The next day.
The morning sunlight fell over Artazon, and the moment Grey woke up early, he saw Brassius, who had not slept all night and now had dark circles under his eyes.
"Gym Leader Brassius... what happened to you?"
Grey could not help taking half a step back.
Brassius already had a face that looked drained. Now that two dark circles had been added under his eyes, no matter how one looked at him, he looked like he had been "overindulging" way too much...
Grey's gaze landed on the sketches scattered all over the floor.
They were all drawings of Metagross.
Just how many drawings had Brassius made in a single night?
Grey felt his scalp tingle just from looking.
Artists were truly terrifying.
"It's... it's nothing. I only stayed up for two days."
Brassius did not care much.
It was not as if he had only stayed up for one day.
He had also pulled an all-nighter yesterday, meaning he had merely gone forty-eight hours without sleep.
Grey was speechless.
"Gym Leader Brassius, you should still take care of your health..."
Grey gave him a word of advice, then prepared to take Nemona and Arven to Levincia.
"Levincia, huh? That's Iono's territory."
When Brassius heard that Grey was going to the city of his colleague Iono, he looked Grey up and down, then reminded him, "Looking at you, once you get there, she'll probably drag you into a livestream. If you don't want to stream, just tell her in advance. Otherwise, I'm afraid she might discuss some kind of bit with you."
"A... bit?"
Grey's expression changed.
Why was she even setting up bits?
"Ahem. It's just for livestream content, nothing more."
Brassius coughed lightly, and only then did Grey let out a breath of relief.
He had thought it was something serious.
So that was all?
"Still, I'm guessing Iono will also pull you into filming a few videos. Anyway, just prepare yourself mentally."
Brassius patted Grey on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. "Good luck."
"Okay. Thanks for the warning. We'll head out first, then. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Grey cupped his fist in farewell, then pulled Nemona and Arven away.
The journey was calm and uneventful.
The only issue was that when they passed through East Province Area One, they saw that the place had been fenced off.
"Hiss... Your Paldea region really is an open world..."
Looking at the only road to Levincia being blocked by fences, Grey could not help sighing inwardly at just how much freedom Paldea gave its students.
If Kanto did something like this, the place would have probably been forcibly demolished ages ago for "illegal construction."
"Haha... Looks like this is Team Star's territory."
Nemona laughed awkwardly and casually pointed toward a nearby side path. "Mr. Grey, if you don't want to get into a conflict with Team Star, there's actually another route we can take over there."
Grey looked over.
There was a small river on that path.
As long as they could cross it, they could get to Levincia.
The only issue was that ordinary people could not jump over it.
They would have to rely on a Pokémon's strength to get across.
"Tch. Doesn't that mean ordinary people can't pass through here?"
"Not really. Although we Team Star use this place as a secret base, if there are pedestrians who need to pass, we'll open a path for them."
At that moment, a girl with some freckles on her face and medium-short fiery red hair walked to the entrance and gave Grey a slight nod. "Hello. I'm Mela, boss of Team Star's Schedar Squad."
"Uh... hello."
Although Grey did not know why Mela was being so respectful toward him, he could tell she had no intention of battling.
One did not hit a smiling person. After Grey briefly shook hands with Mela, he asked, "May I ask if there was something you wanted to tell me?"
"No. I just thought you looked unfamiliar and didn't seem like a local, so I came out to check the situation and avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
Mela shook her head and took the initiative to open the gate. "If you are in a hurry, you can ride one of Team Star's Revavroom. They're crazy fast."
"Would... that be convenient?"
Grey scratched the back of his head. Mela's enthusiasm seemed a little off.
Also...
Team Star's Revavroom were basically illegally modified Pokémon, right?
If he openly rode Team Star's Revavroom to Levincia, would he really not get arrested for riding an illegal Pokémon?
Of course, whether it was illegal or not did not matter much to Grey.
He was doing work for Geeta, so this counted as a special situation.
He probably would not get arrested.
Even if he did get arrested, Geeta would bail him out once she saw him.
It was just that it would easily cause unnecessary trouble.
"It's fine. Just opening the path is enough."
Grey politely declined Mela's offer.
But after thinking about it, he added, "You'd better dismantle this base, though. It doesn't give a very good impression."
"We can't go back anymore."
Mela shrugged. She had heard those words so many times that her ears had practically grown calluses.
