Black and White

Izzyaro

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Steven looked from Sidney to Glacia and back again and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"All right, let's start from the beginning. One at a time."

He wasn't even slightly surprised when they immediately started talking at once.

"He has no respect for tradition-"

"She's totally stuck in the past-"

"-don't know what possessed you to think he would be suitable-"

"-thinks she's better than everyone-"

"I cannot work with him-"

"No way am I gonna work with her-"

Aggron Roared.

"Thank you," said Steven into the ensuing silence. Aggron looked smug, and Steven gave her a grateful pat before turning a look on his suddenly much more subdued colleagues. "You are members of the Elite Four of Hoenn," he said mildly. "You are two of the most powerful trainers in the region. Hundreds of trainers look up to you. Stop acting like squabbling children."

It was his least favourite sort of speech to make, but it did the job. Sidney was staring at the ground like he wished it would swallow him whole, and Glacia's pale cheeks were tinged red. Steven ran a hand through his hair, ignored the thumbs up and smirks from Phoebe and Drake, and tried to think.

"Glacia," he began, and was inordinately gratified by the wariness in her eyes as she looked at him. "You think that Sidney does not take his duties seriously, and has no respect for what we stand for." Sidney opened his mouth, eyes flashing with indignation, but Steven spoke without looking at him, "Wait your turn."

Sidney subsided, and Steven continued, "How you have come to such a conclusion without spending more than five minutes in his company, or once observing him at said duties, I cannot quite understand."

Glacia was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Steven raised an eyebrow and turned to Sidney, who suddenly looked much less excited about being the centre of attention. "And you think that Glacia is stuck up, and considers no one's feelings but her own. Again, I am impressed by your ability to have formed such a belief without even one proper conversation."

"Don't need a conversation," Sidney muttered. "I see it every time she looks at me."

Glacia's eyes flashed. "Maybe that is because every word out your mouth betrays your contempt for us and our traditions."

"We are not doing this again," Steven growled. He was gratified when both of them shut up immediately, but their sidelong glares and barely concealed hostility made it quite clear that the matter was nowhere near close to being resolved.

Steven gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to lock them both in a room for a few hours. They were his friends, and he had nothing but respect for them and their skills, but few things upset him more than people who were unwilling to listen to another point of view. Sidney and Glacia could work well together, he was sure of it, but until they put their prejudices behind them they weren't going to accomplish anything except make everyone's lives more difficult.

Metagross gave him a light mental nudge, and Steven realised that Sidney and Glacia were still waiting for him. Behind them Phoebe's amusement had faded, and Drake's face bore a faint frown. Steven forced his hands to relax, and nodded as the answer came to him.

"You never battled each other, did you?"

From the bemusement on their faces, and the approval on Drake's, he knew he'd hit upon the right answer, and the knowledge gave him strength. "Trainers have always understood one another through battle. Sidney, you should respect that. Through that understanding, they come to respect one another. Is that not so, Glacia?"

Both nodded slowly. Drake clapped his hands together. "Let's get to it then."

"Indeed," said Steven. "Phoebe, would you mind?"

Normally he would referee such a match himself, but his head was pounding and he had had quite enough of the two of them for one day. Phoebe shot him a sympathetic look, and nodded. "Of course."

Sidney and Glacia were already glaring at each other from their respective ends of the pitch. Drake moved to Steven's side as Phoebe made her way over to the centreline.

"Enjoying the job?" he murmured.

Steven scowled. "You could have warned me."

"But you were so excited."

"Were being the operative word," Steven muttered. He massaged his aching temples as he stared out over the battlefield. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Drake's smile faded slightly. "Don't be so hard on yourself, lad," he murmured. "You're doing just fine."

Steven stared at him. "Half of my team hate each other. That's hardly the mark of a good leader."

"A good leader doesn't tell his team what to think either," Drake argued. "Can't control their opinions, but you can manage their actions going forwards and that's what you're doing." He stroked his moustache for a moment, then shrugged. "They'll get over it."

