Once a year, every year. Peyton had been using the Cliffside as the Leaders’ annual venue since even before Charles had rejoined the League, oweing to their long friendship over the decades. At least Charles was getting paid handsomely to reserve the cocktail bar out for a night. While this batch of Gym Leaders wasn't quite up to completely trashing the place like some generations had, they were still something of a rowdy bunch.

The old man did one last check of what he had behind the bar, satisfied that his stock was full and he wasn't wanting for anything. Despite the fact that this was a more formal night than usual, he still wore just a classic dress shirt, vest, and tie. It was a damned classic for a man tending bar and any of Peyton's whinging that he ought to be even dressier for this would be ignored.

He'd let all his staff take the night off with pay, handling everything himself for the evening. After all, if it was meant to be a social for League members only, so much the better to not have anyone that could overhear anything too inconvenient. Besides, the day he couldn't run his own bar without help was the day he was hanging it all up.

Beryl arrived first, almost surprising him. Not completely unexpected, though he would have thought Hestia to have rushed here faster after losing her silly little game last year. Ah, well. One scotch for her, and Charles finished final prep on his cocktail ingredients as he waited for the rush. True to form, Hestia came in not long after, and Charles simply dipped his head at her request, starting to whip up a drink.

"Oh, you know him. Dramatic entrances and whatnot. I expect the lad to be last. In any case, here. As asked for, a limoncello lemon drop. Enjoy." He slid the drink expertly across the bar, kneeling down to the freezer for more ice when the door slammed open, bringing a familiar voice with it.

"Awright, ye wee numpties! Party's here!" Fiona swept in, clad in a slinky black cocktail dress and heels, arms held wide and grinning. "Charlie, hit me wit' some buckie, would ye?"

"Absolutely not. Not after last year." Charles crossed his arms firmly, shaking his head. "If you'd care to order an actual drink, kindly name it."

"Yer no fun, ye scabby fuck." Fiona groaned as she took the bar stool right next to Hestia, giving her rival a jovial slap on the back. "One o' what she's havin', then!" As Charles busied himself with said order, Fiona turned back to Hestia, her ever-present grin still plastered onto her face.

"How tae fuck'd I get here before most of th' crew? Figured most of 'em fer early arrivers, an' I was just tryin' tae beat speed records gettin' outta Motostoke late."

At the entrance of the purple hue of Ballonlea, two trainers hailed a taxi to take them to a celebration that was mandatory an exciting social event for Leaders new and old to get to know one another. The Chairman demanded requested that everyone be in attendance as a way for them to understand each other, share some wisdom, or work out differences before it was time to step out into the public eye.

Apparently, the public preferred it when the Gym Leaders had some sort of relationship with each other that wasn't just "coworkers," which was odd to the cousins. Maybe the audience liked black and white relationships instead of the ones in the gray area, since speculations and headcanons can stem from positive or negative interactions? Or maybe they just wanted some excitement from potential best friends, fiery rivals, and bitter enemies. Whatever it was, neither Luca nor vivienne would go out of their way to question it.

If the Boss wanted them to sacrifice one night of their lives then so be it. The only thing that truly made this worth it for Luca was that it would be hosted at the Cliffside, A.K.A his favorite place to go. For Vivienne, it was being able to spend some time with the other trainers.

Unlike a certain pink haired lady, Luca and Vivienne weren't in any rush to get there. Luca might've participated if he trusted Mallow (his Togekiss) enough to support his frame, but considering that he was much taller and at least twice her weight, he wasn't gonna take that chance.

Vivienne, however, wanted to participate but she had a bigass tanky Corviknight who'd treat the race as a Sunday flight. She would have to get ready and be out the door at least an hour before the event took place just for a fair chance, not including that she'd have to tie some berries to a fuckin' stick and hope the wind didn't blow them too much off course... Nah, too much hassle. Maybe if she found a faster Corvi with their eyes on the prize she could race Hestia! But then Lancelot might get jealous and that was just a whole other load of shit she didn't need...

They would be opening the door just in time to hear a certain sailor mouthed girl questioning how she'd managed to get there before the rest of them, which Vivienne was more than happy to explain.

"Well we woulda been here sooner if Luca's little sis didn't throw her curry all over his good shirt." She answered with a little grin as she entered, much to Luca's annoyance. "Good to see ya ladies and gentleman."

