"By the way, Natsume-sensei, why did you come to Eterna City?"
"To visit the Eterna Museum."
Gardenia gasped. "I never knew you were interested in Sinnoh's history!"
"Of course. I'm a history enthusiast at heart."
The moe-moe isn't the main point—learning is!
Natsume tucked his notebook into his coat pocket.
As they chatted, the lush, ancient streets of Eterna City came into view.
"Need a tour guide?" Gardenia puffed her chest proudly. "I practically grew up in the museum and herbal shop!"
"Don't need a guide, but…" Natsume's eyes gleamed. "Does name-dropping you get me discounts at the herbal shop?"
"Eh?!" Gardenia stammered. "N-no, probably not…"
"Ah. Then I'll just take Gengar for a stroll."
Gardenia bowed deeply, hands pressed to her knees. "I'll head back to the gym now. Goodbye, Natsume-sensei!"
Natsume nodded.
"Gengar~(￣▽￣)／" Gengar waved as Gardenia left, then curiously scanned the surroundings.
"First, let's find Moe-Moe."
Natsume checked his phone. "Little Rotom, navigate to Eterna Museum!"
"I'm a Special Edition Pokédex, not GPS, Rotom!" Rotom protested.
"Same difference."
Grumbling, Rotom floated ahead, its screen displaying:
"Rotom Navigation activated…"
...
Eterna Museum
Glass cases lined the halls, displaying unearthed murals and ancient reliefs.
The museum exuded a heavy, historical aura, with only a handful of visitors.
An elderly couple sat intertwined on a bench, admiring a relief—their presence itself a piece of history.
Cynthia, arms crossed, gloved fingers resting against her chin, paced thoughtfully past exhibits. Noticing the couple, she smiled softly; they returned the gesture with warm nods.
Silence draped the museum like a veil.
Sunset hues streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows, gilding Cynthia's golden hair.
Just then, she turned—and locked eyes with a man who seemed plucked from a painting.
Tall, impeccably dressed in a white coat and fitted slacks, his sleeves revealed slender wrists and elegant hands.
Cynthia blinked, momentarily dazed.
"Sorry, got held up," Natsume whispered.
She smiled. "Let's talk outside."
Natsume nodded, glancing around.
The museum's vaulted ceilings and floors swam in amber light, the weight of history pressing down until breathing felt laborious.
Stepping outside, he exhaled sharply.
"How's Sinnoh treating you?" Cynthia asked, breeze tousling her hair.
"Great. Especially…" Natsume paused.
"Hm?"
"Feels like I'm closer to you now."
"I'll return to Sandgem Town soon."
Cynthia's smile deepened. "I've always been close by."
"Won't you get sick of me?"
She tilted her head. "Do you ever tire of Gengar?"
"Never," Natsume said instantly.
"Same with me and Garchomp."
Her floral scent drifted over as she grinned—radiant as a Shaymin's Gracidea, or fiery Nandina, whose meaning was "my love only grows."
Danger!
Natsume's heart skipped.
My cabbage is too damn cute!
Flushing, he coughed. "Is the artifact due today?"
"No rush." Cynthia pondered. "Celestic Town's three days away. We can leave tomorrow."
"Got it."
Natsume didn't care what the artifact was.
Three days, two nights… maybe even a hot springs detour.
"Let's eat first." Cynthia gestured. "There's a nice restaurant in Jubilife."
"I'd like to hit the herbal shop first." Natsume rubbed his chin. "See if they've got… supplements for Blastoise."
"Alright."
Cynthia's smile returned.
"We'll pass the Twin Dragons statue too. You'll like it."
Like any ordinary couple, they strolled Eterna's sunset-drenched streets.
Most passersby were elderly, the air thick with nostalgia—far removed from modern bustle.
Fingers brushed, then intertwined, solid and reassuring.
At the herbal shop's entrance, Natsume lifted the vintage cloth curtain.
