AN: I apologize for the long wait, however, I figured it'd be a good thing to update this giving where we left off and Brillant Diamond and Shining Pearl having come out. I hope I do the battle with my favorite Champion justice, even if she will be holding back since it is only a test. For those interested, Here is a list of Fenreld's final team:
Gardevoir [Psychic/Fairy]
Charizard [Fire/Flying]
Garchomp [Dragon/Ground]
Magnezone [Electric/Steel]
Lapras [Water/Ice]
Gengar [Ghost/Poison]
ONWARDS TO THE STORY!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Telepathic Communication"
"Electronic Talking"
Moves
Chapter 5: Befriending a Champion
Never in his wildest dreams did our hero ever think he'd be meeting his idol, much less battling her. He'd seen her battle on TV and knew how ruthless could be. Her Garchomp was even more terrifying up close. However, if there was one thing that he knew about Cynthia, it was that she respected strength, compassion, and bravery.
'Kirlia, I know you're afraid, but remember: this is a test. Let's show her our bond and bravery.' He said to her telepathically, snapping her out of her fear.
"Got it!" She said with a determined look now on her face.
'Good, they've overcome their fear. Now then to see if they know the advantage they have over Dragon Types.' Cynthia thought with a small smirk on her face. "Well, you have the first move. Show me what you got!"
'Alright, Garchomp is a Dragon/Ground-type... and if I'm remembering correctly from my research, Fairy types are immune to, and Super Effective against Dragons.' Fen recalled, trying to formulate a plan before calling out to his partner. "Alright Kirlia, use Disarming Voice!"
Nodding, the Emotion Pokémon let out a cutesy voice that made the Land Shark Pokémon grunt in discomfort, showing that it hurt a little but otherwise looked unimpressed if the snarl she let out was anything to say about it, making Kirlia a little nervous.
"Now, now, Garchomp. Calm yourself. Let's see if my research on the way here is correct. Use Dragon Rush." The blonde said calmly, believing that while reading about something is all well and good, witnessing and experiencing it for yourself, if possible, was better.
So the Champions Pokémon was surrounded in dragonic energy as she charged towards the frightened shiny Pokémon. However Kirlia trusted her partner, she knew she'd be told to dodge even if every bone in her body was telling her to get out of dodge. Fenreld was nervous as well, however, he had to put his faith in the research supplied to him as a Research Assistant.
When the attack landed, the Emotion Pokémon didn't even flinch only stood there in confusion. 'How...did that not hurt?' She thought.
"So... it's true. Fairy types are immune to Dragon-type moves... Fascinating." Cynthia said as she crossed her arms under her bust with a thoughtful look on her face before looking across the field to the teenager. "Sad to say, but that means that the weaknesses are true as well. I hope you've done your research boy."
"Yeah. Now, how about we get to the actual test eh?" He smirked before getting serious. "Come on Kirlia, let's do this!"
"Yes, show me the bond you forged over the last 5 years!" The blonde Champion said sternly.
'Alright, she wants to see that, then let's keep our communication to telepathy.' Fenreld said to his partner getting a nod in return.
'Hmm... this will be interesting.' The Sinnoh Native thought with an excited smirk. 'It's not every day I get to battle against a team that can communicate telepathically.'
'Let's try catching them off guard with Magical Leaf.' The young Trainer said knowing it was highly unlikely they will win, but they went into this knowing it wasn't required to win.
Kirlia nodded and unleashed the attack, unfortunately, Cynthia wasn't a champion for nothing. She recognized the attack and knowing it was an unavoidable attack, she decided to see the Hoenn Natives dodging skills. "Catch her off balance with Giga Impact!"
While the Magical Leaf attack hit its mark, dealing decent damage despite the obvious experience between the two, the Mach Pokémon charged at her opponent with every bit of its power, with an aura surrounding it.
'Dodge using Teleport! She won't be able to move after that, so be ready to use Confusion to attempt to toss her to the other side of the field.' Fenreld ordered his partner.
Without acknowledging her friend, she teleported out of the way just in time, causing the large Pokémon to skid to a halt, panting to catch her breath. So, taking that as her cue, she focused her power and enveloped the Champion's Partner and struggled to pick her up much less toss her across the field, mainly due to Garchomp starting to fight back.
