Footsteps of the Goddess, the Silver Tower Tournament.

crobatdeluxe: Ow. Just. Ow. Declined you didn't read the taken list, Your appearance isn't even close to what it needs to be, your intro is just dialouge in such a print that's near impossible to read and with so few spots left I'm going to be almost too insanely picky. Thank you for your interest but I cannot accept you.

Moar Mika RP. ;D YAY. Here be Gareth.


Name: Gareth Thomas Patterson
Age: Nineteen

Gender: Despite what some rather deluded people may think, Gareth is indeed male

Occupation: Johto Ranger (though it's debatable how good he is at his job)

Pokemon Team: As Gareth is a ranger, he only has two pokemon on a regular basis, but has no qualms about using pokemon native to the area. His permanent partners happen to be a Dewgong and a Charmeleon. The Dewgong in question was his original partner, and the Charmeleon was given to him by a friend.

Appearance: Standing at only five feet and nine inches tall, Gareth is fairly small in stature in comparison to other males. He's not miniscule by any means, but it's still a bit of a sore spot. What guy doesn't want to appear physically intimidating? Gareth certainly appears the opposite, to be quite honest. His slim frame seems hardly capable of violence of any sort, though not unhealthy looking. He tends to keep the same stoic expression on his face, though sometimes one can see the glimmer of annoyance in his deep brown eyes as he rolls them, or perhaps the low sigh that would escape his lips during times of true blue and unbelievable stupidity when he presses his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. At first glance, one could suppose that his gender was indeed, debatable, based solely on his long dark cyan hair, normally kept in a loose braid to his mid-back. Such assumptions tend to annoy the nineteen year old male, as he is not, in fact, a flat chested woman, as some are quick to assume.

As most rangers are outfitted in the common red and black garb, Gareth's normal uniform differs slightly. An open red vest generally is slid over a white or black three quarter sleeve t-shirt, with a black bandana tied 'round his neck. The universal ranger fingerless gloves and Capture Styler are nearly always present on his hands. Whenever he can, though, Gareth makes it a habit to keep his hands tucked into the pockets of his black cargo shorts, due to the fact that his fingers are heavily scarred and disfigured from an unfortunate Cyndaquil accident when he was young. Due to the presence of the tournament, however, Gareth decided against his usual red vest and opted for one of a deep green shade. His ranger fingerless gloves have been traded for full fingered ones in black with a rather unnecessarily flashy metal plate across the back for absolutely no reason other than he found it to look rather interesting. His two pokeballs are kept on a chain on his right side, and rather than physically throwing pokeballs during any sort of battle, Gareth merely calls his pokemon by their names.

Entry Post: "You are one insanely lucky Dewgong, Borealis," the lone nineteen year old muttered as he tossed the Pokemon treats over his shoulder into his partnered pokemon's waiting mouth. The large Dewgong's eagerly gaping maw gobbled up the treats instantly, and resumed its current state, waiting for more. "Why I put up with your behavior is simply beyond me. Nine years of this is beginning to become troublesome," Gareth murmured, turning to face the sea lion pokemon as Borealis continued to lazily tread water in the calm river. If it were possible, the horned pokemon rolled his eyes at his master. This gesture, whether it had truly happened or was just a case of personification, caught Gareth's attention. "Don't give me that. You know how easily I could have disregarded you before. I traded my starter pokemon for you, Borealis. That does not mean I desired you that badly. It simply proved how little I cared for my pokemon at the time." It was obvious that this statement annoyed the pokemon, evidenced by the quick movement of his tail, causing the formerly dry pokemon ranger to become very wet indeed. It was at this exact moment that the nineteen year old received a communication from the Ranger Chief of the area, a woman in her upper twenties with sun kissed skin and deep burgundy hair named Elena.

"Well, I was going to give you a new mission, but it seems to me that you're too busy playing Marco Polo with that partner of yours," the older woman giggled, taking note of the normally serious ranger's very annoyed expression at being quite drenched.

"Haha, Elena. Very funny. You mentioned something about a new mission?" he retorted shortly, neglecting to be at all professional with his superior. One tended to forget such things when they happened to be soaked to the skin and quickly becoming rather cold. It was rather well known that Gareth wasn't the ideal ranger. He didn't care much for the environment, the nature in which pokemon lived. He didn't even really have a strong desire to help native wild pokemon. It would be a bit disgusting to say that he was after the money, but… if he wasn't paid as decently as he was, it would be very unlikely that he would be a ranger. Of course, the sense of purpose whet his appetite as well. After starting off on his 'pokemon adventure' nine years previous, he'd wandered for the first solid year, training and trading pokemon, having no real drive or purpose. That had changed when he'd met and teamed up with a fellow trainer, and the goal and quest was clear in his mind as long as he traveled with her. Her absence had led him back to a purposeless lifestyle, that was, until he'd sought out the rangers, seeking some kind of reason to exist.

Elena seemed to take his temper in stride. "Well, someone appears to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today. Anyway, I'm sure you've heard of the tournament on Mount Silver that's to commence in a few days, right?"

"Elena, really… who hasn't? It's been all over the news for six solid months. What about it?"

"Really, Gareth? Do you have to ask me that?" the elder woman sighed and shook her head. "As if it weren't obvious. You, Azar, and Borealis better get your butts over to New Bark Town so you can catch the ferry!"

It took Gareth a moment to work this over in his head. "Wait. So my new mission is to enter a tournament? Seriously?"

"Seriously. We were extended a single invitation by Wallace himself, and we've selected you to take him up on that offer, Gareth. You better get going!" the dark haired woman smiled before ending the communication.

Before Gareth even had a chance to look in Borealis's direction, the cumbersome Dewgong had already returned to his pokeball, a sure sign that he wanted to get this adventure underway.

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

She was making a scene. He'd told her a thousand times that their departure would be on a boat. A boat that was on water. Water, that she was absolutely freaking terrified of. He'd informed the hydrophobic Charmeleon that it would simply be best if she stayed in her pokeball. But noooo~. She'd just had to pop out at the most inopportune moment, as he was leaning against the railing of the deck, taking in the sights. About as close to the water as you can be. And now Azar, his only other pokemon and the 'gift' he'd received from Sosie was thrashing about as he attempted to subdue her, crying uncontrollably. It finally got to the point where the nineteen year old scooped up the terrified Charmeleon, surely burning his numb, scarred, and momentarily gloveless fingers and attempted to quiet her. Once she was secure and felt safe in his arms, Azar disappeared in an embarrassed red glow back into her pokeball, and Gareth was left to pretend that it hadn't happened at all. Which was slightly difficult on such a crowded ferry and where several of the other trainers were giving him dirty looks for allowing his pokemon to throw such a tantrum. Once the ferry had come to a stop, the cyan haired ranger lazily made his way towards the designated waiting arena, eager for the start of this unusual mission.

kayla: Hahaha. Gareth is so full of love and that was just too frickin' adorable. Accepted
Alter Ego: Hahaha. As I'm responsible for the lack of the appearance field, I'll go ahead and call you Accepted, just get it done when you can. <3

ATTENTION MINDSLAVES. THE SIGNUPS ARE NOW CLOSED

Yeah I don't want a 13 person roleplay. :P so I'm capping it off here and now.

The two people who pmed/msned me with viable reasons [AP exams and evil university exams] are Chibi-chan and Fan-E and as they gave me legit reasons, their spots are reserved. this means that the accepted/pending cast is as follows

ACCEPTED
Johto Champion: Mika
Sinnoh Coordinator: Alter Ego
Hoenn Champion: Feigon [<.< SORRY. I WAS REALLY TIRED.]
Kanto Ranger Lynnx
Sinnoh Ranger Scarlet Weather
Hoenn Ranger Spearow
Johto Ranger: kayla

PENDING
Chibi-Chan
Fan-E

Thank you, everyone who was interested and applied it really means alot to me. ;_;

and now I sleep. *conks out*

Name: Seras 'Darian' Maxell

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Occupation: Kanto League Honorary Champion (although is publicly disapproved of entitlement)

Pokemon Team: Toxicroak (Setxaro), Eevee (Livole), Nidoran ♀ (Daienson), Combee (Tomoe), Larvitar (Sebel), Skorupi (Faun)

Appearance: Living under the sundrenched city of Slateport can do two things to an active child of fourteen. The first one is simple and has the child develop a sun kissed tan. The second one however, is slightly more preferential but none the more suiting for Seras in this case, as it has her develop a heightened tolerance to stifling temperatures, effectively minimising the amount of clothing she adorns in any season of weather. From this understanding, it's easy to see exactly why she dresses the way she does.

Tights; nothing fits better and is more comfortable than the body hugging material, especially for a wannabe pokemon ranger such as Seras. With the typical one piece swimsuit cut, black in colour for added warmth absorption, a truncated denim vest braces her spandex bust, sleeveless but with added feathered trimmings to keep things festive. Denim shorts of equal length reach only mid-thigh, it too sprouting all forms of feathers along the hem as decoration but also provides support for her gold buckle ivory belt, while pockets of all sizes and for all purposes line its surface. Black fingerless gloves and tanker boots dress the ends of her appendages as a single feathered scrunchy completes her self-made uniform, tying her short golden hair into an explosive ponytail.

After taking care of her hair, Seras does little else to highlight her natural born appearance; her sharp blue eyes, her pointed button nose, her taut abdomen, her slender fingers and her robust thighs are all but mere extremities, a testament to her physical capabilities and athleticism.

