Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’ve never been one for improvisation. It is not a latent talent of mine. However, I must confess that in my many years I’ve become capable of coming up with a convincing lie on the spot should the need ever arise. Be it with fans that have attempted to get too close, to finding ways to avoid meetings that I never wished to be a part of, to…far too many aspects of my life, really.

But I never expected to need such a skill with a mere child…”

Cynthia penned in her diary as she recalled the day’s events. While not something she did often, she’d found that writing down her thoughts about particularly important events helped her to remember them better. And given how long of a life she’d lived, finding ways to remember was even more important.

She had been scouting the exterior of the Team Galactic building in Eterna City. As the Sinnoh region's Champion, her intention had originally been to personally take out the trash that had taken up residence there. But fate then led her eye to a face that should not have been familiar.

A girl. A mere child of approximately twelve years old. She was far too young to be anyone that Cynthia should have known. And yet her features summoned a maelstrom of memories within Cynthia’s mind.

The girl in question had been eyeing a pokedex while she walked through the city. Prof. Rowan had mentioned that he’d recently given pokedexes to three children; two boys and a girl. Their names were Lucas, Barry, and Dawn. Process of elimination brought Cynthia to believe the girl’s name was Dawn.

Using this information, Cynthia decided to speak to her.

Their conversation had been simple and little more than introductory in nature. Cynthia explained who she was, made up a lie about how the professor had talked about Dawn a lot, and told the girl what she had been doing. Dawn, in turn, listened with rapt attention and looked more than a little intrigued by Team Galactic’s building. The girl revealed that she’d already gotten caught up in throwing a wrench in their schemes once before, and not too long ago at that. Choosing to take a chance, Cynthia entrusted the task of removing the group from the building to her and Dawn eagerly accepted the challenge.

Lo and behold, Cynthia was not let down. It took Dawn surprisingly little time to go in and completely wipe out every last trainer within the building, including one of Team Galactic’s admins; Jupiter.

“Seeing that girl, Dawn, emerge from the building victorious was absolutely… I simply couldn’t approach her in order to give my congratulations on a job well done. My emotions are still running high!

I cannot believe it, and yet there is little doubt in my mind. I have finally, at long last, found her! I have found the person of most interest to me! Oh how I cannot wait to see her again. How I cannot wait to battle her at the Pokemon League!

Perhaps I can come up with more convincing lies in order to see her again sooner than that…”

*****

And Cynthia did just that. Time and time again she found ways to conveniently be where Dawn was going. She didn't show up too often in the girl's travels, but often enough to make an impression. By doing so, she unwittingly got herself involved with bringing down Team Galactic's leader, Cyrus.

Confronting Cyrus was not something Cynthia looked forward to or enjoyed. The man was unrelated to her, and yet his aspirations and the way he went about trying to achieve them forced Cynthia to confront things from her own past that she did not like confronting, no matter how many times she already had.

The silver lining was, perhaps, the irony of Giratina itself lending aid to Cyrus's downfall.

Dawn caught Giratina at that time, too. And Cynthia couldn't help but feel jealous. Giratina was a pokemon of legend! An ancient creature like it had an indescribable value to a historian like Cynthia! How she wished that she could be in Dawn's shoes…

Soon after Dawn's victory over Team Galactic, the girl arrived at the Pokemon League. And then Cynthia was dethroned as Sinnoh's Champion. A title she enthusiastically relinquished to the girl.

But that wasn't where things ended. In fact, Cynthia getting defeated only opened the doors for her and Dawn to become proper friends. Sure there were a number of years between them, but it seemed that, in time, Dawn grew to see Cynthia as something akin to an older sister. The girl often approached Cynthia with difficult questions that she couldn't ask others. Things about pokemon, status, life… Cynthia did her best to lend an ear or advice where needed.

One particular evening Dawn had come over with a question regarding donating to charities. The two of them spent hours going over the pros and cons, how to budget for it, and researching different ones that Dawn expressed an interest in. Ones for abandoned and neglected pokemon, for improving and maintaining wildlife habitats, for helping impoverished regions, and somewhat surprisingly for helping LGBTQ+ youth. By the time they called it quits it was much too late for Dawn to leave. So the girl stayed at Cynthia's home that night. There was plenty of room for her, after all.

And then Dawn slowly became a frequent overnight guest at Cynthia's home in quaint little Celestic Town. Cynthia didn't mind. In fact, she often joked that the girl was putting her tea prepping skills to the test. Saying that her grandmother was always on her case about having a long way to go.

Eventually, some months after the girl's fourteenth birthday, Dawn came to Cynthia's home yet again. She was acting strangely from the moment the woman opened her door to greet her. Like she wanted to talk about something but was clearly hesitant to. Cynthia prepared their tea and listened while Dawn prattled on about something inconsequential. It was only when they each had a steaming cup in front of them and Dawn had taken a sip of hers that she finally spoke up about what was on her mind.

"I think I have a crush on somebody…" Dawn admitted at length.

Cynthia felt herself jump before freezing up. She watched the girl carefully over the rim of her cup, hoping she hadn't noticed.

Appearing oblivious to the way in which her older friend's heart had skipped a beat, Dawn continued. "They're-"

"They?"

"-really funny and kind. I've been friends with them for a while. And I feel like I've known them forever. But lately whenever I think about them I feel kind of funny. Warm and tingly. The thought of spending time with them makes me really happy, I feel like I might blush! I…" Dawn breathed a deep sigh. "Okay, I know I have a crush on them. That's not the problem. The problem is I don't know how to tell them. Or if I even should."

Cynthia slowly set her cup on the table. Her own heart was hammering in her chest; she was glad that her hands were steady enough to set the cup down without spilling anything.

"I take it you're worried about rejection." Cynthia said at length.

Dawn gave a little nod. "This is my first crush. Of course I'm worried! Besides, if I confess and they don't like me, too, it might ruin our friendship."

"Do you want to confess?"

The girl blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You don't always have to confess to your crushes. Feelings like those come and go. Choosing if, and when, to act on them is a part of growing up. So, do you want to confess?"

Dawn looked down at her lap. "It's my first crush…" she repeated. "I feel like if I don't then it's not as 'real'."

"Dawn," Cynthia spoke softly, though she felt her throat dry. The girl met her eyes and the woman smiled gently. "You're going to have many, many firsts in your life. And I don't specifically mean romantically. None of them are any less 'real' even if you don't take an active role in them. What's important for things like this is that you come away with as few regrets as possible. It really is a very personal decision. I can't tell you what you should do. All I can do is ask you if you want to confess. If you think confessing and knowing how the other person feels is better, or if not confessing and maintaining the status quo is better."

Dawn looked down again. "I don't know…" she stated.

Cynthia gave her a pitying smile. How long had it been since she had had such innocent, youthful conundrums herself? Since she had worried about things like love. The only thing like that she had to be concerned with lately was that the press didn't get wind of her relationships. She preferred keeping things private.

“Then let me give you some different advice.” Cynthia began, drawing Dawn’s eyes back to hers. “Most people tend to regret the things they didn’t do more than the things they did do. Especially in cases like this. The ‘what if’ can be difficult for some to shake, even years later. Rejection is a part of life. It hurts, of course, but if you are rejected then you can begin the process of moving past it.”

“So… I should confess.” Dawn said.

“That decision is still up to you. I can lay out the pros and cons all day, but it’s up to you.”

Dawn looked back down at her lap and sipped thoughtfully at her tea. Cynthia shared her drink, though keeping her eyes on the girl. She’d be lying if she said her heart wasn’t pounding in her chest. Although logically she knew there was nothing to be so worked up about, her nerves were still on fire.

At length Dawn lowered her empty cup. “I think… I think I’m going to tell them.” she stated. She looked up at Cynthia and grinned. “Thank you! I couldn’t think of anyone else to talk to about this. My mom would’ve grilled me for details I don’t wanna give. And my friends have never had a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever, so talking to them would’ve been useless. But you’re like an older sister to me! I’m happy I talked to you!”

Suppressing the crushing squeeze around her heart like the professional she was, Cynthia smiled back at the girl. “I’m glad, too. And good luck. Come tell me how it went after, okay?”

“I will!” Dawn said excitedly. “You’ll be the first to know!”

*****

The next time Dawn unexpectedly knocked on Cynthia’s door was around two weeks later. It was already late at night, far later than she had ever arrived before. The girl’s face was downcast, but Cynthia could tell her eyes were red and puffy. The girl sniffled before she asked in a carefully-leveled voice if she could come in. Cynthia quickly ushered her inside before the poor girl could be seen in her state.

Dawn sat on the sofa with a hurriedly presented box of tissues while Cynthia went to fix them a drink. Even from the kitchen the woman could hear her soft sniffles and hiccups. Once again her heart ached. She had a feeling that she knew what this visit was about, and she wasn’t looking forward to hearing it from Dawn’s lips.

Cynthia set a mug in front of Dawn before taking a seat in an armchair beside the sofa. Dawn wiped her nose with a tissue before staring down at the mug quizzically.

“It’s hot cocoa.” Cynthia explained. “You seem like you need more of a pick-me-up than the usual tea. Sorry, I don’t have any marshmallows.”

The corners of Dawn’s lips softly turned upward and she lifted the mug to take a sip. “It’s good!” she exclaimed with a smile.

“I’m glad!” Cynthia chuckled, taking a drink of her coffee. “Now, I might be able to guess why you’re here, but would you like to tell me yourself?”

Once more Dawn frowned. Cynthia hated to ruin her smile, but she knew that she had to.

