It felt immensely strange to go back to work merely a day after saving the world, but it wasn't like Diantha or Cynthia had a choice. Hugo was angry enough the day before, so the last thing the two of them needed was to invoke his annoying rage by calling off sick. So there they were at one of Jubilife City's studios, standing in front of a plethora of green screens and other equipment for future CGI, acting their little hearts out to get this film finished with.
In a backhanded move, Cynthia had swooped in and sat in the director's chair, seeing as Hugo was standing near the camera and was scrutinizing the delivery of the scenes in minute detail. She had her legs thrown over the one armrest and her back pressed against the other, and she sat like that as she watched the scenes as well. The acting definitely had improved and felt more authentic, and seeing as Cynthia had just refreshed her knowledge on the Distortion World, she could judge the acting more properly. Diantha was certainly acting from the heart from what Cynthia could tell. Hugo seemed to be pleased as well.
"Hm." Hugo had said after one fine take, "Not bad… How you all have managed to get your act together in such short notice is beyond me."
Cynthia snorted to herself, glancing her nails over, "Yeah, it surely is beyond your level of comprehension what happened…"
Hugo turned around upon hearing Cynthia's voice, "Have something to add, Cynthia?" He asked, venom dripping from his tone.
Her eyes shot wide for a moment before she schooled her expression. She had to find a way to play that one off, "I said it's about time." Cynthia said to try and save herself there. She didn't tear herself away from her nails, so she tried to play some sort of arrogance card, "I don't want actors doing a disservice to my story."
Hugo nodded along, grinning in agreement to Cynthia's fake excuse. Cynthia wasn't sure she liked that. "You're absolutely right. I've had enough of subpar work. Let's not head back to that level of mediocrity from yesterday. Top of the scene again!"
Cynthia spared a look away from her nails to see Diantha sending her a disapproving and annoyed look. Mouthing a 'sorry' Diantha's way, Cynthia just winced and tried to disregard what happened. Why is it that Hugo always managed to get Diantha angry with her? It was very unfair. It was like Hugo's true talent, twisting Cynthia's words into angering Diantha. Cynthia pouted at the thought and tried to focus back on her nails or at least something else.
She ended up pulling out her phone- her new phone -to play some games since she had a lot more space available on that model than her old one. Every once in awhile, Cynthia would let out a quiet curse whenever she'd lose a life in game or fail a level. She was very out of practice when it came to phone games, or at least decent ones. It still was better than watching the same scene being acted over and over in front of her with a lame green screen on a topic she did not want to revisit often. It was understandable that she wouldn't want to watch it too many times; not only was it getting boring but uncomfortable. Damn Hugo for making her come to these shootings.
Sometime later Cynthia managed to fall asleep, bored out of her mind, and she didn't know how long she was out for but she was awakened with a rather loud "That's a wrap!" from Hugo. Cynthia groggily opened her eyes and tried to sit up normally, wondering what exactly they were wrapping up. She noticed once her eyes were open that the actors and cameras had moved to a different set on the lot, and that it was set up like a hospital. She remembered vaguely the ending scene which was Raina recovering in a hospital after her showdown in the Distortion World, and Cynthia furrowed her eyebrows at this memory. Did that mean…?
She was jolted from her thoughts by a voice, and she raised an eyebrow at the source. It was Hugo. Goody.
"You're in my chair." He said tersely, obviously not happy about it.
"I am?" Cynthia feigned innocence. She hopped down from the chair, turning around to spot "DIRECTOR" typed on the back rest. "Oh. Would you look at that. My mistake. It won't happen again."
"You're right. It won't." Hugo's tone made it sound almost as if he was threatening her not to try that again, but he spoke up shortly after, "Today was the last day of filming. Your work here is done."
Cynthia raised her eyebrows in realization. So she wasn't wrong in assuming that they were done here. "...Really? Huh." She didn't quite know what to say.
"I'm sure that the cast and crew will be holding a wrap party tonight. They might ask of you a good venue to hold it at. I will not be attending."
"A shame…" Cynthia said, biting her tongue to stop herself from smiling at that revelation, "Well, it was a pleasure working with you." She lied through her teeth and held her hand out for a handshake.
"Likewise." Hugo replied, crushing Cynthia's hand with that death-grip of a handshake just like their first meeting.
