I walked up to the gym doors, unsure of my strategy as I took a shaky breath. "I don't know the first thing about Electric Type's weaknesses... HOW am I going to hope for victory if River's defenseless, and the others are susceptible!?" "Try that Diglett you got there. After all, the ground absorbs electricity like nobody's business!" Kari mused, smiling wide. "D-Diglett-Yahh?! Are you POSITIVE that's a smart idea?" I asked, nervously pulling his ball from my bag. "He's a GROUND TYPE. Didn't you pay attention to Ms. Dendra? Lightning NEVER strikes the same place twice, you know! The worst that'll happen is that he gets paralyzed, so I'll give you half of my paralyze heals." "O-Oh, I have nothing to give you in return..." "Don't worry about it! I'm well set in my own right." Kari assured, placing the heals in my bag for me. "A-Ah.... O-Okay.... Thank you!" I replied, shuffling a bit to get my bag situated once again. "You'll be stunning! You AND your Diglett." Kari reassured, and gave me a light push towards the door. Once I was inside, I was greeted by a rush of feet, and a pair of arms wrapping me in a tight embrace as I heard Nemona cry out, "Spirt!" "H-Hi Nemona." I replied, muffled a little by having my cheek squashed into her stomach. Releasing me, she smiled a wide smile as she asked me, "Beat the first Gym, I take it?" "It was a breeze, especially with Ruby taking the reigns. AND my Deerling, Daisy, evolved!" I replied proudly. Nemona nodded her head, and replied, "Nice!" She turned her back to me and sighed, then she added on in a strangely suspicious voice full of wanting, "Say, it's pretty wild we both just happened to bump into each other.... Again.... What a coincidence, huh?" "It would.... Certainly seem so, Nemona!" I replied nervously, trying to push the feeling of being creeped out down my gullet as I masked my unnerve the best I can. Seemingly catching wind that something felt off, her face fell as she quickly defended, "I-I'm not sneaking off ahead of you just to wait and battle you, honest! Look, I'll prove it by not asking you this time.... Although, it IS tempting..." "R-Right... Well then, I look forward to when we DO actually battle." I replied, regaining my confidence as I straightened my posture. "Oh definitely! And speaking of, it seems you've been having your fair share yourself. Look how strong you and your party have gotten!" "Gee, you REALLY think that?" I asked, feeling a little bit better about my training methods for River and his friends. "I KNOW so just by looking at you! Add in these, and you'll be ready to go no sweat!" She handed me an armful of red and yellow spray bottles, and I looked up at her as I cried out in flustered confusion. "They're "Super Potions". Stronger than your average potion when your Pokémon get heavy injuries from battle." Nemona explained quickly before walking away. "I'll be cheering for ya! I'm off to train, like, twenty Pokémon or so while you do your thing here. Adios!" And with that, she was once again out the door and leaving me speechless. "Huh.... She's about as odd as Kari randomly showing up out of nowhere and making weird noises to tame Pokémon! I wonder why I'm the one getting the strange ones so suddenly." I muttered to myself, placing my bag on the floor before stuffing the Super Potions into it. "Never mind that now, though. I just hope Kari was right about Ground Types being unaffected by Electric Types! If so, thank goodness she actually pays attention to what hard headed Dendra had to say." I sighed as I slung my backpack over my shoulders once again, and adjusted the straps before making my way up to the counter. "H-Hi there!" I introduced to the man up front, "I-I'm Spirit, and I'd like to challenge the leader of this Gym, please." "Alright, give me a moment while I look up your information please." He replied, and he tapped away on his keyboard while waiting patiently for my records to pop up on his computer. "Challenger Spirit, Yes?" "Yes sir." "Alrighty! I've got you all set up for our Gym Challenge." "Great! When do I start?" I asked, rubbing my hands together. "Right now, actually. Your challenge is to be a part of the newest episode of "Iono Zone", and make it a smashing hit!" The League man replied, making my blood turn ice cold as I strained, "P-Pardon?" "You're going to be on Livestream with our Electrifying Gym Leader Iono. EVERYONE