Though she couldn't help but feel a bit wistful, Cynthia didn't voice her thoughts.
After all, Aiden's career in Paldea had already taken off. As one of the eight gym leaders of the Paldea League, this honor far surpassed that of an ordinary mythologist.
Moreover, his fame wasn't limited to Paldea alone. Through his rigorous and serious streams and video tutorials, virtually every elite trainer across regions knew him, and countless trainers had been subtly influenced by him.
Just within the Sinnoh League, Cynthia personally knew three young Elite Four members, as well as Volkner from the Sunyshore Gym and Gardenia from the Eterna Gym.
Strictly speaking, even her decision to capture Kommo-o as a companion had Aiden's advice behind it.
And then there was Kanto's Elite Four member Lance, Hoenn's Champion Steven, and Galar's "strongest champion" Leon—all of whom shared a deep connection with Aiden.
Without realizing it, Aiden had become an exceptional trainer with influence worldwide, quietly weaving a terrifying network of connections, and his reach was only set to expand further...
In a sense, Aiden could no longer be simply regarded as just a gym leader.
Not to mention, one position among Paldea's Elite Four still remained vacant.
With Aiden's skill level and the attention he received from President Geeta, his chances of promotion were likely quite high.
Thinking of this, Cynthia couldn't help but smile.
Had the unexpected incident not crushed him, but instead awakened his hidden potential?
By now, inviting him back to Sinnoh was something she couldn't bring herself to say.
Seeing him thriving on his own in Paldea gave her peace of mind.
During their video call, Aiden quickly noticed the smile on Cynthia's face and faintly smiled back.
At the same time, he suddenly realized something and promptly spoke up:
"By the way, since we're talking about mythology and history, I'm planning to release a video explaining Sinnoh's myths and legends. What do you think?"
He hadn't thought of this earlier during their conversation, but while Cynthia was pondering, he had been editing a video and realized...
The history of the Pokémon world was completely unfamiliar to most people.
Perhaps everyone had heard bits and pieces about their region's legendary Pokémon—like Ho-Oh and Lugia leaving the Burned Tower 150 years ago, or the two dragons of Unova symbolizing ideals and truth, sleeping somewhere unknown.
But...
That was about it.
The people of Sinnoh might know about the Lake Guardians, the creator god Arceus, and His three "disobedient children," but anything deeper was a mystery to them.
These esoteric histories, whose authenticity hadn't been definitively proven, had never been systematically organized.
Thus, Aiden came up with this idea.
Tactics needed to be learned, Pokémon breeding needed to be learned, and theoretical knowledge was even more important.
These myths and legends were a crucial part of understanding the world and couldn't be overlooked. Only then could one truly be considered a well-rounded student!
To Aiden's sudden and seemingly random idea, Cynthia instinctively raised an eyebrow before nodding.
"Mm, I think it's a great idea."
"Many people would be interested, even if they aren't scholars in the field. They'd probably be eager to learn about legendary Pokémon."
"If this can spark interest in the work of mythologists, that's a good thing."
Cynthia immediately saw through Aiden's intentions.
Given his style, he would undoubtedly turn these originally dry and dull myths into lively and engaging content, attracting more people's interest.
Of course, this was a good thing. Moreover, Aiden had promised her not to disclose their recent findings.
However, the only issue now was...
"To popularize these still-questionable contents, the workload must be immense, right?"
"Do you need help?"
"No, I can handle this small task."
Aiden immediately declined with a confident thumbs-up.
"You look exhausted already; you must have just returned from the archaeological site, so take some rest~"
"If there's anything you can help me with..."
"After tomorrow's video comes out, if there are any issues, remember to point them out in the comments!"
"..."
Hearing Aiden's words, Cynthia paused for a moment, feeling a warm sensation in her heart and offering a faint smile.
"Alright, then I won't disturb your work."
"Goodbye~"
After waving with a smile, Cynthia ended the call.
After chatting with her for a while, Aiden felt his mood improve significantly.
Putting away his phone, he was about to continue his work when he suddenly heard a cute cry from below.
"Vee?"
