"Cynthia…"
Just as Cynthia was hesitating over whether she should travel to Kanto, an elderly yet gentle voice sounded behind her.
"Congratulations."
"You've become the Champion of the entire Sinnoh Region."
"Sigh… it feels like only a few years ago that you left home with your Gible to begin your journey."
"And now, in the blink of an eye, you've become Champion."
"That little Gible has grown into a Champion-level Pokémon too."
Hearing the slightly aged voice, Cynthia's eyes immediately lit up with joy instead of surprise.
She turned around and saw the grandmother she had depended on all her life standing behind her.
Cynthia hurried forward excitedly.
"Grandma, what are you doing here?"
"Haha, my precious granddaughter has become a League Champion. How could I not come visit?"
Hearing her grandmother's praise, the newly crowned Champion suddenly became a little embarrassed instead.
"It's not that impressive…"
"It was all thanks to Garchomp and the others working hard."
Cynthia's grandmother smiled warmly at her.
"That's far too modest."
Looking at Cynthia, her grandmother's eyes were filled with pride.
But as an elder, she still couldn't resist nagging a little.
"Now that you've become Champion…"
"Isn't it about time you started considering your future marriage prospects?"
"Grandma, it's still too early."
"I still think exploring ancient ruins is more interesting."
Hearing that answer, Cynthia's grandmother became unusually serious for the first time.
"It's been years already!"
"You always used to say you were too busy training Pokémon and exploring ruins. Fine, I accepted that."
"But now you're already Champion."
"It's time to think about your future."
"And don't worry—Grandma isn't some old-fashioned fossil."
"You're already a Champion-level Trainer."
"I don't care about the other person's status or strength."
"As long as you like them, that's enough."
Hearing her grandmother's words, Cynthia's eyes filled with confusion.
Although she had traveled for seven years and visited almost every region—
When it came to marriage candidates…
Her mind was completely blank.
In the end, Cynthia could only answer honestly.
"Sorry, Grandma…"
"I don't think I have anyone I like."
Rather than disappointment, her grandmother instead looked as though she had expected this outcome all along.
She took Cynthia's hand and said:
"Then how about this?"
"I heard you were planning to visit Kanto?"
Cynthia nodded.
"Go ahead then."
"There just so happens to be someone in Kanto who was once your childhood fiancé."
"What's a childhood fiancé supposed to mean?"
Cynthia's grandmother coughed awkwardly and looked into the distance.
"To be honest, I had nearly forgotten about it myself."
"But not long ago, a junior from Kanto who was being hunted by the Kanto League came to Sinnoh carrying a keepsake from that old man."
"It was originally just a joke made years ago…"
"And now the younger generation has actually come looking for us because of it."
"But you can refuse, Grandma!"
"Of course I can."
"But since you don't have anyone you like anyway…"
"Why not just go to Kanto and meet him once?"
"This…"
Cynthia hesitated slightly.
Seeing that Cynthia hadn't rejected the idea immediately, her grandmother quickly added:
"And this person is someone you've probably already heard of."
"His name is Red."
"Red?"
"The one who befriended the legendary Pokémon Mewtwo?"
"And the one rumored to have something to do with Tyranitar's evolution?"
Cynthia asked in surprise.
"That's right, him."
"Even this old woman in Sinnoh has heard quite a few things about him despite him living in Kanto."
"He's one of the League's rare young prodigies."
"How about this?"
"Just think of it as a relaxing trip to Kanto."
"And while you're there, meet him once."
"If you don't like him, we'll leave immediately. How about that?"
After much persuasion from her grandmother, Cynthia finally agreed to the trip to Kanto.
But before leaving, she still looked seriously at her grandmother and said:
"Let me make this clear first."
"I'm only going to meet him once."
"If things don't work out, I'm leaving immediately."
Her grandmother nodded repeatedly.
"Of course!"
"You're my precious granddaughter—the Champion of Sinnoh!"
"How could I possibly force you to settle?"
"Everything will depend entirely on your own feelings."
Hearing that, Cynthia didn't argue further.
She mounted Garchomp and shot into the sky.
The terrifying speed even left behind a white streak across the heavens.
After Cynthia departed, her grandmother remained standing there and sighed emotionally.
"Do you think your son can make Cynthia fall for him?"
At that moment, Red's utterly unreliable father—who had somehow rushed all the way from Kanto to Sinnoh—spoke up nearby.
"Sigh… I'm worried too."
"My idiot son has had a girl working beside him at the Gym for over a year and still hasn't made any progress."
"That's why I came here personally."
"So your son's a blockhead too?"
"Can that really work?"
Cynthia's grandmother asked skeptically.
"No matter what, let them meet first."
"They're both among the most outstanding Trainers of the younger generation."
"Spending more time together certainly won't hurt."
Meanwhile—
Red had absolutely no idea that his long-absent father had secretly arranged a childhood engagement for him.
And the fiancée in question…
Was Cynthia.
The newly crowned Champion of Sinnoh.
One of only two female Champions in the entire League.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Cynthia was currently the strongest female Trainer in the Pokémon world.
But Red knew none of this.
At the moment, he was busy searching for traces of other ancient giant Pokémon.
Because in the anime, besides the giant ancient Alakazam, there had also been a giant ancient Jigglypuff and a giant ancient Gengar.
Red definitely did not want to suddenly wake up one day and discover giant monsters rampaging through the city.
Red brought Shinji to the location where they had originally purchased the psychic spoon.
"So this is where you bought the psychic spoon?"
Shinji nodded.
"Yes, Master."
"My brother and I bought it around here."
After entrusting Shinji to Red, Reiji had already left Mossdeep City.
To be more precise—
He had directly left the Kanto Region and headed for Hoenn.
Although Reiji was fairly strong—even winning a League Conference championship in one region—
And despite earning the qualification to challenge that region's Elite Four afterward—
After battling an Elite Four member, Reiji clearly realized something.
No matter how hard he worked for the rest of his life, it would be extremely difficult for him to become an Elite Four-level Trainer.
Afterward, he had set his sights on the Battle Frontier in Hoenn, hoping to try his luck there.
What Reiji didn't know…
Was that waiting for him there would be a true Legendary Pokémon.
One that would utterly shatter his confidence.
Although Red had already warned him kindly—
Reiji was still determined to go.
Faced with his brother's departure, Shinji could only silently wish him well in his heart.
"So it was somewhere around this area?"
Red scratched the back of his head.
Looking at the bustling street packed with vendors and pedestrians, Shinji asked apologetically:
"Master…"
"What do we do now?"
"If I'd known earlier, I should've asked for the seller's contact information."
But to Shinji's surprise, Red remained completely calm.
"Don't worry."
"As long as that person is still somewhere in Mossdeep City…"
"I'll find him."
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