Violet and Evan flew across the Paldea Region once again. It was times like this that Violet was extremely thankful for the Flying Taxi Service being provided to everyone in Paldea.

The sun had dipped below the horizon at this point, and Violet could hardly believe how much she had done in a day. Her journey was only around a week and a half in, but the girl knew that her pace could still be halted at any point.

There were two gyms remaining, but Grusha's Gym was incredibly difficult to schedule a battle at. The Gym Leader was rather apathetic to the ticking clock that challenges were under, and would often vanish for long periods. A loss to him could end her run immediately, and he was the most difficult Gym Leader by far.

That was assuming Violet could beat Tulip. She desperately hoped that her training with Evan tomorrow would get her Pokémon into shape. Another rule added now that Violet was this far along, was that she would only get one rematch against the remaining Gym Leaders if she were to lose.

This was the breaking point, though Violet could hardly afford to lose at all. The girl gripped her knees in her hands and decided to take her mind off of the situation by staring out at the region below her.

They were flying close to the southern mountains, and Violet could see the waterfall getting closer as the taxi flew through the air. Evan had passed out while in the car, so Violet wasn't able to distract herself by chatting with him.

Eventually, they arrived at Alfornada. It was dark, and Violet wasn't particularly interested in looking around the city. She awoke her friend and slid out of the taxi. They roamed over to the nearest hotel and Violet went inside, she said goodnight to Evan as the two quickly got their rooms and then stumbled over to the doors.

Violet barely managed to drop her bag before staggering onto the bed and falling asleep.

The next day rolled around and Violet awoke to find she had slept in later than she usually did. The girl felt a bit groggy, but also incredibly well-rested after such a stressful day. "I'm never doing that much in one day again," The girl promised herself.

Violet checked her phone to see messages from her parents. The messages were full of anger and insisting that she come back home immediately and tell them what had happened.

The girl also had been receiving even more attention online, with her fanbase having grown and become even more dedicated after her battle against Ryme. Some of them were speculating about Violet's chances in the Pokémon League.

The girl clicked on one post about her and saw that it mentioned Aya. People were discussing whether or not Violet and Aya knew each other, and speculating on whether or not the trainers would battle. On top of that, a few comments were even saying that Violet and Aya would make a good couple.

The girl felt a bit disgusted and closed her phone. She wanted to say something, but what if it got back to Aya? Violet's feelings for the girl were incredibly complicated after what had happened. It was as if all her worst suspicions about Aya had been confirmed. The girl had even used one of her strongest Pokémon from last year's Treasure Hunt to beat Violet.

Then, after winning, she relished in her victory.  The girl insulted Violet and gloated about how much stronger she was. At the same time, Violet didn't want to believe that she had witnessed Aya's true nature.

It felt as though the time she had spent with Aya in between her fourth and fifth badges was the authentic girl that Violet had fallen for.

Violet's heart felt heavy thinking about it. There was so much that had happened yesterday, but the girl needed to prepare to continue her journey. Violet got herself ready and texted Evan to meet her outside, and the girl left her room.

Violet joined up with Evan and stepped outside. It was beautiful out, with a gentle breeze blowing through the warmer city. Violet had put on a purple skirt with white star patterns on it and her favorite jean jacket.

Evan had put on an outfit that made him look like he was ready to go swimming. He was dressed in colorful shorts and a tee shirt, with a white bucket hat on his head that had the Alola region patterned onto it.

"Nice outfit," Violet snickered. "I didn't realize we were going to the beach."

Evan raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely going to swim in the lake. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The two trainers started walking through the city, moving past the large brick observatory where Gym Battles took place. The Gym Building was right next door, and otherwise, the small settlement was mostly made up of brick houses and a sandwich shop. They walked onto the dirt path leading up to a hill, and Violet glanced out at the fields to the sides.

