Echoes of an Unfortunate Future
This is a Darksteelshipping fanfiction, that is Cynthia x Steven. Yes it sounds like crack and it probably is but hey I don't care. I really find the possibility quite cute.
Anyway let's get started... by the way... I haven't abandoned my other Pokémon fanfiction it's just University has gotten in the way and I need something new to get on with before I can return and finish them.
Prologue: What Defines Me?
A champion is defined by their legacy, their style of battle, their humility in victory and of course their eventual defeat. If one was to observe her legacy they'd state she was a model champion, she ruled the Sinnoh region for just over ten years, but that was over now.
Her eventual conqueror was the boy she lectured years ago, the kid who had finally learned to care for his Pokémon. She liked to believe she played a role in his development to soften the blow but she knew it was due to the boy's rival, Ash Ketchum.
Yes the new champion was Paul of Veilstone City, she had to admit he deserved it, but even so she felt a little bitter, or more accurately, lost. She had spent her 'best' years as champion, ever since she was a nineteen year old young woman, now she hung precariously on the right side of thirty.
"How long are you going to remain indoors?" the former-champion's grandmother questioned as the woman in question led lazily under her bedding.
"Ungh five more minutes" the blonde haired woman feigned tiredness, unable to find energy to do much since her defeat. It wasn't the loss of her title that pained her, but her direction in life. She had a hefty amount of money left over from her reign as champion, be it from regional matches to exhibitions so it wasn't like she had to worry about working. To be fair this was probably the source of the problem.
Without the need to do work she didn't feel any rush, she was allowed to laze around in bed, there was no longer any urgency to make a living. "Cynthia..." the elderly woman whispered softly as she stared at her granddaughter's covered back momentarily before making for the door.
"Phew" Cynthia gasped in relief... only for her bedding to be yanked off her body. "Grandmother!" she screamed in a girlishly high pitch as she greeted with the cold morning air which Celestic Town was famous for.
"As if I'd let you lounge around all day, get out of bed missy we have a visitor!" the woman, who was barely 5ft tall ordered boldly, making Cynthia forget the chill on her scantily dressed body momentarily as she jolted out of bed.
"Visitor?" the woman asked through chattering teeth, the chill having returned.
"Yes, another person who wants to scale Mt. Coronet, I guessed since you've got nothing to do that it'd be good for you" Professor Carolina informed her granddaughter. It wasn't their business in guiding travellers up the mountain but this person was an acquaintance of hers.
"But-"
"No buts missy, you need to get out a little more, so get dressed and be downstairs as soon as possible!" Carolina silenced the woman before exiting the room, leaving no room for argument.
"-I don't feel like going" Cynthia finished as her grandmother tromped down the stairs. "Why me..." Cynthia moaned briefly as the cold nipped her bare skin once more. "Brr" she shivered loudly before sprinting to the bathroom to seek solace under some hot water, knowing she had no way of disobeying her grandmother.
After a relatively short shower and getting dressed into her normal attire the former-champion descended the stairs lethargically, spotting the sight of her grandmother and a stranger chatting amicably at the dinner table.
"You're finally here Cynthia" the elderly woman chirped. "I was wondering if I was going to have to come up there again" she joked as the man turned around and gave her a brief nod.
"Good morning" he greeted politely, meeting her grey eyes with his turquoise ones, earning a nod from the young woman.
"Good morning" she replied in an equally polite manner as she walked over to the table and sat with them, she noted that he seemed familiar but she wasn't really in the mood for asking questions.
Silence engulfed the room, it was clear to the man a few years her senior that Cynthia was experiencing serious depression but he didn't touch upon it. "So Carolina, is there anything you'd like me to search for while I'm on the mountain? Seeing as you're offering me a guide so graciously" the man spoke in a thick, upper-class accent, native to western Hoenn.
"Oh aren't you a gentleman" the elderly woman gushed at his polite attitude, something that Cynthia internally mocked. Her grandmother was always a sucker for good looking men who were young enough to be her grandchildren. She was truly a natural cougar. "No that is fine Steven, just do what you normally do" she waved off his offer with a small blush on her face.
"Steven... where have I heard that name before" Cynthia wondered as she bit into her toast greedily, eyes observing the man curiously.
"You are most kind Carolina" Steven complimented, eliciting a giggle which was wrong on so many levels from the elderly woman. "So, Cynthia I've heard you're used to climbing Mt. Coronet" Steven started politely, wishing to get her involved in a discussion.
