Renata Cordova had a personal beef with an entire Kinzonian town, but never elaborated on why. When Cynthia tried to nudge her for more details, the old lady conveniently spotted someone she knew and excused herself to say hello.
By dinnertime, Cynthia recognized nearly half of the people in the Kalium City Trainers Lodge. Tamari and her older brother were here, and so were the Kanto trainers who fought Team Sigma on the train. More familiar faces trickled in by sundown, all ready to see what the Lodge Owner had in store for dinner.
True to Zed's word, it was Alolan takeout. A local chain recently opened up, so he used his meal budget to place a mass order for his guests. Although some of the Kinzonian trainers sang the restaurant's praises, something about Cynthia's entrée seemed slightly off. She wasn't too familiar with the Alola region or its cuisine; but it tasted like someone poured the fruit out of a can, washed away the sugary syrup that kept it from spoiling, and tried to pass it off as fresh…like a fruit cocktail she could chew. It wasn't pleasant.
Although Zed insisted she should stay long enough to try a malasada for dessert, Cynthia couldn't bring herself to do it. After the emotional rollercoaster she'd endured today, the last thing she wanted was to eat anything too rich or heavy. In the end, all Zed could convince her to do was take a small berry cup up to her room.
She promised to eat it later. She just didn't specify when.
…
"Okay, everybody. You can come out now." Since all four Pokémon behaved for the nurses, it only felt right to reward them with some free time in the room.
It hadn't surprised Cynthia to hear that Cyrus's Eevee was a model patient. He tended to be nothing short of angelic during checkups, especially if a nurse decided to give him some extra pampering. All they had to do was give him a treat, a belly rub, or a few playful scratches behind the ear. After that, they could do whatever they wanted with him.
The same could not be said for her Eevee. He wasn't exactly bad for the nurses, but he could be a bit of a drama queen. As soon as they put Eevee on the counter; he'd grumble and growl until he sounded like a sad, half-capsized boat motor. Even then, he was all bark and no bite—unless a nurse tried to clip his nails. Then all bets were off. Even then, that was nothing compared to Spiritomb.
Every Pokémon Center visit, the nurses only had a 50/50 shot at getting Spiritomb to cooperate. It terrorized the Plumbum City nurses so badly that they refused to treat it until Cynthia brought it back in a Poké Ball. By some miracle, it behaved for the Kalium City nurses. They'd apparently informed Renata that even though Spiritomb wasn't exactly friendly, it seemed to be too tired to pick a fight.
None of those evaluations surprised Cynthia. The junior nurse's report on Golbat, however, did. Not only was he well-behaved, but he actively pointed out which areas hurt to make the nurse's job easier. He even earned an extra Oran Berry because he was the friendliest patient she'd had all day.
It was a glowing review, but Cynthia had a hard time believing it. Just a few hours ago, that same Golbat nearly mauled Cyrus to death. He only quit when she pulled out a complete set of foreign badges. This didn't even sound like the same Pokémon!
She took a deep breath, releasing him last. The nurse said he was good, but she needed to see that for herself.
As soon as Golbat left his ball, he immediately began looking around the room for Cyrus. Once he confirmed his trainer was nowhere to be found, the big bat smiled at Cynthia and flapped his wings in a friendly gesture. She waved at him, which only made him flap more excitedly.
"Why, hello to you, too!" Cynthia plucked a berry out of her dessert cup and tossed it to Golbat.
He zipped through the air and caught it, making happy munching noises with his big mouth. She hesitantly held out an arm, wondering if Golbat would let her pet him. She gave him multiple opportunities to scoot away and go someplace else, but he didn't. Instead, he lowered his head to her level, as if to make it easier for her to give him attention.
When her hand made contact with the top of his head, Golbat lightly bumped against Cynthia's palm and grinned. "So much for Big Bad Scary Golbat. I guess you're just mad at Cooper and Cyrus, huh?"
It worried her a bit. In the end, this wasn't her Pokémon. Golbat still belonged to Cyrus…and Cyrus didn't have enough badges to control him. What if they ran into more creeps like Cooper in other towns? If this happened again—
"Bat?" Golbat pointed toward the dresser and craned his head back. It didn't take long for Cynthia to realize Golbat was looking for the bloody jacket where Guano Lisa used to be. The longer he sniffed around and tried to find the body, the more Cynthia's insides began to rip apart in guilt. It didn't feel right to let him keep doing that.
"Guano Lisa didn't make it, Golbat. I'm sorry."
