aspiring entrees as the opening ceremony had began.

And indeed, it seemed each Gym Leader had quite the presentation; the way they were announced made each feel like a world beater, and Daphne had to admit it would be a daunting task to combat them though she also had visions of perhaps her own name being called as a future Gym Leader and the excitment overcame the fear and before long the trainers were introduced as she walked with the main group and scanned the stadium crowd around with wide eyes.

Holy Arceus, indeed she had arrived in Galar.

 

[Crystal1302]

Athena was on the verge of dozing off waiting for the show to start. She was asleep by the time that the ceremony actually started. She was a sleep for a second untill a large roar snapped her out of her quick nap. She was startled by the large roar, while Thanatos looked super exited and Prometheus (that's Rotom's Nickname) snapped a picture. "Prometheus, please tell me what that was." "Ma'am Ye-zzt ma'am" Prometheus scanned the hologram and displayed a loading screen. "That'zzt a Gigantamax Chari-zzt-ard! Gigantamax i-zzt is a special phenomenon exclu-zzt-ive to the Galar region. It harne-zzt-es Dynamax Energy to grow, but some pokemon have the ability to be altered by more than ju-zzt- size. That'zzt a Gigantamax Charizard. The flame inside its body burns hotter than 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. When Charizard roars, that temperature climbs even higher." "Wow. The Galar Region is more interesting than I thought! Maybe I could do a follow up to my current research paper! I'm so excited!" Said Athena petty much bouncing in her seat.

Spoiler: Prometheus Bio cus I haven't done one of those yet

Species: Rotom
Nickname: Prometheus
Personality: A happy go lucky ghost who likes helping Athena out whenever they can. They used to be a huge prankster but has mellowed out after being with Athena for a while. Not a big fan of battling. Can get a bit bigheaded at times. Prefers to stay in the Phone whenever they can
Moves: Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Reflect, Confuse Ray

 

[KiNg ThE GrEAt]

King was eating a chocolate bar while watching the ceremony, it was probably the best thing he has seen in his life
"Oh my guudness" "I can't take it anymore, this is probably the best thing I saw in my life" he said still eating chocolate, Plusle's eyes was lit up after watching them, he was itching to battle someone. "your ready huh?" King said to Plusle "well we have to be patient, Very very patient, Plusle snatched kings chocolate in anger and started eating it "HEY!, Thats mine!!" Plusle was eating the chocolate while laying on King
"oh wow thats actually kinda cute" He said

 

[Crimson Sun]

Lucas stood by with the rest of the challengers of the Galar League. There was just as many people as he expected since he did see the long line for registration. Th brunette was starting to feel stuffy standing around, albeit there was tons of body heat around him. But eventually, the Opening Ceremony began with the introduction with Chairman Rose, the host of the whole League. The encirclement of spotlights were very scattered to amplify the intensity of the League and hyped up the anticipation. Soon after the brief introduction and explanation of the Dynamaxing Phenomenon with the inclusion of the applause of the audience which echoed throughout the massive stadium, the Gym Leaders were introduced one by one.

All the Gym Leader held a lasting impression that left the challengers speechless. Though not completely speechless as there were hoots and hollers everywhere for each Gym Leader. This year was the introduction of dual-gyms, which meant a gym had two gym leaders, each dominating their own type. How that works, whether it'll be a double battle or a battle of the leader of your choice, Lucas will come to learn later on during the journey he supposed. Lucas kept his eyes on his endorser though. Introduced by Chairman Rose as Galar's Top Model, and for good reason, Lucas hoped that he doesn't disappoint her with his performance.

After the Gym Leaders was, of course, the Gym Challengers. Trough the entrances of the stadium, challengers filled the central field from all directions. there were regular challengers, type-specialists, and trainers of all ages that filled the circular field. Somehow, Lucas' eyes met with Nessa and the gym leader gave a slight nod in approval of him joining the League. Lucas slightly bowed out of respect before following the crowd to the more centralized and denser part of the field to see what was next to be announced towards the challengers.

