After saying goodbye to Ecruteak City, we started making our way to Olivine City.

"Era, can you send me the pictures you took of Ho-Oh?" Rina asked suddenly, "I'd love to get the chance to design my own clothes inspired by Ho-Oh."

"Sure thing," I said, pulling out my phone, "I'll do it now."

Selecting the best pictures, I sent them to Rina. The pink-haired girl pulled out her phone and smiled.

"Got 'em! Thanks a lot!" she said.

"Anytime!" I said with a smile.

While we were walking, Libby hopped off my shoulder and sniffed the air.

"What is it, Libbs?" I asked.

My partner let out a cry as she pointed forward. Crying out once more, my Eevee sprinted down the dirt road.

"H-Hey! Libby, wait up!" I called out, chasing after her.

The others followed suit as we chased after my Eevee.

She's always running off when she smells something intriguing. What could it be this time?

When we came to the top of a hill, we saw Libby bouncing in front of us, happily crying out.

"What is it, girl?" I asked, picking her up.

I looked up from my partner, and my eyes widened. A large metropolis stood before us with a vast body of water beyond it.

"Libby must've been smelling the salt water from the sea." Eric said.

"And she led us to Olivine City!" I said, "Great work, Libbs!"

Libby let out a cry as she wagged her tail. Placing my partner on my shoulder, the others and I walked down the hill to Olivine City's entrance. Upon entering the city, the smell of the sea became very strong.

Wow! The smell reminds me of the sea back home!

"This place is incredible!" Nina exclaimed, "We're so close to the sea, too!"

"What's even here to check out?" Elsu asked.

I hummed as I pulled out my phone.

"Well, we can check out the lighthouse powered by an Ampharos," I began.

"That sounds pretty cool!" Kat said.

"There's also the Battle Tower."

"Battle Tower?" Eric parroted, "What's that about?"

"Exactly as it sounds, I would assume." Nina said, sarcasm poisoning her words.

Eric playfully glared at the redhead before rolling his eyes fondly.

"Well, as its name suggests, it's a tower where you can battle your way to the top," I explained, "Once you reach the top, you'll battle the Master of the Tower to claim their title."

"That sounds like fun!" Rina said, "Let's try it out!"

"I'm game!" Eric said.

"Count us in!" Elsu, at, and Nina said.

Libby, Angel, and Snubbull smiled as they let out cheer-filled cries.

"Alright! To the Battle Tower, we go!" I said.

Sharing a nod, we weaved through Olivine's streets as we looked for the battle tower. I craned my head back, and my eyes widened at a tall silver and blue building.

That must be Battle Tower!

"Hey guys, I think that's it up ahead!" I said, pointing at the tall building.

"I'd be more surprised if that weren't it," Elsu joked, "Come on, time's a-wastin'!"

We smiled at the native before following him towards Battle Tower. Inevitably, my eyes scaled the tall tower, and my smile grew.

This is going to be fun!

When we arrived at the Battle Tower, the two security guards posted by the door stopped us.

"Sorry, kids," the female guard said, "You can only enter with Olivine City's gym badge."

"Gym badge?" Kat parroted, "We didn't know that."

"Rules are rules," said the male guard, "We don't make them."

There goes trying out the Battle Tower...

"Wait. Hold on a second," said the male guard, "Are you... Rina? As in Yelena's apprentice Rina?"

We quizzically gazed at the two security guards before glancing at Rina.

"Yeah, I am." Rina said.

"And you," said the female guard, pointing at me, "You're the granddaughter of Elise, right?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, "That's me."

"I thought it was you. Now hearing your voice, you sound exactly how you did on Poké Talk Radio."

"And you four are Rina's models, right?" asked the other guard.

"We sure are!" Elsu said.

The two guards glanced at one another and shared a nod.

"Well, with celebrities like you six, how can we not let you enter the Battle Tower?" asked the male guard.

The two security guards stepped away from the door and opened it.

"Come on in, kids!" said the female guard, "And have fun!"

The others looked at each other in disbelief. We thanked the security guards and marveled at the spacious foyer.

Wow! I never imagined this place to be so big!

The six of us walked up to the receptionist, and the gentleman smiled.

"Welcome to the Battle Tower!" he said, "Here, you will compete against other contestants to make your way to the top. Towards the end, you will start battling one another, and whichever trainer is left standing will have the chance to fight the Master of the Tower and try to claim her title. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" the others and I said.

"Wonderful! You are allowed to use up to three Pokémon. You can use the phones to call and swap out your Pokémon to ones you want to register."

Humming in thought, I walked over to the phone and quickly called my grandmother.

"Eragona, dear! Hello!" Grandma Eli said, "What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Grandma Eli!" I said, "Can you send over Ajax, my Sceptile, please? I'll be sending over Kaiba."

"Sure thing!"

I drew my Pokéball and smiled down at it.

"We won't be apart long, Kaiba." I said.

Breathing out, I placed the Pokéball on the small platform in front of me. It was then caged in bright green static, disappearing a second after.

"Got them!" Grandma Eli said.

"And I got Ajax," I said, "Thanks so much, Grandma Eli."

"Don't mention it. Remember, whatever you need, call me."

I nodded with a bright smile on my face. After Libby and I said goodbye, we met at the receptionist's desk with the others.

"So, do you know what Pokémon you want to register?" the receptionist asked.

"Sure do!" Kat said, "My Sylveon, Goodra, and Chikorita."

"My Samurott, Escavalier, and Totodile." Eric said.

"I'll register my Yanmega, Scolipede, and Fletchinder." Elsu said.

"My Garchomp, Charizard, and Sceptile." I said.

