A quick note: Welcome! I feel like I should start with a little bit about this collection. While this first entry was named 'Introductions' for a reason, any ficlet here should be able to be read completely independently. For what it's worth, this is game-verse based; and I'm happy in my sandbox of Generations I through IV. This collection is never going to be marked complete; I just plan on adding to this little 'verse I'm building here whenever the mood strikes me.

So, without further adieu...

Introductions

The first time it happened, people cheered. It was unprecedented, but thrilling, to watch the grandson of the great Professor Oak take Kanto's gym circuit by storm, and become the youngest champion.

When it happened again almost immediately after, it just got even more exciting; the entirety of Kanto fascinated by the spectacle that rivalry created. When the third took down now-Acting Champion Lance and got inducted into the Hall of Fame herself a few weeks after, it was a celebration, but not shocking as it once was. Noteworthy, but mostly because it meant that Pallet Town's entire cohort that year had completed the challenge.

But then it happened again in Hoenn, and in Johto. And again, in Sinnoh.

And then people started looking at each other.

Four reigning champions; three more inducted into the Hall of Fame; a handful of others gaining eight badges in just as much time, being watched as they prepared for the League. Criminal organizations had toppled in their wake. Legends had been calmed by their actions. All of them barely into their teens, if that.

'The prodigy phenomenon', they were sometimes called. It was as good a moniker as any.

(-o-)

It was Scott, ever the eye for talent, who suggested they all be interviewed at once. 'The story of the century', he called it, and he wasn't entirely wrong. Of course it had to happen at some point.

Naturally the champions were the first to be contacted, who would then be told to bring in their peers; anyone else that had taken that journey with them.

Well, that was how it was supposed to go anyway – they ended up with three of them and Blue.

"No, no, no, this isn't going to work like this." Mary groaned over the video conference, putting her head in her hands. "We would love to have you as well, Blue, but-"

"I get it," Blue cut in bluntly. "I'm not him, not part of the set, all that jazz. Hell I can't even resent it anymore."

Every now and then there was the occasional piece about the famous Red's disappearance and where he'd been for the past… actually, it was over four years now. At this point it wasn't such a big deal anymore, now that he was confirmed to be alive, but nevertheless the worrying started all over again. How could this thing happen without him, if they had no idea where he was?

That was when Blue, Leaf, and Gold exchanged glances and near-simultaneously said they'd take care of it.

(-o-)

Even winning the full set of eight badges is an accomplishment, especially for trainers as young as they are. The ties, however ill-defined, were still obvious. Even more so when, for the first time, they were all put in the same room. Not all well-known, but each one exceptional.

(-o-)

When Red was brought (some might say 'dragged') back into the public, his presence caused a stir all on its own.

"Of course, that's only going to last until the figure out how difficult it is to get him to say two words," Leaf commented lightly when Blue started complaining about it. Sitting next to her in the waiting room, Crystal snickered. For his part, Red offered a tiny smile of his own and shook his head, clearly amused.

It had taken some convincing for a few of them, but they were all gathered now in a sparse waiting room, ready to be escorted to the set up for the interview. One pre-recorded broadcast and an accompanying article; to 'introduce them to the world', so to speak.

They'd come to a consensus that the hosts probably hadn't been planning on thirteen in total, but… as Barry had pointed out, they had asked.

Red and Blue were probably the only ones to have their story known in all four regions, but they'd all met each other once or twice, or at least had heard of each other by this point. Even so, this was actually the first time they'd all been in the same place at once. Thankfully things were clicking between them.

Mostly.

"Are… you sure I should be here?" Wally asked, fidgeting with a pokéball in his hands.

May and Brendan were both quick on the answer. "Of course."

Red looked him over quietly and nodded in agreement. Lucas just snorted a bit. "You got past Victory Road. With asthma."

"If anything, I'm less deserving to be here than you are," Lyra pointed out from the other side of the small room. "I'm the one who's never even tried for the full circuit." Her marill's chirp was a little sulky, but didn't seem to be an outright disagreement.

Wally stammered out some sort of reassurance, but once Gold rolled his eyes he trailed off. "You both deserve to be here," the Johto champion stated definitively, resting a hand on Lyra's shoulder in a show of support.

