When Dragonite and Garchomp stepped onto the battlefield, everyone in the stadium could feel the shift in atmosphere.
These two Pokémon were not merely their Trainers' final choices. They were their aces, their partners through countless battles, and the very foundation of their confidence.
The noise inside the arena gradually faded.
Everyone understood that the true climax had finally arrived.
Dragonite and Garchomp locked eyes.
Neither side moved immediately.
Years of experience had allowed both Pokémon to sense the strength of their opponent. The pressure generated by the two Dragon types alone was enough to make many spectators hold their breath.
They sped to meet each other.
The final exchange began with a brutal close-quarters battle.
Dragon Claw met Fire Punch.
Earthquake collided with Thunder Punch.
Neither Pokémon retreated even a single step.
The audience could only watch as the two aces exhausted every remaining ounce of strength.
Finally, both Trainers gave their last command.
"Dragonite, Outrage!"
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"
Dragonite roared as draconic energy erupted around its body. Garchomp lowered its stance as crimson energy wrapped around its entire frame.
The two Dragons collided head-on.
Boom!
The shockwave tore across the battlefield.
Dust and shattered stone filled the air.
For several seconds, nobody could see the result.
As the smoke slowly dispersed, Dragonite staggered backward.
Garchomp remained standing.
Although barely able to remain upright, Garchomp had survived with only a sliver of strength remaining.
Dragonite finally collapsed.
"Dragonite is unable to battle!"
"The winner is Cynthia!"
The entire arena erupted.
Garchomp raised its crimson scythes toward the sky and released a victorious roar that echoed across Lily of the Valley Island.
Lance looked at his fallen Dragonite and smiled faintly.
"It's not a bad loss."
He could clearly feel it.
Ever since the previous World Tournament, Cynthia and her team had become even stronger.
...
Although the battle had been fierce, the relationship between the two Champions remained as good as ever.
After changing into casual clothes, Cynthia and Lance met again in the lounge.
Lance smiled.
"Congratulations, Cynthia. Your Pokémon have become stronger again."
He was not referring only to Garchomp.
Every member of her team had shown noticeable improvement.
Cynthia's lips curved slightly.
"They really have become stronger. Although... it isn't entirely because of me."
For more than half a month, her team had been eating perfect-quality Pokéblocks while also receiving meals personally prepared by Austin.
The improvement in strength might have been subtle, but for Pokémon such as Garchomp, even the slightest increase was priceless.
If Garchomp could surpass its current limits, it might finally touch the realm only one Trainer had reached.
The realm of Celestite.
That was why, even with Leon's undefeated record, Red remained widely recognized as the strongest Trainer in the world.
The legend of Mt. Silver.
Cynthia quietly thought to herself:
I should ask Austin to perform another maintenance session for Garchomp.
Seeing her attribute some of the credit elsewhere, Lance quickly concluded.
"You're talking about Austin Black?"
After all, the video of Austin caring for Garchomp had climbed to the top of PokéStream's trending rankings and remained popular for days.
With today's victory, its popularity would likely rise once again.
Although Lance had never officially met Austin, he already knew quite a bit about the Breeder whom Red and Blue both respected so highly.
Cynthia nodded.
"All of my Pokémon are currently eating the Energy cubes Austin provides. You should give them a try as well."
She was not worried about Lance becoming stronger.
Competition and mutual growth were the proper path forward.
Only through continuously challenging one another could they hope to approach Red's level.
Lance laughed heartily.
"Honestly, I really was planning to visit him."
Cynthia noticed the change in his expression.
"Something happened?"
Lance did not hide it.
"It's like this..."
To him, it was not a major issue.
After listening to the entire story, Cynthia nodded.
"Let's go together."
Lance blinked.
"You're coming too?"
Cynthia calmly replied:
"You're the Chief Investigator. Have you forgotten that I'm also a Special Investigator?"
Lance laughed.
"Fair enough. We'll go together."
Steven and Diantha's battle was taking place in Kalos, far from Lily of the Valley Island.
Steven had even taken the opportunity to search for rare stones during his trip.
Another battle would soon take place at the Sinnoh venue, but that was no longer something Cynthia and Lance needed to concern themselves with.
Cynthia then handed Lance a small box.
"These are Oran Berry cubes made by Austin. Give them to Dragonite."
Lance stared at the orange crystal-like cubes.
Even ordinary Oran Berries could become this? He thought.
"Perfect quality?"
"Perfect quality."
"He made these?"
