A/N: While I am as of yet uncertain if I will add Lillie into the harem, but I am certainly considering it. I will inform you all when I have decided to have Lillie in the harem, or if she won't be in it. As of right now, nothing is set in stone about it. Finally, some small things might be altered to fit in with the story's flow. Nothing too major will be changed that there will be major complaints, but only a few small things just for the convenience of the story. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

[Pokemon Speech]

[Azure, the gym's just up this hill!]

"I know, you don't need to rush..."

Azure and Riolu were now seen rushing up a rather steep hill that was heading up towards what appeared to be a small cleared out space atop of the hill, a rather decently large town occupying the space that was below them as the place they had arrived was none other than Cyllage City itself.

The place where his journey across this world will truly begin, the place where he will certainly attain his first-ever gym badge, a real one at least. It had been only around three hours since they had left the previous town to get here, the distance not being much at all for them to cover in the time.

Riolu had trouble keeping up with Azure as they ran the distance as he was not yet too adept in the utilisation of his aura, unlike Azure, so he had trouble to be able to keep up with the male. Azure could definitely see that he was working hard to keep up with him as they had run, so he couldn't help but smirk.

As soon as they had reached the town, Riolu quickly activated his Zetsu to help recover faster so they could challenge the gym as fast as they could. Riolu had obeyed immediately as he wanted to get to the gym to win that first badge as soon as possible, making Azure sigh at the pokemon's excitement as he had rolled his eyes.

During their journey here, not too much had happened since they had been running across the landscape for most of the time. Only a few things that really were worth mentioning about, though that can be done at a later time. For now, the two of them had arrived at the top of the hill and were now walking towards what appeared to be a cave entrance.

The entrance was designed like a stone brick dark tunnel that was leading into the mountain, two silver stone pillars placed on either side of the cave entrance as what looked to be a Pokeball symbol that was designed almost like a thunderbolt was placed atop of the entrance. This symbol being the symbol of the Gyms in this world.

"Well, it seems that we've made it."

[Yeah, let's get going!]

"Hold on." Azure voiced suddenly as Riolu stumbled a bit as he stopped his rush into the gym as he turned around and looked up towards Azure with a confused look plastered all over his face. Blinking his eyes in confusion as he waited for Azure to say something, the male doing so as he began walking past him. "I want to give our new teammate a chance to battle."

[Eh? Oh man...] Riolu groaned as he gave a pout. Azure gave a small amused chuckle as he patted Riolu on the head as he continued his way into the gym, Riolu quickly running after him as he started walking beside Azure as they continued walking. [I am interested in seeing what he can do. But, kind of a bummer not battling...]

"Don't worry, while I do have my belief that he will do just fine in battle, he probably won't be able to take on the gym leader all on his own. You'll probably end up battling at some point during this upcoming battle." Azure assured as Riolu smiled and nodded his head in understanding. "Let's do this."

[Right!]

"Do you see that guy up there too?"

[Yeah... why is he climbing?]

Both of the males were currently inside the main part of the gym as they were both now standing in front of what appeared to be a tall wall that had colourful rocks scattered and attached securely to the wall, the wall also seemingly leading up to what they assumed was most likely a platform of sorts at the top.

They both watched with interest as what could be seen was a figure of a male that was significantly older than Azure was scaling up the wall, seemingly focused on grabbing onto the multiple rocks on the wall as he was quickly making his way up to the top. They watched as he stopped for a second and gave a small breath.

"Hm? Oh, are you perhaps a challenger?" The male suddenly voiced as he had looked down from the wall towards Riolu and Azure. The male smiled down towards them as he used one arm to hold himself on the wall as the other was just dangling to his side as he had addressed them. "Who am I kidding? Of course you are, or else you wouldn't be here!"

"Uh, yeah... so, where exactly do we need to go for this gym battle exactly?" Azure asked as he did remember that the battlefield was up top in the games, maybe it was different in the anime, he wasn't certain. So, might as well ask. Though, it seems that his knowledge was right as the male gestured his thumb to the top.

"Up the top of this wall, just climb your way up to me! Don't worry though, you can always sue the elevator that we have installed!" The male explained as they looked to their right to see that there was indeed was an elevator built off to the side. "Even if you don't decide to climb, that doesn't mean I won't accept your challenge. I'll be waiting!"

[So, what are we going to do?] Riolu wondered as he looked over towards Azure. Azure was silent as he narrowed his eyes slightly, he wasn't one that would refuse a challenge. Azure continued to stare up at the wall as the man had managed to climb all the way up, to which Azure then gave a small smirk. [I assume we're climbing?]

"Of course, you ready?"

[Heck yeah I am!] Riolu grinned as they both narrowed their eyes before rushing towards the wall. The man at the top just watched as the two of them reached the wall, and to the man's incredible shock, the two ran up the wall with impressive speed. Both of them neck and neck as they were quickly approaching him.

