Chapter 3: A New Lease on Life

Ash yawned loudly as he stretched, casting his gaze about the still lively town. The rooftop of Cynthia's building was well kept and offered a nice view of the surrounding area. Most of the town was under the shadows of late evening, but the Tree of Beginning was still a beacon on the horizon. The sounds of merriment and excitement rose from the streets below on a mild breeze. All in all it was the most peaceful his life had been in quite a while.

A peace they owed to innocent sacrifice.

He closed his eyes, reaching for a sound he could touch. Almost like it had been waiting, his Aura came right away, filling him with that odd warmth that had no heat. It was easier these days, he noted. Had something changed? Stretching his mind, he felt Pikachu and Lucario, both in the spare bedroom Cynthia had offered to him in her apartment. Most likely Pikachu was sleeping and Lucario was keeping watch. He was reliable like any of his oldest companions in that way.

His final Pokémon…

"Do you want to join me?"

Gardevoir was actually very close to him, not more than a dozen or so feet to his side. She was hovering in a relaxed position, supported by her psychic powers. Bright amber eyes regarded him for a moment before returning to looking over the town. What held her attention, he wondered...

To anyone else, they would see a disinterested Pokémon. One who perhaps had a bad attitude, or simply wasn't very social. Ash however felt the emotional struggle she was enduring through. Her Aura rippled out in a discomforting melody to his senses. He was no expert by any means, barely even a novice, but there was no denying the way it felt.

Steeling himself, Ash walked over so that he was directly in front of her. She watched him warily but made no move.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"..."

"You'll feel better if you talk a bit, I'm sure."

She said nothing, staring into his eyes but at the same time seeming like she wasn't seeing him. Was she lost in thought?

"Gardevoir?"

He reached out in concern, his hand barely coming into contact with her arm, only for her to let out a trill of surprise as her eyes widened in alarm. Ash suddenly felt himself propelled backwards by an invisible force, causing him to lose his balance. Unfortunately, he'd already been close to the edge of the roof.

"Ahhhh!"

He fell a single story before coming to a sudden halt, floating in the air. Gardevoir was floating next to him, one hand keeping him aloft.

"Holy-! I, uh… nice catch?"

Despite his heart going a thousand beats per minute, Ash still flashed her a thumbs up which went completely ignored. Gardevoir instead reached out hesitantly and placed her hand on his chest, after which followed the most disorienting experience he'd ever had in his life. Suddenly he found himself on the roof once more, only this time laying on his side. Gardevoir floated next to him, looking down at him with an unreadable expression. Her Aura easily betrayed her troubled emotions.

"Gardevoir-" Ash began, but she'd teleported away before he could say anything more.

Xxx

The next morning found Ash and Cynthia standing across from one another in a nearby Pokémon battlefield open for public use. She was once again dressed casually, though her hair had a couple braids in it as a result of idle hands. Ash still wore his modified monastery garb, but getting something more reasonable was high on his list of priorities. It didn't help that all of Rota was in full swing festival mode. He'd been hoping to pick up something a little more this millennia.

"So how did you want to begin this?" Ash asked. Cynthia just smiled in response.

"Isn't it obvious?"

She drew a pokeball and cast it out.

"Garchomp!"

The ground shook slightly as the massive Pokémon gave a single stomp. Her shout was one of challenge, and a number of people who were passing by slowed down in interest.

"I don't think we've ever had an actual battle before," Cynthia said lightly. "Show me the strength you don't know how to train!"

Ash grinned as he took his favored stance. Adrenaline rushed as he considered the opponent before him.

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

The electric Pokémon leapt from his shoulder with a flip, landing easily before his disproportionately large opponent. Sparks raced along his body and onto the ground.

"Pi-ka!"

"You said it! Blast him!"

Pikachu initiated with a direct Thunderbolt that Garchomp didn't bother to avoid for all the damage it did.