It seemed that Sylveon, who had been lying on the couch watching TV, appeared beside Aiden unnoticed and curiously looked at him.
"You're late. Cynthia has already hung up and is resting."
Aiden smiled affectionately, bending down to pat its curious little head.
"Syl..."
Realizing it had missed the chance to greet its big sister, Sylveon pouted and swatted Aiden's hand away with its ribbon.
Then, it took a step back and leapt gracefully onto Aiden's lap.
"..."
Aiden felt an intense impact on his thighs, which were already starting to go numb.
If it were still in its Eevee phase, he could have handled such antics.
But now...
Though Sylveon looked slim, it weighed a solid 50 pounds—the "chonky queen"!
Being hit by this little guy and still remaining unfazed meant his physical endurance had assimilated into the Pokémon world to some extent.
Looking at Sylveon, who rarely cuddled on him like this, Aiden could only painfully yet blissfully endure this "happy trouble."
"Sylveon~"
Sylveon perched on his lap, looking up like a strict supervisor, its gaze fixed on Aiden's every move.
With it around, the otherwise tedious work hours had some company.
Thinking this, Aiden quickly immersed himself in his editing tasks again.
Initially, Sylveon was full of energy, staring intently at the screen.
But as Aiden occasionally recorded audio, Sylveon's face soon showed signs of drowsiness.
Still, it resisted sleep, seemingly waiting for Aiden to finish his work.
About an hour later, the original work was complete.
On a normal day, Aiden would have had time to play with Sylveon, but today he had extra work to do.
Sylveon shivered slightly before showing disappointment.
But soon, it noticed something different about the video material Aiden was using.
"Vee?"
Staring at the mural data Aiden had found online, Sylveon tilted its head, carefully examining the pictures.
It didn't recognize much, but it vaguely sensed that the two tall Pokémon in the murals looked cool—they must be like the dragon Pokémon that flew in the sky before.
Unfortunately, the murals were too abstract. The ancient people's painting skills were limited, making it hard to imagine their true forms.
But as a painter determined to draw the world's strongest dragon Pokémon, Sylveon had a simple thought—
Yes, perhaps the reason it hadn't earned Master Smeargle's approval was that it had chosen the wrong subject for its sketches!
Besides that big guy called "Rayquaza," there must be many other legendary beings waiting to be discovered!
If only it could see their true forms...
Then it would know who the coolest dragon was!
With this thought, Sylveon quickly turned its gaze to Aiden, eyes filled with longing.
"What? You want to learn about these legendary Pokémon too?"
Aiden seemed to sense its thoughts and, with a sigh, scratched Sylveon's chin, skillfully making it squint its eyes.
"If there's a chance in the future, I'll definitely let you meet them."
"However..."
If the space and time duo really popped out, it could get troublesome.
Those two were manageable, but if Giratina from the Distortion World joined the mix, things would get chaotic.
After some thought, Aiden decisively retracted his previous statement.
"Sylveon, do you know the saying 'greed ruins the broth'?"
"First, finish that portrait of Rayquaza, then think about other legendary Pokémon."
Aiden narrowed his eyes, beginning his daily dose of "persuasion."
"Sylveee~"
After pondering for a moment, Sylveon nodded, tentatively accepting Aiden's reasoning.
True, but the problem now was...
That Rayquaza hadn't appeared in a long time, and even its details were fading from memory.
If it could appear once more and obediently act as a model, that would be great!
Sylveon couldn't help but think this way.
...
Time slowly passed.
As the clock struck midnight, a new day began.
Simultaneously, a "somewhat popular" user on PokéTube released another video on schedule.
The countless viewers still awake at night quickly flooded into the video. Within a minute, the opening sequence was already packed with dense barrages.
[Teacher Azure, the GOAT!]
[Spoiler Alert: Today's victim is one of Teacher Azure's old acquaintances, Caitlin, Sinnoh Battle Chateau's boss! Another cutie brutally defeated by Teacher Azure!]
[Dirty, Azure is so dirty!]
The title of this video was 'Teacher Azure Teaches You How to Play Sunny Day Teams - Doubles Edition!'
As a continuation of last week's video, this episode's content was largely anticipated by the audience.
