UNBEATABLE.

          her eyes are bright as they meet iggy’s, but her attention is drawn away almost immediately once she’s entered. she grins as she looks down, making sure the hat stays diligently ‘pon her head with one hand while she leans down, gleefully patting escalus on his head. 

“ hey, buddy! good to see you again! ” she’s always just as thrilled to see iggy’s pokémon as she is to see him, unfazed as the ghost clings to her leg. around her neck, her own sizzlipede wriggling his little arms in greeting. she looks up again as iggy speaks, a small amount of laughter shaking her frame in response to his offer. there’s an unmistakable pink hue to her cheeks, too, though she silently scolds herself for feeling flustered over a harmless comment! she squares her shoulders.

“ you think? should i get a leather jacket too? ” she tips her head to feign deep thought ; it’s never a look she’d actually attempt to pull off, but the thought is funny regardless! but she shakes her head after, striding across the room but careful she doesn’t toss her new leg accessory. it’s easier than walking through a crowd of busy mareep, that’s for sure! she’s glad he’s smiling, even if he looks a little tired!

“ nah, it’s definitely your look. ” she says confidently. once she’s close, lillian stands on her tip-toes, really having to reach, arms extending to put iggy’s hat back where it belongs. just when did he get so tall ?? she takes a few steps back once the job is done, looking up at him and nodding.

“ yeah, looks better on you! ” lillian insists, hands on her hips. “ have you eaten properly today? i should have brought you some coffee, or something, but i wanted to get here quickly… ” she’s still smiling, but there’s a hint of concern in her eyes. she hopes he hasn’t been overworking, or anything! or lacking sleep! 

     ❝ leather jacket ? ❞      he briefly glances down at his own clothing, iggy’s mouth twitching as he contemplates her words. a leather jacket ? no, no. leather never suited him. and it was such a pain to keep from tearing back when he was just a lad. not worth it.       ❝ hm. naw. might be a li’l too intimidating for you to wear. people see you and think ‘ sweet little girl ‘, not ‘ scary ‘ or anything relating to that. ❞       the sableye clambers up her leg nimbly, quickly, efficiently-- clearly he’s done this several times, now. he hangs off her back like a young koala would its mother, the dual-type pokemon comfortable as he hangs on her.      ❝ had a feeling you’d say that. thanks. like i said, could always give you an autographed one. ❞ not that lillian needs one. she has the real thing.

League meetings.

While Nicholas understood it was a necessary part of his job, he never enjoyed them. He liked being on the ground, working with the people and helping them out. This kind of meeting, talking about the budget or whatever was not catching his attention. Sure, he was somewhat listening, not like the Champion, fast asleep next to him, but his mind was elsewhere, thinking of how much more productive he could be.

When the meeting took a quick break, he heard the Champion shift around, and then begin to speak. Nick turned to Iggy when he heard him start talking

“No, it’s the same old boring stuff.” Nick said, rolling his eyes.

“The most interesting thing was a drier than usual season in the Jasmine Desert. Can’t be any drier than this meeting is. Why do they even make us come to these things anyway?”

“But yeah, we’re taking a break right now.” Nick paused for a moment before leaning back in his chair and stretching out. “Honestly, I wish I could just skip these things. What I wouldn’t give to not be here right now.”

     ❝ hmm.      dunno why cora insists on havin’ these things.      pretty sure half the people who show up don’t pay attention.      like, look at that guy. ❞      iggy nods his head now, jerking it in the direction of another individual who sits a few seats away, their phone in their lap whilst they try and subtly send a quick text.

“Like it or not, Ignatius, you are a role model to thousands of children across the Agron region.” Cora’s voice carried a disturbingly even tone as she spoke, arms folded across her chest. Astra, her strongest team member, stood attentively at her side, its rose-colored eyes firmly staring at the cigar in the Champion’s mouth. 

“I don’t care what you do in the privacy of your own room. Shockingly, I have more important things to do than constantly call out your behavior.” She straightens her back and looks him in the eye as she continues. “Do you seriously think your smoking has no effect on them? They look up to you, of course they’re going to copy all of your bad habits.” 

Astra chirped supportively and looked up towards Iggy’s Sableye, tilting her head in the same direction as it. Cora, in the meantime, continued her rant without any sign of stopping. 

