John's Team
Tyrant - Slaking
Vordt - Ursaluna
Smough - Snorlax
Klee - Blissey
Port - Mantine
Zephyr - Pidgeot
Klaus - Wyrdeer
Luna - Clefable
Pixel - Porygon2
Euphie - Sylveon
Ornstein - D-Linoone
Wraith - H-Zoroark
The New Normal – 9-17 – The New Champion
(Cynthia POV)
She stared Lucian down, ignoring the roar of the audience around her. She had a one Pokémon lead on him, leading the match 4-3.
Her team had taken down his Mr. Mime, Medicham, Espeon, and Bronzong, leaving him with his final two Pokémon. In return, he had knocked out her Roserade, Togekiss, and Spiritomb. Compared to all the other matches that she had fought – this was her closest fight yet.
But there was no hint of worry in her mind. No jitters of battle. She had seen her path to victory, and she would secure it with both hands.
"…I must say, I knew how strong you were. But this is really something else!" Lucian called out to her. "But I've not run out of options just yet!"
"GO! Alakazam!"
"You got this, Milotic!"
Her beautiful Pokémon emerged with a sonorous trill, twirling around as she showed off her brilliant gleaming scales to the crowd. The crowd cheered and clapped in approval, and her Milotic seemed to bask in the attention, as if she was ignoring the actions of her opponent.
But her trainer remained aware. Cynthia's eyes were locked onto Alakazam, watching intently for its every move. Lucian had given it no commands, but she was not foolish enough to believe that it wasn't setting something up.
And with how Alakazam's eyes repeatedly flashed a bright blue, she already knew that Lucian was preparing for his signature move.
Despite this, she made no move to stop her Milotic from her showboating. Because it was all an act. While Milotic appeared to be just playing to the crowd, she was actually setting up with all her recovery moves. Aqua Ring, Safeguard, and even Coils were all set up in preparation, setting the stage for the next act of the fight.
Occasionally, Milotic would even fire off a quick Hydro Pump, launching a powerful torrent of water towards the Psychic type. Though they never managed to hit their mark as Alakazam was easily able to dodge out of the way with a precise series of Teleports.
But that was fine, she was only trying to keep Lucian on his toes. They were never meant to hit.
Of course, Lucian wasn't a fool. He must have figured out that her Pokémon wouldn't be showing off during such an important match. He would have realised that this was actually just a way of concealing the set up moves that she was doing, and that the Hydro Pumps were meant to just buy even more time for Milotic to set up.
To Lucian, her plan with Milotic was obvious. Set up as much as possible, then stall the match for as long as possible to eventually beat his Alakazam in a battle of endurance. A simple strategy, but nonetheless an effective one. It was the same one she employed to great effect against both Bertha and Flint.
He must have realised this as soon as the round began, which was why he was already preparing to unleash his most powerful move with his Alakazam from the moment it emerged onto the field. And judging by the keen sense of anticipation that shined in his eyes, or the way that the air shimmered and thrummed with barely restrained power, she knew that he had committed to this path. To land a huge decisive strike against Milotic to take it out of the battle in a single stroke.
She had to hold back a smile. It was exactly what she hoped he would do.
Then, the attack came.
"Psychic Bombardment!"
The air suddenly flared with Psychic energy before being torn apart as a bombardment of Future Sights erupted from all sides. The surroundings twisted and turned, becoming completely distorted as a nuclear amount of Psychic energy detonated in the air, with Milotic being right in the epicentre.
The resulting impact from the simultaneous explosions sent earth-shattering shockwaves radiating out of all directions, flying out with such force that it almost knocked Cynthia over. She had to shield herself as all manner of dust and rubble flung themselves into her, completely obscuring her vision.
But Cynthia didn't care about that. She was just waiting for the single act that would signify her victory.
And then it happened. A second, even more powerful explosion abruptly detonated from within the cloud of smoke, ripping forwards in a cone of pure destruction that eradicated all that was unlucky to be caught in its path.
This time, the psychic barriers completely failed to withstand the second even-more powerful blast. They shattered instantly, allowing chunks of rubble and sand to be thrown around into the crowd. The resulting screams of panic from the crowd were muted by the deafening explosion, and also her own concentration.
She stared intently at the battlefield, patiently waiting for the thick cloud of dust to clear up. And as it did, she smiled as she saw the result of the clash.
A single cone-shaped trench had suddenly been ripped out of the arena, with cracks spreading across that entire section of the arena. It was testament to the power of her Milotic's counterattack that literally nothing remained within the trench; as if everything inside had been annihilated by the sheer power of the attack.