 

[Red Gallade]

Donald adjusted his hat while he listened to Chairman Rose's speech about the Galar League and introduced the Gym Leaders one by one, his smile widened when he heard the mention of the Spikemuth Gym Leader, Piers, the very man who endorsed him. When Donald heard how he and the rest of the trainers around him were to enter the field, he huffed and did his best to calm down as this was the first time he would show his face on television, he adjusted the coat he wore around his shoulders and looked around before he huffed once more and walked with everyone else on to the field. As he walked out, he smiled and waved at the crowd and gave them a few tips of his hat, his eyes tended to dart around to see who else he was to compete against for the title of Galar's Champion and noticed how there were a few other trainers who were more... unique with their choice of style; a few extra cosmetics added to their uniform was certainly a good way to grab attention.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

((OOC: Apologies for the wait everyone, I had a few IRL things I needed to take care of))

Once everyone was on the pitch, the lights went dark. Rose grinned and pointed into the sky, "Now everyone give a round of applause for your champion!" Rose exclaimed. Just then, a Charizard began flying around the stadium, on its back was a man whose cape rushed in the wind. "The undefeated master of the Galar Region!" Rose declared as the man jumped off his Charizard, landing on his feet and throwing his hand in the air, "LEON!" Rose shouted as spotlights centered around the man as his Charizard landed behind him. The crowd roared with a loud round of applause for Leon and his Charizard.

Alito swallowed nervously, looking around as many of the other trainers and Gym Leaders all looked excited to get the chance to battle with Leon. With that Rose closed to Ceremonies of the Gym Challenge, however, before everyone was dismissed Nessa stepped up to the mic.

"Good afternoon everyone, I am Nessa, I am a model and the Gym Leader in Hulbury, however, I am also the current top coordinator of Action Contests, and it is my honor to announce the next season of Action Contests will be taking place alongside this year's Gym Challenge!" Just as Nessa said that the crowd roared with applause, "For those of you who may not know how Action Contests work, let me show you now," Nessa snapped her fingers as the ground shook, four towers with silver orbs on them emerged and began sparking, as beams of light shot out and his the field. The once grassy pitch everyone was on suddenly transformed into a dangerous volcanic landscape, "Using the Sakurai Field Changer we can generate realistic battlefields that coordinators can compete on." Nessa grinned as she walked around a bit, "From here coordinators must put on a show alongside their Pokemon in order to win a Contest Medal!" as Nessa said this she held up a golden medal with two long red ribbons. "Earning three of these Contest Medals grants you the chance at Grand Festival held in Wyndon! I eagerly await to see all you coordinators there!" Nessa grinned, "And for those of you eager to earn your first medal, we'll be the first contest in Motostoke Stadium! Which means that you can turn up the matches by Dynamaxing your Pokemon!"

With that the field returned to normal and the trainers were dismissed. Alito changed back and stepped out with Riolu. "That felt a little longer that it took huh Riolu?" Alito asked with a grin. Riolu nodded seriously, focused on getting out to the first Gym already, however, something else was on Alito's mind, "Hey Riolu, how about we try our hands at an Action Contest?" Alito asked. Riolu sharply turned and began sweating bullets, unfamiliar with them in any way.

 

[jade421]

Needless to say there had been a lot to soak in, especially as a foreigner in the new land Daphne felt she had gotten more out of Galar than even she had expected so soon. Their Champion for one had quite the flair about him as he rode in on his Charizard and seemed to captivate both the crowd and those who stood in the area, herself included. Though oddly the Champion's presence himself had not been the key take away as Daphne expected but rather this concept that had taken some interest getting explored as Nessa one of the Galarian Gym Leaders talked about Action Contests.

The way the field seemed to change as Nessa demonstrated what Action Contests were about, it had been a captivating demo. Daphne had a goal to become a Gym Leader and top Normal Trainer, so the Galarian League had been a guarantee for her as she figured Contests while respectable had not served her goals. But this Action Contests, if she had a way to juggle these into her schedule she could further get her name out there in this new concept and perhaps better her odds for one day running a gym all her own. Suddenly this seemed to be a very tantalizing position as she gave an applause along with the viewers in the stadium.

Once it came to an end, she changed back as she walked out of the stadium, a smile on her face as she quickly scanned ahead of her. Alright,s he got signed for the Galarian League, now she had to make sure she'd get registration in these Action Contests. Or least confirm her registration if she had been signed up already. Though first, she would head to the Pokemon Center as she noticed a trainer with a Riolu who caught her eye.

