Cynthia, dressed in her signature black coat, walked aimlessly through the streets of Hau'oli City.
Her beautiful face looked into the distance as the warm sea breeze blew steadily—soft as the gentlest lover's hand brushing through her bangs, lingering just long enough to feel real.
Alola was truly beautiful—an endless blue sea, a clear and clean sky, and the sounds of happy, joyful laughter echoing in her ears.
The city seemed to embody this spirit: no pressure, no fatigue, no dullness. Ease and happiness were its main themes.
If she had come here to relax during normal times, Cynthia felt she would have easily immersed herself in the city's atmosphere.
But…
This time was different.
"Caitlin…"
Cynthia pursed her lips tightly. Even though she was Sinnoh's Champion and the top trainer in her region, she still felt that thin, nasty thread of panic pulling at her chest. Titles didn't help with this. Not even a little.
Because it wasn't a League problem.
It was her friend.
The change in Caitlin was so intense, even though they had been so close before—close enough that Cynthia had once thought of her like family.
After that previous phone call, Cynthia had only been somewhat anxious. Uneasy. Restless.
But the information sent from Alola had made it impossible for her to sit still.
Caitlin had actually become a member of an evil organization? How could this be…
How did things end up like this?
Beep beep beep…
Abruptly, Cynthia's phone began to ring. She glanced at it, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. It was a message from Professor Kukui.
And it was a distress signal?
Cynthia's confusion lasted only a heartbeat before her mind snapped into place.
Team Rocket.
Could they have run into Team Rocket?
She put away her phone, hurried out of the city area, and released Garchomp. The moment the Dragon-type landed, it lunged forward—fast,—carrying Cynthia toward the location Kukui had sent as if the wind itself couldn't keep up.
…
"Hydro Pump!"
"Dodge it!"
At Ten Carat Hill, the battle was still ongoing.
Amid Professor Kukui's frantic shouts, his originally agile Lycanroc finally made a mistake from the constant dodging—half a step too slow, one angle misread through exhaustion—and Tapu Fini's Hydro Pump hit cleanly.
BOOM!
Kukui's Midday Form Lycanroc was blasted through the air and slammed into the ground, skidding hard before going still, unable to get back up for a moment.
"Is this all you've got, Professor Kukui?"
Damian curled his lip into a grin, while small sparks of green light continuously drifted from his hand into Tapu Fini's body.
The Viridian Power was healing Tapu Fini's injuries and smoothing down the mental fatigue from the prolonged battle—quiet, constant, and maddeningly effective.
Tapu Fini, who had been looking a bit weary, was once again filled with spirit and vigor, her posture tightening like a blade pulled fresh from its sheath.
Tapu Fini was feeling incredibly confident—she could take on ten more!!
"…"
Kukui's expression was heavy. He stared with furrowed brows at the powerful Tapu Fini across from him. The injuries they had fought so hard to carve out during the battle had been erased again—like their effort had been washed away and laughed at.
On his side, Magnezone and Braviary had already been defeated, Incineroar was injured, and Lycanroc had just been heavily damaged.
Tapu Fini…
"Cat got your tongue?" Damian asked with a smile, leaning into the insult like it was a hobby. "Weren't you going to beat me and 'rescue' Tapu Fini?"
"Dammit! Using your ability to constantly support Tapu Fini is too despicable!" Olivia couldn't help but shout, anger cracking through her voice.
"Despicable?" Damian truly couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud at those words.
"Hahaha! That's hilarious. Olivia, I really didn't expect to hear something like that from your mouth."
Damian was highly amused. After he finished laughing, he mocked her without any politeness, like he was peeling the dignity off her one strip at a time.
"This isn't some fair competition in an arena. Besides, from start to finish, I've only used Tapu Fini."
"When it comes down to it, you can't even get past Tapu Fini. Your weakness is truly pitiable."
Damian taunted her. He even wondered if Olivia had water on the brain.
This wasn't a formal match; was he supposed to be forbidden from using his Viridian Power?
He had already held back enough by only using Tapu Fini to face Kukui.
"Moreover, speaking of 'despicable,' doesn't Olivia count as despicable for using a Pokémon to launch a sneak attack? I certainly can't compare to you."
Damian added another stinging remark with a sarcastic tone—pleasant, sharp, and aimed right for the ribs.
Just moments ago, seemingly realizing that taking down Tapu Fini through a direct battle was no easy task, Olivia had quietly released a Cradily in an attempt to capture Damian himself.
Unfortunately, the Cradily was instantly sent into a deep "sleep" by a Shadow Ball from the "Grey Fatty" who always lived in Damian's shadow.
When traveling abroad, one must naturally prioritize their own safety. This was why Damian always kept his Shiny Gengar in his shadow.
The moment the opponent stopped acting honorably—like Olivia trying to kidnap the trainer directly—the Shiny Gengar could provide an immediate countermeasure.
Olivia's face was dark with rage, her chest heaving rapidly again, like she was trying to swallow down a fire that refused to go out.
Kukui's expression was somber. He truly hadn't expected to fall to such a state one day.
To be unable to defeat even one of the opponent's main Pokémon, especially in a two-on-one situation.
"Damian, I think we can have a proper talk."
Kukui's expression shifted between dark and uncertain before he spoke up hesitantly.
He couldn't win. He truly couldn't win.
"Kukui…" Olivia's face changed drastically.
But Kukui simply waved his hand at her, signaling for her to stay quiet.
Kukui glanced at the other two battlefields. Unexpectedly, despite having a total type advantage, Nanu was clearly fighting a very difficult battle—his whole posture screaming this is a pain in the neck.
Kukui could tell that Caitlin was in a state of ease, and she was even keeping an eye on Damian's side, as if she had spare attention left over.
On the contrary, Hala was in a fierce battle with Proton, and from the look of things, he seemed to have a slight upper hand.
This Team Rocket executive named Proton wasn't particularly strong.
But it was useless. In this trio of opponents, the most important and critical person was the leader named Damian.
"Oh?"
Damian looked at Kukui with interest, waiting for him to continue.
He was curious about what Kukui wanted to discuss with him.
However, just then, a domineering roar echoed from the horizon. A deep blue Pokémon charged toward them at high speed, hit the ground hard, and kicked up a rolling cloud of dust and sand that washed over the battlefield.
The attention of everyone present was immediately drawn to it.
The sound of footsteps slowly approached as a tall woman with blonde hair and an elegant presence walked out, followed closely by a fierce and domineering Garchomp.
"Champion Cynthia!"
A look of joy appeared on the faces of Kukui and his group. Especially Kukui—Champion Cynthia, you've finally arrived!
"Cynthia…"
Caitlin's face carried a hint of complexity. Her gaze was so tangled it could've been turned into a pie chart—dread, guilt, relief, stubbornness, and something softer underneath that didn't want to be named.
She could roughly guess why Cynthia had appeared in the Alola region.
"Things are getting interesting."
The corners of Damian's mouth curled up even higher as he looked the woman who had conquered Sinnoh—and the Garchomp behind her—up and down, like he was appraising a rare opponent.
"Caitlin."
Cynthia's gaze quickly swept over everyone present before finally landing on Caitlin.
"Caitlin, don't you have anything you want to say to me?"