Chapter 185: Tormented by Her Own Mom
Three days later.
The main stadium at the Unova League Headquarters.
The circular stands were packed with Trainers who had traveled from all across the region, while the enormous screen suspended beneath the dome continuously displayed the schedule for the Elite Four Challenge.
The first match—
Miori vs. Shauntal.
"I’ve been looking forward to battling you for quite some time."
Shauntal adjusted her glasses, a gentle smile on her face.
The battle didn’t last very long.
After her final Pokémon was defeated, Shauntal recalled it into its Poké Ball.
Rather than looking disappointed, however, her smile only deepened.
"Your battling style has a wonderful sense of narrative to it."
Shauntal walked to the center of the battlefield and shook Miori’s hand.
"Domineering yet gentle, calm yet carrying a passion impossible to ignore... would you mind if I based the protagonist of my next novel on you?"
Miori blinked.
"What kind of novel?"
"I haven’t decided on a title yet."
Shauntal smiled.
"But my previous bestseller was called The Domineering Gym Leader Fell in Love with Me. That one was inspired by your mother, Elesa, and your father, Asher~"
Miori’s smile instantly froze.
That novel—
The one that had sold more than a million copies throughout Unova—
The one she herself had secretly flipped through for a couple of pages while on duty at the Gym—
Its protagonists were based on her parents?!
"...Aunt Shauntal."
Miori’s voice carried an almost pleading sincerity.
"Could you please stop writing bonus Chapters for that book?"
The second match—
Miori vs. Grimsley.
Grimsley’s battling style was vicious and direct.
At one point, Weavile’s Night Slash pushed Luxray to the brink.
But at the critical moment, Miori used Emolga’s Encore to lock Weavile into its previous action.
She seized the opening—
And finished the match with a single Wild Charge.
After recalling Weavile, Grimsley remained silent for several seconds before nodding toward Miori.
"Your Electric-type Pokémon are considerably more troublesome than I expected."
Miori scratched her head.
"Honestly, they’re even more troublesome outside of battle."
The third match—
Miori vs. Marshal.
Hariyama and Conkeldurr were repeatedly suppressed by Miori’s Aegislash and Zeraora.
Every clash at close range was precisely intercepted by King’s Shield.
After recalling his final Pokémon, Marshal strode over and gave Miori a powerful pat on the shoulder.
"Excellent battle! It’s been a long time since I’ve fought an opponent who made a battle this satisfying!"
The force of the slap made Miori’s entire body sway.
She nevertheless smiled.
"Your fighting spirit is really admirable too, Uncle Marshal."
The fourth match—
Miori vs. Caitlin.
Caitlin kept her eyes closed throughout the entire battle while issuing commands.
Gothitelle’s Psychic whipped up a raging storm of psychic power at the center of the battlefield.
Miori sent out Emolga.
Using repeated Thunderbolts, Emolga continuously interrupted Gothitelle whenever it attempted to gather psychic power.
Finally—
A single Wild Charge ended the match.
After the referee raised his flag, Caitlin slowly opened her eyes and gave a sleepy yawn.
"My... Is it already over? That was faster than I expected."
"Aunt Caitlin..."
Miori couldn’t resist asking.
"Were you sleeping just now?"
"I wasn’t~"
Caitlin tapped one finger against her temple, the corner of her mouth curling upward.
"I was merely giving commands with my eyes closed."
"But congratulations... new Champion— If you can defeat Alder, that is."