Geoffrey

The final boat with the remain trainers who were invited into doing the League of Champions challenge had at long last arrived in the port city of Azure Bay. The ship was carrying the remain 12 trainers. All the other trainers on the boat proved to be to boring or unremarkable for Geoffrey to take notice of them. Even though some of the occupants consisted of champions such as Cynthia or elite four members like Drake and Aaron. Despite their power they didn't have the fire that Geoffrey wanted to see in a participant. They didn't strive to be the trainer to beat this challenge. It was as if they were here for fun instead of the glory. Someone like that wasn't the person that Geoffrey desired, so he just passed them off.

All his hopes rested on this final boat and the 12 trainers who remained on it. As they began to unload themselves off the boat, he began to scan them. None of them seemed like the person he was looking for, but then finally he saw someone. She was a red haired gal. Definitely standing out from the crowd with the hair color of hers. While she didn't have the passion for battling, she did have a certain air to her. Passion that went beyond battling. It was hard to tell what it was just by appearance, but Geoffrey saw something in her that he liked. He mentally making a note to have him and her "cross" paths accidentally before he exited the city.

Once she had completely gotten off he continued his search for that certain trainer. The trainers continued getting off and one by one, Geoffrey passed them off. With only one trainer left to get off the boat and crossed fingers, Geoffrey hoped for the best with this individual. And then it came. The last one was the promised one. Someone with a true passion for battling. Someone who was going to give this challenge his all. He saw it in his eyes, a flame that was burning stronger then any of the other trainers that had gotten off the boat. The blonde haired male was exactly the person he wished to travel with.

Knowing he had to make his move quick and give the proper impression, He hopped up and briskly moved over to where the trainer was standing, but right before he could reach him another trainer stepped in front of him. This trainer put his arm out, pointing at the blonde haired trainer.

"You and me. We're gonna battle it out right here and now. I know that you're the ex-champion of the Unova league. So come on and show me what you got!", the very brash trainer shouted out.

While this wasn't exactly the way Geoffrey wanted it to go, it would be nice to see how this trainer was in battle.

"Alrighty then, if it's a battle I'll referee. Two pokemon each. The first to take down both opponents pokemon is the winner. Are you ready?', Geoffrey said with a smile. Ready to get the battle underway.

Looking back at it now, Juliette has come to the conclusion that she probably did deserve this punishment. Well, just a little. All she did was sneak into the engine room and tinker with the electrical wiring for a bit. Sure, she caused a two-hour blackout, but the ship came out ten times more efficient after she was done with it! They should be grateful that she had optimized their whole system. Juliette looked at the bald man doggedly standing by the cabin's entrance, arms crossed stiffly and mouth turned in a stern frown, and grinned sheepishly. They were pretty light with the punishment, all things considered. For messing with the electricity, she was only confined within the ship's deckhouse, and was to remain there until they'd arrived at Azure Bay.

Juliette stared up at the bald man again, the gears in her head grinding as she tried to come up with a way to get past him. Light punishment or not, she didn't take well to sitting still and she'd been stuck in the room for five hours now. Her Klefki hovered beside her, the keys he collected rattling as laughter racked his frame, watching in amusement as his trainer tried to sweet talk her way out of confinement. So far, it was a no go. Juliette deliberately jutted her lower lip out and batted her eyelash in what she thought was an attractive way, pleading with the most persuasive tone she could muster, but nope. No reaction at all.

She clicked her tongue and plopped down on the leather couch huffily, throwing her hands up in an exaggerated display of defeat. Bah, that cutesy act used to be super effective when she was younger. She supposed she needed to find another tactic now. Lockhart was still laughing at her, but he unlinked his arms and patted her hair in sympathy anyway.

Juliette blew a few loose strands of her bangs out of her face. "Guess I should just wait it out, huh, Locke?"

There was another rattling of keys as the Klefki nodded, still looking very much amused.

