It occurs to me that we in the League Club often talk about our ranking system, but I do not believe anyone has explained how it works for the non-club members on this app. Please, allow me to provide a brief explanation in the hopes that this will encourage more to join.

When a Blueberry Academy student joins the League Club they are automatically placed in the lowest rank, which is Rank 5. There is no win ratio that must be maintained to stay in Rank 5, but there are minimum number of battles that you must complete every week. These battles must be against other League members, and witnessed by either a higher ranking member or Blueberry faculty. These battles are logged and recorded, and win ratios are tracked.

The next rank up, Rank 4, does have a minimum win ratio that must be maintained, though it is not particularly strict (currently it is 1:5 win:loss). So long as you are meeting your weekly minimum number of battles and maintaining the current Rank 4 win ratio you will hold your rank.

This continues to be true as you move up through the ranks. The number of minimum weekly battles does go up the higher up you climb, as does the win ratio that you must maintain. Because it is a ratio system, doing more than the weekly minimum amount of battles does not necessarily increase your rank, but there is a very direct correlation between how fast you rank up and how many battles you engage in weekly. This is because, of course, the more battles you do the better you become at battling.

Once you have increased your win:loss ratio high enough, you will be able to access Rank 1, also known as Challenger Rank. These are the club members that are permitted to challenge the Elite Four and, should they be successful, the Champion. There is no limit to how many times a Challenger Ranked member may battle the Elite Four, but if they make it through the Elite Four and up to the Champion and then lose they will be forced to restart their challenge from the beginning. Challenger Ranked members are not required to make challenges, but there is a very high win ratio that must be maintained. Battles against Elite Four members are counted in their win ratio.

The number of weekly battles that must be maintained, as well as each rank's required win:loss ratio can be changed at the discretion of the leadership team (that is, the Elite Four and Champion). We publish a weekly newsletter detailing each members' current ranking and exact win rate, challenger battle results, and any changes to the ranking system that have been decided on. This newsletter is posted on our website and emailed to our members, and is prepared and distributed by yours truly.

Elite Four members are determined by Championship seniority or Challenger ranking. Because this is a high school and an optional club, we do often lose members that graduate or simply decide to leave the club. If a Champion is defeated by a Challenger, the previous Champion is bumped to the top of the Elite Four and the lowest ranking member is bumped back to Challenger Rank. Alternatively, if a current Elite Four member graduates or drops out of the club, the leadership team will meet to review current and past Challenger Ranked members, their win ratios, and overall suitability to be an Elite Four member and offer their preferred candidate a spot on the Elite Four team. This successful candidate will be considered to be the lowest ranking member of the Elite Four, but can rank up if another member drops out or if they themselves make a successful Champion challenge.

Elite Four members do not have a specific win ratio they must maintain, but we do have a set number of Challenger battles we must engage in. This number is reviewed frequently, and determined by the amount of members currently in the Challenger rank. If we fail to meet our weekly quota we must submit a report detailing why (i.e. If there is an unexpected drop in Challenger Rank members who are actually attempting a challenge). Additionally, if we notice that a member is losing far more Challenger matches than the rest of the Elite Four team it may lead to a review of their title and potentially see them removed from the team.

So, to summarize. Everyone starts off in the lowest rank, and can battle their way up through the ranks by improving their win ratio. Only the members who reach Rank 1 may make a Challenge run against the Elite Four and Champion, and members in this rank are eligible to apply for an Elite Four position should one become available.

Attempting to write

In our series of Jen writes stupid shit. This has been sitting collecting dust for a .. uuh year(?) now while I have gathered courage to post it somewhere.

The night was chilly and the only sounds to be heard were the distant hooting of an owl and the occasional crackling of the small campfire. The sounds slowly lulled Bruce to sleep, which he desperately fought against. He couldn’t afford to let them get caught off guard or have the fire burn out as it was their only source of warmth.

They had hastily taken shelter under a fallen tree for the night. Eric, who was more at home in the forest had gathered some moss for them to sleep on. It was damp and didn’t give much cushioning against the hard ground, but Bruce wasn’t going to complain. He had spent many a night in perhaps worse conditions.

A small muffled squeak brought him back from the brink of sleep. Bruce looked down next to him where his traveling companion slept peacefully. The young Foxen’s small frame was pressed close to him for warmth and comfort. His face was relaxed, his mouth slightly open and his chest rose gently with every breath he took. His canine ears were pressed flat along his head and his fluffy tail was wrapped tightly around himself. He looked so small next to Bruce. While standing, he barely reached his shoulder in height, and as he was curled up next to the tall man he looked even smaller.

Now that Eric was fast asleep, unaware of his gaze, Bruce dared to look at him closer. He was a creature Bruce had never seen before in his life. He had heard stories of Eric’s kind, but he had never taken any of it as truth. They were just myths, legends. But here he was, next to one of those creatures of fairy tale and he looked just as the stories had portrayed the Foxen race. His face was adorned by markings in striking black and white with accents of orange. His fingertips were armed with small claws and Bruce could barely see tiny fangs in his open mouth. He had a big bushy tail and pointy fox ears peeked out of his flowing black curls. Otherwise, he resembled just a regular human.

Eric shifted slightly and let out another little squeak. Bruce couldn’t help but smile. He had heard the Foxen make similar noises before when he was happy or excited. Bruce thought they sounded like the yips of an actual fox and they had amused him.

Bruce let his gaze wander around their hovel and suddenly his smile was gone. The sobering reality hit him violently out of his thoughts.

What right did he have dragging such an innocent creature with him? He was a fugitive, no good could come out of staying with him. He had now cursed yet another being to live his transient lifestyle.

Instinctively he reached out for his sword grasping the hilt tightly. The polished metal reflected the brilliant light of the fire, almost blindingly. For a moment his mind drifted off to distant memories. He allowed them a brief visit, but nothing more.

Sorry if I'm misinterpreting what you said, but.

Wouldn't that disqualify Lacey? She has Excadrill and Slowbro

Drayton made an exception to that rule during his time as champion for her specifically. I strongly disagreed with it. I still disagree with it, but it upsets me to argue with my friends. And Lacey so adores having both of them on her team.

You know how a lot of wild Pokémon drop materials after battle?

There are some that I'm. Concerned about the ethics of.

Such as Scyther Claw, Spoink Pearl, and most of the fangs and other claws.

What are your thoughts on that?

The remnants left behind after battles are quite small. When someone says that they procured a scyther claw for, say, the Item Printer, they often mean a small fragment of one that became dislodged during battle. It is perfectly normal for pokemon to lose these fragments, and they can often even be found on the ground out in the wild. Pokemon grow and heal very quickly.