Peace, Truth, and the Unown IC

[Volthawk]

Evan sits down and listens when Mayu starts to talk, nodding and taking the time to figure out what he could possibly say. He doesn't get far, so he just starts talking and sees where it takes him.
"Mayu, do you remember back when we first met, and we all talked about ourselves and what we wanted to do? You didn't talk about the gods much, just your belief that they have a plan for us all and that you wanted to prove yourself to them. Most of what you said was about you and your Pokemon - your ideas about those who are disadvantaged or different, that they can still shine and your desire to prove that to the world, and bring about change. Those ideas are worth holding onto, even if your faith is shaken.

He shrugs. "Besides, the gods are still ultimately just Pokemon - like the more mundane Pokemon, and us humans, they have personalities and emotions and, yes, probably flaws as people. That's life. Maybe I feel like this because I understand Pokemon through study and psychology rather than your innate link and understanding, but it fits. Sure, the gods have dominion over the world and immense power and responsibilities, but they're still ultimately intelligent beings, with all the capacity for flaws that means.

"That doesn't mean they don't do what they do, though, or are somehow not divine, or even that they don't deserve worship. Some people might argue the opposite, that their humanity makes them more worthy. Me, I don't know. I just appreciate what they do and respect their powers, and I'll leave it at that for now. Sounds to me it's just a case where you're gonna have to figure out a lot about yourself - what the gods really mean to you now, why you're doing this,
and what you really want out of life. Or at least, figure them out as best you can - we're kids, we're supposed to not have everything figured out yet, and that's okay. We just can't have you climbing up tall buildings and being depressed up there."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Mayu frowns. ”Anybody can be strong. Tha’ hardly matters. I... don’t think I can accept gods who ain’t worth lookin’ up to.” Then she sighs. ”But... You’re right. I can’t let down my Pokémon and their belief in the philosophy that they signed on with me to support. They’re all countin’ on me. And maybe I gotta just rely on that fer now until I figure out what else I really care about.”

She nods with a more determined expression and sits up, before holding her hand out towards Gastly. “How ‘bout it, old friend? Wanna go mess around until we figure a way to make our splash on the world?” The Gastly’s positive response and introduction to her Pokéball puts a small smile on Mayu’s face.

Then she finally stands the rest of the way up and takes a look out over the town from the edge again. For the moment, at least, she seems stable, adjusting slightly with the wind as it moves. She takes a quick second to warn Evan in a jovial tone, “Hey, maybe cover your ears, I wanna do somethin’.” Then a second later she takes a deep breath and screams out as loud as she can into the night air hanging over everything below. Once she runs out of air, she takes a few deep breaths to recover, then whispers, “I still... exist.”

To finish things off, she turns to Evan, and throws herself into a hug with him. Looking up to meet his eyes and grinning, she says, “Thanks for puttin’ so much effort into cheerin’ me up. I’ll make sure to put at least as much effort into cheerin’ you an’ Elenia on in your Gym challenges tomorrow. Now, shall we get down from here?”

[Volthawk]

Evan smiles, somewhat surprised to find Mayu hugging him, given her previous unease towards this sort of thing. "That's great to hear, Mayu! I'm sure you'll figure it all out. For now, we can just keep on with travelling and Gyms and the like, and I'm sure at some point we'll figure out more about ourselves. That's why people travel and train, right?"

He then nods."Tomorrow should be an exciting day. Feeling confident about your chances? But yeah, let's get down now. I'm sure Elenia will be getting woried."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Mayu seems to startle a bit, and her expression grows more contemplative, though she’s still smiling. ”Actually, I’m confident about one decision I’m makin’. This system ain’t the path I wanna tread for workin’ my way to fame an’ purpose an’ all that. So I won’t be takin’ chances tomorrow - ‘cept on my ability to get good footage, I suppose. I ain’t gonna challenge the Gym. I’m gonna make a blog ‘bout the two o’ y’all doin’ it! If’n y’all’re both okay with it, that is.”

