Hearthome Gym.
As the Ghost-type Gym of the Sinnoh League , it covered a vast area and was built like a palace, displaying a distinctly Eastern aesthetic.
It was worth noting that although the Sinnoh League was home to all currently known standard Pokémon, it didn't have clearly defined regional Pokémon unique to the area.
To that, Rei Akagi had only one comment:
GAME FREAK, you deserve to be cursed.
Morning dew condensed into droplets on the fangs of the stone lion-dog statues guarding the entrance.
Walking along the bluestone pathway, Rei Akagi soon saw the figure waiting in front of the Gym.
She was still wearing her black trench coat trimmed with gold.
But unlike usual, she seemed to have applied a light touch of makeup today. It softened the normally aloof Champion, adding a subtle hint of warmth.
Fallen bamboo leaves urged the breeze forward, swirling through the air.
By accident—or perhaps by intention—they brushed aside the strands of hair on her forehead, revealing that breathtakingly beautiful face.
Rei Akagi walked forward with an easy smile.
"Good morning, beautiful Miss Cynthia."
"Good morning, handsome Mr. Rei Akagi."
Cynthia smiled gently in response.
Then she tilted her head slightly, her clear golden eyes glinting with a trace of mischief.
"How beautiful?"
"More beautiful than yesterday, but not quite as beautiful as tomorrow."
Rei Akagi responded instantly.
A righteous knight must always be prepared—never fearing sudden situations.
Cynthia rolled her eyes at him, though the smile on her face remained.
She walked past him and entered the Gym first.
Standing between the stone pillars engraved with "Fortune Upon First Meeting" and "Peace Under Heaven," Rei Akagi glanced at Cynthia's striking back and tilted his head.
My answer wasn't wrong… right?
All the novels say you're supposed to reply like that.
Why didn't she react more?
Unable to figure it out, he quickly followed.
The Gym lobby was quite lively.
Many Gym apprentices were battling Trainers who had come to challenge the Gym.
Clearly, without a certain level of strength, you wouldn't even get the chance to meet the Gym Leader.
But none of that applied to Cynthia.
The moment she entered, someone immediately recognized her and led her directly to the room where the Gym Leader was.
Of course, Rei Akagi followed as well.
"I am Fantina, Leader of the Hearthome Gym! Champion Cynthia, I apologize for failing to greet you sooner! You must be here to challenge the Gym?"
The Gym Leader looked nothing like someone associated with Ghost-type Pokémon.
He was a burly middle-aged man with a powerful build and bulging muscles. His face carried an air of upright righteousness.
Just standing there made him seem steady, reliable, and reassuring.
"Hello, Leader Fantina."
Cynthia nodded with a smile.
"Challenging the Gym is indeed one of the reasons I came. But more importantly, I'd like to ask you about some matters concerning this region."
Rei Akagi watched quietly from the sidelines.
"Hahaha! To battle Champion Cynthia is the honor of my lifetime!"
Fantina's eyes flashed as he burst into hearty laughter.
Then he lowered his voice and instructed two apprentices nearby.
"Go! Bring Fantinaand that useless brat over here to watch! Tell them if they dare drag their feet, I'll break their legs!"
As one of the strongest Gym Leaders in the Sinnoh League , Fantina also held the position of Ghost-type Elite Four member.
This opportunity was rare.
He genuinely wanted to see how big the gap between himself and the Champion really was.
Soon, Fantinaand Fantina arrived.
Fantina pulled them to his side and introduced them to Cynthia.
"My apologies, Champion Cynthia. This is my daughter… and my son."
Fantinaand Fantina had barely begun feeling excited upon seeing the Champion—
When they suddenly noticed the young man standing beside her, trying his best to stay inconspicuous.
Their expressions instantly became colorful.
"Rei Akagi?"
"Boss!"
Rei Akagi sighed internally.
The world is clearly huge…
So why does it sometimes feel so small?
He smiled and greeted Fantinafirst.
"Hello, Trainer Melissa."
Then he turned to Fantina with a stern face.
"Who are you? Who's your boss? Don't go around talking nonsense—I'm a law-abiding citizen."
"Boss! Boss! You're already amazing, but you even know Champion Cynthia! Wait… you two aren't actually—"
Fantina excitedly leaned closer, completely ignoring Rei Akagi's murderous glare.
Fantinadidn't interrupt, but the way her ears subtly twitched revealed her curiosity.
"No. Absolutely not. You're overthinking it."
Suppressing the urge to hit him, Rei Akagi simply walked past Fantina and headed toward the spectator stands.
Endure.
Endure.
Acting on impulse leads to becoming a Gengar.
The small side drama caused no disturbance.
At this moment, Cynthia and Fantina had already stepped onto the battle platforms.
"Champion Cynthia, let's skip the formalities. How about a battle between our ace Pokémon?"
"I don't mind."
Both of them threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
The referee stepped forward and announced the rules.
"1v1 battle. No move restrictions. One special evolution or Z-Move allowed. The battle ends when one Pokémon can no longer continue."
The battle began.
Two figures stood facing each other in the arena:
Garchomp and Ceruledge.
Pokémon: Garchomp
Type: Dragon / Ground
Category: Mach Pokémon
Gender: Female
Ability: Sand Veil (Raises evasion during a sandstorm)
Known Moves:
Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Swords Dance, Sandstorm…
Held Item:Garchompite(Allows Garchomp to Mega Evolve during battle)
Mood: Excited
Fun Fact:
Land sharks have no interest in dancing.
After appraising Cynthia's Garchomp, Rei Akagi shifted his gaze toward Fantina's Ceruledge.
Pokémon: Ceruledge
Type: Ghost / Fire
Category: Fire Blades Pokémon
Gender: Male
Ability: Flash Fire (Absorbs Fire-type moves and boosts its own Fire-type attacks)
Known Moves:
Swords Dance, Bitter Blade, Shadow Claw, Clear Smog…
Held Item:Charcoal(Boosts the power of Fire-type moves)
Mood: Focused
Fun Fact:
Bitter Blade—activate!
Ceruledge wore a set of armor that looked somewhat different from the one Rei Akagi remembered.
He guessed it was likely due to differences in regional evolution items.
Then the commands rang out simultaneously.
"Garchomp, Sandstorm—then Swords Dance."
"Ceruledge, Swords Dance followed by Will-O-Wisp."
Ceruledge moved with lightning speed.
Its twin blades scraped against each other with a sharp metallic cry as it completed Swords Dance first.
Almost at the same moment its momentum surged—
Garchomp threw its head back and roared.
A violent sandstorm swept across the battlefield.
Yellow sand filled the air, obscuring all vision.
Garchomp's silhouette flickered in and out within the storm.
Then—
An even fiercer aura erupted from the center of the sandstorm.
Ceruledge leapt high into the air.
Ghostly blue flames silently wrapped around its arms, forming massive flaming blades.
Two eerie blue slashes tore through the air, striking precisely toward Garchomp's position within the sandstorm.
But at the very instant the attack was about to land—
Whoosh—
An even more violent current of sand surged upward, forming a raging barrier.
Garchomp's figure vanished completely into the sea of sand.
Ceruledge's flaming slashes cut through empty air—
Sending up nothing but a useless spray of sand.
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