Pokémon: Lost in the Moment

Chapter 5 - What Has to be Done

I proceeded to knock lightly on the faded-brown, wooden door in front of me, and although I'm not sure how long I waited, it must've been at least ten minutes. However, eventually, I heard someone walking towards the door, to which they then opened it, and what I was greeted by was... troubling. It was Cynthia, no doubt about it, but she looked like a complete wreck. Her mascara was ruined by what looked to be like recent crying, her hair was untidy and all over the place, not at all resembling the neat, straight, waist-length hair that I remember - her appearance at that moment was genuinely off-putting.

I reintroduced myself and while it took her a second, she did end up remembering me, going on to comment about how much I've changed and how nice it was to see me again. She also quickly apologized for how she was presenting herself at the moment, but I told her that she didn't have to worry about the fact, which then led her to ask me what I was doing there in the first place, so I told her. I told her about everything. Everything that I possibly could.

When I finished, she kindly invited me inside, shutting the door behind her, saying how we were both facing a similar situation, but how it was more upsetting to her that I was struggling with it, considering how young I was, being just less than half of her age (thirty-six). She then sat down near me, tidying her hair up, and then asked me if I wanted to battle her one last time, to truly make sure that this wasn't what I wanted anymore, instead of just a dark spot.

I was hesitant to answer at first, but then she went on to say how much of a joy the battle was with me back in the day and how, much like me, she was trying to pursue the exact same feeling she experienced that day. I then informed her that was what I was trying to pursue, also, to which she then clasped her hands again, excitedly saying how we were so similar, before slowly returning to a more sombre state, stating how it was kind of sad, too.

A few moments passed of us both just sitting in silence, contemplating if that spark we experienced that day was just a one-off... But wanting to truly test it out, I accepted her battle proposal and then asked when a good opportunity for it would, to which she responded: "Right now. We've both been lost for so long now regarding this matter, so waiting any longer would not be the best choice. Let's just find out now. Are you ready?" Feeling Cynthia's words, I nodded in agreement. She then stood up and told me to wait outside while she got herself ready, so I headed outside and called out all of my Pokémon to console them and to prepare them for the upcoming battle.