The wind surging past. The breeze in her face. The sheer feeling of velocity. Fiona grinned as she rushed through Galar's skies at breakneck speeds on Raptor's back, the Corviknight manipulating the immediate windstream around it so that her rider wasn't blown off at the speed they were going.

"Hiiiiiiiighway to the danger zone~" She sang without a care, the earbuds embedded in both her ears and her Corviknight's blasting out a classic tune. "Riiiide intoooooo, the danger zooooooone~"

Unfortunately for her enjoyment, Wyndon came up in the distance far too quickly for her liking. It was only a brief flight from Ballonlea, and Raptor's speed made that take even less time, cutting the good time short. With a sigh, Fiona tapped the back of her mount's neck in a quick pattern, signaling for her to cut speed and begin descending. Fiona continued to guide the Corviknight down towards the location of the bar she was given, and by the time they reached the ground, they'd burned enough speed to reach a complete stop.

"Thank ye, girl." Fiona grinned at Raptor, ruffling her starter's head. The bird cooed back, and Fiona returned her to a Pokeball before shrugging off the small jacket she'd worn over her black cocktail dress and sauntering into The Last Dahlia.

It was all she could do to avoid rolling her eyes at the sight of the interior, really. For one, the place was too fancy for her tastes. She'd been here a few times before, but never really of her own volition. There were far better spots in Wyndon for a good party, even if the drinks here were fantastic. For another, the entire bar cleared out? Really? Did the Chairman seriously buy the entire joint out just for tonight? Really just a bit too extravagant for her. No liveliness, nothing. Man, her boss was a dick sometimes.

At least she wasn't the first one present to this little shindig, though. That would've just been embarassing. While Fiona would have preferred to be fashionably late, that would also have meant not flying at ludicrous speeds, and that just wouldn't do.

"Good evening, motherfuckers!" Fiona greeted cheerfully as she plopped herself down on a bar stool next to Hestia, catching the last bit of Ryker and Hestia's conversation. Well, she just couldn't help but butt in at that. "Champ, Crown Royal's a shite whiskey. I know yer but a wee lad, so I'll excuse yer taste fer now. Get something distilled outta tha' Tundra next time. An' speaking of booze, I ain't had a chance tae pregame before this. Barkeep, hit me wit' Buckie! Whole bottle, no need fer a glass."

Mason delivered quickly, popping open and sliding a small bottle of Fiona's favored tipple across the bar, though not without a roll of his eyes. Fiona raised it to her lips with gusto and took several swigs of caffeinated, sweetened tonic wine before clapping Hestia on the back.

"Ahh, that's that good shite right there! So, Hestie, how ya been? Too busy pissin' and moaning over Ryker kickin' yer arse last season?" She smirked, already aiming to rile her friendly rival up. Not that she'd done any better, considering Hestia had beat her in the Cup last season. But, well, that didn't exactly bother her. Not like Hestia could use it as ammunition back. Fiona knocked back another few gulps of Buckfast before continuing on, already having made her way through most of the bottle.

"And how 'bout ye, Champ? Tired of tha fangirls yet? Shack up wit' any?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, though the effect was lost with her snickering to herself, obviously fucking with him. "Boss man really had tae insist we do a dress-up shindig, aye? What a daft bastard he is sometimes."

Iris would have loved to bring out Snookums the Golurk to fly her all the way to Wyndon. She would arrive much faster than a Corviknight, and though she would miss out on the scenery, it would give her time to wander around Wyndon before her scheduled date with her friends. Perhaps she could have gotten herself a new dress, or a lovely little coat for Precious's costume. It would have saved her quite a bit of time... But alas, this little occasion between Gym leaders called for cocktail wear, and that meant she would need to keep her hair and makeup looking nice the entire trip. The entire 80 mph+ trip traveling across all of Galar, where she would be prone to quite literally anything that Snookums didn't mind smashing into.

While she knew a certain friend of hers wouldn't mind flying at those speeds, Iris's Snookums was much less careful than bird Pokemon. She couldn't risk Snookums deciding that a taxi was just another obstacle to fly through.

And so, Iris decided to play it safe and call for a Corviknight taxi. Perhaps next time she could offer a suggestion for something in Motostoke.

