Chapter 19:VII. Setting the stage: The Crimson Decade
Viridian City. The first major stop for the trainers who start their journey in Kanto region was swarming with people now. Being the second closest city to Indigo Plateau caused the people from around the world to accommodate in the city. The reason for this is quite simple. The death of Ash Ketchum. Even after the ceremony for Ash, this place was still full of foreign people from all around the world. Ash became a legend. The boy who nearly beat legends. And one of those foreign persons was now heading back to the Pokemon center where she is staying with her grandma.
The first visit in Delia's house the day after the ceremony didn't go really well. It wasn't because Delia and Cynthia would get into the fight or any of that stuff. But Ash's death was still a hot topic. And it was brought up several times resulting in a sad atmosphere and eventually even in quite crying of Delia. Cynthia somehow managed to hold it back and was soothing Delia.
So after the first visit, Cynthia wanted only one thing. One steaming bath to let herself relax a little bit. Kanto is a lot warmer then Sinnoh so she was sweating a lot during her visit here. Even when she changed her wardrobe for this occasion. So as soon as she got into the Pokemon center she went straight for the bathroom and immediately begun to fill the bathtub with hot steaming water and undressing. As she was undressing she thought to herself "What were we to each other exactly?". Sure they were friends but as Delia pointed out two days ago. There was something more. She thought about it for a moment but she let this thought slide away eventually. Partially because she is scared of the truth. And partially because thinking about Ash just brings back that terrifying day she witnessed that storm on radar. But. When she went to check herself in the mirror she could swear she heard Ash's voice in her head shouting her name.
Surprised Cynthia latched on this string of hope and asked the voice in her head back. But unfortunately, nothing was heard. She then just shook it off. Ash's dead. It was just her wishful thinking that he was alive somewhere. Bath itself was very pleasant. Steaming water really worked and she could let her thoughts flow free from the guilt she felt over Ash's death.
After about half an hour, Cynthia was clean. She was going to dress but the bell rang at that moment.
"Who's there?" Cynthia asked. Normally she would just open the door. But she is wrapped in a white towel and doesn't want anyone to see her naked. Even though most people wouldn't guess it, she hates when someone sees her in underwear or towel like this. The weird thing is she has no problem with a bikini.
"Lance. I need to have a word with you." said the person behind the door.
"Give me a moment, please. I'll get dressed and then we'll talk." said Cynthia.
"OK"
Cynthia then got dressed. She bought a lot of turquoise blouses and knee-long brown trousers because of the heat here in Kanto. So this was her traditional outfit here. As soon as she got dressed she opened the door and invited Lance in.
"You have a perfect timing I have to say. I just got out of the bathtub." said the fifteen-year-old champion of Sinnoh.
"Sorry about that." said politely the twenty-five-year-old spiky red-haired Kanto and Johto champion. Double champion was in his usual blue suit with orange striped and black cape. Cynthia lead Lance into the room and offered him a seat on the coach which Lance gladly took.
"Can I get you something? Tea? Cookies?" asked Cynthia.
"Do you have some beer here?" asked Lance hopefully.
"Lance. I'm a fifteen and live here with a strict grandmother who is an abstinent. What do you think?" asked Cynthia. And this man is supposed to be smart...
"Yeah. Sorry. But in my defense. A lot of people in your age group drink this stuff already." responded Lance politely trying to joke around a little bit.
"I'm not like most people." said Cynthia. She is really different from other teenagers. I mean which 15-year old girl has an archeology for a hobby, is incredibly moody, despise alcohol and is a Champion of a Pokemon league. She already has a reputation for being the Ice Queen of Sinnoh by the media. And it's not because of the cold Sinnoh region. Not the primary reason at least. It just seems like every time there is someone interested in her she just tells them simple no and goes away. She just seemed like a star that the boys can't reach no matter how much they try. And the fact that she is considered strongest of the champions and is loved by everybody just add to the 'Queen' part of her title. It's amazing that so much fame didn't poison her mind. She was really mature for her age.
"I know." said Lance politely.
"So what can I give you? Apart from alcohol." asked Cynthia.
"Well since you don't have that I guess a glass of water will do." replied Lance. And as he ordered in a minute Cynthia came from the kitchen with a glass of water.
"Thanks." said Lance as he took a sip from his glass.
"You're welcome. So what do you want to talk about?" asked Cynthia.
"There are two things actually. First thing is about you being the Kanto Champion instead of me." said Lance.
"Thanks for the offer, but you do realize I am already a Champion of Sinnoh right?" asked Cynthia. That was really a strange and unusual offer.
"I do know that. But. I don't think you can hold off the title against Tobias." replied Lance.
"What makes you think so?" asked curious Cynthia.
"Don't perceive this in a wrong way. I know that you could give him a run for his money as Ash did." replied Lance. This sentence grounded Cynthia a little. His mere name was painful to hear. Lance then resumed. "But you would have to train a lot to give him a decent match. And I don't think you are interested in training. Neither in the battle against Tobias. Not after the recent events." Lance finished his sentence as he took another sip from his glass.
"You are smart after all." whispered Cynthia to herself. But Lance heard some murmur from her.
"What did you say?" asked Lance.
"N...Nothing." Cynthia replied nervously. She should control her tongue better.
"You are right. I don't want to battle or train anytime soon. But how do you want me to become the Kanto Champion? And why?" asked Cynthia.
