Grapevine Gallade

Gone, but not forgotten! Or not? Good afternoon loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade back at it again! Excuse the hiatus, I've had quite some.. Let's just call them "minor predicaments" with a few things concerning a stable connection. Long story short- Or, you know what. No. Y'know. I've tried. I tried to get back into my reporter status of things, tried to make things lively again after infinitely hacking down the meme that was a cactus. The amount of "new" faces I've seen pop up during S2 is honestly not to my liking. That's a personal opinion. Not as Grapevine Gallade, but as Dash. Ta-da, cat's outta the bag. I've been writing every single interview since the first season started, popped up on the server as Grapevine Gallade way back then as well, kept the entire charade ongoing for as long as I could, but I've reached a point where I'm pretty much "eh, whatever, doesn't matter and don't care.", so I'm going to relieve myself of a burden of being a try-hard news reporter/tabloid editor and stop trying to create these interviews. For those who enjoyed reading these interviews, thanks for putting your time into interviews that took me hours to literally pull out of nowhere. Imagination is as limited as you can imagine it to be. If you have no limits, that means your imagination is also limitless. To those complaining about the fact there hadn't been any interviews as per schedule back in S1 (and some even in S2 from what I saw), sorry. Having a full-time job is stressful enough as it is, I can't take on another "job", or create a physical double of myself to keep doing what I've been doing. So there you have it. No more interviews. No more Grapevine Gallade. So for the last time, thanks for reading. This has been Grapevine Gallade, signing out forever.

Double the trouble, or double the fun? Or maybe neither one?! Good evening loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade back at it again, with yet another interview, writing for the Redemption Reader! I've set out to find out what exactly happened to some of the former Redemption League's leaders, as some went missing, or simply vanished without a trace! I previously had a chat with Dash, who barely let anything go, and with Nick, trying to pry some info-on-the-downlow, with no good results, aside from the fact he did mention Mira took over Alicia's spot... Interesting turn of events, if I can say! I seem to have spotted Olivia in her flower garden, so I think I'll ask her about a few things next! Thumbs crossed, loyal readers! G. Gallade: "Olivia, is that you? It is!" Olivia: "Oh. You. Hello- H-hey! Watch your step, I just planted some flowers! Sheesh, you're as blind as ever." G. Gallade: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you just tended this patch of soil. Do you perhaps have time for another interview? There's a bunch of new challengers, and I'd like them to get to know you a bit better! I also have a few questions regarding a few of the other leaders... If you don't mind, that is." Olivia: "Fine, as long as you don't mention him." G. Gallade: "Gotcha! Alright, first question: ..What do you know about Mira?" Olivia: "Wait, wha- I thought you were going to ask questions about me?" G. Gallade: "Oh, I will. But what do you know about her?" Olivia: "I, uh.. Don't really know all that much about her. She's just a bit timid, but I guess she's cheerful, if that's what you want to know?" G. Gallade: "That... Doesn't really help me, but I'll take it. Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out a thing or two. Sooo, how's Serperior doing? Still getting along with your other Pokémon?" Olivia: "I wish I could say... But Serperior isn't really liking some of the new Pokémon I recently obtained, and sometimes even fights with them when I'm not looking..." G. Gallade: "New Pokémon, you say? Such as?" Olivia: "Oh, I've recently obtained a Pokémon called Tsareena, she's simply magnificent. Such a sweet aroma, majestic and agile movement, she's simply amazing to be around. However, she does tend to take her role seriously from time to time, which can be a bit troublesome for the others." G. Gallade: "How so? Does she do anything in particular?" Olivia: "She tends to issue orders. Actual battle orders. I'm pretty sure that I'm the one who's supposed to call the shots, not her... So I try not to rely on Tsareena too often." G. Gallade: "That does sound troublesome, I guess. Is that a Mega Bracelet I see on your wrist?" Olivia: "It is! Keen Eye you have there. It doubles as a Z-Crystal mechanism as well, though I'm not to fully tap into those powers just yet, sadly." G. Gallade: "That's a very Justified call you made there, but how come you're not allowed to use them yet?" Olivia: "Haha, I can't say so just yet, sorry! Let's just say it may or may not be a thing in the future, in Dash's words, that is." G. Gallade: "Interesting... A possible future feature? Sounds like a scoop to me! Anything else you want to tell the crowd before I wrap this up?" Olivia: "I do, actually. Be wary of my brother. Something seems to be wrong as of late, and I feel like he's involved one way or another." G. Gallade: "You mean Oliver...?" Olivia: "Don't say his name! Serperior and Venusaur, would you be so kind as to show Gallade off? Use force if he resists. Bye now, Gallade." G. Gallade: "Olivia! That's not nice of you! Oliviaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Well, that was quite rude, to force me out like that... I didn't even do anything- Wait... Mira? Why is she- Floating?! What in the world? G. Gallade: "Mira...? Are you.. Floating?" Mira: "Hi mister Pokémon! Mira's not floating.... What do you mean?" G. Gallade: (I really did see her float... Or was I just imagining things?) "Oh, nothing. Forget I said anything! How are you today, Mira?" Mira: "Mira and Mimi were about to go and get something to eat! Do you want to join us mister Gawwade?" G. Gallade: "Uh, sure I guess.. Where are we going?" Mira: "Mira doesn't know! Mimi knows where to go, so let's follow Mimi!" Some time later..... G. Gallade: "Hey, this place looks nice! Let's grab a bite here?" Mira: "Umm.. Mimi? Mimi, where are youuuu? Mister Pokémon, Mimi is gone! H-help Mira find Mimi please!" G. Gallade: "Oh dear..." (I should help, even though I'm really starving...) "Let's look around! Mimi can't have wandered off that far, right? Let's split up!" Mira: "Mira will look over there! Mister Pokémon, can you look around here? Mimiiiii, Mimi where are youuu?" G. Gallade: "Mimi? Come on out, Mimi! It's me- What? Mimi...?" -bonk- ???: "Heehee, let's play!" A few hours later... G. Gallade: "Oof, my head... What happened- Wait a minute, my camera! Huh? Where's my recording set..? Where's Mira gone off to?" ???: "Let's play a game! I hid your belongings, can you find them back?" G. Gallade: "Who said that?! Show yourself!" ???: "Heehee, catch me if you cannnn~" G. Gallade: "Grr. This is just like that wild ride He- Never mind. I shouldn't think back on that again. Let's see... No footsteps anywhere, so I can't trace those. What's that sparkling thing over there?" Mira: "Eek! Mister Pokémon found Mira! Run away Mimi!" G. Gallade: "I'll be taking that camera back! Wait... Why do I see pictures of Mimikyu? Why is it looking up to... Nothing?" Mira: "What do you mean mister Pokémon? Mira and Mimi took pictures together by accident, Mira's sorry..." G. Gallade: "Mira... You don't appear on these images at all. It's just your Mimikyu... Who made these?" Mira: "Mimi pointed the camera towards us and made the pictures!" G. Gallade: "I don't get why you don't appear on them, then..." Mira: "You're acting funny mister Pokémon, it's like you've seen a ghost!" G. Gallade: "Don't be sil- Hold on. Ghost? Mira, can you hold my camera for just a second?" Mira: "Sure!" -Camera drops on the ground- G. Gallade: "...Just as I thought. Mira, you're a ghost, aren't you? That's why you're not appearing on these pictures, right?" Mira: "Mira likes talking with ghosties, Mimi and Mira always have fun with them!" G. Gallade: "That didn't answer my question. Are you a ghost?" Mira: "Yes... B-but Mira can't remember what happened though." G. Gallade: "I think I have to- Go... Somewhere." Mira: "B-but, what's wrong mister Pokémon? Don't you wanna play with Mimi and Mira?" G. Gallade: "I would, but I think I know something more about you, that you don't know for yourself... And I have to check back on old documents and news articles to make sure my theories and assumptions are correct. Would you mind if we went back downtown?" Mira: "Okay! Can we play again sometime soon, mister Pokémon? Oh! Mimi hid your recording thingies inside that hollow tree!" G. Gallade: "Oh, thanks! We'll play again, but only after I've found out the truth behind you becoming what you are now. Does that sound fair?" Mira: "Mira likes that idea! Okay! Let's go back!" ("This image was made off sketches I had drawn from what I can remember Mira looking like, considering the fact my camera only showed Mimikyu...") G. Gallade: ("She has no memories of what happened... But, I think I have an idea of where Mira's really from. If my assumptions are indeed correct, Mira's been wandering around for at least a decade. If that's the case, I might know of someone who can confirm this for me.") Folks, that's where I sadly have to end things off. Quite a shocker for me to find out that Mira is actually a ghost... Though it seems she is aware of the fact, she doesn't really let go much about it. It seems she tries to keep it as quiet as possible, even though it's pretty clear... Stay tuned upcoming week, where I'll try to tackle a thing or two regarding Mira's whereabouts, and the next interviews I'll be trying to get with the second bracket's leaders! ...Specifically, Edgar. As always, thanks for reading! Grapevine Gallade, signing out for the week!