Cynthia forced herself to not grimace from the pain shooting through her hand, and once Hugo turned away and walked off, Cynthia allowed herself to hiss beneath her breath to try and shake the pain out of her hand. The second she could feel her hand again, she pulled her phone out and wiped Hugo's number from her contacts with a content sigh. Finally, she was free of that man.
While she had her phone unlocked, a text flashed across the top of her screen. For once, she wasn't annoyed to see someone texting her. It was probably the euphoria from deleting Hugo's number that made it impossible for her mood to be soured.
[Diantha:] There'll be a party tonight with all the cast and crew. They're wondering where would be a good place to go. I figured you'd have some recommendations for us all.
[Cynthia:] Depends on the kind of scene you'd all want for the party.
[Diantha:] Some place fun, of course. But… probably nothing too wild.
[Cynthia:] Likewise. I know exactly the place… ;)
[Diantha:] I knew you would! You'll join us, won't you?
[Cynthia:] Ahh… Probably not. I'm too tired for a party honestly. If I showed up, I wouldn't stay long anyways.
[Diantha:] :(
[Diantha:] That's too bad..
[Cynthia:] I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you somehow!
[Diantha:] You better! And I think I have just the idea as to how… :)
[Cynthia:] ...Are you gonna tell me, or…?
[Diantha:] Nope. I'll collect later. It'll be a surprise.
[Cynthia:] Uh oh.
Cynthia pressed her lips into a thin line and uneasily slid her phone back into her pocket. She didn't know what she got herself into, and frankly, she was a little afraid… Diantha wasn't going to be evil about this, was she?
Cynthia enjoyed a leisurely night. She was laying on her couch, legs crossed at the ankles and her arms behind her head as she swayed gently to the rhythm of her music. She had her music playing over her living room speakers, carrying throughout the room. It was probably louder than it needed to be, but Cynthia was enjoying herself. In fact, she was so calm and relaxed that she had closed her eyes and was slowly beginning to drift towards sleep when suddenly her doorbell rang and she was jolted from her trance. Pushing herself off the bed and grabbing the remote to the sound system, Cynthia turned down the volume of her music, chalking this nightly visit up to being a noise complaint from one of her neighbors. She made her way to her door afterwards, completely ready to give an apology about the noise, but when she opened the door, Cynthia couldn't have been more surprised by who she saw on the other side.
"Diantha?!" Cynthia stammered. She rubbed at her eyes, wondering if the fact that she was nearly asleep earlier was messing with her brain.
"Oh, thank goodness I have the right house!" Diantha beamed, "I was a bit worried, but hearing that music of yours did make me a bit more confident."
Cynthia was still very confused, and she furrowed her eyebrows to try and get a read on the situation, "Don't you have a party you should be at?"
Diantha's bright grin from before took on a guilty twinge, "Sorta. But it was dying down and everyone is so completely wasted that I doubt they'd notice that I'm missing."
"Are you completely wasted?" Cynthia asked. It was a valid question; Diantha was quite bubbly at the time.
Diantha shook her head, taking on an entirely serious expression, "I promise not. I only had one drink and it wasn't even strong."
Looking Diantha over for a moment, Cynthia figured that she was telling the truth. She leaned against her doorframe and crossed her arms, "Not that I don't mind the visit… But what are you doing here?"
"Well, filming's wrapped, and I know that the film wasn't the best experience for you, so I thought we could celebrate this finally being over?" Diantha prodded her fingertips together as she grew a bit bashful, "I hope that's alright with you, eheh…"
"I suppose it's fine." Cynthia grinned, "Though… I don't really know what we'd do." She admitted, glancing inside of her house and pursing her lips.
"And if we're being honest, I didn't think this far ahead." Diantha added with a nervous laugh, "But… I'm good with nearly everything as long as it isn't any more drinking games or dancing…"
Cynthia narrowed her eyes, "I thought you said you only had one drink…"
"Because I kept winning the games…" Diantha explained, almost offended that Cynthia thought she was lying.
There was a pause, but eventually Cynthia spoke up, "Alright… I wanna come back to that later, because that's surprising and a little impressive, but I may have an idea as to what to do. I hope you don't mind a bit of a nighttime walk." She said, walking back inside to grab some things as well as turn the music off.
"Fine with me!" Diantha paused for a second, wrapping her arms around herself, "It's kind of cold outside though, don't you think?" Seeing as Diantha wasn't in her normal white outfit, instead a skirt and sleeveless blouse for the occasion, it only made sense that she was cold especially during nighttime. Suddenly her vision went dark since Cynthia threw something on her that Diantha didn't react in time to catch. Once wrestling herself out of whatever was covering her, Diantha noticed that she was holding Cynthia's trademark coat.
