Trainer's Gambit

Sinnoh Region, Sandgem Town.

A resort hotel nestled near the sandy beaches, shaded by lush greenery and caressed by the sea breeze.

Beside the rooftop swimming pool, a soft-bodied shell creature, Gastrodon, was lapping at the water with its tongue.

A graceful Ice-type Eevee lay obediently under the shade of a canopy, letting out a small yawn as it dozed off.

A golden-haired beauty lay sprawled on a beach chair, draped in a white towel, her damp hair splayed out carelessly.

Scooping a spoonful of ice cream, Cynthia held the spoon between her teeth, her attention still focused on the handheld console in her hands.

[GAME OVER]

"This is so hard…"

"Can't I just pay to win? Ugh, so annoying…"

Cynthia sighed, put down her PSP, and stood up from the beach chair, her long, fair legs stretching elegantly.

She pushed open the glass door and stepped into the cool, air-conditioned room.

Under the AC vent, a sinister Spiritomb was trying its best to blend in as a potted plant.

Three days had passed since Lucian's challenge, and now Cynthia was enjoying a rare vacation.

Though, to be fair, even during her regular duties, Cynthia's daily routine mostly involved slacking off.

Sometimes she'd head to Eterna City to study ancient inscriptions, occasionally visit the library in Canalave City, or even go shopping with Diantha when their schedules aligned.

But challenges from the Elite Four were unavoidable, and they counted as one of the few responsibilities Cynthia actually had to deal with.

In the Sinnoh Region, after the collapse of Team Galactic Leader Cyrus's schemes, Cyrus had vanished into the Distortion World, leaving no trace.

Because of this, compared to the restless Team Rocket in Kanto and the persistent Team Plasma in Unova, the Sinnoh Champion's job was relatively stress-free.

Rumor had it that the Hoenn Region's Champion had it even easier, spending his time digging for rocks all over the world before eventually handing over the title to someone else.

Compared to Steven, Cynthia felt her slacking was at least somewhat justified.

This vacation was only three days long.

Cynthia decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity to finish all the games she'd been wanting to play.

After all, once the vacation was over, there'd be the Type Expert Tournament and the Master Championships to deal with. If she didn't play now, she might never get the chance!

Cynthia combed her fluffy golden hair, tying it up with a hairband without a single strand falling out.

Even Diantha had expressed envy over Cynthia's hair, often running her fingers through it whenever they met.

Cynthia, however, didn't think much of it.

She had simply grown her hair out during her early days as Champion, when she was busy with her research into myths and legends.

Before she knew it, her golden hair had reached her waist, making her instantly recognizable wherever she went.

Every time Diantha invited Cynthia out for shopping, she'd carefully put on sunglasses, only to realize her disguise was pointless the moment Cynthia's dazzling hair came into view.

"Hmm, what other games are there…"

Cynthia sat cross-legged on the floor, her long, fair legs looking like porcelain.

The LCD screen in front of her was connected to a console, its menu filled with games, but Cynthia had already collected most of the trophies.

She handed a controller to Garchomp, who politely declined it.

Cynthia smiled faintly and began searching for a single-player game.

"Pokémon Battle… I haven't played this in a while. Let's give it a try!"

Cynthia's eyes lit up as she connected a voice command device and opened the game Pokémon: Battle.

To avoid any trouble, Cynthia didn't use her verified account in Pokémon: Battle.

This was mainly to prevent Sinnoh's Bug-type Elite Four member Aaron and Fire-type Elite Four member Flint from finding her…

Those two were too weak, and playing games with them was just boring.

The matchmaking interface spun, and Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

"A player from the Touran Region? That's rare."

"Single battle, one round to decide the winner?"

Cynthia looked at the rules with a hint of surprise, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Guess I'll have to use Garchomp, then."

In the virtual imaging, Cynthia threw a Poké Ball, and a fierce Garchomp with sharp scythes roared onto the field.

The real Garchomp, who was busy eating Pokéblocks nearby, glanced at the screen, its eyes flashing with disdain before it buried its head back in the bowl.

On the other side, a sinister Gengar levitated onto the field, its red eyes flickering as it let out a creepy laugh.

"A Ghost-type Trainer, huh? Pretty confident…"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Cynthia's eyes sharpened, and she commanded, "Crunch!"

This Garchomp was built for maximum speed, and it shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight for Gengar.

Its spindle-shaped tail tore through the air, creating a sonic boom as Garchomp opened its jaws wide, ready to bite down on Gengar.

"Crunch—!"

A sturdy barrier formed in front of Gengar, and under the protection of "Protect," Garchomp was forced back several meters.

At the same time, a haunting melody began to emanate from Gengar's mouth, causing Garchomp to visibly shudder!

Cynthia frowned.

In reality, Perish Song was a move that used fear-inducing sound waves to gradually weaken an opponent's will.

After a certain amount of time, Perish Song would completely drain the opponent's will to battle.

Since it wasn't a direct physical attack, it was rarely used in real battles.

But if a Pokémon lost its will to battle, it would be considered a loss in official matches.

Cynthia fell into deep thought.

Was this Trainer from the Touran Region an expert in psychological strategies?

Above Garchomp, a clear countdown timer appeared, showing the remaining time for Perish Song.

If the battle wasn't concluded within five minutes, the system would automatically declare Cynthia the loser based on the effects of Perish Song.

Cynthia pondered for a moment before commanding, "Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"

Garchomp charged forward again, this time like a burning meteor, streaking across the battlefield.

Cynthia's other Pokémon, drawn by the spectacle, gathered around the screen, watching intently as Cynthia played.

Meanwhile, Gengar's "Protect" barrier lit up once more.

Cynthia smirked, her eyes sharp. "Now, Dig!"

Gengar's "Protect" was clearly within Cynthia's expectations.

Using the speed from Dragon Rush, Garchomp plunged into the ground, reappearing almost instantly behind Gengar!

"Garchomp—!!"

Garchomp burst out from beneath the ground, swinging its scythes and tearing through Gengar's form!

The Dig attack dealt double damage to Gengar!

On the other side, Natsume was confidently commentating.

"What kind of trash Pokémon is Garchomp? Can it even hit Gengar?"

"My Gengar has the Levitate ability, you know!"

"Nani?!"

"Is my Levitate ability fake or something? How did it get hit by a Ground-type Dig?"

"Hahaha, Natsume-sensei, you're cursed!"

"The opponent's commands are so sharp. This feels like a Master-level battle!"

"Look at you, Natsume-sensei, getting outplayed for once!"

"But it's fine."

Natsume smiled faintly. "Because we've got a Focus Sash!"

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