"You gave her the damn plate in the first place, quit lookin' proud of yourself." He added, following behind her.

Vivienne would take the bar stool next to Fiona and Luca the next available one beside her.

"Dealer's choice tonight, Boss. Just have mercy and not make it anything too bitter, would ya?" Luca would tell the older man, meanwhile Vivienne wasn't too certain on what she wanted.

"Mn... Can I get something that isn't whatever's in front of Hestie, Charles? Bitter, salty, tart, just something that isn't sweet."

Luca took a look around and noted those in attendance. "Missin'... four people, yeah? Wonder who's showin' up next."

Of course it had to be Hulbury that the gym leader meet up had to happen, of course. Leander tried to avoid coming back here as much as he could get away with, even when it came to promotional tours. At the bare minimum, he would be avoiding where he and his brother used to fuck around the most, less chances of getting recognized that way. He would've been able to get here sooner if he wasn't fighting his manager the whole way to the exit.

Despite the insistence of his PR team that he head into town in a more Public fashion, Oberon would've kicked his ass to Wyndon and back if he was stuck in his Pokeball for any longer. The Salamence was a quicker trip anyway, and he figured he was already behind a number of the other gym leaders in getting there. Hestia for sure. If his clothes got a little windswept on his way to the bar then so be it. His suit was easily smoothed out anyway.

The sight of the churning waters at the edge of the docks, the rocking boats, made his stomach turn. "Not the time." If he was having to deal with the chaos that was the combined force of Fiona, Vivi, and Sloan plus Hestia, he would need to focus.

The Cliffside, mercifully, was not near his parents lab and landing in the most empty street he could find wasn't difficult. Now wasn't the time to deal with clambering fans.

"Alright then, back you go. You can fight with Felon later." he ignored the irritated grumble that Oberon gave him in response as he was returned to his ball.

The revving of an engine had him skipping back a step as a motorcycle sped past. He huffed in annoyance as it skidded back around and the grinning face of Sloan appeared in his line of sight.

"Sorry Leander, didn't see you there! Expected you would've already been inside." Her voice was chipper as she pulled her helmet free and shut off the bike. "Usually I'm the one running late."

She tucked the bike off to the side, and strode in the direction of the bar with a wave of her hand in his direction; encouraging him to follow after her.

"Sorry we're late!" Sloan hollered out into the bar as she pushed open the door, helmet under her arm. "You got any tips for me this time Charlie?" She approached the bar; leaning on the backs of Vivi and Fiona's chairs.

Now it would really start to get loud in here with those three together. Leander shook his head with an amused smile, "Evening everyone," he cut to the side to take a seat next to Luca. "Gin and tonic if you don't mind Charles."

It looked like they were just missing Niall and Briar, which honestly didn't surprise him, and Ryker too of course. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long before they got there.

All things considered, Hulbury was one of the better places in Galar that Niall liked to visit, although he found it to be severely lacking for its convenient station by the sea. He had long petitioned the Chairman to fund his scholarly collective in way of establishing an actual lab of sorts, or at the very least, dish out some research grants. There was still so much more to learn and uncover from each and every single Pokemon that a mere paragraph from within the Pokedex could tell, and it was quite difficult to study the marine denizens without a significant base of operations to work out from. Nevertheless, focusing on more architectural development such as the stadiums and the profits raked in from entertainment was evidently a bigger priority, but was an expanding graph on a chart really that big of a deal when you were already in the green to begin with?

Rather than the trivialities of what to wear, it was these sort of questions that always served to bother Niall, even as the season of the annual Gym Challenge had kicked up and the respective gym leaders were due for the customary social gathering ahead of the gauntlet. It would have been so easy to abstain from the whole ordeal entirely-- hell, he didn't even have the like nor stomach for alcohol, but sometimes he had to know when to hang up the scientific life for a little.

Except for the lab coat, of course. That was something that always went with him, and he'd be damned if he couldn't fit it into the wardrobe somehow. A fine enough button-up shirt, some comfortable dress trousers and shoes with his standard coat layered atop should have been more than enough for the occasion, he figured. Niall had opted to fly into the port town on the back of Cygnus, given that Motostoke wasn't too terribly far, although he still needed to fly low and slow for fear of a quick mortal end if one did the opposite. He had to take a moment to himself once his feet landed upon the stability of familiar pavement, and only once did he take several drags of the ocean breeze did the silver-haired male make his way for the Cliffside.