 

[Crimson Sun]

With the announcement of the Galarian League had commenced, Nessa was there to announce the commencement of Action Contests. The beam of light from the sky shot down into the field. Suddenly Lucas felt an intense heat and broke out into a sweat, literally. The once grassy field of Motostoke now has become a desolate volcanic field with cracks and debris of rumble scattered around the area and cracks between the earth the were filled with lava. Lucas kicked at the pile of pebbles beneath him and they were all too real. Lucas eyes widened at the awe inspiring technology. The field was able to change so easily due to this advancement in technology. They were literally able to experience the environment themselves despite not being anywhere near a volcano. The field soon switched back to normal of the grassy soccer field it once held.

Nessa further explained that Action Contests had required 3 ribbons in order to pass into the contest. Ironically, he was almost to get 3 in Sinnoh before he failed. The ribbons almost looked the same as the regular Pokémon Contests back in Sinnoh. A surprise twist to her announcement was that the first Contest was going to be held in Motostoke! Lucas had to go get ready for that then, he was quite excited and nervous simultaneously. Quickly changing out of his uniform, Lucas went back to the front desk where he registered for the Galarian League, but instead now signed up for the Action Contest that was going to happen soon in Motostoke.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

Alito stepped out with Riolu noticing the girl with the blonde hair in the ponytail, "Hey!" Alito waved, running towards the trainer, "You were one of the trainers in the opening ceremonies right?" Alito asked as Riolu stood very nervously next to Alito, still terrified about entering the Action Contest with its trainer, especially considering the two had only ever participated in Gym Battles before, never putting on a show. Alito extended his hand to the trainer, "My name's Alito, what's yours?" he asked.

 

[Merciless Medic]

The ceremony was amazing!

The Chairman came out and hyped up the audience before moving the introductions to the Gym Leaders. The Gym Leader Reggie was more interested in was Allister. Though, he looked rather shy. Just the way he held himself, he guessed. When it was time for the challengers to arrive on the field, Reggie was one of the first ones to step foot into the massive ball pitch. The people cheering for him and the other challengers were electrifying. Thrilling. He had no other words to describe the adrenaline rush and the buzzing feeling in his mind. He couldn't even move due to the sudden hit of what felt like the first lick of fame.

This was perfection.

This was home.

The Chairman then announced Leon's arrival. The Champion of Galar. He came in with flair and his Charizard behind him just oozed awesomeness. He felt like he was going to faint, but he kept himself steady. Finally, seeing a reason for himself to be released from his PokeBall, Emeric the Gastly came out in a burst of white light. The stadium lights glinted off the shiny palette of the Ghost/Poison-Type, and the look on Gastly's face... He was sucking in every admirable and heart-tugging cheer. He looked around at all the people, feeling like this was the place he needed to be just as much as his trainer. The Gastly looked back at his trainer's face, as they both shared their adoration for the spotlight and the excitement that coursed within them.

As the cheering died down, Nessa stepped up and included the Action Contests. She even demonstrated the field change, and Reggie can feel the rising heat bore through his skin, making him sweat and his gym uniform cling to his skin. He looked as the molten orange hues of the sparks and embers and lava covered everything before the pillars brought the stage back to normal and sunk down into the stadium. This was amazing! He was so ready for all of this.

He had to see Athena!

Once the ceremony came to a close, Reggie hurried out of the stadium and back into his traveling clothes. He hurried over to where he thought Athena was and called for her. "Athena! Did you see me?! I know I didn't exactly do a whole lot out there, but everything was just too exhilarating and surreal to even show off!" His Gastly was hovering by his side, a look of euphoria had taken over his features and he was still all too drunk from the attention he received from the roaring crowd.

@Crystal1302

 

[jade421]

It seemed that Daphne's gaze had not gone unnoticed as the figure who she also recognized among those in that opening ceremony called out to her so she approached figuring that getting to know a possible rival had only a positive outcome. "Oh uh hello there, yeah I was. I think I also saw you in the ceremony if I was not mistaken?" Daphne asked before her eyes focused on the nervous Riolu as she extended a warm smile to it.

