[ Birth Island - Pokemon Center ]

[ Call Room ]

After a few moments of rather tense silence, Austin was starting to feel uncomfortable.

" I am sorry for your loss, my boy." Professor Oak said as he looked down.

" Thank you for your words, professor but I called you to ask for a favor."

" Is something wrong? " Professor Oak asked with concern visible on his face.

" It is nothing too serious. I have sent you a few numbers, can I ask you to inform my friends that I am fine ?"

" I can do that but what is stopping you, my boy." Professor Oak curiously asked but his curiosity stopped suddenly as he saw the intense look on Austin's face.

" Are you alright ?" Professor Oak's worried tone snapped Austin back to reality as he smiled and said," I am very busy taking care of everything here so I can't call me."

" ( ~ Sigh ~ ) Ash, my boy if you are not comfortable speaking your mind to me, that is completely understandable but please don't lie to this old man."

Austin brushed his hair to the side as he said," I am sorry, professor but I can't talk to them. I tried to build up the courage but my mind goes blank with only one thought remaining; they caused Raticate's Death."

Austin at the end of his words was reduced to crying as deep down he knew that it wasn't their fault for what happened but in his current state of mind, he couldn't help but blame them.

If they had listened to him, then Raticate would have lived.

If only they had listened to him.

Professor Oak looked at Austin's shaky hands as he said," I will call your friends to tell them the good news but my boy please don't blame them for your loss."

" I know professor, I .... know."

" Ash, I will deactivate your pokemon carrying limit. Take this time to clear your head, and spend some time with your pokemon. Life is never easy my boy, we always experience loss and happiness; that is a part of life, and Ash, don't lose yourself in anger and blame others when you get hurt. I know you're strong and I know you will go throw this obstacle in life."

" .... Thank you for your words, Professor."

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" So… what do you plan to do next, Austin?" Cynthia asked casually, seated opposite the raven-haired trainer in the Pokémon Center Cafeteria.

"Austin?" Cynthia repeated.

"Huh?" Austin asked, taken off-guard as Cynthia's voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"It is an offense to be thinking about something else when you have a lady sitting in front of you. You do know that, right?" The blonde-haired girl teased.

Austin mumbled something, before getting his words out. "I didn't know that Champions were known as Lords and Ladies?"

Cynthia let out a shrill laugh. Austin decided he liked it.

"They aren't." The Sinnoh Champion answered. "I am the heiress of an old clan. People of my stature are usually referred to as Lords and Ladies, at least that's what my nannies and my professors have taught me."

"Clan?" Austin asked, bewildered.

Cynthia arched an eyebrow. "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

Austin shook his head.

The girl sighed. "There are several old families in the pokémon world, you know, some of which are rather old, rich, and influential, and have a deeper relationship with pokémon than most. Steven, for instance, is from the Stone family, who has had a deep relationship with all of the Metagross colonies all over the world. The Stone Family has complete rights to any and all Metagross colonies, and are responsible for their protection."

"Then, of course, there are the Blackthorns of Unova, involved in the breeding of Hydreigon. Lance is from the Wataru Clan, famous for their relation to Dragonite. You will usually find most clans to be connected with some or other pseudo-legendary pokémon."

"Oh." It all sounded pretty interesting. Besides, it told him just how much was there about the world that he didn't know. "What about yours?"

"My family is related to the Blackthorns." Cynthia admitted, "Though, in later centuries, we became our own independent family, the Shirona. Our family isn't connected with any pseudo-legendary per se, but we are involved in a lot of research on the Unown, precisely their connection with Palkia and Dialga, the rulers of Space and Time."

Austin stared at her wide-eyed. "Rulers of Space and Time... Palkia and Dialga..."

' Jackpot !' Austin thought.

Cynthia chortled mirthfully at that.

"What's so funny?" Austin returned, his awe shifting to a scowl. He certainly didn't want to come across as an ignorant idiot.

"More than half of Sinnoh is filled with runic monoliths about Dialga and Palkia. Maybe if you were to visit Sinnoh sometime, I can show you."

"I'd like that." Austin grinned. "I was reading a book at the center about legends and it said that Sinnoh and Hoenn had a lot of mutual history."

"Uh-huh, they do." Cynthia agreed. "Which book was it?"

"Hoenn: Myths and Legends." He answered. "Found it in the center."

Cynthia's eyes sparkled with interest. "Oh, that one? It's pretty good for beginners. If you are interested in the Legends, I could send you some quality reading material you know."

"Considering everything, I thought it might be helpful," Austin murmured.

