Pokémon Journey

With the decline of funding and resources for Celestic Town, the Historical Research Centre her grandmother runs is mostly defunct, and they barely have the funds to maintain what remains of the ruins. The town itself is also on hard times, with the abandonment of their major source of income and the persistent drought issue that makes it difficult to grow crops. Having been held back from journey due to being needed at home, Cynthia is desperate to escape the confines of her childhood home, frustrated at the lack of action around her, and dreams about becoming a successful trainer to lift her hometown from its bleak existence.

On the eve of her Pokémon journey, Professor Hawthorn is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Newly promoted Professor Rowan handles her registration and gives her a Pokédex, hints heavily at dangerous conditions for solo travellers at the moment, and suggests she travel with his new research aide, Lucian. This sets off the events of Cynthia’s story arc, which I have rattling around in my brain somewhere.

At the start of her journey, Cynthia is highly competitive - she views herself as behind others of her age, and is therefore determined to catch up as soon as possible. At the beginning, this causes her to make rash, impulsive, and often reckless decisions in battle, while being indecisive about different possible paths to success outside of battle. This leads to her to attempt both the League challenge and the Contest circuit, a highly stressful endeavour.

Having not seen much of the outside world at this point, Cynthia can sometimes come off as self-righteous, as she frames much of the world through her own viewpoint and morals.

Afterwards

Post journey, Cynthia becomes the new Sinnoh Champion, and suddenly is overwhelmed by a new set of skills and duties to perfect. With more possessions and paperwork than she knows what to do with, she leaves a lot of it scattered around in her room after picking it up to work on it, and placing it aside when done.

Primarily, Cynthia figures out the importance of appearance - luckily, with grandparents that insisted on instilling her with good manners and kindness, it’s easy to transition into a public persona, which isn’t too different from her normal self. She does take more care in her physical appearance as well, which mainly concerns her long hair, and signature black coat.

Settling into her role, while she still maintains her competitive spirit, she’s starting to have a little more fun instead of just sheer desperation, where not every battle is do or die.

Having seen much more of Sinnoh at this point, she’s a lot more open-minded and curious about listening to other people’s stories and viewpoints than she was at the beginning of her journey.

Epilogue

Two decades later, Sinnoh prides itself on its prosperity and abundance. Cynthia has been wanting to pass on the championship for a while, but most challengers have declined the position, citing their wishes to travel further for a while yet, other responsibilities, or a desire to return to a more obscure lifestyle.

Finally, with her successor trained up and ready to go, Cynthia retires to Celestic Town to get up to various archaeological hijinks, and travel the world.

Abilities

Cynthia’s abilities are unique in that they seem to not belong to any particular affinity - in fact, the closest reference to her abilities is that of Archon Calanthe, so everything about them is quite unclear.

Powers

Rapid Healing: Cynthia can expend mana to heal both herself or others at a rapid rate. Healing others requires physical touch in order to work: while bruises and small cuts can be healed by touch anywhere, more serious wounds require direct touch to the injury in question. Mortal wounds in particular are extremely mana-draining.

Biomanipulation: Although she defines her powers by her remarkable ability to heal herself and others at a rapidly advanced rate, she retains the darker aspect of her ancestor’s powers - the ability to manipulate flesh and blood means that she is able to do a lot of harm as well. This frightens her a great deal, and she doesn’t use this aspect of her powers very much, because of her inability to practice this skill.

Family

Lucian (husband): Sometimes, she looks back and can't believe how far they've come. At the beginning, she was frustrated by what she felt was his unnecessary presence, his guarded way of speaking that suggested he wasn't telling the complete truth, and her own feelings of inadequacy. However, she finds him intriguing conversation, and has no problem borrowing his books or burying him in questions. With time, they're tight-knit travelling companions united by the desire to do better by Sinnoh and its inhabitants, and an understanding regarding their feelings of grief and anger towards the current administration. Naturally, when she ascends to the championship, there's no one else she wants for her Elite Four.

