Seven hours later, Cyrus woke up, stretched, and yawned before he grabbed a small notebook and his prized novelty quill pen before he silently slunk out of his room, taking care not to wake up his Weavile.
"Don't worry, Frostbite. I'll only be gone for a few hours." he whispered with the energy of a doting father saying "goodnight" to a child. Weavile simply replied with a "wea…" before continuing its nap.
Despite not telling anyone in Team Galactic, he knew they'd be alright without their boss for a few hours. To make sure they didn't worry, he tore a page out of his notebook, wrote a message consisting of "I'll be out for a couple of hours. The Commanders will look after you while I'm out. I've gone to visit an old friend of mine.", put the note on the fridge, and left.
This old friend of his was actually Cynthia, the famous (and infamous) champion of the Sinnoh region, who not only had a penchant for battling, but the legends and myths of the region, so if Cyrus told her about his draconic heritage, she would probably accept him. However, ever since the Spear Pillar incident, they actively refused to talk to each other, so Cyrus was not only visiting Cynthia for a casual interaction, but he wanted to apologise for his actions.
After arriving in Celestic Town, he made a beeline for Cynthia's house, knocked on her door, and waited patiently. However, he would be greeted to the sight of Cynthia's Garchomp, who leered at him judgmentally.
"Gar?" it growled menacingly before Cynthia calmed it down.
"Oh, uh, pardon my Garchomp. She's a bit confrontational." Cynthia explained.
"Uh, no, you're alright." Cyrus replied.
"So, what sent you to this neck of the woods? Are you planning on summoning more Legendaries again, Cyrus?"
"Actually, no. I wanted to apologise for my actions."
"Now THAT'S an odd sentence I haven't heard from you."
"I want to take accountability for my actions. I was too obstinate in my plans for recreating the world from a blank slate to the point where I unintentionally hurt the people close to me. You, my Team Galactic lackeys, everyone I've been associated with. I guess you could say that my parents are very disappointed in me. So, I just want to ask: will you accept my apology?"
"Your apology?"
"Yes. I understand if you don't want to accept my apology. I've done some reprehensible things in the past and for that, I can't undo those past actions of mine, but I can at least move on from them. If you do, I would like to rekindle our friendship and start from a blank slate. I'll also try to improve myself and get psychological help."
Cynthia thought for a while before coming to a conclusion. "While I can't forgive you for your actions which nearly destroyed the Sinnoh region, I can at least appreciate your honesty and how you've taken accountability. For that, I accept your apology."
With their friendship restarted, they hugged. Even Cynthia's Garchomp joined in on the embrace before its trainer gently shooed it away.
"So, what else did you come here for?" Cynthia asked politely.
Cyrus was busy looking at Garchomp, almost hypnotised, before he stopped and faced Cynthia. "You know how I'm a sort of weredragon, right?"
"Not really."
"Well, since I've been trying to come up with a solid idea of what legs I want for my serpentine body, I thought I could use your Garchomp as a reference."
"That could be a good idea."
"Indeed. Don't worry, I bought a notebook and a pen so I can easily sketch out ideas for the legs."
"That's alright, we can have a little chat about things or have something to eat, you know?"
"That would be a good idea."
After half an hour, Cyrus and Cynthia sat on the deck and watched Garchomp dig and run around in the backyard and the increasingly vivid horizon, all to a symphony of Starly twittering. While Cyrus sketched in his notebook and quietly hummed to himself, Cynthia got up from her chair.
"Hey, uh, are you hungry yet?" she asked, taking note of her friend's lean frame.
Cyrus stared off into the distance before a pang of hunger interrupted his train of thought. "Now that you've brought it up, I do believe I am hungry."
"That's good. I don't want you to suffer on an empty stomach."
Cyrus laughed slightly. "You vaguely remind me of my mother."
"Really? How?" Cynthia replied, tilting her head.
"She was always a bit overbearing to me, even when I was a child. Despite her coddling nature, she did look out for me, even when I was at my lowest. I guess I was her little weredragon son." he paused. "However, I always had to meet my parents' impossible standards and eventually, the pressure got to me. You have that same energy, but without the pressure you impose. You're considerate."
Cynthia said after a moment. "What can I say, Cyrus? I always have to look out for everyone, whether it's my family, challengers, the Elite Four members, or anyone else. That also means I have to look out for you."