Golbat's eyes weren't very large compared to the rest of his body, but they pooled up with tears. The bat's massive mouth had been all smiles just seconds ago, but that grin transformed into a sad, grief-stricken hole. "Baaaat?" He pointed at the dresser again. All that remained of Guano Lisa was a tiny red stain. All Cynthia could do was shake her head. "Bat…ba-bat…"
Cynthia was trying her best not to cry, but it was hard. She held out her arms, offering to give Golbat some affection if he wanted it, but he didn't seem interested in anything a human could give him. For a while, all he did was continue to look at the stain in somber defeat. His whole body slouched.
"I really am sorry. The nurse said there wasn't anything she could do. But…" She had no idea how much consolation this was going to be for Golbat, but it was better than nothing. "But nobody can hurt her anymore. That's what matters most, right?"
Cynthia reached for another berry, but stopped when something tapped against her leg. When she looked down, she noticed Spiritomb's stone rubbing affectionately against her ankle. Its gaseous face looked up at her, green eyes twinkling.
'We can talk to him.'
"You want to?" Spiritomb had never been cruel to the other Pokémon, but Cynthia couldn't shake the feeling that this might be some sort of mean-spirited prank at Golbat's expense. She wouldn't put it past Spiritomb. It wasn't a friendly creature.
'Girl…allow me to explain. Pokémon can love just as deeply as humans, sometimes in even deeper capacities. Golbat thought of that Zubat as his mate. Losing something precious…we understand how that feels. We will talk.'
"You're not gonna hurt him, are you?" When Spiritomb shook its head to indicate this offer was sincere, Cynthia cautiously bent down to pick it up.
Back in Plumbum City, she'd quickly learned that Spiritomb hated sudden motions. If she caught it off guard, it would make all kinds of terrible sounds until she calmed it down. Since she took her time to properly pick it up, all Spiritomb did was create a thin vaporous smile in its ghostly cloud.
"This is uncharacteristically generous of you, but thank you." To show her appreciation, she stroked the stone. Spiritomb sounded happy, but its noises made every hair on Cynthia's arms stand up. "Hey, Golbat? Spiritomb wants to talk to you. Is that okay?" Golbat waddled over toward the bed, head still hung low. As he came closer, Cynthia could feel Spiritomb poking its stone into her chest. "What is it?" she whispered.
'Be a dear and position us at the window. It has a better view.'
'Oh…right…' Earlier, Spiritomb had a grand time watching the ambulances rush to and from the hospital. Cynthia didn't understand the appeal—nor did she want to—but she humored her Pokémon and put it back where it wished to be. Spiritomb's little smile turned into a big, ghastly grin. It was equal parts adorable and creepy.
Carrying Spiritomb wasn't too difficult—save for the fact Cyrus's Eevee kept attempting to do a figure 8 around Cynthia's legs. "Hey! Stop!" Eevee wriggled around like an Eelectrik with fur, insistently rubbing his cheeks on the girl's black boots. When he finally left her alone, her legs were completely covered in brown hair. "Gah!"
At least her Eevee appeared to be preoccupied with grooming himself. He wasn't exactly the world's most affectionate Pokémon, but Cynthia had to applaud him for being a fastidious groomer. His fur was always perfect. Even if she stroked his fur with a damp hand, she never found any stray hairs. He somehow managed to get them all.
The only problem was she couldn't take him seriously when he groomed himself. Her Eevee's muscular haunches were splayed apart as he licked and made the most undignified, ridiculous noises imaginable: mweh mweh mweh mwehp.
After dealing with Golbat, Cynthia needed a good laugh…and her Eevee provided it. She sucked in a chuckle, but it came through her nose as a snort. Eevee lifted his head, tongue still out, and gave her a disgusted look. Sure, he could make dumb noises to his heart's content; but how dare his trainer do the same?
"Sorry! I'm gonna bathe, too. Enjoy your me time, Eevee. I know I will."
Ever since Zed pointed out the room included a private bath, Cynthia could barely contain her excitement. Her room in the Plumbum City Lodge had a private bathroom, but all that meant was the toilet had a faucet over it. The damn thing barely had enough water pressure to constitute as a shower. As a result, neither she nor Cyrus ever took longer than five minutes in there: just long enough to shampoo, scrub, and feel clean.
Today had been a shit show from start to finish. She felt both physically and emotionally drained. Being able to come back to a quiet room and soak her tired muscles in a tub for half an hour sounded like a dream. Back at home; this was the sort of day where she'd steal some of her grandmother's bath oils, grab a good book, and soak in the tub until the water turned cold or somebody knocked on the door. Cynthia doubted anyone sold luxury bath products in Kinzo, but that was alright. Just hot water would do.
