"You were right, Ash. You really taught me a lesson today. Ever since I became Champion, my confidence—and that of my Pokémon—has only grown stronger. But this incident was a much-needed wake-up call. I swear I'll hunt down Team Galactic to the very end."
Cynthia had traveled a long road as a Pokémon Trainer, but this was the first time she'd encountered a situation that truly made her reflect on herself.
"There's really no need to overextend. You all just need to hold the line at Mt. Coronet."
Ash pointed directly at the center of the triangle shape on the ancient mural.
"Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf—the Lake Guardians. Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and Lake Acuity. These three lakes sit perfectly aligned around Mt. Coronet, just like what's shown in this mural. So no matter what else happens, Team Galactic's final destination is still Mt. Coronet. And even if they know it's a trap, they'll go anyway. I'll be there when that happens."
"Pikachu!"
Ash and Pikachu exchanged a knowing glance.
He wasn't really going for Team Galactic.
He was going for Hunter J.
In the original storyline, that woman had also shown up at Mt. Coronet.
Cynthia was briefly stunned by Ash's unwavering confidence and strength.
She quickly looked away, pretending not to be affected.
Ash acted like he didn't notice, though deep down he was secretly grinning.
"Alright, let's go with your plan. But the police department under Officer Jenny will continue their pursuit of Team Galactic. So, what's next for you guys?"
Cynthia asked.
"I plan to return to Hearthome City. Last time I missed out on the Gym Battle because Gym Leader Fantina wasn't there. I want to go back and give it another shot."
Ash already knew that at this point in the timeline, Fantina should have returned to her Gym.
"Hearthome City, huh? That works out. I actually received word from the Sinnoh Pokémon League Office that Aaron is going to challenge me for the Champion title. The battle's going to take place in a town along the way back to Hearthome."
"That's amazing!" Dawn beamed. "We get to see Aaron and Cynthia battle live! We don't even have to watch on TV, right? We can see it all in person?"
Being a native of Sinnoh, Dawn was naturally excited. The Elite Four and Champion were like rockstars here.
"Incredible. Ash, let's go together with Cynthia!" Anabel added with a smile.
Ash nodded. Traveling alongside Cynthia wasn't a bad idea at all.
And if the rumors were true about Cynthia's infamous inability to make decisions when it came to food… well, Ash definitely wanted to witness that firsthand.
Heh. Should be fun.
And so, Cynthia decided to travel with Ash and the others for the time being.
What she didn't know was that after she left, her grandmother Carolina stood quietly at the doorway, watching her granddaughter's figure disappear down the path.
"Cynthia's such a remarkable girl. Finding someone who can match her in every way won't be easy. Ash, was it? I hope you work hard..."
Carolina murmured.
Their family had never lacked money or influence. What she wanted was simple: for her most cherished granddaughter to be happy.
__
Dinner Time.
The group let out all their Pokémon to enjoy dinner together.
"What a cozy scene. I've always traveled alone… seems like there really is a different kind of joy when you're with companions."
Cynthia smiled as she watched everyone bustling about, pitching in to prepare dinner.
She released her Garchomp and Gastrodon to join in as well.
These two were the only Pokémon she had with her at the moment.
"Miss Cynthia," Dawn asked curiously, "Aaron specializes in Bug-type Pokémon. Are you confident about the battle?"
Dawn still didn't fully understand the relationship between Champions and Elite Four members.
"Our Sinnoh Elite Four consists of Lucian with Psychic-types, Flint with Fire-types, Bertha with Ground-types, and Aaron with Bug-types. Among the four, Bertha's seniority is the highest, but in terms of popularity, Aaron is definitely number one. Still… I'm not giving up my Champion title that easily,"
Cynthia explained patiently.
After that, the group fell silent.
Grrrrrr...
A wave of delicious aroma wafted through the air, and suddenly everyone's stomachs started growling.
Tonight, surprisingly, Ash had volunteered to cook!
Even though Dawn and Anabel had developed solid cooking skills thanks to Ash's training, nothing compared to the dishes he made himself—both in flavor and presentation.
"Aww, we're being spoiled," Cynthia chuckled gently. "Sorry for making you do all the work, Ash."
Soon, he brought over the finished dishes—beautifully presented.
While he did that, Dawn, Anabel, and Cynthia began distributing Pokémon food to their teams.
Minutes later, the four of them were seated together.
"Itadakimasu!" (is a Japanese phrase that translates 'to humbly receive')
Dawn and Anabel dove in together.
But after less than half a minute, the two girls paused and glanced over at Cynthia.
…Huh?
What's going on?
Despite how amazing the food looked, Cynthia hadn't taken a single bite!
There were only three dishes, all carefully portioned to avoid waste.
And yet Cynthia's eyes kept darting between them—one moment fixating on this dish, the next on another. Her chopsticks hovered in mid-air, indecisively picking up and then setting back down again.
So weird!
"Hmm?"
Just then, Ash calmly reached over, picked up a portion with his chopsticks, and dropped it straight into Cynthia's bowl.
"Here. Just eat this one."
Then, without giving her time to respond, he started eating on his own.
It was the first time anyone—let alone a guy—had ever done something like that for her.
Cynthia stared at the food in her bowl, something within her quietly shifting.
Ash had just… made the choice for her.
And it didn't feel so bad, actually.
__
Day one. Day two... the same.
By day three, Cynthia had arrived in the town where her match with Aaron was scheduled to take place.
A full 6 vs 6 battle was about to go down.
Aaron was aiming to challenge the Champion's throne!
They waited one more day. Eventually, Aaron arrived.
Cynthia introduced both sides.
"So, you're the kid who defeated Lucian's Bronzong?" Aaron raised a brow in surprise.
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu stood tall on Ash's shoulder, proudly nodding.
Darn right—Bronzong was his victory.
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T/N:
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