It's Clever, but is it Art?

 ARGO, TRANSIT DEPOT #4

As the day slowly creeps to a close in one of the many small transit stations of Argo, people slowly file away. The transit depot in question didn't see much use except for work transport, and at nights, people tended to leave it be.

Which is why Petra Sideris, rogue artist of Argo, has shown up here, after close. Packing her paints and her brush, the rogue artist in question smirks as she opens the door of the transit depot, ready to paint over the blank, unassuming walls of the depot with plenty of fancy vistas of her own mind.

She stops short as she notices the functional signs. Normally nothing but directional guideposts, today they looked... different. Though the same information is retained, it's presented through loops and whorls, twisted vines and small waves transforming the signs into something much different than they were before. For objects where function begat form, form had reclaimed function.

And she recognizes that brushwork, Her eyes fall on the figure standing on a stepladder, reaching one of the signs and currently touching up the end of a vine. 

"Iroha!" Petra shouts, jabbing her paintbrush at the artist on the stepladder. The woman in question jumps down and turns to face her.

"Afraid I don't know who you mean!"

"Don't fuck with me, Iroha! What's the meaning of taking my new spot of inspiration away from me?"

"Already said, it's not Iroha! I've decided to change my name. Become a true artist! "Iroha Niijue.." What kind of a name for an artist is that? Sure, "Petra Sideris", that has a ring to it. People will buy your paintings.

I mean I don't see why they'd want to, but they will."

"Well? Out with it, then? Who's my new rival?"

"From now on, I am to be known entirely and only as... Mauve Vermillion! For I, myself, should be the rainbow I wish to bring to the world with my beautiful art!"

"That's less of a mess than I expected."

"Well, I did consider Mauve Azure Emerald Goldenrod Tangerine Vermillion. But I lost track the third time I said it to myself."

"Anyhow! That's beside the point, Iro- Mauve! This is my artistic inspiration! I had wonderful ideas for how to make those entering this transit depot feel as if they stepped out to the wide world, but how am I suppose to execute on them if you've already touched it up with your mess?"

"In that case, I've saved our city's fair commuters from a tragic fate. They come here to simply move through with their lives, with no interest in trying to stay in a transient location. Your art would be wasted here! 

My art, on the other hand, is perfect. I have once again created form out of function! These signs remain their normal self, yet now they brighten the day of those who see them, regardless of what those fussbodies at the transit department say!"

"Oh, they shot you down too?"

"Yes! They were insistent on "the signs need to remain communicative" and "they should be easy to read at a glance". What a stifling attitude! This is why the artistic mind is falling out of consciousness in our society.

I challenge everyone who views any piece of my art to think that art must be its own thing! We can make anything into art! An ornate fence can become art with a little work! Yet they insist on maintaining function, and function alone!"

"...On that, I still agree with you. But I can't possibly work here now. Your art... it detracts completely from the compositions I had in mind."

"I couldn't agree more! Your art would completely ruin the work I have set up here."

"Very well, then. But next time... Next time, I'm going to ensure you don't even get a chance to paint!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

With that, Petra Sideris departs the transit depot, while Mauve Vermillion continues to work on transforming the signs present in the station.

Two artists... so alike, and yet so unwilling to agree.

Art for Art's Sake

 ARGO UNION STATION

Argo Union Station. The largest and most impressive train station outside of Argo, connecting nearly every train line that comes into Argo from the outside, and also connected to the transportation system that's actually within the cave. The need to build outside the caves in order to tie these together means the station is always hot in the summer, and Fredrick Stapleton felt the air conditioning could only do so much.

Which is why, as he approaches the next train to review scheduling for, the man actually stops short. He chews on his cigar for a bit, trying to ponder exactly what he's looking at. Then he shrugs.

"That artist again." Fredrick comments, as he gazes upon a train dressed not in the usual livery of Ulimaroa Central, but a detailed replication of a seaside. "Well... maybe we can use it for the train to the coast."

After all, their experiences already told him the artist in question wouldn't care about rights or royalties...