On the bright side, she would get to see the lovely scenery after all. The tree tops of the Slumbering Weald, the subarea path she had taken to search for ghost Pokemon when she was just a girl, Motostoke, the tops of the mines... Passing by these locations were bringing back so many memories for her. They passed by so quickly, and yet, were still so fresh on her mind. Where did the time go?

After a while, Iris's taxi descended until landing at The Last Dahlia.

Her black high heeled shoes gave a soft clack against the stone as she stepped out of the taxi. Iris's platinum blonde hair had been left mostly alone with just a lacy black headband adorning her head. She wore a dark red layered dress that ended at her thighs. There was a black choker tied around her neck and attached was a black lace pattern connecting the red fabric to the choker, covering her cleavage. Hanging off one shoulder was a black designer purse to complement the outfit, and sitting on the other was her Mimikyu dressed in its usual costume but had a little red bow tie and a small top hat to fit between the ears. Iris had a feeling Precious would escape his Pokeball and try to hang out with her and her friends, so she thought she may as well dress him for the occasion.

"Don't go wandering off, Precious. I don't want to lose you in a crowd." She told her Pokemon as she walked towards the entrance of the bar.

The scent of wine and varying cocktails greeted her the second she stepped inside, as did a voice she was all too familiar with. The loud, Crown Tundra girl who Iris grew quite familiar with. She didn't even need to hear Fiona to spot her party when the place was empty. Did the Chairman rent this place out for the evening or was it always this dead?

Though, she was surprised she wasn't later than she thought she would be. Especially considering how far Wyndon was from her home.

"Good evening." She greeted as she walked up to and sat on one of the bar stools next to Fiona. Iris then met eyes with the barkeep. "A classic mudslide, please."

Her attention then turned to the trio while she waited for her drink. "I take it Fiona's keeping a lively conversation?"

"...Hm."

Without a flying type pokemon of her own, and the fact that her Frosmoth was undoubtedly too small for her to try and ride on, Bianca decided to catch a ride on a flying taxi instead. She didn't exactly have to wait long to get to Wyndon from Circhester, just had to fly up north. It was almost tempting to let Fionn out so he could fly next to her but she decided against it. Poor thing might not be able to keep up.

Yet on the way, as she glanced out the window to the cities below her, her mind couldn't help wandering back to when she lost last season. Bianca didn't fret over her loss, sure, but she couldn't help wondering. What could she have done better? She studied her memories, every action, every matchup, trying to figure out another way she could actually get farther this time. Bianca's plan wasn't to reach the champion. But she wanted to survive long enough to reach her oldest friend and battle her. Going further than that? Well, that's just a bonus.

...All those times Hestia lost to Ryker, again and again, Bianca stepped away to comfort her after each time. She was a strong trainer, even she knew that, and yet the younger man always swept the rug from under the Dragon Tamer's feet. Bianca faintly frowned at the memory, then furrowed her brows. No, reaching the end wouldn't just be a bonus. Her and her team have been training with great gusto to go the extra mile this time.

This time, her team will be ready to give everyone an ice-cold hell.

But for now they have to meet up at The Last Dahlia. Bianca didn't mind the venue choice, but didn't plan on getting any drinks. If anything Fiona would insist she get one of the sweeter drinks for the sake of her tastebuds anyways. Her taxi landed at the corner the bar resided, and without a word she stepped out, though not before paying the cabby what's due for the trip.

A moment after Iris took her seat at the booth, the front door opened again slightly. Bianca poked her head out from the opening before stepping inside all the way. She wore a flowing, sleeveless navy blue dress under a purple trenchcoat, with black leggings and flats. She had decided to go light on her makeup, and a silver necklace hung around her neck. At the sight of the currently gathered party, she lightly waved. "H-Hi guys." Bianca warmly smiled at them, walking over to take a seat next to Ryker.

"G-Guess I arrived early. Hope everyone's been o-okay?"

A second yawn in as many minutes dragged itself free as Isaiah sat in the taxi on his way to whatever event Hyacinth had decided to set up for them now. He didn't really see the need for them to all meet up before the opening ceremony, it wasn't like they didn't see each other in the off season, but he wasn't about to get on the chairman's bad side now. He had even bothered to put on one of his nicer suits for the occasion though the moment he got where he was going the jacket was coming off.

