It was almost impossible for Fiona to be late to the opening ceremony, considering it was held in her own damn gym. That still didn't stop her from giving her best try at it. She'd been loitering about the stadium grounds for hours, just taking in the crowd and generally loafing around. Hornet rested on her shoulder as she wandered around, the Yanmega idly taking sips from the soda cup Fiona offered her every now and again. Considering that Hornet was the newest addition to her team, Fiona was resolved to spend more time with the half-Bug type in order to better acclimate her.

"Let's see..." She murmured to herself as she walked, idly returning the wave of a few fans who recognized her. "Who's going tae show up first? What do you think, girl?" Fiona grinned at her Yanmega, who tilted her head at the question, buzzing briefly. "Moira's always th' punctual type, but so're half this lot. Maybe I should be askin' who's gonna be fashionably late-"

Her musings were cut off by the sound of a flyby, followed by a familiar roar.

"Didn't think she'd be first." Fiona grinned slightly. "Well, let's go greet her. Don't be so nervous, her Charizard isn't going tae eat you." Hornet sagged slightly on Fiona's shoulder, nervously chittering at the thought of seeing a Charizard again.

Fiona made her way through the crowd at a brisk pace, waving and grinning at the new arrival.

"Oiiii, Hestia! About time ya showed up!" She said as she walked up to pat her coworker and friend on the back. "Doin' flybys on a Charizard? What, ya think yer Red now?"

Ah, Gym Challenge season was here again. The sights, the sounds, the crowds! ...the smells, the smokers, the opressive industrial air. Same as it had been for years. Growing up in the his parents' line of work, Zeke was well-acquainted with this time of year. Even if he hadn't been able to participate, he was well attuned to the big events of Motostoke. They meant work. In fact, Zeke had come into town a few days early specifically to give his parents some extra help around the inn. An oversized porter suit, some sunglasses, and simply keeping his mouth shut made sure nobody realized the guy carrying their bags was a gym leader. He was thankful to finally be on good terms with his parents, though he shuddered to think what his life would be if he had never left Motostoke.

None of that was on his mind now though. The Fighting-type gym leader was currently strutting through the mass of fans come to watch the opening ceremony. His trusted Grapploct accompanied him on his right side, and an excited Loudred danced along on his left. His little hype man would occasionally let out a cry, a blast of sound that could be deafening if not for the Pokemon's own self-restraint. Of course these blasts drew attention to Zeke and he made the most of it. He flexed for the cameras, his arms exposed in his unzipped sleeveless hoodie. He and his Pokemon got a few pictures with fans, made some boyfriends jealous, signed some autographs, insulted some challengers. The usual. There was almost an incident with some local fans of Fiona, but thankfully they backed down at his bluffs. Zeke causing any actual trouble would cause problems for everyone.

Soon a different Pokemon's cry drew the crowd's attention away from him. The roar came from above and was accompanied by a plummeting silhouette backlit with flames. Some of the spectators cringed in fear, but of course the familiar Charizard pulled up at the last second so it could descend a little closer to the gym. The momentary distraction had let Zeke and Grapploct step out of the throng of people before it started rushing the stadium. His Loudred remained part of it, however, and was carried along, adding his own noise to the growing uproar. He'd find his way back to them later. He always did.

"That Charizard's kind of an attention whore, eh?" Zeke muttered to Grapploct, holding back a grin. His Pokemon stared back at him unamused. The two took a detour through a smaller side street. Zeke noticed a passing Weezing and took a few deep breaths, thankful for the brief respite. Without Loudred drawing attention to them and with his hood up, Zeke moved quickly and efficiently, not sticking around long enough for anyone to recognize him. He came out on to the main street just in front of the stadium, and he and Grapploct squeezed through the crowd.

Zeke found Fiona, Hestia, and Isla hanging out in front. He took another deep breath and put his back hood down. Break was over. He approached the girls, noticing Isla was talking to the press. Good, he was glad she could keep them busy for a while. As he walked over to Fiona and Hestia, however, a snippet of Isla's interview drifted over to him. "...Victoria better watch out, because I'm coming for her title." Oh, well, that was just to good a setup. He winked at the Major League leaders then turned to stroll up to Isla and the press.

