vs Cynthia

"Boooo!" "Get out!"

Jake stepped out of the limousine in the "Rest Zone," keeping his gaze forward. No matter how many times he heard it, the sound of booing never became irrelevant. But he didn't react. He couldn't afford to. Many disappointments in life had made him resilient to stress, and in this world... in his second life, mental stability was everything.

"Damn cheater! How dare you?!"

His knuckles tightened. He couldn't let himself be carried away by emotions. Not now. Not after coming this far. He had promised his friends. He never thought those friends would be Pokémon, but he was okay with that.

He exhaled slowly and looked up at the night sky of Sinnoh, his new home. Well, not entirely. Ministers still handled the economy and security, but in this world built around Pokémon battles, the Champion was the face of the nation. Their word influenced laws related to Pokémon, breeding, research, and the migration of rare species.

Maybe... Maybe I never should have aimed for this.

But in my defense, this is what you did in the games. I thought that maybe, if I reached the end, there would be an answer. A way out.

How naive I was.

I wouldn't return to my old world even if they offered me the Holy Grail.

"Smear."

The voice of his Smeargle snapped him out of his thoughts. His partner, standing beside him, looked at him with concern. Jake patted its head.

"It's nothing, buddy. Take us home."

The painter dog nodded and used Teleport. In seconds, they were in his mansion.

He sighed.

This was the property that, in the games, an NPC would randomly gift you after beating the League. In this reality, it had belonged to Steven Stone before him.

Thinking about it...

How did I get here? How can I be the least popular Champion?

Even Steven was more liked, and they despised him for kicking out Wallace when the former champion eradicated piracy and terrorism in Hoenn. Jake, on the other hand, was hated for his battle style.

"Not worthy of the title."

He clenched the Poké Ball in his hand. To distract himself, he turned on the TV.

"I don't see this man as Champion material. We should strip him of the title. It's clear that someone in their first tournament can't win without dishonorable strategies."

"He's not even from Sinnoh! He says he has amnesia and started his journey last year. Who have we made Champion? We're a joke."

"Great," Jake rolled his eyes.

"Alright, what do you think, Claudia?"

"A similar opinion to Manolo, honestly. The conference lasted three extra hours because of him. 'Stall Strategy,' he called it. 'It's tactical play,' he said. I won't even say what I think."

Jake turned off the TV.

Alright. Let's rewind to the battle.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Lily Valley – Tournament Finals

"WELCOME TO THE SIXTH AND FINAL DAY OF THE LILY VALLEY TOURNAMENT."

"TODAY, THE CHAMPION WILL BE DECIDED."

The stadium lights illuminated the battlefield, and the roar of the crowd made the ground tremble. Jake watched from the platform, his heart pounding.

The battlefield was classic: no water, no rocks, no trees, just dirt.

"CYNTHIA!!! CYNTHIA!!! CYNTHIA!!!"

He couldn't blame them. Cynthia was my favorite too as a kid.

"Well," he muttered, flexing his fingers, "I'm not a kid anymore."

"THE CROWD HAS MADE THEIR FAVORITE CLEAR. ERICK, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe because this... cough cough trainer took an hour to defeat Delos of the Elite Four. Or maybe because his strategy involves EXPLODING his Glalie to win."

Jake clicked his tongue.

"It's not my fault poison takes so long to work here."

Screw you, Erick.

Cynthia had already stepped onto the field. The Nuzlocke-breaker was ready to defend her throne.

What would she say when he defeated her?

The referee entered the arena and raised the microphone.

"This is the final battle. The challenger faces the champion for the title. Now, let's introduce the participants."

The spotlight shone on Jake.

"On one side, Jake, a mysterious 22-year-old man with no prior record in the circuit. He appeared in records only three years ago when he obtained citizenship in Sinnoh."

Damn. Put like that, it sounds super suspicious.

"He has a team of five confirmed Pokémon: Gliscor, Smeargle, Glalie, Wobbuffet, and Ninjask. His most victorious Pokémon is Gliscor, with 36 battles won and 0 losses..."

The crowd booed.

Jake smirked.

"I don't care if they hate me. I just need to win."

"And his opponent... Cynthia Artemis, 26 years old. Originally from Celestic Town, she obtained the title at 17, becoming the youngest champion in history. Her Garchomp, Sinnoh's strongest Pokémon, has 679 victories and 0 losses."

Jake swallowed.

Cynthia's eyes met his.

She was calm. Analyzing him. She was studying him too.

Jake relaxed.

This wasn't a game.

It wasn't just numbers and exact strategies.

This was life or death.

"Begin in 3... 2... 1... GO!"

Cynthia raised a Poké Ball.

"Spiritomb!"

Jake didn't hesitate.

