[attr="class","witness"]"Well alright then!"

Straightforward and to the point, Francie liked that! She met the one she knew as Johnathan at the beginning of the maze. She stood before the white line, between the maze and the man, giving a bright smile, moving her baseball cap on her head a bit as she looked him over.

He looked like a rock type... was that a strange thing to think about a person? Francie didn't know or care.

"Welcome Johnathan and sobble! There are three regulations. Only status moves are permitted to be used within the maze, no damaging moves, even if the damaging moves 'aren't causing damage,' they're not permitted! Don't lose me, I have to cross the finish line with you in order for the challenge to be complete. Lastly, you do have a time limit that begins the second you step over this line."

With a cute skip and her hands behind her back, Francie moved to walk beside Valerio, instead of standing before him.

"Ready when you are, Johnathan."

Valerio Dachev - roll total 0/200

[attr="class","witness"]How did she think of it? A decent question. Her answer was immediate, though.

"I love hiking. And while a rock climbing wall challenge had crossed my mind once upon a time, something like having to climb a rock wall and retrieve a certain amount of tokens before reaching the top... I decided that was more unfair, because it was more of a physical challenge than it was a challenge that equally challenged everything. And namely, it wouldn't shape a trainer to become better, it would just frustrate them if they weren't an athlete, y'know?"

Francie had no idea she might have been annoying or not the individual's cup of tea, because his exterior expertly deflected his internal thoughts.

"So, I was doing a puzzle book while thinking of the challenge and my mind started putting this idea together, and I made various challenges throughout it as a means to create a mental challenge, during the physical challenge of making it through the maze at a decent pace."

Speaking of challenge, as they turn a corner of the maze, they are met with one.

"Wow! Speak of the darkrai, and he shall appear, am I right?"

So that was dorky but she went with it, not faltering in her confidence as she began explaining the challenge ahead of them.

"What you see before you is a floor of elaborate tiles!"

Francie took a step on a few, they gave a chime as she did so, and across the room the closed off 'dead end' wall began to open. Each tile she stepped on had the face of a pokemon on it and the door opened a little more with each step.

"Each tile has the face of a rock type pokemon. They're in national pokedex numerical order. Among them are tiles that hold not rock types, or the wrong numerical order of rock types, so be careful! You are able to make it across, but there is only one correct path. If you step on the wrong tile," she demonstrates, the tile makes a buzzing noise, and the door slamming closed. "You've got to start all over again!"

She makes her way across the tiles, waiting for him near the door.

"I'll wait for you over here, good luck!"

Valerio Dachev - roll total 83/200
/do not/ roll in your next post
complete the challenge

[attr="class","witness"]Watching his determination had Francie pumped for him. Like his little blonde cheerleader on the other side of the challenge, she excitedly awaits for him to get it. Once he does, she raises her hands and meets his with a beaming grin.

"Great job Johnathan!! You did it!"

The door was fully opened before him and with it, stairs that led them down into a darkness.

"You made it to part two of the maze! At least, that's what I call it. Anyway, below will be nothing but a pitch black darkness. You can use status moves or a pokemon's natural lighting to illuminate the path. If you don't have any of these items, feel free to use a device on your person."

Without any hesitation, Francie started down the stairs.

"You're nearly halfway there, Johnathan!"

Valerio Dachev - total roll 83/200
you may now roll!

[attr="class","witness"]"I thought it was pretty fun myself! I'm really tempted, during the fall season, to open it up as a sort of fun house maze. Nothing too terribly scary... but, just some pokemon coming out to give a small fright here and there to the younger trainers."

She'd have to talk to FERNANDO SILPH about it, because there would be liabilities and other things to consider if they were to use a maze like that. Maybe even have to get gym leaders to participate as guides, aside from just herself. There were a few elite four that had completed the maze, like kyle lopez and Stormy Silph... but then again, it wasn't like the league couldn't just hire people to be the guides so that the gym leaders could participate as well.

"But there are a lot of legal holes I'll have to crawl through to get the idea rolling. It'd be so much fun though. And at the end, could be like, food or something. Could solve a mystery to get you through it too-- like those escape rooms, or miss Selena Desmarais's gym as well! I could collaborate with her and get it rolling..."

She doesn't realize it, but she's rambling once again.

Valerio Dachev - roll total 88/200

[attr="class","witness"]"That's quite alr-- oh, why, hello there."

Francie had been about to tell Valerio that it was alright, that she didn't mind the darkness and new the tunnels by heart, but the sobble attaching itself to her had Francie grinning.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that. He's making himself pretty comfortable over here. And I won't let anything in the dark get to him-- n-not that there is anything in the dark, it's just a bunch of tunnels."

She reassured the sobble with a pat to its head before following behind where she could hear Johnathan walking. Habit led her to reaching out toward him to grab something, anything. She found something, and looped her finger through it.

Little did she know, it was a belt loop, but, eh. As long as she wouldn't get left behind with his sobble.

Valerio Dachev - roll total 159/200

[attr="class","witness"]"Just nearly!"

As they turn a corner, the lights are close, but betwixt the two and the light is a giant thick glass. In the middle of the pathway stood a podium, stone in its making, and a small puzzle atop it. Francie moved over to the podium and smiled happily.

"This is something I was given from the ruins in Johto! It's an authentic fossil puzzle. Solve the puzzle, form the fossil, tell me which fossil it is, and you're permitted to pass the finish line!"

Francie hadn't stopped giving the sobble pets and love either. Why? Because the sobble was too cute not to dote upon. And what cute noises it made!

Valerio Dachev - roll total 191/200

[attr="class","witness"]"Very good! It's one of my favorite pass times, silly puzzles like that."

As the fossil puzzle is complete, that crystal clear glass wall parts down the center. Turning a corner will shed light, and then another corner will show the incline leading up into the gym's arena.

Francie bounces into the light with a grin across her face, lifting a finger to wave it excitedly back and forth in the air. Mostly, she just can't contain herself.

"Congratulations Johnathan! You managed to make it in the time limit, seconds to spare, but you did it!"

Once up in the arena, she takes a right to make her way to the podium encasing the Stone Badges. She pulls one from the case once it's opened with her retina and turns toward Johnathan, holding the badge out for him to take.

"You and your sobble did an excellent job. You're determined and have a great strength in you. You're a great judge of character, though not impulsive in trusting others with your pokemon. Quick thinker too! You deserve this."

Valerio Dachev - roll total 200+
submitting to mod req!