“I confessed. Barry and I went on a little honey tree tour around the region. It took most of the day, and we didn’t find much of interest, but it had been fun. And I… I decided to confess. We were going to go home at that point anyway. And the mood seemed right. But he…” she shook her head. “He said he didn’t feel the same way. That he only sees me as a friend.” she sniffled and wiped her nose on another tissue. “Honestly I kind of already knew. I think that’s part of why I was so hesitant to confess. Barry’s always been the type to charge headfirst towards what he wants without thinking. If he liked me back he would’ve confessed by now. But it…” she hiccuped and her eyes welled up with tears, “it still hurts…”

Cynthia rose from the armchair and instead sat beside the girl. She put an arm around her shoulders and Dawn slumped against her, burying her face in the woman’s side. Dawn was a quiet crier, only the occasional sniffle and a small, growing damp spot on Cynthia’s shirt giving away that she was crying at all. Cynthia held Dawn in her arms and gently rubbed her back. Her own heart was clenching and twisting violently in her chest. It was good to let the girl cry it out, and she knew it. But that didn’t mean she had to like that she was crying.

The minutes slowly ticked by in near-silence, giving time for Cynthia to think about what she should say, and if she should say anything at all. Eventually Dawn’s tears began to ease up again. Cynthia allowed her another moment to collect herself before speaking.

“I know it hurts now, but I’m proud of you for confessing.” she spoke softly. “It takes so much courage to do something like that.”

It was a few seconds before Dawn nodded against her. “I’m glad too…” she admitted. “Now I can move on. Like you said.” she sniffled again before sitting up slightly. Just enough to look Cynthia in the eyes. “When does that start to happen?”

Cynthia couldn’t help but smile at the naive question. “It takes time. Fill the next few days with things that make you happy. Then, in a few days when you’re feeling better, return to your normal life. Put Barry out of your head as much as you can. It’s okay if you need time to figure out what you want to do about him.”

“Barry still wants to be friends.”

“Do you still want to be his friend?”

Dawn nodded.

“Alright, then put him out of your head for the time being, and in a few days when you’re feeling better decide what you think is an appropriate way to be his friend without bringing you too much heartache.”

Dawn nodded again and grabbed yet another tissue. Cynthia eyed the small pile of them gathering on the coffee table and got up in order to fetch a little waste bin. Dawn thanked her and dropped the lot of them into it. Cynthia stood watching her as Dawn took another drink of her cocoa.

A thought wormed its way into the woman’s head. A memory buried deep within her. A memory of a smiling girl taking her by the hand and bringing her to her feet. Before Cynthia had realized, she was acting out her memory, only in reverse. Dawn blinked up at her in confusion as Cynthia gently coaxed her to her feet. Being the taller of the two by a wide margin, Cynthia placed Dawn’s free hand onto her shoulder and then held the girl by the waist.

Being Sinnoh’s Champion for many years, Cynthia had learned to dance to some degree. It wasn’t a skill she had to use often, but had proven itself useful on rare occasions. Now she swept Dawn up and led her slowly around the living room. The girl stumbled; both caught by surprise and clearly confused. But she didn’t say a word as she tried her best to learn how to step without stepping on Cynthia’s toes.

As in many things, Dawn was a quick learner. In minutes she had learned enough that Cynthia picked up their pace to something more lively. Once Dawn had adjusted to the new rhythm, Cynthia got more playful with it. Dawn learned how to be twirled and lifted and dipped readily. It wasn’t long before the girl let out her first bubble of laughter. And her giggles only became more frequent and heartfelt as she soon began to anticipate each maneuver and moved along with it appropriately.

Cynthia was grinning now, too. Dawn looked like she was having the time of her life dancing rather goofily around Cynthia’s living room, without a song to be heard. Cynthia lifted the girl again and spun the both of them around. Dawn gave a whoop of joy even as she stumbled at being placed back on her feet. A few more steps and Cynthia dipped her again, deeply. The girl’s hair brushed against the floor, and Dawn only smiled brightly up at Cynthia, trusting the woman not to drop her. Her face was so close…

Cynthia’s heart twisted again, and she returned Dawn to her feet. The girl was breathing hard and didn’t protest as the woman released her and took half a step back.

“Ah, that was fun!” Dawn announced, her smile bright enough to light the whole room. "You're stronger than you look!"

“I’m glad!” Cynthia laughed with her. “I had fun too. I haven’t done that in ages.”

“Do you usually lead? You’re so tall, I can’t imagine you not leading.”

Cynthia’s shoulder gave a shrug. “It depends on who my partner is and what they want to do. I can lead or be led." She picked up her mug and drank what was left in it. Dawn did the same. Cynthia held her hand out for the empty and the girl handed it over. "How old are you, again?"

"Fourteen." Dawn answered easily.

"Girls are drinking coffee at your age nowadays. Would you like some? Or would you prefer more cocoa?"

Dawn's face flushed. "I've never tried it."

Cynthia chuckled. "I have plenty of creamers and sugar to make it to your liking, if you want to try." She motioned with her head for Dawn to follow her into the kitchen.

The girl picked out a creamer while Cynthia poured them both a mug. A splash of creamer and a couple of sugar cubes later, Dawn took a tentative sip and decided it wasn't terrible.

"I've never taken you for a coffee drinker." Dawn stated.

"I have a bit of a caffeine problem." Cynthia confessed awkwardly over the rim of her mug. "Did all the tea not tip you off to that?"

"Actually the tea's the reason I didn't think you drank coffee. I thought coffee and tea drinkers were always at odds with each other."

"You'd be surprised." Cynthia said with a smirk.

Dawn took another sip. "Clearly I am."

They returned to the living room where they resumed their talk of charities. Dawn eventually finished her drink, while Cynthia had downed hers and then a third cup on top of that. It was close to two in the morning when Dawn finally began to feel tired from the stress of the day before and no amount of caffeine and sugar that was healthy was going to keep her awake any longer.

Cynthia offered Dawn the guest room that she had stayed in a number of times before, but to her surprise Dawn cast her eyes downward and quietly asked if she could stay with Cynthia. The girl claimed she wasn’t quite ready to be left alone with just her thoughts yet. With some hesitance, Cynthia agreed.

Dawn made herself comfortable in Cynthia’s bed while the woman got herself ready for bed in the connected bathroom. Cynthia was briefly surprised to see that Dawn was still awake and looking at her phone when she returned to the bedroom. What’s more, Dawn had turned to look at her and the girl’s expression turned quizzical for a moment. Cynthia shut off the light behind her and approached the bed.

“What’s the matter?” she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

The girl shook her head. “It’s nothing. You just look…different.”

Cynthia tried a smile. “I took off my makeup.”

Dawn still didn’t look like she was convinced, and for a second worry washed over Cynthia. But the girl just shrugged and turned off her phone. Cynthia got into bed and Dawn huddled close to her. They weren’t cuddling, exactly, but Cynthia could easily reach out and put an arm around the girl if she so wished. Once Dawn was sleeping soundly, the woman did just that, taking care not to disturb her.

"What am I doing…?" She asked herself silently.

*****

The day of Dawn’s failed confession went by and was soon all but forgotten about. The girl had followed Cynthia’s advice and had taken a couple of days to spoil herself with things that brought her joy before returning to her normal daily life. She and Barry managed to still be friends, and they even went on a few more honey tree tours together.

Eventually Dawn’s fifteenth birthday arrived. She hosted the event at her own villa in the Resort Area, and practically everyone she knew was invited to come and spend the day. Dawn was a gracious host, offering plenty of food and drink and entertainment for everyone who came by. Not to mention plenty of pokemon battles. Cynthia couldn’t stay all day, but did visit first thing in the morning to drop off a gift and then again in the evening for a longer spell.

She and Dawn had a battle to close them out for the night. Any later and other residents of the Resort Area were going to complain about noise. Cynthia ultimately lost, but it was clear to anyone watching why she had been Champion before the girl came along, and why Cynthia was still so highly regarded in Sinnoh’s League.

Dawn’s friends celebrated her victory with hugs and high fives. Cynthia got a few comments on her performance as well, though of course nowhere near the attention the birthday girl received. Not that the woman minded. If Cynthia were to be honest, it was nice to see the girl so happy and surrounded by those who cared about her.

And as it turned out, that huge party was the last time that many ever saw the girl. For but a scant few weeks later, Dawn seemingly vanished without a word or a trace. Nobody could get in contact with her, although her brand new phone was nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, her pokeballs were found beside her unmade bed in her villa. Sinnoh was immediately, and rightfully so, in a state of panic over their missing Champion.

But out of everyone, there was a single person who couldn’t help but feel giddy. Dawn had mysteriously gone missing. Therefore any shred of doubt left in Cynthia’s heart had left as well.

“Just a few more years.” She told herself as she fixed her makeup before an emergency press conference about the missing girl. She had already been through a long meeting with executives, the gym leaders, and the Elite Four that morning. “I just need to hang in there for a few more years.” She smiled at her reflection. “After how long I’ve been waiting, what’s a few more years?”

Putting on her best solemn face, Cynthia left the little bathroom in a whirl of black clothing and long, blond hair.

Chapter Text

Tearing a rift into the fabric of existence had been easier than Volo thought it would be. The only issue now was that there still seemed to be something, some kind of barrier, blocking him from entering it. No matter how much Giratina fought to pass through its own rift the pokemon simply could not. Eventually, and reluctantly, the pair had to forfeit their efforts for the time being. Aggravated, Volo poured himself back into his research. He was too far along now to simply give up. There had to be a way to reach what was on the other side of the rift.

His further research turned up results just as the rift in the sky suddenly did something strange. It had simply sat for nearly a week when something fell through it. Puzzled by this phenomenon, Volo had to go and investigate what had come through. From what he could tell it had landed near the village that had cropped up recently. It was going to take him almost a day to get there, as he had been very much in the middle of his studies and couldn’t simply up and leave them. But he rushed as much as physically possible.

