>>38555475Because of two things.
First, she projects strength in everything she does. She always seems in control, like she always knows what's going on, yet she doesn't boast about it or use her strong presence to intimidate.
Second, she feels like she's a part of the setting in the way other Champions don't. She's tied into Celestic Town, goes into the Distortion World as your partner, and even carries medicine for local Pokemon.
Sure, guys like Lance feel strong and leave an impact, but feels like an outside force when he storms the Rocket HQ instead of like an integral part of what's going on. Steven kind of feels like he's supposed to be where he is, but how often do you think of the Devon Corp when you think of him?
All the rest of the Champions have next to no reason to be where they are, or even participate in the story.
Cynthia is a strong character simply because she's one of the best written and executed characters in Pokemon.
