- Vagabond - Male Reader x Pokémon

Chapter 9: Responsibility

[SOME TIME LATER]

[Townhall, Sandgem Town]

The soft glow of a single lamp cast shadows across the modest town hall's interior.

Outside, a quiet hum of the filled the air.

[Y/N] sat on a wooden chair, elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the person lying on the cot before him.

"Looks like we've switched roles, huh?" [Y/N] muttered, his voice low, more for himself than for her. A faint, dry chuckle escaped his lips, not a laugh of amusement but one meant to slice through the oppressive quiet, a thin armour against the heavy tension hanging in the room.

Cynthia lay before him, tucked beneath a thick quilt that was pulled high around her shoulders. The white wrap around her head contrasted starkly with her pale complexion. It covered the fresh wound she'd sustained in the attack, leaving only one of her storm-grey eyes visible.

The other half of her face was hidden beneath both the bandage and the curtain of her blonde bangs.

Her gaze was fixed somewhere far away, heavy with an unmistakable sadness. She looked defeated, burdened by shame. [Y/N] could see it in her furrowed brow, the tight line of her lips, the way her fingers fidgeted with the edge of the blanket.

Cynthia had always carried an air of confidence, but now? She looked so small, almost fragile. He knew exactly what haunted her, the bitter sting of inadequacy. She was supposed to be the one to stand tall, to be the hero. Yet when the battle had erupted, she'd been taken out almost immediately.

It left her feeling like a burden rather than the future champion people expected her to be.

On the floor beside her, Gible clung to her side, its small body pressed tightly against her.

The little dragon Pokémon mirrored its trainer's pain, nuzzling her arm gently as if trying to will her wounds away.

The sight of her like this twisted something in [Y/N]'s chest.

He'd only known her for a short time, but Cynthia wasn't someone you could ignore. She had a way of leaving an impression, a good one.

"Don't worry." [Y/N] said softly, breaking the silence. His voice was calm but warm, his words deliberate. "I'll stay here as long as you need me to, until you're better. And then..." He leaned forward slightly, trying to catch her gaze. "We'll get out of this small town, just like you wanted. We'll explore Sinnoh together. You can show me all those places you were talking about."

Cynthia's lips curved faintly upward, a small, hesitant smile.

But it didn't reach her eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, her fingers clenching tightly around the blanket.

Finally, she took a deep breath.

"[Y/N]..." Her voice was quiet at first, but then it steadied, growing firmer. "I-I need to say something."

He tilted his head, concern flickering across his face. "What is it?"

Cynthia hesitated again, her grey eye darting away to avoid his. When she finally spoke, her voice was tinged with bitterness and self-reproach. "I'm really sorry. I'm a terrible person."

A hollow laugh escaped her lips, a sound so unlike her that it made [Y/N] sit up straighter. "What?" He asked, confusion knitting his brow. "Cynthia, that's not..."

She cut him off. "No, listen to me." She swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I haven't met someone my age in a long time that I could talk to like this. Someone who..." She trailed off, collecting her thoughts. "Yanase told me what you did. How you pulled me out of the lab before it collapsed. If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'd be dead right now."