Then the cameraman poked his head in and told them they were ready.

(-o-)

Very few people don't know who Champion Red is these days. Not only for being the youngest person to ever take the title – by however narrow a margin – but also for his stunning, near-singlehanded takedown of the notorious Team Rocket, and for showing everyone just what the young trainers of the world could be capable of.

Having disappeared shortly after his induction into Kanto's Hall of Fame, his mystery has only grown over time. His lack of interaction with the press and public at large, along with his now-famed silence, has certainly contributed to that.

(-o-)

He was just here to humor Blue and Leaf, but Red decided he didn't mind the pair of reporters May had recommended. Gabby stated right off she had no problems with "short and sweet" answers, even if they weren't required now (May was stifling a grin as she said that, so Red suspected it was an inside joke of sorts), so she wasn't getting too frustrated with his completely non-verbal answers. Ty was surprisingly unobtrusive considering the number of cameras.

It still made him twitchy, but that was mostly him and had comparatively little to do with the set-up.

The host from Johto – Mary, that was her name – wasn't helping in that regard, but at least Professor Oak had clearly told her what to expect from him.

He was the first one they had latched onto, even though they were all sitting in the same room. They'd started out with the easy questions: how long ago he'd been found (Leaf had managed to track him down almost a year ago), did he have many challengers since then (he shook his head and pointed at Gold), how did that go (Gold made a face; Red just grinned).

Then the segue hit.

"Your disappearance caused quite the commotion," Mary commented. Which was a polite way of saying that he not-really-intentionally freaked a lot of people out. "I'm sure you understand that I have to ask: What caused it?"

And nope; no way was he answering that question. Pleading solitude was technically accurate, but he'd tried it before and it wouldn't keep them off for long.

Mary looked a little flustered when he didn't respond at all, but Gabby bounced back quickly. "Can you at least tell us where you took off too?"

Red just offered her a not-quite-smug smile. An 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile.

Gabby laughed. "Seems like it's closer than we think."

He let them have that one.

(-o-)

Grandson of the famed Professor Samuel Oak, Blue was the first of the Pallet cohort to take the champion title, albeit the one with the shortest reign. He continues, however, to hold the record for the fastest run through any region's circuit.

In the four years since he's held the position of Viridian Gym Leader, where he quickly shook off the stigma of being an ex-champion and being new to the post.

(-o-)

"Do you two battle often?" Mary asked.

Blue knew exactly what the rumors said, and no, he did not go to have it out with Red again every time he closed the friggin' gym, thank you very much.

"A couple times." Not so much anymore. He left that part out, dodging the very obvious follow-up question.

Every time, he could swear. It was always the 'rivalry' these days. And yet, this was still arguably the most relaxed interview he'd had since he became champion, so it was easy enough to deflect the questions until the topic shifted.

"You have a reputation as the toughest gym leader," Gabby began. "Any thoughts on that?"

"Well I should hope so. It would look pretty bad if a former champion lost too often, now wouldn't it?" He smirked. "That and I'm the only one that doesn't have a type specialty."

"Any plans to change that?"

"I'm going to have to start rotating soon anyway. Just need to finish training up the newcomers – I like my reputation as the designated eighth." Not that people couldn't try earlier, but that was beside the point.

"Are you going to continue Viridian's ground-type specialty?"

"Probably. I have a nidoking and a pupitar I've been wanting to bring into play. Between them and Rhyperior I should have a good start."

"Would you keep your usual team if you could?"

He actually had to give that one some thought. "…Nah. I don't wanna have to hold them back."

(-o-)

Hailing from Pallet Town alongside Red and Blue, Leaf cites herself as the third, equal point of a triangular bond among the three of them; and although she may not be as visible as the other two, she isn't wrong – by Red and Blue's own admission. She describes a pact formed among the trio, waiting to start their journeys until even all of them could obtain their trainer's license.

Although it was Red who defeated the leader of Team Rocket, Leaf gained some notoriety for herself while battling alongside local police forces in the Silph Co. building during the assault.

(-o-)

"I never felt overshadowed, really," Leaf said. "Taking on the League is a big deal, and they got there first; they earned that." She smiled. "I enjoyed my journey, and that's what matters."

