The next day, the Psychic-type Master Tournament semifinals officially commenced.
Due to bracketing, the morning match featured a clash between two Psychic-type Gym Leaders—Sabrina and Olympia. Aiden's showdown with Suoh would take place in the afternoon.
Thus, Aiden had arranged to watch the match with Cynthia.
However, as he entered the spectator stands, the first figure to catch his eye was a certain golden-haired loli dressed elegantly, having reclaimed her poised demeanor.
After all, viewed from behind, Caitlin's hair volume was astonishing—normally lifted by psychic power to avoid dust, making it even more exaggerated.
Her curls even obscured most of Cynthia's silhouette.
Just as Aiden approached to greet them, a stray strand on Caitlin's head twitched slightly.
Then she spun around abruptly, locking eyes with Aiden.
"Yo~"
Caitlin waved familiarly, leaving Aiden blinking in confusion.
'When did our relationship become this good?'
'How did I not notice?'
Could it be that defeating her yesterday had suddenly made her... enlightened?
That didn't make sense…
Still, Aiden didn't overthink it.
After politely waving back, Cynthia noticed his arrival and flashed a warm smile.
"Perfect timing—the match is about to start."
Taking a seat beside Cynthia, Aiden glanced up at the big screen.
Three minutes remained before the battle began. The screen currently replayed highlights from both competitors' careers.
"Aiden—who do you favor?"
Cynthia suddenly asked, then shook her head with a smile, rephrasing:
"No—better question."
"Who do you think will be your opponent in the finals?"
"...Are you already assuming I'll reach the finals?"
Aiden scratched his head, catching the teasing glint in Cynthia's eyes as expected.
"Though it sounds bold... you must be confident about advancing, right?" Cynthia waved playfully before clenching her fist in encouragement.
"Besides—I have high hopes for your performance too. Don't disappoint us~"
"Exactly! Since you beat me, go win the championship! I won't forgive you if you lose!"
Caitlin chimed in from the other side, peeking over Cynthia's shoulder. Her gaze held newfound seriousness.
"...How did this go from teasing to so serious all of a sudden?"
Aiden chuckled helplessly, his expression shifting to earnestness as he replied.
"With that said, I'll just have to push harder and bring home this championship trophy."
"Enough talk—celebrating early is bad luck. Let's watch the match."
At Aiden's words, Cynthia and Caitlin exchanged knowing smiles, letting the topic drop.
"Both Miss Sabrina and Miss Olympia wield psychic power so skillfully. Their trainer skills are equally exceptional..." Caitlin murmured while watching the screen.
As fellow psychics, Caitlin had always believed her overwhelming psychic talent caused her powers to spiral out of control—only recently mastering restraint.
But on this master stage, she'd witnessed the true meaning of "there's always someone better."
Olympia, the veteran Gym Leader, radiated potent psychic energy with every movement. Rumors claimed she could accurately glimpse others' futures—a "Future Sight" ability so absurdly rare few psychics achieved it.
As for her opponent... Caitlin could only describe her in three words:
She's a monster!
It was hard to imagine a "normal human woman" barely older than herself harboring psychic power surpassing Alakazam's by unimaginable margins.
Sabrina's manipulation of psychic energy was the most varied Caitlin had ever seen.
Of course, it made sense—ordinary humans rarely had enough psychic reserves to experiment with such techniques...
For this reason, Caitlin felt Kanto's nickname for Sabrina—"Human Pokémon"—wasn't quite fitting.
Call her "Human Legendary" instead!
Aiden's thoughts aligned closely with Caitlin's.
"Probably Sabrina..."
After brief contemplation, he gave his prediction.
Of course, his judgment wasn't fan bias—he had solid reasoning.
"Miss Olympia is an excellent trainer, but perhaps too pure... every Pokémon she's used so far has the Psychic type, and even her team composition seems unchanged."
Aiden had studied all possible quarterfinal opponents. He knew their revealed lineups well.
Olympia was the most transparent of them all.
Sigilyph. Slowbro. Meowstic.
She'd reached the semifinals using only these three—relying on raw power and what seemed like uncanny "Future Sight" prediction.
Admittedly formidable, but Sabrina wasn't an easy opponent.
Realizing this, Aiden glanced at Caitlin.
"Speaking of which—in yesterday's match, why didn't you use Future Sight prediction like Olympia? Isn't that a legal tactic?"
Caitlin rolled her eyes at Aiden's question.
"Do you think Future Sight is just some random move? Even Pokémon can only use it to glimpse an opponent's position at one specific instant!"
"If it worked as absurdly as you think, wouldn't psychics have dominated everything already...?"
She pouted before adding:
"Though... looks like Olympia truly can do this. Could it be... I'm just not strong enough?"
Caitlin descended into confusion!
"Sabrina knows this too—she's equally skilled with Future Sight."
Aiden took over the explanation.
'Now I recall—back in Black/White, Sabrina "abandoned duty" to become an actress because she'd predicted her future. And at the Unova World Tournament, she mentioned foreseeing her match against the protagonist years in advance…'
You psychics are truly one-upping each other's absurdity!
His gaze drifted to Caitlin beside him. He shook his head helplessly.
Among psychics, skill levels clearly varied.
