After waking up, he thanked his grandfather for the hospitality and bid farewill to him after reassuring himself that he would be able to get along without his grandson looking out for him. He reluctantly sat down on his grandfather's bike and almost expected it to immediately fall apart, but after a couple of blocks, he developed some kind of intuition of how the bike behaved. When he had almost left Oreburgh, he spotted from the corner of his eye an antiquarian bookshop. There was a small section about "Foreign Regions" and indeed, some books about Hoenn. He skimmed through some and, being satisfied with one of them, bought The Comprehensive Guide to Hoenn for an excruciatingly high price.
Riding a bicycle uphill is never easy, but his grandfather's almost prehistoric bicycle just added insult to injury. It took him much longer than expected. If only he had taken his Mach Bike with him! After finally reaching Eterna City, he had already made up his mind that he definitely needed a new bicycle. Luckily, the PokéNav showed him Rad Rickshaw's Cycle Shop just in the centre of the city. But when he approached the shop, something felt wrong. Did that one guy across the street shake his head at him? Did the woman really hide herself behind a tree or was he just imagining things? He rang the cycle shop's bell twice, but to no avail. According to the sign at its door, it should be open right now. "Is anyone here?", he shouted, but he only received an answer from across the street.
"No use, chap", a man leaning out of his window told him, "Rad Rickshaw entered the Galactic Building two days ago. Nobody has seen anything of him since."
"What?", Magnus asked, but the man had already closed his window and closed his curtains.
Galactic. Wasn't this how the two weirdos in Jubilife referred to themselves? The PokéNav actually showed him a Team Galactic Building in the most northern part of the city. He was exhausted and tired from the Cycling Road and those thugs were ideal punching bags for his frustration. Armaldo cut down the thorny trees in front of their building and Magnus stormed through the entrance door.
"Who are you?", the security personnel shouted at him and sent out his Zubat.
"Isn't this one of the idiots from Jubilife?", Magnus thought and sent out his Skarmory.
"Shit, it's him", uttered the grunt and left the room without even trying to battle Magnus. Just as Magnus suspected, the Galactic grunt called for reinforcements and when he entered the next room, he was welcomed by five people with the same ridiculous haircut, sending out a dozen of Zubats and a Dustox. Skarmory's Steel Wing and Magnezone's Thunderbolts quickly knocked out half of them, after which the others escaped the scene. Upstairs, he found a middle-aged man, handcuffed and tied to a chair. What the hell was going on here?
"How did you get here?", a woman with purple hair hissed, "You will regret meddling with Team Galactic!"
She sent out a Golbat, whose Super Fang damaged Magnus's Skarmory, but two Aerial Aces knocked it out. She frowned at him and sent out a Skuntank, which easily swallowed a Steel Wing and knocked Skarmory out with a Flamethrower. But Armaldo's Rock Slides were too much for it. Just as Magnus wanted to announce his victory, he realised that in the meantime, about two dozen thugs had entered the room and surrounded him. He gulped. Maybe he should have thought about this more carefully. He sent out Sceptile and Ninetales and prepared himself for a nasty all-out brawl, when suddenly, a sphere of energy shattered a window. A Togekiss flew through it, carrying Cynthia on its back.
"What the heck is going on here?", Magnus thought and Cynthia released a Milotic and Lucario from their Pokéballs.
"Damned!" shouted the purple-haired woman, "Retreat!"
Simultaneously, her henchmen threw Smoke Balls on the ground and the entire room filled with black smoke. He could hear dozens of footsteps hurrying outside, but Magnus had to cough furiously. No chance to pursue them.
"Are you", Cynthia coughed, "alright?"
"Yes", he shouted, "But there's a hostage!"
"Togekiss, Defog!"
Togekiss flapped its wings rapidly and managed to blow away some of the smoke. Magnus could see again. He untied the man from the chair and he and Cynthia helped him on his feet and stumbled outside. Finally, some fresh air.
He coughed almost as much as his grandfather. Only now did he truly realise how much pain his grandpa had to deal with every day. Even worse, these Smoke Balls spread the horrible stench or rotten eggs throughout the entire area. You could even smell it outside...
"What", he coughed again, "What the fuck was that? Who the hell are these idiots?"
"My Clefable!", Rad Rickshaw finally managed to utter a word, "it's still inside!"
Magnus almost puked at the thought of going back inside, but Cynthia gave some commands to her Togekiss, which flew back into the building, cleared the way with Defog and after a few seconds, returned with a Clefable on its back.