"Don't tell me you forgot Garchomp was ground type," Cynthia said in disappointment. "That's quite- Garchomp, your left!"

But the warning came too late as Pikachu's true attack slammed the dragon Pokémon across the face, causing her to stagger as the force pushed her a few feet to the side.

"That's one tough Pokémon," Ash frowned. Even an unguarded Iron Tail to the face barely did anything. "Don't get caught, Pikachu!"

"Pika pi!"

Pikachu vanished in an Agility as Garchomp's left claw was buried in the ground where he'd been standing a moment before. She stood at her full height and beckoned, inviting Pikachu to take another attack.

"Let's not keep her waiting, buddy. Show her your best Iron Tail!"

Not one to disappoint, Pikachu dashed in, tail glowing a searing white. This time he feinted a strike from the right before spinning in the other direction and coming from directly above. Garchomp leaned back, allowing the strike to completely miss while leaving Pikachu wide open for a counterattack.

"Pikachu!"

The electric Pokémon took a solid hit from a Dual Chop which was immediately followed by a Dragon Rage, blasting Pikachu back to Ash's feet with a crash.

"Chaa-"

Ash quickly recovered the overwhelmed Pokémon and brought him off the field.

"Well, quick as that was, it certainly was informative," Cynthia said conversationally. "Despite the very poor matchup, I can see why Pikachu was able to draw where your other Pokémon weren't. He's got a nice Iron Tail."

"Yeah, that move has definitely gotten us through some tough situations," Ash nodded, unphased at the one sided battle so far.

"Shall we continue then? Who will you use next?"

Ash turned to his remaining two Pokémon who had completely opposite levels of interest in what was happening.

"Excited, Lucario?"

"Yes. This is a worthy test of my abilities."

"Then you're up. Lucario, I choose you!"

"I'll stick with Garchomp," Cynthia said with a nod. "Round two, begin!"

"Lucario, use…" but Ash's voice died off immediately when the jackal Pokémon dashed in before he could finish the command. "Right, forgot he's never really done this before."

He winced as Lucario went flying from a mean glowing wing strike, carving a shallow line in the ground as he came to a stop at his feet. Garchomp looked on with what could only be called a depreciating smirk on her face.

"You okay there?" he deadpanned.

"...Yes. She is very fast for her size. I was caught off guard."

"Right!" Ash rallied, taking a stance as he pointed back at Garchomp. "Well this time you won't be. Get back in there and… never mind," he finished dully as Lucario sped off to do his own thing again. Ash watched the two battle hungry Pokémon scrapping it out for a minute before saying, "Well at least he's holding his own now, right?"

Not getting a response, Ash turned to his right where Pikachi was still out cold, then to his left where Gardevoir was. Or had been, at any rate. It seemed she'd teleported away. A large bead of sweat formed at his head as his posture slumped. Maybe his team wasn't exactly what he'd been hyping up in his mind for the last week.

Meanwhile, Cynthia observed Ash's Lucario with a well contained surprise. The smaller Pokémon was matching Garchomp blow for blow as they slugged it out. She could tell Garchomp was enjoying herself just by the fact she'd begun doing her own thing and not waiting for instructions. She then tried to imagine a similar strength from a fairy-psychic Pokémon, a type combination that screamed destructive.

Scary indeed.

The ground shook as Garchomp was slammed into the dirt, onlookers cheering in excitement. This time it was Lucario who stood over her with a feral grin on his face, one matched by the dragon below him. He spun a long bone staff behind his back with an almost careless finesse.

"Remember where you two are."

The words were delivered evenly, but the look the Champion gave the two Pokemon was anything but. She had no interest in needing to pay for property damage or hospital bills of enthusiastic onlookers. At least they'd backed up a considerable amount when things began getting out of hand. With the two Pokemon now toning it back quite a bit as they continued their fight, she returned to her thoughts. So he had one, likely two Pokemon that were in a class of their own like her Garchomp. How much should she tell Ash? What should she tell him?

