Disclaimer: I own nothing here.
Peacekeepers
AN: Although I have been immensely disappointed with the anime lately, there are some aspects we got to learn about Cynthia that I appreciated. ;)
Chapter Eighteen - Regroup
Cynthia winced as she bent down to pick up her canteen, already feeling the effects of the recent melee and every little sore spot where she had been hit. The area where Aggron had exploded from the tall grass and had proceeded to thrash the wild Garchomp was strewn about with their supplies that had been strapped to his back.
Thankfully, they hadn't torn loose before then, or else they never would have been able to recover anything, since no one was keen on going back into that deadly field.
She was trying and failing to distract herself from dwelling on Steven's protective behavior. She allowed him to assume she was sulking about being protected, but the truth of the matter was that she actually didn't mind the gesture. Her issues lay elsewhere, like creeping shadows in the darkest corners of her mind; shadows she was not yet ready to confront.
It wasn't even the fact that he had taken a potentially life-threatening hit for her; any fellow champion worth their salt would likely make the same sacrifice. However, it was that he did so purely on impulse, without even thinking it through, that suddenly had her questioning her own heart and the whispering doubts therein.
"What a mess." Steven's voice jerked her out of her ruminations and she turned to see him shaking his head dismally as he surveyed the scattered supplies. He met her gaze with a frown. "I'm not so sure we can make it to town tonight as planned..."
Cynthia promptly looked away and moved to the next fallen object, wincing again as she did so; her left abdomen was unreasonably sore. "Nonsense, it won't take us that long to gather everything and we saved all that time flying over the field rather then walking through it."
"I don't think you understand. Aggron may have crossed that field in record time, but he won't be able to travel for at least a few hours," Steven replied, his frown deepening with concern as he watched her expression sour with pain. "Are you alright? I just remembered, you got hit pretty hard at one point..."
"I'm fine, just really sore, is all."
"Still, maybe you should take it easy and have Togekiss heal you, too?"
Wordlessly, tersely, Cynthia nodded and turned to walk over to where the Pokémon had gathered beneath a lone, large tree. Sleeping on the cold, hard ground again, she thought bitterly. Perhaps it was due to all the stress, fatigue, and the acute soreness in her side, but she actually felt like crying in frustration for the first time in years.
She didn't, of course, but the impulse was there. She felt better once she sat down next to Garchomp and the Munnas and sighed with relief once Togekiss bestowed a healing. The other Pokémon, with their proximity, all seemed to benefit from the Life Dew as well and simultaneously offered yips of thanks to the white avian.
Suddenly feeling much more relaxed and a little drowsy, Cynthia watched as Steven tried to gather up the scattered supplies alone, while trying not to use his injured arm. "Gar," she voiced with a sweet lilt, drawing the dragon's suspicious attention. "Will you please go help Steven? I don't think Aggron can move. You can leave the babies with me."
Garchomp let out a tired grumble but nonetheless got up and hummed at the Munnas to switch guardians; two went to Togekiss while the other one hovered over to Aggron. Before trudging over to the man, the dragon released a stern growl at her charges, as if to say, Behave while I'm gone.
Aggron's Munna perched on his head and cooed affectionately, causing him to raise one weary eyelid before responding with a yawn and a grunt.
Giving the metal beast a closer look, Cynthia could see the tension in his body despite seeming relaxed and laying on his stomach with his chin flat on the ground. His steel plates look thick, but maybe.., she contemplated before sidling closer and placing a gentle hand on his flank, which instantly drew his lethargic attention.
"Aggron, would you mind if I try giving you a massage? It might make you feel better." With how much her own Pokémon loved to be massaged, she guessed he wouldn't mind it, assuming his iron body would even respond.
The steel behemoth blinked back at her briefly before slowly raising his head to nod carefully, causing the Munna to yelp with both surprise and glee.
Standing, Cynthia moved to gently run an experimental hand along his spine of metal plates. She was surprised and startled when the plates suddenly "popped" open in quick succession from the top of his neck to the base of his tail.
Immensely fascinated, Cynthia reached to touch the hide beneath but hesitated to give the beast a somewhat nervous glance. "Be sure not to close them, else I might lose some fingers here."
Aggron rumbled back what sounded like an amused chuckle, as if he were attempting to jokingly reassure her.
Expecting to feel rock-solid skin, she was astonished to feel a scale-like hide instead, though it was much smoother and more tightly woven compared to Garchomp's rough scales.
As she started the massage, Cynthia glanced over to see if Garchomp was behaving herself. For the most part, she appeared to be. Steven had apparently slung one of the packs to hang from the dragon's fin so that, as she followed him around, he could toss various loose supplies inside.
However, the less obedient, more playful side of Garchomp began to shine through her gruff exterior, as she made a point to teasingly puff at the man's hair whenever he wasn't looking.
Steven at least didn't seem bothered by it, even making attempts to humor her game by trying to tag her in turn, but the dragon was too fast and stepped out of the way each time.