As he silently makes his return into the depths of the unknown dangers that lurk ahead of him, a daring news reporter once again sets foot into his old hometown. First and foremost, it feels good to be back in the writing department! I've been out of things for so long, life has gotten rather bland after I had said I would be taking my leave with regards to writing for the Redemption League, even though I did continue as a reporter elsewhere, it was simply not the same! To those unfamiliar with me, I'm your Gallade with the hottest news, fresh off the press! Previously reporting on a weekly basis for the first season of the Redemption League was quite the task, I dare say I had quite the crowd awaiting my interviews, unveiling the mysteries around certain leaders, and even getting to know them on a personal basis! With all the information I provided you, the loyal readers of the formerly known Reborn Reader, with tidbits of information on new and upcoming leaders as time went by! Whether I did the right thing was completely up to you to judge, I just did whatever I could do to help give people a slight advantage throughout the weeks! And without further ado, I present to you all: A brand new edition, fresh off the presses... The Redemption Reader! Special Edition! An interview with the League's host! With that said, I think I'll have to have a little heart-to-heart conversation with a certain someone about another certain some.. thing. G. Gallade: "Knock, knock. I know you're here. Don't hide it! A reporter's instinct never lies!" ??? : "What do you want, I'm busy right now! Make it qui- Uh-oh." G. Gallade: "Hello... Dash. It's been quite some time, hasn't it?" Dash: "Sup fam, how you been?" G. Gallade: "I've been well. Until I found out about a few things regarding a few people. And not just people, but a few Pokémon as well." Dash: "Look, if this is about the stupid cactus thing, I had no say in it, alright?" G. Gallade: "Oh. It's not just the fact I WAS REPLACED WITH A CACTUS, it's the fact that certain people have gone MISSING. Speak up about what happened to them. If you don't, I'll dedicate myself to bringing you down until I find out where they all went." Dash: "False threats won't get you far, old friend. Your former master knows this all too well." G. Gallade: "Don't you dare speak his name! I distanced myself from this wicked man for good reason!" Dash: "Is that so? You might want to have a word with Mr. Edgar sometime. You'd be surprised about what happened in the time you were gone. He's one of the few people who still knows what's right and what's not." G. Gallade: "Edgar? Who's Edgar?" Dash: "...Dexter, your former Trainer." G. Gallade: "Um, come again?" Dash: "All will be told in due time, old friend. But for now.. I believe you and I have a few things to talk about before you walk out these doors." And so my chat with the Redemption League's host began. We sat there for several hours, which seemed like they were days. It just wouldn't end as to what happened in these past months for things to make huge twists... Even Dash couldn't maintain himself from what happened to some of the leaders, it was simply horrifying to hear. G. Gallade: "So let me get this straight. This little girl called Mira, is the reason Alicia is gone? How?" Dash: "I guess I'm to blame, but I felt something exceptional from Mira. It wasn't just the fact she had this creepy little thing following her everywhere she went, it was something.. Ominous. Like a dark aura of some sort. I can't quite express it in words." G. Gallade: "But you said she was lonely when you found her?" Dash: "Correct. She was at the cemetery, just a few gravestones away from (...), so I guess it couldn't be a coincidence." G. Gallade: "But why, of all places, at a cemetery? I recall first finding Alicia there, but that doesn't make any sense as to why a child would be there by herself." ??? : "M-Mira wanted to talk to ghosties.. Ghosties like to play with Mira and Mimi, so Mira goes there sometimes.. Dash: "Mira! I didn't hear you come in.. What's up kiddo?" Mira: "Mira heard you talk about Alli, and Mira wanted to talk with- Hi, who are you, mister Pokémon?" G. Gallade: "Grapevine Gallade's the name little girl, I was just having a chat with Dash about Alicia.. Do you maybe know something Dash doesn't know about her?" Mira: "Glapefine Gawwade? Weird name! You're a weird Pokémon, mister! Are you here to play with Mira?" G. Gallade: "That's... Grapevine Gallade- Not... -Sigh- I'm not here to play, sorry little girl. However, you may be able to help me! Do you know anything about a girl named Alicia?" Mira: "Alli? Big sis Alli? Mira doesn't know.. Mimi and Mira were playing with ghosties one day, and Alli was there with Missy as well, and all of a sudden Alli was gone, Mira only heard crunchy behind Mimi.. And Mimi was smiling, so I thought Alli went to hide to play with Mira and the ghosties! But Alli never showed.. And Missy was gone too, so Mira got lonely a-and.. -sob-" Dash: "I have a fair idea on what happened, as she was crying when I found her. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the new Pokémon that have been sighted, but supposedly, this Pokémon called Mimikyu has a sinister aura that will cause anyone who tries to look under its disguise, to be absorbed into the Pokémon itself. This is purely hypothetical, but what if somehow, Alicia tripped, looked up and happened to accidentally peek under Mimikyu's disguise robe..?" Mira: "No! Mimi would never do that, right Mimi? Mimi and Mira are best fwens!" G. Gallade: "I think that would be a plausible assumption as to how Alicia went missing, though I'm not convinced she simply tripped.. I believe there's something else behind this, and I'm going to find out exactly what. Dash: "Where are you going?" G. Gallade: "To find answers. Can I count on your assistance?" Dash: "I cannot assist you further, I have to look after Mira, and manage the second season.. There's quite some things that have to be managed this time around. New rules and whatnot, y'know. Apologies, old friend." G. Gallade: "I see. Until next time then, "friend." " A few days later... Alicia's disappearance.. Mira's ability to communicate with ghosts.. Mimikyu possibly linking to Alicia's disappearance.. They're all pieces of the same puzzle, but where does it all fit? Someone doesn't simply trip if there's nothing and nobody else around her except for two Pokémon and a little girl, right? ???: Dahhhhhlinnnnn', you look so 2016, who even designed your outfit? What are you supposed to be, an old-school detective? Oh-me-oh-myyyyy. You're carrying a state-of-the-art camera? I take that back. You're trying to be a journalist? Ohohohooo, that's simply fabulous dahlinnnn. Do tell how you got this silly idea! Can I guess? Wait a minute...... You can't be that old rag from last year? What's it again...... Gallade something something lame? G. Gallade: "Who said that?" ???: "Oh puhleeeaassseeee. It is I, the one and only Curious Cacturneeeeeee! Spotlight on me, feast your eyes on this fabulous bod! Yes, quite wonderful if I can say so myself." G. Gallade: "You look weird to say the least, and you're trying to trashtalk my outfit? You're just a plain ol' Cacturne..." C. Cacturne: "Plain? Did you call me plain?! This shade is one only a few Cacturne have the privilege of obtaining! This exceptional shade of green is a once in a lifetime thing! I dare say I'm the only one of my kind out here, and you think you're all that?! What do you know about style and fashion anyways, looking the way you look?! Nothing! Nothing, I say! Why I be-" Grapevine Gallade used Close Combat! Critical hit! Curious Cacturne fainted! G. Gallade: "I really don't have time to deal with the likes of you, I have important matters to attend to. Stay down and never return, or face the consequences again." ???: "What a shame.. It seems one of my main pieces has been put out of order. And another one has returned to the board. This is going to be very interesting..." A few moments later... G. Gallade: "Ah, excellent! Nicholas, is that you? It is! Nick, can I have a word with you?" Nick: "..Oh, it's you again. When did you get back? H-hey! Don't touch that!" G. Gallade: "What's under he- Hey! I'm just snooping around, okay? Sheesh, you mechanics and your inventions are weird sometimes. Can't I take a quick sneak peek what's under these covers?" Nick: "No, you really can't. I'd probably have to electrocute you if you found out what I was creating. Or at least sic Manectric on you." G. Gallade: "Manectric? What happened to Magnezone?" Nick: "He's still around, but it turns out magnets and computers generally don't mix too well, you know? Guess I should've figured that one out sooner." G. Gallade: "I see... Good doggy... I'm not here to cause any harm or anything, Nick and I are friends, see?" Nick: "It's okay, Manectric. For now. (If I nod, burn his bum out of the workshop.)" G. Gallade: "Alright so... Nick, I'm here to catch up with everyone a little bit. How have you been these past months? Anything new?" Nick: "I've been tinkering around with an appliance for the city, that would generate enough power to keep the city lit at night for the next decade or so. It just needs a plutonium rod, perhaps a very rough diamond or some sort of dense fuel... I suppose you don't have any of these things on you, huh?" G. Gallade: "You do realize that if you mess this up, the entire city could be blown to pieces, right?" Nick: "A risk I'm willing to take, if it means we benefit from it for the next decade. I suppose you've heard the news?" G. Gallade: "News? What news?" Nick: "The new Ghost-type leader? Alicia's been missing for quite some time, and this little girl supposedly took over. Apparently she's pretty good, too. Haven't really talked to the kid much, though." G. Gallade: "Kid? You don't mean Mira, do you?" Nick: "You've met her? Hmph. I can't say I know her battling potential all that well, I just know she has this creepy looking little doll following her. Weird, if ya ask me." G. Gallade: "So Alicia disappears, Mira takes her place... It all seems a bit too convenient, honestly. However, I digress. I've heard that you've been given a gift by Dash?" Nick: "Oh, you mean the Mega Bracelet? Yeah. It looked nice and stuff, but it was rather inconvenient on my wrist, so I converted it to something more my style. I placed the entire mechanism in my main control unit, so I'm free to call upon the power of the Mega Bracelet by utilizing my personal Mega Controller. Quite nifty, if you ask me." G. Gallade: "Mega Controller? Sounds like a lame- -gulp-" Nick: "Do it, Manectric. Flamethrower." Manectric's Manectite is reacting to Nick's Mega Controller! Manectric has Mega Evolved into Mega Manectric! G. Gallade: "W-wait, can't we talk about this? Nick! Don't- Owowow! Alright, alright! I get the message!" Nick: "Serves you right. That's for trying to snoop around my inventions. Now, time to finish my mechanized creation." I guess that Manectric is supposed to be Nick's guard dog...? Whatever the case, it sure packs a nasty Flamethrower. It might even lose composure and possibly Overheat the entire workshop, or just short-circuit the entire city with a Discharge here and there. Phew. That sure wore me out, I think I'll be paying Olivia a visit next, I thought I saw her garden outside of the Redemption HQ, so I bet I'll be able to find her there! Or maybe I'll run into Mira again, I'd like to maybe talk to her if I can, she looks like a girl shrouded in mysteries. Until next time loyal readers! Grapevine Gallade signing out for the day! PS: "Curious Cacturne" has been diagnosed to be in a deep coma, with minimal chances of ever waking up. I guess that Close Combat might have been a bit too much?