Luckily, the wait didn't turn out to be that long. They arrived at the port city within an hour, and soon as they had docked, she was allowed to join the other chosen trainers disembarking the ship. Juliette reveled at her freedom and bounded out and down to the docks with a spring in her step. She passed by the other trainers as she made her way down, some of whom she had gotten to know during her time under Bill's tutelage. Cynthia and her had been acquainted just weeks ago, in fact, after she upgraded her Pokedex's software. The blonde gave her a greeting in passing before returning to her heated debate with Drake.

As she reached the bridge, she took a moment to soak in the sight, welcoming the gentle sea breeze that ruffled her hair and tickled her nose. The ocean stretched endlessly beyond the horizon, a sheet of sparkling blue, broken only by the occasional water Pokemon jumping out. There were Wingulls and Pelippers circling above them, cawing happily amongst themselves. Juliette reached for the configured Dive Ball on her belt and released her Nova out for a quick dive. The Starmie spun into the water with flourish, its gem gleaming bright as it excitedly plunged deeper into the ocean.

As she waited for Nova to return, Juliette caught sight of an imminent battle just off the port. She took a seat on a nearby bench and watched them, curiosity piqued. From what she could glean, the Unova ex-champion was being challenged by a trainer, and there was a dark haired trainer willing to officiate the match. She recognized them all as passengers of the ship, the few whom she had yet to get acquainted with. Although, as a fellow Unovan, Juliette knew about Jay Rayne and his record-breaking conquest. Her sister was a pretty big fan of his, but then he got involved in that scandal. She'd always wondered why he beat up that trainer. Maybe she could ask him about it...

With nothing else to do, Juliette and Locke cheered from the sidelines as the battle began, whooping enthusiastically just for the heck of it. It was pretty exciting watching an ex-champ battle.

Jay was one of the last people to make their way off the boat. Unlike the others, he felt no rush to begin the challenge right away. If the others were good enough, it wouldn't matter if they started first or last. The weak would be weeded out soon enough either way. Jay reached behind his back to release Ava from her pokeball when a trainer ran forward and challenged him to a battle. His hand moved away from the pokeball's release button.

He wasn't really in the mood to battle, but it would be a good warm-up after being cooped up inside the ship for so long. Jay didn't have to worry about his skills getting dull, but he did put value in learning new techniques from his opponents. Battling was always about getting better. "Fine, I'll battle you," he said, accepting the challenge. He was a man bound by title to etiquette after all.

Another man, another trainer probably, stepped forward. Jay had seen him scanning the faces of each person as trainers had disembarked the boat to begin their own Master Trainer challenge. He wondered who this man was.

"Alrighty then, if it's a battle I'll referee. Two pokemon each. The first to take down both opponents pokemon is the winner. Are you ready?"

Jay nodded, his piercing green eyes remaining on his challenger. "Yes, I'm ready."

The challengeing trainer gave Jay a grin. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pokeball and then launched it forward towards the ground. A bright light came out from the ball and a Skarmory appeared. The Skarmory cocked it's head upwards at the sky and let out a very piercing screech.

The Challenger then looked at the blonde haired man and called out, "Your turn."

Jay stepped forward as a black and gold pokeball fell from his belt. The place he had been standing turned into a swirling vortex of crimson flame. The creature inside spread its wings, and the flames were sucked back into its red and gray plumage.

The pokemon's luxury ball bounced back into Jay's outstreched hand. "Acedia, take your time with this one. I don't want him to blink and miss everything." The Talonflame alighted to the ground without a sound, smoldering wings now cold pressed against its sides. The bird's eyes, a clearer blue than the sky above, met the sharp yellow eyes of the bird of steel. "He won't learn anything if he can't see why he lost," Jay said.

The moment the trainer saw that Jay sent out a Talonflame a look of disappointment appeared. Using a pokemon that was strong against his pokemon. A fundemental of battle, but something that was going to make the match so unentertaining.

"Damn, I wasn't expecting to see a fire type pokemon.", he said and sighed, "Alright Skarmory use Steel Wing"

The Skarmory cawed into the air and began flapping it's wings strongly. It's large metal frame lifted up into the air and it soared up high. Once it had reached it's peak, it's steel-cladded wings shown a very exquisite light. Skarmory then arched its' body downwards and nose dived straight towards Jay's Talonflame. Using it's wing like a blade it took a swipe at the enemy pokemon.

