Chapter Three
In which Cynthia and Diantha move the fight.
Down the hallway of the talent's dressing rooms, Diantha's was at the very front, and took up the majority of the space. It was far more ornate than the other talent's dressing rooms in that it had its own lounge area, and her wardrobe was also in the same room. It had a few other amenities, but none of it was Cynthia's concern as Diantha ushered her into the space.
Closing the door behind them, Diantha turned around to face Cynthia, crossing her arms. "I need you to tell me all of your hang ups. What is bothering you? I want to compliment you that you actually started off very strong yesterday, you just mistimed something, but from there you went absolutely downhill. What is wrong? And you're not allowed to brush me off." She was going to get to the bottom of everything even if Cynthia wasn't going to enjoy a single second of it.
Cynthia sighed, a world of defeat behind the motion. "I don't like being bad at something, and I just feel like I'm wasting everyone's time." She started pacing around the lounge area. "I'm wasting yours by being terrible to work with. Wasting the directors' time because they're obviously going to have to recast Elizabeth, and wasting my own because I can't get out of my own head long enough to put anything I learned last month into use. I feel like a giant failure and I don't know what to do, and I'm just so out of my depth that I can't even wall off all my feelings properly."
"Is that all?" Diantha asked.
"Having cameras in my face is bothering me– which is also stupid! I've had televised battles! Cameras shouldn't bother me!" With that she was done, and then came the silence.
Diantha merely nodded along, deep in thought of where to begin helping her. Working the order out in her head, she nodded again, looking back up at Cynthia.
"Would you be willing to try something with me?" she asked.
At that point, Cynthia was too miserable to protest. "Sure."
"You have a Rosereade, correct? Is she with you?"
She reached for the poké ball attached to her mechanic's clip. "Yeah, she's one of my props." All of her team members that were in standard poké balls were with her at least.
"Does she know how to use Aromatherapy, by chance?" she asked.
She nodded.
"If you'll bring her out, I want you to sit here and mediate with me," she said, already beginning to take her spot on the lounge rug. While not much, it at least provided some cushion against the concrete flooring.
Grabbing her pokémon off her clip, she released her, taking a hesitant seat across from Diantha.
"Hello, darling," Diantha greeted the pokémon.
Roserade trilled, looking between her trainer and Diantha. She was already well aware of the tension that had been between them, and was wanting to do her best to keep her own energy positive.
Diantha looked to Cynthia, thinking back to her counselor doing a similar exercise with her years ago. "Sit however is most comfortable for you, and Roserade darling, I would love if you would join us."
The grass pokémon nodded, mirroring Diantha's cross-legged position next to Cynthia.
"Now, if you would use just a very light Aromatherapy." Her therapist had a Spritzee that would assist in that matter, and it always helped mellow things out. Especially when her own anxiety was running rampant.
Roserade nodded, a subtle fragrance eventually meeting both women.
She looked to Cynthia, who she figured was unsure if this would even help. "I'm going to talk you through some simple breathing exercises. Feel free to close your eyes, or whatever is most comfortable for you."
Diantha kept her voice low, purposely speaking slower than her normal talking speed. "It's very easy to get trapped in your own head. I've been there plenty of times, and while I don't want to push this on you as a cure-all, it takes the edge off when I start heading in that direction. So, just take a deep breath with me through the nose, all the way until you're unable to take in anymore," she instructed.
Roserade breathed in with them, keeping her eyes closed as well.
"Now exhale slowly through your mouth," she continued, trying to figure out the pacing of her own breathing. Her counselor always made talking through the instructions so easy. "Breathe out until there is nothing in your lungs, and we'll repeat this a few times."
Before Cynthia's thoughts could completely tread into how self-conscious the exercise was making her feel, Diantha continued talking.
"It's just you, me, and Roserade, so try not to worry about anything else right now. Filming is far off. There are none of our costars or directors here. It's just us. If your thoughts start to wander, that's perfectly alright. When you notice, just come back to thinking about your breathing."
Thankfully, Roserade's light Aromatherapy made that an easy and pleasurable thing to do.
Whenever Cynthia found herself thinking back to her mess-ups, how she was scared to go back out there and have to face everyone after their blowup, she came back to her breathing. Counting in how many seconds she could inhale, then the same for her exhale. Or she would choose to think about the precise scent of Roserade's Aromatherapy. Being a Sinnohan Roserade, there were the faintest pine notes that accompanied her rosy aroma.
"Personally," Diantha continued. "I tend to hold a lot of tension in my jaw, so if you have any tension anywhere, try your best to just relax it." Taking a peek, she saw Cynthia's shoulders slump in response.
Before either of them knew it, over five minutes had passed in comfortable silence. "And now, just let your breathing fall back into its natural rhythm."
Another five minutes had passed. Diantha figured it was more than enough for her first time. "You can open your eyes now, darling."
Looking her in the eyes, she felt a sense of emotional whiplash. Realizing how relaxed she felt in her presence, it was a strange thing to think that she had been ready to start a fight only minutes earlier.
"Are you feeling any better?" she asked.
Cynthia nodded, adjusting her seating on the ground. "Yeah, weirdly I am. Thank you," she said, more to the floor.
Diantha looked over to Roserade. "If we're going to thank anyone, it should be you! Thank you, dear Roserade, you were lovely. The Spritzee I would normally have use Aromatherapy had a candy-sweet smell to it. Yours was lovely."
Roserade giggled at the praise.
"If she ever gets in a tizzy ever again, just make her sit down and breathe," she said.
The pokémon continued to giggle, shooting a look at Cynthia that said she would definitely follow through with that.
After thanking her for her work, she returned her pokémon to her poké ball, only to find Diantha now standing in front of her, a hand extended to her. "Let's move to the couch. It's probably more comfortable there," she said.
Her gut reaction was to refuse her hand, but she shoved that away. Diantha was willing to put everything aside to work with her, and she wasn't going to force it to be a one-way street. She would work with her as well.
Standing up, she quickly took her hand back to dust herself off before sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Diantha.
"So," Diantha said, adjusting herself. "We're both obviously frustrated that none of this is going to plan." There was a lot to unpack from what Cynthia had told her, so she figured it was best to take it in stages.
"Diantha, I honestly don't even know why I'm here," she again admitted, leaning back on her arm. She refused to make eye contact. "I have no clue why they were so dead-set on me filling this role. I shouldn't even be here–"
She had thought that about herself many times in her day. Especially early on in her career. She wasn't about to let Cynthia wallow in that feeling. "Let me stop you right there," she interrupted. "I cannot say for certain why they picked you, but Michael did tell me the producers got sold on the idea of having two champions in an episode. It may not be true, but it does sound likely in my opinion. So, let me offer you some closure on that. You were picked, essentially, out of happenstance."
She shook her head, brushing away the loose strands of hair. "It's definitely not going to be happenstance when they send me home after this."
"Cynthia, I am not lying to you when I say that you started off very strong. Stronger than many other people I have worked with, and probably even stronger than I did during my first film. If we can get you back to that spot, I have no doubt you will nail this."
She noticed a slight change in her posture, and she then turned to face her better. Diantha hoped it was at least giving her some confidence; Xerneas knew she could use it.
A lengthy silence followed, Cynthia unsure of what to say.
"May I ask something?" Diantha said, leaning back against the armrest.
She nodded a yes.
It was something that had been bothering her since filming started. "Where did you and I get off track? I thought…" She shrugged. "I don't know. I thought things were looking to be very promising after we had lunch together. What happened? If I did something to offend you, I want to know so I can do better to avoid it in the future."
Cynthia took in a deep breath, thinking over how she wanted to explain everything. Though, every possible way of phrasing suddenly seemed childish and pathetic. "It's only now that I'm about to say it out loud that I realize I completely overreacted, and let my anxiety convince me of this, but I want to be honest with you. When you said that I had no idea what I was getting myself into, I took it as a threat."