The Redemption League - The Grande Finale! Good day loyal readers! Grapevine Gallade, reporting for what is going to be the last time, for the Redemption League and the Reborn Reader! Wipe away your tears, I will be gone, but I will definitely not be gone forever! It has been quite some time since my last report and interview had been published, and I have a simple explanation for that. For this to be my last, I'd have to make sure everything would be as perfect as it could be. Naturally, I'm still not content, but beggars can't be choosers, can they? Before we move on to the interview with Miss Celeste, I'd like to thank each and every person who has taken their time to read these reports and news updates as I published them for your entertainment! It had been an absolute pleasure to have been a part of this, even though we part ways after this final report. (Mon up, Gallade! Sheesh, no time to get all emotional here.) This also means that I will unfortunately no longer do those old weekly updates for League weekends, but I do want to congratulate none other than Jiniri for becoming the first Redemption League Champion! (I had to fit this in when I heard about it!) So without further ado, another big thank you to the community as a whole for accepting me (even though I randomly appeared and disappeared for unknown amounts of time due to research and writing up these reports, which took quite some time for each individual report), and hopefully I'll run into you, a loyal reader of the Reborn Reader, sometime in the future! Until we meet again, loyal readers! Grapevine Gallade Now seriously, let's get on to the interview with Miss Celeste! G. Gallade: "What to do, what to do... Miss Celeste is nowhere to be found and Dash has no idea how to contact her for some reason." Oliver: "Hmph. Ya lookin' for her, are ya? She ain't 'round town today. Try the outskirts. Y'know, the forest just outside of town?" G. Gallade: -shudders- "D-did you just say the forest? I-I'll try there, I guess... Thanks Oli-" Oliver: "Yeah, whatever scrub reporter. Don't thank me. I've biz' to get to, see ya later, scrub." - A few moments later - G. Gallade: "Alright, here's to hoping I won't run into -gulps- Helen." HELEN: "HEY MISTER GAL, WHATCHU DOIN' HERE?" G. Galade: "H-hi Helen, O-o-oliver said I might find Miss Celeste h-here...?" HELEN: "OH, IS THAT SO? TOUGH LUCK 'CAUSE SHE'S NOT HERE! YOU WANNA GO LOOK FOR HER WITH TYRANTRUM AND ME?" G. Gallade: "I t-think I'll p-paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssss-" HELEN: "GIDDY UP TYRANTRUM, WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE WITH MISTER GAL!" G. Gallade: "Helennnnnnnnnnnn!!! Stoooooooooooooooooooppppp!!!" HELEN: "WHAT WAS THAT? FASTER? OKAY! YOU HEARD MISTER GAL, TYRANTRUM! USE DRAGON DANCE AND BLAST OFF!" G. Gallade: (Red dress...? Isn't that her?) "Helen!!!! I see her! Stop here!" HELEN: "CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP! DRAGON DANCE AGAIN, TYRANTRUM!" G. Gallade: (Guess I'll have to jump off somehow... On three... One, two... Three!) HELEN: "YEEEEEHAAAAWWW! FASTER TYRANTRUM! FASTER! DRAGON DANCE ONCE MOREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!" G. Gallade: "Phew. Glad to actually get off unharmed somehow. I could've sworn I saw Miss Celeste's dress..." Venus: "Oh, you mean this dress? Dearest Gallade, you're late to the show! This is the ladies' spa area! I would suggest you wait- Hey-hey, eyes UP, mister. Just because I'm walking around in a short robe does not mean I'm having other thoughts." -pinches cheek- G. Gallade: "L-ladies' spa area? This lake is part of a spa area? Wait, why are you even holding Miss Celeste's dress?! Did you just say ladies' spa area!? Okay, I think I should not be here... I'll just wait over the- Urk!" Venus: "Honey, please. You've come such a long way, why don't you relax a bit? I've heard your time with us is coming to an end soon. Just relax with all of us for a little bit? I'll go and get Celeste for you, now go get changed, grab a robe and hop into the sauna. It'll do you good, I promise. Why do you think I have to keep all the men away from me?" G. Gallade: "I u-uh... Are you sure that's okay with everyone else...?" Ariel: "Eek! What's this creep doing here, Venus?! Pervert! Get out of here! Sylveon, use Hyper Voi-" Celeste: "Now, now Ariel, that is no way to treat a guest, is it? Despite him not being a human being, that's not a reason to simply charge in and attack head-on, is it?" G. Gallade: "Miss Celeste! Can I please have a word with you? Preferably somewhere outside the spa area...?" Venus: "Ohh, I get it. You two kids enjoy yourselves." -wink- - Somewhere just outside the spa area - G. Gallade: "Phew, I'm glad I managed to get away from all that unharmed." (Finally, a chance to interview Miss Celeste! Calm down, Gallade. Calm..- Down.) Celeste: "I do believe we were fated to meet way back when I first spoke to you. It's a pleasure to finally get to talk to you one-on-one, Grapevine Gallade." G. Gallade: "T-t-the p-p-pleasure is a-all m-mine..." (Wow, she looks beautiful! Get it together, mon!) Celeste: "My, oh my. Is that a blush I see on your cheeks? How cute! Say, do you like ice cream? It's quite a nice day out and I could really go for an ice cream cone, maybe a slushie... Care to join me while we do this interview on the way back to town?" G. Gallade: "T-that would b-be very kind o-of y-you to d-do..." (Snap OUT of it, mon!) Celeste: "It's a little while before we get back to town, so do your thing while we're heading there, and relax! I don't bite or anything, haha!" G. Gallade: "O-okay. -gulp- First thing's first, how did you manage to get to the very top of the Redemption League?" Celeste: "As you may know, Oliver once stood tall on top. He still claims he's the best battler the Redemption League has to offer, but he has no chance against me. I simply bested him in battle, and that is when Dash decided that I should be the final opponent challengers should face before allowing them to be known as Champion." G. Gallade: "What kind of team did you use against him?" Celeste: "Things he doesn't like. Ice-types, Electric-types and Rock-types. It was quite humorous to see him struggle, after talking high and mighty about how good he was, only to fall quite easily." G. Gallade: "What's your current goal, as Champion of the Redemption League?" Celeste: "My, my. Such direct questions.. I would say that becoming better at what I'm doing and striving to not lose once would be a nice thing." G. Gallade: "Even better? Is that possible?" Celeste: "Time will tell, dearest Gallade. All I can do right now, is battle to the best of my abilities and pose a final challenge for those who make it to the very top." G. Gallade: "Can I ask you one more question?" Celeste: "Sure, anything." G. Gallade: "Will you be my new Trainer, Miss Celeste?" (...)

The Reborn Reader - Tiny tidbits and intriguing information! Good day loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade reporting to you once again! Excuse my absence for the past few days, but I had matters to attend to that could simply not wait! I have also managed to get an interview with miss Celeste herself, but I'll be saving that interview for my next report! After a little get-together with Dash, I have decided that the interview with Celeste will be my final report for this season. Why, you may ask? It's because my job as a reporter for you all, as community, has also come to an end. Yes, yes, tears may be shed if necessary... But alas. Dash respects my decision and has requested if I could do two more reports, not counting the one I'm currently writing here. I had to decline on writing two more, as I see no further need to keep doing reports when they're not needed! Plus, I don't exactly get paid for all of this aside from a tiny tidbit from Dash every now and then, I'd rather save my journalistic skills for other things, if I may. But enough about that, you're all here for the standings from the past weekends, correct?! I'll be making this a short re-cap, because it would be way too much for me to handle if I had to go by this individually, so let's get right to it! Counting up for each bracket, we'll start with the first bracket; Nick has had a negative streak, losing 8 of his 12 total battles spread across the past two weeks. Very unfortunate, but it also seems like the first bracket isn't exactly that busy anymore.. Because Olivia has only had a total of four challengers and went neutral, winning and losing two battles each! But here's the real kicker... Haley had an impressive streak spread across four days, winning an astounding 21 of her 27 battles! I guess the "Ice Queen" has even more tricks up her sleeve to keep her streak going! The second bracket has had a very positive streak as well, all of them going in positive numbers! Alicia is slowly warming up again, it seems... Is she trying to prove herself to re-claim that higher bracket spot?! She had a solid 7 wins, and only two losses total! Lucifer has also been doing extremely well, I think that both Alicia and Lucifer dropping in brackets has sparked something to do better in battle? Lucifer had an amazing 16 wins and only one loss, which is absolutely astonishing! And then we have Ariel, whom had not been getting too many requests to battle as of late, but still managed to win five out of xyr six battles! Good job to the second bracket for getting positive numbers all-round! The third bracket had its ups and downs most notably Helen's ups. I'm not sure whether she deafened all her opponents and made them faint and thus timing out or not, but she managed to get a solid ten wins and four losses to her name! Surprisingly enough, both Elliot and Erwin actually went in negative numbers combined throughout the past weekends, both winning three and losing four battles! Very peculiar, but maybe they couldn't handle the increasing skill levels of the challengers? The fourth bracket has had positive numbers all-round as well! These numbers don't lie, Gaia has gotten a good win streak going, losing only four of her 12 battles total! And hoo-boy, Lilly won ten of her 13 battles, leaving almost everyone in the dust... I guess I have to make special note of the fact that Venus has proven to be absolutely demonic with her win streak, getting a perfect streak and not losing any of her 13 battles! How does she do this?! I'd like some pointers for myself, even with my limited moveset... Who knows, I might be able to learn a thing or two, right? The fifth bracket had mostly ups, with one real down. Axel followed up the positive numbers from the fourth bracket, winning two and losing one battle in total. Leo also stood strong, but eventually fell to one of his opponents, yet still kept his positive record of three wins and one loss. Ninia however, she needs to get it together and prove that the fifth bracket is no joke, she's only gone negative numbers ever since the fifth bracket had been unlocked, which should not be possible for a leader this high up! And finally, the sixth bracket! Dexter fell to the now-leading competitor, DerpySimon! Festus had a perfect streak and went three to nothing... I'm still not certain on whether he/it can be trusted, though. Oliver won and lost one battle each, which is rather surprising. As of right now, DerpySimon is currently in the running to become the first Redemption League Champion! All he has left to face is the Champion, Celeste... Who knows what she'll bring to the table to oppose DerpySimon in battle? Dear readers, as I have mentioned earlier, my next report will be my final report. As such, there will be no weekend update after this upcoming League weekend, but my final post will be the interview with none other than Champion Celeste. Until then! As always, thank you for reading! Grapevine Gallade, signing out for today!

The Redemption League - The final stretch! Good day loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade coming at you live with some exciting news! I've managed to track down that final Redemption League leader! He was... Somewhat annoying. And I think I've seen that smug face somewhere before... Keep on reading for the goodies I've discovered about him! G. Gallade: "Could've sworn Dash said this guy's shop was around here somewhere." ("Take a left and walk down two blocks after exiting the HQ, you should be able to find him there.") ???: "Welcome to- Heeeeeeeey, haven't I bumped into you before? Weren't you the little Gallade from back then who almost turned red with anger after getting styled on?" G. Gallade: "...That voice. YOU! You were the rude punk who almost flew me over a few weeks ago! I demand an apology for that!" ???: "Apology? Ha, you're funny! You were in the way of my job, kiddo. I had to deliver something at top-speed, and only a few of my Pokémon can fly that fast. Not my fault that Pokémon of your type don't happen to like the Pokémon I own." G. Gallade: "Why you... (Calm down, act cool.) -sigh- I was sent in this direction by Da-" ???: "Right, right. Mister boss-man mentioned you'd be dropping by for an interview or something. Whaddya want to know?" G. Gallade: "How about we start with your name?" (Punk.) ???: "Look above you, what does the sign say?" G. Gallade: "Oliver's Rising Aviation Service...? Doesn't sound so enticing to me. Assuming your name is Oliver, then?" Oliver: "Smart. And I'm assuming you're just another fan trying to get my autograph, huh?" G. Gallade: "In your dreams." -grumbles- Oliver: "Wuzzat? I didn't hear your grumbling. Speak up." G. Gallade: "Oh, nothing. You sound exactly like the figure someone's mentioned before. Arrogant and annoying." Oliver: "Guess you've spoken to my baby sister, Olivia. She was never able to get on my level anyways. Just proves that Flying-type Pokémon are more superior to the weeds she trains." G. Gallade: "Oh man, you actually think you're all that, don't you?" Oliver: "I do, and I have the talk to back myself up. You're looking at the Redemption League's strongest and top-ranked Leader! They call me the king of all #swag, the deity of the skies, Mega Rayquaza is nothing compared to my #swag." G. Gallade: "Strongest and top-ranked? You're joking. I've met the strongest person the Redemption League has to offer, and it's certainly not you." Oliver: "Oh. Her. Nah, she lucked out. I can stand my own against her, no prob." G. Gallade: "What's that emblem you have on your sign and jacket?" Oliver: "That, little man, is the Fujita symbol, and the name of the badge challengers can win if they can ever outswag me in battle." G. Gallade: "Man, I really don't like the way you talk in general. Can we jus..- Owowowow, what the- Who did that?!" Oliver: "Meet Swagraptor. One of my fastest Flying Pokémon, and not too keen on Fighting-types like you. Don't like it? Deal with it, lol." G. Gallade: "And... This interview is over. Getting attacked by Pokémon is not particularly something I like, even though I'm a Pokémon myself. Thank you for your time." Oliver: "Boo-hoo, take the hits like a man- Oh wait, never mind. You're a Pokémon. Later, loser!" I think that's actually everyone I had to track down for the public... What am I going to do next? Celeste: "I'm expecting to get a private one-on-one conversation with you soon, Gallade." G. Gallade: -gasp- "I almost forgot! Apologies ma'am!" Celeste: "Not to worry, I can wait for a little bit longer." I think that's all we have time for today, loyal readers! I will be updating the first page when I have everything ready, because a reporter's duty never rests! This has been Grapevine Gallade, signing out for today!