Jay shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked upwards, but otherwise did nothing. A trainer who needed to tell his pokemon what to do, simply did not know his pokemon well enough to win. The crimson and gray bird was motionless up until the last possible instant. The Skarmory's sword-like feathers were splitting the air only a few feet from Acedia's blue eyes. Those eyes hadn't left the other bird's once. Acedia. The name was ironic. He moved.

The metal bird's wings cut nothing, what it had been aiming for had vanished. Jay felt the air around him surge forward in a sudden updraft. High above, exactly where the ex-champion had been staring into the sky, Acedia flew, both his wings scattering the light from the sun with a metallic sheen. As Steel Wing faded, the bird's wings began to smolder again as they usually did. Only then did the sound ring out. It was the sound of metal striking metal.

The blow had caused Skarmory to launched backwards a couple of feet. A very impressive blow for a move that wasn't very effective. After a few moments of being down, his Skarmory popped back up and was looking extremely furious to have missed his attack and be struck at the same time.

"Skarmory use Metal Sound!"

The trainer decided that it might be better to go into a more defensive type strategy. Pure offensive wasn't the correct way of going about this.

Skarmory cocked it's head directly at Acedia and began to let out an ear piercing screech. The sound of running knives against the inner edges of a fork would be the closest thing to describe this deafing noise. It's piercing noise was sent throughout the small area of town they were in. Giving both him and Geoffrey a terrible headache.

The Trainer knew that if he kept trying to use moves that hit the Talonflame head on it was going to miss almost every time. Using a move that was unavoidable is the only possible way of going about it.

"So what do you think of that!?", the opposing trianer said cockily.

"I think it's annoying as hell is what I think.", Geoffrey called back to the trainer.

Jay covered his face with his hand. Using a move that lowers special defense wouldn't help much if he couldn't touch Acedia. He shook his head and looked at the arrogant amature. "Acedia, show him a little of your speed."

The bird screeched, and its wings began to burn hotter. Flame Charge. A plume of fire exploded behind Ace's wings as he shot downward at the heavy bird of steel. He was moving even faster than he had just seconds ago.

Skarmory wasn't able to move out of the way fast enough and the Flame Charge hit the steel bird directly. The Skarmory flew backwards towards it trainer and with only two hits the pokemon was down and out. It laid there fainted from the sheer power of the hit.

The trainer looked down at his Skarmory with an astonished face. How could one of his best pokemon be knocked out with only two hits. Who was this guy that he was facing. Knowing that this Talonflame of his was extremely powerful he knew he was going to have to pull out a counter pokemon.

"Go Rhyperior!", he shouted out as he tossed a great ball forward.

A white light launched out from the center of the ball revealing his very large Rhyperior.

Once the pokemon had been released the trainer the called out, "Rhyperior use Rock Wrecker!"

Upon recieving its' orders the Rhyperior slammed its' fist into the ground below it and began to rip the earth up using brute strength. Once a very large portion of the ground had been pulled from the area Rhyperior threw its' arms back and launched the land towards Acedia.

Jay counted under his breath as his view of Acedia was blocked by the mass of earth and rock. "Three... two... one..." The piece of land exploded, an arrow of flame blasting out of the cloud of dust right down at the huge Rhyperior. Hm, Jay had expected Ace to go with Brave Bird instead of Flare Blitz. He must have wanted to ignite pretty bad if he was ignoring the fact that there was no way his attack would KO the opponent's pokemon.

The Rhyperior being as heavy as it was could not avoid the attack, so the flaming bird slammed right into its' chest. But since it was a fire type move no damage was hardly done to its' solid body. Though with the bird being as close as it was, it meant that Rhyperior could easily do a quick physical attack.

"Rhyperior use Take Down!"

Rhyperior using its' large hands gripped onto the bird and slammed it straight into the crater that was infront of its' massive body. Using the weight of his arm alone was enough to send around a ton of pressure down on the bird pokemon. Even though it was a normal type move, the trainer was hoping that his Rhyperior sent enough strength into it to knock the Talonflame out.

