{RP} The S.S. Wishmaker - Tides of Witchcraft

[Noblejanobii]

One Year Later

"Bisharp, finish this with X-Scissors!"

"Dodge it and go in for one last Earth Power!"

Gloria skated through the air as she watched the tall steel-type below her. Both Pokemon were barely hanging on, but they were the last ones standing on each of their respective teams. It was now or never. Gloria took a dive to draw the Bisharp's attack, hoping to bait him in before striking with a close range Earth Power. The Bisharp moved quick, lunging forward towards Gloria, but the Shaymin was quicker, twisting out of the way of the deadly X-Scissors. Slamming her paws into the ground, Gloria caused a series of eruptions to head the Bisharp's way. Except, the Bisharp wasn't there anymore!

Gloria looked around frantically, trying to locate her opponent. "Above you!" Avery shouted. Gloria turned her gaze skyward all too late, as the Bisharp landed the final blow to the Shaymin. Gloria was sent flying and landed near Avery. She struggled to stand for a moment, before casting her gaze towards Avery. "Shay..." (Sorry...) she whispered before collapsing.

"Shaymin is unable to battle! The battle goes to Unova Elite Four Member Grimsley!" Cheers erupted from all around the stadium as the ref made his final call.

Avery sighed and returned Gloria to her Pokeball. "You did great, Gloria. Get some much deserved rest," they whispered before clipping the ball onto their belt. They took a bow before waving to the crowd a bit. Even though they had lost, Avery couldn't keep the smile off their face. When they had first entered the Unova League a year prior, Avery hadn't imagine they'd make it this far. Yet, here they were. They had completed the Unovan Gym Circuit and won two of the Elite Four battles necessary to challenge the champion. Sure, they had lost against the famed Master of Chance, Grimsley, but they had made it much farther than they ever anticipated, and really that was more than enough for them.

Avery returned to the battling waiting area and began to wash their face. If there was one thing they missed about competing in contests, it was that most of the events were held indoors. Battling almost always was held outside, and in these Unovan summers, that meant they were sweating near constantly. "At least I don't have to wear a binder anymore," they mumbled.

"Hey, Avery, are ya busy?" Avery turned around and spotted Grimsley on the other side of the room.

"Not at all," they answered as they set the washcloth down. They walked over and held their hand out to Grimsley. "Thank you for giving me such a great battle out there today. My team really gave it their all, and it seemed like yours did too. It made the experience a lot more enjoyable for me."

Grimsley chuckled. "I should be thanking you for the same thing. That's one of the most exciting battles I've had thus far this gym season. I can definitely tell you got a lot of your flare from battling in Galar. Makes things a lot more exciting for me too." He paused then said, "Say, now that your Unova circuit challenge is over until next season, what are you plans from here?"

Avery sat in silence for a moment. It was a question they had been asking themself for the last few weeks too. "If I'm being candid, I'm not sure yet. I've consulted with my team though and I think for now we'll be hoping back into the contest circuit. Battling is fun and this was a great break from my coordinator routines, but contests are where my heart and soul are. I want to get back to that eventually."

Grimsley nodded his head. "I see. I can respect that. You're a person who knows what they want." Grimsley reached into his pocket and handed Avery a folded up sheet of paper. "If you change your mind though, call that number. It'll let you schedule a battle with the Elite Four again without having to go through the gym circuit for a second time." The dark type specialist turned and waved as he walked away. "Hope to battle you again soon, kid!"

Avery stared after the Elite Four member in shock before pocketing the piece of paper. That was definitely an offer they'd capitalize on in the future. For now though, they had other plans.

Avery checked their watch and grimaced a little. If they didn't hurry they'd be late. Avery quickly finished getting changed and freshening up before leaving the locker room. They exited the stadium from a back entrance while wearing a scarf and a pair of shades, hoping to avoid being spotted. Hailing a cab, Avery climbed in and directed the driver to a nearby hole in the wall restaurant. They checked around to ensure they weren't followed before entering. The place was dimly lit, meant to resemble some of the smaller more romantic locales in the Johto region. Avery scanned around before spotting the person they were here to meet sitting at a table next to a folding screen with Gracidea flowers on it. How fitting.

Avery walked over and peeked over their shades at the person. "Abital Ecker?" they asked. The other person nodded and gestured for Avery to sit. Avery quickly sat down across from Abital and smiled. "Thanks for agreeing to this. Celestina was a bit insistent."

Abital cracked a smile at that. He took a drink of water before answering in signs. "That's an understatement." Avery laughed in response. They were glad to see Celestina was equally tough on both of them about this. "I saw your battle earlier," Abital added, "your team did very well. Not many are as skilled as you."

Avery felt their face turn red at the compliment. "O-Oh you saw that? Ahaha, well I'm glad it impressed you. It'll probably be my last circuit battle for a while."

"Oh really?" Abital asked, "Why is that?"

"I'm returning to the contest circuit," Avery answered as they signal the waiter. "I'm thinking of heading back to Sinnoh to participate in more contests."

"You just want to escape the Unova summer heat don't you?" Abital teased.

Avery let out another loud laugh at that. "Guilty! I don't know how they do it here, especially so close to the desert. But hey, more power to them."

Abital nodded in agreement before pausing at the waiter came over. They quickly signed what they wanted to eat to the waiter before waiting for Avery to make their order. Once they finished, Avery turned back to Abital and tried to shift the conversation more in their direction. "So what about you? Celestina said you were in Unova for a break? A break from what exactly?"

Abital paused in thought for a moment before signing, "I'm a ranger from the Fiorre region. Things have been a bit chaotic over there lately. There was a Groudon sighting a little while back which explains the weird shifts in weather. We were having trouble locating the source when some of the rangers reported seeing a star-shaped Pokemon flying in and simply... wishing the Groudon away? Then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared." Abital took a drink of water before adding, "I know its sounds crazy but sure enough that did the trick. There's still some wild Pokemon running amok but otherwise it's improving. But since I've been working near constantly since the crisis started, I felt it was time for a break. You know?"

Avery mentally rolled their eyes at the mention of a "star-shaped Pokemon". Seems Jirachi was still up to his old tricks, albeit in a much more helpful way. "Don't worry, as crazy as it might sound, I can tell what you're signing is true," they said with a smile. "So tell me more about your ranger work."

The night went on for a while as the two chat for hours. Eventually, Avery signaled for the check, paying for both their meals. They two left the restaurant and began to walk through the streets of Castelia, eventually ending up at the docks. Avery eventually stopped during their stroll to gaze at a ship in the harbor.

Abital tapped Avery and signed, "Is something wrong?"

"No no," Avery responded, "it's just..." They smiled. "I went on this memorable cruise a year ago in a ship not unlike that one. So I was reminiscing a bit." They turned and kept on walking with Abital. "I'll have to tell you about it someday."