They were on top of a mountain, and there was a decent amount of space in the area for Pokémon to roam around. Violet noticed a few trainers in lab coats in the field and gasped as she realized it was the Twilight Research Facility.

"Damn, they're still doing experiments," Evan mumbled.

Violet pulled out her phone and started recording. The researchers weren't doing much, seemingly just scanning the area and looking at some of the Tera Crystals scattered on the ground. "We can't do anything to them, but at least it looks like they aren't hurting any Pokémon." The two trainers begrudgingly continued.

They trudged up the hill, and then into a small cavern in the mountain. They followed the path to the other side, and when they emerged, they heard the rush of a waterfall. Violet looked out to see they were far above the ground, and down below was a marsh and several mountains. Even farther away was Los Platos.

There was a bit of nostalgia seeing her home from one of the highest points in the region. The girl turned to the pool where the waterfall was and saw water racing from the mouth of the mountain and down the cliff. There was, unfortunately, no cave at the mouth of the waterfall.

Violet approached the body of water and knelt, placing her hand in the rushing water. It was pretty cold, which made sense. Violet stood up while Evan hurried down to the waterside. "You're missing out, Violet!" The boy got ready to jump into the water.

Violet sighed. "Evan, I can't let you jump in there. That water is freezing cold!"

The boy immediately stopped himself and cautiously dipped a foot into the water. Evan immediately shuddered and took multiple steps back. "Is that what the water in this region is like?"

Violet laughed. "When it's coming out of a mountain? Yes!"

The two trainers sat down by the water and went over which of Violet's Pokémon needed the most amount of training. Once their plan was made, Violet sent out Palafin. The eager Pokémon landed in the water, before immediately jumping out due to the cold.

"Palafin will have a perfect opponent in Toxapex," Evan explained, sending out his own Water-Type Pokémon. "Toxapex, be ready to block anything Palafin throws at you!"

Violet looked down at Palafin. "Palafin, transform into your Hero Form!" The Pokémon shook his head, and Violet furrowed her brow. "Why not? I understand you don't want to listen to me, but can you at least do this so we can practice before our battle tomorrow?"

Palafin wasn't budging, so Violet decided to return the Pokémon. "Maybe later then." Violet was about to put Palafin's Poké Ball away when it burst open and Palafin emerged in his Hero Form. "Wait so... you can only transform if I return you?"

Palafin nodded and flexed his muscles. "Alright, I can work with that! Use Jet Punch!" Palafin exploded outward in a rush of water, slamming his fist into Toxapex's outer wall.

Evan grinned. "Use Baneful Bunker!" Purple energy exploded around Toxapex and spikes shot from its body. Palafin eagerly slammed his fist into it, recoiling as poisonous energy sunk into him.

Violet sighed. "Palafin, come on. You can't just go attacking however you'd like, especially against defensive Pokémon like Toxapex."

"Palafin, why do you feel the need to make these moves?" Evan asked. "I mean, they're clearly the wrong moves to make. You have to know that. Is it just because Violet is saying the correct moves?"

Palafin looked off to the side, and Violet nodded understandingly. "If that is the case, then you probably have ideas for the correct moves most of the time. Maybe even before I say them. How about this? I'll focus on coming up with specific strategies, while you can handle the general battling?"

Violet's Pokémon looked back at her, a bit surprised. Then, he raised his fist and nodded. The Pokémon charged at Toxapex once again, striking with a frozen fist.

"Toxapex, use Venoshock!" The flaps protecting Toxapex's body lifted as the Pokémon fired out several tendrils of poison. The venom slammed into Palafin and blew him back. The Pokémon shot back up and began flying forward with another Jet Punch. The attack slammed into Toxapex's face.

Evan whistled. "Palafin is crazy fast. Still, this is over! Use Recover!" Palafin ran in and started to rapidly punch Toxapex's body while the Pokémon began to restore its energy. Palafin would be overwhelmed by another combination of poison and Venoshock.

