XV.

The following morning, Theo left after devotions to buy supplies for the next leg of his journey. He had called his mother to tell her the good news of his victory. She screamed with happiness, telling him she couldn't wait to see it on television later. He had trouble hearing her, though, because his phone was vibrating with notifications.

When he hung up with his mom, he checked his messages. The first was from a high school classmate he hadn't spoken to since graduation.

DUDE, THIS YOU? He had sent a video clip with the message. Theo watched it. It was Allegra delivering her devastating final blow.

Theo, my man! You earned a badge? This was from Ethan, to whom Theo hadn't spoken in months.

OMG! This was from Lyra.

You're making us proud! Professor Elm had said.

Tremendous, my boy! Mr. Pokemon had said.

I knew I had a good feeling about you. This was from Professor Oak.

I had no IDEA you could do that!

THEO WTF!

There were a dozen more messages just like that, from various people Theo knew. But how had they all heard about the battle?

Just then, his phone rang.

"Is this Theo?" said a voice on the other end.

"Yes," Theo said.

"Theo, my name is Duncan. I work for Violet City's local television station."

"Oh, hi," Theo said.

"I'm sure you've heard that your battle has gone viral," Duncan said.

"What?" Theo said.

"That clip of your Togepi! I think it's up to a million views already. It was incredible," Duncan said. "We were wondering if there was any chance you could come to the studio this morning for a little interview segment."

"Uh, I mean, sure, I guess," Theo said.

"Excellent! Bring your Pokemon. Any chance you could head over now?"

Within an hour, Theo was sitting on set at a TV studio, his three Pokemon lined up on the table in front of him, staring out at a studio audience. Duncan was a man in his forties in a suit, sitting opposite him. Theo was like a deer in the headlights. Overnight, the clip of his battle had traveled across the region. The shot of Allegra destroying Falkner's Spearow had been broadcast, clipped, and memed all over the internet.

"And we're here today with the trainer behind it all," Duncan said. "Theo, your battle with Falkner was sensational. How did you prepare?"

Theo described his training along the road and in the Tower, hoping his dry mouth wasn't audible into the camera. Vulcan and Mags each got a chance to show their attacks to the studio audience. Duncan cheered as Vulcan jumped to eye level, and he playfully knocked on Mags' hard head.

"Now tell us, were you nervous when you sent your Togepi out last?" Duncan asked.

"I was," Theo said honestly. "She only knew one attack, and it's a little unpredictable."

Duncan laughed. "But she made it work, didn't she? Let's show that clip." On a screen behind them, Theo saw Allegra's win again. The studio audience cheered, and Allegra chirped happily.

"Would you be able to do a Metronome for us today?" Duncan said. "We'll take you outside!"

Theo held Allegra as the cameras followed him and Duncan to a safe, open location outside. He put Allegra down.

"Ready? Metronome!" he said. Allegra waved her arms back and forth confidently. Suddenly, she disappeared. The audience, who had followed them outside, gasped. Just as quickly, Allegra reappeared in midair. Theo caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Teleport!" Duncan said, laughing. "She is a charmer!"

The segment ended. The audience dispersed. Duncan dropped his on-air persona, grabbed Theo's hand, and pulled him in.

"Hey, kid, thanks for coming in on such short notice," Duncan said. "You've got good energy. Here's a little for your time." He pulled a check out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Theo.

Theo kept his face calm, but inside, he was reeling. This was as much as he had been given at the Gym the night before. He had made months' worth of his old salary in two nights.

"Not much, but we appreciate you showing up," Duncan said. "Anyway, best of luck at your next Gym."

It was like Theo's life had been turned inside out. No one had ever paid this much attention to him, but now he was on television. His pocket was full of money, a feeling of safety and security he had never known. His inbox was full of congratulations, more messages in a day than he had gotten in a year.

There was one person who hadn't reached out, though. Theo tried to ignore the thought, but it intruded on him all day, a thin shadow of disappointment over his fun.

He was in bed, trying to fall asleep in spite of the excitement of the day, when his phone vibrated one more time. The message he had been thinking of arrived.

I told you that Fairy would be a terror, Lance said.