"Let's go." Cynthia grinned as she walked out, closing the door behind her and starting down the stairs of her porch.
Diantha shrugged, slipping into Cynthia's jacket without protest. The sleeves were a bit long and the tail was running dangerously close to her feet, but otherwise the fit was fine. She followed after Cynthia after buttoning up the coat, jogging a bit to reach Cynthia's side. Cynthia pulled out her phone then, dialing a number quickly.
"Come on…" Cynthia muttered after a few rings, "You don't have a life… I know you're still awake watching TV… Pick up…"
Diantha tilted her head, "Who are you-"
"Finally! Hey, Liz. I need to borrow Lucy." Cynthia stated the second her sister answered the phone. She turned to Diantha then, covering the mic on the phone with her hand for a moment, "It's my sister."
"It's past ten." Elizabeth shot back, "What could you possibly need Lucy for at this hour?"
"Stuff. Now can I have her or not?" Cynthia dodged that question with practiced ease.
There was an audible sigh on the other line, "Fine. I want her back before midnight and you better not try anything funny with her."
"Jesus. You make it sound like I'm taking your daughter out to the high school prom. Fine, it's a deal." Cynthia sneered.
"Good. You can come over and grab her. I'm not leaving my house."
"I figured. We're on our way now."
Elizabeth stopped for a moment, "Wait- 'we'?! Cynthia! I know you! It's a Saturday night! You never have plans or see anyone on a Saturday night! Who's with you?! What's going on?!"
"Love you, gotta go, bye!" Cynthia hurriedly hung up after that, focusing on Diantha instead, "Alright… We gotta swing by my sister's place first before I can get to that idea of mine."
Diantha raised an eyebrow both at that strange conversation and the vague plan, but she didn't protest, "Sure thing. You said that you were getting Lucy, right?"
Cynthia nodded, "Yeah. We're headed to the ruins. We could use the light."
"The ruins, huh?" Diantha was confused at first, but she figured Cynthia had good reason for it, "Sounds fun."
Elizabeth's house wasn't too far away from the Research Center and ruins; she lived close to her work, after all. Cynthia got Lucy's Pokéball from Elizabeth, and Elizabeth handed it over with a playful look when she saw Diantha at Cynthia's side. Cynthia only shot her sister a glare as a goodbye as she walked off, and soon enough after that, they were at the ruins. Cynthia called out Lucy, who groggily waltz into the ruins to use Flash before returning to Cynthia's side immediately afterwards, face nudging Cynthia's hand holding her Pokéball. Cynthia returned Lucy afterwards, feeling a bit guilty to have disturbed Lucy so late at night.
Diantha caught on to that guilt, and she flashed a smile Cynthia's way, "At least she didn't start begging for treats?"
Cynthia stifled a laugh at that, "Yeah, that's true. She's probably too tired to beg. She must've been napping with Liz when we went over." Changing the subject, Cynthia motioned towards the cavern entrance with a tilt of her head, "Come on. There's something I want to show you."
"Now, you know I'm not complaining, but haven't I already seen this before?" Diantha asked while following Cynthia inside.
"I know you have, but there's something still that I want to share with you." Just like the last time they were there, Cynthia turned around a few steps inside to hold out her hand for Diantha to take, "Watch your step."
"Oh, I remember all too well.." Diantha teased with a grin once she took Cynthia's hand.
Cynthia smiled too at the memory of Diantha's clumsiness the last time in the ruins, and she led Diantha along to the circular room at the depths of the cavern where the large painting marked the back walls. Even if she had already seen it before, the sight was still quite captivating for Diantha. Cynthia waited for a few moments, noting Diantha's captivation, and once Diantha turned towards Cynthia, she spoke up then.
"So… Ever since I've gotten involved in the mythology of Sinnoh, and especially ever since I managed to encounter the legends themselves, I started to wonder what all these paintings truly represented, this one in particular." Cynthia began, eyes roaming the painting.
Diantha raised an eyebrow curiously, "But… I thought you already knew what it meant. You showed this to me once before and explained it to me."
Cynthia nodded hesitantly, pulling her hand away from Diantha's. "I have, yes.. I told you the universally accepted theory behind it, and I don't think that theory is wrong. The triangle of lights here surely can represent Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit with Dialga or Palkia existing as the source in the middle. I believe that is most certainly reflected in the painting here."
