The New Normal - 19-4 - Interlude - Cynthia

The New Normal – 19-4 – Interlude – Cynthia

She let out a loud yawn as she blinked her tired eyes, trying to force the sleepiness out of them. Then, almost unconsciously, she let out a frown of disappointment as she could not feel the familiar warmth that was supposed to be lying in the bed next to her.

It had become a routine to wake up next to her fiancé that it felt strange now that he wasn’t here. But he was off in Indigo, both to catch up with a few people that he knew, and also because he was hunting down a candidate that he had been very eager to make his student.

She obviously probed him for more information, as she was naturally curious about whichever trainer caught his attention, but she had no idea who this ‘Ash’ person was. She did her research, but she still couldn’t find anything about him.

When did John even meet him? She didn’t realise he had his eye out for someone like him for this long now.

That thought remained in her mind as she walked down the stairs into the living room, where she found their newest resident hanging about with his legs lounging up on the coffee table.

“Good morning.” Drake greeted her, “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, not bad. Wish John was here though.” She replied, getting a snort from Drake, “Actually, I was just thinking – do you know anything about this ‘Ash’ person that he’s gone to make a student?”

“Not a clue.” Drake shook his head, “I was pretty surprised that he had a candidate in mind so soon after our talks, but then again, John and I don’t really talk about this sort of stuff. I’m really not the best person for small talk. I’d thought you know more.”

She shrugged, “He hasn’t told me anything about him either – I guess I’ll find out more for myself when I meet him.” Then she chuckled, “Isn’t it funny that it almost seems like he listens to you more than he listens to me? One talk from you and here he goes rushing over to Indigo.”

He grinned, “Well – I do have my roguish charms. Don’t be jealous, I’m sure you’ll be able to do the same – if not more so – if you just dress nicely. He’ll listen to anything you say if you do that.”

She snorted, “Are you implying I’m not dressed nicely now?”

“Fuck no.” Drake replied immediately, “You walked down here in nothing more than a crumpled t-shirt and baggy pants. What the fuck do you think I was going to say?”

She laughed, and the two of them had breakfast together as they chatted about random topics.

But just as she finished up with a piece of toast, she realised that she did have something she wanted to ask of Drake.

“Hey, I want your honest opinion on something—”

“I’m always honest.” He interrupted.

“—About Kitakami.” She continued over his interruption, “As far as I’m aware, you’re the only person that’s really seen the situation on the ground. I’ve heard many other things from my advisors, but frankly, I don’t trust their second-hand information.”

“Smart.” Drake nodded, “Those fucks don’t know anything. I’ve rarely seen them give good advice.”

“Yes, well, that’s why I wanted to ask you.” She said to him, though she mentally disagreed with that statement, “I want to know how Sinnoh can help with Kitakami – I want to make sure they see us as their friends, not their enemies. Is there anything specifically that we can help them with?”

“…That’s a good question.” He said, leaning back on the couch, “…I think something that would be really appreciated is if you and other important individuals could help sponsor and attend one of their cultural festivals. Make it a big event that’s televised. The locals I’ve spoken to are very proud of their culture and their traditions, and they want to make sure it doesn’t die with them. It shows that you care, and it’ll make them feel more of a part of the wider community too. I remember the local council mentioning something along these lines before too.”

“That sounds very reasonable.” She agreed, “How big of an event do you think they’ll want?”

“I’ll get back to you on that one.” He said, “I’ll speak to them and make sure they’re actually okay with this first. Though I’m sure they won’t say no; this is what they want.”

She nodded, “Thanks. I’ll wait to hear back from you.”

================

“…You ever think of getting an apprentice or a student yourself?” Her friend, Candice, asked her as they were hanging out for lunch. Officially, she was here to ‘inspect’ the Keepers of the Titan, but it was really just an excuse to get away from her afternoon meetings.

Lucian could handle them in her place.

“I haven’t really thought about it.” She replied, “I don’t even have anyone in mind right now anyways. But… do you think I should have one?”