A smile crept over Cyrus' face, making him slightly show his teeth. "I appreciate your compassion."
He watched as Cynthia left to prepare snacks for the both of them. While he waited, he kept himself occupied by watching Garchomp and sketching.
Five minutes later, the Garchomp turned its attention to Cyrus and sniffed him, giving him a glare of suspicion.
"Gar?" it growled, pointing a claw at his chest.
"Don't worry, Garchomp. I won't scratch or hurt your precious trainer. I've also been repenting for my actions." Cyrus explained in a matter-of-fact voice.
Still eyeing him, Garchomp continued sniffing and frisking him. It then calmed down and began to nuzzle him.
"Are you alright there, Garchomp?" Cyrus asked, slightly recoiling as this Mach Pokémon refused to respect his personal space.
Before this uncomfortable situation could escalate, Cynthia came back outside, carrying a platter piled with snacks.
Upon seeing her two favourite dragons together, she giggled. "Aww, are you two getting along there?"
Garchomp replied with an enthusiastic "Gar! Garchomp!" while Cyrus merely gave a thumbs up and nodded.
Putting the platter down, Cynthia sat back down next to Cyrus and held one of his scaly hands. "Don't worry, Cyrus. Garchomp might be wary of people, but once she decides you're alright to be around, she becomes quite friendly. Who knows? She might've let down her guard."
Cyrus blushed slightly and looked away, embarrassed. "An unfortunate side effect of my weredragon heritage is that Dragon types follow me around and communicate with me whether I like it or not. No matter what I do, they're usually there tagging along like a lost flock of Ducklett."
"Maybe you're like some sort of ruler to them?"
"Whatever it is, I have to accept it."
"If I put two and two together, then maybe my Garchomp became docile around you because of your, uhh, weredragon powers. It makes complete sense, doesn't it?"
Cyrus turned to face Cynthia and nodded. "You're correct. While I was waiting, I happened to make some sketches. Your Garchomp's legs allow it to run quite fast, don't they?"
She observed the sketches, taking in every meticulous detail from the smallest scale to the general proportions, only slightly altered to fit a draconic body plan, almost hypnotised.
"Woah, you drew these?" she said after a pause.
Cyrus nodded again. "I decided to alter the proportions so they wouldn't collapse under my weight or refuse to carry my body length, so I used your Garchomp's legs as a sort of reference and guideline for what I want the legs to be."
"That's quite innovative, y'know? You've got a good grasp on Pokémon anatomy and with your knowledge of robotics, you could potentially create prosthetics for disabled Pokémon! Wouldn't that be exciting?"
"I'd much prefer fixing the broken technology people throw away or give to me. It allows me to gain a little bit of knowledge and give back to the world."
"Well, with that in mind, Cyrus, why not start a little tech repair business? You'd be a pro at it! Come on, I know you'd love it!"
Cyrus thought for a moment, weighing his options before he came to a conclusion. "You might be correct. If I turn my hoard of technology into a collection of things to fix, then I can capitalise on that and create a job for myself, thus making me useful to society. It's a symbiotic relationship; I get items added to my hoard to fix and once they're repaired and I bring them back to their owners, they'll be satisfied with the repairs. Thank you, Cynthia. Your ideas are appreciated.
"Anytime!" Cynthia said in response, finding out that she could, in fact, make Cyrus a better person.
For the rest of the afternoon, the two of them, plus Garchomp, watched the sun set over the Sinnoh region and Celestic Town, talked about what they were doing nowadays, and ate before Cyrus stretched and sat up in his chair.
"I think I should leave now. It's getting dark, so I hope you don't mind my sudden departure." he said.
Cynthia turned to face him. "It's alright. It was good to see you again now that you've been trying to better yourself. I hope you have a safe trip back home."
She then hugged him and soon enough, Cyrus parted ways with his friend, but not without calling out to her "make sure Garchomp behaves itself!"
On the way back, he focused his attention to the clear, starry sky. The moon also shone on his scales, making him look paler than he already was. He soon came back to Team Galactic's HQ and made a beeline for his bedroom. After all, he was tired and needed to sleep, so he made himself a light dinner and got ready for bed.
Once he was in bed, he felt his Weavile clamber up onto the sheets and curl up on his stomach, yawning. The both of them then fell asleep.