Fandom Pokemon Legends: Journey to the League (Open and Accepting)

[Kumii]

The Intro
A sharply dressed man with a gelled comb-over hair style can be seen standing in the middle of a jam packed stadium, he fixed his tie and standing next to him is a Gallade. The location is the North Sea Manor, home to the Corsica League. Five other People are standing around him, the man clears his throat, "Can you all hear me?" His voice echoed through the stadium which caused the stadium to quiet down, "Good. Hello! My name is Kevin, League Chairman and your announcer today. This will be broadcasted to all phones, TVs and other streaming devices. With that being said, welcome to Corsica! A beautiful paradise from the snowy north to the southern paradise beaches, we are a tourist location for any and all weary travelers!"

He looked the crowd over, "However, for our natives and other people looking to challenge themselves, we have what the Galar Region called their 'Gym Challenge' right here in our very own Corsica!" A thunderous cheer from hundreds of people filled the stadium, "We have 8 total gyms, an Elite Four and even a Champion!" As he said that, the Rotom Drone panned across the Five people standing next to Kevin. A fancily dressed woman in a white long dress and blonde hair with ultramarine eyes, her name is Valerie. Standing next to Valerie is a rather crudely dressed man in a blue overcoat with a white shirt, his hair was a funky style but more or less resembled a ponytail, it was an ash brown color with brown eyes, his name is Cyrus. Next to Cyrus was a toned woman in a rugged vest jacket, her chest was wrapped in white linen cloth and she wore torn black pants, her hair was electric yellow with hazel eyes, her name is Ami. Next is a timid looking woman who wore a buttoned up down jacket, blue jeans and had let down brown hair with blue eyes, her name is Honey. They are the Elite 4.

Standing proudly by herself with her Goodra was none other then the Champion herself, Ryan. "It is my extreme pleasure to announce that this year's Gym Challenge will begin now! To you newbies out there, I wish you the best of luck on your journey, it will not be an easy one." WIth that said, the stadium erupted once more with cheers as Kevin and the other five made their way off the pitch and ended the broadcast of the most important announcement of the year.
Anne Boolean The Fluffiest Floof Yahhah Aes_Dragon

Ryan's Perspective
Ryan walked alongside the others, "I wonder who will make it to the League this year." Valerie looked at Ryan and shrugged, "That Emily is a roadblock in and of itself." Ryan nodded in agreement, "Speaking of which, it's been while since I've traveled, being part of the League sure keeps you tied up." Kevin intervened, "I'm sure it does, you're free to travel about but keep in mind you have an obligation here, Ryan." Ryan waved her hand dismissively, "Yeah, Yeah, I know, Boss. Anyways, I'm off. See you later." With that, Ryan headed off to Anchor Point on her way to the Goldcrest Forest.

Spoiler: Color Legend

Red is Ryan speaking.
Purple is Kevin speaking.
Light Blue is Valerie speaking.

 

[Yahhah]

Franklin Porter

A boy wearing a large sunhat made his way down a dirtroad. A poncho sat around his shoulders and a backpack was worn on his back. A Ponyta trotted a little to his right, the Pokémon wore a small orange scarf that somehow wasn’t lit on fire around its blazing neck , Franklin knew that Flynn probably wanted to go blazing fast down the street but he didn’t want to leave Franklin behind while he did so. At least, that’s why Franklin thought he didn’t just zoom off. The days when Franklin was small enough to ride his buddy around the ranch were long gone. That didn’t stop them from heading out though, Franklin had always been a wanderer at heart. It was kind of a wonder why it’d taken so long for him to decide to head out.

He hadn’t originally wanted to take on the gym challenge but seeing that ad before he’d headed out that morning made it seem like it’d worked perfectly. After all, why shouldn’t Franklin hop into the gym challenge and show all those other trainers what a farm boy was capable of? First step in that of course was to head to White ridge town. Franklin’s oldest brother, Quenton, had put together a map for him of Whiteridge to show him where the professor’s house because even though Franklin had been to Whiteridge a couple of times and obviously knew the whole place like the back of his hand Quenton was still convinced that Franklin was easily distracted and would probably forget. Absolutely ridiculous how big siblings were but that was just how things were Franklin supposed.

