Chapter 259: No Holding Back Allowed
After breakfast, Rio and Ace’s group arrived at the Lily of the Valley Conference venue. As a visiting League Champion from another region, he would be prominently introduced alongside Chairman Damaranche.
While waiting in the guest seating, Rio spotted his opponent for the exhibition match—a red-haired man with an explosive afro. Flint, the Sinnoh Fire-type Elite Four.
Flint noticed him too. Rio waited for Flint to greet him first—after all, he was the League Champion of both Kanto and Johto. Making the first move would feel beneath him. Flint, on the other hand, was used to being the one who was approached—being a Sinnoh Elite Four, even if Rio outranked him, he wasn’t about to break his long-held aloofness.
So the two of them made eye contact and then glanced away in unison. Standing beside Flint was Volkner, known as Sinnoh’s strongest Gym Leader.
When Rio first saw Volkner, he did a double-take—then a flood of references came to mind: Naruto’s dad, the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash—yes, Minato Namikaze.
Unlike Flint, Volkner didn’t speak either, but he gave Rio a polite nod before turning back to chat with Flint. Even though Rio couldn’t hear what they were saying, he had a feeling it was about him.
"So, Flint—confident about beating the Champion from Kanto?" Volkner nudged the Fire-type Elite Four.
Flint crossed his arms, radiating self-assurance. "Honestly, I was a little intimidated at first. The info I got said this guy cleared their Champion’s Road in a single day, then swept their Elite Four without a single loss. Sounds unbelievable."
"But then I saw an interview that changed my mind—I think the hype is overblown."
"What interview?" Volkner asked.
"The one with Professor Carolina’s granddaughter when she picked him up at the airport. She said they’ve fought before, and he only won by a narrow margin. I know her—she’s strong enough to win this Lily of the Valley Conference, but she’s nowhere near League Champion level."
"So if he only barely beat her, what’s there to be afraid of?" Flint said confidently. "He’s just not that impressive."
Volkner frowned. "What if she exaggerated her own strength?"
"No way—I ran into her earlier and asked her directly. She swore up and down that he only won through luck. She even said that when they first met, he didn’t even dare send out his ace Charizard against her Garchomp."
"After hearing that, I knew she was telling the truth. No one can clear Champion’s Road in a day and sweep the Elite Four undefeated. Either he’s a plant, or the Kanto trainers have gotten so weak that he coasted through. Either way, this win is mine, easy."
Watching Flint’s smug expression, Volkner fell into thought. According to his friend, this Kanto Champion didn’t seem so threatening. He might be a League Champion in title, but not the kind they’d initially feared—more likely a figurehead the Kanto and Johto Leagues pushed forward to rally public sentiment after years without a Champion.
An hour later, the Lily of the Valley Conference opening ceremony began. It was grand—fireworks bursting across the sky in endless displays. Rio made his appearance before the Sinnoh public during this grand spectacle.
But unlike the warm reception from the Sinnoh League executives the night before, the crowd was lukewarm—almost cold. There was little cheering. It felt muted.
When Flint took the stage, however, the crowd erupted with thunderous applause. The contrast was stark.
Rio wasn’t bothered by it. It was only natural—if Flint visited Kanto, he’d probably get the same treatment. When a local Elite Four faces a visiting Champion, the home crowd always rallies behind their own. For it to be any different, both he and Flint would have to be stunningly beautiful women—then a bunch of shameless fans would cheer for both.
"Alright—the opening address is over. Now it’s time for the much-anticipated exhibition match!"
"Representing Sinnoh, our Fire-type Elite Four—Flint! And visiting all the way from Kanto, the League Champion—Rio!"
"The match will be a 3v3 battle. After it concludes, the Lily of the Valley Conference will officially begin. Contestants, please prepare!"
The announcer’s voice echoed through the venue. The crowd’s cheers for Flint intensified—chants of "Flint, beat the Kanto Champion!" filled the air.
The noise gradually subsided as both trainers sent out their Pokémon. Flint sent out a Level 66 Flareon. Rio sent out Eevee.
But the moment Rio’s Eevee appeared, Flint’s expression showed clear dissatisfaction. "Hold on," he called out just as Rio was about to give a command.
Rio looked at him in confusion.
"From what I know, Eevee isn’t part of your main team. Where’s your Charizard? Send it out. Since you’ve come all this way, show us your real strength—let’s see what you’ve really got," Flint said loudly.
What’s he trying to do? Is he implying I’m looking down on him? Or is he trying to spin it so that even if I win, people will say he only lost because I didn’t use my best Pokémon? That I held back?
Flint hated that kind of opponent. If you’re going to battle, do it for real—don’t let him leave unsatisfied. Unless, of course, you’re just a paper tiger and not as strong as the rumors say.
Rio frowned at Flint’s words. I was trying to be nice—let you save face—and now you want me to send out Charizard?
He glanced toward the front row at Ace and the others. They looked just as baffled—clearly, they hadn’t expected Flint to demand Rio use his best Pokémon and go all out. That was just asking to be humiliated.
"What’s wrong, Kanto Champion? Scared?" Flint’s confidence grew, convinced that Rio was nothing more than a puppet propped up by the Kanto League, with no real strength beyond a conference champion’s level.
Rio caught Flint’s taunt, then looked back at Ace and the others. They exchanged glances, sighed, and nodded—giving Rio the go-ahead.
It wasn’t that they wanted to embarrass Sinnoh—but if Flint insisted on getting humiliated, they couldn’t be blamed for being rude.