WebNovels

Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: Miss Cynthia, You Wouldn’t Want…

Cynthia had always felt that, in more ways than one, Haru's Pokémon weren't exactly what you'd call "normal."

It wasn't about raw power—after all, most of them were mythical or legendary Pokémon. Being strong was to be expected. The problem was that they were… too human-like.

Most Pokémon are fairly simple creatures. They don't think or scheme the way humans do. All they really need is to feel their Trainer's love, and that's enough.

But Haru's Pokémon? They were different…

Cynthia often felt that calling them "Pokémon" was almost misleading. They acted more like actual humans.

Or, to be precise—human women.

This tendency was especially extreme with Mew. Cynthia could actually sense things like jealousy or competing for attention from her, thoughts that only humans were supposed to have.

And because of that, Cynthia sometimes found her mind drifting to places it really shouldn't.

For instance, when Mew locked the door and said she was "cooking," Cynthia's first thought wasn't that she was honestly preparing food—rather, she suspected Mew was plotting something else entirely…

She knew it was an unfair bias. Haru himself was a genuinely good person, not some kind of pervert, and he certainly wasn't the type to get into anything… improper with Pokémon.

But no matter how she tried, Cynthia couldn't rid herself of these thoughts. The harder she tried not to think about them, the more her brain churned out messy, intrusive ideas—multiplying like roaches in the dark.

So… should she try peeking inside, just to be sure? At least confirm that Mew hadn't slipped anything shady into the food?

The Champion of Sinnoh rested her hand on the doorknob, lost in thought.

In the end, she decided she ought to give Haru—and Haru's Pokémon—a little trust.

Besides, wasn't Mewtwo around as a kind of supervisor? With Mewtwo watching, nothing that outrageous could happen.

And yet… just as she was about to turn away—

The door, which had been firmly locked, suddenly cracked open under some mysterious force.

A warm, pale yellow light spilled out from the kitchen, falling across Cynthia's eyes and half her face.

That glow was gentle and bright, leaving her strangely dazed.

"Come in, nya~ What are you standing outside for, nya?"

The strange yet captivating voice slipped through the crack and into her ears, tugging at her, drawing her forward until she found herself pushing the door wide open.

Her eyes grew hazy under the influence of some unseen force.

It felt like the strings of her will were snapping one by one, until her mind was completely taken over by the owner of that voice.

By the time Cynthia's awareness floated back, she realized, to her shock, that she was already inside the kitchen.

And her clothes—were gone.

In their place was nothing but an apron that barely covered anything, practically useless at hiding her figure. In her hands she clutched a cooking spatula, as though she were about to start frying something.

Not far away, Mewtwo and "Mew No. 2" sat side by side.

Mew was dressed in a teacher's outfit, a magenta camera hanging from her neck.

She alternated between lecturing Mewtwo and pointing a pointer stick at various parts of Cynthia's body, all while snapping pictures with the camera.

As for Mewtwo, she clearly had some objections to Mew's so-called "theories," trying multiple times to argue back. But each time she was brushed off with lines like, "I'm your mother, don't I know better?" and "Be a good girl, no backtalk."

It was then that both of them finally noticed Cynthia had regained consciousness.

Their reactions were very different.

Mewtwo immediately lowered her head, unable to meet Cynthia's gaze.

Mew, on the other hand, showed not the slightest panic. Instead, she strolled right up, flipping through photos of Cynthia posing in all sorts of compromising positions, clicking her tongue in admiration.

"Miss Cynthia, you wouldn't want these pictures falling into our master's hands, would you?"

"And besides… you wouldn't want to miss out on enjoying our master's… special 'skills' in the future, would you?"

"So… you know what to do, right, nya? This is our little secret…"

Mew purred as she waved the camera in front of Cynthia's face.

---

Galar – Outside Leon's Home

Ralts was never exactly a strong Pokémon.

Really, none of the first-stage forms in a three-stage evolutionary line were.

Before evolving into Gardevoir or Gallade, Ralts' stats and movepool were pathetically frail.

On paper, Ralts was even weaker than a Kricketune.

Grookey, on the other hand—being one of the starter Pokémon—was also a first-stage evolution, but its baseline stats were far better.

In game terms, Ralts' base stat total was under 200, while Grookey's pushed past 300.

That's the inherent advantage of starters: they were designed to give new Trainers a smooth growth curve, not instant disaster.

After all, nobody wanted their very first battle to go like: "Step outside, run into a random bird, get completely obliterated, lose all hope."

The problem was, starters weren't exactly found on every street corner. And they weren't the kind of Pokémon just anyone could catch on a whim, so there weren't that many Trainers who actually had them.

And even if you wanted raw beginner firepower, you could just try to catch a Lapras or a Flamigo—assuming you were lucky enough to meet one.

But stats aside—Hop's Grookey was still effortlessly crushed by Haru's Ralts.

It wasn't that Hop was weak. The truth was simply that Haru's Ralts was too strong.

In game terms, it was like his Grookey was still level 3, while Haru's Ralts was already level 19. That's a straight-up level curb-stomp.

What's more—Haru hadn't even trained Ralts much himself. But because Ralts had been surrounded every day by "heavy hitters," she gradually honed her control over moves to an impressive degree.

Especially under Mew's "guidance."

Sure, Ralts thought her "big sister Mew" was weird most of the time—but there was no denying that she'd grown much stronger thanks to her.