“I didn’t know Quent was such an artist” Franklin mentioned to Flynn beside him as Franklin inspected the map, which had a massive red circle around one house. The Ponyta whinnied and leaned over to look. They’d been walking since morning and it really didn’t take very long to reach Whiteridge from the ranch so it was already getting less rural, and as they entered the town proper.

From there with the ‘help’ of the map it didn’t take Franklin all too long to find his way to what was labelled as the Professor’s house. Franklin wasted no time marching up to the door and giving it a knock. “Hello Sir or Ma’am, ya got a pair of folks out here ready to partake in that gym challenge they’re talkin about on TV.” After knocking and announcing his presence somewhat loudly Franklin took a couple of steps back and turned to Flynn. “Ya think we got the right place?”
(Hope that's a good starter).

 

[Kumii]

Professor
For the other side of the door, a tired woman's voice could be heard, "Coming.." The door opened and revealed an exhausted looking woman in a lab coat and a white tank top underneath with square-framed glasses and long messy blue hair, she wore ragged black short with white sneakers. Behind her was a Crobat and a Liligant. "I take it you're here after that broadcast?" Without even letting the boy finish she turned around and walked into her lab, after which, the Liligant approached Franklin, grabbed his hands and began gently pulling him in, "Lili.." It said as it pulled him in.

Upon entering, the lab was swarming with all different kinds of Pokémon from Ponyta, both Galarian and Kantoian, to Blissey, "Welcome to my Lab.." she yawned, "I apologize for the mess, it.. well.." she didnt say anything after that. The Liligant then motioned to the seat, "Um... please have a seat, we need to wait for the others." As she said this, she tied messages to various Pidgey and sent them off to the others with instructions on how to get here and why she's summoning them here, "I... uh... also have a special guest coming.." she was looking around, "...maybe... we'll see what they say, I guess.."

Different kinds of Pokémon began approaching Franklin, a little Ralts, a Pawniard and a Fletchinder in particular gathered around him in curiosity, "Uh.. please forgive them, they're curious.. you see, we don't get many visitors.. uh.. here.."

Spoiler: Color Legend

Bold is a Pokémon speaking
Yellow is the Professor speaking

Yahhah Aes_Dragon The Fluffiest Floof Anne Boolean

 

[Aes_Dragon]

Location: Dry Gulch Fields
Interactions: N/A
Mentions: N/A

Illia was crouching down, leaning over her Rotom Phone which was tuned into the League's broadcast. She cupped a hand over it to block the sun's glare, squinting at the small screen. She felt a sense of déjà vu from the formally-dressed man who was making the announcement, and the crowd that cheered almost too enthusiastically between the chunks of his speech. She raised an eyebrow as the camera panned towards five people. She knew one of them was the Champion, but the concept of the so-called "Elite 4" was unfamiliar to her. Were they stronger versions of Gym Leaders? Unfortunately, the Champion's follow up comment didn't clarify much, though that was probably to be expected, seeing as the Gym Challenge was mainly intended for natives. She sighed as the broadcast ended, stuffing the device in her right pocket.

Corsola, as per usual, was lazily staring at whatever was in front of it - in this case, it turned out to be grass. Illia wondered how Corsola seemed so nonchalant even with the sun beating down on them. With her other arm, she ran the fingers of her right hand through her hair, releasing some of the heat trapped between the brown strands. She turned to the small cardboard package she'd placed down a few minutes earlier, mumbling as she wrapped an arm around it. Although she enjoyed the outdoors, she wasn't particularly fond of having to trek and sweat for so long. It would have been nice to stop at times and observe the Pokemon she had seen in magazines in the flesh, but it had been already been at least an hour since she left Dry Gulch City, and the new climate consistently bugged her. She briefly entertained the idea of opening the package from her parents, seeing what they intended to give her grandma in Goldcrest. If the delivery all there was to it, she would have refused without a second thought, but supposedly her grandma had something related to the Gym Challenge waiting for her.

Illia stared ahead, noting that the entrance to Goldcrest had surely grown just a bit bigger since she last focused on it. Just a bit further. She peeled parts of her clothes away from her body, and silently prayed that her grandma's house had working air conditioning. After taking just one step, her mind stumbled upon an absolutely splendid idea, and she whipped her head towards the ghostly coral Pokemon on her left.

