Sabrina looked Cynthia straight in the eyes as she walked behind her into a new room.
As the door closed, She said,"I have one thing to say to you."
Cynthia tilted her head curiously. "I'm listening."
Sabrina remained completely serious."I am not willing to share Gladion easily."
Cynthia blinked. "...What?"
Sabrina continued as though she had not spoken anything unusual. "I know how attractive he is. He is kind, dependable, powerful, and somehow even Legendary Pokémon enjoy being around him. Realistically speaking, very few women would be able to ignore someone like him."
Cynthia simply stared.
"So... after thinking about it carefully..." Sabrina nodded once. "I have decided to make you an offer."
Cynthia slowly began to suspect where this was heading. "...Should I be worried?"
"I am inviting you." Sabrina's expression remained perfectly calm. "To join Gladion's harem."
Several long seconds passed before Cynthia finally opened her mouth."...Excuse me?"
Sabrina repeated herself as if clarifying an ordinary misunderstanding. "You heard me correctly."
Cynthia stared at her for another few moments before suddenly laughing.
She laughed so hard that she needed to lean against the wall to steady herself.
When she finally managed to calm down, she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Sabrina... I genuinely don't know how to respond to that."
"You may simply answer."
Cynthia shook her head with an amused smile. "Well, for starters... I don't have romantic feelings for Gladion."
She paused thoughtfully." And secondly..."She raised an eyebrow. "...Is having a harem even legal?"
Sabrina looked genuinely thoughtful.
"I... actually do not know."
That answer only made Cynthia laugh even harder.
After another moment, Cynthia smiled mischievously. "I do admit Gladion is an attractive man. He is also brave, caring, and surprisingly easy to get along with."
She shrugged. "But..."
"You see..."
"I'm actually far more interested in women."
She smiled innocently."So if anyone is inviting someone into a harem..."
She pointed toward herself. "...would you be willing to add me into yours instead?"
This time it was Sabrina's turn to freeze.
Her calm expression completely disappeared. A faint blush appeared across her face.
Cynthia burst into another fit of laughter.
"Oh, you should see your face! I've never seen you look this surprised even when Regigigas showed up."
Before Sabrina could recover... a flash of blue light filled the room.
Latias appeared beside them, already giggling. "I knew something entertaining was happening."
She looked between the two women before laughing even harder. "You humans never disappoint."
Cynthia smiled at the Legendary Dragon.
"I hope you realise I was only teasing her."
"I know." Latias nodded happily.
"You really are a good sport, Cynthia. You completed the challenge that I have you."
Latias floated a little higher before speaking again.
"While I think little Glady would probably survive having a harem..." She paused before giggling. "...I also realise that human customs make such arrangements rather impractical."
Cynthia covered her face, trying not to laugh again. "I am very relieved to hear you understand that."
Latias smiled,"Since you completed the challenge, Ask whatever you wish."
Sabrina blinked in confusion. "...What does one thing have to do with the other?"
Latias simply smiled."It was a small test of character. She passed."
Sabrina still looked confused.
Latias looked towards Cynthia, "A dragon always keeps her word. So ask your questions. I shall answer whatever I can."
For a brief moment, Cynthia simply stood there. The playful atmosphere from moments earlier disappeared completely.
In its place was excitement. The excitement of a historian standing before a living witness to events that had happened thousands of years ago.
She had spent almost her entire adult life studying ancient myths. Every expedition she had joined uncovered another small piece of history. Yet every discovery only created more questions.
The deeper she looked into the past, the more she realised how little humanity truly knew.
She slowly looked toward Latias. There was almost a hint of reverence in her voice.
"Do you know about Hisui?"
Latias smiled."Hisui..." She softly repeated the ancient name.
"Now that was a wonderful age." She laughed quietly. "For Pokémon, at least."
She looked out the nearby window as though seeing a world that no longer existed.
"For humans....it was far less comfortable."
Cynthia quickly took out the notebook she always carried during expeditions.
Her hand was already trembling with excitement. "I have read every surviving record about Hisui," she admitted honestly.
"I have studied the Diamond Clan, the Pearl Clan, the ancient Celestica people, and every ruin surrounding Mount Coronet."
She sighed.
"But nothing is complete. So many records contradict one another. So many stories feel more like legends than history."
She looked directly into Latias' eyes. "What was Hisui really like?"
Latias' expression softened with nostalgia.
"The forests were unlike anything you can imagine. The trees stretched so high that sunlight barely reached the ground beneath them. The rivers flowed wherever they wished, untouched by bridges or roads. The mountains stood wild and silent. There were no large cities. There were only small villages. Every day was a struggle simply to survive for humans."
Cynthia listened without writing a single word. She did not want to interrupt.
Latias continued. "Humans were still learning how to live beside Pokémon. Most people feared them."
"And honestly... They had good reason."She chuckled softly.
"Even an ordinary Ursaring or Staraptor could destroy an entire settlement if angered."
Cynthia slowly lowered her notebook. "So the old records describing humanity's fear of Pokémon were true."
Latias nodded. "They were. Partnerships between humans and Pokémon existed. But they were rare."
Cynthia remained silent for several seconds before asking another question. The Diamond and Pearl Clans. Were they kingdoms?"
Latias laughed gently.
"No. They were communities. Large families united by shared beliefs."
"The Diamond Clan believed time guided all things. The Pearl Clan believed space governed existence."
"That sounds much more believable than some of the stories historians wrote." Cynthia flipped to another page.
Her next question came almost immediately.
"The ancient texts speak of the Almighty Sinnoh."
She hesitated."Some claim it was the Lord of Time. Others insist it was the Lord of Space. Some scholars even argue they were once a single being."
Latias covered her mouth as she giggled.
"You humans really were confused."
Cynthia smiled sheepishly."...We still are."
"So... Who was the Almighty Sinnoh?"
Latias looked toward the sky. "Neither."
Cynthia froze. "...Neither?"
"The clans interpreted what little they understood. One honoured the Lord of Time. The other honoured the Lord of Space. They believed each was supreme."
She smiled gently. "But neither truly understood the being they called the Almighty."
Cynthia swallowed. "If not them...Then who created the world?"
Latias answered without the slightest hesitation. "Arceus."
Just one word. Yet it carried enough weight to leave Cynthia speechless.Her notebook slipped from her fingers onto the floor.
"You..."
She could barely find her voice.
"You have actually met Arceus?"
Latias nodded as though she had been asked whether she had seen the sunrise.
"Many times."
Cynthia blinked repeatedly.
"...Many... times?"
"The Original One rarely interferes directly. But the Creator has always watched over the world. Most Pokémon never meet Arceus either.,It is hardly an everyday occurrence."
Cynthia slowly sat down in the nearest chair.
She felt as though decades of research had just been overturned in a single conversation.
She simply listened as Latias spoke of ancient forests that no longer existed, forgotten villages reclaimed by nature, shrines whose names had vanished from history, and a world where humans and Pokémon were only beginning to understand one another.
Hours passed without anyone noticing.
Finally, Cynthia leaned back with an exhausted but satisfied smile.
-----Author Notes------
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