Galarian Stories | IC Thread

80f7a8acf0515e959084b2c8aab03ee3.png

Mentions:​
Everyone made good points, and gave about the response he expected. None of them wanted to sit idly by or risk the backlash that would come from doing nothing. He knew the Chairman would be unhappy with what they were wanting to do, but they were all grown adults. What could he really say or do that would stop them from trying to help? What Ezran had not expected, though he supposed he should have, was the suggestion from Charles of appointing an interim champion. That did not seem like a good decision for the exact reasons that were stated by both the twins, and Nordrin shortly after. The cops had nothing, the people and the media of Galar were in a frenzy, and they were being shunted to the sidelines to act as if everything was completely fine. No way this could end well.

He sat up a bit straighter in his chair, arms still crossed but now resting on the table in front of him. "There's no good solution here, or definitive answer, but we've still gotta decide what we're doin'. We can't be in conflict with each other about what we can or cannot do if something is going to be done to help Victoria. We can't be fighting amongst ourselves when there's a bigger picture here." He nodded towards the fairy type leader, "And to Nordrin's point, the media is going to spin this story whatever way they want to. The best we can do is damage control and make sure the people know that everything possible is being done to find the champion. Minimize panic and all that."

He'd dealt with the media, they all had. They'd run the information they had that would cause the most buzz, get the most people interested and involved in whatever story they wanted to tell. As terrible as it might seem, they were going to take the story of Victoria's disappearance and run with it unless something was done, and quickly. The last thing that they needed was the distraction of keeping the public calm when their time could be better spent doing something more productive.

5694f80078835ff503ceb337b9c88623.png

Mentions:​
Silas sighed and leaned back into the chair, the usually bright smile on his face completely gone and replaced with a frown. Fiona responded to his question with what could be a plausible answer. "If her house was a wreck as the Chairman says then something more has to be going on with it. Either there was a fight of sorts or whoever took her was looking for something more." He chuckled, though somewhat humorlessly, "You've got a point about the police's battling skills though." Not sure how much luck they'd really have if they did encounter the person responsible. Clearly their investigation skills weren't much better as they'd come up with nothing in the number of days they'd been investigating.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as the others said their piece. This was much more than he'd expected when Victoria hadn't shown up to the opening ceremony, and it was so much worse than he had hoped. "We're just going to have to accept the fact that people are going to be upset no matter what we do. There will be those who say us getting involved is interfering with the investigation, but if we don't others will be asking why we're doing nothing." He gestured to both the twins next to him, "Aron and Lynn both make good points. An interim champion won't hold they same respect, and people may end up questioning why we didn't postpone the season until Victoria was found. Working with the police, not on our own, could be our best bet."

He could understand the Chairman's concern, none of them wanted to find out that another of their own had been taken, and sending them off to go about their daily lives seemed the most likely way that something like that would occur. "If anything at all, while we don't need bodyguards, none of us should go anywhere alone. If whoever these people are could take Victoria then we all need to be cautious and watch out for each other." Going with what was effectively a buddy system may seem somewhat childish, but it would be easier to keep track of everyone that way. He personally didn't want to sit by and watch while the investigation stalled, so if that meant having one of the other leaders hanging around so be it.
 
xU168SD.png

Location: Amaranth Tower
Interact(s): Amaranth, Hestia (@Luminosity )
Mention(s): kinda everyone, but not really lol

Fraye couldn't shake the feeling of dread slowly slowly beginning to weigh down on his mood. The weather, the atmosphere, and even the presence of his fellow gym leaders all seemed to point to impending bad news. Still, he kept his head up. There were far worse people to be surrounded by and he really couldn't feel too bad surrounded by friends and colleagues. So, keeping a stiff upper lip, he greeted the others, giving smiles. nods, waves, and the like as everyone seemed to say their hellos.

It wasn't like the fighting-type gym leader was one to let things keep him down. Hell, if he was, he wouldn't be on his way to a championship with the GBA (hopefully).

The blue haired gym leader leaned back, his foot planted firmly against the edge of the table, rocking back and forth in his seat, always pushing back just far enough to not risk falling backward. He was still relatively relaxed, chipper even, despite the news. Unfortunately, the day seemed to be determined on souring his mood. Amaranth's news was about as bad as he could have expected.

"Right then, alls we go-"

Although he'd begun to speak, Fraye was quickly halted by the command from Amaranth. His seat dropped forward, the two front legs colliding with the floor with a noticeable thud. He sat silently for a moment, shocked and repeating the older man's words in his mind over and over. It was as though Fraye was trying to make sense of an exceedingly difficult math problem. He was frustrated, angry even, evident in the clenching and unclenching of the fist resting against the flat top of the table. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly quieted down as the others took turns airing their concerns. It certainly made calming down a lot easier when he was forced to think about things.

Things had just gotten quiet when the sound of Fraye clicking his tongue cut the tension. "All in all, I'd say workin alongside the police'd be a waste'a time, too much red tape an all," he paused for a moment before shrugging and continuing, "but then again, it ain't like I'd fight ya on the decision." It was far more likely that he'd go off on his own anyway. "Although I'd hafta decline anyone trynna stick me with a bodyguard. No point in payin someone t'do a job I can do well enough all by my lonesome." Fraye lifted his right arm, his fist clothes as he flexed and patted the bicep with his left hand. "An if I'm havin any trouble, I've always got my pals with me."

There was nobody else he could trust more than his Pokémon after all.

"'Sides, maybe we'll get lucky and find out Hestia there's gone and swept up Vicky,"
he snickered lightly as he motioned toward the Fire specialist Gym Leader. "Ya know, she was real keen on becomin champ." Laughing a little more heartily, Fraye shook his head. He was sure there'd be some form of retaliation, if not now later, but he continued anyway.

"Jokes aside, ya oughta look inta puttin the truth out. Least then ya got a chance'a controllin the story. If ya wait, or god forbid someone else takes advantage'a it..." He trailed off. It wasn't that impossible a thought. If they didn't find Victoria in time, if the media (those PMZ bastards in particular) decided to run a story, or hell if they did find Victoria and she was... He shook his head. "Any way ya slice it, ya gonna hafta pick a fight. Might as well be the one ya got a chance'a winnin is all I'm sayin."




i7cUxxx.png

Location: Amaranth Tower
Interaction(s): Amaranth
Mention(s): The others, sort of.

How could she have let this happen? Well, of course, she knew how this happened, and yet she found herself wondering all the same.

Cora had been so involved with her investigation into a Dynamax energy surge, that she'd completely forgotten about the meeting... and the oncoming storm. If she was correct, it could have been an undiscovered power spot. She was just now bringing data she'd collected to the man she believed would be able to help her best make use of the new location. Harnessing that power, perhaps even building a new stadium, a town or city even, would certainly help in the betterment of the Galar region. Plus, it would have made for a nice little settling space for the Rock-type specialist.