"Hey, Corsola. Try using Whirlpool."

 

[The Fluffiest Floof]

Pokémon Legends: Journey to the League​

R E Q U I S I T E
Name: Emilie Veers
Gender: Female
Occupation: Gym Leader of Swordbreak City
Location: Whiteridge Town

Emilie had been following the broadcast on her phone. It was the very same things that they said every year. And while the gym leader would have wished to believe in there being a season full of interesting challenges and prodigal trainers ahead, experience had showed that more often thannot, she would not get to see the new competitors. Not at her gym, anyways. Few made it far enough to challenge the eight and last gym. And those that did often found themselves running into a roadblock. Emilie wondered how the Elite Four could seem so satisfied with their jobs. Then again, they likely had more freedom than a gym leader. She knew that as a champ, Ryan had a lot of time to travel, a lot more than Emilie herself had.

With a sigh, she put away her phone after the broadcast had ended. She had calculated well and was about to reach Whiteridge Town just as it had finished. She was heading for the laboratory of the resident pokemon professor. This was where most new challengers began and Emilie liked seeing them begin their journey. Seeing their sparkling eyes, full of passion, it reminded her of her own younger self. Not to mention that she even peprsonally knew one of the newbies. Not only that, but her position as gym leader made her somewhat of a celebrity. The young trainers often got excited meeting her, which filled them with even more dedication to make it through the gym challenge. She really hoped a few of this new batch would make it to challenge her.

She had soon reached the lab. Her Banette had been trotting alongside her, holding onto the hem of her dress. Now however, it quickly let go, floating over to the labs door and knocking with its ghostly hand. It knocked in a little pattern, one that it used no matter what door it was. For those that had encountered the two more than once, it was something of a give-away of who was at the door.

 

[Yahhah]

Franklin

Franklin turned to Flynn and tapped his head after someone announced themselves behind the door. "See, steel trap" he said and when the woman behind the door appeared he spoke again. "Yeah hey there..." He began only for the woman to turn around and for a grassy pokemon to appear and lead him inside. There was a clip clopping sound as Flynn hurried along to keep up. Franklin had never seen at least half of the Pokémon inside of this room.

"Real interestin place" Franklin responded, he decided not to mention the mess. He wasn't the best cleaner but his room at home had never been full of Pokémon, for the most part. When he was little he'd tried to sneak Flynn in there more than once at night. "Oh I'm early?" That was kind of a first, he'd always been made fun of by his siblings for being a heavy sleeper but he guessed a heavy sleeper in a farm family could still be considered somewhat punctual everywhere else. He guessed it kind of made sense, not everyone lived close to Whiteridge.

Franklin took a seat and Flynn sort of relaxed nearby taking a moment to study the other Ponyta. Looking a little perplexed towards the Galarian kind. Franklin watched as the three little Pokémon inched forwards. "Well I kind of get where they're coming from. I don't think I've ever seen one of you before either" Franklin said pointing to the Ralts. "Any of you three little fellas got a name?" Franklin asked, acting like he was asking the Pokémon but it was actually pointed towards the professor since Franklin had never heard of a Pokémon talking.

There came a knock on the door. "Ma'am, I think somebody else showed up" Franklin called out incase she didn't hear.

Mentioned: Kumii The Fluffiest Floof

 

[Kumii]

Professor June
Location: June's Lab in Whiteridge
Interactions: Yahhah The Fluffiest Floof
Professor June looked back at Franklin, "Oh, uh.." she went over to crouch behind the three and pointed to the Ralts, "This is Ralts, the Feeling Pokémon. It's a Psychic- and Fairy- type." The Ralts gave a tiny wave but seemed hesitant of Franklin, then she pointed to Pawniard, "This is Pawniard, the Sharp Blade Pokémon, a Dark- and Steel- type." Pawniard tilted its head at Franklin, finally she pointed to Fletchinder, "This is Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon, a Fire- and Flying- type." Her stuttering seemed to go away when talking about Pokémon. Fletchinder seemed to take a keen interest in Franklin, even going to perch on his shoulder, "Fletch! Fletch!" the Fletchinder called out, "Huh, interesting..." before June could finish, Franklin pointed out that there was a knock.

