My arm thrusts forwards, fingers pointing ahead. A hint of Grass Type Energy is wrapped around them as they cut into the tree in front of me. With a grunt, I rip my hand sideways out of the wood. Splinters patter on the ground like raindrops. The tree is long dead but the wood still holds some humidity. Not really useful for anything but training.
I step back into a basic stance and lash out again in a quick one-two. This time, I’m using Electric TE and the sparks char the wood as my fists sink into it. I cycle a small bit of Psychic TE and push the top of the tree away as it starts to topple. There is a crackling crash and a cloud of dust as it lands. I smile to myself.
A chirp from behind makes me turn around. Lili is giving me an encouraging nod and the closest thing to a thumbs-up her arm-leaves can make. Gligar sits next to her clapping his claws together. He’s taken a liking to the noise after my two recent Gym battles.
“I’m getting stronger pretty quickly” I muse, “Not that I was that weak before.”
A huge head appears from the shadows in the trees around us. It’s golden crown-like headpiece shines in the morning sun as the glaring red eyes focus on me.
“You will have an easier time until you catch up” Giratina speaks into my mind.
“Oh, that makes sense. Sort of like rehab after an injury.”
“Yes. You are more Pokémon than human in that sense.”
I tilt my head.
“How’s that work?”
“Humans take a long time to recover.”
Mes pats my forehead from where she’s sitting on top of my hair.
“Strong friend!”
“Thanks, Mes” I smile, “Now, let’s go over today’s strategy. I wouldn’t have picked Candice for the third badge but Arceus probably did it for a reason.”
“They were too slow. The other days were occupied” Giratina says with a smirk.
My phone beeps. I pull it out and take a look at the message.
You might lose this fight if you took it later.
“Huh. Okay, then. So did you make sure I’d have the best chances, or what?”
Another message arrives after a few seconds.
Without Giratina battling, yes. You will have to leave soon.
I check the time and sure enough, there’s less than half an hour until the match.
“Thanks, Arceus. We gotta get ready, guys. Lili will start this time, then switch out for Lulu. From what I know, Candice shouldn’t have any Pokémon we don’t know from Hisui. At most there’ll be a Jinx or Cloyster. She’s been seen using those a few times but they’re apparently not part of her top team. That means we can have a little bit of fun.
“Now, I want you to…”
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Boards > Sinnoh_League > 92nd_Circuit > Trainer_News > Newcomers
> Topic: Is this girl the one Volkner was talking about?
LongDistanceVineWhip (WikiWarrior) (Original Poster)
Hey there, your favourite VineWhip here
Just watched an insane clip from Oreburgh, apparently happened just after the opening ceremony. Roark took on the first challenger of the saeson and I cant help but notice the strange Liligant-ish looking Pokémon. Anyone else watched the segment with Volkner a few weeks ago where he talked about someone that gave Cynthia a hard time? Is this her? That team Roark used looked pretty strong for a 0 badge fight.
Here s the clip. Name is apparently Zoe Crones. Second attempt at the professional circuit, five years after the first. I faintly remember putting her name up in the list of one-badges.
> Page 1 of 27 ; previous : next
> Brine_is_for_everyone
Holy hell thats a strong pokémon. Looks like some Lucario/Liligant fusion art I saw a few weeks ago. Is it fighting type?
> GreenerGrasses (Grass Type Enthusiast)
Gotta be a Grass Type! Go, Zoe, make us Grass Trainers proud! (And maybe tell us where one could find a Pokémon like that?)
> NotAGengar (Lab-Trainer)
That’s Low Sweep and Drain Punch. If not a Fighting Type, it’s at least using a lot of Fighting moves. With Solar Blade and Leaf Blade as well as shape and colourization, Grass Type is obvious. The parallels to a normal Liligant’s looks makes me want to assume its some kind of regional form. Sinnoh doesn’t have natural habitats of Liligant or Petilil so it might be a Sinnohian version if possible.
To add to the trainer discussion, Professor Rowan had Zoe as a guest in the lab a few weeks ago. Don’t know what they talked about but Lucas was there as well. Yes, that Lucas. The Lab-Trainer that keeps up with the circuit.
> LongDistanceVineWhip (WikiWarrior) (Original Poster)
Thanks for the info, Gengar! Much appreciated. Maybe they were talking about the new form and how it might’ve happened? We still don’t know a lot about how regional forms come to be. This might be the first time in recent history it’s happened. I’ll be looking out for Lab publications in the next months.
