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Cynthia hesitates at the door the following morning. Her quivering fist hovers over the wood before she draws it back to her side and worries her lip. Steeling her nerves she grasps the handle and shoves the door open. The wood hits the wall with a thunderous bang as it is throws inward.

"I know you don't want to… Love? Angel?" Cynthia swirls in the center of the barren room.

Cynthia first notices that the bed is neatly made, the sheets pulled to the top and wrinkles smoothed out of the fabric. The champion fumbles open the dresser drawer to discover the child's clothing missing, and a further examination shows that all of her hygiene items and personal ones are too.

Cynthia rushes out of the room. She doesn't bother trying to keep up her collected facade as she burst through the house's door and bee lines for the research center. People watch curiously as she tears through the streets, little dust clouds fail to keep up and are left behind in the blonde's wake. A few police officers attempt to ask her what's wrong, concerned that Team Galactic had attacked under the cover of night, but by the time the words leave their mouths Cynthia had long since past.

The research center's automatic doors aren't quick enough to make way for the adult. Her shoulder collides with the widening jaws and a numbing throb pulsates as the champion breaks to a halt in the building's cafeteria.

"What's your problem?" Carolina asks as she sits at one of the tables and unravels her silverware. The light glints off the handle of the fork as it is stabbed into the food.

"Angel's gone."

"So? She's probably off running through the forest on her arcanine. If you haven't noticed, Angel is a bit of a free spirit."

"No Grandmother," Cynthia corrects, "She's gone. All her items are missing, her bag's disappeared, and I haven't seen hide nor hair of her and her pokemon. I-I think I ran her off." She stutters.

"Nonsense. Angel adores you. She wouldn't run away due to some little argument. You'll see. If she's not back by dinner, then we can panic."

…

Cynthia was mentally hyperventilating. The clock currently read eight thirty; two hours past the champion's and Angel's average dinner time, and no one had caught a glimpse of the elusive child. Togekiss and Garchomp soar along with the police station's staravia and staraptor while Lucario and Spiritomb searched the small town's hidden crevices. Growlithes walked the streets with noses to the ground trying to pick up a scent trail, but the lead went all over the place due to the child's scatterbrained exploration the previous day. Cynthia could feel her hair turning gray already.

"We're doing everything we can, Cynthia, but she doesn't seem to be here. I just got word from one of my officers that her most recent trail heads to Route 210, but it's over twelve hours old. She has a flying pokemon. That child could be anywhere by now. We can put an alert on the news, but I have a feeling that if she doesn't want to be caught then she won't be." Jenny informs as she holds her phone up, ready to call Jubilife T.V and have the missing child alert broadcasted.

The blonde nods numbly and motions her pokemon back to the ground with a wave of her hand. Togekiss chirps sadly next to her and Garchomp roars as she lands with a thump on the ground. A calming palm is placed on both of them to soothe their disappointment, but the feeling of failure still radiates from the four pokemon as they return to Cynthia's side and see her conflicted eyes.

"Good job guys. I'm going to call Professor Rowan and Looker, maybe they'll find her before I do."

The video chat digital tone vibrates through the Pokemon Lab. Professor Rowan turns to it and motions his assistants to put the gible back in the enclosure. One lifts the small dragon off the table and another throws pieces of pokemon food into its gaping mouth. As Angel had said, all it needed was time.

The professor clicks the answer button and finds himself pleasantly surprised to see the veteran trainer on the other line.

"Afternoon, Cynthia. Do you need something?" His baritone voice grumbles.

"Yes, I'm sure Jenny has informed you of Team Galactic?" Rowan nods, "Angel was pretty set on helping out."

The old professor huffs at the light phrasing, "I hypothesize she wanted to do more than just help out. She's a doer that one."

Cynthia awkwardly clears her throat, "Yes, well, I told her no and, and she ran off." The blonde shies away from the raised eyebrows and looks away from the camera, flashbacks of when she was a new trainer and the look Rowan would give her when he knew she goofed. "We can't find her anywhere and police have been searching the town and the surrounding area for the past two hours. I was hoping that you and your team could keep an eye open for her at the lakes. I feel that if she's going to head anywhere, it'd be there where she could meet the lake guardians."

Rowan nods and fixes his tie with a large hand, "Yes, we'll do that. As for you, check Lake Valor. It is the only lake she hasn't been to yes?"

"Thank you Professor. Can I ask of you a favor and have you inform Looker? I want to the call the Elite Four."

"Will do… Don't worry yourself Cynthia, she'll be fine."

Cynthia doesn't make a sound, but nods and cancels the conversation before tapping in the League's number into the keypad. Lucian's lilac tinted hair fills the screen and blocks the destruction the other males of the Four were creating.

"Cynthia," The gentleman pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Didn't think we'd hear from you. We heard about the ruins, is everyone alright."

The champion nods, but her quivering mouth makes Lucian readjust his glasses as if his vision was further failing him. "Cynthia are you alright?"

The man-children in the background halt their movements and crowd around the camera.

"Hey, you do look like you got scorched. What's up Champ?"

"You okay Cynthia?"

The blonde follows the lump in her throat, "Angel's run away."

Flint bursts into laughter, "Hey, that's a good one Boss! You know I never thought you were a prankster! Ow! Aaron!"

"She's not kidding flame brain!" The bug master hisses as he clunks the man upside the head with his open palm.

"Ignore Flint's idiotic behaviour," Lucian advises, "You told her that you were going to handle it and bring her back here for safety precaution. She said no, yelled at you, and left before you could say anything." He smiles at her stupefied expression. "You two are open books around each other and, if there is one thing I'm a master at, it's reading books."

"Yes, that is the situation. I hate to ask this of you all but…"

"No problem Cynthia. We'll find the kid. I'll message Bertha, she's in Oreburgh and can look around there. Flint and I will cover Canalave and the bigger cities. With all five of us we'll find her."

Cynthia smiles shakily in return and glances at the clock. Eleven thirty.

"Eat something and go to sleep. The whole region will be looking by afternoon tomorrow once they broadcast it."