The Lost Master

Chapter-4

At 8am precisely Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Master, stepped into the Pokémon Center. He found Nurse Joy behind the desk waiting for him. He nodded to her wordlessly, and she gestured to the corridor leading to the examination room. He followed her and stepped into the room. There was a blue Pokémon lying on the table, still out cold. Ash turned to the nurse.
"Did his trainer come by?"

"Yes Sir. I forbade her from entering, as ordered. She eventually left her Pokémon with me to heal, which I have done so."

"Good. Let her know that I am looking after Golduck whilst he heals. He will be returned. There will be a representative here soon to talk to her. Thank you Nurse Joy."

With that, Ash held out a Pokéball, returned Golduck and walked out of the room, heading straight out of the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy returned to her desk, and waited for Misty to come and collect her remaining Pokémon.

Cynthia sat in the waiting area, irritated. It wasn't that she didn't realize that she would have to do this sort of thing; in fact it was better for her to do it. It's just she didn't realize she would have to do it on her first day. She cast her mind back to the meeting the previous night, immediately after she had accepted the her new job.

Flashback

"You saw the battle" The figure on the other side of the desk said. It wasn't a question, but Cynthia nodded regardless. "What did you think about Golduck?"

"She should have recalled it. When it was hit by the Giga Impact she should have. After the Hyper Beam I was shocked that she didn't. However, his endurance was staggering. Why?"

"She wants me to train her. Throughout the fight I considered it. Her Pokémon were strong, and she is young. She has potential. However, she doesn't know when to stop. Part of being a trainer is looking after your Pokémon. I have no problem with her fighting, although outclassed, but she should have stopped her Golduck. As Pokémon Master, I have to mark her trainer's license for review, simply because not recalling her Pokémon counts as abuse when it is in that state. Thoughts?"

Cynthia was silent for a few moments. She knew that he was right, and as Master she would have done the same thing. In fact, she had suspended 4 trainer's licenses in the last year for the same reason. However, she respected Misty, and didn't want it to happen to her. Having agreed to speak her mind, she decided to do so.

"In principle I agree. However, she is an excellent trainer and I do not believe that she has actually abused any of her Pokémon. I might be wrong, but what if I'm right? If this was just a case of getting carried away, a warning will suffice. If you're wrong, you'll set a bad precedent, and ruin the career of a potentially great trainer."

"Agreed. That is why I shall personally review her case. I'm not expecting a particularly busy month, so I should have plenty of time. Tomorrow I shall have prepared a letter for you to give her, and you will meet her to explain the process. If I rule in her favour, she will be an excellent student for you."

End Flashback

This had brought Cynthia to her current position, waiting for Misty to come and collect her Pokémon, so she could be told about the current suspension on her trainer's license. Cynthia knew that she was unlikely to take the information particularly well, but she strongly suspected that the ruling would be in Mistys favor. 'The Champion' would be honest she knew. She heard footsteps coming from the rooms further inside the centre and looked around. Misty had appeared at last, along with a man she recognized as Gary Oak. 'Interesting' she mused. 'Wonder what he is doing with her and none of their other friends.' Cynthia had taken a keen interest in one of their friends when she was Champion of the Sinnoh region, but knew he had vanished 7 years ago. As time had gone by Ash Ketchum had slipped out of her mind, but he had returned when she saw all his friends once again. He would have been a great pupil for her, perhaps even strong enough to be successor. At least, until 'The Champion' came along. Ashs disappearance had surprised her, but she couldn't spend too long searching. Hearing Misty talking to Nurse Joy, Cynthia composed herself and then stood up, striding across.