Sinnoh region, Sandgem Town.
While Elite Four member and Professor Rowan was working late overtime, discussing new competition formats with Lance, Wallace, and other Champions,
Sinnoh Champion Cynthia was currently taking a break from her duties.
This was because Riley had lost the Sinnoh Champion Challenge not long ago, and this break was part of their bet.
It shouldn't be called slacking off, though. Rather, she was researching ancient history and mythology with Professor Rowan.
This was Cynthia's genuine passion and interest.
After Team Galactic was exposed and their leader Cyrus mysteriously disappeared, the Sinnoh region had entered a relatively peaceful period.
Only Pokémon Hunters and other illegal activities still needed to be systematically cleared out.
However, these matters were typically handled by Pokémon Investigators, Rangers, police officers, and the International Police, so Cynthia didn't need to be personally dispatched for routine cases.
It would be wasteful to deploy a Champion-level trump card for everyday situations.
Cynthia was currently at the research lab to consult with Professor Rowan.
While other Champions were on vacation, playing games, and going shopping, she was diligently researching ancient history and myths. There was truly no one else quite like her.
Noon.
Cynthia wore a form-fitting, knee-length black trench coat and black long boots. The outfit complemented her slender long legs perfectly.
A ray of sunlight streamed through the window into the hall, making Cynthia's cascade of golden blonde hair shimmer brilliantly, and also clearly illuminating the elegant contours of her face: a gentle, oval-shaped face with fair, porcelain skin, a pair of striking silver-grey irises, a high nose bridge, naturally light pink lips without any makeup, and exquisite features that were absolutely beyond reproach.
Even without an active smile on her lips, a faint hint of warmth and amusement could be felt radiating from her face.
The white shirt she wore underneath and the black and gold jewelry adorning her body further highlighted her natural elegance and composed demeanor.
She was not only the Sinnoh Champion but also renowned as a great beauty.
Music played as Cynthia's phone rang. Seeing "Sister" displayed on the screen, Cynthia's face lit up with a sweet smile.
This was an unusually rare caller.
If it wasn't for something genuinely important, her younger sister Celeste wouldn't call her.
Cynthia still vividly remembered what Celeste had declared before setting off on her journey: "Sister, I will definitely surpass you someday!"
Celeste had great ambition, and Cynthia wholeheartedly supported her goals.
Thinking of Steven Stone, who had famously gone off to mine for rare stones...
"I want to retire from Champion duties too," Cynthia mused wistfully.
Cynthia answered the video call with anticipation.
"Little Celeste, where are you right now?"
Celeste on the other end of the screen looked remarkably similar to Cynthia, except her golden blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail.
Hearing the affectionate nickname "Little Celeste," Celeste's face instantly flushed red from her neck all the way to her ears.
"Don't call me Little Celeste! I'm on Iron Island right now," Celeste protested.
Iron Island... A thoughtful, analytical expression appeared in Cynthia's eyes.
"Did you encounter any difficulties there?" Cynthia asked with immediate concern.
Cynthia's eyes sharpened protectively, and she immediately stood up, took out a Poké Ball, and looked completely ready to rush to Iron Island for an emergency rescue.
Seeing Cynthia's dramatic reaction, Celeste quickly clarified:
"Sit down! Everything's fine! I'm on Iron Island researching ancient ruins and training. More specifically, my Lucario is training with Aura Guardian Riley."
Celeste turned the camera to show Riley, who was wearing his distinctive hat with his eyes closed in meditation, and two Lucario.
At this moment, one person and two Lucario were all sitting cross-legged, meditating peacefully with their eyes closed. Seeing this reassuring scene, Cynthia relaxed and sat back down.
As an Aura Pokémon species, Lucario carefully chooses its Trainer based on their heart.
In Cynthia's experienced opinion, Trainers who owned Lucario generally had no issues whatsoever with their character or morals.
Celeste looked apologetic and explained further, "Lucario is in intensive training, and I'm currently tied up researching the ruins on Iron Island full-time."
"But I promised Wayne something important. You still remember him, right?"
Wayne... Hearing Celeste mention that specific name, Cynthia quickly accessed her memories.
A slightly immature yet handsome young face appeared vividly in Cynthia's mind.
Yes, he was quite handsome even back then.