"Break free and use Iron Head!" The blonde commanded having decided she'd just about enough.
So, with a deafening and intimidating roar, Garchomp's head started glowing and charged at the Emotion Pokémon, the roar startled the poor Psychic/Fairy Pokémon, causing her to not hear Fenreld's desperate call for her to dodge, getting hit hard by the Steel-type attack and getting tossed across the field like a rag doll.
When she came to a stop, Fenreld ran out on the field ignoring the fact the match hasn't been called, worried about his partner and best friend. "Kirlia!" He cried out as he skids to a stop next to her and lifted her up gently. "Are you alright?!" after a moment of silence he started getting worried, tears forming in his eyes. "Come on... open your eyes, say something...!"
"It's alright... She's just unconscious." Cynthia said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, startling him.
He was so focused on Kirlia's well-being that he didn't notice Cynthia recalling her Garchomp into her Poké Ball, ending the match. She just smiled softly, looking regretful. "I'm sorry, I took it too far. I got caught up in the heat of the battle. Let's head back into the hut and get her healed up, OK?"
The ravenette just nodded, carefully picking her up bridal style, and walked with the Champion back to the hut. Inside the blonde bombshell instructed him to put Kirlia on the table so she could look over the fainted Pokémon. To both their relief, Kirlia only had some light bruising, nothing some Super Potion wouldn't take care of. So, Cynthia gave the Emotion Pokémon a Max Revive before spraying her with the Potion as she regained consciousness.
"Oww... did anyone get the license plate number on that truck...?" Kirlia groaned before noticing they were back in the shack. "Did we pass the test...?"
"She hasn't said yet, we were more worried about you after you ragdolled from that Iron Head." Fenreld said while pulling her into a hug. "I'm just glad that you weren't badly injured."
'There's no doubt about it... that's an unbreakable bond if I ever saw one. One that stands the test of time. They've more than proved themselves worthy of my gift.' Cynthia thought with a warm smile on her face before clearing her throat getting the duo's attention. "Now that you are awake Kirlia, it is time for me to announce the results of your test."
She paused as she made her way to the cabinet before revealing an Egg in an incubation pod. "Fenreld, you and Kirlia have proven the strength of your bond. You are more than worthy of this Egg, containing my Garchomp's child. I trust you will raise this Gible properly once it hatches."
"Not...what I was expecting..." He said dumbly. "This week has just been filled with honors that I don't feel I deserve... I mean meeting and getting to battle you alone is a dream come true... but getting an Egg from your Garchomp is beyond anything I could ever comprehend."
The blonde Champion smirked hearing he was obviously a fan, however, she could understand where he was coming from. Just starting his journey and he has been handed privileges and honors that most Trainers would dream of. Gaining access to a room meant for Professors and their Assistants, becoming an Assistant only a few days into his journey, now he was meeting a Champion that he respected and receiving something very precious indeed.
Most people would be dumbfounded then let it go to their head that they are better than everyone else. However, from what she's heard about this young man, he wasn't about to do that. He's already been defending Pokémon from the kind of Trainer that would take advantage of those privileges only to lose them immediately.
"While I'm flattered that you're a fan, I wouldn't be offering this or even asked you to meet me if I didn't think you were worthy of my time nor egg." She said crossing her arms under her generous bust with a stern look on her face.
"I'm not just a fan Cynthia... you're my idol... what I aspire to be as a trainer. Fierce and unrelenting in battle, yet kind and willing to teach trainers what they are missing and need to learn to be good trainers. You're not known as the Goddess of Battle for nothing after all." Fenreld said honestly with a bright red blush on display.
"Oh my..." The Champion said in awe before turning a tad flirty with a husky voice. "Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say you have a crush on me... And here I was under the impression you were smitten with that Maple girl back in the Hoenn region. What a little player you are turning out to be. I wonder what the young lady would say about this?"
"Whaaa..? I mean – I don't -" He sputtered. "I'm 10! May and I haven't even hit puberty yet!" He paused before having a wistful smile. "Besides, She'll likely find someone back home before I get back. She's going to be in the spotlight with those contests of hers, so they'll no shortage of admirers."
"You sound like you care a great deal about her." Cynthia said softly, dropping the teasing getting a nod in return. "Well don't worry, she'd be a foolish girl to not wait for you." Before turning serious. "Now, will you accept my Egg?"
