Pokémon: Amber [IC]

[Mundeo]

Selverde Rainforest

Despite what Lucas had said, it was clear to Juliana that something was wrong. She didn't want to push the topic any farther and risk ruining the mood, though, so she shrugged it off and kept on moving. The walk down the path was very soothing, with the distant sounds of pokemon and the rustling of leaves creating an idyllic ambiance as they made their return to Route 1. Once they were back on the paved road, it didn't take long for them to cross the bridge into Selverde City.

Juliana was left in awe at the sight before her. "Woah... I've only been to the city a couple of times, but it's still such a wonder to see it" She turned to two trainers, bursting with excitement. "So... where do we start? I guess the contest hall, right? Or maybe the gym? Or maybe just a pokemon center to rest up? Those new pokedexes you two have got maps on them, right?"

[Skylus]

Adam Neach
Near Selverde City

It was a Venipede! Right away, the bug/poison Pokemon used Screech, which lowered Atlas's defense a bit, but that didn't stop the grass Pokemon from using Tackle. After this, a white light surrounded Atlas and Adam looked at his Pokedex again - Atlas had just learned Razor Leaf, which the creature promptly used on the Venipede.


Two more tackles and Adam tossed a Pokeball over the Venipede. One, two, three shakes, and then click.

Adam had captured his third Pokemon.

He released the creature and Atlas introduced himself.

"Hi there! I'm Atlas!"

The male Venipede looked the Turtwig up and down, then turned around to face Hightail.
"...Are you my friends now?"
"Yes."

After further introductions were met, the three Pokemon began to walk towards Selverde City with Adam.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Selverde Rainforest

Despite what Lucas had said, it was clear to Juliana that something was wrong. She didn't want to push the topic any farther and risk ruining the mood, though, so she shrugged it off and kept on moving. The walk down the path was very soothing, with the distant sounds of pokemon and the rustling of leaves creating an idyllic ambiance as they made their return to Route 1. Once they were back on the paved road, it didn't take long for them to cross the bridge into Selverde City.

Juliana was left in awe at the sight before her. "Woah... I've only been to the city a couple of times, but it's still such a wonder to see it" She turned to two trainers, bursting with excitement. "So... where do we start? I guess the contest hall, right? Or maybe the gym? Or maybe just a pokemon center to rest up? Those new pokedexes you two have got maps on them, right?"

Lloyd Ninten
Selverde City

It was mid to late afternoon by the time they finally crossed the bridge into Selverde City. Juliana was clearly excited, and no wonder - she'd finally taken the plunge into following her dream. Lloyd had felt that excitement only a few days prior as he headed to Altorre City for the Commencement Ceremony, and presumably so did Lucas. "Look at you, it's almost like it's your birthday, you sound so excited," Lloyd said. "Unless Lucas wants to battle the gym now, I'm fine with staying the night at the Pokemon Centre, maybe get you registered for Contests as well - my brother said that trainers usually registered for the Pokemon Leagues in other regions at Pokemon Centres. Plus we can find out when they're happening." Lloyd stopped speaking for a moment and took his time to look around, taking pictures of the various parks and skylines they were passing. All around them, excitable trainers were battling with their new Pokemon, and with a few more serious battles dotted in amongst them. The region had certainly changed overnight, that's for sure. "So, what say you Lucas, what's your plan?"

[Kita-Hinode]

Lucas Monteiro
Selverde City

Lucas didn't seem to listen to the others for a bit. He chose to take in the sights of the city in silence. His memories were once again kicking. For once, it wasn't something bad. If anything, it was just the reminders of the time where he aimed to take the world by storm with his brother. Arguably, it felt just as sad as before, but he didn't show it.

It was then that Lloyd called his attention. He chose to reply straight away. "Well, I did consider giving a check to things at the town, if you guys don't mind... not really planning on battling the leader right now though. I still think I need some tuning in done before that." He looked around, noticing the orange sky. "If you guys want, you can go get some rest at the Center. I'll meet you there."

