stars and smoke. （drabble prompts, open. thank you @viomuses​! ）

Victor finds himself replaying the same memory in his head every night, over and over.

It’s not as ominous as it sounds ( even though it still is technically haunting, isn’t it? ; ) but nonetheless, he summons the images under his eyes until they begin to play for themselves, and eases into the scene- letting the end of the world lull him to sleep. 

It doesn’t happen the way it actually did, by the way. It’s always a bit different. Sometimes he gets to pick and choose. Sometimes it just happens against his own better judgement. Sometimes it starts with him running up the stairs. Sometimes he’s standing in the elevator, waiting to ascend with his best friend. Sometimes it’s already all done. He quite prefers the one where he starts right before everything changes, believe it or not: at the stairs.

The point, right- is that it oft doesn’t happen the way it ought to have. But even though he’s not great at controlling his dreams on a microscopic level- he still finds that the results of them are far better than he has any right hypothesizing about.

Maybe it’s because his brain viscerally rejects the idea of visualizing his loved ones as dead. He doesn’t need his brain to imagine his idol and best friend and the world crumbling around him for it to still give him unease. Apparently dreams only project worldly things one’s seen, no matter how skewed. Was that supposed to mean something? Sometimes he pauses the memory just to think on that.

Nonetheless, he has dreams about what would’ve happened if Hop had done what he couldn’t. What Victor couldn’t or Hop couldn’t depended on how he was feeling during the day. He has dreams where Leon didn’t need help, and he has the rare dream where Chairman Rose rode upon the back of Eternatus ( not really to any lasting effect - it was just a bizarre thought, y’know? ) Sometimes his mum is there, which actually had a far more profoundly bizarre effect on him than Rose on Eternatus’ back did.  

He agonizes over it a lot, which helps kill time, which he needs to do in order to sleep. It takes him way over an hour, which according to his mum, is somewhat odd. He plays the memory in his head, and whenever it gets too distressing and too scary, he forces himself to try and rewind it.

Oddly enough, it never goes the way it ought to- like it did in real life. Maybe it’s because he already had to suffer it in person, so there’s no point in subjecting himself to the trauma another time. He already knows how it feels to have his neck nearly broken by the wind, or how it is to fly off a building without ever asking. If there’s actually one thing his brain and him agree with, it’s not to tread back on those wounds.

It’s not so much the memory as it is the profound effect it has that he has the most creative reign over. After all, there was only so many people present that could’ve been the hero. He wonders if he would’ve won the Championship if Leon hadn’t been debilitated by his wounds. No, wait, he thinks- Victor was hurt  too. He just doesn’t have any cool physical scars to show off. Maybe it’s more fair than he thought.

In the end, all the thinking about what could’ve happened is just self-serving, anyway. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s still avoiding what needs to be done.

Every night he goes to sleep in his little tent, and says goodnight to the stars and smoke confined in that little pokeball he never messes with. And he says it so quietly that no words actually come out, so it just goes to show how selfish the gesture actually is- that in and of itself, along with imagining the end of the world without any of its crux on him ; all in order to fall asleep. 

If he doesn’t, he dreams about what would happen if he let the stars and smoke free; and his brain unfortunately isn’t so merciful when it came to the unknown.

► 7 PEOPLE I’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER. rules: fill this up and then tag 7 people you’d like to know better!                                                          ▼

► one / ( alias / name ): li, it’s actually my surname from my mother’s given name to me. generic 李 ► two / ( date of birth ):  feb 16 ► three / ( zodiac sign ): aquarius.. ikr ► four / ( height ): 5′7″ but i like to pretend i’m 6 ft+. we can pretend ► five / ( hobbies ): i like to learn new useless skills. usually to cause harmless mischief thru memes. but i think if u go thru my blog u can also see i draw a lot primarily. i got into ffxiv recently so that has my bum ► six / ( favourite colour ): red ► seven / ( favourite books ): i cant read ► eight / ( last song listened to ): i dont have ears ► nine / ( last film or show watched ): promare that shits sexy ► ten / ( story behind url ): it came to me spontaneously like. yesterday. cause hes a loser than finally won. but the original champselegy url was supposed to be, like... the legend of the new champ, right? but it ended up just. reading as champs leggy ioengetobe ► eleven / ( inspiration for muse ): not gonna lie, i sorta typecasted myself (?) in a way. since victor is sorta in my comfort zone in terms of characters to write. im not really going out of my way to Test my Abilities but that’s fine. i enjoyed his character design and i’m always fond of poke protags, they allow for some breathing room and i was a little concerned about picking someone more saturated and flopping. i feel like victor is the sort of polite young man that seems rare to come across irl sometimes/almost too good to be true, but there are definitely kind people out there in the world like him. and i suppose i draw from the idea of a kid with the personality of a good samaritan, but... obviously that comes with some baggage. hes also sorta inspired by dorky character tropes like YA novel protagonists, but, uh... not as shitty or sexist as they can be. i was talking to prissy last evening and finally realized that i do sorta channel peter parker/spider-man energies to him even though i’m not that well-versed with the franchise and the character. but. again. yknow.