Just like that, it clicked for Diantha. It completely explained the sudden tension after a lunch that had seemed to go over well. It left her feeling bad. She hadn't meant it as a threat.
She angled herself towards her more, now leaning forward, hands atop her own knees. "Cynthia, I want to offer you my sincerest apology. I didn't realize that had come across that way. I had meant it more of a…" She paused to think how to best phrase it. "Filming is a strange world that most people don't know how tedious it is, and that nobody expects it to be as awful as it can be." She leaned back a bit. "Regardless, it came across as a threat, and I apologize for that. I will make sure to take care that I don't come across that way in the future. I want this to work, Cynthia."
It wasn't an apology Cynthia had expected. She had figured that once she said it, Diantha would then act the victim of it all, or told her that she was just overreacting. Instead, she had handled it in the most ideal way possible. So ideal, it didn't even occur to Cynthia as a possible outcome.
Despite it, she felt the need to offer her own apology. "I'm sorry I've been such a pain to work with. Especially considering it's only day four," she said with a bit of a laugh.
At that, Diantha laughed. "Darling, this is nothing, I assure you. I've had films where me and my costar were practically at each other's throats every other minute. You and I just…we need to come to a better understanding. I am willing to put in the work with you, Cynthia, if you will do the same for me."
It was such a simple fix, Cynthia realized. Talk. Just talk to her.
Diantha was an expert at this. As she had said before, she had seventeen years' worth of experience to go off of.
To top all of that, she was easy to talk to. The worry at the back of her mind saying she would just berate her for everything was no longer nearly as loud. She had evidence to back up that Diantha was willing to listen.
Before she could say that she wanted to put in the work, she was cut off by the throwing open of the dressing room door.
Tom stormed into the room, all in a huff, his face red with anger. "Okay, you two! Whatever that shit was?" He pointed frantically between them. "You need to work that shit out before you even think of stepping foot back onto my set!"
Cynthia was about to respond; clearly, he couldn't read the room. The tap of Diantha's foot against her leg kept her silent.
"Duly noted, Director Sharpe. Give us the day and it will be worked out," Diantha answered in a proper manner.
He grumbled and huffed some more before storming out of the room in the same fashion. "Tomorrow it better be fixed!" Followed by a heavy slam of the dressing room door.
When Cynthia looked to Diantha, she found herself laughing at how dramatically she was rolling her eyes.
"I didn't want to badmouth him before, but he's an absolute pain in the ass," she said, lolling her head over to her.
She laughed lightly. "I figured as much."
"Anyways," Diantha began, crossing her legs. "Now that we have the day off, I think it might be best to spend it together. If we can come to understand one another better, I'm confident that we can get through this film."
"Probably a good idea." Maybe even a wild idea, but it was one she was willing to entertain.
An idea came to mind in almost an instant. It was the perfect way for them to get to know one another. "You know," she said, drawing in her attention. "I have an idea for something we could do."
"You have my full attention, Cynthia." As she said it, there was a flicker of realization in the back of her mind that, despite their earlier conflict, Cynthia had never truly lost her attention.
"Battle me," she said with a grin.
Sure, it was incredibly simple, but in all her years, she found this to be one of the most effective ways for trainers to get to know one another. Learning how the other person battled was a surefire way to learn more about how the person operated as a whole.
Diantha mirrored her grin. "I suppose I do owe you a battle after bailing on you this last meeting. Siebold said he had a good battle against you, but I think I would like to see if the Sinnoh Champion really lives up to all the hype."
Her tone was playful enough, but something about it sparked a fire in Cynthia, different from how she had been sparking them thus far.
After she had trampled the kid back at the hotel, maybe it was just the thought of having a good battle that was exciting her.
Besides, she had the perfect place in mind. They could have a battle, and it would provide her an opportunity to be around cameras that she was confident wouldn't bother her. "You okay with a crowd? I think I know somewhere we could go."
"Are you okay with losing in front of a crowd?" she teased.
The grin on her painted lips only stoked the fire. "I'm not going down without a fight."
Bringing herself to her feet, Diantha moved to stand in front of Cynthia. She thought to continue teasing her, but figured she would save it for later. They had only just gotten on stable footing with one another. "Allow me to get out of all of this and then you can take me wherever you like." She took a step back, allowing Cynthia to stand as well.
"I'll get more…public appropriate as well," she said, looking down at her hands that were still coated in faux grease. "Walking around this grungy might make people think I actually know how to do an oil change."
Diantha laughed. "Meet me back here in a half an hour or so?" she offered.
"Sounds good." She excused herself, heading back towards her own dressing room. She figured she would have more than enough time to make a few quick calls.
As she walked down the hall frantic chittering caught her attention. Rounding the corner, Watchog scurried down to her. He walked frantic circles around her, only coming to a stop when she kneeled down.
"I probably owe you a thanks, huh?" she asked, offering her hand out to him.
He pouted, carefully placing his chin in her palm.
"Thank you for getting between us, Tango. You were a bigger help than I probably even realize," she said.
His pout disappeared as his tail began to wag. His chitters finally turned into a happier sound.
"You can head back to Camila now. I'll see you tomorrow, and hopefully by then we'll get these scenes out of the way," she said.
He gave her a heart nod, scurrying off the way he had come from.
Standing up again, she noticed at the end of the hallway Lita walking towards her. She internally groaned, hoping Lita wasn't about to yell at her like Tom had.
"Got a minute?" she asked, approaching her.
She nodded. "Sure, but walk with me towards my dressing room?" she asked, not wanting to risk Diantha having to overhear more yelling.
"Sure thing," she said, falling in step beside her. "So, wanted to say sorry for Tom yelling at you two. I tried to stop him, but he's a big hothead, and there's just no reasoning with him sometimes. I thought I'd come ask if you two are going to be okay?"
It took Cynthia by surprise. Then again, despite the short time in their presence, she always did favor Lita in comparison to Tom. "She did just make me sit and mediate with her, so I think we'll be fine."
Lita snorted a laugh. "Meditate, huh? Whatever works, I guess. But listen, Cynthia, if you need something from either me or Tom, please let me know. You're having a rough time, there's no two ways about it. I've been on sets where we called in a mediator for our leads, and I can figure out someone to bring in if you're still unsure with acting. I'm here to help you, Cynthia, okay?"
It was an interesting sense of clarity for Cynthia. While, sure, she still wasn't fond of Tom, or even Alexander for the matter, but Diantha and Lita were both on her side. She just had to let them in and help her, and she had to also actively reach out when she needed to, instead of giving in to shutting down.
Cynthia nodded, putting her hands in her pockets. "Diantha and I have worked together before, though, it was on a much smaller scale. We're both champions. We can work this out, but…Thank you, Lita. I'm sorry for…causing a scene."
At that, Lita laughed, the hearty infectious sound resonating in the hallways. "I've seen worse. You didn't break anything. Just let me know if you ever need anything."
With that, she was off, still chuckling to herself.
The idea that things were going to work out was suddenly becoming easier to consider.
Half an hour later, a few calls out of the way, and a text to Mandy letting her know she was going to be competing in the PWT, Cynthia was cleaned up, and her makeup was down to a more natural look. Her were clothes back to a loose-fitting grey shirt, a nicely weighted jacket, and black jeans. It was far more comfortable than Elizabeth's grimy clothes, even if they weren't actually dirty.
Making her way back to Diantha's room, the building around her had gone mostly silent. The directors and a few others were still hanging around, going on about something with the script. Their voices hushed as she passed, but she tried not to think about it.
Instead, she just wanted to concentrate on the feeling of looking forward to doing something with Diantha for a change. It was a far better feeling than everything she had felt towards her for the past few days.
As she approached the dressing room, the muffled sound of Diantha's voice could be heard. It sounded like she was talking to someone.
"I know I may not be currently on set, but this is during the timeframe I gave you!" There was a long pause, indicating to Cynthia that she was talking on the phone. "Look, I have things to attend to right now. You're just going to have to wait until later…I do believe you will survive." Her tone was very dry.