"Hey little guy, say uh is it okay if I give him a pat?" Daphne asked, as she had found this Riolu too precious to pass up this golden opportunity. Though naturally she waited if the trainer would give permission first before she acted rashly.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

"Yeah go for it! Riolu's fine with it right?" Alito asked as he threw his hands behind his head. Riolu turned and smiled nodding to Alito before stepping forward and focusing on receiving a pat from Daphne. Alito smiled at his Pokemon, "So what's your goal here?" Alito asked casually, "I take to participate in the Gym Challenge?" Alito grinned at the potential of a new rival he could battle.

 

[jade421]

"Thank you!" Daphne said with a smile as she crouched down and gently extended her hand to the Fighting Type as she smiled while giving it a gentle pat on the head. Once she managed to cross that satisfaction milestone she had been asked what her goal was to which she grinned and stood as she seemed to have a gleam in her eye when it came to this topic. "Oh well that is simple: To become the best Normal Trainer in the world, and one day have a Gym all my own!"

With that she seemed to display her current team with no prompt as two Pokeballs shot in the air and released two fittingly Normal-type Pokemon; an energetic Skitty who seemed to bounce around in the air, and a much more shy Whismur who quickly hid itself behind Daphne's right leg to which she quickly crouched to encourage with a stroke of its ears. "These are my buddies, Selina the Skitty and Echo the Whismur. And yes we do aim to enter the Galar League. I figure not only could we build our strength by fighting the best in the region, and get a good reason to explore all of Galar to find more teammates but also work to get my name out there as the monotype trainer on the rise. Which is also why we're likely gonna give these Action Contests a try as well." Daphne explained as Selina moved with a bounce by the Riolu as she seemed excited to meet a new Pokemon while Whismur hung close to Daphne a bit cautious of the strangers.

"Name is Daphne by the by, figured I should get my intro out of the way..." Daphne said with a slight sheepish grin as she realized proper introductions had been overlooked in this though quickly moved to her point. "...and uh what about you? Are you also entering the Galar League I presume? What's your goal if I may ask?" Daphne asked naturally curious.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

"Me and Riolu are entering to become the champions!" Alito grinned, Riolu smiled up to Alito with a delighted nod. "Some day we're going to take over the Fighting Gym from Bea!" Alito stated confidently, as did Riolu who stuck a confident pose in response to Alito. Riolu lightly jabbed the air in front of it, jumping to throw a few kicks in as well. Alito smiled, having walked a long way with Riolu since leaving Stow-on-Side, "I guess that would make us rivals in this!" Alito grinned confidently, "Although if we were to battle, judging from type matchups alone me and Riolu have this in the bag," Alito said confidently.

 

[SylvitheSylveon]

In the changing room, Luna considered quitting, since she wasn't Robin and she had Action Contests to worry about anyways. But, it was too late; Chairman Rose announced the ceremony to start.
When the gym leaders were introduced, Luna was terrified, to say the least. She would have to fight all of them? She would probably have trouble fighting one. The ones who stood out the most were Nessa and Allister. Nessa was just dazzling. The way she looked, the way she walked, the confidence she had. Allister was about her age, and seemed like he was not enjoying being there. Luna could relate. Every time she was in the presence of a big crowd, Luna would start freaking out. Then, the champion came in with his Charizard. Charizard flew around the stadium, Leon on its back. The way it flew reminded Luna of the Mega Charizard she'd once seen on TV back in Kalos. After Leon finished, Nessa announced the Action Contests, what Luna was really here for. So... she had to earn three ribbons to enter the Grand Festival. Similiar to the Kalos Showcases. And she could Dynamax her Pokemon. Interesting. Since the first contest would be held in Motostoke, she could just compete in he contest then head to the first gym in Turffield.
The cheering crowds. The big stadium. It was all too much for Luna to take in. Luna's stage fright hadn't gotten any better in the past few months, and this wasn't helping. Unlike Luna, Eevee seemed to be rather enjoying it, jumping around Luna excitedly, and occasionally yelling, "Vee!" cheerfully at the crowd.
After the ceremony, Luna changed back to her regular clothes. As she exited the stadium, she unslung her backpack and unzipped it to bring out a a chocolate that she'd been keeping to share with Eevee. Chocolate always calmed her when she was nervous. She broke off some of the chocolate to give to Eevee, who wasn't there. Eevee was instead chatting with a little Skitty.
Luna hurried to Eevee and apologized to the girl who must've been the Skitty's trainer. "Sorry! My Eevee gets too friendly sometimes."
She then noticed the Riolu trainer from earlier. "Oh hi again. We're bumping into each other a lot, aren't we?" she said.

