Leaderboard

First round of polls for Round 2 of the Hot Wheels tournament are up, for those who are interested.

I wanna give a shout-out to @Thar for taking over my hot wheels tournament, it's just working 6 days a week, and starting a new relationship (literally happened on Saturday before work) it's hard to juggle that plus the tournament

If there was one thing Evelyn liked about Turbo Dueling, it was the sensation of speed. And on the busy urban Seattle streets, the result of the desire to go fast was... "This is what, the fourth red light we've caught in a row?" she asked. The result was frustration at traffic and red lights. She wanted to cut loose and rocket down the highways and city streets, but that would be irresponsible. Especially on rare occasions like this when she had a passenger on board. Regrettably, she had to just grin and bear it. The bright side of having a passenger, however, was she could at least talk to someone while she waited for traffic lights and the cars in front of her. "What brought you all the way out here anyway?" To her it was just second nature, but Eve imagined that if she had stayed in one country or the other full-time, a trip across the Pacific Ocean wasn't something she would take lightly. "Tired of Japan's pro scene or something?" "To say I was seeking a challenge would be an understatement," Sai lifted the visor on the helmet he wore, doing his best to free the fly that somehow found its way inside, blowing gently to coax it off the tip of his nose. "The players here are crazy. You know the coach is the only person I've dueled and never beaten? Make you wonder why she isn't competing herself, huh?" "It sure does." Not interested in the fame or fortune? There were plenty of people content to live a modest, simple life. Perhaps the coach was simply one of those types. As the light turned green and the cars in front of her started moving out, Evelyn asked the next, more important question. "Which way are we heading, again?" "You wanted a boat ride, right?" Sai reached around in front of her, pointing to their left, "To the waterfront!" "Waterfront it is!" Making the next left, Evelyn rode down the street at a responsible speed. A boat ride! What an exciting first! Hopefully things went well.

Fortunately for the four, they were out and about on a weekend. True to Kai's words about the city being a tourist trap, Hau'oli City was alive and well even in this late stage of the day. The setting sun behind them was more than capable of illuminating the many places that were still open. The boutique offered many a different piece of Alolan-made clothing, mostly in the vein of surfing tanks and the like. Most of the citizenry were dressed in a similar manner, with Charlie sticking out quite a bit amongst the four. The Tourist Bureau held many other souveneirs, such as coconuts carved to look like the heads of Exeggutor, miniature rocking horses in the design of Mudbray, and decals of the various islands as seen from above. The Tourist Bureau also had a small section set to the side, where information on other regions was laid out. It was mostly for the benefit of any native Alolans about to make a trip of their own, though there was actually a decent-sized group of people over there this evening. They were collected around a wall-mounted television that was playing a news station sourced in the Kanto region. "Mirabelle here with Indigo News! We're here on the scene of the Viridian City Gym, where today there was yet another bout of seismic activity!" The camera panned over a rectangular building with a brownish-green roof. It appeared the eastern wall had seen some amount of collapse, which the camera focused on briefly before panning back to the dark-haired newscaster. "This is the third such incident in as many months at this prestigious facility of the Indigo Plateau Pokemon League, but it is the first time the Gym has seen such significant structural damage! I'm here with Gym Leader Blue Oak for commentary." The camera cut to a brown-haired young man, tall and dressed in blue and green, and his face with a considerably more relaxed expression than the scenario seemed to warrant. "Yeah, the previous Gym Leader was really into Ground-Type Pokemon," he commented carelessly, looking over his shoulder at the collapsed wall as if it had scuffed his shoe. "Left a lot of structural damage that's only really become obvious recently." "Are you confident you'll be able to halt further accidents?" A snort. "The previous leader may have disappeared without cleaning up his mess first, but he left the Gym Trainers behind. They know a thing or two about Ground-Type Pokemon themselves, and it's not like I'm a slouch with my Rhyperior myself." "Mm, that's good to hear!" The newscaster bit her lip before continuing. "And what do you say to the rumors recently about strange, unidentified individuals being seen around the gym? There are... certain rumors about this previous leader-" "Unwarranted," Blue responded flippantly, turning and heading back towards the Gym. "People like to spread things around, but most of it's nonsense. I gotta help clear away the debris. Smell ya later!" "Oh, please sir, can I just get one-" - - - - - - - She shut off the radio in the midst of newscaster's plea. She gazed up at the roof of the small beach hut she had been living in for the past four months. No company, just herself. She didn't like to go outside much. It ran a risk. Risk of being recognized. Not that she figured it would bring her trouble she couldn't fix. Just trouble she didn't want to have to encounter to begin with. And yet, based on the message she had received ten minutes ago, she would have to eventually. "Idiots," she muttered lowly, giving a glare to the radio as she started to get dressed. She was out here in Alola by herself for months on end and the rest of them got up to... She took a deep breath, trying not to lose her temper. Not all of them were adjusting to this the way she was. Which was apparently to have some sense and do what she was told, she thought bitterly. The wide straw hat she wore out of the house was much darker and lower on her head than the other similar ones that peppered the streets of Hau'oli. It was designed to shield her face from eyes rather than her head from sun. The blue of her clothes was muted, engineered not to stand out when combined with her long, dark hair. One hand held her thin jacket closed in the ocean wind, the other clenched within the jacket around a single Dive Ball. "Aether..." she mused to herself, eyeing the white boat in the harbor and beginning the long ordeal of tracking her targets. "Please... Please let this be something." - - - - - - - The Hau'oli Mall was not as busy as the daytime hours, but there was still a night scene there. Especially as the weekend began and the turnouts from the local Trainer school were able to partake in the food and fervor of the Battle Buffet. Easily the most crowded sector of the mall, it was hard to take one's eyes away from the large throng of young trainers inside. Long tables crowded with Trainer and Pokemon, ringed by long countertops with all assortment of local cuisine. Towards the back were several cordoned-off areas where small battles were taking place, Pokemon diving to and fro while excited cheers were called out from the sidelines. It was a lively bunch, talking about battling and the Trials of the islands, and a few even about the strange object that had fallen from the sky that very morning. Especially the great group that was gathered by the front entrance. All younger boys and girls, circled around a grinning boy with his hair tied back in a ponytail, leaning back with his sandaled feet up on a table. "Are you really gonna go for Illima's Trial, Koa?" asked one of his entourage. "Sure am," he bragged, voice carrying through the Buffet despite the din of battles. "Heading out there first thing tomorrow. Pa says that thing that fell from the sky was a good omen for me; The Totem Pokemon doesn't stand a chance! "Matter of fact," he continued, voice rising even louder, "Best bless my battle with a few good rounds! Anyone who can beat a Trainer blessed by something fallin' from the sky, I'll pay for your meal!" This brought a clamor of challenges from those assembled, loud enough that a few passing Aether workers were sure to notice...

My latest piece in soft pastel, this time using splatters of white paint for the stars. Feedback is appreciated! ^^