In order:
Yeah, Sydney sort of got the shaft in regards to assignments. I suppose this is why you don't fall asleep in Guild meetings! And the trainer she faced was my take on the trainers of the games, who would ambush you if they saw you.

I am enjoying Lord Persian's character far more than I expected when I started the story. XD

I think my team will probably warm up to the area soon enough. It's not like Maza can't teleport any or all of them around at a moment's notice, once he's been there in the first place.

I was trying very hard with the reactions and the expressions of the Pokemon in this story, since I couldn't rely on their dialogue to convey their thoughts. Glad to hear they came across. XD And yeah, it was a Trubbish. P:

And yes, I figured one town would dislike us. And of course with Sydney's luck that would be the town she was sent to. I'll admit, I was seriously hoping the explanation was plausible, but it sounds like it, so awesome. Just another challenge for Sydney to take. XD