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The opening ceremony of the Lily of the Valley Conference was much more streamlined than the lengthy inaugural proceedings of the Indigo Plateau Conference. The Sinnoh League took a far more decisive approach.
The sacred flame was lit, the opening remarks were delivered, and Charles Goodshow made his opening declaration.
As everyone was primarily concerned with the first-round draw of the Main Tournament, the Pokémon League thoughtfully avoided any unnecessary delays.
As dazzling fireworks erupted above the arena, the electronic screens directly in front of the sixty-four Pokémon Trainers lit up.
The photographs taken during registration appeared on the screens. Cynthia, the guest of honor, appeared briefly before signaling to the staff to begin the draw.
Each photograph began to spin. Luther's heart pounded as he stared intently at the screen, awaiting the results.
A few seconds later, all the photos were facing upwards. Luther immediately scanned the display, searching for his opponent.
"Oreburgh City again?"
His eyes fell on the description beneath the photo of a short-haired girl named Misaki, who also hailed from Oreburgh City.
Outside the stadium, Airi froze mid-lick of her ice cream as she waited for the draw results.
Haruto Kisaragi was equally stunned.
"Is Luther seriously picking a fight with Oreburgh City?"
Misaki was Oreburgh City's last hope!
Four trainers from Oreburgh City had entered this year's tournament: Haruto Kisaragi, Airi, who had already been eliminated, and Misaki, the only one to advance to the Main Tournament stage. In essence, she was Oreburgh City's last remaining hope.
"Luther won't be an easy opponent either. After all, Misaki is a Trainer Cynthia herself has high hopes for," Haruto Kisaragi sighed.
Cynthia's attention wasn't limited to Luther, Ash, and Paul; she was deeply invested in nurturing exceptional homegrown Pokémon trainers.
Luther caught Cynthia's eye early in his career, while Misaki was noticed even earlier, right at the start of her journey. She was invited to Cynthia's villa before Luther and received personal guidance from the Sinnoh Champion.
Over the past two years, Cynthia had followed many more Trainers than just Misaki and Luther, yet only a handful had made it all the way to the Tournament.
"Besides Misaki, Ash, Luther, and Paul, are there any other Trainers you're particularly interested in or supporting in this tournament?" Diantha asked as Cynthia returned to the VIP box after the opening ceremony.
Having seen the draw results, Diantha could only conclude that it was fate's design.
Cynthia had invested a great deal of passion in Misaki, too. Like Luther, Misaki had excelled in the 6-on-6 Blind Pick matches and secured victory.
This occurred shortly after Luther left Sandgem Town.
Over the years, Cynthia had hoped that Sinnoh would produce another Pokémon Trainer as powerful as herself, while also longing for them to grow strong enough to challenge her.
Two years prior, she had been monitoring twenty-nine Trainers with exceptional talent.
Now, fewer than seven remained, including Ash, Paul, Luther, and Misaki.
The path to becoming stronger is arduous and monotonous. Many lose faith along the way.
Perhaps they encounter stronger Pokémon Trainers and become discouraged by the insurmountable gap.
Or maybe they witness even greater talent and become demoralized.
Others simply follow Harold's example, believing themselves to be sufficiently skilled, and choose to indulge in self-indulgence instead.
During their journey to become elite Pokémon Trainers, they wandered far and wide until Cynthia stopped observing them.
Having already adopted an indifferent attitude, she obtained Luther's records from Professor Rowan and decided to give him one last chance, hoping to reignite the spirit of this somewhat insecure young man.
Initially, Cynthia had only planned to pay minimal attention.
This wasn't the first time she had become excited about discovering what she believed to be a promising talent, only to be disappointed after showering them with enthusiastic support.
However, Luther proved to be exceptionally fragile and lacking in confidence, which compelled Cynthia to offer him a little extra help.
Fortunately, he didn't let her down. Unlike the other twenty-six individuals, he didn't veer further and further away from her guidance.
Misaki, on the other hand, was fundamentally different from Luther, possessing unwavering confidence from the outset.
From the moment she joined the Blind Pick six-on-six battles, she performed consistently and dazzlingly.
While others might have felt nervous in such a grand setting, Cynthia never felt intimidated. It was as if she had been born for this stage.
In fact, Cynthia had helped Misaki more than Luther, guiding her in combat strategies from the beginning.
"Aren't you a little disappointed?" Diantha asked. "After all, Misaki and Luther were supposed to clash later in the tournament. That would have been better for both of them."
Cynthia chuckled. "They both have the same weakness: a severe lack of depth in their team line-up. Yet their approaches are polar opposites, and their battle styles clash violently. Their match will be quite a spectacle."
"But these are the two Trainers you've pinned your hopes on for this tournament! Shouldn't you feel more regret than amusement at seeing them clash in their very first battle?"
Diantha sighed. 'When I first saw Misaki's profile, I was incredibly impressed. After all, not every child commands a Pupitar to challenge a Gyarados. That kind of courage is truly astonishing."
"Didn't you find Luther quite astonishing when you first got his files?" Cynthia pursed her lips. "Come on, let's be objective here. They're just two Pokémon trainers."
"Whether we pay attention to Luther and Misaki or not, their victory or defeat depends solely on their individual strength. They set off at roughly the same time and came into view in similar ways... one facing a slightly more challenging path and the other seemingly gliding smoothly along..."
"Regardless of who ultimately loses this match, it will simply mark a new beginning for them, nothing more."
Diantha paused for a moment before asking, "Who do you think will win this match?"
"In a three-on-three battle, Luther has the edge. But if they change the format, Misaki's chances of winning increase dramatically," Cynthia answered without hesitation.
Diantha checked Misaki's registration details. "I recall you mentioning that Luther's team line-up is best suited to a six-on-six format, right?"
"Misaki is an exception," Cynthia said, shaking her head.
Diantha glanced at the competitors retreating after the opening ceremony, then remarked thoughtfully, "Still, I think those two are definitely going to have a six-on-six battle."
Cynthia turned her head curiously. "Why? They shouldn't know each other's identities at all, especially Misaki. She never looks at social media."
From the VIP seats, they could see activity near the Competitor's Passage.
A man with a small notebook slung his arm around Luther's shoulder and spoke to him, beaming.
Luther looked utterly stunned.
"Lucian, you're really something else!"
Cynthia couldn't help but laugh; she was genuinely exasperated by Lucian. Where there's drama, he's there.
He would never miss this kind of juicy gossip, this opportunity to stir the pot.
"How did the Sinnoh League ever approve someone like him for the Elite Four?!"
(End of Chapter)