Entry Post: How long had it been since she'd arrive? And he was still keeping her waiting! Under normal circumstances, she'd pipe up, or in the least give the cloaked vendor a greeting kick to the face, but seeing as how her grandpa had given her precise instructions of dealing with the target merchant, she continued to muster all of her strength to restrain such urges. Thankfully, it was only an additional two minutes of impatience on the girl's behalf before she was greeted with what she had come for, although personally, she would have much rather spent her time beating the man to a pulp.

"There you go," his voice rasped from beneath his hood, the upper portion of his face remaining in shadow as a sinister smile crept into view under the single overhanging light, his tattered hands retreating from hers as they deposited several vials of what appeared to be glittering yellow sand into them, "five vials. Are you sure you can handle that much girl?"

"Don't look down on me!" she spat indignantly, offended by the man's insinuation that she couldn't handle simple bottled stun spore. Who the hell did he think she was? For one, she was the granddaughter of Darian Maxell, the greatest pokemon hunter in the world! And while he wasn't particularly renowned for his compassion, let alone his occupation, he was still the greatest there was in the field, both above ground and underground. Although she'd be damned if she'd let some lowlife merchant look down on her. She was going to make a name for herself and for her own merits too, and not just because she was some notorious hunter's granddaughter. She was never going to end up like that. It was the reason she had become Kanto's champion after all, despite the rather public dissention against her entitlement. Still, she'd take the abuse, even if it killed her, as long as she could clear her family name.

"Move aside now girl," the merchant interrupted, nodding towards the ravaged accompaniment of men lining up behind her—more hunters looking to sell their loot—all of whom had been eyeing the spaced out blond with growing interest, "but before you go..."

"Hey! Don't just tell me to scram and then hold me back!" she goaded while simultaneously staring down the ogling men behind her, quite literally challenging them to try anything funny to give herself an excuse to vent out her bubbling frustration, "The quicker I get out of this dump the better."

"Ho ho..." reaching out his hand once again, something firm, cold and transparent wrapped within, he offered the girl a parting gift, to which she hesitantly approached.

"W-What is it?"

"Just take it girl," breathed his usual sinister smile.

Scoffing, she snatched the glass stone from his hands and quickly pocketed it into her bag, her only thought now being the complete vacating of the amateurish black market. So without another word, she turned on her heel and stomped off, forcefully brushing past the surrounding hunters before making her way towards the narrowing tunnel's exit.

As she breached the heavens, the underground markets being notorious for burying themselves...underground, her thoughts wandered about the thunder stone she had just received and then to the man who had given it to her. Despite being a total pain in the arse to deal with, he was surprisingly knowledgeable about the different places, pokemon and tools used to capture them and it had become clear why her grandpa had held the geezer in such high regard. Still, that wasn't exactly her chief concern at the moment for she had just accomplished her goal in travelling all the way to Goldenrod, the feat being her acquisition of her grandpa's tools of the trade. She would use the very tools he had used to hunt pokemon during his thirty-seven year career, except she would use them to protect and save them instead. And seeing as how she had been declined enrolment at every single ranger academia she had applied for—being the granddaughter of an infamous pokemon hunter not really winning any brownie points from the applications committee—it served as the perfect limitation for her in clearing the 'Maxell' name. Besides, if she didn't have to struggle, her achievements would amount to nothing and she'd be damned before she was recognised in any other way.

Ah...am I out? God I can't wait for school to end...

Fan-E: Yay! :D It's a Phani-mama!!!! -squees- But after your edit, you are clear for takeoff, ACCEPTED now go finish your assignments. >:C

This changes the playlist of players to the following:

ACCEPTED
Johto Champion: Mika
Sinnoh Coordinator: Alter Ego
Kanto Ranger: Lynnx
Sinnoh Ranger: Scarlet Weather
Hoenn Ranger: Spearow
Hoenn Champion: Feigon
Johto Ranger: kayla
Kanto Champion: Fan-E

PENDING
Chibi-Chan

If you are not on the pending or accepted list, thank you for your interest, come again next time but you're not in the tournament. (^ ^)b

Just a second Mika-muffin @A@;;;;
I'll have mine up by tonight if you don't distract me!

My, my, another Mika RP? Aye, your RPs tend to be excellent. I suppose I'll give it a go, then~

Name: Nymph Isabella Asakura (Nym for short)

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Occupation: Hoenn Coordinator

Pokemon Team:

Chiru ~ Female Altaria ~ Brave Nature
Chiru is Nymph's main Pokemon when it comes to Cool contests. Ever since she was a Swablu, Chiru had always battled alongside Nymph, and due to her coolness in appearance and moves, she was entered in the Hoenn region's Cool contests, where she managed to win all four ribbons. Although a bit outgoing, Chiru tends to stay by Nymph's side and never abandons her unless she has means to.

Cierra ~ Female Ninetales ~ Modest Nature
Cierra was one of Nymph's first Pokemon, and has since then been a powerhouse on Nymph's team. Cierra is rather shy, and tends to stay by Nymph's side much like Chiru. Partaking in Hoenn's Beauty contest, Cierra has bedazzled the crowd the four times she entered and won. On top of that, her wide range of attacks has shocked even the more advanced battlers.

Silk ~ Female Masquerain ~ Timid Nature
Silk is actually the last Pokemon Nymph caught, and the one that took the longest in winning all the ribbons of her category. Starting as a Surskit, Silk's shyness had made her reluctant when it came to entering the Cute contests, and thus Nymph had to go train her where she would be in her "comfort zone". This took a while, but eventually, Silk became less and less intimidated by all the Pokemon larger than her, and accepted entering the Cute contests. She pulled off a miracle in each and every part, and became known as Nymph's "Miracle Bringer".

Cooro ~ Male Noctowl ~ Calm Nature
Received as an Egg from a foreign traveler, Cooro started off disobeying Nymph (regardless that she was the first person he saw). Whenever she put him in battle, he would always use the wrong moves and sometimes end up costing her the battle. However, after a minor incident involving a very annoyed Mightyena, Cooro has since then looked up to Nymph and began trying his best for her. In return, Nymph taught Cooro how to pull off amazing Psychic moves for the Smart contests, and Cooro has thus taken on and conquered all the Smart contests of Hoenn.

Ledah ~ Male Arcanine ~ Relaxed Nature
Also received as an egg from a different foreign traveler, Ledah has always kept close to Cierra, as, surprisingly enough, she was the first thing he saw when he came out of his egg. While Ledah listens to Nymph and obeys her with great respect, he nurtures a soft spot for Cierra and would gladly sacrifice his own life for hers rather than Nymph's. He has conquered the Tough contests, but despite his nature, he prefers to battle, and has become a bit of a powerhouse on Nymph's team, though his power has yet to match Cierra's.

Appearance: Standing at 6 feet, Nymph is rather tall for her age. However, a lack of a chest size makes up for her height, and this often causes others to think she is male. She weighs roughly 130 pounds, and a lot of it comes from her arms and legs, which are just a bit muscular. Her skin is a regular peachy-white, though it seems to be a bit more tan by her hairline. As for her hair, it is an unusual dark green, and is rather short, ending at Nymph's neck, another attribute that makes her seem like a guy. It doesn't stick up in any natural way, though sometimes, if blustery enough, her hair will blow back and stick like that as if she had applied gel to keep it that way. Finally, Nymph's eyes contrast well with her hair, as they are a light hazel.

Nymph's main attire is rather...cosplay-ish. Being a huge fan of fairies and similar creatures, Nymph tends to wear something that fits those categories. Thus, the shirt she wears is a lovely grassy green, and her pants are an even darker forest green. Starting where her clavicles would be, Nymph's shirt is more or less a tank top, and it goes just a bit above her midriff. Her pants are also more or less considered capris, and end roughly an inch or two before her foot. Sometimes, Nymph will even put the ends into cuffs, making the ends an inch or two higher than usual. And, as for her feet, Nymph wears regular, wooden brown sandals, nothing too special. The only thing that makes her extremely unique from the rest is a set of fake Yanma-like wings she wears on her green camo pack, to make her love of fairies seem more than just a childish passion.

Entry Post: "Cierra! Finish it now while the sun continues to shine! SolarBeam!" A ray of white line blasted down from the bright white sun, hitting its target on the mark. The victim, a lowly Azumarill, fell back from the sudden impact. It managed to get back on its feet for a few seconds, then fell over again, unconscious. Nymph had won yet another battle. Astounded at the coordinator's performance in battle, the female trainer stepped back, then turned and ran off, disappointed. Nothing could stop Nymph. She wasn't only one of the top coordinators of the Hoenn region, she was also an excellent battle. Everything seemed to go her way...

"If I can return all of your tears back to the sea,
Will the sins and pain be forgotten too?" Those mysterious lines. Nymph had heard those before. But where? Were they just a mere coincidence, or were they reminding her of her forbidden past?

A few moments later, the bedazzled young adult found herself lying awake in her bed. Just another dream... she thought, letting out a small sigh. She turned to her side, and there her radio was, blasting away like it always did. As the song finished, Nymph remembered the lyrics in her dream. Of course, they were from "Butterfly Kiss". But... It's still a coincidence... Leaning over to grab her backpack, Nymph couldn't help but notice the picture hung on the leftmost wall. In it were three happy-looking people. The one on the left was a young woman, roughly in her twenties. On the right, a young man, probably a bit older than the woman. And, between the two, a little girl, maybe about five or six. The girl had beautiful long green hair and hazel eyes that sparkled like the sun. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, and wore white slippers. She was something to be admired.