                                                        ▼

TAGGING – @glrchmp​ @adoredbyprissy​ uhhhh my brain is short circuiting but def do this if u wanna and if i usually tag u for thangs. do it

TAGGED BY – @silentchamp​ king..

blog o’s

@champselegy - headcanon-based SWSH protag & postgame victor (active)

@o26 - headcanon-based (likely canon divergent) SWSH DLC rival avery (lowish activity until DLC comes out/i get my shit together)

@metamcn - pokemon trainer ditto OC (low activity/inactive, i might move them to my multi)

@deviliscr - multimuse, various canons (code vein, animal crossing, fe:a,) pkmn verse, OCs tba (active)

all are main blogs & if i follow u on here you’re welcome to interact with the rest 

Victor’s soulmark is Purple.

Those who bear a purple soulcolor are responsible, conforming, and grounded. They prefer predictability over instability and do not take to change well. They prefer to follow a daily schedule to keep themselves motivated and on the path to success, and they don’t stray from their daily chores often.  While they don’t like conforming to society, they also don’t like to stand out.

History and tradition are a big part of their identity. They hold family close to their heart, whether they are found or by blood, and have a high moral standard of themselves. They prefer to be supporting roles in people’s lives, often doing the hard labor to make sure everything falls in place.

Since this is a serving type, they tend to become community service members and are most likely to volunteer to help their community. Despite their need to help others, they are highly introverted and keep a close closed off circle of friends. It’s hard to break through their wall to become part of their circle, but it’s rewarding.

Purple soulcolors are always worried about the “what ifs” and are more drawn to pessimistic or realistic outlooks on life. They are cautious around new situations and never expect they’ll succeed. They often feel misunderstood by society, since most types tend to lean on the optimistic side of life, and only want to point out things that may hurt others, but this causes them to appear like the “party pooper” of the group.

tagged by: @faerieprincess​ ILUUUUUUUU <333 tagging: @barrika-dark​ @leafingmymark​ @earngalar​ @alolua​ @queenstyped​ @concentia​ @silentchamp​ 

link in replies bc. whoops!

things i like to know about my rp partners.

FILL IN:

i like to be called: li.

my favorite color is: red!

gender:  transed (he/him)

one thing you should know about me: i can have trouble expressing myself but communication is always the way to go for me!

one thing you should know about my muse(s):  pure of heart dumb of ass

first language:  english. would have fooled u

second language:  good ol zhongwen

HIGHLIGHT:

age range:  under 13 | 14–17 | 18–22 | 23–25 | 26–29 | 30+ | 70+

am I okay with NSFW?: yes | no | depends on the type of NSFW content | selectively (leaning more towards no than yes and NO smut for vic)

my favorite/most common thing to RP is:  angst | fluff | smut | crack | action | other (i like to just fucking. overwrite. is that a genre)

OC friendly?:      yes! | no | depends

blog:      does / doesn’t contain OOC posts

TAGGING:

tagged by: stole

tagging: hey do it

HC No.004 ; The Darkest Day II and everything afterwards.

It all just adds up to this legacy that Victor doesn’t know how to possibly live up to.

Victor captured Eternatus in Leon’s stead, with the help of Hop and Zaci/Zama. He also was admitted to the hospital for the expected physical trauma one would experience when being faced against an eldritch dragon god on the roof of a building in open air. He was likely bruised and battered, perhaps even a bone or two snapped from the sheer force of getting blasted by such high winds and trying with all his might not to get flung off the roof into the great & beautiful Galarian expanse below ;

He just barely scraped by without any physical war scars, however. No neat stitches for him to pull up his shirt and show off to his friends and family. 

