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Chapter Text

Steven Stone added the finishing touches to his work of art; that is, they were appetizing pieces of parsley garnish. The work of art in question was a delicious savoury and sour soup cooked with white wine and lemon. Overall, the soup would have the appeal of a creamy white soup finished and topped with pepper and parsley. After cooking, Steven would pour the soup from the pan to the stone plate – with a wide white bowl on top.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and gently placed the finished work on the steel table in front of him, where a waitress would take the soup and hand it out to the customer.

“The soup will get cold soon,” Steven warned her. “Hurry so they can enjoy it.”

“You got it, sir!” the waitress replied happily.

It was the evening, and specifically, it was the busiest time of the evening – dinner. As head chef of the high-end first class restaurant, Steven had a lot on his hands. At least half of the meals ordered were prepared by Steven alone. The rest of his staff – a team of cooks – would cook the other half, and more than enough times Steven could count did they half to ask him if they cooked the food properly.

“Those customers are flowing in by the minute!” the waitress holding the soup added. “Tens of tens of orders are going and going –”

“Keep a cool head,” Steven advised. “It helps with the focus.”

Ever since he had been dethroned as Hoenn champion, the twenty-five year old Steven really needed to find something else to do (he was fine with being dethroned, since he needed to release the burden of League duties at some point, and he knew that’s what Wallace was there for). Sure, he could have excavated stones. He could have moved to Sinnoh and lived in his villa (but there was no chance of that since he sold the villa). But no… he needed a way to make some money. The ex-champion needed income!

And so, Steven left Hoenn for a month for the prosperous Castelia City, where he learned how to cook. Indeed, it was the most unexpected move anyone could have imagined. Even his own father was shocked to hear Steven wanted to learn about cooking. Even more so, Steven wanted to learn about high-end cooking. It seemed to suit him.

He nearly, nearly, failed his cooking exam in the city, where fourteen of the twenty supervisors noted how stressful Steven was cooking the food, and all the five critics called Steven’s food creations ‘the most appealing foods every seen’. They were serious. In addition, one of the five food critics complimented Steven with excellent appraisal.

How could Steven have nearly, nearly, failed his cooking exam if he did so well with the food creations? The answer was his desserts. During the exam, they were so badly made that four of the five food critics called the desserts ‘revolting’, and only one of them called the desserts ‘barely and merely adequate’ (and that one critic’s remark was the reason Steven passed). Steven failed at desserts, but received multiple accolades for his entrées.

After receiving his honours, Steven needed to find work, but for some unsuspecting reason he wanted to work in a business started by him. He had excellent management skills in the Pokémon League, so why couldn’t he apply them to business? It wasn’t as if all his managing skills were made for the Pokémon League alone. Still, to start a business, he needed a lot of money.

But Steven was rich, wasn’t he? The suit and tie said it all.

To everyone’s infuriation, Steven took a massive bank loan to start his business. The business, in fact, was named the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, hence his name.

In the most ironic sense ever, Steven purchased a huge piece of property at Kalos’s Cyllage City with the loaned money. Restaurant staff jobs were created, furnishings were purchased, several state-of-the-art kitchens were installed, food orders began to arrive, and pretty much the entire first-class restaurant Steven had in mind was raised to life from the ground. Steven took the career of a head chef and manager of the establishment, and his business flourished.

A description of the restaurant, in simple terms, would be a cubic steel-framed structure that spanned three storeys high, with an all-glass exterior. The inside included white, solid flooring, with white walls and black walls, along with frosted glass and lighting illuminating off every wall. Thanks to the glass exterior, each table had a spectacular view of the ocean. In the front middle of the building, also three storeys high, there was the lobby with metal staircases and a chandelier.

Finally, there were the state-of-the-art kitchens in the rear middle of the lobby where the cooking was done. It stood only at the bottom floor.

And his staff! Apart from the cooks, waiters, and waitresses, there were also janitorial staff, museum staff, and management professionals. The cooks, excluding Steven, dressed in plain white cooking jackets all buttoned up. The waiters, waitresses, and almost everyone working there dressed in neat black suits with white ties. Steven alone continued to wear his personal black suit with purple traces and a red tie.

All except for Steven’s Metagross, who hovered above the floor to deliver meals.

Steven’s business started off small, but increasing popularity and happy reviews spiked revenue and profits. It wasn’t bad.

Within a year, and thanks to thriving business and job opportunities as well as people paying to see his rock exhibitions, the debt the ex-Hoenn champ owed to the bank was repaid in full.

Critics from different regions came to visit his restaurant, and after the reviews were published Steven’s restaurant became a popular tourist destination. It seemed coincidental that the restaurant fit in with the resort city. Aside from the design of the building, there was an exhibition museum complex built in conjunction with the restaurant showcasing Steven’s personally collected stones, and it was as popular as the restaurant itself. The museum provided more jobs, and it only increased the profits of Steven’s business.

Nevertheless, the only thing Steven did not make himself was desserts. Only his fellow cooks could make them, and they were… alright, but not the best.

“We’ve got more orders coming in!” a second waitress called out to Steven in the kitchen. “A group of sixteen has brought in a huge order. I don’t know if we’re going to manage this night!”

“It’s all part of work,” Steven assured. “Keep a steady pace, but be efficient!”

He proceeded to making the next dish – which was a simple salad. Perhaps ‘simple’ was an understatement, because the salad Steven was making consisted of fine greens with wonderfully fresh mushrooms, many clusters of blue cheese, red peppers, onions, grilled tomato, and served with a side of creamy honey and chive dressing.

Without saying much, Steven chopped two washed mushrooms into little blocks on a board. Concentrating on each cut, he moved the mushroom quickly, but moderately cut small pieces with the cutting knife. After the mushrooms were cleanly cut, Steven lifted the board, held it near the dish, and with the knife pushed all the little mushroom pieces onto the green salad. The board and knife were put down after.

“Who’s making grilled tomato?” Despite how he said it, it wasn’t a question.

“I’m on it,” his twenty-five year old sous chef, James d’Arc, answered. “I’ll bring it to you when the grilling’s done.”

James, a fair-haired man with a medium length haircut, went straight to placing tomato slices over the grill. He waved to Steven.

Steven nodded and continued to place the mushroom pieces onto the salad.

“I need blue cheese for this dish,” he ordered.

“You got it,” one of his fellow cooks walked over and handed Steven a plate of blue cheese clusters. The aroma was so fresh from the distance that even the waitresses standing away turned their heads to smell the blue cheese handed to Steven.

The head chef, Steven, took the plate of blue cheese with one hand, and with his free hand sprinkled them over the salad. It smelled wonderful.

“Get the dressing going,” he gave another cook the order.

“Honey and chives?”

“Honey and chives.”

In the next minute, Steven was busy cutting red peppers and onions for the salad. A simple task.

Meanwhile, the cooks were adding cream and honey into a pan where a delicious and sweet salad dressing would be formed from it. Chopped pieces of chives would be added to the pan to increase the zest of the dressing. Simultaneously, the welcoming sound of sizzling dressing could be heard across the kitchen. The same cooks, after stirring the dressing, would take the little dressing they had produced and carefully pour it into a tiny pitcher.

Afterwards, Steven would add the red peppers and onions he had cut onto the salad, while one of the cooks would place the tiny pitcher onto the salad plate. To top it all off, sous chef James finished grilling the sliced tomatoes finally came over to place the slices onto the salad.

“It is done,” Steven remarked. “Good job, everyone.”

A waitress arrived to take the dish outside the kitchen, but not before saying, “Wow, Mr. Stone. This looks as delicious as ever! Could you make me one, sometime?”

The ex-Hoenn champ laughed. “When we have time, perhaps. The customers come first. Metagross! Take this to the customer.”

That plate of salad was taken into Metagross’ care, via controlled psychic power. Metagross levitated off the ground and the salad was taken out to the customer in the next minute. Steven and the rest of his cooking team, though, had to focus on the next running of orders. There were a lot of them!

On another side of the kitchen, cooks were preparing a multiple appetizer plate. Thin and crisp rice crackers topped with a choice of handmade cream cheese or humus (combining vegetable oil, garlic, and assorted herbs). Why, there was another group of cooks roasting spinach and cheese over a pocket of bread and rice!

Outside the kitchen, waiters and waitresses were busy trying to serve their respective customers. There might be some wanting to drink sparkling juice of different flavours and berries, some might want to delicately sample red or white wine, and some might want the liberty of drinking plain water with a side of squeezed lemon or lime juice.

Indeed, once the food was out of the kitchen, it would be taken by the waiters/waitresses by hand to table. Given the amount of people they had to serve (two levels!), it was no wonder that it serving the food was a tedious job, and it was no wonder the kitchen had two elevators installed to rapidly transport the food from bottom to top. In fact, the two elevators were in the lobby’s plain sight. People who walked into the lobby could see the waitresses in the steel-framed elevator carrying servings and servings of food.

Currently, the dishes that the kitchen had created were on their way to their respective customers. As the waitresses walked out of the elevator, they were met with a blinding view of the sunset in the distance, as the first thing they saw upon walking out was the glass window in the distance. The soup and salad would be taken to a table where a newlywed couple would be happily enjoying them.

Back at the kitchen, Steven just received an order for a making of a molten cheese fondue. Knowing that a cheese fondue could harden without a constant supply of heat, he motioned for one of his staff for a pot and stand.

“You’re going to have to light the fire for them,” he reminded the waiter.

“Yes, sir,” the waiter nodded.

 Steven then walked in to a huge refrigerated storage and walked out carrying a huge block of aged cheese weighing several kilograms.

This won’t take long, he thought.

With a specific knife, Steven cut a huge block of the aged cheese and placed it in the pot. A loaf of freshly baked bread was placed with the fondue set after. It was a busy night, and Steven was perfectly fine with that.

“We’re going at a good pace, guys,” Steven encouraged. “Let’s make this good.”

“Steven! A customer’s ordered a Stone Accolade with red wine!”

“We’re on it,” Steven started.

The one dish that made Stone Restaurant and Bistro regionally famous: it was also unique to Steven too. A Stone Accolade consisted of choice spices, wonderfully fresh mushrooms, onions and peppers mixed and cooked together with garlic, olive oil, and – optionally – a choice of red or white wine, with a tiny core of cold, aged blue cheese, and complimented with genuinely thin slices of roast beef. To start, another three of Steven’s cooks would be onto separate tasks. One cook would be baking a huge envelope of rice flour as well as making an onion au jus combined with herbs, while the other would be sautéing a slice of mozzarella also over olive oil whilst preparing to caramelise onions. James, the sous chef, was hastily waiting for the roast beef to – well – finish roasting.

Steven stirred the spices, peppers, and garlic, while hearing the sizzling sound of food ring throughout the kitchen. After a while, Steven reached out to take a bottle of red wine. He poured a small portion of the wine into the pan and saw a fire flare into the air. Steven continued to stir the concoction of peppers, mushrooms, onions, and spices until the flame disappeared. By then most of the other cooks were finished with their respective tasks and placed their works on a very flat and hot stone, which served as a plate. The thin, flat, cake of rice flour was into small squares by the cooks.

“The rice flour has been cooked well,” the cook remarked. “It’s ready, Steven.”

All except for James, who had just begun to carefully take out the slab of roast beef, and began to carefully cut thin slices of the meat and pile them on the board. After a considerable amount of roast beef was piled up, James d’Arc slid the cutting knife under the stack of roast beef and tossed the meat onto the stone plate – namely the Stone Accolade.

Steven took the pan he had been working with and poured the well-cooked contents onto each square of rice flour. The cook immediately went to place a cold marble-sized ball of aged blue cheese on top of the cooked contents, followed by folding each thin square into parcels and enclosing the cooked contents as well as the aged blue cheese. In addition, this cook placed a miniature cup of herbed onion au jus to complete the stone dish. The second cook poured caramelised onions onto the stone. On top of the onions, he placed the sautéed slice of mozzarella.

“It is finished,” Steven said. “You should be proud, guys.”

The cooks smiled and went back to work.

“Order up!” Steven called out.

A young nineteen year old waitress with shoulder-length auburn hair, dressed in the classic outfit of a white blouse and black vest, along with a black skirt quickly arrived to take the flat stone away from the kitchen. She had a name, of course. Martine Grenadine. She had been working at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro for two months, but after two months she accumulated a lot of experience at the restaurant than most would have anticipated, never mind the number of boys who looked at her and hoping to get her attention. In effect, she was said to be the next owner of the restaurant once Steven left, despite the number of workers in the restaurant.

“Will do, sir,” Martine happily walked away with the burning hot stone (held with a glove) toward one of the two elevators in the kitchen. The elevator arrived almost instantly as Martine walked in. The doors closed, the elevator shot upward, and Martine walked out to find the table who ordered the trademark dish.

Eventually, she found it.

“Here you go,” she said to the couple who were sitting down for the food. “Sorry about the wait, but the Stone Accolade takes a while to prepare. Red wine has been cooked with it as you asked, and please be careful: the stone is very hot.”

“The view makes the wait worthwhile,” the man said. “Thanks for the warning.”

Martine bowed her head and walked away. Meanwhile, the customer cut open one of the rice parcels using only a fork, where a combination of onions, peppers, and spices burst out of the parcel and sizzled onto the stone. The customer seemed very satisfied and savoured every bite he could manage, and very slowly, come to that. With each bite of the Stone Accolade envelopes, eaten with a little bit of caramelised onion and a bit of grinded peppercorn, the flavours exploded in his mouth. As a result: complete satisfaction at its finest.

Martine, on the other hand, fetched a pitcher of ice water and filled the customers’ glass.

“Complements to the chef and his cooks,” the man’s wife said to Martine.

“Thank you! Of course!” Martine said happily. “I’ll be sure to let him know.”

After hours, with many people having their first-class fill of food and paying their bills, it was time to close the restaurant. It felt great, having to serve so many people in a wonderful environment such as this one.

“Another good running of business today,” Steven smiled as he locked the doors of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, whilst leaving the spotlights outside to reflect the aspiring design of the establishment. Steven was quite happy with the usual business.

“How are our profits today?” he said without looking.

He knew Martine and James would be among the last to leave. Also, James acted as a part-time accountant for the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, having graduated with a business degree at a university in Lumiose City the year before.

“We have taken in around 700,000 Poké in revenue tonight,” he said. “It’s pretty good considering the number of people who showed up tonight. If not half the population of Cyllage City, a lot of people have enjoyed their meals, yes. If you don’t count tips and gratitude, we’re probably going to make an estimated… at least 250,000 in profits. I’m counting maintenance for the rock exhibition too.”

“Excellent,” Steven Stone smiled. “You’ve done well, James.”

“It’d help if you could open a private business office in the restaurant someday,” James said half-amusingly.

Steven yawned, but kept his smile. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to invest in a little expansion. We’ve plenty of profits already to add an office.”

“You said it, boss!” Martine’s sharp, but gentle, voice said.

Steven shook his head. “Martine… we’ve talked about this already. You don’t have to go that far calling me boss. Mr. Stone works fine. Or, like the others, you can call me Steven.”

“Sure… Steven,” Martine reluctantly said, while brushing her red bangs from her forehead. “By the way, the customers send their regards to the chefs.”

James smirked at first, but it faded into a smile. Steven did likewise.

The three of them walked past the shoreline of Cyllage City. Given the Stone Restaurant and Bistro was strategically positioned next to the shoreline, where the sun sets in the west, it was breathtaking to see the faintest sliver of light with the relaxing sounds of ocean waves.

But as they continued walking, Steven felt something out of place.

“Anyone notice the ‘for sale’ has gone missing?” he said.

James turned his head back to see what Steven meant. Across the restaurant he worked at, there was a plain, flat, piece of property that spanned a length that rivalled the building across from it. The property was barren and flat with nothing on it except for ground, but it was very wide and spacious. Initially, there was a ‘for sale’ sign advertising the sale of the property, but now it had been removed. For Steven and James, it was a sign of increasing business and profits.

“Someone must have bought it to develop residential blocs, I hope,” James said.

“Maybe the developer will make offices,” Steven added. “A hotel or maybe even a resort building! That’d be the stuff!”

That would not have been a surprise, given that the property faced the equally spectacular view of the west coast from an angle, even though Steven’s restaurant was directly in front of it, and it was at level on the ground. Residents could move into the buildings, where they could treat themselves for dinner at the first-class restaurant.

“Just wait for increasing business,” James said. “It should take a few weeks, but it’ll be worth it.”

“You said it,” Steven agreed.

Or so Steven and James hoped. Martine alone was less sure.

Chapter Text

Two mornings later, Martine Grenadine’s fears were justified.

Over a period of a day and two nights, construction crews had been working nonstop for hours and hours developing and raising a four-storey high building with concrete supports. What stood out from this structure was the top floor – a dome completely made of glass with only a steel frame to hold it together. Some hoped it might have been turned into a mall (Martine was one of them), but the way the structure was built featured a lot of outdoor patios and balconies, and multiple floors with glass windowing – framed with wood and steel – unlike the Stone Restaurant and Bistro.

Some hoped it would have been turned into an apartment bloc (James d’Arc hoped so), but no apartment building ever appears this hollow. Plus, there was a little extra complex extending from this building’s side: it had a set of tables and chairs too!

“It looks like a café,” James said.

“No café ever looks this massive,” Martine said.

“I meant the side there,” James muttered. “Say, if this place does become an apartment bloc, that’ll good for business. After all, don’t apartments have convenient coffee shops at the bottom? This’ll be good!”

The three co-workers stood in awe of the huge structure. It kind of felt it was a rival to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro.

In minutes, however, the crescendo of an approaching truck could be heard on the left. In the distance, Steven saw a long moving truck approaching them on the road. The truck stopped in front of the new building and three people disembarked. They, from the looks of them, were workers of a moving/transport company.

One of them approached Steven.

“You the manager here?” he asked in a businesslike manner.

“Not at all,” Steven replied. “What’s going on?”

“Classified,” said the worker. “You’ll find out in a few minutes.”

Martine piped, “But if we’re going to find out in a few minutes, doesn’t that make it un-classified? We have a right to know, right?”

No matter how Steven or James looked at it, Martine always had a way with words. Judging by the worker’s reaction, Martine had him trapped. Finally, he gave in.

“It’s going to be turned into a… dessert shop, I’ve heard,” he said. “At least, that’s what I’ve been told by those in the know. Don’t ask me, because I don’t know a thing. I just do what I’m told. All I can tell you is we’re unloading a lot of cooking equipment.”

Dessert shop, huh? Steven thought. That might be useful.

“Who is the manager?” Steven asked again. However, it was more of a demand than a request.

The moving worker glanced over to the road, and without answering Steven, he pointed in that direction before rejoining the construction crew to continue his work. Despite his unannounced departure, the employer and two employees from the Stone Restaurant and Bistro glanced at the road to see… something appear in the distance.

It looked like a taxi!

“Suppose that taxi’s come all the way from Lumiose City,” James said. “Just look at the decals on it. Where else could it have come from?”

The taxi drew closer, and Steven and Martine decided in that moment that James had a good eye. The taxi was one that had come from Lumiose City, and even from this distance, James could clearly see what it was, and where it had come from.

“You don’t suppose a restaurant owner would take a ride by taxi?” James asked.

Steven and Martine remained silent but watched the taxi pull in front of them. While the driver went to the back to retrieve some luggage, the rear door opened and someone stepped out.

It was a face many would recognise. Her near-platinum blonde hair, her Lucario-like ornaments on her head, her twenty-five year old appearance, and…

A business suit? She wore black pants and heels, that was for certain, but unlike the times she repeatedly appeared, she wasn’t wearing a black coat, but a black blazer, white blouse, and a black tie. What happened?

“That’s… Cynthia… the Champion?” Martine said.

Their presence (Steven’s, Martine’s, and James’) did not go unnoticed. When Cynthia stepped out of the taxi she fixed her gaze on the three people who were staring right back. There was a fair-haired man with a medium-length haircut, an auburn-haired girl who looked younger than she was, and…

“Ah, if it isn’t Steven Stone,” Cynthia said.

To her amusement, Steven appeared to be in a small state of shock. Martine, though, closely monitored Steven’s reaction as soon as she recognised Cynthia.

“Long… long time no see,” Steven appeared to be scrambling for words. To Martine, in particular, this was very amusing. “Wha… what are you doing here?”

Before Cynthia could even say a word, Martine cut in. “She’s here to operate some sort of dessert shop, I guess! There’s a café, so she can deliver plenty of cakes and pies and red bean ice cream. Etcetera. And maybe even some Kalos-style macarons! Oh… macarons…”

Indeed, Martine always had a way with words, and she drifted into a daydream thinking of macarons.

“I thought they were called macaroons?” Steven said.

Cynthia was spoken for.

“Macarons are different,” she said. “Macaroons are more like clustered coconut or grounded almonds. But what we’re talking about is the Kalos-style macaroon – a macaron – where we’re talking about the sandwich cakes made of meringue and filled with buttercream. You know what I mean?”

“On the other hand, your friend’s almost hit the mark,” she said to Steven. “I’m actually here to operate a restaurant business, moreover. I’ve heard this city had a reputation for being a classy resort area, so I thought it’d be prospective to open a restaurant here!”

Neither Steven nor James was inclined to tell Cynthia that they operated the restaurant right across from the new establishment. They kept quiet but continued to listen to Cynthia’s discussion. She started business in Cyllage City only a month prior to building the restaurant, and that she was an expert dessert-maker in Lumiose City.

However, both Steven and James – thinking about the business perspective – saw this posed a threat to their business. What would happen to revenue and profits once Cynthia’s got into gear?

“I thought you were still Champion of Sinnoh?” Steven asked. If anything, he hoped to persuade this woman to change her mind, but that hope felt very faint.

“Not anymore,” she said. “I got beaten by some kid back in Sinnoh, so… I decided to move on and do something more productive. Sure, paperwork in the Pokémon League is permissible, but I thought maybe I can get some profit doing something else…”

Cynthia handed a business card to Steven. He took the card, briefly read it (Former Champion Cynthia, Owner of Vue sur la Lune), and put it in his wallet. At the same time, Cynthia handed what looked to be a voucher to Steven, “Well, since you’re the first to see me here, I think I’ll invite two of you to my opening dinner tonight. There’ll be high-end food for you to see, so…”

Steven shook his head and pushed the voucher back into Cynthia’s hands. “I have to work tonight, Cynthia. I think I’ll pass.”

Yet, Martine snapped out of her daydream, swiped the voucher from Cynthia’s hands and pocketed it. “Of course he’s going. I have plenty of time on my hands, and we work in the same place! He will have plenty of time, too!”

Cynthia smiled. “May I ask where do the three of you work? I’m surprised, Steven, that for a former Champion of Hoenn for this long, you’d rather spend your time here than working at your father’s office back in Hoenn.”

Steven was still slightly lost for words, but he straightened his tie.

“Office skills at Devon do come into use here,” he said, “especially when I’m the administrator of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro just across from here.”

Cynthia’s smile remained constant. “I guess I’ll see you tonight, then. Be sure to dress well! Although I think the suit right now shouldn’t be a problem.”

She left for the restaurant right after. For Steven, his first reaction was to turn to Martine, who took the voucher out of her pocket to her hand.

“Why do we need to go to this dinner?” he calmly asked Martine. “First, we just met someone who could be a threat to our business, and second, we have to operate that business tonight! We have no time, Martine.”

James put a hand on Martine’s shoulder.

“Consider the number of people who will show up tonight,” he said. “We’ll be busy tonight, so none of us can go, anyway.”

Yet that night, there were a considerable number of seats and tables that were empty in the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. In Martine’s opinion, she could have well survived the night without even having to work.

Even Steven had nothing much to do!

“Come on, Steven! Just one night, please? We can let James run the restaurant on his own if he isn’t coming!” Martine pleaded. “At least it’ll just be you and I. We can check out what kind of food there is... and maybe, maybe….”

“What is it?” Steven demanded. There was something fishy about Martine’s tone.

“Oh, nothing!” Martine grinned. “Let’s just go!”

Steven sighed, yet for some reason he did want to check out Cynthia’s restaurant for reasons unknown.

“James,” Steven said. “Martine and I will take our leave early. You can close the restaurant but keep the bistro running.”

“Roger that, Steven,” James called back.

While business still existed within the walls of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, Steven and Martine found the less noisy atmosphere to be both relaxing and unsettling. If this continued, Steven thought, he would have to lay off at least half of the restaurant’s workers. That would be the last action he wanted.

The two of them descended down the metal stairs toward the restaurant’s lobby and foyer, where the majestic chandelier hung high above their heads. The two receptionists at the lobby, one handsome male and a pretty female, noticed their business admin leaving.

“Going on a date, Mr. Stone?” the male receptionist teased.

“Not in the slightest!” Martine cut in, before Steven could even formulate a response. “James was supposed to come too, but he declined. And on the contrary, Steven has someone else he likes!”

The female receptionist giggled. Steven, in a mix of confusion, frustration, and embarrassment, glared at the receptionist first, and then to Martine. The latter brushed her shoulder-length auburn locks and said, “Let’s go outside and talk.”

Steven Stone had no idea what was going on in Martine Grenadine’s mind, but whatever it was, it seemed natural for a girl like her. Steven was still dressed in his neat suit, whereas Martine was still in her working uniform – a black blouse, black dress pants, and a white tie. That seemed appropriate to where they were going.

“What did you mean ‘I have someone else I like’?!” Steven demanded. He had no idea what Martine was talking about, never mind his tone nor his suddenly pink cheeks and red ears.

“It’s nothing much,” Martine said, and Steven realised that Martine was using almost the exact same tone the male receptionist gave him just minutes ago. “I kind of noticed your reaction to seeing the Sinnoh champion – or the former one, I should say – and I couldn’t help but think your reaction was really, really, cute, Steven!”

Steven glared at Martine, but she was all smiles.

He shook his head as they walked to the newly built Vue sur la Lune restaurant. “Martine, you do realise that this is a threat to my business here. Relationships are one thing, but business is another. Right now, what Cynthia is doing is she is going to wreck business at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. She’s become not only a rival, but a competitor, too.”

To Steven’s disbelief, Martine wasn’t shaken.

“Oh… but I had this idea of one of those classic stories,” she said excitedly. “You have a guy as the main character, who does what he does for a living. In the next instance, a girl comes into his life and the two become bitter enemies to the end. Over time, the guy has feelings for the girl and the two end up with a good relationship –”

“Yeah, Martine, but this isn’t a storybook, and I’m not the main character,” Steven said, before Martine could go any further. Yet, Martine was very, very, persistent. She was nineteen years old! Then again, Martine always had a way with words. Why did he, Steven, of all people, have to fall victim to a topic like this?!

“Face it, Steven, I watched you react to Cynthia when she first got here!” Martine grinned. “Your face was pinkish, a bit, and you couldn’t say much to her either. I bet that when you were a Champion, you would look at her every time when you had the chance!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Martine.”

Did Steven ever do that in his life? He wasn’t sure, but if what Martine said was true, then this would either be good or bad news…

In an attempt to change the topic, as they approached the front doors of Vue sur la Lune, Steven said, “You really are quite the romanticist, aren’t you, Martine?”

Martine’s grin faded slightly, but not enough. She simply rolled her eyes at Steven. “I’ve read a lot of books when I was in school. There were so many genres to read, I just had to pick something. Romance was one of them, yes, but there were others too. I could tell you later, but why don’t we check out what kind of food Cynthia makes?”

They passed the doors only to be greeted by a vast surrounding of marble and glass (this made Steven think back to his restaurant, which was primarily steel, wood, glass, and drywall). The waiting area was a lounge with a welcoming fireplace and armchairs.

Steven went ahead to the waitress to hand in the voucher, and was surprised to hear that the voucher entitled him and Martine to reserved seats. Well, since Cynthia specified it was for two people, Steven took advantage of that.

Within five minutes, Martine and Steven were seated at the third floor at a window seat, below the glass dome, overlooking the twinkling lights of Cyllage City. The two sat across from each other with a basket of bread and butter between them.

The smell of entrées filled the dome, but Steven had other thoughts than food. There were a lot more customers present in Vue sur la Lune as opposed to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro tonight.

“I don’t understand why we’re here,” he said. “Still, I’m not going to let some ‘instant restaurant’ ruin mine. Mine started off small! Now, this… this restaurant starts off large!”

“Say that after we’ve had dinner,” Martine said.

A waitress appeared in front of the two with a notebook in hand, unnoticed by Steven and Martine until now. “Well, are you ready to order? Oh, and would you like anything to drink, come to that?”

Martine ordered water and Steven a glass of red wine. Given they weren’t that hungry either, they ordered a set of salads and vegetable soup. They didn’t say much while they waited for the food to arrive, and instead they spent their time gazing around at the table styles and the design of the building itself.

“I’ll admit, Cynthia did spend a good amount of time preparing this place,” Martine commented. “Not that I have anything against your restaurant that is.”

But Steven wasn’t paying attention, but rather he held his glass of wine in front of him, elbow on the table, and swirled the liquid with mere motions of his wrist. He was staring at the glass for some reason… or so Martine thought.

“Okay everyone, here is the moment of the night. Please welcome the owner of Vue sur la Lune, expert chocolatier and master dessert maker Cynthia!” a voice said from behind her, causing Martine to look back. There was an assembly of a waiter and a waitress walking together with – lo and behold – Cynthia herself. Applause filled the room, with the customers clapping loudly and the sound of clapping rebounding off the walls. Between the customers and the staff, Cynthia was standing there. This time, she was dressed in the usual outfit she was known for: black top, black dress pants, heels, and a long black coat.

When the clapping died down, Cynthia spoke. “Dear friends, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the opening night of Vue sur la Lune. I know it’s only the first night, but I am pleased to see the number of customers who showed up tonight. Your patronage is much appreciated.”

As if, Steven thought, but he continued to watch Cynthia.

“So now, I am pleased to announce – as you are the first customers of Vue sur la Lune – that I am offering a free batch of freshly made macarons to everyone here!” Cynthia continued. “Thank you for coming tonight for dinner, and here’s to prosperity tonight!”

Apart from Steven, most people gathered on the floor applauded. Even Martine. (Needless to say this annoyed Steven a little).

“The master dessert maker, the honourable Cynthia, would be pleased to share a toast with every table,” a waiter announced. “Please, be seated and enjoy your meals tonight. You will have opportunity to toast with Cynthia when your time has come.”

Steven kept his eyes on Cynthia. Martine, on the other hand, could tell that Steven was watching the dessert master, but the question was – was Steven watching Cynthia out of admiration, or envy? That was question think about over dinner, as the salads and soups were placed on their table. (They both had green salads served with almonds and berries. Steven had a soup of rice and barley, and Martine had a blend of Tamato and Nomel berry soup.)

Steven ate the food absentmindedly and kept watching Cynthia.

While this happened, Martine smirked multiple times at Steven’s expressions. His eyes told Martine that he was infatuated, but he wanted to bring down Cynthia’s business before it could make an impact on his.

“Admirable,” Martine whispered.

A plate of macarons was set between Steven and Martine. They were cold to the touch, but they looked and smelled appetizing nevertheless. There were six macarons on the plate, each with a light tint of a different colour. Martine, already craving for a delicious dessert, reached for a green macaron, feeling the crisp outer shell of meringue at her fingertips, and opened her mouth wide to bite half of the macaron.

“Oh… it’s so… good!” Martine grinned, as she tasted the familiar crunch of the outer shell and the softness within… and the taste of green-coloured buttercream filling her senses. “I’ve had macarons before, but wow, I’ve never had a macaron this good. Boss, you should try one!”

Reluctantly, Steven reached for a light blue-coloured macaron and tasted it. In truth, he did find to macaron to be delicious, but his thoughts dwelled on his future, and how this could impact his business. What if Martine were to quit her job now and work for Cynthia?

He chewed on the macaron bits, as the sweet delicacy traveled past his heart toward his stomach.

About half an hour later, Cynthia was toasting with the table directly behind Martine. Steven had finished his soup and salad much earlier than Martine and resumed his position holding his glass of wine in front of him, and watching Cynthia.

Still, Martine monitored Steven’s emotions. At this point, and in his current position, they were very difficult to read. What on earth was Steven thinking? But between the time the food arrived and when Steven had finished eating, the former champ kept peeking over Martine’s shoulder to look at Cynthia.

He’s jealous of Cynthia yet still admiring her, she thought.

“What are you thinking about, boss?” she said.

“Oh!” Steven’s cheeks flushed. “Nothing… nothing.” Yet he stared off at Cynthia – at one instance looking like he had seen nothing like her, and at another instance looking like he wished he had never seen her.

AHA, Martine thought. I’ve got you at last…

“She is an attractive woman, isn’t she?” Martine teased. Maybe, if she could ask enough questions, she just might be able to get her boss to crack.

His eyes became alert. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, Martine. We’ve talked about this already. There’s no need to go further.”

“Look at her elegance!” Martine disregarded his warning. “That attractive face, the figure, the platinum-like blonde hair that falls down to her knees… incredible, isn’t it? Why haven’t you made your move yet? There aren’t a lot of people like her… who once was a champion like you, and now ends up opening a food business. Admit it, boss, she’s really pretty!”

“Behave!” Steven glared. “She’s not my love life, okay?! She’s my –”

“Hello, hello, if it isn’t my neighbour,” Cynthia greeted and holding her glass up to Steven. “Former Hoenn champion Steven.”

Steven flushed. (Martine, secretly, was laughing hard inside out). “Oh, hello, Cynthia,” Steven quietly said, and likewise held his glass up to Cynthia (with shaky hands). “Well, I don’t have much to say… but here’s to your success.”

A man has a crush on a woman who happens to be his main rival, and Steven and Cynthia were toasting before her eyes right after an interesting argument. Oh, what more could Martine ask to embarrass her boss! Martine sometimes would wonder if Cynthia felt the same, but she doubted it. Still, she could predict the next few weeks would turn out interesting…

Chapter Text

Around one to two weeks later, Steven Stone began to feel the pressure that Cynthia’s Vue sur la Lune was giving him. What the rivalling business was doing was robbing Steven’s regular customers to go to her restaurant!

During the second week, James d’Arc reported to Steven’s office with more bad news. It was at this time, of course, that Steven Stone had office hours.

“We’ve seen a huge drop of average revenue, lately,” James said. “If this keeps up, we might have to lay off some of our staff. Profits are dangerously low, come to that, and our demand from the consumers has fallen drastically.”

He handed Steven a file folder showing some economic information.

“At this rate, we’re going to have to reduce the quantities from our supplier,” James said. “Sorry, Steven, but these are the consequences. If our demand has dropped and quantity supplied has dropped… well, you know the rest.”

Steven did know. Given the circumstances now, he would have to reduce the price of his goods and services. That would mean… less money for the business.

Sitting behind his desk, Steven buried his head into his arms on the desk. What was he going to do now save his business and employees? Obviously, his business wasn’t being pushed to bankruptcy, but at the rate things were going, there wouldn’t be enough money to pay all his workers… so Steven would have to lay off some workers.

“We’ll have to talk to our suppliers sometime next week,” he said. “James, make some arrangements with them so we could talk later.”

A knock on his office door came, and James went to answer it for Steven.

“Hey, Steven,” a receptionist happened to be at the door. “This just came by our front door. It’s addressed to you.”

“Thank you,” Steven said. “Oh, and could you fetch me a coffee, please? I’m rather busy now.”

“Of course, sir,” the receptionist bowed, and placed a letter on the desk before leaving the room. “I’ll go get someone to bring it to you.”

Steven nodded as the receptionist left the office and Steven heard the familiar click of the door shut. Now, at last he could have some privacy to open his letter. That is, he had to place the letter on top of a stack of other business letters too. The new letter, however, was a lot smaller compared to the massive business envelopes, however.

Steven could spend a little time to read a letter. Maybe it was a banking statement, or something. With his letter opener (a smooth, blunt, knife) he tore it open and pulled out the paper.

His jaw slightly dropped.

It was another invitation and voucher to Vue sur la Lune. What sort of madness was this? Given the current state of his business right now, Steven’s cheeks went red with fury. Was Cynthia trying to assimilate Steven into her business so that he might go bankrupt eventually? Never!

Steven neatly folded the voucher and dropped it in the small trash bin where he normally discarded unwanted papers. What would Martine and James react to this?! Especially Martine.

“Hello, Steven!”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Martine Grenadine was at the door of Steven’s office.

“Martine!” What the – what are you doing here?” Steven asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be working right now?” If his cheeks were red enough already from fury, they turned a deeper shade of red no thanks to his youngest employee.

She brushed her auburn hair so that the locks were behind her ear and dangling on her shoulder. “The receptionists told me to get your coffee, boss. I had a lot of free time, not unlike the others, so I thought… Wait a minute, boss! Why are your cheeks so red?”

Don’t push it… Steven begged in his mind. A nineteen year old girl… Steven would sometimes wonder how he hired her in the first place.

Martine placed the ceramic cup of coffee in front of her boss and at the same time examined him closely. While uncomfortable, Steven kept his cool and held the cup to his lips.

“You must be thinking of a certain business rival,” Martine said. She didn’t need to guess. “Don’t worry, boss! She’s definitely one of the few stunning people you will ever see in this world. You don’t want to get struck out by her, right?!”

Steven choked, and then spit out a spray of coffee.

“Martine!” he scolded.

“I have to work,” the nineteen year old left the office immediately.

Before she closed the office door, Marine could hear Steven shout, “Don’t tell this to anyone, ever! I’m warning you!”

Within the next hour, Steven felt like throwing Martine out of the restaurant now. Although he had sternly warned Martine to keep quiet, somehow Martine’s nineteen year old behaviour was contagious and spread to the other waitresses like fire. Soon enough, curiosity got the best of everyone and the waitresses would have their share of teasing the employer’s personal life. Could it get any worse?

At the very least he had gotten rid of the dreaded voucher from Cynthia. Now that would have been the worst-case scenario.

Of course there was always the small minority of waitresses who sympathised with Steven. The waiters and James d’Arc, in the same way, weren’t impressed by the lack of business they were getting, and they continued to back Steven.

Martine Grenadine wasn’t surprised when she was summoned to Steven’s office. She took her respective seat across from her employer. After ten minutes of discussion, with Steven doing most of the talking, Martine felt small.

“You’ve embarrassed me far enough, Ms. Grenadine,” Steven’s cheeks were pink with fury. He could feel a pulse beating in his temple.

Martine stared at the floor, but she kind of was pleased with herself, if not enjoying.

“Think of how much damage she’s done to the business,” Steven reminded her. “There is nothing – nothing, I tell you – that can explore the possibility of a relationship. You may think I may like her, but you’re sadly mistaken.”

She looked up to examine Steven’s eyes. Yep, his eyes were showing frustration, no doubt. Maybe Martine was wrong. Maybe it was only her imagination that led her to think a relationship between her boss and the competition was possible.

“I… think I’ll go back to work,” Martine got up and left the office.

“Good,” Steven said. He opened a business file and read its contents (expenses). He read it as if he had dismissed Martine’s presence in a matter of seconds. With a ballpoint pen, he began to write banking statements.

Come to think of it, it is payday today, he thought. With his free hand, Steven picked up his telephone and dialled James’ line.

“Hello?”

“Hi, James,” Steven said. “It’s about that time we write paycheques to everyone.”

“Yes, sir,” James said from the other line. “We just got a little business spike, but it’s cooling down now. I’ll be at your office in half an hour, and by the way, I have an idea that might be able to save the company.”

That was news to Steven. Well, since James was a business graduate, he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Alright, James, let’s talk.”

Within half an hour, as Steven re-read the depressing news of a loss in usual revenue and thinking of ideas of how to bring it up again, James d’Arc opened the door to the office and walked right in.

“Have a seat, James,” Steven greeted.

His sous chef closed the door and sat down at Steven’s desk with a laptop in hand. Steven passed James a load of paperwork and the two admins began to write paycheques together. With half the paycheques on his side, James wrote down the name of the employee, the date, and how much pay the specified employee got. After the name, numbers, and date were written, James signed his signature on the cheque and tore the cheque off the chequebook, and had it placed in a sealed envelope, and recorded his entries onto his laptop. In addition, labour records had to be printed in the office and attached with the paycheque before it was sealed in the envelope. Likewise, Steven was working away at his chequebook, writing numbers, dates, names, and his signatures, and recording what he did on his desktop computer, whilst printing off the labour records in his office.

They kept this process going for two hours, given the number of people who worked at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro (cooks, waiters, waitresses, janitors, managers, maintenance, bartenders, and the staff who operated the museum on the ground floor, and more than Steven could name). It was then Steven said, “Didn’t you have an idea to bring up, James?”

“Yes, indeed,” James said, not looking up from his chequebook. “More than once do I walk past Vue sur la Lune on my way to work, and I always see tens of people lining up at the café over there. That got me thinking, what if we were to make a counterattack?”

Steven stopped writing with this pen, and looked up.

“What are you suggesting?” he asked.

“The idea is that we open some smaller business within the establishment to counter that café,” James suggested. “If they have a café, then why don’t we open a bakery? That’ll attract some loyal customers back here. I know we have plenty of excess profits, so we could make use of them before we use those to supply our paycheques.”

Steven thought about that for a while, and the two of them resumed writing as he said, “I’ll get back to you on that, James. In the meantime, when we’ve finished, go and see if you can find us a carpenter.”

Before James went on writing paycheques, he made a side note to contact a known carpenter, as Steven instructed, as well as a reminder to come up with the budget to create a contract.

As he did this, he said, “How’s our revenue going.”

Steven sighed and passed James a sheet of paper. The latter glanced at it and sighed as well. In essence, there had been a decrease in revenue likely owing to the arrival of Vue sur la Lune. Depreciation had slightly increased, which was to be expected, but expenses had been constant. It was simple math: an decrease in revenue and unchanging expenses meant a hit to profits.

“In short,” James concluded, finally accepting the facts, “we have lost a lot of our usual profits. Practically to one-sixth. Sheesh… Steven, this isn’t good.”

Steven already knew this. Of course, if the revenue stayed like this for the next while, it would be barely sustainable, but he doubted it. This was only the first few weeks since Vue sur la Lune opened. There needed to be a way for Steven to increase his revenue! What was going on?

“They didn’t give me top-class reviews for nothing,” Steven grimaced. “Get that bakery built, up and running and see how well we’ll do. Given we have an advantage in bread these days, we should make the most of it.”

James added that as an extra footnote to his existing ones.

Hours later, Steven and James had finished with their office hours, finishing with the remainder of paycheques and stacked them inside a safe in the process, and returned to the main kitchen to begin cooking again, alongside James. As usual, the janitors would arrive to sweep and – should it be necessary – wash the office floor.

Metagross was pressed into service to help serve the food. Of course, Metagross did this completely voluntarily. Martine could only imagine what Team Plasma would’ve thought if they saw Metagross serving food.

“Hey, Martine!” a fellow waiter shouted. “You brought a cup of coffee to the boss’ office, right? The janitors don’t know what to do with it, so they’re asking someone who does know.”

Oh, right, she thought, and then said, “I’m on it!”

Since business was, as it had been for several days, slow, Martine handed the food she was carrying to a fellow waitress and hurried across the Stone Restaurant to find the door to Steven’s office. Naturally, it would have been locked, but since there were janitors in there, or so she was told, there was access.

Martine’s expectations were without disappointment. Several minutes after she got the call to head to the office, she was now standing at the very office’s door with the janitors just finishing their cleaning duties. Knowing that Steven was in the kitchens, she walked in.

Ah, there it is, she thought. As Martine expected, there was the empty ceramic cup behind the head office desk. Quickly, she walked over to retrieve it, and she passed by the side of the desk with Steven’s paper trash bin…

…effectively, she couldn’t resist noticing the crumpled up paper with the familiar colours of Vue sur la Lune.

Oh…? Martine thought. Brushing some bangs on her forehead, she used her free hand to reach for the crumpled paper and flattened it on the desk. Reading it, Martine smirked as she recognised it to be another voucher from the rival business. Ha. Steven hopes to just dump another invitation from her? He must really hate her that much.

Nevertheless, Martine pocketed the voucher. There was a reason her boss wanted to trash it, and Martine suspected that her boss didn’t want anyone to know about it.

That night, Steven received news that he didn’t want to hear. At this point in time, anything to do with the auburn-haired Martine Grenadine was bad news to his personal life. Was Cynthia really his love life…? He shuddered and quickly dismissed the thought. Oh, the horror of what could happen to him or his business were that true.

That was exactly what Martine brought up when he met with her at the restaurant lobby.

“So, boss?” Martine asked. “Are you going?”

“What are you talking about, Martine?”

Knowing Steven wouldn’t want this heard, even though she had spread the rumour around the restaurant anyway, Martine brought Steven to one of the quieter waiting lounges to talk about it. She sat down on one lounge chair, and he sat opposite.

“Alright…” Martine started, once again brushing an auburn lock behind her ear and let it dangle to her shoulder before reaching into her pocket and taking out the dark-blue voucher from Vue sur la Lune for Steven to see. Upon seeing it, Steven’s eyes became very round.

Silence.

“Where’d you get that? In my office?! You couldn’t have gone in there. Give it back!” Steven furiously reached for the paper, but Martine pushed him away.

“Why would you want it back, boss?” she grinned… evilly. “I found this in your trash bin while I was collecting your coffee cup. If you’re so keen on getting it back, then why did you throw it out in the first place?”

Steven then realised that his youngest employee, nineteen years old, had outflanked him, and trapped him in his own words. No wonder some thought she’d be next to take over the restaurant were Steven to retire.

“Is it because of a special someone…?” she teased. Oh, how Martine loved to torture her boss when it came to a topic like this.

“No,” Steven replied, not wanting to go any further. “It’s just that if anyone knew about this, they’d think… they’d think I’ll be in a relationship… and that I’ll betray them. Come on, they’d know I went to Vue sur la Lune last week! Besides… I threw that thing out to show her business isn’t welcome around here!”

To his disbelief, Martine didn’t seem convinced. Instead, she stood up wearing that same evil grin.

“Let me know when you’re up for dinner,” she said. “You know you want to head back there.”

We’ll see about that, Steven thought. I will NOT be moved.

Yet hours into the night, Martine Grenadine had dragged Steven Stone out of the restaurant, whilst telling James d’Arc to close the restaurant and keep the bistro running.

“Going on a date, Ms. Grenadine?” the same male receptionist from the previous week said. “Or is this something more about Mr. Stone? Let me guess: he’s off to find the woman of his dreams… like you kindly told us.”

“You got it!” Martine grinned. “We’re off to find her.”

The female receptionist said, “About time, Mr. Stone.”

Perhaps this was enough to make Steven crack as he and Martine walked past the front doors.

“Why are we going to support the opposing business…?” he glared at the auburn-head. “Destroying revenue is enough, and that might turn into destroying the business. Besides, I’m not thinking of having a girlfriend anytime soon. If that’s more than enough reason to hate her, then we shouldn’t go.”

They walked the short length from across the Stone Restaurant and Bistro to the competing Vue sur la Lune once more. For once, Steven actually noticed the café up and running near the restaurant corner, and unsurprisingly it was owned by the Vue sur la Lune restaurant itself. Was it a subsidiary?

Likely.

But Steven was still more concerned about Cynthia herself. She simply had to go, otherwise… that would be the end. The end of his business.

“The more you hate her, the more you’ll love her!” Martine teased. “This is an example of love-hate relationships! These kinds are rare, and they’re classic! Come on, boss…”

“Argh! Martine!” Steven glared. “I’m not in love with her! She’s crippling the business! If this goes on, we won’t be able to generate sufficient revenue. I’ll have to close the restaurant and you won’t get your paycheque. Isn’t it obvious to hate a woman like her?!”

The nineteen year old laughed, as she fixed her collar and tie.

“I told you,” Martine said, and completely disregarded the business talking. “If you hate her, you love her. It’s a love-hate relationship, boss. There’s no way around that.”

She loved the reaction that appeared on her boss’ face. How Steven would convince his youngest employee that it was a matter of business and not relationships was beyond him.

Chapter Text

Martine Grenadine was dressed in her working uniform, a black dress shirt and pants, and white tie, as she walked together with Steven Stone toward the familiar lobby of the restaurant. Marble and glass welcomed them when they went past the doors to the receptionists to hand in their voucher.

"It always seems busy here, doesn't it?" Martine said.

To Steven this was rhetoric. Vue sur la Lune was undoubtedly busy, and there were at least a hundred customers who showed up at the café too, with at least two hundred more walking up the stairs to take their seats.

Instead of replying, Steven decided to follow the waiter to their designated reserved table. As they travelled up the elevator, it came to Martine that they were going to sit at the fifth floor, which was basically the roof.

This meant, therefore, they were given a bonus to sit on the floor with the glass dome on top!

As Steven, dressed in his usual suit, sat across his nineteen year old auburn-haired waitress he couldn't help but look out of the glass dome and watch the twinkling city lights below. Martine, though, had different ideas as soon as she was seated.

"It's a nice view, isn't it, boss?" she asked her boss.

Steven knew that, as of now, he had to treat every comment made by Martine with suspicion. Even now, an innocent question such as this wasn't to be trusted. Steven knew that this question would somehow have some tie to his hated rivalry with Cynthia. Maybe he should lie and say the view wasn't nice. Yet, that wasn't true. It was a nice view! How could this have anything to do with Cynthia?

Or maybe he was overthinking it! No! That was what Martine would want him to think. If he lied, then Martine would probably suspect him of being paranoid and that she would be proved right. Impossible. It was just a question. Just a question!

"Boss? Are you alright?" Martine piped, and Steven realised how close her face was to his. Martine seemed to be examining Steven like a scientist would with a specimen.

"Er… yeah, it is a nice view," Steven answered. There. He said it.

"Did you ever wonder why Cynthia would give you a quality seat like this?"

Oh my gosh… Steven thought. He should have known the topic would have become something like this! Oh… why did Martine have to torture him like this?!

"I know," Steven said. "This is a plot by Cynthia to distract me from my business… That way, I won't work at the efficient rate and that'll mean losing customers to this restaurant."

"Or maybe it's because she loves you, just as you love her!" Martine piped. "Boss, you need to get your mind off business once in a while. It'll clear your head! Like I said, if you hate her, you'll love her in the end!"

Steven was about to say something but a waitress showed up to take their orders for food and drinks. He reserved the right to remain silent.

"What would you like, miss?"

"Sparkling water with a slice of lemon, please, and a pepper and cheese pâté," Martine ordered.

"And you, sir?"

"Er… a kale salad," Steven ordered. "With half a glass of red wine and a thin slice of orange peel."

Martine lifted her eyebrows at her boss' unusual choice of drink for the night. Was Steven going this far to enjoy what Vue sur la Lune had to offer? Or was it because he liked it? Or was it because he was playing for time?

Steven went on gazing at the nightscape for a while, while Martine enjoyed a glass of plain water. It felt like no time had passed when the waitress delivered their drinks to them (Martine sipped her sparkling water slowly while watching Steven's expression. For Steven, he resumed the swirling of his glass like before).

"You look lovesick, boss," Martine teased.

"I do not," Steven quickly said. Somehow, he felt like the air in his lungs was cut short while he tried to keep cool, and as a result he felt his breathing cut short a little, but he succeeded in controlling his reactions, although Martine noticed. Steven looked away.

Instead of speaking, Martine smiled and shook her head.

Meanwhile, James d'Arc was in the process of issuing paycheques to the employees of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. At Steven's office, James was doing paperwork and would, as usual, hand out the paycheque to whichever employee stopped by to pick it up.

Yet, these days, many of the waiters, waitresses, receptionists, janitors, maintenance workers, and other workers who showed up at the office to pick up their paycheque always asked James the same one of two questions.

"Where's Mr. Stone?"

Or…

"Is he finally off to get a girlfriend? Martine spoke a lot about it, so…"

Somehow, James found it very wrong to speak on Steven's behalf. What could he say? Nothing much. Instead, James would quietly throw in his own quick opinion before handing out the paycheque. Even James alone was unsure who Steven was looking for as a girlfriend. Of all people, Martine wouldn't have been surprising, but James was certain it was someone else.

I wonder if it could be Cynthia too… he thought, while half-heartedly handing a paycheque to a janitor who showed up at the office.

"Could Martine possibly be his girlfriend?" James failed to notice until now that it was the pretty female receptionist who asked this. "That night they went for dinner… hmm? Is it possible?"

"Er…" James mumbled, while thinking about an answer and handing the respective paycheque at the same time. "I wouldn't count on it. Steven doesn't have an eye for hyped girls like Martine. Have you seen how Martine has been treating him these days?"

The receptionist's face fell at the loss of a prospect for her employer.

"That doesn't mean that he's given up," James added. "But whoever it is, or will be, it's definitely not Martine."

The young auburn-haired woman who James was exactly talking about was enjoying herself yet again. She happily enjoyed her pâté dinner while her boss (Steven) continued to frequently swirl his glass of red wine. The slice of orange peel danced in circles as Steven did this, and Steven would occasionally take small sips of the drink.

"Still hate her?" Martine said. She decided it was time to start a conversation.

"Yeah," Steven answered shortly. "Why am I even here?"

There had been no more conversation after that. Yet Martine was more than happy to watch any slight expression her boss showed on his face. If Cynthia was the one… she had to confirm it. Sure, Martine might have seen it before, but that was no excuse to not be sure, right?

Dusk was evident over the skies of Cyllage City, as everyone could clearly see the skies turn from a pinkish-orange into a deep ocean-blue. Naturally, the coastal wind and the evening coolness would have made indoors a treat. Inside Vue sur la Lune's rooftop glass dome, this was exactly that. Heat gushed from candles and heaters filled the atmosphere of the restaurant.

"Enjoying your dinner, boss?" Martine asked, and hoped a better conversation would follow. Even as she said this, she put a nibble of pepper and cheese pâté in her mouth again. Just the tiniest nibble of pâté… and it was delicious. Not that she had anything against Steven!

"The salad's okay," Steven said. "I would have personally preferred adding a little balsamic vinegar to it and maybe some Razz Berries to it too."

Martine was about to speak back when her phone rang. She quickly answered the call before Steven even had a chance to ask who called. Judging from the conversation and the voice tone Martine was using, Steven supposed that it was from his restaurant. Indeed it was, and Martine hung up.

"James says someone wants to arrange a wedding banquet at the Stone," Martine explained. "When we're done here, we have to head back to prepare. But hey, look at the bright side, boss! At least your restaurant isn't really heading straight for the dump."

She ate more of her pâté and munched on a piece of bread with it. Steven stuck to tasting his wine, but it looked a lot like he was going to pack up.

"You seriously aren't leaving now?" Martine asked. "We haven't even got to the main event!"

Steven shook his head. He didn't reply at first, but he sipped a bit of wine instead, before saying, "What main event? If you're talking about Cynthia, then… no, you're mistaken, Martine."

Martine rolled her eyes, but her conversation with her boss was broken by the sound of mutters and murmurs from the other patrons. She, and Steven, glanced over to see the familiar gathering of restaurant staff and Cynthia.

"Everyone, please welcome the owner of the establishment, high-end chocolatier, and expert pastry maker, Cynthia!" a waitress announced. Yep, Cynthia was there, dressed in the black clothes she was known for. The waitress continued, "She would like to share a toast with you customers, and then you'll get to experience what makes Vue sur la Lune so special!"

Martine fixed her attention right on Steven's face. If her intuition was dead on, Steven would be staring off at Cynthia any given moment. Instead, she was met with a bored Steven Stone who held his glass in front of him, always swishing whatever was left in the glass with that slice of orange peel.

Come on… Martine thought.

Still, she could see his eyes becoming wider, like he was trapped in his thoughts. This led Martine to believe that Steven was going crazy… she liked that. Or maybe, Steven was just about to crack. It looked like he tried to not look at Cynthia.

To Martine's shock, Steven downed the entire glass of wine, drinking it down without stopping.

"Come on, boss, don't you think you might have pushed it?" Martine asked, concerned. She could see Steven's face becoming red, and surely not because he was blushing, but because he had consumed a glass of wine straight.

"I'm…" Steven yawned. "I'm fine."

But really, Steven's thoughts were very different. I have you now, Martine! No way can you trap me thinking I love Cynthia at all, because I don't! At least this should distract you. You can't talk now, eh?

"Here, boss," Martine passed her sparkling water to him. "Drink some of this. It'll clear your head a bit. You shouldn't drink wine that quickly, you know!"

She picked up her fork again to taste a little more pâté, and watched Steven reluctantly drink the sparkling water. Martine had to admit, Cynthia had good taste in food, but would it ever compare to Steven's? She would never know.

Speaking of which, the woman who had been in Martine's thoughts so briefly had showed up behind Steven.

"Hello," Cynthia greeted. In light of saying this right behind Steven, the latter choked on his water. Steven, as a result, put down the glass, coughed into his elbow, and caught his breath, before fearfully and shakily turned to look back to see… yes. Her. Cynthia.

Martine could only laugh. Between wanting to yell at Martine and not embarrassing himself before Cynthia, Steven stared at Cynthia instead. His cheeks were red, and Martine couldn't tell if it was either Steven was blushing or he had too much wine.

"I didn't think you would want to come tonight," Cynthia said in a cool voice.

"You're right," Steven replied. "It's not like I had a choice –"

"What he means is that he likes your restaurant," Martine cut in. "Of course Steven didn't have a choice to come here. He likes your restaurant too much, so he had no choice but come here to enjoy your food! For all we know, he may like you as well."

Steven, never mind Cynthia standing behind him, shot Martine a death glare.

Cynthia giggled, and it escalated to a tiny smirk. "Aw, I'm flattered. Well, he'll expect more vouchers soon. I'm glad you two could come tonight. So… hey, Steven, you haven't talked much. What do you have to say?"

Steven couldn't come up with any words at first, but finally said, "How's business?"

Now it was Martine's turn to glare at her boss. Are you serious, boss?! The first thing you could bring up to start a conversation, and you talk about business. Way to go, boss. That's sure to capture her heart, she thought.

"It's going pretty well, actually," Cynthia said. "I've heard from others that they'll be attending my restaurant a lot more regularly nowadays. Business isn't bad. I've had lots of profits coming in already. Even at the end of the second week since opening, the profits I've had were three times more than I expected."

"Hmm…" Steven muttered.

Cynthia then noticed how red Steven's cheeks were. She gasped, "Steven, how much have you had to drink?"

"He's only had one glass of red wine," Martine answered. "He probably wanted to toast with you, but as you can see, Steven is a very busy man. He wants to sleep early, but I'm sure he would have loved to have talked with you."

"That's a shame," Cynthia said, but held an amused smile. "He's missing out on the show. Come to think of it, I've never caught your name."

"Martine," Martine introduced herself, whilst shaking Cynthia's hand. Oh, if only Steven could see this now… Wait, he was sitting in before them, but he was sleeping! Would that count? Maybe he had too much wine. Marine sometimes thought Steven was a man of good taste (literally!), and yet could submit to unconsciousness by alcohol. It was only wine. He didn't drink a lot of it, but one glass in one shot was enough!

Steven certainly looked like he was sleeping!

"I guess I won't get in your way, then," Cynthia added. "Just wait 'til you see the show! I'll even put cheesecakes on the line just for Steven here. If he wakes up, then let him know that a freshly chilled cheesecake is waiting for him."

Martine nodded happily. "That would be nice."

Cynthia, the former Sinnoh champion, smiled at the positive reaction from this girl. Perhaps her taste in desserts was good, indeed. She then left for the kitchen afterward, as she had to prepare for some tasty desserts.

On the other hand, Martine looked at her boss questionably. How could her boss miss out on an opportunity to talk to Cynthia like this? It wasn't like he was trying to avoid a conversation with his (Martine supposed) love, or was he?

"Is she gone?" she heard a mumbled voice.

Martine glared – hard.

"How could you," Martine's voice became menacing such that Steven had to force his eyes open to look at her. "You missed out a chance to talk to Cynthia. Of all the times you could talk, you just had to drink all your wine and refuse a toast with her? That's low, boss."

"Let's assume that I'm sending a message that I don't want to be welcome here," Steven said, as he justified himself. "That means less vouchers and I can finally focus on operating the business, with no hope of any distraction –"

"Aha! So you admit you can't focus with her on you mind!" Martine jumped in

"What? No! That's not what I meant at all!"

"It's fine if you really don't want to say it to me," Martine grinned. She was clearly enjoying this ongoing torment. "You can say it to her instead. After all, she is the only one who has the likes of you."

Before Steven could unleash his irritated fury, he was interrupted by a restaurant waitress who placed two plates each with a slice of tasty-looking white cheesecake at their table, each piece drizzled with sauce made from the Custap Berry (Steven could smell this, even though the berry itself was extremely rare).

"This cheesecake served to you, courtesy of the chef," the waitress announced.

"There's no need for dessert," Steven refused. "I've had enough of dinner."

"Don't play jokes with me, sir," the waitress shook her head. "I know exactly what I served to you tonight and I know you haven't had a sufficient meal! All you've done tonight was swirling your glass of wine for no reason and that's that."

She left Steven in that state and took his empty glass away, which earned fits of laughter from Martine.

"Ooh… you just got slammed!" Martine tried to say, whilst having her throat caught between hiccups and laughter. "And we wonder why Cynthia is acting so nice to you by giving you a cheesecake of her choice. Is she flirting with you?"

Steven digressed. Instead he reached for the cheesecake with his hand. But Martine beat him to it and put both plates in front of her.

"I thought you didn't want dessert?" Martine asked, right as she picked up her dessert fork and ate the first bite of her cheesecake. A snap idea popped in her head right after. "Ooh! Does that mean that you accept Cynthia's way of flirting with you?"

"Martine, you don't have any grounds that she is flirting with me!" Steven raised his voice, such that some customers looked at Steven curiously. "She's a business rival. Hasn't that been clear? We're talking about the market, here."

Muttering from the customers drew Steven's attention.

"Isn't that Steven Stone?"

"That handsome man is from the Stone Restaurant, isn't he?"

"He looks familiar… Oh wait, that's the owner of the restaurant across."

"Why would someone come to the opposing restaurant, anyway?"

"He seems to be enjoying his time here."

"A man has to take time off from work, anyhow."

"He comes to the new restaurant within weeks of opening… he must really like it."

"Where's my camera?"

"It's probably because he likes the food, or the business owner."

FLASH

A camera flash enveloped the room for a split-second.

NOOOOOOOO! Steven thought. It was now apparent that there was no way the world couldn't know he had been to Vue sur la Lune now! Why, cruel world?! If publicity got out, which Steven had no doubt would, that might send his business to a plummet.

Steven got up.

"I have to go," he said abruptly to Martine. "You can finish my dessert for me."

Aw, Martine thought. I'm supposed to say that!

He had to get out as quickly as possible. The less people were aware of his presence in the competing restaurant, the better. He quickly walked away to the elevator's direction, right as people stared at him as he passed.

Alas…

Steven Stone did not realise it, but his arm was seized on the way.

"You're going to miss out on the show," the cool female voice of Cynthia's whispered into his ear. "You could always help me out, if you like."

FLASH

Another camera flash.

Steven darted his eyes to see the platinum-blond hair of his business rival beside him, and he realised that it was her hand that was grasping onto his arm, like he was a force going forward and she was the greater force keeping him back.

FLASH

He had no idea he had passed his business rival in the first place! Now, that same rival was in his way! She had no idea what was going on or what conversations were being held right under her nose, but what she did know was that Steven wanted out.

"If you don't want to see the show in public, then I'll show you in private. How's that?" Cynthia offered, and Steven could finally see her face.

"I've got work to do," Steven lied. "I just remembered."

FLASH

Great… more publicity, Steven thought. How was he supposed to get out of this predicament? Well, he had two options: the first was to follow Cynthia out, and the second was to make a break for the door. Either way, it was not good. He would be getting cameras on him for the next while. Would it be better if he broke for the door now? Impossible. Cynthia had a firm grip on his arm, and being the gentleman he was he could not break. Never mind the firm grip.

FLASH

Martine Grenadine, unbeknownst to very much everyone inside the glass dome of Vue sur la Lune, laughed so hard that she had to burrow her head in her arms on the table. How could it get any better than this? Steven looked embarrassed and stunned at the same time.

FLASH

"Can we… go now?" Steven quietly asked his rival.

"We? So you do want to come," Cynthia tugged Steven away from the floor while the cameras kept flashing away (yes, there was more than one camera!). Those who had the cameras stood up to follow, but were blocked off by Cynthia's waiters. Steven remained silent for a while.

Outside the glass dome, Steven was not expecting to be standing outside with Cynthia. Just himself… and her. Madness! What was he doing here? Having a glass of wine with his business rival was the last thing on his mind right now, especially when he had a business to manage. Besides, there was a wedding banquet that needed arranging when he got back to the Stone. Wasn't he wasting time now?

Indeed, he had a glass of wine in his hands now. He refused to touch it, though.

"You alright there, Steven?" Cynthia's voice broke the silence.

"Uh… fine," Steven said. "But I thought it'd be best if I left early now. I mean I have several plans I need to do when I get back to my office. I need to get to them right now."

"I'm sure they could wait," Cynthia smiled coolly, while bringing her wine to her lips. "I hear that you left your cheesecake untouched. Shall I get someone to bring it to you?"

Before Steven could even answer, Cynthia raised her hand toward a nearby waitress and snapped her fingers. Taking this as a cue, the waitress walked back into the glass dome. Now that they were alone, Steven took this as an opportunity to talk, although he wished the opportunity could have taken place at a better place.

"Cynthia," he said, without looking directly at her. "Why do you keep giving me vouchers?"

To his surprise, Cynthia's response was fluent. "I thought it would be a good idea for you, the competition, to see what my restaurant is like. But enough about my restaurant, as I'm sure you've seen enough of it already. The question becomes… why don't you invite me?"

Steven remained silent for a while, but Cynthia smiled all the same. Was it because if he invited her over, she would use the opportunity to take advantage of his ideas? His profit-maximising output was cut, and Steven wasn't going to take any chances.

The waitress brought Steven's slice of cheesecake to the balcony and quietly set it before him. As a gesture of politeness, Steven took bites of the cheesecake as he immersed himself in the mind of business. Yet, his mind was distracted by the delicious cheesecake, as Martine had so frequently told him.

"That's okay. You don't have to answer," she said whilst breaking Steven's thoughts. "You could always head back in to see the show now. I'm sure no one would notice."

Steven remained silent as he went back inside, and left half of the cheesecake uneaten.

To his relief, the customers who had initially stared at him in the first place, let alone the cameras flashing, had stopped and they went back to their meals and drinks. The former Hoenn champion, Steven, swiftly went back to his table.

Martine had her glass of sparkling water refilled.

"Well…?" she eyed her boss curiously. "Did you two have a heart-to-heart yet?"

"I had trouble finding it," Steven replied without looking at Martine's eyes. "And no, Martine, that doesn't mean that I have any feelings for her. Got it?"

Martine shrugged.

Steven's uncomfortable conversation was thankfully brought to an abrupt halt by the indistinct murmur from the customers. He turned his head to see that Cytnhia, along with her team of waiters and waitresses, had appeared before

"Tonight is special," Cynthia said. "I will almost always make an exclusive appearance here once a week, at least, under the glass dome on Vue sur la Lune's top level, and no other floor, unlike most days."

"As you all know, if you're Kalosian, Vue sur la Lune is what we would literally interpret as 'view of the moon', or moonview," Cynthia explained. "Indeed, that is exactly what this restaurant specialises in. At Vue sur la Lune here, we offer comprehensive dining service, but in addition we offer you an exclusive view of the moon above your heads as you eat!"

The lights in the dome dimmed. Sparks shot up from the edges of the glass dome's metal frame to the top of the dome, which literally forced everyone to look up to see that as the sparks faded, the Kalos moonlight shined upon the dome.

Were the glass walls amplified somehow?

The way the moonlight refracted off the glass walls was such that the light was focused and concentrated on certain areas of the glass dome. Such that they looked like stars in the sky, but up close, and not bright enough that it would burn peoples' eyes. The moon itself still shined brilliantly directly above the restaurant.

"This. Is. Awesome," Martine said with a dropped jaw. "Wow…"

Steven reserved the right to remain silent. He was oblivious to the fact that a waitress had brought back his slice of half-eaten cheesecake underneath his nose. Even so, despite that, he absentmindedly took bites of the cheesecake and watched the moonlight sparkle. He hated to admit it, but the visual sight complimented the Custap Berry drizzle in his mouth.

Chapter Text

"Mr. Stone wants to see you in his office, Martine," one of Martine's fellow waitresses at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro said, during the morning hours of the restaurant. "He doesn't seem too pleased at all today."

"I'll be right there," Martine replied.

The day after Steven Stone and his youngest employee went for dinner at Vue sur la Lune, Martine Grenadine was in the middle of arranging a series of tables for a wedding reception to be held that night. She wasn't alone. There were numbers of other staff who were preparing for the event too.

Given the wedding reception, the entire third floor of the restaurant was rented out exclusively to the wedding couple, alongside payment for the food. According to James, who was spearheading this arrangement, the wedding couple and all the guests were due to arrive in the afternoon – which was an estimated seating of two-hundred guests. It was morning, so this meant James and the others had to prepare at least two-hundred servings of five-course meals. Fortunately, they had a week's notice before this happened, and a day to know when they arrived.

In effect, the whole third floor was empty, and the only sounds that could be heard were coming from the kitchens, even though the kitchens were far away.

Martine quickly went over to the door of Steven's office and knocked.

"Come in," she heard him say, so Martine went straight in.

Steven Stone sat behind his desk looking appalled. Martine, at first, looked as if she was concerned for him, but that almost immediately changed when she understood why he was so appalled. Indeed, she came close to laughing but kept her mouth shut.

There were magazines and the regional newspaper spread out on the desk.

"You…" Steven growled, his voice on the brink of fury. "You did this!"

"What?" Martine casually asked, as if to hide her innocence.

"You did this…" Steven's voice became threatening. He held up one of the magazines up for Martine to see. Lo and behold, it was a popular Kalos magazine. Key word: popular.

On the front cover showed – lo and behold again – Martine's boss having his arm grasped by Cynthia as he tried to leave Vue sur la Lune. But it wasn't just Kalos' popular magazine Steven was holding up. There were more magazines in his hands!

A suspicious smile curled at the edge of Martine's lips.

The popular magazine headline read, 'Apples and Oranges: Substitutes? Or Compliments?'

Was this bad press? The other magazines had similar headlines with regards to Steven and Cynthia, and Martine was extremely thankful that she didn't get into the picture – well, except for the one where Steven had first caused the commotion. (That magazine title read: 'Owner Trades Business In Favour of Love').

Martine snuck glances at the papers on Steven's table, but she could feel Steven's stare caving into her head. Steven. Cynthia. Steven. Cynthia. Yes, that was exactly all there was on each front cover, be it magazine or newspaper.

"I like how they compared you and Cynthia to apples and oranges," Martine lightly said. "It's like they're saying you and her aren't made for each other, and yet… there's a chance."

"This has gone far enough," Steven evenly, though with some effort to restrain his anger. "It ends here! You know perfectly well that what you've done has impacted the business! It looks as if I'm submitting to the competition…

"But don't you think you're being a little selfish, Mr. Stone?" Martine whispered. "It's not good to have a monopoly, you know. I thought you were a more classy man than that! People look to you as a classy gentleman and a respected former Champion, you know."

Martine raised her voice to a normal tone.

"Besides, you should be really, really, happy that they chose apples and oranges," she added. "It literally means you and Cynthia are incomparable. But you could be complimentary to each other too…"

Steven paused.

"No!" he denied. "It's not like that! It's just that… that… Argh! Never mind! Never mind! Let's get to what's important here. Martine Grenadine: if you do not stop with this behaviour of yours, I'm going to dock your pay. I mean it! 25% of your paycheque into the pockets of other staff should be enough to keep you quiet, eh?"

Martine stared back in response. "That's injustice and you know it!"

"But at least it's justified by the employee abusing the employer…" Now it was Steven's turn to smile. "Just behave and nothing bad will happen."

Martine looked as if she almost wanted to cry, but a thought struck her that this must be some pretext for Steven to eliminate her attitude. Well it was, wasn't it? Still, Martine agreed that her boss had suffered long enough with all the magazine gossip. She supposed she would have to strike again at a more convenient time.

"Oh, alright," Martine muttered, but at the same time tried to suppress a smirk. "Besides, you're getting off-topic here, boss. Don't steer away from apples and oranges! Didn't you just deny that you and Cynthia aren't substitutes, but compliments?"

Steven, ignoring her, got out a pen and chequebook and started to write on it. By then, Martine kept quiet when Steven, annoyed, handed her a paycheque with an explicit description of a deduction of 25% of money. That money was to be transferred to the next paycheque.

Afterwards, Martine left Steven in his office, and she had no idea whether he wanted to stay locked in there as a result of public embarrassment.

It went from bad to worse when Steven walked out of his office. Apparently and there was no need to explain it, it seemed every staff worker at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro had seen the article from the popular Kalos magazine. Apples and oranges, hmm…

"You handling okay there, boss?" a waitress asked. "Any love troubles?"

"No!" Steven harshly replied.

The waitress gave Steven a look as if he had seriously harmed her, but Steven wasn't deterred. Yet, the waitress could see Steven's ears, let alone his cheeks, had turned pink.

"I'll be sure to send you a nice fruit basket," she said before she went on doing her part for the upcoming wedding reception. "Oran berries, Custap berries, apples, and oranges. The lot."

It took a moment before Steven realised what she meant, and by then that waitress was busy working with the others setting up the tables.

"No! No!" Steven shouted. "I don't need one!"

Exasperated, and feeling very uncomfortable, Steven took a nearby seat and buried his head in his arms on the table. He felt like the world was watching him and trying to crush him wherever it saw fit. Did Steven really have any feelings for Cynthia? He didn't dare answer it.

The sound of the usual clink of a plate placed on a table shuddered in front of him. Steven tiredly looked up to see a mug of steaming tea in front of him, with James d'Arc taking the seat opposite Steven.

"Thank you," Steven muttered.

"It's that bad, huh?" James had a slice of Razz Berry cake in front of him and took small bites out of it. "Don't worry, Steven. I've read the magazine too."

Upon hearing this, Steven's cheeks turned pink again, and he buried his face into his arms once more, and refused to touch his tea. This prompted James to smirk, and pushed the tea a little closer towards Steven. "Well, if you don't want to talk about your possible love life, then how about we talk business instead?" James offered, where he got a half-irritated, half-interested, face from Steven. "You'll be pleased to know we've got a contractor to build that bakery we talked about. A few expert carpenters from Lumiose City are making their way here."

James was relieved to see Steven finally getting his act together.

"Well, at least that's a start," Steven muttered, and picked up his tea. "Let's hope it'll have an impact. This action will add onto our costs too."

James said, right after biting another piece of Razz Berry cake, "Our performance output will likely increase too. We'll need to consider the prices, given demand and supply for the bakery, but we'll be adding a number of jobs to Kalos. At least that's something!"

Steven closed his eyes and imagined how this bakery initiative could impact the business. Yes… Cynthia had a café and pastries, but no bread. Perhaps this bakery idea was the best solution. But in order to live up to the restaurant's name, hence its regional fame, there had to be some stone element.

"Stone-baked bread?" Steven suggested. "How does that sound to you, James?"

"You're the boss," James said without looking up, but focused on eating his cake. "But if I were you, Steven, I'd focus on the reception. They'll be here this afternoon. Remember? Oh, and don't worry if anyone around here thinks you're betraying the business. They all know you're a great employer. In the short-run, labour will increase and so will the labour cost will rise."

Steven, scoffing, raised a hand for James' silence, and then asked, "What is the demand for a bakery around here, in Cyllage City?"

James nodded. "There is a high demand for a bakery here in a resort city such as Cyllage. As most of the bread supply comes from Lumiose City, it would only be logical to open a local bakery to satisfy the community's upkeep. There is no need to worry if this ends up being a sunk cost, because there will not be a sunk cost. So while labour and costs will rise in the short-run, the long-run effect will almost certainly be profitable."

"And besides," James continued, whilst eating the remainder of his cake. "In case you do somehow have to leave the restaurant for good, you can count on me or Martine. Right?"

Steven put down his cup of tea.

"Thanks, James," Steven said, feeling better.

About half an hour later, Steven and James got up to head to the kitchen to begin preparations. Under normal circumstances, to have a wedding reception prepared with this relatively little time would be a feat, but fortunately, Steven was considered to be the best chef around these parts and could easily prepare a reception with the time he had.

Or so he thought, until Vue sur la Lune opened. Now, Steven became less sure.

Directly across the three-storey high Stone Restaurant and Bistro, a road width away, the four-storey high (plus the fifth level, the roof) Vue sur la Lune was going about business as usual, although business seemed to have slowed.

That gave the staff ample time to look at the popular Kalos magazine that had been circulating and in the know for the past day. In almost any area in the restaurant where one of Vue sur la Lune's employees was, there was bound to be a copy of the magazine being read. This could potentially ruin the image of Cynthia's restaurant, unfortunately.

But as far as anyone was concerned, the customers were reading the same magazine too.

For Cynthia, former Sinnoh champion, she was sitting at one of the tables with fresh fruit and berries with a cup of hot water. On the table in front of her lay a copy of the Kalos magazine, with the bright red and orange letters reading "Apples and Oranges: Substitutes? Or Compliments?"

"And that, my friend, is a good question. Do apples and oranges belong together? Or do they not?" a voice said beside Cynthia.

Cynthia looked up. One of her waitresses had an ice cream cone in her hands.

"Your ice cream, boss," she said. "Say, everyone around here's been speculating…"

"Oh, that? It's nothing serious," Cynthia said, as she took her vanilla ice cream and began to consume it. "What bothers me is why the public takes it so seriously."

The waitress raised her eyebrows, and coughed. "Well… for a handsome guy like him, and for one who had so much fame back in his Champion days, it's no surprise some gossip would like to poke fun at him, especially now that you're around…"

Cynthia shrugged. It was no surprise, indeed. After all, she operated the restaurant as a means of maintaining luxury-class dining in a resort town such as this. What Cynthia hadn't counted on was that the rivalling business happened to be directly across from her. Well, food and dining services was a competitive market.

"Could you ever compare apples and oranges?" Cynthia asked her waitress. "You can't. The point is that no one can ever compare apples and oranges. They're too different to suit each other."

To Cynthia's surprise, the waitress said, "Hey. That's clearly wrong! You're wrong in saying you can't compare apples and oranges, because you just compared them and declared them different. Besides, it's the differences that make them suited to each other! An apple isn't an orange and vice versa, but they could be complementary to each other because of their differences."

Cynthia blinked. Was her waitress speculating a relationship between her and Steven?

"Speaking of apples and oranges, I have a craving for an apple," the waitress said, as Cynthia silently ate her ice cream. Out of nowhere, the waitress whipped out an apple and dug a large bite into the hard shell of the apple.

Cynthia brushed her platinum-locks behind her ear and finished her ice cream. She couldn't help, though, that the apple was something of an irritant.

Now she was standing inside the Vue sur la Lune subsidiary – that is, the café – as it was time for work. Truthfully speaking, the café was pretty popular among the citizens of Cyllage City. It provided coffee, tarts, cakes, and pastries for those people and Pokémon just starting out their day. The café hadn't opened yet, but it would soon. It was time for work.

Cynthia tossed out her Poké Ball holding her Garchomp. The Pokémon burst out and looked at Cynthia with anticipation.

"We better get things ready," Cynthia said. Garchomp nodded in agreement. Separately, the workers operating the café were also doing their part. Some were turning on lights and opening the blinds, some were beginning to bake fresh cakes and chilled desserts, some were wiping the tables inside and outside, and some were preparing to make freshly grinded coffee.

It didn't take long before Garchomp and Cynthia were working together on a broad range of Poké Puffs and Poffins. In the interest of keeping the café on the ground level running, a lot of fresh pastries had to be prepared. In Cynthia's opinion, never mind the public, her desserts were the best.

Still, as Cynthia worked, she couldn't help but think back to the article in the popular magazine. That photo of her and Steven on the magazine cover was… cute.

"Hey! Watch it, boss!" a staff worker warned.

Cynthia became instantly aware that she had almost spilled a tray of uncooked orange tarts onto the floor, if not for the fast-acting catch of Garchomp. Garchomp held the tray of orange tarts firmly, although appeared concerned for Cynthia.

"Gar…" Garchomp shook her head.

Cynthia sighed, but turned on the oven and set it to the temperature the way she liked it. Once the oven was piping hot, Garchomp opened the oven door and placed the tray of orange tarts in there. The smell of baking orange filled the air.

"I'm fine," Cynthia said. She started about making a number of cheesecakes and Berry cakes. It just so happened that she had a surplus of Custap Berry sauce, so she made use of it to glaze some of the cheesecakes.

Apart from the ringing of timers from the oven and the smell of fresh orange tarts, there was also the sound of grinding coffee beans. Elsewhere, the café staff were busy boiling hot water and prepared many, many, servings of fresh coffee. One staff worker even went outside to retrieve several copies of the daily newspaper.

It just so happened that each newspaper – five in all – had a copy of the popular Kalos magazine attached. Printed clearly, and boldly, was the title 'Apples and Oranges'.

Meanwhile, Garchomp determined the tarts were ready and removed the tray from the oven, so as to place each tart on display after washing her hands. Orange tarts…

To the people of Cyllage City who weren't aware of the 'Apples and Oranges' thing, they certainly had their fill-up of the news by the time they went inside Cynthia's café. People who frequented the newspaper got a taste of the news when they saw the magazine cover, and curiosity got the better of them when they read it.

Even for people who didn't frequent the newspaper had their curiosity provoked when they saw the magazine title, and asked for the people who did read the paper to pass them the magazine. It didn't take long for them to realise that the magazine subject happened to be standing just a few paces away from them.

"Hey! Hey! Is this true?!" one customer shouted to Cynthia, whilst holding up the magazine.

Cynthia diverted her attention from the cake she was making and looked at the customer. After analysing the magazine for a brief second, a tinge of nervousness shuddered in her voice, "I'm not – I'm not too sure myself. Do you think I look like an orange?"

The customer laughed. "Everyone knows you're a sweet lady, hence your classy desserts. One would think you'd either be the perfect match or the perfect rival of the Stone Bistro across the street. Speaking of which, I would like one of those orange tarts."

Another of the café staff served the orange tart to the customer. On the other hand, Cynthia felt somewhat awkward, and proceeded to continue her cake work in the back room. Garchomp was more or less indifferent, but focused on making more orange tarts.

"Hey, Cynthia! We've got a special order coming in!" an employee said while rushing past the café doors with a slip of paper. "It has to be ready in the next two hours! It's an express delivery!"

Cynthia immediately took the paper to take a careful look at the description and request. Cream, peaches, and apples were part of it. But it wasn't just because of the fruit described that made it difficult, but the sheer number of it that had to be made, let alone the design.

"Okay, assemble the cake-maker staff on the double!" Cynthia said to the worker who handed her the paper. "If I had more time, we could get this done pretty well, but two hours will not wait. We need time to gather and bake, and this order is… ridiculous."

"Yes, ma'am, I'll get them straight away," the worker took off.

That afternoon, at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro (or, as the locals liked to call it, the Stone Bistro), the wedding couple and associated family were first to arrive. Upon entering, they were personally greeted by James, who welcomed them in.

"I can see you've got it all worked out," the groom complimented. "I'm impressed. You'll sure to be expecting many guests tonight. Apart from dinner, have you got the photo shootings, flowers, and music prepared?"

James smiled warmly. "It's all been arranged. I've taken the liberty of asking Mr. Stone to set a dance floor for you and your bride, needless to say a miniature orchestra. On that note, congratulations."

The groom smiled at his bride, before returning the thanks to James. Upon walking in, the groom was welcomed by the chandelier hanging above in the lobby at first, followed by metal staircases and two receptionists – a handsome male and a pretty female – at the front desk.

"Shall I show you to your floor?" James offered.

The wedding couple were happy to oblige. They followed James up the elevator to the third and top floor, where they were met with a vast layout of arranged tables, each with a snow-white tablecloth and fresh flowers, set for two hundred guests.

To the wedding couple, they were astonished.

"This is amazing," the groom said.

By what the groom meant, there was both a bottle of champagne and a bottle of sparkling lime water at every table. Wine glasses were already set up and arranged, along with a candle box each emitting a different colour at each table. The candle boxes had yet to be lighted.

Not only that, but being the renowned high-class restaurant it was always known for, the staff at the Stone Bistro had taken the liberty of moving a grand piano near a window seat. The instrument blended with the scenic view from behind perfectly.

"Mr. Stone would say it's his pleasure," James smiled. "The musicians will have their seating near the dance floor, and we've set a special spot where you can have a photo shoot when it's sunset. Sunset will probably last for an hour tonight, so we've arranged that particular schedule to have a really tight timeframe."

"Much appreciated," the groom said. He proceeded to look around the area to familiarise with the surroundings.

For James, it was all in a day's work. However, he knew that at this very moment Steven and the other chefs were creating hundreds and hundreds of dishes in preparation for the imminent dinner. At the ground floor behind the lobby, James could predict they were having their work cut out, because the dinner setting stipulated that each dinner guest had a full serving of the Stone Accolade. On their part, they had to prepare the food, but cook it when the guests had arrived. This way, the food could be served fresh.

"You hired a pianist as well?" James asked the groom.

"Yes," he said, "she'll probably be the first to arrive, never mind my family. She's been practising – ah, there she is now."

James looked to see a well-dressed woman unload her bag at the grand piano and placed a set of sheet music at the piano. She lifted the cover off the piano and James could hear the percussion of piano notes ringing about the floor.

"How much sooner are your guests arriving, anyway?" he asked the groom. It occurred to James, as they walked past many more seats all the way to the host's table, the guests could arrive at any given time.

"It's pretty early, I think," the groom said. "No. Besides, the wedding cake we ordered for tonight won't be arriving anytime soon. I think when that time comes, the guests will be here."

Hundreds of dishes, set inside the kitchens of the restaurant, remained prepared but not cooked. Steven Stone knew that it was only a matter of time before the dinner guests started to arrive at the restaurant.

He looked at Metagross, who was levitating dishes into their proper locations, and the culinary staff, who were washing their hands. Steven looked at his own clothes – a black chef jacket – and properly wiped off some sauce on the sleeves, and then looked at the clock.

"We will begin in exactly half an hour," Steven announced. "Take a drink of water or something, as we're going to have our hands full soon."

Some of the staff went to fill up glasses of water for themselves, while others looked at the uncooked dishes as if the cooking process happened already. Weren't they always this eager to cook? Steven knew them, and the time would come very soon. Speaking of which, Steven left the kitchen to see how things were going upstairs.

He took the private elevator to the third floor, which was empty except for the restaurant staff and the wedding couple. Steven approached the couple to greet them.

"And this," James d'Arc said, "is the man. Steven Stone! He's chef of this restaurant after all."

The groom was about to say something, but Steven beat him to it, holding up a hand. "Save your compliments for later," he said. "You should really be thanking James here. He is the one who spearheaded this arrangement. I'm only here to do my part."

The groom and Steven shook hands, anyway.

"Come to that, don't you have a wedding cake set up?" Steven asked, suddenly aware that there wasn't one in their midst. "Or is it because…?"

"Yeah, it hasn't arrived yet," the groom said, albeit sheepishly. "It was a last-minute order thing and I completely forgot to get one ordered before we came here. Luckily there was a dessert shop in town that was willing to make one for us, with so little time."

Something flickered in Steven's eyes. There could only be one dessert shop that existed in Cyllage City alone…

"Where did you order your cake?" Steven timidly asked. In spite of upholding his professional image, he had a gut feeling that the answer was expected, and his face darkened.

The dreaded answer came, and this time it was the bride who answered.

"At Vue sur la Lune," she answered happily. "They're known around here to have a fabulous reputation at making desserts, so we asked them if they could make a wedding croquembouche for us in a few hours. They were happy to oblige."

Steven stared at her as if his heart wrenched. It only got worse when she stared back.

"Hey… you're that handsome man on the magazine cover!" she said with tone of realisation and ignoring Steven's stunned reaction. "So… is it true you could be a match for that lovely woman at Vue sur la Lune? Now, now, I'm not saying you two are apples and oranges, but you do seem like a compliment to her. You make the meals and she makes the cake."

The restaurant owner, Steven, couldn't believe he had just suffered another loss to Cynthia again. Any cake maker, he could cope with, but with Cynthia being the one who made the cake just seemed to… be unsettling.

How could people actually compare him to Cynthia? Was it because he had feelings for her? Maybe not. Maybe, like apples and oranges, he and Cynthia were perfect substitutes. How could they ever be compliments? Steven didn't need to remind himself his business was in danger because of Cynthia entering the food market. However, he also didn't need to remind himself that he had other upcoming plans that may save his firm. Otherwise, he would have to start taking drastic measures.

"She is attractive, after all," the bride said. "Maybe one day you'll marry her someday like I am right now! Just wait for that wedding cake we've ordered: we've asked her to decorate it with apples!"

Apples and oranges… Steven didn't want to hear that for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

The dinner guests, about two hundred of them, showed up at the Stone Bistro within the next hour altogether. Upon the wedding couple's request, there was a table set at the lobby desk for wedding reception, complete with a large paperboard and pens of many colours. Eight minutes before the dinner guests arrived, vast numbers of croquembouche – a Kalos specialty that involved choux pastry balls held together by caramel – created with small appetizing apples and served with peaches with cream, had been delivered from Vue sur la Lune to the restaurant, and put on display at the lobby. However, the staff who delivered the cake were reluctant to do so.

Upon James' orders, Martine Grenadine and the other servers were tasked with placing chocolates and mints to each table before the guests could actually arrive. This was no easy feat. Given the time constraint they had and the number of tables they had to serve, it seemed impossible. But being the professionals they were, they managed to get each table the right amount of sweets.

By the time the first of two hundred guests showed up at the doors of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, it was getting close to twilight. The skies of Cyllage City started to fade into a deep blue-and-orange with clouds rapidly turning into pink.

Unsurprisingly, the guests were first welcomed by the sight of a plate of croquembouche displayed at the lobby, and even more unsurprisingly they took pictures of the dessert. The reaction from Steven about this was… negative.

At the same time, the guests were welcomed by the bride and groom, who of course the latter invited. Lively conversations were stirred up with some guests, while other guests went over to the receptionists' desk for signing in. Afterwards, Martine Grenadine and the other servers showed the guests to their tables.

Elsewhere, Steven Stone, James d'Arc, and the professional team of chefs had finally started to cook the meals at the request of the wedding couple. To begin, with the hors d'oeuvres, the wedding couple wanted them to serve a certain Kalos fondue to every guest in this reception, with a certain creamy soup that was a specialty of the Stone Bistro. That is, over two hundred dishes of the pâté-baguette combination had already been prepared to make. Now, all the cooking team was concerned with was creating the soups as efficiently and cleanly as possible.

It felt like they hadn't been this busy for months!

The specific fondue in question was a special kind of pâté using local Cyllage goods served with very thin slices of oven-baked baguette, with creamy Kalos cheese melted on a fondue pot, and served with clusters of baguette. In addition, it was best served with an aperitif (an alcohol mixture). But as for minors, Martine directed the serving staff to preparing non-alcoholic cocktails too. It was only a combination between an aperitif and hors d'oeuvres that would make the appetizer special.

In effect, Martine and the others were working around the clock serving drinks!

There was a wine cellar at the ground floor of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro where the entire restaurant's alcohol supply of Kalos and imported wine was kept – old wines, new wines, ancient wines, and fresh wines. That being said, it was managed and run by the bar and bistro, and whenever patrons wanted to stop by for a drink and perhaps some fried snacks, this was the place to go. However, as far as the restaurant above and around was concerned: the bar staff helped supply the restaurant and bistro staff with what they needed, and were masters at creating aperitifs and cocktails.

After all, it was their specialty!

"Orders! Lots and lots of orders!" Martine popped into the bar cheerfully, while slapping dozens and dozens of drink orders onto the bar counter (of course, the other servers had to keep Martine in check by forcing to lay out the drink requests in an orderly fashion).

The barman and his associates picked up the orders and, without need for another word, they got to work. Some turned around to find the specific drinks that were ordered, while others searched underneath the counter for other alcohols. At the same time, more bar staff went to look for non-alcohol-based mixtures. Whereas the bar staff managed these drinks, others helped the bistro staff look for specific wines in the wine cellar.

Some bar staff took the easy route by creating the non-alcoholic cocktails first. One case was lime juice from an unopened glass bottle (she twisted the gold-coloured cap open), crushed Nomel Berry (using a bowl, she took two Nomel Berries, placed it in a bowl, and grinded it into powder with a crushing tool), and shattered ice cubes (she put many, many, many, ice cubes in a blender full to the brim, and grinded them all into bits and pieces, so as to use the ice for more cocktails to come). This barman then poured the ice shards into a glass, added all of the Nomel Berry powder and poured lime juice into it until the glass was full, and then she stirred it well until the drink was cold.

To this bar staff member, it was a simple drink, and she placed the finished work on the counter, alongside at least a dozen more cocktails and drinks.

Meanwhile, another drink-making bar member pulled out a certain bottle of Pamtre Berry gin (a spirit with a particularly high alcohol content), and poured two measures of it into a cocktail shaker. An additional bistro staff member helped supply a bottle of Razz Berry vodka (spicy and sweet…), where the barman poured one measure of it into the shaker. Last but not least, a second bistro staff provided half a measure of a local Kalos speciality: a fine spirit made from a blend of multiple regional wines. Afterwards, the shaker was filled with ice cubes and the bar member responsible for making this drink shut the container with a steel cap and shook the shaker violently, while hearing the sound of ice smashing against each other, and finally poured out the ice-cold alcoholic cocktail into a glass. As well, a very thin slice of lemon peel was placed in it by the bar member. A glass of tonic water, supplied by a bistro staff, was placed beside the cocktail.

"That's another fine work done," he muttered, as he placed the completed drink alongside the dozens of other finished drinks. Martine Grenadine picked up the glass and placed it on the tray she was holding (which already had many more drinks on it!).

Simply but cautiously, Martine brought the tray of drinks to the restaurant lobby so she could transport the drinks to the third floor above, and then serve them to the table. That being said, there were many more tables and drinks to attend to. It was fortunate there were plenty of staff to cover the two hundred guests!

Meanwhile, the sound of a grand piano filled the air of the third floor, as other guests took pictures and mingled with each other, as well as the bride and groom, as the sun's rays shined through the glass exterior of the Stone Bistro to signify the start of twilight.

"There seems to be a party over there at the Stone," some dessert-maker from Vue sur la Lune told Cynthia. "Business seems so slow today…"

"Well, at least we had that croquembouche made ready," Cynthia pointed out. "That was something! And we only had a couple hours to complete it too! At least that kept us busy."

"True," the dessert-maker agreed.

The sun rays made the air inside Vue sur la Lune's café heated, and the atmosphere became… comforting. Only a few customers stopped by for coffee and some fluffy carrot cake or orange tarts, but that was all. Seeing there was little to do, Cynthia went to make chocolates.

Design was something Cynthia could appreciate at Vue sur la Lune. Often the market would regard her chocolates as, apart from tasting as sweet as they are, the most beautiful designed, back in her culinary training days. Critic reviews held her chocolates with high regard. With that thought in mind, Cynthia wondered if it was worth opening a restaurant and dessert shop in Lumiose City.

But she knew there was no chance of that happening. With property values of Lumiose City being the highest in all of Kalos, it would be horrifically expensive to purchase a property large enough to open a shop there. Even though Cynthia was a former Champion, she knew she didn't have enough funding. Loaning was possible, but it was a huge risk, and one that Cynthia wasn't willing to take.

The smell of chocolate wafted deliciously throughout the café. With her bare hands, Cynthia delicately molded chunks of fudge into cubes and pieces of chocolates into different shapes and sizes. Whether they looked like blocks with a garnish or miniature mugs with a creamy filling, they all appeared equally pleasant to the eye.

With the amount of spare time they had, the dessert staff of Vue sur la Lune helped themselves to leftover servings of the croquembouche they had created several hours ago. The idea of piles of choux pastry balls held together by mounds of caramel served with apples and peaches was enough to make anyone's mouth water. To keep things fair, the staff divided the croquembouche evenly so that everyone would have a relatively good share of the croquembouche.

Cynthia, however, had no appetite for the croquembouche, and helped herself to a serving of vanilla ice cream, decorated with dark chocolate bits, on a cone instead. If there was anything she enjoyed, it was ice cream. Was Kalosian ice cream any different than what she tasted in Sinnoh? Maybe not.

"Hey, Cynthia," one of her café staff, who was eating a portion of croquembouche on a plate, addressed her. "That supply of ingredients for Unovan cheesecake we ordered is finally coming in tonight. We expect to have them on display tomorrow."

"Oh? I see…" Cynthia carelessly said. She absentmindedly munched off parts of the ice cream.

This café staff member was a twenty-three year old who went by the name of Henri Matin. Having had five years of full-time experience in the café business earned him a modest reputation amongst Kalos locals – specifically in Lumiose City, where he worked at various Kalosian bistros and cafés and earning multitudes of experience with Kalos cooking. But this came at a price: he had to be aware of any chance he could get laid off!

When Vue sur la Lune opened up, and more job opportunities that came with it, Henri jumped at the chance. He had heard of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, of course, and working there wasn't bad, but it simply wasn't his specialty, so he opted for Vue sur la Lune instead.

Needless to say he was rewarded by working under a no-nonsense boss and a vast number of openly-friendly staff!

"Is something troubling you, Ms. Cynthia?" he asked his boss, while spearing a choux pastry ball and putting it in his mouth, and tasting the caramel and apple that came with it. "Is it, perhaps, the Stone? We did make a croquembouche for them, yeah?"

"No, Henri, I'm just bored," Cynthia replied.

Henri looked unconvinced, but he shrugged. Before he went on his way, he asked, "If you're bored, then why don't you head over to the Stone and see what the wedding banquet is like? Business is slow tonight, so we can take it from here."

That seemed like a good idea.

"I suppose…" Cynthia got out of her chair. If she was going to a wedding banquet uninvited, then she could at least dress like she belonged there, but sadly she didn't know what to wear. A business suit, perhaps, or maybe her trademark clothes she wore as Champion?

Maybe it would be more appropriate to comb or curl her hair as well…

"Are you sure you don't want a little croquembouche?" Henri offered. "Everyone has had a little bit, so why not?"

Cynthia paused to think. Sure, the croquembouche did look appetizing to the eye, and sure it was created out from a last-minute effort from her staff, but she didn't have an appetite for it. Nevertheless, one of the dessert makers passed Cynthia a plate, anyway.

"I really don't have an appetite, though…" Cynthia quietly complained. In spite of her complaint, Cynthia went to try it, anyway. Even though it was a dessert that she hadn't tasted while it was being made!

Sweet caramel combined with choux pastry balls had never tasted this good, and it had been too long since Cynthia had eaten croquembouche. Did the pastry somehow taste better and sweeter than it was supposed to be? If so, then why was she enjoying it so much? The choux pastry tasted light, but the caramel and apples made up for the sweetness, if not the peaches!

After ten minutes, Cynthia walked out of Vue sur la Lune with her hair elegantly curled and her business suit neatly straightened.

The air of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro continued to fill with the sound of grand piano, which was appropriate as the guests gathered at one of the wall-sized windows on the floor (even though every window was wall-sized!) because it was time for the trademark photo shoots of the sunset.

Moreover, the evident sunset made this spot desirable, because everyone wanted to have their photo taken with the sunset. Time was short, so the photographer had to shoot the photos quick, but also had to ensure they were good photos.

Priority was given to the wedding couple and their immediate families, so almost everyone had to make way – but with lots of smiles – to let the couple take their pictures in front of the dazzling sunset. Family and extended family soon followed in the photo lineup, followed by friends.

Even for those waiting to have their photo taken, the view of the sunset was worthwhile!

At this point, the wedding guests had all been served their fondues, drinks, and soups. All the servers took the liberty of starting the fires beneath the fondue pots to melt the cheese, mixing a little wine in it for some improved flavour, and allowed the guests to dip in pieces of baguette into the molten cheese to enjoy. The accompanying servers would help deliver the soup serving – garnished with pepper and green onion – afterward.

Some guests took personal pictures of the food, while others ate it straight away. Some dipped pieces of baguette into the cheese fondue, others had spoonfuls of soup already in their mouths.

As far as Steven was concerned, his staff had most of the next course – consisting of fish and mushrooms – almost ready to go. As head chef, Steven was partly obligated to take photos with the guests as well despite how busy it was. The cooking couldn't wait, but neither would the sunset, and the guests were demanding his presence!

So, dressed in his black chef jacket, Steven went straight for the photo shoot where the guests were eagerly waiting for him. The handsome chef some of them knew about, who never thought about having a girlfriend, was going to be in their photo!

For the time being, Steven Stone was preoccupied with having photos taken with him and the guests. James d'Arc on the other hand took leadership role in preparing the fish course: a fillet of dorée served with a blended sauce of white wine and fresh Mago berry. An additional side sauce made of diced Pinap berry was to be prepared alongside the fish course – as its sour and spicy taste made it the perfect complement to the main dorée course.

James ensured that everyone was preparing the white wine and Mago berry sauce in the desired order. Stirred in pans, combining blended Mago berry and white wine, the combination was fiery. Flames arose from the addition of wine as the sauce was stirred in the heat! James took charge of creating this sauce, while other chefs were focused on chopping Pinap berries into bits and stirring it with a little hot water to loosen its intense taste.

Meanwhile, other chefs were grilling tens of fillets of dorée!

Steven was all smiles as he had photos taken. Not once did he ever regret buying the property here at Cyllage City. For once in a while, he could seriously enjoy himself. Here, in his restaurant, against the brilliant sunset that the resort was known for.

Lastly, as the sun continued to glimmer in such a way that sent shivers down everyone's spines, the wedding couple took one last picture together against the sunset, when the stars were beginning to twinkle in the twilight.

"Mr. Stone! Care to join us?" the groom offered.

"With pleasure," Steven answered. "But please, just call me Steven. Everyone calls my father Mr. Stone already, so…"

The groom and Steven stood to the side as the bride occupied the space between them. Behind them, the sun sank beneath the horizon to signify the beginning of dusk. The photographer waved for their attention to the camera.

After the photos, the lights that lined up the windows, black walls, and white walls of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro illuminated comforting lights everywhere. The ocean outside was still reflecting the last bits of sunlight, but now the reflection was replaced by stars.

Martine had just served her table glasses of water and, with her accompanying waitress, disassembled the fondue kit and put it away. From what she observed, the food was eaten cleanly. Not a bit of cheese or piece of baguette or drop of soup was left over.

Now, James d'Arc had confirmed the fish course was ready and had Martine and the servers begin rolling out the dishes. Steven had finished with the photos and had gone back into the kitchen to start cooking the main course: a Stone Accolade for every guest. (Whereas the photographer had gone back to his table to eat his serving of the fish course. He already finished his appetizer!). Steven and the other chefs were definitely going to have their work cut out! To make two hundred dishes of the Accolade wasn't going to be easy. To keep the work simple and less tedious on their part, Martine had every server record what sauce each customer wanted in their Accolade (either red wine or white wine) and had the orders divided into two respective groups once they arrived at the kitchen.

James worked with another cook preparing an enormous cut of beef to be roasted over an open fire, rotisserie-style – first by ensuring the beef was completely clean and fresh. Already the beef had been laced with herbs and spices, so James and the other cook placed the beef over an oven fire. After that was over with, James went to help make the onion au jus with other cooks. One of the largest saucepans and pots were designed for this task, so he got to work straight away.

At the same time, Steven worked with a pan full of ingredients necessary for the Stone Accolade: spices, fresh mushrooms, onions, and peppers with olive oil, garlic, and red wine added to it. The smell of cooked food was overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as the sautéed Asiago cheese beside him. Elsewhere, envelopes and envelopes of rice flour were being baked as onions were being caramelised, and blue cheese cores packed with flavour were being prepared too!

The wedding couple were pressured by the wedding guests to kiss before their eyes, and that was exactly what they did. While the guests waited for the entrée to arrive, the pianist switched to playing a dazzling tone that sent the message what was about to happen: the wedding couple were about to dance!

On the special dance floor set up in the area, the couple stood together on the space and – after getting a cue from the pianist – began dancing together (a formal dance, specifically).

At the same time, Martine and the servers received the order to deliver the dorée fillets. While the guests were entertained by the sight of the couple dancing together, they had the scent of delicious food served before their eyes as they watched!

Some tried out the fish with the Mago berry-white wine sauce alone, while others combined the taste with the Pinap berry sauce. Was there no end to the thrill of tastes here at the Stone Bistro?

At the lobby below, the receptionists were greeted by an unexpected visitor at an hour like this. Well, who else would it be? It was the rival! But the receptionists had no idea who she was, nonetheless.

"I'm here to see Mr. Stone," she said.

"He's busy right now," the female receptionist replied. "But if you'd like to make an appointment, I can handle that. Or, we can get you a table upstairs and see if we can get him to you, if he has the time."

The visitor nodded, and for a moment she glimpsed at the croquembouche standing proudly in the lobby, underneath the chandelier. "A table for one, please. By the way, what's going on up there?"

"There's a wedding banquet going on," the male receptionist answered. "Mr. Stone is currently overseeing the session, which is why he's busy. Invitation only, but if you're interested in checking it out… I'm sure he wouldn't mind a few minutes."

The dorée fish course, eaten with the delicious sauces of Mago berry and white wine, with Pinap berry, was finished without complaint from anyone. The servers had quickly cleared the dishes and refilled glasses of water, and some already offered their compliments to the cooking staff!

Metagross wasn't mentioned much, but was it sure helpful with the serving staff. With the use of Psychic, multiple tables could be cleared at once with minimal effort, and all Martine and the others had to do was send the dishes straight for cleaning.

"Well done, Metagross," Martine commented.

Certainly, this Pokémon of Steven's had to hover above the floor every second it worked, because no guest would want the sound of stomping feet shaking the restaurant! Even if Metagross couldn't smell, it could sense the impending presence of the Stone Accolade. Every flat stone, baked to perfection, had genuinely thin slices of roast beef with pieces of sautéed asiago on it, drizzled with caramelised onions and lightly garnished with herb and dill; with decent-sized envelopes of rice flour folded to pack the vegetables it held within – and the delicate core of blue cheese surrounded by vegetables cooked in the choice of red or white wine.

Knives and forks were the tools of choice for this course. The guests, and the wedding couple, cut pieces of the roast beef and dipped it in the au jus. Some preferred a blend of tastes and ate pieces of the asiago, caramelised onion, au jus, and beef altogether. Whereas others went to cutting open the envelopes of rice flour to explore the contents it held within.

It was now that Steven had to take a break from the cooking and went to greet the guests as well. Once again, James and the others were left to clearing the kitchen and prepared to make the next course.

By the time he arrived, he was just in time to see the wedding couple sharing toasts of champagne with the guests. Being the host he was, Steven gladly joined the wedding couple in the toast, and had a small glass of champagne with him the entire time. He wasn't going to drink much of it, of course, but it was good to be part of the celebration.

"Compliments to the chef!"

"This is what we call excellence, sir. Well done."

"The Stone Accolade has, without question, lived up to its name."

Steven modestly beamed at the feedback he was getting, and could only reply, "Don't thank me yet. There's more to come." After saying this, Steven went on toasting with the bride and groom and observing the satisfied guests enjoying the signature dish of the restaurant. To those who had no desire for roast beef, James had supplied more rice envelopes of vegetables with the blue cheese core, whilst retaining the asiago cheese and caramelised onions.

"I'm glad you could join us for toast, Steven. We can't thank you enough," the bride said happily.

Grinning, Steven reserved the right to not reply, but held up his glass once more to the couple.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, he could see a platinum blonde-haired woman stride past tables and observing the food around her. She was well-dressed in a suit, but it was the extravagance of her hair that was so beautifully curled, and the fashionable heels, that made Steven freeze. He barely even breathed.

Wow… he thought.

"Hey, Steven! You okay there?" the groom waved a hand for his attention.

Steven's senses snapped awake.

"Wha… what?" he drearily asked.

"You were… I don't know – staring at that lady for some time, you know," the groom whispered in Steven's ear so that no one else could hear. "Wait, you're not telling me you don't have a girlfriend? Not that a lot of people noticed, since they're focused on me, but a couple of your servers have taken notice too…"

Steven's eyes darted toward the nineteen year old auburn-haired waitress (Martine. Who else?), who, after witnessing the scene before her, had put one hand over her mouth and the other waving at her boss. Steven glared.

"I have to go," he quickly said to the groom, but the groom was hardly helpful.

"It's alright, Steven. If you need some space to develop your personal life, maybe to the point of marriage, then hey, I won't get in your way," the groom said. Then he gestured his newlywed to toast with other tables, and left Steven behind.

Exactly three seconds after that, Steven hid his face and ran back to the kitchens!

"You alright there, Steven?" James asked him.

That question was not helpful, but James could detect Steven wasn't in the mood to talk. Knowing Steven, he would probably respond with something like, "I'm fine." Judging by Steven's appearance (he leaned against the wall, taking short breaths), denial was imminent.

"I'm fine," Steven replied, which caused James to roll his eyes. "Just… just get the salads ready."

Chapter Text

Whether it was because the pretty platinum blonde had arrived or that Steven was just dazzled, Martine was in a good mood. The guests were enjoying the remainder of the Accolade, eating whatever was left on the flat stone, as the servers helped clear the tables and refill the guests' glasses with drinks.

"Is everything good so far?" Martine asked her dinner table.

"Again and I'll say it again: excellent," one of the guests answered. "I wouldn't mind a little more water, though, with lemon. Overall, compliments to the chef."

"Certainly," Martine smiled. She gathered more of the warm stones and stacked them together, before getting Metagross to transport them away. Service was good so far tonight, and there was still more food to come.

James d'Arc directed the cooks to creating genuine bistro salads. The bistro salad would be of the same dish, but what made this salad special was that it was an original recipe from the Stone Restaurant and Bistro – Steven had this recipe inspired during his time at Lumiose City.

Speaking of which, he noticed that Steven had regained his cool and had begun to help make the salads as well. As another two-hundred dishes had to made, this was no small task. Extra support from the administrator would be of great help.

Cooking staff had to wash bunches and bunches of – specifically – baby lettuce grown in Kalos, along with sliced cherry tomatoes served alongside grounded fragments of the Tamato berry, with pistachio and red wine vinegar. A side of dried fruits would decorate the salad, and finally sprinkled with fragmented cheese to compliment a light flavour.

Little did anyone in the kitchens know that Steven, far from focusing on making the salads (although he did manage to make the salads perfectly, even without focusing), was thinking of ways to evict Cynthia from his property.

She had to go. Period.

It's almost impossible, he thought. Unless I really want to embarrass myself in front of just about everyone here!