“This isn’t something harmless. This is you putting a death stick in your mouth and indirectly encouraging those who idolize you to do the same.”

     ❝ oooo. usin’ my whole name. how scary.      listen. jus’ cause i’m the champion doesn’t mean kids HAVE to look up to me, cora. ❞      flippantly, he lifts a hand as if to wave her away, the literal-cancer stick being pulled from his lips so that he could exhale out away from her... only to quickly be stuck back between his teeth, almost. an inhale follows, his shoulders slumping as he does.      ❝ then why’re you constantly callin’ me out then ?      like i said, you ain’t my ma. i picked this habit up awhile ago. ❞ ahem. team evolution. ahem. ❝ kids could be watchin’ them hardcore rock groups, they’ll pick it up that way. ‘sides, how was i supposed to know there were brats watching ? i don’t got eyes in the back of my head. ❞

the moment she had discovered iggy left his beloved hat at home, she knew what she had to do. she’s grateful she’s an early riser, otherwise, she might not have made it soon enough! thankfully, the path through the icelandite mountains has become easier the more she’s traversed it. between the marked pathways, her familiarity, and the helpful ride pokémon, she was able to arrive at the league around mid-day. her sizzlipede rests happily around her neck, enjoying a little nap ─ the warmth he provided while she trekked the mountain path was more than any scarf would have given her. 

she’s come to visit him before, but it still feels odd to announce that she’s here to simply visit, rather than challenge him. by now, the staff know her enough to not question it, but she swears there’s a strange glint in their eyes whenever they buzz her through. before she heads in, she grins with an idea. lillian places his hat on her own head as she makes her way down familiar halls, feeling thrilled for an excuse to visit her friend.

she practically skips through the door, smiling widely as she enters and waves.

❝ iggy! hello! ❞ she crosses the familiar room to get in closer. it’s strange, to say the least, seeing him without his signature hat. but that’s what she’s here to fix! she notes his disgruntled appearance and feels a slight pang of worry. did he sleep enough last night . . ? if he’s not feeling well, maybe that’s why he forgot …

❝ i ─ uh ─ went by your place to see if i could catch you before breakfast. but i was too late! but i think you forgot something, soo … ❞ she rocks on her heels a bit, grinning and looking up from under the hat, ❝ i came up here to bring it to you! good thing you weren’t in a match! ❞

     must’ve been a newcomer to announce lillian’s arrival, seeing as the individual was a bit awkward and made a big deal out of it. which made sense, usually when people arrive to the elite four’s quarters, they’re there to challenge them and then finally challenge him, should all of the elites be defeated.      nobody ever just came to visit. but they’d made an exception for her, given that she didn’t have all the badges and simply just wanted to see him or deliver things. iggy wasn’t a very busy man in the first place, as the elites generally halted any would-be challengers. since his time becoming champion, he’d only had a battle or two ? two, yes. both had been broadcasted to live television since it was such a big deal. seems he was just as popular as the other champions were in their own respective regions.      the idea is a bit unsettling, but he physically shrugs it off and settles comfortably within his ‘ throne ‘. the champion’s chair.      as the door opens, his sableye’s head jolts upwards, gem-like eyes peering in the direction of the figure as they step within. escalus’ head tilts next before he finally relaxes and hops down from his trainer’s shoulder, the little gremlin-esque creature rapidly running over to lillian before he attaches himself to her leg. how embarrassing.      ❝ that’s an interesting look for you. the hat, i mean.      you know, if you like it enough, you can have my other one.      or i can get you one of the replica ones and sign it. ❞ 

     iggy’s teeth grind together as the woman before him continues on with her lecture, the cigarette firmly clamped between his lips before he allows another exhale of the drag he’d taken. the scent of cig smoke fills the air, the action meant to be antagonizing in a way.

     the sound of static cuts through the silence of the champion’s chamber, the intercom above where iggy stands sparking to life. the person on the other end sounds a bit nervous though that wasn’t anything new, they always sounded that way.      ‘ --- mister champion, sir ? there’s-- there’s a visitor here to see you, but she’s not a challenger ! she insists that she has to see you though... ‘