'Incredible... such precise movements, such balance, and such incredible focus.' The man thought to himself as a smile crept up onto his face as he crossed his arms. His eyes then trained on Azure as the boy was easily running up alongside Riolu. 'That boy... he is certainly different from any trainer I've ever seen. Something about him...'

The male stepped back from the edge with his hands on his hips and his face having a large smile on it, to which he then watched as both Riolu and Azure reached the top and ended up flipping up in the air a few times before landing on the ground in front of him. Watching with amusement and amazement as the two stood up from their landing positions.

"Very nicely done, you two!" Azure and Riolu looked up at the male as the male gave them an impressed and happy look on his face. They didn't seem tired either as they crossed their arms and listened to what the male had to say next. "In all my time being a gym leader, I have never encountered such incredible movements before. From both trainer AND pokemon!"

"Thanks a lot."

Now that the two of them could get a good look at the person that they were going to be facing against, they could see he was decently taller than Azure was and had rather dark skin. Having rather strange black coloured hair that had random colourful parts that were very similar to the wall they just ran up.

He wore loose light grey long pants along with black running shoes, and he also had on a black long-sleeved shirt that stuck well to his body. He also had on a few items that you would usually find wall climbers to have a hold on, which made sense considering the type of gym they were currently in.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Grant, the Cyllage City Gym Leader!" The man, now known as Grant, had introduced himself as he crossed his arms with a smile. Azure nodded as he did remember the gym leaders from all the games, aside from Sun and Moon as they didn't have any, Grant being a gym leader specialising in rock-types.

"Nice to meet you, Grant. My name is Azure, Azure Brave." Azure politely introduced himself as he gave a bow to Grant, catching the male off guard a bit from the formalness. Riolu quickly followed Azure's lead and gave a bow as well, causing Grant to blush a bit from embarrassment due to the bowing.

"Th-There's no need to bow! Nice to meet you both!" Grant gave a small grin as he said this. Grant then stared at the two for a second in silence before gaining a curious look on his face as he decided to ask a question. "So, I'd like to ask you a question, Azure. What were you thinking about as you ran up the wall?"

"Hm? What was I thinking about?" Azure rose an eyebrow at this as he didn't remember this happening in the game. Azure looked down the wall for a second before looking back up towards Grant as he answered the question with a blink of his eyes. "Well, I can't really say I was thinking too much about anything, if not at all."

"Perfect. What about where you were looking?"

"Where I was looking?" Azure repeated as he held his chin in thought. Riolu looked up at Azure with a curious look in his eyes as well, curious to hear what his trainer was going to say. Azure closed his eyes for a second before opening them. "I guess straight ahead. Towards the top, where my goal was."

"Absolutely excellent." Grant's smile widened as he crossed his arms behind his back. "This means that you have managed to reach a state of enlightenment. You had a mind that was crystal clear, unclouded by unnecessary thoughts. You strived and looked forwards towards where your goal was, the place of your destination."

[So, that was the purpose of that wall? Interesting...] Riolu muttered with interest as Azure nodded his head in agreement. They then watched as Grant began walking over towards the other side of the battlefield that was in front of them, Azure following his lead and going towards the challenger side of the field.

It took a few seconds before they were now standing on each of the trainer boxes as they stared towards each other, Azure's strong and hardened eyes unblinking as Riolu stood tall next to him. Grant facing Azure's gaze with his own, flinching slightly at the powerful aura and look he had in his eyes.

"Are you ready to begin, Azure?"

"Of course I am!"

"The battle between Grant the Cyllage City Gym Leader, and Azure Brave, the challenger, is about to begin!" The referee that had just walked over towards his referee box on the side of the battlefield had voiced as he looked at the both of them. "The gym leader has the use of only two pokemon, and the challenger shall be able to use all pokemon under their possession. Only the challenger can substitute pokemon!"

Azure nodded his head as that didn't really mean anything to him, it wasn't like he actually had more than two pokemon with him right now anyway. Grant and Azure then took hold of their respective Pokeballs as Azure was tossing his one up and down as their gazes didn't leave one another's.

"After seeing that spectacular display before, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do, Azure. Show me just how you are going to be able to climb this new wall." Grant smiled as he closed his eyes. To which he soon opened them up as they gained a hardened look in them. "That wall being me!"

"Don't worry, Grant. I've overcome many challenges in my life, this wall won't stop me." Azure assured with confidence as Grant smiled, Riolu grinning as he could feel Azure's confidence. Grant grinned as well as he turned towards the referee, giving him a nod, to which the referee nodded back with a smile.

The battle between Grant the Gym Leader and Azure Brave is now underway! Please send in your pokemon!

