Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

The video continued playing, but a considerable amount of time had passed.

At a battle training ground belonging to the Sinnoh League—

Tiana stood in the center of the field. Her short black hair gleamed beneath the sunlight, while the golden highlights had grown longer since her childhood and swayed gently in the wind.

She had grown significantly taller. Her once-round face now carried traces of Cynthia’s features, and the bridge of her nose had become more defined. However, her mismatched golden and purple eyes remained exactly as they had been when she was young.

Gabite stood beside her.

It had grown an entire size larger since its days as a Gible. Dark-blue scales covered its sturdy limbs, and the hooked claws on its forearms gleamed coldly beneath the sunlight. The signature rows of sharp teeth inside its mouth had become even more frightening, densely arranged one behind another.

At that moment, however, Gabite was scratching behind its ear with one hind leg. Its tongue hung from the corner of its mouth, and its blank expression made it look as though it had only just awakened.

A Trainer several years older than Tiana stood across the field. Dressed in training clothes, he wore an exceptionally serious expression.

”Onix, use Rock Throw!”

”Gabite, use Slash.”

Tiana’s voice was calm.

Gabite shook its head, and its previously vacant expression instantly disappeared.

It raised its right claw, which began glowing white, and split the descending boulder cleanly in half with a single strike.

Broken stones flew past both sides of its body, but Gabite didn’t move an inch.

Tiana raised one hand.

”Dig.”

Gabite plunged headfirst into the ground, leaving behind only a collapsed ring of earth.

”We’ll use Dig too—”

Before the opposing Trainer could finish speaking, Gabite burst from the ground directly beneath Onix and slashed its body with one claw.

Onix released a deep groan before its enormous body crashed to the ground, its eyes replaced by spirals.

”Onix is unable to battle! The winner is Tiana!”

The instant the referee raised his flag, Gabite returned to its vacant expression. It opened its mouth in a yawn and scratched its neck with one hind leg.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Ash]: Gabite! Tiana’s Gible evolved!

[Gary]: Considering how much time has passed, Tiana should be around seven or eight years old now.

[Professor Oak]: The luster of this Gabite’s scales and the development of its claws are both excellent. Its Slash was clean and precise.

[Professor Rowan]: The advantages inherited from its parent’s lineage are beginning to appear. Its physical development is superior to that of most Gabite its age.

[Lance]: It split that boulder without wasting the slightest bit of strength. That level of precision cannot be achieved through training alone. Its natural talent for battle is also exceptional.

[Lana]: But doesn’t it look... a little vacant?

[Mallow]: It really does! But the moment the battle started, its eyes became completely different!

[Dawn]: Whoa! As Tiana grows older, her features are becoming more and more similar to Champion Cynthia’s~

[May]: Her eyes still look more like Asher’s, though.

[Diantha]: Cynthia, how do you feel?

[Cynthia]: I... don’t know what to say.

The video continued playing.

Cynthia sat on a bench beside the training ground.

Tiana ran over from the center of the field, with Gabite following behind her.

”Mommy, the battle is over.”

Cynthia handed her a bottle of water.

”I saw. You fought well, but after Dig connects, it would be better to create some distance immediately so you aren’t caught during the opening afterward.”

”I did it deliberately.”

Tiana accepted the bottle and took a drink.

”If that attack hadn’t knocked it out, it would have thought it had a chance to counterattack. Then I would have finished it with another move.”

Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

”Did your father teach you that?”

”Daddy said there’s no need to take fighting too seriously. It’s thirty percent strength and seventy percent acting. As long as you make the performance convincing enough, your opponent will jump into the trap on their own.”

Cynthia fell silent for a moment.

”When did he tell you all this?”

”The last time you went away on business.”

Tiana returned the bottle to Cynthia and tilted her head.

”Daddy also said he used the same method when he was pursuing you, and you still haven’t realized it.”

Cynthia’s fingers tightened slightly around the bottle.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Diantha]: He used the same method while pursuing you! Hahahaha! Tiana offended both of her parents with a single sentence!

[Gary]: Tiana truly treats everyone equally. She doesn’t only cause trouble for other people—she betrays her own father too.

[Elesa]: Hahaha! Hearing Tiana say that makes me curious about how the parallel-world Asher managed to win Cynthia over.

[Diantha]: Let me reconstruct it. First, he approached Cynthia while pretending to be perfectly respectable. Then he gradually lured her into his trap and completely won her over. With how adorably oblivious Cynthia was, she definitely never noticed!

[Elesa]: Reasonable.

[Valerie]: Brilliant!

[Cynthia]: I’m not oblivious!

[Professor Carolina]: Sigh. My granddaughter truly is rather slow when it comes to romance. Still, I’m quite satisfied with the parallel-world Asher as my grandson-in-law.

[Cynthia]: Grandma!

[Professor Carolina]: Cynthia, you aren’t getting any younger. When exactly are you planning to marry? I don’t expect you to find someone as impressive as Asher. Someone from a suitable background would be enough. Every day, I watch my parallel-world counterpart spending time with Tiana, and even I feel envious.