"I hope so," said Steven quietly. It was hard enough being the youngest Hoenn Champion in generations without his Elite Four tearing themselves apart within his first six months on the job. He felt Drake's attention on him, but turned back in time to see both of them send out their first Pokémon. Scrafty and Walrein squared off against each other, and Steven allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment.

Hopefully this would work.

By the time Glalie finally succeeded in freezing Absol solid, and Phoebe announced Glacia as the winner, Steven's headache had intensified to the point where every movement felt like someone was taking a sledgehammer to his temples. That didn't stop him smiling as Glacia shook Sidney's hand with none of her earlier condescension.

"That was a most stimulating battle," she said. "I was particularly impressed by the way your Shiftry coped with such a disadvantage."

Sidney looked bemused, but matched her quickly enough. "Well, thanks. Your Froslass was cool too. Don't think we've ever had that much trouble with a Ghost before."

Glacia inclined her head. "I would appreciate a rematch in the future. We are always looking for new ways to overcome that particular weakness."

For once Sidney's smirk held more respect that cockiness. "Shiftry and Mandibuzz could use the practice too."

Drake nudged Steven with a pointy elbow. "What did I tell you?"

Steven rolled his eyes, ignoring the way it made his head throb harder, and moved forwards. "Well done both of you," he said. "That was an excellent battle."

Sidney visibly lit up at the praise. Glacia's response was more subdued, but Steven still saw pride in her eyes before she inclined her head. "It was most educational." She paused a moment, eyes darting between Sidney and Steven, before she drew herself up. "And you were right. I was allowing my own prejudices to cloud my judgement."

"And she wasn't the only one," Sidney put in, before Steven could even open his mouth. "I was being an idiot, Boss. Sorry." He glanced at Glacia. "Both of you."

"As am I," said Glacia.

Steven didn't have to look to know Drake was feeling incredibly pleased with himself, but it was impossible to hold onto any irritation when the two of them were looking so hopeful. "I'm glad to hear it." Pain spiked in his skull, and he took a moment before continuing. "I hope you'll be able to use the experience to grow stronger."

Sidney frowned at him. "Yeah, we will. Hey, you all right, Boss?"

Steven blinked. "Excuse me? I'm fine."

"You do not look fine," said Glacia pointedly.

He really must be slipping if they could tell that much. "It's a slight headache," he said. "It's nothing."

"Slight headaches don't make you look like you're gonna be sick," Sidney observed.

"Not in my experience," Glacia agreed. "He doesn't look like he's been sleeping well either."

"He was here before me again this morning," Phoebe chimed in. She completely ignored the scowl Steven shot her. "And I'm pretty sure he was the last one to leave."

Glacia's lips thinned. "And I suspect this has been going on for some time."

"I am still here, you know," Steven protested. Three pairs of eyes locked on him, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the last time, I am perfectly fine."

There was blessed silence for a minute, then Sidney shook his head. "Nope. Still doesn't look fine to me."

Steven threw a pleading look at Drake, who just raised an eyebrow. "You wanted them to get along, they're getting along. Stop complaining and go take something for that migraine."

"I do not have a migraine," Steven insisted, but then sun broke out from behind a cloud, and the groan that escaped at the ensuing lightning bolts behind his eyes rather ruined the effort. "Fine," he ground out. "Just for a few minutes."

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, Boss." A hand caught his elbow and hauled him off back towards the main building. "Hey, Glacia, your Froslass knows Hypnosis, right?"

"If she doesn't my Drifblim does. And Drake's Altaria knows Sing."

"You are not putting me to sleep with Pokémon," Steven protested. "It's not even that bad."

"Say that with your eyes open," Glacia suggested.

Steven considered it out of sheer stubbornness before Metagross gave him a mental clip round the ear and he abandoned the idea. His friends continued to chat around him with none of the earlier tension and Steven couldn't quite keep from smiling.

It might not be quite what he had expected, but he was more than happy to take it.

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