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"What's wrong, Misty? Didn't Ash come back?" Brock, wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen, his gaze first flicking to Ash, then to the figure behind him.
"Clang!" The spatula in Brock's hand also fell to the ground.
Immediately after, no one could clearly see Brock's movements; in an instant, he appeared in front of Cynthia, kneeling on one knee: "Ah! I was wondering where that fragrance came from, turns out it's the Sinnoh Champion! I wonder if a humble one like me has the honor of having dinner with Ms. Cynthia!"
"Dinner with your big head, don't make a fool of yourself in front of the Champion!" Misty, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed Brock's ear and pulled him away from his kneeling position in front of Cynthia.
"Ow ow ow! Gently, Misty, leave me some face in front of the Champion!!"
"Do you even know what 'face' is? Who would be as rude as you on their first meeting with a Champion!"
"Jioji duyi~" Togepi, at Ash's feet, clapped its hands, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, a innocent smile on its face.
"Hehe, your companions are very interesting, Ash," Cynthia chuckled, covering her mouth lightly.
"Uh... haha, please don't mind them, Ms. Cynthia, they are usually very reliable people. They might just be a little flustered seeing you for the first time," Ash explained with an awkward laugh.
Ash led Cynthia into the living room. Due to selling perfume, Ash wasn't short on money, and the house he rented here was essentially one of the most expensive types.
Three bedrooms, one living room, a kitchen, and a study with a computer. The living room was also incredibly spacious.
Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Cynthia also looked around curiously: "Is this your temporary residence?"
"Yes, the Indigo Plateau Conference lasts for about half a month, so we needed to find a place to stay here."
"This place is quite nice, very spacious. How long did you rent it for?"
"A month, I think."
"How much?"
"Around fifty thousand." Fifty thousand for a month's rent, even in a big city, is an extremely exaggerated amount. In this world, things other than Pokémon are not too expensive, and that includes renting.
Fifty thousand a month, even in a big city, could rent an entire villa. Here, it's just a house, and one without a second floor at that. This price already exceeds normal rental prices.
But Cynthia showed no surprise, because the Indigo Plateau Conference was being held here.
During the Indigo Plateau Conference, how could house prices not rise? Fifty thousand was actually quite cheap. She estimated that the landlord must have given Ash and his friends a discount.
And that was indeed the case. Ash's fame still played a small role; the landlord not only knew Ash but was also a fan, so the fifty thousand was purely a fan price.
Otherwise, during the start of the Indigo Plateau Conference, fifty thousand wouldn't really rent a place like this. This is one of Kanto's biggest annual events. Frankly, during the Indigo Plateau Conference, people selling snacks, renting out rooms, or other merchants can basically earn a year's income directly.
One year without opening, open once and eat for a year.
After the two chatted for a while, Brock and Misty, who had recovered, called them to eat. Ash had gone out to train today, so all the cooking was done by Brock, while Misty only helped out, stirring things up was fine, but the seasonings and such still had to be prepared by Brock.
That's why there was the scene earlier of Brock dropping his spatula when he opened the door and saw Cynthia. At that time, Misty had just finished stir-frying a dish.
"Hmm, it's quite delicious. Your name is Brock, right? Your cooking is very good," Cynthia casually picked up a slice of meat, put it in her mouth, and then a satisfied expression appeared on her face as she praised Brock.
She usually ate a lot of delicacies, but Brock's dishes were no less impressive than those made by top chefs, and they had a quality those dishes lacked: simple yet delicious.
"Oh no, no, my humble cooking, compared to your beauty, is like the difference between heaven and earth!"
"I'm telling you, that's enough, we're eating, don't make me slap you!" Misty said with a forced smile, a vein throbbing on her forehead, to Brock.
"Ahem, eat, eat." Brock quickly lowered his head and started eating. Ash had already finished his second bowl; he was still in his growing phase.
And this morning, not only did his Pokémon train all morning, he also trained all morning. He was hungry; food was the most important thing in the world!
Amidst laughter and chatter, lunchtime passed. Ash went outside to distribute the pre-prepared Pokémon food to his Pokémon, and casually used Viridian Power to restore each of his Pokémon.
He was now a mobile Pokémon Center, though for group recovery, the Pokémon Center was still faster.
Cynthia watched Ash meticulously caring for his Pokémon outside, a faint smile unconsciously gracing her lips. Such a heartwarming scene always made one feel happy, especially for Cynthia. Confirming that Ash was someone who cherished Pokémon was the best possible outcome.
In that case, she could tell Ash about that matter without any reservations. At least, judging by Ash's behavior, he shouldn't covet that existence, and would protect it well.