Bruising and hemorrhages aside, he was presentable enough to show up to the final without having to delay the entire showing past what Leon himself needed to recover. What Galar needed was a pick-me-up after the sudden disruption and hysteria that Chairman Rose had caused. His nervousness to preform (& win, even he got that bug in his system by then-) overpowered any immediate pain he could’ve been experiencing, and that was elevated immensely by the sheer adrenaline being pumped through his veins during the battle. It was like amidst all the chaos and abnormal occurrences, despite the fact that the soon-to-be champion was standing there with a sling and crutch on the pitch ; screaming and cheering still blared in his ears like every single civilian in the booths and at home were trying to pretend that, just for a moment, everything was alright. The only important thing was the present- the battle.

Victor is left-handed, but Leon lifts his right arm after his victory considering the boy’s left was in a cast. The cast was signed by the ex-Champion afterwards. Gold sharpie. Snapped a good pic before the cast got tossed.

Victor’s C-PTSD didn’t necessarily manifest because of the Darkest Day hysteria, despite how traumatizing that day and the days leading up to and following were. It was the entire Darkest Day deal plus his sudden trampling up into the spotlight combined, wrapped up into a neat little bow. Needless to say, his debut was a disaster. The region was reeling from the damage the failed DD had done, and collectively had to deal with psychological recovery. Yet despite that, since Victor was the hero of that story, eyes were on him. Not everyone was willing to subscribe to a pristine influencer backed by the very foundation that nearly nuked the entire region- everyone did have their eyes (and hopes) on the savior who stopped the region from meeting its certain doom.

No one behind the scenes knew what they wanted out of Victor, but it was certain that whatever he tried to do wasn’t right; completely ignoring the fact that he was still mentally wounded from the occurrence himself and was one of the only ones to experience it first-hand and feel the ramifications of having done so. And yet he couldn’t even run away because he had his duty to show up for this cause. He had to. And the troubled feelings of helplessness began to take root and meld with other deep-seated issues that were mutating and flaring up with new (unfortunate) regular occurrences that came with being not only Champion, but a first-hand source of a historical event. Not doing things right, even when being directed. Less people holding his hand through it and more people wondering why he can’t get a damn clue himself. Having to choose between two options of equally wrong things to say. Not getting a choice in his sponsors even though he was supposed to embody their very mission in his image. Trying not to get tricked or coerced into saying something objectionable. Not being able to have time for himself. His time belonged to anyone who needed it. Having to report to people at the drop of a hat. 

When the flames from the DD quickly die down, phase two comes and hits Victor in a different way. He’s not a political mouthpiece anymore, he’s an idol- but most importantly, hes a kid again. A teen celebrity. That’s the selling point, his youth. Suddenly, his clothes were brought into question. His love life, or lack thereof. The intimate aspects of his life belonged to Galar now too. Hell, he doesn’t even really battle pokemon that often in this period, because he’s busy being pulled between being a savior and a dreamboat. He was so used to a kind and genuine environment that he’s not equipped to recognize and combat gaslighting and other manipulation used in the industry; and seeing how deeply he internalizes things- it corrodes him, all his mistakes. 

You have to understand that at his core he’s a shy young man who came from a sleepy town of, like, 10 households or less- far off from Hammerlocke, let alone the wild area. He had no sense of normalcy prior to Postwick, because his environment was ever changing and void of consistency and familiar faces. He knows his own mum, Hop’s family, the Magnolia family, and that’s that. It’s not that his condition manifests itself solely because of external reasons, but he did not have the tools or coping mechanisms to handle being Champion. Especially when he was a special case, with being a Hero as a double whammy. The two titles went hand-in-hand and amplified one another and came with so much responsibility and so many expectations.

When his PR team begins to have troubles marketing him and Victor starts to self-isolate, its not just because he feels compelled to run away for rebellious reasons or even sensible fear. There’s also an element of his C-PTSD starting to latch onto him; kickstarted by the messy tangle of his interpersonal relationships by the time the DD reboot attempt happens-- amplified by the shitty people and terrible experiences he has in the first handful of months as Champ. He’s so ashamed of himself that he can’t leave the wilds, but the longer he stays, the more everyone will make do without him yet come to loathe him if he came back (in his mind). But he is too afraid to go back, because his abilities are beginning to be chipped at by his dysfunction. 