But no, that was all in the past, Nymph reminded herself. She was no longer a naive child with two loving parents. She was now a woman, cursed with the sin of death. Despite her sweet disposition towards her Pokemon and towards others, Nymph's concealed past had left her in shreds for years. Now all she could think about was how she had killed them, the ones who loved her, the ones who looked after her, the ones who told her who she really was. An orphan, abandoned by her actual parents, left to die. If it weren't for them, her adopted parents, she never would've survived. And, of course, once she found out, Nymph went berserk and slashed them to death with a knife conveniently sitting right besides the possessed Nymph. That was in the past, and yet Nymph could never forget it. Why would anyone forget about who they've killed, after all?

As she recalled killing them, Nymph also recollected memories of how she spent some of her time in the wild, adapting to nature and making sure she stayed astray from the law. No one ever knew it was her who killed her two parents, and no one ever found out where she had been hiding. At last, to the point of insanity, Nymph cut her hair and chose to dress like a guy. She still wished to be considered a girl, but as far as anyone else could tell, she was in more than one way masculine. Her hair was the length of a guy's, she had no chest whatsoever, and she had some muscle in her arms and legs. She could no doubt BE a guy if that what she was born as. But Nymph knew she was feminine. Her demeanor, her instinct, her emotions... All of those were truly those of a girl's.

---

Despite the sinful past Nymph had been through many times over, she managed to keep her cool. As she moved closer and closer to her love of contests, as well as straying away from her love of battles, she decided that it would be best to continue pursuing her destiny as a coordinator. That didn't mean she couldn't battle, after all. Ruby, of Goldenrod City, was a great coordinator, and in fact, Nymph's idol, despite him being younger than her. On top of that, he was an excellent battler, though he seemed to keep it a secret. But because of Norman, Ruby's father, Nymph knew of his tragic past and decided although his was something that could scar someone, hers was much worse. Not like she'd go around telling everyone of her past, though. She didn't want to be marked as a felonious murderer. It would make her heart ache even more than it did already...

---

"Now, Ledah! Silk! SolarBeam combo!" Everyone knew Nymph had a love for Grass type moves, and it made her happy to discover most of her team members could learn SolarBeam, one of the nicest Grass moves ever to be learned. Of course, she had to save up her money to buy the Technical Machines so she could teach such a move to her Pokemon, but it was well worth it. As she watched her two Pokemon gracefully launch her attacks, she noted how much more stronger and agile Ledah had become, and how much more brave Silk was. Before, if she recalled correctly, Ledah was wimpy and lost almost every battle, while Silk, on the other hand, fled from most battles, despite the opponent. The rite of passage each went through was to be commended. Nymph almost smirked as her opponent's Pokemon fell to the ground, unconscious. Nymph had to admit, she wasn't a great battler, but her knowledge of attacks and types was enough to astound those around her. She had chosen to go to Roxanne's school at a young age, and had learned all about battling techniques while she attended.

As for her knowledge of natures and contests, she developed those while watching other coordinators compete in Lilycove's contest hall. It made Nymph kind of sad when they replaced the Normal, Super, and Hyper rank contest halls with Battle Tents, in preparation for Hoenn's Battle Frontier. But, at least they kept the three ranks amongst the Master rank in Lilycove's hall.

---

"Cooro! Rain Dance!" The Noctowl, once very reluctant to even listen to Nymph, immediately flapped his wings all about, as if doing some sort of dance. No sooner had he finished that rain began falling down from what was once a clear sky. This was perfect for Nymph.

"Now, Chiru, finish it with Thunder!" The Altaria soared high up into the air until she was nowhere to be seen. A few seconds later, the clouds became full of static electricity, and at once a large bolt of lightning blasted down towards its target, as if it were propelled to do such. The target was hit and fell back. But, because it had a minor resistance to Electric attacks, continued to stand. Those darn Breloom... Nymph thought to herself. But, it was the perfect opportunity to show how far Cooro had gotten since he had hatched from his egg.

"Cooro! Before the enemy strikes, Psychic!" The Noctowl flew over onto a tree branch so he could concentrate. His eyes turned a cobalt blue, and the Breloom was up in the air. It stayed that way for a couple seconds, but Cooro soon let go of his gaze on the Breloom, striking it into the muddy but still hard ground. The Breloom attempted to get back on its feet, much like the Azumarill in Nymph's dream, but fell, just like the Azumarill. Quite a coincidence, Nymph decided. The opponent, a young trainer who only seemed to start on his quest to become a great trainer not long ago, was soon teary-eyed and off in the other direction. Typical.

---

A few days past, and that's when the invitation arrived. It was delivered by Professor Birch, one of the younger known professors and father of Sapphire Birch, Ruby's childhood friend, not to mention conqueror of the Hoenn gyms. Birch seemed rather flustered when he arrived at the small hut Nymph had built for herself, but he seemed to calm down as she invited him in.

"Nymph, you have grown quite mature since I last saw you," Birch remarked, staring at Nymph's collection of ribbons on the wall, conveniently placed under the photo of Nymph and her adopted parents. "I'm pleased to announce that this letter came to me for you from the Silver Tower of Mt. Silver. Please, accept it." He handed the letter to Nymph without letting her decline, and as she read it, hope filled her eyes. This was her chance to show what she was made of. Even if it was to just be a coordinator, she could finally have the whole world understand what she was made of. This was it.

As soon as Birch had left, Nymph made way for Slateport. The invitation specifically told her that she would be departing from Slateport to get to Mt. Silver. As she arrived, she found a huge crowd standing by the dock, as if watching the lucky ones board the ship. And I'm one of them, she merrily thought as she walked towards the harbor. People turned to stare at the bizarre wings she had on her backpack, and some snickered, but that stopped when they realized she was heading right towards the ship. As she got closer, two guards stopped her. They seemed to motion for her invitation, and as calmly as ever, Nymph pulled out her invite. The guards turned to each other, nodded, and moved aside for Nymph to pass. This was it. Her moment of glory will finally have a chance of coming. There was nothing to stop Nymph now. What was in the past would stay in the past, at least until the tournament was over...

---

---

(That's it. If you need me to add onto anything, let me know. I'll even change the whole thing if Chibi or Phan-E are designated as the Hoenn Coordinator.)

Name: Mikuri Kagall
Age: 12
Gender: Female

Occupation: Hoenn Master Coordinator (designated)

Pokemon: Quagsire (Percy), Froslass (Flia), Ching (Chimecho)

Appearance: Bouncy and perky (As seen on TV), Mikuri's shining violet eyes are what first draw you into her charm. If it's not that either, it's her bright white hair that reaches to her knees. It's the think she prides the most about herself, the fact that she was able to grow out her hair so long despite the tangles, humidity, and complaints by her parents. Yet, she brushed and washed it every day to keep it looking shiny and clean. It's a hassle for her to wear so much hair out, so she keeps it tied on the sides into two long ponytails held tight by a tie in the shape of two pokeballs on each side. Up in pigtails, her hair still reaches to her thigh, which she believes increases her cuteness factor and lowers the tripping hazard. Height-wise, Mikuri is compact being only three inches higher than her Quagsire, making them perfect waddling dance partners as well as being same level as her Froslass for other more majestic dance routines. Athough she's lightly tanned by the Lilycove sun, Mikuri is one to easily roast if left out too long. The white hair doesn't help much either, so she tends to wear a Wingull shaped hat.

When it comes to fashion, Pokemon designs are her one and only passion. Mikuri wears an Azumarill patterned sleeveless hoodie with jean shorts. The hoodie is white with a blue gradient at the bottom and white spots similar to the pattern of your typical Azumarill. The hood is plain white, but the ties end with an Azumarill charm at the ends. Underneath the hoodie, she wears a simple tank with a similar Azumarill pattern. The sandals she wears with her Quagsire suit match her general outfit, so she wears them too. Accessories aren't her thing; a black and pink digital watch will suffice on her left arm. Along with the Wingull hat on hot days, she will also wear a blue circular backpack on her back where she keeps such items as her PokeNav and Pokeblocks.

Sometimes, when the mood hits her, Mikuri will dress up in a Pokemon outfit of her own creation. Her most common outfit is that of her Quagsire costume. Made of rubber, it's styled similar to that of a raincoat with the form of a bell. The hood has the bead eyes and goofy grin of a Quagsire and can easily be lifted on and off. The side of the hood has two small holds on the side for Mikuri's twintail hair. The sleeve completely covers the hand into the form of a Quagsire paw. The costume is long and reaches down to her knees. The bell form of the outfit makes it so that it doesn't cling to her body and gives her ventilation, but it slightly impairs her aptitude at running. Along with it, she wears sandals the same color as the suit, Quagsire blue. Mikuri also has a Pikachu suit of a similar fashion as well as two kimonos that are imprinted with designs and patters similar to her Froslass and Chimechou. (Will be detailed later when needed)




Entry Post:
She had decided to wear her Quagsire outfit today. Out of all of her outfits, the light blue suit was the one that she felt the most secure in as well as the most comfortable. Before any new situation, coordinator contest of TV interview, the Quagsire costume was always the one that helped her ease her nerves. The outfit was also a great cover from the heat the sun poured against the mighty cruiser leading to Johto. Raising a thick blue rubber paw up to her eyes, Mikuri peered upward to see a flock of Wingull fly past the boat with their traditional cry.

