Chapter 189: Flint... What a Rough Life

Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Flint... What a Rough Life

Damn you, Diantha...

You didn’t even do anything. So why do you get someone as outstanding as Sora?

It couldn’t be helped.

The theories Sora had proposed had completely stunned Cynthia.

The application of elemental energy.

His analysis of its underlying principles.

The extraction of a move’s defining characteristics.

Using a Pokémon’s Ability to stimulate its own growth.

...And countless other concepts.

To Sora...

Most of these theories had only been verified on a handful of Legendary Pokémon.

But for Cynthia...

She had already begun experimenting with these ideas using her own ace Pokémon.

Her Garchomp...

Was already Level 86.

And it was still growing.

However...

Cynthia had long possessed a vague intuition.

The absolute limit her Garchomp could naturally reach...

Was Level 89.

Beyond that...

She could no longer see the road ahead.

She had no idea how to continue.

Now, however...

With a single sentence from Sora—

"Acquire divinity."

Everything suddenly became clear.

Not because Cynthia had immediately found a way to grant Garchomp divinity.

But because...

She finally had a direction.

Once there was a direction...

There was hope.

The greatest suffering wasn’t failure.

It was uncertainty.

If you knew an experiment could succeed...

And the only question was how many attempts it would take...

Then no matter how enormous that number might be...

You could persevere.

What truly crushed people...

Was never knowing whether the road they walked was correct in the first place.

"Are you really okay..."

"...just giving these to me?"

In Cynthia’s hands were two notebooks.

The first contained Sora’s theories regarding the development of the Hall Realm.

The second recorded all the conclusions he’d reached while researching his own Pokémon—

Their level system.

The nature and evolution of energy.

The properties of different powers.

Without question...

To a Trainer...

These two notebooks were priceless treasures.

To put it bluntly...

Sora could easily establish his own school of Pokémon training with these alone.

Yet now...

Without asking for anything in return...

He simply handed them over.

"Otherwise?"

Sora didn’t seem bothered at all.

"I have confidence."

"I’ll always stay ahead."

Besides...

The only ones truly capable of making full use of these theories...

Were the Legendary Pokémon under his care.

If the foundation wasn’t there...

What good was possessing the greatest martial arts manual in the world?

If you couldn’t understand it...

Then you simply couldn’t learn it.

If you understood it...

But lacked the ability to apply it...

Then all you’d accomplished was wasting your time.

Most importantly...

Sora trusted Cynthia.

Kind-hearted people...

Were worthy of trust.

Especially someone like Cynthia.

She carried the safety of all Sinnoh upon her shoulders.

She protected countless people.

Giving knowledge to someone like her...

Didn’t require repayment.

But if one day Sora ever needed help...

He knew Cynthia would fight with everything she had.

That was simply the kind of person she was.

People like her...

Never forgot kindness.

If you treated her well...

She would remember it for the rest of her life.

"Besides..."

"These things have prerequisites."

"Even if an Elite Four member obtained them..."

"They might understand the theory..."

"But do their Pokémon possess techniques at the Hall level?"

The answer...

Was obvious.

They didn’t.

Trying to force it...

Wouldn’t strengthen their Pokémon.

Instead...

It would waste their best years of growth.

Only Trainers who had already reached Cynthia’s level—

Those whose Pokémon had surpassed Level 80...

And whose progress had slowed to a crawl—

Could truly benefit from these ideas.

The first notebook...

Focused on developing power without increasing a Pokémon’s level.

The second...

Well...

If you couldn’t even raise a Pokémon to Level 89...

Why were you worrying about Level 90 in the first place?

"...You’re right."

Cynthia no longer thanked Sora.

The night before...

After getting drunk...

She’d revealed the most genuine version of herself.

By now...

She already regarded Sora as her closest friend.

Caitlin:And what about me?

What about me?!

Fortunately...

The Psychic princess wasn’t here.

Otherwise...

If she learned that Cynthia now considered Sora her best friend...

She’d probably go berserk...

And blow up another castle on the spot.

Damn you, Sora.

I was here first.

Whether it was meeting Cynthia...

Or becoming her friend...

I was the first!

Some things...

Never truly disappear.

They merely find someone else.

"But..."

"Big Sis Cynthia..."

"Are you really planning to travel around Galar with us for an entire month?"

"Of course."

"Don’t worry."

"I’ve already taken care of everything."

Cynthia had made up her mind.

She wasn’t returning to Sinnoh anytime soon.

Originally...

The three of them had agreed aboard the cruise ship...

To divide their schedules fairly.

But...

Plans rarely survived reality.

Sora intended to remain in Galar for roughly two months.

Half a month had already passed traveling.

Then another week had been spent in Freezington.

Adding everything together...

He still had about a month left in Galar.

Cynthia:Flint...

I’ll leave Sinnoh in your hands.

For the sake of her own happiness as Champion...

Hang in there for another month.

"...For some reason..."

"I suddenly feel a little sorry for Flint."

"Don’t say that."

Cynthia answered with perfect seriousness.

"I simply have higher expectations for him."

"I want him to gain more experience."

Sora became curious.

He wasn’t jealous or anything.

He simply wanted to know more about the relationship between Sinnoh’s Champion and Elite Four.

"Flint..."

Cynthia began with a smile.

"We’ve known each other for a very long time."

Just as Sora had guessed...

Most Trainers who eventually reached the top...

Came from influential families with deep foundations.

Cynthia’s family...

And Flint’s family...

Were both important pillars of the Sinnoh League.

So...

Long before either of them became Trainers...

They had already met.

Not just Flint.

The other Elite Four members...

And many of Sinnoh’s Gym Leaders...

Were the same.

However...

Compared to everyone else...

Cynthia had always been...

"The gifted child."

She was a genuine prodigy.

When she was still very young...

She obtained a Gible Egg...

And began raising it.

By the time she officially set out on her journey...

She already possessed strength capable of sweeping through the League.

That was partly because she’d begun raising Gible early.

But only partly.

After all...

Without leaving home...

No matter how diligently one trained...

A Pokémon wouldn’t surpass around Level 30.

True growth...

Only began after setting out into the world at age ten.

Cynthia...

Was simply born extraordinarily talented.

As her own determination grew stronger...

So too did her Pokémon.

They defeated every opponent before them...

Eventually dominating an entire era of Sinnoh.

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