6 Interlude I: Worldwide Reactions

Interlude I: Worldwide Reactions

(May Maple) [Professional Clout Chaser]

May and Dante were trudging along, making their way to route 101, May should be thinking about the upcoming Battles she'll face, the Gym's, and the wild Pokemon! 

But the only thoughts on her mind were that of Dante Cross. Her long-time friend, and not-so-long-time crush.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of who he was, of what he meant to May. Of what the stream would mean. May was 100% confident Dante had already considered all the risks that come with live streaming his entire journey for the world to see.

The less said about nefarious individuals looking to exploit the knowledge granted by the streams the better, hell the fans alone are cause for concern.

May is willing to bet her left foot at least a couple of people will stop them whenever they inevitably reach Petalburg, looking for an autograph or picture.

She was a bit scared, but she ultimately trusted Dante. In no instance did she ever consider traveling alone, or traveling with someone besides Dante however, not even when she thought of the greater implications that having her life on the internet, streamed at least twelve hours each day.

May could never leave Dante, she could ask him to not live stream, and honestly, she thinks she stands a pretty good chance of convincing him. Not that she ever would of course.

The sole reason May would never be able to tell Dante to stop streaming is simple. She knows how happy it makes him.

The happiest anything has made him since he attempted to take his own life. 

She still finds it hard to reconcile Dante before the incident and the one after. They're like totally different people. So much so that privately, in the recesses of her mind, she started labeling him as Old Dante and New Dante. 

That's how different she found them. The whole cocky, smug, easily exasperated identity she knows as New Dante had appeared almost immediately after Old Dante had attempted to kill himself.

She, like almost everyone in Dante's personal life, thought this new attitude and demeanor was a facade. A persona built up either as a defense mechanism or worse as a way to reassure the people around him he was okay when he really wasn't.

May knew for a fact that's what Brandon thought, in fact, It's what he still thinks to this day. It's certainly been the cause of enough arguments between the two of them.

Turning back to look at her best friend riding behind her, watching him smile and laugh as joked around with his chat. A carefree demeanor and light-hearted air around him.

'This isn't an act.' She thought resolutely, not for the first time.

May Maple wasn't someone most would associate with the word perceptive, but that couldn't be further from the truth.

Ever since she was young most people had the tendency of labeling her naive or an airhead. Even despite the fact that she always kept up academically with the two geniuses of the town, Dante and Brandon, it somehow wasn't enough. Something about May herself made people assume she was unintelligent.

It's not as if anyone disliked May, quite the opposite. It's just that they always underestimated her.

Back when May was still self-conscious, and still cared about people's opinions of her, in a moment of desperation, one she doesn't regret, she asked Dante why that was. Why did everyone look at her and see an idiot? Why was everyone so quick to dismiss her?

Dante being the asshole that he was didn't put much thought into it and answered casually.

"It's your massive tits," He casually takes a swig of his drink, "If I didn't know you I'd assume you were a bimbo too." Dante joked fully expecting a barrage of insults back.

This is the type of banter their relationship is built upon after all. When he turned to look toward her, however, she wasn't laughing or fuming, she looked like she was about to cry.

He was just joking around, but upon seeing the distress on May's face and how serious this was to her, he gave a more real and more sincere answer.

Dante got up and made his way over to May, he stood before her and wiped the sniffling May's tears away before continuing.

"Haa, look May, something you have to understand about Humans it's that they associate intelligence with demeanor." Dante began verbally annotating.

"They see someone like you who's always a ray of sunshine, always happy-go-lucky, and unjustly assume ignorance. Meanwhile, they see someone like Brandon, see how aloof and standoffish he is, and assume intelligence." He paused to think for a bit.

Dante suddenly dished out a series of questions, "Alright, I'm gonna ask you a question and I want you to answer it instinctively, don't pause to think about it, okay? Just answer what first comes to mind."

"All right." May agreed.

"Of the three Royal Hoenn starters, which is the smartest? Don't think, answer." Dante insisted.

"Treecko." She said without much thought.

Immediately after her answer, she could already see his point, Treecko the most aloof and cool-headed of the three was thought of as the smart one of the group only because he was not as perpetually joyful like the other two seem to be.

