Hippowdon poked his head out of the sandpit, his ears twitching at an odd humming sound.
Alert, he lumbered out onto solid ground, eyes sweeping the courtyard.
A shadow sliced across the sky, and before long, he spotted the source, a Garchomp plummeting down from the sky like a missile. It landed with an explosive thud that sent Quagsire and a pair of Wooper scrambling in alarm.
Hippowdon just exhaled heavily. By now, he'd seen enough of these sudden entrances to be unfazed.
Cynthia slid off Garchomp's back with practiced ease. She gave Hippowdon a gentle pat on the head, then reached up to tug playfully at the taloned claw of the Gligar King circling overhead, pulling him down to her side in greeting.
"Wooper, come here."
She waved at Bertha, who had appeared from the house after hearing the noise, before crouching to beckon the nearest Wooper.
The little blue Pokémon bounced toward her with cheerful hops, only to be scooped up and snuggled into her arms. Cynthia never left Bertha's home without holding a Wooper; the ones here had long since grown used to it.
Bertha gave a weary sigh. "Although I'd like to say 'welcome,' you never do bother with the front door, do you? I suppose I should resign myself to being a proper host."
"The courtyard leads straight to your workshop. If I used the main entrance, I'd be circling half the property before even finding you." Cynthia pinched at Wooper's cheeks without a care, unconcerned by her friend's complaint.
The ground suddenly trembled, dust trembling loose as an enormous body rumbled closer. Cynthia turned her head just in time to see a girl clinging onto the long, metallic frame of a Steelix, her shouts ringing out as much from exhilaration as fear, as it barreled into the courtyard at alarming speed.
Spotting Bertha, the Steelix ground to a stop, scattering dirt in every direction. The dazed girl tumbled off, swaying as though the world were still spinning, before collapsing onto a stone bench to catch her breath.
Bertha and Cynthia exchanged a knowing smile, deciding to leave Chiaki to recover on her own, and walked together into the workshop.
"Luther's Steelix is no joke. Do you really think Chiaki can handle it?" Cynthia asked as she poured herself tea, moving with the familiarity of someone who had done this many times before.
Bertha settled across from her. "That's something she'll have to figure out herself. Every real Trainer meets Pokémon who test their will sooner or later. If she can't win Steelix over, or prove herself worthy of its trust, then she lacks the quality all truly great Trainers share."
Cynthia swirled the tea in her cup, thoughtful.
"That quality… 'charm,'" Bertha continued. "The kind of presence that can win the respect of even the fiercest Pokémon. Not just strength, but the ability to raise Pokémon more powerful than yourself. Trainers like that are rare. For Chiaki's sake, I hope she'll discover that same kind of charm."
Cynthia took a slow sip of tea, eyes glinting over the rim of the cup. "And you're sitting across from one of those 'rare few.'"
Bertha chuckled, the sound warm, approving. "Which is exactly why you're Champion."
"You're being pretty strict with Chiaki, though," Cynthia said, arching an eyebrow. "Usually that kind of expectation only shows up when a Trainer's talent has already bloomed. If they have to piece it together later, it takes endless familiarity with their Pokémon and a bond most Trainers never achieve. Isn't this slipping in an advanced lesson before she's ready?"
Even Cynthia's tone held a faint note of complaint.
Bertha exhaled softly. "A little, perhaps. But that's how it always is in the beginning, difficult, sometimes brutal. Some things can only be absorbed slowly, through countless battles and mistakes."
On the wall screen, the workshop's monitor flickered as a battle played out in real time. Marill darted clumsily across the field, dodging blows from a charging Kangaskhan.
Both women fell into silence, their gazes hooked on the fight.
Cynthia propped her chin on her hand, eyes intent. "He's being pushed back. Still, getting this far is already impressive. Compared to the first time I saw his battling style, his progress is staggering."
Bertha tilted her head. "So you're saying Luther can't beat Hakuya?"
"That's a bit premature." Cynthia's voice was calm. "I only said he's at a disadvantage. That doesn't mean the result's already decided."
