"What's wrong?"
"Piplup, what's wrong with you?"
Ash and Dawn both noticed that Piplup's cry sounded unusual, so they immediately turned around.
"Pip… Piplup!"
Piplup flapped its short wings anxiously and pointed down the street.
"Pika?"
Pikachu tilted its head, ears twitching.
"Oh! That…"
"Gary!"
"Seriously?!"
When Ash, Brock, and Dawn saw the familiar figure approaching from the street, all three of them froze in surprise.
The blue Cyclizar slowed down smoothly and stopped beside them. Its long body coiled slightly as it braked, scales glinting faintly under the sunlight.
"Cyyy…"
Cyclizar let out a low mechanical-sounding cry and looked around calmly.
"Ash, why are you here?" Gary asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as he dismounted.
After everyone separated in Veilstone City, Ash's group had headed toward Pastoria City, and then they were supposed to continue on to Sunyshore City.
Only a little more than ten days had passed. Could Ash already have collected two Gym Badges? That pace was unusually fast even for him.
"We traveled here," Ash said simply.
"No, you were supposed to go to Pastoria City first, and then Sunyshore City," Gary replied. "How did you end up in Celestic Town instead?"
"Because Celestic Town is going to hold a Pokémon Contest," Dawn explained. "I wanted to come here first. I was planning to go to Sunyshore City today, but then I saw on the news that Miss Cynthia was here, so we decided to come take a look."
Gary was startled.
Cynthia… in Celestic Town?
But after thinking about it, it made sense. Celestic Town was Cynthia's hometown.
At the same time, Gary remembered an important event. Team Galactic had attempted to steal the Adamant Orb and Lustrous Orb in Eterna City. Because of that, the Sinnoh police decided to transfer the two orbs to Celestic Town and place them under strict protection.
Cynthia had returned to Celestic Town precisely to escort and safeguard the orbs.
"So that's how it is," Gary said. "Are you planning to challenge Cynthia?"
"That's exactly what I mean," Ash admitted without hesitation.
He had always wanted to test his strength against stronger Trainers. He had battled Elite Four members before, but he had never truly fought against a Champion.
Before meeting Cynthia in person, Ash had already witnessed Paul's battle with her. Watching Paul lose so decisively had left a deep impression on him.
"Forget it," Gary said bluntly. "Among all your Pokémon, only Pikachu is barely qualified to fight Cynthia's Pokémon. And even then, it would just be a sparring match. If she gets serious, Pikachu will be knocked out in seconds."
"What?!"
"Pika! Pika!!"
Ash and Pikachu both protested at the same time.
They were very confident in their own strength. Months ago, they had battled Elite Four Agatha. Although they lost, they had managed to fight back and forth for a long time.
Even if Cynthia was a Champion, Ash and Pikachu didn't believe they would be defeated instantly.
"Alright, let's go take a look," Gary said lazily. "I don't have anything urgent to do anyway. Might as well watch Ash get educated by Cynthia."
"Hey!" Ash complained.
"Pika!"
"Let's go together," Dawn said eagerly.
So, Gary temporarily joined Ash's group and headed toward Celestic Town's Historical Research Center.
Because the Adamant Orb and Lustrous Orb were being transferred here for protection, Cynthia was currently staying at the laboratory.
The Historical Research Center was one of the most famous buildings in Celestic Town. It wasn't far away, so the group arrived quickly.
Standing at the entrance, they saw several police cars parked outside. Officer Jenny stood near the door, and beside her were Cynthia and an elderly woman.
"Hey! It's Ash!"
Cynthia had been speaking with Officer Jenny, but when she heard the commotion, she turned and immediately recognized them.
"Miss Cynthia!" Ash exclaimed. He hadn't expected to meet her so soon after arriving.
Before anyone could step forward, Brock suddenly rushed ahead.
"Champion Cynthia!" Brock said with sparkling eyes and a serious expression.
Cynthia was not surprised by this reaction. As the Champion of the Sinnoh League, she was used to being approached by enthusiastic fans. Compared to others, Brock was actually quite polite.
"Everyone, it's been a long time," Cynthia said warmly.
Then she noticed Gary and looked at Ash curiously.
"Ash, did a new companion join your traveling group?"
"Miss Cynthia, this is Gary," Ash explained. "He came to Sinnoh at the same time as me. We separated after arriving, and we just met again today."
"Hello, Gary," Cynthia said with a friendly smile.
"Hello," Gary replied calmly.
Cynthia found it a little interesting. She had assumed that someone traveling with Ash would have an energetic personality. She hadn't expected Gary to be so quiet and composed.
At that moment, the elderly woman beside Cynthia also noticed them and stepped forward.
"Who are these children?" she asked gently.
"I told you before, Grandma," Cynthia said, smiling. "I met two Trainers who have completely opposite attitudes toward Pokémon."
"Oh? Then this must be the other one," the old woman said as she looked between Ash and Gary.
This woman was Cynthia's grandmother—the director of the Historical Research Center.
"I'll introduce you," Cynthia said. "This is my grandmother, Professor Carolina, the head of the Historical Research Center."
"So you're Miss Cynthia's grandmother? Nice to meet you," Ash said politely.
"First time meeting you," Dawn added.
"Pika!"
"Piplup!"
Brock also bowed respectfully.
"My name is Carolina. Nice to meet you, children," Professor Carolina said kindly.
After brief greetings, the conversation naturally turned to Paul.
"I heard about you and your rival from Cynthia," Professor Carolina said.
Ash fell silent for a moment.
He didn't know what to say. Ash had always believed that as long as he caught a Pokémon, he should never abandon it. He raised them with care and trusted in bonds rather than harsh training.
But when he saw how Paul trained his Pokémon, he felt uncomfortable. Paul's methods were strict and sometimes cruel. Ash felt Paul was wrong, yet he also knew it wasn't easy to completely deny Paul's way of thinking.
"Ash, how did things go with Paul after that?" Cynthia asked, changing the topic.
"We battled once, but the result…"
Before Ash could finish, Gary interrupted, "You didn't lose to him again, did you?"
"You… you know Paul?" Ash asked.
"What? Didn't Paul tell you about me?" Gary said. "That fits his personality. He wouldn't talk about his defeats."
"Have you fought Paul?" Ash became even more curious.
Not only Ash, but Brock, Dawn, and even Cynthia looked interested.
"Yes," Gary said calmly. "Twice. Once in the Kanto region, and once in Veilstone City. You arrived in Veilstone City a few days after our battle."
"What?! You fought Paul in Kanto?!" Ash exclaimed.
"I was acting as a temporary Gym Leader at Viridian Gym at the time," Gary said. "Paul came to challenge it. I crushed him."