> LivingFossil (Rock Type Enthusiast)
Those poor fossil Pokémon. That must’ve hurt. Grass and Fighting Type moves against a Rock Gym? Ouch!
> BlitzRunner (Speedrunner)
Speedrunning community is watching out for this girl, that’s for sure! If she has more Pokémon at that level she might be the first to successfully complete a Black Badge speedrun. And she’s only got one badge before this? That means she qualifies for all the categories! I’ll admit, I’m a little scared.
> EAGLE
Anyone know what that strange Pokémon at 7 minutes in is? The one reinforcing the barrier? Never seen one like it
> Chukst3r
Good eyes eagle! Also, anyone notice how quick this match was? 6 mons down in under 8 mins
> ExpandedMind
I don’t know what it is but I want it! Super Kawaii!
> BlitzRunner (Speedrunner)
@Chukst3r the battle wasn’t that short. Most high level matches only have a few Moves before a mon goes down. They’re too powerful. If they kept fighting, they’d risk permanent injury.
> Page 27 of 27 ; previous : next
> BlitzRunner (Speedrunner)
Just saying, I’ve seen some things go wrong. If Crones’ Pokémon weren’t holding back at least a little, I’ll eat my boots.
> BloodRight
You’re delusional Pokémon dont get thatstrong. Unless their legends!
> PoryGone (Moderator)
Keep it calm, BloodRight. No insulting others. This is your first strike.
> GreenerGrasses (Grass Type Enthusiast)
Just gonna refresh my request. If anyone knows wehre to find a Pokémon like that, Please DM me! I want one!
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Ryan shakes his head. He only checked this thread because someone had tagged him in it. Turns out it was about that interview two weeks ago about the big Trainers for this season. He skimmed through but, as expected, the forums are filled with a ton of useless guessing and bickering. With a sigh, he clicks on the video linked in the original post.
Seven minutes and forty seconds later, he leans back in his chair. A shaking hand wipes the sweat from his brow.
“Cario,” his partner’s paw pats his shoulder. Lucario growls in excitement. Not something she does very often when watching recordings. He smiles and pats the paw.
Okay, so maybe Volkner’s intel on this new Trainer was true. A second Cynthia. Great. And one that’ll take part in the next conference most likely. Hopefully she’s a mono Trainer and not a versatile monster like the Champ.
Reluctantly, he turns back to his screen. It’s only been two days since the opening ceremony but she might’ve made the trip to one of the other Gyms. With powerful Pokémon like that, a quick flyer was highly likely. What was her name again? Zoe Crones? He typed it into the search bar and was surprised to see an individual thread immediately hog the top entry. The title was unassuming but even he as a Battle Network avoider knew that almost 100 pages of replies was a lot for less than 48 hours. With just the slightest bit of trepidation, he clicked.
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Boards > Sinnoh_League > 92nd_Circuit > Trainer_News > Newcomers
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
> Topic: Zoe Crones Reaction Thread V2
LongDistanceVineWhip (WikiWarrior) (Original Poster)
VineWhip here, again. Thought as I was the one to discover her first battle, I’d collect all the info about her, specifically all battle-related info (you sickos) in one easy to find place. Gonna update this with new links as they are shared. Feel free to DM or tag me.
For anyone who doesn’t know about our newest overlady, the most important bit of information is probably that Battle Network has nicknamed her Little Cynthia. I’m inclined to support that name, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. From what we know she can keep up with Cynthia in a friendly fight.
Edit: It’s now reasonable to assume that she’s going for one match a week. Speedrunners in shambles. Also, here is the Wiki info on badge tiers. Might be important to know since Crones only goes for Black Badges (which even Cynthia didn’t do back then).
Now, here’s the links (editing as they come in):
Zoe Crones Wiki Entry
First mention (Volkner interview)
First Battle (vs Roark)
Second Battle (vs Gardenia)
Third Battle (vs Candice)
Fluff links:
Picture gallery (mostly her Pokémon)
Eterna Gym Trainers interview (they spoke to her after the match)
> Page 1 of 98 ; previous : next
> BloodRight
First!!!
how she so fast? two gyms in two days. insane
> GreenerGrasses (Grass Type Enthusiast)
Damn, sniped by a brat. She probably has a flyer or teleporter. Though the teleporter would need to have been all over Sinnoh before to get everywhere iirc so probably a flyer.
