victory_road | 36th Recipe [Video, Ice Path]

So...I must've forgotten that bit about fighting a Gym Leader's Elite team once you have eight of any region's badges. Considering how tricky Pryce was to fight normally, you can imagine my horror when he notices my collection and mentions off-hand that all my battles from now on are going to be against the Gym Leaders' best teams.

[Is Jane a little salty? No, not really...she's just tired, and cold. Sure, she packed wintery clothes for this leg of her journey, but that doesn't make a path of perpetual ice any less comfortable. Huddled next to Dinah, who seems just peachy while wrapped head to toe in scarves, Jane and her Pokemon are a far cry from the surf and sun in Fuschia City.]

I just - I didn't think I'd hit a difficulty spike so soon. And from what I've looked up, I'm en route to fight Clair next. A lady with six whole dragons!! I...augh, complaining isn't going to make it any better...dragons are just. You know, they're...the Dragon type! They're supposed to be incredibly strong! We should be able to cover their weaknesses, but they don't really have a lot of those...

[There's a pause, and Jane lets out a long yawn. It is kind of late at night, and they've been in this freezer of a cave for a couple days now.]

Sorry, it's just...only really hitting me now, how tough it's going to get from here on. I should probably just sleep, right? Yeah, I...I'm going to sleep. G'night, everyone.

[Feel free to check on Jane as she picks her way through the Ice Path - and, hey, are you supposed to sleep in there? Does Jane have a heat source so she and her Pokemon don't freeze? Uh...hm.

Yeah don't leave her alone with her thoughts in what is essentially Christmas in July, please.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I am! I've been here for far too long not to try, at this point.

Sometimes it's easy to get distracted here.

[Like when you want to learn all the things.]

How many do you have left to get?

Eight, counting the one I'm worrying about today. So...I'm halfway there, at least.

That's really good.

I've got four left. There's a lot of planning.

Oh, wow, so you're pretty close to the end, huh?

[Jane heaves a little sigh and nods.] Definitely a lot more planning than I ever anticipated.

Yeah.

Then the Elite four. I know people have done it but it seems really, really hard.

There's so much travelling and planning and getting supplies.

I have heard that leg through Victory Road is pretty grueling. If you can go with other people, that might make it easier.

Do you have to go with other people who are also going to fight the elite four?

[Not that Krieg is even here anymore for her to ask but she's curious.]

Probably, I think. So far, I haven't heard of anyone who isn't ready to do that going through the route.

Oh....

Well I travel most places with only my pokemon anyway. So I bet I can do that when I decide to.

Of that I'm quite sure. And besides, Pokemon make incredibly lovely companions.

They do. My team is my new family now.

[She's on round three and maybe this time they won't die or she won't be stolen from them!]

And even this world can't take them away from me.

[Well - Team Rocket might try, but it's stuff like this that makes it important that they don't.]

...How very right you are.

[If they ever steal her pokemon, the world will have to deal with a kid who has learnt that fire can solve all problems.]

Do you think you'll make a gym if you beat the elite four?

I...had been considering it before, but now...I think beating them, or at least being able to challenge them, would be proof enough for myself to open up...um, an investigator's office. You know...detective work.

Really?

[You have all of her attention now. All of it.]

One of my friends who used to be here, used to be a detective. He'd help them look for missing pokemon when he was here.

[She misses Hank so much. But also its his fault she's now been reading SO MANY kids mystery novels. So many.]

W-Well, I don't know how much "proving you're very skilled and/or strong" factors into being a detective in this world, but I did figure it couldn't hurt to have some kind of...legitimization?

[It might partially also be to prove to herself that she can do the things.]

Everyone thinks the badges are super important so if you got all of them plus the elite four. I bet they'd take you seriously. Especially if you had to question people about crimes.

[Newt 100% believes in you Jane.]

T-That's the plan...

[A beat.]

Thank you, though. For the vote of confidence. I'll be sure to look into missing Pokemon as soon as I can.

You're welcome!

[Newt is deeply invested in mystery solving.]

I don't really know if I'd make a gym if I get through them all. I think I want to learn more stuff and explore more first.

[Also she's not even ten yet? Thanks Mom telling her she was 10 two years ago.]

Do you think they'd let me run a gym? They don't let me work full jobs yet.

Really? I'm surprised - but perhaps "leaving home on a journey with sentient creatures" has a different set of regulations and laws attached to it than "children working full jobs".

[Was there a child labor laws movement here...?]

I still don't think it's fair. They said I have to be 20 to work full time! Even if I used the fake age they gave me when I got here, it's going to take forever to get there.

Well...even if it's just part time work, that might be better than nothing, right? I know I do a lot of part time work in the Pokemon Centers myself.

[I mean she is twenty by now, but like. If you're not a Joy, it seems like actual full time shifts are not a thing they give you, which is fine, Jane's not nearly prepared for a full hands-on nursing shift.]

It's better then nothing. And I like learning stuff at the jobs.

I just think it's weird they let us fight battles against adults but they won't let us work as much as them.

36th Recipe [Video, Ice Path]

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