The sound from the metal at the far end of his cane reverberated through his venture into the establishment as Niall carried himself with a bit of a characteristic awkwardness. A slight limp marred his stride as he came into the limelight, first spotting Doctor Chambers. "Still copying me, I see?" He made himself vocally known before his eyes settled between each of the gym leaders, one after the other. A quick mental count brought him to the same conclusion that everyone else always had with that Briar guy, but in this occasion, he himself didn't fall too far from the same branch. "Sorry, you know me and flying, I've gotta take it slow."

Taking the open seat beside Beryl, Niall glanced over the countertop and found himself doing the same thing he'd done every year: trying to figure out the differences between any and all of the drinks with their differing names. "I guess a mocktail would do," He offered Charles a weaker smile, shrugging before his attention returned to the rest of the crew. "So, I'm guessing we'll know Ryker's in town when we start hearing fireworks or the like?"

"Spillin's a skill issue, Hesty!" Fiona jibed in response as Charles began fulfilling drink orders.

"Hangover cures are a crock and the only treatment is hydration and rest." He offered up when Sloan asked for a tip before starting to slide drinks across the bar. An Arnold Palmer for Niall, G&T for Leander, and a classic margarita each for Luca and Vivi's requested surprise, chili salt added on the rim.

"That, or simply drink enough water before and after imbibing. I could suggest sobriety, but that'd put me out of business."

Meanwhile, Fiona turned in her seat to regard Leander with a grin, raising a fist to bump against Sloan's as she did so.

"Oi, ya bring Oberon? Felon's been chompin' at tha bit fer another go at yer wee lad." She grinned, taking an unladylike swig of her drink. "Think about th' ratings, tabloid headlines, Chairman's heart rate spiking, all that good shite. Got tae cut off another one of Ryker's speeches wit' something, aye?"

The glare Hestia sent his way was returned with an easy smile in her direction as he took his seat. What he'd ever done to the fire type leader to earn her ire he truly didn't know, other than snagging the highest rank as gym leader, but starting a fight in the middle of the bar was not how he wanted to begin the night. Leave that for the end of the night when they'd all had more than a few drinks. Niall wandering his way in left them down only two. One gym leader and the champion himself, unsurprisingly on both counts.

A bark of laughter left Sloan from where she leaned on the back of the bar chairs, "And here I was expecting another fighting tip. Get tired of trying to get those to stick?" She grinned at the older gym leader; bumping her fist against Fiona's. "You ever catch me sober at one of these get togethers I've been replaced by a Ditto or something."

"I'll keep it in mind though, so long you grab me a whiskey first." Would she really? Probably not.

Leander caught his own drink as it slid down the bar and took a sip of it. His attention turned to Fiona as she spoke to him, a grin coming to his face at the question. "Course I did. The giant lout basically flew off without me when he realized where exactly we were going and who would be here." He could almost feel Oberon's ball shudder on his belt at the insinuation that he was even slightly smaller than Felon.

He couldn't help but laugh at the idea of one of Ryker's mile long speeches being cut off in a blaze of draconic fury. "You know I'm always a fan of the dramatic. Give him thirty minutes then I'll "accidentally" hit the release for Oberon." Even thirty minutes was being generous. He liked to talk, being an actor basically required it, but even he didn't think he had the ability to keep going for that long on a single topic. Especially when that topic was how illustrious the gym challenge was and how much of an honor it was to be Champion for the millionth time.

Knowing Ryker, his tardiness could be attributed to continued rambling at the opening ceremony, or he got dragged into something with the Chairman. That was always a possibility.

It was always fun listening to the others bicker and banter with each other, that's why Vivi and Luca didn't need too much convincing to come out here.

Vivienne always enjoyed visiting the leaders again and having a chat, especially Hestia and Fiona. Hestia's need to be the best was what made her kinda adorable in a way that Vivi just couldn't take her or her impromptu competitions seriously. Meanwhile, Fiona's sailor mouth and colorful vocabulary was a joy to listen to. It's because of her that Vivi knew even half the insults she knew now.