"Ha! YOU?" he punctuated the question with an exaggerated laugh. "Oh no, Isla's coming for the Champion's spot!" he pitched up his voice in mock worry. "That's cute, but how about you go back to playing in the snow and leave her to someone with some experience, sweetheart. Actually, I'll let you be my cheerleader and watch how I do it." It occurred to Zeke that this was the first time Isla had had to deal with Gym Leader Zeke. But she was a champion snowboarder, she'd certainly dealt with much worse from people who actually meant it. Even as he interrupted her, some jeers went up from the small crowd hanging around to get a look at them. Then a familiar call went out from somewhere in the larger crowd around them and more people joined in. Dammit Loudred...

Ezran let out a huff of annoyance as he attempted to tune his guitar for about the third time that day, and the din of the city was certainly not helping. He had perched himself up on the back of a bench off to the side of one of the major streets; a little bit out of the way of the crowds of people that were making their way towards the Motostoke stadium. He had his headphones resting around his neck and his trademark jacket dropped on the bench next him. Minuet let out a staticky chuckle from where she was standing next to him; the yellow mohawk fluctuating and crackling. "Oh be quiet you," he grumbled towards her, "Like you could do any better. You've only got three fingers." The snickering stopped.

He finally strummed through a few cords and let out a hum of approval at the sound. He let muscle memory take over and plucked out a familiar tune as his eyes scanned the dark skies above that were littered with twinkling stars. He thought he may have seen a large shape pass in front of some of them, but it was difficult to tell with the other lights that shined through the large and industrial city. He grew up in Hammerlocke so he was familiar with the, occasional lack of light that came with city living. He kept his tunes quiet enough that they wouldn't draw too much attention. He, of course, never had a problem with being in the spotlight, he preferred it most of the time, but he knew he'd be much more in the public eye after the season started. He'd take all the alone time he could get.

He heard a sudden ramp up in volume from the crowd as a very quick series of a bellowing roar and the distinctive shouts of what he was pretty sure was a Loudred. "Sounds like some of the others have finally showed up." he flashed a grin towards Minuet who trilled happily in response. He pulled the case up for his guitar and laid it inside before hopping off the bench, throwing on his jacket and slinging the case over his shoulder. "Better not keep them waiting yeah?"

He jogged easily through the streets of Motostoke, with Minuet on his heels, giving a wave or short greeting to anyone who called out to him as either a gym leader or if they knew him from his music. He paused a few times to sign an autograph or take a photo, but ultimately made it to the stadium in good time. It was as he always remembered it, lit up as a beacon in the city and surrounded by press and fans. He could hear shouts and jeers coming from the crowd from both people and Pokemon, but that was to be expected. He took the opportunity to begin his ascent up the stairs, hoping to get through without too much attention, but Minuet, of course, had other ideas.

As they reached the top of the stairs she tilted her head back and let out a half-powered Boomburst and strummed out a loud cord; the yellow electricity around her head flaring up. Ezran let out a faint sigh as attentions immediately turned to him. He let a grin light up his face as he waved to both the press and fans as he slowly made his way through the swarm of people to where he could now see both Zeke and Isla in front of the camera, he couldn't hear what was being said over the calls from the crowd, but knowing Zeke probably some kind of jeering remark. He walked past the press to where Fiona and Hestia stood, Minuet a half step behind him, with an easy grin on his face and hands shoved into his pockets.

"How's it goin'?" he queried towards the two, "I see Zeke is getting an early start to the night." He glanced back towards the two as the hollers started up again, "Can't give any of us a break, honestly." He could see Hestia's Charizard standing behind her, an imposing sight to say the least, and Fiona appeared to be sporting a new addition on one shoulder. it's been a while since they'd all really seen each other, and he was interested in what news they had to share, but that could all wait until after the whole lot of them showed up.

Malik Harvey was always reminded of the special connection that he had with Motostoke and its people, each time that he stepped foot in its limits. Yet, the burst of emotion that swelled in his chest, how he'd felt the very first time that he'd been to the city as a child, was never fleeting; its former Gym Leader would always have a home here. While he made it a priority to prepare himself accordingly for the orientation ceremony of the year's Gym Challenge, he'd opted to visit the Wyndon Hospital to surprise the children with his vintage Major League Card and a ride over the big city on the back of his Corviknight, provided that it wouldn't hurt them or trigger some sort of condition.

At midday, Malik had found himself trapped at the Wedgehurst Boutique with his mother, who was persistent on having him accept her tailor-made apparel. For many events with significant fan and press presence like the lead-up to the upcoming ceremony, his mother would design and make new clothing for him to wear. "I spent a lot of time and money making this for you, so you will wear it!"

