Chapter 422: Anime Cynthia Battle
~Third POV~
[Anime Canon – Sinnoh Region, Hearthome City – Outskirts of the Ancient Ruins]
Azure heard the whispers. He heard Paul's scoff.
He ignored them all. His gaze was fixed solely on Cynthia as he thought, 'Since she isn't using battle held items, better do the same. Time to humble Cynthia twice. Huh… never thought I'd say that in my life…'
Solely on the battle in front of him, he analyzed her ace. Azure smirked as he commanded, "Arcanine, Extreme Speed."
*ZOOOM*
Arcanine didn't just run; it vanished, becoming a blur the instant it placed its paws down. A sonic boom echoed through the ruins as the legendary dog slammed into Garchomp before the dragon could even raise its claws to attack back.
*BOOOOM*
All felt the shockwave from the crash. Brock shouted in disbelief, "What speed! I couldn't even see it move!"
Cynthia commanded, her voice sharp, "Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"
*SHINNG*
Garchomp pivoted, its arms glowing with teal energy, swinging wildly at the blur. But Azure ordered, "Dodge!"
*Wooosh*
Arcanine dodged with a graceful leap, its paws igniting. Azure commanded as Garchomp lunged forward with Dragon Claw, "Block with Flame Wheel!"
*SSSSS*
*THUD*
Arcanine curled its body, erupting into a spinning vortex of fire. The flames weren't just offensive; they acted as a kinetic shield. Garchomp's claws raked against the spinning inferno, sparks flying wildly.
Inside the vortex, Arcanine's Flash Fire ability triggered, absorbing the ambient heat and friction, supercharging its internal engine, and enhancing itself. Its fire-type moves were now boosted by 50%, absorbing the heat of the friction and its own flames, its fur glowing a bright, intense orange.
Cynthia countered immediately, "Earthquake!"
Garchomp slammed its foot down. The ground buckled, sending a shockwave toward the legendary dog.
*RMBL*
*SHATTER*
The shockwave of ground energy was hurdling towards Arcanine. But Azure commanded, "Agile Style Extreme Speed!"
*Zoooom*
Before the shockwave could reach him, Arcanine was a blur. The crowd blinked, seeing about to get hit, and now only to see it appear in front of Garchomp.
He bypassed the Earthquake entirely, appearing inches from Garchomp's face as it lunged in motion. Azure grinned as he commanded, "Now! Strong Style Play Rough!"
The crowd blinked as they thought, 'Play what?'
Cynthia's eyes widened as she murmured, "Play what?"
*SMACK*
*BAM*
*POW*
*WHACK*
Arcanine tackled Garchomp into a cloud of dust and chaotic energy. BAM! POW! WHACK! To the onlookers, it looked like a standard physical brawl, but Cynthia's eyes widened. Garchomp let out a pained shriek—a sound it rarely made, "Garch?! (Nani?!! How the heck are you hurting me effectively!!!)"
Arcanine let out a snort, chomping down Garchomp's neck, "Grrrr… (What? Never heard of Fairy Type? No? Too bad, chew toy.)"
Dawn yelled as her eyes widened in shock, exclaiming, "Why did that do so much damage? It's a Dragon type!"
*BAM*
Garchomp was sent skidding backward, clutching its chest. Cynthia's eyes widened as she thought, startled, 'That damage... it was super effective? But Arcanine is pure Fire. How did he use a move that pierces through a Dragon's scales like that? It wasn't Dragon nor was it Ice Type, then what was it…'
Azure grinned, seeing Cynthia's startled expression. She didn't know the Fairy typing yet, but her instincts screamed danger.
Azure knew that in this timeline, the Fairy-type hadn't been officially categorized yet. To them, Play Rough was just a strange, devastatingly effective physical move. One he was going to exploit.
Garchomp staggered back, bruisies forming. Cynthia grits her teeth as she commands, "Don't give up! Draco Meteor!"