[Azure Vs Grant]

2 Vs 2

"Onix, let's go!"

Grant tossed his Pokeball forwards as it bursted open, shooting a blue beam from within as it soon took the form of a massive creature composed entirely of rock, giving a roar into the sky as its serpentine body slithered a bit, causing the ground to shake a bit due to the movement and the mere size of the pokemon.

Onix being a pokemon that was composed entirely of rocks that were sectioned into many different sizes of boulders that made up the serpentine body it had, having also a long rock horn atop of his head along with a large toothless mouth. Finally, having a pair of large sharp intimidating white eyes, though it didn't affect Riolu and Azure.

"An Onix, huh?" Azure muttered as he then gave a smirk. He flicked his Pokeball up before catching it as he threw it forwards towards the field, the Pokeball bursting open much like the ball Onix was in as the light soon took the form of a small pokemon that stood on all fours on the field, to which the pokemon flicked its head before gaining a determined and hardened gaze.

The pokemon being a small, mammalian creature with bushy, brown fur. Its muzzle being very cat-like, with a small, black and triangular nose. Having a fluffy cream-coloured ruff around its neck and a short bushy and fox-like tail with a creamy tip. Also having round dog-like deep-brown eyes, long rabbit-like ears, and pink paw pads on its feet. Its paws are small with three toes and seemingly no visible claws.

"An Eevee? Interesting choice, show me what you can do! Onix, use Flash Cannon!" Grant ordered as Onix opened up its mouth as its body was surrounded by a white glow, to which the glow condensed to Onix's mouth, resulting in a large beam of energy to be fired towards Eevee. Eevee not flinching as he narrowed his eyes.

"Dodge to the left and use Quick Attack to get in close!" Azure commanded as Eevee quickly flipped to the left, narrowly dodging the blast before dashing forwards with impressive speed. Catching Grant and Onix off as Eevee quickly appeared beside Onix. "Use Swift along Onix's entire body!"

"Onix, dodge it!" Grant ordered, but it was to no avail as Eevee jumped up and spun once before firing off a barrage of yellow stars towards Onix. The stars all crashing onto the rock-type, starting from the tail all the way to the head, to which an explosion of smoke occurred, causing Onix to give a cry of pain. "Onix!"

The smoke cleared to show Onix still standing, shaking his head from the pain as scratch marks were definitely visible all over Onix's body. The attack did seem to do damage, just not too much, which was understandable as normal-type moves aren't known for being too effective against rock-type pokemon.

"Smack Eevee into the ground!" Grant decided to take the chance as Onix used his tail as a bat of sorts and smacked Eevee while he was still mid-air. Eevee being sent into the ground in front of Azure and Riolu as he gave a small cry of pain, also stirring up a small dust cloud due to the impact.

"Eevee, are you alright?" Azure called out as the dust cleared. Eevee stumbled a bit to his feet, to which he then shook his head and nodded firmly as he looked back towards Azure. Azure narrowed his eyes as both Riolu and Eevee kept their gazes on the large rock-type. "This isn't going to be easy..."

"Onix, we need to deal with that Eevee's speed! Use Rock Polish!" Onix's body was then covered a bit by what appeared to be blue electricity, to which it stopped as Onix narrowed his eyes towards Eevee. Azure narrowed his own eyes as the move Rock Polish increases speed, which was a smart move as Eevee was definitely faster than Onix was. "Show them the power of rock-types. Rock Tomb!"

They all looked as Onix roared into the sky, Onix's body glowing slightly as rocks began to form in the sky, all different shapes and sizes. They then watched as the rocks began to fall down towards Eevee and also around Onix's body, Azure narrowing his eyes as his fists clenched slightly.

Though, he soon gave a smirk.

"I know what you're capable of, Eevee! Dodge every single one of them!" Azure ordered as Eevee gave a confident smirk and began rushing towards Onix as the rocks continued to fall down. Eevee, to Grant's amazement, moved its body in ways that normal Eevee normally wouldn't be able to perform.

Eevee was seemingly more flexible compared to others of his species as he was avoiding the falling rocks with multiple flips, rolls, and even handstands and such as he was getting closer and closer to Onix at the same time! Azure and Riolu smirked as it didn't take long before Eevee arrived in front of Onix.

"Amazing, to think you could avoid Rock Tomb with such ease!" Grant complimented as he had his hands on his hips, and his eyes were widened with awe. Azure just chuckled slightly before holding his right hand forwards. "We aren't done just yet, Grant! Eevee, climb all the way up Onix's body!"

[Yeah, you can do it, Eevee!] Riolu was cheering on his new teammate as the small pokemon quickly began climbing up Onix's body as if it was just like the wall that they ran up before. Grant widening his eyes at the sight, mainly due to the familiarity it had to his passion for climbing up walls. Eevee being the climber and Onix as the wall in this case!

