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Luther felt a knot twisting in his stomach. Cynthia had insisted that if they were going to "act," they needed to sell it, otherwise no one would buy the story.
Her logic was sound. Her execution… less so.
Instead of taking him to one of Sun Heart City's busy commercial hubs, she chose a small, quiet mall on the outskirts, apparently it matched Evergreen's expectations better.
Calling it a date, though… Luther wasn't sure what part of this counted. And Cynthia's definition of "acting convincingly" seemed to be drifting further and further off script.
The disguised Champion had dragged him here for one reason: to farm points by flattening inexperienced trainers.
The mall's open-air battle arena was always open, a casual battleground where trainers could challenge each other for quick matches. Cynthia admitted that back when the League's matchmaking app still existed, she would drop by to grind points whenever she felt like it.
"Is there something you can only get from that platform?" Luther asked, baffled by the idea of Cynthia personally coming to grind. Was she trying to help advertise for the League or something?
But the matchmaking system had been suspended after too many players found loopholes to farm points. No one knew when, if ever, it would come back.
"No rare items or anything," Cynthia replied lightly. "I just like watching the number go up. And earning points to exchange for random items, it's fun."
Luther wanted to tell her that this was the kind of thing broke trainers did. People with Cynthia's money didn't grind points; they bought whatever they wanted outright.
But then again… this was Cynthia. Maybe this was what the Champion considered "living like ordinary people."
A shout from the field caught his attention. A middle-aged trainer thumped his chest proudly after another victory, calling out, "Next challenger?"
Luther suddenly felt a deep, instinctive dread.
Because Cynthia, Champion Cynthia, here to "experience normal life", was already striding toward the man with Gastrodon waddling faithfully behind her.
The trainer's confident grin made it painfully clear he had no idea what kind of disaster he'd just invited upon himself.
It was over in seconds. Gastrodon flicked out a single Muddy Water, and the opponent's Pokémon crumpled immediately. Knowing Gastrodon, that was probably the gentlest it could manage.
Luther opened his mouth to tell Cynthia that fishing for weak opponents wasn't exactly enjoyable… but then he watched her kneel beside the defeated trainer, patiently checking over his Pokémon and explaining where their training could improve.
He shut his mouth again.
Being crushed by Cynthia might actually be the best thing that had happened to these trainers today.
Luther pulled out the little note Mai had written for him. The tidy list of tasks and places stared back at him, and he couldn't help but sigh.
Hand-holding, hugging Cynthia, those were supposed to be part of their cover. But whatever this was, it definitely wasn't what Mai had envisioned.
He scanned the crowd half-heartedly, trying to pick out Evergreen's spy, but quickly gave up. Weekend crowds meant too many people, too much noise, guessing who was tailing them would be pure fantasy.
Cynthia was still happily lecturing the group of trainers gathered around her. With nothing else to do, Luther stood and went to buy her a drink. Honestly, this was the most "date-like" thing they'd managed all afternoon.
He wondered how the Hodgepodge Organization spy would write this report. More importantly… how Evergreen would interpret any of it.
When he returned, Cynthia was lounging in a plastic chair, no longer battling, just watching the younger trainers struggle through their clumsy matches with a soft, amused smile.
Luther handed her the orange juice. "Here."
Cynthia twisted off the cap, took a long sip, and raised an eyebrow. "You still don't understand, do you?"
"Well… a little," Luther admitted. "You're the Champion. Coming here to battle like this is kind of…"
"Bullying people?" she offered flatly.
"You do help them afterwards, so I wouldn't call it bullying," he said quickly. "I just… don't really get it."
On the field, the two kids currently battling were so unrefined that Luther, remembering his very first chaotic battle with Professor Rowan, felt oddly nostalgic.
After watching so many high-level battles in his life, matches like the one happening in front of him felt painfully slow to Luther. But Cynthia watched the clumsy back-and-forth with genuine, almost childlike interest.
She swirled her drink, smiling faintly. "When I was little, there was a place in our town where you could borrow Pokémon for a while and battle with them."
"I kept winning. And winning. And winning." Cynthia laughed softly. "Back then, I honestly thought I was unstoppable. So one day, I took the borrowed Pokémon and ran off. At dusk, I ran into a traveling trainer and challenged her without a second thought."
"Let me guess, you didn't win," Luther said, sipping his lemonade.
"You guessed right. She wiped the floor with me. I was completely helpless. To her, I must've looked like a stubborn kid with stolen Pokémon."
"But she didn't scold me or treat me badly. She helped patch up my Pokémon, and then… she taught me some of her own battle techniques."
Even with the background noise of the mall, Luther felt himself drifting into the scene Cynthia was describing.
A stranger passing through Cynthia's hometown. A girl who wasn't yet the pride of Sinnoh, charging forward with borrowed Pokémon and a mix of courage and naivety. A quick, crushing defeat.
And then, kindness.
Luther could almost picture it: the warm orange glow of the setting sun, young Cynthia holding her injured Pokémon close while the older trainer crouched beside her, guiding her gently.
What did those techniques mean to the Cynthia of today? Probably not much, not compared to the memory itself. Maybe that was why she wandered into places like this, beginner arenas, casual battle spots, just to offer advice and help to those who needed it.
"Of course," Cynthia added with a smirk, "I'd still have become Champion eventually. But I'm grateful she gave me that moment. It's… a beautiful memory. I can still remember the smile she wore as she treated my Pokémon."
Her voice softened. "I wonder what she's doing now."
Luther studied her for a moment before replying. "If I were her? I'd still be on the road."
"Oh?" Cynthia leaned in, curious. "Why do you think that?"
"Because if I found out the random kid I defeated years ago turned into the strongest trainer in Sinnoh?" Luther shrugged. "I'd brag about it non-stop. There's no universe where I could keep that to myself. I'd be physically unable to shut up about it."
Cynthia burst into laughter.
"And then," Luther continued, "I'd keep traveling, meeting new people. You never know when you'll run into the next Cynthia."
"If there were another me out there," Cynthia mused, "that'd be fun. I'd really love to battle myself. I want to see what that feels like."
She finished the last of her orange juice, then suddenly frowned. "Wait… we haven't done anything on Mai's list. Does this even count as a date?"
Luther snorted. "You're asking the wrong guy. I have no idea what a proper date is supposed to look like."
"So what do we do now?"
Luther stretched, relaxing into the chair. "A date's supposed to be fun. It's not a homework assignment. At least… that's how I see it."
"Then what does Evergreen think a date is supposed to be?" she asked.
"He can think whatever he wants." Luther's tone sharpened with annoyance. "Why should I care?"
Cynthia clicked her tongue. "Honestly, who does he think he is, trying to tell me how to go on a date?"
(End of Chapter)
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New Novels- 1. One Piece- Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki!
2. One Piece- Master Of Devil Fruits