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[color=655CC5][b]MENTIONS:[/b][/color][/center]
[color=E5E4E2]With her arrival came a whole lot more. Hestia turned to face Fiona, returning her greeting wholeheartedly. [color=ECC5C0][b]"With this oaf, I might as well be him!"[/b][/color] She jabbed a thumb in the direction of her Charizard, who had dipped his head low to glare at the other gym leader with frosty blue eyes. [color=ECC5C0][b]"He's been looking forward to tonight for a long time. No harm in letting him have some fun!"[/b][/color] she chuckled as she slung her arm around Fiona's shoulders, posing for a moment to allow some paparazzi to snap a photo.

Isla and Zeke showed up next, and she thanked them for drawing some of the crowd's attention to them. Hestia grinned at their interaction and how they bickered. Zeke was quite the handful, and Isla wasn't left behind in challenging his claim. Next came Ezran, Harvey, and Liam, and she couldn't help but narrowing her eyes at the blond that had been hugged by the flamboyant Fairy-type gym leader. [color=ECC5C0][b]"Hey Easy. Hi, Liam. [i]Harvey."[/i]"[/b][/color] she nodded at each of them respectively, though her smile faded considerably as she turned to Malik. Even Apollo scoffed at him and his rather obnoxious Espeon, who had been hissing in his presence. Sure, he was a minor league gym leader, but she wasn't going to forgive him over what he did all of those years ago. Yeah, some might say that she was being petty, but how would they feel if they were suddenly defeated by an unworthy rival at the most pivotal time in their life?

Then came the rest-- Henrietta, and Moira, whose Dragonite had forced a low growl from Apollo's maw, and then Joseph and Thomas. All of the spectacles their Pokemon put on display had brought even more attention from onlookers, who all clustered closer and cheered with admiration. There were some out of their numbers that stared wide-eyed and with contempt while several of them watched with determination. Trainers were probably in the crowd's mix, most definitely the ones that they would face when the time came. The crowds only cheered more when Fiona's flying types shot out from their Pokeballs-- Hestia's eyes widened when she saw that one of such winged Pokemon was her Mega Salamence. 

[color=ECC5C0][b]"We've really got this crowd going, don't we?"[/b][/color] she laughed to herself as she glanced up at Apollo. The Charizard growled in agreement and she reached up to pat the side of his neck. 

[b]"Oi! You lot!"[/b] 

The voice sounded from somewhere behind them, and she caught sight of a rather young face at the doorway to the Motostoke Gym. Hestia recognized him as [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DjNfRQkV4AAylqk?format=png&name=small]Chairman Amaranth's assistant, Cereus Rothschild[/url]. She swore that Chairman Amaranth was crazy for hiring an assistant that looked to be younger than even she was; in fact, she was pretty jealous that she chose him instead of her!

[b]"Chairman wants you bunch in the locker rooms, [i]now.[/i] I suggest you hurry up and get in here."[/b]

Hestia glanced over at the rest and shrugged before she pulled out her Pokeball. In a flash of red, the large dragon was gone, and she clipped the Pokeball back onto her belt. Anxiety bubbled up in her. She had already done this many times, though the thought of being in front of so many people still sent a shiver up her spine. [color=ECC5C0][b]"Welp, let's get going!"[/b][/color] she told the rest of their numbers before she waved to the crowd (which had produced another cheer) and began to walk into the stadium.

[hr]

In the middle of an empty field covered in fake, bright green grass, a tall, suited man stood to meet the roaring crowd. His brown hair had been combed back, revealing the salt and pepper that coated the underside of some of the locks of chestnut. Gray eyes peered upwards towards the cheering fans who chanted and cried out with excitement as a frown twisted beneath his mustache and beard. He raised a hand to his beard and twisted a finger around one of the ends of his mustache as a blond boy raced from the sidelines to meet him. 

[b]"C-chairman Amaranth! I..."[/b] panted the young one. [b]"I got everyone together... haa, any sign of Victoria yet?"[/b]

Amaranth hummed as he stroked his beard. [b]"Not a single one, unfortunately."[/b] He kept his eyes glued to the black sky. 

Cereus suddenly took a deep breath and straightened up, his brows furrowing together in what seemed like juvenile determination. [b]"Well, we can't leave them hanging forever, eh?"[/b] he asked as he handed Amaranth a mic. 

