Ask to Join The Jet Black Tournament

[Snowflake_14]

Before Sky even had enough time to embarrass herself and Mia once more by completely gushing over a book from the hands of Caitlin (despite being a bit puzzled since to her knowledge she had never released a book), she realized Arte had not only passed her in line while she blanked out on the side of the line, but he had finished registering his Pokemon.

"Oh shoot right! In your balls everyone-" Sky told her Pokemon as she scrambled about her bag trying to fish out her Pokeballs, dropping more lip balm and candies in the process. When she finally felt the feeling of two spherical objects, she swiftly took both out and pressed their buttons.

Beams of light shot from the devices and spiraled into Diamond and Mincinno. Mia stretched and yawned, preparing to stay in it's ball for a very long time, while Diamond simply closed its eyes and embraced the approaching light. The two flashed brightly until eventually all that was left of them were absorbed into the two matching Ultra Balls.

Before having time to think, Sky ran to the old lady at the reception booth to put away her Pokemon.

"Hey, Hi, yes- Here's my little angel Mia, take good care of her PokeBall while I'm battling. Oh cool Mismageous by the way! Okay, thank you bye!" Sky said rapidly sputtered to the woman and then immediately ran to catch up to her new friend not leaving time for the old lady to react, attaching her remaining Ultra Ball to her belt.

Unbenounced to Sky however, the Ultra Ball placed on the Metal tray let out a little shake, almost saying Wait come back! Before being brought to the back room and away from its trainer.

 

[Cupcakeus]

Fiona wasted no time chatting, as she finished registering herself for the tournament, she exited out of the pokemon center, often looking back and regretting her decision, "what if i'm just paranoid, everything is fine here, why do i feel like this" Fiona thought to herself as she walked out of the pokemon center.

The short haired girl let out her Altaria once she got out of the center, "Taria~?" Skye questioned her trainer, as if saying "is it all done?" Fiona only looked at the humming pokemon before smiling and reassuring it, "dont worry, its ok" as she patted Skye's head, "come on, we still need to check into our rooms" Fiona said to her pokemon before walking.

As Fiona went on to check herself to a room, she spotted that "interviewer" who was chasing Sylvi earlier, but this time it was talking to a man now, this man seemed familiar, "they must be from Hoenn" Fiona whispered, making Skye perk up thinking her trainer was talking to her.

 

[Merciless Medic]

The young man smiled for the first time since he had arrived here. He was correct in his assumptions and the absolute beaming face he received made his heart bubble in joy. While he understood what it was like to be forgotten after an event that made you famous, even if his was not one he had worked towards that ended up giving him fame, he was able to sympathize that it was grueling for this fashionista to not have the fans she once had. At her question, as if to dissuade any disbelief, Miles nodded ecstatically.

"Yes. Some of my siblings have gone on and bought your items less and less, but my parents and I have always stayed quite loyal to your selection." He listened with awe at the shirt she wore as she described how it was made. It was like listening to a master craftsman ramble about their work and he couldn't do anything else but sit there in slack-jawed awe. Once he realized his mouth was starting to drop from his smile, he quickly shut it to not seem so rude. He felt like he was thirteen again, and it felt rejuvenating. "That is truly amazing! I'm assuming you are here to join this tournament to gain some of your notoriety back, right?"

He watched as the ball wriggled at her hip and he knew that it must have been her ace. When Celine had asked for his name, he felt bubbles rise in his chest as anxiety and giddiness took hold. He didn't know why he was anxious. Maybe she recognized him as the fifteen-year-old who lost their Gyarados and forfeit from his Top 8 position in the Kanto League. No, she was likely not drawn to that spectacle. He knew her usual base of operations were held in places that had contests, until he realized that contests were becoming a sensation in Kanto after Hoenn's and Sinnoh's success. But they were likely not as huge as one would expect from their competitors. Still though, the regions were practically right next to Kanto, so there might have been some way she heard of the news and his name being plastered all over the newspapers for about a year. He brought himself back from his reverie, which looked like he had stared off into space for a second before shaking his mind enough to respond. "Oh, yes, sorry, I'm Miles Harding. I came here after being on the front page of some news articles back when I was fifteen, but I'm glad I lost my fame." His tone took a slightly sadder tone to it before returning to its jovial state.

Why did he keep talking? There was no need to keep talking about why he got invited here. He shook his head, an obvious twinge of pain in his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk about myself so much." He looked back to the line to see his Serperior glaring at him and he chuckled. "I'm also sorry, my companion has been holding the spot in line for me and I think I have taken too long. Here, I'd love to keep talking to you. May you wait in line with me as we talk? I haven't exactly been much of the social sort, but I didn't realize how much I missed talking to someone." He didn't mean to make himself sound so lonely, but it just kind of came out that way. The only reason why it sounded like that was due to the position he was in when her line of fashion came out. He gestured towards his awaiting Serperior, who, upon seeing Celine, gave a rather wide smile and bowed politely. Louis the Serperior knew all about Celine, as Miles wouldn't stop talking about her when he was younger. In fact, her designs helped pull him out of a depressive haze and made himself feel comfortable in his own skin after that incident. Miles didn't think she was that old enough to remember the incident anyway, remembering that she should be in her early 20s by now and the incident was ten years ago. Miles dreaded hearing about the incident again, but a small part of him wished she recognized him for it.

To make himself feel not so alone in his still guilt addled mind when he thought about the incident too much, he guessed. He thought that maybe he can go about this guilt thing alone, but it became apparent that, while his family was enough company, he needed a stranger's comfort. But no, that was absurd. He kept his musings to himself, but his eyes betrayed him a little as a wash of guilt and pain rushed through them before disappearing into a happy gleam.

@comic

 

[comic]

His allusions to his past somewhat mystified her. His face she could vaguely recall was somewhat familiar, though it wasn't the right shape- unless it was and he was just older. Even then, she couldn't exactly remember what it was he'd done, and what had happened, to make him seemingly despise fame. Upon his affirmations of loyalty to her brand, she beamed with joy, ecstatic at the news. It wasn't often she met one of her more avid fans, but it was always a joy when she did. Some people might have seen her work in fashion as nothing more than making flashy clothes, but to her, and to a lot of her fans, she'd touched or even changed lives in some cases. Fashion was more than an item- to her, it was a lifestyle.
His name was Miles Harding- something else she recognized but couldn't quite pin, even as she strained her mind. They shook hands as per formal greeting, and she was introduced to his Serperior, Louis. He offered his spot in line beside him, and she was happy to accept. As fun and engaging as this conversation was, the crowded room made it a bit uncomfortable to have a conversation while constantly getting jostled around. "Don't mind if I do, and don't worry about talking about yourself. It's nice to not have to hear my own thoughts for a while." She stated, grinning.

She elected not to question further on his identity or backstory- he clearly seemed touchy on the subject and the last thing she needed to do was upset a fan. So she went back to his original topic. "You mentioned about why I'm here for the tourney, and to be honest, yeah. I'm not exactly the best trainer but I'm no dummy, either. I don't intend to win, but such a huge event like this, it's bound to attract a lot of attention, even with as hush-hush as they're making it out to be. But between you and me..." She leaned in slightly lowering her voice. "It's kind of an insult too. Nobody here is currently a champ, or even a gym leader. We're all has-beens, wash-ups, second-place, you name it. It's kind of a slap to the face, in all honesty. A tournament to see who's the biggest winner of all the losers." She leaned back, and decided to change the subject again, realizing that what she said could potentially be somewhat upsetting, as she'd basically just called everyone in this room a loser.
So her eyes fell on his Serperior. "I've always loved Serperior's. Really, I do. If I had to consider one Pokémon to add alongside my Milotic, it would be a Serperior. Hm... or maybe a Gardevoir. They can really show off some good fashion. That is, if you can cover that dress thing they have." She giggled at this. "And the horn. Actually, scratch that. Gardevoir are not good for human-designed fashion. but maybe a Gothorita or a Kirlia...?"

