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"Huh, where are you taking me?" Austin asked, perplexed.
Cynthia arched an eyebrow. "I did tell you that I'd introduce you to my friends, didn't I?"
Before Austin could even register that statement, he was pulled along by an excited Champion who led him to Lorelei, who was currently talking to Agatha and Steven.
"Guys, this is Ash, as you might know." Cynthia introduced.
"Hello, Ash," Lorelei replied, rather bluntly. "What…. I mean, do you two know each other?"
"Ash has been a great friend to me on this cruise." Cynthia chirped, in her usual airhead-manner.
Lorelei arched an eyebrow. Steven looked mildly amused, while Agatha didn't even change an expression.
"So this is the person you've been spending time with." Lorelei realized, briefly amused at the slight blush on Cynthia's features. "Nice to meet you, Ash."
"Uh- Nice to meet you too, Elite Four Lorelei."
Lorelei chortled at his method of describing her. "Just Lorelei is fine, Ash. I must say, your performance has been an eye-turner."
"Hasn't it?" Cynthia chirped. "Who'd say that he's not even half a year into training?"
Both Steven and Lorelei arched their eyebrows at that comment.
"You have quite the strong soul," Agatha spoke for the first time.
"Uh—thank you, Ma'am," Austin said with a somewhat nervous smile as his mind was trying to come up with an explanation for Agatha's words.
"Agatha." The old woman countered. "Not Ma'am or Elite Four."
Austin nodded hesitantly.
"Agatha, stop worrying the poor boy." Lorelei chided good-naturedly.
Agatha however, was staring at him with an undecipherable expression on her face, making Austin feel an incredible urge to run away. Finally, she spoke up again. "Fate does not play dice with each other."
"What are you harping on, Agatha?" Steven complained jokingly.
Agatha paid his comment no mind. Her eyes were staring at Austin as if he were an incredibly interesting bug and she was a researcher of the bug-type. "I will not repeat that statement, boy." That said, she turned towards her left, but not before speaking her last words, "I believe it is time for me to desert this gathering. Lavender Town needs my presence."
Almost instantly, her cane shifted its shade to pitch black, as it morphed into a wider shape, before engulfing her and vanishing. The entire thing happened so quickly that had Austin not paid any attention, he would have thought that the old lady had just teleported away.
"Agatha and her flair for dramatics." Lorelei sighed. "Do not mind her, Ash. The old lady is crazy powerful, but damned superstitious as hell."
Austin nodded but in his mind, he couldn't help but think about the words of the Giant Dragonite.
Steven chuckled at her use of expletives, but didn't choose to point it out.
"Something wrong?" Steven asked, noticing the change in his expression.
"Just remembered something," Austin replied
Steven and the others didn't pry into it.
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Austin sat outside as the high let out a sigh.
Talking with Lorelei and Steven was exhausting.
He had to stop himself from fanboying over them as they gave a lot of really helpful advice for Pokemon training.
Hearing someone sit near him, Austin glanced to the side to be surprised as Gary was watching the party. "Hey Ashy-Boy," Gary greeted, not looking at him. "Man I thought this week would never end."
"You got bored at the party," Austin asked with Gary nodding.
"Don't get me wrong it's great and all but I like traveling more," Gary said, glancing at Austin. "Something I think we can agree on."
Austin gave a nod.
A silence descended between both Gary and Austin as they looked at mingling trainers, just enjoying the peace. It didn't last long however as Gary sighed.
"Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you, Ash." Gary began surprising Austin as he didn't say the insulting nickname.
"Is something wrong?" Austin asked with Gary eyeing him cautiously no doubt seeing the change in posture.
Shaking his head, Gary continued what he was going to say. "It's just you've been acting kind of weird ever since we started our journey." He said making Austin a little nervous.
"I have?" Austin asked and Gary chuckled feeling some relief.
That right there sounded like the Ash he knew, maybe he was overthinking it a bit?
"You know what, never mind Ashy-Boy," Gary said with a cocky smirk directed at Austin. "Just know that next time we battle you better be ready to lose."
Austin just grinned. "We'll see Gary."
Just like that things seemed back to normal for Gary.
Hearing the ship's intercom go off, both Austin and Gary went quiet as the Captain of the Ship walked up to be seen from his quarters on the top floor on a balcony, a microphone in his hand. "Hello this is your Captain speaking and I am pleased to let you know that the final hours of this deluxe cruise are almost up, we'll be hitting landfall in Celadon City around nine tomorrow morning so it would be best if you do one last sweep of your belongings to ensure you don't leave anything on the ship," He said to the countless trainers listening to him.
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Meanwhile on the deck.
"Seriously, I don't understand the need of this-" Cynthia tried, but Harrison would not, it seemed, accept a no from her.
With Ash deserting her for some fresh air outside, and Lorelei and Steven having to attend to the other invitees who had bombarded her with questions regarding the League, Cynthia had retreated to Misty and the others, her rings active and in full effect.
That was when Harrison had asked her for a favor. A rather… odd favor.
"The entire population is inside the Banquet hall. After your... grand introduction, there's no chance that I'd ever get a chance to hold a private battle against someone like you. Please, please, accept my challenge?" Harrison pleaded once again, as the two stood on the empty deck.
"Uh… okay," Cynthia muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed at the way Harrison was pleading with her. "One match, is that enough?"
"Very." Harrison smiled. "The platform over there then?"
Cynthia shrugged. "It is your challenge."
Harrison nodded as the two walked towards the elevated platform that had served as the battleground for the finals, earlier in the morning. Standing on the blue platform, he glanced at the Sinnoh Champion who stood on the red one. "This is an unofficial challenge against the Sinnoh Champion for a one-on-one battle."
Cynthia's lips twisted in amusement, as she released her pokémon. "Go, Garchomp!"
The bipedal shark-like pokémon that materialized in front of them had a mix of red and blue colorations all over, with two horn-like appendages and a star-like yellow mark on its snout. Its arms had one claw each, and triangular fins emerged from its elbows and back.
"The nigh legendary Garchomp!" Harrison whispered. He had heard about the new Sinnoh Champion and her undefeatable Garchomp, though had never even considered that Shirona would be the Cynthia Shirona.
"Go, Arcanine!" He chose his pokémon. "Let the battle begin!"