Team Star had originally been an anti-bullying organization.
But their methods had also been fighting violence with violence.
Under those circumstances, Mela did not think they could simply go back and attend classes peacefully.
Besides, these days were pretty good, weren't they?
Grey pondered for a moment, then reached out and patted Mela on the shoulder before speaking earnestly. "The people's eyes are clear. I don't know what happened to all of you, but if you truly explain everything clearly, I believe the school will also show leniency and return justice to broad daylight."
"This..."
Mela was completely thrown off by Grey's words.
He only looked a few years older than her, so how could he say something this mature?
Mela had only come out this time on a whim.
But after being reminded by Grey...
It seemed...
There might actually be something to that?
Forget it. She should ask the others what they thought first.
Not far away.
Director Clavell, who had disguised himself as a student, watched this scene and could not help exclaiming in admiration. "I never expected Mr. Grey to possess such character... Chairwoman Geeta truly has a sharp eye."
At least when it came to judging people, Clavell felt Geeta's vision was truly ruthless.
Whether it was Larry or Grey, they were both excellent Trainers.
Grey glanced behind him. He could also sense a familiar aura.
Other than Clavell, who else could it be?
He smiled inwardly, then left from Mela's side and headed for Levincia.
By the time they arrived in Levincia, it was already close to afternoon.
Grey entered this large coastal city with both hands in his pockets.
Honestly, when he had first entered Levincia, he had felt as if he had stepped into some international metropolis from his previous life.
Neon lights, the coast.
Hmm...
Forget it. No point thinking about that.
"Nemona, Arven, I'm going to Levincia Gym. You two find somewhere to sit for a while. I'll be right back."
Grey did not reject livestreaming.
This time, if Levincia's Gym Leader Iono wanted to livestream, then he would not need Nemona's help recording a video.
When the time came, he could directly take a section from the stream recording and submit it as his material.
When he arrived at Levincia Gym, the Gym Leader Iono was already standing at the entrance, looking forward to his arrival.
Seeing Grey arrive, Iono directly greeted him. "Over here, over here! You must be Inspector Grey, right? Come on in and sit down!"
Seeing this, Grey did not refuse and directly entered Levincia Gym.
"Come, come, come! Inspector sir, follow me. Sit on the sofa first, and we'll chat slowly!"
Iono pulled Grey over to the sofa and sat across from him.
"Hehe. Inspector sir, I'm Levincia Gym Leader Iono. Nice to meet you!"
Iono had long hair split between pink and blue, with Magnemite hair accessories hanging on both sides.
She wore a large robe over a gray mesh bodysuit.
"Hello, hello. Gym Leader Iono, you already knew I was coming?"
Grey was a little surprised.
He had not expected Iono to receive the news this quickly.
"Yep! Gym Leader Brassius told me. Inspector sir, why don't you rest first and inspect me after I finish handling some things?"
Iono blinked. "Don't worry, I won't treat you badly! It'll be quick. Just give me half an hour! I mainly need to adjust the livestream equipment and post a stream announcement and stuff like that. Is that okay?"
"No problem. But I also wanted to ask Gym Leader Iono for a favor, if that's okay."
As it happened, Grey had something he wanted Iono to help with.
If Iono was willing to help, then holding back a little later was not out of the question.
After all, Pokémon was not just about fighting and killing. It was about favors and social tact.
You help me with a small favor, and I help you pass the Gym inspection.
Completely reasonable.
"Sir, just say it! As long as I, Iono, can do it, I'll brave boiling water and raging flames for you!"
"It's not that serious."
Grey laughed sheepishly. "During the livestream later, could you help me ask the viewers whether they know any information related to Palkia, Dialga, or Hoopa?"
"Eh? Sir, you want to ask about the habitats of Legendary Pokémon and Mythical Pokémon? That's no problem, but I feel like the viewers in my stream probably won't know that much!"
Iono had not expected Grey's request to be so easy.
It was only something she needed to casually mention.
She had thought he wanted to go on a date with her...
After all, she was a big streamer with millions of followers.
Back when she had not become popular yet, she had even learned from other female influencers.
She had set up benefits for Captain memberships, Admiral memberships, and Governor-tier memberships.
Among those, the Governor-tier membership benefit had been treating the Governor-tier sponsor to a meal offline.
