POV: Cynthia / LOCATION: Veilstone Galactic HQ
That night, I have a dream.
No, not a dream. A memory of an event preceding the start of this story.
A couple of months ago, I was investigating Team Galactic. We've had reports of some lowlifes stealing Pokemon and causing petty mayhem. Those space freaks justified their criminal behavior with absurd claims about creating a new universe, harnessing a great energy, cosmic blah blah.
Yet, I had a sinking suspicion that something much more ominous was at play. Those space goons took orders from someone in the shadows. That person was the brains behind the operation. They were the one Sinnoh should be watching out for.
However, further probing into Galactic Energy yielded next to no evidence of past wrongdoing. No scandals. Incidents were clearly documented, as well were the reparations. Their reputation was clean. Too clean. Whoever their boss was, they took careful deliberation to maintain a good public front.
My lucky break came when Grandma called me one fine day. Since I've lent her my Garchomp for training, I assumed she wanted me to pick it up. Turned out that wasn't the case at all.
"Get your butt to Celestic Town, now!" she screeched. "Someone's trying to enter the mural cave!"
The mural cave. Celestic Town's most treasured historical site. The ancient Sinnoans purposefully built the entrance to be inaccessible to protect the contents inside. My grandma was entrusted with protecting Celestic Town's secrets. And I'm next in line for that role.
While I sped to Celestic Town on Togekiss, Grandma filled me in on the situation, as well as information on the intruder.
"He looks like a hedgehog!" she yelled. "Creepy, no eyebrows and no sense of fashion! He's dressed like the rest of those space freaks!"
"Does he have the golden emblem?" I shouted.
"You mean that 'G?' He does!"
That golden "G." Galactic. So those cosmic goons finally decided to escalate their game.
The fog was as thick as ever around Celestic Town when I arrived. Yet I could smell a danger in the air: a crisp, crackling tension akin to that of a ticking time bomb.
I arrived at the mural cave in time to see Garchomp unleashing Hyper Beam on a shadowy figure. Right before the moment of impact, that shadow darted away, and the blast penetrated the mural wall.
"No!" Grandma shouted. "That sneaky Weavile used Garchomp's Hyper Beam to open up the cave!"
"I'll take care of it!" I said. "Grandma, stay where it's safe!"
I rushed after the intruder, Garchomp hot on my tail. As soon as we crossed the threshold of the cave, boulders rained down from above, sealing the entrance.
Despite the direness of the situation, I admitted that I was a tad disappointed by what lay in the cave. Rocks. Dirt. The only thing worth noting was a crude painting on the farthest wall.
To me, it looked like a bored child snuck in here to vandalize sacred property. The intruder, however, thought otherwise. He was right there beside the picture, studying it intently.
"Hold it right there!" I barked. "You, from Team Galactic! Hands where I can see them!"
Next to his feet, a Weavile spun towards my voice, its claws brandished like knives. Beside me, Garchomp twitched, black smoke curling from its jaws.
But then a hand dropped from the veil of shadow, halting the Weavile in place. Gravel crunched beneath shuffling shoes. A heavy gaze bore right into my own.
"Cynthia?"
I was surprised by how surprised he sounded when he saw me. For a moment there, my mind went blank.
"T-That's right!" I shouted back. "I'm Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh! I'm not surprised that you know of me, Team Galactic!"
There was a lengthy pause on his end, as if he was contemplating something. Then he snickered. He stepped out of the darkness, and I finally saw my enemy for the first time.
"Correct," he said with hand over his heart. "I am the leader of Team Galactic. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Champion Cynthia."
"Wipe that smirk off your face, or I'll rip it off for you!"
"Quell your anger, Cynthia. You're setting a bad example for your Pokemon."
Indeed, Garchomp was just a hair away from unleashing its rage. I then glanced at his Weavile, who simply sneered.
Like Trainer, like Pokemon.
"This is quite an impressive painting," he remarked.
"Did you seriously break in just to look at a couple of rocks?"
He tilted his head. "Given how this is your hometown, I am shocked at your lack of insight as to how valuable this mural is. Shall I translate this for you?"
"Oh please. No one, not even my grandma, has been able to decipher the ancient runes."