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

In a small apartment in Argo, Kennedy Wilson heads downstairs. He'd gotten here early, aiming for him and Cirral to get on the ground floor for the inevitable stories the Kobbers would bring. Stepping out of the building, he opens the door, and as soon as he does, steps out and turns around.

To his surprise, the door has been painted. It now resembles an industrial set of gears and cogs, a mechanical menace that jumps out the second you look at it. 

Asking around, Kennedy learns from a couple commentators that this was normal. A well-known rogue artist who traveled through Argo, painting anything anywhere that she wished. All he can think, as he finishes noting down another conversation, is that it sounds like there's a story here.

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

Outside a warehouse, Grace Samiel whistles as she patrols, night having fallen upon Argo. Though daylight only came from one direction, and deeper in the cave like this it wasn't very visible, the artificial lighting systems that dominated the ceilings and walls were tuned to match the light of the sky. Areas like this that would be brightly lit at noon were now dim and lonely. 

Though in Grace's case, that just meant her job was more important. The woman had been hired by one of the local companies to guard their warehouse, and with her usual security jobs not necessary for various reasons, she'd taken it up to give herself something to do. Grace leans against the wall and shuts her eyes for a second... before hearing some noise.

Looking down, Grace sees a woman. A familiar one, with her paint-splattered smock and hat. Currently painting, no less, scribing a sunset scene onto the wall of the warehouse. Grace immediately shouts over. "PETRA!"

The artist, one Petra Sideris, looks up from her art with an air of occupation. "Grace Samiel." And with that simple acknowledgement of her accuser, Petra returns to painting, as Grace smacks her shield into the wall. "I've already told you, the company doesn't want you painting their walls!"

"They are bland and boring. What I am doing is nothing less than a public service for them."

"Just because some people put up with you randomly painting doesn't mean that everyone wants you redecorating the area!"

"Their thoughts are temporary. Art is perpetual."

"You never listen. Okay, I'm coming over there."

Grace starts to walk over towards Petra, only for the artist to put away her brush and paints... and produce a much larger brush, this one clearly not designed for painting. With a swing of the brush, she sends a bunch of paint towards Grace. Bringing up her large shield, Grace is able to keep the paint from covering her, but the distraction is enough that the artist has already gotten a good head start by the time Grace recovers.

As she watches Petra run off, Grace sighs. "What a hassle..." The guard turns and looks at the sunset scene. "...It is impressive, though."

Elsewhere, the artist in question comes to a stop. She pants, exhausted, before straightening up... and looking at another blank wall. She nods, a new scene coming to mind.

"An artist's work is never done."

Ulimaroa Central

 ERENVALE, ULIMAROA

The capital city of Ulimaroa, Erenvale. A seaside city that had thrived for years on trade, bringing the raw materials from within the country's heart to the shores and through ships across the world. Though the boom had made Argo its biggest city, and the rise of air transit meant many people now flew directly to Argo, the capital was still the main way the country of Ulimaroa traded with the world. As a result, the trains leading into the rest of the country remained the most important link it had.

And it's two of the owners of those trains who are currently looking at the site of some severe damage. A sandstorm near the city had whipped up, burying several rails in far too much sand. As the sand continues to get cleared out, the head dispatcher of Ulimaroa Central Railways looks over the scene.

"Hmmmmm."

Fredrick Stapleton, nicknamed the Fatalistic Signalman by many for his dour demeanor, lets the cigarette in his mouth slowly burn down as he takes a few more notes on the progress of repairs.

"I'll be able to shift two of the scheduled cargo trains to Line B, and we can shunt another passenger train on the long stretch on the Grange Line. But I'll still have to cancel several trains. I appreciate your coming down here to manage this personally, but I don't believe we can avoid a major productivity loss."

"We'll see about that." declares the firm voice of the man standing next to him.

A long time ago, Cornelius Gold had been Ulimaroa Central's foremost builder, the man standing on the front lines of every single line they laid down. Now, with his days of personal building long behind him, he'd been promoted to head of the workforce division, managing the various people who work on building and rebuilding the lines.

