Pokemon: As Cynthia's Fiance

Want to read ahead. You know where patreon.com/PikaTL

-----

Sinnoh Region. Celestic Town.

As soon as Sam and the group arrived home, they headed straight for the training ground behind the villa.

The trio who had stayed behind to prepare for the Lily of the Valley Conference quickly surrounded them.

Even Red, who had been quietly practicing in the corner of the field, stopped his drills and walked over.

"Professor Sam!"

Ash ran up to him, his face flushed with excitement.

He immediately began reporting the results of his training over the past few days.

"I've been practicing hard exactly according to the training method you gave me! My Pokémon have made great progress!"

Through a quick glance with his Divine Sense, Sam scanned the levels of Ash's team.

It was true; there had been a significant improvement across the board.

Most notably, his Infernape had broken through and reached the peak of the Gym Leader tier.

Sam smiled warmly. "It seems your training has been very effective, Ash."

Dawn, holding Piplup in her arms, chimed in from the sidelines.

"Ash has been working non-stop for the Lily of the Valley Conference. Aside from taking care of the Pokémon, he's out here doing special training with them from dawn until dusk."

Brock, squinting his eyes in his usual wise manner, nodded in agreement.

"Yesterday, Ash's Infernape even exchanged a few blows with Red's Charizard. Although they lost, Red affirmed their strength."

Red, who was always a man of few words, nodded slightly.

"His growth rate is very fast," Red said quietly.

"He has become calmer in battle. His control over his Pokémon's skills is much more mature than before."

Receiving recognition from such powerful trainers, Ash scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I just did what Professor Sam told me to do!" Ash laughed.

"Compared to you, Professor, I'm still lightyears away!"

Although Ash spoke modestly, he couldn't hide the proud, fiery glint in his eyes.

He was proud of his Pokémon's hard work.

At this time, Cynthia walked out of the house, followed by Diantha and Sabrina.

Diantha had known Ash, Brock, and Dawn for a long time, so she smiled and gave them a graceful nod of greeting.

Sabrina knew Ash, Brock, and Red from their encounters back in the Kanto Region.

Dawn had only seen Sabrina on television and the internet, so they exchanged brief, polite introductions.

Once everyone was acquainted, Cynthia looked curiously at the boys surrounding Sam.

"What were you all talking about just now?"

"Ash has grown a lot while we were away," Sam replied with a faint smile.

Cynthia looked over Ash's team, her experienced eyes assessing their auras.

"It seems they have. You'll definitely be a dark horse in the Sinnoh League this year, Ash."

"Thank you!" Ash beamed at the continuous praise.

"But the Lily of the Valley Conference is full of masters. It won't be easy to win the championship."

Ash's expression turned serious.

"And even if I am lucky enough to win... I know I'm still far behind you, Miss Cynthia."

He looked at the group. Cynthia, Diantha, Sabrina, and Red were all Regional Champions or possessed Champion-level strength.

Even if Ash won his League, he still had a long way to go to reach their heights.

And then there was Sam, who stood entirely above the Regional Champions.

"Keep pushing, Ash," Sam encouraged.

"You can do it."

"I will!" Ash nodded heavily. Then, he looked at Sam, his eyes burning with absolute determination.

"Professor Sam! I have a favor to ask you!"

"Go ahead," Sam said casually, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of being back home.

Ash stood perfectly straight, his tone solemn and serious.

"Professor Sam, I know there is a massive gap between you and me! But I want to ask you for a battle!"

Ash clenched his fists.

"And I want you to use your strongest Pokémon against me! I want to clearly understand exactly how vast the gap is between us! That way, I'll have the motivation to keep training harder than ever!"

Ash's tone was incredibly sincere.

He was happy with the compliments, yes, but he needed a reality check.

He wanted to report his training results to his mentor in battle, and, more importantly, to see the mountain's highest peak he was trying to climb.

Hearing Ash's specific request, the three female Champions, Cynthia, Diantha, and Sabrina, all looked at the boy with extremely weird, almost pitying expressions.

"Professor Sam!" Ash bowed deeply, at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

"Please!"

"My strongest Pokémon..." Sam murmured, rubbing his chin.

It was hard to refuse the pleading, determined look in Ash's eyes.

But his strongest Pokémon? Did Ash really understand what he was asking for?

"Yes!" Ash bowed again.

"Please, Professor Sam! Use your absolute best! Let me understand the gap!"

Faced with Ash's repeated, earnest requests, Sam sighed.

"Alright. If you insist."

—

The Battlefield.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Standing in his trainer's box, Ash took two deep breaths, adjusting his mental state.

After being guided by Sam, he had matured significantly.

He knew it was impossible to win this battle. But his posture was perfect, and his focus was razor-sharp.

He would fight with everything he had.

Before the battle started, Ash bowed to Sam one last time. His attitude was completely respectful.

"Sam! Please instruct me!"

With that, Ash pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it with a fierce shout.

"Infernape! I choose you!"

"Gwaaaah!!"

Infernape materialized on the field in a burst of flames. Its muscles were tense, its concentration absolute.

Like Ash, it took this battle very seriously. It was ready to show the Professor how much it had grown.

Looking at Ash and Infernape, who were practically vibrating with anticipation, Sam felt a little troubled.

'If I use Lucario, it would be a good sparring match... Sam thought to himself. But Ash emphasized it several times. He wants me to use my absolute strongest.'

'Well, since he asked for it…'

Sam didn't overthink it.

He reached for his belt and unclipped the standard red-and-white Poké Ball he had just used earlier that day.

He tossed it casually onto the battlefield.

Flash!

The moment the red light dissipated, the temperature of the entire training ground plummeted sharply.

The warm afternoon air instantly turned to a biting, freezing chill.

A massive shadow blotted out the sun over the battlefield.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!