All things considered, today was going smoothly. Vanilla might have be kicked off of a ride and sent flying into the ground, but on the plus side, she had met another gym leader! There were silver linings in every little experience here in Hoenn. "We're gym challengers ourselves and just got back from doing Navy 's gym and got our first badge!" "Which means that we're gunna kick your butt eventually, if not sooner!" Proxii chimed in, letting out a series of kackling, electrified laughter before being elbowed by his trainer.

"Ugh, Proxii! Be nice to the people we're going to...face?" Vanilla began to snap at the Rotom before watching as Johanna's attention wandered towards a shape in the air. A familiar looking one as the girl recognized the Pokemon from back home in Galar. "A Drifblim!" She smiled, greeting the balloon pokemon. Proxii even would greet him, popping out of his RotomPhone device. The vendor turned the corner just as quick as Vanilla looked over to see a myriad of Pokémon shaped balloons. She motioned for Johanna to follow her as she'd hurry to get one of her own.

"I guess you must be busy making sure that everyone's having a good time. Does running an event like this make you tired? I can't imagine that it's easy." She said, semi admiring her new Pikachu shaped balloon.

PROMPT:
- Buy a Balloon Pokemon.

Johanna Joy

Vanilla walked, and searched, and searched some more, but still, no sign of that fiery little guy! She huffed and took a breather on a nearby bench while watching some bushes nearby shake as the soft cries of a Pokémon could be heard. She would have believed it to be a Charcadet, but the crackling electricity all but dashed those chances. "Ugh, still no sign of it. But where else could it be? Did that Safari Lead lie to us?" She pouted, stomping her feet as the trainer looked over towards the horizon.

"I'm fine." Vanilla said, brushing herself off while glaring at her Rotomphone, who just so happened to be going towards one of the stalls with ice cream again in an effort to buy himself into the girl's good graces once more. "I've had worse times in the Ultra Sea. So a fall's no big deal." After looking back towards the woman, she'd focus on her a bit, eyes squinting before the girl would let out a sudden gasp in surprise. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! You're...ohmigod!" She squealed in excitement, stars in her eyes as the teen would be starstruck just in time for Proxii to return carrying a biig berry covered cone of vanilla ice cream. He'd gaze up at the woman while Vanilla struggled to form the words in her mouth.

"Johanna Joy?" he asked, holding the cone away just in time for Vanilla to nod her head at a pace that almost made her achieve flight.

"Yes! Ever Grande City's own Gym Leader! It's such an honour to meet you! I know you hear that all the time, but it's true!~" She would have gushed on and on about the woman, all that research done in order to prepare about the gym base don what was readily available had Proxii not handed her the frozen treat again and she happily bit into it, claming her down some. Munching on her favorite ice cream, she took a large bite out of the various berries littering the surface of the treat.

"I'm Vanilla, by the way, and this is Proxii. What are you doing during the summer festival, Ms. Joy?"

PROMPT:
- Eat a carnival treat.

Johanna Joy

Every count of the start of the race hit Vanilla's stomach like a a single, bone shattering punch. She gulped hard and clutched her Altaria's plumage harder as the bird chirped along, shaking its fathers in anticipation. When the green flag had been waved, all the racers pulled up on the reigns as they'd shoot up into the air and fly along with one another. Once again, Vanilla was forced to face her fear of heights while looking down at the ground beneath them going further and further away. After a brief stint of panicking, she pulled her eyes away just in time to catch sight of the first obstacle to the race.

The first turn was fairly significant, a good way to gauge what Pokémon were going to be top seeds in this race. Vanilla knew that Altaria wasn't exactly the sharpest turner compared to her competition, but took her time and aimed to play it safe with the turn. She stuck to the midfield and aimed to try and overtake the less agile opponents.

Josh Devlin

The FUntasia was in town and Vanilla was al the more excited for it. In an effort to unwind after her lengthy training sessions either solo or at Thomas Benoit 's ranch with his guidance, the teen found herself walking among the masses as the cheerful sights and sounds of the carnival could be heard across every route in Hoenn. "Whoa, this place is awesome." Vanilla said to herself, walking around with the largest berry cone she had ever had the privilege of eating. Proxii hovered beside her, the RotomDex idly popping his head out of the electronic to bite into a spare berry dropping from his trainer's cold treat. "This looks like Hammerlocke when it's Christmas time!" The two continued on.


