Levincia City's central plaza was, as its name suggested, right in the city center—and it was also the site of gym battles.
After enjoying pastries with Alcremie, Lucas carried two bags of carefully packed bread and walked to the plaza.
Even from the street, he could see electric flashes from the battle in the arena—clearly a gym challenge had started.
When he reached the edge of the field, Lucas raised an eyebrow and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What a… bleak scene."
The massive field was lit up by a fierce battle between two Pokémon. Yet, despite being a gym challenge, the audience was sparse—scattered fans in "I <3 Iono" shirts, obviously here for her livestream.
"As a rookie leader, her popularity's still low. She's got a long way to go before she's a big streamer."
Shaking his head, Lucas focused on the battle.
On the left stood Gym Leader Iono, with long blue-and-pink hair and cute Magnemite hairpins, dressed in oversized, trendy clothes.
Her delicate, adorable face wore her trademark bright grin and showed her signature sharklike teeth. She called out, "Show them what you've got, Bellibolt! Release all your stored electricity—Discharge!"
Bellibolt's generator belly glowed, and in a flash, it unleashed a blinding surge of electricity from the orbs on its head, as dazzling as sunlight.
On the right stood Lucas's star pupil, Nemona.
After nearly a month of traveling, she had grown—more energetic, more confident, and even more of a battle fanatic.
Nemona raised her fist and shouted to her towering bear Pokémon, "Ursaring! Show your guts—break through that electricity!"
Yes, it was Ursaring, evolved from Teddiursa.
Ursaring's fierce face made it one of the last Pokémon rookie trainers wanted to meet in the wild—its temper matched its looks.
Yet, this fierce Ursaring gazed at Nemona with trust, let out a thunderous roar, and charged straight into the electric blast.
Ursaring's fighting was wild and fierce—somehow, it even chopped through Bellibolt's electricity, then brought its paw down on Bellibolt's head to end the battle.
"Alcremie~"
Alcremie covered its eyes, unsettled by the violence.
Lucas, on the other hand, noticed something: before touching the electricity, Ursaring's fur was already crackling with sparks.
"I see… Guts was triggered by paralysis, massively boosting its strength."
"Impressive, Nemona."
Iono, having lost, went to interact with her disappointed fans. She valued them deeply, knowing her streaming career depended on them.
While chatting, Iono glanced at her livestream stats. Seeing only about a thousand viewers, she felt a bit dejected—but as a streamer, she kept up a bright smile for group photos and autographs.
Meanwhile, Nemona, out of battle mode, finally noticed Lucas sitting on a nearby bench. She beamed with joy.
Great—Teacher Lucas came to watch her gym challenge.
It was her last gym match of spring break—her family was calling her home soon, so she'd have to put off her fourth badge challenge.
So, on this special day, she wanted Lucas to see her progress.
"Teacher Lucas~!"
Nemona waved and jogged over, hands on her knees, panting. "Hehe, I cleared the Levincia Gym!"
"You okay? Need a break?" Lucas smiled wryly. Nemona's stamina clearly hadn't improved at all. He scooped Alcremie onto his lap, freeing up the seat for her.
Nemona, clutching her pounding heart, sat down and caught her breath.
Lucas smiled again. "I saw your battle. It was great."
Nemona grinned, soaking in the praise. Then she looked at Alcremie and gasped, "Alcremie?! Did Milcery evolve too?"
Lucas handed Alcremie over. "Why so surprised? Your Teddiursa evolved into Ursaring, so Milcery evolving into Alcremie is only natural."
"Mmm Alcremie's so cute! And you smell so sweet"
Nemona happily nuzzled Alcremie—she genuinely loved Pokémon, all of them.
After a while, Nemona calmed down, sat up proudly with Alcremie on her head, and said, "Not just Ursaring—my Pawmo evolved into Pawmot too!"
"And this little guy hatched as my new partner."
Nemona took out a Poké Ball and released a soft, purple Pokémon.
It was sleeping soundly. After showing Lucas, she recalled it.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Goomy?"
Nemona grinned. "Of course you'd know, Teacher Lucas. Yup, it's a baby from an egg my dad gave me—still too little to train."
"Very nice. Dragon-types have great potential—raise it well, and it'll become a strong ally." Lucas nodded, then handed her a bag. "Here, some bakery bread as a gift. Hope you like it."
Nemona's eyes lit up. "Huh, a gift? I love it! Thanks, Teacher Lucas!"
"Heyyy—isn't this the new Champion? Can't believe you really showed up for Iono's challenge! And what's that—a gift? Is there one for Iono too?"
Iono, having said goodbye to her fans, immediately noticed the bag in Nemona's hand, her eyes shining.