In the past few months, the Sinnoh region, which had been peaceful for a long time, experienced several major events.
The first was that a young rookie Trainer successfully dominated the Lily of the Valley Conference and passed the Victory Road assessment.
This meant that after several years of vacancy, the Sinnoh region finally welcomed a new Champion, injecting fresh vitality into the Sinnoh League.
The name of this Champion was—
Cynthia.
And the next two major events were also related to this young Champion.
With the selection of the Sinnoh Champion, the aging Elite Four no longer had to struggle to hold their positions. Three of them retired all at once.
If not for concerns about leaving the League entirely in the hands of inexperienced newcomers, perhaps even the Ground-type Elite, Grandma Bertha, would have retired as well…
The retirement of Elites wasn't particularly noteworthy.
But with three vacancies at once, selecting replacements became an especially daunting task.
This responsibility naturally fell on the shoulders of the new Champion.
Sinnoh Region, Pokémon League.
"Boom—!"
An explosion echoed from the battlefield behind the League building.
"Kraaaw—!"
Its rough, spiky-skinned dragon tail slapping against the ground with resounding cracks.
Garchomp roared to the sky, its voice carrying a chilling intimidation.
Before it, the battered Gallade knelt on one knee, its sharp eyes refusing to give up but filled with reluctant despair.
How could this thing be so monstrously strong?
Exhausting every ounce of strength, yet unable to win…
With that thought, Gallade's eyes rolled back, and it collapsed unconscious.
"The battle is over!"
"The score is 6:2. Champion Cynthia wins!"
A referee wearing a safety helmet waved his flag, delivering the verdict of the match.
Behind Gallade, a young man with light blue hair sighed helplessly.
"I lost."
He looked across the field. Behind Garchomp, a woman dressed in a black trench coat, her golden hair flowing in the wind, stood with her arms crossed.
She seemed to be scrutinizing him.
Ignoring the pink lollipop in Cynthia's hand, she still appeared exceptionally heroic and poised.
They were peers, yet why could he only barely defeat two of her Pokémon despite giving his all?
Lucian felt a surge of despair but maintained his composure.
"Thank you for your guidance, Champion Cynthia."
Lucian bowed deeply to Cynthia.
"Next year, please continue to guide me."
"?"
Hearing his words, the previously stern-looking Cynthia blinked and instinctively tilted her head.
"But you've already passed? Do Psychic-types really care so much about appearances? Even bowing at 90 degrees, his hair didn't move at all…"
"Remember to report to the Pokémon League tomorrow, along with Flint and Aaron."
After saying this, Cynthia calmly recalled Garchomp into its Poké Ball and walked away without looking back, leaving Lucian stunned.
"This… Is this… alright?"
Lucian stood frozen in place.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that even after such a crushing defeat, he could still pass the Elite Four assessment?
"Don't worry. With your strength, being an Elite is more than sufficient."
Seeing this, Grandma Bertha, who had been silently observing the battle, stepped forward and patted Lucian, whose confidence seemed to have shattered.
"To be honest, when little Cynthia challenged the Victory Road, the previous Elite Four combined only managed to defeat two of her main Pokémon."
---
Late Night.
Sinnoh Region, Celestic Town.
"Haa—"
Garchomp, carrying the golden-haired beauty, slowly descended in front of the villa. Sitting on its back, Cynthia yawned quietly.
"So tired…"
Entering the villa, Cynthia sat on the couch, staring blankly at the pitch-black screen.
After many days, the arduous task of selecting new Elites had finally come to an end. The three Trainers chosen were young like her, but at least their strength was commendable.
With Grandma Bertha's guidance, they should quickly adapt to their roles as Elites.
For the next while, she should finally be able to relax.
But even though it was a long-awaited vacation, she had no idea what to do.
She couldn't even muster the energy to open the games she had been longing for day and night…
Sighing, Cynthia loosely tied her waist-length hair and picked up the phone on the table.
Raised by her grandmother, Cynthia was a traditional Mythology Scholar, with her role as Sinnoh Champion being more of a side gig. She rarely used her phone.
So, unsurprisingly, she had forgotten it at home when heading to the Pokémon League this time.
Still, when extremely bored, she would occasionally open PokéTV to watch Professor Oak's Breeding House series or check for updates on archaeological excavations in other regions.
However, this time, something seemed different when she unlocked her phone.
In the center of the locked screen, a message from Navigator caught her eye.
[Aiden: Sorry I haven't replied until now. I'm feeling much better.
The Gym my parents left behind is a precious treasure to me, so if possible, I'd like to try continuing to run the Sunshine Gym.
Also, congratulations on becoming the Sinnoh Champion!]
Aiden?
Receiving a message from her childhood friend, whom she had almost lost contact with for half a year, Cynthia's pupils contracted slightly, and her lips unconsciously curled into a wide smile.
Even the fatigue accumulated from days of work seemed to dissipate.
Though the message arrived a bit late, Cynthia was genuinely happy to learn that Aiden had emerged from his grief.
Such misfortune required immense courage to overcome.
If she hadn't been so busy these past few months after becoming Champion, she might have already rushed to Paldea to bring Aiden back to Celestic Town for recovery.
Now, it seemed he didn't need her help?
Cynthia smiled faintly and slowly tapped out two lines of text.
[Cynthia: It's okay. I'm glad you've pulled yourself together.
I remember the Sunshine Gym is in Cabo Poco, Paldea, right?]
Since she had some free time these days, why not go and check on Aiden's condition?
Running a Gym alone must not be easy. Should she offer some help within her means?
She remembered there was a fairly strong Riolu in Grandma's lab?
Waiting for Aiden's reply, Cynthia absentmindedly opened PokéTV.
The first video on the homepage immediately caught her attention.
"Steven shared this video? And this username…"
Azure Feather.
Cynthia's eyebrows shot up, and she instinctively clicked on it.
"Hello, everyone. I'm a new streamer, Azure Feather."
The familiar voice, though slightly changed, was instantly recognizable.
It was Aiden!
Was he trying to quickly regain popularity because the Gym had been abandoned for too long?
Cynthia instantly understood Aiden's intentions.
But after watching the two videos he had posted, she suddenly realized she didn't quite recognize her childhood friend anymore.
Had Aiden become this skilled in just five years?
Then again, she herself had risen from a rookie Trainer to a Regional Champion. It was only natural for Aiden to grow into a competent Gym Leader.
After finishing the videos, noticing Aiden was live-streaming, Cynthia entered the stream with great curiosity.
"Although Garchomp can't learn Dragon Dance, far less noble than our Maushold who can perform Mouse Dance, it's still very useful~"
Just as she entered, she heard Aiden making jokes about Garchomp.
And it was one of the top three most hated insults according to Garchomp.
Cynthia instinctively glanced at the living room.
Fortunately, the intense battles over the past few days had clearly exhausted Garchomp. It was now sleeping soundly, hugging a Snorlax plushie.
It hadn't heard the voice coming from the phone.
Suppressing her laughter, Cynthia slowly typed out a message in the live chat.
Before sending, she checked the option for a paid message, maxing out the amount to make it a dazzling gold.
[Mythology Scholar Cynthia: If Garchomp heard that, it would probably be very angry, right? (/facepalm laugh)]
If it were Aiden, her appearance in his live stream should bring some popularity, right?
Cynthia's reasoning wasn't wrong.
However, Aiden was now sweating profusely.
(T/N: Bro's probably shitting bricks)
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