*PEW*
Garchomp roared, firing a sphere of orange energy into the sky. It split into countless meteors, raining down destruction.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
The battlefield became a minefield. Meteors rained down with no escape shown. But Azure said calmly, "Endure Arcanine followed by Morning Sun."
Arcanine stood amidst the bombardment. As the meteors exploded around him, buffeting him with damage, he threw his head back…
*FLASH*
A beam of pure, restorative sunlight pierced the smoke, bathing him in a golden glow. His wounds knit together instantly. He had taken the hit, but he was still standing tall. His wounds faded as the solar energy knit his fur back together.
Paul whispered from the sidelines, his knuckles white, his hands tightening into fists, "Impossible... It tanked a Draco Meteor? And not only that but that Arcanine can heal mid-battle? Efficient."
Cynthia frowned as she yelled, "Garchomp, Dragon Claw! Finish it!"
*ZOOOM*
Garchomp, frustrated and bruised, lunged for the kill, putting every ounce of its remaining strength into the strike. The distance closed in a millisecond.
But Azure remained calm, ordering, "Teleport."
*BIP*
Arcanine vanished into thin air just as Garchomp's claws swiped through empty space. The crowd gasped as Ash exclaimed in surprise, "It can use Teleport?!"
Even Paul raised an eyebrow, seeing this as he thought, 'An Arcanine… teleporting? Combine with its natural speed… a very deadly combination.'
*BIP*
Arcanine reappeared directly behind the dragon. Its eyes narrowed as Azure roared, "Strong Style! Outrage!"
Arcanine's eyes turned a bloodshot red. Arcanine unleashed a thrashing, violent assault, channeling raw Dragon energy. Arcanine slammed into the unbalanced Garchomp, striking once, twice, three times with overwhelming force. The final blow sent the Mach Pokémon crashing into the ruins of a stone pillar.
*KA-BOOOM*
Dust settled as the Dragon-type was sent flying, tumbling across the dirt until it came to a stop at Cynthia's feet, eyes spiraling. Garchomp lay still, with swirls in its eyes.
Arcanine howled loudly, proclaiming its dominant victory with a battle cry, "AWOOOO!!!! (Tch. Puny dragon.)"
The referee stammered, stunned, "Garchomp is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!"
Silence. Absolute silence.
The Champion's ace had fallen.
The silence was deafening. Paul's jaw was tight, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and envy. Ash was jumping up and down, screaming his lungs out.
Cynthia stared at her fallen Ace, her hand trembling slightly as she recalled Garchomp. She had just lost her strongest Pokémon in the first round.
The only time she felt was when she faced Leon's Charizard. She couldn't help but think cautiously, 'Are Fire Types from Kanto unbelievably strong? Or was it that his Arcanine was his ace…'
Brock whispered, his voice trembling with awe, "Garchomp is… unable to battle."
Dawn whispered in disbelief as her eyes widened, seeing it, "No way... She lost her ace in the first round?"
Cynthia took a deep breath, calming herself down as she exhaled. Cynthia said, composing herself, though her voice was tight, "You... are full of surprises. That move… and the teleportation… I've never seen an Arcanine trained to such a degree. But I am the Champion for a reason."
Azure recalled Arcanine, giving the Pokéball a grateful tap as he replied, "He's been with me through a lot of my adventures. He's had a lot of practice against opponents much meaner than a League match."
Cynthia reached for her next Poké Ball as she declared resolutely, "I see. Then let's see how you handle this. Lucario, come forth!"
*Pop*
The Aura Pokémon appeared, its eyes immediately locking onto Azure. It sensed the massive psychic and aura pressure radiating from the boy—and the Pichu (Mew) in his jacket as it thought, startled, 'What are you?'
Azure didn't reach for a ball this time. He stepped back and gestured to his own shadow as he called out, "Gengar, you're up. Don't play with your food too much."
*Wooosh*
From Azure's literal shadow, a dark shape rose. This Gengar wasn't purple; it was a sleek, ghostly black—a Shiny. It immediately stuck its tongue out at Lucario, wagging its fingers mockingly. It let out a high-pitched cackle, "Ke-ke-ke-ke! (Hahaha!! Finally, it's time for the true MC to appear!)"