 

[BurbleBurble]

Wait, really? It was that easy?

Sylvi had run at the prospect of a reporter, needing to be cornered and all that. But damn, Kyran just rolled with the punches! He was a tad older and used to the spotlight, given his track record in Hoenn, but Teresa still didn't think it'd be that easy. Maybe her passive approach had helped in a way. He also was immediately available once he finished the check in- Even offered her lunch!

"I-I-Well, heh-" Where nervousness had been, it seemingly had only multiplied. "Of course! I understand, yes. I need to check in to the hotel as well. And an interview after that works just fine. Excellent, really! Gives me time to figure everything out, thank you!" Maybe it was less nervousness and more excitement. "And thank you for the offer on lunch. I...We haven't had any." She momentarily looked to Bandit, seeming a little pleased with himself for having caught the rising trainer. "I'll let you go ahead and follow behind- I'm not sure how my journalist status makes me getting a room different from a competitor, but I can't imagine it's too different..."

Doctor Aisha was somewhat overwhelmed by the next girl. She seemed to be in a complete rush, leaving a single Ultra Ball with the Doctor. Shame, since she seemed to be the only one who didn't particularly mind the ghost type hovering behind the counter. Even called it cool. "Uh, yes, good luck in the tournament!" She told the girl as she practically ran away. The Pokémon inside seemed particularly rambunctious, as the ball wiggled about. "Whoa, guess this angel wants to stretch some more. We'll get to you."

Handing off the ball to one of the assistants, she once again returned to the brunt of applicants. There wasn't too many left now, which was good for Aisha considering she had been at this for the past two hours. Though just like with the kid earlier, she could swear there was something familiar about one of the trainers in the line. The one chatting it up with the Serperior trainer. Which was really annoying, since she just couldn't connect the dots to find out who this girl was.

...Was she on TV, maybe?

And Arte, having zero urgency as usual, had found himself investigating a rather bare rack of pamphlets. Only a few things were being advertised- A travel agency, the conference center, benefits of investing into the Jettison group, and even a construction company...There really wasn't a whole lot to advertise yet. The idea for the island must've been to expand further once they got a steady stream of cash, since it was almost certainly a very hefty amount of money spent to make the resort.

"Invest today and receive the following benefits...Bimonthly dinners...Yearly week of vacation time...Low price of ten million..."

Quickly bored of the pamphlet, he shelved it back where it belonged, shaking his head. "Ten million..."

Sugar, still poised on Arte's shoulder, squeaked up as Skyla came towards him. "Oh. Sorry for leaving you behind. I dunno what to do now that I'm all registered...I guess the hotel, that's probably it."

 

[| Korutesu |]

Wilbur had just walked away from Daryl, his Gengar following him. He had reached the Pokemon Center crowded with trainers, Passing a female with a Luxio, then a male who has supposedly talking to her. There was just so many people, It seemed it was like a scam to take five Pokemon from each trainer. There are multiple possibilities for the tournament, Maybe it wasn't lying and would actually be true. Passing by, He saw less and less people in the line. It had finally been his turn, depositing his other five Pokemon. "Thank you, Please.. Take care of them?" as he walked away from the Pokemon Center, with his one Pokemon, Gengar.

"So.. Time to get a room, and start getting comfortable. The tournament IS going to start tomorrow" He walked toward the hotel, going to the seventh floor, and picking any room that wasn't occupied. He found a room, putting his clothes inside the closet. His mother taught him how to cook when he was younger, Wilbur had just remembered it, maybe it could be useful for something. but it wasn't useful for now.

 

[SylvitheSylveon]

She decided to wait outside for Skyla and Arte, since she had nothing better to do. As she and Sylveon stood outside, she noticed someone familiar. It was a pale boy around her age, with short black hair, deep black eyes, and dressed in all black. Sylvi hoped he wouldn't notice her. It wasn't too late to run away. He hadn't noticed her yet, and she could easily outrun him. If he was also competing, he would get annoying. Not that she was gonna battle him. There were 256 competitors. It wouldn't be very likely she would have to fight him. Skyla and Arte were sure taking their times... she could just walk to the hotel by herself... A hand grabbed her arm, causing her to whirl around.
"Not running away, are we?" The boy said, his hand firmly grabbing her arm.
She tried to pull away, but the boy's grip was harder than steel.
"I'm getting revenge for that battle...." he whispered.
Sylvi rolled her eyes. "You're that salty about that one battle?"
The boy gripped her arm harder. "You ruined my reputation. I have every excuse to ruin your life."
"Well, you wouldn't want to do anything when everyone is staring, am I correct?"
"Fine." He sneered, "I won't let you go so easily next time." He then walked away.
"As if you could do anything," Sylvi thought.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Judging by Celine's face, it was plain to see that she probably recognized him, but he was a little glad to not have his past brought up. Louis gracefully slithered around the two, giving the two a wide berth from the rest of the crowd. People who accidentally stepped on the Serperior's sides were met with a glowing red glare before he returned to his slow slither forwards, Miles following his speed. When she reassured him it was alright, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders that he didn't think was there until it disappeared. However, he still didn't want to talk about himself too much. He knew he'd spill on who he was and what happened and it was something he didn't want to fall from his lips.

He didn't want help to overcome his guilt. Not right now, at least.

When she started explaining why she was here, he smiled and nodded. So, he was right. He listened closely as she whispered to him. He noticed the observation she was speaking aloud and he nodded, agreeing with her. He also shrugged in agreement. "Yea, I've noticed, and it's kind of unsettling to be honest."

The subject got shifted to Louis, whose chest puffed up a little more at each praise he got from her. His greens were darker and his yellow markings shone with a healthy vibrancy than most Serperior. He was the cream of the crop, chosen for his stellar genetics. Miles watched with some amusement as she went through list of attractive Pokemon with slender bodies and he chuckled. "I would recommend a few Pokemon, but they are along the lines of Machoke and Infernape, but Machoke is a little burly and Infernape.... Yea, the fire is a bit of an issue unless you have the ability to make fabric fire retardant or completely prevent it from catching fire. Although, if you want to show off how flexible some clothing options are, you got an Infernape for that." He was smiling widely, something that Louis had noticed and seemed to feel more at ease. It was nice to see him smile like that. Carefree and full of life. His tone was set between sounding silly and one where he sounded strained in holding in laughter. Louis couldn't exactly figure out what was so funny with seeing a Machoke or an Infernape in clothes, but it apparently was a little hilarious to him.

Miles shook his head and chuckled, coming back from his remark. "I'm joking. It could work, but I don't want to humiliate a Pokemon."

 

[Snowflake_14]

Once Sky had caught up to Arte, she opened her mouth to continue their conversation. However, just as she did so she let out an audible wheeze after her marathon run.

On her take 2 of being a normal human being, she was able to get out an actual sentence (albeit after taking a few moments to kneel to the ground to catch her breath).

"Sorry about that-" Sky said still trying to catch her breath.
"Anyway, yeah now we get to get checked into our hotel rooms! Oooh, I wonder if they'll have a pool or a breakfast kitchen, or maybe even air conditioning-" Sky said, her eyes sparkling as her mind dreamed of the possibilities that may reside in a hotel.

This was her first real-time staying at one, and the only experiences she's had with them were seeing glimpses of very fancy ones on televisions for celebrities. She spent a lot of time admiring celebrities actually. Sky always had huge ambitions to get to a level comparable to the popularity and fame of the people on tv, but because of where she lived, she never really had the chance to make her dreams a reality. Until of course she was given a sack of ultra balls from her mother, which helped her catch her very first Pokemon: Mia the Mincinno. And after that, those two have just gotten stronger and stronger together, even beating the likes of Elesa and obtaining 4 of the 8 Unovan badges.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Sky shouted to Arte, as she had already raced off for the hotel. Did she know what direction this hotel was? Absolutely not. But, despite being out of breath a moment ago, her fire deep inside still burned strong as she continued to run.