Jay shook his head. Acedia could outspeed a jet, but his two strongest attacks left him weakened and vulnerable to being hit, just like what had just happened. It didn't take very much to knock Ace out, which is why he relied so much on his unrivaled speed to avoid everything and attack first. His defeat had been his own fault. A red light surrounded Acedia as he was pulled back into his black and gold pokeball. Jay took another luxury ball from his belt and tossed it into the air.

"Luxuria, you're up." A stream of clear water droped out of the pokeball and to the ground, shaping into a blue cat-like creature. The Vaporeon looked up at the hulking Rhyperior with curiosity. Luxuria looked back at Jay and cocked her head. The ex-champion sighed. "Yes, that is your opponent." Lux just mewed and strolled up to the beast and licked its leg. Jay sighed again. She was always like this.

"Rhyperior use STOMP!", the opposing trainer shouted out with such gusto to his pokemon.

The Rhyperior lifted up the leg that was being licked and then immediate shot it downwards towards the Vaporean below it.

Luxuria was crushed beneath the massive leg's weight. There was no sign of the blue pokemon though. A few seconds later, streams of water poured out from under the Rhyperior's massive foot and recollected into the shape of a Vaporeon. She mewed again.

"Lux, stop playing around. Finish this battle." The Vaporeon visibly pouted, its fins drooping. The cat-like creature's form dissolved at the same time as the surrounding area was blanketed in a cloud of Mist. Luxuria's ultimate defense and offense: Mist Armor. A combination attack using Mist and Acid Armor to make the effect even more potent.

"Now," Jay said. Inside the cloud of white Mist, it was as if a laser light show was turned on. The beams came from every direction, rapid-fire, each lasting a fraction of a second before fading out and being replaced by another coming from an entirely different location inside the cloud. Then the beams stopped, and the mist disappeared, and Luxuria dropped to the ground before a completely frozen, completely defeated Rhyperior.

The trainer recalled his fainted Rhyperior ashamed of how bad of a trainer he was compared to the other trainer. Once the battle was over he just ran off with a single tear in his eye. All of his hopes and dreams crushed by a single trainer beating him without even speaking a single word to his pokemon.

"And with that, the Winner is.....Blonde Guy! Yeah, I never actually caught your name.", Geoffrey said to the winning trainer.

The winner recalled his Vaporeon and replaced the pokeball onto his belt. He was reminded that he still had to let Ava out. She would be angry at him for battling without letting her out first. Could he just not tell her? No, Lux would definitely brag to Ava about her win. She would ask how Acedia got knocked out too. Damn, it looked like there was no avoiding it.

He looked at the trainer who had acted as referee for the match, though he hadn't actually been necessary. "My name is Jay Rayne. I am Unova's ex-Champion." Still, he could put off letting Ava out for a little while more.

"The name's Geoffrey Rhodes. Self-proclaimed Lead Ranger on Mande.", he said to the trainer extending out his hand.

The battle that he had just referred was incredible. Only a few moves were exchanged between the two trainers, but in just those few moves the ex-Champion was able to finish off the other trainer. Must have been a bad day for the other guy or a good day for Jay, but either way that trainer was annihilated. While Jay's face might have remained very unchanged during the battle it was his eyes that told a different story. Seeing him in action was the one thing he needed to confirm that this was the trainer he wished to travel with.

"Mr. Rayne, I'm gonna be your travel guide to this island.", he commanded. Making sure to not give him the option of saying no.

Geoffrey then did a 180 to face away from Jay and then shouted out to the other trainer who had been watching the battle from the sidelines. She seemed so interested in his battle. Like a child walking into a candy store. All those cheering for a guy she had most likely never met before. Someone who got so excited from a battle was someone he also wanted with him.

"And you missy. You're gonna come along too.", he commanded to her also.

