Feeling ready, I entered the Gym Building. Here, amidst the metropolis of Levincia and all of their highrises, the building fit in quite well, better than in the other ones I had been to. The plain white nature of it still allowed it to stand out compared to the steel gray buildings beside it, enough to easily find even without consulting a map.

As I entered, I immediately faced Iono. The girl was attired in a similar fashion as she was in the games, wearing a large baggy sweater, but her current look had it colored gray. With Iono’s twintails colored red and blue, it gave her a distinctly magnet look… even before the addition of the two Magnemites attached to her hair on either side.

“What’s this? Ello, ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!” She said dramatically to the Rotom Phone filming her to the side. “This Trainer has her eyes caught in my Electroweb!”

“Indeed. Hello Supercharged Streamer, I’m Nemona Glitterati, and I’m here to challenge you for your Gym Badge.”

“Oh boy, this’ll be electrifying! The young prodigy vs. little ol' me. Oh, thanks for the sub from my newest fan, Electro King. Ha, looks like there are some people who believe in me, but before we get to the Challenge, we’ve got to handle the Gym Trial. Are you up for it?”

Crossing my arms, I nodded determinedly. “Ready for whatever you got.”

She grinned like a hungry shark. “Excellent. You caught me in the middle of a stream, so what say we make this a little collab? Say hello to my audience!” Iono waved an arm out towards the Rotom Phone.

“Ah, ello, ello, hola!” I said, somewhat awkwardly waving at them. Should have expected that. Well, we probably won’t be doing the ‘where in Levincia is Mr. Walkabout’ like they did in the games. Not really sure what to be doing here.

Iono had no such doubts, taking the chance to put her arm around my shoulder. “Folks, this little girl isn’t just a Trainer, but she’s also a singer! So I was thinkin’ we have ourselves a little interview.”

“Eh?” What does this have to do with me being a Trainer!? How is this a Gym Trial?

Despite my confusion, I found myself whisked further into the building in short order, taken up to Iono’s office. On the way, I asked, “What was this stream going to be about?”

“I ‘unno, whatever I found, I guess.” I held back a sigh at her lackadaisical answer. So random. I get that it gives her a broad appeal, and a Gym Leader exploring their city to better show it off to the world is probably actually a pretty good idea. Still, I prefer to know what I’m getting into before watching.

Iono’s office was the second Gym Leader’s office I had entered, and hers was a stark contrast to Oberon’s. Her desk and computer were pushed into the corner, with room for a couch to one side, facing a television with a Nintendo Switch hooked up to it (so weird that this world has those). There was a wheeled chair as well, which Iono spun herself into in the middle of the floor, and a bean bag chair in another corner. On the walls were brightly colored posters and merchandise of all kinds, giving the place a feel of a bedroom rather than an important place of business.

“Alright, take a seat, why dontcha, and we can chat about your musical endeavors.” I did so, sitting slightly stiffly on the plush couch. “You know, I’ve actually played some of your stuff on my streams.”

“Oh really? I didn’t know.”

“Not a true Iono Zoner yet? Well-”

“Yeah, I don’t really watch your stuff,” I said perhaps a bit too candidly. “Uhh, sorry, just been super focused on my Training, as well as my other hobbies.”

To her credit, Iono recovered quickly. “Like music?”

“That and Martial Arts.”

“Oho, like Kung Fu? Hawcha!” She did some motions with her arms that… generously, might be called punches.

“Some of that. Mixed Martial Arts. I won a tournament about a year ago.” Before she could make a bigger deal out of me, I added, “I can’t thank Sensei Dendra enough for her training; I wouldn’t have made it as far without her.” And her very close friend Tulip for the Aura training, but I hardly feel like mentioning that on one of Iono’s streams.

“Did your music teacher help you as much with your album?”

“Hmm, I would say so. I only had ideas in my head for the songs, their lyrics, but little knowledge of music. I needed a way to bring those visions to life, and Hassel helped teach me how to sing and play various instruments.”

