PARAGON
Remnants of the Great War Arc [20]
Chapter 29 : The Board Before The Battle
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Sinnoh Region - Paragon Island
“In all the battles Cynthia and I have had over the years, she’s never beaten me. Not even once.” Sylvester grinned as he enlarged his pokéball.
Despite the tension between him and Cynthia, Ash was momentarily distracted by Sylvester’s proclamation. Not even once…? I hadn’t even realized he was a trainer… I thought he was just a breeder… He glanced back at Sabrina, but the girl was stoic, and hadn’t moved an inch after standing up.
In front of them, a shadow hung over Cynthia’s face, and she stood motionless, expressionless. Then the vein on her temple bulged and she smacked the pokéball out of Sylvester’s hand. “You’ve been breeding pokémon to hard counter every single one of my pokémon ever since I left Celestic! Six Togekiss just to handle Garchomp, barely! You’re raising a Charizard for Roserade right now, aren’t you? After the Skarmory didn’t work!”
Her eyes were white with rage, and Ash sweatdropped. He’d never seen her lose her cool like this. And so easily too.
“Hey!” Sylvester whined, scurrying over to pick up his pokéball. After scooping it up, he rounded back on his cousin. His cheeks were tinted pink. “Heh. Heh heh! Well, a win is a win, is it not? And you’ve never procured one from me!” The corners of his mouth twitched up.
“Want to have another go right now, then?” Cynthia growled.
Sylvester cleared his throat and dusted himself off. “Dear cousin, I think we were talking about something rather important before that outburst of yours.” He lowered his pokéball, but his storm gray eyes locked with hers, deadly serious. “You’ve made the bizarre decision to withdraw from Rota after learning it is AZ’s true target and left us all quite befuddled. And to think you’d break out Spiritomb to whisk them back here forcefully… Not that it’s my place to say, but a bit of transparency on the matter would likely go a long way…”
Cynthia shook her head dismissively. “That’s right. It’s not your place to say. I am the head of Paragon. I’ve given an order. I expect it to be followed.”
“We’re not soldiers, Cynthia!” Ash said. “We’re trainers!”
“That’s exactly right,” Cynthia said. “If you recall, I told you something when you first joined Paragon, Ash. I told you, and the others, that to join Paragon would mean a life of unprecedented danger, and unprecedented strength. Descending on Rota right now is a force of nature who possesses both.”
“So you’re afraid of AZ? If we withdraw now, then what’s even the point of Paragon?!” Ash demanded. Then he frowned. “You said Paragon wasn’t created to help people, but to help yourself and your own ambitions! So that’s it, then? This ‘assignment’ isn’t worth the trouble?”
Cynthia closed her eyes, but her eyes shivered beneath her eyelids. Spiritomb swiveled to glance over at its trainer.
“Cynthia…,” Sylvester began.
“That’s enough,” she said, opening her eyes. “I’m sorry, but if you can’t trust me, then I only have one choice left.” She thrust her arm forward. “Silent Domain!”
Inky darkness exploded out from Spiritomb’s ghastly form, and a low chortle escaped its simpering mouth. Before Ash could even react, the darkness had closed in all around them, thick and suffocating. Pitch black shadow sealed away all light and they were instantly plunged into darkness.
Pikachu’s cheeks sparked in alarm, illuminating their surroundings. Unlike Spiritomb’s technique that had brought them here, the darkness around them was calm, wispy, and devoid of Spiritomb’s tormented souls. But the cold that seemed to penetrate Ash’s clothes like a sheet of ice beneath his skin still remained.
The ghost itself was nowhere to be seen, nor could its mocking laughter be heard. However, Cynthia stood upon the empty darkness, her arms crossed.
“In here, it’s impossible for you to reach Spiritomb,” she declared. “You can’t pass through the barrier, and you can’t break it either. Until the others arrive, we’ll wait here.”
“What?!” Ash demanded. “Let us out!”