"Hah, you're just usin' me as free advertisement, mum," Malik would say to her, and she was always proud to admit the sentiment. When the time had finally come, he wore a violet silk shirt with an abstract swirl pattern that fit his frame perfectly, complimenting it with dark dress pants. Most of his time was spent on politely refusing to give out his phone number and addressing the numerous fans who approached him from seemingly all angles with all sorts of requests and questions. Autographs, pictures, petting the Espeon that perched on his shoulder; he already felt so exhausted by the time that he and Lady reached the lift.

With the moment to himself, Malik was leaning on the railing as he took the last drag of his cigarette, feeling a distinct rumble from a certain Pokeball at his waist. "Oh, I know, I'll quit someday," he smiled lightly, laughing when he felt Lady also chime in with a nudge at his ankles. He snuffed out the cigarette against the rail, kneeling down to caress the worried Espeon affectionately. "Last one for the week, I promise." The two of them walked off from the lift as he popped a mint into his mouth, tossing the smoke and wrapper into their respective receptacles; fortunately, his cologne was strong enough to ward off the ashy odor.

Malik tried his best to avert the massive crowd that turned towards him in loud cheers upon his approach, bringing Lady back onto his shoulder as he passed by with smiles and waves. He knew that he was in the clear when he could make out a number of recognizable faces, seeing that some of the other Gym Leaders were already around. He was a bit surprised to see just how 'early' he seemed to have arrived, quick to join up with them after making it past the flock. "That's just like 'im, really," Malik added after Ezran upon hearing the press exchange with Isla and Zeke, giving his friend a playful punch against the shoulder before doing the same to Fiona.

His Espeon hissed in the direction of Hestia's Charizard as it wore a hostile expression. "Don't mind Lady, she's been pet a few too many times tonight," Malik chuckled, doing a quick electric guitar impression towards Minuet before folding his arms over his chest and looking over their group. "Hey, Z! Lookin' fly as ever, Fiona. I see Apollo's in the spirit already, Hestia."

Liam arrived in Motosoke the day before. Leaving him plenty of time to go shopping in the boutique, dine at the battle cafe, take a few pictures with fans that recognized him, and still have a good nights sleep at a hotel. The next day would be a big day. It was the start of the Gym Challenge season. That meant all the other gym leaders showed up at the stadium, and put on a grand display for all their adoring fans. He couldn’t speak for the other Gym Leaders, but Liam loved the pomp and circumstance of it all.

The next day, Liam got dressed, and was ready to head off to the stadium. He wore his signature pink Fairy costume. The one he wore when he battled challengers at the gym. After the exiting the hotel, he flew on the back of Gabriel, and had Boo sitting on his shoulder. Upon reaching the crowd, he did a few twirls and flips in the air, ending with Gabriel pulling off a shining Dazzling Gleam. Hey, the fans wanted a show, and Liam had to give them something.

Liam and his Togekiss landed gracefully right in front of the Gym, to the sound of screaming fans. A few of the other leaders had also arrived before him. The sight of Hestia’s Charizard scared the crap out of the small Mimikyu, “Mimi! Mimi!” He hid his face behind his trainers neck and shivered.

Liam patted the Ghost Fairy on his head. ”It’s ok little guy. No need to be scared. You can definitely take em!” He then sauntered over to the other Gym Leaders, and waved to all of them. “Hello everyone. You all looking forward to the big show?” Liam asked with a laugh. “Oh my gosh Malik! You look as fabulous as me!” He suddenly exclaimed as he gave his fellow Gym Leader a hug for seemingly no reason whatsoever. “Well almost. There are few that can quite keep up with me in the fabulous department!” He then turned his attention to the other boys that had arrived. Which was Zeke and Ezran. “Although you guys don’t look bad either.” He winked and blew them a kiss.

Mentions: @Solace@PrankFox@Prints Avoid@Ambra

"Skies are crowded today," the cabbie called down over the wind to his passenger. Indeed, every year during gym challenge season the air over Motostoke was full of flying taxis and trainers on their own Pokemon alike. A flash of orange zipped by and shook the cab with it's windy aftershock. "Whoooa! Lotta excitement down there!"

Inside the cab, Nordrin leaned towards the glass windows, catching sight of the Charizard leaving them in the dust.

