Press conferences in the Pokémon world are always a fun thing to think about, aren't they?

As I've said before, the Sinnoh League is where huge changes happen in terms of my take on things, and Ash's match against Tobias is only one part of that.

Cynthia stepped towards the table the rest of the Sinnoh League officials were seated at, having taken a moment to prepare herself. Looking towards both the Elite Four and the Gym Leaders on opposite sides of her, she gave both groups a smile as she sat down in the center of the group, looking out to the veritable sea of news teams and reporters.

"Welcome to the post-League presser, everyone!" Cynthia said to the crowd with a smile. The Gym Leaders and Elite Four followed up with their own friendly greetings, and she continued, "As I'm sure you're all familiar with our general rules for these press conferences, which one of you would like to take the first question?" A hand shot up in the crowd, and Cynthia inquired, "What would you like to ask?"

"Rhonda Kay of Sinnoh Now, how did you and the rest of the League officials feel about this year's Sinnoh League in comparison to past years?"

"Thank you for the question, Miss Kay. I'd have to say that I thought this was the best League conference we've had in years. We had lots of talented Trainers who brought us a wealth of exciting matches, along with what I personally consider the best Top 8 we've had in recent memory." Along the table, Cynthia heard general expressions of assent.

Another journalist piped up, "Kathryn Rios of Johto's CTV here, with a question for Bertha!"

"Let's hear it, dear," Bertha chuckled.

"How did you feel about the use of Legendary Pokémon in the tournament by a select few Trainers?"

"My my, what a tricky question... I'd have to say that it was unprecedented for sure. Made for many interesting battles though, especially with the lad who was using Heatran." A wave of murmurs ran through the crowd as Bertha finished speaking, and another hand shot up.

Cynthia pointed towards the person said hand belonged to, and he said, "Karl Briggs and Rowena Armen of the Crown City Gazette speaking with a question for the Champion. Who are some prospective stars from this League you foresee performing well in future League conferences?"

"As I said earlier, there were a wealth of talented Trainers in this year's conference, but there are two that I feel are particularly elite out of that crop: Paul Rebal and Ash Ketchum."

Rowena chimed in with, "Coincidentally, those two fought in the quarterfinals of the Lily of the Valley Conference this year, how did you and the rest of the League officials feel about that match?"

Resounding responses of, "Excellent," "It was awesome," and "Genuine Match of the Year candidate," were all said simultaneously.

Maylene said, "That quarterfinal match was incredible, no disagreeing there, but Ash's semifinal match was by far my favorite match of the tournament."

Next to Cynthia, Aaron nodded, while Wake laughed. "I'm gonna have to agree with Maylene here, that semifinal match was an absolute spectacle!"

Cynthia could only smile in response. "That semifinal match only confirms my own beliefs on Ash's trajectory from here on out." After the crowd began buzzing for clarification, Cynthia answered, "I sincerely believe that Ash Ketchum will become the strongest Trainer in the world sometime within the next five years. Wish I could've battled him as well..."

"What about Mr. Rebal?"

"Paul? I have no doubt that he'd be able to reach the same heights as Ash. Those two Trainers are two sides of the same coin."

In Veilstone City, Reggie gave his brother a playful nudge as they watched the presser unfold. The younger of the Rebal brothers merely grunted in response, though he did smile a little as he continued to watch the press conference.

"So Paul, have you decided on when you're going to go challenge Brandon again?"

"In a few months, probably. I'm going to need to train with Nidoking and Machamp extensively for that rematch so that they can get back up to the standards of the rest of my Pokémon when I start looking for the Battle Pyramid."

Reggie nodded, turning his attention back to the television.

Meanwhile, in Twinleaf Town, Barry's jaw had dropped upon hearing what Cynthia had said, Dawn and Ash barely holding back their laughter upon seeing his thoroughly confused expression.

Cynthia waited for the buzz from the crowd to die down before joking, "I imagine that quote will be in the next edition of League Weekly," earning a good laugh from the audience. "Now, are there any other questions? Preferably for the other League officials so they can give their input as well," she chuckled.

About a year and a half later, Cynthia, in the middle of cleaning up the boardroom she and the League had used to discuss any potential changes they could make for future League tournaments, was interrupted by the phone at the wall ringing. Walking over, she picked it up and said, "This is Cynthia Shirai speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hello, Cynthia."

Eyebrows raised, Cynthia replied, "Paul Rebal, right?" After hearing a noise of confirmation over the phone, she continued, "What's the occasion?"

"I've given it plenty of thought, and... I'd like to accept that offer you extended to me after my match against Brandon last year," Paul answered.

"The Gym Leader application? Based on your credentials, you're more than qualified for the main test we give to any prospective Gym Leaders."

"And what would that be?"

"Give a good showing against a member of the Elite Four while using Pokémon that have a type disadvantage against said Elite Four member."

After a brief silence, Paul said, "When can I start?"

