Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

Early the next morning, when Rex arrived at Yui and the others' cottage with his Pokémon, he found Cynthia engaged in a Pokémon battle with Karen.

It was clear to Rex that Cynthia was guiding Karen more than seriously battling her. With Karen's Swellow facing Cynthia's Togekiss, there was no way she could last long in a real match.

"Boss, you're here! Cynthia is amazing! Akino's Swellow is totally getting shut down!" said Yui excitedly as soon as Rex approached.

"Uh, Yui… first of all, you should understand what it means to be a Champion," Rex replied, a bit speechless.

Yui wasn't particularly invested in the world of Pokémon trainers, so she didn't really grasp what being a League Champion entailed—hence her surprise at Cynthia's performance.

"So, Boss, how do you compare to Cynthia in strength?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm still far from her level," Rex admitted, not thrilled to say it, but honest with himself.

Right now, there was no way he could match Cynthia—unless he used Celebi and the others. But those weren't Pokémon he had trained personally, so they didn't represent his true skill as a trainer.

"You're too modest, Rex. I watched your matches at the Saiyu Tournament—you're no pushover," Cynthia said with a smile, having overheard him.

"Karen, keep sparring with my Togekiss. It knows how to hold back," she called over her shoulder before walking up to Rex—clearly with something to say.

"Rex, can I ask what that intense burst of life energy was last night?"

Cynthia went straight to the point, voicing her curiosity.

"Ah, that... it was part of a little experiment of mine. If you're interested, I can explain it."

Rex wasn't surprised that Cynthia had sensed last night's anomaly. In fact, he hoped she might offer some insight to help refine his plan to evolve Carbink.

He then explained his theory to her—his goal of evolving Carbink into Diancie—and how last night's energy surge came from feeding it a large dose of life energy.

"That's... quite a bold idea, Rex," Cynthia said, visibly shaken by the explanation. Since arriving at Rex's farm, she'd been surprised over and over again.

Whether it was bonding with multiple Mythical Pokémon or now trying to evolve a Carbink into a Diancie, Rex's ambitions were beyond the scope of normal trainers.

"Could I see this Carbink?" she asked after a pause.

"Of course, but it's off playing right now. I'll have a Swellow fetch it."

Rex called to the Swellow resting on the rooftop and asked it to find Carbink—likely somewhere near the small forest.

"By the way, Cynthia—after you see Carbink, would you consider having a battle with me? I want to see just how far I have to go to reach the top."

This was a rare opportunity. Battling one of the world's strongest trainers would give Rex a real sense of his current level—and it would be a powerful motivator for his Pokémon, too.

"Absolutely. I'd like to see your strength for myself," Cynthia replied, intrigued.

Soon, Carbink floated back toward them, accompanied by Combusken, Ursaring, and the others. They had been exploring the woods together.

"This Carbink… it's definitely unusual. Its aura is much stronger than most I've encountered," Cynthia noted as she examined it closely.

Rex agreed—Carbink felt more powerful today than it did yesterday. He assumed it was the aftereffects of last night's massive life energy infusion.

When Cynthia saw the gleaming pink gem atop Carbink's head, her doubts faded. She was beginning to believe this Carbink really might evolve into the legendary Diancie.

Carbink, meanwhile, looked at Rex, confused—wasn't there something important? Why all the attention?

"Cynthia, now that you've seen it, do you need anything else from Carbink?" Rex asked, seeing it getting antsy.

"No, I've seen enough," she replied, still deep in thought. Theoretically, she could attempt to replicate the evolution process, but the sheer amount of life energy required—and the lack of Mythical Pokémon to help—made it impractical.

"Alright then. Carbink, you can go back and play," Rex said with a smile.

Carbink happily bounded off with its friends toward Petalburg Forest. Apparently, they'd already planned an adventure today and didn't want to miss it.

Once they were gone, Rex began calling his other team members. He and Cynthia had agreed to a 3v3 battle.

After some thought, Rex selected Swellow, Machamp, and Politoed—all among his strongest land-combat Pokémon. Milotic and Gyarados would be at a disadvantage on dry ground.

Moments later, Swellow shot through the sky like lightning and landed gracefully beside Rex. Machamp and Politoed arrived shortly after, assembling quickly for the battle to come.

The match between Rex and Cynthia was about to begin.

(End of Chapter)