Chapter 27: The Champion of Slacking Off
Sinnoh Region, Sunyshore City.
Nestled near the sandy beaches of Sunyshore, a resort hotel lay hidden among lush greenery, with the sea breeze brushing gently through. Beside the rooftop pool, a soft-bodied shell Pokémon, a Gastrodon, lazily lapped at the pool water with its tongue. Nearby, a poised and elegant Glaceon lay quietly under a sunshade, yawning softly with its eyes half-closed.
A blonde beauty reclined on a beach chair, draped in a white bath towel, her damp golden hair cascading casually around her. Scooping a bite of ice cream, Cynthia held the spoon in her mouth, her attention fixed on the handheld console before her.
[GAME OVER]
"So difficult..."
"Can't I pay to win? Seriously, this is such a hassle..."
Cynthia sighed, setting the console down. She rose gracefully from the beach chair, her long, pale legs moving with ease as she stepped through the glass door into the cool indoor air.
Beneath the air conditioning, a spooky Spiritomb was attempting to disguise itself as a potted plant.
3 days had passed since her battle with Aaron, and this was a rare vacation for Cynthia. Though even during her "work" days, her routine was mostly carefree—occasionally researching tablets in Eterna City, visiting the library in Canalave City, or even shopping with Diantha when their schedules aligned.
Still, accepting challenges from the Elite Four was part of her job, one of the few tasks she couldn't shirk.
After the collapse of Cyrus's schemes with Team Galactic, the Sinnoh Region was relatively peaceful compared to Kanto, where Team Rocket was making moves, or Unova, plagued by Team Plasma's unresolved issues.
It was rumored that the Champion of Hoenn had an even more relaxed lifestyle—digging up rocks around the world and eventually handing over the championship to someone else. Compared to Steven, Cynthia felt her leisurely approach was perfectly reasonable.
This time, she had a 3-day vacation and decided to make the most of it by clearing her backlog of games. Once the break ended, the Type Specialist Tournament and World Master Championship would keep her too busy to indulge.
Cynthia combed through her voluminous golden hair, tidying it with ease. As she secured it with a hair tie, not a single strand fell out. Even Diantha had expressed envy over Cynthia's hair, often running her fingers through the silky locks when given the chance.
For Cynthia, though, it was a matter of convenience—her initial long hair grew out naturally due to the demands of her research and early championship duties. Now, her waist-length hair was an unmistakable feature, always drawing attention when she stepped out.
Every time Diantha suggested disguises for their shopping outings, she'd give up as soon as she saw Cynthia's dazzling blonde hair.
"Hmm, what other games are there?"
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, her legs smooth and porcelain-like, Cynthia browsed the game menu on her console. Her trophy collection was almost complete.
She handed a controller to her Garchomp, who politely declined. Smiling, Cynthia searched for a single-player game.
"Pokémon Battle... it's been ages since I played this. Let's try it!"
Her eyes lit up as she connected her voice command setup and launched the game. To avoid trouble, Cynthia had opted not to use her official account in Pokémon Battle. After all, she didn't want Bug-type Elite Four Aaron or Fire-type Elite Four Flint catching her. Those two were terrible at the game, and playing against them was no fun.
The matchmaking screen spun, and Cynthia tilted her head curiously.
"A player from the Eastern Region? That's rare."
"Single match, 1 round to decide the winner?" Cynthia read the rule set, her lips curling upward.
"Of course, Garchomp is the way to go."
In the virtual display, Cynthia threw a Poké Ball, and her sharp-bladed Garchomp roared onto the battlefield.
The real Garchomp, busy munching on Pokéblocks, glanced up at the screen dismissively before resuming its snack.
Meanwhile, the opponent's red beam revealed a grinning Gengar, hovering in the arena while emitting its trademark eerie laugh.
"A Ghost-type Trainer? How confident of them..."
Before Cynthia finished her sentence, her gaze sharpened. She commanded in a low voice, "Crunch!"
Her Garchomp, trained for maximum speed, shot forward like a missile. Its dragon-tail cleaved the air with a sonic boom as it lunged to sink its jaws into Gengar.
Crack!
A sturdy barrier materialized in front of Gengar, repelling Garchomp several meters back with a "Protect."
At the same time, a haunting melody emerged from Gengar's mouth, causing Garchomp to visibly shudder.
Cynthia frowned. In real battles, "Perish Song" worked through terrifying soundwaves to gradually erode the opponent's willpower. Over time, it could make a Pokémon completely lose the will to fight, effectively ending the match.
Though rare in actual combat due to its psychological nature, in regulated battles, a loss of will counted as a defeat.
Cynthia's eyes narrowed. Was this Eastern Region Trainer a master of psychological warfare?
On screen, a timer displayed the remaining time for the Perish Song—5 minutes to end the battle, or she'd lose automatically.
"Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered after a moment of thought.
Like a blazing comet, Garchomp launched itself across the arena. Cynthia's other Pokémon gathered around the screen, watching intently as their Trainer took on the challenge.
The "Protect" barrier flickered up once more in front of Gengar, just as Cynthia had predicted. She smiled slightly, her tone calm but commanding:
"Now, Dig!"
Using its Dragon Rush momentum, Garchomp plunged underground instantly, emerging right behind Gengar.
Rip!
With a powerful strike, Garchomp tore through Gengar, dealing double damage with Dig.
Meanwhile, Lu Ye, the opposing player, was commentating boastfully:
"Garchomp? That trash Pokémon? Can it even hit Gengar?"
"My Gengar has Levitate—huh?!"
"Wait, is my Levitate ability fake? How did Dig hit me?!"
"Ha, the heavens are against you, Teacher Lu!"
The chat exploded with laughter:
"Even you get out-predicted sometimes, huh, Lu Ye?"
"But it's fine," Lu Ye smirked confidently. "I've got a Focus Sash!"