Thankfully it wasn't a long flight to Wyndon, he probably would've fallen asleep otherwise. He didn't envy Iris who was having to travel all the way from Wedgehurst. He had stayed at the clinic late the previous night dealing with a sudden case that had been dropped on their doorstep, literally, and the night before that training his team. More burning energy out of them then anything. The last thing he needed was them destroying the place while he was gone.

Knowing some of them, mostly Fiona he figured, tonight would be a late night. Likely tomorrow as well with opening ceremonies. Delightful, just racking them up this week. Sometimes he considered just dropping the gym leader position entirely and working at the clinic full time, but then he remembered that he'd been in that position before and hadn't enjoyed it. Didn't mean it wasn't tempting sometimes. Maybe he'd actually sleep that way.

He stared absently out the window as Wyndon finally came into view. The bright lights of the city making him blink his eyes a couple of times as he was snapped back to reality. He let out a long sigh as he sat up in his seat and waited for the telltale thump of the cab hitting the ground. He paid the man with a quick thanks and stared at the bar that Hyacinth had chosen for them. At least judging by the noise level and lack of foot traffic he figured they wouldn't be dealing with a lot of people. Leave to the chairman to literally rent out the whole place for the sake of their get together.

Pushing open the door he noted who was already there and felt a faint rush of relief that at least some of the more relaxed leaders were already in attendence. He caught the tail end of what Hestia was pestering Ryker about and rolled his eyes. "Evening all," he gave the champion a sympathetic pat on the back as he walked past to sit next to Bianca.

The moment he was sat down the coat of his suit was shrugged off and relegated to the back of the chair. "Not causing too many problems I hope," he sent a quirked eyebrow in the direction of Hestia and Fiona mostly since he'd caught the question directed Bianca's way.

Sebastien Tomas

The last time Sebastien had gone to a pub in Wyndon it had been a decidedly less classy affair than this; he hadn’t been wearing a suit back then, for one thing, it was a lot noisier and more crowded for a second and he was pretty sure there had been a lot more drunks vomiting in the gutter and fighting over taxis. Though the night was still young and surely even gym leaders would get rowdy given the right incentive.

The Last Dahlia was an upmarket establishment, far away from the kind of places he had wanted or had been allowed admittance to when he was younger and less… important than he was now. The choice of venue just went to show how much bigger the Pokémon League was compared to where he had been before, the fact that the entire place had apparently been booked out just for them even more so. This meet-up wasn’t even for anything important, just a chance for the gym leaders to catch up before the beginning of the new season, though the invitation Sebastien had received made it sound like attendance was not optional in his case. ‘Networking’ they’d called it; a chance to get better acquainted with his fellow gym leaders ahead of the opening ceremony, especially since he hadn’t had much chance to interact with them since officially joining their ranks. Some of the people here tonight he was pretty sure he had only ever met when challenging them to a battle. The champion was to be there as well, who Sebastien would be meeting for the first time.

This was going to be his first year as a gym leader, his first full year at least; his first year taking part in the Galar Cup as anything other than a challenger. Though in truth, all of the focus was going to be on the people tackling the Major League and the other gym leaders they would need to beat; a Minor League leader like himself likely wouldn’t get much attention, outside of being an unknown, and he expected to be spending most of his time training for the upcoming tournament over anything else. In that sense he was looking forward to tonight as an opportunity to get to see his competition early.

Pushing open the door to the pub he found that he was not the first to arrive, but far from the last as well; a few of the other gym leaders were already here, plus a young lad who had to be the champion. Rather than join them, he walked over to the bar and caught the attention of the bartender. “A pint; whatever you have on tap.”

As the man left to fulfil his vague order, Sebastien listened in to the on-going conversation taking place further down the bar. It was more casual than he had thought it would be; not that he had expected them not to know each other or to be hostile, but it was obvious right from the start that most of them had a history with each other and he hadn’t been sure if the gym leaders would interact with each other that much outside of work obligations like this and the tournament.

