[PRP] Up For The Challenge

[Blood_Goddess]

It was finally the day he would be allowed to try out for his League License! And thank goodness really, the boat had arrived in the early evening the night before, the young black haired boy had big farewell the the people he had met along the way, and in his eagerness to get to the pokemon center as soon as he could, it didn't even remotely occur to him that registration would be closed in the evenings.

"You mean I have to wait till tomorrow?" The boy asked, dejectedly, and slightly out of breath, the Treecko on his shoulder drooped forward with a soft whine of disappointment.

"Yes, you will, I'm sorry." The kindly looking nurse behind the counter said, a sympathetic smile on her face as she organized some pokeball onto her try. "But why don't you use this time to rest up for tomorrow, if you're going to get your License, then you'll want to be refreshed for it right?"

Gon let out a soft noise of disagreement shaking his head "No- I'm okay, I could go right now actually." He had spent the last few days doing very little on a boat, holding out for the excitement of getting his license, and finding his dad. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep tonight! not with how close he was to finally getting to earn his way in as a League member!

Gon's eagerness earned him another kindly smile from the women, but all she could do was direct him toward the hall where some bunks were set up in the pack for traveling pokemon trainers passing by.

"There is no way I'm going to be able to sleep tonight." Gon said as he walked down the hall, hands grasping the straps of his bag.
"Tree!" The pokemon chimed in agreement, the small lizard moving from Gon's shoulder, to up on top of his mess of spiky hair.
"I'm just way too excited."

The bunks in the back were very simple, several of them staked into a plain looking room, with blankets and pillows made neatly onto each one.
At least he had a place to stay tonight, he hadn't given a lot of thought as to where he would be staying once he got there, especially in this cold.

Despite Gon's previous belief that he wouldn't be able to sleep, the boy was out cold the moment his head hit the pillow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning had finally arrived before Gon even knew it, and in a flash he had his jacket back on, his boots laced up, and with his bag being pulled back over his shoulders, the large brown eyes sharing a bright glance to his Treecko as the pokemon leapt back onto his shoulder.

It was finally registration time! and the first step wasn't too difficult, at the counter he was asked to fill out some paperwork, and answer a few questions. Once that was finished the lady at the desk smiled and told him that they would process his application and call him back up when it was time.

Gon felt pumped, all he needed to do now was wait a little longer.
Though the center was fairly large, and full of smaller shops and a cafe the likes Gon had never seen before. Being from a small Island their market was much different then anything like a city. He couldn't help but awe around at the displayed pokemon gear with Treecko while they waited for their name to be called.  

[Suudonym]

Killua had slept lightly in the pokemon center's unfamiliar environment, but he wasn't too tired; he could go a good while longer before a lack of rest would affect him. So far he wasn't seeing that the island was as dangerous as his family had always warned him - no one looked especially alert or worried, and everyday life seemed to be as everyday as it was anywhere else - but then he supposed he hadn't been around for very long yet.

Killua sat sideways in the chair, a skateboard propped up against the table beside him, and looked over the area's occupants. A kid his age, a couple of children younger than him, some adults... Were they all trainers? Wasn't it a huge risk to become a trainer in Kodo, what with Team Rocket lurking about?

"Gon Freecss? Killua Zoldyck?"

The voice of the attendant at the desk calling his name, echoed gently over the pokemon center's intercom, drew Killua out of his curiosity, and he hopped out of his seat and approached the woman who had spoken, a Zorua following dutifully at his feet. Time to see what all this 'trainer' business was about, then...  

[Blood_Goddess]

The number of people coming into the center was steadily increasing, though it didn't look like that many where hanging around for their trainer license, and the ones that did looked to be a bit younger than Gon himself.
He knew he was getting a later start from the league's age restriction. He and Treecko had a lot of catching up to do!
Though, he knew this was the age when his father had gone off to earn his license too.

His black head perked up when he heard his name being called back over at the registration counter along with one other name. "That's us!" hitching up the bag around his shoulder once more, he turned and jogged back through the center, and up to the counter. Treecko taking a long leap and landing on the counter right before Gon pulled up, the pokemon hunching where he crouched, and looking with wide yellow eyes to the women at the counter.
Gon took a moment to look over at the other boy with white hair who had walked up, guessing that this must be the other person they called.
"Are you trying for your license too?"  

[Suudonym]

Killua's gait was a bit more sauntering than the other boy's, his hands tucked into his pockets and his expression coolly nonchalant. He looked to his company as he was addressed and lifted his shoulders slightly in a shrugging motion, "Yeah, that's right."

"Well, you'll be happy to hear that the 'trying' part is already over," the center employee interjected cheerfully, sliding over a pair of cards stamped with the League's emblem and a pair of shiny red pokedexes. "Your applications cleared and both of you have been approved as official Pokemon League trainers!"  

[Blood_Goddess]

Gon grinned at the white haired boy when he responded, leaning back a little as he caught sight of the small fluffy fox pokemon standing by the other boy.
He didn't have time to comment however, as the lady behind the counter spoke again and Gon returned his attention to her.

For a few seconds Gon stood staring down at the items on the counter, the crisp new license and the dex sitting on the counter top with Gon's name already printed on it. "... Wait... So that's it?" He asked looking back up at the women "You're just going to give them to us?"  

[Suudonym]

"Yeah, what gives?" Killua added, incredulous, and dug the tip of his finger against the counter for emphasis, "You'd just let children waltz up, grab a license, and leave? Just like that?"

