Flint.

In Amity Park.

Hey, don't listen to Astro. The little hater doesn't know what he's talking about; he wouldn't know game if someone slapped him in the face with it.

We split up into two groups again; the girls wanted to window shop, and Volknet and I wanted to take Riley around to skulk around the park again. That's when I spotted her.

Sure, I'd seen her and Dee battling together during the tournament, but Cynthia outside of battle looked different. Looked more...like a girl.

Cynthia's Gible was sleeping next to her as she sat underneath a tree, reading a thick-looking book. She'd changed clothes, from a fuzzy black dress to a regular light blue tank top and black jeans. Her impossibly long blonde hair fell in her face, her bangs completely covering her right eye.

Literally the only thing I didn't notice was what color her eyes were. I jabbed Riley in the side with my elbow.

"Oww," He groaned, flinching. "What? Put your jaw back in place, Flint."

Volkner poped his bubblegum. "Hey...isn't that your little girlfriend, Riley?" He asked, pointing. "Claudia?"

"You mean Cynthia?" Riley looked around, and found her. "Oh. We haven't really talked since we made it here..."

"I'm out." I took off my shoulderbag, shoving it at Volkner.

"Hey, what're you-?!"

"Hol' my bag, Volk." I walked over to where Cynthia was. She didn't move, or acknowlege me at all. Kept her nose in the book.

I kneeled down beside her. "Aye, aren't you Dee's partner? Cynthia?"

Cynthia hummed on response. I rolled my eyes, snapping my fingers between her and the book.

"Hey!" I demanded attention. "Hey, I asked you a question."

Cynthia looked up at me, irritated. "What?" She growled. "I'm reading."

Ooh. Cold shoulder. I actually flinched at her tone of voice.

"I, uh." Cynthia's eyes were an intimidating shade of dark grey. "I-"

"If you're going to waste my time, get lost." She turned back to her book.

Wow. Shot down before she heard me say a full sentence. What a loser.

"Uhh, Cynthia!" Riley came up behind me as I floundered. "Hey, it's me! Riley!"

Of course, she brightened up when she heard him. Closed her book and everything. "Oh...hey, Riley. Does this little creep belong to you?"

"To me, actually," Volkner admitted with a sigh. "My name's, ah, Volkner. That 'creep' is my best friend, Flint."

I pouted. "All I asked was if your our friend Dee's battle partner. Sheesh, girl."

All that earned me was a hard glare. "My name is Cynthia. Not girl." She glanced at Riley. "What're you doing?"

"Hanging out with a few, um, friends." Riley blushed, and sat down in the grass.

Volkner followed lead, throwing my bag at me and sitting behind Riley. "So, Cynthia, I don't think we've heard how Riley met you. How di-?"

"I-it was nothing," Riley dismissed him. "She needed h-help, so I-"

"It was not nothing!" Cynthia crossed her legs, her hands folded on top of her book. "This creepy lady with an organization called 'Team Galactic' jumped me in the woods and tried to take my Gible, and Riley just comes outta nowhere with his Riolu. And we double-teamed her, my Roselia and his Riolu against her Dustox and Beautifly, and we kicked the crap outta her. Didn't we, Riley?"

Riley looked away, beet red. "Don't forget that I almost lost my temper and chased the bitch down."

Volkner snickered, grinning. "Riley? Getting mad? Okay, give us the real story."

"He wasn't all that mad. Anyway, I ended up sticking with him and Dee and Amber until we got to Hearthome."

I didn't like how Riley was getting all the attention. Guy wasn't all that interesting; just a quiet loser that somehow attracted girls like a frickin' magnet.

"Hey, I climbed the rock walls around Oreburgh," I announced proudly. "Didn't even fall."

Volkner glared at me. "Because you raced ahead and let Tess fall to the ground. She nearly sprained her ankle, you ass."

I wilted at the look he shot me. Cynthia punched me in the shoulder.

"Dee's poor, sweet sister?" She snarled. "You are an ass!"

Of course. Flint opens his big, fat mouth and gets punched. I was getting sick of this.

Riley cleared his throat. "I, um, I'm sure it was just an accident," He blurted, saving me. "Um, Cynthia? What's that book you were reading before Flint noticed you?"

Ugh. Riley's entire personality was making me violently ill. Even now, years later, recording this for that goddamned journalist kid, I can taste a little bit of bile in my throat.

"Oh, this?" Cynthia held up the weather-beaten green book in her lap. The writing on the front looked almost foreign. "A friend of mine named Lucian recommended it. It's full of recorded myths and legends from all around the world, from Kanto to Unova. I'm only at the section about Johto. The library here in Hearthome isn't the best, but I like it enough."

"Oh. Cool. You like myths and stuff?" Volkner asked.

"God, yes!" Cynthia smiled real wide, showing all her teeth. "I love mythology! One day, I think I'm gonna look into some of the stories on Sinnoh."

"That's...pretty damn cool," Riley responded.

"Hella," Volkner agreed. "I'm gonna be a mechanical engineer, myself."

I couldn't stomach this anymore. I stood up with my bag, threw it back over my shoulder, and left. Volkner and Riley, so engrossed by their conversation about future shit with Cynthia, either didn't notice or just didn't care anymore.

Story of my frickin' life.

[[I'd like to thank you for agreeing to cut down on the swearing, Flint. Although, maybe you should move on, please; I have other people to interview.]]

Yeah, whatever.

Tess.

At the Poffin House.

Flint found us at the Poffin House, out of breath and looking about ready to cry. My motherly Tess skills instantly kicked in.

"Flint! What happened?" I met him halfway between the door and the poffin pot Dee and I had been stirring.

I must have looked terrible. We had been cooking poffins for a good while, so I was wearing a dough-splattered apron, and there were obvious splotches of flour in my dark hair.

Flint sniffled. "Those asshole friends of ours! I try to move in on a girl, and that frigging Riley goes in and just...just...God, I hate them both!"

I took one of his hands in both of mine. "No, you don't hate them," I told him gently. "What happened?"

I was glad that only me, Amber, and my sister were cooking poffins that day. It was just us and the lady who oversaw all cooking.

Flint relayed what had happened at the park as we walked over to where Dee was finishing our poffins. Pouring the cooked dough into small molds, she caught the last part.

Dee scoffed. "Don't pay any attention to Cynthia, Flint," She advised him. "She's a show-off and a pushy little bitch. Only goes after what could help her succeed."

"So, what, I couldn't help her?" Flint sat on a stool, and laid his head on the counter. "Of course not. I'm just good for nothing..."

This was Eterna City all over again. Flint was...he was so emotional.

But, he looked pretty rough, too. His soft gray eyes were swollen and red from crying, and there was a blue bruise on his tan shoulder, like he had been hit.

"Hey, I just finished my poffins...Flint?"

Amber came up behind us, with a tray of pink poffins with red sprinkles. Flint told her what had gone down in the park, and she frowned.

"They just...they practically ignored you?" She asked. "Oh, wow. That doesn't really sound like Riley..." She held out her tray of poffins. "Do you want a poffin, Flint? They're real sweet, for Astro, but-"

Flint picked up three of the small cakes, and shoved them in his mouth without a word. He winced, chewing.

"Oh, God." He swallowed, shaking his head. "Astro'll like 'em, alright. I can almost taste the diabetes. Thanks, Amb."

Personally, I don't know whether Amber knew to be pleased or insulted. "Um...thanks."

Dee clapped her hands. "Well, mine and Tess' poffins oughta be done in a couple minutes! Let's stuff Flint full of poffins then, and teach him a woman's way to deal with drama!"