Who Dared Call Me the Flying-type Champion? (4k)

Three hours?

Lance's mouth twitched.

He had thought arriving half an hour early was already outrageous. Who knew there was someone even more extreme?

It looked like Cynthia cared even more about this internet café than he did...

But three hours ago, it had still been dark outside, hadn't it?

That was far too exaggerated...

He sincerely remarked,

"You really... have a lot of energy."

Cynthia merely smiled at that and said nothing.

Silence fell between them again. More than ten minutes passed before Cynthia suddenly spoke, breaking the atmosphere.

"So, how much information did you find at the internet café yesterday?"

Lance's expression immediately turned serious. He folded his arms, thought for a moment, and slowly shook his head.

"To be honest, there wasn't much information about Team Rocket, but I did learn some things about Team Aqua from those comments."

"And I gained quite a lot in other areas."

As he spoke, he raised one hand. Golden radiance began flowing through his palm—it was the Dragon-Taming Power that had been upgraded by the tablet.

After returning home last night, he had discovered that his Dragon-Taming Power had undergone many changes. Its total amount alone was dozens of times greater than before, and he would no longer be completely drained after using it for only a short while.

"To be honest, when you first told me about it, I didn't really believe you... but now, I'm completely convinced."

As he spoke, Lance withdrew his Dragon-Taming Power, turned to Cynthia, and asked in return,

"What about you? You came here so eagerly, so you must have found quite a few things too."

Cynthia did not answer immediately. She reached out and stroked Garchomp's back.

"As long as there's even the slightest possibility, I'll keep searching."

"And I found something new in the game too... You've been to that cave already, right?"

Lance froze for a moment and shook his head.

"What cave? I haven't..."

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

"Ahem, not yet."

What a joke. He couldn't possibly admit that the game was a little too difficult and that he still hadn't even cleared the first Gym...

...He wondered how far Cynthia had progressed in the game.

No, he had to hurry. He couldn't fall too far behind!

"Then I hope you can get there today." Cynthia paused. "I think that part is quite interesting. It may have something to do with those legendary beings..."

Lance was slightly stunned by those words.

...Legendary beings?

Honestly, he was not very interested in myths or legends.

But he was very interested in those Pokémon that were said to have existed only in ancient times and possessed extraordinarily powerful strength.

Those Pokémon represented a level above Champion, a stage no one had reached yet. And that was the ultimate goal of both him and his Dragon-type Pokémon.

Lance thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Come to think of it, what do you think of this internet café and its owner?"

Cynthia considered it and could not help recalling what had happened before.

"It feels like he knows even more than we do... This owner is quite impressive."

"Those games... he probably made them himself."

Lance nodded. He felt the same way.

After returning yesterday, he had immediately used his merit points to exchange for a batch of top-quality Lum Berries from the Pokémon League. Dragonite's side effects had weakened considerably again and had nearly vanished altogether...

"As for the internet café... all I can say is that it's a good thing for both of us. We can't miss this opportunity."

"It should be about time. Let's get ready to go in."

The moment he finished speaking, the gate to the small courtyard before them opened, and the lights inside came on as well.

The two exchanged a glance, stood up, and pushed the door open together.

"Welcome... Hm?"

Luo Chen, who was standing behind the counter, looked up when he heard the door open. He had been about to greet them when he saw two familiar figures standing at the entrance at the same time, leaving him momentarily stunned.

These two had actually come together today?

But thinking about it carefully, Lance had apparently been introduced here by Cynthia, so it made sense for them to come together.

"Hello, boss. I'm back again."

Cynthia nodded in greeting.

Lance, meanwhile, strode forward and placed a small wooden box on the counter.

"Boss, thank you for teaching me how to solve Dragonite's problem yesterday. He's doing much better now."

"This is a small token of my appreciation. It may not amount to much to you, but please accept it."

Luo Chen did not refuse Lance's gift. He simply put away the wooden box and asked,

"Since you came together, which of you wants to use the computer first?"

