PSL for traditionallydefiant

It was maybe an hour after the grand opening and already Satoru was out in the main arena with a mid-range match. She'd tune in soon, but for now, though, a yawning Eva had curled up in one of the lounge chairs in the Battle Tree's foyer, green tea in hand and Roro hovering over the table as the rotomi replayed the street match against Mizuki, who's won, but Eva'd been battling with a half team and Mizuki a full one.

Eva hummed in thought, a finger tapping against the mug to some half-forgotten childhood tune.

Alola's First-ever League Champion and only a handful of months past her 14th birthday. From what Eva understood, the Alolan League hadn't truly settled yet, and to be a League's First Champion that was an awful lot of pressure to put on a child, given everything that came with being a Champion, talented or not.

And there was no denying Mizuki was talented - and lucky. Two of her main team were shiny pokemon and she'd been granted a place in the Alolan Starter Program despite being an outsider.

"Lucky or not, she's still young..." Mind made up, Eva stood, and with a flick of her hand, sent Roro back into her pocket, and then headed out in the public p[arts of the admittedly massive facility known as the Battle Tree.

It was time to find Mizuki and offer mentorship.

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"You should go check that new facility out, there are many strong trainers there. Many who could give you a chance to use that team of yours. Take Mizuki with you as well, she could get some experience, and I don't want her going alone." Hala's words echoed in her head as Guzma stared around at the enormous building once she and Mizuki had made it to the location on the once empty part of Poni Island, the younger chattering and talking her ear off, with her only catching here and there what the younger was yammering on about. She nodded her head, clearly distracted by things, things that she shouldn't be dwelling on about what had happened back in ultra space. Thankfully, being jabbed in the side by the chattering child snaps her out of it and she blinks.

"Oh, so that's who you battled, the indigo champion or whatever?" She'd known who Eva was from hearing here and there about her, about the 'Legend', she just didn't particularly care, not even in the tone or volume of her voice. They were there to check the place out, not meet celebrities, especially some overachiever.

"Yeah!" There's a nod as Mizuki beams with a bounce, still stoked by the win against the Living Legend now headed their way. There's a small head tilt from Mizuki at that, but then she shrugs. Maybe Eva knows who Guzma is and wants to battle her?

Or maybe Eva's heard that Guzma is a bug-type specialist? She did have a kabutops, right?

"But she's not the actual Champion any more. And, between you and me, her Alolan's stilted and weird." Speak for yourself, Mizuki. Yours was much the same when you first moved here. "Like, worse than mine was."

Not that hers is perfect by a long shot, but Mizuki knows she's come a long way in the eight months since she started her Journey.

"Sounds like she's not the legend everyone fawns over if she's not champ anymore." She lets out an amused snort at Mizuki, then shakes her head with a smug grin. "Yeah, that's cuz y'got Alolan in you. You got the language down from being half Alolan, kid. And help from the other half pints, even the blond brats speak it pretty good." She's being rude and she knows it, authority and her didn't get along well, and they didn't plan to in the future.

Her arms crossed over her chest as she stares Eva down, smug expression still plastered all over her face. What does she want with the two of them anyway?

"I guess, but she's still pretty strong," Mizuki says with a shrug before giggling. She knows Guzma likes the other kids (right? yeah! What's not to like about Hau or Lillie or Gladion???) "Well, one day I'm going to speak it as good as you and Hau and Hala! Just you wait!"

Because she will!

Eva cocks her head as she comes to stop before them. There's a blink at the smug look, but it's nothing she hasn't dealt with in the past and while the get up is kind of familiar, she really hasn't paid any attention to what's been going on in Alola outside of the fledgling League. "Hello," It's started with an attempt at the Alolan wave, but it's very... touristy. "You were very good in that battle, before."

"Thanks," Mizuki chirps with a return of the wave. "What can me and Guzma do for you?"

"She is your guardian, then?" Eva asks, looking between the pair of Alolans.

"Heh, how strong can she be if she doesn't have the title anymore? Living legend or not. And keep practicin', you'll get there and be a native speaker. 'ventually." A surprising moment of actual praise from the woman, as haughty as it sounds, but genuine nonetheless.