She shut the door, took off what felt like three layers of clothing, and twisted the faucet so the water could start warming up. From the other side, one of the Eevees scratched at the door. Considering how frantic the whines sounded, she was pretty sure that wasn't her Eevee. He only made noises like that when he wanted food or somebody made a mess on the floor.
"Ssssssh. I'll be out in a bit."
But the whimpers continued. A brown paw found enough space beneath the door to slide inside, fumbling around desperately in an attempt to get in. When the Eevee's arm got stuck, he began to cry. Cynthia rolled her eyes, squatted toward the door, and began to gently maneuver the Pokémon's leg out of the doorway. As soon as the Eevee was free, another paw popped through and poked at her, demanding attention.
"No. No, sir! You're not—hey! Let go!"
But he didn't. As fun as it was to squish the pink beans on the bottom of Eevee's foot, his razor-sharp claws were significantly less cute. His toes flexed until the claws came out, and then he latched onto Cynthia's hand. "Veeeeeeee!"
"OW! Stoooooop!" Cynthia groaned, trying to free her hand. "You're the clingiest Pokémon I've ever met—and no! That's not a compliment!" How Cyrus kept this thing happy, she had no idea! "If you don't let go right now, you're going back in your ball!"
At least Eevee seemed to understand that. His paw retracted to the other side of the door and he sulkily pattered away…only to take his frustration out on Cynthia's Eevee. She heard the high-pitched growl, followed by the hissing and spitting that typically followed the abuse. Her Eevee was larger and more muscular than Cyrus's, but he was too much of a powder puff to stand up for himself.
All he ever did was scream. Today was no different.
Cynthia gave the door a loud thump, hoping the Eevees would scurry to opposite sides of the room and leave each other alone. For a few seconds, it worked. As soon as the ruckus started up again, she gave up and decided she'd sort it out later. For now, she'd simply turn on the fan and tune it out. She just wished she had a transistor radio so she could listen to music as she soaked. The tub was almost full now! There was just one problem.
'What the—it's still room temperature! Doesn't it get any hotter?!'
…
There wasn't much point in taking a bath if all she could do was soak in lukewarm water. In the end, Cynthia ended up bypassing the bath for a quick shower and tied her hair into a towel turban. Maybe tomorrow, she'd tell Zed that the heat was off…unless he already knew. Maybe it was just so cold outside that the pipes couldn't properly heat up.
The private room came with a small television, ten free channels, and a VCR. According to a small sign next to the TV set, an International Box could be set up for an additional cost. The Kalium Lodge offered Lumiose, Castelia, Jubilife, and Bauhinia packages; as well as a national booster for more Kinzonian channels. That sounded nice, but Cynthia couldn't justify the expense.
She'd rather waste an evening with a good book. The only problem was she'd read every book in her bag at least eleven times. If she wanted something new, she'd have to check out the Kalium City Library…tomorrow. The fact it was dark outside meant it was well past the national curfew, much to her annoyance.
'I should probably visit Cyrus first, just in case he wants me to pick something up. I'm sure he could use a good distraction right about now.'
The last time they talked, Cyrus didn't exactly hide his fear of hospitals. An outpatient procedure would have been scary enough, but he'd be in there for a few days. Cynthia wished she could camp out in the room with him, but that was against hospital protocol. All she could realistically do was look after his Pokémon, visit for a couple of hours, and bring him a few small comforts so his stay would be a little less horrid.
The Kalium Lodge had a small library in the common area; but it was mostly comic books, light novels, old magazines, and what Cynthia strongly suspected was some type of Kinzonian propaganda Zed was required to make available for curious tourists. None of it appealed to her, and she doubted Cyrus would like it either.
As tempting as it was to flop on the bed and call it an early night, she at least wanted to stay up until 9:30. She'd told Cyrus that if he felt lonely and wanted to talk on the phone, she'd stay up all night. All he had to do was call. Sure, she doubted he'd actually do it—but she made the offer! It would kind of be a dick move to pass out so soon.
'I guess I could watch some TV. Here's hoping the free channels aren't all in Kinzonian.'
"Pssssst." All four of the Pokémon stopped what they were doing to look at her. She patted her lap, making it clear that everyone had an open invitation to get on the bed and cuddle.
