The next morning.
Cynthia woke around sunrise. She checked the clock. It was still early, but she did not feel the least bit drowsy. She felt refreshed and clearheaded.
"What a difference this made."
Before bed, Kaim had given her a massage to help her sleep better and brewed some herbal tea. Perhaps that was why she had fallen asleep as soon as she slipped beneath the covers. She had slept deeply until waking now. Her fatigue had melted away, leaving her without a trace of exhaustion.
"It's still too early."
No one would be awake at this hour. Kaim was still sleeping peacefully.
"Let's go for a walk."
She wrote on the notepaper in the room that she was going for a walk, clipped her balls to her waist, took the key, and left.
Cynthia stepped out of the Stadium and felt the morning chill. It was cold enough to turn her breath white, but she did not have to worry about the cold, equipped with her usual coat and the scarf Kaim had given her.
Looking up at the Stadium, Cynthia walked along the deserted road.
More than ten years had passed since she became Champion. Yet she had never imagined that one day she would battle at the Pokémon League headquarters-the Indigo Plateau.
"Reality is a strange thing."
"Oh, I thought someone might be here at this hour, but I didn't expect you."
Hearing a sudden voice, she turned to see a dark-skinned man and a Charizard.
"Sorry."
"Thank you so much for what happened at the opening ceremony."
The man spoke with a bashful smile.
"No, don't worry about it. It was just a precaution."
"Haha, this is awkward."
The man held out his hand to Cynthia.
"I'm Leon. I'm the Champion of the Galar Region."