"It'll be different not seeing the seagulls fly by anymore, Percy...what will we see in Johto...Pidgeys? That's boring..." The Quagsire beside her gave a yawning 'sire' or agreement and resumed its blank stare into the ocean. The boats and ocean were something the two were used to, hailing from the Hoenn city of Lilycove known for its tourist trap beaches. It was there in Lilycove where she first became interested in Pokemon Contests. Mikuri remembered the first time she ever attended a contest, bother her father and mother had taken the time out of their incredibly demanding business schedules to take her to the Master's contest held there in Lilycove. The fact that both of her parents were there was a big deal to her. Bother were high-ended business folk of a wealthy trading company that spread through all four continents. Thus, Mikuri had lived a very plush life; she had maids, a large room, and a plethora of toys; yes she had been incredibly lonely. She was tutored privately by her governess Lora, her parents always seemed to be away on business trips. So When she was surprised with the contest tickets when she turned eight, she was besides herself with joy.

The glamor, the excitement, the adoration; she remembered every detail by memory. Most of all, she remembered the winner of the tournament, a man by the name of Wallace. The combinations and teamwork between him and his amazing Milotic had kept her spellbound.. One day, she promised herself, she would be as talented as he was. Maybe even, she would have him congratulate her on her own performance. Since that day, she had devoted the next four years of her idle life to becoming a master coordinator. From learning techniques wither her own few Pokemon to designing and creating her own costumes, to watching and rewatching old contests of every group and rank, Mikuri never dropped her determination. And her efforts had taken her to this boat.

"Uwaah~ Percy, how do you think Johto will be once we get there? You think it's much different from Hoenn?" THe young girl jumped up and down against the boat rail. Her long white pigtails swayed side to side against her suit. The Quagsire closed his eyes.

"siiiiiiire...."

"Well, that's not very enthusiastic." The girl squeaked. Paws forty-five degrees from her side, Mikuri waddled away from the railing and spun around towards Percy.

"Enthusiasm!~ Determination!~ Ambition!~ It's the only way we can with this Percy!" She flapped her arms for emphasis, "You, me, Flia, and Chine! We were the ones chosen and we're going to be the ones representing Hoenn coordinators! The best of the best!" The Quagsire cocked his head as the girl punched the air with her paw, "Not only that...but Wallace will be there..." Mikuri stressed the word with as much love and admiration for her idol as she could. Even thinking about him made her flush.

"You think he'll notice me? If he did, I don't know what I'd say...." She placed her paws over her face, "What if...well, he picked only a few people, so that means...he must have thought of me between then...!" A muffled squeal issued from under the suit while the Quagsire blinked and then gave a goofy smile.

"Quagsire!"

The blissful glee was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the area of the bow Mikuri stood by.

"Hey! You're Mikuri Kagal, aren't you?" Mikuri stopped her fangirl dance suddenly and looked at the newcomer with a new sense of surprise and timidness. The newcomer seemed to be a middle-aged tourist, complete with a camera around her neck. She gave a warm smile that was meant to be inviting, but Mikuri froze. Unlike most, talking and acting cute in front of an audience was 100x more comfortable than talking mono a mono. When someone talks to you personally, they had a motive. Then, you get nervous when you can't turn away from that person's gaze and you say stupid things. Private conversations were awful.

"Um...well..."

"Quaaaagsiiiire~" Percy gave a goofy smile to the tourist and waved.

"Oh! That must be Percy! He is such an adorable Pokemon...I've never really thought much of Quagsires until I saw you Percy! Oh! Do you have Flia with you? You and your Froslass look so stunning on stage where you're in your kimono...." Mikuri shuffled her feet and looked downward.

"Th-thank you...I give it my al-"

"Ah! Could I have a picture of you and Percy? I would love to be able to show my daughter that I met you!"

"Ah, well...."

"SIIIIREEEEEE" Suddenly, Percy let out a water gun upon the unexpecting tourist.

"Percy! Ah! Ma'am..." The tourist sputtered out water with shock as Percy bounded across the ship and out of sight. "PERCY!" Mikuri waddled after the Pokemon, almost tripping in the process, but well out of the tourist's reach. Well, it was one way of getting out of the situation...

Zuzu: o.O You change your gender often... Sorry to disappoint you but the spots are all filled and you would've seen that if you'd spied the post I made just before you posted your profile lol. Declined

Chibi-chan: hehehe. o3o loli~ chibi-accepted
ACCEPTED
Johto Champion: Mika
Sinnoh Coordinator: Alter Ego
Kanto Ranger: Lynnx
Sinnoh Ranger: Scarlet Weather
Hoenn Ranger: Spearow
Hoenn Champion: Feigon
Johto Ranger: kayla
Kanto Champion: Fan-E
Hoenn Coordinator: Chibi-chan

EVERYTHING IS DONE, sign ups are now....

CLOSED

-----

The sun had just crossed over the midway point and was beginning, just slightly, its descent towards the ocean line as the final methods of transportation found their way to the starting point at the bottom of Mt Silver as trainers piled out of the ferries and buses and stumbled, giggling, mumbling and ranting, into the professionally set up square. It was close to a festival in its appearance with booths for eating and drinking with cuisine from all corners of the pokemon globe and bar-keeps to make sure that the legal age was being attended to with the stronger drinks, PokeMart like flea markets with everything from basic Pokeballs and Potions to Max Revives and Full Restores. There was a PokeCenter tent set up with six or seven Nurse Jennies inside, about four or five running around, tending to the seasick and frazzled young trainers who were startled by all the loud noises and loud it was. Along with the generic tents, the Master of Ceremonies for this competition had thought it best to bring along his fan club who, in turn, had set up a mini carnival of sorts complete with music, games and souvenirs dedicated to both the tournament itself and to the face behind it. The compound itself was surrounded by a quickly constructed concrete wall completely with a set of doors and posted guards to make sure that all who enterted had viable reason to enter. After producing the Trainer, Ranger or Coordinator ID, it was checked on the list via a PDA of sorts that each guard held and, if the trainer was found worthy as promised, the door was opened into the chaos. Upon entering, not only did the person see the lush gardens the foot of Mt Silver was known for but the person would have laid eyes on a large replica, in the form of a clock, of the Hoenn Champion Wallace, his face marked in a permenant near frightening grin, his arms signifying the hour and minutes like any other analog clock along with a posted sign beneath stating the time the opening ceramonies would start. this time had been crossed out four times already and, as Mika walked in, a frazzled tournament staff member was crossing out the even most current time and wrote one that, according to the Wallace clock, was fourty five minutes after the current time. There was a groan that extended from every area near the clock and as the man scurried away to avoid what appeared to be another pelting of cotten candy, some, Mika included, simply shook their heads and walked away in annoyance.

Joy. I hate killing time. Shuddering once at the almost clown-like piece of work, Mika pushed herself through the crowd, her arms wrapping around herself to prevent the metal clasps on either arm band from cutting anyone. Passing through the traditional style flap into the carnival/festival section, the girl wandered up and down for a good ten minutes before spying something that might just make the time pass a little more slowly. Stepping up to it, her heels clicking in the gravel beneath her feet, she stared at the prizes, all of them somehow creepily relating to Wallace before looking up at the actual game. Similiar to what one might see at a Carnival in the Sinnoh Region, it was a basic shooting gallery game. Knock down all the targets in the time alloted, win a prize based on overall time. Wouldn't be all that interesting, especially with the creep factor of the prizes, some of which included overly chibi wallace plush toys, except for what it was the people were actually targetting in the game which, in this overly lovely circumstance, just happened to be rather embarassing shots of the other champions, Lance, Cynthia and Steven. Giggling, she placed the money on the table and picked up the toy sniper rifle and, in quick succession, nailed the pictures a bit more directly than one probably needed to to win any of the prizes. The worker behind the booth itself blinked in suprise but quickly overcame herself and handed over what appeared to be the grand prize which, in this instance, was a rather disturbing but strangely adorable plushie of the water-based champion in a contest like pose, his deformed hands and feet stretched out in that signature style. Taking it by the foot, so as apparently not to be contaminated by it, she laughed and turned, only to bump into the black clad champion herself. The air itself was nothing less than toxicly stale as the two stared eachother down for a moment before the younger girl muttered an apology and tried to brush past her. Cynthia was having none of it and sharply grabbed the younger girl's wrist, pulling her back, "Oh no you don't, come back here." Her voice was smooth and eventempered despite the fire that was burning so brightly it threatened to spread, "...did you travel well?"

"...I hate ships." She jerked her wrist lightly, twitching when Cynthia tightened her grip, "What do you want?"

She smiled, seemingly gently stepping up beside the girl, placing a mother hand on her shoulder before lowering to the girl's ear, "Now you listen. We don't want any...mishaps from your corner. Understood? Just be a good girl and play through this tournament like the rest of these people. We're seperating you into teams and no, you can't avoid them or ditch them or I promise things will go badly for you. We're watching you, all of us."

The girl looked up at the blackness, her large green eyes widening, "You mean...you're all-"

She pressed a partially gloved finger to the girl's lips, "Shush. You're team 7." Taking the girl by the collar, she shoved her towards another girl who was standing abit aways away, in a skirt and long sleeved shirt, "LaurLaur~ You're with Mika for this little game alright, would you mind making sure she stays out of trouble? Love you~" Waving, like female friends might to one another, Cynthia simply looked cheery to everyone around, the previous conversation's serious tone all but evaporated from existance.

The girl sputtered, tripping and nearly ramming into the older girl before she turned, her face flaming and her stance spread, "You're the devil, you know that?"

The woman raised a hand, laughing as she wandered back into the mess and if it weren't for the music playing through the speakers or rather, the sudden lack of music flowing through the speakers, she would've gone right after the woman but as the lcd screens switched over the front area inside the compound, she had to leave her frustration with her thoughts, her thumb idly jabbing the plushie in the stomach, I hate the number seven.


mikaNOTE [ooc]

<3 DO NOT GO PAST THE SPEECH. Do the get off the transportation/gettin' stuff etc. o3o

"Sir, I really must insist..."