Ash yelled, "A Shiny Gengar! So cool!"
Dawn gasped in fright, "A Shiny Gengar? It looks terrifying!"
Gengar blushed at the compliment, "Gengar~ (Ah... thanks I try.)"
Cynthia ordered, "Lucario, Agility into Psychic!"
*Zooom*
Lucario became a blur, circling Gengar and blasting it with a wave of telekinetic energy. Gengar was tossed backward, but it somersaulted in mid-air, grinning.
But Cynthia didn't give it the chance to follow up. She quickly commanded, "Lucario, Meteor Mash!"
*BASH*
Lucario's fist glowed with metallic light as it lunged. It connected squarely with Gengar's chest—but Gengar didn't flinch…
*ZAP*
Instead, a glowing red link formed between the two Pokémon. Azure said calmly, "Pain Split. If Gengar takes a hit, so do you."
Gengar laughed maniacally. A red link connected it to Lucario. Lucario flinched, gasping as its vitality was drained and shared with the ghost.
Gengar stood up, dusting itself off, looking much healthier. Lucario gasped, dropping to one knee as half its health was instantly drained to heal the ghost.
Azure followed up by commanding, "Now, Taunt."
Gengar pulled an ugly face, sticking its tongue out and wagging a finger at Lucario, stating, "Gen-Gar! (Is that all you got? Weak. Slow. Puny. Small Dick Energy.)"
*BOOOM*
Lucario growled, its aura flaring with incredible rage as it was offended by that last comment. Lucario, usually stoic, felt its blood boil. It abandoned defense, consumed by the need to silence the ghost.
Lucario's eyes flashed red with rage. It lost its focus, unable to use status moves, driven only by the need to strike.
Cynthia called, trying to capitalize on the aggression, "Dark Pulse!"
*PEW*
Lucario fired a beam of negative energy. It was heading straight towards Gengar as it saw the incoming attack, but grinned wickedly, rubbing its hands together.
Azure whispered, "Perfect. Gengar, Phantom Force."
*SWF*
Gengar didn't just vanish; it tore a hole in the air. The Dark Pulse entered the portal and disappeared instantly.
Cynthia blinked as she uttered, alarmed, "Where did it—"
*BOOOM*
A second portal opened directly behind Lucario—right in its own shadow. The Dark Pulse shot out, slamming into Lucario's back.
Ash yelled in surprise, "It redirected the attack?! That's insane!"
Lucario stumbled forward, hurt by its own power. Gengar appeared right in front of its face, charging a sphere of unstable fighting energy as Azure commanded, "While it's down, Gengar! Strong Style Focus Blast!"
Gengar materialized above Lucario, charging a sphere of golden energy. It slammed it down at point-blank range as it spoke neutrally, "Gen-gar. (Omae wa mou shindeiru.)"
Lucario cried out comically baffled, "Bar – (Nani?!)"
*KRA-BOOOM*
When the smoke cleared, Lucario was face down in the dirt. Gengar was hovering over it, pulling a small flag out of nowhere that said "Gengar's #1" and waving it mockingly at the crowd, cackling and blowing a raspberry at the stunned audience.
Dawn said, half-impressed and half-annoyed, "That Gengar is a menace."
Gengar hearing Dawn's comment blushed at the compliment, "Gen~gar~ (Oh such a charmer! Such high praise!)"
Dawn somehow felt offended hearing Gengar's cries. Brock noted, his voice trembling slightly, "This guy is on a different level. He's not just using moves; he's manipulating the mechanics of the battle itself. It's like he's three steps ahead of the Champion... But the beautiful Cynthia can find a way out!"
Dawn and Ash sighed. They gotten used to Brock's antics with older women.
Cynthia recalled Lucario, taking a deep breath. She was down two Pokémon. Azure hadn't lost one.
