Hearthome City.
Around nine-thirty o'clock that night.
After finishing an evening training session with Ryu and the rest of her team, Cynthia finally returned to her villa.
The villa itself wasn't particularly large, but it featured a spacious yard that was more than adequate for Pokémon training.
To understand why the house was empty, the story had to begin a little earlier.
After Austin Black left for the supermarket to buy ingredients, he noticed Zenith completely absorbed in a Pokémon Breeding Manual while Ryu still looked eager for more training.
Feeling grateful that Austin had gone out late at night to prepare dinner for her, Cynthia decided to make good use of the time. She took Ryu, Garchomp, and the others outside for another training session. Garchomp even used the opportunity to help Drakloak sharpen its skills.
So when Austin arrived at the villa...
No one was home.
Had Cynthia not given him the correct security code beforehand, he would have assumed he had come to the wrong address.
Once he learned she had taken everyone out to train, he stopped worrying.
After all, if Cynthia was out training Pokémon in the middle of the night, it was everyone else who should be concerned.
With Garchomp accompanying her, there were few places safer than Cynthia's side.
. . .
Standing at the entrance, Cynthia entered the familiar four-digit code.
1029
Beep... Beep... Beep-Beep.
The electronic lock disengaged.
As the front door opened, Cynthia instinctively looked toward the living room.
Austin wasn't there.
Instead, a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted through the house. She walked through the foyer, and the source quickly came into view.
Here's a more natural version with a touch of understated flirtation. It keeps Cynthia in character. She is composed, confident, and subtly expressive rather than openly romantic. Austin also notices her without the scene becoming overly intimate.
In the cozy kitchen, a familiar figure stood with his back to her, moving with practiced ease as he prepared dinner.
Without looking up, Austin continued chopping vegetables.
"You're back?"
The steady rhythm of the knife against the cutting board never broke.
The greeting was so casual, so familiar, that Cynthia paused for a heartbeat before a small smile curved her lips.
"Mhm. I'm back."
The evening had grown noticeably warmer.
She slipped off her black trench coat, revealing the emerald-green blouse beneath. Undoing the buttons at her cuffs, she gathered her long golden hair into a simple ponytail and rolled up her sleeves before walking into the kitchen.
Stopping beside him, she tilted her head slightly.
"Need a hand?"
Austin glanced at her before shaking his head.
"You spent the whole evening training Ryu and the others. You should be tired. Go relax. Dinner's almost ready."
"I am a little tired," Cynthia admitted with a soft laugh, "but standing around while someone cooks for me makes me feel a little guilty."
She reached for a knife anyway.
"My cooking isn't exactly something to brag about, but I can still help."
Austin gave her a doubtful look.
"You sure?"
Rather than answering, Cynthia picked up a tomato and began slicing it.
Her movements weren't especially fast or refined, but they were careful and steady.
Austin watched for a moment before returning to his own cutting board.
...Not bad.
Her knife skills wouldn't impress a professional chef. Even an experienced Farfetch'd would probably have a few criticisms.
Still, she was more capable than he'd expected.
More importantly...
Having Cynthia quietly working beside him somehow made the kitchen feel less empty.
The only sounds were the rhythmic tapping of two knives and the occasional hiss from the simmering pot.
Breaking the comfortable silence, Austin asked,
"You've never really learned to cook, so how are you this comfortable with a knife?"
Without looking up, Cynthia replied,
"Did you forget? Rolanda learned from your dad."
"I remember."
Austin nodded.
"But what does that have to do with you?"
A faint smile appeared on Cynthia's face.
"She usually does the cooking whenever we're together."
"Whenever I have time, I help prepare the ingredients."
"So that's where the practice came from."
Cynthia gave a small nod.
Austin said nothing else.
Unlike him, Cynthia still had to focus while using the knife. His own hands had long since developed the muscle memory to chop ingredients almost automatically, but distracting Cynthia now would probably end with a cut finger.
Fortunately, there was no shortage of conversation elsewhere.
The Pokémon had all gathered in the living room instead of crowding into the kitchen.
Agni was lying lazily on the rug while Ryu sat nearby with perfect posture. Garchomp watched Zenith and the others with quiet interest as the room buzzed with the sounds of Pokémon keeping one another occupied.
It was unusually peaceful.
After finishing the vegetables, Cynthia set the knife down.
"Is this everything?"
Austin turned toward her.
A loose strand of golden hair had escaped her ponytail, framing one side of her face. There was a faint stain of tomato juice near the edge of one sleeve that she hadn't noticed.
He smiled.
"Yeah."
"You passed."
Cynthia blinked.
"Passed?"
"I was half expecting to have to rescue the vegetables."