"Nicely done!" Azure praised as Eevee jumped off of Onix's head and turned his body to face Onix's face, a face that showed major surprise as Eevee grinned slightly, showing his white teeth as Azure then gave his next command. "Finish this off with Swift, and use Hyper Voice to give them an extra boost!"

Eevee quickly complied as multiple golden stars formed around his body, which they shot towards Onix's face, to which he then gave a powerful cry from his mouth. The soundwaves that were released due to the attack seemingly boosted the stars as they rocketed faster towards Onix, thus not allowing Onix time to dodge as they exploded, causing Onix to cry out in pain.

"Onix, oh no!" Grant shouted out in concern as he heard his pokemon crying out in agony. They then all watched as Onix's body was shot back due to the force of the Swift, to which he then crashed down onto the ground, causing a shake all over the battlefield. Eevee having landed back onto the ground panting as he continued holding his determined smile.

The impact that Onix had with the ground had caused a good amount of dust to gather up as they all watched with anticipation for the result, which was soon given as they noticed that the dust was beginning to clear up around them. When it did, Onix was heard groaning as it was unconscious on the ground with swirls replacing its eyes.

Onix is unable to continue, Eevee wins!

"Great work, Eevee. You did really well for your first battle." Azure smiled as Eevee walked over towards Azure and smiled as his tail wagged. Azure rubbed Eevee's head, much to its pleasure as it enjoyed Azure's touch. Riolu smiling and talking with Eevee as both of them seemed to get along well. Eevee just being more quiet compared to Riolu.

"I'm impressed, Azure! Despite the odds that you had against me with you being a normal-type, you still managed to pull through. Especially that last move of yours, using the power of Hyper Voice to boost the speed and power of Swift, very nice!" Grant complimented as he returned Onix to his Pokeball. "Now, how will you climb this final wall?"

"No matter what it is, I'll scale and conquer it!"

"We'll see about that! Tyrunt, let's go!" Grant grinned as he sent out his next pokemon. The light from the Pokeball taking shape as Grant's next and final pokemon made itself known to them all, landing onto the ground with a small shake as it gave off a powerful roar that shook the area around them a bit.

The pokemon resembled that of a tyrannosaurus rex, just on a much smaller scale as it had a dark brown body with a grey underjaw as well as white sharp claws and what looked to be orange spikes. Two orange spikes that were placed atop of its head and another one that was near the tip of its stubby tail.

"Tyrunt, huh? A formidable opponent indeed." Azure narrowed his eyes as he looked down towards Eevee. Eevee looked up at him and nodded his head with a determined gaze, Azure nodding his head as Eevee smiled before rushing back onto the field and frowning slightly as he hardened his gaze. "We're ready when you are, Grant!"

[Yeah, bring it on!] Riolu cheered alongside Azure as Grant smiled and nodded his head. [We're going to get this badge, and we'll be one step closer to our goals!]

"Very well, then let's start off with Rock Tomb!" Grant commanded as Tyrunt gave off a roar before multiple familiar rocks formed around above Tyrunt. Moving at speeds faster than they were when Onix used the move as they were then sent flying towards where Eevee was standing, though the pokemon kept its gaze strong.

"You know the drill, Eevee! Rush in!" Azure ordered as Eevee didn't hesitate before dashing forwards, while also still managing to avoid the incoming rocks just as easily as it had done before when Onix used the attack. Grant gritting his teeth slightly as he saw that the move didn't seem to faze Azure and Eevee.

"Incredible, even capable of keeping up with Tyrunt's Rock Tomb..." Grant muttered. True to his words, Tyrunt's Rock Tomb was significantly faster than Onix's was, and it seemed that Eevee was capable of avoiding them just like he was able to with Onix's. Azure smiled as he gave his next command.

"Quick Attack!"

"Jump up to avoid the attack, Tyrunt!" Grant stated as Tyrunt quickly obeyed as it leapt up in the sky, managing to jump a good couple of meters into the sky. Which was rather impressive as Azure widened his eyes slightly at the feet. Grant smirked before ordering. "Tyrunt, show them the power of your Draco Meteor!"

"Draco Meteor?!" Azure widened his eyes at the attack as he did not expect this! If he remembered correctly, Grant's Tyrunt in the games did not have such a move. This being another difference aside from Grant's starting pokemon, which he remembered was an Amaura if he wasn't mistaken. "Use Dig to escape!"

"Too late! Finish it!" Grant shouted as a number of the meteors impacted with Eevee, causing him to yell out in agony as he was sent flying back towards Azure. Azure widened his eyes before quickly catching Eevee in his arms, not feeling the impact at all as he looked down concerned for the pokemon.