Why did others like Sabrina and Olympia wield such impressive abilities, while Caitlin only had "psychic rampages that cause massive destruction"?
"Hey! What kind of look is that?!" Caitlin bristled defensively.
She could mock herself—Cynthia could too—but never Aiden!
Between them, Cynthia simply smiled, watching their expressions with quiet amusement.
Though unsure why, their relationship seemed to have thawed after that battle. Even Caitlin had grown more straightforward—surely a good thing?
...
Under DJ Mary's hosting, the match began swiftly.
Neither side chose unconventional starters. Sabrina sent out Wobbuffet; Olympia chose Sigilyph.
"Miss Olympia's team has a glaring weakness..."
Aiden instantly identified Sabrina's advantage.
"None of her three Pokémon know Taunt. Against Wobbuffet, she has no good counterplay."
"Even if Wobbuffet can't disrupt opponents' setups, Destiny Bond will always force a trade."
"That's Wobbuffet' true terror—you know it's coming, yet can't stop it..." Aiden shook his head.
He knew many ways to counter Wobbuffet—but Olympia seemed destined to take the hit.
However... Olympia soon revealed her unique solution, stunning Aiden.
"Holy cow—Gravity + Hypnosis?"
Aiden froze at the combo.
While Wobbuffet stood paralyzed, Sigilyph completed its Meditation boost. Then Olympia executed a two-move sequence:
Gravity and Hypnosis.
Gravity's effect was simple: psychic force generated intense gravity, forcing all airborne Pokémon to land.
It also had a sinister side effect.
Gravity drastically reduced evasion—effectively guaranteeing move accuracy.
With this setup, Sigilyph's Hypnosis would land flawlessly.
"So she's using this straightforward method to bypass Destiny Bond?"
Aiden sighed in realization.
Destiny Bond's effect was brief. A sleeping Pokémon could wait out its duration before finishing the opponent.
Wasting two move slots was worth it—if the tactic worked.
With this surprise play, breaking through Wobbuffet' defense seemed certain.
But...
Aiden soon learned what true psychic warfare looked like.
As Olympia confidently commanded Sigilyph's Dark Pulse to finish its opponent, Sabrina smiled.
The nearly sleeping Wobbuffet suddenly awoke, spitting out a berry core to regain full vigor.
Simultaneously, its body shimmered with blue light.
"That's... Mirror Coat?!"
Caitlin recognized it instantly, eyes wide with disbelief.
"So Sabrina prepared a Chesto Berry for Wobbuffet from the start? She must've predicted Olympia's Hypnosis!"
"Exactly—both are powerful psychics who foresee the future. Their mind games would naturally be spectacular."
Cynthia seemed unsurprised.
"Now it seems Sabrina saw the final move first."
The fired Dark Pulse couldn't be recalled. As Wobbuffet absorbed its energy and reflected it with doubled force, Sigilyph collapsed instantly.
"Tsk... psychics really do fight dirty." Aiden clicked his tongue.
"And who taught Sabrina these tactics? Do you have the right to say that?!"
Caitlin shot back, leaving Aiden speechless. He redirected attention to the ongoing battle.
"But since Gravity's effect lingers... Wobbuffet can't dodge the next Hypnosis, right?"
"Precisely—Sabrina recalled Wobbuffet. The replacement should be... yes, that Gengar is rumored to hold a Mega stone!"
Seeing the familiar purple "chubby ghost," Aiden's eyes warmed with approval.
Among Ghost-types, Gengar was arguably the most beloved—adorable yet fearsome.
How could Gengar be such a perfect star?!
As Olympia sent out her second Pokémon, Slowbro, Sabrina revealed a confident smile. Her hand drifted to her collar—
Pulling out a necklace embedded with a peculiar gemstone.
"Mega evolution indeed..." Cynthia mused, glancing at Aiden.
Alakazam was Sabrina's longtime ace—yet the moment she revealed Gengar, Aiden had instantly known she'd choose it as her Mega starter.
'Is his intuition that sharp? Or did he understand Mega Evolution far beyond others?'
Mega Gengar's debut stunned many viewers.
Few had seen this mobile artillery form of Gengar—an intimidating silhouette that hid a crucial detail...
From the moment it appeared, Mega Gengar's shadow had silently devoured the entire field, swallowing its opponent's silhouette whole.
"Even with type advantage, Mega Gengar's firepower and speed completely outclass Slowbro. There's no contest." Aiden shook his head.
The moment Mega Gengar appeared, the match was decided.
Even if Slowbro and Meowstic wore down Gengar through sheer endurance, they stood no chance against the finishing Alakazam.
Even with Future Sight, countering an immovable Mega Gengar was nearly impossible.
And really—why would a Kalos Gym Leader lack a Mega-able Pokémon?
A Mega Alakazam could've challenged Gengar!
As Aiden predicted, Mega Gengar's devastating power shattered Slowbro's defense. Though badly wounded, it remained eager to fight—eventually trading one-for-one with Meowstic.
Thus, Sabrina claimed the first finals ticket.
Time swiftly reached the afternoon.
Aiden, previously seated among spectators, now stood in the player tunnel—moments from facing Suoh.
The winner would advance to the finals against Sabrina, who'd dominated her way here.
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