Several years later, Cynthia comes to the realization that he's an integral part of her life, and that her own feelings toward him might be edging towards not-entirely-platonic territory. As it usually is with Cynthia, she goes after what she wants, trips into plot, and gets what she wants in the end.

Cynthia loves Lucian for his practicality, faith in humankind, and quiet unwavering support. She finds he has a way of bringing new and interesting viewpoints and solutions to her consideration, which she greatly appreciates because she sometimes gets a bit stubborn in her opinions. Although their academic banter is always a delight - she enjoys riling him up and watching him talk about something he's interested in, and vice versa - their philosophical conversations sometimes carry unintended weight in times of crisis. For all that he insists he's a pessimist, Cynthia's of the opinion he's more of an optimist, given his faith that the world will continue to turn on - he's just practical enough to plan for worst-case scenarios, and has really lightened up since when she first met him.

Cassia (daughter): A surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Cynthia hadn't really considered the idea of children - her and Lucian's general consensus on the topic was 'not now, maybe in the future we'll revisit the matter,' so when maybe turned to now, it was a bit of a shock. Despite concerns over a family history of pregnancy complications, Cynthia is determined to see it through, and does, despite some hiccups along the way. Cassia is her pride and joy, and she loves her dearly.

It makes things difficult and uncomfortable when things get strained by Cassia's insecurities and feelings of inadequacy - Cynthia's at a loss as to how to help, and she's never wanted her daughter to feel as though her accomplishments are something to live up to, or that she be required to follow in her footsteps. She thinks of her own situation as something entirely different from the glory winning the League is associated with nowadays - she challenged for the position because it was clear that no one else was going to do anything about the world they were living in, not for the glamourized media circus the whole affair has become. Even so, she knows she casts a long shadow her daughter is inadvertently caught in, which on some level is heartbreaking because it drives a wedge between their close relationship. In the end, Cynthia can only offer her unwavering support, a shoulder to cry on, and a listening ear, and set her free to discover herself.

Cordelia (mother): Cynthia's childhood is defined by the period before her mother's death and the time after her death. Being her sole parent, Cordelia had a large impact on Cynthia's life, and it's her early childhood stories and lessons that Cynthia takes to heart. Despite this, Cynthia admits she doesn't remember very much about her, except for the warm feeling in her chest, a handful of fuzzy sunlight drenched memories, and the feeling of helplessness as her mother's health deteriorates before her death. It's for this reason Cynthia hates being idle - somewhere, she's connected this helplessness with the hopeless sense of having given up.

Carolina (grandmother): Cynthia looks up to her grandmother for her no-nonsense attitude and ability to get things done. Her grandmother's role at the museum is of endless fascination to her - it's her tales of classic Sinnohan myths and their various adaptations and origins that Cynthia remembers well and passes down to Cassia in the guise of bedtime stories. While she loves her grandmother and tries to follow her instructions and expectations, their equally stubborn personalities sometimes clash. The disciplinarian through Cynthia's childhood, Cynthia finds her grandmother's restrictions chafing and difficult to follow. She understands it's out of caution and care, but it's still frustrating nonetheless.

Ajax (grandfather): Cynthia admires her grandfather's work ethic, persistence, and ability to take everything in stride. Gruff, but warm. Forced to play mediator between Cynthia and Carolina in her more turbulent years, he did it all without much complaint. Did a lot of taking Cynthia aside to calmly and reasonably explain why she needed to be careful of what she said. Has a lot of friends outside of Celestic that he met during his younger years - it's implied that he went on a journey, but ultimately settled in Celestic to pursue archaeology.

Maelstrom (estranged father): Given she found out about him at the nth hour, his presence seems rather redundant. Her initial feelings towards him are frosty - to her, he's a complete stranger because he's chosen to keep his distance all these years, so she'll do the same and treat him like a stranger. However, Cynthia's really bad at giving people the cold shoulder, and Maelstrom is actually making an effort to get to know her, so she defrosts with some reluctant resentment. There's a lot of awkwardness, but they make an effort to get along, especially as Cynthia leans on his experience with navigating Sinnoh's politics, especially with the League. She's also well aware that he was the one who left Diana's egg on their doorstep.

