When Aiden's words reached her ears, Cynthia felt her mind go completely blank.
Her lips had just been sealed by his presence, and for a moment, she lost the ability to think altogether.
Come to think of it, Aiden really did have an unspoken rule.
When Steven once challenged Rayquaza, in order to maintain his dignity and prevent Aiden from exposing his defeat, he had given Aiden a Beldum.
Wallace had been persuaded by Steven to challenge Aiden as well. Perhaps his pride had been shattered in battle, because he had gifted Aiden a Bagon— even allowing him to choose any pseudo-legendary he wanted.
Lance, the Dragon-type master of Kanto, had also challenged Aiden and given him an outstanding Dratini.
Thus, the three pseudo-legendary lines had all come from three different Champions.
So now, Cynthia, as the Champion of Sinnoh, whose ace was Garchomp…
If she didn't give him a Gible, wasn't that a little unfair?
After all, they were all regional Champions. She had to give him something, didn't she?
She couldn't possibly end up like Drake of the Elite Four—getting tricked into challenging Aiden, only to end up exposing Steven and Wallace's defeats.
So, since there was no pseudo-legendary to offer…
Then perhaps, she herself would have to become the gift.
…
By the time Cynthia fully understood what Aiden meant, she was already lying in his arms, her cheeks flushed with warmth.
"You're such a bad person," she murmured softly.
"But now I finally realize… it's not just Steven and Wallace who lost to you. Even Lance from Kanto was defeated by you."
"When I think about it like that, losing to you doesn't seem so strange anymore."
Then, after a brief pause, she suddenly reacted.
"Compared to a pseudo-legendary, I… I'm giving you an entire Champion. Doesn't that mean I've suffered a huge loss?"
Over the next few days, Aiden and Cynthia stayed in the estate, enjoying rare moments of peace and quiet.
Whenever the mood struck them, they would spar in their own way, then fall asleep peacefully, satisfied.
In the blink of an eye, a short yet beautiful week passed.
That day, Bertha called Cynthia again.
With a hint of annoyance, Cynthia replied,
"I know. I'll return to Sinnoh the day after tomorrow."
Reluctantly, she had to part ways with Aiden for the time being.
They agreed to meet again after the tournaments, and soon set off together.
One headed toward Sinnoh across the sea, while the other traveled to Ever Grande City to prepare for the Pokémon League.
Fortunately, Ever Grande City had ships bound for Sinnoh, so Cynthia and Aiden were able to continue their journey together for a while longer.
After storing all his Pokémon in the system space and packing supplies, the two set off toward Ever Grande City.
The atmosphere along the way was quiet.
After all, people who had just grown close naturally didn't want to separate so soon.
But one had to compete in the League, while the other had to preside over it. Neither could avoid their responsibilities.
Watching Cynthia's expression, Aiden suddenly felt that being a Champion might not be such a good thing after all.
Too busy.
Perhaps that was why Steven had stepped down as Champion—to freely collect rare stones.
And then there was Lance. As both Champion and Pokémon Investigator, he spent his days infiltrating evil organizations, constantly on the move.
What a miserable life.
…
Upon arriving in Ever Grande City, Aiden watched Cynthia board the ship.
Soon, he found himself alone again and headed toward the registration area.
At the Ever Grande City Pokémon Center, after his basic information was entered, his participation was officially confirmed.
"Ding! Contestant Aiden Flint detected. Origin: Littleroot Town. Age: eighteen. Badges obtained: Balance, Stone, Knuckle, Dynamo, Heat, Feather, Mind, and Rain. Qualification for the Hoenn Ever Grande Conference confirmed. Registration complete."
"Contestant Aiden Flint's entry number is 117."
After hearing the announcement, the Joy of Ever Grande City returned his Pokédex with a smile.
"Congratulations, contestant. The opening ceremony will begin in two days. You may stay in the competition area during this time."
"Please attend the opening ceremony as scheduled. Your entry number will also serve as your battle number, so please keep it in mind."
Aiden thanked her and checked into a luxury suite at the Pokémon Center.
With only two days left before the tournament began, he started thinking about his battle lineup.
This year's Hoenn Ever Grande Conference had more than five hundred participants.
The preliminary round would be one-on-one battles.
Each group would consist of four contestants, competing in rotation, with rankings determined by points.
Only the highest-scoring contestant in each group would advance to the second round, which would use three-on-three battles.
After the top sixteen were determined, the format would shift to full six-on-six battles.
Finally, the champion would be decided.
Aiden currently possessed Sceptile, Pidgeot, Milotic, Aggron, Metagross, Infernape, Glaceon, Umbreon, Sylveon, two Gardevoir, Aerodactyl, Shelgon, Arcanine, Blaziken, Charizard, Serperior, Feraligatr, Torterra, Absol, Dragonair, the giant Claydol, and Donphan.
In addition, he commanded Rayquaza, Groudon, Kyogre, and Regirock.
In total—twenty-seven Pokémon.
If everything went smoothly, almost all of them could take the field.
Of course, if his opponents were too weak, there was no need to unleash Rayquaza and the others to crush them.
At present, the weakest among his team were Dragonair and the five newly evolved Pokémon—Blaziken, Charizard, Serperior, Feraligatr, and Torterra.
So the preliminary round would be a perfect opportunity for them to fight.
After making his decision, Aiden slept peacefully through the night.
The next day, he wandered around Ever Grande City.
As expected of a city that hosted major tournaments, the crowds were overwhelming.
The streets were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.
Soon, Aiden lost interest and returned to his suite to continue preparing for the competition.
Strategically, he could afford to look down on his opponents.
But tactically, he could never afford to underestimate them.
Just in case someone like Darkrai's trainer Tobias appeared, Aiden decided to investigate the profiles of this year's participants.
And when he checked, he was genuinely surprised.
They were all familiar names.
Aside from Leaf, Tyson, Morrison, and Ash…
Paul was also participating in this year's Hoenn League.
Perhaps he still hadn't accepted his previous defeat in the scientist town.
If so…
Then this tournament was going to be interesting.
…
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