Chapter 39: Champion Cynthia, You're Finally Here
Cynthia, wrapped in her signature long black coat, walked aimlessly down the streets of Hau'oli City.
Her delicate, flawlessly beautiful face gazed off into the distance. A warm sea breeze drifted in like the gentlest lover's hand, brushing softly through her bangs.
How beautiful Alola was. An endless sapphire sea. A sky so clean and clear. Bright, joyful laughter reaching her ears from every direction.
The entire city seemed to be this way — no pressure, no weariness, no heaviness. Lightness and happiness were its defining melody.
If she'd come here under normal circumstances just to relax, Cynthia felt she'd easily sink into the atmosphere of this city.
But…
This time was different.
"Caitlin…"
Cynthia pressed her lips tightly together. Even though she had become Sinnoh's Champion — the trainer at the very peak of the entire region—
She still felt panic and worry right now. Worried for her dear friend. Deeply worried.
Caitlin's transformation had been so stark, so sudden. Especially when the two of them had once been such close sisters.
After that earlier phone call, Cynthia had only felt mild unease. But the information forwarded from Alola had made it utterly impossible for her to stay put.
Caitlin had become a member of an evil organization? How was this possible…
How had it come to this?
Beep beep beep—
Suddenly, Cynthia's phone lit up with incoming messages. She glanced down — her elegant brows knitting together. It was from Professor Kukui.
And it was an SOS?
Cynthia was confused, but then it clicked — had he run into Team Rocket?
Pocketing her phone, Cynthia hurried out of the city district, released her Garchomp, and headed toward the location Kukui had sent.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Dodge, quickly!"
At Ten Carat Hill, the battle was still raging.
At Kukui's panicked shout, his previously nimble Lycanroc — worn thin from constant dodging — finally slipped up. Tapu Fini's Hydro Pump slammed squarely into it.
With a thunderous BOOM, Kukui's Midday Lycanroc was sent flying by the overwhelming force of the Hydro Pump, crashing to the ground with no immediate sign of getting back up.
"Is this all you've got, Professor Kukui?"
Mammon flashed a grin as specks of green light drifted from his hand into Tapu Fini's body.
His Power of Viridian was healing Tapu Fini's wounds and easing the mental fatigue of prolonged battle.
Tapu Fini, who had been showing slight signs of tiredness, was once again restored to full vigor.
Tapu Fini was brimming with confidence. She could take on ten more of them!!
"..."
Kukui's expression was heavy, brows locked tight as he stared at the overwhelming Tapu Fini. All the damage he'd struggled so hard to inflict had just been undone.
On his side, Magnezone and Braviary were already down. Incineroar was injured, and Lycanroc had just been critically hit.
Tapu Fini was just…
"Why have you fallen silent? Weren't you going to beat me down and rescue Tapu Fini?" Mammon pressed the attack, smile unwavering.
"Bastard! You've been using your ability to constantly support Tapu Fini — that's despicable!" Olivia burst out furiously.
"Despicable?" Mammon couldn't help bursting into laughter at her words.
"Hahaha~ you're killing me. Queen Olivia — I truly never expected those words to come out of your mouth."
Mammon laughed until he couldn't hold it in, then resumed his mocking without the slightest mercy.
"This isn't some fair arena match. And I've used nothing but Tapu Fini from start to finish."
"You can't even get past Tapu Fini. Your weakness is genuinely pitiful."
Mammon's taunt cut deep. He was honestly starting to wonder if water had gotten into Olivia's brain.
This wasn't a regulation match — since when could they ban him from using the Power of Viridian?
And he'd already been going easy on them. He was still only using Tapu Fini to face Kukui.
"Besides — if we're talking about despicable, Queen Olivia — what was that little stunt you pulled? Using your Pokémon to ambush me? That doesn't count as despicable? Truly, I can't compete with your standards."
Mammon twisted the knife with deliberate mockery.
Earlier, sensing that defeating Tapu Fini outright wasn't going to be easy, Olivia had quietly sent out a Lileep in an attempt to take down Mammon the trainer instead.
Unfortunately for her, the Lileep had been instantly put into a deep, deep "sleep" by a Shadow Ball from the gray blob that permanently resided in Mammon's shadow.
When out in the field, protecting one's own safety was the top priority. That was precisely why Mammon always kept Shiny Gengar tucked away in his shadow.
The moment an opponent crossed the line — like Olivia's direct trainer-kidnapping attempt — Shiny Gengar could respond instantly.
Olivia's face went dark. Her chest started heaving rapidly with rage again.
Kukui's expression was grave. He truly hadn't imagined he'd be reduced to this.
Unable to defeat even a single one of his opponent's main Pokémon — and in a 2-on-1 situation at that.
"Mammon. I think we can sit down and talk this out properly."
Kukui's face went through a cycle of conflicted expressions before he finally forced the words out, hesitantly.
He couldn't win. He genuinely couldn't win.
"Kukui—!" Olivia's face went white with alarm.
But Kukui simply waved a hand at her, signaling her to say nothing.
Kukui glanced at the two other ongoing battles. Surprisingly, despite holding an overwhelming type advantage, Nanu was clearly struggling intensely.
Kukui could see it: that Caitlin girl was handling her battle with complete ease, and she was also keeping an eye on Mammon's side of the field.
Hala, on the other hand, was locked in an intense slugfest with Lance — and from the look of things, was even holding a slight upper hand.
This Lance senior executive wasn't actually all that strong.
But none of it mattered. Of the three on the opposing side, the most crucial, most pivotal figure remained this leader — Mammon.
"Oh?"
Mammon watched Kukui with genuine interest, waiting for him to continue.
He was curious what Kukui wanted to negotiate.
Just then, an imperious roar came thundering from the sky. A deep-blue Pokémon came streaking down and slammed into the ground, kicking up a considerable cloud of sand.
Every single person on the field had their attention pulled to the arrival.
Footsteps sounded. A tall, elegant blonde woman slowly stepped out, her fierce, imposing Garchomp close behind her.
"Champion Cynthia!"
Kukui's group lit up with relief — especially Kukui. Champion Cynthia, you're finally here!
"Cynthia…"
Caitlin's exquisite face held a flicker of complex emotions. Her expression alone could be mapped onto a pie chart. Her heart was a mess of mixed feelings.
She could guess why Cynthia had appeared in the Alola region.
"Now things are getting interesting."
The corner of Mammon's mouth pulled even higher as he sized up the woman who sat atop Sinnoh, and the Garchomp at her back.
"Caitlin."
Cynthia's gaze swept across everyone present, finally landing on Caitlin.
"Caitlin. Is there nothing you want to say to me?"