Mary returned the expression. "You did have your own accomplishments though." She glanced at her notes. "I'm told you've been 'making waves' in Hoenn's Battle Frontier."

Scott's words, of course. Leaf was torn between rolling her eyes and laughing, ending up with the latter. "It's been a challenge, and I love it. They really managed to come up with some unique scenarios."

"What's your favorite facility so far?"

"Huh… that's hard actually." She folder her arms as she thought. "I'm torn. I really liked the Pyramid, because I couldn't be prepared as I might like. That sounds counter-intuitive, but I had to rely a lot more on my wits than on prediction. On the other hand," she waved one almost as if to demonstrate, "I really liked the whole concept of the Palace, and I think as nerve-wracking as it was it was a great way to get to know my team better."

They talked a little bit more about the frontier before the focus shifted. "What do you think will be next for you?"

Leaf hummed in thought. "I don't know. I've been wanting to spend some more time in Kanto before I go back to the Frontier. Maybe travel it again, help out at Cinnabar some." She grinned mischievously. "Maybe race Blue again at the Trainer Tower in the Sevii Islands. I bet he still can't beat me."

Further down on the couch, Blue mock-sulked, to the amusement of the others.

(-o-)

Having surpassed her father, Gym Leader Norman of Petalburg City, May holds the title of Hoenn's reigning champion. Taking full advantage of the recent division of champion duties, she spends as much time outdoors as indoors, training her team and circulating the region until she is called on.

Beyond her champion-hood, May has the claim to fame of one of the most noted individuals in the fight against the dual threat of Team Magma and Team Aqua, alongside then-Reigning Champion Steven Stone as well as several gym leaders.

(-o-)

"So May," Gabby flipped through her cards, settling on the one she wanted to lead with, "I have here that you were actually born in Johto."

"Olivine City, yeah," May replied. "I actually moved here right before I started my journey."

"Was that difficult for you?"

"Um… I started a couple months after my birthday, which was kind of frustrating, but that wasn't Dad's fault. I didn't want to get started and have my family move a whole region away in the middle of it, so I waited." A sudden thought crossed her mind, and she laughed and went with it. "Actually, after everything, I feel more like a Hoenn native than a Johto one. I don't mind that."

"That makes sense, all things considered," Gabby agreed. "You've probably seen more of Hoenn than Johto, I imagine?"

"Definitely. And while I love Olivine, it's definitely been a lot more memorable here."

"Did having someone to travel with help?" Gabby asked, motioning first to Brendan, and then to Wally.

May paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I'm not sure," she finally admitted. "I hadn't planned on travelling with anyone either before or after the move, and I can't really say we travelled together, you know?" She glanced to either side of her, and they nodded in agreement. Elsewhere in the room, most of the others were doing the same.

"It was nice, though. I didn't have the first clue on how to deal with a desert – it's not like Johto has one – but Brendan helped me out there;" she nudged him playfully, "and it was nice seeing a familiar face in-person every now and then. I think I could have done it, but they made it a lot more fun."

(-o-)

Although not a member of the Hall of Fame himself, Brendan has obtained all eight badges from Hoenn's League circuit. Champion May identifies him as her introduction to the life of a trainer, as well as a friend and friendly rival that challenged her "in the best way".

Brendan currently continues to work under his father, studying pokémon habitats and distribution across the region.

(-o-)

"So Brendan," Gabby began after establishing the facts, "Do you think your work under your father changed how you approached your journey?"

Brendan had encountered her and Ty once or twice – not nearly as much as May, but enough to be somewhat familiar with them. Solid trainers, but nothing his team couldn't handle. Though it was impressive at how well Ty could keep tabs on both his camera and the battle to get the shots that were shown on TV later.

They were definitely easygoing, rolling with whatever answer they got. Brendan could see why May asked them to be in on this.

"I… guess it has," he admitted after some thought. "Dad does a lot of field work, always has, so I got a lot of experience in staying safe from him." The fact that his experience came from seeing the consequences of his dad going out alone without so much as a pokémon, well… it didn't seem quite fair to say that on TV.

"Did you accompany him a lot before you got your trainer license?"

