With the Indigo Plateau Conference approaching, foot traffic at the airport had multiplied several times over compared to usual.
Tourists, fans, competitors… all sorts of people were converging on the Indigo Plateau, ready to witness the annual League spectacle.
Sato's disguise skills went without saying; he moved through the arrival gate with complete ease, and not a single person noticed his true identity.
In contrast, several popular competitors were instantly swarmed by large fan groups the moment they exited the gate, asking for autographs, hugs, and more… watching the chaos made Sato shudder slightly.
Fortunately, he'd disguised himself. Otherwise -no exaggeration- those "popular competitors" were nothing compared to him!
Soon after, another group of people began walking out of the arrival gate one after another. Sato narrowed his eyes slightly, quickly scanning the crowd for his target.
"There she is…"
Murmuring softly to himself, Sato vanished from his spot!
A moment later, he was walking directly toward a blonde woman.
"Long time no see, Cynthia."
"Long time no see…"
Cynthia was momentarily stunned by Sato's disguise, but upon confirming the voice, she quickly understood the reason.
No helping it. Fame attracts trouble.
"Let's get in the car. I'll take you to the hotel."
"Mm!"
Sato led Cynthia and was just about to leave when, right then, yet another popular competitor happened to arrive, followed by a tidal wave of fans. The crowd surged toward them, cutting the two off in the middle.
With Sato's naturally "distant" aura, even the bolder girls who found him handsome didn't dare approach him.
But fans don't care who's who… They swarmed forward, completely boxing the two of them in.
Sato and Cynthia had no choice. To avoid exposing themselves, they could only stand there and wait quietly for the crowd to disperse.
The flashy competitor clearly enjoyed the attention. After all, he himself didn't know how far he'd get in the Indigo Plateau Conference.
If he lost in the first round, he might not ever have this many fans again!
So, this could very well be the most glorious moment of his life; and naturally, he was going to savor it for as long as possible.
It wasn't until the fans themselves started growing impatient that the competitor finally waved his reluctant goodbyes…
And Sato finally committed the name of this "popular competitor" to memory.
Toshiro!
Once the fans dispersed, Sato and Cynthia quickly slipped away from the madness and got into the car.
Both were Independent Investigators who had accomplished major feats in their respective regions, so they now had even more in common than before.
Though the conversation revolved around work, both of them were fully dedicated to their careers, so the previous distance between them gradually faded.
"…What do you think about this 'exhibition match'?"
Once the work-related talk wrapped up, Sato promptly steered the conversation toward the main topic.
"As long as we take it seriously… it'll definitely be a spectacular match!" Cynthia said with a smile. Her voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an unmistakable sense of confidence.
Seeing her expression, Sato immediately understood. Cynthia was taking this seriously, even if it was just an exhibition match.
"Hoh… Alright then, let's see what we've got when the time comes!"
For a moment, both were burning with fighting spirit…
---◓---
...Three days later...
✺Boom! ✺Boom! ✺Boom!
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Pop! Pop! Pop... ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
Fireworks bloomed across the sky, and thunderous applause erupted from the audience stands as the latest Indigo Plateau Conference of the Kanto League officially began!
As the final torchbearer in the ceremonial flame relay, Sato stood under the gaze of tens of thousands and steadily lit the sacred torch platform.
In an instant, the flame of Moltres began to blaze fiercely.
Then, a mass of fire transformed into a giant bird that burst from the flame and circled the field once, as if Moltres itself had descended!
Just that one moment was enough to send the entire stadium into a frenzy!
---◓---
Soon after, Sato, clad in the torchbearer's athletic uniform, stepped onto the battlefield and brought the ceremony to its second climax.
At the same time, Cynthia was already standing opposite Sato, smiling as she waited for the match to begin.
The host began introducing both Sato and Cynthia according to protocol, and every honor listed drew waves of astonished gasps from the audience!
Only after the introductions did many spectators realize that Sato's opponent was also an exceptionally gifted Trainer…
"Now commencing the 1v1 exhibition match between Yuga Sato of Johto and Cynthia of Sinnoh. Each side will use one Pokémon. The match ends when one side's Pokémon completely loses the ability to battle!
Do either side have any objections?"
"None!" x2
"Now… BOTH SIDES, SEND OUT YOUR POKÉMON!"
"Let's do this, Garchomp!"
"Tyranitar."
With flashes of red light, two Pokémon appeared on the battlefield simultaneously.
One deep blue…
One dark green…
Cynthia didn't hesitate to choose her strongest ace. The pseudo-legendary Garchomp, which had already reached Low Elite Four level!
Meanwhile, Sato's Tyranitar remained at Peak Ace level.
A one-level difference… like a chasm between mountains!
And when Cynthia saw that Sato had sent out Tyranitar, she also furrowed her brows ever so slightly.
'…Why not Gardevoir?'
Cynthia didn't ask further, and Sato had no intention of explaining. At that moment, the referee swiftly brought down the flag.
"Battle… STAAAART!"
"Garchomp, Brick Break!"
"Tyranitar, Snarl!"
Cynthia wasn't the type to hold back. She immediately commanded Garchomp to launch an aggressive assault. Brick Break had 4x effectiveness against Tyranitar!
But just as Garchomp approached the center of the battlefield, Tyranitar's deafening Snarl had already landed.
"TYR! TYRAN!! TAAAAAAR!"
The nearly tangible soundwaves of Snarl carried Dark-type destructive energy, inflicting both physical and mental torment on Garchomp!
"Gar… CHOMP!"
Despite the pounding pain -like a constant concussion- Garchomp's gaze remained firm as it continued to advance step by step toward Tyranitar!
Cynthia issued no further commands. She believed Garchomp could endure it and press forward with unwavering determination!
"…Garrrr."
With another low growl, Garchomp seemed to adapt to the effects of Snarl. Its pace quickened once again!
"Stone Edge."
"Tyr!"
Faced with Garchomp's ferocious charge, Tyranitar remained utterly composed. Its eyes locked onto its opponent's movements, and its tail whipped the ground at steady intervals.
Each strike summoned a massive jagged stone from the ground, erupting at the spot where Garchomp might appear next!
Predictive interception!
Screee~
Garchomp slid right past one of the stones, barely scraping by. It had dodged the sudden attack with incredible reflexes!
But in the next instant, even more jagged stones suddenly erupted, sealing off all of Garchomp's possible paths of movement.
Tyranitar had predicted every location Garchomp might move to next!
"No need to dodge. PLOW STRAIGHT THROUGH!"
On the other side, Cynthia barked out her command with bold authority.
In the face of absolute strength, all tactics and technique are merely a struggle for survival!
•
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This chapter felt very rushed…