Below them lay a pool of concentrated, corrosive acid. The bubbling surface alone was enough to send chills through anyone's spine.
Yet Logan showed no fear.
He ran back and forth across the invisible Flowing Cloud Lines that no one else could see. Above him, the vast web formed by the bodies of Onix had become his perfect cover.
Cynthia's cheeks were flushed as Logan carried her forward. The motion caused her chest to sway in dizzying waves. Under normal circumstances, Logan would have thoroughly appreciated the sight.
But now—
He spared only the briefest glance before forcing his attention back to the battlefield, faint regret flickering in his eyes.
Cynthia was tall; carrying her in a princess hold was nothing like lifting a petite girl. Unable to see the Flowing Cloud Lines, she could only cling tightly to Logan's neck to avoid falling. If she slipped—
The acid would dissolve her in seconds.
"I've… caused you trouble, Logan."
Her voice was gentle, tinged with embarrassment.
"Trouble? What trouble?"
Logan chuckled softly, darting beneath the body of a massive Onix to avoid another strike from Lorelei or Agatha.
Compared to earlier—
He was far more relaxed now.
"If I weren't here dragging you down, you'd be fighting more freely. Carrying me must be exhausting."
Cynthia's tension had eased as well. As long as the acid pool remained below, the three Elite Four members could do nothing to Logan.
Though Logan couldn't counterattack fully without exhausting his Pokémon—
The pressure had shifted.
"If you hadn't held them off earlier, I couldn't have set this up," Logan replied calmly.
"And if Lance suddenly appears, I certainly don't think I could defeat all four of the Kanto Elite Four at once."
"As for weight…"
He smirked.
"Cynthia, you might be a bit… well-endowed in certain places—but your overall weight is light. Back when I trained with Bruno, I carried more than twice your weight."
The teasing tone deepened Cynthia's blush, but she couldn't very well argue under the circumstances.
"…Is this how you sweet-talk Caitlin too?"
Logan raised a brow.
"I haven't done anything with Caitlin. That's not sweet-talking."
"She cares about you very much."
Cynthia smiled faintly as she held onto his neck.
"I only gave Caitlin hope," Logan said thoughtfully.
"But hope is like the sun. It can only rise on the horizon of reality. If she didn't hold hope within herself, no matter how I urged her, she wouldn't accept it."
"Her feelings toward me are admiration. She was lost at the beginning. I simply gave that admiration a direction."
He spoke almost like a philosopher.
Cynthia's gray eyes shimmered as she looked at him—the familiar sharpness in her gaze softened by something warmer.
"Let's recall our Pokémon," Logan said suddenly. "I don't want to waste my pokemon. Agatha and the others can't do anything to us for now… jump!"
At his signal, his Pokémon leapt from the Onix web above and landed precisely on the Flowing Cloud Lines. Though they couldn't see the currents, they trusted him implicitly.
Once grounded, he recalled them all.
Cynthia handed him her Poké Balls as well. He recalled her Pokémon for her.
They moved into a blind spot, temporarily hidden.
Lorelei and Agatha were furious—
but helpless.
Bruno stood atop an Onix and burst into laughter.
He had to admit—
Logan's tactics and improvisation had completely disarmed him.
The Elite Four had prepared a perfect kill zone—terrain, timing, numbers.
And yet—
Logan had flipped the board.
Aside from Hitmonchan, who was seriously injured, the Elite Four's Pokémon remained largely unharmed.
But Bruno knew—
They had already lost.
Not in Pokémon combat.
In strategy.
Logan had never cared about winning this engagement outright. He had been thinking about the broader war.
He seized control of the battlefield itself.
Even with Lance included—
The Elite Four could not match the Kanto Champion's vision.
"I'm more worried about Yellow," Logan said quietly.
"From what Bruno said earlier, separating her was Lance's idea. If she's facing Lance alone…"
Cynthia frowned.
"Let me handle the three of them. You go deeper into the island."
"No."
Logan refused immediately.
"I won't put you in that kind of danger. And I've already made preparations for Yellow. She should be fine for now."
He drew a deep breath.
"Individually, Bruno and Lorelei aren't threats to you. Agatha is dangerous—but she's old. Her mind and Pokémon remain sharp, but she can't personally engage in direct combat like before. That's why she relies on ambush."
Age was a weakness.
A powerful one.
When Latias struck Agatha earlier, a younger Trainer would have recovered instantly. Cynthia herself had endured Gengar's strike and continued fighting.
Agatha, however—
Was still struggling to stand.
Just then—
Logan's ears twitched.
The wind had changed.
Beneath it—
Footsteps.
Many of them.
Growing louder.
A smile spread across his face.
"Good. Our reinforcements have arrived."
He leapt forward, still holding Cynthia.
Latias materialized beneath them in midair, no longer hidden. The two ascended rapidly.
Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha heard the footsteps as well.
Their expressions hardened.
If everything before had been a test for Logan and Cynthia—
Then now—
The real test began for the Elite Four.
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