Silver Town, central pedestrian street.
Cynthia was tugging Sato along, stuck in the most. Agonizing. Decision. Of. Her. Life…
Sato looked at the thick crowd of onlookers forming layer after layer around them and couldn't help but press his lips together in exasperation.
But looking at Cynthia still torn over her choice, he couldn't stop a trace of affection appear in his eyes.
"Boss, we'll take one of every flavor."
"H-Heeeey! We won't finish all that!"
Cynthia instinctively tried to stop him, but the overwhelmed shopkeeper had already moved into action at lightning speed!
In no time, three completely different triple-flavored ice creams were ready.
Sato paid, took the first one and handed it to Cynthia, then grabbed the remaining two, one in each hand.
"You try this one first. If you want to taste the others, we'll swap."
The next second, Cynthia gave Sato a light side-eye… then turned and walked away without a word.
The crowd, who had been watching with interest, was startled by her sudden turn.
Maybe her aura was just too intense. Without thinking, everyone parted to make way as she walked off.
Sato stood frozen on the spot.
"Did I… do something wrong?"
A few minutes later, Sato caught up to Cynthia, who showed no visible emotion on her face, but her entire presence screamed 'I'M MAD.'
Sato gently tapped her with the hand holding the ice cream.
Cynthia didn't respond. She just held out the triple-flavored ice cream she'd tasted, offering it back to him.
Sato quickly handed over the other two, letting her pick freely.
This time, Cynthia didn't hesitate. She "casually" took the one that felt more natural to hold and began eating it in small bites.
Sato blinked, still faintly confused.
'W-What…? Why had she gotten mad earlier?'
He didn't know.
And he didn't dare ask.
It was just… hard.
Lost in thought, Sato unknowingly began eating the ice cream Cynthia had tasted earlier, unaware that she was now slightly flushed.
"You haven't tried this one yet. Here, taste it."
Seeing Sato about to pass her the one flavor he hadn't tried, Cynthia hurriedly took it.
Then, without thinking, she held out the second one -the one she'd just eaten from- to give to him?
WAIT!
'Who am I…?
Where am I…?
What am I doing…?
Oh right… I remember!
I… voluntarily… handed Sato the ice cream I had already eaten?
Poof! (*/ω' *)'
Cynthia's entire face turned bright red. Embarrassed, she wanted Garchomp to Dig a hole for her to crawl into right that second.
'Fortunately…' Cynthia sneaked a glance at Sato. 'He seemed… probably… maybe… apparently hadn't noticed what had just happened…'
Cynthia quietly let out a sigh of relief, but immediately followed it with some slight frustration.
'So he really didn't notice anything…
THAT CLUELESS OAF!'
---◓---
Their "date" continued, and meanwhile, the internet was being flooded with News about them, crashing more than a few servers.
Topic after topic exploded. Half of the top ten trending topics were about the two of them.
--
[#DarKnightEliteFour'sMysteriousGirlfriendExposed
#MillionsOfGirlsLoseTheirDreamGuy
#SatoCynthiaDate
#SatoCynthiaMarried
#TwoEliteFourParentsWillTheirKidBeSmarter
#WhoIsCynthia
#Sato-sama…
#Johtonians'girlsInPain…]
---
From dating to having children, Sato's future had been fully scheduled by the public.
The key detail was, many fans actually believed that aside from Cynthia being pretty, having a great figure, strong skills, and a solid background...
She still didn't deserve Sato at all!
…Until some fans from Sinnoh -who had climbed firewalls just to follow Cynthia- couldn't take it anymore and started posting all of Cynthia's terrifying achievements one by one.
Senior Investigator of the Sinnoh League.
Holds the record for youngest Elite Four Trainer.
Current member of the Sinnoh Elite Four.
Scholar of ancient Pokémon civilization.
Each title left the online viewers stunned in silence.
Then they realized… maybe the only woman in the world worthy of Sato was Cynthia.
And the only man worthy of Cynthia… also seemed to be Sato.
So fans from both regions quickly reached a peaceful truce and began exchanging rainbow-flavored compliments!
And when a video surfaced of Sato casually eating from the same ice cream Cynthia had bitten…
#SatoCynthiaMarried instantly shot to the top of the trending chart!
THE NEXT MOMENT, FORUMS CRASHED AND THE ENTIRE INTERNET WENT WILD.
And through all of this, Sato and Cynthia remained completely unaware.
But even if they had known, neither would've reacted much.
To be an Elite Four, to be a guardian of a region, meant being discussed, followed, and expected to live under constant attention.
As long as no one was cursing them, it didn't matter.
Besides, the feeling of feeding the internet with their lovey-dovey moments… kind of felt good.
That day, Sato and Cynthia's footprints covered the entire Silver Town street.
They shared ice cream, caught Goldeen together, played Poliwhirl dart games, and more…
Online, fans were worn out from expressing their envy.
But every time Sato and Cynthia did something else together, it would immediately top the trending charts again.
Late that night, the final trending topic, #CynthiaSatoReturnHomeSeparately, took the number one spot.
Only then did people suddenly realize… they had just finished binge-watching an entire drama on the trending feed…?
And most of those still watching to the end… were single.
Just… ouch!
---◓---
The next day, the third day, the fourth…
For five straight days, Sato and Cynthia were permanent residents on the trending board, their date locations visible to the entire internet.
Maybe it was because Sato had become too popular lately, or because the trend-following "drama" was just too addicting.
Combined with how blatantly the two of them showed off their affection, it really sparked envy and jealousy among the internet's lonely hearts.
The hype never died down!
But on the sixth day, just as Sato and Cynthia were getting ready to continue dating, it was as if the whole world had made a pact.
Everyone reached out to them!
Sato had just hung up a call from Lance when he saw Cynthia furrow her brow and set her phone down.
"Time to go back?"
Sato asked as he naturally pulled Cynthia into his arms, gently stroking her smooth golden hair with his right hand.
"Mm… a lot of work has piled up these past few days. Being an Elite Four isn't easy."
Cynthia replied softly. That final bit of grumbling was something only Sato, her boyfriend, would ever hear.
"Heh. Flying Master Lance said the same. Said I've been an Elite Four for days now and haven't officially worked a single one."
Hearing that, Cynthia couldn't help but chuckle, though she still hugged Sato tightly with some reluctance.
These past few days, Cynthia had completely forgotten she was a Sinnoh Elite Four. She had selfishly stayed with Sato for five whole days.
Not to mention, ever since the finals of the Elite Four Tournament, she had come to the Johto Region and never returned.
All these signs had completely panicked the Sinnoh League!
They had finally produced a once-in-a-generation genius. Was she about to be stolen away before they even got the chance to use her properly?
But judging from how things looked… it was only a matter of time.
---◓---
"I'll come find you in Sinnoh once I wrap things up here. It won't take long."
In the end, looking at Cynthia all packed and ready to leave, Sato could only promise her that much.
Even the shortest parting leaves a trace of sorrow…