Knowing that if he gave them the possibility of saying no, then he could miss his opportunity to see history unfold itself before his eyes. Geoffrey knew after seeing that battle this was the moment. Smiling like a moron was the only thing he could do. The time for a new winner was here and it was going to be the most exciting thing to happen on this island since the last time. Once he was able to regain his composure, he turned back to Jay.

"Alright Mr. Rayne. You have two options. Crim Village or Dartmouth Isle?"

Jay's face remained as passive as usual as the trainer that had been playing referee of his battle suddenly dictated that he would be accompanying him on his challenge. To be honest, the ex-Champion hated company. He was used to travelling alone, just him and those he could trust completely: his team. So he said nothing for or against the grouping, he just knelt down and opened up his bag. Rummaging around for a bit, he pulled out a smaller drawstring pouch and opened it. The glittering light from what had to amount to a small fortune in elemental gems shone out from the open pouch. Jay just pulled out a duller, yellow crystal and returned the pouch to his bag.

Pulling Ace's ball from his belt, the fainted bird appeared on the ground before the trainer. Jay used the revive on his pokemon, and Acedia was able to heal the rest himself with Roost. Jay didn't like going into pokemon centers. He liked being able to care for his pokemon himself. Besides, there wasn't always a center close enough.

Having returned Acedia's ball to his belt, jay stood up and faced the 'Self-proclaimed Lead Ranger on Mande'. Sounded like a title a kid would make up to impress his friends. And now he was using it on him. Jay took a breath, already knowing that this place was going to be a pain. "I feel like going to the beach," he said not really to either of his new companions. He was already walking in the direction of Dartmouth Isle. Gula would enjoy swimming in the water, and he would have an excuse for not having let Ava out right away.

Juliette was on the edge of her seat as she watched the battle, eyes sparkling with excitement and a big smile on her face. She could feel Locke restlessly flitting by her shoulder, clearly just as wonderstruck as her. Wowzers. So that's how a champion fights! She'd always thought she was a pretty great trainer, and even though engineering remains her true passion, she took pride in her abilities as a trainer. Sure, her battle style wasn't the most conventional and she'd be hard-pressed to call it infallible most of the time, but it got the job done. She racked a pretty solid number of victories over the years.

Jay Rayne was on a whole other level, though. As confident as she was with her skills, she knew she needed a lot more work to be on par with him.

Watching the battle left energized, so Juliette was rearing to go. With Nova already back, beauty resting in its Pokeball after it returned from its dive, she supposed she should get going soon. She was stalling long enough as it is and those fussy lab aides waiting for her might get impatient soon. Not like they wanted her there anyway.

Juliette grabbed her Holo Caster from the small satchel attached on her belt and checked her inbox. Twelve new video messages, all complaining about her tardiness, and she was currently only two minutes late! She scrunched her nose in disdain as she sent them a quick video message of her own, childishly making faces in response. Those lab aides had never stopped making their blatant disapproval of her known ever since she was chosen as the lead engineer, just because she was younger than them. If there was another place she could go, she would much rather not have to work with them on a daily basis.

As if on cue, the trainer who offered to officiate ex-champ's match, called out to her. What did he say he was again? Self-proclaimed lead ranger? He was going to guide Jay around the island, and he was offering the same services to her. Juliette glanced back down at her Holo Caster as it beeped, signifying the incoming messages. She didn't need to open them to know that they were just more condescending messages telling her to hurry. Instead of replying, Juliette stuffed the device back in her satchel. Screw that. She was a freakin' genius and all her tools are in her bag—she can work on their software from wherever she wanted. She didn't need to go in their lab.

"Hey, wait up!" Juliette called, running after the two and beckoning Locke to follow her. Jay Rayne was already a couple of feet ahead, barely acknowledging his tour guide as he headed for Dartmouth Isle. He wasn't much of talker, was he? At least Mr. Ranger seemed friendly enough.

"So, where are we headed?" Juliette asked the dark haired trainer as she caught up to him. Then, remembering her manners, she extended her hand to him in belated introduction. "I'm Juliette, by the way."

"We are currently going towards Dartmouth Isles.", Geoffrey said to the girl he now knows as Juliette. "It's got some pretty rocky terrain and some high waves to reach the small island. Hope you guys brought your swimsuits."