[Mundeo]

Selverde City

Juliana squinted and looked up to the sky. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, and dusk had settled upon the city. It was nighttime already? She was surprised at how long it took for them to get here, even though it felt like no time at all. Well, you know what they say about having fun.

The farmgirl yawned, stretching out her arms. "Shucks. I guess I could use some rest after all of that walking. The pokemon center shouldn't be too far, right?" Indeed the pokecenter wasn't too deep into the city, and after the three made a short walk deeper into the city, they had reached their destination. Juliana took the opportunity to check out a map of the city that was posted on the center's wall.

"Selverde Contest House... here it is!" She pointed to a spot on the map. It was very close to where they were, in the south end of the city near the water. It would probably take only a ten to fifteen minute walk to get there tomorrow morning. Then she can see just how she can join in on a contest. The thought of actually enlisting into a pokemon contest made her feel restless, despite her fatigue! There was so much that tomorrow was going to bring!

[Tethys 13]

Aliza, Route 5

Aliza had already been travelling for almost an hour when dawn lightened the sky, and she lowered her heavy backpack to the ground by the side of the route to sit down. Opposite her was a huge building, opulent and overbearing, spreading wide over the land on which Pokémon had once frolicked under the care of her and her grandmother. After their Daycare had been seized, the land had been sold off to some rich businessman who’d decided to replace it with a high-class hotel. Every second she spent looking at the gaudy blight on the once-open landscape fuelled the core of bitterness deep within her, but she couldn’t just walk past it. In order to distract herself she let her three Pokémon out and took some time to clean their Pokéballs and the tiny elegantly crafted porcelain egg that Pancham wore around its neck, the last remnant of the place she’d lived in for most of her life. She also introduced Purrloin to the training and effort that that would be expected of it, and spent a few minutes going over the basics of the codes of hand gestures and whistles she’d developed while training with Pancham for surreptitious commands. She found her own thoughts drifting however, and her tongue diverted almost on its own to telling Purrloin and Murkrow about the Daycare, about her family, and about what had happened. Looking at the hotel, it was hard to believe anything so plain and quaint had ever been there. Even the berry trees had been cut down or uprooted.

She’d never really faced the fact that she truly had no home anymore. Even before it had been taken away, she’d gotten used to sleeping in alleys or in her secret base, but home had always been there to go back to. After it had gone, she’d just been in transition, as if she’d fooled herself into thinking that home would always be there as long as she didn’t actually go back to it. Facing the reality was surprisingly difficult, as had getting up that morning and realising she was leaving everyone she cared about behind. She knew she’d be able to find a friendly face in every Pokémon centre, but she’d always considered herself as an outsider to her mother and grandmother’s huge family, bound as they were to a career they blindly expected her to join and that she wanted no part of. She’d gotten used to her parents being away, and so the people she considered her closest family were her grandmother and Jenny, and making herself get up and leave the house while the latter remained sprawled in bed had been far more difficult than she had thought, and she’d found herself preparing a packed lunch for herself and a reheatable lunch and tea for Jenny as an excuse to stay longer. Once she had finally left, she’d decided not to visit her grandmother. She’d still be asleep, and it would have made her departure even more difficult. She hadn’t said goodbye to anyone either, but before she left the city, she had nipped into one of the alleys to borrow a can of spray paint from some kids playing ganger, and as they ran off had sprayed I’ll be back on the wall of an alley that formed the intersection of the territory of a number of rival gangs. She knew they’d get the message.

Sighing and stretching, Aliza let her hood fall back and freed her long black-dyed ponytail from her jacket, adjusting her cap to keep it comfortable. Like that, she actually looked like a trainer rather than a delinquent. Returning her Pokémon to their Pokéballs, she stood up, hauled up her backpack and started down the route, but a snide young voice halted her.
“I say, stop there!”
“Yes, you!” said another.
“What is riffraff like you doing around here? We’ll show a loiterer like you a thing or two, in a Pokémon battle!” said a third, even more arrogantly than the first. Aliza turned, her eyes shadowed and with a cruel smirk on her face. She couldn’t have asked for more satisfying opponents to crush in her first trainer battle.

