Author's Note: I remember before ORAS came out I saw the cameraman sprite and he looked like Sycamore so I got this idea x3 I wanted to do more but lost motivation to write it maybe someday;;;
"Ungh, another slow news day for us." Diantha sighed loudly as she stretched her arms and legs out on her office desk. She covered her head with her arms and laid on top of them full of discouragement.
Her cameraman, Augustine Sycamore, sat down his bulky camera on the table adjacent to her and patted her head reassuringly. "Don't worry about it Diantha, I'm sure we'll get a big story in no time!"
It's been nearly 2 months since Diantha literally dragged Sycamore to go with her to Hoenn to explore the many things the region had to offer. The bright brunette was known for wanting to experience new things after all, while the young man with the dark curls simply agreed to support his friend and-of course-study the many Pokemon that dwelled in this foreign part of the world.
Ever since they had first arrived in Slateport, Diantha and Sycamore traveled through as much of the region as they could. They made sure to stop at Littleroot Town so that Sycamore could meet Professor Birch, a Pokemon Professor not much older than he was. As the duo continued on their escapade of the unknown, they reached Mauville City, the sister city to their very own Lumiose City back in Kalos. Although the former wasn't as big, both of them were one of the best cities in their respective regions. While in the city, they stumbled upon a help wanted sign for a news reporter and camera person for the TV Mauville station. It took a considerable amount of begging and pleading for Diantha to convince Sycamore to apply for the positions. It was also her idea to fake their names for the sake of "hiding their identities", giving them the TV names of Gabby and Ty.
After being interviewed, they got the jobs, and ever since have been out on the field interviewing and recording the latest news of all things Pokemon. Despite working as long as they have, they still have not really reported on anything remotely important. They were going to cover the story of the mysterious theft of the Devon Goods from an employee of the Devon Corporation back in Rustboro, but by the time they arrived the situation had already been resolved, so the only thing they could do while there was interview the man that the goods were stolen from. He said that a particularly strong trainer was able to beat the force that stole the goods, and that they were delivering it to Captain Stern in Slateport as they spoke.
Upon hearing the news, the duo decided to continue their coverage on the story further by going south of Petalburg Woods, and taking a ride on Mr. Briney's ship to Slateport to find this trainer that was able to accomplish such a feat. Once they departed the ship from Slateport harbor, Captain Stern informed them that the trainer who delivered the goods to him left the city, but not before getting rid of the same organization that tried to steal the goods at the Oceanic Museum. Exhausted from basically encircling the southwestern part of the region, Diantha and Sycamore returned to the TV Mauville building to rest from their endeavor.
Diantha lifted her head up to avoid taking a nap from having it down too long, despite it only being in the afternoon. She rubbed her tired eyes, being sure she didn't do it too hard to avoid rubbing out her brown contacts she put on to add to her "disguise".
"I know I know, I just had no idea being a reporter took so much effort trying to get the big scoop. Although..." Diantha paused for a moment, a genuine smile slowly forming on her face. "...that's the exciting part, experiencing something completely new to me, along with all the challenges that come with it. For whatever happens, I'll still be glad that I was able to do something like this at all!"
Sycamore grinned at his friend who was detailing her philosophy of new changes in life. He loved it whenever she got deep like that.
"Now that's the Diantha I know and love", the Kalosian man lets out a lighthearted chuckle. Diantha blushed embarrassingly, pretending to brush off his compliment.
The only thing that could break up this endearing moment, was the entering of the president of the TV Mauville station to their office.
"Sorry to interrupt", he said without a hint of altruism, "But I think I have a story for you two that's more within your reach. Have you heard of the Winstrate family north of the city? Well they challenge trainers from their home on Route 111 to four straight Pokemon battles without time for healing or anything! Now that'll be an interesting scoop."
Diantha's eyes sparkled in pure delight. Finally, this story could be just what they needed to rise up in the ranks of the television industry-if there was such a thing at all- and make her and her friend more known to the Hoenn region. This was their big break.
"We'll take the job now, sir!", the brunette exclaimed, as she hastily grabbed Sycamore, his camera, and her microphone, and exited the building. From there they went through the north gate of Mauville City and were on their way to the Winstrate home.
On Route 111, not very far from the news station, the swishing sounds of aquatic Pokemon could be heard swimming in the nearby waters. The air was fresh, with a slight feeling of heat radiating up north where the desert was located. Luckily, Diantha and Sycamore had no business near the land of sands since the Winstrates' home appeared in front of them before reaching it.
There was something peculiar about the house, however; the rumors stated that Victor Winstrate should be standing outside the front door ready to challenge bypassing trainers. But Victor wasn't there- in fact no one was outside of the house.
Wondering what could be wrong, Diantha makes a short jog to the door and rings the doorbell. Vicky, the elderly woman of the family who was claimed to be the 2nd strongest-first being Vito but he was away challenging the Pokemon League-, was the one who answered the door.
"Why hello, what brings you here", she asked the team with politeness in her frail voice.