It’s only this potent in his head. All his disorders are not diagnosed and he internalizes them deeply. It stews and stews and stews and the very fact that he’s holding onto all these hangups without letting anyone know the actual extent of his distress actually inflicts more damage on him. But he really just... doesn’t know how to explain to someone these very specific... feelings or thought patterns he gets. It ultimately just gets chalked up to stress or fussiness or some other feeling that could be a symptom of the real issue but, again, not the root of the cause.

He’s still in the very early stages, but he’ll start self-sabotaging if he doesn’t... do something.

Technically Victor never finished highschool/got his GED. He reads at an advanced highschool/college level but his mathematics barely reach highschool standards and has sorta plateaued/fallen with lack of practice. 

He maybe tries to fill that credit up by the time he’s in his twenties to just claim it once and for all. But maybe by that point and where he’s at in his career, he never pursues any higher education. Like he feels it’s too late for him. It’s ironic considering Hammerlocke University sponsored him for his studious/everyboy look when he was fresh off the press, and yet he was sorely lacking an education and wasn’t even given the option to pursue it any further in his own time. It was literally barred off from him and made out of the question so that it wouldn’t add more onto his already predetermined plate. He was maybe given a scholarship/accelerated program offer from HU to get him up to speed- but he was urged to decline it at the behest of his representatives since accepting the offer wasn’t mandatory in order to receive the sponsorship; yeah, the money they needed to see coming in. The real important thing.

He’s probably pretty self-conscious about his rustiness by the time he’s an adult. There’s not really any shame in it, especially considering everyone knows he had different priorities he had to focus on instead; that doesn’t stop him from feeling dumb when he struggles or is too slow or doesn’t even know where to start when it comes to applied math or something that ought to be “common sense” for someone whose still sharp and in-practice with the skill. He also feels averse to people who might not know who he is looking down on him because of this.

If he’s with someone who he deems to be smarter than him, he’ll usually just preemptively shut up and let them take care of it, in order to avoid embarrassing himself. And by someone... nearly anyone. He’d maybe go so far as to even decline and put himself down instead of trying and struggling or failing; ie, if he’s with Hop and they’re given some problem, he’d immediately wave it off and let Hop figure it out- after all, he’s the professor, and he’s just a dumb trainer. But the same goes for Bede and Marnie. It never comes off backhanded. Just indicative of how he thinks of himself in that regard. 

It doesn’t immediately come to mind as a sore topic for him, but it kinda is. He just doesn’t realize.

HC No.002 ; Marketability & Public Image

Part of the early stages of becoming Champion consists of crafting a profitable image; figuring out how to take an ordinary pokemon trainer, wrap them up into a little bow, and package them for public consumption. Leon likely is the same guy he was when he first became inducted, but... a much more refined, squeaky-clean version, for better or worse. A celebrity persona that seeps through your cracks and and sorta... melds with your inner, actual self. 

That’s just what the job calls for, and even though it can be argued that it’s somewhat... sinister or backhanded that the role is placed upon preteens (just get younger and younger- if Leon was 10 or 11 when he started, Victor is old for a fresh Champ), since there are many that aspire to be Champ without realizing this condition.

So Victor’s newly signed PR team had a lot to figure out when they received him; usually pokemon trainers tend to be quirky or eccentric in one way or another just by virtue of the job. Victor was like... a blank slate. Which is useful if he were maybe in another industry, and could have years of training his practical skills like speech and acting or whatever- but Galar needed him immediately. Whether he was ready or not. So the people in charge of selling him to the region were hard tasked in making him someone people would actually want to believe in.

Because it’s not a simple matter of being good at pokemon battling; trainer school teachers are good at battling, but they’re still set apart from gym leaders or Champions. It’s not the same. It’s like any celebrity role- you need something that sets you apart from everyone else. Things that are easily identifiable for people. Bea is a stoic karate prodigy. Allister is a mysterious spooky little boy with a “secret” shy side (which is publicly marketed anyway through his rare card). Opal is a kooky faerie grandma and stage director. Even though Kabu’s “character” revolves around pokemon and training- it’s fiery, and its outspoken. And he’s loudly marketed as foreign- it’s not played as a good or bad thing, just something that stands out. A keyword. 