“Hold up - this Hassel, izat the same guy as the one on the Elite Four?!”

I sighed. Should I have said that? Eh, it’s probably fine; it wasn’t a big secret or anything. “Yes, the same. He’s a skilled artist and musician as well as a Trainer, I look up to him a great deal.”

“Ahh, and here we get the juicy stuff. Was he your inspiration for becoming-”

“Nope,” I interrupted her. “Sorry, but I didn’t even know he was going to be my music tutor before I met him.”

Iono pouted a little at the interruption, her cheeks puffed out. “I was gonna ask if he was your inspiration for being a Pokemon Trainer.”

“Ah. Well, no to that too; I had started Training Dun and Miles before I met him. That being said, I have battled him, and I’m looking forward to a rematch. Once I defeat you and the rest of the Gym Leaders.”

The Gym Leader in question just cackled. “Hot diggity dang! I can see you’re all fired up. But it’s gonna be tougher than you think.” She had a fierce grin on her face, matching the tone of her words… but not what I sensed from her Aura. Why is she so nervous?

“I look forward to the challenge. If I had an inspiration as a Trainer, it would probably be Ash Ketchum. He worked hard from a young age to be a great Pokemon Trainer and despite several setbacks and obstacles, he became a Pokemon Master. Oh, but I also really like Cynthia, and Alder was a legend back in his heyday-” she coughed politely to break off my rambling words.

“Ahem. Alright, that one’s on me, but I think we could be here all day if I let you go down that Bunneary hole. Back to the music, Hassel helped you make this album?” I bit back a sigh at that. Really wish this Gym Trial focused a tad more on Pokemon and less on celebrity gossip.

“He helped teach me a lot about music and introduced me to some of the artists I collabed with, but he didn’t have a hand in the production itself,” I clarified. Something that he was keen to make clear when I published it. I actually appreciate it; he had faith in my music and wanted it to stand on its own, not have the credit be given to himself.

“It’s super-duper impressive to make an album, ‘specially at your age.” Yet you’re the one talking like a child. “What inspired you ta make it?”

“Well, I’d have never gotten as far as I did without the support of my family. As for my inspiration… It’s a lot of things. These can be obvious in the different songs themselves, but for instance, ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go’ was one I came up with upon seeing my sister get her first Pokemon. That moment was just so magical and precious to me that I had to capture it in a song.”

“Aww, that’s adorbs. Any song for your own Pokemon? Peeps have noticed that ya don’t have many references to Pokemon, which feels weird.”

I chuckled. “Yes, that would be odd for a Pokemon Trainer like myself. While I don't have a ton of direct references, a lot of the songs have messages relating to all Pokemon, or in specific to some of the feelings I have while watching them. ‘Celestial’ really captures just how incredible it is to adventure with them, while ‘The Pretender’ is for when we’re pulling through a tough battle. At least those are some of the things I feel; others are free to attribute their own feelings to them.”

The Gym Leader leaned back in her chair. “Nice. But not all your songs are about happy or fun stuff, even for you?”

Nodding, I agreed. “That’s correct, they are a bit of an, ah, eclectic mix, if you will. ‘I Beg to Differ’ is about feeling upset and worried but having hope for the future. That if you reach out, you’ll see how wonderful this world can be.”

“Heavy stuff!” Iono exclaimed, and I bit the inside of my cheek to avoid a snappish response. “But not as heavy as ‘Eat Your Young.' That’s probs the most controversial song on the album. Why write a song about poachers and war when none of that-”

“It is very relevant to our current life.” The Gym Leader flinched back, and I took a deep breath, centering myself and calming down. “I believe that history is a very important thing to study and that the problems of the past do not just disappear. There is every possibility that those problems can reoccur or are happening under the surface of peaceful society. We need to remember those occurrences and stay vigilant against such crimes.”

Slowly, I unclenched the fists my hands had balled themselves into as Iono just stared at me for a minute. “Aha, wh-what’s your favorite song?” She asked tentatively, her face pleading as if to say, ‘Please don’t pick ‘Eat Your Young.’ Lucky for her, that isn’t my favorite.

