Lance vs. Cynthia

"Xia Yan, who do you think will win this battle, Lance or Cynthia?"

Since Xia Yan and Royal Mask had not left the arena and were instead seated off to the side,

the host came over to interview them.

Who could win?

Who could say for sure?

Xia Yan shrugged. "I don't know."

Although Xia Yan always teased Lance by calling him "Dodo Bird," no one would question his strength because of those jokes.

And there was even less need to mention Cynthia.

The gap between their strengths was minuscule.

Even after both became Champions and competed in the Masters Tournament, their rankings varied from event to event. Sometimes Lance held the advantage, while other times Cynthia came out on top.

In short,

Xia Yan would not have been surprised no matter who won, though the battle would definitely be brutal.

Yet Xia Yan's straightforward answer left the host looking awkward.

Come on, man, at least give me something to work with.

Fortunately,

the increasingly fervent cheers from the audience eased the host's embarrassment.

At the referee's signal, two Poké Balls were thrown onto the field at the same time.

The ground rumbled violently.

"Roar—!!"

Gyarados made a domineering entrance, its savage face and body covered in deep blue scales. Its deafening roar echoed as it stood proudly upright in the arena.

Its Intimidate Ability activated, silencing the entire venue as it displayed overwhelming Intimidate.

After a brief silence, even louder cheers erupted.

Before that terrifying beast, the blonde beauty standing opposite it appeared rather petite.

But Cynthia remained calm.

There was even a faint smile on her face.

Lance's choice had been within her expectations.

A strategy centered around Intimidate was not weak, but it was rather limited in terms of Pokémon substitutions.

The Pokémon standing before Cynthia was