Winter of the League Calendar year 190.
Cynthia was invited to attend the Lily of the Valley Conference (Sinnoh League).
The competition that once felt extrely difficult, where even going all out with her partners might not guarantee a win.
Looking back now, it seems so simple.
And watching all the way from the preliminaries.
Cynthia also realized that there were actually so many talented contestants with potential.
It turns out...
There is only a small handful of people in this world who can join hands with their Pokémon, working together with one heart to leap over that dragon gate and stride towards a higher position.
It just happens.
She and Lucario are one of them.
The one who made it to the end in the tournant was a 12-year-old boy nad Reggie.
To be able to win the regional championship at 12 years old.
This is undoubtedly an absolute genius contestant.
How genius is it...
When Cynthia challenged the Unova League at 12 years old.
Relying on Will, she only managed to draw with Mabel, winning a joint championship.
Although the difficulty of the two tournants cannot be compared on equal terms; today's regional tournants have beco veritable "baby cups" (rookie tournants).
But even if it's a baby cup.
It still has a certain amount of weight.
It can be said.
The baby cup is specifically used to find genius contestants.
"What do you think of this rookie?"
Cynthia sat in the Champion's seat, turning her head to look at Will beside her.
At this very mont.
In the entire venue, her status is the highest.
The status of the League Champion.
Is greater than an ordinary Pokémon Professor, sits as equals with the League Elders, and is second only to the League Chairman.
How does one beco a League Elder?
The Chairman or Chief steps down.
Or one has made contributions to the Pokémon League sufficient to go down in history.
Even Kaoru.
Relying solely on the contributions she made, she was not enough to be certified as an Elder.
She was able to beco an Elder because she stepped down as Chief and gave the position to Cynthia.
"Him? He's not suited for this path; even if he forces it, he won't go far."
Will glanced down and didn't care.
He knows this person.
Reggie.
That guy Paul's older brother.
The object of Paul's admiration when he was little, and officially established as a genius in his youth.
However.
It's Paul's kind of 'gar-type' genius.
Will's not-so-good evaluation of Reggie isn't because of the official setting.
Having lived for so many years.
Will has long been very clear about it.
Official settings are fine as a reference in the real world, but using them as a standard will only get you killed.
The facts.
You have to look for yourself, find them yourself.
His evaluation of Reggie.
Is entirely based on his own 'looking'.
"Oh? He's a genius who won the Sinnoh League championship, you know."
Cynthia smiled slightly and reached out to pinch Will's tail.
"Among 12-year-olds, he is indeed a genius, but placed in the tournant when you were 12, he probably wouldn't even make it past the preliminaries."
Will yawned, his gaze sweeping the spectator seats below,
"Cynthia, look at these spectator seats. How many tournant champions are sitting there? Champions from the past ten years, there are at least a hundred or so."
Heroes under heaven are as nurous as carp crossing the river.
How many can reach their position?
The referee is currently asking Reggie if he wants to challenge Cynthia.
If he challenges, it wouldn't start imdiately. After all, Reggie just finished a battle and needs to give his Pokémon ti to rest.
The finals ended in the morning.
If the battle doesn't start in the afternoon, it will be the next morning.
Reggie of course wouldn't give up this hard-won challenge opportunity.
Or rather.
Any trainer whose goal is to beco stronger would not give up the opportunity to challenge soone stronger.
Ti ca to the next day.
Still this venue.
The opposing sides this ti changed to Reggie and Cynthia.
It's just that.
This battle had few spectators.
Those who could stay here to watch were basically all internal mbers of the League.
For no other reason.
Reggie chose not to have a public challenge.
This is the right of the challenger.
Just like when the Mythical Beast guy, Tobias, won the Lily of the Valley Conference championship, he also chose an unpublicized challenge when challenging Cynthia.
Before the battle started.
As the League Champion and a great senior.
Cynthia has the obligation to say a few words of encouragent to the junior before the battle begins; this is also considered a requirent from the League side, convenient for them to write articles later.
After perfunctorily saying a few words.
Cynthia fell silent for a long while, suddenly asking a question:
"Reggie, to you, what exactly are Pokémon?"
"Weapons?"
Reggie tilted his head.
He seed to not really want to waste ti on this aningless question.
After all.
Those who asked him this kind of question.
And those who were full of talk about the bonds between partners.
Are all his defeated opponents.
He has absolutely no interest in listening to what his defeated opponents are saying.
After all, even if he listened, it wouldn't make him stronger.
And hearing Reggie's words.
Cynthia was also roughly certain.
What she saw before wasn't wrong; this child and his Pokémon have a huge problem.
Lucario's judgnt wasn't wrong either.
A child like this.
On the path of a battle trainer.
Won't go far.
"Then what are you fighting for?"
"To win."
This ti Reggie's answer had no hesitation.
"And after winning? What do you want to obtain?"
"...Don't know, we'll talk about it after winning."
Reggie was confused for a while, then shook his head.
Why did I co to participate in Pokémon battles?