Sylvester ambled over to the apparent edge of the domain and reached out tenderly with a gloved hand. The light from Pikachu’s sputtering electricity flashed across his body, and a smoky blackness curled around his hand when he made contact with the barrier. “Hmm, interesting,” he muttered.
“Let us out, Cynthia!” Ash yelled. “You’re not making any sense!”
“I’m trying to protect you!” she snarled back. “To protect Paragon!”
“You’re talking out of both sides of your mouth! You say you’re doing this to protect us, but you also said Paragon was nothing more than your own personal unit to help you achieve your dreams! Which is it?”
“Cynthia,” Sylvester stepped forward. “Tell us what you’ve been doing in Alola.”
A solid stone of darkness swirled into reality behind Cynthia, and she took a seat upon it. She laced her fingers together and sighed. “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?!” Ash roared. His fists were clenched so tight even Pikachu spared a glance back at him in concern.
In response to Ash’s outburst, Cynthia said nothing.
Ash grit his teeth, his mind spinning for a solution. “Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the barrier!”
Cynthia didn’t move at all as Pikachu wreathed himself in electricity and fired the blinding bolt straight into the murky darkness. But it was swallowed up harmlessly, just as Cynthia had said. He dropped back to the ground and growled in frustration.
“Try Electric Terrain!” Ash commanded, hoping to overwrite Spiritomb’s “domain.”
Pikachu hissed, trying to suffuse the area with electricity, but it refused to take hold. His electricity sparked and crackled against the pitch black floor, but disappeared after just a few moments. He moaned in sorrow.
“Tch!” Ash spat. He started to advance on Cynthia himself. But after reaching the halfway point between them, he suddenly hit an invisible wall and stumbled back. Cynthia looked up at him, emotionless, and he glared back, slamming his fist against the barrier in frustration.
“Well,” Sylvester said after an awkward pause, “it seems she has well and truly defeated us.”
Ash was about to retort when he suddenly felt a dark presence behind him, simultaneously hot with anger and cold with ruthlessness. But before he could turn, Sabrina swept past him, her gauntlets spitting mechanical groans as they fought to contain her power. Pikachu stared up at her as she walked, and she came to a stop before the invisible wall separating them from Cynthia.
“Sabrina…?” Ash said.
Cynthia’s eyes narrowed, clearly not expecting a challenge from the normally placid psychic. Sabrina raised her arm, and the gauntlet around her wrist began to spin faster. Cynthia started to get up, sensing danger, but before she could, her body was suddenly seized by an invisible force, and she cried out in pain.
“Sabrina!” Sylvester roared, and he advanced on her from behind. But upon getting within a couple meters of her, he was unceremoniously shoved backward onto the voided ground, unable to approach. Sabrina hadn’t even turned around.
Cynthia’s arms and legs snapped together, as if forced, and she nearly fell over, but Sabrina caught her and suspended her where she was. “Sa…brina!” she bit out.
Pikachu whined at his trainer, begging for orders, but Ash was transfixed by the scene playing out in front of him. His fists were balled and sweat dripped down his temple, but he made no move to help or stop Sabrina.
The domain around them suddenly thickened, and despite the fact that none of them could quite make out its edges, they could feel its oppressive walls closing in around them. Red malevolence dripped from the smoky haze that curled off their pitch black surroundings, and a baleful screech thundered through the cavern of darkness. The shadows began to move beneath their feet, and Ash quickly caught himself before he tripped.
Pikachu winced, instinctively priming electricity on his cheeks, and Sylvester scowled, clamping his hands over his ears.
But Sabrina wasn’t fazed in the slightest. From Ash’s vantage, she still had hold of Cynthia, and hadn’t even stumbled at the shifting domain around them.
“Let us go, Spiritomb,” Sabrina commanded, her voice echoing loud throughout the domain, just like Spiritomb.
Pure, unbridled rage coursed through the entire domain and seemed to infiltrate everyone within. Ash clutched his chest, as a sudden heaviness lanced through him. He smelled the iron stench of blood, and though he tried to blink it away, a crimson tinge filtered his vision. He felt Spiritomb’s hatred as if it were his own.