But more importantly than that, her Milotic was the only Pokémon that was still standing. There was no sign of Lucian's Alakazam, and not because it was sneaking around or anything. No, as she followed the path of the trench with her eyes, she eventually found the remains of Alakazam, having been violently smashed against a now-broken wall of the arena.
The Psychic type lay limp and broken; there was no chance it was getting up from that.
In the meanwhile, her own Milotic was hardly doing better. She managed to keep her head high, but it was only just. It was impossible to miss her Milotic's unsteady swaying and wobbling, with most of her body lying limply on the ground, no longer able to support her usual regal posture. However, despite the fact that her once pristine and beautiful body was now marred with injuries, Milotic's eyes remained resolute and determined, as if she was ready to take on another opponent if she was ordered to.
Her Milotic was wounded, but she refused to bow. And the pride swelled within her as she felt the determination of her Pokémon, but she did not need to push her Pokémon that far today.
She felt Lucian's eyes on her, and she looked up to meet them even as she announced that she was retiring Milotic from the fight. She could feel his confusion.
"…Mirror Coat?" He asked after a moment, and all she did was nod once.
He laughed bitterly, "You hid this strategy this entire time? All the way until you fought me?"
She shrugged, "Your colleagues didn't require such a strategy." That might have been a bit blunt, but it was true.
Aaron and Bertha were both mostly physical attackers, and they could be handled with other methods. Flint was tougher, but she didn't require the Mirror Coat strategy when Milotic was already such a good matchup against him.
She didn't necessarily plan it this way when she first began the gauntlet, but it made for an excellent surprise tool to bring down one of Lucian's most threatening Pokémon.
She was pleased it worked out so well. It was why she did everything she could to bait Lucian into going for a decisive strike, all so that it could be reflected with a Mirror Coat to knockout his prized Alakazam with a single move. It would have been a huge pain to deal with otherwise.
Lucian let out a sigh, "So it comes down to this then. My final Pokémon, versus two of yours." But despite his words, there was no defeat in his voice. Only the resolve of a trainer that went into the battle knowing he was going to lose, but was determined to prove his all regardless.
A good attitude. One she would repay.
"Gallade!"
Lucian's starter came out in all of his glory. A Pokémon that had earned much renowned for its supreme excellence at close-range combat. Many trainers had been taken out by the deadly blade of his Gallade, and the common piece of advice was to never engage the Gallade at close range.
But…she never really cared what you were 'commonly' supposed to do. If Gallade was known to be the best close-range fighter, then she would simply beat him at his best.
"Go, Garchomp!"
Her Garchomp emerged silently. She did not roar. She did not intimidate. She did not posture. No, she left that pride for other Dragons, and instead immediately dug into the ground as a harsh Sandstorm whipped around the arena.
A frown formed on Lucian's face. He knew what was coming, yet there was only really one thing he could do, "Teleport back and Blade Dance!"
By infusing Psychic energy into his usual Swords Dance, Lucian had been able to train up his Gallade to create a move that was doubly effective of a regular Swords Dance, giving an effective 3x boost to his Gallade's attack. An extremely powerful set up move that punished even the slightest misstep from the opponent.
Flint and Lucian were often seen as evenly matched, but Lucian was often recognised to have the edge over his Fire type colleague. Gallade was the reason why, and she knew better than to underestimate the power of her foe's starter.
But neither should anyone underestimate her own.
"Earthquake, Gallade! Punish it!"
Gallade quickly completed its setup and moved to punish Garchomp for her burrowing. However, before Gallade could even stomp on the ground, her Garchomp came bursting out of the ground right next to Gallade with her fangs bared menacingly. From the surprise in Gallade's usually stoic eyes, she knew that he wasn't expecting her Garchomp to have moved so quickly.
Yet the surprises did not stop there. Going against all common sense to utilise the move so early in a fight, the distinct aura of Dragon energy rapidly built up around Garchomp as she forced herself into an Outrage. The air began becoming distorted as a powerful aura of draconic energies began radiating out of her Garchomp, and with it, came an overwhelming boost in strength.
Claw slammed against blade. Using full use of his buffs, Gallade was just barely able to block the incoming Dragon Claw with a Night Slash of his own. Gallade instantly moved to counterattack, but Garchomp slammed an Iron Head into him first, disorienting the Psychic type enough to interrupt his strike.
Moving decisively, Gallade immediately backed off and Teleported backwards, thinking that he could buy time until the Outrage wore off.
To both Pokémon and trainer's complete surprise, Gallade was given no such reprieve as Garchomp immediately launched herself forwards; letting out a fearsome roar as she re-ignited her Outrage and charged forwards with an unstoppable Dragon Rush.