"James! Go start on the vinaigrette. The others and I will catch up," Steven ordered.

"Oui, chef," James said, turning his head momentarily while saying this, and got straight to work.

Steven, on the other hand, saw to one of the servers who passed by the kitchen to deliver some dirty dishes. He got his attention first by waving.

"What is it, chef?"

Steven cleared his throat, and spoke quietly into his ear (so that no one else could listen in), "There is a certain platinum blonde who just walked into this banquet. Can you go and tell her that the… bride says there isn't any more food left for her? So she can leave?"

The server blinked, which surprised Steven. Normally, his servers were quick to respond to his commands, so what was the matter with the slow reaction?

"Non, chef," the server replied, as a tiny smile crept on the side of his lips. "Martine saw to giving her a seat straight away; and besides, I'm sure you have plenty of food left here! After all, some of the guests called in sick, so…"

Steven really felt like facepalming now, but nevertheless reluctantly ordered the server to take the remaining dishes for Cynthia – the Stone Accolade and a still-hot creamy soup that was the appetizer. It seemed enough for a full meal, but Steven didn't need to remind himself that there were several more courses yet to be made, including the salad he was making right now…

That reminded him, Cynthia wasn't a guest.

"I'll be right back," he told James. Steven passed James the finished red wine vinegar. The alcohol had burned away in the fire when Steven had cooked the dressing, which left the dressing hot when it was finished. Now, all James had to do was set it aside as the rest of the cooking staff continued making the bistro salads.

And why would you leave at a time like this? James thought. He watched his head chef leave the kitchen in a hurry, never minding the others who curiously watched in the same way.

"Ah, and here is the chef now," the groom said. "That Accolade was delicious, Steven. You have my deepest complements."

Steven smiled only reluctantly, as he half-heartedly kept his attention on the outstanding platinum blonde who sat at a table beside a window. She did look dazzling with the beautifully curled hair, and the professional-looking business suit…

Who was he kidding?!

"I need you to do me a favour," Steven asked the groom. "Do you see that platinum blonde woman over there? With the knee-length hair? The one who walked in? I don't recall you ever inviting her over here."

He thought he was getting somewhere by asking the wedding couple to evict someone who clearly was not invited to this wedding reception. Unfortunately, in stark contrast to Steven's expectations, he received the worst reaction possible, in his opinion.

"Hey… how did you know we didn't invite her?" the bride asked Steven. "Wait a minute… I see! We talked about this already, Mr. Stone! Don't you recall staring at her for a while, like half an hour ago? The apple and the orange… yes, I remember her clearly!"

He, Steven, gritted his teeth. "That's no excuse not to get rid of her. She's not invited."

"True, true, but…" the groom added, his face also bearing a smile, "you forget that she's from Vue sur la Lune, where we ordered the croquembouche. We didn't think she'd manage it, but she did. We could always repay her the favour by letting her eat with us."

"Besides!" the bride said enthusiastically. "Maybe you'll get to know her better while she's here! It's my wedding day, so why not take the opportunity to know her more? Maybe see her as a prospect? After all, there is a popular belief around Cyllage City that in weddings you'll meet your future spouse –"

Steven left the table.

Salads were constantly tossed and stirred in metal bowls by the cooking staff. The Kalosian-grown baby lettuce leaves were wonderfully blended together with the fresh taste of red wine vinegar were only one part of the salad making, while other staff – with clean wooden boards – sliced cherry tomatoes in half with knives and broke off pieces of the Tamato berry with small hammers. When those were done, the Tamato pieces and the sliced cherry tomatoes were tossed into the salad combination.

Dried berries complimented the tossed combination as the salads were poured out onto plates. Fragmented cheese – light and dry – was sprinkled on top, with plenty of crushed pistachio and dried fruits. Lastly, the plates of salad were handed over to the servers to be plated.

"Well done, team," James nodded, giving his approval. "The guests will be pleased."

They were told by one of the waitresses that one or two invited guests were absent, but that didn't stop the staff from making the extra one or two dishes. After all, the wedding couple paid for two hundred servings, right? It would be wasteful to not use the ingredients provided.

Well… that would mean they, the cooking staff, would have the right to try out what they had created! Alas…

"An uninvited guest showed up half an hour ago," a waiter told them. "I don't know about her, but she's quite attractive! A fitting match for our boss, Mr. Stone. Hey, wasn't she on the cover of that magazine? Apples and oranges, right?"

The cooking staff snorted, but James' eyes were fixed on who was behind the said waiter. The waiter, aware of this, turned his head around to see 'Mr. Stone' looking right at him. Steven's eyes glared, and his placed an intimidating hand on the waiter's shoulder.

"If you keep talking like that," he warned, "I'll make sure 25% of your paycheque is docked this week..."

Steven then went to help complete the remaining salads. Sure, there were enough cooks to get the course done and adding another wouldn't increase productivity by much – but Steven wasn't just 'another' cook. He was the head chef. He could finish the dishes in the most efficient way possible!

The doors of the kitchens opened for the servers to carry out the salad dishes. On the bottom floor, they rode the elevators carrying as many dishes of Lumiose-inspired salad. No doubt the salads made their mouths water, but they knew first and foremost that serving the guests was the priority.

Besides, at least the restaurant still provided a non-wedding reception meal for the servers after the guests had their fill. Given the reception was going to last into the night, there was no doubt that everyone and not just the servers needed food to sustain them. Nevertheless, the first-class food created and served at the Stone Bistro had no one complaining.

As the servers, Martine included, arrived at the third floor with carts full of salad, the guests were enjoying themselves. They socialised, the talked with the wedding couple, they listened to genuine grand piano play throughout, and watched the view of the Kalosian coast from their quality seats.

Martine took the liberty of serving Cynthia her salad.

"I trust you're enjoying your food?" Martine asked, placing the salad plate on the table and taking away the finished Stone Accolade and the empty soup bowl.

"It's delicious, yes," Cynthia commented, although her voice seemed sour, "but I think, as a separate chef, I could have made some of my own improvements to it. I'm no food critic, unfortunately, but I think… this is different. Is it genius? I don't know, but I can't admit this isn't the finest entrée so far."

Martine grinned. "Anyway, I present to you a fine Lumiose-inspired bistro salad, out of the works of the Stone. Freshly picked lettuce served with a bit of spicy Tamato berry and red wine vinegar should be the fitting compliment to an extravagant course like the Accolade. Enjoy the salad!"

This prompted Cynthia to look down at the appetizing greens before her, and she began to eat first by spearing the leaflets with the prongs of her fork and putting it in her mouth. She complimented the salad and dried fruits with a glass of red wine. At the same time, she continued to enjoy the atmosphere of the wedding reception.

Indeed, the Lumiose-style bistro salad proved to be the perfect follow-up after eating a serving of the Accolade. The red wine vinegar certainly helped with mixing a light flavour to help with the lingering taste of the Accolade.

To some extent, it felt like the salad was made to clean out what was left of the meal. Well, it was classical Kalosian-style dinner, after all, but made with a first-class personal touch of the Stone.

"Just wondering, but what do you make of Steven?" Martine innocently asked, and Cynthia became self-conscious that this nineteen year old waitress was trying to dig into her personal life. "He thinks you're a pretty powerful business rival, and when I say 'pretty', I mean 'pretty' pretty. You know what I mean?"

Cynthia brushed her hair so that a lock was covering half her face. She kept her voice cool as she speared more salad into her mouth. "That, Martine, is something that does not need discussing."

"He's a pretty handsome guy!" Martine grinned. "Hey, now that I think of it, why do you always give Steven vouchers to your restaurant? I know your restaurant is new and all, so… why? I keep an eye on him, you know, and I go with him to your restaurant."

Now Cynthia was at a momentary loss for words, but she quickly recovered her cool state, and gave her logical reply, "Have you ever thought of business, Martine?"

"Many times," Martine replied. "Some of the guys at the Stone reckon I'll be the next owner should Steven somehow retire, but hey, for a handsome gentleman like him, it's a wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend yet."

Cynthia sighed. To keep her attention away from Martine, she watched the slideshow presented on a huge screen on the floor. She was even more thankful to some other waiter who ordered Martine not to slack off. Needless to say, apart from Martine's awkward conversation, Cynthia was enjoying the salad and her dinner. Maybe showing up to the Stone wasn't so bad… but still, Cynthia had some doubts about the quality of food, and reckoned she could possibly do better.

"Would you agree he's handsome?" Martine said, breaking down Cynthia's thoughts.

Cynthia's lips tightened before she opened them to say, "I suppose…"

Well, she supposed that her strength wasn't in entrées, but she supposed that her strength in it was decent. Did it hurt to look at the competition, let alone eat there? Well, granted, she and Steven were competitive… right? No surprise. The popular Kalos magazine had speculated that.

The first of the finished salad plates were on their way back to the kitchens and ready to be cleaned. For the most part, the cooking staff were clearing their work stations and cleaning the tables. The fifth course was the prelude to the end of dinner: a welcoming selection of fine cheeses that only the Stone Restaurant and Bistro knew what to buy, served with strawberries and grapes.

As far as the cooking staff were concerned, the cheese course was almost hardly their business. The cheeses were prepared onto traditional wooden boards and served out on trolleys to each table, but they were mainly handled by the servers. It followed, however, that preparing two-hundred cheese trolleys was excruciating for such a limited number of staff.

So, apart from clearing their work stations, the cooking staff helped lay out the cheeses on wooden boards, whereas the servers would end up being the ones who cut the cheese for the guests. To keep costs down, yet maintaining the Stone's example of presenting excellence, there were five whole cheeses for each course, and each person! Five times two-hundred… that was a thousand cheeses!

"That's a lot of cheese…" James remarked.

The cooking staff were responsible for placing the cheeses on the board, yes, but they had to ensure they collaborated well with the servers that there would be one of each cheese ready for each trolley. To make things smoother, Steven organised each section of workers that they would be responsible for preparing a particular cheese.

While the dirty dishes and stones were being washed in order to make some space, the wooden boards carrying each cheese were being loaded onto the trolleys by the servers. To make the appearance more appealing, the servers cut pieces of cheese from the large portions – either in the form of blocks or wheels – and laid them on the board.

As the first of the cheese trolleys were being brought out of the kitchen, that being into one of the two private elevators, Metagross came back into the kitchen with a neat stack of dirty plates and stones ready to be washed.

Perhaps washing machines would be an efficient way to get things done, but some of the staff who brought their water-type Pokémon, specifically the local Clauncher, to help with cleaning too. To Steven it was a sure way of cutting costs, even though the restaurant had more than enough revenue to finance washing machines, but it more done more so for the Pokémon's sake. They enjoyed cleaning the dishes!

At this time, Cynthia watched the bride and groom finish addressing the guests, but not before hearing the clinking and ringing of glasses calling for the wedding couple to kiss each other. It was amusing, really, that they would have to succumb to such pressure…

The sound of grand piano echoed in the air once more, and the guests began to mingle with one another as they waited for the next course to come. Other guests took pictures with each other or against the night waters of the Kalosian coast.

Cynthia, though, was bored. It was enough that she got her fill of the Stone Bistro, and staying in the same seat for so long seemed to have gotten to her. Seeing that she was only visiting, Cynthia supposed that it wouldn't hurt to explore the restaurant's premises.

She stood up, brushing her curled hair behind her ears, not to mention catching the eyes of some males, and walked away from her table. On the way, she saw servers bringing trolleys stacked with appealing cheeses of different kinds…

"Tonight before the dessert course, for your pleasure, I present to you the cheese trolley…" one waiter introduced to his table.

"…we have this delicate serving, produced in the region outside Snowbelle City…"

"…This particular cheese is very light. Smooth texture, if you're interested…"

"…you haven't tasted intense flavour without…"

"Here, it's hard on the outside, creamy on the inside…"

"…will be bound to leave you yearning for more…"

"Hey, Cynthia. Are you leaving already?!"

Cynthia stopped abruptly and realised she had almost ran into Martine, and more specifically was mere inches from bumping onto the cheese trolley Martine was pushing. Martine looked surprised, but Cynthia's face was apologetic.

"Sorry, Martine, but I have to go," she said. "I have to be awake dark and early for work tomorrow. As much as I'd like to stay."

Alas, Martine brought a plate from the trolley, cut small pieces of cheese from the blocks and placed them on the plate, before bringing it to Cynthia's nose. "Surely you could stay just for one more hour? It's really good cheese!"

If Cynthia wasn't feeling so full, she would have gladly accepted the cheese, but she had no appetite. The meal was good enough.

"I insist!" Martine happily pressed on, not really bothering with Cynthia's rejected face, and forcefully placed some blocks of cheese on Cynthia's hand. Defeated, Cynthia popped a piece into her mouth.

Other guests, meanwhile, were delighted at the prospect of trying out such delicious cheeses. One was creamy, one was solid, and one was smooth on the inside and hard on the outside. Cheese aside, the servers took the liberty of serving coffee or tea to the guests, as a gesture of the restaurant's hospitality.

"I'll get you a coffee, if you'd like," Martine offered. "I can really tell you're enjoying your time here, Ms. Cynthia. Why not stay for a little longer? The dessert course tonight is supposed to be really extravagant, or so I'm told."

Cynthia felt a shudder inside one of her Poké Balls before she could reply to Martine, so she took it out first and tossed it on the floor. Lo and behold, it was Garchomp.

"What is it, Garchomp?" she asked. "We have to leave, so – whoa!"

In a mere second, Garchomp seized the sleeve of Cynthia's business jacket and dragged her back to her table, forcing Cynthia back to her seat. Garchomp sat on the opposite chair, much to Martine's amusement. For her part, the nineteen year old waitress pushed the cheese trolley back to Cynthia's table and served Garchomp the other delicious cheeses.

"It seems like Garchomp doesn't want you to leave either," Martine grinned. "Don't worry, Cynthia. I'll get you your coffee in no time."

Cynthia appeared frustrated, and then again she couldn't tear herself away from the aroma of cheese on the table before her. Even Garchomp seemed to be having a good time, helping herself to decent portions of cheese.

"I really don't believe this…" Steven muttered to himself, as he cut the last of the cheese and placed it on the wooden board. "She's still here…"

James d'Arc seemed to have noticed Steven's trance. "Hey, Steven, you still okay there? We're bringing out the croquembouche from the lobby into the kitchen now."

He expected a response from Steven, and all James got was a nod. Taking this response, James motioned the servers nearby to support those who were bringing the croquembouche in. The huge mound of croquembouche, stacked high with caramel and choux pastry balls with peaches and apples, was so tall that the servers feared the door frame would strike it down before they could bring it into the kitchen.

Fortunately, they did manage to get it in, and the cooking staff who weren't involved with cleaning the kitchen tasked themselves to taking the dessert apart and serving it onto plates. There were so many choux pastry, and the croquembouche was so massive, that there was definitely more than enough to serve two hundred guests.

"It looks so good…" a waitress commented.

"We should have some for ourselves!" a waiter added.

James cleared his throat. "That will have to wait until they've eaten it."

Like they did with all the other courses, the servers collaborated at bringing the croquembouche plates out of the kitchen. They brought the mouth-watering plates with them to the elevators where they would transport them for the guests to enjoy. Why, they (the servers) hoped there would be enough left over for themselves too!

Steven, though, managed to sneak away from the kitchen and to the third floor. No, he had to evict Cynthia from his premises now. Just having her around here was unsettling. Not wanting to risk getting spotted by his employees, he opted to take the stairs.

Upon reaching the third floor, though, Steven could not have asked for a worse time.

"I'm very glad that you could all show up for my reception tonight," he heard the groom address the guests. "And – Oh! There he is! The man who I'd like everyone to thank: Mr. Steven Stone, the head chef of the establishment, who has been a gracious host to us all. Please, Steven, come up. I insist."

Reluctantly, but being the gentleman he was, Steven walked to the main table where the bride and groom were standing. He heard the many rounds of applause ring out on the floor and around him. By the time he approached the groom, the groom said through the microphone, "I'm very glad you could play host to us, Steven. This is a very special night."

"It's been my pleasure," Steven replied.

"And now, before we begin the dessert course, I'd like to invite someone else in this sitting up here," the groom announced. "She is the maker of the croquembouche we will enjoy tonight, and if it wasn't for her, there would have been no dessert."

Steven felt his heart sink. No, there could be only one, and only one, woman who the groom was talking about.

"Truth be told, we gave her an impossible deadline to make the croquembouche, but she managed, and this certainly deserves merit. Please, Cynthia, come up here!"

And I have to get out of here! Steven urgently thought.

Too late.

The platinum blonde woman, dressed in that simple business suit, with beautifully curled hair, approached the table. Steven, not wanting to embarrass himself, yet wanted to keep his distance, nervously moved to the side.

"I'm certain that the croquembouche you all saw at the lobby earlier was enough to make your mouth water," the groom said. "So please, a round of applause for the maker of that fabulous dessert. Cynthia!"

Right as the applause roared, the doors burst open with the servers bringing out the illustrious and anticipated dessert. Immediately, the air was filled with the sweet scent of caramel, peaches, and apples, which forced everyone's eyes to look at the impeding dessert.

The floor went silent.

The servers, Martine Grenadine included, carried out many dishes of the piled sweet dessert on trays to their respective tables. Already, the eyes of the guests followed the plate of piled choux pastry and indistinct chatter followed. The chatter only got louder and louder as the croquembouche went around and was served at every table.

"Incredible…"

"Luxury food at its finest…"

"It sure looks like the way to end a meal…"

In addition to the dessert, the servers were followed by other servers who were bringing cups of freshly brewed thé (tea) and café (coffee) to the guests.

"For your pleasure this evening, the croquembouche dessert, accentuated by the taste of freshly brewed la café will be the only way to conclude such a formal meal," the waiter explained.

When the first plate of corquembouche was placed before the first guest, the guest without hesitation picked up his fork, speared a choux pastry ball, and put it entirely into his mouth, and tasted the light pastry with the magnificence of caramel and peach and apple…

"This is… without a doubt, excellence!" he nodded. When he sipped a bit of his coffee, his face showed only an expression of delight and approval. Whether he was only exaggerating or being honest, the effect was good.

Following his reaction, those at his table also began sampling a bit of croquembouche as well. Like the first guest who tried it, they were equally satisfied. The expressions spread around the floor like instant gossip, and soon everyone was looking at anyone who got their hands on a plate of croquembouche.

One of the waiters brought the more considerably larger plates of croquembouche to the wedding couple's table, where Steven and Cynthia were standing at.

"Presenting to you… the masterpiece of tonight, la croquembouche, for the best way to conclude a meal as Kalos knows it…" the waiter explained.

"Hey, Steven, why don't you have some?" the bride questioned. "You never made this yourself, so you never know what it tastes like. Go on! It's only natural you should be rewarded with a dessert like this!"

As if on cue, a waitress brought a plate of croquembouche to Steven. The only peculiar thing was that the waitress was specifically Martine Grenadine. Was this a plot?! It had to be!

"I figured you wouldn't want to try it, boss," Martine said happily. "The guys in the kitchen are happily feasting themselves with croquembouche and tea. Even James. You're missing out!"

Steven looked horrified, but that expression disappeared instantly when he noticed all the guests were staring right at him. Not wanting to embarrass himself, and therefore submitting to public pressure, Steven reluctantly took the plate Martine offer to him, and speared a choux pastry ball covered in caramel before putting it into his mouth.

"Excellent, excellent!" the bride clapped, whereas the guests added to her applause. "I'm glad we could all experience this meal tonight. Such elegant dishes prepared by the Stone and finishing it with an extravagant wedding dessert by Vue sur la Lune! Truly! You've made my wedding special."

The guests cheered and clapped even louder.

"Say! Steven! Cynthia! How about a photo with the couple? It'll make a great memorabilia for tonight!" the photographer suggested, motioning the couple to stand with Steven and Cynthia.

Cynthia froze, but Steven was bitter. No way. No way. No WAY was he going to have a photo taken with her. Well, he supposed he was the host, but to have her accompany tonight seemed to have spoiled the moment.

He didn't have a say, so Cynthia replied instead.

"If you insist…" she muttered.

"Great! Line up, and smile!" the photographer waved for the four people to move closer. Steven stood behind the groom, and Cynthia stood behind the bride. They faced the photographer (though Steven and Cynthia wore awkward smiles) and let the camera do its job.

After the camera flashed, and not to mention other photos taken from other guests who gathered around the scene to take pictures, Cynthia thanked the couple before heading back to her table, where Garchomp was enjoying a plate of croquembouche herself.

Steven, though a little distraught, had to admit that the croquembouche was good… he brushed that thought aside and went back to retrieve his dessert plate. Not that he was going to eat more of the wedding dessert, albeit it tasted delicious, but he wasn't going to let her get the best of him, right? Incidentally, Metagross was passing by and had sensed Steven's thoughts.

YOU! Steven thought. Sure, he thought about throwing the dessert away, but Metagross had used Psychic to levitate the croquembouche into Steven's hands. Metagross watched him stare at the dessert awkwardly.

"You've won me over…" Steven muttered. He speared an apple slice this time and mixed a bit of caramel with it to taste an impressive blend of flavour. Choux pastry didn't taste bad either, or the peaches. He supposed he could do with a cup of coffee right now. Maybe he should head back to his office and order Martine to grab some. Who was he kidding? Martine? Seriously?

As an afterthought, Steven reserved a portion for Metagross to enjoy as he walked away from the wedding couple. Careful to avoid the platinum-blond rival, he maneuvered carefully around the tables to head back to the stairs. Along the way, guests expressed their thanks and gratitude, which Steven modestly accepted.

Maybe tonight wasn't going to take too long. When this was over, when the guests had left, and she was gone, things would go back to normal. Again, who was he kidding? It was a wedding reception. These sorts of things last hours and hours and hours into the night…

Steven didn't need to remind himself that he was being paid generously for this.

As he walked past more tables and savoured the smell of sweet croquembouche in the air, he felt a cold hand seize his arm as he walked by one particular table.

"My friend! Long time, no see! I can't believe you're here operating a business like this! And don't worry, I can see from here you've got a good eye for attractive women. Isn't Cynthia the sweetest? Rest assured, all the moral support you will ever need is here in your restaurant! You can cook pleasant meals for me while you're at it!"

Steven stopped dead. By 'dead', he stopped deathly still as if time itself had stopped.

You have got to be freaking KIDDING me! Steven thought. He was not pleased to see him here.

Chapter Text

Of all people, of any individual in the world, and he had to come here, didn't he? Who better than… Wallace.

"This is a beautiful place you've chosen to set up shop, my friend," Wallace said cheerfully. "A first-class restaurant set against the ocean. That's perfect. I like it."

"Uncle? Who's that?" said the girl sitting with the man Steven was not so pleased to see. This girl somewhat resembled Wallace, mostly because of either the face or the hair (in Steven's opinion, it was definitely the hair).

Clearly, Steven was not in the mood for greetings. If he had come at another time, perhaps not during a wedding, and most certainly perhaps not when Cynthia was here, Steven would have been more adaptable.

"You should know who he is, Lisia," Wallace replied, although his eyes were still fixed on Steven's. "He's the one man in Hoenn who has captured the hearts of everything female, human and Pokémon alike, and never bothered to get a girlfriend or a partner –"

"Hey," Steven warned. "Wallace, I'm not ready yet. And what are you doing here?!"

The question was completely ignored, where Wallace turned away to look at his niece. "Lisia, this is Steven, the former Hoenn champion who held onto his crown for too long and had to retire! You see, don't try to be like him if you can help it. He retired while young. Anyway! Steven, this is my niece, Lisia. You might have heard of her."

Wallace looked straight into Steven's eyes with his own twinkling eyes. If Steven's eyes were as furious as all the Blast Burns in the world combined, they were met with the unstoppable icy but charming stare of Wallace's.

"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling," he replied. "Don't worry. You were standing up there and… ooh-la-la! You were staring away at someone for a while. Everyone knows!"

Steven was well aware that the eyes of half the tables around him had their ears close to listen to the conversation. However… this was awkward.

"You have an eye for a pretty girl, don't you now?" Wallace added, and before Steven could even think of a single reply, Wallace added, "Don't worry, don't worry, your secret will never be safe. After all, why not take a look at the magazine?"

Steven's eyes briefly darted to Wallace's niece, namely Lisia, and to his horror he saw her holding up the cover of the previous edition of the popular Kalos magazine. Yup. Apples and oranges.

"This was supposed to be private…" he mouthed. "I didn't know you had a niece."

"I can already imagine what this would be like!" Lisia said enthusiastically. "Come on, you! You're Steven, right? Let's begin the first chapter of your love story: I'm calling it, "Love at first sight!" Don't you see? You seem to have found a matching partner already –"

Steven cleared his throat, but not before briefly wearing an annoyed face.

"What you're saying rests on a false premise that I have any feelings for her, whoever she is," Steven tried to keep his voice cool. "You're only building your theory on gossip."

Lisia looked offended. Steven, though, was interrupted by a heavy, heavy, sigh from Wallace.

"Steven, my friend," he stood up and put an arm on Steven's shoulder (much to the latter's discomfort). "Like I said, you mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger! It's time you stop thinking like the logical businessman you were and embrace the big picture! You have a chance! A chance to repair your isolated life forever!"

It appeared that Steven wanted to disagree.

"It's not logic!" he said hotly. "It's the truth! Stop building lies –"

Wallace sighed again.

"Steven, you must think smoothly!" he insisted, though Steven felt like facepalming. "I thought working near the seaside would have been an improvement at last! But no, you still are refusing opportunities for love. I know you very well, Steven. Don't lie."

Steven shook his head. "I've been down that road before, Wallace, and I'm perfectly content living by myself for now. By the way, where's Winona? Is she with you?"

Wallace could detect the expression in Steven's eyes that betrayed his words. Nevertheless, he'll let it go for the time being.

However, it was Lisia who answered, "She's with us, but she wasn't invited to the wedding. Don't worry, she's staying with us at –"

Wallace clamped a hand over his niece's mouth. "Now, now, there's no need to rush into where we're staying. What matters is that you've found a partner, and I'll be here to help! By the way, this croquembouche is delicious. You're fortunate to have a prospective partner like her who could make simply the best food in the world!"

Steven covered his face with his hands. Why did he have to mess up the situation, when it was already bad enough? Worse, he just had Wallace comment that the croquembouche was the best, so did that mean the other efforts had gone to waste?

"Hey! Check it out! It's Lisia!" someone in the crowd called.

Immediately, a lot of people gathered around Wallace's table to see the Contest idol. Lisia didn't seem surprised, and on the contrary welcomed the people to take pictures, or get her to sign autographs.

"Now, now, I didn't think that my popularity would go this far into Kalos," she said. Nevertheless, she seemed very pleased to have fans all the way here, and even though this was a wedding reception. How coincidental.

Wallace, on the other hand, took advantage of the distraction to pull away from the table. Unbeknownst to Steven, Lisia was watching – at least until Wallace said, "We'll be back. We don't want to distract you from your fans."

He dragged Steven with him – to Steven's reluctant horror – straight to Cynthia's table. On the way there, Steven eyed Cynthia's Garchomp happily – but slowly – eating away at the delicious cheeses leftover from the cheese course. At the same time, Cynthia was enjoying a small dish of croquembouche with a coffee, never mind how attractive she looked with the curled hair and business suit.

No. No. NO! Steven thought.

Quickly as he could, Steven broke away from Wallace's iron grasp and darted away from the route. There was not a single place that was safe now. No thanks to Wallace reminding him that he (Steven) had made the front cover of the popular Kalos magazine, everyone was bound to be suspicious. Oh wait, they had seen him and Cynthia pose together with the wedding couple. Now everyone was bound to know what was going on.

It felt like the world was crumbling around Steven, or at least in his world. Like the previous time, he ran away to the stairs and would – within seconds – be back in the sanctuary of his kitchen.

Or so it would have been, had not Martine Grenadine been standing in the way blocking the stairs. As she was holding a tray of drinks, Steven immediately halted so as to not crash into her.

"Hey boss, going back already?" she said smartly.

Steven did not answer, but he stood aside to let his employee walk by. The latter eyed Steven suspiciously, but she went on walking, and began to serve the drinks to the respective guests. Steven stayed where he was for a few seconds before he quietly retreating to his office.

However, before he could even think about heading to his office, he felt a firm hand grasp the collar of his chef jacket from behind and pull him back into the banquet.

"Now, now, we don't want you to be missing out, my friend," he heard Wallace say in a light, amused, tone. "It's a wedding! This is the time to socialise! Not locking yourself away from the party! Come on, it's like you haven't changed since Hoenn."

Steven grumbled. "Maybe I like it that way for now. Anyway, Wallace, how are you even here?!"

Wallace ended up pushing Steven back into the banquet floor, never mind catching the eyes of some guests, before saying, "My niece Lisia is a close friend of the bride's cousin. Since they found out she was related to me, they couldn't resist the opportunity to invite me as well!"

"But enough about me," Wallace grinned, his smiling such that it could rival an Aipom's, "let's introduce you to your future partner, who will bring joy into your life –"

Steven struggled to free himself from Wallace's surprisingly powerful grasp. Had Brawley been teaching Wallace resistance training? There was no way Wallace had such strength the last time Steven saw him. Ironically, the more Steven struggled, the faster Wallace could drag him to her.

"She's my business rival!" Steven hissed.

"She was also a fellow Champion," Wallace said casually, as he kept dragging Steven closer to her. "Come on! Be a man! You never know if she'll be your partner, but I'm staking my Milotic on it that she will. On the other hand, that was good food you make, Steven. Why couldn't you have told us about this sooner?"

Steven shot Wallace a death glare, but Wallace ignored him.

"Us?" Steven's voice was one of surprise and shock.

"Yes! I mean, there's me, Lisia, and Winona. We're all rooting for you!" Wallace said, proudly. He looked to his niece, who was still busy signing autographs and taking pictures. "Although I admit, bringing my superstar niece might have overdone it, but no matter. She knows how to make stories, my friend. She knows."

Elsewhere, but not too far away, Martine was serving a round of smoothies to her table, at the request of the renowned Contest idol. Even Martine knew who she was: none other than Lisia. Lo and behold!

Lisia alone was not sitting, but had to satisfy a lot of fans' needs for memorabilia and autographs. In fact, Martine had no way to serve Lisia's smoothie without pushing away at the fans, and there were too many fans crowding around Lisia.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" Martine demanded, using one hand to hold the tray of glasses and the other trying to push the fans away. At first they didn't get the message, but soon they let Martine through to serve Lisia the smoothie – a blend of Lum and Kelpsy berries. Lisia took the glass, thanked Martine, and sat down on her seat.

Moments later, some agents – personal staff, from the looks of it – began clearing the fans away, and the fans respectfully fell back to their tables. Martine meanwhile started clearing the finished dishes of croquembouche away.

"Did you enjoy your dinner?" she asked her table.

"The dessert was fabulous!" Lisia was first to answer. "By the way, have you seen that Steven of yours? I need to give my compliments to him! Besides, I wonder if he could find a girlfriend!"

That. That was it.

"We need to talk," Martine said to Lisia, whilst extending a hand to her and sitting down at the vacant seat (which, incidentally, was Wallace's). "My name's Martine. You're Lisia, right?"

"You bet," Lisia replied, happily. "Okay, Martine, what is it you want to talk about?"

Before Martine answered, she waved to one of her fellow co-workers for a glass of water with a slice of lemon.

"Cynthia! How wonderful it is to see you here!" Wallace greeted her, with nothing held back as he released Steven from his iron grasp. Steven, not wanting to embarrass himself as he was in the midst of the guests again stood where he was. "Your presence here is much admirable, and especially after that dessert you have made –"

Cynthia held up a hand, while Garchomp looked up from her plate of croquembouche and eyed Wallace and Steven suspiciously.

"I understand, Wallace," Cynthia said, and flashing that unique smile that captivated so many…

Steven grimaced.

Wallace bent down on one knee, took Cynthia's wrist, and kissed it. "Now, now, my dear, you flatter me. Such a ridiculous imitation, your smile is, but mistaken… You have a smile that's enough to capture my heart. If only I had a way of capturing yours…"

Cynthia smiled, but Steven stared at the scene with shocked eyes. Cynthia didn't notice this, but Wallace certainly did. Well, it was part of his plan to have a little fun with Steven, after all.

Nevertheless, Steven regained his composure, and said, "You seem to be making a scene, Wallace. Don't you think you're embarrassing yourself a little bit here, in a wedding? You look like – you look like you're trying to propose to her. Don't – don't forget Winona's here!"

Wallace stood up. He clapped a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Now, now, I'm only greeting Cynthia as an old friend. There's nothing personal about it, you know. But hey, your cheeks and ears were red as a Moltres' wings."

Steven swallowed, but he retaliated quietly, "Don't say that! I've nothing personal either!"

Wallace grinned. He turned back to face Cynthia again, "But as Steven said, yes, you could say I'm in a relationship with my fellow Gym Leader, but that's another story."

She picked up her coffee to sip it, like she was accepting the message in the acceptable manner. Steven had to admit, though, that her curled hair certainly complemented the environment, as well as her striking beauty –

"Boss! Boss! Check it out! Ooh… what are you doing?"

What better time than to have Martine Grenadine show up in this conversation? Not the best, let alone poorly timed.

"I – Martine!" Steven stared at his employee, as if he saw her for the first time. "What did you do to your hair?! You're supposed to be working!"

Martine grinned. There was really nothing special she did to her hair, except for the fact that she changed her hair colour from auburn to red. Granted, for a nineteen year old, she would look pleasantly attractive with red hair, but still.

"Business is slow, boss," Martine said in her defence. "I thought – well – my new friend though I would look better with red hair, and she noticed our staff weren't doing much either except serving drinks."

Oh, wait, was that Lisia who was standing with her? How much worse could it get, than to have the very two people who were nosing into his personal life? Well, Wallace didn't count.

"Anyway!" Martine continued. "What are you doing, boss?"

"And uncle, what are you doing?" Lisia added.

Wallace beat Steven to the response. "My dear children, I'm helping out a certain someone's love life in an hour of need. This is none of your business, of course, but you're free to intervene."

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "You're just as paranoid as always, Wallace. I'm perfectly capable on working my love life on my own, and that won't come anytime soon."

Wallace stood up whilst releasing Cynthia's hand. "I'll admit that that was the best dessert I have ever eaten in my life. How you managed to do it in such a small timeframe is beyond me, and how you could do it as a former Champion makes me flattered."

Cynthia smiled. "You make me blush, Wallace!"

Martine and Lisia looked at each other briefly before flashing smiles and they looked at Steven, the head chef. Clearly, he kept his gaze away from the scene, and his ears went pink. Wait, was that hard breathing Martine and Lisia were hearing?

"Indeed…" Steven muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Martine," Wallace then turned his attention to his red-haired waitress. "This calls for a toast between friends. Two glasses of that delicious Kalos champagne, please? I'm sure your rich establishment is perfectly suited for tonight –"

Steven quickly covered Wallace's mouth with his hand before he could speak any further. Martine shrugged, but nodded, and went off to retrieve what Wallace had ordered.

"Er… how's business at your end, Cynthia?" he casually asked, however awkward as it may be. Steven was glad that Martine was well away from this question, but then again, it didn't help that Lisia was standing before him, and listening in.

Wallace's eyes narrowed, and he fruitlessly tried to pry Steven's hand off his mouth, but the hand was stuck on like glue. It appeared Steven was effortless at managing this, but that was false.

Lisia, though, noticed. Grinning, she posed, and pointed in Wallace's face. "Is there something you want to say, uncle?"

Then, before Steven could react or register what happened before him, Lisia helped her uncle pry Steven's hand off his mouth. Now, with Lisia playfully holding Steven's wrist at her side, Wallace was free to speak.

"Business? Is that really the best you could do, Steven?" Wallace, from the looks of it, was close to laughing. "For one like Cynthia, I think you'd be better off talking about food and life. You know, I was more like thinking of asking about her personal life…"

Steven could detect the glint in Wallace's eyes directed at him, but Lisia prevented Steven from fleeing by tightening her iron grip on Steven's wrist. It hurt.

"Come on, Steven," Lisia whispered. "This is part of the first chapter of your love story! 'Love at First Sight', remember? It's a wedding! Get to know your potential candidate, for once. You'll understand."

Now, Steven was almost, almost, beside himself.

"No, no, no! I won't have this!" he hissed back to Lisia, so that neither Cynthia nor Wallace could hear. "I – I'm part of no love story! It's not like there's some author working away at his computer and deciding what my love life will look like. I'm not yielding to your dark predictions, Lisia. Also, this author at the computer doesn't control who I love, and now is not the time for a relationship!"

Lisia rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then has there been anyone on your mind?" she asked. "I think my uncle Wallace mentioned you are twenty-five years old, right? You're still young, but marriage is near, now. Pretty soon, you're going to be 30, and Cynthia here is about your age –"

"Lisia," Steven said abruptly and sharply. "How old are you?"

Now this earned a laugh from Cynthia. How Steven wished this conversation wasn't so awkward already, as he was aware that Wallace was listening in. Why would Lisia be asking about marriage when he alone hadn't had time to consider a relationship? Business, after all, was important. He needed to ensure the survivability of the business before thinking about finding a partner.

The point was that Cynthia's business threatened the survivability of his business. If he didn't get competitive, he would have to lay off workers. Cynthia was the last person he would consider a partner, as she was the very reason his job, and his business, was under threat of exiting the restaurant market!

And besides, since when did he have to be the one answering questions? Cynthia was supposed to answer, right?

"That, Steven, is something the fans already know," Lisia replied. "If you're concerned, just go ahead and ask them!"

Wallace figured that was a waste of time, in his opinion, so instead he cleared his throat to get Steven's attention.

"Now then, it is time I begin to formally introduce you to each other!" Wallace said overexcitedly. "Since the wedding couple has informally introduced you just now –"

"Didn't we just talk to each other?" Steven raised his eyebrows. "You're becoming more forgetful day after day, Wallace."

However, after Steven had said this, he felt a chill down his spine and could feel the presence of someone in his midst. Well, lo and behold, Martine Grenadine had returned with not two, but three glasses of champagne in her hands. This was more than Wallace had asked for!

Before Steven's eyes, Martine distributed one glass to Wallace, and another to Cynthia.

The third…

"Martine," Steven raised his eyebrows. "I distinctly heard Wallace asking you for two glasses."

"You don't want it, boss?" Martine slightly swirled the glass in front of Steven's eyes. "Come on, now! At least be the host you are for tonight! You can take it personally, if you want, but remember! The more you hate –"

Steven snatched the glass out of annoyance, and it was enough to make Martine happily silent. Wallace seemed very close to laughing, but all the same pleased, and Cynthia figured something about Steven was odd. Oh well.

"You seem to be a little jumpy tonight, Steven," Cynthia muttered. "Is something the matter?"

Being addressed by Cynthia wasn't what Steven had expected in his current state of mind, so he had no idea how to reply immediately. So instead, Wallace spoke in place of Steven's silence.

"Alright, my friends!" he held up his glass between the two former Champions. "Let me propose a toast to the two of you. To your success, and to your promising relationship! Here's to the success of both worlds!"

Steven glared at Wallace for what felt like the tenth time. What – the – what? I'm not toasting to this!

Nevertheless, he saw Cynthia stand up and heard the clink of her glass against Wallace's, and then the two of them held their glasses to Steven. Submitting to peer pressure just this once, Steven joined the toast, but very, very, reluctantly.

"Cheers," he said.

The champagne tasted unusually bitter this time when he held the glass up to his lips. Meanwhile, Cynthia appeared to be drinking the champagne indifferently, whereas Wallace happily downed the whole glass. There wasn't a lot of champagne in the glass, after all.

Between Lisia and Martine, it was an amusing scene to behold from the not-so-long distance.

"Do you think they're made for each other?" asked the older red-haired waitress.

"You bet," said the younger turquoise-haired Contest idol.

They gave each other looks of parallel surprise, and then the two broke down into fits of laughter.

"Anyway!" they heard Cynthia say to Steven. "Going back to your question, Steven, I'll say that business is very good. I'm slowly getting better profits with every passing day. It's only a matter of time before I can expand, and I'll have enough extra supplies to invite you more vouchers to dinner! I even had a critic who dropped by as I was making the croquembouche this morning."

Steven was about to reply at the mention of a critic, but he was uncomfortably interrupted by a mischievous smile from Wallace's direction directed at him. In a matter of seconds, Wallace took hold of Steven's jacket collar and pulled him aside, and this provoked both Martine and Lisia to listen in at their discretion.

"She gave you vouchers?" Wallace said in surprise, as if the entire thing was a revelation to him, if not the relationship. "That's… perfect! That clearly displays the affection she shows for you. You won't be young for too long, my friend! Very soon, the two of you will be married when –"

"No! It's not like that!" Steven protested. "I don't have time to pursue a relationship!"

Wait… Didn't he have this conversation before?

"Well said, uncle!" Lisia added in, and striking another attractive pose.

Oh. Right. The conversation was with her.

"Don't be too caught up in your business world, Steven," Wallace playfully warned. "Business is one thing, but a relationship is another. Haven't you even bothered to pick up that article of apples and oranges? That's the way to go."

"Yeah, you ought to listen to the advice of your best friend, boss! He's your best friend, right?" Martine added in, and was rewarded with the most awkward glare she had ever seen from her boss. Normally, the glare usually contained traces of fury, but this time the glare was painted with embarrassment and awkwardness alone.

He struggled to find what words to say. His heart was beating fast. He could feel a heartbeat pulsing from within his temple. His hands were shaking.

"Uh… Martine, come see me at my office. Now," he said.

Steven felt a hand gently hit his cheek, and realised it was Lisia who had done it. On instinct, he saw this as an act of aggression and responded by readying to slap Lisia back. However, Martine intervened by restraining Steven's arm.

"No! This is a wedding, Steven!" Martine reminded. "At least try to be a host, yeah? Don't forget that Cynthia is still sitting right over there, and don't embarrass yourself!"

Lisia smiled at Steven in a way that was so identical to Wallace's, that Steven felt badly embarrassed, as if he had embarrassed himself in front of Wallace already. Well, there was always the splitting image of Wallace who was actually smiling in the same way.

Cynthia shook her head, and continued to sip more coffee in a dignified manner. Every time she did this, though, Steven found that it perfectly complemented that business attire she wore. Perhaps, then, that would explain why he asked himself he even thought that way. Was it the hair?

"You have a very fine young woman here to keep you in check, my friend," Wallace said to Steven, even though he was partially ignored. "Martine, do me a favour and give me that glass of champagne, if Steven's not having it."

But Martine was in the middle of examining her boss, and being the one employee closest to Steven, apart from James d'Arc, she could kind of tell what sort of emotions were showing on his face. After a pause, she acknowledged the order and gave Wallace the half-finished glass of champagne that was supposed to be Steven's. Wallace, of course, finished the glass.

Cynthia turned her attention to the view of the ocean. In her opinion, the clear night sky hovering above with the waters mirroring its stars was perfect for a wedding occasion like this. Garchomp, meanwhile, helped herself to another plate of croquembouche. Dazzled by the view, Cynthia was in no mood to talk. Wanting to ignore the world a little, she watched the view in peace.

At least until she felt Lisia tap her shoulder.

"Hey, Cynthia," she said.

"Oh…" Cynthia stared off for a bit before returning her gaze. "Lisia, right?"

Lisia ended up taking the seat opposite Cynthia (much to Garchomp's suspicion). With a glass of water in hand (courtesy of Martine Grenadine), she engaged in a small conversation with the former Sinnoh champ. Even Martine joined to listen in in the conversation with a glass of crushed Nomel berry and lime juice, with ice.

"Yeah, you got it!" Lisia replied, before looking to Martine by her side. "Now, to be polite, this is Martine, my server."

"We've met," Cynthia cut in, before Lisia could go any further, and held her coffee to her lips. In response, Lisia looked pleased as punch.

"That's… that's great! Then we can talk!" Lisia said, and then she leaned in closer on the table. "So… Cynthia, how's looking for a partner going? Did anyone come here with you? Or are you on your own? Any dates with anyone?"

Cynthia accidentally choked on her coffee, and some coffee splashed on her cheeks, but fortunately not on her business suit. Garchomp, alert, stared at Lisia, but Lisia released her Altaria in response. ("Suppose you can talk with Garchomp a bit, Ali," she said).

"Wait, what?" she replied, as she held a napkin to clean her face and set down the cup. "Slow down, Lisia. Let's talk one thing at a time. For one thing, I have thought about looking for a partner, but I think I still have time, and there are… (she paused) a handsome few I can think of, but they're either… I don't know, I can't think right now. On the other hand, I haven't dated anyone lately, and I'm on my own here in Cyllage City."

Martine added, "It's true. Steven and I were there when she first arrived to set up shop in the restaurant across, and boy, she is driving up the competition in the price market around."

Lisia looked confused, as if she hadn't made sense of what Martine had said. Cynthia, though, understood well.

"I wouldn't think of you as an economist, Martine," she said, half-amused. "But enough about business for now, as I'm sure Lisia here has no idea what we're talking about."

"You got that right," Lisia affirmed. She sipped her glass of water and set it down. "By the way, from what you said about 'a handsome few', who were you referring to?" (By saying this, Martine became keenly interested and carefully watched Cynthia's expressions.)

Cynthia was taken aback. Surely she wasn't expecting to be pushed this far! Still, she answered appropriately, anyway. "Oh, well… special people. If you've ever read the magazines, which I assure you are partly true but mostly false, I have certain tastes for people."

Lisia blinked.

She said a lot, but all she really told us was almost nothing useful, Martine thought, and then said, "Have you ever thought of… my boss? He's likeable, right? And he seems to suit your type. He wants to be your future partner, I'm sure of it!"

Cynthia shook her head.

"Him? I don't think so. Steven's been acting jumpy these days."

Martine and Lisia were just about to continue when they were rudely interrupted by Wallace, who kneeled down with his arms on the table, and effectively covering most of the space.

"I got a call from Winona," Wallace said, urgently. "It seems that she's upset at how late we're staying here, and will you look at the time. She says if we don't head back, she'll leave for Fortree City right away!"

Now this brought about some laughs from Cynthia.

"Winona? You're still trying to go after her after so many months, or maybe years, if you will!" she mocked. After seeing the fallen look on Wallace's face (which actually surprised Cynthia, as she only knew him as the flamboyant one), she added, "Sometimes, love hurts!"

Even Lisia found it funny to see her uncle, the usually flamboyant one, to be humbled so quickly at the mention of Winona. Not even Steven, judging from his personality, would have had the guts to use Winona this way.

"Er…" Wallace started. "Lisia, we have to go. Don't worry, Steven my friend. I'll be back tomorrow to help you!"

Lisia stood up to gather her belongings, but not before exchanging contact information with Martine (at their discretion so that Steven wouldn't notice). After that, Lisia was on her way to her uncle's side.

"We can talk over coffee sometime, yeah?" Lisia offered.

"Sounds like a plan," Martine nodded. "Good night."

In minutes, Lisia and her Altaria followed Wallace out of the premises. To Steven this should have been a relief, but however the one person who didn't leave yet was her. Even though the reception was still going on well into the night, and Garchomp was helping herself to more cheese, Cynthia might have been one to have outstayed her welcome.

So, for that reason, she stood up and walked over to Steven, whilst putting her jacket over her shoulders. Facing just a foot away from him, she said, "Thank you for the meal."

Steven didn't know how to respond at first, thus freezing for a moment, before politely replying, "You're welcome."

So then Cynthia walked by Steven, with her beautifully curled platinum-blond hair brushing past, and headed for the stairs that led outside. Garchomp helped herself to just one more plate of croquembouche, however, before she left.

At the same time, Steven saw to many guests taking their pictures with the wedding couple, except for a handful of tables who still wanted photos taken with the scenic ocean view behind. Well, that was what made the Stone Bistro popular. Servers cleaned the remainder of plates and wiped the tables clean. The wedding couple, apparently, were preoccupied with their friends and family. The music soundtrack, controlled by hired audio technicians, began playing in the air.

That left Martine.

Steven went looking around the floor for her, but then he remembered that Martine had changed her hair colour from auburn to red. No wonder it was so difficult to find her when he did. Indeed, she was standing by the stairs and waiting.

In Martine's hand was a plate of croquembouche. Seriously, Cynthia had made way too much to go around.

"Well, it's a good night for everyone," Martine commented. "Now, boss, you said I had to meet you in your office, right? I'm waiting right here."

The furious glint in Steven's eye met Martine's delighted smile.

"If it wasn't a wedding occasion tonight, I would have deducted half of your paycheque away," he grumbled.

"Aw, come on, boss! It's a wedding!" Martine whined. "You should at least have some fun while you're here! It you're not mining for stones or looking for rocks for your museum, or if you're not cooking, then you should live up a bit!"

Steven shook his head. "You know, Martine, that that is not my style. A relationship can wait, and it is most certainly not with her."

Martine blinked.

"You were staring at her awkward like a lovesick Politoed! Come on! The magazine, the wedding couple, and even – I dare to say – James has figured it out! Why can't you!" she cried. "Deduct my paycheque all you want, but that won't stop you from loving her! Just listen to Wallace!"

Steven sighed deeply.

"I do not love her!" he said, such that it caught the attention of some of his staff passing by. "Martine, starting tomorrow, I'll prove it to you!"

Chapter Text

In the following morning, the bakery that the Stone Restaurant and Bistro had been working on had been finished overnight. It became apparent that after this, with the high demand of bread in the area, business was sure to rocket.

In his office, Steven Stone was busy working away on papers and handling new applications and résumés for prospective bakery staff. The payment received after the events of the wedding reception had really helped, and Steven used it to purchase capital equipment for the bakery. That is, lots of custom-ordered ovens, in addition to cash tills. Now that he wasn't working, Steven opted to wear one of his neat suits, with a red tie.

He heard knocking on the door.

"Come in," Steven said, without looking up.

James d'Arc walked into the room.

"Steven. The first shipment of recipes and supplies are due to arrive in an hour," James reported. "And… Martine's been complaining you've been going too hard on her, and she's been appealing to the others for help. Even me."

Steven still did not look up nor did he reply immediately, but he focused on reading the applications. James, being patient, took the seat on the other side of Steven's desk. Finally, Steven put down the application, filed it away, and faced James.

"I'll see to her, then. In the meantime, I'd like you to do the honour of opening the Stone Bakery. As the name suggests, we really do bake bread on stones," Steven instructed.

"Oui chef," James said. He got up, and before closing the door said, "Martine's on her way to work, should you know."

Actually, Steven had no intention of seeing Martine at all. However, as the lobby was just outside his office anyway, he would go to see her while he was at it. Honestly, if it were him, he would have fired her if he could. But he had no grounds to fire her, other than her impeding his personal life, which was a private and ridiculous reason.

Steven made his way across the lobby in the Stone Bakery's direction, but on his way there he saw Martine just arriving at the front doors of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. He would have ignored her, were it not for what she was carrying into the restaurant.

A Watmel berry.

A very large Watmel berry.

A very, very, large Watmel berry that Martine was carrying into the restaurant with two hands.

Not to mention she was eating pieces of the soft, delicious, berry on her way in. Some berry juice burst out when Martine broke off a piece of it. However, it was huge, and Steven would wonder how she could ever finish it.

"What – are you doing – with that?" Steven asked in a partly broken voice. "Where did you get that?"

She seemed pleased that her boss's attention was drawn to the massive berry. After she swallowed the piece she was chewing on, Martine answered, "I'm eating this berry, obviously. It's really, really, sweet! Want a piece?"

Steven blinked, but shrugged.

Martine tore off a piece, and following this was a small spray of Watmel juice that got onto the sleeve of Steven's suit. Ignoring the offended stare she was getting, which she was used to, Martine held the berry piece close to Steven's hand, which Steven subsequently took and ate.

"So, boss, what have you done to prove so far?" she asked.

"Er…" Steven muttered.

From this, Martine could tell that Steven had planned absolutely nothing. She tore off another piece of Watmel berry and popped it in her mouth. Steven was partly annoyed by this, and he became distracted from his train of thought.

"Aha, so you haven't thought of anything!" the red-haired waitress remarked. "Don't worry, boss. This happens when you can't bear to harm the people you love. Especially when you just can't bring yourself to admit you love her. Anyway, as per your question about where I got it, I got it from Vue sur la Lune."

She just loved the reaction her boss was giving her. He was annoyed, frustrated, and lost; but above all, hurt.

However, in the middle of the suspense, Martine did see something flicker in Steven's eyes. Oh, had he thought of something already? This ought to get interesting.

"Martine… I'm docking a tenth of your paycheque into the restaurant's profits," Steven said. "Of course, I'll be generous and leave your pay from last night's income alone."

Martine continued munching on the Watmel berry as she left her boss alone. However, she just had to shed a tear at the penalty Steven was giving her. By the time she had gotten upstairs, she still had the unfinished Watmel berry in her hands. It was far too big to finish.

However, the presence of the berry had attracted the attention of the staff around her. The distinct aroma the berry was giving off had indeed made most of the serving staff ask Martine for a piece of the berry, and Martine gladly obliged. Within minutes, almost everyone was savouring a piece of the Watmel berry.

However, everyone was partly concerned for Martine, as she had some tears flowing from her eyes. Nevertheless, they left that alone and went to work. If anything, they suspected it was the Watmel berry.

Elsewhere, Steven went on his way to oversee the opening of the Stone Bakery. As expected, there was a considerable number of people who were seated inside the establishment, and a smaller number lining up at the till and ordering baked goods.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted in the air… deliciously. Traditional loaves of Kalos-style bread were first on the line, followed by many, many, other crisp breads that were inspired by recipes abroad. Why, if breads weren't enough, James took the honour of baking the first round of pastries and tarts for the customers. That aside, the bestseller of the day was soft bread made with honey, which Steven had brought directly from Hoenn – it was called a Slateport cake. To the many Kalos locals who had never tried a Slateport cake, it soon became extremely popular.

Business, it seemed, was picking up. If all was well, this bakery business would make up for Steven's revenue losses in the long-run. He might be able to defeat Cynthia with this!

What Steven hadn't counted on was that customers were buying bread from his bakery and taking it outside to eat. It would have been fine to eat inside, but there was another reason people chose to do so.

The customers who bought bread from the Stone Bakery would take it to a certain plaza at the end of the road not too far from the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. To Steven, unbeknownst of this, this would be perfectly normal, if not for the fact that those same customers ended up crossing the street to the other side to buy coffee from Vue sur la Lune's café.

Subsequently, people enjoyed the best of both worlds in this square plaza at the end of the road. Dozens of people did this routine, not to mention. It was only a matter of time before the plaza became as popular as the Slateport cake, no less.

The news soon reached Steven's ears about this routine in the next hour, when James became suspicious of how many people were bringing the bread out of the bakery and heading in the same direction. Sure enough, James found the customers enjoying baked goods from the Stone and coffee from Vue sur la Lune.

Steven's reaction was not encouraging.

"So we ended up helping Cynthia's business, in the end," Steven muttered.

"Hey, at least you are helping a certain someone, eh?" James said. This comment forced Steven to give James a look, but James shrugged. James washed his hands and then went on continuing making and kneading dough to bake, and would later come out of the stone oven as bread.

There were more newly hired employees to help out with the bakery, true, but James had taken the action of diverting some staff and resources from the floor above to help the new employees get used to the environment. The restaurant staff had experience dealing with customers, and the newly hired had experience working with bakeries. Together, they would prove to be more efficient, and effectively productive.

And with efficient productivity allowed Steven to maximise profits for his restaurant, which was his long-run plan all along. That would show Martine – and Wallace – he was being serious!

There were still a lot of customers who were curious of the new establishment at the Stone Bistro, and when more poured into the space to the smell of delicious bread, Steven acknowledged that at least half the customers were holding coffee cups from Vue sur la Lune. Well, he supposed he was partly successful at maximising profits, but he suspected still that his bakery may be a catalyst to ramping up Cynthia's profits too.

"Keep up the good work," he complemented his staff.

"Oui, chef!" they replied.

Back in his office, Steven spent half an hour considering that if the bakery was to survive, there would have to be more goods for sale. If there was something that could satisfy a local here, it would be pie. Or as the locals would call it, la tarte.

With a cup of coffee, he paced back and forth contemplating such a decision. The bakery was new, so why not add a few more options?

So what he did was sit behind his desk, took a pen and paper, and starting drafting a recipe. Desserts were never his specialty, ever, as the critics in Lumiose City had constantly told him. But if it came to baked goods regarding bread and pie, who were they to judge, when it was potentially one of his specialties? There needed to be classic ingredients for pie, of course, but when it came to the sweet stuff – there needed to be a delicious base. Something sweet…

Come to that, something did smell sweet in the room.

That smells… like… fruit? Steven thought. The scent made his mouth water just a bit.

Steven moved his head to look around for it, and then realised that the sweet smell was coming from the Watmel berry stain that Martine had left on his sleeve in the morning. Ah yes. Right there. That was the solution.

If I'm going to have to compete, I'll have to get the best fruit for the pie, he thought. The best fruit, albeit produce, would have to come straight from the supplier. Sure, Steven had a top-class supplier for his restaurant already, and the supplier gave the best ingredients for the uniquely sweet Slateport cake, but when it came to sweet things – perhaps, he hated to admit it, Cynthia's was better.

Then Steven had an idea. A business-inspired idea.

No one had any idea who the businessman was when he walked out of the newly opened Stone Bakery, but he was just a stranger like anyone in Cyllage City. He wore a charcoal gray suit with some purple patterns, with a bright red tie. He had steel-blue hair and was wearing sunglasses.

At least, no one had any idea at first, but they barely noticed him, because all he did was walk across the street to the opposing restaurant. On his way there, he glimpsed the square plaza at the end of the road his sous had told him about, where people and patrons of both Vue sur la Lune and the Stone Bakery were enjoying coffee and Slateport cakes on its stone benches.

He edged closer to Vue sur la Lune, and instead of taking the main entrance, he went around to the side. There, he found a small group of men unloading fresh supplies of fruit from a moving truck for Vue sur la Lune. Cases and cases of berries, greens, and fruits piled on top of each other ready to be loaded into the restaurant.

Upon approached the workers, the businessman readied his wallet.

"What do you want, monsieur?" one of the workers asked the businessman.

"I would like to know about your supplier for these foods," he replied. "Are these foods fresh?"

"Oui, monsieur," the worker answered. "Best in the area, and operated by one of the freshest and sweetest produce suppliers in Kalos."

The businessman's eyes flickered behind his sunglasses. He examined the fruits and berries positioned before him, and in his mind he overturned a dozen possibilities for picking out the fruits and berries he wanted, considering and eliminating each choice for every half-second that passed. He needed the right produce for what he had in mind. His business would depend on it, too.

"I need you to deliver these…" he pointed to a few cases of Leppa, Bluk, Custap berries, "over to the restaurant across. Be discreet. If you have fresh apples, I could use those too."

The worker turned a blind eye and received a money note from the businessman. After, he ordered some of his workers to transport a several cases of produce to the restaurant across. The businessman, done with his worker, silently walked across the street to the Stone Bakery – and discreetly followed the workers transporting cases of fresh produce with many Sawk to help them. Clearly, the Sawk were employed just like the workers.

However, this did not go unnoticed, for there was a certain turquoise-haired duo who observed the scene as they were passing by.

"Steven! Where did all this come from?!" James exclaimed. Never, in his career as a sous chef, had he seen so many supplies come into the restaurant at once. Even at the time the Stone Restaurant and Bistro first opened, the supplies had come in slowly and in an orderly fashion by their supplier. To see so many Sawk simply walk into the new bakery with fresh supplies was unexpected, and probably unconventional.

Steven, ignoring James at the moment, directed the workers where to unload supplies. After the cases had been placed and refrigerated appropriately, he dismissed them, and motioned the employees to work. Steven faced James afterward.

"I got this from an undisclosed supplier," he said. "I assure you, it's not from the black market, but rather from a very good supplier, I hope. Still, I'll have uses for this, I'm sure."

James blinked, but he silently went over to one of the cases to check out what exactly had come in. Produce, from the looks of it, and judging by the colours and smells of it, they were wonderfully fresh fruit and berries. Perhaps the bakery could have uses for it? They did seem to be very pleasant to the eye. He supposed Steven must have had his reasons for buying them in the first place. Otherwise, why would he buy a whole lot of them?

"I'll be in my office," Steven told him.

To pass the time, James continued to help the bakery staff roll up more dough and bake bread. There were still a considerable number of customers flowing in, so he had a part to maintain the bakery's upkeep, as sous.

By the time James had started baking the fifth tray of bread, Steven had returned to the bakery. This time, had had a paper in hand, and went into the massive refrigerator to re-inspect the ingredients brought in, and subsequently bringing some out to the counter outside.

"We'll making pie and adding it to our menu!" he announced. "Here's to its success! We'll start with Leppa berry pies, and Bluk berry pies!"

Across the street, things were not going so well. Cynthia had been expecting a huge shipment of fruit and supplies for her dessert menu, but her supplier had come to her with bad news. Much to her grief.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we're running a short supply today," the head worker told her. "We've completely exhausted our supplies of Leppa, Custap, and Bluk berries and I can only spare… whatever else you ordered here. Perhaps there will be more supply next week."

Cynthia wasn't having any of this at first, but she took the remainder of stock she ordered into her restaurant's inventories. How was it possible that a huge chunk of her order could have just been in short supply? Only just the previous week, her supplier had proven reliable, so how could it have been possible for short supply to appear at a season like this?

Back in the restaurant, Cynthia was forced to temporarily raise the prices of her desserts. The cheesecake with Custap berry drizzle, for example, had its price raised to cover the costs Cynthia faced. The Unovan cheesecake recipe, which was made of fine ingredients and was a recent addition to her menu, also had its price raised by almost triple. Things were looking bleak.

As expected in the next hour, few people even wanted Cynthia's desserts. They were so expensive!

It didn't help that a certain someone had stopped by to see her restaurant. That someone was Wallace. His niece Lisia joined alongside him, and… Winona. Well! That was some relief to

"My dear, Cynthia!" he greeted. "How's business?"

Winona slapped him.

"OW!" Wallace cried. "What was that for?!"

"Just look at her, Wallace!" Winona shouted, and then used the hand that slapped Wallace to point at Cynthia's face. "She doesn't look too well!"

However, this didn't stop Lisia from laughing, and laughing out loud. This forced the former champ, the current champ, and the Gym Leader to look at her.

"Don't be so surprised, uncle!" Lisia said between laughs. "Sometimes, love hurts!"

Wallace continued rubbing the spot where Winona had slapped him, although it was seriously red. Lisia deduced that it was either from the pain… or that he was blushing. Wow, was it ever so easy to humble her uncle. It was, perhaps, something she had inherited in her family line.

"Anyway," Winona continued, "you seriously don't look that good, Cynthia. What's going on?"

Cynthia explained how an inconvenience occurred with her supplier, that her usual stock of berries and fruit had mysteriously – according to the supplier – been short. As a result, prices were forced upward on her part, and there were less customers showing up to her restaurant.

On the other hand, Cynthia was happy to tell Winona that her café had experienced an intense fluctuation of business. Coffee was selling out faster than her usual dessert items, for some reason.

"Haven't you heard, Cynthia?" Lisia interrupted. "Steven opened a bakery this morning. The way I see it, people have been buying bread and coffee all day. Bread comes from Steven's bakery, and coffee comes from your café. You'd be amazed at how popular this is. It's like Steven's trying to help you!"

Cynthia brushed a lock of platinum blond hair behind her ear, with her ears a little pink. "I really don't think so, Lisia. That's not how the world works. Okay, well, I wouldn't mind him helping me out a bit… That would be very nice of him."

Wallace looked very cross by this response.

"You sound just like him," he said. "Lisia, let's leave Cynthia to her misery."

Winona, however, stayed behind to keep chatting with the head dessert maker. Wallace and Lisia set off to head across the street, to the thriving Stone Bakery.

Chapter Text

"We need pie," Wallace said as they walked through the doors of the bakery. This kind of statement earned curious look from his niece.

"I'm sorry, uncle?"

"Pie's good if there's something we can't solve, and in this case the love life of a certain friend," Wallace continued. "It'll help us, trust me. It helps us think."

It was extremely fortunate that Steven Stone was not in the premises at the time Lisia ordered a couple bestselling berry pies. Leppa pie for Lisia, Bluk for Wallace. Both dishes looked extremely appetizing to the eye, with the stone-baked hot pie shells emitting steam and struggling to contain the berry extravagance beneath. It helped that the two of them had an appetite.

Wallace speared a piece of his Bluk berry pie and began to eat. It was extremely good, with the flavour of fresh Bluk berry filling his mouth and putting his senses to oblivion…

"Uncle," Lisia said. "Has it occurred to you that this tastes just as good as the croquembouche from last night?"

"Well… I haven't eaten enough of Steven's food to understand how he works, but…" Wallace faded off, lost in thought, "This is good pie. Especially the berries. It does remind me of the croquembouche indeed."

Berries.

Bluk berries. Leppa berries. Very good berries.

Lisia had an idea.

"Uncle…" she giggled. "Aren't these berries the ones Cynthia ordered. Why would Steven order berries at all? He might have stolen them."

"It doesn't matter," Wallace pointed out, and then an idea of his own sparked. "You know, we did see him passing off a bribe to someone, didn't we? You know what, Lisia? We were right to trust the pie."

"That was him?! So he did steal them!" Lisia exclaimed. "But wait, uncle. Aren't we supposed to help out with Steven's love life? This is far from that…"

"We had time to think it over, and I distinctly recall that Steven was out in front of your restaurant bribing your supplier," Wallace told Cynthia. They were in the café, with the former enjoying one of Cynthia's milk teas.

Cynthia did not find this information surprising. Anyone could have stopped by her restaurant, and despite that it was someone who had just opened a bakery to help her café. Restaurant supplies aside.

"Well, I suppose that it was nice of him to make my café flourish. Look how popular it's been!" she said. "We could work together if we wanted to!"

Winona remained silent. She knew Wallace well enough that with the kind of tone in his voice, something was bound to go wrong.

"It's just that... I recall Steven actually bribing your supplier earlier," Wallace slowly said, with a hint of anticipation in his voice. "And we wonder why Steven always talks about business with you. He's not helping you. He's only helping himself!"

Cynthia laughed.

"I think I know enough about Steven that he wouldn't do something like that. It's not his type," she rolled her eyes.

To Cynthia's mild surprise, Wallace had a plate of Leppa berry pie ready on the table before her. It was still warm, and they all could smell the scent coming from it.

"I got this from Steven's bakery," he noted. "It's the best pie I've eaten so far around here, and the Leppa berry inside it is… awesome. You should try some! It helps you think."

Lisia, however, caught wind of what could possibly be brought about if Cynthia actually knew that Steven had bribed her supplier. The consequences could be unpredictable, and might jeopardise the relationship. Never mind how well the café and the bakery suited each other.

It had taken a minute for Cynthia to grab a fork and sit down again. She examined the pie carefully, speared a piece, and ate it slowly.

"To think that my friend wouldn't specialise in these things, but here we are," Wallace happily said. "Leppa berry pie at its finest. Well, I'm not surprised. The Leppa is first-class, and the pie – let's just say Steven is champion at baked goods! And we thought being Pokémon Champion wasn't good enough. He has a new passion for pies!"

However, Cynthia didn't say a word after taking that first bite. She only stared at the pie, as if her entire mind, and thoughts, was lost in it. The only audible sound was from the chewing of that pie in her mouth.

"These Leppa berries taste too good to be true," she muttered. "Where did he get these? Wait. Wallace. Are you sure that Steven made this?"

"I'd stake my Milotic on it," Wallace answered with a confident grin. "If you'd like, I can bring you over to the bakery. Steven sure knows how to make things happen. You know, you two are perfect for each other! One has a bakery and the other a café. My dear, have you seen what's going on outside your doors?"

Cynthia shook her head. Not because she wanted to say 'no', but because she had no intention of wanting to hear Wallace's explanation. Her day was starting off badly, given that her supply line has just been shortened somehow. Well, Wallace and Lisia pointed to Steven as a suspect. She only needed to verify if it was true. Personally… she hoped that it wasn't true. The Steven she knew back in her Champion days was not like that. He was a legitimate businessman, wasn't he?

Winona cleared her throat, and it occurred to Wallace that she hadn't spoken for a while. Never mind once.

"I suppose you don't want to hear what he says," Winona muttered, as if she could read Cynthia's mind. "But don't take him the wrong way, Cynthia. He's always pushing when it comes to conversations like these."

Maybe she was overthinking the pie. That was kind of ironic, as Wallace had just said the pie was supposed to help her think. Cynthia took another bite.

"I think," Cynthia said as she swallowed the pie, "I ought to pay that bakery a visit."

"Now, now, Cynthia. We don't want to jump to any conclusions yet," Wallace held his hands up. "Please. I'm sure that Steven may not have stolen your berry supply, even though Lisia and I have witnessed exactly that, but hey! Take the bakery as a complement! For all we know, he's trying to help you and himself."

To Wallace's surprise, Cynthia smiled.

"If that's true, then I'll head over there and thank him," she said.

Before Wallace could say anything else, Cynthia stood up and walked to the café doors, whilst leaving her pie unfinished. It then occurred to Winona that Cynthia was the one who was eating pie, and it was apparent that Wallace and Lisia had some too.

Winona turned to Wallace and slapped his face with her right palm.

"OW! Again?! What was that for?" Wallace cried while doing his best to not attract attention. "Cynthia's not here anymore, so why?"

It looked like Winona's eyes were on fire, and her face became as red as magma. "THAT'S… for not getting me a slice of pie. You just have to greedy, eh Wallace? You couldn't spare a minute thinking about me."

Wallace held a hand on his cheek, and if Winona's face couldn't get any redder from being angry, it did when she saw Wallace smile. Was he trying to make fun of her?

"But Winona, my dear, I did think of you," he said, and motioned to Lisia. "I saved you a slice of Bluk berry pie from the bakery. I know you would prefer that over Leppa berries…"

Winona, already red from anger and irritation, seriously thought she could not have gotten any redder. She was wrong. The redness on her face from embarrassment, severe embarrassment, had overridden all emotion. There it was. A slice of pie on the table before her.

All Winona did was burying her face on the table. She did not want Wallace to see her face in this state, as her face was burning red-hot with some tears streaming from her eyes.

"Winona. Are you okay?" Wallace asked, although he had a hint of satire within his concerned voice. "Well, whatever you feel right now, could always be fixed with some pie. It helps you think."

There was still a lineup at newly-opened Stone Bakery such that it extended to outside, which Cynthia found strange. The Stone Bakery, which occupied a corner of the Stone Bistro not far from Steven's museum, was not small. Surely there was enough space to accommodate a reasonable number of customers, but a number of this size was excessive.

As she drew closer, Cynthia could smell the aroma of freshly baked goods wafting from the doors of the bakery. It smelled of bread, honey, and berries.

By the time Cynthia had gotten much closer to the doors of the bakery, and besides the fact that the scent of fresh bread was much stronger, it became apparent that there was another reason why it was so busy. However, it was certainly not just because of the suspected bribed ingredients. No, it was because that there in the bakery were three people. If anything, judging by the crowd's reactions, they were celebrities, or were they?

A redhead, a bluehead, and a greenhead were surrounded by the crowd. The trio were sitting at a table, and they – besides wearing identical waiters' apparel, save for their bow ties matching their hair colours – each had a slice of pie. No doubt about it, they were the popular former Gym Leaders from Striaton City: Cilan, Cress, and Chili. Alongside them was Steven, who was looking over them.

"So, what do you think?" Steven asked.

"This is one of the best pies I've ever eaten," Cilan commented. "I'm surprised that even you, of all people, would have wanted to operate the restaurant business. It's excellent."

"Come on, Cilan, let's talk about food here," Cress added. "Steven, this pie is delicious. The ingredients, especially the berries, are so fresh you could hear it calling for you. I'm serious."

Chili took the longest to form his opinion. While Cilan and Cress were talking, Chili helped himself to more pie, with the crowds around them watching him. After taking more bites of Leppa berry pie, he put his fork down.

"Wow, Steven, you really know how to make good pie, yeah? However, I think there could be some improvements. The lady across the street – Cynthia, was it? – could turn this into a greater masterpiece, but I think the berries here speak for themselves!"

This, however, earned a silent glare from the host. Usually, in circumstances like these, Cilan would reprimand his brother for such a remark. But today was an exception.

"Consider us critics today, Steven. Take nothing personal," he said. "We'll be evaluating just how tasty your food is. At Chili's discretion, he went to Vue sur la Lune to try out one of their cakes. Speaking of which, however, I must credit your Slateport cakes. They're excellent. Speaking of which; Martine, my friend, bring me another of those cakes."

Martine Grenadine nodded and went to fetch the cake. Meanwhile, everyone's eyes were fixed on the trio's reactions upon eating the pies. Steven was still speechless from Chili's remark, but he regained his composure afterward.

But before Steven could think of a response after regaining his calm, he was disturbed by a voice in the crowd around him.

"I would like one of those pies, please," the voice had a cool undertone in it.

Oh, to think Chili had just mentioned Cynthia, and she appeared. It was like speaking of the devil, and Steven was looking right at him. This case was slightly different, since it was Cynthia. Sure enough, he saw her amongst the crowd, and in fact, she was particularly close to the Striaton trio's table. Had she been spying on them?

There were several actions Steven could take, so he took the one that made sense, given his gentleman personality.

"No," he said. "You can't have one."

The reply caused indistinct chatter among the people. Steven, however, was unaffected. He had no doubt that the people here had read the Apples and Oranges article from the popular Kalos magazine. Would it matter if he tried to prove the article wrong? Absolutely.

"I'm sorry?" Cynthia raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, you could wait until I've got fresh supplies," Steven said, "but as of now, I'm out of pie. They're too popular these days. I could get you a Slateport cake if you'd like."

But Cynthia wasn't having any of that. Not that she was angry at Steven, but that she was still under the impression that Steven may have taken her supplies. She had to get to the bottom of this, to the truth.

"Hey! What's going on here? Why is it so quiet?"

What better time than to have Martine pop up just now, just when Cynthia had caused a silent commotion? To Steven, this seemed to always be the case. By the time Martine had placed a Slateport cake before Chili, she caught wind of exactly what was happening.

"Martine. Excellent timing," Cynthia said, which caused Steven's eyes to twitch. "Do me a favour and get me a nice Bluk berry pie, please?"

"We're out," Martine said. "However, I still have a bit of Custap or Leppa berry pie if you're up you're up for it. Trust me, I recommend the Custap berry."

"Of course you would…" Steven muttered, as Cynthia placed her order and Martine went to fetch the pie.

On the other hand, Chili, Cress, and Cilan kept a close eye on the conversation after it finished. For one thing, they noticed Steven looking a little on edge, at best. Otherwise, he would have been downright flustered. For now, he leaned back on his seat.

The people muttered to themselves

"Is there something going on between you two?" Cress asked him.

"No," Steven's response was automatic.

"My friend," Chili said, "this is what you would call denial."

Now that sounded a lot like something Wallace would say. To be fair, Steven was almost certain that neither Cress nor Chili nor Cilan would have gotten their hands on a copy of the recent popular Kalos magazine. That would spell some problems.

For now, they were guests who were sampling Steven's pies. Cynthia, on the other hand, helped herself to one of the tables nearby in the Stone Bakery. She sat down and watched the Striaton brothers eating the berry pies happily. Well, once she had a taste, she would see if these were good pies at all. As far as she was concerned, to have a bakery making bestselling pies and having her supply line cut seemed too coincidental.

Chili was first to finish his pie.

"Excellent baking and especially the berries, Steven," he said. "My compliments to the chef or – in this case – the baker."

"Shall I interest you three in some vegetable pies? I just created the recipe last night, so if you'll please, test it for me," Steven offered. "As for your Custap berry pie, Cynthia, I'll see to it personally –"

"No need, boss," Martine's voice broke in before Steven could finish. "I've got the Custap berry pie baked and ready. It only needs another minute."

Steven could actually smell the aroma of Custap berry coming from the ovens from where he was standing. It had the exact same smell of Watmel when Martine splashed some of the berry juice on his sleeve.

Wait. Watmel berry? Where did that come from? It couldn't have been the berry Martine brought in from the morning, could it? What exactly was the Watmel berry doing here?! Did Martine somehow add Watmel berry to a Custap berry pie?!

Within minutes, a slice of Custap berry pie was placed under Cynthia's nose. Steven could smell the Watmel berry even from where he was standing. Pretending to ignore the pie, he went to see to the Striaton brothers, but they were occupied with watching Cynthia taste the pie.

Steven, however, could not allow Cynthia to try the pie by any means. If she knew her berries, she would know how they tasted. This was not good. He had to find a way to avoid a potential catastrophe. It didn't help that almost everyone's eyes were fixed on Cynthia, it almost certainly didn't help that everyone knew they were rivalling chefs, and it certainly didn't help that – Steven suspected – they had all read the popular Kalos magazine article.

"You know what, Cynthia? Would you be interested in some vegetable pie instead?" he bluntly offered. "I think Leppa berry pie can wait –"

"Out of the question, Steven," Cilan said. "Let Cynthia have her pie."

"But –"

"No buts," Cress added. "If you are a gentleman, you'd let the lady do what she likes."

"But I –"

"Steven. No," Chili said, as if he was scolding a pet.

By the time Steven uttered the first sound of response, Cynthia already had a piece of pie in her mouth, and she chewed it slowly.

Chapter Text

It had been two days since that fateful day when she walked into his bakery. Whether the timing was expected or not, Steven knew it was bound to happen.

There of course had been the expected rise in revenue and profits, but that only happened in the first day. By the second day, Steven had seen a decline in pretty much everything, but alas, the current pace was sustainable. For now.

It happened in the first day when Steven was on his way to work, when he was opening the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. On the way, he could notice the platinum blonde hair of Cynthia out in the distance, just across the street. From what Steven could see the look wasn't pleasant.

By the end of the first day, Steven figured that Cynthia must have found out about his bribe. Wait, didn't he bribe the supplier so that they would keep quiet? Unless… someone else had told Cynthia what had happened. Would it have been Martine? Perhaps. He would have to seriously start considering firing her…

That reminded him, he had not seen neither Wallace nor Lisia for a long time. Well, that was certainly something he could live with. But what he couldn't live with was the nasty glares he was receiving from the culinary rival.

In the middle of the second day, on the way to work, he and Cynthia had passed by each other at the plaza between the two restaurants. They exchanged irritated looks, and then silently marched away to their establishments.

Much to the amusement of the people who were observing the scene.

By the start of the third day, Steven and Cynthia passed by each other again, but their glances at each other were such that it was hard to tell who looked more annoyed. After they separated, Steven walked past the doors of his establishment. Martine Grenadine, who had snuck behind her boss, grabbed his collar and quietly pulled him aside.

"Argh!" he cried.

Steven was surprised, at first, but then that surprise quickly turned into a mix of annoyance and fear. Particularly when it was not only Martine he was looking at, but James d'Arc and the two attractive receptionists were also there.

"We need to talk, Mr. Stone," the handsome male receptionist, Laurent, said.

"That's right!" Laurent's pretty co-receptionist, Sophie, added.

Steven could feel the pressure of three of his employees trying to strike a personal conversation with him. It did not help that James, his sous and co-administrator, joined in the conversation as well. Four faces that he knew well since he started working here…

"What exactly did you do to her the day we opened the bakery?" James demanded.

Steven rolled his eyes, as if he had no idea what they were talking about. "What makes you say that? And what's it to all of you?"

Laurent sighed.

Sophie said, "Laurent and I saw her simply storm out of the bakery that night for some reason. Mr. d'Arc saw it too and figured something might have happened. And then we see the two of you – you and that Cynthia lady – glare at each other just now."

Steven did not say a word, but he was clearly not in the mood to talk. Unfortunately for him, he was cornered by four of his most reliable workers of his establishment. To walk away would be impossible, for they weren't allowing such an option!

Wallace had decided to sleep in that day, so Winona took Lisia out for breakfast at Vue sur la Lune. However, by the time Winona approached her table, she could feel a chilling aura coming from somewhere. No matter how Winona could put it, something had happened here. Currently, Winona craved a slice of cake.

Although… that pie she tasted yesterday, thanks to Wallace, was delicious. Perhaps Cynthia might be able to get her a slice. Oh, wait. Didn't Wallace get the pie from Steven's bakery?

"Bienvenue à Vue sur la Lune," the waiter greeted Winona. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yeah," Winona said.

They followed the waiter to the elevator where it would lead them to their seats. They got off onto the second floor and were fortunate to have a window seat. As they were seated, Lisia glanced at the view below, which was nothing more than the Stone Bistro. In her bones, Lisia could also sense the chill that filled Vue sur la Lune, despite the sunshine glimmering into the restaurant.

It took no more than eight minutes before the two of them were having breakfast, as the restaurant wasn't that busy in the morning. Freshly baked bread and fruit for Lisia. Cake for Winona. Lisia also helped herself to a glass of crushed ice with fresh lemon juice while Winona had a coffee. In accordance to Vue sur la Lune's standards, the food did look appetizing to the eye, but the food did taste different somehow. It tasted… better.

I wonder where she is? Winona thought.

"Hey, Winona. Is something on your mind?" Lisia said, interrupting Winona's thoughts.

"Not much," she replied, although she did glance at the kitchen in the distance. Judging from Winona's looks, it was apparent that she was concerned for Cynthia. Lisia didn't blame her, as Cynthia was a former renowned Champion and Winona was still a Gym Leader, so why not show some concern for a fellow League member? "It's just that… something doesn't feel right."

But as fortune would have it, Cynthia briefly appeared onto the floor, but only to discuss what looked like a strategy plan with her servers. There she was, pointing at certain servers and then pointing them in specific directions. Winona had never seen Cynthia looking so businesslike. On Lisia's part, Cynthia definitely looked and acted like the businessman Steven was. There were similarities. Perhaps that was why they were fit for each other.

Winona quickly got out of her seat to approach Cynthia before the latter would disappear. As Winona got closer, she could see how serious Cynthia looked. The collectiveness she thought she knew about her seemed to fall apart in wake of Cynthia's cold attitude. Cynthia apparently did not notice Winona's near presence as she was too busy talking and directing. At least until Winona tapped her on the shoulder.

"Winona!" Cynthia stared in shock. Her businesslike attitude immediately disappeared and was replaced by one of surprise.

"You okay there, Cynthia?" Winona asked. "You seem to be a little under the weather, even though it's a nice day today."

Cynthia flushed as if she didn't know what to say. From that reaction alone, Winona could instantly tell something was wrong with her. However, before Winona could say any more, one of Cynthia's servers came in their direction and passed Cynthia an order of dessert. Without saying more than a "Hold that thought," Cynthia took off for the kitchens. Feeling like a little lost, Winona went back to sit with Lisia.

Lisia seemed amused.

"It looks like she has some issues," Winona said.

"Ha, it's the look of defeated love," Lisia sang, causing Winona to raise her eyebrows. "Don't worry, Winona. I've seen my uncle with that expression many times before he finally cracked about you. He sure did embarrass himself in front of Juan that day."

This caused Winona to flush just like Cynthia did but she kept her head down, and when she could speak, Lisia was halfway eating her fruit. "How could you even possibly know that?"

Lisia reserved the right to remain silent, much to Winona's annoyance. They went on eating their breakfast in awkward silence, but they did watch how Cynthia operated her restaurant to pass the time. As they watched Cynthia's expressions, they both agreed on that Cynthia was not happy. Never had they seen Cynthia ordering her servers around with such fury and passion, and Lisia questioned if she was really enjoying the job.

"I think she'll have to leave Cyllage City at some point," Winona stated, drawing her conclusion from the apparent observations. "Not that she would want to be working in a bad mood, right?"

"She won't move," Lisia asserted, and ate the last of her fruit before saying, "Steven will do whatever he can to not make her move away. He loves her too much."

Winona choked on her coffee right as Lisia said this and she had to sputter. Not that Lisia had said anything wrong, but how could she even make such a claim? Ah yes, the 'Apples and Oranges' article from the popular Kalos magazine, perhaps, was a catalyst to her claim, but that provided no ground for love. It was irrelevant to the issue, which revolved around Cynthia's behaviour.

"That doesn't make sense, Lisia!" she protested. "We're talking about Cynthia maybe leaving Cyllage City for good if she keeps this up in the long-run!"

Lisia still looked relaxed and casual. "She'll be fine. Steven will make sure of it."

A waiter arrived to pick up the empty dishes, but not before taking a good look at Lisia and recognising who she was. His cheeks turned pink; Winona had no doubt why, and she refused to say anything. Nevertheless, the waiter kept his form.

"So how was breakfast this morning?" he asked them both. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

Lisia did have something to say. "I'd like to know what's up with Cynthia today. She seems really cross and grumpy, you know?"

"Ah, so you noticed," the waiter flashed a small smile. "No, she's been like that ever since she returned from the Stone Bakery across the street yesterday. We don't know what she's up to, but she hasn't been in the best mood either."

Making sure Cynthia wasn't looking, he lowered his voice, "She showed up to work with bloodshot eyes, so everyone knows it better not to be in her bad books today. Hopefully, she'll get over it in time, because whatever behaviour she's in might affect my job."

He shook his head and placed a menu on the table. "By the way, would you be interested in purchasing some sweets from the new chocolate shop Cynthia opened? We're offering half-price discounts to breakfast customers this morning."

The 'menu' he placed was not entirely a menu in its own right. More like an oversized promotions card, in that it was advertising a lot of mouth-watering treats from the chocolate shop below. To their credit, the prices were reasonable, and it seemed just as unreasonable to be slashing their prices to half for the day. That made sense, in some other perspective, since the shop was newly opened. As for the chocolate itself, they were advertised as freshly made from below, using only local ingredients to create chocolates of various combinations. Chocolate with spice, chocolate with liquor centres, chocolate with soft centres, chocolate-covered berries, and even chocolate which caused minor explosions in the mouth!

"What do you think, Lisia?" Winona asked. "It's a little early for chocolate, don't you think?"

"Aw… but I think my uncle would love some," Lisia whined, whereas Winona knew Lisia was making some pretext to get a box, anyway. "Besides, why don't you buy it for him? That way, he'll know just how much affection you have for him, since that day you punched him in the face –"

"I slapped him," Winona interrupted, irritated as she was.

"No matter, you can make up for it!" Lisia posed, once again irritating Winona. "He got you a pie, so the least you can do is buy him some chocolate. Plus, I do happen to know what kind he likes."

She did have a point though. Within minutes after paying the bill, Winona and Lisia were on the ground floor at the newly opened chocolate shop, which just so happened to be adjacent to the café. With its glass windows identical to the café, it could have been easily mistaken as part of the café were it not for the café's outside tables, or the visible chocolate-making within, or the refrigerated display of chocolates modelled in the shapes of Pokémon.

To be more exact, the modelled chocolate Pokémon were handcrafted and molded by Cynthia herself. Winona and Lisia were amazed at the models they could find in the shop. There were of course chocolates modelled realistically to look like Garchomp or Magnemite, and others modelled to look like Sinnoh legends, but there were also chocolates modelled to look like real-life places, as if these chocolates were not made to be eaten, but to be displayed.

That is, one such model was chocolate molded to look like Lumiose City's Prism Tower. Lisia spent at least two minutes gazing at the chocolate marvel, scaled to the last exterior detail.

"Salut, would you be interested in sampling some fudge?" an employee held out a tray of soft gummy-like pieces of fudge to them. They did not look nor felt like the typical chocolate Lisia was accustomed to, because it was white and it felt squishy in her hand. Casually, Lisia popped the piece in her mouth, whereas Winona did the same.

After chewing on it a few times, Lisia couldn't help but smile. "Nothing like a piece of chocolate to perk me up. Hey, Winona, what do you think? It's so… sweet! It's sweet and… just a little bit sour, but just enough. Not too much!"

Winona begged to differ.

"I think mine tastes bitter, kind of like dark chocolate," Winona said quietly. "Wait… is this Rawst berry I taste?"

It was, despite the little bitterness, surprisingly good. Blending chocolate with the essence of the Rawst berry provided a simple flavour, but hardly one that Winona could criticise. The taste filled up her mind, and the taste was all that was left. For the moment, Winona was lost thinking about the flavour until Lisia place a hand on Winona's shoulder and shook her.

"Yo, you okay, Winona?" she asked not out of concern, but of pity. "You must like it very much."

"Er… yeah, pretty much," Winona replied. Not forgetting why she was here in the first place, she said, "What do you think we should get? I mean, for Wallace?"

The answer was to look around the shop for what Wallace would have liked. However, as both Lisia and Winona were too aware, they spent much of the time looking at chocolates they themselves liked. In the end, Winona settled on buying a set of java chocolates and dark chocolates topped with coffee beans for Wallace, and got a set of specialty berry chocolates for herself. Lisia set about buying a chocolate cake, and adding a little extra treat for her uncle.

"I just hope we're not eating too much," Lisia said, being self-aware of how many sweets she was buying. "It'll look bad for my image."

"Well, it's not like we're going to eat them all at once, eh?" Winona nudged Lisia's side. "Besides, these berry chocolates are dark chocolate-covered. I can share some with you if you'd like."

Laurent and Sophie had just returned to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro after a morning stroll. After they had their turn interrogating Steven, it was Martine's turn, and James'. Laurent and Sophie knew each other well enough as co-workers and friends, but they were also members of the same fan club and occasionally had a Pokémon battle together. It never occurred to them they would be working together at one of Kalos' newest and most successful restaurants, but they were fine with that.

As of now, they had come back each with a box of chocolates from across the street. In the past hour or two, they had boggled Steven with tens of questions asking what he did two days ago, but he wasn't budging. After fifteen minutes of no cooperation, they let Martine and James take over while the two of them went to check out the chocolate shop, which carried the namesake of Vue sur la Lune: La Lune de Chocolat.

During, the return trip, while they were pleasantly enjoying their chocolate as well, they both passed by the square plaza centered at the end of the road beside the Stone Bistro. People, office workers from the looks of it, began heading over there with coffees from Cynthia's café to sit and wait for their friends, who came out of Steven's bakery with fresh bread and butter. Now, people began buying chocolate from La Lune de Chocolat to enjoy with their friends there.

"If my hunch is right," Laurent said, "I think people just want to make that place the unofficial dining area of both restaurants."

"Steven sure wasn't happy when he saw it…" Sophie added. "Let's go see how Martine's doing."

But before they did enter the front doors of the restaurant, Laurent and Sophie snuck a chocolate from their newly purchased boxes to eat. No matter how they put it, the chocolate was too good and unique in its own right!

"Mm… spicy and sweet at the same time," Laurent said to himself.

Sophie stayed silent, but she still wore a smile as she and her co-worker went back into the restaurant. They both thought of the prospect of Steven finally cracking up and telling the truth, let alone an explanation. If he saw them with the chocolates… maybe that would give him an edge.

Never mind the fact that Laurent and Sophie had a box of chocolates each. As far as they were concerned, Steven's response was worth both of those chocolates. Heck. They would try to bribe him with the chocolate if they had to.

"Chocolate? Did you say chocolate?" Wallace's eyes became bloodshot upon seeing his niece holding the box with his girlfriend. The two of them had returned to the hotel room, where Wallace had just gotten out of bed.

"You got it, uncle," Lisia held up the box, with its clear cover showing the set of chocolates within; half with dark chocolate and coffee beans, and the other half with white chocolate with mint garnish. The essence of mint fused with chocolate –

"Chocolate?! Chocolate?! CHOCOLATE!" Wallace screamed.

It appeared Wallace was in a state of outrage, madness, and chaos. This was the side of Wallace Winona had never expected to see. The usual, smooth-talking, Gym Leader she knew was obviously beside himself, where he was going crazy over chocolate. Was it just because it was chocolate? Or was it because there was something in the chocolate that affected him?

Never minding that, Winona snapped her fingers in front of him and said, "Snap out of it, Wallace!"

But Wallace was in a trance, and babbling the same words over, and over. "Chocolate."

Feeling ignored, but still understandable, Winona curled up her hand into a fist and punched Wallace in the cheek.

"Ha-hah! No slapping for you, this time, uncle!" Lisia laughed. "I told you that love hurts!"

But Wallace was unconscious on the floor, his eyes blank and deprived of life. Suddenly aware of this, Winona looked at her hand, and drew a blank humourless smile.

"I guess I might have punched him too hard," she muttered.

Lisia placed her boxes of chocolates on the floor beside her uncle's head to see if he was okay. If Lisia had been really looking hard, she would have noticed his fingers twitch, as well as his nose. Winona alone helped herself to one of the berry chocolates to treat herself, and she still couldn't believe it was still the morning.

Chapter Text

As truthful as Steven could hope, his business was what mattered to him for now.

But that seemed impossible now as not only Martine and James, but also his own Metagross had locked him up in the bar's wine cellar, at the courtesy of the bartender. Now Steven did not feel good at all. He should be working, but now that he was locked in the wine cellar he had no hope of getting out, and it made him feel worse to be betrayed by his closest employees. On the other hand, he wouldn't be surprised if the entire restaurant had conspired to make him talk.

The smell of alcohol was not enough to make him go dizzy, at least in the short-run. But Steven knew that if he stayed here any longer there was a possibility he would pass out. The cellar had its lights dimmed and the smell of wine was everywhere. If this equated to torture, Steven had to admit it was working. The two attractive receptionists who he thought he trusted had abandoned him, and left him to suffer in this cruel alcohol-smelling room. It was not the alcohol that was cruel, but the room itself.

Only once every fifteen minutes did Martine come by to check on him, and the conversation was the same thing every time.

"Well? Are you talking, or what, boss?"

"No! I will not talk!"

While Steven sat alone in this room, he began to wonder if it was a mistake to make James his sous. Even though together he and James had managed to operate the restaurant to exceptional levels, Steven considered if it was a mistake to hire James in the first place. Knowing him, he would be managing the restaurant in his place, and Steven could not fire him without very good reason as James was also an administrator.

Initially, he was cornered by his employees when he entered his restaurant, and they demanded explanations from him. Because Steven was unwilling, both James and Laurent forced Steven into the wine cellar, with the bartender locking up the door so Steven would have to cooperate eventually. However, Martine wasn't expecting such stiff resistance from her boss. After Laurent and Sophie unsuccessfully tried to force out answers from Steven, James and Martine took over.

Nevertheless, their efforts yielded the same result. Steven was not talking.

Two floors above Steven's prison, James d'Arc carried on the lunch hour working as his usual self. The servers led by Martine were delivering lunches to their respective customers. Sophie and Laurent were working together at the front desk as usual helping customers to the tables. The bakery and the museum were operating smoothing, and the bartender was happy to keep Steven locked up for the time being, although the bar staff questioned what Steven would do to them once he got out.

At some point in the day, Wallace dropped by the restaurant for lunch as well as looking for his friend. He was aware, though, that Steven wasn't there. At first, he arrived there with bruises on his face, much to Laurent and Sophie's unease, but they recognised him. Subsequently, they gave Wallace a seat, and Martine went to serve his food.

"Martine, my friend," Wallace greeted. "How are you? And how's Steven?"

"He's cool," Martine said as she poured a glass of ice water for him. "I'm pretty tired, though, myself. But tell me, Wallace, what happened to your face?!"

The bruises were clearly evident as they had left a huge purple stain on Wallace's left cheek. If Martine didn't know better, she would have assumed Wallace had gotten into a street fight of some sort. But as far as she was concerned, if there had been a street fight in Cyllage City anyone would know about it. After all, Cyllage City was a quiet seaside municipality like Shalour. Nothing that wasn't out of the ordinary would be noticed.

"I'll assure you, my dear, that I have every reason –"

"Is this something to do with Winona?" Martine interrupted before Wallace could talk any further.

Wallace did drink some water while looking sternly at Martine's facial expression. There was reason why Steven would want to avoid him, Wallace was fine with that, but Wallace did feel the restaurant was behaving differently. Martine was acting differently, for one thing; the two receptionists seemed tired, and Steven was not in sight. The sous chef appeared to be leading in Steven's place, although Wallace had never met him. On Martine's part, she seemed cool and collected.

"I'd like to see the chef," he added.

"He's busy," Martine collected the menus while saying this. "In fact, Wallace, we're all busy. But the chef is busy such that he doesn't have time to work at all, ironically."

The response Martine gave was met with a cold eye.

"Hey, if you'd like, I could get the sous chef for you," Martine suggested, refusing to be intimidated by Wallace. Moreover, she would have found it amusing to have been actually intimidated by Wallace, the outgoing one. "He's filling in for Steven for now."

Wallace supposed that would have been a better option, but what he would be more interested in was what happened to Steven. Martine, for one, did not give him a direct answer, so getting someone else would be a better idea. As far as he was concerned, he was only acquainted with Martine, but getting to know the sous wouldn't hurt either.

Within minutes, James d'Arc met up at Wallace's table. Business had just started to slow down for a bit, so the former could expend some time to talk with the customers. To be polite, James and Wallace shook hands upon meeting and they took seats.

"I saw you at the wedding reception that night," James started. "Not to mention that Steven has spoken of you several times here. What do you need?"

"I'm actually here to see Steven," Wallace said. "Do you know where he is?"

James' lips curled, and Wallace could notice this. "Oh, wait," Wallace continued. "So you do know where he is? Well, what's going on?"

James did not reply at first, but proceeded to walk away from the table. This irritated Wallace as well as making him more curious, so he got up to wrestle with James' shoulder, and stopping him in his tracks. "Hey, if there's anything happening to Steven, I want to be first to know – er – maybe if you don't count what's-her-name across the street."

At first, James was taken aback. In his bones, he also wanted to know what was going on with Steven, but that was an issue he wanted to resolve between himself and the rest of the staff. No one outside the restaurant needed to know what was going on with Steven, and especially when the staff had locked up him in the wine cellar below. Interrogation was in progress, and James hoped that Steven would crack at some point. For one who was stuck in the wine cellar for a while, Steven was strong, but there had to be a way to get to him. There had to!

"Let's just say that Steven's cooling off," he said to Wallace. "I'll say that much."

With a box of chocolates, Laurent went over to the restaurant bar at the ground floor where the wine cellar was located. The bartender and Steven's Metagross, still on guard in case Steven would attempt to break out, welcomed the sight of the handsome receptionist.

In Laurent's opinion, the time Steven spent in the wine cellar, apart from the heavy scent of alcohol, should have made Steven go insane. Steven could seize an opportunity to smash everything in the wine cellar to throw something of a tantrum. However, like James, Martine, and a few others, Laurent knew Steven well enough that the latter would not want to damage anything that could impact his business; particularly when the wines were paid for by the firm.

"Is he still in there?" he asked the bartender.

"He's been especially quiet," the bartender replied. "Honestly, though, I do fear for all of us what he will do once he's out. But you, Martine, and James, just want him to talk, right?"

"Sophie too," Laurent added. "Do you mind if I have a glass of crushed ice and Nomel, while we're at it?"

The bartender went straight to making the drink as Laurent went for the wine cellar door, located just beside the bar. Metagross was standing guard in front, and as soon as Laurent arrived, the former flashed what looked like a smile and stood aside. Laurent knocked on the door with his chocolates in his hands.

"Hey, Mr. Stone, ready to talk now?"

"No…" was the weak response Laurent got.

"I'm guessing you haven't had anything to eat, right Mr. Stone?" Laurent teased. "Would you like me to get James to cook you a meal? I'll have Martine drop it off to you in an hour, but only if you will talk to us –"

"Not on my life!" the faint cry of Steven could be heard beyond the cellar door. Laurent shrugged. The bartender though, who felt partly sorry for Steven but also partly amused, went over to the wine cellar door and quickly opened it just long enough to place a glass of ice with lemon and water on the floor. He subsequently closed the door, much to Steven's frustration.

"I have some chocolate for you if you'd like some," Laurent started, knowing it would probably set his boss on edge. "Sophie and I bought some from Vue sur la Lune this morning –"

"GET OUT!" Steven tried to yell, but his voice was too dry to manage to get past the wine cellar door. Still, it was enough for Laurent so he left Steven to his misery. Overall, he was impressed at how long Steven was keeping this up. Just what exactly did he do that he would sacrifice his hunger to stop people from knowing? It was as if Steven was carrying a secret he wanted to take with him to the grave. Moreover, Laurent thought the chocolate would have given Steven the push to talk. Perhaps not.

Sighing, Laurent went back to the bartender to pick up his glass of crushed ice and Nomel, and he then made for the front desk.

At Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia had never felt this busy in the time she had operated the restaurant. Thanks to the efforts of the café and La Lune de Chocolat, things were getting profitable. It helped that the café had plenty of desserts to sell, but what bothered Cynthia was that many of her café and dessert-buying customers opted to purchase their goods and bring them to a square plaza just outside of the Stone Restaurant.

However, many of her staff, including Henri Matin, could feel a chill Cynthia carried whenever she worked. It was as if the usual atmosphere the staff were accustomed to working with had been removed instantly. All that was left was the efficient task-oriented environment, and they began to question if they were satisfied with their jobs.

Cynthia alone seemed fine with her state of progress.

Winona and Lisia returned to Vue sur la Lune shortly before noon. As well as wanting to grab lunch from one of the tastiest restaurants in the area, Winona was also concerned for Cynthia's well-being, given the description she heard in the morning. By the time they had their seats, Winona set about looking for Cynthia while Lisia waited for lunch. Winona found Cynthia shortly after, when the latter was busy issuing orders to her staff (who, apparently, didn't look too satisfied with their once-motivational boss).

"What's your plan now, Cynthia?" Winona asked her. "Come on, at least you could spare some time to talk with us, eh?"

She looked tense, but relaxed briefly. Cynthia quietly followed Winona to where Lisia was seated, and they sat down. Looking at what they were eating, Cynthia politely ordered Henri to get her a salad with Watmel berries. The staff clearly noticed their manager's change in mood, but they kept that to themselves.

"I'm doing… fine. Yeah, that's it," she said to Winona. "I've just ordered a few expansions for my restaurant and now I'm adding more tasty things to the menu. Perhaps you'd like a sample?"

"Hey! Enough talk about food for a change!" Lisia interrupted. "Why not talk about Steven? Hasn't he been on your mind, at least? Figure, why are you so on edge?"

Cynthia said nothing at first. But from what Winona could see, Cynthia had no intention of talking about Steven, nor was she keen. Lisia, though, seemed fine with that. Moreover, Lisia seemed amused that Cynthia wasn't talking.

"Love trouble, right?" Lisia jabbed, hoping to dig deeper. "You can tell me and Winona everything. No stone goes unturned when girls talk, right? Right?"

"Don't mind her," Winona said soothingly. "You don't need to tell us everything if you don't want too. We'll respect your privacy."

"You mean you will respect her privacy," Lisia shot back. "Now, we all know you're the gentle, graceful, and generous woman here, Winona, save for those times you punched Wallace in the face (Winona glared at her for this), but we've got to be more persuasive here."

Cynthia's Garchomp happened to stop by in the midst of the conversation.

"Oh, Garchomp. Perfect timing," Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief. "Could you drop by the kitchen and grab me a salad wrap? I'm not craving much today. Oh, and go see to our other plans."

Winona only saw this as a diversion for Cynthia to avoid the question Lisia imposed. In her mind, she decided not to play along with Lisia's persuasion and sought to only enjoy a casual lunch with a fellow female friend. She did have a glass of sparkling water on the table with a delicious Watmel salad, but that was all.

"I'm surprised you still have not been dating, Cynthia," Lisia went on. "Aren't you waiting a bit too slow for a boyfriend? Or are you hoping he'll just come to you? The local gossip paper claims you'll reach a point where you'll regret it –"

"Tell us more about what else you've been doing," Winona interrupted, hoping to press for a shift in the conversation away from Cynthia's love life. While this earned an irritated inaudible remark from Lisia, for Cynthia she was happy to talk about something else.

"Oh, I've just been going about my business as usual," Cynthia replied. Her voice seemed fragile, but it also sounded wrong. To be honest, Winona had no idea what was going on through Cynthia's mind. She wasn't there when Cynthia went to the Stone Bakery, but she figured that Cynthia must have taken Wallace's words seriously when the latter claimed Steven had bribed the supplier. This was the result, perhaps.

"Are you sure?" she gently asked.

"Yes," Cynthia added, coolly. "I'm definitely doing business."

Whether Wallace was sweet-talking many of the staff, of if he was only being lucky, James had no idea how he had Wallace sitting across from him in Steven's office. The thing was that Wallace was sitting at where Steven would normally sit, and James was separated from him by Steven's desk.

"What do you want, Wallace?" James demanded. With a bustle of business going on one or two floors above, James had to expend time to talk.

"It's just that I've been asking many of your lovely waitresses here…" Wallace started, with a wide grin, "and they tell me that you all have a bit of a problem with Steven. You say he's cooling off, but that's not what Martine told me."

"That's none of your business –" James started.

"Nah-uh!" Wallace pointed accusingly. "Whenever there's anything that involves my friend Steven, especially his love life, it's always my business. You just don't know about it! Now, tell me, where's Steven and what's going on with him?"

At first James was taken aback, as he didn't know how to respond at first. Worse yet, he could tell that from Wallace's expression that he wasn't about to take silence as an answer. Suppose what the employees did was unethical in regards to business, but in this case, when the restaurant's owner was potentially suspect to something more unethical, James had to get to the truth.

But the truth wasn't coming out as easily as he thought. In his bones, James had never considered Wallace to be a plausible option for squeezing out whatever secrets Steven had. Was it the time to be desperate when Steven wasn't cooperating? Even more so, was Wallace to be trusted? To be fair, he was a Hoenn Champion, after all.

"I know how to butter him up, man, I know," Wallace said.

"You know what? Come with me," James motioned Wallace to follow. As the office was conveniently located on the ground level alongside the museum, the bar, and the Stone Bakery, the wine cellar was only a short walk away.

As they went for the bar, James took note of Laurent and Sophie, who were both enjoying chocolates and taking reservations for incoming guests. Business would manage for now, even if the cooking staff seemed slightly shorthanded.

Steven had contemplated drinking wine.

The glass of water and lemon Laurent had left for him was finished too soon, and as long as Steven was stuck in this prison of ancient alcohol, there was no way he would be able to get any water. The bartender had the power to give Steven water, but in exchange Steven would have to give in to his employees' demands. That wasn't going to happen. Whatever his employees wanted to know, only Steven would make sure they wouldn't find out.

Sitting alone still in this cruel prison, Steven pulled a bottle of red wine and poured a bit into the empty glass he had. Alcohol could dehydrate him, but Steven was thirsty.

However, as he was all too aware, his thirst would become uncontrollable. It would not be quenched. Although Steven should have been able to survive for at least a few days without water, the smell of wine was overbearing. In the end, he poured himself a glass from one of the bottles in the cellar to slowly drink from it.

He shouldn't be drinking wine at a time like this. He would suffer. He was so thirsty! But if he did drink, he would want more, and he still wouldn't stop. No, he needed water.

Eventually, Steven set aside the glass to think about his dilemma. While he was at it, he decided to return the bottle of red wine to its respective place, but not before vacuuming out the air within the bottle with a special pump to preserve the alcohol within. Afterwards, Steven cautiously placed the bottle where it belonged. The alcohol was getting into his head, and he could barely stand up straight.

No, he tiredly thought. I better not. It's not like I'll feel any better if I did drink now.

But as he placed the bottle where it belonged, Steven felt something was out of place.

Aren't there supposed to be ten bottles of imported Unova wine, here? Steven thought. I only see three, and a barrel is missing too!

Steven did question if he was hallucinating or not. Maybe it was the alcohol fumes getting into his mind. But there was no chance Steven was hallucinating, since he was thinking very clearly and he was thinking about hallucinating. How could he hallucinate if he could think about it? For good measure, he made sure the 'missing' bottles really were missing.

Even more so, what he found very difficult to understand was the potent smell of wine in the cellar. Normally, the wines were sealed well so that alcohol wouldn't be released. The best explanation would have been that someone might have sealed a bottle or two improperly, but the smell was too potent!

He wanted to get up and hit for the cellar door, but his mind was so sleepy. He wanted to rest. No matter how hard they would try, they would not get to him.

The familiar knock on the wine cellar door came.

Steven knew exactly what to expect, but his throat and mouth were dry. To reach for the glass of wine he had deliberately poured out was very tempting, but he knew better than to drink it. Using whatever willpower he had, Steven made for the door, but he tripped over his own feet and crashed into the door.

"I will not talk!" Steven rasped.

"There's no need to talk, my friend." Oh, the dreaded voice of flamboyant friend. It could not have gotten worse than this, save for Lisia. But why did it have to be him? And how exactly did he even know he was here? "I've had a word with James and he said you were cooling off. I had no idea you were in here though, and Metagross is stopping you from getting out. What are you doing?"

"Haaaahh…" Steven choked. It was apparent his throat was dry.

"Ah, there's no need to say more," Wallace said, although he was aware Steven didn't say anything at all. "It's about Cynthia, right?"

As if Steven had been slapped hard in the face, he was partly back to his senses, if it wasn't for the alcohol in his head, Steven could have thought a lot more clearly, but bringing up the topic about Cynthia by Wallace was enough. No, he had to stop.

"There's nothing I did to her that affected her," he whispered. "Her loss of supplies wasn't my fault."

"Oh! So it IS about her loss of supplies!" Wallace said excitedly. The bartender and Metagross, who heard Wallace very clearly, saw this as a breakthrough, and they stood closer to listen in. But Wallace motioned them to stay away. "Leave us."

As Steven heard the footsteps of the bartender fade, he began to mentally slap himself. What have I done?! Me and my big Loudred mouth, no thanks to the alcohol,he thought. I just told him my reasons, but he doesn't know my means.

"Between you and me, my friend," Wallace added, "I was there when you bribed Cynthia's supplier for berries, and you happened to use those berries for pies, right? I thought so."

"NOOOOOO!" Steven screamed, and he felt his throat crack. Wallace, though, seemed happy.

"Now, be a good man and tell the staff what they want to know," Wallace persuaded. "They all want to know what explanation you have when the two of you glared at each other this morning, or so I'm told."

"I WILL NOT SAY ANYTHING!" Steven roared.

"You will tell them what happened," Wallace said, although he was trying very hard to hold back a fit of laughter. The opportunity was too good to pass. "Otherwise, I will do it for you."

Silence. Just as Wallace expected.

"I'll take that as a no, yeah?" Wallace asked. "You will tell me you said no, or you will say no!"

But on the other side of the cellar door, Steven was no longer near the door but away from it. Not that he was showing cowardice, but because he felt something was well out of place in here. Steven carefully walked around, while trying not to stumble over his own feet.

The idea was that there was missing wine from his cellar for certain, and Steven warranted this need investigation. However, with his mind clouded by alcohol fumes and a need for water, Steven could not think properly.

