Beside the Battle venue's guardrail behind the Referee, Sinnoh Region's Fire Type Elite Four Flint and Bug Type Elite Four Aaron leaned against the railing.
This was a prime viewing spot; such positions weren't available for ticket purchase— both Sinnoh Elite Four members had gotten in by pulling strings.
Aaron and Flint chewed gum, watching Lucian struggle on the field; watching someone flounder while they sipped tea and enjoyed the show was an indescribably delightful pleasure.
"When's your match?" Flint asked, looking at Aaron.
"Two months from now, I think; I've already submitted the application, and Roy should've approved it by now."
"Whoa, then I'll pick a time after the Lily of the Valley Conference; giving myself more time to adjust is never a bad idea," Flint said, blowing a Bubble, "I heard Bertha's not joining this Champion match— she's busy training her junior; Roy must be having a headache over it."
On the field, Espeon, supporting its utterly exhausted body, launched another attack at Milotic; her slowed speed was starting to lag behind Milotic's sliding Rhythm in the venue.
Cynthia seemed to have the Ability to end this Battle at any moment, yet she never gave Milotic the command for a finishing blow; the commentator was baffled, but the audience didn't mind.
The longer the match went, the more they got their ticket's worth, though today's match… seemed quite different from Cynthia's usual bold and aggressive Battle style.
Others might be confused, but Flint and Aaron knew exactly where the issue lay—this was a little feud between Lucian and Cynthia.
What friendly pre-match chat? Didn't they see how helpless Lucian's smile was, how awkward his expression was?
The more joyfully Cynthia smiled, the more Flint and Aaron knew how badly Lucian was about to get wrecked today…
Five years ago, the former Champion was dethroned by the Elite Four's Bertha; by all rights, Bertha should've become the Champion.
But due to family and personal reasons, Bertha applied to the Sinnoh Pokémon League to relinquish the Champion title; this unprecedented move left the entire Sinnoh Pokémon League scratching their heads.
Scratching their heads didn't help— Bertha was only willing to keep her Elite Four position, and the Sinnoh Pokémon League couldn't force her to take the Champion role.
Though Bertha had defeated the previous Champion, she unexpectedly ended up in a mutual stalemate with the other three Elite Four members.
A bizarre Outcome emerged: none of the four Elite Four could sweep the other three to claim the Champion throne; nor could any other challengers take down all four Elite Four to become Champion, leading to an awkward deadlock…
That year, Diantha rose to the top in the Kalos Region, Steven dominated Hoenn, and veteran Champions Lance and Alder watched intently; every region waited eagerly for Sinnoh to produce its own Champion.
Yet none was chosen; at the annual Champion banquet in the Kanto Region, every region had their Champion present— except the Sinnoh Pokémon League.
Every other region had its Champion; Sinnoh didn't, and it was downright embarrassing.
During this gap, Lucian represented the Sinnoh Pokémon League, traveling to Kanto, Hoenn, and the Orange Islands to combat Pokémon poaching, but no sooner had he left than Cynthia burst onto the scene at that year's Sinnoh Conference, sweeping all opponents and standing above the rest.
Rising like a comet, eighteen-year-old Cynthia battled Bertha, Flint, and Aaron— who were still active in the Sinnoh Region— then crushed Lucian, who'd rushed back from afar, to claim the Champion title.
Up to that point, it was a happy ending: the four Elite Four continued their ouroboros-like balance, checking each other, while the Sinnoh Region found what might be its most BUG Champion ever; the Champion ceremony and celebrations were lively and grand.
Lucian lost the match, but the other three Elite Four didn't think much of it; this girl who'd appeared out of nowhere was truly astonishing— what could they say beyond marveling that the world would eventually belong to the young?
Lucian felt he had something to say.
The Elite Four circle was small; the four of them had a private chat channel where they'd discuss Pokémon care and training, which grooming products worked best, or share travel stories, banter, and post photos— a peaceful little group.
On the night of Cynthia's Champion ceremony, Lucian summed up the issues in his Battle with Cynthia in the group chat while also helpfully pointing out Cynthia's flaws.
As the region's strongest under the Champion, the Elite Four also served as sparring partners and advisors to the Champion; Lucian's approach wasn't wrong.
Getting emotional, Lucian couldn't help but jokingly tease, "Cynthia's playstyle is so reckless."
Flint and Aaron agreed with the "reckless" assessment but couldn't help reminding Lucian to check what was different about their chat channel today.
Yet Lucian seemed oblivious to his friends' kind hints, continuing to analyze Cynthia's issues from her Battles with the other three Elite Four under the "Cynthia reckless" theme; it was well-reasoned— Flint and Aaron swore Lucian's points about Cynthia were absolutely objective and unbiased.
Back during her Debut, Cynthia's playstyle was aggressive; Strategy? What Strategy? If one Giga Impact didn't solve the problem, just throw another!
Finally, Bertha, the channel admin, couldn't take it anymore and told Lucian that a Rookie had joined the Elite Four group today, suggesting that he check the names.
Then Bertha posted a selfie of herself at home caring for her elderly Hippowdon and went back to lurking.