Spiritomb didn't even budge, nor did her Eevee. Golbat draped a wing across Spiritomb's stone, making it clear he'd rather spend time with his new best friend than a human. At least Cyrus's Eevee seemed interested. He enthusiastically scampered toward Cynthia, climbed into her lap, and curled into a comfortable ball.
"It's your loss, guys. There's plenty of room for all four of you."
Golbat dismissively swished a wing at her and stomped toward the window. He nudged Spiritomb, trying to get it to move over so he could look outside the window, too. She could hear the two Pokémon whispering to each other, not that any of it made any sense to her.
Cynthia grabbed the remote and turned on the TV set. A faint, high-pitched noise came from the left speaker. It didn't bother her, but she noticed Eevee's left ear twitched until the screen came into full focus and the sound went away.
She wasn't expecting much: maybe just a couple of local news channels, a shopping network, and a travel channel. The first channel appeared to be a TV Guide, showing what was available on the other nine stations. Fortunately, everything was written in the international language…albeit a bit broken and clunky in a few places.
The only remotely interesting option on the list was Channel 4: the Kinzonian Heritage Channel. She didn't have high hopes, but it was better than nothing.
…was one of the world's first superpowers. In its heyday, almost one quarter of the world's population bowed before its flag. Although it was only an empire for a hundred and fifty years, it was a confederation for nearly eight centuries.
Echoes of this great civilization still linger with us today: the 365-day calendar, highways, newspapers, the lottery, concrete, sewers, and plumbing all had their start in Argenti. Many historians call it "the Immortal Nation" not because of the longevity of its citizens, but because the empire was destroyed and rebuilt a total of three times in Kinzo alone.
No one knows the exact date the confederation was founded. It happened so long ago that it's impossible to tell where mythology ends and history begins. What we do know is that current-day Kinzo used to be broken into small city-states, each of which had its own king and private army.
The edges of Cynthia's mouth curled up in delight. 'It's a free history channel! This isn't going to suck after all!' Sure, it was just a bunch of still images of mosaics and old statues rather than any dramatizations with live actors—but it was still cool!
Most people would rather watch paint dry than listen to stuffy old professors discuss ancient civilizations, but Cynthia lived and breathed for archaeology—and she knew so little about Kinzo's history! This would be a real treat! If she ended up learning something particularly interesting, maybe she could look for additional books on the subject at the library tomorrow.
"Spiritomb! Yoo hoo!" She tried to get her Pokémon's attention one last time. "Ædranos was part of the Argenti Empire, right? This documentary's about your people! Are you sure you don't want to watch it with me?"
The Pokémon made a noise uncomfortably reminiscent of a human sigh, but didn't come any closer. Whatever was outside the window had its undivided attention.
"Vee!" Cyrus's Eevee cooed, trying to nudge Cynthia into scratching behind his ears. She quickly picked up the hint and gave him what he wanted, amused to see one of his back feet kick excitedly.
4000 years ago, Marius the Younger reported that he had visited a grand total of 150 city-states. A thousand years later, that number had dropped to 33 with Argentia and Auria, the westernmost city-states, as the largest and most prosperous.
The King of Argentia, Rurik the Wrathful, wasn't born a prince. He started life as a slave inside a low-ranking military household. From a young age, Rurik was fascinated by Pokémon and begged his master to teach him how to battle. Humored by the boy's enthusiasm, the soldier conceded. He had no idea what Rurik would become.
Sinnoh had a royal family, but they didn't rule the country anymore. They dressed in designer clothes, held parties at their lavish estates, and made plenty of public appearances; but they were figureheads only. Not that long ago, they announced the birth of a baby princess. The royal family tried to hide Princess Salvia's face from the paparazzi, which led to rumors that she was deformed. When someone finally leaked a photo, the baby looked perfectly normal. They probably just wanted to protect her from the spotlight. Poor kid.
Kalos used to have a royal family, too. They hadn't ruled for a couple of centuries, but the last king's descendants still held a great amount of influence and control over the country. Some had served in Parliament. Others opened up their own businesses. One of them had even been a League Champion. Cynthia didn't know as much about that region, but a Kalos adventure was certainly on her to-do list.
Modern Kinzo was a predominantly communist nation with no noble or royal families. All people were supposed to be equals here. It amazed her to see that even as far back as the ancient days, this was a place where a slave could become a king. It didn't surprise her that he carried a moniker like "the Wrathful," though. This probably wasn't going to be a happy story.
