Since the last chapter I have arrived at uni! I'm not entirely sure how that's going to effect updates, so they could be closer together or further apart or just stay the same... who knows. Either way, this is my first time living alone so wish me luck!
From this chapter we have learned that champions are dorks
Ryan watched the stranger curiously. If she was just temporarily staying in the Unova region, did that mean she lived somewhere else? She did speak with a slight accent…
"I see you have a helper today, Elesa," the woman said jokingly, casting a glance and a smile at Ryan. At least she seemed nice, whoever she was.
"Oh, he'd just won his gym battle before there was a… commotion outside." Elesa looked over at the pile of metal lying at the side of the road. "Thank you for the help, Cynthia."
"No problem. You can thank Gracie for that!"
"Cynthia…?" Ryan echoed quietly. That was another of those names he felt he should know from somewhere, but he couldn't remember why.
"Anyhow, I need to return to the gym and let everyone know that it's safe out here," Elesa concluded, holding up one hand in a wave. "Ryan, good luck with the rest of your gym battles. And Cynthia, come and say bye before you go back to Sinnoh!"
"Okay, I'll make sure to remember this time," she laughed, waving the leader off. Elek and the Garchomp exchanged a quick farewell wave as well; they must have known each other.
"She's from Sinnoh," Ryan murmured.
"What's Sinnoh?" Mariana had remained close to his side throughout the whole incident – and hadn't moved away even when everything was over, most likely because of the large creature that now stood nearby.
"It's another region. I think it's pretty far away from Unova."
There was a loud thud as the Garchomp stepped towards them – causing Mariana to run and hide behind Ryan once more. It reached down to be on eye-level with the boy. "Hello there. Are you two okay?"
"Um—yeah, we're fine," Ryan nodded. "Mariana's just kinda shy." At her name being spoken, the Dewott cautiously took a few steps out from her hiding spot.
"Hm? Oh! Sorry, don't mind Gracie, she can be very friendly at times." Cynthia stepped forward, placing one hand on the dragon's head.
"No, no, it's okay," Ryan said hurriedly, figuring she must have assumed the large creature intimidated him. She was just a Pokémon, after all; and a friendly one at that. He doubted she'd hurt him. Mariana, on the other hand, might take a little more convincing.
"Not scared of the big mean dragon, I see," the woman teased, petting Gracie's head and earning a rumbled purr in response. "Ah, she's just a big softie really. And very protective too. I don't think that thing will be causing any more trouble."
There were still a few sparks emanating from the odd creature, but it hadn't moved from the spot. The light was gone and its body was badly dented, both from the attack and being thrown against the wall. Gracie had really done a number on that thing.
"Is there anything like that in the Sinnoh region?" Ryan asked, hoping this person might know something about it. He'd never seen any creatures like that back home in Greenway – and he didn't even know if they were really living creatures at all.
Cynthia shook her head, sending her waist-length blonde hair swaying slightly. "Not that I've seen. And I've seen a lot of the Sinnoh region! I haven't seen anything like that before at all, to be frank. I'm not even sure it's actually a Pokémon."
"I… saw one of them before. In the Dreamyard. I don't know what it looked like, but I think it had two eyes rather than one." Perhaps he shouldn't mention the giant monster they'd seen in the forest. That thing had given him nightmares…
"Really?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, maybe there are even more of them around. Although, on the other hand, Unova really isn't my business… although on the other-other hand – the first hand? – Dawn is doing a pretty good job of looking after Sinnoh, so… ah, you don't need to listen to me ramble. I'll end up just like my grandmother before I reach the age of fifty, I swear. I take it you want to know more about what these things might be?"
Did he? The thought hadn't really crossed his mind, but it would be nice to find out what the odd metal creatures were, whether they were really Pokémon or not – and if they were, why he hadn't heard any of them speak. "Yeah."
"Well, they're certainly nothing that I've ever seen before. A fossil Pokémon would make sense, but it doesn't look like a rock-type… I'll tell you what. I have a friend—well, more of an acquaintance. I used to see him at charity events often, and he knows a lot about Pokémon. Maybe he'll know something that'll be helpful."
"Really?" If there was someone who might know what these things were, he was definitely up for meeting them. Things were always less scary when you knew more about them.
"Uh-huh! He lives in White Forest. I'm planning on heading back to my house in Undella Town just past there, so if you want, I can take you to meet him."