Oh who was she kidding, she loved bring her little caravan with her wherever she went. A leader was nothing without her gym, a scientist nothing without her lab, and an adventure nothing without a place to put her feat up. Since Cora was all of those things, it was only natural her home fit into each station. She would never be caught unawares. Besides, the added bonus of her little game of hide and seek, her gym challenge as it were, was always a plus. Trainers ready to take a crack at her always needed to find her first. Even better still, she could have added the newly discovered power spot to her map of unexpected locations. She'd gotten so involved, she hadn't even realized the time, let alone the day.

"Mr. Amaranth, I think you'd like to see..." Her voice cut off as she abruptly entered the meeting room she'd been ushered to only to find other gym leaders, major and minor alike. She blinked a few times, looking on over the group, the room seeming tense. For a moment the only sound ringing through the room was that of the water dripping off her hair and and from her rain jacket onto the floor. "Either you've all also come to look into... no... of course not. This must be..." She seemed to grow quiet for a moment, thinking and mumbling to herself.

Then, almost as abruptly as the girl had entered the room, she spoke once more. "Has a decision been reached regarding what to do about our missing champion? Will we begin acting on the assumption that we may not find her alive and well? Is there a plan in motion regarding what to do about this years Gym Challenge?" Almost immediately she seemed to have shifted to a more serious demeanor, not letting her slight embarrassment bar her from asking questions she felt imperative given the circumstances.
 
XHPPrTi.png


Clorin Esbeau had only caught the important bits of the meeting from his domain in the corner of the room. With one foot crossed over the other, the eyes of the artist had been laser-focused on the Rotom Pad cradled in his left arm, leaning against the wall as his pen hand scrawled busily over the blank layer. Having memorized the forensic photography from the scene of Victoria's ransacked home, he had spent a majority of the assembly sketching the probable scenarios that had come to pass with what information he could garner from the pictures. "A battle did occur," he mumbled quietly to himself as he tried to envision himself in the past moment. His mind sculpted the image of Victoria's Krookodile over the footprints that were scattered around the scorched floor, tapping the end of the stylus against his forehead. "But it wasn't just Pokemon. She also fought back," he noted the few splotches of blood that became numerous in closer proximity.

"Unacceptable!"

Clorin's composure shattered when the usually-tranquil Malik Harvey shouted towards the Chairman, springing up from the seat with his palms slamming against the table in a sudden reaction that even scared the Espeon that leapt from his lap. "You want us to just, sod off while she's gone?! She's my friend! We were..." Clorin looked up to see the uncharacteristic anger on Malik's face deflate along with his words, watching the other gym leader shake his head with closed eyes and quickly sitting back down. "... Apologies, Chairman."

Sighing, Clorin shut off his Rotom Pad and quickly rearranged it into pocket mode for storage, taking a few steps towards the conference table. "They'll chatter about, regardless of what we decide to do," the male crossed his arms together, referring to the buzz that was rampaging all over the media networks. All of his posts involving any mention or feature of Victoria were gaining more traction; hell, even one of his older paintings of the Champion sleeping over a bed of rose thorns was being filled with questions on her whereabouts. "Whatever the case may be, I'm in agreement of cancelling, or at least, delaying, the Gym Challenge for an indefinite period. Who knows if her captors've already taken her to an entirely different region by now?"

"Well,"
Malik placed his phone down beside the startled Espeon, comforting it with a few head pats as he stared resolutely between the rest of the gym leaders in attendance. "I ain't acceptin' a single challenge 'till Victoria's found, safe and sound. Only battle I got is for those abductors."
 
f1b18fc5596a8d6bf53148d08b06418a.png

MENTIONS: Everyone
Before she could even say a word, the whole room had erupted into a cacophany of protests and aggression. There were only a few times in her career that she remained silent, and this was one of them. Everyone was tense and practically at Amaranth's neck. Glancing over at the chairman, she noted the red hue that flourished over his typically serene features. Cereus, of course, was naturally huffing and puffing at the delirium in front of him. Should she take the chance and be the one to calm the fire that blazed within those four corners? She cleared her throat as she prepared to utter a level-headed suggestion, only for her words to catch in her throat as Fraye suggested that she was the one that was at fault for Victoria's disappearance. Fury welled deep in her chest as she reached forward to grab the glass candle holder in front of her, lifting out of her chair as her arm reeled back. "Why you cheeky fuck--" she roared, taking aim at the blue-haired gym leader.

"Put a sock in it, will you?!" Cereus suddenly shouted. His hands came roughly down upon the table, his eyes green fires as that smoldered at everyone. "Let the Chairman speak!"

The Chairman in question was quiet for a few seconds. Slowly, the red in his face faded away, though it left his glasses somewhat foggy. A harsh cough left his lips as he removed the spectacles and pulled a small, velvet rag from his shirt pocket. "I understand that this conundrum has left you all bewildered and upset, but I must remind you that you are not detectives, police officers, vigilantes, or superheroes. Judging from what Mr. Esbeau said, this person was very much capable of besting her not only in battle with her Pokemon, but also in physical combat as well. I don't want to lose anyone else to these villains.

"I also understand that perhaps it isn't a good idea to allow the Gym Challenge to continue, though cancelling it will only cause more uproar and worry. The reason why I would like for it to continue is to distract our people from the media as much as I can. Would you prefer people to be constantly stressed about what news channels spout, rather than them being excited for upcoming matches? That's what you gym leaders should do-- keep up morale for as long as Victoria is gone. We'll be operating as if she's still alive-- as she surely is."
He took a breath, glancing over the lot of them once again. Hestia didn't like the look in his eyes. Was it concern? Stress? Worry? Maybe something more?

"That being said, an interim champion will have to be assigned. Charles," Amaranth nodded his head towards the man, "I'll have to ask you to step up and assume Victoria's position. I know you may not be as good of a battler as you were before, but a familiar face taking over her spot as Champion may start to put people at ease. If we're lucky, she'll be back before the finals, and we'll have nothing more to worry about."


"Chairman." Rai's hand went up.

"Yes?"


"Are you going to enforce the buddy system?"

The Chairman nodded. For the first time since the start of the meeting, his face grew considerably softer. "I have no say in any of your private lives, but I would prefer if you stuck together. Attend each other's matches. Maybe move in with one another for the time being. Travel with each other to and from places you need to go. All of this will not only alleviate the burden placed on my shoulders, but all of yours as well. If the people see that the gym leaders have grown even closer in these difficult times, they will continue hoping and wishing for the best. Now, any other questions?"
 
4be242acc24d8482090498ac901534fa.png

_ _ _______________________________ _ _
mentions: --
"No. No way."

Even if Nordrin didn't agree with the Amaranth's decisions on the matter, he was still the League's Chairman. He made the rules, and the rest followed him - if begrudgingly at times. If he wanted the gym challenge to go on, it would go on, and Nordrin would dutifully take on any opponents that made their way to Hulbury. If he wanted to appoint a temporary Champion, then Nordrin would grit his teeth and sneer, but he'd acknowledge the decision. At least no one could argue that Charles was the one best suited for such a position.

But a "buddy system"? That was in some ways worse than assigning them all personal police to watch over them.