in Paldea, and across the WORLD will know your face from here on out! Go on! She's right outside." "L-Livestream.... EVERYONE?!" I replied, shivering a little by the thought of being known throughout the entirety of the world.... ESPECIALLY if some viewers were from Kalos of all places! Reality was hitting me faster than I could process, and I shuffled my way back towards the front doors. There was absolutely NO going back now, and DEFINITELY no running! As soon as I stepped out the doors, I was startled by the sound of loud music, causing me to swirl around in time to see a Rotom Phone fly directly towards me at an alarming speed as I pressed my back against the glass. "Hey there my loyal fans!" An energetic voice rung out, "Welcome back to another episode of "The Iono Zone"!" "Who...? What?!" I asked, sweating bullets as the frighteningly energetic voice continued, "Hello, Ello, Hola! Caio and Bonjour! I'm your host Iono, and I bring you a special guest today. Say hi to our new Gym Challenger friendo here! HIIIIII!" "Errmmmm.... H-Hi there?" I replied awkwardly to the disembodied voice, and it seemingly became disappointed as it asked, "You don't seem to be energetic at all about this, but you'll be fine. Iono here will fix that mood up with her special suprise. C'mon out, Mr. Walksabout!" "Mr. Walkabout?" I asked, and from my peripheral I spotted a familiar purple suit. I turned my head in shock as I exclaimed, "D-Director?!" "Hm? Oh! Why hello Miss Spirit. I hope that your Treasure hunt is going well I presume?" "Y-Yes sir... I-In fact, Kari and I are traveling around Paldea together as I'm taking on the Gyms." "Very good!" He replied, smiling in approval. "Oh snap! Do you two know each other already?!" The voice asked in astonishment. "Yes, she is a student of our fine academy up in Mesagoza." The Director replied, smiling gently. "Uh-huh.... Well anywho, I found this well dressed gent walking around the street, so I snatched him up for our little dealio here." "Nice." I replied, my anxiousness becoming more evident. "Alrighty challenger! The Gym Challenge I got for you is to play a little game of Hide and seek with Mr. Walksabout here by using the street cameras put up around Levincia. We'll call it, "Where in Paldea is Mr. Walksabout"! And a sound of cheers erupted from the phone. "There's nothing iffy about that name, is there?" It asked in a worried voice before quickly brushing the concern away with the upbeat tone it had before. "Let's get on with the challenge! Alrighty, Mr. Walksabout, go on and hide." "I'll try to do my best at my allocated role." The Director replied in compliance, and wished me luck before running off to his hiding spot. Once everything was ready, and Director Clavell was well hidden, I was put on the clock as the phone dropped into my hands, showing an Altaria's eye view of a sector in Levincia. The game had officially begun! Keeping key traits in mind, I scanned the street cameras up and down; even moving them left and right until I found his iconic suit resting on a bench! "Found him!" I exclaimed, zooming into focus where exactly he was. "Oh? I thought I had myself well hidden!" He exclaimed, and I giggled to myself as the voice congratulated me. "Now onto the suprise challenge from one of my fans! Come on out, ya silly Poké Maniac you!" "Eh?! Th-This wasn't part of the-" "WooooHoooo! Iono Zone forever!" A man exclaimed, running out as if he were some famous athlete. Needless to say I was frozen in shock and in fear as he boasted, "Lady Iono is watching me, so I can't afford to lose!" "W-Well I suppose we'll just have to prove you wrong. Diglett-Yahh! Show him what you can do!" I called, bringing out my adorable little friend, and worrying just a little. "Alright Wattrel! Do your stuff!" The man called out in turn, and an odd looking bird Pokémon now sat flapping before us. It was a tad bigger than Diglett-Yahh, so I grew fearful of an instant knock out as the man called for the creature to use "Thunderbolt". Only half peeking through the cracks of my fingers that covered my anxious face, I was completely blown away when I saw Diglett-Yahh perk up like he was enjoying the energy being pumped into it from the Wattrel, leaving the guy across from me being the one who hid his face! "Well I'll be.... Kari WAS right!" I breathed in relief, and after it was done absorbing the