Because everyone is participating.
So I must participate too.
Probably like that.
"Is that so, let's battle then."
Cynthia pursed her lips and smiled, looking at Will beside her,
"Please advise."
Reggie bowed slightly to Cynthia; when he turned around, he glanced at Will.
He didn't really put him in his eyes.
This isn't contempt.
But not considering Will as an opponent.
Simply put.
Reggie thinks Will is rely Cynthia's weapon; whether strong or not isn't important, anyway just a tool following the trainer's command, the real opponent is only Cynthia.
"Truly a brat even worse than Paul."
Will shook his head and sighed.
Ranking Ash's rivals according to unpopularity.
The ones bearing the brunt are either Goh or Trip.
As for Paul...
His popularity is very high.
The kind that might even be higher than Gary.
"Lucario."
Cynthia raised her right hand.
"Hm? Playing this big?"
Will raised his eyebrows.
It's already bullying a fledgling, and you still plan to use ga Evolution?
Looks like Cynthia plans to properly give pointers to Reggie.
Whatever.
It makes no difference to him.
ga or no ga is the sa, both are one-kick one-shots.
"You go first, Swalot."
"Poison type?"
Cynthia and Will were stunned simultaneously.
A trainer like Reggie doesn't seem like so reckless brute who doesn't even understand basic type matchups.
Poison type cannot deal damage to Steel type.
Reggie shouldn't not know this point.
"Forget it, doesn't matter."
Will spread his hands.
The next mont.
The light of evolution appeared on his body.
The majestic ga Lucario instantly appeared on the field.
"Let us teach you, just how powerful a force the joining of hearts between a trainer and a Pokémon will burst forth."
Cynthia's red lips gently left the ring on her hand, then she raised her hand and pointed forward:
"Lucario, use Bone Rush."
Will raised his hand and grabbed in mid-air; a deep blue long bone staff instantly appeared in his hand.
Bang!
Saw a burst of dust and smoke erupt from the place Will was originally standing.
In the blink of an eye, he had already appeared above Swalot's head.
"What?!"
Reggie's eyes widened, hurriedly shouting:
"Stockpile!"
This speed was so fast he didn't even have ti to react.
Boom!
Sand and dust rose everywhere.
When the yellow sand dispersed, a deep crater with a diater of ten ters appeared in front of Will, and Swalot was already lying in the center of the deep crater with swirls in its eyes.
One-hit kill.
Without any power to fight back.
"Can't even withstand a single blow?"
Reggie, with a dark face, recalled Swalot.
But he didn't vent his anger on Swalot.
He is not brainless.
If Swalot didn't have strength, then he wouldn't have the qualification to stand in front of Cynthia.
It's purely because the level gap is too big.
"...Staraptor, you go."
Reggie summoned his second Pokémon.
His expression at this mont beca incomparably serious.
The loss in the first round just now.
He is quite unconvinced.
He feels Cynthia being able to win isn't because her command level is higher than his, rely because Will's level is high.
Of course.
The fact is indeed so.
And Will and Cynthia on the other side also saw through Reggie's thoughts.
"Use Hurricane to sweep the battlefield."
Reggie's voice sounded.
This ti Will and Cynthia didn't react.
They let Staraptor flap its wings, whipping up bursts of gale on the field.
The strong wind scraped against Will's body.
Occasionally shaving off two hairs of his.
But it was only limited to this.
"Agility, Double Team."
Staraptor's figure mixed with the gale and sped through mid-air.
The entire battlefield suddenly beca chaotic.
Humans and ordinary Pokémon.
Absolutely do not have the ability to find its true body among so many high-speed moving Staraptors in the gale.
"Thunder Punch."
Cynthia said expressionlessly.
These things Reggie is playing.
Are all things they have already played and discarded.
Cynthia has many ans to deal with it, but she doesn't plan to use them, instead letting Will play freely.
The purpose is to make Reggie clearly recognize one point.
Pokémon battles.
Are not just a ga of chess between trainers.
If you cannot achieve trusting your Pokémon's choices, trusting your Pokémon's wisdom, then you might as well just roll out of the battlefield early, to save making a fool of yourself in the future.
Bzzzt bzzzt...
Yellow electric light flashed past Reggie's eyes.
In an instant, Staraptor was like a Jianniao (mythical bird) that lost its other half, falling from the sky right in front of him.
!
"Gurk..."
Staraptor kicked its legs, electric current running across its whole body.
Its eyes rolled back, losing its combat capability.
Reggie lowered his head, looking at Staraptor in a daze.
How is it possible...
Humans cannot possibly find Staraptor's true body from that kind of combination move.
This combination move made him invincible in the tournant.
Suddenly.
"No... it's not you."
Reggie's eyes suddenly widened fiercely, shifting his gaze from Cynthia to Will,
"It's you."
The one who judged Staraptor's position, was this Lucario.
Cynthia only made a simple skill choice.
And the rest.
She handed entirely to her own Pokémon!
~~~
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