"Found it."
Riku still used the same tactic he had used to deal with Lorelei.
After all, thinking it over, that was the only way he could hope to fool someone like Cynthia.
"Found it?" Cynthia clearly didn't believe him.
"Mega Bracelets are very precious trainer items, and the Pokémon League Center hasn't issued many. Each one is traceable.
I hope you'll be honest."
Traceable?
Was she trying to scare him?
Riku's heart tightened. He'd known Cynthia would be difficult to deal with, but he didn't expect her to be this troublesome.
After thinking for a moment, he responded seriously.
"Miss Cynthia, in what capacity are you questioning me?"
"Miss Lorelei also knows about this. We both judged that it was likely lost by one of the Elite Four members of the Indigo League. Either way, the Mega Bracelet is in my possession now."
"Do you intend to reclaim item 'Zero Four Zero' for the League? On what grounds?"
"On no grounds," Cynthia suddenly waved her hand, her tone lightening.
"And I don't plan to take it back either. Just asking. You don't have to be so defensive."
This woman...
Riku was completely thrown off.
"Just a little curious." Cynthia pulled up her sleeve, revealing a Mega Bracelet on her own wrist.
"Actually, I also have a Mega Bracelet, and a trainer can only wear one. So even if you gave me yours, I couldn't use it."
Was that so?
Lorelei hadn't mentioned that before.
Maybe she didn't know much about Mega Bracelets either.
"I heard you have a Shiny Metagross?" Cynthia asked suddenly.
"That's right," Riku nodded.
"Since you specifically came all the way to the Orange Archipelago to find me, I assume you've already confirmed it."
"Interested in a Pokémon battle?" Cynthia smiled.
"Don't worry—just for fun."
"Right here?" Riku blinked.
"Right here," Cynthia confirmed—and without waiting for Riku's response, she tossed out a Poké Ball.
"Garchomp, come on out!"
Bang—
A Pokémon slightly taller than a human, resembling a shark with a deep blue body, burst from the Poké Ball.
As it landed and locked eyes with Riku, it paused.
This human carried a terrifying aura.
Garchomp's keen senses immediately picked up the presence of multiple legendary Pokémon.
Just one glance—and Garchomp silently classified Riku as dangerous.
"All right," Riku said, "I'm also interested in battling a powerful opponent. Come on out—Metagross!"
Hatcha—
Metagross emerged from its Poké Ball, its pseudo-legendary aura radiating intensely.
Before even clashing, the two pseudo-legendaries locked in a fierce aura standoff.
"Your Metagross... not bad," Cynthia said, visibly impressed.
"Actually, this is only the second Shiny Metagross I've ever seen.
Yours... probably still isn't a match for that one."
Riku raised a brow. "One of your Sinnoh Elite Four, or...?"
"It's the former Champion of the Hoenn region—Steven Stone," Cynthia waved her hand.
"Let's not talk about others now.
Let's battle."
"Garchomp, Sand Tomb!"
"Hey, hey, hey—why are we fighting all of a sudden? This isn't a wild sneak attack!" Riku cried, flustered.
And when he saw Garchomp truly begin to move while Metagross still looked confused, he panicked.
"Metagross, we've lost the initiative. Focus on defense!
Iron Defense!"
Clang clang clang—
Upon receiving the command, Metagross's metallic surface began to harden rapidly.
Garchomp was clearly an offensive-speed type—so boosting physical defense was crucial.
Meanwhile, Riku finally noticed:
Garchomp's Sand Tomb wasn't a one-off strike.
It was continuous, with occasional bursts of sand erupting from beneath the ground.
Annoying!
This Cynthia and her Garchomp were definitely troublesome.
Worst of all, Riku had no intel on her Garchomp.
"Garchomp, Take Down! Crunch!"
Wait—was Take Down even a real move?
Riku didn't know.
But Garchomp suddenly stomped down and charged with incredible speed, its jaws wide open.
If this had been any other Pokémon, Riku would've smirked.
He would've enjoyed watching Garchomp break its teeth on Metagross.
But against this opponent... Riku felt a rare hint of anxiety.
"Metagross, keep using Iron Defense!"
Without a solid counter, defense was his only option.
"Useless!" Cynthia scoffed.
"Crunch targets the Psychic typing—unless your Metagross's defense is god-tier... what?!"
Cynthia had been about to show off—until she saw Garchomp recoil.
Though its teeth weren't broken, it clearly looked pained.
Then it turned to Cynthia and shook its head.
"It couldn't bite through?" Cynthia muttered.
"Your Shiny Metagross's defense is ridiculous."
"Maybe those two Iron Defenses stacked just enough..."
Just as Riku breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to counterattack—
Cynthia suddenly raised her arm.
A blue glow radiated from the Mega Bracelet on her wrist.
"Garchomp, Mega Evolve!"
Her words jolted Riku like lightning.
Roar—
Garchomp straightened, then burst into white light.
Riku froze.
He remembered May once saying that some trainers would trigger evolutions by initiating intense battles...
But this—
This was different.
This was something else.
So this... was Mega Evolution.
A temporary evolution—unlike standard evolutionary forms.
Roar roar roar—
As the light faded, a transformed Mega Garchomp stood in its place.
Now larger, with a slimmer head and broad shoulders.
White bone spurs lined its sides, red spikes jutted from its knees.
Its wings and arms had become massive, scythe-like weapons.
Just looking at it, Riku could sense its explosive offensive power.
"Metagross, be careful!"
Facing a Mega Evolved pseudo-legendary for the first time, Riku was nervous.
"We won't seek a quick victory this time—just play it safe.
We can't lose!"
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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