Had Wallace not been the contest ace he was, he would have let out an irritated sigh at this point. The pesky little aide had been on his case for the entirety of the last half hour, insisting time and time again that everything looked just fine and dandy when a mere glance at the mirror was enough to tell him the opposite. Ignoring the grunt for a few minutes more, he peered intently at the mirror, giving his cap one last adjustment to make sure that his hair came out from beneath it just right and that his face was, as it should be on such important occasions, in impeccable condition. Aesthetic sense, that was what these people needed, well...he afforded himself a small grimace at the tacky doll of himself that rested on the table in front of him, that and a generous helping of good taste. Cynthia was definitely, definitely involved in this somehow. The spiteful woman.

"Sir-"

"I am aware." he replied, just a hint of testiness breaking through the calm in his voice as he secured the clasps on his champion's cloak, taking one last twirl in front of the mirror to make sure everything was in order.

"Well," he added for himself, striding past the obnoxious little man and towards the light of the stage ahead, his cloak billowing out behind him, "I suppose this qualifies as fashionably late."


"...they sure are excited about all of this, aren't they?"

Cheri gave a non-committal mumble in response, raising his spritely nose at the crowd milling around them. The cherry blossom pokémon had held high hopes of his precious trainer not getting smothered by the riff-raff, but a face that had made itself known on as many contest stages as Laurel's was not one that easily slipped by in a crowd like this. The duo had barely managed to disembark before the first 'wait, haven't I seen you on TV?' was blurted out, and a small but rapidly varying cult following had trailed them since then. Hands had been shaken, pictures taken, questions answered, autographs given, and well-wishes received. By chance, the rag-tag ensemble had crossed paths with a group of Wallace fangirls, however, and in the ensuing argument, the Sinnoh coordinator had managed to slip away.

"Now, now, Cheri; they don't mean any harm." the woman cooed, stroking her pokémon's head with her free hand, the other still clasping the large, sturdy-looking suitcase secured to it by means of an additional chain. Those curious on the matter had been informed that it contained contest props and other coordinating essentials, but it was its true contents that were really weighing on her mind. Well, she reasoned, if the girl really hadn't been keeping up with her regimen, she should stick out quite quickly. Poor dear wasn't too fond of boat rides either, after all.

The coordinator barely had the time to finish that thought before a body came hurtling towards her from the crowd, the woman instinctively catching the child by the waist.

"LaurLaur~" the blonde apparently responsible for the throwing called, "You're with Mika for this little game alright, would you mind making sure she stays out of trouble? Love you~"

"No problem, Cynthie!" Laurel called back in equally sunny manner, waving at the Sinnoh champion with her free hand, the one with the case still wrapped around her newly found charge's waist, "Long time no see, huh Mi-Mi?" she leant in closer to the green-haired girl, shifting the casual hold into a full-fledged hug, "You've grown so much, I hardly recognized you! But you know..." she lowered her voice to a conspiratory whisper, "...you really should start taking more responsibility of your well-being." she gave a discreet nod towards the suitcase, dangled quite well within the girl's field of vision, "Forgetting your medicine is still a no go. But don't worry; I brought it here for you."

Before Mika could voice any opinion whatsoever on the matter, however, the crowd abruptly fell to a hush, the festival music dying down and the collective stares of the audience turning towards the grand stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer called, his features awash with relief, "Your patience has been rewarded, please give a warm welcome to the man we have all been waiting to see. Hoenn's legendary coordinator and league champion, the ever-elegant master of the water type, the host with the most, our revered MC! Wallace!"

Laurel could swear it wasn't walking. It went beyond the mere act of placing one foot in front of the other. It was more like the smooth movements of a Milotic among the waves, a graceful glide down the tides of applause and fangirl screams that carried the man from the edge of the stage to the podium. Laurel's grip around Mika tightened, her face slowly slipping into the same dreamlike smile that had overtaken the better part of the female audience. There really couldn't, it seemed to her, be a true coordinator who was not at least a bit of a Wallace fan deep down.

Wallace treated the crowd to one of his trademark smiles, raising his hands up in a gesture requesting silence which commenced around the time the more weakhearted fangirls started to faint.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "Boys and girls, contestants and spectators. Words can not express how elated I am to see you here in such large numbers. Our requirements have been stringent, our screening thorough, and our places precious few. Only the greatest trainers, the most elegant coordinators, and the most cunning rangers have measured up to these standards. My dear contestants, you are the best the world has to offer. And yet...we shall expect even more from you still. Only those of you who manage to exceed your limits, to shine even brighter than you have before, shall have a chance to claim the title of champion for this tournament and be crowned at the peak of the magnificient stage that is Mt.Silver." his expression shifted back from serious to a friendly smile, "My dearest contestants, what we expect of you is nothing less than a performance befitting a goddess. Some of you may be familiar to this tale, to some it may be foreign, but I courteously request that you pay close attention regardless."

He took a brief pause for dramatic effect before speaking up in a tone more solemn than before, "Long ago, in a time before the world as we know it, it is said that mankind and pokémon lived together in perfect, beautiful harmony. A world that knew no hatred, discord, or strife, watched over by a powerful goddess and her council. Truly, a paradise in every sense of the word. But alas, for all its beauty, not even this world would remain untainted. Eventually, war crept in on even its flawless existence, and famine and disease soon followed. To protect the world from destruction, the goddess and her council assembled and eventually reached the decision to separate the people of the world, so as to keep them from destroying each other and the very world they had inhabited. Thus, the world as we know it today was created. Yet even as she separated her children, the goddess never abandoned them, choosing instead to hide within the ancient mountain The Tower of Redemption. There, she has waited to this day for a worthy soul to venture to the holy tree at the tower's heart and awaken her from her sulmber and aid her in leading the world back to the light."

He took a pause once more, his previous demeanor abruptly return, "...but of course, this is only a folktale." he added calmly, earning a few relieved chuckles from the crowd, "Even so, I hope that it will serve as an inspiration for all of you as you face the challenges ahead. Just like the chosen soul and indeed the goddess herself, you will have your own trials to face, and much like both of them, you will not be facing them alone. Yes, you heard me right, ladies and gentlemen. Until the very end, this tournament shall be a team challenge. Just as you have grown to cooperate with, trust, and love your pokémon, so should you your new teammates. My dear contestants, you have already demonstrated the splendor of your arts alone; now is the time to reach the next level and show us if you are able to dance as beautifully together. Not simply as trainer and pokémon, but as teammates." he flashed them another radiant smile, "...and for your sake, I shall hope that you are quick studies, because your first dance...is about to begin."

He raised his hand up, a massive projection screen lighting up behind him. The sceen displayed on it could be described as a river, but only because of the fact that there really wasn't a fiercer word for flowing water to do it justice. Despite the beautiful weather, the massive river was frothing and raging, constantly on the verge of flowing over its banks. Treacherous currents and sharp rocks aplenty revealing themselves in rapidly shifting patterns in-between the froth.

"Magnificient, isn't it?" Wallace asked, beaming at the audience, "What you see here, ladies and gentlemen, is your first challenge. Now, I know what you're probably thinking. 'I can just fly right over this, can't I'? Well, needless to say, you're not going to have it that easy. For the duration of this tournament, the use of all HM moves is prohibited. Any violators and their respective teams who go against this rule will be evicted from the tournament without exception. In other words, you must cross this," he gestured towards the river, "Without flight or water pokémon. Any other skills of your pokémon or teammates, as well as everything the environment has to offer you, is at your disposal, and you may use whichever of these methods you prefer, but both you and your team must cross the river and make it to the checkpoint on the other side before sunset or be disqualified. Now, my dear contestants, the clocking is ticking so I shall tarry you no further. Once you have received your team designations, gather together and coordinate your strategy. I expect a beautiful performance from you all. Round one, commence!" he flashed them one last smile before promptly turning from the podium and heading back towards the edge of the stage, his cloak billowing out behind him.


OOC: Yeah, team designation is Mika's thing, so she'll handle it. Do not adjust your sets. o3o

"Did you hear?" piped the goatee-faced stranger, offering his newfound companion another bottle, to which she eagerly accepted.

Taking a moment to quench her thirst, all manner of rabid trickles streaming down from her lips, the teenage blond let out a satisfied sigh before listening to what the older man had to say.

"There's a tournament in a few days, over at Mount Silver," throwing a thumbed fist over his shoulder gesturing towards the mighty mountain in the distance, the rugged nomad retrieved his returned bottle before continuing on with his proposition, "your pokemon are pretty strong, maybe you should think about taking part. You sure gave me a run for my money."

"I was hungry," she spat, wiping her mouth with the back of her gloved hand before getting to her feet and eyeing the great icy peak in the background, contemplating whether travelling there would be worth her time, "and it seems like more trouble than it's worth."

"Really? It's only about a day's hike from here and the tournament's a pretty big one too. Should be a lot of tough trainers there."

Now that sounded a little more enticing. For the last fortnight, she had been busting her hump in rescuing wild pokemon caught in the plethora of hunting hotspots throughout her trek back to New Bark from Goldenrod, and despite the nurse sung praises she received every time she returned to a centre with a bag full of injured ones, it still wasn't enough. Winning the Indigo League brought her a little closer to fame but there was still some media backlash at the revelation of her heritage, infamous as it was. So maybe taking part in another region wide tournament wasn't such a bad idea, especially if it was going to be covered by the media. Any publicity was good publicity after all, even for her. All she needed was a chance to prove herself.

