After capturing the Donphan herd and the Shiny Donphan, Aiden brought Cynthia with him and teleported straight back to Petalburg City.
The reason for coming here was simple—he wanted to meet his official girlfriend, Joy Sakura.
Bringing the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, to meet his girlfriend… honestly, it was quite a bold move.
But thinking about it carefully, although Cynthia had developed a strong sense of admiration for him, nothing had actually happened between them.
So going to meet Joy Sakura didn't make Aiden feel guilty at all.
Besides, in the Pokémon world, even a ten-year-old trainer like Gary could travel with five or six girlfriends at the same time. With Aiden's current strength, if he really wanted more girlfriends, who could stop him?
"Didn't you say we were going back to Littleroot Town? This is Petalburg City, isn't it?"
Facing Cynthia's confusion, Aiden replied calmly:
"The Joy at the Pokémon Center in Petalburg City is my girlfriend. Before going home, of course I have to see her."
"But she has her duties. It'll probably be hard for her to accompany me back to Littleroot Town."
Hearing Aiden speak so straightforwardly, Cynthia froze.
"Oh… you already have a girlfriend?"
She seemed completely unprepared for this revelation, standing there blankly, unsure of what to do.
If one were to say that Cynthia truly loved Aiden deeply, that wasn't entirely accurate.
More than anything, her feelings came from her unwillingness to accept defeat after being overwhelmingly crushed by him.
And then there was her curiosity—being defeated by a man far stronger than herself had transformed that frustration into intense fascination.
She wanted to see how far his future potential could go.
If there were someone worthy of Cynthia's recognition, that person would at least have to be stronger than her.
And apart from Aiden, there was no one else.
Traveling together was merely an excuse.
To put it bluntly, it was a kind of admiration for strength.
For a woman standing at the pinnacle of the world like Cynthia, encountering a man far stronger than herself was an extremely rare and extraordinary experience.
Yes, Leon was strong too.
But could he defeat her in such an overwhelming, crushing manner like Aiden did?
Only that kind of absolute domination could truly shake Cynthia's heart.
Moreover, although their journey together had been short, their shared experiences and daily interactions had repeatedly brought her joy.
But now…
Why did Aiden already have a girlfriend?
"Then… then go ahead. I'll walk around by myself. I didn't really get to explore Petalburg City last time…"
"I'll go first…"
They were just traveling companions.
So why did Cynthia's heart feel so heavy and complicated when she heard that Aiden had a girlfriend?
She didn't even want to face him anymore.
What exactly did Aiden think of her?
And if he already had Joy, then that Shelly from the organization must also have had a special relationship with him.
The more she thought about it, the more restless Cynthia became.
She wandered aimlessly through Petalburg City, her mind in chaos.
Aiden naturally noticed her condition, but there was nothing he could really say.
He couldn't possibly say something ridiculous like, "You came at just the right time," could he?
Leaving a psychic mark on Cynthia to ensure her safety, Aiden headed toward the Pokémon Center.
…
As soon as he entered the Pokémon Center in Petalburg City, he heard a familiar voice.
"Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center. How can I help you?"
A standard professional smile followed.
But the next moment, when she saw who had arrived, Joy Sakura could no longer suppress her emotions.
She jumped over the counter and threw herself into Aiden's arms.
"Aiden!"
Seeing his girlfriend like this, Aiden lifted her up happily.
Meanwhile, the trainers inside the Pokémon Center, upon realizing that Miss Joy already had a boyfriend, felt their hearts shatter.
"Who the hell is this guy? Is he Miss Joy's boyfriend?"
"He doesn't even look more handsome than me…"
"Are you kidding? That's Aiden Flint, the Legendary Pokémon trainer who saved Hoenn. What makes you think you can compare yourself to him?"
Listening to their conversations, Joy Sakura's cheeks flushed red.
"You came to see me and didn't even tell me in advance. We haven't seen each other for months, and now you've become the hero who saved Hoenn. As expected of the man I chose."
Although she felt shy with so many people watching, Aiden was her boyfriend, and she refused to let go of his arm.
"That's a long story. But we'll have plenty of time to talk about it slowly."
That night, after the Pokémon Center closed, Joy Sakura came to Aiden's room.
The two of them slept in each other's arms, sharing everything that had happened during their time apart.
When Aiden told her about his entire journey so far, Joy Sakura felt her heart racing.
Understanding his current identity and strength made her even more emotionally stirred.
…
As a Joy, she had responsibilities to maintain the health of Pokémon in her city.
Even though Joy Sakura desperately wanted to go to Littleroot Town with Aiden, she had no vacation available for the time being.
When she saw Cynthia, although she felt a faint sense of jealousy, she understood Cynthia's identity.
Being on good terms with a regional Champion would bring enormous benefits to Aiden.
Moreover, a woman's intuition told Joy Sakura that the Champion of Sinnoh had special feelings for her boyfriend.
Powerful men always attracted beautiful women who were willing to throw themselves into the fire.
Coming from the Joy family, Joy Sakura understood this reality from a very young age.
The Joy family had been able to stand firm in the Pokémon world for generations because of their deep-rooted connections.
Wherever there was a Pokémon Center, there was always a member of the Joy family.
After spending a few days with Joy Sakura, Aiden finally returned to Littleroot Town.
As for Cynthia, she followed him almost unconsciously.
Before leaving, Joy Sakura had said a few ambiguous things to Cynthia, which only made her thoughts even more chaotic.
In the end, her curiosity about Aiden and her admiration for strength won out.
Even she herself didn't understand why she felt this way.
Seeing Cynthia's behavior, Aiden couldn't help but curl his lips into a faint smile.
This beautiful blonde Champion seemed to have been completely caught by him.
After returning to his hometown, Aiden visited Professor Birch and chatted with him for a while.
Then he went back to the house he hadn't lived in for a long time and released all his main Pokémon.
Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon all shrank their bodies and lay lazily in the courtyard, basking in the sunlight.
Regirock stood by Aiden like a guardian, the orange "H"-shaped patterns on its body flickering like machinery.
As for the giant Claydol, since it couldn't shrink its size, it could only stay inside the system space.
…
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