"I did," he replied with a smile. "Usually not very far, but enough to get the basics. He took me to Slateport once before I started travelling, but Petalburg Woods was generally as far as I went." He shrugged. "I kept helping him out on my journey too, even though we didn't go together as much."

Gabby hummed an acknowledgement. "Are you planning to become a full-time researcher?" She winked. "I hear there's a paper in the works."

He blinked and ducked his head sheepishly. His hand automatically rose, but he couldn't figure out what for, so he settled for rubbing at the back of his neck for a second before dropping it. "That's mostly Dad's; I don't think I'm even second-author. But yeah I think I might go into research."

"So back to school then?"

"Well, I'm sticking to online courses." He was talking with his hands again. He should probably stop that. "That way I can keep up with field work; at least until I can go to college."

(-o-)

Champion May introduced Wally to the interview team as "a friend [she was] excited to see turn into a rival." In turn, Wally says May was not only the reason he was able to obtain his first pokémon Ralts (now Gardevoir), but also was his mentor and inspiration throughout his journey.

Despite suffering additional challenges as a trainer due to asthma, Wally holds all eight Hoenn gym badges, and has reached the region's Pokémon League.

(-o-)

Wally fidgeted with nerves as the interviewers turned their attention to him. All he had was his badges, much less than the others. What else could he say about his journey?

He ran away, plain and simple. He hadn't even written to his family until May talked him into it after she became champion.

"I hear you have made a challenge to the League as well?" Gabby asked, taking the lead as she had for the other Hoenn kids.

He'd outright avoided talking to anyone who even looked like a reporter. He'd barely given his name to trainers he met on the road, and never his hometown.

"Yeah. I've tried once already, but we, well… it didn't work out."

And now he was going to be on TV.

"How prepared do you feel-"

Not at all.

"-for another attempt?"

Wait… oh, right.

"I lost to Glacia," he admitted. "We weren't prepared for the hail." Belated gratitude that they'd glossed over his first attempt, when he was in the same room as the four reigning champions, helped him relax a bit. But he needed that thought to form the rest, so... "Hoenn doesn't have a lot of ice types, obviously, but May showed me a place to help train, and maybe I'll be able to visit Sinnoh sometime." Was Dawn nodding in his peripheral vision? He didn't check. "I think it might be awhile. I want to, soon, but the cold… it didn't bother me too much, but I noticed. It got a little distracting, for me and for Gardevoir."

"Because of your asthma," Gabby explained for future viewers. "Has it caused a lot of problems for you, as far as your journey goes?"

He smiled. "Not as much as people might think. And when I got to Fallarbor, I figured if I could get there, I could get through pretty much anything the road had to offer."

(-o-)

Champion Gold, a native of New Bark Town, is far from a new face to the local public. Citizens of Johto can often see the trainer as he bounces from one project to the next, cementing his status as one of the most active champions to date. Aside from region-wide education efforts, it's not uncommon to find him pitching in on the grounds of infrastructure projects, and anything else that could use his help.

(-o-)

As the reporters turned in his direction, Gold vaguely wondered what they could possibly ask about that hadn't been covered a dozen times already. Whereas Red's disappearance had very quickly overshadowed his champion-hood, he'd dealt with all the resulting questions and then some. Besides, if they wanted the newest champion, they'd have to look at Lucas.

"So Gold," Gabby started, "now that it's been a year since you took the title, have you found a lot has changed?"

Well, um… He blinked. "Uh… Not really. I mean, I've gotten a few challenges now, and it's kinda weird being the one people come to than the other way around, but for the most part I get to travel around like I used to, which is really great, actually."

Mary nodded, and lifted her own mic to pick up the questioning. "I can imagine. Part of the champion's job is to help out with major issues around the region, but I suppose that's nothing new to you, is it?"

"I guess not," Gold replied, laughing.

Mary didn't follow suit, but spared a glance at the others, as if to include them in that assumption. As she returned her gaze to Gold, she leaned forward slightly for her next question. "Any sign of Team Rocket since then?"

"Nope!" Gold chirped, then shot a sidelong glance to Crystal, who confirmed with a small shake of her head. No guarantees the interviewers would drop it, but if they didn't… it'd be okay.