She was remembering Wayne as he appeared when he was thirteen or fourteen years old.
He must be approximately four or five years younger than her in age.
Cynthia hadn't actually seen Wayne in person for four or five years now. Traveling, becoming Champion, handling the Team Galactic incident, plus numerous other Champion duties—as the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia was extremely lucky to steal even half a day of genuine leisure time.
Cynthia nodded with recognition. "Of course I remember Wayne. What exactly did you promise him?"
Celeste said helplessly, "This is actually quite a long story. It starts with a Feebas."
"It's completely fine. I have time to listen. Tell me everything," Cynthia encouraged warmly.
Because of Celeste's fiercely independent and strong-willed personality, she was always extremely reluctant to trouble Cynthia with requests, so the two sisters rarely had extended conversations.
It wasn't that Cynthia couldn't contact Celeste whenever she wanted, but rather that Celeste wouldn't share everything with her older sister.
The two only chatted at length when they discussed Pokémon species or ancient history topics. This time, Cynthia actually hoped Celeste would make it a genuinely long story.
"So that's the situation. A Feebas that's deeply afraid of humans, and even Champion Blue suggested relying on the help of another Feebas or a Milotic," Cynthia summarized concisely.
Even the renowned Breeder Blue couldn't do anything to help the traumatized Feebas.
This case really piqued Cynthia's interest significantly.
Celeste nodded in agreement. "I have a Milotic on my team, right? So Wayne specifically asked me for help."
"I thought the Feebas's situation was too pitiful and tragic, so I readily agreed to help. Who would have thought I'd suddenly be tied up here?"
The ancient ruins on Iron Island were directly related to the Legendary Temporal and Spatial Deities. Currently, there was an entire research team analyzing ancient texts and historical records.
Celeste served as both a researcher and a bodyguard protecting the team there.
Celeste was also genuinely a prodigy. She had won the Sinnoh region's prestigious Lily of the Valley Conference in her debut year.
However, she no longer actively challenged League tournaments and had switched her focus to researching ancient history and mythology.
"You can rest assured and stay on Iron Island for your training. I'll personally take care of the Feebas matter myself," Cynthia promised.
Celeste's voice grew progressively softer and more apologetic. "I'm really sorry about this... You're already so busy, and I'm still troubling you with my problems."
Am I actually busy? Cynthia thought.
Thinking of that massive pile of ancient documents waiting for her...
Yes, extremely busy!
Cynthia smiled with narrowed eyes, raising her index finger playfully. "Then promise me one thing as an exchange for this favor, okay?"
"Tell me what it is."
"Come home for dinner this New Year!" Cynthia requested.
"Alright, I know! I promise!" Celeste agreed.
"Be a good girl, Little Celeste," Cynthia teased affectionately.
"I told you not to call me Little Celeste! I'll send you the address right now. Thank you so much for making the trip," Celeste said with exasperation.
After hanging up the phone, Celeste quickly sent the Breeding Center's detailed address to Cynthia.
Cynthia quickly found Professor Rowan, who had an impressive large beard and looked difficult to approach, but was actually a very kind and good person.
"Professor Rowan, I need to leave for a while," Cynthia informed him.
"Is there some kind of emergency?" Professor Rowan asked with concern.
"There's a Feebas that might have been abused by humans. Treatment might require the presence of a Milotic," Cynthia explained.
Even a generally stern person like Professor Rowan couldn't remain calm upon hearing about Pokémon abuse.
"You go quickly then. Don't waste time," Professor Rowan urged.
"Okay, then I'll set off immediately."
Cynthia threw a Poké Ball. "Come out, Garchomp!"
"GAAARRR!!!" Garchomp roared powerfully.
Garchomp's entire body was covered in sharp, deep blue scales, with distinctive red and yellow coloring on its chest and abdomen.
Its wings were positioned on its forearms, resembling a shark's pectoral fins, and it had a prominent dorsal fin like a shark on its back.
When Garchomp flew at full speed, it looked exactly like a supersonic jet aircraft.
Because Cynthia's Garchomp was female, its dorsal fin had no notch—a distinguishing feature of the species.
Cynthia's eyes sharpened with determination. "To Jubilife City, Garchomp."
"GAAARRR!!!" Garchomp roared in acknowledgment, ready to fly.