Figuring she wasn't supposed to hear any of it, Cynthia walked back down the hall, enough to where she was out of earshot. Within minutes, Diantha was walking out of her dressing room, grumbling to herself as she threw her purse over her shoulder.
She jumped a little when she spotted Cynthia, her necklace giving an audible jingle against her mega charm. "Sorry," she apologized, closing the door behind her. "For some reason I wasn't expecting you." She wasn't used to people being on time, but that was lost on Cynthia.
"I didn't want to seem like I was eavesdropping," she said, pushing herself off from the wall. She noted that Diantha hadn't removed Scarlet's lipstick. Her red purse matched the color almost perfectly. She wore a black and white striped shirt, black high-waisted jeans, and she had put her hair up in its braid crown.
She rolled her eyes, but it wasn't directed at Cynthia. More at the memory of the conversation. "All you would have overheard was my boyfriend being mad that I didn't want to take his call." As more of an aside, she added, "Because heaven forbid I don't answer him."
She knew she couldn't say that she really knew anything about Mel Gardner other than what Steven had told her, but she was already confident that she was not impressed with him just as Steven had been. "I'm sorry," was all she could think to say.
Her forefront thought was closer to, "Just throw out the whole boyfriend", but she wasn't close enough with Diantha to say something so blunt. Plus, lacking full context, she didn't want to overstep. They were just getting on good terms with one another, and she wasn't looking to take any more steps back on that. "Still up for a battle?" she asked, giving her an out.
It at least brought a smile back to Diantha's face. "Of course. Are you still up for losing?" she taunted.
She laughed. "Your modesty is astounding," she retaliated, walking with her to the exit of the building.
"So, my darling, where are you taking me?" she asked, standing with her out on the terrace.
Poké ball in hand, she turned to face her better. "Have you ever competed in the Pokémon World Tournament?"
She had heard about it, and had been invited plenty of times, but had yet to actually participate, never having enough time to do so. "I have not," she answered.
"You up for a trip to Driftveil City?" she asked, releasing Braviary from her capsule. She gave a valiant call as she stretched out her wings.
When Cynthia looked back to Diantha, she saw a small grin on her face.
"Technically, Cynthia," she began, clasping her hands together. "I'm not supposed to fly around on pokémon. My insurance and label would be mortified if they found out."
She chastised herself not having considered that. "I mean–" She was about to offer they drive there. However, with the drive time out of the city, then getting through Nimbasa, they might not make it in time to fit onto the next bracket of the day.
Diantha gave a wave of her hand, walking up to Braviary. "It wouldn't be the first time I've broken a rule, Cynthia," she said with a wink.
Something about the admission brought a smile to Cynthia's face. When it came to Diantha, she was in for bit of a ride, and it was one that she was quickly warming up to.
From her coat pocket, she grabbed a hair tie, working on putting it up as she always did before flight. "So, I'm thinking it would be best for you to sit in front of me. That way, if my hair breaks free you're not miserable," she said.
The mental image made Diantha laugh. "Sounds like a good idea," she said, looking over her Braviary.
The bird was looking her over in return.
Turning back to look at Cynthia, the visage of her hair pulled back took her by pleasant surprise.
The sense of emotional whiplash returned to Cynthia as they got situated on her pokémon. The thought of being this close with one another wouldn't have even crossed her mind an hour ago.
Braviary's wings stirred up some dust, but despite the extra weight, she had no trouble taking off. The second her talons were off the ground, Cynthia felt Diantha flinch back into her. Carefully, she put an arm around her waist. "You're fine. I've got you," she soothed.
"I know," she answered, forcing herself to relax as much as possible. "It's just been a while since I've flown like this."
Once she allowed herself to take comfort in the arm around her, she felt herself completely relax. The air around them was warm, helping them rise above the skyline quickly. It had been a number of years since she had a view of the city like this. It was easy to wish her label didn't forbid her from doing this regularly.
After a short but enjoyable flight, Braviary touched down in the harbor leading towards the arena. Cynthia had picked the location to avoid as much attention for Diantha's sake. As she had anticipated, the area was sparsely populated, with mainly boat personnel occupying the area.
Sliding off her pokémon first, Cynthia offered Diantha a hand down next.
"Thank you, darling," she said to Cynthia, before walking up to Braviary's face. "And thank you, Braviary! That was a very pleasant flight."
She put her beak in her two hands, giving her a small coo. The depths of her face feathers were warm.
Cynthia thanked her pokémon as well after pulling her hair out of its confines, returning her to her poké ball. She wouldn't be using her for the tournament, that way they could fly back to Castelia later without any problems.
"So, any particular reason you chose this as opposed to just us finding a regular battlefield?" Diantha asked, keeping in step with Cynthia as they made their way to the venue.
"It's an easy way to have a referee –not that I think you would be an unfair opponent. But it also gives me a chance to be around cameras, and see if I can figure out why they don't bother me during a battle, and if I can apply whatever it is to filming."
She nodded. "Works for me." She would also try to see if she could figure out why the cameras here wouldn't bother her as opposed to the cameras on set. She had a theory as to why, but she would keep it to herself until she had solid proof.
Around them, the density of people began to increase.
"Oh, and while I'm confident you and I will make it to the final round to face one another, I thought it might be good to have some guaranteed competition along the way," Cynthia began, carefully navigating them through the crowd. "I hope that's alright."
Diantha grinned at her. "You just better hope they don't knock you out before we can even battle. I'll be sorely upset otherwise," she teased.
Thankfully, Cynthia was fully aware of her teasing.
Inside the venue, people moved about hurriedly around the flashy building. In their rush, nobody paid Cynthia and Diantha any attention.
"Cynthia!"
Hearing her name above the noise, she looked around until her eyes finally caught sight of who was calling her. The young woman's frantic waving stopped as she worked her way through the crowd.
Diantha stood with Cynthia, watching her approach. She seemed almost out of breath, but still wore a bright smile on her face.
The young woman was tall with an athletic build. While still not taller than Cynthia –though was anyone really?—Diantha felt certain that she would have no trouble taking on either of them.
"Rosa! I'm so glad you could make it!" Cynthia greeted.
Her brown hair was pulled up into a single, messy bun, indicating how quickly she had rushed to meet them. Cynthia made a mental note to herself to make it up to her at some point.
She pulled at the bag strapped around her, keeping her eyes up on Cynthia's face. "You're rarely in the region, so of course I would come out for this! Sorry Nate couldn't come. He didn't want to fight getting out of the studio."
She then turned to see who Cynthia was with, and the second her eyes landed on Diantha they went wide.
It was a look Diantha was all too familiar with. It was a look of recognition, and maybe even a touch of embarrassment for not having done so sooner.
Cynthia found herself amused. "Rosa, this is Diantha, champion of the Kalos region," she introduced.
Diantha extended a hand to her. "A pleasure to meet you, Rosa. Cynthia tells me you're quite the challenger."
She took her hand with an anxious delay. "The pleasure is all mine, honestly! If I may, I loved you in Hoenn Holiday!"
There was a genuine air of surprise about Diantha. "Really?" she asked, taking her hand back. "I'm surprised to hear that. Most people tell me they hated it because of how long it was." A few minutes shy of two hours was a bit much…
Rosa shook her head, carefully pushing back some of the stands of hair that were threatening to fall out. "I thought it was really artsy, and so I appreciated it for that!"
Diantha looked up to Cynthia. "I like her already." She then refocused on Rosa, whose cheeks had gone pink by that point.
"If we want to make it into the next bracket, we should go get registered," Cynthia said, figuring she would spare Rosa a little.
The process was simple enough, having battled there plenty of times before. It was only Diantha who had to take a little longer with registration.
Rosa and Cynthia waited for her to be finished off to the side, just far enough away where Rosa figured she couldn't hear them.