(-o-)

A previously unknown trainer, Champion Gold cites Silver as his rival, and one of the driving forces along his journey. He was one of many trainers to face Team Rocket in Goldenrod City, having been briefly sighted in the radio tower shortly after Gold had driven out the new leader of the criminal organization and ending the crisis.

(-o-)

Silver might have been scowling as the reporters turned to him, their smiles faltering as they tried and failed to place him. He was pretty sure he did not care. Whose brilliant idea was this again?

Gold was fighting an amused grin on his left.

Oh, right.

"And you are…" The reporter with glasses checked the paper in her lap. Notes, he thought. "…Silver?"

He nodded curtly. "Yeah."

"And…" She skimmed the paper in her lap again. "I heard you were also at the radio tower."

"Yeah…" He replied slowly, fighting down a cringe. Gold was doing the same.

"What inspired you to take up the fight against Team Rocket?"

He stiffened, immediately debating the merits of pulling a Red and shutting down. There was no way in hell he was outing his heritage on a worldwide broadcast.

"I hate Team Rocket," he said, voice coming out steely. Wait - that was just asking for them to ask why. "Always have. They're cowards. I always had the goal of being the str- best trainer, and they pissed me off." Yes he was falling back on old habits – Gold actually was cringing now – but what else- "They just stole pokémon left and right as if that meant anything for them. That whole organization was built on a lie and just because I was headed there for other reasons doesn't mean I wouldn't kick them across the room."

Huh. That was not what he'd said last time.

The reporters had drawn back from the sudden vehemence (the thought of a retake struck him at random), and after a long pause they blatantly changed topics. Had he thought about challenging the League? Really?

At least his solo interview was mercifully short.

(-o-)

A member of Johto's Hall of Fame, Crystal – Cris to her friends – claimed victory over Lance shortly after Champion Gold took the title for himself. However, she chose not to pursue the full reigning champion title, and instead spends her time continuing to explore her home region and beyond; although she does assist Gold with his more extensive projects. "Pretty much exactly as [she] was doing before," as she puts it.

(-o-)

Mary looked hesitant to begin their interview after Silver, and opened up with some soft, easy questions. Crystal didn't really blame her.

"I liked challenging the circuit, but to be honest I started my journey because there's just so many other places to explore, you know? There's a line where history and legend starts to blur, and I love seeing what's there."

No bouncing in the seat, she reminded herself, but Mary and Gabby were both indulging her so it was hard to stop talking.

She remembered some of Gold's first interviews, where he mostly talked about his battles with the gym leaders; but that was to be expected, really, since he'd become champion. Crystal tended to go in the opposite direction and talk about everything in between.

Still, there was a part of her that shied away from mentioning her encounters with the unown, much less Suicune. Something about talking about them, in this situation, sat all kinds of wrong with her.

And despite Silver's outburst earlier, the conversation came around to the inevitable.

"Were you at the radio tower as well?"

She paused, sparing a glance towards Silver. He knew, of course. There had been enough time since then to get on at least mostly-friendly terms with each other. She couldn't not tell him, once he'd admitted to who his father was.

"No," she finally said, shaking her head. "I didn't hear the broadcast at first, but I ended up chasing another faction and fought them during the incident."

"Another faction?" Mary asked, prompting her to go on.

They had rehearsed this, the three of them, knowing it would come up at some point. Now was not the time to blow that story; and even Lance had backed them up. Crystal nodded. "Yeah. They seemed pretty defeated. I don't think we'll be seeing Team Rocket any time soon."

(-o-)

Although a year younger than Gold and Crystal, both trainers claim Lyra as a close friend and moral support; or, as she would describe it, "their cheerleader". Of the overall cohort, Lyra is the only member to not have obtained eight badges from any region; though it's clear that this does not stop her from being included among the roster, nor from doing what she can in the face of the challenges like those posed to her peers.

(-o-)

"So you turned eleven last year," Mary clarified. "Any plans to follow the footsteps of your friends?"

Lyra was all too happy they'd moved on to better topics. "I did, and…" she hummed a little in thought, "not really." She finished the sentence with a giggle. "Well, I might go for the whole circuit, but I don't know if I'd ever be ready to challenge the League."

"Who do you think you'd challenge first?"