Gallade was barely able to Teleport away in time before Garchomp brutally slammed down in the area he was in just before, forming a deep crater in her wake. But instead of tiring out, Garchomp simply reborrowed into the ground.
"Set up a Reflect, Gallade!" Lucian shouted out.
Gallade Teleported to the edge of the arena, making as much distance as possible as a Psychic shield began to shimmer into existence in front of him – only to be instantly shattered as a raging Dragon erupted out from the ground like a hunter who had found her prey, smashing down with a Brick Break.
A powerful set of jaws Crunched down on the surprised Gallade, causing the Psychic type to wince in pain. But he was not an Elite's starter for nothing, and quickly sent a punishing Ice Punch into Garchomp, sending the Dragon type reeling backwards from the supereffective attack.
Thinking that he had the momentum, Gallade Teleported behind Garchomp, another Ice Punch poised and ready to strike. But instead of meeting Garchomp's exposed back, Gallade instead met Garchomp's waiting Dragon Tail that struck like a powerful hammer into his side.
The Psychic type was thrown painfully into the ground, but with a serious exertion of effort, he managed to Teleport himself to the edge of the arena, hopefully giving himself a few seconds to make use of a Heal Pulse.
But Garchomp showed no inkling of ever giving Gallade a moment to heal up.
"Dragon Pulse, Garchomp!"
"GAR!" With another roar, a torrent of violent and pulsating draconic energies shot through the air, launching their way towards Gallade.
Despite the speed of the attack, Gallade cancelled his healing attempt and quickly sidestepped the Dragon Pulse before blinking forwards to Garchomp's side, his bladed arms glowing with icy energies as he prepared to slam a brutal Ice Punch into Garchomp – thinking that Garchomp was too busy channelling her Dragon Pulse to block the attack in time.
However, that was a mistaken assumption, and Gallade was caught unawares as a explosion of rocks tore out from under him. The attack did minimal damage, but it caused Gallade to stumble right into Garchomp's waiting Dragon Claw.
Gallade let out a pained grunt as Garchomp's claws ferociously tore into him and forced Gallade onto his knees. Trying to deter Garchomp from another follow up attack, Gallade fired off a quick yet powerful blast of Psychic that detonated point-blank against her starter.
Yet that was not enough to stop the Dragon. Allowing for another explosive surge of draconic energies, Garchomp willed herself to not stumble backwards – to not allow Gallade ANY opportunity to break off her offensive momentum.
Gallade tried to Teleport away again, but this time Garchomp was quicker with her Dark Pulse, cancelling the Teleport and preventing the escape before a second Iron Head brutally slammed the Gallade back into the ground.
Then, Garchomp clamped down with her claws around her opponent's throat and SMASHED the Gallade through the ground, pinning the Psychic type under her as she bit down mercilessly with a ferocious Crunch. Gallade did his best to fight off the Dragon with another Ice Punch, but Garchomp grunted through the pain and unleashed another violent Earthquake – forcing Gallade to take the full brunt of her savagery.
Unfortunately for Lucian, it didn't matter how well-trained his Gallade was. Pinned helplessly against an Outraging Garchomp, there was only so many Outrage-boosted attacks he could take before he succumbed to his injuries.
Eventually, after Garchomp tore into him with another gouging slash, Gallade's arms fell limply by his side and his head weakly collapsed to the ground.
The battle was over. She had won.
And the crowd was not shy in their approval, roaring to life as they let out a collective cheer that was so deafeningly loud that she thought it could be heard all the way at Canalave.
Are you seeing this, John?
She gave herself but a moment to bask in the adoration of the crowd, before she stepped into the arena to greet her former opponent.
"Well fought, Lucian." She smiled at him, "You gave me the toughest fight so far."
"And yet I didn't even manage to defeat more than half of your team." Lucian said with a complicated smile, "I barely even managed to wind you, didn't I? Despite putting all that I could into beating you. In the end, I wasn't even close."
Cynthia knew better than to answer there, and she simply remained silent as she watched a complex mix of emotions roll around Lucian's face. After a moment, he let out a sigh and returned a small smile to Cynthia, extending a hand for her to shake.
"Congratulations, Champion Cynthia. I'm glad that my eyes weren't wrong. I look forward to working with you." He declared solemnly.
"Likewise, Elite Lucian. I hope I will prove to be a Champion worth following." She replied sincerely, shaking his hand.