Well, why not the truth?

Sure he had potential as a trainer and would accomplish great things in the future no matter what she did about it. But that wasn't what qualified him to her.

She actually liked him. He was charismatic in a way that most people weren't. He genuinely cared for his friends and would do anything for them. Heck, he'd sequestered himself with monks for over half a year just because she'd asked him to. Though they'd interacted sporadically since their first meeting, she'd comfortably call them friends now.

It didn't take long before she'd started moving.

"Ash? Earth to Ash."

He gave a start as he realized Cynthia was no longer across from him and instead a few feet to his side. The battle before him had been taking his full attention.

"Sorry. Guess we're not really having a battle anymore," he said, motioning to the fighting Pokémon. They simply ignored the trainers in favor of their fun.

"It's okay. Would you like to know my secret?"

"Secret?"

"The core aspect to my own training," she elaborated. "The thing that keeps me at the top no matter who I face. Do you really want to know? You'll never be able to train the same way again. It's not something you can just unhear."

"I, uh, yes?" he said nervously.

"You don't sound so sure…"

"It's- it's not that, I just…"

His great distraction was that Cynthia had stepped well into his personal space, eyes lingering on his own as she drew within inches of his body. Then she smoothly stepped around him.

"Think about it for a bit. Let's go grab a drink. Come on you two, get over here!"

Xxx

It was not too long after that the two Pokémon trainers could be found at a cafe, seated with a nice view of the street, but busy enough that they'd ended at a table for one with a pulled up extra chair. Hyper aware of the closeness between them, Ash tried his best to focus on his drink, but not for the first time Cynthia caught his eye and smiled in a way that held more than just friendly cheer. Mischief danced behind her eyes. She was clearly enjoying herself.

She is totally doing that on purpose...

"So… what do you say? Would you like to know?"

"Of course," he said at once. Cynthia sipped her tea and nodded, beginning in a low voice only for him.

"Then I ask you this: In a battle between any two trainers, what is a Pokémon's greatest strength and simultaneously their greatest weakness?"

Ash just threw her a baffled look.

"Wha- that doesn't make any sense," he said automatically. "All Pokemon?"

"Don't get carried away, Ash, just think. Consider our battle from a moment ago as a hint," she added. "On one hand it provides Pokemon an unparallelled advantage. On the other, it cripples them to a point where they are ultimately doomed to fail no matter what they do. What could that be?"

Minutes passed by as he thought, discarding idea after idea for the same reason that none of them were universal. All Pokemon. Every battle between two trainers no matter what Pokemon they had, no matter what field it was fought on, they had the same great strength and the same terrible weakness. It was impossible. The only true commonality between all battles was-

His eyes widened. It couldn't be.

"That's right."

Cynthia leaned in close so that her next words tickled his ear lightly.

"It's us."

I am their weakness?

"Trainers," she continued, motioning to him and herself in turn. "Trainers act through their Pokémon. We assist in every way we can, but we strategize and plan for a victory that a Pokémon must trust, often blindly, to see it through. Because our opponents are also trainers, we can predict their motives and in turn assist our Pokémon in defeating their foe. It becomes a battle of the trainers, less the Pokémon themselves. More about their power, less about their skill."

Ash nodded, following her words as he tracked a group of energetic teens running down the street. Cynthia spared them a glance before looking back at her companion.

"Now, between a trained Pokémon, and a wild one of the same type, which do you consider to be the more advantaged opponent?"

"Trained."

The answer was immediate and without deliberation. It was the obvious choice. But the look on Cynthia's face was curious if anything.

"I agree, to an extent. Certainly a Pokémon that is being trained to fight will have advantages to one that isn't. Still, there is something that most trained Pokémon lose as they become accustomed to taking orders as quickly as possible. Something they are forced to sacrifice."

Cynthia's eyes seemed to flash with an inner light.

"That thing is their instinct."

