Eric had left Floaroma town and was not exploring Route 205. Route 205 was full of greenery and ragged paths.
He was currently navigating a particularly uneven stretch of the route when he heard sounds of Pokemon clashing nearby. Then there was a blast as a bolt of lightning flew into the sky.
Curious, he quietly moved toward the source of the noise, parting a cluster of thick bushes to peer into a wide, rocky clearing.
Two trainers were currently locked in a fierce, high-speed battle.
Even though they were significantly younger than the versions he remembered from the games and the anime, Eric would never mistake those faces.
On the left stood a teenager with spiky, messy blonde hair, wearing a dark blue jacket. He had an intense, focused look in his eyes, actively directing his Pokémon with sharp, precise commands.
Volkner.
On the right stood a girl roughly Eric's age. She was dressed in a black-and-white top and black baggy pants that contrasted sharply with her striking, bright blonde hair. It wasn't quite as long as her future self's, falling just past her shoulders, but she already wore those iconic, teardrop-shaped black hair clips.
Cynthia.
Sitting on a boulder just off to the side, enthusiastically shouting at the top of his lungs, was a teenager with a massive, fiery-red afro.
Flint. Sinnoh's future Fire-type Elite Four member.
Eric stood completely still in the brush. He hadn't expected to encounter any of them so soon, let alone randomly in the middle of a route. He had anticipated meeting Cynthia eventually; he still had Blaire's parcel for Professor Carolina in his spatial watch, after all, but seeing all of them here was a surprise.
He then scanned the data of the battling Pokémon.
```
Pokémon: Lucario
Gender: Male
Level: 44
Type: Fight/Steel
Potential: Light Gold
Pokémon: Raichu
Gender: Male
Level: 42
Type: Electric
Potential: Deep Purple
```
Eric was slightly surprised.
Both of them were at the Advanced level!
Eric remembered Volkner's Raichu in the anime. In the anime, Volkner was a prodigy that had eventually fallen into a deep depression from a lack of worthy challengers, but right now, he was bursting with passionate, unyielding fighting spirit.
But while his Raichu was amazing, Cynthia's Lucario was on another level with Light Gold potential.
Eric silently pulled out his phone and checked Cynthia's public trainer record.
What he saw surprised him a little.
Cynthia had registered as a trainer a little less than four months ago. And she had officially breached the Advanced level in record time, becoming an Advanced trainer much faster than even Lance, who had famously taken just six months.
The reason he was surprised was because all of Lance's records were widely publicised and marketed all over Kanto, while there wasn't much news about Cynthia.
He could guess why. Kanto's media probably brushed over the news, not wanting trainers from outside Kanto to outshine Lance, their current poster boy of Kanto's Elite 4.
But here in Sinnoh, she was an absolute superstar. The forums were filled with stories of her traveling across the region, relentlessly challenging the strongest trainers she could find. Her passion for Pokémon battles was bordering on an obsession.
As for Volkner and Flint? They had started their journeys about eight months ago. Before Cynthia appeared out of nowhere, those two had been universally recognized as the undisputed twin prodigies of Sinnoh.
Eric pocketed his phone and returned his attention to the battle.
Volkner was battling incredibly well - showing great skill, but despite that, the battle was completely one-sided.
"Raichu, Thunder!" Volkner yelled, throwing his arm forward.
A massive, blinding pillar of lightning crashed down from the sky, aiming directly for Lucario.
"Dodge, then Bone Rush!" Cynthia's voice was calm as she analysed the battlefield.
Lucario easily dodged the incoming Thunder, seamlessly closing the distance and appearing right beside Raichu.
"Iron Tail!" Volkner commanded frantically.
Lucario's Bone Rush met Raichu's Iron Tail. Raichu parried a few strikes by continuously using Iron Tail - which was clearly at the intermediate level - but Lucario was relentless, eventually overpowering Raichu and knocking it away.
"Aura Sphere, Finish it!"
"Lucaar!"
A light blue sphere made up of fighting-type energy and mixed with Aura shot towards Raichu and hit it, causing an explosion.
When the dust settled, Raichu lay there unconscious.
The battle was over.
Throughout the battle. Lucario had barely taken a hit. This was a result of how well it was raised combined with Cynthia's precise commands.
Her battle sense was truly impressive - probably the result of a vast amount of experience facing strong opponents.
"C'mon Volkner! You're my rival! You can't let her beat you like this!" Flint groaned from his boulder, throwing his hands in the air.
Volkner sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead as he recalled his fallen Pokémon.
"She's just too strong, Flint. But next time...I will win!"
Cynthia didn't gloat over her victory as she recalled Lucario after praising it.
She nodded respectfully toward Volkner, shifting her bangs from her eyes.
Eric felt she resembled Red a little, at least while battling - The same quiet intensity, the same command over the battlefield, the way she overwhelmed Volkner, all of it was quite similar to Red.
As Eric stepped out from the brush to continue his trek down the route, the rustling leaves caught Flint's attention. The fiery-haired teenager spun around, his hot-headed nature flaring up instantly.
"Hey! What are you doing standing over there?!" Flint shouted, pointing aggressively at Eric.
Eric paused, his hands resting casually in his jacket pockets.
He turned to Flint and answered flatly, "Just passing by."
"We are not putting on a show for you to gawk at! Buzz off!" Flint yelled, visibly irritated by Volkner's loss and taking it out on the nearest bystander. He was his rival! He should only lose to him!
Volkner walked over, putting a hand on Flint's shoulder. "Hey Flint, calm down. Don't be so rude."
Eric didn't blink. He just stared at Flint.
"This is a public route. You don't own it."
This pissed Flint off. Or perhaps he just wanted to blow some steam.
"You!" Flint snarled, jumping off the boulder and grabbing a Poké Ball from his belt. "Fine! You want to act tough? Let's settle this with a Pokémon battle right now!"
His eyes burned with a fiery passion as he said so.
Eric looked at the furious future Elite-4.
'Why did it escalate so fast? Oh well.'
He was quite curious how strong a future Sinnoh Elite 4 was in his younger days.
Besides, Haunter was close to the Advanced-level Bottleneck. Perhaps this fight would push him through it.
"Fine. I accept."
Volkner sighed, shaking his head, but he didn't try to stop them. He stepped back, moving to the edge of the clearing to stand beside Cynthia.
Cynthia didn't know what to do in this situation.
'Would it be rude if I just leave?'
She wanted to leave and get back on her way, but was also an introvert and socially awkward. Not sure what to do, she just sighed and also watched the confrontation.
Flint stomped over to the opposite side of the rocky terrain, his Poké Ball already spinning in his hand. Eric took his place, the wind ruffling his dark jacket.
"You're going to regret this, pal," Flint sneered.
"Haunter. You're up."