A few days of relaxation were the perfect fix for the lingering exhaustion and the small aches of a difficult journey. By the time the weekend, and Professor Carolina’s invitation, rolled around, I was quite ready to head out again and meet some new and exciting Pokémon.

Now, that wasn’t to say that I had only sat around on my bum those few days, I had done some of that, but at the same time, I had dutifully gone to the Gym and the Training Area, to work with my partners.

The Gym had informed Lucas and Cliff about their tasks, one a maintenance task for a minor road to some particularly fertile valley in which a great deal of the various berries used in the production of various Pokétech grew in abundance, while the other was a simple check on water-sources in that very valley. As if the person assigning the tasks had thought about it.

Claire and I hadn’t received our tasks yet, the simple fact that we wanted to get our fifth badge meant that we’d receive a more difficult task, as befitting the higher status. That was especially true as going from the fourth to the fifth badge was considered a watershed, separating the casual trainers from those who wanted to dedicate themselves.

For the dinner I had been specifically invited to, I made the effort to get some new clothes, unwilling to show up in my, by now rather crumpled, town clothes, to say nothing of the sturdy clothes I usually wore while travelling. Instead, I went shopping, finding a nice, airy dress of light, brown cloth, nothing fancy but also nothing overly demure. Fitting, comfortable and neither too fancy nor too simple. Suitable for almost every occasion.

The others had made some noises of interest in regards to Professor Carolina, especially Lucas who had some contact to Professor Rowan and, through him, the highly educated parts of Sinnoh, but there was no way for me to bring along a date. Not only would it feel rather weird to bring him along in that role, he was a friend but nothing more, I would feel as if I was taking advantage of the invitation. No, I was determined to go on my own.

And as such, I stood back between the incredibly life-like and intimidating reliefs of Palkia and Dialga, not nervous in the slightest and wishing to call out Charm, so I wasn’t quite so alone.

Letting out a deep, calming breath, I knocked on the door and only a few moments later, it was pulled open, revealing a familiar, if unexpected figure inside.

“Hey Dani, long time no see,” Cynthia greeted me with a wide grin on her face, as I blinked in surprise. It took me only a moment to realise that I was an idiot, Professor Carolina had even mentioned that her Granddaughter visited every weekend for dinner, but I hadn’t made the connection between her invitation to me and that little fact.

“Hello Cynthia,” I returned the greeting, both delighted and strangely apprehensive about seeing her. On one hand, I was incredibly grateful for the help she had given me and yet, I was scared she would be disappointed in the actions I had taken and the progress I had made.

“Come in, Grandma prepared a nice roast,” she pulled me inside and I was reminded just how much impact the P-energy, the energy close contact with Pokémon accumulated in the human body, could have. Intellectually, I knew that Cynthia was in her fifties, which made her Grandmother obviously quite a few decades older. And yet, Cynthia looked like someone in her thirties, while her Grandmother looked to be in her late sixties, maybe early seventies.

“I hope I’m not intruding on your family time?” I cautiously asked, completely unsure just how to act in such a situation.

“Eh, it’s fine, you are family,” she assured me, almost causing me to stumble from sheer surprise. I hadn’t expected that.

“Thank you,” I followed her and she led me into the comfortable living room I had visited the last time.

“Have a seat and tell me a few nicely exaggerated stories of your travels, it has been a while that I have heard a young trainer speak of their exploits,” Cynthia grinned, casually plopping down on one of the seats. There was a casual air about her I hadn’t experienced before.

Carefully sitting down, I looked towards the kitchen for a moment, noticing the enticing smell wafting through the air. “Shouldn’t we help your Grandmother?” I asked, trying to be considerate.

“She’d just shoo me away, accusing me of trying to make more work for her,” Cynthia grinned, clearly not perturbed. “Now, tell me about the adventures you and Claire had on your journey. There got to be a couple of good stories,” she prodded, an almost childishly enthusiastic grin on her face.

“I…” I paused, before nodding in acquiescence, “Sure, let me think about where to start.”

For a few moments, I considered what to tell her, which stories were worth telling someone who stood at the top of the pyramid when it came to trainers. What stories hadn’t been told to her hundreds of times, what would be interesting to her?

It only took a moment to decide and I began speaking of our time in Floaroma City, especially the last night of the festival, how Shaymin had sought out Claire, leaving the Gracidea-flower that had yet to wither.

Cynthia was an excellent listener, never interrupting or asking questions, letting me draw the verbal image I wanted to present. Finally, when I told her how the Shaymin had transformed under the first light of Dawn and taken off into the sky, she looked at me with a mix of disbelief and awe.

“Well, you managed to surprise me, in more than one sense,” she grinned, shaking her head. “Few people manage to attract Shaymin’s attention, it’s not unheard of but certainly an impressive feat. If Claire manages to stay true to herself, she will go far,” she complimented and I felt oddly proud of my friend.

“It was most certainly a night to remember,” I smiled, the memories of that quiet night still crystal clear in my mind. “There are some beings in this world that you will never be able to forget,” I added, thinking of the rainbow Ho-oh had drawn through the sky but also to those first few memories in my mind, of Giratina, Palkia and Dialga. Their looks and the sheer pressure they put out with nothing but their presence were still clear, even if the rest of those memories were somewhat blurry.

“There most certainly are,” Cynthia nodded, an understanding look on her face.

“What did you experience in that vein?” I asked, driven by curiosity. She let out a slow, visible sigh, her eyes closing in remembrance.

“It’s been a long time, almost twenty-five years. I had managed to win all the local badges in my first two years as a Trainer but didn’t want to be tied down by responsibilities, so even after ranking quite high in the annual League Conference, I declined the honour and instead set out on a journey,” she let out a sigh, a wan smile on her face, “Travelling across the boundaries of a Region is most certainly a unique challenge, one that can only be undertaken by the most powerful trainers. Without information, you never know when you unknowingly bungle into the territory of a powerful Pokémon that might take umbrage with your visit and just finding another populated area can be a bit of a challenge,” she grinned, as she looked out of the window.

“Disregarding the advice of more experienced trainers, I thought I would be able to soar through the sky, bypassing all those annoying problems by simply going high up, conquering the sky and travelling that way,” she shook her head, amused disbelief on her face.

“Let me tell you, I should have listened to the more experienced trainers,” she paused, a thoughtful expression replacing the earlier amusement, “Or maybe not, if I had listened to them, I most certainly wouldn’t be who I am today, but I wouldn’t have suffered as much,” another pause, a small frown appearing on her face.

“Anyway, high up in the sky, you can find the Jetstream. And there, slowly traversing the skies, disregarding anything or maybe simply acting by its own designs, I witnessed Rayquaza, the Lord of the Skies. Just a single glance from it was enough to force my partner into a dive, his thinking completely taken over by fear. Some day, I want to truly challenge Rayquaza, not just get forced away by a glance. It’s why I’m continuing to train,” she glanced at me and the awed expression on my face. The will to challenge a Pokémon at the level of Giratina, Palkia and Dialga. Just imagining challenging them was enough to send a shiver down my spine, but it wasn’t just one of fear.

There was quite a bit of excitement mixed into that shiver and a slow smile spread across my face.

“I think you know what I mean,” she added, the smile on her face now turned into a full-blown grin. “And I’ve got something for you, but that’ll have to wait until after dinner. I think Grandma is almost done.”