[Cynthia]: ...

[Brock]: Ahem. Let’s return to the subject. What Tiana described certainly matches Asher’s style. He appears harmless on the surface, but secretly calculates everything in advance.

[Steven]: Brother Asher has actually been holding back. Otherwise, he would have children all over the world by now.

[Gary]: ??? Are you actually allowed to say that?

[Wallace]: Steven, I’m begging you. Please behave normally and preserve what little dignity Hoenn has left. There may still be time to save our reputation if you restrain yourself now.

[Steven]: Since it can no longer be saved, I might as well embrace madness completely. Besides, haven’t you noticed? Brother Asher doesn’t even insult me anymore.

[Asher]: Would insulting you accomplish anything? Rather than wasting my energy, I might as well conserve it.

[Asher]: However, that doesn’t mean there’s no way to deal with you. Steven, I’ll give you a surprise in three days.

[Steven]: What surprise?

[Asher]: Wallace sent me the high-definition video of you imitating Onix’s pose. It’s the most spectacular footage of your entire life, so I’ve decided to help it become a trending topic every so often. There’s no need to thank me.

[Steven]: ??? Wallace!!!

[Wallace]: I couldn’t help it. Asher offered far too much. You don’t care about your reputation anyway, so sacrifice yourself for your friend one more time.

[Steven]: ...

The video froze on the moment Tiana held the water bottle while Gabite opened its mouth in a yawn.

[Ding! It’s time for a question!]

[Generating a random question...]

[Question: Which of the following people will Tiana’s future battle style most closely resemble?]

[A. Cynthia: balanced and versatile, with exceptional control over the battle’s tempo]

[B. Asher: steady yet ruthless, always positioning himself beyond defeat]

[C. Professor Carolina: focused on theoretical planning and preparation]

[D. Garchomp: no tactics, relying entirely on instinct]

[The buzzer round will begin in thirty seconds!]

[VIP Chat Group]

[Ash]: It’s here! It’s question time!

[Pikachu]: Pika, pika!

[Gary]: This is an interesting question. It’s asking whose battle style Tiana resembles most.

[Lucian]: I believe the answer should be Cynthia. Tiana’s commands and control over the battle’s tempo were still quite similar to Cynthia’s.

[Flint]: Mm. Those of us who have battled Cynthia certainly understand that better than most.

[Wallace]: No, no. Although her control over the tempo resembles Cynthia’s, her actual commands and tactical setup clearly follow Asher’s style.

[Bertha]: Agreed. Tiana was almost constantly laying traps for her opponent during the battle. Cynthia would never use that kind of fighting style.

[Aaron]: Cynthia overwhelms her opponents openly and honorably. Asher smiles while digging a pit beneath their feet. Tiana was clearly digging a pit just now.

[Gary]: Tiana also explicitly said that her father taught her how to battle. That statement itself points toward B.

[Countdown: 3, 2, 1—]

[Ding! The buzzer round has begun!]

A giant red button appeared in the center of the light screen.

[Ding! Congratulations to Paul for successfully buzzing in!]

[VIP Chat Group]

[Ash]: Huh? Paul got it!

[Brock]: That’s unexpected. Even someone as cautious as Paul decided to buzz in.

[Paul]: Hmph. A question of this level poses no difficulty.

[Gary]: Boasting won’t help you. There’s a punishment if you answer incorrectly.

[Ash]: Paul, which answer are you choosing?

[Paul]: Cynthia.

[Ash]: Wait, wait! Weren’t you reading the discussion? Everyone was clearly saying it was B!

[Paul]: I read it. However, I believe a Trainer’s future battle style should be determined by their own talent and understanding, not by the person who taught them. Tiana’s sense of tempo and ability to control the battlefield are clearly closer to Cynthia’s. What Asher taught her amounts only to superficial techniques.

[Brock]: Hmm... Paul’s reasoning does make sense.

[Gary]: Heh. That’s typical of someone who cares too much about theory—looking only at the overall framework while ignoring the details.

In the real world, Veilstone City—

Paul stared at the light screen before him, his expression as calm as ever.

[Paul, please provide your answer as soon as possible!]

Paul answered aloud:

”I choose A. Her style leans toward Cynthia’s.”

The light screen flickered.

[Incorrect answer!]

[Punishment: Perform the complete ”Because You’re So Beautiful” dance in front of your older brother, Reggie, for three minutes. Every dance movement must be performed correctly, and your expression must remain fully committed throughout!]

...

TL: In case anyone’s curious, they’re not talking about Bruno Mars, Joe Cocker or Empire Cast, but about a meme based on a video of Cai Xukun doing a flashy routine—handling a basketball while singing, rapping, and dancing—all to the song ”只因你太美”(Because You’re So Beautiful) in the background. It’s not even that funny, imo. Would be funnier if it was the ”You’re So Beautiful” dance by Jussie Smollett. I’d laugh my ass off if I saw Paul doing those zesty moves instead of some bullshit Cai Xukun was doing.

PS: ”You’re So Beautiful” by the Empire Cast is kinda fire, ngl—straight to my playlist. Check it out.