June sighed and got up and went to open the door only to see Emily, "Oh, uh, hi Emily. Are you, um, doing well?" She asked as a Lampent squeezed by her and seemed to dance around Emily. In the distance, a Corviknight heard the name 'Emily' and flew to the front door to see her. The Corviknight turned out to be one of Ryan's when she traveled and even had when she took on Emily's gym. Upon landing Corviknight let out a happy caw, it looked to be a bit fond of Emily, "Ryan's Corviknight seems to remember you." June said with a slight yet tired smile.

Ryan, the League Champion
Location: Goldcrest
Interactions: Aes_Dragon
Ryan was walking through town with her Goodra as she heard someone callout a move, was there a battle? Ryan looked around and saw a girl with a Galarian Corsola, she tilted her head and began approaching the girl, "Um, hey, excuse me? Are you lost?" Ryan asked the girl, whose clothes seemed a little dirty. Could that be why she was having her Corsola use Whirlpool? Goodra held the same curiosity as they approached the pair.

 

[Aes_Dragon]

Location: Goldcrest
Interactions: Kumii
Mentions: N/A

Illia's mind was blank as she stiffly stepped into Goldcrest. She did not think a Whirlpool (at the very least, one directed at a Trainer from their own Pokemon) would make that much water. Her trainers squished with each step, and she had given up on trying to peel her clothing away from her skin. At the very least, the strong heat made it so that she wasn't totally soaked, barring her hair. Part of her wanted to lash out at Corsola, but another part of her knew it was her own incompetence that led to the deluge. Being tired and damp, what she wanted the most was to change out of her clothes and take a long nap. Her eyes were pointed down at the mushy parcel clutched by her arms, which the sun couldn't solve nearly as well. Surely, anything inside was ruined - Illia only hoped that it didn't contain something irreplaceable.

On looks alone, Goldcrest Town appeared to be plunged into eternal autumn. The architecture was similar to Dry Gulch City, but all of the flora around had a light orange hue. There was nothing quite like it at all in the Galar region. Her eyes began to pan around, and she slowed down to a stop. Illia wasn't sure how long she was in a daze, but eventually, her focus came back when a voice called out to her. She stared for a moment at the woman, briefly glossing over their appearance, followed by their words a few seconds later. Corsola locked eyes with the Pokemon beside the woman that was dripping with slime.

"Wha? Uh, ah, no..." Illia blinked. Did she look like she was lost? After thinking about it for a bit, she though she might appear a bit beaten. As she started to fully take in the woman's appearance, something about her seemed eerily familiar, though she couldn't quite pinpoint the source. But she got the vibe that they were a native Corsican, so she sprung upon the opportunity to take advantage of that. "Er, actually, is the roundabout just downtown? My grandma lives somewhere along there."

 

[Anne Boolean]

Nick Gould​

Nick had decided to teleport to Whiteridge Town. It wasn't by his own accord, as his powers weren't nearly strong enough for that, but with the help of his Abra. After they had watched the broadcast about the Gym Challenge together, his mother was very happy with that idea. It would get him a jump start on his training as a Psychic-type user, which was the main reason he was taking on the Gym Challenge in the first place. Sadly, his Abra and he hadn't really gotten too far out of the Dry Gulch area, so the poor Pokemon was having a hard time pinpointing their destination. They had ended up at Anchor Point, Southpoint Town, and even out in the middle of the ocean at one point.

After ending up at the peak of a snowy mountain near the Alabaster Icefields, Nick decided to call his mom on his Rotom phone and ask if she could just call him an air taxi. That didn't go well either, and Nick found himself freezing alongside Boo while his mother lectured him for being inept and then struggled to use the app on her own Rotom phone. In the end, Nick ended up using some of the little Poke he had been given to start his journey in order to call a flying taxi to take him where he needed to go. With how much more adept he was with technology than his mom, the thirteen year old often wondered if maybe he was meant to be an Electric-type or Steel-type specialist instead of Psychic-type. Then again, he was sure most people his age were just as tech literate, so maybe he wasn't all that special. He spent the ride pouting, just wishing that his mother could have teleported him to Whiteridge instead of having him do it himself. Well, maybe she herself couldn't, but her Alakazam certainly could. And he was sure the two had seen much more of Corsica than he and Boo did, so they would have been able to hone in on his destination much easier.