Leon is the pillar of the nation. His cape billows behind him like a superhero’s, and has luscious fur lining like that of a fierce lion. He’s a king, with the duty of the knight. 

Who was Victor? He didn’t have a niche. He didn’t have any skill or quirky characteristic to play up. He was alright looking genetics-wise, but he dressed like an NPC, and his demeanor only amplified that. His stage-presence was terrible. He only shone on the pitch- with his battles that were like tug-of-wars and unpredictable in every which way; he could capture the eyes of people then, but only a fraction of his work was actually done on the pitch. And there were many fresh talents out there who could capture the attention of the crowd on the pitch and have marketability off of it. So it was like Victor’s marketing team got the short end of the stick.

They had to rebuild Victor from the ground up. At least, they tried. They tried to help and encourage (urge) him, and shepherd him into the limelight; but at the end of the day, Victor himself had to apply anything for their work to take hold.

The easiest thing was trying to get him to dress the part. It’s not like he was particularly picky or fashion-conscious, he was just so used to his outfit that he couldn’t bring himself to go parading around in the full Champion garb 24/7. They tried different styles for him. And while everything they could possibly try worked; it was another thing entirely for it to actually suit him and be convincing.

It was just so difficult for them to sell him convincingly, because he just... didn’t have the confidence to be anyone he wasn’t; and the current him that he was just wasn’t what the investors thought people wanted- let alone what they needed.

But, being malleable, eventually he started to dress more in-line with what was expected of him. He fumbled the initial interviews and television cameos that it took a direct hit to his image. Sure, the general public were forgiving at first considering he was young and everyone knew that; but they wouldn’t be like that forever before they all began to wonder why he was even the Champion in the first place.

So it wasn’t necessarily the team themselves- most of the people were just doing their job and trying to help Victor grow into his profession;

It was just... some higher up ordered down the ladder for Victor to do better. Or else.

So he would try to do better. Whatever that would entail.

Part of the reason why Victor camps, stays in the wild area or constantly moves with no median in-between, and generally does more ranger-esque work for the region is because it allows him to run away from the more performative aspect of his job while still getting “credit” for doing what he’s supposed to. 

It’s just that the more that he hides away, the more that he’s scared of any consequences or repercussions that would be waiting for him if he decided he wanted to dip back into the PR part of his career. What if all eyes were back on him? What if people started judging him again? What if he just fucks up so horrendously that he gets dropped?

It’s safe, hiding. He’s not doing better like investors would want. But he’s doing enough to remain in the clear, even though he’s limiting himself. His potential isn’t being fanned, but he’s a safe investment. The environment for which he’d have to grow in isn’t... actually conductive to his growth either. It could very well just chew him up and spit him out if he doesn’t have the resolve like the Modern Champions before him. Growing up in the spotlight will traumatize, as Victor’s already realized from the mere taste he got of what was to come. 

So he’s just running from the inevitable. Hiding. Because no one can really understand unless they were in his shoes, but... he sees Leon and he sees someone whose been conditioned by the very same structure to be closed off. The same goes for all the gym leaders, really. They probably all understand better than anyone; but the thing about Victor is that he used to be a civilian. He used to buy into their closed-off, squeaky clean personas as well. So even though he’s welcome to see them for who they are now, it’s just so... daunting. Because he’s only ever seen them as closed-off. And he just can’t bring himself to act like he can’t handle it all alone.

And no one else is really in his corner, otherwise. Not in the way he needs it. 

But when he is cornered into doing television appearances or magazine shoots, he’s started to get better. Learn what’s good and what’s bad. So that’s all that his sponsors need out of him.

mother, what's your favourite part about your son!

Mother knows best ; listen to your mother (open!)

She chuckles, like that was the silliest question in the world. Wouldn’t the answer be “that he’s my son”? That’s her initial, immediate response, but she pauses to consider the question seriously.

“…He’s very thoughtful, isn’t he?” She hums.

“You c’n acknowledge that compassion is a great thing, but it’s always easier said than done, isn’t e’? Ever since he was a wee toddler, he’d always have his brows knit ‘ll worried about something or the other. Not… because he’d get in trouble. He was always so concerned over how he impacted others, how he made them feel- how… interactions went; despite being so shy himself. I had the mind to wonder if he had a low self-esteem and was scared of bein’ judged, but as he grew older, it… was easy to see that he was simply sensitive to how others felt. Maybe some mothers would say it’s a bad thing- being so affected by his environment. Unmanly, even. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. He tries his best to protect himself, an’ a’ see that, but his vulnerability is somun’ that he’s blessed to have, e’en if t’ seems like a weakness.

