seasons die one after another

[attr="class","starrytext"]"huh?!" a surprise appearance from the commissioner herself: dahlia goode . hoenn's most valued league member and superior authority. mateo was frozen in his stance. sceptile and dragontie, amongst their own training, would come to a halt to view the exchange that was occurring between their trainer and the newcomer.

"ms. goode?!" mateo called. he listened to her spiel, trying to gain a sense of it all. it was a bit confusing that someone like herself needed to know anything. in all honesty it secretly made him feel bashful. he'd scratch the back of bushy hair, trying to figure out a response. "i don't know, commissioner. i mean, for starters, isn't it a bit dangerous for you to be out and about on your own? aren't those team airplan--" he'd pause, reevaluating the end of his statement, "--those rocket(?) guys always lurking around hoenn. it'd be bad if you ran into them." little did mateo know, she'd already once been kidnapped.

"besides, i'm sure there're way better people qualified, commissioner." mateo spoke within a low tone, head shifted to the side in an attempt to avoid eye contact. how could he say no to someone like dahlia?! honestly, his palms were sweating as he tried his best to keep his composure. "i mean..." he'd whisper underneath his breath, "there may be one or two things i could show you."

seasons die one after another

[attr="class","starrytext"]what a reckless and carefree woman. mateo was curious as to how someone like her was a commissioner, maybe her skills didn't expose themselves in times of peace. thinking about it, what if she was really strong? stronger than even a ginormous dragon. it gave him shivers just thinking about what sort of internal thoughts the woman was filled with. so was it good to deny her?

let's not take that chance.

"a-alri--" she'd call out a dratini. "oh?! a dratini!" his attention was taken aback by the small dragon-type. examining the pokemon, he'd gently stroke underneath the pokemon's chin and then the the nape of its neck. "so healthy," standing to face dahlia goode. mateo's expression became one of determination. with a fierce nod and furrowed brows, he'd shout, "you have what it takes!" saluting the blonde female, he'd look over toward dragonite, exclaiming, "bo het (come here), dragonite." mateo uttered a strange word. his dragonite, afterwards, came.

"we should probably get you out of the window and onto shore, it's not very suitable for shoes like those." mateo nervously chuckled. escorting her to shore, had she no objection of leaving the water, mateo would assist in her getting out. "i don't know if this is my duty or me talking. but you and that dratini have a pretty nice bond. i can feel it, you treat it well." which meant dahlia was no nefarious person, which made him feel calm oddly.

"meaning i have no problem teaching or helping you at all, plus it's against my duty as a former guardian to turn you away. especially when you wield a dragon before me. meaning i'm damn near obligated to help you." ruffling the hair on his head. it'd been sometime since he'd actually helped someone. "ahhhh, alright!" smacking the cheeks of his face. mateo began to perform a series of calisthenics, his body moved up and down as he swung his arms, chanting, "we can do this, we can do this, we.can.do.this!" dragonite followed behind.

"yosh, here we go!" turning to dahlia goode and dragonite to dratini. "so you want to perfect your hand-to-hand combat, aye?" thinking about what would be a good start for his female companion. he'd snap his finger, okay, "i know what to show you. self-defense is our greatest ally, but it never hurts to have a little offense." raising his arms, he'd say, "start by raising your arms, we'll work on getting you into a proper stance. you wanna stand fairly upright with a high guard and arms extended from your face; all while keeping your weight on the back right leg and light in the front leg."

seasons die one after another

[attr="class","starrytext"]"now--" before he could continue, she'd ask him a question. "eh? why do i train so hard?" posing such a question brought back a sudden twinge in the back of his head. as if someone pinched apart of his brain. a memory playing, he'd return to reality soon after.

a soft smile overcame his expression.

standing straight, arms crossed, he'd answer, "my mother, amara martinez, is from here and was born among the draconid people. my father, ladon drake, was the head of the drake clan back in blackthorne. currently the head of the drake clan is suppose to be me, but my grandfather remains in my stead as head due to my father passing early around the time i turned twelve." she probably wondered why he wasn't the current head or back in johto, so he'd fill in the gaps as best as he could. "my grandfather returned as acting head for my sake. i was, after all, too young, still far from the title of 'dragon master', and i was a grieving boy who'd just lost his father." dragonite stood by sceptile and dahlia's young dratini.