Violet thought through what she knew about the Pokémon and had an idea. "Palafin, be ready to use Ice Punch!" She informed him, and the Dolphin ceased his barrage to readied one of his fists. The first froze over, and Palafin waited patiently.

"Toxapex, finish this with Venoshock!" Evan shouted, and his Pokémon's flaps lifted up once again. Palafin's eyes widened and he swung the fist into the Pokémon's face. The explosion of ice rippled across the Pokémon's body.

Toxapex was briefly frozen over and left wide open as a result. "Now, use Wave Crash and finish this!" Palafin jumped over to the pool and conjured a wave beneath him. The wave exploded out of the water and surged over to Toxapex, slamming into the opposing Pokémon and knocking it out.

"That was awesome Palafin!" Violet cheered.

Evan returned Toxapex. "He's really fast and strong, so now that you guys are in sync you should do way better." Violet sent Palafin back to his Poké Ball and called out Tinkaton.

Tinkaton landed on the ground with her massive hammer crashing down next to her. Tinkaton lifted the hammer up with ease but was clearly unsure about wielding it. Evan sent out his Klawf. "Tinkaton, this'll be just like our previous battle! I just want you to practice using your new hammer and getting used to it!"

Tinkaton clutched her weapon and nodded. The tiny Pokémon charged at the crab, and swung her hammer into his claw. "Strike with Crabhammer!" Klawf parried the strike and pushed Tinkaton back.

Tinkaton's hammer crashed into the ground behind her, and she tried to run forward. The Pokémon wasn't able to use her hammer in the same way as before, now having to hold it over her shoulder.

Violet watched Tinkaton struggle to move forward and keep hold of her hammer as she swung it around. It was clear the Pokémon was getting frustrated, though she still charged in to swing her hammer into Klawf. Each time Klawf repelled a strike, Tinkaton took far longer to get back into battle than before.

"Tinkaton!" Evan shouted. "Your hammer! Use it to move yourself around, your body weight is lower than it now!" Tinkaton heard this and swung her hammer over her head. The Pokémon went flying with her weapon, smashing into Klawf and right through his defenses.

They practiced this for a little while, allowing Tinkaton to get a better feel for moving her hammer around.

Violet grinned. "Incredible! Tinkaton, you're so strong now!" Klawf got back up and prepared to strike Tinkaton with his claws. "Use Play Rough! Catch the claw!" Tinkaton faced down her foe and grabbed hold of the giant stone claw with her hands.

Tinkaton managed to hold back against the attack and pushed the move away, jumping back to her hammer. "Now, throw your hammer!" Tinkaton began to spin around, launching the hammer directly into Klawf with a satisfying amount of force.

Klawf collapsed and Tinkaton started to celebrate. Violet approached her Pokémon and gently pat it on the head. "Amazing job Tinkaton, you're so strong now!" Violet commended the little warrior.

"You're getting a hang of this faster and faster too," Evan added. "All that training has paid off." Tinkaton seemed overjoyed by this, and she eagerly picked up her hammer and started to practice swinging it around again.

Violet and Evan decided to send out Floragato and Dartrix respectively. The two Pokémon stared at each other and took combative stances. "Dartrix, use Nasty Plot!" Dartrix started to build up power.

"Use Hone Claws! Then set up your Magical Leaves and jump inside!" Floragato sharpened his claws while Dartrix was plotting, and then sent out a wave of magic leaves and vanished into the storm.

Evan smirked. "I've got the perfect counter to this. Dartrix, use Air Slash!" Dartrix began to flap his wings, sending blasts of air into the leaves. The leaves were all blown off course, and Floragato's location was revealed. "Now use Leaf Blade!"

Dartrix lunged through the air and conjured a green blade into one of his hands. The Pokémon swung the blade into Floragato, knocking him to the ground. "Use Seed Bomb!" Floragato fired out several explosive seeds, creating an explosion that forced Dartrix back. "Now use Magical Leaf!"

