Chapter 142: Cynthia — I Was Here First!

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Cynthia — I Was Here First!

"Something like that happened?"

Sora found it rather strange.

He didn’t remember the Loyal Three possessing such an ability.

After all, he had fought them personally.

The moment they encountered Ogerpon, they had been instantly defeated.

Although... maybe that’s not entirely accurate.

Sora thought about Ogerpon’s power.

If Pecharunt’s ability was to stir and amplify human desires, then Ogerpon’s power seemed tied to emotions.

The Seven Emotions and Six Desires.

The two Pokémon appeared to represent opposite sides of the human heart.

If Ogerpon naturally counters Pecharunt...

Then it makes sense that I wasn’t affected.

After reaching that conclusion, Sora realized he might have underestimated the Loyal Three.

For ordinary people, they truly were dangerous Pokémon.

"If it’s just those three Pokémon, I can always personally step in and restrain them."

The moment Cynthia brought up the subject, her frustration became obvious.

Even the amusement she’d felt at Kitakami’s misfortune had been diluted considerably.

"The villagers there are absolutely infuriating!"

Cynthia complained.

"They begged the League for help, but the moment the problem was solved, they immediately turned hostile."

After Flint successfully drove away the Loyal Three, not only did the villagers fail to thank him—

They practically kicked him aside.

Some of them even became wary of Flint himself, worried that he might capture and take away the Loyal Three that "belonged" to Kitakami.

The attitude had infuriated him.

The Sinnoh Fire-type Elite Four member had sworn never to involve himself with Kitakami again.

They could handle their own problems from now on.

And after seeing all of that firsthand, Cynthia no longer believed she could influence those villagers either.

"So there are Pokémon like that as well?"

"Hm?"

The sudden comment made Cynthia pause.

Then she frowned slightly.

"Diantha?"

"It’s me, Miss Cynthia!"

Since she’d already been discovered, Diantha stopped hiding and allowed Sora to place the communicator on the table between them.

Now Cynthia could finally see both of them.

"How did you end up with Sora?"

"Fate, of course."

Diantha smiled.

"Among the countless people aboard this ship, I spotted that unique figure at first glance."

Of course, she was actually referring to Magearna.

The moment she’d seen the mechanical doll, all her attention had been captured.

Unfortunately, Cynthia misunderstood completely.

She assumed Diantha meant Sora himself.

Not that she particularly cared.

She hadn’t known Sora for very long.

They had only spoken a handful of times.

Still...

The fact that Sora somehow knew two regional Champions at the same time was genuinely impressive.

"Just kidding."

After exchanging a glance with Sora and receiving his approval, Diantha explained:

"Mr. Sora is traveling to Galar, and I’m heading there for filming."

"We happened to board the same ship."

"Galar, huh?"

Cynthia’s interest immediately rose.

She genuinely enjoyed the stories Sora told.

As a mythology researcher, she always wanted to learn more.

"Coincidentally, I’m very interested in Galarian myths as well."

"Huh?"

Sora blinked.

He wasn’t entirely sure what Cynthia was implying.

"Oh my~"

Diantha smiled sweetly.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Sora has already agreed to travel with me."

"Aren’t you busy filming?"

Cynthia replied calmly.

"Where exactly are you finding time for sightseeing?"

Unlike what outsiders might assume, Cynthia wasn’t acting emotionally.

Nor was she harboring any romantic feelings for Sora.

The reason she wanted to travel with him was much simpler.

She had noticed something unusual about him.

Sora seemed to have an uncanny ability to uncover lost legends and forgotten myths.

And those happened to be her greatest passion.

If I travel with him...

I’ll probably witness something fascinating.

After all—

The man had come to Kalos and somehow found the legendary Magearna.

Cynthia naturally knew what Magearna represented in Kalos.

Its status was comparable to fairy tale icons like Cinderella, Snow White, or The Little Mermaid.

And when Ogerpon and Victini were added to the count...

Sora already possessed three Legendary Pokémon.

Cynthia herself wasn’t especially interested in capturing Legendaries.

What she wanted was to witness myths becoming reality.

In fact, she’d seriously considered temporarily abandoning her Champion duties and flying to Galar just to join Sora’s journey.

"Wait. Hold on."

Sora rubbed his forehead.

"Let me get this straight."

After thinking for a moment, he turned toward Cynthia.

"So, Cynthia..."

"You want to travel with me?"

"That’s right."

"You’re serious?"

Sora couldn’t help asking.

"What about your Champion responsibilities?"

"I’ll leave them to Flint and the others."

People often forgot that Cynthia wasn’t alone.

She had an entire Elite Four working under her.

And Sinnoh was relatively peaceful these days.

She could spare some time.

Of course, not indefinitely.

A week at most.

After that, she’d need to return before some criminal organization decided to take advantage of her absence.

What?

A week wasn’t enough?

Travel time would eat most of it?

Cynthia found that idea hilarious.

Clearly, Sora was underestimating Garchomp.

With the mobility of a fully trained Champion-level Garchomp—

If Cynthia really wanted to—

She could travel from Sinnoh to virtually any corner of the Pokémon world within a single day.

"This is..."

Sora looked at Cynthia.

Then at Diantha.

Then back at Cynthia.

For a moment, he wondered if his luck had suddenly exploded.

How else could he explain receiving invitations from two Champions at the same time?

"Well..."

"I already agreed to travel with Diantha."

He cautiously tested the waters.

"If Cynthia doesn’t mind..."

"I don’t."

Cynthia answered instantly.

Without the slightest hesitation.

That immediate response left Diantha somewhat dissatisfied.

The two of them had been getting along extremely well.

There was even a sense of finding a kindred spirit.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t exactly forbid Cynthia from joining.

"What about you, Diantha?"

Rather than continuing to pressure Sora, Cynthia directly turned to her fellow Champion.

"Want to come along too?"

"Honestly..."

Diantha sighed.

"You’re still as troublesome as ever."

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have minded traveling with Cynthia.

They were both Champions.

Exchanging training methods and discussing Pokémon was always enjoyable.

But this situation was different.

Diantha wasn’t really accompanying Sora on a dedicated journey.

She would be filming while occasionally meeting up with him.

More importantly, she wanted opportunities to discuss the Ogerpon movie project.

Yet from Cynthia’s perspective...

Things looked completely different.

Cynthia’s internal thoughts:

I was here first!

Whether it was meeting Sora...

Or exchanging contact information...

I got there first!

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