The Redemption League - Four months?! Good day loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade reporting for the Reborn Reader yet again! It's been almost four months since the Redemption League kicked off, and it's been running strongly from the things I've been hearing, reading and seeing from afar! Over the course of the past weekend, 77 battles took place! Let's start with some highlights, shall we? The entirety of the first bracket had a total of zero challengers on Friday! Has everyone gone past the point of needing that first bracket? Or was it just because of Haley not being able to attend on Fridays? I'm thinking it's the latter. It should be pointed out though, that the second bracket has had their hands quite full, Lucifer in particular. Having to step up his game against former Reborn League Hall-of-Famer, Trevore, he had to make sure he made absolutely no mistakes in his plays, which he did! On top of that, one of the Redemption League's own staff members, Apophyll Sparky, was absolutely dazzling and defeated Lucifer through some very cunning... Strategies... Er-hem. Lucifer walked away with a total of three wins and three losses today, not a bad start! Having had no challengers for almost three weeks, Ariel had to once again get ready in battle-gear. Xe had some start-up trouble and had to forfeit two badges to both Felix teh Cat and FlyingGoomy, but then redeemed xyrself against a freshly restarted Juuzou! And finally, Alicia has made sure that she had the power of the spirits with her, making quick work of both Azery and Pineapple the Blue, but it seems as if those spirits played a trick on her right after that, because she couldn't stand up to her final 3 challengers of that day, one of them being the host himself! Helen was once again, proving to be a Rock-solid opponent, snagging two wins, but losing to two challengers as well! Waicistwhiteboy and Milk and Oreon (what a weird name to have...) both walked out with that Tugtupite Badge in hand! And finally, on to the higher-up brackets... Lilly put on another formidable show, and managed to take out most of her competition in style, leaving only one person to walk away with that Typhoon Badge, being Jiniri! Miss Venus has also been able to stand up to some of the top-ranked battlers in the League thusfar, being Sir Bagel and Koumei! It seems like Koumei has yet to "tame" Miss Venus, but instead has been getting tamed himself! And for Miss Venus to stand up to the highest-shared-first-place battler and defeat him, certainly proves that she's earned that promotion! And finally, the highest-ranked battler in the Redemption League so far... Lost to the other highest-shared-first-place battler. Ninia had a rough time dealing with DerpySimon, it's as if he was one step ahead of her! Perhaps she should re-think her options and try out something innovative?! Following up on Friday, Saturday had been an absolute field-day for the League's leaders! Olivia had to give up 2 Blossom Badges, to her two only challengers. Haley had a total of 6 challengers and wiped out everyone except for her first challenger! From there on out, the only person to have to give away a badge in the higher-up brackets, were Elliot and Erwin! Both of these gentlemen had to give out 1 badge, making the total amount of badges earned out of these 25 challengers, a very meager 5 badges! Gee, I wonder what happened to the leaders on Saturday, they showed absolutely no mercy to their challengers... And finally, Sunday. Sunday had its ups and downs from what I got back from Dash... Nick and Haley had a good day, Nick defeating his only challenger, and Dash once again trying to take on Ariel, and getting his butt handed to him once again. Wonder if he'll ever beat xem at this rate. Probably not. Alicia had an okay day, but still had to give up three badges! Ariel seems to have gotten her battling spirit back and went for a clean 4-0 sweep on Sunday! Erwin has had quite a rough day, seven people trying to give him a run for his honey, he managed to stand up to three of them, but still had to give away 4 badges! Gaia also stood strong, allowing her to stand up to two of her challengers, but still having to give out one badge in the end! And finally, it seems like the challengers learned from previous defeats, because after being defeated before, DerpySimon and Sir Bagel have bested Leo in battle! On top of that, a newcomer to the League-high club, Inno, has also managed to defeat Leo on his second attempt! Very impressive indeed... This also marks the day where the final bracket is now open, but I haven't... Yet found the remaining leader in the final bracket. I'll do my best to find that final leader, but I'm not sure I'll be able to find him in time! You know... That Aegislash, Excalibur? It got me thinking... Should I go back and find my old Trainer and speak with him? Do I really want revenge for what he's done to me? I probably shouldn't even..- H-hello... Dexter. Dexter: "Well, well. If it isn't my former star of the show, Gallade." G. Gallade: "Still tucked into that suit full of your bloated ego, I see?" Dexter: "You and I both know this suit is for show only, old friend. I merely stepped out to get some fresh air. What brings you around these parts of the city?" G. Gallade: "I uh... Was actually on my way back to the Redemption League offices to do some research. (Don't let him get to you... Don't let him get to..-)" Dexter: "What a coincidence. I was to head down to Dash's office for myself, to tell him that I'm ready for these newcomers to be given quite a hard time to earn this Clairvoyance Badge. Also, research on what, if I may ask? Plotting something to take revenge on your former Trainer?" G. Gallade: -gulp- "H-h-how did you know..-" Dexter: "Oh please. Festus has spoken to me weeks before you even knew of his existance. I was the one who made him aware of the fact that you would be going around the cities and slums to find a new purpose with your life as a wandering Pokémon." G. Gallade: "Yeah well, YOU were the one to replace me with that... Thing! I can't even call it a Pokémon, it's not even supposed to be alive yet!" Dexter: "On the contrary, old friend. My Reuniclus puts on a show for the crowd in more than one way, you see. Making things float and sending them flying isn't the only thing it's capable of doing. Once you tap into the power of a Psychic-type Pokémon and use its power as your own, you will truly understand what it means to have power to do the unimaginable!" G. Gallade: "Oh yeah? What else can this Reuniclus do?"-Urk!- Dexter: "Ah, you see... Because of Reuniclus' structure, it tends to shrug off almost any hit it takes, and then retaliate with an even harder hit! And even though it does not possess the ability to Mega Evolve like you do, it still shines where it should. Do you feel it? Do you feel that grip from Reuniclus? This exact pain and agony is what my opponents will feel." G. Gallade: "B-but why, Dex? W-why did you expel me? After all the years I've been your loyal partner? We've even been able to harness the power of Mega Evolution, w-was that not enough to prove our bond together?!" Dexter: "...No. Do you perhaps know of a... What's the name again... Gossip Gardevoir?" G. Gallade: "I may have heard the name before... What does that have to do with me?" Dexter: "More than you would believe. You were both hatched from the same parent. That's right. Parent. You, old friend... Were nothing more than an Egg reject. Gossip Gardevoir could be considered to be your ancestor, having had many Eggs and all these eventually hatching into baby Ralts'. Reason I said parent, is because Gardevoir's former Trainer had left her to breed with a Ditto, then abandoned her and had the Day-Care to solve the issues they had with Eggs overflowing the Day-Care. I guess they just dumped the Eggs around the region and left them to hatch. That's exactly how I found you. You were hiding inside of a cave, freshly hatched. I took you with me and raised you as my own." G. Gallade: "N-no... You're lying!" Dexter: "Am I? How long have you been in this world? A few years? You forget that I can see right through illusions, right? As an illusionist, I know every trick in the book. That sword hiding in Festus' shadow has clearly seen more than any of us could ever imagine. I could hear its thoughts almost out loud. Reuniclus has shared its power with me to be able to figure out the real truth behind Festus' identity." G. Gallade: "So my entire life has just been staged? I was born into this world without any consent as to why I was alone?" Dexter: "I know this is hard to grasp, but... This is indeed the truth. Old friend, take this and show me that your sheer will and determination will not keep you down. Pursue what you feel is truly best for you. If that means you must take out your anger on me, so be it. However, should you ever feel the need to step onto the battlefield as my partner once again, I shall be waiting. Farewell." I couldn't even throw a single punch, I couldn't do anything. For him to abandon me just because of my heritage, is cruel and cold. I thought we were more than just partners, I thought we were friends for all these years! Well, I'll show him. I don't need him to guide me in my actions! This has been Grapevine Gallade, signing out for the day.

The Reborn Reader - A... Scary and spooky adversary? Good day loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade here, coming at you with yet another leader report! I know I'm supposed to also cover for the League's results per weekend, but Dash has yet to provide me with all the details from last weekend, so I don't really have that much to go off of! What I can say though, is that a very powerful Trainer has risen and taken the top-ranked battler spot, being Sir Bagel. He's been getting badges left and right, as if he was stealing candy from little children, and powered his way through two of bracket 5's leaders already! His only two possible opponents this upcoming weekend, are Miss Venus and Leo! Who will he take on first? Can the Redemption League's leaders prevent Sir Bagel from opening up the final bracket? We'll find out soon, I guess! So after recovering from Ninia's Druddigon giving me quite a strong Sucker Punch, I decided to stumble into Dash's office and have a quick word with him about a thing or two. Namely the fact that I've never been able to express my gratitude for giving me the opportunity to become part of all this, but I was interrupted shortly after walking into the office... G. Gallade: "Hey uh, Dash? Do you have a minute or two?" Dash: "Hm? Sure, come on in." G. Gallade: "There's a few things I want to talk about, if possible." Dash: "You're worried about him, aren't you?" G. Gallade: "How did you know?" Dash: "Because I don't see any other reason for you to want to talk to me otherwise. Look, I know you must've had it rough since back then, but you've changed. You no longer need a Trainer to be able to do what you want to do in life. Keep doing what you're doing, the crowd certainly appreciates it, as do I." G. Gallade: "Well uh, thanks. I needed that pick-me-up." ???: "You with a strong soul, bound to the type able to manipulate matter and your surroundings.... Leave this place, for I must speak with you about your former Trainer." Dash: "What are you- OW! HEY! FES-" G. Gallade: -Thunk- ???: "All shall be explained. Now come." - A few moments later... - G. Gallade: "Where am I...?" ???: "You are in my personal stronghold. I have forged this place over the several centuries I have existed." G. Gallade: "And who are you...?" ???: "You may refer to me as Excalibur. I know all about you, your former Trainer and why he did what he did." G. Gallade: "Something's not right, how come...-" -gasp- Excalibur: "This human you see in front of you, is merely a shell. A husk. It no longer has a will of its own, it has no soul, no life. I am Festus, and I am Excalibur. I am both." G. Gallade: "I'm not sure I even understand what's going on here, but I think I should be going." Festus: "You... Stay..." G. Gallade: "Wait, how did you move if you're not alive?" Excalibur: "Mwahaha, I've been controlling this human body for so long, I have made it so that I can transfer small amounts of the souls and power I have absorbed over the centuries, to be able to take short control of the body and travel minor distances at quick speed." G. Gallade: "Was he... Your former Trainer...?" Excalibur: "Trainer? He was the one who crafted me. I was originally used in the ancient war, hundreds of years ago. Back then, Pokémon and humans were only working together when war broke out. But I grew tired of this foolish man trying to keep me by his side as time passed, and I eventually struck him down, then took control of his vital organs and shut them down... One by one. What's left of him now, is nothing but a lifeless body that does as I please." G. Gallade: "I... So Festus was your creator, and you just took his life? That's wrong! People and Pokémon can live in perfect harmony together!" Excalibur: "Is that so? Then why are you not with your so-called Trainer?" G. Gallade: "I... That's none of your business!" Excalibur: "Oh? -Teleports Festus' body to the door- Open it." G. Gallade: "You're letting me go...?" Festus: "Leave... this... place..." Excalibur: "Seek out your Trainer, and then decide for yourself, whether you want to stay in your current position, or seek revenge. If revenge is what you seek, all you need to do, is to seek out the darkness that has yet to take over your feeble heart. Now leave." G. Gallade: "One more question, why... Or rather how did you get into Dash's office?" Excalibur: "Is it not obvious? I too, am part of this Redemption League you have been researching. Competitors able to overcome me in battle, will earn this Valor Badge , to prove that they are worthy of rising to the top." G. Gallade: "N-no... You can't be! You're a Pokémon! How could you be a part of all of this?!" Excalibur: "Did you not listen to me before, Gallade? I said I could transfer some of my power into this dusty body to make it function. Up to this day, you are the only one aware of my existance. So you better keep silent, impetulent fool, if you value your life." G. Gallade: -gulps- "I w-won't say a w-word. I-i p-promise. Can I please leave?" Festus: "Leave..." G. Gallade: "Gotcha, bye!" Excalibur: "Mwahaha... This will not be the last time we meet. Your soul is trembling, and I can use your power to be added to my own..." Good thing I always have my reporter gear on me, I managed to record all of that, even though I'm in the middle of nowhere... Oh well, guess I'll wander about for a while and try to find my way back to the city, while editing this report and posting it... This has been Grapevine Gallade, time to give Excalibur's words a thought and possibly find my Trainer to talk to them, signing out for the day.