"I can only guess who that is," the man sighed, sitting back in his seat and crossing one long leg over the other. It was rare to see Nordrin outside of Hulbury, and even rarer was he wearing anything but his chef's coat, but today was a special occasion. He chose to wear clean black slacks with a cool blue button down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. There was movement from behind Nordrin, and after a few moments two little faces floated out from their hiding spot. Nordrin gestured for the pair of Milcery to float out in front of them and they did so, looking around curiously and peering out of the cab's windows before Nordrin snapped his fingers twice to regain their attention.

"Hey, you two have a lot of growing to do if you got scared just by some wind," he said. "I'm bringing you both along so you can get some experience, so don't blow it alright?"

The Milcery looked a little sullen after being chastised, but Nordrin sighed and reached out with both hands to gently rub their heads. The gesture was much appreciated.

Very soon the taxi approached the gym where the Galarian gym leaders were gathering. Below, Nordrin could see many more Pokemon in all colors. The larger ones were easier to make out: Hestia's Charizard and Liam's Togekiss among them. The silver haired man check the watch on his wrist and thought for a moment he was running late, but that wasn't the case. Most of the other leaders were just eager Bibarels. Hulbury wasn't very far from Motostoke, and normally Nordrin would just take a quick train ride over, but over the years he'd acquired a taste for flying and if there was ever a time to indulge and scratch the itch for air, it would be today.

When the taxi set down on solid earth, Nordrin stepped out and combed his hair back with his hands a few times before paying the cabbie and waving the man off. "Come," he told the Milcery, and the trio made their way through the crowd toward where the other leaders were standing.

"Circus is in town, eh?" Nordrin said once he'd escaped the clutches of fans and paparazzi. Thankfully most of their attention was directed towards Isla and Zeke. Nordrin nodded his head stiffly at those already gathered, giving them a rather clipped greeting, "Ladies, Gentlemen."

Well that's enough pleasantries, he thought to himself. While his Milcery floated close by marveling at all of the other Pokemon gathered, Nordrin caught the Motostoke leader's eye: Fiona.

"Mind if I head in?" he asked her, extending at least the basic courtesy of asking permission before he just waltzed into the gym's waiting rooms and left everyone else behind.

There was an art to making an entrance and Henrietta, by extension, was an artist.

She strode down the central street that ran through the middle of Motostoke, from the archway that led into the city to the elevator which would take her the stadium, walking as if the crowd in front of her didn’t exist. With the way people cleared a path for her there might as well not have been, the throng of people parting like the Red Sea at her approach; some of that was no doubt down to the imposing Garchomp that walked behind her, but the rest was all Henrietta. She walked like she expected people to move and they did.

Image and notoriety. That’s what it was all about. People knew who she was, what she was, because she had worked hard to create an identity that people would recognise and a reputation that would garner respect. The clothes might change day to day but the beret? The shades? The hair? They were a brand, her brand, and she’d made sure that brand meant something to people.

Add in a splash of the right attitude and the rest took care of itself.

Henrietta stepped on to the elevator and hit the button for it to take her up, the whole platform rotating around a giant set of cogs and gears as it took her up to the next level. At the top she found herself face to face with a sea of fans, reporters and paparazzi. Camera’s flashed, microphones were pushed into her face and fans waved at her and tried to catch her attention. It seemed her approach hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Good.

There was something to be said for making an unstated appearance. She didn’t demand attention with a flashy entrance, she simply waited for people to notice her, which they would, realise who she was, which they would, and approach her themselves, which they had. The press assaulted her with a litany of questions, barely giving each other time to finish before the next began to speak, let along giving her time to answer.

”What are your hopes for this year’s League?”

”Do you think you stand a chance of winning the Champion’s Cup this year?”

”What do you have to say to the rumours that you and Joseph are romantically involved?”

Henrietta weathered the storm patiently, expression unchanging and eyes an enigma behind her shades as she waited for them all to finish before she spoke.

“I hope that things are more interesting than they were last year; there weren’t many challengers that made it as far as my gym. I always stand a chance of winning, only time will tell if I can beat Moira this year. And Joseph wishes those rumours were true; that’s all I’ll say about that.”

"Hope we're not too late, Hydra."

Soaring above Galar was a trio of dragons. A Noivern, a Dragonite, and a Hydreigon in the middle. Upon the Hydreigon's back was Moira, rubbing whatever sleep was left in her eyes away as she rode on the three-headed pokemon. "This is what I get for pulling a damn all-nighter, aye?" She huffed, chuckling afterwards. "I better not hear the end of it from the others." She wasn't that much of a morning person, if she was honest to herself. That, or she didn't want to deal with the crowds and the press. Too loud for her taste. But Moira didn't have time to get a quick coffee, so the wind slapping her face had to do. She petted one of Hydra's heads, and looked back out to see they were approaching Motostoke.

