Cynthia recalled her fallen Milotic, a faint smile on her face. She accepted the defeat wholeheartedly.
She took out her last Poké Ball. Akari recalled Basculegion but made no other move. Instead, she asked, "Do you want to continue, or should we end it here? I've already achieved what I came for."
Akari wanted to spare Cynthia some embarrassment. With so many people watching, the Sinnoh Champion losing to an unknown nobody like her would come as a shock.
"Of course we'll continue!"
Cynthia was fired up now. Winning or losing didn't matter. If anything, she hoped she might lose after giving it her all. Then she could see where she fell short and find room to grow.
As the strongest Trainer in the Sinnoh Region, she had gone so long without an opponent that she had lost her sense of direction and hit a plateau. Her position made it awkward to battle Champions from other regions outside official matches, and she hardly had the time anyway.
Akari respected her wishes and sent out Ursaluna. Cynthia, however, didn't send out Garchomp. She chose Lucario instead.
Since Akari hadn't sent out her ace, Cynthia wouldn't use hers either. Letting their other Pokémon battle was fairer and would give her a better feel for the gap between them.
It was just as well she hadn't chosen Garchomp. Just as Basculegion had easily suppressed Milotic, Ursaluna, who had once held the Earth Plate, had a powerful advantage over Ground-type Pokémon.
Three minutes later, the battle was over. Ursaluna defeated Lucario with Headlong Rush, bringing the impromptu match to a definitive close.
The onlookers stared in disbelief. The Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia, had lost just like that, even if it had only been a simple three-on-three match...
"Akari was that strong all along...?"
Carmine and