Cynthia kneeled on the floor of her study, once Cia's bedroom. She sorted through the stacked boxes in the corner. She had to move them in order to put down the guest bed she would sleep on while Cia took her room, so why not do a little cleaning? Though, she was sure Cia would insist on letting Cynthia stay in her room.

   The woman worked methodically, all the while her mind swirled with ideas on what she could possibly gift to her little sister. It couldn't be something simple like dinner and a movie, no, it had to be something truly special.

   A spa day at Valor Lakefront? No, Cia would rather be covered in mud from a hike. A Lunar Wing right from Fullmoon Island? No, again. As far as Cynthia knew, Cia wasn't capable of getting nightmares. A full-access, three-day pass to the Battle Frontier? Perhaps that could work. But... something about it didn't feel genuine enough. All of these things could be bought, and what Cia had given her was something that couldn't be bought.

   "Arceus!" Cynthia sighed loudly, leaning her head on a box. Maybe there was nothing to gift to Cia. What could be given in exchange for pricelessness?

   "Cynthia?" her grandmother questioned as she entered the room. Cynthia lifted her head, dust smudging her forehead and a frown smudging her mouth. "I could hear you down the hall, and I'm surprised I was able to. What's troubling you?"

   Cynthia explained her plight, ending it with another sigh. "Everything I think of just sounds so shallow..."

   "Perhaps you aren't looking in the right places?" her grandmother said. "A gift doesn't have to priceless to be meaningful." She smiled. "You're the smartest person I know, I'm sure you can figure something out." She squeezed Cynthia's shoulder before leaving the room.

   The woman watched her grandmother leave, still frowning. A gift doesn't have to be priceless to be meaningful... But it wouldn't be right to give her something that wasn't priceless. She went back to looking through the boxes.

   At the bottom of a stack was a box that was particularly heavy. Cynthia dragged it over to her and opened it. It was filled with dust-covered books. She wiped the dust off the top book, and a wave of nostalgia hit her when she read the title. "Sinnoh Folk Stories," a collection of stories about how Pokémon and humans had coexisted centuries ago. That had been the first mythology book she had ever read, and it had been what sparked her interest in myths in the first place.

   She pulled out the books from the box. "The Original Story," "Veilstone's Myth," each one bringing up more nostalgia. She soon reached the bottom of the box where she discovered one last book, smaller than the others and patterned in pink flowers. In a font that looked like weaving vines, the title read, "Gracidea: Flowers of Gratitude."

    Cynthia's heart leapt. Flowers of gratitude? She flipped it open to be immediately faced with a colorful picture of a white hedgehog-like Pokémon with two pink flowers on its green, grassy back. Yes, she was remembering now. She hadn't touched this book in years. The pictured creature was a Shaymin, known as the Gratitude Pokémon. She could recall the myth surrounding Shaymin in almost perfect detail, her memory proving right as she began to read.

   "Many Mythical and Legendary Pokémon are known to produce certain, one-of-a-kind items. Latios and Latias producing Soul Dew and Cresselia shedding Lunar Wings are two such examples. The Mythical Pokémon Shaymin and its unique commodity, the Gracidea, will be detailed in the upcoming pages.

   "Gracideas are unusual flowers in that they can only grow in areas with no pollution whatsoever. The only reason they survived at all was because of the Shaymin. Shaymin are capable of cleansing the toxins from their surroundings, much like Johto's Legendary Beast Suicune. But unlike Suicune, Shaymin can cleanse both the water and air. Hundreds of years ago, Gracideas were abundant in Sinnoh's fields, and so were Shaymin.

   "Nobody knows exactly where in Sinnoh the tradition started, but people began giving Gracideas to each other as gifts of gratitude. Words of the so-called 'Gratifying Gracideas' spread, and so the tradition was born."

   Cynthia's next thought hit her like a Hyper Beam. She could give Cia a Gracidea!

   "But as the human population increased, so did our output of pollution. Areas where Gracideas once thrived were slowly wilting due to the Shaymin not being able to handle so many toxins. Those who tried to take in all the pollution either suffered illness or died. Because of this, Shaymin began to go into hiding, taking the Gracideas with them."

   Cynthia finished the last page, her heart sinking. Right... Re-reading made her remember how sad the story was. But that didn't mean all hope was lost. Just because the Shaymin had gone into hiding didn't mean they were gone forever. Some may have doubted the words in a book, but Cynthia had lived through several myths coming to life to know she could trust what it said.

   The computer chimed cheerfully as it rang. Cynthia patiently watched the screen, her chin resting on palms whose arms were propped up on a casually folded leg. An image of an older white-haired man served as the caller ID, and the name Professor Rowan was displayed beneath it.

   The image abruptly changed, and a live feed of Sinnoh's Pokémon Professor appeared on-screen.

   "Why if it isn't Cynthia. You haven't called me in months," the professor greeted her with a smile. "How has your research of the Snowpoint Temple been coming along?"

   "Quite fine, actually. I was planning on heading up there in a few weeks," Cynthia replied. "But that isn't why I called you today."

   After hearing out Cynthia, Rowan looked thoughtful. "Shaymin and the Gracideas, or Nature's Gratitude as botanists call them," he mused. "If one seeks a Shaymin or a Gracidea, they hide in areas untouched by human civilization. These places tend to be quite hard to reach so that there is less of a chance of humans stumbling upon them. There's a few areas like that in southeastern Sinnoh, so you could start there. I'll send you some coordinates I have that pinpoint those places."

   "That would make sense. And thank you, Professor," Cynthia said.

   "You're welcome. I wish you luck. But be careful. If you do find any Gracideas, it's possible that the Shaymin would like to be left alone."

   "Duly noted," Cynthia said. She bid farewell to the professor and hung up. Cynthia smiled. She finally knew what to get Cia: a literal symbol of gratitude! She could already hear what Cia's reaction would be. "Of course you would've buried your nose in one of those myth books to find out about this!" she'd laugh. "You haven't changed one bit, Cyn!"

   But in thinking that, a twinge of uneasiness tugged at the Ex-Champion. She really hadn't changed too much since Cia had left, but that didn't mean Cia couldn't have changed. After all, it had been over three years since they last spoke.

   The uneasiness left Cynthia as she pushed it away. Cia wasn't one to waver, emotions and opinions alike. And if something had happened, she surely would have told Cynthia or their grandmother about it.

   After all, they say no news is good news, Cynthia thought.