First to the Finish

[Chadwyck]

OoC: First of all I want to apologize for this really long post that is to follow, but I hope that I covered the ship well enough and what not >.>; secondly, don't feel like you have to flock to the area my characters end up in, I left it open in case anyone would like to, and feel free to do so, but if you want to do a simple introduction post that's fine; once we get a feel for everyone's character I'm sure things will begin moving along just fine. NOW THEN
This is closed to everyone except for those people who posted in the discussion thread (plus Belle because I invited her to join) so if you are not one of those people, I apologize. On to the long post.

BiC:


The air was cold, much colder than usual as a result of the height; being several miles up makes things a bit chilly, despite the fact that it was just after noon and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The observation deck was one of the few places that one could find some alone time aboard the Sky Voyager, the name given to the airship which would house the first annual Inter-Regional Sky Race. The ship was full to the brim of spectators and reporters, all of whom were present to watch the competition. Aboard the ship were thirty participants from every region, the ones with the thirty fastest times at the qualifying race.

Rein Vanguarde sat out on the observation deck, trying to get a moment to himself. He didn’t mind the company of others, in fact he had become much more outgoing in years past, but the constant interviews with reporters and well wishers were a bit tiring and more than a little overwhelming. Part of him enjoyed it, though; otherwise he would have just went back to the competitor only area of the ship. He had participated in the qualifying round simply as a way to gauge his Charizard’s speed against other Pokemon. He was as surprised as anyone when his time ended up being one of the top thirty. Now he was an official participant in the first Sky Race, an event that had never been hosted before.

The event was being put on by the Rendall Corporation; an enormous company with locations scattered throughout the world. Despite their vast wealth and amazing revenue, they used their success to fuel fundraisers and donate to charities. The Sky Race itself was being hosted to not only unite the regions in a competition of speed and skill, but the money raised from the event was going to be put to use in every region by going toward renovating cities and improving living conditions for the downtrodden. Saffron City in particular was in desperate need of funding to rebuild after a fire burned down several buildings.

Rein, a proud competitor from the Kanto Region, he had been most recently traveling through Sinnoh, it was rare for him to stay in any one region for long, though recently he had mostly been traveling and challenging gym leaders with his friend Flyn. Flyn was currently in Sinnoh; he had reserved himself to watch the race from the random apartment that he and Rein had rented until they continue their journey.

The young competitor felt the air flow through his black hair, the green streaks catching the sunlight. He couldn’t remember the last time that he felt this at peace, but he knew that there were a lot of people that he owed it to. On his journeys he had met countless people who made everything seem alright, even in the darkest of times.

Rein was wearing a sort of haphazardly-thrown-on hoodie that he bundled himself up in because the observation deck was so cold. Underneath was a green tee-shirt and he wore a pair of blue jeans with green hi-top shoes adorning his feet. It was different than his usual look which was made up of a dress shirt, slacks and formal shoes, but he felt like dressing down for he tournament, a rare feeling that he tended to adhere to when it struck.

Beside him, as always, was his faithful companion, Lunara. The Umbreon never left his side, nor would she ever want to. They had been together for ten years now, and the Dark-Type kept constant vigil over her trainer; never letting him be by himself. Though in past years her attitude mirrored Rein’s, often cold and standoffish, the Umbreon had brightened up almost more than her trainer had; now she was friendly toward everyone and generally playful. Rein marveled at the change in her demeanor often, and laughed when he realized what a testament that was to his own attitude adjustment.

“Attention, competitors,” a woman’s voice cooed warmly, “the Sky Voyager will be arriving in just under two hours in the airspace over Kanto; the location of our first race. Upon arriving we will present the order in which competitors will be allowed to practice on the course. The race will be tomorrow at nine AM. Repeat…”

“All right, Lunara, let’s head inside and grab some lunch for the gang. We’ve got some practicing to prepare for. And we can’t hide from our public forever, can we?” Rein chuckled, knowing how much the Umbreon had been enjoying the attention from the reporters and spectators. Lunara beamed brightly and nodded, hopping off the deck chair she had been sprawled out on.

The ship was enormous. It had to be to house all the people aboard. The section of the ship reserved only for race participants in itself was as large as a five star hotel, and equally as lavishly furnished. The check-in desk for competitors is in an entirely marble lobby, and a solid mahogany desk housed a cheerful representative of the Rendall Corporation taking names and assigning room numbers. Great glass elevators stood immediately behind the desk that went up several stories. It was a dizzying sight to behold.

