In the Footage—
Facing the agitated Pokémon of all shapes and sizes, Ash closed his eyes. A faint, pulsing blue light radiated from his body, suddenly expanding across the entire field!
The power of Aura washed over every Pokémon present, instantly soothing their frayed nerves and quieting the clearing.
James watched Ash with a look of pure bewilderment. What kind of ability was this? The Team Rocket Trio had been chasing this "Twerp" for ages, yet they had never seen him wield such a mystical power.
However, now was not the time for an interrogation. They had a mission to finish.
"Hiyah!" Ash grunted, pulling with all his might on the chains of a cage. But the heavy metal didn't budge an inch.
"These chains... there's something wrong with them! I can't break them?"
James: "..."
It'd be a miracle if you could! These were industrial-grade chains meant to restrain dozens of Pokémon. No matter how much "superhuman" strength this kid possessed, he was still human! If the Pokémon couldn't break out, how could he?
"Step aside, step aside. You can't solve everything with brute force!" James pushed Ash away and produced a thin lockpicking needle. With a few deft twists and turns, the lock clicked open in less than ten seconds.
"Whoa! Big Brother, you even know how to pick locks? That's amazing! It feels like you can do everything!"
"Heh heh! Of course! I'm known as the 'All-Powerful Little... Little Expert,' ahem..." James nearly outed himself. "Let's get them out of here quickly. No telling when the rest of Team Rocket will notice!"
"Right!"
Under the guidance of James, Chloe, and Ash, the Pokémon filed out of the cages in an orderly, silent fashion.
They moved stealthily, fearing the cages might be rigged with alarms or traps. If the Elites used these Pokémon as hostages, even a Champion would be in a tight spot.
But now that the "hostages" were free, it was time to take off the gloves!
"Let's go, Chloe! Big Brother! Let's go settle the score with Team Rocket!"
James: "..." Why does this feel so weird? I'm technically the one he's settling the score with...
Just as Ash was leading the army of Pokémon to reinforce Cynthia, they bumped right into a panicked Team Rocket grunt running back toward the camp. It was the same man Ash had thrashed with Pikachu earlier.
The grunt stared at the empty cages and the group of kids. His face turned ashen; he knew his life was effectively over.
"Takuya! Get the Pokémon out here, now! We can't hold her off!" Matori's frantic voice screamed from outside.
Chloe instantly realized the situation. The front line was collapsing, and Matori wanted to use the stolen Pokémon as human shields to force Cynthia to stop. But they didn't realize their "home" had already been looted.
The grunt slumped to his knees. They had no cards left to play.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion rocked the forest. Seconds later, a Rhyperior, a Skuntank, and several other Team Rocket Pokémon came crashing through the trees, followed closely by the elite members and Matori herself—all sent flying by a massive impact.
"Gaba!!"
A magnificent Garchomp landed gracefully behind them. Only after confirming that every enemy Pokémon was incapacitated did the dragon slowly retract its terrifying pressure.
Cynthia walked in slowly, her stunning face masked in a layer of frost. At this moment, the "Champion Aura" was in full effect. A weaker child would have burst into tears just looking at her.
"The Team Rocket Elite Unit... is this all you're capable of?"
Matori and her subordinates wanted to cry. You're a Champion! Isn't it embarrassing to say that? We're scaled to match Gym Leaders! You're a peer to the Boss himself, of course, we can't beat you!
Matori looked at the grunt she had sent in, her last hope for a hostage negotiation. But when she saw the burly man kneeling dejectedly before Ash, she knew it was over. The mission was a total failure.
"All units... retreat!!" Matori hissed through gritted teeth.
"You think you're leaving? Garchomp, Sandstorm!"
"GABA!!"
With a roar, the dragon whipped up a localized sandstorm. Dust and grit howled through the air, turning the campsite into a blinding vortex. The Team Rocket members couldn't see their hands in front of their faces, let alone run.
By the time the dust settled, Officer Jenny had arrived to haul the elites away. Whether they would ever see the light of day again depended on how high a price Giovanni was willing to pay to bail them out.
[Lance: Matori... just got arrested? What?! That woman is like an eel whenever I try to catch her! Was it really this easy?]
[Lorelei: Is it possible—just possible—that Cynthia's power and tactical planning are simply leagues above yours?]
[Lance: ...Impossible. Never!]
[Catlin: The facts are right there, Lance. Just accept it. The Johto Champion and part-time G-Man is less effective at fighting crime than the Sinnoh Champion and part-time Archaeologist. It's hilarious! Hahaha!]
Lance fell into a deep silence. Am I... not suited for police work?
[Cynthia: Hehe, the real credit goes to the Team Rocket Trio. Without them, Ash wouldn't have been able to free the Pokémon so silently. James, you did a great job~]
James: "..." Please stop talking! If you keep praising me, the Boss is going to execute me!! I learned lockpicking to steal Pokémon, not save them!! But he knew no one would believe him now.
In the Footage—
After Matori was taken away, the Trio looked nervously between Officer Jenny and Cynthia. They had realized who the blonde woman was the moment she stepped onto the battlefield.