"Simple really. There is a certain rule. As the Champion of another region, you have the option to challenge every other Champion for the Champion title. It would go like this. We would have a match, you would win and you would become a champion of the Kanto region. I already asked Goodsnow about this. He is completely fine with that. Now it's for you to decide if you want this. And as for why... You'll find out in a moment." explained Lance as he took another sip from the glass of water on the table. This kind of rule was in rules of the Pokemon league for decades. But nobody paid attention to it. Mainly because being Champion of one region is stressful enough already. Arranging Pokemon conference, preparing the stadiums for said conference, challengers left and right, and being a public figure for the said region in media is a lot of work. Now if you double it you have no free time whatsoever. And Lance would like to reduce his responsibilities to the league now.
"Just a battle and that's all? I would have thought that there would be more to it." replied surprised Cynthia.
"It should be. You should go through an Elite Four first. But there is no doubt that you are much better at Pokemon battles then me, Steven or any member of our Elite Four. Even in the state you are in right now. So we kinda scratched that out. And since you are so popular with everybody Goodsnow doesn't want to lose you like that. You are a role model for every young trainer in the world of Pokemon battles now. And to top it all of. If you haven't realise it yet your mere presence brings league a lot of money and popularity. This way you'll still be a Champion and Pokemon league will still bloom." replied Lance.
"You can refuse of course. But a world would lose one of the best battlers that walked on this planet." said Lance.
"I'll think about it." replied the blonde haired beauty. It's a little complicated for her. Being a Champion is great, but she is a Champion mainly because it gives her access to the old documents and access to the old ruins of Sinnoh to examine them. If she would decline the offer she would undeniably lost all of this. To top it all of, being in Kanto would enable Cynthia to help Delia to cope with her loss. But, on the other hand, she just doesn't want to be Champion for the sake of being one. It just isn't right to take advantage of the offer Lance gave her now. Be a Champion just because of money. That's just not right.
"Take your time. But we must hear the answer before your battle against Tobias. Now to my second question." replied Lance who pulled a white envelope from his cape and handed it to Cynthia. She looked at Lance and he simply said. "Open it."
And so she did. She opened the envelope and inside was a card of sort. She read the card carefully. Her eyes winded and she then looked at Lance. It wan an invitation.
"You are getting married?!" asked Cynthia completely confused.
"Surprise." replied Lance with a chuckle.
"Congratulations! But how did it happen? We all thought you were single the whole time." replied confused Cynthia. Everybody thought that Lance was a loner of sorts. That he wouldn't want to settle down. But it seems like they got him completely wrong. She of course was happy for him. But it was really a shocker.
"Well. It's not really hard to date someone from your own Elite Four and keep it secret." said Lance calmly as he took the last sip from his glass of water.
"Wow. I had no idea. I applaud you on that because it's nearly impossible to keep media out of my own personal life. But still. I thought that you would end up alone or with Clair. You know. As you two are close and dragons and all that around." said Cynthia.
"Ble. Gross." said Lance disgusted by what Cynthia said.
"What? What's so wrong about her? She seems nice." asked Cynthia completely oblivious to one certain thing.
"She is nice. But I really don't want to marry my cousin, Cynthia." replied Lance with a little chuckle.
"Oh sorry. I... I didn't know that." replied nervously and embarrassed Cynthia. She should put more research onto Champions.
"Anyway will you come to my and Lorelei's wedding? You can bring a guest if you want. There should be enough space for us all." asked Lance.
"I would love to. But I can't promise anything." Cynthia said. This could be the opportunity to try and relax a little for a while. She'll finally be able to do something else than beat herself over Ash's death all the time. She could bring Delia too. Delia needs something to distract her from the fact that Ash is not here anymore too. To be honest both of them need that.
"Well. That's everything I wanted to tell you." said Lance. He looked at Cynthia and then continued. "... Whatever you are going through. I hope you'll get over it soon. We need you." said Lance as he got up and was getting ready to go back to his duties as Champion. He talked with Cynthia several times over the years. And there was something very wrong with her. He doesn't have to be a detective to figure that out. Even though he is one. All of it is because of Ash's death. He left an impact on all of them. Even on Lance himself. It's sad what happened to him.
"I don't think it's possible..." murmured Cynthia to herself as the Sinnoh Champion got up and saw Lance off at the door.
3 months later
"Dragonite, Dragon Claw!" yelled Lance.
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" yelled Cynthia.
Both Pokemon charged their attacks and flew towards each other. Garchomp enveloped in a blue aura resembling a dragon and Dragonite with his elongated blueish claws clashed. After a little tug war, Garchomp overpowered Dragonite resulting in a huge explosion in Indigo Plateau. When the smoke finally cleared, it was clear who was the winner of this match.
"Dragonite is unable to battle. Champion Lance is out of the usable Pokemon. Which means that the winner of this match and the new Champion of Kanto region is Cynthia Shirona!" announced referee.
The stadium erupted in cheers for their new Champion. The Indigo stadium was filled till the last seat. A battle between two champions is nothing you see every day. And a spectacular battle it was. Even though Cynthia only lost her Spiritomb, Lucario, and Milotic. After those 3 Cynthia let her Garchomp out and what a beast that dragon is. Lance stood no chance against Garchomp even with 3 Pokemon left.
Cynthia and Lance then recalled their Pokemon and made their way into the middle of the battlefield. They shook hands and then Cynthia spoke.
"I really hope that you gave it you're all. I don't want to be the False Champion." said Cynthia.