She leaned back and finished her tea, allowing her words to settle over him.

"My Pokémon do not need me to fight. They still follow my commands when I give them, but in a fight with everything on the line I rarely speak to my Pokémon. They don't need it and I am a hindrance to them. They perceive danger faster than I ever could. Why should they need me to react to it? They are driven to attack a threat without hesitation. Why should they wait for me to give them guidance? Do you see what I mean? It's not that I am unbeatable. They are."

Ash stared into his now empty cup, deep in thought.

"That being said, it's still true that wild Pokemon are heavily disadvantaged in a battle with a trained one. They lack the experience that comes with working alongside human thought. So we have to balance it by introducing strategy and ideas that they would normally never think of, while still ensuring that they never need to rely on us for anything but the most unlikely situations."

Ash frowned, taking the moment when Cynthia paused to say what was on his mind.

"You can't really be telling me to just let them fight on their own. There's more to being a trainer than just that!"

After all, he'd met plenty of people through his journeys that embodied some aspect of this and none of them were even close to Cynthia in skill. Also, it sounded like she was severely downplaying everything that she as a trainer had actually accomplished and could do, which was bizarre to say the least.

"You're right," Cynthia agreed, returning her now empty cup to the table. "I never said it was simple. They have the easier part, in all honesty. You have to learn Pokemon instinct and understand it. You have to organically build on their skills and diminish their weaknesses without going against their nature."

Cynthia stood with a small stretch.

"Come on, there's a place I want to go. We can continue this as we walk."

They made their way through the town in the direction of the castle. Rota wasn't large by any stretch of the word, and it was immediately obvious that their destination was the long bridge connecting the town and castle.

"Now, all this talk about Pokemon instinct... I know I'm not the only trainer who does this, but it's rare and it shows when you see it."

"Flint," Ash said suddenly, remembering the one-sided battle he'd had with the man. Such a thing was hard to forget. "His Infernape is really strong."

"That's a good one," Cynthia agreed. "Flint challenges me for my title at least a couple times a year, and his Infernape definitely has been honed to another level. That said, he's been trying to replicate what he's achieved with his Infernape on all of his other Pokemon with little to no success. Why do you think that is?"

Ash blinked at the sudden question, but immediately began considering it. It was amazing how looking at training Pokemon from this angle changed… everything. He thought about similar instances that he'd had years ago with specific Pokemon. Breakthroughs that he was never able to achieve again, or to a lesser extent. He'd thought he learned from those times, but had his approach to training really ever changed over the six years he'd now been travelling? At its core?

No. It really didn't.

"It's because Infernape is Infernape," he said with confidence. "Infernape has different instincts than his other Pokemon. They all do."

"Exactly."

She beamed at him, pleased he was understanding everything so well.

"So how do you train instinct?" Ash asked, even more curious now. "Do you just have them battle without helping them? It can't be that simple."

"It's not, and that's the tricky part," Cynthia said with a nod. "It depends on what you have to work with. Some Pokemon naturally excel when it comes to fighting. Your Lucario, for example."

"Yeah, he's something else," Ash agreed. "I've only seen him fight a few times and it's amazing. He could probably teach me a thing or two."

"You should let him," she said, much to his surprise. "I'll bet you'd understand him better. You must have a strong connection though." The champion gave him a thoughtful look. "Lucario are very particular about who they partner with, especially when they're that strong. It makes them very independent. They often strike out on their own if able."

"Sounds like you know from personal experience."

"I have a Lucario too," she explained. "He's not with me at the moment though."

That certainly did make sense, Ash reasoned.

"What did you want to see, by the way?" he asked, distracted from training talk for the moment as she led him onto the beginning of the long bridge.

"We need to head to the castle so that I can register for the festival tournament," she said, surprising him.

"You want to compete in it?" He scratched his chin in thought. "Isn't that… I dunno, really unfair?"