"Whimsicott!"

The crowd reacted immediately.

"A FAIRY TYPE AGAINST SPIRITOMB? JAKE OPENS WITH A GREAT MOVE!"

Cynthia smiled.

"Spiritomb, return."

Jake narrowed his eyes. An immediate switch?

The new Pokémon emerged from its Poké Ball.

"Whimsicott, Tailwind."

The little fairy summoned a wind in its favor, boosting its team's speed.

"Togekiss!"

The light revealed the majestic creature. Its wings shimmered as it gracefully descended.

Jake felt a chill.

Damn.

Togekiss was fast, tanky, and had Serene Grace.

If I'm not careful, it'll flinch me to hell.

I wouldn't lose control now.

Let the war begin.

Although my original plan was to use Toxic or Stun Spore, as we had practiced, there was a small problem: Whimsicott had never practiced poisoning or paralyzing a Flying-type.

"Air Slash!"

Togekiss's wings beat with force, sending sharp air waves directly toward my Pokémon.

"Substitute," I ordered quickly, hoping Whimsicott would create a clone to absorb the hit.

The attack pattern repeated. The clone absorbed the first hit but didn't have enough energy to withstand the second, and Air Slash struck before it could create another.

"Whim!"

Whimsicott fell to the ground, but its determination still shone in its eyes.

Togekiss flew swiftly toward it, the aura of its ability activating instantly.

"Extreme Speed," Cynthia murmured.

Togekiss rushed toward Whimsicott at a terrifying speed. I didn't have time to react.

Whimsicott fell, but the Prankster wasn't to be underestimated. With one last flash of speed, it took advantage of that small moment and conjured Toxic, hitting Togekiss before finally fainting.

The reaction was immediate. Togekiss was poisoned.

Please... don't let it have Heal Bell. If it does, we're screwed.

"MAGNIFICENT! THE FIRST POKÉMON TO FALL IS THE CHALLENGER'S, BUT TOGEKISS REMAINS ELEGANT EVEN WHILE POISONED AND WITH THE WIND AGAINST IT."

The crowd roared as Togekiss landed, still looking regal, the queen it was, with a defiant air.

"Send out your next Pokémon," the referee ordered.

Jake threw his Poké Ball. The next to enter the field was Glalie.

"Heal Bell, Togekiss."

Crap, Heal Bell. That was the card I feared. The poison would no longer affect Togekiss.

"Ice Beam!"

The attack hit Togekiss head-on, but luckily, the Flying/Fairy Pokémon resisted the blow.

"Damage in exchange for detoxing."

I remembered at that moment that Elite Pokémon could learn more than four moves.

"Togekiss, return."

A quick switch. She didn't want to risk losing more time.

"Ice Beam," I ordered.

Milotic appeared. Immediately, Ice Beam shot toward the Water-type Pokémon that had just been summoned.

Then, taking advantage of the wind, I reacted quickly.

"Blizzard!"

The swirling wind began to intensify, and the blizzard it formed shot toward Milotic, sweeping everything in its path. This would be my moment to think, at least for a few seconds.

"Mirror Coat." Cynthia smiled, almost disinterested.

Milotic's next move was lethal. The Pokémon resisted the Blizzard, and without hesitation, used Mirror Coat.

A condensed energy shot, like a projectile, fired directly at Glalie.

"Glalie! Are you okay?"

"Lie."

Glalie stood firm, though it was somewhat injured. Jake knew the Pokémon wasn't completely exhausted, but it probably couldn't withstand another Mirror Coat. On the other hand, Milotic would survive another Blizzard.

In this world or dimension, what keeps a Pokémon from dying from a move is its aura. Glalie had little aura left.

Milotic, however, resisted. Blizzard had left its scales frozen.

"Return," Jake ordered, recalling Glalie from the battle.

To his surprise, Cynthia didn't take the opportunity to attack and, instead, also switched Pokémon.

"Garchomp vs. Espeon."

I smiled, feeling like luck was finally on my side for the first time in this league.

Garchomp was the champion's most-used Pokémon in battles. It always started in a specific way, and every time it appeared on TV, its presence guaranteed a 6-0 victory, using only it. Everyone knew that facing Garchomp was almost tactical suicide.

"Garchomp, use Stealth Rock!" I heard Cynthia shout. I couldn't help but smile. This was her usual trick. The rocks began to float, waiting for the next Pokémon to step onto the field.

I just watched, staying calm. This won't surprise me.

"Psychic!" I shouted, sending a psychic wave directly at Garchomp. But the sand shark dodged the attack by digging underground.

"Be careful of the ground, Espeon!" I warned, but I already knew what was coming. The attack never came. Instead, I felt the pressure in the air, and soon after, a sandstorm began to sweep the field.