The woman at the counter looked baffled, and she raised her hands in a calming gesture. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not sure what the problem is. The League issues trainer licenses to anyone 10 years of age or older who's never been convicted of any felonies. Were you expecting something more complicated, or...?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

Well, he got his license, and that's what he was after in the end, but he couldn't help but feel really... well disappointed. He looked over to the boy standing at the counter, Gon was glad he wasn't the only one who seemed to have thought it would be harder then just filling out paper work.
"I was kind of expecting some kind of trial... or exam," Gon admitted, looking back at the women with large brown eyes, leaning forward slightly as he spoke. "So we have to earn it."  

[Suudonym]

"Oh, I see!" the woman replied, having apparently come to sort of realization. "No, you must be thinking of badges. Anyone can become a trainer, but in order to earn badges, you have to work hard enough to be able to defeat a gym leader in battle. It's one of the League's greatest and most popular challenges."

"No," Killua interjected, "we're not talking about badges. We're talking about this!" He picked up the card embossed with his name and waved it slightly. "Isn't Kodo supposed to be a tough place for trainers? How's it a challenge if you just write your name on a piece of paper and that's it?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

Gon nodded in agreement to the other boy's words, it seemed that he had the explanation covered so he stood by while he spoke, watching with a determined yet lightly curious look on his face, leaving the license with his own name sitting on the counter.

Treecko, who seemed just as disappointed crossed his arms, leaning forward to look over the shiny new pokedex.
"He's right," Gon finally voiced in agreement to Killua "How are you supposed to tell who's ready to be a trainer?"  

[Suudonym]

"What..." The woman, her explanation apparently not what either of the newly appointed trainers wanted to hear, deflated. "I don't know what kinds of things the two of you have been told, but Kodo's just a regular League region, and the League doesn't pass judgment on people who want to be trainers. There's nothing that you have to prove in order to want to work together with pokemon. Look, if you want some kind of proof that you're ready--" She gestured to the Treecko and Zorua. "You both came here with pokemon. The fact that they're willingly staying with you is more than enough evidence that you can be trainers."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Gon and Treecko shared a glance with one another, the small grass type giving the boy a light shrug.
"I guess I never really knew what it was like to get a license." Gon admitted, still feeling pretty disappointed that Treecko and him wouldn't be able to test out their power.
lifting one of his hands from his side to reach out and pick up the card looking it over.  

[Suudonym]

Killua was less subtle about his displeasure, taking the card and pokedex and stuffing them into his pockets unceremoniously, "What's even the point of the application if you're just going to hand it out based on a little background check?" And a background check that wasn't even entirely accurate, in his case. "I guess in the end this is all there is to being a trainer. Man, what a drag."

At this point the woman seemed to be getting a bit annoyed. "I'm sorry if it doesn't quite meet your expectations," she said, her voice a bit too sweet, "but there are plenty of ways to test your mettle as a trainer. I'm sure you'll find a good way to challenge yourself."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Gon stared down at the glossy card, slowly turning it in his hands, it seemed like such a fragile thing, and it didn't come close to having the weight of worth that he had been imagining it would have if he had actually earned it.
He still listened to the other boy in his silence though, admitting that it made him feel a little better that he wasn't the only one who wanted to be tested more. He wondered how good this other kid must be!
Gon's head snapped up from looking at his new license, eyes glowing with sudden interest.
All at once Gon threw his weight forward, clasping both hands to the counter top and leaning forward with renewed excitement at the words the women had just spoken "Really there is!? Like what?"
turning his head to the side to allow him to look over at the white haired boy. "I'm know my dad didn't become a trainer because it was easy. There's gotta be more to it." He looked back to the lady "Right, Miss?"  

[Suudonym]

Killua gave the woman a sidelong look. She'd gone and put herself on the spot now. He decided to play along with the dark-haired boy's earnest enthusiasm and add to the pressure, folding his arms on the counter, "Yeah, lady, there must be more to it than that, come on."

The woman inhaled as if to sigh but withheld the breath. "There are all kinds of ways," she said. "The gym challenge that I mentioned earlier is the most popular: Trainers travel around the region challenging and defeating gym leaders to collect badges. Once you earn eight badges, you earn the right to challenge the region's best trainers, the Elite Four. And if you can defeat each of the Elite Four, then you can face the Champion. The Kodo region is too small to have its own gym circuit, but we do have the best way to prepare for a gym journey: the trainers' centers." She gestured to a little container full of brochures perched at the corner of the counter. "The trainers' centers are places where you can go to easily find other trainers to battle. You can also talk to League officials to get advice on how to train your team, and they offer all kinds of services, like overnight accommodations, meals, and shopping. They're a great way to augment your trainer journey here in Kodo.

"Of course, you can also challenge yourself in any way you can imagine. Maybe you could decide to only train one type of pokemon on your team, or maybe you could aim for a ten-battle winning streak. There are also tournaments that pop up from time to time, so you could enter one of those and try to win. At the end of the day, a trainer's mantra is 'be the best that you can be.' As long as you're doing that, you can't go wrong."  

[Blood_Goddess]

So... a gym challenge, that sounded pretty cool, but this island didn't have one of those? If he understood right?
Man, it wasn't sounding much better, at least not good enough to help him get over his initial disappointment.
"Yeah... I guess that sounds cool." Gon said, though his tone was not sounding at all convincing.
Pushing himself up a little straightened with a thoughtful face, carrying an expression that made it hard to see what he was thinking.
"Hey Miss, are you sure there isn't some kind of test we can take?" At this point it was very clear that this boy wasn't at all satisfied with the result, and it wasn't something he was going to let it go. "What if you made a test?"