Teaming up to investigate the ruins

When Cynthia first introduced Kaim to Shi Momo, Shi Momo's impression of him was that he was unremarkable. In battle, he had only the basics, showed no particular talent, and, most importantly, had no enthusiasm at all. Shi Momo initially found him hard to approach.

Even so, Kaim never slacked off. He actively spoke with other Trainers and sought their advice, which endeared him to Shi Momo.

Seeing Kaim's attitude, the other Gym Trainers worked harder too, raising the standard of the entire Gym.

"He still has no enthusiasm."

"That's just one of Kaim's quirks."

"Yeah. Still, I never thought he'd overtake me in a year."

"He had the basics, but to get that strong in just a year, he must know where he's still lacking. And he's good at keeping things simple."

"He is Cynthia's pupil, after all. I'm jealous."

"What exactly is the relationship between those two?"

Cynthia called him her "assistant and pupil," but it seemed that she and Kaim lived at the same base.

Shi Momo had no interest in other people's love lives, but since this involved Cynthia of all people, it was hard not to care.

Kaim was the only one who knew about the mysterious Cynthia's private life, and she alone knew about his presence in it, which would make anyone curious.

Shi Momo had once casually asked him about his home life, but Kaim had merely held his head and sighed deeply without answering.

Sensing that it might be best not to press him, Shi Momo had stopped asking, but remained curious.

"Oh, I was curious about that too, so I asked Kaim before."

"What did he say?"

"He looked miserable and said he was her 'assistant.'"

Shi Momo wondered why being an "assistant" would be so painful, but no amount of thought produced an answer, so Shi Momo decided to drop the matter.

Only the two of them knew what their relationship really was.

"Ah, I'm exhausted."

Kaim muttered to himself as he rode on Staraptor's back, flying toward Mystery City. Although the weather had begun to warm, the air high above the ground was still cold at night, and he inwardly congratulated himself for having the sense to wear a thick coat.

He had trained that day and also battled several challengers.

The challengers had varying numbers of Badges. Some held several, while others had yet to earn any.

Gym Trainers adjusted their Pokémon and battle strategies according to how many Badges a challenger had.

Ordinarily, Trainers did not change the Pokémon they used and had only a limited range of strategies.

Unless they were top-level Trainers, that was generally how things worked.

Gym Trainers therefore needed flexibility comparable to that of top-level Trainers. That was the kind of flexibility their role demanded.

Kaim himself had no talent for battling. That was why he received instruction from Cynthia and put what he learned into practice at the Gym.

As a result, his Pokémon improved, and so did his own skills, until he could put up a fierce fight against a real Gym Leader.

"Maybe even an ordinary guy like me has gotten stronger."

As Kaim muttered to himself, Staraptor let out a piercing cry, as though saying that went without saying.

Kaim froze for a moment, then smiled and stroked Staraptor's head.

"It's all thanks to having you guys with me."

Listening to Staraptor's cheerful cries, Kaim looked ahead.

"All right, let's hurry home. Cynthia's waiting for us."

In the darkness of the night, Kaim pulled on his goggles, and Staraptor picked up speed.

Cynthia reviewed her proofread paper, checking for any remaining errors or typos as she waited for Kaim to return.

It was almost the time he had given her. If he was going to be late, someone as attentive to detail as Kaim would surely contact her. No message meant he would be back on time.

"He should be here soon."

Golduck cried beside her, as though agreeing.

Cynthia looked out the window into the complete darkness. It was difficult to make out anything at night, but she could still see a tiny silhouette in the sky.

"Ah, he's back."

Staraptor landed in front of the door, and Kaim climbed down.

Cynthia opened the window to welcome him.

"Welcome back."

"Yeah, I'm home."

Kaim remained expressionless, but Staraptor beside him leaned closer with a faint smile.

"Wow, I'm hungry. Let's eat. Thanks for today."

Patting Staraptor, Kaim opened the door and went inside.

Cynthia came down from the second floor to greet him.

