Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ryan paused for a moment. "And what am I missing that would make it such a bad idea?" Ryan asks cautiously. Blizz had to have a very good reason to warn against it.

Ryan nods. " I see where you're coming from. It will be interesting to see him in action after all this is done. see how much he has grown from the beginning." he says.

Ryan chuckles. "He probably will. I have been out of the competitive scene for so long, it's painful. Only real fighting experience my pokemon get are what we run into with the group. Yes, I train with them to help keep them sharp, but nothing helps a pokemon keep battle ready then a battle. It is also the reason why I am a bit reluctant to head out to those regions. Do I really want to get caught up in the grind of being a trainer once more, ya know?" Ryan explains to Blizz.

"I haven't had a really good time being an active trainer. As much as my early success would have you think otherwise, I almost quit being a trainer, twice. I know all the circumstances are different now and that I would probably be fine out there, but their was an eight year stretch that things were very volatile in my life and made being a trainer seem more of a burden than adventure." Ryan explains as he was noting down things in the journal. It was information about pokemon they had encountered so far, as he would have to pull out his own pokedex and reference some finer details.

"Pretty much. If you can't have fun and get enjoyment out of a badge journey, then said journey loses it's purpose. Why do you think I barely escaped Pryce and struggled so badly against Claire? All the fun and enjoyment of my journey back then got ripped away. It was left as nothing more than a task." Ryan explains to Blizz.

"It was more like trying to understand why he said what he said when he had never hinted that was how he actually felt.

My brother is only a shade over a year older than me. So we were really close growing up. That's why after he left to be a trainer, it was just too quiet without him around. So I when I left, I was out to have fun and hopefully run into my brother so we could spend some time together once more. That was how it was when I was in Kanto.

By the time I reached Jhoto and the cities of Cianwood and Olivine, I was starting to struggle with the Gym fights compared to earlier on. I wanted to find him so I could ask his advice. It was in Olivine that I did run into him and where he also turned the coldest shoulder an older brother ever could. No Ice attack you could muster could compare in the chill of his words.

After that, all the fun of journeying was gone. I was a shell of the kid I had been just 24hrs prior. I just withdrew and focused on the last two gyms like they were the worst chores in the world. Probably why I struggled so horridly at Claire. I was so closed off I couldn't see my mistakes.

But the person I am now is far removed from that young boy. I do find fun in things again. and coming back here has actually helped restore that feeling of happiness once more. I will have a better finish to this journey this time around." Ryan explains to Blizz.

RC chuckles. " I don't know, to be honest. I really should head out to Hoenn and Sinnoh. Just, maybe not right away. After we are done here I will want to spend some time helping out our group before heading out again. Don't want to just leave them high and dry constantly. I do believe in what we do with them. I think I will head to Hoenn first. It was where I was born." Ryan explains.