Rein couldn’t speak for the other competitors, but he assumed that their rooms were equally as luxurious as his was. The rooms were more like small apartments than hotel rooms. There was a living area with an HD TV set up that was about forty-eight inches minimum, a couch, a recliner and loveseat. There were two bedrooms, just in case a competitor had brought a friend or family member with them. Each bedroom was outfitted with a king-size memory foam bed, a dresser, a wardrobe and a walk-in closet. The bathroom marble, like the lobby, with a theme of crystal and gold everywhere.

Then there were the spectator sections of the ship, open to the public and competitors alike, that was like being aboard a cruise ship attached to the five-star hotel that was the competitor section. It wasn’t as nicely decorated as the competitor section, but it was still lovely. There were five restaurants, eight swimming pools, three arcades, a casino and more lounges than anyone knew what to do with. People walked around with sparkling champagne enjoying their elevated status, however brief it may be. Giant jumbotron TVs were set up in various places to watch the races when they were going on, just in case going outside onto the spectator deck of the ship was just too much hassle.

Of course, there were also the crew’s quarters, which were less luxurious and more practical, as they weren’t meant to be over the top. However, the crew still lived in well furnished, comfortable accommodations. Food was provided for them that was on par with the restaurants on the above decks, and the captain’s quarters were on par with one of the lower end suites for spectators. The only reason they weren’t quite as nice as the guest area of the ship was to prevent the crew from shirking off their duties in favor of relaxation. The guests were there to play away the day, the crew was there to make sure that they could continue to do so.

Security provided by the police forces of every region were on board, as well as private security specialists hired specifically by the Rendall Corporation themselves. They kept a low profile, specifically instructed not to make guests aware of their presence unless something was wrong; it was difficult to have a good time when security loomed behind your back, people tend to be paranoid, and it would only be a matter of time before they thought something was wrong. Security patrolled regularly, so it was impossible not to see them from time to time, but they were told to avoid contact unless it was initiated by the guests. Not that they minded, they had a job to do, after all.

All in all the ship was magnificent and completely luxurious, there was almost no chance that someone could be bored, it just wasn’t possible with all there was to do. There were new people to meet, places to go, things to be done. It was like an all expenses paid vacation for the competitors and an expensive getaway for spectators who wished to have bragging rights among their friends on the ground.

Back in the spectator area, Rein and Lunara marveled at the volume of people crowding the walkways and lobby. Luckily, the young man need not worry about getting a table, competitors received certain perks at the restaurants; they were given any available table immediately. It was like being a celebrity. And, Rein supposed, in a way he sort of was. Representing Kanto in an inter-regional race was a pretty big deal, and people tended to treat him with a certain respect. It made him feel slightly guilty, but it was, admittedly, a pretty good feeling.

He and his Dark-Type opted for an Italian dinner, so they walked in and immediately they received invitations to join various people at tables. It was hard not to be recognized when your face was plastered all over the ship in the list of competitors. Rein accepted an offer to dine with one of the reporters. “I suppose one more interview over dinner wouldn’t hurt. So long as you don’t mind my pausing when the food arrives.” He chuckled.

“Of course not, Mister Vanguarde.” She smiled as the waiter provided a chair for him. “My name is Victoria, by the way, Victoria Cross.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Cross,” Rein smiled in return.

“Just Victoria is fine, Mister Vanguarde.”

“So long as you call me Rein, I prefer being on equal ground.”

“Of course.”

“Will anyone else be joining us?” Rein asked, Lunara contentedly curling up at his feet beneath the table.

“I’ve invited a few more of the competitors to join us, if that’s all right with you?”

“Completely. It’s your table, after all. Thank you for allowing us to join you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

They made small talk for a few minutes before the waiter returned to take their orders. “I’m going to wait for the others, but I would like a glass of wine in the meantime, please.” Rein asked politely, realizing that he was dressed completely inappropriate for such a nice restaurant. The decision to dress down faded at this time, and he decided that he’d only dress down for the races themselves from now on.

“So, Rein, tell me about yourself.”

“There’s really not much to tell.”

---------------------------------------------------------

Chad Felling made it into the sky race exactly as he had planned to. He trusted his PokeMon’s abilities, and they trusted in his leadership. His accomplishment was a bit short lived, however, when he saw the list of competitors flash across the screen on the wall.

The young man was dressed nicely, figuring it best to try and blend into the crowd. He had his black hair combed up as opposed to its usual unkempt messy appearance. He wore a black suit, white shirt and red tie. A Murkrow perched proudly upon his shoulder, a red ribbon tied around its “hat” like feathers atop its head.