"Some of us don't have time to go traipsing around Galar playing cheerleader. I'd rather have a bloody bodyguard at this point," The fairy-gym leader snapped, waving a hand in the air to completely dismiss the idea. Taking time out of his day to watch some other leader's match was already asking too much, let alone moving in together. He could only imagine the chaos that would come to be if one of the others were to move in to the housing above High Steaks. On the flip side, while commuting would be fine he'd hate to entrust the gym to anyone else's care for any extended period of time during the busiest season.

The more he thought about it, the quicker he could feel his headache coming on. Nordrin pinched the bridge of his nose, scrunching his eyes shut and breathing out deeply. With his eyes still closed to spoke again. "I know you're trying your best here Chairman, but a lot of us are too spread out for that to be feasible. You won't have to worry about me going out an investigating, and I'll support to League, but I'll pass on getting stuck with a buddy."
_ _______________________ _
 
80f7a8acf0515e959084b2c8aab03ee3.png

Mentions:​
As the arguing grew even more aggressive Ezran made the decision to just sit back in his chair and watch. He had a feeling that no matter what they wouldn't be able to change the Chairman's mind about all of this so it felt a bit pointless to keep all this going when they all likely had better things they could be doing. Fraye's jokes almost made him join back in just to rebuke the fighting type trainer for his disrespect of the situation, and towards Hestia, but with Malik's outburst, which was a surprise, and Cereus snapping at them to be quiet he didn't get the chance.

He tilted back in the chair and brought an arm over his eyes as the storm raged both outside and inside. He just listened to Amaranth speak and felt a frown creep over his face. As far as he could tell it seemed like the Chairman hadn't really listened to a single word they'd said and was just continuing with the plans that he first told them. It felt like this meeting was for nothing, he could've just sent them all a message with this information in it if he didn't want to bother listening to their opinions. It's not like he had that much of a say anyway as a minor league leader.

If they had to continue the challenge with an interim champion he figured that Charles was the best bet. The man had been champion for a while, but for all they knew the people would take it as a sign that they weren't confident in finding Victoria before the challenge got truly underway. He would've brought it up if he wasn't concerned about sparking a whole other bout of arguments.

He stayed leaned back in the chair, but he agreed with Nordrin on the whole buddy thing, he already had enough problems with fans trying to follow him around, he didn't really want one of the other gym leaders tagging along with him unless it was one that he knew well, which wasn't all that many. "I'm with Nordrin on that one," he gestured backwards to where Minuet still stood with arms crossed over her chest, "I've got the best buddy right here with me already." He shrugged one shoulder, "The rest of it I can get behind, even if I'm not necessarily happy about it, just be ready for some serious damage control no matter what you do."

5694f80078835ff503ceb337b9c88623.png

Mentions:​
This was such a mess, but Silas supposed not much else could be expected when it came to getting all of the gym leaders together and trying to convince them all to agree on one thing. It took a great deal of effort not to snap at Fraye for his jokes, but he guessed it was just his way of coping with all this, so he couldn't really fault him too much. In most other situations he'd be trying to lighten the mood himself, but this definitely wasn't the time to be doing that. Maybe he'd have a chat with the younger leader about it later. This wasn't the place for it.

He let out a faint sigh of relief as the shouting finally died down and the Chairman told them what his decisions were , and he had to admit to being somewhat relieved about not being chosen as the interim champion despite his qualifications for it. Charles was the infinitely better choice with his experience if they had to pick someone. As far as he could tell what Amaranth wanted was the same as what he said when they first walked in, aside from using his idea that they should have a buddy system. He knew that many of them would object to it, and was especially unsurprised when Nordrin spoke up against it.

"It's not ideal but a lot of us already go to each others matches and hang out quite a bit. Those who are in the same city should have even less of a problem just keeping an eye on each other. I can say I'm not exactly in agreement with someone moving in. Dragons take up a lot of space as is." Of course some of them were going to act like children about it. "I'd say at least try to keep in frequent contact through text, that way we'll know sooner if something happens."


He turned his attention back to Amaranth. "Is there anything else you need us for Chairman?" He had planned on doing some work around the gym but with the weather, and this meeting, he really just wanted to go back to bed.
 

c471687aa0838b18eaa8c84104e78d88.png


Mentions: Nordrin (@Yankee )
"Nordy's got a point, boss-man." Fiona nodded in agreement with Nordrin. "Half of us have other shite tae do an' actual responsibilites. I'm probably th' only one that can feasibly do what yer askin', unless Malik wants tae teleport everywhere. Hell, I'll even actually do it."

She sighed, adjusting her goggles on her forehead as she leaned back in her admittedly cushy chair. Hell, she should get one of these for her own office in the Motostoke Gym. Her office that she hardly ever used, really.

"Anyways, everything else's sensible. I'll even keep my nose clean an' my name outta any incidents." Fiona lied with a completely straight face. "But we ain't some fresh-faced Challengers with their first lab-raised starter on Route 1: whoever did this probably only got Vicky because she didn't know they were comin'. We'll be careful an' take precautions an' all that, aye?"

"As fer an interim champ, do what ya want with that, I don't care if we keep th' League going or cancel it this year. Way I see it, th' public's gonna freak regardless, so th' only question's how we want it tae happen on our terms. Controlled chaos an' all that sorta shite."



----------------------------------------

e5579940888942d762257eeb86532767.png


Mentions: Silas (@PrankFox )
Damn kids. Evidently, they hadn't heard him properly if all they were focusing on was the first part of his statement. Lynn in particular stood out. The girl put the Champion's role too highly on a pedastal for Charles's liking, especially as a former Champion himself. His own reign as Champion hadn't been quite as...idolatric as the last few in recent memory had been. In truth, the public's change in attitude in the position bothered him. When did being Champion become something other than being marked as the strongest in the region?

"You all realize I said first that we should cancel the Gym Challenge until this is sorted out, right?" Charles sighed, folding his rather large arms across his chest as he shook his head. "An interim champion is a stopgap measure at best if the Chairman here is so insistent on continuing the league this year-"

And then Peyton did exactly what Charles didn't want him to.

"Chairman Amaranth. Peyton. Please." Charles closed his eyes, grinding out the next few words. "Don't. Just because I was Champion once doesn't mean I have the ability to do it now. I didn't make the suggestion so that you could put me into the position. If you want to assauge the public's fears, put a younger, stronger candidate up. An old man and his old Pokemon all far past their prime aren't going to quell public unrest. If you and the others are so insistent on me taking the position, I'll do it, but let it stand that I'd prefer Silas or..." He paused, glancing at Fiona for a second with a grimace before continuing. No, that would be an unmitigated disaster.

"Nevermind. But I'd strongly prefer Silas in the position if you must. I understand that you want to put on a show for the general public, but this does have the potential to backfire. For the record, I still believe we should cancel this year's Challenge."

Charles sighed as he finished, the lines on his face creasing as he slumped slightly at the thought of taking the Champion's crown again, especially when he was so incredibly unqualified to.
 