 

[Red Gallade]

The ceremony was incredible, Donald enjoyed the sight and presence of so many Gym Leaders at once, but above all them was the unbeatable Champion of Galar himself, Leon alongside his main Pokemon, Charizard, one of the few comforts about Donald's chance of battling Leon was that his main Pokemon was a Water type Pokemon, but even then, he knew that sometimes it takes more than type advantages to win a battle.

Once the ceremony finally concluded, Donald along with many of the other trainers returned to the changing rooms and changed back in to their original clothes, Donald let out a sigh as he left the Motostoke Stadium and looked around before a strange light spilled out of his pocket to reveal his Drizzile. "What do you say, you and I go and get our first Gym Badge, eh?" Donald asked with a smile while Drizzile responded with a confident smile. "Alright. Now, let's see here..." Donald said as he got out his Rotom phone to check the map and noticed how their trip to Turffield meant he would have to go through the mines, but he didn't mind as it seemed like a good place to train as well.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

"Yeah I guess so!" Alito stated as Luna approached. Riolu welcomed the new Pokemon openly. Alito looked down at the Eevee as a thought hit him so he turned to Luna, "Eevee's an interesting Pokemon, have you given any thought into what they might evolve into?" Alito asked curiously, through his time being a Gym Trainer Alito had seen many trainers with the various evolutionary forms of Eevee and some who didn't evolve theirs at all, which tended to confuse him.

 

[jade421]

"Oh really? Well let's say if you think type advantage is all you need to beat me every time you'll be leaving our encounter quite disappointed~" Daphne countered back with a friendly yet competitive smirk as indeed the lopsided type match had not eluded her though she seemed unconcerned. Indeed having watched Norman turn back many a challenger who relied on "fighting types will sweep!" mentality against his gym she had picked up on a few tips on how to deal with Fighting types and really seemed sure she could best Alito though a possible future Gym Leader meant she'd just have to work harder to make a bigger impression.

"Skitty!" Selina cried out in affirmation as she seemed amused by Riolu's air jabs but if they took each other on she'd give this fighter a knockout surprise of her own. Echo seemed a touch nervous to chime in, but with her trainer and teammate making their stand she offered a small "Whis" to affirm she believed in their ability. Though Selina's focus shifted as a sudden Eevee appeared and began to chat with her, to which the cat Pokemon kindly exchanged words as another trainer seemed to come in and apologize on its behalf as Daphne offered a warm smile.

"It's okay I understand. Really Selina is very social so I don't think she minds." Daphne assured as indeed the Skitty seemed to get along well with the Eevee as they spoke and in Selina's case sniffed each other. Naturally Echo had once more retreated behind Daphne's leg as the sky Whismur felt the area had gotten too crowded too quickly.

 

[Crystal1302]

The trio were pretty much bouncing up and down in her seat by the time the opening ceremony was over. Athena got up and went outside Motostoke Stadium. She found Reggie outside and they looked just as excited as her. "You certainly made an impression. Very few people come out with a shiny. Though that Chairman Rose certainly knows how to make a performance. It even made someone like me excited to watch the gym challenge. Speaking of excited..." she said looking down next to her. Next to her, Thanatos was sprinting in circles and was jumping excited, happy and wanted to fight something. "Thanatos seems to be very eager and he's not even going to be in the gym challenge." She said fiddling with one of her pigtails "I'm sure he'd love to battle right now and I think I'd like to take you up on your offer in helping train him." She said with a bit of a smirk. "So I'd like to request we have a battle." "Ooh! Athena'zzt having a battle!? Zzt-omeone! Alert the new-zzt! Thi-zzt izzt a major Hi-zzt-torical event!" Said Prometheus with fake suprise. "That's enough out of you Prometheus." She said grabbing the phone out of midair and muting the phone. "Excusing that interruption, yes or no?"