[Volthawk]

Evan looks a little surprised. "You're not? Huh. Alright, if that's what you want. As for filming..." He chuckles. "Go ahead! Remember what I said way back when we met, about my methods and ideas. I'm doing this to prove myself and that my way for doing things is a good one, and evidence of my achievements won't hurt at all. You should get something good, too. With the work I've put in, Faulkner won't know what hit him. You shouldn't have much trouble with Elenia, either, when you ask her."

[Volthawk]

With Mayu's crisis at least temporarily handled, it's just another climb down and a short walk back to the Pokemon Center and the opportunity to finally sleep. Despite Evan's concerns, it appears Elenia's had no trouble getting to sleep, so he quickly settles down himself. It was another big day tomorrow.

The next day, Evan wakes up early to prepare for the challenge ahead, making sure all of his team was well fed and prepared. In particular, Trapinch gets an adjustment in diet, the previous food designed to help his development no longer necessary. Despite his excitement, he still makes sure to have food ready for the others and their Pokemon when they wake up and join him.

[Syless]

Elenia spends the night in a placid slumber. A Hypno-therapist at the Pokemon center was available, and put her into a tranquil, dreamless sleep to put off the events of the previous night. As such, she wakes up early, and opts for a new outfit for the day's challenge- somewhere between a business suit and a sweatsuit, with a minicape attached at the neck. The first day towards Champion Elenia? Probably not, but she can have fun with it.

[Elfbird]

When you make the long climb to the roof of Violet City Gym once more - this time far less bitter thanks to the warmth of the sun - Faulkner is already waiting, gazing mysteriously over the horizon. The winds are forceful and the currents ever-shifting; Faulkner is not unmoved by them, but rather moves with them, giving an air of grace and power where you three are buffeted.

He turns to greet you.

"Good morning, young Trainers! Allow me to formally introduce myself: I am Faulkner, Leader of Violet City Gym and head priest of our local shrine. In the eyes of our patron, Tornadus, and the laws of the Johto League, I hereby acknowledge your right to challenge this Gym! Come, show me the grace and foresight that have brought you here!"

[Volthawk]

Evan grins as he listens to Faulkner, his excitement not having faded during the morning's preparations and the climb. He's somewhat impressed by Faulkner's display, but it just makes him want to beat him more.

"Alright! So what are your rules? How are we doing this?"

[Elfbird]

Faulkner recalls his last Pokemon and applauds. His voice carries across the windy sky when he declares your victory, and then the trainer platforms are all lowered to the area below the arena.

"Congratulations, challengers! Your rock-steady tactics outlasted my gale like mountains shelter a village from the storm. In recognition of your feat, I confer on each of you the Zephyr Badge and an Aerial Ace TM, in addition to your prize money!

"And Mayu," he turns to her with a charming wink. "Let me know when your blog takes off and I'll be sure to spread the word!"

---

Later at the PokeCenter, an artsy young man comes running up to Mayu. He bows quickly, holding out a pair of accessories that sparkle with sky-blue and bright yellow gems.

"Miss, miss! Excuse me, miss! Aren't you the one who runs that new blog? The one with the epic Gym battle video that Leader Faulkner tweetered about? My name's Arthur Mann! I-I'd like you to sponsor me please!"

He holds out the accessories more insistently, head lowered in supplication.

"I'm an aspiring artist, learning new techniques to make fashion items that are useful to competitive Trainers too! If you could help showcase my creations and spread the word, it would be an amazing opportunity for me! Please say you will!"

He's... just a little desperate...

Spoiler: Loot Get!

Show

All PCs get:
1 Milestone
360 PEXP
1,000p
(Evan and Elenia from Faulkner, Mayu from close observation, blog followers and revenue)

Evan and Elenia each get:
x1 TM 40 Aerial Ace
x1 Zephyr Badge (Accessory/held item, functions as a Flying Plate)

Mayu gets:
x1 TM 48 Round
x1 Flying Booster
x1 Electric Brace

[Volthawk]

Evan can't stop himself from grinning like made when he and Elenia win on their first attempt, all of his Pokemon putting on a good show and affirming the work he's put in. This was a good start.