“All of them are great. Honestly, it’s hard to pick just one. It was difficult to narrow the album down to just those eleven. If I had to pick, well, I’m really happy with how ‘The Pretender’ turned out. Huge thanks to the Kubfu Fighters for their part in this, and all the other groups who featured in the other songs.”

A sly smile formed on Iono’s face as she settled back into her comfortable role as ‘host’ of this impromptu interview. “I’ve heard that some of those artists weren’t too happy with you.”

I did actually sigh at that, recalling the incident she was referring to. I’m so glad Miles kept me up to date on all that sort of stuff. “Yes, E.X. did mention in a podcast that I had been a bit… demanding in our collaboration. They later clarified that they were quite thankful for the chance to participate and appreciated the opportunity.”

I wasn’t sure how much of that might have been pressure from my parents or not, but I liked to believe that they did truly feel that way. “Like I said, I had a very particular vision for these songs. That may have led me to be quite strict in what I wanted from those I worked with, and I apologize if that may have left any bad feelings. What we made is something truly incredible, and I’m so grateful for their help.”

“Yesss, there were a lot of artists involved in this project; most of them had nothing but good things to say about you. We’re all looking forward to what you make next. Oh!” She said it as if the thought had just popped into her head. “Why don’t you play something new for all the Iono Zoners out there?”

“I- I don’t have anything prepared-” I tried to argue, but she just waved me off with those overly long sleeves of hers, as if just whipping up a song on the spot was no problem.

“Just a part of a song, from one of those songs that you couldn’t fit on the first album. I’m sure the fans would love it.” She had the Rotom Phone streaming our conversation, showing us some of the chat, with people furiously demanding I play something for them.

There was an unspoken accusation in those messages and the request Iono was making. One I had seen plastered far too often when seeing discussion of my music online. That I didn’t make this music. How could a little girl write all of this by herself anyway? The thoughts vary on how much credit other people deserve, but a lot of them think I did barely anything and just got my name put on it because I’m rich.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Those opinions were the reason why I let Miles scroll for such discussions on my music rather than doing so myself. I glared up at Iono, ready to roast her for this, until I saw her face looking encouraging. Wait, is she doing this to give me a chance to prove the ‘haters’ wrong? That she believes in me and is giving me the opportunity to prove myself to the world? I still didn’t like the situation, but it cast her actions in a different light.

“Sorry, just give me a moment; I have to think of something. I wasn’t expecting this.” Even if it is an opportunity, there’s a reason why I have to spend a long time working things out with Miles before we even get down to writing out the song, let alone playing it. I dislike having things sprung on me like this, especially with so many people that I know are watching me on the other end of that stream. I don't have my music studio or gear or time to practice, and it's only luck that I even decided to take my guitar with me on this journey.

“No worries, take your time,” she said encouragingly. Alright, what now? Metric or The Beaches are great, but I’d definitely need to change some lyrics; too risqué to just sing their stuff as is. Ok Go or Foo Fighters are decent choices, though I still need to be careful about making sure there aren’t any unusual cultural references. Music Go Music- oh. Oh, that’s perfect! I’ve been waiting to do that song, and I think this is the right opportunity.

Opening my bag, I pulled out my guitar. While I hadn’t used it too much, on days that we weren’t too tired from the travels and Training earlier, I’d sometimes pull it out and play a bit before heading to bed. Fraxure in particular was growing to be a rapid fan of the tunes I’d perform for the team.

Making sure it was tuned right, I began strumming it, beginning the song. Once I got a good rhythm going, I started singing the chorus.

“Now I’m moving up where I belong,

I’m through pretending I’m not strong.

Stepping out into the morning light,

The future never looked so bright.”

“Spreading out my wings, I learned to fly.

Soaring on my own across the sky,

I never knew how good it felt to be,

Just me, just me.”

Iono clapped eagerly as I finished. “That was rad! How do you do it all? Being a singer and Trainer, and so young too; what’s your secret?”