Last edited:
Lynn Cuwell.png
Mentions:

Listening to the others as a few seemed to back what she and Aron said, Lynn still kept her gaze down towards the floor. Ezran, Silas and Fraye all gave their own opinions about the different ideas and gave their own suggestions, before the door opened up and Cora came in, interrupting the ongoing discussion for a moment, before joining in herself. Malik burst out, and Lynn looked up towards him. Then Clorin spoke, and soon, afterwards, Amaranth's assistant called for silence and brought Lynn's gaze towards the chairman.

The suggested interm was apparently already chosen. It must've been something that Amaranth thought about for a bit. Though she could see why suggesting Charles, a former champion himself, to be an interm champion, it still felt wrong. The only part that was suggested that she had no personal qualm with was the buddy system, but that was because she already knew who was going to be her obvious 'buddy'. He's been her buddy since they were born, after all.

"Even if it would be easiest for and Aron to agree with the Buddy system, I'm with Nordrin on this one. Pairing us up when most of us live in different cities doesn't feel right. But setting up a group chat like Silas suggested is something I could get behind in. Sending a text at a scheduled time once a day could help ensure all of us are fine. If someone fails to respond, then we could immediately be on alert and inform you and the authorities that something may be off. And I reckon everyone could spare a moment to send a text." Lynn said, looking around.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Aron Cuwell.png
Mentions:​

Taking in what everyone said, Aron kept moving his gaze between the people who spoke up. Eventually the chairman spoke again, asking Charles to take up the position of interm champion due to him being a former champion. After others spoke once more, including Charles who seemed to be against the idea, Aron glanced around the room.
"While I'm not exactly in favour of bringing Charles as the interm champion due to a couple of reasons, we still haven't address the matter of how to tackle the media. It is something that everyone here in the room have some kind of influence over. So we should come up with some idea of how to limit the spread and potentially stop the news about Victoria. It may sound harsh, but the less the public talks about her right now, the easier it will be to control and lower the spread of panic."

Aron turned to look at the chairman "And on the same point, I think that announcing that we have a new interm champion may cause a further negative reaction. It could end up appearing as though everyone in the league had given up on finding Victoria, especially if the gym leaders just don't say nothing about it. Not enough time passed yet, in my opinion." He said. While he still held onto his reasons as to why choosing Charles as an interm champion may not be the best, he wanted to try and help think of more ideas as to how handle things, not go against the suggestions more. And he had nothing to say about the suggested Buddy system that Lynn had not already said.
 
f1b18fc5596a8d6bf53148d08b06418a.png

MENTIONS: @Psyker Landshark [Fiona], @Nim [Lynn]

The Next Day...
The night before was a disaster. Hestia wasn't able to sleep, and when she woke up, it was like she hadn't gotten any shut-eye at all. The morning was spent warming up some pastry in a microwave, forgetting about it, warming it up again, and eating the soppy, apple-filled tart with a sour mouth. That was when she was faced with an invitation-- from Fiona and Lynn, no less. Apparently the Flying-type Gym leader took it upon herself to take both of them out for some coffee. Luckily for them, Hestia was totally up to distract herself for the time being, whether it be through crawling through the snow in her flip-flops or actually being social.
After pulling on a clean, black tank-top and some sweatpants, she suggested a quaint little cafe at the very far end of Circhester. It was a place called the Hot 'n Cold, and they dedicated themselves to making the best types of coffee, no matter if it was hot or frozen. Hestia still couldn't replicate their Double Caramel Iceflow Frappe, no matter how much she tried.
And so the three ladies settled down the window, happily sipping away at their drinks. Like always, it was snowing and the clouds were gray and dreary, but it was warm and cozy inside the cafe. Hestia swirled in another tablespoon of sugar into her frappe, her chin in her hand as she glanced up at the girls across from her. "So what do you think of Charles becoming the Champion of Galar again?" she asked the two with a disappointed frown. "Personally, I feel like it should've been Silas. Or me, of course."
 

c471687aa0838b18eaa8c84104e78d88.png


Mentions: Hestia (@Luminosity ), Lynn (@Nim )​

The Chairman's crap and Victoria's disappearance weren't going to stop Fiona from entertaining herself as usual. If anything, it only had her double down on her efforts, given that the others were likely to be understandably miffed at the whole situation. So someone had to take it on themselves to try to calm things down.

With how well she knew Hestia, Fiona figured that she'd be in one of the worse moods among the lot. Lynn wasn't anywhere near as bad, but Fiona just appreciated her company and thought she could do with a nice day out too. Thankfully, both had agreed to the outing. Landing in Circhester atop Raptor, it hadn't taken her long to track down both of them.

Circhester's weather reminded her of home, just a little. Wasn't anywhere near as cold or blizzardy, despite the snow. But it was a good try. Still, the whole thing made her want a hot drink.

"Ya know there's someone higher rank in between you an' Silas, right?" Fiona asked Hestia pointedly before taking a sip of her white chocolate mocha. "Not that I want th' job, fock no, but it'd be nice tae be appreciated..." She trailed off for a moment. "...Naaaaah, I'm just yankin' yer chain, I don't fockin' care." The blonde snickered, leaning back in her seat.

"Way I figure it, Silas's our best choice if we gotta put an arse in that chair. He's th' strongest outta all of us minus Vicky, and don't ya start bitchin', Hestia, ye know it's true. Don't get me wrong, though, old man Charlie's our second best choice. Sure, he's probably not up tae as much snuff as Silas is, but he at least knows what th' job's about, which's why he don't wanna do it." Fiona concluded, taking another sip of her affront to espresso.

"Really, though, considerin' th' temperament of, well, most of our fockin' Gym Leaders, it's really down tae those two fer being both reasonable an' strong enough tae actually hold th' position. I got no interest in doing that job, yer more likely gonna end up on PMZ within two hours of taking th' title, tae say nothing of how hard I rinsed ya last Cup." She jabbed good-naturedly, knowing that this would send Hestia into fucking conniptions.

"Course, if our culturally overcompensatin' cunt of a boss finally declared Megas legal in this fockin' League, I could probably squeeze a win by Silas too." The Flying-type specialist grumbled into her cup, shaking her head before looking to Lynn.

"Hell, Lynnie, if we gave ya a few years tae toughen up, ye'd probably be good fer th' job. Yer not lazy, a cunt, or an idiot. How 'bout it?"
 
xU168SD.png

Location: From Stow-on-Side Fighting Gym to Charles's Bar
Interact(s): Charles (@Psyker Landshark )
Mention(s): Iris (@Jessica ) brief and kinda everyone else, but not really lol

The heat of the shower felt good against Fraye's aching muscles. He'd spent much of the night getting in a "little" extra training. Maybe he'd overdone it a bit. Everything was sore. It was a good thing he didn't have a fight coming up any time soon. At least, not a professional one. Challengers, most anyway, wouldn't have made it to him yet. At least, he didn't think they would have.

Fraye was frustrated. The meeting could have gone better. He'd felt almost completely unheard, overlooked. He didn't think the interim champion thing was a good idea. Add on to that the fact that he still believed that telling the public about the whole thing was for the best. He felt conflicted. It isn't like there was anything he could do about it, but the Chairman was behaving like an idiot. It was just good PR to get ahead of the story. At least then they would have a chance at controlling it. Well... that's how the marketing team and PR department over at the GBA explained it to him back when he was trying to wrap his head around these kinds of things.