"I use the move 'Sandstorm' underground," I whispered to myself.

Cynthia smiled but said nothing. "You're not the only one with tricks, challenger," she murmured confidently.

Garchomp emerged from underground with a leap, its gaze filled with fury, ready for battle.

"Calm Mind," I ordered, focusing Espeon, who was complaining about the sand in its fur. The plan was clear: buy time, boost my special defense, and then use Baton Pass to pass those benefits to the next Pokémon.

But something was wrong. I noticed that the Tailwind, which had given me speed, had suddenly faded. My speed advantage was gone.

"Crunch!" Garchomp launched a dark energy attack at Espeon, charging at it with brutal speed.

I didn't see it coming. One second, Espeon was safe, and the next... it was right in front of me.

"Psychic!" I shouted, but it was useless. Espeon fell to the ground in a single bite. I couldn't do anything to stop it. The psychic cat fainted before my eyes, its aura fading.

"What?" escaped my mouth, unable to process it.

Cynthia, with eerie calm, looked at me and explained:

"Oh, you didn't know? You see, Garchomp and I realized that if you use a Dark-type attack on a part of your body and let yourself be targeted by a Psychic attack in that area, you become immune to that attack in that spot. In this case, your Espeon aimed at the mouth."

I stood silent, staring at my fallen Pokémon, unable to believe what had just happened. It was a masterful move.

"ANOTHER OF JAKE'S POKÉMON FALLS! THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEWLY APPEARED POKÉMON AND ONE WITH 679 VICTORIES," Erick said, as if driving a dagger into me.

6-4. I was losing. But I wasn't going to give up. Gliscor or Shuckle would do well with the sandstorm in their favor. One thing was clear: this battle wasn't over yet.

"Shuckle," I whispered, throwing my next Poké Ball. My tone hardened; I knew the pressure of the situation was present, but I couldn't afford to doubt.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes.

"Giga Impact!"

Garchomp's attack was devastating. My Shuckle, being a somewhat skittish Pokémon, took longer than expected to react. The impact was strong, but luckily, Shuckle's defenses were as imposing as in the games.

"We're still rookies," I thought. However, I knew this wouldn't stop me.

"Shuckle!" I shouted firmly, the kind of voice I knew triggered its reflexes. "Encore!"

Finally, Garchomp, exhausted from the previous attack, couldn't do anything to avoid it. With Encore activated, Garchomp was doomed to repeat the same move over and over.

"Garchomp, return!" Cynthia didn't hesitate to recall it.

Another switch, then...

"Sticky Web!" Shuckle altered the texture of the ground, making the arena sticky, creating a perfect trap for anyone who thought the field was in their favor. It was an underrated move but key for this kind of battle.

Cynthia, on the other hand, sent out Lucario, a formidable Pokémon in battle, but when Lucario stepped onto the field, it was greeted by a bunch of rocks that suddenly appeared.

"What?" Cynthia's expression twisted in confusion, while the crowd also seemed surprised by the scene.

"Oh, you didn't know?" I said with a slight smile of satisfaction. "Some Espeon have the ability Magic Bounce, which reflects moves like Stealth Rock." I threw the explanation back at her with a touch of vengeance, knowing I had put her in her place.

"This is just the beginning," I murmured to myself as the battle continued.

Gliscor made the ground glow a light brown, and the ground beneath Lucario exploded.

"Shuckle, return!" I quickly switched Shuckle for Gliscor, who entered with a burst of energy and took Lucario's Aura Sphere without flinching.

But that wasn't all… Lucario, in an instant, lunged with Extreme Speed, and what followed was a direct hit that undoubtedly felt like a critical strike, slamming into Gliscor.

The ground shook slightly from the impact, but Gliscor was still standing, still conscious. It was exactly what I had hoped for.

"Earthquake!" With a swift motion, Gliscor touched the ground with its claws, and the earth beneath Lucario began to glow a light brown. In the end, the ground beneath Lucario exploded.

As Lucario fell to the ground, Gliscor seized the opportunity. The bat with scorpion-like claws gracefully took flight again and, with an agile move, unleashed Acrobatics on Lucario, who had no time to defend itself.

Cynthia's Pokémon fell to the ground, defeated.

"ONE OF CYNTHIA'S POKÉMON FALLS! IT'S BEEN 5 YEARS SINCE THIS LAST HAPPENED. POINT FOR JAKE. 6 - 5!"

There were some cheers, not as many as when Cynthia defeated my Pokémon, but they made me briefly happy.

"Well done," Cynthia said. "But you still have five left. Go, Garchomp!"

I smiled. This was my chance to poison Cynthia's ace. Finally.

I got excited. Soon, I would be champion.

I just have to win!