At some point as he wandered around, he found that his order of specially imported "ice wine" from a faraway land was missing as well. What happened?! Things were disappearing before his eyes! Was he hallucinating still?

"What's going on…?" Steven mumbled sleepily.

He fell to his knees on the wine cellar floor. No, he couldn't take this torture anymore, but he had to endure. It didn't help that Wallace had presented him with an ultimatum. It was either this, where Steven told the truth to James, Martine, and everyone else, or Wallace would do it. Between those two options, Steven figured they would both make him worse-off anyway.

"My wine supply is disappearing before my eyes…" he mumbled. "Maybe I am hallucinating."

However, in an instant, he felt a severe blow to his back and he crippled to the ground almost unconscious. The pain spread across his back and finally to every part of his body. Was he being burgled? Or was it a hallucination created from his insanity?

It didn't matter, though, because the pain was real. Steven's head fell to the ground, and his consciousness was kept alive for just the silhouette of a Pokémon looking around the wine cellar. It looked familiar, like a Garchomp who belonged to a fellow former Champion.

Steven blacked out.

Chapter Text

Afternoon had faded quickly into twilight, but that wasn't stopping Vue sur la Lune or La Lune de Chocolat from slowing business. The latter had become more popular than anticipated, and was Cynthia glad it was. The restaurant's side café had proven as popular as it always was. On the whole, the business was surviving.

Moreover, Cynthia saw to her supplier who was bribed by Steven. After the calamity at the Stone Bakery, the supplier was given a severe dressing down from both herself and the supplier's administrator, and Cynthia's fresh supply of foods resumed its course. So everything was back to normal.

What did annoy Cynthia most, though, was that whenever she dropped by to see her café's progress, there was always the presence of the honey-conditioned Slateport cake from the bakery across the street. It felt wrong for Cynthia to be allowing customers to bring food from across the street, but it mattered not. For when she did ask them to go away, the customers would take their Slateport cakes to the square plaza outside, with their purchased coffees, and continue about their business.

The café would remain open for much of the night as usual, but Cynthia would not be there to oversee its duties, nor would she be able to help out with the chocolatier. No, the twilight signalled it was time to begin dinner hours. Food had to be prepared for the customer, and especially desserts. For Cynthia, she was already getting ingredients to prepare, but she also had untested ideas she wanted to implement tonight.

Among those ideas was the concept of a chocolate fondue. With the supplier bringing nothing but the best chocolate available (Cynthia hoped, if not wanting the supplier to be bribed again), and perhaps some specific wines, the chocolate fondue was expected to be a masterpiece.

Henri Matin already saw to the first of the guests with reservations take their seats. Looking outside from where he was, the glamourous sunshine was starting to set below the horizon. The skies were darkening, only fragilely held by the glimmer of sunset. The light was reflecting radiantly below the waters, and it was perfectly complemented with the night setting of Cyllage City. Streetlights began to glow and nighttime lightings were flickering alive everywhere.

That including the Stone Restaurant and Bistro across the street.

The first of guests took their seats, most of them near the windows, so they could observe the setting sun and the nighttime views of the city. For a restaurant that stood four stories high, it was the perfect place to have views of the great city. The Pokémon Centre, the streetlights, soothing view of ocean water and waves against the sand, and the radiant hotels made things breathtaking.

From Henri's current and past experience with Cyllage City, the area had seen good development of its economy. L'Hôtel Cyllage, initially a single-floored structure, had been developed and modernised to accommodate the rising demand of visitors to the city along with rising competition. This led to the café beside the hotel to expand its supplies and resources to keep up with L'Hôtel Cyllage's customers, and within weeks the city was prospering.

Museums were built as tourist attractions, most part due to the rich minerals and ores around the city, and they became popular with locals and foreigners alike. In only a matter of time, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro was constructed near the seaside, and that was the beginning of Cyllage's prestige of having first-class dining that could rival Lumiose City's.

Subsequently, Vue sur la Lune was constructed across from the Stone Bistro. This was how Henri had landed his job here, as a waiter. At first, he seemed to enjoy the atmosphere at the restaurant very nicely. His co-workers were friendly, the customers appreciated his service, and Cynthia was practically the best manager he had since his days working in Lumiose City. But at this point, he was sure something felt considerably different about his manager. However, Henri remained silent about the issue as business was picking up. He would have to discuss the issue later. For the time being, it was better off to focus on serving the customer.

Many more customers arrived. Henri saw to leading a group of four to their table and asking what they would like to drink. Meanwhile, his co-workers went about serving fresh salads and creamy soups as hors d'oevres (appetizers). What many looked forward to, Henri was sure, were the desserts Cynthia had in store for them.

To be honest, Henri hadn't seen Cynthia outside of the kitchens for at least six hours. Never stopping to rest, never stopping to eat (well, maybe not, given she worked constantly in the kitchen). There was a good reason, however, and it only came to when he had a word with one of the cooks.

"It's not like Ms. Cynthia to not be out here greeting the guests," Henri said. "I mean, I know it's busy, but it's not that busy."

"Well, whatever she's up to," the cook replied, "she's experimenting with a new recipe and she's hoping it will be ready before the first dessert order comes in."

To the relief of James d'Arc, the typical business flow the Stone Bistro normally experienced had slowed down for the night. It was a good thing, too, for James could tell the cooking staff – while heavily experienced in culinary arts – could not match the pace of Steven. Although Steven expected his subordinates to be autonomous, they still needed to model their efforts after Steven since it was he who knew the recipes inside out.

Nevertheless, despite the slow flow, James and the others were committed to providing excellent service to the customer. Most often, the customers ordered a Stone Accolade, which was an outcry to James since the Accolade was often prepared by Steven alone. But given the countless hours of experience the cooks had with making it, perhaps they could do without Steven for the night. Especially when Steven was locked away in the cellar.

As the flat stones were placed into the ovens to be baked, James started working on the dish that made the restaurant so famous, beginning with mushrooms, spices, onions, and peppers cooked with garlic and olive oil. The iconic aged blue cheese core had arrived fresh from the freezer and the rice flour envelope was ready to be used. All James needed to do was cook the vegetables as perfectly as he could, while other cooks handled cutting slices of the roast beef and readying onion au jus. Food orders came in steadily, so the food that came out of the kitchens collected by the servers.

As the relatively quiet Stone Bistro was enjoying a quiet atmosphere such that customers could be seen watching the glamourous sunset in first-class comfort, the same couldn't be said for the bar below. It was a hot day in Cyllage City, and the locals and tourists knew there were only three places that suited best for something cold. The first was the local Cyllage café, the second was at Vue sur la Lune's café, and the third was at the Stone Bistro's bar.

Because the Stone Bistro's bar had a light dinner option, that would be the best option for the night. As a result, many who went there ordered ice cold cocktails, beers, non-alcohols, crushed ice with a choice of berry or juice, or simply water.

And at the bar, Wallace was enjoying a quiet dinner of salad with a side of bread and water. He hadn't left the bar for some time (the barman and Metagross noticed this), but he was in no hurry to leave. If Steven wasn't going to talk, Wallace would do the talking for him. However, being the flamboyant he always was, he gave up on waiting and signalled for the barman over.

"Anything else you need, Mr. Wallace?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing!" Wallace answered. "Although…"

"Yes?" Now the barman seemed annoyed. Wallace had just signalled him to come over, and now he says there was nothing he needed? What sort of madness was this? The barman was polite, as the company culture trained him to be.

"I could tell you what Steven had in mind," Wallace offered. "But on the very one condition that I get a free drink and I get a word with Martine about this as well."

The barman knew that just about every employee working at the Stone Bistro, let alone James who was administrator, were trying their best to get at whatever Steven was keeping from them. If this was a breakthrough, then the news was sure to spread to everyone very quickly. Every employee would know what was going on with their boss.

"There's no need to tell Martine this," he said. "Whatever you're going to tell us, everyone will know. That is, Martine, James, and the others."

The sly smile Wallace wore on only few occasions crept onto his face.

"Let's start with the day Steven opened the Stone Bakery…"

It was exactly nightfall when Sophie had accepted a group of four customers into the Stone Restaurant and Bistro for dinner. Laurent was in the middle of a phone call assisting more reservations for people who wanted to arrive in about two hours, as well as taking more reservations from people who walked to the lobby desk from the word go. Those who were finished making reservations sat aside at one of the lobby's lounges while others still lined up.

"Welcome to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro…" Sophie greeted.

"Hold that thought," Laurent said into the phone before putting it down. "Please follow this waitress over here. She'll show you to your seat. Hello? Hello? (Laurent picked up the phone again) Yeah, I have your reservation complete… You're booked for 8:00 PM… You're very welcome. See you tonight."

As soon as Laurent hung up the phone, the same phone rang again. As usual, he picked up the phone to greet, "Bonsoir, mademoiselle, c'est le Restaurant Stone et Bistro…"

Sophie's phone also rang at the same time, but unlike Laurent the phone indicated that the caller was from within the restaurant walls. It was obvious that a fellow employee was calling the front desk, so Sophie answered without delay.

"Hello?"

Whatever context she heard from the other side quickly replaced her work attitude to one of enlightenment. She ended up almost forgetting she had to see to the customer until Laurent pointed out to Sophie that the customers were waiting. Quickly, Martine hung up the phone and saw to taking in more reservations. Although the pace was steady, there were still a lot of people wanting to eat here, and two experienced receptionists were what stood between them and their seats.

In Sophie's eyes, the flow of customers was good, but she hoped there wouldn't be too many more to come. Despite how well she was performing her duties, she had to break down the news to Laurent and the servers about Steven.

As fortune would have it, all the customers present were waiting at the lounges for their tables. With no phone calls incoming, nor any customers coming through the doors, Sophie took the opportunity to talk.

"Well, the barman's just called us," she reported to Laurent. "He says Steven has finally started to talk at last."

"Well, isn't that good news?" Laurent raised his eyebrows. "It's about time. His answer was way overdue. Apart from that group for the 8 PM booking, I don't see any more customers making reservations. Perhaps we should drop by the bar to see what's going on?"

"That's what the barman said…" Sophie muttered.

Laurent noticed Sophie's slightly annoyed reaction, so he placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the latter to flinch. "Hey, we're all interested to see what the boss is keeping from us. We might even need to have the whole staff to drop by the bar. Everyone will be interested. Even James."

She smiled and did not let Laurent's hand remain on her shoulder much longer, although she showed some restraint afterward. The two receptionists carried on working, but when things slowed down a lot they would have to check out the bar sooner or later…

The first customers to experience Cynthia's new chocolate fondue were met with pleasant surprise when the head chef herself personally when to present the fondue to them. Using a fondue pot, a delicate burner to match, chocolate, and fuel, she lit the burner underneath the pot to put on a show for every guest who was there.

In essence, every guest was interested to see what Cynthia was doing. She melted the chocolate into the pot, stirred it until it was just right, and then proceeded to adding a bit of wine into to mixture. In the customers' eyes, it was a wine they had never seen or tasted before in their experience at Vue sur la Lune. Had Cynthia been keeping secrets?

"Ms. Cynthia! I've never seen such a wine!" the customer remarked. "It's so… old!"

"Not in the slightest," Cynthia replied, although she didn't take time to examine the bottle she had in her hand until she pulled off the rubber-sealed cap and poured a decent amount of wine into the fondue. The bottle was then passed to Henri Matin, standing beside her, who pumped the air out of the bottle via a pump and the rubber cap before he took the bottle away. Cynthia was left creating the fondue until the chocolate had melted just right.

When she was done, she speared two apple slices on the arranged plate for the customer, dipped them into the hot molten chocolate and passed them to the customer. The chocolate was on the verge of dripping onto the table.

"Bon appetit," she said to the customers before her, with a sigh of relief.

The customers suddenly became self-conscious of the number of people who were watching them. At their discretion, trying hard to not notice them, they tasted the delicious chocolate fondue. Created, produced, and improvised by Cynthia.

Their reactions, to Cynthia's relief, were ones of tasting pleasure. This caused the many other customers to turn to their servers and ask for the same fondue for dessert. Out of the corners of Cynthia's eyes, she noticed almost everyone point in her direction and she knew the fondue was a candidate for success.

And it's all thanks to his wine, she absentmindedly thought. Argh, Cynthia, pull it together! His wine made me successful, so why stop there?

The problem was that her supply of this wine was limited, but it didn't matter to her. As far as she was concerned, she could – if she had time – claim that this fondue was a weekly special. What mattered at this point was keeping the fondue as a promotion for now.

Other servers took Cynthia as a reference for helping their tables with respective fondues. As the wine was limited, they had to share the bottles between them, but that still made the customers very happy. Cynthia alone cautioned how hot the chocolate would be, and then she left for the kitchens once more.

She walked past tables where customers were extremely happy to have been served their dessert, but Cynthia wasn't looking at them, and instead focused her gaze on the restaurant across the street. The Stone Restaurant and Bistro seemed to be operating lively enough, but certainly not as lively Vue sur la Lune was experiencing tonight. In her bones, Cynthia knew the chef she was before, at the opening of her restaurant, was different than the chef she was now. She had thrown herself into a price war with the chef across. What mattered was surviving.

"Hey, Cynthia, do you mind if we could chat a bit?" she heard.

Cynthia's eyes darted to the familiar voice to see Winona and Lisia looking right at her. Their faces were demonstrating curiosity.

Chapter Text

Sophie, on the whole, got her wish.

Initially, there were a decent amount of customers who had lined up for reservations, but at some point a small group of people – likely friends of the customers – had said something that changed the latter. Afterwards, a huge chunk of the waiting line was gone and away. The motion spread like a pandemic and very soon, within half an hour, the lobby was virtually emptied. No customer remained, save for those waiting at the lounge.

"I think we have time now," Sophie muttered. "I'll head to the bar ahead of you, okay, Laurent?"

"Sounds like a plan," Laurent replied without looking at her. He had to deal with both the incoming customers who made their reservations by phone call and the customers waiting in the lounge. It didn't take long before he signaled them to follow one of the waitresses standing near the stairs.

The customers eventually followed the waitress to the ground level tables, and as it happened Sophie made her way to the bar. Laurent would be able to handle the remaining reservations on his own, and when Sophie had time she would call Laurent to check up on Steven too.

She was about to leave the lobby when Laurent pointed out, "He will not be happy when he hears we've lost about three reservations tonight."

"I think he's as miserable enough already," Sophie grinned. "We'll break down the news to him later."

She entered the bar where Wallace, that colourful friend of Steven's, was chatting with the barman and several other servers. Sophie found this odd, as she expected Steven to be present and talking, and not Wallace. Was Steven still locked up in the wine cellar? Also, a handful of servers were present at the bar, including Martine Grenadine. If nothing else, James d'Arc was seated right beside Wallace.

"Ah, Sophie, there you are," the barman greeted, but his expression fell a little. "Say, isn't Laurent going to join us as well?"

"He'll be coming," Sophie replied. "Let's wait until he comes, yeah?"

"He'll be missing out, then!" Wallace called. He then had a very good look at Sophie. Head to toe. As a receptionist, she would have modestly qualified as one who was very attractive (but for Wallace, Winona certainly outshone her). "Say, you're Sophie, right? Have you ever thought about pursuing a relationship?"

The reactions that showed on Sophie's face, along with everyone else present, were – to Wallace's satisfaction – priceless.

So sudden… Martine thought.

"I don't now would be the time –" Sophie started. Her face began to blush.

"There's always time," Wallace interrupted. "So, who's the lucky man?"

It was so much easier, so simple, to get his words around someone like Sophie. Steven was a very hard one to talk about pursuing a relationship, so Wallace took the pleasure of tormenting Steven's workers. So far, he was getting very good results with this attractive receptionist. Perhaps he could try this with Martine – No, he better not. In these circumstances, Martine was an ally.

"Are we here to talk about Steven or what?!" Sophie shot back. She couldn't help it. She had to turn her face away to avoid further embarrassment. Afterward, she went to the barman to get a glass of crushed ice and Rawst. Something bitter would get her mind off of things.

Wallace ended his pleasant torment and turned to face James, who merely glared at him. No matter. Wallace was used to getting death glares from Steven on a regular basis, anyway. Moreover, the handsome male receptionist, Laurent, made his appearance into the bar in time.

"Ah, this must be him," Wallace said loud enough for everyone to hear, such that Sophie heaved a sigh of grief. "Okay, gather around, my children."

Some sat down, and others preferred standing.

"For all I know, Steven is still locked up in the wine cellar not willing to talk," Wallace began. "He's keeping something from you, and you want to know what it is…"

"Get to the point, Wallace. We've waited too long," James muttered.

Soon enough, everyone's eyes were fixed on Wallace. Now that he was in the spotlight, he decided to hold nothing back now. They had to know. The barman already knew, so it only made sense for everyone else. But what good would that do to their morale and Steven's business? Oh well, that would be their problem.

"Let's start with the day you were selling pies at the bakery," Wallace began, then paused to gather his thoughts, and added, "ever wondered why your pies tasted so good? Steven will never tell you he got his ingredients from Cynthia. He bribed her supplier, you know. He paid them to deliver all the ingredients to your bakery, none for Cynthia, and here we are! I know that Steven deeply cares for her, maybe too much, that he's acting as if he didn't."

Whatever words that came out, Wallace was pleased with the effect. He had stunned the staff of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro in one swoop. He cleared his throat.

"And so, as you've told me, you saw the two lovebirds glare at each other this morning," Wallace added, and putting huge emphasis on the 'lovebirds' part. "Well, you could say Cynthia's angry at my friend Steven for bribing, and Steven is angry at her for reasons unknown."

"Right, then. I'd best be going…" he stood up, handed a stack of cash to the barman to pay for his meal, and was on his way out. This didn't cause so much difference in the atmosphere though, because everyone was still standing in shock – except for the barman and Martine.

Martine, in particular, cleared her throat after Wallace had left the bar. She faced James and the barman, saying, "I guess we can let the boss out of the cellar. He must be dying of thirst right now."

"Right."

That was the only reply Lisia got when she asked Cynthia exactly that. That if she had experienced a loss of supplies. Cynthia's reply was cold and not entirely pleasant either. Whatever Cynthia had going through her mind, Winona thought, it was almost certainly betrayal and she was surprised herself.

"Are you telling me, Lisia, that a colleague of Cynthia's actually attacked her financially? By this, I mean Steven?" Winona's voice seemed timid, since she didn't want to anger Cynthia any further. But Lisia knew enough that Cynthia was angry to begin with, as she had recognised the berries in the pie she tasted two days ago.

"Sort of. Cynthia knows what I mean," Lisia softly said. "Don't take it the wrong way, Cynthia. I'm sure it was nothing personal."

Cynthia sighed deeply.

That's a notion of guilt, Winona thought intuitively.

"On the other hand, this fondue is delicious," Winona commented. "That wine you added certainly brought out the flavour for sure! It's a wonder why you didn't think about this earlier!"

The response was a dejected face from the head chef Cynthia, such that Winona ended up looking sympathetic. She could have smiled more, but this was all she could manage as she said, "I probably should have… But I needed the right resources, you know. Don't worry about the bribe though, Winona. I've got it settled."

Winona was hoping Cynthia wouldn't dive back into the topic of Steven's bribery, but if Cynthia assured there was no need for concern, then it should be a minor worry then. Nothing more. However, it still bothered her that Cynthia was not behaving as optimistic as before. At least Cynthia bothered making new foods and such, but still. Speaking of which, Winona's fondue burner had burned out, and the chocolate was only about to cool down. To make the most of it, she dipped a berry into it before popping it in her mouth. There wasn't much to say now.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Winona asked the head chef once more. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Cynthia answered with some degree of finality, "but thanks anyway, Winona."

"You sound guilty," Winona added, causing Cynthia to perk.

"I –" Cynthia stuttered. She was at a loss for words, which was enough for Winona to interpret what Cynthia was getting at. If anything, it might have had to do with the dejection she saw just now.

But before either Winona or Lisia could say something, the waiter Henri Matin briefly appeared by Cynthia's side to speak some words into her ear, and the next thing Winona saw was Cynthia getting up.

"It appears I've just got a huge flow of customers coming in," she said. "Can't talk now, but how would you like a cheesecake on me? It's a new recipe of mine: the Unova cheesecake."

Lisia grinned at Winona, and the latter – seeing how similar this young woman compared to Wallace – merely nodded to Cynthia. When Cynthia walked away, though, Lisia's grin became even wider.

"Come on…" Lisia lowered her voice. "Winona, you don't want to miss out!"

Winona found this logic irrational. "Wishful thinking doesn't make it true, Lisia. I have every reason not to have cheesecake. Besides, I have fondue, and we still have chocolate at our hotel, right? I think I could do with a Slateport cake, though."

"Fine…" Lisia groaned. "Let's save your cheesecake for my uncle!"

"Okay, it's time to let him out now, Metagross," James told the Pokémon. "I think it's time you take a rest too."

At long last, after so many enduring hours, the wine cellar door was opened. Metagross, who had been standing guard to keep his master locked up, finally moved aside for the barman to unlock the door. Martine and the others followed closely.

The door opened slowly, and instantly the smell of alcohol and fine wines wafted out of the room…

"Steven? It's time to come out now!" James called.

"Boss? Boss!" Martine called also, but she was first to walk into the cellar to look for Steven. Upon walking into the cellar, though, she had never felt this dizzy and turned to the barman. "Does it always smell this strong here?"

The barman did not answer but followed Martine inside to take a good look at the situation. Normally, with bright enough lights and strong casing, there was no way the wine fumes could have circulated around the cellar. Not unless someone was crazy enough to smash the wine bottles, which was absurd.

And yet, there was Steven Stone, lying on the floor as if he were dead.

"Steven? Steven!" James shouted and along with Martine was the first to see to him. "Speak to me! Open your eyes! OPEN YOUR EYES!"

"Come on, boss! Wake up!" Martine added in. "Don't even think about getting close to the light! If you SEE IT, don't go NEAR IT!"

"JUST HOLD ON!" James elevated to yelling. "OPEN YOUR EYES, STEVEN!"

Laurent seemed closed to laughing, and so was Sophie. For one moment, they were all deeply against Steven and locked him up like a prisoner (and in some respect, he was), and now his two closest associates were treating him like he was dead – departed from the world.

"Oh, Laurent!" Sophie could not hold back her laughter, and soon enough it burst out. "This is priceless!"

While James kept on yelling at Steven to open his eyes, Martine kept trying to shake him awake. She had both hands on his shoulders and she shook him rigorously. However, Steven was still knocked out, but from what? Eventually, the barman – who had tons of experience dealing with partially drunken customers – went to check up on Steven. The first thing he did was move Martine and James away so he could look at the boss.

"He's… drunk, I guess," the barman concluded. "Probably because of the wine fumes, although seriously I don't know how we could have spilled any wine since they're so well kept."

Martine and the servers, though, had experience working with the wine cellar. The wines were kept in glass casing stretching from floor to ceiling. They were secure and specially designed to withstand impact, and not even the force of a hundred Giga Impacts could cause the wines to spill, crack, or smash! Yet it was very clear that there was spilled wine on the floor… and some broken glass.

James and Martine, assured of Steven's survival, quietly stood up and backed away only to realise what a scene they made. If not Laurent and Sophie who were laughing very, very, hard, everyone else seemed on the verge of bursting into laughter.

"It's not funny!" James puffed. "Metagross, go and take Steven home, okay? We can handle operating the restaurant from here."

"No!" the barman interrupted before Metagross could move. "As far as I'm concerned, Steven hasn't eaten or drunk anything since this morning! He should have a good meal and water before he leaves! Metagross, go take him to his office."

Metagross gave a low, rumbling, echo, and sought to carry its master away from the cellar and to the office. There was no need to rest at the lounge since no customer would want to see the dignified chef appearing unconscious on his own premises. It would be, in Steven's words, a severe blow to the business. Using Psychic to levitate him off the ground, Metagross floated away and out of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro.

But as sous chef, James' business wasn't finished.

"It seems that either Steven might have had a bit too much to drink, he got knocked out, or that he simply passed out from the fumes," he remarked. "Anyway, I want any servers who aren't busy to clean up the mess here…"

"Et vous deux…" James pointed directly at Sophie and Laurent, who were still laughing hysterically. "Go back to work."

"He said 'open your eyes', as if he were that scared!" Laurent laughed.

"I know right?! And Martine was like 'stay away from the light', like Steven was dying!" Sophie added, her face overwhelmed by amusement. "If only Steven knew –"

"ARRÊTEZ!" James roared, but to his massive frustration Laurent and Sophie weren't intimidated. After the yell, the two receptionists casually walked back to the lobby still chatting away as if they were old friends. More or less.

When they had made off from the bar, James saw to getting back to the kitchens. If the restaurant was getting any busier, which he doubted, he would be needed back there. But it was well into the night and many customers had already finished dinner.

Speaking of customers…

"Hey, Laurent," James said as he passed by the lobby, his voice normal but slightly raspy. "Did we have any more customers come?"

"Oui, chef," Laurent answered. "We've got one more group coming, and that'll be it. I'd like to point out that we lost three reservations tonight, though. The customers were lining up in the lobby when they suddenly took off. Now don't ask me how, but it just happened."

"That's all I'm asking for," James complimented. Taking the advice of the barman, he instructed to the fellow cooks, "See that we have a decent meal prepared for the chef – let's say, onion soup and bread should do the trick, and –" he looked to the barman, "– see that he gets a helping of water when he wakes up. Now we all know that Steven's smart enough to not drink while he's locked up, but he'll be dehydrated for sure."

Martine stayed behind to comprehend the details.

Wait… so he tried to prove to me he doesn't love her by simply doing this, she thought. Well, that's definitely his loss! I guess love has its price!

Oh, of all the things she could chat to Lisia about this…

"Martine, now's not the time to slack off," James reminded her, and bringing the axe on her thoughts. "We have one more group coming in tonight, as I'm sure Laurent and Sophie have told you."

She didn't answer, but nodded before returning to her job.

Winona still refused to touch her cheesecake because she had no appetite for any, but Lisia on the other hand ate hers in delight. Like the girl she was, she avoided eating too much in order to keep up with her form, but Cynthia's desserts were simply too top-rate to miss out, particularly when they were having it for free.

"I'm fine, really," Winona insisted, whilst pushing the small plate of Unova cheesecake away. Lisia wasn't having any of this and her eyes flamed.

"If you don't eat your cheesecake, I'll have my uncle force you to eat it!" she threatened. "It's creamy and has a taste of Unova in it! You – don't – want – to miss out!"

Winona ended up laughing. There was no way Wallace would be able to force her to eat the cheesecake, not since Wallace had decided not to join them for breakfast. Moreover, Winona merely assumed that Wallace was still sleeping in.

Until now. Wallace walked to the table to greet his girlfriend first, and then his niece.

"Where have you been?" Winona asked. She was partly annoyed that Wallace had decided to show up now, especially when he had practically avoided her for most of the day.

"Helping out a friend in need," Wallace answered, thinking back to what he did at the Stone Bistro. The thoughts immediately dissipated when he noticed the Unova cheesecake before him. "My dear, Winona, why haven't you eaten your dessert?"

He realised that might have been the wrong thing to say when he saw Winona's eyes flare up. Judging by the expression, Winona looked like she was about to bring the axe onto Wallace again – in the form of a punch in the face. On instinct, Wallace took the seat beside Winona to try to restrain her. Indeed, Winona did bring up a fist, but Wallace acted quickly enough to stop her with one hand. With his free hand, he picked up a fork to take a bite of the Unova cheesecake.

"Mmm…" Wallace grinned. "Now this is something! You should have a bit too, my dear!"

Winona still refused. "I'm fine! I don't need cheesecake! Mmph?!"

But her words were cut off when Wallace pressed his lips on hers, shocking Winona. Because of this shock, the embrace was held for at least ten whole seconds – and enough to make Lisia's jaw drop. Yes, ten seconds. That was a long time for a kiss! Not that it felt awkward, but she became a little self-conscious that this was her uncle. No, that that made it awkward alright.

Around the table, Lisia noticed the people who noticed the number of people – at least four tables – merely glance at the scene for the same time. Lisia looked at her uncle – he was still kissing Winona! His eyes – and Winona's! – closed! It became more awkward when he put down the fork so wrap an arm around Winona –

"Uncle! Please! This is –" Lisia blushed, while putting her hands on her head. "Not now, please! Gosh! Please!"

They did not part at all, so Lisia buried her head into the table. She could not figure what was the best course of action for her right now. It would have been polite enough to plead for Wallace to stop, but no – this was not the case.

For Lisia, she felt like screaming inside. If she could, she would have screamed loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear. However, there had to be a way to separate them. Wallace and Winona facing each other like it was their first serious date. For this reason, Lisia kept her head down.

"Ah, am I interrupting something?" Lisia heard Cynthia say above her.

Winona's eyes opened spontaneously upon hearing Cynthia. She parted from Wallace's embrace only to stare at the table – more specifically at the Unova cheesecake.

"No, no, not at all," Wallace assured, saying that as if nothing happened. For Winona, it didn't help knowing that the people around them watched the scene unfold like this. Vue sur la Lune's head chef stopping by to check on some unsuspecting couple. That was unusual.

Cynthia grinned. "I thought I'd check on what you thought of my Unova cheesecake."

"Is that envy I see in your eyes?" Wallace asked, deciding to disregard Cynthia's point. "You must want a boyfriend by now, you know…"

Cynthia's grin faded out, and replaced by a scowl. Like the many glares he got, Wallace was perfectly used to this. Clearly, Cynthia could not manage to say a word because Wallace had simply had the hammer down.

Whatever thoughts they had, though, were disrupted by Winona. Winona let out a huge sigh with her elbows on the table, while staring off into space. Judging from her expression, she was infatuated, completely lost in thought. It seemed to annoy Cynthia, but Winona didn't care nor did she have a care in the world right now – her mind was lost in infatuation.

Eventually, Cynthia walked away back to the kitchens. She didn't know why she felt strange when she arrived, but she did feel slightly better. It was as if a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders, even though for her this didn't make sense. However, she did feel a tinge of emptiness within her, as though she was jealous. Wait, didn't Wallace just say that?

On the other hand, Winona slowly reached for her plate of Unova cheesecake. She had an appetite for dessert now.

"I have to say, this is really, really, good!" she commented.

Wallace smiled. But Lisia, who should have been happy to see her uncle's girlfriend test the cheesecake, found the feeling was very different from earlier. In stark contrast, she looked down at the table and remained silent.

Chapter Text

Martine Grenadine was certain her boss was a victim of a romantic cliché.

To quote her boss, Martine thought, if there really was an author somewhere working away at his computer and deciding how Steven's love life would look, it was falling into a cliché. The classic love-hate relation was too much.

The following morning, it became even more obvious to her when Steven called a meeting with his staff to discuss what happened the previous night. His appearance was shabby, given Metagross had to take care of him while the head chef slept in his own office overnight. His trademark suit was all crinkly and in desperate need for ironing.

By the time he called the meeting, there were only two reactions he got from the staff: either they were concerned or appalled at Steven's gruff appearance or they were amused at the appearance of their 'professional' administrator.

So far, in addressing his staff, Steven insisted that the wine cellar was broken into by a Garchomp most likely belonging to Cynthia. Martine wasn't surprised to see that no one believed him.

"You're just fueling more fire into your relationship by saying exactly this," Martine insisted.

Steven's face became red. "I'm not fueling any fire!"

But at least he didn't deny it. Moreover, James made a point. "You were most likely hallucinating. How could a Garchomp break into the wine cellar? And furthermore, stealing our wine and knocking you out? Not possible. The best explanation is that you were drunk and you likely smashed a bottle or two yourself."

Steven's face was still red. "I'm telling the truth! Come on!"

He may have been the administrator, but in the past weeks since Cynthia had taken up shop across the street, things at the Stone Bistro were getting difficult to manage. In other words, the restaurant was undergoing some sort of rebellion… and it was – Steven blamed – all because of her!

James d'Arc, along with everyone else, went to the heart of the matter.

"There's also the fact that, in light of what Wallace has told us, we all question your ethics, Steven," he said. "Just how could you bribe Cynthia's supplier?"

They were at the bar again, with Steven sitting at one of the tables with a pitcher of water in one hand and a glass of water in the other. He had never felt this thirsty in his life. Alongside, Martine served him a decent breakfast: a specialty soup of the Stone Bistro, a fresh Chansey egg, and toast with butter.

"As co-administrator," James declared, "this behaviour has to stop. It's for the good of the establishment, and your reputation. Tell us, Steven, what has gotten into you?"

Steven only chewed on his toast. He was in no mood to talk, so he kept eating. However, being the people who knew about the ongoing tension between him and Cynthia, the staff didn't need to second guess. James alone had made some precautionary measures against Steven, just in case.

"For today, Steven, I think you'd be better off taking a rest at home. Take the day off," James ordered. As he would expect, Steven wasn't pleased to hear that. "Look, we all know you're capable of handling the restaurant, for sure, but in your current state – like it or not – you're not really the most pleasant man to be around for the day. When you're feeling better, we'll see you in the morning as usual."

In the world of business, Steven was trained to know how to manage conflicts and negotiation, and there were a few options he could choose to settle this conflict. Knowing he was at fault, he had no choice but to yield.

"I understand…" he muttered.

"Then finish your breakfast," James concluded, standing up. "Head home, have a shower, and get your suit ironed. We don't want a boss who looks in bad form when he goes to work."

James and several cooks went away first, followed by some servers. Martine alone remained to watch her boss eat his breakfast, and she was eager to pester him with more questions when he was done. Sophie stayed to enjoy a morning juice, but Laurent had already left for the lobby to be sure if more customers had arrived.

"Tiens, barman, je voudrais un sirop de grenadine, s'il vous plaît," Martine asked.

The barman nodded and went to fetch the red bottle. Growing up as a kid, Martine was fascinated to find a drink that shared the same name as hers. Once she tried it for the first time, it became her favourite drink. Its iconic red colour and taste, produced from the freshest berries in Kalos, was complementary to her then-auburn hair, and now the colour matched her red hair.

Steven briefly looked up to see the barman carry the glass over to Martine before looking back at his food. It was clearly uncomfortable to eat with the many eyes looking at him. Slowly, he went for eating the Chansey egg.

Martine, on the other hand, picked up her glass of sirop de grenadine and sipped just a bit of it.

By the time the barman had cleaned up Steven's dishes, Steven was already in his office packing some of his books and accounting records away into his briefcase. If he wasn't going to be cooking for the day, nor would he be able to work in his office, he might as well being doing office work at home. Perhaps he was wrong, that he should be taking some rest.

Cyllage City was a seaside location, but it was also known for its rocky surroundings. Ever since Cynthia had taken up shop across the street, Steven hardly had time to revisit the vast surroundings to explore for stones. At his current Cyllage home where he stayed, he kept an Explorer Kit as a memento of his travels in Sinnoh. He hardly had time to use it when he entered the restaurant business, so he supposed now was the time.

The files and papers were in place, so all Steven had to do was, apart from packing up his briefcase, put away some of his pens and spare papers into his drawer. But when he did open the drawer, he cringed.

A copy of the popular Kalos magazine was in there, and still there. It still carried the image of him and Cynthia at Vue sur la Lune and the same 'Apples and Oranges' title. The image still scarred him, perhaps for life, so Steven began to wonder why the magazine was there. Why should he bother with keeping this magazine? Steven began to question what the point here was. Not that he had anything personal, right? The magazine was there because he wanted to keep it. This was the same magazine he had shown Martine, and how he blamed her for causing this.

He placed the magazine in front of him to read the title once more. Now that the impression of him and Cynthia became public, Steven became less sure if his performance was sustainable. Public pressure wasn't what he was expecting, and he certainly wasn't going to conform to their expectations, nor Martine's nor Wallace's nor Lisia's, that he'll end up in a romantic relationship with Cynthia. That would be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and Steven wasn't going to conform to that. He still wondered why he hadn't thrown out this magazine in the bin like he did with Cynthia's vouchers – with which Martine dug up and dragged him to dinner across the street.

That reminded him, he should seriously start considering adding deductions to Martine's paycheque.

I wonder how she's feeling right now, Steven thought. If he was in Cynthia's shoes, how would he have acted?

And… speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Well, in this case, a she. The door opened with Martine walking right in.

"Hi, boss."

Suddenly self-conscious that he still had the magazine in his hands, Steven swiftly slipped the magazine into the drawer. However, as much as Martine couldn't see the magazine, she could still hear the sounds of Steven trying to force some sort of object.

"What are you – hey, boss, what you up to?" she asked, smartly.

"Nothing," Steven's response was automatic.

Martine smiled her usual smile. As she walked in, she placed a cup of coffee on the desk but also took note of Steven's expressions. The way she saw him now he was in his office, he looked terrible. His hair was messy, for one, the tired eyes, the unwashed face, the crinkled suit. The lot.

"Thought you could use a shot of caffeine today," she suggested, before going on to say, "By the way, while you were knocked out last night, Laurent reported that we had a huge number of guests who cancelled their reservations for some reason. As one of our servers witnessed, they went to Vue sur la Lune to try out a new dessert."

Steven hung his head, but Martine could still sense the disappointment in his voice. "Right… and this is supposed to help me?"

"The coffee is supposed to help. You're still very sleepy, so nothing like a shot of this'll hurt," Martine answered. "Yeah, I suppose this is a little payback for what you did to Cynthia, eh? You attack her firm, and that firm is building upon your failure. Go home, boss, and get some rest."

Steven raised his head to look at her, sharply.

"Are you here to merely gloat at me?" he said. He picked up the coffee to sip it, and tasting the familiar bitterness of fresh coffee with the right amount of milk and sugar the way he liked it. Martine, along with basically every server, knew him well enough to know how he liked his coffee.

Martine shrugged. "No, it's just that while you were knocked out, Sophie got a phone call this morning that a regionally-renowned actress is having dinner here tonight. She's pure class and popular, I'll give you that, and we're hoping that our restaurant boss will be in top form when he comes tonight to greet her."

Upon hearing that, Steven's expressions eased. He finished packing his things, as well as finishing the coffee, before leaving his office. He was tired, perhaps too tired, that he didn't lock the door. After all, there was the prospect of a celebrity staying for dinner. When he had more time, after he had rested up, he would have to see who exactly was staying for dinner.

"Just make sure we have the appropriate tables set up for our guest tonight," he instructed. "Get the usual procedure done as usual, oui?"

"Oui, je comprends. Nous le ferons bientôt," Martine answered. In her bones, she had really wanted to find out what her boss was hiding. She heard the sound, but never got to see what it was. From this perspective, Steven was keeping another secret from the staff. Given Steven's state, persuasion wasn't going to work this time, but for the time being she had to focus on getting things ready for tonight.

By the time Steven had locked the door to his office, Martine was on her way back to the dining areas.

"Come on, just ask her out already," Martine said. "If you need to talk about it, I'm always up for a chat."

Rather than heading home straight away, Steven stopped by to pick up a pastry from his bakery; specifically, a Slateport cake. As head chef, it was natural for his employees to give it to him for free. Afterwards, he walked out of the bakery to welcome the salty ocean air that filled Cyllage City every day.

"Metagross, what do you think?" he asked his Pokémon. It wasn't as if Metagross didn't have an idea what was going on in Steven's mind. As a Pokémon who had the capacity of minds, Metagross was highly intelligent, so it didn't take too long for it to decipher what its master had in mind. Needless to say Metagross had figured out Steven's motives three days ago.

"Meta," it rumbled indifferently.

"Yeah, I know," Steven said, whilst walking past the infamous plaza he had heard so much about. As usual, people were buying bread and pastries from the Stone Bakery, and coffee and tea from Vue sur la Lune's café. What Steven had in mind was if he was going to see what the plaza's atmosphere was like, he better buy a coffee from Vue sur la Lune at his discretion, of course.

Subsequently, Steven put on a pair of sunglasses before walking into the popular café. Metagross, due to its massive size, waited outside for the former.

In his honest opinion, Steven secretly admitted that the café was comfortable. The polished metallic tables with wooden legs, the wooden chairs with cushions, the red walls complete with a black ceiling but with a slight bluish tint, and the miniature candle boxes on each table gave the atmosphere a light but distinctive air.

Still in sunglasses, Steven casually ordered a coffee at the till, politely instructing how he liked his coffee made. The barista at the till seemed to notice the wrapped Slateport cake in Steven's hand, but he didn't say anything at first until the coffee was ready. A steaming hot mug of coffee was prepared as instructed, and was soon in Steven's hands.

"It's a nice day to enjoy coffee and a Slateport cake, I'll give you that," the barista commented, which got Steven's attention. "I bet that cake would be best served with a macaron. Care for one?"

"Um…" Steven muttered, unable to immediately reply. The macarons on display looked very pleasing, with their colours varying from blue to red, green to yellow… Perhaps he wouldn't mind one? But wouldn't that mean that he was getting a little soft? "Sure," Steven said. "I'll take one."

"That's what I like to hear," the barista smiled.

Did all customers act like this? Steven wondered what he was actually here for. Either he was enjoying himself as a customer or he was attempting to gain some competitive advantage. But since he was forced out of his restaurant by his employees for the day, he might as well make the most of it. Yes. He was going to have to enjoy himself as a customer. Maybe afterwards, he could go for a walk on one of the nearby routes.

Eventually, a delicious macaron on a plate and a coffee were given to Steven after he had paid. Thanking the barista, Steven walked out of the café to one of the outside metal tables and pulled up a chair. He was not keen to walk into that square plaza across the street, not when he was wearing sunglasses, and certainly not in his scruffy appearance.

He sat down to, for the first time in what felt like too long, relax. For a moment, Steven had this sense of relief that he could be away from his restaurant for a little. The difference was that he was relaxing at a place owned by his (probable) chief competitor. As a customer, the mixture of a Slateport cake and one of her coffees was delicious. The ocean air could be heard through the streets and the sun was out, which made the Cyllage atmosphere very welcoming. Come to that, did Cynthia's coffee somehow taste nicer than his? It seemed so much smoother than the coffee he drank earlier.

As he was halfway eating through his Slateport cake, he peeked at the plaza to see locals happily mingling with each other as they ate pastries and buns from his bakery, but enjoying other things like macarons and tarts and coffee from her café. If anything, Steven thought, the square plaza beside his restaurant served as a sort of neutral ground between his place and hers.

After eating his Slateport cake, Steven reached for the light-blue macaron on his plate. The crisp pastry gave him a minor flashback of his first visit to Vue sur la Lune not-so-long ago. While eating, he peered into the café to see customers line up before the barista…

And Cynthia.

Realising this, Steven kept his head down and pretended to enjoy his coffee. However, he still kept his eyes on her, and hoping she wouldn't notice him. If his crinkled suit was a giveaway, then he would have to live with that. To be honest, he was finding it difficult to relax by just being here.

Metagross, though, knew exactly what Steven was thinking.

"Meta," it echoed, suggesting a tone saying, "You're not going to stay here long, probably."

The remaining quarter of Slateport cake was fed to Metagross, in which the Pokémon took gratefully. As a customer, Steven tried his best to relax, but the environment here was too… quiet. As much as he'd like to return to work, that wasn't going to happen.

He thought about eating the macaron and leaving some for Metagross, but shortly after, he changed his mind and kept it for himself. If Cynthia didn't notice him but was too busy working, then maybe he could get out before anyone, be it Wallace, Martine, or James, could notice.

"Hey, how's it going?" a voice greeted.

Cilan, Cress, and Chili. Oh, how Steven spoke too soon.

Before Steven could register what was going in his mind, Cress and Chili were sitting at Steven's table, whereas Cilan remained standing.

"Alright, I'll be grabbing coffee for all of us," he said. "Well, I suppose you'll be wanting tea, am I right, Cress?"

Cress gave Cilan the thumbs-up.

By the time Steven realised what was going on, it was too late for him to stop Cilan from walking into the café. If he walked in there now, Cynthia would surely notice him.

"Hey, Steven, you alright?" Chili asked. "I can see you probably we're expecting us, but wow! Imagine seeing you here of all places! I thought it might have been a first, seeing what happened to her that night, right?"

Steven glared at Chili, but because Steven was wearing sunglasses, Chili didn't notice the intimidation. Cress merely nodded.

"Let me guess, Steven. You're trying to forge a relationship or something?" Cress said. "After all, it's sort of like she's the one for you."

Now it was Cress' turn to be on the receiving end of Steven's glare, albeit overshadowed by the sunglasses Steven wore.

"Can't I enjoy some quiet time?" Steven muttered.

Out of the corner of his sunglasses, Steven noticed behind the glass windows Cilan talking to Cynthia. However, when he realised that Cilan was point right at him, Steven turned his head away and quickly recalled Metagross into his Poké Ball. His quiet time was certainly at an end now.

And just when I thought I was going to enjoy myself, he thought.

He finished off the rest of his coffee before getting up. Cress and Chili appeared to want to say something, but already Steven was a block away from the café. It appeared he was in a hurry to go somewhere.

"And, he's off and away," Chili remarked.

By then, Cilan was standing behind them.

"Cynthia insisted that she bring our drinks to us, though I tried to turn down the offer," Cilan explained. Indeed, Cynthia was standing behind the Striaton Gym brothers with a tray in hand. Steaming mugs of coffee and tea awaited them.

"Alright, did any of you order a coffee and a tea – Hey, what's with the looks?" Cynthia's tone became curious. Chili was wearing a grin that looked as if it was about to explode into laughter, whereas Cress appeared to be holding his breath.

As soon as the drinks were put down, Cress replied, "Nothing much, Cynthia, nothing much. But since you're here, I suggest you take a seat with us."

Cilan pulled up the fourth chair, where Steven had just previously sat on, to cue Cynthia to take a seat. Not wanting to be impolite, Cynthia took up the offer, and Cilan took his seat after.

"I suppose you're wondering what was going on?" Chili said, with his suspicious grin not losing its effect.

"But I really don't see anything out of the ordinary, though," Cynthia muttered. "Did something just happen here?"

The coffees were passed to Cilan and Chili, and Cress had his tea. The brothers simultaneously picked up their mugs, sipped them at the same time, and put them down at the same time. When the mugs were down, though, the three brothers were each giving each other hard stares. Chili seemed intent on talking about Steven, whereas Cress wanted to keep silent on the issue, and Cilan wanted to talk about something else.

"Steven was here," Chili was first to speak, and thus earning a well-deserved glare from his brothers. "It seems he was here to take a coffee break, yeah?"

"You're bluffing," Cynthia's face suddenly became cold. "He wouldn't bother coming here. Not anymore."

"Yeah, stop this nonsense, Chili," Cilan added. To this, Cress secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but Chili wasn't having any of this. The latter thought about making a comeback quote to persuade Cynthia, but it now appeared that Cynthia wasn't interested in the topic anymore, so he desisted, but not before giving both of his brothers a Steven-style glare. Cilan grinned. "In the meantime," he said, "how's life in Cyllage City, Cynthia?"

Chili merely stood up, with his face still showing annoyed expressions, and walked away. Cress only shrugged, and Cilan kept up his conversation with Cynthia.

James had given the order for the staff to clean up the entire Stone Restaurant and Bistro establishment. While Steven wasn't present at the restaurant, nor were floors above busy, James saw to getting some productivity from the staff. The barman was to clean the wine cellar, some servers to support the regular janitors sweeping the bar, while other servers cleaned the tables at the bar. Steven's museum was to be cleaned and dusted, and the bakery was to be cleaned as well.

Never mind the dining floors in the above floors, alongside the kitchens.

The lobby and foyer lounges had to be dusted and cleaned too. However, Laurent and Sophie remained at the desk to hold the fort in case if any more customers showed up.

That left Steven's somewhat new office, which Martine gladly took the opportunity to clean. James was reluctant at first, but finally granted permission for her to dust the office, seeing that there were little locations vacant.

Eventually, Martine was standing outside Steven's office, with a broom and a mop. James had provided her with keys to get inside, so that was exactly what she used. For once, she could actually wander around in here without her boss' presence. To snoop around seemed a tempting idea, but she was better off cleaning for now.

With a wet cloth, she wiped off the partly dusty shelves and files in the office; needless to say the table as well. Once that was finished, after washing off the cloth, Martine proceeded to sweeping the floor. However, she didn't count on her boss being the messy type, and her predictions were affirmed when she picked up little more than bits of paper. The only thing that needed throwing out was Steven's little trash bin which he used to contain discarded notes.

One would think this place didn't need washing either, she thought. The floor was surprisingly clean. Would Steven have cleaned the floor himself? Not possible. But it was a wonder how the floor appeared sparkly clean. The only thing Martine could collect on the floor was nothing more than dust. Normally, one of the janitors would stop by to clean Steven's office once a week, but since there was little to do for now, it was best to keep the first-class restaurant in form, particularly when they had an honourable guest tonight.

Knowing the cooks, they would be cleaning the kitchens and making sure their workspace was clear. When they finished with that, they would normally proceed to preparing ingredients in anticipation of dinner guests who ordered meals for the night. With the thought of a celebrity attending the restaurant for dinner, James made sure everyone was working hard.

At almost every space Martine dusted in Steven's office, there were financial statements regarding the position of the restaurant. This information of course was kept confidential from almost everyone except Steven and James, the administrators, but Martine took the liberty of neatly filing them away or stacking them on the desk. A messy desk wasn't pleasant to look at, after all.

And speaking of the desk… any more vouchers her boss kept would have been inestimable proof of affection for his culinary rival, and her boss would regard it as junk. Well, if it was junk, Martine thought, then who was he to decide to keep it? Maybe she should do him a favour and 'throw it out' for him.

Oui, and that'll mean I can 'help' him throw out the trash, Martine thought sinisterly. With that in mind, along with a mischievous smile, she opened Steven's desk drawer and began searching for more 'junk'. More financial statements, books, pencils, a calculator…

And that.

Ha ha, what have we here? Martine thought, reaching into the desk drawer and pulling out a slightly tattered, but in decent condition nonetheless, copy of the popular Kalos magazine from so long ago. The 'Apples and Oranges' article her boss supposedly hated, and it was just sitting there.

Curious as she was already, she opened the magazine to skim the pages. The article in question appeared very wrinkly and slightly teared, as if it had been touched upon too many times. Martine, then, deduced her boss must have been reading this too often. In her heart she was laughing as hard as she could, seeing that she discovered another of her boss' secrets. This one, in particular, was too amusing to behold.

Either Steven kept this magazine secret because he was too stubborn to admit he liked Cynthia, or that he simply couldn't take his eyes off her so this was the alternative, Martine thought. Whatever plans Steven had in mind seemed like a mystery to her, and this was a clue, perhaps. What Wallace, Lisia, or James wouldn't give for this information…?

It's been a while since I've read this, she thought.

Nah, maybe she'd be better off keeping this a secret for now. Martine placed the magazine back where it belonged, though with smiles, and resumed her duties cleaning her boss' office. If James caught her slacking off right now, he would probably dock her pay. If Steven saw Martine raiding his office right now, he would probably fire her.

As she finished putting the other files in place, and closing the drawer holding the magazine, the office door flew open, shocking Martine a little. James d'Arc walked right in.

Martine could have said something, but she kept quiet when she realised that James wasn't even focused on her.

"Something the matter, James?" she calmly asked.

James partly ignored her, and he went on picking up the files Martine had just organised and opening them, looking at shipping invoices. "We seem to have a supply shortage, Martine. You didn't happen to see the invoice for our delivery of wines, by any chance?"

Martine scratched her head. James sighed.

"While cleaning the wine cellar, the barman went to inspect the inventory to see if all the wines were in check," he explained. "He found that at least four bottles weren't accounted for, so I'll need the invoice to see if we have any issues. Not that it's urgent."

Martine wasn't impressed to see James overturning all the files, as if he was ransacking, in search of the particular file. It was fortunate that he was searching through only one shelf and not much else. The nineteen year old redhead didn't dare say a word that she had peeked into Steven's drawers to find a copy of the popular Kalos magazine, but she was quite certain James would be keen on knowing Steven's interest with the magazine.

Perhaps… Lisia and Wallace, let alone Winona, would be the first people she would tell of this breakthrough. Still, if only she could talk about the overall issue one-on-one with her boss… Now that would be wishful thinking.

"Home again, home again," Steven muttered tiredly. Then again, what was home? It wasn't as if he had forgotten about Hoenn, right?

In the northern region of Cyllage City was a private villa where Steven lived, in which it highly resembled the villa he used to own in Sinnoh. Incidentally, the villa was built by the same developer and had been happy to do a deal with Steven when he contacted them. Now, the furniture Steven had in Sinnoh was automatically moved into this new villa, although he had to buy a new table. The TV, PC, kitchen, houseplants, statues, everything else, and even the chandelier were in the exact same positions as they had been at Sinnoh. Why, he even brought his entire collection of rocks in Sinnoh to this villa and the displays were placed exactly where they were supposed to be. Only the view outside was different. For Steven, it felt good to walk into someplace familiar. Metagross too.

As usual, he was greeted by his other Pokémon – namely Carbink and Aerodactyl – in addition to his old regulars Skarmory, Claydol, Aggron, Cradily, and Armaldo. With their master indefinitely retired from battling, there was little they could do besides lounging around. At times, though, Steven would take them all out for travelling whenever he was out gathering rocks and stones, but that was all.

The meals he cooked ever since his venture in Lumiose City wasn't half-bad either. Every night, Steven would drop by to cook delicious meals for them, and the least they could do was make Steven coffee the way he liked it.

At other times, Steven would occasionally get them to help out with servicing the restaurant, but that would happen only once in a while. Compared to their Champion days, they've never felt so laid back, and now the most they could do was helping the bistro. Besides, if Steven released them, what else was there to do?

"Thanks Armaldo…" Steven said tiredly, sipping a bit of coffee his Pokémon presented to him and then collapsing on the cream-white sofa, instead of the four-poster bed. If the alcohol fumes had an impact on him last night, they sure lingered around in his body still.

Even so, his refuge was interrupted by a mere phone call. The ringing filled the villa with a monotonous sound.

Ugh… and just when I wanted some sleep, Steven thought.

His Pokémon highly anticipated Steven would have picked up the phone straight away, but Steven went straight for the four-poster bed and collapsed on it, exhausted. The ring tone eventually faded away, thankfully, but a mere minute later the ringtone woke him up. What Steven wouldn't give for at least an hour of sleep! After all, didn't James have him off to do exactly that?

It also did not help when Cradily brought the phone directly to Steven's bedside table, though he could hear the phone seemingly come closer. Grudgingly, without opening his eyes, Steven reached over to pick up the phone and held it against his ear.

"Hello…" he groaned.

"Steven," James' voice said from the other side. "We seem to have an issue with one of our invoices, so I was wondering if you can help me out when you're rested up. Let's say… six hours?"

"Sure…" Steven yawned, and hung up the line, casting the phone on the table.

A mere second later, the phone rang again, annoying him. He wanted to ignore the ringing and go to sleep, but as the phone was right beside him, why not answer it? Expecting James, he held it to his ear again.

"Oh, oh! Mr. Stone!" a different voice could be heard, which was enough to force Steven awake. This was not James, but was in fact… Sophie. "We didn't mention this earlier, but last night when you were knocked out we lost a whole lot of reservations at some point. First this group left, and then almost everyone followed… to go to Vue sur la Lune! Now, we thought we'd tell you later, but you were too busy sleeping –"

"Explain," Steven grumbled. Vue sur la Lune again? As if he hadn't had enough of that ill-fated restaurant already, seeing he went there for a coffee break not too long ago. Nevertheless, the news of a loss of customers caught his attention. If demand for his restaurant was going down, then that was terrible news to the current restaurant expenses…

No. He needed some innovation – maybe a new dish – to attract customers. Otherwise, he might have to start slashing menu prices, and that in turn would add on the restaurant financial liabilities, which was the last thing any business wanted. Speaking of financials, he had to check on James and the financial statements soon...

"It happened last night when almost all the reservations we had at some point left the lobby and went to Vue sur la Lune for dinner!" Sophie reported. "I don't know about you, but maybe something's going on over there, or maybe she might have a new food item on her menu."

Yeah. An innovation might be the solution.

"Apart from that," Sophie added, "don't forget that a celebrity has reserved a table tonight! Honestly, the bistro would look good for her if you came along. If you can, please drop by and help James and the others cook!"

It took a moment, a long one, before Steven could reply, "I'll see you tonight, Sophie."

He rested only for another ten minutes. When he got out of bed, it came to Steven that he still was in a shabby state. The suit he was accustomed to wearing, the trademark charcoal gray with the purple zigzag pattern and a red tie, could not have been in worse shape. Removing the jacket and tie and casting them away to wash, he went straight for his closet. Whatever appearance he had last night, he hoped it would be forgotten now.

As well, he needed to look sharp!

He selected one of his neat charcoal gray dinner jackets, a freshly ironed steel-blue dress shirt, and set it aside on the table. The charcoal gray dress pants, the belt… it all looked good.

There was also the issue of picking a tie. What should he go for? For tonight, perhaps red might go well…

However, Metagross knew exactly what he was thinking, and used Psychic to hold Steven's hand in place.

"What? What do you mean, 'not red'?" Steven demanded, glaring at Metagross.

The latter then used Psychic again to pull out a slim, alpine white tie, and held it up in front of Steven's face. Finally releasing the Psychic hold on Steven's hand and the slim white tie, Steven swiftly snatched it from the air in front, and held it up before his eyes.

"Alpine white, huh?"

Metagross nodded. After giving some thought, Steven admitted that alpine white would probably suit the steel-blue and charcoal gray best. He trusted Metagross, with all that knowledge and logic inside its mastermind, had a better judgement. Since when did he allow Metagross to choose what he should wear?! The alpine white tie was thrown on top of the dinner jacket.

And finally, shoes.

"If I'm wearing a white tie…" he muttered to himself, with a hint of embarrassment, "it'd be pointless to wear black shoes, let alone gray. No… I'd probably go for…"

In the end, he settled on a pair of smoke-white leather shoes. Steven brought the completed suit near the bed, but he also brought a polo shirt and shorts to wear for the time being. He started to change out of his tattered suit and into the business casual, so Steven's Pokémon reserved the right to leave him to his privacy.

When Steven was done, he would head over to his kitchen where he prepared to concoct a brand-new recipe that he hoped would attract customers back to his restaurant. Honestly, he could only imagine what reaction he would get from everyone. Wallace would probably come up with something like, "It's about time you've changed into something different." Yeah, he would probably say that.

Oh, if only Cynthia could see the suit he had picked out. Would she be impressed? Wait, why was he thinking of her now?

Chapter Text

The woman who had briefly been in Steven's thoughts was operating her business as usual, albeit it had been a somewhat tiring day. Cilan, Cress, and Chili hadn't left, but instead were enjoying Cynthia's freshly-made desserts, and professionally critiquing the taste and effort she had put into them. Even Chili, who was normally hotheaded and such, had taken time to enjoy the original Unova cheesecake Cynthia had served to him.

It had been three hours since Cynthia had them sample some of her treats, whereas she had them pay for others. Unova cheesecake, macarons, and delicious smoothies were among the things that had been served. On demand, though, Cilan paid for a dark chocolate shaped to look like a Prism Tower replica.

The chocolate was served frozen, and the design of the chocolate was such that Cilan sort of felt guilty at the thought of eating it. Chili insisted on taking the first bite, to which Cilan started to eat the chocolate rather hastily.

"Shall I interest you three in a chocolate fondue?" Cynthia offered.

Cress held up his hands. "I think I've had enough of desserts for today, tempting as it may be."

"Come on, Cress, there's no need to fear more chocolate!" Chili lightly pressured. Before Cress could even say any more, Chili motioned to Cynthia for a fondue. Chili loved the reaction he was getting from Cress, when the latter frantically tried to stop Cynthia. Unfortunately, he was held down by his brothers.

In minutes Cynthia was back inside the café helping with more customers who stopped by for a coffee. She went around collecting empty cups and plates before heading to the counter and passing them to some of the staff.

"The gentlemen outside would like a chocolate fondue, with red or white, you decide," she instructed. "Fruit or bread, that's up to you too."

"Oui, chef," the barista nodded, and then he seemed to remember something. "Oh by the way, chef, we had a customer drop by who was looking for you. She seemed in a hurry, I guess."

"Oh, did you get the customer's name?" Cynthia asked.

The barista scoffed, as if he was failing to hide a joke, which annoyed Cynthia. Not wanting to risk losing pay or even his job, the barista replied, "She's sitting over there."

Immediately, he went for the phone to contact the kitchens on the upper floors. Vue sur la Lune had a chocolatier, a café, a dining area, and a lobby on the ground level, but much of the restaurant's dining occurred on the upper floors. As it happened, the chocolate fondue Cynthia created was a restaurant item and had to be prepared from the kitchens. That was what exactly happened when the barista made the quick phone call, and normally, one of the servers would bring it to the café when it was completely prepared.

At the same time, Cynthia went for the customer the barista mentioned. This customer was dressed in entirely white clothes, complete with a white coat, and white high heels. She sported a pink handbag and was wearing sunglasses. Sitting near the window, she was slowly enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee with a croissant on the side.

Well, doesn't that look sharp? Cynthia thought. If she didn't know better, she would have taken this customer to be a sort of rich girl.

"Salut," Cynthia greeted, casually. "Were you looking for me?"

The customer looked directly at her, and then gestured to the other chair at her table. "Bon après-midi, Champion."

Cynthia expected as much that at some point sooner or later in Kalos that someone would address directly as Champion. It occurred to her that this customer was making it more puzzling in that this customer was wearing sunglasses. Why so secretive?

"Um… I suppose you know who I am," she said. "But may I ask for your name?"

A smile crept up the customer's lips, and then she pulled off her sunglasses, and smartly saying, "You really don't know who I am, Cynthia? That's nice of you."

Now Cynthia felt like slapping herself. If it weren't for the sunglasses, she would have recognised her right away. Everyone in Kalos, and maybe fans outside the region, would know exactly who she was. Cynthia wondered why she didn't recognise her at first glance, being former Champion.

"Oh! Diantha!" Cynthia exclaimed, with an expression of surprise.

"In the flesh," Diantha grinned. "How have you been?"

"Great!"

"Really?"

"Oh, you know…" Cynthia said slowly. "I'm just a simple woman now, doing business in something I really enjoy. Ever hear about people who want to retire early? I guess this is what it feels like, being free from Pokémon League duties."

"Cynthia, that is nowhere close to being retired!" Diantha lightly objected. "But in all seriousness, are you sure you're feeling great? After all, I did read the title article in my favourite magazine. So, have you two started yet?"

Oh no, not you too! Cynthia thought.

Unfortunately for Cynthia, her facial expression came long before her verbal response. Diantha read it a moment and she laughed, right before Cynthia said, "No!"

"It's alright, Cynthia, we can always talk about that later," Diantha said back. "Besides, I thought I'd try to give you an invitation to a dinner I'm hosting tonight."

Henri stopped by the table to check on his boss, where the latter asked she be served a cup of mocha. In five minutes, Cynthia was enjoying a conversation with the Kalos Champion over a hot drink. Diantha explained she had just returned from filming at a studio in Unova and was happy to celebrate over dinner with her colleagues. Cynthia expressed interest as well, until she asked where exactly Diantha was holding dinner.

"Oh, it's at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro," Diantha happily answered, not noticing the very slight disappointment in Cynthia's eyes. "I've made a reservation, but if you'd like to join me, I'm sure Steven would love to oblige. Hey! It'll be like a gathering of Champions! A reunion! Of course, keeping out the paparazzi isn't going to be simple either, so I've booked a whole private section on the top floor, when the sun sets."

Cynthia wasn't paying attention, but she was staring off, lost in thought.

Diantha ended up waving a hand in front of Cynthia's eyes. "Hey, Cynthia? Cynthia!"

Her spaced-off eyes blinked back to reality. "Oh, sorry, what?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Now Diantha said it in a way as if she was acting smart. "Let me guess. You have something against me going to Steven's restaurant and not yours."

Thinking quickly, Cynthia replied, "Oh, no! I'd love to join you for dinner tonight, even if it would mean going to eat there! Well, not that I have anything against him."

Henri served Cynthia a slice of lotus cheesecake, with an appetizing drizzle of deep blue Belue berry and garnished with coconut shavings. If Cynthia was going to enjoy a mocha, she might as well serve it with a light treat. Diantha, noticing how appetizing it looked, asked Henri for a slice as well.

After making her order, Diantha faced Cynthia again. "Alright, so if you're really interested you could always drop by tonight. Dinner will be in… (she glanced at her phone) three hours? That's plenty of time, I'm sure. Now given that it's Steven's restaurant, you'll want to dress nice. No wait, scratch that. You need to be looking fabulous."

In an instant, Cynthia became self-conscious of the day. She didn't realise it at first, but the sunlight in the skies began to signal the coming of twilight, which meant that if she really was going to have dinner with Diantha, she was going to have to start organising an early leave from work. To be fair, at least, Cynthia was administrator. She would have to leave the duties to her managers, like she always did before.

She eyed one of the servers from upstairs who was bringing a fondue set outside to where the Striaton brothers were sitting. It appeared that the barista had opted to have the fondue served with strawberries. Outside, Chili and Cress reacted happily upon seeing the server place the pot over the burner, subsequently lighting it, and melting chocolate into the pot. In addition, some wine – specifically one from Steven's cellar – was used to help cook the fondue as well.

"I guess I better start picking out my dress," Cynthia said, albeit dully. "I think I'll have to look good just for you, Diantha."

Diantha grinned. "I'll make a phone call for an extra seat now."

At the same time a slice of lotus cheesecake with coconut shavings was placed on the space before her, while she made a phone call to the Stone Bistro to add one more seat at her table. As one would expect, Diantha picked up her spoon and scooped small portion of the cheesecake to eat it, after she had made her call.

On the other hand, Cynthia got up to walk over to the café counter to make an internal phone call to her managers, informing them of her change in schedule. Elsewhere outside, Cilan asked his server if he could look at the wine that was being used to cook the fondue. The server agreed and left the bottle on the table for Cilan to look at upon departing.

After making her call, Cynthia returned to the table to rejoin Diantha who was halfway-through eating her cheesecake.

"I have to say, Cynthia, this is good cheesecake!" Diantha smiled. "You know, maybe after dinner at Steven's, I could head back here for a slice. What do you think?"

But before Cynthia could answer, Diantha coughed. This cough was pretty dry. Alarmed, Cynthia asked, "Hey, Diantha! Are you alright?"

Diantha held a hand to her throat, another to cover her mouth, and she kept coughing. "It – (cough) – I'm fine. It's just a little allergic reaction – (cough) –"

The coughing did not stop, and now Cynthia was getting very worried.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" she said. "Allergic reaction?! What are you allergic to?!"

Diantha rasped, "Co…co…nut."

CRASH

Immediately, Diantha's head, shoulders, and arms collapsed on the table. It was apparent that Diantha had fainted. Panic was the first reaction Cynthia had. Thankfully, the only customers at the café at the moment were the Striaton brothers.

"Cynthia! What's going on?!" the barista dropped a bag of coffee beans, spilling them on the floor, when he saw Diantha out cold on the table. "Wait, that's Diantha! Cynthia, what happened?!"

"She's knocked out," Cynthia answered calmly, trying to keep the situation steady. "I'll see that she'll be at the Pokémon Centre soon. It's really nothing serious, but hey, let's keep in mind that Diantha is allergic to coconut."

Still aware of Diantha's booking at the Stone Bistro, and that Diantha would have to wake up in… three hours, someone would have to show up in her place until she did. Cynthia wondered if she might take it as an advantage.

Diantha was carried away by two of Cynthia's Pokémon – Garchomp and Roserade – and Henri out of the café. It was an unusual scene, particularly for the Striaton brothers who were sitting outside watching.

"Remind the medical staff to notify me if she ever wakes up," Cynthia instructed. "She has a dinner reservation tonight, so we wouldn't want her to keep waiting."

"Oui, chef," Henri replied.

"Something going on here, Cynthia?" Cilan asked.

Cynthia nearly forgot how close the Striaton brothers were sitting to the café entrance.

"Nothing serious," Cynthia quickly replied. "Diantha here just got an allergic reaction to some coconut. That's all. Is there something you need?"

"I'd just like to talk about the wine you use for this chocolate fondue," he said. "I'm not criticising you, as the fondue is delicious, yes, but where exactly did you get this wine?"

Her face was frozen for a few seconds, but she made a quick reply.

"I'm… having dinner with Diantha tonight at the Stone Bistro," she said. "You think I can answer your question later?"

On the other hand, Cynthia knew that for one like Diantha, casual clothing was not going to cut it, and particularly at a place like the Stone Bistro where business casual was the minimal norm – Cynthia had enough clothes of that style than she could count. Well, if she wanted to impress others, including him, she would need something impressive.

She began to make her way back to where she stayed, leaving Cilan and his brothers behind. While walking, and keeping an eye on Diantha who was now being carried away to the Pokémon Centre, Cynthia began to wonder what exactly to wear for tonight. Plus, with the knowledge of Diantha's weakness to coconut, things might get interesting…

"Think I'll stop by the boutique for a dress," she said to herself.

It made sense since Cynthia only brought one or two dresses with her all the way from Sinnoh, but while she was here in Kalos, she probably would be better off if she bought new dresses. It helped to know that she had economic benefits from her business, and she managed to collect some profits.

For an event like tonight, though, arbitrarily picking a dress was out of the question. She needed some time to decide what to wear.

Steven's Pokémon could not have felt more satisfied with the meal Steven had prepared for them. After what felt like endless hours and multiple attempts creating an experimental recipe, and not to mention the sorry reactions the Pokémon felt when it tasted bad, Steven had managed to create… something.

"It's about time," remarked Steven.

His Explorer Kit was stored in the back of the room wardrobe, and in light of the event tonight, digging for rocks would have to wait. Tonight, he would bring this mastered recipe to the kitchens for everyone to follow. If the critics at Lumiose City saw this, they would have been impressed.

Metagross echoed happily. For hours, Steven had been experimenting with a written-down recipe he had in mind in the time he was resting. After he went out and came back with Cradily to do some grocery shopping, Steven initiated the experimental recipe, dressed in his business casual clothes with a black chef jacket over top. He had sampled parts of it himself, while giving other samples to his Pokémon. The ingredients he had were of decent quality enough, inexpensive as they were, and only when he would bring the recipe to the restaurant would he switch to higher quality ingredients.

For now, though, his Pokémon were satisfied with the food, and that was enough for Steven.

"I'm going to get dressed now, but…" Steven laughed as if it were a shame to say it, "could you do me a favour and help me wash the dishes?"

The only one actually willing to wash the dishes was Armaldo, but eventually the other Pokémon took a stake in washing and drying the dishes. It was a miracle that not even a plate was scratched.

Facing the mirror now, Steven began to dress up. Beginning with his steel-blue dress shirt and then his charcoal gray dress pants, all freshly ironed. After he had buttoned up his dress shirt, he faced the mirror again, and started to put on the slim alpine white tie Metagross had picked out for him. Bowing his head down, he wrapped the tie around his collar before raising his head up again.

After that was done, he put on his charcoal gray dinner jacket.

Ah… right, maybe Diantha would appreciate it more if I wore cuffs, he thought. That'll make me more look more businesslike.

Reaching into the nearby wardrobe, Steven took out the classic cuffs he had always worn back in his Pokémon League days, and was still impressed that he had a use for them in the restaurant business. In some respect, he operated the restaurant and the League like they were businesses anyway. He slid one on each arm, up to chest height, and felt their familiar grip.

He looked back at the mirror to make sure the cuffs were symmetrical, and adjusted them where needed. On the other hand, Steven then proceeded to make sure the cuffs of his dress shirt were smoothed out beneath his dinner jacket sleeves.

When that was over with, Steven straightened his dinner jacket, fixed his tie once more, and then went for some hair gel. Not that he was a fan of gel, but he figured he should look good tonight. He could only imagine how Martine, Sophie, or the other waitresses would react to him now.

Elsewhere, wearing a black bathrobe in her washroom, Cynthia had just washed her platinum-blond hair and was in the process of putting on makeup. She had perfume laid out before her, but she was trying her best to brush her eyebrows carefully, with the aid of a lash thickener and conditioner. It would probably take hours to have the makeup done, and that was time Cynthia didn't have.

"Back already, eh?" she said, hearing the familiar scuffle of Garchomp entering the premises. "How's Diantha doing?"

Garchomp briefly walked into the washroom to place a written message on the counter in front of her before turning away. Cynthia ended up placing her thickener brush aside and picked up the piece of paper.

So she'll be up in three hours, the nurse says, she thought. Just in time for her reservation.

She continued of the process of treating her eyelashes, but after that, Cynthia really needed to think about combing her hair and picking out her dress. Thankfully she bought a new one at the boutique, and she seemed happy with her choice. That reminded her, she still needed to have it washed and dried.

"Garchomp. Be a dear and get Milotic and Roserade to wash my new dress, please?" she asked.

Garchomp took this to be an odd request from her master, but complied nonetheless and walked out of the washroom. Cynthia was still carefully brushing her lashes, and when that was done she would be adding eyeshadow to her eyelids and then combing her hair. She could only imagine what reaction she would get from those around her. It was enough that Wallace called her attractive (in Wallace's case, in particular, it was more than enough), and the article in the popular Kalos magazine made that point thorough, but speaking of which she wasn't going to fall victim to matchmaking that easily.

Besides, she was only dropping by the Stone Restaurant and Bistro on Diantha's behalf, right?

Chapter Text

Two hours later, both Steven and Metagross were well on their way to their restaurant. Although the actress' reservation was well away, there was still the matter of the financial statements regarding inventory. James, a little desperate on that, had to get Steven in to have that matter settled before they got to the more pressing matter in the actress' arrival.

"The first thing we're going to do is teach our new recipe to our staff," Steven said, "and then we'll move on to overseeing the financial statements James was talking about."

But the first knee-jerk reaction Steven got from his staff was – particularly from the females – overwhelming. Upon walking into the foyer, he would normally be greeted by the staff present there, and normally that would be Laurent and Sophie.

"Good evening, Mr. Stone," Laurent waved.

Steven nodded back, but he stopped still when he realised that Sophie was staring at him.

"Oh… my," she gasped, as if she didn't realise she was looking at her boss. "Ohhhh, my…"

"Um… Sophie, êtes-vous ça va?" Laurent asked. The response he got was a sigh, as Sophie kept staring at Steven, who was on his way to his office. When Steven disappeared from sight, Sophie remained staring in that direction until Laurent gently shook her arm. Sophie flinched.

"Ah! Qu'est-ce que c'est?" Sophie cried.

Laurent appeared suspicious, but after a moment let the details sink in and then he started to laugh. "Ah, Sophie. Really? Really?!"

Sophie blushed and turned away.

"He's just our boss, but… yeah, he's looking sharp," she said. In the next instance, her voice became quieter and she slowly slipped away from the front desk. "Um… Laurent, would you excuse me?"

Elsewhere in Steven's office, James d'Arc had been overviewing the restaurant financial statements for some time. As the restaurant's part-time accountant, James had a major role in keeping the reports up-to-date and accounted for. In this case, he had invited the barman to Steven's office for half an hour to make sure that the claim was true – that four bottles of wine were missing.

It helped a little that James had been in contact with the restaurant's primary accountant, but even so, the accountant was certain that the accounts were in check, so James – and in a way, Steven – was on his own.

"Come in," he said, as he heard knocking from the door. Steven walked in.

It was apparent that James had been busy.

"I'm told you need our shipping invoices, James?" Steven asked, but only to get James' attention. When James gave back a nod, Steven went over to pull up a file within one of his shelves. As James looked at the statements carefully alongside the barman, Steven flipped through the pages of this file and pulled out the invoice. "Alright, let's compare notes."

Steven took his office chair to join James in sitting. Only the desk now separated the two of them with the barman, who was certain his role was done, nodding to them both and quietly left the office. Steven checked the financial statement James had which showed the value of assets – in this case the total value of their wines ordered – and compared it with the shipping invoice which showed the price of the wines actually received. No doubt, the values on both documents matched.

"This is strange," Steven said to James. "We definitely have the right amount of wines, and yet the bar claims we're low on four bottles? Not possible. Unless… the bottles could have been stolen – James! I told you I wasn't hallucinating!"

James ignored Steven, but kept on rechecking the statements. The invoice was there, which was proof that the restaurant had received the right number of wines and spirits, and not to mention that the amount was the same amount showing on the financial statement. Plus, the statement showed that the restaurant had paid the supplier in full, so that was one less liability down.

James ended up rechecking the financial statement with the invoice once more. "Alright," he said. "Let's assume they were stolen, so we'll have to investigate who and how that happened. I'll go notify the barman, but for now, Steven, I think it's time for work."

Steven became aware of how little time there was before Diantha's dinner reservation.

As the two chefs stood up, Steven reached into his dinner jacket chest pocket to pull out the recipe he had written out at home. He held it in front of James.

"I'll admit, James, that you had a point of sending me home," he said. "While I was at home, I spent my time preparing a new recipe. I'm sure Diantha, and maybe the staff later, would love to see how it tastes."

For the first time since Steven had been locked up in the wine cellar, James smiled. "I'm glad to see you're acting like the chef you are, Steven. The kitchen would love to see what you have in store. I'll join you later, but in the meantime, bon chance."

Steven ended up straightening his alpine white tie before he went for the door, thus leaving James to settle the matter with some phone calls. As well, he went to grab his black cook jacket on the way out.

When he left his office, though, he was met with a crowd of females. Specifically, they were all made up of his restaurant staff. Martine Grenadine was there, so was Sophie, and many of the waitresses stood looking straight at him. At first, Steven wondered if there was anything urgent they had that required his attention, but after some thought – when he briefly looked at each of their faces, his face began to flush.

"Um… Is there something you need?" he asked slowly.

"Ooh… you're looking pretty sharp there, boss," Martine spoke first.

"Not sharp!" Sophie pitched in, with her voice in a slightly higher-pitch squeal. "You've never looked more handsome!"

As well, before Steven knew it, he was surrounded by all his female staff. Although he was administrator, he simply was in no position to keep off the number of eyes looking at him, as if they were charmed. Was it perhaps the cuffs on his sleeves? Or simply his suit? Steven had no idea, but he needed to move.

Or so he wished. It looked like everyone wanted to have a good look at him.

"I'll bet she would be impressed, wouldn't you say, boss?" Martine asked playfully, whilst batting her eyelashes at him. Steven was unmoved, but he knew exactly what Martine was trying to get at. However, he had to admit that his choice of suit seemed to influence everyone around him.

"Nonsense," he quickly answered. "Anyway, let's put our focus on our guest, who will be seated in an hour. I've been told that our guest tonight is a very popular actress, so that's why I'm in top form today. It's the only way to greet a guest."

Sophie grinned. "Of course you would, mon chéri."

"Elle a raison…" one of the waitresses muttered happily.

His face showed signs of trying to hold back a blush, and was done so only satisfactorily. This seemed to satisfy his workers even further.

Steven, hoping to avoid his female workers for perhaps the next hour, told all of them to go back to work. Martine and the waitresses went back up the stairs to return to preparing the tables, in preparation for the dinner hours. It was just their luck that Steven had to follow them to the lobby, as he had to go to the kitchens on the way there.

"Hey, boss, are those cuffs you're wearing on your sleeves?" Martine pointed out, giving one of the cuffs a tug (which made Steven shudder). "Really? Vous n'avez jamais regardé plus beau."

Being in the presence of this many people Steven could sense the excitement radiating off them. Sophie seemed to highly agree with what Martine said and she tugged on Steven's other cuff. Choosing to uncomfortably ignore them, he tossed out his Poké Ball holding Metagross, and then said, "Help them out where they're needed, alright?"

Metagross, who with its supercomputer brain could detect the redness in Steven's face, and echoed a very, very, low sound of laughter. Steven declined to comment, although he wished he could have said that it wasn't funny.

"Oh, and Mr. Stone," Sophie said, as if she had just remembered something important. "I forgot to tell you that our guest has made a reservation for one more seat. Surely that would be acceptable, I hope?"

Even before Steven could answer, Sophie was all smiles. Her boss' appearance was just too charming. Steven answered, "Of course, of course. After all, we haven't even started cooking yet, and there is a new recipe I'd like to try on the staff."

Just talking to him like this seemed to make Sophie especially happy. It didn't help Steven that Sophie was staring at him still.

"I… like your watch, Mr. Stone," she whispered.

Steven held his breath. He could recall experience of having fangirls chasing him around back in his championship days, no thanks to Wallace, but this was entirely different. Oh, if only his parents could see him now. Albeit, he did pick a nice watch to wear tonight.

"I think… you should head back to the lobby," he ordered, while Sophie could tell that he was only saying this to send her off.

"Of course, mon chéri," she cooed.

Would he crack? He sure seemed like it, but she left him to his misery.

So Sophie ended up back behind the desk of the lobby, where she found Laurent attempting to manage a mob of customers which had occupied the lobby. As she could tell the sunlight outside was signalling the coming of twilight, it was no wonder there were guests amassing.

There was also the matter of preparing for the arrival of the actress, and that reminded Sophie that she still hadn't told Steven the actress' name. However, the time would have to come sooner or later. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to tell him when the honoured guests actually arrived.

After a long while, the guests were ushered by the servers up the stairs to the tables. Laurent checked the clock to make sure that the actress was arriving for sure.

"By the way, Sophie," he said abruptly, "how is everyone finding Mr. Stone?"

"Everyone thinks he's… dreamy," she said back, albeit with the same wide grin. "Don't tell me you're jealous, Laurent!"

"No, no, of course not," Laurent rolled his eyes. "Just imagine how Cynthia would react if she saw him? You'd think they were made for each other."

Sophie scoffed.

James d'Arc had arrived at the kitchens in time for Steven to begin demonstration of his new recipe. On one side, there was Steven in his black cook jacket, with him facing the fire grills, the ovens, and the lot. Separating Steven from the rest of the cook staff, who were all lined up on the other side, was the metal kitchen counter.

Laid out before the counter were the necessary ingredients Steven was going to use. Among them were baguette flour, LaBrie cheese from the freshest suppliers in the region, classic Tamato berries, and onions. Steven got to work by firing up the fire grill and the oven.

"Tonight, we are going to try something different," Steven asserted. "For our guest, who is an actress, she will be the first to sample this newly created recipe in which I promise will be the best dish of ours since the days of the Accolade. I hope that you are all paying close attention to what I have in store, and keep an eye on how I time things…"

The first thing Steven did was place the baguette on one of the trademark flat stone plates that was normally used for preparing the Accolade. Then he placed the stone plate into the oven for the bread to be baked.

The cooks sort of had an idea what Steven had in mind. James alone seemed content that Steven had the nerve to finally come up with a new recipe at all. It had seemed like an eternity since Steven had looked like this, when he simply enjoyed working as a chef preparing first-class meals. Of course, that had changed when Cynthia had taken up business across the street. Now, it appeared that Steven was back to his old self.

"That baguette smells good already," one of the chefs commented. "It's been a while since we baked bread."

"Hey, we have a bakery for that," James smiled a little. "And pay attention to the timing…"

Sophie had left for the bar to grab a glass of water for Laurent, while grabbing a glass of sirop de grenadine for herself. This of course meant that Laurent was left to do the paperwork and computer reservations himself for the time being.

"I'm off for a glass of sirop de grenadine," Sophie said earlier. "Want something while I'm at it?"

"No, I'm good," Laurent said back. "I can hold the fort for a little while."

He sat silently keeping an eye on the number of reservations on the list. For now, there was a great deal of journalists who had stopped by to eat and watch the glamourous sunset. Most of them came in parties of no less than twelve, so there was good reason for Laurent to have his hands full. Now, all that was left was for the actress to show up. It was certainly around this time.

"Um, excuse me," a cool voice said to him. "I'm here for Diantha's reservation."

Laurent looked up from the reservation list. His jaw dropped.

The completed recipe was left on its respective stone plate in the kitchen to serve as a model for the other cooks to follow. Now that Steven had hung his cook jacket and was back to wearing his handsome attire, he had opted to sit at the actress' table as a way to greet her when she arrived.

So while he waited, he had ordered two glasses of white wine from one of his waitresses who, apart from enthusiastically taking the order, seemed more edgy than ever when she saw her boss in charming form. Eventually, she came back with two glasses and the bottle.

"I'd be happy to enjoy that drink with you, Mr. Stone," she giggled.

Steven chuckled. "No, I think it'd be best to enjoy this with the guest."

To the waitress it felt like she was talking to a person that wasn't her boss. More like a fan to some popular music star. It seemed like enough that Steven was a former Champion, but the way his appearance looked seemed to have had some sort of influence on her. He even noted her arm was a little shaky when she poured wine into his glass.

"Merci," Steven thanked. He really hoped that his waitress didn't spill the wine, judging by the shakiness of the wine flowing into the glass. Was it his imagination playing with his mind when his waitress winked at him? Perhaps not, he hoped.

Trying to cool down his thoughts, Steven brought the glass of wine to his lips. He sipped it slowly to savour the sweetness of the finest wines with the blend of alcohol. The alcohol fumes weren't strong, but they were enough to make the wine tasty.

The idea of having a celebrity trying out this new dish of his creation… was all Steven could ask for. True, it wouldn't compare to a critic, but this dish would probably gain some degree of recognition of critics who would be willing to try it out. Perhaps he should make it clear to the actress that this dish was something especially new.

It had been seconds since Steven brought the glass to his lips that he ended up seeing something in the distance that should not have belonged here. It took his breath away – because the sight was that breathtaking.

The worst part was, because of the breathtaking sight, he ended up inhaling a lot of alcohol fumes from the wine. The fumes swept through his nose and down his throat, and he felt both his nose and throat burn with agony!

He choked and, as a result, looked away before a sudden spray of wine shot from his mouth. This was followed by a series of coughs. Steven covered his mouth with his sleeve, in an effort to minimise the commotion he was creating.

His head felt hot, while he felt the coughs and burning slow down. As this happened, Steven looked up to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

It. Was. Her.

But it wasn't the usual her. No. She was in flat-out formal dress apparel. A black, sleeveless maxi dress was her dress of choice. Her hair was beautifully curled to perfection, and much better than the last time he remembered, with her platinum blond hair flowing perfectly from her head to her shoulders to her knees. She was wearing heels and she was slowly, slowly, walking towards him. Her face turned to look at the oceanic horizon, where the sunset shined on her – glamorously. It looked as if the direction was east and she was –

Cynthia.

In a matter of moments, she took the seat across the table from Steven. Their eyes met. In Cynthia's eyes, Steven appeared well-dressed and his hair well kept. She noticed he had even opted to wear cuffs and a watch. Steven, though, saw a very, very, different person. She radiated a scent of perfume that refreshed his senses and… radiant earrings and a necklace.

What really stunned him, though, were her eyes. Eyeshadow and lashes, alongside other lightly added forms of makeup, made her face shine.

"Bonsoir," Cynthia greeted, albeit nervously.

Steven was still in shock of seeing her like never before. Truly, he was expecting an actress to show up as a guest, but why did it have to be her? He didn't know how to react. He was caught in the middle of shock and amazement.

"Just what are you looking at, Lisia?"

"Shhh! Uncle! Have you ever seen a man looking that handsome?" Lisia said to Wallace, which earned a smirk from the latter. "He looks like he's got one well-chosen date too."

"Oh, you mean you're talking about someone more handsome than me?" he placed a hand over his heart, as if his niece had mortally offended him. "Has Lisia finally found someone she loves? And she's really, really, jealous?! That's life, my dear."

Unfortunately for Wallace, he became well aware that Winona, who sat beside him, had the same expression on her face Lisia had. She was silent, graceful as she was, but this was different. Now feeling uneasy, Wallace slowly and shakily turned his head around to see what was behind him.

In the distance, no doubt, was Steven. But this Steven looked different, and… he had a date?! Not to mention that this date looked too familiar. Ah, of course, it was Cynthia. But, Wallace had to hand it to her, she looked beautiful. Not as beautiful as Winona, of course, but still – her appearance would catch any man's eyes.

In Winona's case, she felt the exact same emotions Wallace had, except her attention was directed at Steven. True, she had known Steven as a fellow Pokémon League colleague for so many years, but now she felt dumbstruck. She was looking at Steven as if she was seeing him for the very first time, and he looked extraordinarily handsome.

For Lisia, though, the effect lasted shorter. Maybe it was because of her youth. However, she caught wind of her uncle's expression and his girlfriend's which stayed fixed on their faces for some time. Lisia looked up, and noticed that their waitress was staring away at Steven with the same expression.

I could think of the next chapter of Steven's love life right now! Lisia thought. Oh… if only I had room to pose, I'd do it!

Chapter Text

"So? What's with the splash of wine on this tablecloth?" Cynthia said very, very, coolly to Steven, who was still at a loss for words. "I'd have thought you'd try to greet a guest better than that!"

Steven did not know what to say, but he could feel his heart racing.

"Y – Y – You're…" he couldn't bear to look at her in the eye, as if he somehow felt out of place. "You're not the actress I – we – I was expecting… Er… uh… Would you like something to drink?"

Cynthia picked up the empty glass with one hand, and examined it carefully like an archeologist would to an artifact. Sighing, she placed it down on the table and nodded back. Steven, still partly unsure of what to do and still absorbing the shock of seeing her sitting in front of him, turned around to the same waitress who had poured him his wine earlier.

Still not comprehending the full beauty of what he was seeing in front of him, his mind was going in different directions. But for all he knew he still had to treat Cynthia like a regular guest. "What would you like to drink?" he asked.

"I'll have what you're having." Cynthia's response was immediate.

Steven took a deep breath as if he hadn't registered what she had just said. Silently he turned his head to look at his side. One snap of his fingers, and the waitress returned with the bottle. She cautiously poured Cynthia the same red wine into her glass, but Cynthia could detect shaky hands still. Steven tried to watch the sight warmly, but he really wanted to feel cold for once.

To think I was going to reserve this bottle for our special guest, he thought.

Nevertheless, part of him wanted the sight of Cynthia to make up for it. Once the glass was filled, she picked it up to sip it slowly. Sighing, Cynthia held her glass up to swirl it several times with her wrist before sipping again. In all of Steven's experience with dining in his own restaurant, he had never felt this uncomfortable…

"Mm… This is a very delicate choice of wine. I can taste it," Cynthia complimented. "You really shouldn't have spoiled me, my friend."

Er… Right, as if I intended for you to try it, Steven thought.

He took a deep breath before saying, "I've been told that my guest was supposed to be an actress, but since you're clearly not her, I can't say for certain if you're welcome here."

Cynthia's reply was cool. "I'm that extra guest that actress had reserved notified your receptionists about. Now, I can see you've set aside an extra seat here, so you should have been expecting me. But of course, anonymity is a thing that exists in booking."

Mesmerised by her beauty again, whether it was because of her hair or her eyeshadow, never mind her jewelry or even her choice of dress, Steven turned away so as to not look at her. He had to remind himself that this woman was his chief competition. But – how was it possible to think of her that way when she was a completely different person before him?

"So, while we wait," Cynthia said, apparently not noticing Steven's state, "I've been wondering what sort of dishes you'll be serving me tonight. Oh, and I'd like you to serve them to me, personally. It'll make this dining experience more authentic, wouldn't you say?"

Steven opened his mouth to say something, but no sound out at first. Choosing his thoughts carefully, he then said, "That's not really how I do company procedure, especially on request. But I don't see –"

"Nuh-uh, your first priority is the customer, and in this case, a very special customer," Cynthia said those words as if trying to pierce them into Steven's mind. "You have to make sure this customer is satisfied."

Before Steven could say anything, his words were stopped short by the soft, yet evil, smile the woman across was giving him. Even if her hair was long enough to cover one of her eyes, she was looking splendid.

"This customer expects a first-class dinner," she said as if she was enjoying the speechless face Steven was giving her. "This customer wants top-class service. Even if you must do it yourself! This customer would expect nothing less than the chef being her personal host."

Mortified and defeated, in a way, Steven looked directly into Cynthia's eyes. Those beautiful eyes complimented by eyeshadow.

"Shall I interest you in a salad?" he finally asked.

Cynthia stared back into his eyes for a moment, before she turned to look aside at the glimmering sunset that made this restaurant so well-known. Slowly, she returned her gaze back to Steven and giving a nod at the same time. Steven did not smile, but he acknowledged the order and subsequently stood up.

On the way back, well away from Cynthia, he felt a cold hand clamp onto his shoulder.

"Now, I know you're one for style, my friend, but wow. I am impressed! Any woman would love to make your acquaintance. It seems like all those years searching for one haven't gone to waste!"

Steven hung his head. Why did it have to be him again?

"Wallace. I don't think this is the time –"

"Just wow! You've wowed everyone woman in the city! Or at least you could!" Wallace continued, and went as far as standing in front of Steven so as to get in his way. "How would I know this? Both my niece and Winona have taken a liking to you! Now, if Lisia was your age, you'd be the first on her dating list, but of course I wouldn't allow it."

Steven looked very annoyed.

"Aha, and then there's you and her," Wallace emphasised the 'her' in particular. "I thought you had something of a grudge against her, and now look at you. The truth comes out! Wow, I wouldn't have thought you had the gut to ask her out for dinner in your own restaurant. I'll admit, Cynthia looks marvelous tonight, wouldn't you say?"

He just loved the look he was receiving on Steven's end. The latter was taken aback, severely, looking more like he didn't know what comeback to think of.

"Sure. Maybe she does look stunning tonight –" Steven began.

"YES! Now you're speaking my language," Wallace interrupted, which made his friend all the more annoyed. "This is your big moment, Steven. Don't spoil it. You're the ideal man for the ideal woman, so this is your moment of – opportunity."

"But she wasn't – she's not – she's – she wasn't invited here in the first place!" Steven protested. "Well… in a way."

Wallace's face became smug. "Just try to be the gentleman she deserves. You will do that or I will make it happen. You decide. Oh, and don't worry if you fail, because that's what I'm here for! Moral support, right? Between friends?"

However, Steven suddenly caught wind that Wallace, Winona, and Lisia were here on this floor.

"Wait just a moment," Steven said, suddenly staring into Wallace's eyes. "How did you get onto this floor? It was supposed – I'm told that this floor was completely booked private!"

"My friend, that is a tale for another time," Wallace replied in a manner suggesting he didn't care. "I'll tell you that a mutual friend of mine has kindly –"

The head chef could not have felt more exasperated. So he left.

Cynthia watched Steven approach her table with a plate of salad in his hand. She had to admit, it seemed out of the ordinary that Steven would be serving her food, even though she had kind of forced him into it. However, she had to admit that Steven looked stylish nonetheless. Particularly with the unusual slim white tie and his suit.

"Er… Yes," Steven muttered, bringing the salad plate in front of Cynthia. "Watmel berry salad, if you don't mind. Bon appetit."

Cynthia, though, held up her glass of wine to swirl it several times. After bringing the glass to her lips to savour it slowly, as if she were treasuring the moment, she set the glass down. She noticed Steven had a plate of the same Watmel berry salad before him.

Watmel berry was served, sliced and diced by the cooks and decorated with herbs, pistachio bits, feta fragments, and some traces of greens. It wasn't the picture of a typical salad, with the unusual absence of greens, but it was a salad no less.

As expected, it was served on a stone plate.

Cynthia picked up her fork to spear one of the Watmel pieces. She speared a piece delicately and put the piece into her mouth and, of course, she chewed. Her eyes then fixed on Steven's fork before fixing them on his eyes, as if asking him to join her.

It was a silent dinner for that part. The only thing that made the moment more unsettling, but romantic, was the glamourous sunset to their side alongside the view of the stunning Kalos coast.

Steven wondered just how much longer he could last. Uncomfortably, he helped himself to some Watmel berry salad too. He loved the flavour of a savoury fragrance blended with the watery sweetness that made the Watmel berry special, but he wondered how Cynthia would react too.

Halfway through eating, Steven decided to engage in some conversation. "So… How was your day? Anything exciting happen? It's only been like three days since you were last here. Oh, and I'm even more surprised that you showed up here. I thought you would have… Never mind."

In truth, Steven was more surprised she showed up here at all. After the debacle with Cynthia's supplier and the disclosure of a secret, he would have expected her of all people to have avoided coming here at all – and especially in such a form! From a business perspective, he had to admit there had to be a catch somewhere. However, as she was a guest, could he really think that way?

Cynthia put down her fork to stare away, deep in thought. She was actually trying what would be the best topic to keep Steven interested, but there wasn't much she could think about. But it didn't take long for her to think of something, on the other hand.

"I just operated my business as usual," she said, finally. "I had some interesting customers who showed up just for chocolate fondue. That reminds me… Steven, look at me in the eye."

He felt frozen when Cynthia's gaze pierced into his.

"Did you stop by my coffee shop?"

"I… No," Steven lied, and discreetly had another bite of salad to take his mind off things.

By the time that only a glimmer of sunshine was above the oceanic horizon like it was eclipsing the sky and sea, Steven saw to serving Cynthia a round of soup. At this point, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro had – as directed by James d'Arc – shifted to nighttime procedure, and therefore dinner hours. The glass windows, spanning a height from floor to ceiling, provided a still-marvelous backdrop as the regular lights dimmed to make way for the nighttime lights. Hanging lights from the ceiling provided a modern air, whereas lights fixed on the ceiling gave the restaurant atmosphere something workable.

Cynthia was a little unsure if she was enjoying herself. Nevertheless, she continued to munch on her salad whilst observing the handsome man sitting across her.

From a distant corner, four heads peeked from behind to spy on the pair. Martine, James, Sophie, and Laurent. Although they were there to primarily spy on their boss, they were divided. Martine and Sophie couldn't help staring away at Steven in his handsome attire. It was worth noticing that the sight of seeing their boss made them blush. James still had a concerned eye for Steven, but he ended up looking in Cynthia's direction once in a while. Laurent's jaw dropped in exactly the same way when he saw Cynthia in the first place.

"It's a shame this woman is the one," Martine sighed. "I'm soooooo jealous."

"Hey, we're not playing matchmaker here," Sophie whispered, though she still eyed Steven with some degree of envy. "Besides, how would you know?"

Martine was about to say why, but realised that it would be best if James didn't know that she had searched Steven's office for the reason. So she kept quiet. The way she was leaning was a bit uncomfortable, but she supposed watching this was worth it.

"Wait. Who's handling the lobby?" James suddenly said.

Laurent and Sophie looked at each other, with Sophie looking up and Laurent looking down into her eyes.

"Uh…"

"I'm not sure. I want to stay!"

Sophie's face became a pout, and looked at Laurent with pleading eyes.

"Pleeeeaaaase? Laurent? Do it for me?"

Whatever was in Sophie's eyes was enough to make Laurent shudder. Not that he was intimidated, but that she was seemingly charming when he looked in her eyes. As if she was trying to charm him!

"Wait, you're not using this as an excuse to keep seeing our boss, are you?"

"What else?"

Realising what she had said, Sophie blushed and turned to look at Steven and Cynthia again. Rolling his eyes, Laurent quietly retreated back to the front desk in order to manage the flow of customers that were coming in. Although, he left Sophie with a request that she continually update him on what was going on between Steven and Cynthia.

Upon reaching the lobby, Laurent found that a crowd had amassed before the front desk. They were mostly made of… not-so-ordinary people. The thing was that everyone was holding at least one camera, or lights, or microphones. It was as if a movie crew had decided to show up.

"Can I help you with anything?" he cautiously asked. He wasn't one to judge, but based on the unsettling behaviour of the crowd, they were not here to eat.

"We have a reservation for a party of sixty," a photographer went up to him. "It should be on the third floor."

Finding it odd that Steven and Cynthia were eating on that floor, Laurent ran through the details on his computer. "I have no records indicating a reservation of that kind whatsoever."

"Your system must have a problem," a second photographer joined the first. "Very well. In that case, we want to see your boss."

Now thinking of Steven, who was clearly busy, Laurent tried to think of a solution. Perhaps that's what James was for. Rather than responding directly to the photographers, Laurent reached for the phone beside him to call for James… and Sophie. There was an excuse to get her here now and focus on working! Oh, if only there were similar excuses for the others too. Then again, he wouldn't mind switching places with Sophie at the moment.

From the looks of it, it was as if a riot could start at the drop of a glass.

By the time Laurent put down the phone, he saw to investigate this aggressive behaviour from this photographer. To be safe, Laurent made sure that a Pokémon was deployed to maintain order. He was no Trainer, but he kept a Hawlucha with him just to keep him company at home. On the other hand, he would initiate phone calls with Sophie from time to time, as having her as a co-worker provided him with a local friend.

"I will require your name and number, just to ensure if what you say can be verified," Laurent demanded. "You can do this while we wait for my manager to arrive."

A waitress had arrived to collect the empty salad plates from Steven and Cynthia. It wasn't before long that Steven returned with two cups of soup. A bowl was optional, but Steven thought it was best that his intended guest enjoy smaller portions of the meal, as these were meant to be appetizers. Now, with an unintended guest taking the intended guest's place, Steven was less sure.

"So what do you do in your spare time?" Cynthia asked. She tasted the soup, which she found surprisingly good.

It was difficult to talk to her still, when she seemed just so…

Steven could not describe her still. For starters it was difficult to describe his own feelings right now, whereas his eyes were hypnotised by Cynthia's jewelry or the dress that left her arms and shoulders exposed, and it wasn't helping that Wallace was here. Speaking of which, he better think of something fast to avoid having Wallace commit some sort of disastrous intervention.

He also felt self-conscious of how handsome all the other women – Lisia and Winona included – perceived him. Would he have the same effect on Cynthia? That could be advantageous, but then again, the thought of Wallace intervening was the last thing he wanted. In a way, Wallace was his executioner unless he got things right.

Putting a spoonful of creamy soup into his mouth and gulping it down after, Steven replied, "You know me. I'm something of a rock maniac. I adore rocks, so whenever I'm not busy, I'll just head out of the city to nearby Route 8 and the Connecting Cave to explore."

She studied him carefully as if trying to detect any suspicion that he was lying, but in her eyes she was distracted by the handsome face and the fine suit he wore. Was he trying that as if to influence her, or was it just because he was in the mood? She assumed the latter, as his intended guest wasn't due to arrive for a while.

"What about you?"

"Oh?" Cynthia perked. "I'm just happy with reading history books, you know? While I'm here, I thought I'd study some Kalos legends here, but only in my downtime, mind you."

She went on helping herself to more soup, and even so, Steven found it difficult whether to take this as a welcome sight or an unwelcome one. Silently, he joined her in taking in more soup too. And, regarding his new recipe, what was he to do about it? It was completely prepared and everyone, or at least the cooks, expected him to serve it to the invited guest. Of all people, it had to be her.

He looked into her shadowed eyes, as beautiful as they were. "Would you be interested in the entrée tonight? It's not my trademark Accolade, but I hope it might suffice?"

In the time Steven had gone, Cynthia merely picked up her glass of wine to sip what was left in it. Sighing, she signalled the waitress to have her pour a little more. The waitress did indeed return with the bottle but she seemed more edgy than ever.

"Ooh… I can't believe how lucky of a girl you are!" she squealed, as she poured the bottle's contents into Cynthia's glass so it was quarter-full.

"Wha…? What's that supposed to mean?" Cynthia questioned. She was annoyed, but no less anxious.

"Oh, please," she said sarcastically. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed! Well, your loss."

Even with that tone, the waitress wore a smile as she left Cynthia. Now, Cynthia knew she was exhibiting something of political behaviour – that she could try to manipulate some of her competition by saying mere words, but in this case it seemed to have backfired on her. However, she could tell that she had flattered her rival, and was fine with just that. After all, this was meant to be a formal dinner. Relaxed, she picked up her glass to sip more wine.

There was much to appreciate for Diantha having booked the entire floor off. Had anyone noticed that it was just her and Steven dining together would be a real embarrassment for herself. At the same time, it could be used to embarrass her rival too. While she was enjoying dinner, there were some political motives for coming.

Plus, she had a surprise planned for Steven if Diantha actually showed up to the restaurant.

Many minutes later, Steven returned to the table with a single dish on a square stone plate, which was baked hot. He decided that given he had his partial fill of the recipe from much earlier, it was better to just serve the one dish on its own to his guest.

Cynthia raised her eyebrows when the dish was placed in front of her. It smelled wonderful.

"Impressive." That was her coolly-stated remark. "Tell me, what would you call this dish?"

On the stone plate was nothing more than a sandwich, but it was open-faced, so it had ingredients piled on it such that it would be difficult to eat with bare hands. A fire-roasted beefsteak cut into pulled shreds lay piled on top of the hot baguette, with a blend of the spice of Tamato berry and sweet onions, and the creamy LaBrie cheese that was molten flawlessly and drizzled all over the bread.

"I haven't thought of a name for it," Steven admitted. "This is a brand-new recipe that only a select few could try out first."

"You mean that I'm the very first to taste it," she whispered. "I like your shoes, by the way."

Steven couldn't help but peek at his shoes. They were still smoke-white in colour. Was Cynthia being honest? Or was she playing games here? However… he became conscious of his actions; that by serving her the newest dish in his arsenal, it would be like serving her out of affection. Wait, would she see that the same way?

At the same time, Cynthia picked up her knife and fork to begin to eat. He watched her delicately cut out a piece of baguette with a little of LaBrie, beef shred, and onion on it, and popped it in her mouth. He wasn't jealous of her, as the dish was his own creation, but he still carried that same feeling that this dish wasn't for her.

Another side of Steven, however, seemed happy that a customer was enjoying this dish.

"You still haven't answered my question," Cynthia said to break Steven's thoughts. "What do you call this entrée?"

As Steven had not given her an immediate answer, and given she was first to taste the new recipe, Cynthia deduced that Steven had no idea. She picked up her glass to sip from it, and putting it down and brushing her hair to cover her left eye again, as if to infatuate him.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'm sure you'll have a name for it."

Steven took a deep breath. He tried to avoid her gaze but failed. "I call the Stone Open. It'll probably be the successor to my flagship dish, I assure you, since this has been my best idea in months."

"I'll toast to that," Cynthia said, picking up her glass once more.

Steven wasn't too sure of what to do, as she had her glass held up in front of her so it was in between his eyes and hers. Was it a show of friendship here? Or was there political motive? Then again, it wasn't every day that he dressed this nice for dinner, and with a very beautifully dressed woman sitting across from him.

Still holding his breath, Steven picked up his glass of wine too. Their glasses clinked.

Chapter Text

James d'Arc had never expected the lobby situation to be so serious.

When Laurent had raised the issue to him and Sophie informing a group of sixty people had showed up uninvited, James went to the lobby immediately in an attempt to calm the situation. At first, they appeared to be regular paparazzi. However, upon the first few minutes of interaction, James could tell they were all acting like an angry mob altogether. It was fortunate that Laurent's Hawlucha was able to keep things in order for now.

"I'm afraid we have no records for a party of sixty," James said very sternly to the group. "If that is all, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises."

"I'm warning you, let us in! We have work to do!" someone yelled.

Soon enough, Laurent had made a call to Sophie via the receptionist phone. It had taken about eight minutes before Sophie was by Laurent's side. By then, she realised how serious the matter was.

As she and Laurent always had the occasional Pokémon battle, so she kept a Pokémon with her likewise. In her case, a Clauncher in which she sent out in support of Laurent's Hawlucha. James was on the front line, trying to keep the atmosphere calm.

"If you will not comply or if you are not willing to make some reservations now, I will ask you again to leave the premises, or I will call the gendarme." There was no room for negotiation now. James had resorted to threatening to evict them with force.

Some of the group had started to leave the lobby for outside, but the majority stayed where they were. James, as sous chef, had to get more information, because these people were behaving so suspiciously.

"State your business," he demanded.

"We're here…" someone started.

"We're here to have dinner! Is it that hard to understand?!" another paparazzo shouted.

James, however, glared at them. Sophie and Laurent looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do, but they continued to support James all the same. Their claims were not making sense in that they 'booked' reservations on the third floor when clearly the floor had been closed off. Sophie took the liberty of showing the records.

"Consider this your final warning," James clearly was annoyed now. "Leave!"

For two minutes, it looked like a standoff, and subsequently James nodded to Laurent and Sophie to begin evicting the mob from the lobby. With Hawlucha's and Clauncher's assistance, progress was made. James, while pleased that the situation hadn't escalated, wasn't sure of what to do with these people once they were outside the building.

"Oh, you're clearing the road for me? And keeping these people at bay?" a sharp, crisp, voice spoke from beyond. "Honestly, I'm flattered."

Outside, James realised that there was someone else waiting just in front of the doors. A woman, remarkably dressed in a white coat, white dress, and heels, swiftly bypassed the crowd who, on the other hand, had just realised she was in their presence and had hastily begun to start up their cameras. A celebrity, no doubt.

Even Sophie and Laurent could hear those words from where they were (of course, as they were taking part in the crowd control), and it was followed by the sound of clicking cameras. The numerous flashes blinded pretty much everyone (thankfully, neither Hawlucha nor Clauncher, who were still handling crowd control), but this woman, who was sporting sunglasses, seemed used to it. Realising the situation, Sophie motioned Laurent to keep the crowds at bay. Doing what they could, James, Laurent, Hawlucha, and Clauncher did their best to create something of a walkway for the celebrity to pass through. The paparazzi were forced to stand on the sides, behind the makeshift barriers of James and Laurent to allow this woman to pass through. The constant clicking of cameras went on as she went forward to meet Sophie.

Sophie ended up grinning. Without a doubt, she (and probably Laurent and James) recognised her as Diantha, the regionally popular actress who also served as Kalos League Champion. Of course, she was expected given she made a reservation earlier.

"Bienvenue au Stone Restaurant and Bistro," Sophie greeted. "Bonsoir, Diantha. You're expected."

Although wearing sunglasses, Diantha turned her head a little to see the paparazzi capturing her every move. She turned back to look at Sophie.

"You're too kind."

It appeared that taking the elevator was a better option (not the kitchens' private elevator, of course), and it also appeared more necessary that she continue to be escorted. Diantha didn't seem to mind the number of photographers who attempted to get past James and Laurent, since they were halted by Clauncher anyway.

Moreover, Sophie took the liberty of personally escorting Diantha to her seat. Plus, she could use this as an excuse to see her handsome boss again… Oh, Sophie could imagine how jealous Laurent would be right now. But still, she did promise him earlier that she would provide updates on what was going on.

Whereas the paparazzi desperately tried to make contact with Diantha.

"Diantha! Diantha! Look over here!" one of the photographers called out, but her voice was drowned by the others who said exactly the same thing.

But by the time Diantha was safely in the elevator, escorted by Sophie, the journalists and photographers had no way of getting close to her now. James made it absolutely clear that no one was to get through.

As a result, most of the people remained on the floor to have as many pictures taken of Diantha as possible. However, a fraction of the people had other ideas. Two people stayed in the lobby to blend with the crowd. One was a photographer. The other a journalist.