 

[Cupcakeus]

As Fiona walked to check into the hotel, she can't shake off the feeling that something is brewing in this tournament, something bad, she looked at Skye, which the the humming pokemon followed with a chirp, "something is wrong here, and I'm not the only one who sees it" Fiona thought to herself, before continuing on to the hotel's desk

After she finished checking into the hotel, she grabbed her room keys, and hopped on the elevator, there was no-one else there so Skye fit herself snugly in one corner, to which Fiona giggled.

When Fiona opened the door to her hotel room, Skye came rushing in, since this was the first extravagant room that the humming pokemon has ever seen, you could tell that she was excited, Fiona followed her Ace pokemon into the bedroom, only to find it bouncing on the bed, "Taria~, Taria~!" Skye chirped loudly, causing Fiona to giggle and immediately shush the pokemon, "stop Skye, you don't know if the people in the other rooms hear you" Fiona jokingly scolded her pokemon, before giggling with it, Skye's plan had worked, the pokemon had seen her trainer looking regretful after leaving the center, so she thought it might be best to cheer her up.

As Skye stopped her shenanigans, Fiona calmed down and finally had time to unpack, going back to the living room to get her bag into the bedroom, she opened the bag, revealing her spare clothes along with her other necessities, Fiona had never felt this relaxed before, maybe it was the bed, or the way Skye cheered her up, but as she rested on the bed, memories of her losing the hoenn tournament came back, she felt uncomfortable again, Fiona sighed remembering her pokemon that she left in the center, "this all better be just a normal tournament" she whispered.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

"Alright, sounds like a plan," Kyran confirmed, his friendly grin remaining as he nodded in approval. "With that settled, I'll be taking my leave now; take all the time you need if you have to deal with any other things or schedule some more interviews beforehand.”

Once he was finished speaking, the trainer gave Teresa a short wave before turning to walk to the hotel, beckoning with a finger for Sage to follow. The Sceptile immediately obeyed, but he abruptly paused to take a brief glance at the journalist and her Luxio, his yellow eyes devoid of neither hostility nor warmth. After a few seconds of the Forest Pokemon staring at them inquistively, Sage finally averted his gaze and hurried back to Kyran's side, and the two disappeared into the mass of trainers that filled the plaza.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

"Hehhhhh, they're accommodating all of the competitors with rooms like these?"

Kyran and Sage had checked in and arrived at their room a few minutes after the encounter with Teresa, and as he let his athletic bag drop to the soft, carpet floor, Kyran let out a fascinated whistle. Both trainer and Pokemon relished the peace and quiet after hours of the clamor that filled the plaza, but the calm was abruptly interrupted by the shrill cry of an Altaria, seemingly coming from the room next door.

After recovering from the brief ringing in his ears, Kyran got to work, organizing his things and preparing for the week-long stay, and once he was finished, he and Sage exited the room and headed to the nearby restaurant, where the interview with Teresa Sparks had been planned. Kyran had also changed into a bit of a business-casual outfit for a more presentable appearance: a black, button-down shirt, khakis, a brown belt, and brown shoes.

The two arrived at a restaurant known as Bountiful Harvest, an establishment known for cuisine based on fresh fruits and vegetables to create a healthy and balanced menu; the chain’s mass produced Pokemon food items were also renowned in stores located in all regions. Upon stepping inside, Kyran asked for a table accommodating two people, and read the newspaper at his seat, waiting for Teresa to arrive before he made an order.

 

[BurbleBurble]

"Pardon me miss, that gentleman giving you a problem?"

Someone was speaking to Sylvi- And at a glance one might think it was her father or something, considering this man too had a head of bright pink hair. Wearing his tropical button up. It would be easy to mistake this man for any other competitor- In fact, Teresa had done exactly this earlier -Except there was clearly a patch that said "Jettison Security" on his otherwise casual clothes, not super noticeable from a distance. A Musharna floated by his side, hovering in peace, magenta mist streaming from it's head.

He displayed a warm smile, which was in sharp contrast to most of the other security officers. Especially the one Wilbur had run into. Well built, average height- Other than his oddball hair, just seemed to be a pretty normal person, despite being associated with the security of the increasingly suspicious tournament.

"Love your hair by the by. Name's Pierce, partner here's Mursha." He reached out a hand for her to shake. "And seriously, was he? I'd rather not have any incidents going down here on the first day."

-----

"Well- Oh." There went Skye again. Despite just having been out of breath, she had run off yet again! Arte was usually an unmotivated boy, but some of the spunky trainer must've rubbed off on him. Losing interest in the multitude of boring pamphlets, he sped out of the Pokémon Center, Sugar forced to hold on.

The two bumped into a particular trainer- Had a Lucario at his side. Sugar had pulled on Arte's hair as he did this. "Ow ow ow- Sugar. Sorry sir." He rubbed the back of his head as he moved on, Sugar releasing his grasp on that wild mane of hair, as per Arte's request. The Cinccino was surprised by the sudden...lucidity, of Arte's statement. A combination of getting his hair pulled and the bump, Sugar assumed. And Arte continued heading towards the hotel. There wasn't much else to go on the island, unless Skye somehow thought the pier or the restaurant were the hotel.

Though if she did get there at the right time, she was just in time to witness Teresa trying to check in. The receptionist here asking similar questions to those on the pier. "Name?"

"Teresa Sparks!" She said with enthusiasm.

The receptionist looked through her papers. "Hmm..."

"...Teresa Stevens. Journalist." Teresa's voice had quickly lost it's enthusiasm.

"Oh yes! Megan called ahead about that. Here you are."

With a keycard of her own in tow, Teresa quickly left to her room, Bandit still by her side. She'd just set up her equipment...And by equipment, that was her laptop, voice recorder, notebook, and...that was it, actually. She didn't expect much as she slid the keycard in the door, stepping into the hotel room. "Holycrapwhat!!"

The hotel room was a real beauty. Pristine, designer, and every other term you could call it- It was crazy. "This is better than our apartment..." Bandit was already making himself comfy on the bed, letting out a satisfied purr. She got to spend a week here, fishing out some fantastic interviews, reporting on battles almost no one else had gone for. This was worth the risk of sneaking out here- She was gonna be sought by all the major publishers.

That being said, she probably should focus on the present. She doubted Kyran would stick around in one place for long- So she needed to be quick. Grabbing her essentials, the voice recorder, notebook...Brushing herself up, making sure her hair was all in place, collar all in place. Alright. Everything was good! It was time. The first interview of many.

"Alrighty Bandit, let's go net this interview while we can!" Despite being the one who alerted her to Kyran, Bandit seemed much more content to continue laying on the very soft comforter. "...And get you lunch." And once again, the less enthusiastic Teresa had gotten her what she needed, the Luxio now convinced into moving.

The trip to the restaurant was uneventful. Aside from one brief conversation. "Gotta show Thief that place when we get back." She told Bandit- Thief being her Shuppet. Kept around mainly because he was cute and did not eat. Nothing Teresa had to pay for, at least.

She arrived, was pointed in the right direction, and yep. There was Kyran, reading a newspaper. "Hello! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." Teresa said, pulling out the chair, taking a seat. Bandit sat by her side, taking a look at the Sceptile who had stared them down earlier. Maybe stare down was a bit of a harsh term, but it wasn't really a friendly glance.

The Luxio was just returning the favor now, really.