"You could have warned me you had her with you! I look like a hot mess!" Rosa hissed, getting a small laugh from Cynthia.
Diantha figured she wasn't meant to hear any of it as she returned to them, but she didn't want her thinking so negatively of herself. "You should have seen this one about an hour ago. With all the makeup she had on!" She said, directed at Cynthia.
She laughed again. "Yeah, hot mess probably better describes how I looked. I had a bunch of makeup that made it look like I just walked out of a mechanic's shop."
Rosa leaned up against the wall, looking at the two women in front of her. "Am I allowed to ask why you're both here in Unova?"
Cynthia looked to Diantha for help. "How much are we allowed to say? I don't remember that from my contract briefing." At best, she knew not to say anything on social media until given the okay, and even then, that wasn't much of a risk with how little she used hers.
Thankfully, Diantha was fully aware of how much they could and couldn't share. "We're both starring, well, I'm re-starring, and she's my costar in a new episode of Red Dawn," she answered. It was already public knowledge that she had signed on to the episode, so there was no harm in it.
Rosa thought it over for a few seconds. "Okay, yeah! I know that show. It's a little weird, but yeah! Your first episode was, uh…Lady In Red, right?" she asked.
"Correct," she answered.
A voice came over the speakers, announcing that the contestants in the day's next bracket were permitted to go into the waiting area.
"I need to ask a quick question before we do anything," Diantha said, holding them back. When both women gave her their attention, she continued. "How does all of this exactly work? I was given my bracket number, but I…got distracted when the woman was explaining to me, and then I was too embarrassed to ask her again." She felt her neck get warm just from admitting it, but with it being such a crowded venue, spacing out was easy to do.
Rosa giggled at her, but Cynthia began to explain before she could.
"So, basically, there's sixteen groups, and eight rounds. You and I have been placed in the furthest rounds from one another. They're basically banking on us battling in the final round."
Rosa nodded. "Not if I knock her out, first!"
"A possibility. Rosa is highly ranked, so where she's at, you two will likely face off in the semi-finals."
Diantha was amused in her confidence. "So, you don't foresee yourself losing before the final rounds?" She asked.
She gave a one shouldered shrug. "I haven't lost in a while. Like I told you earlier, I'm not going down without a fight."
Diantha crossed her arms, fully facing Cynthia at that point. "I look forward to seeing how much of a fight you put up against me."
Rosa looked between the two, forcing down the urge to laugh. Thankfully, they began to walk towards the waiting room before she could have a chance to do so.
Cynthia continued to explain the ins and outs of how the day would go.
They found a spot in the waiting area where they agreed to meet back up after their battles. With Cynthia being in the very first bracket, she was called off immediately.
"So, darling," Diantha began, sitting down on the bench next to Rosa. "Have you ever battled Cynthia before?"
She nodded. "Plenty of times."
"Have you ever won?" she followed up.
She immediately shook her head. "No. I've gotten really close, but I always lose at the last second. I think it's probably easier to come close to beating her since it's three-on-three, but I won't even consider a full team battle with her until I can beat her in one of these."
Despite the confidence she had been putting on so far, the thought that she might actually lose crept in. She had to force it down. Worrying about losing would only make it a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"What about you? Have you ever battled her?" Rosa asked.
"No, this will actually be our first battle. We ended up with the day off, and figured it would be a good way to get to know one another." She figured it was best to not get into the details of why they had the day off. It was best that stayed within the walls of the studio.
Soon enough the tv's in the area displayed the opening announcements by the MC, and quickly moving on to Cynthia's opening battle.
Using only Milotic, her opponent was steamrolled, ending up knocked out in what was surly almost record time.
"She doesn't mess around, does she?" Diantha asked. Though, she realized she said that like she hadn't at least witnessed a battle of hers. She had at least witnessed a two-on-two against her and Alder during his last official international meeting as champion. She had held no punches in that battle.
Rosa chuckled next to her, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Yeah, half the time I'm torn between feeling intimidated by her, and in awe of her."
Diantha figured it was a good summary of her first meeting with Cynthia as well. Intimidated and awed, all at once.
Cynthia returned to them shortly, making light of her victory. She wanted to save the real gloating for when she beat Diantha.
The three of them at on their bench, watching the other battles go by, commenting on strategies and the participants themselves. Soon enough, Rosa was called off for her battle, needing to be fitted for her stage mic.
Alone with Cynthia, Diantha moved to sit directly next to her. "You know, I'm surprised she remembered the title of my Red Dawn episode," she commented.
Cynthia chuckled, leaning back on her hands. "Probably because you're pretty, and she's obviously smitten with you."
Her eyebrows rose. "Oh? So, I wasn't reading too much into any of that?"
She shook her head. "No. She's a sucker for a pretty girl. How do you think I was so sure she would here if I asked her to? Within the hour?"
Diantha gave her a playful shove. "My! Playing a girl's heart like that. Cruel, Cynthia. Absolutely cruel." Though, she was plenty guilty of doing the same thing.
Cynthia shoved her in return. "I simply asked her to be here so I could guarantee we would have some good competition. She didn't have to show up."
"Just cruel," she continued.
Cynthia rolled her eyes, not willing to buy into her teasing.
The following rounds went by smoothly. Cynthia sailed through the semi-finals with ease, knocking out her opponents with the aid of Milotic, only switching to Roserade in the semi-finals to give her a break.
At first, Diantha's battle with Rosa seemed to be going downhill for her. The young woman was a force of nature, and Cynthia had completely undersold just how strong of a trainer she was. Her Liepard ended up taking Goodra out in record time.
However, it was upon recalling her dragon that she realized her strategy. From all the pokémon she had seen thus far, she had one strategy: hit hard, and hit fast.
Sending out Tyrantrum was her best bet. Thanks to recently learning Iron Defense, his already bulky stats were amped up enough to where he became a wall Rosa couldn't climb.
A Head Smash, and a few Thrashes later, Rosa's team was out for the count.
The crowd went wild with cheers, and the LED board flashed Diantha's name. It was all quite ostentatious for Diantha's taste, but she kept it down, meeting Rosa in the middle for a handshake.
Rosa took her hand eagerly. "Diantha, it was an absolute honor to get to battle you!"
"Likewise, Rosa. If I hadn't had Tyrantrum with me, I don't know that I would have won. I do hope one way you and I could have a full team battle." She enjoyed watching her eyes light up at the suggestion.
"I would love that!"
With a final wave to the crowd, the two walked back to their respective sides of the field, meeting in the under-arena tunnels.
Rosa began to unclip her mic so it could be handed off to Cynthia, who was already waiting. She said a quick goodbye, eager to get back in the waiting area so she could watch their battle.
"So, what did you think of Rosa now that you've battled her?" Cynthia asked, once Diantha's team had been handed off to an assistant for healing.
She moved to stand next to her. "I can see why you have an eye out for her. If she learns how to deal with a proper defensive wall, she could be an absolute force to be reckoned with."
"I've told Iris to keep an eye on her as well, but I'm not sure how seriously she's taken me."
Their conversation fell into a lull, but around them, they could hear the crowd being hyped by the MC.
Diantha's pokémon were returned to her, meaning they only had a few short minutes before they would be called in. Both women could feel adrenaline starting to course through them.
"So, you truly believe you and I will understand one another better after this?" Diantha asked, wanting a distraction from the anticipation.
Cynthia shrugged, putting her hands into her pockets. "I mean, there's always a chance nothing will change. Though, I like to think we're already on better terms with one another. Especially after this morning," she said.
It got a nod from Diantha.
"But I've always held the belief that when facing someone in a battle, it can tell you just about everything you need to know about them. What pokémon they have. What moves they've taught. What items they have their pokémon hold. It's a very telling thing to me, even without words."
Right after, one of the assistants called for them to head to their field entrances.