Lance chuckled and said. "I did. But as I said before. You are strongest of us right now. There was a very little chance that I had to beat you."
"You underestimate yourself Lance." said Cynthia.
"No, darling. You underestimate yourself." replied Lance with a chuckle.
"DON'T. CALL. ME. DARLING. EVER. AGAIN. ARE WE CLEAR?" replied Cynthia in dangerous and terrifying voice. And it did its job.
"O... Okay. Just. Calm down. Okay? It was just a little joke." said nervous Lance. Even when he is 10 years older than her, she really could make you shit yourself if she wants to. It seems like she is allergic to that word. Both of them then went to the exit from the stadium.
"Very bad joke. So. How are the wedding preparations." asked Cynthia in a normal tone again as they were walking.
"Chaotic. 1 month to go and we still have so many things to sort out that we are losing our minds over that." replied Lance. Lorelei wants a big wedding so the chaos is just amplified by that. Not to mention that so many people are invited there. It'll be a miracle if the wedding ends up without disasters.
"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be great." replied Cynthia.
1 months later
The door opened and Lance came in the room. It was a room for the official Pokemon League meetings in Kanto. The room itself was nothing spectacular. Table with 5 chairs all around with one on the tip of the table. Wooden floor and white walls. The room was simple and ordinary. And Lance just returned from his honeymoon after the wedding and was eager to get back to work.
"Ahhh. Lance. Welcome back. How was your honeymoon?" asked Charles Goodsnow who sat on the end of the table for the meetings.
"Don't even ask..." said Lance.
"Come on. It can't be the worse than the wedding itself." replied Steven jokingly who was at the wedding.
"What happened?" asked Charles. Charles had a lot of work so he couldn't attend but even when he couldn't attend the wedding he heard that it didn't go as planned.
"...Fine. Where do I even start? What about that the whole week when we were on the honeymoon it was raining and we were forced to stay in our hotel room at Kumquat Island the whole week." Lance began.
"Yeah that stinks. But. I think the honeymoon should be spent more in a bed than on the beach. If you know what I mean." said Steven with a wink.
"Yeah that's another thing. We would spend the week like that. But Lorelei's uterus said 'Fuck that. Wouldn't it be great if I would start to bleed uncontrollably during your honeymoon? You know to ruin your honeymoon.' So instead of a wonderful vacation with my beautiful bride, I was locked in a room with my wife who's mood was all over the place all the time. If it weren't for an open bar downstairs I would go crazy." said Lance.
"Lance. As funny as that story is, control your language, please. We aren't all adults here." said Charles.
"Charles. I am a girl with same problems. I think I can handle Lance talking like that." replied Cynthia who was wearing her new outfit for the warmer weather. She was a little embarrassed when she said it but she should point out that she knows very well what Lance is talking about. And curse words are mostly used by her generation anyway.
Steven meanwhile was laughing at the misfortune that met his friend. Man, he has to be the unluckiest man alive.
"And what about the wedding?" asked Charles. He was really curious if it was as disastrous as he heard.
"I don't know why I'm even telling you all of this." said Lance.
"Better to hear it from you than from newspapers don't you think?" replied Charles. He knows that Lance's wedding went public really fast. And that they surely have some information what was going on on the honeymoon and the wedding itself. He would prefer the original version than the exaggerated one in news.
"I guess... well about the wedding itself. First of all. When Lorelei was walking down the aisle her dress got stuck on some sharp rock and was torn. And as it's the bride's custom, she started to panic and made quite a scene from all of it." said Lance. Lance learned one lesson from this. Never have a wedding ceremony outside. NEVER.
"Poor Lorelei." thought Cynthia. That was supposed to be the happiest day of Lorelei's life and the wedding went south so fast. She was there too and it was truly disastrous. She even convinced Delia to come there. It wasn't easy for her but she eventually went with Cynthia. Cynthia even heard few chuckles from Delia at the misfortune of the newlyweds.
"Then when we went inside the building we booked to have a dance and we learned that one of the men in the band had the emergency call from the hospital that his best friend had a car crash so he left. Leaving us without a pianist." continued Lance.
"That doesn't sound so bad." replied Charles. You can always have a nice music even without a piano.
"He was the one who was directing the others. The band was in complete chaos after his leave." said Lance. To this Charles smiled sadly.
"Don't forget on the guy that had the allergy reaction outside during the ceremony." Steven recalled.
"Oh yeah. I nearly forgot. After the fiasco with the wedding dress we were outside and we were exchanging vows, some guy had an allergic reaction. I don't even know who he was but he had an allergic reaction to roses which were all around the garden. What kind of idiot you have to be to go on a wedding OUTSIDE and not expect roses there? That is just beyond me... In the end, an ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital as we finished the ceremony." said Lance. An ambulance on the wedding. That's the dream.
"I'm really sorry Lance." said Charles. He wanted to laugh so bad, but he had to keep it in. It was a truly funny story for him. But for Lance... it had to be a nightmare.
"I'm not finished." said Lance.
"After the dance to the song that was horribly played by the band we find out that our wedding cake just disappeared." said Lance.
"You mean that 2 meters high cake you booked 2 months prior and which took 4 whole days to make?" asked Charles in disbelief.
"Yeah, that one. He was in a separate room the whole time. But when we wanted to show the cake to the guests, it was just gone. The only thing remaining there were mine and Lorelei figures that were on top of the cake." said Lance.
"You are telling me that 2 meters high wedding cake just disappeared?" asked Charles still in disbelief what Lance was saying.