"Not entirely," Cynthia defended. "I'm not going to use Garchomp!" she said indignantly at the flat look he was giving her. "I've brought a newer Pokemon to compete with than any of my regular team. Besides, anyone can join and plenty of strong trainers travel to compete in this small tournament. Someone just as strong might appear as well. It's completely acceptable. I'll be disguised too!"

"So the Champion Cynthia likes crushing the weaker and inexperienced," Ash said in an amazed voice. "I've seen something I can't unsee." He laughed though when she rolled her eyes. It turned out the unbeatable champion was a lot more normal than people realized.

And yet when they finally made it to the castle and Cynthia talked to who she needed to for registration, her usual serious face was back, tone polite and patient. He couldn't help but be pleased with the fact that she didn't show that more relaxed face of hers to just anyone.

Xxx

"A separate story, the recovery of what was once a beautiful artifact of Sinnoh's past still progresses in near futility. Snowpoint Temple, which was rebuilt after its attack by poachers nearly a year ago, was sealed in a massive rockslide. Brought to you live from Snowpoint, this is Vella Rich with the latest."

"Cynthia, can you turn that up?" Ash said from his position on the floor, neck tilted so that he could see the TV screen around the Pokémon seated before him on the table. With the tournament and subsequent ball happening in two days, he'd gratefully taken the Champion up on the use of her spare bedroom until the festival ended. In return he'd offered to help take care of whatever she needed, which in this instance was grooming her Glaceon. The ice Pokemon was relishing in the attention.

"You haven't heard about this?" she asked him in surprise, thumbing the volume up on the remote. At the shaking of heis head she continued, "Snowpoint Temple was completely buried in rocks and snow a little over a week ago. No one was hurt, but it's a horrible loss of a treasure from the past. I'd only been in there a few times. Hardly enough to really learn anything..." He could hear the sadness in her voice. Cynthia loved history more than anything.

"I was there a while ago," Ash said with a frown. "We helped defend it from Hunter J when she attacked it."

"You would have been involved in that incident," Cynthia said with a flat expression as her cell phone began to ring. "It seems as though wherever there is something happening you aren't far off."

"It's not my fault, things just happen to me," Ash said with a shrug, not even considering objecting to the statement. She was one hundred percent right about that.

Cynthia just shook her head and gave her phone a curious look as she checked the caller ID.

"Hello… I'm well thank you, and yourself? …Always. Of course, what did you want to know?" Her expression suddenly flattened as she locked eyes with Ash whose hand froze mid stroke. Glaceon tilted her head to the side in curiosity at the sudden pause in her care. "Why yes, as a matter of fact I do know where he is. How did you know to call me? I see… To be honest, he's here with me now… Yes, it is an amazing coincidence, isn't it? I'll put him on. Hold on…" The look she gave him was positively accusatory.

"Uh… who is it?"

"Scott from the Battle Frontier, if you know who that is." He nodded, to which she said, "Here. Fill me in after."

"Sure?" He took the phone from her before bringing it to his ear in confusion. "Hello?"

"Ash? Excellent!" came the jubilant voice of a man he hadn't spoken to in quite some time. "I was worried I'd never be able to get a hold of you. You should really look into getting a phone for yourself."

"Hi Scott," he returned, certainly surprised but happy to hear from the man. "You said you wanted to speak to me? How'd you know to call Cynthia anyway?"

"I got in touch with your mother first who said that if anyone knew it would be Professor Oak, and he said you were trying to get in touch with Cynthia, so I called her. Didn't realize you'd actually be with her though! Fate is spurring us on, I say!"

Ash blinked as his mind tried and failed to supply an explanation as to how Scott was able to contact his mother of all people.

"Right… so now that you have me, what's up?"

"Big things are happening at the Frontier and I wanted to talk to you about them."

"To me?" he repeated, bewildered. He couldn't imagine what he had to do with anything. "Why me?"