"Oh, thank you!" Ryan's eyes lit up. He was going to find out about these creatures and get to see a new place at the same time!
"But, first thing's first, if you've just come out of a gym battle, you'll need to heal your Pokémon beforehand. I'm sure they're tired." At his sudden guilty expression, she gave a friendly smile. "It's okay! Think you can find your way to the Pokémon Centre and back? You go and get your Pokémon healed up; I'll see if I can do something about this mess in the meantime."
As Ryan hurried off to the Pokémon Centre, Mariana racing to keep up, he couldn't help but cast a glance at the crumpled pile of metal near the wall. From the state that thing was in, he almost hoped it wasn't a real Pokémon.
By the time he returned, Cynthia had left a message with the gym guide for someone to gather up the metal and send it to Professor Juniper. Whether they found any information from this trip or not, the professor might be able to find out what the creature had been. She'd returned Gracie to a Poké ball and then headed for one of the city's exits, beckoning for him to follow.
Ryan hadn't looked at the map and therefore didn't know where White Forest was, but Cynthia seemed sure of where she was going as she led the way to Route 16, telling him the place was just past the bridge on the far side of the route. He couldn't help but glance at the forest as they passed. Was that giant creature still in there somewhere? He hoped so; that way he could just avoid the forest and he'd never have to see that thing again.
He didn't even notice the hooded figure walking past until Mariana let out a squeak of surprise. As Ryan glanced back to see what was happening, he noticed what she was looking at; the Pokémon travelling beside them.
A large blue sea lion, legs clad in armour and a spiked helmet on its head. It walked proudly after its trainer, pausing for a moment at the sight of them, an impressive set of whiskers twitching as it sniffed the air.
That's a Samurott…!
Mariana froze, staring up at the evolution with a look of awe in her eyes. It watched her for a moment, regal demeanour not compromised at all by the expressionless glance.
"C'mon, Marth, leave 'em alone," the person muttered quietly, clicking their fingers. The Samurott turned his head at the call, letting out a snort which ruffled the fur around his muzzle.
Hadn't Ryan heard that voice before somewhere?
"Hmm," Cynthia chuckled quietly, walking over to the figure and pulling off the hood. "Fancy meeting you here! Were you hiding from me?"
"Whoa! Um, h-hey… Cynthia…" they span around at the sudden identity reveal, taking a few steps back. Nate? "No, no, I was just, uh… y'know, sunburn can post a potential health hazard. Better safe than sorry!" He forced a grin.
"His excuses are getting worse," Marth mumbled, letting out a hopeless sigh. The sky was mostly clouded over today.
"A real hazard, I'm sure." Cynthia tilted her head slightly as she scanned him, paying the most attention to his scruffy ponytail which currently hung over his shoulder due to the hood. "One of these days you need to get a haircut."
"That's rich coming from the person who could probably sit on their hair."
"There's a difference between looking after your hair and just letting it grow."
Having heard enough hair conversation just from being at home, Ryan turned his attention to the Pokémon instead. Mariana was still gazing at the larger water-type, but quickly looked away at the ground as soon as he made eye contact.
"Good day to you," the Samurott said politely, giving a respectful nod.
"U-um, h-hello," she stuttered, waving back. Her whiskers and tail twitched nervously.
"Female Dewott, huh?" Nate observed, probably trying to steer the conversation away from him. He knelt down so that he was closer to eye-level with the starter and held out one hand. "They're pretty uncommon. I guess that's why Oshawott are so rare."
Mariana shied away from him at first, casting a worried glance up at her trainer.
"It's okay, Mariana; this is Nate."
"The champion?" Her eyes widened, but she seemed to decide he was a person that could be trusted and tottered forward to shake his hand, earning a smile in response.
"So – Ryan, right? The Pokémon had any interesting conversations recently?" There was an amused glint in his eyes, so it obviously wasn't a serious question.
"Conversations?" Cynthia echoed, sounding slightly confused.
"Ry here's a bona fide Pokémon whisperer!" he explained with a flourish. "Observe." He reached over to the Samurott, lifting the creature's head to look at him and ruffling his fur. "Alright, Marthy, say somethin'!"
Marth fixed him with an unamused glare. "You're an idiot."
Nate looked back to Ryan once more. "So, what'd he say? I bet he just said how much he loved me, right?"