Lance subconsciously glanced at Cynthia.

Although he really wanted to see what would hatch from that Dragon-type Pokémon Egg of his, then use his brand-new Dragon-type Pokémon to crush Roxanne, but...

"She should go first. After all, she's the one who told me about this place."

"And ladies first."

Lance stepped aside to make way. Cynthia did not stand on ceremony and walked straight to the computer she had used yesterday. She sat down and skillfully pressed the power button.

This was already her third visit, so she no longer needed Luo Chen's help turning on the computer.

Seeing this, Lance directly pulled over a chair and sat beside Cynthia.

Watching the two sit down, Luo Chen thought for a moment before heading into the kitchen. He brought out the can of mixed fruit juice he had just prepared and handed it to Lance.

"A new flavor for today. If you get bored, have a drink first."

"Our internet café should have more seats tomorrow, so you won't have to wait then."

"Thank you."

Lance thanked him, pulled the tab, and took a small sip.

The taste... was still just as good. This one was sweet and sour, with a fruity aroma. It was different from last time.

But after drinking it, he did not seem to feel anything special...

At the same time, just as Luo Chen was about to see what Lance had given him, a large orange head poked in through the entrance of the internet café.

It was Lance's Dragonite. Wearing a serious yet fierce expression, he peered into the internet café.

"Oh, you're here? Come on in, come on in."

Luo Chen waved directly at him. Dragonite paused, but still bent over and squeezed through the entrance before approaching Luo Chen.

"So, did you practice Outrage after going back yesterday?"

Luo Chen observed Dragonite's condition and touched his scales.

"Roar."

Dragonite nodded, pride appearing in his eyes. He first shifted closer to Luo Chen, then added,

"Roar roar."

Although he did not have the boost from Voice of All Things right now, Luo Chen could clearly understand what Dragonite was saying thanks to the ability he had obtained from Lance.

—After being suppressed by the Lum Berries and aided by Lance's Dragon-Taming Power, Dragonite had tried using that move again after returning yesterday. This time, he had not gone berserk after it ended.

He was still somewhat confused while using it... but it was already much better than before.

"That's good."

Luo Chen reached out and patted Dragonite's back.

"Did you run into any problems? Outrage usually attacks several times in a row. What's the highest number of times you can use it? If it's too few..."

Before he could finish, something unexpected happened.

Another low, oppressive roar suddenly sounded. A blue figure had somehow already rushed in front of Dragonite. With a sweep of her tail, she shoved Dragonite back several staggering steps.

Dragonite paused, barely steadying himself before turning his head.

Then he saw Cynthia's Garchomp facing Luo Chen's direction, extending her claws and using Dragon Claw on the air.

Garchomp then puffed out her chest, displaying her powerful body as a low growl rumbled from her throat, as though she were declaring her claim.

Dragonite's expression changed instantly.

Was she provoking him?

And this fellow had actually come over to show off her strength while he was talking to that human...

What did she mean? Was she trying to steal his human?

Dragonite could not endure it any longer. His aura exploded from his body as he spread his wings and charged forward, throwing a fierce punch at Garchomp.

"Raaah!!"

[You're trying to steal my human?!]

Garchomp raised both claws and caught Dragonite's punch.

"Roar—"

[So what? You're just someone I defeated before!]

Disdain flashed through Garchomp's eyes. Her tail curled around Luo Chen and pulled him behind her.

"Roar roar."

[Besides, I knew this human first. What right do you have to stand so close to him?]

Lance and Cynthia had, of course, sparred before, and Dragonite had lost to Garchomp by a narrow margin last time.

That was the truth, but Dragonite naturally refused to accept it when he heard those words.

"Roar!!"

[Things are different now! If you have the guts, fight me again!!]

As he spoke, scarlet light lit up in his eyes. He was clearly about to use Outrage.

The powerful auras of the two Champion-level Dragon-type Pokémon collided explosively in the internet café lobby, making the entire floor tremble slightly.