Redemption League HOT news! Stop the presses, don't print that old recap, we don't need that! Loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade has another bit of exciting news ready for you! Excuse me for my absence, but that week off I was given by Dash, was certainly something I could use to freshen up a little bit. However, on my last day off, I found the remaining two leaders in the fifth bracket! I hope you're all excited, because I surely am! On that note, holy moly... A bunch of leaders got dropped and a few of them got promoted?! What happened while I was gone?! Ariel and Haley swapped places, both Alicia and Lucifer dropped to the second bracket, Elliot got moved up to the third bracket and Venus got moved up to the fourth bracket? Miss Venus has surely been quite the opponent for the challengers, that much was obvious... But wow. I guess I'm pretty late to this party, but that's quite alright, I hope. I'm anxious to find out what the new brackets have in store for the challengers! But without further ado... ???: "Now, use Flamethrower, followed up by Solar Beam while the cinders are still in the air! Take power from that heat and fire off the power of the sun!" G. Gallade: "Sounds like someone's training... Time to take a quick peek." ???: "Excellent job, Ninetales! Now, return!" G. Gallade: "Wow, that looked simply amazing! How did you do that?!" ???: "A-ha, were you amazed by my Ninetales' performance? The art of using fire's remains is a concept I had been working with. I've grown attached to this new method of utilizing tiny fragments of power and combining them to become one." G. Gallade: "Can you perhaps show me another trick with fire? I mean, I'm not a Fire-type Pokémon, but I do like seeing these kind of things." ???: "Very well, observe. These flames don't burn, they only give off a little bit of warmth if you touch them. Care to try?" G. Gallade: "I uh... I'll pass, but it certainly looks cool. What's your name... Sir? Madam? I'm slightly confused, sorry." ???: "You're not the first to not immediately see my gender, but not to worry, I'm male. My name is Axel. I'm trying to brush up my skills a little bit for the League." G. Gallade: "Oh? Are you going to compete? Or are you a leader...?" Axel: "The latter, if I may, little Gallade. I'm assuming your name is Gallade, is it not?" G. Gallade: "Grapevine Gallade, reporting for the Reborn Reader. Pleased to meet you, sir!" Axel: "Ah, I see. Well now, would you like to spar with one of my Pokémon, perhaps?" G. Gallade: "Spar? I'm not sure that'd be fair based on what I've just witnessed. So I think I'll pass. But to get back on track, are you in fact a leader for the Redemption League, or are you simply using their facilities as challenger?" Axel: "I'm a leader, actually. Fifth bracket Fire-type leader. As you might have noticed, Ninetales is ready for battle, and she's in prime shape." G. Gallade: "I saw that, yes. So you're battling in the fifth bracket alongside Leo and... Who else?" Axel: "Ah, you've yet to meet Ninia, I see. She should be around here somewhere... I could give her a quick call, if you wish to speak to her?" G. Gallade: "You'd do that for me? Really? (This is too easy, something's bound to go wrong here.) If you could, please do!" Axel: "Very well, just a second." G. Gallade: "Awesome! Thanks Axel! Oh, before you do, would you mind telling me what kind of badge you own? I bet it's a scorching hot fireball or something." Axel: "Almost. This is the Combustion Badge. If people manage to defeat me in battle, they'll earn one of these." G. Gallade: "I'd say it looks cool, but that'd be quite the opposite of what this badge is." Axel: "You're quite right. So, instead of calling up Ninia, I sent her a quick text message asking her to drop by here if she was free today, and she replied with a "k", so I'm assuming she's on her way here." ???: "HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAH! YO! 'Sup Axel and little green/white dude?" G. Gallade: "I... Guess you must be Ninia, correct?" Ninia: "That'd be me, what's your name?" Axel: "You two have fun. I'll be seeing you later, Ninia. Good-bye mister Gallade." G. Gallade: "Thanks again, Axel!" Ninia: "Later." G. Gallade: "Grapevine Gallade, reporting for the Reborn Reader! Pleased to meet you, Ninia." Ninia: "Mkay, I like your attitude, we can hang. You want a drink or somethin'? My treat. You probably like Lemonade, don't you?" G. Gallade: "That's quite a nice offer, I'll accept." Ninia: "Aight sweet, let's get down to the market area and I'll grab us a couple of Lemonades." G. Gallade: "So uh, while we're heading down there, Axel more or less confirmed that you're the final leader in the fifth bracket, care to elaborate a little on that?" Ninia: "Ugh, I had hoped he'd keep his mouth shut, but I guess he does like to talk ahead of himself. He's right. I'm the final leader in the fifth bracket, and I don't mess around." G. Gallade: "You appear to be rather fierce, what's that around your neck? It looks sharp." Ninia: "This, my dear lil' Gallade, is a Dragon's Fang. One the Pokémon I own once had a little cavity and it had to get one of its teeth removed. You can guess that didn't really go smoothly, but it more or less worked out in the end." G. Gallade: "So you own a Dragon-type Pokémon? Are you a Dragon-type Trainer?" Ninia: "Gee, I wonder how you could tell. C'mon out, Hysteria! Say hello to this lil' Gallade!" G. Gallade: "Uhhhh........... N-n-no! Stop! Druddi- Stop flattening me!" Ninia: "Whoopsie, I forgot she can be a little bit clingy sometimes. No worries. She'll let go sooner or later. I hope. Maybe not." G. Gallade: "C..n y.. tel.. her to get of.. of m..?" Ninia: "Didn't catch that. What was that? Hysteria, c'mon, get off the Gallade before he becomes a pancake." G. Gallade: "Thanks. She's quite a handful, huh?" Ninia: "Sometimes, maybe. But I wouldn't trade her for the world." G. Gallade: "So Dragons are mythical beings, right? What's your badge called? Something Mythical Badge?" Ninia: "Whoa now, that'd be too easy. It's called the Sacred Badge. See?" G. Gallade: "It looks a bit... Bland..." Ninia: "Hysteria, go ahead." G. Gallade: "Wha- Oof. Ouch. That hurt!" Ninia: "Serves ya right. Be glad that was just a Sucker Punch, and not a Dragon Claw or an Outrage. Hey, don't pass out yet, drink up this Lemonade first, you'll probably feel better." G. Gallade: "Th-thanks. I'm gonna just sit down and catch my breath here real quick, if you don't mind." Ninia: "Ha, you sure could use some training from Leo, maybe toughen up a bit." G. Gallade: "I'll give that a thought. Ow, my stomach..." Ninia: "Aight short-stack. Drink up and head on back home. I'm gonna see if I can find Leo and go wild with one of his Pokémon in a little one-on-one sparring match." G. Gallade: -thunk- Ninia: "Did he really just pass out? Guess I'll just drop him off back at the Redemption League HQ. Can you carry him, Hysteria?" I think I woke up in Dash's office a few hours later... And I more or less wrote this from his desk up here, still hurting from that Sucker Punch. I think I'll head on home and give this report the finishing touches before publishing this. This has been a Grapevine Gallade, in pain... Signing out for quite some time...

Redemption League - NEWSFLASH! I cannot hesitate with this news, I found something simply amazing for the next bracket! I've found one of the remaining 6 Redemption League leaders and managed to snag a short interview with him, thankfully. Without further ado, keep on reading for this quick interview! Who... Is that guy? I've never seen him before. Hrm. Let's approach him. G. Gallade: "Excuse me, sir. You look somewhat lost, can I help you with something?" ???: "Whahaha! Me? Lost? Dear boy, I'm merely enjoying the nice weather!" G. Gallade: "Nice weather? It's freezing cold and you're barely wearing anything! How can you enjoy this kind of weather?" ???: "My buff bod withstands the toughest hits, the harshest cold and the most intense flames you can think of!" G. Gallade: "I asked how you could enjoy this- Never mind. So, I can safely assume you're familiar with this area. Are you by any chance a Pokémon Trainer of sorts?" ???: "Whahaha, I am! Was it that obvious?" G. Gallade: "Most of the people around here are Pokémon Trainers, a few of them are Redemption League leaders- Oh, do you know what the Redemption League is, sir?" ???: "Know what it is? I'm part of it! The big boss said it was finally time for me to make an appearance, so I returned from my training up in the mountains to see what these challengers are made of!" G. Gallade: "Did you just say you're part of the League...?" ???: "Indeed I am, what of it, sprout?" G. Gallade: "Well, I haven't seen you around for the entirety of the first four brackets, which can only mean you're either in the fifth or sixth..." ???: "That would be a correct assumption to make. I'll make this easy and say I'm in the fifth. How's that?" G. Gallade: "Well uh, that certainly helps out a simple reporter like myself. You see, I'm doing a short Redemption League leader biography report, would you be willing to assist me with that?" ???: "Only if I can talk about myself and not others. Fair?" G. Gallade: "It's something. I'll take it! Let's start with your name." Leonidas: "My full name is Leonidas, but I prefer being referred to as simply Leo. Keep it nice and short." G. Gallade: "Alright, so your name is Leonidas, where have I heard a name like this before...?" Leo: "Please, call me Leo. Perhaps it's because Leo is one of the 12 Zodiac Signs?" G. Gallade: "That's not it... I'll think this over later. So Leo, if you're up in these high brackets, you must be a pretty powerful opponent, what sort of power do you wield?" Leo: "These plates are infused with the power of several Mega Stones, allowing me to choose whichever Pokémon of my favorite type that has the ability to Mega Evolve, unleash its power to its fullest potential. This is but a mere glimpse of the power I wield." G. Gallade: "A glimpse? Sounds scary. What is this so-called favorite typing of yours?" Leo: "Whahaha, wouldn't you like to know, little snooping reporter!" G. Gallade: "I would very much like to know, actually." Leo: "I like your direct approach. How would you like to be a part of Team Leo?" G. Gallade: "I beg your pardon, sir? Team Leo?" Leo: "Actually, scratch that. I'm gonna get my Pokémon ready for battle. Big boss pony is sending me texts that I have to be prepared for tomorrow!" G. Gallade: "You're rather strange, but I like how you're being yourself, without a care in the world. I'll consider your invitation for this so-called Team Leo you mentioned, but don't count on it." Leo: "Whahaha, you're quite the funny Pokémon. I could use someone like you on Team Leo!" G. Gallade: "Hrm, I guess I'll take what I got from this quick interview with you, Leo. I hope I can see you battle tomorrow!" Leo: "Count on it, unless these challengers are complete wimps and can't stand up to my power." G. Gallade: "I wouldn't underestimate these challengers, they can be quite smart from what I've seen so far." Leo: "Let's find out, then!" G. Gallade: "One more thing, can I at least show the upcoming challengers what they should be expecting tomorrow?" Leo: "You mean all these muscles? Whahaha! I dare these challengers to stand up to me, if they can!" This guy is completely and utterly weird, to say the least. Well, that's one of the fifth bracket's leaders... That leaves two more to get ahold of, but with the League apparently going on a quick break after tomorrow, I'm not sure I'll be able to find them! Loyal readers, I'll most definitely do my best to find the remaining two leaders, but time is running short! Signing off for now, this has been Grapevine Gallade!

