Cynthia x Reader: A Journey of Two

Chapter 10: A New Menace

Another two days have passed on your hiking trail to the peak of mount Coronet, facing more twists and turns at every corner up the mountain. You're sure that everyone else, including Cynthia, is starting to get tired of scaling rock after rock; even with boots, the unforgiving unevenness and roughness of the cave walls and floors would make you feel no less pain if you were barefoot. That being said, Gabite and Pupitar were another story altogether. The two constantly one upped each other at every opportunity, and in every act they could think of.

Meanwhile, you and Cynthia were barely holding on to your souls by the time you found another place to rest and sit down. Wiping the dust off your brow, you turn to check on her, who's laying down on a particularly large rock with her arms outstretched. Noticeably, her navel is showing below her sweater, though she's too burnt out to do anything. This is probably not a good idea, but it's also the only one you can think- yeah, this isn't a good idea. But you're gonna try anyway. You slowly but surely put your palm on her stomach and give it a light pat. It's surprisingly soft... No, no, don't make this any weirder than it is. She jerks up and hastily covers it, looking to you in startled confusion.

"Wait, w-what was that for? [Y/N]? I thought something jumped on me! Did you need something, or *huff* were you trying to-?"

"N-no, it's nothing like that! But your... Belly was showing, and I couldn't figure how to tell you properly. Sorry, that was too direct."

She holds down her sweater firmly and tries to look annoyed, just to feel drowsy again. Bags are forming around her eyes on the lack of sleep she's been getting. You're starting to think this is too much on her, but if you hadn't gone so far up, the journey down would still be possible. You sigh, and decide to have Gabite carry your equipment. She's decently fast and wouldn't slow you down, even with the added load. However, the reason for this is...

You sling both Cynthia's arms around your shoulder, holding her legs to pick her up, and her face leans close to yours. You're starting to get used to this, though it's no less embarrassing than the other times she's laid on your shoulder. She's lighter than you thought, but isn't holding on very well because of the state she's in. You arch your back, bringing her even nearer to you. As you walk on, Ralts holds up the map to keep out of any shady routes throughout the cave systems. It feels endless, like a flight of stairs leading up to beyond the skies. Cynthia murmurs often along the way, lecturing you about myths and legends even while asleep. It's cute.

"... Lake Guardians... red chains.. Creation Trio... See them..."

"Looks like this is the highest floor we can go, huh? Now to find the exit. You holding on there, Cynthia?"

"[Y/N].. don't worry about... me.. Won't leave you.."

"That's good to hear. Say, what about the trips you were planning? Johto, Kalos, Unova, and all those other places. How long are you gonna be away?"

"..."

"I see. Well, make sure to bring me some souvenirs on your way back, alright? And one more thing. Spear Pillar better be as good as you say it is, I don't want to carry you all the way up here for nothing."

She yawns and rubs her head on your shoulder as you get closer to what looks like an exit out of the humid tunnels.

"... Or maybe I do."

According to the map Ralts is holding, the exit should be close by. You start to wonder why Cynthia is so fascinated with these strange universal forces taking the form of Pokemon, be it time, space, truth, ideals, or whatever else Arceus created. Even he's a bit of a cryptid himself. You crack your neck to relax for a bit from all the contemplating, and before you could find a place to sit down, you spot a bright light out the corner of your eye, which looks to be an exit leading to a crumbling stairway. This might be it. The very peak of mt. Coronet.

"We're finally here. Why don't you guys come on out and see this?"

Pupitar and Ralts burst out of their Pokeballs, more than eager to admire the view just outside the cave, and for good reason.

Shattered pillars and broken cement altars surrounded the peak of the mountain, the olden whites of the buildings have been turned a tinge of yellow thanks to the mineral buildup from what seemed like centuries, engravings and patterns lacing their decaying structure. The foundation of the building stood above the stones that made up the summit of mt. Coronet, at the tallest point in all of the Sinnoh region. At the center of it all laid a small square with a triangular pattern on top of it, though you don't know what it's supposed to be or what purpose it serves.

No wonder Cynthia wanted to see this place so badly. And speaking of the devil, she slowly reopens her eyes and heartily yawns before realising what's happening.

"[Y/N]? Is that you? I feel a lot taller for some reason. Wait a minute-! Can you put me down? Being carried like this is a little... Thank y-you, though. It f-feels nice..."

"Right, sorry about that. I just thought you needed some help getting around. Gabite and Togepi's been waiting for you to wake up for a while now. Right, guys?"

Gabite flicks one of her scales and shoots a smug smile at you. Damn it. Ralts looks up to you curiously, wondering why the both of you are thinking of each other.

From the corner of your eye, you spot someone that you somewhat recognise. It's the boy from back in Jubilife City. What's he doing here? He returns your stare back which feels unsettlingly cold and empty, even coming from a stranger. The blue haired teen glances at Cynthia, then your Pokemon, and murmurs something you can't hear. He then turns back to face the pillars, studying them interrogatively. Almost too seriously.

"Psst. [Y/N]. Something's not right here. He's holding a strange Pokeball in his left hand. I've never seen a purple one like that before. It looks custom-made. Is he planning something?"

Before you could answer, the enigmatic teenager moves stiffly towards the plate, and waits silently. After a moment, a pitch-black rift materialises in front of him, rotating like a vortex spitting out ink from within. The floors turn dark, and so does your vision weaken. Did he do something to trigger this? The sight is enough to shake someone off their feet, yet he remains calm. Neither a smile, nor even a frown, staring perpetually into the expanding puddle of jarring black.

"You! What's going on here!? And what's that thing in front of you? Get out of there! Now!"

"[Y/N]! My fingers are acting weird! They're distorting, but I don't feel any pain? And something's pulling me backwards! This can't be... They're here!? It's the Crea-"

You can feel the last word Cynthia speaks drag on incredibly slowly, unnaturally so. The rocks moving around her are moving faster and faster, yet she's moving sluggishly to cover her face. As for you, everything is constantly altering back and forth between their states, before or after, the past, present and future. Your shouts come out of your mouth reversed and slowed, even though your mouth is moving normally. Both Cynthia and the stranger shift between their younger and older selves, the latter sporting a G symbol on his sleeve. As for Cynthia, she appears how you remember her younger self, and rapidly ages forwards to... A wedding dress? What? Before you can finish your thought, three menacingly tall figures appear surrounding the three of you.

Behind Cynthia appears a bipedal, purple-laced being with padding on its body and arms. The pearls on its shoulders glow a brilliant purple shine as it roars, bending the surroundings in ways you've never seen before. Behind you is a dinosaur-like creature, with steel armor patterns spread across its body with an imposing aura as it stood proudly on four legs. The diamond on its chest shines a brilliant blue as it shifts the movement of time all around you. In front of the stranger is yet another creature, though it floats in the air with a dozen claws throughout its body and a golden helmet on its skull.

You turn to the stranger in utter shock, but he's taking all of this far too calmly compared any other human would be in this situation. Cynthia runs towards you and latches onto your arm while bracing herself, both of you returning your Pokemon into their Pokeballs in case something horrible happens, which is very likely right now. While protecting Cynthia and your Pokemon, you scream out one last question to the now smiling man.

"Who the hell are you!?"

"Ah, it seems I haven't introduced myself. My name is Cyrus."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Sorry for the sudden shift in tone. From now on I'll try to better blend in the romance with adventure and action. Thanks for reading!