"Yes, of course. I apologize for getting sidetracked." He said sheepishly as he walked up and claimed the incubation pod. "Thank you very much."
"As I said, you earned it." She said with a smile before that smile turned into a grin. "Now, how do you feel about escorting me as far Cerulean City? Mount Moon is no easy trek, even for experienced Trainers such as myself."
"...I promised May that I wouldn't travel with anyone else..." The ravenette said softly before chuckling. "Then again, she'd give me hell if I turn down the opportunity to travel with my idol and learn from you."
"You got that right... Hell, I'd be giving you shit the whole way through the mountain if you turned her down. Especially since you'd be kicking yourself for the rest of your life." Kirlia chimed in, reminding them that she was there.
"Well, I'll let you two rest up. You must be exhausted from your journey to get here on time. We'll set out tomorrow." The Blonde commented as she turned to go into the back room. "I have a call to make. Official League Business and whatnot."
Fenreld just nodded before realizing something. "Is that back room for officials only?"
She looked back at him curiously. "No... it's for everyone. Why?"
He groans and facepalms. "Because I have a feeling we'll run into a pair of Trainers with an overpowered Pikachu by sometime soon. I last saw them back in Pewter when they failed to beat the Gym. They are both idiots. One has a massive fear of bugs and yet didn't say anything when traveling to Pewter through Viridian Forest, and the other with the Pikachu, challenged Brock with the power plant of an Electric Mouse and a Pidgeotto that he just caught in the forest."
"...You're serious right now?" The blonde said in awe only getting a deadpan stare in return. "...Wow. Then we should be off... though I am considering reporting those two for gross negligence and self-endangerment."
"That's up to you. The mother of the boy with the Pikachu asked me to look out for him on occasion should our paths cross." Fenreld said with a shrug.
The Sinnoh Champion nodded and went to make her call while Fen and Kirlia just sat down and relaxed. Cynthia sighed as she dialed up Lance.
"Lance here." The short Dragon Champion said as he answered. "Oh, Cynthia. I assume everything has gone smoothly?"
"Yes, I just got done with my test for young Fenreld. He's an exceptional Trainer that will go far with his Kirlia." She said with a smile. "However that's not why I'm calling. My flight is in Saffron City and I wanted to let you know that I will be traveling with the boy as far as Cerulean City."
"I suppose that only makes sense... No point in going through Mount Moon alone since you're heading the same way..." Lance sighed. "Just... try not to draw too much attention to yourself alright?"
"No promises. He has access to the Professor's Room and will likely want to call and introduce me to his sweetheart back home. Apparently, he's quite a fan of mine, and while he's very polite and proper... what man wouldn't want to introduce his childhood friend to his idol?" The blonde said with a smirk.
The Indigo Champion groaned. "I'm starting to regret allowing this."
"Hey, at least I'm giving you a heads up. I could have kept quiet about everything until I returned home." She shrugged.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He sighed. "Fine. But no farther than Cerulean alright? And no interfering with his Gym Challenge unless absolutely necessary."
"I'm aware..." She too sighed as she hung up. 'I'll give this Pallet Town native a chance... I only hope that my leniency doesn't backfire.'
Fenreld noticed her walk out looking slightly annoyed. "Hey, everything alright?"
"Oh, I'm fine... the Champion of this region was just being a git. He's not happy that we'll be traveling together even for the length of Mount Moon." The blonde said nonchalantly. "Though he did say not to get involved with your Gym Challenge unless necessary... which means I can't get involved unless the Gym is absolute trash or just handing out badges without a proper battle."
"I suppose that makes sense. But won't you get into trouble with the league?" The Ravenette asked, worried for her.
"No, even Lance said it made sense to travel in pairs, especially if we're heading the same way." The Sinnoh native said with a smile.
"Alright, well let's get going. I don't want to deal with Ash and that Mango-haired harpy, Misty." Fenreld said grabbing his bag and Kirlia getting up.
"You really don't her, do you?" His partner asked.
"What's to like? She's loud and has one hell of a short fuse. She doesn't train Pokémon properly from what we saw, and holds a grudge over something completely circumstantial, not to mention the way she dresses..." The Hoenn native groaned.