At least satisfied with where Cynthia was coming from, Diantha nodded, turning half way towards her end of the arena. "May this be an excellent battle, Cynthia."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Diantha was down to her last pokémon. Cynthia's Milotic had taken out Hawlucha, and had fallen to a double knockout with Gourgeist. There was no other choice for her to make. She had promised Gardevoir this battle, and was saving her use of mega evolution for Cynthia.
She just hoped she wouldn't have to use it too soon.
"Alright, my darling! Let's take this back!"
Gardevoir appeared with her usual grace, her mega charm glistening in the stadium lighting.
Cynthia grinned from her side of the field. While her first two pokémon had put up an excellent fight, one worthy of a champion, she felt far more confident now than she had walking into the battle.
Grabbing her next poké ball, she tossed it up, figuring this would go over well. "Alright, Gar–" she stopped short at the sight of the pokémon that appeared before her. "–Bodor?"
The large poison pokémon gave its battle call, much to Cynthia's absolute dismay. She put a hand over her mic, praying that nobody would hear her. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."
There was a bright laugh that brought Cynthia back in the moment.
"I must say, I…wasn't expecting this!" Diantha said, her voice clear in the stadium.
Taking her hand back, she did her best to remain stoic. "What can I say? I'm always full of surprises."
The edge in her voice caught Garbodor's attention. It grinned at her, the unsightly motion unnerving her.
Wanting to get things underway, and hopefully back into her favor, Diantha didn't even have to voice an order for what she wanted Gardevoir to do.
Eyes glowing, Gardevoir built up her Psychic attack, but when she went to unleash it upon Garbodor, nothing happened. It took nearly everyone by surprise.
While the announcer relayed it to the crowd, Diantha was busy mentally gong over what she might have missed for the attack to not work. She was positive Garbodor was a poison only pokémon, so was there an item she had overlooked?
"Feint Attack!"
Quicker than she assumed any normal Garbodor would move, it delivered a swift uppercut to Gardevoir.
She was sent back towards the edge of the field, but was hardly out for the count. They both knew they still had time before mega evolution was needed.
She called for another use of Psychic, much to Cynthia's delight.
Once it again failed, and Gardevoir was knocked back by another Feint Attack, she called for Shadow Ball. They weren't getting anywhere with psychic moves, so it was time to switch it up.
Cynthia ordered a dodge, but Gardevoir was too fast for her pokémon.
In one hit, the illusion dissipated, revealing a Zoroark instead of a Garbodor.
"Well! That explains a lot! Consider me impressed!" Diantha said, laughing to herself. Had she realized Cynthia had a Zoroark with her, she would have figured that out much sooner.
Letting go of a sigh, Cynthia shook her head. "Like I said, always full of surprises." Zora looked back to her, waiting for an order. "And since the charade is up, Night Daze!"
Building the attack above her head, Zora slammed her claws to the ground, sending a powerful wave of energy at Gardevoir.
The attack was strong, but Gardevoir powered through it.
Diantha was quick to counter. "Moonblast!"
In one fell swoop, Zora was knocked out.
Recalling her, Cynthia thanked her for her work. She had done some good damage to Gardevoir, so even though they were both down to one pokémon each, she was still plenty confident.
"Been looking forward to this since the international meeting. Garchomp! You're up!"
Putting on a show, Garchomp appeared with a loud battle cry, deep and guttural. Neither she nor her trainer were even worried about facing a fairy pokémon. They already had the perfect strategy for dealing with them.
Despite the obviously solution being to just go for another Moonblast, Diantha refrained. She was dealing with Cynthia and her ace, after all. One Moonblast wouldn't be enough to take down Garchomp.
That, and they were performers at heart. A repeat of Moonblast wouldn't go over well. Not on their final battle.
She called for, instead, Hyper Voice.
Garchomp winced, falling on one knee until the attack was over. Standing up, she shook her head, looking back to Cynthia.
Cynthia didn't feel any need to wait.
"Dragon Rush!"
Diantha merely ordered a dodge. Cynthia of all people would know better than to use a dragon move on a fairy, so she figured she had something up her sleeve.
The two pokémon were matched for speed, Garchomp having to really anticipate where the fairy pokémon was going to teleport next. Finally, she managed to find her pattern and land a hit, doing nothing more than sweeping the other pokémon back.
Gardevoir grunted, but retained little damage.
"I know better than to assume you're not up to something," Diantha said, directed at Cynthia, before ordering Shadow Ball.
"Stomping Tantrum!"
Like the kid and his Granbull, the attack's power was doubled from using an ineffective move. Gardevoir's move was cut short as Garchomp slammed her fin into her stomach.
But unlike the Granbull, Gardevoir was no average pokémon. She was still the pokémon of a champion, and despite having the breath knocked from her and her legs wobbly as she struggled to stand, she was still in the battle.
Gardevoir looked back to Diantha, a silent plea.
Hand moving up to her necklace, both their charms began to glow. "Well, Cynthia, I must say: It's been a very long time since I was backed into a corner like this. Such a display deserves our best! Let us show you the power of our bond!"
The glow grew brighter than the stadium lighting, forcing Garchomp and Cynthia to shield their eyes.
"Gardevoir! Beyond evolution: Mega Evolve!"
A loud call that rivaled her Hyper Voice, as the glow finally faded, Gardevoir stood before them, seemingly refreshed with her new form.
The crowd in the stadium went wild, their voices deafening to the point where the MC's voice was unable to be heard.
With their connection stronger than ever Diantha didn't need to call out her next order. She only did so for posterity. "Hyper Voice!"
It wasn't what Cynthia was expecting. As much as she wanted Garchomp to dodge, there was nowhere to go. Even underground, she knew the move would permeate the earth.
As she was going to call for an Earthquake, she noticed Garchomp seemed in far more distress than before. Instead of one knee, she was down on both, scraping her fins against her head in agony.
Diantha's giggle could be heard as the move finally faded and their mics were turned back on. "In case you were wondering, upon mega evolution, Gardevoir's ability changes to one called Pixilate. All of her normal type moves become fairy type. It's quite handy, wouldn't you say?" she asked with a smile.
Despite the rising frustration, Cynthia refused to show it on account of how charming her smile was.
"You okay, Garchomp?" she asked, watching her pokémon rise to her feet again.
She shook her head before nodding, but there was a noticeable difference. Everything about her seemed heavier.
Cynthia was confident they could avoid a Moonblast, but she had to keep her from using Hyper Voice again.
"Stomping Tantrum, again!" she ordered, hoping they could knock the wind out of her long enough to land something else.
However, another effect of mega evolution was that Gardevoir was now terrifyingly fast. They had been matched before, but now, coupled with the damage she had already received, Garchomp couldn't hope to keep up.
"Shadow Ball!"
Now she was just toying with them, eating up the crowd's reactions.
"Earthquake!"
The field began to shake as she ran away from the onslaught of ghost attacks. In her wake, the field was torn up, hopefully creating some challenge for her teleporting act.
Diantha ordered Psychic.
Gardevoir tossed Garchomp back to Cynthia's side of the field as if it were nothing.
"Stomping Tantrum, but you need to really rip up the ground," she directed as Garchomp hobbled to her feet.
With a heavy nod, she ran back out, chasing Gardevoir around. As anticipated, she began to teleport around the field, eventually landing in a spot where a piece of earth was surged up at her from the tantrum.
She fell back against the ground with a hard thud, struggling to get into a seated position, but Diantha said nothing, watching Cynthia carefully.
Cynthia saw it as her only window. "Crunch!"
The smile that broke across Diantha's face told her she had made a grave error somewhere.
"Checkmate, darling," she said in a soft tone. "Moonblast!"
Just in time for Garchomp to lunge at her pokémon, Gardevoir built up her attack, sending it straight into Garchomp's face.
With it, Garchomp fell back heavily, and after the allotted three seconds, the referee called it.
"The winner is Diantha and Gardevoir!"