And so their adventure had begun. The three of them were going to travel towards Dartmouth Isles. A very small, but beautiful island that was just off the coast a little ways from Azure Bay. There were no boats or bridges leading over to the area. So the three of them were going to eventually hitch a ride on a Pokemon that could surf. But that wasn't going to be til later. Currently their first challenge was going to be able to make it there first. While most of the way there it was complete plains. Wild pokemon that were extremely strong inhabited these plains. They wouldn't take to kindly to strangers who appeared on their territory.

Geoffrey continued onward until the three of them were just outside of Azure Bay. He turned to look at them while still backpedaling his way so they could continue to make progress.

"So where you guys from?", Geoffrey pondered to the two.

"Icirrus, in Unova," Jay said. "Most people just know it as the little town near Dragonspiral Tower though." He didn't say it as a good or bad thing, merely that it was how it was. Having grown up there, Jay knew how little there was to do in that town. Why anyone would go there if they weren't on their way to check out the tower he really didn't know. And even after wondering what made the tower so great to be worth seeing for most of his early life, Jay had thought it a pretty boring place when he'd finally explored its interior.

"So, Geoffrey, Juliette," Jay looked up at his apparent guide that showed no sign of leaving any time soon. "You trainers?" The sighs coming from the pokeballs on Jay's belt were very nearly audible. Five minutes on land and he was already scoping out his competition. No, not really competition; he could easily tell that these two posed no real threat. But he couldn't know or trust a person until he knew how their pokemon saw them. And at that moment Jay was reminded that he still had to let Ava out of her pokeball. He should probably worry less about his companions and more about himself for the time being.

"I'm Unovan, too. Born and raised in Castelia," Juliette chimed in, fond memories of home swirling in her head. As she thought of Castelia, she had been reminded of this fanclub her sister was in. It became infamous for their undying devotion to a certain blonde trainer; if you were to say any remotely negative thing about him in their presence, they would not let you hear the end of it. Chuckling, Juliette walked beside Jay to give him a playful pat in the back. "You know, ex-champ, you're still pretty popular there. You've got legions of fangirls."

"And yes, I'm a trainer," she said. Locke flitted to her shoulder as though to emphasize the fact. "Not as intense and awesome as you, but I manage." Idly, she wondered whether she could ever reach his level if she could devote as much time to training her Pokemon as she did to her inventions. That seemed possible enough, but she found the thought didn't thrill her too much. She supposed she was lacking that competitive edge, the same one Jay was practically oozing with.

"What about you, Mr. Ranger?" she asked Geoffrey, though not before giving him props for walking backwards so fluidly.

Hearing that the two of them were both from Unova made Geoffrey think that trainers from that region must be exceptionally strong. Since one of the Master trainers originally hailed from Unova. So to see the two of them being from the same region must mean that the caliber of trainer must be at a higher standard. This could lead to something interesting when they reached the first Master trainer. Since he'll be allowed to see a how two Unova trainers end up duke it out.

His attention then turned to Jay and he was about to answer, but Juliette got in the first words before him. She announced that she herself was a trainer and while Geoffrey could see she had the abilities to be a good trainer. She was no where near the same level that Jay was. The man seemed to be similar to a war machine on the battlefield. Once she had finished up and directed the question back to Geoffrey, he figured that he was obliged to answer.

"Yeah, I am kind of a trainer. Haven't really been in a fight in a long time. The chances don't come around enough for me to really sharpen my skills.", Geoffrey explained to the team.

A little time had passed with the crew having small idle chat back and forth. The sun started going down and the wind began to pick up. A strong smell of the sea was being picked up in the air and to the side there was a giant cliff that ran the span of the island. It would only be around another hour for the team until they reached the dock area.

"I hope you two brought your swimsuits and water pokemon. Cause we are going to be going straight into the sea to the right of us. And we are going to be going to those small bumps on the horizon.", the ranger said pointing outwards straight towards these 8 small bumps out in the sea, "Don't worry it'll only take about three hours."