Inside, a white-haired granny in an apron ground herbs. A little girl slumped over the counter, whining:
"Paras, lend me your claws! What's 5 plus 7?"
"Paras…" Paras helplessly raised its pincers.
"Ah, customers!" A spry old man emerged from the back. "Welcome!"
Light flashed from Natsume's belt as Blastoise materialized.
"Blastoise… ヾ(?■_■)"
It aura-scanned the Energy Roots, then shook its head.
Not potent enough!
"Pardon me," Natsume said. "Do you carry anything stronger than Energy Root?"
The old man hummed. "Legends speak of Revival Herbs that resurrect the dead… but those are rare."
Natsume's spine chilled.
So Blastoise's meds can still be upgraded.
First Energy Roots, next Revival Herbs… maybe even Ho-Oh's Sacred Ash?
As he mused, the girl gasped. "Natsume-sensei! Help me with this math problem!"
Natsume dodged. "Rotom, you handle it!"
"System overload, Rotom! o(TヘTo)"
After leaving the herbal medicine shop.
"Why didn't you buy it?" Cynthia asked curiously. "Blastoise seemed pretty interested."
"Pfft, with that quality, it could grow its own."
"Huh??"
Under Cynthia's bewildered gaze, the two strolled toward the center of Eterna City.
The setting sun cast its glow over two exquisite statues—Dialga and Palkia, rendered with lifelike detail.
The nameplate below the bronze statue reads Temporal and Spatial Dragons.
Cynthia's finger gently stroked the metal nameplate and whispered:
"The encounter between time and space... is really wonderful."
"Just like meeting you."
Cynthia chuckled. "I bet you've said that line a lot."
"Yep." Natsume nodded earnestly. "To Gengar, Sylveon, Blastoise… pretty much everyone at least once."
Cynthia's lips curled as her steps grew lighter.
She, too, adored Pokémon with every fiber of her being.
It was a kindred spirit, an innate fondness.
Natsume suddenly recalled the question Professor Oak had asked during his Pokédex evaluation.
"What do Pokémon mean to you?"
Natsume closed his eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again.
Cynthia walked ahead with effortless grace, the sunset stretching her slender silhouette long across the pavement.
Natsume followed at a leisurely pace.
"Where to first?"
Cynthia turned back with a soft smile.
"Dinner, then the museum!"
…
Dinner was at an upscale restaurant in Eterna City.
The refined interior seemed to cater exclusively to reservations, leaving only one other table occupied.
On the white-clothed table, an unfamiliar berry wine chilled in an ice bucket.
"Gengar~(￣～￣)"
Gengar chewed haphazardly, its expression unimpressed.
What? It's delicious, but it's far inferior to what I have at home!
Natsume, however, wasn't picky.
Cutlery in hand, he sampled the so-called molecular cuisine and fell into contemplation.
"Hmm…"
Trying other chefs' dishes occasionally served a purpose—
Aside from learning what not to do, it boosted Natsume's confidence in his own skills.
If I were on Hell's Kitchen, I'd have those chefs questioning their life choices.
The waitress refilling their wine couldn't help but marvel at the pair's presence.
Strip away the titles, and they still shone bright enough to dazzle.
Just looking at them… fills you with envy.
An ordinary date. An ordinary dinner.
Yet with Sinnoh's undefeated Champion Cynthia by his side, Natsume couldn't shake the feeling of dating a superstar.
As he pondered, Cynthia asked softly:
"What's your favorite dish?"
"Cabbage."
"Eh?"
"All kinds of cabbage."
Night deepened. A pianist's melody filled the air as a Bellossom danced gracefully to the music.
The two watched for a while.
"That's a form of Coordinator performance, right?" Cynthia sounded unsure.
Natsume nodded. "Costumes, talent, staging… all part of the scoring."
"You know a lot about Contests."
Cynthia tilted her head. "Is there anything you aren't good at?"
Natsume frowned, falling into prolonged silence before answering gravely:
"Yeah. I'm terrible at battles."
Absolute truth.
His current team would get steamrolled by Red.