"How did she manage to give her Togekiss such a complicated command?" Magnus wondered.
Rad hugged his Pokémon and kissed it like a loving father. Cynthia smiled at the sight of this emotional reunion, while Magnus tried his best to fight against the horrible stench emanating from the Galactic building.
"But seriously", he asked Cynthia, "what the heck is going on with these freaks?"
"Just a bunch of thugs", Rad answered, but Magnus just knew that there was more to them than that. Cynthia suggested that they should bring Rad to his shop, where he would be able to finally catch some rest after being held hostage. He insisted on inviting "his two saviours" on a drink, but they managed to convince him to sit down and try to relax. Luckily, one of Rad's employees was waiting at the shop and offered to take care of him and his Clefable.
Cynthia, visibly exhausted, asked Magnus if he'd like to grab a snack. She apparently knew a great ice cream parlour nearby and Magnus gladly accepted, hoping to finally be told what was going on in this city. He didn't feel like eating anything, but she suggested to try their special coffee. He was served his coffee while Cynthia was still busy deciding on which ice cream flavour to order. When the hot drink touched his tongue, he regretted having trusted Cynthia's recommendation: He did not particularly like coffee to begin with, but this coffee was strong enough to bring dead people back to life.
"Do you like it?"
"It's alright", he lied.
"I always used to drink coffee at this place during my research in Eterna", she replied with a smile and Magnus did his best to smile back. He just prayed this coffee would not give him a heart attack.
"I have already met these folks before", Magnus said, "I defeated two of them in Jubilife."
"Jubilife?", she asked, "Were you the one who helped professor Rowan?"
"Yes, he was threatened by them. How did you hear about this?"
"He told me, of course", she said as if that was self-evident.
"But the Galactic people", her expression suddenly became much more stern, "I start to believe we underestimated them too much. That wasn't even the first time they held someone hostage." Magnus raised an eyebrow. "They shut down the entire power plant nearby Floaroma Town. Held all workers hostage. Luckily, nobody got hurt, but... That really shouldn't have happened."
Magnus could see the sorrow in her grey eyes.
"We had something similar", he said, "back home, in Hoenn. They claimed to be fighting for the environment and Pokémon, but mostly spent their time committing crimes and terrorising cities. Many people believed they were fighting for a greater good. Even I", he took a sip of coffee, "had some sympathy for their cause. Maybe their leaders actually believed in what they were saying. Maybe they didn't. But the lower ranks were just filled with thugs, longing for any kind of excuse to use violence. And eventually", he paused for a moment and emptied his cup of coffee, "eventually it all escalated. Escalated far beyond what they were able to keep under control..."
A waitress just passed their table and he used the opportunity to order a frozen Margarita. "And make sure there's enough alcohol", he told her. Cynthia had finally decided to order a classic Casteliacone.
"Do you think", she asked after having tasted her ice creme, "it will also escalate here?"
"You want my honest opinion?", he replied. He only took one sip from the drink, but he already felt the alcohol reaching his brain. "If you'd ask me, the Sinnoh League should crack down on them." He slammed his fist on the table. "That's what we failed to do in Hoenn! The Elite Four should weed them out while it's still possible!"
Cynthia thought for a moment.
"Maybe you're right", she said, "But it's nevertheless quite a... precedent to use the Elite Four against them. We never had anything like that in Sinnoh."
He didn't know what to say and therefore just took another sip from his drink.
"They have their headquarters in Veilstone City", Cynthia finally broke the silence between them, "I will go there and try to find out what exactly they are up to. And I'll ask the other strong trainers to keep an eye on them. Would you like to help me with that?"
He nodded.
"But only under one condition", he added, "I want a rematch."
Before he had a chance to say anything, Cynthia paid for his drinks and he followed her outside. Of course, she knew exactly where to find a suitable battleground.
"Let's thank her for her kind advice, shall we?", Magnus said to his Magnezone as he released it from its Pokéball. Just as expected, they were again staring down Togekiss.
"I am glad it worked out for you", Cynthia remarked with a smirk, "Maybe you'll become my go-to sparring partner."
"Thunderbolt-Wave!", Magnus shouted.
"Dodge and Aura Sphere", Cynthia answered instinctively, but then wondered what a Thunderbolt-Wave was even supposed to be. Magnezone charged a Thunderbolt on its right magnet and just as it fired the attack, Togekiss swiftly floated to the left – only to see that the left magnet had also been charged with electricity.