Of course upon getting to know the individual one can then get a better understanding of them. But it's hard to set aside initial impressions, it's even harder to set aside implicit biases we all have.

"See?" Dante inquired, his point having been made.

"Also, and don't ask me why, I'm not a psychologist nor am I a behavioral analyst, but women are usually thought of as less intelligent, especially the more curvaceous the figure. I was crude with my words earlier, but the size of your breast really does play a role in how people see you, as dumb as that sounds." He carefully explained, making sure to be as factual as possible in the hopes it wouldn't hurt her feelings.

It wouldn't work, unfortunately.

His words only caused May to feel more despair, she had come looking for some type of comfort, and though she appreciated Dante's honesty it didn't take away the hurt she felt.

Dante didn't let her fester in her own emotion for too long, however, "But who cares!" Dante loudly exclaimed.

May looked up in confusion.

"You heard me, I said who cares!" 

"May, there are billions of people out there. You can't care about the opinion of every single one of them. Let me give you an example." Dante paused to think.

"Alright, here's one. I got a comment yesterday that said something along the lines of 'Dante looks like the type of fuckboy to get a girl pregnant then ghost her.' Do you think that's true?" Dante questioned.

"Of course not!" May cried out in outrage.

"Of course not, I agree. But that person doesn't, yeah he was probably joking, but maybe not. There are people out there who don't like me, they don't have a reason, they just look at me, assume one thing or the other, and stereotype me. I don't care and neither should you." Dante explained.

"I only care what the people I care about think, that's you and the people around me." He further elaborates, he lifts May's face which was staring at the ground absent-mindedly, to make eye contact.

"It doesn't matter if people think you're not smart. I know you are. You'll always have me in your corner, kay?" He asked with the kindest, most sincere smile he could manage.

And just like that, like a cheesy arrow through the heart metaphor, May's heart was conquered. This is the exact moment May Maple fell irrevocably in love with Dante Cross.

Any superficial crush she might have had on him when she was younger based on his appearance, paled in comparison to the emotions just being near him, now invoked.

She had no recollection of what happened after that conversation. If she stayed the night, if she went back home. If she blurted out anything stupid, if she passed out. 

So hyper-focused she was on Dante's words that the rest of the night seemed trivial by comparison.

Now here she was, standing beside her long-time friend, and short-time crush. Standing at the edge of Littleroot and about to begin her Journey alongside one of the most important people in her life.

And all she could think about was, 'I will make Dante fall in love with me before he becomes a champion! Before our journey ends!'

There was not a single doubt in her mind that he would become champion, the only doubt in her mind was if she would actually be able to make the blonde fall in love with her in that timeframe.

She was confident, however, because what May Maple wants, May Maple gets!

--- --- --- --- ---

(Wally) [The_Brave]

"Please let me go on a journey!" For perhaps the hundredth consecutive time that day, Wally once again begged his Aunt and Uncle.

On his hands and knees in the most literal sense. Wally was pleading for their approval.

"Wally, for goodness sake! Stand up, no means no!" His uncle insisted sternly.

"Please Uncle, I took the trainer licensing exam in secret. I passed with flying colors, I know I can-," Wally is paused mid-sentence by his own body, the strain from all the shouting had caused Wally to go into a loud and painful coughing fit.

"Wally!" His aunt cried out in concern, "Look at you, you can barely breathe! You wouldn't survive a Pokemon journey!" She explained kneeling down and rubbing circles on his back.

"Y-Yes I c-can!" He spat out between his dry heaves. 

Say what you will, but Wally's determination was plain to see.

For as long as Wally could remember he had always been weak. Through no fault of his own, he was just born frail and sickly. Asthma, low stamina, allergies you name it.

Wally seemed to have been born with every possible defect that could hinder his physicality.

He had always loved heroes. Heroic figures from fairy tales who saved princesses' and fought dragons with nothing but their grit. 

How distraught he was when his family first told him heroes weren't real, that they're reserved for stories.

Wally thought his family was right when his parents died in a perfectly preventable accident caused by a herd of rampaging Tauros. Let loose by a worker who wanted to quit his job with a bang.