"Knowledge."
"What?"
The leader of Team Galactic smoothly directed my attention to the rudimentary drawings on the wall.
"Knowledge. Willpower. Emotion. According to legend, these three Pokemon here embody the three aspects of the human heart. When the three Pokemon of the lake meet again, the heart will be complete, and a great energy shall be unleashed."
I gawked as he pulled out a black feather pen from thin air.
"Hmm… I see. 'When knowledge is expanded, life is enriched. When emotion awakens, joy and sorrow coexist. When a decision is made, action is taken.'" He closed his notebook. "And that's the story of this thousand-year mural. Fascinating, is it not?"
I rolled my eyes. "You're bluffing. No way it said all that!"
"Believe what you wish. Now that my business is done, I shall take my leave. Pardon me, Cynthia."
"Like hell I will. I'm hauling your ass to prison right now!"
He scoffed. "It seems that you fail to understand what I hope to achieve. What I want is simple: a perfect world without petty strife. To attain that reality, I'll need a vast, unimaginable form of energy—"
"You're crazy is what it is." I jabbed a finger to his neck. "Enough of this! Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"
"We'll never see eye-to-eye, will we?" He sighed, as if genuinely disappointed. "A pity. Now, Weavile, Screech!"
An ear-splitting scream rips from Weavile's throat, the shock wave slamming into Garchomp, halting its attack. While Garchomp rightened itself, Weavile leapt into the air and unleashed another banshee shriek.
"Weavile, return!"
"Are you seriously running away? Come back here, coward!"
"Even if you are an obstacle that must be eliminated, I bear no ill will against you, Cynthia. In all actuality, I'm late for my meeting. A tardy leader is no role model for his minions."
Like his Weavile, he was a slippery weasel, evading Garchomp's fireballs with the grace of a fluttering snowflake. As for me, I've had enough.
It's now or nothing.
"Garchomp," I said. "It's time."
I've chased him outside, where dewy grass sprawled into the horizon. Garchomp swung me onto its back, and it flew upwards, cleaving through the thick white fog. At this altitude, I could see all of Celestic. I saw that blue prick staring up at me. I saw my grandma all the way on the other side, thrashing her arms wildly.
Her megaphone voice managed to reach the clouds. "You haven't mastered that Move yet! Cynthia, don't—"
"Garchomp!" I roared. "Draco Meteor!"
Fire shot out from a fissure in the sky. With a triumphant howl, Garchomp summoned boulders as big as continents to rain down on earth. The meteors screamed as they fell. Upon impact, the ground splintered, trees toppled, and all water evaporated in the intense heat.
It was sheer carnage. Raw, unfettered destruction.
Heart pounding, I willed Garchomp to descend. It wobbled when it touched the ground, so I had to support it. We were both drained, physically and mentally. Fortunately, the threat had been neutralized.
"Ehehe…"
That sinister chuckle gradually grew louder, distorting the plumes of debris from where it resided. My legs turned to jelly. There was no way in hell he…
"A Move that calls meteors from the sky? Truly impressive… Even more evidence that space is filled with extraordinary energies…"
Once the smoke cleared, my heart dropped to my stomach. Garchomp let out a faint gasp, and I'm pretty sure I did too.
The leader of Team Galactic smirked back at me. Despite the festering burns on his skin, despite how blood gushed from every exposed wound on his body, he was still standing. A giant Gyarados was curled protectively around him, having absorbed most of the damage.
"Why did you come out?" he muttered, frowning. "I never called for you. Next time, follow instructions."
After he recalled his battered Gyarados, he calmly approached me. In my shock, I tripped over my coat, landing flat on my ass.
"Y-You're not human!" I gasped, cringing from the stench of burnt flesh.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said, eyes crinkling. "That was a wonderful display of strength, Cynthia. Pity though, how you used that attack in blind rage. You allowed for your emotions to cloud your judgement."
"S-Shut up! I swear I'll haul you to justice next time!"
"Is that so? Then I look forward to our next encounter."
With a bow, the spaceman lifted to the sky on jet-black wings.
"Ah yes," he said. "My name is Cyrus. From here on out, do refer to me as such. Farewell for now, Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh. We'll see each other again very soon."