 

[SylvitheSylveon]

Sylvi hesitated when the guard tried to shake her hand. He seemed.... friendly. A bit too friendly. It was kind of unsettling.
"He wasn't causing trouble." She added, "At least not for me. He might cause trouble for other competitors though. His name was Pierce... weird name. His attire was more like more like what someone would where on vacation. He just gave off a nicer vibe than the other guard. That didn't make her trust him anymore. Pierce was still part of the security of this horrible tournament. His Musharna... it wasn't usually dangerous. Sometimes Musharna could bring nightmares to life though. The color of its mist was currently magenta, which meant it was safe to be around. If it ever turned black, Sylvi would have to run for her life.
"Now excuse me, I have to check in to the hotel." She left Pierce and his Musharna, and quickly walked to the hotel,
When she arrived at the hotel, she checked in and went up to her room. She was dazzled by the luxurious interior of the room. There was a big TV and a comfortable looking couch at one side of the room, and a bed on the other. There was set of glass doors that led to a balcony. Sunlight poured into the room, filling the room with warmth. Sylveon jumped on the bed, and curled up to sleep. Sylvi yawned. She hadn't slept during the whole boat ride here. A nap didn't sound so bad. Her nightmare interview was at 5 anyway. She collapsed on the king-sized bed. The bed was so soft.... She sighed as everything turned into darkness.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

It had been a handful of minutes before Kyran noticed the journalist hurrying over from his periphery as he peered at the newspaper articles. Quickly folding up the papers and setting them down, he dismissively waved with a friendly grin as she took a seat. Meanwhile, Sage had caught the Luxio's stare from across the table and met the gaze with a cool stare of his own. There had been no detectable tension between the two Pokemon, but Sage intended to make it clear that he wouldn't be the first to avert his eyes.

"No worries; it was only a few minutes," Kyran responded, as he sat upright in his seat. The server who had guided him to the table had also left two menus before leaving him be, and the trainer offered one to Teresa before skimming through it himself.

"Would you like to eat first? Can't have a bad interview with a full stomach, but I'm more than willing to start now if you'd like."

The server suddenly approached the table, asking its two occupants if they were ready to make a drink selection; Kyran responded with a request for a glass of water before returning his attention to the journalist, waiting for her choice now in both itinerary and drink.

(apologies for short post)

 

[comic]

"Say that to some of the modern fashionistas." Celine commented to Miles' remark. "Half-assed clothing they force over unwilling Pokémon. Any 'mon clothing I design is usually tested by Pokémon who volunteer, I can't stand it when people force others, human or not, to do things they don't want to." This seemed to spark some sort of animosity behind Celine's usually gleaming eyes as she recalled something. "You know, back when I was replaced at the height of my work, the girl who they replaced me with? She used actual hides from dead Pokémon. Her best-selling Arbok-scale purse wasn't plucked from any fallen scales of an Arbok, which I would do. No, she had Pokémon killed for her products. You don't hear about stuff like that because the same people who fired me like to keep that sort of stuff hidden from the public eye, and all of it makes me sick."

Seemingly done with her rant, she let out a little sigh, shaking her head in irritation, before landing her eyes back on Miles. "She wanted to buy my Milotic off me, you know. I never even considered it, of course, but... who knows what would have happened to Lavender if I had. That was before I knew the truth, even. She just seemed like a pretty, innocent girl who I thought could have given Lavender everything that I no longer could. Her name was Elista McNair, and it's thanks to her cut-throat methods that she's still part of that business, whereas I'm... eh. Moral of the story is, don't trust anyone, no matter how nice or perfect or innocent they seem. I know I don't. I've got Lavie and I'm happy."
Well... that was somewhat of a lie. Yes, she absolutely adored her only Pokémon, but that didn't mean she didn't miss people. Hell, this entire interaction was pretty nice to Celine, all things considered. Her interactions with people often didn't extend this far, so... it was actually pretty nice.

"Oh. I think it's your turn." Celine commented as the last person in front of them moved away, and the nurse waved them over, her eyes on Miles. "And uh... sorry for dumping all that on you. Probably really sudden, it's just a very stressful business I'm in. Especially if you're an honest and humane worker."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Apparently, Miles' joke opened the gates to whatever Celine had bottled up. His joking manner went away as a more solemn look took over and he watched and listened. Well, that was all he could do. He didn't want to interject, but listen. It was honestly horrifying to know people would kill Pokemon for their skin or body parts to wear. Though, more gory tales of knights using the blades of fallen Haxorus (whether they smote the Haxorus themselves or took it off a corpse, that was never explained) for their axes or the tale of that one dog movie that was made a while ago about a wealthy lady stealing the skin of Pokemon for her fashion were just fiction. But when Celine spoke about her experiences, even name dropping someone, who Miles had seen before, made his blood boil. He heard about this "Elista McNair" before. In fact, she was at some kind of fashion event his parents dragged him to that showed off all the up-and-coming fashionistas. There were a few he liked, but he saw Elista McNair in person. She said something about his Serperior; about how "vibrant his skin" was. That sounded rightly off-putting, but Miles never really thought much of it.

Until now, at least.

When she moved on to how she tried buying Celine's Milotic off her, Miles' eyes widened. When she finished, he quickly said something, hoping to make her feel better. "I'm so glad you still have her. I'd hate to share the same dull, numb eyes with someone I look up to."

Well, now he said it. But he hoped it was vague enough. It was his turn after all. He nodded in thanks and walked up to the lady. Dr. Aisha, was it? She greeted him and asked for his Pokemon.

Oh. He didn't have his other Pokemon.

He checked his pockets and his bag in a way to show that he didn't bring any other Pokemon besides his Serperior. Nonchalantly, he shrugged and looked up at Dr. Aisha apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize this part of the registration was just handing over the rest of the Pokemon. I don't have them on me. Sorry for wasting your time. I'll get out of line now." He walked out of line, allowing Celine to go forward. Louis, who wasn't usually affectionate, slithered back to Miles while a portion of his body rubbed against Celine's leg in comfort before coiling around his trainer. Miles and Louis waited for Celine to finish and walked back to the entrance after Celine was done there.

@comic

 

[BurbleBurble]

Dr. Aisha
The doctor only nodded at Miles, "Yes, no worries. Go ahead." She sort of brushed him off, because he was kind of a waste of time. A few trainers had neglected to bring any other Pokémon, and there was nothing really wrong with that, but gosh was it a bit annoying after saying the same thing to hundreds of people in the day.

That being said, it was finally time for the familiar faced girl to register. "Hey, I'm doctor Aisha, nice to meet you-" And then it clicked. Practically slamming her hands down on the counter. "CELINE! That's who you are! Celine Florence, contests! That's where I've seen you before!" The sudden shift in tone seemed to even get the attention of the Mismagius, who watched her owner having a moment.

"I was looking at you for like the past five minutes, thinking you looked familiar." She chuckled a bit after saying that. "It was really bothering me!" But no, Aisha did remember who Celine was, her charms in contests- Not to mention her majestic Milotic partner. "I didn't know you did battles too. They probably gave me a list of the guests, but I didn't really look over it too much. Oh man, it'd be really awkward if you aren't even her..."

That did just occur to the doctor, that she had just called some poor girl someone completely different. After all, Celine was always a contest star, not like-

Oh, that's why that guy was familiar! He was Kyran Kang the contest and battle star! Wow, a little embarrassing to only pick up on that now. Sure she wasn't really a superfan or anything, but she was still a bit starstruck by both. She even forgot that Kyran threatened her!

-----
Pierce
Pierce gave a jovial wave to Sylvi as she left. "Have a good one!" He said, watching the young trainer run off towards the hotel. "Nice kid, right Mursha?"

The Musharna let out a low noise, like a 'hmm' of agreement. Flitted half lidded eyes, that then shut once again. "Yeah, we've got a good thing here...Not like that last security gig." Ballroom, lights went out halfway through the night. Before that a bunch of wannabe gangsters tried picking a fight. And he got a pittance of pay for that. This though? This was the motherload. It was a nice slice of pie- Maybe nothing compared to what the top trainers were gonna get, but hell if it wasn't a nice fat check. "That being said, we should probably keep our eyes peeled...Me, at least." He said, once again to his Musharna.

