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Twenty-two years ago, Cynthia was presented with a problem. A trolley is rolling down the tracks, threatening to kill five people tied to it, however, you can pull the lever to divert the train and kill two people instead. They call it the trolley problem.
Since that day she was presented the problem, Cynthia would toss it and turn it over in her head. She, personally, would pull it. Yet everyone says something different, and it says a tiny bit about everyone.
The lake guardians’ apprentices were no different from this observation.
When she asked the child of willpower, she said she wouldn’t pull the lever. Dawn reasoned she couldn’t handle the grief that came with being directly responsible for people’s deaths. However, more interestingly, Dawn said she was thought of two best friends on those tracks. Cynthia would clarify to her that they were two strangers, but her answer still stayed the same. Those were still Lucas and Barry on those tracks. Cynthia sighed when she answered, such a resolute answer fitted the child of willpower.
When she asked the child of knowledge, he said he would pull the lever. Lucas reasoned he could live with the guilt of pulling it, having killed them himself. More people should live, more people have families after all. More people would grieve. It’d be all his fault, but that’s ok. You can’t save everyone, so you should save as many as possible. Turning the other way would make him feel as bad as pulling the lever. Cynthia hummed when he answered, such an honest answer fitted the child of knowledge.
When she asked the child of emotion, he said he would do neither. Barry reasoned he would try and save everyone. He would throw himself in front of that trolley, throw caution to the wind. God forbid it doesn’t stop, the impact it makes would be enough to stop the trolley he thinks. He has strong bones, after all. Not minding how concerned his answer made her, Cynthia reminds him he has only two options, but Barry questions why he can’t. Everyone should live after all. Cynthia sighed when he answered, such a chaotic answer fitted the child of emotion.
Cynthia finds herself sitting at her desk, thinking back to those three’s answers. She stared out her window, recalling what a certain man answered.
Just like the child of knowledge, he would pull the lever. Its only logical to save as many people. No further elaboration was needed to him. Such a cold answer, yet one that didn’t surprise Cynthia. Emotions and attachments was such a pointless thing to him, it made sense.
How ironic it was to see the apprentice of emotion step up to the plate to be his retainer on that day.
Cynthia exhaled.
She stared at the triangle formed by three brightest stars in the sky. She thought about the day she and two of those children journeyed into the distortion world. All to save the world, and their friend.
She remembered Cyrus journeying further into the distortion world. She remembered the children pleading with Giratina to give them back their friend. She remembered how, even with their friend back, they still retain eternal memories etched into their bodies.
She wondered if she could’ve done more. Perhaps she could’ve stopped Cyrus from doing it all sooner. Arceus was watching down on her, after all.
Cynthia huffed and sat up from her desk.
Perhaps she wouldn’t be able to handle the lever’s grief after all.
How foolish of her.