Chapter 51: A Test
Cynthia caught Diantha going towards the elevator and joined her much to the Kalos champion's surprise.
"Diantha are you alright?" she asked as the lift began its descent.
"….. no, I am not fine," Diantha said after a brief pause.
[Figured so.] Cynthia thought as she changed the elevator's destination to the eighth floor.
"What are you doing?" Diantha asked in confusion.
"I can't see you in this pitiful state Diantha that is why we are going to have a match one on one, you need to relieve stress right? well, it's better to battle me than smoke cigarettes," Cynthia said while pointing at Diantha's purse.
"Wait how'd you know….. it was Gardevoir wasn't it?" Diantha replied shamefully.
"You know she hates when you smoke Diantha,"
"I know I just need to take a breather sometimes," she replied in defense.
"Smoking is the exact opposite of a breather love," Cynthia replied facepalming.
"God first Rain now you does everyone know of my bad habits," Diantha answered annoyingly.
[Rain knows but how? When did she see her smoke.]
Cynthia's suspicion on Rain was ever-increasing.
[Just how is she doing this, it is like she reads…] her thought was interrupted and the lift doors opened to the gym floor where the two ladies exited.
"So we doing this?" Cynthia asked the Kalosian actress.
Diantha looked at her purse one more time before she replied
"Yes, I could use an adrenaline rush right about now,"
Cynthia smirked as she
"Good Choice."
Meanwhile back with the rangers…..
Frost had requested the five of them to wait outside and Rain had gathered them accordingly.
"What do you think he wants to talk about that he couldn't in front of the Champions?" Leaf asked Spark who in reply shook his head sideways.
"It is obviously related to the mission he just doesn't trust the Champions to know this," Ember said with a smirk.
"That is probably not the case," Rain said just walking in making Ember's smile die down.
"I agree," Spark added.
"So what can it be?" Leaf asked once again but no one replied.
[Leader can be so confusing sometimes.] She thought.
Stone who was didn't participate in this conversation had his mind filled with another issue.
[Ash wasn't in a good mood but didn't he visit his friends, so why?] he asked himself as the group waited for Frost.
A good 20-30, minutes had passed and with no sign of Frost, Rain was debated whether something was wrong or she should hit Frost for his lacking punctuality.
"I can't take this anymore." Rain voiced her anger first making everyone alert.
"Calm down big sis he probably got wrapped up in something again." Leaf said making the shorter blue head even more touchy.
"That doesn't explain….."
"FINALLY there he is," Ember growled as Frost made his way towards the group.
Rain immediately smacked the man on his head making him flinch in pain.
"Frost what the hell!"
"Sorry sorry I got a call." He replied as his team looked at him angrily because of such a bland reason.
"NO FAIR LEADER…," Ember replied with a pout as Stone just smiled at her reaction.
"Ya my legs hurt because of all this standing," Spark complained with a mischievous grin towards Leaf who immediately understood and added
"Yes mine too and you know how much I need my rest?" She said while holding her gloved hand.
Frost looked at his team still staring at him with gleaming eyes.
He sighed and replied
"Fine… as an apology dinner's on me,"
"Oh, how nice of you," Rain replied with a smirk as she patted on Frost's back.
[These guys…..] Frost internally smiled at the childishness of his team, this was a feeling that he missed in the past three years of working alone, one could say he felt he was back where he wanted to be.
"So what did you want with us?" Stone asked coming back to the actual topic.
"I need you guys to tell me about your Pokemon and I also need to see how much you have grown in this time, I need a rough idea so the miscommunication that happened between me and Rain in the morning doesn't repeat itself," he replied still feeling the burning sensation from Samurott's scald attack.
"I see… we should hit the gym then." Leaf suggested cheerily.
"That is up to you guys, I just need to see you guys ability, I know that you guys have improved because of my fight with Stone but I still have nothing for you three," Frost replied while looking at Spark, Ember, and Leaf.
"So does that mean I don't have to be there?" Stone asked all of sudden making Frost's eyebrow rise.
"Do you have something important to do?" Frost asked seriously.
"Yes… I need to finish up a report that Ember couldn't," Stone replied.