Also crying right now. She’s not a Mono Grass Trainer! Why do you betray me so, Little Cynthia!
> BlizRunner (Speedrunner)
The speedrunning community is currently discussing setting up a new category. We’re not sure if we want to call it Cynthia Rush or Crones Percent.
Honestly, the nickname makes even more sense now that we know she’s not a Mono Trainer. But that Luxray is huge. What did she feed it?
> RubixCube
Bold of you to assume she’s feeding it. That monster probably hunts Rapidash for lunch.
> GreenerGrasses (Grass Type Enthusiast)
Leave me to my tears @BlitzRunner Making sense doesn’t make it any easier on my heart! Anyway, still looking for that Liligant Form. If it is one. Little Cynthia, I might forgive you if you tell me how to get one.
> EternalTree (Grass Type Enthusiast) (Gym Trainer)
Damn, I saw that match live and I can barely believe it happened. The way Lili came out at the end and just crushed it. That was so cold. Anyway, just came back from an interview. Zoe came to the backrooms with us to help treat Gardenia’s team. She’s really nice but also a little mysterious. Here is the link.
tl;dr: Zoe Crones is really good with Pokémon. Her battling skills are second to her general knowledge. Probably why she got a Lab-Trainer position. The little pink-and-grey Pokémon is not hers, it’s her friend. It helps her by teleporting but it won’t fight for her. She has a young Gligar picked up just recently and a fourth Pokémon that she didn’t want to show because it was ‘too scary’. That’s what she said right in front of Luxray’s giant fangs. The fourth Pokémon is apparently Ghost Dragon Type but that’s all she was willing to diverge. She said she will use it in at least one Gym battle.
> LongDistanceVineWhip (WikiWarrior) (Original Poster)
Thanks for the intel @EternalTree Something scarier than that Luxray? Oh shit. And it’s a Dragon. That means her Ace has something in common with Cynthia’s Ace. Another point in favour of Little Cynthia’s nickname.
I assume Lili is that Liligant? Is that what it is, btw? Can you confirm/deny?
> EternalTree (Grass Type Enthusiast) (Gym Trainer)
Can confirm it’s a Liligant. Apparently it was found quite commonly in Sinnoh a few hundred years ago. Back then, it was called Hisui or something? Not so sure. Might have to have a history nerd weigh in on that. Zoe didn’t want to say where she found it, though. I do have confirmation that it’s Grass Fighting.
> NotAGengar (Lab-Trainer)
Well, ouch. You’re shitting me. I didn’t know Luxray could get that big! And I’ve travelled the wild areas. Granted, I haven’t gone too deep but still.
Did a quick search in the database. Ghost Dragon is apparently only present on a Pokémon from Galar called Dragapult. A very fast and offensive Pokémon. Might be how she kept up with Cynthia. I’d ask around in the lab but I’m currently in Jubilife preparing for a trip deep into Eterna forest. I’m leaving in an hour and I’m scared what I’ll see when I come back.
> HistoryForLife (Champion Cynthia) (History Enthusiast)
:)
> Page 2 of 98 ; previous : next
> LongDistanceVineWhip (WikiWarrior) (Original Poster)
AAAAAAHH! IT’S THE CHAMP!!!!
Is that tacit approval of Little Cynthia’s nickname? Confirmation that they fought? Please enlighten us!
> GreenerGrasses (Grass Type Enthusiast)
No way!
> BloodRight
OMG!
> BlizRunner (Speedrunner)
Oh. Miss Champ, care to weigh in on naming the newest Speedrunning category? Also, thanks for acknowledging our community in your opening speech!
> WatchDog (WikiWarrior)
Welp, that confirms it in my eyes. Gonna update the Champ’s entry about related Trainers brb
> HealthyObsession
By the Champ! It’s the Champ! Gonna keep an eye on this Crones gilr as well.
> GreenerGrasses (Grass Type Enthusiast)
@HealthyObsession Please don’t make this threat weird like the first one. Even if you weren’t part of that.
> HealthyObsession
@GreenerGrasses No worries, my obsessions are healthy! I only care about strength and how to get there.
> ExtraSpecialxX (Banned)
(comment deleted by moderator)
> PoryGone (Moderator)
Not even gonna give you a chance. Banned. Keep it clean, everyone.
