Inside the studio, the four of them were chatting enthusiastically.
The only thing Mary wasn't satisfied with was the time.
Those short twenty minutes simply weren't enough for her to fully showcase the program.
But there was no helping it.
As nine o'clock approached, Professor Oak disconnected right on schedule.
Though he would have liked to talk longer, research was still waiting for him.
"Alright, thank you everyone for listening. That concludes today's program. See you again tomorrow!"
Mary ended the broadcast with the familiar line she had repeated countless times.
"Whew, that was exhausting."
Whitney cutely fanned her flushed cheeks.
Because of its age, the facilities inside the Goldenrod Radio Tower studio weren't as modern as people imagined.
The sealed broadcasting room became stuffy easily, especially during this transition between spring and summer.
Mary quietly drank some water.
For the moment, she had no intention of speaking to her good friend.
Just then, a young woman approached her and whispered something, likely Mary's assistant or another staff member.
The two occasionally glanced toward Silas as they spoke.
"Alright, I understand. I'll handle it. Make sure to refine the interview outline for Miss Elesa this afternoon."
Mary nodded as she instructed the young woman.
"Got it. I'll head downstairs first."
The girl, named Aoi, quickly left.
"Today's ratings were a huge success!"
Mary said excitedly to the other two.
"Well of course. I brought a superstar with me."
Whitney puffed herself up proudly.
Silas, meanwhile, remained silent.
He didn't think it was his contribution.
He had simply been dragged along by Whitney.
He was still thinking about the name Mary had just mentioned.
Mary continued, "It's not all thanks to you. The data and backstage messages show that quite a few listeners tuned in specifically for Silas."
"Eh?"
That statement successfully captured both Silas's and Whitney's attention.
Both of them looked incredulous.
"Mary, you're joking, right?"
Silas said, a little dazed.
Although they had only interacted for half an hour, they had quickly grown familiar with each other.
That was largely thanks to Mary's exceptional social skills.
"I'm not joking." Mary wagged her finger. "It seems you've underestimated your own popularity."
Silas scratched his head.
It wasn't that he was underestimating himself, he simply hadn't been recognized much since arriving in Johto.
Under those circumstances, it was hard to believe his reputation had spread beyond Kanto.
Mary gave a mischievous smile.
"However, most of your fans seem to be girls."
As she said this, she subtly examined Silas's face and build.
If he were willing to become a Pokémon performer, he'd undoubtedly be the next global superstar.
Mary's cheeks flushed slightly.
Better not stare too long.
"So, the station has a favor to ask of you."
She clasped her hands together and looked at Silas.
Silas instinctively took a step back.
Experience told him that situations like this rarely meant something simple.
Mary couldn't help but laugh.
"It's actually because today's numbers were so good. The station hopes you can do a few special episodes with me.
Of course, there will be compensation."
"Oh, I see."
Silas let out a sigh of relief. He had thought it might be something troublesome.
Just as he had considered before joining today's broadcast, building fame was important for him.
After all, many Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and even Champions had done similar work in their early careers.
It provided substantial financial support.
And now he also remembered who that "Miss Elesa" Mary mentioned earlier was.
If she had been referred to by a different name, Silas, who wasn't overly familiar with the Unova region might not have realized it immediately.
Elesa, the future Nimbasa City Gym Leader of Unova.
As a world-famous model, "Elesa" was her real name, and it was already widely known internationally.
Her long legs were practically perfect.
Of course, like many models, she was known for having a rather modest figure up top.
For many fans, admittedly, that was considered a minor regret.
"Silas, what do you think of the proposal?"
Mary's question pulled him back to reality.
He smiled.
"I don't have any objections. Especially since I'd be working with you, Mary. It's just the scheduling and the content—"
"Scheduling will follow your availability. We pre-record before broadcasting, so whenever you're free, we'll record an episode.
As for content… how about covering the Bug-Catching Contest at the National Park in a few days?
We could build a program around that."
Mary thought for a moment and quickly gave her answer.
Silas raised an eyebrow.
These terms were surprisingly generous.
He chose the schedule.
The content was something he already planned to participate in.
And he would get paid.
"The station hopes for a long-term partnership with you, so they're offering favorable conditions," Mary explained, clearly reading his thoughts.
Silas nodded with a smile.
"I have no objections. Let's go with your plan."
"Great. Let's exchange contact information. I'll discuss the details with you later."