Diantha put on the biggest news-reporting smile she could ever pull off. "Good day to you ma'am, we are Gabby and Ty from TV Mauville here to do a special news segment on your undefeated streak of wins on trainers who dared to challenge your family."
Like the flick of a light switch, the olden woman's mood changed drastically to a more dreary one. The youngest of the family, Vivi, whispered to Diantha, "We were undefeated, until a really strong trainer came by and totally beat us! But you shouldn't really mention it to Grandma, she gets mad just thinking about it."
'A strong trainer...', the outspoken young woman already had an idea who this said trainer was. The same person who got back the stolen Devon goods and safely delivered them to Captain Stern, had to be the one who won against this family. It seemed like every time there was an opportunity for a story that blasted trainer would get in the way. If only-
A light bulb dinged in Diantha's head. Of course, they could just interview the trainer themselves! It was so obvious of a solution that the brown-eyed reporter cursed herself for her ignorance. The trainer wasn't becoming a hindrance, they were becoming the answer.
"I-I'm sorry to have troubled you at such a time, we'll be on our way then!" She took hold of Sycamore just as she usually did, and did not stop lugging him like a suitcase until they were leaned against the border of rock edging the desert.
"What was that for...?!" Sycamore questioned Diantha's sudden actions.
"Because, we are going to wait for that trainer." Diantha took possession of his bulky camera and sat it down on a traveling tripod that they took with them. "They shouldn't be that far away if they just battled the Winstrates, we still have a chance!"
"But what if they already left for Lavaridge or Fallabar?"
"I've already heard in the newsroom that there are complications using the cable car to Lavaridge, as for Fallabar it's much too far away to make such a trip at almost nighttime. They have to come back sooner or later, and when they do we'll be ready for them, even if we have to wait all night-"
"All night?!", the fatigued cameraman whined. "Doesn't this seem a bit much even for you?"
"Why not at all. We've been together for as long as I can remember, surely you of all people should know I don't give in without a fight."
And that's what the two did; they stayed in that exact spot after nightfall in anticipation of the skilled trainer. It was as dark as a Gastly with the only source of light coming from the Winstrates' house yards away and the scarce glowing orbs of Volbeat and Illumise. There was a chill in the air, but Diantha said there'd be no time for going back to Mauville so that they wouldn't miss the trainer. The only warmth they had was each other, but only barely because of the awkwardness of being so close.
At around midnight, Sycamore sees a shadowy figure in the distance from the south of them during his turn to look out while Diantha was soundly asleep. Though far away, it appeared quite small and had the silhouette of a young girl.
"Diantha wake up, someone's coming!" Sycamore shook his sleeping friend as hard as he could to get her attention.
"Huh...?" Diantha awakened from her unconscious state, rubbing her eyes tirelessly. Sycamore then turned Diantha's head towards the unknown person coming their way. She called out to her as loud as she possibly could.
"Helloooo, can you see us?" The distraught brunette hoped that whoever this was would be able to see in the almost darkness surrounding the area.
"Heyyyyy!" The figure begins to run in their direction, waving her arms and shouting to them.
After a few more stretched strides, the girl approached the two and was now recognizable without the night making her appearance ambiguous. Just as expected, it was a young girl who they spotted. She was adorned with an outfit that had a sporty flare to it with a red, black, and white color scheme, black running shoes, yellow sports pack on her lower back, and a red bow tied at the top of her head. Her hair was light brown and blue eyes that, at first glance, seemed innocent; however, she had an insinuation of firm intent raging in them. This determined look was definitely the look of an intrepid trainer who has encountered the toughest of battles. Diantha inferred that this girl had to be the one they were waiting for.
"It was nice of you to go out of your way to make it this far on your own at such a late hour," the impressed reporter applauded the young trainer. "I'm Gabby and this is my trusty cameraman Ty, we're from Mauville TV asking for a special interview on your latest endeavors as a Pokemon trainer. We have heard great things about you and are interested- Ty are you recording this?!"
Sycamore hastily picked up the camera from its tripod and pressed the "record" button. Resisting her urge to grunt at his clumsiness, Diantha repeated her previous lines to the trainer.
"Like I was saying, we've heard how you've apprehended the criminals that have been making a fuss lately and would like to see this talent of yours firsthand. We challenge you to a Pokemon battle."
"What?!" Even Sycamore was not prepared for such an announcement, this was the first he's heard her mention it. If he had known he would have had a better team at hand; the only Pokemon he had on him was his Magnemite.
"Do we have permission to ask of your name?" The excited reporter continued without taking notice of her friend's astonishment.
The girl looked at the duo in confusion. Two adult strangers were asking a minor for personal information, how else would one react to such a situation? However, they didn't seem threatening and they were from a television station after all, so she decided to trust them.
"My name's May, I just started my journey with my Torchic a while ago. I wouldn't say I'm very skilled, most would probably say it's because my dad's the Petalburg City gym leader-"
"You're Norman's daughter?!" Diantha and Sycamore exclaimed in perfect unison. It seemed so clear now how she was already so good, she surely has her father's genes. This seemed like a plausible explanation to how she was able to put a stop to the terrorizing organization whenever they were up to no good.
