Chapter Text
When Cynthia returned to Akari’s room, she saw her sleeping on the bed. Her legs were still on the floor, while Akari herself was on the side of the bed. While Cynthia wanted her to meet the Elite Four, she could do that when she woke up. Cynthia gently took Akari’s sandals off before moving Akari to lay on the bed lengthwise. She tucked her into the red covers. As she moved Akari, she noticed the tear stains on the blankets.
She’s really been through a lot, huh? She deserves the rest, Cynthia thought to herself as she finished tucking her in. She placed the sandals neatly beside the bed and made her way to the table, grabbing the notebook and a pen.
Akari,
If I’m not here when you wake up, feel free to make yourself something to eat in the kitchen. If you go down the hall to your right and make a left, you should be able to find it. I’ll be back soon.
—Cynthia
Cythia nodded at her handiwork and placed it on the nightstand. As she left the room, she glanced at Akari one more time before flipping the lights off. For now, she had a meeting to call.
Since the Elite Four lived on site with Cynthia, it only took about ten minutes for the four of them to gather in the champion’s office.
“So, what’s the occasion?” Flint was the first one to speak up. He had his hands in his pocket and an unreadable expression on his face. “You barely ever call meetings.”
“I have to admit, you sounded anxious on the phone,” Aaron added. He had his lips pursed into a frown.
“Yeah,” Cynthia heaved a sigh and leaned back into her chair. “Well, I wanted to inform you that we have a new resident in the League building.
“Oh?” Lucian raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think this has ever happened before.”
“Who is this resident, if I may ask?” Bertha’s voice was gentle, but Cynthia could still sense the skepticism in her voice.
“That leads us to our first problem,” Cynthia said. “Akari is a fourteen year old that hails from Hisui.”
“Hisui? Isn’t that ancient Sinnoh?” Lucian asked with narrowed eyes. “How is that possible?”
“Akari is in possession of a Typhlosion variant that is said to have gone extinct three hundred years ago,” Cynthia explained. “Her clothing matches up with those of Hisuian records and she has confirmed herself that she is from Hisui.”
“That’s… hard to believe,” Aaron added. “Can we meet her?”
“When she wakes up,” Cynthia replied, shaking her head. “The poor girl was lost and afraid. Not to mention strong. Her Empoleon almost took down Belladonna with one hit.”
“How old did you say she was again?” Flint asked, his expression now one of intrigue. He had a small smirk on his face.
“Fourteen,” Cynthia then glared at Flint. “I know what you’re thinking. At least wait until she’s more comfortable here before you challenge her to a battle.”
“Fine,” Flint heaved a sigh.
“I’ll trust your judgment,” Bertha smiled softly at Cynthia. “It’s never led us wrong, after all.”
“Thank you, Bertha,” Cynthia nodded at her elder. “I’ll tell you all when she wakes up. If you see her before I call you, though… Please be nice to her. She’s been through a lot.”
“Alright.”
“Sure.”
“Of course.”
“Naturally.”
As Cynthia received their confirmations from each member of the Elite Four, she nodded to them.
“This meeting is adjourned,” Cynthia announced. Each member nodded before making their way out.
“So, what do you think?” Flint said as he sat down with Aaron and Lucian. Bertha, on the other hand, went to prepare tea for the four of them.
“There’s not much to say,” Aaron replied. “We have to meet her to judge.”
“Someone from Hisui, though…” Lucian pushed his glasses up with his index finger and his middle finger. “I’m still a little skeptical.”
“As Arron said, we’ll find out soon,” Bertha placed a cup of tea in front of each member of the Elite Four and took a seat. “Is rosemary tea okay?”
“Thank you, Bertha,” Aaron said before taking a sip. “I’m just a little worried. I wonder what she’s like.”
“I hope she isn’t a brat,” Flint grumbled through his tea. “That won’t be fun.”
“Well,” Lucian leaned back in his chair and smiled as he sipped his tea. “There’s only one way to find out.”
Akari woke up feeling more well-rested than she had been in a while. The bed was much more comfortable than any futon or sleeping bag she had slept on in Hisui.
I must have dozed off, Akari thought to herself. She looked around as she sat up. So it wasn’t a dream…
Akari knew it wasn’t a dream the second she got here. She had caught Cresellia, after all. She looked to her right to see a notebook next to her. She took it and saw the note that Cynthia had left her.