"Are you alright?" Azure voiced in concern as RIolu also looked at Eevee with the same amount of concern. When he could see Eevee's eyes, he gave a small sigh as he saw that they were replaced with small swirls. He then gave a small smile as Eevee shook its head and looked up at him. "You battle well, Eevee. You deserve a nice rest."

[Yeah, you did great. Leave the rest of this battle to me! I'll get us that badge for sure!] Riolu assured as he gave Eevee a smile. Eevee nodded his head towards Riolu with a smile as he gave the dog-like pokemon a small raise of his paw. Azure smiled as he took out Eevee's Pokeball before returning him.

"Take a good rest, you deserve it."

Eevee is unable to battle! Tyrunt is the winner!

"Your Eevee fought brilliantly, Azure. You should be proud." Grant praised as the Eevee was certainly powerful, probably the strongest Eevee he had ever encountered before. Grant then smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Azure. "But, how will you overcome Tyrunt?"

"I'll continue to fight on, I won't give up just because of one loss." Azure smiled as he stood up from his kneeled position. To which Riolu prepared himself as Azure then looked down towards the pokemon, who seemed to understand as he looked up towards Azure. "Riolu, the match is now up to you. You ready?"

[More than ever, let's get this started!] Riolu grinned before front flipping onto the field and jumping up before landing a few meters apart from Tyrunt as he got into his fighting stance. Grant blinking in surprise at the stance, not expecting Riolu to take up a martial arts stance. [Prepare yourself, we're winning this!]

"Alright, Riolu. Let's get started!" Riolu nodded his head firmly before deactivating his Zetsu, thus his Aura exploded and enveloped his body as Grant and Tyrunt widened their eyes at the sight of the powerful aura that surrounded Riolu. The Aura seemingly sticking to Riolu's body like a sticky mucous.

'I almost forgot Riolu was there, it's as if he was hiding his presence from us. But, how could he do that?' Grant wondered to himself as he looked at Riolu. He had barely noticed that Riolu was actually running up with Azure, but now he could feel that Riolu had a strong presence, unlike before. What was the reason behind that?

"Use your aura and boost yourself forwards!" Azure commanded as Riolu complied as a sudden burst of aura was released from his legs as he shot forwards at incredible speed, Tyrunt not being able to react in time as Riolu appeared in front of Tyrunt. "Now, use Force Palm to knock them away!"

[Got it!] Riolu responded as he placed his palm on Tyrunt's snout, causing the dragon-type to widen its eyes as it was then sent flying back by a powerful force that was sent out from Riolu's palm. Tyrunt having been sent skidding across the ground as the ground had actually dug itself up as Tyrunt skidded across it.

"Tyrunt!" Grant shouted in worry as his pokemon had given a cry of pain as it finally stopped crashing through the ground. Having stumbled onto its feet as the pain was very much visible all over its features, while Riolu stood calmly as he was still in his stance. "Hmm... that Riolu isn't trained by normal means. Whatever training they went through must have been tough, whatever it is..."

"Riolu, use Aura Sphere!"

"Quick, deflect it with Dragon Tail!" Grant quickly ordered as he was shocked by the sudden announcement of the attack. He was no expert on the Riolu evolutionary line, but he was quite certain that Riolu wasn't able to learn the move! The sphere that Riolu sent was sailing towards Tyrunt as the dragon type's tail was projecting a greenish green energy that took the form of a scaly tail.

Tyrunt quickly swung its body as it used its tail as a bat of sorts, to which the tail ended up smacking and colliding against Riolu's Aura Sphere. Both sides were struggling as Tyrunt did manage to win the collision, to which the sphere exploded as Tyrunt shook off the small bit of damage it took from it.

"Impressive attack, Azure. But, it will take more to take us down!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Hm? What the?!" Grant gasped after looking confused as Riolu had suddenly appeared right behind Tyrunt as he was ready to launch his next attack. Grant couldn't understand when Riolu had managed to do so, but soon widened his eyes as soon as he understood. 'He used that attack as a decoy! Very smart!'

"We're finishing this now, Riolu! Use Ren!" Azure demanded as Riolu didn't hesitate as his aura exploded outwards. Sending rocks flying everywhere as Tyrunt was barely able to keep still as he was fighting back being pushed backwards, Grant being no different as he had to cover his eyes. "Cross Chop!"

[This is the end!] Riolu shouted as he leapt into the air before holding both arms above his head after performing a few flips in the air. Grant widened his eyes as Riolu began sailing down after having swung both arms downwards, quickly looking towards Tyrunt as he gave his next command.

"Use Draco Meteor to intercept!"

[It's too late for that, I'm finishing it now!] Riolu shouted, not like Grant could understand, as the miniature meteor that came out of Tyrunt's mouth was destroyed by the Cross Chop as the attack didn't stop as RIolu continued falling towards Tyrunt. Riolu smirked as he used his aura to boost himself a bit forwards!