"I recognize your estimates, but I think we'll overcome them. It won't be easy, but with some good work behind us, we'll pull through. Maybe we'll be bottlenecked for a while, but I think we can run some extra cargo trains along the Grange Line too if we stagger them right."

"I admire your optimism."

"Gentlemen. I take it that we have plenty of work ahead of us still?"

The familiar voice turns both Cornelius and Fredrick to face it, as Katharina Richter, the woman in charge of Ulimaroa Central, strides up to them. Behind her is none other than general manager Saito Yamada, the man looking a little abashed as he sees Fredrick after his previous attempt at adjusting dispatches. Fredrick just looks a little exhausted, the man clearly resigned to whatever happens.

"We do, Katharina." "Very well then. We shall leave them to it. Follow me, gentlemen."

Katharina begins to walk off, followed by the three other members of her top-level railroad team. Cornelius coughs a bit, then speaks up. "It's been a long time since we were all together in person, ma'am. About six months, by my count. What's the reason for the short notice?"

"I'll explain when we get to the office."

A small shed near the tracks turns out to be Katharina's temporary office, and she takes a seat, producing a newspaper. Slapping it down on the table, she gestures to four spots on it, making it very clear what the problem is.

The headline, by one Myriam Scuttlebutt, summarizes the official announcement of Grand Worldwide Railways making a large investment in the Argo area. 

"...And?" Fredrick asks. "The Baron has always shown an interest in Ulimaroa. He wouldn't have his lines on the other shore if not for that."

"Ulimaroa is one thing. I can tolerate him working on Ulimaroa. I can even put up with that one line in Argo, even if I'd like to see him get out of our territory. What I can't stand is the concept of him trying to take my cities from me. And look at this!" 

"Hmmm." Saito mutters as he leans over and adjusts his glasses. "It says here that he's planning to invest in building... wait. Is this correct? Surely she misheard it."

"Scuttlebutt has an exemplary track record. If I had any hope of counting on an inefficient reporter, I'd pick someone else. No, he's planning to do it. He's planning to build his own line between Argo and Erenvale. He knows what he's doing."

"Well. Seems like the problem's a problem after all." Cornelius shrugs. "What do you want us to do? We've got the substance to outcompete him."

"We do, but the problem is the Kobbers. The Baron had encounters with them before. I've already told Saito about this, but we need to win them over. Get their hearts and their minds. I'm expecting maximum efficiency from you two, and everyone working for you."

"Yes, ma'am." "Understood, Katharina."

"Excellent. If Baron von Eisenbahn wants to pick a fight, he'll get one. This is his gauntlet, and I'm picking it up."

TO BE CONTINUED 
SPRING 2025

Streaming Soliloquy

 WHALESTRAND POINT, DOCKS

"Alriiiight, chaaat!" says Champion of the Sevii League, Iono! She hadn't been content to rest on her laurels... though she had been content to not go for another gym league challenge. The Sevii Islands and their seven gyms and champion had been enough of a dramatic arc to satisfy chat, and they had the bonus of Iono being the first non-native to actually get all seven badges and defeat the champion. 

Plus, she'd felt a personal investment in trying to help them get on the map, after the first couple. Compared to that, what was the Alola League or Sinnoh League but more of what many people had streamed already? So naturally, Iono's busy with her original streaming plan, that of the mysterious and esoteric in and around Glasetera. There were rumors of strange islands off the coast...

"So. What boat do I pick?" Iono says, gesturing to the charter docks.

"Gotta be a yacht. Sail in style!"
"speedboat speedboat speedboat"
"speedboat BUT only if you stand on the prow and blare sad disco music"
"Charter a freighter, it would be funny"
"Don't charter anything. We've already got a good streamer on the way here, we don't need you getting in her way."
"hey wait a second, only I'm allowed to dunk on Iono!"
"Are we being raided?"

