Early the next morning, Sam arrived at the Pokémon Center at the agreed ti to et up with Ash and the others.
But there was no sign of them.
He figured they must not have slept well, understandable, considering the nightmares that had been plaguing the island.
They probably spent most of the night tossing and turning.
Sam wasn't worried. It gave him a mont to catch his breath.
Just as he leaned back on the lobby sofa, the phone on his waist buzzed.
It was a video call, Cynthia.
He answered, and her face filled the screen, worried, anxious, eyes scanning him over even through the cara.
"Sam, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. Really," he replied, offering a calm smile, trying to ease her nerves.
"Are you sure? Stand up, turn around. Let see."
Sam sighed and humored her, slowly turning in place in front of the screen, as if being inspected by airport security.
Only when she'd looked him up and down did Cynthia let out a long breath.
"Honestly, you scared to death! I received a report early this morning saying that a massive battle was underway on Mine Island. And that soone subdued a berserk Darkrai!"
She stared directly into the cara.
"…Was that you?"
Sam nodded with a casual smile.
"Yep."
"…What?! You… You subdued Darkrai?!"
"That's right. I did."
"You're serious?!" Cynthia's eyes widened. Her voice rose in pitch.
"Incredible," she muttered.
"You caught… Darkrai…"
Sam chuckled. "There are people here. I'll show you later when we et."
Cynthia stared at him through the screen, stunned into silence.
He could guess what was running through her mind.
After all, she knew him well.
To her knowledge, his only main battle Pokémon was a Gym-level Lucario.
And Darkrai wasn't just strong, it was a mythical Pokémon.
At a minimum, it started at the Elite level.
"Sam… how did you ?"
He interrupted with a light tone, half-joking.
"You're the Sinnoh Champion. As your future husband, how could I let myself fall behind?"
That made her laugh. Nose scrunching, cheeks puffed slightly.
Cute and full of affection.
"Hehe~ you are sothing."
She stared at him again for a few seconds, then tilted her head slightly. Her expression shifted.
"Sam…"
"…Hmm?"
"You look… different."
Sam raised a brow.
"Different how?"
"I don't know… It's like… You got more handso?"
She looked frustrated, trying to find the words.
"…Yeah! That's it! You're more handso now!"
Sam laughed.
"Oh? So you're saying I wasn't handso before?"
Cynthia's expression turned playful, eyes narrowing.
"Hate~ You know I don't an that."
"My Sam has always been the most handso!"
Sam just smiled, warmth flickering in his chest.
He hadn't told her everything yet, like the system or the powers he'd awakened.
Not here. Not over a call.
But he would. Eventually.
For now, her voice was enough.
The world may have changed.
He might not be from this one.
But so things
Like the bond they shared
Were real.
And in this world full of legends and power, that was more than enough.
While Sam was still chatting with Cynthia, three familiar figures erged from the Pokémon Center's accommodation wing.
"Ash! Brock! Hurry up!"
Dawn's gentle yet urging voice echoed down the hallway.
"We're already late. It's not good to keep Sam waiting."
Ash yawned hard, rubbing his eyes, still groggy.
"Yeah… I barely slept. I kept thinking I'd get pulled into so nightmare."
"Pika…"
Pikachu, on his shoulder, slumped along with him, clearly no better off.
"I fell asleep a few tis during the trip," Brock admitted with a tired sigh.
"But man, the dreams I had… terrifying!"
He shuddered.
"I dread that Elesa, Nessa, Roxie, and even Diantha turned into ghosts chasing through a dark gym."
Ash side-eyed him.
"You've got issues."
"Focus!" Dawn pointed ahead.
"Look, Sam is already waiting."
They all looked toward the corner of the Pokémon Center lounge where Sam sat calmly, speaking into his Phone.
His tone was soft, the corner of his mouth upturned in a rare smile.
His back was to them, but even from here, they could tell he was talking to soone important.
"Sam!" Dawn called as they approached.
"Sorry, we're late!"
"Morning, Sam!" Brock chid in.
"Sam~" Ash added cheerfully.
Sam turned at their voices, ending his sentence to Cynthia with a quiet smile.
"They're here."
The screen in his hand tilted slightly, and Cynthia's face ca into view.
Brock's eyes went wide.
"Wait… is that ?!"
His whole body stiffened. Then exploded.
"Miss Cynthia!!!"
Ash and Dawn both flinched from his outburst.
Sam scratched his cheek, chuckling.
"They're so friends I t while traveling. I told you about them."
Cynthia smiled politely through the screen.
"Hello, everyone."
"Hi, Cynthia!" Dawn waved cheerfully.
"Hello, Champion Cynthia!" Ash greeted, standing a little straighter.
But Brock…
Brock didn't say a word.
He stared at the screen like he was calculating sothing.
Then, abruptly, he turned, grabbing Ash and Dawn by the shoulders.
"Let's go," Brock said with a forced grin.
"Sam and Miss Cynthia have sothing important to talk about. We shouldn't interrupt!"
"Also, we haven't had breakfast yet!"
Without giving either of them ti to react, he dragged them off down the hallway.
As they walked away, Brock turned his head and shot Sam a wink, mouthing sothing with exaggerated lips:
"Sam autographed photo of Diantha. Please!"
Sam blinked, stunned. Then sighed.
Sam stayed on the video call, watching Cynthia's face appear on-screen, frad by soft hotel lighting, her long blonde hair cascading over one shoulder.
"…Hey, uh. Cynthia?"
"Hm?" she said warmly, sipping from a mug.
"Hey, uh… I was wondering. Could you… maybe… get an autographed photo of Diantha?"
There was silence.
The kind of silence that hits so hard, even the video call's background noise seed to die.
Cynthia's eyes slowly lifted from her mug.
She didn't say anything for a full five seconds.
Then her voice ca, low and dangerous.
"…What did you just ask ?"
Sam's posture stiffened.
"I an, it's not a huge deal, I just thought "
Her head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowing like a blade.
"You want ," she said, voice tense, "to go to her and ask for her autograph. For you."
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