"Grandma."
Cynthia, who had also finished her ice cream, regained her heroic and spirited demeanor. She walked over to Dr. Kitahara and sat down beside her, nodding at Yu Huijun, who was greeting her from a distance.
"Let me introduce you. This is my granddaughter; she's already a Champion now."
Dr. Kitahara deliberately introduced her granddaughter to Oak. The person they were looking for was right in front of them, and all she had to do was mention that her granddaughter was a Champion.
Any Trainer would surely be unable to resist a challenge. Then, her granddaughter would say that she only brought her main Pokémon, and to make a good impression on the Champion, she would definitely bring out her strongest Pokémon for the challenge.
Before coming, she had learned from Yu Teng Sheng Dai that the strongest Pokémon of this young man named Yu Feng was that unknown giant Pokémon.
Unfortunately, Dr. Kitahara's idea was good, but this tactic wasn't very effective on Yu Feng because he wasn't a passionate Trainer in the strict sense. Instead, the one who reacted the most to this was... "!!!"
"May I challenge you?"
Ash immediately triggered a special condition; he couldn't resist when he heard the word "Champion."
Wasn't that why he became a Trainer? To encounter Pokémon and challenge powerful Trainers together.
"You are?"
Dr. Kitahara was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected the young man she wanted to attract to show no reaction, while another person reacted so intensely.
This wasn't quite what she had expected. Wasn't it said that the stronger the Trainer, the more they wanted to challenge the Champion to prove their strength?
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town! My goal is to become a Pokémon Master."
Watching Ash's very confident self-introduction, Dr. Kitahara and Oak both broke out in a cold sweat. His courage was admirable, but they had never seen anyone so confident.
Who would challenge a Champion right off the bat like that? It was a good thing Champions generally had good self-restraint; otherwise, with Ash's rashness, it would be unforgivable not to teach him a profound lesson.
"Oh, Ash, a Champion is a top fighting force in a region. You can't just challenge them whenever you want."
Oak said with a wry smile, advising Ash to consider the Champion's status. It wasn't something he could just challenge. If everyone could challenge a Champion, they wouldn't have time for anything else all day.
"But Trainers must battle the moment their eyes meet."
Ash was a bit confused. Didn't everyone say that? As long as Trainers' eyes met, they could battle. Why were Champions so special?
Facing Ash's question, Oak couldn't clearly explain the intricacies to him. He could only say that only if the Champion was interested in you and actively proposed a battle, you couldn't directly challenge them. Of course, if you were from an evil organization, that would be a different story.
"Grandma, I don't think we need to make it so complicated."
"You're Ash, right? And you're Yu Feng, right? I apologize, your names from the China region are quite a mouthful to pronounce."
Cynthia stepped forward, first complaining about her grandma's failed plan, then turning her gaze to Yu Feng and Ash, her tone very serious.
"Hey, hey! Your names are the mouthful ones!"
Regarding Cynthia's comment that their names were a mouthful to pronounce, Yu Huijun expressed strong protest.
Cynthia's names were clearly harder to pronounce! Their names in the China region were at most four characters, and four characters were considered few in other regions.
Moreover, he had also suppressed Fu Ningna, who looked like she had seen an idol upon seeing Cynthia. After all, as one of only two female Champions currently, any female Trainer would surely aspire to be like her.
"My apologies, Officer Yu Tian... Officer, but it is indeed difficult for me to pronounce. Alright, Ash, you want to challenge me, right?"
Just as Cynthia was about to reveal Yu Huijun's true identity, she saw him constantly winking at her and making gestures with his mouth.
Although Cynthia didn't understand why he wanted to hide his identity—after all, she, a Champion, didn't have such thoughts—since he was constantly hinting, should she perhaps listen to his suggestion a little?
Regardless of how long Cynthia's little playful mischief kept Yu Huijun on tenterhooks, Ash was also very excited when he heard Cynthia's words. For him at the moment, challenging a Champion was a very important matter.
Even though Pikachu desperately tried to stop him, he couldn't be held back.
"Of course!"
Upon hearing Cynthia's words, Ash instantly became excited. Did she mean she agreed to battle him? He could challenge a Champion one step ahead of Gary.
Gary, who left early, would surely regret it immensely! Ash thought, feeling a little smug.
"But not right now."
"I only brought one Pokémon with me here, so I can't have a full team battle with you."
"But we can have a 1v1 instructional battle."
As Cynthia spoke, Ash's expression changed from excitement to disappointment, and then back to excitement, as if Cynthia were doing it on purpose. Although Yu Feng knew that Cynthia probably just said whatever came to mind.
But someone meeting her for the first time couldn't tell if it was her playful mischief or just her inherent personality.
Perhaps it was just her nature? A certain Psychic Elite Four grumbled and left the chat.
"Listen to me, let's get some good rest today. We'll battle at the Pokémon Center tomorrow. Afterwards, you can also have a match with Yu Feng."
Yu Feng, who was talking to his sister nearby, looked puzzled when he heard Cynthia's words. He never said he wanted to challenge her, so why was he dragged into it too?
"That, I..."
Following the principle of asking when you don't understand, Yu Feng was about to ask his question when Dr. Kitahara quickly interrupted him.
She could tell that this young man didn't want to challenge, or rather, he had no obsession with challenging a Champion.
It really was... too strange.
"Don't say that! A Champion's guidance is something many people can only dream of. You must cherish this opportunity. Wouldn't you agree, Oak?"
Dr. Kitahara seemed desperate to prevent Yu Feng from refusing this opportunity, urging him on and subtly hinting at Oak to also persuade Yu Feng.
"Indeed, many people would kill for a Champion's instructional battle. My grandson, Gary, for example, won't have this good fortune."
Although he didn't know what Dr. Kitahara was up to, for Yu Feng and the others, a Champion's guidance was indeed a rare and sought-after opportunity. His grandson, for instance, was in a hurry to leave and missed out on this good luck.
"But I..."
"What's there to 'but' about? That's Ms. Cynthia!"
Fu Ningna had an expression of disappointment, as if Yu Feng was a piece of iron that couldn't be forged into steel. If Ms. Cynthia were willing to guide her, she would wake up smiling in her dreams.