"I also want to opt-out of this exercise," Rain said.
Frost looked at her in worry when something just clicked in his mind, as he looked at Rain with a serious expression.
"Fine, both of you don't be late for dinner, the rest of you come with me."
"Okay."
"Fine by me."
"Alright."
The three rangers followed Frost as Rain and Stone stood in the ground.
"Is everything fine Stone you look on edge?" Rain asked once they were alone.
"Nothing it's just Ash he did not seem alright that is all," Stone replied honestly.
"I sensed something like that too what happened?"
"I don't know I just left him with his friends but when I came to pick him up he wasn't social at all, I was just worried about the kid," Stone said.
"Don't worry it must be something personal don't dive too deep into it we have bigger things to worry about now,"
"Yes," Stone replied as he felt talking to Rain made him feel better and he went back inside to finish his report.
Rain smiled at the fact that Stone took his mission of protecting the Champions sincerely as he even considered his mission's mental health along with his physical wellbeing.
[Always the overachiever huh Stone.] she thought as she returned back to her room to work on something she heard from Frost just now.
"Are you going to challenge us, Leader?" Leaf asked as they made it to the gym door.
"Not really I just want to see your Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses, you know like the old days."
"Wait I don't get to battle what the hell," Ember muttered as Leaf and Sparked chuckled.
It was sparks who heard the rumbling noise first as he said
"The gym seems to be occupied."
"No shit we can hear to Sparky," Ember said as she barged in through the door but immediately stopped after seeing the condition of the field.
"What the…"
She couldn't even finish saying the field was in rough shape was an understatement, the ground cracked with various holes, rocks lying everywhere her eyes could see even the wall was damaged and required serious care.
"Hold up hot-head," Spark said as he entered and stood still seeing the carnage that was being unleashed and in the midst of it all were two trainers and their Pokemon.
"Cynthia?" Frost voiced his thoughts as he was the last to walk.
"Why are they fighting right now?" Leaf asked as Frost also thought the same.
From what it looked like the match had been going for a while now as both Garchomp and Gardevoir were considerably hurt but none of them seemed to be giving up anytime soon.
"Oh, I see…." As Frost realized the reason behind the match, it was because he was the one who sent Cynthia to look after Diantha so she doesn't do anything rash so the match happening was just their way of letting loose.
[This may be a good opportunity for them.] Frost thought as he eyed the three Rangers their eyes still locked at the fierce battle happening in front of them.
Cynthia was too focused on the match that she failed to notice the presence of the four rangers that slipped into the viewing stands, after all, she was against a champion ranked trainer she could not afford to lose concentration at this level.
Fighting against Diantha was tricky because she was one of the few trainers in the world that did not need to use verbal cues to communicate with her Pokemon she only used phrases when in need for certain move calling or calling complex strategies this made her unpredictable and almost twice as dangerous than any other Champion. Her Gardevoir wasn't really a hard hitter as she was more suitable as a fast-moving strategic fighter.
Once seeing Garchomp was in striking distance Cynthia's voice cut through the gym.
"Garchomp use Brick Break."
Diantha and Gardevoir's eyes locked and in an instant, the Psychic-Fairy type teleported to safety.
This went on for a while with Garchomp on the aggressive and Gardevoir dodging with grace every single time.
Frost had read the file on Diantha and had even seen her battles before because of his constant deployment in the Kalos region he knew how tough it was to fight against someone that could communicate the way Diantha did but even so something didn't sit right with him. Usually, there was a certain gap, a small-time lag between the trainer and the Pokemon when using such a technique because both of them needed to send a gesture or signal for this to work, in Diantha's case it was the eye contact that acted as a signal, but the way things were looking the time gap was practically non-existent.
"…"
"Diantha isn't pulling any punches." He said with a wide smile as he saw through the trick.
[Have to thank Rain for this one, come on Cynthia figure it out already.] Frost thought as he looked at his teammates who were stumped because of what was going on.
[Dammit she has gotten better than last time the time lag in their communication I exploited last time is very small now it is almost like both of them are….., I need to confirm this.] Cynthia thought as something clicked in her mind.