Shaking my head, I said, “There’s no grand secret. Anyone could do what I’ve done, with enough effort and focus.” There was a skeptical look on Iono’s face, but she didn’t voice what she was feeling, instead plastering a smile on as she stood up.

“Thanks very muchly for the collab, can’t wait to have you back again.” I shook her hand as she got up and ended the stream. Can’t really say the same; that whole experience felt a little uncomfortable.

“I’m sure a shocking show like that is sure to skyrocket stream numbers,” the Gym Leader cackled to herself. “I’ll be raking in tons of dough with this.”

“Uh-huh, cause that’s all that matters.” My voice was a bit too sharp, and I knew it, but the frustration had leaked out.

Turning around to look at me, there was something unpleasant on her face. Not disdain for what I said, but a flash of real disturbance. That look adults or kids give me as I don’t fit into either category. That I’m not just too intelligent, but too mature, too level-headed even when upset, for any child. They look at me like I’m some alien that doesn’t fit in this world… and they’re entirely right.

“Aren’t you glad too though? You’ll get to sell tons more of your albums too, win-win!” The streamer cheered.

“I suppose I am grateful for the chance to get my music out there to more people, but I’m not really concerned about the money; all the proceeds go to charity.”

“Huh?!” She said, the Magnemites comically (and somewhat disturbingly) fell out of her hair in response to her utter shock.

“Yes, not everyone is only concerned about money.” That got a flash of hurt from her.

“Not everyone’s got rich parents to support them, you know? Girl’s gotta make a livin’ somehow.” I snorted. Maybe that was true once in her life, but she’s a Gym Leader now for crying out loud!

I glared at her for a moment. “I may have been supported by them, but everything I achieved, I did so on my own merit - I’ll prove that in our match.”

That reminded her of our situation. “Oh righty, the match. Eheh, this is awkward…” With a heavy sigh, she said, “I’ve gotta do some Gym stuff; I’ll meet you at the court soon.” It looked like she had something else to say on the tip of her tongue but shook her head and left.

Great going, Nemona, way to ruin what should have been a friendly interaction. Shaking myself out of my recriminations, I got up and exited as well.

***

There was a bit of time before my battle with Iono, the Gym Leader needing to attend to other duties and get the arena cleared for our battle. Her words at the end still stuck with me, so I used that time to (with Miles’ assistance) start calculating something.

“Wow, I forgot how expensive Nasty Plot was.”

“Bzzt, it is quite a rare Technical Machine,” Miles mildly pointed out, putting it onto the tally on the phone.

As I added the supplements, I said, “Let’s leave out the diamonds used on Notch’s food. Same with their Mega Stone.” While those were other expenses I had, I can argue those weren’t part of what I spent as a Trainer, more for research. It was a thin distinction, but the Mega Stone in particular was a gift and worth so damn much that I felt it would dwarf the rest of the list combined.

Or so I thought. In the end though, that Diancite was only approximately equal to what I had spent on all the training Technical Machines, Battle Items, and supplements. “Do you want me to find out what the Battlefield costs, bzzt?” Miles politely inquired, and I groaned, leaning over the railing.

We’re already at more money than some people would have spent over the course of their lives. Hardly enough to make a dent in the obscene amounts of money, but still. And then all the advertising and stuff they’ve done for my music, and feeding the team, which I haven’t even bothered to count… How the hell did the real Nemona do it all without relying on her family? Guess that’s what a real genius can do.

There wasn’t much more time to worry about that, as the arena was finally ready for us, so I pushed it to the back of my mind for the moment. I’ll deal with that later; gotta focus on the battle right now.

Iono and I took our places on the battlefield; a large crowd gathered around the ring outside it. Not quite as large a crowd as the one that watched my fight with Brassius, but pretty close, and that’s without any festival going on here. There were also drone-mounted cameras recording the event after.

“Ello, ello, hola! Ciao and bonjour!” Iono declared loudly, waving to the camera as the show began. “Today we’ve got a fun treat for you - I’m going to be facing off against this hotshot, burning hotter than a Torkoal, Nemona Glitterati! And since she’s bringing the heat, I’ll be using my toughest Pokemon!”