Sabrina tightened her hand, and Cynthia responded accordingly, her body twisting painfully. Tears ebbed down her cheeks involuntarily, but Sabrina must’ve been choking her, because she couldn’t speak.
“Mmmmm!” Cynthia wailed, and Sabrina loosened her grip slightly. “Re—lease t-them!” she choked out.
Several seconds later, the beating anger of the domain subsided. After a few more seconds, Ash began to feel the domain dissolving. The darkness around them thinned and receded, and Spiritomb’s body appeared once more before them. Slowly, the darkness slid over the walls and floor until it was guzzled entirely back into the crack in Spiritomb’s Odd Keystone.
They were back inside Paragon HQ, none of them a step from where they’d started. Ash turned around and saw Sabrina’s arm still raised, holding the Sinnoh Champion, whose face was matted in sweat. But there was no fear in her tearstained eyes. Sabrina’s gauntlets began to slow, and she slowly lowered her hand. Cynthia’s eyelids fluttered, and she slumped to the ground.
Spiritomb hissed, priming an attack, but Ash had seen it coming a mile away, as had Pikachu. With a single leap, Pikachu landed next to Cynthia's fallen form and clicked the button on the ghost’s pokéball, recalling it.
Once it vanished, an uncomfortable silence descended upon the gathered. Ash walked over and checked Cynthia’s pulse, confirming she was fine, then stood and turned around.
Sylvester was staring, unblinking, at Sabrina, but the psychic was ignoring him, her eyes glazed over. Her unfocused gaze was directed down at the floor.
“You,” Sylvester whispered, his eyes burning with fury. He took a step toward Sabrina.
“Wait!” Ash said, jumping between them. “Cynthia’s fine, she’s just—“
Before he could finish, Sabrina bolted out of the room. Ash looked back at Sylvester, but the man was moving to chase after her.
“Wait, Sylvester!” Ash said, grabbing his shoulders.
He thought Sylvester would try to push past him, but after a few moments of tense resistance, Ash felt the aggression leave his body, and Sylvester leaned back. Ash released him, and he walked over to his cousin’s side, no doubt to confirm her health himself.
“I…I’m sorry, Sylvester,” Ash said. “I don’t know how things turned out this way.” The last thing he wanted was for Sylvester to inflame the conflict between them even more. At the moment, it felt like everything was falling apart. Cynthia and Sabrina had both acted in ways he hadn’t expected.
Actually, Sabrina’s actions weren’t so unexpected. That was why he hadn’t intervened. But it was a dark realization, that he’d essentially allowed Sabrina to hurt Cynthia so that he wouldn’t have to act on his own feelings. His own frustration had nearly reached a boiling point, so when Sabrina stepped forward to act, he was not compelled to stop her.
Although Sabrina had gone about it in a forceful and violent way, Ash still believed this was the correct course. Cynthia made a completely irrational decision. At someone else’s behest, according to Sylvester. We’re in the right…right? As logical as it seemed, Ash still couldn’t shake a nagging feeling of doubt.
“Why don’t you bring Sabrina back, Ash?” Sylvester said, his voice back to its usual calm. “Let’s quash this internal discord properly.”
“I don’t think that’s possible now,” Ash responded. “I’m sure Sabrina’s heading straight back to Cameran Palace now as we speak.”
Sylvester sighed and stood. “I see. I suppose she’s still worried about Anabel, then. Truthfully, I wish I could’ve attended to her here. But it sounds like she’s safe under the World Champion’s care.”
“Yeah. Anabel’s fine, but her injury has really been bothering Sabrina. I’m sure that’s why she did what she did.”
Sylvester glanced back down at Cynthia. “I understand. I should’ve realized as much after knowing Sabrina for so long. But I’m afraid my emotions nearly got the better of me.”