Thankfully, Corviknight seemed to be almost as fast as simply teleporting to Whiteridge Town, and soon enough Nick ended up at his destination. When he arrived at the Professor's Lab, the boy noticed the door was left open, making it evident that he was, of course, late. He let out a sigh, hoping the Professor wouldn't be the type to chew him out too. Thankfully, he wasn't here to pick up a starter Pokemon. He had heard stories about new Trainers arriving late to the Professor's Lab and not having any options for starters. Sometimes, they ended up with a Pokemon that was very temperamental, leading them to a rough start.

Any fear of that disappeared when he noticed a familiar face at the lab's entrance. "Emilie!" he greeted with a grin. "What are you doing here?" He had known the Ghost-type Gym Leader practically since he first opened his eyes, although her occupation was held by her father back then. Training with her father was important to his mother, so they would see each other a lot, so much so that he started seeing Emilie as an older sister. He took note of the large metallic bird alongside her. "You taking on the Gym Challenge too?" he joked. "This time with Flying-types instead of Ghosts?"

The tired-looking woman with messy blue hair caught his attention next. "Hi. Are you Professor June?" he asked, taking note of the white lab coat she wore. "I'm here to pick up a Pokedex for the Gym Challenge. Sorry I'm late. I had some, uh... trouble getting here." He gave Emilie a glance with a small smirk, assuming she would get a hoot out of what happened with his mother. The boy then took note of the third person inside the building. He had on rustic attire and was surrounded by quite a few Pokemon, two of which Nick was immediately able to recognize.

Putting on a cheerful grin, Nick approached the Ralts. "Hi there!" he greeted warmly, holding out a hand for it. His psychic abilities weren't strong enough to read people's emotions, but he knew Ralts' were. He stayed just as positive as he approached the Galarian Ponyta, allowing the Psychic-type to look into his eyes for a moment. "Galarian Ponyta can look into people's hearts through their eyes," he explained to the other boy, in case he thought what Nick was doing was strange. "They prefer to stay away from those who have bad intentions, so I just want to make sure it's comfortable with me and knows I mean know harm." He then held out a hand for the Ponyta as well.

The Fluffiest Floof Kumii Yahhah

 

[Yahhah]

Franklin

Franklin nodded along while listening to the names of the Pokémon. The Fletchinder was the only one of the three of them he had any experience with. Of course, Fletchlings were more common to see flapping around the farm but he'd seen the bigger birds resting distantly in the trees every now and then. "Well hello to you too buddy" Franklin said to the bird Pokémon while raising a hand to gently pet its feathers.

As the professor moved over to let whoever was outside into the building Franklin craned his neck to peak at whoever it was. Franklin wasn't sure exactly, but they sure looked like that gym leader in Swordridge he'd seen on tv a couple of times. He wondered if they were here to scope out the newbies to see what they'd be up against come the end of the gym challenge.

It wasn't long until another person walked into the room. A boy somewhat close to his age by the looks of it. He seemed to bee-line towards the psychic type Pokémon in the room. Or maybe he just thought they were more worth petting in the beginning who could really tell. He did seem to know a bit about them, which was interesting. Franklin didn't know a whole lot about Pokémon but when it came to practical knowledge he was knowledgable, at least when it came to the kinds they had on the ranch. Most of their Ponyta were kantonian but there were a couple Galarian mixed in and if you were in any kind of mood they always didn't want anything to do with you so the boy's words made sense.

"Always thought it was something like that. I take it you're takin the challenge too then? Name's Franklin, nice to make your acquaintance" Franklin said in an upbeat introduction. Beside of him, Flynn was inspecting the newcomer from the little bit of distance between his trainer and the new one. The Kantonian Ponyta was taking in the new surroundings, Pokémon and people with sniffs and glances.

Mentions: Kumii The Fluffiest Floof Anne Boolean

 

[Kumii]

Professor June
Location: June's Lab
Interactions: Yahhah Anne Boolean The Fluffiest Floof
The Fletchinder perched on Franklin's shoulder settled in as he pet its feathers, letting out a soft and content coo. It was startled awake by the noise of a new face, Nick. It stretched a bit and flew down and hovered a bit infront of Franklin's Ponyta, letting out a few friendly chirps.