 

[PyroGaleZX]

"Well then if that's the case how about you and I have a battle?" Alito grinned with a confidence he had grown to have as a Fighting-type trainer. Riolu's ears perked with excitement at the sound of a battle, lightly jabbing the air in front of himself. Alito smiled as he and Riolu were always looking for a new challenge, and new rivals to battle, "What would you say to a One-on-One battle?" Alito grinned confidently, as did Riolu.

 

[MelonBoi5]

He stepped out of the corner. "Getting a battle early in, eh? The event just started a few minutes ago." He chuckled along with his Croagunk, who let out the same laughing noise as before. "Hey, maybe it's the smart thing to do, get an early win?"

He went off topic "But did you see that spectacle? Dynamaxing is pretty cool, and the gym leaders were pretty impressive, especially Pie-" As soon as he said Piers, he was interrupted by a bright light. His Shiny Galarian Zigzagoon popped out and started scampering around. Keito tried to chase him around, and eventually fell face first, with it then jumping onto him and falling asleep.

"Ugh, come on Rascal! Get off me!" He got up, putting the sleeping Zigzagoon into his bag along with Croagunk, making it extra heavy. "Sorry about him, he's been waiting to battle P-I mean, the dark type gym leader ever since I caught him. I guess he wants to go Mono E Mono, or in this case, Obstagoon E Rascal." He patted Rascal as he woke up again, digging into the chocolate in Keito's bag. "I'll make sure I can evolve him, so he can beat Obstagoon, because I know he can do it." He looked at Zigzagoon proudly, but then realized something. "Wait is that my chocolate?! RASCAL!" Keito then started chasing Rascal once more

 

[jade421]

This seemed to catch Daphne off guard, but Selina seemed excited at the prospect as she happily cried out and jumped in place while she faced with the Riolu as Echo seemed a touch concerned but Daphne was not about to pass up an open battle as she had a competitive grin flash across her face. "Well if you insist, though don't be upset if you begin your journey with a loss. Cause we're coming with everything we got" Daphne declared as she walked to an open spot out of any walkways and Selina moved right in front of her.

Having returned Echo to its Pokeball, she waited for Alito and his partner to get in position as she had a fire in her eyes; her first battle of her journey and she could not have been more excited for it.

 

[Crimson Sun]

Lucas wandered around, wondering what he can do now. Perhaps he can practice some combination moves for the upcoming Action Contest, or even practice some actually battling for Gible. Nonetheless, some practice sounds decent right about now. Walking around aimlessly, finding a decent spot to do some, if any, practicing for the competition, Lucas stumbled upon some familiar faces. It was the same boy the was chasing the Galarian Slowpoke before the Opening Ceremony. On the sideline, he saw the same girl with the Eevee from earlier as well. Quite a small world if he does say so himself, other than the fact that the were outside the stadium as the Opening Ceremony had just finished.

However, across the Riolu trainer and Eevee trainer was a new face Lucas hasn't seen before. Or perhaps he did because she did look slightly familiar. Perhaps she was also taking part in the Galarian League, hence he may have scanned over her face there. Besides the point, it looked like her and the Riolu trainer was set to have a battle. Deciding against saying hello again, Lucas stood on the sideline, anticipating the battle the two were going to have before saying hello's again. For simple battle experience, Lucas released his Gible to allow the Land Shark to witness the battle as well. Though Lucas held on with an iron grip this time, hoping to ensure that the Pokemon doesn't wander on the field and interrupt the trainer battle.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Reggie grinned at the enthusiastic Zigzagoon and nodded with a smug grin. "Sure thing. One battle coming right up." When the Rotom began talking, he had to hold in his amusement as the Pokemon was giving her a hard time. His mouth was a flat line as he tried to hold in his laughter. Luckily, he kept it down enough to answer her. "Anyway, yes. Let's go to a field." With that, Reggie led Athena to a nearby battlefield, sending out his Gastly in a glorious array of dazzling light.

"Alright, so since Galarian Zigzagoon is also a Dark-Type, Dream Eater isn't going to do anything at all. Let's refrain from using it. We have a better move, anyway." A sly smile graced his features as he had quite the ace up his sleeve. Since Athena challenged him, he was going to let her make the first move. "Alright, if you want a battle and command your Pokemon, make the first move."