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“No, I understand. Cynthia’s your cousin after all,” Ash said. “When she comes to, I promise I’ll keep my emotions in check too and we can talk about everything like she wanted to. Then we can decide what’s best to do.”
Sylvester smiled grimly. “You’re an optimistic man, Ash. But I disagree with that course of action. As I understand, AZ will be launching an attack on Rota within the year. Cynthia also told me you’ve only just begun practicing with your newfound abilities granted by the Plate. With all that in mind, I believe it’d be best if you return to Rota as well, and continue your training with the World Champion.”
“But what about Cynthia?”
“I will watch over Cynthia here. I’ll keep her in one of the cells down below,” Sylvester said coldly.
Ash frowned. “What? Why?”
“Cynthia has become a danger to you all, as well as to herself,” Sylvester stated. “Forgive me for saying this, but I strive to be as honest as possible. The truth is, I care more for Cynthia’s safety than all of yours. She is, as you said, my precious cousin. But the last thing Paragon needs before facing its greatest challenge yet is an erratic leader, and that’s exactly what she’s been for the past several months.” He paused and frowned. “No, perhaps even longer. In any case, I can’t allow her autonomy any longer. She’ll be safest if I imprison her.”
As barbaric as it sounded, Sylvester didn’t waver in the slightest at his decision.
“Imprison…are you sure?”
“I’m sorry for the way it sounds, but I have absolutely no reservations when it comes to the protection of my family. Even if she hates me for it, curses me for it, I won’t let her continue to act recklessly.”
Ash’s brows were knitted, and though he tried to think of a counter, he was drawing a blank. The last thing he wanted now was to get into another altercation with yet another member of Paragon. Plus, Sylvester’s decision technically did work in Ash’s favor. He’d told Cynthia he’d return to Rota, and not to come after him, yet it would have been naïve to believe she’d simply capitulate to that demand. If Sylvester kept her here…well, that solved that problem. “So…you’ll ask her about everything then, right? Why she did what she did, and who she’s been meeting with.”
“I will try,” Sylvester scoffed. “But she’s as stubborn as a mule. If she’s decided not to tell us something, I’m afraid there’s little I can do. But what I can do is keep her safe until this business with AZ comes to a close. Then, I suspect we’ll get some answers.”
It felt like a bridge too far, but then again, Cynthia had just spirited them across the world and trapped them in a similarly forceful manner. This resolution satisfied no one, though that also meant that no one was getting their way completely. For now, with the threat of AZ on the horizon, it would have to do. Paragon could not fracture before he fell.
“Fine,” Ash said, though he wasn’t pleased. “I’ll return to Rota. And I’ll talk to Sabrina.”
“Thank you,” Sylvester said. “Though I doubt they would have abandoned their posts on such short notice, I’ll inform Zinnia and N that they should remain in Kalos. I’m hesitant to tell them about everything that just happened, lest it distract from their assignment. But with Cynthia put away, I will need to keep them in the loop in her stead.”
Ash nodded. It wasn’t the first time Sylvester had taken point on one of Paragon’s missions, for when Cynthia was busy. He was a capable leader when necessary.
“Thank you, Sylvester.”
“Of course. I want this conflict to end just as much as you. Just as much as Cynthia too, I’ve no doubt. I’ll keep you updated on her cooperation.”
As much as Ash wanted to stay on Paragon Island for a bit longer, he didn’t want to be around when Cynthia woke up. So after bidding his farewell, as Sylvester carried his cousin down into the prison cells beneath the base, Ash departed on Dragonite’s back. As he soared through the cloudless sky, Albrecht’s words once again echoed through his mind, unbidden.
Be wary of your friend Cynthia.
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Kalos Region - Cyllage City
“What the fuck is going?!”
Despite not being on speakerphone, N winced and pulled the phone away from his ear. “Please lower your voice, Zinnia, I’m trying to perform reconnaissance here.” He leaned forward slightly and peeked out a window frosted with hardened dirt and grime. Still nothing.