The Redemption League - Week Five Recap & Final Bracket 4 Leader reveal! Good day loyal readers, once again! Grapevine Gallade, reporting for the Reborn Reader with a short weekend League recap and some more information regarding certain leaders! The League has had quite a busy weekend yet again, with over a hundred battles taking place spread across these three days! Guess the leaders can't really catch a break yet, huh? Most notably, I have seen that Miss Venus shows absolutely no mercy to her opponents whatsoever, giving away a mere two badges out of her 19 total opponents! That's an astounding feat, holy cow. I should probably propose to Dash to have Miss Venus moved up in the charts, perhaps. Furthermore, it seemed like Ariel had quite the terrible weekend, going into negative numbers on all three days. Like I said in my last report, could it be that xe is slipping up? Because these figures sure make it seem like xe is! Let's just do a quick little recap, day by day, shall we? On Friday, 36 battles took place, with Venus taking a whopping 11 of these, leaving every single challenger without a badge. Ouch, that's a rough start. Both Nick and Olivia went in positive numbers in the first bracket, leaving Ariel to be the only on in bracket 1 to go into negative numbers! Elliot once again proved to be a powerful opponent, leaving only two brave challengers with a shiny Harmony Badge in their clutches, being DerpySimon and Candyrobe! Lucifer had no mercy for Sharkthomas, but ultimately fell against IceCreamSandWitch, who managed to snag that dark and sinister Void Badge from Lucifer's grasp. Well done! And of course, Helen -gulps- went on another rampage after she lost twice. I saw her kicking over trash cans out on the streets after losing to both Korematsune and Sir Bagel. May Arceus have mercy on them. Overall, only 10 badges were given out, out of the 36 challengers the leaders had this day! That's quite a positive number, if you ask me. Onwards to Saturday! 33 battles took place today, just a few less compared to Friday, and once again, Venus proved to be quite the obstacle for many people. In fact, the host himself decided to give Venus a shot, as opposed to challenging Ariel to clear the first bracket. The game itself was close. Very close, even! It ultimately led to a coin toss on whether Venus would make a move to outspeed Dash's Dragonite, or to go for a safe move instead. She went for the safe move, but the host was ruthless and literally made the crowd burst out in Outrage. It in fact turned out to be in the host's favor to go for an all-out attack to hopefully take down Venus before she could get off a deadly combo play with Scolipede, which was a good thing in the end! On top of the host being victorious, IceCreamSandWitch also came out victorious in her battle with Venus! The entire first bracket went negative numbers today, unfortunately... Nick losing his two battles, Olivia winning 2 of her 7 battles, and Ariel winning only 1 of xyr 4 battles. Pressure on the first bracket is being lightened, but that shouldn't mean they can slip up and give out badges that easily! Take the second bracket, Venus only lost twice today, Elliot had a perfect streak and won all 5 of his battles, and Haley lost 1 of her 3 battles, leaving them all in positive numbers once again! Then there's Erwin, who had one challenger and managed to buzzt through Sir Bagel without many issues. Lucifer should probably step it up a notch, he's lost more than he's won so far! And then there's newcomer to the League's battlefield, Alicia! She sure had a rough time facing off against DerpySimon, who was on the hunt for that spooky Remnant Badge. It was close, but DerpySimon clame out victorious with a close 1-0 victory over Alicia! And finally, Sunday. 35 battles took place in total, most people aiming for Haley this time around. She had quite a long day, having 11 opponents in total, but she came out positively, winning 6 of her 11 battles! Dash was once again trying to beat Haley, but he was underprepared and fell to Haley quite easily, once again. Today also marked the day where Nick had to take on almost all the Redemption League staff, as he faced off against Pyrrhon, FraRPetO, Jiniri and Sparky, one after the other! He couldn't match them, though, and unfortunately fell against all his opponents but one. Tough break for Nick this Sunday, sadly. Olivia went neutral numbers, winning and losing 2 battles each. Once again, Ariel went pure negative numbers, and was apparently not happy whatsoever, dragging Dash into some kind of strategy chamber of sorts? I wonder what xe's plotting for xyr future opponents... Erwin had another good day as well, winning 4 of his 6 battles, which are pretty good numbers once again! Alicia surely started off roughly, facing the three strongest League competitors one after the other this weekend. This time, falling to both Sharkthomas and Korematsune, giving them both their 9th badge! This marks the day where the League is now led by 3 challengers, each of them currently in it to win it, having 9 badges each; DerpySimon, Korematsune and Sharkthomas! Who's going to get that 10th badge first? Who's getting that 11th badge and crack open the 5th bracket for the challengers? We'll find out either this next weekend, or the next! Furthermore, I finally managed to find out that so-called mysterious leader they were hiding in the 4th bracket. She's a tricky one, alright. Really... Into nature, wildlife, animals and Pokémon alike. I managed to get a short interview with her, too! Which was unfortunately cut short because of a minor... Interruption. Read on and find out why! "(Alright Gallade, you've uncovered 11 leaders, which leaves 7 more. One more for the 4th bracket, which ultimately leaves the final two brackets. You can get to the bottom of this. Reporter face, on. Camera and recording gear, check. Time to find this mysterious girl.)" Time to take a stroll through town and see if I spot anyone I haven't seen yet around the Redemption League HQ. Let's see here, there's Nick messing with some kind of gadget outside his workshop, Olivia working on her flower garden, Ariel sitting by the poolside... What's Venus doing with Elliot...? Is she trying to flirt with him? Lucifer's just standing there on the balcony as that's actually going on? Haley and Helen are having another sister-argument, I see. Looks like Erwin is trying to carve something in the tree his Galvantula is resting in... Lilly and Alicia seem to be playing a game of checkers or chess, can't quite see from this distance. Wait, who's that sitting with Olivia? Why did I not notice her until just now?! A-ha, that's why! She blended in with the scenery. Clever... Time to sneak in for a quick listen-in. ???: "'Livi, dearest. Why do you not let nature take its course instead of using this man-made manure?" Olivia: "It's because I don't really have the time to wait, and I want these flowers to bloom beautifully, just like the rest of my garden." ???: "But, isn't this what Mother Nature does for you? With time and patience, you can have the most beautiful flower garden you could wish for!" Olivia: "But Gaia, even with Mother Nature by my side, things might still take long, what if winter makes the soil too cold for something to grow?" Gaia: "Simple, we move the flowers into the building and try to create a greenhouse! Or maybe we could get help from Erwin and Nick? I'm sure they'll lend us a hand if needed!" Olivia: "I guess you're right, should I ask Nick if he can create something to replicate a warm environment for these flowers just in case? Nick! Hey Nick, can I ask you a favor?" Nick: "Uh. What is it, Olivia? I'm sorta working on this amplification device for Magnezone and Manectric." Olivia: "Well, I was wondering if you could create a gadget-thingy that could regulate temperatures for a possible greenhouse environment?" Nick: "Easy. That shouldn't take longer than a day at most. Let me just finish working on this- Look out! It's gone haywire! Manectric, stop using Thunderbolt! You're going to hit someone with that!" Gaia: "Quagsire, quick! Break that contraption on Manectric with Mud Bomb!" G. Gallade: "Whoa, your Quagsire got hit with all those Thunderbolts, and it's just standing there without a scratch? Oh, right... Quagsire is partially Ground-type." Gaia: "And who, exactly are you supposed to be, and why are you in the bushes?" G. Gallade: "Grapevine Gallade, reporting for the Reborn Reader! Who might you be, miss?" Olivia: "This is my friend, Gaia. She's got the most greenest of thumbs when it comes to gardening, and she's currently helping me with my flower garden. Care to leave, Gallade? As you've probably seen, one of Nick's new so-called inventions malfunctioned once again." G. Gallade: "Pleased to meet you. Wait, you wouldn't happen to be that mysterious girl Lilly mentioned the other day?" Gaia: "Mysterious? There's nothing mysterious about me. I'm just one with nature. Mother Nature herself resides in me." G. Gallade: (There's nothing mysterious about her indeed, she sorta reminds me of an environmental activist of sorts.)"Mother Nature resides in you? How?" Gaia: "By touching the grass, I can make it grow. Touching a flower bud lets it instantly bloom. I am Mother Nature." G. Gallade: "What about your Pokémon, Quagsire? What is its role?" Gaia: "My Quagsire ensures that my untouched flowers get watered daily. It helps me keep nature in a purified state." G. Gallade: "Does this mean you're a Ground-type leader, then? I mean, Lilly's a Water-type leader... And Quagsire is both Ground and Water." Gaia: "That would be correct. Many of my Pokémon help me keep the soil fertile, by either working on the surface or underneath it. Quagsire was one of those special Pokémon that helps me from the water's surface and on land at the same time." G. Gallade: "Interesting... Where would you-" Olivia: "I believe that's quite enough for now, I need to borrow Gaia and her Quagsire again, since Nick more or less fried my flower garden." G. Gallade: "One more question, please?" Olivia: "Fine. Just one." Gaia: "Ask away, mister reporter." G. Gallade: "What's your Badge's name, and can I possibly get a picture of both you and Quagsire together?" Olivia: "That's two questions, you know." Gaia: "Very well. My badge is named the Fault Badge." G. Gallade: "Excellent, that's all I needed to know. Could you strike a pose for the camera? You too, Quagsire!" Gaia: "I hope that's good enough. I must attend to these poor flowers and hope I can give this burnt garden some new life." G. Gallade: "That's perfect! Thanks, miss Gaia!" Well, I think that wraps up the entire 4th bracket! Apologies I took so long to uncover all the leaders, but a good reporter does his research before presenting it to the public! This has been Grapevine Gallade, signing out for today! Have a good day, loyal readers!