He figured it was best to give her a call.

”Hello?”

“It’s me.”

”I gathered as much,” The voice chuckled over the phone, ”you know there’s such a thing as caller ID, Chad?”

“Alice, this is not a laughing matter.” The seriousness in his tone told her that something was terribly wrong. She waited for him to continue. “Rein is here. He’s one of the competitors. What if…” he paused for a moment, “what if he’s here like you suspect?”

Alice was silent on the other end for a few moments. ”We stick to the plan. You’re there to compete in a race and keep a look out for our target. If he’s there, you know what to do.”

“But what if his target is Rein? What if the reason you got wind he might be here is because he’s looking for someone. Why else would he come out of hiding now?”

”If Richard is there, you follow the plan. My brother can look after himself.”

“Alice…”

”That’s an order.” There was silence on the line for a moment. ”I pray that this was a false alarm. If that’s the case, you compete in the race and enjoy yourself. But if our tipoff holds up, I will not miss this chance to end it.”

There was a click. The line went dead.

It had been three years since Chad and Alice had brought down the Team Rocket branch in Saffron City. However, as successful as their plan had been, they had missed their primary target: Richard. The man who tortured Rein and vowed vengeance upon Alice and everyone around her. He’d gone missing after that, but they had never stopped looking for him. They were vigilantes now, taking the law into their own hands because no one would touch Richard without evidence. Alice didn’t need evidence; she’d seen all she needed over the years of servitude. Richard had told her never to speak to Rein or the boy would be killed. Even now that she was free from Team Rocket, she couldn’t risk seeing her brother; not while Richard was still alive somewhere.

“I don’t like it, Omen,” the Murkrow nodded in agreement. “Come on, we best get to that restaurant; that reporter will be wanting her interview.”

He strode along, trying his best to push the details of his mission to the back of his mind. For now he would enjoy himself, and keep a look out for anyone suspicious. Just because he was on lookout didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun, after all. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.

People constantly stopped him and asked for autographs and wishing him luck. It was lovely, really. After a few minutes of walking and politely excusing himself from conversation, he found the Italian restaurant. The other choices of cuisine were fairly diverse; there was Asian, a Steak House, European and a buffet that combined a number of different dishes.

“Ah! Mister Felling, thank you for joining us.” Victoria beamed when the man walked through the door. “I don’t suppose you’ve met Mister Vanguarde?”

Chad froze for a moment when he saw the young man at the table. All those years of Alice’s pain and worry over this man sitting before him. The look in his eyes made him appear much older than he actually was, but Chad knew that it was simply because of the pain and sorrow that he had faced in his life. Now, coming face to face for the first time, Chad could see that Alice was right; all those years of fighting on his own, Rein could take care of himself. He had been for quite some time.

“No, I’ve never had the pleasure. Hello, Mister Vanguarde, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Just Rein is fine. Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you. Omen!” Chad shouted, the Murkrow had fluttered his way over and perched atop Rein’s head. “Sorry about that, he’s a curious little fiend.”

Rein just started laughing. “Don’t worry about it. Now then,” he said taking a drink of his wine, “are we missing anyone else, Victoria?”

“I suspect that we’ll see a few more before the night is through.”

 

[Rex]

“I don’t like this, Leon, what if someone recognizes me?”

“Their picture of you is twelve years old, Spencer. You’re so paranoid even I wouldn’t know what your real name is if I hadn’t looked up the event in question. You’ve even changed your appearance, three times might I add. They aren’t going to know who you are.”

Leon Vance and his comrade, Dr. Spencer Asimov, were standing in the living space of the former’s apartment. They were two of thirty competitors who entered a race put on by the Rendall Corporation, a rather large group. Leon had entered the two in the hope that they would get a little money out of it, and somehow they had made it through the qualifiers.

The room they were standing in was overly large, and extremely fancy. Even Leon, who had lived in a mansion before traveling with Spencer, was astounded by it. Leon himself was sitting on a large couch. Wearing a pair of brown jeans and cream long sleeved tee, Leon was the very definition of casual. He had a bit of a tan, brown hair, slightly above average height. His companion, Spencer, was leaning against the far wall. His hair was silver, and he wore a white jacket and blue jeans, with a crimson scarf around his neck. He was a bit shorter then Leon was, paler as well.

“Attention, competitors, the Sky Voyager will be arriving in just under two hours in the airspace over Kanto; the location of our first race. Upon arriving we will present the order in which competitors will be allowed to practice on the course. The race will be tomorrow at nine AM.”