He got back to his job, watching out for any troublemakers- And that one guy who hassled the kid. And where was that Daryl? Big guy was pretty hard to miss, being a goliath of a man like he was...

-----
Teresa
Despite being the one who was supposed to be doing the interviewing, Teresa was hit with a double whammy of questions up front. First, Kyran had asked whether or not to get the interview out of the way immediately, and then the waiter showed up and asked about drinks.

Perhaps it was just getting to her now, but it finally dawned on her how important this was. A gym battle article was one thing, but an actual interview- Pretty exclusively, even- It meant a lot. And she meant a lot. And now she was in a real bind. Everything needed to go perfectly, or it was back to being stranded in a northern perma-snowy fate as a shelf stocker for the rest of her days. Maybe that was being dramatic, but hell if it didn't feel that way. And now everything mattered a little too much.

For example, when was the best time to interview, now or after the meal? Was Bandit about to start a fight? Did she want an iced tea, or was she sticking to water? She didn't want to seem like she was nickel and diming him if it costed more! And, and-

...It was paralyzing, and she had been sitting there for a few good seconds not making a response. She had to say something.

"Water! Just a water please." She said, grinning. Heck yeah, nailed it. As the waiter nodded and walked away, she turned back to Kyran. "...And I think after lunch is for the better."

She had the questions in her head already. It was all there, she just needed to make them words and ask them. And that's where it got difficult for her.

"I should probably admit I am a bit nervous," She told Kyran, just getting the obvious out of the way. "It's just I got a little zealous earlier. Kind of chased someone who clearly didn't want to be interviewed...Makes me look a bit desperate. And now with you, kind of the exact opposite. You've been very accommodating, that's the word. Thanks."

-----
Arte
"Sir, a balcony room?"

"Balcony..."

Yet another receptionist had gotten a case of the Artes. Which was to say, the daydreamer was clearly a little spaced out as he got his room key. Maybe trying to think whether or not he'd need one with the amount of Pokémon he had, or perhaps trying to recall what a balcony even was. In either case, he made up his mind.

"Yeah, I guess."

Relieved at this development, the receptionist handed over a card, waved him out of the way, leaving him to look at the number, figure out his way to the room. He lost track of Sky- either through her speed or his negligence, though both likely contributed to that. He glanced out to the inner courtyard, a pool set up, ready for any trainer or slacking employee to take a rest by. Someone was already out there, enjoying a lounge chair- But no one was in the pool yet, water lightly moving in the island breeze.

Arte and Sugar took a moment to watch the poolside- Perhaps taking a moment to soak up the serenity.

Or whatever it was Arte did in those fleeting moments.

 

[comic]

Nice kid. Well, "kid", he was definitely older than her by a few years, but she had a bad habit of viewing closely aged people to her as being, well, younger. Less mature, in a sense. Having been treated like an adult for so long, it was hard for her to put herself on an equal level with most people. A side effect from the days of great fame. Speaking of, the nurse behind the counter with a Mismagius practically screamed out the fashionista's name upon recognizing her.
With a light blush tinging her cheeks, Celine moved forward, grinning brightly, showing off the pearly white, immaculate teeth many photoshoots had taught her were important to maintain. "Nah, you're right. It's me." Celine replied, stopping in front of the counter and leaning almost causally against it. "But I do battle, just not as good as probably most of the folk here. So we give you all spare Pokémon to watch after, right? I'm guessing people with only one Pokémon don't do that, then." As she said this, Celine tugged her only Pokéball from her belt, her shiny Milotic barely noticeable through the semi-transparent red of the ball, shrunk down to fit within. "Just Lavender and me, like always."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Miles watched in amusement as the doctor almost seemed to burst a blood vessel recalling Celine's name, and then going back on it, and then Celine letting her know she was correct. Louis had refocused his attention towards the door, as the people around them were starting to grate on his nerves. It was all too loud, too crowded. And even if he did get returned into his PokeBall, it would still be too loud and his master would get jostled in the crowd. So he stayed, coiled around his master.

What caught Miles' attention the most was how Celine looked at her Milotic with admiration. It couldn't have been from her Milotic's beauty, so it must have been through a really long bond. It also occurred to Miles that Milotic evolved from Feebas, and she likely had Lavender since that time. It reminded him of his Serperior and himself. The bond he and his Grass-Type both shared, even though Serperior was stuck up and no fun. Hell, he even attacked his own master a couple of times with Vine Whip (or later, Leaf Tornado) whenever Miles got a little to excited.

Catching himself from memory lane, Miles called for Celine. "Hey, I'm going to the hotel. Want me to wait for you there?" He had his hands at his hips and his body was angled towards the door by a bit. "Louis is getting a little claustrophobic." This earned him a glare from his Serperior and a light whip with his tail to the back of the head, grunting in response, but not exactly flinching. Just his cheeky smile.

@comic

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran grinned and nodded in understanding as Teresa voiced her concerns. After gathering what he could from these interactions with the 'freelance journalist', he could only assume that this was likely a 'big break' of sorts for her, and it was certainly easy to succumb to the nerves.

"I get it. This event has been shaping up to be pretty big too, so I'd assume any press that can get out from the tournament is gonna be a pretty huge hit back on the other regions. And no problem; I'm pretty flexible with this kind of stuff, so feel free to go about things at whatever pace you prefer, yeah?"

The waiter came back with the requested drinks and asked if the two were ready to order their meals, and he came back once more with their orders after a few more minutes. Kyran and Teresa exchanged some small talk as they ate, and once they were finished, Kyran asked for the check. With the business of food taken care of, Kyran wiped his corners with a napkin and waited for Teresa to get everything settled before they began.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, I'm ready when you are."

 

[SylvitheSylveon]

Sylvi's slowly opened. Wait, where was she? Oh yeah. The Jet Black tournament. She was at the hotel. How long had she been asleep? She immediately checked her Rotomphone. She had only been asleep for ten minutes. Sylvi sighed in relief. She had a reputation for sleeping a lot. Someone one had said she slept longer than a Snorlax. There was still hours left before her interview. Since she had a lot of time, she could explore the hotel or something. Sylveon was still sleeping so she reached for Gardevoir's Pokeball, only to remember Gardevoir was with the caretakers. She then realized she had slept in her coat. She'd gotten so used to wearing it she sometimes forgot to take it off. Sylvi then remembered seeing Celine at the Pokemon center. Would Celine notice her if she wore this? Surely Celine wouldn't find her. It was a big tournament, after all. She shook Sylveon awake. "C'mon. We gotta explore the hotel."
When she went down to the lobby, where she saw someone with long blonde hair with a Cincinno. "Oh hey. You were Arte, right?"

 

[BurbleBurble]

Doctor Aisha

"Well, that's a relief!" Aisha chuckled again, "That being said, I forgot you only had one. Well, what wasn't broken didn't need fixing I suppose." The doctor had previously assumed that Celine had simply been using her most glamourous Pokémon the entire time, but it turned out she only had Lavender. Now the Doctor was only a doctor, but she did wonder if a lack of variety may of sunk the girl's contest career. The doctor wasn't a trainer or contest star, and even she had a few more than her Missy. Her little Beautifly, lil' Budew...Okay, she didn't have very high maintenance Pokémon like a Milotic, so maybe that could be justified. "Your all good to go, ready for that tournament tomorrow."

Still, she left an impact on some people. Such as Aisha herself- While she had never been a contest star, it was her childhood dream. She had kept a cursory interest in them, something she shared with her son. And her son...well, a real wanderer type, that kid. Definitely not notable enough to be in the tournament, but he had his own things to tend to, she was sure.

