Cynthia's visit was solely to watch Steven's tournament final and cheer him on.
At the same time, she was there to present the brooch.
Since Steven was going to have his Elite Four battle tomorrow, she decided not to disturb his preparations and planned to return to the Sinnoh Region first.
Besides, the Elite Four battle would not allow outsiders to watch.
Not even the challenger's family and friends.
Steven saw Cynthia off at the Mossdeep City airport.
"When will you come to the Sinnoh Region?" Cynthia turned back and asked as she was about to leave.
"After the Elite Four battle, I have something I need to do. It won't be long until we meet again," Steven said with a light chuckle.
He had his own plans.
As for what those plans were, he couldn't tell Cynthia yet.
"Will you come to the Lily of the Valley Conference?"
At the very least, she wanted to see him in the finals.
"I will definitely go." Steven looked at the somewhat reluctant Cynthia and smiled dotingly.
"Cynthia came to see me, so I will definitely go see Cynthia dominate."
"Mm!"
Cynthia nodded, bid farewell to Steven, and boarded the flight to the Sinnoh Region.
Steven watched Cynthia's figure disappear, seeing the plane take off.
As Cynthia sat on the plane, her eyelashes lowered, and she looked at her hand, which was covered by a black glove.
She took off one black glove, revealing a slender, fair hand, as if gifted by an angel.
However, at this moment, the small scars on this hand had not fully healed.
If there hadn't been absolutely no other way, she would never have ordered that brooch.
Cynthia raised her hand and touched the ornament in her hair.
Steven had made this himself, so she also wanted to try making something with her own hands.
But the day of the finals was fast approaching, leaving her with little time, and she couldn't produce a satisfactory work, so she had no choice but to order it.
Garchomp's Poké Ball was locked, so it couldn't come out on its own.
Otherwise, just thinking about the small scars on its Cynthia's hand made it want to come out and give Steven a good smack.
Its Cynthia was, after all, growing up and moving on.
Steven watched as dusk approached, riding his Metagross back to the Pokémon Center amidst exclamations along the way.
However, there were still many people at the Pokémon Center, and through the glass door, Steven immediately saw Ryonosuke surrounded by a crowd.
"Good thing I ran fast..."
Steven breathed a sigh of relief. Even the runner-up received such treatment, let alone the Champion.
Having no other choice, Steven had Metagross carry him as he climbed through the window to get back into his room.
After becoming Champion, he wouldn't have to worry about these things.
Because they wouldn't know if the Champion had a mission, they wouldn't disturb him excessively.
Tonight, Steven didn't go out to train his Pokémon.
Instead, he chose to adjust his condition, preparing to face the Elite Four battle in the best possible state tomorrow.
Becoming a Champion, above the Elite Four, is not an easy task.
During the Elite Four battle, you won't have time to recover at a Pokémon Center.
Only by continuously defeating four Elite Four members will you become the regional Champion.
However, there will be a half-hour break after each battle, so you need to stock up on healing items.
The next morning.
Steven changed into a black suit, with a sparkling Key Stone brooch pinned to the left side of his chest, and arrived at the Hoenn League headquarters.
"Steven, you're here." Chairman Goodshow was already waiting in the lobby.
"Chairman."
Steven hadn't expected Chairman Goodshow to come in person.
"Follow me." Chairman Goodshow led Steven to a tightly closed door.
"The Elite Four are already waiting inside. Once you enter, the Elite Four battle will officially begin."
"You only have one chance. You must go through four grueling battles to reach the pinnacle of Hoenn."
"Good luck."
"Thank you, Chairman."
Steven thanked him, adjusted his mindset, and stepped forward.
The door in front of him opened automatically, and Steven entered the room.
This was a spacious, enclosed battle arena, with walls constructed from the most durable materials.
A dark-skinned girl stood in front of a door on the opposite side.
Behind that door was the location of the second Elite Four member.
The girl wore a blue strapless top, and her skirt resembled a blue cloth tied around her waist.
It was printed with white Poké Ball patterns, revealing a long leg.
The girl had refreshing short hair, with a red flower pinned on each side.
The Hoenn Region's Ghost-type Elite Four member—Phoebe!
"Steven, I've heard my grandfather and grandmother speak of you. I'm very much looking forward to battling you."
Phoebe chuckled, looking at Steven who had just entered.
She was still young, only a few years older than Steven, and was a newly appointed Elite Four member.
Therefore, she was chosen to be the first Elite Four member to battle.
And Phoebe's grandparents were the old couple who guard the two orbs on Mt. Pyre.
"Yes, please give my regards to the two elders when you see them." Steven returned a smile.
Phoebe, pulling a Poké Ball from somewhere, said seriously:
"Then, the first Elite Four battle, prepare to begin!"
Even though Phoebe was wearing only two pieces of fabric, Steven truly couldn't figure out where she pulled that Poké Ball from.
However, that wasn't something he needed to worry about.
He took out a Poké Ball from his waist and nodded to Phoebe.
Signaling that he was ready.
"Then... let the battle begin!"
At Phoebe's command, Steven and she simultaneously threw their Poké Balls.
The sound of two Poké Balls popping open echoed, and two Pokémon appeared.
Phoebe's first Pokémon resembled a ragged stuffed doll with a zipper on its mouth.
It was the pure Ghost-type Banette.
And Steven's first choice was Skarmory.
Since Phoebe was a newly appointed Elite Four member, not all the Pokémon on her team were at Champion level.
She still had a few Pokémon that were near Champion level.
The moment both Pokémon appeared, the battle had already begun.
Steven took the initiative, immediately shouting: "Stealth Rock!"
Skarmory cried out, spread its wings, and scattered several rocks floating above the ground around the arena.
Ghost-type Pokémon rarely have entry hazard removal abilities, so setting up hazards at the start can also restrict the opponent's switches.
"Shadow Ball!"
Banette's hands gathered a dark purple energy orb, which it threw toward Skarmory in the air.
"Take it, and then Spikes!"
Banette was only near Champion level, so Skarmory could withstand it.
Bang!
Skarmory took Banette's Shadow Ball head-on and then scattered invisible spikes on the field.
"Return, Skarmory."
Steven recalled Skarmory and sent out Empoleon instead.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Poof!
As soon as Empoleon appeared, it was hit by Banette's Will-O-Wisp.
However, Steven had predicted it. The Ghost-type move Hex combined with status conditions deals high damage.
After setting up the hazards, Phoebe also predicted that Steven would switch Pokémon.
Even if her prediction was wrong, if Skarmory had been hit by Will-O-Wisp, it would still have been in trouble.
But Steven's Pokémon were all Steel-types, so she wouldn't use Toxic, making Will-O-Wisp highly probable.
And in Steven's team, the only one immune to the burn status was Empoleon.
"Aowboh!"
Sparks flickered around Empoleon as it was afflicted with a burn.
Can it tolerate this?
Torrent activated at full power!