"Um…" Ryan blinked, casting a glance at the Samurott who had freed himself from his trainer's grip and was now irritably running his claws through his whisker fur in an effort to straighten it out. "Indirectly…?"
"Well, I've certainly seen things more unusual than someone with the ability to speak to Pokémon, so I guess I can believe it," Cynthia shrugged. "That's quite a gift."
"Thanks, I… have it because of my dad, I think," Ryan added modestly. He couldn't help but feel slightly alienated whenever people made a big deal out of his ability.
"Got his sense of humour as well, by the looks of things," Nate teased, patting Marth's helmet – causing the Samurott to throw him another irritated glance – and getting back to his feet. "Ah well."
"Anyway, we'd better get going. It'll be getting dark before long, and it'd be rude to visit Eldred so late in the day. Ryan, are you ready to keep traveling?" Cynthia asked. When he nodded, she began to walk off. "Alright. Be seeing you, Nate."
"See ya." While her back was turned, he gave a mock salute. Lowering his voice and with a quiet sigh, he added, "if only I was ten years older, eh?"
"Huh?" Ryan gave him a confused glance.
"Never mind, never mind. Go on; if you guys are on your way to see someone I won't keep you waiting." He pulled the hood of his jacket up once more, turning and heading for the city. Marth respectfully dipped his head to the trainer and Pokémon before plodding after the champion. There was certainly an air of strength to him; Mariana must have noticed that as well.
"The champion's Pokémon…" she murmured quietly.
"Yeah. He must be really powerful."
Cynthia had waited for them to catch up; when they did, she was watching the man disappear into the tunnel leading to the city. "He's really changed over the past few years."
"Have you known him for a long time?" Ryan asked, curious. He had the feeling there was something… off about Unova's champion, but he couldn't really tell what. Perhaps he could ask his father. It sounded like he'd known him before.
"Oh, I met him shortly after he became the champion. He used to visit me at the villa each year for a battle. I could never beat him, though; perhaps he stopped coming because he worried I might one day," she chuckled.
"You battled him? Were… were you trying to be the champion?" Wouldn't that be what happened if the current champion was defeated?
Cynthia looked slightly surprised at the question. "Oh, of course not! I've had my fill of being champion for one lifetime. Besides, there was never a judge for those battles; he just liked the challenge."
"You were the champion?"
"Of the Sinnoh region. It was a long time ago, though. I'm actually glad that Dawn defeated me; it means I'm free to travel to other regions. Pokémon mythology is more interesting to me than a champion's title."
Ryan tried to hide the slightly incredulous look on his face. He'd met a lot of former champions so far, even though he hadn't been on his journey for long. They seemed a lot more like normal people than he'd first expected; although then again, now he knew why the name Cynthia had seemed so familiar.
However, he knew one thing: if he was the champion of the region, that wouldn't be a title he'd willingly give up.
It was easy to see why the structure was called Marvellous Bridge. The view from it as well as the architecture of the bridge itself was marvellous, to put it simply. Mariana had stared longingly at the surface sparkling in the sunlight; Ryan just shuddered at the thought of falling down there. He didn't like water.
White Forest was on the other side of the bridge, just as Cynthia had said – and it also lived up to its name. Trees reached up to the skyline, providing shelter for the houses settled in the grassy clearing. Further into the town was a marketplace next to one of the largest trees Ryan had ever seen. He wondered what it'd be like to climb it, but since there weren't many branches closer to the ground it'd probably be near impossible.
"Not far now," Cynthia said as they followed one of the leaf-strewn paths. "I should warn you, though, Eldred is… well, it'd be disrespectful to say he's getting old. His body might not work as well as it used to, but rest assured his mind works just fine. He's got a lot of Pokémon knowledge stored up there," she pointed to her head for emphasis, "so if we're lucky, he might know something about those strange creatures."
They eventually stopped at a decently-sized bungalow. Vines crawled up a couple of trellis against the wall, and a weathered chair was on a part of the grass which would likely have been in the sun earlier in the day.
It wasn't long after Cynthia knocked on the door that it was opened by a woman who looked to be in her late thirties. Her hair was tied back neatly and she was wearing an apron. "Oh, Cynthia! What can I do for you?"
"Hello, Catherine. If it's no trouble, I've come by to see Eldred."
"Oh, that's nice. He doesn't get many visitors," she smiled. "Please, do come in. Is there any particular reason you're here, or just felt like dropping in?"