The photographer decided to send out a Vivillon, and initiated a series of Supersonic attacks to start, and left everyone – save for her accompanying journalist – confused. The duo took advantage of their window of opportunity and made a dash for the stairs.

Interestingly enough, when Diantha appeared, the crowd had settled down. Much to the relief of James d'Arc, who worried a riot could start at any given moment.

"I'm surprised you haven't got any music here tonight," Cynthia muttered. "The last time I was here, there was a grand piano."

"That was a special occasion," Steven said back. "Of course, I did have time to think of some improvements to the dining experience here. Mind you, some I can't tell you, but others…"

He snapped his fingers, and an accordionist, a clarinetist, and a bass guitarist showed up on another side of floor. Given there were some walls dividing up the floor a little, the musicians found whatever space they had and, after sitting on some stools they brought with them, began to play. Smiling slightly, Cynthia turned her attention to her entrée.

The Stone Open was a delicious piece of work. Cynthia had to hand that to Steven. It occurred to her that he wasn't having any of it himself, which she found strange. The entrée was so delicious, she even wanted her Garchomp to try it too. However, Steven was against the idea.

"This is a dish that should be enjoyed alone while you are still the first to taste it," Steven suggested. "Perhaps your Garchomp could wait another time."

She raised her eyebrows, so that their eyeshadow seemingly gleamed at him that was enough to make him shudder. To take his mind off her, Steven breathed, and lifted his glass to sip more of the wine (for a moment, forgetting that this wine was supposed to be reserved for the coming actress, and he still hadn't caught the actress' name). Cynthia giggled just a little.

"Oh, you're too much, honestly," she said, but she complied with Steven's request nonetheless. "I have to ask, though: why aren't you joining me for dinner? You're not having any of the food yourself."

Steven couldn't think of an answer at first. Yet, it didn't take long for him to form one, and by then Cynthia had another bite of baguette.

"I actually had one of these earlier," he answered. "Don't forget that this is a brand new dish, so you can imagine the number of times I've tried it! In all seriousness, I've eaten, but I'm more than happy to join you at the table. At least we've had one of those Watmel berry salads, eh?"

She smiled, and once again Steven found himself mesmerised by her beauty – her makeup, hair, and dress said it all. Words failed him once more, and if he thought that another sip of wine would take his mind off things, he was badly wrong (that is, he refrained from picking up his glass). On the other hand, Cynthia could notice this, evidently.

"You look good, by the way," Steven added absentmindedly, like he had no idea what he was saying. Cynthia's cheeks went pink, and when Steven caught wind of what he had said, his cheeks went pink as well.

"Um, Steven, would you care to elaborate on that?" she giggled even more.

With that charming smile on her lips in front of him, Steven felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He was placed in her limelight and she was expecting an answer from him. Actually, it felt more like a hellhole than anything. He was trapped in his own words, no thanks to her.

"What I meant to say is – I mean, what I meant was –" Steven stammered. "I mean that out of all the guests I've had here at this restaurant, there's no need to say how… beautiful you look." After he said that, Steven felt like slapping himself. Who was he to say this?! This woman was practically his enemy! He felt like his body was being ripped apart, let alone his mind. It was being torn between conflicting sides.

Therefore, unfortunately, his mind was not in good shape. He wanted to stay focused that he was competing against her, and she was ripping apart his business in longer runs, but how could he do that when she was… completely someone else?

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Cynthia scoffed, but she smiled no less. "Alas, I'm glad to have dined here with such a handsome host, and a fellow friend no less. You're looking pretty good too. Are those cuffs I see on your sleeves?"

Steven looked down at his right-side cuff for a moment, and before he could even say anything, he looked up to see Cynthia's face directly in front of him. She was looking straight into his face once more, even though she had one eye hidden behind her hair.

"I love your suit," she whispered, albeit through a blush. "You picked a nice one, for sure. Not to mention your face looks… outstanding."

This was more than enough to make Steven blush too. She had just complimented him… and was that perfume he could smell? He secretly took in a breath to smell it, and after realising what he was doing, he turned his head away to look at what was left of the sunset. If wine won't help, he hoped the scenery was a better solution. However, the smell of her perfume lingered around him, and set his senses into astray.

"I… Your eyeshadow is lovely, too," he said back.

Cynthia stayed silent for a moment to examine Steven while she didn't have his attention. She couldn't believe herself that she was looking at him as if he was the most handsome man in the world. He was her host, he served her dinner, and he looked stunning. In her bones, she felt like this man was a different person from the one who had bribed her berry supplier.

For a precious few minutes, Cynthia felt comfortable, as if she hadn't been comfortable earlier. On Steven's part, he began to relax. As he watched the sunlight fade away, he turned his attention to Cynthia again, and this time, he felt much better that Cynthia came here looking as if she wasn't carrying a grudge. On the contrary, she still looked stunning no less, and it helped that the restaurant's lighting made the skin of her face, one of her shoulders, and her slim arms shine. But his mind was still in an uncomfortable state.

How many times was he going to be thinking this way?! He couldn't help himself.

Elsewhere, at a nearby table, the food that was served to Wallace, Winona, and Lisia had gone stone cold (no pun intended). As expected, the obvious reason for the food going cold was that the three were observing the interaction between the two former Champions at a lone table near the ceiling-high window.

"At this rate…" Wallace said, with arms behind his head and reclining body, "he'll win her over in no time. Ha! I never thought I'd see the day… I'm glad he took my advice!"

"You know, Wallace, I hardly see Steven behaving like a gentleman, there," Winona muttered. "He looks like he's already fallen in love with her. Oh… Steven…"

Once again, Winona had fallen into another deep sigh at the sight of that Steven. Wallace didn't know if he ought to be happy for Steven or that he should be jealous of him in that Steven was a hit on his girlfriend. So, he had an idea.

"Look at me, Winona." Wallace leaned over the table such that he was positioned right in front of her; enough to capture her attention. "Is he that much more handsome than me? He doesn't have the looks, right?"

Winona blinked, and so did Lisia.

"You know what, Wallace?" Winona said it straight. "He does look more handsome than you. Just look at that face! That hair! That… suit… Oh… That… suit…"

That hurt.

It was as if Winona had taken Wallace's heart out and smashed it to bits. The first reaction, Wallace's jaw dropped; and the second reaction, his face was frozen.

Lisia, hoping to ignore what was going on in her uncle's mind, decided to finish whatever was left of her dinner. Still, although she kept her eyes fixed on what was going on between Steven and Cynthia, she failed to ignore her uncle's dejected expression.

When Lisia did look at Wallace, she saw his eyes red with tears.

"No… no…!" Wallace cried. As dramatic and flamboyant as Wallace was, no surprise to Lisia, he clutched his chest as if he was mortally wounded. Gasping for air, it appeared he was approaching the brink of death, like a thousand shards of glass piercing into his heart.

Still, Winona ignored him, which brought him further down in misery. It took a long moment before Winona realised just how close Wallace was to her face. Giggling, she pushed him back, and he collapsed on his chair, still breathing heavily.

"Oh, please," Winona rolled her eyes. "Stop that!"

But Wallace was still appalled and his face showed it. Even so, Winona turned back to look and observe Steven again, and resumed her sighing. For Lisia's part, the most she did was give gently take her uncle's hand and gently pat it in an effort to calm him down.

Steven picked up his glass to sip his wine again, though his glass was almost empty. Cynthia took the time to enjoy what was left of her dinner, in the Stone Open. Even after so long, the baked stone was relatively warm… and when Cynthia looked at Steven enjoying his wine, she decided to pick up her glass again too.

It was then she was reminded the tablecloth had stains that smelled of alcohol.

"By the way, what's with the tablecloth?" she asked. "You still haven't answered me."

"Oh, that," Steven, now taken aback, blushed again. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "That was the result of… seeing you, I guess. I mean, I totally wasn't expecting you of all people to arrive so –"

"Oh wait, it was you who spit out that wine?" Cynthia's voice became very amused.

Now self-conscious of what she said, Steven mentally slapped himself again. Another flaw in his words, and he was embarrassing himself in front of her. He felt like Cynthia was really pushing him down this hellhole now. Although he had to take some share of the blame.

"Steven," she said, not waiting for him to come up with an answer. "Is there a reason you're serving me this wonderful dish? You know I'm only here by invitation, so you didn't really have to serve me this, you know…"

Now Steven could relax again. "I… had to."

She blinked.

"You can consider it a thank-you present for those vouchers you gave me. It's the least I can do." He couldn't believe he just said that, but was there anything bad about it?

Cynthia's face brightened, but Steven wasn't finished. He looked at her in the eyes again. In particular, her beautiful eyes covered delicately in eyeshadow.

"Besides, Cynthia, I was thinking… I mean, I was wondering…" he started.

It was then the waitress who had been assigned to Steven's table walked up to him, albeit in a still slightly flirtatious manner such that she looked clumsy. Even Cynthia could notice that, though she would agree that Steven would be a hit for just about any woman or girl tonight. If she counted herself, she would join the crowd too. If only Steven knew how she felt…

"Your intended guest has finally arrived," the waitress whispered, with which Steven replied with a nod.

There was no trace of sunlight left on the ocean horizon now. With nothing much more to say, Cynthia helped herself to finishing her Stone Open. In her honest opinion, two pieces of baguette was simply not enough.

"You know something, Steven?" Cynthia said. "You know that baguette is thin, so how is a guest supposed to really enjoy this? This is small!"

To her slight surprise, Steven smiled. This time, he smiled as a manager who would normally greet a guest on an everyday basis.

"I know, but let's consider that this is the first time I'm serving it to a guest, like we discussed. If something went wrong, then the harm would be small. But now I know that you like the dish, so… I'll toast you to that." He lifted up his glass to her.

As their glasses clinked, Steven could detect out of the corner of his eye… two women fast approaching his table. The first was Sophie, who looked as serious as ever… until her eyes fell on her boss (Steven) again, and her face softened. The other woman was… the actress.

Diantha. Of course.

"Bonsoir, mademoiselle Diantha," he greeted. "Please, please. Join us."

Before Steven could register what happened, he felt a hand on his cheek pulling his head back to face Cynthia again. When Steven realised that it was her who was touching his face, he was breathless, and not to mention wide-eyed.

Once more, he was looking into her beautiful eyes.

"Was there something you wanted to say, Steven?" she whispered.

Steven swallowed hard, along with his words.

"No," he replied. "Not at all."

Chapter Text

All but a handful of people stayed on the third floor. At times, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro would provide white tablecloths for dinner guests, but often did they normally provide the cold, polished, tables to guests instead. Under special circumstances, like hosting a wedding or having a special guest, would the Stone Bistro supply tablecloths. It was night, and alongside the restaurant lighting up for the darkness to come, the candle boxes at each table came to life too.

Before long, Diantha was seated at the once-vacant seat at the table, with a glass of wine being poured by the same waitress. However, at this point, the waitress seemed close to laughing; that Diantha remained silent for the whole time. She gazed outside for a moment in the candle’s light before being interrupted somewhat rudely by the waitress.

“That’s two women you’re dining with tonight?” the waitress laughed. “Wow, Mr. Stone. I can’t believe you… You’re quite the player! So, who will it be?”

“Oh, please,” Steven rolled his eyes. “Enough of that!”

But even when the waitress left the table, awkward silence followed. After Diantha took off her sunglasses and had wrapped her coat on her chair, thus revealing the white dress she wore underneath. Yet, she took into account just how sharply dressed Steven and Cynthia were. She was dressed in a black sleeveless dress, and he was dressed in a charcoal gray suit with cuffs and a white tie. Was there something going on between them?

“Did something happen? You’re very late,” Steven was first to ask questions. “You see –”

“I take it you’ve eaten already?” Diantha interrupted. She could tell, seeing that there was an empty stone plate in front of Cynthia. “I’m famished.”

“I’ll see to getting your dinner straight away,” Steven said abruptly, suddenly getting up to take Cynthia’s plate away. “Oh, and if you ever need to refill your glass, Diantha, just send the waitress the word. She’ll understand.”

Diantha added, although a little awkwardly, “My Gardevoir would like a share in the meal too.”

Steven nodded, but he sensed that Cynthia was annoyed. He didn’t blame her, as he had initially told Cynthia that her Garchomp couldn’t have a share. Now, he was clearly asserting his own hypocrisy, and that wasn’t good.

“My Garchomp would like to try out more of your cheeses,” Cynthia said, as if reading Steven’s mind. “She’ll love it.”

He left the table soon after confirming the order, but Diantha’s gaze was still fixed on him until he disappeared from sight (that is, into the private elevator that led to the kitchens). Cynthia, though, could clearly notice that.

“Don’t tell me that you’re attracted to him,” Cynthia muttered under her breath. This seemed to have snapped Diantha back to reality.

“Oh, sorry, Cynthia? Did you say something?”

“No! Not at all!” Cynthia quickly said. In an effort to recover her cool, she asked, “How long…? Has it really been three hours already?!”

“That’s what the nurse told me,” Diantha replied. “However, I’m happy you’re able to take my reservation and saved my seat. So for that, thanks, Cynthia! But still, you’re looking dashing tonight. It’s not like this is a hugely formal dinner.”

“To be fair,” Cynthia cut in, “you’re wearing a dress too.”

Between them, there really wasn’t much to talk about – seriously. So they kept the conversation casual, from talking about food to the missed sunset. While Diantha admitted she envied Cynthia in that Cynthia got to experience sunset at the right time, she was more interested in talking about Steven.

“I wouldn’t have thought he’d look this nice,” she said. “Cynthia, what do you think about him?”

Okay, so you definitely are attracted to him! Cynthia thought, with her mind half-amused and half… whatever words could describe it. She managed to not let her emotions show, but she did struggle a bit on how to answer.

“Just answer the question, or… maybe you find him way too handsome for you,” Diantha added as if trying to mess around with Cynthia a little. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve seen that magazine, you know. No one can get enough of that!”

In light of her conversation with Steven, she would have appeared to be speechless. But that wasn’t the case with Cynthia, since she appeared perfectly calm. Diantha blinked once a smile curled at the side of her lips.

“Was I… interrupting something?” she covered her mouth as if trying to mock Cynthia. Cynthia still hadn’t come up with a response to Diantha’s remarks, such that it seemed she was better off not saying anything at all.

Steven wasn’t surprised, but he wasn’t pleased either when Wallace put a stop in his tracks on the way back to the kitchens again. Disturbingly, Wallace looked unusually happy, because within the happiness Wallace had contained some element of jealously. On the other hand, oddly, Winona followed Wallace as well.

“You’re doing a great job at this gentleman thing,” Wallace mockingly congratulated him. “You know, Steven, I knew you had it in you! Maybe at this rate you’ll win her over for sure! I’m rooting for you, brother.”

“Seriously, it’s nothing personal! There’s nothing going on between us!” Steven denied furiously. “Besides, this was supposed to be dinner with Diantha, not her! Don’t forget that!”

“But my mutual friend – Diantha, mind you – invited me to have dinner here, didn’t I mention that earlier?” Wallace reminded. “Long story short, you’re doing an amazing job so far. You only need to impress Ms. Cynthia there with something drastic.”

Steven was about to say something, but he noticed the way Winona was staring at him. Her face was totally relaxed, and if she could sigh, she would. The bottom line was that Steven had seen the expression on Winona’s face many times already; be it Martine, Sophie, or the other waitresses. So to him it was no surprise, and he didn’t take it personally since he harboured no feelings for Winona much. He would gladly give that privilege to Wallace.

“What would you have in mind…?” Steven muttered.

“Easy, my friend! You love her, right?” Wallace cheered, albeit Steven shook his head. “You only have to wait for right moment to do this…”

Before Steven realised it, Wallace had wrapped his arms around Winona, pulled her close, and kissed her quite… feverishly. Enough to make him and Winona satisfied, and snapping Winona out of her trance, but it was more than enough to make Steven uncomfortable, and even blush a bright pink.

“No! Just no! I won’t – You can’t suggest – No!” Steven was breathless. Embarrassed as he was.

Quickly as he could, Steven walked hastily away to the elevator to the kitchens. By then, Wallace let go of Winona, and Winona seemed bewildered. Rather than argue with Wallace, Winona marched back to her table, although blushing beet red, and sighed loudly.

Under a certain table on the floor, a duo of girls was busily doing what they came here to do. That is, performing the regular works of the paparazzi. One girl was a photographer, and the other was her sister, a journalist. It just so happened that the photographer was a Gym Leader as well, and while she might consider that sneaking past the crowd and restaurant staff with the use of her Pokémon being unethical, it was only part of her job.

Nevertheless, Viola, the photographer, had never expected to run into a man so handsome on this very floor. Her main reason for being here was to photograph Diantha, but it took a while before she realised she was taking more shots of Steven Stone than anyone else.

“Oh… gosh! He’s… so…” Viola just couldn’t stop aiming her camera at him.

“Beau?” Alexa, her sister, finished the sentence for her.

“Tu as raison,” Viola affirmed.

They managed to sneak as many photo shots and write-ups as they could with Diantha, but they were both highly distracted by the two former Champions who were sharing the same table before Diantha had even arrived. It was no surprise the sisters had seen the ‘Apples and Oranges’ article, so seeing Steven and Cynthia together like this was a huge bonus.

“I can just imagine what kind of stories I can write up about this…” Alexa grinned, like a mad fangirl. “The man with all the ladies he wants: Steven Stone! Hey, what about getting pics before Diantha got here?”

“Oh, there’s plenty of that,” Viola grinned like an idiot. “I’ve got more of Steven, though.”

Indeed, the sisters were so bewildered by Steven’s appearance that they had mostly forgotten they were supposed to follow Diantha. It didn’t matter, either way. They had plenty of time to watch Diantha, but for the time being they just had to stare away at Steven, as he disappeared into the elevators. This left Viola with plenty of opportunity to sneak pictures of Diantha and Cynthia.

They didn’t realise until the last moment that Steven’s shoes, his fine smoke-white leather shoes, were positioned right beside Viola. If it wasn’t for the tablecloth, Steven would surely have noticed them. Viola and Alexa held their breath before relaxing as Steven walked away.

Two plates of Watmel berry salad had been placed before Diantha’s eyes; the same salad which Cynthia had eaten earlier with him. At the same time, with his other hand, Steven placed a wooden board between his seat and Cynthia’s. In the light of the candle box, he realised that with Garchomp and Gardevoir seated he would require an extra chair. Fortunately, as the floor was booked off, there were plenty to take from.

“Tonight, I’ve picked out only a certain number of cheeses for your pleasure,” Steven said, addressing this directly to Cynthia. “LaBrie, which comes from Lumiose City, having its signature creamy texture. Bleu de Sud-Est, supplied from Santalune City, forming the core of my Accolade dish. Then finally we have a local specialty, a cheese with plenty of bite to it, De Cyllage. It’s excellent.”

As he said this, Steven questioned why he found it more enjoyable to talk about this to someone whom he regarded as a competitor. His businesslike mind kicked into gear, but he became self-conscious once more that he was treating this woman as he would a guest. An honoured guest, no less.

Cynthia, smiling like the sunset, gestured Steven to join her. However, amusingly, Garchomp showed signs of disapproval of this, as she wasn’t willing to share. So before either Cynthia or Steven could make a move, Garchomp cut out a block of the Bleu de Sud-Est to eat it. Unfortunately, Garchomp was repaid by the cheese’s intense and sharp flavour, and she had to sit back and slowly eat it.

Diantha seemed to be enjoying herself.

“You know, has it ever occurred to both of you that you two look like… an ideal couple?” she said, hoping to poke some ‘fun’ into their minds. “You really didn’t have to dress up for me – Okay, I’ll admit I’m wearing a dress too – but you two… Wow. You’ve gone above and beyond.”

With a small knife in hand, Cynthia delicately cut out a slice of LaBrie. She felt like wanting to deny that, but instead she remained silent, and slowly nibbled at the slice of cheese. Steven had a block of De Cyllage to eat, but like Cynthia he didn’t answer Diantha either. In fact, Steven – much to Diantha’s amusement – had the block of De Cyllage in his hand but didn’t dare eat it. Instead, he sipped his wine.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to tell me your feelings,” Diantha said. “I’m no dating expert, but come on, now. I’m not telling you to bow down to public pressure, but you at least you two have a few things in common. You two know how to dress well, and you’re both former Champions.”

Neither Steven nor Cynthia dared to look into each other’s eyes.

“So between us,” Diantha continued, “have you two ever thought about pursuing a relationship?”

Steven hid his hands beneath the table, awkwardly fiddling with his fingers, and kept his head down. Cynthia, though, looked surprisingly neutral – which wasn’t a surprise as she was well-known for being cool and collected. Cynthia’s eyes darted to Steven, nevertheless.

“To be honest,” Steven said softly, almost inaudible, “I’ve never thought about that. I never have time to pursue a relationship, since I’m always so busy. Besides, even as a Champion, I’ve had too much work on my hands, and I don’t know that many girls.”

Cynthia had a gut feeling that Steven was hiding something, but she let it go.

“I would say the same thing too,” Cynthia added, though sneaking a glance at Steven before looking at Diantha again.

However, Diantha’s response was a giggle, as if she wasn’t registering what she was hearing.

“How old are you two?” she asked. “I know you both look at least twenty-four, right?”

“I’m twenty-five,” Steven cut in. “But you’re close.”

“Same here…” Cynthia muttered.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Diantha said almost as if she were close to shouting. “You two are getting to that age, and you won’t be twenty-five forever! I know plenty of friends around your age who would be dating already!”

Before Steven could say another word, Diantha went on. “Besides, I know your good friend Wallace has a girlfriend, yeah? That is someone smart.”

Steven had a sudden vivid flashback of Wallace kissing Winona not too long ago. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and tried his best to flush out the flashback, but to no avail. When he looked at Diantha again, she had just started on eating her salad.

“Hey, Diantha, it’s not like you’re that much older than us,” Cynthia objected. “Maybe you’re older than us by some few years, or so. Besides, why does it have to be my love life we’re talking about? What about you? Seeing you know so much?”

Diantha shrugged. “Well, you know that you and Steven have been in the news a lot, lately. I’m moreover surprised that critics haven’t reviewed your food as of late. How many Richissime stars have you acquired, anyway? I know Steven has one.”

Initiated by the hotel of the same name, Richissime stars were merits presented to restaurants in Kalos. Professional food critics would review the food for quality, and the restaurant for comfort and service. As such, Richissime stars were awarded based on critic reviews and first-hand experience; and they were highly favourable. A maximum of three could be achieved.

“I… haven’t got any yet,” Cynthia started. “Wait a second, why are we talking about this?! Oh, I get it, you just don’t want to talk about your love life, don’t you now?”

Diantha giggled. “If you’ve ever read the newspapers or magazines,” she said. “There’s plenty of my life in there where the public doesn’t know. Oh, and I would never reveal if I was in a relationship, maybe until I’m married.”

With nothing much more to say, but leaving them in awkward silence, Diantha took the opportunity to dig deeper. Gardevoir shook her head thinking Diantha was just wasting her time. Admittedly, Gardevoir could also tell that Diantha must have some degree of affection for Steven tonight, but she reserved her thoughts and quietly ate her salad.

“Still, if you don’t have a girlfriend, Steven…” Diantha was all smiles. “I would gladly take that place for tonight. What do you think, Cynthia?” The way Steven saw it, Diantha looked just as eager as a certain redhead he knew – Martine, of course. Wait. Was that flirting he had just heard?

However, Cynthia just wasn’t in the mood for replying now. Hoping to change the topic, Cynthia turned to Steven to say something, but she couldn’t say anything at first. He was so… handsome. Steven could notice this, and was a little worried for her.

“Something you need, Cynthia?” he asked.

Cynthia swallowed. “Er… If you’re not having that slice of LaBrie…”

Steven blinked, and looked down at his plate to see that he had an untouched slice of LaBrie there. Apparently, Garchomp had eaten almost half of the cheese on the board in the time the Champions were conversing. Steven took a good look at Cynthia once more, noting her eyeshadow, before passing his plate to her.

Diantha and Gardevoir looked at each other, and then to Garchomp. The three of them kept smiles to themselves.

“But what about you two? You never answered my question,” Diantha asked, still smiling. “Have you ever thought of dating each other? You’re the ideal couple, oui?”

“I’ll admit Cynthia is looking gorgeous tonight,” Steven admitted straight, but quickly followed, “but it never occurred to me.”

“Same,” Cynthia added. “You don’t want to know what’s going on between us. We have too many things going on in our lives.”

Thinking back to the popular Kalos magazine, Diantha understood well enough.

“Ooh… So you do think she’s gorgeous! I’ll be off to wash my hands,” she said, getting up. “Would you excuse me?”

Steven directed Diantha to where the washrooms were, and after the latter had left, Cynthia took the opportunity to talk.

“Are you sure you didn’t stop by my coffee shop?” she whispered, hoping to get something out of Steven. “I had witnesses, you know. The Striaton brothers were there, you know.”

He was silent at first, as he contemplated what would be the best response. Well, now that Diantha wasn’t here, would it be appropriate to tell her – Cynthia – that he did? Would there be anything harsh that could come out of it?

Reminding himself again that Cynthia was his guest, he supposed it was safe. The shine on her earrings caught his eye before he could speak.

“Yes, I – I wanted to take a break,” Steven admitted, somewhat flatly, but still nervous. He didn’t know how to put it in front of this woman. “If you didn’t know, my staff locked my up in the wine cellar for no reason for at least a whole night. Then, oh gosh, I had a break-in in the wine cellar! I’m certain I just had a robbery from under my nose! At least four bottles of wine! Gone!”

Cynthia raised her eyebrows.

“Sorry to hear that,” she muttered.

“Anyway,” Steven continued, “I figured I needed a break from work, not to mention my sous forcing me into it. I heard from those in the know that one of your coffees works well with a Slateport cake. So… I went there to see if it was true.”

“Are. You. Seeing. This?” Viola giggled.

She was very excited, with her camera shooting at Steven and Cynthia constantly.

“I don’t know,” Alexa whispered. “I’ll have to take a look at the pictures later. What are you seeing, sis?”

“The most amazing sight I have ever seen for a celebrity… What’s better than following a celebrity? Seeing two more ex-celebrities who were celebrities in a certain magazine…”

Alexa’s jaw dropped.

“You can’t be serious. Them?”

“I am,” Viola smiled. “Maybe I ought to add some kick to this…”

Chapter Text

At some point downstairs, whatever confusion everyone felt at first now was replaced with clearer minds. James d’Arc still kept the people at bay, and could only hope that the situation would not escalate. Laurent stood alongside. From how things were, the paparazzi were eager to break into the third floor, but at least they seemed calm enough to not do that.

Sophie eventually reappeared behind Laurent, with a glass of water for him. Most notably was that the water had a slice of Watmel berry in it. He accepted the drink gratefully, as he knew that Sophie liked her water that way. To Laurent, it didn’t matter that much, but he would go for a slice of lemon right now if he had to choose.

“So… Let me guess, you had a good look at Mr. Stone, eh?” he said.

“Well, you don’t get to see a man like him dressed like that every day,” Sophie said in her defence. “Besides, you would have done the same for Cynthia, right?”

Laurent held his breath.

“I suppose so,” he finally said.

As much as they were happy talking like this, the atmosphere in the lobby was tense. Although the paparazzi were put in line for now, they were still jumpy. Sometimes, Laurent wondered if the commotion was enough to cause the chandelier on the ceiling, three stories high, to come down in a fiery crash.

“Are you kidding me, Laurent?” Sophie said, annoyed. “Where – How would you have fire?”

“You never know,” Laurent replied. “Anything could happen.”

As Sophie playfully pushed Laurent’s head with her fingers, their interaction provoked the interest of some of the paparazzi. For no reason whatsoever, some of them had their cameras fixed on the receptionists, where they snuck several shots. James was no less annoyed with the flashing cameras.

It became much worse when the number of camera flashes increased, and it became very, very, distracting.

Martine Grenadine couldn’t help herself but visit the third floor once more to see her boss. But on the way there, she noticed another table that seemed… unserved. When she walked closer, it was to her delight that it was Lisia, Wallace, and Winona who were seated there.

She could tell something was off upon looking at the table. Wallace had collapsed on his chair as if he had a heart attack. Winona had her elbows on the table and was evidently sighing in the direction of Steven. Lisia was gently patting her uncle’s hand until noticing Martine had come up to the table.

“There anything I can help you with?” Martine offered.

“Salut, Martine!” Lisia greeted. “Oh, it’s nothing much. My uncle’s just in a state of shock and Winona has temporarily lost her mind. Look at her! She’s been staring at Steven for like… twelve hours!”

Martine used Lisia’s description as an excuse to sneak a glance at her boss, who looked silent as he stared down at a slice of cheese on his plate. However, what really caught her attention was –

“Are you seeing this, Lisia?” she said suddenly. Lisia quickly looked in the same direction. It only took a mere second for Lisia to register what was going on. As if Steven dining with Cynthia wasn’t enough, the two of them were sharing a cheese plate.

Lisia giggled. “They’re sharing a plate? Oh. My. Gosh. Diantha’s not there, and it doesn’t look like that cheese is for her. It looks really…”

“Romantic?” Martine finished the sentence.

“Yeah.”

From where they were observing, it looked as if Steven was serving Cynthia a slice of cheese – specifically LaBrie. He took the untouched piece from his plate and, to Martine and Lisia’s delight, placed it onto her plate. Cynthia, while looking as if flattered, gratefully nibbled on the slice, whereas Steven looked…

He looked satisfied.

“I knew it,” Martine could say this with a wide grin. “I knew it all along. Grrrr! I wish I was in Cynthia’s place.”

It looked like Steven had completely forgotten that Martine, Lisia, and Winona were watching the scene unfold (Wallace was still in shock). On the other hand, Steven looked happy that Cynthia was enjoying herself.

“Oh… and look at them now,” Lisia muttered.

Martine’s mind was in sync with Lisia’s, as she saw Diantha return to the table. Immediately, Steven’s face became neutral and he straightened himself. Quite amusingly, Cynthia did not notice Steven’s expression in the first place, and it was even more amusing when her expression became equally neutral as Steven’s when Diantha returned to the table.

“And we wonder why he won’t ask her out,” Lisia added. “Uncle, how old is Steven?”

Without looking at her, Wallace answered, “Old enough.”

A non-answer.

The conversation at Diantha’s table was moderate. The Kalos Champion herself was enjoying a spectacular dinner for certain, but she enjoyed the company of two former Champions who had status not unlike her own. Moreover, she was interested in how the two would interact – albeit she did find Steven extremely handsome – she was only halfway through eating her Watmel berry salad. Her Gardevoir too.

“Um… yeah, I’ll see to serving you your entrée, Diantha,” he said.

The two women at the table had their eyes fixed on the handsome host for a while. At least until Diantha realised Cynthia was staring at Steven alongside her, when the latter was well away from the table.

“Hold on a minute, Cynthia,” she said, which snapped Cynthia out of her trance. “If you’re looking at him, then you must be attracted to him. Yeah?”

Unable to keep her cool, Cynthia let the slightest blush show on her face.

“Well, why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Diantha exclaimed. “You must have caught his eyes too! Just look at how well he’s dressed! And you! Say, didn’t I interrupt something between you and him when I got here? What were you two lovebirds talking about?”

“Nothing!” Cynthia protested hotly. “And furthermore, we are not lovebirds! On the other hand, we were just talking about food. That’s all!”

Diantha rolled her eyes.

“He thinks you’re gorgeous, and you stare at him like he’s the only man for you,” she said. “What are you waiting for?”

Refusing to answer, Cynthia reached for her bag to pull out something like a miniature paper bag, and placed it aside. After that, she helped herself to some more cheese. A piece of the Bleu de Sud-Est was extremely good, but its flavour was also very, very, potent. She had to eat small portions of it, just like Garchomp did earlier.

In her honest opinion, though, the LaBrie tasted much better.

While that was going on, Steven was well on his way to the private elevator leading to the kitchens. With an empty plate in hand, he could breathe a sigh of relief knowing he was away from Diantha and her. In the short distance ahead, he seemed pleased and partly amused that Wallace had collapsed on his chair for reasons unknown, with Lisia and Winona staring at him (he sort of enjoyed that attention now).

And Martine.

Before he could even think of reacting to seeing his nineteen year old waitress there, he was rudely interrupted by the sound of a click, followed by a suspicious shimmer of light from under one of the nearby tables.

Confused, whereas Martine was confused all the same and watching, Steven set down the empty plate on top of the nearest table and approached the suspicious one. He could anticipate already what was going on, but nevertheless…

He looked down to see his white leather shoes near the edge of the tablecloth. Upon hearing just the slightest amount of chatter, Steven didn’t know if he should be feeling surprised or not. Kneeling down, he held his breath as he peeked underneath the table.

His reaction was mixed. Two girls, a photographer and a journalist from the looks of it, were hiding right below. However, to his non-surprise, the two girls were flattered by his looks. His impossibly handsome looks.

“Ooh…” Alexa sighed at him.

“May I ask what you two are doing here?” Steven politely asked. “You are not invited here.”

Viola held up her camera instantly and a bright flash of light blinded Steven, causing him to flinch. Subsequently, Steven had to pull them out from under the table, seeing as they weren’t willing to move or reply.

Women, Steven thought. Not to mention these two are still girls, from the looks of it.

“I can’t believe I did it. Write this down, sis.”

It wasn’t before long Steven had to drag the two girls out. However, their hands seemed to melt upon touching him. For his part, Steven signalled for Martine to come over; and for the first time in a while, he was quite happy his 19-year old waitress was in his presence. With a glaring eye, he ensured they stood still.

“Could you do me a favour and escort these two away? I’m going to return to dinner,” he ordered. “Oh, and their equipment has to stay in my office.”

“Aw… but Mr. Stone!” Viola whined. “This camera’s a gift from ma soeur! Madamoiselle Diantha! Aidez-moi, s’il vous plait!”

“Mais malheuresment, je ne te peux pas aider,” Diantha replied amusingly. “But you can keep your camera though.”

Helpless, Viola and Alexa followed Martine in the direction of the stairs, where it led to the lobby. After they had disappeared from sight, Cynthia turned to Diantha. “You know those two?”

“Yup,” Diantha said. “The blond is a Gym Leader here in Kalos, and that was her sister with her. You know, I can never get enough publicity from those two. It’s very much a recipe for disaster! And, come to that, what have you got in that bag?”

Suddenly looking at the paper bag, which was wide open, Cynthia closed it. “It’s nothing,” she replied. “Just some private stuff which I’m not willing to tell you about!”

“Like… photos of Steven?” Diantha said, hoping to make Cynthia crack. In return, this caused Cynthia to blush a little more. “Oh… So it’s true, eh?”

The latter closed the paper bag and was about put it back into her regular bag (a handbag, perhaps. Diantha couldn’t see it, but she was certain it was a handbag). It was somewhat amusing to watch Viola and Alexa being helplessly pushed away by the redhead waitress, but she was fine with that. Such was the life of the paparazzi. At the last minute, Cynthia pulled out a perfume spray bottle and handed it to Diantha.

“I just bought a new perfume at the boutique,” Cynthia explained, spraying some of it on her hand to smell it. “If you are interested, you can try it out if you like.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Diantha replied, spraying a bit on her hand just so she could smell it first. “Ah, the classic smell of the Kalos coast. Can you smell it too?”

Cynthia didn’t even realise that in the heat of the moment, Garchomp had snuck several cheeses away from her. Nevertheless, afterwards, Cynthia continued to nibble on the slice of LaBrie that Steven had cut out for her, whereas Diantha had almost finished her salad. Gardevoir had finished, so Steven took the liberty of taking that plate as an act of convenience. It was a surprise, really, because Diantha could have sworn Steven had left to serve the entrée.

“When I come back, I’ll make sure your entrée is served fresh,” he said. “Besides, I’d love to keep it as a surprise, but Cynthia (he glanced at her for a moment) can tell you all about it if she wishes. But hey, I can’t leave an empty plate here.”

For a moment, the two former Champions smiled in front of the current Kalos Champion. Diantha could really sense something going between them. Perhaps it was too good to be true. Somehow, Diantha could sense Cynthia was tempted to flirt at Steven with all her beauty, and that was enough for Diantha to sneak a laugh.

“Right. Well, I better get to putting away that plate. Promise,” Steven said, as he was reminded of the plate he had intended to take away until he ran into the two girls: Viola and Alexa.

Speaking of which, Viola and Alexa, escorted by Martine, had approached the doors leading to the stairs at this point.

It was then, even from this distance, Steven could hear a rumbling sound coming from the door. Like the sound of an earthquake.

Not to mention the sound of coughing – Wait, that was Diantha’s voice!

Immediately, Steven turned around to rush over to the table. He saw Cynthia looking as if she didn’t know what to do, but that wasn’t important. It looked bad enough that Diantha was looking horrible.

“Diantha! Are you okay?!” Steven pleaded.

“I – I’m fine,” Diantha rasped, as she clutched her throat. Sweat was forming on her head. She continued to cough.

“I think she should see a doctor.” Cynthia’s cool voice was all she could do to keep the atmosphere calm, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.

“I – MARTINE!” Steven yelled.

Across the floor, Martine – and Viola and Alexa – turned her head to see her boss once again.

This time Steven looked desperate. Now that Martine had a clear look at Diantha, she hurried over to the table. However, Steven held up a hand to stop her.

“I need you to fetch Diantha some water. Vite!” Steven ordered.

Wherever the nearest station was, Martine dashed to it to pour a glass of water. From what she saw, Diantha had finished her water and so her glass was empty. Quickly as Martine could, Martine got a glass of water in her hand.

But Steven, who watched Diantha suffer, caught wind that Diantha’s coughs were not stopping.

Eventually, Diantha coughed until she collapsed. Her arms and her head hit the table with a thud.

She lay still.

“No! Diantha! Wake up!” Steven cried.

He was rudely interrupted by the flashing of a familiar camera. Steven looked up to see Viola excitedly take pictures of the scene, with Alexa taking as many notes as possible. Torn between wanting to stop them to protect his image – and his reputation, or help Diantha. Well, if Diantha’s life was at stake here, then the option was obvious.

“Okay, I agree with you, Cynthia. We better get her to a doctor,” Steven said.

Cynthia slowly nodded her head, but looked the other way.

Cautiously, Steven checked to see if Diantha was breathing (thankfully, she was). With that settled, he started to clean up the table.

Something, a light, caught the corner of his while he was cleaning. When Steven looked up, he could make out a… drone. A hovering drone with a camera seeing everything that was going on inside the building. No, wait, there were many drones! How could he not have noticed this earlier?

“What is this…?” Steven muttered. “No!”

It was then it happened.

The rumbling earthquake-like sound erupted from behind the doors across, where Viola and Alexa were standing. Before Steven could register what was going on, the sound of doors bursting open meant something serious was going on.

As in, the paparazzi. They were here, no doubt, to see Diantha. Ten – no – twenty people entered the room!

If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Martine Grenadine, both Viola and Alexa would have been stampeded over by the crowd of journalists and photographers. But even so, that wasn’t enough, because Viola and Alexa ended up joining the crowd who were rushing to Diantha. The twenty people didn’t even bother noticing Wallace and Winona, who were sitting under their noses.

“I’m offended,” Wallace and Lisia said together.

“What, because they’re not noticing you?” Winona said sarcastically, now that the intrusion of the paparazzi had snapped her back to reality. “I’d be more worried about Steven!”

“And not me?” Wallace clutched his chest. “Winona. You break my heart.”

“Says the one who kissed me not too long ago,” Winona shot back. “You break my heart.”

That exchange could have continued, but they were distracted by the twenty people who had gathered around Steven, Cynthia, and an unconscious Diantha. There was plenty of silence at first, with the people seemingly stunned by Steven’s charm and Cynthia’s beauty. That much was apparent. Even Diantha’s Gardevoir looked at the people watching, and could only imagine how awkward Steven must be feeling. Garchomp… still had more cheese.

It didn’t take long for the crowd to register Diantha’s position, whose head and arms were flat on the table.

While Cynthia thought this looked awkward, she sneaked a smile. Steven was beside himself.

“This isn’t what it looks like!” he cried.

Chapter Text

The only response Steven would get was not a bunch of questions, but a number of flashing cameras.

“This is NOT what it looks like!” Steven repeated whilst raised his hands up in resignation. His heart was torn between wanting to help Diantha, and wanting to preserve his image. But he knew deep down that it was impossible to keep these people from taking pictures.

Martine Grenadine’s first impulse was to help her boss, but there was no chance of that happening. The twenty people had formed a barrier around the table and weren’t willing to let anyone in or out. Still, she put the glass of water aside and tried to force her way through, but to no avail.

“Mr. Stone! Can you explain what’s going on here?!” a reporter shouted.

“I can explain –” Steven started.

“Steven! Why is Diantha on the table, knocked out as she is?”

“Is this because of this lovely beauty you call Cynthia that you chose to knock her out?”

Steven glared at that comment.

“I have no comment now!” he shouted. “Please! Leave this floor, NOW!”

“Oh! Oh! Steven! Did you do this have a moment with Cynthia alone?”

“Or maybe you’re trying to show the world that people like Diantha aren’t welcome here?”

“Or maybe she’s just not your type?!”

Now Steven’s face flushed for a split second, but whatever feeling he had was quickly replaced by anger. He let go of Diantha to approach the reporters, in an effort to push them away, but many of them took advantage of his absence to get closer to the table to photograph Diantha. Diantha, completely unconscious, was victim to the paparazzi.

In Cynthia’s eyes, it was hard to tell if she should feel sorry for Diantha more, or Steven. If she could reserve some sympathies for Steven, she would, but she sort of enjoyed the scene. Casually, she lifted her glass to sip some wine.

“How dare you!” another reporter shouted. “You’ve poisoned Diantha!”

Rather than deny it, Steven said, “No comment! No comment!” As he tried his best to push the people away, it was apparent that he – one man – could not fight back against a crowd of twenty. He fruitlessly tried to block all the camera lenses, but it was pointless. There were too many of them. While the onslaught of flashing continued, Cynthia didn’t seem to mind what was going on, but she did grin at some of their comments.

“Steven!” Alexa shouted. “Give us an explanation! Was this a plot to reinforce your relationship?”

“That’s not true!” he shot back, and forgetting he did not want to comment on that issue.

“You just said you didn’t want to comment on that! Tell us why Diantha – oh, she’s a rival isn’t she? Does she have your eye now?”

Helpless, Steven looked to his best friend Wallace for support. Help me, he pleaded, hoping his best friend would do so. Instead, Wallace gave Steven a thumbs-up, to Steven’s horror. Lisia looked as if she wanted to feel sorry for him.

Out of the blue, somehow past the barrier of people with cameras, Martine showed up beside him. To Steven’s mild surprise, Martine was helping him keep the paparazzi at bay, and together they gradually pushed half of the paparazzi away. His youngest employee, who seemed so keen on seeing the relationship between him and Cynthia come to fruition, was actually helping him with something serious for once.

Yet the other half stampeded over to take more and more pictures of the table, and such that they eventually overran Steven and Martine. Martine desperately tried to stay her ground, but was pushed aside. Steven… had the same treatment. It didn’t help that Viola was taking pictures of him especially.

With a resigned face, he faced the mob.

“Okay. So in short, I was having dinner with Diantha since she’s my guest,” he said, whilst enduring the camera flashes. “For a moment she coughed, and now she’s knocked out. Now can you please leave us ALONE?”

“So you did poison her!” someone declared, as if it was true.

“Please!” Steven begged. “Leave us in peace! Otherwise, we’ll never be able to help her! And what you saw isn’t what it looked like!”

“Sure it was!”

He kept an eye on the drone that was still hovering outside the window, and in his bones he would shoot it down if he could. Steven felt Viola pass something into his hands in the midst of the chaos, and try as Steven might, he dared to look down.

A phone number. With. A. Heart.

Why would Viola give him a phone number at this time? She must be trying to flirt with him, just like the many other women who did that throughout the night. In Steven’s mind, he accepted that the only one exception was Cynthia herself, but that was a different matter. Absentmindedly, he slipped the paper into his pocket and tried to repel the constant camera flashes.

“MOVE! MOVE!” he yelled. Martine tried her best to create some space, so she managed to push away those who were crowding Diantha. But on the whole, she knew it was a fruitless effort when she was outnumbered by a ten-to-one margin.

Cynthia looked over at Diantha first, who still had plenty of the attention of the camera lenses, wearing a facial expression as if unconcerned by the mass number of cameras that were fixed on her beauty. Eventually, she did check to see if Diantha was okay by feeling her wrist and checking for a pulse. Of course there was one, but perhaps Diantha was feeling unwell because of him.

“Looking good tonight, Cynthia!” someone shouted. “Pose for us, oui?”

She chose to ignore that photographer, but all the same, Cynthia coolly flashed her dignified smile.

“Cynthia! Do you think you could pursue a relationship with Steven in light of this?” another asked. “You and him are looking sharp, so is it possible? Smile for us, s’il vous plait? What do you make of it?”

“I think we’ll keep it cool for now.” Cynthia’s voice was as cool as her smile. When she turned to look at Steven, who was still struggling to keep the people away, their eyes met. As handsome as Steven was, and as beautiful as she was, Steven looked deeply into her eyes.

Help me. That was what Steven’s eyes were begging.

But to his horror, a horror that went beyond his earlier horror to Wallace, Cynthia encouraged the people to keep taking more pictures. She… was also speaking!

“I suspect this may have something to do with the food,” she told Alexa.

“Could it have been something Diantha ate?” Alexa asked. “Maybe you had something to do with this so you could have some quality time with Steven, right? Let’s face it, he’s the man of your dreams.”

At that, Cynthia’s voice became as hot as her face, in sharp contrast to her initial response. “That’s only what the media wants! We – I don’t follow!”

“We?” Alexa added questionably, as if she was entertained. “I’ll just need a picture – Viola! Stop taking pictures of Steven! We need that camera!”

She said this especially because Viola was taking pictures of Steven non-stop. It helped that Steven was severely restrained by the very people he was trying to repel. Eventually, when the photographers closest to Diantha had their fill of photos, they turned their attention to Steven.

Steven realised that, without a doubt, the battle was lost. He knew he had to get reinforcements to get this situation under control. Oh, where was Metagross when he needed it most? Standing beside him, Martine listened closely to her boss.

“Come on, let’s get Diantha to the lobby!” Steven ordered. “Make it fast!”

In fact, if he had any Pokémon with him at the moment, he would be extremely happy to use it. But as a retired Pokémon Champion who left his Pokémon at his villa, he was cut off from support, and Metagross was serving the guests below. Martine obeyed Steven without question and the two of them hustled to Diantha, whose head and arms were still flat on the table.

Steven, without needing to think, pulled Diantha up and carried her on his back. Martine hurried to clear a path for Steven to walk through. At the very least Gardevoir left the table to join Steven, seeing there was no reason to stay, and could support Steven in some way.

It was equally amusing for Cynthia to see that the twenty people that had come here paid no attention to her when Steven carried Diantha away from the table. The only exceptions were Viola and Alexa, who were standing still. Viola looked at her camera as if something was wrong with it, whereas Alexa appeared to be quite annoyed.

When the atmosphere had quietened just a little, and the crowd was at the other side of the floor, Cynthia waved to the sisters.

“Hey. Something wrong with your camera, Viola?” Cynthia called out.

“Uh… yeah. I’ve run out of memory,” Viola replied.

“Well, yeah, if you hadn’t spent all that precious time taking glorified pictures of Steven, we could’ve had a big scoop for Diantha here!” Alexa complained. “Well, since Cynthia’s here, we might as well ask her a few more questions.”

Viola pouted, but Alexa ignored her and readjusted her recorder, which had the appearance of a hybrid between a regular set of headphones and a camera, with a lens on one ear and a throat mic on the other. Truly, that was what Cynthia could remark as recording equipment.

“Right, so we’re recording live on behalf of Lumiose Press,” Alexa stated in front of Cynthia, to ensure Cynthia knew what she was wading into. “So, Cynthia, in light of what has happened, we all witnessed the great Diantha unconscious here… at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. You were the only one here when it happened, so what’s your take on it?”

Before Cynthia could say anything, a voice interrupted her thoughts. “Hey, you can’t forget me! I need some limelight here!”

Instantly, Alexa turned to see Wallace join the table. Nevertheless, despite the interruption, Cynthia’s mind was thinking pretty smoothly. She had her thoughts on only one person, and that person was Steven Stone.

“Ahem,” Cynthia said. “Well, I was only having dinner with the host of course. Diantha showed up much later. After Diantha was served her salad, she began to experience some… problems, I guess? The next thing you know, she’s knocked out. I’m guessing it was the food that –”

“In addition,” Wallace interjected, “this is without a doubt a way of how Steven does things. Come on, you’ve got to believe me. I’m his best friend! He knocked out Diantha so he could have some more alone time with Cynthia. It was the perfect set up, you know? The good-looking host with a good-looking guest – he just couldn’t spoil it!”

Cynthia glared at him.

“I concur!” Lisia’s voice added. “This is going to be the second chapter of his love story!”

Cynthia did not realise Lisia had been standing beside the table for an entire minute. Her face remained quite neutral, apart from the glare she reserved for Wallace, when Lisia struck a pose in front of them. Cynthia didn’t realise the weight of what Lisia was saying, as if it didn’t make sense.

“I don’t get it,” Cynthia replied. “What love story?”

Lisia and Wallace both turned their heads to stare at her. Their eyes round and their faces looking serious.

“Tell me, Cynthia. Do you have any idea what sort of relationship is going between you and Steven? Is there any chance that the two of you could…?” Wallace demanded.

This was the sort of question that still made Cynthia uncomfortable no less. However, Cynthia always had that one reputation for being cool and collected. Her glare still tried to pierce Wallace in an effort to shake him off.

“Not at the moment,” she said shortly. “By the way, how are things going on between you and Winona? I’m sure your relationship is going smooth, right?”

“Nuh-uh, don’t change the subject just yet,” Wallace countered. “She’s doing fine right now. What we’re all concerned with is how you’re going to get along with Steven! Every woman – including Winona – wants him now! I don’t see how you’re missing this!”

That comment was enough to make all the women around him shift around in discomfort. Viola shuddered, Alexa swallowed, and Lisia blinked. But Cynthia wasn’t moved. Instead of answering, Cynthia snuck a glance and where Winona was, and she saw her – the Fortree Gym Leader – head on the table. It looked like she was crying.

“You know, I think you’re the one who’s ‘missing this’,” Cynthia countered back. “Just how could you leave Winona alone right now?! She needs someone.”

It seemed that was enough to draw Viola and Alexa’s attention away from Cynthia and towards the aforementioned. Though partly embarrassed, Wallace didn’t show it. Unfortunately for Wallace, that tactic turned against him.

“So, the Champion of Hoenn doesn’t have a heart,” Alexa concluded.

“That’s not true!” Wallace denied.

“Or so he thinks,” Viola added. “You know, Wallace, if my camera hadn’t run out of memory –”

“It’s fine,” Alexa cut in. “I have plenty of video. So Wallace, how many hearts have you broken besides hers? You know what I mean?”

“Aren’t you from Lumiose Press? How could you be asking these –” Wallace paused. “No! That was a long time ago!”

“Sure,” Alexa said, and nodded as if she didn’t care either way. “It’s okay if you don’t care for her, Wallace. We understand.”

“You do NOT!” Wallace had enough. He stood up and ran over to Winona, who was still crying.

From where they were sitting, Cynthia, Viola, and Alexa awkwardly watched Wallace try to comfort Winona. To Alexa, this was a bonus. She had managed to ask enough to make Wallace crack to the point where he just had to bring it to Winona. Smiling to herself, she stopped the recording.

“You know, I think we’ve got enough for today,” Alexa said.

“And I think I’ve outstayed my welcome too. My work here is done,” Cynthia added. She picked up her glass once more to finish what little wine there was in it. “I guess I’ll head home now.”

Cynthia stood up, taking her handbag with her, and motioned for Garchomp to follow her. Given the commotion outside, she guessed it was the safest time to quietly slip away.

Elsewhere, Steven and Martine where battling against the constant pushing and shoving of the wave of paparazzi reporters. The same twenty people of the paparazzi crowded around Steven and Martine and followed them wherever they went. Steven still had Diantha on his back.

To Steven’s displeasure, he realised that this commotion had drawn the attention of nearby customers on the floor below (where they passed). If it weren’t for the constant buzz of the paparazzi and the open doors of the second floor, this could have gone along a lot more quietly. Martine continued to clear the space in front, whereas Steven carried Diantha to the lobby where he intended to get some assistance.

“Nothing to see here,” Steven assured the people who got up from their tables to look. “Everything will be fine. Return to your meals.”

Some raised their eyebrows at him, as he had the Kalos champion on his back.

However, the commotion had drawn the attention of the other forty photographers, reporters, and journalists who were standing in the lobby below.

As a result, Steven could see the horde react to him by taking pictures and – to his horror – running up close to him to question what was going on. Although he wanted to answer, the vast number of people spilled a dreadful thought in his head.

Panic.

“Laurent! Help me!” he yelled, trying to fight against the sea of voices demanding answers from him.

It was too late. He was surrounded. Martine slowly tried to clear ground again, but the additional forty people – who had reinforced the initial twenty – had prevented her from moving any further. Steven’s face started to sweat. He felt embarrassed enough already that he had to carry Diantha on his back, not to mention the paparazzi – sixty of them – were making a big deal about it.

As soon as Laurent could comprehend the situation, which was surprisingly slow, he immediately left his desk to support his boss. James, however, picked up the phone. Given what he was seeing, there was no doubt he needed the gendarme here.

“Hawlucha! Vite!” Laurent said to his Pokémon.

But by the time Laurent and Hawlucha could get even close to Steven, Steven was barricaded and entombed by the people thus preventing his movement. If anything, they people were in position to push Diantha downward and crush Steven. Martine, who had been trying hard to make some space, had been trapped by the wave of people also, and soon she too became helpless.

Because Laurent and Hawlucha were limited to minimise harm to the customers, there wasn’t too much they could do except remove a photographer or two one by one. In spite of this effort, this did little to hamper the crowd.

On the other hand, James had Sophie handle the call with the gendarme while he too went in to clear the area. As soon as James got close enough to Steven, he could understand that Diantha – the Kalos Champion – was in pretty bad shape. Like Martine and Laurent, there wasn’t much he could do as the paparazzi were simply too power to break through.

“What are you plans with Diantha now?” asked someone.

“I have no comment!” Steven shot back. “She just needs rest!”

“So that was a comment!” the same someone added happily.

The only knee-jerk reaction Steven could do was to shoot a glare, but only to be repaid by a blinding camera flash. After the flash, Steven was blinded! He could not see, and when he opened his eyes his vision was partly blinded, and he kept trying to press forward.

He couldn’t. The paparazzi were forcing him back!

“Go away!” he demanded.

He tried holding his ground, but eventually he realised that was a mistake. The paparazzi had him in stasis and Steven realised he would be stuck here for a while. He turned his head to see Martine isolated from him, helpless. Laurent and James… Steven could see them try to make a way between them.

“This way, Mr. Stone!” Laurent shouted over the noise.

Steven nodded and tried to walk through the gap Laurent, James, and Hawlucha had created for him. But Steven felt many hands try to rip Diantha off his back. He turned his head around, and saw the many curious people pull at Diantha – and in effect, preventing Steven from moving forward.

“No! Let her go!” Steven shouted.

“Steven, this opening won’t last!” James shouted over the noise also. He was too distracted keeping the paparazzi at bay to notice Steven’s immobility. “Why haven’t you moved yet?!”

“I’m a little busy at the moment!” Steven yelled.

Eventually, it got to the worst, as James had fearfully anticipated from much earlier. The paparazzi, in the midst of the tension and chaos, had evolved into behaviour that was equivalent to a riot, and that was what had happened.

Steven felt the paparazzi rip Diantha off of his back and, when he turned around he saw some of the people pull Diantha onto the floor. They took advantage of the gap and took whatever pictures they could. Whoever else that wouldn’t look at Diantha decided to hammer Steven with extra questions. Too many of them, perhaps.

“No! Leave her alone!” he shouted.

“Oh, so you do care about her, eh Steven?”

“Wait, could there be something going on between you and her?”

“What about Cynthia?! Isn’t she supposed to be the special one?”

“I mean, you did just have dinner with her, right?”

“It was just you and Cynthia, dining alone!”

Steven froze. How was it possible they could know that?

“Oh, so it is true, right?”

“Right?”

With the crowd of sixty people on the little space of the second floor, with Steven surrounded, Diantha knocked out and mercilessly being taken advantage of by the paparazzi, and Laurent and James isolated just like Martine, it seemed all was lost.

Eventually, Steven noticed the many customers dining on the second floor gather outside of the dining area to see the huge commotion. If anything could describe it, it was very embarrassing for Steven. That was absolute.

Oh no… he thought. He could not allow his customers to see him like this! This would be terrible for his business, and not to mention everyone else who worked here.

There, amongst the customers, he saw Metagross watch the scene too. That was exactly what Steven needed.

In a desperate voice, Steven cried, “Metagross!”

Immediately, Metagross put down whatever plates it had in its grasp and hovered above the crowd to where Steven was. By then, the gathering of the paparazzi had turned into a riot. There was pushing and shoving, and the occasional fighting over top pics of Diantha and endless questions for Steven, but to Steven this was unacceptable.

I can’t believe it’s come to this, Steven thought, and then yelled, “Psychic! Just do it!”

And soon enough, everything on the floor, from every paparazzo’s toes to, to Diantha’s body, not to mention the employees present, was fully under the control of Metagross’ grasp. Everything that was in grasp floated in the air. Time had frozen, or at least that was what it felt like.

“Everyone out!” Steven barked.

Chapter Text

Steven Stone anticipated the worst when his face made the front page of Lumiose Press.

First having an inventory of wine that didn’t match up with the financial statements, now his company was victim to some sort of scandal now. Could it get that much worse? As a result, Steven had seen his business plummet over the week. He only saw a considerable drop in customers eating at the Stone Bistro, and earned only half the revenue that could deem his restaurant sustainable by the end of the week. The restaurant was getting a bad reputation.

It did not help that Lumiose Press had reported the incident either.

On the other hand, the bakery and the museum was holding out fairly strong. With the help of James, Steven had begun planning how to make his restaurant favourable again. The idea of expanding the restaurant to include a terrace was a choice, and from the looks of it, it was a good one.

And his Stone Open… His one best shot at clinging to some redemption. Boom. It had gone up in smoke. Unless he had a food critic to somehow miraculously drop by, he was backed against the wall. For the time being, it seemed that no food critic would dare to approach him ever again.

That morning. It happened that morning.

He slept restlessly that night. By the time he tried to leave his villa the following day, Steven realised that that was not possible. He found that a crowd of reporters had gathered at his villa. They not only surrounded the front door (which Steven didn’t dare open), but had crowded around the windows and even tried to find a gap on the roof.

Depressed, Steven picked up his phone. He had to make a call now.

“Stone Restaurant and Bistro.” He heard Laurent’s voice come from the other end.

“Laurent,” Steven said.

“Oh! Mr. Stone!” Now Laurent’s voice became anxious. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I need to talk to James,” he replied.

“Monsieur d’Arc has advised you not to do that,” Laurent replied. “We’re being swarmed with reporters and journalists right now. If you come, it’ll be your funeral.”

Steven merely hung up the phone and buried his face in his hands. For him, nowhere in all of Kalos was safe. Perhaps if he took a breather… If only he could! However, with the number of journalists trying to peek into his villa, it was impossible.

He needed to find a way to re-establish his reputation. Period. Where better to start than having a good review from a critic? Unfortunately, he questioned if his reputation for customer service had been badly damaged by the media, come to that.

The media.

If only there was some way to vent his anger at the media outside, but he figured that would do a lot more harm than good. As a result, Steven paced back and forth wondering what to do. His Pokémon looked equally worried for him, but in the end Steven chose to fix himself a cup of tea. He mixed it with milk and sugar just the way he liked it, and brought it to his lips after.

That wasn’t the end of it. He had made absolutely clear to Wallace that he had nothing personal between himself and Cynthia. And how did Wallace repay him? By instituting that relationship to Lumiose Press. That did nothing to help Steven at all, and now everyone was certain the relationship was reality. It was like Apples and Oranges version 1.2. The next generation of media cover.

Wallace.

It was always Wallace.

Well, he had to admit that the newspaper company did cover a bit of Wallace’s relationship with Winona, but compared to his own coverage with Cynthia it was nothing. The media had blown it completely out of proportion.

Oh what to do, Steven thought.

Walking around, and contemplating that outside was pretty much unsafe for the time being, Steven looked around his villa for something to do. In the absence of working at his restaurant, he was quite bored. He approached his desk, placed his cup on the space, and looked into the drawers.

It was then, upon opening one of the drawers, he saw his old explorer kit of which he had acquired on a visit to the Sinnoh region. Back in those days, around the time being Champion, he had that obsession for collecting rocks and stones. When he managed to get his hands on one of these kits, the kit basically became his ‘best friend’. He took it wherever to get some digging done.

Even in this area of Kalos, where rocks were abundant, Steven had ample opportunity to look for new rocks. However, his business with the bistro wouldn’t wait, and he had to sacrifice his time for the business’ sake. Perhaps now was the time to get the explorer kit back into gear.

Sighing, he walked over to the window just to peek outside. Although there were plenty of people outside who looked like they were willing to break into the villa, Steven glanced at the window just to look at the weather. It was sunny, but not too hot. If he could get away from the business life for a while, now would be the time.

Eventually, he dressed up in his old hiking clothes. An orange collared shirt, a vest, combat pants, combat boots, and most importantly his bag. It felt like an eternity since he had been in this outfit, and as he put his explorer kit into the bag, he felt the whiff of nostalgia of wanting to excavate rocks again.

Food, he thought.

Chansey eggs, croissants, and LaBrie. Maybe a bottle of fresh water. Yes, that seemed like the ideal meal. Steven put on his cooking jacket and got to cooking straight away. He had two eggs fried, a handful of uncooked croissants placed in the oven, and chopped up some pieces of LaBrie to take with him. Perhaps a Slateport cake wouldn’t hurt either.

Now, there was the matter of actually getting out.

“I’m going to be heading out for a while,” Steven told his Pokémon. “Well, you’re coming with me, Skarmory. But as for the rest of you, you have the house to yourselves.”

His lunch was packed in his bag, along with his explorer kit, and he motioned for Skarmory to head to the door with him. He knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant once he stepped out of those doors, but it had to be done.

“Please lock the door once I’m out,” he instructed Metagross, of which the latter nodded.

Holding his breath, Steven sat on Skarmory’s back and had his Armaldo open the door to let him out. The Kalos sunlight broke into the villa as it blinded his eyes. Unfortunately, the shock of the blinding light was overshadowed by the storm of questions that berated after. He could sense the number of cameras that were readied just for him.

But, as he had planned, he and Skarmory shot out of the villa and into the air, and above the crowd of reporters and journalists that had crowded in front. He heard the door slam shut as soon as he was in the air, and when Steven turned his head around to look down he was surprised at the sheer number of people that had surrounded his home.

Reporters, journalists, a news vehicle belonging to Lumiose Press, and a couple of helicopters had his home surrounded. Worse was the fact that the commotion had attracted the locals of Cyllage City, and now the villa was surrounded on every end imaginable.

Am I glad I got out of there, Steven thought. Hmm… and I might have to sell this villa like I did with the one in Sinnoh. So much for living a quiet life!

And what was to blame? The media. But something had happened yesterday that had demolished his reputation now. He needed to rest. He needed to get away. Truth be told, he was heading in the direction of the ocean which was where he did not intend to go, but it was good to mislead the people.

Unfortunately, the two helicopters weren’t keen on letting Steven fly away. Instead, they turned about to pursue him. Steven, annoyed by the ruthless coverage, wished he could bring down the helicopter; but of course that was not an option. But there was no way he would be able to shake them off, and especially at how fast they were moving.

How am I going to shake them off without harming them?! Steven thought. It was near impossible, or at least alone. The flight carried further and further away from the mainland, and above the waters, Steven knew there had to be a way.

They went further and further away from the coast, but even then the helicopters were fast. If they were going to keep following him, he would have to outmaneuver them whenever possible, because it was pointless trying to shake them off.

“Dive, dive, dive,” Steven urged. Skarmory dived downward such that he was right above the waters, and then sharply turned away to lose the helicopters. For a moment, he seemed to have lost them, but they quickly turned about to follow him.

What will it take to shake off these people?! Steven thought.

Rather than embarrass himself in front of the countless media present on the shore already, Steven sought to take the situation even further away. He had been in the air for five minutes already, which was disastrous in itself.

More drastic action was needed.

“Skarmory. Use Aerial Ace on their hulls,” Steven instructed. “Just do it to give them a scare.”

Skarmony questioned Steven’s motives, but he obeyed nevertheless. Decreasing his altitude, he went for the bottom of the helicopter and struck it, which caused the machine the shake. Likewise, Skarmory swooped around and did the same with the other helicopter. If nothing else, it felt nothing more than a friendly bump. Even so, it was enough to send the helicopters off course, and gave Steven enough time to get away. He was glad they were far enough away from the villa that the public couldn’t see what was going on.

“Come on! Let’s get out of here!” he shouted.

Now, all Steven cared about was finding a nice place to do excavations. To do that, he would have to be on the ground. The thing about Cyllage City was it was located in an area that was rich with rocky areas, which gave Steven ample opportunities to do some digging. All around the city there were rocks, rocks, and rocks.

In the direction of Geosenge Town lay the mysterious Kalos Route 10, alias the Menhir Trail. It wasn’t the best place to do excavations, but Steven hadn’t intended to mess with the menhirs either. He was more interested in the mountainous area near Cyllage City, but for the time being wanted to take a walk.

“I’m not hungry yet, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said to Skarmory.

He landed on the grassy ground, recalled Skarmory, and observed his surroundings. Rows and rows of menhirs lined up amongst fields of green. For a moment, as Steven heard the gentle breeze and scent of the Kalos seaside in the air, he could relax. It felt wonderful to get away from the chaos, and if only – if only – he could experience this feeling every day.

He kneeled down to investigate the nearest menhir. At first, Steven thought about trying to break parts of it with the pickaxe in his explorer kit, but upon close examination he realised the menhirs were actually gravestones. Shuddering, Steven decided to walk along the route towards Cyllage City, where the more ‘breakable’ rocks were.

However, that didn’t stop him from taking a close examination of the menhirs though. Steven did kneel down to look at one closely, albeit knowing they were graves. Although Steven was in no position to break the menhir, he did have to remark that they radiated some form of energy – which was what they were known for. More subtly, they were warm to the touch.

Elsewhere at the Stone Bistro, in the eyes of Martine Grenadine, business was relatively slow. Even though there were a handful of customers, they were all journalists. She suspected it had to do with the disastrous scandal that had happened the night earlier.

As for Diantha, she had been in the Pokémon Centre’s care since last night. Up to now, she hadn’t heard from the local doctor yet. What she did know about, in small part due to the news broadcast over radio, was that Diantha was still unconscious but was living and breathing at least. From the report, Diantha had a severe allergic reaction, and as a result the Stone Bistro was under fire for serving ‘bad’ food to a celebrity of all people.

What Steven did last night was he ended up throwing everyone out the doors, but that was another story.

The Pokémon Centre currently was blocked off by the gendarme. As the mass number of people were interested in seeing Diantha, fans and journalists alike, this proved to be a problem for the medical staff. As a result, the Pokémon Centre called on the gendarme to block off the area as a means to protect their patients. The only exceptions were for some radio news hosts and Lumiose Press.

It wouldn’t be long before the lunch hours, where business normally picked up. But due to the slow business right now, Martine supposed she could extend her break a little more.

Since the restaurant was so quiet, she ended up talking with Sophie over lunch. For lunch, Martine stuck with a simple meal of onion soup with a croissant whereas Sophie had half a serving of the Stone Accolade. Between them, they were looking at a copy of Lumiose Press on the table, and the popular Kalos magazine.

“They suspect we poisoned her? That’s so professional of Lumiose Press,” Martine remarked.

“But they’re blaming it all on Mr. Stone!” Sophie protested. “It could be Cynthia’s fault!”

“You’re only saying that because you love his looks,” Martine sneered, as if trying to be sassy.

Sophie’s face flushed. “No!” she said hotly. “It’s not like that! It’s – Martine, don’t tell me you’re saying that because you love his looks! Quelle fille!”

Martine held her breath, as if she was partly annoyed, but returned to looking at the paper. The article aside, the photos taken showed embarrassing moments of Diantha being hauled away by Steven. Additional photos showed her trying to clear the way, and the headline claimed Steven was responsible for knocking her out.

That wasn’t the end of it, though, because Sophie was reading the popular Kalos magazine.

“And so they think Mr. Stone is having an affair with Diantha and Cynthia,” she said, whilst shaking her head. “That is embarrassing. I mean, for him.”

Martine turned her head to look out the window, and specifically below. There was a construction crew surveying the area with James. After what appeared to be a conversation between one of the workers and James, the latter nodded and walked back into the restaurant lobby. Odd. What would a construction crew be doing at the Stone Bistro?

“... You would be upset, wouldn’t you, Martine?” Sophie asked.

Martine snapped back into reality.

“Uh, yeah, of course I would!” she quickly replied.

This made Sophie smile. “I knew you weren’t listening. So, do you have anything personal between you and Mr. Stone? Like, personal?” she said.

Martine laughed. “No, no, it’s nothing like that! We all know there’s only one woman for him. Besides, what about you? Don’t you have someone in mind too?”

Sophie wasn’t willing to say anything on that, and then she had the perfect excuse not to answer. “Martine, I think there’s a customer who wants to order.”

Martine looked behind her, and indeed there was a customer. Scowling at Sophie’s non-response to her answer, she got up to see to the customer. Sophie, on the other hand, brushed her black hair back for it to wrap behind her ear. She picked up her fork, speared a bit of the sautéed vegetables that made the dish so famous, and continued eating.

At the same time, Martine went up to the customer – a woman dressed in an orange dress with a white-and-orange hat to match.

Martine greeted, “Bon matin. What can I get for you today?”

“Je voudrais un ‘Stone Open’, s’il vous plait,” the woman replied.

“Bien sûr,” Martine replied.

It was a quiet day for Cynthia, but she didn’t mind it at all. Furthermore, the sunlight felt great, and the weather was cool enough that she didn’t break a sweat. Indeed, she was well away from her workplace at Vue sur la Lune, and she took the time to relax. The previous night had been chaotic for Steven, and Cynthia was very glad she had escaped the chaos that had unfolded in the Stone Restaurant and Bistro.

Especially when she had expected it too. Cynthia, thus, felt it was a time of celebration under normal circumstances.

“Well, what do you think, Garchomp?” she asked her partner Pokémon. “Care for a berry?”

Garchomp nodded, and Cynthia handed a slice of Razz berry to her. It was a brilliant day for a picnic, so dressed in her casual light-blue vest and black pants, Cynthia went out to look for a quiet place. Unfortunately, Cyllage City was all rocks, cliffs, and stones, so she had to look elsewhere. There was a rocky beach to the south, a cave to the east, and a field to the north. She went for the field.

Now here she was, camping on the grass near the berry tree, drinking a bit of wine in a miniature bottle she had packed for herself. Alongside, she brought a Bluk berry pie and a spinach and cheese pie for lunch. She had only just gotten here, and after sitting on the grass she contemplated eating already, but she waited. She had plenty of time.

Garchomp’s head perked. Cynthia, knowing her Pokémon well enough already, didn’t even need to ask Garchomp what she had detected, and instead Cynthia stood up to investigate the nearby area.

“Wait here,” she said to Garchomp. “I’ll be back.”

Garchomp looked doubtful, but Cynthia assured she would be back to eat the pie later.

Now that she was really on her own, Cynthia took her time reflecting on the past night. Sure, the night was chaotic, but she didn’t know whether to feel sorry for Steven or not. He was the one who had cut off her supplies, and now he was repaid with embarrassment for knocking Diantha unconscious.

Knocking out Diantha. The Kalos Champion. She wondered how Steven would be able to live with himself now. She smiled at the thought, as no one would have ever thought how Diantha had collapsed just like that, other than herself.

Speaking of which, she had to admit she hadn’t counted on having a one-on-one with Steven last night, but she was fine with that. She had been to see her morning magazine and read about Steven basically was a victim of a scandal. As she passed the Stone Bistro earlier in the morning, the place was crowded by about twice the number of media from last night.

Despite Steven cutting off her supply line, she had to hand it to him, he looked extraordinary.

She took cover behind a cropping of rock, keen to see who or what Garchomp had detected. When Cynthia did look behind, she gasped.

It was him.

And he seemed to have heard her gasp.

And now he was walking in her direction.

“Qui est là?” he said, his voice partly uncertain.

Chapter Text

Cynthia thought briefly about trying to slip away, and perhaps try to snoop on what he was doing. But hey, if Steven was all the way out here, perhaps she could get some clues. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her hiding spot.

Steven stopped dead.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. What he saw was her, but she was in a light blue vest, which was a lot more casual than what she wore the previous night. To her credit, she could say just the same about his appearance.

“Um, how have you been?” Cynthia asked him.

“What are you doing here?” Steven shot back.

“I was asking you,” Cynthia countered.

She loved the confused expression his face wore. For a long moment, Steven appeared trying to grasp which question he was trying to answer.

“You heard about what happened last night, right?” Steven said, albeit it wasn’t a question, and it sort of made Cynthia grimace. “Well, I’m just taking a break here. You know, doing something I love. What about you?”

“I was just about to have lunch,” Cynthia replied, and then, in a small voice, said, “Care to join me?”

Steven raised his eyebrows, as if her words didn’t make sense to him.

Cynthia’s eyes widened, and she tried to recover. “I mean –”

“Sure, I don’t mind,” he interrupted before she could complete her sentence. “But I hope you don’t mind either that I do a little digging? And, where are you eating?”

Surprised by the instant response, Cynthia was at a slight loss for words. Instead, she gave Steven the go-ahead to do his business. On the other hand, she couldn’t immediately say where she was eating, as something bad might happen. There could be a moment where she and Steven might fall victim to a fiery crash. Wait, was she being a little paranoid?

“I have no objections,” she replied, in the same small voice.

If Martine had seen this, Steven thought, she probably would have been squealing with delight right now. Perhaps Lisia too, who would probably add another ‘chapter’ to his so-called ‘love life’ (he desisted the thought). Wallace, of all people, would probably be pressing him even further for this moment. It felt awkward, no less. If only they could understand, if only. Well, perhaps Martine would understand better.

He knelled down to silently observe the wall of rock, as if he were looking for something.

“I hope you’re interested in rocks,” he said. “The idea here is to look for a portion that’s breakable. See the slightly cracks lining up the top portion?”

“They basically show how old the rocks have been,” Cynthia said. “Is there anything special?”

Seeing she was genuinely interested, Steven said, “You’d be surprised at the kind of goods you might find underneath. Such is what you’d expect when you’re looking under rock that’s been there for years.”

He pulled out a handheld hammer from his bag which looked, from her perspective, impossibly heavy for the size of its head. Cynthia didn’t bother asking him how he did it, however, because he seemed preoccupied with the wall itself. Watching him grasp the hammer with his hands, he swung it downward to smash the surface. After swinging it a few times, Steven retrieved a considerable smaller item in the form of a pickaxe from his bag.

“You can see parts of the wall bulging slightly,” he explained, “so that’s what we’re interested in.”

He tapped the pickaxe against the wall, breaking off parts bit by bit. Cynthia watched as he, at some point, broke off enough pieces of stone enough for him to haul out the broken pieces of stone. However, that wasn’t the only thing she focused on. Despite his looks, she was impressed by the muscle Steven had while he was extracting the stone. She couldn’t help but notice he was that handsome. The muscles in his arms and – lo and behold – the expression on his face –

“Okay, done,” Steven stated. “So, how about that lunch we – Cynthia? Are you okay?”

She suddenly realised the state she was in, and she mentally slapped herself for it. Who was she to look at him like this? Her face felt hot, and as a result she turned it away to let her hair cover it. Steven, while partly concerned, shrugged. He hauled the last of the fragments away to extract a Damp Rock within.

“Lovely,” Steven remarked, taking the rock and looking at it closely. “Would you care to take a look? Well, I’m not sure, actually. You’re looking a little red there.”

Only moments later, the wall collapsed on itself, to her surprise. Her breath felt a little short, as she looked into his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t broken a sweat, but he was equally good-looking in this light. On the other hand, Steven took the spoil he had retrieved from the wall and started to put away his equipment into his bag.

“Cynthia?”

“I’m fine,” she finally said.

“Really? Because you seem a little –”

“You know what? Let’s have lunch.”

Near the Berry tree not far from where he was digging, Steven and Skarmory found a clearing of grass. On that clearing, specifically, there was a picnic blanket laid out, and resting on it was a bag (supposedly Cynthia’s, Steven thought) and… Garchomp.

“Well, make yourself comfortable, I guess,” Cynthia said, sitting down on the blanket first. The ends of her platinum blond hair piled up on the ground behind her, and she brushed a lock behind her ear while keeping part of her hair covering one eye as usual.

 She looked up at him, and patted her hand beside her as a gesture for him to sit down. In light of the events of yesterday and the hectic morning, Steven should have been grateful. However, he wasn’t sure how to react in front of this woman. Soon after, Steven dropped his bag on the blanket and sat down just slightly across from her, so they were face-to-face.

Steven didn’t immediately take out his lunch, and instead he kept his gaze away from her.

Cynthia thought about starting a conversation. Unlike Steven, she was looking directly at his face. He was silent at first, and when he finally caught wind that she was looking right at him, he could no longer avoid it.

After a moment, it felt like it was time to eat. Steven, indeed, took out and unpacked his lunch. As soon as that happened, Cynthia’s nose was then greeted with the scent of freshly baked croissants and cooked eggs… Suddenly, she felt hungry too.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you? What’s that you’re having?” Steven asked, looking over at what she was grabbing in her bag.

Eventually, the smell of pies wafted in the air and enlightened his senses. Steven watched as Cynthia reached for the first pie and, with a fork, began to eat it. She pierced a part of the shell and with it, spinach and cheese. A modest meal, Steven admitted; it seemed level with his choice of eggs.

Silently, the two former Champions, and now head chefs, ate together.

“Where did you go last night?” Steven asked, although he felt shy in her presence. “I mean – sorry – I meant after what happened to Diantha? You just disappeared!”

Cynthia raised her eyebrows, albeit Steven could only see the one that wasn’t covered by her hair. Suddenly, Steven caught wind of what he was saying, and quickly added, “I mean I understand you had to leave the chaos, but I apologise that I wasn’t really that good of a host last night.”

He watched her chew her food slowly. The pie seemed tasty, yes, but that only reminded him that he needed to eat too. So he helped himself to one of the eggs, and at the same time he pulled out the bottle of fresh water he had with him. When her gaze fell onto his, Steven looked away.

“Apology accepted,” she coolly said.

They continued eating in silence, and the only things they could hear were the sound of wind and the rustling of leaves on the Berry tree. For the moment, Steven could relax, although he could fully relax with her being right here with him. As for Cynthia, she ate quietly, and was as silent as him.

“What brings you out here, anyway? You never answered… Unless you knew I was here?” Steven suggested.

While waiting for an answer, he finished his eggs and went for the croissants. Cynthia merely kept on eating her spinach and cheese pie. Even with some distance between them, Cynthia could tell her pie was just as fresh as Steven’s croissants. She ate a little bit more.

“I’ve been working for too long, I guess,” Cynthia said, whilst shrugging. “I guess getting stuck in the same building non-stop has a price. I needed to find somewhere close, and besides, it’s not like I’m going to Lumiose City either.”

She had no idea if Steven looked as if he was suspicious. Instead, she focused more on eating her pie. As she kept eating, she noticed Steven continue to munch on his croissants.

The air, although soothing, was awkward.

Not to mention that when she snuck a glance at him, he was looking the other way.

Cynthia took out a serving of chilled mochi balls from her bag. They were white in colour, flat, and with a really slippery feel to it. It seemed the only way to actually eat one was with a spoon, because if they were eaten by hand they would almost certainly be destroyed. On the other hand, they did briefly catch Steven’s attention.

The lone customer who had ordered the Stone Open earlier was certainly taking her time with the meal, Martine could tell. To be fair to the customer, it was the Stone Open, which was probably one of the finest meals ever created by Steven, in her opinion. Because it wasn’t that busy in this area of the floor, Martine took the time to wipe the tables with a cloth. Sophie had taken the copy of Lumiose Press with her to downstairs, where customers could read it at the lobby’s lounge.

For the time being, Sophie rejoined Laurent afterwards, who looked positively bored.

“Nothing to do, eh?” she said, poking him on the arm.

As receptionists, the two of them normally wouldn’t be needing chairs. Nevertheless, the two of them were used to it anyway.

“Oui,” he replied. “I guess we might get busier tonight, but so far, not a lot to do. Oh gosh, you’ll have no idea what the media did. I’ve heard rumours that they think the two of us are in a relationship. Honestly, they’ll want to make up any story.”

“But not as bad as the boss’ story,” Sophie added. “The way Martine put it: she really thinks it’s a cliché love-hate relationship. Tell me, Laurent. What do you think?”

Laurent chuckled.

“I can neither confirm nor deny anything about his relationship without any extra details. But in all seriousness,” he said, “I kind of feel bad for him. About yesterday, I mean.”

“Martine thinks he really blew it,” Sophie said this as she shook her head, albeit smiling. “He had the chance to really get it to her, but now it’s all gone up in smoke. Who knows what he’ll do next?”

Laurent stared at her.

“Were they really that close?! Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice held a light vibe of anger. “I could have been there to see it happen!”

“But it didn’t,” Sophie said back in an effort to recover.

Neither did Sophie and Laurent have that many phone calls for the day. Overall, it had been too quiet, and most customers (mostly journalists) came through the door without advance booking.

“Oh yeah, the fan club is about to have a meeting tomorrow. Did anyone tell you that?” Laurent said, and his face looking like he suddenly remembered this.

The reaction he got wasn’t pleasant, because Sophie nearly brought a hand to slap him on the cheek, but he backed off just in time to miss the hit. But, to Sophie’s dismay, Laurent merely smiled at her.

“I know you haven’t forgotten that,” he added, which earned an annoyed face from Sophie.

“I’m not that clueless!” she shot back. “We’ll need to make arrangements with the boss, or Monsieur d’Arc at least. Hey… You’re not suggesting that I forgot?!”

“Tell you what, I’ll go across to Vue sur la Lune and get you something. How about that?” he offered. “You can hold the fort for a bit.”

Sophie blinked, and her face showed she was deep in thought. Given the time she took, Laurent had already made his way across the lobby to the front door. It was only when he had his hand on the door handle that he turned around to look at her once more.

“I’ll have something sweet, please.” Finally. Sophie had thought of something.

“Just like you,” Laurent replied, although his voice suggested he was more than casual about it.

Sophie gasped. She had not been expecting that response from her friend at all. But by the time she could think of a counter, Laurent was already outside and walking across the street. Feeling personally helpless, Sophie looked down at the desk in front of her and stared.

Chapter Text

The two former Champions continued to eat in relative silence, save for the gentle breeze that continued to blow from the direction of Cyllage City. Steven finished his croissants and Chansey eggs, and only began starting on his pieces of LaBrie, whereas Cynthia was partway through eating her Bluk berry pie. Garchomp herself did help herself to pie as well, but she kept eyeing Steven’s LaBrie. Skarmory looked partly disapproving.

“What is it you like about rocks, anyway?” she said suddenly.

Steven was just about to bite into a piece of cheese when she asked this. Out of respect for her, Steven looked at her and put down the cheese.

“Call it an obsession or a passion,” he answered. “You’d be amazed at the beauty of the rocks you could find. You know, the patterns on each one can tell different stories. It’s for the same reason why some people like to collect ribbons, and or the occasional ruin maniac who’s always hoping for a discovery.”

“Take the menhirs for example,” he added, before Cynthia could react. “I noticed they held a lot of energy within them, and was about to conduct an excavation there until I realised that they –”

“– were the graves of Pokémon,” Cynthia finished the sentence.

This prompted Steven to be curious. He then popped a bit of the cheese into his mouth, swallowed, and looked at her. He could tell Cynthia’s face was partly red and her ears were pink.

“How did you know that? What about you? What do you like?” he then added.

Sighing, he decided to give her a moment to answer, and in that time he was amused at how long it was taking.

Silence. Just utter silence.

“I suppose you could say I’m a bit of a ruin maniac myself,” she said in a small voice.

Steven raised his eyebrows. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, as he didn’t know her that well. Nor was he interested in getting to know Cynthia better, although Martine and Wallace would beg to differ. However, she might have misinterpreted the eyebrow-raising as a go-ahead to continue.

“I adore ruins and history,” she added. “Did you know that these graves were…?”

She stopped, hoping she wasn’t annoying Steven. But Steven merely nodded for her to go on.

“These graves were part of a process to supply energy to a so-called ‘ultimate weapon’ many years ago,” Cynthia explained, saying this as she tried to recollect her knowledge. “I’m talking thousands of years. It’s a shame Pokémon had to be sacrificed to do so. That is, if you knew what was going on back in those days, a war was…”

Steven’s mouth drew a humourless smile.

“No wonder these rocks have some degree of energy output,” he said.

Cynthia became aware of how much she was saying and wished she hadn’t spoken any further. Instead, she looked the other way, and tried to think of a pretext to steer the conversation elsewhere.

However, Steven was just slightly ahead of her. “Perhaps I ought to come back to Sinnoh one of these days and get back to the Underground. Have you ever been there? It’s an excavator’s dream.”

“Nah. Only my old fellow Gym Leaders Byron and Roark would be interested in that stuff. Oh, and the Underground Man,” Cynthia said. In her heart she really needed to think of a pretext to divert the conversation.

Yet her mind absentmindedly slipped elsewhere. “I hear Hoenn has a vast amount of ruins, including where the three titans laid to rest. You know, Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. I hope maybe when I have time, I’ll try to explore those places myself.”

“Do you really?” Steven’s eyes tweaked with interest. Finally, he was actually sinking deep into some conversation here! “Maybe I ought to show you around, as a fellow Champion. In return, perhaps you could tell me about Regigigas.”

Cynthia realised just what kind of position she was in right now, and really had to talk about something else before something bad could happen. Bad for her, anyway.

Her eyes laid on Garchomp, who was still looking at Steven’s plate of LaBrie. “Oh, Garchomp, are you hungry?”

“I suppose she hasn’t had enough of cheese,” Steven suggested. He tried to smile. Silently, he passed Garchomp a couple pieces. At the same time, he held up some of the cheese to Cynthia as well. “Would you care for some?”

For the moment, Cynthia had no idea how to answer. She was finished with her pies, so she had little excuse to not accept the cheese Steven offered before her. She could opt for the mochi balls, but that was a dessert, and cheese always came before dessert.

Awkwardly, without looking directly at him, she slowly ate the LaBrie. Steven proceeded to finish eating his portion too, whilst feeding another portion to Skarmory. He seemed oblivious to her that she was struggling with the circumstances.

Why did she invite him to have lunch with her in the first place?

“How’s Diantha doing?” she asked.

“She’s still recovering,” Steven replied. “When she discharged, I’ll have a load of questions for her, and I might as well give her an apology. That might soften the media’s grip on me.”

Cynthia’s face turned into one of worry, and she looked away from him.

In truth, Cynthia was a bit jealous of Steven and his restaurant. With all the media coverage Steven was getting, she saw across the street dozens and dozens of people trying to get into the restaurant earlier in the morning. She simply couldn’t comprehend what sorts of business was occurring at Steven’s restaurant, but she was more surprised that Steven himself wasn’t there. Although, she understood it wouldn’t help him much if he went back, which was why he was on a break. What a coincidence that they two of them met up in the same place.

After finishing her cheese, she glanced over at her chilled mochi balls.

“What is it you have there?” Steven glanced at the dessert treat once more.

Holding her breath, Cynthia reached for a spoon with a shaky hand and scooped up one of the white, goopy, treats. Then she held it to Steven for him to hold.

“It’s… something you might find ‘weird’, but I trust you might like it.” She couldn’t believe she was saying this.

He hesitated, but slipped the ball into his mouth anyway. All he needed to do was bite.

His eyes, Cynthia watched, narrowed.

As soon as he bit into the mochi ball, he felt the explosion of strawberry burst out of its mochi capsule and expand into all areas of his mouth. It was a weird sensation as Cynthia had promised! But Steven found the complements of the expanding fruit and liquid combined with the softness of mochi to be extraordinary.

“I’m… wow, Cynthia,” Steven remarked.

Cynthia felt like almost blushing, but she felt more unnerved at the prospect of Steven going to see Diantha once she could leave the Pokémon Centre. Faced with a flood of emotions, she began to worry. The way she saw Steven enjoying her food and realising she had just given one to him.

She thought eating one of the mochi balls would help, but it didn’t. It helped for a minute, but eventually she grew increasingly uncomfortable.

Her hands became partly twitchy too.

To calm herself down, she took out a stick of perfume spray to merely use it. Steven raised his eyebrows while he chewed on the mochi treat, which caused Cynthia to grow nervous again, but he simply did this because he found the mochi and the strawberry to be very delicious indeed.

After swallowing the dessert, he pulled out the Damp Rock to show it to her. “But you know, this is a kind of rock you normally apply to Pokémon. The rumour has it that it extends the duration of Rain Dance, which would be useful for dry days, you know?”

“Hmm…” Cynthia muttered.

“You can hold it if you like.” He offered the rock for her to hold, but stopped short upon realising Cynthia was no longer paying attention. “You okay?”

He didn’t notice it at all, but her eyes were fixed on his face, as if she was in a dream. He stopped short wondering if there was a correlation between her trance and his offer to hold the rock, but she had her eyes tracing down from his eyes to his lips…

Sophie had no idea how long she had been staring at the desk for until she was interrupted by the approaching of footsteps. Snapping out of her trance, Sophie smoothed the front of her black hair once before greeting the customer, as she was trained to be.

“Bienvenue au Stone Restaurant and Bistro,” she said. However, Sophie realised she was talking to someone she recognised. The female friend of Steven’s friend, and alongside was the girl whose hair was very similar to Steven’s friend.

“Salut,” Winona greeted. “Pour trois, s’il vous plait.”

“Let me guess: is that flamboyant friend of yours with you?” Sophie asked, albeit it wasn’t really a question. “Quel est votre nom?”

“Je suis Winona,” Winona replied. “Remember me? Yeah, he’ll be coming here soon.”

Lisia stood silently beside Winona, waiting, but she couldn’t help but notice Sophie’s face. Although Sophie realised Lisia was looking right at her, she wasn’t unnerved.

“Hey, mademoiselle,” Lisia said. “Why is it that your cheeks are red? Love trouble?”

Sophie brought a hand to her cheek and realised it was that hot. Quickly, she turned away from Lisia, and held her breath. In fact, she wasn’t even smiling, but rather showed signs of annoyance. She was asked something like this by Wallace only two days ago.

“Let me ask you this,” Sophie’s tone became ‘menacing’, although her face was so red that Lisia found it very funny. “What is it with you and – and – that Wallace? Why do you always have to ask these things?!”

“Let’s be honest here…” Lisia started. It was clear she was enjoying the moment, and tormenting Sophie of her love life. “There is someone.”

In Winona’s eyes and ears, Lisia’s words could even mirror Wallace’s. True, she agreed with Wallace that Steven and Cynthia belonged to each other, but Wallace’s ‘help’ didn’t seem to be effective. Indeed, Lisia was attempting the splitting approach with Sophie here.

As a result, Winona placed a hand on Lisia’s shoulder.

“That’s enough, buddy,” she calmly said. “We need to eat, and so does Wallace.”

Sophie took a deep breath, and showed a sign of relief as Lisia and Winona were escorted by a waiter to their table on the ground floor. As soon as they were gone, Sophie used the time to catch her breath. How could she have lost it like that? Not that Lisia was trying to dig that deep into her personal life?

No sooner were Winona and Lisia seated at their table. From the looks of it, it appeared their view was partly obstructed by a construction project going on outside. But it really didn’t matter that much to them, as they hadn’t intended to stay for too long. The atmosphere was partly quiet, but there were of plenty of customers to compensate. The way Lisia saw it, there was one customer eating alone, and then there was Martine. That was all. The plenty of other customers – mainly the media – didn’t count.

Speaking of the media, Winona was even more surprised that the media didn’t bother with the two of them. Lisia was a contest star, and Winona herself a Gym Leader. Sure, Steven’s restaurant might be the scandalous talk of the town (or city, for that matter), but still.

No sooner did Wallace actually show up at the Stone Bistro’s lobby, which was pretty unfortunate for Sophie. Here she was, wrestling with the personal humiliation Lisia had bestowed her. Oh, where was Laurent when she needed him, in her ‘darkest hour’? Sophie had to face Wallace alone.

No really. This really was her darkest hour!

“Ah, my dear,” Wallace greeted, adding a wink. “Where is my man, Steven?”

He loved the face he was getting from the pretty receptionist. The latter appeared partly flustered still, but she regained her form.

“He’s not here,” she replied, although a little on edge, “and if you did try visiting him, you’ll have a ton of trouble with the media.”

“You’re hiding something,” Wallace said accusingly.

Sophie blushed.

“I’m trained with these eyes to see things, buddy,” Wallace added. “So, have you found someone yet? We need to talk about this.”

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Sophie cried. “Just – just go inside. Your girlfriend is already there, and so is your… daughter?”

“That’s my niece you’re addressing. But hey, did I hear that you’re jealous that I have a girlfriend, eh? You ought to find a boyfriend yourself,” Wallace added playfully. “At least your odds of getting one are probably higher than Steven’s, I’ll admit.”

“No!” Sophie denied. She ended up burying her face into the desk. “I don’t want to talk! Just – just go inside. They’re on the ground floor.”

Subsequently, Wallace did end up walking into the area to rejoin his companions, and left Sophie to her misery. Winona and Lisia were sitting across from each other, so Wallace opted for the seat right next to Winona.

“What took you so long, uncle?” Lisia asked.

“I was practising,” he replied.

“Practising what?” a voice said from behind. It caught Wallace by surprised.

Wallace, unnerved, looked behind to see Martine bring a bottle of wine to the table, with two glasses. He laughed, and gestured Martine to pour a glass. Winona’s eyes lit up at the sight of the bottle, however. “Oh, something I might try on my friend Steven, eventually,” he said, as he watched his glass filled partway with red wine. “Hard to believe it works on his workers but not himself. He’s never going to get far in life at this rate.”

The redhead shrugged, but all the same said, “If only that were true…”

“Martine,” Winona interrupted. “Do you mind if I see that bottle?”

Martine raised an eyebrow, but indeed left the bottle on the table on condition that they wouldn’t drink from it further.

It had taken a while for their food to arrive, in which Wallace spent the time talking with his niece about pointless topics about Steven. On the other hand, Winona spent her time analysing the wine she was drinking. Why did this remind her of a certain food she had not too long ago? Like… chocolate.

Eventually, the food arrived, courtesy of Martine. Lumiose-style salad for Winona. Onion soup for Wallace. A portion of roasted chestnuts for Lisia. All of the dishes looked very appetising, and it was a good thing they were hungry.

“Bon appetit,” Martine stated.

“Merci beaucoup,” Winona replied.

Wallace picked up his spoon and was about to eat, but he seemed to remember something.

“By the way, Martine, the woman over there wants to see you,” he said.

Martine looked over to the lone table, to the customer dressed in orange clothes who had been taking her time with her food. It appeared she was still working through her meal, but she was calling for a server.

James d’Arc was still as busy as always with the amount of orders and customers coming through. He had been to see the media coverage, and he figured that the irony of the media spreading plausibly false rumours of the Stone Bistro was helping attract customers. Oh, if only Steven was here to see this. Sure, it had been quiet for most of the day, but there were customers still. As he was cooking more onion soup, the cooks still did their best to attend to their respective dishes. They cooked and baked in the same manner Steven Stone had shown them.

Martine, at some point, walked into the kitchen.

“Uh, Monsieur d’Arc?” Martine said. Her voice was cool and deprived of its usual casual tone. “The customer would like to see the chef.”

Suddenly all eyes were on Martine, and then subsequently James. James, while a little surprised, looked left and right before he breathed again. His face was very neutral as he walked towards the doors. The eyes of the kitchen followed him and Martine until they were well past the doors.

They approached the customer at last.

“Bon après-midi, madame,” James greeted. “Besoin d’aide?”

Not far from where Martine and James were standing, Winona was still examining the bottle as Wallace and Lisia ate their respective lunches. While Lisia watched the scene unfold between Martine, James, and the customer, Wallace was halfway through with his onion soup. However, he noticed Winona had barely touched her salad.

“You should be fortunate you can eat that thing cold. You haven’t touched it!” he commented. “Interested in buying that bottle?”

“It’s just… No, I just –” Winona was at a loss for words. “I need to tell Steven about this.”

“Ah, you must really like this wine, eh?”

“No!”

Wallace grinned like an idiot. If only it was this easy to fluster Steven too. The next moment, he and Winona were silent, and the only sounds that could be heard were the indistinct conversations from nearby customers, and the munching of Lisia’s chestnuts.

Eventually, they looked at Martine who was headed in their direction. Wallace looked like he had intended to say something, but stopped at the sight of her face.

“Oh. Martine,” Wallace said. “Is something the matter?”

Martine’s lips stiffened, but she then replied, “It seems like we have a customer that Steven will be interested in. We’ll have to let him know about it.”

Wallace rolled his eyes. “Martine. You and I know better than that that Steven has one woman who is best for him. A certain platinum blonde. Even Lisia understands.”

“I do understand, but that’s completely irrelevant!” Martine cried. “You’re thinking through this too hard! The point is that this isn’t that! It’s company business.”

Wallace wanted to continue his tormenting, but Winona figured she had enough. Knowing that she couldn’t overpower Wallace’s endlessly speaking mouth, she buried her head in her arms on the table even if there was a plate of salad before her. That, though, was enough to catch everyone’s attention.

“She seems quite annoyed by you, Wallace,” Martine remarked.

“Nonsense,” Wallace countered, and he extended an arm to pat Winona’s shoulder. “We’ve known each other too long. Right, Winona?” Winona didn’t respond to Wallace at all. Nevertheless, Wallace kept up this vein until Martine went over to talk to Lisia.

“Speaking of which,” Martine added. “In light of Steven’s relationships, I found out something which you might find entertaining!”

Wallace looked at Martine whereas Lisia’s eyes twinkled. “Okay,” the latter said. “What is it?”

Martine could only giggle. “Yesterday, I was told to clean up Steven’s office while he was away. Guess what I found?”

I’ve got a good feeling about this, Lisia thought.

“A copy of ‘Apples and Oranges’; the one from the magazine!” Martine said, as she laughed. “Don’t you think that says anything more than what Steven is now?”

Wallace and Lisia looked stunned at first, but they joined in with smiles. Very, very, wide smiles.

“I don’t know…” Winona added, though her voice was muffled as her head was still buried in her arms. “It sure looked like it until what happened last night. Who knows what he’s going through? Cynthia might feel the same.”

It didn’t matter to Wallace, though.

“We have been told of one of Steven’s harshest secrets! Don’t you know, Winona, that when his love is on the line, we need all we can get to help him. This is a bonus!” he said. “Besides, this will be the final nail in the coffin of his world of denial.”

Cynthia.

Winona suddenly remembered something. Something so familiar that had to do with the wine bottle she was observing.

“I think…” she started.

She was interrupted by Wallace’s hand covering her mouth, and then she was silent for certain. In spite of her thoughts of yesterday, that Steven’s relationship with Cynthia might have approached a low, Winona had to admit that the magazine Martine showed her might have a point. But she still had doubts.

As for Wallace covering her mouth, Winona was very annoyed. The latter shook off the former’s hand after.

“You’re paying the bill!” she cried.

“Of course, milady,” Wallace sang, like he was enjoying this too much.

Winona sighed. She expected as much from her boyfriend. Steven would have to wait.

As for Martine, she figured she had done her part to provide Wallace and Lisia with what they needed to know. “I’ll leave you to finish your meals, vous trois,” she nodded and walked away to rejoin James. Upon leaving, Lisia and Wallace looked very content, and they happily ate the rest of their chestnuts and soup. But Winona, Winona had something else on her mind, and ate her salad slowly.

Sophie still had her face buried on the desk in embarrassment. She felt so embarrassed that there were even tears streaming from her eyes. Oh, why did Wallace have to act like the way he did? And Lisia too?

At the very least, the pace of customer intake was slow still. She knew she had to stay professional, and anything less would probably mean she would get a scolding from James. But how could she work in this state? She would have to get someone to relieve her of duty for now.

“You’re not going to work well in that state,” a familiar voice said.

Sophie looked up instantly, and her face went red just as fast upon the sight of her co-receptionist. Laurent was standing right there, with a small paper box in his hand.

“Are you crying?!” Laurent’s voice was half-amused and half-uncertain. “Sophie, what’s gotten into you? One moment you’re fine, and then you’re not.”

“It’s – it’s nothing,” she sniffled, wiping away her tears.

Laurent looked unconvinced, but instead of pressing the question, he placed the box on the desk and went around the desk to take his usual position. He could tell Sophie wasn’t crying because she was unhappy, but because of other reasons unknown.

“Still,” he continued, “I did get you something sweet. You might like it! The man at the café said it was a new addition, so he insisted on buying it.”

Sophie opened the box herself, and found four pieces of white mochi balls. Just by touching the box itself, she could tell that these were meant to be served cold and chilled. However, she still sniffled at the sight of it. Laurent offered her a spoon to scoop one of the mochi balls.

“Come on, we need to work, so cheer up!” he said with a grin. “After that, we can talk to Mr. Stone about getting time off for the fan club.”

Eventually, the two receptionists each had a mochi ball in their hands and they ate them at the same time. The result was looks of surprise, with Laurent trying to comprehend the burst of fruity flavour from the mochi ball as he ate. On the other hand, Sophie seemed equally surprised, but the sweetness of the fruit combined with the surprise of an exploding and expanding fruit was enough to wipe her embarrassment away.

“This is really good!” Sophie’s voice was s cheer. “How did she do it?”

“You’re telling me,” Laurent said rhetorically.

Afterwards, both Sophie and Laurent felt a lot better after having the sweet treats. Now, they felt more motivated to get back to work, and in time for more customers to arrive. It was a good thing that this time, they weren’t media.

“I’m – I’m sorry, Steven, but I have to go!” Cynthia said rather uncomfortably.

She took off with Garchomp and her basket, leaving Steven alone.

“Wait! You dropped…” he trailed off, and kneeled down to pick up a stick of perfume spray. But by the time he stood and looked up, Cynthia was gone. She had disappeared like she had vanished into thin air.

That was fast, Steven thought. Looking at the perfume in his hand for a moment, he pocketed it after. He decided he would have to give it back another time.

Speaking of time, he figured it was also time to go as well. It was a beautiful day, but Steven thought that at this point the media would have left his home by now. He packed up his Explorer Kit, the rocks he found, and whatever of his lunch he couldn’t finish. Truth be told, he did finish it all.

Deciding not to make a noticeable entrance, Steven went back to Cyllage City on foot. However, he had Skarmory accompany him on the way.

I better remember to give this back to her.

He took out the perfume to look at it again. Out of his curiosity, he sprayed a bit of it to get an idea of its smell.  It smelled of coconut.

That smells nice.

Suddenly, Steven realised what he was doing and desisted, blushing as he did.

It wasn’t before long that Steven had made it back to the premises of the Stone Bistro. As expected, there were a lot of people gathered around his restaurant but no one was trying to get in. He supposed that being away from the place really did pay off, since he had no desire to face another onslaught of questions from the public.

He had to owe it to James and Laurent, though.

But Steven was determined to see how things were going on there anyway. As he walked on the Cyllage City sidewalk, he noticed Vue sur la Lune was also equally swarmed by news crews. But they were also enjoying good business too. He could tell.

When it came to entering his own restaurant, Steven expected none of the people gathered outside to recognise him in his current attire. But it was better to not take any chances. In addition, he was well amused that the media had still crowded around the front doors but that was all. They hadn’t bothered with neither the bakery, bar, nor the museum. So when it came to entering, Steven chose the bar, as it had direct access into the restaurant.

He did greet the barman as he walked in, and was met with equal response. Casually, Steven walked into the restaurant’s lobby shortly after; only to find a group waiting for a table. It didn’t matter if the people waiting were speaking behind Steven’s back either. Instead, he went up to approach the receptionists.

“Bon après-midi,” Steven greeted.

Both Laurent and Sophie looked up with brief expressions of shock.

“Mr. Stone!” they said simultaneously.

Before Steven could say anything, Sophie beat him to it. “So, how’s life with the media hunting you down?”

“You can’t imagine what life has been without you,” Laurent added.

Steven had no idea if he should take that as an insult.

Even worse, though, he noticed that there was a paper box on the desk in front of Laurent. It had, no doubt, the decals of Vue sur la Lune.

“Where did you get that –?” he started.

“Laurent got it for me,” Sophie cut in. The smile on her face was too apparent. “It was really tasty.”

Before Steven could find the words to make a counter, his thoughts were interrupted by a third voice entering the conversation.

“Where have you been, boss?”

Steven wasn’t the only one who looked, as Laurent and Sophie followed his gaze. Martine Grenadine was standing near the side, appearing like she had come from the dining area.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est, Martine?” Steven said, but not before shooting a glare at Sophie and Laurent (who were oblivious to it). “I was just on a break, but I should be okay now. As-tu un problem?”

“Non,” Martine denied. “It’s just that you need to see James right away. There’s something you need to see.”

Steven wished he had brought his suit with him, as he clearly wasn’t in the right clothes to make an appearance at his restaurant. Why didn’t he just go home and grab his clothes? Oh right, it was swarmed with reporters and a helicopter who were ready to berate him with endless questions as ammunition. No, it was safer to stay here.

“Very well, I’ll go there,” he said, and then he seemed to remember something. He pulled out the perfume spray Cynthia dropped and tossed it to Martine. “Do me a favour and put this in my office.”

“Oui, boss,” Martine replied, although she seemed slightly weirded by her boss carrying perfume in his pocket. Was it something he only just started? To attract the ladies, perhaps? “Whose is this, boss?”

“It’s Cynthia’s,” Steven said flatly. “Don’t ask any more questions.”

Martine’s eyes shined and her eyebrows were raised. “Ooh, this is Cynthia’s? Did you see her today? Did she give this to you? Oh, boss, I knew it. I knew it! So, what were you and her up to today? Something romantic, I bet? Come on…”

Steven sighed. He expected as much from his nineteen year old red-haired waitress. Furthermore, Martine’s eyes simply shined at the mention of that name.

Martine’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I know! You two went on a date!”

But before Steven could even think about anything, Martine was on her way to the office – and happily whistling while she was at it. Steven figured he had to attend to his own business too, and went into the dining area to meet James. Even so, he had no idea how to quell that simple attitude of Martine’s.

Even worse, that outburst from Martine could plainly be seen and heard by the two receptionists in the lobby. Steven turned his head to look at Sophie and Laurent: whilst Laurent was giving Steven the nods, Sophie’s nods had smiles all over them.

Chapter Text

Lo and behold, there was Wallace, Winona, and Lisia.

“My friend! It’s great to see you again!” Wallace greeted. “Have you had enough of the media already? It’s a wonder how you even got here! I even saw this morning on the news that you had violently attacked a helicopter, and then you took off with Skarmory. Hey, how has life been?”

“Not good,” Steven said. In order to play it safe, it was much better the less Wallace knew about what happened earlier.

“I would have thought you had stayed in your home, all alone…” Wallace sang. “Besides, how have you been holding up since last night?”

“Also not good,” Steven added, flatly. “The media has been impacting my business.”

“You need to embrace this coverage. You saw her, right?” Wallace teased. When the response he got was utter silence, his smile grew. “Ah, I guessed right, didn’t I? So, what did you do today? I thought that in light of yesterday, you must be burning with anger like the sun. But of course the power of love is greater –!”

Steven gave Wallace a glare (as usual, from the latter’s point of view) and walked away. Wallace was enjoying the moment though, because Steven had the exact same facial expression as Sophie did earlier.

Wallace stood up to confront his ‘best friend’.

“Friend,” he said, which annoyed Steven further. “Martine has been telling me –”

“You will take anything that girl says,” Steven said flatly. “I’m off.”

Winona remembered something she had to tell Steven as well, but before she could say anything, Wallace put a stop to her by sitting down and looking at her straight in the eye.

“Finish your lunch, dear,” Wallace coaxed, though Winona ended up rolling her eyes at that. She supposed talking to Steven could wait until later.

Lisia stood up to strike a pose. “I had to tell you about this last night! About the second chapter of your love story! I’m calling it, “Hearts Collide! My Culinary Rival!” In that case, Steven ignored the words and walked away.

Unfortunately, Wallace wasn’t letting go that easily. He slapped a firm hand onto Steven’s shoulder, and thus grinded the head chef to a halt. Steven looked back to give Wallace – for lack of better word – the glare Wallace was used to seeing. In Wallace’s opinion, it was almost laughable.

“Now, now, mon ami,” Wallace’s voice was very smooth. “I know you saw her today, but you must consider how far you’ve progressed!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Steven said, as if Wallace was trying to force something on him.

“You know, here’s my advice,” Wallace stepped closer, which made Steven uncomfortable. “If there’s anyone you should model your love life after, there’s me and Winona, and your two –”

“Enough,” Steven shook Wallace off. “There’s more than enough advice you can give me without things going up in smoke like they did last night.”

“– they might even teach you a thing or two,” Wallace continued, and completely ignoring what Steven had said. As a result, Steven walked away and left Wallace where he was.

He joined James d’Arc at last, who was seated with a customer dressed in orange clothes.

“Salut, James,” Steven said. “Ah, and this is…”

“The customer,” James explained. He cleared this throat to continue. “Or, to be more exact, a critic. Madame LeBlanc, c’est le chef.”

Madame Marie LeBlanc… Steven thought. Suddenly, Steven felt even more awkward that he was appearing before a critic in casual clothes. It was embarrassing, really. Would it perhaps damage his reputation even further?

“Pardon my appearance, madame,” Steven said, as he brought a nearby seat to sit on.

“It’s okay,” the critic replied. “I want to talk about other things, though. Especially regarding a dish I just had. So please sit.”

Steven didn’t have his hopes up, especially as of what happened the previous night, but that didn’t stop him from his eyes lighting up.

Across the street, at Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia was quietly sipping a coffee at her café. While the drink was soothing, she was anything but relaxed. She had no idea what state she was in right now, except all she cared about was getting away from her getaway.

She stared at her coffee; dully stirring away at it with her spoon.

How could I have lost it like that? Cynthia thought.

