[Chloe]: Dad, I'm your daughter!!!
[Steven]: After calmly analyzing it… Champion Cynthia is 18 this year. In five years she'll be 23. Ash would only be about eight years younger. That's actually not unacceptable.
[Cynthia]: Is there a possibility that five years from now, I'm still 18?
[Sonia]: Exactly! Our Cynthia will always be the cutest 18-year-old!
[Steven]: Great, then the age gap is three years! A three-year gap doesn't matter — older women are golden treasures!
[Sabrina]: Ugh, so annoying. I want to destroy the world.
[Lance]: Big sis, calm down!
[Lance]: Everyone, can we please drop this topic? The psychic energy levels in Kanto are about to overload! Have mercy!
Sabrina was furious!
Cynthia had joined the picture way too late!
She was supposed to be Ash's true partner!
After all, she was only thirteen this year —
that's the real "older woman by three years is a treasure" situation!
She was nothing like that fake-young old lady Cynthia!
Ash's destined match was her!
"Gaaastly~"
Inside the Saffron Gym, as furniture flew through the air,
Haunter looked utterly lost.
Sabrina had been angry way too often lately…
None of the toys he brought could cheer her up.
"So hard being a ghost…"
Meanwhile—
On-screen, Cynthia's appearance on the broadcast triggered another wave of excitement.
Everyone's curiosity about Ash's true identity grew stronger and stronger.
The discussion had shifted —
from "this boy who wants to challenge Leon"
to "what exactly is Ash's relationship with Champion Cynthia?"
Since the Alola League was still new,
Ash wasn't well-known outside his circle.
Apart from those who personally knew him,
most people couldn't find any info on him.
After all, Ash was really low-key —
(Sixteenth place in the Indigo Conference, top eight in the Silver Conference…)
Luckily, people in the Pokémon world weren't that obsessive about gossip.
They just took it as entertainment and moved on.
No one went as far as stalking Ash outside Wyndon Stadium.
"Ash, seriously, next time think before you say stuff like that."
Chloe sighed.
Ash's sudden comment earlier had nearly caused her social death.
If Cynthia hadn't stepped in when she did,
the next day's front page would've shown her and Ash right next to Leon's title defense!
"Don't worry, Chloe. I swear this won't happen again."
Ash said it with genuine sincerity.
"Pika!"
Even Pikachu raised a paw solemnly in agreement.
But…
Chloe had serious doubts about that promise.
Ash's radiant smile made her heart skip a beat though,
and all that awkwardness quickly faded away.
After leaving the stadium,
Cynthia crossed her arms, brows furrowed,
her entire aura radiating "stay away."
Chloe, having snapped out of her love-brain daze,
noticed the chilling atmosphere beside her.
Ash, walking ahead, was oblivious.
Chloe stole a glance—
Cynthia's usually cold and elegant face looked even frostier than usual.
Did someone upset her just now?
She grew nervous.
They had all been fine a moment ago…
But in truth—
Cynthia (internally): I wonder if that café's still open… I still haven't tried Wyndon's famous cream puffs!
"Eh? Miss Cynthia, are you upset?"
Ash suddenly stopped and turned around.
Cynthia didn't respond — still stoic and unreadable.
Half a minute later—
"Ash, let's go get some cream puffs!"
As if making a great decision, she pointed at a nearby café still lit.
[Cynthia]: Are Wyndon's cream puffs really that good?
[Sonia]: Super good! I always buy a whole box to take home!
[Lusamine]: Wrong! This is not the time to think about food! Take Ash for training — with physical contact preferably!
[Lillie]: Sorry everyone, my mom means well…
[Caitlin]: Nooo! I'm supposed to be the one shipping Cynthia and Ash!
[Cynthia]: Stop it already! I'm right here!
Pallet Town, Kanto.
Ash looked at the broadcast, troubled.
Miss Cynthia really seemed to want those cream puffs…
but there weren't any around here.
What to do?
Then his eyes caught a nearby ice cream stand —
with a sign: "Special Cream Puffs Available!"
"Miss Cynthia, wait a sec~!"
Before she could respond,
Ash dashed toward the stall.
"W-what would you like to order?" Jessie asked nervously.
Surely their disguise was good enough this time…
And indeed, Ash didn't notice anything strange.
Buying the cream puffs from Team Rocket's stall,
he happily handed them to Cynthia.
"Miss Cynthia, cream puffs — for you!"
Cynthia looked down at the boy's bright face and the pastry in his hands.
"Thank you, Ash."
Uh oh… is this that "heart-throbbing" feeling?
Soon after, Cynthia returned to her cheerful self.
In the others' eyes, the trio then hurried eagerly toward the café.
They made it just before closing,
and Cynthia finally got her beloved cream puffs.
Sitting outside the café,
they enjoyed their coffee and pastries.
"As expected, coffee and cream puffs are the perfect match."
Cynthia said with contented eyes closed.
For a sweets lover like her,
bitter coffee and sweet pastry were heaven.
"Honestly, that expression you had earlier scared me to death."
Chloe said, patting her chest in relief.
"You'll get used to it," Ash replied casually.
"Every time Miss Cynthia thinks about food, she gets like that.
Last time she spent forever choosing between two ice cream flavors."
"Ash~"
Cynthia's tone lengthened dangerously.
"Pika!"
Pikachu smacked Ash's head with its tail immediately.
Ash straightened up at once.
Their trip to Galar had been to watch Leon's battle against Raihan.
Now that the match was over,
Ash and Chloe planned to head back to Vermilion City.
But Cynthia stopped them.
It turned out she had another reason for coming.
Besides watching the match, she wanted to meet someone—
As everyone knew, Cynthia was also a mythology researcher.
