[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/IjuWgap.png[/img][/center][@Ambra]

Astrid didn't want to take in what she was hearing. She'd held on to Fiona's theory that it was nothing, that Ryker had simply left his apartment a mess and taken a walk. She'd been plenty disorganised herself at his age. However, Hyacinth's explanation made the possibility unlikely. She clenched her fists in her lap, fingers digging into the fabric of her bodysuit. Even though she didn't know the champion well, the thought of him being kidnapped was nothing short of surreal.

And to make matters worse, Hyacinth was still treating the competition as the be all and end all. Astrid's mouth dropped open. As hyped as she'd been about competing, didn't Ryker's situation take priority? As well as the safety of the gym leaders? Hyacinth's insistence that they all stay out of it was the point where she had to say something.

[color=FFFF19]"Sir, in some regions, looking into matters like this [i]is[/i] part of a gym leader's duty."[/color] She probably sounded every bit the idealist who watched too many action movies, but they were all meant to be strong trainers here. What was the point of said strength if they couldn't make good use of it? Shouldn't there be more to the league than mere entertainment? [color=FFFF19]"Plus, if there's no champion, there'll be no league anyway."[/color] If she put it in purely pragmatic terms, maybe Hyacinth would understand. Emphasis on maybe. Ok, who was she kidding. Still, Hestia had the right idea, and Astrid would keep backing her up.