Andromeda (mother-in-law): Their first meeting in Hearthome has Andromeda using another name, so Cynthia is a bit miffed about the secrecy when she learns Andromeda is Lucian's mother. It's quickly put aside as she persuades Lucian to reconcile with his paernts. She's rather fond of Andromeda, as the older woman seems to have also taken a shine to her, and they chat regularly about all sorts of things.

Regulus (father-in-law): She's a bit more distant with Regulus compared to her connection with Andromeda - she tries to keep her distance too, given her need for the appearance of impartiality between the different factions of Sinnoh. Regardless, they have a cordial respect for each other.

Friends

Riley: Her first encounter with him was her first Pokémon battle and defeat. While they're friendly and cordial, she regards him as a rival and someone to beat. She finds his and Lucian's antagonistic snark and banter annoying, for two people who claim to be on the same side. For all of Riley's infuriating ability to be cryptic when talking, his actions tend to be helpful - he offers excellent advice, even if it requires her to chew on his words for a bit. Although she understands his desire to stay of out of the spotlight and refusal to take a role at the League, she sometimes takes an issue with his unwillingness to pitch in a hand and help out - especially when he starts pointing out flaws in the system.

Dahlia: When they were rivals as teenagers, they also had a degree of understanding - both of them are new on their journey and trying to claw out a place for themselves in the world. Cynthia sympathizes with her plight, and wishes her all the best. When Cynthia ascends to the championship, she suggests Dahlia for the Elite Four - as an acknowledgement for her skills, and as a way of mending ties between the League and the Contest circuit. While Dahlia only spends a short time on the roster of the Elite Four, leaving to join Sinnoh's Battle Frontier, her and Cynthia keep in touch.

Flint: His exuberance brightens her day and amuses her greatly. He doesn't know the line between what's appropriate and what's not sometimes, but he does his best to brighten a room whenver he walks in, and it's a breath of fresh air for Cynthia, who feels a bit trapped in dull paperwork.

Bertha: Bertha is a solid mentor presence on her Elite Four. Cynthia tries to strike a balance between respecting her elders and being the top boss when speaking to her, and doesn't know whether or not she succeeds. Regardless, she thinks that having Bertha on her side and being more deferential is helpful, especially in the earlier years of her championship.

Cyrus: Having only heard of Cyrus through Volkner and Flint's conversations, and hints through her interactions with his father, the head of Sinnoh's largest energy company, she's intrigued to meet him. She finds him intelligent and diligent, if a bit quiet and uninterested in social interactions. She eventually does manage to draw him into fascinating conversations about mythology and the origin of the world, and considers him an acquaintance. Of course, this is up until certain events, after which she becomes extremely disappointed in him and his actions. She's conflicted about feeling pity for him - on the one hand, she thinks he got what he was asking for, and on the other she thinks he was an unfortunate product of his upbringing, but made his choices as an adult. Mostly, she feels bad for Flint and Volkner, to lose someone that they clearly looked up to as children.

Main Pokémon

Diana: Left on her doorstep as an egg when she was seven, she begged her grandparents to allow her to take it in and raise it. There were some notable incidents, particularly when Diana started chewing on everything, but Cynthia did manage to house train her, and the only real casualty was her grandfather's old slippers. Her oldest and most trusted partner - they've had their spats and disagreements, but they've come out of them with a stronger understanding of each other. Diana is just as stubborn and headstrong as Cynthia, but with a much quicker temper - this can make her incredibly dangerous and powerful in battle but can cause her to lose focus and just rage at everything in her path. Although her form is large and imposing, her aerodynamic fins and tail means that she can be unexpectedly quick when she needs to be. Loves, loves poffins.