Recently, Professor Magnolia had made progress on the Galarian legend of the Sword and Shield heroes.
The project was handed to her granddaughter Sonia.
So Cynthia came to visit Sonia in Wyndon.
After all, Sonia and Leon being childhood friends was common knowledge —
and there was no way Sonia would miss Leon's match.
Sure enough—
As Cynthia explained the legend to Ash and Chloe,
a tall woman with bright orange hair and stylish clothes walked past their table.
Her ponytail curled behind her head,
and her green sunglasses stood out.
Sonia had arrived.
She immediately drew everyone's attention.
Before Ash could even greet her,
Sonia had reached out and grabbed Pikachu's ear—
"So soft~! This is Kanto's electric mouse, right? So cute!"
Chloe instinctively scooted her chair back.
This woman… is kinda weird!
Completely lost in her own world,
Sonia kept rubbing Pikachu's ears—
until Cynthia's polite cough brought her back to reality.
"Ahem. Long time no see, Sonia."
"Huh?"
Sonia looked up — and turned bright red.
Her little ear-fondling habit had been caught!
"Cynthia! Wow, fancy seeing you here! What a coincidence!"
Her attempt to change the subject was… painfully awkward.
Before the café closed,
Cynthia kindly ordered coffee and cream puffs for her as well.
Soon, the conversation turned academic —
well beyond Ash and Chloe's understanding.
Still, Ash could make out the gist —
about Galar's ancient legend:
3,000 years ago — the Darkest Day,
and two heroes, the Sword and the Shield, who saved the world.
According to Sonia,
Galar's "Dynamax phenomenon" actually originated from that ancient time.
"It used to be just a myth," Sonia explained, sighing.
"My grandmother's research never went beyond folklore.
Who'd have thought it was actually tied to Dynamax?
Just this past year alone, ten Dynamax incidents happened in Wyndon alone."
She groaned.
"I'm just a grad student, not even a real professor yet,
and now I've got to handle this huge topic… The pressure's insane."
"Have you found any results yet?" Cynthia asked casually.
Galar's crisis didn't worry her much —
compared to Sinnoh's Three Deities, this was nothing.
"Kind of," Sonia nodded.
"We've found a Pokémon called Eternatus.
It's probably the source of all Dynamax energy.
It was sealed by the Sword and Shield heroes 3,000 years ago,
but now the increasing Dynamax events mean that seal is breaking."
"Eternatus will awaken again."
She gulped down her coffee—
and immediately yelped when it burned her tongue.
Ash and Chloe exchanged glances.
Eternatus… Dynamax… why does this all sound so familiar?
Chloe thought of the giant Dynamax Snorlax and Drednaw incidents—
those must've been the wild Dynamax cases Sonia mentioned.
And those weren't long ago at all.
If that kept happening…
yeah, that was scary.
"Time's getting late, I've got to meet Leon," Sonia said suddenly,
standing and waving goodbye before leaving the café.
As Cynthia watched her go,
she idly stirred her coffee with the spoon.
"Eternatus, Sword and Shield heroes… interesting."
She smiled slightly.
She loved nothing more than legends filled with drama.
"Ash, want to help me investigate Galar's legends?"
Finishing her coffee in one go, she looked at him.
If anyone understood Ash's true ability, it was Cynthia.
After all they'd been through,
she trusted him completely.
"Really? Then I guess we're off to save the world again!"
Ash agreed without hesitation, eyes sparkling.
But—
"Wait, again?!"
Chloe was dumbfounded.
Why are we always saving the world?!
Is this planet that dangerous?!
The viewers had the same thought.
Just as everyone waited for an explanation—
a line appeared on the screen:
[—END]
[Legendary Trainer Ranking — Phase Two Complete]
Viewers: ???
"Oh come on!"
"You stop right there?!"
"Even cliffhangers have limits!"
The chat was in chaos.
[Lance]: No way, livestream, you're really ending here?
[Flint]: Great show — but don't you ever do that again.
[Lusamine]: I can't! My skin's crawling! Please, just a little more! My ship—AAAH!
[Serena]: sob sob sob~
[Gary]: Hurry up already! Who stops right in the middle?! We look cheap like this!
Keep playing till the end!"
The chat was a wall of complaints.
But then—
[Bruno]: Uh, did you all forget something? There are rewards after each phase, remember?
Viewers: !!!
Right! The rewards!
Instantly, the entire chat filled with:
"THANK YOU, BRUNO!"
Curiosity about "saving the world" was immediately suppressed.
Because the rewards were way more exciting.
Cynthia's last reward had visibly boosted her strength.
Her Bond Transformation Garchomp could now match Leon's Gigantamax Charizard!
If that's the case—fine, livestream forgiven!
But don't pull this stunt next time!
[Legendary Trainers: Road to the Summit (Phase 2) — Complete]
[Due to multiple standout performances, reward categories adjusted.]
[This phase's awards will be divided into three categories:
"Special Contribution Award," "Best Performance Award," and "Rising Star Award."]
[Now presenting: "Special Contribution Award"]
Recipient: Cynthia
Reason: As the guiding figure of the next chapter —
Legendary Trainers: Road to the Summit (Phase 3) —
the story will unfold under Cynthia's lead.
Viewers: What?! That's future content! How's that fair?!
But before they could argue—
[Now presenting: "Best Performance Award"]
Recipients: Jessie, James, and Meowth
Reason: For multiple excellent assists helping Ash capture Pokémon,
and outstanding appearances in the special feature Lucario and the Aura Guardian,
this award is given in recognition of your contributions!
Team Rocket: !!!
The trio, still selling cream puffs, were stunned speechless.
"We… we actually got an award?"
Unexpected reward.
Wonderful feeling.
"Meow~ this feels so good!"
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