"Yeah." replied Lance. Who else in the seven hells would need a cake that big?
"I think that's all. There may be some smaller things, but they got overshadowed by all of this." said Lance.
"Maybe all of that was a good thing." said Cynthia.
"What kind of good thing can come out from any of this. A guy nearly died on our wedding because of his own stupidity, Cynthia." said Lance.
"That's true. But if you two endured all of this, then I am sure that your marriage can overcome literally anything." replied Cynthia sincerely with a smile.
Lance chuckled at this lightly and said. "Yeah. I don't think there is anything that can surprise us after this."
"So now that we got this out of the way, we should start the meeting. I have a lot of things I want to talk about."
"First of all. How is Tobias doing against your Sinnoh Elites, Cynthia?" asked Charles.
"He has already beaten Aaron, Flint, and Lucian using only his Darkrai all the time. Only Bertha is left. He has a battle with her four days from now." said now Kanto and Sinnoh Champion.
"He is taking them down faster than I thought." replied Charles.
"It was to be expected." said Lance.
"Yes. However, after Tobias's semi-final battle at the Lily of the Valley conference, I thought that some of the Elite's will be able to beat at least one of Tobias's Pokemon. I was wrong apparently." said Charles.
It was here yet again. No matter how much she wanted to forget about Ash he was still coming back in some shape or form. He left such a big mark in the world of Pokemon battles that she'll hear about him a lot most likely. Cynthia will have to get used to this. No matter how much it hurts.
"Maybe Bertha will beat his Darkrai." said Steven.
"Ahh... Yes. She has the best chances to do so." replied Charles. Bertha's undeniable intellect will surely help her in this regard. He doesn't think Bertha can stop him, but she could at least give him a challenging match. Elite Four has to hold her image if the league will want to prosper.
"Anyway. On the topic of Tobias. Do we know anything about him?" asked Charles. There weren't many pieces of information about Tobias as far as he knows. He hopes that Champions will have some information.
"Actually yes we do. I questioned him a little when he started to challenge my Sinnoh Elite Four and I have some information about him." said Cynthia.
"Would you be so kind and tell us, dear?" asked Charles.
"Of course. He is 26 years old and comes from Dandelion Island. It's a small island near the Lily of the Valley Island used mainly as a restock dock. Not many people live there. He has a small hut there from what he told me. However, he grew up in an orphanage in Veilstone City. And when he was of age he became a Pokemon trainer. That's all I know about him." said Cynthia
"That's quite a lot of information. I'll add this information to our database. Thank you, Cynthia." said Charles thankfully. He has no idea what would he do without her. As Charles finished his sentence a light knock on the door was heard. Everybody in the room was now looking on the door.
"Perfect timing. Come in." said Charles cheerfully.
The door of the room slowly opened and the person revealed itself. Into the room stepped a blue-eyed woman. And the first thing people in the room registered on her were her incredibly long, dense hair. Each side of the woman's incredibly thin body was enveloped with those hair and had a pink bow with a size of a palm at each side. The hair should be by all the laws of physics touching the ground. But they didn't. Those blonde hair were levitating slightly above the ground to the surprise of all the people in the room. This woman dressed in a white dress with some tinge of pink on the bottom of the dress made her way towards the table.
"Champions let me introduce you to Caitlin. She is a specialist on Psychic Pokemon from Unova region." Charles introduced the woman. The woman then gracefully bowed to the others and waited for the introductions.
"Caitlin these people are the Champions of the Pokemon league. First, there is Cynthia. She is the Champion of Kanto and Sinnoh region." introduced Charles his double champion.
"Pleasure to meet you." said Cynthia as she got up and shook hands with Caitlin. "Pleasure is all mine." responded 20-year old Unova beauty gracefully. When they introduced themselves Cynthia sat back.
"Secondly, there is a Champion of Johto region. Lance." Charles introduced the Dragon Master and he shook hands with Caitlin too. But nothing was said between them.
"And the last Champion here is Steven. He is the Champion of Hoenn region." Charles introduced the last member of this meeting. Steven dressed in his usual formal attire stood up and welcomed Caitlin like a true gentleman with a light kiss on Caitlin's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Caitlin" said Steven in a seducing voice. "Thank you." said blushing Caitlin on the public display of this kind of welcome.
"Do you have to flirt with everything that moves?" asked Lance his fellow friend.
"Well. When an enchanting woman like Caitlin comes in I can't help it unfortunately." said Steven politely. To this Lance just chuckled and shook his head slightly. Cynthia, on the other hand, was observing the unusual phenomenon that was Caitlin's hair.
"Please join us at the table, Caitlin." said Charles with a sigh in the beginning. Sometimes the Champions are a tough bunch of people to keep in line. And as Charles said, red-faced Caitlin found a spot next to Cynthia and right across of Steven.
"You came just in time Caitlin. Champions, Caitlin here is the main member of the group that is overlooking the construction of the Unova's own league." said Charles
And then the meeting went on. When Caitlin calmed herself down from Steven's flirting she told the Champion's about everything that was going on in Unova. That they have the Gym leaders chosen and the Elite Four is slowly forming from the members of the group that is building the Unova league. And when Caitlin told them everything she needed, the room went silent. Then Cynthia's curious mind got the best of her and she asked.
"Caitlin. May I ask why your hair float like that?"
"Certainly. It's because of my Psychic powers." replied Caitlin in her soft graceful voice.