"anyway, i was a pretty troublesome kid. hardheaded, abrasive, and impatient," the him now is far more tamed than his younger self. the embarrassing stories he had. "before my father passed, he told me that you never stop growing. once you reach your goal, your adventure shouldn't stop there. when i became a dragon master and gym leader of blackthorne, i felt something was missing." thinking about it, he'd remember kyle lopez , "there was this stupid jerk that came to challenge my gym. battling him was pretty fun--intense even! the challengers who came for my badge pior didn't really give me the excitement i sought, i felt that i'd reached my father's level. that there was no more room for growth, but it wasn't until that one specific trainer showed me that there's always room for growth. that there are amazing trainers out there who were strong--even stronger than me. i thought raw power was all i needed to become the strongest in hoenn, but there's more to that."

that's right, he remembered an important lesson after that battle. "there's more to battling than just two pokemon going at it. when i'm in a battle it's as if..." he'd look to dragonite and then sceptile, "i feel this warm, fuzzy, hot feeling inside of me during an intense battle. like i'm resonating with my pokemon. when they fight, i fight with them in spirit. when they train, i train with them in body, mind, and soul. when they get hurt, i feel resonate with their pain. when they're tired, it's my job to enable them with strength." he examined the palm of his hand, gripping his fist tightly.

"my father wasn't able to teach me everything i needed to know, but i want to surpass him as a dragon master; all while learning those things on my own. i never got to beat him in a battle or officially challenge him, but i know that just like the man from the dragon king's tale, there's a greater challenge waiting for me here in hoenn." his gaze returned to dahlia, "i train hard so that i don't fail my team. i need to be in tiptop shape when it's time for us to face the king of dragons!" eyes lit like stars, he was even more excited thinking about the tale. a goal he had since he was a child, his desire as a dragon master was to fight against the legendary beast from the tale--though he, obviously, didn't fully believe in it wholeheartedly. he hoped that, in some strange way, that it was true.

but that was highly unlikely. "anyway, i threw a lot at you. but as you can see i have a plethora of reasons why i have to be strong. i can't become the dragon king without defeating or taming the strongest dragon in the world--wherever that may be." this world was vast and wide, new pokemon emerged through discovery everyday. you never what's around the riverbend. "if i can't defeat the opponents here in hoenn, then there's no point in me being here."

a large grin sprouted upon his face. he'd, then, offer dahlia a thumbs up, "i'm waging war with everyone in this region--especially the current champion. i'm going to fight them, take their crown, and find the strongest fighters of this region and fight them as well, all while hunting for the king of dragons." honestly, whichever came first and quicker. he had a lot on his plate, but he was confidant. it would take sometime to achieve his goal, but slow and steady won the race.

little did mateo know, there was a lot happening and things he'd been unaware of. such as the current champion stepping down being one of them. he had no idea who they even were, but he had high enthusiasm about their strength. just thinking about it got him fired up.

seasons die one after another

[attr="class","starrytext"]"please, by all means!" he began to flail. between their conversation. dragonite began to play with the small dratini. it reminded him of his time when he was young, back then mateo was grooming the dragon before it could even utter its own name. such wonderful, though horrifying, memories.

"alexander...stone?" a name that rung a bell. "that guy!" the one he recently fought sometime ago. his jaw became agape, mateo was shocked. "that guy?!" he repeated. he fought the guy with the crazy mienshao! "who would've thought he'd be chosen to become the next champion." the word 'temporary' went out the window.

an intense, shaky smile donned his face. was that guy holding back his true strength? if he were chosen as the next champion. that must means he's seriously packing some raw power. the thought of fighting him made the dragon master want to squeal like a victreebell. "an endorsement?!" ah man, the first thing he'd want is a giant stadium to fight and go crazy in! oh and a new jacket with the emblem of those he's being endorsed by. what a dream really.

"commissioner goode you're too much!" mateo bashfully grinned. "i'm happy to meet so many strong trainers in this region. but the one thing i'm not all that happy about is that i keep missin' out on the action that's been occurring these past few months." arms over his head, he'd sigh, "hoenn's got a lot happening. back at home we never had wild stuff like 'pokemon that look like aliens' and stuff. this is one hell of a year..." and it was only going to get crazier.

seasons die one after another

[attr="class","starrytext"]"wha--..." was she for real? dragonite and sceptile would look at one another. mateo never expected, in a million years, to have been chosen for such an occasion. there were probably many others better qualified than him, people who were on par or above. "to be endorsed would actually be pretty great!" he could use this.

being endorsed meant he'd be given a responsibility to fight stronger battles. more fights means greater strength. he was getting excited about this. "yes, please!" prostrating himself. he'd gladly accept this offer. "i'm definitely gonna hold this position with honor." his power was acknowledged. surpassing the gym leaders of this region in such a short amount of time, even though he'd yet to claim no more than four badges, currently heading for his fifth badge, the demon badge, right after this.

"i'm going to train even harder than ever. i'll make sure your decision won't be a regret, i'll even outdo the champion of this region. i'm going to be..." that's right. a memory hit him in the back of his head. something he'd long forgotten before coming to this region--his reason. "...a hero of this place." he stated, lifting himself from the ground all the while.

"i won't let you down, dahlia!" mateo grinned.