"I have two badges already, actually." She held up her case, Plain and Zephyr badges shining under the studio lights. "My grandparents run a daycare outside Goldenrod, and I visit them a lot, so I won my first badge there. Honestly, I challenged the Violet gym for fun. But like I said, I might go to the others sometime."

"Any plans instead, for now?"

"I've been competing in the Pokéathlon." She flipped her case around to show her skill medal and smiled as she showed it to the cameras.

"And how has that been going?"

"Sunkern is awesome." she gushed, and then burst into a fit of giggles. "Though really, it's win some, lose some. The snow throw event tripped us up a lot, but we eventually prevailed;" she pumped her fist, "and we're on a good streak now! Speed course better watch out!"

(-o-)

Champion Lucas hails from Twinleaf Town and is currently the youngest Reigning Champion, overseeing the Sinnoh region. Even before his League challenge, he was among the few trainers specifically noted by Acting Champion Cynthia and Professor Rowan as instrumental in the dismantling of Team Galactic.

Only a couple months in, Lucas is still settling into his new role; but as some of the Elite Four have noted, that hasn't stopped him from stepping up to the plate with all the professionalism required.

(-o-)

"As the newest champion, how are you adjusting?"

Gabby had taken over again as they turned towards where Lucas was sitting with the other Sinnoh kids. This was pretty different from the typical – just the people sitting here were testament to that – but this question was pretty much inevitable. Still, it wasn't like the fact-confirming questions he'd answered practically on auto-pilot.

"I actually feel better, that it's been done before," he responded. "Takes the pressure off. I'll be honest, I didn't really expect it; but… I think I'll get to like it."

Mary hummed in vague agreement. "If not being champion, then what inspired you to start your journey?"

"Well…" he began, slowly, "Barry and I had kinda been planning on a journey since, um, ever." Next to him, Barry nodded emphatically in agreement. "But… not long before we started, actually, me and Barry – mostly Barry –" His friend rolled his eyes. "– wanted to go look for our first pokémon on our own. You see, we had both just seen that special report. About that team that was looking for the red gyarados over in Johto?"

He caught sight of Gold with his hand over his mouth, stifling snickers.

"So Barry says, well, we have Lake Verity right here, right?"

"And I was all 'we should go find a pokémon like that in our lake!'" Barry cut in.

"Granted," Lucas said, firmly taking back over, "aiming for a pokémon as rare as a red gyarados might've been a bit overzealous…"

"Was not." Barry pouted.

Gold was trying very hard to not break into outright hysterics. Crystal was on the verge of joining him.

"But it worked out," Lucas finished. "That's actually where we met Professor Rowan, so if nothing else it was productive." Granted, he could've gone without the starly attack, or Rowan lecturing them, and… you know, he probably would've preferred the supervised trip he'd planned on. But it did work out… Dawn cringing at the memory aside.

Gabby smiled. "So you were interested in searching for wild pokémon too?"

And yeah… yeah that was pretty accurate.

(-o-)

When asked about their connection, Champion Lucas describes several times he has worked alongside Dawn, not only with the pokédex project but in dealing with the criminal elements of Sinnoh; and like other champions cites her as a much-appreciated source of help and camaraderie along his journey.

Although one of the trainers instrumental in the fight against Team Galactic, and another young trainer to have completed the Sinnoh gym circuit, Dawn mostly talks about her work as an assistant to the regional professor.

(-o-)

"My father works for Professor Rowan, so when I was looking for a way to get started working with pokémon, it, um…" Dawn shrugged, for lack of a better way to express herself, "…it seemed like an obvious choice."

Both interviewers were smiling gently. It just made her fidget more. Interviews were not her favorite thing, not that she got many, but… she couldn't have turned down this one.

It was a lot more difficult than Professor Rowan made it seem though. Usually she could just hang around the edges or behind the professor or her dad. She was hardly even on-screen. But now she had to actually talk.

She almost missed the next question. "Did taking on the circuit help with your job?"

"Um…" She took a breath to gather herself, but she couldn't overthink it. "It did, yeah. Not just helping me get easier access to certain places and, like, my surf license, but it just… made me feel safer when I was out there. I guess that's sort of the point. I felt better. Um… it was kinda reassuring, with physical proof I could handle it."