Cynthia felt a small smile tug at her lips at the sound of Steven's light chuckling and Garchomp's amused yowling; as a result, the two became a little distracted from their initial chore. They weren't the only ones though, as it took Aggron's low grumble to make the woman focus back on what she was doing.
As she suspected, Aggron's muscles were full of negative energy and tension; with that much pain and discomfort, it was really no wonder he had collapsed from exhaustion.
"That should do it," she said as she finished just in time for Steven to walk up with a surprised expression, with Garchomp looking a little perturbed at Aggron.
"He let you massage him?" he asked in obvious astonishment as the metal beast proceeded to stretch grandly. "He barely even lets me do that."
"I practiced a lot on all my Pokémon through the years," Cynthia replied with a shrug as she motioned Garchomp over; the pack she carried had been half-haphazardly stuffed and needed to be reorganized. "Gar in particular loves to be massaged."
The dragon loosed a plaintive whine in response, as if to say, Don't give away all my secrets! She quickly mended the noise by giving her master a nudge and a supplicating hum. Me next though?
Cynthia smiled at her indulgently but refused to get distracted from the chore of sorting things. "I'll give you a massage later, Gar." The dragon whined in defeat and plopped down on the ground dramatically; she was quickly swarmed by the trio of cooing Munnas.
"Well, he certainly is more relaxed now," Steven said, giving Aggron a pat and receiving a satisfied rumble in turn. Cynthia could feel the man's intent gaze as he moved closer to offer his gratitude. "Thank you, for patching us up."
"Of course." She made a point to only send him a brief, acknowledging glance, knowing his charming smile would distract her if she allowed her gaze to linger.
She heard him sigh dismally before calling up to his steel avian, who had been perched in the tree ever since the battle had ended. "Skar, come down and show us what you found."
When Skarmory glided down as bid, Cynthia finally lost the fight against distraction, noting idly that Togekiss had settled at the base of the huge tree for nap. The metal bird landed awkwardly on one foot while he stubbornly kept hold of his treasures in the other; whatever was in his talons was dark blue and resembled beads or seeds.
Steven bent down and gestured for the bird to drop his findings. Unable to restrain her curiosity, Cynthia moved closer to inspect the small pile of beads, her eyes going wide with realization. "Those are-" she paused to reach out for one and confirm her suspicions. "Gabite scales..."
Steven gave his head a curious tilt. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those used in various medicines?"
"Yes, their medicinal properties are borderline miraculous," Cynthia replied with an enthusiastic nod. "If we can find the tools to grind these into powder and then make a poultice to apply to your cut, it would probably heal overnight." Dutifully, she retrieved a small, empty pouch from the supplies and started to gather up the scales, only for Skarmory to squawk in obvious disappointment.
"Ah, I usually let him keep some of his finds," Steven admitted with an indulgent, sheepish expression that Cynthia was finding really hard not to admire. "Can you let him keep just one?"
Blinking away from the man with considerable effort, she smiled at the metal bird and offered him one of the seed shaped scales. Skarmory in turn cawed with joy before pecking it out of her palm and promptly taking off to perch in the tree again.
"Manners!" Steven chided after him, but the bird wasn't listening as he started pecking at the tree trunk, as if he meant to store the scale there. "Honestly, it's like he was raised by a flock of Pikipeks!"
Cynthia chuckled at the comical mental image but focused back on gathering up every remaining scale; they were going to need them, if the ambush earlier was any indication of their future adversities.
"Cynthia," Steven said hesitantly after a moment. "This might seem like a rude, random question, but were you ever a Pokemon nurse in the past?"
She too hesitated in replying, with the question dredging up an unpleasant memory. "Before I became Champion, there was an incident where Gar got seriously injured and I couldn't do anything about it. By the time I got her to the Pokémon Center and taken care of, I had already resolved to take some nurse training so that I would never feel so helpless again."
Steven was silent for a solemn moment, and she could see him nodding ever so slightly in her peripheral, making her wonder if he had experienced a similar crisis in the past himself. "That's... understandable."
Not liking the somber mood created by their respective, negative memories, Cynthia turned her gaze from the bag of scales in her hand, out toward the deadly field of tall grass as she tried to change the subject. "I know we're in the distant past and all, but didn't that ambush seem especially peculiar to you?"
Steven followed her line of sight and brought a hand to his chin in contemplation. "I hadn't really thought about it." He turned back to her curiously. "What seemed strange to you?"
"Well, mainly, the Garchomp line has been known to only dwell in caves or hunt in the skies," she answered, absently imitating his hand-to-chin mannerism. "For them to hunt in a field like that..."
The man nodded in response. "Do you think they may have lost their normal territory to another predator?"
"Or humans," Cynthia replied darkly. "It could be that all the human wars and fighting is disrupting the natural order of things, like Aaron said."
"Hmm," Steven sounded out thoughtfully but finally dropped his hand and shrugged. "Well, regardless, we're only temporary residents here. If it really is human wars affecting the wildlife, it has nothing to do with us." He leaned over to catch her eye intently. "Remember, we don't belong here."