A pint glass being placed in front of him brought his attention back to the bar and he reached for his wallet to pay before the bartended waved him away. Tonight’s tab was on the boss then, it seemed. Sebastien reached for the pint glass with his right hand before he remembered himself and picked it up with the left instead; he still caught himself doing that, even though it had been years now, and it annoyed him every time it happened. Placing his right hand in his pocket, he leaned against the bar, drink in hand, and waited for a lull in the conversation so that he could start with this ‘networking’ business.

@Ambra @Psyker Landshark @Serei2477 @Majoras End @PrankFox @King Cosmos

"Destination reached: Wyndon."

Astrid put on an exaggerated robotic voice as she leaned towards the taxi window, watching the city lights draw closer, the Corviknight's wings reflecting fluorescent colours. "Prepare for landing." She glimpsed the cabby rolling his eyes at her, but paid him no heed.

Beside her, a Raichu jumped up and down on the seat to get a better look. Astrid chuckled. It had been a while since she'd seen Comet excited about something, and this would be a good opportunity to bond with her in between league duties. Many of the other gym leaders appreciated Comet, even if crowds didn't so much any more, so this could boost her morale.

Upon landing, she thanked and paid the cabby, striding out with the Raichu in tow. "Well, we're here," she said, heading down the street as the night breeze rippled her galaxy print dress. It probably didn't quite fit the ultra-formal dress code, but who was to say futuristic and fancy couldn't go hand in hand? Unova's Electric gym leader Elesa made a career out of pulling off the combination.

Before long, The Last Dahlia came into view. Astrid winced at the ornateness of it all. She wasn't one for opulence - it brought back less than pleasant memories. Even so, the knowledge that her friends would be there helped her look past it. Turning her grimace into a smile, she looked down at Comet. "Now for the mission briefing. Our task... Is to have the time of our lives!"

With that, they hurried inside. Spotting the familiar group gathered on plush bar seats, Astrid grinned and waved. "Heyyy! Been a while!" Taking a seat next to her gym comrade, Isaiah, she turned to the bartender. "One Aurora Jungle Juice please."

Once he was done, she paid him and took the drink, which glowed brilliant blue in the dim light. Sipping the luminous concoction, she glanced around the group. "So! How's it all been going on your ends of the galaxy?"

With league season starting tomorrow, the staff of High Steaks had been buzzing over the last week preparing. Reservations to the restaurant were almost completely booked throughout the entire season, so the crew was working overtime to make sure everything was perfect. This included the gym leader, Nordrin, who was elbow deep in bread dough alongside a couple of other chefs when he head a quiet - but persistent - tapping noise. He looked up to see an Indeedee in the doorway to the kitchen, staring expectantly at the gym leader. The Pokémon shifted it's gaze up to the clock on the wall, and Nordrin glanced in the same direction only to humor it.

"I know," he scoffed. "Train's still running for another couple hours, I'm not going to miss it."

The Indeedee looked unimpressed. Nordrin barely resisted rolling his eyes, going back to kneading the dough in front of him. When it didn't seem like the Pokémon was going to leave unless it was with Nordrin alongside it, the leader lifted the dough high over his head and slammed it down onto the counter in front of him. The noise startled the two other chefs, and once their attention was on him Nordrin pointed at each of them in turn.

"Set this over with the rest to rise, and get the ready loaves into the first oven."

"Yes, chef!"

Trusting his staff to get things done in his absence, Nordrin moved to clean up and get changed. Satisfied, the Indeedee went on ahead. Just before leaving Nordrin caught movement in the corner of his eye, and he whirled around to see a certain ghost-type sneaking it's way toward the back of the kitchen.

"Fou," he said, making the Rotom halt in place. It twisted slightly to look at him, an innocent smile on it's face. "No funny business, just make sure they get it done."

He was met with an energetic static noise in reply. Then, the fairy-type leader was off.

---

Nordrin hadn't been out of his chef's coat for what felt like days, so for once he was happy to be wearing something else for a change. He chose to wear clean black slacks with a cool blue button down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He went without a tie, and the first couple of buttons were left open. His hair hand been pulled free from it's ponyta-tail, and the locks that didn't spill down his back pooled around his shoulders. As was normal for any professional Pokémon trainer, a couple Pokéballs were fastened to his belt. He guessed that most of the other gym leaders would be taking taxis in Wyndon, and no doubt many would have already arrived by the time the train he was riding pulled into station. Resting his chin on his hand Nordrin looked out the window at the passing scenery, though most of it was darkened silhouettes and streaking lights.