electrical attack, Diglett-Yahh did a happy dance in place before facing the Wattrel again. "Diglett-Yahh! Use the energy given to you, and land a heavy hitter that will blow any opponent who doubts you away! "Astonish"!" I called, and Diglett-Yahh obeyed instantly as it carried out the attack gracefully. "If only Kari were here to see this... She'd have a blast!" I said as Diglett-Yahh reeled back from his critical hit. "Lucky move! But this'll be sure to stop you dead in your tracks for SURE!" And he shouted out a command that sent tiny spurts of electrical charges towards vital parts of my dear Diglett, and leaving it paralyzed! "Oh no! Here, let's give you a Paralyze Heal courtesy of Kari." I said, and used up my turn to heal Diglett-Yahh's Paralysis. The man tried to use thunderbolt again, but to no avail, and I finished it off with the same move as before, leaving the man with no more Pokémon as he congratulated me. This went on with the back and forth between the game and trial twice more, and during that time, my Diglett-Yahh began to glow! He had grown bigger, and acquired two more friends that looked identical to him- a "Dugtrio" as my Pokédex had put it. I was so proud to see him evolve; my THIRD one as well! Nothing, though, beat the proud look in his eyes as he and his new friends did a little jig. "Good boy-Er, boys! I'm proud of you Diglett-Yahh!" I cheered, and the three replied in unison of thanks, "Trio-o!" Once the Livestream was over, the voice directed me back into the Gym, but not before congratulating me on my victory, AND my evolved Pokémon! Once inside, I felt better, and much bigger than I had before, and I told the League staffer of my achievement as he nodded away in interest. "Congratulations dear Challenger! You have now earned yourself the right to battle the supercharged streamer Iono in the flesh! Whenever you're ready, just give me a holler and I shall take you to the court." "Yes sir!" I replied, and I took the time to make sure Diglett-Yahh was alright. "Duggy-Dug!" He said, twirling with his friends happily as I laughed. "You keep continuing to be your greatest, my sweet Diglett-Yahh." I said, pecking all three of them lightly on the head, and making them dance again. Once ready, I told the League Staffer, and as he had promised, he took me over to the battle court in the center of the city, surrounded and packed filled with fans on the outer ring, and outer side of the court entirely! I was worried the cramped spaces wouldn't be good for my poor Pokémon..... I don't even think I was okay with seeing such an audience myself! "Look! Here she comes!" A teenage girl, older than myself, exclaimed to the people next to her. "It's Iono.... In the flesh!" A man said, creepily in awe and excitement as the crowd parted to reveal a young lady, no older than about nineteen, make her way up to the court. Her entire get up screamed "I'm the center of attention here!" from her whole body being covered to her knees by a dramatically large coat, with mismatched stockings and odd shoes, to the two gigantic balls with silver magnets and screws protruding from them atop her colored and dramatically designed haircut, one being pastel blue, and the other, pink! Upon closer inspection, the two balls appeared alive, and it took me half a minute to realize it was a pair of ACTUAL Pokémon- specifically, Magnemite! Her phone floated behind her, and she smiled, showing a set of razor sharp teeth that could pierce the shell of any Pokémon should she want to use them! I was intimidated by her to say the least, and what's more, I heard the voice from the phone previously come from her parted lips. "Hello, Ello, Hola! Caio and Bonjour! Welcome my fellow followers to another episode of "The Iono Zone"! Thank you for the donation Pokémonster47! On today's episode, we bring back our Challenger friendo here. Say hiiiiiiii!" "Oh, um, H-Hi!" I replied bashfully, taking my hair and playing with it nervously. "On today's episode, we'll be having an ole' fashioned Pokémon battle against myself and this friendo. Will she beat me? I'unno! Let's see!" After tearing her face from her phone, she finally had worked up the courtesy to introduce, "I'm Iono! The supercharged streamer of the Levincia Gym, AND content creator!" "Pleasure...." was all I could respond with. "Be sure to give a battle that'll make my subscriber num- I