By the time he’d reached Jubilife Village he’d already caught whispers of a newcomer who’d fallen from the Space-Time Rift. Hearing that it was a person that had fallen piqued his curiosity even more. There shouldn't have been a human beyond the rift… Thankfully, he didn't have to search much at all to meet the person. One of the young members of the so-called Galaxy Expedition Team was willing to introduce him to the stranger from the sky, no questions asked. Although if Volo was honest it wouldn’t have been hard to spot her.

The girl looked out of place in more ways than one. From her clothing to her demeanor it was obvious that she was an outsider. Still, the girl intrigued Volo. If she really had fallen from the rift that he and Giratina had opened, then perhaps she was somehow connected to what lay beyond it. Connected to his target and ultimate prize.

Volo learned that she had a pokemon in her possession and chose to engage her in a battle right away. Battles were not something that the people of Jubilife Village were accustomed to, but he felt it the best method of assessing her. The girl agreed, and promptly creamed his poor Togepi swifter than the pokemon had ever been beaten before.

Well now, this girl Akari certainly had Volo's attention!

Clearly he was going to have to keep a close eye on her.

*****

Time and time again Akari proved herself to be someone special. She was extraordinary at handling pokemon; seemingly fearless as she did battle with and captured the many species throughout Hisui. She won the trust of the Diamond and Pearl Clans’ ride pokemon, and quelled their frenzied nobles. And each time she helped one of the great pokemon that the clans attended to she was rewarded with a special plate.

Volo’s research prior to Akari's arrival had turned up information on those plates. Supposedly when one possessed the lot of them the way to the heavens would open up for that individual. He clutched at the plate that Giratina had gifted him upon the formation of their partnership. So far it was the only one that he held, but he was beginning to discover where more lay hidden and guarded.

Time and time again he met up with Akari during her travels. Sometimes there would be a month or more between their meetings, but he always greeted her with a smile and an offer of free advice where she might need it. In truth he found himself despising her. She was rapidly accomplishing something that he hadn't even had a chance to try. He remained friendly though, and on occasion he gifted her with useful items simply to further win her favor. After all, if the mysterious girl from the sky was gathering the plates then it would likely serve him well to remain on her good side.

Around the time that Akari had begun exploring the Cobalt Coastlands, something about the way in which Akari reacted to his visits changed. The girl had always been oddly happy to see him, that much Volo had known. But the greetings grew more excited and their chats became peppered with random comments that Volo knew had to be attempts at flirting. He was no fool; he knew that he was pretty and had had enough experience to identify when somebody was flirting with him. It helped that Akari’s version of flirting often involved joking that Volo wasn’t to cheat on her whenever they parted ways.

It took Volo some time to decide on what to do about the girl’s flirtations. He neither encouraged nor denied them for the longest time. While his dislike of the girl continued to grow, he had to admit that she wasn't the worst company. She was diligent, plucky, honest, and had a level of raw talent with pokemon that rivaled even his. It wasn’t until she had quelled all five of the clans’ nobles and was by all rights a hero to every inhabitant of Hisui that he made his decision.

But in some ways the decision was also made for him.

The Space-Time Rift, having long laid dormant aside from the bolts of lightning that had sent the nobles into their frenzies, suddenly expanded overnight. A storm raged beyond it, spilling out and turning the sky an otherworldly color and, of all things, texture. Volo felt a jolt of excitement to see such activity from it. Perhaps the time to reach out and touch his goal lay closer than he thought! Everyone else in the region, however, thought the exact opposite. They were horrified by the rift’s sudden activity. And unfortunately for Akari the Galaxy Expedition Team was quick to turn her into a scapegoat and cast her out from Jubilife Village.

Desperate, the girl sought out both the Diamond and the Pearl Clans. Despite the trust and admiration that she had built with them, they both ultimately had to turn her away for the sake of peace with the Galaxy Team. After that the girl wandered, more helpless and despondent than Volo had ever seen her.

That’s when his decision was made for him. Volo made his move and swept in to act as Akari’s savior. He offered her a place of safety, and through a mixture of relief and burning teenage passion the girl gratefully took his hand and declared something about how she would absolutely marry him!

Somehow, some way, Volo went along with it. While there was never anything inappropriate between the two of them, he played the part of doting husband well. He introduced Akari to Mistress Cogita, a woman who was something like a mentor to him. The woman appeared excited to meet Akari and instructed Volo to make them some tea while they talked, only to softly chide him about how poor he still was at doing so. From there, Volo stood by Akari’s side and aided her all through her efforts over the next month. Efforts that were overseen and instructed by the mistress.

After helping Dawn meet with two of the three lake guardians, Volo found himself up late one night. Or at least, he was pretty sure it was night. The sky hadn’t changed even once since the rift had grown. But Cogita had gone to bed, Irida had returned to her settlement, and Akari was away taking care of some things of her own. This left Volo to sit by himself by the stream in the Ancient Retreat, looking up at the rift in the sky in quiet contemplation.

Excitement should have been filling him. The rift was open larger than ever, and apparently something was threatening to come through it. Though he knew that what was coming through was not what he sought for, the prospect of passing through the rift himself while others were distracted was very much on his mind. And yet, he couldn’t help but wonder. If he wasn’t able to pass through that rift when it was gaping open, then would he never be able to reach what lay beyond it? And what’s more, if he wasn’t able to pass through and Akari succeeded in stopping what came through, then what did that say about her versus what his goals were?

He heard footsteps approaching the retreat and turned to see who was coming. He wasn’t surprised to see Akari.

“What're you doing?” the girl asked. "It's late."

“I was thinking about the rift.” Volo answered her simply. It wasn’t a lie, just not the whole truth.

The girl hummed quietly to herself and gazed up at it. “You know it’ll be okay, right? I’ve already met Uxie and Azelf. Just one more and I’ll have everything I need. Then I can go up there to the mountain and fix this whole mess.”

“You’re too optimistic for your own good.” Volo thought to himself. Though he had to admire her misguided effort to cheer him up. “You’re that confident in your ability, then?"

Akari shook her head. “Truthfully I’m not. But if I don’t do it, then who will? If I fail, then what will become of Hisui?”

“If you fail, then I’ll step in and make the threat do what I want it to.” Volo shrugged. “I suppose you shouldn’t fail, then.”

“Exactly! There’s no room for error, and there’s only so much I can do to prepare. So why worry about it? Worrying gets a person nowhere.”

The man had to laugh. “I can’t tell if that’s inspiring or foolhardy.”

“It can be both.” Akari stated simply.

“Starting to think it’s more foolhardy…”

They were quiet for a moment. Both continued to stare up at the rift in the sky. Volo’s thoughts were about to resume their melancholy contemplation when a hand suddenly entered his view. Akari was smiling down at him, silently offering her hand to him. Puzzled, Volo decided to take it. The girl gave a tug and Volo followed the motion and got to his feet. For a second Akari looked as though she were thinking of something before she grabbed his other hand and put it on her waist.

“I can’t remember exactly how it went, but…” The girl murmured so quietly that Volo thought she may be talking only to herself.

She began to try and lead him in what he quickly identified as a dance. Volo didn’t know what kind of dance it was meant to be, and Akari was a horrible teacher. Their steps kept getting mixed up, and Volo had no idea how the various lifts and twirls and dips were supposed to be executed and when. He did try to go along with it, as random as it seemed, but his confusion kept getting in the way.

After a couple of minutes Akari stopped them and shook her head. “You’re being too uptight.” She informed him.

“I don’t even know why we’re dancing.”

“For our nerves.” the girl stated. “The memory is faint, but I recall somebody dear to me dancing with me once. I wasn’t feeling good, and dancing cheered me up. It was just something silly to help me take my mind off of things. I can’t dance, so I can’t do what they did. But I don’t think that’s the point. I think the point is to just cut loose and have fun.”

Volo sighed. “You know there are a great many things we could do instead of dancing to accomplish the same thing, right?”

“I know that, but…” Akari let go of him and looked down at the ground. “I still haven’t remembered a whole lot. If I remembered something like this at a time like this, surely that has to mean something, right? Or… Or am I just going crazy?”

Volo studied her for a long minute. Sincerity was one of Akari’s good traits. That much he was willing to give her for free. If she said that she thought something was happening for a reason, then that is exactly what she thought. So while yes, it did seem crazy that she would suddenly want to dance with him, he decided it might be best to humor her in this situation. He reached out and took her by the hand and waist again.

“You said you don’t remember how the dance went. So it doesn’t matter how we do it, right?” he asked. Volo didn’t wait for an answer before he started moving them.

Their first steps weren’t even tentative. Volo led them with little regard for getting his feet stepped on, though as a courtesy he did try not to step on hers. Akari stumbled after him awkwardly until she could catch up with what was happening and meet his pace. From there Volo simply did what he wanted. Akari had tried to get him to lift and twirl her, and while he still didn’t know how to properly do that he went ahead and gave it a shot anyway. To her credit, Akari was quick to adapt and went along with whatever he decided to try.

It didn’t take long before the girl let out a giggle. Which turned into laughter. Akari laughed freely as she went along with the clumsy dance. Though she did try to stay somewhat quiet, as Cogita was no doubt asleep in her tent. The girl’s smile and laugh was oddly infectious and Volo found himself smiling back at her as they got more into their dance.

They kept going until Akari was nearly panting. She was still laughing and having fun, but her face was flushed and she was sweating. Considering the girl had taken on five frenzied nobles with not just her pokemon but her entire being, it spoke volumes that she was becoming fatigued. And upon thinking about it, Volo realized that he, too, was tired. He was about to stop them when a thought occurred. Akari had tried to get him to do something before, but at the time he hadn’t understood it. To be honest he still didn’t understand but it seemed like a good way to end their little exercise.