"Finally." Moira slightly slapped herself awake, then looked to Vern and Python. "So how should we make our entrance? Normally? Or bombastic??" She asked her Pokemon.

Of course, given their nature, Moira had to humor them. Just this once.

As soon as they were closing in on the stadium, Moira began counting. "1, 2, 3!!" The three dragons in unison began to divebomb towards the gym. But before they reached the ground, they swiftly flew back up with mighty roars. They circled around the area a couple of times, then Moira vaulted off Hydra and landed perfectly in the middle of the crowd. She looked up to see the trio fly back up into the air to pull of a Dragon Dance, then land next to and behind her. "Whew, nailed it." she whispered, taking in the hype of the audience before marching forwards to the rest of the leaders.

"Posture straight, confidence high, Press ignored." Moira thought to herself. Once she approached the group, she bowed in respect. "Greetings, everyone. I wish you all the best this season." she smiled to them.

Meanwhile, Vern approached Draco to say a quick hello, making funny faces at the fellow dragon Pokemon. Python flew up next to Apollo, giving the Charizard a smug grin, while Hydra stayed by Moira.

---

There was the distinct sound of wings beating as Joseph sat on the back of his Corviknight, Hermes. "I swear, like a billion people just crawled out of the woodwork for this gym challenge. I don't think I've ever had that many challengers." Joseph gripped the steel feathers of Hermes slightly harder, as a signal to speed up. "Well, at least there's no sky police. I imagine we'd probably be speeding right now."

At last the city of Motosoke was with landing distance. There was a large group of people all gathered around the stadium, many here to see the champion. Looking closer, Liam and his bright pink outfit stuck out like a sore thumb. Looks like the other leaders were here, too. Hopefully he wasn't too late.

He had considered coming as Eden, rather than as himself, but decided that for such a large event dressing up might not be the best idea. Not to mention, Hermes would probably be a lot slower if he was wearing such heavy armor. That, and he had been slightly paranoid of flying with it on after his helmet flew off during a flight. It ended up hitting someone's Wooloo, but fortunately the Wooloo barely noticed it with all of its thick wool. He let the trainer keep the helmet as a means of apology, and autographed it, just on the off chance he ever got famous.

Hermes descended from the sky near the crowd, before quickly being returned to his poké ball. Approaching the crowd, Joseph spotted the group of leaders, mostly due to Liam's bright pink outfit, and Hestia's Charizard. He walked to the group with his arms out to his sides before speaking. "'Sup nerds! Guess who!" Joseph put his arms down. "Sorry I'm late, there were an innumerable number of challengers for some strange reason. Maybe I'm cursed or something." Joseph shrugged. "So, did I miss anything important?"

And now everyone was just piling in. Isla, Zeke, and Henrietta were thankfully hogging all the cameras and attention to themselves, which meant she didn't have to. That just left her time to respond to those who'd greeted her.

"Careful, Malik. Ya keep complimentin' me, yer old man might actually think he's on tae something about us gettin' together." She snickered back at the one who'd gotten her into this gig to begin with before turning to Nordrin. Fucking hell. Well, at least he seemed unchanged, and wasn't making this awkward. Small mercy, at least. No hard feelings.

"Nordy, it's cute, but ya don't need my permission tae enter a public stadium. Not that I'd give a shite either way. Go on in if ye please."

Before she could go on further, yet more draconic roars echoed through the sky as Moira made probably the most spectacular entrance yet. Not a terrible airshow, in Fiona's opinion, but she could do better. Though that didn't exactly mean she wanted the spotlight, but...

Fiona rolled her eyes as she felt three of her Pokeballs in particular start wiggling on her belt, their attention piqued by the roars. Of course. Well, who was she to deny her Pokemon the sky if they so wanted to? She pulled said Pokeballs off her belt with a sigh and gave them a resigned smile.

"Fine, fine. Just don't go too overboard, aye? Just because ya want to wave yer dicks around don't mean that I want all the attention fer myself." She said softly before looking to Moira with an apologetic shrug. "Sorry about this, Moira! Bunch of prima donnas here on my crew!" And with that, Fiona lazily tossed all three Pokeballs up in the air, with Talonflame, Noivern, and Mega Salamence all emerging, the Key Stone on the back of Fiona's Dynamax Band glowing brightly.