"...What do you mean?" Cynthia asked.
"She wears this tank top that looks like it doesn't completely fit that leaves her midriff exposed, her shorts probably doesn't fit since she's wearing overalls even if they barely cover anything." He said with a shrug.
"So basically she's dressed like a little skank even if she's only 10 or 11." She scowled before remembering her name. "You said her name was Misty? With Mango-colored hair?"
"Yeah, that's right. Kirlia beat her Starmie when she was still a Ralts." Fenreld nodded.
"I see." Cynthia said thoughtfully. 'If I'm right, she's Misty Wallflower, youngest sister of the Sensational Sisters that run the Cerulean Gym. I did hear she was a bit of tomboy, but to dress like that is only going harm her family's image even more.'
Without saying anything more they started walking towards the nearest entrance of the labyrinth known as Mt. Moon. What they didn't know was that they were going to be missing the trouble caused by Jessie, James, and Meowth. Along the way, Fenreld caught a Zubat, a rare find of Clefairy, a Geodude, Sandscrew, and Onix. Cynthia even decided to catch a few Pokémon to keep her grandmother company.
The two of them even got to know each other better than what they'd heard through the grapevine and were becoming fast friends. Cynthia was impressed by the Pokémon the teenager was training, but his plans for the future. They decided to take a brief break.
"You know, when you do become Champion, you might get invited to a tournament for Champions and their elite four, It'd be interesting to see how we match up once you're more experienced." Cynthia said with a smile.
"Sounds interesting." Fenreld said thoughtfully, only to be brought out his thoughts when the Egg in his bag started to glow signaling that it was hatching, so he hurried to remove it from its pod. Everyone looked in anticipation as the Gible came into form, and when the light died down, they were all shocked that it turned out to be a shiny Gible.
The little Land Shark Pokémon opened its eyes and launched itself at the first being it saw, which happened to be Fenreld. The ravenette smiled and hugged his new Pokémon. The ladies just smiled warmly enjoying the touching scene in front of them. Deciding that since his idol was traveling with him and hoped they'd remain friends, he decided to give the Gible the nickname Chomper.
Cynthia reached for the pod that the newly hatched Pokémon was stored and pulled out the ball that on top. Unlike normal Poké Balls, this was black with a white and gold back around the middle with a yellow and red circle on top.
"Fen, here. Use this to catch Chomper." Cynthia said softly holding out the ball.
"What's this?" The young Trainer said, unfamiliar with the item being given to him.
"This is a new model of Poké Ball called a Luxury Ball. It's said to help Pokémon become friendlier with Trainers faster due to comfortable interior." The Champion explained.
"These sound expensive..." He said pensively. "Are you sure? I mean I get being a Champion probably nets you a fair bit of cash but..."
"It's fine." She waved him off. "Besides, even if we didn't hit it off as we have, you're heroic acts were what brought about the need to record battles, and not just in Gym battles... but all official League battles. That alone has saved hundreds, if not thousands of abused Pokémon. You deserve Chomper and the Luxury Ball."
"Thank you Cynthia." Fenreld said in awe before looking down at his new Pokémon. "How 'bout it little guy? Ready to join the team?"
The newly hatched nodded eagerly and immediately bopped its nose on the ball, getting sucked into the ball, making it ping immediately, signaling the successful capture.
"I should get to see the gender and what moves this little one comes with." He said pulling out his Pokédex and held it up to the Luxury Ball.
"Gible, The Land Shark Pokémon. It nests in small, horizontal holes in cave walls. It pounces to catch prey that stray too close. It once lived in the tropics. To avoid the cold, it lives in caves warmed by geothermal heat.
Gender: Male
Level: 1
Moveset: Iron Head, Outrage, Dragon Breath, Tackle, Sand Tomb."
Dexette responded.
"Hmm interesting, his father must have had Outrage and Dragon Breath, glad that he inherited his mother's Iron Head move though." The Blonde said thoughtfully.
"Well, regardless, Chomper is quite powerful and will stay by my side along with Kirlia and Charmeleon." The Ravenette said with a smile.
"I'm flattered by the gesture, you should be sure to rotate out your team. I mean it's alright to have your favorite Pokémon, you'll grow more as a trainer rotating your team." Cynthia advised.