"Ever since she was five years old, she always loved places which were high up and full of Pokémon" Carolina answered for her granddaughter, embarrassing her at the same time.
"Grandmother..." Cynthia practically growled as she finished the toast and turned to Steven. "Shall we get going?" Cynthia said out of the blue, wanting to get the job out of the way as quickly as possible.
"R-Right" Steven said as he put his food down and looked to Carolina who gave him a rueful expression. "Let's" he said as he followed the woman who'd already started to walk towards the door.
"You'll help her right?" Carolina whispered as he passed her.
"I'll do my best" Steven answered kindly as he walked out of the open door and closed it, leaving the old woman alone.
"Someone like him should be able to get through to her... I hope"
Four hours had past and Cynthia was bereft with questions as she witnessed the man whom she assumed was a rich boy scale a rocky mountain face with zero difficulty. "Do you really need a guide? You seem to be doing fine on your own" Cynthia asked as she began to climb up the rope he'd dropped down for her.
"Of course, it's always best to have somebody knowledgeable on the area when you go cave exploring" the silver haired man said coolly as he seized her hand and pulled her up the final section.
"Thanks" Cynthia remarked gratefully as she brushed any excess dust off her black attire. "So you do this often?" Cynthia queried.
"It's been my hobby for a long time, I'm practically a professional now since I lost my title" Steven stated nonchalantly as he pulled a torch out of his backpack and flipped it on to illuminate the gradually darkening cavern.
"Title?" Cynthia asked curiously.
"Hoenn Champion" Steven answered her, eliciting a gasp from the blonde woman, he didn't respond, he saw no need to.
"W-Wait you're THE Steven Stone... I knew you looked familiar" Cynthia questioned almost embarrassedly, she should have known he was a champion, wasn't that like one of her former duties or something?
"Yes, and I'll take it as a compliment that you know about me" Steven chuckled as he walked onwards into the darkening cavern, leaving the woman behind, but now with her interest piqued she quickly caught up.
"Why would a former champion spend his time in dark caves?" Cynthia asked almost dubiously. "Shouldn't you be training to retake your title?"
"Are you training to get your title back?" Steven questioned as he directed the torch towards a pack of Chingling.
"Not really" Cynthia answered, realizing how odd it seemed that despite her feelings of loss that she wasn't particularly motivated to train for a rematch.
"Exactly, well to be fair I did originally intend to" Steven admitted as he pressed on, weaving between a few stalagmites as he did so.
"Then why didn't you try?" Cynthia queried, hotly on his tail, knowing he could potentially provide her with answers she desperately needed.
"The Hoenn league has a one year waiting period for rematches; originally I took my defeat to Wallace badly. I trained too much and ended up getting ill from stress... like you I became... lost" Steven said without any hint of sadness. "I started to treat my Pokémon badly, not consciously of course, but I so desperately wanted my title" Steven revealed as he turned to Cynthia.
"It was a tough time, the doctors told me to do something I found enjoyable to alleviate my symptoms. Stress and obsession do that to you" the man informed wisely as he go back to ploughing forward.
"So you decided to explore caves?" Cynthia asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Not exactly" Steven revealed as he stopped in front of a large stone wall which was made of a different material than the rest of the cave. "Aron come on out" the steel-master ordered, summoning the small Iron Armour Pokémon which instantly attacked the rock face.
"I have a fondness for rare stones" Steven continued as Aron stopped and turned to his trainer, crying out excitedly. "Did you find them Aron?" Steven asked, looking down to see three stones. "Yes!" he cheered like a child, eyes sparkling with delight.
"...W-What did you find?" Cynthia asked as she walked to his side and looked down, spotting a Dusk, Dawn and Shiny stone. "...So this is what you were searching for?" Cynthia asked in an almost disappointed manner, she was expecting something a little more... fantastic.
"Yes, I'm sure to a fine young woman like you that rock collecting is boring, but I love it" Steven complimented as he crouched down, packing the stones into a satchel before getting back to his feet.
"You're only a few years older than me" Cynthia responded bashfully to his words as he gave her a mature, kindly smile.
"Anyway, during my sick-leave I realised something" Steven continued on without paying much attention to Cynthia's embarrassment. "Being champion was but just one part of me" Steven revealed proudly. "I had spent so much time as the champion that I hadn't thought past that, I allowed what I thought I was to cloud my vision. I had come to identify myself as the champion of Hoenn, not Steven Stone"
"You mean there's more than being champion for people like us?" Cynthia asked hesitantly, a slither of hope coating her words.