"Huh? What's that?" Proxii pointed out, causing Vanilla to swivel her head and see people playing some kind of strange game. It was some kind of strange game involving a Tauros, or well, a robot version of it. "Oh, I'm definitely doing that!" Vanilla got a spark in her eyes from seeing it, setting the ice cream to Proxii while hurrying in line to wait her turn. The Rotom would set the ice cream down in a safe place and leave the phone behind as he'd get a devious little idea. Once it was Vanilla's turn, she'd climb aboard and hold onto the fake reins. The bucking was only slight, but she was somehow staying on for a while. It increased in severity as she'd hold on for dear life. But it wasn't until the sound of crying, winding gears that she looked down to see Proxii's face staring back up at her.

"Proxii, you jer-aaauuuugh!"

The sudden increase had kicked Vanilla straight off of the Tauros and made the poor girl airborne. By some stroke of luck, she'd land directly beside Johanna face first, groaning to herself as the playful Rotom would rush over to her side, having rushed back to re-possess her phone again. "Vanilla! Are you alright?! I didn't mean to launch you that hard! You're not dead, right?" He panicked as the girl slowly pushed herself up with a sigh. "Could you at least WARN me next time you're going to try and kill me?!" She snapped at her Rotom and brushed herself off before looking up at the woman next to her.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't hit you on the way down, did I?"

PROMPT:
- Involve or reference a Taurus-Rodeo Game.

Johanna Joy

She frowned. Vanilla knew that Biscotti was bullshitting her. You didn't know an older sibling for nearly a decade an a half without picking up when they were letting on more than they said they did. But Vanilla wouldn't push him on it. He reassured her as Vanilla exhaled. "Just be careful." she said calmly. her hands fell into his, squeezing for a moment. "I lost Dad, I can't lose you too." There was a genuine sincerity in her voice, something that let Scotti know that she cared for his well being immensely. Despite this, he drifted off and left her to the task at hand.

Vanilla chipped and toiled away in the mines, swinging her pickaxe from side to side. Chunks of tera crystals and gems flew away with every stroke of her tool. It was a hard time doing this, especially with her sibling just taking the full brunt of whatever energies this cave gave to people. She wanted to scream at him to stop being bullheaded and tear him out of this stupid cave and just...go find something normal to do. But they were anything but normal at this point. So Vanilla chipped away. The increased strength of the illusions only caused him further anguish, but she'd know he would have wanted her to keep going and leave him to take care of everything.

---

TL;DR:
- Vanilla painfully continues to FOCUS ON MINING
- Vanilla obtains 1 CURIO
- Vanilla has a total of 50 RKS POINTS & 1 CURIO
Biscotti Kingsley

Vanilla walked with the royal inside of the cave, once more holding onto the pickaxe that would be used to try and get as much ore as she could carry from the tera crystals inside. She smiled up at other woman, her youthful face showcasing her elation to be working alongside a familiar face, but anxiety about helping her share the burden what would be underneath this cavern. "Ready to do this?" she asked the royal, looking at the energies within the crystals and inhaling as she'd ready herself for the incoming onslaught of mental attacks. "Let's do this quickly and get out before something bad happens, alright?"

---

TL;DR:
- Vanilla decides to TAKE THE BRUNT EQUALLY
- Vanilla obtains 50 RKS POINTS
- Vanilla has a total of 50 RKS POINTS
Elise Calcifet

CLAIMING:

• VALOR BADGE
  be awarded the badge by the gym leader, MICHAEL NAVIDSON
  Proof
• PEST CONTROL (10 PD)
  have your character defend your garden from a pokemon attack.
  PROOF

Vanilla listened to Navy's words, the teen remaining quiet while he'd tell her the names of other gym leaders who could help her. Some were common name, like Silph and Maher, but she still felt like any gym leader would be able to offer her advice on what she should do better. Of course, they all had busy schedules and she wasn't asking them to really set aside everything for some thirteen year old with a father issue.

He took her over to a portion of the gym's wall while she'd come face to face with a few of the messages from other challengers. Filled with advice and things. Navy handed her a brush and instructed her to write something on it, like the trainers who had come before her. Vanilla remained silent, moving along while looking at the many sorts of advice on the wall. All of it was helpful, but one stood out above the rest. It made her pause and look at it in earnest while her brain would process every bit of it.

