You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon, and I've also activated a (date-to-date) subscription model on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
When Diantha woke up, Cynthia was still lost in a peaceful dream.
The soft morning light filtered through the curtains as Diantha glanced at the bedside Pokétch— 7:20 a.m.
Carefully slipping into her slippers, she tiptoed into the bathroom to start her morning routine.
The Pokémon League had arranged a VIP suite for Cynthia at a League-affiliated hotel. But when Diantha tried to check in, the ever-diligent front desk staff asked for identification to verify her identity.
Diantha had secretly traveled to the Sinnoh Region, deliberately keeping a low profile to avoid being hounded by reporters and photographers. She had maintained a full disguise the entire way, but despite her efforts, she'd been recognized a few times when showing her ID.
This time, she had no choice but to rely on Cynthia, who was local and well-connected, for help.
Cynthia's solution was straightforward. Instead of complicating things, she simply requested to change her single suite into a double room. As for the ID, she used her own.
Diantha quickly realized Cynthia had quite the bedtime routine and couldn't help but wonder if the entire Sinnoh Pokémon League had been spoiled by her habits.
Before turning in, Cynthia would hop online to play multiplayer games with Lucian and Flint from the Elite Four, then switch to a card battler to burn through the rest of her in-game energy. When Diantha groggily woke up around 1 a.m., she saw Cynthia still glued to her phone, fully engaged and wide awake.
Standing at the bathroom sink, Diantha fixed her hair and applied some light makeup.
She realized all her efforts to keep quiet earlier had been completely unnecessary.
Just a short while ago, she'd accidentally dropped her cup on the floor with a loud clunk.
Peeking out nervously, she saw Cynthia merely roll over in bed and pull the blanket higher over her head— totally unfazed.
After thinking for a moment about what makeup to apply, Diantha chuckled softly to herself. What was the point of being meticulous? She was just going to cover it up with a hat and sunglasses anyway.
She finished applying a simple base, wiped her hands dry with a towel, and changed into a light gray casual outfit. Diantha glanced at Cynthia, still curled beneath the blankets, and after a brief pause, gave her a gentle nudge.
The response was a few sleepy "Mmm~~" sounds.
"I'm heading out."
Cynthia reached one hand out from the blanket and lazily waved in acknowledgment, silently wishing her a good outing.
Diantha and Cynthia had very different philosophies when it came to sightseeing.
Diantha had suggested Cynthia also travel in disguise to avoid attention and better enjoy the experience, but Cynthia had no such plans.
Given Cynthia's overwhelming popularity in the Sinnoh Region, being seen together would almost certainly blow their cover. So Diantha decided to explore Eterna City alone during the day and then regroup with Cynthia at night for their shared plans.
After breakfast, walking along the quiet morning streets, Diantha pulled out her itinerary.
Because of her career, Diantha's time was always in high demand. Her daily schedule was usually micromanaged down to the hour by her assistant. She was used to following a strict regimen— what to do, how to act, even what kind of persona to adopt depending on the occasion.
This habit bled into her travel plans too. She had meticulously carved her single day in Eterna City into hour-by-hour segments, precise yet flexible enough to account for unexpected events.
But when she first showed this itinerary to Cynthia, the Champion had taken one look… and immediately torn the paper in half.
"You're here to relax, not to clock in for work," Cynthia said, lounging on the bed with her phone in hand, half-distracted by the game she was playing.
Diantha couldn't argue. The unrelenting schedule of appearances, media work, and social obligations had pushed her into a state of constant tension.
After experiencing a few dizzy spells out of nowhere, she finally decided it was time to take a real break.
Still, her instincts kicked in and she couldn't help drafting another plan.
"I heard the Gym Leader here's a real beauty," Came a woman's voice drifting from nearby.
"Yeah, Gardenia. She's the one in charge of the Eterna City Gym. Specializes in Grass-types, I think. Can't say about the beauty part, though."
By the time Diantha realized how close the man's voice was, it was already too late to avoid being noticed.
The two chatting pedestrians weren't paying attention either, and the three of them collided head-on.
Diantha and the pair were about to topple over when their bodies gently floated mid-air. Her itinerary, which had flown out of her hands, now hovered motionlessly above them.
Adjusting her stance, Diantha looked up to see a Misdreavus floating between her and the duo.
"So sorry, really sorry about that!" The pair quickly apologized after regaining their balance.
"It's fine," Diantha replied, glancing at the Misdreavus as it drifted back to the boy's side. She couldn't help but smile and say, "That's a wonderful Misdreavus."
The boy adjusted the Ralts perched on his shoulder and smiled politely. "Thanks for the compliment."
As Diantha got a good look at his face, she paused for a second. Then, slowly taking out her phone, she pulled up a file and carefully scanned the contents.
So this was the promising Trainer Cynthia had mentioned nurturing!
Cynthia had been eager to meet this rising star, the same one both Lucian and Professor Rowan had praised as a potential talent. Just last night before bed, Cynthia had even pulled up a recent Gym match recording— one of his battles against Roark.
Diantha and Cynthia had watched the footage together with great interest, and Diantha had come to acknowledge the boy's strength.
It wasn't just his Pokémon training ability, but also his impressive command over two strong and well-coordinated partners that had stood out.
Cynthia, however, had fallen silent at one point during the video— her eyes lingering on the Jumpluff onscreen with a nostalgic expression.
Diantha recalled that Cynthia had once told her a story about a Jumpluff she'd met at the start of her journey. She had really wanted to partner with it, but the Jumpluff had declined to travel with her.
If Cynthia had simply gotten out of bed earlier this morning, she might've run into the very Trainer she wanted to guide. Thinking of the person still curled up under the hotel blanket, Diantha let out a quiet sigh of helplessness.
Some distance away, Luther walked with a hand on his chin, deep in thought about something.
Mai, playing with Misdreavus nearby, noticed his furrowed brow and asked, "You've been stuck in your own head for a while now. What's bothering you?"
"Hmm… don't you think the woman we bumped into earlier— the one with the sunglasses— seemed kind of... kind of…" Luther trailed off. The words kept slipping away the moment he tried to grab hold of them.
"Kind of beautiful?" Mai offered, pausing to recall the encounter. "Not just beautiful, she gave off this refined, graceful aura too."
"That's not exactly what I meant…" Luther looked at her, a bit surprised. "You picked up all that just from that brief moment?"
Mai shrugged with a sigh. "I'm a girl. Girls tend to notice that kind of thing. So? Have you figured out what exactly you were trying to say?"
"Didn't she seem familiar to you? Like… like we've seen her before?" Luther asked, clearly puzzled.
"Wow, that's such a classic line." Mai rolled her eyes and extended her hand toward him.
"…What are you doing?"
"I thought you might try to read her palm or something," She said dryly. "She's already gone, but if you're that curious, you can look at mine instead."
Luther facepalmed. "That's not what I meant. I was just wondering if I described her weirdly."
"It's not about weird or not," Mai said, giving him a knowing look. "You bumped into someone, walked away, and now you're brooding over them, rejecting my perfectly reasonable description of her as beautiful and noble, just to say she 'felt familiar.' Honestly, it sounds like something a guy would say after bumping into his dream girl in a dream."
Luther considered her words. He had to admit… it did kind of feel like that. Still, the sense of familiarity lingered.
Where had he seen her before?
(End of Chapter)