Levincia, the backyard of the Naranja Hotel.
A full, regulation battlefield for Trainers stretched out there—crisp white boundary lines, a flat, hardened surface built to take high-intensity Pokémon battles.
Right now, Jason and Cynthia stood at opposite ends, facing each other across the field.
On the sideline, Gast hugged her Pikachu balloon and floated obediently outside the ring, ready to cheer.
"Go, Jason! You're the best!"
Gast still had no idea how serious this was.
Cynthia spoke first, her voice carrying a rare note of surprise. "You want to challenge my Garchomp?"
The ever-composed Sinnoh Champion actually widened her pale gray eyes a touch; her fine brows arched into a graceful curve. She even tilted her head, as if to make sure she'd heard right. To her, the request was pure fantasy.
"That's right!" Jason's answer was ironclad. His floppy body bounced in place to show his resolve.
Cynthia's surprise quickly melted into a fondly exasperated concern. She touched her temple with a long forefinger, as if warding off a headache.
"Er, Jason, I'm not joking." She tried patiently, "How about you start with one of my other Pokémon? Say, Gastrodon or Glaceon."
She wasn't belittling him—quite the opposite; she recognized his potential. But with the Champion's trained eye, his current fighting power was… hard to praise. Never mind her battle-hardened ace; even against that wild Hypno from earlier, he might not win. That Hypno was at least Elite Four level.
Sending out Garchomp now wouldn't be a battle; it would be a steamroll. And with Garchomp's earnest nature, if it failed to hold back and flattened Jason in one blow… that'd be bad.
But Jason wasn't here for reasonable suggestions.
"No!" he mustered all his might to sound fierce. "I want to challenge Garchomp!"
"You…" Cynthia looked at his stubborn little face and, for a second, had no words. She shook her head, and an indulgent smile flickered at the corner of her lips.
Fine. When this little one decides, not even a herd of Tauros can drag him back. If he insists, better he taste the world's cruelty than float in blind confidence.
"Alright." She didn't argue further. She plucked a Poké Ball from her belt and, with a smooth throw, sent a red arc flashing.
"Rooaar!"
A massive Pokémon slammed onto the field with a roar that rattled the chest—Cynthia's ace, the Mach Pokémon: Garchomp.
Deep shark-blue skin, a bold red belly running from jaw through the abdomen, scythe-arms glinting, jet-intake horns crowning its head—every line radiated menace. As soon as it arrived, raw pressure flooded the arena.
A battle? With whom?
Garchomp's gaze cut like knives, battle spirit blazing. Cynthia had told it they'd come to Paldea for academic exchange with a Trainer at Champion level. It craved a worthy foe.
Come on, then. I can't wait.
On the sideline, Gast was stupefied. At Garchomp's appearance, she nearly lost her grip—the Pikachu balloon almost took off.
Jason… you're that bold? You'd challenge this? That's my Jason!
Garchomp scanned for its opponent… and froze. The far end of the field was empty. No powerful Pokémon—just a small, squishy Ditto. The only spectator: a Gastly with a Pikachu balloon.
The blaze in its eyes snuffed out. It cranked its big head back to Cynthia, confusion all over its face, clearly asking: Seriously? I'm fighting a Ditto?
With their bond, Cynthia read the look instantly. She glanced aside, a bit sheepish, then nodded—yes.
"Garchomp," she said, a little guilty, "uh… go easy. Don't make it cry."
While Garchomp was still processing this, Jason spoke. He stared at the dragon with no hint of fear—only the thrill of filling a Dex entry.
He'd seen Garchomp during sparring with Tinkatuff; in his off moments he'd been observing it, and his Gible line entry had already jumped. Now, a perfect chance to finish the line. More entries meant more base stats. The safest—and fastest—way was to battle Cynthia's ace. Safe, and great Dex progress.
He drew a breath and called out: "Master Garchomp! Please teach me! I want to get stronger!"
The respectful "Master" made Garchomp pause. The confusion faded; understanding dawned.
Ah… so that's it.
This little one wasn't clueless—he was an eager Pokémon seeking strength.
Garchomp puffed its chest with pride. As a Champion's ace, being asked for guidance by the weak—there was a certain satisfaction.
Good eye, kid. If you're going to learn, learn from the best.
Of course, there was one line Jason didn't dare say out loud—afraid the appreciative "Master" would vanish and the dragon would go for blood:
Master Garchomp, when I'm strong enough, I'll be the one protecting Miss Cynthia.