His Gastly hovered about in an almost hypnotic fashion from side to side, staring down his opponent.

@Crystal1302

 

[Crystal1302]

"Thank you for stifling your laughter. Itnonly encourages Prometheus' behavior" she said as the possessed phone writhed around in her pocket. Athena followed Reggie to the nearby battlefield with Thanatos following close behind. "Just what are you planning Reggie? I guess I'll see soon." "All right Athena, think for a moment. Gastly's Special Attack is quite high for an unevolved pokemon, so keeping it at a distance won't work very well for me. My best idea would be to close in on it and try to slow it down." "All right Thanatos, time to male the first move! Get behind it and start off with Lick!" Said Athena. Thanatos grinned and ran in a zig zag line before jumping behind Emeric with it's tounge exposed.

@Merciless Medic

 

[Merciless Medic]

"Alright, Emeric! Shadow Ball from behind! Wait..." Did Reggie forget this Zigzagoon was also a Normal-Type?

Indeed he did, but before Reggie could stop his Gastly, the Ghost/Poison-Type fired of a ghostly purple orb towards the Pokemon, narrowly avoiding the Lick. However, the orb either went around him or through the creature without harming him, landing in the dirt underneath. "Whoops, hehe. Dazzling Gleam!" After giving his trainer the stink-eye, Gastly zoomed across the field with some speed, his ghostly smog trailing behind him as he mustered up more energy to create an attack.

"I swear I'm not this stupid! Damn, I should have remembered."

@Crystal1302

 

[Crystal1302]

Athena chuckled to herself. "It's all right. Even the best of us have lapses in memory." She had a sudden moment of apprehension when Reggie called for his Ghastly to use Dazzling Gleam. "Dazzling Gleam!? Ignoring the fact that it makes little to no sense for, what's effectively a ball of poisonous gas to learn that move, a direct hit from that would knock out Thanatos in one hit! I need to stop that as fast as I can." "Prevent it from using that with Snarl!" said Athena. Thanatos took a deep breath and yelled as hard as it could launching shock waves of darkness at the Ghastly.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

((OOC: Sorry for the delay, busy week))

Alito grinned confidently as he and Riolu stood opposite from Daphne and Echo. Alito smiled, taking a deep breath as he and Riolu both calmly extended their hands forward calmly breathing before grinning, this would be the first battle they had that wouldn't be as a Gym Trainer, this was their first battle and the first time they would be battling as themselves. "Riolu, are you ready?" Alito asked, Riolu simply smiled and nodded. "Great, then Riolu use Quick Attack!" Alito shouted throwing his hand into the air as his Pokemon took off.

Riolu became surrounded in a glow of white light, dashing towards Echo, running in a straight line as it quickly tried to close in and get a quick hit off. Alito typically would start with Quick Attack as he was trained, however there was a feeling deep down that gave him dread.

@Sarah316

 

[Red Gallade]

Before Donald could take another step on his journey, a thought crossed his mind and he quickly looked inside his bag to see that he only had a few Poke balls and Potions inside. "Hmmm... I should stock up before journeying." Donald said to himself and began to walks back towards the Pokemon Center, Drizzile followed close behind and smiled at the fact Donald took precautions to make sure he was prepared for the journey ahead, although just as trainer and Pokemon alike got closer to the Pokemon center, they began to notice the sight of two trainers in a Pokemon battle. Donald thought he saw those faces during the ceremony and decided it wouldn't hurt to watch, if they were indeed from the ceremony, then surely it seemed like a good idea to watch how the trainers battled with the Pokemon in their arsenal.

 

[silverwind2020]

After the ceremony, Rusty exited Motostoke Stadium. He walked until he encountered a battle between two trainers he knew he saw at the ceremony, and another trainer watching who he also thought he saw at the ceremony. He turned to the fight and decided he wanted to join, too. He stepped up and said "Hey, do you guys mind if i join your little fight? It could be good experience."

 

[Merciless Medic]

The Gastly created a dazzling beam of light, but his attack was interrupted as a rather nasty Snarl came his way. He felt his elemental/ranged attack go down as he took the hit. While Snarl wouldn't have made him flinch, he was in the throes of a trying to create Dazzling Gleam. He wasn't at all that skilled with the move, as he just learned it before Reggie and him traveled to Galar.