The Reborn Reader - Surprises and Suspension! Good day loyal readers, Grapevine Gallade coming to you after a somewhat long weekend full of researching and data processing and I've finally found two new leaders we haven't found yet. If you're one of those types who can't wait, you'll probably scroll down to the ending of the League recap and hop right into those interviews, but you should definitely give those League recaps a good read! To start things off, Friday looked like a somewhat quiet day for the League. I'm guessing that's because of the New Year- OH! I almost forgot! Happy New Year's to everyone all around the world! This is my first official report for the new year, hopefully not the last. Er-hem, like I was saying... I think the reason that Friday was so quiet, was because of New Year's Day. Only 29 battle challenges were issued (which is still quite a lot), most of these being for Nick and Haley. To get some specifics for Friday... Nick won 1 of his 7 battles, zapping Lord Chespin's lights out! Olivia struck a neutral win/loss rate, winning and losing 3 battles each. The same story goes for Ariel, also striking a neutral win/loss rate and winning/losing 3 battles each. It was rather funny to see that very close 1-on-1 xe had with Koumei, only to get knocked out by a Greninja locked into Hydro Pump, which had no PP left for Hydro Pump, leaving it to literally Struggle for victory. Unfortunate, but still a funny feat. Haley went strong once again, winning 5 out of 8 battles, having to forfeit a badge to IceCreamSandWitch, Personthing and Mystic Sheep! Oh boy, Helen was present. And boy, did she make sure she was present. I could practically hear her from my office after she lost to Sharkthomas. I bet she wasn't happy. She still went positive numbers, so she technically shouldn't be complaining? And try as he may, Lucifer was outplayed by Haven Pyrrhon, leaving Lucifer with a single loss and no wins this day. Finally, Erwin made his battling debut! He faced off against Korematsune and snagged a bee-autiful victory with his battling skills. Looks like he cannot bee underestimated! Onwards to Saturday! Saturday was a busy day, 35 challengers prepared their teams and tried their hardest against the Redemption League's leaders but a lot of them were sent back to a Pokémon Center without a badge today. Out of the 35 battles, 12 badges were issued among challengers. That's a 34% win rate for the challengers! Did the leaders have some sort of meet-up and discussed strategies or something? In fact, we have 3 leaders who went with a complete clean sweep today! Nick, Venus and Lucifer all went undefeated! Both Nick and Lucifer had 1 battle and battled their hardest to win, which they ultimately did. Miss Venus however... She had challenger after challenger and completely defeated and mopped the floor with all her 9 opponents, one after the other. Very impressive! Ariel once again, went with a neutral win/loss rate, 3 battles won and 3 lost. That's two days in a row xe hasn't gone positive numbers. I wonder if xe is slipping up, perhaps? Olivia unfortunately went in negatives, only leaving newcomer to the battlefield & Redemption League staff member Apophyll Sparky, alongside Cobalt996 without their Blossom Badges, and giving out 4 badges to RagesSorrow, Koumei, Drymus (who's also new to the battlefield apparently!) and FlyingGoomy (after several tries in the past)! Elliot had quite a night too, having 7 battles and losing 3 of them, one of those losses belonging to the host of the League itself! That marks the host down for his third badge if I'm not mistaken? Helen... Once again lost a battle. And I heard it, loud and clear. Mind you that my office is literally two blocks away from the Redemption League HQ itself, I heard every single word. Helen was definitely not pleased by losing, but it did sound like she had fun while battling Derpy Simon, so I'm kind of conflicted on whether she was just being herself and yelling everything, or actually being upset. Erwin once again bee-gan the day strong, leaving Sharkthomas in a rather sticky situation, followed by Haven Pyrrhon not being able to defeat Erwin's bug colony. But after a second attempt, Korematsune took that Chrysalis Badge away from Erwin's hands! Definitely a good day for the leaders today, but there's more! The last day of this League weekend was somewhat... Underwhelming. Only 5 leaders were able to make it today, Haley being the only one for the second bracket, and Ariel having technical difficulties and not being able to sign on whatsoever. Unfortunate, but that's not all! 30 challengers were brave enough to take on the leaders today, 13 of them going after Haley's Tundra Badge! Haley started off with a loss, but picked back up after that by snagging 3 victories in a row! After that, her wins and losses fluctuated a little bit, but her final challenger was the host himself! Dash definitely put up a fight, but Haley was much better prepared to seal the deal, giving her a solid 7 victories and 6 losses for Sunday! Nick had quite the day as well, people coming back for second or even third tries to get that Current Badge, he shocked both Koumei and RagesSorrow off the battlefield. Guess they shouldn't have touched the machinery after all... However, the performer among performers, Shuuichi, sought that second badge after being stalled out of his first badge by Ariel several times, and he got Nick's badge on the first go! Two other challengers, namely Spade and FlyingGoomy both got that nice Current Badge onto their record as well! Olivia showed no mercy to her opponents either, giving out only 1 badge to Green's Legacy and leaving her other 4 opponents without a badge! Lucifer had a somewhat bad night as well. He started off strongly, defeating both IceCreamSandWitch and Inno, but then it all went downhill, losing to Derpy Simon, Captain Breakfast and Sir Bagel one after the other. Erwin has once again proven to bee quite the opponent for both Sharkthomas and Haven Pyrrhon, leaving them both sticky without their badges. That's two losses to Erwin for both of them, in 2 days time. Ouch. Guess that's all for the League recap, but I did say I had some surprises for my loyal readers, so I think I'll be sharing those as well! While the League was so busy on Saturday, I decided to snoop around a bit more and try to figure out who this... Alicia person could possibly be. As I walked from my office to the League's HQ, I saw this lady sunbathing near the League's lake. She seemed nice enough, so I decided to ask her if she could possibly point me into the right direction for a clue on where I could find Alicia. G.Gallade: "Excuse me, miss. Could I perhaps ask you something? I'm looking for someone named Alicia." ???: "Why are you looking for her, exactly?" G.Gallade: "Personal interests. Just trying to find out who she is and what she's like." ???: "Are you some kind of stalker or something? Because that's rather creepy." G.Gallade: "Oh no, I didn't mean it like that! I'm simply trying to perform my duty as a reporter for the Redemption League." ???: "I see. I could bring you to her, I'm pretty sure I know where she is." G.Gallade: "Thanks miss...?" ???: "My name is Lilly. Pleasure." G.Gallade: "Grapevine Gallade, reporter and writer for the Reborn Reader! Pleasure to meet you miss Lilly!" Lilly: "Shall we get going, then? I think I've soaked up enough sunshine for one day. Any more and I might burn." G.Gallade: "Lead the way, miss." Lilly: "So what exactly is it that makes you seek out Alicia?" G.Gallade: "Well, I'm trying to find out who all the leaders for the Redemption League are, and possibly get some information for my loyal readers and League challengers. Give them a little bit of a headstart, you know?" Lilly: "I see. I suppose you've found a few of those leaders already, then?" G.Gallade: "I have indeed! I've found everyone from the first three brackets, and I've overheard Helen-" Lilly: "Don't. Say that name out loud. She'll hear you." G.Gallade: "Oops. Right. She mentioned something about Alicia being higher up and I would like to know how high up that would be." Lilly: "I see. Well, Alicia's more or less my training partner. We're pretty much on equal grounds, despite our types being very different. Surprise?" G.Gallade: "....................Equal grounds? Training partner? Lilly, are you part of this League as well?" Lilly: "Bingo, kiddo. You sound surprised." G.Gallade: "Do you blame me for being surprised? So what's your type? What's Alicia's type? What bracket are you both in?" Lilly: "Whoa there, slow down. You're not our type. Well, if you've met her, it's only logical that we're a step above her." G.Gallade: "So wait, that's two of you a step higher than her, that leaves a third one to be found." Lilly: "Your math is on point. But I have no idea where you're going to find the third person. She's rather... Mysterious." G.Gallade: "Interesting. So, what kind of Pokémon do you use?" Lilly: "Graceful Pokémon. Elegant Pokémon. Pokémon of a type that make up most of the world we live on." G.Gallade: "I'm not sure I follow. Ground? Water?" Lilly: "At least you know what this world consists of. It's Water. One of the most versatile Pokémon-types there is. Oh, I think I see Alicia over there. Aliciaaaa! Someone wants to meet you! I'm gonna call her up for a little shopping spree, then probably get my Pokémon ready for a little sparring match with Alicia later tonight. Cya!" Alicia: "..Huh?" G.Gallade: "Wait, you can't just give me all that and then- Good afternoon, miss Alicia. I'm Grapevine Gallade, reporting for the Reborn Reader. I've overheard a conversation a little while ago between you and Helen, and I was intrigued by the fact she mentioned you were higher up, so I was wondering if I could get to know you a little better, perhaps share what Pokémon you like? Alicia: "Typical of Lilly to bail out on you. She's probably gone off to prepare her Pokémon for another sparring match with me." G.Gallade: "Are you two close to one another, being sparring partners and such?" Alicia: "Not at all. I prefer to keep my training methods a bit more secretive. I don't use the League's training facility at all, all that light is rather annoying for my Pokémon." G.Gallade: "Your Pokémon dislike the light? Also, why do I have this feeling that something or someone is constantly watching us?" Alicia: "They do. Also, that feeling you're getting is probably one of my Pokémon trying to play a prank on you. They're quite the tricksters to the unwary ones." G.Gallade: "Tricksters? What kind of Pokémon are they?" Alicia: "Turn around and find out for yourself." G.Gallade: "B-but... There's nothing the- ACK! DON'T DO THAT." Alicia: "Hahaha, stop it, Mismagius. You're frightening the little Gallade. Say hello to my beloved Mismagius. She likes to hide in my shadow and act as it, then playfully trip the unexpecting wanderer. She's quite a handful, but I couldn't live without her." G.Gallade: -pants- "That. Was not funny. You scared the living daylight out of me!" Alicia: "Apologize, Mismagius. He seems really spooked from what you just did." G.Gallade: "Did you just..." Alicia: "So, you're familiar with Erwin, I take it. Apologies, he must've rubbed off on me a little bit." G.Gallade: "Not funny. I almost got stung by his Vespiquen the day I interviewed him." Alicia: "Apologies. Vespiquen is known to not be kind to new people. She was like that when I first met Erwin as well." G.Gallade: "It's fine. I'm not very keen to bugs whatsoever. However, I do believe that I need to get back and document today. Could I perhaps have a picture of you and Mismagius together?" Alicia: "I guess...?" G.Gallade: "Wonderful! This will do just fine. Thanks, miss Alicia!" Alicia: "Not a problem. Now, would you mind if I go back to reading my book?" G.Gallade: "Absolutely not. One more question, though. What's your Badge's name?" Alicia: "I named it the Remnant Badge. Lost souls were used to create it. The wearer gains the memories of these souls." G.Gallade: "Sounds rather creepy, but sure. Can I see one?" Alicia: "Sure. But don't touch it. Trust me on that one." Another good day for me, another wonderful day for my loyal readers, I'm satisfied. I just hope I can get back home before Lilly and -gulp- Helen come back from that shopping spree they were going on. Once again, thank you, loyal readers! I'm sure to find out who that third leader in the fourth bracket is, mysterious or not, none can escape the Miracle Eye I possess! This has been Grapevine Gallade, signing out for today!