"Sure." Cynthia smiled despite herself. "No need to fish for more praise."
"Please keep complimenting me. Preferably about my looks."
"Let Gengar handle that~" Her voice lilted with amusement.
"Gengar!(*⊙~⊙)" It dropped its fork and licked Natsume full-force with Lick.
Natsume froze solid.
"Are you okay?!"
"Fine."
He wiped his face, trembling. "J-just… used to it."
Cynthia blinked, then eyed her untouched Castelia cone with resolve.
"Here. This should help with paralysis." She slid the glass toward him.
(Natsume had built near-total immunity to paralysis by now.)
Rubbing his cheek, he stared. "You're not eating it?"
"I don't like this flavor." Her face pinked.
"Liar."
"…None of your business."
Cynthia scooped ice cream onto a spoon and held it out. "Say ah—"
"Mmph?!" His eyes widened as the melting sweetness instantly eased the numbness.
"Well?" She grinned.
"Delicious."
"Really?" She glanced wistfully at the scooped cone.
"Want to order another?"
Cynthia agonized briefly before Natsume decided:
"Get an extra spoon. We'll share."
Cynthia smiled and nodded softly. "Okay~"
From a distance, the head chef, waitstaff, and owner watched, handkerchiefs clenched between their teeth as they wiped away tears.
So sweet… How can this Champion couple be so adorable?!
This ice cream's sugar level is lethal, dammit!
...
The deep purple night enveloped Eterna City.
Two figures passed by the statues of Palkia and Dialga.
Gengar stood between them, glancing at both, then flashed a sharp-toothed grin.
"Geeengar!"
Good work, you two!
As planned, Natsume and Cynthia were responsible for transporting the Eterna Museum's collection to the Celestic Town Museum.
Natsume faintly felt that "Celestic Town" sounded familiar.
But right now, the more pressing matter was retrieving the collection first.
Inside the Eterna City Museum.
"Thank you for your hard work!" The guard saluted the two.
"Likewise." Cynthia nodded with a smile. "We'll take it from here."
The guard acknowledged, turning to input the code into the lock.
Hiss—
The alloy door slid open, revealing layers of infrared scans surrounding a glass display case placed conspicuously in the center.
Natsume couldn't help but complain.
With a setup like this, you're practically inviting Kaitou Kid to steal it!
But no unexpected incident occurred.
Cynthia officially took custody of the safe from the guard.
And on the red cushion inside the safe, a sharp, overwhelming force disrupted Natsume's Aura, making his heart pound wildly.
It was a strange power—the moment his Aura touched it, time itself seemed to slow.
Natsume stared at the irregular, crystalline orb, his eyelid twitching.
[Adamant Orb: A shimmering eternal diamond, radiating brilliance. It holds the power to govern time—the symbol of the Temporal Pokémon, Dialga. ("Whether we laugh or weep, time flows equally. All exists because Dialga wills it." —Ancient Sinnoh proverb)]
Even the System's usual complaints grew uncharacteristically solemn.
Natsume gulped.
"We're transporting this to Celestic Town?"
Cynthia nodded seriously. "Yes."
Isn't this just asking for trouble along the way?!
This feels like a giant death flag for a high-risk mission!
Natsume took a deep breath.
At least Cynthia was accompanying him—that significantly improved their safety.
Plus, in this timeline, Team Galactic was already done for… so it probably wouldn't be a big deal.
Still, they needed to deliver the [Adamant Orb] to Celestic Town as quickly as possible.
Natsume had a vague recollection and asked:
"Celestic Town… has another orb, right?"
"The other one—the Lustrous Orb, symbolizing Space—is kept at the Celestic Town Museum."
"The leader there is Professor Carolina, an expert in Mythology and Legendary Pokémon research."
Cynthia spoke earnestly. "I was also planning to seek her advice for my research project at the upcoming conference."
"Professor Carolina…" Natsume rubbed his chin.
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
Cynthia grinned. "She's my grandmother, you know~"
"???"
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