mean, give em' a battle to make em' jump from their seats!" She laughed nervously, and I could tell that she was only in it for her own nameface- a sickening, gross personality to have as a human being! She took her side of the court, and began again, "Your eyeballs are MINE! Caught in my Electroweb! Whosawhatsit? It's Iono, and it's time for the Iono Zone!" And with that, the battle commenced. She sent out a Wattrel, and now knowing Diglett-Yahh's not affected by Electricity, I began to ease up enough to bring him out, and make the first move. "Use "Tackle"!" I began, and Diglett-Yahh rushed forth with speed I never thought was possible for a Pokémon like him to have! He landed a critical hit on the Wattrel, and did a proud jig with his comrades before facing the opposing Wattrel again. "Nice! A critical hit!" Iono exclaimed, jumping around like a maniac, "But you won't get lucky NEXT time round. Wattrel! Use "Quick Attack"!" "Dodge it, and give her a taste of astonishment! Use "Astonish"!" I countered, but I underestimated the speed of Wattrel and Diglett-Yahh ended up getting the hit. Shaking off the last move, Diglett-Yahh turned his back to his opponent, then hit it with a large dose of "Astonish", knocking it out fully. The battle was a tad rougher than Brassius's, but was still effortless to say the least as Diglett-Yahh kept absorbing all of the attacks left and right, and returning them threefold! The heaviest hitter by far was that creature Iono called a "Bellibolt"- truly a tower amongst a crumbling citadel! I was able to use Diglett-Yahh's newest move on it however, landing heavy Super Effective hits by using "Mud Shot". Once Bellibolt was down came Luxio, who was relatively easy to conquer with only two hits of Mud shot in succession. The last one, though, I NEVER expected in all my life! "Come on out Mismagius! And burn brighter than a Light bulb shining at five megawatts!" Mismagius? But wasn't that a Ghost Type? No... I knew better by now! She called out the huge, whispy cloak of a Pokémon, and brought out her Tera Orb to Terestalize it; changing it's typing immeasurably by making it electrical, instead of keeping it a Ghost Type. I thought it would be a breeze, just like the other two, so I foolishly Terestalized my Pokémon into it's initial type, placing upon it a crown that looked like the layers of the earth in a beautiful, crystalline form. "Whoah!" I breathed, utterly captivated by the beautiful display, then I called out, "Diglett-Yahh! Use Mud Shot!" Diglett-Yahh readied his attack, and without another second to waste sent a ball of thick, gooey mud in the direction of the Mismagius. I should've contemplated the possibility of Pokémon Abilities before blindly jumping forward, then I wouldn't have had to endure the annoyance of Iono's final Pokémon bobbing to and fro to avoid Diglett-Yahh, and the humiliation that followed after. "Bad move, friendo! My Mismagius's ability allows it to freely dodge your ground assault by simply Levitating upward!" "H-Huh?! So no matter what, it won't land a single hit?!" I asked, and the crowd roared in laughter. Diglett-Yahh turned back to me, seemingly frustrated and pride hurt as it awaited my next command. Before I could utter a word, Iono's Pokémon summoned a thick ball of blackened mist, "Hex" as it was called, and landed a pretty heavy hit on Diglett-Yahh as the crowd screamed Iono's name! I had to do something FAST! "Using Astonish is no longer an option, as it won't be as heavy as I'd like. That, and Diglett-Yahh seems in pretty bad shape right now!" I looked over at my poor Dugtrio, practically in tears while I thought, and it weighed heavy on my heart to know that my sweet angel was getting roughed up by, what I thought, was a cheap ability and battle play. Cowardly, Kari would've thought it as if she were here to see it! "I COULD use a tactical retreat, but how much am I willing to risk losing my one chance at Terestalizing for the sake of being able to secure the win, and restore Diglett-Yahh's confidence...." I thought to myself, looking at my poor Dugtrio deeply, and reading his soul. Did Trainers do this often? Why did it hurt so much on the inside? Weighing my options and morals, I recalled Diglett-Yahh, saying, "You did great, my friend. Take a nice, long rest!" Diglett-Yahh went back to his ball, and I called out my next Pokémon, which happened to