"Alright, Garchomp new plan use Sandstorm."
The Dragon/Ground-type acknowledged and a dust cloud was created in an instant obviously since this was an indoor arena the power of the move was drastically weakened so the move's damage dealing aspect was voided its main purpose was to block vision between Diantha and Gardevoir.
"Nice try love but this isn't enough to stop us," Diantha said as out of the blue a shadow ball came towards Garchomp but was dodged with relative ease.
Cynthia clicked her tongue as her suspicion was correct but this meant things were worse than it looked
"I didn't expect you to be telepathically in touch with Gardevoir Diantha you guys really improved from last time." She voiced her worries as Diantha was figured out.
"Ahh so saw through it, well I guess I was really pushing it my bad I just wanted to end this quickly," Diantha said in a mocking tone from across the field.
It was true since Gardevoir communicated with Diantha even through a sandstorm it was more or less confirmed that both of them were linked psychically.
The sand storm was kept up even though it was clear it was not affecting Diantha's coordination a bit but because it gave Garchomp a tactical advantage his ability Sand Veil allowed him to dodge incoming attacks with ease.
Gardevoir used Moon Blast at close range in order to not give Garchomp the time to react but Cynthia saw through it and countered with Flamethrower.
The blast that resulted restricted vision even further but none of the two Champions took advantage of this because both of them knew it was a waste of effort, ever since Garchomp's evasion increased both parties were having an equally hard time landing any hits.
Diantha was slightly irritated at this point as this battle was back to a test of endurance and she knew Garchomp was far superior in that aspect than Gardevoir, she needed to do something drastic to turn the tides, she eyed the necklace hanging from her neck and sighed.
[It seems we still aren't good enough to beat her with our current strength.] she told her partner by simply thinking.
[Yes.] came a simple reply in a majestic tone and that was the confirmation she needed.
"Alright then let us finish this Gardevoir, listen to my heart and MEGA EVOLVE." Diantha touched her Mega Stone and blinding light emitted the arena and when the display was over there stood Mega Gardevoir in all her radiant glory.
[This is it.]
Cynthia knew this was the final hurdle to clear she glanced at Garchomp and asked
"Ready?"
The Pokemon roared his commitment clear from the start.
"Alright, then Garchomp use Stone Edge."
Pillars of rock erupted from the ground and made their way towards Diantha's Pokemon.
Gardevoir didn't move instead she vanished completely and popped up behind Garchomp so quickly that it caught even Cynthia off guard.
[Mega Punch] Cynthia caught the move just seconds before it was executed.
"Block it," Cynthia called as dodging it was impossible at this point.
Garchomp crossed his arms and took the hit and instantly flew into the wall behind him.
A critical hit, this was the last thing Cynthia needed right now and she knew the reason behind it as well.
"Wait a second," Spark said.
Leaf who was equally confused added
"I know Mega punch is a heavy-hitting move but it shouldn't result in a critical, not against Garchomp,"
Ember remained quiet.
Frost expression faltered as he said one word
"Pixilate."
[An ability that turns normal type moves into Fairy type.]
Cynthia remembered although she was aware of this because of her previous battle with Diantha it still was a terrifying ability.
The dust settled from the wall being broken and also with the sand storm ending it looked like Garchomp was defeated but he stood up although visibly beaten but still not out of this fight yet.
A loud roar made even Gardevoir tremble as Garchomp showed his fighting spirit.
"Arceus that Pokemon is scary strong," Leaf muttered seeing the Garchomp's tenacity.
"Leader what the hell these guys are crazy," Spark said seeing the damage caused by the ensuing battle.
"Keep watching," Frost replied as it was Cynthia's turn to counter-attack.
"Mega Punch huh….. NOT cool." Cynthia expressed her own anger.
"Feeling the pressure yet darling." Diantha quipped from her side.
"You wish," Cynthia replied.
From the eyes of a person like Leaf who was not that versed in such things this fight was looking finished with Cynthia at a clear disadvantage but just then the words of Alder entered her mind and she remembered.
[Cynthia hasn't lost once against any of the Champions.] she thought as she looked forward to seeing the outcome of this fight.
