The Elite Four

"After that, we had a few drinks and talked about ourselves. From the next day on, we drove as usual."

"Oh... so that happened. Was that when it started?"

"What?"

"I heard you fell in love with Mr. Kaim."

At Dawn's words, Cynthia stiffened, but she soon gave up and sighed.

"So you figured it out after all."

"I have a vague sense of people's feelings. When people interact, I can tell what sort of emotions there are between them."

"That's a nice ability. It helps you look after people."

"So, Miss Shirona, your feelings for Mr. Kaim felt very warm. That made me wonder if that was what they were."

Cynthia had never expected Dawn, whom she had only recently met, to see through her so easily, but it seemed Dawn happened to be the sort of person who understood such things.

"...Yes, that's right."

"Oh, that's wonderful!"

"Did you notice, Dawn? Maybe I'm easy to read?"

"Yes!"

"You didn't have to confirm it quite so clearly."

Cynthia, who had thought she had hidden it well, was a little taken aback. Perhaps Kaim had noticed those feelings too.

"On the other hand, I don't know what Mr. Kaim is thinking. His expression hardly changes, and neither does his tone."

"He's not very warm, and sometimes I don't understand him even when we're together."

Cynthia loved the moments when his expression, usually as unmoving as an iron mask, softened. When he looked at her with the expression he usually showed Pokémon, her chest tightened.

"He isn't very warm, but he's always supported me. I'm clumsy too, so he makes up for that. People can't live alone. We live with help from Pokémon and the people around us."

"A lot of people have helped me too. Before I came here, I met so many people and received so much support. I want to do my very best for them."

"Let's enjoy tomorrow's battle to the fullest."

"Yes! I won't lose!"

"Hehe, neither will I."

Kaim, who had just returned, watched from a distance as the two smiled at each other.

The day of the final.

Two hours before the match.

"You're nervous."

Kaim spoke as he brushed Cynthia's hair. Her expression was more resolute than usual, and the light in her eyes was sharp and serious.

"Hehe, do I look that way?"

"Yes."

"You're right. No matter how many times I go through this, I never get used to it."

Cynthia had reached the final as the champion for years. Yet no matter how many times she experienced it, she could never get used to the atmosphere before this match.

"My opponent, Dawn, is an all-rounder. She tends to fight head-on, but she can also use tricky moves. To be honest, Green might have the edge in raw ability, but at crucial moments, her inspiration and explosive power are tremendous. She even defeated Gaoyang, one of the Elite Four."

"Battles can't be measured by numbers alone. Feelings alone can't change the outcome of a battle, but Dawn might be an exception."

"Perhaps it's because she's still inexperienced and her abilities are uneven. Her feelings are the trigger that brings out her true ability. I think she might have drawn out something beyond her limits."

"What are your chances of winning?"

"That's a silly question."

"You're right. There, that's done."

He put down the brush and let Cynthia look in the mirror.

As always, Cynthia's hair was fine and silky, shining gold.

"Thank you."

"Of course."

"Hey, I have one last request. Is that all right?"

"You have another one?"

"It's easy."

"Let's hear it, then."

"I want you to put this on me."

The box Cynthia held as she spoke looked somewhat familiar.

When Cynthia opened it, it contained exactly what she had expected.

"I want to wear this for the final. Would you mind?"

"No, that's fine."

"Thank you."

Kaim took it out of the box and held it.

"I didn't expect you to bring it."

"I made up my mind. I'm going to wear this for the final."

"Haha, you certainly sound confident."

"I'm the champion."

Cynthia's words brought a faint smile to Kaim's face.

As he held it, it gave off a faint gleam in the sunlight.

"Thank you all for waiting! The day has finally arrived! The festival that will decide the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the Sinnoh Region! The final battle is upon us! It's about to begin!"

The excited live commentary echoed through the stadium. Inside the gate, Cynthia and Kaim exchanged a glance as cheers just as loud as the announcer's voice filled the arena.

"It's time."

"Yes."

Cynthia put on the Black Haori and looked beyond the gate.

"Many powerful competitors from other regions entered this tournament, making it an exceptionally high-level competition! But this challenger defeated every one of those formidable opponents and earned the right to face the champion! A sensational rookie with only one year of experience as a Trainer! Seeing this balanced team battle at such a high level, it's hard to believe she's only been a Trainer for a year!"

A girl emerged from the gate opposite them. The heat haze rising in the summer warmth blurred her figure, but the air around her was tense.

"Our young challenger! Dawn!"

Cheers erupted, but Dawn stared straight ahead without responding.