Taking care to support her as best as he could, Volo dipped her. Akari’s laughter stopped abruptly as she gasped at the sudden action. The man watched as a blush painted her surprised face. He found it intriguing. For all that Akari would flirt with him, he’d never seen her blush before.

"Oh…"

“L-Let’s stop here, yeah?” Akari stuttered out softly.

Volo nodded and helped her back to her feet. “That’s what I’d planned,” he admitted.

For just a split second, Akari looked like she was disappointed. But it passed faster than Volo had registered it. If he had known her any less he might’ve assumed that he’d imagined that look. Regardless, the two bid each other good night and Akari quietly went to sleep in Cogita’s tent as she’d done several nights before. For his part, Volo decided to set up his bed roll outside. He’d never disliked sleeping under the stars. And while there were no stars to be had in the sky at the moment, he still felt more comfortable outdoors.

After that night, he helped Akari meet with the last of the three lake guardians, Mesprit. And after, he followed her up to the summit of Mount Coronet and witnessed as she brought the mighty Palkia, of all creatures, to its knees. And he was with her further still as she was made to retreat until she had what was necessary in order to go through the ordeal of battling the mighty Dialga as well.

While Akari proved herself against the two pokemon heralded as gods by Hisui's clans, Volo snuck off in order to try again to penetrate the rift. But it was as he had feared. Despite the rift being so thin and frail, Giratina simply couldn’t push through. He swore and his mind raced about what it meant for him and his goals. Despite his swimming thoughts, he had to return and rejoice with Akari as if nothing had happened to him at all. He could contemplate his next assault on the rift later.

But following Dialga's capture the rift suddenly closed. Volo cursed silently to himself as he gazed up at the unmarred sky. Was his opportunity really lost after all?! Or was he to try and open another rift? Or perhaps there was something else he ought to try? Perhaps the plates really were what he should be pursuing…

In the end, Akari had proven herself worthy of rejoining the Galaxy Team and earning her place back within the safety of Jubilife Village. In all honesty, Volo found himself in awe of her. A young girl of no more than about sixteen years of age had done so very much in a rather short amount of time. What’s more, she appeared to be rapidly progressing towards the very thing that Volo had spent half of his life reaching for.

But with awe came jealousy. A burning, raging inferno of jealousy. How dare this girl practically be gifted with what Volo had worked so hard to come even somewhat close to?! Yes she was exceptionally talented, but so was Volo! No other in all of Hisui had the sort of command over their pokemon that he had. No other in all of Hisui had the conviction that he had! And no other in all of Hisui had the knowledge that he had…

Akari soon went to Cogita all on her own. Volo joined her again, then. Helping the girl had yielded the strangest of results so far, so surely if he stuck with her even more could be accomplished. Per the mistress's instructions, Akari sought out many of the region’s pokemon of legends. Volo even guided the girl to the few plates that he knew of but hadn't had a chance to seek out personally. All the while Akari continued to call him her husband as she had for months, and Volo never once corrected her. He hated it, but it kept her happy.

And heck, he might have even entertained the idea of actually marrying her! Despite his loathing, every time Akari was flirty with him, or when he would remember her blushing face that night they’d danced, it made his heart flutter. Which only made him angry with himself. Somehow the girl had him reacting like a lonely virgin boy, even though he was far from one!

But that was neither here nor there.

It had been only a year and some months from the time that Akari had fallen from the sky to the time in which she collected the last of the seventeen plates that Volo did not possess. That time seemed to have flown by for Volo while he’d been keeping tabs on her. And it went even more quickly at the end when he’d actually been spending time with her. Akari laughed easily. Smiled easily. Yes she flirted with him and teased him, but she was very open with him even when she was being serious.

What's more, after capturing both Palkia and Dialga, Akari began to remember more and more things from her time. She kept most of it to herself, but whenever she chose to share something, Volo listened. Hearing about the future was almost as intriguing as learning about the past. She spoke of how in the future humans and pokemon would coexist. It would be very normal for people to keep pokemon as pets, or to be walking around with pokeballs and to train pokemon for battles. The battles could be recreational or for serious sport. In fact, there would be certain “trainers” who were noted as being the best of the best, the “Elite”. And above them still would be a “Champion”.

Had Akari been a Champion in her time? Volo had to wonder. She certainly had skill that was unmatched by everyone else that Volo had ever met. But that wasn’t saying a lot considering those in Hisui were still either timid around pokemon or regarded them more as family than as creatures for battle. At the same time, though, Akari had come from the future already extremely skilled in battle. It was hard to believe that her level of talent was normal for a person, even in her time. If she wasn't a Champion, then perhaps Akari had been an Elite? Volo had to scoff at that idea. Could there be somebody more powerful than Akari?

He stopped.

Did he…really think so highly of the girl's ability?

He shook his head. No. No, of course not! He admired her talent, yes. But there was no way he thought she could be the best! After all, he was the best there was. Volo was the mightiest trainer in Hisui! That he was certain of. He hadn't simply been watching Akari for the last year. He too had been training. Growing stronger. Gathering a team of pokemon and taking the utmost of care of them in order to ensure that they were the best of the best. He'd poured his all into them. After all, he’d come to realize that he was going to have to rely on them to get what he wanted even if Akari didn’t get in his way.

Although it was looking more and more like Akari was, in fact, going to end up in his way whether she wanted to or not.

She’d collected the seventeenth plate that Volo needed. And when she did, Volo decided it was time to teach her about a certain special third legendary pokemon; Giratina. At first the girl appeared to be in awe as he gave his little speech about the legend. But the more he talked, the more he noticed a frown painting her features. Before when he would ramble about his passions, she would listen intently and comment on how cute he was when talking about the things he loved. This time, she was decidedly concerned.

Despite her sudden hesitancy towards him, Volo invited Akari to join him at the top of Mount Coronet. At the ruins of the Temple of Sinnoh. There, he told her, they were likely to meet Giratina.

His heart pounded erratically in his chest as he waited atop the mountain for the girl to arrive.

No matter what, things were going to end soon. Only one of them, no, Volo was going to step away from this victorious. And he was going to use the plates to finally meet the one, true god of Hisui. He was going to meet Arceus.

“And I will no longer get to hear Akari call me husband.” he caught himself thinking. He vigorously shook the thought away as soon as it had come. Now was not the time to be thinking such pointless, trivial things!

Once Akari met him at the temple, Volo had to drop his facade. He revealed that the eighteenth plate, the Spooky Plate, had been in his possession the whole time. On top of that, Akari was now the one thing that stood between him and what he had long sought after: Arceus itself. Were he to be able to harness the power of the true “Almighty Sinnoh” then he could remake the world into a better place. Akari’s expression dropped from shock, to hurt, to anger . Volo had never seen her so angry before, but honestly he’d been expecting that. After all, her dear “husband” now openly and selfishly sought to put a stop to her endeavors.

He challenged her to take the last plate from him. Akari met his challenge head on.

Volo had been right about how strong she was. Akari knew what she was doing in a battle better than anyone who called Hisui their home. Whether that was due to her coming from a time when battles were an everyday occurrence between total strangers or if she was exceptional even in her own time no longer really mattered. There wasn’t time to think about all of that. The blows their pokemon threw were fierce, and knock-outs were traded practically every-other turn.

In the end it was Volo’s poor beloved Togekiss that fell last, having been utterly shredded by Akari’s Electivire. In any normal situation that would have meant that Volo must concede defeat. He was beyond stunned. There was no way! There was simply no way that he could have lost! That he was wrong ! And yet there he stood, defenseless against the girl and her last pokemon.

A cold shiver ran down his spine.

No.

No, this was far from over.

Instead of surrendering he had to laugh. Their battle had bought him enough time for reinforcements to arrive. He hadn’t been lying when he said that the Temple of Sinnoh was the best place for them to find Giratina. In fact, he’d picked that location because it was always where he would come to meet with the pokemon for whatever reason. The temple was even where he had first called upon it by name so long ago. Having its name spoken for the first time in an eternity was what had given it the power to leave the world on the reverse side of theirs. Now the eldritch beast once again came to Volo’s call. This time it was prepared to strike down the mere mortal of a human that stood before them.

Although it knew Ice Punch, Akari’s Electivire didn’t stand a chance. It was already hurt and Giratina knew Earth Power. Volo’s victory was about to be assured when Akari used one of the rarest tools the Galaxy Team had brought to Hisui; a max revive. Electivire fell but its trainer was now prepared to continue the battle with her Sylveon. Volo swore under his breath. He had been so close! And he knew better than to underestimate cute pokemon; his ace had been Togekiss, after all.

Having been softened up a bit by Electivire, Giratina fell rapidly to Sylveon. Once again Volo was enraged that he was going to have to surrender. But Giratina surprised everyone. With a mighty cry it tapped into whatever power it had remaining. Somehow the pokemon changed its form to one Volo had only seen it take when it passed through its own rifts. In doing so, it restored its health back to full. Now at what might be considered its full power, Giratina was once again ready to bring down Akari’s pokemon.

Volo wanted to cheer, but he knew better than to celebrate prematurely. He was glad that he waited. Sylveon didn’t last another hit…but Akari had used another one of those damned max revives and brought her Electivire back to full health! The pokemon proved more than enough to once again bring Giratina down.

In a fit, the legendary pokemon did what any sensible wild creature would do when faced with a power greater than its own; it fled. The mighty legendary pokemon of the reverse world Giratina turned tail and retreated to parts unknown, leaving a bewildered Volo to watch it in complete shock and disbelief.

Feeling broken, Volo quietly posed a number of questions to Arceus, though of course he received no answers. Instead he asked Akari if she had something that drove her forward. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from her. She, of course, told him yes.

Reluctantly he handed over the Spooky Plate. She’d won it, after all. There was nothing left for him to try in order to keep hold of it, much less to try and take the rest from Akari.

