[Warning: XY Champion Spoiler]
Diantha had to be honest; she loved the thrill of battling, especially the more hopeful of trainers that came to challenge her. She wasn't terribly fond of beating them, as that meant they left without the title of Champion to show for their efforts, but it was always nice to then lift their broken spirits by giving advice to help them improve for later.
The losses still got to her though, simply due to how disappointed most trainers were afterwards, and only her next favourite thing in the world could lift her own spirits; a cup of Café Soleil's best coffee or hot chocolate, whichever she was in the mood for. That day, it was coffee, as well as a slice of carrot cake because Arceus help her, the photo shoot she had done for her latest film before heading to the League had taken up the whole morning and she hadn't had a bite to eat all day.
And so the Champion let out a contented sigh after taking a sip of her coffee, smiling as she watched the people go about their daily lives outside the café. Taking a piece of her cake into her fork, she chuckled before she slipped it into her mouth, "Bon appetit." The door behind her opened, the bell chiming to announce the arrival of the newcomer, however she didn't turn around. After all, it was just another customer for the café. It wasn't until the person called her name that she turned around, and once she did, a smile appeared on her face.
"Augustine, darling!" she laughed, getting to her feet and hugging her dear friend, who chuckled in response while returning the hug, "Diantha, my dear. How are you?" She smiled as she replied, "I'm alright. Just having a little pick-me-up after a long day." The professor nodded slowly, muttering, "Understandable." He then said, "Give me a moment to get myself a coffee and I will join you. You wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all," the woman laughed, sitting in her seat again and angling herself so she could watch her friend until he joined her at the table in the seat opposite her. She took another slice of her cake and asked, fork hovering near her mouth, "So, what brings you here, dear? Is your research getting stressful?" Sycamore shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Not terribly. I just wanted a break. And call me hopeful, but I may have come here thinking I'd get to see you," he said, ending the sentence with a crooked smile, making Diantha chuckle. He then asked, "What of yourself? How was your day?" She rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Hectic." Sycamore waited as she drank from her coffee cup before she elaborated, "I had a shoot this morning for a film I'm in - it should be coming out soon, maybe in the summer at the latest. You'll go see it?"
"I would love to. I know you'll be fantastic in it, as always," the man replied, his compliment making the woman blush slightly. "Really Sycamore, you're such a flatterer. Are you like this with all your female companions or do I just get special treatment?" she giggled, eyebrow raised. The professor smiled at her reaction then responded, "I try to make everyone feel appreciated, regardless of gender. Though I will admit, as a close friend, I may try to make yourself feel that little more cherished." This made Diantha smile. He sipped his coffee as she ate another piece of cake, then asked, "And the rest of your day?"
"Spent at the League," she answered, and after another quick sip of coffee, she added, "It was a good day if I'm honest. Some tough trainers today." Sycamore watched his friend carefully as she drained the last dregs of her cup of coffee, then said, "Yet you are still the Champion, no?" She simply nodded, saying nothing even once she'd placed her cup back on the table.
"Well, I'm not surprised; you are a splendid actress and a strong trainer yourself," he told her with a smile, which she returned though her own was slightly smaller. The man put his hand over her own and gave it a comforting squeeze as he told her quietly, "I know how you're feeling; even though you still have your title, you don't like seeing the trainers so upset at their loss." She nodded again, chuckling as she murmured, "You know me too well." She then sighed.
"It's just hard sometimes. My job, my main job as an actress is to entertain, to make people happy. Yet my duty as Champion does the opposite, it upsets people." She looked to the ceiling, sight focused in the light. She raised her hand toward the light, a distant look on her face. "They enter with their hopes so high, they'd made it so far, then I just...make them fall. Crush their dreams." With that, her hand, stretched open and cupping the light in her point of view, then closed into a fist, casting a shadow over her face.
Sycamore, who'd been watching and listening so intently, nodding slowly as she spoke, didn't speak immediatly when she was done. There was silence between the two friends as he drank his coffee and she ate some more of her cake. Then, the man smiled.
"I do understand, my dear, that it must be so hard having to do something that contradicts what you usually do, to make people feel the opposite of what you would rather make them feel." He paused, and Diantha regarded him carefully as he tapped his fingers against the table, deep in thought. His smile then returned, a sly smile that made the actress curious to the meaning behind it, yet also made her smile in return.
"Despite this, I'm sure you wouldn't like to lose your title. However might I just say," he leaned in closer, and his voice grew quiet, heightening her curiosity, "as a warning to a friend, that one of my newer trainers wishes to have your title for their own. And I've been watching them as well as the others; I say that they might just have it." He leaned back again and lifted his coffee to his lips, leaving the warning to hang ominously between the two. Diantha blinked, surprised at his comment, then smiled as she leaned back in her chair. She scooped up the last piece of her carrot cake and held it out to Sycamore, almost like a makeshift toast.
"I will take your word for it then. I await the challenge." Yet before she could take the fork to her lips, her friend shot forward and took it himself. He chuckled at her shocked expression then said, after whiping his mouth with a napkin, "No matter the victor, I hope it is a fun battle for both of you."
And here she is, an appearance at last by our glorious Kalos champ, Diantha.
I will admit, I've been holding off on posting something with Diantha. Call me paranoid, but story spoilers aside, one thing no-one wants to really be spoiled on, unless they don't really care about spoilers, is the champ. I have friends who didn't want to be spoiled, so I'm sure there are others. And I held off on doing this because there were probably people who didn't get the game on the day it was released. Some may have had to have waited until Christmas, and again I have friends in that situation. And there are some who might have taken the game slowly, thus didn't finish as quickly as some.
Long story short, not everyone wants to be spoiled, some might not have reached the champ yet, so I didn't want to ruin the surprise for them. Though frankly, it ain't much of a surprise when you realise that Diantha is one of few characters to have a unique sprite, and once you narrow down that pool, you could maybe guess the champ before you reach them.
Nevertheless, I have finally delivered. Quite a few of you have been asking for the champ to appear, and for some, this doesn't quite meet your request, but I will get to specific requests later. For now though, here she is.
And might I just say, I'm actually very happy with how this turned out, and I like how I wrote the friendly banter between her and Sycamore. It felt natural while I was writing it, so I hope it came across as such while you, my readers, were reading it.
Thank you for reading as always, and I hope you enjoyed this drabble. Please do leave a review. It ain't a thing you have to do, but reviews are nice. Don't you like it when you get a review? Cause I do. :) I'm sure we all do.
Suggestions are nice too, though they're not compulsory either. If you don't have an idea, that's fine. :)
Till next time!
Angel-chan x
Ps. I left the trainer ambiguous in Sycamore's speech at the end. Because, while I am most certainly female and played as the girl during my run, I don't want to tie it down like "Oh yeah, Serena's the champ". At least not this early on. Maybe if I ever introduce Serena and Calem in this and let youse have a feel for their personalities and get used to them, I'll decided who's the champ. Or at least the one taking on the champ as Sycamore said. Besides, as weird as it sounds, my headcanon for the parents of the protags is a bit weird. :''D