Comfort Food
In Snowpoint City, the cold was not merely cold. It did not just nip at your nose or turn your cheeks rosy. In Snowpoint City, the cold was a driving blast that drove its way through whatever warmth you could hope to have.
At least, that was the way some people described it. To Candice, Snowpoint's winters could even be described as pleasant. The cold hardly bothered her when so many wonderful things came with it. Candice loved winter because it was fascinating. It was the time when ice Pokémon appeared in droves. Although Snowpoint was the coldest city in Sinnoh, winter was when its warmth really showed.
The day could be described as one of the milder days that winter. Instead of the wind driving the snow relentlessly, snow fell gently, coating the hats, roofs, and trees of the town in a thick layer of soft, wet snow.
Candice heard a light knock on her door. Before she went to open it, her guest let herself in. A tall woman, bundled in a profuse amount of black clothing, entered along with her Togekiss. Her blond hair hung almost to her knees, obviously too long to even try to tuck under a hat.
"Cynthia, it's great to see you!" Candice said with a smile. Cynthia unwound the extensive scarf bundled around her neck and offered a smile in return.
"Glad I could make it," Cynthia said. "Garchomp…doesn't like the cold." She chuckled. "Neither do I."
"Oh, you're fine," Candice said. "How many layers of clothing are you wearing? Six? Seven?"
"Close enough," Cynthia said as she took off her hat and hung it up. Next came her raincoat, then another coat. Even then, she still wore her 'signature' fur-trimmed coat.
"How do you manage to move underneath all that?" Candice asked incredulously.
"Oh, I manage. Togekiss was immensely helpful to get me here." Cynthia said. Her Togekiss perched on the back of a chair near the fireplace, warming itself after the long flight.
"Well, are you hungry?" Candice asked, "I made sushi, if you don't mind." When she saw the startled look on Cynthia's face, she laughed. "No, no, don't worry. I actually made macaroni and cheese."
"I would expect you to make sushi. Macaroni sounds wonderful…and warm."
"It's comfort food," Candice said. "I'm sure you need some."
There it was. Cynthia hoped to avoid that topic, but she knew it would come up, especially since she had been champion for almost seven years. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm getting along fine," Cynthia said.
"Really? Well, that's great!" Candice was enthusiastic.
"It wasn't too bad of a loss. It gets lonely at the top," Cynthia smiled, although the smile held some of the cold that should have stayed outside. "To tell you the truth, the trainer-"
"Her name was Dawn, right?" Candice asked quickly.
"Yeah, Dawn. To tell you the truth, she reminds me of myself when I was that age. Headstrong, ambitious, and she actually fulfilled some of those ambitions. It's refreshing. I swear she even speaks like me."
"Well, it takes a special kind of person to be the champion!" Candice said.
"How are things at the gym?" Cynthia asked abruptly before digging in to her macaroni with unusual gusto. She was obviously done talking about Dawn.
Candice handled the change of subject well. "They're going great. In fact, we had a sighting of Articuno the other day!" Candice grinned and proceeded to tell the story in detail. Cynthia smiled and nodded along as she devoured several servings of the macaroni.
When the meal was done, and all the dishes had been cleared, Cynthia began the task of bundling up again. After a long, meticulous few minutes, she was once again wearing three coats. Candice noticed, however, that she managed to retain an air of elegance while wearing copious amounts of winter wear.
"Am I still allowed in the Snowpoint Ruins?" Cynthia asked.
"Of course!" Candice exclaimed.
"I'll probably go take a look around before I leave for Celestic," Cynthia said.
"Enjoy yourself," Candice said. Cynthia tugged her scarf over her mouth, but not before giving Candice a quick grin.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I needed it," Cynthia said. She trudged away through the snow, turning for a moment to wave enthusiastically.
Candice waved as well. She was glad that she could help her friend's spirits in some way, however small. Cynthia had never dealt with defeat quite like this, but she would be fine. Candice was certain.