"I know, but the way I see it, Kirlia represents my bond with May and...my parents." He said trailing off while clenching his fists before calming himself when Kirlia placed her small hand on his leg to show support. "Charmander has always been a favorite of mine, and your my idol and now a friend, therefore Chomper will always be a treasured companion."
"You're very sweet." She said with a smile. "Come, let's go find some Trainers to get Chomper some experience, shall we?"
They made their way through Mount Moon, taking out trainers and Chomper the Gible getting plenty of experience, completely trouncing the Trainers showing the power he inherited from Cynthia's Garchomp. Along the way, Fenreld managed to catch an Onix before they found a dead end so they decided to set up camp, repel sticks, and portable gas cookware. And once again Kirlia had talked to the Pokémon about keeping watch. Fenreld decided to show off to idol and a new friend by showing his cooking skill, while Cynthia decided to prepare special food for the freshly hatched Pokémon, enough for a couple of days.
"You're very good. Where did you learn to cook?" She asked after taking the first bite of her food.
"...My Aunt taught me everything I needed to know about surviving on my journey in the wild." He said sadly.
"What happened to her?" The blonde asked curiously sensing something went wrong.
"I don't know honestly. She left one day to get something from Celadon City but 2 weeks after she left, I got a call from the Department Store asking where she was. I've placed a missing person report, but the police haven't made any progress." The ravenette said with a sigh. "I can only hope that I find her while I journey around Kanto before I go home to Hoenn."
"I'll talk to the league. See if they can help at all... While Lance may be Champion, he's also part of the G-men, so hopefully, he can help with the search." Cynthia said softly.
"I don't think the League will be willing to help considering the things that have been given to me recently." Fenreld said with a shrug. "But if you want to try, I'd appreciate it."
"Do you know what route she would have taken?" The Champion asked, taking out a notebook to write down his theory.
Taking out his map of the region, he started thinking and recalled what Pokémon she had on her. "Well... considering she had her Scyther and Venusaur with her, I'd imagine she took the Diglett Cave by Pewter to Vermillion City, from there may be going through Saffron to Celadon... And from what I've heard Diglett Cave isn't that dangerous unless someone upsets the Diglett and Dugtrio there."
Cynthia nodded. "So that leaves Vermillion and Saffron City... to check out... and considering Silph Co.'s influence in Saffron, if she went missing there...and her name?"
"Her name is Diane Kreuger." The ravenette said softly getting a nod from Cynthia as she put her notebook away.
'I will talk to Lance when we get to Cerulean City about meeting me in Saffron and using our status as Champion to investigate around Saffron.' She thought, determined to help the honorable young man.
'So, she's going to help Fen... May's got some competition.' Kirlia thought to herself having read Cynthia's mind. 'I'll keep it to myself for now. He needs all the friends and support he can get...'
With that, both humans settled down for the night in their separate tents. The small Gible was exempt from watch duty since he was already snuggled tight with his new Trainer, or as Kirlia informed everyone, Chomper considered Fenreld his "Papa."
Not a single Trainer even came down the dead-end path mainly to the intimidating Garchomp that was close by. The only reason the passing Trainers knew what Garchomp was, was because of Cynthia's popularity. This kind of killed Lance's request for her to remain subtle since the passing Trainers were all talking about the possibility of Sinnoh's Champion being in Kanto and possibly traveling with the cold, lone wolf Trainer with the strange blue-haired Pokémon since Kirlia was spotted next to the Champion's partner.
When Cynthia and Fenreld woke up, they noticed the Pokémon keeping watch and laughed, knowing that it was likely the Emotion Pokémon that organized everything. The blonde took charge of making breakfast before they departed. Along the way Chomper got more experience catching up to the rest of the team to level 18 at the very least, just behind Kirlia was at 21, 9 away from being the beautiful Gardevoir that will be capable of Mega Evolution.
They ran into a maniac that was trying to hog two fossils to himself but after a rather devastating battle and Kirlia firing off a Psybeam wiping out his Clefable. So reluctantly he gave up both fossils, letting the blonde beauty have the Dome Fossil while Fenreld obtained the Helix Fossil. Afterward, they made it out of Mount Moon after knocking out an angry Onix with Charmeleon's Metal Claw.
