It's not Lance's ace, Dragonite?
After hearing Cynthia's reply, Aiden initially didn't think much of it and was puzzled why Lance's main Pokémon was Tyranitar instead of Dragonite—
But soon, his body suddenly trembled like an electric shock.
Wait a minute?
You mean... Salamence and Tyranitar?
Salamence is originally the pseudo-legendary from the Hoenn region and also the ace of Elder Drake, another 'later bloomer'. It's perfectly normal for it to appear in exhibition matches.
As for Lance's Tyranitar, although it's not a Flying-type, making people doubt if he's changed...
However, Tyranitar is indeed the famous Sandstorm Lord of the Johto region and is known alongside Salamence as one of the notorious troublemakers in the Pokémon world.
Although not a dragon, it is a solid stat monster. Plus, with its Monster egg group and ability to learn Dragon Dance, it is highly favored by many veteran trainers.
According to the rules of this Dragon-type Master Tournament, it makes perfect sense for Lance to bring it out.
But putting these two Pokémon together feels a bit subtle.
Not to mention Cynthia's Garchomp...
"Pachirisu!"
A familiar yet obscure Pokémon name slipped out of Aiden's mouth.
He looked at Cynthia, his eyes oddly filled with an enthusiasm that no one else could understand.
"Can you help me borrow a Pachirisu from Caitlin?"
"Pachirisu?"
Because this Pokémon is quite obscure, even Cynthia couldn't recall it immediately.
But after careful recollection, the image of a small and cute Electric Squirrel Pokémon covered in blue and white quickly flashed in her mind.
Cynthia's eyebrows slightly furrowed but soon relaxed, returning to her usual calm demeanor.
"Are you sure you want to use this Pokémon in the exhibition match?"
"Yes, there are already three powerful Elite Four and champion-level stat monsters. If I do the same, wouldn't it be too boring?"
Aiden smiled faintly and continued explaining.
"So rather than continuing to choose powerful Dragon Pokémon to fit the theme, why not highlight the characteristics of our Sunny Gym—"
"Even the weakest Pokémon will surely have a stage where it can showcase its charm!"
As he spoke, Aiden's eyes sparkled.
Pachirisu.
The Electric Squirrel Pokémon first discovered in the Sinnoh region.
Although its appearance is very cute, and it gained some popularity in the previous life's anime and manga among the protagonist group,
If we shift our perspective to the games, its existence is a bit awkward.
Starting from the original Pikachu family, these electric mice mostly adhere to their family tradition—
Stats can be low, but they must be cute!
Well, some may not be that cute, but it's a fact that their base stats are generally low.
Among the Electric Mouse family, Pachirisu's base stats are at the lowest tier of 405, the same as Plusle and Minun.
But at least Plusle and Minun have their double battle Abilities as a stand-out feature. What does Pachirisu have?
Surprisingly, it actually does have its own specialty.
As the only Electric Mouse capable of learning the double battle ultimate move "Follow Me," Pachirisu has its irreplaceable supportive role.
Although later on, the obviously more useful Indeedee appeared, in earlier generations, Pachirisu also had its moment of glory due to this move.
Moreover, even as a support Pokémon, it can deal significant damage with "Super Fang," so it's not limited to just protecting and supporting teammates.
In fact, it can even pose a threat to powerful pseudo-legendaries!
Coincidentally, the other three participants of this exhibition match subconsciously chose those three powerful pseudo-legendaries, leaving the final choice to Aiden.
Should he also rely on pure stats to complete a qualified opening performance?
Or should he disregard the outcome of this mere exhibition match and recreate the iconic scene from the previous life that countless players still remember vividly?
If he hesitates for even a second in making this choice, Aiden would feel disrespectful to his battling spirit.
Gazing at Aiden's extremely serious gaze, Cynthia felt a bit dazed but quickly smiled and nodded.
"I believe in your choice."
"I hope to bring a different kind of opening performance to the audience of this Master Tournament~"
...
Sinnoh, Battle Frontier, Battle Castle.
"Haa—"
In the middle of the night, the sleepyhead Caitlin slowly crawled out of bed and looked out the window.
The bright moonlight poured down from the sky, adding a touch of light to the dim room and bringing a sacred atmosphere.
Feeling like something good might happen today?
For some reason, staring blankly at the scene outside the window, Caitlin, being a Psychic-type user, suddenly had a premonition.
Just as she used her psychic powers to forcefully flatten her hair that had unintentionally flipped up while sleeping, the Rotom phone on her bedside cabinet suddenly emitted a notification sound.
Along with it came several strong vibrations.
Caitlin's attention was instantly drawn over.
It was a message alert.
Because she rarely leaves the Battle Castle, her friends are pitifully few, and almost no one sends her messages usually.
So, there is only one possibility—
Cynthia!
Using her psychic powers, Caitlin instantly pulled the Rotom phone into her hand. As she opened the screen, a message immediately popped up.
[(Special Attention) Cynthia: Caitlin, are you asleep?]
At the moment she saw the message, Caitlin, who was initially a bit groggy, instantly woke up, and a faint smile quietly bloomed on her lips.
Hmph, it took so long to think of me; clearly, she doesn't care about me at all!
Since that's the case, I shouldn't reply instantly, and I can't give Cynthia the illusion that I value her too much!
Tapping her fingers and silently counting to thirty in her heart, Caitlin finally took a deep breath and eagerly turned on the screen protector, using her psychic powers to type out a few lines of text.
[Caitlin: Just woke up, what do you need?]
[Caitlin: If there's anything I can help you with, just say it!]
Hmm, now this tone should be relatively cold.
Caitlin nodded satisfactorily, staring intently at the screen, waiting for Cynthia's reply.
After a few minutes, when she was starting to get impatient, Cynthia's message finally arrived belatedly.
[Cynthia: I'm participating in the Dragon-type Master Tournament in Paldea recently, and our team might need a Pachirisu, so I wanted to ask if you have this Pokémon in your Battle Castle.]
[Caitlin: Isn't it just a Pachirisu? I have all the Pokémon from Sinnoh here!]
[Caitlin: Wait a moment, I'll go ask Darach and try to pick the strongest one to send you~]
[Cynthia: Thank you, Caitlin, you've helped a great deal!]
"Heh… hehe..."
Caitlin's expression gradually became mischievous.
That aloof Cynthia actually said thank you to me!
But given our relationship, this is nothing~
"Darach! Quickly bring out all the Pachirisu we have at home!"
"Alright, Miss."
After shouting towards the door and immediately getting Darach's response, listening to the hurried footsteps gradually fading away outside, Caitlin's mood was incredibly pleasant.
Come to think of it, why didn't she tell me about going to Paldea to participate in the competition?
This is her first major tournament since becoming champion, directly related to how other regions view Sinnoh, so it's extremely important!
And fighting alone overseas must be lonely too, right?
Why don't…
I go to the venue to cheer her on?
Caitlin thought silently and quickly made a decision—
She's going to Paldea to give Cynthia a surprise!
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