[Eastfield Lodge]

Selverde City

Juliana squinted and looked up to the sky. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, and dusk had settled upon the city. It was nighttime already? She was surprised at how long it took for them to get here, even though it felt like no time at all. Well, you know what they say about having fun.

The farmgirl yawned, stretching out her arms. "Shucks. I guess I could use some rest after all of that walking. The pokemon center shouldn't be too far, right?" Indeed the pokecenter wasn't too deep into the city, and after the three made a short walk deeper into the city, they had reached their destination. Juliana took the opportunity to check out a map of the city that was posted on the center's wall.

"Selverde Contest House... here it is!" She pointed to a spot on the map. It was very close to where they were, in the south end of the city near the water. It would probably take only a ten to fifteen minute walk to get there tomorrow morning. Then she can see just how she can join in on a contest. The thought of actually enlisting into a pokemon contest made her feel restless, despite her fatigue! There was so much that tomorrow was going to bring!

Lloyd Ninten

"Well, good to know that it's really close by," Lloyd replied. Checking the map himself, he saw that the Selverde Gym wasn't too far from the Centre either. "You know, you should ask Nurse Joy there is she knows when the next Contest is. That way, we can plan what we're going to do tomorrow, besides getting you enrolled into the Contest that is." Lloyd imagined that Lucas would also like to get some battle training in himself, although he'd been acting strange since he left the farm; and now that they were this close to the gym, Lloyd himself felt a tingle of excitement. The next few days in Selverde were certainly going to be fun, if nothing else.

Walking up to the reception counter, he decided to talk to the Joy. "Hi Nurse Joy. Just wanted to ask a few things. First of all, my friend Juliana wants to enroll into the Selverde City Contest. Do you know when the next one here will be?" Looking back at the pair behind him, Lloyd added, "We'd also like three rooms for tonight for now, and could you also tell us how busy Liana is at the Selverde Gym. My friend and I want to know whether we'll have a chance to battle her soon. And is there a battlefield at the centre where we can practice?"

[Kita-Hinode]

Lucas Monteiro
Selverde Pokémon Center

Lucas looked at the floor, his back turned to the two while letting the other two do the talking.

The blond looked down his jersey, a full red affair with a white collar. In the middle of the jersey's chest laid a white circle with the drawing of a smiling Charmander and the words Festaía City spread across the circle. A couple of fingers down that, laid the team's sponsor, some company he couldn't recall the name of. "Lucas, you're looking weird." He rose his head, looking at his brother. The dark-haired boy smiled, patting his little brother's back. "Selverde City are scrubs anyway. I think we can handle them head on. Don'cha think?" Lucas sighed, nodding. "Tell me what's wrong, little brother."

Lucas sighed, adjusting his shorts. "I don't know... I feel like something is going to happen this season." His brother chuckled. "I'm serious, Matt. I feel like something big will happen, something neither of us are ready to go against." His brother rolled his eyes. "As in we'll finally play for the main team? I fail to see how that is a problem." The team's manager yells for them to leave the locker room. Matt smiles. "Don't worry, little brother. Whatever it is, if there even is anything, we'll be able to face it like we always do."

He shook his head, trying to let his thoughts fade away.

[Tethys 13]