"Then what else could there be?" Diantha asked. She was merely curious; she may not have been an expert like Cynthia was on these myths, but she certainly had picked up a lot from her time in the region.
"I… I think this painting shows something else. Something people haven't even considered at this point. I've only thought of this recently, and I haven't told anyone this yet, not even my sister." Cynthia let out a heavy exhale, turning to Diantha, "This may get long. Feel free to stop me if I drag on for too long. I know I have a tendency to get carried away with this stuff."
Diantha only nodded, opting to listen instead of speak. Her focus went to Cynthia entirely.
That entire spiel I went off on when you first arrived… the one about balance and equality being the cornerstone of all Sinnoh… I don't think that's wrong. While I may think that the true meaning behind this painting may be something else other than the Lake Trio and Dialga and Palkia, that interpretation is by no means wrong. In fact… I think that the message of balance is still present in my theory as well. No… I'm sure of it. It has to be.
I described the three figures that form this triangle as representations of the Lake Trio. But… What if it actually represented a whole other trio entirely? Perhaps the figures represent the other legends of Sinnoh… The two figures on the bottom would be Dialga and Palkia, who act as immediate foils to each other as time and space, yet together, they're the embodiment of matter. Does space truly exist if it cannot be measured in time? Does time exist if there is no space to inhabit it? The two act on each other to allow for matter to exist in this world. That's two of the three… But the third figure at the top, it must be Giratina. Giratina's world… The Distortion World… It is the antithesis to our world. Time doesn't flow normally inside. Space is warped. If our world is the world of matter, then logically the Distortion World must be antimatter. Giratina is the opposite force on Dialga and Palkia, counteracting their world with its reverse one. That does it for the three figures on the outside, but what about that one at the center? That's where it gets sort of difficult to explain.
Given the three legends' power, the being in the center has to be superior to all three of them. There has to be something the three legends are supposed to both protect and act against to keep balance. The only conclusion I can come to about this is that the creator of the universe itself has to lie in the center of this diagram. I have to digress here for a brief moment, so forgive me. There are these strange Plates that exist all over Sinnoh. They're strange tablets, one for each of the Pokémon types, that simply are scattered all throughout the region. During some of my studies as a teenager under Professor Rowan, I unearthed some of these tablets. These Plates had some strange, but rather telling inscriptions on them. The ones I remember the best are the ones that play directly into this legend.
"The Original One breathed alone before the universe came."
"Two beings of time and space set free from the Original One."
"Three beings were born to bind time and space."
"Two make matter, and three make spirit, shaping the world."
Obviously, this refers to the creation of Dialga and Palkia, as well as the Lake Trio that was born to balance with those two. Giratina formed as the opposites to Dialga and Palkia somewhere down the line, and it probably was not a conscious creation from the Original One, seeing as Giratina is normally lost to history since it has been banished from our realm. These stories on these Plates suggest the existence of that central being, as do the artifacts that I have dug up in the Sinjoh Ruins that even give this being a name: Arceus.
The Sinjoh Ruins are a bundle of mysteries. It shows further interaction between mankind and the legends. These paintings… These artifacts… Everything stems from the people's emotions upon seeing these legends and their desire to immortalize and appreciate these beings. Their encounters with these Pokémon were passed down from generation to generation, which inevitably led to their classification as myths. At least… That's what I think whenever I see this. That's all I can vouch for.
Much like the first time, Diantha gave Cynthia her complete and undivided attention as she spoke. She listened, never taking her eyes off of Cynthia for a second the entire time. The tales Cynthia told were certainly interesting and it showed a viewpoint Diantha hadn't even considered, so Diantha couldn't help but be enthralled. Even so… Diantha again was well aware of Cynthia's passion as she spoke, noticing the devotion so clearly shining in Cynthia's eyes. A warmth spread throughout Diantha's chest the more she listened and the more she watched Cynthia speak. She was just as spellbound as the first time if not even more so in witnessing Cynthia's love and devotion to the myths right in front of her.
"I…" Cynthia easily lost traction once she finished with her spiel, and she turned away while clutching her arm, "I'm sorry. I'm sure the last thing you wanted when you came over to my place was a history lesson."
