It's just a new tool to do the job they've always done, though.....
[Is he satisfied with his role? That's..... that's a loaded question.
He wants to be good at what he does--the best of the best. He just also knows enough to realize that aiming straight for the top is a little less straightforward than most people make it out to be--the Champion of a League is a hotly contested role. If they're not careful, they can end up just a flash in the pan, uprooted from their throne in a matter of months or weeks--even days, if they're particularly unfortunate. The Champion may be the strongest at any given moment, but they're not guaranteed to have staying power. They won't be the wall everyone will dream of surmounting, year after year.
It's far better to sacrifice a little glory for a lot more long-term influence. And that? That, he's extremely satisfied with. He's proud of how hard he worked, and how far he's come. Battling is what he's always done, and he's always been damn good at it.
.....It does hurt, though. It always has. When you learn to be so in tune with your partner that you can practically act as one, you feel each and every blow. Every loss is agony, and every win is grueling--and while each of his Pokémon only fights once round of a match, he has to stand firm for them all. He knows how to endure it now, how to rise above the pain--he's undeniably proven his strength and talent, pushed to realize his full potential just as he's always been pushed to. But is he satisfied with leaving it at that? With standing at the peak, gritting his teeth, and digging in his heels to hold his ground, year after year?
He doesn't really know. Honestly, he hadn't thought that far ahead. What do you do when you don't know what you should be trying to achieve anymore? Maybe it's telling just how uncharacteristically quiet he is for once, as he considers the question.]
Well..... I'm enjoying it so far? I don't know if I want to do it the rest of my life, though.....
no subject
[Is he satisfied with his role? That's..... that's a loaded question.
He wants to be good at what he does--the best of the best. He just also knows enough to realize that aiming straight for the top is a little less straightforward than most people make it out to be--the Champion of a League is a hotly contested role. If they're not careful, they can end up just a flash in the pan, uprooted from their throne in a matter of months or weeks--even days, if they're particularly unfortunate. The Champion may be the strongest at any given moment, but they're not guaranteed to have staying power. They won't be the wall everyone will dream of surmounting, year after year.
It's far better to sacrifice a little glory for a lot more long-term influence. And that? That, he's extremely satisfied with. He's proud of how hard he worked, and how far he's come. Battling is what he's always done, and he's always been damn good at it.
.....It does hurt, though. It always has. When you learn to be so in tune with your partner that you can practically act as one, you feel each and every blow. Every loss is agony, and every win is grueling--and while each of his Pokémon only fights once round of a match, he has to stand firm for them all. He knows how to endure it now, how to rise above the pain--he's undeniably proven his strength and talent, pushed to realize his full potential just as he's always been pushed to. But is he satisfied with leaving it at that? With standing at the peak, gritting his teeth, and digging in his heels to hold his ground, year after year?
He doesn't really know. Honestly, he hadn't thought that far ahead. What do you do when you don't know what you should be trying to achieve anymore? Maybe it's telling just how uncharacteristically quiet he is for once, as he considers the question.]
Well..... I'm enjoying it so far? I don't know if I want to do it the rest of my life, though.....