That evening—
Peter was alone in the bathroom.
Cleaning.
And yes, there was a reason.
Vigoroth had just finished devouring an entire mountain of food in here.
If Peter didn't clean it immediately, this room would become biologically uninhabitable.
"Whew…"
He straightened up, wiped his forehead, and glanced out the window.
"I wonder how they're doing…"
Outside, the training grounds echoed with the sharp impact of flesh and claws colliding.
After witnessing Cynthia's team up close, all six of his Pokémon had developed an intense desire to improve.
On the field—
Rufflet and Vigoroth were attacking Garchomp from opposite sides.
Wing Attack. Rock Smash. Feints. Claws.
An endless barrage.
And yet—
Garchomp batted them away like flies.
Smack.
Smack.
Each strike sent one of them flying.
But neither of them backed down.
It wasn't every day you got to spar with something that felt invincible.
Rufflet, especially, refused to stop—even fighting through reopened wounds.
Fortunately, Cynthia supervised closely to prevent serious injury.
Nearby—
Lopunny sat cross-legged beside Lucario, eyes closed.
Lucario was a Pokémon capable of sensing Aura—the energy of the heart.
Everything in the world possessed Aura.
And the Lopunny line could learn the signature move Aura Sphere.
When Peter approached, Cynthia smiled softly.
"Your Lopunny… she's talented. She's already sensing her own Aura."
Peter looked at his partner, calm and focused beside Lucario.
"She has a stubborn goal," he said quietly.
Across the field—
Zorua teased Spiritomb, who hid within its Keystone.
As fellow Ghost-types, Zorua enjoyed Spiritomb's eerie aura.
Spiritomb, however, clearly preferred silence.
Meanwhile—
Arboliva was exchanging techniques with Roserade, refining control over Grass-type energy.
As a descendant of the ruler of the Arboliva's Forest, Arboliva carried a natural freshness that Grass-types found soothing.
Roserade didn't hesitate to teach such a promising junior.
And Indeedee—
Though Cynthia had no Psychic-type on her team—
Milotic possessed Psychic through move compatibility and shared a gentle temperament.
Now Milotic guided Indeedee in refining psychic control.
Peter nodded appreciatively.
"Thanks, Cynthia. For helping them train."
She chuckled.
"This wasn't my idea. Garchomp insisted. It really likes the stone you gave."
Then she added warmly:
"Your partners are all excellent. Especially Rufflet. He reminds me of my Garchomp when it was young. Next time, I'll bring my baby Gible. It might motivate him."
Peter laughed.
"I'll definitely take you up on that."
…
As they chatted, Peter gradually understood why the Sinnoh Champion had lingered here so long.
Simple.
She was… skipping work.
Using research on Zorua and the Mega Evolution project as a perfectly legitimate excuse to stay out longer.
Her words:
"The League has Flint and the others. If I go back, I just assign tasks anyway."
She planned to visit the Oreburgh Mining Museum and the ancient Pokémon statues east of Eterna City.
Conveniently—
That was Peter's route as well.
So for a short time—
Cynthia would join his journey.
Peter welcomed that enthusiastically.
More time for his team to learn from a Champion-level mentor? Yes, please.
-----
As evening settled—
With Cynthia's permission, Peter posted on SNS.
"Daily Life with Champion Cynthia—You Didn't See This Coming."
The video focused mainly on training.
Cynthia's on-screen time totaled less than ten seconds.
It still exploded.
Comments flooded in:
"HOLY—Bug Bro leveled up! Cynthia's actually smiling while talking to him??"
"CYNTHIAAAAAAA—MY QUEEN—"
"↑ Get help."
"I, Asahi from Celadon University, am jealous."
"Forget that—when's the next evil strategy video dropping??"
"Ever since I learned Baton Pass, I've hit three wins in Silver Rank!"
Peter interacted for a bit—
Then opened the system interface.
He hadn't conducted Rufflet's full evaluation yet.
He also reviewed the newly released main quest:
[Main Quest – Reserve Formation]
Objective:
A true Normal-type Master must possess at least two complete lineups.
Assemble a second full team of six Pokémon, all including the Normal-type.
Reward:
Choose one battle system:
Key Stone & Mega StoneZ-Ring & Z-CrystalTera Orb
…
Peter raised an eyebrow.
So when he completed his second squad—
Another massive power spike awaited.
"Wonder if battle systems will be restricted in official tournaments…"
"What did you say?" Cynthia asked.
"I was thinking—if Mega Evolution debuts in formal competition, will it face restrictions?"
"Under current regulations? No."
She handed him her phone.
"Just months ago, Devon Corporation developed the Exp. Share device. It simulates battle energy fluctuations—Pokémon can gain combat-like training benefits even without entering the field."
"They've also released Quick Claw, Lagging Tail, and similar items."
"Days ago, the major Leagues unified updated battle rules."
She summarized:
"Pokémon may now hold enhancement, consumable, and berry-type items in official battles—but only one per Pokémon."
Peter blinked.
He'd expected the world's tech tree to branch toward later generations.
But not this fast.
His early item advantage?
Gone.
On the bright side—
He could now openly use his items.
Cynthia added casually:
"Your Pokémon were already holding items, weren't they?"
"I watched your battle against Gardenia. Arboliva clearly consumed something mid-battle."
Her gray eyes gleamed knowingly.
Peter coughed.
"It's called Leftovers. Heals a bit each turn."
Cynthia nodded.
"You're not alone. The Dragon Tamer clan in Johto produces Dragon Fang. Some trainers equip boots, hats—even weapons."
"Marowak's bone. Farfetch'd's leek."
"These have always existed."
Peter remembered—
In the Hoenn League anime, Ash once battled a Meowth wearing boots.
Now he realized—
Those were Heavy-Duty Boots.
Immune to entry hazards.
He was deep in thought—
When suddenly—
[Ding.]
The system notification chimed.
Peter's eyes sharpened.
Something new had triggered.
The tech tree wasn't just branching.
It was accelerating. And he had every intention of staying ahead.
--------------
T/N:
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