Before his and Akari’s eyes the plates took an effect on the girl's Celestica Flute, which changed shape. The odd, lumpy object now in her hand caused Volo’s eyes to widen. The Azure Flute. It was an object so ancient and of myth that its name had been buried deep within his memory from the one time he could ever recall reading of its existence. It alone was proof enough that he was never meant to meet Arceus. Not in this way.

But that didn’t stop him from swearing that one day he would stand before Arceus. In his frustration he declared that it didn’t matter how many decades, or centuries , it would take.

He had meant to leave after that. He didn’t know where he was going to go, but he didn’t want to see Akari’s face. The face of everything that had come between him and what he thought would be his happiness. Silently he made for the steps of the Temple of Sinnoh, but he only made it a handful of paces before a pair of arms wrapped around his middle from behind.

“I really did love you…” Akari whispered into his back. “Maybe we could, I don’t know, work together? Like before. I still have a few more pokemon I need to catch. Arceus won’t see me before then. We have time. We could talk-”

“I hate you.” Volo cut her off abruptly. “I’ve always hated you! Now let go of me and leave me alone!”

Akari’s arms fell limply from around him. Volo didn’t need to look back to know how crushed she was. He left her in the ruins without another word from either of them.

It wasn’t until he was far, far away from the girl that he realized he was crying.

"What am I doing…?" He asked himself angrily as he let the tears fall.

*****

Years had passed by the time Volo found the courage to return to Hisui. He wasn’t expecting a warm reception. In fact, he was expecting the exact opposite. Thus he went in disguise. Jubilife Village had expanded greatly, and more of the land had begun to be occupied. The people were also noticeably less hesitant to work alongside pokemon. Already it seemed that things were beginning to shape up the way that Akari had described.

Speaking of the girl, Volo hesitantly began to search for her. He didn’t want it to become known that somebody was asking about her so he only spoke to those he thought might know something but would not have known him. However, it didn’t take him long to come to a disturbing realization. Nobody seemed to know anything about Akari. It didn’t matter how he asked about her; whether he used her name, asked about “the girl who fell from the sky”, or asked about “the girl who had saved Hisui”. Not a single person had any idea who he was talking about.

Becoming nervous, he sought out somebody who absolutely should have known who Akari was. And conveniently it was also the only person he thought he could trust with the knowledge that he was back in the region; Mistress Cogita.

Her little retreat had seen some growth. A dozen or so folks who were interested in learning about Hisui’s history had created a tiny settlement around Cogita’s home. Her tent had been replaced with a modest house to match the other buildings that had been erected in the area.

The woman eyed Volo briefly when he knocked at her door. "I see you have changed. Though you are still very much you. Tell me, what brings you here?"

“I’m looking for Akari.” He stated. “No one can tell me where she is. They all-”

The woman shushed him and glanced around swiftly before ushering Volo into her home. “You won’t find her here.” Cogita informed him as soon as the door was closed behind them. “She’s gone.”

Volo’s eyes widened. “She’d dea-”

“No. I mean she’s gone . As in missing. Our lost one disappeared one day and nobody has seen or heard from her since. What’s more, nobody remembers her. Nobody remembers anything that happened around her. As far as the Galaxy Expedition Team and the Diamond Clan and the Pearl Clan are concerned, they reached a peace treaty on their own after the leaders came to learn that their Almighty Sinnohs were different beings altogether. Something like co-deities. Akari’s name and her feats aren’t known to anyone anymore.”

Volo stared in disbelief. Akari had vanished as suddenly as she had appeared, then? And reality had warped itself around her absence.

“No one remembers you either, child.” Cogita told him as she took a seat at her table. She smirked up at him. “Which means no one should have any hard feelings towards you. I suppose that’s good for you. You could carve out a new life for yourself if you wanted.”

“But if everyone’s forgotten, why do you remember us?” Volo asked her apprehensively.

“Why indeed…?” Cogita shrugged. “I’ve asked myself that many times. Perhaps it is because it is in my nature that I do not forget easily. Though I do not know for certain.”

Volo narrowed his eyes at the woman, skeptical of her words. “Mistress Cogita, who are you really?”

The woman smirked again. “Please do drop the ‘Mistress’ part. I really don’t need it.”

“Answer my question!”

Cogita breathed a sigh. “If you insist. Have a seat, child, this will take some time to explain. And…I suppose it concerns you as well…”

Chapter Text

Cynthia stepped off the ferry and onto the streets of Canalave City. She had just returned to Sinnoh after an overseas trip for an exhibition match with another high profile trainer. She still had a ways to go before she was home in Celestic Town, though. She adjusted the brim of her baseball cap and double-checked that the terrible bun that her long hair was in was secure. Confident that her disguise was still holding, she dragged her suitcase to the nearest coffee shop.

She got a couple of quizzical looks, but no one approached her or said anything while she walked, waited in line at the shop, and then waited on her drink to be made. She wasn’t worried. Champion Cynthia would never wear a t-shirt, sweatpants, and cap. Especially not in public. She’d also not put on any makeup and hadn’t been wearing one of her padded bras. Lastly, while her voice had never been particularly “manly”, it had a tendency to deepen just a tad as soon as she tied her hair up; a strange reflex she’d never seen a reason to put an end to. People might think they recognize her at first glance, but for the most part they all quickly decide that it’s just their imagination.

Her disguise had worked that way for years. Even before Cynthia had met Dawn.

She idly scrolled through her phone while she waited on her coffee. She had a number of texts and emails to read and reply to. It was a part of being Champion that she hadn’t missed while Dawn had held the title. She did her best to ignore them, as she was technically off duty, until she was notified of a new text. A certain high profile trainer lamented her absence, claiming they couldn’t stop thinking about her and how she had ravished them in the privacy of a locker room.

Cynthia smirked. Some would call it trying to fill the empty void in her heart. Others might say she was coping. Others still might claim that she was “moving on”. She called it killing time. After all, just because she was biding her time until her special someone came along didn't mean she couldn't have some fun.

“For V!” the barista called out as they set the drink on the counter.

Cynthia perked up and grabbed her drink. She took a long sip and breathed a sigh at the first hit of caffeine. Her little addiction had gotten worse as of the last few years. Dawn’s disappearance had run her acting skills ragged, and naturally that meant consuming more caffeine in order to cope.

Much had happened since Dawn’s vanishing, the least of which was a wide scale search for Sinnoh’s Champion that lasted for nearly three months. Naturally nothing turned up. Unless somebody happened to have a pokemon with the ability to go back in time, such as the mythical Celebi, on their side there was no way anybody was going to locate the girl. Cynthia was more than aware of this, but she still had to put on a front of the utmost worry and concern.

Cynthia had re-accepted the title of Champion during the girl’s absence. Of all the things that Sinnoh’s Pokemon League had to figure out, that was the easy part. It was a role that she had played for a number of years and she was willing to play it again, and she slipped back into it without a second thought. The public didn’t seem unhappy about the decision, either. In fact some of her more “enthusiastic” fans certainly loved it.

In time the frenzy for the missing girl died down somewhat. There were of course still searches for any clues, and the media and general public never really forgot about Dawn. Her friends and family too continued to ask questions and lead campaigns to find any trace of her. Cynthia, for her part, provided funding for many of the additional searches. She even went so far as to put forward a generous cash reward for anyone who could present information that led to Dawn being successfully located. But as life continued to move on and a few years had passed things dwindled down. Which was very much welcome. The less Cynthia had to keep up the front of worry, the better.

Drinking more of her coffee, she lucked into getting a small corner table to herself. She answered a few messages, browsed some headlines, and generally did some catching up with the world and her life.

That’s when her phone began to ring. Cynthia nearly did a spit-take when the caller ID popped up. Heart hammering in her chest, she quickly got up, grabbed her suitcase, and hurried outside in order to take the call. After all, she couldn’t answer such an important phone call without putting her Cynthia voice back on!

She ducked into a nearby little alleyway before tentatively picking up the call. “He-” her voice broke and she cleared her throat, forcing her voice to sound like Cynthia’s. “Hello…?”

“Hey…” came the voice on the other end. It was quiet, yet unmistakable. “Um… I don’t know how else to say this other than ‘we need to talk’.”

Cynthia had to swallow back the lump that had formed in her throat. She could feel herself shaking like a leaf. When had she last been so nervous!? She couldn’t remember. “Y-Yes! Of course! Where are you? I-I’ll come to you!”

“My villa.”

“Right. I’ll be there soon. Maybe…” Briefly, she considered going straight to the Resort Area from where she was. But Cynthia hardly looked like herself and certainly wasn’t equipped for another long flight. Plus she still had to drop her suitcase off at her home. “Give me four- no- three hours. I’ll be there, but I have to make a stop first.” she assured the other party.

“Take your time. I’ve no plans to leave here until we’ve talked.”

The other party hung up. Cynthia stared at her phone for a long moment. It was her! She sounded different, older, but it was definitely Dawn who had just called her! Cynthia chugged the rest of her drink in her excitement and threw the cup in the nearest trash can. She brought out Togekiss from his pokeball. She gave him some head rubs and a kiss on the forehead before instructing him to hurry and carry her and her suitcase home. Sensing his trainer’s excitement the pokemon eagerly let his trainer onto his back before picking up the suitcase with his feet. Despite his size Togekiss was plenty strong enough to Fly Cynthia and her belongings all the way to Celestic Town.

Once at her home Cynthia fed Togekiss his favorite food so that he could recharge for yet another flight soon. While he recovered Cynthia dug through her suitcase for her makeup bag. She rummaged through her closet for clean clothing and darted into the bathroom to shower and put herself together. By the time she was ready to leave Cynthia had around forty minutes left to make it in the timeframe she’d given Dawn. But Togekiss was refreshed and ready to make the last leg of the trip. And without a suitcase adding weight he could fly even faster.

