"Ding! Cynthia's favorability has increased!"
And so, on the road ahead, Cynthia stormed forward in a huff while Aiden laughed loudly behind her, the two of them bickering and fooling around as they made their way toward Sootopolis City.
After that joke, Cynthia's mood plummeted completely. It wasn't until night fell and Aiden handed her a freshly grilled fish that she finally calmed down.
Still, there was something strangely captivating about a broken Cynthia.
If that black coat were a little tighter, a little more revealing, it would've been perfect.
Which was precisely why he would never delete those photos, no matter what.
…
"Hey, seriously, I never see you training your Pokémon that hard. And what kind of person carries dozens of Pokémon around at once?"
Faced with Cynthia's question, Aiden merely smiled.
"That just proves I'm strong and ridiculously talented. Have you ever seen a Trainer who managed to possess a Legendary Pokémon not long after debuting?"
The moment he said that, Cynthia was left speechless.
Indeed.
Even for a top-tier powerhouse like her, capturing a lesser Legendary might still be possible—but when it came to a true Legendary Pokémon?
Against such supreme beings, numbers meant nothing.
Unless one resorted to the methods of those villainous organizations—using schemes and advanced technology to forcibly capture Legendary Pokémon.
But even then, those Pokémon would never truly obey.
And the moment an opportunity arose, they would turn on their captors.
So how on earth had Aiden managed it?
No matter how hard Cynthia thought about it, she couldn't figure it out.
But then again, he was the first man who had ever truly defeated her.
A little specialness seemed reasonable.
Before long, the two of them arrived in Sootopolis City.
Sootopolis City was home to the Sootopolis Gym, and also the final Gym Aiden needed to challenge in the Hoenn region.
The Gym Leader here was Juan, the mentor of the current Hoenn Champion, Wallace. It was said that after Steven reclaimed the Champion title of Hoenn, Wallace would later take over as the Sootopolis Gym Leader.
Just imagining how miserable future challengers would be made Aiden feel a strange sense of sympathy.
He silently mourned for them for three seconds.
Still, Aiden had already met Juan before when he captured Groudon and Kyogre. After letting his Pokémon recover for a while, he headed straight for the Sootopolis Gym.
Seeing that Aiden was about to challenge a Gym, Cynthia's expression lit up with excitement. At last, she could watch him battle again.
Truthfully, even she hadn't realized it herself.
After being crushed by Aiden and then jolted awake by his psychic pressure, his presence in her heart had already risen to an unusually high level.
That was why her emotions were so easily influenced by his every move.
…
When Aiden and Cynthia arrived at the Sootopolis Gym and Juan heard Aiden's name, the Gym Leader personally came out to welcome him.
"I've finally been waiting for you, Aiden. Back when Hoenn was facing its crisis, I already knew it wouldn't be long before you came to challenge the Sootopolis Gym."
"Logically speaking, you defeated my disciple Wallace before. As his mentor, I should reclaim some dignity. But I also know that my strength is inferior to his."
"So you can just take the Rain Badge directly."
As he spoke, Juan took out the Rain Badge and was about to hand it to Aiden.
Aiden was momentarily stunned.
"Juan really is shrewd. He's probably worried that I'll send Rayquaza into the Gym and accidentally demolish the place during the battle, so he's just handing over the badge directly."
"Or maybe he knows he can't win and doesn't want to experience being brutally crushed by Rayquaza, especially since he'd never be able to tease Wallace again afterward."
Thinking about his relationship with Wallace, Aiden decided to give the man some face. After all, Wallace had once gifted him a pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.
"Gym Leader Juan, I appreciate your sincerity, but if I take the Sootopolis Badge without battling, Champion Wallace might accuse me of breaking the rules."
"How about this—we still do the Gym battle. I guarantee I won't use Rayquaza."
Hearing that, Juan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, this young man still respected him. If Rayquaza were used in a Gym battle, who could possibly withstand that?
Standing to the side, Cynthia secretly smiled.
For some reason, watching Aiden use Legendary Pokémon to bully others felt strangely satisfying.
Her earlier resentment seemed to vanish completely.
"No, I should let others experience this too. Sinnoh can't be the only region where I get beaten by Rayquaza."
"If everyone gets crushed by Rayquaza, then even if my defeat gets exposed one day, it won't matter anymore."
With that thought, Cynthia suddenly came up with a plan.
…
In the end, Juan agreed to the Gym battle.
"Now begins the match between Challenger Aiden Flint and Sootopolis Gym Leader Juan. Each side may use three Pokémon. The battle begins!"
As the match started, Juan immediately sent out Kingdra.
"Ding! Kingdra's current attributes are as follows:"
Pokémon: Kingdra
Level: 60
Ability: Swift Swim
Type: Water / Dragon
Potential: Gold
Mega Evolution: Not unlocked
Moves: Water Gun, Dragon Breath, Water Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance…
Facing Juan's Kingdra, Aiden sent out Metagross.
As metallic resonance echoed through the battlefield, Metagross—already having surpassed the Elite Four level long ago—appeared with overwhelming presence.
"Metagross, huh… it certainly looks imposing. Kingdra, take the initiative! Use Rain Dance!"
Because this was a Water-type Gym, the battlefield consisted of a pool and floating platforms, so Aiden naturally chose Metagross, which could hover above water.
Juan had once been one of Hoenn's Elite Four, a powerhouse of the same era as Drake.
Seeing that Aiden had not brought out a Legendary Pokémon, Juan felt a surge of joy.
As Kingdra began to move, torrential rain poured down. Swift Swim activated instantly, and Kingdra's speed skyrocketed.
"Metagross, let Gym Leader Juan witness our true power. Evolve—Mega Evolution!"
The moment Aiden spoke those words, Cynthia, Juan, and even the referee froze simultaneously.
What?
Metagross can evolve again?
…
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/SorenSwiftTL