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Ryan leans back in his chair. How are these idiotic comments always keeping his interest for so long? There’s nothing interesting going on. Well, no. That was wrong. The Champion had involved herself in the discussion. The one person that never took part in stuff like this. She only talked on the history boards. Oh, and there was that info on Zoe’s team. He refused to call her ‘Little Cynthia’. But a Ghost type… That’s gonna be difficult to deal with for his team. Maybe it’s time to get his Pancham to evolve.
Shaking his head, he sits back up and goes through the links. Skipping past the battle with Roark he carefully watches the other two. Against Gardenia, Zoe used a huge Luxray. With how quickly that thing moves, he’ll have to put one of his bulkier partners on the field, Ryan thinks. Then he sees the monster’s Thunder and shakes his head. Bulk is going to be useless against that. He can only hope his Lucario is fast enough with her Bone Rush.
He turns on the next clip. Candice is an interesting choice for a third Gym but if she Teleports or flies around, it doesn’t really matter where you go for the badge. When Zoe starts the battle with her Liligant, he scoffs. A Grass Type against an Ice Type master. Though the Fighting Type it supposedly has will be very useful.
Candice starts off with Abomasnow, which produces a messy snowstorm. That quickly doesn’t matter when the Liligant uses Sunny Day to override the weather. That much was expected. Candice switches to her Glalie who stalls the Liligant for a few seconds by keeping his distance, then Abomasnow comes back in. Zoe reacts by swapping out instead of using Sunny Day which turns out to be a smart move as a Blizzard immediately crashes into the Luxray. The electric cat rushes in with a Fire Fang on its teeth which forces Abomasnow out, then uses Sunny Day as Weavile comes in.
The two Trainers swap around a few more times, fighting for control of the weather, until Zoe shakes her head and gives a command for the first time as her Liligant is out in the sun against Abomasnow. What follows is a textbook sweep. The Liligant rushes in with a Close Combat to take out the guaranteed hail setter, then proceeds to buff itself with something that looks like a prettier Work Up.
The way the Liligant dodges around any attacks coming at it is absolutely wonderful to look at. If Ryan didn’t know better, he’d have thought it used Detect but to his trained eyes it was clear it simply knew exactly what to expect from its opponents. That speaks from a lot of experience. Most definitely more than the five years since Zoe last challenged the circuit. Which means the girl probably met this Pokémon in the wild when it was already strong. That was the only explanation how they could be so in sync and still have this much experience.
Candice’s Weavile and Glalie fall to Low Kick and Drain Punch respectively, each getting only one quick move in as the Liligant keeps buffing up. Frosslass lasts a little longer thanks to her Ghost Type but she can’t land a good hit even with Icy Wind and Blizzard’s large target areas. Glaceon comes out next and goes with Quick Attack instead of Ice Type Moves. It tries to set up another snowstorm but falls to a Drain Punch. Mamoswine comes out last, a good choice if the Liligant had gone down, but Candice is on her last legs and a single Close Combat ends the battle.
He exchanges a look with Lucario. His partner is almost vibrating in excitement. She really wants to battle this Pokémon. But they’ll need to train more to stand a chance. If it was them against Candice’s Black Badge Team, they’d maybe get two or three takedowns as long as they could prevent the hail. He knows, because he tried for it last season, thinking his Type advantage should give him an edge. He is still missing the Black Icicle Badge.
A cheerful ringtone interrupts his thoughts. With a sigh, he picks up his phone. The caller is someone he knows very well.
“Tobi, old pal, what’s up?” he greets his friend and rival.
“Yo, Ryan. Nothing much. Just the strongest newcomer since Cynthia shaking up the circuit. Did you see?”
Ryan laughs.
“Yeah, I saw. Someone tagged me on Battle-Net. Looks like the season will be interesting.”
“You can say that. Everyone’s scrambling to figure the girl out. Rowan knows her, so does Cynthia, but they’re keeping quiet. What do you think of that Liligant?”
“I’ll say, I don’t think any of my partners can keep up with it. Might manage with three of mine.”
“Right. Fucking ouch. About what I expected, though. I’m putting together a training camp a month from now, Top Challengers only. You up for it?”
“A training camp specifically to deal with one girl? You’re mad!” Ryan laughs. He can hear his friend’s grin in his next words.