"That makes sense," Mary said, nodding. "Is that why you decided to take on the journey yourself?"

"Um… sort of." Dawn rolled Empoleon's pokéball in her hands. "Both dad and the professor suggested I try for at least one or two, since it was good training. After that, and getting mixed up with Team Galactic and all, it just… made sense to me?"

Gabby nodded, and Dawn just knew they'd come back around to that bit, but for the moment she asked, "Did you enjoy it?"

She couldn't help but nod. "Yeah… yeah I did. More than I thought I would, really."

They of course asked her a few questions about how she got involved with the crime-fighting; not too different from a lot of the others. That wasn't so bad, since Cynthia and Lucas both had already made an official statement about most of it, especially the stuff at Mt. Coronet.

But it was still a relief when it was over.

(-o-)

A childhood friend of Champion Lucas, Barry claims to be the instigator of "their" rise to the top, something Lucas does not object to, along with the claim of them being each other's rivals. Like the other members of the Sinnoh cohort, Barry was among those to take a very visible stand against Team Galactic.

Barry cites his inspiration as a trainer as his father Palmer, the Tower Tycoon of Sinnoh's Battle Zone.

(-o-)

Barry fidgeted in his seat as Dawn finished her solo interview. Why did he have to be last? It wasn't his style.

So of course he jumped right in with both feet the moment he could. Lucas had stolen his thunder on the lake story (he could've told it so much better), but he was all for talking about the rest of his journey (Route 217 did not count).

"I swear I got an adrenaline rush every time I got close to a new gym," he told them. "I'd look at my map and I just couldn't wait for the next challenge." And maybe, maybe Lucas would roll his eyes about him trying to get from Point A to Point B as fast as possible, but he couldn't help it! Though somehow, even running everywhere, he still hadn't beaten Blue's record time. Which he was totally going to point out the next time someone brought it up.

"I love training," he continued, "I love battling, and my team is no different." He grinned. "The Battle Tower is probably my favorite place in all of Sinnoh."

"I can tell," Gabby said, stifling good-natured laughter. "How close are you to challenging the Elite Four?"

"Super close!" he announced, pumping his fist. "Infernape and the rest of my team are super tough now!"

Gabby then smiled impishly. "Are you going to challenge Cynthia or Lucas?"

Barry responded with a very wide grin. "I can't do both?"

Lucas just sighed and sat back on the couch next to him, expression somewhere between amused and exasperated.

(-o-)

It's easy to say that their journeys have stood out as unique, that they themselves stand out as something special. It's been noted by gym leaders, professors, champions, Elite Four members, and even trainers on the street that have mentioned them.

But what makes them different?

(-o-)

"So, in your opinion, what about each of you would you consider exceptional, and how did that enable your success?"

The entire group of prodigies turned to look at each other as the interviewers opened the floor to everyone, panel-style.

"Aside from the fact I'm just that good?" Blue replied, earning him a smack upside the head from Leaf. "Hey!"

Gold let out a laugh, but when the reporters turned to him he shrugged, and the studio went quiet for another moment.

"I'm not sure I'd call myself exceptional at all," Dawn ventured. "Um… so I'm really sure how to, well, answer that question."

"My vote goes to drive," May said after some thought. "I think every one of us had something in our heads pushing us forward constantly. Maybe some more than others," she nudged Wally pointedly with a smile, "but still."

"Not to mention how we all got mixed up in trying to solve a problem much bigger than ourselves," Lucas threw in. "I think May's right – One way or another, we looked at what was in front of us and, for whatever reason, just put our head down and plowed through it."

"Yeah, especially with Team Rocket and the others," Crystal said. "We were there, and none of us were willing to just… give up."

"Desperation can do some amazing things," Leaf said, more as an aside than anything, and Red nodded in agreement.

"And that goes for everything else too," Gold noted. "Even when things got hard on the road or in a gym, none of us were going to back down."

"I think there's some talent too," Lyra said, folding her arms and sweeping her gaze across the group. "Like seriously, how many of you were told when you started that you got along really well with your starter even though you just met, or did really well in your first-ever battle?"

A moment passed, and most of the group sheepishly raised their hands.