I… do worry about him sometimes, however. Still. That’s just my job as a mother, and he’s my boy. My lovely little baby– although, I suppose I should be calling him my handsome young man now, shouldn’t I? HA——” She bursts out laughing. 

Victorb ramblings under cut

Champion Masaru Tsurugi. Held the title for a consecutive 7 years (and 362 days) before finally getting trounced at the Finals by a 12 year old and their Pikachu (funny, right?)

He was certainly unconventional in certain aspects of the job, while being evocative of the old greats in others. Not all too charismatic some may argue-- at least not that commandeering of a stage presence. But he definitely became the perfect image of an everyman- and although he put up pretenses just like other celebrities; he learned how to present himself as authentically as possible so as not to lose himself among the noise, while still protecting himself.

And having finally grown into the title and made it his own- being defeated was absolutely liberating.

Freeing.

But maybe not in the way young Victor would’ve imagined back when he just got the title and was agonizing over the scenarios in which he could give it away as soon as possible ;; a weight had been lifted from him. The moment he’d gotten bested on the pitch, he let his cape flutter to the ground, and the region was no longer balancing precariously on his back. It was tightrope-walking onto the shoulders of another prodigy. Maybe by then the league would know how better to manage their child stars. Maybe more awareness would be shed upon the less-than-stellar aspects of representing an entire nation while still going through puberty. Maybe the kids would just be... more prepared. (For those who were less empathetic.)

But did he feel any different? Come to any epiphanies? Not particularly. All the realizations he’d been met with came along with being Champion and just... growing up. Becoming a man. By the time he finally lost he was 24, going on 25.

(He still can’t drive.)

Without realizing it, Victor had changed during his tenure. Not for better or worse (maybe leaning to the former,) he had evolved.. just like his team. Things that were scary and difficult became things he got used to- whether he liked it or not. He didn’t cry over the things that used to make him cry. He didn’t dwell and fume upon the things that used to cause him so much unease. 

Things he used to like to do, he grew tired of or lost the free-time to indulge in. He made space for new hobbies and passions. He learned to re-love old ones too (particularly football.) 

He grew physically (maybe the myth of the ‘champion build’ was piecemealed together from truths,) and mentally.

All the while he’d been dreaming of the moment he’d be free- he started to dwell on it less and focus more on the present. He focused so diligently on his duties (finally being some semblance at peace) at one point that by the time that he was finally living in the future; he had no bloody clue what to do with himself.

(Was he technically retired at 25? No? Yes?)

He could finally do all those things he’d wanted to do. Travel. Battle for fun. Explore. Get into mischief. 

He’d made a bucket list over his tenure, starting from when he was 16 and still having just started his Challenge. Ranging from detailed directions and musings of places to go to vague ideas of things to do-- some of them were certainly outdated, but... Victor was determined to at least give them a shot. To appease his younger self.

So, he’s in and out of Galar, now travelling at his own leisure and convenience. He invites friends more often than not (those sponsorship investments are indeed worth at least something;) and whether alone or travelling with a companion (or two), he soaks up the sights of both places he’s never been to and places that were once familiar but then-faded away alike.

Maybe he’s something close to being happy. 

The point is that he’s content with not worrying about it anymore. He’s no longer waiting for the day where he wakes up with all the pieces put perfectly together. He just is.

Maybe that’s being happy.

according to @joltemun​ ; “  ‘🥓’, THEY HAVE TO TALK ABOUT SOMEONE IN THEIR FAMILY. “ (brekky asks open)

“Man... where do I begin?”

“My mum is the greatest woman I know. Maybe no’ the strongest, although she’s been through far more than wha’ I’ve ever been. She’s endured so much. So much pain, so much hardship... ‘Specially for my sake. N’ she did it all by herself.

