Chapter 7

The Eterna Center was where Cynthia met Elesa for a check-up. Besides having several meeting halls and opportunities, also was near a food court. Cynthia ordered a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese, and sat down to eat. She didn't have much time because it was already starting to get late: Cynthia walked out that building, and she reflected on the upcoming battle opportunities.

Well, I have more to learn. I should read up on the latest news in the battle department, and I will see what everyone is up to. I have already registered for the World Tournament. The odds of winning… I don't know what they are. Leon will be there, Lance will be there, and Tobias will be there too. Almost everyone in the top seven will be at this tournament. I fully intend to win this one. As for the matchups, some of them will be close. I wasn't taking the second Tobias battle very seriously since it was just training. If I was to take him on again, I think the result is a toss-up. I do have Dialga and Palkia on hand, but I do not want to be over-reliant on them.

As for Leon, an over-reliance on a specific team member is probably the only flaw he has. The World Tournament site does allow for Gigantamax so I will need to deal with that. Stealth Rock should be important, but I will need an opportunity for Garchomp to set it up, and Leon probably anticipated this and has hazard removal. I have always thought that him being "undefeated in Galar" was more bragging than anything else, but he really is that strong.

Lance… has a tendency of stacking weaknesses with all the Dragon and Flying types. Most of his team is weak to Ice and Rock. Ice Beam on Milotic and Stone Edge on Garchomp should help with these, but all the battles at this level should never be underestimated.

Steven could be an issue depending on lineup, but I should take this battle.

Cynthia checked her phone as several other pieces of battle news reached her news files, but then she heard a loud noise as she saw a child, probably ten or eleven, collapsed at a ridge. Cynthia put away her phone, walked over to him, extended her right hand to him, and helped him up.

"Are you okay? I am Cynthia, and I am a trainer. I would like to help you. Can you stand?"

The trainer responded, "Yes. I am okay, and I can stand. I appear to have fallen against a ridge. Just a few bruises I think… probably do not need medical attention."

Cynthia stated, "That is good to hear. What is your name?"

The trainer answered, "My name is Donovan. I am on a journey to help fill out a dex."

"Nice to meet you. Donovan. Hopefully you have good luck in filling out your dex. Remember that HM moves can be used to deal with certain obstacles!"

"Thank you, Cynthia!"

Donovan walked off, rather slowly, but at least steadily, and he didn't fall. He seemed to head toward the nearest Pokémon center to rest. Cynthia turned in the other direction and walked into an empty clearing on the nearest route.

She then had Togekiss use the HM move Fly to report back to the Sinnoh League. It was darkening anyway, and soon it would be completely dark: 8:30 PM. The journey to the Sinnoh League took some time, but Togekiss got there quickly enough.

Besides the Elite Four chambers, the Championship room where battles took place, and the Hall of Fame, there was also a small workspace and living space. After cleaning up her workspace and living space—which took some time, as Cynthia had a tendency to leave behind a messy workspace—she changed into a light blue pajama set, turned off the lights, and tucked herself in for the night on a small mattress which fit snugly near a dresser and a small gray table. It was almost 10:00 by the time she did so.

She had a long day ahead of herself, so she would set an alarm to 7:00 AM while fiddling with her black alarm clock. After setting the alarm clock aside, she closed her eyes and settled into sleep. The mattress was not as comfortable as the ones in her other addresses (she had more than one address), but it would do.

Dreams did not come easily for her. Usually she dreamed of her past, of herself as a young girl conquering all the challenges Sinnoh had to offer, and after assembling her team and training it to near-perfection. This single-minded determination to become the strongest Trainer ever, led her to become Sinnoh's League Champion at the age of seventeen. She witnessed the other current champions ascend to their current positions, and she had battled them too when the opportunity arose. Cynthia had taken good care of her team members while having so much fun doing so! Seeing them grow from humble beginnings to seasoned veterans made her feel so proud of them…