"Man, Spending two days in a Cave is not something I want to do ever again..." Fenreld said, not knowing that Cynthia's investigation was going to lock down Saffron City, or about a sleeping Snorlax that would block his way from Vermillion, thus forcing him to go through Rock Tunnel in order to progress.
"You get used to it... Just make sure to pick up plenty of supplies and you'll be fine." Cynthia said as she stretched. "Come on, let's get to town so you can introduce me to May."
"...I'll have to bring you into the Professor's Room with me... I have free long-distance calling... by now she should be on Dewford by now with Mr. Briney and Peeko on her way to Slateport for her first contest." Fenreld said as he recalled the quickest route to Slateport City.
"You did mention that she was a coordinator before..." The Goddess of Battle said thoughtfully before asking. "Is she not interested in Gym Battles?"
"Nah, she wanted to take a different path in life rather than follow her father, the Gym Leader of Petalburg." The ravenette said with a shrug.
"Ahh... I get it now. Wanting to get out her father's shadow." The Blonde said with a nod, earning one in return. "If you end up being Champion and she manages to win Top Coordinator, you two will be getting a lot of press... Especially if you end up dating."
"Whatever... let's go. I want to get there before dark and sleep in a proper bed... stone floors don't agree with me." Fenreld said trying to hide his blush at the thought of dating his childhood friend.
Cynthia merely giggled knowing that the young trainer really liked the girl, and she had a feeling the young coordinator felt the same.
As they made their way down Route 4, Fenreld managed to catch a Paris, Sandscrew, and an Ekans. However, as they passed a road sign, Fen had to sigh. Written on it was "Gary was here, Ash is a Loser."
"Really...? Gary's such an asshole." He groaned.
"Do you mean Gary Oak? Professor Samuel Oak's grandson?" Cynthia asked curiously. "Why would he stop to deface this sign?"
"He and Ash, the kid with the overpowered Pikachu, are childhood friends and rivals. As to why he'd stop and do this... he's an asshole. He probably did this to try and get under Ash's skin." The ravenette shrugs.
"I see... is there anyone from Pallet that's competent?" The Blonde sighed.
"None of the new trainers anyhow... the third person from Pallet ended up rolling her ankle and smacking her head on a rock... I had to get her to Viridian City or she wouldn't have made... especially with the storm that was approaching that night." He said with a sigh. "She was ready to give up on her journey until Kirlia told her that her Bulbasaur was wanting to battle."
"I see..." She said in disbelief before looking at him with a smile... "Well I hope they improve by the time the Indigo Conference... but I won't hold my breath. Just know I will be watching, I have high expectations of you."
"I'll do my best." Fen said with a blush. 'No pressure then... if I don't win the Conference I'll be letting her down.'
Without saying anything more, they made their way to Cerulean City. Once within the city, the travel partners were drawing a lot of attention. They overhead hushed whispers from Trainers.
"That's the Lone Wolf from Hoenn, I knew I recognized that foreign Pokémon when I was in Mount Moon! So he is traveling with the Goddess of Battle..." One Trainer said in awe.
"What's a nobody like him doing traveling with the Goddess? I thought he wouldn't travel with anyone?" Another asked, jealousy in their voice.
"What kind of connections does this kid have?!" Another jealous Trainer asked.
Fenreld groaned. "Just great... So much for privacy. I wouldn't be surprised if the Press intercepts us on the way to the Centre."
"So much for Lance's request for me to be subtle..." Cynthia sighed knowing that her young friend was probably right about being abused by the Press.
Thankfully they weren't bothered anymore other than hushed whispers and stares. Even Nurse Joy was shocked to see the Sinnoh Champion in her Centre but she quickly recovered.
"Welcome to Cerulean City Champion Cynthia, and you as well Assistant Fenreld. How might I be of assistance?" The pinkette asked professionally.
"Is there any messages for me Nurse Joy?" Fenreld asked, not surprised she knew he was Professor's Assistant.
"Yes, there is a message from Dewford City. I've forwarded it to your room." She said with a nod.
"Thank you. I'll be back later to have my Pokémon treated." The ravenette said as he walked past, scanning his Pokédex and made his way to the top-secret room with Cynthia following close behind, earning even more hushed whispers and starting more gossip.