She looked at the young trainer, who was currently rolling his eyes as Gengar floated over to the baby team, grabbing a small flag from Ralts that read "Azure's #1" and waving it obnoxiously.
She muttered to herself as she reached for her next Poké Ball, "Focus, Cynthia. Milotic, I need your elegance!"
*Pop*
The Tender Pokémon materialized, its scales shimmering like a rainbow. The beautiful sea serpent appeared, its scales shimmering like jewels in the sun.
Azure recalled Gengar, who was still blowing raspberries at the crowd as he stated, "You did great, you clown. Go sit with the kids."
Gengar floated over to the baby Pokémon, instantly starting a game of tag that Celebi had to break up. Azure said calmly, his expression hardening, "Sigh… god damn it, Gengar. Okay… Last one. Scizor, let's go!"
*Pop*
The red-armored Pokémon appeared, its claws snapping with a metallic clack-clack. It stood perfectly still, a contrast to Gengar's chaos.
Cynthia ordered, "Milotic, Hydro Pump!"
Azure ordered, "Double Team."
*Wooosh*
Scizor multiplied. Instantly, a dozen Scizors surrounded Milotic. Dozens of red blurs surrounded the Milotic.
The Ice Beam shattered a few illusions, but the real Scizor was gone. Cynthia commanded, "Milotic, Hyper Beam! Clear the field!"
*VROOOOM*
Milotic spun, firing a massive beam of orange destruction in a 360-degree arc. The illusions vanished. The ground turned to glass from the heat, but Scizor avoided the attack with refined agility.
Milotic paused, its body stiffening as it needed to recharge. Azure shouted, "Now! Agile Style Tera Blast!"
Scizor gathered a strange, crystalline energy between its claws. It wasn't a move known in Sinnoh. It was a burst of raw, normal-type energy derived from the Terastal phenomenon of the future…
*PEW*
Scizor fired it point-blank. But Cynthia wasn't done.
Cynthia ordered, "Catch him in Wrap!"
*WHIP-CRACK*
Milotic's tail whipped out, wrapping around Scizor's waist just as he got close, managing to dodge the Tera Blast at the last second. Now trapped in Milotic's Wrap, Cynthia ordered, "Hydro Pump!"
*SHHHHAAAAA*
At point-blank range, Milotic blasted Scizor with a torrent of water. Scizor was pinned against the ground by the sheer pressure.
Azure yelled, "Flash Cannon!"
*PEW*
Scizor's pincers glowed. He fired a silver beam directly into the water stream, the explosion of energy forcing Milotic to let go.
Scizor flipped in the air, landing gracefully. Azure commanded, "Bullet Punch!"
*PAPA*
*PAPA*
*PAPAT*
Scizor's fists became silver blurs. Scizor struck Milotic a dozen times in the span of a second as it unleashed a flurry of Bullet Punches. Both trainers, sensing the end, commanded at the same time.
"End this with—"
"Hydro Pump!!"
"Bullet Punch!!"
The two attacks met in the center of the field. The Bullet Punch was a blur of silver, while the Hydro Pump was a roar of water-type energy. For a second, they held in a stalemate. The crowd held its breath.
Ash was leaning over, his hat almost falling off. Paul's eyes were wide, his usual scowl replaced by genuine shock as they saw it.
Scizor's training—years of fighting against the elite of the Adventures world—pushed it through. Its eyes narrowed as it lunged forward...
*SHINNG*
... cleaving through the beam of water, its fist connecting with Milotic's jaw with the force of a falling meteor…
*CRACK*
The steel claw connected with Milotic's jaw with a resounding crack sound could be heard as Milotic's eyes widened…
*BOOOOM*
The shockwave rippled across the water. The shockwave knocked the hats off the spectators in the front row.
Milotic held its pose for a second, then its eyes rolled back. The majestic water serpent collapsed gracefully to the ground.
*Thud*
Milotic, draped over the wet ground, fainted. Scizor stood over it, slowly opening and closing its claws before bowing to Cynthia as it bluntly cried out its words, "Sci. (Thanks… for the warm-up.)"