It wasn't long before a new face showed up, before June could mention anything, they came strolling in and approached Ralts and Ponyta rather quickly, "Uh, hey wait, if you do-" before June could finish her sentence, Ralts let out a startled cry and Teleported away, Ponyta reared up, let out a startled neigh and bolted out the door into the pasture. June wasn't worried about Ponyta but Ralts could be anywhere, "Oh no..." She turned to Liligant and Crobat, "Liligant? Crobat? Would you please look for Ralts? Thank you." With that, the pair of Pokémon nodded and scurried off, looking for Ralts. She turned to Nick, "Hey um, please be careful, these Pokémon here have had traumatic experiences. That Ralts in particular was abandoned and left for dead by its trainer. It was only a few days ago that I stumbled upon it in such a horrific state. I've been taking care of it ever since." She gave Nick a slight smile before turning her attention back to Emily.

Ryan
Location: Goldcrest
Interactions: Aes_Dragon
Ryan took note of the soaked package, "Roundabout?" Ryan took a moment to think but was interrupted in thought, "Hey! Is that Ryan?" Before she knew it, a crowd had gathered around her. Ryan smiled, "Oh no..." she mumbled under her breath, "Um, hey guys, give me some space please?" Surprisingly, they listened and took a couple steps back, "Wow, didn't expect that to work." She mumbled before speaking up, "Thank you, I have to help this poor, lonely soul." She quickly grabbed Illia's hand and pulled her away, "Don't ask questions, I just don't wanna deal with a crowd right now." She quietly told Illia before letting go of her hand.

She stopped and pointed ahead, "There, that's the roundabout you're talking about I think." She turned away and began walking away but stopped and looked back to Illia, "Say, you wouldn't happen to be a Gym Challenger, would you?"

 

[Aes_Dragon]

Location: Goldcrest
Interactions: Kumii
Mentions: N/A

Illia flinched as the woman fell into silence upon hearing her question. Was there no roundabout in Goldcrest? Or perhaps 'roundabout' was the wrong way to put it. She recalled reading that the other regions used different terms than Galar did for some things. But as much as she tried to dig into her memory, 'roundabout' was the best way she could describe it. She stared blankly, not noticing the people amassing around them until there was no way out. They seemed wholly interested in the woman in front of her, 'Ryan'. Illia had heard that name tossed about when she'd first arrived in Corsica.

"You're the Champion," Illia blurted, making the connection. But at the moment, Ryan seemed more focused on the crowd. To her surprise, the crowd backed off at the Champion's request; even Ryan herself seemed a bit confused with the obedience. She felt a wrenching sort of pain in her gut upon the Champion's description of her as a 'poor, lonely soul'. Her mind momentarily flashed back to when she'd first kicked her Corsola. It was a jarring reminder that she wasn't really a Trainer, at least, not yet. Right then, she was just a girl with a Pokemon. Her head hung down as she let herself be dragged off, Arceus forbid any of the bystanders caught her face on a camera. Ryan happened to grab her right arm, the one without Corsola numbing it, so it was suddenly surprisingly difficult to stabilize the parcel in her left arm as they ran. Some fans briefly attempted to trail behind.

Thankfully, it seemed that Ryan knew what she was getting at - up ahead was a fairly open area with several food and product stands, with people and Pokemon walking in all directions towards different parts of the town. Something suddenly sparked in her head. "Yup, this is it. I think it's called a 'traffic circle' here." Upon meeting the Champion's eyes, a wave of humility washed over her. "Thank you, and, sorry," she said as she scratched the back of her head. What a terrible first impression to leave - for the Champion, no less! Illia was sure Ryan had more important things to attend to, so she forced her eyes down at the address on the increasingly mushy parcel - smudged, but just barely legible. She looked at the buildings, and saw a pattern with the numbers, quickly locating what should have been her grandma's. She bit her lip again, wondering what kind of reaction she might have - it had been years since she'd last seen her, and again, she had no idea what exactly was in it.

As Illia knocked on the door, she heard Ryan call out to her again, asking about her involvement with the Gym Challenge. "Oh, uh... Well, I was planning on it, but I think there's something I have to do first..." She wasn't all too sure what her grandma had waiting for her. But in Galar, only Trainers who were specifically endorsed by the League could participate. Was it the same case here? "It's fine, it's fine, don't worry about it," she said hurriedly.