Rosa rolled up her sleeves, took out her partner's Poké Ball, and had already come up with a plan for dealing with a cute Pokémon like Meloetta.
"Mio!" (Wait for me!)
Little Riolu suddenly sprang into the battlefield.
With one hand, it grabbed Meloetta and started muttering something to her.
Seeing that, Grey's eyebrows rose on their own.
Through his aura, he could tell that Little Riolu was actually "passing on power" to Meloetta.
Of course, in this case, "passing on power" meant teaching her moves.
On Meloetta's status panel, move after move she was capable of learning started increasing at breakneck speed.
[Moves: Relic Song, Thunder, Stone Edge, Close Combat...]
One new move after another sprouted like bamboo shoots after the rain, and Meloetta could feel a constant surge of power flowing into her.
At that moment, she felt like nothing could stop her anymore.
Too bad Victini was not here. Otherwise, she absolutely would have had Victini throw a few buffs onto her too, just so the world could see that being a little songstress did not mean she knew nothing about throwing hands.
"Wow! Even though her appearance didn't change, Meloetta's whole vibe is obviously different now!"
Rosa pressed her thumb and index finger against her chin, her eyes turning starry as she stared at Meloetta in delight.
She had thought Meloetta was the sort of pretty-but-useless Pokémon.
But looking at her now, it seemed her own partner might actually get a pretty good battle out of this.
Even though Rosa was a rising young movie star, she was also genuinely working hard toward becoming Unova Champion.
Her idol was Kalos Champion Diantha.
She wanted to succeed both in Pokémon battles and in film.
"Melo." (We can start now.)
Meloetta floated up lazily and crooked a finger at Rosa.
"Little Meloetta, don't cry when you lose, okay?"
Rosa more or less caught the meaning behind Meloetta's gesture. The corners of her mouth lifted, and she threw out her Poké Ball.
"Serviine~"
A serpentine Grass-type Pokémon standing upright on two legs took the field. Its narrow head and eyes, along with that faintly taunting smirk, gave off an unmistakable air of pride.
[Pokémon: Servine]
[Type: Grass]
[Level: 31]
[Ability: Overgrow]
[Moves: Omitted]
A Servine with Overgrow.
In Unova, that was basically a hell-difficulty start.
It was quite different from Kanto. Based on Rosa's hometown of Aspertia City, even if she only challenged the region's eight Gyms, the difficulty was still pretty high.
Virbank City and Castelia City specialized in Poison- and Bug-types respectively, both of which were rough matchups for a Grass-type like Servine.
The fact that Rosa had come this far already showed she really did have talent.
"Servine, today's opponent is little Meloetta, so do your best!"
Rosa cheered on her partner.
"Serviine~" (Cute face. She'd look good standing behind me as a featured performer~)
From the yellow leaf-like collar around her neck, Servine extended two vines. One rested under her chin, partially hiding her amused smile.
The other stretched toward Meloetta, as though offering some kind of invitation.
Clearly, Servine played the role of big sister in Rosa's team.
"Melo!" (What's with that? You're being way too disrespectful!)
Meloetta's temper flared instantly. She glared at Servine, ready to make her pay.
"Let's make this a one-on-one battle. I don't have any other Pokémon with me anyway."
Grey quickly laid out the rules, then very gentlemanly gave Rosa the first move.
"Servine, don't disappoint Grey and little Meloetta! Use Magical Leaf!"
Once Rosa entered battle mode, she chose to probe Meloetta first. It was better to get a sense of what kind of Pokémon she was facing before committing fully.
"Serviiine~"
Servine lifted her proud head high. From the yellow leaves at her sides, multicolored light began to shine.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
After a few shivers of motion, several brilliant, razor-sharp leaves sliced through the air like high-speed LED lights and shot forward.
Meloetta moved nimbly in the air, but Magical Leaf stuck to her like a shadow, locked onto her, and left her no room to evade.
"Meloetta, use Relic Song."