Henri Matin, still working as part of the café and barista, served a cocktail on a slider for Cynthia, fresh from the café. As he placed the glass on the table, he could tell his boss was slightly in a sad mood.

“Comment ça va?” he asked.

Cynthia’s breathing was shallow and short. She didn’t give an immediate answer and the only thing she did was stir her coffee around. She looked at the cocktail: it was a two-layer drink, with a serving of sirop de grenadine on the upper layer and pineapple juice on the lower layer. The layers were perfectly separated and had a straw in it waiting to be stirred, with a slice of orange to complement the drink.

“We’re all worried for you, you know,” Henri said. “Ou es-tu allé ce matin?”

“That is something I can’t tell you,” Cynthia replied. “I’m doing fine, though.”

Henri based his guess on the attire Cynthia was wearing. Her light-blue vest added with the faint smell of grass suggested she must have gone somewhere out of Cyllage City, but where? Somewhere close, that’s for sure. One of the nearby routes made sense.

“You were on the front page of Lumiose Press this morning,” Henri added. “Care to explain what happened? All we know now is that Diantha is still in the Pokémon Centre, and as far as we’re concerned, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro is starting to have a bad reputation.”

“Can’t blame them,” Cynthia remarked, still not looking at Henri. Instead, she kept staring at her coffee. Shortly after, she picked up her cocktail and stirred with the straw, and watching the sirop de grenadine blend with the Pinap below.

Henri smirked. “You sure don’t have any feelings for this guy? The magazine made it pretty clear, you know. Plus the media and that reporter, Alexa, made a pretty good story out of it.”

“Well, why would I have feelings?” Cynthia’s face read like she had suffered a mortal blow. “I’m not going to have my life governed by the media. There exists author somewhere at his computer and deciding who my ideal partner will be. If he did exist, I’ll have a word with him.”

She looked at Henri, who in return looked like he was worried for her sanity. Alas, a smile curled at the edge of his mouth shortly after.

“Okay,” he said, as if he already expected such an answer. After that, he left Cynthia on her own.

Perhaps a little expansion ought to lighten the mood a little, and lighten my mind… she thought.

There was a copy of the day’s Lumiose Press on the other table. With nothing more to do but struggle with her thoughts, Cynthia read the paper. The entertainment section, surprisingly, made the headline. On the front cover showed an embarrassing photograph of Diantha collapsed on the table with Steven desperately trying to keep the media away, and herself merely sitting and – for lack of better word – avoiding the situation. Cynthia did open the paper, and took into account that there were more photos than article.

Even more so, there was Steven and his young waitress trying to haul Diantha away. How embarrassing! To put an end to it, there was the article.

So they reckon Diantha was poisoned, and it was all Steven’s fault, she thought. Suppose it has to be his fault. It just has to be.

To business, she had to get plans to build an expansion. Whatever she had in mind, it would have to be open in two days’ time. On other notes, the café was busy preparing new dessert recipes to sell, and she would be spearheading the effort. They depended on her to show them how it was done. Something with ice cream, probably, which meant Cynthia had to locate a supplier since Vue sur la Lune didn’t stock ice cream.

She could only imagine what Steven’s reaction would be if he found out about the recipe.

And then she desisted to even continue thinking about him. Why would she be thinking about him at this time? It wasn’t like she was trying to affirm Henri’s point, right? But she had just saw him today! And they ate together!

“Hey! If it isn’t the usual lady!” a somewhat familiar voice said. Oh, if it isn’t Chili.

Cynthia looked up. The Striaton critics, of course. Chili, joined by Cilan.

“Haven’t seen you since yesterday,” she commented. “Now that seemed like a long time ago.”

“We saw you in the paper,” Cilan said. “What happened last night, anyway?”

“Well, you don’t suppose it was because of Steven’s irresponsibility?” Cynthia replied. “He did knock out Diantha, of course.”

Cilan and Chili exchanged glances. As food professionals, they had the right to analyse the different aspects of what had happened that night.

“Correlation isn’t causation, Cynthia. Even you must know that,” Cilan said. “You know, it might not be Steven’s fault. Who knows the other factors that might have contributed? It could be that there was something in the food that could have been deliberately put in there to target her.”

Cynthia stiffened.

“But you know, that’s the stuff we see in crime dramas,” Cilan laughed. “There’s no telling if that’s even possible.”

Cynthia sighed, and noticed that the third of the brothers wasn’t even present. “Where’s Cress?”

“He’s outside in the plaza,” Cilan said. “He went over to the bakery across to get some Slateport Cakes for us.”

“I see…” Cynthia muttered.

But Chili wasn’t done with Cynthia yet. Nor was Cilan.

“Besides, doesn’t Diantha have an allergy towards coconut? We saw that yesterday!” Chili said. “What if… someone smuggled coconut into Diantha’s meal? That would be the perfect conspiracy theory!”

Cynthia kept her head down. Instead, she calmly picked up her cup of coffee to sip, and as soon as her lips left the cup she shuddered.

But to add more to her misery, Cilan pitched in with a question of his own.

“We still demand answers from you,” he said. “Where did you get the wine for the fondue yesterday? We have to know!”

“Oh let it go already…” Cynthia begged. “I can’t reveal my suppliers. I can’t reveal company secrets just because!”

Cilan nearly wanted to press for more answers, but Chili pulled his arm to direct his attention to outside.

“Ah, and there’s Cress now,” Cilan added. “We’ll be going, but I hope you’ll answer my question eventually. We just need to grab some coffees to go. They sure taste wonderful with those cakes. Ooh… the taste of honey in cake with coffee… It’s a wonder you and Steven aren’t married.”

So the two brothers left the café right after, only to leave Cynthia on her own again. If anything, she was in an even more uncomfortable state than ever. Currently, she was flustered. The most embarrassing part for Cynthia was that it had taken a long time for her to process the words.

“We are NOT getting married!” she shouted after them.

But by then, Cilan and Chili had left the café.

Steven could have talked all day with Madame LeBlanc, but eventually the critic had to make a quiet exit to ensure her comments went public. The head chef made it apparent that he would escort her out, as a show of respect for the critic. Skarmory would be joining them.

“Skarmory. Let’s keep this clean,” he ordered.

Skarmory let out a low cry, and followed Steven to show Madame LeBlanc to the lobby. When they arrived, Sophie was working away with taking orders and reservations, and hadn’t bothered noticing Steven who had walked right past them. Laurent, though, gave Steven a wave and face that clearly read “You got this”.

It was Steven’s decision that Madame LeBlanc should exit through the front doors, since that was only appropriate. What Steven expected, however, was that he would have to face the media again. Microphones and cameras were down, since they were oblivious to his approach, but by the time Steven and Skarmory opened the doors to let Madame LeBlanc out, the opportunity was too hard to miss.

“That’s Steven Stone!”

“Mr. Stone!”

“Monsieur Stone!”

“What are your thoughts on the accusations you’ve poisoned Diantha?”

Steven’s face became pretty blunt. “I deny the charge that Diantha was actually poisoned. There’s no evidence that it was my fault.”

“Yet it happened as Diantha was eating last night –”

“What about Cynthia?” another journalist jeered. “Is there something fiery between you?”

Steven could have continued to speak, but he was interrupted.

“What kind of fire?”

“Oh, of either the lovey type or the hateful type of course!”

“No! No! It’s nothing like that!” Steven denied. Turning to Skarmory, he ordered him to clear the path as he showed Madame LeBlanc out, but the critic had already slipped past the crowd and was on her way. Oh, so much for escort. Now Steven would have to face the might of the media gauntlet again.

“Is it true that you shot down a helicopter this morning?”

Steven turned to glare at the person who said that.

“Whatever gave you that idea?!” he demanded.

“Morning coverage showed –”

Steven wished he hadn’t asked.

“What about your food? Is it actually safe for anyone to eat?”

“Of course it’s safe,” Steven replied shortly. “My restaurant is well acclaimed and I suspect this is just a plot to destroy my reputation. If there is someone who emerges responsible, I will sue whoever. Fortunately, I created a new dish that I am now advertising for everyone in Kalos to try out.”

The journalists showed signs of doubt.

“Would that happened to have been the dish that was responsible for Diantha’s collapse?”

“Not in the slightest!” Steven denied. “I assure there’s nothing in the dish that could have –”

“She’s still unconscious, rumour has it,” someone else said. “Is it because you’re trying to make it clear you’re in a relationship with her? We know she’s older than you, and you have a much better alternative across the street.”

Steven only responded with a glare, and he quickly retreated into the ‘safety’ of his restaurant before the people had more chances to take a stab at him. For all Steven knew, he might as well be stabbed in the back. For the time being, he had to get Skarmory to clear the people away. It would help if Skarmory could shoot down one of those pesky drones or two.

Wait. He could do that!

“Skarmory, do me a favour?” he whispered, as he eyed one of the drones in the air.

It wasn’t before long that one of the drones had mysteriously disappeared from the air.

With business still going at a moderate pace, Martine got to spare extra time to talk with Lisia. That is, after having cleaned up Wallace’s bowl and Lisia’s plate via sending them off to the kitchen, Martine rejoined their table.

“Shall I get you anything else, or are you good?” she asked. Before they could respond, Martine also presented the bill to Wallace as well, saying, “You are kind of obligated to pay the bill, mon ami. You have to serve the lady, and especially –”

“I know, I know,” Wallace said shortly, with which only Lisia could smile.

“So we know Steven has a huge crush on that woman, right?” she said, giving Martine a nudge. “Oh gosh. Let’s picture how his story will keep going!”

“And it just gets better,” Martine added, slightly twirling one of her red locks as she said this. “I bet he went on a date with her this morning.”

“Oh, stop daydreaming, Martine. That’s wishful thinking!” Wallace jeered. “Though, I must remember to persuade him to get into that mood. He’s way overdue for it.”

He looked at the bill and wasn’t surprised at the price he was paying. Though it cost a few ten thousand Poké, he supposed it was worth it. Steven might not appreciate his presence here, but at least he was adding some revenue for his ‘best friend’s’ business. At the same time, his girlfriend could enjoy some food too!

Speaking of which, Winona stood up.

“Going somewhere already?” Wallace said. His eyebrows were raised.

“I have to look for Steven,” Winona stated as if it was out of duty. “Don’t stop me. Okay?”

“No, you can’t!” Wallace looked hurt. “What will I do without you?”

Winona stared.

Wallace stared back.

“You know, that sounds more offensive to Lisia that me,” Winona added slyly. Before long, she was well away from the table.

“No…! Don’t leave me –”

Wallace’s eyes became round as if it was the first time this had happened to him. On the other hand, he could hear the snickering of Martine Grenadine, and when he looked at her she looked like she was about to burst.

“Heheh… She got you there,” Martine remarked.

She picked up the payment and handed Wallace the appropriate receipt. However, Wallace was more or less in a state of (questionable) shock, so Martine merely left the receipt on the table. After the transaction, Martine figured she could use a break now.

“So you reckon Steven went on a date with Cynthia?” Lisia questioned. She was glad she had this opportunity to talk, as she didn’t need to worry about probable interruptions from her uncle. Winona was gone too, so that helped.

“I guess so, but I have no evidence,” Martine replied. “He wasn’t here this morning, and for good reason, but he gave me one of his usual glares you know? The glares he always gives whenever I press the issue about her to him.”

“So is it true?” Lisia said. “We’ll never know! Not unless we force him to speak!”

Lisia saw Martine flash a smile.

“Maybe we can.”

What Steven hadn’t counted on either was to find Laurent being harassed by Viola and Alexa. Gosh, when would those two girls learn to let go? Laurent looked – in Steven’s strict opinion – annoyed by the attention he was getting.

With Skarmory keeping the main door at bay, all Steven needed to do was flush out whoever made their way into the lobby. The media coming here once was enough, and Steven couldn’t stand it a second time.

Even Alexa had time to ask him one more question before she got pushed out.

“So, Monsieur Stone, how do you reckon you can re-establish your reputation?”

Steven’s answer was short.

“Whoever said it was damaged?” he replied. “Out you go.”

“And how do you feel about having half of Kalos looking at your home?” Alexa started.

But his patience was exhausted. The moment Steven managed to push the last of journalists out of the lobby (especially those who came to loiter and not eat), Viola and Alexa included, he felt like he had taken a victory that should have been his last night.

Lastly, he approached the receptionists’ table.

“You okay, Laurent?” Steven asked. “Need anything?”

“I’m okay, Mr. Stone,” Laurent replied. “If there’s anything I need, that’s what Sophie is here for.”

The only response Laurent got was a pair of raised eyebrows from Steven, and before Steven could even think about saying anything, he was interrupted by approaching footsteps. He turned to see Winona approaching him from behind the receptionists.

“Do you have a moment, Steven?” she asked.

“Oh, are you finished eating already, Winona?” he said back. “Something you need?”

Winona stiffened. “Well, I thought there would be something you’d be interested in. Something I should have told you days ago. It regards… Cynthia.”

Steven blinked. He wasn’t interested in conversations about pursuing a relationship with her. Hadn’t that been made clear already?

“I’m afraid –”

Winona cut him off. “Plus, there’s wine involved.”

Suddenly, Steven’s flat emotions were replaced by surprise – just for an instant – before they quickly became suspicion. Wine and Cynthia… The opportunity was too much. Could it possibly be true? Could it be that Cynthia actually –? No. Steven couldn’t believe it.

“Let’s talk in my office,” he said, gesturing for Winona to follow.

Chapter Text

For Sophie, being a member of the Château Fan Club had its benefits. There were plenty of Pokémon battles included with the club gatherings, which was fun, but what she most enjoyed was participating in heated arguments pertaining to who would emerge victorious in a given round. Almost every time, she and Laurent would get into heated debates over who would win or the odds of winning. At one point, they had completely embarrassed a particular challenger such that he was forced to retire.

They loved the architecture of the château as well, and if they thought it was worthy of Rischissime Stars, they would have given it at least two. As dreamy as it was, many people wouldn’t agree with them, as these stars were reserved exclusively for dining, anyway.

So it came down to the following morning, exactly three weeks since the opening of Vue sur la Lune, Laurent and Sophie went to Steven’s office. Business probably was impacted due to the ongoing media coverage of the restaurant, and it really wasn’t busy.

That was also a good thing too, because whatever happened yesterday – or whatever was told – clearly had an impact on Steven. He showed up to the restaurant looking overwhelmed, and he was trying to cover it up with his tiredness.

But despite what had happened, James had arrived that morning to give the staff good news. The critic from the day before, Marie LeBlanc, had published a review in Lumiose Press with regards to the Stone Open. An excellent review of the dish comprehending aspects of quality and creativity were among its merits.

“…and for this reason, perhaps the Stone Bistro ought to be worthy of a Rischissime Star, if the hotel ever chooses to stop by to award one,” James had read out. He put down the paper to face the staff, all with anticipating eyes. “Okay, that might mean that we may be facing a great deal of work tonight, so I want things ready.”

“However, le chef expects the day to be busier to be busier tomorrow anyway, when the review sinks in,” James added. “For now, we carry on business as usual, and I’m glad to see the media has left us alone a little at last.”

Now, Laurent and Sophie were across from their boss, with a desk separating them from him. Steven alone was standing around. His eyes looked tired, but Sophie could detect a sense of relief radiating from him. Well, perhaps the review did its part to lift up his spirits.

The boss eventually sat down, and pulled out what looked like a file detailing construction blueprints. Laurent sat down next, followed by Sophie.

“Is there something you need, vous deux?” Steven asked.

Looking at each other first, Laurent and Sophie looked back, with the latter saying, “Laurent and I have a reeeeeeally important meeting to go to at the Battle Château. We’d like some time off so we can do just that! Can we? Can we?”

Steven didn’t look up from the blueprint file.

“I seriously doubt you can, at this point in time,” he said. “Haven’t you started your shift already? Why is it that you have to go together?”

Sophie eyed Laurent for a moment, whereas Laurent did the answering. “It’s just that important, Mr. Stone.”

“Besides, you can always go after work. Just how important is it?” Steven asked.

“Really important,” Sophie quickly replied, her voice slowing becoming louder. “I’m totally serious! Look into my eyes, Mr. Stone…”

Sighing, Steven put down the file and looked up. He suddenly gulped when Sophie suddenly leaned across the desk to have her nose nearly touching his own. His eyes pretty much had no choice but to look into hers.

“These are the eyes of a serious girl,” Sophie said, pointing at both of her eyes. “See it? See it?”

Steven held his breath.

“These are the eyes of a girl showing she can handle working and playing at the same time.”

Did her eyes look like they were trying to pierce into his soul? It looked like it, because Sophie was trying really hard to look straight into him. Or was it Steven trying to look into those eyes? They looked happy, angry, and serious.

“These are the eyes of a girl who is passionate of what she knows.”

Steven blinked.

“These are… SERIOUS EYES!”

Steven hung his head and clapped a hand over his eyes. Afterwards he looked up, and stood up. It wasn’t before long that he had walked over to the door to show his receptionists out.

“Alright, you two have the day off,” Steven said tiredly, and the response he got was a pair of delighted faces. “You’ll have to come back to check on your replacement later, though. If you two slack off and don’t come back here to check, I’m afraid I’ll have to threaten you both with overtime.”

Laurent and Sophie pinched their thumbs and index fingers together, and with very, very, wide smiles. “Okay!” they said together and soon afterwards had left the office and were on their way outside. On the way out, they approached the entrance doors and stopped at the same time, as if they were being courteous to each other.

Laurent opened the door and bowed to Sophie.

“Tu as la dame,” he said gently. Sophie giggled and took the offer to head out first.

Steven, on the other hand, made an internal phone call to the floor above.

“Martine,” he said. “You’re needed at the foyer.”

It wasn’t before long that Martine Grenadine arrived ten minutes later with… Metagross. Steven shook his head upon seeing his Pokémon joining in.

“Metagross, you’re needed to help the customers,” Steven ordered. “Martine can take care of what’s going on here herself.”

“What’s going on here?” Martine repeated playfully, and Steven shot Martine a glare – as usual as it may be to the redhead.

“You’re taking over receptionist duty until Laurent and Sophie come back,” Steven instructed. “They have business to attend to.”

Steven had well expected Martine to either comply or complain (most likely the latter) but instead, he got a grin from the nineteen year old.

“They’re going on a date, no doubt about it,” she said. “You should learn something from them, boss! You see, these are how relationships develop. You know, you start with a certain someone –”

He turned away so as to not hear any more of it, because he had other things to attend to like that blueprint he was reading… Unfortunately, he could hear the evident giggling from Martine and the metallic laugh from Metagross. Even though he had gotten a good review from a critic, the impact was minimal compared to what everyone else making of him and Cynthia at this point.

With Winona supplying him the most unbelievable information ever, Steven still found it hard to believe it. Cynthia using one of his wines in a fondue? Just how was it possible? But still, perhaps this had something to do with… to do with… what happened in the wine cellar…

I’m probably overthinking it, Steven thought. I better focus on more important things.

With that, Steven went back to his office to retrieve the blueprint file. Construction outside the ground floor, on the restaurant side facing the ocean, was progressive and being done faster than anticipated. While James was leading the cooks in the kitchens, Steven saw this as an opportunity to get things done.

But as it happened as he walked to the first floor where the construction project was still ongoing, Martine was simply bored and ended up making a phone call to Lisia. Well, this was the result of putting Martine on receptionist duty! Just how could Steven trust her to do it? He should have left it to James. Oh right, James was in the kitchens.

Under the clear blue skies and a majestic lake, the Battle Château stood proudly on Route 7. Given its relatively close location to Cyllage City, it served as an excellent attraction for tourists passing the route in addition to Cyllage City serving the best cuisine in the west of Kalos. For Cyllage City locals, it was conveniently close, and the grand Lumiose City was just a mere stroll away.

A Hawlucha and a Clauncher were sparring with each other a short distance away from the front of the stone building. The weather, cloudless, set the backdrop of perfect conditions.

A torrent of water shot and nearly missed Hawlucha had the wrestling Pokémon not sidestepped to avoid it. Clauncher, seeing the dodge, then went for a close range attack via smashing against Hawlucha head-on. Alas, the smash was resisted by Hawlucha holding back with equal force.

“Okay, that’s enough!” the supervisor said. “There’ll be plenty more battles to come round! The club comes first!”

Immediately, Hawlucha and Clauncher were recalled into their respective Poké Balls by their respective trainers. Specifically and respectively, Laurent and Sophie. Afterwards, Laurent went to Sophie to kneel in front of her, whilst taking her hand to kiss it. No doubt it was a mock play.

“That was a good battle, my duchess,” Laurent said.

“You can rise, my duke,” Sophie replied, and rolling her eyes.

“Alright, alright, there will be plenty of cozy time later! Club! Now!” the supervisor barked.

The Château Fan Club had assembled outside the facility. There were tables and tents set up as well as refreshments to be prepared after the club had assembled. The club had secured top-class Richissime-starred desserts for a slightly reduced price which was beneficial, but the chef had insisted it was a promotion. Plus, the chef said she would personally serve the refreshments herself.

As fans of the Battle Château, it was their obligation to know just about everything about it including who were the day’s competitors. The club had assembled beside the tent, with the supervisor ensuring everyone was accounted for.

“Assemblement! S’il vous plait!” she shouted as everyone stood where they needed to. “Okay, so let’s begin our meeting with a pop quiz! How long has the Château been around for?”

“Quinze ans,” someone said.

“Tu as raison,” the supervisor replied. “Okay, so let’s move onto the next thing on the agenda. Does everyone have a canvas?”

Laurent turned his head to see the organisers set up canvases against the lake, with a set of palettes and paintbrushes at each one. Not needing any further instruction, the fan club moved towards getting each of their hands on a canvas. Sophie and Laurent were lucky enough to get a pair of canvases side-by-side.

“Okay, now I want all of you to paint a painting of the Battle Château with the lake included, and the best painting will get points,” the supervisor instructed. “By the end of this session, whoever has the most points will be named ‘Fan Château du Mois’ and as a reward gets to keep the club trophy for a week. Okay? Vous avez vingt minutes. Allez!”

Sophie picked up her palette and brush first.

Steven had just received word from Martine that at least ten customers had dropped by, not a party, to test out the Stone Open. Pleased with this news, Steven forwarded the message to James to have the dishes prepared. As Steven was busy managing construction of the terrace, he had to get his priorities straight. The customer was important, but Steven decided his restaurant would have a bad appeal if the project was left unattended.

Metagross wasn’t impressed leaving the customers either, but it had to be done. In support of construction activities, Aggron was sent to do the heavy lifting. As his Pokémon were supporting, in addition to the construction company’s Pangoro, there was no need for heavy equipment. For the record, the frames were in place, and Steven predicted that at the pace they were going at – in addition to installing the material – the terrace would be nearly complete by the end of the day.

Like the restaurant itself before it, Steven had been through the legal and financial processes of construction before. It was a small gamble, but Steven predicted customers would be very happy if they could sit against the Kalos seaside. Plus, Steven might as well charge the tables there just slightly more. With the project approved by Cyllage City, the project went ahead as planned.

The flooring was just starting to take place, whereas the terrace would have a wood-framed cover to act as shade for the terrace itself, or protection from sunlight.

You’ve done quite a bit already, James, Steven thought. James clearly had been busy, and now all Steven had to do was complete the remaining half of the terrace. Overall, the terrace was flourishing, and what Steven hoped was that the rewards would come to fruition eventually.

Meanwhile, Martine came to realise the number of customers had slowed down a lot within the past hour. It was scary at first to have a rush of ten customers come in at once, and all at separate tables no less, but the storm was over. All the work now was left to the servers and cooks. Martine also hadn’t had a phone call come in for a while either. She supposed it just wasn’t that busy today.

She sometimes wondered how Laurent and Sophie managed to pass the time so efficiently doing a desk job. Perhaps this was how their relationship began! Oh, it was so obvious! Or, even better, they knew about it before their relationship started! They were going on a date, after all!

Perhaps the boss and her ought to get a desk job together, Martine thought. Now that’s wishful thinking.

Overall, she was bored. But Martine’s thoughts were interrupted by the approaching footsteps of… none other than Lisia.

“Hi, friend!” Lisia greeted happily, while slapping a hand on the counter. Martine looked up, and grinned.

“Winona and Wallace not with you aujourd’hui?” Martine asked.

“That’s right. They went over to Vue sur la Lune for lunch,” Lisia said. “Say, have you heard anything from your boss lately?”

Martine’s eyes glinted. Finally. Something to talk about.

“Didn’t you say yesterday we could try forcing him to speak?” she said, grinning. “Unfortunately, mon amie, he is very, very, busy and has no time today. Plus, I can’t do anything while I’m behind this desk.”

“That’s why I thought we could try making the woman speak,” Lisia suggested. “When you have time, let’s go over there and force her to speak! Plus, my uncle is there, so we have all the backup we need, oui?”

Martine smiled. Evilly. “Oui.”

“Okay, we’re done,” the supervisor said. “Brushes down, now!”

Sophie and Laurent finished their paintings almost simultaneously, but when they had a good look at each other’s’ work, they were silenced. Apart from Sophie using a midnight blue background with stars and Laurent using a sunset orange with darkened clouds, the angles they painted of the château were near identical.

Even their fellow club members, who were skimming over everyone’s work, could notice the similarities.

“Did the two of you work on these together?” someone asked. “Because they certainly look the same!”

It had taken not a long time for the club organisers went around to evaluate each painting. Walking along with clipboards in hand, they took about three minutes per painting to determine scores. However, the lone exception was when they got to Sophie and Laurent’s paintings.

“Can you explain, you two, why these paintings look exactly the same?” the supervisor questioned.

Laurent shrugged, but Sophie answered, “That’s what happens when you’re the most devoted fans of the Battle Château. Our paintings are so perfect that we made identical ones, right?”

The supervisor looked at Sophie questionably, but Sophie leaned closer to her face, saying, “I’m totally serious! See that? See that? These are the eyes of a serious painter.”

Laurent was speechless, and so was the supervisor.

“These are the eyes of a fan showing her passion for the château.”

The supervisor drew a flat smile.

“These are… SERIOUS EYES!”

It looked like there was a staring contest going on, at least to Sophie.

“Grrrr…” Sophie’s eyes began to turn red. “I’m not – gonna – blink –!”

“The only thing serious here is you’re getting in the way of the evaluation, Sophie,” she replied. “Stand aside, s’il vous plait.”

Laurent hung his head with a grin, and although Sophie shot Laurent a hurt face, the evaluation was done in minutes. Seconds later, Sophie shook Laurent’s shoulder.

“Tu n’es pas m’aider, Laurent,” she said, frustrated and pulling a bit of hair behind her ear.

“Je m’excuse,” Laurent replied. “Let’s just go to the next event. What was it again? Ah yes, the matches are going to start. We need to go in now, Sophie.”

The entire club seemed in agreement, but the supervisor and the organisers weren’t letting them off that easily. Before anyone could make a move, they had the paintings evaluated and over with. Scores were taped on the side of each painting.

“They’re marked out of ten,” Sophie remarked. “We… have the same scores, my friend.”

Laurent wasn’t surprised. For two paintings that coincidentally happened to be near identical, save for a different colour of sky and water, it seemed appropriate to award the same score of huit. Instead, he drew his attention to the Battle Château itself. Perhaps there would be more points to gather once the matches began.

Speaking of which, their points, compared to the others, meant that the two of them were tied for the lead with about a few others. However, that wasn’t the only thing that caught their attention. Everyone was having a good look at the near identical paintings.

“One would think they were made for each other,” someone whispered.

“Oh, be quiet,” Sophie snapped.

“Be quiet is right!” the supervisor barked. “Consider our next event for points! Head to the tables, now! I want everyone to draw a map of the entire château’s interior, and we’ll give points for the best one!”

Pencils, erasers, and rulers had been generously supplied by the fan club as they were laid out in piles on the tables. Quickly, everyone got to work, as they had a limited amount of time on the clock. Something like twenty minutes. Whilst Sophie started preliminary sketching, Laurent stared at the paper as if visualising what he was going to do.

Chapter Text

Wallace already took the initiative by the time he had gotten into Cynthia’s café. With apparent knowledge of Steven having a copy of the ‘Apples and Oranges’ magazine, things just couldn’t get more obvious, couldn’t it?

With Winona across from him, the two of them were sitting together enjoying a couple of unique smoothies. On Winona’s side, she had a blueberry smoothie with a load of crushed ice. On Wallace’s side… a peculiar smoothie made with a blend of chocolate and vegetables. Just by the sound of it made Winona lose a bit of her appetite.

“I can’t see how you can enjoy that, Wallace,” she remarked, but couldn’t bring herself to look at the ‘unappetizing’ smoothie.

“Don’t worry, dear,” Wallace cooed, forcing Winona to raise an eyebrow. “It may not sound appetizing, but on the plus side, I get a meal out of it and the taste is excellent! Look, even Milotic agrees!”

Speaking of which, Wallace did have Milotic curled beside him, but instantly perked at the prospect of having a sip of that chocolate blend. As the smoothie had a straw, drinking from it was made easy. Milotic nodded in approval after she had her fill of chocolate-vegetable blend.

“See?” Wallace said proudly, but Winona bowed her head to quiet sip from her own smoothie.

Now that reminds me of old times… she thought. This led her to wonder just what kind of a boyfriend she had landed with.

However, before Winona could continue to wander off into her thoughts, she was distracted by an approaching Martine and Lisia. The two of them were chatting away, but in such a manner that suggested they were plotting something terrible – something drastic.

“If he won’t talk, then we’ll have to make her talk,” Lisia said.

“Agreed,” Martine approved.

Wallace looked like he had found real friends (as if Winona didn’t count as ‘real’!) at last, in his niece and apparently his niece’s new friend. The redhead, her hair as red as sirop de grenadine, looked at him first.

“What are you doing here, my dears?” he greeted.

The answer from Lisia was almost immediate. “We are going to push Cynthia on the details that she went on a date with Steven. Come on, uncle! This is an opportunity to help your best friend. He really did go on a date with her, uncle. He really did!”

Winona rolled her eyes, but she showed the similar interest of wanting to know the details too. She had to keep her profile low, so as to not distract her boyfriend, but had her ears open. Wallace alone looked unconvinced, but he didn’t object to Lisia and Martine to try to get it done. The two girls didn’t sit and instead went to the counter to talk to the barista.

Within moments, after a phone call, Cynthia appeared in the café via the staff doors leading from the main restaurant. She showed mild surprise upon seeing the group gathered in her café, and was wearing a black chef jacket as she approached them.

“Hello,” she greeted coolly. Noticing Martine, she smiled. “I’m surprised your restaurant wasn’t closed down by the health inspector yet. Didn’t you get the memo? Especially what had happened with Diantha, you know.”

Martine bowed her head with a scoff. “Nonsense! We haven’t even gotten word of what went wrong with Diantha! The doctors only said it was an allergic reaction, but we don’t know from what!”

Lisia nudged Martine, as if to knock some sense into her. Martine subsequently complied.

“That’s not why we’re here, Cynthia,” Lisia boldly said, as she attempted to look at her in the eye. “What we are here for is what you did yesterday morning. Tell us! What did you do this morning?”

Cynthia didn’t look like she was in the mood to talk about this and – though her face turned a shade of pink like she was trying to vent out her anger at the annoyance – started to walk away without replying. What they were demanding from her was more intimidating than ever.

Unfortunately, she was instantly stopped by Martine’s firm grip as the nineteen year old redhead pulled up a chair for her to sit on. Cynthia had no choice. She was pushed to sit down! And face Wallace, no less. “My dear,” he said, “these are things we have to talk about. How long have you been doing this?”

Cynthia refused to look at him and turned her head away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

But even more surprising was that she felt a hand on her chin pulling her head to look back. Her hair indeed was still covering her left eye as usual, but even her right eye alone displayed her annoyance. Her right eye, to be exact, stared into Martine’s eyes. Martine’s serious eyes.

“Parlez,” Martine’s voice was as if it was to intimidate. “Or we make you!”

Those serious eyes… looked serious?

But to Martine’s exasperation, Cynthia rolled her eyes. “And just what are you getting out of this, dear? There’s nothing to benefit –”

“Do you hate Steven?” Martine piped, whilst clapping her hands together.

Cynthia’s face grew red, so she used her hair to hide half of it. Looking away, she shot back, “I don’t hate him. He may have cut off my supplies, as Wallace told me. He might have poisoned Diantha. But, he does have good cheeses, so I can credit him –”

“Your face is red like you’re angry mais tu ne déteste pas lui?” Martine interrupted. “Oh the irony, Cynthia!”

As if Cynthia had wanted to make a comeback, she couldn’t because Lisia was staring at her. “Oh, so he shared some cheese with you? That’s super romantic. Where were you two? Somewhere close by? Was there a sunset? Were you comfortable with him? Especially the cheeses?”

“Yes – No!” Cynthia was flustered. “I’m talking about that time when he hosted a wedding…”

But Cynthia’s words trailed off, as she found Martine and Lisia had quite literally trapped her with her own words.

“Oh, so you did go somewhere with him today!” Martine declared, openly clapping her hands in excitement at the same time. “Well then, answer Lisia! You two must have had a moment, oui? Well? Did you have one?”

Cynthia looked like on the verge of boiling. Her breathing was short, as if her coolness had suddenly been vaporised into non-existence, like steam!

“No, no!” Cynthia shouted, such that she caught the attention of the barista (that is, Henri) before the latter turned his attention to preparing more coffee with a smirk. “It’s nothing like that!” Cynthia added. “We had nothing going on! Did you know that –?”

But she was stopped short when Martine and Lisia were staring back at her, with identical smiles. Cynthia decided that it was pointless at this point to try to lose the topic. However, she had to find a way to hold them off, but how?!

“Let’s see…” Lisia said, as if she was deep in thought. “Oh, you two probably had a picnic, right? I can imagine it…”

But Martine held up a hand for Lisia’s silence, in which she added, “Oh I can see it. The two of you, sitting together on a picnic blanket just eating happily together. Oh! It must have been special especially for you!”

“I like your thinking, my friend,” Lisia said cheerfully. She held up her hands as if making a picture frame. “You both sat down together like a couple!”

Cynthia didn’t know what to make of the scenario. As much as she tried to cover it, the picnic part of it, Lisia seemed to have guessed the truth.

Wallace turned to look at Winona, with his grin looking like he had scored a triumphant win of some sort. “It looks like my niece and I may not be the only ones who are excited about this. Admit it, dear, you know you’re excited too.” Indeed, Winona was keen, but she sort of disagreed with this kind of behaviour from Lisia, as if Lisia was the living reincarnation of her uncle.

“Bien,” Martine remarked. “We are done here.”

“Je m’excuse,” Cynthia muttered. “I have to go.”

For Cynthia’s part, she bowed her head and took away Wallace’s chocolate-vegetable smoothie and walked away, taking huge gulps of the smoothie as she did. Wallace nodded his head like this was bound to happen, because he was pretty satisfied with how things were turning out. It looked like Cynthia was going to leave the building, as if to meet a certain someone.

To mark the occasion, he helped himself to Winona’s blueberry smoothie with crushed ice, but –

“That’s mine!” Winona cried, slapping Wallace’s hand away.

“My dear –”

“Don’t you ‘my dear’ me!” Winona retorted. “You can’t just take my smoothie away like it’s yours! You bought it for me!”

With that said, Winona took her glass and sipped it quickly like she was in a rush. However, she started to feel her head pound with pain as she started to feel really cold. Was it because she was drinking the smoothie too quickly?

Eventually, tears started to form in her eyes.

On the other hand, Lisia and Martine were not done with Cynthia. Only after Cynthia had a few moments respite, they came back to pursue. As Cynthia was about to head out the door, the two girls blocked the door.

“So tell us, Cynthia. What did you eat at that time?” Martine asked, but she held up a hand. “Oh, and did you feed him? What did you eat?”

“He must have fed you too!” Lisia said.

But Cynthia had enough. Exasperated, she pushed the two girls out of her way and stormed outside, but not before slamming the door on them. Afterwards, Martine and Lisia shared a laugh that shook the premises of Vue sur la Lune to its very core. Wallace joined in the laugh too.

“You see, my dear? That’s how the world works,” he said to Winona.

As for the barista – that is, Henri – he shared a chuckle as he continued preparing fresh coffee. Quietly, he poured two mugs and went over to where Wallace and Winona were sitting.

“I haven’t had a good laugh for a while around here,” he said, placing the cups on the table. “These two are on me.”

“Merci beaucoup,” Wallace thanked. Right when he picked up his mug, Winona’s tears caught his attention. Indeed, she was still crying after downing her own smoothie in one go. Her hands were on her face and she was shaking from crying. Wallace, grinning, pulled his chair closer to her and put his free arm around her shoulder. “There, there. You didn’t have to go finish it yourself. I could have finished it for you.”

Sure enough, Lisia took the coffee mug intended for Winona and drank it herself, which sort of annoyed her uncle. However, Wallace instantly smiled when she spit out the mouthful of coffee back into the mug.

“Ew! Uncle! This doesn’t taste like coffee!” Lisia complained. “It’s so strong!”

“I don’t drink my coffee without cream or sugar, Lisia,” Wallace replied, with his smile unfaltering. “You see, this is what happens when you overreact.”

Lisia looked closely at the coffee she attempted to drink, and her uncle was right. The coffee was black, with no hint of cream, milk, or sugar for that matter.

Martine began to walk to the door. Turning her head and smiling, she said, “My boss will probably suspend my pay if he finds out I walked away from work. I’ll catch you three later!” After that, she bolted outside across the street, and fixing her vest at the same time.

“Mesdames et Messieurs, we regret to inform you that our Grand Duchess Diantha will not be attending today’s session of the Battle Château, as she is victim to some undisclosed circumstances,” the host said at the foyer. “I’m afraid she will have to appear at another time, but without further ado, please come in.”

Hawlucha and Clauncher, belonging to Laurent and Sophie respectively, followed their companions into the hallways. However, as the fan club had no agenda to participate, no one in the club could battle. However, that didn’t stop them from walking into the château itself to watch.

At the end of the mapmaking competition, Sophie had drawn the slightly better map than Laurent did. But that was mostly skewed by Laurent’s constant focusing on the tiny details like adding houseplants and tables – such that he sort of missed the point. All in all, they both made good maps and received points to the trophy.

Furthermore, there were a few more gruelling challenges presented by the organisers to the fans – including a multiple choice test that had every second question count as double points towards the trophy also. In the end, it boiled down to watching the competition inside and battling with whoever was willing to battle. The club had generously supplied writs of invitation to all members, so everyone could be granted entry. As the club put it, the members who could record the most number of wins and explored rooms would be awarded most points towards the standings. The trophy would be presented after, and refreshments would be served.

As it happened, neither Laurent nor Sophie had their share of wins, separately. Given this was a free-for-all, they figured it would be easier to split up to collect points and wins on their own. If they stuck together, only one of them would get points between battles. Plus, Laurent knew that Sophie was ahead of him in points!

Well, if only they knew – Actually, they do know. That night when Diantha just suddenly collapsed in front of everyone, Laurent thought. Everyone knows what happened! No thanks to the media!

“I’ll see you later, my duke,” Sophie said, walking away to a different room whilst giving Laurent a wink.

Laurent noticed, and he smiled upon seeing those eyes of hers. Just how could he tell when they were serious or not? He walked forward to enter one of the many hallways which led to different rooms.

Of one of the rooms – a dining hall, to be exact – Laurent encountered a trainer who supposedly had the title of ‘Marquis’. Knowing the rules and without need for introduction, Laurent had Hawlucha ready for combat, whereas his opponent sent out an Aerodactyl.

“Comment allez-vous aujourd’hui?” Laurent greeted.

“Bien,” his opponent replied. “Nous nous battons maintenant, oui?”

Feeling excited already, Laurent made the first move. Hawlucha was already up and running towards the Aerodactyl and hitting it with a Karate Chop. While Hawlucha acted fast, Aerodactyl made a quick reaction with a Wing Attack. The clash of both Pokémon making contact at the same time shook the walls around them.

The Damp Rock that Steven Stone had extracted from Route 10 was currently in the Stone Bistro’s museum, but hadn’t been put on display yet. Yet Steven had no time to attend to such matters as the terrace he and James were building was entering the penultimate phase. This included safety inspections.

He could smell the familiar aroma of the Stone Open in the air. Dishes were being served out to customers whom Steven supposed had read the review by Madame LeBlanc. As such, Steven was absolutely fine with it. The spice of Tamato berry, the aroma of LaBrie…

As business carried on as usual for the lunch hour at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, the groundwork and basic framing was done. The flooring was in place and set, with beautiful barriers separating the terrace from the grand ocean view just adjacent to the tables. To Steven, it was majestic to be standing so close to the ocean combined with the comfort of a restaurant terrace. For him and James, this idea was certainly worth investing, and now it seemed to have the full potential to pay off.

Aggron finished adding the final piece of bolts and nails, and also witnessed the finalisation of the stone frames built with steel. With this kind of material and design, along with a cover and sturdy umbrellas, not even a thunderstorm could destroy this terrace.

“Just one more day and we’re in business,” Steven remarked. “Well done, guys. You too, Aggron.”

Truth be told, anyone could remark that the terrace looked magnificent. The construction crew had finally left after the utilities, which included water, lighting, and heating, were in place. With a server’s podium nearby, and doors leading to the first floor of the restaurant, everything was in order.

Satisfied, Steven walked back into his workplace. The project was done, so he had to make preparations to have it open to the public. Perhaps heading into his office to make arrangements for promotions was in order. He walked by the customers who almost all had a serving of the Stone Open. Although it was a relatively not-busy day, seeing these customers here was enough for Steven.

He did have to check up on Martine to see how she was doing too. With Laurent and Sophie on leave, he had to ensure his youngest and most energetic worker was holding well. The foyer was already in sight, and Steven only needed to walk in to see the elongated desk that supposed to welcome the customers.

But what Steven was met with was a group of none other than reporters.

“Oh hey, it’s Steven Stone!” someone said. “Monsieur Stone! Is it true you shot down a helicopter?!”

“What about Diantha now? Is your food still safe to eat?”

“But what about that new dish you created, whom Madame LeBlanc tried? Where did that come from?”

Metagross happened to pass by on the way to the kitchens to retrieve more dishes from the staff, but Steven motioned Metagross to stop by. He wrote down a note (to inform James of the safety inspection) before giving it to his Pokémon, whereas his companion echoed a low sound of laughter, but took the note anyway and went ahead to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Steven turned his attention back to the media.

“Okay,” he said, whilst straightening himself, “let’s just say that the helicopter incident was purely accidental. No harm was intended. As for my food, I can assure everyone that there is a reason why the Stone Restaurant and Bistro has one Richissime Star to its name. It is a first-class restaurant, and it would be so because of our priority to ensure the safety of our customers, which includes being sanitary. As for that new dish, I must insist that everyone in Cyllage City try it. It is a wonder how I managed to create it too, but in the end, I think it is worth another Richissime Star as stated in the review. Madame LeBlanc was very well pleased with the dish herself.”

“But Diantha is still in hospital! How would you respond to that?!”

“I will…” Steven trailed off, thinking and choosing his words carefully. In truth, he would have to apologise to her, but he wondered how the media would treat that. It would be embarrassing for him. “I will have to check up on her when I have the time, when I’m not busy, and certainly not when I have crowds of people trying to check on my every movement.”

That seemed like a good enough response.

“Rumour has it that this was a mere plot by you to reinforce your love to Cynthia, across the street. What do you make of that? Especially when it just so happened to be in front of her that night?”

Whatever coolness Steven had had instantly evaporated, and the burning heat of both anger and embarrassment took its place.

“It’s nothing like that!” he denied. “However, if you are interested in the new dish, I must insist you try it out yourselves."

“That doesn’t answer the question, Monsieur Stone! You can do better than that! Tell us! What is it with you and Cynthia these days?”

“You must have been seeing her in secret, I bet! Right?”

“Have you heard from Diantha yet?”

Steven tried his best to keep a professional face, but it was starting to tire after the barrage of questions. “No, I have not been seeing Cynthia at all. I’ll visit Diantha whenever I have the time, but as I’ve said I certainly won’t have it when people like you are interrupting my workplace.”

After saying that, a few optimistic reporters left for the door as if they had ideas of where to go next. To see Diantha, no doubt, but that wasn’t Steven’s business yet. As well, Steven took the opportunity to push the crowd out.

“The restaurant is currently undergoing an improvement project right now, so if you’re not staying to eat, then I suggest you leave, s’il vous plait,” Steven directed.

“A tasty dish, eh? We’ll have to see what Madame LeBlanc wrote in her review –”

Steven managed to push the crowd out the door on his own. Sure, it didn’t help that he had no Pokémon to support him, with Metagross seeing to the tables and Aggron still helping out with construction, but he managed. Happy with the quieting atmosphere, Steven turned around to meet up with James, as the safety inspectors were due to arrive soon.

Somehow. Somehow. Martine Grenadine was directly in front of him, and walking to the desk.

“Martine!” Steven yelled.

The nineteen year old waitress stopped suddenly, and then stiffly turned around to face him. “Y – yes, boss?” she replied, although her face was caught in the middle of cheer and terror. The curls of her red hair in front were messy, but she seemed… happy somehow.

“Where have you been?” Steven asked. “Why aren’t you at the desk? You’re supposed to be managing reception!”

But something in Martine’s lips, with that dangerously suspicious smile, told him that she had done something terrible for him. Sure, Steven had no way of proving that, but he had a really bad feeling about this. After all, Martine had been giving him similar treatment ever since Cynthia took up shop across the street.

Cynthia. That must be it!

“Okay, just what did you do say to her just now?” he demanded.

“Boss,” Martine replied, and flicking some of her red hair as if to annoy him, “I’ve been at the desk for as long as I can remember. If anything happened, you would hear from Sophie, right? Well, she is on a date. You should consider it. Come on, I have to walk around a bit too, you know!”

I have a bad feeling about this, Steven thought.

As if Steven wanted to say something more, but sadly it wasn’t possible due to incoming visitors who had walked into the lobby. Martine went over to greet them, as per receptionist duty, and then she notified Steven that they were here on construction business. They were the expected safety inspectors.

Within minutes, Steven led the inspectors to meet James at the completed terrace, whereas Martine remained seated at the receptionist desk. By the time her boss had left the foyer, Martine broke down into an uncontrollable series of laughs.

“You went on a picnic together with her…” she whispered to herself excitedly. “Oh gosh, I would burst if I heard you admit that! You have to let us know what happened…” For a moment, Martine entered a fantasy where she saw her boss and his pretty rival sitting together on a picnic blanket. They shared a meal together, up close, and exchanged food. They would even feed each other like they were genuinely in a relationship!

Chapter Text

The fateful encounter, inevitably, happened. In the Great Hall, Laurent ran into his friend, Sophie. A standoff ensued with Hawlucha and Clauncher locked in a battle of somewhat impressive proportions.

In the end, it came down to strikes of equal force between the two Pokémon. The two co-workers once in a while locked into each other’s’ serious eyes before they focused on beating each other again. Throughout the battle, Hawlucha and Clauncher exchanged blows as they passed each other.

“You’ve gotten better, mon amie!” Laurent complimented.

“You’ve gotten worse, mon ami!” Sophie fired back.

With a smirk, Laurent ordered Hawlucha to take it to the air for an airborne assault, but was in for a surprise when Clauncher merely hopped forward to outflank Hawlucha. All of sudden, Clauncher shot a punishing blast of water against Hawlucha’s back before the latter had a chance to land. By the time Hawlucha had landed, he could barely stand.

In short, Laurent blinked before he realised what had happened.

“You – you –!” he stuttered, in which this earned a smile from Sophie. “Hawlucha! Keep at it! We can still win this! Pull it together!”

“No you don’t!” Sophie shot back, except that she suddenly felt the whiff of uncertainty when Hawlucha somehow managed to flawlessly evade the next attack from Clauncher despite barely standing. It felt like Hawlucha had, in some sense, regained some fighting spirit.

And at some point, he managed to outflank Clauncher again and prepared to deliver what would look like the final blow –

“ARRÊTEZ!” a voice shouted. “The clock is up! We have no time left! Stop battling, maintenant!”

In that instant, Hawlucha had no choice but to stop the attack. It took some effort to halt, and as a result he collapsed on the ground. Laurent looked quite disappointed that he couldn’t finish the battle – at the last second no less.

So it ended up with Hawlucha unable to finish Clauncher off. Hawlucha, hanging his head in disappointment, walked back to retreat to Laurent. Subsequently, Laurent and Sophie recalled their Pokémon into their Poké Balls before the two of them met up face-to-face.

“You did well there,” Sophie commented.

She extended a kiss to Laurent’s cheek, pressing her lips against them. Laurent, on the other hand, felt reluctant to reply, but he returned the kiss on Sophie’s cheek after.

“You weren’t so bad yourself,” he said finally, with a small smile. Was that a shade of pink on Sophie’s cheek? She must have been exhausted from the battle.

Afterwards, he and Sophie followed the usher through several other rooms of the château where apparent battles had been stopped. It wasn’t before long that the two co-receptionists were in the foyer of the building, where plenty of others from the fan club had gathered to see the supervisor.

I just hope I got enough points, Laurent thought. If he managed to beat enough opponents during the session, and certainly faster than Sophie, he just might get a good shot at winning the trophy. Unfortunately, that would depend if he managed to beat more opponents than Sophie, of course.

Everyone was standing, since there were no seats in the foyer (nor was the Battle Château prepared to accommodate tens of seats in the first place).

“Well done. Well done,” the supervisor commented, with her voice unusually quieter than it normally was. “In light of the completion of today’s writs, this marks the finale of today’s fan club session, and hence I am proud to present the club trophy…”

In an instant, everyone’s eyes swarmed around for the trophy, as if it were nearby. As it happened, the trophy – a metal replica of the Battle Château with a glass exterior on a pedestal – was being brought in by fellow club staff; two, to be specific. At once, Laurent and Sophie became excited to even see the club trophy.

Whispers could be heard all around as the trophy was settled on a table beside the supervisor.

“Ooh, Laurent,” Sophie whispered. “This better be good!”

“And to make this meeting special, the club trophy will be presented by the honourable earl Royan,” the supervisor added, inviting the said earl to stand beside her. While the supervisor herself normally did the honours, this was different. To be presented the trophy by one of the earls, and a particularly popular one come to that, was a special honour. It also helped that he was practically fangirled by everyone in the Château Fan Club, so this made things super tense.

After Royan had taken position, the supervisor cleared her throat. “Okay, so now we have the results of today’s session, and therefore the winner will be the one who has accumulated the most points from our activities!” she announced. As it happened, a fellow staff member handed the supervisor an envelope.

At once, Laurent and Sophie held their breath. Between them, it was fine if they didn’t win under normal circumstances, but to have the trophy presented by an earl, Royan no less, was a special honour. This was certainly something they wouldn’t want to miss out on.

“Le voila,” she said, opening the envelope. “And… after all the events we’ve had in today’s session, before I announce the winner, I would like to thank all of you for attending the session. Now, without further –” She opened the envelope to read the chart. “– our winner… is Sophie!”

Laurent’s heart sunk.

It wasn’t as if Steven had forgotten about Winona telling him about Cynthia stealing his wines, but he couldn’t believe it. But then again, that was a possible explanation of how he had missing wines, despite the shipping invoice saying things were in order. How was he going to deal with this now? He had no evidence, but it did make things suspicious. Perhaps he ought to pay Diantha a visit just in case…

Aggron put a paw on Steven’s shoulder as if to congratulate him, which brought Steven back to his senses.

“Ah yes, well done, Aggron,” Steven said. “Well, so we’ve finally done it, eh? The terrace looks very nice too.” Indeed, the terrace looked as cozy and comfortable as it could be, and it helped that there was the view of the glittering Kalos coast that complimented the terrace perfectly. Steven wondered

It sometimes worried Steven after all that had happened so far. If anything, he was going to need more information. Plus, he still owed Diantha a proper apology. With the terrace clear of safety inspections, it seemed like now was a good time to do that.

“I’ll leave the restaurant into your hands for the time being,” Steven said.

“Oui, chef,” James replied. “Where are you off to, may I ask?”

“Uh…” Steven muttered. “The Pokémon Centre.”

Without further ado, Steven was out of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. With his cook jacket removed and stored in his office, he was prepared to stop by in his usual attire (a suit, basically). But before heading out, he took time to head to his kitchen to prepare something.

On the way out, he completely ignored Martine’s questions – questions that pertained to where he was going of course. Even so, the sticking points she said included claiming he was off to meet up with Cynthia in secret. The reaction Martine got was another death glare, but Martine was so used to it by now that she even took it as a sign of affection for Cynthia!

“Booooossss!” she shouted. “Who’s the gift for? Oh! Is it for Cynthia?”

But Steven completely ignored her again.

Even after the trophy presentation by the popular baron, Sophie could tell Laurent was feeling somehow bitter. As she carried the club trophy with her (with a stern warning from the supervisor to have it returned in a week), she and Laurent walked in silence back to the club tents where refreshments were being served.

For the most part, Sophie was smiling the entire way through, and Laurent had that vibe of… sadness? He looked emotionless, for sure, but it looked like the life had been drained out of him. In addition, Laurent kept his head down, like he was very disappointed.

“Come on, Laurent! Don’t be such a stick in the mud!” she said, giving her co-worker a light nudge with her shoulder, as both her hands were holding the trophy. “Come on, I know you’re happy. Right? Right? Right?”

Laurent sighed, which earned a laugh from Sophie. “You know, Sophie,” he said. “That sounds exactly like something Martine would only say.”

“Aw… Laurent, don’t tell me you’re jealous?” Sophie nudged him again. “At least you get to see the trophy up close. Heck, I’ll even let you hold onto it! But before we even do that… I want to get some things from the club. I’m craving dessert, so let’s celebrate together.”

“I’m not in the mood,” he replied.

“But you know, I’m in the mood for buying a few things at least…”

Laurent turned his head to look into Sophie’s eyes, and suddenly felt that something was suspicious of her. It was like… she had this suspicious innocence she was trying to communicate. As they approached the tables, they could see plenty of merchandise for sale, and it was then Laurent made the connection with Sophie’s behaviour and the merchandise.

“Wait, Sophie, did you even remember to bring any money, with you?” he asked sharply.

But instead of replying, Sophie thrust the trophy into Laurent’s hands before running to the tables to examine the merchandise. Jewelry, fan hats, posters, and even full-bodied costumes fit for any duke or duchess were up for sale. Whilst Sophie eagerly looked at each item, Laurent stood where he was awkwardly holding the club trophy. He would be anything that Sophie had forgotten to bring money with her.

Still after, Laurent watched Sophie pick up posters and look at them; each one showing a different perspective of the Battle Château. As well, they were coloured in different times of the day. One showed a blazing sunset, and another showed a crystal clear sunrise.

Afterwards, Laurent watched what seemed to be an argument between Sophie and the clerk. On one hand, Sophie was clutching the posters and on the other hand, the clerk seemed intent on seizing them back. Sighing, Laurent approached the scene to listen in and, evidently, there was a dispute.

“Cette fille ne paiera pas,” the clerk said.

“I’m sorry,” Laurent replied, dragging Sophie away with one hand to the side. When they were somewhat further away, Laurent stared at her in the eyes. “Que fais-tu?! Let me guess, you didn’t bring any money, did you?!”

“But Laurent…” Sophie pouted, flashing her eyelids at him, “I might have forgotten, but I really need these posters! And those earrings! And that necklace! Laurent, pleeeeeaaaaase?”

“No,” Laurent’s response was short.

“But I’m totally serious!” Sophie pouted again, this time is was a whine, and brought her face closer to Laurent’s. “See that?! See it?! These eyes are serious! These are the eyes of serious fan.”

Laurent stayed silent.

“These are the eyes of a girl who simply needs this stuff!”

"..."

“These are… SERIOUS EYES!” Sophie added, and not to mention trying to charm Laurent at the same time.

Soon enough, Sophie left the table a happy girl. With her arms full of posters, bracelets, and as well as a fan hat, Sophie looked just like the Battle Château fan she made out to be, hence the fan club. Plus, it helped that she was the recipient of the club trophy.

But Laurent… Poor Laurent had to carry the trophy and as well as a lighter wallet. Sophie just had to make him spend, didn’t she? At least on the plus side, Sophie was happy.

Soon enough, they were seated at one of the free tables in anticipation of the promised refreshments. The club trophy was placed on the table in front of Sophie, with her purchased goods close by.

“I can’t believe I just bought all this for you…” Laurent said as if it were a complaint.

“But it was well worth it, wasn’t it?” Sophie replied. “Oh! Look! It’s the chef! It’s –”

Her words stopped dead and her expression froze. Curious at that, Laurent turned his head around to look at where the chef was supposed to be preparing food for the club. So far, there was only one person there managing an entire outdoor kitchen. Laurent’s eyes had widened.

Cynthia.

“So yes, please welcome our special guest,” the supervisor announced. “If you are joining us for refreshments, that is. Tasty desserts will certainly be the highlight of today’s end-of-session. I present to you, the head chef of Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia!”

Instantly, a round of applause was given to the said chef. Cynthia, dressed in a white cooking jacket, simply waved at everyone in front of her before she turned her attention to the food in front of her. First, she preheated an oven conveniently set up behind her, whereas Cynthia herself began making something of a chocolate-like batter.

Meanwhile, Sophie leaned closer to Laurent, whispering, “You don’t suppose we could bring one of those – whatever she’s making – back? I’d love to try two of them!”

“Well, we’ll just have to see, won’t we?” Laurent added, smiling.

Cynthia in the meantime began shaping the batter into cakes for everyone to see – which almost certainly looked like brownies, and it wasn’t before long that they were placed in the oven too. Within moments, the familiar aroma of cocoa could be smelt everywhere. Truth be told, anyone would have been attracted to the smell.

Afterwards, Cynthia took the liberty of cleaning up her work station and whatever else was necessary as the brownies were being cooked and baked. Within minutes, she had everything cleaned up and then she took out an abnormally huge bucket of ice cream.

It happened somehow that Steven managed to sneak into the local Pokémon Centre unnoticed when there were plenty of others who were trying to get in to see Diantha. Thankfully, as it happened, only a fraction of them were paparazzi.

Only the nurses were surprised at the unannounced appearance of the Stone Bistro’s head chef. Nevertheless, Steven was allowed in by all means. He found Diantha in her respective hospital ward in the end, where she looked much better than before, two days ago. Diantha was sitting upright on the bed and was reading a magazine.

“Do you mind if I come in?” Steven asked, as he opened the door.

Diantha put down her magazine to look at Steven. At first, she was surprised at his spontaneous appearance, but she was nevertheless smiling as if greeting an old friend. It appeared she was happy to have any visitors at all.

“Of course,” she replied. “You’re always welcome to visit, and it’s much better than having crowds trying to score a picture of me. Besides, how did you get in here?”

Steven bowed his head. “You don’t even want to know, but I called in a favour from my Pokémon. That’s enough said.”

Closing the door behind him, Steven walked over to pull up a nearby seat beside the bed. As he sat, Diantha noticed he had a basket with him as he went in – which had a selection of fruits and cheese. Almost immediately, Diantha blushed.

“Is that for me?” she said. “Wow, friend. That’s really thoughtful!”

“Well, it’s the least I can do,” Steven said back, albeit sheepishly. “I figured I owed you an apology for causing you an allergic reaction. You could say a gift would be appropriate and, plus, I made this myself! On behalf of my restaurant, my staff, and especially me, I would like to apologise.”

Diantha gratefully accepted the gift, although she wondered if it was really necessary. She had a close look at it to find a small cake of LaBrie, a healthy serving of De Cyllage, a bunch of Persim berries and several apples, oranges, and grapes. It looked marvelous.

“Apology accepted, Steven, but I think you might have pushed it too far with a gift like this. I’m flattered!” she said, and looked pleased all the same, as she put the basket to the side table. “By the way, if you’re wondering how I’m doing, I’m feeling great. It’s only been a couple days, but I’ve recovered.”

“I didn’t even know you were conscious,” Steven said. “How long have you been awake for?”

“Oh, since this morning,” Diantha replied. “One moment, I was in your restaurant, and the next, I’m in the Pokémon Centre. Just how random can things get?”

“Has Cynthia dropped by, by any chance?” Steven added.

Suddenly, Diantha raised a suspicious eyebrow against him. “Well, I wouldn’t know myself, seeing as you’re practically my only visitor. I’m more surprised she hasn’t dropped by either. Oh wait, would you have spent some quality time with her, by any chance?”

At once, for the briefest instant, Steven’s memories flowed back to Route 10 where he was supposed to have some alone time but was interrupted by Cynthia –

“No,” he coolly said, pushing his thoughts aside. “Not at all. There’s nothing between us, and for better reasons.”

But Diantha, apparently, was showing just how much she was enjoying teasing him. “Are you sure? I’ll have you know that she looked at you pretty often that night, so doesn’t that mean something? Otherwise…”

Steven had to hold up a hand for her silence. “Just no, no, and no,” he quickly said. “Besides, am I not spending quality time right now? Avec toi?”

Diantha shook her head, whilst smiling. “Don’t try to change the subject, friend. Oh, are you trying to flirt with me? I’m flattered enough as it is already, but I’m sure there’s always a special someone else in your life. That’s none of my business, of course. That doesn’t change the fact that you probably saw more of her these days.”

Steven’s smile faltered and he refused to say anything more. However, Diantha was fine with that. Despite having been in hospital for days, it was worthwhile to have this conversation with Steven. True, she supposed she might be jealous of Cynthia, but she had to admit they were perfect for each other. Cynthia and Steven.

Why was it that Steven failed to notice? Or perhaps Diantha was wrong, that Steven might harbour no feelings at all. But even if Cynthia didn’t catch his eyes, he certainly caught Cynthia’s.

“Anyway, I should have been warned about your allergies in the first place,” he said, moving onto a different topic. “But you didn’t notify me about anything! Just what are you allergic to?”

“Oh,” Diantha said. “Coconut. Before you say anything, Steven, I hope you didn’t have your foods anything near coconut, otherwise, I would have probably collapsed.”

“No! That’s not possible,” Steven denied. “I don’t think we’ve prepared any food that night that had anything near coconut and what not –”

He stopped short, as if something popped into mind. Something familiar. Something rash. Something that required more information.

“Excuse me, Diantha, but I have to go,” he said, standing up. “You know, that might be the case that my food was near coconut, and I’m sorry for that. It won’t happen again. Plus, the next time you drop by, your next meal is on me.”

Diantha looked very touched by Steven’s offer and nodded as he left the room. After he left, Diantha picked up her gift basket to examine the contents. Cheese and fruit… She had a craving for fruit right now! Only a minute later, she was eating a few grapes and Persim berries. They were surprisingly fresh.

Steven was really kind and generous, wasn’t he?

Was it a coincidence that Wallace, Winona, and Lisia happened to stop by the Battle Château? Perhaps it was, but it was no coincidence they decided to check out what was going on, anyway. After they had their fill from Vue sur la Lune’s café, they all agreed to go on a walk. It was just the commotion in front of the facility that caught their attention.

So they ended up checking it out.

“It seems like something’s happening. Is there anything special about that building?” Wallace said, as he pointed at the château and the number of tents and stalls set near it.

“That’s the Battle Château…” Winona groaned, shaking her head at Wallace’s lack of knowledge.

“And I smell brownies!” Lisia piped, with her eyes lighting up. “Oh gosh, it’s… coming from over there…”

She drifted away into following the strong smell of chocolate, and only to find a group of people seated at set tables and watching the chef do the cooking and baking. From the smell of it, it seemed like the cooking was almost done.

“I see Sophie…” Wallace said, gazing at the tables and seeing Sophie’s black hair. “Yup, and it looks like she’s on a date. Ha! So my hunch was right after all!”

“And mine too!” Lisia added. “I knew she had someone! Ooh, but wait, uncle! I see Cynthia!”

Thanks to Wallace’s professional skills at charming others, he managed to sneak a table via one of the fan club staff and it wasn’t before long that Winona and Lisia were seated too. Lo and behold, there was Cynthia furiously working away at creating a dessert.

And Steven is far too busy doing his own thing when he could have been here all this time, Wallace thought. Cynthia’s making brownies, and he might have enjoyed this!

But there was an alternative to Wallace’s desire for bothering people. Laurent and Sophie were right there, so why not make easy? Wallace ended up walking over to Sophie from behind, and he definitely took her by surprise.

Especially right at the moment when she was talking to her co-worker – it was that handsome co-worker of Sophie’s that Wallace saw once every so often at Steven’s restaurant.

“Ah, Sophie, my friend!” Wallace greeted cheerfully, so cheerfully such that he caught the attention of other fan club members nearby. “How are things? Oh, am I interrupting something?”

Sophie did express some shock at this sudden appearance, and it only got worse when she realised Wallace caught her talking to… Laurent. As a result, Sophie became very flustered and she was at a loss for words.

“Oh I see. It’s fine, Sophie. You needn’t say any more,” Wallace went on, never minding Sophie’s current state. “You could have told me all this time that you found a boyfriend! I would have never guessed it was your co-worker!”

But Sophie simply had to bury her head and arms onto the table to hide her boiling emotions. Tears of embarrassment flowed from her serious eyes and it seemed like there was no end. Laurent, on the other hand, edged closer to Sophie unsure of what to do at first – but pat a hand on her shoulder.

Unfortunately, Laurent took into account of the number of fellow club members who were talking indistinctly amongst themselves. Some commented with respect to Sophie, while others were smiling and giggling at the interaction. Laurent wondered if he and Sophie would ever be perceived the same again.

“Calm down, calm down,” Laurent whispered.

“Ooh… So there IS someone after all!” another voice, Lisia’s, chimed in. Laurent looked back to see her talk directly to Sophie. “You know, you ought to talk to your boyfriend more often. After all, he’s the only one in the whole wide world who really ‘gets’ you.”

“ARRRRGH!” Sophie screamed, suddenly on her feet and throwing her hands up in the air. The tears continued to fall. “You are so annoying!”

At once, she stormed away from the table and left everyone else behind. It just so happened that while Sophie was leaving in a fit, Cynthia had finished creating her desserts and had the fan club staff serve them. Sophie’s outburst caught her attention, though Cynthia had no idea for what reason Sophie would be so angry about, but the food mattered more.

Eventually, before Laurent made up his mind to go after his co-worker, a plastic plate was served before him. What was it? A very, very, very, hot brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and bits and pieces of fudge. It looked like that if it wasn’t consumed immediately, the ice cream would simply melt into the brownie – which incidentally wasn’t a bad idea.

He hesitated for a moment, but then Laurent opted to bring the brownie with him. “Excusez-moi. Je dois partir,” he said to Wallace, and soon enough Laurent was gone. Where did that leave Wallace? He got to have a plate of the appetising brownie with ice cream and fudge – and Winona and Lisia too.

“You know, if only Steven or Cynthia was that easy to crack – they’d be married already. Don’t worry, what we have done will be a favour for Sophie and her boyfriend! This looks good…” he muttered, reaching for the spoon to get a fill of chocolatey taste.

Winona looked very much like she was in the mood to have some too, but before she could reach for her spoon, her plate was swiped away! Alarmed, Winona looked up to see Laurent taking her rightful dessert away from her!

“I forgot. She wanted two,” Laurent said with a grin. He walked away.

Winona looked very disappointed, but was surprised when Wallace pushed his plate before her eyes. In a sudden, her disappointment disappeared, but was replaced by confusion. Even more so, Wallace scooped a bit of brownie and ice cream and held the spoon up.

“What is this, Wallace?” she said.

But to her astonishment, Wallace edged his face closer to her as well as the spoon. “It’s for you, my dear,” he whispered, lightly poking Winona’s lips with the spoon.

Winona blushed, and then took a mouthful of brownie. One thing was for certain, she was pleased as punch. On the other hand Lisia had a brownie for herself but couldn’t eat it, since she was distracted by watching her uncle and Winona. At first, Winona looked flattered, but then she fed Wallace a bit of the brownie too. The two of them were looking like they were on a date!

And just like someone I know, Lisia thought, glancing at Cynthia who was serving desserts nonstop.

When her brownie arrived, Lisia grinned and started eating straight away. Sure, it may be slightly fattening, but it was Cynthia’s cooking. How would it be not worth trying?

Chapter Text

While Viola was certainly pleased to have a personal conversation with the handsome Steven by herself, hence why he phoned her, she suspected something was up when he requested she bring her camera.

“You have your photos developed?” Steven asked with uncertainty.

They met in the most unsuspecting place relative to Cyllage City and Santalune City, which was at Camphrier Town. While Viola found it peculiar why Steven had to choose that town, she supposed it was fair as it was between the cities. They were in the Pokémon Centre, in a secluded corner which made their activities look quite shady.

What made it more ‘special’ was that it had been exactly three weeks and a day since Vue sur la Lune had opened, and wow, had it been an eventful three weeks.

For Viola’s part, she decided to dress nicer if she was going to meet Steven anyway. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail – a style she normally reserved for Battle Château outings – and she was wearing a dress. Such a style made her look anything but a photographer.

“You managed to slip past the media again, eh?” she said, handing Steven the photos. “I’m kind of glad you called, but do you seriously want these?”

Steven was too busy examining a photo of just him and Cynthia at the table together, which Viola obviously noticed.

“Oh, Steven… you’re breaking my heart already,” she joked. “Is Cynthia really the only girl in your mind right now? You ought to call her once, at least.”

Steven only had to look up with an expression such that Viola grinned. Clearly, Steven was irritated, hence the dozens of media coverage he had been exposed to. Without saying anything, Steven picked up a different photo to analyse it.

“She’s just a former colleague. That is all,” he monotonously replied. “Now look where we’re at.”

“Otherwise, I could take her place if you want,” Viola said, blushing. “Oh! I mean…”

Steven looked into her eyes only to raise an eyebrow.

This photo showed the horrific moment that night when Diantha apparently caught her allergic reaction over dinner. He was there, Cynthia was there (though Steven spent a moment gazing at Cynthia, as if he was attracted by her appearance), but all in all there was Diantha clutching her throat. Not to mention that this was a similar photo that made the front page of Lumiose Press, albeit at a different angle, which provided him a different perspective.

That wasn’t there before, he thought, analysing it carefully.

And beside the paper bag, a little bottle that looked remarkably familiar...

“Hey, Steven? Something wrong?” Viola asked.

“It’s definitely her,” he muttered.

“Well, of course it’s definitely her!” Viola replied, as if surprised at Steven’s cluelessness. “You know, I thought you of all people could recognise her! You’re acting pretty strange, my friend. Where have you been?”

If Steven was honest, he could have told Viola he had been to see Diantha. However, he knew better than to say so. For one thing, it was a private matter that he would keep to himself, and if Diantha wanted to go public about that, that was her business. The second thing was that Viola worked for the media Steven so hated right now, and the last thing he needed was admitting he had been to see Diantha.

He held up the photo again, and then put it down to look at Viola. “Do you mind if I keep this?” he asked.

Now Viola looked confused as ever. “I don’t see what use you’ll have for it, but sure, it’s yours?”

Steven smiled for a moment, and then he took out a business card and pen to write his signature on it with a quick note. He then handed it to Viola. “The next time you come to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, your meal is on me.”

Viola swallowed, like she couldn’t believe she was getting this. It was like an honour! With a shaky hand, and wearing a wide smile the entire time, she gratefully took the card with a word of thanks. Afterwards, she piled up her photos and pocketed the business card before she exited the centre. As for Steven, he quietly followed Viola on the way out.

Even though it had been at least fifteen minutes since Sophie cracked, her face was completely red, and her eyes in tears. Laurent had managed to catch up with his co-worker at last, close to Cyllage City, albeit the ice cream on the brownies had completely melted in. Sophie seemed to have stopped running and stood where she was with her hands on her face.

Taking a deep breath, Laurent approached Sophie cautiously. He was careful to approach her as another outburst just might make him drop the brownie sundaes he had taken with him – for her!

“Sophie…” he whispered.

Sophie removed her hands to reveal her red face drenched in tears. If the situation wasn’t so serious, it would have made almost anyone laugh. But Laurent could partly understand what Sophie was going through, and it made Laurent himself a little sorry.

“I brought a little something to cheer you up,” Laurent added, holding up the brownie sundae on a plate for his co-worker to see. “You did want two, so you could only imagine how hard it was to carry these and catch up to you. You forgot your merchandise too, and the trophy.”

Whatever blushes Sophie had on her face only grew deeper.

“Oh, no! Laurent! You didn’t – you really didn’t have to!” she said, completely flustered.

Instantly, after she had wiped her tears, she took the bag and held on it tightly as if afraid she would lose it. For good measure, she did put on one of the necklaces she – or rather, Laurent – bought. However, she still couldn’t face him.

Laurent seemed fine with that. He merely pushed the plate into her hands and, to Sophie’s surprise, the brownie was very warm despite how long it had been since they were served. Pleased yet embarrassed, Sophie turned her back to Laurent while quietly enjoying her dessert.

“A-Are you sure you can hold all that?” she said, worried that Laurent would actually drop something. The trophy in one hand, the bag of merchandise on the arm, and the plate of brownie sundae in the other hand seemed to make Laurent look like he was struggling.

“I’m fine,” he assured.

But Sophie looked back for a moment and realised that Laurent hadn’t touched that other plate of untouched brownie. “You’re not going to have that, mon ami?”

“I already had one back at the château when you left,” Laurent said. “This second one is just for you! But if you can’t finish this one, we can eat it together at the restaurant, oui?”

It seemed like that suggestion made Sophie only more flustered than ever. She placed her free hand on her cheek, as if she was very touched. Quietly, she continued eating more bits of brownie and fudge.

“Well, we can start heading back if you’d like,” Laurent offered. “I think Monsieur Stone will be missing us.”

Before Sophie knew it, he was already walking ahead of her with the club trophy in one hand and the untouched brownie in the other. Giggling, Sophie quietly followed in his tracks as they went back to Cyllage City.

After travelling the short distance, they were walking on the infamous road that spanned the Cyllage waterfront. On their right, Vue sur la Lune, its café, and its chocolatier La Lune de Chocolat were operating business as usual. Opposite, amusingly, was the Stone Bistro. Now that Laurent and Sophie had a good look at it, it was like the two restaurants were having a standoff – two enemies staring at each other in the face.

“We were away for a while, weren’t we?” Sophie remarked, having discarded her finished plate into a nearby trash can.

Her serious eyes looked into Laurent’s, and then to the plate of brownie. Without need for asking, Laurent handed over the second brownie to Sophie. In comfortable silence, Sophie took one bite of brownie, and then offered it for Laurent to try.

Laurent seemed equally touched and, despite having Sophie eaten a bit of that brownie, used his own unused spoon to eat part of the brownie too.

They re-entered the doors of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro to finally meet with Martine once again. Even though it looked busy, Martine was doing an adequate job at managing the customers – and yet she could send a smirk to the two receptionists.

When the last of the customers were being ushered into the restaurant, Martine turned to the receptionists. Her smile looked very, very, innocent – perhaps it was too innocent! Suddenly, Laurent and Sophie became suspicious.

“Alright, Martine. What is it now?”

“Vous deux…” Martine cooed. “How was your date? I hear from those in the know that you’re comparable to lovebirds. Ooh, and are you two sharing that brownie?! Ooooooh!”

“How –” Sophie started, feeling that huge blush arise once more.

“Lisia called me,” Martine explained, pointing at the phone on the reception desk. “She told me all that I needed to know and how you cracked when her uncle was playing games on you. I wouldn’t have thought you’d take it so seriously! You two are sure looking like you’re enjoying yourselves, like you’re an ideal couple –”

But Sophie quickly pushed the remainder of brownie towards Laurent. “Je dois partir. Je m’excuse,” she said, and she quickly went to the washrooms with her hands on her face. Laurent, now holding the brownie, sighed and placed the brownie on the desk.

Martine looked very attracted to the smell of that brownie, though. For the most part, her eyes didn’t leave the half-eaten brownie, which Laurent noticed. She stared, and stared, and stared…

“Don’t get any ideas,” he warned. “That’s mine…”

“And Sophie’s,” Martine added, which made Laurent somewhat uncomfortable. Martine’s eyes never left the brownie, however.

Laurent blinked, and as Martine’s eyes became wider and wider, he decided to gently push Martine away from the desk. “Tu peux y aller maintenant,” he said, which Martine walked away disappointed. Without much to do until Steven came back, Martine sat in the lounge, and at the same time Sophie returned.

“This other half is still for you,” Laurent said, gesturing at the plate.

But instead, Sophie pushed the plate between her and Laurent, insisting they eat it together. Grateful, Laurent handed Sophie the spoon so she could have it first.

Yeah. Check out the lovebirds… Martine thought grudgingly. Why was it that they could have a brownie but she couldn’t? Oh, it must have been a side effect of leaving work.

On Kalos Route 7, Steven Stone had just walked past the Battle Château. He walked alone, and with much on his mind – for that reason he decided not to fly back to Cyllage City. It was too much, perhaps, as he thought back to Winona, Diantha, and Viola. Just all of their inputs seemed to point to Cynthia as the source.

“Is it possible? But there’s no way around it,” he said to himself. He felt like he had a heavy weight thrown on his shoulders and he had to drag it with him back to the city.

First, Winona’s claim about Cynthia stealing his wines was a possible explanation – albeit bizarre – why the number of wines Steven actually had wasn’t matching the shipping invoice. Sure, Steven might have been locked in the wine cellar and claimed to have seen a live robbery, but his staff was unconvinced.

Second, the revelation of Diantha’s allergy – from Diantha’s words no less. As Steven was quite certain that his food products have had no contact with coconut, it was a bizarre idea to suggest how there had been coconut in the – what was it? – Watmel berry salad Diantha had that night. There was no viable explanation.

Third, Viola’s photo showed Cynthia seemingly acting suspiciously with Diantha (that is, from his point of view). A paper bag with a stick of perfume looked out of place, but perhaps that because they were women, Steven was in no position to judge.

Fourth… Steven’s thoughts lingered back to yesterday. Cynthia’s perfume and picnic blanket were in his office, and was it a coincidence that the perfume smelled like coconut of all things? The same perfume that was present that night…

The only plausible explanation Steven could infer was that Cynthia was really trying to do a lot of damage to him. So, he was right all along! Those times Cynthia treated him to dinner, that time she was on Route 10 coincidentally, and now wine theft. It was a pretext to get him, wasn’t it? What about the croquembouche…?

And I wonder what tragedy caused her to act this way, he thought. One thing was for certain: if the Stone Bistro was going to survive, Steven would have to begin taking countermeasures. But then again, his staff – particularly James – would probably see him as psychotic.

Maybe Steven was being too rash, or maybe he was jumping too quickly to conclusions. At least there was always the staff he could count on. Perhaps Steven was missing out on what truly mattered? But it still stood that the Stone Restaurant and Bistro wasn’t the successful monopoly it had enjoyed in the past. It was in the competitive market, so to speak.

At least Madame LeBlanc’s review was having a positive effect on the business.

Walking along the pathway and finally approaching the Connecting Cave, Steven began the familiar entry into welcoming darkness of the cave. Truth be told, Steven could never have enough of the vast number of stones the cave had to offer, with the cave being so close to Cyllage City. Perhaps he ought to make more trips here in his downtime, as if he didn’t make enough already!

Before Steven had even gotten close to the Connecting Cave, however, Lisia was well ahead of him. Lisia accompanied her uncle and his girlfriend back to Cyllage City shortly after their share of Cynthia’s desserts. As much as Wallace wanted to annoy Cynthia at the time, Winona insisted they head to Cyllage City for a hot drink to complement their brownies.

Furthermore, Cynthia had managed to clean up her equipment surprisingly fast. It looked like she was in a hurry to go elsewhere and had everything loaded into a rented van parked nearby. Within minutes, Cynthia had the van sent to Cyllage City while she made a personal trip back to the same place.

Even if Wallace really wanted to interfere with Cynthia’s day, the idea was sadly defeated by the club supervisor, who literally stopped him in his tracks by tripping him.

As a result, Wallace insisted that they pop by Steven’s restaurant again, with the brownies no less. After all, it seemed more comfortable to eat there, anyway. By the time Steven entered the Connecting Cave, Wallace and Winona were on the other side and entering Cyllage City.

“I think I’ll head back to the hotel,” Lisia said. “Or better yet… I think –”

“But Lisia, don’t you want to visit Steven again?” Wallace said, patting Lisia on the head. “You can only learn so much if you’re not in the field. Plus, we must check on how Sophie is doing with her boyfriend. That was due to our tireless efforts, you know.”

Winona scoffed. ‘Tireless efforts’? That seemed highly exaggerated! But she had to give credit to Wallace that he always found ways to have things his way. Lisia brushed her hair like she was annoyed by her uncle patting her head. Nevertheless, Lisia had to admit her uncle had a point – it would be fun to check on Sophie’s romantic ‘progress’. For all Wallace cared, it was working.

So at the end of the day, Lisia was on the familiar sidewalk which led to the waterfront and, ultimately, where the rivalling restaurants were facing each other. Ahead of her, Wallace happily made his way to the Stone Bistro like it was his second home. Because Lisia’s curiosity got the better of her, she followed her uncle inside, to no surprise.

She walked into the lobby to be met with the lounge-like atmosphere of the lobby. The chandelier above her head provided the welcome atmosphere. The familiar reception desk where Laurent and Sophie were supposed to be stood at the end of the lobby, where the space behind it led to the rest of the restaurant (excluding the bar and museum, that is). Lo and behold, Wallace was already a few seconds away from approaching them, so Lisia quickly drew closer as well.

From the looks of it, Sophie and Laurent looked like they were having a moment together. On the desk was none other than a hot brownie covered in ice cream made by Cynthia, and Sophie was enjoying it with Laurent.

Such a distraction diverted the receptionists away from doing their job properly, and it allowed Wallace and Lisia to walk up to them unnoticed! The moment they were noticeable, Wallace and Lisia were only an arm’s length away from the desk itself.

“Y – you?!” Sophie said, appalled, suddenly dropping her spoon. “You’re not welcome here!”

“Things are going well, oui?” Wallace asked. “Don’t worry. You only need to thank me and Lisia for making the big step. You know, it’s a wonder how just one date together makes all the difference –”

“This isn’t the first time we go to fan club, you know!” Sophie objected, her face remaining in the same state of shock and yet was red. “Laurent and I go to the club meetings all the time!”

Lisia’s smile grew just as wide as her uncle’s.

“Ooh! So you have been dating for a long time!”Lisia said, which forced Sophie to cover her own eyes in shame. “Hey, Martine, did you know –?”

But when Lisia looked around for Martine, she saw the redhead was standing in front of Winona and appeared not to have heard her. What made things more curious was that Winona wore a face like she had no idea what to do or if something was out of place, so Lisia walked over to the lounge.

Indeed, Martine was staring at the plate of brownie Winona had in her hands. As Lisia got closer and the aroma of brownie became more apparent, she noticed Martine seemed mesmerised by the brownie itself! Winona appeared to want to eat it, since there was a spoon in her hand, but it was impossible with a nineteen year old girl staring down at it.

Martine drooled, staring at the brownie like she was in a world of her own. Her breath was short.

“What are you looking at?” Winona said uncomfortably, shifting her brownie aside. “This brownie is mine.”

But Martine’s eyes only grew wider and followed the movement of the brownie. Her drooling became more apparent and her breaths became even shorter.

Winona sweatdropped. Just how was she going to eat her brownie like this?

Martine’s eyes grew wider and wider, and if nothing else she could have been in a staring contest with the brownie for as much as she liked. The brownie looked so good, so appetising, so tasty…

Winona shook her head.

Sure enough, a moment later, Martine had a large bite of the brownie. Tears swelled up in her eyes as she chewed.

“Oh…! It’s so good!” she cried. “So much chocolate, fudge, and ice cream…!”

“Okay, I know,” Winona said grudgingly. After Martine had her bite, that was that. Winona was going to keep this for herself! “You only get one bite, okay?”

“Mm hmm…” Martine nodded, not really caring what Winona said. Contrary to Winona’s words, Martine reached her spoon towards the brownie once more.

An action that was too obvious and probably too threatening for Winona to notice.

“Hey! Non! Non! Non! Arrêtez! You only get one! You greedy!” Winona cried.

Suddenly Martine’s voice became a loud whimper and her jaw fell wide open. On the other hand, her eyes started to well up with tears like separating herself from the brownie (and ice cream) would deprive her of life.

“Awww….!” she started to cry. Immediately, Winona was taken aback, and she cringed backward.

“Alright! Alright! You can help yourself to the whole thing,” she said, handing the entire plate to Martine. Wearing a big smile, Martine took it and helped herself to more bites. Even though it had been a while since the brownie had come out of the oven, it was still hot. More than half the ice cream had melted into the softness of the brownie, which combined to make a delightful treat.

Winona looked very disappointed having her brownie taken away from her like that. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to Wallace. While Sophie and Laurent had a brownie in front of them, Sophie didn’t feel comfortable eating in front of Wallace.

“I want a brownie…” she whined, as she poked her boyfriend’s arm.

“My dear, didn’t you have one earlier?” Wallace remarked. “What happened to yours?”

“Martine.” Winona’s response sounded just as depressed as she really was, which did make Wallace looked at her concerned. Seeing how ‘sad’ she was about not having a brownie, Wallace scooped a bit of brownie and gently poked it at Winona’s lips.

Suddenly, Winona smiled again, as if this was very affectionate of her boyfriend, and ate the brownie piece.

It looked like Laurent had taken what Wallace just did as sage advice and scooped a bit of brownie too, and poked it playfully on Sophie’s lips. While Sophie blushed and giggled at first, she took the bite and the spoon from Laurent – repeating exactly Winona’s actions.

This forced Wallace to laugh. “See? It’s a wonder how a relationship goes between you! All it takes is a little push, oui?”

Sophie and Laurent looked into each other’s eyes, and quickly looked away.

Somehow, a voice called out across the lobby. “It seems like you won’t need to do overtime, Laurent and Sophie. You’ve brought quite the party! And…”

It was none other than the boss: Steven Stone.

“Now hold on just a minute!” he added, alarmed. “Where did you get those brownies?”

Chapter Text

For what it was worth to Cynthia, it had slowly become a hot afternoon by the time she had returned to Cyllage City. Sure, cleaning up after the business with the Château Fan Club had taken a while, but now Cynthia was ready to carry on work at Vue sur la Lune. For what reason? She was going to open up something new.

Something she liked in particular, which surprised her staff when she got back.

“You’re going to open an ice cream shop?” Henri asked.

“What can I say, Henri?” Cynthia said with the slightest smile. “Don’t tell me you don’t like crème glacée! If you do say that, I’ll have you fired. Besides, it’s not a shop, per se, but it’s an expansion.”

“Oui, chef,” Henri replied. “Well, that would explain why you’ve been expanding the chocolatier – La Lune de Chocolat. Not that I’m saying the café isn’t doing well.”

Indeed, in the time Cynthia was away, there was a rapid construction project being undertaken at the chocolatier. Before, the space was entirely used for the chocolatier, but as more and more profits came in to Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia decided to incorporate ice cream-making with La Lune de Chocolat. It was an ideal choice, for good reason.

First reason: her preference for ice cream.

Second reason: the fact that Cyllage City – a resort city by the seaside – had no existing ice cream shop or parlour in the first place! It was a wonder why Steven – Cynthia shuddered at the thought of his handsome face – didn’t think of this. No matter. The fact remained that there was a huge demand for ice cream in a city like this. All Cynthia had to do was to make a move and capitalise on this lucrative opportunity.

Maybe he might stop by and have a taste –

Oh, shut it, she thought to herself. He practically stole my supplies! Who… Oh, but then there was that time we met for lunch earlier…

“Chef?” Henri said, breaking her train of thought. “You’re spacing out.”

“Je m’excuse,” Cynthia apologised. “Just… allow me to get back to business. I have to get the section ready. I can already picture the crowds just waiting outside to have a taste – et il fait chaud, aujourd’hui!”

Henri rolled his eyes.

“Oh hello, Steven!” Wallace greeted. “Oh, nothing to see here. We’re all just enjoying some brownies together.”

By the time Steven had gotten closer, he had completely registered that there were brownies everywhere. Martine was having one (with a look of pure delight in her eyes), Wallace and Winona were sharing one, and not to mention – surprisingly to Steven – Laurent and Sophie were sharing one! The only one who didn’t have one was Lisia. No surprise, Steven supposed.

Since when did his receptionists get into a relationship? Steven figured it probably happened over today when they went to wherever they went. Of course, this probably wasn’t the first time the receptionists took time off together, but what set Steven off was that they appeared closer.

“Okay, Wallace,” he demanded. “What have you done?”

“I did what had to be done,” Wallace said innocently. “Just look at how far they’ve come!”

Looking at the receptionists, Steven felt a little more unnerved. Sophie and Laurent – two very close friends – and now looked… they were in a genuine relationship.

“Oh, and you do know you could take their example and do it with, you know…” Wallace nudged Steven’s arm.

But Steven repeated his question once more. “Okay, tout le monde, where did you get those brownies? Where?!”

That kind of attitude and the look on Steven’s face finally caught Martine’s attention. Steven looked distressed, so she asked, “Are you okay, boss…?”

“Oh, they got them from Cynthia,” Lisia said. “Steven, I bet that since you had lunch with her, you ought to get a dessert from her too! Though I really couldn’t help myself to one…” She struck a pose, “I’m recapping the second chapter of your love story! “Hearts Collide! My Culinary Rival!” Don’t you think that has a nice ring to it?”

Those words felt like shards of glass piercing Steven’s heart.

Cynthia.

Of course it was Cynthia.

Steven simply couldn’t care less about Cynthia now. First she steals his business, his supplies, and now trying to win his staff over?! How could his staff betray him like this?! It made sense: Cynthia was really trying to destroy him! Even what happened to Diantha was unforgivable enough already! To think he trusted his staff, and this was how they repaid him?!

It made sense. All those thoughts he had in the past hour back on Route 10 made sense. Those thoughts he had after meeting Viola. It made sense.

Frustrated, and mind full of restrained rage, Steven marched to his office immediately in silence. Whilst Sophie and Laurent were in a world of their own, the others watched Steven come out shortly after with a picnic blanket and a perfume spray in his hands. It was the very same ones Steven had brought in and claimed they were Cynthia’s.

“Boss?” Martine asked. “What’s going on? Is something the matter? Are you returning those to Cynthia?”

However, Steven gave no reply and marched out of the restaurant. Now suddenly losing her appetite, Martine put down her brownie sundae and followed her boss outside. Even Sophie and Laurent took into account how Steven was behaving – but as they were limited by their job they had to stay put. For what it was worth, they were perfectly happy, eating together in front of the earned club trophy.

Wallace, while wanting to check up on his friend, chose to remain by Winona’s side as they shared their sundae together.

“He’ll be fine,” Wallace assured, eating a bit more brownie.

“Boss! Boss!” Martine shouted, as Steven kept on walking across the street. “Wait for me!”

She had to fix her collar and vest on the way, but that didn’t stop the redhead from catching up to her boss. Martine looked closely at her boss. Steven’s face looked rigid, and were those tears forming in his eyes? Perhaps Martine was imagining things.

Along the way, in the middle of the road, Martine seized his arm, which forced the two of them to stop moving.

“Let me go, Martine,” Steven demanded.

“No! Not until you tell me what’s going on!” Martine cried. “Honestly, what’s gotten into you?”

“Long story short, I’ll be proving to you that I don’t love Cynthia in any way,” Steven replied shortly.

“What do you mean? Explain!” Martine said. Wow, if she thought Steven had any desire for a relationship with Cynthia right now, she was mistaken. Even Steven’s face read it.

“Stolen wine, stealing business, and even trying to win the trust of my staff,” Steven said. “Isn’t that enough said already?”

Steven shook Martine off as he headed straight into Vue sur la Lune. While Martine suspected Steven might be off to see Cynthia, the motive clearly appeared different. He also seemed to have no objections to having Martine tag along, but neither was he welcoming it. To be safe, Martine kept her distance and watched him carefully.

Before long, they were in the marble and glass foyer of Vue sur la Lune. From the looks of it, the restaurant didn’t appear busy, and that clearly played into Steven’s advantage. What did he do? He practically confronted the waiter who told him to stay where he was (which Steven ignored, obviously).

“Où est Cynthia?!” Steven demanded.

While the waiter scratched his head at this request, he found it odder that the head chef from across the street would arbitrarily walk into the restaurant at this hour. “Elle est dans le café, mais…”, he started.

Steven didn’t have time for this.

It wasn’t before long before Steven walked into the café, past the tables and chairs outside, where the smell of absolutely fresh coffee filled his senses. Inside, customers were enjoying coffees, macarons, and plenty of cakes of all different colours and shapes.

That went to say that his presence caught almost everyone’s attention. Every customer looked up from their drinks, cakes, and newspapers as they saw Steven, with a blank and a perfume stick in his hands, approach the counter.

Where she was. She seemed busy with something of a maintenance project.

“Bon après-midi,” he greeted coldly.

“Bon après-midi,” Cynthia said back, a little unsure of his cold behaviour. “So, uh… que puis-je faire pour-tu?”

“Nothing,” Steven replied. Instead of speaking more, he held the picnic blanket up and threw it on the counter. “I believe this is yours.”

Cynthia’s face turned slightly pink upon seeing her personal blanket returned to her – it brought back some memories. Oh, did she really make a fool of herself in front of him when she just left him like that, yesterday?

“Oh, uh… Garchomp,” she said, tossing out her Poké Ball to release the Mach dragon. “Would you care if you bring this back home, please?”

Garchomp questioned this sort of command, but she took the rolled blanket anyway. As her Pokémon walked outside, Cynthia turned to Steven once more. “Okay, Steven, I suppose I should say merci –”

“Don’t bother,” Steven interrupted, as he forced – lo and behold – the coconut perfume spray on the counter as well. He looked into her eyes with such ferocity that Cynthia actually took a step back. It was like his eyes were piercing into her soul!

“Care to explain?” he demanded. “I don’t think you’ll need to, since there’s no other way of putting it for what you did that night.” He leaned in closer so that only she could hear. “If you’re going to keep stealing my wines, or ruin my business, or give me a bad reputation, you’re asking for it.”

Seeing the perfume spray sent shivers down Cynthia’s spine, and it felt like her heart had sunk at the sight. On top of it all, Steven’s words cut into her – deeply. In that same heart, Cynthia didn’t know how to react at first – the emotions were overwhelming and wrenching at the same time. On one hand, she felt a notion of guilt and shame that Steven had managed to uncover the truth – and this wasn’t including previous actions from before.

On the other hand, she had not forgotten about Steven’s supposed cutting off her supplies, let alone stealing them. Just how could he commit to stealing? It seemed good for her that she ought to steal something back.

Steven went on. “And I really thought you were someone else that night – that night when you and I had dinner together before Diantha showed up. I guess I was wrong. You really aren’t that someone I thought.”

Those words. They hurt. They made her want to cry. They made her feel defensive, even. Her face started to become red, and she was evidently sniffling.

I’m not that someone he thought…? Cynthia thought. The words continued to process in her head – but it was a slow process.

Steven didn’t seem sympathetic in the slightest. “Oh, are you crying now? Is there anything else that needs to be said?” he said.

She leaned forward to his face such that her nose was almost touching his. She pulled back her hair so both of her eyes were staring into his, even if they were starting to fill with tears. “You’re one to talk,” she whispered. “I – I can’t believe you. Who am I to you? Am I not good enough for you? Am I not that ‘someone’ you thought? What would it take?”

“Is that a challenge?” Steven fired back quietly. “Now I’m certain you’ll never be that ‘someone’. But let’s not stand on ceremony here. You are who you are, and I don’t change that, and you’re going to regret it.”

Those words. They were shattering. Who was he to decide who she was? ‘You are who you are’? Before Cynthia could immediately respond, he backed away and turned around. He looked undeterred as he was about to leave, even though there were plenty of eyes fixed on the exchange that had just happened under their noses.

Taking the retreat negatively, very negatively, Cynthia shouted, “Don’t even think about taking back the wines, because you deserved that!”

As an afterthought, Steven turned around to look at Cynthia once more. He pointed at her accusingly and raised his voice from a whisper to a threatening growl. “Keep the wines if you want, but this will be the last time, because I’m coming for YOU.”

The customers looked bewildered at first, and it only escalated when Cynthia arched her leg back to remove her shoe. After that, she aggressively approached Steven with her shoe held up high.

“Get out, get out!” she shouted. Although Steven was not intimidated at all, he also figured he would be better off if he wasn’t on the receiving end of the sole of her shoe. Shaking his head in shame, he turned around and left the café.

He met Martine Grenadine outside. On the nineteen year old’s face, Steven saw her jaw had dropped wide open, like she couldn’t believe what she had saw or heard.

The following morning, Steven and Cynthia were off to work as usual, but the moment their eyes met, their eyes were met with hate beyond reason. Their stares were like two opposing forces locked in battle.

They passed by the square plaza at the end of the road, not far from the Stone Bakery, and then continued in their parallel directions and eventually to separate ways.

That exchange looked particularly amusing to those customers sitting in the square plaza, who were starting off their mornings with fresh bread and pastries from the bakery and fresh coffee from Vue sur la Lune’s café. They watched the two chefs walk right by, and the chefs never took their eyes off each other.

It wasn’t like the time after when Cynthia stormed out of the Stone Bakery six days ago, where their eyes were met with pure irritation. After that exchange yesterday, their eyes met with something more.

Chapter Text

Viola sat comfortably in the almost-new terrace of the Stone Bistro and waited for her order to arrive. With the spectacular view of the Kalos seaside in practically front of her, and a live band of musicians playing from inside the restaurant not far from where she was, Viola was absolutely flattered to be here at this moment and enjoying it.

The sound of guitars, bass and acoustic, blended well with the atmosphere. They were spearheaded by an accordion, and also well-supported by a piano. They were, in short, music to her ears. Just how much more could she ask for?

Sitting against the water beside her, Viola helped herself to a glass of sparkling Pomeg berry juice topped with a Rowap berry. Just drinking this was reward enough already, since it Rowap berries were known to be among the rarest and most expensive berries to ever come around. For what it was worth, Viola was clearly enjoying herself knowing her meal would be covered by Steven.

“Oh, salut, Metagross,” she greeted Steven’s Pokémon.

“Meta,” it greeted while passing by Viola’s table. Sure, Viola was given practically the best table on the terrace – spot in the middle, to be exact. As Metagross helped serve dishes to other customers, Viola patiently waited for her server to come back to with her order.

Her camera was positioned just beside her arm, since she was more than ready to take a picture of her next meal. Given it was at the Stone Bistro, it would be more than worthwhile, wouldn’t it?

Moments later, she saw the red-haired waitress return with her server book and pen.

Before Viola took her order, her waitress had an agenda of her own. Well, her waitress was the same redhead who dragged her out of this restaurant three days ago. Who other than Martine Grenadine, anyway?

“I can’t believe you actually had those embarrassing photos published on Lumiose Press,” Martine complimented. “You can’t imagine how many laughs I got out of it, honestly!”

“It’s all in the job,” Viola said, slightly smiling and swirling her glass around. “It doesn’t look like you’re smiling today, though. I can tell! You’re not smiling!”

Martine had to admit Viola was right. Was it really that obvious that Martine was masking her own smile such that it looked fake? Sighing, Martine lowered her server book.

“It’s that obvious, huh?” Martine replied. “It’s just something that happened yesterday, you know? One would think my boss and Cynthia were made for each other, and then as of yesterday, it seems things are heading in the opposite direction.”

“Enlighten me,” Viola said.

Relatively, it wasn’t that busy at the Stone Bistro, though Martine would bet Steven would slash her pay in half if he caught her conversing with the customer, Viola especially. While that wasn’t really like Steven, Martine could tell her boss’ behaviour said more than enough of what was going on, let alone what had happened yesterday. She took a seat anyway.

“I would think Steven and Cynthia’s relationship has hit a huge low. To be honest, I don’t know the details,” Martine admitted. “All I saw was my boss giving Cynthia back her picnic blanket yesterday and that was it. He walked into her café and that was that.”

Viola raised her eyebrows. “They had a picnic together?”

“So it seems! But not on that day!” Martine said. “After Steven had done that, Cynthia just took off her shoe and forced him out of the café. I watched him go back into the restaurant, ignoring everyone around him, and went straight to work. One would think that he and Cynthia were mortal enemies, if they weren’t already.”

Martine sighed. “It’s sort of like he has no feelings anymore.”

Viola sighed, as if she didn’t know what to say.

“Anyway,” Martine said, standing up and flashing out her server book. “Que veux-tu manger? Que puis-je obtenir pour-tu?”

“Uh… Je voudrais…” Viola muttered, eyeing the menu for some time, and then one item caught her attention. She pointed at it. “Oh! Est-ce nouveau?”

What Viola pointed at specifically was a late addition to the menu, but it seemed appetising no less. La pierre de bœuf bourguignonne, it was called.

“I suppose,” Martine said, writing it down.

“Oh, and by the way,” Viola quickly added, pulling out Steven’s business card. “Your boss said that he would be covering my expenses today.”

Martine rolled her eyes. “Alright, I’ll ensure this is written in the books. You know, I think he ought to take a vacation once in a while. That night when Diantha was here was supposed to be his other off day, but he had to make an exception– maybe I ought to press him to go to the beach. Did you know that he has been working non-stop for the past week? He didn’t even bother having everyone to take time off! It’s like he’s forgotten! We had to force him on vacation and he still owes us one day off!”

Viola raised her eyebrows, but smirked. “Well, you all do live right beside the ocean.”

It had only been an hour since Steven heard that Cynthia began serving higher-end chocolate fondues, which Steven interpreted as a threat to his business. In an effort to gain back customers and draw them away from Cynthia, he had spent the hour testing new recipes – regarding fondue, of course. But unfortunately, because of his lack of talent for making desserts, Steven resorted to making entrée fondues instead.

In that hour, Steven had already developed a new fondue and had suppliers come to give him what he needed. Within minutes, Steven had a new recipe on the menu and was eager to give it a shot. As it happened, Martine came in with the first order of such.

“Viola, the photographer, would like to try it out,” Martine said, reading out from her server book. “Boss, did you really promise you’d pay for her meal today?”

“It’s the least I could do for her,” Steven admitted. “Alright, I’ll have the dish ready in about eight minutes. She will be pleased with it.”

“Oui, chef,” Martine replied, whilst retreating away from the kitchens to see to the ground floor.

A bottle of imported oil from a land southeast of Kalos was what came first on the list and on the counter. Indeed, Steven had gone through the trouble of ordering James to purchase three bottles of it from a local speciality shop, but he certainly hoped it was all worthwhile. A special, but small, stone pot for the oil would serve as the basis for the fondue.

“Okay, I’ll leave preparing the oil to you James. I’ll start on the sauces,” Steven ordered. “Oh, and can I get someone to prepare raw meats as well? I want this prepared in eight minutes.”

“Oui, chef,” James another cook said together.

James then took out cooking wine – red wine, to be exact – and vinegar. As the flame beneath the stone pot ignited James poured a healthy serving of oil in and waited for it to heat up. At the same time, he also opened the wine and the vinegar to make his time more efficient. Adding small garlic bits to the mix, alongside parsley, black pepper, a spoonful of salt and sugar, and lime juice from a freshly cut lime seemed more than enough to bring out the flavour. Why, even James looked like he was getting hungry.

The aroma wafted throughout the kitchen as many cooks turned to look at where the foreign smell was coming from, but their eyes showed no surprised, as it was the chef and the sous chef – the leaders of this kitchen – who were preparing it.

As for Steven himself, one thing was sure: his mind was focused on preparing this fondue. But his motive and incentive for doing so was a different story.

Cynthia.

Of course it was Cynthia. If Cynthia was going to be competitive, Steven would have to ensure counter-measures were taken. If she was going to make a fondue, then he would have to make a fondue too!

“Attention, chef!” a cook alerted.

Steven realised that the meat he was cutting was about to be cut into shreds, were it not for the noticing cook beside him. Thanking the cook, Steven slapped himself – mentally – as he sought to ensure he was serving the right portion of meat on the plate. This dish was for the customer, so Steven reminded he ought not to make a bad name for himself.

But his thoughts continued to dwell on that platinum-blond across the street.

Afterwards, Steven passed the small slices of raw meat to the cook beside him so they could be further prepared. The cook added olive oil, a sprinkle of crushed Nomel berry, squeezed lime, and a pinch of basil to go with it. Steven, meanwhile, washed his hands thoroughly before he went on to create the other portion of the dish which was the side sauces.

For this part, he had to make it flawlessly.

Meanwhile, the aroma of hot oil coming from the pot James was working on had intensified even more throughout the kitchen – that and the distinct smell of wine and vinegar was blending well together. That did nothing much to distract Steven, however.

He began grinding shallots (grown in Vaniville Town) and Tamato berries together into a paste on one board, doing what he could to enhance the flavour by occasionally adding pinches of salt whenever necessary. Moreover, Steven’s use of the knife to do the grinding was perfect. At the same time, another cook provided support activities by preparing a different version – that is, a cream sauce partly made with lemons and garlic, but primarily created with Kelpsy berries and seaweed salt.

Kelpsy berries… what an innovative idea that was of Steven’s!

Furthermore, more Kelpsy berries were boiled to produce an extract that added a dash of flavour to the meat Steven had already cut. When the extract was ready, a cook brought it to the uncooked meat and delicately added a spoonful to each piece – and the meats looked even more appetising than ever.

It really didn’t help Cynthia that she could smell that particular fondue oil at her workplace. Even though she was holed up in the domains of Vue sur la Lune’s second floor, the smell of oil was distracting her. Even so, she was glad her newly produced fondue was having a great effect on customers.

 That is, her chocolate fondue that was infused with the flavour of Oran berries and white wine, served after an entrée of salad. To complement the flavour, Cynthia recommended it be served with either freshly baked macarons or pieces of biscotti.

Seriously. What is it that he’s cooking over there? Cynthia thought. She shook her head. Just how could she be thinking of him at this time? It was only natural, on the contrary, since she was practically competing with him.

Eventually, the smell of her Oran chocolate fondue wafted around senses. A fondue pot with a small fire beneath it was supplied to customers, though unlike Steven’s, the pot wasn’t made of stone.

The customers looked delighted by even smelling the thick chocolate aroma as Cynthia approached the table. Even though this was a very new dish, created just hours earlier, Cynthia was pleased with the outcome. A number of customers tried it, and word of her new chocolate fondue had spread throughout Cyllage City. For all Cynthia knew, for better or worse, the news would have reached Steven’s ears.

What was the result? A really, really, strong scent of oil was firing back at her, like the scent was attempting to besiege her restaurant from multiple fronts, and Vue sur la Lune was a fortress making its final stand.

“Mmm, doesn’t this taste nice after having a fondue over there, eh?”

“Sûrement,” the other customer replied. “Fondue bourguignonne there, and fondue chocolat here. This is a perfect way to complement two kinds of dishes of fondue.”

That caught Cynthia’s attention – evidently. It was a conversation she couldn’t ignore.

“I’m sorry?” she said. “Are you saying that you came here after having lunch? You’re having dessert now? Or are you only here for dessert?”

“The latter, of course,” the customer said. “Okay. To be honest, I was just there at the Stone Bistro just half an hour ago and wow did the chef have this pleasant dish he taped on the menu. Not very professional, but I have no regrets ordering it.”

It took time to digest, but Cynthia realised that she could perceive this as a threat. Hold that thought – this was a fight he was bringing to her, wasn’t it?! Cynthia figured it must be. She picked up her pace and went straight for downstairs.

“I have to leave for a bit,” she told her servers.

“Bon appetit,” Martine said, finally bringing the newly created la pierre de bœuf bourguignonne to Viola’s table. The fondue – the entire dish to be exact – was served with a really, really, big cloche on top which should have blown the dish out of proportion. The flavour and the smell were contained underneath.

“Merci,” Viola said, waiting so impatiently for Martine to remove the cloche.

And right when Martine’s hand was just about to touch the cloche, she was interrupted by an approaching woman – namely the receptionist, Sophie.

“Martine!” Sophie said. “Nous avons un problème! Cynthia est ici!”

“Comment est-ce un problème?” Martine said, not really registering the issue. If Cynthia was here, then Martine could think of all kinds of possibilities why. However, in light of yesterday, perhaps Sophie had a point.

“Venez! Vite!” Sophie demanded.

Now although Viola would have loved to stick around to enjoy her meal on the best seat on the terrace, as Martine quickly walked away past the staring customers, she decided to follow. Sure, the food probably might go a little cold, but that’s what the cloche was for. Oh, and perhaps it helped that the dish she ordered was an oil fondue – it had to come with a fire, didn’t it? That was what Martine had explained to her.

As a result, Viola ended up following Martine and Sophie through the ground level tables and to the brightness of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro’s lobby.

What did they find?

A heated argument between Cynthia and Steven. The sounds of their voices roared throughout the space and if they didn’t know better, the chandelier above their heads would have fallen down in a fiery crash. Nevertheless, their exchange caught the attention of customers near the doors (be it in the dining floors, the bar, or even the museum).

Their eyes were fixed on each other as if lightning bolts were shooting at each other – ending with a clash that was tied in stalemate.

“Don’t copy my ideas!” Cynthia shouted.

“Don’t steal my customers!” Steven shouted. “I’ve never even copied your ideas!”

“Sure, SURE!” Now Cynthia raised her voice and it became a yell. “Fondue?! Really?! Just when I was about to show –!”

“Look, you never even thought about it! Who are YOU to say –?!”

Arms were raised in the air on both sides.

“I’m only carrying on my business to –!”

“Sure you ARE! Creating an oil fondue and then stealing MY customers –”

“– says the woman who stole MY expensive WINES!”

“You stole something too! What are you?!”

“– and now you’re really trying to strike a low blow! Fondue for you! SURE! I only created an oil fondue to survive –!”

“DON’T LIE! You’ve been spying on my work this whole time! It’s no wonder you created a fondue to steal back customers!”

“I wasn’t STEALING!”

“So EXPLAIN why you created something!”

“What can I SAY? My fondue is obviously more authentic than yours!”

“SAY that AGAIN!”

“Is that a challenge?!”

“You’re asking for it!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

Their eyes were locked into each other’s once more – but the anger that blazed between them was such that one would know better than to get caught in the crossfire. Martine kept her distance and so did Sophie, needless to say Laurent.

But unfortunately, Viola was the poor soul who had stumbled into the midst of it.

Terrifying glares were directed to Viola’s face and she was nonetheless startled at how fearsome they looked. The two former Champions looked anything but the Champions they were.

“You,” Cynthia shot. “Come with us.”

Viola stepped back a little in shock, while everyone else looked just as surprised. But Steven somehow snuck behind Viola and dragged Viola outside.

“B-but mon déjeuner!” Viola complained helplessly as she was dragged. Taking that into concern, Martine hurried back to the terrace to retrieve the dish with its cloche still covering it.