Wally learned that day that although Heroes weren't real, Villains were.

It was for that reason that when he in a cruel twist of fate was endangered as well, later that year by a swarm of bird pokemon after wandering too far from home, he didn't call for help.

In his mind, there was no point in calling for a hero that wouldn't appear.

But despite his thoughts the unthinkable happened, a hero really did appear. A newbie trainer who despite being hopelessly outmatched refused to leave Wally's side until he was safe. Who was prepared to die before abandoning the green-haired boy.

By some miracle, that trainer's starter Pokemon evolved and gained enough strength to divert the Pokemon away.

Wally was amazed, his hope reignited. Heroes were real! They just manifested in the form of Pokemon trainers. Right then and there he decided he would be one.

The person who saved him was none other than Steven Stone himself, a younger version of before he was a Champion, back when he was just starting out.

This is the part of the story where people usually express disbelief, Wally can't blame them, it sounds like some poorly written fanfiction or something that should be posted on r/thathappened.

It didn't help that most saw Steven Stone as this invincible figure, this almost godlike representation of their home region of Hoenn.

That's not how Wally saw Steven however, he wasn't an unobtainable figure soaring above the mortals, he was a hero!

But he wasn't the only Hero, just the best among them. Wally looked at him in inspiration, not despair. There's no reason he couldn't be like him.

He didn't care about being Champion he just wanted to be a hero a long-forgotten dream of his, to inspire others the same way he was inspired.

Unfortunately for him, he would come to find that his constitution wouldn't allow him. The strain it would cause on his body was too tremendous. 

The cruel act of hanging his dreams right in front of him after he previously thought them to be nothing more than a fantasy, only to snatch them back right before he could reach them was too cruel for him to bear.

He became more shy and withdrawn, and what was previously a bright-eyed confident kid, turned into an outcast and then a pariah by his peers.

Wally became a sickly shut-in who did nothing but play games all day or watch Twitch streams. He was a casual lurker, never making an account himself, seeing no need.

He came across the account known as [Dante's_Inferno], he immediately fell in love with Dante's way of doing things, his streams were the most fun he had had in a while.

Dante was everything Wally aspired to be and wished he could be. Confident, charismatic, handsome, with a beautiful girlfriend too!

Even if they won't admit their relationship, Wally doesn't buy it.

You would think Wally would be jealous of Dante, but that couldn't be further from the truth, in his own mind they were different species. What's the point of being jealous of someone you could never reach?

That changed one day however, he had finally gotten around to creating an account for the sole purpose of interacting with Chat.

Wally thought about naming himself [The_Hero] when making his account, but he thought that was too sad and delusional.

Settling on [The_Brave], Brave, yet another thing he wasn't. Yet another thing he wished he could be.

He gathered his courage, donated the required amount for a text-to-speech message, and sent one.

[The_Brave had donated 5,000$]

(Hey Dante, you're from Hoenn right, are you planning on becoming a trainer when you come of age? If so, I'm jealous we're around the same age.)

"Hmm?" Dante waited for the message to finish, before responding, "First of all thank you for the 5k, second of all yes I do plan on starting my journey next year."

"What's this about being jealous though? If we're around the same age I assume you've taken the Trainer Assessment Exam right?" Dante questioned rhetorically.

"Don't worry if you bombed, you can take the exam every 6 months for a total of 3 tries. For some reason that's not common knowledge." He laughed a bit, trying to reassure what he assumed was a distraught kid who failed his exam.

[The_Brave: no, I didn't even bother. I'm very sickly and I wouldn't be able to handle a real journey, more accurately my body wouldn't]

Dante made sure to choose his next set of words very carefully knowing full well how they could affect him.

"Let me preface this with an apology, I'm about to come off as super ignorant because I am." He began.

"I think you should try anyways, I understand if you really physically can't, if it's a matter of life and death. But if it's not, I don't see why you shouldn't at least try." Dante expressed.

"I understand if I'm out of line for suggesting this, and feel free to disregard everything I'm about to say." He then paused his game to look straight into his webcam, making direct eye contact with Wally even if he couldn't see him.

"Do it, It's your only chance to do so. If you don't at least try to go on a journey I know you will regret it for the rest of your life." Dante explained.