"Alright, I'll go!" she abruptly decided, surprising the hiker with her sudden enthusiasm, "And you!" now pointing to the older man, causing him to retreat out of caution, "Show me the way there."

"R-Right..." a nervous smile was all he could manage as the seriously indifferent yet enthusiastic girl eagerly followed his instructions.


"That idiot..." she huffed, scaling the last rock face before pulling herself up onto the nearest ledge, her gaze meeting the colourful nightlife of the tournament's campsite that buzzed several tens of metres below, "that took way more than a day..."

Taking a moment to catch her breath, the evening breeze cooling her down considerably now that she had come to a halt in her three day long hike, the sandy haired trainer glanced a pensive look over the bustling settlement, wondering whether coming all that way was really worth it, especially when she caught sight of the several tour buses parked neatly off Route 28's trail.

Son of a...

Regaining her composure, the ranger wannabe hopped off the crags and hit the dirt ground surrounding the square where all of the competitors, spectators and officials were gathering. She even spotted the Sinnoh champion Cynthia flitting about as she made her way through the crowds, but she was less concerned about greeting celebrity trainers than she was in finding a place to eat.

"Welcome missy, have a seat," greeted the noodle tossing vendor as she ducked under the first stand's curtain, "what'll it be-whoa! What happened to you?"

Hopping onto the nearest stool and ignoring the only other customer's curious stares at her dishevelled appearance, the blond simply made her order, "Just a bowl. No meat."

"...R-Right away," clearly realising she had no intention of explaining her scuffed and dirt ridden complexion, the old man got to work, "one bowl coming up!"

She didn't really care about the tournament at this point; all she wanted was her evening fill and maybe a place to wash up afterwards. Besides, by the looks of the amount of people still milling about, the main event wasn't due to start for a good while...

Unfortunately, she had little time to even catch her breath after making her order when the quietening of the crowd and the magnified voice of the respective Hoenn champion disturbed the evening air. The first round had already started.

Despite the fact that the sun was now setting, Mt. Silver was still bathed in its warm rays. This seemed to even reflect on the crowd, as everyone seemed busy, or intent on keeping themselves busy. If Dante had been any shorter, he surely would have been trampled. He decided to get registered now, so as not to miss out.

Walking towards the security checkpoint, Dante pulled out his Pokedex and invitation, and waited in the line up to get in. Finally in what seemed to be a few minutes, he was at the front, giving his Pokedex and invitation for the guard to verify. Not a moment later the guard shoved Dante's belongings back in his arms, as though wanting to get this ordeal over with. Dante walked forward, and was immediately awestruck by the vegetation.

As though this was a reminder, Dante verified, that he had all six pokeballs with him. Feeling his pokebelt, he felt that all six still remained with him. Content with this he proceeded to find a place to eat, as he now heard his stomach grumbling. However, just as he was heading in the direction of the food area, he heard large amounts of yelling and booing, clearly denoting a disgruntled crowd. Dante looked at the commotion. Looking at a giant clock of Wallace, what appeared to be a staff helping with the tournament was erasing the time until Wallace's speech, to a later one.

Dante was glad; he already had to put up with Wallace once... In person, and that experience was rather awkward, for lack of better words. Wallace was the kind of person, who enjoyed a crowd, and it suited his charismatic ways. He had often thought that Wallace was the kind of person who would have portraits of himself, littered around his own home. Dante had to stifle himself from saying anything, every time a girl would attempt to show their love for him. Needless to say, Dante enjoyed battling against him, though was surprised at the sheer volume of people watching their battle, of course, including his unexpected but righteous win, over the reigning champion. Nonetheless, Dante was overjoyed in claiming the title of Hoenn League Champion.

He wondered if people would recognize him, but even then he didn't really want that kind of attention, and was glad that he was wearing his Flygon costume. During the Championship, he had only worn regular clothing along with his red tinted goggles. He wondered if the goggles, or indeed his height would give him away. He laughed to himself at this thought, and looked at the now fixed time.

According to the fixed schedule, Dante still had another 45 minutes.

"Now where am I gonna eat?" He wondered, looking around at the various stalls. "Even my Pokemon need something to eat, but I'd never let them out in this kind of crowd."

Dante walked towards the various stalls, looking for a descent place to eat. Looking around, he noticed among other things, various games where the winner could win a plush version of Wallace. Dante rolled his eyes, and continued on the search for a descent food stall. It seemed as the further away he walked from the stage where Wallace was supposed to come out on, the less people there were. Finally finding some food to his liking, Dante, purchased a rather large vegetarian sandwich.

"You sure you don't have anything smaller?" Dante asked, handing the man some money.

"No way kid, and anyway, people like you need all nutrition they can get." The vendor said, clearly making a point about Dante's height and skinniness.

Dante eyed the man, and yet still thanked him. He didn't like people talking about his height, it only reminded him of how every other boy in his class, was already taller than him. He knew too, that having Pokémon like Dragonite or Charizard, wasn't going to change anything either.

Dante then decided to look for a shop selling some Pokémon food. As he walked on, he noticed an open area, littered with picnic tables. Dante was glad too that the area was quite empty. He found a stall, selling some Pokémon food, making sure that the label had the notarized "Pokémon Centre approved" sticker, so that he knew he was buying quality. He purchased a large amount, and proceeded to the picnic area. Finding a large open area, he let out all his Pokémon, throwing all the balls into the air.

Charizard, Aerodactyl, Dragonite, Flygon, Plusle and Minun, all appeared to be in a content mood as Dante gave them all their share of Pokémon food. Leaving no room to talk, they all were busy eating. Finally when they were all full and finished, Dante decided to pep them up.

"So are you guys all ready to do your best in the tournament?" Dante asked, already guessing the answer.

As an answer, they all cried out in unison, their passion and loyalty.

"All right!" Dante called, smiling. "We'll do our best, I know it!"

Now that they were fed and watered, he returned them all back to their Pokeballs, and turned around to head back to the stage. He decided to head back in a jog, as he now realized he had 5 minutes before the speech would begin, assuming they hadn't changed the time again. Whilst heading back however, he tripped over a protruding rock falling forward, and hitting his head on the last picnic table of the row, throwing out his arms, to save his fall.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" He cried out. Though no one had seen what had happened. "Stupid rock!"

Stumbling up, he touched his left temple gingerly, and looked at his hand. There was a small amount of blood. And even though he wasn't crying, tears in his left eye were forming and dripping. Knowing he didn't have time for first aid, Dante continued to the stage, holding his left hand to his left temple.

Walking back, he noticed the crowd get thicker and thicker, making it more difficult to see the stage. Finally getting as close as he could, he looked around for something to stand on, so he could actually see what was going on. Seeing some boxes next to a noodle shop, Dante stood on the tallest box, giving him a descent view of the stage. He might have been somewhat late, but he had not missed all the important matters, including a myth of Mt. Silver he recalled that had been featured days after Wallace's initial TV appearance, and most importantly what their challenge would involve.

Dante was getting much more excited with every word spoken, and he was not alone, as the crowd too, seemed to act in the same manner. He couldn't wait to begin... A contest to cross the river, with a teammate? He wondered who he would be paired up with.

He started thinking, "Well I can't use Charizard or Dragonite, since they are both flying type, and Aerodactyl wouldn't want to go near the water, so that leaves Plusle, Minun and Flygon... hmmm."

(OoC: Will probably be out for the rest of the day, happy posting everyone :) )

OOC:(Edited wif moar speechtasticness)


Finally, Mikuri reached her destination point at the base of Mt.Silver. She had previously shed her Quagsire outfit after her run in with the tourist and now wore her sleeveless Azumarill hoodie along with her Wingull hat. The buss from the port to Mt.Silver had been a loud one to say the least. Fangirls, trainers, and spectators chattered and bragged about anything they could think of to boost their morale and excitement. Many of the travelers seemed older than herself, but that didn't phase her; the thrill of the crowd kept her motivated, so did the impending chance of seeing her idol in person. Off the bus, Mikuri instantly felt that she had found her own personal heaven.

"Percy! Look at all the booths! And the vendors!" The girl gazed with amazements, "Where do you think we should start first? If you're hungry we can stop by and get some food. I wonder what kind of berries they have in Joh..." Mikuri's voice trailed off. Across from where she stood among the crowd stood a festive game booth. Along its walls were water Pokemon plushes of kinds. There were Starmies, Politoed, Mudkips, but what stood out the most was the five foot long Milotic whose scales gleamed in the sun. She had her own Milotic plush, but it was nowhere near the size and beauty of the one within the booth. It was quite possible that maybe this Milotic was something that could only be gotten at the event...which meant that...this plush could be a plush of Wallace's Milotic! Mikuri shook the Quagsire beside her, who barely moved an inch. "It's Wallace's Milotic in that booth! We've got to win it, we just have to! We'll get food later!" She grabbed her companion's paw and lead him past the crowd towards the booth.

It was about two hours before they actually took the time to get something to eat. Even then, they only got shish kabobs so that they could walk and eat at the same time, scouting new booths along the way that might hold event items. As of now, Mikuri had obtained a Wallace hat (which she now wore), the giant Milotic which hung around her neck, a new Pokeblock case, a Spheal beachball, and a poster. They had been hard earned; the booths were meant to be challenging for all ages, being a short twelve-year old girl always had its disadvantages.

"You think Mom will be upset that I spend so much money on trying to get these?" She mumbled with the kabob in her mouth.

"Quagsire," Percy responded, taking one of the four kabobs he held and putting one completely in his mouth.

