Selene
"Perhaps...only..." she looked at Bri, and for a wild moment she was sorely tempted to tell him everything – about how the relationship between herself and Valorie had gotten so wildly complicated, how she wasn't sure what she was feeling about it, her suspicions that Mark was purposefully trying to turn Valorie against her because he was intimidated by her...but she bit her lip. Ultimately, she wasn't ready to say these things to the one person who needed to hear them – Valorie – so it would be best for her to keep quiet about it altogether. She sighed and shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck and averting her eyes from Bri to the ground, "I may have just shouted some things at him in a somewhat...uncontrolled manner...in front of people...but that isn't like me really...anyway, you're right, it will sort itself out in time I'm sure." Sel decided to end the conversation on a more positive note and smiled at Bri, her grin widening as he told her who he had beaten in his battle.
"Brogan? Brogan Houghton-Taylor? Oh yeah, I've heard of her. She's a bit...difficult isn't she? But Suicune dorm, Bri, that's really good going!" gushed Selene, reaching out instinctively to pat Bri's head but then, fearing that her gesture could be construed as patronising and condescending she decided to place a hand on his shoulder briefly. She looked down at Ryan, withdrawing her hand as Bri offered to talk to him, watching how Thyme seemed to be irritated with him...but Ryan just seemed totally nonplussed, if anything he seemed totally arrogant and as though he was enjoying having Thyme annoyed at him.
"Overgrown rat? Oh no sister, you did not just go there, that is like well too jigga from a skinny-ass lil' snake runt like you!" laughed Ryan, meanwhile, as Thyme barked at him, "if you don't get the lingo, then maybe /you/ should be the one to get in the game, you get me? I ain't translatin' for no person, no how."
"If you would I'd really appreciate that...it may be that evolution has made some...facets of his personality...more prevalent I suppose, but he just doesn't seem himself...I don't know what he's thinking now like I did when he was a Pikachu. Except the tail of course, he moves his tail exactly the same way, just a little more fluidly with it being longer," she smiled at the familiar swaying of his tail, how she knew that he was up to no good.
"Champions...yeah...Steven would be a good battle..." her eyes averted up to the stage and she saw Valorie and some other blonde kid talking to Lance...Valorie seemed annoyed about something, whilst Dragonair was just looking down at them. Sel frowned slightly...what was going on up there? She never imagined Valorie to be...annoyed...meeting her idol...must be that boy next to her. Selene had to hold herself back from rushing over there to sort stuff out...although...
Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as a Growlithe bolted through the gathering and leapt up onto the Nurse's desk, Xavier not far behind – must be his Pokemon, deduced Sel as she took a step backwards to steady herself, faring better than Bri who was actively thrown backwards onto the floor from the chaos. Before Selene could offer him a hand, however, Thyme was there with her vines and, in a somewhat impressive display, she lifted Bri back up onto his feet.
"Hey Xavier...well, not really your fault was it? I've heard that some Growlithe can be...high-spirited," she said finally, having to consider the adjective carefully and choosing the most empathetic sounding one before turning to Ryan and gesturing with her head. Ryan took the signal and ran up her back, settling himself around her shoulders – boy, this would take some getting used to with his increased size and weight...not to mention that tail! – and Sel nodded to the group.
"I have something to take care of guys...I think I'm going to have myself a battle with the Hoenn Champion...but I'll see you later, and I think that Ryan would enjoy that conversation with you later on Bri," she nodded to both of them before turning away from them and walking toward the stage.
As she approached, and Valorie drew closer, she felt an odd drying within her mouth, and a quickening of the pulse...wow, it wasn't normal to be this nervous surely? But then...a lot had happened today, and after what had just gone down with Mark...if Valorie reacted badly to Selene, then she really had screwed everything up with everyone.
Climbing the steps to the stage, Selene joined the small group, noting how Lance seemed to look up at her in exasperation, as though expecting her to add to the spectacle he had just witnessed, but she wasn't focussing on Lance...apparently.
"Hey Valorie, are you going to take on Lance? Is that why you have Dragonair out? I don't know if it's possible...but she's looking even bigger than the last time we battled! I'm sure she will put up a worthy fight, she's very powerful," she complimented, not quite able to meet Valorie's eyes as she spoke, assuming that the boy next to her had been trying to put Valorie down so that he could battle Lance instead. "I think even Ryan here remembers the last time they battled – he was WHOOPED by Dragonair" she added to the boy as an almost side-thought, "I had to pull out my Ice-type attacks to take down Valorie's Dragonair! But anyway...I'm going to see if Mr Stone would battle me...so I'll see you guys later. Good luck Valorie, good luck Dragonair!"
She threw a dirty look at the boy, practically ignored Valorie, and walked over to where Steven had been talking to Cynthia toward the back of the stage.
Sel, of course, wasn't a shy and retiring wallflower in any sense and wouldn't be at all afraid to march on over to the Hoenn Champ and request a battle with him – the way Selene saw it, she was just going after what she wanted and making it happen for herself – but this was somewhat different. It was almost as though she was on a mission to battle until she herself fainted, as though she was desperate to prove her own worth and strength. Which, in fact, she was. It was as though the battle with Mark had been a mere warm-up, and now Sel really wanted to let loose.
"Excuse me, Mr Stone?" she said strongly, her voice firm and confident as she stood near to Steven as he chatted away with Cynthia. Steven turned his head to Sel and smiled in a somewhat forced manner, a nod in her direction indicating that she should continue. "I heard you announcement, about the showcase battles...and I...I know you said that you were going to choose your opponents but I really feel as though I could put up a good fight against you. And I would very much like to battle you." Her tone was strengthened by an underlying anger, not expressed explicitly, but it bolstered her request for a battle and made her sound even more determined.
Steven looked at her for a moment, sharing a glance with an amused looking Cynthia before returning his eyes to Selene and nodding slowly.
"I trust that you will give me a battle to remember, Miss..?" he asked inquisitively, standing and keeping eye contact with Selene.
"Evans, Selene Evans. And I promise you, I will. So...when are we going to battle...now?" she asked eagerly, having to stop herself from rushing over to the battlefield as it was. Steven seemed amused by her directness and the rush she seemed to be in to get fighting, but of course his somewhat serious countenance stopped him from laughing at her outright. Instead he simply folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at her slightly.
"Of course, no time like the present. Shall we?" he gestured for Selene to move over to one of the battlefields, and Sel nodded with a small smile before striding off, not arrogantly but more with purpose as though she were determined to shine in this battle, to take her place on one end of the battlefield. Steven, after a few moments, stood opposite her and cleared his throat to make an announcement.