If Swampert had been facing any other Mega Pokémon, he absolutely could not have produced such overwhelming suppression.
But unfortunately for Cynthia—
Her partner was Mega Garchomp, the one dragon whose Mega form is famously… backwards.
Against Rain + Swift Swim Mega Swampert, a Mega Garchomp caught without Sandstorm support was simply helpless.
Swift Swim's effect was simple but brutal:
In rain, the user's Speed doubles.
Combine that with Swampert's natural explosive strength, and…
Well—
Anyone who'd used Mega Swampert in rain knew exactly what kind of monster they were dealing with.
Cynthia understood very well that if this continued, Garchomp would only be beaten senselessly.
She tried multiple times to recall Garchomp into her Poké Ball.
But every attempt failed—
Mega Swampert never left Garchomp still for more than half a second.
Finally, after one last crushing Waterfall, Garchomp's eyes softened as if relieved.
She collapsed, the Mega form dispersing as she lost consciousness.
And Cynthia, her body pushed beyond its limits from double Mega Evolution, swayed.
She looked at Chen Shi with a complicated expression.
"…Referee… I forfeit."
And with that—
She fainted.
The referee reacted immediately:
"Due to Cynthia's surrender, this match's winner is—Chen Shi!"
Chen Shi didn't even acknowledge the cheers.
His face changed instantly.
"Swampert—come with me!"
He sprinted across the field, recalled both Pokémon, and lifted Cynthia into his arms before rushing out of the arena.
By evening, Cynthia slowly opened her eyes.
She found herself lying in a hospital bed.
The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air.
And beside the bed—
A black-haired boy was slumped forward, asleep, his head resting against the blanket.
A soft warmth filled Cynthia's gaze.
She reached out, wanting to gently touch his face—
Chen Shi stirred.
His eyes flashed open, confused for an instant—
And then filled with relief.
"Cynthia! You're awake!"
"Mm."
Cynthia nodded, her voice soft.
"Congratulations… on reaching the finals."
Chen Shi scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
Being congratulated by the person he had just defeated… always felt weird.
But Cynthia didn't seem bothered.
A loss was a loss—
And she wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat.
If she lost today, she would simply win next time.
Chen Shi cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject.
"You—don't ever do something that reckless again. You just learned Mega Evolution yesterday, and you pushed yourself to use it twice? That's way too dangerous."
"And last night… you snuck out to practice, didn't you?"
Cynthia's elegant expression froze.
She turned her head away, pretending not to hear him.
Chen Shi leaned closer, voice gentler.
"If you want to practice, just tell me. I can coach you, help you avoid mistakes. There's no need to hide it from me."
"I wouldn't refuse to teach you."
Cynthia's cheeks flushed softly.
Of course she had practiced in secret.
She wanted to be strong enough to defeat him.
And Steven.
And Lance.
How was she supposed to admit that?
Right then, the door swung open.
Steven and Phoebe walked in.
"Cynthia! You're finally awake!" Phoebe cheered.
"You don't know—when you fainted, Chen Shi freaked out so hard. He didn't even watch Steven's match. He sat here the whole time."
At that, Cynthia slowly turned her eyes toward the boy beside her.
Chen Shi's face colored instantly.
"I mean… Steven wasn't going to win anyway. Why watch? Better to stay here and look after you…"
Steven shot him a look of pure annoyance.
But he didn't deny it.
Because it was true.
He hadn't stood a chance against Lance.
Lance's six Pokémon were all at least mid-Elite, some late-Elite, and his ace Dragonite was at Elite peak.
Without Mega Evolution, Steven wasn't winning that fight in any timeline.
Steven turned back to Chen Shi.
"Old Chen, something I've wanted to ask since the match… Why was your Swampert so fast? That speed was practically on par with Champion-tier."
Cynthia also looked back at him.
She was undoubtedly the person most desperate to know the answer.
Chen Shi shrugged.
"Mega Swampert's ability changes to Swift Swim."
The three of them froze—
Then everything clicked.
Rain Dance.
Swift Swim.
Mega Swampert.
No wonder.
Chen Shi hesitated a bit, then decided to tell Cynthia the full truth.
She deserved that much.
"As for Mega Garchomp… her Mega form is special. Her offenses increase a lot—especially physical attack. But her Speed actually drops."
"And her Mega Ability becomes Sand Force. So if you had started the match with Sandstorm instead, and stopped Swampert from getting rain up, she definitely would've beaten him."
In other words—
Chen Shi had won because of information advantage.
One weather turn flipped the entire battle on its head.
Otherwise, the outcome would have been far harder to predict.
Cynthia inhaled sharply, eyes narrowing.
"…Then what about Lucario?"
"Mega Lucario improves in all areas—he can specialize in either Attack or Special Attack. But his Ability becomes Adaptability, so you should focus on STAB moves."
Chen Shi explained patiently.
Cynthia took another deep breath.
Her expression darkened.
"…Didn't you say earlier that you didn't know anything about Mega Evolution?"
"Why do you suddenly know everything now?"
Chen Shi froze.
One thought flashed through his mind:
I'm dead.
Steven and Phoebe exchanged glances—
Then instantly turned toward the door.
"We, uh… have things to do. Bye."
SLAM.
The door closed immediately behind them.
Chen Shi stared at their fleeing silhouettes and silently cursed their lack of loyalty.
He turned back slowly… smiling weakly.
"Cynthia, you just woke up… Maybe we don't need to talk about this right now. How about I go buy you something to eat?"
Her face darkened like a storm cloud.
Her eyes glinted coldly.
"I'm not hungry. And I'm very interested in this topic."
"So—explain."
Chen Shi's brain spun at maximum speed.
No excuses presented themselves.
Cynthia narrowed her eyes—
And he panicked.
"Uh—how about ice cream? Three scoops? Matcha flavored—?"
"…Don't tug there—! Ow! Ow ow ow—! I was wrong! I was wrong! Cynthia, stop—!"
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