She reluctantly returns the greeting, if only to avoid being pestered by Mizuki for not doing so, but snickers internally at Eva's. Of course the kid battled well, she's a damn good trainer and that Decidueye is no joke, kicked my ass more than once. This time the praise is internal instead of coming out as a retort, though her eyes rolled at the guardian question. "Nah, I just came here with her, wanted to check the place out. Kids shouldn't wander Poni alone. 'S dangerous, don't wanna have a territorial Braviary beaking 'em to death. Females are mean as hell, got one myself."

There's a brilliant beam of a smile; an innocent promise to do her best no matter what. Naive as it may be, it is a promise, one that'll be repeated two years from now. Mizuki, Guzma and her friends help spearhead the Eternatus' takedown, while everyone important to Alola defends the Islands.

She will be a Standing Champion for life.

There's a snort nod as Eva parses what she can of Guzma's reply before nodding again. "Yes. But, since you are not the guardian, please leave. I wish to as-"

"Guzma stays." Every inch of Mizuki is fierce and no-nonsense as she draws herself up to her full, yet tiny, hight. "You can ask it in front of her."

"I- Okay. I want to mentor you in ways of the Champion. Alola is a baby League."

Mizuki's positivity, although she dares not to admit it, is infectious and endearing. Especially after the hellhole they went through. She ruffles the girl's hair and glares Eva down, about to say something until Mizuki herself says exactly what she was going to, albeit nicer.

The next words aren't taken anywhere near as politely as Guzma sneers at the audacity. An outsider mentor her kiddo? Not in her lifetime! "No." Her tone is flat and doesn't budge. "What gives you, a haole, the right to come and decide that? Champion or not."

(Ooc: haole means foreigner, not necessarily the nicest thing to be called by native a Hawai'ian)

If she always looks towards the sun, the shadows will never get her. Lies, of course. She's had her share of nightmares, but she does her best to not think about them. About what could have happened. That said, 'haole' earns Guzma am unsure frown.

Mizuki knows that's a rude word and she's pretty sure using it in this situation is crossing a line?

"I state fact, Guzma-san. Alola is baby League. Mizuki-chan is very young-"

"And you think I don't know the politics?" Mizuki doesn't, but she knows Lusamine was in the wrong, that Guzma was misled (and from what she knows, it was understandable!!). That Interpol used her to stop the Ultra Beasts.

Yet it doesn't stop her from taking a step back behind Guzma. As brave and strong as Mizuki is, she's also a just a talented kid.

"League politics are not to be blinked at." Eva says with a nod.

Guzma knows it's a crass and rude word, but she doesn't care if a line is crossed. Mizuki's her pupil. She's not allowing anything else to be taken from her, even if that means something as harmless as a mentorship. She has hang-ups about things being taken.

"I don't care what you think you know and I don't give a damn about it." She sneers, Lusamine's betrayal and manipulation still a fresh enough wound for the hostility to ooze through. "You don't know a damn thing about what we were put through! You're. Not. Taking. Her."

Eva's face scrunches as she does her best to follow the Alolan. She knows she should probably put more effort into it, but she knows enough to get by- and makes enough to hire translators for business requirements.

"Journey is Journey, no? Sometime's it's hard." Eva says, unintentionally callous even if her tone's understanding enough. "I don't wish to take, merely teach?"

Not that Mizuki hears the rest; she's flinched back and latched onto Guzma's hand.

Hard? Hard? They all would have died if it hadn't been for Gladion and Guzma helping (and they didn't have to-!) and then the full-grown solgaleo and lunala appearing and shielding them from Lusamine- no, that thing's attacks. Thing that was defeated and Lusamine left unconscious because of it. Because it wasn't Lusamine in the end; not with that careless battle until you're dead style (and she could still see the ruined forms)-

Mizuki forces herself to breathe and not death-grip Guzma. "I've all the mentor I need here." Guzma. Hala. Kukui. The Captains. The Kahunas. Her friends. Guzma. "I don't need an outsider. My League is not Yamatai. It is Alola."

And she had so much to learn about the islands. The culture and the people and the language.

Edited 2020-10-26 12:33 (UTC)

PSL for traditionallydefiant

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/slow brain noises

/joins in them