Mary was visibly pleased.
After all, it was her program.
Judging by today's performance, the ratings would certainly remain strong.
The two chatted happily.
Meanwhile, Whitney blinked in confusion.
She suddenly felt somewhat unnecessary.
"Rumble—"
The familiar tremor returned.
Distracted, Whitney lost her footing and fell straight to the floor.
"Ow—!"
She cried out instinctively.
Mary turned toward her, about to tease her.
"Watch out."
Silas, who had also turned his head, suddenly narrowed his eyes and moved instantly to Whitney's side.
Smack!
Using his forward momentum, he sharply raised his leg and kicked away a thick wooden beam that had fallen toward her.
Only then did Whitney belatedly cover her head.
Silas sighed inwardly.
This really didn't feel like the reaction of a powerful Trainer.
So far, most Trainers he had encountered possessed at least decent physical fitness.
After all, if you traced things back, the tradition of "field battling" had once been quite prevalent in League history. Physical conditioning was, in some ways, a continuation of that era.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."
Whitney looked up from the floor, her face slightly red.
Thud.
From the corner of the room, another thick beam dropped from the ceiling.
"This doesn't seem right."
Silas's expression gradually turned serious.
"Were the previous tremors like this?"
He asked Mary.
Still pale from the earlier scare, Mary hurriedly shook her head.
"No. Usually it just shakes once and stops. Wood has never fallen before."
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"Blaziken, come out."
"Blaze."
Blaziken appeared in a flash of light.
"Stay here and protect them. I'll check it out."
Blaziken nodded steadily and positioned itself between Mary and Whitney.
In such a confined space, it was the most suitable for protection. The others would struggle to maneuver properly.
Maybe once Ralts evolved it would be different, but for now, its Psychic power was still too weak.
Silas walked to the corner and picked up one of the fallen beams, squeezing it lightly.
Unexpectedly, the wood, despite appearing sturdy crumbled instantly in his hand.
Silas grimaced.
What was this, shoddy construction in the Pokémon world?
Of course, that was just a joke.
The Goldenrod Radio Tower was over 150 years old. Internal wood rot was entirely normal.
It could only be said that maintenance in the past hadn't been thorough enough.
Crack crack—
As he examined it, several more beams fell from the ceiling.
"I think, maybe we should evacuate first."
Mary spoke hesitantly.
Whitney nodded frantically beside her.
"Yes. And Mary, if you can, contact the rest of the station staff."
Silas agreed completely.
In its current state, the Goldenrod Radio Tower was deeply concerning.
"I'm contacting them now."
Mary quickly regained her composure and activated her Pokégear to speak with her colleagues.
Silas stepped toward them.
Creeeak—
The sound beneath his feet gave him a bad feeling.
"Ah!"
Whitney screamed.
The wooden floor beneath Silas suddenly shattered.
Fortunately, the unusual sound had already put him on alert.
Having experienced similar situations before, Silas immediately leapt aside.
"Crack—"
The sensation under his foot told him something else—
His luck today wasn't great.
Before Mary's and Whitney's stunned eyes, Silas dropped straight down.
As gravity seized him, he cursed inwardly and stretched out both hands with all his strength, catching the jagged edge of the broken floor.
"Blaze!"
Blaziken rushed forward to pull him up.
"Don't!"
Silas shouted immediately upon hearing movement above him.
But it was too late.
Blaziken had taken only a few steps when cracks began spreading rapidly across the floor.
Then came the chain reaction.
BOOM—
A dull, thunderous crash echoed through central Goldenrod City.
People all around looked toward the source of the massive sound in shock.
In this day and age, someone daring to cause trouble in Goldenrod City?
At the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy hurried outside to assess the situation.
Not far away, dust and debris filled the sky.
"Oh no…"
Her expression changed instantly.
Having grown up in Goldenrod City, she knew that direction—
That was the Goldenrod Radio Tower.
Something serious had happened.
"Medical Team One, maintain order at the Pokémon Center. Teams Two and Three, move out!"
She decisively issued instructions.
Meanwhile, at the Goldenrod Police Station, Officer Jenny sprinted out the front door at remarkable speed.
Many Trainers also rushed toward the scene, some simply out of curiosity.
But none of that helped the three who were now in free fall.
"Ralts!"
Silas shouted urgently.
A flash of red light.
Ralts appeared on his shoulder.