And she was going to keep his words to heart. Being Champion was only the start. Now she had a new goal. She was going to turn Sinnoh into a prosperous and wealthy region, just like their counterparts.
That was her promise. And she swore it upon Arceus that she would see it fulfilled.
"…I think you might have a serious contender for the title of best Dragon trainer, Lance." Lorelei quipped as we had all gathered round to watch the final match between Cynthia and Lucian in Lance's office.
I couldn't help but grin madly as Cynthia crushed Lucian in her final battle, dominating the supposed 'strongest' amongst the Sinnoh Elite Four. She had done it!
Lance scoffed, his pride offended. "I won't deny that she's an excellent trainer, and her Garchomp is very well trained, but she has a long way to go if she wants to take my title from me."
He squinted his eyes, "Although…did anyone else notice that her Garchomp was seemingly able to force itself out of its Outrage without any consequences? Garchomp did it with such regularity in-between attacks that it was like it was practically toggling its Outrage on and off. THAT is frankly a ridiculous level of discipline that I will be trying to replicate. It's very impressive."
I inwardly agreed. Even though I knew Garchomp would be Cynthia's most formidable Pokémon, I had yet to truly see it in action when we spent time together in Sinnoh. But it was a threat.
If anything, Lance was underselling how powerful the ability to trigger Outrage whenever she needed to. Outrage was an incredible boost to any Dragon type's power, but it came with a huge drawback of rapidly burning through your Dragon's energy and risking losing control to primal rage. For most, it was a move only to be used as a last-resort or when you wanted to go fully on the offensive, as you could not order your Dragon to release its Outrage until it completely ran out of energy.
But the fact that Garchomp could control when and where to use Outrage, and for how long it would last, meant that she suddenly had all the benefits of Outrage without any of the drawbacks.
Furthermore, the fact that Garchomp could traverse so quickly while underground could not be understated, and was another huge advantage for her to have as it allowed her to get into her most effective range as quickly as possible.
Yes, I believed that Lance's Emperor would win in a one on one fight against Garchomp in a battle of pure strength. But Garchomp did not fight like Lance's Dragons. Garchomp's primary strength lay in her ridiculous speed (for a Pokémon with THAT much power) and her oppressive ambushing potential.
With the ridiculous boost of power that Outraging at any time could grant her, a single moment to strike might be all it takes for her to land a decisive blow.
The sound of Agatha's cackle brought me back from my thoughts, "We all know you're going to be trying to get yourselves a Garchomp after this meeting is over. No need to be coy. I can see the greed in your eyes, Blackthorn."
Lance did not deny it, instead choosing to stay silent as Will spoke up, "…I would have been crushed if I tried to fight against her. I will not lie – as a fellow Psychic specialist, Lucian is my superior in terms of strength. And yet Cynthia still managed to defeat him without needing to use her full team…it was a humbling battle to watch."
Lorelei nodded solemnly, "All hail the new Champion of Sinnoh." There was a muttering of agreement to that from the rest of us.
We all stared silently at the screen as the Sinnoh newscaster frantically scrambled to announce Cynthia's victory. And we all saw a podium being hastily set up for the new Champion to make her first speech.
I wondered what she was going to say.
I took this time to send a quick congratulating message to her as Lance spoke up, "I want your thoughts. John, you especially, since you've spent the most time around her. What is Cynthia like? What do you think her time as Champion will look like?"
I took a moment to think about it before replying, "I'm very biased, but if there is a single word I can use to describe Cynthia – it would be 'brilliant'. Because that's what she is. In everything and anything she sets her mind to. She is an excellent scholar and trainer, and an extremely hard worker. I am confident that she would make a fantastic Champion for Sinnoh."
I was confident she would be the Champion that Sinnoh needed.
Lance nodded, "That was my impression of her too. That's good. Sinnoh needs all the competence it can get right now. However, do you think she'll have any internal issues with her Elite Four? They might be bitter that she defeated them."
Both Will and I shook our heads. Seeing that Will had something to say, I motioned for him to go first.
"I truly doubt that will happen." Will said, "I have never seen their interactions to be anything less than cordial. And I'm certain that Cynthia made the challenge to become Champion with AT LEAST Lucian's approval. They had already planned this out a while ago." I nodded in support of Will's words.
"I figured as much as well, but it was good to get a second opinion on this." Lance muttered, "During the PSS crisis, I found Lucian to be a decisive and intelligent thinker. Would Cynthia be— "
"She would not be any worse than him." I interrupted, always happy for an opportunity to talk about my girlfriend, "At the very least, I have never known Cynthia to dismiss any advice given. She is not prone to arrogance, only confidence. And I am sure that her newfound position won't change that aspect of her. I really meant it when I said she was going to impress you. You won't be disappointed with her. Not one bit."