“Sounds like the real fun will begin tomorrow morning,” Leon grinned, “Hope it’s a little bit warmer.

“We’re several miles above sea level, the very air is thinner up here,” Spencer replied, speaking in a thin but still noticeable Russian accent.

“You’re right,” Leon nodded, before smirking, “Try not to pass out during the race, old man!”

Spencer growled, “I’m only ten years older then you are.”

“Still one of the oldest competitors here,” Leon pointed out, before standing up and stretching, “We should go to lunch; there are a lot of reporters, bet they’d want to talk to us.”

“You go, I’d rather not go into the spectator areas,” Spencer replied.

“Suit yourself,” Leon shrugged.

The young man stood, and then exited the room. He took a minute to nod hello the Infernape standing watch outside, Spencer’s Mikhail, before walking to the spectator part of the ship. Easily larger then the competitor section, it was only slightly less lavish, and filled with people. The whole place must have been three times the size of Leon’s own home back in Kanto, and most likely kept up by technology that rivaled even what kept the Battle Frontier running.

Walking to the Italian restaurant, Leon was almost overwhelmed by the invitations he received to join other tables. Politely turning each one down, the young man eventually located a reporter who was sitting with two gentlemen he recognized as fellow competitors. He wandered over to the group, hands in his pockets.

“Hello, miss, gentlemen,” he grinned pleasantly, “I’m Leon Vance, mind if I join you?”

 

[Mr.RMA]

Within one of the competitor’s rooms, a young man was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling above him as he held a cell phone to his ear with one hand, and gently patted the Gligar sitting beside him with the other, sighing before continuing the conversation that was taking place.

“I still don’t feel like I deserve this, Josie…” He murmured through the speaker. “This was your dream from the very beginning. You were the one who had the gift in the family for this kinda thing. It just seems like I’m stealin’ it from you.”

The boy, a Johto native who went by the name of Tim Dye, was still unable to fathom how he, a simple teenager from Azalea town, and his only recently evolved Flygon, Rene, were able to make it into the top thirty times to qualify for this race. The honor, in his mind, should’ve gone to the person he was talking to over the phone, his younger sister Josie.

“Tim, you gotta stop feeling sorry for yourself about that. What happened back at Blackthorn was my fault, not yours.” The girl replied tiredly in a tone that signified she had been trying to get this fact into her older brother’s head for quite some time now. Knowing how her sibling was though, she doubted he would accept this anymore now than he did before.

Josie and Tim had both intended to compete together in the qualifying rounds for the race, though Josie, a dragon-type trainer who had flown Pokemon since before she even started training, was considered by both of them to be the one of the two to actually have a chance at making it into the finals. Tim had only signed up to see how competitive flying was like, as well as to see how Rene would fare in his newly evolved form. Things ended up working differently than they expected however, as Josie ended up breaking her right arm after falling off her Salamence during a particularly rigorous training exercise through the mountains near Blackthorn City. She attempted to find a way to compete even with the injury, though the pain always ended up distracting her too much and, at the urging of her parents, she revoked her place in the qualifier. Finding new incentive, Tim promised Josie he would do his best in her place and went into each round, dedicated to, if anything, finish the race. It was now plainly obvious he had done far more than just that.

“You earned that spot, Tim. You and Rene have always been a great team when it’s come to battling, and racing isn’t all that different from that.”

“Well, you’re the expert. I guess I’ll take your word for it…”

“Just try to forget about it and try to have some fun while you’re there. You can’t just spend all your free time moping around.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Oh, and Tim? Good luck”

After saying their goodbyes, Tim placed the phone on the nightstand next to his bed and sat up, looking down towards the FlyScorpion next to him, who was looking back up with his usual grin, his tongue sticking out of his mouth in a normal Gligar-like fashion.

“Well, how ‘bout it, Aurel? Might as well at least get a good walk in, right?” He asked, getting a jovial nod in response. With that, he moved out of his bed and walked towards the bathroom. He had gotten up earlier than usual to get to the airship on time, and needless to say he wasn’t exactly looking his best at the moment. If he was going to go out in public, he’d have to at least look more presentable. He straightened out his red flannel shirt, tucking it in his worn jeans before putting on the brown air force jacket his father had given him for the occasion. Flattening the cowlick on his short black hair until it was somewhat unnoticeable; Tim glanced at himself in the mirror for a moment, nodded self-assuredly, and walked towards the door. Aurel gleefully clamped onto his trainer’s back as the two made their way out through the luxurious hallway and towards the rest of the ship.