All three Flying types quickly ascended into the air, spinning up in a Flare Blitz, Boomburst, and Aerilated Giga Impact respectively before coming to an apex, expanding their wingspans fully and letting out cries of their own. Berkut, Lightning, and Felon all immediately accelerated afterwards with mighty flaps of their wings, cutting a swathe in the sky above Motostoke's stadium in formation before each broke off simulataneously. The Talonflame and Noivern each split off in opposite directions, expanding their wings to come to a stall before rapidly whirling around in a J-turn by manipulating the wind currents around them, while the Mega Salamence stalled as well, but rose up in the sky, doing a loop in a perfect Kulbit before flipping around midair and soaring back the way he came. Each Pokemon returned into formation, now returning to their start point as Fiona gave a put-upon sigh from down below.

"Good tae see we've worked out th' kinks in all that post-stall training, at least." She murmured to herself before raising both her voice and her Pokeballs. "Alright, that's enough of that! Get yer arses back in here before someone throws a bloody fit!" All three Flying-types dove straight down at her call, with Felon giving Moira's Dragons and Hestia's Charizard one last contemptous roar before each flew straight into their Pokeball's beam, returning.

"Fook me, th' chairman's probably going tae have my head fer that one..." Fiona rubbed the back of her head, giving Hestia and Moira a sheepish grin.

Zeke watched Isla go, the smirk never leaving his face. Of course he'd left himself wide open for the most obvious comeback. He turned back to the cameras, "Cute isn't she? Did she say... she brought home the gold? Well if any old award counts towards the League now, I better start carrying around my medals from the Lilycove Spring Break Beer Olympics." He laughed, and there was a boom from somewhere in the crowd. "These newcomers always get a big head, but it's cool. We can settle it on the pitch."

At that moment Fiona's Pokemon chose to do their display. The combined boom drew all their eyes upward. Zeke rolled his eyes. Flyers. But with the new arrivals and all the showing off, the cameras' attention drifted slowly away from him in different directions. After all, the major leagues were here. The smirk melted off his face as the last of them ran off.

The crowd was in a frenzy and an excited Loudred somewhere in that mass of people was only egging them on. Zeke chuckled to himself then grabbed a Pokeball and called forth his Gallade. The serious Blade Pokemon stood straight and tall and took a quick look at its surroundings. The expression it wore made it clear the celebrations and music and crowd did not impress Gallade. Zeke gave it a moment. And then a light breeze carried the scent of sugar and cinnamon to them. Gallade's head immediately turned in the direction of an array of dessert carts. "All right. Go find Loudred, please. I'm gonna need some extra noise at the Ceremony. Afterwards I'll get you all a donut or waffle or something. Maybe there's Casteliacones somew-" Zeke turned to find that Gallade had already disappeared. Likely at the word donut. He smiled to himself and went to join the other Gym Leaders, even greeting a few them in a friendly manner.

They were soon called to the locker rooms by the Chairman's assistant. Zeke was quick in the locker room. He'd come wearing his uniform shorts, so it was only a matter slipping off the hoodie and changing his shoes for some flip-flops he could slide off quickly. "Well, break a leg out there. Show these challengers what they're in for." He quickly checked his hair in the mirror, then gestured to the others before going off to find his seat.

There were a few seats set on the pitch opposite the entrance everyone would be watching, so Zeke slipped in and took his seat with only a few fans having noticed him. Zeke looked around at the stadium. Thomas's people had done good work. It was almost like they were in a city other than Motostoke. He'd have to pay Thomas a compliment afterward.

Zeke's phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. And again. Them again.



Zeke sighed and began typing out a quick response. It might be a while before the ceremony started.



Zeke silenced his phone and slipped it back into his pocket as the other minor league leaders began to join him. And then Amaranth's voice poured from the speakers, and Zeke stood up to watch the ceremony. It was a familiar script. It didn't change much from year to year, but it never failed to give him chills. He noticed the figures forming up at the opposite end, ready to make their entrance. Zeke thought back to his own experience in that group. He could remember the first time walking out on to that field as a Gym Leader like it was yesterday. He glanced over at Malik. Could he be thinking about the same thing? But no, the other man had willingly given up his spot. It wasn't the same.

As they were announced, Zeke clapped and cheered as expected. His part had been played and he didn't have to be "on" for the ceremony, thankfully. And yet...