Despite the hot anger and frustration that came with a loss, especially after so long without one, Cynthia couldn't bring herself to be too mad. It had been a hell of a battle, and her overconfidence going into her battle with Gardevoir had been her downfall.
A loss was a loss, and if it had to be to anyone, she was okay with it being to another champion.
Recalling Garchomp, she expressed her thanks for working hard, and a promise for a reward later. Meeting in the middle, she shook hands with Diantha.
"Was a hell of a battle, Diantha."
"I'll say," she responded, taking her hand back, looking over to Gardevoir.
With a heavy blink, her mega appearance returned to normal. She seemed more exhausted that way.
"You almost had us there in the beginning. I was definitely worried for a while," she admitted, Gardevoir nodding along.
Cynthia smiled, and there was something about the gesture that caught Diantha off guard. Maybe it was the stark contrast of how soft and genuine it was, in comparison to only a few hours ago when she could have sworn they were seconds away from going after the other's throat. Maybe it was just the way the lighting reflected in her eyes that really emphasized the greyness of them that captured her.
Whatever it was, it was leaving her speechless.
She could almost feel Gardevoir mentally laughing at her.
"We definitely need to have a full team battle one day," Cynthia said, taking a step back when she saw the MC approaching them.
"I look forward to it, dear Cynthia," she said, realizing it was the first time she had used the endearment towards her.
Cynthia realized it as well, and quickly came to the conclusion that she liked the way it sounded.
There wasn't time to dwell on the thought for too long, however. With a quick wave to Diantha and Gardevoir, she began to take her leave. "I'll see you backstage," she said, her voice quickly getting overshadowed by the MC.
The second her mic was off and returned to a staff member, Rosa was there to greet her backstage.
"Cynthia, holy shit!"
At that, she couldn't resist laughing.
The young woman was talking a mile a minute, her face flushed with excitement. "That was the most incredible thing I think I've ever seen! The Dragon Rush to force that other move's power to be better! I had to ask someone what that move was and why you did that, but!" She squealed a bit, her whole body shaking. "I am so keeping that in mind! Also! I'm totally getting a fairy type now! I just gotta!"
With the way she was talking, Cynthia would have thought she had won the battle.
She stopped somewhere along the way, messing with her X-Transceiver, and saying, "Nate is going to be so upset he didn't come with me!"
Cynthia watched the last few seconds of the tv feed from the backstage. The MC wrapped things up quickly, the camera focusing in on Diantha and Gardevoir one last time before cutting off.
Fishing her phone from her pocket to check the time, the day had nearly passed them completely.
Not long after, Diantha rejoined them, Gardevoir still at her side.
Before Cynthia and Rosa could get to her, the remaining competitors from the day had already swarmed her. She and Gardevoir handled it with grace, doing what they could to give quick, but individual attention to everyone. It was clear to Cynthia that she just wanted to be done with it all.
But that's when it hit her: it was clear to her.
Just as she was about to do whatever she could to try and rescue her, Diantha pushed her way through the crowd, making a beeline for them. Grabbing both their wrists, she began to drag them along. "I want out of this arena," she simply said.
"Gotcha," Rosa answered, taking the lead. She had the advantage of competing there often, which let her know the best ways around the place.
Just before they could get out of the arena, in the main lobby, two men approached them.
The larger of the two men greeted them with a big, warm smile. "Miss Diantha, again, congratulations!" His southern Unovan accent was thick. "And miss Cynthia, and even miss Rosa! Excellent battles! You three are welcome to come back anytime!"
The other man smiled at Cynthia. "So glad you gave me that call, Cynthia," he said. He was one of the managers Cynthia was more used to working with.
"It was no problem," Cynthia answered. She noticed but didn't draw attention to Diantha's hand still on her wrist.
Diantha had a smile on her face, but it was forced. "We're in the region for a few more months, so I'm sure we'll be back!" she said. "But if you don't mind, I really would like to get my dear Gardevoir to a pokémon center." She looked back to Gardevoir, who was probably more exhausted than she was.
"Of course! Thank you again!"
Out of the building, Diantha finally released her grip on the two women, allowing herself to take a few deep breaths. "I'm terribly sorry, both of you. I just got…overstimulated there at the end. Mega evolution drains the trainer as well, and so I'm just exhausted," she rambled.
Rosa was quick to cut her off. "Hey, hey! No worries! This place is super easy to get overstimulated in, trust me. I've been on the winners stage a few times, and yeah. I know where you're coming from. With how intense y'all's battle was I'm sure it was even worse. If you want, I know which pokémon center will probably be the quietest," she said.
The look of relief on her face was mirrored by Gardevoir. "That would be absolutely lovely, dear Rosa."
The use of the endearment brought a flush to her face. "I-it's actually, technically, it's in Nimbasa, but it's just across the Charizard Bridge. Not even a five minute flight, really," she said.
"Would you like to join us, Rosa?" Cynthia offered.
The look of defeat across her face was almost comical. "Arceus, I would love nothing more, but Nate told me Stu is looking for me, so I gotta get back to Poké Stars or else he'll get mad," she explained. Disappointment was eating at her, and she was seriously weighing the decision of if this was worth getting fired over.
She still had a successful career at battling, anyways…
"Oh, you work at Poké Stars Studio?" Diantha asked. She wished Rosa would have brought it up sooner. They could have talked about that while Cynthia was away during her battles.
Rosa nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'm technically an–" she made air quotes "–'actress', too, but…it's Poké Stars. It's all campy at best."
"Working for Poké Stars Studio doesn't make you any less of an actress, darling." At that point, she knew she was just enjoying flustering her, and was too tired to care otherwise.
She shrunk into her shoulders. "But does it?"
Diantha laughed, but there was a world of exhaustion behind it. "Tell you what," she said, now digging though her purse. Pulling out a small card, she handed it to Rosa. "If you ever need advice or anything of the sort, here's my manager's card. You can get ahold of me that way."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?" She asked, holding the card delicately.
Diantha nodded. "Mind the time difference between here and Kalos is all I ask…also that you not share that."
"Of course!"
With a few final goodbyes, and a promise to take her to dinner sometime that about made her face bright red, Rosa headed off, and Cynthia and Diantha began to make their way back to the harbor.
Diantha looked at her pokémon. "Thank you again, darling, for all your hard work. You were wonderful today," she said, returning her to her capsule.
Falling in beside Cynthia, she concentrated on their surroundings to keep herself awake. Now, away from the arena, exhaustion was beginning to set in. Going into mega evolution at low health had been a gamble that she was now paying for.
The air had cooled considerably. Still early spring, most of the trees had yet to bloom. A few had the beginnings of buds on their limbs, but nothing green yet. Despite it and the temperature, the area was still lively. The night scene felt like something out of a typical Unovan carnival.
"So, other than overstimulating you at the end there, was today alright?" Cynthia asked.
It pulled her from her surveying. "Yes! It was, actually. It wasn't what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed myself immensely," she answered, finding herself about to make the motion of wrapping a jacket closer to herself. She regretted not bringing one with her to the studio, or at least stealing one of Scarlet's.
"Ready to take off?" Cynthia asked, retrieving Braviary's poké ball from her coat pocket. They seemed far enough away from everyone.
"Sounds good to me," she answered, watching as Braviary made yet another dramatic appearance. She appreciated the pokémon for her act.
Unlike before, Diantha was fully prepared for the feeling of Braviary taking off. It didn't stop her from putting a hand over Cynthia's arm that was warm around her.
"Forgot to ask," Cynthia said above the rising wind. "Did the Sinnoh Champion live up to your expectations?"
Diantha laughed, pressing herself back against her. "Far exceeded them, darling."
As Rosa had said, it was hardly five minutes before the pokémon center by the bridge came into view.
Sitting off at a secluded corner table, waiting for their pokémon, Diantha stretched her arms above her head, doing her best to hold down a yawn. She was unsuccessful.
Cynthia smiled at her. "I assume mega evolution takes a lot out of the trainer as well?" she guessed, leaning on her arms on the table.