"Melo?" (You know that move?)
At Grey's command, Meloetta's eyes widened in disbelief.
She never would have imagined that this Trainer, who had crossed the sea from Kanto with Little Riolu, would know she had a move like that.
But it suited her perfectly.
"Melo melo~"
An ancient, beautiful melody flowed from Meloetta's throat. Her pale green sheet-music-like hair began to glow, and note-like lights bloomed across it in layered waves.
Magical Leaf froze in midair.
And after hearing the melody, Servine clutched at her chest with her vines, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
"Servine! Get up, don't fall asleep!"
Rosa had not expected Meloetta's song to deal damage and also put Servine to sleep at the same time.
Was it a move?
Or was it an Ability?
Rosa's knowledge of Meloetta barely went beyond her appearance.
As for how strong she really was or what sort of tactics she excelled at, Rosa truly had no idea.
She was completely in the dark and could only feel her way through the battle.
"Serviiine!"
Servine abruptly slapped herself hard across the face with a vine.
The brutal self-inflicted hit made viewers everywhere suck in a breath.
[An absolutely ruthless snake. Smacking herself awake just to break sleep status. I respect it.]
[I'm a local Unova Trainer, and yeah, Servine really are proud Pokémon like that. They're just kind of awful to their Trainers.]
[? Your Servine actually listens to you? My shiny Servine keeps doing the exact opposite of what I tell her. It's driving me insane.]
[Bro, stop humblebragging. That's the Contrary Ability!]
"Servine!"
After smacking herself awake, Servine forced her drooping eyelids open again and glared furiously at Meloetta.
And at that same moment, Meloetta underwent a dramatic transformation.
Her elegant long hair shifted into a more coiled, streamlined style. Her hair color, eye color, and even the gem on her forehead all changed to amber.
At the same time, her long gown transformed into a ballet-like outfit that clearly belonged to a battle form.
Meloetta—Pirouette Forme.
The psychic aura vanished in an instant, replaced by a sharp Fighting-type presence.
Servine took a small step back, but the battle fire in her eyes only grew stronger.
"Fire Punch!"
"Vine Whip!"
Grey and Rosa shouted their orders at the same time.
Meloetta moved at blazing speed, her music-note-shaped fists bursting into flame and carving bright red arcs through the air.
Heat rolled outward in waves, and the burning pressure rushed straight at Servine.
Servine had no choice but to rely on Vine Whip to move quickly. After dodging the scattered shockwaves one after another, she suddenly snapped her head forward.
Crack! Crack!
The vines ripped through the air, curving along with the motion of her head. They struck Meloetta multiple times in rapid succession, then instantly snapped back into the leaf collar at her neck.
Fast.
Incredibly fast.
Anyone using Snivy's line as their starter in Unova had to have at least some real skill.
"Meloetta, don't rush. Take it slow."
Grey's timely reminder was enough to bring Meloetta back from the brink of going feral.
Unlike her Aria Forme, Meloetta in Pirouette Forme had a bit of a battle-maniac streak to her.
Clean. Efficient. Aggressive.
"Melo~"
Meloetta began to dance, her ballet steps flowing gracefully as she worked Fire Punch into the rhythm of her movements. In her own unique style, she steadily closed in on Servine.
"Servine, use Vine Whip again!"
After scoring once with it, Rosa wanted to recreate the same unexpected effect.
Unfortunately, Meloetta was not stupid.
That curving Vine Whip trick was no longer new, and this dance was precisely the method she had prepared to deal with it.
Crack! Crack!
Vine Whip lashed through the air again, but this time Meloetta dodged it easily.
The distance between them shrank fast.
Then—
"Melo~"
Meloetta threw a series of punches through empty air, blazing fire wrapped around each fist-shadow as she drove a heavy punch forward.
Boom!
Servine was hit hard on the spot. Combined with the damage she had already taken from Relic Song, her stamina was no longer in good shape.