"There was an odd creature in the city. I thought if anyone might have a clue on what it was, it'd be Eldred. That's why Ryan's with me; I guess you could say he's a witness."
Catherine gave a friendly smile, holding the door open so they could go inside. Ryan returned Mariana to her Poké ball first; she'd looked nervous at being around so many strangers, and besides, they were going into someone else's house. He didn't know if there were other people who had the same attitude to having Pokémon in the house as his mother did…
The woman led them along a hallway and to a room that appeared to be the lounge. The place did seem rather homely, and sort of reminded him of his grandmother's home. There was a fireplace, but the fire was out, making the house feel slightly chilly.
"Mister Eldred, there are guests here to see you!"
"Guests?"
An elderly-looking man slowly turned his head at the announcement. He was sat in an armchair near the window, which offered a view of the sunlight-dappled forest. Eldred certainly looked like an ordinary old man – shoulder-length white hair combed back, face wrinkled with age, pale woollen jumper and corduroy trousers, an old walking stick resting against the side of the seat. Yet if what Cynthia said was true, he also held a lot of knowledge.
"Good evening, Eldred," Cynthia greeted with a smile. "Are you well?"
"Cynthia." He nodded briefly. "As well as I can be, I suppose. I take it you came here for a reason?"
"In just as good a mood as usual, I see," she joked. "Actually, I've brought someone with me to see you. There have been some unusual creatures in the region and I thought you might have some idea of what they could be. Ryan seems to know more about them than I do, so," she glanced down at him, "do you want to explain what you saw?"
"Me?" He swallowed. "U-um…" Suddenly he wondered how badly he actually wanted to know about those things.
"Well?" Eldred pressed. He seemed to notice the boy's nerves after a moment. "It's okay, I won't bite. Lost too many teeth for that." He absently waved one hand – gloved, presumably because of the cold. They must have not used the fire in this house, and in an area as rural as this forest the homes might not even have heating.
Despite the gruff voice and grumpy expression, Eldred seemed nice enough. Ryan gained some confidence from the realisation. "Th-there was a thing made of metal, I think, and it walked a bit like a Galvantula and had one eye…" He tried to remember what he knew about the other ones as well. "There was another one at the Dreamyard, but all I saw was its' glowing eyes, and there was one at the Virbank Complex too although I didn't see it – apparently it fell in the water and started sparking, or something…" Nerves made the words tumble out slightly too fast.
Eldred watched him silently for a long moment, and Ryan wondered how much of the explanation had even been understandable. "Made of metal, and glowing eyes," he repeated eventually, a thoughtful expression taking over the blank one on his face. "And sparks when it hits the water. I hear there was once a Pokémon – somewhat of a legend, since not many people ever saw it – but it was called Genesect. Some parts of your description sound a bit like it, but not others."
"Genesect?" Cynthia echoed. "I've heard of that Pokémon too. It's supposed to look a lot like a Kabutops, though. Whatever we saw in the city looked nothing like that."
"I doubted it could really be one. Like I said, few have ever seen it. Apologies, but that's the only Pokémon I know of that even begins to match your description."
"Alright. Well, thank you anyway," the Sinnoh woman gave a half-hearted smile. "I'd like to get back to Undella Town soon, before it gets dark. Ryan, do you know where you're staying tonight?"
"Um, well…" That was something he hadn't really thought about. Perhaps they could walk back to Nimbasa before the sun went down.
"There's a Pokémon Centre near the treehollow," Eldred suggested, having gone back to looking out the window once more. It seemed like a nice view, at least. "If you're a trainer, it's free."
"I'm a trainer." Ryan looked slightly relieved at the information. It wouldn't be long before the sun set, and he had the feeling Touko might get mad at him if he had any more late-night adventures outside. However, at the mention of the Pokémon Centre, a thought began to make its way into his mind. "Mister Eldred, do you have any Pokémon?" He knew so much about the creatures; surely he must have been a trainer too?
Eldred was silent for a moment; then the question caused a frown to appear on the old man's face. "I used to. I lost them a long time ago. All because of that damn Team Plasma…"
"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that." Team Plasma. A lot of people seemed to have mentioned those words since he arrived in Unova, but it'd probably be insensitive to ask Eldred what it meant. Something must have happened a long time ago, something involving Pokémon, and honestly, Ryan wasn't sure whether he wanted to know what.
