Cynthia, dressed in her signature knee-length black trench coat with her golden hair cascading down to her waist, stepped into the front lobby of the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House.
Although Daniella, who was handling reception duties today, did not recognize Champion Cynthia at first glance, she could immediately tell from the woman's bearing and attire that she came from wealth and status.
As Cynthia walked forward, several Poké Balls hanging from her waist swayed lightly with her steps.
Even though Daniella had eaten far too much spicy food the previous night, she still revealed her brightest smile, warm enough to make anyone feel at ease.
"Hello, welcome to Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House. What kind of services would you like for your Pokémon today?"
"I can help you book an appointment, or you can use the self-service machine over there."
Standing beside her was Amanda Black's Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir~"
(Welcome.)
"Self-service choice... is that so?"
Champion Cynthia walked toward the machine, lightly touching her lips with one finger as she read through the options.
"Pokéblocks, fur grooming, hairstyle design, essential oil treatment, Pokémon boarding, move tutoring..."
"You can even personally choose your Breeder. That's surprisingly interesting."
"...?"
Rose and Gardevoir exchanged confused looks.
Why did it sound like she wanted to try the services herself?
Inside their Poké Balls, Garchomp and Lucario both sighed at the same time. Cynthia's old habits were acting up again.
Two red flashes appeared instantly as the Poké Balls opened automatically.
"Garchomp!"
"Lucario!"
Garchomp and Lucario shook their heads repeatedly, making it very clear they had no interest in any beauty treatments.
Rose and Gardevoir glanced at each other again, surprise flickering across their faces.
Neither Garchomp nor Lucario were Pokémon people saw every day.
A thought suddenly crossed Rose's mind.
"Gardevoir... do you think that's...?"
Cynthia pressed her lips together slightly and pouted.
"Mo~ But don't you think it sounds fun?"
"Garchomp! Chomp!"
(No!)
"Alright, alright."
Cynthia turned toward Daniella and Gardevoir, who had started whispering among themselves.
"Would it be alright if I looked around first?"
Rose quickly nodded.
"Of course. But most of the Wild Area is home to wild Pokémon, so please be careful."
Cynthia chuckled softly.
"I'll keep that in mind."
After leaving the front desk area, Rose leaned closer to Gardevoir and whispered,
"Psst. That has to be Champion Cynthia, right?"
Gardevoir simply shook her head.
"Gardevoir~"
. . .
Just as Daniella had mentioned, many wild Pokémon roamed freely throughout the grounds.
A herd of Tauros galloped across the distant fields.
Machamp, Scizor, and Ao carefully trimmed the Berry trees nearby.
Luxray and several Shinx lounged lazily beneath the afternoon sunlight.
"It's quite peaceful here."
The moment Cynthia finished speaking, a fierce roar suddenly echoed from nearby.
"Incineroar, Flame Charge!"
"Draga!"
Under Dragapult's instructions, Drakloak vanished with Phantom Force before reappearing behind Incineroar.
The two Pokémon were locked in an intense sparring session.
"Incineroar, Drakloak, and even Dragapult... there are quite a few rare Pokémon here."
Dai Yui merely glanced at Cynthia before shifting his attention back to the battle. The only reason he had looked over at all was that he noticed Garchomp and Lucario. He had never been particularly skilled at welcoming guests.
In fact, quite a few customers became nervous and left immediately after seeing his massive frame.
"Lucario!"
Alerted by her Pokémon's voice, Cynthia turned her gaze toward the direction of the fish pond.
That was because another Lucario was standing there as well.
As Champion Cynthia approached the pond, an incredibly chaotic chorus drifted into her ears.
"Jigglypuffpuff~"
"Pichu Chu Pi"
"Canineee~"
Bang! Bang!
Mixed in with the singing was the heavy metallic clang of Zenith repeatedly smashing its arm hammers together to keep rhythm.
Calling it slightly offbeat would have been extremely generous.
To Cynthia, it sounded more like complete chaos.
A noisy disaster.
Finally, her gaze landed on Austin, who was holding Jigglypuff high above his head like Simba in a stage play.
"I hereby declare you the Lion King!"
"Jigglypuff!"
"Nine!!"
Agni immediately voiced his dissatisfaction.
(Then what does that make me?)
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The crisp sound of high heels striking the stone path instantly drew Austin's attention.
At that moment, he was still holding Jigglypuff in the air.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Champion Cynthia?!"
Cynthia removed her sunglasses, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"Long time no see, Austin. Are these all your Pokémon?"
Cynthia's Garchomp and Ryu both recognized Austin and greeted him with nods.
Meanwhile, Ryu, Zenith, and Agni all turned toward Cynthia at the same time.
Zenith's dark red pupils flickered continuously as streams of data flashed within them.
(Champion Cynthia... searching.)
Most of Austin's Pokémon had never met Cynthia before, including Ryu.
"Lucario!"
"Lucario!"
Whenever two Lucario met, there always seemed to be endless things to communicate through Aura alone.
(You're strong, kid.)
(Not nearly as strong as you!)
Ryu could clearly sense the immense Aura emanating from Cynthia's Lucario.
"Arcanine! Nine!"
(Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome!)
Agni wagged his enormous fan-shaped tail enthusiastically.
"Hello, Arcanine."
Cynthia gently stroked Agni's thick fur with her soft hand.
Austin finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly explained,
"Jigglypuff and the others are Pokémon left here by their Trainers."
"Then what exactly are you doing?"
Cynthia pointed toward the Jigglypuff still tucked under Austin's arm.
Austin's face reddened instantly.
He quickly hugged Jigglypuff closer.
"Just playing with them for a bit."
"Puff!"
Ryu could not even be bothered to expose him.
(You were obviously having the time of your life.)
Remembering Austin's earlier expression, Cynthia's lips curved upward slightly.
"So, why did you come here?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Austin wanted to smack himself.
Cynthia smiled faintly.
"What? Am I not welcome?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just thought someone like the Champion would be extremely busy."
Cynthia laughed softly.
"Why does everyone think Champions are always busy?"
"Everyone?"
Austin paused for a moment before shrugging.
"Well... Professor Oak gave up being Champion to become a researcher, Red disappeared to Mt. Silver to train, and Steven spends most of his time digging through caves looking for rare stones."
Cynthia considered it carefully and realized she could not really argue with that logic.
From Austin's tone, it sounded as though he knew all of them fairly well.
In the end, she could only answer based on her own situation.
"After the three Team Galactic commanders were arrested, things in Sinnoh became much quieter."
"Roro promised she would bring Milotic personally, but she can't leave Iron Island right now, so she asked me to come instead."
Austin nodded immediately.
"That sounds like her. She's not the type to break a promise."
"Where's Feebas?"
Still carrying Jigglypuff with one arm, Austin pointed toward the pond with the other.
"Right there."
Cynthia was slightly surprised.
She had not expected Feebas to be this close.
Her eyes swept across the calm pond surface, yet she saw nothing at all.
"Feebas has been hiding beneath the rock formations this whole time. It refuses to meet anyone. My grandfather and Blue both suggested finding a high-level Milotic to communicate with it."
"I see."
Cynthia nodded lightly before taking out a Poké Ball and tossing it forward.
. . .
Please do leave a review and powerstones, which helps with the book's exposure.
Feel like joining a Patreon for free and subscribing to 30+ advanced chapters?
Visit the link:
[email protected]/GRANDMAESTA_30
Change @ to a