“I mean, if you think you have the time and energy, then yeah, why not?” Her friend said, “Especially since you told me that John’s getting someone to train up for himself. Knowing you, I promise you’ll be feeling left out if you don’t find someone for yourself. You and John are both way too competitive for your own good.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.” She sighed, “But I don’t even know where to start looking. It’s not like I have all that much free time anyways to look for upcoming talents.”

“Why not check out the Snowpoint Trainer School from time to time?” Candice suggested none-too-subtly, “Maybe you’ll find someone that catches your eye there.”

She narrowed her eyes at her friend, “Was this all some elaborate set up for me to visit your new Trainer school? John told me it was already doing quite well – surely you don’t need me to drop in to boost up the numbers.”

“Everything and anything is always appreciated.” Candice smiled shamelessly, “But I was being serious. Just drop in and have a look. I wasn’t lying when I said we’ve got some pretty nice talents attending the school right now. Even Drake said the same.”

“…Drake gives praise very easily when it comes to young children.” She pointed out.

Candice chuckled, “Yeah, maybe. But that doesn’t mean what I said was untrue. Anyways, stop trying to come up with excuses and just follow after me. You’ve already thrown everything onto Lucian anyways – you can spend some time with me.”

Spurred on by her friend’s insistence, she agreed to pay the Snowpoint Trainer School a visit.

Stepping inside, she could see why the newly built up Trainer School got as much attention as it did. The facilities were all brand new, and more importantly, the Pokémon utilised by the teachers were all of higher quality than what you would typically expect from such trainers, which was a strong indication of their strength and level of training.

Of course, just because they were strong trainers didn’t necessarily mean they were also good teachers, but considering that John was also part of the hiring process then she was sure that he’d pick good people. The good reviews that the School was also getting definitely showed that he hadn’t picked wrong.

As she didn’t want to disturb any of the ongoing classes, she asked Candice to not announce her presence as she quietly made her way to the viewing area overlooking one of the two training fields. A few of the teachers that were there were surprised by her appearance, but they were professional enough to maintain their focus and continue watching the students’ matches below.

She joined them in watching the battle taking place below, where twoyoung children – who were definitely far from starting their journey – was battling below.

Well… calling it a battle would be a stretch, as the girl was completely dominating the battle with her Piplup. It wasn’t even close, and her skill, even at such a young age, was clearly on display.

There was a lot she could improve upon, of course, but her gut told her that this girl was a diamond in the rough.

“That’s a rare Pokémon for someone her age to have.” She pointed out to one of the instructors, “How did she get it?”

“Professor Rowan had been running a small tournament for pre-journey children, and they were expected to use only Pokémon provided from the lab. The winner got a Sinnoh starter of their choice.” The instructor explained, “She was the one to win it. Not surprising, given her talents. She’s one of our students that we’ve pretty much all agree has the most potential here.”

“Didn’t her whole family move to Snowpoint just so that she could attend this school?” Another instructor added, “We met her mother not too long ago who said something along those lines, right?”

“We did.” The first instructor nodded, “I remember the mother telling us about how serious they were trying to nurture her talents. Understandable, given what she’s capable of.”

She nodded, “What’s her name?”

“Dawn.” The instructor replied.

Dawn, huh?

Thinking back on her conversation with Candice… maybe she would ask someone to record Dawn’s matches and send them to her. She felt like this was a trainer worth watching.

A.N. Naturally, John can’t be the only person finding an apprentice, and Cynthia isn’t going to be left out. I’m not saying exactly that Dawn is going to be Cynthia’s successor, but from this chapter alone it should hopefully be obvious that Cynthia’s interested in Dawn in some capacity. You’ll definitely see more of her later.

Also, I know that the age of Dawn is a little wonky, but since I always felt that the ages of the Pokémon characters were a little off anyways, I just decided she was going to be of similar (though not the same) age to Ash – which isn’t even far off canon as Ash doesn’t age.

Not only that, but this chapter was also a setup chapter for the events to come. So hope you enjoyed!