Aliza, Route 5

“Sure, I’ll take you on.” Aliza told the three. They were maybe six years younger than her, finely dressed with the look of snobs. The middle one, a blond young boy with a finer suit than the others, was clearly the leader. He sent out a Glameow, while the brown-haired boy to his right sent out a Sentret and the black-haired boy on the other side sent out a Shinx. Aliza hesitated for a moment, formulating a strategy, then sent out Purrloin, Pancham and Murkrow.
“Glameow, Fake Out on Pancham!” Blondy commanded before any signal to begin had been given. His cronies were quick to follow up, with Sentret using Quick Attack and Shinx using Tackle. Aliza gave a quick whistle, then called out her own commands.
“Glameow, Sand Attack in two seconds. Murkrow, Astonish on Shinx in three.” Pancham flinched back as the Fake Out struck, closing its eyes, and the Quick Attack bowled it over. However, just as the Shinx moved in, the three Pokémon now converged on one point, Purrloin’s Sand Attack blew grit into their faces. Pancham, protected by the flinch, rolled away into the dust cloud, and a moment later Murkrow came in with Astonish, driving the Shinx away from its fellows. Aliza whistled again, then snapped “Purrloin, Growl. Murkrow, Pursuit!”
“Glameow, Scratch attack!”
“Sentret, Defence Curl!”
“Shinx, Tackle!” came the orders from her opponents. Purrloin and Murkrow moved swiftly, Purrloin’s Growl lowering Sentret and Glameow’s Attack before the latter even moved, and its Scratch missed the mark entirely while Sentret curled up into a ball. Murkrow’s Pursuit struck Shinx heavily, but it bounced back to its feet and lunged back, catching Murkrow a glancing blow.
“I’ve had enough of this dust. Sentret, Foresight!”
“Shinx, Leer!”
“Glameow, stop messing around and Scratch it!” the three of them were getting agitated now, the petulance levels in their voices rising.
“Purrloin, Sand Attack Glameow. Murkrow, Astonish.” Aliza said calmly. Glameow lunged again only to catch another eyeful of sand and tumble forwards, swatting helplessly. Meanwhile Sentret uncurled itself and cleared its vision, focusing intently on Purrloin, and Shinx was interrupted while trying to Leer with dust-filled eyes by Murkrow’s Astonish.
“Hang on chaps, what’s that Pancham doing?” The brown-haired trainer asked, and all three stared at the small Pokémon far in the back where it had surreptitiously retreated after the first strikes, furiously stamping its foot on the ground and pounding its paws together, surrounded by a red glow, which intensified again even as they watched.
“That would be Work Up, and it has used it twice now,” Aliza smiled. The three trainers were stunned for a moment as realisation dawned, and desperation entered their eyes and voice.
“Sentret, Quick Attack Purrloin, take it out now!”
“Shinx, Tackle, fast!”
“Glameow, Growl, or at least do something!”
“Purrloin, Assist. Murkrow, Astonish again.” A white orb appeared on Purrloin’s paw, but just as it was about to use the copied move Sentret slammed into it, knocking it back. It landed on its feet, and the white orb turned red as Purrloin used Pancham’s Work Up. On the other side, Murkrow and Shinx rushed each other again, but this time the Electric type was not deterred and sent its foe flying high into the air, where it righted itself unsteadily. Neither trade had gone as Aliza had hoped, but it mattered little at this point. “Pancham, Karate Chop.” She said as her smile widened into a cruelly sinister grin. Up until now she’d been battling in a sneaky, underhanded way, with distractions and cheap moves. That’s how she’d learned growing up, but it wasn’t the only source or her full style. She’d only laid the true foundations for her own battling style in the long months secretly observing Cabral while working at the Gym. Pancham charged forwards and slammed its paw edge-first into the unsteady Glameow’s head even as it was opening its mouth to Growl, knocking it out with a single powered-up super effective blow. Its trainer began shouting indignantly, but Aliza’s attention was entirely on the battle, her eyes flashing between the various Pokémon. She gave another whistle, this time one of the basics she had already instructed Murkrow and Purrloin on. “Murkrow, Peck. Purrloin, go wild, Fury Swipes.”
“Sentret, Quick Attack!”
“Shinx, Tackle!” Even as their opponents started their moves, Murkrow and Purrloin suddenly changed direction and sped towards each other. Sentret followed, catching up fast, when Aliza whistled again. Pancham stepped in as Purrloin passed it, taking the attack meant for its teammate, and though Pancham had taken damage already, it was able to withstand Sentret’s reduced power. Murkrow appeared and drove it back with beak glowing, though what the Sentret had lost in Attack it had gained in Defence, and it remained on its feet. Meanwhile Purrloin and Shinx collided, rolling end over end but with Purrloin on top, fire in its eyes and claws extended and shining. A few savage moments later it leapt away, not deigning to look back at its defeated opponent. That just left Sentret, and all present knew what was about to happen.
“Pancham, Karate Chop one last time.” Even with boosted Defence, Sentret was no match for Pancham’s power, the little Pokémon fair roiling with energy, and it was over in an instant. “Well, that was certainly lots of fun!” Aliza said with a faint giggle as she strode forwards, her face sunny. Then a shadow passed over it, and she leant down to go nose to nose with the leader of her erstwhile opponents. “Now, you know the rules, give me your money.” She said, with as much warmth and friendliness as an Ice Shard.