Flying was nice, he'd gained a certain appreciate of it a few years ago, but the smooth rail ride wasn't bad either. At this time of night he'd usually have a car all to himself, but with the latest league season beginning there were a few other people making their way to Wyndon tonight. When finally the train stopped, Nordrin swept out of the car, into the station and then into the city beyond it.

He'd been to Wyndon many times, for all kinds of business. Tonight was no different. Though the chairman had insisted the trip be for pleasure, actually calling him directly, there was no concealing that fact that it was for business. Mandatory, judging by the man's tone. And near last minute too, the fucker. If Nordrin hadn't already been busting his ass and that of his staff's to get ahead of schedule for the opening of the season, he would have outright refused.

The Last Dahlia, the meeting place for tonight, came into view. Nordrin stepped inside, not surprised to see that most of his fellow gym leaders present. To any that glanced over at him when he entered, Nordrin just lifted a hand in silent greeting before making a beedrill-line for the bar. Most if not all of the trouble makers were already present, so he figured he better get his order in quickly. "Scotch. Please."

So it seemed that this would be a formal affair than he'd expected, given the privacy and the get-ups. Isiah and Ryker were in full suits for goodness sake, and while all of the ladies looked nice in particular Astrid and Holly had decided to go for some daring ensembles. He wondered if the chairman himself would be making an appearance, given the pomp.

When his drink arrived, Nordrin nodded a thank you to the barkeep and raised the glass to his lips. He noted that among the Major league, only Mika was missing. Originally he hadn't been sure if the Minor league would be invited or if they had their own get-together set up, but Astrid being here answered that question. There was also another person that, while familiar, didn't instantly spark recognition in Nordrin. He was not subtle about looking at the younger man, and after a few seconds he was able to recall where he'd met this person before: as a gym challenger. And, apparently, as the new Minor league leader they'd been informed would be starting this season.

Now despite what some of the others might say (a certain dragon-type user came to mind), Nordrin wasn't always irritable. Just most of the time. Tonight he was, a little, having been dragged away from his work - but in the spirit of the "friendly" in friendly competition he took another sip of his drink and extended a greeting to the new guy.

"Oi," he said, raising his glass slightly toward Sebastien. "You just took over the Water-type gym, yeah? Well, welcome to the circus." As he said that he gestured over to where Hestia, Ryker, and the others were gathered close together.

The hustle and bustle of Wyndon City was always especially apparent on the night before the opening of the annual Gym Challenge. Though Mika did not intend on being as fashionably late as he was, the usual snowstorm that painted the foothills of Route 10 seemingly beckoned for him to film a segment for Earth Power, and it was quite easy to lose track of time during one of his journeys into nature. He'd made an exciting discovery on the perfect day when the media bloom was at its fullest; after straying from the usual challenger's path towards Wyndon, he'd encountered a shiny Snom, an occurrence that people like him could only hope to happen once in their lifetime.

This event prompted an expedition longer than expected, and by sunset, Mika had only just returned to his hotel accommodation in Wyndon to adjust his wardrobe for the decadent evening before the ceremony. He swapped the thick layers of his wintry exploration uniform to adhere to his partial knowledge of The Last Dahlia's upscale dress code for the occasion. A tight maroon suit jacket pressed the white dress shirt into his shorter frame, fitting into a fresh pair of black dress pants and oxfords as he adjusted a dark blue bowtie at the collarbone. Finally settling with two small lotus-shaped earrings, he quickly departed for the preliminary gathering with a small backpack in tow.

Being among the last of the clientele to arrive at The Last Dahlia did not come to Mika by surprise, as he had taken the liberty to sign a number of autographs by the Corviknight statue at Wyndon Square before shuffling away from the crowds. He took in the familiar ambiance of the venue as he whistled along with the tune from the radio, seeing that just about everyone else had already come before him. "How dare you start the party without me," Mika sauntered towards the bar with a sarcastic tone, leaning back-to-back with the Champion for a moment before gesturing towards Mason. "Mojito without the rum, thanks!"