She nodded, mirroring her action. "Yes. Going into mega evolution when she was already injured–" she paused to yawn, covering her mouth. "–Pardon me; I knew going into mega evolution like that was a risk, but it paid off. I doubt we would have won, otherwise."
Cynthia shrugged. "I think I was getting overconfident, so who knows how it could have gone. Besides, I still think a full team battle is in order one of these days."
"Speaking of," she began, resting her chin in her palm. "What would you say you learned about me from our battle?"
Cynthia hummed in thought, leaning back into her seat. "I would say you're a strong-willed woman who doesn't give up even when the going gets tough. You're not afraid to take a risk, but that comes from being highly in tune with your pokémon. You obviously wouldn't ask something of your pokémon that you aren't basically willing to do yourself, as emphasized by sharing the burden of mega evolution with Gardevoir; all of which I appreciate in a person."
Her red lips curved into a smile.
"I also learned that I have nothing to worry about. I think so long as I remind myself to talk to you when I'm worried about something, we'll get along just fine."
"Trust me, darling, there is nothing you will do on set that I haven't done at least five or more times. I was an absolute wreck in my younger years," she said, blinking heavily.
That surprised her. "Really? That's almost hard to imagine with how well you work on set now," she said, stretching her legs out under the table. She was mindful to not end up kicking Diantha.
"While I got my start in theater at ten, I've been in front of cameras pretty much since I was fourteen. My first..." she found herself struggling to find the right phrasing. Exhaustion was trying to claim her as its victim. "Big name film when I was seventeen. When It Rains. It was only a supporting role, but it got me my big break, so to speak," she explained.
Cynthia made a mental note to add that to her watch list.
Though, she realized her mental list of things was starting to get long enough to warrant either a physical list, or at least one on her phone.
"Oh! While I'm thinking about cameras," Diantha said, sitting up. "Did you pay any attention to the ones around us today?" she asked.
She sunk further into her seat. "Admittedly, I got so into all the battles, I just…tuned them out."
Diantha's tired smile forced her to sit up. "Exactly! I think I have a solution for you, actually. It came to mind when we were meditating, and I thought about what you said when it came to cameras during battles."
"I'm listening." She was willing to try anything Diantha suggested.
"Do you know your lines?" she suddenly asked, clasping her own hands atop the table.
"Yes," she answered.
"Are you positive? Completely sure of this scene we're trying to get done? Word for word, you know your lines?" she pushed.
It felt like a challenge. "Are you going to quiz me?" she jokingly asked.
She shrugged. "Elizabeth steps around the car, motioning for her pokémon to join her. What's your line?"
So, she was serious.
"Well, well, well. The Kiss of Death herself. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, trying to force down any shyness towards it. "I then offer you, Scarlet, my hand, and she doesn't take it. I'm gross and dirty and she doesn't like that."
Diantha laughed a bit. "I would argue that Scarlet likes every bit of what she's seeing, she's just not ready to admit that because Elizabeth is so grungy– anyways! I say to Charles, 'A woman with a Watchog? You've got to be kidding me.'" She wouldn't bother with her Scarlet voice for now.
Together they went through the scene, up to where they would cut off for the day.
At the end, Diantha dropped the serious act, smiling at Cynthia. "You know your lines," she said.
It caught her off guard. "Yeah?"
She leaned forward. "Be confident in that, my dear! Be as confident in that as you are with your battles! The cameras don't matter; not when you're confident in your lines. And if you mess up? Who cares? We have plenty of room for retakes, trust me. I will mess up, Alexander will mess up, Michael will– we all will. It happens. Hell, the outtake reel is always better than the final project, anyways!"
She found herself laughing.
Being confident sounded easy in theory, but it was going to take some serious practice and constant reminders to herself. At least there was one thing she was confident in: that she could will herself to ask for help from Diantha when needed.
Which brought up a different thought.
"Actually, while I'm thinking about it, I want to ask you something. I've been meaning to ask, but I've just been worried how it will come across," Cynthia began, resisting the temptation to tap her fingers on the table. Hopefully it wouldn't come across badly.
"Go ahead, darling." She was curious to know where this question could possibly go, and why it might not go over well.
Cynthia was fairly certain of the answer, but it was something she wanted to be absolutely sure of. "So, uh, there's a few scenes in this where our characters kiss." Among other activities. "Is that like stage kissing, or…?"
Diantha found herself giggling, the sound making Cynthia's neck burn. "Oh, no, darling. We will actually be kissing."
"Alright. I kind of figured, but I just wanted to be sure."
Diantha carefully watched her. She was no longer making eye contact, and was holding her hands at a tense fist atop the table.
For a moment, a sense of something akin to fear washed over her. Had she read Cynthia wrong? Surly not, with how she had teased her about Rosa. "Are you…" She told herself to pick her words carefully. "Intimidated by the idea of kissing a woman?" Maybe it was a little too textbook, but it was what she was going to go with.
She immediately shook her head, much to Diantha's relief. "Oh, no, not at all," she said with a laugh. "It's not kissing you that's the problem. It's the whole kissing in front of cameras that's unnerving me." She felt heat crawl up the back of her neck again, worried about her phrasing.
But it was the truth. In comparison to where she was at from the morning, kissing her wasn't the problem.
Diantha's eyes moved to her purse. Grabbing her phone, she pulled up the copy of the script she kept on her. "I want to tell you, again, to remind yourself to be confident in your lines, but admittedly…This is all a bit much for your first time acting." She flicked through the pages. "The bar scenes where Elizabeth gets handsy, and then the fade to black later on will probably be the most…for lack of better phrasing, intense, we will have to get."
Cynthia only grumbled in response.
Without thinking, Diantha said, "I think everything will be fine. I've done far worse in front of a camera, so–" She stopped, a bright flush on her face. It got a genuine laugh from Cynthia. "Not my best phrasing." She would chalk it up to still being exhausted, and nothing more, but that wasn't enough to rid herself of the heat that was now wrapping her.
It at least pulled Cynthia away from her anxiety. "So, what was your film career start really?" she asked, nudging her with her leg under the table.
She responded with a harder kick. "I told you: Theater! And my big break was When It Rains, a romance drama! Not whatever it is you're thinking!"
The only thing Cynthia was thinking about was how much she was enjoying teasing her.
"Anyways," Diantha continued, adjusting herself in her seat. "Like I said, the most intense we will have to be is when I have to." She paused, looking down at her script to make sure she was correct in everything she was about to say. "When I have to shove you down on a mattress and take off your jacket, all while Elizabeth, you, are making innuendo about being put in your place."
Diantha fought to tell herself that she wasn't looking forward to that scene in any capacity other than to just get things out of the way.
She wasn't.
She wasn't.
She wasn't.
Despite the protest, the thought of, "I wonder what that's going to sound like in her voice?" already happened.
Cynthia looked off to the side once more, trying not to remember any of the lines she was going to say. "The joys of acting," she said flatly.
Thankfully, one of the center's nurses was approaching their table, a tray of poké balls in his hands, and Zora at his side. "Sorry! She wasn't wanting to return to her poké ball," he explained, setting the tray on the table.
Cynthia gave a pointed look to her sister's pokémon. "That's not a surprise." She then looked up to the nurse. "Thank you for everything."
"Yes, thank you," Diantha said.
"Our pleasure!"
Zora watched the man leave, before looking Cynthia in the eyes.
She was giving her a forced glare. "So, Garbodor, huh? Was that Kay's idea?" she asked.
Zora snickered, giving her a huge, toothy grin.
"I'll take that as a yes," Cynthia said, leaning back and looking over to Diantha. "Kay is my younger sister."
She was grinning. "I haven't met her, but I like her already," she said, watching Zora approach her. With a few sniffs, Diantha offered her hand out to her, which Zora then rubbed her face against. As she ruffled the creature's fur, she looked up to Cynthia. "I take it you were asking her to change to Garchomp, but your sister anticipated that at some point, and told her Garbodor instead?"