"Gotcha!", Magnus thought as the Thunderwave hit Togekiss right when it started to charge its Aura Sphere. Of course, the Aura Sphere hit Magnezone anyway, but it was bulky enough to take this hit.
"Flash Cannon!"
The paralysed Togekiss could not escape in time, but although it was a super effective attack, it didn't seem to be harmed much by it.
"Aura Sphere", Cynthia commanded, but her Pokémon could not act.
"Again, Flash Cannon!"
This time, Togekiss seemed to be hit slightly harder than before. Did the first Flash Cannon lower its Special Defense? But to Magnus's great surprise, Togekiss did not seem to be close to fainting.
"Aura Sphere!"
Finally, it managed to break through the paralysis. Another fully charged Aura Sphere was too much for Magnezone to handle. Magnus was startled. How could this have happened again? Even after evolving his Magneton? Even despite the massive type advantage?
"Maybe she trained her Togekiss to perfectly counter its would-be counters", Magnus thought. Even though he knew that this was probably nonsense, if it was true, then maybe...
"Double or nothing!", he shouted and pulled out another Pokéball.
"Bring it on."
Magnus looked at his Pokéball. If her Togekiss can win in an unfavourable matchup, then why shouldn't his strongest Pokémon? He remembered how happy he was when he received it from his grandpa. How quickly it grew and even outgrew his Sceptile, how stubborn it became and how it finally learnt to trust his abilities as a trainer. "It's a really strong Pokémon", his grandfather said when they met in Oreburgh, "It's even the ace of our region's Champion!" Magnus felt confident. There was no way his strongest Pokémon would lose against her Togekiss.
"Go, Garchomp!"
Cynthia's eyes lit up when Garchomp hit the field. His yellow gaze focused on Togekiss, waiting for an opportunity to strike down his prey. He scraped his claws over the ground, eager to get started.
"Bold choice", she said, "Dragon/Ground versus Fairy/Flying?"
"I thought I'd take a page out of your book. You know, Fairy/Flying versus Electric/Steel. Speaking of Steel," Magnus paused and then raised his voice, "Garchomp, Iron Head!"
Even Cynthia seemed surprised by how fast his Garchomp launched himself forward. The impact pushed Togekiss backwards and made it unable to react.
"Again!"
Once more, Garchomp's head was covered in a metallic luster and struck down on Togekiss.
"Moonblast!", shouted Cynthia, but the paralysis prevented Togekiss from moving. Another Iron Head hit her Pokémon and it dropped to the ground with a thud. Magnus equalised, 1-1. He expected nothing less from his strongest Pokémon.
"What an interesting match", Cynthia remarked while twirling her blonde hair around her finger, "Your Steel-Type is strong against Fairy, but my Togekiss wins. And Togekiss is immune to Dragon-Type attacks, but your Garchomp takes her down. It's like an inverted world, isn't it?"
She withdrew her Togekiss and grabbed another Pokéball.
"If type effectiveness does not matter between the two of us", she continued as she slowly raised her Pokéball, "then there is no better way to conclude our match than a fair duel among equals. Go, Garchomp!"
Her Garchomp towered over his. She – as Magnus immediately recognised by the dorsal fin – was at least half a foot taller than his Garchomp. Sure, his Garchomp had already fought against other dragons like Altaria, Flygon and even a Salamence. But facing off another Garchomp... That was something he could have done without.
"Congratulations", said Cynthia, "You made me use my ace Pokémon!"
Her ace. Crap. He really needed to improve his research skills. But that's something for another day. Now, he needed to come up with a plan. Quickly!
"Dragon Rush!", Cynthia shouted,
"Dodge!"
His Garchomp jumped out of the way just fast enough to escape her attack. Covered in a blue light, Cynthia's Pokémon crashed with such a might into the ground that Magnus could feel the impact. She was much stronger than him but, to Magnus's surprise, she wasn't faster. That could maybe lead them somewhere.
"Dragon Rush!", she commanded again. She seemed to like high-powered attacks with imperfect accuracy.
"Dig!", Magnus commanded and his Garchomp hid underground just in time. When it erupted out of the soil, Magnus shouted "Dragon Claw" and in one swift movement, his Garchomp hit Cynthia's Pokémon with his claw. Dragon-on-Dragon. A super effective hit. But his opponent just stood in her place.
"Again, Dig!", Magnus shouted, but this time, Cynthia had already found a countermeasure.
"Earthquake!"
"Shit, get out!"
