[ video ]

[questioneverything]

[Look who's excited, everyone!]

Guess what!

[Romelle holds up her first shiny new badge. The Zephyr badge.]

I got a badge finally!

[Behind her, her team was excited, too. She hadn't gotten the opportunity to tell everyone, yet, so she was now!]

Comments

[nastyboy]

I understand completely. Still, even with the level disparity, that you could make it through is certainly clever. Going up against a situation that one is disadvantaged in requires a lot of quick thinking.

I'm not so certain that I could do so well, honestly.

[questioneverything]

I don't know. You might not be giving yourself enough credit. I'm not all that much for battle, either.

[nastyboy]

Perhaps. It is not something I have really ever tried...

[There's a reason why they needed the Professor for their tactics, and why he never could quite catch up to Claude.... Well, regardless.]

Will this be the last gym you ever battle, then?

[questioneverything]

[Romelle shook her head.]

My Pokémon seem to enjoy the challenge, and, well, before he went home, I did promise a friend of mine that I would complete the whole challenge, so I'm going to at least give it my all and try.

[nastyboy]

Ha. That is often the way of it, isn't it? They take to it so easily, as well. Hopefully they all find as much enjoyment as possible in the gym battles to come.

Do you plan on using only the same group for each gym, or do you think you will try and let them all have a go?

[questioneverything]

I think I'll let them all try. [She smiled a little.] Each gym has a specialty, and I'd feel bad forcing any of them to go in with a disadvantage unless they really want to try doing it. Like, with the first gym, Bewear had a disadvantage, but really wanted to do it, so we went. But I don't want to push them if I don't have to.

[nastyboy]

Of course. I, too, would like to do that myself. I am afraid that some of my own ended up with more experience under their belts than others, and I would like to make up for that.

Balancing that sort of training can be quite tricky, I've found, but it is effort I would like to make regardless.

[questioneverything]

There are also the ones you pick up later on, whether you catch them or hatch an egg.

It can be awkward at times, but they're doing fairly well, all things considered, I think.

[nastyboy]

Indeed... And when they hatch already full of vigor and with an interest in battling, I feel all the more guilty for not being able to get them into a proper gym battle...

[He has so many fighty Pokemon.... The struggle is real]

Still, it is good to hear that your battle went well. Have you thought about recording them in some manner? Although, ah, gyms do post such videos online themselves, don't they..

[questioneverything]

Record... you can do that?

[Nope, she hadn't thought of it at all.]

Do people often record their battles themselves?

[nastyboy]

You can, although I can understand why not everyone does it. But it offers a slightly more personal view for some.

My lover, Grant, likes to film his child's gym battles so that we can see how happy and excited they are up close. It is not so distant.

[questioneverything]

Interesting. I could see why some might, or might not. I suppose it depends on why.

That sounds sweet, though, to remember important battles for your child.

[nastyboy]

Indeed. They put their all into every single challenge, and so their battles are always so exciting to watch. [And sometimes infuriating, if you are Felix, and desperately trying to make a child use their brain instead of just Constantly Attacking in a battle. Whups.] It is nice to have such memories. With these recording devices... It means we will always have something crystal clear, instead of the passage of time eroding such clarity.

It will especially be nice to look back on as they grow older.

[questioneverything]

I'll definitely have to try that, then. Sometimes, it's nice to see how far the Pokémon have come, too.

[She gave him a small smile.]

Thank you for the idea.

[nastyboy]

[Dimitri smiles back.]

I hope you and your companions will enjoy looking back on those moments together. It is one of many little things that I am glad this place has.

[Recording precious moments... And then, next on the list, weighted blankets.]