Was he just dumb, maybe? Was there something he was missing about the whole thing? Part of him just felt like if any of the situation were found out, it'd reflect poorly on all the gym leaders. He didn't mind as much. PMZ dragged his name through the mud every other weak. Hell, one time, he'd honestly questioned if one of the stories about him was true.

He remembered calling up Iris for drinks that day. "Oi Iris. D'ya think I'm the type t'be leadin on fans and the like? Am I too nice? Flir'y? I don' wanna give anyone the wrong impression." It took her almost an hour to reassure him. Course, it opened a whole other can of worms when she took a well intentioned jab and said, "Nonsense. Everyone knows training is your girlfriend." Of course, Fraye had never really engaged with a fan, but he still had to wonder. Some of those stories really were damn well written and convincing.

It was hardly as bad as the time he was accused of eating an Alcremie. "Did I?" he wondered, before realizing that was damn stupid, and he most certainly had not done anything of the sort.

Fraye snapped out of his thoughts and sighed. He turned off the shower water and shook his hair out briefly before grabbing a towel. He dried himself as he stepped out. What would he do today? He wondered what the others might be doing. He was kind of hungry all else considered.

"Might as well pay gramps a visit. He's gotta be havin a shit time, innit?" he asked, Vulcan as he pased him buy. The flames flickered on the ape's head as Fraye passed him by, towel wrapped around his waist. Vulcan shook his head, making a small noise like a sigh.

Fraye could help chuckling a bit. "I don' like it much either Vul, but what can ya do?" He shrugged taking a little time to shut himself in his room and get dressed. When he came out Vulcan seemed about ready to go to. Well... as ready as a Pokemon without anything to bring along could be anyway. Soon he was back in his Pokeball and they were on their way.

A trip by Corviknight Taxi was pretty quick. Soon, Fraye was pushing in the door to Charles's bar. "Oi Gramps!" He cheered, giving a wave. "Mind havin 'em fire up the grill? I'm dead on me feet if I'm not chowing down on a proper meal soon," he said, rubbing his stomach with his free hand. "Fancy setting me up with a pint too?" He gave a little snicker as he reached the bar. "Ya should have one yaself. Might as well have a toast celebratin our new old champion, dontcha think?"

"Seriously though, ol' man,"
he said as he held out his hand for a proper greeting. "How ya holdin up?"
 
5694f80078835ff503ceb337b9c88623.png

Mentions: Charles (@Psyker Landshark) & Fraye (@Demon Shinobi)​
After the meeting the previous morning Silas had fully intended on going back to the gym and getting some work done in preparation for the gym challenge. Not that he really needed to worry all that much about it at present, since he was the 8th gym the challengers wouldn't be getting to him for some time. Instead of anything getting done he'd spent more time wandering around lost in thought about how much better that meeting could have gone. As far as he could tell, and he wondered if the others had the same feeling, Amaranth had virtually disregarded all of the suggestions and opinions they'd had in favor of telling them what to do. Eventually he'd just called it an early day and headed home, thankfully avoiding the PMZ stooges that were hanging around hoping to get some tabloid. How they even stayed in business was beyond him.

The present day proved to be more productive. He woke up early and made it to them gym before anyone else was out on the streets, and for that he was grateful. The last thing he needed was to have to explain everything that was going on to the public when he could barely keep it straight himself. He walked immediately to the stadium and tossed his teams Pokeballs into the air, freeing them from the confines. "Blow off some steam alright, but try not to break anything." He was met with various pleased roars and cries and he couldn't help the grin that crept onto his face as his dragons enjoyed themselves.

Unsurprisingly, when he left the stadium, Oliana drifted after him. Her ghostly chill was welcome in the somewhat stuffy confines of the stone castle of the gym. "Think the police will be able to find her?" Oliana's head merely cocked to the side and her eyes narrowed with an unhappy trill. "Yeah, me neither, but the boss says we can't get involved, so we'll just have to wait."

The more he thought about the decisions the chairman had made the more some of them rubbed him the wrong way. The main one that stuck in his mind was the decision to make Charles interim champion. At the time he'd be grateful to not have to take on the responsibility himself, and he'd been more than a bit surprised when the man had said he would've preferred Silas take the job himself. Now it felt unfair to force him to do it. A good majority of the gym leaders had been against the idea in the first place so the least Amaranth could've done would be to give Charles a chance to opt out and pick someone else if he hadn't wanted to do it.

"Couldn't hurt to go and talk with him, yeah? See how he feels about it," he asked Oliana as he turned to walk back to the stadium and pick up the rest of the team.

It was another short taxi flight back up to Wyndon and pushing open the door revealing, to some surprise, Fraye already there. "Well isn't this a fun surprise. Seems like we've already got the start of a party going on here." He moved to take a seat at the bar, "How're things in Stow-on-Side? Keeping the PMZ hounds off your back?"

He turned to the older gym leader behind the bar, "Also wanted to ask Charles, you seemed really against taking up the post as interim, if you want me to I could have a word with the Chairman about taking over instead. I'm sure he's more concerned about the challenge continuing more so than who's on top if you're truly against it."
 

e5579940888942d762257eeb86532767.png


Mentions: Fraye (@Demon Shinobi ), Silas (@PrankFox )​

For a man in his sixties, morning brought the usual aches and pains from creaky bones and bad joints. Charles grumbled as he awoke at exactly eight in the morning, his body having long since established its circadian rhythm. Last call in the bar at midnight, tidy up and close by one, at home and in bed soon after.

The elderly Gym Leader forced himself out of bed, his head pounding more than it normally had. What did he...oh, right. After the realization that Peyton wasn't budging on appointing an interim Champion and putting him up for the job, Charles had closed the bar an hour or so earlier than he normally would have, choosing to cope with his newly-found problem with an entire bottle of cognac. Damn, but that had been a stupid decision in hindsight. As his body was reminding him now, he wasn't exactly a young man anymore.

From his rather comfortable doggy bed in the corner of Charles's room, Hunter gave a brief chortle, the old Stoutland having sat through his Trainer's drinking binge last night with a great deal of amusement.

"Laugh it up, why don't you..." Charles grumbled, checking his messages on his phone as he raised a hand to futilely try to quell the throbbing in his head.

Regardless, Charles forced himself through his morning routine. A protein shake and a cup of coffee for breakfast, followed by a two hour session of weightlifting and cardio at the nearby non-Pokemon gym. Once that was done, it was a quick trip home to shower, change clothes, and collect his Pokemon before heading off to the Wyndon Gym (and cocktail bar).

By the time he'd started to open the bar up for the morning, his hangover had finally subsided somewhat thanks to his morning workout and coffee. And then Fraye threatened to make it worse again the moment he'd burst through the door.