For the first time that evening, she rolled her eyes.
"So that's what you were thinking."
"I had to be prepared."
A quiet laugh escaped her.
"I'll remember that the next time you ask for help."
Austin chuckled.
"Fair enough."
He reached for the pan again.
"You've done enough. Go relax."
"I'll take it from here."
"No, at the very least let me help with the cleaning," Cynthia suggested.
Austin stared at her for a second before smiling, relenting to her demand.
"I can't say no to my Champion." Austin teased, which drew a light shove from Cynthia.
Cynthia readjusted a rolled-up sleeve to wash the knives, clean the cutting board, and the kitchen in general.
Since it was already close to midnight, Austin had avoided making anything too complicated.
He had originally considered preparing multiple dishes, but after their late training session, a simple yet carefully prepared main meal and soup was the better choice.
Thin slices of steak had been lightly seasoned and pan-seared, their surface carrying a faint golden crust while remaining tender inside. Beside them were roasted vegetables with herbs, a fresh Lum Berry salad, a small pot of mushroom soup, and a bottle of red wine.
While preparing dinner, Austin had also found time to make Pokéblocks.
This was the part that impressed Cynthia the most.
Most Breeders treated Pokéblock creation as a process requiring complete focus. Every step had to be carefully controlled.
Austin, however, could cook dinner and prepare Pokéblocks at the same time.
More importantly, the quality of the Pokéblocks never declined.
Cynthia could only attribute it to talent.
Some abilities were built through effort, but some people simply had a gift for certain things.
Around ten o'clock, the late-night dinner was finally ready.
Austin first placed specially prepared Pokéblocks in front of the Pokémon, each one adjusted according to their individual preferences and nutritional needs.
Then he and Cynthia sat down together at the dinner table.
Their meal was surprisingly quiet.
They occasionally exchanged a few words about training, Pokémon, or small things that happened during the day.
The Pokémon, however, created a completely different atmosphere.
Garchomp and Drakloak were enjoying themselves so much that their laughter occasionally filled the room.
The two Lucario provided the biggest contrast.
Austin's Ryu ate with his usual calm and refined movements, carefully savoring every bite of Pokéblock.
Cynthia's Lucario, however, showed no such restraint.
Its hands moved so quickly that they became a blur, and it looked as though it was afraid someone might take the food away.
Cynthia glanced at her Lucario, then at Austin's.
For a moment, she didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
"Speaking of which..." Cynthia looked toward Austin as she swirled her wine. "Why did you decide to become a Breeder?"
Austin paused, thinking about the question.
"At first, I thought it was because of my debt."
He smiled slightly.
"But later, I realized that wasn't the real reason."
"It was probably because I genuinely enjoyed it."
The realization had come later than expected.
"Enjoyed it..." Cynthia repeated quietly.
She understood that feeling.
It was similar to her own fascination with ancient history and mythology.
She looked toward the Pokémon around them.
Her gaze softened slightly.
Without genuine passion, Austin would never have treated his Pokémon as companions rather than tools.
But that was something Cynthia understood well.
Her own Pokémon had long since become her family.
"How is Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House doing recently?" Cynthia asked. "Nothing similar to what happened before, right?"
"No, everything has been going smoothly lately."
Austin looked slightly curious.
"Why do you ask?"
The Breeding House had been surprisingly peaceful recently.
Although completing the system's main quest was still proving difficult, the business itself had stabilized.
Cynthia relaxed slightly.
"That's good."
What Austin didn't know was that Cynthia had quietly helped behind the scenes.
She hadn't interfered with other Breeding Houses or used her position to suppress competitors.
She had simply made sure the Alliance understood that, as long as everything was operating normally, Black Crest Jubilife Breeding House should not face unreasonable obstacles.
Later, Cynthia learnt of the entire situation.
Crown Coronet Breeding House had initially attempted to compete through a price war.
When that failed, they tried damaging Austin's reputation through suppliers and online rumors.
Neither attempt succeeded.
And all of it happened while Cynthia had been temporarily staying at the Breeding House.
If Austin or any of the employees had asked for her help at the time, Cynthia could have easily ended the situation by reporting Crown Coronet's unfair business practices to the Alliance.
But they never did.
Even now, she found that somewhat surprising.
If she hadn't witnessed it herself, she wouldn't have believed Austin would simply handle everything without asking for assistance.
Thinking about it, Cynthia tilted her head slightly.
"Back then, Crown Coronet was clearly targeting you."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She paused briefly before adding,
"We've known each other since childhood. I thought we were at least friends."
Austin looked at her for a moment.
Then he lowered his gaze, considering his answer.
"Do you want to hear the truth..."
"Or the version that sounds better?"
. . .
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