At the same time, a chain reaction was unfolding in the outside world, all stemming from an event that had just taken place.
The mysterious man who had appeared in Iono's livestream and rescued her from the Delibird had vanished—gone without a trace, as if he had never existed at all.
No one knew who he was, and even fewer understood why he had been in the perilous Area Zero.
All anyone knew was that he and Iono were old acquaintances, with a relationship close enough to be described as… "lingerie-level."
And more shockingly, he could wield power on par with a Pokémon—despite being human.
That fact alone made him as extraordinary as a Garchomp that could use Dragon Dance, or a Charizard that breathed real fire—utterly out of the ordinary.
Some speculated he might actually be a new kind of Pokémon… or perhaps the offspring of a Pokémon and a human? Or even a psychic-type human gifted with extraordinary powers?
The man's mystique quickly drew the attention of trainers from all over.
And this attention wasn't limited to just the Paldea region. Trainers from nearby Galar, or even far-off Sinnoh, had taken notice.
People like our beloved Miss Shirona… or Leon.
Even… Team Rocket in Kanto.
Most of them, however, didn't take it all too seriously—more like an intriguing bit of gossip than anything else.
But what truly pushed this incident into the spotlight wasn't Iono, nor was it the Area Zero incident itself.
It was someone else.
Someone far stronger and more famous than Iono.
His name was Blue.
Yes, that Blue—the same one who held the title of Kanto Champion for less than a day before being dethroned by Red!
One of the greatest Pokémon breeders in history: Blue.
In this world ruled by Pokémon, nothing captures the public's attention more than powerful Pokémon—or the even rarer breed of powerful trainers.
These elite trainers are like living magnets, pulling everyone's gaze toward them. And the top-tier ones? Even more so.
Naturally, in regions outside Paldea, Blue's influence eclipsed Iono's by miles.
But just a few months ago, while busy raising new Pokémon, Blue stumbled across one of Iono's livestreams.
Now, Blue was nothing if not proud. He would never stoop to being a "weeb," let alone a "simp." He usually held these anime-style VTuber streams in utter contempt.
And yet… he found himself captivated—not by Iono, but by the unique Pokémon of the Paldea region she showcased.
To someone like him, new and unfamiliar species of Pokémon were simply irresistible.
From then on, he watched her streams every single day for months. Subscribed to her channel. Bought a mountain of Iono-themed merchandise. Subscribed to a few other female streamers while he was at it.
And when he bought that merch? He even requested Iono's signature on it.
Not that he was simping! No way! He just wanted to maximize the value for money on his purchase!
Blue was sure that anyone would've done the same in his shoes. It was perfectly reasonable behavior.
And today, after nervously finishing Iono's latest stream, he promptly shared a clipped highlight to his own social media.
The title?
"A New Breed of Delibird and a Human Who Uses Pokémon Moves?!"
To Blue, this was a golden opportunity.
It wasn't just a chance to promote Iono's channel—it also let him preserve his own image. He wasn't a simp—he was just showcasing some rare Pokémon and an intriguing incident in Paldea!
From the public's perspective, it was nothing more than a seasoned trainer spotlighting a bizarre event and an unusual Pokémon in the region. Totally innocent!
But, truthfully, Blue had another motive beyond promoting a "high-quality educational Pokémon livestream."
He wanted to challenge Haru to a battle—and use that chance to thoroughly beat the crap out of the pervert who'd stolen a girl's underwear!
To be fair, Blue didn't see Iono in a romantic way. If anything, he thought of her like a little sister he'd never met.
But… maybe it was his competitive spirit flaring up. Or maybe it was something else he couldn't even explain.
Whatever it was, the proud Blue badly wanted to battle that mysterious man. A Pokémon battle under the public eye, with the whole world watching.
Of course, as a Champion-level trainer, he couldn't just roll in with his main team and crush the guy—that'd look like he was smurfing.
So his plan was to raise a new team from scratch and schedule a battle with Haru in the future. That way, it'd be fair.
But before throwing down the gauntlet, he wanted to make sure the world knew who his opponent would be. After all, beating a nobody didn't have much publicity value.
As for whether Haru would even accept the challenge?
Blue never gave it a second thought.
Who would refuse the honor of battling a Champion? That weird guy would definitely show up.
Or so he thought.
Because just five minutes after he made his announcement online… he got a message from Red.
"…"
"What are you doing?"
Far away, training on Mt. Silver, Red couldn't make sense of his rival's antics.
Blue, the proud Champion-level trainer, was… smurfing? Openly?!
The man in the video hadn't even shown much strength. The only confirmed thing was that his "Moonblast" was pretty powerful—hardly proof of overwhelming ability.
As for the fact that he could use Pokémon moves? Well, Red had seen it all in his time, and after a little thought, he figured it out.
Clearly, it was a ghost-type Pokémon that had possessed the guy. That was why he could use moves—it wasn't him. The Pokémon was doing all the work, and the man was just a decoy.
So… how strong could a guy like that actually be?
To Red, Blue issuing a challenge to someone like that was bullying.
Yes, even if Blue used a freshly raised team, Red still saw it as smurfing.
Red was confident he was unbeatable in battle—but he never underestimated Blue's breeding prowess.
So… what the hell was Blue trying to pull now?
"Ah… well…"
For once, Blue was caught off guard and didn't know what to say.
Was he really going to admit he got worked up over a female streamer and just wanted to vent?
And it wasn't just Red. Far away in Paldea, Iono herself had received a message from Blue—and she was equally stunned.
What was Blue thinking?
She'd just returned to the surface and had been busy handling the fallout from the giant crater incident—not to mention clearing up the misunderstanding about her relationship with Haru.
But now Blue's challenge had stirred up everything again and made it ten times more complicated…
Still… maybe she could spin this into another excuse to bait Haru into a trap.