Inside the Professor's room, he noticed it looked more like an aquarium than other Centres, however, considering Cerulean City was home to the Water Gym, it made some sense. Cynthia looked around and noticed it was cozy, but had nothing on the VIP room for the Champions. Fenreld made his way to the communication device, he did see the message.
"Hey, Fen! I hope you did well against your test! I'll be here in Dewford until tomorrow. My first contest is in 3 days, so I hope you reach Cerulean before I have to go. I want to hear everything! Same as before, I've left instructions with Nurse Joy to wake me when you call! Hope to hear from you soon." May said over her message.
"She's an energetic young lady." Cynthia said with an amused smirk. "She definitely attractive enough to be a Coordinator."
"Just... please don't cause trouble for me alright? I'm already gonna catch shit for doubting her... She's gonna even more jealous when she hears we traveled together through Mount Moon." He groaned.
'As I thought...' She smirked only to nod.
As soon as he dialed Dewford Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy picked almost immediately. "Dewford Pokémon Centre. Nurse Joy speaking, how I can help you?"
"Hi, I'm looking for May Maple?" He asked, silently wondering is she remembered him from the time he was there for his birthday.
"Yes of cour- Wait... Young Fenreld? Is that you? I haven't seen you since that dreadful day. I'm so sorry about what happened." The pinkette said solemnly.
"Thank you..." He said quietly. "Can I speak to May now please?"
"Yes, of course! I'll go get Ms. Maple now." The Nurse said bashfully as she vanished off-screen.
"Quite the charmer, aren't you?" Cynthia said with a playful smirk.
Before he could respond, the same sound could be mistaken as a stampede of Rhyhorn. A messy-haired May came on the screen. "Fen! Glad you called when you did! I was just about head to bed before leaving with Mr. Briney tomorrow!"
"Well, that explains why your hair is a mess... I am glad I caught you though. As you can see..." Fenreld paused before gesturing to the Blonde Champion next to him. "You were right..."
"Oh my god!" The brunette said as she quickly fixed her hair, blushing up a storm. "You could have had Nurse Joy warn me that Cynthia was with you! I'm so embarrassed..."
"It's no problem Ms. Maple, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a bit about you from Fenreld here." Cynthia said, amusement clear in her voice.
"The pleasure is mine Cynthia." The future Coordinator said with a small bow before glaring at her childhood friend. "Seems you owe me for being right!"
"Yeah yeah, I know. I'll be hanging around Cerulean for a few days to train up..." Fenreld sighed before his face turned into a grin. "Got a surprise for you though."
"...I'm gonna be even more upset with you aren't I?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
He just grinned and pulled out his Luxury Ball to get a gasp from his friend before he let out his gifted Pokémon. "Say hello to Chomper, my Gible."
"You got a Gible?!" May asked loudly before she looked at Cynthia. "You tested him before giving him a Pokémon?"
"Technically, it was for my Garchomp's Egg.. but yes, yes I did." Cynthia said with a nod. "Chomper hatched in Mount Moon."
"That's very generous of you Lady Champion..." the Coordinator said in shock before she caught on to something. "Wait... you two traveled together through the mythical Mount Moon?!"
Seeing the jealousy starting to raise, Cynthia spoke up to explain things. "Hold on... before you jump the gun, we did travel together, but only because it was safer to travel in a group through Mount Moon. It's a labyrinth and easy to get lost and the Pokémon there can get quite vicious if disturbed. I was heading to Saffron City for my flight back to Sinnoh, so thought it would be beneficial to travel with your friend and help keep him safe."
Seeing the young girl calm down at hearing this, she sighed, as if resigning herself. "Alright, I can see the logic of that... and... Fen would be a fool to turn down traveling with his idol..."
'I'm gonna have to thank Cynthia later.' Fenreld sighed in relief.
Kirlia made herself by using her power to raise herself to the camera's height, she knew she couldn't talk directly to May but just seeing her made her very happy. May too, smiled brightly seeing Kirlia.
"Wow, you're looking so beautiful Kirlia! It's good to see you. I bet it won't be long before you're a stunning Gardevoir." The brunette said cheerfully.
The Emotion Pokémon nodded before lowering herself back down to the floor. "Can you tell her that I miss her and can't wait to go home?"
Fenreld nodded and passed on the message, and May frowned. "I miss both of you... you guess better hurry and come home as soon as you clean up at the Indigo League!"