Aliza sighed as she counted up the money, her challengers having run presumably for their mothers. 1500 Pokédollars was nice, but she’d held out some small hope for far more from such wealthy looking brats. Then again, they probably got their parents to buy everything for them and thus wouldn’t have much use for an allowance. She checked on her Pokémon, who all looked healthy enough, and she decided all they’d need to recover would be a rest in their Pokéballs for a while. She’d just returned them when she heard another voice call out.
“Oi, you!” feeling a faint sense of déjà vu, Aliza turned, but instead of three brats she saw a security guard striding towards her, with a Herdier rushing ahead of him. She squatted down as it came for her, its bearded lips pulled back as it snarled intimidatingly, but the moment it came close enough to see her eyes underneath the cap it froze. A tremor went through it as it sank back on its haunches, lowered its head and whined. She reached out a hand to pet the trembling Pokémon on the head, and when she raised her eyes to meet those of its owner, her face was covered with a smile as sweet as a Swirlix.
“Can I help you, sir?” she asked. The guard hesitated.
“Some of our guests said there was a mugger out here who stole their money,” he explained uncertainly.
“Ah, I see. No, nothing like that – if you are referring to the three kids, they challenged me to a Pokémon battle and were defeated, so as per the rules I was awarded some of their money. I’m guessing they weren’t too happy about it.”
“That makes sense,” the guard grumbled, and she guessed he’d had enough encounters to form a poor opinion of those children already. He still looked at her with suspicion however, worried by his Pokémon’s reaction. “Be careful if you’re travelling, this region isn’t as safe as it used to be,” he said out loud, giving her the benefit of the doubt.
“Thank you, I will,” she replied, hefting her huge bag with an ease that made him even more uneasy. Then, whistling a happy tune, she headed off along the route.

[Skylus]

Adam Neach
Selverde City

Adam had finally reached Selverde after a few mishaps. He appeared to the the first one there, so, after visiting the Pokemon center to heal his team, Adam made his way to the first Gym.
Once there, the young trainer got out his team and let them take a look at their surroundings.
It was then that Adam noticed that he wasn't the first one there - someone else was battling the trainers.
Adam recalled his team back into their Pokeballs and merely watched the two trainers fight.

[Mundeo]

Selverde City

Selverde City Pokemon Center

The nurse at the front counter greeted Lloyd with a smile. "There are currently sign-ups available at the Contest Hall for the contest two days from now. Your friend should make sure to sign up as soon as she can tomorrow morning." The nurse said cheerfully. "There's currently a battle scheduled for tomorrow morning, so I definitely wouldn't want to miss it! As long as there aren't many trainers waiting to battle her, you should be able to get your challenge in tomorrow. There isn't a battlefield here, unfortunately, but there are plenty of parks around the city for you to train at"

With that, the nurse led the three to their rooms, where they would spend the night all full of excitement for what was to come tomorrow.

The next day.

After a quick breakfast at a cafe bordering the center, Juliana rushed over to the contest hall's box office, where a receptionist was there waiting.

"You seem to be in a hurry" The receptionist said. "I'm guessing you want to sign up for tomorrow's contest?"

"Yes!" Juliana gasped out, catching her breath. "Yes please!"

"Alright, alright. Don't pass out on me. Just make sure to be hear tomorrow at 5 p.m. so that you can get ready. You know, costume and all?"