"My Snubbull, Jumpluff, and Cyndaquil." Rina said.

"And I'll register my Mawile, Clefable, and Floette." Nina said.

When the man finished typing on his computer, he smiled at us.

"Alright, you're all set, and just in time," he said, "There are six unoccupied elevators that will lead you to each opposing competitor. The winner of each match will proceed to the next elevator in the match room. Good luck, kids!"

After thanking the receptionist, the six of us went to the many elevators. After finding the unoccupied ones, mine opened, and I stepped inside. When the doors closed, I felt myself ascend.

I wonder who my first opponent will be.

When the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and I saw my first opponent. She had copper skin, silver eyes, and black hair. She wore a black suit with black glasses.

"Finally," she said, "I was getting bored."

I stepped onto the battlefield, and a referee showed up.

"This battle will be a one-on-one," the referee said, "The winner will advance to the next level of the Battle Tower. Now, battle begin!"

"Ajax, I choose you!" I said, throwing out a Pokéball.

"Araquanid, let's do this!" said my opponent.

At once, our Pokémon appeared. I took out my Pokédex and scanned the spider-like Pokémon.

"Araquanid, the Water Bubble Pokémon. It delivers headbutts with the water bubble on its head. Small Pokémon get sucked into the bubble, where they drown. Despite what its appearance suggests, it cares for others. If it finds vulnerable, weak Pokémon, it protectively brings them into its water bubble."

It says here that Araquanid is a Water/Bug-type. While Ajax is weak to Bug-types, he's good against Water-types. This battle can certainly go two ways.

"Araquanid, use Signal Beam!" my opponent cried.

The Araquanid growled before launching a sinister beam of light at Ajax.

"Block using Leaf Blade!" I said.

As Ajax crossed its arms, the leaves on its wrists started glowing green. When the attack drew near, Ajax blocked the super-effective attack from hitting.

"Leaf Blade, once more!" I cried.

Ajax cried out as its leaves started glowing again. My Sceptile them sprinted up to the Water Bubble Pokémon with amazing speed.

"Counter with X-Scissor!" my opponent cried.

The Araquanid cried out as its two front legs started glowing lime green. The Water Bubble Pokémon held its front legs and countered Ajax's Leaf Blade.

"Now, use Poison Jab!" my opponent said.

The Araquanid cried out as one of its front legs turned purple. Then, it thrust its leg at Ajax, causing him to stumble backward.

"Ajax!" I cried.

My Sceptile groaned as his face started turning purple.

Oh, no. He got poisoned! This isn't good!

"Ajax, are you okay?" I asked.

The Forest Pokémon growled before letting out a mighty cry.

"Atta-boy, Ajax!" I said, "Now, use Dragon Pulse!" I said.

Ajax cried out as it launched a multicolored shock wave at the Araquanid.

"Liquidation!" my opponent cried.

The Araquanid obeyed and cloaked itself with water. It then rammed itself through the Dragon Pulse and into Ajax, sending him back.

"Ajax!" I cried.

My Sceptlie staggered as it rose to its feet, only to crumble when the poison drained more of his energy.

We have to put an end to this, and fast!

When I looked at the Araquanid, I watched as it rocked from side to side.

The tips of its legs must be a weak point. If I can knock it off balance, we might have a chance!

"Ajax, can you stand?" I asked.

My Sceptile growled as he forced himself to stand.

"Your Secptile is strong, kid, but it's no match for my Araquanid," my opponent said, "Signal Beam!"

The Water Bubble Pokémon cried out as it launched another sinister light beam.

"Counter with Dragon Pulse!" I said.

Ajax obeyed and fired another multicolored shock wave, canceling the Signal Beam.

"Aim and use Leaf Blade at the tip of its legs!" I cried.

When Ajax crossed his arms, the leaves o his wrist started glowing green. Using his speed, Ajax sped over to the Araquanid, catching the Araquanid and its trainer off guard.

"H-How is it so fast?" my opponent questioned.

Before the Araquanid could react, Ajax swept its arms under the opposing Pokémon and caused it to fall over on its back.

"Quick, use Leaf Storm!" I cried.

Sceptile cried out as a storm of leaves surrounded its tail. My Sceptile jumped up and slammed its tail on top of the Water Bubble Pokémon, landing a critical hit. When the dust cleared, the Araquanid was left unconscious.

"Araquanid is unable to battle," the referee claimed, "The winner is Sceptile!"

I smiled as I ran up to my Sceptile, only to throw my arms around him.

"Way to go, Ajax!" I exclaimed.

Libby hopped on Ajax's shoulder and let out a happy cry. Ajax panted with a tired cry. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a Lum Berry and handed it to my poisoned partner.

"Eat up, Ajax," I said, "It'll cure the poison."

Ajax groaned as it ate the berry from my hand. In an instant, the purple on his face disappeared. I then handed my Sceptile a Sitrus Berry.

"Here." I said.

Ajax smiled and ate the berry gladly. I retracted my partner as I walked over to my opponent.

"You were very strong," I said, extending my hand, "Thanks for the battle."

My opponent scoffed and turned away from me.

"You got lucky, kid..." she muttered.

She retracted her Araquanid and walked away from me.

Guess she doesn't like to lose...

Shrugging away the thought, I walked into my elevator and watched as the silver doors closed. The elevator soon started rising.

I hope the others are advancing well.

When the elevator stopped, my second opponent was at the other end of the battlefield. He had dark skin, blonde hair, and green eyes. He wore a white tank top, dark green pants, and brown combat boots.

"Welcome, kid," he said, "Let's put on a show."

I smiled as I stepped onto the battlefield.

Alright, let's snag another win!