"Ugh...Fraye, two things: First, it's ten-thirty in the morning. The bar doesn't open until five in the afternoon. The chef doesn't come in until noon. Second, you know this is a cocktail bar, right?"

"That mean ya can't get me a decent meal and a pint?" Fraye responded just as Silas walked in. Charles patiently listened to the Dragon-type leader's words as he acquiesced, pouring Fraye a pint of the lager he had on tap and sliding it over. Refreshing, crisp, and locally-brewed. Ordinarily, he'd share some tasting notes about the brew, but considering Fraye, Charles doubted it would do any good besides going in one ear and out the other.

"...Fine, I'll go in the back and start something up. And Silas," Charles paused, rethinking the offer for a moment. "Much as I'd appreciate it, I've known Peyton for nearly thirty years now. If the man's come to a decision, he's going to stick to it. Save yourself a trip to his office, he's set on his choice now." He grumbled, pouring Silas a quick glass of water to hold him over as he headed for the kitchen in the back of the bar.

A short time later, Charles returned with two full plates of bacon, eggs, and toast, setting one down each in front of Fraye and SIlas.

"Here, eat." He rumbled, getting ahead of any objection Silas would raise over free food with another question, jerking his thumb back towards the espresso machine to the side of the bar.. "Tea? Coffee? Or something harder?"
 
Last edited:
Lynn Cuwell.png
Mentions: @Luminosity (Hestia) , @Psyker Landshark (Fiona)

Having recieved an invitation from Fiona to come and have a coffee with her and Hestia, Lynn happily accepted and went to meet with them over in Circhester. After following a recommendation from Hestia, they all sat down together. She went for a hot cup of mocha as her drink of choice, and the just listened to the other two as they moved to talk about the recent change in champions. Or interm champion. She personally really respected Charles, and she could understand the reasoning behind why he chose them, but it still bothered her slightly. Sure he was a former champion, so some people could accept him as a replacement. But her worried laid with the younger generation. The people who possibly don't know Charles and his old position or reputation.

Fiona gave her whole take about a couple of things in the league, before she turned and asked her about potentially being a future champion "I might've dreamed about it before, but I don't think I'd like it even if I did end up being strong and tough enough. Champion has too many obligations that take them away from their homes, and now my mind is mostly set on helping Spikemuth grow and become better. So I'd be somewhat misreable being the Champion and needing to focus so much on the league with little to not time to take care of what I want to do."
Lynn answered smiling, before taking a sip from her mocha and turning to look at Hestia.
"Gotta agree with Fiona. You've got a few others ahead of you when it comes to being at the top. And while I think Silas would've been the better choice, I can't imagine he would've wanted to take the title either, not when it comes like this."

After taking another sip from her hot drink, she turned her gaze to Fiona once more "You know well enough that if we had mega evolution in our league, people would want to try and mix up that and dynamaxing. And I would rather not think about the results of that duo. Not to mention, at least dynamaxing pokemon is restricted to specific areas, which I always felt gave the civilians a more sense of people. Gigantic pokemon won't show up in front their houses or in the street, on a route between the cities, so on."

"And PMZ have got to set their prioties better. Keep trying to reach out to them to help push Aron's Pokemon Shelter initiative onto their stories, but they keep telling me they'll do it 'at a later date'. Been telling me that since he told me he opened the first one. Fame-seeking bastards."
Lynn put down her mocha on the table and shook her head "They can all go and-" She didn't finish her sentence, but her expression finished it for her.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Aron Cuwell.png
Mentions: @Jessica (Iris)


After what felt like a very eventful talk, between all the gym leaders and the chairman, Aron didn't sleep the best. His mind kept going between what they were told happened and what he felt might happen. Eventually, morning arrived, and like always, Lynn left for her morning jog, albeit it being around the city this time. He went through his morning routine before first checking on his pokemon. They were all doing well, though Kick, his Scrafty, seemed insistent on staying out and accompanying him in person today. Accepting his terms, Aron and went out of the house and made their way through Spikemuth. They briefly met Lynn who was heading back home, before continuing on their way.

First, Aron went and checked on the Dark gym. Unlocking the door and entering, he turned on the lights and saw everything was as it should be. None of the different rooms had been messed with, and the dark experience was still set just as it should be. Any trainer coming would need to carry a candle, through different, darkened rooms, and follow specific glyphs on the doorways, in order to reach him. The glyphs were based on Unowns, which Aron liked after learning about them, and a particular one would lead the trainers to him. So it was his own, little maze, to compliment Lynn's bug maze.
Not that hers had any kind of hints in the maze.

Once everything was done in the gym, he locked up and made his way to the second destination, and the one he aimed to spend most of his time in for the day. The Spikemuth Pokemon Shelter. It was pretty predictable of him to go there, and considering the risks that existed, it was potentially better to go and do something with another gym leader, but he couldn't stop himself from worrying about all the pokemon there.

After arriving there, Aron caught up with how things went from the volunteers that were there, while Kick went and started playing around with some of the other pokemon in the shelter. Aron spent an hour there, helping around and making orders for more pokemon food, before the door was heard opening. One of the volunteers went to welcome the person who entered, before returning soon after "Someone came looking for you." They quickly told Aron, before taking over on the orders, letting Aron go and see who it was.
Upon leaving the office, Aron found himself looking at Iris, who apparently came to look for him. Approaching her, he offered a wave of his hand "Hey, Iris. Nice of you to drop by. How are you?" he asked.
 

Attachments

  • Aron Cuwell.png
    Aron Cuwell.png
    12.9 KB · Views: 0
Iris banner.png

Interacting: Aron | @Nim
Mentions: Fraye

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

The meeting went as well as it could have... mostly, with Iris feeling a bit guilty that she couldn't contribute anything to it. The other gym leaders said all that crossed her mind, so without anything meaningful to bring up, she decided to stay quiet and listen. Maybe in the next meeting she could contribute, but for now, she wanted to take the chairman's advice.

Fraye had gone to Charles's bar for a beer and breakfast, but Iris herself wasn't exactly in the mood for cocktails. Rather, there was a group of lovely Pokemon that she hadn't seen in quite a bit that she wanted to hold and spoil. On top of that, it required being in the presence of another trainer, so it was a win-win.

After making a stop at a berry seller and a desserts shop, Iris stocked up on a variety of different treats then headed down towards the all too familiar path to Spikemuth. Was this around the time that the Pokemon in the shelter had their meals ordered? Maybe. Did Iris care? Nope.

The Pokemon would just need more play time after their meals is all~

Upon arrival, she asked to see Aron, who greeted her with a smile. Iris smiled in turn. "I'm well, thank you. And yourself? I wanted to drop by and volunteer for a while, if you'll have me."