"See? It's time to go."

"Yes, I'm off."

"Have fun."

Cynthia bumped her fist against Kaim's.

"And facing that challenger! The champion who has defended her Sinnoh League title for over a decade and remains undefeated in official matches! A true and beautiful goddess of battle! Even in this tournament, her power knows no bounds! She has defeated countless formidable opponents!"

Shirona stepped out of the gate into the sunlight and headed toward the field.

With her black outer robe fluttering over a fine, sleeveless black knit top, Shirona walked through the cheers.

"The champion! Cynthia!"

The cheers were louder than they had been for Dawn.

Yet those words barely reached Cynthia's ears. All Shirona could see was Dawn on the other side of the field.

With the field between them, the atmosphere changed dramatically.

That sharp look and fierce presence were unimaginable in the Dawn she usually knew. Having only just reached the final, she already had an aura comparable to the Elite Four.

"I finally made it."

Dawn spoke with a smile.

"I knew you would make it here."

Cynthia smiled back at Dawn.

"I want to thank you again for what happened in that shattered world. Thank you."

"No, it was interesting for me too. Besides, I was the one who stuck my neck into it in the first place."

Dawn smiled brightly, looking like an ordinary girl.

"You look different today, Miss Cynthia. This is the first time I've seen you put your hair up."

"Today is a special day."

Cynthia's long hair was gathered into a bun at the back of her head. It left her ears exposed, revealing her Red-and-Blue Earrings.

A black hairpin was tucked into her pinned-up hair.

"That's a lovely hairpin."

"Is it? Do you like it?"

"I can tell how serious you are, Miss Cynthia."

"Yes. I'm serious."

Dawn closed her eyes and took a ball from her waist.

"My journey up to now... it may have only been a short year."

"Whatever happened, you and your Pokémon overcame it together. I can feel the strength you gained from those experiences."

Cynthia took a ball attached to the inside of her outer robe.

"All right! Enough talk. As the champion of the Sinnoh Region's Pokémon League, I'll battle you!"

They both threw their balls at the same time.

"Go! Staraptor!"

"I'm counting on you! Thank you!"

The greatest battle in the Sinnoh Region had now begun.

"Unova! Night Head!"

"Lucario! Dragon Pulse!"

Their moves collided and canceled each other out.

I can't believe Unova's Night Head was canceled out by a Dragon Pulse that doesn't even match Lucario's type.

Dawn's Pokémon, Unovar, was a Ghost-type, putting a Fighting-type like Lucario at a disadvantage. Yet Unova had already taken enough damage that the disadvantage scarcely seemed to matter.

Pokémon on both sides had fallen one after another, leaving the match at two against two. Being the first to lose their footing could prove fatal.

"Lucario, Ice Punch!"

"Unova! Shadow Strike!"

Lucario could not dodge the attack unleashed from the shadow on the ground and took a direct hit. Lucario had also suffered heavy damage and had very little stamina left.

But the same was true of Unova. Knowing this, Lucario swung an icy fist at Unova's torso even as Lucario lost balance.

However, Unova's large arm caught Lucario's arm.

"Unova! Shadow Ball, just like that!"

"Lucario! Dragon Pulse!"

The commands came simultaneously, but Unovar unleashed the same-type move faster, and Lucario took a direct hit.

Before becoming completely unable to fight, however, Lucario summoned the last reserves of strength and struck Unovar with Dragon Pulse, dealing damage.

Lucario fell and could no longer battle.

"Thank you, Lucario. Get some rest."

Cynthia was down to just one Pokémon and had been driven into a corner.

Yet inwardly, Dawn broke into a cold sweat.

I had a favorable type matchup, but Lucario still wore us down this much.

Cynthia's Lucario relied primarily on close combat strengthened by Swords Dance, using special moves at most to create openings. Since Unovar was a Ghost-type, however, Fighting-type moves had no effect. Dawn had planned to attack relentlessly while Lucario overexerted itself with low-powered special attacks, but Lucario had used those special moves skillfully and stripped away eighty percent of Unovar's stamina.

Wow, wow, wow! What an incredible battle, even at a disadvantage!

Breaking into a cold sweat, Dawn smiled as she felt the strength of Cynthia's battling.

"A worthy opponent. I'm counting on you, Garchomp."

Cynthia's ace, Garchomp, appeared on the field.

"Unova! Confuse Ray!"

"Dragon Pulse."

The draconic wave engulfed Unova's Confuse Ray before it could enter Garchomp's field of vision.