Floragato thrust out his hands and slammed dozens of glowing leaves into Dartrix. "Counter it with Air Slash!" Dartrix shook off the attack and flapped his wings, shooting another blast of air into the opposing Pokémon.

Floragato got back to his feet and growled. Both of their Pokémon were incredibly determined to beat the other. "Run in and use Slash!" Floragato charged at Dartrix, his claws bursting with energy.

"Counter with Leaf Blade!" Dartrix blocked Floragato's slash with his sword. The two clashed again and again, getting closer to the riverbed as they did. Floragato jumped towards the wall and then vaulted off of it, blindsiding Dartrix. The owl was forced back but managed to lash out with his Leaf Blade immediately after.

Floragato and Dartrix stared at each other, and then both roared their names. Both Pokémon suddenly started glowing, and their bodies began to transform. Floragato grew in size and a mask began to cover his face. A small flower started to float behind him while two cape-like appendages extended from his back.

Dartrix also grew in size, with a hood of leaves covering his face and his wings growing much larger in size. Both Pokémon finished their transformation, and Decidueye now had a tan down with white spots all over.

"Y-you evolved?" Both trainers said with a bit of shock.

"This is awesome!" Violet concluded. "Meowscarada, let's show them what we've got! Use Night Slash!" Meowscarada summoned a black blade into his hand as he dashed over to Decidueye.

Evan and his Pokémon both narrowed their eyes. "Counter with Leaf Blade! Then use Air Slash!" Decidueye once again blocked Meoscarada's advances, the two blades crashed against one another again and again before Decidueye took to the skies and began flying over the pond.

Decidueye sent a blast of air out at Meowscarada. "Meowscarada, use Magical Leaf and hide within it!" Meowscarada summoned a vortex of glowing leaves and hid within before Decidueye's attack could land.

"That won't work on us! Spirit Shackle!" Decidueye landed on the ground and started firing several arrows made from his feathers by using his wing like a bow. The arrows had ghostly energy to them and slammed into the leaves repeatedly.

Violet grinned. "Flower Trick!" A small bouquet of flowers descended in front of Decidueye and exploded, blowing the Pokémon back. "Now use Night Slash!" Meowscarada leaped from the leaves and brought his blade down onto his opponent.

The strike overwhelmed Decidueye, and the opposing Pokémon fainted.

Violet ran up to Meoscarada and embraced the Pokémon. "That was amazing! I can't believe it, you're fully evolved now!"

Violet looked over at Evan, who was kneeling down by Decidueye's side and crying a bit. The archer was trying to comfort him, but the boy shook his head. "It's alright, Decidueye. I'm actually really happy." He told it.

Violet approached her friend. "Evan, what's..?"

The boy glanced up at her and he sighed. "I never thought I'd be able to get Decidueye to this point. We were going toe-to-toe with a real Pokémon Trainer, and he even fully evolved."

"What do you mean?" Violet questioned. "You took on the Island Challenge, you're just as real of a trainer as I am!"

Evan shook his head. "Violet, you can't fail the Island Challenge. I never took it on, I wasn't allowed to. Sorry for lying to you, it's hard to admit to anybody that all I did was run away from home after getting a few Pokémon." Violet began to grasp what he was saying. "My parents didn't want me to have anything to do with Pokémon Battling, even though I just wanted to be a Pokémon Strategist. Still, I could tolerate that. What I couldn't deal with, was how they treated me after I came out."

Violet knelt down by the boy's side and embraced him. Evan cried further, "S-so that's why I'm here! I n-n-needed to prove to myself we could do it! That I wasn't just crazy and making everything up!"

"You're an amazing trainer and a brilliant strategist." Violet asserted. "I wouldn't have gotten past the second Gym without your help. Much less all the battles against the Twilight Research Facility. But more than that, you're my best friend. You've had my back since the start, Evan."