"Cynthia…" Diantha said, almost chidingly, "You know I don't mind…"
Cynthia simply grunted at that, clenching her jaw, "I always get carried away whenever I speak. I don't know when to stop when it comes to boring people."
Diantha stepped forward, letting out a disappointed sigh. Placing her hand on Cynthia's cheek to get her to look her in the eye, Diantha grinned softly, "Now… Why would I be bored? I've told you before that you have quite the way with words… I couldn't even help myself while listening to you. It's like you get me in a trance."
At first, Cynthia looked taken aback by the hand on her cheek suddenly guiding her to meet Diantha's eye, but she eventually calmed even if her jaw still remained tightly wired shut. She wound up training her gaze on the ground instead, unable to keep Diantha's gaze.
Seeing that Cynthia wasn't too convinced yet, Diantha leaned a bit closer after a moment's consideration, her thumb running slightly over Cynthia's cheek, "Besides… Has anyone ever told you that you look absolutely beautiful whenever you talk about the legends?"
Cynthia laughed softly, finally allowing herself to grin. "Ah… Normally I only get asked to shut up, so… no one's ever said that before."
"Well, they should." Diantha bit down on her lip and moved to brush that tuft of hair that always covered Cynthia's eye to behind her ear. She smiled a bit wider after that, her fingers drifting down Cynthia's jawline, "Actually… It's not just when you talk of the legends. You always look gorgeous. You're the first person who always manages to take my breath away..."
There was a brief pause with Cynthia simply smiling bashfully at that comment, but then Diantha moved both of her hands to Cynthia's face and tilted her head upwards to press her lips to Cynthia's own. Cynthia closed her eyes after a moment's surprise, wrapping her arm around Diantha's waist and having her free hand entangle itself in Diantha's hair on the back of her neck. Diantha pulled away shortly afterwards, unable to suppress that grin of hers, and Cynthia seemed to be stuck in a daze.
"I guess nothing's stopping you now that the movie's over, huh?" Cynthia joked, letting out a soft laugh.
"Forget the movie… I had been wanting to do that for the longest time." Diantha said in a coquettish voice, "I wasn't going to let anything stop me from doing that tonight.."
Cynthia's grin turned sly, "So that's why you showed up at my house out of the blue tonight…"
Shrugging her shoulders, Diantha flashed Cynthia a sheepish look, "Guilty as charged…?"
"Well, you might as well just spend the night with me with how late it's getting. Or was that in your plan too, Diantha?"
"Ahhh… I'm taking the fifth on that one…"
Cynthia's eyebrows raised in amusement at that and her grin grew wide, "You devious little vixen, you…"
Diantha scratched at the back of her neck, letting out a nervous laugh. Before she could say anything, suddenly the light in the cave went out and the room went black.
"Aw, shoot..." Cynthia muttered, "Flash wore off."
Diantha immediately clung to Cynthia's side, refusing to pull away, "...I hope you've been in here enough to navigate this place blind…"
"Hang on.. Let me just get the flashlight on my phone and we'll be fine…" Cynthia pulled out her phone then, trying to turn it on. Nothing happened. "...It's dead."
"W-What?!"
"Give me your phone!"
Diantha reached into her blouse and got her phone out, relieved when it actually turned on, "Ah-ha!" She turned on the flashlight, getting a strong enough light to be able to see ahead. She passed her phone over to Cynthia to use seeing as she was the guide here.
Cynthia took the phone in hand and pointed it down the path to the exit. She pulled Diantha close to her side, "You're going to really want to watch your step this time. There is a pit right in front of us and I really don't want to fall in it and die when I finally got the girl." She warned, her voice half joking, half pleading.
Diantha only nodded, again not separating herself from Cynthia at all, "...Get me out of here."
The walk towards the exit wasn't too bad with the help of the flashlight. Cynthia took it slow and steady on the way out. Soon she was able to see the illumination of the moonlight just a few feet ahead outside of the ruins, but just before she could make that last step through the threshold, Diantha had managed to snag her foot on a small rock and tumbled forward, dragging Cynthia down with her with a yelp. Cynthia fell face first in the grass, Diantha in a similar situation right beside her.
"...Heh… My fault…" Diantha grinned nervously.
Cynthia looked to be frozen in her place, face still planted in the grass, but Diantha saw the way her shoulders trembled and soon Cynthia's laughs became audible and she rolled onto her back, clutching her stomach from laughing so hard. Diantha couldn't help but laugh as well at the sight.
They were off to a great start together already.