Besides the booths, Mikuri took a couple of photo ops at the Wallace statue (which she came back to at every time, regardless if the time changed or not), of Pokemon she had never seen before, and with other coordinators she had met before. The atmosphere was relaxing for her, she never objected to the pictures or small talk of a group of fans. Mikuri was about to return to the Wallace statue when she noticed a booth she hadn't come by before. It was a plushie booth, but unlike the others, it was stacked with a chibi version of all the recent champions. Of course it had a supply of both the recent Hoenn champions, Wallace and Steven. Mikuri's heart leapt. She. Must. Get. One. In an instant, she teleported straight to the booth. The counter of it was pretty high up, Mikuri stood on her tiptoes in order to place her head above it.

"Excuse me Mr, exactly how do I get the Wallace plush?" The man inside the booth smiled at her enthusiasm.

:Well, this is a shooting game. I give you a rifle and you shoot at the targets to get a prize," The man scratched his head. "But, you may be a bit to small to play this game..." Mikuri puffed up.

"I'm eye-level with the counter! I can see the targets! Just hand me the gun and I've got this!" Reaching into her pocket she took out the required amount to play and exchanged it for the gun. It was heavier than she thought it would be. Clumsily on her tiptoes, she tried to aim and hold it up at the same time but it kept falling again on its side. It was useless. Beside her, a taller girl with dark green hair poised her gun and directly shot the required targets in as much time as it took her to keep the gun in place. Mikuri in both awe and irritation watched the booth keeper reward her with the Wallace chibi. The girl didn't seem too thrilled. Did she not want it? If it was her, she'd have been ecstatic. If she didn't want it... Mikuri looked back at her gun. This was impossible. Maybe she would ask the girl if-

All of a sudden, the Sinnoh champion appeared from the crowd and apparently wished to speak with the girl. The air became tense, and Mikuri second guessed asking the question, it was best not to bother her or Cynthia, the business was probably important, the girl probably was too. She felt Percy pull at her arm.

"Sire, sire!" it croaked, looking in the direction of the area the opening speech was to be held.

"Ah! The speech is about to start? We need to get there quickly so we can be in the front!" Without giving a second thought about the girl or the plush, Mikuri headed towards the area.

By the time she arrived, a concentrated mass of fangirls had taken up the front area. In any other situation, pushing and zigzagging through a crowd would have been unacceptable, but this was Wallace. Seeing him up close would require any means necessary. As politely as she could, she stepped between couples, feet, and legs until neither she nor Percy could get any closer without being able to breathe. Almost instantaneously, the crowd hushed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "Boys and girls, contestants and spectators..." The group of fangirls around her whispered a few 'It's him! Do you think he can see me?'s and 'Oh my God, it's really him!'s as they stood on their tiptoes and closed even tighter around Mikuri and Percy. Damn her height! Flustered, she jumped up, only to get a good view of the backs of the fangirls around her.

"Hey Percy, do you think you could give me a lift for awhile?" The Quagsire gave a quick nod of compliance. Stretching out its paws, Mikuri climbed on top of them as he raised her up. Finally! The view was perfect, he was perfect, all was right with the world. From beginning to end, she paid attention to every last word he said. Although he ended his story as that of a fairy tale, the way he said it convinced her that it was. It all seemed to happen as quickly as it came; with the twirl of his champion cape, he was finished. The Quagsire lowered her down again and Mikuri stepped off flushed with joy and admiration.

"So the first challenge will be a river then! I wish I could take you Percy, but I'm sure there will be something else you can do later on." She patted the Quagsire on the head. "Well, I can't wait to find out my teammates, we'll win this Percy, for sure!"

Bright and loud, loud and bright. Taylor usually tried to stay on the positive side of things - it was better for the soul and kept you from getting ulcers, his father had told him once - but he could already tell this would be a trying experience. Fun, maybe, and hopefully enlightening, but the only certainty was that a good deal of stress would be involved as well. Taylor had practiced on the ferry socializing with others and spending time in the confines of his cabin. Still, he was not prepared, after months at a time spent in complete solitude, for this.

Once off the boat, it had taken a short while for him to get adjusted to walking on land again - funny how one's body meshed to the environments it inhabited, like a Kecleon's - and then there was a short, nondescript bus ride to the site of the actual tournament, which was noisy, colorful, and teeming with people. Somehow Taylor had expected something several times less crowded and extravagant, but now that he was here he couldn't understand what he had been hoping for. Of course any tournament, especially one inviting the best of the best from every corner of the world (which was more or less how it had been advertised), would be a huge to-do.

Taylor weaved carefully through the food and merchandise stands and clumps of excitedly chattering trainers and groupies, with the anxious precision of a soldier navigating a minefield. He was followed closely by Azumarill, who looked considerably more relaxed and was munching languidly on a foot-long skewer of various sour berries that Taylor had purchased for her. She was the only one he could have out right now - Tropius was perhaps even less fond of crowds than Taylor, and Vigoroth simply couldn't be trusted in them. Also, he trusted her to comfort him and be dependably at his side whenever he felt lost. He never could understand how she could be so at ease in every single situation - he was capable of adapting quickly in the wilderness, but when it came to the structures of civilization and the complexities of social interaction it was a different matter.

He refitted his cap and smoothed the front of his orange jacket as they made their way toward the main complex, adjusting the collar fussily as if it were a bowtie. For this occasion he had merely washed, pressed and ironed his Ranger uniform to the best of his ability, attempting to give it the crisp appearance of newly-issued military fatigues. That was formal enough for now, right? He thought he looked presentable, at least, and he was certainly representing the Hoenn Rangers.

They sped up the pace a little, with Taylor hop-skipping and squeezing between people with a few mumbled "excuse-me"s, and Azumarill ducking after him, holding her berry kabob close to her body. Out in the brush there wasn't much use for deadlines or time efficiency despite what Taylor's higher-ups would have him believe - things happened when they happened and you only hurried if you needed to. Here it was different, and the gigantic, somewhat grotesque clock that greeted him at the entrance to the compound only served to remind him of this. Taylor caught sight of the heavily edited notice below and grinned down at Azumarill, murmuring, "So much for the scheduled life." She chuckled in her bubbly way and popped a Wepear off the skewer, juice dribbling out the corner of her mouth.

Some time later, the berries had disappeared and the skewer had been discarded. Taylor wore no watch and was not an expert at keeping track of time in terms of hours and minutes, but he knew that most of the assembled people had been waiting quite a while before Wallace took the center stage. This did not seem to dampen their excitement upon seeing him in person. Taylor hefted Azumarill up onto his shoulders so she could see, craning his neck slightly to get a better view of the screens himself.

The Hoenn Champion was only a couple seconds into the speech when Taylor began to tune him out. He surveyed the people around him. Some were extravagantly dressed in expensive-looking suits, dresses, and Pokémon costumes - these were the most likely the coordinators, he reasoned. Others had telltale coils of rope and fanny packs cinched at their waists, and a familiar glint of metal at their wrists: a key tool of any ranger, the Capture Styler. Almost all assembled had Pokéballs on their belts, around their necks, or bulging in their pockets.

Taylor caught the words "Long ago..." and began listening to Wallace once more. The story was somewhat interesting, a little vague perhaps, but Taylor couldn't quite see how it related to the tournament - it was more depressing and ethereal than graspable and inspiring, in his mind. He didn't have long to ruminate, though - Wallace promptly got to the meat of the topic at hand, the first challenge of the tournament. Taylor listened, his eyes widening slightly and heart beginning to thump-thump a little faster with the beginnings of adrenaline. Team challenge...use of all HM moves prohibited...without flight or water Pokémon...

He looked up to meet Azumarill's eyes, and they shared an expression that was not quite fear, not quite eagerness, just pure nervous energy. This would truly be a challenge.

Rhea really, really, really hated crowds, and the crushing mass of people packed into the square couldn't even be called an ordinary crowd - it was more of a ocean of bodies all going in different directions at the same time. It didn't help that the majority of the people there looked like adults, all towering over her tiny frame and doing nothing to help her self-esteem.

For some reason, the buses designated for leaving Mt. Silver were placed at the opposite end of the square from where she was standing, which was where the Pallet Town bus had originally dropped her off ... which meant that she would have to wade through the masses to get to the station.

You're a Ranger, dangit, she told herself as fiercely as she could, and stepped into the crowd.

Unfortunately, after only a few steps, she had learned something she had failed to realize while looking down on the square: that many, many people actually had one or more Pokemon out of their Pokeballs with them, following them around. And since the majority of the people in the square were Pokemon champions or wannabes of the above, lots of the Pokemon were huge, mean, and ugly (not necessarily in that order.)

After she was nearly run over by some kid with a Donphan and then knocked aside by a Tyranitar's swinging tail, Rhea simply gave up and sent Storm out of her Pokeball, feeling slightly relieved as the Dragonair coiled protectively around her feet. Flicker wasn't a choice, as she was a Flying-type and wasn't build for walking, and Floe absolutely wasn't a choice because Rhea seriously doubted that anyone, even Wallace, would appreciate a one-ton lump of Lapras crashing down on their heads.

Even with Storm by her side, it still took quite a while to get to the other side, which was eerily empty as compared with the rest of the square. Rhea's hopes for leaving and fixing the whole mess-up (and possibly getting fired in the process) were instantly stomped on at the sight of an empty terminal, with only a lone bus driver lounging against a wall, eating something disgustingly greasy which was dribbling all down his chin.

"Excuse me," she attempted, attempting to raise her voice above the dull roar of the crowd, "are there any buses leaving Mt. Silver?"