"Volunteering" actually meant "I want to baby the Pokemon," and "if you'll have me" actually meant "I won't take no for an answer." Iris had made these two things known whenever she would come and volunteer for the shelter.



~~~~~~


Guinevere Banner.png

Interacting: Charles | @Psyker Landshark
Fraye | @Demon Shinobi
Silas | @PrankFox

Mentions:

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

The rest of the ride from Crown Tundra to her destination went as one would expect, but when she finally finally arrived at the Amaranth tower... the meeting had already ended and everyone had gone their separate ways. That was annoying... that damn bumpy ride, the detours, and the general stress only to end up not making it. Guinevere sighed and pulled out her mirror to make sure nothing was out of place. This wasn't going to be good for her skin, but nothing that couldn't be remedied with a little bit of decompressing.

She'd already made the trip and no damn way was she going to go back home empty-handed. Gwen decided to spend time around the town, looking for potential gifts for friends, and buying whatever suited her taste. She ended the day with a fancy dinner and a stay in a nice inn. Gwen, for a moment, had forgotten why she'd left Crown Tundra in the first place.

But that morning she remembered.

Gwen would shower and get dressed, leaving the comfort of the hotel to head to the even more comfortable establishment that was Charles's gym/bar. It was one of her favorite places to visit, since Charles was good company and gave great advice if you asked for it. The food, drinks, and ambience was pretty wonderful too. If Charles let her, she'd spend every dollar she had on the place.

Once she arrived, she'd walk through the door sporting one of the newest outfits she purchased; it consisting of a black designer jacket, matching black skirt, a purple blouse, a different purse, matching silver necklace/earrings combo, silver rings on her index fingers and her right ring finger, new boots, and black sunglasses that she put to rest on her head.

She was surprised to see a few more trainers in Charles's gym/restaurant, but that didn't mean it was a bad thing. She smiled at the three, "Sorry for crashing the party but I had a hell of a time getting here yesterday. Could really use a drink and someone to fill me in on what happened yesterday." She said as she walked inside, taking a seat next to Fraye.
 
f1b18fc5596a8d6bf53148d08b06418a.png

MENTIONS: @Psyker Landshark [Fiona], @Nim [Lynn]
Hestia took a sip of her drink as she listened to Fiona talk. It was always amusing to listen to her speak, due to her distinct language and colorful accent. Her brow furrowed at her critique, however, and she almost spat out her coffee at the mention of Fiona's victory over her team. Was she joking? She had the upper hand over her for most of the battle-- if it wasn't for that one little slip up near the end, she would have taken the victory herself.
However, Lynn started to speak, and she respectfully stayed quiet. The other woman was quite heated about this whole thing as well, especially towards the PMZ, who was definitely lapping up the situation like a pampered Purrloin. The thought of them taking advantage of this whole situation to garner more views and hits was disgusting. They didn't even know whether or not Vicky was alive, for Arceus' sake. Why not give some respect to her image?
"Whatever the situation brings, I just hope it's solved soon. I want to get back to how it was before Victoria was taken away," she sighed, setting her half-full cup upon the table. "Sure, it's nice to think about what ifs and all of that, but... do you really think the police are adequate enough to take care of this whole mess? It takes them like an hour to get to a robbery. Who knows how long it's going to take them to get Vicky back safe and sound?"

767d6cc73ed37aa9d6899d1c704392cc.png

MENTIONS: @Psyker Landshark [Charles], @Demon Shinobi [Fraye], @PrankFox [Silas], @Jessica [Gwen]
It was another boring morning. It was also the perfect time to get out there and get a drink. And where else to get a drink but old man Charles' place? Rai was slow to get there-- she was the last person to arrive at the guy's bar --but when she did, she offered a lazy half-wave towards all of them. They were all talking about something or the other. Probably about what happened the other day. Or was it yesterday? She didn't know. She walked towards the bar and nodded at Charles.
"Get me something hard. Got me a splitting headache," she looked at everyone else. "Why's everyone harassing you so early, anyways?"
 
5694f80078835ff503ceb337b9c88623.png

Mentions: (Charles) @Psyker Landshark , (Fraye) @Demon Shinobi , (Rai) @Luminosity , (Gwen) @Jessica
Silas scrutinized Charles' face for a moment before he nodded. The other man had certainly known the chairman for longer and if he said there was no changing his mind then Silas would do exactly as Charles said and save himself the trip. He could've spoken up at the meeting and volunteered, but judging by the way the rest of the chairman's decisions went it probably wouldn't have mattered much anyway.

He settled in more comfortably at the bar, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the bar while Charles walked away to the back of the bar. He wondered if the others were following the chairman's orders and keeping out of trouble. He had little intention of getting involved in the investigation unless something drastic happened. More drastic than Victoria going missing since apparently that wasn't enough to warrant their involvement.

When Charles walked back in and set the food in front of himself and Fraye he immediately opened his mouth to protest, but snapped it just as quickly shut as Charles continued to talk. "Coffee would be great, thanks. Getting up at the crack of dawn might be necessary to keep things running, but that doesn't mean it's pleasant."

The door swung open and he flashed an easy grin towards Gwen as she walked in to join them. "Don't think three quite makes a party so we're glad to have you. As for what happened yesterday," he sighed, "To be honest with how long it went on and the amount of arguing that happened you'd think the chairman would've taken what we said into account. You really didn't miss much other than us being told to stay out of the investigation and watch out for each other. He also appointed Charles as interim champion until Victoria is found." He was pretty sure that covered everything. One of the others would pick up the slack if something slipped his mind.

Rai walked in shortly after and he offered her a wave in response and continued eating the breakfast Charles had been kind enough to give him. He occasionally passed bits of it to Ranger, his ever nervous Vibrava, who had moved from where it had been perched across his shoulders on the walk here into his lap where he was better hidden from everything. He'd hoped getting the dragon type out and about might help desensitize it somewhat, but it was a process. "I'd hardly call it harassing, except for maybe Fraye, we're just catching Gwen up on what she missed yesterday."
 

c471687aa0838b18eaa8c84104e78d88.png


Mentions: Hestia (@Luminosity ), Lynn (@Nim )
"Eh, fair's fair." Fiona responded easily to Lynn's thoughtful response to her inquiry as to whether or not she'd be gunning for the Champion's throne any time soon. "After all, why'd ya think I'm perfectly happy where I am instead of tryin' fer the title myself? Bein' Champ's too much fockin' work, and I barely stand th' trickle of challengers that make it past you lot anyways." She chuckled to herself, taking another swig of her chocolatey coffee as she wondered just how effective her Gym puzzle would be this year at filtering out the worst of those who made it all the way up to the seventh Gym.

Hestia's response had Fiona give a brief, but still uncharacteristic frown. She glanced around for a moment, making sure there wasn't anyone in a decent enough hearing range before responding, keeping her voice low.

"Nae, yer right. Just...sit tight fer th' moment. Keep an eye on yer local surroundings as best ya can. I'm not sayin' tae outright tell th' Chairmain tae fock off with his orders, but don't do anything rash just yet, hard as that might be fer ya, hothead. First things first, gotta find out if they moved her outta th' region or not. I made some calls across tha channel last night, tryin' tae see if there's been anything fishy goin' on in Kalos recently."