"This week is still about the Sunny Day team, though the roles of the Pokémon in doubles have slightly changed."
"The core of the Sunny Day team remains Torkoal, while Incineroar is the soul of the team, shouldering many responsibilities."
"Enough talk, let's dive straight into practical analysis!"
Thus, Aiden didn't waste words. After a brief greeting, he delved into the meat of the content mentioned during the live stream—a high-intensity battle against Caitlin.
This match quickly revealed something amiss to the viewers—
[Whoa, why is Teacher Azure being suppressed so badly?]
[Caitlin's predictions are on point! She's countering every single move Teacher Azure makes...]
[She must have watched a lot of streams! Look at her moves and that Sableye in her team—it seems she's almost assimilated by Teacher Azure!]
[But Teacher Azure's reaction is quick too, directly changing tactics and catching the opponent off guard!]
Though the start was unfavorable, after Aiden successfully used Yawn to force Gothitelle to switch out, gaining rotation opportunities, his aggressive strategy quickly took effect.
What followed was a crushing victory.
"The Sunny Day team doesn't require much thinking—just overpower with firepower, and it's the easiest solution. As for switching..."
"You don't need to learn that unless you're playing in the Masters Tournament."
Aiden's slightly teasing voice echoed, and the barrage erupted with laughter.
[I—I'm playing in the Masters Tournament? Seriously?]
[So the best tactic is rushing? Does this mean my tactical understanding is ten years ahead of Teacher Azure's?]
[Although I know I can't play at that level, thinking about how there might actually be Masters Tournament players in the live stream makes Teacher Azure's reminder feel kind of heartwarming...]
In the latter half of the video, Aiden also used other materials from the live stream to explain the other Pokémon in the team.
"Scovillain is replaceable, but sometimes creative ideas can yield good results."
"For instance, using Spicy Extract to strengthen teammates while using Clear Amulet to negate negative effects, allowing our Incineroar to grow stronger."
"As for other tricks from the Sunny Day team members, I'll leave those for the students to explore on their own~"
As Aiden finished speaking, the video came to an end...
Wait!
Many viewers who were about to rewind the progress bar to carefully review and ensure they hadn't missed any details suddenly noticed—
The progress bar had a Focus Sash—it hadn't reached the end yet!
Soon, they discovered the secret behind this "little Easter egg."
In the pitch-black screen, Aiden's voice quickly reappeared, adding with a smile:
"Almost forgot—starting today, Teacher Azure will launch a brand-new program that will update irregularly. All viewers who made it this far, remember to support it~"
Ah?
Countless viewers froze in place, taking two seconds to process before hastily opening the personal page of "Azure Wings."
Sure enough, aside from the video they had just finished watching, Aiden had uploaded a new video just one minute prior.
The video section was divided into two different series: 'Teacher Azure Teaches You How to Battle' and 'Teacher Azure's Mythology Class.'
Many viewers rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
Teacher Azure, who usually acted as if asking him to stream an extra minute was akin to taking his life, had now voluntarily uploaded two videos in a row?
Did Teacher Azure's ability change from Truant to Vital Spirit?
And...
No one had ever heard that Teacher Azure was also a mythologist. This felt as absurd as a regional champion entering a Pokémon Contest and winning a three-peat.
With various curiosities, Aiden's followers quickly clicked on the new video.
The title of this video was—
'Sinnoh Legends – Arceus' Creation Myth!'
Just the name alone was enough to pique every viewer's curiosity.
The creator god Arceus—even non-Sinnoh residents had heard of its legend.
It was said that not only humans and Pokémon but the entire world we lived in was created by this supreme deity.
But regarding this legendary figure, few had a clear understanding of it, and even fewer knew its specific deeds.
With this curiosity, the audience patiently waited for Aiden to appear.
Soon, a deep and magnetic voice rolled into their ears as the progress bar advanced.
"From the first sprout of life... to the deities worshipped by ancient ancestors... to the first time humans captured a Pokémon—you've experienced much."
"Now, let us cross time and space, returning to the moment life first emerged, focusing on the great deity who banished chaos and brought order—"
"The Creator God, Arceus!"
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