"C... costume?" The farmgirl didn't realize it in her excitement. She was going to have to get a new outfit! There was no way she was going out in her old clothes! Buying her costume was going to have to wait, since the other two in her group had somewhere else to be! The three quickly made their way to the Selverde City Gym, where a spectacle of a different sort awaited them...

Selverde City Gym

The pokemon gym was quite the sight to behold. The arena was located in a massive greenhouse at the center of the botanical garden - Liana wanted it to be completely outdoors, but she had to take noise complaints into consideration. Nonetheless, the interior was almost identical to the wild rainforest outside. Three large trees dotted the battlefield, with their long boughs reaching out almost like arches. The perimeter was full of many colorful and vibrant flowers, giving the greenhouse a pleasant aroma. The sides of the arena were lined with bleachers, which were all filled with cheering spectators. Whoever was here to battle the gym leader, they were clearly someone everyone wanted to see.

An announcer's voice came out from loudspeakers that rested at the greenhouse's ceiling. "We have a very special battle for you all today, ladies and gentlemen!" The voice rang. "Not only is this the very first gym battle in the history of the Maderian League, but our challenger is one we have all been waiting to see! We have our gym leader, the acrobatic Liana, and we have our challenger: Corvao Duraco from Altorre City!"

Now it was clear why the crowd's were so anxious. They were about to see a battle between a gym leader and the son of a gym leader!

"Without further ado, let the battle begin!"

"Let's go, Oddish!" Liana called out, tossing her first pokemon into the air and releasing the Weed Pokemon onto the grass in front of her.

"Go, Larvesta" Corvao said unenthusiastically, nonchalantly tossing a net ball into the air. The appearance of the Torch Pokemon Larvesta elicited looks of awe from the crowd to see such a rare pokemon in front of them. With the scene set, it was evident that the three trainers and the coordinator had quite the battle in store!

[Kita-Hinode]

Lucas Monteiro
Selverde City

A night of sleep was just well enough for Lucas, who by now was able to put those memories on the back of his mind, focusing instead on his own goals for the time being. He took his time finishing his breakfast, not even managing to get a word or two with Juliana, who stormed out towards the contest hall. He chose to follow her as soon as he was done, already more or less prepared for the one battle he wanted to have with the gym leader.

As soon as he arrived, he could hear the receptionist talking about a costume. "A costume, eh?" He slid a finger towards his chin, starting to think of something... only for his Vulpix to somehow defy physics and slap his cheek thrice with her tails, before returning to the floor. He sighed, realizing what the Vulpix thought he was thinking of. "I'd rather keep my mouth shut."

Not too long later, they went on to the Pokémon Gym. As he took in the sights inside the gymnasium, he briefly looked at the two, making a remark. "This place looks expensive, a lot of effort to raise trees inside a building, you know?" Although the crowd was rather anxious over it all, Lucas preferred to focus on studying the gym leader's style, since he'd be aiming for a badge soon enough.

[Tethys 13]

Aliza, Route 5

Aliza speared downwards, her heavy boot extended in a devastating drop kick. Pancham turned to the side and caught it, using Aliza’s momentum against her and slamming her towards the ground. She extended her hands and planted them firmly, cushioning her fall and flipping back onto her feet.
“It still isn’t working, is it?” she said, catching her breath. Pancham clenched its paws. Beyond them, Murkrow and Purrloin dashed between the trees, clashing together then breaking apart. “Foul Play is a move that uses the opponent’s power against them,” she continued, “and you’ve got that part down, but it also inflicts hefty damage on its own. At the moment, you’ve got it at half strength.” She turned to the other two. “Murkrow,” she said, and it halted in midair, flapping furiously. “I acknowledge we haven’t been together long, and it is as much my responsibility as yours, but we have to get you stronger, or you’ll be holding the team back.” The Pokémon hung its head, while Purrloin hopped up and down on a branch, eager to continue. It had taken to Aliza’s intense training method like a Ducklett to water, indulging its savage spirit to grow stronger and faster. “No, that’s enough for now,” Aliza said, and returned all three to their Pokéballs. “I want to get a move on.”