[b]"Suppose we can't,"[/b] Amaranth murmured to himself as he took the microphone. After a few more moments of pensive thought and a longing glance back up at the sky, he flicked it on and put it to his lips as he turned to face the crowd. With a flourish of his free arm, he opened his mouth to speak. [b][i]"Ladies and gentlemen! As you probably know, I am Amaranth, chairman of the Pokemon League. I know that everyone here, and everyone watching from home, has been waiting for this grand moment. It is my pleasure to announce that finally, the Galar region Gym Challenge will now begin!"[/i][/b]

The roar the crowd emitted almost deafened him. Arceus, if he hadn't had any tact, he could have lowered the sensitivity in his hearing aids... [b]"Yes, the Gym Challenge! Participants must defeat the eight Gym Leaders and gather the eight Gym Badges in order to prove themselves as a Trainer. Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging Madame Victoria for her title of Champion of Galar! Now, I would like the Gym Leaders to show themselves!"[/b] 

The giant flatscreen televisions that had previously been focusing on his face (and had made the crinkles around his eyes and the gray in his beard blatantly obvious) now zoomed onto the entrance of the field. At the sight of the seven shadows that emerged from the depths of the tunnel, he shared a surprised glance with Cereus. Not only were they missing the Champion, but they were also missing [i]one of their Gym Leaders[/i]. [i]Amazing.[/i]

[b]"We might be missing [i]one,"[/i][/b] Amaranth continued pointedly. [b]"But please say hello to Hestia Quintell, our fiery Fire-type Gym Leader at Circhester! Next, Thomas Tyrell, our Grass-type expert from Turffield! Ezran Hawthorne, the Poison-type fanatic from Hulbury! William Prescott Anwell, our very own Fairy-type Gym Leader from Ballonlea! Henrietta Durand, the hardy Ground-type user from Stow-on-Side! Fiona MacConnell, the Flying-type Gym Leader who makes her home here in Motostoke! And finally, Moira Kingsley, the fierce Dragon tamer from Hammerlocke!"[/b]

As he announced their names, the cameras panned from each of their faces, which made the crowd grow even more wild. Amaranth noticed that several of them had noticed Victoria's absence, though it was for the best that they kept up their charade. Now wasn't the time to worry. They had a region to bolster. [i]Nevertheless,[/i] he raised his eyes to the sky again. [i]I really, really wish she were here...[/i]

[b]"These are the Gym Leaders that we in the Galar region are proud to call our own!"[/b] Amaranth motioned to the Gym Leaders once again, and the crowd's cheers, screams, and chants seemed to make the ground tremble beneath his very feet.

[hr]

At last, the night had begun to die down. With the end of the celebrations, people started to go on their own way. The Gym Leaders had gathered in the lobby of the Motostoke Gym, bidding farewell to dreaming trainers and aspiring fans. Hestia, of course, was one of the their numbers that had garnered the most attention, alongside Moira, Fiona, and Thomas-- probably because they thought that their typings were "cooler" than the others. She didn't blame them. Fire-types were pretty cool compared to a couple of fairies or weird mind-readers. But either way, each of them had gotten their fair share of attention, so much so that Hestia's face was tired from smiling and her right hand was exhausted from autographing trainer cards. Nova had escaped his Pokeball to perch upon her shoulder, and the Flareon's warm mane had comforted her a significant amount as he rubbed up against her cheek. 

[color=ECC5C0][b]"Augh, I need a drink after this. Or at least a tasty meal. Preferably a free one,"[/b][/color] Hestia grinned once again as she gave Nordrin a deliberate look. Nova trilled in agreement and curled his fluffy tail around her neck. But before the culinary genius could answer, she noticed the chairman approach with Cereus at his heels. [color=ECC5C0][b]"Oh shite. Looks like you're gonna get chewed out for that stunt earlier, Fiona. Oh, hey, Chairman! Loved your presentation. You drove the crowd wild!"[/b][/color]

[b]"I'm getting too old for this,"[/b] the chairman grumbled under his breath as he wiped his forehead with a folded cloth. [b]"Least you lot did a good job looking presentable."[/b]

Hestia laughed. [color=ECC5C0][b]"Was the least we could do since Elijah didn't show up. Speaking of which,"[/b][/color] she paused as she glanced about. [color=ECC5C0][b]"Where's Victoria? I thought she was supposed to come soaring in on that Altaria of hers."[/b][/color]

To her surprise, Amaranth let out a long, disgruntled sigh. [b]"Honestly, all of you know as much as us. We don't know where she is. Perhaps something came up and she couldn't make it, but to be frank, it isn't like her at all to do such a thing. At the moment, we can only hope she's alright. I'll get in contact with her in the morn."[/b][/color]