Cynthia graciously accepted Lucian's critique, humbly typing her first message in the group: "I've learned something."
Her next line was, "But I won."
Attached was a family photo of Cynthia holding the trophy.
For four years, the Champion matches had been calm; Bertha hung up her "no fight" sign, staying an Elite Four member in semi-retirement, while Flint and Aaron occasionally challenged Cynthia, seeking a breakthrough.
Lucian kept fighting Pokémon poaching until this year, when he finally had time to reconsider the Champion title.
What Cynthia and Lucian talked about pre-match definitely wasn't, "The Weather's nice today; hope we have a great match."
From Flint and Aaron's understanding of Cynthia, it was more likely, "I brought some Strategy today for you to critique, Lucian."
Her usual fist-to-fist, thrilling, fluid, no-nonsense style had made Cynthia a household name in Sinnoh Region, but that didn't mean she couldn't use Strategy… she just didn't need to.
What could Lucian do but wryly smile? Over four years, Cynthia had kept improving; the gap between her and the Elite Four had widened, and the Unwillingness from losing back then had long turned into admiration for her.
She was truly a person on a level beyond them.
Espeon's body swayed; before it could even release a Move, it collapsed to the ground.
Milotic didn't attack— Espeon lost its battle Ability purely due to Stamina depletion.
"Switch back to your style, Cynthia," Lucian said, recalling Espeon, lifting his head with a smile, and facing Cynthia, "Like four years ago when you stepped over me to take the top; we Elite Four ought to say it— our region's Champion shouldn't just have one playstyle; we always hope our Champion is the strongest."
Cynthia brushed her hair back and recalled Milotic, fully healed by Recover.
After retrieving her Pokémon, the event staff inspecting the venue's damage swapped out the Battle venue; a Normal Type Battle venue replaced the battered Rock Type one.
"Strategy is too troublesome; I don't like it," Cynthia said, pulling out Garchomp's Poké Ball and glancing at Lucian. "But you're right— a Champion shouldn't just have one playstyle; so thanks for that."
Cynthia and Lucian exchanged smiles; there was no malice between them.
Lucian's words carried some defiance and playful jabs, but his intent was to offer a reminder to the newly crowned Champion Cynthia— only she'd caught him talking behind her back.
Cynthia's Strategy counter wasn't malicious either; years of showcasing her bold, all-out fighting style had grown boring for her. Boredom called for new fun, and changing her playstyle was one way to find it.
The entertainment value hadn't dropped much; the scene was still thrilling, just without the rapid, moment-to-moment clashes of before.
Unlike gaming, archaeology, or reading, Battle was what fascinated Cynthia most.
Facing Lucian in this Battle, everything fell into place naturally.
Bronzong and Garchomp took the field; as Cynthia and Lucian watched the scene, it felt like they were back four years ago, at that match where a Champion rose.
"Bronzong."
"Garchomp."
"Giga Impact," Cynthia and Lucian said in unison.
Bronzong and Garchomp collided fiercely, and a deafening roar erupted from the stadium.
Abandoning the entanglement of Strategy, this pure clash of Pokémon and Pokémon Trainer Strength ignited everyone's blood.
Both shook off Giga Impact's movement lock at the same time; Bronzong's Gyro Ball capitalized on the speed difference to land a heavy blow on Garchomp, only for Garchomp to retaliate with Dragon Rush.
No matter the time, Cynthia's Garchomp's move set would never compromise for so-called Strategy.
This was the Pokémon that had been with her the longest, the one that best understood her Battle Rhythm; Garchomp's purpose on the field was singular: enjoy the fight, end the fight, and win Victory with Cynthia.
Cynthia's Garchomp, like Cynthia herself, was born for this blood-pumping Battle; the thirst for Victory was the sole reason they kept growing stronger.
The commands for Dragon Rush and Gyro Ball didn't change; Bronzong and Garchomp fully embodied their trainers' wills, forgetting everything but the fight.
After each collision, both Pokémon would instinctively pull back, gather strength, and clash again.
The scene was far duller than the earlier mind games of Strategy prediction, yet somehow, it made every spectator's body heat up, unable to resist shouting hoarsely.
A moment Luther had seen in the anime finally played out; as both sides stepped back with weary bodies in unison, Lucian ordered Bronzong to use "Flash Cannon."
Cynthia showed no intent to have Garchomp dodge; facing the incoming Flash Cannon, Garchomp raised its wings to shield itself; as the Flash Cannon hit, the resulting explosion's smokescreen left everyone unable to predict the outcome.
Luther sighed and said to Mai in a prophetic tone, "Garchomp will be fine, then counter with a Giga Impact to one-shot Bronzong and end the match."
Mai looked puzzled; she couldn't see any way the match would end with this exchange— why was Luther so certain?
Before Mai could process it, Garchomp, nearly unscathed from Flash Cannon, landed a Giga Impact square on Bronzong; Bronzong skidded across the ground and lost its battle Ability.
Looking at the screen, then at Luther, Mai's mouth hung open in shock, and she couldn't help asking, "How did you know?"
Luther scratched his head; it was hard to explain— he couldn't exactly tell Mai he'd seen this episode, could he?
(End of Chapter)
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