Ash, having finished feeding his Pokémon, came back inside and saw Cynthia and the others already seated in the living room. So he walked over and sat on a random sofa, asking curiously, "What are you all talking about?"
"Ms. Cynthia wants to get to know you better. She's very interested in you," Brock said with a hint of sourness, though it was unclear why he was jealous.
"Uh... interested in me? Is it for a battle, Ms. Cynthia!" Ash was initially stunned, then thought of something and said excitedly.
Other things aside, if Cynthia proposed a battle with him, he would absolutely not refuse. He also wanted to see how big the gap between him and a Champion was now.
As for actively challenging Cynthia... on one hand, he wasn't that overconfident. Cynthia initiating a battle with him was called guidance. If he challenged Cynthia, that would be asking for trouble.
However, Ash hadn't really thought about it on that level. He simply considered another aspect: Cynthia was a guest who had traveled a long way to visit Kanto, and it was currently the Indigo Plateau Conference. It would be somewhat presumptuous for him to challenge her.
This was why he didn't actively challenge Cynthia. In fact, he still really wanted to battle Cynthia.
Now, if Cynthia proactively suggested a battle, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
Cynthia, who was about to say something, paused, then smiled and nodded: "Alright, let's have a battle then."
Misty & Brock: ...No, sis, that's not what you were going to say, was it? Why did it suddenly turn into a battle?
"Let me test your current strength, although that matter isn't really about your Pokémon's strength..."
"Huh?" Ash didn't hear Cynthia's soft murmur in the latter half of her sentence; he was too happy about battling Cynthia.
"Nothing... By the way, are you going to use her to battle me? If so, then I'll be the challenger~" Cynthia said naturally, with her hands behind her back.
Even knowing that Mewtwo was God Domain Level, and that Ash might use Mewtwo to battle her, she showed no sign of panic.
"No, no, no, the opponent for Ms. Cynthia in this battle is Pikachu. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't let Mewtwo fight," Ash said, waving his hands repeatedly.
If Mewtwo were to participate, it wouldn't even be a battle, and he wouldn't learn anything.
A God Domain Level Pokémon against anything below God Domain Level would be a dimensionality reduction attack. No matter how exquisite Cynthia's command skills were, she couldn't win.
Even with the tactics from the group, Ash's command would only have a chance of defeating a God Domain Level Pokémon if he had six Champion-level Pokémon.
Although Cynthia was formidable, Ash didn't believe she could surpass his parallel world self; at most, they would be on par.
So, if Mewtwo were to enter the field, the battle could be declared over immediately.
"Pikachu, hmm... Let's go." Cynthia glanced at Pikachu, a thoughtful look in her eyes, then stood up from the sofa and led the way out. Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances and followed close behind... In an open space outside, since this entire area was the landlord's private property, and it was also some distance from the Indigo Plateau Conference, not many people came here, and no one knew Ash was living here.
Although he had fans, they weren't so fanatical as to track him to his residence.
The group of four stood in this open space. Misty, holding Togepi, and Brock stood about two meters behind Ash. If a Champion-level battle truly broke out, this distance would definitely be affected.
However, with Mewtwo present, such a problem could be easily resolved. Ash himself could actually block the aftermath of the battle, but then Ash wouldn't be able to fully concentrate on battling Cynthia.
Pikachu's current level was Gym Peak. Even with the addition of Aura, it wouldn't reach the threshold of Champion-level. Even if Cynthia used a beginner Champion-level Pokémon, Pikachu would find it extremely difficult to cope. Therefore, Ash had to bet everything he could use to defeat the opponent.
Mewtwo quietly appeared beside Misty and Brock, and at the same time, a very conspicuous barrier completely enveloped the field, isolating Ash and Cynthia outside the barrier. If they were inside the barrier, Ash would be fine, but Cynthia might not be able to withstand the explosive aftermath.
Misty looked at Mewtwo, her heart calm. Mewtwo had been with the team for some time. From initially being a little afraid of Mewtwo, to now fully accepting her, the process didn't seem that difficult.
Now, they could completely regard Mewtwo as their companion, and Mewtwo felt the same. Otherwise, with Mewtwo's reclusive personality, it would obviously be impossible for her to proactively offer to set up the field for Ash and Cynthia.
"I'm counting on you, Pikachu. We'll give it our all in this battle!"
"Pika Pika!"
Pikachu nodded, then jumped out from beside Ash, passed through the azure barrier created by Mewtwo, and entered the field.
Cynthia thought for a moment, then threw a Poké Ball: "I'm counting on you, Togekiss."
With a flash of light, a huge white aircraft appeared on the field—Togepi's final evolution, Togekiss!