The stadium shook from the crowd's passion. And then Chairman Amaranth announced the challengers. In a flash, Loudred was at Zeke's side. "Ready to give these kids the full experience?" His words could not have possibly reached its ears, but Loudred nodded in understanding. Zeke cheered even louder as the challengers poured out of the tunnel to join the gym leaders on the field. He caught sight of a few familiar faces. As expected Isha took quickly to the cheers and was already basking in the attention. Brennan however, looked around a little timidly. Zeke gestured to Loudred who joyfully added his own booming cries to the noise. It was enough to catch the attention of some, including Brennan and Abby. He smiled and clenched a fist in solidarity. The returned the gesture, standing noticeably taller and more confident.

"Good work buddy," he muttered.

Zeke was in high spirits. This had been as good a send-off as any for these trainers. He'd made sure that they all kept him updated on their progress. Many of the challengers who'd come through his gym still didn't believe he was as invested as he claimed to be. But they promised to let him know.

As Zeke slipped his hoodie back on, he caught the end of a conversation about Victoria. He had noticed she was absent. Elijah too... Something seemed wrong but there didn't seem to be much reason to worry just yet. Even the Chairman thought it could wait.

"All right, so about that meal? What's the plan?" He glanced at Nordrin. "Also I kind of promised Gallade I'd take the team for something sweet."

As the ceremony's start time drew close, more and more of Galar's favorite celebrities arrived until they were all there, minus only two. One of the two happened to be the shining star that they all aspired to reach, which wasn't like her. More than that though... Nordy?

"Oi, we talked about the nicknames. Fio-- ugh." Nordrin scrubbed a hand down his face as the Flying-type expert was swept up in Moira's entrance. The gym leaders' escalating arrivals and feats were driving the crowd into a near frenzy, and with Fiona's permission (whether he needed it or not), Nordrin turned away from the group and made to head inside. He passed Joseph and Thomas on the way into the stadium, bidding each of the other men a curt "hello" before leaving the group behind, the two milcery lagging behind, staring at all of the other pokemon. From inside, the chairman's assistant came stomping over to the group behind him, and Nordrin let out a quick, low whistle. Guess we're in trouble.

---

The ceremony was about as much as Nordrin expected. That wasn't to say he was bored by it or anything, quite the contrary: with Elijah and Victoria's absence, the chairman and the remaining major leaguers stepped up and made things even more exciting in the arena. It was downright inspiring, especially for this year's challengers. That was who this who shebang was really for after all. Personally, Nordrin didn't face many league hopefuls. Most trainers headed toward the Isle of Armor where they could face two minor league leaders on quick succession, or they sought out the more experienced Malik. The chef's reputation as a hard ass probably didn't help much either. Still, the couple of trainers he'd gifted his recommendation to were among the group venturing onto the pitch. Nearby, Zeke's Loudred was warming up for something.

"Lait, Gateau," Nordrin summoned the amazed and dumbfounded Milcery to his side once more, this time recalling them to their pokeballs. Once safely inside so that they wouldn't be blown to pieces by the soundwaves, Nordrin tucked them into his breast pocket. As he'd thought, the noise was deafening so close. The chef grumbled a bit, rubbing his ears - but he couldn't really be upset with Zeke or his pokemon. Although Nordrin himself was far too busy with his restaurant to do so, he found it very admirable whenever his fellow leaders followed the careers of trainers they'd endorsed.

Once everyone gathered in the lobby, Nordrin joined them. He wasn't a total buzzkill, or at least he liked to think he wasn't. Tonight was one of the few nights a year he could get out and relax. Since pretty much everyone in Galar was in Motostoke or otherwise focused on the town, many businesses outside of it would be slow, High Steaks included. That being said, when Hestia give him that look, Nordrin's expression visibly soured. Lucky for the Fire-type leader, he didn't get a chance to retort.

"Keep us updated, yeah?" Nordrin said, nodding to Amaranth and Cereus. It was strange the champion hadn't shown up, but... well, the chairman had said it all already.

Then Zeke brought up meal plans and Nordrin scoffed.

"Why you lot are looking at me like I'm going to drag all your arses back to Hulbury I don't know." Really, they did this so often he should expect it by now. "Tonight, any place in Motostoke would feed us for free. If you're looking for a place with good deserts..." He paused, closing his eyes and scrunching his brows together. Thankfully, Motostoke was one of the region's larger cities, which meant there were more options. Nordrin's standards were absurdly high after all, so the more restaurants around the better chance there was for a least one establishment to satisfy him... but which one? Duke of Spice? Cafe Wonder? The Unovan Eatery? A Battle Cafe? ...eh, no, fuck those battle cafe bastards.

