POV: Cynthia / LOCATION: Celestic Town


A few months ago, I began looking into the mysterious cult that was Team Galactic.

Let's start from the beginning: A string of strange incidents had been happening throughout the region. Near Floaroma Town, the Valley Windworks was attacked. Nobody was hurt, thankfully, but the chief of the plant was so shooketh he couldn't properly identify the assailant. Then Rad Rickshaw's Cycle Shop in Eterna was broken into, and his Clefairy stolen. Out of the blue, a flock of Psyducks blocked the entrance to Route 210, creating headaches for everyone who had to be diverted to Veilstone City.

I knew those bizarre events were linked to the space weirdos who were prowling the streets more often as of late. Their excuse for these displays of petty mayhem? Some babble about a new universe.

Though everyone was quick to dismiss these goons as buffoons chasing clout, I knew better. They wore the emblem of the golden G. Which happened to be the logo of the Cosmic Energy Development Corporation, more commonly known as Galactic Energy.

Like everyone else, I associated the Galactic corporation with their catchy commercials about clean energy. They're a household name. But that's all I knew about them. So I began my probe.

To my surprise, their record was astoundingly spotless. Flawless, even. Sure there were lawsuits here and there, but they were documented and resolved. Someone had taken great care to maintain a trustworthy public front.

Which brought me to track down Team Galactic's leader. Not an easy task, considering no one—not even Sinnoh's government—knew who the president of Galactic Energy really was. My biggest clue was the lone newspaper clipping of the company's opening ten years ago. It was too grainy to make out any memorable details.


My lucky break came in the form of a phone call from Grandma.

"We've got trouble! Someone's trying to enter the mural cave!"

The mural cave is Celestic Town's most iconic site. And that's it. Celestic has nothing going for it. Hence why I left as soon as Professor Rowan gave me a Pokedex.

Anyway, the legend oft repeated in Celestic Town is inscribed within the walls of the mural cave. The people who built it apparently changed their minds regarding who could view it, so they leveled the entrance down to a hole so tiny not even a child could crawl through. My family was entrusted with protecting our town's little secret. I was next in line until I became the Champion of Sinnoh. Shame.

The moment I arrived at Celestic Town, Garchomp began snarling. It was prepared for a fight. And the threat: a shadow hovering menacingly within the fog.

Wasting no time, I initiated the offensive.

"Garchomp, Hyper Beam!"

The blast hit like bare soles on concrete. SMACK!

Grandma ran to me, screaming. "Cynthia, you idiot! He baited you to use Garchomp's Hyper Beam to open up the cave!"

I was furious. Not because the cave was destroyed, but because some bastard had the nerve to bait me. Me, the Champion of Sinnoh!

Rushing in after the intruder, I was sorely disappointed by what I saw. All this hype and secrecy and for what? Rocks. Dirt. A crude painting smeared on a slab of cavern wall.

"Freeze!" I yelled. "Hands in the air!"

As the intruder turned, sunlight caught on the emblem on his vest. The golden G. Our gazes met. He held onto mine for a second too long. And guess what he said?

"You are even more radiant in person, Champion Cynthia."

This man complimenting me was the ugliest person I've ever met. "You're part of Team Galactic! Who's your leader? What is your ultimate goal?"

Chuckling, he turned back to face the rudimentary scribbles.

"As this is your hometown, I am shocked at your lack of insight as to how valuable this is. Allow me to enlighten you."

"That whippersnapper!" Grandma gasped from beside me. "He's trying to translate the mural!"

"He's trying too hard to impress me," I said with a roll of the eyeballs. This cave was sealed off for millennia. What made this low-level Grunt think he can decipher ancient texts when even Grandma couldn't do it?

Meanwhile, the Galactic Grunt began speaking.

"In the written language of our ancestors, each character is comprised of three attributes: form, meaning, and sound. From right to left, the hieroglyphics read: 'When the three Pokemon of the three lakes meet again, willpower, knowledge, and motion will be united as one, and a great energy shall be unleashed.'"

"There's no way that's true," I said. "Right, Grandma?"

Grandma was quiet. Which was wrong, since she could usually be heard from three towns away.

Unfazed, the Galactic Grunt pulled out a large feather pen and scribbled into his notebook. "When knowledge is expanded," he read out loud, "life is enriched. When emotion awakens, joy and sorrow coexist. When a decision is made, action is taken."

"Who are you?" Grandma mumbled, almost out of awe.

"I am no one special," was the amused reply. "Please step aside."

I jabbed a finger into his smug mug. "No way I'm letting you walk free!"

"I do not have time to engage in needless conflict with you, Champion Cynthia. Step aside."

I sicced Spiritomb on him. His Weavile intercepted with an Ice Beam—or was it Blizzard? It happened all too fast—freezing my poor Pokemon into the Odd Keystone. Milotic knocked it out with Brine. But his Gyarados countered with a Dragon Dance-powered Giga Impact.

It was like he knew how I would attack before I even knew it myself.

Having had enough, I called upon Garchomp. We soared vertically up through the fog. From such a height, I saw all of Celestic Town. That annoying Galactic goon. Grandma thrashing her arms. Her voice was so stratospheric it pierced the clouds.

"DON'T YOU DARE! YOU HAVEN'T MASTERED THAT MOVE YET!"

Garchomp was trembling from rage. It was the perfect time to show off our newest attack.

"Garchomp!" I roared. "Draco Meteor!"

The sky split in half. From that fissure bellowed hungry tongues of fire, and within the inferno were meteors that screamed as they rained down on earth.

Upon impact, the land collapsed into itself.

While black smoke billowed from craters that were once rivers, I surveyed the aftermath. Grandma had dived for shelter and was unharmed, although furious. More importantly, the threat had been neutralized.

Until I heard the laughter.

"An attack that calls down meteors out of the sky? Wonderful! Even more evidence that space is filled with wondrous energies!"

The Galactic Grunt was still standing! Despite his skin flaking off exposed flesh, despite how blood gushed out of every exposed wound, he was still on his feet… and he was laughing.

"What an exceptional display of strength, Champion Cynthia," he says through a mouthful of blood. "Pity though, how you used this Move before perfecting it."

With a flick of his wrist, two large black wings sprouted form his back. Garchomp barely had any strength left to shoot him down. Which meant that I had lost.

"I'd loved to stay around to entertain the strongest Trainer in Sinnoh, but I'm late for my meeting," he continued in his irritatingly tempered voice. "A tardy leader is no role model for his subordinates."

When the puzzle pieces finally fell into place, I cursed out loud over my lack of insight. As if reading my disbelief, the leader of Team Galactic offered a smirk stocked with carnivorous teeth.

"My name is Cyrus," he said. "It was a pleasure to see you again, my dear Champion. However, the next time you stand in my way, I will make you regret paying heed to your heart."