Their margaritas were placed in front of them, both happy with the dealer's choice they asked for. Luca especially; Charles always had the best in stock and was the best at what he did. That's why the old man deserved his chunk of Luca's paycheck.

"Thanks Charles." He would say before taking a sip. Damn good, as per usual. Luca skimmed down the line again, seeing that all of the leaders were just about present. Well, except a certain someone who liked to be fashionably late. Hestia seemed to be voicing the same thing, and honestly, it got him thinking. 'He better hurry before he misses the festivities.' No doubt Ryker would burst through the door and apologize for his tardiness again. Or give some kind of excuse. Or both.

"Speaking of Ryker," Luca would say, bringing his attention to Hestia and Beryl. "Did the guy say anything about being late?"

It was only common courtesy, right?

Vivi's ears perked up hearing a potential fisticuffs between Oberon and Felon. Those cute little monsters were about to duke it out again? She wanted to watch! Who she'd be rooting for? Well, she wouldn't say that part out loud. She didn't want a Salamence holding a grudge against her after all. "Careful they're not too close to the place or Charlie and Luca'll kill you both~" She joked with Leander and Fiona. One would kill for his destroyed business, and the other because he was an alcoholic. Two angry gents looking for blood sounded like a grand old time~

"Well I'll be a mankey's uncle," Sloan laughed from her perch in between Fiona and Vivi, "Briar got his ass here before Ryker did." That had to be something to mark down on the calendar. It wouldn't happen again for several years at this rate.

She glanced over to Beryl at the mention of a bet, "Hey Doc, you wanna get me a drink with some of that money?" She lightly waved her empty glass with a half grin on her face.

Leander's eyes shifted from Fiona to the ice-type leader as he settled into the bar. He returned the nod with one of his own. That really did make Ryker late. He looked back to Fiona, "We might need to up the timeline on that drama." Man was apparently going to wait until the party was over to actually show his face. Not that Leander particularly minded all that much. Most of them needed to loosen up a little, especially if it happened that Ryker showing up also brought the Chairman along with him. That they didn't need.

He kept checking the time as the minutes ticked by, sipping on his drink, a frown growing on his face the more time passed and the worse the weather got. "And I thought I was a workaholic," he muttered under his breath, shifting to look at the door for the millionth time.

That millionth time seemed to do the trick as the door finally swung open to reveal their Champion. An eyebrow rose slowly as the pool of water under Ryker's feet steadily grew. The rest of them had missed the storm by actually showing up on time. Not that he was looking forward to leaving in it. Maybe he'd get a taxi back home...

"Sure are Champ!" Sloan sent Ryker a grin as he settled in next to Fiona, "We were all trying to figure out which one of you would be the last. Glad you made it here in one piece judging by how hard that storm is raging out there." She looked over to the jacket that was also dripping water, "Well, mostly one piece. That jacket might be a lost cause."

An intake of breath as Fiona and Leander started to float the possibility of having a go at it. A vein popped in Charles's forehead at the thought.

"Twenty years, I've been running this bar. Twenty years, I've hosted the annual gathering on Peyton's request. And without fail, once a generation, someone thinks it a grand idea to have a battle on this night." He groaned, grabbing a glass before pouring himself a dram of single malt. "By all means, demonstrate why this is a poor idea. I could use the renovation funds from the Chairman once he finds out exactly how the Cliffside burnt down for the fourth time in two decades."

Charles finished his rant by pouring a second glass of whiskey, handing it over towards Briar before proceeding to refill Beryl's drink as well.

"Aww, c'monnn!" Fiona jeered as she swigged down more booze, arms stretched out wide.
"We'll be...well, I ain't gonna say careful, but we won't tag tha Cliffside?" She looked around the bar, as if asking for support. "Back me up here, aye? Me an' Leander'll be totally capable of not hittin' th' bar, nae shite?"

Before Charles could respond with what exactly he thought of that sentiment, the conversation was interrupted by an utterly bedraggled Ryker finally entering the bar. The old trainer refrained from expressing his dismay at the amount of water the Champion was tracking in, settling for giving him an exasperated stare before mixing up his requested rum and coke.

"Peyton's not arrived, no. Though now I hope he does soon. The state you're in would give that tosser conniptions." Was the ability to speak so casually of their collective superior a product of nepotism? Absolutely. Did he care? Not particularly.