"He made them."
Lance immediately stood up.
"Let's leave right now."
Before Cynthia could respond, Lance had already climbed onto another Dragonite's back and taken off into the sky.
Watching him disappear, Cynthia looked momentarily speechless.
"I forgot he has more than one."
After catching up aboard Braviary, Cynthia finally took out her phone.
Several messages immediately appeared.
Roro: Big sister is amazing!
Austin: Congratulations on your first victory.
At the breeding house, Austin sat with a sleeping Shaymin in his arms while Drakloak rested on top of his back.
Meanwhile, a Dreepy sat comfortably on Drakloak's head.
Drakloak carried Dreepy.
Austin carried Drakloak.
Soon, another message arrived.
Cynthia: Because of your perfect-quality Pokéblocks, Garchomp and the others were in much better condition during the battle.
Austin quickly replied.
"That's because of your excellent training. I did nothing much."
After answering Cynthia, Austin returned to the group chat, where everyone was still discussing the battle between Lance and Cynthia.
Yellow wrote:
"Ms. Cynthia won."
Many people agreed with Cynthia's assessment.
Her Pokémon had clearly entered the battle in exceptional condition.
Blue typed:
"Garchomp has become stronger."
At the level of Trainers like Blue, Cynthia, and Lance, breakthroughs could not simply be pursued.
They appeared only through opportunity and countless battles.
Red suddenly sent a message.
"I really want to battle her right now."
Red and Blue had watched the entire match together.
Leaning back in his chair, Blue smiled slightly.
It seemed that Mt. Silver's battle fanatic had finally found another opponent capable of reigniting his fighting spirit.
"How about we have a match?"
The moment the message appeared, Red's eyes immediately sharpened.
"No problem, Blue."
There was no hesitation.
Blue leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before typing.
"Tomorrow morning, then. Steven still has his match later."
Red naturally had no objections.
The two had not battled seriously in quite some time, and after witnessing Cynthia's growth, Red's fighting spirit had clearly been stirred.
A few seconds later, Blue suddenly changed the topic.
"@Clair You lost, pay up."
Clair immediately replied:
"I never even made a bet. I was expressing my opinion, okay?"
She had no intention of falling into Blue's trap.
After all, neither she nor Austin had actually placed a wager. Their conversation had been interrupted by Lance before anything could happen.
Ethan sent a message.
"Wow! Dragon Rush is really powerful!"
Blue immediately tagged Lance.
"@Lance Where are you?"
Several seconds later, a reply finally appeared.
Lance: "I'm already on my way to Jubilife City."
Lance continued.
"Speaking of which, this travel involves Austin. A Pokémon Hunter is operating in Jubilife City, so naturally, I have to investigate."
Austin was genuinely surprised.
This was connected to him?
Then again, after thinking about it, Lance was the League's Chief Investigator.
If he did not know about this incident, that would be the strange part.
Red typed:
"You are really, really dedicated."
Blue immediately replied:
"Really? You, the battle maniac, are talking about someone's dedication. Have some shame."
Blue then asked:
"Pokémon Hunter? What's going on?"
Lance answered:
"I'm still traveling. Let Austin explain."
Austin responded.
"Alright."
. . .
Sitting at the Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House, Austin briefly explained everything that had happened earlier that day.
From encountering the injured Shaymin to the appearance of the Pokémon Hunter, he kept the explanation concise.
Even now, he still felt somewhat puzzled.
Hadn't the situation already been resolved?
Why had it attracted Lance's attention so quickly?
Yellow was the first to react.
"Mr. Austin, you met Shaymin?!"
Austin switched his phone to the rear camera.
The image that appeared instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Shaymin was curled up comfortably in a blanket on Austin's lap after eating its fill, sleeping soundly without the slightest concern for the outside world.
Whitney immediately exploded.
"Aaww, so cute!!!😍😍"
Ethan stared at the screen.
"You caught Shaymin?"
Austin shook his head.
"No. It's injured. I'm only taking care of it temporarily."
Blue studied the image carefully before speaking.
"This Shaymin is still very small. It's probably a child."
Austin lowered his eyes toward the sleeping Pokémon.
The tiny hedgehog-like Pokémon was breathing softly, occasionally twitching its ears in its sleep.
Meanwhile, far above the clouds, two Champions were rapidly approaching Jubilife City.
Dragonite cut through the night sky with incredible speed.
Not far behind, Cynthia rode atop Braviary.
The cold wind swept past them.
. . .
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