I’ll have to thank Cynthia later, Akari thought as she got out of bed. She saw her sandals tucked neatly next to the bed and put them on. Before she left the room, she decided to make her bed. She’s living in someone else’s home. The least she could do was be respectful.
As she made a right, she heard voices coming from down the hall. Akari slowly crept down the hall and turned left, just as the note instructed. As she did, she saw four people sitting at the table, chatting. As Akari stepped in, all four of them stopped to look at Akari.
“Oh, you’re the one Cynthia was talking about!” The man with the red afro was the first to break the silence. He had a joyful smile on his face as he addressed her. “The name’s Flint. It’s nice to meetcha.”
“I-I’m Akari,” Akari let her hand fall down to her side. While there was no visible reaction from the four, Akari did this so she could have quick access to her pokeballs in case she felt threatened.
“Is it true that you’re from Hisui?” The man with long, purple hair asked. “I’m Lucian, by the way. It’s a pleasure.”
Akari nodded mutely. She still felt something weighing down on her heart every time Hisui was brought up.
“I wonder what it’s like there,” The man with green hair rubbed his chin before flinching and smiling. “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Aaron, nice to meet you.”
“I… it’s nice to meet you,” Akari looked away. She was used to eyes being on her, but for some reason, it felt different this time. Was it because she was in a different land? Or a different time?
“You’re making her uncomfortable,” The old woman pointed out. Akari turned her gaze towards the aged woman. Her smile was similar to Cynthias; gentle and reassuring. “My name is Bertha. If there’s anything you need, feel free to ask.”
“Thank you,” Akari muttered. These four seemed nice, if a little nosy, but she couldn’t blame them. She was someone from the past. It was natural for people to be curious. They did a good job to restrain themselves, though. That was something Akari appreciated.
“Here, come sit with us,” Bertha offered, gesturing to one of the two empty seats at the table. “Would you like some tea? I’ve prepared some rosemary for everyone.”
“That would be nice, thank you,” Akari made her way over to sit down as Bertha put a cup of tea in front of her.
“So, Cynthia said you were strong,” Flint said, his smirk growing. “Do you wanna b—”
Flint was cut off when Bertha slapped him in the back of the head. Most of the blow was absorbed by his afro, though. “You know what Cynthia said. Save the battling for later.”
“Fine,” Flint rolled his eyes before looking at Akari and flicking his eyes at Bertha as if to say “see what I have to deal with?”
“Maybe sometime later,” Akari said. Cynthia said that battling was a sport, but she didn’t know that it was this widespread. Back in Hisui, she only battled when she needed to.
“So how did you end up here?” Lucian asked. His look wasn’t skeptical. If anything, it was inquisitive.
“It was A—” Before Akari could speak, Cynthia entered the room.
“Oh, there you are,” Cynthia walked over to Akari with a smile. “I’m happy you’re getting along with everyone.”
“Protective, are we?” Bertha said with a wry smile.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cynthia looked away from Bertha. “If Akari is living here, then I’m responsible for her.”
“We believe you,” Aaron added. He and Bertha shared a laugh. Akari couldn’t help but smile. The five of them seemed like very good friends.
“Anyways,” Cynthia cleared her throat. “As you all know, this is Akari. Please treat her well.”
“I’ll be in your care,” Akari said.
“I see why you like her,” Flint crossed his arms and smirked at the champion. “She’s got that fire in her eyes.”
“I approve of your decision as well,” Lucian had a small smile on his face.
“Akari seems like a nice person,” Aaron added.
“You made the right choice, Cynthia,” Bertha stood up, holding onto a cane for support. She slowly walked up to Cynthia with a smile on her face. “I’m proud of you. You’ve grown.”
“Thank you,” Akari could see the pride in Cynthia’s smile.
“Well, the introductions aren’t done yet,” Flint said, standing up.
“Agreed,” A smile grew on Aaorn’s face as he stood next to Flint. “We still need to introduce our Pokemon.”
“I do hope they get along,” Lucian said as he drank the last of his tea. “Thank you, Bertha. The tea was wonderful as always.”
“I’m glad that my skills in that regard haven’t dwindled,” Bertha nodded her head as she held her cane in front of her. “Now, shall we make our way outside?”