The two sat in silence for a little while. "T-thank you, for everything."

Violet chuckled a bit. "Of course, Evan." They had spent the whole day training, and Tinkaton was still swinging around her hammer while Meoscarada was practicing new tricks.

Eventually, it was starting to get late. "Now, before it gets too late, we should have Iron Valiant take a dip."

The girl called out her Paradox Pokémon, and the Pokémon slowly approached the wall. They then turned and walked over to the mouth of the water, and then touched their hand to the wall. Valiant then narrowed their eyes and slammed their fist into the wall.

The rocks suddenly faded away into electric energy. Violet shot to her feet and ran over to the revealed cavern. Before she could peer in, however, a massive blue blur rocketed out of the cave. Violet turned to see a giant mechanical lizard floating in the sky.

The Pokémon had a purple body and crackled with yellow and blue lightning. Two jets suspended the Pokémon in midair. Violet gasped as she realized what was in front of her. "Miraidon, it's you."

Miraidon glared down at Violet, and then at Iron Valiant. The Pokémon was staring at Miraidon apprehensively but stepped in front of Violet protectively. "W-wait, Valiant!" Miraidon flew down at Iron Valiant, who countered it with their blades.

Valiant launched a pink ball into Miraidon's face, and the beast roared in response. Electricity began to pour from the Pokémon, powering up Valiant's Quark Drive. "Iron Valiant, stop! You're going to hurt yourself!" Violet shouted.

"We don't want to fight you, Miraidon!" Evan pleaded, trying to get its attention. Miraidon glared at Evan and roared, turning to face the boy.

Iron Valiant sped across the ground and readied their weapon to strike, jamming it into Miraidon's back. Miraidon shook his body, tossing Iron Valiant off of it. The beast roared as electricity started to surge through its system. Iron Valiant prepared for the incoming attack by kneeling down and returning the blades to their arms.

Violet pulled out her Poké Ball to return Iron Valiant, but the Pokémon resisted going back to its ball. Miraidon rushed down in an explosion of electricity, slamming directly into Iron Valiant's fists.

The clash of power was overwhelming, with Iron Valiant trying everything to not be destroyed by the Legendary Pokémon. Iron Valiant's body began to shudder and smoke, and Miraidon seemed to notice this.

Iron Valiant was still determined to keep pushing, but Miraidon stopped its attack and backed away. Iron Valiant nearly fell over as their body began to aggressively smoke and convulse. Miraidon stopped its Hardon Engine, and Violet guided Iron Valiant to the water so they could cool down.

Miraidon stared at Violet curiously, and the girl took a deep breath. "Miraidon, I'm sorry that we startled you but we don't mean you any harm! We're friends with Arven, and he's been looking for you. Iron Valiant is my friend, and their Quark Drive is broken. We were just trying to see if the springs would help."

Miraidon seemed to hear all of this and nodded its head, and then sent a blast of electricity into the cooling Iron Valiant. The Pokémon was barely conscious, but the electricity seemed to stop the smoking entirely.

Violet gasped. "Miraidon, did you just fix Iron Valiant?"

Evan ran to Valiant's side. "Maybe not completely fixed, but it seems like there's at least some heat regulation coming from inside now."

The girl looked to Miraidon, who was staring off into the distance. "Thank you, Miraidon. I know it must be hard, fleeing from your trainer and hiding out here. We're going to stop the Twilight Research Facility, and we need your help to do it."

The Pokémon stared at her, and so she continued. "We can get Florian back to his senses, I know it! You need to north to Kalos and find Nemona, and then bring her back here. With her and Arven, we'll be able to stop whatever the Twilight Research Facility has to throw at us."

Miraidon took all of this in and then began to fly into the air. It nodded down at Violet, before speeding off into the air. Violet watched the Pokémon fly out of her line of sight and then looked out at the region as the sun was starting to set.

How was she just supposed to battle a Gym now?