"That depends, who's your Elite Four member of choice?"

"Lucian."

"Not bad at all," Cynthia smiled. "Lucian should be available sometime within the next couple of months, so I'll let him know and get back to you when he's given me a date."

"Works for me."

"Excellent, if that's all from you, I should be getting back to work. Thank you for letting me know your decision, Paul, and good luck against Lucian." Paul responded with a simple goodbye as he ended the call.

Cynthia went back to cleaning the boardroom, thinking to herself, Okay, now the hard part will be trying to find a good place for him to have his Gym if he qualifies, almost all of the most prominent towns and cities are already occupied...

Nearly two years had passed since the Lily of the Valley Conference, and Cynthia was woken up by her mobile phone buzzing by her nightstand. Slightly dazed, she looked towards her alarm clock and let out a groan when she saw that it was half past three in the morning. Grabbing her phone, she was about to decline the call until she saw who the caller was. Putting the phone to her ear, Cynthia did her best to suppress a yawn. "Hello?"

"Cynthia, dear, it's great to hear from you again!"

Smiling in spite of her exhaustion, Cynthia replied, "Hi Diantha, how're things in Kalos?" Looking at her clock again, she continued, "And why are you calling me at 3:34 in the morning?"

Diantha nervously chuckled on the other end. "Oh dear, I must've forgotten about the timezone difference in my excitement... it's been quite the scene outside Prism Tower for the last hour or so."

At Diantha's prompting, Cynthia turned on her television and began flipping through channels until she landed on Kalos 24. Cynthia rubbed her eyes as she read the headline: Famous League Battler Tames Berserk Garchomp Atop Prism Tower. Taking a look at the footage being shown, her eyes widened in shock as she asked, "Is that Ash?!"

Sure enough, she saw Ash ruffling his Pikachu's fur as he tried to get through the crowd as quickly as possible, giving small smiles as he went. When the footage of Ash jumping off of Prism Tower to save Pikachu was replayed, Cynthia could only stare dumbfounded. What the hell...

"Ash? As in Ash Ketchum, the Trainer you were positively raving about at that presser two years ago? That was him?"

"Yep, recent Vertress Conference runner-up and member of the Battle Frontier Hall of Fame, no less! How come you've never heard of him outside of that press conference from way back?"

"In fairness, I was rather busy with media appearances those years, first was that Doraemeowth film from two years ago while last year was dominated by that one Unovan horror movie I had a bit role in... you've watched Sinister, right?"

"Mm-hm. Great movie, but that ending was beyond messed up, let me tell you," Cynthia chuckled. "But back to League stuff, you should probably let your Gym Leaders know that they're going to need their best teams on standby real soon."

"He's really that good?"

"You don't know the half of it, Diantha," Cynthia laughed. "I wasn't kidding when I said he'd be a legitimate contender for the strongest Trainer in the world someday, you know." Snapping her fingers, she continued, "Actually, you should watch his semifinal match from the Lily of the Valley Conference if you need a basic idea of his skill as a battler. It's a fantastic match that highlights his tactical acumen and sheer determination." Internally, Cynthia thought to herself, It's not the match I'd be recommending, but it's the most well-known one, so...

Remembering one last detail she had forgotten to mention, Cynthia quickly tacked on, "Also, if you happen to see Ash, try not to draw much attention to him or yourself, he's kinda uncomfortable around the press."

"I see, thank you for letting me know, dear," Diantha replied. "Hm, it looks like he's already found himself a couple of friends, and... oh, his friends are Clemont and Bonnie Volta? Seems he's already in good hands, then," Diantha finished.

"Who are they?"

"Clemont is Lumiose City's Gym Leader and Bonnie's his younger sister. They've been having a bit of... trouble with their Gym's security system lately, but Clemont's both a talented battler and a fantastic inventor, even if his inventions work only once before exploding... and Bonnie's quite amusing whenever Clemont has to bring her along for League meetings."

"Well, if he's traveling to take the League challenge like I assume he's going to do, he'll need some friends for his journey," Cynthia chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time he's traveled with Gym Leaders, from what I know." Finally letting out the yawn she'd been holding in, Cynthia said, "As much as I'd love to continue this conversation, Diantha, I really should be going back to sleep, I have a flight to Unova I need to catch today and I don't want to miss my flight..."

"Of course, business is important, after all," Diantha giggled. "Have a pleasant sleep!" she finished as she ended the call.

Setting her phone back down on her nightstand, Cynthia lay back down and as she tried to go back to sleep, thought to herself, Kalos is going to have quite the eventful year...

Even though I personally rank Sinnoh as my favorite of Ash's tenure overall, Kalos was my absolute favorite to watch as I was growing up (I had the bad fortune to start watching the series in Unova), especially when things shifted into second gear with XY&Z.

Just thought I'd tie together the two series I'm most fond of in this epilogue.

Reviews are always appreciated, and thanks again for reading!

-Krosshair