"Shadow Strike!"

"Three steps left."

Shirona saw through Shadow Strike's exact location and indicated a spot where Garchomp could avoid it with certainty.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Dragon Claw!"

Dragon Claw sliced apart the Shadow Ball and closed in without losing any momentum.

"Unova! Night Head!"

"Hold steady. Wait."

Despite Unovar's Night Head, Garchomp's Dragon Claw struck Unovar and knocked Unovar down.

"Thank you, Unova."

"Nicely set up. It looks like that last Shadow Ball lowered Garchomp's Special Defense."

"You were lucky. This is all I have left."

"Your last Pokémon is Apt, right?"

"Yes! My partner from the very start of my journey! I'm counting on you! Epert!"

Emerging from the ball, Ept fixed Garchomp with a sharp gaze.

"Epert! Aqua Jet!"

"Earthquake!"

The water from Aqua Jet softened the impact of Garchomp's Earthquake and caught Garchomp. Both took damage, but neither was hurt badly.

"Stone Edge!"

"Empoleon! Get down!"

Emert flew behind the edge of a rock to dodge it.

Epert was a Water/Steel type. That meant the Rock-type move Stone Edge would not do much damage, but Cynthia had used Stone Edge before to restrict an opponent's movements and strike the trapped target. Dawn did not know that, but her innate intuition warned her that getting hit by this move would be bad, so she dodged.

"Swords Dance!"

"Water Pulse!"

Thrown off balance by the dodge, Epert immediately steadied himself and unleashed a Water Pulse. However, Garchomp completed Swords Dance while he recovered.

They're the same size, but it'll still do damage!

Yet Dawn's hopes were dashed.

"Stone Edge!"

Garchomp's Stone Edge collided with Water Pulse, and the two canceled each other out.

"No way!"

Water Pulse had the type advantage over Stone Edge. Epert also received a same-type bonus, while Garchomp did not. No matter how much Swords Dance boosted it, it was strange that the attacks had canceled each other out.

"Normally, we would have lost that exchange. But instead of striking head-on with Stone Edge, we shifted its position slightly and hit at an angle that made Water Pulse easier to break apart."

"The angle..."

"Battles aren't just about head-on attacks. Garchomp! Earthquake!"

The tremors of Earthquake struck Empoleon. The type matchup doubled the damage, and Swords Dance had greatly increased its power. I immediately had Empoleon use Iron Defense to raise his defense, but the damage was still considerable.

"Epert! Aqua Jet!"

"Attack with Dragon Claw!"

Aqua Jet collided with Dragon Claw. Between the attack boost from Swords Dance and the move's own power, Empoleon was pushed back.

"King! Steel Wing!"

"Dragon Claw!"

Their claws and wings collided.

A sharp sound rang out, like clashing swords, as they scraped against each other's bodies. Empoleon's stamina dropped because of Garchomp's Ability, Rough Skin.

Garchomp caught Empoleon's swinging wing in his claws, flipped him over, and attacked him with Dragon Claw, but Empoleon dodged it. Dawn did not miss the instant Garchomp lost his balance after the dodge.

"Icy Wind!"

The cold wind was unleashed instantly and struck Garchomp. Four times as effective as usual, it not only drained Garchomp's stamina but also lowered his speed.

That cut Garchomp's HP in half.

"Not yet! Brick Break!"

"Dodge it! Empoleon!"

Though the Brick Break he unleashed with his stamina depleted did not hit Empoleon directly, it still had a clear effect and dealt considerable damage.

"You're good."

"So are you, Miss Cynthia."

Garchomp had just over thirty percent of his stamina left. Empoleon, meanwhile, had only fifty percent.

Everyone in the arena began anticipating Cynthia's defeat. The unfavorable type matchup had diminished Garchomp's speed advantage. His remaining stamina could be depleted with ranged moves such as Surf and Ice Beam.

Everyone in the arena began to think that, perhaps, a Trainer capable of defeating Cynthia had appeared for the first time.

However, only two people in the arena had no doubts about Cynthia's victory.

Those two were Cynthia herself and Kaim.

We haven't lost yet. Keep giving it everything we've got. Victory lies ahead.

"Hehe, how long has it been since someone backed me into a corner like this?"

I can hear my own heartbeat. I can't hear anything around me. All I can see are the Pokémon on the field and Dawn.

"Epert! Don't let your guard down!"

"Sand Attack!"

Garchomp kicked the ground and flung sand into Empoleon's eyes.

Empoleon immediately shielded his eyes, leaving his vision blocked for a moment.