Diantha did not want to waste anymore time; it was already pretty late and she didn't want to keep Norman's daughter-well May- waiting on them. She straightened her posture like a professional would and raised the microphone to her face to speak.
"So Pokemon trainer May, we would be honored to have a battle with you so that we can record on video your amazing talent. We only have one Pokemon each so we won't be much of a challenge but would still like to battle you, please!" The reporter bowed her head in respect to the girl, not minding if the camera was on her when she did it.
Although she was still startled by all this, May nodded her head with that fiery passion for battling apparent in her eyes. This was just the look Diantha imagined the young girl to have, the pure fighting spirit of being one with her Pokemon. "Sure thing, but I won't be going easy on you!" The young girl replied, holding up a pokeball.
Diantha beamed at the trainer, then quickly turned to her cameraman. "Make sure you still record this!' she demanded the poor man as all three of them spread out to battle in a wider surrounding. Thankfully he had the tripod with him so he was able to set it up with a clear shot of the whole battlefield. After making sure they were still being filmed, Sycamore gave Diantha the 'ok' to go. She pulls her pokeball from pocket and throws it into the air, a Whismur being released from its contents. The brunette points to May, calling out for her attention. "You're going to have to battle the both of us at the same time, so we'll be having a double battle!" Her cameraman followed suit, letting his Magnemite out of it's pokeball.
"I don't mind, that makes it more fun!" The eager trainer took out another pokeball from her sports pack. "Come on out guys!", she yells as she launches the two pokeballs in her hands at once. Rays of light were emitted from the capture devices and her choice of Pokemon were unveiled; the first Pokemon was Torchic's second evolution stage, Combusken, and the second was a Mightyena. Both creatures appeared to be sculpted by countless battles to reach their respective forms.
The battle begins and, while it seemed that Diantha and Sycamore had the upper hand initially, they were ultimately defeated by May. Thanking their Pokemon for all their diligent work, the three of them returned them to their pokeball. The reporter's excitement was apparent by her giddy jumping from her and her cameraman's loss-it looked to be that she didn't mind their defeat.
"Did you see, how her team fought while confused AND under paralysis? Not to mention her Blaziken's amazing fighting skills and Mightyena's fierce biting. All of it was simply delight-Ty did you get all that on camera?!"
"Ne t'inquiète pas, don't worry Gabby. I got all of the footage on tape." Sycamore ran up to the tripod and pressed the red button on the camera, ceasing the recording.
"Now I have just one more thing for you to record." Diantha ushered her companion along with his camera to May. "You see we travel around everywhere interviewing all sorts of people, so we would like to actually interview you if you're fine with that."
"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all!" the young girl smiled as she nodded her head. Sycamore saw that it was time for more film and pressed the record button on his camera, facing the two ladies before him.
~back at TV Mauville~
The president enters Gabby and Ty's office, taking a seat adjacent of them. "So, you two wanted to see me?" He questioned.
"Yes monsieur, we wanted you here to approve of our latest assignment that you've given us before we give it to the newsroom to include in the segment." Sycamore answered to the president, while setting up the film on the small tv on the table. On the screen was displaying all that was recorded, from the duo's waiting for the trainer to appear to the battle that took place. Afterwards there was the interview between May and 'Gabby'.
"Here we have Pokémon trainer May, to tell us what she thought of our heated battle."
"I thought it was fun, I love my Pokémon and want them to be stronger so that we can make it to the top!"
"That's a clincher! We'll be sure to put that on our news segment viewable on the BuzzNav. This is Gabby and Ty signing off!"
Once the recording was finished, the video stopped and the television was turned off by the president. Although at first he was speechless, he was able to emit words from his mouth. "That...was a fantastic interview! Great job you two, I knew you could do it! Wellnotreallybutyaknow"
Diantha's face shone the brightest it's ever been. "Thank you, thank you sir!" she exclaimed while bowing to the president as he left the office.
"We did it Diantha!" Sycamore excitedly picked up his slightly shorter friend. He wasn't very strong so he safely put her back on her feet to avoid dropping her.
"I knew we could get a scoop!" the brunette exclaimed while settling down on her desk. She notices a particular article on a newspaper. The headline read 'The Great Lisia Wins Another Contest!'. Diantha picks up the paper and takes a closer look at this contest queen.
Sycamore sees his companion's bewilderment and answers her question without even being asked. "Ah I've heard of her around town. That's Lisia, she's just about the best contest coordinator of Hoenn along with Ali, her elegant Altaria."
Hearing those words only encouraged Diantha more, abruptly standing up from her seat. "Sounds like an excellent person to interview, " she widened her grin and grasped Sycamore's hand, "Let's head out now, Ty!" With that, the ecstatic reporter lead the way to get yet another story to be on the way of becoming a well-known reporting duo.