“Boss,” Martine said. “I’ve got your dish here… But I don’t think you should leave the kitchens unmanned.”

“That’s what James is there for,” Steven said shortly, unfazed by Viola’s constant berating and demands to let her go. Laurent and Sophie exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Given Steven owed everyone a day off (on the night Diantha was here), now they wondered if they’ll ever get to see it.

It happened in that hour, that afternoon, when Steven and Cynthia met up with each other at the square plaza at the end of the street. The location was not far from the Stone Bakery and was well in sight of Vue sur la Lune’s café. One would agree that this place served as the perfect social spot to bring the tastes to all worlds here. In reality, there were two of them in sight.

What exactly was catching the public’s attention, however, was that a space had been cleared out for the two popular chefs in charge of the most dominant restaurants in Cyllage City. Steven, in his black chef jacket, was standing on one side of the plaza and Cynthia, in her white chef jacket, stood a short distance away.

There was a table placed with a tablecloth on it separating the two chefs. Viola was seated with her unfinished glass of sparkling Pomeg berry juice with a Rowap berry and looked like she was burning with anticipation to have lunch. Did lunches usually take this long to come, anyway? Funnily enough, the table was supplied by Vue sur la Lune, as its café provided the convenience having tables outside, but the tablecloth was supplied the Stone Bakery.

“What are you doing here, Wallace…?” Steven asked grudgingly as if he just realised Wallace was there.

“I saw the lights, and I thought something was up,” Wallace said. “Did something happen between you and her? Well, according to Viola, something’s wrong, so I am here for you, Steven! I’m going to set things right!”

What really struck Steven was that Wallace’s usual smile wasn’t there; was it because Wallace knew Steven’s relationship with Cynthia’s had approached a low? Finally! About time Wallace could acknowledge this!

How wrong Steven was.

“My friend,” Wallace whispered in Steven’s ear such that Steven shuddered. “Are you really trying to impress her with your skills now? Now that’s manly of you – you’re going for it! But I thought you would have had more peaceful tactics, you know!”

“No and no,” Steven calmly said, trying his best to suppress his annoyance. “You’re not going to eat this, by the way.”

That went without saying that this commotion was drawing the attention of Cyllage City locals who frequented this area of the city. Given the two chefs standing opposite each other was enough to rouse their curiosity, the locals gathered in the plaza to witness what looked like a duel.

And for those who came close, they could smell in the air the warring aromas of chocolate and oil.

“Well, bon appetit,” Steven said, lifting the cloche off his dish.

A whiff – a super strong one – of oil aroma instantly spread throughout the plaza. Even those bystanders on the side simply had to take at least five steps closer to see what the dish was! The aroma was warm, helped by the bubbling sound of oil in the pot, and even Viola didn’t need to taste it to know just how good it was going to taste.

Chapter Text

Even Wallace had to admit the aroma of Steven’s dish was enough to make his mouth water.

It was clear that the dish was pleasing to the eye – so appetising, so delicious, so fragrant… What more could Viola ask for here? This was a lunch that she wouldn’t want to forget. Maybe this could make it onto the newspaper for all of Kalos to know!

Click.

Indeed, she simply had to take a picture of this dish to do so. It didn’t matter how many eyes were fixed on her just waiting for her to take a bite. Viola didn’t mind at all. They could wait.

“Merci beaucoup,” Viola thanked. Unbeknownst to her, Cynthia looked the other way out of ‘disgust’ as if this wasn’t worth touching. On the other hand, Viola picked up her fork to spear one of the raw meat cuts and submerged it into the stone pot of boiling oil.

Cynthia kept a close eye on Viola’s movements. If Steven had done anything to her that could influence the outcome, then Cynthia would have every reason to think this challenge was rigged. Then again, Viola was just at Steven’s restaurant…

“And how do I know this contest isn’t rigged?” she said suddenly, eyeing Viola pretty suspiciously. Viola looked up, unsure of how to respond, before she returned her attention to the pot. The smell of Nomel berry and lime was amplified through the meat being cooked in the oil altogether – such that Viola could taste the sweetness of it.

“You probably do know,” Viola answered smartly, like it was obvious. “You two dragged me out here! It’s only fair that I pay you back and declare one of you two lovebirds to be the loser.”

“We’re not –” Cynthia’s face and voice grew hot.

“There you have it, Cynthia,” Steven held up a hand for her silence. If he had noticed just how red Cynthia’s face was getting, he would have easily assumed Cynthia’s blood was as hot as his.

Whispers, murmurs, and indistinct chatter filled the plaza. While this proved only a mere distraction, it did little to slow everyone’s anticipation of Viola taking that first bite. Now, after Viola was done cooking the raw meat, she removed the fork from the pot to see the slice – fully cooked, and it smelled wonderful.

Here we go, Viola thought, putting the piece in her mouth.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

In the midst of a field of Nomel trees, Viola wandered around aimlessly looking around for potential great photo shots. However, she could feel the overall refreshing sense of adventure – it was like she was just starting out. What did that mean? It meant that Viola was about to embark on a journey – a journey where she would have no idea what she would encounter.

Taking her camera with her hands, Viola took pictures of her soundings. The trees, the grass… they were refreshing. The scent of Nomel berries felt good, and the aroma of basil around her was so thick she could taste it already. All around her, the green of limes in the grass was welcoming – no doubt about that!

After getting past the trees, Viola emerged onto a field with nothing more but rolling hills and a simple gravel path showing the way forward.

Cattle, sheep, and Miltank lounged in the fields in the distance – they moved slowly. As Viola got closer to see them, the scent of Nomel berries dissipated. It was a shame, really, since the scent was something of a comfort to her. Nevertheless, Viola still looked forward to taking more shots of the landscape and the pasture in all of its magnificence.

The wind continued to blow, and once Viola felt it on her back, she understood it was time to keep move. So this is what a fresh adventure felt like!

“Viola, what do you think?” Steven asked.

Viola snapped out of her trance as she kept chewing on the meat. The rich flavour of the meat may have seemed ordinary at first, but that blend of Nomel berry with basil and oil was… flawless. Words failed Viola for her expression was in shock.

It had taken a moment for Viola to regain her composure, and once she did she realised just how close Cynthia was leaning towards her, as if expecting some sort of conclusion.

“If you haven’t got any idea so far, just hold that thought,” Steven added, gesturing Viola to cook another piece of raw meat into the oil. The flame continued to burn beneath the stone pot and boiling the oil – such that it was only a matter of time before the meat was cooked until crisp.

Even after that first bite, Viola felt like she couldn’t have enough of the bursting flavour of meat and the embodiment of red wine and vinegar within seemed enough, and with that surface of Nomel berry taste and basil – it was overwhelming. Just how much more could Viola take?

“Steven,” Viola said. “It’s unbelievable – and in a good way.”

Cynthia looked super nervous, as a smile spread across Steven’s lips. The latter replied, “You still haven’t tried the sauces, and I strongly, strongly, recommend trying them one at a time.”

On the side was a selection of sauces supposedly created by Steven – the first one Viola dipped her freshly cooked meat into was creamy white with a tint of yellow with plenty of what appeared to be black beads. Curious, yet anticipating its taste, Viola put the meat in her mouth. Once again, yet on a different perspective, Viola’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was an entirely different flavour, and somehow it was the same but magnificently enhanced. The taste of the creamy sauce embodied by peppercorns provided an excellent showcase of flavour with the crisp oil-cooked meat. As if the Nomel berries and the lime coating the oil on the meat wasn’t enough, now the peppercorn sauce was amplifying the flavour of the meat to new levels – new levels unseen to Viola.

These were new levels that were like reaching unseen heights. Viola was journeying on a mountain trail that lead to who knows where, but that was how her adventure unfolded, wasn’t it? She took a shot of the landscape before her as she continued walking.

At some point, Viola passed by a waterfall on the mountain. Mountain water, supposedly from an unknown glacier, flowed welcomingly beside her in the form of a river. It looked cool, refreshing, and welcoming, so she kneeled down to drink a little of the water.

Feeling more energised afterward, Viola moved forward to follow the trail once more. The only thing she had in mind was to keep moving forward and see where this mountain trail would lead her.

As Viola reached higher ground, she saw that the river actually originated from a massive waterfall unbeknownst to her on the other side of the mountain. Looking down, the waterfall was bursting out of the rocks and to the misty distance below, where the river flowed.

The view was magnificent, and it felt rewarding just to see it let alone hear the relaxing sound of the waterfall itself.

The commotion had almost certainly attracted the attention of more and more bystanders in Cyllage City. By then, the media from Lumiose Press was already starting coverage of the scenario – but there was yet to be broadcasting for either television or radio.

Needless to say, this commotion had caught the attention of the local Gym Leader, Grant, who was amongst the bystanders. Were it not for the delicious aroma he had smelled earlier, he probably would have skipped right by the plaza and went on his way. But now he was definitely curious as to what was exactly going on.

While trying to get closer to the plaza, he received an impolite collision on his side and the force knocked him over and almost set him off balance.

“Ah! Désolé!” a familiar feminine voice apologised. Where had Grant heard that voice from? Of course, he only would have heard her during meetings and conferences with the Kalos Pokémon League.

“How can you walk around in public with those?” Grant said, without looking. “Korrina.”

Shalour City’s Gym Leader may have had a knack for wearing roller skates, let alone experienced in wearing them, but Grant sometimes couldn’t stomach the reason why she had to wear them practically everywhere.

“Oh, salut, Grant!” Korrina replied. “Hey, don’t worry about me! I’ve got it covered. But what about you? Have you eaten yet? Or is it because you can literally smell the food coming from over there? Oh, and is this…?”

She had to take a moment to observe her surroundings. There was the plaza on the corner which for some reason was the centre of commotion here. On the same block as the plaza stood the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, and across the street was Vue sur la Lune. Korrina’s eyes widened.

“Oh…! I see, so this is where it happened, eh? This was in the paper! So this is where Steven and Cynthia work!” she said. In the next instance, she had a thought that partly tied to the aroma in the air. “Grant! Are you feeling hungry right now?”

“You know very well that I always maintain a steady diet, my friend,” Grant replied, though truthfully his mouth was starting to water due to the smell that was diffusing throughout the street. The smell of oil, laced with lime, wine, vinegar, and garlic was evident, and he grew very hungry.

My stomach… Grant thought.

“Come on, Grant, let’s check it out,” Korrina nudged his back after getting up (and yet still wearing her roller skates). “If you’re not going to eat anything now, like you said, then we should see! Come on! You’re the Gym Leader her! You should know these things!”

Shaking his head, Grant walked forward and tried to get past the crowd for a closer look, but that didn’t seem likely now.

“Besides, I really don’t get why you have to cut down on foods!” Korrina added. “You know perfectly well that you can’t cut down on food to keep your weight down! Ceci est faux!”

Grant raised an eyebrow against her, but Korrina ended up slapping her forehead.

“If you really want to keep your weight down, you should do less shopping for clothes at the boutique and more working out at the gym,” she said, and before Grant could respond, Korrina beat him to it. “And no, your Pokémon Gym doesn’t count. You have to do more exercising! Like me!”

Annoyingly to Grant, Korrina took a hold of one of his arms and gently squeezed it. “Huh,” she said. “According to the media, you’re supposed to be ‘lean and muscular’ but you keep cutting down of eating, like they said. Buddy, you’re not going to lose weight by having muscles like these! There are no muscles! At least I exercise by rolling blading every day.”

Casually shaking off her grip, Grant fired back, “I don’t see how that really ‘counts’ as exercise, though! And you’re wrong! I have enough muscle! You just can’t tell! Plus, can you really believe anything that the media says?”

Korrina smiled idiotically, as if she were being super-smug. “How many times have you passed by Cynthia’s café so far? I bet you’ll have passed by a thousand times but you’ve never went in.”

That certainly took Grant’s level of annoyance to a new level.

“Besides, rumour has it that Steven loves to head out of Cyllage City to the Connecting Cave to dig for rocks,” Korrina said. “You should go rock climbing with him! You’ll be able to get your share of workout and show him around! Oh, and if you rock climb, you have to work out. And if you can work out, you can eat food afterwards! Comprendre? Ceci est une bonne idée déja! Plus, you still get to train!”

Grant looked as if he couldn’t take anymore so-called tips from her anymore, so instead, he went further through the crowd to get a good view of what was going on. Plus, the aroma grew more intensely as he and Korrina got closer to the scene.

“I see them, the two chefs, no doubt,” Korrina said. It was clear that there was some sort of competition going on, with the unmistakable faces of Steven and Cynthia in sight. After all, she had to owe it to the media – that is, not limited to Lumiose Press or the popular Kalos magazine – for reporting on all that was going on here in Cyllage City right now.

Grant followed suit, looking at the scenario, before he choked. “No way! Is that Viola?”

Korrina couldn’t actually see who was seated at the table in the plaza, so she did have to move in even closer. As she did, whilst following grant, they ended up standing at a spot close to the action. That is, the only thing blocking their view was a couple who were dressed in odd clothes. Indeed, Korrina could see Viola seated at the table, and it looked like she was enjoying herself.

“That’s her alright,” she muttered to Grant. “What is she doing?”

But before Grant could say another word, he ended up eavesdropping on a nearby conversation.

“Which one will she pick? Steven’s? Or Cynthia’s? I’m putting all my money on Cynthia’s, since he might have to think of a please her even more.” someone said. Whoever that was, Grant and Korrina ended up tracing that voice to the couple – a man who was dressed in absurd clothes (then again, didn’t everyone here dress in absurd clothes? Korrina was one example already, Grant thought) – first, a white cape, white pants, white shoes, and an unusual scarf.

“I’m thinking it’ll be Steven’s,” the woman beside the man said. “Hey! I thought you were going to test the food too!”

“I wanted to, but I’d much rather spend my time with you.”

“Oh, stop it…”

In Korrina’s eyes, this woman had a helmet that rivalled her own. Sure, the wings and the goggles might have given it away that she was a pilot of some sort, or at least a Pokémon Ranger… but did this woman also have to have a long ponytail to rival Korrina’s own?

A helmet and a ponytail.

Seriously?

“Where is Lisia, anyway?”

“She’s missing out, that’s for sure.”

Not knowing what the circumstances were at the moment, Grant tapped the man’s shoulder. “Excuse me, monsieur, but what’s going on here?”

The couple turned around to face Grant, and Grant recognised them instantly. Not only that, but Korrina nearly stumbled in shock when she saw them too. Who else would dress up like this? Not normal people for sure, or at least not the die-hard fans who follow their every movement.

“Hmm? Is something the matter, friend?” Wallace said. “Oh, I see! You must not know who they are! I’m surprised, since I thought you were a local! Well, if you don’t know, let me give you a brief explanation –”

“Wallace!” Winona cried, grabbing and shaking Wallace’s arm before he could say another word. “I’m pretty sure he knows what’s going on! Besides, you don’t know if he’s local or not, and he looks like he recognises you!”

Taking that into account, Wallace gently eased off Winona’s hand before looking at Grant head to toe carefully, like a scientist would to a specimen. Slightly unnerved, Grant took a step back, in which Korrina stepped forward to look at Winona carefully like a wandering traveller would to a map. Now it was Winona’s turn to step back.

“Uh… salut?” Korrina greeted uncertainly, not looking away from her. “You’re Winona, right?”

Winona didn’t know what to say at first, and only let a miniature “Yes” escape her lips. But before Korrina could say anymore, Wallace stepped between them.

“Now, now,” he said, holding up his hands. “I don’t know if you find her interesting or not – I kind of do, I assure you – but it’s not polite to – OW!”

Now, Wallace’s arm was on the receiving end of Winona’s fist in which he had to back away a little. When he looked into Winona’s eyes, he no longer saw the gracefulness in her eyes for a brief moment, but they soon returned after.

“I can’t believe you,” she said quietly, but there was a clear hint of anger within. “Do you want me to break up with you again?!”

“It’s okay, Winona,” Wallace assured, patting her head with his weakened arm. “I know you are impossible to break up with! It’s almost like a good burden to drag around with me!”

She bowed her head in exasperation. “That sounds so wrong already…”

Grant and Korrina exchanged glances, and it wasn’t before long that they exchanged smirks to chuckles to laughs. The outburst was such that they had caught the attention of those around them who looked at Grant especially, before they returned their gaze to the demonstration in the plaza.

“But in all honesty,” Grant said, “you’re the Champion from Hoenn, oui? Aren’t you supposed to be managing the League right now? Je m’appelle Grant. Je suis le champion ici.”

“Et je suis Korinna, le champion de Shalour City,” Korrina introduced herself.

“Yes indeed,” Wallace answered. “My name is Wallace, if you haven’t heard! But I guess since you’re a Gym Leader yourself here, you would understand that I’m on vacation! This is Winona, but I suppose you knew that already, but I bet you wouldn’t know –”

However, Korrina interrupted him with a raised hand.

“She’s your girlfriend?” she said. “Ooh, I bet she is. After all, how many times have you broken up before? One hopes that you two were made for each other! How many times have you eaten together? I can already imagine it. You probably had dessert together or something, oui?”

She reminds me a lot of Martine, Wallace thought.

Grant, however, had different ideas. “One would hope that he would have had dessert with her,” he said, “since it’s probably the ideal thing to get something sweet – OW!”

Indeed, Korrina’s eyes flared and she punched Grant’s arm. Not once, but twice! Grant had to rub his arm afterward, but he still said, irritably, “What was that for?!”

“Is dessert and sweets the only thing you can think of at a time like this?!” Korrina fired back. “There are more things to consider than sweets, you know! If you ever had time to eat some, you would understand!”

Ooooookay, now she reminds me of Winona, Wallace thought. He looked even more closely at this girl, Korrina, as if she was someone familiar. Actually, she looks like a copy of Winona! Except she’s brighter than Winona, I’ll admit.

As if Winona actually heard his thoughts, though she only needed to look into his eyes, she slapped his cheek.

“Stop staring at her if she looks like me!” Winona complained. “I’m right here, you know!”

“But it’s true, my dear,” Wallace replied, patting Winona’s head once more. He looked at Korrina for a moment as if to compare her. “You see, she looks like one of your fans! If anything, she looks just as amazing as you! You must have made an impression, dear. Now, if I didn’t know better, she looks just as attractive! She looks more outgoing though. Am I right, Korrina?”

However, Wallace was unable to get a response since Korrina had no idea how to respond at all. First, she looked at Winona’s helmet and compared it with her own, as well as looking at her own hair for some reason…

“Well done, monsieur Wallace,” Grant said, amused. “I think you’ve flattered her.”

At this, Wallace got slapped by Winona again.

“OW!”

“You deserved that!” Winona shouted.

Moreover elsewhere, attention overall was still focused on Viola despite the heated interaction involving Wallace. Cynthia and Steven watched as Viola went for the next sauce – a paste of grinded shallots with a light red tint to it. From the looks of it, it probably was going to be spicy.

Looking at Cynthia first and then Steven, Viola put the meat into her mouth and waited for the flavour to come again.

At once, her head started to sweat.

She had her camera with her, but all Viola could do was try to prevent as much damage as she could to it. Viola was wearing a harness and supported by a strong rope as she attempted to descend into an active volcano.

Cautiously, Viola descended deeper and deeper. Her helmet was fastened securely, she wasn’t wearing anything more than what she usually wore, and the air became hotter the further she went in.

She didn’t know how much she could take of the heat, but if she managed to get as low as possible to see it, it would be worthwhile. Her head was sweating, and the heat was overwhelming her. If being cooked alive was possible, this was it.

At last, deep within, Viola saw it. There existed a lake of lava bursting dangerously below. It looked incredibly unstable and outbursts of the molten rock rocketed upward. Of course, the closer Viola got to it, the more dangerous it was going to become. It looked like the Tamato berries had really had their work cut out, with several clusters floating on the lava like bombs ready to cause the volcano to erupt.

I don’t have long, Viola thought.

She lowered herself much closer to the lava. As Viola got closer it became more and more unstable as the berries started to shake. Quickly as she could, she got more pictures of the lava pool before it really started to become violent.

She looked at the lava again. Wait, were there shallots mixing into the lava? Viola clearly must have imagined this, but somehow, it looked like the shallots were playing a part into calming the volcano for a bit like it was prolonging the inevitable. Well, that gave some space for Viola to catch her breath! She stayed around for a little longer, whilst shooting as many pictures as she could, before the lava below began exploding.

Now, Viola had a mission to get out of here. Rocks were falling down by her sides and she wondered how she was going to make it out in one piece. Grabbing her rope and harness, she gave it a tug before starting to climb out of this hellhole. Quickly as she could, Viola grabbed whatever she could to help herself up as the lava below started to rise…

Viola realised that her mouth was burning, but it was fortunate that the flavour of the meat itself had managed to sustain her. As a result, she had no need to completely finish her sparkling Pinap berry juice with the Rowap berry in it. Still, the slight sourness of the Pinap berry helped calm her taste buds.

“That was crazy, Steven!” Viola commented. “But nevertheless…”

Gladly, and happily, Viola didn’t need to completely down her drink. There was still enough of the sparkling Pinap to go around.

“Here,” Steven interrupted, helping dip another piece of meat into the oil to cook it. “Next, try the cream sauce. I’m very certain it will be much more pleasant.”

Cynthia rolled her eyes and looked away as if she wasn’t pleased at having Steven do a service for Viola. Her own fondue wasn’t yet to be served until Steven was done, and she would be better off if she served it hot and ready for Viola after. Nevertheless, she had to observe what was going on so as to not make herself publicly look bad.

By the time Cynthia returned her gaze, Steven handed the crisp meat to Viola who took it and dipped it in the cream sauce. Afterwards, Viola put the piece in her mouth. Instantly, Viola’s eyes widened again.

Far away from the reaches of the volcano, Viola found herself walking along the seaside. There was the scent of lemon trees in the air mixed with the air of the ocean. The scents blended together like they were in harmony with each other – such that Viola could hear… singing from the ocean and the lemons. On top of it all, it helped that there was a notion of garlic tying the harmony together – like a composer leading an orchestra in sync.

Feeling refreshed by the air, Viola kept walking along the seaside path. While she was walking, she continued to take more pictures of the majestic ocean. It was a little hard, since the sun was shining on the waters such that they were producing a glare. Still, Viola couldn’t turn her eyes away for a moment.

Soon enough, Viola was walking along the beach to take closer pictures of the waves splashing on the shore. The waves gently crashed on shore while Viola took pictures, and once she was done with those she took more pictures of the Kelpsy berries growing on whatever could support vegetation here.

That still went without saying that the ocean view was enough stun her speechless. The air of lemons and the ocean were then accompanied by a soloist – the scent of limes was playing a lone part that felt like it was calming the waters around Viola. Once that part had passed, Viola continued to listen to the sound of rustling lemon and lime leaves come together with the sound of the crashing waves.

After Viola opened her eyes, she took into account of the beauty of the ocean once more. If she could, she would have stayed here forever. The harmony was something she wanted to immerse in every minute.

“Well, Viola?” Steven said.

“That was amazing!” she said, as she helped herself to more meats and cooking them in the oil again. “You couldn’t have gone wrong with striking the balance between tenderness and crispiness in this dish! You know, you could even imagine different flavours coming in from all directions! Steven, I have to say it, bien fait!”

“Avec plasir,” Steven replied. “I hoped you enjoyed it. C’est la pierre de bœuf bourguignonne.”

It had taken a moment or two, but later, Viola was having another round of the different sauces to accompany the cooked meats. Spiciness, sourness, saltiness, and a subtle sweetness made her feel like she was on top of the world – this dish was unrivalled! What more could she ask for?

Indistinct chatter filled the plaza all around while Cynthia looked pretty uncomfortable from she was hearing around her. Whilst Viola was happily eating the remainder of her lunch (though she had plenty of meats to spare), Cynthia uncomfortably brought her prepared dish – also covered by a cloche – to the table. Without looking at Steven, she placed her dish before Viola after the meal was done. Indeed, there was still some leftover oil in the stone pot, but Viola had finished her lunch. Not a drop of the three sauces had gone to waste.

“Aw…” Viola whined. “It’s almost finished already. But I must say, Steven, that without the oil this probably wouldn’t have tasted good. That is where the strength lies!”

That being said, because of how well Viola had cleaned her plate, Cynthia had a slight whiff of doubt whether her dish would actually surpass Steven’s.  But of course, that would remain to be decided – the fight wasn’t over. Not yet!

“Le voila,” Cynthia stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

Chapter Text

“Oh my gosh!” Winona gasped, like almost everyone in the plaza. “What is that?!”

Even Wallace was speechless. The moment Cynthia lifted the cloche off her dish there was a burst of flame that erupted from beneath. Cynthia, already expecting that, moved her arm quickly enough so the flames wouldn’t reach her, and the sight that followed was a fire from the dish itself!

Wallace rubbed his cheek where Winona had slapped him earlier. “Well… some say that they’re both making fondues, so I’m expecting… cheese?”

“Then why does the air smell like chocolate?!”

Grant and Korrina exchanged glances. Apart from the colours they wore and having the same first letter in their names, they wondered how Wallace and Winona had ever ended up together. Just watching them how they talked and interacted suggested they were anything but a couple.

“Maybe it’s cheese and chocolate – oh, I know! Chocolate-covered cheese!”

“That’s… ew. Wallace, no,” Winona said, whilst putting a hand over her eyes.

“But it’s true, my dear!” Wallace said enthusiastically. “Look! Even Cynthia has some cheeses up her sleeve! Don’t believe me?”

They watched Cynthia work away with the ongoing fire from her dish. Without a doubt, it was a fondue, but this fondue was different to what Steven had served. The air was sweeter, a little smokier, and definitely fiery. Cynthia took a bottle of cooking wine and added it carefully to the fondue, which evidently was chocolate being molten. With her free hand, she stirred the fondue with a prong and avoiding the flames.

“I’m telling you, if Steven does win this, I’m going to force Cynthia to eat at his restaurant someday,” Wallace said.

“I don’t think so, friend,” Winona disagreed. “It doesn’t look like a relationship is happening between them anytime soon.”

The fire coming from Cynthia’s fondue rose to its peak, and they slowly died down to an ever-decreasing level. In Cynthia’s opinion, chocolate fondue was best served immediately after wine had been added to it. Otherwise, the flavours would never blend, and it would worse if the chocolate had hardened. She kept stirring the chocolate as much as she needed.

Cynthia had revealed the kind of dish she had prepared. There were arranged cheeses on the plate Cynthia had readied, along with a variety of other… what appeared to be ordinary or uninteresting food such as cauliflower, some strawberries and blueberries, and lettuce. In particular, there wasn’t anything too special about the cheese – other than it had a creamy white colour and would cut into bite-size portions.

She began mixing the ingredients together, before Viola’s eyes, to make… a salad of some sort. On top of that, she set the cheeses on the side with the strawberries and began cutting up a Pamtre berry. While the Pamtre berry looked firm, it was actually very soft and easy to cut. She took bits of the berry and sprinkled it over her salad – knowing they produced a rather salty flavour.

“I kind of forgot these, but no matter,” Cynthia admitted.

“Oh, but things like these do happen,” Wallace added. “Lisia did tell me that Martine said, and I quote, “They are in a love-hate relationship, so they’re bound to come together in the end!” You see, Winona? I swear that by the end of this, their first date will be fabricated by me and it will happen in Lumiose City.”

Winona shook her head.

“That sounds like the worst idea of all time, Wallace,” she grumbled. “I don’t know if they’ll be up for that. But, granted, they’ve always looked good together.”

Wallace clutched his chest. “Winona, dear, haven’t I always set up perfect dates for you?”

“Sometimes good, and sometimes bad… and sometimes bad enough that I threatened to break up with you more than once,” Winona replied, and then she shrugged. “And yet you are miraculously surviving…”

“Oh, is that why you’re here, Wallace? To create a relationship or something?” Korrina jumped in. “Oh, wait, I know! Between Steven and Cynthia! Of course! I mean, what else? I’ve been reading the newspaper too, you know!”

Grant personally didn’t know what else to say. Looking at the chocolate now, he had this sudden urge for chocolate. But then, he vowed that he wouldn’t be touching any sweets for the week – unfortunately he was severely tempted by the scent of chocolate in the air. It did not help that the chocolate was right before his eyes and… Viola was having all of it.

“Now I wonder how Viola will react, if she said Steven’s fondue was so tasty…” Grant muttered.

Korrina nudged him, grinning.

“You really want a taste of that fondue, don’t you, Grant? Still have an appetite for sweets, eh?”

“No!”

The smell of chocolate was such that it had enveloped the entire city block. Even at some point, locals from Cyllage City had to make their way to the end of the block where the square plaza was. Within the next hour, the commotion that was going on across the Stone Bakery was the talk of the town.

In fact, the news – and the aroma of chocolate that went with it – was such that it reached the doors of the local Pokémon Centre. Even though the aroma was far away, it still was enough for everyone to sense it, at least.

As it happened, Diantha was walking about the centre to the Poké Mart to buy a lunch. The doctor had advised her to avoid sugary drinks, no surprise, so Diantha stuck to water. At the end, she purchased a tuna salad sandwich for lunch. Sure, the taste would never hope to match the Stone Open she had eaten at Steven’s, but as a hospital patient she had limited choice.

She ate her lunch in relative silence at one of the side tables, though she was constantly distracted by the scent of chocolate in the air. What was it that made Diantha so hungry for chocolate?

“Nurse,” she said, waving to the one of bypassing nurses, “the kitchen isn’t cooking a dessert, by any chance?”

“Non,” the nurse replied. “Haven’t you heard, mademoiselle Diantha? There is something of a cook-off between Steven and Cynthia going on right now. I don’t know the details, but it’s pretty intense. I’ve only heard the stories from visitors today who wanted their Pokémon healed.”

This news was clearly a revelation to Diantha. Steven and Cynthia in a cook-off? As in a duel?! How could this have happened?! Wait, perhaps she ought not to jump to conclusions so early. But if Diantha was really going to get any more information on this, she had better find out for herself.

“Je veux partir,” Diantha said.

“Non! Vous ne devez pas partir! Restez!” the nurse demanded. If Diantha had the wits, she could have walked out, but then again it didn’t seem right to leave in hospital gowns. Plus, her Pokémon – resting at her room – probably would protest too.

But if something was really going on that had Steven involved, needless to say Cynthia, then Diantha felt like she had an obligation to check out what the former Champions were up to. Plus, it was also possible that their relationship could be under threat… Was it a coincidence that this happened after Steven had visited her with a gift basket and asked her questions?

“But… I need to go for a walk, at least,” Diantha complained. “I haven’t had fresh air for days. Please? Can’t I go?”

As an aspiring actress and current Champion, Diantha predicted she must have some sort of influence over the people around her. Come on… If she could influence people right now, now would be the time! At least Diantha could be trusted.

The nurse looked like she was fighting a losing battle, and gave up. “Fine, but you have to be back in the hour. Otherwise, I’ll have you locked up in your ward! You may be Champion, but your health is our concern. In fact…”

She looked to her Audino. “Audino, go follow Mademoiselle Diantha and make sure she gets back safely. If she doesn’t come back, you can use force.”

Diantha rolled her eyes and finished up her lunch before walking out of the centre with Audino following closely behind. The moment she did step out, however, she and Audino could smell the fragrance of chocolate in the air.

That smells fantastique! Diantha thought. Even the Audino following her had the same mindset and the set off together to trace the source of that delicious smell of chocolate. For Diantha, tracing the source was not hard, since there was only one place in mind where such a strong aroma would come from. Needless to say she had been there before.

Steven had cause for concern after Cynthia made her dramatic introduction to her dish. After the fire had been completely extinguished and the smoke had cleared, her dish was ready to be eaten. Viola had taken the liberty of shooting more pictures of the fondue.

“I will promise you that I’ll get these published!” Viola said happily.

“I can only imagine,” Cynthia smiled. “Bon appétit.”

The crowd watched Viola pick up her fork – a clean one – and speared one of the strawberries.  At face value, it was just an ordinary strawberry, but that had changed when Viola dipped the entire berry into the molten chocolate before removing it. Looking at the strawberry now, she could see molten chocolate quickly drip from the berry and onto the salad plate.

“Oh no,” Viola muttered, “I got the chocolate on the salad…”

“Its fine,” Cynthia assured. “Don’t worry! You’ll be in for a treat! No pun intended!”

Steven watched uncertainly as his eyes followed Viola’s hand. The strawberry was eventually placed into her mouth…

A squeal of delight followed.

“Oh! What is this, Cynthia?” Viola exclaimed. “It’s so… sweet… but there’s this tint of saltiness and sourness within… and it’s wrapping around the sweetness of the strawberry – like a… blanket! Or a coat! Oh, how do I describe this…?”

It wasn’t just Steven’s eyes that widened out of curiosity, but rather almost everyone else’s. Grant, in particular, looked like he couldn’t take much more of this, with Korrina playfully whispering to him to get a serving of the chocolate himself.

Why, even Wallace looked curious!

“It’s like there’s a different… Oh my gosh, what kind of aftertaste is this?!” Viola said. “I tasted chocolate and strawberry at first, but there’s this lingering savouriness that makes up for it afterward. It’s like I’m enjoying two meals in a single bite!”

Although tempted to have another strawberry, Viola speared one of the cheeses and held it up at first.

“This is Moomoo milk cheese, isn’t it?” she said. “Good call, Cynthia. I can’t recall the last time I’ve had this cheese. It must have been years.”

“Trust me,” Cynthia said, such that Steven shook his head, “add chocolate onto it, and I trust you’ll get something much better.”

Viola looked a little weirded out by this proposal, so after she had added one more photo shoot she dipped the cheese into the chocolate. To be brutally honest, Viola had serious doubts whether this would taste good. The creamy and original texture of Moomoo milk cheese was a type that wasn’t easily messed around with. Adding chocolate to it, therefore, made offset the balance of the flavour.

But when Viola ate the cheese, she was spoken for.

What is this?! This is like… an entirely different flavour! Viola thought. I can taste the cheese – the same Moomoo milk cheese with its flavour undisturbed – but somehow, the chocolate is like offering extra support to strengthen its flavour! A tangy spiciness is blending the creaminess with spice such that there’s no telling how many possible flavours could be produced! Yet, the chocolate – with its initial sweetness – is as if it’s selecting the right flavour to go with the cheese! It’s incredible!

“Oh my gosh! Cynthia!” Viola shouted, amazed. “What did you put into this fondue?”

Cynthia looked very pleased at how her fondue turned out, judging from Viola’s reaction.

One night, after all that had happened with her adventure, Viola was quietly walking along a seawall. The adventure was exhausting, but it was well worthwhile. Wearing a gray coat in light of how windy it was, Viola gazed at the view of the ocean beside her. There were plenty of Miltank and Tauros roaming on the pasture behind her – which was to say odd, being so close to the seaside.

She looked up and saw the stars, and how brightly they shined. The night was calm, just like the ocean before it. The moonlight took centre stage, yes, but the millions of stars were in the limelight. Breathtaking, the sight was.

While Viola slowly sipped a glass of champagne, her lonely walk was interrupted by the sound of cracking in the air. Looking up again, she saw a burst of sparks in the air plus many more subsequent explosions.

Fireworks.

That’s what they were.

Colours of bright orange and pink burst into the lifeless canvas of midnight blue. Viola couldn’t tell where it came from, but one thing was for certain: the sparks were bringing the sky into life. It was surprising how each new burst of light illuminated the sky in a different image.

However, the same could be said for the ocean below which was reflecting the fireworks’ image. Yet the waters… were producing something else. It was like the colours shown on the water were ones that were meant to match and follow what was being shown above. The waves danced in patterns in unison with each explosion – and the colours continuously bursting from the fireworks were embodied into the waves themselves.

The sight was magnificent. What had been a blank canvas was now brilliantly painted into something else. That was for certain. The stars mingled with the brief sparks and produced brilliance indescribable to Viola. It was such that not even taking a photo could capture what was going on before her eyes.

“Do you mind if I toast to your success?” someone, a handsome man, said.

Viola turned to the stranger, who was also holding a champagne glass, and smiled. “Certainly,” Viola replied, holding up her glass to toast.

“It’s the Oran berry,” Cynthia explained. “I used plenty of them in the fondue so that there would be a blend of flavours of all sorts underneath all that sweetness on the surface. It’s sort of like finding a secret treasure, you know? The Oran berry is well known to embody a wonderful mix of flavours, so whenever you eat something with this fondue, you are guaranteed to get a flavour complementary to what you tasted in the first place.”

Steven stayed silent, as if unsure of what to say.

“Furthermore, you could say that using Oran berries could hint a surprise in each bite, as you’ve obviously experienced,” Cynthia asserted. “While at face value, you would be tasting chocolate over what you’ve dipped it with – the Moomoo milk cheese, in this case – the flavour of the cheese mingles with the Oran berry such that the latter will find the right flavour to complement it with. You could dip a celery stick into this fondue and you’ll find that the flavour won’t be the same!”

Viola had been attending a celebratory party for some time. For the time being, she was sipping a cocktail and enjoying several conversations with her peers. Nevertheless, this didn’t mean her camera was far away from her. On the contrary, this party involved watching a showcase of new fashion designs.

Well, if knowing that what would appear here could be the trend in the future, then how could Viola not resist?! Amongst the many tables and drinks in this atmosphere, there was a wide runway that divided the room in two. In anticipation, Viola tried to get a closer look, and incidentally bumped into the same handsome man she had met earlier.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he greeted.

“Oh, bonsoir,” Viola greeted back. “What brings you here?”

“For the same reason you are here,” he replied, smiling. “You could imagine what kinds of designs that are waiting behind these walls.” After, he turned his gaze to the end of the runway, where he was expecting models to appear. Subsequently, Viola put down her cocktail and waited for the show to start.

The first model appeared wearing designer clothes with a fedora and a flower-printed dress. She had a satchel hanging over her shoulder.

“That’s styling already!” Viola’s companion remarked. Viola, though, felt compelled to take pictures of the styles she was seeing. Quickly she reached for her camera.

“But the next style is different! It’s all… white!” Viola said, as the next model appeared. The model looked as if she was dressed for the summer, with a white sundress, white handbag, white high heels, and a white sunhat. What kind of a design was this?! Not conventional, for sure.

The bottom line was that it was surprisingly fun to just stand and wait in anticipation for new models and styles to appear. Not to mention it was well combined with the atmosphere of sipping a cocktail whilst taking pictures after a long adventure. The show was rewarding, and it felt like Viola was having a moment of peace.

The next style she saw was what appeared to be a dash of red and maroon, which didn’t appear to stand out at face value. But the more Viola looked at it, she detected that it was really the ruby earrings that stole the limelight. As a result, the rubies seemed to somehow illuminate the overall appearance.

“As long as you’re here,” Viola’s companion said, “why not go on the runway yourself?”

“Oh!” Viola blushed. “I can’t. I’m just a photographer!”

But he chuckled and took her hand, saying, “Venez avec moi.”

Now Viola didn’t know if she should be really embarrassed that she had ended up at the back of the runway. She was hiding behind the wall, and in the process of picking new styles to present. Even so, she had to go through plenty of other things like putting on makeup and nail polish. Seriously, did she have to go through so much?

Sitting here in front of a mirror, Viola was already wearing a sparkling slim green dress with a touch of dark blue and black. Her hair was down and tied in a ponytail as she normally would for gatherings at the Battle Château, but if she thought the dress was enough, she was badly mistaken.

This was because there was one thing missing.

“Nail polish?” Viola said, raising her eyebrows. The assistant nodded and pressed the bottle into her hands. Viola had to complain, though. “But I’m not the type to wear nail polish!”

“It will go well with your dress,” the assistant said. “That I promise.”

Uncertain, but not reluctant, Viola applied the polish, with its gleaming colours such that they sparkled along with her dress. Somehow… the polish complemented the dress and it stood out very well, as if it were very noticeable. Viola could tell, as she added more polish.

“Agh!” she muttered angrily, as she applied the polish improperly and some of it got onto her skin. As well, because of her sudden movement, the polish on her nail looked bad!

“Je peux vous aider,” the assistant said, and immediately Viola had her nail and the skin around it wiped clean. It only took a minute or so, and by then, Viola was ready to re-apply the polish. This time, Viola did it carefully.

“What kind of shoes did you choose, mademoiselle?” the assistant said, suddenly.

“Oh, je ne sais pas,” Viola replied embarrassingly. After all, she only had as much time as to wear the dress she was given. Who told her she had to pick shoes?! Because she was too busy applying the nail polish, the assistant went out of her way to bring the entire set of shoes Viola could choose from. With a quiet, “merci,” Viola kept applying the polish and half-heartedly deciding which shoes to wear.

To complement her dress and her nails with a certain kind of shoe was… up to her, Viola supposed, but wasn’t that contradictory?

“Attendez!” Viola cried. “Isn’t this dress supposed to come with shoes, anyway? Why should I choose?”

“Because the designer wants you to choose, since he reckons you have the right mind for it,” she replied. “Besides, he’s over there.”

Viola looked to her side and, lo and behold, saw it was none other than the handsome man she had met. He seemed amused at Viola’s shocked expression and then proceeded to look at the shoes. “Well, what do you think? The shoes are here, at the right time, so what better than to pick the right one for you now?”

Viola had finished applying whatever nail polish she needed and looked in the full-body mirror in the room. After some thought, she looked at the choice of shoes. Whatever pair she picked, it had to match with what she was wearing, obviously. But now it was up to Viola herself to decide which shoe made the perfect pair with her dress. Like the handsome designer said, the shoes were here at the right time. Needless to say the right place.

Within the next minute, Viola was standing nervously before the start of the runway. She certainly hoped that whatever her choice of shoes was, it was the best one. Many models that had lined up with her were already walking. Soon enough, Viola herself would be part of the showcase of various styles out there tonight.

Silently and nervously, she stepped onto the runway.

Chapter Text

Martine Grenadine was concerned enough for her boss that she had asked James to leave the restaurant temporarily to observe where Steven had gone to. By the time she walked outside, the smell of oil and chocolate was so strong that her mouth had already started to water, and so she followed the scent to the square plaza.

By the time she had gotten to the plaza, she could only make out a few heads – namely Steven, Cynthia… and Viola! Wait, so Steven and Cynthia were serious. They were cooking to see who was better! It looked like their love lives were on the line in this respect! But… to their credit, Martine had to admit the dishes looked super good.

Especially Cynthia’s.

“Oh… my… gosh,” Martine muttered to herself. “I really have to get one of those.”

She squished her way through the crowd like a Wurmple digging through soil for food. After a minute or so, she managed to slip closer to the front of the crowd where the commotion was happening.

Of course that went without saying her red hair could not have avoided catching the attention of the many others she had slipped by. As Martine kept slipping through the crowd, she certainly earned enough annoyed looks that equated to working an entire dinner hour at the Stone Bistro. Her red hair, combined with the white dress shirt and black vest she wore, made her stand out in short.

Incidentally, the closer she got, she immediately recognised that unusual head cover which Wallace called a hat. Oh, and Winona was there too. No surprise there! Wanting to give them a greeting, Martine walked over to Wallace to do so.

“Oh… vous deux!” Martine said happily. “Are you two on a date right now? What better than right now? That’s amazing, Wallace! I’ve never seen you on a date with Winona before. Usually, Lisia is around.”

But to Martine’s mild surprise, Winona’s cheeks flushed red and she looked like she was about slap Wallace in the face, in which she almost did – but Wallace stepped back a little to miss the hand.

“But you know…” Martine cooed, “I think this is the first time that I’ve ever seen you two on a date. That’s surprising, Wallace! You have to have more dates, friend! How else are you going to maintain a relationship with your girlfriend? Look, while my boss actually had his share of dates (not that he had many), they were real ones! I’ve never seen the two of you without Lisia sticking around, so this is a first! You know what, Wallace? If you keep this up, you’ll be earning less slapping and punching on your cheek, and more kisses on your lips!”

“Mademoiselle Martine…” Wallace rolled his eyes, and he gently pushed her away. “Now is not the time…”

The fact was that Martine had initiated this conversation without noticing it wasn’t just Wallace and Winona who were hearing her. Grant and Korrina took in these words like a Mamoswine had fallen on their heads from the sky. Together, they had to carry the weight slowly just like how they were processing what this redhead had just said.

“Oh… so that’s how it is, oui, Wallace?” Korrina snickered. “Oh wait! So this girl is your girlfriend! Well, why didn’t you say so earlier? That would have made things so much easier for all of us!”

Korrina then swapped her gaze to Martine, who looked back at first but then switched to look at Grant instead.

“Oh! Êtes-vous Grant?” she asked, but it really wasn’t a question, was it? After all, Martine already recognised him and by name, no less. Instead of waiting for a response, Martine shifted her focus to Korrina instead. “Salut, mon amie,” Martine greeted happily. “Qui êtes-vous? Êtes-vous la petite amie de Grant?! Incroyable!”

Korrina shook her head in embarrassment but did not blush. Moreover, it seemed like Korrina was taking this as a light joke and laughed instead. “Vous avez tort! Je ne suis pas la petite amie de Grant! Je suis son collègue. Vous ne me connaisez pas? Je suis Korrina: le champion de Shalour City! Grant n’a pas de petite amie!”

But whilst Martine and Korrina were talking away, it appeared that Wallace didn’t have the situation under control on his part. He had to stop Martine, whatever she was doing. “Martine,” he said. “Who told you that Winona punched me on the cheek?! No one could know that!”

In Korrina’s eyes, she questioned just how easily this red-haired girl was flustering Wallace with ease. Wallace, known to be flamboyant and at many times exaggerative, was being tormented by this Martine character. It seemed like Martine herself was enjoying how she was tormenting!

“My friend…” Martine said playfully, as she gave Wallace’s shoulder a shake. “I have contacts, you know. Lisia told me all I needed to know, including how many slaps Winona had to give you so that she could bring you back to your senses, or that time when Winona punched you in the face Lisia showed you a box of chocolates and then you got knocked out cold. As Lisia put it love hurts –”

Annoyed, for once, Wallace covered Martine’s mouth with his hand to stop her, but the damage was already done. Korrina was all smiles.

“I wouldn’t have thought this man to be accident prone, but it comes with being a terrible boyfriend,” she said, and then motioned to Grant. “Say, Grant. You and Wallace seem to have many things in common! The two of you love sweets, chocolates, and probably that fondue Viola is trying out right now! But hey, since you have a girlfriend, I’m not complaining. How many kisses have you gotten? You ought to earn more!”

“I’ve never been on the receiving end of punches to my face, Korrina. Plus, I don’t have a girlfriend,” Grant scoffed. “But Wallace, let’s be honest here. Does love hurt? What am I saying? Of course it hurts! You’ve only gone on so many dates with her as our red-haired friend has said.”

“And Winona!” Korrina added, apparently not done with her stream of words. “How long have you been dating him? Actually, how many times have you broken up with him since there aren’t enough dates? It’s a wonder how you two are a couple! What were your dates like before?”

Winona blushed red and looked away, unable to speak.

Not even Wallace, with all his flashiness, could keep up with the rants from the two Gym Leaders. He had to find a way out of this madness, and fortunately… he was Wallace. He always found a way through!

“Never mind me!” he said, grinning while keeping a hand on Martine’s mouth. “You know, at least I’ve got things settled by having a girlfriend! But you – Korrina, is that your name? – I’ll let you know that I’ve been dating my girlfriend for a long time. In fact, much longer than Steven over there who is desperate to have one. What about you? Have you found a boyfriend yet?”

Korrina looked away for a moment as if deep in thought, and returned the gaze to shake her head.

“Well, I’ll have you know that if you need help finding a boyfriend, you must talk to me!” Wallace insisted. “I have been responsible for forging solid relationships in the past, you know! Martine, can you tell me how Sophie has been doing?”

Martine shook her head and her face darkened as Wallace released his hand. “It’s a wonder how you try to get off-topic, mon ami. Anyway, she’s doing well… She and Laurent look closer now, but it’s a shame, because Laurent got to share a brownie with her. Hey, what does that have to do with anything?”

“I thought Lisia would have told you already? She called you!” Wallace said, whereas Martine had to admit Lisia already told her such. “Well, if you didn’t know, I am the reason those two are together! They look like a real couple now! But the case with Steven is a different story. He is a special case. ”

‘Special’, he said.

Korrina found it hard to believe, nevertheless. “And here I wonder how you maintain a so-called solid relationship with your own girlfriend. But you know what, Wallace? You talk too much! I want to watch some cooking!”

Before Wallace knew it, he received a painful slap from Korrina’s palm.

Why is it that she not only dresses like but also hits just as hard as Winona? Wallace thought.

Grant laughed. “Okay, Wallace, whatever you say. But it’s hard to take words from someone who hasn’t had enough dates with his own girlfriend such that she ends up slapping you in the face. That being said, are you hitting on Korrina now that’s she’s slapped you? That’s creepy. Quel homme.”

Annoyed, Winona pushed both Grant and Korrina back as if they were irritants. Being on roller skates, Korrina nearly fell back but her fall was saved by Grant’s reflexes.

“Stay away, vous deux!” she quietly ordered.

Grant laughed, whilst helping his colleague up. “Now you see, Wallace? That’s how you should treat Winona. I may or may not have a girlfriend yet – that’s private info – but you should really think things!”

Wallace held his breath and stayed quiet.

Meanwhile, Martine thought that Korrina had a point. After all, everyone was gathered here to watch this fight. Even so, Martine was well worried for Steven that he may be trying too hard. She looked at Wallace and Winona first, and then to Steven and Cynthia. While the former were lightheartedly arguing with each other, with no thanks to Korrina who was pressing more questions for Wallace, the latter looked like they were mortal enemies that had to decimate the other.

Martine refocused her attention. Talking about Wallace’s love life could wait, but that tempting aroma of fondue from Cynthia couldn’t.

“The Oran berry in that chocolate brings out all the flavours you can wish for with whatever you put into it!” Viola remarked. “But you know, Cynthia, if it’s just a fondue you’re serving, then why bother with the salad? The salad is good enough as it is.”

“Ah, but you misunderstand, Viola,” Cynthia replied, in which Steven rolled his eyes. “Here’s what you do with the fondue.”

To everyone’s surprise, Cynthia took a spoonful of the molten fondue and added it to Viola’s salad. This was different, wasn’t it? Serving chocolate onto a salad just didn’t seem to work here – it was counter-intuitive. Who would have ever thought of this?

“You’ve experienced already what it’s like to have a different, unexpected, but perfectly complementary flavour with what you’ve dipped in the chocolate,” she said. “Now, I challenge you to eat this with your salad. Think of it like a dressing!”

Viola’s mouth already started to water along with the many others gathered – except for Steven – who saw what Cynthia had just done. She picked up her fork to stir the chocolate around in the salad, whilst taking in the sweet aroma wafting from it. It sure looked like it would taste sweet, but the truth was that Viola had no idea what she was going to taste here.

The flavours of the salad blended well.

What was supposed to be a chocolate dessert became an excellent accompaniment for an entrée.

Initially, with its greens mixed with blueberries, strawberries, and Pamtre berries, the flavours of the salad by themselves were enough. They complemented each other with the slight savoury and dry fragrance of the Pamtre berries acting as something like a catalyst for the blueberries and strawberries. It was like they were increasing their sweetness in a way! The white wine helped too!

Yet the Oran berry laced in the chocolate fondue ensured that each flavour – be it the sweetness or the savouriness – would always come together in some sort of middle ground. Chocolate flavour coated each part of the salad at first, but it would form a delicious aftertaste for each given flavour. The Oran berry, encompassing all natural flavours, supplied what was needed to centre a completely unexpected but pleasant surprise at an unimaginable scale.

Calling this a salad was an understatement. With so many flavours going on, in most part due to the chocolate fondue, Viola couldn’t comprehend all the flavours she tasted. Simply put, the Oran berry had allowed the salad to create an incredible mix of complex flavours – such that they were pleasantly surprising to the mind.

Before long, she had swallowed her first mouthful and had to take a second.

Delicious, Viola thought, and then said, “I can… imagine… this will revolutionise desserts and salads everywhere. How did you come up with this –?”

But to Cynthia’s surprise, she saw some tears form in Viola’s eyes.

“Is there something wrong?” Steven asked.

“No… I’m just…” Viola mumbled.

The surprise Viola felt from eating the salad felt like the time when she had celebrated her 16^th birthday. She seldom received gifts at that time, but her sister Alexa still went out of her way to have hers gift-wrapped.

“You didn’t have to!” Viola complained, as if she didn’t see it necessary.

“It was a bit pricey, but I know you’ll love it!” Alexa replied. “Lumiose Press uses them all the time!”

Just mentioning one of the biggest media corporations in Kalos was enough to get Viola excited. Quickly, she tore open the gift to reveal a white box, in which she subsequently opened it.

“A… camera? Oh my gosh! Alexa! You got this version?!” Viola exclaimed. The gift Alexa had purchased was a high-performance camera used mainly by professionals only. Rapid shutter speed, telephoto-equipped, plenty of lighting aids and capable of shooting in impossibly high definition, it was more than Viola could ask for.

A huge surprise, it was. It was a surprise that made Viola shudder, seeing as how she loved shooting photos, and now she was given probably the most practical equipment she would ever get.

“Joyeux anniversaire, Viola,” Alexa said.

The tears starting to roll down Viola’s cheeks, and she had to embrace her sister with a hug after.

“This is like… receiving a heartwarming gift,” Viola muttered. She continued to take more bites of the salad whilst mixing more of the fondue into it. The chocolate stuck to the lettuce leaves like they were destined to be like that. For every bite Viola took, the flavour was always bound to be something unexpected, but it felt like it touched her heartstrings.

Her tears, just like the ones she felt in her flashback, began to roll down her cheeks. She looked away and wiped them off, and wishing that Alexa was here right now. The crowd could not notice this, and neither could Steven. Cynthia, though, had a hunch that that might have been some effect but reserved her words.

Shortly after, she had finished her salad completely whilst adding more chocolate to it. Steven watched nervously, as Viola seemed to be equally enjoying it in the same manner of the oil fondue. Before long, the salad was finished and whatever chocolate fondue was left, Viola dipped in more bite-size foods to finish it off.

To Steven’s dismay and Cynthia’s satisfaction, Viola smiled. The fire under the pot had gone out, and in time for Viola to completely finish her meal and begin judging. The dishes were taken away by Cynthia herself, as did Steven take away his, and they returned to stand before Viola.

Diantha was not at all surprised that the wonderful scent she smelled at the Pokémon Centre incidentally originated from Vue sur la Lune. But what she was surprised to see was the intense cook-off going on between Cynthia and Steven.

If there were people she could count on telling her what was going on, it would firstly be the local Gym Leader, Grant. But that apparently wasn’t possible, as he and Korrina were glued to the front row. Amazed that no one bothered with her presence, Diantha snuck in for a closer look.

Oh, isn’t this amazing? she thought. Poor Viola. I can only imagine what could be going in her mind right now.

She could already deduce that Cynthia and Steven were trying to be the best between them and that Viola had been picked as judge. But how could this have happened? Weren’t the two of them supposed to be together?

“Diantha!” Oh, speaking of which, Grant finally noticed her.

“Grant, Korrina, mes amis,” she greeted. “What’s going on here?! How? And why?”

Grant and Korrina exchanged puzzled glances as if they didn’t know how to respond, and before either could say something Diantha beat them to it.

“Oh, this is just terrible!” she said. “I thought they were really getting somewhere, and now we’re seeing a competition?! To think he gave me a gift earlier seeing if I was alright –”

Steven’s words overwhelmed every voice in the plaza.

“NOW! Viola!” Steven demanded. “Which tasted better?!”

“Tell us now!” Cynthia demanded also.

Viola swallowed. It felt like the eyes of two giants were upon her to make one daring decision. She glanced at the two fondues she had just finished. In a way, it looked like the fondues were having a fierce fight with each other. Strengths and weaknesses of different sorts were fighting in such a way that it made the decision even harder!

“Well…” Viola started.

The way I see it, Viola thought, it’s an extremely tough decision.

On a solemn night, Viola – dressed in robes that were clearly reminiscent to the days of old in Kalos – walked onto a field outside some unsuspecting castle. The moonlight shone on the castle brilliantly and illuminated its stone walls as if it were a beacon.

In the distance, she could see a figure. As Viola walked closer for a better look, she could see the figure was actually a knight in shining armour. The knight had no helmet, so she could make out… steel-blue hair? Wait, it was Steven!

What is he doing here? Viola thought.

As it happened, she noticed that he could not proceed further because the drawbridge was raised before a moat of molten chocolate. Clearly, it was not at all smart to try to cross the moat. Not if it meant having burning hot chocolate stick to your skin and possible harden like concrete. Even so, Steven needed to think of a way to infiltrate the castle. His rivalling enemy resided there, and if he could take her by surprise…

“Looking for me?” Cynthia voice said.

Both Viola and Steven turned their gaze to where the voice came from. Clearly, Cynthia was there, and she herself was dressed in light clothes – robes, in fact. Behind Cynthia stood an army with chocolate shields – and a lot of catapults.

“Ah yes, I was wondering when you had come out,” Steven said. “So this was all part of your plan, eh?! I was wondering where you had gone! My oil with its multiple flavours reinforcing it will clearly be enough to defeat you. They are heroes.”

“You really think it’ll that easy?” Cynthia taunted. “My army will push you into the moat of chocolate behind you and that will be the end of you. Go! Bombard him! He has nowhere to run!”

It was clear that Cynthia had the upper hand. Catapults launched pieces of cheese and fruit so hot that when they shot into the sky, the looked like fireballs. Even so, the oil his army had could certainly ravage the field. There was oil firing across the field from Steven’s army, where it flowed so quickly across the field that Cynthia had to retreat further back as if she was facing a wildfire.

At the same time, Steven’s army started firing oil off the backs of Rapidash as if they were skilled archers. The moment an arrow struck one of Cynthia’s men, the oil exploded in a terrific splatter. Cynthia couldn’t understand it – how could Steven have such a powerful army? She well outnumbered him, but was it possible that she was outclassed?

In Viola’s eyes, Steven was leading the charge amongst his smaller army. From a safe distance, Viola saw Cynthia hold up a hand for Steven to stop.

“If we must duel, so be it, but I dare you to show your strength,” she said, motioning Steven to come closer. Steven wasn’t mounted to begin with, but he stretched out his arm. To Viola’s surprise, a blade materialised out of the ashes of the oil in the field and bonded together to become a thin two-handed sword. As Viola switched her gaze to Cynthia, Cynthia was already holding up a rapier – hardened and forged from chocolate – with two hands.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t strike you with my army right now,” Steven replied.

“Because,” Cynthia started, as she approached him ever closer, “I know you value your army as much as I do.”

She watched the two of them run at each other, and the striking of blades could be heard. Just what was Viola watching? A fine duel between two rivalling powers – but somehow, this duel seemed more elegant than the battle that had erupted earlier.

The blades clashed. Their sound was all that could be heard this night.

For every strike one side did, the other side had anticipated it completely and vice versa. Steven brought his blade to the side, whereas Cynthia blocked it at the same time. For every strike that happened, the two of them had to back off a bit before they struck at each other again.

At some point, they ran into each other head on as if to strike a final blow, but at the same time they each prepared to stop their enemy’s attack. The moment they tried to strike, their free hand reached out to block the incoming attack, and both Steven and Cynthia had their grip on their opponent’s sword hand.

“Let… go…!” Cynthia grunted.

“You… first…!” Steven demanded.

Their grips on their opponents were such that Viola worried that they would break each other’s wrists sooner or later. But before that could even happen, each other’s grip had taken its toll on their opponent. At once, both their swords had fallen onto the grass and their hands were locked into each other’s.

Oh… wow… Viola thought.

Their faces were almost touching and their bodies were really, really, close to each other’s. If they hadn’t stopped each other, what would have happened? Viola didn’t want to think about it, but one thing was for certain, they were both evenly matched.

The way Steven and Cynthia looked into each other’s eyes… It was as if there was a realisation between them. They were enemies, true, but in this sense it seemed more like they were… Yes, that was it. There could be no doubt.

Yes, Viola could only dream so much, because Cynthia had picked up Steven’s oil whereas Steven picked up Cynthia’s chocolate. Their eyes met again, and they exchanged weapons honourably before their swords clashed once more.

They continued exchanging elegant strikes, and at some point, their swords were locked with opposing forces such that their faces came really, really, close to touching. The way Viola saw it, under this moonlight, they needed to come just a little closer and their lips would –

“You two are perfect for each other!” Viola exclaimed with her eyes closed, hands together, and smiles wide.

“What,” Steven and Cynthia said together out of emotionless surprise. Their faces fell and darkened at Viola’s cheer. This was not the response either of them wanted.

The next moment, the two former champions slowly turned their heads to look into each other’s’ eyes. Both of them were wearing expressions of shock, but that quickly evaporated into an expression of bitterness – as if they were disappointed one couldn’t best the other.

Elsewhere in the crowd, Martine could barely contain her laughter. Of course they were perfect for each other. It was unavoidable! Martine knew it all along! Two rivals who hate each other but there was always a great chance of love on the line!

Even Wallace was beside himself.

“He really should not deny it,” he said enthusiastically. “They are perfect! In fact…”

Immediately, Wallace went out of his way and approached Steven from behind. “My friend!” he shouted. “You see? This is how the world works! I do wonder how you haven’t seen it yet! In fact, you ought to marry her right now! You’re perfect!”

Murmurs of agreement stirred around the crowd.

But Steven, thoroughly annoyed, did not break his gaze away from Cynthia. Before he knew it, he was roughly pushed forward and he collided with her. She fell back and Steven collapsed right on top. It took no time before the plaza fell silent, as Cynthia cried, “WHOA!”

A pile of two former Champions lay on top of one another. In public.

Dang, Wallace thought. I missed. But I was super close!

What Wallace meant was that their faces, Steven and Cynthia, were in close contact. Perhaps too close.

His lips were touching the side of her cheek.

The people were stunned at first, but their state was immediately broken by the sound of screaming. Martine had both hands on her cheeks as she screamed in delight at what she was seeing, and it didn’t take long before other girls joined in the squealing.

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh…! Martine repeatedly thought in her mind.

Viola looked as if she had witnessed a dream come true. What a coincidence it was, that what she had almost envisioned was happening right before her eyes! They were practically kissing! Dreams were becoming reality!

It seemed even more embarrassing that Steven was not registering that he was kissing Cynthia’s cheek. The shock in his eyes said too much about what was going in his mind.

Feeling her face flush red, although it was hard to tell if it was either from anger or embarrassment, Cynthia quickly pushed Steven off of her. Before long, the two of them got on their feet at the same time. Their faces were red, and at this point it was really hard to tell whether they were embarrassed or angry.

“L – Let me know what your final decision is by tomorrow!” Cynthia ordered, not wanting to look at Steven or Viola. Within a moment, she had sent out Garchomp to clear a path for her away from the crowd.

“But my dear! You must try his fondue, and he tries yours!” Wallace pleaded.

“Forget it, Wallace,” Steven said quickly. “That won’t happen. Besides, you won’t believe the kind of woman I’m dealing with here. You know, that night Diantha came? Cynthia practically–”

A look of disdain appeared on Cynthia’s face, and so she walked away as quickly as she could. Steven merely shook his head in reaction and wanted to continue talking to Wallace, but then Winona came running to Wallace complaining how Wallace was mistreating their date as pointed out by Martine. Now Steven had reason to not be grateful to his nineteen year old waitress.

“My friend! How could you!” Wallace complained to Winona. “Steven was going to tell me something important! And did you see it? He kissed her! Maybe he’ll say something important!”

Okay, perhaps Steven had good reason to leave right now.

Speaking of which, Martine couldn’t help but feel sorry for Viola and so tried to disperse the crowd by claiming she had to take down the grills and tables. Martine wasn’t the only one with those feelings, as Grant and Korrina forced their way through to help their colleague. Diantha followed closely behind. In reality, Martine had phoned Laurent to have someone else from the restaurant take down the grills.

“Viola! You alright?” Grant shouted.

“Come on, buddy!” Korrina added. “We’ll clear a way for you!”

“I’m okay…” Viola, a little dazed, said. “But seriously. They’re perfect for each other, you know? Come to think of it, if only everyone could taste it, they would understand…”

“Then would you mind telling me of your thoughts?” Diantha interrupted, whilst surprising Viola. “What happened today? And why were they?”

“Oh, they were just trying to show off who made better fondues,” Viola replied loud enough for her colleagues to hear. “It’s pretty funny, though, because Steven told me he and Cynthia only created those fondues just today. It’s a wonder how their competition resulted in these.”

Now that they were further away from the crowds, and out of sight, Diantha shook her head.

“Huh, and I thought Steven was really the kind and generous type,” she said. “Is he really trying to show off how much he loves her by a cook-off?”

“Ooh… Are you jealous?” Korrina giggled.

But Viola only shrugged. “The way their eyes looked… I think they’re really not fit for each other, the way I see things. That doesn’t make sense, I know, but they’re… They’re so perfect for each other! Oh, if only Steven actually tried the fondue Cynthia made, he would understand!”

The four of them continued walking down a quieter stretch of road on Cyllage City and away from the plaza, and only then did the Gym Leaders realise that there was an Audino following them the entire time. Immediately, they dragged Diantha back to the Pokémon Centre given she wasn’t officially discharged.

“Still hungry, Grant?” Korrina nudged him.

“No,” Grant puffed his cheeks.

“Tell you what. The next time I’m here in Cyllage City, I’ll get Viola to buy dessert for the three of us!” Korrina said cheerfully. “Your mouth was drooling the whole time you watched Viola eat the chocolate fondue!”

While Grant wished there was a way to stop the chatter from Korrina’s mouth, it was too late. Viola had broken down into a series of laughs and Diantha remarked, “Well, then, maybe I’ll force Viola to treat you to more sweets sometime.”

Chapter Text

The sun had mostly gone down over the oceanic horizon across the distance of Cyllage City. The sky, clear as it was, had turned into its deep midnight blue as the last of sunlight decorated the distance. The sky was cloudless, which left the moon and stars in its wake.

Cyllage City itself had quietened down after the events of Steven and Cynthia’s fondue fight. However, that didn’t mean that that fight was the most popular topic on anyone’s mind in the city. From boutiques to the dinner table, from Grant’s Gym to the terrace of the Stone Bistro, everyone would be talking of the same time. Oh, and it helped that the fight caused everyone’s appetite to whet, which meant that every restaurant in and around Cyllage City was enjoying a temporary boom in business.

The square plaza at the end of the Stone Bistro’s block was empty, of course. La Lune de Chocolat was closed at this time, and so was Cynthia’s café. Moreover, the public began to notice that as a better way to market the café, Vue sur la Lune (or rather, Cynthia) had named it Le Café Sinnoh. How appropriate, seeing it bore the name of her home region.

For Steven’s case, he would have liked to have continued cooking for his business at this time, but he was smart enough to know that media coverage would be on his heels. As a result, he retreated quietly to have a silent dinner at the restaurant bar – À la Mer – so no one would notice. The tension he felt had left him exhausted and he was thankful James was there to take the lead.

Normally, Vue sur la Lune would have been headed under the watchful eye of their chef, Cynthia, in these busy times. But that was not the case tonight, for Cynthia made her way to where she resided – a private villa in the outskirts of the city.

Upon entering her villa, Cynthia slammed her fist against the wall. Some tears flowed down her cheeks and some even drenched her hair, but she didn’t mind.

“I…” she sobbed, out of breath. “I lost.”

Garchomp didn’t know what to make of it and so motioned to Roserade, who was unofficial housekeeper, to get something for Cynthia. Roserade understood immediately and set about preparing a cup of hot tea fashioned from her own leaves. Both Pokémon were well worried for their master, and it worried them at how… frustrated she looked.

Cynthia hadn’t even bothered removing her chef jacket by the time she had gotten to her kitchen. Her mind felt pretty heavy after all that had happened with the fondues and Steven.

She brought a hand to where he had kissed her cheek.

In her mind, it burned to think about it. About him.

Steven.

Just the mere thought of him brought anguish and a burning anger to her mind. For no reason, at least to her Pokémon, Cynthia slammed her fist against the freezer. The result was a painful sensation in Cynthia’s fist on one end, and the freezer door shook and flew open on the other end.

I lost…

She slammed her fist against the freezer door again in an effort to close it, but it rebounded and flew open again.

Some tears started to trickle down Cynthia’s cheeks again, but when she looked into the freezer, she did one thing which made sense to her. She took out – lo and behold – a tub of vanilla ice cream, went over to grab a spoon, and then walked over to sit on her couch. For a former Champion living alone, Cynthia had a great deal of space for herself in this villa.

Slowly at first, Cynthia helped herself to one bite of ice cream, then another, and then another. With each bite, Cynthia felt better momentarily, but the feeling would go away right after, so she would have to eat more bites of ice cream. Seemingly, Cynthia decided that wasn’t enough. She fired up her television and turned on her streaming program. Maybe there was a good anime she could watch!

As she was browsing the available shows on, one particular anime caught her eye. It was called ‘Vulpix!!! On ICE’. Supposedly, it was a figure skating anime that was all the rage on the streaming website, so why not watch it?

She opted to watch the first episode, and with her tub of ice cream close by, she watched the opening credits start up as she helped herself to more ice cream.

Roserade eventually showed up with a cup of tea for Cynthia, but the bouquet Pokémon looked even more concerned upon seeing Cynthia in this state. Cynthia had eaten through a quarter of the vanilla ice cream already! Not wanting to question her troubled state just yet, Roserade put down her prepared tea on the coffee table and retreated back to the kitchen.

At the same time, Cynthia finally put down her ice cream like she had her fill of it. If she ever needed more, as she watched her anime unfold, the ice cream was only an arm’s reach away. Moreover, she could do with tea right now. It was fortunate Roserade had one prepared for her, but before Cynthia could even think of thanking, her Pokémon had already left.

Cynthia felt guilty. To ease it off, she helped herself to more ice cream and watched her anime.

The moonlight’s rays shined through the windows to give a comforting glow into Cynthia’s dark room. At this point, watching a popular anime in the dark, eating lots of ice cream, and doing nothing else, just how much more could Cynthia ask for right now?

“How could you be asking me this right now?” Steven questioned.

“But boss…” Martine whined. The Stone Restaurant and Bistro was facing an unnatural volume of customers who had shown up at the restaurant. While this was good news for business, Martine suspected this must have been an effect of what the public just witnessed just hours earlier. “You owe the entire staff one day off ever since you made that exception for Diantha! You made us do overtime! We’re all dying to get time off! Plus, when was the last time you’ve gone to the beach?”

Before Martine could get her answer, she was interrupted by one of the waitresses who had popped into the kitchen to place a few more orders for the cooks. In addition, that waitress said, “One table is missing a whole set of forks. I need you to get some out there, Martine.”

“Aw… you better come up with an answer, boss!” Martine said. She went on her way to help see to the customers and their missing forks, and meanwhile Steven was left thinking of Martine’s words.

He could simply disregard Martine’s regard for going to the beach, but the reality was that he really owed the staff an extra day off. The idea of going to the beach was the last thing he had in mind too, since Steven never thought of himself ever going there. In the worst case scenario, the entire staff would pressure him to go to the beach. All it would take was a big push.

“But you know, Steven, my friend,” James said as he took the next order – another serving of the Stone Open. “Heading to the beach isn’t a bad idea. Why, I might even head there myself on our day off! The restaurant does have a day to spare.”

Steven only needed to look at Martine, who was giggling suspiciously. Of course. This had to be her fault that he was being pushed to going to the beach.

He felt a cold nudge at his hip and Steven only had to look down to see Metagross look up into his eyes. “Meta,” Metagross said, and from the look in its eyes – a curious stare, it seemed to agree with what Martine had said.

“Oh no, not you too,” Steven said, bewildered. “The answer is no! You know how busy we’ve been since… a few hours ago.”

“Oh! Oh! Boss!” Martine said excitedly. “So? How did it feel? What was it like?”

“I…” Steven trailed off, and his voice instantly became shaky. “That I – uh, no it didn’t feel… It was like…”

“Oh, let me guess, you wanted that to happen! You know, that’s what your friend Wallace was there for after all. Now, all you had to do was move your lips a little more towards hers –” Martine started.

“Martine, arrêtez maintenant,” Steven ordered quickly before the redhead could speak any further. He could already predict what would happen if he didn’t stop her.

“But boss! That’s so sweet of you! You know, I bet she’ll be smiling every day because of that!” Martine added. “It’s only a matter of time before you will call her ta chérie.”

Speaking of smiling, Martine was definitely the one doing that, between her and Steven. Now that she had managed to put him in a mental corner, Martine began to walk away to the kitchens to leave him in his misery. As she did, she turned her head to him once more.

“But we still need to go to the beach! If you’re not going, I’ll tell Sophie to force you!”

“Martine, I’ve already made my point about this,” Steven said coldly. “I’ll take her down if it’s the last thing I’ll do to keep this business alive! As well as your job! Besides… Viola never made a sound decision, did she? She said she would say something tomorrow, but I think I might have lost this one. Cynthia won’t lay down her arms yet!”

Now Martine made a face, which Steven ignored.

“Until then,” Steven continued, “we both know that she is no longer welcome here.”

“Dommage,” Martine replied. She came out with two plates of the Stone Open for serving. Whatever Madame LeBlanc had written in her review, it was having a positive effect on Steven’s business. Plus, the terrace was a smashing success, because when Martine brought the two servings of the open-faced sandwich on baguette, the customers were clearly enjoying themselves against the waterfront. Plus, the sight of the moon helped.

Weren’t there other ways to convince him?

Before Cynthia knew it, she had finished her entire tub of ice cream and was craving another. Episode one of ‘Vulpix!!! On ICE’ took no time at all to finish and Cynthia was also readying to watch the next episode. While the episode was loading, she went over to the kitchen to discard her finished ice cream.

What Cynthia found there, though, was that Roserade and Garchomp appeared to want to cook dinner. Whether they were capable of cooking to Cynthia’s standards, Cynthia had no idea, but she didn’t want her Pokémon to potentially cause her villa to burn down.

“It’s fine…” Cynthia muttered. “I can cook for you.”

But I lost, she thought, as she shooed her concerned Pokémon away from the kitchen. However, the prospect of tasty desserts might have perhaps compensated for that. When was the last time Cynthia had made creamy matcha Poké puffs for them? Or soft-centred Poffins? Or something surprisingly better? It seemed worthwhile to wait for them! But the way Cynthia was taking it to the kitchen, she didn’t seem right.

Cynthia boringly grabbed a handful of berries and began grinding them into powders and pastes, and at the same time started up a Poffin-making pot. She added the same batter necessary for all Poffins and soon added whatever berries she had on hand into the mix and kept stirring. The powders and pastes she had just made earlier would be essential.

I lost.

“You are who you are, and I don’t change that,” he said, she thought to herself. What am I doing right now?! I’ll show you, Steven, I will! I promise!

“Rose?” Roserade appeared in the kitchen concerned. She furiously waved at Cynthia to warn her that her Poffin batter was going to spill. “Rose!”

“Agh!” Cynthia cried, seeing some of the batter leap over the pot’s edge. She slowed down the stirring and sighed, and turned off the element at the same time. “Sorry, Roserade. I’m just not… thinking right for the past hour. I’ll be fine.”

Roserade frowned at Cynthia’s state of denial, but she shrugged. Maybe Cynthia would come to her senses later. While stirring the batter, Cynthia continually added Nanab berries for a refreshing sweet and bitter taste and let the battle work on its on for now. It was a matter of time before it could burn, so she had to fast.

In a separate pot, Cynthia added powdered Nomel berries, chunks and chunks of Magost berries, and Grepa berries into a milk base. If things turned out well, it would form a nice cream which she would add to the Poffin batter later.

In truth, Roserade and Garchomp were highly looking forward to what Cynthia was preparing for them, and had told the other Pokémon about what was to come. Even so, they shared the same concern that Cynthia wasn’t being herself as of late. What had she been doing for the day?

Cynthia continued to stir the Poffin batter the way she liked it. She kept the heat level high as an effort to make the batter expand faster, but it was a delicate act – the minutest error in timing would force the batter out and spill, which was something she was not prepared to do. Rather, Cynthia would have to stir the pot as slowly as she could and keep the timing right. The real trick was to make the outer layer solidify first, so she had to keep an eye on where she was stirring the batter and with how much strength she was pouring into it.

“He will know what I’m cooking, you hear me? He will KNOW!” Cynthia shouted furiously at the Poffin batter.

“Rose? Roserade!” Roserade cried anxiously.

To Cynthia’s mild shock, more Poffin batter splashed out of the pot and nearly, nearly, onto her hand. Frustrated, Cynthia tried to calm herself down but her mental state meant that she wasn’t performing the way she wanted to.

“I just… want a break,” Cynthia admitted. She tried to refocus and stirred the batter again, and she briefly closed her eyes to relax. In the next moment, she was grimly putting the Poffins together. In truth, she should have made more, but could she really manage that at this time?

She added the berry and milk mix as scoops into the batter. Happily, as she expected, the cream landed onto the batter but did not melt immediately. This was what Cynthia was hoping for, and quickly as she could she poked a larger spoon into the batter to toss the Poffin into the air. The batter wrapped itself around the berry cream and landed on a plate Cynthia had on her other hand.

Now that’s more like it, she thought.

Completely unsurprisingly for all Steven knew or cared, Wallace was once again in the foyer of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro.

“You’re looking pretty grim, my friend,” Wallace greeted. “So tell me, how did it feel?”

Didn’t Martine just ask the same question?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steven denied as he puffed his cheeks. Was it anger that was making his cheeks boiling red, perhaps? Well, it always had to do with her, didn’t it?

“Your face is going red already! Don’t worry, Steven, it takes time to get used to those feelings,” Wallace said. “I can tell you probably enjoyed that.”

“WHAT?!” Steven shouted. “You pushed me!”

“It would have happened anyway!” Wallace replied smugly. “Don’t tell me you did not enjoy it! It was like it was one of your lifelong dreams!”

“Yeah, a lifelong dream of mine that you made up!” Steven fired back. “I have nothing to do with HER! She’s NOT who you think she is! Do you have ANY idea what she’s done?! I was going to tell you –”

“The stress must be getting to you,” Wallace said, discarding Steven’s retort. “Well, when was the last time you’ve ever had a break? You may be a chef, but you should consider things… like asking some girl out. Heck, Steven! Considering how many women you’ve met…”

Steven just didn’t know how much more his mind could take. He was tired and burned out from the duel he had with Cynthia today, and his mind weighed pretty heavily too…

“I can see it in your eyes. Literally,” Wallace said, as he pointed at under his own eyes. “Have you looked in the mirror recently? You’re getting dark circles forming, and besides, if I had the chance, I would have introduced you to some more women… but if you really enjoyed what I helped you with…”

He pulled out a copy of the yesterday’s Lumiose Press. “… with THIS! You see, you have to keep things moving along! At this rate, you’ll win her over in no time.”

Steven pulled at his own hair. What Wallace was showing him was an old headline with a photo of… Cynthia and himself. Steven could assume the article was implying something seriously romantic, but that was not what was on his mind now. He quietly coerced Wallace into leaving the restaurant, but it had no effect. So what Steven did was pull Wallace outside as a matter of throwing him out.

“What are you doing?!” Wallace said. “This will not help you! You were already getting a good start –”

“I don’t need your help!” Steven interrupted roughly. “I have nothing to do with her! Besides, you know she and I are in an arms race now – we must fight to keep the advantage. I’m not going to fall for this illusion of yours, my friend.”

Thankfully, Winona was there to take control, as she had even harsher words for Wallace for abandoning a romantic dinner they were having. From what Steven thought he heard, Winona wanted Wallace to make it up to her by treating her to ice cream – and Wallace, finally defeated, promised her.

Once Wallace was gone, Steven took a long look at around the foyer and sighed. Martine wasn’t the only one who was suffering – Steven admitted he himself was in need of some rest, but that really wasn’t on his mind. Sure, he might have owed everyone a break, but why wasn’t he willing?

The answer was simple. It all had to do with Cynthia.

“Un moment, Monsieur Stone!” Laurent said from across the foyer the moment Steven walked back inside. “Did I hear that right? You actually kissed Cynthia? For real? I thought I would never see the day.”

“Mm-hmm!” Sophie nodded in agreement. She crossed her arms and wore something of an approving grin. “It makes me wonder how the media hasn’t published this yet! But you know, when we saw that article yesterday…”

What Steven did next was cover his eyes with one hand. This was simply too much to take. Sophie was answering a phone call at the desk (the words “Bonne idée,” could be heard from Sophie), while Laurent wore a chuckle as he kept working. The next moment, Sophie pulled Laurent close and started whispering something in his ear.

Steven shook his head. He knew that Laurent and Sophie had been very good friends even before they started working here, given they were part of the same club and coincidentally ended up working at the same place. However, what he never counted on was that at some point in time – a very recent point in time – their workplace relationship had developed into some sort of workplace romance. Now Steven had no idea what to make of it. On one hand, this might be a reason why his two receptionists seemed motivated to work at the desk lately, but on the other hand, Steven worried that such relationships could tear his business apart. But what could he do? He couldn’t just interfere, but this was happening at the workplace under his supervision!

The thing was that if workplace romance happened at his restaurant, Steven could already envision office politics occurring here. Manipulation and workplace conflicts could overrun his restaurant and it would start to fall apart.

It sort of reminded him of his situation with Cynthia. Argh… and this is how she’ll be using manipulation, backstabbing, and whatever means – even a relationship! – to gain an advantage…

He was just about to enter his office until he felt his arm being pulled from behind. Steven turned around and saw Sophie looking right at him. She was smiling, although thankfully it wasn’t akin to the suspicious smiles Martine wore. Now that Steven thought about it, it had been a while since Martine had actually done that.

Sophie’s grasp was gentle at least, so Steven turned his exhausted, embarrassed face at her.

“Okay, Monsieur Stone,” Sophie said as if there was an ultimatum going on. “Are you going to the beach on your day off?! I want to go too! Even Laurent says it’s a good idea, so he’ll go!”

How much more exhausted could Steven be right now? There was just so much going on in his mind, it was burning him out. He would have just dismissed the idea on the grounds that it was a work day they were giving up an extra work day.

Normally, in place of the regular weekday staff such as Martine and Laurent, there were staff to cover weekend shifts because the weekday staff would be having breaks. Unfortunately, with Diantha’s dinner, an exception had to be made to force the weekday staff into overtime so –

CLAAAAANNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!

A sudden force struck his head. Steven blacked out.

“Well,” Cynthia announced, “le dîner est prêt.”

It was a combination of treats that would have been fitting for any given meal. In the past, Poffins usually took the form of large cookies, and even had the same texture of cookies. But in the Cynthia-style Poffin, while retaining the iconic shape, the texture and styles often differed. Some were hard, some were soft, some were chewy, and some even had kinds unexplainable.

Exhausted, Cynthia set aside a large plate of her handmade Poffins for her Pokémon as she set a plate for herself. She took a bite of a Poffin made with a Nanab berry exterior and a very creamy centre of Nomel, Magost, and Grepa berries. The outside Nanab shell attempted to whet her appetite with a blend of sweet and bitter, but the inside struck a fine balance of sweet, sour, and bitter that melted in her mouth. Oh… if only she could have more. She sighed and helped herself to another Poffin.

Garchomp wasn’t the only Pokémon here who was concerned for Cynthia. Besides looking and acting miserably, was her so-called ‘loss’ really that bad? Watching a second episode of ‘Vulpix!!! On ICE’ was bad enough already. What they did notice was that she had eating her Poffins pretty quickly too. What Garchomp did was give Cynthia a nudge midway through the episode.

“What is it…” she said tiredly.

“Gar…” Garchomp said, pointing at the window to where the glimpse of ocean was visible.

It took a quick moment for Cynthia to process what Garchomp was getting, and it took a longer moment for Cynthia to make a decision. Was it a good idea? Did she need the time to go out there? Maybe it was, since it was an opportunity to get away from… all this mess.

“I could visit Diantha,” she suggested. “I haven’t really seen her since… that day.”

Cynthia brought a hand to her cheek once more where he had his lips on that spot. No… If she went to see Diantha now, the only thing she could think of was what happened on that night.

It hurt to think about him, and the memory of his accusations against her… He guessed the truth somehow. He couldn’t exactly prove it either, but for what mattered now, he was certainly a threat. But still, after the fondue fight, where did that leave her?

She lost, even though Viola had yet to make her decision. That’s exactly how it felt, to put it plainly.

In a minute, Cynthia started to feel tears welling up in her eyes once more. That was so unlike of her. Why did she feel this way?! Being cool and collected had been something she was so used to… She needed to go somewhere, somewhere where she wouldn’t be reminded of him.

Tomorrow is a Thursday, she thought. The next instance, she reached for her phone to call her workplace at Vue sur la Lune (“I’m taking the day off tomorrow,” she said). The following instance, Cynthia finished up watching the second episode of her anime before heading to her bedroom to pick out some appropriate clothes. With Garchomp’s help, she prepared bringing a sort of barbecue grill with them.

By the time she walked out of her bedroom, her Pokémon minus Garchomp and Roserade stood or sat together staring at what Cynthia had in mind. Milotic and Spiritomb didn’t know what to make of it, while Lucario and Togekiss were conversing with Roserade for details.

“Well, what do you say we head to the beach?” she suggested.

The four uninformed Pokémon stared at her. Cynthia helped herself to another Poffin before adding, “I think it would be a great place to cool off for everyone, and me, of all people.”

Chapter Text

The following morning, a sign was placed on the front doors of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro’s foyer. So while the Stone Bakery, the museum, and À la Mer were still operating, the restaurant itself was closed for the time being.

Wallace and Lisia were standing outside the entrance, and to their disappointment, they couldn’t go into the restaurant. Technically, they could if they went to the bar or the bakery, but that wasn’t what they were here for. They wanted to harass Steven a little more for today. In light of the events of yesterday, there was a perfect excuse to do so.

But apparently, it wasn’t working, and it got worse for Wallace when his girlfriend came about shouting at them.

“Qu’est-ce que vous faites?!” Winona shouted at them. She was furious.  “I knew I’d find you here! Wallace! You made a promise! You promised we would be heading out for ice cream! Do you want me to hit you again?”

“But, my dear Winona,” Wallace replied without looking at her. “There are more important matters! You do realise, that nothing is more important than helping a friend in n–”

SMACK

He received a punch to the face and was soon flat on the ground. In response, Lisia giggled. What a character her uncle was! Shocked and stunned, Wallace struggled to get up from the ground.

“Could anything be more important to you than finding the perfect woman for Steven?!” Winona said rhetorically. “Argh! It’s a wonder how you’re my boyfriend still!”

The sign read:

Fermé

Due to forces outside of his control, the owner has taken a mandatory leave for an indefinite amount of time. The Stone Restaurant and Bistro is closed for today. However, the bakery, the museum, and the bar will continue operating as usual.

From the Stone Restaurant and Bistro

Wallace struggled to look up, and when he did he saw Winona towering over him. She grabbed him with both hands, lifted him up, and looked at him right in the eyes.

“You’re going to have to do more than taking me out for ice cream now!” Winona said. Without a doubt, she was being condescending to Wallace, and it looked pretty abusive the way she was saying it to her partly knocked out boyfriend. “You’re going to take me out for ice cream on the beach! No questions asked!” She threw him back on the ground after.

“Okay, okay,” Wallace replied. Albeit his voice was muffled, being on the ground. He could feel his face was getting bruised already, but it didn’t matter. If Winona wanted to go to the beach, then he should abide by her wishes. First of all, he ought to find a place that sold ice cream. “But you know it’s important to find the perfect woman for him. You know, it’s the same way how you’re the perfect woman for me.”

Winona’s cheeks flushed red and she went silent.

Lisia tried her best to hold in her laughter, but it didn’t work, so after a minute, Lisia said, “Ha. He got you there.”

Not wanting to have any more of this, Winona took Wallace’s hand and dragged him away. Even though Wallace was still lying on the ground, Winona’s patience was exhausted.

The sun was out and it could not have been that much warmer than in previous days. However, such temperatures were not unheard of in Cyllage City. Since it was so close to the seaside, the conditions were anything but imperfect. It was a wonder how many people weren’t going to the beach in conditions like these!

Steven could hear waves. The sound of waves crashing against the shore. He felt like he was dreaming. Where had he been the past while? What he did know however, was that when he slowly opened his eyes, he saw the ceiling of a wooden shed.

A splitting headache followed.

“Ow…!” Steven moaned. He blinked and brought a weak arm to the side of his head.

Where am I?

It hurt a little bit just to think about that. Soon enough, Steven tried to bring himself up at least. He kept blinking as he looked around him. It was a small wooden shed alright, and he took note of the clothes he wore were… his cooking clothes.

His sleeves were coated in sand.

Sand? What?

Sand, the sound of waves crashing, and a blistering heat all around him. Was it because he was near the sea? But where was he earlier? Wasn’t he at his restaurant before?

I must be dreaming. Am I dreaming?!

The door flew open and the blinding outside light poured into the dark shed. Steven’s tired eyes were blinded as they adjusted to the new sight. A shadowy figure was standing at the door.

“Bon matin, boss!” Martine Grenadine greeted ever so cheerfully.

“Ugh…” Steven said quietly. He was too tired to say anything. “Martine… Where… Where am I?”

“I’m glad you’re awake!” Martine probably didn’t care about Steven’s question. She guessed he would figure it out.

Steven then realised what Martine was wearing at the moment, in which her appearance suggested she was going for anything but formal. Indeed, if nothing else she looked very playful. Martine was wearing a red-and-green sundress in which its colours – blending with her red hair – made her look like she was on vacation or something.

Vacation. Informality. Sand.

Martine in a sundress.

“Attendez…” Steven muttered. A sudden realisation swept over his eyes. “Martine! Are we at the BEACH?!”

“How smart you are, boss!” Martine replied cheerfully. “I’m surprised you figured it out already! Even though you were knocked out! Plus, the entire staff has come too! Not to mention your Pokémon!”

The redhead disappeared to go outside and Steven was left by his lonesome in the shed. He was shocked, dazed, and words failed him. Now that he had a good look at where he was, Steven slowly pulled himself up from the sand and rubbed his sore head. He still couldn’t come to terms that he really was at the beach, but when he left the shed he was spoken for.

Outside, the morning sunlight almost blinded him when he was met with the sight of the Cyllage City seaside. In addition, he noticed there were not a lot of people on the beach – except that what was noticeable was that everyone who was on the beach was someone he recognised.

“Please tell me I’m dreaming… I thought I was working,” Steven said to himself.

“You were!” Martine cheerfully chimed in. No doubt she was still wearing that sundress as she forced a bag into Steven’s hands. “I took the liberty of raiding your villa for clothes you would wear to the beach, so I –”

“WHAT?” Steven interrupted. His eyes were wide. “Hold that thought! You not only raided my home, but you – all of you – disobeyed MY order to not go to the beach?! How – how could you?! How could all of you!”

Sadly, no one could hear Steven’s angry rant except for Martine. For Martine, she simply grinned which seemed to infuriate Steven even more.

“Aw… Come on, boss! You know we all deserve a break! Live a little!” Martine replied. She lightly punched Steven’s shoulder. “You of all people deserve a break, and besides, James approved us to close the restaurant for one day, so you needn’t worry going back today!”

Steven was speechless. What he could only do was to stare at the bag Martine gave him in which he recognised as his own. It seemed that Martine had raided his home to find his personal things. Peeking into the bag, Steven found Martine had stuffed a handful of clothes for him. Oh, so this was personal wasn’t it?

“Martine. I can’t. I just can’t,” Steven said.

“Oh, come on, boss! Live a little, s’il vous plait!” Martine insisted. To Steven’s surprise, Martine dragged him back to the shed and pushed him inside. “I won’t let you out until you’ve changed!” Martine shouted. “Besides, Sophie and I have got tons of plans for today, and James has even brought his barbecue grill! You don’t want to miss out!”

All Steven could do was grumble. He looked to his blinding surroundings and saw many of his cooking staff either swimming in the water or basking in the morning sunshine. James d’Arc, dressed in no more than a part of swimming trunks and sandals, was sipping a glass of crushed ice and Nomel on a beach lounge chair. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

Did Steven really have a choice? If he could, he would have ordered his Pokémon to break him out of this predicament. Even without his Pokémon, he could simply sneak away from the beach while no one was looking.

But there was no chance of that happening. Not while Martine was standing right outside the shed waiting for him, and certainly not when his Pokémon were all at home – save for Metagross. Even so, Metagross was not with him.

Grumbling still, Steven opened his bag to look at the clothes Martine had picked out from his home. As he looked, he realised that his keys weren’t in the bag either. So this was how his staff treated him, eh?

Right when he was about to remove his jacket, the door creaked open again.

“Oh, boss! You can have this back!” Martine’s voice sang. “It’s what we used to help you get here! Genius, right? Oh, and in case you were wondering, I told Sophie to do it. So if you want to know who to blame for wiping you out, just look at Sophie.”

The sound of a solid mass could be heard hitting the sand and Steven only needed to look down to see what it was. He winced. He swallowed. He was definitely going to get back at Martine AND Sophie for this uncalled for act of betrayal.

A frying pan, from his kitchen, was in the sand.

He came out of the shed a short while later wearing, to Martine’s delight, not his black chef jacket. Instead, he was wearing an orange short-sleeve button-down and a pair of black shorts. Why, he was wearing sandals too.

“You know, boss, never have I seen you dress so informally,” she remarked.

“Did I have a choice?” Steven muttered.

“Of course not! But you should at least be grateful that I was being generous!” Martine replied enthusiastically. “I know you have an affinity for collared shirts – thought that was really all I could find – so I simply picked the clothes that you might like!”

Before Steven had a chance to reply, Martine grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the beachfront (“Venez!” she ordered, as if Steven had a choice, but he really didn’t). As Steven got closer and his mind refocusing, he noticed Sophie was bringing out some tools onto the sand. Her black hair was down, its length longer than Martine’s shoulder-length hair for sure. She was wearing a blue swimsuit and a trilby hat to match. Beside her, Laurent was playing with his Hawlucha and Sophie’s Clauncher, who were both digging holes in the sand. Laurent alone wore only swimming trunks too. Once every so often, Sophie would look at Laurent just to admire his handsome appearance.

Sure, Laurent may have given her a kiss on her cheek at the Battle Château, but Sophie wondered if he did have any… feelings of the sort. Could he?

Laurent’s eyes caught hers, and the two of them had a brief moment to look at each other before smiling and looking away.

“Tout le monde!” Martine announced. She waved at the group to get their attention. “Notre patron est arrivé!”

After James had finished his glace of crushed ice and Nomel, he stood up to get a refill, but he gave Martine a wave back and waved at Steven too. From what Steven saw, as hinted earlier, Martine was telling the truth. James really had brought a barbecue grill to the beach. As the two of them walked closer to join the group, Martine noticed just noticed that Laurent and Sophie were distant from the rest of the others.

“It makes you wonder why they’re separating themselves from the group. You know, it’s just the two of them…” she giggled. “You know what I mean, boss?”

“No, I don’t,” Steven replied automatically.

“Well, consider they’ve been on a date before,” Martine said. “Or maybe it’s because they’ve always been friends, right? Either way, they look pretty close…”

Steven buried his face in his hands. This was the conversation he hoped Martine would not lead him in.

It wasn’t before long that Steven had joined the group at the beachfront. “Bon matin, tout le monde,” Steven greeted, albeit he looked very groggy. He dropped his bag on the sand, with the frying pan in it, and joined the group.

Within minutes, the entire staff of the Stone Bistro had gathered together near the beachfront. Steven did his best not to look at anyone, but he couldn’t help it. Just how could they treat him like this?

“Well, I’m glad everyone could make it,” Martine announced, with a nod to Steven. “It’s our day-off! And what better than to spend it here? I’m sure this is a great time to build up our workplace community, and better relationships! Especially vous deux…” she nodded to the receptionists.

Laurent instinctively glanced at Sophie first and then looked away, whereas Sophie blushed as she looked away from everyone’s eyes.

Martine giggled. Poking holes at them here on the beach was too great of an opportunity to miss, but she would let it go. “Anyway! Let’s have some fun! That is… If there is anything…”

“Laurent et moi allons construire des châteaux,” Sophie said. “Voulez-vous jouer avec nous?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Martine replied. “Although… I think it’s better if we leave you two alone to get it done. After all, we probably know that Laurent wants to check y–”

Instantly, in a flash, Sophie clamped her hand over Martine’s mouth and turned to the others quickly. Her face was so red that it was difficult to tell if she was embarrassed or angry.

“W –what Martine m-means i-is th-that –” she stammered helplessly. “We’re going to have a competition to see who builds the most amazing château, oui?”

“Not unlike you,” Laurent added with a smile at Sophie. “You always look amazing, and probably even better today.”

Sophie’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Instinctively she covered her mouth to cover her shock, but that did nothing to stop the fierce reddening of her face. Why of all people did he have to say it?! Oh the irony. If Martine wasn’t allowed to say it, it was because Laurent already had that covered. Why did the world have to treat her like this?

Martine grinned in spite of Sophie desperately covering her mouth. She pried Sophie’s hand off and turned to the others.

“But Sophie isn’t joking. Let’s have a competition to see who will build the best château,” she said. “It’ll be fun!”

But one of the waitresses, needless to say wearing a tank top and shorts, complained. “What’s in it for us, then? A competition has to have some sort of reward, right?”

“I agree,” James added.

Martine looked to the sky briefly and then to Steven as if she had an idea in mind, but an idea wasn’t popping up at the moment. But in the next minute, she did have one. “The winner of the competition will get a gift certificate to the local boutique paid out of Monsieur Stone’s paycheque!” she said. “That ought to give you something!”

While Laurent was indifferent, Sophie took his hand and dragged him away while her face was red. “Let’s get started, Laurent!”

Just like Sophie, everyone else, bolted away to get their works started. The incentive for clothes from the boutique was too great, and paid out of Steven’s paycheque no less.

Steven himself was left dumbstruck and still standing as the others got to work. The next minute, he shot Martine a death glare, but Martine was so used to them that she actually found it amusing. Now Steven wondered if he’ll ever be able to get angry at her again.

“This is anarchy…” he complained. “How much money did you and… Sophie take out of my cheque?”

He had a bad feeling about this. He had a really bad feeling about this. It got worse when Martine’s smiled her suspicious smile.

“It’s nothing too much, boss…” she said quietly. “It’s only a mere seventy thousand Poké.”

“SEVENTY THOUSAND?!” Steven roared.

The other staff who were preparing to start building their castles heard the roar and looked up briefly. But the irony was that their response wasn’t concern for their boss, but rather that they were more inclined to work harder. 70,000 Poké’s worth of clothes was on the line.

“Yup, and James approved it too,” Martine added. “So if you really want to save your money, I suggest you start building a good château with the rest of us. That reminds me, I think I appointed Metagross, Skarmory, and James to be the judges.”

Speaking of his Pokémon, Steven quickly turned attention to them. He was appalled at what he was seeing, but nevertheless he admitted it wasn’t anything to be angry about. Cradily was hanging around the shore while Aggron was lying down on the sand sleeping. Even Claydol was floating around the beach looking for something to do. Armaldo was swimming, of all things.

By the time Steven turned his gaze back to look at Martine and vent at her, she had disappeared. He suddenly realised that Martine had scurried to join the others in building castles too.

Quite annoyed and desperate, Steven undid some buttons on his shirt to air out the sweat that was building on him from the heat. If his entire staff, including James, was going to wage a battle on him, so be it!

He dashed over to prepare building castles with them. When was the last time he had built some?

Chapter Text

Wallace, Winona, and Lisia eventually walked out of the new ice cream shop that had been set up beside Cynthia’s café, or rather it was an expansion of the La Lune de Chocolat chocolatier. With ice cream freshly made served on waffle cones and the hot sun burning on them, it felt like they had everything they needed today. What could be better?

“Thanks, Wallace,” Winona said as she gave licked her ice cream fiercely. Even though the ice cream wouldn’t melt for the next half hour, it was too delicious for Winona. “That’s one debt you have paid now. Now all we have to do is head to the beach.”

“Alright… alright,” Wallace said. “It’s a good thing I don’t need to change, yeah?”

Indeed, before going to the new ice cream shop but after Winona made it clear they needed to go to the beach, Wallace was conscious that his girlfriend hadn’t brought anything to change into. After they had left the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, they went to the local boutique to shop for the appropriate clothes.

But what Winona hadn’t counted on was that Lisia would be handling the shopping, since as a Contest idol and coordinator, she claimed to have ‘expertise’. Whether Winona liked it or not, Wallace liked it, so that was the final say. It was something to compensate Wallace for being dragged to the beach. This was the result.

It’s a good thing that the beach isn’t too far off from here, Winona thought as they left the paved sidewalk and began walking on the warm sand of the beach.

“Oh, what do we have there?” Wallace said. “It seems like there’s some kind of party… Hmm… Why don’t we check it out?”

“Aw… why can’t we get some time together?” Winona complained. By the time she, Wallace, and Lisia had made it to the shore, Lisia gave her uncle a shove.

“She’s right, you know! I’ll go check out that party for you, uncle!” Lisia said.

As it happened, Lisia’s choice of clothes for the beach was nothing more than custom swimwear that looked practically identical to her stage costume, minus the fluffy accessories and skirt she normally wore. If there was anyone here who looked comfortable, it was probably her. Moreover, it looked like that nothing had changed for her!

Wallace neglected to change as he argued his choice clothing was enough, but Winona wasn’t having any of that and forced him to “stop looking ridiculous”. But unfortunately, Winona gave in. Wallace’s clothes today (the ones he usually wore) practically doubled for swimming.

“It’s fine, my dear,” Wallace insisted. “I was the water-type Gym Leader of Hoenn after all. You would really think that I wouldn’t have thought of clothing that I could wear all day and swim in?”

“That sounds… wrong,” Winona muttered as she walked into a distant changing post to change. “It’s a wonder how your clothes haven’t been destroyed already.” Before walking in, she had to finish her ice cream, of course, and so did Wallace and Lisia.

Minutes later, Winona walked out of the post wearing a swimsuit that was the colour of Wallace’s hair. She looked sheepish, as if changing into something like this was the last thing she wanted to do. She could have picked her own, but Lisia…

Wallace nodded approvingly, although Winona seriously figured he was mocking her. “You’re looking pretty good in that, Winona.”

Regardless of how Winona felt or how she expected the reaction, nothing could have prepared her for Wallace’s remarks. Instantly, her cheeks went red as a Cheri berry and her gut reaction was a gasp. But Wallace was perfectly fine with that, because the colours matched her hair, and that forced Winona to turn away and walk to the beachhead first. Her clothes were in her bag, along with her helmet.

It also helped, come to that, that because Winona no longer required wearing a helmet today, her hair wasn’t in a long ponytail either. Rather, it was loose and down, which helped make her look more attractive – at least in Wallace’s eyes.

Lisia nodded approvingly, just like her uncle. “Now doesn’t she look dashing? Uncle! This is your chance to make things right again!”

But Wallace playfully brushed his niece’s head. “I’ll decide on what happens then!”

“I can hear you, you know!” Winona called back to them hotly.

As he and Lisia got closer to the shore and catch up with Winona, Wallace could see some Pokémon playing near the waters. Among them was… Metagross?!

“Oh, lo and behold, look who it is?” a familiar voice called out to them.

Wallace, Winona, and Lisia looked to see, in a red and green sundress, Martine. She was waving to them enthusiastically. “Bon matin, mes amis!” she greeted. “What brings you here? Or rather, how did you know we were here?”

Wallace could think of so many ways of how to respond to that question, but he was beaten – quite literally – by Winona who pulled off a surprise attack by pushing him into the sand. Her face was still red, like she was embarrassed. Martine smirked.

“Ooh… You’re not looking too bad today, Winona! Especially without your helmet,” she ‘complimented’. “I had no idea you liked going to beaches too! Plus, where did you get that swimsuit? Or why? You know, it looks suspiciously like Wallace’s hair colour –”

Winona held her breath and looked in the other direction, but not before putting her hand over Martine’s mouth. Her own face was as red as a Razz berry. “I don’t mind the beach,” she whispered, “it’s just that I’d be wearing a sundress instead. Oh, and we’re here because…”

She glanced at Wallace’s body in the sand. “…because I’m just hoping time at the beach will help him get over his obsession with Steven’s love life today.”

Wallace pushed himself off from the ground and dusted off the sand from his face. “Anyways, I’m not surprised you’re all here. We were at the Stone Bistro earlier and found it was closed, and nevertheless what a coincidence to see you here! And – (He looked to see Steven building sand castles) – is that Steven building castles over there? How fun! It’s like a side of him I have never seen before! What’s the motive? Everyone else is building castles too.”

Martine’s smile widened. “Oh, it’s nothing. Monsieur Stone is simply trying to save 70,000 Poké from his account. We’ve made a competition that whoever builds the best château will win the 70,000 Poké devoted exclusively for the boutique – or any boutique.”

Suddenly Wallace was dragging Winona to the shore. “This is too good of an opportunity to miss, my dear! We’ll get 70,000 Poké worth of new clothes –”

“– that I will be keeping for myself if we win,” Winona interrupted. “You owe me after making me wear this! Oh my gosh, Wallace.”

“What? It looks great on you! You have never looked better!” Wallace said, at the least innocently. “Let’s get started!”

They picked a clear spot that wasn’t too far off from where Laurent and Sophie were working. The opportunity was too good for Wallace to resist when he and Winona passed them, but then again, Wallace also knew that 70,000 Poké was also too good of an opportunity. Instead, he and Winona got down to work and started building their castle.

Meanwhile, beside Wallace, both Sophie and Laurent were making good progress with their castle – but it looked to be too easy since they were aware of every detail that needed to be done. The only reason was because their castle was an exact replica of the Battle Château! Between them though, Sophie – in her trilby hat and blue swimsuit – was distracted with Laurent’s handsome physique that she clumsily destroyed one of the waterways she was digging, which earned a facepalm from Laurent (albeit he didn’t notice the many gazes he was getting from her, since he was guilty of checking her out too).

Their glances at each other did not go unnoticed by Wallace, and he would have jumped the opportunity if Winona wasn’t there for him, or if he risked losing a pleasant spending reward. Every time he looked at them, though, he would nod approvingly at how well their relationship was going. The only thing that was missing was a kiss.

While other staff members, waiters, cooks, and waitresses alike, were busy with their own projects; Steven was working slightly further away from them. Truth be told, he didn’t have a good plan of what to build, so he simply used buckets, shovels, and – dare he try it – a pickaxe to ensure he was getting things done right. Shortly after, a shadow covered his castle, and he looked to see Lisia staring down at him. From the looks of things, she was wearing a swimsuit that looked no different to what she normally wore.

“I take it you’re not playing?” he said.

“I take it you’re having fun, right?” Lisia asked back whilst striking a pose. “What kind of a château are you building?”

Steven looked back at his work. It was looking solid, but also slightly conventional with hollowed windows and a large entrance at the front. There was no need for doors, as the hollow entrance was good enough. He could thank his pickaxe for getting that work done. There were five towers on the castle that made it stand out. “This château is inspired by… uh… some design I saw in my outings away from Hoenn, I –”

But Lisia interrupted him. “It looks suspiciously like the Sinnoh Pokémon League! Hey, wasn’t Cynthia supposed to be Champion of that –? Oh… Okay, now I see where this is going, Steven –”

“I – It’s not like that!” Steven said hotly. “And don’t mention that name!”

“Whatever!” Lisia replied with a smile. She turned around and skipped away to look at the other works. But for Steven, when he tried to work on his castle again, he couldn’t touch his work anymore. He was almost afraid he would destroy it now.

“And that will do for time!” Martine announced. “Arrêtez, maintenant! We will start judging!”

Everyone was done at this point, and by then they stepped back to marvel at the works they had created as well as those around them. Winona looked almost afraid to do so, but Wallace dragged her along to look at it.

Meanwhile, Metagross, Skarmory, and James began looking around the castles built everywhere. They went to some of those built by the waitresses, and found castles of many shapes. Some looked like conventional castles, while others looked like palaces, and some even resembled factories. What kind of imagination was this?!

At the same time, Laurent and Sophie were standing side-by-side admiring their Battle Château sand replica. But from the looks of things they seemed more interested in admiring each other, and at the moment they caught each other’s’ eyes, Sophie was the first to giggle and look the other way. Laurent only reacted by blushing, as if ashamed of his admiration.

“What do we have here?” James said when he, Metagross, and Skarmory approached one waiter’s work.

“It’s a… bastion, you might say,” the waiter replied.

However, that replied was deemed by Metagross to be insufficient. Bastion was an understatement for this work, as it seemed more like a military fortress complete with walls and watchtowers. Truth be told, this might qualify as a castle, but this was pushing it. There were even miniature cannons and catapults!

They moved on to Wallace and Winona’s castle.

“What…?” James muttered. Skarmory even dipped down to ground level to inspect the creation carefully. If Steven was the one judging, there wouldn’t have been any surprise. At first it looked like a conventional castle, if it weren’t for the wings that were sticking out from the tower. Of the three judges, Skarmory was the one who looked at it the longest.

They moved to meet Laurent and Sophie.

“You two just can’t let go of that château, huh?” James said amusingly.

“What can we say? We are from the same fan club, after all,” Laurent replied. “We even tried making the river to go with it.”

Neither James nor Metagross nor Skarmory had been to the Battle Château a lot, if at all, but just looking at the effort put into this sand castle meant Sophie and Laurent knew what they were doing. It would be appropriate to call them fanatics, perhaps.

At last, they moved onto Steven’s castle, and for anyone who cared (which was practically everyone) they also gathered around to see what he had built. It looked impressive to be honest, with all its towers and many windows, but Steven didn’t what to look at it for his own reasons.

“It’s not bad, I think,” James said.

“Of course it’s not bad!” Lisia piped. “It’s the Sinnoh Pokémon League! And where you’ll find the Sinnoh League you would have found Cyn–”

Instantly Steven covered Lisia’s mouth with his hand. “Okay, okay, we get the point.” Thankfully, everyone looked as if they were confused by Lisia’s words. Had they made the connection? It didn’t seem so, and even Wallace didn’t catch it. The only one who nodded and seemed to understand, unfortunately, was Martine.

After what felt like an hour of evaluations, Skarmory looked to Metagross shortly after, and Metagross nodded to James, who said, “Alright. We’ll discuss who will be the winner by lunch. For now, I think we all have some downtime. Oh, what am I saying…? We all have time!”

After that, everyone went about their own business. Some of the waiters and cooks set about raising a net – for volleyball from the looks of it. Whatever the case, they were sweating by the time the net was set up and some had to remove their shirts. Some waitresses opted to relax against the seashore while others went to do surfing. As it happened, Wallace’s Milotic joined swimming in the waves as the waitresses grabbed their surfboards but she bumped into Armaldo on the way. As that happened, Wallace even dragged Winona to play volleyball with the waiters and cooks.