Frowning, I asked, “Just one-on-one?”

She paused for just a second before resuming her cheery persona. “Yuuuup, that’s right! You’ll be facing the best I got. You ready to enter the Iono Zone?” She asked, baring her fang-like teeth in a grin.

Why only one Pokemon? I have to change my plans now. I wanted to give Fraxure a challenge, but I promised Nightwing that she’d get to fight here too. What’s the point of- oh, I see. Iono held herself well, used to keeping up a good face during a stream despite potential mishaps, but I saw the slight nervousness in her bearing now.

“Alright then, let’s take on the Iono Zone!” I boisterously declared, holding up Nightwing’s Pokeball. The Gym Leader held up her own Pokeball, and on the arena’s automated count, we released our Pokemon.

Nightwing flapped her wings, clacking her pincers as she flew over the arena. Our foe also floated above the ground, not from wings, but due to her spectral powers. Looking somewhat akin to a stereotypical witch, especially with the pointed hat-like top of her head, Mismagius cackled as she stared down my Pokemon.

A barrier rose up around us, and I wondered for a moment if it seemed slightly ‘thicker’ for lack of a better word than some of the ones I’d seen in the past. Though if the Gym Leaders are talking about my fights, it might make sense to amp up the power after the barrier broke in my fight with Oberon. “The battle will commence in three, two, one…” The speakers at the side droned out. “Begin.”

“Night Slash!” I shouted out instantly, hoping to get a quick, super-effective attack off before she Terastalized and nullified any weaknesses Mismagius had.

They weren’t keen on letting us just win, however. Iono called out, “Dodge!” To my dismay, that seemed to work; whether it was the command or the Ghost Type’s innate speed, she just barely evaded the Dark covered tip of Nightwing’s tail slashing at her.

“Mystical Fire” was Iono’s next attempt, but Nightwing was too close. Not letting up even as she waved her long, thin, wavy arms about to conjure a bolt of fire, Nightwing used Night Slash, cutting into her. She let out a haunting wail, still blasting my Pokemon with flames. She pushed through the blow, her tough body getting slightly cooked but already starting to recover.

Good, Toxic Orb has kicked in. “Fling!” Nightwing plucked the Toxic Orb off the string around her neck and hurled it at the Ghost Type, who faded into a hole in space, briefly entering the Distortion World… and taking the Toxic Orb with it.

I winced, both at the money that had literally vanished into the void and the fact that the trajectory meant the Fling had probably missed her as well. “Get ready to counter when she pops up!” I shouted.

Nightwing’s tail coiled up, waiting, even as she began a series of complicated aerial maneuvers. Mismagius reappeared behind my Pokemon, but with how fast Nightwing was spinning around, they were face-to-face as the Phantom Force hit. She couldn’t stop the blow but was easily able to hit her with a heavy Night Slash in retaliation before she could retreat.

Rather than try that Phantom Force again, the Gym Leader called out, “We ain’t looking too hot, gimmie some love, fans! And you," she declared dramatically, pointing at me. "Are getting too heated; time to chill out. Icy Wind!” Waving her arms out wildly, frigid air washed over the battlefield, the side effect of the Move passing through the screen. The main thrust of it, numerous ice shards that crystallized mid-air, did not as they shot out towards my Pokemon.

“Protect!” Nightwing is faster than her for the moment, but that will change once she gets slowed down, to say nothing of how powerful an Ice attack will be against her. I can Terastalize to resist this, but that’s going to leave me wide open for her Electric attacks.

As I was thinking it, Iono used the opening made by my defensive plan to use her own Tera Orb. Raising it up in her hands (I assumed - her sleeves were too floppy and long for me to actually see them), she said, “Time to electrify the crowd, Terastalize!” Then tossed it above Mismagius’ head.