Tyrunt, seeing there was no possible way for it to dodge anymore, could only stand still as Riolu struck its head with both arms that had swung downwards with the powerful increased force of his Ren! With this amplification, the attack did major damage as Tyrunt was covered by a massive explosion where he stood.

"Oh no, Tyrunt!"

[That should be that] Riolu smiled as he backflipped back over towards Azure as he landed in front of the young trainer. They all watched as the dust and smoke from the large explosion began to clear away, allowing them to clearly view the outcome of the attack. Which was just as they all expected, even Grant...

Tyrunt was on the ground unconscious, giving a groan of pain.

Tyrunt is unable to battle, the winner is Riolu! That means this battle goes to the challenger, Azure Brave!

"Alright, nice work, Riolu!"

[Piece of cake! We can't forget that Eevee did a lot of work for us too!] Riolu grinned as he jumped up and high-fived Azure. They then looked over towards the other side of the field to see Grant taking care of Tyrunt before returning it to its Pokeball to rest, having a smile on his face while doing so. [That Tyrunt was strong, he trained it well]

"He is a gym leader, we should expect them to know how to train their pokemon well. Their titles aren't just for nothing." Azure stated as he gave Riolu a smile. Riolu grinned as he could only wonder how strong the other gym leaders were going to be, the thought made him excited to see just what they had in store for them on their journey.

"That was splendidly done, Azure. Riolu has certainly been trained well." Grant praised as he put away Tyrunt's Pokeball before walking over towards the two of them with a smile on his face, Riolu having turned off his Ren after using the move as he was back to using Ten. "You are more than deserving of victory in this match."

"Thanks a lot, Grant. I must say, you are incredible at handling rock-type pokemon. No wonder you're the gym leader of a gym that specialises in the type."

"It really comes from my passion for scaling the wall, just the feeling brings me inspiration to training them." Grant smiled as he closed his eyes. He then turned towards the referee, who had walked on over with a smile on his face while holding onto a tray of sorts. Grant nodded as he took something off of it. "Take this, it's the Cliff Badge. Proof of your victory to scaling this wall."

"Thanks, Grant! I'm one step closer to competing in the league now." Azure smirked as he took hold of the badge that Grant handed over towards him. Staring at the design of the metallic item as he smiled as he thought about the fact that it was a symbol of hard work from both Eevee and Riolu.

[Alright, and you can bet we're getting the rest of them! We aren't losing!] Riolu grinned as he climbed up onto Azure's shoulder as the male had placed the badge into the badge case that he had ended up getting when he registered back at the pokemon center. Azure then placed the case into his pocket.

"So, I assume that you are going to be heading off to your next gym battle, right?" Grant decided to ask out of curiosity as Azure and Riolu looked up at him. Azure blinked in confusion for a second before nodding his head to confirm Grant's thoughts. "I see. Then I suggest that you head on over to Shalour City. They have a gym that will give you an interesting challenge."

"Shalour City, huh?" Azure repeated as he and Riolu looked at each other in the eyes. From what Azure remembered, it was definitely the next gym in the line that the Pokemon X and Y games had in store for the player on their journey. A fighting-type gym if he remembered correctly. "Sounds like a good plan, thanks for the suggestion, Grant."

"No problem! Though, I do warn you that you will be in store for a challenge that will truly be a difficult wall for you to climb, or in your case, run." Grant grinned as Azure and Riolu just gave the gym leader a smirk of amusement. Grant chuckled before pointing towards what appeared to be a metallic slide. "You can take the slide down, it'll lead you straight to entrance."

"I see, thanks for everything!" Azure nodded before both Azure and Riolu dashed towards the slide before jumping onto it and sliding down at fast speeds, seemingly easily keeping their balance as they quickly approached the bottom. Grant watched the entire time with a smile on his face as he crossed his arms.

'Those two will certainly bring about something interesting, I just know it.' Grant couldn't help but chuckle as he had a feeling that Azure and Riolu were going to affect future events in a good and interesting way, and he was curious to find out just what that effect will end up being. 'The other gym leaders better watch out, those two will be hard to stop.'

Welcome back to Pokevision Live! It's time for more of our rankings, and we have reached number four on our top ten list! That being Snowcapped Onix!

"Pokevision? Can't say I ever remember about that..." Azure muttered in confusion as he was now seen sitting in the pokemon center in Cyllage City as he was waiting for Riolu and Eevee to finish recovering thanks to Nurse Joy. He was sitting on one of the couches in the lobby as many other trainers and random civilians were watching the TV screens with him.

The thing he was watching was displaying a list of top ten videos of sorts from something called Pokevision, he wasn't exactly sure what in the world it was as he never remembered something called Pokevision from the games. Was it an anime exclusive thing? Or did he somehow end up missing or forgetting it when playing?