Meanwhile, Gengar was floating behind the counter, holding a phone in his hands. The screen was playing some unknown episode of that antique appraisal show.

"Today's guest has brought what is said to be a royal relic from the Phil Kingdom a thousand years ago. Let's see whether it's genuine or fake..."

Gengar was watching intently when the sudden impact nearly made him drop his phone.

"Gee... huh?"

He froze, then looked up and saw the two Dragon-type Pokémon confronting each other beside the counter.

A bewildered expression immediately appeared on Gengar's face.

Why did those two look like they were about to fight??

But soon, Gengar carefully sensed the two auras permeating the air and came to a conclusion.

Hmm... These auras did not seem that scary.

In that case, they were probably just joking around.

Then he would ignore them.

Gengar lowered his head again and continued watching the antique vase on the screen with complete focus.

Meanwhile, faced with the situation that was about to get out of hand, Luo Chen felt rather helpless.

Judging from what the two dragons had just said, was Garchomp jealous...?

He silently turned around and took out the remaining two cans of drinks from beneath the counter.

"Alright, you two, stop fighting."

"If you keep fighting, neither of you is allowed into the internet café today, and neither of you gets any drinks."

The moment those words were spoken, Garchomp, who had still been growling, suddenly froze.

She snorted coldly, swept the can of drink from the table with her claws, and silently stood beside Luo Chen.

Luo Chen shook his head helplessly and handed the other can to Dragonite.

Dragonite kept glaring at Garchomp as he reluctantly accepted the can, opened it, and took a sip.

As the two enormous Pokémon each drank their beverages, the tense atmosphere finally dissipated and temporarily settled down. Luo Chen could not help feeling puzzled...

What was wrong with these two today?

Logically speaking, he had only just met them. At most, they could be considered friends...

But just now... why had it felt like they were fighting over him out of jealousy?

On the other side, Cynthia had no idea what her Garchomp was doing beside her. She had already put on her headphones and focused on launching the game.

The camera automatically turned on, and a large number of people following the stream immediately poured into the livestream. The viewer count instantly rose to more than thirty.

[She's here, she's here! The Sinnoh Champion is starting early again today!]

[Morning, streamer. Are you challenging the fourth Gym today? I think you should be able to make it to the fourth Gym.]

[Please, stream a little longer today. You only stream for such a short time every day. Doesn't your conscience hurt?]

[Streamer, streamer, do you need information about the Electric-type Gym?]

Looking at the enthusiastic comments filling the screen, Cynthia nodded slightly.

After streaming for three days, she had gradually become familiar with these commenters.

"I'll be streaming a little longer today. As for the Electric-type Gym, I'd still like to explore and try it myself."

At the same time, Lance, seated beside Cynthia, was holding that can of fruit juice as he looked up at the comments in her livestream.

And after taking just one look, his expression became somewhat strange.

—Why did the chat in his stream feel so different from mine?

Next, after Cynthia entered the game and began exploring the beach in Slateport City, the chat started reminding her to go to the house in the upper left and talk to the NPC to get Soda Pop.

That wasn't all. After she got the Soda Pop, the chat began chattering all at once, telling her there was a shop on the left where she could buy things, while a child on the right would give her a held item that boosted Ground-type move power.

Seeing this, Lance's mouth twitched.

He recalled his own stream yesterday. Aside from merciless mockery, the chat had done nothing but repeatedly call him the Flying-type Champion and rub salt in his wounds.

Whenever he lost a match, those comments would go wild for ages. No one had seriously taught him how to play at all.

Lance took a deep breath and tilted back half a can of his drink.

They were all viewers, so why was the difference so huge?

But when he thought of the ability he had received during yesterday's settlement, Lance perked up again.

Once I hatch that egg, I'll show those guys what a real understanding of the Dragon-type is, what a true Dragon Tamer is!

Then let's see who still dares call me the Flying-type Champion?!