Gardevoir looked hurt even though it did not get hit yet but Diantha pressed forward knowing the reason all too well.
[I need to finish this fast.] Diantha thought as she didn't want to drag things unnecessarily.
Cynthia breathed in deeply as she thought
[Time to wrap things up.]
"Use Dig,"
Garchomp went under making himself unpredictable.
Frost eyed the field carefully, there were various holes made by dig left by Garchomp presumably from before the rangers walked in, the holes covered almost the entire field and were seemingly random.
"What is she planning?" Frost said out loud grabbing Ember's attention.
[He looks…] Ember couldn't put it in words but something about Frost seemed different whenever he referenced the Sinnoh Champion.
Ember did not believe it before but seeing him so invested in the battle before them it made her heart twist inside.
Garchomp popped up from under just behind Gardevoir to strike her but the Pokemon simply teleported away.
[That teleport of her is the real problem and…..] before Cynthia could finish Gardevoir teleported again and struck Garchomp with another Mega Punch making him crash into the ground.
Another Critical hit.
There was silence, the dust cloud made it unclear as to what happened to Garchomp.
"Is….." Spark paused taking intense atmosphere in, "Is it over?"
Frost didn't reply he was worried but smiled once he saw Cynthia's expression.
"GARCHOMP LETS FINISH THIS FIGHT!" Cynthia screamed as she didn't even need to see whether Garchomp was still able to fight it, she just knew he could.
Garchomp let out an air shattering roar as Ember, Leaf and Spark covered their ears, Frost funnily enough worried about Andrew and the restaurant he was running a few stories above as Garchomp simply refused to give in.
"What the hell is that Pokemon made of?" Leaf growled very unlike her normal self.
"Get ready." Cynthia simply said as her opponent gulped.
"Use Dig!"
Garchomp went under again and Diantha was confused
[Somethings not right here she knows Gardevoir can dodge using teleport yet she continues to use dig I need to be careful.] Diantha thought but was interrupted.
"SURPRISE THEM!" Cynthia yelled as out came Garchomp once again.
Gardevoir vanished but before she appeared several Garchomps came out of the various holes made in the ground.
"What Double Team?" Diantha yelled in shock as she knew since the Garchomps covered the entire field no matter where Gardevoir reappears a hit was imminent.
[Think Fast.] Diantha thought as she told Gardevoir her next move in her mind.
It all happened in a split second and only Leaf and Frost witnessed what happened Gardevoir reappeared and immediately took the stance for Mega Punch, Cynthia saw this and yelled
"POISON JAB FULL POWER!" Garchomp's claw glowed purple as he swung down at Mega Gardevoir.
A huge explosion occurred knocking many of the ceiling light and practically destroying the entire gym in the process even many of the initial spectator rows broke just by one move Frost and the Rangers shielded themselves from the massive shockwave that pushed everyone back.
When the dust settled both pokemon stood tall still facing each other with tension still in the air a short moment of silence and Gardevoir's mega evolution broke and she fell on her back, Garchomp on the other hand still stood showing no weakness even thou his body was battered.
The three Ranger were so shocked that their jaw dropped.
"No fucking way, what happened," Spark said in complete disbelief.
"I…. what…"
Ember could not even form words at this point.
"Such Power….." Leaf began "Its too much." She gulped.
Frost looked happy as he knew that the three of them who did not look eye to eye with the Champions after this display would take them seriously, this match made them realize why the champions were who they were and looking at their expressions none of the three would ever question the two Champions below them based on their ability ever again.
[Alhtough this was not the thing I originally planned it worked out fine.] though Frost who actually came here to observe the abilities of his own teams Pokemon but what he got to witness was something incredible.
He jumped down on the field finally making his presence known to the two Champions as he said
"Gardevoir is unable to battle the winner is Garchomp!"
Author's Notes:
Holy shit I don't know about you guys but I had Goosebumps while writing and reading this hope I made it clear how strong Cynthia and Garchomp really are in this story. Stay safe in this Corona Virus situation guys and if you guys have any questions you can PM me or write reviews because I enjoy seeing your support. As always I love you guys and until next time
PEACE