Author's Notes: This short piece takes place within the canon of fellow FanFiction author Skylight Sparkle (Whose stories are highly excellent!) It takes place after her third story, Between Time and Space, and shortly before the actual Pokemon Anime episode Losing Its Lustrous! If you have not read her stories, well... what are you waiting for!? Go! Read them! It is still possible to understand my little story without having read them, but you will need decent knowledge of Pokemon Fanon.
A young woman with tired, slate eyes scanned the document and photographs laid out before them. In her eyes was the reflection of a nearby computer monitor, and her flowing, blonde hair cast shadows across much of her face. The report concerned details about the Alamos Town incident, and the photos were taken shortly after the incident. One of the photos in particular was of note, as it, by chance, included several people she recognized. She paused for a moment and turned to the man waiting patiently in front of her desk.
The young woman gave him a subdued smile, and with genuine brightness in her voice, despite wanting sleep, said, "Thank you, Looker. The G-Men - I am always grateful for the assistance of Interpol."
"You needn't thank me, Cynthia, nor will you ever have to!" replied Looker with his usual enthusiasm. "Besides, a matter that concerns both of us is already too big to play our hands close to the chest. We have to help each other."
Cynthia actually laughed a little. Looker raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, Looker," said Cynthia, a smile still playing on her face. "Your candidness - your sincerity - is refreshing. I wish more of us "agent types" could stand to play nice with each other. Lance could stand to take a page or two from your book, and oh my, listen to me ramble on," realizing what she had said, Cynthia paused, a tad bit embarrassed she had begun to make light of her fellow Champion's mildly aggressive tendencies when it came to G-Men business.
"No, no, it's quite alright, Cynthia, it's all part of the job," remarked Looker, apparently not missing a beat. "Well, I believe I must be off, please keep me informed of any new developments."
"I certainly will, Looker. And you do the same. I have a feeling we'll be working together in the field sooner rather than later."
"That, I do not doubt. Hmm, yes, I am almost certain of it! Good evening, Champion Cynthia."
"Good evening, Looker, and good luck," said Cynthia, and meant it.
With that, Looker tipped his hat and made his exit, his long coat flapping semi-dramatically from the quick motion as he exited out into the main hallway of the G-Men's Sinnoh division headquarters. Said headquarters, while discreetly placed, was not a terribly long distance from where the Lily of the Valley Conference was held. Not surprising, given that this building also housed the Sinnoh Elite Four. Cynthia shook herself from her tired musings and reexamined the report Looker had delivered to her. She looked down to her Glaceon, who had been silently observing the exchange from his cushion on the floor. She frowned slightly.
"Do you think Lance might be onto something after all?" she asked her loyal eeveelution, who managed to look thoughtful. "He and his friends are all very kind, they certainly love their Pokémon, and they're all very talented trainers in their own right, especially for their young age. But that's really about it. That's not really so unique. And yet… having met them personally now, I can't help shake the feeling that maybe there is something special about that little band of brothers and sisters." Cynthia thought back to what Lance had told her, not so long ago.
"As someone specifically charged with trying to prevent or contain situations like this, it pains me to admit that the world, particularly our little collection of regions over here, has taken an increased liking to dancing with disaster. The funny thing is, hardly anyone knows about this, because things always get put back together before they can get too far out of hand. To most people they seem like local catastrophes that flare up and then go away, like a tornado. Destructive, sure, but only around for a short time, and they never go too far," Lance turned his back to her and put his hands on the railing of the balcony they were standing on, the breeze catching his cape, causing it to flow with the air.
"But you, me, Steven, Wallace…" Lance half-turned and looked at her meaningfully, "…it's our job to know. We know that those incidents could have turned out much worse. Heck, half of Johto could have been crystallized for all we know. But like a Bide attack, they always get shut down before anything happens. We can only respond to a potential disaster so fast, but each time, Ash and his companions are already there at ground-zero - before it happens. And having worked with them on several occasions, even I have to admit they're a cut above the rest."
Lance turned fully to face her again, and gave her a rare smile, "Maybe Ash has a Victini that lives underneath his hat."
"Glace glace, glay!" Returning once again to the present, Cynthia smiled and nodded at her Pokémon, "You're right Glaceon, it's going to be an early morning tomorrow, I should get some sleep. We own Celestic Town a visit, I think. Those Orbs are sure to attract attention, and I can think of a few people that might want to take them for themselves. But I have to send this information to Lance and Wallace first."
Cynthia inserted the flash drive that contained a digital copy of the report and photos Looker had given her. She attached them all in short order to an email addressed to the two Champions, and hesitated for a moment before copying it to Steven as well. Despite being something of a people person, Cynthia was far too exhausted to have a drawn out video-chat discussion with Lance, who would without a doubt still be up and working full steam ahead, even as the night went on. The message she typed along with the attachments was short.
I'm sure you're all aware of the Alamos Town incident already, but our mutual friend Looker dug up some very interesting information in his official report. You in particular, Lance, will be happy to know that your golden boy and his friends were at it again. It seems Ash and company have returned to moonlighting as super heroes. Details attached. – Cynthia
However the message appeared to read, had Cynthia spoken the words aloud, the tone would have been one of teasing sarcasm. It was not uncommon for League Champions to compile small lists of individuals they believed could one day make great agents or rangers. Some even looked to find the trainer that would one day officially replace them, as not every Champion was beaten before they stepped down, nor did every trainer that did defeat a Champion wish to take their place in an official capacity, lest they be saddled with a vast array of responsibilities.
None-the-less, Lance's particularly strong interest in Ash and company had become something of a joke among the neighboring Champions. Lance seemed to believe that Ash, and perhaps a few of his friend, could be made into agents right now, on the grounds that they were already doing an agent's job.
There was, in fact, no proof that Ash and his friends had actually played a part in resolving these crises, aside from the two occasions in which they had assisted Lance, once against Team Rocket and once against Teams Aqua and Magma. However, there was evidence (eyewitnesses in Shamouti, video footage from Greenfield, etc.) that they had been close by while these various incidents were in progress, and here was yet more evidence to fan the flames. Even Cynthia had to admit such a coincidence was a little strange. Cynthia also had to admit that she was done pondering said coincidence for the night.
"Goodnight, Glaceon," murmured Cynthia as tugged off her day clothes and put on her pajamas (the ones with the Umbreons all over them). Cynthia didn't know it yet, but her schedule was about to get very busy. For now, though, she climbed into bed, and was out by Mareep number five.