Of course, now that she had slowly built herself up, the benefit of treating Governor-tier sponsors to a meal had naturally been crossed off.
She had thought the inspector in front of her was one of her fans.
In the end, it turned out he only wanted to ask about that?
Iono did not mind much. After confirming the details with Grey, she went to adjust her livestream equipment.
Please, this was a great opportunity to pad her stream time!
Of course she had to start a stream and rake in a wave of cash!
Thinking of this, Iono was in a great mood.
Recently, her viewers had all been saying she had run out of content, and she had been trying to think of something new to do.
Now she could use a battle to transition.
Grey's arrival was truly a timely rain!
Just like that, half an hour passed.
At Levincia's central plaza.
Grey and Iono stood facing each other.
"Your eyeballs are MINE, caught in my Electroweb! Who's-a Iono? I'm Iono!"
"Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and hello!"
"Hello, friends from all over the world! Mwah! I'm your old friend, Iono!"
"Today, Iono is going to have a thrilling and exciting battle with Inspector Grey! If my performance isn't good enough... Iono's inspection won't pass, and next year I'll have to work even harder..."
"When that happens, Iono won't have time to stream anymore... So, all my fans in front of the screen, please tap those little hearts and recharge Iono's energy!"
Iono put on a pitiful act in front of the Rotom Phone and immediately received many gifts from the viewers.
Secretly, Grey gave Iono's marketing a thumbs-up.
But speaking of which...
Why did this feel like watching Ultraman fight a monster at a mall event, only for Ultraman to lose to the monster and get pinned to the ground, at which point the staff took out a QR code and asked the children to scan it and inject Ultraman with "the energy of light"?
As expected of a big streamer. Even when raking in money, she said it so subtly.
Of course, Iono did not forget her agreement with Grey. While still in the "ad segment," she added,
"Recently, Iono has gotten super interested in Sinnoh's Legendary Pokémon, Palkia and Dialga! If I could meet them, maybe Iono would have even more time to stream for everyone!"
"Not only that, I heard Kalos's Mythical Pokémon Hoopa also has the power to grant people's wishes! If Iono could become good friends with Hoopa, I'd definitely think of every possible way to make all my precious fans' wishes come true!"
"If any of you precious fans have information about them, you can send Iono a private message as a submission!"
After this whole routine, netizens from all over put their heads together and bombarded Iono's private messages.
There was no telling how many of those messages would actually be useful.
Later, Iono would need to slowly sort through them and gather the useful information together.
"All right! Inspector sir can't wait anymore either, right? Then today's battle officially begins!"
Grey still took out a Premier Ball.
"Meta!"
A shiny Metagross entered the field, drawing a cry of praise from Iono. "Wowzers! I didn't expect Inspector sir's Metagross to be shiny! Your luck is really, really good. I'm so jealous!"
"But Iono definitely won't lose! Mismagius, go!"
The match rules were one-on-one, and Iono sent out her ace Pokémon, Mismagius!
Pokémon: Mismagius
Type: Ghost
Level: 64
Ability: Levitate
Moves: omitted.
"Come forth! My bright idea of a little light bulb! Let me show you Iono's potential!"
Iono took out her Tera Orb, and as the corners of her mouth lifted, she revealed her signature shark-like teeth.
[Terastallization right at the start? Looks like she wants to settle this quickly!]
[Good luck, Miss Iono!]
[Does anyone have information about those Pokémon? I really want to chat with Miss Iono and contribute my own strength to her!]
[Nope, buddy, nope. If I had that kind of info, would I still be here watching a stream?]
[Someone wants to find Hoopa? Hehe... I didn't expect Hoopa to be this famous!]
[Is the person above roleplaying? They really think they're Hoopa now? Sweat.]
The comments surged, but unfortunately, both sides were fully focused on the battlefield and did not notice what everyone in the stream chat was saying.
Otherwise, Grey really could have taken this chance to see whether the person claiming to be Hoopa was actually Hoopa.
But right now, he was in a battle.
Grey could only keep his eyes on the scene before him.
Iono threw the Tera Orb, tossing it directly above Mismagius's head.
Crack!
Golden crystal chunks appeared, and Terastal energy burst out.
Mismagius's entire body was covered in a thin layer of crystal, and a huge light bulb-shaped crystal appeared above its head.
Electric Tera Type, Levitate Ability.
No weaknesses!
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