"Psychic powers? What do you mean?" asked Lance curiously. Everyone in the room was surprised by this statement except Goodsnow.
"It means I can move objects without touching them. I control my hair like that for example." said Caitlin closing her eyes. Everyone except Goodsnow was looking at her with disbelief. When she saw that they were trouble with believing her, she demonstrated her powers.
Her hair suddenly began moving. It looked like the wind was blowing on them, but that was impossible in this closed room. Then her hair went straight up slowly and began to braid. All on their own without any help. Slowly but surely the braid was braided with two pink bows at the end and she opened her eyes again.
"Amazing." said Steven dumbfounded by her powers.
"Caitlin here is a Psychic. She has ancient Psychic powers that a few women on our planet poses." said Charles. He knew very well that there were people with this kind of power. Sabrina and Anabel for example.
"What else can you do?" asked excited Cynthia, curious about these powers. She was always fascinated by the anomalies in the Pokemon words. Especially anomalies of the scale like this.
"Apart from telekinesis, I can read minds of other people." Caitlin said.
"Really? Then what do I think of?" asked Steven with a sly smirk at Caitlin. Steven even inlined to Caitlin. Caitlin nervously looked at him and focused for a moment on his head. And the moment she read his thoughts and opened her eyes she was as red as a tomato.
"Steven!" Caitlin yelled in a high pitched voice.
"Yep. She knows how to read minds." said Steven calmly as he threw his hands behind his head and leaned on his chair.
"God. What kind of perversion you thought of?" asked Lance.
"Do you REALLY want to know?" asked Steven.
"... Actually no. Keep it to yourself." said Lance.
"This is amazing! Do you know how you got these powers?" asked Cynthia excitedly. She now has a load of questions for Caitlin.
"It is passed down to the child from her mother. So that's the way how I got them." answered Caitlin.
Charles chuckled a little. Cynthia's enthusiasm doesn't know any borders when she discovers something new and exciting. Only at those times, you can see that she is just a 15-year old kid seeking mysteries and legends.
"Cynthia. If you are interested in this I can give you a book called PSYCHICS VS. AURA GUARDIANS: THE CRIMSON DECADE. You'll find everything you want to know there about Psychics." said Caitlin. Cynthia looked at Caitlin with a surprised expression on her face.
"Guardians? Crimson Decade?" asked Lance. He was now curious too.
"Yes. There was a time in history where Psychics were at a war with Aura Guardians. The war lasted a whole decade and took a toll on both sides of the war. The usual Blue/Black attires of the Guardians and Pink/White attires of the Psychics were after years of war were covered in dried red blood. After 11 long years of bloody war, Psychics surrendered. This is why Psychics and Aura Guardians refer to this point in time The Crimson Decade." explained Caitlin.
"Why were they at war?" asked Steven.
"It was all about Pokemon. Psychics wanted to separate the world of Pokemon from the world of humans for the protection of both. However, Aura Guardians wanted to merge the worlds and live with Pokemon in harmony. Thanks to their win, Aura Guardians set the fundamentals for how our world looks like now. If Psychics would've won the war, Pokemon would be in the wild only and we wouldn't be connected to them as we are now." explained Caitlin.
"Wow. Why are we not aware of this?" asked Steven.
"You are. It's just this war was so long ago that people read these slightly change stories as fairy tales to children." answered Charles as all eyes were now on him.
"You knew?" asked Cynthia. This was getting much more interesting than she thought it would have.
"Yes. I know few Psychics myself so they told me about this." answered Charles.
"And what about Aura Guardians? Do you know any of them?" asked Lance hooked on to this story as all the people in the room.
"Unfortunately no. The last one died approximately 4 months ago." said Charles. And immediately as he said it everyone in the room knew about whom he was talking about.
"It was only a matter of time." said sadly, Caitlin. Guardians and Psychics were on good terms now and it was truly sad what happened to them.
"What do you mean?" asked Steven.
"Aura Guardians are cursed in a way." said Caitlin.
"Cursed?" asked Lance. This story was getting even more ridiculous now.
"You see. Every Aura Guardian draws the strength from his own emotions. Aura Guardians have a special connection to different kind of emotions. Courage and honor is their priority for example. They are driven by these. Stronger the emotion, stronger the Guardian. However, the emotion that is undeniably most powerful for them is love." said Caitlin as she made a pause and then resumed talking.
"Thanks to this they are able to romantically love only one woman. One single woman. Their entire life. As soon as they fall in love, they'll never let go." explained Caitlin.
"And what is so terrible about that? Seems kinda sweet if you ask me." replied Steven.
"The problem is. The women don't reciprocate their feelings very often. Aura Guardians have this problem since the day they appeared on this planet. They were falling for the women that were already taken or married. And thanks to their honorable code, they never tried to sway those woman over. And just like that, they were slowly dying out. And The Crimson Decade amplified their extinction tremendously. When Psychics examined dead bodies of the Guardians they found marks on someones. And as soon as Psychics touched the blue mark, they felt that feeling of love. The sign of their undying love for the chosen woman. The Guardian's Curse Mark we call it. That's the reason why there are no Aura Guardians in this world now. Only lucky ones fell for a single woman who reciprocates their feelings and whom they could have children with." finished Caitlin her explanation. But. Even though it'll make sense to the Champions, to her this mark is still a mystery. Some Guardians didn't have the mark. Some had the mark. And on approximately 3 dead Guardians Psychics could see the mark shine in a bright light blue color. From the description, Caitlin imagined those 3 marks like a neon blue tattoos on those Guardians. And to confuse her even more, in PSYCHICS VS. AURA: CRIMSON DECADE book it is said that in the battle some parts of Guardians bodies glowed in a bright light blue color but had no marks on their body when they brought them back to Psychics base. The most complicated thing she encountered in a world in a while.