They landed in the Resort Area with a few minutes to spare. Cynthia thanked her pokemon with more head scratches and another kiss before tucking him back into his pokeball. She then speed-walked to the villa that belonged to Dawn.

Her heart was pounding out of her chest as she stood outside the front door. Her breathing was labored, not from how fast she’d walked but from her nerves. To top it off her hand was shaking something fierce as she tentatively raised it in order to ring the doorbell. She hadn’t seen Dawn in so long. A thousand and one scenarios had gone through her head as to how they would manage to meet again after the girl inevitably returned. Yet standing in front of the door, primed and ready to ring the bell and to see Dawn’s face again, Cynthia had no idea what to expect.

It didn’t even feel real.

She hit the doorbell and heard the distant sound of a pleasant chime playing. Cynthia fidgeted, moving her weight back and forth from one foot to the other as she stood waiting for the door to be opened. Cynthia had been to the villa a few times in the years that Dawn had been missing, but she’d never rang the doorbell in those times. Instead she’d always just let herself in. Others like Barry would always ring it with waning flickers of hope that Dawn would suddenly answer. Of course Dawn never did. But this time was different.

The door opened a crack and a young woman peered through it. She was older than Cynthia had ever known her to be, and yet there was no mistaking her at all. The young woman needed only a glimpse before she threw open the door fully and, before Cynthia could realize what was happening, threw herself against the blonde woman, hugging her tightly.

It took Cynthia half a second to respond, but she smiled and held the young woman tenderly. “Welcome back, Dawn.”

Dawn said nothing for a moment. Cynthia wondered if she might start crying, but to her surprise when the young woman stepped back and looked up at her she looked more angry than anything.

“You knew , didn’t you?” Dawn said, accusatory.

Cynthia’s smile faltered. “I think this is a conversation best had inside.”

Not having an argument against that, Dawn allowed Cynthia into her villa. A number of folks had volunteered to keep the place clean during Dawn’s absence. As such, it was practically immaculate despite not having somebody to reside there for a few years. Cynthia had, of course, been one such volunteer. Which is why she wasn’t surprised by the state of the place. Or rather, she was surprised, but only by the tiny signs of life that she could glimpse here and there.

A small trash can needed to be emptied. Dishes sat in the sink. Throw pillows on the sofa were smushed up and misshapen from having been used recently. Taking in these tiny signs, Cynthia was able to discern one small fact.

“How long have you been back?” she asked softly.

“A couple of days. This is day three.” Dawn admitted. She still seemed upset as she went and sat on her sofa.

Cynthia opted to sit in an armchair. “You’ve had something to eat. Have you gone outside, or does somebody else know you’re back?”

“Barry. And my mom. Barry got me a bunch of takeout and Mom bought me some clothes. They’ve both filled me in on a lot that’s happened, and were both here until late last night. I asked to be left alone for a while. It uh…” Dawn let out a chuckle despite herself, “It wasn’t easy to convince them. But I did.”

“I see…” Cynthia would be lying if she said she wasn’t sad to hear that she wasn’t the first person to know. Even though it made sense that Dawn would reach out to her mother and best friend instead.

“More to the point, you knew about this, didn’t you?” the young woman accused again.

The look that Dawn was levying her way was daring Cynthia to lie. It left the blonde silent for a long minute while she contemplated how to answer the question.

Denying it was pointless. Dawn wasn’t going to let her do that and it would only make her angry. Admitting to knowing everything would be the most truthful, and yet Cynthia didn’t want to be so forward. There was still much about everything that she wanted to keep close to her chest until she absolutely had to talk about it. She could seek more information, but that too was likely to upset Dawn.

“I knew you were going to come back, yes.” Cynthia chose to say at length.

Dawn narrowed her eyes, studying the older woman. “That’s only part of what I meant.”

Of course that wasn’t going to work. Defeated, Cynthia released a sigh. “I… I knew.” she murmured. “I’ve known all along. Or at least, I was quite sure for a long time. And then you vanished. And that’s when I knew.”

“I thought as much…” Dawn stated.

The young woman stood and held out a hand to Cynthia. Puzzled, Cynthia took it and got to her feet. A sharp SMACK echoed through the villa followed by a stinging pain in the blonde’s left cheek. Cynthia hissed and held her face, glaring down at the young woman. She’d been slapped once or twice before, but this was the first time it had seemingly been without cause.

“You knew !” The young woman cried out. “This whole time you knew ! You’ve known everything ! Who I was, what was going to happen to me… That we’ve met before!”

“Stop.” Cynthia hissed out. “One thing at a time, please.” She pulled her hand away from her face. She was certain it was going to be swollen and bruised soon. But she would have to deal with that later. “Let’s get one thing very clear; I am not Volo.”

For a moment Dawn looked taken aback. But only for a moment. “Then how do you know that name? And how do you know that I think you’re him?”

“That’s just it. I’m not him . I am Cynthia. I am her .” Cynthia took in a deep breath. “In body and soul I am Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh Pokemon League. I am not Volo. And-”

“But-”

“What makes you think I would be him? Would he not be over a hundred years old? Do I look to be over a hundred?”

“No but-”

“Dawn. I am Sinnoh’s leading expert on the history of this region. You think I don’t know my own ancestors? Or that somebody closely resembling you once existed in a time long past? When you disappeared, I pieced several things together. It was obvious from the parts I already knew that you had gone to the past. A bit of research was all it took to confirm that you were Akari, a grand figure in my ancestor’s time. That same research led me to believe that you would return one day. Is that really so hard to believe?”

Dawn stared at Cynthia for a moment, dumbfounded. Slowly, she hung her head in shame. “I… I’m sorry. You’re right. For you to be Volo, you’d have to be immortal or something. And that’d just be crazy!” she laughed nervously. “Sorry. I…really don’t know why I’d think something like that.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand how silly you just sounded. Now, if you would let me finish what I was saying earlier,” Cynthia smirked down at the young woman. “I am not Volo. And yet I am completely, undeniably, unequivocally, the very same being as him.”

Dawn’s jaw dropped as she registered what Cynthia had just said to her. After a second of floundering, the young woman raised her hand again to strike the blonde, but this time Cynthia was able to block her before she could get any further than that.

“ Please don’t slap me again.” Cynthia groaned.

“Then tell me the truth!” Dawn shrieked. “Are you or are you not Volo?!”

The blond sighed and rubbed at her forehead. This was becoming a headache, and she didn’t want one of those on top of her throbbing cheek. “I suppose if it answers your question and helps you understand what I’m saying, then yes. I am the Volo that you know.” she stated. Dawn’s eyes widened, and Cynthia quickly continued before the young woman could get a word in. “But I haven’t been ‘Volo’ in ages. I gave up that name a long, long time ago. Long before I became Cynthia. I’ve gone through quite a few names between then and now, each marking a fairly distinct chapter of my life. Chapters I prefer to keep separate from one another.” She shrugged one shoulder. “But it seems that Volo’s and Cynthia’s chapters are bound to intertwine…”

Dawn took a step back. And then another. She slowly sat back down on the sofa, looking completely dumbfounded. Cynthia took that as her cue to sit down again as well. She gave the young woman a moment to process what she’d said before adding,

“For the record, Cynthia is in her thirties. But I am in fact very much older than that. Just like I said, I am well over a hundred years old. I suppose you would like to know how that’s possible.”

Dawn slowly nodded. “That would be a good place to start.”

“In truth, I don’t truly know. My grandmother, or rather, Mistress Cogita tells me that a rare few of our bloodline are gifted with very, very long lives. She isn’t truly my grandmother, but in a sense we are related. She and I both carry the blood of the ancient Sinnoh people in our veins. There are others out there who do, too, but as far as we can tell we’re the only two alive who are ‘gifted’ in this way.”

“Did you…know about this when you…” Dawn shook her head. “How long have you known?”

“It was after I’d returned to Hisui that I learned of it. And that was, perhaps fortunately, after you’d already been sent back here, to our current time. I’d inquired about you to no avail. History has forgotten about you, as well as Volo. I and Mistress Cogita only remember it because time and its paradoxes don’t quite affect us the same way.”

Dawn was silent for a long minute. A contemplative look remained on her face the entire time and Cynthia watched it closely, trying to see if she could read what the young woman was thinking about. In truth Cynthia hated talking about all of this. And she knew that more of her secrets were about to be dragged up. Yet for some reason she felt assured about it. Sure, her heart was hammering in her chest and every last nerve in her body was on fire with anxiety, but she felt certain that no matter what by the end of their conversation things were going to be settled one way or another.

“So you didn’t know when you…did all of that.” Dawn stated.

Cynthia shook her head. “I had no idea.”

“But you don’t look much different than you did. And you were, what, at least twenty?”

To that Cynthia actually laughed. “Around there, yes. Aging is not exactly a straight line for me. Since you last saw Volo I’ve gained…somewhere between six and ten years, I’d guess? I believe I stopped aging in line with most people around twenty-four, which was a bit after you’d last seen him. Since then it sometimes goes slowly, and sometimes it goes a lot more slowly. That’s why I’ve been adamant to not give Cynthia an exact age. I only give approximates based on my looks and how long I’ve been in the public eye.”

“I see…” Once again Dawn fell silent. This time, though, her contemplative look appeared more torn. Like something was weighing heavy on her heart, rather than trying to decide what she should inquire about. “You said I was already sent back to the present. So you’ve lived all of those years that I just skipped over. And you… You knew who I was when we first met. When Cynthia first met me, as Dawn.”

