Reasons

As the Lapras touched the ground, its head tilted, rendering it unable to continue the battle.

Upon landing, Garchomp swayed unsteadily for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Despite being covered in wounds, its eyes remained bright.

Yuga rushed to Lapras's side, checked its injuries, and with a wry smile, said to Cynthia, "I've lost!"

Cynthia shook her head and replied, "Garchomp is my strongest Pokémon. You're much stronger than I imagined."

While Yuga released his Chimecho and allowing it to tend to Lapras's injuries, he muttered under his breath, "Even if you say that, I can't say I'm happy about losing."

With this in mind, Yuga sighed once more. Even with a Pokémon like Lapras on his side, he realized he still had a long way to go to catch up to Cynthia and her exceptional talents.

Seeing that Lapras's injuries were not serious, Yuga turned to Cynthia and said, "Let my Chimecho help heal Garchomp."

Cynthia nodded appreciatively and said, "Thank you."

During Chimecho's treatment of Lapras, she had noticed something unusual. This Chimecho's healing move seemed excessively powerful.

She could tell with a single glance that this Chimecho was not even at the Elite level Pokémon. However, when it treated Lapras's injuries, it nearly completely healed them in just two Heal Pulse, leaving no visible signs of harm on Lapras's surface.

In theory, healing moves like Heal Pulse could indeed restore half of a Pokémon's health in a single use. However, that was only the theoretical maximum.

When a lower level Pokémon used it on a higher level Pokémon, the theoretical value would decrease significantly, often rendering it ineffective due to the level gap.

But this Chimecho managed to achieve the theoretical healing value twice when treating Garchomp, which left Cynthia astonished.

Chimecho flew up to Garchomp and enveloped it with two pink rings of light. The holes and scratches on Garchomp's body caused by the ice spikes disappeared without a trace.

Seeing Chimecho's healing effect up close, Cynthia was even more amazed: this Chimecho possessed incredibly strong healing talents!

"Thank you, Chimecho!" Cynthia sincerely expressed her gratitude to Chimecho.

"Chimecho... Chimecho..."

You're welcome!

Chimecho sweetly smiled at Cynthia.

Although Cynthia couldn't understand Chimecho's language, she could discern its intended meaning from its smile.

Chimecho happily returned to Yuga's side, proudly saying to him, "Yuga, am I amazing? I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

"No, no, Chimecho, you're very amazing!" Yuga praised Chimecho and gently patted its little face.

In fact, when Chimecho had returned earlier and sparred with Vivillon, while healing Vivillon, Yuga had noticed that Chimecho's healing power had greatly improved.

Whether it was Heal Pulse or Heal Bell, they were both Psychic-type moves, and the strength of their healing abilities was related to the user's psychic strength.

Although Chimecho's level was not at the Elite level, its psychic power was exceptionally strong, allowing it to possess such formidable healing moves.

Seeing that Yuga could communicate with Chimecho, Cynthia wasn't surprised either.

Like Mr. Kuni'o and Yuga, Cynthia knew that the ability to communicate with Pokémon was not a secret within the Temple.

The Temple's lineage also possessed its own special ability, the "Power of True Heart." This power included the ability to communicate with Pokémon, although it wasn't verbal communication but rather a mental resonance, with the added effect of soothing emotions.

Unfortunately, despite being the youngest trainer of her generation in the Temple, Cynthia had not awakened the Power of True Heart.

After recalling Lapras and Chimecho into their Poké Balls, Yuga asked Cynthia, "Our sparring has come to an end. I'm curious about your second request. Has my strength met your expectations?"

"My second request is to ask for your help in capturing a Pokémon. Your strength has far exceeded my expectations, so you naturally meet the requirements," Cynthia replied.

"Another Pokémon?" Yuga found it somewhat unusual.

At the auction, Cynthia had already started collecting high potential Pokémon, and now, after exchanging a blue potential Pokémon from him using the Source of Flight, her second request also related to Pokémon!

Yuga's hunch was correct. Cynthia was indeed collecting high potential Pokémon because the Temple had already decided to have her aim for the position of League Champion.

Given Cynthia's current strength, it wouldn't be long before she reached Champion level. The Temple planned for her to make a grand debut by challenging the League Champion directly, rather than the Elite Four.

Cynthia had the potential to achieve this goal.

While Cynthia's first team of Pokémon was already well-developed, for added security, the Temple intended to fully support her in developing a second team to prevent any mishaps during the Champion Challenge.

After all, the position of challenging the League Champion required facing the challenges all of the Elite Four members in succession.

As the leading figure of the new generation in the Temple, Cynthia's Pokémon naturally couldn't be ordinary. So when Mr. Kuni'o inquired about the Source of Flight, the Temple took the opportunity to make additional arrangements.

Apart from collecting Pokémon in the outside world, the Temple also intended to entrust Cynthia with the task of raising the offspring of one of the Temple's guardian Pokémon.

Obtaining the offspring of this guardian Pokémon wasn't an easy task. Guardian Pokémon had their own requirements, one of which was that Cynthia had to defeat it.

However, this guardian Pokémon was an old guys who having lived for centuries, and its strength was unfathomable. It was virtually impossible for Cynthia to defeat it.

The guardian Pokémon wasn't willing to compromise on this matter. After all, it was its own descendant, and it couldn't be given away casually.

After several discussions, both the guardian Pokémon and the elders of the Temple made certain concessions.

Cynthia still had to defeat the guardian Pokémon, but she could seek assistance from someone of her age whose age gap with her couldn't exceed five years.

As Cynthia's partner, this individual's strength couldn't be too far behind hers, or else defeating the guardian Pokémon would be nearly impossible.

The Temple's lineage was having a tough time finding a young person with sufficient strength who would also be willing to help Cynthia.

That's when Mr. Kuni'o presented himself!

Mr. Kuni'o had a disciple at the Elite level, and this wasn't a secret within the Temple. It was like an answer to their prayers.

So, Cynthia's journey for this trade had a dual purpose. On one hand, it was to exchange for a Pokémon, and on the other, it was to assess whether Yuga's strength matched the rumors.

Of course, the Temple wouldn't inform Mr. Kuni'o of their plans, and Cynthia wouldn't tell Yuga either.

At this moment, Yuga was pondering just how strong a Pokémon that Cynthia couldn't handle would be. Was it at the Champion level or even the Master level?

Yuga asked, "May I inquire about the Pokémon we need to deal with?"

Hearing Yuga's question, Cynthia knew he had agreed. She felt relieved and replied, "It's an Empoleon!"