Hearthome City.
A city where humans and Pokémon lived in perfect harmony, Hearthome had been voted Sinnoh's most livable city for several consecutive years.
As Austin made his way through its streets, he could immediately understand why.
The roads were wide and well-maintained. Parks and flower gardens dotted every district. Young families strolled with baby strollers while Pokémon played freely beside their trainers, creating a peaceful atmosphere that was difficult to find elsewhere.
Hearthome was also home to the Ghost-type Gym, led by Fantina.
Austin briefly considered visiting the Gym, but quickly dismissed the idea. It was closed today.
Instead, he headed straight toward Hearthome City's Super Contest Hall.
Tonight's highly anticipated Master League showdown between Cynthia and Wallace would take place there.
. . .
Super Contest Hall
Even from outside the massive venue, thunderous cheers echoed through the surrounding streets.
"Fantina! Fantina!"
Before Cynthia and Wallace took the stage, the crowd was watching another featured match.
Fantina versus Brock.
The rock-solid Gym Leader from Kanto had entered the Emerald League for one simple reason.
Prize money.
Supporting such a large family wasn't cheap.
"Forrest's grown up now. He's more than capable of running the Pewter Gym."
Those had been Brock's exact words in the group chat.
Standing outside the entrance in a pair of black sunglasses, Austin pulled out his phone and called Cynthia.
"I'm at the venue, but security won't let me through."
"I'm still getting my makeup done," Cynthia replied. "Wait at the entrance. I'll send someone to meet you."
A staff member asked whether Cynthia had a photo of him.
She paused for a moment.
"A photo...? I don't think I do. Sorry about that. But he should be very easy to recognize."
"How so?"
"He'll be the first person you notice in the crowd."
Center of Attention for the win again.
...
A few minutes later, a staff member approached Austin carrying a gilded black access card.
"You must be Mr. Black?"
"That's me."
Austin accepted the elegant card.
It was Cynthia's personal Champion access pass, granting unrestricted entry to battle facilities and official venues across multiple regions, including the Battle Frontier.
In truth, Cynthia rarely needed it.
Her reputation alone opened virtually every door.
The card was more of a formality than a necessity.
The staff member couldn't help muttering under his breath.
"She wasn't kidding..."
Austin blinked.
"About what?"
Smiling beneath his cap, the staff member replied,
"Champion Cynthia said you'd be the first person anyone noticed in a crowd."
Austin rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.
"She's exaggerating."
The staff member glanced from Austin to the Champion access card before chuckling.
"I don't think she was."
"Thanks for coming to get me."
"My pleasure. Please follow me."
. . .
The staff member escorted Austin through the VIP corridor into an exclusive Champion viewing suite.
Reserved for Champions and Elite Four members, the private room overlooked the entire stadium, providing an unobstructed view of the battlefield below.
The suite itself wasn't particularly large.
There certainly wasn't enough room for Zenith, whose massive metallic body measured well over two meters across, or for Agni and Dragapult.
Instead, Austin released only Ryu and Drakloak.
The deafening cheers from both sides of the stadium rolled into the room like crashing waves.
As Hearthome's hometown Gym Leader, Fantina naturally enjoyed overwhelming support from the crowd.
Still, none of it seemed to affect Brock.
The perpetually squinting Gym Leader stood as calm and immovable as a mountain.
Then, with a powerful swing of his arm, Brock hurled a Poké Ball into the arena.
"Come on out... Tyranitar!"
The stadium erupted.
Many Rock-type Pokémon were valued for their toughness, but Tyranitar was feared just as much for its devastating offense as its incredible durability.
One clean hit from Tyranitar was often enough to decide a battle.
Brock's Tyranitar was a monster of a Pokémon.
Standing well over three meters tall compared to its regular counterparts, the armored behemoth threw back its head and roared. The instant it stepped onto the battlefield, violent winds swept across the arena, carrying countless grains of sand into the air.
A raging sandstorm engulfed the stadium.
It was Tyranitar's Sand Stream Ability, automatically summoning a sandstorm the moment it entered battle.
Within the storm, Rock-type Pokémon received a significant boost to their Special Defense, making Tyranitar even harder to bring down.
And Brock's Tyranitar was no ordinary specimen.
Its enormous frame hinted at extraordinary endurance, making it a fortress that could withstand tremendous punishment.
Across the battlefield stood Fantina, dressed in an elegant violet gown that perfectly matched her flowing deep purple hair.
Her opening Pokémon was Mismagius.
"Stone Edge!"
Tyranitar slammed one massive foot onto the battlefield.
Jagged pillars of rock erupted from the ground, surging toward Mismagius like a forest of spears.
Austin couldn't help smiling.
Meanwhile, Fantina calmly gave her command.
"Mystical Fire!"
The crimson flames weren't particularly effective against Tyranitar's Rock and Dark typing, but their true purpose wasn't damage.
Mystical Fire would reduce Tyranitar's Special Attack, and more importantly, it created an opening for whatever Fantina had planned next.
Austin guessed her follow-up would likely be Energy Ball, though Magical Leaf was also a possibility.
Using its superior Speed, Mismagius unleashed Mystical Fire first.
The blazing flames crashed into Tyranitar, drawing a pained roar from the colossal Pokémon.
But Mismagius couldn't completely evade Stone Edge.
The jagged rocks struck home, blasting the Ghost-type backward through the air.
The crowd erupted.
While everyone's attention remained fixed on the fierce battle below, a woman's voice drifted over from the neighboring VIP suite.
"Who are you?"
Austin turned toward the speaker.
Even without an introduction, he recognized her immediately.
She had light lavender hair styled into distinctive wing-like sweeps beneath a pale blue flight helmet.
A fitted blue flight suit accentuated her tall, athletic figure, complemented by a white inner layer and matching blue boots.
Her posture carried the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to soaring above the clouds
It was Winona, the Flying-type Gym Leader of Fortree City in the Hoenn region.
Austin blinked.
Why is she here?
Winona found herself equally puzzled.
This section of the stadium was reserved exclusively for Champions, Elite Four members, Gym Leaders, and their guests.
Yet she had never seen the young man before.
Because of the World Gym Leader Tournament and the Type Expert Tournament, she was familiar with Gym Leaders from nearly every region.
Austin Black certainly wasn't one of them.
Still...
Something about him felt oddly familiar.
Only then did Austin realize what she was staring at.
Drakloak had once again rested its head comfortably atop his own.
Balanced on Drakloak's head was a content Dreepy.
The three of them had unconsciously formed their usual living totem pole.
Austin had become so accustomed to it that he'd completely forgotten how strange it looked to everyone else.
He smiled politely.
"Austin Black. Cynthia invited me."
"Cynthia?"
Winona raised an eyebrow.
Calling the Sinnoh Champion by her first name was one thing.
Being personally invited into the Champion VIP suite was another.
As Wallace's girlfriend, Winona had met Cynthia several times over the years.
She knew Cynthia rarely invited people to watch her matches.
Aside from close friends like Diantha and Caitlin, almost no one received that privilege.
Diantha and Cynthia had become close through Cynthia's love of Diantha's films.
Austin...hmm
Why did that name sound so familiar?
Her gaze shifted toward Ryu and Drakloak before she gave a courteous nod.
"I'm Winona, Gym Leader of Fortree Gym."
Only then did Austin remember.
Right... she's Wallace's girlfriend.
The two had broken up once in the past, but they had long since reconciled.
Just then...
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The crisp sound of high heels echoed through the corridor, steadily drawing closer.
. . .
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