"Togepi!"
"Toge–kiss!"
Late that night on the first floor of the villa, Togetic and Togekiss sat across from each other, chirping excitedly with bright, sparkling eyes.
With Steven and Phoebe moved up to the second floor, the entire first floor now belonged to the two Fairy birds.
Cynthia's eyes glowed.
"So this is Togekiss…? It's really adorable."
Chen Shi glanced at her Togetic—and froze.
Not only had her Togetic evolved, it had shot straight to mid-Elite, and its potential had risen to quasi-Champion.
This was the same little Togepi he'd given her barely two months ago.
What on earth had Cynthia been feeding it?
At this rate, it could evolve into Togekiss any day now with a Shiny Stone.
He smiled warmly.
"Looks like your Togetic is nearly ready too. You'll have your own Togekiss very soon."
Toge!!
Togetic's eyes glittered as it looked up at Cynthia with pure excitement.
Most Pokémon were born with a natural desire to evolve—except a few stubborn species like Pikachu or Piplup. And seeing a fully evolved member of its species right in front of it only made Togetic more eager.
Cynthia gently rubbed its head.
"No rush. Adapt to your new strength a bit more first. Then we'll evolve you with a Shiny Stone."
Togetic nodded happily.
Soon, both trainers released their full teams to prepare dinner.
Dragapult and Garchomp greeted each other like old friends, entirely unfazed by the long separation.
This was Cynthia's full roster:
Garchomp — Quasi-Elite (Mid)
Lucario — Quasi-Elite (Early)
Milotic — Quasi-Elite (Early)
Glaceon — Quasi-Elite (Early)
Spiritomb — Gym Peak
Gastrodon — Gym Peak
As expected of the future Sinnoh Champion—her training was impeccable.
But Cynthia herself was far more shocked.
Her eyes wandered from Charizard… to Metagross… to Florges… to Leafeon… then froze.
Wait.
Back in Fallarbor Town, weren't most of Chen Shi's partners only mid-level…?
Now almost every single one of them was at Gym Peak.
Her mind buzzed.
Just what kind of training method is he using?!
She stared harder, eyes growing hotter.
Chen Shi shivered.
He felt that gaze.
He knew that gaze.
Not romance.
Not affection.
Battle mania.
During their first journey together, Cynthia challenged him nonstop until his Swampert finally matured and won more often than not.
But once her Lucario and Garchomp hit their stride, he began losing—and refused to battle her again.
Now that familiar dangerous light had returned.
Chen Shi instantly changed the subject.
"Uh—Garchomp, it's been a while. Want a massage?"
Immediately—
Garchomp, Lucario, Glaceon, and Milotic all snapped toward him, eyes shining, and charged over.
Spiritomb and Gastrodon stayed back—they didn't know him well enough yet.
"Garuuu!"
"Luca!"
"Mii-noo!"
"Glaaace!"
The four swarmed him, but Garchomp moved quickest, claiming the prime spot first and flopping down with practiced entitlement.
The other three glared murderously at it.
If looks could kill, Garchomp would've been served as dragon sashimi.
Chen Shi chuckled helplessly.
"Don't worry, you'll all get turns. Let Garchomp go first."
The others grudgingly backed away, still shooting death glares.
Chen Shi knelt beside Garchomp and began massaging its tight muscles.
Garchomp rumbled contentedly, occasionally munching on energy cubes.
Chen Shi asked softly,
"By the way, did you keep the things I gave you?"
Cynthia nodded.
"I kept everything. Don't worry."
"Good. Keep them close. They might come in handy during the Championship."
He kept massaging, but his thoughts drifted to one unfortunate truth:
Most Mega Evolutions strengthened their Pokémon in every way.
Except one.
Mega Garchomp.
The first dragon in history…
…to have its Mega form slow down.
The world's first "reverse evolution."
Poor guy—already unable to learn Dragon Dance, already a meme among trainers…
And now even his Mega form tanked its Speed.
Meanwhile every other Ground/Dragon from Flygon to Zygarde learned Dragon Dance effortlessly.
Chen Shi suddenly burst into laughter.
Cynthia frowned.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Just thought of something amusing. You'll understand one day."
She stared at him suspiciously.
Chen Shi always looked like he knew far more than he let on.
And she knew if she pressed him, he wouldn't answer anyway.
She quietly added one more mark on her mental list titled:
Reasons to Beat Chen Shi Up on the Arena
Then she asked:
"Togetic learned some unfamiliar moves… Is that the 'eighteenth type' you mentioned?"
"And Garchomp really dislikes that strange energy inside Togetic. Is that because the new type counters Dragon?"
Chen Shi blinked—surprised she'd noticed that much.
"Yes. I call it the Fairy type. It counters Dragon, Dark, and Fighting."
"As for Togetic—now Togekiss—it's Fairy/Flying, so it's weak to Poison, Electric, Steel, Rock, and Ice."
Cynthia nodded slowly… then narrowed her eyes.
"You're awfully relaxed telling me all this."
Chen Shi smiled faintly.
"Because it's almost time to reveal it to the world."
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