Bumping himself away from Ryker, Mika gave everyone a varying show of acknowledgement, from a bright smile to a light shoulder punch. "Looking out of place like always, Hestia," he buzzed near the pink-haired woman with a chuckle before stopping near Holly. He couldn't quite determine just how long it had been since he'd seen every individual person, but it was always refreshing for all of them to come together. His backpack rumbled gently as he waved towards Holly. "Yo, Holly!" he greeted Spikemuth's gym leader, a bright smile on his face. "Guess who I've brought along this time? Found this fella just today around Route 10, he ain't the same as--"

Mika gasped when a light pressure climbed up the back of his neck, the faint aroma of berries wafting from the slit of his backpack as the Snom now nestled around his hair. "Heh, this guy," he reached up to gently scratch at the Bug Pokemon. "He's a shiny one. Don't recall the last time I've seen a Shiny Pokemon out in the wild, to be honest."

@Fabricant451 @Solace @Vertigo

Astrid grinned up over her drink at the new arrivals. So she wasn't the only one to bend the rules in terms of dress code. Holly, Nordrin and Sawyer did so with style. As Holly struck up a conversation, Astrid nodded. While the venue wasn't what she'd call nice - a more fitting word would be tacky - the company and the alcohol made up for it. "Yep, the drinks certainly are!" She swirled the cocktail, which shimmered pink and blue like a galaxy in a glass.

Overhearing Sawyer's comment, she chuckled. "Hey, anything caffeinated is good. As Holly can attest. Motor fuel is motor fuel." While she hadn't opted for a caffeinated drink this time, Aurora Jungle Juice was good stuff too, and its glow fit the space-age persona she put up even around friends.

As something caught Sawyer's attention, she looked over. A Snom, paler than average, climbed up Mika's back and peered over his shoulder. "Oh, cute! What's his na-"

"Raaaaaiiiii!" Comet scampered in front of Mika and the Snom, making her cheeks and tail glow bright yellow in a bid for attention. With a strained laugh, Astrid stood and pet the Raichu on the head.

"It's ok, we haven't forgotten you. Just saying hi to the new guy." Crouching, she ruffled Comet's fur in the way she usually liked, but the Raichu simply glared over her shoulder at the Snom, grumbling to herself. "Ehh, sorry about that." Astrid turned her gaze to Mika. "Comet still has her insecurities."

For the nth time, she regretted having used that Thunder Stone. Comet had been overjoyed at her new form at first, but neither of them had expected audiences' interest in her to dwindle so much. If only there was a way to help her get her confidence back. "If you ask me, Raichus need more love." Someone like Mika, who appreciated all Pokemon, would understand.

"Ah, please." Fiona huffed in response to Hestia's comeback, chugging down the rest of her Buckfast and slamming the bottle down onto the bar. "There's what, six, seven, eight years between us? Media'd crucify my arse, if he was even my type." But before she could bicker more with Hestia, all the rest of Galar's assorted Gym Leaders started to slowly trickle into the bar, one at a time.

Fiona casually greeted each new arrival in turn, ordering an actual cocktail for herself in the process. She took a swig of her daiquiri as Sawyer in particular greeted her back, offering him a raised middle finger with her free hand .

"Shut tae fuck up, Sawyer." She shot back with a smirk and a chortle. "Buckie's a damn wonder of th' world, an' I'll not hear ya talk shite about it. But if ye wanna be a numpty bitch, I ain't see our barkeep here fuck up a single drink yet."

With that said, Fiona glanced around while downing her second drink.

"Right, now that everyone's here...boss man gonna show up? Or this actually just gonna be a social?" She looked to one specific person in particular. "Well Ryker, yer Champ. Wanna give us a few words at all, just so our Chairman, in his infinite fuckin' wisdom, don't get on yer arse? Ye know, before we get hammered an' trash tae place."

