Timeline: 4 years after the end of Pokémon Platinum (game).
This is the story I promised at the end of 'Something to this day'.
Chapter 1: Velveteen
"We are here today to congratulate Barry, for becoming the Sinnoh Pokémon champion after an intense series against the Elite Four's finest. Barry, how are you feeling right now?"
"It's the most amazing feeling in the world! I've trained so very long and hard for this, and it's great to be rewarded."
"Would you like to express your thanks to anyone?"
"Absolutely! Professor Rowan first, since he's the one who gave me my first Pokémon and set me on this path. My mother, for always being there to take care of me since I was young. And finally, my father, for being such an inspiration to me! Look out, dad, I'm coming to challenge you next!"
"Straight from the new champion himself. He's remarkably young, only 16 years old and has stepped to the top of the ladder in the rankings. What more can we expect from Barry in the future?"
The programme was shut off.
The floor creaks slightly. The entire house's interior was wood – walls, ceiling, floor. It was remarkably modest, but homey and warm. Inside, sat two women over the living room table.
"He's grown so much." Said the one in the apron. She's quite a bit older than the other, donning housewife attire, with red slippers, white blouse and sweatpants in all. Her hair was a hue of slate blue, curled up in a circular orb, perhaps a bit too extravagant for her size. "I remember when he was still around, always running into everyone. Now he's a champion, who could have thought?"
"He's made impressive progress, yes." The other woman was the one who turned off the TV. She was far more focused on the coffee cup and the book in her hand than whatever the news has to offer. "But at what cost?"
"Cynthia, you're starting to sound ominous again!"
"I didn't mean to." Cynthia continued to drink. She used to be a Sinnoh champion herself, and still was the longest running one. She has long retired, however, dedicating herself to research and other past times. "Perhaps I'm giving the boy too little credit. He's young, and changes happen fast."
"You don't sound very supportive."
"That's because I'm not, Johanna." Cynthia was still staring at the book, albeit with less focus. It served more as a distraction from the incessant conversation than actual academic reasoning. "The Tatsuhisa boy may be dedicated and passionate, but that alone means nothing."
"You're impossible sometimes, you know that?" Johanna let out a quick sigh. It was nothing new, of course. The two of them met each other at a Pokémon contest in Hearthome a year back, and quickly befriended each other. Since then, Cynthia had been showing up at her house every other morning for coffee, without fail. "I know you still hold exceptionally high standards for competitive battling, but your time has already gone now."
"I know…" Cynthia had no rebuttal. Instead, she closed the book, and began fixing her hair. Blond and lengthy, its front draped over her shoulders, sometimes getting in the way of proper movement. She wears a couple of specialised bands on the side of her hair, shaped like pears, to counteract this, but sometimes it still got in the way. Inadvertently, her eyes wander to the stairs leading up.
"Dawn's still not back yet." Another sigh from Johanna. "This is becoming too frequent. I don't know what to do with that girl anymore."
"She's 16. I'm sure teenage girls do these things." Despite what she said, Cynthia did not sound convinced. "Best to keep a loose eye on her, I'd say."
"She won't listen to her mother." Johanna poured exhaustion into her words. "Maybe you could talk some senses into her. You're closer to her age."
"Do you even know where she is?" Cynthia was aware that she and Johanna's daughter were twelve years apart, but it was still considerably less of a generation gap.
"Floaroma Town, probably. I used to take her there as a kid sometimes. The flowers always used to sooth her."
Cynthia only nodded in acknowledgement.
…
The meadow was flourishing during this time of year. It enveloped all within its fragrant folds. Transcendent was the sprouting of the seasons. The seemingly chaotic growth pattern of the flowers collided with each other in the most natural way, creating a whirlpool of colours that intertwined with the botanical essence. Here, lilies and lotuses bloomed, casting a shade of violet and sienna upon the pathway that hugged the natural elevation. Running across the earth was a serene, ever stretching river line that cut through the north of the meadow. Along its moderate banks, rested the exuberant orchards, peeled away by the shifting breath of wind.
Alone in the middle, stood a girl, leaning on the fence, overlooking the beauty of it all.
A sad girl.
Her hair was slate blue, just like her mother, but far longer, reaching all the way down her back. I used to be much more of a problem when her closet contained nothing but shirts and mini-skirts, but it had been a long time since then. Now, she far more enjoyed the roll-ups and the jackets, as it made the travels far more bearable.
"The leaves will be falling soon."
She twitched at the sound. It was a voice she didn't expect, yet infinitely familiar. Turning around, she observed Cynthia walking towards her, but the woman's eyes were following the river.
"What are you doing here?" Eyebrows were raised.
"No need to be so hostile." Cynthia approached the fences, back leaning against it. "Your mother told me to talk to you."
"She should stop trying to interfere with so many things." Dawn lightly huffed. The two of them were not seeing eye-to-eye. One's gaze was to the trees, the other's was to the river. "You too, Cynthia."
"I know you've been avoiding me." Dawn took a slight peak as a reaction. Cynthia was the same as she remembered: tall, stern, and always with such an overbearing aura. It reminded her of her younger days, something she had been trying to forget. "I frequent Johanna's so often, and you don't even travel much anymore, yet I barely catch a glimpse of you. Lately, you've actively been out overnight."
"So what if I have?" The girl crossed her arms, back to her conversation partner – her best effort to hide her expression. "You came for my mother, right? Why drag me into it?"
Cynthia didn't answer. It forced Dawn to turn around, ever so slightly, to satisfy her curiosity. What she saw was a faint string of tears, half-hidden behind those flowing golden strands of hair. It was a rarely seen vulnerable moment of Cynthia that most weren't aware of. The mood became sullen, and neither spoke another word.
Piripiri
The silence was broken by Dawn's Togekiss returning from its nap atop the cover of trees. It recognised Cynthia, and instead of returning to its owner, snuggled up to the blond woman instead. Cynthia smiled briefly at it.
"Dawn, look…" She patted the Pokémon on its round head. It purred in satisfaction, while lightly flapping its wings. "I know you blame me for a lot of things, and you're not necessarily wrong to, but this can't go on forever."
"Why?" Dawn finally turned around fully, as their eyes met for the first time. The atmosphere was full of fire. "It doesn't matter to you."
"That's not true."
"Look at Barry! He's the league champion now, you know that?" Cynthia was forced to nod in confirmation. "He used to call me his best friend, someone who pushed him to work his hardest, so that he could finally achieve something. Now that he did, not a single word about me. Professor Rowan was just the same. I spent two years on his stupid Pokedex, all of my efforts, and all he could offer back was a thank you, before he left for a new region."
"Dawn…" Cynthia was sure of where this was going.
"And you…" Dawn had her face in her hands, trying to fight back the urge to weep. "You were the worst of them all."
The Togekiss, sensing the emotional outburst of her owner, flew back to Dawn. Its smile wasn't successful in cheering up the girl, however. It had no other choice but to look to Cynthia, hoping that the woman would be able to do something.
"I'm sorry." It was the only thing she could say. She had said it many times before, but the reaction was never any different.
"It's far too late." Dawn collapse on to the wooden bench, crying. "How could you expect me to bring myself to trust you anymore?"
"I can't."
This wasn't the first such a situation had occurred, but neither of them had managed to find a solution. It has been years, and every time they met was only a tragic recollection of the fallout that happened between them.
Cynthia surrendered her position, and simply walked away. Her steps were slow and inconsistent. Regardless, that didn't change the fact that she was leaving. She wanted to, but couldn't afford to look back. Things couldn't be allowed to continue on like this, and she was the only one who could fix it.
Still, Dawn was soon left alone again, amongst the flowers.