Chapter Sixty-Five: Soaring Toward That Azure Sky (The title bears no relation to the main text.)

Cynthia smiled as she handled the documents on her desk. Beside her, Roserade used its rose-tipped hand to gently set a cup of coffee on the table.

Turning her head, Cynthia flashed a radiant smile. "Thank you, Roserade."

Roserade responded with a courteous bow.

In the office, Lucario sat cross-legged in a corner, blue aura shimmering around its body. Garchomp lounged on the sofa, watching television with Togekiss. Peering out the window, one could see Glaceon, Spiritomb, and Milotic frolicking together in the swimming pool.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Cynthia called.

A young man stepped inside, wearing a yellow T-shirt and baggy, hip-hop style pants, his eye-catching red afro bobbing as he moved. He waved at Cynthia and said, "Hey, Cynthia, you seem to be in a good mood today. Any good news from Professor Chen Ou?"

His tone was lighthearted, teasing.

Cynthia shot him an exasperated look. "Am I not giving you enough work, Flint?"

"My apologies! I was wrong, please forgive me!" Flint immediately bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, the gesture executed with practiced ease.

Cynthia could only put a hand to her forehead. "Can’t you people do a bit more work? You’re always slacking off."

Flint straightened up, grinning impishly. "You could always make Volkner do more!"

Cynthia rolled her eyes at him. "Volkner already has more than enough on his plate." She picked a few files from her stack and handed them to Flint.

Scratching his head with a pained expression, Flint walked over and accepted the documents. Clearly, as a habitual slacker, he had no right to refuse these tasks.

I should have dragged Aaron along with me! Flint thought bitterly. Next time something like this comes up, I’m definitely bringing my good buddy with me. That’s what friends are for—to share the blame.

After Flint had gathered up the files, Cynthia asked, "So? Has the egg been sent?"

At her question, Flint’s troubled expression faded. He nodded. "Yeah, a ‘reliable’ staff member has already set out to deliver it to Professor Chen Ou."

At the word "reliable," Cynthia couldn’t help but shake her head. "Volkner already has so much work, and you’re still piling more on him?"

Flint shrugged. "It wasn’t my idea—Volkner arranged it himself. He said he has some things he wants to discuss with Professor Chen Ou, and he’ll take the opportunity to travel around Kanto, treat it as a vacation. He’s already finished all his urgent tasks; the rest can wait until he gets back."

Cynthia nodded, took a sip of coffee, and continued, "Then you and Aaron will have to divide Volkner’s work between you. Don’t let his workload increase before he returns."

Flint scratched his head. "Alright, fine."

Then, with a complicated look, he asked, "Cynthia, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded.

Flint looked puzzled. "This year, you used your Champion’s privilege to select a Chimchar egg for Professor Chen Ou. Don’t you think that’s a bit of a loss?"

To be honest, Flint wasn’t the only one who found it strange. Nearly everyone was perplexed by her decision.

As a Fire-type Elite, Flint could tell that the egg’s parents were extremely powerful Pokémon—only such strong Pokémon could produce an egg that radiated that much energy even before hatching. But he was certain that his own Infernape’s offspring would be just as good as whatever was in this egg. On this point, Flint was supremely confident. If Cynthia needed one, not to mention Chen Ou’s half-Sinnoh League family status, even just being Professor Oak’s protégé and the youngest Pokémon professor would be enough to make Flint gift her a Chimchar egg outright.

Firstly, he trusted that a student of Professor Oak would never mistreat a Pokémon. Secondly, it would be a good way to build rapport.

But Cynthia hadn’t come to Flint. Instead, she used her annual Champion’s privilege to exchange for this egg. That privilege could get far more than an egg—it could grant access to Mega Stones or even legendary resources.

To use such a privilege for what seemed like a mere Chimchar egg? Even a pseudo-legendary egg would have seemed unworthy of it. The other Elites had all exchanged their privileges for rare resources like Mega Stones. True, as the heir of an ancient Sinnoh family, Cynthia lacked for nothing, but even so, this seemed wasteful.

No matter how hard they thought, no one could understand why the always rational Cynthia would make such a choice.

Could it be that love had clouded her judgment?

So, while Cynthia had Flint check on the egg and arrange for it to be sent to Professor Chen Ou, everyone asked Flint to find out the real reason. After all, everyone enjoys a bit of gossip.

When Flint asked, Cynthia smiled. "I’ve met the parents of that egg."

Flint nodded—everyone knew the egg had been brought back to the League by Cynthia after a mission.

"The parents of that egg died in battle against a powerful foe."

So what? Flint tilted his head in confusion. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of Pokémon eggs born from parents who died in battle.

"They were killed by a herd of Rhyperior. Want to guess how many Rhyperior there were in that group?"

Cynthia posed the question playfully.

Flint thought for a moment. Based on his understanding of Rhyperior, the largest herds typically numbered around twenty. With that many, not even two Infernapes would stand a chance. Even for him, it would be tough.

"About a dozen? Fifteen at most," Flint guessed—his very upper limit for a winnable battle.

But Cynthia just smiled and shook her head.

"Then how many?" he asked.

"Thirty. In the end, only two were left."

How many?

Flint’s eyes widened—he wanted to ask aloud but the words caught in his throat.

Cynthia seemed to understand his reaction and smiled. "Thirty is correct. It was the largest herd of Rhyperior ever recorded."

"That’s incredibly strong," Flint nodded. In that case, the Chimchar in that egg really might be extraordinary. While it still didn’t entirely match the value of her privilege, it was no longer such an unbelievable exchange.

"But that’s not all," Cynthia said with a smile. "Before fighting the Rhyperior herd, the parents had already faced another formidable opponent. By the time they fought the Rhyperior, they were already running on empty."

Flint’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

"The opponent they faced before was Giratina, the Renegade Dragon. Giratina didn’t kill them, but a herd of Rhyperior took advantage of their weakness."

Flint suddenly felt a deep sense of loss.

After a long silence, he gave a wry smile. "Now I really feel like I missed out on a fortune…"

He wasn’t exaggerating. Cynthia wouldn’t deceive him about something like this. Which meant the parents of that egg were the strongest Infernapes of their time—perhaps even the strongest ever. His own Infernape could never match that. If he could have gotten that Chimchar… he might even have been able to challenge Cynthia herself.

Cynthia just smiled, then turned to gaze at the azure sky. In a soft voice, she said, "I want to give him only the very best."

PS: Happy Goddess Day to all our female readers.
PPS: The law states that women get a half-day off today. If you don’t, well… it’s probably not a good idea to ask your boss for it.