It was a beautiful day in early spring: the first warm day of March. The frost thawed, the grass turned green again, and many of the flowering plants were starting to blossom. A crisp, mountainous scent filled the air: one part earthy, one part herbal, and perhaps with a faint trace of ozone.
"Most Pokémon enjoy this kind of weather," she found herself telling an excited young trainer.
She remembered what she'd been like at his age: ten years old, embarking on her first journey, and assisting Professor Rowan with his research. True, it had only been five years since then, but there were already talks from the Sinnoh Pokémon League to evaluate her for a potential opening among the Elite Four.
Not that any of that would surprise anyone who knew her. Cynthia came from a long line of powerful trainers. Although his tenure was short-lived, her father had even briefly served as Champion when she was little. Whatever she chose to do, everyone agreed that her future would be a bright and shining one.
"Isn't this the time of year that Shaymin comes back to Floaroma Town?" the boy piped up. "Because I really want to meet it."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow and gave the boy a knowing look. "If all you truly want to do is meet it, then I don't mind telling you. But if you want to catch it, you're on your own."
"But—"
"Legendary Pokémon should not be trapped or confined by trainers," she explained. "Many of them serve important roles in how the fabric of our very universe operates. For instance, Dialga—see here in the ruins? It's this one—controls time. If an overly ambitious trainer somehow managed to capture Dialga and wielded its power, he could potentially stop all time. Forever."
The severity of those consequences seemed to weigh heavily on the boy's mind. His mouth remained open, standing there in awe. "And Shaymin…?"
"Shaymin turned a barren little town into a beautiful world of flowers. On a small scale, you may doom Floaroma Town into becoming a wasteland again. On a larger scale, who do you think saves our crops when the farmers have a bad season? When the winter's longer than usual and we have less food?"
"You mean people would starve if I caught it? Gee…" She could tell from the way he chewed on his bottom lip and furrowed his brow that the boy was reconsidering the hunt. "Then I'm just gonna meet it after all, so I can say thank you. My dad's a farmer. I don't want to make life harder on him and everyone else!"
Cynthia smiled warmly, ruffling the child's hair. "Smart boy," she rewarded him, offering a Rare Candy in exchange for listening to her. "Listen, Danny. The next time you're in Celestic Town, stop by the ruins. My grandmother or I could tell you more about the Legendary Pokémon of this region. There's so many myths and stories. Would you like that?"
"Sure!" But it was clear he wanted to hit the road while there was still light in the sky. "See ya later, Cynthia! It was nice meeting you!"
She waved goodbye, watching as her new friend rode off into the sunset, his Shinx chasing behind his bicycle excitedly. 'Oh, to be that age again. It feels like the whole world is opening up for you, eager to show you all its secrets. It's just you, your Pokémon, and no responsibilities beyond that.'
And just as the nostalgia hit her at her hardest, she felt a light tap against her right knee. Glancing down, she saw her Gible nudging her head against her leg. "Okay, okay. I hear you. I think we should go home, too." So began their walk.
…
Returning home took a bit longer than Cynthia anticipated; if only because she and Gible stopped to buy dinner at a fast food joint. Almost every night, her grandmother prepared a three-course meal. Sometimes Cynthia wanted to surprise her with a little something she didn't have to cook. It wasn't much; just a couple of burgers and a large order of fries they could share.
"Sorry we're late! Gible and I ran into a tourist looking for information on Shaymin, and…Grandmother?"
Professor Carolina was sitting at the kitchen table. She hadn't even started dinner preparation. All her attention remained fixated on a mint-colored piece of paper: a letter. Cynthia sat in the chair next to the old woman and leaned a bit closer so she could read the writing on the letter's torn-open envelope.
'There's additional postage. This is an international letter!' She picked up the envelope, only to notice her grandmother wasn't the intended recipient. She was. "Hey…this is my mail!"
"It sure is," Carolina chuckled, handing the paper over. "I hope you don't mind that I already opened it. As soon as I saw where it came from, I had a hunch it was—"
"What if it was a love letter?" Cynthia growled, but not in any seriousness. "I mean it! I'd appreciate it if you stopped opening my mail! But since you already read this," she rolled it into a cylinder shape and lightly tapped Carolina's arm. "Tell me: is it good news or bad news?"
"I'm not going to spoil that for you, Cynthia. Read at your leisure and—oh! You brought home takeout!"
"Help yourself. Take as many fries as you want." Her attention was fully on the letter now.
Cynthia,
A few months ago, you applied for my one-year internship in the Kinzo Region, where you would be assisting me in collecting further data on Pokémon migratory patterns.
I have reviewed all applicants and selected the three people I wish to represent my work. You were my first choice.
Enclosed, you will find your one-way plane ticket to the Natrium Town Airport. I have filed the required permits for you and your two soon-to-be associates, so everything should be in order when you arrive on March 15.
My research team is eager to meet you, but none so more than myself. We'll talk soon.
~Professor Myrtle
"My application was approved…" It took a moment for that to sink in, but the excitement built inside her like magma beneath a volcano. "Grandmother, I'm going to Kinzo! It will be just like helping Professor Rowan again!" But Carolina shook her head. "No?"
"You've always been the kind of girl who could figure her way around any place, so long as you had a map and a little change in your pocket. I'm sure you'll be fine, but Kinzo isn't Sinnoh. I never had to worry about you out here. There, though, I may have to."
"If it's because it's a different region, I visited my parents in Unova last year. They were studying the Relic Castle, and we were perfectly fine." But Carolina still wasn't convinced. "You don't want me to go, do you?"
"What? No! Of course I want you to go! This is a golden opportunity and a chance for you to see a region nobody in the family has ever visited before! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time and meet all kinds of fascinating people. Just promise me you'll be a little extra cautious while you're out there, okay? There's parts of the Kinzo frontier that are really, really dangerous."
'She's just worried because she cares. That's all.' And hearing that made her heart feel a bit warmer. Cynthia held out her arms so she could give the older lady a hug.
"I'll try to call you every week, just to check in and let you know how things are going…"
…
Gible wanted to snuggle into bed with her. Sometimes Cynthia let her do it. Other times, she didn't. Tonight, Gible was acting especially cuddly, so Cynthia couldn't bring herself to turn the Pokémon away. She stroked the creature's red belly for a while until it turned drowsy and found a place to comfortably spoon her.
She must have read Professor Myrtle's letter seven or eight times, putting it to memory. Was it the prettiest set of words anyone had ever sent her? No; that honor still went to an anonymous Academy peer who stuffed a love poem into her locker. She'd been nine years old and found it more hilarious than romantic at the time, but she never threw it away. Somewhere, deep in her desk, she'd stored it: bringing it out again for a quick pick-me-up on gloomy days.
'I don't know what she's so afraid of. Professor Myrtle is a Sinnoh native. She used to lecture at Canalave University.'
She'd even picked up some of those lectures and listened to them on tape. In fact, Cynthia heard so many of the professor's lectures that she'd read the entire letter in Myrtle's voice.
'And if the flight to Kinzo is anything like the one I took to Unova, the airline will brief us on the region's code of conduct before we land.'
She scratched behind Gible's ear. 'We'll be fine. It's going to be a promising new journey. New locations, new people, new Pokémon…'