His Garchomp managed to resurface with his upper body, but when Cynthia's Earthquake shook the ground, he was still partially stuck underground. The force of the attack ejected his Garchomp out of the earth and Magnus struggled to keep on his feet. Cynthia, however, didn't even seem to lose her balance a bit, despite wearing high-heels. Magnus's Garchomp managed to land on his feet, but his legs were shaky.
"Dragon Rush!", Cynthia's voice echoed in his head. Without thinking about it, he knew that his Garchomp wouldn't manage to dodge again – his legs were hit too hard by her Earthquake. The only chance left was to go on the offense.
"Dragon Claw!"
His Garchomp's legs were weakened, but his arms were still as agile as ever. When Cynthia's Garchomp was just one step away, he swiftly threw his claw at her. In the blink of an eye, Cynthia's Dragon Rush hit him right on his chest, but his Dragon Claw pierced into her flank. His Garchomp was thrown backwards, while hers just made a few steps to the left until she had regained her balance. In disbelief, Magnus turned his head to look over his shoulder. Outside of the battlefield, his Garchomp lay on the ground. Ever since he had evolved into a Garchomp, he had not lost a single battle. Until today.
"Your Garchomp is strong", Cynthia commended him and he quickly turned around. While he had been staring at his Pokémon, she and her Garchomp had walked over to him and stood just an arm's reach away from him.
"Thanks", he mumbled as he withdrew his Pokémon, "But yours is stronger."
"She's a good girl", Cynthia said and fondled her Garchomp's chin before withdrawing her, too, "She's been with me ever since my journey as a trainer started."
Magnus looked at the teardrop-shaped pearl on her coat. His reflection seemed to stare back at him. He looked up into her grey eyes, then back on his reflection and back at her smile.
"You're the Champion, aren't you?"
She snapped her fingers and pointed at him in a gun-like motion. "Bullseye", she replied and winked at him.
"I really should have done more research before stumbling into Sinnoh", he said and they both shared a laugh. There was a small moment of silence, during which Magnus thought about how to phrase his next sentence.
"When I criticised the Pokémon League, I didn't mean to criticise you personally."
"Don't worry about that", she waived her hand, "After all, you're not wrong about Team Galactic. Maybe we have been ignoring them for too long."
"If I hadn't witnessed the horrors in Sootopolis back in Hoenn, I would have also discounted the Galactic folks as nothing more than a bunch of morons... But speaking about Hoenn!", he said and pulled The Comprehensive Guide to Hoenn out of his backpack, "I thought I should give you something to thank you for your advice on my Magnezone. The chapters on Mount Pyre and the Cave of Origin are filled with the legends of Hoenn."
"That's cute!", she said and put the book into her bag, "I actually haven't read much about mythology outside of Sinnoh yet."
He was glad that she seemed to like his present. But nevertheless, he had to return to a more serious topic. "So is our next step to invade the Galactic headquarter in Veilstone?"
"I'm not sure", she replied and Magnus noticed that she thought about her words very carefully, "After what we did to their building here, they will surely have increased their security measures right now. It might be best to wait a while for everything to settle down a bit, so that they will let their guard down. And besides... If the Pokémon League officially stormed the Galactic headquarter, I don't know how the media would react... The Sinnoh League has always been very passive. It would be unprecedented in our history..."
There was a minute of silence between them and Magnus slowly realised that holding the office of Champion might be more tedious than he thought it was. He never spoke to Steven about this, but maybe he was also sitting on the fence between his responsibilities and trying not to make the public panic.
"I think we need to wait some time for things to calm down, before we make a move on their headquarters", Cynthia finally said after thinking about their options, "In the meantime, I will instruct the Elite Four and the Gym Leaders to keep an eye on Team Galactic."
"And what should I do meanwhile?"
"If you want to help me to protect Sinnoh – and I think you would be a valuable ally – then you should try to improve your skills as a trainer as much as possible. It's not a creative suggestion, but maybe you should try to defeat as many Gym Leaders as you can? If you travel from Gym to Gym throughout Sinnoh, you will also get a broader view on the Galactic plans as a whole. That'll surely help us to understand them better."
He wasn't particularly pleased with this answer and had instead hoped for something more specific: a special and secret mission for him to sneak up on Team Galactic. But since he had no idea what this mission could actually be about, he had no reason to argue with her.
"That thing works like a telephone, right?", Cynthia asked pointing at his PokéNav and he nodded in response, "We can exchange phone numbers to stay in touch. Just in case anything weird happens."
After doing so, they said goodbye to each other and Magnus went to the local Pokémon Center. It was a long day and he really needed some rest. There, he booked a bed at the dormitory upstairs and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.