The New Normal – 11-6 – Interlude – Cynthia
As a Champion, she was expected to stay calm and composed at all times. To give off an air of authority and competence that would ensure that she was instinctively listened to. This was especially true when she was a meeting with members of the Indigo delegation, and it was her job to ensure that she remained engaged and listened to their talks, boring as they were.
It was also true that a Champion needed to be contactable at any and all times, just in case an emergency cropped up that needed their immediate attention. So that was why she had her phone out and openly displayed on the table – just in case there were any urgent messages.
And that was why she was instantly able to see the message that John had sent her, and she was forced to do a double take to make sure she didn't misread what he had sent.
…It took everything in her power to not have an expression of abject shock appear on her face. She knew that he would be joining on another expedition into the caves of Snowpoint, and she had high expectations that they would find something, but this was far beyond her expectations.
An artifact related to the Legends?! A new Pokémon!? What in the world was going on here?!
Her instinctive reaction was to bolt out of her seat in excitement. But again, she couldn't do that. It wouldn't be proper, and it'd give off the wrong impression to her guests.
Relaxing with her boyfriend on a ship was one thing, hastily dashing out of a meeting like she was bolting to the bathroom was another. One was forgivable, the other made you look ridiculous.
So instead she mastered herself and slowly, and carefully, raised her phone to her face like she was reading something important. After a second or two of pretending to read through the message, she whispered to Lucian who was sitting next to her.
"…Something happened in Research Centre. They discovered something big and I want to check it out now." She told him quietly, adopting a faux look of concern.
He hid his amusement behind his own look of concern, "Okay, I'll cover for you. Just be back before the next meeting begins."
She nodded her thanks and exited the meeting, making to take measured steps as to not seem overly hurried. Then, as soon as she was out of sight, she broke into a sprint and hurriedly climbed onto her Togekiss as she swiftly flew over to Celestic Town. Her scientific curiosity could no longer be held back.
She arrived a short while later, and she practically ran over to the Lab, flinging the door open to see what exactly they had discovered.
Only to find herself staring at a sea of amused faces that seemed to have all been waiting for her arrival. The look from John screamed smugness and amusement.
"You didn't need to be in such a hurry, we would have waited for you." He smiled teasingly at her, "I hope I didn't surprise you with my message. It was never my intention to do so."
He was mocking her. And it wasn't just him. The giggling from the scientists that they tried to hide told her that they were all in it.
Damn him. He worded his message like so vaguely like that because he knew she would react like this. She vowed to get him back for this one day.
Still, there were more important things to think about then revenge, "Yes, haha very funny. Now what kind of Legendary artifact did you find that warranted getting my attention so urgently? You wouldn't have messaged me like that unless it was important."
She tried to word it like she didn't really care, but it was clear that none of them were buying it.
He chuckled, "Let me show you the new Pokémon first." He gestured for her to follow after him, which she did after she pulled his hand into hers. He shot her an amused look, which she ignored. If he was going to drag her all the way here and make her skip a meeting, she might as well indulge herself.
He brought her over to where a large Ice type Pokémon was being carefully poked and prodded while all sorts of machinery were attached to it. Looking at its large frame, bulky legs, and the way that the ice shaped around its body to give it a muscular physique, she had a good idea on what kind of Pokémon this was already.
"…A bulky Ice type Pokémon? Slow, but hits hard with high defenses?" She asked aloud.
"Close, but it's not just an Ice type. It's actually Ice and Rock." John nodded, "And it's called an Avalugg. There's also a pre-evolution called a Bergmite, but I think those are being tested later."
A scientist came over to show her a picture of it, and her eyebrows rose, "Interesting. We'll need to test out just how defensive it can be, but I suspect Walrein might have just gotten upstaged as the most defensive of the Ice type Pokémon." She muttered.
"Horrible Special Defenses though. Like, it's absolutely abysmal. Same with its Speed. But it's physical defenses are second to none." John told her, though she frowned as she heard his words. Having extremely poor Special Defenses was terrible for such a slow and immobile Pokémon. While it could be trained up, that really scuttled her plans of including a new Ice type to her team.
Especially when her Milotic could pretty much fulfil that exact same role already. Perhaps someone else could find a suitable role for Avalugg and train it up so that it could be the defensive monster she knew it could be. But she didn't have the time to train up another Pokémon that was ill-suited to fit in her team.