Bianca couldn't help shooting Hestia a funny look as she shrugged off her coat and let it rest over the back of her seat. They were already messing with poor Ryker here? Atleast save some of that for on the battlefield. Before she could answer, the rest of the gym leaders started to appear one by one. She glanced over to Isaiah with a warm smile as greetings. "D-Don't worry about those two, they don't m-mean any harm. Besides," She vouched for Hestia and Fiona, looking back over to Ryker for a second. And for that second, her smile turned rather sinister. "W-Why waste your breath here when you can make your enemy suffer on field~?" With a dark chuckle, Bianca opted to change the topic while they waited for the rest.

Sebastian appeared next, quietly leaning against the bar after ordering his drink. She admittedly didn't know how to break the ice with him, so she just politely waved to him. Then there was Astrid and her elaborate galaxy-themed dress. Bianca couldn't help her curiosity, it was a cute dress! And how her drink choice seemed to glow a vibrant blue, perhaps she could try some...? It'd probably dye her tongue blue, but it could be fun. When Astrid asked how everyone was been as well, Bianca leaned her head over to look towards her. "I-I've been alright! Just not looking f-forward to the summer heat..." She nervously chuckled. It wasn't that hot yet, but Bianca didn't enjoy having to go out during heat waves and the works.

Holly appeared next, just oozing with venomous style that Bianca didn't feel like she could reach. And no, it wasn't cause she still refused to practice wearing those ankle-breaking heels, but she'd probably be too nervous to pull of something risque like she could. Then there was Nordrin, the local grump in their little group. Admittedly, she'd rather spend time with the fairy types that made up his team than to deal with his snarky attitude, but she remained polite to him regardless.

Maybe cause she hoped to adopt an Alcremie.

...Eh, anyways! Atleast he was just bothering Sebastian. Bianca stuck her tongue out at Nordrin when he called everyone a circus. Mika and Sawyer were the last two to arrive. But between those two, only the former would actually draw her attention. Mika might have just been showing Holly his recent find, but a shiny Snom of all things, when Bianca herself had a frost-tipped Frosmoth?

"Is that-?!" The ice-type trainer shot up from her seat and hurried over to get a closer look at the snom, an excited glimmer in her eyes. She held back a squeal. He's s-so adorable! Did you give him a n-name yet??" Bianca asked Mika. Then with Astrid's Raichu running over to get some of the attention for herself, she reached over to pet her next.

...And maybe say hello to the other pokemon in the room. Bianca did listen in to Ryker's toast, but she was a bit busy petting Glutton to respond properly.

"Booooooo!" Fiona heckled Ryker's speech as he finished, starting to feel a buzz after a whole bottle and another cocktail on top. "Fuckin' lame! Where's tha trash talk? At least insult our mothers fer th' hell of it!" She shook her head, giving Ryker a slow mock clap.

"Barkeep, hit me again! Gimme uh...let's go wit' a Long Island, yeah?" The bartender dutifully stirred the drink together and handed it off to Fiona, who knocked back several swigs and drained it halfway before setting the tall glass down for the moment. "Ahh, now that's tha good shite. Let's see..." She looked around, trying to determine who to talk to next. Someone she already knew, or someone more unfamiliar? Well, hell, Fiona was familiar with most of the current Gym Leaders on some level or another already, considering they were around last year. Still, there was a new guy, wasn't there?

A glance around the bar revealed the relatively unfamiliar face in question. Right, the Water-type guy. What was his name? Fuck if she knew, really. Still, might as well strike up some sort of conversation. She got out of her seat, sauntering down the bar until she reached Sebastien.

"Oi, new lad!" Fiona casually leaned against the bar next to where he was seated. "Welcome tae tha madhouse. Ignore everything Hestia says when she gets bitchy an' ye'll be fine. Also, she's bitchy all th' fuckin' time." She chuckled before examining him more closely, squinting her eyes in slight recognition.

"Wait, haven't ye passed through my Gym th' last two years?" Fiona laughed, giving Sebastien a friendly clap on the back. "Congratulations, then! Ya made it! Here's to ye, then." She raised her glass in salute.

Sebastien Tomas

A circus indeed.

Sebastien wasn’t sure how to respond to those comments; whether he should play along with the banter or not. In the end he merely smiled along, thanking Nordrin for the welcome and raising his glass towards Hestia in the same spirit. From there things became livelier as more people arrived and he was allowed to fall back into the background as an observer; the Ground-type trainer Mika showed up with what was apparently a rare Pokémon, a Raichu but in looking for attention. There were more Pokémon here than he had expected, but even he knew he was somewhat of a rarity for a trainer in terms of how much time he spent with his Pokémon just hanging out.