Iono looks at her chat in confusion. Sure, some people loved to make fun of her, but it was all in good fun. That seemed more like actual trolling! As a chat mod blocks the invader, Iono looks back and prepares to go for a speedboat.

Only to hear a laugh from behind her.

"Kekekeke..." Iono has heard that laugh before. Too many times. Waaay too many times. She spins around on the spot.

"You."

"Meeee, dear Iono!" laughs the other woman. "The Coral Reef is making a splashdown here in Whalestrand Point! For those on your chat who've had the misfortune to never meet me before, I'm Coral! Streamer star extraordinary!"

"Shouldn't it be 'extraordinaire' there?" Iono says, flatly.

"Ahhh, shut it, big sis." Coral says in return, a mocking look in her eyes. "Nitpicking won't get you anywhere!"

"Says the one who nitpicked all of my streams and gave me two full notebooks of nitpicks, huh?" 

"wait. wait wait was sister in an anime-style onee-san way or-"

"You didn't know?"
"well we DO try to avoid riling Iono up..."
"Yeah, that's Iono's little sister. Rival streamer Coral. Chat has a pact about not bringing her up because Iono gets maaad about Coral. So much for that, huh?"
"Ohhhh this is going to be so interestiiiiiing"

"So how're the shark chompers treating you?" Coral asks, smugly pointing at Iono's teeth. "Didn't you use those to cheat yourself a championship? Dear Iono, unable to actually win the battle with her entire electric team!"

"It was considered totally within the rules!" Iono crosses her arms. "Celio didn't object! And I don't see YOU being a champ, huh? You try the Sevii League?"

"I'll have you know I did. And I realized very quickly that such a ragtag, hodgepodge, irreverent, and downright dysfunctional league was far beneath me."

Iono stares for a second, and then lets a smug look creep onto her face. "...In other words, you couldn't keep up with Lèan, match Ultima, or find Lostelle. So you quit because you weren't used to a gym challenge that isn't what you expected! Hahahahahaha, shoulda known!"

"GHRK!" Coral says, a strangled expression on her face - one that makes it clear that in a related affliction to Iono's shark teeth, her left front canine is strangely large and prominent compared to the rest of her teeth. One might see it as a single fang from afar. 

She sputters a bit, trying to recover from Iono hitting the nail on the head. "O-oh YEAH! Well! I- ...I know I could do better than you if it was a NORMAL gym challenge. So it's all their fault, anyway.

But! You see, you're not cut out for paranormal streams, you've been so focused on gym challenges. That's why I'm the one who deserves to get the boat!" 

"Hey, I came to Glasetera FOR paranormal streams! That's how I got Rotom!"

"And then you ditched them. It was an open audience! Abandoned by the Iono Zone, they all joined the Coral Reef!" 

"Well, now I'm gonna win them back!"

"Not if I..." And with that, Coral suddenly jukes to the side and runs for the speedboat. "GET THERE FIRST!" 

"HEY NO WAIT!" Iono says, running after Coral. Unfortunately, the younger sister has the speed advantage, and by flying pell-mell to the speedboat, Coral is able to leap into it. It rocks a bit, as Coral starts the engine, laughing as she hands plenty of cash to the startled sailor in it and sailing off to leave Iono in the dust. Iono kicks the ground a couple times, before realizing there's another option, and running up to a yacht.

"Hey! Listen! I got a lot of cash and my face is on the internet! Follow that boat!"

Somehow, this is enough to get her on board - the cash helps - and the yacht takes off after, as the two streaming sisters start their rivalry once more...

Due to the Dead (Collaboration with Hooded Pitohui)

 Yuuka's Garden

Yuuka's Garden had blossomed in more ways than one, growing into an attraction well-known around Whalestrand. While a bit of a trek out of the city, folks considered it worth it for a couple peaceful hours admiring careful arrangements of colorful flowers and soaking up their sweet fragrances.

Today, amidst the flowers swaying in the breeze, visitors admiring the flowers in silence might just pick up on the soft sounds of paper flapping in the gentle breeze - though not because someone had brought a notebook and allowed the wind to rifle its pages!