While my Pokemon could continue their attacks, Mismagius either chose not to or was somewhat unused to the process of Terastalizing. With an opening as the large crystal pillar formed around her, I called out, “Quick Attack out of the way, then Gunk Shot!”

The crystals burst quickly, but the moment they did, our foe was looking around, having lost sight of Nightwing. Her vision was still a little high up, not realizing that she needed to drop down to the ground to use Gunk Shot, and in the second it took her to lock onto my Pokemon, the patch of ground beside her had already been turned into a toxic pile of waste. Spinning with a slapshot motion from her tail, the noxious muck was sent straight into Mismagius’ now gleaming Terastalized face.

She made a coughing, retching sound as it hit, and Nightwing laughed hysterically at the sight of her. “Get out of there, dig!”

My warning came too late, and with red eyes glaring malevolently at Nightwing, Mismagius blew away all of the sludge with a powerful Icy Wind that hit Nightwing head-on. Buffeted by the freezing winds, she couldn’t even try to escape underground partway through, lifted slightly in the air.

As Nightwing began to glide back down, I saw her movements were sluggish and slow. Ah well, guess there’s no point putting it off further. “Crash onto the scene with sparkling waves, Terastalize!” I shouted, only momentarily mourning Nightwing nixing the phrase ‘time to make a splash’ as I tossed my own Tera Orb over her head.

She burst out gleaming and with a water spout, Tera ‘hat’ over her head. Moving fast, well used to the sensation and even being pelted by the Icy Wind, she managed to close in on the witchy ghost. “Crabhammer!” With a vicious uppercut, her claws covered in a powerful surging spray, she clocked Mismagius hard, sending her spinning throughout the air.

It was hardly the end, though, as from underneath her wide-brimmed hat-like head, she pulled out a large yellow berry and began hastily chomping down. “Knock off!”

“Let’s play a game of rock, paper, pew pew pew! Charge Beam!” As childish as the command was, the Move was still quite effective (super effective, one might say) and lanced hard into Nightwing. Her wings seized up for a moment, giving Mismagius time to finish the Sitrus Berry she had been eating, and I noticed the air cackling dangerously around her, likely the very beam she just used powering her up.

On the flip side, however, Mismagius wasn’t looking great, even after the rejuvenating berry she just consumed. Is she- yes, she’s Poisoned! I had missed it at first with how purple she already was, but it was clear her health was flagging.

“More pews! Enough pews to fill a church!” Wait, churches have pews in this world? I wonder what else is similar religiousl- no, focus!

“Protect!” Nightwing stopped mid-air, conjuring the hive-pattern barrier around herself and deflecting the thin beam of electricity off of it. As the Poison hurts her, it’ll heal Nightwing, though. We just gotta outlast her.

As the barrier started to fail, I decided to risk it and called out, “Protect,” once more. With a look of intense concentration, it held out, though the barrier was weaker than before, some of the hexes flickering under the assault.

This time, the shield only held half as long, and Nightwing was on the move once again as it faltered, dodging around the beam her foe was firing. “Get underground and wait it ou-”

“Taunt!” Iono countered, her smile all teeth. With a smug smirk, Mismagius enraged Nightwing, who was already halfway underground. Popping back up, she charged the Tera Electric Pokemon.

Dammit! Fine, let’s go all in. “Crabhammer!” My voice reached Nightwing, and while she was still too enraged to do anything other than attack, she did follow my order and use that Move, the strongest one she had at the moment.

The ice clinging to her wings was slowing her down a tad, but not enough for Mismagius to entirely evade the blow, the attack clipping her as Nightwing passed by. “Stone Edge,” I ordered as my Gliscor twirled around, raising large spikes from the ground with an arm gesture. The ghostly foe proved too nimble, dancing around the attack and firing back.

Another powerful Charge Beam slammed into Nightwing, the blow cracking her chitinous exoskeleton. This actually helped to some degree, freeing my Gliscor from some of the ice impeding her movements. On the flip side, though, more damage was taken, and Mismagius got another boost from the Charge Beam.