Since Dream Eater and Shadow Ball were ineffective against a Dark/Normal-Type, the only moves Gastly had were Dazzling Gleam and Hypnosis (since Hypnosis is a Status move, it can still affect Dark-Types). Maybe if he put the Pokemon to sleep, he'd have an easier time. But Hypnosis was largely inaccurate. He'd just have to hope it hit.

"Emeric, Hypnosis." The Gastly looked at his trainer in confusion before sending out a wave of sleepy psychic suggestion as his eyes glowed blue, hoping it hit.

 

[Crystal1302]

"Yes! My plan was successful! You did well Thanatos" Said Athena while pretty much bouncing up and down. She realized just in time though that there was a wave of psychic energy and heading straight for Thanatos. "Try and dodge it!" Said Athena. Thanatos tried to, but he put too much energy into the Snarl and immediately dodging after that was a bit too much for Thanatos. The Hypnosis was a direct hit and Thanatos fell asleep. "Drat!" Said Athena

 

[jade421]

Daphne had a grin as she called out to her partner "Let's show him what we're made up Selina!" Daphne called out as her Skitty cried out in support as she seemed as eager for this showdown as Alito and his Riolu as it seemed Alito would be generous enough for the first move as it seemed the plan was to strike quick as they called out a Quick Attack and the Riolu dashed right to the Skitty but Daphne seemed prepared to answer in kind. "Selina use Copycat!"

Selina grinned as her own body began to glow in a white light, copying the aura of the Quick Attack that the Riolu had just began to use as she charged with equal speed as the two Pokemon seemed to be set for a head to head clash, however Selina would shift to the left just before impact as her aim was to try to get around as she attempted to slam into the Riolu's side.

 

[PyroGaleZX]

Riolu was caught off guard, being slammed by Selina hard and thrown to the side, "Riolu roll!" Alito called, Riolu winced and tucked its legs in, rolling back so it wasn't dragged against the ground. Riolu's feet kicked out as it slid to a stop once its spinning slowed down. "Riolu use Word Up!" Alito shouted as he and Riolu both flexed their arms and Riolu was surrounded with a red aura. "Let's use Quick Attack again!" Alito shouted, Riolu nodded running the same as it did before towards Selina, white light and all.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Reggie's eyes grew wide. He.... It hit... That's amazing! With that victorious hit, he decided to have Emeric show off a little. His Gastly was just as amazed at the accuracy and looked to see Reggie was beside himself with excitement. They both had the same brainwave and Emeric began to show off, using Reggie's commands as timing.

"Dazzling Gleam and Shadow Ball!"

The two moves took a little longer to create at the same time, but they achieved something all the same. As Emeric created a purple ball at his mouth, he began to shine with a dazzling light. With the aura of the Shadow Ball, he made the ball explode as he was creating it, causing the multi-colored light show to pulsate with ethereal energy as well as light. Then he sent the attack forth. It was more of a show of skill and finesse than it was power. Due to the build up of both Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam, the Fairy-Type attack wouldn't actually do a whole lot. Still though, it would hurt for a Dark-Type and maybe sting, but all this was just a precursor to what Reggie and Emeric had in store for the Action Contest.

They just needed to work on their power.

 

[MelonBoi5]

He watched the battlers with great intent, but being only half as interested as Rascal, whos eye's gleamed with intrigue. Rascal would usually end a fight with one double-edge, so seeing great, long winded battles filled him with excitement. Too much excitement for Keito, since he was already tuckered out from Rascal's past antics. When he saw Rascal flailing about in excitement, he said "You can watch, but don't intervene. Go take care of him Croagunk." Croagunk saluted, adding a, "Croa, Croagunk!" For good measure.

He watched the battle as the two pokemon strode closer in excitement. Rascal would always come in and one-shot whoever Croagunk was battling, so Croagunk was just as amazed. Sure, he got to battle, but Rascal usually got the glory. Keito felt amazed, not of the battle, though that was still pretty cool, but at the fact his pokemon were so interested in battling. It wasn't the most important thing for him, but knowing that they loved to do it made him want to be a great battler as well.