Their plan to "save and then steal" the Pokémon was dead in the water. With a Champion and the police right there, they'd be in the cell next to Matori if they tried anything.
The Trio prepared to beat a hasty retreat.
"Wait... at least tell us your names!" Ash called out.
"Since you asked, 'At least tell us your names'—!" Jessie instinctively began the motto.
But James and Meowth were faster. One covered her mouth, the other grabbed her arm, and they backed away with awkward smiles.
"We're just passing nobodies! No need for names! No need at all!"
They sprinted off into the woods, leaving Ash and Chloe scratching their heads.
[Flint: Hahaha! First time seeing Team Rocket interrupt their own "casting"!]
[Catlin: Well, obviously! They just helped the "Twerp," but they're still criminals. If they stayed, Cynthia would have bagged them too!]
[Cynthia: Am I really that heartless? I wouldn't arrest someone who just helped save hundreds of Pokémon.]
[Catlin: Maybe, but they don't know that. Safety first!]
In the Footage—
With the incident resolved, Ash and Chloe had successfully caught the Totem Magikarp and Feebas. After returning the stolen Pokémon to their owners, they met up with Cynthia at a small café to catch up.
"So... where have you been, Cynthia?"
"Participating in the World Coronation Series," she replied with a smile. "I'm currently ranked Second in the Master Class."
"WHAT!!?" Ash and Chloe shouted in unison.
They knew she was Master Class material, but Rank Two? That meant she was standing at the very peak of the world, second only to the Unbeatable Leon.
"Have you fought Leon yet?" Ash asked eagerly.
"I have. Unfortunately, I lost. His strength is truly immense. Perhaps if I put my archaeology aside and focused purely on training, I'd have a better chance~" Cynthia shrugged playfully. She truly believed that if she dedicated 100% of her time to battle, even Leon wouldn't be her match.
"So you went all that way just to lose?" Ash blurted out.
Chloe looked at Ash in horror. Does this guy have a filter? Ash was incredibly reliable in a crisis or a battle, but in casual conversation, he was a walking disaster. She'd have to train him on how to talk to ladies later.
"Cynthia, what Ash meant was... did you only have one match this trip?"
Cynthia chuckled. "It's fine, Chloe. I know how Ash talks. He doesn't mean anything by it. Actually, I had three Master Class matches. I won two and lost the one to Leon."
"Against who?!" Ash was vibrating with excitement.
"Hmm... Alder of the Unova League, and Steven, the former Hoenn Champion. Though I hear Steven is being pressured by Wallace to take the title back again soon."
"Hoenn is so fickle," Cynthia mused. "Two Champions swapping whenever they feel like it. Their Elite Four just lets them do it since they can't beat either of them anyway."
Ash and Chloe: "..." Champions who swap on a whim? That's a new one!
[Alder: Ouch! My pride! Why am I always the background character in these stories?!]
[Diantha: I think Lance's pain is greater than yours, Alder.]
[Alder: Oh? Explain.]
[Diantha: Think about it. In Hoenn, Steven and Wallace pass the title back and forth because neither of them really wants the paperwork. But in Kanto? Lance fought tooth and nail for years just to get a title, and he had to go to Johto to finally get it. Can you imagine the heartbreak? To struggle for what others treat as a chore?]
[Lance: ??? What are you guys even talking about! I didn't struggle! I am a powerful Trainer!!]
[Catlin: Look at him, he's so traumatized he can't even "set a flag" (make a boast) anymore. Well done, Lance. When a man is so unlucky he's afraid of his own words, you know the "jinx" is real!]
[Lance: ...] He wanted to argue... but he was genuinely afraid he'd jinx his future career.
In the Footage—
After their chat, Cynthia suddenly remembered something. "Ash, you're in the World Coronation Series too, right?"
"Yeah! My goal is to battle Leon and you! But I'm still in the Normal Class... I'm not high enough to challenge you yet."
Cynthia pulled out a flyer with a smile. "I'm happy to battle you anytime, Ash—it just won't count for the official rankings. But before that, take a look at this."
She wouldn't accept a challenge from just anyone, but Ash was different. He wasn't weak; she had recently seen news that a boy had become the first Champion of the new Alola League. The photo was unmistakably Ash.
Ash took the flyer. It read: 'The Kalos Battle Festival.'
"I want to go! I want to go! Cynthia, help me sign up!"
Seeing Ash's childlike enthusiasm, Cynthia nodded affectionately. "Don't worry, I'll handle the registration. You can head there tomorrow. I'm an invited guest, so I'll be cheering for you from the VIP box."
"AWESOME!!"
Chloe sighed. Looks like I'm taking another day off school...
The Kalos Battle Festival was a massive annual event where WCS participants gathered. Because so many high-ranking Trainers were in one place, it was the perfect opportunity to climb the rankings quickly without having to travel across regions to find opponents.
For Ash, who hadn't battled for a while and was at risk of his rank dropping, this was the perfect chance.
With Cynthia—the ultimate "connection"—handling the paperwork, Ash and Chloe spent the night in Vermilion City before racing toward the Kalos Region the very next morning...
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