It was getting rather late as he decided that it would be best that he stayed overnight in the city until tomorrow since he really didn't want to end up walking through the night, it didn't sound so pleasant to him. Plus, he was honestly feeling a bit sleepy right now. True, his job made him get used to staying up long hours, but he still needed damn sleep.

"Just what's Pokevision anyway?"

[Azure!]

"Hm? Oh, Riolu. Good to see that you're doing okay." Azure smiled as he stood up from where he sat. He saw Riolu rushing over towards him while holding onto a Pokeball, which was most likely where Eevee was inside of. Azure gave a bow of thanks to Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff as they returned it before getting back to work. "You injured at all?"

[Nah, I wasn't even that hurt really. If I had any injuries at all, they're definitely gone now.] Riolu assured as Azure nodded his head. Riolu then heard a sound and turned his head to look up towards the television screen, to which he tilted his head in confusion at what was being shown. [What's all that about?]

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. Never heard of it before."

[What is it?]

"Something called Pokevision. It seems to have something to do with making videos or whatever, though I'm not entirely certain." Azure explained as Riolu nodded his head as he handed Eevee's Pokeball to Azure. Azure then saw Riolu holding what looked to be a blackboard with silver and blue wheels. "How did you get a skateboard?"

[I bought it. Two actually]

"Why~...?"

[I thought it might be fun to see just what these things are all about, I've seen it once before and it looked interesting. I wanted to see what it would be like] Riolu explained as he took out another from who knows where, one which was the same colour as the first one, but on a smaller scale. [So, how about it?]

"Sure, why the heck not? I did learn how to use one from one of my friends before, so I know a thing or two about riding one of these things." Azure shrugged as he took hold of the larger one of the two. Riolu rose an eyebrow as he tilted his head curiously. [Is this friend of your's one of the two that you mentioned before?]

"Yeah, his name's Killua." Azure nodded his head in confirmation.

[Killua, huh? I wonder how strong he is compared to Azure...] Riolu wondered as he looked up at Azure, who had turned his attention back to the television. He could feel that Azure was incredibly strong, and was most likely hiding his true power. So, he couldn't help but be curious as to how powerful his two friends were from his old world.

Were they as strong?

Stronger?

Weaker?

[Were they really good friends of yours?] Riolu wondered out of curiosity as he had only really heard from Azure that the two friends he had were his travelling companions when they went about their adventures. But, nothing too deep. Azure blinked before gaining a longing, happy expression. But, Riolu could sense some sadness. Which confused and concerned him.

"Yeah, they were great friends. The best..." Azure smiled sadly as he thought back to the adventures that he had with Gon and Killua, all starting when they met one another during the Hunter Exam. They had all been through a lot, and some things he wished that he didn't go through. But, it was all incredible and meaningful in the end.

Though, it was difficult for them all to separate. After being with each other for so long, it was a difficult task for them to just say goodbye to each other and go their separate ways. However, they knew that they wouldn't be saying goodbye forever. One day... just one day, he knew that he will meet with them again.

"What's with the sad look? If you keep that up, then you will permanently have it!"

"Eh?"

[Huh?]

Both Riolu and Azure turned their heads at the sudden voice that had called out towards them as Azure turned his head in confusion towards the source of the voice, to which he rose an eyebrow as he saw a female that appeared to be around his age walking over towards him with a big smile on her face.

Azure didn't recognise this person, were they from the games? Or maybe it was a character that didn't appear at all, or maybe just in the anime. He wasn't sure. When the girl stopped in front of him, he could see that she was around the same height as he was, maybe being a bit shorter than he was.

She was a fair-skinned girl with strawberry pink-coloured hair that was tied into twin ponytails with yellow rings, along with a pair of scarlet eyes. She wore a white collared top with frills resembling sleeves, a high waisted ankle-length black pants, and black and white heeled shoes.

She also wore a series of accessories, being a white hat with a pale orange ribbon, a light blue bracelet, a pair of black rectangular glasses, and a black necklace with yellow, blue, and pink triangles. She also appeared to be carrying around a pale orange purse of sorts that was hanging on her right shoulder by the strap.

"Um... who are you?"

"Oh, my apologies! My name is... uh... A-Ariana! That's it!" Ariana had introduced herself, making both Riolu and Azure stare at her with raised eyebrows. Why was she stuttering when she did that? Riolu could feel she was nervous when she did that, and Azure could easily tell just by her tone and body language.

"I see... nice to meet you, Ariana. This is my partner here, Riolu." Azure introduced himself as he then gestured down towards the dog-like pokemon. Riolu just responded by raising his right paw before lowering it as he then crossed his arms over his chest. "So, mind telling me what you meant by before?"