"So be brave, take the first step. Your username checks out," he paused to snicker at his awful joke and get clowned by the rest of the chat, "even if it, unfortunately, ends in disappointment, if your body really can't handle a journey. At least you can say you tried, you can say you gave it your best."

"As it stands now, you're only setting yourself up for a mountain of future regret, a mountain of what-ifs and could've-been," Dante said, growing more and more impassioned the longer he talked.

Wally sat entranced, hanging onto every word like gospel. Not just him, the S Rank Charisma stat of his working overtime into making his every utterance sound powerful and profound, his whole chat was mystified.

"You can do it, I know you can. I believe in you, I know that might not mean much, but I swear on everything that I mean it with every ounce of my heart." He expressed, his impromptu motivational speech finally concluding.

"If I am just talking out of my ass, then I'm sorry, as I said I don't know the details feel free to insult me in the chat, I promise you won't get banned." He gave the camera a wry smile.

Then he finally unpaused his game and continued playing like he didn't just completely flip Wally's entire world, his entire belief system upside down.

Wally finally understood why so many people attributed Dante to a natural disaster. The Charisma of his swept you up like a hurricane, it hooked you in and refused to let go, that's exactly how Wally felt.

Right then and there, Wally was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and so much motivation he quite literally couldn't sit still.

He wouldn't! No more excuses! No more pity parties!

His chest tightened up, his breath grew heavy, he thought it was his asthma acting up, but for some reason, at that moment he didn't feel like he needed his inhaler, he needed to study, he needed to work out! He needed to be better!

"I will become a Pokemon Trainer if it fucking kills me!!!" It's a good thing no one was in the house at that moment, Wally was able to hide his rekindled dream from his family.

Which brought him back to the present time, it insulted Wally to even think about prostrating himself, but he didn't mind doing it for his aunt and uncle. 

He might not agree with all their decision, but he understood they did it out of love. They were the closest thing he had to parents, he wanted to please them. 

But he was done being passive! Done being pleasing others! He wanted their blessing, but he was sixteen he didn't need it.

He would become a trainer, whether they liked it or not.

Perhaps his uncle saw that through his eyes because he was the first to falter.

"Alright." His uncle said, "I don't know when you grew up so much, but if this is your dream, I won't keep you."

"Harold!" His wife cried out in outrage.

"Martha. Our boy isn't a baby chick that needs sheltering, he's smart, he is resourceful, he'll manage, I believe in him." Harold explained.

Wally started getting misty-eyed at his father figure's words. 

"Thank you." Wally choked out.

His aunt picked him up and rubbed his tears away. "Alright, you have my blessing as well, I don't want you gone Wally, but I won't be the one to hinder you."

"The last thing I want is for you to resent us." She explained.

Wally was about to shout for joy before his aunt interrupted, "But! I'll let you go on the condition that you call every day, and that you promise to be safe. You think you can do that?" Martha asked between sobs.

At this point tears streaming down his cheeks, Wally nodded, "I promise."

"Okay, then you have my blessing." 

"Actually," his uncle interrupted, "I have a condition as well, no half-assing. I want you to give it your all. I want my boy to come back satisfied in everything he accomplished."

"Dream big, son. Coms back with at least 8 badges!" He almost regretted his words, thinking he was putting too much pressure on the boy, his wife clearly did if the murderous look she gave him was any indication.

Contrary to their expectations, however, Wally who they thought to be as passive and as sensitive as they come, didn't shrink up by the pressure. He shined.

Giving a hungry, bloodthirsty, smile so unlike the usual Wally, he declared with full confidence, "Badges? That's it? Please, I'm going for the whole fucking league!" He swore uncharacteristically.

Much to the complete shock of his caretakers.

Standing straight, his words full of determination he called it there, "I will become the greatest trainer Hoenn has ever had, the greatest hero! I will be the Pinnacle trainers aspire to reach!"

'Or I'll die trying.' He left unsaid.

'Dante, I'm coming for you.' Wally thought in sheer bloodthirst, 'I was reborn by your words, it's only right that I be the one to surpass you.'

Much like May, Wally had full confidence Dante would make it to the top.