“Reconnaissance? For what? Cynthia wants us to pull out!” she screeched. “Do you know how long it took to find the fucking tunnel? Now I have to comb through the whole damn city to find where it comes out. You cannot tell me to just give up now! I mean, shit!”
“Settle down,” N groaned. “All your cursing is giving me a headache.”
N had tried, really tried, to start liking humanity after everything that’d happened with Team Plasma. He’d been raised to see humans as little more than bothers to the divine existence of pokémon, but his perspective had slowly begun to change over the years, after formally joining their ranks as a member of Paragon.
Four phone calls a day for the past three days from one Zinnia Higana was single-handedly undermining his efforts.
Zinnia seemed to sense his distaste through the phone. “Sorry, okay? But seriously. Did she hit her head or something?”
Her? “Who knows? I haven’t made a habit of questioning the whims of my benefactor.”
“Uggggggh,” Zinnia groaned. “Now Ash and Sabrina have gone rogue and Sylvester’s running the op? And they locked Cynthia in the basement?!”
“That is what the text said, I got it too.”
“Whose side are we even supposed to be on?”
N sighed. “Well, given that we both haven’t left Kalos, I guess we’ve already made our decision.”
“Tch. I guess now we know why Cynthia wasn’t sending us in. She never intended to in the first place.” She paused for a moment. “Wait, why are you staying here? I thought you were like super loyal to Cynthia or whatever.”
“Well, her command was fairly strange, wasn’t it? ” N murmured. “Not to mention, out of the blue. Who’s to say it wasn’t an accident?”
“You know, you can just admit you think staying is a better idea.”
N paused, needled by her remark. But for all her bluster, she said some surprisingly on-the-mark things from time to time. “If you say so. How are you holding up?”
Zinnia went quiet on the other end for a second. “What’re you talking about?”
“Anabel.”
The prolonged silence on the other end was simultaneously pleasant and painful.
“Let’s just focus on what we’re doing now,” Zinnia eventually said, quietly.
N pursed his lips. “Very well.”
“I’m gonna go. Sorry for bothering you.”
“No, it’s not a bother. I just—“ He heard the line click on the other end and pulled his phone away from his ear. She probably hadn’t meant to hang up on him. The conversation was over.
N sighed and put his phone away. Dealing with people was not his forte, and Zinnia seemed like an unbeatable final boss as far as people went. He just couldn’t deal with her as hard as he tried. In truth, asking her about Anabel was nothing more than imitation. He thought it was what he should’ve done. It’s what a normal human would do. But if she’d actually given an answer, he would have had absolutely no idea what to say next.
If Ash were here, he’d know exactly what to say. He and Zinnia got along like siblings. Which is to say, they were like oil and water, yet somehow, they seemed closer than anyone else in Paragon. N didn’t understand it. Friends and family. He simply couldn’t wrap his head around the concept.
But ‘friendship,’ if it had to be called something, had certainly wrapped itself around him. Something was different about him ever since learning of Anabel’s fate. He didn’t quite understand it, but a certain feeling had begun to squat in his psyche. And it wasn’t a good feeling. He was far more irritable than usual. There was a poisonous burning sensation in his stomach, even now. And he was finding it difficult to keep focused on his assignment.
Without him noticing, it seemed the unthinkable had happened. Somewhere along the way, N had begun to care for his human friends. Yes, his friends. As dense as he knew he was, even he could recognize that these feelings were caused by his friendship with them.
Really, he’d had no right to ask Zinnia how she was holding up, since he was also wounded by the same dagger of helplessness. Here they both were, on the other side of the world, while their friend was suffering after losing an arm in battle. Perhaps if he’d had a bit more empathy, he would’ve realized how Zinnia felt before asking such a question. If she’d asked him…he probably would’ve answered in the exact same way.
Focus on what we’re doing now.
In other words, keep his feelings to himself and not answer the question.
N took a deep breath and cleared his mind. Cyllage City was smaller than Shalour, but the mountains to its east were ripe for a network of secret tunnels.