Once they reached the spectator area, Tim noticed quite a number of people starting to watch him, looks of surprise and excitement shared among the crowd. Seeing as the boy had gone straight to his room and had stayed there in seclusion for hours, people had gotten curious as to who exactly he was. He had appeared in pictures along with all the other finalists, but never really spoke with anyone. Of course, this drove many to find out more about him. Pretending not to notice the looks he received, Tim took out a piece of paper that someone had slipped through his door earlier that day. It was an invite to sit with some reporter or something at the Italian restaurant. The downside was that Tim couldn’t navigate a monstrous ship like this if his life depended on it, and had no idea where the restaurant was.

“Makes Ilex forest seem like a cakewalk…” He muttered, making his way through the now swarms of people trying to get his attention. Where in the world was that restaurant?

 

[Weeds]

"Nngh... Verin, go away."

The man lazily swiped at the Zangoose. Verin tilted her head. Jake had been asleep since breakfast. That could not be healthy for someone his age.

Verin moaned at Jake. She was hungry, and she was quite sure he was too.

"Oh all right then," Jake said, sitting up. He stretched and yawned. "I guess I'm pretty hungry too, now that I think about it."

Jake got up from the humongous bed he'd been sleeping in. "You know, I'm still amazed at how luxurious these rooms are. I haven't slept in a room this neat since... Well, ever."

The room truly was amazing. Other than the huge and insanely comfortable bed, he had an HD TV, a multitude of sofas, recliners and the likes. The wardrobe laughed at his sparce trainer's clothing in its sheer size. There was a second bedroom, equally amazing, which was used by some of Jake's Pokémon. The bathroom had made him drop his jaw, and he avoided using it as much as possible because of how small it made him feel.

Jake headed over to the dresser and pulled out a dark blue hoodie with a white wing on the chest, and pulled it over his green, Poké Ball-emblemed T-shirt. He checked his jeans. They were slightly worn, but still wearable, considering the fine company found on the ship

"Luxiiiiii," came a happy cry, as Sparxx, Jake's Luxio came running into the room.

"Eyo buddy," Jake said with a grin as he scratched his bald head. "We're going to go get some chow, wanna come along?"

Sparxx looked at the ceiling for half a second, then grinned and shook his head. After that, he rushed off into the living room.

Verin and Jake followed, the man laughing. The rest of Jake's Pokémon companions were already there. Jango, Darrel and Valerie were watching a show on the ginormous TV, Sparxx was rolling around on the floor, sparks flying from his fur, and Jeremiah was nowhere to be found. Jake assumed that the Marowak was having one of his usual meditational moments somewhere.

Jake looked at Valerie, his Flygon, with pride. After all that she'd been through, his girl had still managed to pull them through the qualifying rounds. It had been Jake's idea to sign up, and she had not been thrilled at first. But as they trained, and especially as they flew the qualifying round, Jake had felt her energy and excitement. Valerie was regaining some of her spirit, after The Bad Thing that happened.

"All right Val, we're headed off for lunch," Jake told the Flygon.

Valerie sighed audibly. She didn't like all the attention. Jake figured it was because of The Bad Thing, and it was improving over time, but Valerie still had trouble in crowds. It was definately something they needed to work with.

"I know you don't like it, but it's because of you we're in this mighty fine airship at all, so skip the sad-face and bust out the elegant lady look instead. You can charm the photographers for a few minutes per day, right? I don't think it's too much."

Valerie received an assuring glance from Darrel, the Scizor, before hovering over next to Jake. She shook, straightened out her back, and looked at him with a cool, slightly demeaning glance.

Jake grinned. "That's what I'm talking about. We both know who the best Flygon on this ship is, don't we? And I do know you're not the only one, so that compliment actually means something." Valerie couldn't help a smile.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, a small platoon of journalists and photographers surrounded them. Jake grinned at the cameras and politely but casually answered every question he was given. Every now and then he carefully checked on Val, but his worry was completely misplaced. Valerie's facade was complete, and she gave off just the elegant look Jake had imagined. He couldn't help feeling a surge of pride. After some ten-fifteen minutes, Jake managed to scatter the swarm by politely informing that they would be headed for lunch and would not like to be disturbed, please.

"Now, where shall we eat?" he asked his two girls as they headed towards the elevator. "I've heard the Italian place is great, but I'd rather grab something quick so we can head over to the arcades."

Verin rolled her eyes.

"What? I haven't been there once, and I've been itching to ever since we got on board."

Valerie threw him a sceptical look.

"Fine geez, we'll go to the Italian place."

