>>52701571>>52701465Only other M8 Champion besides Iris who >d-doesn't count because she's a main companion first and foremost to appear before the tournament, was a co-protagonist during the Arceus special, ended up getting all those flashbacks, canon loli Cynthia, canon teenage Cynthia, was the only Champion to take down the rat, only other Champion besides Ash who affected by the one gimmick ruleset, stayed on the tourney until the very end and last but not least Ash literally couldn't even believe he won whereas with everyone else his reaction was just generic and trite we won way pi-pikachu.
I think they were well aware enough of Cynthia's popularity and how she's viewed with most which is why all those things happened, and why such dubious choices like her throwing Stealth Rock 3/4 into the match when the only Pokemon on Ash's side resisted them, Garchomp's monodragon moveset when its last opponent is Mega Lucario and no Mega Garchomp happened. It leaves a big asterisk that makes you wonder "what if" one way or the other.
I think that considering the situation, how awful journeys writing was as a whole, and how the final boss had to be Leon because reasons, Cynthia came out rather well from this.
