Anya and Anya

Shaymin, still held tightly by Venusaur's vine whip, was completely immobilized. Unable to escape, it could only take the full brunt of a Sludge Bomb attack. Afterward, its head drooped, and it collapsed to the ground.

With that, the contestant advancing to the final round was declared to be Erika.

After the match, Vivian enthusiastically and energetically announced the result, sounding almost as though she had won the match herself.

The upcoming battles would feature Erika and Hana competing for the championship title, while Bill and Anya would face off for third and fourth place.

However, since all the participants had already been through intense matches that morning, they needed time to rest and recover. The next matches were scheduled for the afternoon.

As lunchtime arrived, Yuga went home for his meal as usual. On the way, however, he caught a glimpse of a strange figure flashing by.

The person's attire was peculiar—they were wearing a hood in broad daylight, with their face completely covered. The sight was suspicious enough to pique Yuga's curiosity, and he couldn't help but follow.

Yet, after only a few steps, the person noticed him.

"Who's there?"

In a narrow alley, the stranger suddenly stopped, turned around, and called out cautiously.

Yuga hid in the shadows, not daring to make a sound. It would be far too embarrassing if someone discovered that he, a League-recognized, top-tier Trainer, had been sneaking around tailing someone—only to get caught.

The stranger scanned the area in confusion. Finding no one, they turned back around and left.

Even after the stranger departed, Yuga stayed put. In situations like this, wary individuals often double back to check again—just like in spy movies.

Sure enough, Yuga's hunch proved correct. The person returned shortly after and carefully searched the area again. Finding no trace of anyone, they muttered something under their breath and finally walked away.

When Yuga emerged from hiding, the stranger had already vanished. At that moment, he deeply missed the days when Gengar and Mismagius were by his side. If those two had been there, he wouldn't have been caught trailing someone so easily.

Unable to figure out who the person was, Yuga felt restless and frustrated. Judging from the person's shapely figure, he guessed it was likely a woman—unless, of course, it was some kind of pervert.

Standing in the alley for a while, Yuga eventually muttered a few complaints and went back home for lunch.

What Yuga didn't know was that the person he had been following went to Anya's hotel after leaving the alley and knocked on her door.

Anya opened the door cautiously. "Who is it?" she asked, her voice wary.

The stranger lifted a corner of their hood, revealing part of their face. Upon seeing it, Anya's expression changed dramatically. She quickly pulled the person inside and shut the door.

"What are you doing here? What if someone saw you?" Anya asked with a grim look.

"Don't worry. No one saw me," the stranger replied confidently.

As the strange woman spoke, she removed her hood, revealing a face identical to Anya's. However, this version of Anya looked much older—probably in her forties—while the real Anya was only in her twenties.

"When you say no one saw you, does that make it true? Have you forgotten where you are?" Anya scolded the woman harshly.

"And what kind of tone is that to use with me?" the strange woman retorted with displeasure. "Don't forget, the reason you are where you are today is all thanks to me."

Anya was left speechless.

It was true—her ability to gain Celebi's blessing and capture Shaymin was entirely due to this person's help. And astonishingly, this person's name was also Anya.

Even now, Anya struggled to wrap her head around the situation.

Over a year ago, this woman had suddenly appeared at her Gym, claiming to be a version of her from a parallel world and seeking her help.

At first, Anya found the claim too absurd to believe. But faced with a person whose face was almost a mirror image of her own, she couldn't help but believe it.

This strange Anya had told her many things.

The reason she had ended up in this world was because, in her own world, Team Rocket had gone to war with the League. During a battle between Legendary Pokémon, a spatial rift had appeared in the sky. She had accidentally fallen into the rift, which led her to this world.

But how could that be possible? From what Anya knew, while Team Rocket in both Kanto and Johto was indeed the most powerful known criminal organization, they lacked the strength to challenge the League on such a scale.

The strange Anya also claimed that in her world, she had been a disciple of Master Kuni'o and the Champion of the League, holding an unparalleled position of prestige.

This was entirely at odds with Anya's own memories. In her world, Master Koni'o's disciple was a Trainer named Shimizu Yuga, an incredibly talented individual.

Anya could still vividly recall the young man's performance during the Gym Challenge matches. He had since made a name for himself, thriving in the Trainer world, while she remained an unknown Gym Leader.