OOC: It's Jake's head that's bald, not Sparxx's >>;

 

[Belle]

"Stop that."

"Nope."

"Stop that now. Get down from there."

"Noooooooo."

"You are going to fall, and you are going to fall a lot and for a long time. And then there will be plots of Bronwyn scattered over the countryside below."

"Speaking of, what are we even flying over right now?"

The older of the two girls shrugged at her comment, shuffling towards the railing and crossing her arms over the cool steel railing to watch the clouds below wafting by. From her perch on the bars, where she had entangled her legs and ankles with the last safety measure one could encounter before effectively hurling themselves over the side of the ship, Bronwyn ignored her cousin's comments and folded over the topmost railing to allow herself a better view of what could be seen from above the cloud cover, and a good portion of the ship's hull.
Aside from that though, she couldn't make much of the landscape out - especially not after the sun had set and the day turned to dusk.
Didn't stop them from relishing in the silence, though.

Standing (hanging, draping, take your pick) side-by-side as they were, the girls could have been sisters. They shared the same chocolate curls, though Bronwyn left hers long and untamed, while the elder had hers cut short and styled such that the ringlets framed her face - very reminiscent of vintage vogue. They shared the same wide hazel-green eyes and pretty mouths, though Bronnie kept hers curled up into a perpetual grin while her companion adopted a more mellow, laid-back stance. Though Bronnie was indeed taller than her already above-average height cousin, the girl's physique was more lithe and athletic than the other girl's toned and muscular form. This alone was highly indicative of their respective professions, especially when comparing the honey-gold complexion of the youth to the older girl's porcelain face. For a while they remained like that, the only dynamic feature of the scene being the gales of wind that whipped their hair about their faces, coats pulled tight around both bodies to trap the heat produced by their racing hearts.
If there was anything the two shared that wasn't strictly physical, it was that pulse-pounding, blood-chilling, heart-gripping, knee-shaking toe-curling pupil-shrinking goosebump-inducing thrill of the adrenaline rush. And the broad expanse of sky was a good place to find it.

Finally, after a few minutes has passed, Bronwyn jerked back upright and gasped for the chilled night breeze as though she'd forgotten to breathe while in her trance. Staring out into the sky for another moment, she whipped her head around, throwing the tangle of curls away from her face and neck as the wind lashed at it before locking her gaze onto her cousin.
"Belle I am hungry."
Sharing a wry smile with the hungry girl, Belle nodded approvingly and turned on her heel back towards the entrance to the ship that they had initially left from.
"I was really hoping you'd say that sooner rather than later, I'm starved."
"What're the good eats?"
"I know as much as you do. Pretty sure they're well-equipped for whatever your tastes"
Nodding slowly as she disentangled herself with the railing, Bronwyn took three lunging steps to the door and flung it open before tucking herself and her cousin inside, both smoothing their hair down and brushing it back into place. Wordlessly, they made their way back towards the spectator's section of the ship through the elaborate hallways of the competitor's quarters, the only sounds to be heard being the faint murmurs of their destination and the soft thudding of the brass of Belle's decorated boots.
When they finally made their way into the restaurant quarter, the entire area was alive and bustling and bright, drawing smiles from both girls as they surveyed the foodplaces on tiptoes, peering over the heads of strangers and ignoring the few paparazzi in the crowd who had recognized them as competitors.
Peering off in one direction or another and peering loftily into the distance, Bronwyn pursed her lips and nudged her cousin. "How about that one?"
"Don't be vague or I'll kick your ass. You looking at the Italian place?"
"No - oh but I love Italian, but no it's entirely too busy I mean look at those crowds - the sushi place next to it. Oh man I want sushi."
Not interested or willing in arguing the point, Belle nodded in agreement and grabbed hold of Bronnie's wrist, using her free hand to gently separate the crowd until they'd broken through to the entrance of the restaurant. It only took a moment for them to be seated (lovely perks of being in the competition), and when they were it was beside the large, ornately decorated window that separated the two dining places. The journey there was halted on occasion by customers who had already been seated stopping them for brief chats that were what they had accustomed to - 'oh good luck you're going to do so well, we're rooting for yoooouuuu' 'oh you're too kind yes yes thank you we appreciate it so lovely to meet you' and such. Upon being seated, naturally Bronwyn's first instinct would have been to cross her legs beneath her and crane her neck to survey the crowd that surrounded them, her grin broadening as she tried to pick out familiar faces in the crowd.

