Chapter 188: Sora vs. Cynthia

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Sora vs. Cynthia

"...Unbelievable."

Cynthia believed Calyrex.

A Pokémon like Calyrex would never fabricate a story like this.

In other words...

The mainstream legend of Galar’s heroes had been deliberately altered.

The ones who saved Galar were never human heroes of the royal family.

They had been two Pokémon all along.

As for why history had been changed...

Cynthia didn’t even need to think about it.

She could easily guess the motives behind such a distortion.

The filthy truth almost certainly involved the so-called Galarian royal family.

"So history was deliberately concealed..."

"Exactly."

Sora nodded.

"The Galarian royal family—or rather, the humans of that era—couldn’t accept that two ’monsters’ had saved Galar."

"So they erased those Pokémon from history..."

"...and claimed the glory for themselves."

Back then...

People referred to Pokémon as monsters.

The term "Pokémon" had only become common in the last few centuries.

Before that...

Humans had always called them magical beasts.

They feared Pokémon.

To them, wild Pokémon were dangerous, uncontrollable creatures.

There was also humanity’s arrogance.

Many believed...

Only humans were truly intelligent.

Only humans deserved to rule the planet.

"What..."

"...an arrogant mindset."

"And what..."

"...a despicable act."

Cynthia sighed deeply.

"No matter where you go..."

"There are always people like this."

"They never learn."

The higher her position became...

The more she understood just how hopeless certain people could be.

Destroying forests and polluting rivers simply to build factories.

Capturing Pokémon and treating them like livestock—for experimentation, abuse, or exploitation.

And now...

Stealing another’s achievements for personal glory.

When disaster struck...

They fled faster than anyone else.

Yet afterward...

They claimed the honor that rightfully belonged to the true heroes.

"It won’t be easy..."

"...to overturn three thousand years of history."

Sora knew exactly what Cynthia was thinking.

Given her personality...

There was no way she’d simply ignore something like this.

Even if she wasn’t from Galar.

"I know."

Cynthia nodded.

"But..."

"I still can’t accept it."

Over the following days...

Cynthia accompanied Sora in conducting meticulous surveys of the Crown Shrine and the various Regi ruins.

She couldn’t simply overturn established history based solely on Sora’s testimony.

Even as a Champion...

Evidence mattered.

That was why examining the ruins themselves was so important.

She intended to continue searching throughout Galar...

Gathering enough proof to convince the entire world.

During this time...

Cynthia also met the five Legendary Giants Sora had recently captured.

Seeing them in person...

Feeling the tremendous power they possessed...

Her excitement only grew.

"Let’s battle, Sora."

She issued a formal challenge.

"Show me the strength of the Legendary Giants."

"And let me..."

"...see what you’re truly capable of."

"Sure."

Sora accepted without hesitation.

He also wanted the opportunity to spar.

Victory or defeat wasn’t what mattered.

Improving himself was.

Thus...

Sora and Cynthia fought their very first battle.

Sora deliberately left Ogerpon and his other strongest partners out of it.

Instead...

He fielded only his newly captured Legendary Giants.

Cynthia likewise refrained from using her full Champion roster.

She chose a comparatively weaker lineup instead.

The levels on both sides were fairly close.

This battle would test nothing but...

Their abilities as Trainers.

As for the result...

Sora could only say...

It wasn’t bad.

His battlefield command...

Still fell noticeably short of Cynthia’s.

Which wasn’t surprising.

Sora’s greatest strength had never been commanding battles on the fly.

His true specialty lay in nurturing Pokémon.

Helping them discover new paths.

Breaking conventional limits.

The match was a full six-on-six.

Sora used his five Giants...

Along with Spectrier to round out the team.

Altogether...

His lineup consisted almost entirely of Pokémon in the Level 70–80 range.

Cynthia, meanwhile...

Held absolutely nothing back.

She fully displayed the composure, experience, and overwhelming presence worthy of a regional Champion.

In the process...

She gave Sora a valuable lesson.

In the end...

Sora defeated five of Cynthia’s Pokémon...

Before narrowly losing to the last one.

"You’re already incredibly strong."

Cynthia praised him sincerely.

"Your Pokémon’s levels were comparable."

"And individually..."

"The Giants actually possessed better raw stats."

"But..."

"My coordination with my Pokémon..."

"...is still much stronger than yours."

Bond.

Strategy.

Command ability.

Battlefield judgment.

Looking only at the raw numbers...

The two sides were actually quite close.

Although Sora lost...

Considering Cynthia ranked among the absolute strongest Champions—arguably top three, perhaps even number one...

Losing to her wasn’t shameful at all.

"Perfect."

Cynthia smiled.

"We can use this opportunity to learn from each other."

Sora had already shared countless valuable research findings with her.

She’d been wondering how she could repay him.

Now...

Having discovered the shortcomings in Sora’s battle command...

She immediately began pointing them out.

She even personally designed a training program specifically to strengthen the coordination and bond between Sora and his Pokémon.

The group remained in Freezington for another three days.

Before departing...

Sora and Cynthia privately arranged one final battle.

This time...

Neither side held anything back.

Each Trainer used their strongest possible team.

No restrictions.

Cynthia’s ace Garchomp fought.

So did Sora’s most trusted partner...

Ogerpon.

Korrina and Emma...

Never learned who won.

In fact...

They didn’t even know Sora and Cynthia had fought a full-strength six-on-six battle.

The only thing the two girls noticed...

Was that night...

Cynthia, for once, drank alcohol.

And...

She got completely drunk.

When she sobered up the next morning...

The relationship between Sora and Cynthia had become noticeably closer.

They now spoke with one another about practically everything.

(Cynthia will join Sora’s team later. This battle mainly serves to deepen their relationship and establish them as equals.)

"What an eye-opening experience..."

The group rode atop Volcanion as they departed Freezington.

Crossing the Crown Tundra...

They set off toward the next stage of their Galar journey.

Along the way...

Cynthia quietly read through the research Sora had given her.

It detailed...

How Pokémon should be trained after reaching Level 80.

The contents left her utterly astonished.

As Champion...

Cynthia already knew of the theories surrounding the Hall of Masters and the Divine Techniques.

"I always believed..."

"...that the so-called divine arts..."

"...were merely legends."

"I never imagined..."

She looked toward Sora.

The admiration in her eyes only deepened.

At the same time...

Her regret grew even stronger.

Why...

Why didn’t I get to know him better back then?

If I’d known he possessed this level of talent...

I would’ve gladly given up my position as Champion...

Just to keep him in Sinnoh.

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