Unlike Zinnia, N had located the deep underground tunnel leading away from the ruins in Geosenge Town quite quickly. With Reshiram’s sensitivity to heat, it didn’t take long to find the two tunnels branching out from beneath the ruins. From there, it was just a matter of following it from above, until they reached Cyllage. Zinnia’s methods, which she did not disclose to N, took longer, but she eventually reported that her tunnel led to Shalour. Unfortunately, however, after arriving in the Cyllage, the bustling heat of the city ended Reshiram’s usefulness. And it seemed Zinnia had hit a similar roadblock after reaching Shalour, and they were now both forced to begin a manual search.
N was stationed in a cheap motel, and today he was following up on a sighting of one of the hooded figures they’d seen with AZ outside the ruins just before they teleported away to Sinnoh. Reshiram had spotted the figure last night, but they’d slipped through his fingers. But at least now, he’d narrowed the entrance down this quadrant of the city. He was on the outskirts, adjacent to what appeared to be a warehouse district. His plan was to remain vigilant about any other hooded figures, but to begin searching the warehouses under the cover of nightfall for the entrance to the tunnel.
As he peered back out across the street at the cargo workers and sandstone warehouses, N felt that frustration that’d been plaguing him for the last three days return again. Humbly speaking, it was a feeling he hadn’t experienced often, if ever.
Rage.
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Sinnoh Region - Paragon Island
It was dusk when Cynthia came to. Sylvester had come down with her dinner nearly half an hour ago, yet she was still asleep when he arrived. Then he’d gone up to get a folding chair for the wait. And when he returned, she still hadn’t awoken. So there he sat for the next half hour, keeping his blossoming anxiety at her prolonged sleep at bay, in silence. Just when he was beginning to consider calling Ash to get an answer from Sabrina about when exactly he should expect to see her wake, she groaned and stirred beyond the plexiglass door.
“Cynthia,” Sylvester said, once she’d sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Her attention suddenly shifted to him, and upon seeing him, she seemed to realize where she was, and looked all around her cell. It was padded, clean, and larger than the cells in a typical prison. A white cot was bolted to the wall, and opposite the cell door was an open passage that led to the bathrooms. After getting her bearings, she faced her cousin again. “Are you serious?”
“Don’t blame me for your cramped quarters, you designed this place,” Sylvester said, putting his hands up defensively. Then his eyes narrowed. “You did, didn’t you?”
Cynthia snorted and shook her head in disbelief. She checked her belt, but as expected, her pokéballs had been stripped from her. She also found her pockets emptied.
“I have been curious for some time now,” Sylvester continued, “where you procured the funds for a facility like this. I didn’t think a Champion’s salary was that high.” He met Cynthia’s gaze for an answer.
But she looked away defiantly.
“Still won’t answer, hm? Perhaps I’ll pay a visit to Alola myself and see what I find.” He looked over to catch her reaction, but she didn’t react. She simply stared down at the floor, arms resting on her bent legs as she leaned against her bed. Sylvester cursed her stubbornness silently. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out the passcode to your phone or computer so I suppose that will remain a mystery for now.”
“Where are Ash and Sabrina?” Cynthia asked.
Won’t answer my questions but you’ll ask some of your own? “They’re gone. Back to Rota, of course.” Albrecht shook his head in disbelief. “What did you think was going to happen?” he snorted. “Did you truly believe you could simply whisk them back here and they’d take it lying down? Their friend is wounded in Rota, with her assailant closing in. That they’d abandon her alone is unthinkable, much less the rest of the Guardians.”
“Ash I could’ve reasoned with,” Cynthia said. Her quick reply and the fact that she’d replied at all surprised Sylvester, and he stayed quiet to let her finish. “But Sabrina…was a miscalculation.”
“That girl certainly showed some initiative this afternoon,” Sylvester agreed. “And to think she’d attack you directly… That’s quite the creature you brought into your employ.”
Cynthia's eyes flashed with anger. “Don’t call her that.”