"I have a place in mind."

Ezran noted each other gym leader that arrived after him, shooting a grin towards Malik as he felt the jostle to his shoulder and heard Minuet strum a brightly toned cord. "Good to see you," he clapped a hand on the other man's shoulder, "Nice to see that Isla can handle him." He chuckled lightly as she spun away from the cameras to make her way towards them. Liam, Nordrin, and Henrietta were the next batch to show up and he gave each of them an amiable greeting as they approached. The crowd only continued to get more and more riled up with the dramatic entrance of their resident dragon trainer and he couldn't say he was surprised when Fiona let some of her own team show off a bit. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or not that his team tended to stay mostly on the ground, but the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it. The Chairman couldn't say they weren't doing a great job making of a show of everything as he usually requested.

As the chairman's assistant urged them into the locker room he followed Hestia's lead and pulled Minuet into her pokeball, much to her chagrin as it shuddered unhappily, before following the rest inside and making quick work of leaving his guitar in a safe place and preparing for the din that would be the inside of the stadium. He gave Zeke a thumbs up as the minor league leaders made their way to the seats on the side of the pitch. He was accustomed to large crowds at this point given both of his professions, and he looked forward to making this ceremony a big one, especially since they were missing both one of their own and the champion. Whatever, they'd make do.

And make do they did. The crowds were as excited as he'd ever seen them and the challengers seemed determined. The hollers of Zeke's Loudred also seemed to inspire at least some of the number on the field. The ceremony reminded him of plenty of his shows, the noise levels were certainly the same, and he reveled in the screams and chants of the crowd as each of them were introduced. It was honestly a miracle they all hadn't gone deaf doing this each and every year. He couldn't wait to get back into the swing of things for the challenge season though. His team wasn't necessarily getting rusty but they were lazing around much more than he would like. Maybe the ceremony would remind them what they were meant to do.

Once they all gathered back together outside the field he freed Minuet from her pokeball once again. As she appeared in a flash of red light she crossed her arms and Ezran couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Don't look at me like that. It wasn't even that long," he poked her shoulder as she let out an annoyed huff, "You're just upset you missed the crowds." The Toxtricity turned around and wandered away from the rest of them and he threw up his hands in exasperation as the Chairman walked out to join them.

So even he didn't know where Victoria was, but if he thought it was fine then they didn't need to worry. Not yet anyway. He nodded in agreement with Nordrin in regards to keeping them updated.

"I am definitely not opposed to food and a drink," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Minuet who was still trying her level best to act upset, "Maybe she'll lighten up along with the lot of you." He turned his attention briefly to Nordrin, "I trust your judgement." He wasn't going to be picky as long as the food was decently good and knowing the chef it would be at least that.

The ceremony was the usual done-up nonsense as the last two years she'd been through this, though with the added question of where exactly Elijah, and of all the people, Victoria were. Elijah wasn't exactly the type to shirk his job responsibilities, and as for the bloody Champion? Well, it was a good thing that Old Man Amaranth didn't suffer a stroke from something like that.

As they exited the stadium, Fiona chuckled awkwardly at the sight of the Chairman before them, mostly due to Hestia's assertion. Shite, she was in for it now, wasn't she?

The next few words out of the old man's mouth at least reassured her she was off the hook for now. But as for the implication of their Champion being absent...

"Eh, fer all we know, Vickie's eloped or something." Fiona shrugged back at Chairman Amaranth, seeming unconcerned. "Or she lost track of time trainin'. Either way, we got at least weeks until we actually need her, right? Champion's Cup and th' end of challenge season ain't fer a while yet, so we got plenty of time tae fix this if there's actually a problem. Get yerself some rest before worryin' about this too much, boss man. Don't need our Chairman keeling over now, do we?"

As the conversation shifted gears to the evening meal, Fiona's stomach rumbled in response. Oh, right. She hadn't eaten anything beyond a snack since breakfast, considering she'd spent half the day making sure everything at the Stadium was in order for the opening ceremony, and the other half of the day enjoying the festivities.

"Oi, Nordy, ya know I live here, right? Sheesh, at least lemme host. Or Zeke, he's from here." She jabbed a finger back towards the Fighting leader's way. "Anyways, I was thinkin' Duke of Spice's always nice. Battle Cafe's got great desserts, but I kinda want some meat an' booze before we start with th' sweets. Or fish, new sushi place's opened up downtown, chef's straight outta Johto."