No, the source of the sound was no absent-minded journalist, but rather a young woman with… a receipt… affixed to her face. Well, while some tourists may have found it odd, those from Whalestrand hardly bat an eye at Sabriye Nevrin as she walks about the garden, stiff movements betraying her nature as she peers down at a collection of vibrant pink camellias.

"Shit's pretty," she idly comments to her companion and fellow undead, one Justine Lanchester, "but not too exciting. Could use a spark or something." 

It really was impressive how much Yuuka had been able to, in the long run, leverage the incident with the Pink Revenge. It had drawn more eyes to her, rather than less, and had turned it into a minor attraction for those of Whalestrand.

However, it didn’t seem like the woman herself cared much. Oh, she appreciated the company, happy to talk with anyone who asked her questions and wanted to know more about her flowers. You could even get lucky and be invited to tea with her, if she took a liking to you. It was more that she simply remained the same Yuuka as before, the casual, slightly strange lady who simply liked to have a flower garden.

Not that Justine is very concerned about that, as she bends down to get a closer look, tying one of her ever-present bandages up. She didn’t need them the same way she did when she was first resurrected, but they had grown so comfortable for her, she couldn’t imagine going about without them. “I dunno, I think it’s nice. These are all imports, I think? Non-native. It’d be different if it was flowers I saw on the road.”

"Eh, yeah, I guess." Sabriye may not have sounded too convinced, but still she persisted in looking over the plants, turning her gaze towards the winter daphnes nearby. These were interesting, poisonous to people apparently. Direct contact could even irritate the skin. Of course, that didn't concern her at all. Only for the plant's sake does she not reach out and brush her fingers against it. 

She had the pallor of death about her, and movements that couldn't be described as wholly natural, yet her outfit, strikingly casual and modern, suggested nothing at all was amiss. "At least it's something new… and free." Cheap diversions were always welcome. "Still think it's too bad we missed that plant rampage. That'd have owned."

“Yeah, I could have probably tried one of the new serums on it. Can you imagine using the warp one? I’m still not entirely sure if I’ve got this one right, though… at least I can’t warp into objects. Eesh, that’d be messy.

So whatcha thinking after this, concert?” Justine asks, only to notice a man approaching. Unlike the others, he has a face of business, and dressed in a sunhat and with thick gloves and a green, thick uniform, he simply darts a glance at the plants by the two women.

Seemingly satisfied Sabriye didn’t touch the plants, he prepares to move on. 

"Sure, I'd go for one. Might want to change first. Wouldn't kill me a second time to pick someone up tonight. It's been what? Fuck, three weeks?" She's quite clearly distracted as she responds to Justine, looking up from the plants to keep an eye on the man who had started approaching them. He had an odd look to him, something kind of mismatched. He didn't look like the gardening type, but his attire suggested otherwise… 

"Hey, you work here or something?" She pipes up and asks him directly before he gets too far off. "Give out any fun facts about the flowers?"

“Hey, I bet you’d get ‘em with the just-got-dirty look, haha!” Justine says, before noticing the man, also curious about him. As he turns around, she rubs her chin, thinking. Oh, wait, is that it? No, he looks too sharp-faced for it, but he’s not Cleve Sharpe…

“Huh? Yeah. Gardener apprentice.” the man says, looking a little irritated, but less because of the interruption and more in a way suggesting it was his natural state of being. “Been here a few months now. 

Fun facts, fun facts… lesse. Y’know, you can actually eat some of the flowers here. Not those ones, those’re poison. But the bunch she planted down the west face, they’re all themed as ones good for garnishes and salads. 

I don’t recommend picking them and doing it, though. You never wanna make Ms. Kazami mad.” 

Huh, that lady intimidated a guy like this? Something about her demeanor did quietly suggest you didn't want to get on her bad side… Even so, it seemed kind of strange. The humble gardener, a force to be reckoned with, apparently. "Yeaaah, think I'll take that advice. I don't want a beef with her, and I'm not the fruit and veggies type. Thanks." With that, she turns her back to him. He'd done his job - technically more than his job, seeing as how they weren't promised any little facts - and he didn't seem troublesome, so why not let him go on his way?