Just be you.

"Just...be me?" Vanilla said to herself, lips moving without a sound coming out of her mouth. She thought back to how it felt to have her first gym match. How nerve wracking it was, worrying about her Pokemon and their health. But in that, she could feel it. the embers of aspiration swelling in her chest. She loved the feeling of going against the odds and winning like that. It was like the sweetest pastry that she had ever eaten back home. All it did was make her crave it again. She had been so deadset on becoming a great basker like her family despite her heart not being in it that trying to search for their father had introduced her to so many people, experiences. Sure, she was hurt and even if some people thought of her as hurt or vulnerable, Vanilla would do them again in an instant. Her placed wasn't behind an oven or in the kitchen, but outside with other people.

She wouldn't be the best like her siblings in whatever they did, she would just be herself.

Vanilla felt the nudge of Proxii, having been standing there, lost in her thoughts for a solid minute and a half. So she'd walk slowly to an open space before quickly writing her own words of encouragement. It was something that she maybe needed to hear from somebody, but never did. Hopefully, somebody would find some use for it. Once Vanilla was done, she took a moment to observe her work.

The chef of a perfect dish has the knowledge of ten thousand failed dishes.

She spun around to face Navy again, this time with a renewed sense of direction. "Thank you for the advice, the battle, everything." She slowly stuck out a hand, not to accept the badge, but to shake hands with the man with a smile. "Maybe some day, we can meet up and battle again."

Navy

He called off the fight? Vanilla looked surprised at Navy as the man would call back Genbu, with the other two on his team incapacitated. Still fully into the battle, she'd stammer a bit at the lights coming back on and the gym leader coming down from his perch. He approached her as Vanilla could feel her heart racing still. Her body, however, was a bit drained from the battle. She hesitated for a moment before letting out a soft exhale. "Not really..." Vanilla said, shaking her head. "I tried to be a baker before this, but didn't really do much. Whenever I get into a fight, I just kind of...zone out." Vanilla explained while Proxii soon would pop out of her jacket pocket again, cheerful about the match.

"She kicked ass, of course! No doubt for an up and coming challenger. Pretty soon, Vanilla will be up there in the big leagues with moves like that!" The Rotomphone said triumphantly. Vanilla puffed her right cheek out before then looking back up at Navy. "I know you're impressed, b-but I don't really feel that I have this thing down pat. So I was wondering...If you didn't mind, maybe could you help me with it? I'd really appreciate any help or advice you may be able to give."

Navy

Vanilla nodded at Navy, giving a smirk of her own. She was holding her own against the man, no matter how much the cards were stacked against her. But she wasn't out of the woods just yet. There was still some work to be done.

The Altaria was still tuckered after being the receiving end of many attacks, and looked worse for wear. Vanilla wasn't going to push her too far. But as their greatest foe would head back onto the field, Vanilla would once again be faced with what to do. "Cauli's losing her Mega energy soon. I doubt she'd have enough for another minute, but I've still got one last thing before I can recall her." She'd glance between the others, looking at the other three.

The Sylveon had taken the Quick Attack fairly well, a bit dinged up and pushed back from the attack. She growled, ruffling her ribbons in a way at the Cyclizar though still playful, in an aggressive sort of way. Genbu seemed to be a tad flustered from the charm and Vanilla couldn't help at how bashful he had been. Poor Wartortle. Meanwhile, the Bisharp would frown at the defiance by the Shuckle, remaining fairly silent while observing the Shuckle. Even with its previous move, it would no doubt make short work of this opponent.

Vanilla watched the battle unfold as an idea came into her head. It was risky, but it could also stall Lizzy enough so that her Pokemon could have a better chance at dealing with the other two.

"Cutlery! Ribbon! Swap opponents!"

Both looked shocked at the call, but would oblige with the command. Ribbon bound forward towards the Shuckle just as the Bisharp passed it on its way to deal with the speedster. Once happily at the Shuckle, the Sylveon would use SKILL SWAP. A small orb of light would shoot from the Sylveon into Shuckle, who would then have an orb of its own go into Sylveon as the two had exchanged Abilities. Now feeling a bit more defensive, the Sylveon would wagging its Ribbons to the Shuckle, almost asking if it wanted to play.