"I'll see about catching a few of those battles, though I'm sure I'll have my hands full here. Have a good one, and good luck!" And with that, the Doctor returned to her job, introducing herself to the next fella in line. Which was steadily decreasing in size, much to her relief.

-----
Teresa

That was reassuring. Teresa thanked him again for his understanding, which was really the least she could commend him on. That being said, he was right about he presses wanting stuff. Where were they, waiting for the official start of the tournament? She couldn't of been the only one with a tip, right? She was just a freelancer- a big news corporation like Jubilife TV should've been all over it! Of course, she couldn't throw an opportunity to the wind just for being a little suspicious.

So she ate her salad, talked the small talk, made sure Bandit had his lunch too. Brainstormed a few more questions.

And when Kyran was ready, so was she. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. It was time! Clicked on her voice recorder, placing it center of the table. The restaurant was still rather unpopulated, which was to the benefit of the interview.

"I'm going to ask a somewhat generic question to start things off," Teresa began. "You originally travelled and competed in the Hoenn league and contests, and then went towards Sinnoh. It's not unheard of at all for trainers to go for another region after a loss in the league. What I'm curious about, is there anything that attracted you to Sinnoh in particular?"

To Teresa, Sinnoh wasn't quite a big spot for battles, but maybe for contests. But a lot of people were drawn to Sinnoh for the 'mystique', the exploration, the wilderness. She was curious whether or not Kyran was specifically looking for that sort of thing- or maybe just choosing on a whim.

-----
Arte

A young girl had piped up beside him. Called out his name. He and Sugar looked to see the source- the girl with the Sylveon. "Yeah, that's me. They got a pool here." Arte gestured outside. "Might go in later. I live in Virbank, so like, I smell sea salt all the time. But uh, chlorine's a nice smell too."

Even Sugar was side-eyeing Arte for that. The Cinccino was pretty well acquainted with his trainer's weirdness, but even then he found ways to surprise him. "Uh, so that reporter lady earlier seemed a bit pushy, yeah?" He brought up that encounter. "Like, did she want an interview with me, or you...?" Arte had been pulled for an interview once or twice before, sure. It went about as well as any conversation with Arte would go.

"I mean, not against it. Just don't get called for, like, any interviews. Like one time, right?" He had started going off on a story now. "Totally blanked on a question. They asked about my Pokémon, and I just went off on a story about my Torkoal. Name's Pepper. I thought it was a special modern kind of Tirtouga or something, and I was going on about it. Halfway through they told me that no, I had a Torkoal the entire time, which were discovered and recorded for over five hundred years. And uh, they stopped the interview."

This was about the most accurate story Arte had said all day.

 

[comic]

She gave a friendly smile. "Thanks, you too." With that, she turned and was immediately called to by Miles, her eyes picking him out from the waning sea of people. Rather than yell back, she weaved her way back to him, offering a shrug when she was near enough. "I don't blame him. I think I can smell everyone's breath in here. If you're headed to the hotel, don't wait up on account of me. I'm gonna do some exploring of my own. Nice meetin' ya, though." She winked at him, before skipping off, disappearing in the crowd as she made her way back outside.

 

[silverwind2020]

Cole, after signing in and going to sleep for a while, woke up. "Oh, CRAP. THE JET BLACK TOURNAMENT!" He exclaimed. He grabbed his partner, Cinderace's Pokeball and ran out of his room. Once he got on the lower level, there was a crowd of people. He managed to slide through and run out of the door, heading for the Tournament.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Miles nodded with a huge smile on his face and gave her a goodbye wave, his Serperior waving his tail lazily. When she winked at him, Miles felt his cheeks flush a deep pink before he tried his best to dispel that away. He had seen her wink many times in commercials. I guess that was just more personal since they were becoming friends. Still though, having a fashion idol as your friend, no matter how forgotten, was still an achievement he was totally going to use when he got back to Unova.

But now it was time to head to the hotel. It was a rather uneventful walk and registration. He was given a key after registering and his room was on the second floor of the building. Though, the room was rather amazing and luxurious and he couldn't wait to sleep in it tonight. Or just sit there staring at the wall or ceiling if he couldn't sleep, which seven times out of ten does happen. After making sure everything was in order in the bedroom, he walked out of the hotel and began his exploration of the surrounding area. He saw the pool and the beach and the restaurants and everything else. But he wasn't so sure what to do. He guessed he might just wander around until he-

He bumped into someone. Someone large. Looking up, he saw the guy had pink hair and a Musharna by his side. He looked like a tourist, but he was nice and raised his hands up in apology, his Serperior looking at the Musharna with some familiarity. They were both Unovan species. "Oh, sorry about that, sir. My bad. Should have paid more attention." That pink hair reminded him of someone. A challenger? "Hey, are you that pink-haired girl's dad or something?"

@BurbleBurble

 

[BurbleBurble]

Cole would find himself on a path past the hotel- A few stray signs seemed to point towards the conference center, where the tournament itself was being held. It was a separate, bulky building, colored in the same white and gold aesthetic the hotel proudly displayed. A lone van sat outside the venue, a few crewmen moving cameras and other equipment in through an unassuming side door- Though presumably anyone else was supposed to enter in the main double doors, which were large, see-through, and rather inviting.

However, Cole would be stopped by someone. A hand on his shoulder. And a glance back- Once again, the big guy on the security team. 'Daryl' on his name tag, loyal Houndoom by his side. And he was a real big guy- Probably a good few feet on the kids. "Excuse me," He began, only looking down at the kid with one eye, the other covered by his hair. "I don't believe you're supposed to be here."

-----
Pierce

Pierce had stopped off to the side, Musharna halting too. "Y'know Mursha? I could use a smoke." The Pokémon made a humming noise, as if disapproving of his choices, but it didn't stop the security officer. He pulled out a small box of cigarettes, went to pull one out, when he got bumped into. And there went the cig, into the grasses. The person who bumped him seemed to another competitor, who did apologize. "Ah, nah, my fault! I should've found a better place to take a break. Besides, I need to knock the habit anyways."

As he picked up the cigarette, and stashed it back away, he got a good look at the kid. Wasn't the guy hassling the girl earlier, but he did bring her up. Thought he was her dad. To which Pierce laughed. "Ha, no, I'm no parent yet! Did see her though. Seems like a nice kid, but some dude was giving her grief. Said she didn't want me to get involved, but I don't need any trouble between trainers here, y'know? I work security here on the island, for context. Name's Pierce, by the by. Pleasure to meet ya." He extended a hand out for Miles to shake.

Mursha meanwhile turned towards Louis, with another hum. Perhaps thanking the Serperior, or it's trainer, for stopping her trainer from indulging in his harmful hobby. Either way, it wasn't like some of the other encounters with the staff's Pokémon so far.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

"...Is there anything that attracted you to Sinnoh in particular?"

As soon as Teresa had started the voice recorder, Kyran listened attentively and thought for a moment before giving his answer. Meanwhile, Sage and Bandit were still locked in a silent stare-down after promptly finishing their own meals. Pausing for a few seconds, Kyran formulated an acceptable response and began speaking.

"To be honest, there was quite a number of things; for one, there's the undeniable allure of the region and what it offers, without even mentioning the battling and coordinating scene. You hear all the time about trainers who just want to travel to any part of Sinnoh and clear their mind; it's an absolutely beautiful place, and it was no different for me. Although, I do have to say that it was also a dream of my late grandfather to see Mount Coronet, so that was the first thing I did upon arriving."

Kyran let out a wistful chuckle before continuing, reminiscing briefly on the memories of training and learning about Pokemon with his grandfather.

"Overall, it wasn't so much wanting to travel after losing at the Hoenn League as it was simply building up experience as a trainer and coordinator with my Pokemon; pre-existing factors helped to make the decision of where for me."

