Paragon

Remnants of the Great War [10]

PARAGON

Remnants of the Great War Arc [10]

Chapter 19 : Closing In

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12 hours before AZ's raid

"Here you go," Cynthia said, placing a cup of coffee down in front of Ash and sliding into the seat across from him.

They were in a cafe in some hotel in Saffron's downtown, and had a private room all to themselves, away from prying eyes. Cynthia kept track of all such places in every major city, in case she ever needed a quick pick-me-up and a quiet place to think. Ash hadn't asked for a coffee, yet she'd brought him one out of courtesy anyway. He was a lot more interested in the danishes on a plate between them.

"Thanks," Ash said, pulling one onto his plate. He broke off a piece for Pikachu with his fingers and fed it to him, then helped himself to a bite.

Cynthia took a sip of coffee and pulled out her laptop, already typing and clicking away. After finishing whatever she was doing, she pushed it aside and pulled off a piece of her own danish.

Ash eyed her as he chewed on his pastry. Be wary of your friend Cynthia, Albrecht had said. In the moment, Ash had thought he was alluding to the Paragon Organization, but on the way here, his mind had wandered through a more suspect forest of thinking.

Albrecht's tone betrayed concern. He'd mentioned the other Champions and the sorts of ventures they pursued on the side, yet he'd singled out Cynthia as unique. If nothing else, he clearly knew that her 'venture' was a slightly bigger deal than the others'. And he'd told Ash to be careful of her because of that fact.

To be fair, Cynthia herself had said the same thing to him when she'd invited him to join Paragon. She'd told him his life would be in danger, and it only took his first mission for that promise to pan out. But was Albrecht's warning as simple as that?

Ash's instincts told him no. Albrecht distrusted Cynthia herself. But as for whether or not that meant he thought she was wholly dishonest, or simply engaged in secretive work, Ash couldn't say.

For now, he'd table his suspicions. One conversation, even with a man like Albrecht, wasn't nearly enough to get him to turn on Cynthia. Albrecht was far more suspicious, all things considered, and Ash had a feeling it wouldn't be long until he found himself in the World Champion's presence again, whether he wanted to be or not.

"So, what do you think of him?" Cynthia asked, covering her mouth as she chewed.

How to answer that? Ash thought. Of course he'd been thinking about that too ever since he'd parted ways with the World Champion, but keeping secrets wasn't his forte, especially from his friends.

"He seems alright," Ash eventually said, trying to keep his tone and mannerisms as tame as possible. The fact that he had food and drink at his disposal to keep himself active, and Cynthia distracted, made the job less nerve-wracking. Ash glanced back up at Cynthia and breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw she wasn't even looking at him, instead checking her laptop screen while she enjoyed on her pastry.

"'Alright?' What's that mean?"

"I don't know," Ash said, with a mouthful of danish. "He seems like a good man."

Cynthia's eyes flicked over at him. "Did you figure out what he wants? Why he became World Champion?"

"Er, well, he said it's been a dream of his. Actually, he said he was a pretty big fan of mine. Maybe he decided to take the plunge after I left?" he offered.