Meanwhile, her Altaria would remain upright, taking aim at the Cyclizar while the Wartortle was too smitten to attack for a brief period. Seeing its chance, it would rear its head and unleashing another shower of energy from its mouth, casting MOONBLAST against the dragon type. Once that was done, it would changed back into its standard Altaria form.

The Bisharp hurried towards the Cylizar just after the Altaria had attacked it. Aiming to catch it off guard, the Bisharp would surge forward and aim to attack its side with a NIGHT SLASH. Regardless if it hit or not, the Bisharp's eyes would reflect light, its hands making a taunting motion for the dragon type to attack.

Mega Altaria Duration: 3 // 3 Posts

Navy

The realization hit her like a brick. Vanilla was allowed to just start throwing out Pokémon like nobody's business? Why didn't she do that from before? A hand went for the Pokeball on her belt, holding it in her hand and narrowing her eyes at Navy. Cauli's Hurricane had done something, at the bare minimum, throwing off the entry hazard that littered Vanilla's side of the field. The other three Pokémon had been damaged by it as well, although the faster opponent had made a sacrifice to protect the Lycanroc and left. Even the Shuckle had to retreat from this.

"That's one threat off the field, maybe now I can make some lead way in this fight." she thought to herself. Cauli had taken the brunt of the stone tomb and just as damaged as the other two from the rest of her enemies' attacks. She was faltered fast, but Vanilla would pray that she could hold out until the Mega Energy was finished.

It came to be her turn as she glanced at the field around her. Cayenne would be pushed back, grunting as she had been fully blasted with a Hydro Pump. SHe'd huff in retaliation, tail swinging left and right. Although Vanilla would try and ponder what the play would be here. "Cayenne's not exactly on good ground. But I think I know just who can help." She let out a whistle as the fire croc would back away towards her. The trainer called her back into the ball before then being helped by Proxii, who latched it back onto her belt and replaced it with a new one.

"Just hold on a while longer, Cauli! I know you can do it!" she called out, then taking a Pokeball in each hand. She'd throw out two newcomers to the gym challenge. The first was a Bisharp, who'd keep its eyes centered on the two rock types across from it. The second, a Sylveon as it would face off against the Wartortle with a playful movement, waggling her ribbons at the. She thought back to that team attack that Navy's two Pokemon had managed against the Hurricane. While she didn't have anything like that pre-planned out, Vanilla set her sights on the Shuckle from earlier taking refuge in its shell. She did want to keep it inside for a little longer as a brief idea appeared in her mind.

The Altaria, wounded, would raise a little higher up, letting a shrill cry out before sending out a wide blast of energy, using DRAGON PULSE. Using this opportunity while the the Shuckle took refuge, the Bisharp took off in a dead sprint towards the rock-bug type as his horn began to glow while aiming to thrust his head and carve the Shuckle into two with IRON HEAD! The Sylveon, meanwhile, would chirp at the Wartortle as it would offer a pleasing and cute wink, using CHARM to make its opponent hampered by the fairy type's cuteness!

Mega Altaria Duration: 2 // 3 Posts

Navy

Vanilla peered inside of the huge crystals as their luster had began to darken more and more. She was being stared at, with eyes scattered all across the surface of the crystals, staring her down. She backed slowly while fearful for what these were going to do with the two interlopers that were currently busy pilfering some of their gem brethren. Navy called out to her which broke her out of her worried thoughts, as the girl lugged her bulging bag of crystals behind her as they sped out of the cavern.

"You doing alright?" She asked Navy in between breaths. The bag was heavy and weighing her down considerably. Muscles tensed up and felt as if they had been on fire while she ran, pushing herself to not get left behind by the man. "*huff* *huff*, are we getting some distance between us?" Vanilla spun around to spot ghostly hands scratching at the earth, reaching out further and further to grasp at the two. It sent her into a panic as she'd force herself harder to gain some much needed speed.

"Forget I asked!"

---

TL;DR:
- Vanilla runs fast and LESSENS THE LOAD TO ESCAPE
- Vanilla OBTAINS 100 RKS POINTS
- Vanilla has a total of 200 RKS POINTS & 1 CURIO

Navy