The Redemption League - A short re-cap (for real this time) Loyal readers, this is Grapevine Gallade, writing for the Reborn Reader once again! It feels good to finally be freed from Helen's clutches (not thanks to Dash, hmph) and to be able to write for my readers once again! To quickly explain what happened prior to my kidnapping, I was on the lookout for new faces around the Redemption League HQ, got Sucker Punched by Helen after my last interview, fainted (sure wish I had Justified at times like these...) and she dragged me back to her place, tied me up and prevented me from being able to do research whatsoever. It was terrifying to be locked up there, and I hope to never have to speak/encounter Helen for as long as I live. Luckily for me, Helen's so loud-mouthed, she dropped a few names whilst on the phone, thinking I was either asleep/unconcious, though they all sounded primarily like she was talking to girls she knew. I'm not entirely sure if they were all related to the League, but she did mention a specific name, that I'm 100% sure will be showing in the League; Alicia. Helen mentioned something along the lines of nobody having battled her yet and she was getting stupidly bored (mind you, this was all being shouted, so I have no idea how she thought I wouldn't catch onto this), and she wanted to have some fun, but Alicia's Pokémon were apparently not fun enough to mess around with because Tyrantrum could barely get a workout from all that. Before she went on about saying that she was going to try and wake me up (was she serious?), she did say she wouldn't just let anyone get past her to have them face Alicia (Alicia confirmed higher up?) without a fight. Not too long after that, I overheard her telling Tyrantrum that she was going to overthrow the party Dash had planned, by storming the place and causing a ruckus there, until she was called up by another friend of hers... Lilly, I believe it was? Wanting to go shopping, apparently. I guess shopping is more important to Helen than crashing a party. She also mentioned someone named Blake, who she was supposedly going to train with one afternoon, and she did talk to Lucifer (he owns a cellphone?) as well, but never mentioned having me captive to anyone. Being really secretive there, Helen. That's... Unfortunately all I really got to hear whilst being held in Helen's apartment against my will. I appreciate Dash trying to free me from Helen, but really? You had one job. Had you not hesitated, I would've been free without much trouble. Thankfully, Haley managed to keep Helen at bay and got me out of there. Hope that never happens again. However, I do have a little re-cap on that day (a reporter never rests!), from after those events. Keep on reading for more! The leaders had an amazing day on this 9th official League day, having almost all the leaders at a 50% win rate or higher! In fact, I would like to point out that today's big winner amongst the leaders was none other than Nick, scoring an astounding clean streak 100% win rate! Granted, Nick only had 3 battles, but he won all 3 of them! Furthermore, Venus was on an absolute rampage today as well, scoring 11 wins out of her 13 battles! And I quote; "Third time's apparently the charm with me." - Because after having tried 3 times, both Derpy Simon and Sharkthomas finally defeated Venus and snagged their badges! Venus has also stopped two competitors from their so-far clean streaks cold, that leaves only rupe to have a clean streak now! And once again, the astonishing battling prowess of Ariel doesn't go unnoticed. Xe seems to have used completely new teams and in xyr favor as well, snagging a solid 6 victories out of xyr 7 battles, leaving Lord Chespin to be the only person to walk away with that Regal Badge on that day. Haley also had yet another good day, leaving 4 of her challengers icy cold and without a badge. But 2 brave challengers were fired up enough to take away that Tundra Badge from Haley, namely RaymondNotRay and TheDW! Lucifer managed to keep his daily numbers away from the negatives, keeping an even 50/50 in wins and losses, winning and losing 1 battle each. What I do want to point out though, is that Lucifer stopped the previously unstoppable rupe in his conquest to defeat the League by not losing even once! This means that there's nobody who currently has a possible clean streak to defeat the League in a single "sweep", if I may. Unfortunately, Olivia was the only one who went negative today, winning 2 of her 6 battles, leaving her with a 33% win rate for Sunday. Tough luck, but not all is lost! Funnily enough, I heard Dash complain about the fact that he lost to Nick, who brought a Zebstrika to his battle against Dash and pretty much swept him off the ground. Guess the host/boss underestimated his own leaders! Will he try again, or just keep himself to hosting and observing? Who knows? That's all from your loyal reporter, I do apologize for what happened, I promise I won't let myself get kidnapped again, Helen has some weird... Interests... Ugh. Never again. This has been Grapevine Gallade, signing out for today.

The Redemption League, a little recap! Good day loyal readers, this is Grapevine HELEN REPORTING FOR THE SEXY READER!! Poor Mister Gal there was in a little bit of a.. Let's just say was in for quite the wild ride. THE RIDE OF HIS LIFE, IFYAKNOWHATIMEAN. He THOUGHT that he could get away from ME after last week. THOUGHT WRONG. NOBODY ESCAPES HELEN. Mister Gal is sitting right beside me, gagged up and bound to his little chair- HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DO- STOP MOVING. *smack* Like I was saying... He's all mine, and mine alone. Tyrantrum already had some fun by dragging Mister Gal around the forest the past few days, and now it's MY turn to have some fun. Let's see, what does he usually do now? HEY, MISTER GAL, WHAT'S NEXT? *mppfmpfffmpf* OH. RIGHT. LEAGUE RECAP? I CAN DO THAT. LONG STORY SHORT: NOBODY FOUGHT ME SO LEAGUE WAS STUPID. WHEN CAN I FINALLY BATTLE SOMEONE? I THINK that's all, right Mister Gal????? RIGHT! GRAPEVINE HELEN, PEACE OUT YO. *MPFMPMPFMPFFFFFF!!!!* "Shhh, it's okay Mister Gal. I'll treat you nicely. *cracks whip*" *Gulps*

The Redemption League, day 3! Hello again loyal readers! This will be final report on the first week of the Redemption League, and I'm not entirely certain whether I will be able to keep doing massive reports, as they consume a lot of time, but I may be able to do some battle highlights/showcases, though! Without further ado, I would first like to make note of the fact that there have been several people who managed to earn not just one, but two badges on Friday and Saturday! There were a fair amount of challengers willing to set foot in the second bracket, though that did not end successful for everyone. From my notes, only two people defeated a leader from bracket 2, the others went (so far) undefeated! A total of 38 battles took place on this third day of the Redemption League, with the leaders winning a total of 26 battles! That's a big jump from days 1 and 2, and 2 of bracket 2's leaders went undefeated! In fact, to grab the exact numbers... Nick won 3 of 10 battles in total, of which 1 win was a disqualification, because his opponent picked the wrong team. This puts Nick at a 30% win rate for this day! Olivia won an amazing 5 out of her 6 battles, only losing to Derpy Simon (who won 4-0 against Olivia!) and defeating all of her other opponents! Ariel had an extremely strong run once again, winning 13 of xyr 15 battles! Rupe was the one to end xyr's winning streak (after xe had won 12 battles consecutively), by using a Greninja with Gunk Shot! Take note future challengers, this might just be a winning tip for you! Haven Pyrrhon soon followed to defeat Ariel, these two challengers being the strongest of the bunch in Ariel's queue list. There have been several challengers whom had lost to Ariel once before and tried to get their revenge at xyr. I have to say that none of them unfortunately managed to defeat xyr with their second attempt... Can anyone stop xem from getting another winning streak next weekend?! I just have to make seperate note of this, but from the logs I've read, I noticed that Azery battled Ariel yet again... And lost. Again. That's three losses during the first weekend of the League! Will he go for a fourth attempt this upcoming weekend? Or will he simply not try again and hunt for Nick and Olivia's badges first? And just because the joke had been going around the forums, I have to say this once more. You will forever be recognized as "14 Speed Azery". In commemoration of your 3 losses against Ariel, I do hope your fourth attempt against Ariel will be a succesful one. It looks like Nick could have had this win against Wendel, but with a very... Strange Pokémon, namely Sigilyph, Wendel managed to pull through and snag his first victory in the Redemption League! It looks like Nick picked up a different battle style from what I had seen on the other two days, but I'm not completely sure whether it works in his favor... Who knows, he might have another ace up his sleeve? But of course, I did mention that bracket 2 has had its fair amount of brave challengers as well! Elliot won 2 of his 4 battles, putting him at a solid 50/50 on this first challenge day! Haley went undefeated, defeating both of her opponents that day! Venus also went undefeated, defeating her only opponent on Sunday as well! Pineapple the Blue faced off against Elliot and defeated his own idol! That must've hurt. I wonder if Elliot will still sign Pineapple the Blue's Bidoof after he was defeated... Other then that, Sharkthomas was the other person to defeat Elliot after a tough battle! However, there were two challengers who did not manage to defeat Elliot, being Milotic and DobbyTheElf. Here's to them trying out again this next weekend! Haley had two solid challengers in her queue list, but it seems like Haley has proven to be quite the formidable opponent for the challengers, defeating them both with... Dare I say ease? Haley sure didn't mess around in her battle with Chubb, giving him a run for his money with a Lapras? That's a tough one. Moving on to our final bracket 2 leader, Venus faced off against one of the Redemption League's own staff members, Nova! The battle surely looked in Nova's favor, but he ultimately fell to Venus' Tentacruel. To grab all the total standings for all the leaders after the first weekend, sorted per bracket: Bracket 1: Nick: 4 wins, 18 losses out of 22 total battles (18% wins, 82% losses) Olivia: 10 wins, 17 losses out of 27 total battles (37% wins, 63% losses) Ariel: 25 wins, 12 losses out of 37 total battles (67% wins, 33% losses) Bracket 2: Haley: 2 wins, 0 losses out of 2 total battles (100% wins, 0% losses) Elliot: 2 wins, 2 losses out of 4 total battles (50% wins, 50% losses) Venus: 1 win, 0 losses out of 1 total battle (100% wins, 0% losses) This concludes my report for the first Redemption League weekend! I'm sorry it took longer than I had anticipated it would take, but this is a lot of paperwork I have to go through, and I am but a single reporter trying to do my best for you, the reader! However, I won't just cut it off there. I went back to the Redemption League HQ to try and find that peculiar man I spoke to the other day, hoping that he could at least tell me his name this time around. Keep on reading for my findings! Alright, Gallade. Get yourself together. You're not the type to give up so easily on a scoop! Time to go back to the Redemption League HQ and find that one man again. And not leave without results this time. G. Gallade: E-excuse me, sir? ???: You again? Why do you come back when you know you're not going to get answers from me? G. Gallade: I'm sorry, but I just HAVE to know! Can you at least show yourself so I can make a sketch or a picture of you? ???: No. *Helen rampaging in the distance* Helen: "HI MISTER GAL!!!!!!! WHY YOU STANDING AROUND THERE WITH LUCY??????????" G. Gallade: Oh no, not her. Anything but- Wait, Lucy? Who's Lucy? Helen: "LUCY SAY HI TO MISTER GAL!! BE A NICE GUY AND SAY HELLO FOR ONCE!!!!" Haley: "Excuse my ignorant sister, as usual. Lucifer, please formally introduce yourself before my sister gets here and does it for you. -sigh-" G. Gallade: Haley? Nice to see you again! So your name is... Lucifer? Lucifer: That would be correct. G. Gallade: (I guess I have Helen to thank for this one...) Why did you not tell me your name earlier? Lucifer: Because I dislike strangers trying to gain rather valuable information from people they are not familiar with. G. Gallade: I guess that's fair. Do you happen to have any idea who this rude guy is? Dressed in brown and having a pair of black shades on? Lucifer: Oh. So you've met him. Ha, you're not going to like him whatsoever. He defines jerk, just because he's ranked high and thinks he's all that, when he really isn't. G. Gallade: I wouldn't say he was a jerk, he was just rude and quite literally ran me over without apologizing whatsoever. Wait, ranked high? You mean he is part of the Redemption League as well? Lucifer: Unfortunately, I have to say yes. G. Gallade: Wonderful, so that means I'm going to run into him sooner or later if I want to ever get a shot at interviewing every single leader... Dash: "Lucifer! I need to have a word with you!" Lucifer: Duty calls, little reporter. I'll be seeing you around. Perhaps we can meet on the field of battle. G. Gallade: I uh, think I'll pass on that. But thanks for the interview, Lucifer! Alright! I've actually gotten some results! So, Lucifer was his name. His attitude seemed the same, lips sealed tight... Until Helen happened. Guess I have to thank her for that sometime. Helen: "NO NEED TO THANK ME MISTER GAL! LUCY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SILENT TYPE, SO I THOUGHT I'D DO IT FOR HIM THIS TIME!" What the... Helen, stop messing up my recording! You're messing up my- Stop! Hele- *........*