"Yes, so much more" Steven remarked as he returned Aron to his Pokéball. "Don't think that all there is to life is battling, none of us can fight forever. Some people might be able to... but that would be the minority" Steven lectured. "Our Pokémon are our friends, not our tools for battle, I forgot that along the way and that is probably why I lost" he admitted, eyes revealing his regret.
"..." Cynthia remained silent, allowing her ears to soak up the knowledge he was imparting.
"But I'm sure you already knew that" Steven joked, laughing boisterously, Cynthia however couldn't laugh, Steven was wrong, she didn't know that.
"So, do you have any hobbies besides battling?" Steven asked as he spotted the look of sadness on her face.
"I'm fond of history and mythology, mainly of the Sinnoh region" Cynthia remarked quietly, earning a light-hearted chuckle from the silver-haired gentleman. "Did I say something strange?" Cynthia wondered self-consciously.
"That's a fine hobby, I'd recommend Hoenn myths, though I'm a little biased since they involve a lot of tunnels" Steven joked heartily as he put a hand on her shoulder, stunning her momentarily. "Wouldn't it be more fun pursuing your hobbies than obligations?" he asked her with a serious look in his eyes, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Try experiencing freedom, just like a ten year old going on their first adventure, you'll feel better" Steven finished, winking as he removed his hand from her shoulder.
"I... never thought about that" Cynthia admitted, a small blush on her face. "Thank you" she continued gratefully.
"Any time, I should thank you for being such good company" Steven complimented charmingly as he backtracked towards where they'd climbed up, leaving behind a very appreciative young woman.
"Honestly thank you Steven... and of course you too Grandmother" Cynthia thought, knowing exactly why her grandmother sent her now and she had to admit she felt much better because of it.
"I'd hate to leave a lady too far behind" Steven said from the opposite side of the cavern making the former-champion flush once more. "You coming?" he asked, eliciting a concealed sigh from the woman who smiled brightly before following after the man with renewed vigour and spirits.
It was dusk by the time the duo reached Cynthia and Carolina's home. "There you two are I was getting a little worried!" Professor Carolina called out from the living room window, a smile on her face as she spotted the renewed life on her granddaughter's face.
"I'm sorry for worrying you Carolina" Steven apologised with a bow but Cynthia merely raised a thin brow.
"Don't worry Steven; grandmother would never worry about such things... especially when Volkner is the main guest on her daily chat show" Cynthia joked, silencing Carolina who knew her granddaughter was right.
"I-I see" the gentleman stuttered momentarily.
"I'll leave you two alone for a moment" Carolina said in an insinuating manner, cackling as she closed the window and returned to the television.
"So... what are you going to do now?" Cynthia asked curiously in an attempt to fill the silence.
"I heard of this interesting cave in the Unova region called Chargestone Cave, I've never been to Unova so it'll be interesting" Steven said with childish excitement.
"It's a nice place, I have a friend who lends me her villa occasionally, there's also a lot of Steel-Type Pokémon that would interest you so I'm sure you won't be bored" Cynthia informed the man as she joined her hands behind her back awkwardly.
"Interesting" Steven remarked without a hint of sarcasm. "And you, what are you going to do?" Steven asked kindly.
"I think I'll study Johto mythology and history. The people of Sinnoh have always been close to those from Johto so perhaps I can find something interesting" Cynthia commented with excitement that matched Steven's rock enthusiasm.
"That's the spirit" he told her as he pulled out a small piece of paper. "If you ever need someone to talk to, or if you find some interesting stones, please feel free to call" he said as he slipped the piece of paper into her hand.
"I wish you luck with your travels Cynthia" Steven bowed as Carolina opened the door to spy Cynthia blush ever so slightly before shaking his hand.
"Good luck to you as well" she replied politely, earning a smile from the man before he walked away, one hand held aloft waving to her as Carolina walked to Cynthia's side.
"He's a nice guy isn't he?" Carolina teased.
"Yeah..." Cynthia agreed instantly.
"Ooh... does little Cynthia have a crush?" Carolina joked as Cynthia laughed maturely before turning to the door.
"Grandmother..." Cynthia whispered with a smile on her face. "That's silly talk."
(End Chapter)
So you may be wondering, what exactly is going to happen in this fiction? Well it is going to be an adventure and will be a serious action one at the same time. The characters are more mature, both are adults who are 30+ or close to that milestone anyway.
I'm looking forward to writing this for It's actually been something I've planned for quite some time now.
Thanks for reading and I hope you can find time to review.
-Aquilon