Unknowing of her thoughts, John continued, "That being said, I did capture one that I intend to gift to Lorelei. I hope you don't mind. Even with its weaknesses, I'm sure she'll be able to turn it into a powerful addition to her team."
She waved him off, "Feel free. You found it. Plus, I'll be interested to see how she makes use of it." Would it be as strong as her Kleavor and his Zoroark were proving to be?
Then another pair of scientists approached her with an excited gleam in their eyes, "We've records of witnesses staring at moving glaciers in Hisuian times. We thought them to be hyperbole at first, but the existence of Avalugg proves otherwise."
She nodded, "So it's another link to the past…very interesting."
She wasn't able to dwell on that point for long as John brought her into the next room, and immediately she spotted the small tendrils of frost that seemed to be spreading out from one of the storage units situated in the middle of the room. She stepped forwards to take a look at what was the cause of this spreading frost, only for her eyebrows to jump up to her hair as her eyes widened almost comically.
She could hear someone talking to her, but the words never registered in her mind. Instead, she continued to draw closer to the Icicle Plate, observing it from every angle. The historical significance of this…it was unparalleled!
But even beyond the historical considerations, the business side of her noted that this discovery would skyrocket the Celestic Town Research Centre to be the premier research centre in Sinnoh, bar none!
If they just managed to uncover what the purpose of the Icicle Plate was, and why these Plates were created in the first place, then it would be like piecing together a secret of the world. Even after becoming Champion, she had never lost her ambition to gain a deeper understanding of the Legends that helped create her world.
And she knew it in her heart that the Icicle Plate was going to be the first step towards finally uncovering those secrets.
…Then she realised just how excited she had gotten over it, and she noticed that her jaw was hanging open. She quickly coughed and schooled her expression into something more professional, and she deliberately ignored the amused look that John was giving her.
No, she did not let the excitement get to her. And she was going to deny it if anyone said otherwise.
"Thank you all for finding this." She announced to the surrounding crowd, making sure her voice was calm and professional, "The discovery of the Icicle Plate is, without exaggeration, the find of the century. We have always known that the Plates have significant ties to the Legends, and now we have a Legendary artifact in our very halls!"
Everyone clapped excitedly, but she wasn't done yet, "Therefore! I propose that there be a shift in focus for our research centre. It is with Arceus' blessing that we stumbled upon the Icicle Plate, and thus, I believe we have a duty to discover the purpose of these Plates and what they do."
"Maybe you should try finding the rest of them!" John called out, possibly jokingly.
She just shook her head, "No. There is no 'maybe'. We will be finding out where the other Plates have been hidden." She corrected, "We've already found this one. We know there are more out there, and our explorers should do their utmost to uncover the rest."
A wave of acknowledgement greeted her words. Everyone in the lab agreed with her plans, and there was no doubt that unlocking the secrets of the Legends would be something they all were eager to work towards. Plus, seeing the excited gleam in everyone's eyes, she was confident that they would be able to do so.
The other Plates will be found.
"…Are we going to be putting the Icicle Plate on display for the public to see?" One of the scientists suddenly asked, "Once we announce this, the people will be flocking to see it. There will be no stopping them, not even with you as Champion."
She agreed, the announcement would undoubtedly end up sending shockwaves throughout Sinnoh. Even for those uninterested in history, finding a Plate was a big deal.
"It will be displayed carefully, behind multiple layers of security." She replied, "You're right. The public deserve to see this, and this isn't something we can keep from them." That would have to be carefully handled, but she trusted her people to see it done.
She spent the next few minutes discussing future plans about how they would find the other Plates, as well as discussions about how they would actually store the Icicle Plate in the first place. Clearly, they need to create a very specialised storage container for it to keep the frost from spreading.
But these were all happy problems to have.
And as Cynthia smiled to herself as she thought about the future, further away, in the depths of a carefully preserved location, a single pair of gemstones attached to a towering figure slowly flickered to life. Unbeknownst to everyone, the Icicle Plate did the same, as it momentarily vibrated with power like a connection had been formed. Then, the Plate quickly fell still once again, as the gems also turned dark.
It was not yet time.
A.N. Foreshadowing! Because of how important the Icicle Plate is, I felt an Interlude dedicated to it was worthwhile. I've hinted more towards the true purpose of the Plates, as I'm sure many have already figured out, but like I said – they'll have a part to play in the future!
And yes, I wanted to show off another side of Cynthia other than as a trainer or Champion. I hope you liked it!
And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!