As the man leaves, Justine snaps her fingers. “Ohhhh! I remember. That guy was Yuji Endo!

So there was this whole thing I was kind of on the periphery of, I mostly remember it because Wolfgang got caught up in it. Something about Calamities and changing history… point is, this one guy was trying to prevent them with some hired goons, and he was one of them. He caused the whole Pink Revenge incident to happen.

Then he and the other two goons tried to stomp on everyone with a giant robot, and they got blown up? Or something. …I guess the garden master is the forgiving type, huh?”

"No shit? He was part of that?" She casts him one last glance, half-considering calling him back over to ask him about the whole shebang. "Giant robots too, huh? More flew under my radar than I thought. Then he's in some kind of work release or something, I guess, huh? Wonder if she vouched for him or if they asked her to take him…" Well, it didn't really matter, did it? Either way, she made the call to take him in after all that. She was something else, alright. "It's good to be back in the city. I'm sure I can poke my head up from writing long enough to actually see some of this excitement."

“Hell yeah! You were missing out last year. Like, come on, you even missed a concert fight! I’d never have expected you to miss a concert fight.”

Justine taps her finger against her chin for a bit.

“Then again, nothing stops us from making another concert fight.”

"Pft, yeah, I'm real sure we could get in a fracas up against fucking circus witches and whatever that… fish… Buddy… thing was," she retorts, giving Justine a light-but-literal ribbing, bumping her elbow into her chest. "Bet we could have taken the jokesters that actually dropped in down, though. You've got enough of those injections from your boss. Get me a workout mag or something, we could've tossed 'em around a bit."

“I’m surprised you’ve never tried them yourself outside of the test runs, actually. Not comfortable? Or just like the talismans better?” 

She doesn't exactly properly shrug her shoulders, but they do rise, just a bit. "Bit of both. The talismans work, y'know? The injections are whatever, but, look, your boss is cool with me swinging by and all, and I'm down with him, but if he wants data from me, I'll need to see some cash. Besides, something about them always makes me want eat after I use 'em, and see the whole not getting paid deal for why I don't feel like grabbing a snack. Would need to find somebody who'd let me feed off 'em, and that's a whole deal."

“Thaaat’s fair enough. Well, maybe if-”

Before Justine can continue, there’s a beep. She pulls out her phone and looks at it, passing it over to Sabriye. “Oh shit, check it out! Won the VIP standby roulette. That makes two of us!”

"Oh fuck, what are we waiting for? Let's blow this place and go."

It doesn't take much convincing, the two girls doing a quick pat-down to make sure they've left nothing lying around before they head on out, making tracks back towards Whalestrand.

Dinnertime

 A CAVE NEAR AGAMA

"Grab it, grab it!" comes the yell from an armored man as the lashing tail of a wyvern comes down towards him. The smaller cousin to a dragon might only be around ten feet from head to tail, but that's more than enough for most people to have a very hard time against it. Not that it's going to stop this particular fellow.

Laios Touden, the Cooking Knight, backs off as the wyvern takes notice of him again, only for it to suddenly get slammed right into the wall. The cave shakes a bit as the wyvern reels, looking at the one who did that.

Social Spark (Cowritten with Seychelles)

 Just because he wasn’t currently working as a gym leader didn’t mean that Raihan would allow himself to slack off. He had taken up jogging as a means of keeping up his cardio. Today it was warm enough that Hummer had decided to join him.Usually Whalestrand’s cold kept the Flygon inside his Pokeball.

For as much as Raihan hated Whalestand’s climate he admired her views. He had chosen to take the long way around the harbor to get a few shots of the morning sun peeking through the clouds. Landscape shots tended to do really well on Smeargle. 

His Rotom phone whirled to life, lifting itself out of Raihans pocket and hovering around snapping photos.