Now, however, this woman was telling her that something in her world must have gone wrong. She insisted that Shimizu Yuga didn't exist in the parallel world and could never have been Master Koni'o's disciple.

The rightful disciple, according to this strange Anya, should have been her—Anya.

Over time, this peculiar version of herself began to mentor her. This woman truly possessed Champion-level skills, and under her guidance, Anya's abilities improved by leaps and bounds.

Shortly thereafter, during the recent Kodai incident, this strange Anya had assisted her in rescuing Celebi, aiming to obtain Celebi's blessing.

Celebi would only bestow its blessing upon those with pure hearts. By all accounts, the current Anya, whose heart was no longer entirely untainted, shouldn't have been able to receive it. But the strange Anya had a solution.

Using Ghost-type Pokémon, she sealed Anya's original memories and implanted psychological suggestions to make her heart genuinely pure and innocent. Once Celebi's blessing was secured, the Ghost Pokémon released the memory seal.

And just like that, Anya received Celebi's blessing.

The truth was that the strange Anya already possessed Celebi's blessing, one of a higher level than Yuga's. Her blessing even allowed her to block Yuga's detection, which was why Yuga had been unable to sense her presence, even when they were in close proximity.

As for how the strange Anya had noticed Yuga, it was precisely because of her own Celebi blessing, which resonated faintly. Otherwise, she wouldn't have deliberately doubled back to investigate further.

As the strange Anya revealed more and more about their worlds and her own status and power in her original world, Anya couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable sense of longing.

The strange Anya promised to help her achieve her desires but demanded her cooperation in finding a way to return to her own world.

At the time, Anya asked, "Can't we just ask Celebi for help?"

After all, Celebi could traverse time and space.

But the strange Anya explained that it wasn't possible. She was from a parallel world, and while Celebi could move through time and space within the same world, it couldn't cross into a parallel dimension.

The two worlds were like parallel lines—Celebi simply didn't have the power to make them intersect.

Even she herself was unsure how she had ended up in this parallel dimension. It only underscored how many secrets time and space held.

As the strange Anya delved deeper into studying this world, her curiosity about Shimizu Yuga, this suddenly prominent figure, grew stronger. That was why she had urged Anya to use the Duel Tournament as an opportunity to probe into Yuga's background.

However, her impatience got the better of her, and she couldn't resist coming to Hoenn herself.

"How's it going with Shimizu Yuga? Have you uncovered anything about him?" the strange Anya asked when she saw Anya staying silent.

Anya replied, "How long have I been here? I've been busy with the tournament. How could I have found anything out so quickly?"

The truth was, she had tried to approach Yuga in the past few days, even subtly asking Ash and the others about him. But she hadn't learned anything.

Shimizu Yuga seemed friendly toward her on the surface, but it was clear he had no intention of forming any deep connections with her.

The strange Anya said irritably, "Didn't I tell you to just go through the motions with the tournament? Why are you taking it so seriously? You're delaying the real task and losing sight of your priorities."

"You don't understand!" Anya retorted. "This is about competitiveness. It's not something I can just switch off. I don't want to lose!"

"Oh, really? I heard there was a match today. Did you win?" The strange Anya raised an eyebrow.

"…I lost," Anya admitted, her expression sour.

"This is your so-called competitive spirit? Then why don't you win something to prove it?" the strange Anya mocked. "We're supposed to be the same person—how are you this incompetent?"

"Incompetent?" Anya shot back. "If I'm so incompetent, why don't you do it yourself? Why bother asking me for help?"

The strange Anya fell silent, clearly caught off guard. Her unique circumstances meant she couldn't reveal herself to the public.

"Fine, I apologize," the strange Anya said, her tone softening. "Here's the plan: you focus on openly interacting with Shimizu Yuga during the day. I'll investigate in secret. If you want to become Master Koni'o's disciple, you can't avoid dealing with this person."

Hearing her apologize, Anya's expression finally improved. She nodded and agreed, "Alright, fine."

...

Meanwhile…

When Yuga returned home, Audino had already set the table.

"Audino~"

Why are you home so late today?

Yuga smiled and said, "I got delayed by something on the way."

Ninetales, lounging on a chair, said, "You're not even eager about eating. How are you supposed to accomplish anything in the future?"