"I'm the future Pinnacle, I'm the future Champion, current badass motherfucker!"

"I. AM. WALLY!" 

--- --- --- --- ---

(Dawn) [PiplupSupremacy]

Dawn was a bit of a tomboy.

Not in the terms of her appearance, if we're talking purely looks, she's about as feminine as they come. Long hair, short skirts, the whole shebang.

Her tomboyishness came from her attitude, being the type of girl unafraid to throw down in the dirt, the type to talk with no filter and not be embarrassed.

The way she acted quickly alienated her from the other girls, what little there was in their miniature town of Twinleaf. 

She ended up becoming good friends with Lucas and Barry, but there was always that final barrier of distance between them, that wasn't there between themselves.

The way they would hang out and sometimes exclude her. It wasn't done maliciously, as common of interests as they might have with one another, Lycas and Barry at times couldn't talk without filter with Dawn around, their subconscious making the distinction between them.

For the longest time, Dawn wasn't sure what this difference between them even was, and she wouldn't until she was older. When she learned of the difference between men and women.

Well, that's it then, she thought. Men and Women can be friends, sure, but they can't be best friends. If I want a best friend, a ride or die, it'll have to be another woman.

Both of those statements would be proven both correct and incorrect by her discovery of [Dante's_Inferno] a Twitch channel run by an attractive man named Dante Cross with frequent guest appearances from his best friend May Maple.

Right out of the gate, Dawn was flabbergasted, the relationship between May and Dante went against everything she thought she believed. 

They were so close that if it weren't for the age discrepancy they could honestly be confused for an old married couple. Despite this, they're apparently just friends!?

Dawn was intrigued so she stuck around, she would've anyways Dante was a great streamer, innovative and funny, but her analysis of their relationship was far more interesting in her mind.

She still remembers how she reached out for May not expecting a reply back, but getting one anyways.

[DM]

[PiplupSupremacy: Great stream, May! It was really fun, also I'm sure you get this a lot but I love your bandana!]

May must get hundreds of messages each day, Dawn really didn't expect a reply.

[ProfessionalCloutChaser: OMG, thank you so much! I actually don't really get compliments for my Bandana, I occasionally get some from Dante whenever I buy a new one but that's about it.]

[PiplupSupremacy: really? Well I think they look great.]

Dawn knew this would be her only chance, she asked what she now considers to be a totally inappropriate thing to ask a stranger, but at the time was desperate to find the answer to.

[PiplupSupremacy: how are you and Dante such good friends?]

[ProfessionalCloutChaser: ?]

[PiplupSupremacy; how are you so close despite the gender difference?]

From there they ended up having a long conversation, talking for hours well into the night. May explained her position and Dawn elaborated on her insecurities.

With their talk, an impressive and long-lasting friendship was formed. Never had Dawn clicked with someone so quickly and strongly.

If Dawn wasn't so secure in her sexuality she might think she was gay for May. But Dawn was confident she was 100% straight.

Though she wouldn't be averse to joining May in a threesome so long as Dante is part of it.

'No bad Dawn! No losing your virginity in a threesome, that's too depraved!' She chastised herself, 'Then again…'

…okay maybe she had a small crush on him! So what, anyone would, he's good-looking! Where Dawn draws the line is actually doing something about her minor infatuation. She would never betray her best friend like that.

Of course, so long as they live in different regions so far apart, it's basically a non-issue. But that won't always be the case, Dawn and May have been planning an IRL meetup for months now.

Dawn can't wait, she knows May and Dante will be every bit as genuine as they come across through the screen. 

She just knows it!

--- --- --- --- ---

(Cynthia's POV)[Definitely_Not_Champion_Cynthia]

"Cynthia? Cynthia! CYNTHIA!" 

"Ah!" Startled out of her trance Cynthia began looking for an intruder, hand held over her belt, and over the Pokeball holding her beast of a Garchomp.

She's relieved to find it's her best friend and current Kalos Champion, Diantha. 

"Oh, it's just you, Diantha. Don't sneak up on me like that!" Cynthia chided her best friend.

She then went back to staring entranced at her specially constructed personal home theater, watching Dante's live stream on the humongous screen.