“Eager aren’t we?” Raihan said. He beckoned his phone closer, and unlocked the screen to check his camera roll. Rotom had mostly taken photos of himself and Hummer. It wasn’t what Raihan had in mind but hey, they both looked good

As he scrolled through his photos he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the background of one of his shots. Was that-

“OMG Chat, that is Raihan.”

Okay, that was definitely Iono. The streamer had her own Rotom phone out and was in the process of filming something. Raihan smiled and waved at her camera.

“Well, whaddaya know! The other big influencer!” Iono says, putting her hands on her hips. “Didn’t expect to see you here. I mean, I’ve seen you in the Brawl, but I thought you were out of town these days!

So. What kind of wacky social media hijinks mean you’re in the vicinity of a champion?”

“Mostly I was just getting my steps in before I started the day.” Raihan said. “Things have been slow lately, although I don’t expect that to last. What are you up to these days, Little Miss Champion?”

“Celebrating my victory with a Whalestrand tour! I already cleared Pokemon, so now it’s all about trying other things! Like surfing! And competitive eating! Trust me, I’m gonna clear eeeevery challenge they have.”

“Interesting.” Raihan said. An idea was beginning to cook inside his brain. Iono might just be able to help him with his current project. Time to test the waters. “Well if you are taking a tour mind if I show you one of my favorite underrated spots?”

“You know what? ...Sure! Why not. Let’s see what this is about!”

Raihan led Iono through Whalestrands winding streets until they found themselves in front of an unassuming concrete building. The sign in front of the building proclaimed it as Hisuain Lights Pokemon Breeding center. The symbols of the Diamond and Pearl clans were posted on cheap polyester banners on either side of the door, and there was a carved wooden statue of a Hisuan Arcanine next to the entrance.

Raihan glanced to the side. Iono appeared to be confused more than anything else. “So, Iono have you ever seen one of my ‘Baby dragon Hatching’ videos?”

“Huuuuuh. Yeah, I didn’t know there’d be one of these in Whalestrand. You wouldn’t think it. 

Anyhow, nope! Haven’t seen any of those yet. Sorry, there’s just so many opponents to check out, and so little time! You know how it is!”

Raihan chuckled. “Huzzah to that.

Anyways. Hammerlocke has historically been a sanctuary for Galar’s endangered dragon types. I do the baby dragon videos to help raise awareness for their breeding center. I’m looking to do something similar for this place. Shall we head inside?”

Once they entered they were greeted by the shriek of a Hisuian Braveriay, who was perched in the center of the spares lobby.

“Sounds like a plan!” Iono says, looking around. When she sees the bird as they enter, she looks at it, curiously. “Huh. I’m having flashbacks. At least there’s no poachers this time… I hope.” she says to herself with a laugh. “So. I take it you come here often!”

“Actually this is why I came to Whalestrand. This facility specializes in extremely rare Hisuan species, some of which are extremely important to that native people of the Sinnoh region. It's fascinating from both a conservationist and a historical perspective, but it's not doing so well financially. The owner, while a good trainer and breeder, is somewhat of a recluse and really doesn’t advertise this place. I want to spread the word, and get more people to visit and donate.” It was showtime. “Iono, would you be willing to help me promote this place?”

“Hmmmmmm. I mean, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea, but I wanna ask. What’s in it for me? What do I get outta it? You gotta make it worth my time. Champion, and all that!”

“Well if my plan works, you might see an increase in viewership. What would you say about a competition? The internet always loves a feud. We can stage events and whoever raises more money for the center is the winner. If you're looking for stakes, how about we make the loser dress up in a kigurumi of the winner’s choice?”

“...Hmmmmm. A social media feud. A classic. 

You know what? That’s good enough. Feuds always get hype, especially with competitions and humiliation involved! I’ll take you on!”

Raihan grinned. “I’m glad to hear it.”

They shook hands in front of a confused looking Braveriary. Raihan could hear the notification sounds of Iono’s excited chat exploding from her Rotom phone. This was going to be fun