[Meloetta can change forms too?]
[One form is good at physical attacks, one form is good at special attacks. How is that not just being completely busted?]
[I'm jealous. I want to command Meloetta in battle too. By the way, where is Gym Leader Grey right now? I know he's in Unova, but this little room is so enclosed I can't tell where he is at all.]
[Is the streamer trying not to get tracked down offline?]
The chat flew by one line after another, and gifts poured in like a flood.
Everyone wanted to know exactly where Grey was.
Unova was huge, though. Actually managing to "catch" Grey in person was still pretty difficult.
"Servine! Are you okay?"
Rosa asked anxiously. Seeing Servine propping herself up with her vines, Rosa almost wanted to pull out her Poké Ball and recall her on the spot.
"Serviine." (I'm fine. I didn't expect the little performer's hand-to-hand game to be this good. I got careless and underestimated her...)
"As long as you're okay."
Rosa patted her chest in relief, prompting a wave of delighted howls from the thirsty crowd in the stream.
Then she slashed her arm forward and shouted, "Servine, use Leaf Tornado!"
"Serviiine~"
Servine whipped her tail wildly, summoning a fierce gust out of nowhere. Countless sharp leaves spun up into it under the force of the wind.
The gale roared. Servine aimed her tail at Meloetta and then launched Leaf Tornado in one violent burst.
Whoooooosh—
The wind shrieked.
Even before Leaf Tornado reached Meloetta, its power was already obvious.
"In that case, we'll use Acrobatics."
Grey answered the move directly, deciding to use Leaf Tornado itself as a springboard for Meloetta.
Meloetta turned the wind into forward momentum. A pale white light covered her body, while a sky-blue wave of energy rippled over her like a thin membrane.
Whoosh!
Meloetta shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. With a single step she crossed several yards and closed in on Servine just after she finished launching her move.
Then she drove out a kick that smashed Servine into the wall before she crashed heavily to the ground.
Three moves.
That was all it took to knock Servine out.
"Servine!"
Rosa hurried over to check on her partner.
Fortunately, it was mostly superficial damage. A trip to the Pokémon Center would take care of it.
"Serviiine..." (I lost...)
Servine struggled to her feet and looked at Meloetta, who had already reverted to normal. A wave of dejection washed over her.
This was the first time she had ever lost so badly.
She had landed a few hits, sure, but then got completely run over in three moves.
"That was a pretty good battle, especially that curving Vine Whip. There's definitely something there."
Grey walked over, clapping. As far as Rosa's command went, he would honestly give it about a seventy.
That was already above the passing line. Winning one Badge was no issue.
"This is the Fighting Dojo's Badge. Meloetta isn't actually my Pokémon, but she's still very strong. Under those conditions, the fact that you still made me feel even a trace of pressure was already impressive."
Grey took out a Badge shaped like a gold barbell, set it in his palm, and held it out to Rosa.
"Th-this is really something I can have?"
Rosa was stunned.
From what she had heard online, Fighting Dojo Badges were extremely hard to get. Fewer than three had even been handed out so far.
And yet Grey was actually willing to give her one.
As a collectible alone, this was incredible.
"In that case, I'll gladly take it!"
Rosa accepted the Badge from Grey. After recalling Servine, she took out her phone, snapped a picture, and shared the news on X and other social platforms.
In an instant, every platform exploded.
The news that Unova's rising young film star had obtained a Fighting Dojo Badge was shared everywhere, kicking off discussion from all sides.
Of course, haters from both camps helped fan the flames too...
Still, most people felt Rosa had earned the Badge fair and square.
It was just that Servine's raw "hardware" was a bit behind, so losing to Meloetta was nothing strange.
"Grey, I'm taking Servine to get treated now~ See you tomorrow~"
Rosa came over, exchanged contact information with Grey, and then left Café Sonata.
Only four people remained inside.
Seeing that, the man at the counter headed back to the front and left the space to Grey and the others.