be Daisy, and pleaded, "Restore your fellow comrade's pride, and win in his name my sweet Daisy! Use "Razor Leaf"!" Daisy powered up her move, and sent it flying towards Iono's annoying Mismagius, taking a good chunk of its health. I had to be very selective with my choices, as Iono had a powerhouse behind her Pokémon while mine was virtually open! The crowd oohed and Ahhed, and cheered as the two Pokémon continued back and forth, trying to desperately get one another out. Daisy was strong as she was noble, and smote Mismagius with a final Razor Leaf before the thing crashed back down to the floor, unconscious. "Ahhhhhhh?!" Iono screamed in shock as her Pokémon came back to her, and I smiled wide as the silent crowd stared on in amazement. "Y-You did it...." a little boy squeaked, looking over at me with eyes wider than a startled Treeko. "...And you didn't even use Terastalizing to do it!" A woman cheered, and before I knew it, the crowd roared with cheers and applause for myself, and Daisy. "You burned brighter than a 17million volt light bulb in that battle.." Iono breathed in disbelief before shaking herself back to normal. She approached me with her phone, and turned back to the screen as she announced, and the winner iiiiiiiiisssssss.... CHALLENGER SPIRIT! Give her a round of applause my peeps!" She and the crowd erupted into applause and cheers before dying down, and I couldn't help but wonder if I put on a good enough performance for the broadcasters signing in to be satisfied. "What did she win? I'll tell ya!" Iono reached into her pocket, and dropped into my hands a technical record as she exclaimed, "A new TM!" The crowd burst into applause again, and once they were quiet again, Iono added, "And to sweeten the deal further.. A commemorative pic to remember her victory by, if she so chooses!" She looked at me with those piercing, glowing eyes of her, and her sharpened pearls glinting from beneath her lips like a Carvanha waiting for prey. "Ummmm." I said, hesitant at first, but just to remain cordial, I accepted with a single nod. "Perfect! Say Iono Zone!" After we both posed for a picture together, Iono signed off, and the crowd began to disperse, leaving me alone on the court. I heard a pitter patter of feet running up from behind, and I was certain that it was Nemona back for another hug so I turned around to suprise her first. It wasn't Nemona, but Kari who was running up to me, breathless and smiling as she huffed, "Spirit! I saw EVERYTHING!" "Y-You did?!" I asked, shocked. Kari nodded furiously, and she replied, "Yes! It was broadcasted, so I sat to watch the match between you two. You were AMAZING! Pulling off a feat like defeating a Tera Pokémon without Terastalizing, and that tactical retreat- THAT is pure heart and talent at work! Adaptability is often good when you find yourself in a tight squeeze." My heart kind of sunk, realizing she wasn't physically there to see me, but it still made me feel better that she had seen it nonetheless. "It occurs to me that you've been traveling around your new homeland, but never once tried it's delicacies! Come, I'll take you to a Sushi Bar I found while walking to celebrate your astounding feat. On me, of course, so spare no expense!" "W-Wow! Thanks Kari!" I replied, and she took my hand to guide me through the dawn lit streets. After we filled up on Sushi, and got ourselves some ice cream, Kari and I decided it was best to make camp so that I could get some rest before heading out ahead for the next gym. There was a sign near where we pitched the tent, and I ran my hand over the front as I called Kari over. "What does this say?" I asked, pointing at the sign. "Hm? Oh! It's the Million Volt Skyline! One of Paldea's ten tourist sights-or so I've been told by others. It gives a nice view of Levincia at night, so feel free to rest as long as you want and unwind." "Wow.... The sight sure is something, especially when you watch the sun rise over the sea!" I replied, leaning on the railing to admire the view. "You may watch the sun, but do not forget to sleep. Good way to run yourself thin, that!" Kari replied, continuing to set up camp. I breathed in the cool air of morning as I watched the sea glisten under the colors of the sky, and I smiled ever so slightly. I felt oddly happy, seeing such a view, and I began to wonder if my mother and Kari could've been right.