Martine, though, went to rejoin Steven.

“So, boss? What do you think? Enjoying your time so far? You must be! But hey, is your château really a Sinnoh League replica? That speaks many things, you know,” she said, hoping she might make Steven crack.

“I think I just want to take a rest from the competition already…” he said.

“No! Come on! We can play a game of volleyball! Besides, I’ll get Laurent too,” Martine insisted. “Okay, maybe playing in a sundress isn’t the best idea for me, but it works!”

And somehow, somehow, Martine dragged Steven along to the volleyball area where a game was underway. Lo and behold, Wallace and Winona were already there; along with Laurent and Sophie, and not to mention the cooks and waiters who were bent on playing a game.

Chapter Text

To ensure ‘fair play’, teams were in threes, and for some reason Wallace insisted he join Sophie and Laurent. Within minutes, a game was underway between the six players. Martine, who was in a sundress, probably had a disadvantage, but that wasn’t stopping her from serving the ball (to keep things simple, she did an underhand serve).

The ball went over to the other side – at the end – where Wallace bumped the ball towards Sophie, who set the ball to centre, and then Laurent jumped and spiked the ball. Neither Steven nor Winona had a chance.

“Huh. Okay, okay, encore,” Martine muttered as she picked up the ball to throw it to Wallace. The ball flew to the end again and Wallace caught it, where he did a jump serve after. But Winona didn’t set but chose to spike the ball instead. Sophie’s trilby hat fell to the sand as the ball shot to the other side, because she jumped to block the ball. What Sophie hadn’t counted on, though, was that Steven jumped to counter-block. The ball bounced back onto Sophie’s head and she fell on the sand.

This is too easy, Wallace thought while throwing the ball to the other side and watching Laurent help pull Sophie back up. Meanwhile, Martine’s team rotated to have a new server in Steven. Steven was already feeling the heat of battle and, to the amusement of everyone but Laurent and Winona, removed his orange button-down shirt before serving.

He looks pretty good, Martine thought.

Who knew he had physique like that? Sophie thought.

The ball was served by underhand such that Wallace could perform the basic bump to Sophie, who set the ball, and for Laurent to spike. The spike looked good as Steven dived to bump the ball up but was unable to direct it. As a result, Winona had to run back to bump the ball to the net where Martine could bump the ball to the other side, but it went way off. Clearly, there were at a disadvantage! It only got worse when Laurent and Sophie both got their Pokémon (who were still playing in the sand) to join them. Hawlucha and Clauncher looked more than ready to play.

“Well that’s not fair, isn’t it?” Steven remarked. “Claydol! Want to play a game?”

“I bet you’ll want to play too, Altaria,” Winona added as she went to her back to pick up the respective Poké Ball and sent her out. “You are free to jump and play how you want, but it has to be fair. No flying!”

The humming dragon, Altaria, looked back into Winona’s eyes and nodded. Given she had no arms, Altaria had to use her head (literally). Claydol was in position, but like Altaria it had to follow Steven’s demand to stay to the ground, which was not helpful given its large head and small arms. Nevertheless, Claydol freely move its arms around at least.

So now it came to Wallace’s side regaining the serve. Hawlucha was beside him at the back while Clauncher took centre, with Sophie and Laurent taking the sides. However, it really wasn’t Wallace’s turn to serve since he had to rotate with the others; so he passed the ball to Laurent. Likewise, Steven and Claydol were at the back while Altaria joined Martine and Winona at the net.

“Okay! Here we go!” Laurent called out and served the ball. The ball went in Steven’s direction so that he had to bump the ball to the front. This time, Altaria set the ball for Winona by bumping the ball to the centre, and Winona jumped for the spike.

The ball was blocked by a high-jumping Clauncher who jumped high in the air to rebound the ball back with her claws. Thankfully, a fast-acting Claydol extended its arms to bump the ball to Martine who set it, and that left Winona to spike again. The advantage had shifted to Martine’s side once more, because the served had returned there. Upon receiving the ball, she passed it to Claydol while rotation began. Steven was now at the front with Altaria and Winona, while Martine moved to the back.

As far as the human players were concerned, they were all sweating. Claydol opened by tossing the ball high in the air before giving it a supercharged jump serve which rocketed to the other side. It was extremely fortunate a fast-acting Hawlucha, with his reflexes, slowed the ball with a block. But that meant someone had to make the recovery (which wasn’t Laurent, who was also at the back); so it fell to Wallace to dive and recover. Lastly, Sophie jumped and punched the ball to the other end.

It looked like Martine was going to hit the ball, but Claydol did it instead. This time, instead of a supercharged blast, it bumped the ball in Steven’s direction where he set the ball for Altaria. Altaria, who was not allowed to fly, helplessly tried to spike the ball and did so by jumping – despite her size – and knocked the ball with her head straight to the sand in front of Hawlucha. After that, Steven gave a sigh of exhaustion.

“I think I’ve had it for now,” he said as he wiped off the sweat from his forehead and shoulders.

“Having too much fun, eh, boss? Don’t worry, I need a break too,” Martine remarked.

“Clay…” Claydol said hollowly.

It appeared that Claydol wasn’t done with volleyball just yet, and neither were the other Pokémon. After all that had happened, Winona and Martine wanted a break, and so did Laurent and Sophie. Wallace decided to follow the others out while the remaining four Pokémon tried to get a game going. As it happened, Wallace’s Ludicolo and Steven’s Cradily joined the game.

Meanwhile, Sophie had picked up her trilby hat and put it back on her head. She wasn’t sure what to do for the time being, so she went over to her co-receptionist, who was looking away at the ocean.

“Tiens, Laurent,” she said. “I was wondering… Want to grab – WHOA!”

She felt a sudden shove on her back and she slammed into Laurent right as he turned his face towards her. They collided and then Laurent fall on his back on the sand with Sophie on top of him – and upon falling, Sophie’s lips were pressed firmly against Laurent’s as her trilby hat fell to the sand again.

Sophie’s lips against Laurent’s.

It took a few seconds for Sophie to get over the shock of what was going on, and when she realised it, as she also realised she was pressed against his chest, her face burned bright red. Laurent’s eyes also widened as he felt Sophie’s lips touching his, and it was clear his was shocked and bewildered at what was going on.

Slowly, and very, very, slowly, Sophie pressed on the sand to lift herself up, but her eyes only stared into Laurent’s. Laurent stared back up at her as if mesmerised by just how pretty Sophie looked in this light – and it mostly had to do with her black hair falling on his face and those not-so-serious eyes. Also, as he realised his co-receptionist was still in a swimsuit, it made him feel hot.

“Oh. My. Gosh,” Martine remarked loudly.

As if this didn’t receive enough attention, Martine’s wide smile should have made it worse for the two receptionists. But it didn’t matter to Laurent or Sophie. What was going on here and now was too much for them as they stared into each other’s eyes, and they were still in shock.

“D – D – Désolé…” Sophie apologised quietly. The tears started to form in her not-so-serious eyes.

“Don’t be. Come now, you must have enjoyed that, am I right?” Laurent whispered. He brought a hand to wipe her tears away.

However, this action led to Sophie to blush hard, nevertheless. “Um… I’ll be… uh…” she stammered. “I’m feeling pretty hot. Want to grab some refreshments?”

“Bonne idée, mais plus tard,” Laurent agreed, albeit he had chosen to remain on the sand because his mind was still registering what had just happened. He kept staring into the sky. Sophie, on the other hand, walked away with a very, very, flustered face. It did not help that the commotion attracted enough attention from everyone else – and Sophie wondered if she would ever show up to work again.

A few paces away, Martine was almost close to laughing at the scene that had unfolded before her. What had happened? Too much. Afterwards, she met up with Wallace, Winona, and Lisia, who were staring at Laurent’s limp body in the sand.

“That was golden, uncle!” Lisia remarked.

“You see?” Wallace said. “That was what was supposed to happen yesterday between Steven and Cynthia! I can’t believe they missed, but I’m glad it worked for Sophie there! Look how well it turned out! You see…” He looked over at Sophie who was hastily drinking as much ice water as she could. “…and you know, they’re of the right age too! This is a sign that they belong to each other! How old are they? Slightly older than you, but younger than Steven, I bet!”

Martine raised her eyebrows. It was true both Laurent and Sophie were twenty-two years old, but that seemed hardly relevant.

“Wait, so you’re saying that because it didn’t work on Steven and Cynthia, they don’t belong to each other? You know, I just might be convinced, Wallace!” she said.

It appeared that Martine had caught Wallace in his words, which led to Lisia laughing.

“She got you there, uncle,” Lisia said.

Wallace shook his head. Hoping to change the topic of his ‘failure’, he said, “ANYWAY, where is that boss of yours, Martine?”

However, Martine acted a little more absentmindedly than usual and continued, “But anyway, Wallace, I’m impressed! I would never have thought Laurent and Sophie would be that close. Still, I don’t know where my boss is, and… he left his shirt here.” She kneeled down to pick up Steven’s orange shirt which was a heap on the sand. To Martine’s astonishment, the shirt was instantly snatched triumphantly by Wallace.

“This shirt is gratefully accepted!” he remarked, which caused Martine to slap her forehead and she snatched it back, which wiped Wallace’s smile away.

“I’ll go look for him,” Martine said.

A minute later, Laurent had gotten up to join Sophie for a glass of crushed ice and Nomel.

The man who had been in Martine’s and Wallace’s thoughts was actually a fair distance away from the beach where the Stone Bistro’s staff were attending.

To be more exact, he went swimming as a way to escape from the blazing heat; and ten minutes later, he swam back to shore feeling better. A sea breeze hit Steven’s back which oddly made him feel cold, but still, the sun was warming him up already. He kept walking along the shore and enjoying his time away from the chaos he was dragged into, and away from Cynthia.

It was only a matter of time before he would grow hungry, so he better make this walk quick. Oddly enough, in addition to the cold breeze he was getting, he got the feeling that he wasn’t alone here. Why, it looked as if there was one set of footprints in the sand.

Did they look like Pokémon footprints? Steven didn’t bother checking. After a moment, he decided to go swimming in the water again. He could do with a little more cooling down.

Under a blue beach umbrella and resting on a long towel, Cynthia could finally relax. Just hearing the waves splashing against the shore was enough to sooth her, whereas meanwhile her Pokémon were trying to get as much fun as they could. Milotic was casually swimming about the water while Roserade was building a sand castle with Lucario.

As Cynthia, in her black two-piece swimsuit, continued resting on her back and closing her eyes; she thought about how fresh it seemed to be away from him. Whatever happened yesterday… it seemed to fuel her hatred for him – and that hurt. It hurt to think of his words, and what she felt after that cooking standoff.

I’ll never be that person he thought, and I don’t need Viola’s judgement to know I lost, Cynthia thought. Thinking of Steven refusing to try her fondue was somewhere along the lines of that.

And with what she had been thinking for the past while, Cynthia found it difficult to rest or relax. Perhaps a walk around the shore, and watching the scenery by herself, would do her some good. So shortly after, she stood up to wipe whatever sand was on her hair before walking (the wiping was difficult, however, given the length of her hair that fell to the back of her knees).

“I’ll be back,” she told her Pokémon. Her Pokémon responded with curious glances, but they carried about with their business. Only Togekiss went about following Cynthia, but the former Sinnoh Champion insisted she would be fine on her own.

She hadn’t walked that far, as her umbrella was in sight, albeit her walk was a silent one. The sea breeze was alive and whistling through the air which smelled of a salty fragrance. It was as if it would do Cynthia some good to be in its presence for the next while, and it calmed her somehow.

It was only a matter of time before lunch too, but honestly, Cynthia hadn’t brought much. She hadn’t counted on spending the whole day here and figured she would be eating once she was home. With all the publicity about her fondue fight with Steven yesterday, it was difficult walking in public. Oh, why was she thinking of him right now?! She was here at the beach to not think about him!

While watching the sunlight approaching midday, she watched the waves splash gently on the shore and the sound that accompanied them. Even so, she could see something was out of place. She saw… movement in the water. Was that a Pokémon? Not possible – more like a man, and he was swimming casually to shore.

Argh… she angrily, and sadly, thought. If only it was just the two of us, then maybe I can prove my skills to him. Then he would understand. Why is it so hard for him?

Uninterested, Cynthia turned her head and continued walking. Even so, she was left to wonder that she wasn’t alone on this part of the beach. She brushed her hair aside, keeping one eye covered, and looked to the shore again.

And that’s when she stopped suddenly and gasped. Wait. Hadn’t she gasped like this before? It had been… something like three days ago. Her eyes widened.

His muscular arms… his lean form… and soaked in seawater… looked dazzling in this light. The fact that the morning sun was shining on him (but not behind, as that direction was west) made his appearance rather hot.

As if she thought his arms were enough to make him handsome enough, now she was seeing his body. Cynthia was stunned. Her eyes grew even wider when he raised an arm to wipe the sweat off his head and his chest. That sure showed off his physique ever more.

It was him.

And that was when she made eye contact with him.

Chapter Text

“You…” Steven said, still lost for words. “What… What are you doing here?”

He wore a huge expression of shock the moment he looked up from the shore. There she was, and he had not been expecting her of all people to be here; least of all alone. Not only that, but she was wearing no more than a black two-piece swimsuit which complemented her slender figure almost perfectly, let alone her hair. Steven had absolutely no clue what to say.

She didn’t give an immediate response, and neither was Steven expecting her to say anything. Instead, he found himself dropping his jaw. It was Cynthia. Cynthia! Still in shock, the only thing Steven could do was look at her from top to bottom, and he mentally slapped himself for it.

This woman was his enemy.

But she looked outstanding. Her figure, her platinum-blond hair… She had it all, and despite her figure, she had an attractive slenderness that matched her beauty. But in spite of all that, she was his enemy. He had to put that thought aside.

For Cynthia, her mind briefly went back to the memory of the fondue cook-off with Steven. But when it snapped back to reality, she just couldn’t compare the Steven from yesterday to the Steven before her now. In the end, the present Steven was too much for her.

She hated this man. So why was it so hard to do so now? Or did she ever hate him? Encountering him was the last thing she expected.

“I…” she whispered, still mesmerised by his appearance. Her breathing was short.

It was like they were sitting together at the dining table that night, at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, where the two of them would do nothing but stare at each other. However, the circumstances were quite different back then. Whereas they were in full dress at the time, right now this was nothing like that. Plus, hostility was lower back then. Between them now, though, they were enemies.

So why did Cynthia find his physique hot? He obviously didn’t have the body like those bodybuilder Trainers she would see from time to time, and yet his physique and muscles showed that he obviously had enough workouts (probably from digging for stones or climbing mountains). Was it the water, maybe? It didn’t matter, because it ended up making Cynthia collapse to the sand on her knees.

Steven was confused at first, and his instinctive reaction was to check if she was okay. But upon taking a step toward her, he was reminded that this was Cynthia he was dealing with. Why should he in any case help her? She had been doing enough damage to him as it was!

There was no reason to help her. So why was it the case that he was already approaching her? Maybe it was because of moral duty. Yes, that must be it. Within half a minute, he was looking at Cynthia up close and, aside from her appearance, he could tell she looked very tense.

“Well?” he said as he got to one knee. “Is there something wrong? Something on your mind? You don’t look very well.”

Cynthia felt like choking. In all honesty, she was. She felt like gasping for air when Steven was looking at her directly. It was unclear whether this was pleasant to her or unpleasant. For the moment, her worries of work were forgotten as she stared at Steven.

“No, no… hah,” she gasped. “I’m fine… I’m just feeling hot… huuuh…”

Steven raised an eyebrow. “Well, it is a hot day,” he cautiously said, as he was aware of the short breaths and gasps Cynthia was giving off. Her face was all red! “Are you sure you’re okay? Your cheeks look red. Oh, let me guess. You have a fever! Cynthia?”

The next moment, Cynthia almost fell backward, but Steven stretched his arm out and caught her back. Her breathing was short. Her gasping had deteriorated to wheezing. For all what Steven cared, if Cynthia wasn’t a former Champion and colleague, he would have had a second thought whether to catch her. For him, he wasn’t that dirty, but it was still awkward.

“Your fever must be serious…” he muttered. “You sound like you can’t breathe anymore! Plus, your face is burning and so is your back…”

Idiot… Cynthia thought. I don’t have a fever!

But instead she whispered, “I’m feeling hot, yeah, but it’s nothing to do with the weather…”

“Then it is a fever!” Steven interrupted. “Look, as bad as it may be, you’re not staying here until you get some place cool to rest. I think I’ll have to carry you to my friends, and see how they can help.”

If Cynthia wasn’t embarrassed enough already, it already got worse. Her eyes widened at Steven’s offer of carrying her and maybe that was when he dropped the ball. “No…” she gasped. “If you do that… that will be the death of me…” she coughed out.

“You’ll die?! That fever must be serious! Don’t close your eyes! Stay away from the light!” Steven demanded. Immediately, he used his other arm to pick up Cynthia’s knees. Once he did exactly that, however, Cynthia passed out in his arms, which caused him to panic.

“Cynthia? Cynthia!” Steven shouted.

A sudden thought came over Steven’s mind. Why should he help her? Wouldn’t he be much better off if he just left her to die? He looked at Cynthia again, whose body was limp in his arms. The next moment, Steven grew nervous that Cynthia just had to be wearing this.

He should have gone that way… Martine Grenadine thought. But he probably went a long way! Quel homme! I don’t even see any footprints, and this and that… But the view is nice, I’ll admit, but it’s pretty hot!

Although Martine could count on her boss to take care of himself, she was slightly worried that he might have disappeared altogether. However, she probably knew him well enough that he wouldn’t walk in public without a shirt.

She had been walking along the shore for some time and was greatly thankful for the sea breeze that blew against her hair. The sun was burning down on her and there was no hint of shade. All Martine could see was a stretch of endless sand, and nothing more.

This was such that she really didn’t see her boss in the distance, and only when Martine walked closer did she finally notice him on the ground. But before Martine said anything, she also took into account that Steven was holding a very pretty girl, in a black bikini no less, in his arms.

“Tiens, boss!” Martine called out enthusiastically. “Que fais-tu?”

Suddenly Steven looked up to stare at Martine, and his face showed shock that she was even here! In contrast, though, Martine’s face showed a huge expression of amusement and smugness. She noticed

“Oh… I see,” she said in a playful tone. “You know, I wouldn’t have thought you of all people would set up private beach dates, and of all girls, is that Cynthia I see –?”

“This is NOT what it looks like!” Steven yelled. Even so, his yelling did absolutely nothing to wipe off Martine’s smile.

“Okay, so let me get this straight…” Martine said. “After all that talk of being mortal enemies, you still would want to come for her anyway. So that’s what you meant!”

Steven groaned for a second, and then said, “I was just thinking of leaving her to die right here. It seems like she has a fever or some kind of heat stroke. Do you see this? Her face is burning.”

“Yup, she’s burning alright,” Martine replied, not really caring (which annoyed Steven). “Okay, then. Then what do you suppose you do? I could still leave you to your private date still. I can leave you and…”

She trailed off, as a wider smile spread across her lips and Steven knew exactly what she was thinking.

“You wouldn’t tell them, would you?!” he said, horrified.

Happy that her boss caught on, Martine replied, “Well, this is your time, right? But you said it’s not what it looks like, so what’s the harm in telling everyone else? It’s not a date, so you’re fine, and… I can keep things quiet – if you’re willing to negotiate.”

Steven took a deep breath like he wasn’t going to give in easily.

“How about you don’t walk away and help me bring her to some shade?” Steven said finally. However, his question was a demand, not an offer, yet Martine was happy to oblige. She knew Steven was probably too flustered to even think properly at the moment.

“You were going to carry her by yourself, weren’t you?” she said.

“Martine. I am going to leave her to die here,” Steven replied whilst shooting the familiar death glare Martine was too used to. “Maybe I will do exactly that.” The redhead rolled her eyes and held Cynthia’s ankles, while Steven attended to Cynthia’s arms.

In the distance, Togekiss watched the entire scene unfold before him and flew back to warn his fellow teammates about Cynthia being taken away. Panicking, Roserade and Lucario went to pack up the all the gear while Milotic swam in a new direction to follow Cynthia. Spiritomb had to be helped back into its keystone as Garchomp championed bringing everything else – bag and food and all.

She could hear the waves at first.

The next, she slowly opened her eyes only to look at an umbrella over her head. So what had happened earlier…? That was a dream. Nothing more. She only dreamed that she saw him without a shirt and that she had died in her dream after collapsing.

However, her thoughts were briefly stopped by an approaching girl in a red-and-green sundress. Her red hair looked pretty vibrant in the sunlight – Wait a minute, she looked awfully familiar.

Wasn’t her hair auburn and shoulder-length before? The way she saw it, the girl’s hair was longer – it was armpit-length.

“Bon après-midi!” Martine greeted. “I’m glad you’re awake, finally! To think I actually woke up my boss in the same manner this morning! Except he was in the shed, though.”

Martine Grenadine. A sudden realisation went over Cynthia’s eyes. In the next second, Cynthia became aware that she was on a part of the beach unfamiliar to her. She saw other people playing around, including the two receptionists she had seen at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, and Wallace and Winona. Wasn’t her own time supposed to be private? Plus, she could make out her Pokémon playing around in the distance! Milotic was swimming alongside Wallace’s Milotic, and Togekiss was playing with a Skarmory – Wait, she also knew that Steven had a Skarmory.

It got worse for her when she saw Steven approaching her direction. He was wearing an orange button-down shirt to match.

“Well, I was hoping to wake you up, but it seems Martine beat me to it,” he remarked.

A sudden surge of anger flared in Cynthia’s eyes. In spite of what she was wearing, she stood up to approach Steven and slapped him on the cheek (which obviously shocked him and Martine).

“You idiot!” Cynthia shouted. “I was supposed to be alone! This was my private getaway! Why did you bring me here?!”

Steven briefly brought a hand to where Cynthia had slapped him, but upon hearing her words he answered with equal fury. “What are you talking about?! I didn’t have to bring you here! But you were going to die! So this is the thanks I get for carrying you to safety?!”

Cynthia stopped short upon hearing Steven saying he ‘carried’ her and had a vivid image, in her mind, of him carrying her body on his shoulder. Her face went red, and whether it was out of embarrassment or anger, it was hard to tell.

“You ‘carried’ me?” she said. “I didn’t ask you to do that! And are you still stuck up over that ‘fever’ thing?! You are an idiot! I don’t have a fever! Never had, and never will, thanks to you!”

Their eyes continued to glare at each other, like two opposing forces. Steven then shouted, “Then next time, don’t ask me to carry you if you’re suffering! I’ll just leave you to die!”

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

“Everyone… Come on, get along!” a cheery voice, unmistakably Wallace’s, sang out. “But you know, it’ll be fine if we just talk about this over lunch, eh?”

Cynthia and Steven then shot their fierce glares at Wallace which then forced him to stop short. “Stay out of this!” Cynthia shouted. In the next second, she swung her arm in an effort to slap Steven on the face again, but this time, Steven was ready and caught her wrist.

“I am not going to welcome you for lunch… ever,” Steven said through clenched teeth.

Cynthia’s replied with a disheartened glare. But before Steven could press on, Martine grabbed his other hand and dragged him away (and Steven had to let go of Cynthia’s wrist in the process). As he was being dragged, Cynthia looked at Wallace.

“What are you having for lunch, anyway?” she asked.

“Supposedly, I saw a barbecue grill, so that’s what’s on the menu, I guess,” Wallace said. “Steven was about to cook for them, but I guess –”

Cynthia held up her hand for Wallace’s silence.

“Allow me,” she said angrily.

Chapter Text

It hadn’t taken long before the members of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro had gathered around James d’Arc’s barbecue grill to watch lunch being prepared. However, the situation was very different as Cynthia herself was preparing the lunch itself. Steven watched her coldly as she placed fish steaks over the flames while she prepared a mix of spices to complement a few Nanab berries she had crushed. The next thing she did was to place Iapapa berries over the grill so that they were to be partially smoked for added flavour. For Steven’s part, he was just doing preparation work for lunch, and soon after he brought his ingredients forward.

Even though the weather was hot, Cynthia had opted to wear her tank top just so she wouldn’t make a mess on herself. Iapapa berries were soft, and who knows if it exploded?

Once the Iapapa berries were over the grill, Cynthia cut open the Iapapa berries with a knife and exposed the pulp, which was to be partially grilled and smoked too. She laced the pulp with another set of select spices, and the result was a bursting aroma that diffused across the beach. The scent caused everyone’s mouths to water, and it got the Pokémon curious enough to see what was going on. The aroma was sour but had a subtle spiciness to it.

Eventually, Cynthia added a thick cream base to her spice and Nanab berry mixture of which she was going to place the bowl on the grill – but that was after she had taken the right measure of cream and milk before adding it in. Too much cream would likely be overpowering…

For a brief second, she looked at Steven (who was still doing prep work). Seeing him made her blush out of embarrassment, but she also blushed out of anger. Cynthia breathed for a moment before returning her attention to her dish. The Iapapa berries were ready, so Cynthia poured them into the mix of cream and Nanab before mixing the contents, which became an appetising curry, and by then, her fish steaks were ready.

While Cynthia was getting her curries and fish steaks prepared onto plates, Steven started his work. With several Pomeg berries, a Liechi berry, and a Pecha berry, he used the barbecue to his advantage to roast plenty of pieces of Eggant berries. In a faraway land called Alola, it was said Eggant berries in chilli sauce were a specialty in the region’s capital, Hau’oli. Steven smirked. Eggant berries were actually native to Hoenn, no wonder Hoenn could make plenty of money exporting them.

While the Eggant berries were roasting, Steven crushed the Pomeg berries so that they would create a sweet, spicy, and bitter base. By adding a single Liechi berry, the spiciness and sweetness of the Pomeg blend would be amplified as well as adding a slight savoury touch to it. With the addition of mixing a Pecha berry, the flavour of the blend was just sweet enough to make up for the spiciness. The blend was then mixed with water and brought to a boil over the grill. As well, a bit of Topo berry – one of the rarest berries from Hoenn – was grounded up to make the blend starchier.

It took a while before the water began boiling, but that gave Steven enough time to season the Eggant berries with pepper and Cajun. By the time he had finished flipping over the last Eggant berry, the concoction was boiling and the spicy and sweet flavour erupted.

Satisfied, Steven began placing the seasoned Eggant berries onto plates and added a spoonful of his Pomeg, Liechi, and Pecha sauce – which had thickened into a curry thanks to the Topo berry – and coated the Eggant berries carefully. Meanwhile, Cynthia was preparing the last of her curry.

“Well, lunch is ready,” Cynthia said. She had her curry set aside into smaller bowls and used the tongs to place the fish steaks beside it. The aroma of spices laced the fishes to its core.

Everyone looked very eager to taste what Cynthia had in store – and because this wasn’t a competition, unlike the fondue fight, everyone was able to get one serving of Cynthia’s dish. This suited them fine.

Martine brushed her hair away from her arm as she looked at the dish closely. The scent of the orange-pink curry gave out a strong sour feel to it, but it also had a certain weight that made it appetising. Paired with the fish, Martine could only imagine what sort of flavours Cynthia had in store.

“I’m supposing you dip the fish into the sauce?” James asked as he cut a piece of the meat.

Cynthia replied with a nod, saying, “It’s actually curry,” so everyone – Steven included – followed suit. The seared meat was covered with the creamy curry and the spices seemingly melted into the coat. Among those who ate, Martine had the first bite. That went without saying that Cynthia tasted the curry first and knew that she had done the job right.

It’s so… so creamy, Martine thought. It kind of makes you forget how spicy this is supposed to be!

Sweet and sour blended together. The flavours refused to clash but instead formed an elegant mix, and with the overall creamy texture of the curry, it felt like the fish had merely melted into the curry itself once it was all in her mouth. The smoky flavour Of course, afterwards Martine’s focus went to her boss.

He has GOT to like this! No way around it! He’s probably checking her out less since she put on that tank top, after all, Martine added.

Judging from his own reaction, which was quite neutral, Steven was left to wonder if he should enjoy the taste. Smoked Iapapa berries and adding Nanab berries to it was unconventional, but it seemed innovative too. On the whole, because of the blend of those berries as a curry, the flavours worked as if they were trying to simulate being sweet.

“This is delicious, Cynthia,” James was first to speak out. “Merci beaucoup.”

The other employees nodded in agreement, albeit some who were sensitive to spiciness did show it by the sweat on their foreheads. Overall, everyone was trying to hold back from finishing the fish steaks all at once. The flavour was too good! However, if they left the fish alone, it would certainly cool off at some point.

“Indeed…” Steven muttered. “The smoky flavour you get from both the curry and the fish themselves makes the flavour overpowering, but it tries to compensate by using its sour and spicy qualities. It’s enough to make your head spin.”

It was only a quiet remark, but it definitely caught Wallace’s attention.

“Did you hear that, everyone?!” Wallace shouted. “Steven LIKES the food! So…”

“He must really like the cooking,” Lisia finished.

Now Steven wished he had kept his mouth shut. He might have given her an honest compliment, but that didn’t mean anything! It was just the opinion of a chef. Unless, of course, he really did start to soften up to her since he saw her in a swimsuit…

Impossible. She’s just trying to get at me. Again, Steven thought.

But because of how well the flavours mingled, it felt like Steven was joining a cocktail party at a café. He stood around in a suit with a cocktail in hand, which included a blend of spiciness and sourness. He sipped it carefully in the midst of the many guests he was surrounded by. Those guests were in fact the servers of the Stone Bistro.

He eventually made it to a stage where he was welcome to pick up a guitar and play some tunes. The guests at the party could use a little more atmosphere, after all. What Steven picked up was a regular acoustic guitar, and it seemed like that was enough. He played a jazzy tune for the party to hear.

It was then Steven was joined shortly by a piano accompaniment. He looked behind to where the sound was coming from and saw James sitting at the piano. He looked into Steven’s eyes and Steven nodded back before turning his attention back to the party.

It was also then that as the acoustic guitar and the piano were playing together, the two instruments were also joined by the high-pitched, but light, sound of an electric guitar. It blended well, and that went without saying that it was Martine playing it. She was standing with the guitar, an amp, and a pick. As the guitars and piano came together, the jazzy tune became a wonderful combination. The music flowed together with Martine taking a leading role the others to follow. That is, her guitar was the benchmark, and every instrument – including Steven’s – built on its notes to create a masterpiece.

It wasn’t before long that everyone, including the Pokémon, was done with that meal. From the looks of things, everyone was quite satisfied. Only Steven and Cynthia, ironically, appeared slightly indifferent and they also happened to take the longest to eat.

The sun continued to burn on their necks so half of everyone went about taking cover under umbrellas. Only the other half, including Wallace, Winona, and the Pokémon, chose not to. They handed their plates over to Martine who put them away. They would be cleaned later.

Interestingly and by sheer coincidence, the bird-like Pokémon had taken a liking to the next course Steven was about to serve. Skarmory, Togekiss, and Altaria stood beside Steven and looked at him expectantly as if begging for a bite.

Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to give some more to share, Steven thought. He had brought more than enough Eggant berries initially, but he hadn’t counted on the Pokémon or Cynthia to be inclined to eat. In this case, he had just enough. Plus, there was quite a lot of Pomeg-Liechi-Pecha curry left in the pot, so it made sense to use it all up. Within the next few minutes, Steven had the Eggant berries smoked and seasoned more pepper and Cajun on it before serving fresh plates to the Pokémon. Shortly after, he joined his staff for lunch, who were all taking in the smell of the food.

“You still haven’t eaten?” Steven asked. He was surprised.

“Oh I’m eating, for sure,” Wallace said. He sliced a piece of Eggant berry and put it in his mouth, along with the Pomeg-Liechi-Pecha curry.

Everyone sighed like they were enjoying it too much; except for Cynthia, who was contemplating on the flavour she was enjoying right here and now.

“Spicy… and so sweet…” Wallace muttered. “Just how do you do it, my friend?!”

“What are you talking about?” Martine added. “It’s pretty savoury! Think of all that flavour! That Cajun, and the pepper…”

“I am thinking of it!” Lisia chimed in.

Even the bird-like Pokémon were having quite the feast with their share of the Eggant berries and the spicy-sweet curry. Skarmory and Altaria were fighting over a bigger piece of Eggant berry, while Togekiss snuck a few for himself.

“The smoky flavour in the Eggant berries are well supported, almost drowned, by the seasoning and with that curry giving the overall dish an excellent fragrance,” James said. “It’s mostly sweet and spicy, but it’s also slightly bitter, which adds a bit of refreshment to all the rich flavours in this dish. It’s kind of meant to stabilise all the clash of flavours in your mouth.”

At the same time, Sophie and Laurent were equally enjoying the Eggant berries themselves. Having had Cynthia’s curry already, it seemed like they should have been full, but the dish created by their boss – on a beach barbecue no less! – was too good to ignore.

“Bon appétit,” the two receptionists said as they both sliced their respective Eggant berries and ate together. The fragrance was not too overwhelming, but just right, and enough to make their stomachs long for more. If the smoked Eggant berries weren’t enough to satisfy their appetite, the curry certainly did. It was too tasty, and it helped to have the touch of bitter on sweet and spicy.

It was a very dark and stormy night that Sophie and Laurent were running together towards the theatre to get away from the rain. They were holding hands as they rushed in. There was no way they were going to miss their show.

The thunder rumbled, but that did nothing much to drown out the sound within the theatre. Within moments, Sophie and Laurent were near the front row, near the stage, to witness quite a performance. A band was playing alongside what looked like an orchestra. How would that work? That would depend on what they were playing… And they had just finished playing a song.

Martine took the lead with her trusty electric guitar and began playing a delicate rift for the next song, as if keeping the audience in suspense for something bigger. The orchestra started to play long and rich notes like it was a bass, with an actual bass guitar joining in as well as a drum set to cue Cynthia’s entry with the acoustic guitar. The full band was playing, and now its melody was combining with the orchestra’s melody, and something great was happening right here and now.

The playing was intense, and to top it all off, Lisia and Wallace showed up in the middle of the stage dancing to the drumbeat and the music behind them. The music got louder and louder, but the dancing was graceful at least, and everything was coming together as one.

The music died down all at once, suddenly, like a battle had ended. However, Sophie and Laurent saw the spotlight had beamed on Cynthia alone, who was playing a gentle tune with the acoustic guitar as if there was a sense of finality going on, and ended it with a final strum.

Sophie and Laurent were the first ones to jump up as the theatre became a roar of applause.

By then, Steven had finished his meal and collected the plates with a smile. Martine also had a hand collecting the plates too, and noticed that Steven had deliberately kept away from Cynthia (to which Martine snuck a mild laugh, but stopped when Cynthia and Steven glared at each other). Although almost everyone craved seconds, they knew that Steven had served just enough for everyone including the Pokémon.

Martine approached Cynthia to collect her plate, but noticed that she hadn’t finished her meal.

“Avez-vous l’aimé?” Martine asked. “I know you did.”

Cynthia’s eyes shot up to Martine’s in which the redhead giggled at the reaction. It was simply a reaction too familiar to her as she had seen that multiple times with her boss.

“That is a lie and you know it…” Cynthia muttered.

Martine’s giggles turned into a suppressed laugh that was only held back by her smile. She passed over the plates to some of the waitresses, who would take them back to the restaurant to be washed. Surprisingly to Steven, Martine went over to sit beside Cynthia afterward.

“Have you ever thought about what I asked you two days ago?” Martine asked, hoping to make Cynthia crack. “You may hate Steven, but I sense something going on… You like his cooking, no doubt about it. Come on, now.”

Cynthia clenched her fists.

“Look, Martine. I’m mature enough to think of these things, and I’m sure that –”

“Oh, but if you’re mature enough, then isn’t it time to start thinking of other things? Like…” Martine batted her eyelids, “… finding a boyfriend?”

Cynthia glanced at Steven for brief moment. “If you’re thinking of him…” she hesitated for a moment, “th-then no, it’s not happening.”

Martine smiled and stood back up whilst dusting the sand off her dress. As Cynthia finished the last of her Eggant berries, she had also noticed that not a single drop of curry on her plate had been wasted. In her bones, she had much to appreciate how the slight bitterness had balanced out the spicy and sweet flavours she had enjoyed. After that, Martine took the plate away.

“You should ask him out sometime. I’ve got your back on this one!” Martine added. “It makes me wonder how Steven actually made a declaration of hatred against you.”

A declaration of hatred… What?

Oh right. That fateful exchange. That.

But when Cynthia looked at Steven again, she only remembered that thanks to him, she wanted to get away from what was going on in her life. Her reprise at home led her to come to the beach, and now, it felt like her worries had followed her to the beach. It wasn’t the best feeling for Cynthia.

“I –” Cynthia started.

But she was cut off by Wallace’s scream for everyone to join him and Winona (albeit Winona looked reluctant to do so) for surfing. Several waitresses were interested in doing so and already were grabbing surfboards to join Wallace and Winona.

Meanwhile, as Skarmory, Metagross, and James began wrapping up their judging, Martine and Sophie were having a crack at the motorboat and towing Laurent on water skis. As Sophie kept her hat on her head, Martine was driving the boat at full blast while Laurent hung on for dear life.

“Um… Martine? Aren’t you pushing the boat too hard? You might cause something bad to happen to Laurent, you know,” Sophie said.

But Martine only smiled at Sophie. “Ooh, I see. Is it because you’re really concerned for his safety? You must be worried sick about him! Maybe it’s because you and him are so attracted that he shared a brownie with you.”

Sophie’s cheeks instantly went red and she clamped her hand over Martine’s mouth for the second time today.

“Just drive,” Sophie ordered, with a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

But Martine smiled once more and removed Sophie’s hand with her own. “Let’s be honest. Laurent must have been checking you out every minute ever since we got here, and how many dates do you have planned? Let’s see… There’s always the Battle Château. Your cheeks are looking pretty red as my hair, I have to say.”

That was no understatement, since Sophie’s cheeks burned too hot.

“You know, I bet you enjoyed kissing Laurent too much, but you had to get Wallace’s help,” Martine added smartly. “What was it like? That must have been your first kiss ever! ”

Sophie started to wonder why she had boarded this boat with Martine in the first place. “Alright, alright! Stop it, Martine!” she cried as she was as flustered enough already.

Martine, however, was enjoying this torment too much. Toying with her boss was fun enough, but Sophie’s reactions were more spontaneous, so it was more fun.

“Plus, that was probably romantic, you know? Imagine, you and Laurent, in swimsuits, kissing each other on the sand…?” Martine started.

Sophie cracked.

“There’s a wave coming!” Wallace announced, and with that, he and his Milotic started swimming towards it – with Wallace paddling on a surfboard. Cynthia’s Milotic followed shortly after, with Winona reluctantly paddling on a surfboard herself. Wallace no longer was wearing his hat, and he couldn’t help but still notice how attractive Winona looked with her wet hair down.

However, Winona was distracting him enough that the wave caught Wallace by surprise, and a knee-jerk reaction brought Wallace back to his senses as he started riding the wave long enough that he could stand. Surfing was quite fun, and it helped that his Milotic poked her head from beneath the waters to surf alongside him, and Cynthia’s Milotic too.

They were the only ones riding that wave, as it happened, because the waitresses were waiting on the next one and didn’t want to risk any possible collisions. That was fine by Wallace, because he was getting all the genuine fun he needed out of this one wave. He looked behind him to see Winona maintaining her balance on her board, and Wallace wasn’t surprised at how well she was doing. For all that rumour of being a ‘graceful’ girl, Winona was living up to that reputation by keeping great balance.

In fact, Winona was the only one who managed to get back to shore still standing on her board. Everyone else, including Wallace, had to either swim back or paddle. Because of this, Wallace could remember another reason why he dated her: her graceful personality.

“You look good in the water, did anyone tell you that, my dear?” Wallace remarked.

When Winona realised Wallace was talking about her (why was she surprised?), she first blushed, and then became angry.

“That’s nothing to be proud of, my dear,” she shot back, as she glided on her board back to shore.

By the time Wallace and Winona were on sand again, they saw Steven and James staring at the ocean. It appeared the latter had chosen to stop judging the castles for a while to gaze.

“What’s going on with them…?” James wondered.

“I think they’ve… oh no, they’ve flipped!” Steven shouted, which garnered the attention of everyone else, including Cynthia. In the distance, they saw the motorboat going haywire as if two people were fighting for the controls, and then the boat jumped in the air before it crashed, which sent a certain red-haired girl and a certain black-haired girl overboard. “I don’t think Martine knows how to swim, to be honest.”

Wallace smiled. Without saying a word, he gave his Milotic a nod before sending her off to the ocean. Cynthia likewise did the same thing.

It did not take long before both Milotic were back to shore carrying Martine, Sophie, and Laurent on their backs. Martine was soaked, Laurent looked exhausted (for the record, he had been treading water for a while), and worst of all Sophie was unconscious (who for miraculous reasons still had her trilby hat on). She was being carried to shore by Martine and Laurent.

“Sophie!” Steven and James panicked.

“Not sure if she’s had too much water or if she had drowned,” Laurent said calmly. “She’s living by a whisker, I bet.”

He and Martine rested Sophie on the sand, and then Laurent proceeded to use force on Sophie’s abdomen in an effort for force out whatever water was in her lungs. Everyone around was concerned, as Laurent tried his best before letting Martine have a go.

“Come on, Sophie…” Martine urged. “You are stronger than this. What would Laurent say? You know, you only just kissed each other today –!”

Sophie’s eyes shot open, and then a spray of water followed, which led to coughing.

“You take back what you said, Martine!” Sophie cried. “I’ll – I’ll get you for this…”

And then Sophie fainted.

Steven sighed. “At least we know she’s alive. What was it that you said, Martine?”

“Nothing! Nothing you need to know!” Martine replied quickly.

 Afternoon was going strong, and that was when James had made his conclusion.

“Well, Skarmory, Metagross, and I have made our decision by consensus of who wins the château building contest, and a prize cheque of 70,000 Poké for the local boutique…” he said.

Are you kidding me, James? This is a conspiracy, Steven thought.

“It was a very tough decision, as you all have performed well, but there can only be one winner,” James added. “The winner, or rather, the winners are… Sophie and Laurent! Congratulations, you two!”

While almost everyone was clapping their hands, Steven stood still as he watched James hand over the cheque for 70,000 Poké to Laurent who brought it over to the unconscious Sophie. It did Steven no good either, and Cynthia noticed that.

“That’s 70,000 of my own money in there…” he quietly complained.

“Serves you right,” Cynthia added as if to shoot Steven down. “That’s what happens when you carried me thinking I had a fever.” As a result, Steven shot Cynthia a glare, and Cynthia rolled her eyes in response. It didn’t matter if today was supposed to be relaxing, because just encountering each other today did the opposite effect.

But thinking back to the time when they saw each other, alone, was enough to bring back that memory of how attractive the other was.

“Look, you were on the verge of collapsing, alright?” Steven muttered. “It had to be done. If it weren’t for Wallace, you wouldn’t have joined us for lunch.”

“But you wouldn’t have tried my curry either,” Cynthia added. “Plus, you liked it.”

Steven said, “I may have liked your curry, but that changes nothing. I don’t think you have an opinion on my curry, eh? At the end, I know my curry is better.”

That remark left Cynthia silent, and she let out a sigh of frustration.

“Which château did you build, anyway?” she asked, as she examined the many sand castles, as if to change the topic.

Steven swallowed, as if unsure how to reply. Silently, he pointed at the respective one, which as Lisia had pointed out earlier, was way too reminiscent of the Sinnoh Pokémon League. Even Cynthia seemed to have caught the idea.

“That’s all you could throw, eh?” she said with a smirk.

Steven shook his head. “It was an accident.”

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by Wallace who poked his head in between theirs. “Admiring the work, are you? You know, I bet there are better things to admire besides sand. You could always start with each other…”

Cynthia and Steven looked at Wallace with widened eyes with the sort of mindset that he was getting ridiculous. But as the words sank in, they simultaneously looked away from each other. That made Wallace smile even more.

“You know, how about we fix those frowns with a nice surf ride?” he said, and using force he dragged the former Champions to the seashore where Winona was waiting for him. “Winona and I would love you two to join us!”

Steven glanced at Cynthia at first, but Cynthia said, “No. It’s fine. I’ll just watch you three.”

“That’s fine by me, because you can hold my shirt while you’re at it,” Steven replied.

Before Cynthia could respond, he had already removed his shirt and tossed it to her. He then grabbed a surfboard and followed Wallace and Winona to the waters, but that didn’t stop Cynthia from staring at him either. She shook her head. Just what was she thinking? That Steven was the source of her troubles, and to really think that this was supposed to be relaxing…

Martine took a seat beside Cynthia.

“Still thinking of a boyfriend? Have you taken my sage advice, yet?” Martine asked, smiling. “I bet you can’t take your eyes off him, you know. Who knew he had muscles like that…?”

That got Cynthia thinking back to her lone encounter with Steven earlier, and even further back to that picnic when she saw his arms.

“Ooh… Are you blushing? I knew it. You don’t need to say anything, Cynthia,” Martine added playfully. Clearly, Cynthia wasn’t blushing, and Martine alone wondered if Cynthia would call her bluff.

“I…” Cynthia started.

But before she could say another word, she was interrupted by a scream across the ocean. Steven and Winona were riding the wave quite well, but Wallace was a completely different story.

The way Cynthia and Martine saw it, Wallace was being harassed by an aggressive Wailmer. It didn’t seem to do any good that no one was hearing his cries for help.

Chapter Text

Viola’s publication on the fondues had already been out since yesterday.

And since then, every copy of Lumiose Press had been sold out across Cyllage City for the morning and people were demanding more. It was so bad that more copies had to be ordered from the press at Lumiose City so they could be shipped to Cyllage City on demand yesterday.

In Cynthia’s case, if she thought that her trip to the beach was worthwhile, it was. However, as she went back into the culinary world, she couldn’t help but feel not refreshed. Sure, it was nice playing around with Steven’s staff yesterday, but still…

Cynthia looked up from her office desk at the newspaper sprawled on her desk. Clearly, Viola had chosen not to side with either Steven’s fondue or her own fondue, and mostly because in spite of how different the fondues were, they worked well together. Although today meant a new publication, Viola’s story – written by Alexa – was still being printed.

In short, Viola couldn’t decide which fondue tasted better and instead concluded that they were perfect for each other, just like Cynthia and Steven. When Cynthia read that, she felt like chucking the paper out, but as she read more, she grew even more annoyed.

It did not help that Viola had disclosed the two chefs having a picnic together and even framing it like they were in a relationship or something. Sure, a private picnic was as romantic as it was, but Cynthia found it inexcusable that Viola had made that public. Who could have told her?! Only Martine and Lisia would have known since they guessed the truth.

So Cynthia concluded either of them, especially Martine, would have told Viola.

But if anything, at the moment, Cynthia had to make up for that fondue embarrassment. She had to create something to get attention away from the fondues.

If there’s one thing that might make me stand out, it’s the coffee shop, Cynthia thought. What could I do to make it better…?

The critics, such as Madame LeBlanc, had to give her coffee tons of credit. However, even for Cynthia, it became common knowledge that her coffee was best served with a Slateport cake from the Stone Bakery. So that’s how it was, huh? Cynthia could not hope to compete against a dedicated bakery with the resources she had, even though she had a chocolatier and now ice cream-making supporting the café.

It was the day after Cynthia had gone to the beach, and already she was in a competitive state. Currently, she was inside La Lune de Chocolat working with whatever ingredients she had to create something that would pair with her coffee well.

She looked at her counter and considered the sort of flavours that would work. To get her mind ready, she asked Henri to brew a fresh cup of coffee for her. That earned a raised eyebrow from the twenty-three year old café employee (also a barista).

“You haven’t had a coffee here for a while,” Henri remarked. “So to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Cynthia sighed. “Well, I was thinking of creating something to complement the coffee. Sure, we’ve had this café long enough to know what goes with what. But I was thinking of something with more bite to it. Know what I mean?”

Henri nodded and got to work.

As for Cynthia, she took a long look outside at the Stone Bistro across the street. She sighed. Just how was she going to get this done? If the café was going to be more competitive, she had to do this. It didn’t matter what she thought of him. It was too much to bear. Would he be impressed?

No, she thought. He threatened me that day he came here. If I don’t do this, I’ll be gone!

Her fists clenched harder the more she looking across. Something in Cynthia’s heart made her feel hurt as she prepared her recipe. Still, it had to be done.

She hadn’t forgotten that day when Steven opened up the bakery and when that happened, her coffee became popular. Well, actually Wallace pointed that out. Now, Cynthia could actually find a way to exploit this. It was time to strike back.

Around midday, Steven Stone noticed there had been a huge gathering outside Cynthia’s café. It was only a few more days until the weekend (when he could rest once more), and yet one problem arose after another. Would it ever stop?

Even after garnering attention to his oil fondue to counter Cynthia’s, it always seemed she would find new ways to garner it back.

So he took his leave from the kitchen, leaving James in charge, and went to find Martine of all people. He found the nineteen year old redhead attending to a table at the terrace, and the latter was even more surprised to see him looking for her. After placing glasses of water to the customers, Martine went to meet Steven.

“Hi, boss. Something you need?” she asked.

“Yup,” Steven replied. “I’m just wondering, do you know what’s going on across the street? It seems quite busy there today.”

While Martine found it strange for Steven to speak this calmly, for once, she shrugged. “Well,” she said, “Lisia told me that Winona and Wallace went there this morning. They bumped into Cilan, Cress, and Chili there and they were sampling this awesome dessert Cynthia made. It supposedly goes really well with her coffee too.”

She let those words sink into Steven and then walked over to other tables and attending to the customers. For Steven’s case, he went straight to the bakery to find that customers had declined. Sure, there were plenty of people still buying his breads and pastries, but the commotion across the street was too great to ignore.

Plus, he promised Cynthia he could come for her and hunt her down in any case.

But things really went downhill when a couple walked into the bakery asking, “Excusez-nous, but is this where we can get a Crème de Lune Opéra?”

And just when I thought my bakery and Slateport cakes were safe… Steven thought. “Umm… I have never heard of that. Maybe you’ll find it there.”

“You’ve never heard of it? Unbelievable! It’s supposed to be one of the greatest cakes making a name itself, and in only one day! Madame LeBlanc wrote about it in a review this morning! All the same, merci.”

At once, though, Steven’s face darkened. How could customers simply pass by his restaurant like that?! As the customers left, Steven glared at the coffee shop and the crowd gathered around it. Just what was going on in there? He needed more intelligence. Whatever this Crème de Lune Opéra was, it was a putting a huge dent in the Stone Bakery’s business, with a lot of bruises. Now entirely suspicious, Steven walked out of the bakery.

The walk across the street was short, as was expected, but Steven became very curious as to what Cynthia was cooking up. Everyone around him, at the square plaza in particular, was carrying a slice of square chocolate cake whilst taking coffee with it. The cake was made of five layers. Five layers! He kept staring at it, wondering what it might be.

As it happened, Cynthia was working in the café and was pleased at how much attention her new cake was getting. Madame LeBlanc had been to her café for an early breakfast of coffee and the new cake Cynthia made. Within the hour, the cake had gotten the critic’s attention along with the Striaton Gym Leaders, and the cake was on the cover of that morning’s Lumiose Press.

The result was a huge demand for the cake, as expected. Furthermore, Cynthia wondered how long she could keep this up. Well, so as long as people ordered her famous coffee to go with it, the cake’s future was quite secure.

Looking outside, she saw a familiar face glancing at the crowd. It was none other than him, of course, so Cynthia smirked and snuck to the back.

“Henri, I’m going to head out for a moment. Hold the fort for the next while,” she ordered.

“Oui, chef,” Henri said.

As he kept preparing more coffees and cakes, he watched Cynthia slip out of the café to La Lune de Chocolat. As the chocolatier was creating the cakes, the café was serving coffee which made the two highly complementary. The best part for Cynthia was that they were both under her control. By then, she had left the chocolatier and snuck up to Steven.

“Bonjour,” she said, grinning. “If it isn’t my hated enemy, huh?”

Steven cringed, as if seeing Cynthia right beside him was the last thing he wanted. Cynthia loved the reaction, though. If Steven was going to get to her, she might as well get to the bottom of it.

“How… how is it possible? I mean, since when did you think of something like this?” he asked.

Cynthia grinned. “It’s all about innovation, you know. My coffee has to survive somehow, and the customers really seem to enjoy it. Coffee plus a special opera cake really gives everything more bite. Anyway, it took me hours and hours of planning, which isn’t a lot!”

Steven’s eyes widened. She managed this in only hours? He had to admit, Cynthia was incredible, and for him that was a problem!

“Okay, you know very well my Slateport cakes were surviving…” Steven said. “I seriously don’t think they could match that well. It’s just an opera cake, right? Who cares? At the margin, people will get tired of it and we’ll be splitting customers! Such is a plot to steal away my customers, huh?!”

Cynthia scoffed at him.

“Not convinced? Well, prepare to have your mind blown…” she trailed off, as she presented Steven a slice of Crème de Lune Opéra on a plate.

Five layers of hazelnut sponge cake stacked on top of each other were held together by layers and layers of milk chocolate ganache and coffee buttercream. On top, the surface was glazed with creamy white chocolate and garnished with sliced almonds. The most impressive thing was that for five layers, it was solid and refused to fall apart.

It was enough to make Steven’s mouth water, and he hated to admit it. For that reason, he had to swallow hard.

“Try it, I insist. Oh, and this cup is on me,” Cynthia said, and from behind her back offered Steven a cup of fresh coffee. Steven reluctantly took the plate and cup, glanced at his sides, and sipped the coffee first.

A whiff of nostalgia came over him. The last time he had tasted a coffee this smooth was... the last time he actually had a coffee from here, which was about five days ago. After reminiscing, he took the fork Cynthia offered him and cut the cake. The ganache poured out freely onto the plate and covered whatever sponge cake with it. It looked too appetising.

Steven took a bit of the cake and followed it up with a sip of more coffee to blend the flavours. It wasn’t before long that his eyes widened, so he looked away from Cynthia so she wouldn’t see.

“Hmm? What do you think, Steven?” she said.

It was the taste of hard work. Layers and layers of it.

Across vast farmland, Steven walked on a dirt path where thousands of plants lay in many, many, rows. They were full-grown and to the point of harvesting, but they were very dry. Looking around him, he still saw the many farmers tending to each tree carefully.

Up ahead, he noticed a familiar platinum blonde picking beans from each tree delicately and placing them in a basket. Cynthia was wearing a straw hat and dressed in simple clothing. Upon approaching her, Cynthia smiled and gave him the basket. Steven only watched, while smelling the coffee and cocoa beans, as Cynthia continued picking more beans and tossing them into the basket in Steven’s hands.

“Care to help me?” she said.

Steven nodded only, and started picking beans of his own. As he did, he became aware of how many beans Cynthia had picked already. The basket had a divider that separated the coffee from cocoa beans, so he had to be careful not to throw the beans into the wrong side.

“Don’t you worry they’ll fall apart? They’re so dry,” he said.

“It doesn’t help when we haven’t had rain for a long time,” she replied solemnly.

As it happened, the rain came, and Cynthia and Steven ran for cover and watched the field of bean plants behind them sprout and grow at least twice the size than they were before. Cynthia’s smile beamed like sunshine.

“Well, looks like the day is far from done,” Cynthia said.

“Why did you make this…?” he whispered. “It’s impressive. The ganache and coffee ooze together in your mouth to coat the cake. They blend as if it was an unstoppable flood overwhelming the senses.”

It was too much for him.

“Ugh… and why do you do this? This is just another assault on my Slateport cakes,” he added.

Cynthia stared at him.

“Oh, I get it, but no problems there,” she said coolly. “After all, you’re only here to check out what’s going on. But don’t worry, because can’t you understand I’m catering to a different kind of customer. My Crème de Lune Opéra serve my customers, and your Slateport cake serves others!”

“So explain why I’ve lost half my customers!”

“Those customers have a taste for my cake, okay?!”

“Oh, so you were trying to steal my customers!”

“That’s your problem!”

“My problem?! You brought it to me!”

“So? Make a solution!”

“OH I see! So this was a plot! Forcing me to move onto your plan!”

“I hardly see –!”

“Well! It’s not happening!”

Their faces were almost touching, and much to the amusement of people around them. Out in public, plenty of others giggled as they watched the two chefs badger each other. It was like a pointless argument of which one had to win.

“Oh? So what’s going on?” a familiar voice said.

That forced Steven and Cynthia to look in that direction. It was none other than Diantha, plus Grant, Viola, and Korrina! Now Cynthia had a sinking feeling in his stomach. She and Steven had only last seen Viola since the fondue fight the other day…

“Oh, Diantha! Perfect timing!” Steven shouted, and to Cynthia’s disbelief, his shout caught the attention of the customers gathered in her café. “I was wondering if you could help us rate who has the better bread!”

Cynthia stayed silent as Diantha stared at Steven first, while taking in such a sudden request. “Eh… Well, I guess Viola does owe us some desserts, but she wouldn’t have to pay if you treated us to some, right? Come on, Cynthia.”

Cynthia’s jaw dropped. This was not supposed to happen!

“No – I didn’t –” Cynthia started.

“Perfect, then let’s get things going!” Steven interrupted. “This will make a good counterattack, and we definitely need some coffee to go with this.”

Cynthia shook her head. It seemed like Steven was going to need a good reminder of what kind of dessert she was capable of making. Still, her efforts to get his attention clearly were much more difficult than she thought.

He was serious that he was coming for her. Oh, the horror of it all.

Chapter Text

Near the Stone Bakery at the square plaza, once more, people were gathered around to witness another competition between two chefs once more. Viola had remembered to take lots of pictures this time.

However, it would not be without getting the attention of Wallace and Lisia too. Watching the two rivals fight off like this was probably too good for them, because it was like Steven and Cynthia were meant to be. Winona still disagreed.

“Your fangirl is still there, you know?” Wallace remarked.

“For the umpteenth time, Wallace…!” Winona said annoyingly. “Korrina is a Gym Leader like me! Nothing more! Enough with all the helmet and ponytail! That’s just a coincidence!”

Wallace grinned idiotically, which was putting Winona on her nerves.

“Alright, then explain why she’s been punching people in the face lately,” he said. “You may be a bad influence, Winona, but at least your punches are more graceful.”

Winona had no idea if she should take that as a compliment. Plus, she seriously doubted that Korrina had the nerve to punch people. Unfortunately, she was contradicted by the fact that Korrina was a fighting-type specialist, albeit rumour was that Korrina’s kicks were a lot deadlier, which might be proving Wallace’s point. Korrina was modelling Winona! No! That was impossible.

“Stop with your fantasies!” she cried. “If you don’t, I will bite you! No, I will punch you!”

“Your punches are gratefully accepted, my dear,” he replied. Such a response did flatter Winona.

At the plaza itself, Diantha and Korrina were seated at a table facing Steven and Cynthia. It seemed like Steven and Cynthia were having another showdown and needed it to be public. It helped that Diantha, being the superstar she was, was attracting all the regional attention.  Viola was the judge before, but this time didn’t want to miss this opportunity for pictures.

Oddly, there was an extra seat beside Diantha that looked like it was reserved for someone but who? However, the answer came seconds later.

“Hi everyone, bonjour tout le monde, my name is Grant,” Grant said loudly for everyone to hear. “What you’re seeing here is another public challenge between chefs Cynthia and Steven. However, we do require another judge, as Viola has already done that the other day.”

He looked at the crowd. “Anyone? Come now, it’s not that bad. You’ll get to try yummy food!”

Even though that caught the interests of others and some were very eager to jump at the opportunity, one woman in particular was already a step ahead of everyone else.

“J’aimerais aider! Pourquoi pas?” she said lightly as she stepped up to volunteer.

Indistinct murmuring filled the plaza as this woman, dressed in an extravagant sparkling violet dress, went to the table. Her hair and high heels were as violet as her dress, and her hairstyle was… different. It looked like she was a celebrity and nothing more.

In a way, she was, because Cynthia recognised her immediately. She was a Gym Leader from Sinnoh after all.

“Fantina?!” she shouted, after gasping. She was well surprised. “Que fais-tu ici?!”

“Je suis en vacances, mon amie,” Fantina said. “Et tu?

“Je suis très occupé,” Cynthia said.

“Avec ton homme?” Fantina added playfully.

Such a question forced Cynthia’s cheeks to go red. While the indistinct chatter of the crowd turned into light chuckles and laughs, Fantina stepped forward to take a seat beside Diantha. While Diantha and Korrina were confused, Fantina greeted them in kind.

“Bonjour, Mademoiselle Diantha,” Fantina greeted. “My name is Fantina. La champion de Hearthome City. I’m sure you know where Hearthome City is.”

“Oh? Où êtes-vous?” Diantha asked. “You sound more local than anything!”

“Non, although I do sound very convincing, don’t I?” Fantina replied. “Anyway, what has my friend Cynthia been up to? Is that the man she is…? Ah, he seems awfully familiar.”

“Will you cut that out?! Come on, Fantina! It’s nothing like that!” Cynthia protested loudly. “Anyway! Just focus! I need you to decide who has the better food!”

She was already applying blending the eggs and butter while Steven was preparing the batter for his Slateport cake in the same way. In light the competition, he had to ensure a change in his cake was evident. It had to pair with Cynthia’s coffee too – Wait, why was he helping Cynthia, in a way?

From Cynthia’s perspective, she had to keep a firm grip on the timing of the blend. It’s for that reason she was blending with a timer and working on her ganache at the same time. If all went well, by the time she finished with the ganache she would be able to keep working on perfecting the batter. She added hazelnuts into the blend to form the foundation of her cake.

The aroma of ganache made Steven’s mouth water and he got to work quickly. Cynthia was preparing her cake the way she normally prepared it, but it was a sight worth watching. Steven’s Slateport cake was much simpler and less extravagant than what Cynthia was making.

He hated making desserts, but this was the only way to save his bakery!

He delicately created the concoction needed to bake a Slateport cake. But in place of the honey he would normally use to sweeten the cake, Steven opted to sprinkle brown sugar and caramel syrup instead. The measurements had to be just right, because while the sugar was only there to sweeten the cake, the caramel served another purpose. Overdoing the caramel would be a problem. Lastly, he added a generous amount of Pomeg berry extract for a little spicy bite balanced by an equal sweetness to it.

So as long as Steven kept the amount of caramel syrup right, things would go well.

He snuck a glance at Cynthia. In his opinion, he was outclassed. She was already bent on repeating her five-layer masterpiece and no doubt it would take tons of effort. However, Cynthia seemed remarkably calm too. What mattered for Steven was whether his humble Slateport cake could really compete against that scale. He doubted it, but it was all dependent on the caramel.

“The Striaton Gym Leader Cilan once said,” Diantha said to Korrina and Fantina, “that if you really want to get a good layer of cake, the eggs and butter have to be creamed properly. Otherwise, making a layered cake would be impossible because the cake would just collapse.”

Cynthia had finished blending her hazelnut batter and started pouring it into her baking pan. Once it was in the oven, she continued perfecting her chocolate ganache but also started on her coffee buttercream. Near the end, she would allow her hazelnut cake to cool, then cut it into five layers, fill it up with ganache and buttercream, and top it all off with chopped almonds and molten white chocolate.

Meanwhile, Steven still carried the huge burden of knowing he was outclassed. While he waited for his Slateport cake to bake, he also prepared a portion of honey once the cake was finished. The idea was that after baking, he would slice the Slateport cake in half to fill it up with honey. It didn’t seem that appealing, but Steven figured it just might work with the coffee.

As it happened, Cilan and his brothers were standing in the crowd to see what the occasion was. They had seen the issue with the fondues in the newspaper, and now it seemed the challenge had gone elsewhere.

“You can tell that they’re going for cakes,” Chili remarked. “Who do you suppose has the edge?”

“My money is on Cynthia,” Cilan replied. “Look at the layers she’s cutting into! Five layers.”

“I agree,” Cress added. “Well, we all know Cynthia. She’s the dessert girl.”

“But just look at it! She’s cutting that cake perfectly,” Cilan said.

What Cilan said was no understatement. Cynthia’s cake was a fluffy hazelnut brown and she was taking care to cut the cake into five even layers. For each cake layer, she was covering it heartily with ganache and layering another cake on top of it and covering that layer with ganache. They watched as Cynthia’s worker, Henri, brew fresh coffee for the judges.

The brothers were hard-pressed into wondering what the final outcome would be. Already, the cakes were looking delicious, but Cynthia’s had the greater appeal. Whatever Steven was cooking up, it better make up for it.

Not far from them, Wallace heard his stomach grumble as the aroma of hazelnut, chocolate, and honey filled the atmosphere around him. No wonder the audience grew to about three times its size in the past half hour! Lisia giggled.

“Got an appetite already, uncle?” she said smartly.

Wallace didn’t say anything while he eyed the cakes hungrily. Meanwhile, Winona smiled and pushed Wallace playfully. “You know, I bet we’ll get a taste when this is all over,” she said. “If you want, we can always go for ice cream.”

But Wallace shook his head. “My dear, there is nothing in this world that looks like that cake. It’s like I’ve seen the love of my life in that cake! It’s like Korrina, you know? She’s trying to be like Winona, and so is that cake! Why, if I had a cake like that, I could simply melt–”

SMACK.

Suddenly Wallace was punched in the face by Winona.

“If you talk about that cake ONE MORE time, or if you mention HER one more time, you WILL be melting. I promise you that!” Winona bellowed. It was like steam was blowing out of her ears, never mind her head and helmet. Her face was red, but out of embarrassment alone, not anger.

Despite the violence catching the attention of others, it caused them to giggle. What they perceived was a hopeless couple that seemed to be holding a relationship together that should have broken at least an hour ago.

Nearby, Chili nudged his brothers. “Ha! That guy is hopeless! Have you seen some girl punch her boyfriend in the face? Now that’s a first!”

Cress rolled his eyes. “No idea, since none of us ever bothered with relationships so far.”

Cilan facepalmed. “Just… watch the show,” he said resignedly.

The cakes were done, eventually, and Cynthia was already cutting three slices of hers to be served. Oddly, Steven had asked Henri for another three cups of coffee as he would need them.

Even Cynthia was curious as to what Steven was doing. From what she saw, her rival was measuring the diameter of the cup and then cutting his Slateport cake to match. As Cynthia prepared her third slice, Steven was placing his cake on top of the coffee cup. Just what was he up to?

Still, she brought her cakes nonetheless to be served with the cups of freshly brewed coffee already at the table. “Bon appétit,” she said. “Voici la Crème de Lune Opéra.”

The appearance of the cake was more than appealing with the rigid layers holding it together, along with the chocolate ganache and coffee buttercream that made up for a delicious blend with hazelnut. Fantina, Korrina, and Diantha stared at their servings with high expectations.

“Here goes,” Diantha said, as she cut a large piece of the cake, three layers of it, and put it in her mouth. She followed this immediately with a sip of coffee. Korrina and Fantina did the same.

Their reactions showed amazement, as if the combination was as good as the rumours had promised.

“Wow… Cynthia, how did you manage to do this?” Korrina remarked. “My mouth is still watering even though I’ve already eaten it!”

“You’ve got the hazelnut, you’ve got the buttercream, and the white chocolate to glaze it on top. That crunch you get from the almonds tops it all,” Diantha said. She was all smiles. “Combining it with the coffee is a masterpiece, since it brings out the flavour from the hazelnut and the ganache already. This is best in class, Cynthia!”

Cynthia giggled and bowed her head. “Merci, Korrina. Merci, Diantha.”

Fantina was still staring off into space as she kept at the cake.

It was a dim morning, where the skies were on the verge of losing their darkness and the day was transitioning to brightness. Fantina was really, really, tired, but nothing could prepare her for what happened in the next minute.

Even this early, the streets were starting to crowd with people on their way to work; whether they were on their way to the Contest Hall, Amity Square, or the Gym. Actually, Fantina was heading for the latter. Even so, another day of work was exhausting for her.

But watching the dawn was refreshing somehow. The sun slowly broke over the horizon and its rays were shining down on the city. Fantina wished she could watch it forever, but she had work to do. Nevertheless, the sight woke her up from her tiredness.

“This is super refreshing,” Fantina said. “You know, this is the sort of food that is perfect to start off your day! Even though the coffee heightens the cake’s flavour, the flavour in return heightens the coffee, and it really is the stuff that wakes you up!”

Cynthia looked at Steven with a smirk. Steven though wasn’t intimidated as he gestured the three judges to the Slateport cakes in front of them. After the opera cakes were finished with not a single crumb left over, it was Steven’s turn to fight back.

“You will notice that the cakes are on top of the coffee,” he explained. “This is deliberate, and as you taste it, you will see why.”

Korrina was first to remove the oval-like cake off the top of her coffee mug to rest it on her plate. The coffee was still steaming hot, and it actually warmed up the cake with it. Diantha and Fantina simply did the same and starting biting into their cakes.

The flavour burst like a bomb. The expressions on their faces showed it.

“It should have been sticky… but the honey just flows through your mouth like water…” Fantina commented. “It’s so liquid-y and runny, you wouldn’t have thought this was honey! It matches the coffee perfectly, because you don’t need sugar in your coffee anymore! All you need is honey!”

“But honey is very viscous,” Korrina said. “How did Steven do it? The taste is so refined and clear! You can’t imagine how the honey separated from the Slateport cake!”

Diantha mulled over her plate briefly.

“It’s… It’s the coffee. That’s the secret, isn’t it, Steven?” she said to the Stone Bistro chef.

Steven nodded, and that brought Cynthia’s attention to another level.

“What do you mean, Diantha?” Cynthia demanded.

“This is fresh coffee, oui?” Diantha gestured to her cup. “Steven used the heat to his advantage to partially keep his honey-infused cake warm, and nice and runny. If you took the heat away, the honey would stay sticky, but because of this heat, the honey simply tastes delicious, and it is excellent with coffee. The coffee doesn’t need sugar either, since the cake does the job.”

Cynthia stared.

“Um… If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a try myself…” she muttered.

Within a second, Korrina pushed her plate to Cynthia.

“I want to cut down on the sugar, so you should try the rest of mine!” she said. “It might blow your mind, so I advise taking coffee with it.”

Still staring, Cynthia gave the cake a large bite and sipped her coffee alongside it. Just what kind of flavour was this?!

Overwhelming, but was it really? It was surprisingly relieving, though.

Cynthia was walking alone on a desert road. It was hot, sandy, and chaotic. A sandstorm was blasting her and her throat was dry. She was covered in dirt and sand, no less. Her hair was all greasy and she yearned for rest.

She was about to collapse.

But up ahead, she met a hiker on the way dressed in an orange collar shirt and combat pants. His steel-blue hair was too familiar to her. Steven.

“This might help you,” he said, as he offered one of his rocks to her. “You alright? I know it hasn’t rained for a while.”

Cynthia shook her head. She yearned for something or someone to help her, but took the rock nonetheless. She glanced at its blue edges and wondered what use it would be to her. She gave it a shake and hoped for something.

The rock burst in her hand, and in a second, clouds filled the sky and rain started to drizzle onto the desert. It was a wonder, like a miracle, and Cynthia made the most of it by first washing her face. Whatever rock Steven had given her, it was pleasant as it washed away her worries.

Chapter Text

After Cynthia tried to comprehend the flavours she was experiencing, she had finally caught wind of what Steven was trying to get at so far. Even so, she knew which sweets and desserts were good or bad. Steven’s attempt was, to be honest, admirable.

Diantha stood up from the table to catch the attention of the gathered crowd.

“Okay, okay, tout le monde, we have made our decision,” she said. Now she looked to Steven and Cynthia, who were both waiting for the verdict. “You two have fought a fierce battle, but there can only be one winner. Our decision is unanimous and…”

She paused to look in the direction of a clicking camera in the crowd, held by Viola of course. It appeared that Diantha was trying to stare down Viola intentionally.

“… actually conclusive, unlike someone who couldn’t make up her mind the other day.”

The colosseum was supposed to feature a cataclysmic battle, but in fact, it was the opposite. Steven was supposed to have a fighting chance, but he was outclassed. Not only that, it looked comical!

The battleground featured Lucario on one end and a severely outmatched Pokémon on the other. It was enough to bring tears to everyone’s eyes.

“You would bring a Magikarp to a championship battle?!” Cynthia thundered. “Face it. It’s over.”

“It’s brought me this far,” Steven said. “You’d be surprised.”

In the next minute, though, Magikarp was hit with a violent Aura Sphere and fainted instantly.

Steven had no choice but to admit defeat. He fought a good fight but it was over.

“Cynthia! Without a doubt, we all agree with what Diantha said earlier,” Fantina said loudly. “Your cake, la Crème de Lune Opéra, is without a doubt the best so far. The flavour is very nice, the richness of it is magnifique, and then we have its incomparable texture that puts Steven’s cake to shame!”

Thanks, Fantina, Steven thought grudgingly. Her words were like a punch to his stomach.

Still, Korrina furiously waved her hand in the air, saying, “But Steven’s Slateport cake gets an honourable mention too! It was innovative and extremely delicious.”

“But Cynthia’s cake displayed perfection,” Diantha finished the comment. “Like I said, it was a really tough battle and you both fought bravely. Yes, the Slateport cake was delicious, but the Crème de Lune Opéra is a league of its own.”

She lazily cleaned off the rest of her plate with her fork and tasted whatever chocolate or hazelnut remained. If anything, she was enjoying it.

“Indeed, le gagnant est Cynthia. Please give her a round of applause!” Diantha finally said.

Cheers erupted within the square plaza as Cynthia gave approving nods to everyone around her. She even snuck a smirk at Steven, who was looking the other way. In his bones, Steven figured that this might produce a loss for him against Cynthia. Even so, he would have to retaliate one day.

At the very least, his new creation was made public so the world could know about it. That reminded him of one thing…

“Steven? What are you doing?!” Diantha said while her eyes followed Steven’s movement. Steven was walking into the crowd, amongst the camera flashing and constant chatter, to drag Viola out into the limelight.

“Tell us, Viola,” Steven demanded. “Who had the better fondue?”

The only one who saw this as a distraction was Cynthia. In her opinion, it was a feeble attempt to soften his defeat. Of course if Viola said her own Oran chocolate fondue was the winner, then that would only add salt to the wound for Steven.

Viola grinned, saying, “Oh, I decided there was no contest. Didn’t you read my and Alexa’s article in the Lumiose Press? They are so perfect for each other, they’re like two dancers… eh, more like two dancers in a waltz! That is so like you, Steven! You and Cynthia…”

Steven put a hand over Viola’s mouth to keep her from talking.

“Just… keep to yourself. Write about today’s happenings if you want, but nothing about me!” he demanded. “I’m going to retreat…”

He walked away, and whatever media had appeared came to surround him with buzzing questions. But Steven ignored them and escaped into his bakery before anyone could catch up. Well, almost anyone.

“So you really couldn’t do it, eh, Steven?” Lisia asked him. “It’s kind of a throwback to your ongoing love story, eh? Let’s start your third chapter after all this time. Uh…”

Lisia stood for a moment blocking the door to the bakery and then struck a pose. “Let’s call it, “My Heart for Her!” Yeah, that sounds perfect!”

That was bad enough already, but Steven chose to ignore her and went through the door. Rather than face the press, Steven notified his bakery staff of his failed efforts to overcome Cynthia’s opera cake. However, he dropped down a written recipe for his new Slateport cake before retreating further into seclusion. How could he face Cynthia now? He definitely needed a break.

The press hardly left him alone, though. Ironically, streams of people began pouring into the Stone Bakery just for a taste of the new Slateport cake, just as Steven left. Among them, Wallace and Lisia were the first ones in to order the new Slateport cake.

“Nous voudrions un…,” Wallace ordered. “S’il vous plait!”

“What, la Cake Slateport dorée?” the cashier said. “Bien sûr. Avec un café?”

Dorée? That’s ‘golden’, Wallace thought. “Non, merci.” He paid the amount and took his seat with his niece. After their cake was ready, Winona walked into the bakery shortly after and sat with them, with a slice of Crème de Lune Opéra alongside a cup of Cynthia’s coffee.

“Bon appétit,” Winona said. By then, she took the freshly baked Slateport cake dorée and rested it on top of her coffee cup.

Lisia smiled. “We can’t let all this go to waste either,” she said, as she started on the opera cake first. She took a bite and then there were stars in her eyes. “Oh my gosh! It’s so sweet but… there’s so much flavour! It’s so creamy…”

At the same time, Wallace removed the Slateport cake dorée from the coffee cup and was first to take a bite. His eyes lit up as his thoughts melted.

“So liquid-y… My dear, is there sugar in the coffee?” he said, as he lifted the coffee to his lips.

“No, I figured after hearing Diantha’s review, she has a point. The honey will make up for it,” Winona replied. She took both the cake and coffee out of Wallace’s hands (to Lisia’s surprise) and went to eat the Slateport cake dorée and drink the coffee together.

Winona breathed a sigh of relief.

“The honey just melts into the coffee already…” she said dreamily.

“Winona! That was my coffee!” Wallace complained.

“It’s our coffee! I’m your girlfriend, so you should at least give some kind of priority to me!” Winona said, annoyed. In Lisia’s opinion, she wondered how Winona went from a graceful girl to an easily irritated one.

Even worse was Wallace’s response.

“But my dear, just because you’re my girlfriend–”

“WHAT?!”

Winona’s scream got the attention of surrounding patrons who stared at the scene. Winona looked like she was about to throw another punch at Wallace, but her hand was restrained by Lisia and… none other than Korrina. Thankfully, Korrina was strong, so holding Winona’s arm was easy.

“Whoa whoa whoa, Winona, what’s going on here?” Korrina asked. “Are you going to break up with Wallace, finally? He’s probably taking more beating or slapping he could bear!” She could feel the tension in Winona’s arm just begging to punch Wallace in the face again.

The opportunity was too good for Wallace to miss.

“Your fangirl just has to come to your rescue, eh, Winona?” Wallace said. “She’s not that bad, you know! You have plenty in common!”

“Argh!” Winona cried, urging Korrina to let go. The tension in her fist kept rising, but Korrina’s strength was enough to hold it. “Let me at him! He deserves it more than anyone!”

Korrina chuckled. “He’s probably used to it by now. After all this time, I’m surprised you haven’t broken up with him. That is one dedicated boyfriend you have there.”

Winona almost blushed at first, but her face went dark again. “He is just toying with me! Besides, I bet he has his eyes set on someone else! Someone who not only dresses up like me but actually has a ponytail too!”

It took a moment before Korrina realised Winona was glaring right at her.

“He won’t break up with you, I guess,” Korrina casually said. “Did you say you broke up with him once before? He’ll do anything to keep you! After all, isn’t he treating you to dessert right now?”

“It’s not like that!” Winona complained. “He thinks I’m impossible to break up with! Well, I’ll prove him wrong! I… I… NO kind of sweet talk will get him out of this!”

In an instant, Wallace held up the Crème de Lune Opéra to Winona’s lips.

“Just like this cake, my dear, our relationship has many layers. Blend it with the coffee, and that’s how inseparable we are! Besides, as rocky as our relationship may be, it holds better than Steven’s,” he whispered. “This cake won’t fall apart, just like us!”

Winona’s twisted reaction earned a howl of laughter from Korrina.

“You know, Wallace is quite the poet!” she said. “It’s hard to find boyfriends like him!”

“Gah… What do you know about relationships, Korrina?” Winona grumbled. “I broke up with this guy once, and he just had to beg to get it back. You would wonder why I’ve been hitting him–”

“You mean hitting on me,” Wallace interrupted.

“Right, hitting on him,” Winona ‘corrected’ herself, as Korrina realised what Wallace had said and laughed at how easy Winona was manipulated. Shortly after, Winona’s face went red with embarrassment and her fist relaxed. That made Korrina’s grin even wider.

As a result, Winona’s arm was forced down and Wallace was spared a fistful for once. Instead, Wallace brought a comforting hand to Winona’s shoulder and offered the rest of his cake to her.

“I bet Winona could learn a thing or two from you, Korrina,” he said. “Hold that thought: are those rollers you’re wearing?”

“Oui,” Korrina replied. “But don’t you think it’s the other way around? I mean, I could learn some things from Winona too. That is, she could start with learning how to use these rollers.”

Whether Winona looked embarrassed or angry, it didn’t matter. The emotions blew her mind, in a way, and she collapsed on the table headfirst. Smiling, Lisia and Wallace continued eating.

“I think Winona has had too much to think about,” Lisia said.

“I quite agree,” said Korrina.

Cynthia couldn’t understand most of what was going on now. On the plus side, at least, she had proven her cake was much better than Steven’s and that customer volume had increased since the event. Yet she could clearly see that people were lining up outside Steven’s bakery for what she guessed was the new Slateport cake he made. Given her coffees in Le Café Sinnoh were also selling out faster than Rayquaza pulling an Extremespeed, she suspected the public was keen to try out the new food on the block.

Not to mention her Oran berry chocolate fondues were selling out too. Maybe these duels with Steven were a good thing! Unfortunately, Cynthia could tell Steven was still bent on annihilating her. Why couldn’t he understand her situation?!

If only he could spare her the benefit of trying out her food too. Actually he did, and he was still rejecting her…

“Cynthia!” Henri cried. “Are you okay?”

She realised she had spilt coffee over her table. Grumbling, she wiped the table with a napkin as she kept sipping slowly. “Yeah… I’m doing fine,” she replied.

Afterwards, she put her face in her hands. Why was she feeling like this? It was all so confusing for her. What was she thinking? It was all because of him that she was feeling like this. If only there was a way for him to make him understand.

If only.

But there was no chance of that happening, because he had made it clear. Steven wouldn’t listen to her, even though he credited her cake; he just wouldn’t stop. After removing her hands to look outside, Cynthia thought, what could she do now? Would things cool down from now on? But that wasn’t going to resolve anything.

And especially when she wanted him to understand.

Sighing again, Cynthia felt like she was in the exact same position as she was when she was two days ago. She almost wanted to cry, but she didn’t want to do that in public. Instead, she felt like going shopping – that would make her feel better! And then she could go watching ‘Vulpix!!! On ICE’ when she got home!

Afterwards, she got out of her seat with a slight smile. Now she wondered what the boutique had in store for her. Now that she thought of it, if she had won that competition at the beach… Argh! There she was, thinking about him again!

Henri soon took away Cynthia’s cup and poured her a fresh cup of coffee.

“You look pretty bad,” he said.

“I know,” she replied groggily. “I need a break again.”

It didn’t help that plenty of camera crews were trying to sneak shots of her in Le Café Sinnoh, and thankfully the crowd of people lining up for her cake was providing some relief. Why, even Diantha and Fantina were busy conducting interviews with the media, needless to say Korrina. As the interviews went on, even food critics were curious to what the attraction was.

But Cynthia really wanted to get away from all that.

Chapter Text

With 70,000 Poké from Steven’s bank account that had been exchanged from cheque to cash, Sophie and Laurent were, for lack of better word, on a date. They were at Cyllage City’s boutique to shop for whatever clothes they wanted. With Martine’s help, the two receptionists persuaded James to let them off early so they could go shopping.

Unfortunately for Laurent, more than half of the money was in Sophie’s power. 60,000 Poké, to be exact. There was only one simple reason for it.

“You need better taste in clothes, Laurent,” Sophie complained, “and I want more for me.”

“What? No, no, I’m pretty sure they’re fine… I mean, you can always buy what you want first and I’ll spend what’s leftover,” Laurent said. He poked Sophie’s nose, which earned Sophie a blush at first, and then she tugged his ear.

They browsed through a huge selection of clothes at the boutique, and taking a look at specials and premium brands alike. Even while they were looking around, news of Cynthia’s victory over Steven spread filled their thoughts. At some point, while Sophie was trying out new clothes in the change room, Laurent patiently sat just outside and thinking.

Just what was he thinking, getting into a competition with Cynthia AGAIN? Laurent thought. Sure, he had heard the rumour that it was the result of Steven challenging Cynthia over who had a better cake or bread or something. Was that necessary though?

The curtain in front of him opened and he looked up. Instantly, his eyes widened. There was Sophie, wearing a button-up shirt with a cardigan. Plus, she was wearing a knee-level skirt with a pair of flat shoes and no socks. Simply put, Laurent looked slightly dumbstruck.

“Well? Well?! Comment puis-je regarder?” Sophie asked expectantly. Her eyes looked serious at first, but she really wanted to know what Laurent thought of her appearance. It was like she was trying to coerce Laurent into saying something she wanted to hear. He looked at Sophie from top to bottom and top again in awe, which earned Sophie a blush.

Unfortunately for Sophie, this was Laurent.

“You’re a… a girl?” he said.

“Wait, what?! Quel homme! Of course I’m a girl!” she replied, and lost for words. She placed a hand over her chest out to steady herself. “L-Laurent, don’t say stuff like that! How could you not know? Oh…”

But Laurent smiled back innocently, and Sophie realised what an idiot she had made herself. Soon, she buried her face in her hands. “Oh, Laurent! You shouldn’t say stuff like that!”

“Your reaction was worthwhile,” Laurent said. His smile still stayed on his face. “You looked really, really, cute in these clothes when you did that.”

That made Sophie even more flustered and she buried her face in her hands again. Her face burned red and a second later, she slapped Laurent in the cheek.

“Agh! I have no idea what to with you!” Sophie shouted.

“You look even more adorable in those clothes when you’re angry,” Laurent added as he rubbed his cheek. To be honest, he was blushing because Sophie did look that attractive in those clothes. That being said, Sophie was blushing so hard that an assistant had to stop by to check on them.

“Are you alright?” she asked Sophie.

“She’s fine,” Laurent answered. “I’m just commenting on how adorable she looks.”

The assistant giggled, saying, “She does look smart in that attire.”

Seeing that Sophie was blushing hard and probably unconvinced, Laurent brushed his bangs away before bringing a comforting hand on Sophie shoulder. He added, “Alright, Sophie, hear me out. You look gorgeous in that outfit. The cardigan really matches the skirt too, and… well, your legs look fine with the skirt and shoes.”

Sophie had relaxed at first and only to gasp a second later. Her blushes became an unsurpassable deeper red and once more, she was lost for words. Now that Laurent just had to mention her legs and how genuinely ‘gorgeous’ she looked, Sophie’s deep blushing had rocketed to record-breaking levels!

The assistant chuckled. “You are so lucky to have a boyfriend like him,” she said. “I bet you’ll buy it now, eh?”

Sophie was still in a state of shock no thanks to Laurent’s comments, and especially when he mentioned her legs! She couldn’t even deny that Laurent was her boyfriend at all! Still, she mustered the courage to stare into Laurent’s eyes through tears.

“I will buy it, but he will get clothes himself that I will approve of!” she shouted, as if that could rid her of all the frustration she was bearing. “These are the eyes of a serious fashion star.”

Laurent blinked once. Sophie just looked too cute with that red face.

“These are the eyes of a girl who is just fed up with her friend’s opinion of her appearance!”

Okay, now those eyes were piercing into Laurent’s soul.

“These are the eyes of a girl who knows what her boyfriend should wear!”

Boyfriend? Wait, what?! Since when did Laurent feel that way?

“These are… SERIOUS EYES!”

Even so, he had to hand it to Sophie that those clothes really looked good on her.

“I’m not – gonna – blink!”

Laurent facepalmed.

Ten minutes later, Sophie and Laurent were at the cashier till to pay for the clothes they amassed. Laurent had clothes, and Sophie was more than eager to wear her new ones. They had the money for them, thanks to Steven! As well, Sophie insisted she and Laurent wear their new clothes together.

So she was wearing exactly what she wore earlier. Meanwhile, Laurent was wearing something along the same lines; in the form of a white crewneck under a blue blazer. With that done, they were ready to buy their clothes.

Oddly, the customer in front of them was taking a long time with her purchase. They then realised that the woman was having trouble storing a ton of clothes she had amassed herself. What struck Sophie and Laurent more was that the woman was in fact Cynthia, accompanied by a Roserade.

“She… doesn’t look good,” Sophie whispered. “What’s she doing here? Didn’t she win the competition?”

“She looks pretty sad,” Laurent whispered. “How can you win and still feel sad?”

The fact was that Cynthia had barely noticed them and after paying for her clothes, she was stuffing whatever she could into something like ten shopping bags. That was excessive! What was going on? Even so, before either Sophie or Laurent could investigate, Cynthia had picked up her purchases and… did not leave the boutique. Instead, she simply went back and started looking for more clothes. Roserade, who was relegated to carrying eight of the bags, followed her.

Laurent and Sophie looked at each other with confused expressions, so they followed Cynthia around for a bit. They hid behind a row of dresses and kept watching what Cynthia was doing. She was picking out other kinds of dresses and placing them in front of her to evaluate the sizes, before going to a mirror and looking at it again.

It was also that the two receptionists noticed in the mirror that Cynthia’s face looked bitter as she looked at herself. “How do I look, Roserade?” she asked.

“Ro-serade!” Roserade said, shaking her head. “Rooooooose!”

“Oh come on, I’m doing just fine,” Cynthia said. “I… You know, you’re right. No dresses. Let’s try tank tops. That’ll probably do it in this weather.”

What the two observing receptionists didn’t count on was that as Cynthia picked out several choices of tank tops, they also noticed she grew sadder by the minute. Tears were starting to stream down her face.

“I c-can’t believe I still lost,” Cynthia sobbed. “I lost to h-h… I lost to him! Why can’t I win?!”

“Rose, rose,” Roserade said comfortingly, as she gently pat Cynthia’s shaky hands. Very soon, Cynthia had made up her mind and went to purchase the clothes she had. She also opted to pick out a pair of strap sandals to go with her picks, which were expensive.

Sophie and Laurent stared at each other in confusion.

“So let me get this straight,” Martine Grenadine said. “So Cynthia was crying after all that mess with Steven today? That might prove something…”

The only private and public place Martine, Sophie, and Laurent could really find was at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro’s bar, À la Mer. While the barman was cleaning glasses, the three of them were at a table to discuss what was going on. Martine was on her break.

“It’s really weird,” Sophie said. “On one hand, we know that Cynthia was just fresh from winning a competition with Monsieur Stone. Oddly, she kept saying she lost! How does that make sense?”

“I don’t get it either,” Laurent added. “Diantha said it, so I don’t see why she’s complaining.”

They kept sitting in silence wondering what to make of the situation. Martine gave a big sigh. The Stone Bakery had a ton of sales of the new Slateport cake dorée and as it happened, Martine was eating one. She had no coffee, though.

“So maybe… maybe… Cynthia just wants to get her point across to Steven,” Martine suggested. “It’s just a hunch, but she might be buying clothes just as some sort of therapy.”

“You mean like shopping therapy?” Sophie said.

“It sometimes works if you’re depressed, AND you have to be a girl,” Martine quickly added when Laurent gave her a strange look. “Laurent. If Sophie does something like that, you should heed her warning! After that, you have to take her out for ice cream! Besides, didn’t you go shopping just now?”

While Laurent remained remarkably calm, Sophie’s cheeks flushed.

“L-Let’s stay on topic,” she quickly said. “Okay, so if Cynthia is really unhappy to the point of crying, then she has something going on, right? If she does have a point to get to Steven, I wonder exactly what that might be.”

“It’s hard to tell since Steven gave an open declaration of war against her,” Martine said. She bit into her Slateport cake dorée. “No wonder Cynthia is feeling so bad!”

“I would think it’s obvious,” Laurent said. “She loves him but she can’t bring herself to say it in his face. Then again, I don’t speak for her, but that’s my guess.”

Martine grinned only just slightly. “I think all she needs is a little push, you know? Something to get her going. But then again, I don’t get why Steven is just blasting away at her. He needs a push too. You know what mean? Right? Right?! Sophie?! I’m talking about lips here.”

Sophie’s face paled as she thought about her accidental kiss with Laurent the day before. That was exactly what Martine was getting at, and she just had to say it, didn’t she?

“Besides, I’m sure you’re going along well, oui, Sophie? With all that cash from Steven, you and Laurent had some quality time, right? You lovebirds sure know where to pick your dates!” Martine added, hoping to poke some fun and making her crack. In Sophie’s eyes, this was bad enough. First Lisia made her crack at her club meeting, and then Martine did the same thing at the beach, and now Martine was intending to do the same!

Thus, Sophie’s face soured and she buried her face on the table.

Roserade was first to arrive at Cynthia’s villa and opened the door for her, even though she was already carrying eight bags. After walking in, Cynthia immediately followed and dropped her shopping bags on the floor. Roserade looked nonetheless concerned when Cynthia didn’t bother putting her bags away properly and instead went to the kitchen. She was fortunate that Garchomp was around to help.

“Gar, Garhomp?” Garchomp asked as she picked up the bags what was going on. Roserade explained briefly about Cynthia’s shopping trip and that was that. The two Pokémon sighed together and went to bring Cynthia’s bags to her room.

Meanwhile, Cynthia left her kitchen for her with a few tubs of ice cream, a box of waffle cones, and an ice cream scoop. Pistachio, chocolate, and vanilla were her flavours of choice this time.

He was to blame.

Him.

It was his fault that she was in this mess now. Her cake was simply the best, and was much better than his. Sure, he fought valiantly, but he just didn’t get it.

The tears started rolling from her eyes and Cynthia was then watching her anime minutes later. ‘Vulpix On ICE’ was airing the much-anticipated ‘Episode 6’ and she didn’t want to miss that. While the episode loaded, Cynthia scooped one of each ice cream onto her cone as the show started.

Elsewhere, Roserade and Garchomp had finished sorting out the bags and were back in time to see Cynthia eat her ice cream through tears. It did not help that as Cynthia watched her show, she was crying tears of joy over the story. Roserade shook her head and set about putting away Cynthia’s new sandals, which looked quite expensive.

Cynthia continued to enjoy her ice cream and anime as much as she could. For now, things were going well with ‘Episode 6’ being as good as other viewers had promised. She ate her ice cream more furiously as she watched her show, and yet still dwelled her thoughts on Steven again.

More tears started rolling down her cheeks. She thought watching ‘Episode 6’ was good, and truthfully to her it was, and ice cream made her feel better. But when Steven’s face appeared in her mind, she was back to where she started.

As a result, she stopped watching ‘Episode 6’ and continued to slowly finish her ice cream. Ice cream to her was one of the best comfort foods she had, so was it doing its job? Her heart felt heavy afterward. By then, her ice cream was finished, and she was left to bury her head in a pillow. The thing was that the pillow was starting to soak up with tears very quickly.

After breathing for a bit, Cynthia regained her cool and went to watch the news. Her anime could wait, and the news would do her a little bit of good. Garchomp decided to serve her a glass of water before joining her on the sofa. Clearly, Cynthia was in a bad mood.

“Hello! It’s time for Gym Freaks, your source for the hottest news about hot Gym Leaders in Kalos!” the broadcast said.

Great. Just what Cynthia needed.

“I’m reporting from a square plaza the community has dubbed “Plaza Median” where apparently the Shalour City’s Gym Leader Korrina is judging the taste of two cakes from – you guessed it – TWO former Pokémon Champions! Cynthia and Steven! We may be reporting for Gym Freaks, but you’re in for a treat! Not only are these three here, but Champion Diantha and Hearthome City Gym Leader Fantina – from Sinnoh, mind you – are also here to judge! This fight should be epic as we see Cynthia and Steven square off for the best cake!”

Cynthia swallowed. She looked up from her pillow and saw herself and Steven hard at work.

“Oh, the smell of hazelnut from Cynthia’s oven is making my mouth water! But that smell of honey… Oh… I can’t decide which would taste better! You can see how the judges are anticipating their treats. Better yet, you can see that fiery passion in Cynthia’s eyes and that love of cooking Steven has in his eyes. That’s a sign, you know! A sign… of LOVE! Even though the way they fight each other doesn’t make sense. You know?”

Was this REALLY what the media have been broadcasting?!

“And those cakes look stunning. My money really is on Cynthia’s, but wait! Steven puts his cake on a coffee! No… Wait… Wow! Cynthia’s cake is stunning! But look at Steven’s! The judges are awestruck! Even so, the eventually winner… is Cynthia! That does it! Just look at the delight on the judges’ faces! That really ought to leave an impression on Steven for sure. This is a SIGN, everyone!”

Cynthia blinked. Her ice cream was long finished.

“But look at Cynthia now. She looks shocked, maybe appalled! She sure looks like she’s taking in this victory sweetly, because she is not smiling! But what do we have here? People are actually flocking to both sides now! These new cakes are all the rage! It looks like even Gym Leader Grant is also grabbing a cake too. Of course, he is always known for that sweet tooth of his, some say.”

But Cynthia had enough and turned off the television. If anything, watching that made her feel worse. Why, she even dared to go for more ice cream after that.

It didn’t help Steven either when Wallace popped by his restaurant with a slice of Cynthia’s Crème de Lune Opéra just for him.

“You see, this is the STUFF that will help you think about things,” he said, while giving Steven a pat on the back. Wow, he just had to ruin Steven’s break, didn’t he? To think Steven was in the clear after all that mess with Cynthia, and now this…

“I already had one, thanks,” Steven said coldly. “It’s all yours.”

Wallace looked hurt. “You loved this cake, right? Look, you can’t treat this cake like you do her!” he complained. “She is not a cake that you can look at and decide it’s not good. You have to try the cake again to make up your mind!”

Steven sighed.

“You can’t compare this cake with Cynthia,” he said. “That doesn’t make sense. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.”

“But they can be substitutes… or compliments?” Wallace teased. “They can be perfect for each other! You know, why must you always be living in denial like this?! You don’t have to fracture your relationship with her, you know!”

Steven swallowed. Wallace making a reference to that old magazine article and Martine like this was enough. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Steven said hotly. “I’m not fracturing our relationship; because there isn’t one! Haven’t you seen our fights lately? You of all people know–”

“Now that’s the point,” Wallace interrupted. “Don’t lose sight of the light, Steven! And her! It’ll be just like this cake! The cake will go bad if you don’t eat it immediately!”

Steven put a palm on his own forehead.

“If you don’t do anything, I will make something happen in the future! That I promise!” Wallace said. “You better act fast! I am your moral support, after all!”

Now Steven had to look down in embarrassment.

“If you don’t do it, the cake will go moldy! If she goes moldy, then you won’t take her at all!” Wallace complained. “Why, if I treated this cake like I would Winona…”

But at that point Wallace had to trail off because Steven took away the cake. “If it means you won’t talk anymore, I will gladly take this cake,” he said. “Now, Wallace, I have business to attend to.”

Wallace made a face. “I’m telling you, Steven! Heed my sage advice! Cynthia will slip from your fingers! And when that happens, she will go moldy!”

“I wouldn’t mind that, actually,” Steven replied. He ended up pushing Wallace out of the bakery just as tens of people were crowding outside in line for a Slateport cake dorée. Oddly, but unsurprisingly, Steven noticed they were all holding coffees from Le Café Sinnoh.

If it meant his business would benefit from this, then Steven couldn’t complain. Who was he to complain? But it was perfectly possible that Cynthia was going to stab him in the back soon. The coffees were a start, but clearly Cynthia’s cake was taking an equal market share of cakes versus his Slateport cakes. At the very least, the Slateport cake did sell for cheaper. Pay an extra 200 Poké, and you can have it served in the dorée style.

He placed the Crème de Lune Opéra at a table inside À la Mer where he could enjoy it slowly and privately. The chocolate ganache continued to ooze out of the layers of the cake when he cut into it.

Just what was Cynthia thinking?

No. He had to stop thinking about her. Something bad might happen if he did.

Chapter Text

Steven didn’t know why, but the square plaza at the end of the road where he had competed with Cynthia twice had been dubbed “Plaza Median” by the community. The media already reported it, and now it was said to be the de facto neutral ground between his restaurant and Cynthia’s.

Cyllage City, being a seaside resort it was, was experiencing one of its usual heat waves that made eating ice cream or drinking cold beverages the ideal thing to do. Of course, Shalour City rivalled its resort-like atmosphere, but each had their specialities. For that reason, Steven and Martine used their break get away from the heat.

But in Plaza Median, of all places?

“This brings back bad memories…” Steven muttered. He looked at the plaza which echoed the fierce fights he and Cynthia had here. Worse, though, was that this area became something like a media hub. No matter the media, be it Gym Freaks or Lumiose Press, they would set up their base here. However, that went without saying that Plaza Median was a public park. It was just that the public enjoyed bringing food all the way from the two rivalling restaurants to eat here.

Steven, who was wearing sunglasses, sighed as he tried to stay in the shade, but there wasn’t a lot of it. The plaza overlooked the view of the ocean and the sun was directly facing it. At most, the shade would be generously supplied by the surrounding apartments, but that was only in the morning.

“Tell me, boss, what’s on your mind, maintenant?” Martine asked.

Steven wiped the sweat off his heat. “Nothing, Martine. Absolutely nothing.”

“Oh come on, I know you’re sweating,” she said. “You could have stayed inside the restaurant, you know! Why did you come out?”

“I just… want something cold out here. Some local specialty,” Steven replied.

It took a brief moment, but an idea flashed into Martine’s mind. Her eyes gleamed, like there was some kind of hope in her eyes. Even if that hope should have died, clearly Martine wasn’t letting go.

“I have an idea, boss! Let’s go for ice cream!” she cheered.

In his bones, he knew Martine had a point. He too was craving an ice cream, and now that Martine had trapped him in his words, there was no way out of it. Whatever escape plan he could think of was gone in an instant.

He HAD no options!

“Um…? Boss? You okay? You’re shaking,” Martine said.

Steven threw a Poké Ball into the air. “Metagross!” he called.

His trusted Pokémon companion appeared before him on the ground. But before Steven could even say a word, Metagross bumped him towards Martine.

“Meta…gross!” it roared.

“Ugh, alright, alright,” Steven held up his hands in mock surrender. “You can go man the restaurant with James for now. I… will go get some ice cream.”

Metagross had a short laugh before levitating off the ground and floated down the street to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. Now more than ever, Steven really craved an ice cream, and he didn’t have the gut to admit it in front of Martine.

The two of them walked down the street away from Plaza Median, albeit briefly. As Steven wondered what kind of ice cream shop Martine had in mind, Martine was staring into his eyes even as she walked.

“What’s on your mind, boss? It wouldn’t be Cynthia, by any chance?”

“No! Nothing like that. I’m just wondering what kind of ice cream shop you’re bringing us to. It better be worthwhile,” he replied.

“You’re in for a treat, boss! No pun intended.”

But the moment Steven had his hopes up for a minute, they were shattered as he realised Martine had dragged him to the doors of La Lune de Chocolat; adjacent to Le Café Sinnoh. Alarm bells were ringing in Steven’s mind, as if he was told to get away as far as he could! Unfortunately, that wasn’t happening when Martine dragged him inside the chocolatier. No wonder she was hinting at him to get a treat, and this was too much.

“No. NO!” Steven cried. It was no good. He was well within La Lune de Chocolat, and escape seemed pointless. “Okay, we’ll make a quick grab for ice cream, and then we’re out.”

He looked around anxiously and hoped that she would not appear. As it happened, the cashier was giving Steven odd looks.

“Why are you wearing sunglasses inside, monsieur? It’s very strange,” he said.

Steven shook his head. After deciding on what he wanted, which was ice cream on a cone, he took out the cash and prepared to pay.

But then she appeared. Her hair was as long and platinum blonde as Steven remembered.

“Something the matter? I… Oh,” she said. Her voice faded upon seeing Steven and Martine.

“Salut, Cynthia,” Martine greeted. “Don’t mind us! We’re just here for ice cream!”

“Sure, sure,” Cynthia muttered. She looked as down as ever; and if not dull, she looked drained. “I was just testing out ice cream bars, so maybe you would like a taste?”

While Martine looked at Steven expectantly, Steven tried his best to look away. He couldn’t look at Cynthia, no matter how pretty she looked. Wait, did he just admit she was pretty? No, he couldn’t have. He was already locked up in his mind with nowhere to run…

“Boss? Um… You’re starting to look pale…” Martine whispered. “Oh! You must be ready, right? Show off your true feelings…”

Now that got to him.

“Martine, no,” he said. “I…”

Cynthia interrupted Steven’s words by holding up an ice cream on a stick, which was covered in a simple chocolate and almond shell. “This one’s on me. You’ll be the first to try it, so I hope you’ll like it.”

Martine stared at Cynthia first, and then Steven. There was only one cream bar!

Ooh… I see what you’re getting at, Martine snickered in her thoughts. You’re really trying to win him over, oui?!

Steven looked hesitant as if it was a trap. He remained mostly silent while he eyed from Cynthia to the ice cream and back to Cynthia again.

“Look, ice cream will not hurt you, alright? It’s only sensible to eat some on a hot day like this,” Cynthia added calmly. “Besides, you’re sweating.”

“Ooh! So you can notice these things, Cynthia! That’s amazing!” Martine remarked. This remark almost caused Cynthia to blush, were it not for Steven’s behaviour.

As for Steven, he brought a hand to his forehead and hair to wipe off a bit of sweat. Was he sweating that badly? Seeing there was no way around it, he reluctantly took the ice cream from Cynthia’s hand.

“Merci,” he quietly thanked.

He felt awkward afterward after doing that and wanted to leave the chocolatier soon. But it didn’t help at all that Martine was taking her time choosing an ice cream she liked (she was debating on whether to have the grenadine flavour or not). Steven, who couldn’t take more of Cynthia’s presence, walked out.

“I’ll be at – what did they call it – Plaza Median, Martine,” Steven said. He walked out first hoping to lose Cynthia as fast as he could. Cynthia meanwhile looked confused as ever, but decided she was better off helping Martine first before, dare she say it, check on Steven.

“What can I get for you, Martine?” Cynthia asked. “Actually, Garchomp can help you here.”

Martine remained undecided between wanting the grenadine ice cream or not. However, Cynthia had something else weighing on her mind, and she wanted to rid of it quick.

The sun was blazing down mercilessly on Cyllage City and Steven had no idea whether to be grateful or not to Cynthia for the ice cream. Even though it was hot, the ice cream and the chocolate shell covering it surprisingly hadn’t melted yet. It was like it could stay in direct sunlight for the better of eight minutes and still wouldn’t change.

Now that he was at Plaza Median, he went to find a place to sit. Fortunately, the plaza had plenty of benches available but not so many with shade. Nevertheless, Steven found a comfortable seat facing the ocean where he could enjoy some peace.

Still, he looked at the ice cream bar in his hand. It was tempting to eat, but temptations like this could have consequences.

For what it was worth, this ice cream bar could be poison. Cynthia might be quietly assassinating him!

Ugh, Steven. What are you thinking?! You can’t… he thought to himself. Was he really getting this flustered just because Cynthia gave him an ice cream bar? He sighed. Just what could he do right now? One option was to simply eat the ice cream in this hot and sunny day…

He hated her.

“That looks nice,” said a cool but cheerful voice; one Steven did not recognise.

He looked up to see a girl standing in front of him, who looked no older than he was. She wore a top with two shades of purple, with a matching skirt and boots to match. Her platinum blonde waist-length hair fell down her back. It rivalled if not surpassed that of Cynthia’s! What did stand out was that she wore an earring bearing an insignia familiar to Steven.

“Um… Indeed,” Steven replied. He was slightly starstruck by her appearance.

“But why are you staring at it?” she asked. “You know ice cream melts if exposed for too long. Oh, let me guess. Did your girlfriend give that to you?”

Steven’s eyebrows rose. Now just hold on a minute. Who was she to ask about his personal life? She was a stranger!

“That’s not your concern,” he replied calmly. “Then, may I ask, qui êtes-vous? I don’t believe we have met.”

Now she sat down beside him. “My name is… Astrid. But I know who you are, Steven; there’s no need to introduce yourself. Your name has been all over the media for at least ten days straight.”

Steven smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”

With the ice cream bar in his hand still not melting, Steven went on to eat it. The combination of almond and chocolate was a nice mix, but it was the creamy vanilla that took the spotlight. Astrid looked at him carefully.

“You don’t even have a girlfriend, do you? In spite of all that attention, you really don’t have anyone, do you?” she said. “You were a Champion, after all.”

“It’s just a matter of finding someone who matches my interests,” Steven replied. “I’ve retired from battling, at least, so there’s no hope there.” He swallowed. How did he become this open with someone? Was it because he needed to talk with a fresh face, or something?

Astrid grinned. She winked at him.

“That doesn’t mean you still can’t battle though, yeah?” she said.

“But what about you?” Steven asked. “Are you experienced?”

“I’m actually very experienced. I did make it to the semi-final, after all.”

Now biting off another chunk of ice cream and savoured its flavour, Steven lowered his hand. “That’s impressive. You must be quite a competitive girl.”

Now Astrid’s smile grew wider. “You sound confident, and I could show you if you like.” She reached out for a Poké Ball in her pocket, and that was when Steven remembered that he had sent out Metagross to the Stone Bistro already.

“I don’t have any Pokémon with me at the moment…” Steven started.

For her own reasons she could not explain, Cynthia went out to check up on Steven. Her justification was that she wanted to know what she thought about the ice cream. Surely he could at least appreciate a cold treat on a day like this.

Plaza Median, he said to Martine. Now there was only one place that fit that description Cynthia knew too well. To try to keep herself concealed, she tied her hair back in an extra-long ponytail and wore sunglasses. That should keep some public eyes away from her. Equally, she was wary that someone might recognise her.

For that reason, Cynthia had mostly been keeping to walls, corners, and behind lampposts. She had to ask him in private what he thought of the ice cream.

As she made her way past the Stone Bakery, she sadly looked at the business it was embracing. Customers were happily enjoying the improved Slateport cakes along with iced coffees. How did those go together? Cynthia did not want to ask.

But as she thought of approaching him, a thought struck her. Why would he even bother with her? He did declare he would come for her in the most hostile way possible.

Why did she care so much? Was it still possible…?

She thought, No way! I don’t feel that way about him! Do I?!

Now Cynthia felt more frustrated than ever, but also wanted to have a word with Steven. Would her ice cream really impress him?

Martine had finally made up her mind and decided not to have grenadine-flavoured ice cream and instead went for chocolate. After Garchomp had helped her with the ice cream, she walked out of La Lune de Chocolat and towards Plaza Median. Steven had to be there, since he had no choice. Of course, Martine could count on him not being there either.

The cone was in her hand as she walked and was impressed that in spite of all this heat, the ice cream was retaining its rigidity. It looked appetising too, so she was eating it as she walked over to find Steven. Fortunately, it wasn’t that far.

That was when Martine saw Steven sitting… with a girl!

What is this? Is that a friend of his? Martine thought.

But before Martine could get a closer look at them, Steven and that blonde-haired girl stood up and walked a short distance away from before facing each other.

Civilians backed away, and Martine knew this, when they realised a Pokémon battle was imminent. The blonde girl tossed a Poké Ball to unleash a fearsome Absol while Steven had, somehow, Metagross back on the field.