Of course, those largely consisted of fellow alumni of the Sky Trainer academy, as well as her peers she'd learned Mega Evolution with, but some of them had landed themselves into rather cushy and influential positions in Kalos over the years. Hopefully, one of them kept abreast of the criminal element in Kalos, just in case.

"Anyways, Challenge's startin' in a few days, regardless of whether we like it or not. Both of ya at least try tae keep tha flow of Challengers tae my Gym low, yeah? Ain't lookin' tae do more work then I have tae, especially with everything that's goin' on right now. New puzzle'll help this year, but tha first smartarse or two that passes it'll probably put it up on th' internet again, just like tha last two years. Right lil' cunts, they are."


----------------------------------------

e5579940888942d762257eeb86532767.png


Mentions: Fraye (@Demon Shinobi ), Silas (@PrankFox ), Gwen (@Jessica ), Rai (@Luminosity )​

"Gwen." Charles nodded and grunted as the Ice type leader entered, him barely registering her newest ensemble of expensive designer clothing. "Another bloody addition to the wardrobe? Arceus take me, you're worse than my daughter."

"And Rai,"
He turned to the newest addition to the bar, one of his most frequent at that. "It's not even eleven yet. You'll get a hair of the dog for the hangover and nothing else, unless you want food with that."

Two more customers to the bar meant he had a total of three drink orders to fill now, and so Charles left the explanations to Silas as he busied himself with mixing three separate drinks. Espresso blend beans into the grinder, fresh fruit to be chopped up, and ice in the cocktail shakers. A few minutes later, Charles slid three separate drinks down the bar with practiced ease.

A cappuccino for Silas, a cranberry purple haze for Gwen, and a margarita with orange juice and turmeric for Rai.

"There." He grunted before reaching down behind the bar and pulling out a sealed bag of peanuts before pouring a bowl out. Normally, there was a rather fancy blend of mixed nuts on the bar's snack menu, but some of his older and crustier clientele closer in age to himself still preferred something more traditional with their drinks. "The margarita has turmeric in it. Best damned hangover cure I've ever tried. By the way, the food's all on the house this morning, but those drinks are going on your tabs. With the usual discount, of course."
 
Lynn Cuwell.png
Mentions: Hestia (@Luminosity ), Fiona (@Psyker Landshark )


Taking another sip from her mocha, Lynn listened as Hestia expressed her desire to go back, and doubt in the police, both of which Lynn could understand. Whoever was behind what happened to Victoria knew without a doubt what they were doing and how to avoid keeping themselves in the shadows. It felt like the police would not be able to do much, if anything, considering their lack of findings until now.
Moving her attention to Hestia, she nodded slightly. Even if they did have reason to go against what chairman amaranth said, it wasn't like they knew much more themselves. And if the champion was taken like that, then alone, none of them would likely have much better chance.

Fiona then shifted the topic to the upcoming challenge. Lynn sighed at the mention of the puzzle solutions being put up on the internet "Yeah, tell me about it. I thought pretty hard about how to try and avoid having one concrete solution to my puzzle. I know Aron has his own way of tackling it, but he has it a bit easier with the whole theme he went for. I decided to get a bit creative with mine, but gotta wait and see just how well it goes." Lynn said before taking another sip from her mocha.

"Either way, I just wonder how many I'll get myself. Mister 'I'm number one' hasn't shared anything about how he plans on doing things this year. Really makes me wonder at times if it wouldn't be better to switch him with someone in the minor league." She said, rolling her eyes as she thought about Clorin.


--------------------------------------------------------------------


Aron Cuwell.png
Mentions: Iris (@Jessica )


"I'm doing well." Aron said, while glancing at the bags Iris was holding "And of course, you know volunteers are always welcome." He said, which was his usual way of saying 'Not like I can stop you if I tried'.
"Lets just put those berries and desserts to be cooled off first. I want the pokemon to eat a proper meal before getting all the little treats. Healthy diet is important." Aron said, and whistled for one of the other volunteers to come grab the bags from Iris, before Aron would begin leading her into the roofed outdoors. The glass ceiling made the space ideal for pokemon who needed more sunlight, and the outdoors space allowed them to have a small pool on one side, some greenery that grew naturally, and a more dirt, rocky corner too.

After they were both outside, Aron tapped on Iris's shoulder "Incase you were wondering, the shelter has a couple of new arrivals. One is that Poliwag. He was found half beaten up outside of a house. Police investigation showed it was a case of an abused pokemon, so the little guy is having some troubles trusting us just yet. And the second one is actually inside. Right up your alley too. Banette that someone dropped here, claiming it appeared lost, but was comfortable around people. So we have put up a notice about a missing Banette, in case the owner is trying to look for them, both by some posters and on the website." He told her.

"So, I'll let you choose. Where you want to spend your time with us today? Inside or out?" He asked, before picking up a Shinx that came and started asking for attention and beginning to pet it gently.
 
xU168SD.png

Location: Charles's Bar
Interaction(s): Charles (@Psyker Landshark ),
Silas (@PrankFox ), Gwen (@Jessica ), Rai (@Luminosity )


"If I ever go ahead and learn a proper method of keepin the vulures off'a me, you'd be among th' first'a know, believe me," Fraye laughed, shaking his head at the thought. How many stories had they fabricated about him by now? If it weren't for the Pokemon League and the Boxing Association he might have knocked a few heads. Luckily there was always someone or something around to keep him in check. "As far as Stow-on-Side goes though," he couldn't help laughing a little, "I don' know whose luckier t' 'ave Iris around, the townsfolk 'r me."

True enough, they both had their flaws, but she was far and away the softer of the two when it came to the people. He could be brutally honest and a bit too energetic at times for them after all.

Even so, Fraye couldn't help cocking his head as Charles brought up the cocktail bar's hours of operation and the time. Luckily, the man would oblige either way. He was more than a little jazzed to see the older man return from the back with a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast for him. A simple meal, but effective and delicious all the same. "Just the pint'a th' black stuff'll do for me gramps. I'm a simple man t' please after all," he answered before perking up as he heard Gwen's voice.

"Well, lookit what th' cat dragged in~" he said cheerfully as she came to his side. "How's my second favorite gym leader doin, Ginny?" he asked giving her a playful nudge as he offered a return wave in Rai's direction.

He snapped too attention when he heard his name though. "Wha-?!" Fraye offered an almost cartoonish look of shock. The facade broke almost immediate. "Ya know, Si, if I didn't know ya any better I'da thought you were trynna get a rise outta me," he laughed a little before shoveling some of the eggs into his mouth. "Let's be real, gramps 'as got alotta bark n' enough bite t' back it up, but if he wasn't wantin us around we'da been outta here faster than a PMZ intern when ya catch 'em in th' act."

In all honesty, he wasn't paying the events of the other day much mind. Perhaps suspiciously so. He wasn't really of the mindset of just following orders, especially when the Chairman wasn't of the mindset to listen to his gym leaders. But he wasn't about to brign that up and potentially drag others down with him. "By the way, what're the resta ya thinkin about continuin the gym challenge? I'm not one to turn down a good fight, but even I'm thinkin it might not be the best course'a action." Part of him wondered if maybe they should do something behind the Chairman's back, but then... that'd be more trouble than it was worth. Wouldn't it? Hmmm maybe.