"O-Oh, that's right! You shouldn't hold such a sad look, or it'll stay on your poor face forever! So, brighten up the smile!" Ariana smiled herself as Azure seemed confused. He did have a look of sadness, not complete sadness, but one with the sense when he thought back to his friends, but not much...

[This girl is weird...]

"I see, thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind." Azure responded as he chuckled lightly in amusement as he crossed his arms over his chest while still holding onto the skateboard that Riolu had bought for him. Ariana smiled with a small blush donning her cheeks as she nodded her head in satisfaction.

"Perfect! That's the kind of smile I'm talking about!"

Now, it is finally time for this week's video number one! Aria and Fennekin's Life as an Idol!

"That Pokevision thing again, what is it all about anyway?" Azure couldn't help but ask once again as the television seemed to be displaying the top person on the list, who eerily looked similar to Ariana, maybe siblings? Who knows, not like it really mattered to him at all. Ariana looked towards him and smiled.

"Don't you know? That's rather surprising as it is quite popular." Ariana explained as both Riolu and Azure listened with not too much interest. They were the type to be more into pokemon battles then making videos, he had never done something like it before. "They're promotional videos made by trainers. They let people show the bond between both trainer and pokemon!"

"I see." Azure nodded his head in understanding to the explanation. From what he could tell, it was both something that let people just let loose and enjoy filming something, and also probably a way to gain popularity if this list was anything to go by. "Not exactly my tastes, so I don't really know how to feel about it..."

[Same here, I just want to get into a battle] Riolu added his own thoughts as he felt far more excitement and adrenaline when in a battle. The thought of making a film didn't exactly pique his interest. [Though, I can't doubt that it somewhat looks interesting. The idea about expressing the bond between trainers and their pokemon is pretty cool]

"Agreed. It does seem pretty impressive on that regard."

[Do you think it really is that popular?]

"Probably, if what the screen is showing is anything to go by."

[True that]

"Oh, wow! It's almost as if you can really understand and speak to Riolu!" Ariana said with awe as she clapped both her hands together. Azure turned to face her, along with Riolu, as they seemed confused. It was pretty funny as they really could understand each other. Ariana then gained a look of realisation. "I know! You two should make one together!"

"Huh, us?"

[What?]

"Yeah! If you can speak to each other and understand one another as much as you two do, then that must mean that the bond you two hold must be incredible! I think it would be a great idea to see what you can make!" Ariana explained with an excited look on her face, making Azure and Riolu sweatdrop at her.

"I'm not sure... I'm not really into this type of stuff."

"Why not give it a try? Who knows, you might enjoy trying out something new like this! How about it?" Ariana asked with a wink of her right eye as she leaned forwards towards him and looked up at his face. Azure blinked with a nervous smile as he looked down towards Riolu, who just gave him a look that basically said 'I'll leave it up to you.'. "So, please?"

"I... fine, but I really don't know what I'm supposed to do..."

"Don't worry, I can help you out in making your first ever Pokevision video!" Ariana suggested with a big smile on her face, seemingly more excited than she really should be. Azure rose and eyebrow as he looked at her. "You've made Pokevision videos before? Not surprising I guess, since you seem excited..."

"Of course! Now, we can start tomorrow morning!" Ariana stated as both Riolu and Azure just looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. Staying one more day in Cyllage City wouldn't hurt them, so might as well give this Pokevision thing a shot. "Everything we need can be acquired here at the Pokemon Center!"

"I see, thanks for the help."

"No need to thank me, I'm excited to see just what we can make with that cool calm personality that you have!" Ariana giggled as Azure blinked at this, Riolu smiling slightly as he couldn't help but agree. Azure was a pretty calm and composed person, usually always having a cool air around him. "Unfortunately, I have to get going for now. I'll meet you here at the Pokemon Center in the morning!"

"If you say so, see you tomorrow."

[See ya later!] Riolu waved as they both watched as Ariana ran out of the Pokemon Center, both of them then sweatdropping as they thought about the situation they had just gotten themselves into. [You know, this isn't exactly something that I expected to be a part of after having one against Grant earlier today]

"You're not the only one." Azure sighed with a small smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head. He then looked down towards Riolu and smiled as RIolu looked up at him in confusion, sensing a change in Azure's emotions. "Alright, Riolu. I think it is finally time for us to continue onto the next step."

[Next step? What do you mean?]

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to show you the next step to learning your Nen. A very important and crucial step that will be a vital point to you becoming a skilled Nen user." Azure explained as Riolu blinked at him for a second. Though, it wasn't too long before Riolu gained a look of absolute excitement.

[Finally, what are we going to be doing?!]

"It is time for us to find out the nature of your Aura."

[The... nature?]

"It's time for us to see just what type of Nen user you are."