"To be honest, this isn't really something that can be discussed over the phone. Where are you now?"

"In Rota for the Aura festival. Are you nearby?" It seemed impossible, Scott traveled all over the world like a gust of wind.

"Viridian City, actually. Would you be willing to wait for me to travel over. It'll only take me a few days to finish my business here and get a ride over."

"Sure, Scott, I can wait," Ash agreed. It wasn't like he had plans otherwise. "The festival won't be over for a few days anyway."

"Perfect!" came the ecstatic reply. "I knew I could count on you, Ash! This is going to be revolutionary! Get a phone ASAP and send me your contact info through Cynthia. I'll let you know when I'm in town! Take care!"

The line went dead a moment later.

"Well?" said Cynthia, accepting the phone back.

"Scott wants to talk to me about something revolutionary. His words not mine," he added with a baffled shrug. "I haven't talked to him in a long time, I'm surprised he still remembers me."

"Well enough to hunt you down," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "How do you know him though? Did you run into him somewhere?"

"We ran into him all the time when I challenged the Battle Frontier," Ash explained. "He was there when I beat it too."

"You beat the Battle Frontier?"

"Yeah?"

Silence stretched between them before Cynthia just started laughing. He was about to ask her why when the reason began repeatedly hitting him in the back of the head. Glaceon let out an impatient sound, tapping the now turned around Ash in the face with her tail.

Let's go, human! There was grooming to be done!

Xxx

Slam!

Had she expected him to be familiar with the place? Probably not. Had she expected him to have a connection with the Tree like he did?

Never.

Such a thing was beyond reasonable.

Had they made the right decision?

"You always have a choice."

So he said.

"I'm leaving."

She couldn't stop him. She couldn't even bring herself to speak to him.

She could only watch as he eventually vanished into the forest below.

Xxx

"Strong trainers show up all the time." Ash couldn't help but shake his head as he watched Cynthia approach the Queen at her position on the stairs. "Those poor trainers didn't stand a chance."

The tournament had been entertaining to watch, with several close battles and a wide range of entrants. The disguised Champion destroyed them all. He shook off his thoughts as the room fell completely silent, waiting for the Queen to say the words. She stepped forward, holding a staff that he knew extremely well. One that brought a measure of sadness to his heart.

"This staff once belonged to the Guardian, Sir Aaron. According to tradition, the winner of the Pokemon contest is named the Aura Guardian for the year and is presented with this staff. On behalf of my Kingdom, it is yours to hold, though only for the evening," Ilene added softly with a smile. Despite being well rehearsed, there was nothing forced about it.

Cynthia just returned the smile with one of her own, accepting the staff with a small bow of thanks. The ballroom filled with the sound of applause, as well as a good amount of cheering. More than a few people talked about how similar the two looked, and Ash had to admit they had a point, particularly standing next to one another. Queen Ilene turned back to the room and addressed everyone at large once more.

"We also give thanks to Lucario, who continues to keep our kingdom safe to this day. His sacrifice was just as noble, and we honor him equally. Now will begin the grand ball, honoring Sir Aaron, Lucario, and our new Guardian. Please enjoy yourselves, everyone!"

Ash tried not to chuckle as he watched Cynthia look put out, if only for a moment, as the elderly castle maid leaned in and said something quietly. He knew exactly what was being said, she'd told him to stay put when he was in the seat himself. Maybe he could do something about it?

"Your Highness?"

He kept to a respectable distance, one landing below where she was seated and watching. She'd curiously watched him approach, and now blinked in surprise, her face lighting up in recognition.

"Ash is that you? Oh my, you've certainly grown," she said with a fond smile. "Has it really been two years?"

"It does seem like just yesterday," he admitted, looking around. Try as he might, it was impossible to keep a touch of melancholy out of his voice. The Queen's shoulders dropped slightly, understanding at once where his mind was.

"It truly does," she said with a nod. "I wish you'd made yourself known earlier, I would have honored you as well. Everyone remembers what you did, if not your face."