The young champion was coerced into giving a speech and all things told it wasn’t a bad one; a little saccharine, a little safe, but good. You wouldn’t know the kid was terrifying in a battle to look at him know, being bullied by people who had tried and failed to take his title last year.

If the goal of inviting him here was for him to make friends, then so far he was doing a poor job, but if it was for him to have a chance to get to know these people who was ostensibly going to be working with from now on, he thought he was doing fine.

He was learning a lot.

Up until today his only interactions with these people had either been through a TV screen or brief meetings before and after his battles against them; in other words, the kind of interactions someone in the general public would have with a celebrity. Short, scripted, pre-planned to an extent; their pre-battle taunts were things they’d likely said to a hundred challengers before him, their congratulations or commiserations when he won or lost the same. The Galar gym leaders were a colourful bunch, practically by design; they were media personalities and he had always assumed that most, if not all of those personalities were deliberate. The hot-headed Dragon-type trainer, the cantankerous chef, the space-case Electric gym leader and so on. Now that he had had a chance to peer behind the curtains as it were, he could see that he was only a little bit right; some of the people he had seen so far fit their onscreen personas while others did not.

Like the woman who had just clapped him on the back a lot harder than was probably warranted; he hadn’t remembered her being quite so crass in their short interactions in the past. Maybe it was just the influence of the alcohol, or maybe she toned down when she was dealing with the public. Either way she seemed to recognise him, as a challenger rather than just as the new face, which made her the first to do so. He smiled along with her congratulations, as he had with the others, but something she said prompted him to say more this time.

“I haven’t made it anywhere yet. I’m not stopping until I make it all the way to the top.” He clinked his pint glass against the drink she had raised, before gesturing with it towards where Ryker was still standing. “Even if that means beating him before the rest of you get the chance.”

@Psyker Landshark@Ambra

It seemed like his own arrival heralded the rest of the gym leaders flooding in at a quicker pace. Isaiah didn't recognize the stern faced looking man that stepped in after him, but recalled they had a new leader joining the ranks this season. Water type he was pretty sure. He'd meet him later as Astrid entered and took a seat next to him. He gave her a nod of greeting, the same to Holly as the other woman walked in. There were already far too many people present for his tastes, but he figured it was about time to get used to it for the season. He'd have to deal with the PR as well.

He didn't necessarily appreciate being lumped in with the 'circus' as Nordrin so called them, but he couldn't exactly contest it given the company. It was only further reinforced when the last of the rabble walked in. Mika with his new Snom that grabbed damn near everyone's attention, and Sawyer with his Glameow. He rolled his eyes with a faint shake of his head as the shouting immediately began between the Normal type leader and Fiona. He was going to have a raging headache by the end of the night; and not from the alcohol.

Of course the chairman wasn't actually going to show his face. Probably too much going on getting ready for the season. Or he just couldn't be bothered. The latter was more likely in his opinion. In the lieu of the chairman giving a speech though, Ryker gave one well enough. He couldn't stop the faint twitch of his lips at the optimistic idealism in the younger man's choice of words. Maybe it'd be the year one of them beat him, Hestia certainly seemed determined enough. Still no one had beaten him yet, so maybe he had every right to be optimistic. Not that Isaiah particularly cared. He'd give it a shot, but it was no skin off his back if he didn't make champion. He already had a hell of a workload as it stood. No need to add more.

"I'm not so much worried about whether or not they mean it," he mumbled towards Bianca once he finally got the chance, "Just the aftermath of it." He gave her a bemused smile and crooked eyebrow at the latter half of her statement, but chose not to comment on it. He knew she could be just as vicious as the rest of them despite her demeanor.

As Bianca leapt from her seat he finally just leaned back against the chair he to listen to the chaos around him. Listening to the conversation going on between Fiona and the new guy he leaned forward to rest his arms against the bar to address Sebastien, "You're going to have to wait in line on that one. I think Hestia would call first dibs on kicking Ryker to the curb."