“Not just that, no. It’s about time someone gives Cynthia a proper challenge. Not a single Trainer can even keep up with her and then this newbie comes out of nowhere and shows us up? Not on my watch.”
“I’m in,” Ryan chuckles, “You’re right. We can’t be outdone by a newcomer. How many people are coming?”
“We’ve got most of the top-16 of last year and the top four of the three before that. Still ringing up some folks. I hope I can get Maylene, too, but it’s hard to get a hold of the Gym Leaders.”
“That’d be nice. That girl’s even better than me with Fighting Types. Want me to reach out?”
“If you can, that’d be a great help.”
“Sure thing. Where is it gonna happen?”
“I got a place in Jubilife. The Trainer School has a training gym you can rent out. Wouldn’t mind if you pitch in, if you catch my drift.”
“Oh, neat. Yeah, I’ll add some cash to the bank. Let’s make this thing worth it.”
“Exactly,” Tobias laughs, “It’s about time someone breaks things up.”
They say their farewells and Ryan stands up, stretching his arms and legs. He chuckles when he notices the vicious grin on his face, mirrored by his partner. This season is going to be great.
----------------------------------------
I shake my head with a smile as I brush through Lulu’s fur. My electric giant is humming to herself, eyes half-closed and tongue lolling out. The battle was a little short for her with Lili finishing things up once we had a good position in the weather. I’m just happy she’s not angry at coming short. Then again, Lili is the worse muscle-brain between the two.
Candice wasn’t as welcoming as Gardenia but I don’t hold it against her. The woman was pretty down after being taken out by a Grass Type. I also understand now why Arceus made me take this battle earlier. With a little more time to prep, she might’ve been able to win the weather battle and tear through my team with her Frosslass and Weavile. Well, not through Giratina, but Lili and Lulu potentially. Even with all our experience training with Lisa, they were never able to reliably beat her inside a snowstorm.
“Gli! Gar!” my youngest team member shouts and I turn to look. He’s exchanging blows with Lili, though nothing serious. They’re going through some common sequences melee fighters like to use and she’s showing him how to properly react to them to avoid or at least minimize the damage he takes. He’s not the first Gligar we worked with so I don’t expect any problems to come up and Lili is the better Trainer between us anyways.
Hmm, maybe I should’ve made her get the PSIL-ID and run the circuit… No, that wouldn’t work. She couldn’t go into the fight without having one of ‘her’ Pokémon take the place of the Trainer so either I would’ve been relegated to calling shots anyway, or we’d lose most battles at this level.
I sat down the brush and took out my phone. The rule-set was a little strange when the Trainer was also a ‘Pokémon’ or something similar, like in my case. I could take part in a battle as one of my team of six but if I didn’t give the command to one of my other Pokémon and got knocked out, I would lose automatically no matter how many I still have in reserve. That means if Lili and Lulu both get knocked out in a battle, I have to either send out Giratina or go in myself.
I can’t appoint Gligar because he isn’t part of my ‘battle’ team. Which is stupid but he doesn’t want to be signed up for that. He’s too weak, by his own admission, and doesn’t deserve the position. Yet. We’re definitely going to get him there.
Right now, I’ll probably go and battle without sending out Giratina if there’s only one Pokémon left on the other side. I should be able to manage that much. I might even try with two left. There’s no need to get all the badges on the first run through. I have three already and I only need six by the end of the season to keep my Lab-Trainer position, which is all I really care about.
“Mrawr,” Lulu mumbles. Her voice rattles my body and I smile.
“Thanks, girl.”
I look up to see Mes floating down in a lazy circle. She’s carrying a plastic bag which reveals six paper bowls of ice cream, two of them double-sized.
“Guys, take a break, ice cream’s here,” I call out.
Gligar and Lili stop their practise and make their way over. Giratina seeps out of the shadows by our side. By the time everyone is there, Mes has already levitated the bowls to their places. Mine is the only one that comes with a spoon.
We dig in and for a few minutes the clearing is only filled by the content noises of my friends enjoying their ice cream. The sun is warm against my skin and I feel myself relax. It was a good idea to take a bit of a break today. Tomorrow is Crasher Wake, the Water Type Gym. That will be the easiest out of all of them. It was nice of Arceus to let us have some time to relax. The battle with Fantina’s Ghost Types after that will be much more difficult.
I close my eyes once I’m done eating. The warm sun quickly makes me doze off. It’s such a nice day. I wonder how Mum is doing?