Since there were only two semifinal matches, Qingyu and Cynthia returned a little earlier than usual that day.
Tomorrow, this Dragon-type Masters Tournament would reach its final showdown.
The two finalists had all the makings of a headline-grabbing matchup. Both had demonstrated overwhelming dominance in the semifinals, leaving the audience thoroughly satisfied.
As a result, plenty of posts predicting which of them would win had already appeared on Poké TV before the match.
"Sinnoh Champion Cynthia single-handedly crushed the old Sinnoh Elite Four on her previous run through Victory Road. She fully deserves to take the title."
"Lance, Kanto's uncrowned king, would've become Champion ages ago if he hadn't run into three monsters in the same generation. It wouldn't be surprising if he beat a Champion."
"Wait a second? Who's Teacher Yu? Why does everyone say he taught both of them?"
Comments like these quickly spread like wildfire online.
Qingyu and Cynthia, however, knew nothing about it.
Inside the gym, the gentle Milotic who had been looking after the little ones immediately slithered over when the Trainers returned, coiling around Cynthia.
Along the way, Milotic also left a trail of water across the floor...
Milotic was an exceptionally unusual Pokémon.
Although Milotic resembled a sea serpent, this Pokémon evolved from the fish Pokémon Feebas, and the conditions for that evolution were quite distinctive.
Besides evolving with the help of a Prism Scale, an originally hideous, deeply insecure Feebas could also evolve naturally upon displaying the beauty of self-confidence.
The beautiful, rainbow-like scales on Milotic's body were said to possess a mysterious power. They could emit waves that soothed raging hearts, purifying the minds of humans and Pokémon alike to bring conflicts to an end.
That also made Milotic well suited to being an assistant at a Pokémon Day Care.
There