"Wow..." said Steven. He was lost for words. Such an incredible tale. But now he was thinking. The boy who came to him for that necklace. He was an Aura Guardian. Did he went through this?
"Well. Since you 3 are too interested in Caitlin's tales I disband this meeting. You all can go now. I'll see you next month." said Charles.
As Charles said this he left the room leaving the four Pokemon trainers in the room. He then thought to himself. Should he reveal the existence of Psychics? How would the world react? He'll have to think this through.
The four people stayed in the room. And Steven with Lance were asking a lot questions about the Crimson Decade, Guardians and Psychics. And this whole time Cynthia was just sitting there. She was just listening from the time Charles mentioned Ash's death. Ash just was coming back over and over again. It was like Arceus himself wants her to suffer. And as Caitlin continued with her story Cynthia became sadder and sadder. It just still affected her. No matter how much she wished it didn't, it still did.
"Are you OK?" Caitlin asked Cynthia. She stopped talking to Lance and Steven and went to her. She could see that there was something wrong with her.
"Yeah. I'm fine." said Cynthia as forced herself to smile on Caitlin.
Thankfully the smile worked and Caitlin bought it. "OK. So could you show me around, please? I'll be here for a while." asked Caitlin.
And Steven with Lance nodded and went with Caitlin outside to show her around. It took a few seconds before Cynthia composed herself and went with them.
2 years and 7 months later
"You're doing a great job, Cynthia. Just keep stirring and it should be done in a few minutes." said Delia.
"I hope it'll be edible." said Cynthia.
"I have no doubt about that. We have been cooking a lot recently." said Delia.
A lot of things happened since the time she was introduced to Caitlin at the Pokemon League meeting.
Firstly there was Tobias. Bertha finally managed to take down that Darkrai in battle. But it was the only Pokemon she managed to beat. Then Cynthia's turn came. And she was beaten too. But she managed to beat not only Darkrai but Latios and Salamance too. So Tobias became new Sinnoh Champion. To say that he didn't have a problem with defending his title in the next two years of Pokemon League should be clear. Nobody got past his Darkrai. All in all, he is a great Champion. He is a smart, cool, collected and quiet Champion. And when Charles says something, he does that as fast as he can. Ideal Champion.
Then there was Cynthia herself as the Champion of Kanto. This event changed her life a lot. As far as battles go she is confidently defending her title. Not one of those 2 challenges that won the Indigo conference came close to beating her. Both of them have beaten her new Elite Four though. And it is refreshing to not have to take care of the 3 hot heads. Her new Elite four is composed of Lorelei. Ice specialist and Lance's wife. Bruno. The big horde of muscles that specialize in fighting type Pokemon. Agatha. Ghost specialist similar to Bertha from her former Elite four. And Koga. The poison specialist that is a fan of ninjas. It took a few days to get used to them but they eventually became great friends and co-workers.
But that wasn't the ground-breaking change that took place during those 2 years. It was the fact that she had to move here. To Kanto. There are many reasons why. For example. Champion of Kanto HAS to be in Kanto. She does have an access to the ruins and old documents here if she wants to examine something. And helping Delia is a contributing factor too.
It was hard in the beginning because of the sudden change but she eventually found a little house in Pallet Town and was living there. The hardest thing was to give a goodbye to her grandmother. But she had to. Her grandmother was a scientist in Sinnoh region and she just couldn't take her job too Kanto. Giving a goodbye to the only person that raised you is truly heartbreaking. But every kid eventually grows up and has to move from their parents. And back then it was Cynthia's time. But even though she left her only alive relative in Sinnoh, she found another wise woman who was giving her advices. And it was Delia. Cynthia visited Delia whenever she could. These two women grew closer with each day. And now they are basically best friends despite their rocky start.
Delia isn't the only new friend she made during those 2 years and 8 months. There was the Unovian Psychic too. After their meeting, Caitlin gave her the promised book. It was awkward a little in the beginning and it took some time with her but she eventually got used to her powers and they spend a lot of time together when she was on the visit when Pokemon meetings took place.
Speaking of the Unovian woman. Unova conference has a premier in 7 months. Winner will have to face the Elite Four of Unova which includes Caitlin herself. But when they finally finished the preparations for the Unova league, another region came in with a request to host the league. Kalos region officials got in touch with Charles and they showed interest in starting their own league. So Charles will have to send there someone to help them plan the Gyms, Elites etc in a week or so.
Cynthia got used to this life and was incredibly happy with how the things turned out. Too happy. Her Pokemon got a little rusty. Not that it would affect her battles to defend her title. She still beats every challenger in a Pokemon battle rather easily. But training sessions were rather rare now. It was more like a vacation for her and her Pokemon here.
And during the time here, she got a lot of time to visit old ruins all around Kanto region. She even took Delia with her few times. Delia herself found Cynthia's hobby interesting and was very glad that she was going on those trips with Cynthia. And on the other hand, Cynthia found Delia's cooking and gardening skills impressive too. So both of them were teaching each other different things. And right now it was Delia's turn to teach.
"I think it's done." said Cynthia.
