[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/IjuWgap.png[/img][/center][@Ambra] [@Solace] [@Serei2477]

Even if not for Hyacinth's warning, the next week made it clear there was precious little the gym leaders could do about the situation. Not that the police were turning up any leads either. With each day that passed, the chances of finding Ryker looked slimmer.

Astrid, however, wasn't one to give up. As part of the minor league, she didn't exactly have gym duties to carry out right now anyway. After returning to Motostoke, she continued to communicate via text with the other gym leaders who'd spoken up. Obviously they weren't going to get in the way of the investigation, as Hyacinth had warned against, but there was a difference between interfering and assisting. If there was any way she could help, she would. Besides, in such uncertain times, they all had to protect each other.

Thankfully, even with the league challenge kicking off, the leaders stuck by each other when they could. Hence the gathering at Iris' gym. Astrid, clad in a black and purple bodysuit to fit the aesthetic, sat close to Mika and Hestia, leaning forward as she watched the spectacle unfold. [color=FFFF19]"This intrepid young adventurer has made it through the haunted woods,"[/color] she commented like a cheesy video game streamer, [color=FFFF19]"but now the boss battle commences! Does he have what it takes to stand up to spooks and spirits?"[/color]

Fraught as the situation had been over the past week, she figured it couldn't hurt to lighten the mood. That and she recalled her own early days as an official Pokemon trainer, how nerve-wracking yet exhilarating it had been to climb the ranks. She'd learned a few tough lessons, but it had all been worth it in the end. Harsh as it was that the first gym had the ghost typing, it would help the boy grow as a trainer.