As Martine kept her distance watching the battle and eating her ice cream, she tried to get a better look at Steven and the girl. Steven had an empty ice cream stick in his hand, the girl was wearing mostly purple albeit with platinum blonde hair to rival Cynthia’s –

Oh wait. Could this be a sign?!

The girl’s Absol clashed with Metagross blow after blow, but they tried their best not to destroy Plaza Median along with them. Not wanting to draw attention, Martine walked a little closer and took a seat to watch the battle.

“Meteor Mash!” Steven shouted.

“Shadow Claw!” the girl shouted likewise.

The two attacks traded blows and shook the atmosphere. It was a wonder how the shock did not shatter the windows of nearby buildings. However, the sight was worthwhile to watch. It seemed like it had been a while since a Pokémon battle had occurred here, and even Steven looked like he was enjoying himself.

After recoiling from the blow, the Absol landed flat on the ground on its feet, while Metagross returned to its position near Steven.

“You’re pretty good,” the girl called. “You’re strong, but you noticed something on me, didn’t you? You know what this is?” she pointed at her earring.

“I’m surprised you have one,” Steven answered. “I have one that hasn’t been used for a long time. I don’t have a choice but to use it now, do I?”

Martine was confused at where the conversation was going. Then, she was spoken for when the Absol became a blinding light and changed form. The Absol looked different, and stronger-looking. Likewise, Steven had something similar happen to Metagross where Metagross also changed form. It didn’t look that much different, but it was more agile now.

“Let’s see who does better in a mega battle!” the girl said. “Don’t hold back on me!”

“We’ll see!” Steven shouted. “Meteor Mash!”

Metagross took to the air and started plummeting towards the Absol like a meteor. The girl reacted by having the Absol strike back with such strength and agility that the air felt like it had torn. The tremors could be felt almost all over Cyllage City.

It was those same tremors that caught Cynthia off guard. Where did they come from? This place was not very earthquake-prone. Based on that, and Cynthia’s experience as a battler, there must be a Pokémon battle going on. The magnitude of it was a different story.

There was a cloud of dust that had shrouded Plaza Median by the time she had arrived there. When Cynthia walked in, she could clearly notice a clearing where a battle had been. People had backed away so everyone else could see, and Cynthia saw two Pokémon: an Absol and a Metagross in the “mega” forms she had heard about.

But Steven was the only individual Cynthia knew would have a Metagross. Right after, Cynthia’s fears were justified. Steven became visible once the dust had cleared, and he looked more energetic and, dare she say, alive than she had ever seen him.

Realising that she was still in the open, Cynthia quickly blended herself in to the atmosphere by taking a seat on a bench while keeping Steven in sight. It seemed that Steven was the victor of that battle, which was obvious as the Absol was knocked out. Cynthia though was focused on what was in Steven’s hand, which held an ice cream stick.

Frankly, Cynthia was surprised that he had eaten it at all. At first she thought of asking him straight, but she decided against it after. Steven might see her as a stalker if she did that.

Then, she watched the other opponent approach Steven after the Absol was recalled.

“That was pretty fun,” Astrid said. “You know, you’re pretty strong as they say! Former Hoenn Champion, eh?”

“Thanks,” Steven replied. “Metagross has been my most trusted partner, though. And thank you. It’s been a while since I’ve had a battle like that, and I’m impressed! You’ve shown some skill.”

He went over to take back his seat near the bench, like he was exhausted. To his surprise, Astrid sat beside him.

“I suppose that’s one thing we have in common, eh?” she said. “Trainers like you are really hard to come by, and I haven’t had a decent battle like that since my semi-final. Say… What do you say we do it again?”

She looked at Steven expectantly, which brought an awkward sense to him.

Noticing that, Astrid quickly added, “I mean, not now! I meant another day! You know we can’t battle after something as intense as that!” She smiled and looked to the ocean. “So why did you stop your career?”

“I felt like I was getting to that time,” Steven replied. It felt like a while since he had shared to someone about these feelings; the last people being Wallace and the current Hoenn Champion. “I couldn’t be stuck in the League forever, and I wanted to do something I really like.”

“Like cooking?” Astrid said smugly.

Steven laughed.

“Not exactly,” he replied. “I really like mining for rocks of all kinds, but I discovered cooking on the way too. That’s another story, though. What about you?”

“Just training will do me,” Astrid replied. “One of these days, I’ll get to unseat Diantha from her Champion’s position and I’ll be the next one, for sure!”

Steven chuckled. “I would toast to that,” he said. “Though, to be honest, it has yet to be dinnertime.”

Just saying that caught Astrid’s ears. She looked as if she understood something implied.

“Oh, are you suggesting we have dinner tonight?” she asked. “But then again, you’ve cooked in the plaza against someone here a few times, haven’t you? A change of pace wouldn’t hurt.”

Being faced with two related but fundamentally different questions was not what Steven had counted on. Then again, Steven thought it wise to answer them separately.

“I’m not saying we should have dinner,” Steven said. “But I’m on break and I still have to work.”

“Then… you don’t mind if I talk with you later?” Astrid asked. She gave Steven a nudge.

“Not at all. Still, I would be down for another Pokémon battle,” Steven said. “Having a fight like that brings me back to old times. I could teach you a few things if you like.”

Astrid looked heartfelt and placed a hand over her chest. “I would really much like that! Plus, that would make you my mentor, right? I actually would like you for that. So why not? Feeling the nostalgia already?”

Steven had to look the other way.

“I’ll think about it, Astrid,” he said.

After Astrid and Steven had parted ways and left Plaza Median, it happened that another certain platinum blonde in sunglasses had been eavesdropping on the conversation. She had been sitting right behind Steven just a few paces away.

Is he…? No, he couldn’t be…! Cynthia thought. So Astrid is her name, eh?

She watched Steven retreat back to the confines of his restaurant, so Cynthia was left by her lonesome in Plaza Median. If only she had the gut to ask him straight about her ice cream, things would have been smooth. But she couldn’t do it while Steven was talking with that Astrid girl.

Now that she had walked over to where Steven had sat, she noticed something oddly familiar. There was a finished ice cream stick lying flat Cynthia recognised from Le Café Sinnoh. There could be no doubt as she picked up the stick to examine it. Either he finished the ice cream, or he gave it to that girl to eat – no way, he wouldn’t!

Her wrist began to convulse.

Chapter Text

Cynthia had been walking back and forth inside her villa for at least ten minutes non-stop. She was clutching her jacket in frustration as tears streamed down her face.

She had all reason to hate him. First attacking by attacking her since day one, to his declaration of hatred, and now there was that girl…

Why did Cynthia even bother caring for him at all? If anything, he probably liked her ice cream because he had finished it. As she paced around, she kept staring at the empty ice cream stick in her hand. But Cynthia felt like she had lost again.

It was for that reason she was trying to get through the rest of ‘Episode 6’ of ‘Vulpix on ICE’. That was the easiest way she could get out of her predicament. More ice cream for herself was in order.

Quite unfortunate for Roserade and Garchomp, they were staring to get used to seeing Cynthia in this state and did what they could to make her comfortable. While Garchomp got to putting away Cynthia’s jacket and giving her a blanket, Roserade prepared a cup of tea for Cynthia. It was made from boiling water and the insides of an Aspear berry together with the skin of the berry to add extra flavour.

She passed the cup to Cynthia, who was busy eating chocolate ice cream and was already halfway through a tub. With a spoon in one hand, Cynthia kept eating.

“This episode is so good…” she said with tears still streaming down her face.

Roserade shook her head and offered the cup directly. She pointed at the ice cream, saying, “Rose, roserade,” in a stern tone suggesting Cynthia should stop. Cynthia sighed and went to drink the tea. Nothing was going to stop her from finishing up ‘Episode 6’!

But as she sipped the tea, she found it extraordinarily sour, yet why was it so tasty? Could it be…? Cynthia glanced at the chocolate and the tea. She had an idea to work on! As she finished crying over her ice cream and finishing ‘Episode 6’, she got the confidence to head back into the kitchen. Roserade and Garchomp, who were curious, went to spy on what Cynthia was up to.

Cynthia had no options.

She had to fight back.

The next day, Martine Grenadine was finding it weird that Steven was behaving somehow normally for once. Ever since he had that battle with that platinum blonde yesterday, he was in higher spirits. It was like he was a refreshed man.

It was exactly that that was putting Martine on edge.

“Boss…” she whined. “How could you?”

If Steven could, he would have dismissed Martine to doing her usual duties. But for some reason, the Stone Restaurant and Bistro was not busy today, even though it was the weekend. Steven supposed it would get a lot busier in the night, but for the time being he had to deal with Martine’s questions.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Martine,” he replied calmly.

“Oh come on, don’t you have any idea what you’re doing to her?!” Martine said back. “That ice cream… you could have at least said something.”

Steven flashed a humourless smile. Now that Martine was no longer being an irritant on his love life, he thought he could get some peace. Unfortunately, it appeared that his plan was backfiring on him. Between that predicament and trying to fight off the competition (Cynthia, of course), where did that leave him now?

“That Pokémon battle was enough to get me motivated again,” he said. “I guess I just needed some adrenaline in the heat of battle.”

Seeing her efforts were getting nowhere, Martine shook her head. “Well, you’re missing out, I’m telling you! You won’t get another opportunity! If you didn’t care so much, you wouldn’t have known that she had created something new and tasty today!”

That caught his attention, so Steven gave Martine the go-ahead.

“Laurent and Sophie… they were eating what looks like a tasty dessert,” Martine explained. “It’s all the rage! It’s something that is outselling Cynthia’s cakes and your cakes today! That’s the rumour.”

Steven looked away.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to see what’s going on,” he said. “Want to go scout – I mean – see what she’s up to?”

Was there ever a time Steven had asked Martine to go out with him? This seemed like a first for the nineteen year old redhead. Normally she would be dragging him out. It was no wonder Martine was happy to do so, but she was a little more conscious of Steven this time.

They went out and found a crowd had gathered at the entrance of Vue sur la Lune. On that basis, it was unlikely that whatever it was, it would not be found at the chocolatier or the coffee shop. Great. Just great. That would mean they would have to eat there. Steven followed Martine quietly into the marble-and-glass lobby.

In his eyes, he couldn’t believe was back in enemy territory, and was given a seat on the fourth floor – just under the roof. For the most part, he kept his head down and prayed that Cynthia would not see him, or the media for that matter. He wore not sunglasses this time, which made him uneasy.

“Bonjour,” Martine greeted.

“Bonjour,” the receptionist replied. “Combien?”

“Deux,” Martine said.

Steven breathed a sigh of relief that Cynthia was nowhere in sight. Maybe this lunch would turn out nicely after all. As he and Martine went to their table, he took note of what the customers were eating. It looked like some kind of chocolate mousse, but thicker. Was that the craze around here?

He and Martine took their seats and had only water to start. Now for once, Steven would have to pay for a meal at Vue sur la Lune. No longer would Cynthia have to treat him as if it was some kind of pity –

“Boss? You okay?” Martine said.

He snapped out of his thoughts. “Yeah. Just fine.”

The waiter looked at Steven suspiciously before taking out his pen. “What would you like, monsieur?”

Steven glanced at the tables around him. “May I ask what is it the other tables are having? It looks pretty delicious.”

“Ah, that is the chef’s latest creation,” the waiter replied. “Chocolate purée infused with Aspear berry – La pluie de chocolat. It is an excellent dessert, which I recommend served with the salad de poisson au Qualot.”

Steven didn’t know what to say. He knew Qualot berries were known for their spicy, sweet, and sour flavour. Just how would that pair with a fish salad of all things? Before thoughts formed in his head, Martine was already ahead of him. She had ordered two apiece.

Sitting together with Martine like this was bringing back some bad memories Steven had.

“Avec un verre de vin blanc, s’il vous plait, ” Steven ordered.

Now Martine smiled. White wine paired nicely with salads, so was Steven really going all in with this? Or was he just playing games? Nevertheless, she knew Steven was more interested in the dessert that awaited him – or was it a dessert at all? She placed her order and got talking with Steven.

“Having fun already? You know, I’m really flattered that you’re taking me out on a date, but I’m not ready for a relationship yet,” she teased. She knew that would unnerve him. “What? You’re not thinking of choosing me? I would be flattered.”

Steven stared back at Martine. “Okay, okay. We’re not going there. I don’t have time relationships, and if you think it is possible…”

“It isn’t,” Martine said smugly. “Your heart is with someone else.”

“My heart is… Now just hold on!” Steven said quickly. He looked flustered. “My heart isn’t with anyone! If there’s anything, it would not be with her. Maybe I’ve found someone else.”

But he played right into Martine’s hands. She wore an amused smile as she rested her elbow on the table to support her face.

“Ooh. But does that not mean that someone would be her?” Martine said. She was having too much fun. “Let’s be honest here. There isn’t anyone else.”

“I still have time to look for someone–” Steven started. “Someone who really shares my interests. You know, there might be someone who isn’t Cynthia that fits that description.”

Martine realised where the conversation was headed.

“Attendez… Who was that girl you met yesterday?” she said cautiously. “You know, that Astri–”

“Okay, before you say anything, I have no time for relationships,” Steven quickly said. “That girl was a championship semi-finalist. I was just itching for a battle; nothing more. Though I have to admit, she did get me an appetite for battling again.”

That left Martine confused as her Qualot fish salad and Steven’s arrived at their table. The waiter presented Steven with the bottle he was using before pouring some of the white wine into Steven’s glass. However, Martine noticed Steven was surprisingly silent.

“Let me guess… love trouble? Are there too many girls pulling your heart in different directions?”

“Now what would make you think that?” Steven’s reply was automatic. “Bon appétit, Martine.”

The two of them only picked up their forks and started to eat. The savoury and sweet flavour of the Qualot berries paired nicely with the fish, and was a pleasure to eat.

When Henri Matin was not working in Le Café Sinnoh, he would spend some of his days training to be a server in the main restaurant. Given the length of time he did customer service, it wasn’t that hard to adapt to. It gave him a different view of the food and beverage industry.

Today, however, was one of those days that gave him an amusing light of his employer.

“What is he doing here?” Cynthia whispered to Henri, urgently.

“Oh, you didn’t know? He and his… friend wanted to drop by for lunch,” Henri replied. “I thought you of all people would know.”

“Don’t go there.” Cynthia was annoyed. “What do you mean, ‘he wanted to drop by for lunch’? What did he order? How long has he been here? What was the precise time that he and his friend arrived?”

Henri raised his eyebrows. Cynthia was overthinking things, clearly. The information system at Vue sur la Lune was capable of tracking down orders including the time they were taken, so why didn’t she check that? Otherwise, Cynthia would have to ask the respective server who was handling Steven’s table over there.

“I suspect the order was carried out already, but if you must know, you will have to ask his server,” Henri replied. “It looks like their food has arrived.”

“What?!” Cynthia almost shouted. “Why wasn’t I told about this? Whoever was responsible was supposed to tell me! Why wasn’t I told?”

“Not that you ever mentioned that either…” Henri muttered, before raising his voice. “It seems they have ordered a fish salad, so it seems completely normal.”

“Anything else?”

“I suspect they’re here to try out the purée you created,” Henri added. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to try it? It’s all the rage, one after the other. And you know, I thought the fondues were the talk of Cyllage, and you surprise us with better cakes. Is there no end to the surprises?”

But Cynthia was not listening because she had hurried off to the kitchens. While Henri wouldn’t question his boss, he suspected Cynthia must have something personal reason why.

Sure enough, Cynthia was in the one of the kitchens where an Aspear berry and chocolate purée was just ready for service. Upon her arrival, the cooks and servers were curious why Cynthia was here to see this one dish through.

“It looks ready,” Cynthia said to the servers. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this one.”

“Hmm… I know that Steven is sitting out there,” the waitress said. “Cynthia! Is there a reason why you have to serve this one yourself?”

Cynthia glared at the waitress who dared mention Steven’s name. It was too late, however, because the staff all wore smug grins or soft chuckles. With shaky hands, she took the two bowls of chocolate purée and carried them out.

She was catching the eyes of several customers she passed. However, she kept her mind focused on getting these to him. The presentation was good, with the purée retaining its thick but soft texture, but was distinguished by the bubble in the middle. Somehow, the clear liquids of the Aspear berry were separated from the thick purée, like oil and water, but it was all contained in the bubble.

Sighing, Cynthia took out the dishes out to the Steven and Martine. Two orders of Pluie de chocolat.

“Your desserts…” she mumbled.

“Cynthia! What a pleasure to see you!” Martine said cheerfully. “You know, it’s been a while since we’ve had a meal here.”

“And I seriously thought you would never set foot in here again, not that I wanted you to,” Cynthia kept mumbling. She did her best not to look at Steven as she placed the bowls down. The purée was served in typical soup bowls, but it was a dessert nonetheless.

Afterwards, Cynthia walked away without saying another word.

It was such behaviour that caught Martine’s eyes.

“You know, the only time people would ever look that down is if there’s someone on their minds…” Martine said, hoping to poke some holes in Steven’s mind. “She looks deeply saddened.”

Steven scoffed. As if Cynthia had reason to feel sad! But what reason would there be?

“Would it be because she knows you and Astri–?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that,” Steven quickly interrupted. “But still, she isn’t too bad personally. Would you believe she asked me to be her mentor?”

Martine stared at Steven, and said, “But that would mean spending more time with her!”

“To be fair, she’s not that much older than you, if not younger,” Steven added. “Besides, am I not spending time with you? Cynthia can clearly see that.”

Now Martine was silenced, and answered nervously, “Um… That’s different.”

She and Steven turned their attention to the desserts in front of them. It looked odd, with the thick chocolate purée encircling the liquid-like bubble. Incredibly, it looked like they were as separate as their properties permitted; yet it looked like they could blend together at just the slightest disturbance.

With a spoon, Steven scooped a bit of the purée and examined it before tasting it. Martine did the same thing.

“Mm…” Martine hummed. “The blend of milk chocolate, a touch of dark, and… Oh gosh, I can’t even describe it!”

“The purée is infused with Aspear berry,” Steven explained, after swallowing. “There’s that tiny bit of sourness and gently balances the flavour of the dark chocolate but does not overpower the overall sweet taste of chocolate.”

He looked at the dish again.

“But that was only the purée and not the Aspear bubble in the middle,” he went on. “Somehow, Cynthia managed to separate the purée and the so perfectly…”

Both he and Martine gave the bubble a poke, and instantly the bubble burst and juice was being absorbed by the purée around it. Normally, this would have appeared unappetising, but this purée was different. There was something really tempting about it.

Now curious, Steven and Martine gave the dessert a taste.

The sweet and sour flavour was like painting a beautiful drawing. The design of the drawing was beautiful in its own right, but already, Steven and Martine could tell that adding paint to it would bring it to life. That paint was what was missing.

So Martine mixed in watercolour paint, and brushed against the canvas delicately. Steven stood alongside her and did the same. Normally, this should have been a job for one artist, not two. Yet it seemed that the colours Steven picked complemented Martine’s nicely.

Unexpected, yes, but welcome.

From the looks of it, it was truly a whirlpool of colours. They colours blended together yet were independent in their own right.

“So this is what has been taking away my business…” Steven muttered.

“Personally, I think it’s really yummy,” Martine said. “Did you notice she served it to you personally?”

“Um, Martine, if you’re trying to imply something, I –” Steven started.

“Oh come on, boss. I bet you have this dark hole in your heart right now,” Martine said. “This purée is trying to speak into your soul! She is what completes you…”

“I will want nothing to do with that strange woman, not unlike you,” Steven bluntly said.

While placing a palm on his forehead, nevertheless Steven kept on eating the dessert. He had to admit that Cynthia had done a brilliant job infusing the flavour of Aspear with the chocolate. However, how much more could his business survive if this kept up?

Yet… Steven could detect there was more to the dish that what was on the surface. He dug underneath the chocolate purée to find a pie crust. How peculiar. At his discretion, he tasted it on its own, and then with the purée.

It was delicious, yes, like the sort of bitter flavour one would get from dark chocolate. The flavour of Wepear berry worked too well with the chocolate. It was like… the Wepear berry crust could not be left alone without the purée to go with it.

It was sad. It was like seeing someone who needed a shoulder to cry on.

It was raining, and Steven was returning home with an umbrella in his hand. He walked past the streetlights in the dark, with the rain falling all around him and splashing against the ground.

As he walked, he noticed a familiar face up ahead just standing by herself in the rain. She had no umbrella, and neither was she wearing a coat of any sort. It was Cynthia, no doubt, but what was she doing? Her face was buried in her hands.

Steven stepped closer, and the closer he got to Cynthia, the more audible her cries were. She was sobbing nonstop. Alone.

Perhaps it would have made sense to at least comfort her, or ask what was going on. But Steven remained silent, as he was unsure of what to do. Instead, he brought his umbrella to shield Cynthia from the rain, and stand beside her.

“You okay?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

But Cynthia didn’t answer, and instead rested her head against Steven’s shoulder and kept crying.

“Boss? Boss!” Martine waved her spoon worriedly in front of Steven’s eyes. “Steven! You’re spacing out!”

But Steven sat there emotionless, and had continued eating the purée. He remained quiet for the most part and waved at the waitress to get the bill.

Confused, Martine started on her purée too. For her, it was as delicious as Sophie’s expressions promised. Then, when she got to the Wepear berry base, she couldn’t stop eating it with the purée. However, even Martine could sense there was something more to the taste. But Steven… he only wore a still face. Words failed him.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Martine,” he said, like he came back to life. “It’s nothing, I assure you. I don’t know what came over me.”

But Martine had other ideas. Instead, she drew a grin. “I bet you have something going on, eh? So I was right after all! This is a dish that is speaking into your soul! Any feelings? What’s on your mind?”

Steven put down his spoon after finishing what was left of the purée. Martine noticed, furthermore, that Steven had completely cleaned off his plate. There was not a crumb of tart shell left, neither the purée.

“I think I’m ready to leave, but I suppose this meal wasn’t too bad either,” Steven said. The bill eventually arrived and Steven paid the appropriate amount of Poké, with tips. “Now I see why this dish became popular.”

A short distance away, Cynthia was observing Steven’s interactions the whole time. This moment was perfect. Now that Steven was all the way in her restaurant, she could press her counterattack, and sent out Garchomp.

“You know what to do,” Cynthia ordered. “I don’t care how you do it, but it must be done. There is no time to waste.”

Garchomp looked concerned for Cynthia, just like Roserade did, but went to carry out her task as instructed. Just what did Cynthia have in mind? As Garchomp left, Cynthia saw to cleaning up Steven’s table.

Cynthia wore a tired face, but she was nonetheless tense. She clutched her jacket. Was it really a smart decision she had made? But there was no turning back. She had her reasons to hate him, but also had many more reasons to envy him. Her mind was in pieces.

First there was that Astrid girl, and… No. There was no way Steven would try to get into a relationship with Martine. Even Martine’s personality spoke for itself. Rather, Cynthia wondered just what kind of games Steven was playing. Plus, she wondered if Steven would meet up with Astrid again. Could it be that he has eyes for Astrid?! Was it because Astrid looked younger?

Why did Cynthia care so much for Steven, anyway? She couldn’t bring herself to answer that.

Chapter Text

Steven had been wearing that same expression ever since he had tasted the Wepear berry shell with the la pluie de chocolat. It was strange, like he wanted more of it. However, at the mere thought of Cynthia, he desisted. Instead, he kept walking towards his restaurant.

“Oh come on, boss. What’s on your mind?” Martine asked.

“Not much,” Steven replied. “I just can’t get over how Cynthia made that dessert.”

“Oh, I see…” Martine said playfully. She was catching onto something. “Aimes-tu sa cuisine?”

“Non. Certainement pas!” Steven replied quickly.

Martine kept grinning. She had lured Steven into her trap. “But I could tell you loved it, otherwise you wouldn’t have finished off the plate. There’s something more than what you’re saying…”

But before Steven could interrupt and before Martine could continue, they were greeted by a crowd that had amassed outside the Stone Restaurant and Bistro doors. That didn’t look right. Quietly, Steven and Martine slipped their way past the crowd and tried to get to the front.

What is going on here? I have a bad feeling about this, Martine thought.

Sure enough, James d’Arc and Sophie were at the doors keeping the people out. Whatever they were doing, Steven figured they must have their reasons. He already knew they weren’t good.

“Qu’est-ce qui se passe?” Steven asked James.

James gave Steven a worried look and motioned him to the door. Martine followed Steven into the lobby where Laurent was directing staff around the lobby as well as directing others to À la Mer (the bar), the Stone Bakery, and the museum. Customers were still in the restaurant, but no one else could come in, which worried Steven.

“Laurent, qu’est-ce que –,” Steven started.

But Laurent quickly pulled Steven and Martine away to the kitchens at the back of the lobby. He looked worried, but at least unshaken.

“Let’s talk about it as we get to the kitchens,” he said. “The restaurant is in chaos. Less than an hour ago, the restaurant experienced a loss of power. Fortunately, the kitchens and grills aren’t completely dependent on electricity, so we can keep serving the current customers.”

He stopped briefly to let Steven and Martine take in the news before walking into the kitchens.

“We haven’t checked the cause of power loss yet, but for safety reasons, James decided to close off the restaurant for the rest of the day,” Laurent continued explaining. “Plus, it will be almost impossible to serve anyone at night.”

The kitchens were looking very dark and the kitchen staff were doing their best to serve remaining orders of the day. But Steven understood that working in these conditions wasn’t welcome. With the elevators not functioning, it would be dangerous to serve customers in the above levels. Certainly, anyone dining at the terrace would have little problems.

So James had been smart to close off the restaurant, Steven admitted. However, this meant that dinner hours was impossible tonight. It would also mean that closure would carry into tomorrow so the repairs could be completed.

“Right, then let’s get some work done,” Steven said. “I want you and Sophie to check for anything suspicious regarding the power system. I probably should give an apology to the people outside.”

“Ooh… Boss!” Martine piped from beside him. “You’re pairing Laurent with Sophie? I mean, of course it was bound to happen, but I didn’t think you wanted their relationship to go that far!”

Laurent looked the other way, because the nineteen year old redhead had forced his face to redden. “Martine…” he muttered.

The receptionists made their way to check out the power system while Martine was sent to oversee the stock in the refrigerators and freezers. Whatever food they stored had to be relocated immediately into new storages.

Elsewhere, Steven had to apologise to the angry or confused customers waiting outside the doors. For one thing, he had to explain the situation but not say too much, and on the other he was aware the media was here too. For what it was worth, he had to be careful.

“Tout le monde, I would like to apologise first due to an unexpected power failure we suffered…” Steven started his public address.

Soon enough, after the public were dismissed and Steven had returned to his darkened restaurant, Sophie and Laurent returned to the lobby to give a report along with Martine. James had returned to overseeing the necessary closure operations (restaurant, bakery and museum alike) except for À la Mer, which was left to the barman.

“Ooh… you’re back already, vous deux?” Martine said smartly to Sophie and Laurent. “Tell me, did you two have a moment?”

Sophie’s face went blank, unsurprisingly, at Martine’s question. Her heart was pounding, her ears were ringing, and her mind was shutting down…

“If we did, Martine, you wouldn’t be first to know,” Laurent quickly said. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Sophie!”

If Laurent thought he managed to tease Martine, he was mistaken. Instead, Martine only drew a grin that suggested he had given her something else to build on.

“No, no, that’s perfect. Don’t let Sophie down! Besides, she looks like she’s about to collapse,” Martine said as she laughed. “The look on her is priceless!”

Sophie was flustered, no doubt, and her misery was spared when Steven intervened.

“So what’s going on? Find anything?” he asked.

Laurent gave a look to Sophie before looking at Steven. “It appears that several major fuses, if not all of them, were sabotaged. We’ll have to repair it if the business should continue. It looks suspicious, as if someone just waltzed in here and destroyed them…”

Steven held up a hand for Laurent’s silence. “It’s fine. I’ll have someone repair it by tonight. What about you, Martine?”

The redhead’s smile faded a little, as she had to be serious. She reported, “We’re moving everything needing refrigeration to a hotel’s emergency storage. It’s not the best, but we have only one other alternative, which is using Vue sur la Lune’s freezers. However, that would complicate things.”

“Alright, keep at that. I’m going to investigate the fuse box,” Steven said. “I’ve let the public know we are not operating tonight, but we have to ensure we survive this mess today.”

The staff of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro could not have acted swifter to safeguard the refrigerated food. Elsewhere, the barman had finally closed off À la Mer, and both the Stone Bakery and the museum were closed too. All Steven had to do was call in someone to repair the power grid and all would be well.

Except that when he looked at the fuse box, he found that not only were the switches turned off, but they were turned off permanently. All switches were off and the fuse box was damaged such, it couldn’t simply turn on again. There were some scorch marks and also claw marks on the box… and also on the wiring itself?

Permanent was an understatement. It would seem like his restaurant would never function again. What was the cause? He knew of nothing that would. First, it had to produce fire. Second, it had to have something sharp (claws, preferably). Third, it had to be able to sneak in stealthily unnoticed.

Wait… This was a familiar feeling. It was the same feeling he got when Cynthia stole his wines. Intuitively, Cynthia was to blame. Besides, didn’t she have a Pokémon with sharp claws and could breathe fire?

“Hey, boss…” a soft voice spoke into his ear, which startled him and made him jump. That, in turn, made Martine Grenadine laugh. “Oh my gosh, boss! You look adorable when you’re surprised!”

Steven’s face went red, and it was impossible to tell if he was angry or embarrassed. Granted, Marine would never try flirting with him, since she deluded herself thinking a relationship between him and Cynthia was possible. If only she knew who was behind the power outage, she would understand, but she probably wouldn’t believe him.

“Martine… We have a lot of work to do. First, get Sophie to ring up a technician and repair the power. I’ll close the restaurant for tomorrow, and James will cover everyone’s wages with the insurance company.”

“He is our accountant, after all,” Martine replied. “Right, so I’ll get that done. By the way, can I ask you something, boss?”

Before Steven even had a second to react, Martine was already two seconds ahead of him. “So how old do you think Astrid is, anyway?” Martine asked. “Did you ask her?”

Martine really had to bring this up, didn’t she? Astrid’s image formed in Steven’s mind as he thought about how old she was. Her slenderness, combined with that platinum blond hair, and two shades of purple… Wait, he had account for her dressing style too. That was a factor. With the amount of Pokémon battle experience Astrid had…

“I would guess around sixteen or seventeen, so she’s almost as Lisia, if not you,” Steven replied. “She has plenty to learn in the art of battling. If you want, I can ask how old she is for you.”

Martine looked surprised, saying, “No way! Wouldn’t that make you, like, strange? You’ll make me look foolish! Besides, that will make you creepy.”

“And I guarantee it will happen unless you get to work right now,” Steven said with a slightly evil smile. At that, Martine let out an exasperated breath before walking away. Since when did her boss start playing politics? Steven continued, “And are you caring about my image? You’re too kind.”

Now Martine was left confused more than ever, and after she left, Steven summoned Metagross. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“Okay, Metagross. Here’s what I want you to do…”

As head chef of Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia was obligated to remain until closing. Her feelings were bitter and she carried a slight weight of guilt in her mind. Nevertheless, business was looking good as she was experiencing a higher-than-anticipated volume of customers.

Plus, it helped that servings of la pluie de chocolat were flying out of the kitchen in record numbers. Within the hour, and it wasn’t even dinner hours yet, the staff reported to Cynthia that they had exhausted the supply of purée ingredients. More of the popular dessert would have to wait until tomorrow. Fortunately, Cynthia could count on her other desserts to satisfy demand.

Crème de Lune Opéra, different kinds of cheesecakes (like Unova cheesecake), and of course her chocolate fondues were at the front line to satisfy the customers. Still, Cynthia knew that if she really wanted to satisfy them, she was going to have to keep a good supply of la pluie de chocolat.

As she busied herself with the kitchen operations, a waitress popped by the kitchen with an order. “Deux pâtés au vent. Une Crème de Lune Opéra,” she said.

“Right away,” Cynthia said.

Her kitchen staff were already hard at work trying to get the two pâtés out while a slice of the opera cake was being served. Cynthia had to credit her staff for serving the cakes so quickly, because recreating the five-layer cake multiple times was not easy with the time crunch.

In addition to the base flavour in the paste, which was made of a selection of meats, the paste was dressed in herbs and spices from Cynthia’s choicest growers in the southern Kalos area. If the pâté was done right, the dish would be as refreshing as a walk in the springtime. As a foundation for the pâté au vent, Cynthia had toasted thin slices of baguette and served it with the pâté on top. With a dressing of olive oil and vinegar, the dish was complete.

Baguette.

That bread was a key ingredient in the Stone Open she tasted last week…

“Chef,” one of her staff said. “You alright?”

“No problems here,” Cynthia replied.

She delicately, but quickly, placed the pâtés on the respective baguettes and waved to the waitress who came back shortly later.

“Service!” Cynthia called. The dishes were taken out to the customers, and at the same time Cynthia went to clean her station while the others prepared the pluie de chocolat.

Except that while the cooks were preparing the dessert, they ran into some serious issues. So serious, the sous-chef had to hurry to Cynthia to break the news.

“On a un problème ici,” he said.

“Oh, how bad can it be? What’s wrong?” Cynthia asked, albeit she started to worry.

“On n’a pas d'eau. C'est pour ça qu'on ne peut pas faire le dessert,” the sous-chef said.

“WHAT?!” Cynthia screamed. “Let me check!”

The report was that there was no water in the kitchen, and as Cynthia went around checking the taps there was no running anywhere. How were they going to operate without water? It would be impossible to serve customers at this point.

“Arrêtez de cuisiner! Immediately!” Cynthia ordered. With a Poké Ball in hand, she released Milotic and ordered, “Help clean the dishes with what water you can supply. Please!”

Milotic blinked but went about to her business cleaning the dishes with the staff. Cynthia meanwhile had rushed out to check the washrooms if the sinks had any running water too. As she feared, there wasn’t any.

She had not felt panic like this before. It was worse than the time Steven had stolen her berries. That reminded Cynthia: why should she even bother with him anyway? He was out to get her and bring her business down!

Worse yet, the same fate had struck Le Café Sinnoh and La Lune de Chocolat. Without water, the staff were unable to prepare drinks or any kind of food to serve. Cynthia, still in panic, advised that the café and the chocolatier shut down for the rest of the day. That same had to go for the restaurant above.

She returned to the restaurant afterwards. To her unsurprised disbelief, the sous-chef was talking to customers whose faces showed nothing less than disappointment. From that, Cynthia guessed her sous-chef was apologising on her behalf, but that responsibility was her own.

“I’ll take it from here,” she told her sous-chef.

“I’m already done,” the sous-chef replied. “Go see to the others. I’ve been apologising to everyone that our water system has problems so we can’t serve them today. Plus, I’ve been writing vouchers for everyone so their next meals are on us.”

Vouchers.

Steven never wanted them, did he?

“Cynthia?”

She snapped back to reality. “Uh, yes, that should be the right course of action. I’ll investigate the cause of the water failure, but we may have to close tonight and tomorrow so we can repair the system. Keep writing out vouchers, for the time being.”

There were only a handful of fortunate customers who managed to finish their lunches before the predicament and were paying already. That took some weight off Cynthia’s shoulders, as she had more pressing concerns to deal with in the water supply.

It took a long time to talk to each customer. By then, Cynthia had made a phone call to have a technician investigate and repair the damage.

The water supply just doesn’t stop like that, she thought. We’ve paid the bills, so perhaps there was a pipe leak altogether or something. But it can’t be a leak, or otherwise the whole restaurant would have flooded.

It was puzzling as she thought of it.

But as it happened, there was a slight tremor in the building before a rupture appeared behind the restaurant. Still in panic mode, Cynthia rushed to the back to find water blasting out of the ground like a geyser.

NO! Cynthia screamed in her mind. She reached for her phone to first call the technician to press the urgency, and then the municipality to report on the damage. Lastly, she had to ensure everyone at Vue sur la Lune was well evacuated.

No doubt, she would have to close the restaurant until the situation was dealt with.

Within the hour, Cynthia was tracing the areas which had lost water to the source. From washrooms and kitchens to the ground beneath the restaurant, she also made sure the water main was turned off to prevent any further flooding. To do this, she had to manually close the valve, so the water would stop gushing through the rupture.

By the afternoon, Cynthia was giving a public address to the media outside the front doors to apologise, and then carefully explain what had happened and when the establishment might open again. From the way things were, Cynthia estimated a day or two.

Spearheaded by Viola and Alexa, the public had a barrage of questions Cynthia was more than happy to answer. However, at some point, something was bound to strike back.

“Is it a coincidence that Steven has just suffered something similar, Cynthia?” Alexa asked. “His restaurant’s power is down.”

“I – I wasn’t aware of that,” Cynthia said. “Never mind. All you need to know is that Vue sur la Lune will not be operating for a little while. The cause is still under investigation and we have little details at this time”

“Is it true that there’s a love rival around who’s messing with you and Steven?” Alexa asked.

What did that have to do with anything?

“Oh! Cynthia! Is there someone else who has eyes for Steven?” another reporter said. As Cynthia’s face started to sour, Viola was mindlessly taking repeated pictures of the expression.

Now Cynthia wished she hadn’t answered Alexa’s initial question. “Um… That’s enough with the questions. Good day.” With that said, she turned around and started to head into the restaurant. Garchomp, plus some café staff, were holding off the reporters while Cynthia went about her business.

Steven… It was more than probable that he was to blame, but she had no way to prove it. Nevertheless, she walked around her restaurant to check out the water main and where water had been bursting out of the ground. The ground was partially flooded, but she could enter from below her restaurant to investigate the causes.

The technician she had called in was already doing his work, and had come back to Cynthia with a report.

“It seems the water main broke due to corrosion,” he said. “That’s as plain as I can put it. It must have been left in here for a while to break that quickly.”

“But I would have expected some warning signs,” Cynthia argued. “Plus, the water main was inspected last month.

“Mademoiselle Cynthia, unless you’re suggesting the corrosion would have somehow just accelerated, or if the inspection was a bust, then I don't see any other alternative,” the technician said. “I’m just doing my job. Anyway, the repairs are going to cost you.”

“Je comprends,” Cynthia replied. “Merci. ”

According to the technician, there was a large amount of rust on the pipe which may have caused the main to break. Rust does not accelerate unless it was forced to dissolve and corrode again to quicken the process. Manipulation of molecules was a possibility, but that meant someone had to have broken in in the process.

Manipulation… Didn’t that require some kind of power to do so? Psychic power probably would fit the profile. Otherwise, some sort of advanced chemistry would have been the cause. However, Cynthia knew of no chemists who had a vendetta against her; and certainly not regarding her restaurant.

However, she knew of no Pokémon in the area that would intentionally wreck her water supply. Unless if her Spiritomb went rogue, that seemed unlikely too. Who else would use psychic power around here? It would have to be someone who was targeting her.

It seemed there was only one other who would do that. Some sort of metallic beast having psychic abilities.

By sunset, the street which Cyllage City was known for the restaurants was dark as for the first time in weeks. Neither the Stone Bistro nor Vue sur la Lune had their lights on, whereas only the street lights and the sunset brought limited vision to the street. To add to the lifelessness, the museum, bar, bakery, coffee shop, and chocolatier were all closed.

It seemed like disaster had hit Cyllage City in a slow way.

“Normally, I would have loved to have bought desserts for us, but that’s not happening. I’m too busy, and the restaurants are dead,” Viola remarked.

“I thought you were supposed to publish your findings with Alexa?” Grant asked.

“I’ve already passed them to her,” Viola replied.

Korrina mildly grimaced at the street though. She said, “It’s not the same without the drama we get from Steven and Cynthia, though. I saw the news though: is it a coincidence that they both happened to have problems?”

Grant shrugged. He continued walking with Viola while Korrina was roller skating behind them.

“I suppose not,” he said, “though ironically I wanted to eat at the Stone Bistro tonight. I heard Steven had a curry special going on, but I’ll have to wait for another day.”

“Besides, I was hoping Diantha would show up today,” Korrina added. “She would have forced Viola to buy ice cream for all of us.”

Viola made a face.

They were about to walk past La Lune de Chocolat when Korrina quickly pulled Viola and Grant aside to hide by a lamppost.

“Dang it, Korrina! You almost broke my camera!”

“Shh! Be quiet, Viola!” Grant hushed.

Upon looking, they saw Cynthia walk out of the front doors of Vue sur la Lune. She looked tired, but as it happened Steven was leaving his restaurant at the same time.

Their eyes made contact.

Their gazes changed instantly from expressions of shock to death glares. The two chefs slowly began walking in the same direction to their homes, but they never broke contact.

“Ooh! This is too good!” Viola said, as she brought her camera out and started taking pictures.

Eventually, it seemed Steven couldn’t handle it and he crossed the street to talk with Cynthia. He was too far for Viola, Grant, and Korrina to hear, but he seemed to be arguing. His hands were in the air, and Cynthia answered in almost equal manner. In fact, their talking turned to shouting and they were barely audible now, but not enough.

Whilst Viola was mindlessly taking pictures, Grant and Korrina continued observing the scene.

Now Cynthia appeared to take off her shoe and slam it onto Steven’s head. But Steven reacted by ducking before grabbing Cynthia’s weapon-bearing arm. He soon let go, and he left Cynthia by her lonesome as he headed home.

Cynthia put her shoe back on before walking to her home.

“Wow,” Grant and Korrina said together.

Chapter Text

With business now grinded to a halt for the day because of electrical repairs, Steven found himself with nothing to do. James was managing the insurance issues so the Stone Bistro staff could get compensated with pay, but Steven essentially had a day of vacation. Fortunately, it was the end of the weekend, so it was normal for the regular weekday staff to take a break.

He sat alone in his villa thinking what he and Cynthia had argued about just yesterday. Long story short, he accused Cynthia of wrecking his power supply. Cynthia didn’t deny it, but instead accused him of permanently damaging her water supply. When he didn’t deny that, he and she got into an argument.

They argued so badly, and that was when Cynthia nearly smashed her shoe against Steven’s head. Thankfully the strike didn’t connect.

But now Steven was left wondering where he was at now, with her. It seemed like an endless conflict, and he would not rest until she surrendered. On the plus side, he did create some innovative dishes – but as always she would have something to even the odds.

He had to get his mind away from cooking. Again.

His phone rang.

“Bonjour,” Steven greeted after picking up the phone.

“Bonjour, Steven!” a cheery voice greeted him on the other end. Steven almost smiled. “Um… Just wondering, tu as le temps aujourd'hui?” she asked. In other words, did Steven have time?

“Yes, j’ai le temps,” Steven replied. “I’ll see you soon, Astrid. Where shall we meet?”

They met at Route 8 where Steven normally went mining for rocks at the cliffs. For today, Steven was not here to do that. Instead, he found himself in the familiar atmosphere of Pokémon battling: a profession he had retired from and now was a mentor to this girl.

Unofficially, that is. The point was for Astrid to get more experience against highly competitive Pokémon, but meanwhile Steven could break from cooking and battle. Perhaps he could even train Astrid, so did that mean he accepted her as his student?

That was exactly how Astrid saw it.

“Dark Pulse!” she commanded.

“Too slow! Bullet Punch!” Steven said.

It took a fraction of a second for Metagross to deal a successful blow before Absol could counter or evade. Astrid looked surprised at the quick blow, as Absol recovered to stand on its feet.

“It’s not just about strength and power,” Steven said. “Anticipation and wits can get the best of anyone. I thought you would have known that.”

Astrid slightly blushed. “Hey, it’s not like I rely on brute force… mostly.”

“Says the one holding a Mega Stone,” Steven replied. “Meteor Mash.”

His comment embarrassed Astrid, but she kept her form and commanded a Megahorn attack. The contact between the two Pokémon shook the air around them, but thankfully not enough to cause a nearby rockslide.

The battle was in Steven’s favour. He had the power and the speed to do so.

“How well do you know Absol’s limits?” he asked.

“I would say pretty well,” Astrid replied. “Shadow Claw!”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Steven said, but it was too late. Absol shot at Metagross with full force with darkened claws. He credited Astrid was trying to get at Metagross’s weaknesses, whilst probing for weak points on Metagross she could use to her advantage.

Still…

“For someone who made it to the semi-final, I was expecting more,” Steven added. “You should have a measure of what kind of weaknesses Metagross has before you act.”

“Kind of hard to do in the heat of battle…” Astrid replied.

Absol made contact with Metagross but the recoil caused Absol to bounce back. The damage done wasn’t enough to slow Metagross down as it maneuvered above Absol and struck with Meteor Mash from behind.

“Your Absol is already exhausted, and judging from how you’ve battled last time and today, I can surmise your style is a little reckless,” Steven added. “And you said you don’t rely on brute force?! Unlikely.”

Astrid, who took offence to this, shouted, “Keep pressing on, Absol!”

Steven sighed. If Astrid was really going to look up to him as her mentor, she should really start listening.

Absol loaded a Dark Pulse and shot it towards Metagross, but Metagross easily broke past the pulse with Meteor Mash and tore right through to Absol, and made a direct hit. Absol collapsed.

“I don’t believe it!” Astrid shouted.

“That is where you fail…” Steven replied loud enough for her to hear, while facepalming, as Metagross returned to his side. “Well done, Metagross.” Meanwhile, Astrid had stepped forward to check Absol’s condition before recalling to its respective Poké Ball.

Afterwards, Astrid and Steven walked closer to the shore where they could find a place to sit on the sand. Steven, who had packed food, offered to share his lunch with Astrid realised she didn’t bring anything to eat.

“Oh! You’re too kind, but seriously, I think I can do without lunch…” she said.

“If you insist,” Steven replied. His lunch was made of fish fingers he cooked at home, which were coated in crushed onion-flavoured crackers and bread crumbs, and mixed with dill and lemon zest. They were pan-fried altogether and he made a lemon sauce to go along with it. To complement the fish, Steven also had pan-fried potato cakes to go along with them.

In short, he had packed the whole meal in a glass container and opened the lid now. The smell of dill, fried fish, and potato wafted into the air and the scent would have made anyone’s mouth water.

That included Astrid’s.

“Um…” Astrid shifted closer to Steven’s side so she could look at the food more closely. Their shoulders touched. Her face looked bitter.

“Are you sure you don’t want any?” Steven offered again.

“I’m sure, I’m sure. Go ahead and eat,” Astrid replied.

Now in this uncomfortable predicament, Steven brought out a set of chopsticks to dip a piece of fried fish into the lemon sauce and then to his mouth. Biting on it, the crackle and crunch of the fish’s batter rang through the air.

“Ugh…” Astrid groaned. She held her arms to her stomach.

Steven finished eating the fish and started on a potato cake. The texture of the potato was soft to look as it was to eat. It was fried nicely, but just enough that it wasn’t hardened. Afterwards, Steven finished the potato cake and was about to start on another piece of fish when he heard Astrid’s stomach grumble.

He couldn’t help but laugh a bit. When was the last time he had laughed?

“Wait, what?” Astrid said.

Suddenly she found the lunch was in her hands. Steven pushed the chopsticks to her hands.

“You can’t fight properly without a meal,” Steven said. “It’s all yours. I can make more at home.”

Astrid, who looked touched, happily accepted the meal and started eating. It took one bite of the fish for her to realise how hungry she was, and another to realise the food was simply delicious.

“Oh my gosh! Steven! This is too good!” Astrid kept on eating the lunch until the fish was done with and she heartily ate a potato cake too. However, she found one was enough for her and she gave the rest to Steven. “Um… Sorry if I ate all the fish.”

“What matters is that you had something to eat now,” Steven said. He started on the rest of the potato cakes. “I would be a terrible mentor I didn’t look out for my… uh, part-time student.”

Astrid looked evermore touched and covered her mouth with her hands excitedly. She even rested her head on Steven’s shoulder.

“Aw… So it’s official! We’re in a mentor-student relationship,” she said.

Steven almost shuddered at the use of the word ‘relationship’. Admittedly, Astrid wasn’t too bad to look at, but that didn’t imply he had feelings for her, right? But resting her head on his shoulder was kind of pushing the context of ‘relationship’ in a way he didn’t expect.

“Um… Steven? You okay?” Astrid glanced up at him.

Her voice broke his train of thought.

“It’s nothing, really,” Steven replied. “One more thing. I wouldn’t stress the word ‘official’ too much. After all, I’ve retired from battling now.”

“But that’s the point of mentoring. You pass on your skills to your student so your legacy won’t die. For what it’s worth, you’ll indirectly be the new champion of Kalos!”

Steven had no idea how he was supposed to react. It seemed like Astrid was pushing the relationship like an avid fangirl. Still, who was Steven to argue when he just agreed to teach her? He would have his work cut out, but at least he could live like the old days (which, frankly, was not too long ago) once in a while.

He used his chopsticks to lift a potato cake to his mouth, and as he ate, Martine’s question came to mind.

“By the way, how old are you?” he blurted out before realising it.

The question caught Astrid off-guard. Astrid looked at Steven curiously. “Why would you ask that? You’re not implying something inappropriate, eh?”

“No no! Not in the slightest!” Steven quickly added.

But Astrid ended up laughing. “Oh my gosh, Steven. You’re so funny! I can’t believe how jumpy you are today. If you must know, I am sixteen.”

She sat upright once more. “I’m glad you could share your lunch with me today, so it’s only fair I give you something back.”

“No no, it’s fine,” Steven replied. He packed away the lunch container and his bags. “I think you can repay me with another Pokémon battle. More mentoring wouldn’t hurt.”

Astrid walked around and kicked the sand as she was thinking. “Nope, Steven. There has to be something… I’ve made more than enough money from battling as a fighter… You treated me to lunch, and for free, no less. Oh, I know! How about I treat you to dinner? Maybe not today, but tomorrow?”

Steven stared back. Thankfully, he had swallowed his potato cake.

“What?!”

Normally in her free time, Winona would have taken to the skies as she wished to explore the location. However, dragging Wallace around was a price she had to pay, and in the end she resorted to walking instead. Whilst Wallace wanted to walk on the beach, Winona wanted to get out of the city.

So after a pointless argument and classic Wallace charm, Winona punched him in the face. Wallace, who complained to Winona that slapping was better, also asked why she had been punching him ever since Lisia made a harmless misinterpretation of her actions.

“My dear, this is all a misunderstanding!” Wallace said.

“Don’t lie to me!” Winona shrieked. “I’ve always been punching you from the day we started dating! And then you had to go sweet on everyone!”

That reminded Wallace to never bring Lisia on his dates again.

“Anyway, I think you have been sticking around Steven too often,” Winona said after rubbing her fist. “Why are we in Cyllage City again? I thought we were on vacation!”

Wallace grinned. “We were, but now my best friend is now in need of romantic support. I only have to model his relationship off ours, and he’ll be sure to get Cynthia!”

“It’s the sort that makes relationships not last,” Winona muttered under her breath.

At least, she could get some sun and also enjoy quality food. If only the chefs weren’t Steven and Cynthia, her vacation would have been more enjoyable. Plus, Wallace got to play around with Sophie and Laurent and by some miracle turned their co-worker relationship into a romantic one. She wondered how much more she could last when Wallace had practically the world as his oyster.

They continued walking out of the city to Route 8.  After passing by the cliffs, Winona and Wallace were walking along the shore. It seemed that Wallace got his wish to walk on the beach after all. All Winona hoped was that she could put Steven’s issues to rest, so that she could enjoy time with Wallace in peace.

Oh, how she wished.

“Do you see that, my dear? I spy my friend…” Wallace whispered.

“And I smell something fishy,” Winona added sarcastically.

“How smart you are! I do smell fish in the air,” Wallace agreed, which forced Winona to facepalm. As luck would have it, he and Winona saw Steven sitting down with someone who was not Cynthia. Rather, it was a girl who looked younger and more attractive; at least, that was how Wallace saw it.

It was that sort of opinion that was driving Winona mad, but at least Wallace held her back before she could explode.

“But let’s be honest. I thought he had eyes for Cynthia, but now he’s looking for someone younger? That’s bold of him,” Wallace added. “That’s weird of him.”

Winona was hoping Wallace could leave Steven alone for at least a day, let alone talk about him.

“Let’s go get some ice cream,” Wallace said.

“You can’t. Cynthia closed down today, remember?”

“Then how am I supposed to break the news?”

For that reason, Winona slapped him. For her, it felt good. For Wallace, it was an improvement over the ‘usual’ punches he got. Nevertheless, they kept quiet and walked away to leave Steven with that girl. As far as Winona cared, Wallace was trying to ignite some sort of jealousy within Cynthia, and no way was she going to let Wallace do that at this point.

It did not take long for Winona to drag Wallace back to Cyllage City.

Incidentally, they passed by Laurent and Sophie who could not work today. As if Winona was annoyed enough already that Wallace was too easily distracted!

“My friends! How have you been?” Wallace called out to them. “What does it feel like to be out of work? It feels great, doesn’t it?”

Both Sophie and Laurent stared at Wallace as if unsure what to say. Was Wallace telling a joke? Or did he have some ulterior motive to his enigmatic personality? The thing was that he was usually unpredictable, unlike Steven.

“If you mean–” Laurent started.

“– that you are enjoying quality time together, then I do not blame you at all,” Wallace interrupted. “These things take time, you know! Go on, go on, no one’s stopping you.”

Sophie, uncomfortable as she was already, dragged Laurent away before something bad could happen. That painful memory of kissing Laurent, thanks to Wallace, burned in her mind and caused her to blush, and was more than happy to get away from Wallace.

Walking together with Laurent, Sophie talked about what to do with the club trophy they had won together at the Château. Laurent had possession of the trophy, and it wouldn’t be long before they had to return it.

They eventually got to the edge of Cyllage City and were about to turn around when they saw, in the distance, their boss. Steven was his way back from Route 8 and he was talking with a girl, dressed in mostly purple, who looked younger than Sophie.

“What… Who…?” Sophie started.

Quickly, Laurent pulled Sophie aside to hide behind a lamppost. They kept quiet to take a closer look at the platinum blonde talking to Steven. For the first time in a while, Sophie and Laurent saw Steven actually smile. Did it have something to do with this girl?

Eventually, Steven and the girl parted ways, with Steven heading in the direction of his villa.

Sophie looked up at Laurent, who answered with an equally confused expression. What was going on with their boss?

And incidentally, Cynthia herself was passing by the boutique when she saw Steven and Astrid part ways in the distance. Suddenly, she felt a stinging cold ripple through her body upon seeing Steven. She felt she had every reason to be angry at him, and if closing his restaurant wasn’t enough, Steven had found something else to do.

It had to do with Astrid again! Steven could find the time to exact his unrelenting attack on Cynthia, and yet could live worry-free. If Cynthia didn’t know better, she was jealous of him; jealous that he could treat his life so casually.

Yes, the la pluie de chocolat had achieved its success in fighting off Steven, and to the point of even getting him to have some himself! But he had no reaction to it, and that poised to fuel her hatred against him.

In spite of his restaurant shutting down for a day, the irony was that Steven looked better off.

Cynthia’s wrist didn’t just convulse, but grew tense from her hands clenching into fists.

Chapter Text

The following morning, both the Stone Bistro and Vue sur la Lune were open for business again. However, the reopening was overshadowed by two things. First, Viola’s published photos in Lumiose Press on Steven and Cynthia’s pointless argument the other day. Second, the media had been publishing Steven’s battle with Astrid in the papers, broadcast, and television speculating Steven’s demise in the culinary world, not to mention his relationship with Cynthia.

Nevertheless, Martine was getting worried for her boss. Steven had been smiling way too often lately and if Martine didn’t know better she would have thought something had happened to Steven. He was looking unusually happy.

This is like a bad TV romance, or even a bad fanfiction, Martine thought. It was like Steven and Cynthia were actors in a story and the audience – no, the story – was pushing for them to be together. From the looks of things, that wasn’t happening.

There were plenty of customers lining up for lunch in the lobby where Sophie and Laurent were handling them one sitting at a time. The restaurant was in full service. The bar was operating as usual, as well as the museum and the bakery. If anything, Martine could say things were back to normal.

However, she suspected the media coverage had something to do with the increasing business. Right across the street, Cynthia was enjoying a boost in customers too on her part. Her pâté au vent was a popular hit in addition to her fascinating desserts so Martine was told. As Martine recalled, the pluie de chocolat was a success, but the Crème de Lune Opéra was by far more popular.

As Martine arrived in the kitchen, she found Steven serving out two plates of Stone Open and one plate of Stone Accolade. Honestly, it felt like a while since Martine had had one serving of these herself, but that could wait another day. The customers came first.

Before she could make her way to the terrace, Martine snuck a glance at her boss once more. Steven was working hard, so was there something else on his mind? This behaviour was strange.

Across the street, it appeared Cynthia was faring worse. The popular Kalos magazine infamous for its cover of her and Steven’s ‘apples and oranges’ relationship had taken files from Alexa and published Cynthia’s words. The pictures of Steven and Astrid didn’t help, and neither were the ones showing Steven and herself arguing. Now it seemed Cynthia’s public life was on the knife’s edge.

So far, it seemed her comeback was working. Customers were pouring into her restaurant once it had opened again. Perhaps the extra publicity could be appreciated, but it didn’t help that a third of customers were journalists and photographers. Couldn’t they just leave her alone?

It was so bad, Cynthia couldn’t bear to walk out in public. Instead, she had isolated herself in the kitchen where she belonged.

Thinking back to their argument the other day, she thought back to Steven’s accusations against her. However…

She knew he had eaten a la pluie de chocolat and wanted an opinion. But instead, he reacted by accusing her of spying for intelligence and demanded an explanation why Garchomp destroyed his power grid. When Cynthia said Metagross was to blame for the water damage, Steven did not deny it.

Instead, Cynthia changed the topic back to the la pluie de chocolat. She said she saw a fire in his eyes when he ate it, but he simply brushed that topic off. That was when she attacked him with her shoe and demanded an answer. He reacted by catching her arm.

“You won’t win!” he shouted.

That was when he let go of her and went on his way.

She regretted trying to attack him with her shoe in the first place.

“Cynthia! Attention!” her fellow cook cautioned.

Cynthia snapped back to her senses and quickly let go of the ladle she held. The soup she was making was stirred excessively, and not only was the soup not thick, but there was soup splattered over her station.

“Oh… Sorry,” she apologised.

Her business was holding off strong, and at this point Cynthia was expecting the coming night to be even busier. She hadn’t made any new dishes so far, and knowing Steven, he would be out to get her if she did. But if only he wasn’t on a rampage, her life would be easy.

She cleaned off the sides and went to restart making her soup. Still, she absentmindedly dwelled her thoughts on Steven once more. Only this time, she was thinking of Astrid too. Mentally slapping herself, Cynthia went on to carry on her work.

Why was he so hard to talk to? Thinking back to the countless fights she had with him, she figured he was impossible to reconcile. If the la pluie de chocolat didn’t work, she was going to have to fight for her life. But the anger she felt wouldn’t let her go.

Personally, it felt like being pushed to the edge. All it took for Cynthia was one more little push, and she would be ready for war. Astrid was one thing, but Steven was clearly on the warpath. Cynthia wasn’t ready to fully retaliate yet, so perhaps there was a chance to calm things down.

This was only her fourth week of business, after all.

By night, at Vue sur la Lune, Cynthia finally had a grip on herself and began to cook more effectively. Orders were going out one by one, and customers couldn’t get enough of dessert.

 In the midst of making desserts, she caught a whiff of nostalgia why she enjoyed making them. They were tasty, sweet, and carried her unique styling that was impossible to replicate. Combined with her popular coffee, she held a firm grasp on the dessert market here.

She watched a customer, namely Fantina, being served a coffee along with a slice of Watmel berry cheesecake with a garnish of lime and basil. It seemed odd that a herb would accompany a sweet flavour like Watmel, but it seemed like something. Plus, it was one of Cynthia’s less known albeit tasty desserts.

“Bonsoir, Fantina,” Cynthia greeted as she passed by. “Good to see you again.”

“Pareillement, Cynthia,” Fantina said. “How have you been?”

“I should be asking you that!” Cynthia laughed. “I didn’t expect you’d be here tonight! But life’s been steady so far. Making a living off food is something!”

Fantina scooped a bit of her cheesecake and held it before her eyes. “Speaking of which, this cheesecake is not bad. The flavour and style is different than those Unova cheesecakes you served before. It’s nice and fluffy.”

Cynthia smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. It’s not every day I get a compliment off of something from the regular menu. Shall I interest you in a smoothie to go with it?”

“At this time of day?!” Fantina laughed. “Je voudrais un café.”

“Of course,” Cynthia said. She walked away to prepare a fresh cup of coffee for Fantina, but as she took a few steps, Fantina waved for her attention.

“Oh, and I would like to know: did you invite Steven tonight?”

Cynthia froze. “Why would you ask that, of all things?”

“I just saw him walk in,” Fantina muttered as she watched from the window beside her.

She spied him walking in with a companion, and she had an idea who it might be. Meanwhile, Cynthia briefly panicked but regained her composure afterwards. She brushed her hair back and went downstairs to avoid suspicion. Normally, she would have made a phone call to the foyer, but given her situation right now….

Cynthia was back in the familiar marble and glass surroundings of the foyer. With the alleged Steven out of sight, she waved down a receptionist. But before she could ask anything, the receptionist was one step ahead of her.

“Chef! Did you know that Steven Stone just walked in here?” he said.

Cynthia knew better than to give herself away, and replied, “No, I – uh… What a surprise. I thought he wanted to stay away. Is he seated?”

“Oui, and with his friend too,” he said. “Wait… Are you jeal–?”

“No!” Cynthia hastily added, but walked away to look for him. This was not good, that he was here. Now. With someone.

Cynthia didn’t have to go far to look for them, because she passed by Henri who wanted to talk. Henri was serving customers tonight, and he was just bringing two plates of salad – a fancy Lumiouse-style salad and a more rustic local style salad, both dressed in their respective dressings and fruits.

“Ah, chef, are you looking for Steven? He’s seated at the top floor. I happen to just be serving these,” Henri said. However, he was surprised that Cynthia went walking without a word.

Instead, Cynthia clutched her chest. Her breathing was shallow. She had a feeling that if Steven came together with…

No.

Cynthia couldn’t bear to think about it.

However, by the time she got to the roof her worst fears were confirmed. Somehow, somehow, Henri arrived there before she did. Lo and behold, the salads were served to Steven and… No doubt.

Her.

Astrid.

Cynthia’s chest became tight, and her breathing became shallower. Standing on the side, Cynthia looked convincingly unsuspecting, but she was eyeing that table. Henri had just placed the salads before Steven and Astrid, and afterwards it appeared he was having a conversation with them. Rustic-style for Steven, fancy style for Astrid.

She clutched the collar of her jacket even harder and wondered what to do. On instinct, she advanced toward the table and wished she hadn’t done that. Henri had just walked by her, and now Cynthia was left by herself to approach Steven and Astrid. No turning back now.

“Bonsoir,” was all she could say.

Astrid’s bright eyes met hers. On the side, Steven wasn’t sure what to say. He was expecting to see Cynthia at some point, but he hoped against hope Cynthia would show at his table.

“Ooh! You must be Cynthia,” Astrid said casually, albeit cheerful. “Bonsoir.”

“I trust you’re enjoying your dinner?” Cynthia asked.

“Certainly. I had an exhausting exercise yesterday and I owe Steven here a meal,” Astrid replied. “It’s not every day I get to eat here. Plus, your salad is excellent. Besides, how are things going on between you two? I hear –”

“Cynthia,” Steven said coldly as he had the courage to look at her again. “Visiting me again, I see? So to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Pleasure?! You have some nerve asking me that, Cynthia thought.

She looked at Astrid briefly again before replying, “I’m only curious why you are eating here. I thought you vowed to never come back.”

“It couldn’t be helped,” Steven said. “It was Astrid’s choice.”

Just hearing Astrid’s name made Cynthia’s chest grow tighter. She looked the other way and drew a deep breath. After calming herself down, she faced Steven again.

“I suppose I can fix you two some drinks, on me.” Cynthia offered. That was the first thing that came to mind.

Astrid’s eyes twinkled. In Steven’s eyes, the only similar twinkle he’d ever seen was from Martine.

“Ooh, merci beaucoup, Cynthia,” Astrid said. “I would like… Um…”

“Three measures of Ambrette, one of Razz, shaken over ice, and then add a thin slice of Pinap berry peel,” Steven ordered.

Astrid’s eyes went wide. “Wow! Did you just make that up on the spot?”

“It’s a recipe I intended to make, but never had the time to,” Steven admitted. “I only thought of it a few days ago.”

“In that case, I’ll have a sparkling apple juice, with a Leppa berry,” Astrid said to Cynthia. “S’il vous plait.”

Cynthia grimaced, saying, “Certainly,” before walking away from the table. She turned around once more to see Astrid and Steven casually continuing their conversation and wish she hadn’t promised to make them drinks. Still, it was her duty now.

There wasn’t anyone at the bar when Cynthia got there, but it as it happened the barwoman was busy. No matter. Cynthia hadn’t intended for the barwoman to make the drinks.

“Ah, chef. Que puis-je faire pour-tu? Est-ce que ça va?”

“I’m okay, and I will do it,” Cynthia shortly said.

She breathed exasperatedly. She washed her hands before taking out a cup measure from beneath the counter. From behind, she searched for the alcohols Steven ordered. Ambrette liquor was made from the finest berries in Ambrette Town, so Cynthia knew Steven had good taste. Razz berry liquor was spicy and dry, just like the berry itself.

With shaky hands, she tried unscrewing the lid of the Ambrette liquor but found she didn’t have the confidence to do so.

Come on. Open! Cynthia screamed in her mind.

“Cynthia. Do you need any help?” Henri’s voice said from her left.

Cynthia looked up to see him looking back with concerned eyes. He may be a barista, and had lots of experience making drinks of all kinds. Nevertheless, Cynthia was not going to embarrass herself by having someone else deliver an order in her place.

“I’m fine, Henri,” she said it like it was forced.

Moments after Henri had walked away, Cynthia placed the bottle down and instead scooped a handful of ice into the shaker. Miraculously, Cynthia managed to pour out the Ambrette into the cup measure three times and then poured the measures into the shaker one at a time.

It felt like making this drink was going to take forever.

She repeated her action with the Razz liquor, albeit with a fresh cup measure. Now, with that done, Cynthia furiously shook the shaker with both hands so the liquors inside would become ice-cold.

Her furious feelings were being poured into this furious shaking. Figuratively.

“Chef. If you’re going to keep shaking like that, the ice will melt soon. I wouldn’t want that Ambrette to go to waste,” the barwoman remarked. “Something on your mind?”

Cynthia stopped the shaking and poured out the contents into a glass. With tears in her eyes, she took a Pinap berry and started peel the skin off the berry. Unlike the spicy berry inside it, Pinap berry peel was very sour. What a way to compensate for the intense flavour in the drink already.

With the complete Pinap berry peel in her fingers, Cynthia dropped it into the glass and let the flavour settle. Now, it was time to start the second drink.

With her shaking hands, she opened a small bottle of sparkling apple juice and directly poured it into the glass, followed by putting the uniquely flavoured Leppa berry in. Cynthia didn’t how she should feel after doing this, but she brought the drinks out onto a tray. She went out to serve them herself.

Winona could swear Wallace was too obsessed with Steven’s romantic life.

The fact was, despite her pleas not to go see Steven, Wallace wanted to eat dinner at the Stone Restaurant and Bistro as a way of treating Winona. Winona was suspicious already when they arrived, and it didn’t help that her boyfriend got straight to the point upon bumping into Martine at the foyer.

“Salut, Martine!” Wallace greeted. “Where is my man, Steven?”

Martine frowned.

“I haven’t seen him lately,” the redhead said. “He was strangely happy this morning, and the next thing you know he says he won’t be working dinner hours tonight.”

Wallace was puzzled. Is it possible that Steven made a breakthrough at last with his help? No way. No way. Steven needed romantic support, and the idea Steven could manage something like this on his own was inconceivable. Wallace figured he should shadow Steven more.

By the time he and Winona were seated at the third floor by Martine, having a window seat facing Vue sur la Lune itself, Wallace detected Winona wasn’t happy. Her gaze would have pierced his, if only Wallace had paid attention to her at all, which was another blow to Winona.

They ordered glasses of water, to start. Looking at the menu, Wallace could tell Steven had been busy. The menu had expanded; the desserts in particular. But he and Winona settled on a Stone Open and a Stone Accolade, respectively.

Cynthia found Steven and Astrid were only a quarter through their salads. With the drinks in her shaking hands, she almost spilled them when they got to the table. “Here you go,” she muttered. The glasses were on the table and Steven was first to give it a taste. Astrid followed suit.

As Cynthia walked away, she heard Astrid saying, “Wow, this salad tastes nice. How is yours?”

“If I didn’t know better I would have ordered white wine instead,” Steven said. “But this cocktail is excellent, and with the salad. I should think of a name for this drink.”

“But you said you made that drink on the spot!” Astrid said. “Is it a coincidence that you haven’t thought of a name for it?”

“I…” Steven started, but his voice faded when his eyes made contact with Cynthia’s. In that instant, he felt the same burning sensation he first felt when he discovered Cynthia was winning over his customers. Never mind his staff. There was nothing he liked about her.

Cynthia looked shocked at first, but quickly looked away and went about her business. Steven blinked once before sipping more of his Ambrette and Razz mixture. He felt suspicious at Cynthia’s behaviour, but thanks to Astrid, he could focus on the conversation.

He looked happy.

Cynthia sighed heavily and walked away from the area. Words failed to describe how she felt, and she wondered if she could keep working again.

Her mind was so unfocused that she didn’t realise she was making herself look bad. Thankfully, Fantina was first to notice her odd behaviour.

“Cynthia? Is something wrong?” she called out.

Cynthia snapped out of her trance but didn’t know how to respond. Instead of replying directly, she waved to a waitress to get her a smoothie. Fresh blueberries on top of crushed ice and blended with spinach. It didn’t seem like they would go together, but Cynthia was in a bad mood.

Ironically, blueberries and spinach did go together in a smoothie, but that was beside the point.

“Yes. Something is wrong,” Cynthia finally replied.

The sweet blend was served to her in a glass. It was purple, grainy, and cold to the touch, and Cynthia drank a mouthful which caused her to have a brain freeze. She palmed her forehead as her head hurt, but she continued to drink the smoothie.

“Look. If there’s anything you want to say, just say it,” Fantina assured.

Cynthia looked up. She brushed her hair aside to leave one of her eyes covered as usual. She looked in the direction where Steven was sitting. Alone. With her. That younger girl… whom he supposedly had feelings for?! Her expression remained bitter.

“I made that drink for him. Why…” she groaned.

Fantina was speechless. She suspected Cynthia was talking about Steven, but what drink was she talking about? That, she did not understand. Something she regretted, perhaps? But Fantina couldn’t see the connection.

She watched Cynthia finish the rest of the smoothie. Knowing Cynthia, she was keeping a cool face over a cold smoothie to keep herself calm. But Fantina couldn’t imagine what was going on in Cynthia’s head right now.

“How does it taste?”

Wallace asked knowing Winona probably wouldn’t respond at all. The Stone Accolade wafted its aroma of mushrooms, onions, lots of herbs and spices, and blue cheese such that it made Wallace’s mouth water. Winona cut one of the rice envelopes, dipped it in the au jus, and chewed.

 In short, the response Wallace got was silence.

“Look, look. It’s nothing personal, but there are so many things that Steven’s life needs fixing. If he ever has a hope of love–”

“Dear. Eat your food, or it will go cold,” Winona said after swallowing.

Wallace held his breath and continued eating his Stone Open. The beef and cheese went well together and he could only imagine how many more of these he could eat. However, he did have to keep an eye on that. Plus, the baguette was delicious. Winona was right: what was the point of ordering an expensive dish if he left it to waste? Then again, this was Wallace.

He sliced another piece of the baguette and piled the ingredients on his fork, and then he ate. Wallace then looked out the window for the view.

His eyes widened. “Steven? What…?!”

Winona’s eyes flared. These were eyes that were unseen for a girl as graceful as she was. It was like she had transformed. “Wallace! For the last time–!”

“If you looked, dear, you would understand,” Wallace replied charmingly, as if he were flirting with her, before directing his gaze outside.

Winona sighed, before she gave in. Immediately, her eyes widened just like Wallace did. Although the distance was relatively far, there was no mistaking the sight of Steven at the top of Vue sur la Lune. He was seated, with a cocktail in hand, with the girl who was not Cynthia.

“No way, is he really serious about her…?” Winona had to say. True, she saw Steven walking with this girl only yesterday, but she was surprised that after seeing them together just once did Steven go on a date with this girl.

It was a mystery. Why would Steven be having dinner with that girl at Cynthia’s restaurant of all places? It didn’t make sense. Okay, Winona had to hand it to Wallace for being nosy about these things. Plus, what would Cynthia make of this?

Cynthia didn’t know how she had ended up at her villa so, even though she knew she left work early. The surroundings were familiar, but reminiscent of the many times she had cried tears of many kinds. Ice cream? Shopping? Those probably would do her little good now.

Instead, Cynthia went immediately to her bedroom and collapsed on the bed. She was breathless while lying flat and, for lack of better word, defeated. She didn’t bother turning on any lights, and instead let her tears fall.

Her bemoaned state caught the attention of her Pokémon, least of all Roserade and Milotic who passed by her bedroom. The two Pokémon glanced at each other wondering what to do, but as Cynthia had practically locked herself inside, there were little options.

Milotic whined a little, and retreated to talk with Garchomp and the others. Roserade eventually did the same.

As for Cynthia, she picked up her pillow and buried her face in it. Her tears were already soaking the pillowcase.

She screamed in despair.

Chapter Text

Diantha had not seen Cynthia or Steven for the past four days.

True, she had to fulfil her duties as the current Kalos Champion on one hand and as an actress in the other. However, she was more or less concerned for her fellow champions, apart from enjoying delicious food of course.

As a result, she informally met up with Viola, Grant, and Korrina at the Stone Bakery in the morning. They sat well away where Cynthia or Steven would likely show up. If Steven knew they were here, he would probably throw them out.

Plus, when Alexa heard that her sister was meeting up with Diantha, she decided to tag along. The promise of celebrity gossip was too great to miss, even if she worked for the renowned Lumiose Press.

Diantha, sporting sunglasses to avoid media attention, said, “I’m not sure what the deal is between Cynthia and Steven, but I’ve heard speculation that Steven is dating someone else. Can you tell me more on that?”

The smell of fresh bread filled the room, but unfortunately due to an earlier promise, Diantha had forced Viola to buy ice cream from La Lune de Chocolat for everyone. This was, as she claimed, in Grant’s best interests, and it helped Alexa take her mind off of things.

“It’s hard to say,” Grant admitted. “It’s pretty clear their relationship has been going through lows. Just four days ago, we saw Cynthia almost assault Steven.”

“And the day before that, Steven had this epic Pokémon battle with a girl,” Viola added. “It so happens this girl was a contender in the League championship. Astrid, was that her name? She made it past the quarterfinal.”

“Wait… So Steven is dating this Astrid?” Alexa asked. However, she got shrugs in response.

They continued enjoying the foods before them. In addition to the ice cream, there was coffee from Le Café Sinnoh too. How ironic that everything they bought came directly from Vue sur la Lune. So as a result, Diantha treated everyone to a serving of baked baguette, with molten LaBrie to top it.

In Diantha’s mind, she thought about the current state of the relationship between Cynthia and Steven. While there had been lots of speculation about their relationship, having seen the media reports, the magazines, and Alexa’s publishing in Lumiose Press… Was there anything concrete?

“If Steven really has had eyes for this Astrid, then everything everyone could hope for goes out the window,” Diantha remarked.

Grant facepalmed. Why did he have to wind up gossiping about Steven’s romantic life? Sure, it was a hot topic at the moment, but he wasn’t one to deal with these things. However, the girls seemed to be enjoying it. Stuff like this was for the media… Then again, Viola worked for them.

“I hope that we’re not actually fabricating his relationship,” he said. “You know, it’s like we’re the audience watching a series and we press for the characters to romance… Not that the media has been doing that already.”

Korrina giggled while Viola snorted into her ice cream. Only Diantha broke the relative silence.

“Even if it wasn’t fabricated, I’m sure that Cynthia has some kind of affection for Steven,” she said. “Sure, the media would have put things into perspective, but I bet Cynthia’s would be easier if she didn’t receive all this attention. I’m surprised she hasn’t made a public address about this issue.”

“That’s the thing!” Korrina said. “Cynthia never denied anything, did she?”

“And that’s the sign…” Viola added.

For Grant, it was like he was being dragged into the whirlpool of gossip once more. He just wanted a way out – but then again, the invite to be treated to ice cream was too great to resist. This was the result of his decision.

“What does Astrid look like, anyway?” he asked.

Viola was more than happy to oblige and answered with action. She took out her camera and showed Grant a photo on-screen.

“She doesn’t look bad, to be honest,” Grant added. “I wonder if Steven does have some sort of feelings toward her, you know?”

“Ooh… Do you have eyes for her already?” Korrina piped, hoping to push Grant’s buttons. As a result, Grant blushed before looking the other way.

Viola and Diantha shook their heads, and as Diantha looked outside, her eyes widened. Immediately, she motioned for her fellow Gym Leaders to remain quiet and to look outside.

Cynthia was walking in the restaurant’s direction. As she got closer, Grant could see Cynthia’s eyes were swollen and red. She looked like she had been through something rough, or had seen something she had regretted. Her movements radiated anger at least, and she was wearing her full chef attire.

She stormed into the foyer, which caused Diantha and the Gym Leaders to quickly vacate their seats and see what was going on. However it looked, Diantha had a bad stomach feeling about the situation. Not that her stomach was that bad, as she had a nice fill of ice cream to satisfy it.

Now that their relationship was in better and closer terms, Laurent and Sophie seemed to work better at the front desk than before. Even customers who waited to be seated could tell there was something… intimate between them.

“No no no! People aren’t supposed to know that!” Sophie whined, after the last customers were taken to their seats. Nevertheless, she wrapped her arms around Laurent and almost wanted to sob into his shoulder, but Laurent gently pried her away.

“There’s a time and place to cry,” he said. “Not now, though. You’ll embarrass all of us.”

“But they will know!” Sophie complained. She tried to hold back her tears.

She tried to hug Laurent again, and this time Laurent allowed her to do so. In his head, he was embarrassed. If Sophie didn’t want people knowing she had a romantic relationship with him, the least she could do was not show it off in public!

“Good morning,” a cool, familiar, voice said to them.

Sophie broke away immediately with a flushed face, but the flush left upon seeing Cynthia in front of her. Suddenly, Sophie stood up straight with a surprised face. Equally, Laurent was trying to comprehend why Cynthia was here.

Cynthia’s eyes were red.

“I need to see your boss,” she said.

The silence was deafening at first, with the two receptionists looking at each other in the eyes. They wondered what to say, and subsequently, Laurent spoke first.

“Is this an urgent matter? He is likely busy,” Laurent replied. Unfortunately, the look in Cynthia’s eyes suggested that she wasn’t going to turn away, so Laurent motioned to Sophie to pick up the phone.

“Monsieur Stone,” Sophie quietly said. “Cynthia est ici.”

Cynthia kept her head down, with her platinum blonde hair doing its best to hide her emotions. She wasn’t surprised that Steven was taking his time to arrive, but by the time he did, she saw Martine had tagged along.

“Oh…? What’s going on?” Martine quietly asked, not liking the mood in the air.

Cynthia was only reminded of the hardship she had gone through over the past week or so, and to everyone’s surprise, she advanced on Steven. She grabbed his collar with both hands and aggressively brought him close.

“How far will you go…” she angrily whispered, “…to break me?” Her hands shook violently as if she was trying to force an answer out of him.

Steven didn’t respond at first, but then whispered in her ear, “Put it this way: your cooking is what’s breaking me. I’m only returning the favour.”

Taking this as an insult, Cynthia shook Steven again. Her reddened eyes already looked like they were going to burst in tears. She raised her voice. “What? Do you want me to prove how good of a cook I am? Are you not impressed?”

“Is that a challenge? I will gladly accept it.” Steven’s voice grew tense. At that, Cynthia’s breathing became short. He added, “I thought you never wanted to see me again.”

They continued staring at each other intensely. They could hear each other breathing and if they didn’t know better they would have hit each other in the face. But they were more civilised than that! Nevertheless, Cynthia’s silence was drawing attention from everyone.

“Yes. Yes! It’s a challenge, okay?!” Cynthia shook Steven again. “You still want that Richissime Star? By the time I’m done with you, you’ll know I deserve it more than anyone! Your cooking won’t see the light of day!”

Hearing Cynthia speak of the star set Steven’s eyes aflame. He reacted by grasping Cynthia’s collar and shoved her back, but Cynthia’s grasp on his own collar was too tight and she pulled him with her.

“I’ll happily show you what I’m made of,” Steven said. “We will know who is best.”

He leaned in to whisper into Cynthia’s ear. “Consider this revenge… for making my restaurant look bad in front of Diantha. You couldn’t help yourself to bring in coconut, huh?”

“Maybe if you didn’t cut off my food supply, you would have better off. You moved first,” Cynthia retaliated.

At that moment, Viola jumped into the scene with her camera in hand, with Diantha not far behind. Along with her mindless shooting and flashing, Viola asked, “Oh! Does this mean you two will have another cook-off? That would be like the third time ever!”

Steven and Cynthia briefly glanced at them in surprise, but their expressions quickly evaporated as they looked at each other again. Viola wasn’t there when they cooked off at the beach, and thankfully so. That would have been embarrassing.

“One hopes that you two would cook off at that plaza again,” Diantha added. “It’s actually entertaining, should I suggest.”

But before anyone could say anymore, they were interrupted by an exciting series of clapping from Martine. Her face suggested she had a brilliant idea that could rival Wallace’s, and Steven had a really bad feeling about it.

“Hey, hey! If you’re going to do that, then why not step things up even further?” Martine’s eyes grew even wider, like her idea was actualising before her eyes. “If you’re cooking off for the privilege of a Richissime Star, then you should bring it before all of Kalos to see!”

Steven said nothing, but his stomach sank and rose at the same time.

“And by that,” Martine clasped her hands together, “I mean bringing your display to the most prestigious culinary centre in the world!”

Diantha’s mind synced with Martine’s, incidentally, and added, “I could get you there.”

Sophie and Laurent nodded together eagerly.

Laurent chuckled. “You mean Lumiose City, oui?”

Steven and Cynthia still had their hands on each other’s collars like they would fight to the death. However, the mere mention of Lumiose City was enough to snap their senses into gear. Lumiose City: where the best food in the world is made – and where Hotel Richissime is based. Why, they might even award a star or two if their representatives came.

Cynthia acted first. “Fine! We’ll take it there! Scrutinise this however you want!” She let go of Steven’s collar again but dragged him to Diantha. “It’s a cook-off between you and me! Diantha, you will get us to Lumiose City, okay?!”

“Don’t worry, Cynthia,” Alexa piped. “I’ll make sure that this goes on the front cover of Lumiose Press. Viola will also guarantee it.”

“Ooh! I can’t wait to see this. Wait ‘til Lisia hears of this… before it goes public,” Martine giggled.

Diantha was amused at this outburst from Cynthia, whom she usually perceived as cool and collected. Was this cook-off competition really getting into her head? Diantha wondered how much more Cynthia could last.

The following day, news of the cook-off went public, and Steven was not surprised that his morning was disrupted by the doorbell. He would normally expect reporters and the media to blast him with questions and such, so he hastily put on a polo shirt before opening the door. He was ill-prepared to face a media blitz.

Fortunately, or maybe not so, it was Wallace and Winona at the door.

“Whoa! Steven! My friend! You went all the way to challenge Cynthia without even telling me? That’s so rude of you!” Wallace acted like he was congratulating, but Steven knew better than to take Wallace lightly. “Oh well, at least Lisia kept me updated, and thanks to your attractive waitress.”

Winona cringed at Wallace’s words, but kept a grip on herself.

Steven held his breath. He knew Wallace had something up his sleeve.

“Now, I’ve been in touch with Diantha, and we’ve made all the arrangements! So don’t worry, Steven. You are in very good hands. The venue will be delegated by some judges in Lumiose City, and I’ve taken the liberty of arranging accommodation. Martine wanted to come, and so did Sophie and Laurent,” Wallace stated.

Steven didn’t know what to make of Wallace working like this behind his back, although he could hardly blame himself. The cook-off was made public, and there was lots of talk about it already. If Martine, Sophie, and Laurent were seriously going (and from the looks of it, it was happening), Steven would have to get James to manage the business quick.

He started, “Wallace. I’m sure I could have handled it –”

“I’ve already gotten accommodation for myself and Winona already. No problem!” Wallace interrupted. “Now, this is your time, alright? You will mature when this is over.”

“I hardly think –”

“When the time is right, you must confess to her!”

“What?! But I keep telling you I don’t have that relationsh–!”

“It’s alright to harbour your feelings, for now!”

“I don’t have that kind of affection! This competition isn’t personal!”

“Not personal for you, perhaps! But deep deep down, you know it’s true. Besides! Think of how personal Cynthia is taking it!”

“Are you kidding me?! She’s anything but –!”

“The airline has already been arranged, so you need not worry about that!”

“I mean, thanks, but –”

Winona slapped Wallace to break up the pointless conversation.

“ANYWAY,” Winona said, “Diantha wants to see you. She said she wants to arrange the judges with you and Cynthia.”

“But I thought Wallace already did –? Then why didn’t Diantha just call me –?” Steven felt lost, but looking at Wallace, he understood. “OH I see. You just wanted to personally deliver the message, eh?”

“Well… Diantha was making the phone call to Cynthia, so it was fair to divide the work,” Wallace replied.

Steven facepalmed. He would have to face Cynthia again, and she was the last person he wanted to see at this time. However he felt about her outside of work, she was his sworn enemy. He could he prepare facing her again?

But instead, he gave in.

“Alright.” He removed his palm from his face. “Let’s get going.”

The meeting was supposed to be informal, but media attention was quick in Kalos. By the time Cynthia arrived at the bottom of the hill where the Cyllage Pokémon Gym was located, she saw a huge crowd of photographers, journalists, and reporters run up to her and press her for answers.

“Mademoiselle Cynthia! How long have you waited before making this move?”

“Who are the judges? Have you decided?”

“Cynthia! Is it a coincidence that you are cooking in light of Steven’s relationship with someone?”

“Have you decided a venue?”

“What dishes are you making?”

“What will become of Vue sur la Lune if you do have to go away for a bit?”

“Will you use this as an opportunity to sabotage the Stone Restaurant and Bistro?”

Cynthia kept a cool face, and instead brushed her way past the crowd. “No comment!” Nevertheless, the crowd followed her up the mountainous area towards the gym. However, Cynthia could thank the uphill trend that caused them to run out of breath quickly. By the time she got to the cave entrance, only the photographers were energetic enough to keep moving.

With the help of Grant himself, she slipped into the gym where she could settle for some place of quiet. Grant had his Aurorus and Tyrantrum block off the rest of the public, so life could be a little easier for Cynthia and Steven.

The sound of the cave waterfall felt relieving to Cynthia, and reminded her of the waterfall at the Sinnoh Pokémon League. Although the gym featured a climbing wall, Cynthia was also wearing her everyday high heels. It was better to take the elevator.

She arrived at the gym’s battleground to find Steven already there, along with Diantha, Korrina, Grant, and Viola (whom Cynthia suspected had exclusive rights to photograph the event). To her surprise, the foreign Gym Leaders were here too: Cilan and his brothers, Fantina, Winona, and, least of all, Wallace.

“All the arrangements have been made! I personally saw to it!” Wallace said. “Now all that’s left is to actually pick our judges, and the venue and time that would work for all of us. Though, I think the venue has to be co-decided with the judges…”

At an arranged meeting table set up on the battleground, Cynthia sat beside Steven.

The opening minutes were somewhat brief. Diantha had described the plans to carry the competition to Lumiose City. Given her personal recommendation and popularity, her contacts were happy to oblige. Still, the fact remained that they had to get the right judges with the right culinary tastes. Hopefully, there could discuss what possible venues could host.

“For that reason, I recommend my personal friend Siebold,” Diantha said. “He is a famous chef and has some of the sharpest tastes in Kalos, not to mention he is an excellent critic.”

“You’re also saying that just because he’s an Elite Four,” Viola commented. “Heh, I’m only joking. I know Siebold’s restaurant has two Richissime Stars already, and he’s aiming for a third! I support the decision.”

Cynthia supposed Viola got this knowledge from gossip work, and Alexa probably filled in the details. Still, the fact remained that Siebold was a very talented and rested among the best of chefs. With Viola seconding the motion and a unanimous vote, Diantha motioned to Fantina to make the phone call, and the discussion went on to recommending other judges.

Madame Marie Leblanc, the critic who praised Steven’s Stone Open ten days earlier, was among the suggestions. However, Steven and Cynthia agreed that Madame Leblanc would be better off as a guest and not a judge, since chefs were preferred, so the motion to have her was defeated.

In the end, the second suggestion was brought by Cilan.

“I would like to recommend myself as the second judge,” he said. “I come from a different level of expertise compared to Siebold, and I have lots of experience in the culinary world.”

 “Seconded!” Chili spontaneously said.

With the motion put forward, the majority agreed to place Cilan as a judge. There were only abstentions from Steven and Cynthia because they mostly questioned Cilan’s experience. But since they had another judge at least, who were they to argue? At least there were none voting against.

“Now, as for our third judge…” Diantha started.

“Un moment,” Fantina briefly held her phone away. “Chef Siebold has kindly agreed to participate, and he would like to recommend a judge himself. Il recommande son mentor…”

Everyone stared at Fantina. Siebold had a mentor? Naturally, he would, now that they thought of it. But to recommend his mentor might mean things were getting really serious. Knowing Siebold’s nature of high-end cooking, the vote would probably pass.

“We can probably discuss the terms of the competition when all the judges come together,” Diantha said. “Who is Siebold’s mentor, anyway?”

Fantina, in response, repeated the question to her phone and waited for Siebold’s response. Her eyes widened.

“Siebold’s mentor is André Bordeaux. Now doesn’t that sound familiar?” she said. “Siebold even says that with a chef of Bordeaux’s reputation, there would be no problems finding a venue. You’ll have to arrange this with Chef Bordeaux himself, though.”

Still, the name Chef Bordeaux caused a stir in the minds of everyone. He was no celebrity chef, but had the caliber of legendary culinary status. He invented and developed his own recipes, which he passed on to his students. Aside from cooking excellent food, the restaurant where Chef Bordeaux managed had three Richissime Stars and a sterling reputation.

“So we have Chef Bordeaux put forward,” Diantha stated. “Seconded by Siebold already, so all that’s left is to vote. Those in favour?”

Everyone raised a hand.

“And the vote is unanimous,” Diantha continued. “Fantina? Je peux avoir le téléphone?”

“Bien sûr,” Fantina said as she handed the phone to Diantha. Sure enough, Diantha discussed with Siebold about the arrangement with Chef Bordeaux. Afterwards Diantha explained that Cynthia and Steven would have to talk with the chef personally, in the presence of at least herself and Siebold. That being said, Diantha added, whoever was interested in joining should book transport to Lumiose City.

Whatever else that had to be settled, including the competition, its outcomes, and attendances, would have to be taken to Lumiose City itself.

“I’ve already taken care of Steven’s accommodation! And Cynthia’s! So you needn’t worry about them!” Wallace enthusiastically added. “So! It’s best you all start planning! I need to get some with Winona too –”

SMACK

“How could you?!” Winona had punched him in the face again. “You take care of their accommodation and not ours?! I’m your girlfriend!”

But in both minds of Steven and Cynthia, alarms were ringing. Wasn’t this something they had to deal with personally? It was like Wallace had planned this from the get-go. If nothing else, he was plotting this from the day he came to Kalos!

As if that wasn’t enough, Diantha concluded, “And that brings an end to our conference! We’ll probably have to meet in Lumiose City with, so keep an eye out for updates! Now, we can let the press in. They’ll want to know what’s going on.”

Cynthia’s stomach sunk as Grant gave the all-clear for his Pokémon to let the media in. Not long after, the crowd of reporters and all things media swarmed into gym and eagerly waited for everyone to leave the battleground. Cynthia shuddered; how was she going to leave now?

Chapter Text

“I’m leaving you in charge of the restaurant.”

James d’Arc was not at all surprised at Steven’s statement.

“Unfortunately, Martine, Sophie, and Laurent insisted they tag along too. They practically begged to come with me,” Steven said. “Still, for a high-profile thing like this, I’ll give them the chance.”

“No, no. I understand, Steven,” James said. “Everyone in Kalos knows what’s going on, anyway. So sure, I’ll keep the restaurant in working order until you return. I’ll make the proper arrangements so you, Martine, and the others get your paid leave.”

“Merci, James,” Steven said.

Steven eventually was in his office to pack a few things with him. He already had his equipment and ID packed, so all he needed was the proper documents as well as luggage (which he would have to do at home).

He looked around his office, as if he was feeling he was going to not come back for a long time. He saw the items on his desk, the papers piled and stacked on bookshelves, and even photographs from his culinary school days at Castelia City. Then again, he thought he must have spent too much of his time in the restaurant anyway. It would be nice to get away from Cyllage City and see what foods Lumiose City had to offer.

His cell phone rang.

“Steven!” a cheery voice greeted Steven.

“Bonjour, Astrid,” Steven grinned. Just hearing Astrid’s enthusiastic voice lightened his mood.

“I heard you are going to Lumiose City! But what about our teaching sessions? I won’t get any more training from you for a while…”

“Sorry, but you know I’ve got my hands full. If it helps, you could always come to Lumiose City too,” Steven replied. “I do enjoy our battles.”

“That reminds me, Steven! As your student, can you teach me how to get my Absol to recover quickly from deflecting an attack and then deliver a series of counterattacks before my opponent could counter or evade?”

To be brutally honest, Steven was too exhausted to be thinking about these things. First, he had to prepare to leave for Lumiose City, and then prepare for the meeting with Chef Bordeaux. With so much going on his mind, he wondered how much life was left in him.

“You’ll have to train your Absol to recover,” Steven said. “I suggest harsher physical training to build up strength. And by strength, I mean Absol needs to train the energy system that supplies tons of energy in seconds. Only then can you recover quickly.”

“Will do, Steven. Talk to you later!” Astrid said.

After hanging up the phone, Steven picked up his documents and left his office.

Amusingly, he found Sophie and Laurent talking together at the foyer. The two receptionists were not in uniform, and dressed casually instead. They also carried some bags with them as if they were off to vacation, with Sophie wearing her trilby hat and Laurent in a short-sleeve button-up.

“Going on a honeymoon already?” Steven lightly joked.

Sophie stared at Steven wide-eyed. Her expression was one of shock as if this was the last thing she expected to hear from her boss.

“That has to be the first time you’ve commented on our relationship,” Laurent said. “Do you really support us being together? That’s kind.”

“I’m not sure, Laurent. He doesn’t have experience in dating, oui? But he does think we look good together,” Sophie said, still wearing a blush. “That means he must have some idea. Come to think of it, you’re looking better today, Monsieur Stone. What’s on your mind?”

Steven froze momentarily, but recovered with a different answer. “I’m just glad I can demonstrate my skills in Lumiose City. Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

Sophie giggled, which caused Steven to stare.

“You have to thank Martine for making this happen,” Sophie said. “She told Laurent and me that she brought up the idea, and then Cynthia jumped on it. Next thing we know, you all are really doing it, having a cook-off.”

Before Steven could say anything, Laurent interrupted. “Glad she’s joining us, and you know, her prediction might come true after all. Your relationship with Cynthia will grow when this is over!”

Why. Why did Laurent have to sound like Wallace?! (Or, dare Steven think of it, Lisia!) When this was over, he would have to consider banning Wallace from his restaurant.

Forever.

Didn’t Martine have the same warrant? But then again, Martine was a different case. She was still younger and probably didn’t have the same measure.

As Steven prepared to leave his restaurant, Sophie and Laurent tagged along with him to the exit.

“How are you getting to Lumiose City, then?” Steven asked.

“We’ll probably be taking coach,” Laurent said, “and with Martine too. Wallace took care of that for us, but for accommodation, Sophie and I will have to look at that soon.”

“We could have taken a taxi, but that is expensive,” Sophie added. “Thankfully, Wallace cut us a deal, and he’s joining us at the same time.”

Steven, however, didn’t tell them that he would take a taxi on his part. It was probably the most discreet way to enter Lumiose City and without anyone noticing – the media, Wallace, and of course, Cynthia. There was no way he would be disturbed.

The taxi that would take Steven to Lumiose City arrived at his villa at exactly six in the afternoon. The trip would not be long, but it would be dusk by the time he had gotten his accommodation settled (and if he had any downtime, he could explore Lumiose City for a bit). Steven kept his door unlocked – not that there was anything too valuable in there – and left his villa to his Pokémon.

“Metagross will come with me,” Steven said. “Now, I don’t want to you messing about the house, okay? I expect it to be clean.”

Skarmory nodded, and motioned towards the television. “Skar,” he said as if to say the Pokémon would be keeping their eyes on the channel anyway.

After saying his good-byes, Steven took his luggage and equipment and loaded them onto the taxi. Minutes later, he was seated at the back and watched the scenery outside. With the exception of journeying on the neighbouring mountains and beaches, this was the first time in months that he left Cyllage City.

But for the first time ever since he lost his Pokémon League title, Steven felt completely relieved. Unlike the times he went to the neighbouring routes to dig for rocks, which gave him brief respite, this was like a vacation. He could grab a lot of rest and not worry about working for the next while or so.

If only Cynthia wasn’t involved.

The landscape he saw felt foreign to him, but he was fine with that. There was a whiff of nostalgia Steven felt for travelling that made him enjoy the trip even more, and he wondered how much of this vacation would last. The pathway beside him, the trees around, the river, and even the famed Battle Château were among the sights he saw.

He smiled briefly. So both Laurent and Sophie enjoyed spending their downtime there, eh? They did make a cute couple – No, wait. Why was he thinking about these things? Now was not the time!

Workplace romance. What else could it be?

Steven had to remind himself that it was that relationship that affected the performance of his receptionists, endorsed by Martine. Who knows what disaster would happen if their relationship broke. He had to admit, though, that they made a good couple.

Then again, ever since Wallace’s intervention at the beach, it appeared the receptionists had bonded ever closer. There he was, thinking about Wallace again! It was only a matter of time before Wallace tried to force a relationship between him and Cynthia again.

The taxi stopped at a hotel that was not Hotel Richissime. For a hotel in Lumiose City, it was hardly low quality, but it was small. Steven realised this was a boutique hotel, one of hundreds that decorated the city, and figured this must be close to the venue or something. The moderately lit lights looked inviting, as if they welcomed him to rest up here. It was fortunate that the media were to stay away, for now.

Although the sight of a boutique hotel was welcome, Steven’s pessimism caused his stomach to sink when he saw Wallace already in there. Of course, Cilan and his brothers were there, as was Diantha and Winona. Not to mention Martine!

“Steven! You’re finally here,” Wallace said happily (and maybe too happily? That was suspicious). “You must be tired after all that planning we did today! If you must know, the receptionists have your room key. You only have to give your name.”

I have a bad feeling about this, Steven thought. He kept silent and hauled his baggage with him to the desk. Wallace, in short, looked suspiciously eager to have done that. Something was up, and Steven knew it as he left his name with the receptionist. He did get his room key afterward.

Upon moving, Martine approached him.

“How are you feeling, boss?” Martine asked. “Wallace has been talking nonstop about how you got the best room–”

“Why am I not surprised?” Steven said emotionlessly.

“Plus, it comes with a very nice kitchen too. Wallace said he had it specially ordered in, so he must really be preparing you!” Martine continued. “He’s pretty much like your big brother, in other words!”

Steven would have liked to tell Martine that her impression was false, but he had other things to do. Instead, he went to drop his luggage at his room, and found the room had a single bed and an enormous kitchen complete with ovens, fryers, stoves, and fridges, which Steven guessed was for his benefit. Maybe things wouldn’t turn out so badly after all.

There are a lot of cooking tools here, so maybe I ought to buy some ingredients… No, I better not. That would waste what I could experience here in this city, he thought.

After he stowed his luggage into the closet, Steven took another good look at the room. Apart from the kitchen and bed, there was also a lounge chair, a couple of side tables, a television, a desk, and an undisturbed view of Lumiose City. Still, the kitchen stole the spotlight of this room.

Now that he thought of it, he did have some downtime after all. The night was young, and there was a sliver of Lumiose City he wanted to explore.

By the time Steven returned to the lobby, Martine approached him again.

“Sophie and Laurent are out on a date,” she said. “That leaves you and me, oui? I’m sure you wanted to try out some of the food here!”

“So does that mean you’re asking me out on a date?” Steven said.

“Not quite!” Martine replied. “But I do want to hear if your opinion on Sophie and Laurent has changed, so let’s talk it over dinner!”

Even if Steven wanted to be alone for a while, Martine would tag along with him anyway. Nevertheless, it wasn’t as if he would be going far away from the hotel. There was a modest-looking café just several paces from the hotel, so Steven and Martine decided to have a meal there.

However, this was Lumiose City, so things worked differently here. Unlike Cynthia’s coffee shop, Le Café Sinnoh, cafés in Lumiose City functioned as basically restaurants. Thankfully, it was a quiet night and Steven and Martine got some seats. While Martine ordered a salad, Steven had onion soup. Both dishes looked quite appetising when they arrived, in part due to Martine’s salad having a combination of LaBrie cheese, Tamato and Aspear berries.

“This feels like the day we went to Vue sur la Lune when it first opened,” Martine reminisced, though she hoped that would ignite some memories of Cynthia for Steven. “Look where that got you! And now all that’s missing is for Cynthia to appear.”

Steven slowly started on the savoury soup he ordered. The cheese simply melted into the soup along with the croutons, and it could have made anyone’s mouth water.

“I thought you wanted to talk about Laurent?” Steven mused. “I know Wallace has been encouraging Sophie to do a lot of stuff with him. It’s like Wallace fabricated that relationship.”

“But it’s good for Sophie! I’m sure she had feelings for Laurent for a while. Why else would they go to the same club?” Martine said. “The way I see it, you still encourage them, even if you haven’t been in a relationship yourself!”

Steven swallowed a mouthful of soup.

“So let’s be honest here,” Martine continued. “Do you think Sophie and Laurent are a good fit?”

“I don’t encourage workplace romance, but I suppose they are,” Steven said. “No, Martine. This isn’t like one of your fanfiction fantasies. It’s not like they’re part of some story and you, as the audience, are just pressing them to be together.”

“Aw, but Steven, Wallace has been acting like exactly that!” Martine stuffed a mouthful of salad into her mouth. The spicy taste of Tamato berries danced with the creamy LaBrie. “Still, you can’t deny that they’re a great couple. To think all this happened under your watch!”

Steven had no idea whether to take that as a compliment.

“It’s probably true that they are fit for each other after all,” Steven added. “Even if Wallace didn’t ‘help’ them, it was bound to happen. I don’t have time for a relationship, on my end.”

“I told you once, you could learn a thing from their relationship. All it takes is time,” Martine said. “Is that Sophie I see other there?”

Steven and Martine redirected their attention to across the street. As Steven worked on his soup, he saw Laurent and Sophie walking together and holding hands. They were talking and laughing at each other, which made Steven smile just for the briefest instant.

Steven’s pessimistic expectations hit hard.

The matter in question was that he expected Wallace to cause something terrible to happen, and it happened in admirable fashion. It happened when Steven returned to his room. He thought that if walked inside, after unlocking the door, he could practise making a dessert before bed.

The situation had changed, because she was standing inside and unloading her luggage.

“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?!” Steven’s voice was broken.

Cynthia glared at him, and kept glaring more as if out of surprise and not out of anger.

“What are you doing here?!” she shrieked. “This is my room!”

“What? No!” he shouted. “This is my room!”

Cynthia dropped the clothes in her hands and grasped Steven by the collar. “Get out! Get out! You have no right to be in here!” She shook him violently. Steven’s reaction was passive at first, but he got a grip on her wrists.

“This is my room. Make no mistake,” Steven added with clenched teeth. “You must have gotten in here by accident.”

“Then how would I have gotten in with the key?!” Cynthia demanded.

Was this really an accident? Or was this a setup, given that Cynthia had a key to this room without prior knowledge? That was impossible, since this was meant to be a room for one, right? Unless someone else was involved. Afterwards, a sense of realisation formed in Steven’s eyes.

Steven let go of Cynthia immediately and stormed out of the room, and leaving her there. Instead, he made a dash for the lobby. He didn’t know it, but Cynthia had followed him there.

“WALLACE!” Steven yelled.

He had a firm grasp on the collar of his ‘best’ friend when he found him, but Steven was more or less annoyed that Wallace was unfazed. On the contrary, Wallace looked rather pleased with himself. It didn’t matter how angry Steven looked.

Or Cynthia.

“Explain yourself!” Cynthia yelled. Now, she had a menacing grasp on the other side of Wallace’s collar. “Why?! WHY?!”

“It’s just a little arrangement. That’s all,” Wallace grinned in spite of himself. “I’m doing you two a favour. Wasn’t it your dream that you two would share a room together?”

“Plus, everyone knows you want to be together!” Lisia added.

That did nothing to help, at all. Instead, Cynthia shook Wallace violently again. “Give us separate rooms. Now!”

The commotion had already drawn the attention of Lisia already, but others came to see out of curiosity. The receptionists were already watching, but Martine and Winona were also there too, along with Diantha, Korrina, Grant, and Viola (who had promised not to take any ‘exclusive’ photos).

“Listen to me!” Steven shouted. “This will end badly if we don’t get separate rooms!”

Wallace shrugged.

This made Cynthia clutch Wallace’s collar even tighter.

“But why did you put us together?!”

“It’s in your best interests. I promise!” Wallace smiled. “I did it with good intentions!”

“It’s anything but!”

“It’s not my problem anymore. Everything has been arranged. I only did the labour,” Wallace sang, as if to infuriate them. “My hands are clean in this one! And no, the entire hotel is booked. If you want, you can walk to another hotel, but you won’t be protected from the media.”

It looked like Cynthia was about to throw a Winona-style punch into Wallace’s face, but her hand was sadly stopped by Lisia’s.

“Now, now. Let’s all get along,” Lisia sang. “This is an opportunity! You should be grateful that he got you two a room at all!”

“I’m afraid there’s no alternative,” Wallace added. “This might seem like blackmail, but it really isn’t. It’s the best we could manage!”

Steven doubted it.

“And, you’ve got your meeting with Chef Bordeaux tomorrow and you’ve had a long day. If I were you, I would stop worrying about the small things!” Wallace said. “Get some rest, you two! I thought that as former Champions, you two would have better etiquette than assaulting the current Champion! Make an example!”

Both Cynthia and Steven pushed Wallace away at the same time in silence. While Cynthia turned to head back to her room, Steven responded by walking out the door. In effect, this gave Martine a chance to talk about it with Lisia and the others.

“So that’s it, huh?” she said. “That was perfect!”

“It almost wants to make me tell Steven the next chapter of his love story! But that’ll have to wait,” Lisia watched Steven get swamped by the media, but somehow was able to slip away.

“But they are sharing a room together!” Martine giggled. “I’m told there’s only one bed, too!”

That remark caused Diantha and the others to stare at Martine, but only briefly, because the silence was broken by a fit of giggles from Viola. “It had to happen, eh?”

“This should turn out interesting,” Diantha said. “It makes me wonder what will happen tonight and then tomorrow.”

Half an hour later, Steven returned to his hotel room to find Cynthia. He had gone out shopping, and Cynthia was curious as to why he had bought a lot of red tape.

“This,” Steven held up the tape. “This will be the solution to our problems.”

“What are you going to do? Tie up my luggage so I can’t use it?” Cynthia taunted.

“No. Worse!”

He peeled off a long strip and divided the floor around the bed. From the bed, he angled the tape so that it touched the wall beside it. He did the same with the other side. “Now, there will be sections of the bed that you and I cannot cross. Got it?”

“Then why stop there?!” Cynthia shouted.

She seized the tape from Steven and surrounded the table in a square, and then she divided the table in half using the tape again.

“There. From now on until this is over, you get that half of the table and I get this half!” she said.

Soon enough, Steven and Cynthia were at odds fighting over who got what in the bathroom, but that was unnecessary. Instead, their attention fell on the kitchen, which arguably was the most valuable property in the room.

A long fight raged between the two chefs over who had or touched what in the kitchen.

But the bed was still a problem. It was not practical to simply place a long strip of tape to divide it, and now the two of them were supposed to share the bed? This was a nightmare for both of them.

Chapter Text

Last night was anything but restful.

The fact the hotel room had no chairs or sofas meant that Steven and Cynthia had to share the same bed. For the most part, it was about watching each other and seeing if the other would do something remotely suspicious. This was kept up for so long, that by the time they could get sleep, dawn had broken over Lumiose City.

They didn’t even shower!

So by the time they showed up at the lobby to meet Diantha and Wallace, Wallace was first to remark on their state.

“I’m sure you had a restful night, you two?” he said. “Good! Because we must meet the chef today! Make sure you look good!” Such remarks made Diantha would have made her shake her head in shame, but Wallace had a point. For someone like Siebold’s mentor, it would be best to be presentable. However, there was no time to shower.

Siebold was already at the lobby waiting for them to move. He was dressed in his chef’s attire already, as was such his typical Elite Four appearance.

“You two look like a mess,” he said. “Oh well. The time won’t wait. My mentor would like to see you and discuss the terms of the competition.”

The front of the hotel was relatively quiet, given the lack of media attention. As Steven and Cynthia made their way together to outside, Cynthia suspected that the meeting with Siebold’s mentor was private. No one would need to know the details about the meeting, and if anything, that was what Viola and Alexa were for.

Diantha, wearing sunglasses, accompanied them to one of the two taxis that would transport them. Unsurprisingly, Steven and Cynthia chose to sit in separate taxis, so it was up to Diantha, Siebold, Cilan, and Wallace to decide who to join who. Whilst Wallace joined Steven, unsurprisingly, Diantha, Siebold, and Cilan joined Cynthia.

The ride was a silent one for Cynthia. Diantha could notice her only staring plainly out the window like she was tired. Then again, Cynthia looked in bad shape.

“How are you feeling?” Diantha asked.

“Tired,” Cynthia replied.

The taxi continued making its way through several blocks of Lumiose City. Thankfully, it was driving fast enough that no one had bothered peeking at who was inside. Even so, the people were too busy with their own errands, whether they were working at a Poké Mart or enjoying a cup of coffee with a Lumiose Galette on the side. The sweet smell of both flavours wafted to Cynthia’s nose.