"Don't worry, we'll be on the first flight home after we finished at the Indigo Conference." Fenreld said with a nod. "So did you catch anything new?"
"Oh! Yeah, I did, I was able to catch a Skitty for the contests but I also caught an Aron as extra muscle for my journey... Can't rely on Combusken and Beautifly all the time, now can I?" The brunette said with a smile.
"Hmm, good choices. Skitty is cute and adorable while Aron is definitely a sturdy Pokémon for muscle. I see your father taught you well." Cynthia said sternly.
"Th-thank you Cynthia." May stuttered with a faint blush, after all, it's not every day she got compliments from a Champion, earning a nod in return.
"Well, we should let you go. I need to get my team healed up so I can start training, and you need to get some sleep so you can meet Mr. Briney on time tomorrow." Fenreld said seriously. "And as I said, I'm sticking around Cerulean until your Contest, so you can be sure I'll be watching here in my room."
"Alright, Alright, no need to get all serious on me. I swear you're just like my dad..." She groaned. "You better train hard and completely dominate the Cerulean Gym!"
"You got it. See you later." Fenreld said as he ended the call and turned to the blonde next to him. "Do the Champions get a special room as well?"
"Yes, I do. Though it's not as hidden as this." She nodded. "I need to get there so I can contact Lance and talk to him about something. I'll see you in the morning before I take off for Saffron and back home."
"Alright, G'night Cynthia." The ravenette nodded, recalled Chomper, and let the room with the Champion with Kirlia following close behind.
While Fenreld went to get his Pokémon healed, Cynthia made her way up to the VIP suite. Once there she contacts Lance, Sabrina, and Chairman Goodshow.
"Cynthia? Why you'd contact the three of us?" Lance asked curiously.
"...This better be important..." Sabrina said in her monotone voice.
"Yes, I quite agree, but knowing Cynthia, it is very important." Chairman Goodshow said scratching his beard.
"I apologize for contacting you three, but this involves a missing person case. One Diane Kreuger went missing somewhere on her way to Celadon City to pick something up. She's Fenreld's Aunt... She disappeared 2 – 3 months ago." The blonde Champion said seriously.
"Hmm... A missing person case is serious... however, I don't see why the league should get involved." The old man said warily.
Lance however decided to get details. "Do we know which route she took to get from Pallet Town to Celadon?"
"Yes," Cynthia said taking out her notebook. "She left Pallet Town with her Scyther and Venasaur, likely taking Diglett's Cave to Vermillion City, and from there passing through Saffron to reach her destination."
"...and you believe this woman is somewhere in my city?" the Psychic Gym Leader said with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, Vermillion City is a port town, so that could also be a possibility, however, I've heard some shady things going within Silph Co. So if someone went missing within Saffron, they'd do everything they could to cover it up, including paying off or threatening the authorities." The Dragon Trainer surmised. "I can see why you'd ask for our assistance."
"Hmm, yes, but if it involves Silph Co., and we do provide assistance, we will have to be very careful." Chairman Goodshow said seriously. "Very well... I'll authorize an investigation. Lance, Sabrina, work with Cynthia to find Ms. Krueger. Lock down the City and don't let anyone in or out that isn't you three. Should you find her, then you get to the medical attention she may need then you may contact the young man."
"Thank you Chairman." Cynthia said with a smile. "I will be heading out in the morning."
"I'll fly over on my Dragonite and be there by noon." Lance said with a nod.
"...Very well. I will meet you both at the Police Station at Noon." Sabrina said boredly.
"Alright. Contact Lieutenant Surge and have him work with the Police in the Vermillion, just to cover all our bases." The Chairman stated sternly.
"Thank you Mr. Chairman." Cynthia said with a slight bow.
"...Just know that I'm doing this as a favor to you, not young Fenreld. He's gotten enough privileges lately." The old man said seriously.
"I understand." She said keeping her bow as the call ended. 'I'll find your aunt for you soon Fen.'
AN: That's it! I apologize for being late for the BDSP release... but there were...complications... the people on Midnight Lost's discord know why.
Now! I have a question! Should I cover Cynthia's investigation or no? She will be a prominent character through the series just you all know, but I leave it up to you guys! Let me know in the reviews!