POV: Cynthia / LOCATION: Veilstone City


I met Flint and Volkner during my yearly vacations to Sunyshore. At first encounter, we clicked like gelatin powder in water. Long-time denizens still speak of the three little devils who terrorized the kitschy beach city. Who would've thought that they would become the Gym Leader, the Elite Four, and the Champion of Sinnoh?

Ain't you proud of us?

"Volks, Cynthia's here. Wake up."

Volkner is one of those few men in Sinnoh gifted with a full sleeve of eyelashes. When he blinks (which he often does to dispel boredom-induced drowsiness), the upper half of his face ripples under a feathery shadow.

"I'm awake." Volkner yawns, exposing a chasm of mouth. "Morning, Cynthia. Did you gain weight?"

"Volks," Flint chides.

"Probably," I say good-naturedly. All I did was nap and eat. Living the good, pampered life.

Volkner offers a lazy smile. "You know, if I took my physical appearance and health seriously, I would've been the Champion of Sinnoh instead. Hell, I would be a heartthrob like… what's-his-face from Hoenn. The Stone dude."

"Who's stoned?" Flint gasps.

Before this conversation dives into uncensored waters, we find an empty table near the Department Store. Flint treats us to two boxes of Lava Cookies. He then gets the brilliant idea of smothering Casteliacone ice cream onto the Cookie and eating it like a sandwich. When I try it, the cold, creamy spiciness confuses the heck out of my taste buds.

"So what's new?" I say.

With a dramatic sweep of his hand, Volkner produces a slip of crumpled paper. Another restraining order from the city council.

"I was simply renovating our archaic vending machines," he says innocently.

"You were making them launch cans like tennis balls," Flint says.

"I was merely injecting a vein of excitement into their boring lives!"

"You hit the mayor in the nose. Be glad she didn't press charges."

"If she did, you would bail me out."

"Why does everyone come to me when you mess up? I'm not your babysitter!"

"You do look like a little baby clown."

"You know," I interject before their bickering degrades into an argument yet again, "If you could find a purpose for your talents, maybe you would be respected a bit more." With Volkner's insane battle prowess and ingenuity, he could very well be right there next to Flint in the Elite Four.

At my suggestion, Volkner bristles. "Respect? Why would I want to impress the same fossils who said I wouldn't amount to anything?"

Ouch. But he's not wrong. I remember those looks when the adults saw me with Volkner and Flint. Whispers as to how Volkner's outward apathy toward life was a bad influence to the two of us.

Flint changes the topic. "What about you, Cynthia? You disappeared for two weeks."

Two weeks? Wow, how time flies when you're being pampered by a moody spaceman.

"Lucian actually flew out to Unova to check up on you."

I roll my eyeballs loudly. "Why is he always on me?"

"Weeeelll… you did vanish for a month last year. Turned out you bought a villa in Unova without telling anyone and threw a party with the Elite Four."

Oh yeah. Unovans sure knew how to party hard.

"Anyway," Flint says, "You should let Lucian know you're okay."

"Later," I snap.

And that's that.

Flint switches tracks for the third time. "So what are you doing in Veilstone, Cynthia?"

"I'm looking for a gift for someone."

At the mention of a mysterious recipient, Flint leans in with a conspiratorial smile. "Who?"

"A grumpy spaceman."

"Is he strong?" Volkner says, suddenly alert.

"Probably."

"Who's the lucky bastard?"

"His name is Cyrus." I gesture around the city. "He runs the Galactic Energy Corporation. The one with those catchy commercials."

Volkner is already counting his Poke balls. Before he can do anything rash (presumably barging in Galactic HQ to demand a one-on-one with the boss man), Flint holds out a halting hand.

"Cyrus?" he echoes. The resting grin has disappeared from his ruddy face. "As in Cyrus, the one you were trying to apprehend before you disappeared?"

Apprehend? What? At my stunned silence, Flint glances around before continuing in a low voice.

"Don't you remember, Cynthia? The Cosmic Energy Development Corporation, also known as Galactic Energy, is a front for Team Galactic. They're the criminal gang that's been terrorizing Sinnoh."

Terrorists? Those idiots? There's no way…

"You've been trying to snuff out their leader. You were so obsessed with bringing him to justice that you cancelled all your challenger matches."

As if I would neglect my Champion duties! "What are you on, Flint? Cyrus isn't—"

"Your Cyrus is a criminal," Flint says, his face a breath away from my own. "What the fuck did he do to you?"