Cynthia sighed again. “I suppose I haven’t answered that properly… Yes and no. When I first met you I couldn’t be sure. The girl that Volo knew was Akari, not Dawn. Yet the resemblance was uncanny. I’ll admit that I made it a goal of mine to get to know you better. And in doing so I became almost certain that you had to be the same person. But it wasn’t until you’d suddenly disappeared without a trace that I knew . And I also then knew that one day you’d come back, seeing as you had already disappeared by the time Volo returned to Hisui. I can piece together clues. I’d always assumed that you’d returned to this time right now. And I was right.”

Dawn’s gaze was on her knees as she murmured. “You wanted to get to know me?” The young woman turned a glare up at the blonde. “You’re cruel!” Her voice cracked as she shouted. “Cynthia, the last thing you ever told me before I called you this morning was that you hate me! I’ve spent years replaying that moment over and over in my head! Do you have any idea how horrible I’ve felt?!”

She couldn’t help it, Cynthia rolled her eyes as she groaned. “I knew this was going to come up…”

“Of course it would! Did you think I was lying?! I meant it when I said I really did love you! And you said you hated me! And then when you met me as a child you went and befriended me just to see if I was the girl who’s heart you’d broken so callously. Oh my Arceus, I’ve shared so much with you! My first crush, my first rejection… And you’ve just been, what, laughing at me all this time?! Did you think it was hilarious that this girl, whom you knew was going to fall in love with you in another time and you knew you were going to reject in the cruelest way, thought of you as a friend?! So what? Are you still laughing at me, even now? Is this whole conversation pointless? Do you still hate me?”

“Yes, I do.”

Dawn stared at Cynthia, completely bewildered. She blinked and tears began to stream down her cheeks. “Wh- What the h-”

“I don’t know if you realize this, Dawn, but you keep getting in my way. First you show up and ruin everything I had worked my whole life for. You went and stood in the way of my meeting Arceus! To this day I haven’t forgiven you for that! And then, as if that wasn’t enough, you came along and stole away my title as Champion! Now, granted, becoming Champion was hardly a lifelong goal of mine, and in truth I’m really not attached to the title. But it’s the principle of the thing. Of course I hate you for that!”

Dawn hung her head. “I can’t believe you…”

“Maybe not. But I’m not about to lie just to make you feel better. There are days I remember how close I was to meeting Arceus and then can do nothing but anguish over what might have been.” Cynthia paused in order to take in a long breath. “But then, on those days I always, inevitably, come to the same conclusion. It’s for the best that you got in my way. Arceus knew what my intentions were, and it acted in order to stop me. It sent you, a trainer who had already bested me in battle in another time, to stop me. I may not have always known why it chose you for the job, but it remains the same that it did so for a reason. And the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that if I had succeeded in meeting it then everything would be very different. I really would have reshaped this world to fit my own selfish ideals.” She eyed the young woman. “Do you remember what I told Cyrus in the Distortion World?”

Dawn nodded without looking up.

“Those are words that I’ve told myself tens of thousands of times or more. In truth, there are still days I struggle to hold onto that belief, but it is a belief I strive to one day hold whole-heartedly.” The blonde leaned back in her chair. “The things I did back then were wrong. That much I don’t have a hard time knowing for a fact.”

“And yet you still hate me.” The young woman’s words were soft. Barely a whisper. “Then were you just mocking me when I told you about how Barry rejected me?”

“I would never!” Cynthia declared sternly. “As for still hating you, for those things, yes. But in general? I have a rather different opinion of you. Dawn, you’re an incredible young woman. Be it defeating me and becoming Champion, or bringing Team Galactic to their knees, or rescuing all of Hisui from me while capturing every pokemon that called it their home… It’s hard not to be in awe of you. Not to mention you’re a fiercely loyal friend with a kind heart. And…” The blonde could feel her heart flutter briefly as she cast a warm smile towards the young woman. “I would be lying if I said I truly hated it when you called me your husband.”

Dawn blushed, but a sharp frown quickly ruined it. “Don’t think we’re all good just because you brought up how cringey I was two years ago.”

“Of course I don’t think that.” Cynthia sighed. “I don’t think anything I say or do could ever make up for what I’ve said and done to you. I’m only being honest with you.”

The young woman snorted derisively. “For once in your life.”

The blonde nodded. “For once in my life.”

Dawn eyed her guest carefully, once again in contemplation. “You wouldn’t happen to have a scrunchie or something, would you?”

Cynthia blinked at her in surprise. “I usually carry a hair tie with me…” She searched her pockets and found that she had remembered to shove one in before leaving her house despite her hurry. “Why?”

“Could you put your hair up? No offense, but there’s something else I want to say and it’s throwing me off to be looking at a woman instead of a man. Maybe putting it up will make you look more like him?”

To that the blonde chuckled again. “Alright. I’m not offended by that. When you live as long as I have things like gender start to feel a bit meaningless anyway.” It took her a minute, considering she had a lot more hair than she did back when she was known as Volo. Even once she finally had it sufficiently tied into something resembling a bun it hardly looked the way it did back then. When she spoke again, her voice had done what it always did and dropped in pitch. Just a little bit. Just enough to better suit the sound that Dawn would expect to escape from Volo’s lips. “Better?”

Once again the young woman blushed. “Y-Yeah…” she murmured.

“Now, what did you want to say?”

It took Dawn a second to find her voice. “Why did you leave Hisui?”

Of all the things Cynthia had thought she might say, that was not one of them. Taken aback, Cynthia breathed a long sigh. “I… I couldn’t stomach being here anymore. Not after the defeat I’d suffered. And I knew that I couldn’t stand to see your face any longer. So I ran. It took years before I felt like I was ready to set foot here again. Ready to possibly face you again. But by then you’d already been sent back here, to the time where you belong.”

“I still think we could’ve worked something out, you know.”

Cynthia shook her head. “No. We couldn’t have. Not after what I’d said to you, and not when there was still so much anger in my heart. Anger that I’m still working on letting go of.”

Dawn hung her head again. “I see… I suppose you’re right.”

“If I may change the subject? Dawn, you’ve been gone for around three years. Your mother and Barry know you’re back and you say they’ve filled you in on some things, but coming back into society is going to be difficult. The League and everyone else is going to have a lot of questions. What are you planning on telling them?”

It was the young woman’s turn to groan and she ran both of her hands down over her face. “I don’t know! Believe me, I’ve been thinking about that, too. There’s so much I need to catch up on and so much I need to do. Did you know Barry’s trying to grow a beard?! I didn’t. He looks so weird! I’m sure everyone else has changed, too. It’s going to be throwing me off for a while.”

“To be fair, you’ve also changed. I’ve known you from the ages of twelve to sixteen. You’re about eighteen now, right?”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah.”

“I thought as much. It’s going to be an adjustment for everyone, not just you.”

“But that’s only one thing. I’ve got lots I’m going to need to get used to.”

“True. Well, for now, get settled back into this time. I’m sure the League will be chomping at the bit to take you back. But don’t let them pressure you into doing anything you’re not ready to.” Cynthia offered the young woman what she hoped was a heartfelt smile. “And for what it’s worth, I’ll be here if you need anything.”

“Right. Thank you.” The young woman cracked a smile. “Really. Thanks. I’m… I’m still mad at you. Just so you know. But I appreciate the support.”

Slowly, Cynthia got to her feet again. She held a hand out to Dawn. “Of course. I’ll support you however I can. If nothing else, think of it as my way of attoning for what I’ve done.”

Cautiously, Dawn took her hand. The young woman allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. Without exchanging so much as a word the two held each other and fell into step in a slow, careful dance. Cynthia led them, though she didn’t have a set pattern to their steps. She simply allowed the mood to guide them. Dawn’s smile took longer to appear than before, but eventually it did. And with it Cynthia felt her own mood lifting. She twirled the young woman and lifted her, adding complexity to their movements. Their pace picked up, and eventually a bubble of laughter escaped Dawn. Cynthia could feel her heart melting at the sound. Dawn’s laughter became more frequent and heartfelt the more that they danced, and Cynthia was hard pressed to end their dance at all.

Her most important person had finally come back to her! And not only that, she was closer to the girl that Cynthia had known her to be when she’d first met the young woman so, so long ago.

The blonde twirled Dawn one last time before dipping her. Just as the first time that Volo had ever done so, Dawn’s laughter was cut short as a blush overtook her face.

“Uh… Hi.” the young woman squeaked out.

“Cute.” Cynthia thought as she smiled down at her. “Hi.”

“You uh… You really do look like him.”

“I should hope I do.” The blonde replied.

“I’m…going to have to get used to the fact that I can find a woman to be pretty, aren’t I?”

Cynthia chuckled. “Aren’t women usually the ones described as pretty, though?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know.”

Cynthia brought Dawn back up to her feet. One each of their hands were still joined as Dawn looked down at the floor and Cynthia gazed down at her.

“I’m so confused…” Dawn admitted. “I’m mad at Volo, but I’m happy Cynthia’s here for me. I haven’t forgiven Volo, but Cynthia’s always been so genuinely kind to me. I was in love with Volo, but now Cynthia’s starting to look really pretty to me. And more than anything, I know that I probably shouldn’t be dwelling on this sort of thing when I have to get much more important parts of my life figured out first.”

“Dawn,” Cynthia spoke in order to get the young woman to look up at her, “You’re absolutely right about needing to deal with more important things first. Like I said, I’ll be here for you if you need me. And perhaps, when you’ve got those things figured out, we could talk about us more. Whatever ‘us’ means.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Dawn nodded. “That makes sense.”

Cynthia loosened her grip on Dawn’s hand, as she was about to suggest that she leave. But Dawn suddenly tightened her own grip and almost had to pull Cynthia down a bit in order to press a kiss to the blonde's cheek. The young woman’s face was burning red when she stepped back again.

“I’ll call you.”

The blonde grinned down at her. “I look forward to it! You’re my favorite customer, after all!”

For that, Dawn lightly punched Cynthia in the arm as the older woman laughed.