"I wasn't the one who disappeared," he said shortly, shaking his head. "Thanks for saying what you did."

"It will be said as long as this kingdom stands," she said resolutely. "Now we will surely speak later, but I imagine you have another goal in approaching me now?"

"Ah actually…" He tilted his head at Cynthia who was watching them in curiosity.

The Queen covered her mouth with a hand so he wouldn't see her smile.

"Ever the gallant hero, aren't you?"

"I can't stand to see a damsel in distress," he returned with a straight face.

This time she did laugh, bringing more than a little attention to the pair.

"Go on then," she said with a nod. "Ask her to dance. But be careful with that one though," she added, regaining her regal composure. "Lest you find yourself the one in distress."

"Thanks, Your Highness," he said with a bow, moving over to do just that.

"Ash?"

"I've gotten permission to ask you to dance, would you-"

"Yes! Yes, please!" she said immediately, handing the staff to a flustered maid and practically dragging him to the dance floor. Space opened for them automatically and Ash did his best to ignore the laughs and grins that were being sent his way. The music swelled, and suddenly he found himself in the part of the plan that he'd never actually planned for.

Dancing with a girl.

He was sure that he blacked out for a moment, because Cynthia was suddenly speaking and he had no idea how long she'd been doing it.

"What?"

"I said thank you," she repeated gratefully. "I was afraid I'd have to sit there the whole time."

"You would have."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Cynthia said, remembering his boast of winning this very competition in a previous year.

"Yeah I couldn't sit still at all, in a way I was lucky when Lucario showed up."

"A Lucario?"

"I'll tell you later…"

They danced slowly, unable to keep up with the far more practiced people around them, but it didn't bother either of them. Once more Ash tore his eyes away from his left hand, which was scarily placed on Cynthia's waist, and refocused on her face. The Champion was gazing out across the ballroom, her eyes somewhat out of focus.

"This…" Cynthia started softly. "I don't get to do things like this much. Being in my position isn't as illustrious as it may seem."

"Do you not like it?" Ash asked, surprised to see this side of the girl. "Being Champion I mean."

It was difficult to imagine something, to imagine someone he held in such high regard in such a way. Being Champion was the dream of any trainer, he thought.

"I love being Champion," Cynthia said emphatically, returning her gaze to his own. Her eyes were filled with intensity. "I wouldn't give it up for the world."

"Then why-?"

"There are just times I remember things I've missed out on," she explained with a crooked smile.

"Like dancing?" Ash said after a second, still not fully understanding. She didn't exactly seem to be talking to him.

Cynthia laughed, pulling them so they spun a little on the spot before returning to their sedate swaying. Once more Ash's eyes flicked to his hand in alarm as he unintentionally held her a bit tighter, though Cynthia gave no outward reaction.

"Yes, like dancing. It's my first time doing this with someone other than my father. It's been… a very long time."

And almost immediately she was melancholic once more. Ash wisely decided not to continue that line of thought.

"It's my first time dancing with anyone," he admitted. "All the dancing I've done before has been on my own."

A look of interest crossed Cynthia's face. "Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah, you're fun to dance with."

Though not entirely back to her earlier cheer, she did smile.

"I'd have to say the same to you, Ash. Now twirl me."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: Hi everyone. Putting what I had of the next chapter out there because the handful of people who enjoy this are awesome and I love y'all. This more or less completes the introduction of the story before a new arc starts up. Don't count on anything massive coming soon in the slightest, but I do poke at this every now and then, it's just how I write. Anyone who's read the original knows that I shipped Ash and Cynthia, and I'll probably go the same way here. That said, this is ultimately an adventure and that will always be the main focus. As the characters continue to build themselves who knows what they'll want to do?

Also you wouldn't believe the number of times I had to delete "Harry" when I meant to write "Ash"? The Merging has taken over my soul ;)