"You seem awfully confident in him," Bertha noted, lowering herself onto the sofa to join her. "Confident enough to secure him that qualification spot during the League assessment. From what I remember, you almost never go out of your way like that."
Cynthia's lips curved into a small, playful smile. "I happened to stumble across one of his… secrets. My curiosity got the better of me, so this is the price I paid for listening in."
Her tone was casual, but her eyes betrayed the weight behind the choice.
For a while, both women simply watched the battle, the sound of Pokémon strikes filling the quiet workshop. Eventually Cynthia broke the stillness.
"You truly don't intend to stay on?"
Bertha gave her a sidelong glance. "Since when did the Pokémon League start using you as a lobbyist?"
"Not lobbying," Cynthia replied easily. "Just asking."
Bertha pulled at the scarf around her neck, tucking it neatly into her collar. For a moment, the air shifted, the firm presence of someone who had carried the weight of the League for decades.
"How many years has it been by now? I'm tired, Cynthia. Exhausted of sitting in this same seat. It's time for the next generation to stand where I've stood. As for me… I've earned the right to step aside."
She leaned back, her eyes distant as if already drifting far away from Sinnoh's mountains.
"My body's still strong, my health is good, I'd rather spend these years soaking up the sun on Alola's beaches, or wandering through Kanto's cities and countryside, tasting life again instead of guarding this post. The world is so wide, and I've been confined to this single role for too long. Some mornings, I wake up and still feel like that reckless girl, sprinting across fields with Poké Balls clutched in both hands. Maybe it's time I really chase that feeling again."
Her voice lowered, softer, more human.
"When I catch my reflection, when I run my fingers over these wrinkles, I realize how cruel time is. I blink, and suddenly it feels like life is near its end, though half the things I wanted to do I've barely begun."
The workshop quieted. Only the heavy pounding of Kangaskhan's blows on the monitor filled the air.
"The Sinnoh League will never forget what you've given it," Cynthia said carefully.
Bertha reached forward and poked Cynthia in the cheek with one finger, breaking the solemnity. "That sounded stiff. Like you were reading a speech, not speaking to me."
Straightening in her seat, she let her aura flare, a commanding presence that had once defined her as Champion, and now as a pillar of the Elite Four.
"I don't need anyone to remember me. I was a Champion once. Then I was Elite Four Bertha. Someday soon, I'll just be an ordinary old woman living out her life. None of those titles matter. Only one has ever fit completely."
Her voice carried the weight of truth, unwavering.
"I am a Pokémon Trainer. A Ground-type Trainer."
Bertha's voice softened, carrying a weight that was both heavy and strangely comforting.
"If the day ever comes to pass judgment on my life, I don't need grand speeches or monuments. All I want is for my Pokémon to be beside me, to whisper, even in their own way, whether I was truly worthy of being their Trainer. And when I'm gone, I want my friends to gather, laugh about my stubbornness, raise a glass, and say, 'That Bertha really was one hell of a Ground-type Trainer.' Nothing more."
She leaned back with a small, wistful smile.
"No mourning. No elaborate rituals. Just that."
Cynthia groaned softly, covering her forehead with her hand.
"Honestly… you don't need to be reciting your last wishes in such detail. Snap out of it, you're still healthy, still sharp, and you've got more years left than you care to admit." Her voice lightened, gentler. "If you want Alola's beaches, or the blur of the open highway, or to chase those wild dreams you dropped when you were young, then wait until the Lily of the Valley Conference is over. After the handover, everything will be yours to claim."
Bertha chuckled, laughter full and hearty. "Forgive me. I got carried away."
On the monitor, Kangaskhan's massive fist crackled with electricity before slamming Marill head-on. The little Pokémon was hurled into a heap of rubble, but… it didn't stay down. Shaking, eyes blazing, it roared defiantly and rushed forward once more, a stubborn spark refusing to be extinguished.
Cynthia's gaze lingered on the scene. After a moment, she broke the quiet.
"The one you're grooming for your seat isn't Luther, is it? It's Hakuya. That's why you went personally to Whitewind Town's Gym. With that kind of attention, anyone else would have a hard time matching up in the evaluations."
(End of Chapter)
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