"Look, Belle, I can see that one kid and the girl he was with, um what were their names.. Oh and isn't he a racer? Or am I thinking of someone else? Oh he's cute, look there, in the green."
Ignoring her cousin's babbling to the best of her ability, Belle surveyed the menu with interest before deciding on a meal, at which point it was Bronwyn's turn to settle into her seat and pick and choose while the older girl propped her chin in her hand and peered lazily past the wall of glass into the Italian restaurant beside them.
When she too was able to pick out familiar faces, it occurred to her that there were actually quite a few gathered in just one of the dining areas.
"Bronnie look, aren't they competitors as well?"
Having been distracted by building a small tower out of the provisions set onto the table, Bronwyn's turned her eyes up to meet her cousin's expectant stare before glancing over to the scene.
"... oh I think there was a competitor interview-dinner that I was supposed to mention. By the way that's an interview. With the competitors."
Belle's eyes narrowed at her cousin's negligence, but shrugged it off and cupped her mouth in her palm as she watched the table fill up with more of the young men she had started to recognize as their competition, offering only a polite nod and appreciative smile to the young couple who had engaged her and Bronnie in well-wishings and praise before being ushered off by the wait staff.

 

[Sem]

"This ship is pretty impressive," commented a young woman in a slim, blue dress. She was in her early twenties, and her blue eyes were bright and alert. Her black hair was done up in a bun and a simple pair of black pumps were worn on her feet. She looked pretty sophisticated, and her dress wasn't something you could find in the local department store, but in actually she was just a very hungry girl. "Where's that restaurant?" Her voice was strong and even-toned. A large, blue, globular creature hovered along beside her.

"Up ahead, I think," responded a quieter voice belonging to that of a smaller girl walking next to the young woman. This other girl was sixteen, with platinum blonde hair also styled up into a bun. Her dress was a violet color and accented with silver sparkles. Her pumps were a metalic silver. Her grey eyes looked on ahead, searching for the restaurant in question.

There was a third young woman as well that looked about the same age of the blonde whom she walked next to. She too, was in a purple dress, but it was much darker. Her skin was dark, but her hair was a strange color that was like a dull rosé wine. It was wavy and worn down, ending just past her bare shoulders. Her shoes were red, going along with the string of red gems worn around her neck and her red lipstick. Her eyes were a striking yellow color. Her most striking feature was the witch's hat atop her head that matched the color of her dress.

The trio of women walked down the elegant pathway of the ship, passing an Italian restaurant.

"That looks good," The girl in blue pointed out. Of course, anything was good to her. They went inside and were promptly greeted by the maître d’.

"Good evening, ladies. Table for three, er... four?" he asked them a bit confused, gazing at the Reuniclus that was with them.

"Three please," the girl in blue nodded. A waiter appeared and led them to a table, but before they actually sat down the girl in blue noticed a reporter sitting at a table with a few other people - contestants.

"Tara?" the blonde nudged her.

"That woman will be all over me if she realizes who I am," Tara responded. She was the most recent addition to the Sinnoh League's Hall of Fame, finally taking the title of Champion after only reaching the top four years prior.

"Not just you," the blonde in purple said. "I was in the top four in the last Unova League." She flashed a silver ring she was wearing. It was a miracle that they had been able to avoid paparazzi thus far.

"And yet you still wear that," Tara said with rolled eyes and a grin. "At least it's not a gaudy, heavy thing like my Champion ring. Let's find another place." With that, Tara turned around after taking one last glance at the reporter. There was something about the woman that reminded Tara of her.

"You're making an awfully big deal - you're not even a contestant," the blonde giggled as she followed the older girl out of the Italian place, much to the confusion of the waiter.

"Only because I don't have a Pokémon large enough to carry me, let alone one that flies - it's because I eat so much," she joked. People joked that she was like a fictional character in the way that she ate so much yet failed to gain weight. She attributed it to a good metabolism.

The next place served sushi, and the blonde felt that they were too dressed up to simply settle for sushi.

"Fida, I will shamelessly snarf down sushi in this cocktail dress," Tara told the blonde.

"Look, there's a French restaurant," Fida pointed out. "Let's go there."

"la nourriture..." Tara read the restaurant's name. "Isn't that just French for 'food'?"

"I think I've heard of it before, it's supposed to be pretty good," Fida explained, taking Tara's hand and leading her towards the place. "They have locations in all of the big cities."

"Fine, fine," Tara obliged, following Fida into the restaurant, where they were seated. Fida simply ordered a water and a tea, while Tara went for a single glass of champagne.

"And you, miss?" the waiter asked the third girl in the group while trying to hold a calm and serene expression in spite of her looks.