Of course, Hop knew none of this.

All he saw was: he sent his Pokémon out, Ralts attacked, and he instantly lost.

Both had just been caught—so why was the gap this enormous?

It wasn't like Haru had given any genius commands, either.

"…"

Hop stared at his Poké Ball, struck dumb.

The gap between them was too wide. Wide enough to shake his entire confidence.

His very first battle had ended in a humiliating defeat. Did this mean his future was doomed to nothing but losses?

And Haru still claimed he wasn't here to bully beginners, huh.

"Hmm… your Ralts is impressive. Did you use some kind of special training method?"

Leon, who had been watching, stroked his chin with interest.

He could tell this Ralts had received some kind of training.

But as Haru said, she'd only been caught recently…

"No, if anything, I barely trained this little one at all. She grew this strong entirely through her own effort."

Haru gently lifted his victorious Ralts into his arms, then turned his gaze toward Gloria.

"Want to keep going? I actually suggest the two of you team up."

Hearing that, Hop quickly advised her: "Maybe don't. There's no way us newbies can beat him."

But Gloria shook her head. She still wanted to battle Haru one-on-one.

Haru didn't refuse—he was curious to see how the "main character" would perform.

And sure enough, Gloria showed incredible talent.

Despite the level gap, she managed to drag the fight out using clever tactics—dodging, countering, swapping tempo, even sliding tackles.

Her Scorbunny even managed to pull off a crude but effective "Flame Charge football kick," blasting shot after shot at Ralts.

If Haru hadn't eventually grown impatient and given Ralts some quick commands, the fight could've gone on much longer.

That she managed this much was already extraordinary.

"Well?"

Haru looked back at Leon after catching Gloria's faintly frustrated expression.

"…She's even more talented than I expected," Leon admitted.

"Her methods may be… unorthodox, but in battles, only victory matters. Tricks are fair game."

"Marathons, mock feints, even playing dead—whatever it takes."

As a battle fanatic, Leon gave an objective evaluation.

"Hop, you'd better step up. If you don't, the gap between you two will only grow wider."

"Still, since you both have the spirit to challenge the strong… these invitations belong to you."

"After dinner, I'll teach you how to catch Pokémon. Then you'll officially begin your journeys as Trainers."

Then he turned back to Haru: "By the way, would you like to join us, Haru?"

"No, I've already made other arrangements. In fact, I need to head back to Kanto soon."

He held up his Rotom Phone with a smile.

"Professor Oak invited me to Alto Mare—the so-called 'City of Water.' I plan to accept."

"It's urgent, so I'll be leaving shortly."

After all, this could very well involve Latios and Latias—and perhaps a certain unique local female Trainer.

But Haru kept that last part to himself.

---

Galar – Hammerlocke

Everyone in Galar knew that the beating heart of their region's energy lay in Hammerlocke.

The city converted mysterious energy into usable power, distributing it through pipelines and networks to cover all of Galar.

If Hammerlocke failed, massive crises would ripple outward across the land.

This was the true "giant hand of Macro Cosmos."

But what exactly was the essence of that energy? How was it transformed? Few could answer.

And the innermost core of the plant—

A place as forbidden as a holy sanctum—was a place only the highest of the Macro Cosmos executives could even apply to enter.

Yet deep underground, beyond the reach of any satellite, a man in a light gray suit now stood before a massive "golden egg."

It pulsed like a beating heart, pumping energy through the pipes connected to it.

But the energy it emitted was wildly unstable, like a ticking time bomb ready to go off.

The suited man understood all too well what that meant.

"It's getting worse. If this continues, it'll spiral out of control."

"But the supply of Wishing Stars cannot be cut. Otherwise…"

"Eternatus—I must seize your power. I will."

"For Galar's greatness, a few small sacrifices are worth it."

His face betrayed a trace of unease as he muttered before the "egg."

Then a loyal subordinate's voice came from behind him:

"Chairman Rose, what should we do next?"

"Summon Leon back. Make sure he stays near Hammerlocke. As long as Leon is there, things won't reach the worst-case scenario."

Without hesitation, Rose brought up his "guardian."

Even Galar's highest ruler held an almost fanatical faith in Leon.

"As for an excuse… say Raihan's too eager to improve, that he wants to challenge Leon early and break his undefeated record."

"Yes, Leon will fight seriously—but that's none of my concern."

"And Raihan himself?"

The subordinate hesitated.

Neither Rose nor Leon had the authority to order the other directly. To make Leon act, they needed a reason he would accept.

As for Raihan—he might officially be just a Dragon-type Gym Leader, but he was truly Galar's strongest after Leon. In another region—Unova, for instance—he might well have been Champion material.

Only Leon could consistently put him down. The rest of Galar's Trainers didn't even compare.

"You'll tell him Leon boasted that even if they fought a hundred times in a row, Raihan would never win. That he never once considered Raihan a true rival."

"He won't be able to resist."

Rose's lips curved in satisfaction before another thought struck him.

"Speaking of which, the League will be starting soon, won't it?"

"Any noteworthy contenders?"

"None with outstanding potential yet. But word is—the Champion's younger brother will be entering."

"Leon's brother… interesting."

"Have our people keep an eye on him. Remember, talent is just as important to Galar's future as power."

"Yes, Chairman Rose."

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