By 15, he earned enough to buy his freedom and joined the military. By 25, he earned a general's rank and the adoration of all Argentia. He was lauded as a conqueror, a protector, an enforcer, and a hero of the common people. But it wasn't enough for Rurik to be praised by the elite. He wished to become the elite.
Cynthia had a sneaking suspicion she knew where this was going. This channel was subsidized by the Kinzonian government. She expected the documentary to devolve into a diatribe about the corrupting power of wealth and how Rurik should have been a hero to all people rather than just himself.
It didn't happen. The narrator's low, soothing voice was like silk: smooth and soft. A voice like that could put people to sleep when they were worn out, no matter how fascinating the material. As he recounted the minutia of how Rurik acquired additional power in the neighboring city-state, Cynthia could feel her eyelids growing heavy.
The only thing that kept her from completely nodding off was Cyrus's Eevee. If she stopped petting him, the Pokémon would lightly bump the top of his head against her jaw and squeak a quick "vee" at her. "You better not do this all night," she mumbled, trying to hold off an impending yawn.
Within fifty years, Rurik and his nine sons conquered and enslaved eleven neighboring territories: including most of eastern Kalos. Terrified of their eastern overlords, the ancient Kalosians decided to fight back and sent their Pokémon to the front lines. Every chieftain, noble, merchant, and serf was expected to comply. If anyone had a Pokémon, it was time for it to fight for Kalos.
One of those men sent his beloved Floette. When her remains came home in a box, he changed the course of western history.
Nearly 3000 years have passed, but the entire continent still knows this story. In it, Rurik the Wrathful is merely a footnote: a catalyst for one of the greatest atrocities ever committed in the history of humanity. We don't remember the war because of Rurik. We remember it because of AZ and the Ultimate Weapon.
Back in Celestic Town, every wall in Cynthia's bedroom was covered in bookcases. Each shelf was devoted to the history, mythos, and legends of a different region. In her Kalos section, the story of the Ultimate Weapon appeared in almost every book. Future Kalosian kings traced their ancestry back to AZ's younger brother, who supposedly buried the weapon because he didn't want future generations to use it.
She'd only heard the Kalosian version of the tale: a man lost his beloved Pokémon and became obsessed with resurrecting her. He stole the lives of other Pokémon just to bring her back. After he succeeded, he repurposed the device into a weapon and ended the war by killing both sides. In that moment, the resurrected Pokémon saw no further goodness in her human companion and left him forever.
The only thing separating Kalos and Kinzo was a dense mountain range. It would make sense that the two countries would have a far from perfect past with one another, but it was a little surprising to learn that this story—which honestly sounded more like a myth—had its roots in reality after all. That wasn't a comforting thought.
Rurik the Wrathful had overstepped his bounds. His rampage broke the heart of the deadliest man in human history. As a result; he, his entire army, and most of his innocent population died in the blast. The war ended, but Cynthia could only imagine what those ancient people thought. They must have seen the blast as something divine: an act from an angry god, perhaps.
Kalos now had a weapon powerful enough to destroy entire armies with just the push of a button. It didn't matter that the king who made it recused himself and left the throne to his brother. The new king still had it.
With the threat of Kalos to his west and nothing but enemies to his east, Rurik's heir agreed to a truce. Centuries of internal fighting came to an end. By the time the boy turned twenty, the city-states were well on their way to forming the Argenti Confederation. The truce became a permanent alliance and then a central government comprised of voluntary provinces.
The kings became Argenti's first Senate. Their families became the new noble class. The focus changed from hoarding royal wealth to finding ways to improve the lives of their shared common people. With the birth of the Confederation came a time of trade, growth, invention, travel, and—
Cynthia pushed the button to shut off the TV and gently placed Cyrus's Eevee on the floor. "I'm sorry, little guy. I just can't keep my eyes open." The Eevee's ears drooped in disappointment. "Come on. Don't make that face."
But the Eevee knew what he was doing. He began to whimper and stared longingly at Cynthia with big sad eyes. One paw reached for the edge of the bed, just to see if the girl would tell him to stay on the floor. She didn't. Instead, she patted the thin mattress in resignation.
"If you behave, you can stay out," she grumbled. "Can you do that?" The Eevee made an excited noise and scampered into the bed, eager to make himself comfortable around Cynthia's belly. "I'm not gonna pet you, though. I'm going to sleep."
Cyrus never called. Considering it was already well past 11 at night, Cynthia doubted he ever would. 'We'll catch up tomorrow,' she decided. 'I just hope you're okay in there. I'm worried about you.'
