Chapter 10

Cynthia smiled as she started telling her story.

"I will tell you of when I first became Sinnoh's Champion. That should tide us over for the night. You may stay for the night as well, if you so desire. The story began after I obtained all eight Gym Badges from Sinnoh when I was fifteen. I had obtained them rather quickly, but that is a story for another time. Over a decade ago, I stood before the gates of Victory Road and presented my identification and my gym badges. The identification occurred in a Pokecenter, at a small gray desk. There were no large gates like in some other regions, such as in Kalos. I smiled as I had trained my team effectively in a bid to become a Champion. I had dreamed of this since I had obtained my first Pokémon, a Gible that was wandering in a professor's lab. He allowed me to keep the Gible, and that was the beginning of a long friendship. I had often checked out magazines and books at libraries about strategies and tips for team training. I also met up with friends to discuss more, too. Little did I know that my team and I would have so much more room to grow even after becoming a Champion.

As I left the confines of the Pokecenter and entered the mouth of the first cave in Sinnoh Victory Road, I realized that journeying through the cave system was not an easy task. Unlike now, there were far fewer lights in the Victory Road cave system, and as a result, it took longer to progress. Getting mobbed by various species, especially Gravelers, also was common. At least the high rates of wild appearances gave me an opportunity to train any team members that lagged behind back up to speed. Roserade in particular benefited from the high rates of wild encounters to get Toxic Spikes, which is useful for hazard stacking. Garchomp did have Stealth Rock available as one of its possible moves, so a combined hazard stack seemed like a viable option.

Wild encounters were not the only challenge that the caves of Victory Road held. The cave system also had many other Trainers going there to improve their teams. They did not pose much of a challenge, though. That being said, I wanted to dispatch their team members as efficiently and quickly as possible because the real challenge lay ahead: the Elite Four and Champion. The first floor of the cave felt rather confusing, and I often asked the Trainers in or near it on navigation advice. They usually pointed me in the right direction, which was useful for clearing the damp cave. In turn, I often stopped to help them, or anyone who I met who needed assistance. The second floor was more of the same, with a few interesting rock formations, more wild encounters, and a few Trainers who were not much of a challenge. Milotic's surf move allowed me to cross the watery expanses of the cave system.

It took about a day to navigate Victory Road, and I managed to stop at the center right before the Sinnoh League itself right as night fell. I could pay for staying the night, and then rested there. The room was very small, consisting of primarily its bed and that was it, but it allowed me to take a rest for that night. It was rather difficult to sleep, considering the small space and relatively busy environment even at night. However, I was able to do have at least a decent sleep that night because of just how tired I was. I dreamed of glory and becoming the Champion; I imagined a scene where I posed dramatically for the camera, my brilliant blonde hair billowing in the wind while I smiled to the cheers of thousands. (That was a teenager's vision of fame. It didn't take long for me to realize that the glories of fame were highly overrated once you actually go there.) I also envisioned myself as Champion, consistently stepping up to protect Sinnoh from any major threat—a promise that I have steadfastly kept ever since.

I woke up at 7:30 AM as I checked my bags, and a big day dawned before me. I stepped out of the tiny sleeping area, and then paid for a breakfast. It wasn't much, though, and I decided to leave the center area to do some more teambuilding exercises. I would perform these exercises at the edge of nearby lake for about an hour before heading back to the Center, getting my team healed, and then challenging the Sinnoh League for its Champion position. I also purchased many healing items, including plenty of revives and hyper potions, to use between battles to heal my team members.

I reflected on my journey as I trained more of my team members to what I believed to be the peak of their power. Once again, I was mistaken. That was only the limit to which fifteen-year-old me could push them to; as I gained more experience at competitive battle, I could push my team further beyond, and they would willingly seek greater and greater challenges like I do. My team members didn't just respect me—they love me. My mentor always claimed that 'the greatest challenges are the ones in the mind and in the heart.' Surpassing these challenges would mean I could take on almost anyone."

It was 9:00 as I entered the Sinnoh League building and challenged its Elite Four and Champion. This lineup was different than in our time. Aaron was not among the Elite Four, for instance. I'll save the Champion battle for another day. The building looked a bit different, too. The building had white walls and a blue ceiling. The floor tiles were white, too. A few lights in structures that looked like cauldrons stood on the floors, with some ceiling lights as well. The first hallway was a straight line—the geometry has not changed since.

I entered the first room. The doors locked behind me. It was succeed, or faint trying. I steeled myself for the encounter as I prepared to meet the Elite Four member before me. My journey had culminated into this final push, where I would write myself into the annals of greatness. Tomorrow I will tell you of the Elite Four battles."

It was getting rather late, and Cynthia decided it was a good time to turn the lights off and rest for the day.

"Thank you, Cynthia. That was rather inspiring. I do want to hear about the battles soon. They must have been cool!"

Cynthia responded, "That will come later, Tobias. I do want you to run some errands for me since I will have a league title defense to attend to."