To say the gym leader owned a set of standards, and was ( for a lack of a better word ) hard to impress, well, it’s true. The destined guardian to his city, the sole protector of his people, a contest master, wasn’t he allowed to have them? A softness washes over prim features, a smile emerging upon his lips as it spreads along them, genuine.
’ Mm. Just don’t get too ahead of yourself, alright? I know you’ll do absolutely great if you keep a level head and work alongside with your pokemon. Believe it or not, they can detect their trainer’s emotions and it can certainly spread to them, which profoundly affects how you’ll perform in the contest. Now, you don’t want your pokemon to topple over in the dancing portion due to nerves. Just take your time and practice. I’m sure you’ll do great. ’ It was words of wisdom once spoken to him, by his dear master, and it would only be plausible to spread this to his disciple.
’ Indeed. There is no other place in Sinnoh where a contest hall is located. I should know, I participated in a few contests myself there. A very grand place it is, if I do say so myself. Hearthome is a large city, so it does make sense. ‘
Ruby was luck to have Wallace as a master. He was always there to make sure that the boy didn’t screw up horribly like he did in the past, and told him what he should be focusing more on than others. Above all. he encouraged him and his love of contests. That was really the most important key factor in just how important this man was in his life.
“You’re right. As long as I keep a level head and work with my Pokémon, I’ll do a fantastic job out there.” He listened to the rest of what his master had to say, seeming to understand just how important emotions were between trainers and their Pokémon. He realized this too when first using Mimi in the beauty contests, and time after time with every mistake he made. There was no way that he would be forgetting that. This was why he was certain that things would go great. Ruby had faith in all of them and knew that he just had to be there for them as they prepared for the new set of challenges.
“Thanks, Master. I’m really glad I have you around to help. I’ll make sure to follow your advice and make you even prouder of me.”
“— Hmm, indeed——entering contests is a great way to go up against other coordinators and studying their styles to get an idea for your own. Of course, staying true to your own is quite important to remember! Oh? Do you think you’re ready to take on such a distinct type of contest? Since it does differ from Hoenn’s… If you believe that you can do it, then I have faith in you.”
More than the gym leader would let on, he was proud, in every sense of the word. His voice rivaled the calm of the waters in Sootopolis, not once faltering and going with the flow. If Ruby was able to read the expression on his face well enough, it was glowing with warmth.
Seeing his face glow with such warmth made the young coordinator smile wider with such pride. It was great to know that he could bring such an expression to the other. Hopefully he would be able to improve and impress his master day after day.
"That’s exactly what I was thinking. I need to keep practicing and honing my own skills if I want to be the best one around. But, now that you brought it up, I need to make sure my Pokémon will be ready for the dancing portion and that I have everything I need for the visual portion. I will make sure our moves are spot on for the judges to love.” A determined spark was seen in the young boy’s eyes, ready to take on any challenge ahead of him. It was going to be exciting when he took them all on.
“—Ah, before I forget. Is it true all of the contests only take place in one city?” That would be one major difference between here and Sinnoh. Only one building to hold all of the contests sure would make things much more convieniant for him though.
”—Oh, Ruby!“ He sounded, just a tad surprised, ( not that he did not anticipate his arrival, just running a bit late ) though his voice carried on as calm as he could muster.
Arms folded, a hand propped beneath his chin, there is just the hint of a smile twitching along his lips, warm, inviting.
”—It’s quite fine, do not worry about it. I was just merely making more pokeblock for my pokemon. Other than that, I’ve mostly been judging a few contests when I’m not working in the gym. Say, have you entered any contests lately?”
"Of course I have! I always enter a contest when I have the time to improve my skills. Though, I am starting to wonder if I should go and try for the other regions soon. I heard recently that Sinnoh has its own set of contests too. Do you think that I should take them on in the future?”
Wallace might have already known about this, and might have wanted to mention it to him in the near future, but Ruby just couldn’t contain his excitement when hearing about this. Would his master agree to him doing such a thing now? Is he ready for it?