She made good progress, her path steering her inland until the coast was out of sight even in open ground. She found some berry trees that had plenty of Wepear and Pinap berries, and she picked them along with half a dozen Oran berries, storing them away in preserving containers. She saw a number of Grass and Normal type Pokémon along the way, but they kept their distance and she had no interest in pursuing them. It was just as she was watching another pair of furtive eyes vanish into the undergrowth that her Pokégear buzzed. She hesitated, feeling some trepidation, but retrieved it from her bag’s outer pocket and flicked it open. It was a call from her grandmother, but that didn’t ease her concern. Nevertheless, she pressed the ‘answer’ button and raised the device to her ear.
“Yo, grandmother. You holding up OK?”
“Aliza,” came the tired old voice, slightly tinny due to the connection. “I’m fine, though Jenny came round earlier in the hopes of seeing you before you left. For some reason, she seemed to think that you’d visit me before gallivanting off.” Aliza heard the subtle reprimand, and quashed the automatic sense of guilt.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” she replied, straining her ears to see if she could hear anyone else in the room, though it was no use. In the end, she gave up and just asked. “Are my parents there?”
“They just left,” her grandmother replied. “They arrived not long after Jenny, but don’t worry, I was able to prevent my dear daughter from destroying her closest friend. I do hope Cabral will be alright though, she headed to the Gym while your father left with Jenny to get a full story of what happened.” Aliza shivered. Cabral was feared by all of the gangs in Fortalore, and his appearance during a scuffle was an invitation to flee or have your troublemaking squashed, but given a choice between facing his strongest team at full power or just one of her mother’s top-percentage ruthlessly-trained and rare-item-equipped Fighting types, she’d take the omnipresent third option of running and hiding. Not that she thought it likely that her mother would actually declare a challenge against Cabral, but she didn’t need her Toxicroak in order to deliver a brutal tongue-lashing.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Aliza lied.
“Well, take care out there,” her grandmother changed the subject. “When do you think you’ll next be in the area?”
“Not for a while, I’d say,” Aliza replied, silently resolving not to return until everything had a chance to die down. “And you know I can look after myself, and you too if you need it, so make sure you call me again if anything comes up.”
“Of course, dear. Have a wonderful journey,” her grandmother finished. For several minutes after the call had ended, Aliza just stood there, thoughts running through her mind.

“Halt!” a voice shouted. Aliza looked up blearily. She’d been walking for half an hour or so since her grandmother had called, but had been doing so in a daydreaming daze, so she hadn’t noticed the bridge or the person standing on it. He was about her height, and looked to be slightly younger than her, though the shorts, glasses and oversized hat all contributed to make his age less clear. he carried a large metal-framed net as if it was a ceremonial halberd, and stared down at her arrogantly.
“Why?” Aliza replied, and though she slowed, she did not stop walking.
“My name is Alano. You are a trainer are you not?” he said, and his voice was warm and cheerful, changing her earlier opinion. He wasn’t arrogant, just exuberant. “Then let us battle, here on this bridge! A fine setting for a thrilling duel, would you not say?”
“Sure,” Aliza said, and grinned. “That actually sounds like a blast.”

[Skylus]

Adam Neach
Selverde Gym

Adam looked on with surprise as one Gym Leader summoned a Larvesta, of all Pokemon.
While he was watching the Gym leaders fight, he noticed a few others nearby and he realized that they had also been at the ceremony.
He walked over to them and introduced himself.
"Hi. Name's Adam, Adam Neach. Nice to meet you."

[Kita-Hinode]

Lucas Monteiro
Selverde Gym

The blond kept staring at the battle, only to have his attention pulled by Adam. "Hey, man." He smiled, offering his hand. "Say, did you get any news on that father of yours? We just arrived here the other day, y'know. This is Lloyd and that's Juliana." He pointed to the other two when he mentioned their names respectively. He then made sure to give the other boy some space so he could sit near them to watch, his eyes soon returning to the battle.