"Well. Let's take it from the hotplate and have a taste." said Delia.
And they did. Cynthia carefully took the pot off the hotplate and placed the soup on a countertop. Delia took 2 bowls from the cupboard and prepared them. Cynthia then took the scoop and gave Delia and herself a portion of the soup. Delia took her bowl and Cynthia took hers and they were on their way to the living room.
"Ouch. Fuck! Again?! This happens too often lately!" yelled Cynthia as she spilled a few drops of the soup because of the impact. She then put the bowl on the table and was rubbing her hip with whom she bumped into the corner of the table.
"Cynthia! Language!" scolded Delia an 18-year old Cynthia as Delia stopped in her tracks.
"I'm sorry. But the bruise from the last time finally faded and now I'll have a new one! It's annoying. How is that even possible to hit that same corner again?" asked angry Cynthia with more of a rhetorical question. However. Delia answered.
"Small kitchen and your puberty."
"What?"
"As I said. Puberty and my small kitchen are the reasons why this is happening."
"How exactly does my puberty have anything to do with this?" asked Cynthia.
"Well. Your hips got wider. And since my kitchen is relatively small, your hips have a tendency to collide with table, counter and other stuff here. You just aren't used to the changes yet." explained Delia.
Cynthia then looked down on herself. And when she thinks about it. Yeah. Her hips got wider. A lot wider. All in all, puberty hit her hard. She got taller and was now the same height as Delia was. That was around 170 cm. She thought that she would grow a little more, but she just stopped growing for some reason. Then there was her hair. She kept her hair just like she had them before. However. Then there were the other hair. And they start to appear in the places she hoped they would not. Between her legs for example. But the most prominent change were her breasts. Ahhh yes. That magical age where woman's boobs start to grow more and more. Her breasts were developing for some time now. It looked like they wouldn't stop growing. But they eventually stopped. But nevertheless, her breasts were now pretty big. A label on her bra strap had a large E letter on it.
"... I hate my fat hips." said Cynthia.
"Cynthia. Sweetheart. You don't have fat hips. They just got wider. It's usual for your age." said Delia.
"I still hate them." said Cynthia. When her hips got wider her butt got bigger too. All in all, she just hates her lower half of body. She got used to her breast growing and be like that. But from the waist down. That's another story. So many money went on new trousers because of how fast her hips were getting wider with each day. And the fact that she grew in height a little just added to the money she had to sacrifice for her trousers. Her bras and blouses were completely another stories. Thank god Champions got paid a load of money. But eventually her hormones calmed down and she finally could have clothes that she can wear longer than a month. Even though she could get different clothes, she stuck with her turquoise blouse and brown trousers. Just a different size. She wore that outfit even right now. But apart from her adolescence changes, she looked just like her 15-year old self.
"Don't worry you'll get used to it." said Delia. Delia herself was surprised what puberty did to Cynthia. Cynthia has so many curves that Delia herself is jealous a little. She herself could only dream of a body like that. Delia was still pretty for a woman that was nearing her forties. But she never had a curvy body. Delia herself was always a lean and slim woman. She is not the extreme case of this like Caitlin, but Delia is still pretty thin.
Cynthia then picked the bowl and went with Delia to the living room to have nice lunch in front of the TV. Delia and Cynthia sat on the couch and Delia picked the spoon and tasted the soup first.
"So. How does it taste? Is it good?" asked Cynthia.
"Taste it." said Delia. Cynthia looked back at her soup and taste it too. She carefully let her tongue to taste the soup. It was an interesting flavor. And she thought that it was pretty good.
"I think it tastes good. What do you think?" asked Cynthia.
"I think it's good. But it's too salty. Not by much. But I don't like salty soups. Other than that you did a good job Cynthia." said the woman who trained cooking her whole life. Delia is one of the best cooks on this planet. So her trained tongue found some mistakes with the soup Cynthia made. However, Cynthia is not an experienced cook. And for an inexperienced cook, it tasted great.
"Now that you mention it. It is a little saltier than it should." said Cynthia as she took another spoon of soup in her mouth.
"Cooking is much harder than I thought..." said Cynthia with a sigh.
"It's not that hard. You'll be able to cook delicious foods in no time. It just takes a little practice that's all." said Delia.
"Yeah..." said Cynthia. And the Ketchum household fell into a pleasant silence. After Delia and Cynthia ate their soups, Delia turned the TV on and asked Cynthia.
"So. How's the building of your new residence going?" asked Delia.
"It's rather slow. It takes a lot of workers to build a villa." replied Cynthia.
"I'm actually jealous of you. Having such a big home at such a young age. That has to be amazing." said Delia to Cynthia.
"You don't have to be. You can come to me any time you want. You are always welcomed, Delia." said Cynthia.
"Thanks..." said Delia. And after a short pause, she continued. But in a much sadder voice. "You know. The place where you are building your vila is my favorite spot in Pallet Town."
"Really?" asked Cynthia.
"Yes. Richard was taking me there constantly to enjoy the view of the Pallet Town. It was really nice. Particularly in evenings. Sunsets over the Pallet Town are magical from that place." answered sadly Delia. Delia rarely talked about her husband so Cynthia didn't dare to interrupt Delia. Delia was talking from her heart now.
"Thank you, Cynthia." said Delia sincerely.
"Don't thank me. I didn't do anything, Delia." said Cynthia in a soft voice.