Yuga chuckled, "Where did you pick up that saying? How am I not eager about eating? Besides, I'm already the owner of a Day Care and the Gym Leader of Verdanturf Gym. What else do I need to accomplish in the future?"

"Hmph!" Ninetales turned its head to the side and said, "Hurry up and go wash your hands to eat. Everyone's waiting for you!"

Of course, it wouldn't admit that it had been polishing its performance skills lately. This line was one it picked up from a TV show, something it just said offhandedly.

After living for so long, one had to find a hobby or two; otherwise, what was the point of living?

After dinner, Yuga went out to check on the patrol Pokémon, instructing them to keep a closer eye on the town for the next couple of days. On the way back, he mulled over his earlier encounter, unable to shake the feeling that the person was suspicious.

Who wears a hood that conceals their face in broad daylight and acts so wary? It was definitely unusual.

That afternoon, Yuga headed to the gym as usual. When the time came, the tournament continued.

The first match was between Anya and Bill.

Bill was strong, but he was young, and his strength had its limits. Against someone like Anya, a seasoned Gym Leader with years of training experience, BIll had no real advantage.

Bill's first Pokémon was Chesnaught, while Anya's was Roserade.

Chesnaught excelled in straightforward, close-combat fights, but Roserade avoided direct confrontation, relentlessly using poison attacks to harass from a distance. This made Chesnaught feel extremely stifled and ultimately led to its defeat.

Bill then sent out her second Pokémon, Amoonguss, and replayed the strategy from her earlier battle with Hana. The gigantic Amoonguss relentlessly chased Roserade down with its fists, leaving Roserade with nowhere to hide.

Both were Poison-types, so Roserade's poison attacks were ineffective against Amoonguss. As a result, Roserade was eventually pummeled "unconscious" on the battlefield.

Still feeling frustrated from missing her chance to advance to the finals that morning and from the visit from the strange Anya at noon, Anya seemed rather impatient during her battle with Bill.

She sent out her second Pokémon, Shaymin, and immediately transformed it into its Sky Forme using a Gracidea flower.

Given Amoonguss's large size, it was impossible for Shaymin to miss its attacks. In no time, Amoonguss found itself in the same situation as Erika's Victreebel earlier and quickly fell.

At this point in the match, Diantha, who was seated at the judges' table, suddenly remarked, "Anya doesn't seem to have much patience."

Cynthia agreed, "Indeed, she looks a bit anxious."

Caitlin added, "But isn't she a Gym Leader? Gym Leaders are usually quite patient."

Yuga thought for a moment and said, "She's been fine until now. Maybe something happened to her."

"That's possible," Caitlin nodded. "Everyone has their share of troubles."

With that, the judges didn't dwell on the topic further.

Bill's last Pokémon was Sceptile, but it wasn't even as strong as Amoonguss. Like its predecessor, it was no match for Shaymin and ended up being another easy victory.

As a result, Bill ranked fourth, while Anya took third place.

Next was the match between Hana and Erika.

In truth, Hana's strength was nowhere near that of Anya, who placed third. She advanced because her previous opponent was the younger and less experienced Bill, not someone like Erika or Anya.

But what could she do? Luck was on her side.

However, luck could only get her so far. By the final match, it couldn't help her anymore. The audience even felt that the final battle was less exciting than the morning matches because Hana lost so decisively.

Erika sent out her strongest Pokémon, Venusaur, right at the start, and it swept through all three of Hana's Pokémon with ease.

Perhaps because of this dominant performance, the audience became even more enthusiastic, cheering loudly for Erika. Everyone realized that while Erika appeared gentle and kind off the field, she was unexpectedly fierce in battle.

This contrast only made her more popular.

With that, the Duel Tournament concluded. Erika emerged as the champion, while Hana claimed the runner-up position.

Despite losing the final match, Hana wasn't disheartened. Instead, she cheerfully congratulated Erika, clearly displaying her optimistic and good-natured personality.

Hana's gracious demeanor earned her a lot of cheers and applause from the audience.

In fact, Hana never expected to make it to the finals of the Duel Tournament. Securing the runner-up position was more than satisfactory for her, so there was no reason for her to feel upset.

After the tournament, the award ceremony took place, with none other than the distinguished judges serving as the presenters.