She nodded. "I wouldn't put it past her."
Zora snickered again, eating up Diantha's attention.
"Sounds like a yes to me," Diantha said, finally retracting her hands. Grabbing her poké balls from the tray, she stowed them away in her purse.
Cynthia did the same, holding out Zora's poké ball to her. She rolled her eyes, but was recalled without further protest.
"While she may not have anticipated it happening for a battle between us, at least you were fortunate in using a pokémon I thought would be weak to Psychic. That bought you time."
"True," Cynthia said, putting away Zora's capsule in her pocket.
With a stretch of her arms, and a glance at the clock on the wall, she returned her attention to Diantha. "Well, since you took me to lunch, how about I take you to dinner?" she offered, suddenly realizing how hungry she was. They had missed their lunch break, heading straight for Driftveil.
"I would like that," she responded.
Cynthia began to stand up from their table. "I'm assuming you know Nimbasa and Castelia better than me, so if there's anywhere you would like to go, I'm open to anything."
It was a simple thing to be offered to pick where they would go, but it was one she was eternally grateful for. "Actually, I overheard Elesa once talking about one of the places that opened up here in Nimbasa sometime last meeting. I've been wanting to try it since. I believe she said it was called Fido's? Their logo is a green Growlithe, and I remember where she said it was at."
"Works for me. Anything special about it?" she asked, watching her straighten out her shirt as she stood.
"She was talking about how they have a lot of vegetarian options, and while I am not strictly vegetarian, it is a preference," she explained.
She nodded. "We have that in common, then."
"Good to know." Though, maybe she was just excited to find any common ground with her.
The night air had cooled even more from when they had entered the pokémon center. It took Diantha by surprise, causing her to visibly shiver.
Noticing her shiver, Cynthia immediately took off her jacket. "Here," she said, handing it to her.
She shook her head. "You don't have to do that, I'll be fine, darling."
She kept her hand out. "I'm only wearing it for the weight. It's way warmer here than it was in Sinnoh, so I'm used to it."
As she was going to protest once again, a quick gust of wind ran up her back, forcing her hand. "Thank you, dear Cynthia."
She shrugged, watching her pull her jacket over her. It was oversized, but in a way Cynthia realized she found cute. She took a step forward, trying not to think about that, or the way a simple endearment sounded.
By the time the night was over, a pleasant dinner behind them, and they were back in Castelia, Diantha found herself yawning at just about every other minute. The wind had picked up, and it was the one of the only things keeping her awake. The other being Cynthia's arm around her, something she was beginning to struggle with not thinking too much about.
Touching down at her apartment's building in northern Castelia, Cynthia was again the first to get off, offering her a hand down.
"Well, Cynthia," she said, taking her offered hand. "Again, I am sorry for how the morning started, but I have to say that I am glad we're on better footing with one another."
"Me too."
Her anxiety wasn't going to just disappear, but she had been given a strategy to deal with it, and at least had the confidence that she was going to be able to get through things. With Diantha's help, things were bound to get better.
About to step back, a goodbye on her tongue, Diantha took notice of the jacket still around her, and that she still had a hold on Cynthia's hand.
With hesitation she hoped wasn't noticeable, she took her hand back, and began to take off her jacket. "Oh, right, here." She stopped when Cynthia held up a hand.
"You can give it back tomorrow. It's fine," she said. She was still plenty warm, and the temperature out in Undella was going to be even warmer than the city.
Too tired to dispute it, she pulled it back over her shoulders. "I'll see you in the morning, then, dear Cynthia."
"See you."
Diantha stood a little longer outside, watching Cynthia and Braviary take off. Walking inside the complex, the door was opened for her, and the entire way up to her apartment, all she could think about was getting to sleep. Along with the lingering feeling of Cynthia's arm around her.
As the door opened to her floor, she shook her head, chastising herself for thinking about it.
In the middle of getting ready for bed, while brushing her teeth, her phone began to vibrate on the countertop. The caller ID said it was Mel. Her whole body sighed at the realization. She just wanted to finish brushing her teeth and go to bed.
With a quick rinse, she slid to answer, hitting the speaker button. "Hello, darling," she greeted, wiping down the counter.
"Hey, babe," he responded.
Their conversation was casual, albeit mostly one-sided. She wanted to tell him about her victory over Cynthia. After all, she was proud of herself and her pokémon, and yet, for the entire conversation, she could hardly get a word in edgewise. He was far too excited about the project he was about to start on.
By the time they had said their goodbyes, she had only just managed the energy to dress down to her camisole and throw on some sleeping shorts.
Cynthia's jacket was strewn across the foot of her bed, waiting to be placed in a more proper location. The second it was in her hand, she made the decision to just throw it on, crawling into bed, too tired to reason anything else.
Her last thoughts before finally falling asleep lingered on the fact that Mel hadn't even asked how her filming was going, and the soft smell that lingered on Cynthia's jacket.
What the exact scent was she wasn't sure, but it was warm and pleasant…
– – – –
INT. ELIZABETH'S SHOP. DUSK
Things are quiet in the dimly lit shop. The few workers that Elizabeth have are nowhere to be seen.
Watchog walks with Scarlet into the main body of the shop. He chitters, acting like he's holding a real conversation with Scarlet.
She smiles at the pokémon, making mindless chatter with him.
Watchog leads Scarlet to the back room, where Elizabeth is leaned against a car that has a thick tarp over it.
Scarlet still wants to keep up appearances, so she stops at the room's entrance, crossing her arms.
SCARLET
So, Elizabeth, what is so important that you had to call me out here so late in the evening?
Alone, at that?
Elizabeth shrugs, kicking herself off the car.
Watchog walks over to Elizabeth. She absently pets him.
ELIZABETH
Can't I want to see my partner in crime now and then?
Scarlet carefully begins to walk closer.
SCARLET
Yes, but normally there is a crime that has to be involved.
(stopping in front of her)
What's this really about, Elizabeth?
Elizabeth gives her a noticeable look-over. Scarlet uncrosses her arms.
Watchog senses a change in the atmosphere, exiting on his own accord with a little chuckle.
ELIZABETH
(leaning in)
I think you should have a…different experience with me.
Scarlet takes a shallow breath, one of the few times she expresses visible nervousness in front of Elizabeth.
Before she can say anything in response, Elizabeth steps back to pull the cover off the car.
Hidden underneath is a slick, two-seater black car. Freshly cleaned and waxed, it looks out of place with the other cars in the building.
Scarlet begins to walk around the vehicle. Elizabeth just watches her.
SCARLET
My. Where did you get this?
ELIZABETH
(shrugs)
I keep it for myself, usually.
SCARLET
(from the other side of the car)
Usually?
ELIZABETH
Usually.
Thought I'd share this with you, though.
Scarlet walks back over to her, a bit of a saunter in her step.
In front of her, she stands much closer than before.
SCARLET
Elizabeth Park, are you getting soft on me?
Elizabeth moves to press her up against the car's passenger door. She reaches a hand around her, making sure she still leaves Scarlet with an out.
Scarlet tries to remain confident, but her anxious breathing is noticeable to both of them.
ELIZABETH
(leaning in again)
Call it what you want, babe.
Scarlet leans up, but is distracted by Elizabeth pulling up the door's lock.
Elizabeth laughs low, stepping away from her to walk towards the driver's side.
ELIZABETH
(cont'd)
Let me take you on a ride, Kiss of Death.
I'll make it worth your while.
Scarlet composes herself, getting in the passenger seat.
SCARLET
I guess I can indulge you just this once…but just call me Scarlet when it's just the two of us.
Elizabeth laughs to herself, hopping in the car with her.
– – – –
Trigger Warning for the next chapter, Chapter 4:
Sexual Harassment as well as mentions of an eating disorder
I do not plan on going into deep detail of either, but both things will be touched on in the next chapter.