"Oh, she won't have anything. Right, Elvia?" Fida asked.

Elvia simply shook her head.

"Right then... I'll be back momentarily with your drinks," the waiter said as he slid his notepad back into his apron and set off.

"Yes, I don't think they have misery or despair on the menu," Tara joked, drawing a small smile from Elvia's lips. Elvia didn't always used to hang around Fida in a physical form in public, but she had recently gotten into disguising herself as a human.

"It's a shame Sem couldn't make it to watch you," Tara added after a moment.

"Yeah, he'll be able to watch on TV I guess," Fida said.

"How many races have you been in?" Tara asked.

"Just one, that's when Calhoun evolved," Fida explained. "That wasn't long after you had... after we had seperated." Her voice had gone a bit quiet.

"Ah, right..." Tara nodded, her voice trailing. The girls had been reunited for quite a few years now, but the pain was still there, for both of them.

"Think Val's doing all right?" Fida asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine back in the room. She wouldn't be able to stand all the cameras here, so it's good that she stayed," Tara said.

Until recently it was unheard of for Valaura to not be by Tara's side, but she trusted Aureus, Tara's Reuniclus, enough to protect Tara in her absence. In any case she could be with them at a moment's notice in case something happened. But hopefully nothing would.

 

[Chadwyck]

Several other competitors came and sat at the table, quite a few more than Rein had been anticipating, actually, but it would be good to have other people answering interview questions; too much Q&A with the reporter would leave him feeling very drained, he disliked talking about himself for extended periods of time.

He recognized several of the people who came and joined them from the competitor lists flashing across the screens all around the ship. The young man had little chance to actually meet up and get to talk to the other competitors, so this meal would serve a great chance to speak with them as well. Lunara perked up at the new sounds of conversation joining the table.

The small talk amongst them all continued for a few minutes before Victoria spoke up, politely quieting the rest of the conversations down. "Thank you all so much for joining me this evening," she smiled a pearly grin, she did look like she belonged behind a news desk with her dazzling features, "there are a few competitors who have not arrived, but I suppose they simply did not want to share their stories tonight. The ship is a bit much to take in. For those of you who accepted my invitation, I thank you."

Rein took a sip of his wine and waited for the woman to continue.

Chad, on the other hand, couldn't stop glancing uncomfortably at Rein; the boy Alice had obsessed over for years was sitting right beside him, and he was fine. Chad wished with all his heart that Alice could be here beside him, sharing a long overdue conversation with her brother.

"I suppose," Victoria continued after a sip of her own glass, "that the most efficient way to do this interview would be to ask a series of questions and then you can all go ahead and answer them." Victoria smiled again, not sharing with everyone that she would know their answers before they even shared them. Then she noticed that her telepathy was feeling a bit groggy, there must be another telepath in the area. Looks like this interview will just be done the old fashioned way then.

"Sounds good, Victoria, but I think we should go around and introduce ourselves. I'm Rein Vanguarde, nice to meetcha." He waved to the others at the table and waited for someone else to answer.

OoC: Okay, to be honest, I don't know how to do this interview thing without autoing people and I don't want to do that. SO, with your permission, we can do a few rounds of just interaction and then skip ahead to the practice rounds. Also, this post is freaking awful. I'm sorry.

 

[Mr.RMA]

OoC: Sounds good to me. Tim hasn't even shown up at the restaurant yet. That issue shall be remedied in a few sentences...

BiC: Quickly tiring of the crowd of people following him everywhere he went, Tim finally made a break for it, plowing through a few people in front of him and sprinting towards the nearest open room he could find.

'This fame business is getting to be a real pain...' He thought to himself, picking up the pace as he heard the footsteps of some particularly dedicated people following behind, and steadily gaining on him.

"Just give me a second to breathe!" He tried yelling back, though not slowing down, knowing full well his request would be quickly denied, if it was even heard by anyone in the crowd.

"So close!" He said to himself as he neared what was making out to be a restaurant, and to his luck, the one he had been searching for.

He nearly dove for the entrance, unable to stop himself before passing by several tables, tripping over his own feet, and falling face down onto the carpet beneath him, skidding to a stop near a table that had started to fill up with, from what he could see after picking his head up from off the floor, a number of other competitors.

"Uh, sorry if I'm late. Got kinda lost out there trying to get here." He managed to say after getting back up on his feet and situating himself to an empty spot at the table.

'Sure hope this is the right spot...I've already made myself out to be a complete idiot so far...' He thought. So much for representing Azalea town in a good light, let alone the Johto region in general...