Although it was called morning exercise, it was really nothing more than strolling around the yard like an elderly person taking a walk.
"Morning, Cynthia. Feeling any better?"
Logan greeted her with a smile as he stepped onto the lawn and walked closer.
As he approached, his eyes suddenly brightened.
Cynthia's outfit today was sowhat different from usual.
She had removed the black coat and Champion's cloak she normally wore. In their place was a light-blue short-sleeved shirt, revealing a section of her pale, lotus-like arm.
The wide-legged pants Logan had always complained about were finally gone. Instead, she wore a pair of shorts that exposed her long, snow-white legs—legs that would make any woman jealous.
Cynthia's skin was fair, like the endless snowfields of northern Sinnoh, so pale it almost reflected light and dazzled the eyes.
And those legs…
Logan had never seen legs that long in his entire life. It almost seed as if everything below her neck was just legs.
Of course, the main reason Cynthia had changed out of her conservative Sinnoh-style clothing and into shorts—sothing more commonly worn in the Hoenn region—was because of her injury.
Her ankle was still wrapped in bandages.
When she walked, she limped slightly.
Running was out of the question.
Even walking normally had beco difficult.
"Good morning, Logan… and good morning to Latias and Eevee."
Cynthia greeted Logan and his Pokémon gently before continuing.
"My other injuries are manageable. They've stabilized for now. With proper treatnt and rest, they should recover."
"But my ankle injury hasn't improved at all."
"The doctors we found have no idea what caused it."
She lifted the injured foot slightly.
Her delicate foot slipped out of the flat sandal and extended toward Logan, almost like a patient showing a doctor their wound—without the slightest hint of embarrassnt.
Logan steadied himself.
He crouched down in front of her and carefully held her foot.
Her skin was smooth and pale, almost translucent, as if not a single hair existed upon it.
For a mont, Logan hesitated as he held her ankle, and his heart stirred slightly.
Suppressing the inappropriate thoughts in his mind, he frowned.
"…The doctors couldn't even determine the cause?"
"That's right."
"The treatnt they provided can dull the pain, but they don't know how to cure it."
Although Cynthia spoke calmly, the faint blush on her cheeks betrayed her own embarrassnt.
"This frostbite was caused by Lorelei, wasn't it?"
Among Cynthia's opponents during the battle, only Lorelei had the ability to inflict such an injury.
"Yes."
"It was probably the Elite Four's hidden trump card."
"It was truly difficult to guard against."
"Both Miss Sabrina and I were caught off guard."
"Sabrina told that the doctors she consulted also couldn't determine the cause."
"For now they can only suppress the pain."
"She was lucky—the injury was on her left arm."
"But mine is on the ankle, so even moving around feels awkward."
Cynthia smiled bitterly.
Yet there was little frustration in her voice.
She was simply stating the facts.
Aside from Sabrina, everyone who had returned to Pallet Town was present.
That cold and distant woman didn't have much connection with Professor Oak, and she didn't enjoy crowded places, so she had returned directly to Saffron City.
Logan didn't mind.
With Garchomp's speed, traveling to Saffron City would take almost no ti.
"Lorelei might not be the strongest of the Elite Four, but her strange techniques truly live up to the title."
Cynthia sighed.
"I underestimated her after seeing her defeated several tis."
"That single mont of carelessness was enough for to fall into her trap."
"What are you planning to do next?"
Logan frowned slightly.
"If your ankle can't recover, you won't even be able to battle."
"I'm planning to return to Sinnoh for a while."
"Perhaps I can find a treatnt there."
"Sabrina said she's also searching for a solution."
"If either of us finds sothing, we'll inform the other."
Seeing Logan still worried, Cynthia instead comforted him gently.
"…Don't worry."
"With modern dical technology, injuries like this shouldn't be impossible to treat."
"You…"
Logan sighed helplessly.
"You're the one who's injured, and you're still worrying about others."
He poked her lightly on the forehead.
Cynthia blinked in surprise.
She rubbed her forehead, clearly not expecting Logan to do sothing like that.
After all, she was actually a year or two older than him.
Yet just now she had been treated like a little girl.
"People like Sabrina know all sorts of people."
Logan continued.
"She has a wide network of connections."
"She'll probably find a treatnt."
"If that doesn't work…"
"We'll find Lorelei."
"And force her to give us the cure."
"If even she doesn't know, then we'll extract the principle behind that ability from her."
"Once we understand the chanism, treating it shouldn't be difficult."
Logan proposed the plan decisively.
Now that the Elite Four had disbanded, Lorelei was alone.
Without Lance or Agatha backing her up, capturing her wouldn't be difficult.
Of course, Lorelei probably knew she had many enemies now.
She was likely hiding sowhere, avoiding being found.
Cynthia stared quietly at Logan as he spoke.
Her gaze made Logan slightly uneasy.
"Let's go eat breakfast first."
Logan suggested.
Cynthia smiled gently.
Seeing the hand Logan offered her, she thought for a mont before looping her arm through his, allowing him to support her as they walked toward the dining room.
They had barely taken two steps when both of them froze.
Sitting on the garden railing was Green.
She had apparently been watching their entire interaction.
Looking at them with a slightly resentful expression, she sighed dramatically.
"Oh my… dear Logan."
"You've found a new love and already forgotten the old one."
"You don't care about poor little Green at all anymore."
Her tone carried a mix of teasing and complaint.
It was impossible to tell how much of it was real.
Cynthia, however, remained completely unaffected.
With a gentle smile, she asked,
"…Miss Green, how are your injuries?"
"They're fine."
"A piece of flesh was torn from my abdon, but it didn't beco a penetrating wound."
"My organs weren't seriously damaged either."
"As long as I rest and recover properly, I'll be fine."
Green spoke calmly.
Yet within that casual tone was a hint of the harsh life she must have lived.
One could only wonder what kind of hardships she had endured in the past to treat such injuries so lightly.
"These girls… every one of them is extraordinary."
Logan sighed inwardly.
If possible—
He didn't want to lose a single one of them.
Missing even one would surely be the greatest regret of his life.
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