The man gave her a sideways glance. "Nope. Sorry honey, but we're only carrying people here. We don't start goin' back until four days before the whole tourney's over."

"But ..." Rhea started.

"No buts. Besides ..." He pointed to her fanny pack, where the invitation envelope was hanging half-out of the front pocket. "From the looks of yer boots, you're a Ranger, and you've got one of 'em invites. If you're competing, then you'd best not go anywhere before it's over." He turned away, signaling an end to the conversation.

By now there was a pit of dread curdling in her stomach as she made her way back numbly, stopping briefly at a food stand for dinner on a stick and gnawing at it listlessly. There it was, printed boldy on the note the chief had left: This is an assignment. It was the one rule every Ranger knew - assignments were never failed. Anyone who failed an assignment was automatically demoted, if not fired.

If she went back, she would be fired for sure, since she was a rookie and there really was no rank below that. If she stayed and competed, she would probably still be fired, but there was a marginally lower chance. Well, there really was no choice, was there?

There was an irritated tap on her ankle and she looked down to see Storm's head level with her chest, her intelligent black eyes narrowed. I know there's trouble, she seemed to be saying, and you're supposed to tell me about it. Why aren't you?

Rhea struggled for words and couldn't find any. How were you supposed to talk to Pokemon, like all the other trainers did? Could they really understand you?

She finally decided to just plain-out-apologize when the speakers blared and the multiple screens scattered around the plaza flared to life, displaying an image of Wallace, flamboyant as ever. His voice came tinnily through the sound system, magnified to a volume even more annoying than the real thing.

After the announcement was over, Rhea was feeling even worse. No Flying or Water-types? That meant the only Pokemon she had at her disposal for the first test was Storm, who apparently was currently in a foul mood. There was no way she was going to possibly win, let alone make it through the first level.

I am so fired.

"Wow.." Robert said as he and Riley surveyed the festival surrounding Mt. Silver. "...The crowds for these things are even crazier than I remember."

Riley nodded in agreement, his eyes wide.

It had been over fifteen years since Robert's last tournament, and he really had forgotten how crazy the crowds would get. The memorabilia on sale, the people trampling each other to get to booths, the large number of insane Wallace fans screaming as they strained to catch a glimpse of their idol... honestly, it was like a madhouse. Robert briefly considered running back to the water, releasing the Wailord he'd borrowed, and sailing nonstop to the nearest patch of wilderness, as he'd planned to do earlier. This was the thing he least missed about tournaments. People rushing around, screaming at each other, going insane over the smallest things. Honestly, he hated it. It was a bunch of meaningless excitement over the smallest things. Because Robert knew from experience that no matter how strong the battler was, or not matter how amazing the coordinator's routine... none of them meant anything at the end of the day. It was why he'd chosen this path.

Riley saw his trainer's pensive look, and gave him a quick nudge. Robert stumbled, surprised, before regaining his balance and grinning at his Pokemon. He returned the nudge, which Riley allowed good-naturedly. It was an old ritual between them.

The screen suddenly flashed to life, revealing the image of Wallace. Robert narrowed his eyes as he stared at the flamboyant trainer. He didn't know what to think of Wallace as a person, but Robert always wondered why such a powerful trainer didn't spend more of his time helping with the important things in life, as opposed to running around and hosting events that had little to no value.

And yet, as he listened to Wallace recount the legend of the goddess- one Robert was actually unfamiliar with- he realized that he already knew the answer. It was the same reason he and Riley had come to this tournament. He still felt the desire that bound all champions and coordinators- heck, all trainers- together. The desire to compete. To triumph. To prove that even after all these years, he could still claim to be one of the best. Much as he liked to criticize the competitive scene, he couldn't blame these trainers. The only difference between them and him was that he had chosen not to continue his journey until the end. Bless them, they had, and whether it did them good in the long run they weren't concerned about. They were just doing their job, and enjoying it.

He stifled a chuckle. Besides, without battlers, life could get pretty boring.

Robert's eyes jumped back to the screen. So, a competition involving crossing a river without the assistance of water or flying-types? He sighed. Apparently both of the transport Pokemon HQ had lent him would be useless. He immediately went to work considering the best way to cross the river while minimizing environmental damage. He immediately ruled out the idea of a dam. Too much damage to the river's indigenous Pokemon, and God knew how many environments would be screwed up by a redirected river. Only way was to bridge it then. The question was how...

Robert snapped to attention. Teams? That hadn't been in the bill of fare. He turned to Riley. "Do you remember them announcing anything like that?"

The Lucario shook his head and shrugged helplessly.

Robert nodded. "Eh, oh well. Could be fun, I suppose."

The moment the crowd of quite literally squealing fangirls had silenced themselves, the silver haired man who had, until now, been mostly invisible behind the blue haired spectacle and as the squeals died into silence, he stepped forward, the braclets on his wrist jingling as he took the microphone from the other male, politely but subtly kicking him back out of the limelight, much to the moaning of the fangirls, "Enough enough, I've got a few logistics Wallace left out of his little presentation, if you'd be so kind, please proceed to the following slides?" Smiling, he shook his head, the locks sparkling in the light, "First off, the slide you see on your screens now is on every LCD screen in our festival grounds and it holds the names of all trainers present and their respective teams as well as a meeting area. Please locate your meeting area, there are staff members in blue shirts with the official G-Men logo on the back to assit you if you are lost and I swear to Acerus if you draw another demented stick version of Wallace on that rock I will throw you off this island myself with no regards to your personal safety and I'll laugh in the process!" His eyes flashing, he panted for a moment before he coughed, the girls in the front row dropping the rocks they'd apparently been doodling on to the ground apparently getting the hint, "T-thank you. Anyways, a few more notes."

His left hand tucked into his pocket as the screen changed once more "Each team must complete the river test as a team, you cannot leave the riverbed as a single unit or a smaller unit. As far as racing, please remember that safety should be your first priorty. That being said, the first four teams to get to the first checkpoint will receive a bonus in the second round. There is no penalty for being last, only rewards for effective teamwork. Make sure your party is healed and you have any items you will need because there will be no PokeMart or PokeCenter between here and the second checkpoint unless it is truly a dire emergency. That being said, you are dismissed to mingle, find your group and in just twenty minutes we will open the gates and the challenge, as well as the Silver Tower Tournament itself will begin!" The roar of the crowd was near thunderous as he switched the mike off and rather forcefully took Wallace, who was posing and making kissy-like faces at the crowd, by the collar, dragging him off the stage, hissing into his ear, "Lance needs a word before this nonsense gets started, think you can tone down the theatrics?" Not waiting for a reply, he pressed his hand against the sensative lock that lead into the Hall of Champions, the only place the four of them could be without outside eyes peering in, "he's in a foul enough mood as it is."

------


As Steven and Wallace disappeared into the restricted access building off the stage, Mika shook off rather forcefully the arm around her middle, rubbing the sweat off her forehead as she wandered to a sign, the thunderous roar of the girls from the stage having not made it to this area just quite yet. Scanning the list of names, when she realized hers was indeed along side Laurel's, she couldn't help but turn her palm over and rub at the skin above her eyes, rubbing the headache that was quickly forming hopefully out of existence. "Great. Just...great." grumbling, she turned and sat across from the shooting game she'd won just a short time ago. It just so happened that this was their team, team 7's, officially designated spot. Cynthia was a cruel cruel woman and she was going to find herself a very large stick and a very dark alley whenever she had a moment and watched Laurel spin around in a maternal glee as the other people supossedly in their team stumbled over, half of them looking to be younger than her. "Good..." she mumbled, staring down at her hands, "...maybe this means she'll get off my case just a hair."


[OoC]

Just incase you didn't read between the lines, everyone in this roleplay is in team 7 and they're all meeting in the 'carnival area'. :P

[/OOC]

Taylor swallowed as the crowd surged and ebbed like a gigantic human wave, the swell of voices breaking against the insides of his ears. He squatted down so as to let Azumarill hop down from his shoulders. The people around them began to disperse, creating human rivers of one-way movement and shuffling themselves about in patterns he could not understand. Azumarill seemed to have noted something on the LCD screen from her original vantage point - she understood some symbols of the human alphabet and was generally quite an intelligent creature, despite her laid-back demeanor - and was tugging on his hand. He followed her helplessly, squeezing himself past globs of indistinct bodies and faces as he had before.

As they headed away from the main stage, Taylor managed to catch a brief glimpse of one of the LCD screens, around which groups of competitors were already amassing. He thought he saw Whitefish under the heading of Team 7. "Lucky number," he mumbled to no one in particular, and Azumarill turned to give him something like a comforting smile.

They were on the makeshift fairgrounds, presently. Taylor hunched his shoulders slightly under the beady scrutiny of giant plushies and their hawkers. He never had liked carnivals that much. Azumarill stopped between two booths - one involving tossing ping-pong balls into bottles filled with water and decorated with cute little depictions of Wailmers and Milotics, in order to win coveted articles of distinctly Wallace-y merchandise. The other was some sort of shooting gallery that utilized parodies of the other regions' champions, and the prizes were more of the same. Taylor turned his back on the gaudy games, ignoring the loud calls inviting him to try his luck.

"This it?" Azumarill made a little shrug, then gestured toward a small area across from the shooting game that appeared to be mostly clear of people, except for a pair of women. Taylor approached gingerly with his short blue companion trailing patiently behind him. He cleared his throat and addressed the dark-haired girl who was sitting (a little sulkily, he thought) and apparently waiting for her team. He thought she looked a little younger than him, maybe in her late teens perhaps, but he had never been great at estimating ages.

"Excuse me. Is this the meeting place for team seven?"