"As for her likely policies...I'm not sure what she'll be trying to implement domestically, but she won't have any issues with our current focus on internationalism. She's all for cooperation and the benefits of working together." I explained, with Will nodding along in agreement.
Was I biased? Absolutely. Did I care? Absolutely not. After all, I was dating her. Lance already knew of our relationship, so he knew to take whatever I said with a pinch of salt. Still, I didn't think I was exaggerating with my praises, and I think Lance knew that as well.
"You seem to really like her." Lorelei muttered curiously from the side, "Is she really that worthy of your praise?"
"She is." I replied instantly, ignoring the knowing look I was getting from Agatha, "But you don't have to believe me now. You'll see for yourselves soon enough."
And, as if I had timed my words perfectly, it was time for Cynthia to take to the podium, where she would make her first speech as Champion.
"Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their support and their encouragement during my fight to the top." She flashed the audience a sparkling smile, "It's heartening to see that a previously unknown trainer like me could get so much support and love for the people of Sinnoh."
"However, while it is usual for a new Champion to be giving an outline of their policies during their first speech as Champion – I will not be doing that." She declared, causing an audible gasp to resonate throughout the audience as they stared confusedly at Cynthia, not knowing what she was planning.
Her eyes narrowed, and her friendly smile disappeared as she took on a far more serious expression, "I have not been blind or deaf to the rumours about my climb to the top was rigged, that somehow the honourable members of the Elite Four were sandbagging and deliberately losing to me to pave the path for my ascension as Champion as their chosen puppet."
"I know what the rumourmongers are saying, even if they may be in the minority. They cynically believe that all this was just an act – an attempt by the Sinnoh League to earn back the public's trust by installing a Champion that 'managed' to crush the Elite Four with ease by deliberately playing up my own strengths." She shook her head, "Well I will not allow that to stand."
Her eyes stared directly at the camera, as if she was addressing every single viewer that was currently watching the broadcast, "So for those of you who doubt my strength; who doubt my Pokémon's ability to defeat the Elite Four of Sinnoh as convincingly as they did. I challenge you all to a fight. Over the next fortnight, I will be temporarily delaying my ascension to Champion and instead will be accepting any and all challengers from anyone who has at least achieved all 8 badges and are recognised as an Ace trainer."
"I will prove that my win was not a fluke." She snarled viciously, so unlike the friendly and charming Cynthia that I knew. And very much like the Champion I knew she now was, "So it's time for those rumourmongers to put their money where their mouth is. Fight me. Challenge me. And lose all the same."
"I will be waiting."
Then she just left the stage, taking no questions as she threw down the gauntlet at her naysayers. Much like the crowd, the news presenter, and whoever else was watching, Lance's office was quiet as we pondered over her words.
That was until Agatha broke the silence with her laughter.
"I like her!" She managed to gasp out between her peals of laughter, "No wonder you praised her so highly, John! I thought she was just some goody-two-shoes girl, some meek Whismur; all brains and no brawn. But no, she very much is like the Dragon that she trained. HA!"
"That was a good statement." Lance agreed, "I definitely wasn't expecting that, but I respect her all the more for it. It's good to cut down on any dissent before it can grow and fester. Not only that, but I approve of her methods; a show of strength is always good."
The other Elite Four members also added a few comments in agreement. In the meanwhile, I had a wide smile on my face as her determination echoed through my mind, reminding me of all of the moments that we had in Sinnoh.
"Were you expecting this, John?" Lorelei suddenly asked me, breaking me from my daydreaming.
"Hm? No. I wasn't." I shook my head, "But it's just like her to do so."
"She'll probably have to fight quite a few trainers though." Lorelei pointed out, "I'm sure they're all going to be quite weak, but it's still going to be a huge hassle."
"It's probably not as many as you're thinking of. Not many people will be THAT interested in challenging the Champion when they know they're going to lose. They still have their own personal reputations to consider." Will added. "But yes, there'll still be quite a few."
"She'll have a busy time getting through them." I agreed, "But that'll just make her eventual ascension to Champion all the more satisfying."
And in her competent hands, the future of Sinnoh was bright.
A.N. A very Cynthia-centric chapter, but I felt that she needed some time back in the spotlight as she has finally become Champion of Sinnoh. I also wanted to depict her Garchomp as having a very different sort of strength to someone like Lance, but still being powerful all the same.
This was also the penultimate chapter of "The Indigo Conference" Arc. Hope you enjoyed so far!
And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!