"Thanks for all your hard work. How was today?"

"A promising challenger came by. I won this time, but I probably won't win next time."

"Really? Another talented youngster, then."

"A kid in a red beret. Probably only about thirteen, and he already has four Badges. He'll get strong fast."

"Wonderful. The next Pokémon League looks like it'll be interesting."

Glancing at Cynthia's delighted smile from the corner of his eye, Kaim washed his hands and tied on an apron.

"I'll get dinner ready right away."

"You can take your time."

"My Pokémon are all hungry. They worked hard today too, so I'll make it right away."

"Investigating ruins?"

While Kaim was working on his laptop in the living room of Cynthia's home and laboratory, she brought up the subject of investigating ruins.

"Yes. I'm planning to investigate the recently discovered Sinjoh Ruins."

The Sinjoh Ruins had recently been discovered between the Sinnoh Region and the Johto Region. They were said to have been left behind by people from Sinnoh who had migrated to Johto.

"The excavation isn't finished yet, but experts and people with special qualifications have been allowed to investigate the main sanctuary site. So I'd like to go take a look right away."

"I'm coming along?"

"Of course. You're my assistant, Kaim, and I'm sure you'll find plenty of things that interest you."

"I've wanted to go for a while, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Of course I'll come."

"Then let's leave the day after tomorrow. We'll start getting ready tomorrow."

With that, Cynthia returned to her room.

Kaim paused his work and picked up his phone.

First, he checked the transportation options between their current location and the Sinjoh Ruins, then worked out a route.

"We should be able to drive to Johto. Going straight to the ruins themselves won't be possible. In that case, finding somewhere to stay here would be better."

He searched for accommodation in the town closest to the Sinjoh Ruins. He had heard there was a small cabin nearby where people could stay, but they could not remain there indefinitely. He did not know how much time they would devote to the investigation; he could ask Cynthia about that later. For now, they needed a base.

Kaim found a promising place to stay in the nearest town and made a reservation on his phone.

For some reason, Lucario, who was sitting nearby in meditation, suddenly sneezed.

-Two days later-

"Ready?"

"."

Cynthia spoke to Kaim as he organized their luggage.

Kaim packed various items into a fairly large bag, then easily took both his bag and Cynthia's from her hands and put them in the car's trunk.

"Thanks."

"It's easier if I handle the heavy lifting."

His physical abilities had once been merely average, but training at the Tobari Gym had improved them considerably. Now he was in excellent shape compared with an ordinary person.

"You haven't forgotten anything?"

"All good."

Cynthia lightly tossed him the car keys.

Kaim caught them easily and settled into the driver's seat. Cynthia sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt.

"Let's go."

The engine rumbled, and the car pulled away.

"Which route are we taking?"

"We'll get on the highway at nearby Miao first. It's a long way, so the highway should be our safest bet for saving time."

"Right. Anyway, once we arrive, we'll leave our luggage at the hotel and head straight to the ruins. I've already spoken to an acquaintance stationed there, so we'll just have a general look around today."

"Got it."

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"It's not quite eight yet. I'm hoping we'll get there before noon, including breaks."

"That should leave us some time to investigate this afternoon."

"If there aren't any traffic jams."

"It'll be fine. I have a feeling we won't run into any."

"Really?"

The two of them drove onto the highway.

"Thanks for driving. Here, take this."

Along the way, they pulled into a rest area for a break.

Kaim stretched, loosening his body after the long drive, and Cynthia handed him a bottle of tea.

"Thanks."

"We're going somewhere else entirely, after all. It's bound to take a while."

"Can't be helped."

He unscrewed the cap and drank some tea.

They had finally passed the halfway point, but that alone had taken two hours. Although they had driven smoothly without encountering any traffic jams, the journey inevitably took time.

Cynthia looked around at the shops in the rest area, then stopped.

"Hey, they're selling ice cream over there. Shall we take a look?"

"Sure, but don't spend ages deciding like last time."

"I know. Come on, let's go."