"You did. I was such a mess in a first few days when you wanted to stay here with me and help. I was moody, angry and sad all the time. I was angry with the whole world because of what it took from me. But you stayed. Even after my anger tantrum that one day, you still stayed. And thanks to you I'm not drunken somewhere on the streets. Or worse..." finished sadly Delia.
"Delia. I'm not the only one. Others were and are here for you too. You have Brock, professor, Tracey, Daisy and Gary with you too." said Cynthia.
"That is true. And I'm grateful that all of them stood by me. But it was you that came here every day when I was at my lowest. I am so grateful when you stood by me when I was crying my heart out. I know that it had to be unbearable at times. So. I am truly grateful that even though I was mean to you sometimes, you always came back and eventually pulled me out of my depression." said Delia sadly.
"All of us in Pallet Town wanted to pull you out of that pit of sorrow. I had to help. It's my fault. All of this is my fault. I had to try to make things right." said Cynthia sadly.
"...You are still blaming yourself for what happened nearly 3 years ago?" asked Delia surprised.
"...I can't help it... If I just didn't let him go he would still be here." said Cynthia sadly.
"Cynthia. You know that yo..." Delia was preparing to say that it isn't her fault but Cynthia interrupted her.
"That I couldn't predict the storm? That I couldn't control the lighting that struck the helicopter? I know all of this. And all of this could be avoided if I could just keep my problems to myself." said Cynthia sadly.
"Cynthia... Is this what you were doing the whole time? Keeping all your problems to yourself?" asked Delia.
"No..." replied Cynthia. But it wasn't convincing at all.
"Cynthia. From now on we'll be talking about your personal troubles like we did with mines. And that is not a question." said Delia.
"Delia we don't..." said Cynthia but was interrupted by Delia.
"Don't you try to get out of this. I am in a better state thanks to the fact that I was talking about my troubles with you. If you won't talk about it it'll destroy you. To be honest I am surprised that it didn't destroy you already." said Delia in a dangerous voice. Cynthia was quite now. She understood where Delia was coming from. But as the silence should fill the room, TV's speaking was heard.
"...We still don't know what is causing the tremors around Mount Coronet, but league officials told us that they finally started the investigation. And in other news. Another 3 people mysteriously disappeared from their homes. This time the disappearance took place in Olivine City. Two brothers's, Mark Coiro and Brad Coiro, apartment was found wrecked completely yesterday with Coiro brothers nowhere to be seen. Police forces agreed on that, they were taken by force from their home since there were blood marks seen in the apartment from the fight that took place. But the most surprising disappearance took place in the Olivine City's Gym. Gym leader Jasmine disappeared and not a single person knows where she is. She was last seen exiting the theater in the evening two days ago. If anyone saw or will see these people call the police forces to help and find the missing people." said the moderator of TV news.
"Another ones..." said Cynthia sadly.
"It's really strange. People disappear much more with each passing day" said Delia. It all started a 3-4 years ago when people from all around start to disappear and were never found. And in the past few months, the number of disappeared people has risen exponentially.
"Yeah. Not even Pokemon league has a clue what is going on." said Cynthia.
"I don't feel good about this. Even a Gym leader disappeared." said Delia.
"Yeah. I don't feel good about this either. I have that feeling. Feeling something bad is coming. Something truly evil." said Cynthia. When she said this statement, Cynthia didn't know how right she is. Something truly sinister is happening in the world of Pokemon right now.
Footsteps were echoing through an empty dark hall. One man was going through this hall without a light source. It was like he knew exactly where he is going. As he was continuing through the hall something other was heard.
Several screams were heard. And with each step, screams grew louder. Eventually, it was clear where the screams came from. On each side of this dark hall several doors. And behind those doors, something truly evil was happening. The screams of several men and women were terrifying. But it sounded like there were much more women behind those doors then men. Crispy voices screamed so loudly for help. But help never came. The man didn't stop his walk. He continued like nothing was happening there. Actually. If you would look closely at his face you would find out that he was even grinning. He was enjoying this.
Eventually, this man reached the end of the hallway where the doors where waiting. He opened a metallic door and went inside turned on the lights. This room resembled an office. One simple table was in the center of the small room with a computer and several other sundries. Then in the corner was a small bookshelf. But there weren't many books on the shelf. Only one. Then the lighten room revealed that the man was wearing an orange suit with a green shirt underneath and with a crimson tie. And another thing was that it revealed a cat-like, white Pokemon. Said Pokemon made his way towards the man who petted the cat Pokemon on the head to which the Pokemon purred in delight. The man then walked to his table with the cat Pokemon by his side and sat down. And in this instant, his mobile phone rang.
"Sir. Another subject has failed. We'll need a new one to replace it." said a female voice from the other side of the phone.
"I'll arrange that." said the man
"And we'll need a completely new one too. The room 142 is fully functional now." said the women.
"Excellent. I'll arrange that too. Any progress?" asked the man.
"Unfortunately no. But we are getting close. We need just little more time." said the woman.
"Than stop talking to me and spend the time more effectively." said the man without a hint of anger in his voice.
"I'll get to work right away, sir." said the female and the call was canceled.
After the call the man was sitting inside his chair for a while. But then he looked at the bookshelf. After a few seconds of just staring at the book, he got up from his chair and went to the bookshelf. He picked that one single book from there and went back to his chair. He opened it and was preparing to read it for a hundredth time. He opened the book and the very first page was titled: PSYCHICS VS. AURA GUARDIANS: THE CRIMSON DECADE.