Although Mega Evolution becomes available to Cynthia and Diana after their championship battle, their final confrontation with Eltan and Rayquaza drives home the consequences that occur when trainer and Pokémon fail to sync up properly, especially when syncing with powerful Dragon-type Pokémon. Although Cynthia optimistically thinks they should be able to sync smoothly without the same complications, Diana dislikes the feeling of the Mega Stone enough that they mutually agree that Mega Evolution is off the table for Diana.

Ultor: A gift from her grandfather, on her departure from home. Ultor is loyal, steadfast, and somehow always calm. Even as a Riolu, seemed mature and serious for his age, always training. An excellent strategic thinker in battle, he aims for his opponent's weak points.

Isis: The first Pokémon that Cynthia catches. Exceptionally shy as a Budew, she becomes more and more courageous as she evolves, to the point where she gracefully performs Contest appeals on stage in front of a live audience. While she tends to be fragile and lacks endurance if hit, she packs a punch with her poison and grass type attacks, and has figured out a method of dodging that suits her.

Cress (Cressida): An enthusiastic and playful Eevee that evolves into an elegant and extroverted Glaceon, Cress is determined to put a smile on her teammates' faces, and fiercely defensive of her friends in a way that makes her fur spike up. Attached to Troy, Lucian's Espeon.

Doris: Doris plays a much more supportive role on Cynthia's team. While not particularly fast, or particularly strong, she absorbs water attacks with no fear at all, and is always ready to stand firm to help out her teammates.

Tiamat: Released by her original trainer as a Feebas, Cynthia managed to earn her trust and friendship, and she eventually evolved into a Milotic. When her first trainer returned for a fight, Tiamat chose to stay with Cynthia and battle. Her graceful elegance and self-assuredness makes her Cynthia's prime contest contestant. Although she's not as attack oriented as her teammates, she supports them as much as she can.

Melinoe: A surprise catch - a collection of 108 angry spirits haunting an abandoned town that they came across, Cynthia threw a Pokéball at the angry being bearing down on her, and was very surprised when it worked. It took some time to persuade and soothe them to her cause. They rarely speak, preferring to lurk ominously. They have an exceptionally intimidating aura.

Pan: A big, mischievous baby. Enjoys attention, pranks, and hugging the life out of people. Has zero conception of his own strength - his hugs are sometimes very painful. Uses his cuteness to get out of trouble.

Bahamut: An egg won from a competition. Bahamut jostles for position among Cynthia's more established Pokémon, which most of the team takes in good competitive spirit. Stubborn and determined, he likes to challenge his teammates in one on one matches and gets back up after every single one of them.

Cynthia is another name for Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon, the hunt, the wilderness, childbirth, a variety of other things, and the patron and protectress of children, especially girls. Diana, her Garchomp, is named with this in mind - Diana is the name for the Roman equivalent of Artemis.

Aidos is the Greek personification of humility, respect, modesty, and shame. More specifically, according to Edith Hamilton's Mythology, it means the 'reverence and the shame that holds men back from wrongdoing,' and 'the feeling a prosperous man should have in the presence of the unfortunate - not compassion, but a sense that the difference between him and those poor wretches is not deserved.' Along with Nemesis, the personification of righteous anger, they are entities that walk among mortals, and will only return to Mount Olympus when humankind becomes truly wicked.

December 8th is the first broadcast date of Top-Down Training in the US. This is the Diamond and Pearl episode where Cynthia meets Ash and company.

White-fruited nandina is shironanten in Japanese, the origin of her Japanese name, Shirona. In the language of flowers, this means 'love growing stronger' and 'good home.' Nandina in general is seen as good fortune.

Most of Cynthia's Pokémon are named after gods or mythological characters. Diana is the Roman counterpart to Artemis. Ultor is a reference and epithet to Mars Ultor, Mars the Avenger, the Roman god of warfare. Cressida is from the story of Troilus and Cressida, but her nickname, Cress, is a reference to the crescent moon. Melinoe is the Greek goddess of restless undead, a bringer of nightmares and madness. Pan is the Greek god of the wild. Tiamat is an ancient Babylonian goddess of the sea.