*****

It took a while for Dawn to get her life in order again. The League was indeed excited to have their Champion back, but Dawn held firm that she wasn’t ready to take over again yet; that she and her pokemon needed time to become a proper team again. It took a couple of months, but once she gave the okay an official battle was held between her and Cynthia that ultimately and predictably ended in the blonde’s defeat. Cynthia once again relinquished the title to the young woman.

After that it seemed that the world, not just Sinnoh, was in a fever to see Dawn and hear her story. They found it unbelievable that Sinnoh’s Champion had been abducted to the past to a time before Sinnoh had gotten its current name. But despite the pressure to tell as much as possible, Dawn always stuck to the basics when she recounted the story; that she was abducted, that she was sent back to Hisui, and that she helped the people of that time come to understand pokemon better. She denied any knowledge of why she was abducted, and claimed that her memory of the whole event was fuzzy and that she couldn’t recall much more than that. Cynthia knew that to be a lie but kept it to herself. She knew better than anyone that Dawn had her reasons for keeping secrets.

And through it all, Cynthia was little more than a bystander. A background piece off to the side to occasionally pull in more views. Sure she was asked questions about how much she knew of Dawn’s abduction, but she only repeated the things that Dawn herself had said publicly. What’s more, other figures such as Barry and Lucas were more popular interview targets since the two of them appeared closer to the young woman to the outside world. Which Cynthia was more than fine with. She was adept at lying about her past, but the fewer chances there were to slip up, the better.

It wasn’t until things had settled down and Dawn had turned nineteen that the young woman finally reached out to contact Cynthia of her own accord. She sent a text message late at night that simply read “Can we talk?” Cynthia smiled down at her phone as she read the message. She was just getting ready for bed, so she asked how Dawn wanted to talk. The young woman was quick to answer that she would prefer doing it in person and they set up a time and place to meet.

That weekend Cynthia donned her favorite disguise in order to meet Dawn at a coffee shop in Sunyshore City. The irony that her disguise made her look far more like Volo than Cynthia did not escape her. In fact, she might have intentionally invoked it to a small extent. She arrived at the meeting place just a few minutes early and waited outside. It didn’t take long for Dawn to show.

“Hey…” Dawn spoke softly.

“Good morning.” Cynthia replied with a smile that caused the young woman to blush.

“I’m going to have to get used to seeing you like this, aren’t I?” she grumbled.

Cynthia chuckled and wagged a finger at her. “I prefer to keep business and my private life separate, you know? This is an easy way to do that.”

“You’re doing it to toy with me.” Dawn said flatly.

“I won’t deny that that’s part of it.” Cynthia stated with a wink. “Now, shall we go inside and find us a private corner to talk?”

Instead of replying, Dawn made for the door. Cynthia opened it for her and the two stepped in. They placed their drink orders and Cynthia and paid for them without any fuss from Dawn. She gave the barista the nickname “V” to call when their drinks were ready. After which the two of them found a table off to one side.

“You go by V, then?” Dawn asked.

“For the most part. I don’t like using the name ‘Volo’ when I don’t have to. But I don’t want some variation of ‘Cynthia’ either. That makes it too obvious.”

“Why not use another name entirely?”

Cynthia shrugged. “What if maybe one day I want to use that name for another version of myself? I’ve already been through several names.”

“Right.”

The two exchanged simple pleasantries for a minute. Asking how the other was doing and how their lives were going. Dawn expressed that she was happy things had slowed down and not many people were clambering for her story anymore. Cynthia explained that she had done a bit of traveling for herself, which she found to be a nice change from traveling for business. When the barista called for V, Cynthia got up and retrieved their drinks.

“Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?” Cynthia asked as she sat back down.

“I…” Dawn sighed and took a sip of her drink. “I was thinking. About you, about me… We still haven’t finished that discussion.”

Cynthia had a feeling that’s what their talk was going to be about. That didn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat upon hearing it from the young woman. “Ah. Of course. Well, what sort of things were you thinking about?”

“I’m still mad at you, you know.”

“I figured as much. If a couple of years hadn’t rid you of that, then a few months wouldn’t have made much difference.”

Dawn eyed her drink. “I have to ask; you said you didn’t hate it when I called you my-” she cleared her throat, “my husband. Did you really feel nothing but hatred for me? Was Akari really just somebody who was in your way? Or at best just a tool to get what you wanted?”

Cynthia shook her head. “You would ask me that.” she sighed. “No, I didn’t hate it when you called me your husband. In fact, in some ways I found it endearing. I had never been want for admirers, but your relentless pursuit of me was interesting. It certainly spiced up the time I spent keeping an eye on your progress with the plates. I must admit though that I became mad at myself for letting it affect me as much as it did. ” She took a large gulp of her coffee. “For example, I distinctly remember entertaining the idea of actually marrying you at one point, and not altogether disliking the idea.”

That had Dawn’s face turning red in a hurry. “You what ?!” she shrieked. Several heads turned to see what the fuss was about, which resulted in Dawn shrinking back into her seat in shame and sipping at her drink again.

“Is it really so surprising?” Cynthia asked after the attention was off of them. “I never told you to stop, did I?”

“N-No…” Dawn admitted. “But after you said you hated me, I thought maybe that was only because it was easier to use me if I thought I had a chance.”

The blonde frowned. “That’s…not untrue, too. At the very least, that’s how it started. It’s easier to manipulate somebody if they feel strongly about you. I did use your infatuation with me for my benefit. And for that you have my sincerest apologies.”

Dawn frowned. “You say it so easily…”

“I’ve had many long years to think about it.”

There was a pause before Dawn murmured, “You know I was only fifteen or sixteen, right?”

“Dawn, back then that was plenty old enough to get married. I didn’t think anything of it.”

“You know I’m only nineteen now, right?”

Cynthia smirked. “And that’s plenty old enough to get married in this time!”

The young woman blushed again. “That’s not what I meant!” she hissed.

“Oh? But that’s what we were talking about.”

“I meant more… You’re ‘in your thirties’. I’m nineteen. Right off the bat people are going to find that weird. What’s more, I’m going to keep aging like a normal person. You’re not. You’re going to far outlive me.”

“I would outlive anyone I could take as a lover.” Cynthia pointed out. “I’ve had enough time to come to terms with that. It’ll hurt, of course, but it’s something I understand and accept about myself. As for the age difference, let haters hate. I’m too old for that to matter.”

“I’m not…” Dawn mumbled.

“...Fair point.” the blonde relented. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves though, Dawn. We’re talking about marriage. That shouldn’t necessarily be a thing on our radar. What matters right now is, what do you want to do about us? You know our past together is full of rough patches. And I’m sure you know it likely won’t be smooth sailing if we go forward with anything. We’ve both grown, and we both clearly care about each other, but we’re still those people we once were. We’re bound to butt heads somewhere eventually.”

“I’ve never dated someone seriously.” Dawn stated. “I mean, Rei and I briefly sort of had a thing going. We never even kissed, though. We just held hands and kind of spent a lot of time together. I’m not sure I ever loved him. A crush, sure, but that’s as far as that went.”

“But you loved Volo.” Cynthia pointed out.

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Dawn’s lips. “I did.”

“If he hadn’t said he hated you, would you still love him?”

“...Probably. I was distraught when he left, even after he was so cruel to me. Finishing the pokedex without him popping up now and then was harder than it should’ve been.”

“And what about me? Do you love me?”

Dawn looked up at the blonde and studied her face. “I… I don’t know. I like you, that’s for sure. You were like an older sister to me. But that was before I met Volo. And I’m older now. And while it’s definitely something you cover up well, there’s still parts of you that are very much him . Like your expressions, for example. You’ve got the same smile, the same smirk, the same look of shock, the same frown… It’s a little disorienting.”

Cynthia eyed the young woman as she spoke. Slowly, she reached across the table and placed a hand on top of Dawn’s. “Let’s go somewhere else, shall we?”

A little confused, Dawn complied. They finished off their drinks and left the coffee shop. Cynthia hadn’t any particular place in mind for them to go. She only wanted it to be more private than the shop. They wandered down to the beach, which had a few people hanging about, but it was few enough that Cynthia thought they might better be able to talk without being overheard.

“Volo was in love with Akari, whether he liked it or not.” Cynthia admitted softly as they stared out at the waves. “I’ve waited more than a century to see you again. When I first met you, Dawn, I was overjoyed. My most important person had come back to me. And now, seeing you as an adult, I’m so very happy that I waited for you. You’re my Akari, Dawn. Through and through you’re my Akari. You’re the same, but a little different. And that’s okay. In time I’m sure I could come to love you just as much as I did before, if not more.”

Dawn was blushing yet again. “I… I loved Volo. And I still do. So I think… I think I could love you, too.”

“I have to ask; do you still not forgive Volo? Do you not forgive me?”

The young woman shook her head. “No, I don't.”

“But you still want to see where this leads us?”

For a moment Dawn didn’t answer. She thought about it for a second before looking up at Cynthia with a small grin on her face.

“Define ‘this’.”

Cynthia smiled back at her. “This little romance of ours.”

“That depends, could I still call you my husband? Or am I going to have to get used to, apparently, being bi real quick and call you my wife? Or…should I not call you that at all because it’s too much?”

Cynthia had to laugh at that. “Husband or wife or anything else is fine with me. Like I said, gender starts to feel a bit pointless when you’ve lived as long as I have.”

“Well then, I would love to give us a try,” she was grinning up at the blonde despite the pink blush dusting her face, “my pretty husband Cynthia!”

Cynthia lifted her cap from her head and dropped it in the sand somewhere behind her. Without a word she took Dawn’s hand and gave the young woman a twirl before dipping her low. Dawn hardly had time to blush any deeper before Cynthia leaned down and captured her lips in a tender kiss.