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"Hmm? Liam, what are you looking at?"
Delia glanced at Liam, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion on her face.
"Shh. Look over there."
Liam raised a finger and gently shushed her, then pointed toward the large screen on the wall. Following his gesture, Delia turned her head, curiosity written all over her face.
…
"As you can all see! The Pokémon transfer system developed by Silph Co. has completed all necessary testing and is now fully operational! The League has officially issued instructions to install these transfer units in Pokémon Centers across all regions in the shortest time possible! Once that happens, even if you're far from home, you'll be able to transfer your Pokémon with ease at your nearest center! This is truly a revolutionary piece of technology!"
…
Listening to the news on the screen, Liam lowered his head slightly and rubbed his chin, muttering to himself.
"So it's finally complete? Looks like Bill's been working hard. To refine the entire system in such a short time... guess that's what being a genius is all about..."
"Hmm? Liam, what are you mumbling about? Something going on? Are you hiding something from me?"
Delia, unable to fully grasp the importance of the news broadcast, glanced back to find Liam mumbling with his head down. She immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion and poked his waist with a finger.
"Ah? No way! Hahaha~ Come on, let's get our Pokémon to Nurse Joy so they can recover. We've been at it all day—let's rest early tonight so we'll be fresh for the Violet Gym challenge tomorrow."
Caught off guard by Delia's question, Liam laughed nervously. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind and gently nudged her toward Nurse Joy. Then he handed over his two battle-worn Pokémon, Larvitar and Squirtle.
Delia gave Liam a meaningful look and snorted lightly, saying nothing more. She took out four PokeBalls and handed them over to Nurse Joy as well.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
Delia was exceptionally polite.
"Of course. Please rest easy. Your Pokémon are in good hands."
Nurse Joy accepted the PokeBalls with a cheerful smile.
…
The next morning, Delia dragged Liam out of bed bright and early. After a hearty breakfast and retrieving their fully healed Pokémon, she grabbed his hand and practically bounced toward the Violet Gym.
"Hello! Is anyone there? We're here for a Gym challenge!"
Beneath a tall, circular building, Delia pressed the intercom button beside the door and called out loudly.
Beep...
"Oh? Challengers? Please wait just a moment! I'll open the door for you now!"
A sweet female voice rang out from the speaker. A moment later, the building's main doors slid open, revealing an elevator.
"Please step inside the elevator and press the top floor."
The same voice came through again.
Liam and Delia exchanged a glance and stepped into the elevator. Delia pressed the button for the top floor. After a small jolt, the elevator began to ascend rapidly.
Ding~
With a crisp chime, the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. A round of applause greeted them as they stepped out.
"Welcome, welcome~ Welcome to Violet Gym~"
Only then did Liam notice that quite a few people had gathered to welcome them. All were dressed in matching uniforms and appeared to be students of the Gym, judging by their young age.
As they stepped out of the elevator, a beautiful long-haired girl in a bright sailor outfit walked over to them with a radiant smile.
"Welcome to Violet Gym! I'm the Gym Leader here. My name is Kim. Are you both here to challenge the Gym, or just one of you?"
As soon as she spoke, Liam realized she was the one who had answered the intercom. Her voice matched her appearance—sweet and charming... though her name made him want to chuckle for some reason.
"Me, me, me! I'm the only one here for the Gym challenge! This is my fiancé. He's just here to cheer me on!"
Delia excitedly raised her hand in response, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Kim.
"A fiancé?! Oh my, how enviable! You're so lucky to have such a supportive partner. Compared to him, that blockhead of mine is completely hopeless—no sense of romance at all~"
Kim's gaze fell to the engagement ring on Delia's finger, and she gave a dramatic sigh while cupping her cheek in mock sorrow.
"Hehe~ Liam's not that great either~"
Delia scratched her head bashfully, clearly embarrassed by the praise.
"What a kind and honest girl. Judging by your attitude, you're a beginner Trainer, right? How many badges have you earned so far?"
Kim gave a soft laugh and asked gently.
"Uh... I haven't earned any badges yet. This is actually my first Gym challenge. Is that… a problem?"
Delia sounded slightly nervous, afraid her lack of experience might get her rejected.
"Thought so. Well, since this Gym is the closest one to New Bark Town, it's not uncommon. No problem—we'll proceed as usual. The battlefield is ready. Are you ready to begin, young lady?"
Kim shook her head with a smile and gestured toward the battle area beside her.
"Mm!! I'm totally ready!!"
Delia looked at the freshly marked battlefield with excitement and gave a firm nod.
…
Violet Gym's arena was a Skytop battlefield—located right on the rooftop of the tall building. A fence of metal mesh enclosed the area, but otherwise it was fully open to the sky.
"Alright, the match is about to begin. Let me explain the Violet Gym battle rules! Each side may use three Pokémon! The Gym Leader cannot switch Pokémon during the battle, but the challenger may swap freely. The match continues until all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle or a surrender is declared. And remember—since this is the Skytop Gym, the entire sky is part of the battlefield. There are no out-of-bounds! Got it?"
Standing on her side of the field, Kim quickly and clearly explained the rules to Delia.
"Yes! Got it loud and clear!"
On the opposite side, Delia handed her satchel, Pokémon Egg, and sunhat to Liam, who was sitting in the spectator section. Then she took out a PokeBall and stepped up to the challenger's platform, her face serious.
"Great! Then let's begin! I'll send out my first Pokémon—go, Hoothoot!!"
With a smooth throw, Kim released a PokeBall. A brown Hoothoot landed on one leg in the center of the field, staring blankly at Delia with wide, unblinking eyes.
That unsettling gaze made Delia shiver. She quickly threw her own PokeBall.
"Go, Squirtle! You're up for the first match!"
"Squirtle, Squirtle!!"
As the PokeBall opened, Squirtle's energetic figure burst onto the battlefield, ready to go.