If Diantha was any less composed she would have yelled in exasperation, she managed to rein it in thankfully, "I called you over 10 times." She retorted patiently.

"Oh did you, my fault dawg." Cynthia deadpanned. "I'll be more aware of my surroundings next time, Chief."

"What the hell? Since when do you talk like that? Are you seriously incorporating Dante's vocabulary into yours?" Cynthia's best friend asked.

Cynthia lets out a little laugh before going back to normal, "I was just messing with you," she then goes dead serious, "Now that you're here however, I need your opinion on something."

Given how serious her longtime friend looked Diantha assumed it would be something of great importance, perhaps even a league matter, which is why she damn near ripped her hair out when she found out what Cynthia was actually referencing.

Cynthia picks up a controller, aims it at her screen, and changes the scene, it's one of Dante engaging in clearly flirtatious behavior with Caroline Maple, wife of  Hoenn Gym Leader Norman and mother of his long-term companion.

"Do you think he's joking, or does he actually like older women?" Cynthia asked earnestly as if she didn't just ask something completely ridiculous.

Diantha stares at her in sheer disbelief.

Diantha takes a deep breath, "Alright Cynthia, we need to talk, it was funny, maybe even a little cute. But your infatuation with Dante Cross has gone too far!" Her friend pleaded.

"I literally saw a bundle of packages outside your front door, let me guess, they're Dante Cross related?" Diantha crossed her arms and questioned, her tone full of accusation. 

Far be it for Cynthia to look even a bit chastised, she instead looked ecstatic, "It's my life-sized Dante Dakimakura!" She wanted to bolt toward her package but was stopped by her friend's grip on her collar.

"I'm serious, Cyn. I'm concerned. What's With you?" The Kalos Champion expressed sincerely.

Her Sinnoh counterpart was silent for a moment, "You really want to know?"

"Yes," Diantha answered simply.

"Okay." Cynthia took a deep breath, "It all started when- SIKE!" Cynthia exclaimed mid-sentence, rushing past her distracted friend.

"Damn Bitch, get your ankles broken!" She laughed boisterously.

"I'd never let someone disrespect me the way I just disrespected you. I'd change my name and move regions if someone snatched my ankles that bad, that's just me though." Cynthia called out at a distance still in full sprint.

Diantha finally reacted, "CYNTHIA!!!" She screamed out, finally breaking her serene composure.

Which only served to incite another round of joyous laughter out of Cynthia, and Diantha too from the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

As Cynthia was running through her hallways on her way to her front door, Diantha hot on her heels, she couldn't help but contemplate.

Cynthia of course wasn't an idiot, she knew her increasing fondness for the new trainer was bizarre. It was sudden too.

But how could she not grow fond of him, it's not because of his handsome appearance, though it definitely helps! Only she could know the depths of her feelings for him.

She knew about parasocial relationships and she was sure she formed one unknowingly, but again, how could she not?

Dante had saved her life after all.

--- --- --- --- ---

(3rd Person POV)

All around the world people of great importance took notice of the enigma that was Dante Cross. A young man full of innovative ideas and passion, unlike anyone, had ever seen.

Civilians, Trainers, Gym Leaders, and even certain Champions, every moment new people joined the stream for the first time.

Every moment someone new would be swept up in the natural disaster that is Dante.

Whether Dante's ideas would crash and burn, well that still remains to be seen, but one thing's for sure.

The entire world had its eyes on Dante.

More accurately, they have their eyes glued to a screen, watching via live stream.

--- --- --- --- ---

[A/N: That's Chapter 6-, wait, no it's not it's an interlude! I was deceived! Oh well, leave feedback please, I'll shrivel up without it, and in turn stop posting, so you know… kinda forcing your hand.

Btw I was gonna due an interlude of Iono as well but I ended up cutting it out because I didn't like it. Instead, we'll meet Iono for the first time via raid. Dante will raid Iono_Zone after it's first established. Then I'll have an Iono exclusive interlude one with her reaction to the raid as well as how she was inspired by Dante, you get the idea, the whole shebang.]

[QOTD: Who's your favorite Pokemon Trainer? Can be anyone, Waifu, Gym Leaders etc.]