Chapter 235: Winning Any More Would Just Be Rude
Cynthia looked toward where Gardevoir was.
Gardevoir, struck by the Brine attack, lay on the ground with a pained expression, looking extremely weak… yet there was an almost fragile beauty to it.
Milotic, on the other hand, was in much better condition. The Aqua Ring was still in effect, steadily and surely restoring its stamina.
Cynthia didn't lower her guard — the battle wasn't over yet. Anything could happen!
She swiftly waved her hand. "Milotic, finish this — use Aqua Tail!"
"Milo~!"
Milotic let out a sharp cry, controlling a stream of water with its tail and striking toward Gardevoir.
If the attack landed, Gardevoir would likely be out of the battle on the spot.
Yet, faced with Milotic's attack, Gardevoir's eyes showed no fear whatsoever.
Just as Milotic was closing in on Gardevoir, ready to deliver the final blow — without any warning — Milotic suddenly let out a pained cry, its charging body collapsing to the ground, splashing mud everywhere and staining its beautiful scales.
Cynthia's eyes widened. "This is…?"
"Future Sight," Asahi said.
On the battlefield, the once-weak-looking Gardevoir now wore a faint smile.
Milotic was unable to battle.
Cynthia was puzzled. "When did…?"
Asahi smiled lightly. "Not all of Gardevoir's psychic power earlier was used for Psychic."
Cynthia thought back.
At that time, Gardevoir had used the Psychic Slate to unleash a terrifying burst of mental energy. Cynthia's attention had been solely focused on whether Milotic's Brine would hit Gardevoir — she'd overlooked that detail.
According to Asahi, it was in that moment that Gardevoir used Future Sight.
In other words, Gardevoir had simultaneously used both Psychic and Future Sight at the same time?
Cynthia glanced at the weakened yet resolute Gardevoir and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration…
She didn't lose unfairly.
Two consecutive losses to Asahi — as the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia hadn't expected this outcome.
But there was a silver lining: although Asahi's Gardevoir had defeated Milotic, it was now too exhausted to continue battling.
Cynthia looked at Asahi. Despite losing twice, there was no anger on her face — instead, she was pleased to have met an opponent as formidable as Asahi.
Just as she was about to take out her third Poké Ball, preparing to send out her ace, Garchomp, to battle Asahi…
Asahi suddenly called out, "Um, let's stop here. It's almost dinner time!"
"?" Cynthia blinked in confusion.
Of course, Asahi wasn't stopping the match for no reason.
With Gardevoir unable to battle anymore, he didn't have many Pokémon left who could go toe-to-toe with Cynthia. If they continued, unless he deliberately held back in the next fight, he would have no choice but to send out Mewtwo.
And once Mewtwo was on the field — with Mega Evolution in the mix — the third round would be all but guaranteed in his favor.
Having already won twice, Asahi knew that beating Cynthia — the Sinnoh Champion — 3–0 would be… a bit much.
After all, Cynthia was a guest here in Kanto.
And Asahi, as the Head of the Kanto Division of the International Police, crushing her like this wasn't exactly the most gracious move.
To sum it up: winning any more would just be rude.
Cynthia wasn't oblivious — as a former champion, her emotional intelligence was certainly not lacking. She quickly understood Asahi's intent.
Her beautiful eyes blinked once, and she didn't press the matter further.
While Cynthia herself didn't mind losing to Asahi, as the Sinnoh Champion representing her region in Kanto for collaboration talks, she did carry the weight of Sinnoh's reputation.
That said, Cynthia was deeply curious. Just what ace did Asahi have that gave him such confidence to win again?
"Then let's finish our third match when you visit Sinnoh next time," Cynthia said.
"Of course. Next time, for sure." Asahi nodded.
On the sidelines, Gary watched the two shake hands, clearly ending the battle without a third match, his face full of disappointment.
Not only did he miss the chance to record Asahi losing — he ended up capturing two of Asahi's brilliant victories instead…
Damn it! If even Sinnoh Champion Cynthia couldn't beat Asahi, was there really no one who could stop him?
Just as Gary racked his brain for someone who might defeat Asahi, the door swung open and Silver walked in.
Taking in the scene, Silver looked puzzled.
What happened while he was gone?
…
Dinner was settled at the League's headquarters cafeteria.
It wasn't because Asahi was stingy and unwilling to take Cynthia to a fancy restaurant outside.
In fact, ever since headquarters increased their funding again, spending the budget had become a "happy headache" for the Kanto Division.
Asahi was more than eager to use an official dinner as an excuse to burn through some of those funds.
However, Cynthia specifically requested to try the Kanto League's cafeteria — she was curious about how it compared to Sinnoh's League cafeteria.
So far, the experience was quite satisfying.
With a forkful of vanilla cake in her mouth, Cynthia looked absolutely content.
Yet, aside from the blissful Cynthia, the atmosphere at the table was… awkwardly tense.
Across from her, Green glanced at Cynthia, then at Asahi, her gaze darting back and forth between the two.
Moments earlier, Green had finally heard from Sabrina what had transpired before she arrived.
A sense of crisis stirred in Green's heart.
Feeling Green's eyes on him, Asahi let out a silent sigh.
He felt wronged. If something had actually happened between him and Cynthia, fine — but there really was nothing between them…
He shot a glare at Sabrina.
Sabrina, however, didn't flinch. Instead, she smiled faintly — her way of getting back at Asahi.
After all, ever since she'd been tricked into eating those "special" energy cubes Asahi gave her, she had nothing left to fear.
Mutual destruction — that was her game now!
Grinding his teeth in frustration at Sabrina, Asahi swept his gaze over the others at the table.
Silver and Ethan, having sensed the tension, kept their heads down, pretending to be completely absorbed in their food.
Only Gary…
Despite trying to keep a straight face and act like he hadn't noticed anything, the moment Asahi's gaze landed on him, Gary couldn't hold it in anymore.
He burst out laughing.
Asahi's face remained calm, a "kind" smile forming.
"Oh? What's so funny, Gary? Care to share with us?"
Gary froze. Crap… I got too cocky… why couldn't I hold it in?
Just as Gary scrambled to come up with an excuse…
Asahi said casually, "Actually, I just remembered something…."
"What is it?" Gary asked instinctively.
Asahi grinned. "I felt guilty about not bringing you along for the mission against Pryce. So, after thinking it over, I've decided to make it up to you. This time, when I head to Hoenn to deal with Team Magma and Team Aqua, I'm taking you with me!"
"There's a good chance we'll face Groudon and Kyogre head-on — you might even witness a battle between Hoenn's legendary Pokémon!"
"How about it? Excited?"
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