The referee—a stunned spectator—announced in disbelief, "Milotic is unable to battle. The winner is Azure Sky!"
The silence this time was eternal. The crowd, the fans who had been mocking Azure and Paul only an hour ago, were speechless. The Sinnoh Champion had been defeated in a 3-0 clean sweep.
Then, a slow clap started. It was Ash. Then Brock. Then the whole crowd erupted, not in mockery, but in sheer disbelief and respect.
Azure looked over at the Baby Team. Chimchar was jumping up and down, pointing at the field, his eyes burning with inspiration from Azure's Arcanine, Gengar's chaotic mischvious nature, and Scizor's warrior-like attack.
Even Paul, standing at the edge of the ruins, hadn't moved from his spot. He was staring at the spot where Scizor had stood, his expression unreadable, but the gears in his head were visibly grinding.
Cynthia walked to the center of the field. She looked shaken as she recalled her Milotic. She paused, searching for the words before stating, "That was... Humbling. You fight as if you know what I'm going to do before I do it. And your Pokémon... their movesets are unlike anything I've seen."
Cynthia took a deep breath and walked toward the center of the field. She didn't look upset; she looked fascinated. Cynthia said calmly, stopping in front of Azure, "I have traveled the world. I have studied the history of this region for my entire life. But today, I feel like a student again. Who are you, really?"
Azure tipped his hat, Pikachu and Eevee striking poses on his shoulders as he replied casually, "Just a guy who's seen a bit more of the world than most. And someone who wanted his team to see what a real Champion looks like."
He looked at her with a respectful nod as he said respectfully, "You're as tough as they say, Cynthia. My team learned a lot today."
Cynthia chuckled, hearing that as she couldn't help but ask curiously, extending a hand, "I haven't felt that challenged since I fought my way to the top. Where did you learn to battle like that?"
Azure shook her hand, feeling the calluses of a true trainer as he continued, "All over. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn… and a long time ago in a place very similar to this. And I still intend to grow, just taking a vacation for a break."
Paul was staring at his hands, his worldview shattered and rebuilt in the span of a few minutes. He looked at Azure, then at his Torterra's Poké Ball. For the first time, there wasn't contempt in his eyes—there was a spark of something new.
As Azure gathered his "students"—the Alpha Gible trying to bite his sleeve while the Hisuian Zorua nuzzled his leg—he felt a sense of peace.
The anime world was a bit more energetic, a bit more colorful, and definitely a good place for a vacation. He looked toward his baby Pokémon. Togepi was jumping up and down, the [Soothe Bell] ringing frantically…
*FLASH*
Suddenly, a brilliant white light enveloped the small Pokémon. Azure gasped, "Togepi? Is it already that time?"
The light grew, reshaping the small ball into a sleek, winged form. As the glow faded, Togetic hovered in the air, chirping a melody of pure joy.
Cynthia noted, her eyes softening as she says, "Evolution by friendship. It seems your methods are as kind as they are powerful."
Ash ran up, eyes sparkling as he made a request, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Azure, you have to battle me next! Please!"
Azure laughed, scratching his evolved Togetic as he replied, "Maybe later, Ash. Right now, I think we all need some lunch."
Cynthia admitted, glancing at the Hisuian Zorua playing with Celebi, "I have so many questions. About your Pokémon. About you."
Azure shrugged as he left for the nearest Pokémon Center with Cynthia, Ash, Dawn, and Brock following behind. In the background, Paul watched Azure for a long moment. He didn't say anything.
He didn't challenge him. He simply turned and walked away, but this time, there was a new flame in his eyes—a realization that the world was much larger, and the ceiling of power much higher, than he had ever imagined.
Azure chuckled mentally to himself as he thought calmly, 'Hopefully, people video recorded that. I'm hoping that Rat Hunter J will come for me soon because of a stupid client wanting my Pokémon. Just come here already, you damn rat…'
/////
A/N: Hope you liked the battle!