...I think there were times where my dad’s side o’ the family really doubted her. It’s bad form t’talk bad about others, so they never really did upfront; they were always nice to her- but I think the fact that she moved us around so much after m’dad passed away nudged them the wrong way. N’ I mean, it makes sense. Jus’ takin’ her son up wi’h her and clearin’ out to who-knows-where and never staying in one place. She was always doin’ it t’find futures for the both o’ us. Find a place where we could both be happy. N’ I never minded movin’ around, ‘s long as I had her and a home to go to. It didn’t matter where, s’ long as mum was there, that was home. N’ she loves me so dang much, I don’t need her to remind me to know that. I actually got homesick to my surprise when I first started my challenge. 

I don’t need to believe in my family’s concerns. My mum loves my dad more than anythin’ still, even though he’s gone. We still celebrate his birthday, n’ she tries her best t’allow me t’ get in on the culture that I miss out on by staying with her; which I feel like can be hard for her sometimes. But she always keeps a smile on her face for me, no matter how bad she feels. I like t’hope I can make her proud, n’ carry on the best parts o’ both her n’ my dad’s legacies. That’s what I want th’ most.”

Does your muse have a Pokémon who usually travels outside their pokeball? If so, which one, and why?

Vaporeon.

It used to be Cinderace, back when she was just a Scorbunny. She would usually hitch a ride on Victor’s shoulders easily as she was light, or roam about on foot since she always had ants-in-her-pants. When she evolved into Raboot she went through a slightly broody phase, and although she enjoyed hanging around with Victor nonetheless, she cherished her solitude in her ball more than as a pre-evo. She grew out of that phase as a Cinderace, but considering how much larger she is, she doesn’t mind either-or.

Meanwhile, during Raboot era, Victor got an Eevee egg and pretty much had to baby it constantly. After she hatched, she was attached to Victor by the hip, and refused to go into her ball unless in dire circumstances. She had separation anxiety, and also enjoyed the luxuries of being out constantly (getting fed snacks, pet etc.) which… obviously spoiled her rotten. Once she evolved into Vaporeon, even though she’s fully developed her sassy and somewhat mean personality, she still refuses to go into her ball on most occassions.

It’s not even the matter of Vic wanting her to be out constantly. She just chooses not to go into her ball, and Vic sure as hell can’t make her do what she doesn’t want to do. And since it would be somewhat difficult to manage having both Cinderace and Vaporeon out at the same time- Vaporeon wins out due to Cinderace’s consideration.

Now that he’s champion, does Victor ever get challenged to battles by people much weaker than he is? Does he ever hold back to avoid hurting the other trainer’s Pokémon?

He does- both by earnest children and older trainers who want to fell the Champion without going through the entire challenge; based on the appearance of his team, and well- his own disposition, many trainers probably assume that if they catch him on the route and insist upon a battle, they can easily wipe him out.

For younger kids, he’ll likely offer to just 1v1 them with a single pokemon (likely Cinderace, Vaporeon or Ludicolo) as a fun thing to humor them, and try to keep tabs on the flow of the battle. That way, he can justify controlling the flow of the battle, since it’s not really a “legit” full match. The point is to make the competition feel pumped and interesting, with twists and turns- like they’re part of a league battle themselves. But in the end, Victor will always come out victorious (pun intended). Ideally the fledgling trainer will feel motivated and inspired by how close the battle was- and even though Victor clearly outmatched them, seeing their own pokemon manage to get hits in will invigorate them to keep training. He’ll ask them to promise him that they’ll meet up again during their Gym Challenge, and that by then, they’ll be able to successfully knock him off his throne.

For older trainers he doesn’t hold back anywhere near as much. He’s supposed to maintain his image for a reason. Likely part of the reason why he camps so often and is reasonably hard to find is specifically to avoid having these encounters. He isn’t particularly fond of the idea of people locking him into a battle out of trainer etiquette, just to exhaust both their parties in an attempt to make a statement. He’ll at least bite and be a good sport if the other trainer is well-intentioned and just wants to gauge their strength; but if it so happens that the other person is mouthing off about how they want to steal his place, criticizing or doubting his abilities, or other trash talk like that- he’ll not hold any punches. 

In case anyone was curious:

Masaru ( マサル ) is just Victor’s Japanese name in SWSH. The Kanji can be 勝 which can mean Victory, or  優 for Excellence. 

Tsurugi ( 剣 ) is derived from Victor’s counterpart in pokespe, Sodo Tsurugi. It literally is a sword/means “sword.”

So his name is Masaru “Victor” Tsurugi, or Victor “Victor” Sword,, :*)