"We're finally leaving… what a shame, there are still so many places I haven't visited," Mark said wistfully in the airport lounge at Lily of the Valley Airport.
"Next time, if there's a chance," Joseph replied absentmindedly while typing.
"Joseph, I saw you writing something all night yesterday. What were you working on?" Mark leaned over, looked at the title on the screen, and instantly felt overwhelmed.
"…A Brief Discussion… on the Eight Effects of Proficiency… on Move Power… and Usage…?" Mark read it word for word, then thought, 'Okay, I shouldn't have asked,' and quickly pulled his head back.
'Eight effects? I couldn't even make that up!'
"Have you decided what you're going to say at the opening ceremony?" Sato was also drawn in at this point, asking with some curiosity.
"There's no speech slot for me at the Pokémon Breeders Association's opening ceremony. That's just for the post-event presentations. It's more like they invited us to give a public lecture to fill out the three-day schedule."
He said it lightly, but Sato and Mark could tell: Joseph was clearly in high spirits.
After all, large gatherings of Pokémon Breeders were rare. Most breeders spent their time researching alone, and opportunities to share and compare findings were few and far between.
What was more important was that Joseph, being in charge of breeding at the Shadownight Gym, was directly invited as a speaker, which was recognition in itself.
"With our Mama Joseph taking the stage, it's going to be an instant knockout~ He'll wipe the floor with them!" Mark started laying on the praise.
"It's not a competition. Breeders don't really have a peak period. Usually, the older they are, the deeper their knowledge and the stronger they get. I still have a long way to go."
Joseph grinned, but because it involved the public image of breeders, he took the rare step of seriously explaining a few things.
"Sigh…"
Suddenly, Mark let out a heavy sigh. Seeing both Sato and Joseph glance over, he dramatically declared, "I was supposed to be there in the audience cheering for Joseph, but when we get back, I have to oversee the Gym's new trainee selection trials. I really can't get away."
"…You're overthinking it," Sato muttered after a two-second pause, dismissing him with a cold chuckle.
Joseph also paused his typing and patted Mark on the shoulder with a smile. "Even if you wanted to come, I wouldn't let you~ If you fell asleep in the audience, you'd embarrass me."
"Boss, Joseph… how can you say things like that? I was being sincere…"
Mark's heart was warmed, but on the outside he put on a baby-faced pout and began muttering nonstop.
"Pfft~"
Suddenly, laughter interrupted Mark's clumsy performance. The three of them turned around in sync and saw a familiar friend standing right behind them.
"CYNTHIA! What are you doing here? Wait… what were you laughing at just now? Everything I said was true!" Mark was thrilled at first but quickly snapped into defense mode as soon as he realized.
"Just came to see you off. You're leaving without saying goodbye~?" Cynthia replied with a beaming smile. And right behind her, two more people appeared.
"MADE IT! We made it! It's all your fault, Volkner, you eat too slowly. We could've been here way earlier!"
Flint panted heavily as he complained, while Volkner just shook his head helplessly, the way someone might when indulging a friend. He didn't argue.
"You guys know each other?" Sato looked at Cynthia and the others, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He knew they'd be connected in the future, but he hadn't expected it to start so soon.
Or maybe it meant that Cynthia had officially joined the Sinnoh League, and her legendary rise was beginning.
"I was surprised you guys had traveled together too. When Miss Cynthia mentioned it, we thought it was just someone with the same name."
Flint also looked amazed. Considering Cynthia's powerful background and immense strength, even he treated her with a bit of caution, yet it turned out she had known Sato for a long time.
As expected, strong people attract strong friends. And that meant… he was one of them too.
'Yep, nothing wrong with that!'
"Fate brings people together. If you get the chance, come visit us in Shadownight Town, we'll personally show you around. You definitely won't be disappointed," Joseph said with a smile, extending the invitation.
"Absolutely! Just thinking about Joseph's cooking makes my mouth water!" Flint smacked his lips dramatically, making everyone laugh.
"…You joined the Investigators?" Sato finally found a moment to jump in, asking Cynthia directly.
"Yeah. Grandma knows a lot of people, it wasn't hard for her to get me in," Cynthia replied casually. With her strength, no one could complain even if she got in through connections.
"Rise a bit more slowly. Don't put too much pressure on others. Taking time to enjoy the scenery around you isn't so bad either," Sato advised.
"Let's just go with the flow. You know, sometimes when your strength speaks for itself, fame just follows whether you want it or not~" Cynthia winked mischievously as she spoke, her smile full of charm.
Sato chuckled in response. "Then I guess I'd better run faster. I'll be entering this year's Ace Tournament. Should boost my reputation a bit more…"
"AHA! I knew you'd join! Just wait, I'm taking my win back this time!"
Before Sato could even finish, Flint shouted in excitement, causing quite a few people nearby to turn and look.
"…Shut up," Volkner hooked an arm around Flint's neck and smoothly covered his mouth with his palm, clearly experienced at this.
But then Volkner turned to Sato as well. "I'm entering the tournament too. Don't think I haven't made progress."
"Looking forward to it," Sato nodded, then turned toward Cynthia. "You going?"
"Nope," Cynthia answered immediately. Then she added calmly, "My Garchomp is about to reach Elite Four level. There's no real point in entering an Ace level tournament."
Everyone: ...
Did you hear that?
"AAAARGH! Why did I ever make friends with you people?! Every one of you is a monster! We were supposed to be Sinnoh's Twin Stars!" Flint clutched his afro, looking completely devastated.
Even Volkner silently nodded for once, he looked tired too.
"It's not like I want to… but my strength won't let me say no," Cynthia shrugged, feigning helplessness.
At that moment, even Sato had the urge to jump up and hit someone.
You don't really notice when Cynthia's being normal… but when she starts teasing, she's even worse than a wild Clefairy!
[Dear passengers, the AG2020 flight from Lily of the Valley Island to Goldenrod City is now boarding…]
With the boarding announcement echoing through the terminal, the conversation came to an abrupt end.
"Time to go," Sato exhaled deeply. He gave everyone a nod, slung on his backpack, and headed straight for the boarding gate.
Mark and Joseph nodded back as well, quickly grabbing their bags and following.
"DON'T FORGET TO VISIT JOHTO!" Mark shouted loudly, clearly reluctant to part.
"ABSOLUTELY!" Flint waved in response.
And with that, their journey in Sinnoh came to a close.
Johto… we're coming home!
---
But just as Sato and the others boarded their plane, a mysterious figure stepped into the Shadownight Gym back in the Johto Region.
"Here to challenge the Gym? Please come this way to schedule an appointment."
"Just challenging the Gym…? Now where's the fun in that?"