Cynthia x Reader: A Journey of Two

Chapter 11: Acuity Lakefront

...

It's been 4 months since the Spear Pillar incident with Cyrus. You didn't know how, but he managed to summon all three of the Creation trio on that mountain, and you still don't. He's disappeared since then, occasionally seen leading small groups of people to do things for him, and though it's nothing dangerous, you have a feeling in your gut that it's gonna go downhill with enough time.

Which is why you've decided to meet up with Cynthia every once in a while, and keep check of what Cyrus has been up to. You still spend a lot of time together, but those meetings are just as important. ...Well, to be honest, those meetings can be pointless, as most of the time it either ends up with the two of you doing other things together, or Cynthia getting sidetracked by getting ice cream, much to Gabite's discomfort.

Both of you still have to go through the eight gyms across Sinnoh, and it's been coming along fairly smoothly. For the most part, at least. A young girl named Gardenia gave Cynthia a small Budew, which she reluctantly accepted; With a grass type alongside Gabite, she tends to have trouble with ice types up in Snowpoint City, though there aren't any gyms here. Either way, you two have to get strong enough to protect the Sinnoh region from people like Cyrus. Through these four months, you've defeated three more leaders, earning the badges one by one alongside Cynthia, though she's admittedly more skilled in battling than you are.

You two are currently staying in a cabin near Acuity Lake, mostly to help her research the Lake Guardians, and how they could help with the Cyrus situation. You drop your head square onto the table, completely burnt out from reading what feels like literature hell. As the word 'lake' falls apart and triples before your eyes, they finally shut down in front of the lamp, gracing you with sweet relief. Cynthia, on the other hand, can still be heard flipping page after page intently, blissfully ignorant of her friend's mental overload. She doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"The Red Chain is a tool used by the- [Y/N]? Are you still awake? You don't look so well, should I get you some warm water?"

"Hrggh. I'm still here. Barely. And no more water, I've drunk enough of it to kill Kyogre. Can't we just stop for now? It's late, and you'll get sick if you keep this up. Everyone's already asleep in their Pokeballs, too."

"Actually, I've still got plenty of energy! It's just so fun reading about all this; besides, it's only... 2am? Huh?"

"Yep. By the way, should I just sleep on the desk? It'd be pretty awkward if we were together on the bed..."

Damn. You can already feel your face tensing up at the thought, along with the 'Shuckle' in your pants.

"Oh, r-right! But I think you need it more than I do. I'm used to falling asleep on the desk, anyway. It'll be alright. You go on and take a break, good night!"

"I can't move, Cynthia. My body gave out about two hours ago, but at least I'll keep you company."

"Ah, I see... Hehe, then you won't be able to do anything if I do this, right?"

She ruffles your hair vigorously, then jams one of her hair bead ornaments -you still don't know what they are- onto your now messy hair and proudly shows you a small mirror. You feel mildly annoyed, but decide to ignore it because you're too focused on trying to sleep. It doesn't work, because you can't wrap your head around what exactly happened four months ago, and how to prevent it the next time. After a good dose of sounds of paper folding, the page turning stops, and you feel a pair of hands right next to you.

"This is pretty fun, [Y/N]. Well, it shouldn't be. We're doing this to stop Cyrus and keep Sinnoh safe, but... I can't help feeling happy about it. I can't put my finger on why, but maybe it's thanks to you. So thank you for being here with me."