"Yeah, you seem to come across them with startling frequency. I'm jealous."

Austin stared at her, impassive.

"Seriously," Cynthia admitted. "I have spent a major part of my life staring at the ruins, wondering how it must be to see the Legends face to face. And you seem to work your way through their residences."

"Coincidental," Austin assured her even though he knew it was his destiny to meet every legendary and mythical in existence if the events of the movies happen in this world.

"Perhaps." The girl countered. "I'm almost wishing to leave my job and travel with you if that means I get to come across legendaries."

Austin stared at her with disbelief. "You would leave your Champion status to travel?"

"Why not?" Cynthia countered. "Well, I would have… but right now, there are some things I need to take care of. Maybe after a year or so, when it is a little more… peaceful, I guess… I'll resign from my position to try my luck at another league for a change."

"Wow…" Austin breathed. "And here I was thinking that being the Champion was the supreme achievement in life."

"Hardly." Cynthia snorted. "Honestly, there are dozens of things I'd rather be doing. Researching the legends is one of them. However, I have been crowned Champion and have some duties to perform, challenges to accept, and my position to defend. This… time, that I am spending with you now… is possibly my last vacation before a busy year of work."

"Well, then shouldn't you be at home or with family right now?"

She gave him a blank stare. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, you just said that this is your last vacation. Shouldn't you spend it with… you know, people close to you?"

Cynthia stared at him as if trying to memorize his facial features to the Tee. "Sometimes I wish to have you dissected and examined."

"Huh?" Austin panicked. "What for?"

"No reason. Scientific curiosity I guess." The blonde girl waved it away. "Never mind. Tell me, what do you plan to do next?"

Austin got the impression that she had just made a joke, and that it was on him. "Well, there's Sulphur Island close by. I was thinking of… you know… training with my pokémon for the next week or so. Get my mind off everything that had happened and then I am going to bury Raticate in Lavender Tower."

"Oh," Cynthia muttered, somewhat lost in her thoughts.

"What are you going to do?" Austin asked.

"I…." The blonde-haired girl didn't know how to answer that question. "I suppose I'll just aid you in training your pokémon then, considering there isn't pretty much on the line."

"You would?" Austin repeated, slack-jawed, awed by the fact that a Champion had casually offered him training aid. It was possibly the best thing he could ever expect. "Allow me to train with you, I mean."

Cynthia blinked. Twice. "Not exactly…. I don't think you can… well, train with me."

"Oh." A happy face is gone now.

"Not because I don't want to train alongside you, or anything, Austin."

He looked up, puzzled. "I know my pokémon aren't as trained or powerful as yours, but I-"

"It's not about that, Austin. You misunderstand." Cynthia explained. "Pokémon that are on similar levels can train with each other. My team has gone through rigorous training over the past four years, and they still do. Your pokémon, no offense meant, isn't simply ready for that level of conditioning."

He didn't have to like it, but he agreed with her explanation.

"However, as Steven must have told you, your way of battling is very similar to my own, though it is… for lack of a better word, a little too all over the place, if I am being direct. Then again, considering your own time as a trainer, it is hardly your fault. So, I believe what I can help you with is in… optimizing your team a little along with adjusting your current style of battle so that they can perform better when you return to Kanto."

"You would do that for me?" Austin gasped.

Cynthia opened her mouth and then closed it, scowling. "Yeah… I would."

"Cool." Austin grinned, his enthusiasm contagious, ignoring the dark scowl that marred her face for a moment. "I have a lot of plans for their training, and some specific move sets that should allow them better chances at fighting."

And here I thought we would be spending some time together. Cynthia didn't say. "Austin, I wanted to talk to you about-" She hesitated.

"About?"

"… Nothing." She breathed out. " Did Mewtwo want you to join him ?"

Austin's words fell short, as he looked away. "Yes, he did."

" So, what did you reply with ?"

" Obviously no, wait; did you think I would say yes and become some kind of supervillain who wants to trap the entire world in an eternal illusion of bliss."

Cynthia looked at her friend with a blank expression before saying," Ok then Mr. Ketchum let's see your supervillain laugh."

Austin cleared his throat as he remembered his favorite laugh from one piece.

The laugh of one of his favorite villains Donquixote Doflamingo.

" Fuffuffuffuffuffuffu ."

Pikachu gave his trainer a look while Cynthia was quite impressed with the laugh.

" So how was it ?"

" 7/10 "

" Oh! Come on, it was at least a 9/10 ."

" 6.9/10"

" Ok, ok, you don't have to decrease it."

" 6.8/10."

" Now I know you are just messing with me."