 

[silverwind2020]

"Uhh..uhmm..crap..." Cole stammered. A beam of energy suddenly emerged from Cole's bag, finally forming into Cinderace. Cinderace got into a stance, as it was ready to protect it's trainer. "Ace! Ba! Esuuu!" Cinderace exclaimed. "Wait, no, Cinderace, stop." Cole said. Cinderace would chill out a bit, but still be tense. Cole then started to talk. "Sorry about Cinderace. When I exited the hotel, I remembered the tournament wasn't until tommorow, so I came here to check out the battlefield and see how I could use my surroundings to my advantage in battle. Sorry about the confrontation again."

Admin Edit: Fixed that random future tense for you. << Do not do that again.

 

[SylvitheSylveon]

Sylvi sighed.
"Reporters. All of them are the same. They just want all the information so they can create an interesting story they like. If you refuse, they'll just use force. And if you're not interesting enough, they just stop. For example, when you said think Torkoal is a modern Tirtogua, they probably thought, 'Uuuh, modern Tirtoguas? Uuuh, he said something wrong, he must be an idiot', or something along those lines. They expect you to know everything if you're a good trainer."
She paused. She was rambling again.
"Sorry." She aplogized. "I don't usually talk this much."
"Uuuh by the way... that reporter kind of forced for you to do a interview. After I ran away from her, she told me to bring you for an interview. Sorry."
Now Sylveon had seen everything. It saw its trainer maintain a full conversation with another human being and even apologize, not once but twice. The longest thing Sylveon had heard Sylvi say to another human before was, "You suck."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Miles found it rather interesting to see someone smoking or desiring to. Not that he had never seen bikers back in Unova or Kanto smoke, but it was rather rare to see someone smoke nowadays. He watched as the man stashed his cigarette and then laugh at the mistaken identity he had given him. After learning he was a security guard, and a rather chill one at that, Miles smiled wide and returned the handshake with a firm squeeze. "Nice to meet you, Pierce. I'm Miles. A challenger here." He wasn't so sure if he should ask why there were only people here who were almost famous, but it was worth a shot. After he retracted his hand (if that was possible), he asked Pierce this question. "Why is everyone here slightly famous, but not as famous or have been forgotten? You'd think there'd be more news reporters and actual famous people here. I wouldn't expect the likes of Alder or Iris to be here, but at least someone famous, like past Champions."

Louis tilted his head at the Musharna before nodding and hissing in his way of saying "you're welcome". While he knew that habits were that of human affairs, he did know what it was like to be thrown into circumstances he didn't want to be a part of.

@BurbleBurble

 

[BurbleBurble]

Teresa

Well now she just felt a bit bad. Of course when you lived in a place, you ended up taking it for granted, but for others it may of been breathtaking! And even if Teresa had never been up the mountain in particular, she was still certain it was a fantastic view that she- and many others -would never get the chance to see. It was an excellent answer, but perhaps a bit more personal than she expected.

"I see...It's always interesting to see what brings people to one region over another, trainer or otherwise. I'm certain the view from the mountains is quite beautiful."

Letting Kyran get any closing thoughts in about the mountain view, Teresa moved on to another question.

"So moving on...So, for this tournament, you were only able to choose a single Pokémon to battle with. Obviously you've chosen your Sceptile," She gestured to Sage. "Would you mind elaborating on the bond you two share?"

-----
Arte

Sylvi had some sympathy for the somewhat dull trainer, which was not necessarily misplaced but perhaps a bit too generous.

"Yeah, can't really blame them on thinking that though, I mean, there was a lot of signs. And I uh, own a Tirtouga. Well actually he's a Carracosta now. His name's Seasalt. He almost bit my hand off once." Either forgetting his last story or simply wanting to start anew, Arte had gone on to his next story. "So Seasalt had just evolved, right? We were on the Undella coast, and one of the Pokémon that always live around there is Krabby. They aren't in Virbank, so like I'm totally fascinated by them. And I needed Seasalt to ride out far enough to see them...So I grabbed a Krabby up in my hands, just good enough so that it couldn't pinch me. So I'm holding it, and it looks like Seasalt wanted to look at it. And the Krabby starts getting real squirmy, doesn't like Seasalt at all. So I still ended up putting it close, the Krabby goes wild. I let go at the last second, and Seasalt freaking crushed that Krabby."

Arte tried to make a visual for Sylvi. "One second there's a Krabby, and then-" He clapped his hands together. "Bam, it's in Seasalt's mouth, and I'm like 'Seasalt man, I liked that Krabby, why did you eat it!' and then later that night I realized if I didn't let go of the Krabby Seasalt would've totally crushed my hand too."

Sugar looked incredulously at his trainer. Then to Sylvi. And her Sylveon. It was the first time Arte had gone off on that particular story, to the Cinccino's particular disbelief.

"Oh right, that reporter, that's what we were talking about." Arte returned to the conversation at hand. "Yeah, that's fine though. I don't mind an interview. But like, people sometimes do mind when I'm the one being interviewed."

-----
Daryl

Daryl's faithful Houndoom companion let out a fierce growl, as if to meet the Cinderace's own protective grunts. Though she quickly stopped as the security guard brought up her name. "Doris, stop that." He sternly commanded, unfettered by the Cinderace. The kid seemed apologetic, and didn't seem to necessarily be snooping or anything of the sort. "Hmm..." Daryl squinted at him, before pulling out a walkie-talkie, speaking into it.

"Hey, I got a kid here looking to get a look at the arena..." A static voice came through the other end, to which Daryl replied, "You sure?" The voice continued on. "...Alright."

Stashing the walkie away, Daryl looked at the kid. "Alright kid. You're allowed to get a look at it, I'm gonna have to escort you though."

-----
Pierce

Breaking off the handshake, Pierce did listen to the question. For a moment his smile faltered, replaced with a more neutral one as he thought on the question. "Ah...That is a good question." He gave Miles. "I guess it is a little weird, huh? Unfortunately though, I wasn't the guy they hired to make the lists or send out the invites. That's above my paygrade I'm afraid!" He shrugged, "If I had to guess, either they assumed the real famous folks were too busy for a tournament like this, or maybe wanted to give some of the...well, smaller guys a chance." Pierce took a glance at the crowd, looking at the various unfamiliar faces.

"Not everyone has the cash to deck out their teams. All the fanciest stuff, things like mega stones, Z crystals, those dynamax bands they use in Galar...It all gets very expensive over time. People who have the time, money, or real luck to nab those things may be skilled, but even those who don't might still have those skills, y'know?" Pierce tried to rationalize. "So they take a couple here, and the real skilled end up putting on a good show! They get to go home with a bundle of prizes and new found fame. But hey, I'm just the chump they got working security, so what do I know?"

Just then, there was a static coated voice from a radio affixed to his belt. "Ah! Pardon me..." He told Miles, rising a finger up as he started responding to it. "Get a look at the arena? Nothing wrong with that, just go with the kid." A short response on the other end. "Yeah I'm sure. Just don't get in the way of the guys setting up."

He stashed it back on his belt as he turned back to Miles. "Sorry about that, but yeah I don't have a concrete answer to the question. I could bring it up to my boss, but no promises on any sort of answer for that either."

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Following Teresa's hand as she gestured toward Sage, Kyran's already friendly demeanor seemed to only grow in warmth when asked the journalist's next question. The trainer playfully chopped the Sceptile's neck with a grin before returning his attention to Teresa and speaking once more.

"Not at all. When I moved to my grandparents' house in Rustboro from Littleroot, the first thing they did was enroll me in Roxanne's Trainer School. Training and spending time with Pokemon had always been something I was certain I wanted to pursue long-term, and albeit somewhat harshly sometimes, my grandfather ensured that I had never slacked off or lost my passion. I can say with utmost certainty that without his discipline and my grandmother's support, I wouldn't even be ten percent of the trainer and coordinator I am today.