His own hands firmly in his pockets, Silver huffed out a noise that sounded perfectly sardonic, and then motioned for the next question.

Mary had a bemused smile on her face as she consulted her notes for the next topic. "I'm certain a lot of people would agree that you all are talented, but it certainly couldn't be easy to get where you are now." Seeing nods of agreement, she went on. "What were some unexpected difficulties? Or successes?"

"Unexpected…?" Barry mused. "Kinda hard to pin down any one thing. Sinnoh does have a lot of environmental hazards. You would not believe how annoying it is to be constantly sinking waist-deep in mud on Route 212 even when you're trying to watch where you're going." Beside him, Lucas let out a groan, signifying agreement well enough.

"Yeah," Gold said, "and trying to traverse Route 41 is no joke."

"Not to mention the Whirl Islands," Crystal added.

"…I'm still kinda shocked I beat the Fortree gym, even taking into account needing more than one try," Brendan said. "That pretty much devolved into a battle of attrition no matter what I did."

"I'm surprised I beat the Eterna gym on the first try," Dawn admitted. "Empoleon was still a piplup and had a major type disadvantage. My best bet was Drifloon and I'd barely had him a week."

Blue tilted his head in acknowledgement of her statement. "The early gyms are harder than a lot of people give them credit for. You're a lot less likely to have a team member with an advantage unless it's a really common type if you haven't been training very long. Not to mention limited attacks. You really have to plan with those."

Gabby nodded and cut in at that point. "Any other advice for new trainers?"

"I'm all for building a team you really click with," Gold said. "You and your pokémon are going to be much happier if you do; and I'd even go so far as to say you'll do better." Around him there were multiple nods of agreement. "But you have to balance that with a little bit of strategy. I have several electric-type weaknesses on my team; I have to plan around that. If you find a hole, it doesn't hurt to look for a pokémon that can fill that slot, or make strategies specifically to work around it with who you already have."

"In fact I'd lean towards the latter." Leaf added. "Learning to work with who and what you have will make you a better trainer in the long run; and that applies to everything, not just your team."

"Do some research for the road though." Brendan said. "You and your team are going to have to rely on each other a lot for those obstacles; you can plan for that just like you would for a gym." He sat back on the couch. "And make sure you have someone who can go for help if you need it."

The interview team all turned to Red, who had naturally stayed silent throughout the entire conversation. Put on the spot, he froze, then slowly retrieved a pokéball, Pikachu appearing with the push of a button. Without prompting, the little pokémon scrambled onto his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck.

"Like Gold said," Leaf explained, "you'll do a lot better with a team you can love and trust."

Author's Notes:

A bit about this particular entry: I'll just start by saying that making this work on two levels - both in and out of universe - was far more difficult than it had any right to be, especially since it also has to stand on its own with worldbuilding and whatnot. I'm not really sure how well I succeeded. Hopefully I got my main goal accomplished, which was to put up a relatively interesting oneshot that laid out most of the important foundations for the 'verse I'm establishing here. Among other things, there are so many name variations and people in different roles that I wanted to make clear which I was using right up front. (And for what it's worth, Crystal is not meant to be a self-insert, I just didn't think things through very well when I made my username and I don't wanna change it. Basically, we share the same name origin - Crystal version is a game I have a strong nostalgic attachment to, although the original Silver was my first.) Overall, I'm shooting for something slightly more realistic than the actual games, albeit without going into the darker territory a lot of stories that use that label seem it.

I'll admit, going in generation order for the regions was what 'felt right' to me, but as of May 2018 I changed it to go in chronological order (in order to preserve the canonical three-year gap between Kanto and Johto and still keep the kids' ages fairly close I had Hoenn take place between the two), which is what really makes sense from an 'in-universe' standpoint. I also had Brendan's section before May's, which really made no sense but it also felt 'right' from my out-of-universe stance. I finally switched everything around because for this aspect the in-universe reasoning really was more important.

Finding a good ending was hard as well - although when isn't it? I looked at several profile-style articles/interviews and most of them ended with a 'one last question' thing and a quote from the interviewee, so that's what I ran with here.

I hope you enjoyed this not-so-little oneshot here and are interested enough to pick up another entry, whether the next one or one further down the line.