As for Grey, he started chatting with the stream again.
"Any locals from Unova who know what the deal is with Liberty Garden?"
Grey glanced at the viewer count. Compared to normal, it had increased by dozens of times over.
If he usually had a thousand viewers, today he was sitting at tens of thousands.
Most of them were from Unova.
So asking the locals made perfect sense.
[Liberty Garden? I remember there's a ship docked at the harbor in Castelia City, but halfway through the route you have to make your own way from there. And if you want to reach Liberty Garden, you need a Liberty Pass too.]
That eye-catching comment came from a Unova-based viewer whose username was "Fallen Aristocrat."
What the comment said matched what Burgh had told him before.
Same deal: the ship only took you part of the way, and after that you were on your own.
"I've got one, yeah. A friend gave me a Liberty Pass. I just don't know the local situation, so I wanted to ask for the details."
Embarrassing as it was, Grey could cross the sea, and he had the ticket in hand.
But there was still one stupid problem sitting right in front of him.
He did not know the way.
Signal out at sea was weak, and there was no compass around here.
If he went the wrong direction and ended up somehow circling back to Castelia City, that would be hilariously embarrassing.
[Hmm~ Then I'm afraid I can't help much more than that~]
[Don't feel bad, Grimsley-baby. Why not ask the Gym Leader of Humilau City? He's one of the best Water-type Trainers in Unova. If even he doesn't know, then probably nobody does.]
That was right. "Fallen Aristocrat" was none other than Unova Elite Four member Grimsley.
He specialized in Dark-types, though he also had a Sharpedo on his team.
His family used to be wealthy, but fell into ruin. These days he made a living by running a casino.
Thankfully, it paid decently enough to keep food on the table.
He still had hope of restoring his family's glory.
That said, as a member of the Elite Four, there was no way life could really be too hard for him no matter how far his family had fallen.
[Shizui might not know either, but forget it, I'll ask for Gym Leader Grey myself. A guest is a guest. Wait for my private message later, Grey. I'll DM you tonight. (Sent 6 Great Balls.)]
"Thanks to boss 'Fallen Aristocrat' for the six Great Balls. Elite Four Grimsley, you really don't have to go that far. I was just asking casually."
Seeing that Grimsley was actually willing to ask around for him, Grey hurriedly waved and tried to refuse.
[It's nothing. It was only a casual question to begin with.]
Grimsley clearly did not take it too seriously.
Just moving his fingers a little.
Besides, Marlon did not get that many challengers anyway, so asking him while he was free would not take long.
"In that case, then thank you."
Grey patted his chest and sincerely thanked Grimsley for helping him out.
But Grimsley had already left the stream by then and could no longer send more messages.
Grey continued bantering with the viewers for a while.
During that time, bits and pieces of information kept popping up in chat.
One comment in particular caught his eye.
[Recently there's been a Hydreigon delivering invitations to Trainers for some kind of private strongest-Trainer competition. I think the location is Liberty Garden. Gym Leader Grey, you might want to keep an eye on that. If you build enough fame, maybe you'll get invited too!]
"There's something like that?"
Grey raised an eyebrow. For some reason, the moment he read that a Hydreigon was delivering invitations, Mewtwo popped into his head...
It just felt too fitting.
Other than Mewtwo, Grey honestly could not think of anyone else who would be bored enough to invite Trainers all over the place to some "strongest Trainer" tournament.
With too much information flying around, Grey said goodbye to the viewers and ended the stream with dignity.
"Looks like Liberty Garden is somewhere I have to visit after all."
Grey stretched his arms and had just begun to yawn when his whole body suddenly jerked.
"What's wrong?"
Caitlin and Sabrina each grabbed onto him, nearly frightened out of their wits by that sudden reaction.
"Nothing."
Grey rubbed his brow, his expression deeply strange.
A voice from an unknown Pokémon had just appeared in his mind.
And it was asking him...
"What is your truth?"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.