But I digress; the first thing my grandparents did when I arrived was give me an egg they had recently discovered. They had entrusted it to me and constantly made sure I was always taking care of it as well as focusing on my studies. It hatched about two years after I received it, and we'd been inseparable ever since.

I like to believe that our bond was mainly forged through the fun we had just spending time together. Whether it was battling, trying to emulate something super cool we'd seen at Contests or on the TV, we were always doing something, just interacting and learning new things. It's been quite the journey so far, paved with its fair share of both wins and losses, but Sage and I have been there for each other the entire time, and I have him to thank for staying with me this long."

Sage, having listened in, rolled his eyes and flicked his trainer's head before laying down on the soft carpet next to Kyran's chair. As the Forest Pokemon relaxed and rested his head on his arms, he continued to keep an eye on Bandit, almost as if silently warning the smaller Pokemon not to try anything dumb.

 

[BegalBitez]

Late like always, Sasha was flying through the sky on Swoobat as fast as possible. The tournament started tomorrow and he had to make the deadline to register. Being invited was finally a chance to prove he has the ability to be a champion, a dream he had for a long time, fulfilling his father's wish to succeed him in being the top trainer in a region. He needed something more than just training alone, having his pokemon spar with eachother, he didn't need random trainers that he came upon on his travels, they were too easy to beat. And after his close defeat from Steven, he knew he just needed to battle other well known trainers from other regions to give him the strategies he needed.

After about an hour he finally landed and started sprinting towards the reception desk. He passed several other trainers walking and talking about with one another and almost barreled over one. Almost out of breath he reached the reception desk and breathed heavily,
"Sasha.....Yamoto.....checking....in."

The woman at the desk seemed unsurprised. Sasha always had a bad habit of showing up way too close to the time he needed to be somewhere, he gained a reputation of it, and it seems that's partially what he is known for.
"Alright Mr. Yamoto, which pokemon are you picking for the tournament?"

"I have a list of my team right here. I'll just need to go to the PC to switch out Swoobat for Flash." He said.

"Oh, you're only allowed 1 pokemon, not multiple Mr. Yamoto." She mentioned.

Sasha stood there thinking, who should he pick. Bulk was great as a tank for most people. Flash's speed proved to beat many strong pokemon. And Chase was his technical Ace for most battles. His backpack shook and out came a flash.

"Rio, car lu ri." Lucario said sternly.
"I'll battle. It will be like old times." He said in Sasha's head.

"I'll choose Lucario as my pokemon." Sasha exclaimed..

"OK, please deposit all other mons in the pc, we want to ensure you are not cheating at the tournament, nothing to worry about, it's just for safety." The clerk assured.

So Sasha dropped off his other mons.
"Be safe and rest my friends, we will battle once again, but you'll have to trust Lucario to win. Cheer for us while your not with us, we'll need all the luck we can get."

So after giving the pokecenter people his pokeballs. He received his room key and walked with Lucario to his dorm. Hopeful for the next day of the tournament, and really tired after rushing to get to the stadium. So, he crashed in his bed and fell asleep after being exhausted, and dreaming of him battling in the tournament and proving he was the best trainer.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Miles listened intently and felt a little disappointed with the answer given, as the man wouldn't have known. Of course he wouldn't. He was just a guard. Though, Pierce did agree with him that it was rather weird. As he talked, Miles noticed that he hardly knew anybody here. Yea, there were a few namedrops that faded away into obscurity as quickly as they were mentioned, but he couldn't put the names to the faces. There were a few he recognized from Unova and Kanto, but he didn't know their names and why they got chosen. But maybe they were just here for the fame and goodies for winning. Like maybe they just lost their chance like he lost his.

However, his reverie got interrupted as Pierce took a call on his radio. With a raised eyebrow, he curiously watched, but he didn't want to pry just in case it was something serious. Something about a kid going into the arena that was still being set up? He guessed it was probably just too dangerous for anybody to go waltzing in when people were setting things up, especially if they were rather large structures.

Then Pierce changed his attention back to what they were talking about and reiterated he had no idea. Well, that was fine. Miles just shrugged a little. "Ah, well I wouldn't have expected there to be a good answer. But you don't have to ask your boss about it. I was just curious is all. I just found it rather odd. Anyway, I don't want to keep you from your job. I'll probably see you later. Goodbye, Pierce and Musharna. It was nice meeting you two."

With that, he walked off, unsure of where to go next, but he was just going to let his aimless feet take him somewhere. Louis slithered on behind him, waving his tail at the two as he left.

Now, where to? He was getting a little hungry. He decided to head to a restaurant and sat down. Louis sat on the opposite side of the small table. It was then that he noticed someone from the corner of his eye. A man with a Sceptile and a woman with a Luxio....

It's that reporter again...

He decided not to bring too much attention to himself and just ordered something simple for him and his Serperior, hoping he could eat and leave before her interview ended.

@BurbleBurble @OmnipotentOnion

 

[BurbleBurble]

Teresa

The Trainer's School aspect was something rather unique to Teresa- She had heard rumblings of a more casual one all the way off in Jubilife, though Roxanne's was particularly unique in having a gym leader as a teacher. Wasn't something too worth dwelling on, but it could make an interesting footnote more or later.

The actual answer to her question wasn't anything atypical. He had a strong bond with his Pokémon because he had raised it since it had hatched. They copied cool things they saw on televised events. Simple sweet words, which seemed to annoy the oversized reptile, giving a mild flick at Kyran. Teresa let out a small snort.

"I certainly understand that. Me and Bandit were used to getting into trouble. Haven't known him since he was an egg, but I also don't remember much time not having him at my side...We do still get into trouble, but hey, that's just a part of the job!" She nervously laughed. Press passes didn't get you everywhere. Especially when they had the caveat of not being real. "Anyways, if you had to choose one moment from your career or life, any moment at all. What moment would you think helped really galvanize that you were doing what you wanted to do? That this was something you had to do?"

As Teresa asked her questions, Bandit had gone back to watching Sage. Though he quickly lost interest as a new large target entered, not far from them at all. Big snake, leafy and royal. And another reptile, just like the lizard companion of the interviewee. His tail whipped excitedly.

Here came that 'stupid thing' Sage was looking for.

-----
Pierce

"Yeah, take care!" The Security guard said, giving a wave to the trainer. Mursha gave off yet another satisfied hum, though it was undercut by her immediately sensing Pierce pulling out his cigs again. A more wistful hum sounded from the dreaming Pokémon. "Hey, come on Mursha. You didn't think I was really gonna stop, right?"

He quickly lit it, took a draw, and puffed out smoke. "I can't smoke around that Daryl guy anymore, Mursha." He said to his Pokémon, as if venting to her actually had any impact. Not to mention her opinion on his smoking. "Bugs the crap out of me. Says 'do that somewhere else. You'll give Doris cancer.'" He mocked Daryl's tone, gravelly and cold. "Can Houndooms even get cancer? From secondhand smoke? Like, it's a fire type. They learn a whole technique about smokescreens!"

Mursha hummed again. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Bad for my teeth, bad for my lungs, etcetera etcetera. But that Daryl just rubs me the wrong way. Sure seems all high and mighty, but you know? He's an ex-ranger! And rangers don't exactly come around out of money. Guess the passion ran out." Another hum from the Musharna. "Alright, fine, I get it. No need for me to be a hypocrite."

He took another draw of the cig. "Guess the thing me and him share is that we're both here for the cash."

 

[silverwind2020]

He walked with Daryl toward the Battlefield. "This is gonna be so cool!" He exclaimed. Cinderace followed him, it's expression sharing the same glee. "Cinderace, I promise that I'll find you that Pyro Ball combo you want." He said, and Cinderace cheered. While walking, or, now, running, he looked back to Daryl and his Houndoom. "They seem tough." He thought. "Maybe we'll fight them in the tournament, too!" He thought. He kept walking with Cinderace while he thought.