Sylvester whistled, and an amused smile flickered on his face. “She wrung you out like a dishrag and you still defend her?” When Cynthia’s expression didn’t change, Sylvester broke eye contact and let his smile fade. “Of course, she’s your one of your beloved underlings, I understand. But you know I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve known her just as long as you. But I never would’ve guessed she’d oppose you like she did.”
“She’s changed. It’s not grief from Anabel’s injury. When N brought Ash back from Mount Coronet, she didn’t become like this. This is something more fundamental.” She brought her hand up to her mouth, but just before she covered it, Sylvester caught a small smile. “It seems our young psychic is finally beginning to evolve. Not bad at all.”
Sylvester looked at her quizzically. “You’re not mad at how she treated you?”
“Nor really. It didn’t hurt…that much. You’re the one I’m mad at,” Cynthia said, glancing over at him again. “It was your idea to put me in here, wasn’t it?”
Sylvester shrugged. “Yup.”
“And when can I expect to be let out?”
Sylvester locked eyes with her. “Once you explain everything. The others will return after this business with AZ concludes. Then we can have that chat you wanted.”
Cynthia scoffed and bit her lip. “It’ll be too late,” she murmured.
“Too late for what?!” Sylvester suddenly shouted, his façade breaking. “If you can’t tell the others, at least tell me! What is it you’re after? What burden do you carry that is so heavy it would compel you to turn on your own friends?! You can trust me, damn it! How long have we known each other?”
Sylvester’s outburst hung in the air as Cynthia remained silent.
“You of all people I can’t tell,” she said quietly. “Especially you.”
Sylvester’s eyes narrowed, but upon seeing that Cynthia had no intentions of speaking, he buried another outburst and regained his composure. “Your behavior has been nagging at me for a while now, actually,” he said. “For two years. It was something I noticed when Ash joined.” At the mention of his name, Cynthia looked up, and Sylvester savored her interest. “It was the way you were acting the day he returned from his training. The day he battled you and defeated you. You trounced him two years prior, flaying his Sceptile nearly to the point of permanent scarring. And when he was expected to return, you were on edge like I’ve never seen you before. Not for any of the other members of Paragon were you ever so…fidgety. And then I thought of something ridiculous. Something that couldn’t possibly be true. And yet your actions ever since have suggested that it is.”
Cynthia’s resolute eyes met his, as if challenging him to deliver his conclusion.
“You expect Ash to lead Paragon one day, don’t you?” Sylvester accused.
Cynthia didn’t move, but he’d known her since they were children. And that slight glimmer in her eyes told him he’d hit the nail on the head.
Sylvester shook his head incredulously. “Do you expect something to happen to you or something?”
“Don’t start crying,” Cynthia said flatly. “I’m not suicidal.”
“Then why?” Sylvester breathed.
Cynthia closed her eyes and turned away. They sat together in silence for a minute.
“I suppose my decision was absolutely correct, then,” Sylvester eventually said. “You’ll remain here for the duration of this campaign. Ash, Sabrina, and Anabel will protect Rota alongside the World Champion. N and Zinnia will storm AZ’s Kalosian hideout once the giant appears in Rota. And I will remain here to ensure you don’t step one foot off this island.”
Without another word, he stood up and lifted Cynthia’s meal tray through a slat in her cell’s door. “Here’s your dinner. I’m sure it’s cold. You’re lucky you built a connecting hall to the showers because this door won’t be opening until the others return. Good night.”
As he walked away, he heard Cynthia knock on the glass. “Keep me updated,” she called.
“Damn you, Cynthia,” he said under his breath. “Damn you.”
As he ascended the stairs, he could faintly hear her thanking him for another delicious meal.
Next — Chapter 30 : Beach Episode
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Sorry I’m late, I found the first half of this chapter difficult to write. As always, thank you to everyone who shares their thoughts, as it motivates me through the difficult sections :]
I don’t plan on making delays like this a habit. Next chapter should come out this weekend as usual.