Nearly half a month had passed since they returned from Kalos. Diancie had fully settled into life at the Manor, and its longing to explore the wider world left it curious about everything around it.
It spent its days either following Mingyou around or, when it couldn't find him, tagging along with Akari to school to sit in on classes. The students adored it, and it loved being there.
Mingyou, meanwhile, had been busy with his own affairs. Even Akari had trouble finding him. His winning streak into the Great Ball tier was drawing plenty of attention online.
Many Trainers were looking forward to his first public match. Whenever Mingyou battled, you could accuse him of fighting dirty and bullying his opponents, but you could never say it was boring.
Mingyou had no plans to battle again just yet, though. Anyone hoping to watch a stream over dinner would have to wait...
With this year's Pokémon World Championships well into its second half, the competition had grown fiercer. Almost every day brought a thrilling Great Ball tier battle in the public matches.
Mingyou wasn't the only competitor drawing attention. The captain of the Investigation Squad had turned heads too. Though still a student at Naranja Academy, she had nearly steamrolled her way from Poké Ball Class to seventeenth place in the Great Ball tier!
And today, she had another match...
It was the weekend, so school was out.
Akari was passing the time at Turnip Studio. At least Penny was there to talk to. She was more curious about what Mingyou had been up to lately, but Penny kept changing the subject, and Mingyou was nowhere to be found.
She didn't suspect Mingyou of anything. She had a vague feeling he'd gotten into trouble again and didn't want her to