Humming happily, Cynthia headed over with a spring in her step, while Kaim let out a deep sigh.

Despite what she had said, he already knew she would spend a long time choosing her ice cream.

And, just as Kaim had expected, Cynthia ended up agonizing over which flavor to choose.

"Hurry up and decide."

"We still have a long drive ahead, so two scoops probably aren't a good idea. But I like both flavors so much that it's hard to choose."

"And here we are again."

The fact that she had quickly narrowed it down to two choices showed that she understood she could not spend too much time. But getting stuck between those final two was just like the ice cream lover she was.

"Oh, fine. Excuse me, I'll have this one and this one. In separate cups, please."

"Certainly."

"?"

"Those are the two you can't decide between, right? We can share them, and you'll get to try both. You'll have to settle for that much. We still have a long trip ahead."

Kaim spoke with a stern expression as he paid.

"Are you sure?"

"Idiot. Otherwise, you'd spend an hour standing there choosing. Let's eat quickly and get going."

Taking the change and ice cream, Kaim strode away.

"...I never said which two flavors I was torn between."

Perhaps he had taken Cynthia's gaze and preferences into account, because Kaim had correctly guessed the two flavors she was considering.

He probably noticed because he regularly observed people as well as Pokémon.

A little pleased that he had paid attention to her, Cynthia happily followed him.

"Oh, this is really good."

"This flavor would go well with coffee too."

"Ah, let me try some of that one."

"Yes, yes."

Afterward, they sat on a bench in the rest area and ate their ice cream. Looking at the satisfied Cynthia, Kaim drank his tea and sighed with relief.

"We're finally here!"

"Yeah, that was a long way."

They arrived at a hotel in a town near the Sinjoh Ruins, in the northern Sinnoh Region.

"Let's check in first. We'll rest a little, then head straight to the ruins."

"Right, it should be all snow over there, shouldn't it?"

". I brought shoes suited to cold regions and everything, so we'll be fine."

"Then you go to the front desk. I'll unload the luggage."

"All right, got it."

As he was taking the luggage out of the trunk, a hotel employee came over to help carry it.

After thanking the employee, they moved all their luggage into the room.

"This is a pretty nice room."

"It's not too fancy, but it's not too basic either. This level is the most comfortable and relaxing. For me, anyway."

"I was using you as my benchmark."

"You too, Cynthia, right?"

"...As long as I'm with you, anywhere is fine."

"...Really?"

To hide his embarrassment, Kaim scratched his head and turned away.

Behind Kaim, Cynthia watched happily as he packed their things.

Kaim shouldered the packed backpack, which held the supplies they needed for their investigation. He wore a lightweight, fitted down jacket chosen for warmth and comfort.

Cynthia wore her usual black coat and fitted pants, but since high heels were unsuitable for snowy terrain, she had put on slip-resistant boots made for cold climates.

"How long will it take to walk there from here?"

"About an hour, I think."

"Since it's in the mountains, that should be about right."

"Okay, let's go."

The two left the hotel.

Kaim carried all their luggage himself, including Cynthia's share. Of course, Cynthia hadn't forced him to carry it; he had volunteered.

Though young, Cynthia was already a highly regarded archaeologist, and her passion for research rivaled her passion for Pokémon battles. Her enthusiasm for her work often left her so absorbed that she lost track of time. Even if her mind forgot the passing hours, her body still bore the strain. Once, she had pushed herself too hard, remaining immersed in her research until she nearly fainted.

Ever since then, Kaim had always carried Cynthia's luggage when they went out for fieldwork. That way, she could save her energy for concentrating on their investigation.

Besides, as a Fighting-type Gym Trainer, Kaim could get some exercise out of it himself. Though he also enjoyed investigation and research, he never became as immersed in it as Cynthia did. He could stay focused for quite a while, but not to the point of losing track of time the way she did.

"Isn't it heavy?"

"Dumbbells are heavier."

"Hehe, of course they are."

With a helpless look on his face, Kaim followed close behind Cynthia.