Clicking her tongue, Iono’s voice rang out over the arena. “They’re getting back up even stronger, oh noes. We gotta finish this fast, so cheer on this Thunderbolt!”

The crowd was cheering wildly even as I felt the energy building around Mismagius. We can’t block or stall it out; all our protective Moves won’t work… But what about an offensive Move?

“Sand Tomb around yourself! Stick your tail in the ground!” The combination would be weird at the best of times, and right now was far worse. Yet even through the taunt, she followed my orders, the dirt swirling around her as the Thunderbolt struck in. Much of its power was lost by the Ground Type attack it passed through, doing minimal harm to my Pokemon as she successfully channeled it into the arena floor.

“Wowzah! That’s some cool stuff,” Iono said as Nightwing could be held back no longer and charged forward. For Mismagius’ part, she began gathering an orb of purple-colored power. She tossed it towards Nightwing as my Pokemon neared her.

“Meet it with a Crabhammer!” The two attacks met, colliding in a tremendous explosion. Both of us peered through the smoke cloud created from the clash. No way… I thought this only happened in the anime.

A few seconds later Iono saw what I saw and started cackling. “Whozat, whatzis? A tie!?”

I blinked. “Well, wasn’t expecting that,” I muttered as I saw both of our Pokemon lying insensate on the ground. The crowd around started cheering furiously, and I could practically see the dollar signs in Iono’s eyes as she waved at them, the Magnemites around her head flying erratically.

I suppose it’s not as bad as I thought to be concerned about money. I used to be far more frugal for similar reasons, but I guess I just… got used to being rich. Plastering a smile on my face, I recalled Nightwing and strode across the field to Iono.

She recalled her Mismagius and turned to face me. “Ha! That battle was as flashy as a Catastropika!”

“Let’s see if we can amp it up to a ten-million-volt Thunderbolt next time, heh.” I offered my hand out to shake as I spoke. Iono readily shook it, cameras and phones flashing around us as the distant crowd took photos.

As I let go of her sleeve-covered hand, I said, “And I want to apologize for before. I was frustrated about the music and other things. I thought about the money situation and hadn’t realized how much I had come to rely on my parents and their money as a Trainer.” She blinked, looking surprised.

Continuing, I added, “I’m sure that my team would be tough and strong even without that. We all worked hard and put a lot into our Training… But I also understand that the resources we have mean they’ve grown strong faster than they might have otherwise. Reaching where they are today would have taken a lot longer if we didn't have that support. That’s why you only used Mismagius, right?”

The streamer winced as my guess hit the mark. “Oof, you got me there. You’ve been tearing up a storm through the circuit; it feels like no one can even challenge you! And we want to, but… I just didn’t have enough time to train up a full team to your crazy-high level.” I don’t think the stream is catching this, at least not the specific words. Iono is rather bold naturally, but she’s not as over-the-top as she usually is when putting on her stage face.

“So you trained up just your ace to give me a challenge. Well, she definitely did that,” I said, my hand gliding over Nightwing’s Pokeball. We’ve got to work on her resistance to Special Attacks. Physically she’s almost as tough as Notch, but that was a real weakness here. And on that note…

“If you’re busy with your streams, why not use them as time to train your Pokemon?” I suggested. “You can make videos showing how you train different Pokemon at different levels of development for your Gym, and all of that. You get to train your Pokemon-”

“-And earn tons of cash!” At the look on my face, she giggled nervously. “But mostly just the Training, haha.”

I waved her off. “No, no, it’s fine. I can’t take it for granted that everyone has the same focus or means that I have.” Then she surprised me by pulling out the small badge with a lightning bolt symbol on it. “Even though I didn’t win?”

“Of course, you fought hard. And 'sides, I woulda got clobbered by your full team.” I took the badge with a smile. “Hey, if you ever wanna do another collab-”

“I’ll let you know.” Then after a beat, added, “Maybe after you're done all those Training vids you can give my full team a challenge.” Huh, it’s weird, her teeth are way more pointed than mine, yet somehow she’s the one gulping nervously.