Once they get to the Pokemon Centre, Evan leaves the three he used to rest a little and be checked over while he focuses in the fourth for a while - Pidgey. After all, Pidgey hadn't gotten that much time in battle, and Evan wanted to make sure that he was still ready and at a similar strength to the others for when he was needed. After a little time training, and making use of the new TM, something happens that surprises Evan.

Later, Evan comes back to the Centre with a Pidgeotto following him, and spots Mayu talking to someone new. He walks straight over, still with a smile on his face. "Hey, Mayu! Who's this? A new friend of yours?"

[Syless]

I did it I did it I did it! I'm the best! Around! Evan was awesome, too, but it was teamwork! I brought down the big one with Lisia's help, and then she got all sparkly, and now she's a Kirlia! It's so cool! And Pris got bigger and Bud turned into a bigger plant and I'm not even sure why that happened! But it was awesome and today's the best day ever!

"Mayu Mayu Mayu let's celebrate! Let's have a party! I'll make us hats! We're gonna be champions, and you'll be with us every step of the way!"

[Vrock_Summoner]

Mayu gives Faulkner a big, toothy smile when he offers up his encouragement and support. Though she’s lost some of the innate adoration his position elicited from her yesterday, he still made a great impression on her, and the fact that he didn’t decry her decision to drop out of the League challenge makes her very happy.

Later on, Mayu continues to beam as she sees her new blog take off with unexpected immediate popularity - almost certainly courtesy of Faulkner’s endorsement, but still, such an early jump was far beyond what she’d imagined.

She’s still marveling at the positive and encouraging comments section when she’s pulled back into the real world by Arthur Mann, who comes bearing gifts and requests for her to... advertise his art? Maybe? She’s not really sure.

”Arthur Mann, eh? Hmm... Wow, these’re real pretty, Manny!” She spends a few moments admiring his work. “An’ since you’re so nice as to offer’m, I’ll be glad to display ‘em! Let me just-“

She’s cut off by Evan appearing and addressing her. She beams at him and impulsively grabs their arms to pull the two boys into a handshake. “Evan, Manny! Manny, Evan! Pleasure to acquaint ya!”

She laughs, then dashes to Evan’s backside to marvel at Pidgeotto, forming a channel with him. Wooow, an’ you evolved! Tha’s fantastic! At this rate, I figure ya oughta be stronger’n Zephyr by the time Evan gets to the League proper! Maybe you’d even fly me around, too? Ehehe!

She barely has a moment to transmit her thoughts, though, because Elenia immediately catches her in a flurry of excitement. Since the Channel is still open, Mayu inadvertently emotes about her inability to keep up with talking to this many people at once. However, she tries to adapt, dancing about with Elenia and laughing while still trying to pay attention to Arthur. “Hey, maybe make Manny a hat too! Make ‘im look even more like an art geek, ahahaha!”

[Volthawk]

A little surprised by suddenly ending up in a handshake, Evan smiles at the other boy as he listens to Mayu talk to Elenia. "Hey there! I'm Evan.
So you're an artist?"

[Syless]

Art geek? He's... eh, his stuff is boring. "I prefer dressing up Pokemon! And coordinators. I'm still sad there's no contests here. But anyway! Let's have a big meal! A party! I'll pay! What are the best restaurants in town?"

[Elfbird]

Arthur is no less surprised than Evan at the situation he's ended up in, and significantly more awkward. He perks up a bit at Elenia's question though.

"O-oh, yes! The Velvet Violet is Violet City's most popular diner! M-my mom owns it, so we could... eat for free? If you want? And talk about Pokemon contests! Are you from a region where they're popular...?"

. . .

The Velvet Violet isn't quite as impressive on first blush as you'd been lead to believe. It looks like it could have been, about fifty years ago, but like much of the older part of the city times has worn it down into something more homey. Despite the tarnish, there are plenty of patrons even this early in the day, and the buzzing chatter has a cheerful, familiar air.

The waitress who greets you immediately recognizes Arthur and promises that his and his friends' meals will be on the house. The booth you're seated at does, in fact, have velvet cushions - they're matted and lightly stained, but far more comfortable than they are gross. The menu offers a nice range of standard diner fare and more interesting-looking local specialties. What will you order?