Feeling suddenly annoyed, Cynthia scowled at him for what felt like the very first time. "Yes, I am aware."
"Right, of course." Steven stepped back and raised his hands in a defensive gesture, wincing as he did so, having forgot about his sore arm. "You just had a look that said: I want to fix all this, so I had to be sure..."
"Is it wrong of me to want to fix things?" She pinned him with a sharp look, but he merely sidestepped away with the ghost of a smirk.
"Ah, so you admit it." He crossed over to the supplies as if he intended to help sort the mess while attempting to avoid a direct debate, though his smug expression held. He was acting like he had scored a figurative point in some elaborate game, but had decided to make a strategic retreat while he was ahead.
Cynthia suddenly found herself seething for no good reason. Perhaps it was just residual stress, or the fact that he was suddenly acting more aloof than usual, but he was practically asking for an argument and she was obliged to give it to him! She even had half a mind to confront him about his (supposed) infatuation then and there. "Look, you-"
"Cynthia," he cut in with an amused inflection that made her growing temper stall in its tracks. "Has anyone ever told you that you'd make a great Ranger?"
"Wh-What does that have to do with the price of peas in Pastoria?" she practically ranted at him. As she blinked at him in bewilderment, her irritation seemed to melt away as she wondered at his ability to distract and divert certain disaster.
"You just seem to care so much about the environment, even one you don't belong to." He sent her a glance and a smirk full of mischief. "I wonder if you missed your true calling as a Ranger?"
His charming ploy didn't work. "Don't act like you don't care at all," Cynthia countered, finding her determined focus once again, although his glacial eyes were much too easy to get lost in. "It's a Champion's duty to protect their region, and by extension, the world."
"It isn't that I don't care," Steven replied with a frown. "But we have to be realistic about this. Is it even ok for us to be here? Is our very presence changing the future as we knew it? Or were we always a part of history in some, minor, anonymous way?" He sighed and shook his head in consternation. "There's just too much we don't know."
Cynthia hesitated in her response, surprised by how much he had thought on the matter. "Have you been... agonizing over this, all along?"
He hesitated in return. "You... haven't?"
"Only a little. I try not to get hung up on things I can't control," Cynthia said, adding to herself, key word, try. She gave him a serious look. "But then I think, what if we were brought here for a good reason, not just Celebi's whim?"
Steven nodded as he listened. "I suppose that's one way to look at it. But I just... I can't help but dread the worst," he said as a rare, vulnerable worry overtook his gaze. "What if we get stuck here?"
Cynthia suddenly felt her frustration towards him deflate like a hot air balloon pecked by a vindictive Spearow. Seeing his expression, coupled with his worry, she couldn't help feeling a little guilty for nearly laying into him. Her breath hitched when his words finally set in, and for a brief moment, his worry became her own.
Countless repercussions and scenarios began to cascade in her mind, like a slow motion downpour. Never again would she be able to see her grandmother, her other Pokémon, her friends and colleagues, the world she had grown so fond of and had protected with everything she had.
She shook her head, banishing the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. "No, we can't think like that." Drawing herself up with a new determination she met Steven's concerned gaze; he probably regretted saying anything. "Remember, Nobunaga is ultimately defeated because the other clans rise up against him. That outcome shouldn't change, regardless of our actions."
After staring back with dawning realization, Steven blinked and nodded in agreement. "You're right. Although his defeat doesn't necessarily guarantee Celebi's rescue, it certainly increases our chances."
They shared reassuring smiles as the dire matter was put to rest and the subject of immediate plans was initiated instead. "Well, since Aggron can't travel for the rest of the day, we may as well set up camp," Steven suggested as he picked up their bundled tent and made to set it up as close to the huge tree as possible.
Cynthia nodded in regrettable agreement. Aside from her hopes being dashed about staying at an Inn, she was suddenly not so keen on sharing the cramped tent space with him, in light of her new suspicions. On the other hand, she wasn't about to contradict herself after she had so blatantly teased him about his own anxiety over the matter.
It was a slow, grievous realization that she had dug her own figurative pit and now she would just have to live with the consequences.
As she moved to help him set up camp, she found the darkest corners of her mind, where doubt and dread lurked, continued to dwell on his question. What if we really do get stuck here?... No more Pokémon battles, no more ice cream. Internally, she started to cry.
Would life even be worth living?
AN: Concerning how Aggron's plates can move, it was inspired by How to Train your Dragon 2 when Valka manipulates Toothless' scales by massaging a spot on his neck. Although I see Aggron as more of a Triceratops dino, his Japanese name (Bossgodora) makes me think "Boss God Dragon" but that's just my brain! xD
/o/o/o/ Bonus Scene:
Garchomp: (pouts) I wanted a massage too...
Aggron: How often does your master-?
Garchomp: Not often enough! And I'm next!
Aggron: (pouts) Aww, I wish my master could massage like yours...
Garchomp: Too bad! You can't have her!
Togekiss: Should I tell them? (watched human tension unfold) Nah...