Hearthome City.
This city embodied harmony between Pokémon and humans, consistently voted the most livable city in the Sinnoh region for many consecutive years.
On his way to meet Cynthia, Wayne experienced firsthand just how livable this city truly was.
The roads stretched smooth and clean, and he encountered numerous young mothers with small children, baby strollers visible everywhere.
Hearthome City housed a Ghost-type Gym led by Gym Leader Fantina.
However, Wayne didn't plan to challenge the Gym. It was closed for the day anyway.
He headed straight for Hearthome City's Super Contest Hall.
The battle between Cynthia and Wallace would take place there.
Super Contest Hall.
Even standing outside, Wayne could hear thunderous cheers from within.
"Fantina! Fantina!"
Before Cynthia and Wallace's battle, the current match featured Fantina versus Brock, the rock-solid man from the Kanto region who was tougher than steel itself.
The Master League offered generous prize money, and Brock had chosen to participate specifically for those funds. He had a large family to support, after all.
"Besides, Forrest has grown up and is more than capable of managing the Pewter Gym."
Those were Brock's exact words in their group chat.
Wayne, wearing black sunglasses, dialed Cynthia's number. "I'm at the venue, but I can't get in at the entrance."
"I'm getting my makeup done. Just wait at the entrance—a staff member will come find you."
Hearing the staff member ask if there was a photo of Wayne, Cynthia paused thoughtfully.
"A photo? I don't think I have one. Sorry to trouble you, but he should be very easy to recognize. He'll be the first person you notice in the crowd."
Soon, a staff member approached Wayne with a gilded black card.
"You must be Mr. Wayne?"
"Yes."
Wayne accepted the gilded black card.
This was Cynthia's exclusive pass, granting access to all venues and battle facilities across various regions, including the Battle Frontier.
In reality, though, Cynthia could simply use her reputation.
This card was practically useless to her.
The staff member couldn't help muttering, "He really is easy to recognize."
Wayne looked puzzled. "What?"
The staff member, adjusting his cap, smiled. "Champion Cynthia said you'd be the first person spotted in the crowd."
Wayne scratched his head. "That's an exaggeration."
The staff member glanced at Wayne, then at Cynthia's exclusive card. "Not really an exaggeration."
"Thank you for your help."
The staff member adjusted his cap again. "Please follow me."
The staff member led Wayne through the VIP passage to an exclusive private box.
This was a private box reserved for Elite Four members and Champions, offering a panoramic view of the entire arena.
The space here wasn't particularly large—it couldn't fit a Metagross with its two-meter diameter, or an Arcanine and Dragapult, both over three meters long.
So Wayne only released Drakloak and Lucario.
Cheers and shouts from the audience echoed from both sides.
Since Hearthome City was Fantina's home turf, her cheers far outnumbered Brock's.
But this didn't affect the perpetually squinting man with his iron will.
At this moment, as Brock threw a Poké Ball, the atmosphere in the arena reached a new peak.
"Go, Tyranitar!"
Trainers familiar with Rock-type Pokémon knew their biggest weakness—frequently missing attacks.
But this still didn't diminish Tyranitar's raw power.
Brock's Tyranitar was exceptionally well-trained. The Tyranitar, standing over three meters tall, roared, stirring up sand throughout the arena.
This was Tyranitar's ability, Sand Stream, which automatically changed the weather to a sandstorm upon entering battle.
In a sandstorm, Tyranitar's Special Defense increased by fifty percent, greatly enhancing its survivability.
Moreover, Brock's Tyranitar was even larger than average, meaning its stamina reserves ran even deeper.
Brock's opponent was Fantina, dressed in an elegant purple gown with deep purple hair.
Her starting Pokémon was Mismagius.
"Stone Edge!"
With a heavy stomp from Tyranitar, sharp rocks erupted from the ground.
Was a move that relied so heavily on accuracy really the right choice?
Especially with Brock's perpetual bad luck, he didn't look like someone blessed with good fortune.
Sure enough, Silver and the others were complaining in the group chat.
"Mystical Fire!"
The Fire-type Mystical Fire wasn't very effective against Tyranitar, but it could lower the opponent's Special Attack.
Therefore, Wayne guessed that Fantina's next move might be Shadow Ball or perhaps Power Gem.
Mismagius, with its absolute speed advantage, struck Tyranitar with Mystical Fire first. The scorching flames caused Tyranitar to grimace in pain.
However, Mismagius also failed to dodge Tyranitar's Stone Edge, and the floating Mismagius was sent flying backward.
While the battle between Brock and Fantina intensified, a female voice from the adjacent private box caught Wayne's attention.
"Who are you?"
The VIP section wasn't completely enclosed—it was simply separated by railings.
Wayne recognized her immediately, as her attire was quite distinctive.
Light blue hair styled in a unique swept-back "wing" design extending from a light blue helmet, a blue flight suit accentuating her tall figure with a pure white inner layer, and matching blue boots.
Her demeanor conveyed slight confidence bordering on arrogance.
It was Winona, the Gym Leader from Fortree City in the Hoenn region.
A true Flying-type specialist.
Why would she be here?
Like Wayne, Winona seemed equally puzzled.
This was an exclusive private box for Elite Four members, Champions, and their guests, but she didn't recognize Wayne.
Due to the World Gym Leader Tournament and Type Expert Tournament, Winona knew Gym Leaders from various regions by sight, and Wayne definitely wasn't a Gym Leader.
What puzzled Winona was the strange presence she sensed from Wayne.
What Wayne didn't realize was that his current appearance was actually quite eye-catching.
Drakloak's head rested atop his own head, forming a stacked configuration of Wayne, Drakloak, and Dreepy.
Drakloak had always enjoyed resting its head on Wayne's, and Wayne had grown accustomed to it long ago.
Wayne explained, "Wayne. Invited by Cynthia."
Cynthia?
Winona frowned slightly.
Addressing Cynthia by her first name so casually, and Cynthia had even invited him to watch the match?
As Wallace's girlfriend, Winona had met Cynthia several times before.
Cynthia had only invited two close friends to watch the match: Diantha and Caitlin.
Cynthia was a devoted fan of Diantha's movies, and they'd met and become close friends through that shared interest.
Suddenly, Winona felt that Wayne's name sounded vaguely familiar, though she couldn't recall from where.
Looking at Lucario and Drakloak, Winona nodded slightly toward Wayne.
"I am Winona, the Gym Leader of Fortree Gym."
At that moment, Wayne finally remembered why Winona was here.
She was Wallace's girlfriend!
Although they'd broken up once, they had reconciled long ago.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of high heels approached...