This is the rare Pokemon fanfiction that I decided to write about a month ago. I finally decided to upload it. Fair warning, I have taken a lot of liberties with the characters and the world building. The Pokemon franchise does not belong to me and I gain no profit from this story.

Emery Walters would be considered one of the more average trainers out there. Of course, she traveled regions and entered leagues, though she had never got past the Top 16, she wasn't exceptional in any sense of the word. Her main team was nothing special, her strongest being her starter Sceptile, and the other Hoenn pokémon not far behind her.

At 17, she had been a trainer for 7 years, and as such, Emery got a pretty steady income from battles and the League. However, that sum was barely enough to survive so she supplemented her income by selling her paintings to papers magazines and the rare collector.

In her early childhood, Emery found a passion for drawing and painting and her skills had developed from there. She usually painted realistic depictions of people and pokémon in their normal lives. She one day wanted to paint a legendary, though that was just a fanciful dream. The deities of the pokémon world only appeared to exceptional trainers and Emery was the very definition of normal.

She was currently in Mossdeep City, sitting against a tree close to the Space Center. Emery was sketching the scene of the Center with people milling about when she felt a tap on her shoulder and nearly jumped out of her skin.

Steven Stone finally felt unburdened. Now that he had transferred the Hoenn Championship to his friend, Wallace, he had more time than he had had in the past 4 years. Of course, he still had to deal with being the Heir of the Devon Corporations but at least he was no longer dealing with both things at once. Steven was now back in his hometown, Mossdeep City, spending time with his pokémon and paying attention to his duties as heir.

On one of his rare free days, Steven was walking around the city, taking everything in. That's when he noticed a beautiful girl sketching in the shade of a large tree. Thinking a little bit, he decided to get her attention by tapping her on the shoulder.

Looking beside her in surprise, Emery was faced with long, trouser-clad legs. Moving her gaze upwards, she noticed the extremely recognizable silver hair and a handsome face.

She was shocked that a man like Steven Stone was standing in front of her, possibly wishing to talk to her. But then she realized that he must want to get rid of her from the area.

Emery got up promptly, abandoning her sketching for the moment, "I am sorry. I didn't know that this place was off limits," she was almost panicking.

The former-champion just smiled amusedly at her actions and said, "It's not."

Emery paused while packing her bag, "Then why did you want to talk to me?"

"I just noticed you sketching and decided to see what you were making."

'He noticed me…' Emery thought in shock. She was normally the most unmemorable person in a crowd. Steven pulled her out of her thoughts by asking, "If I may?" gesturing to the sketch she was bust stuffing in her bag. She handed it over numbly, still slightly shocked.

The silver-haired man looked at the rough sketch in his hand in slight awe. It was beautiful and realistic, and not something he had expected to see from a random, though pretty, artist.

He looked up from the paper to see the young woman still in a trance. However, despite her recognition of him, she did not behave any differently as girls usually did. If anything, she seemed surprised to be talking to him at all instead of feeling entitled.

The girl startled when he called, "Excuse me."

"Yes," she answered.

"May I have the name of the beautiful artist of this wonderful sketch?"

The black-haired young woman blushed all the way to her years at the smooth question.

"Emery Walters," Emery, as he now knew her, spoke very softly.

"Your work is very beautiful," Steven complemented.

Emery ducked her head shyly before saying, "Thank you."

'She has a beautiful voice,' Steven thought to himself.

"I'll take my leave now," the artist said in a hurry.

As she began to leave, Steven called out again, "Emery! I would like to see more of your work," 'And your beautiful nature' he finished silently to himself.

The girl's eyes gleamed for a moment before her expression turned hesitant.

"Please,' Steven insisted.

"If you insist," Emery replied hesitantly, "but where do we sit?"

"Right here."

"But your clothes will get dirty!"

"It's no bother," Steven said as he sat on the ground beside Emery. As she began to dig into her bag, he noticed the pokeballs clipped to her belt.

"You are a Co-Ordinator?"

"No. Trainer," she said shortly as she took out a thick folder. Emery handed it to Steven.

As he began to flip through the folder, Steven was left awestruck at the skill that was on display. "Marvelous," he whispered in admiration.

The two sat for hours as Steven went over Emery's pieces in detail. She even began to open up about the incidents that she had captured in her paintings. Though she gave no personal details, Steven still enjoyed hearing her speak. The fact that she didn't ask for any personal information from him at all was a bonus in his eyes.

When they were done, Steven asked Emery, "Where are you staying in Mossdeep?"

"At the Pokémon Center," she replied cautiously, not understanding where he was going with this.

"Can I meet you for lunch tomorrow? If that is fine with you, of course."

"S…sure, we can meet in front of the Pokémon Center at noon and decide from there." Emery was slightly hesitant but still excited at the prospect of seeing Steven again.

Steven's handsome face morphed into a beautiful smile. "Fantastic! I will see you tomorrow then," he said, getting up from the ground and dusting off his clothes.

Emery sent him off with a small smile.

The following day, Steven arrived at the Pokémon Center at exactly noon, but Emery was nowhere to be found. After waiting for about five minutes, he saw her running up to him from a distance, dodging people along the way.

"I'm sorry," Emery panted, "I got lost in training…"

Steven just smiled, more than familiar with the phenomena. "It's fine," he said, "Let us proceed to lunch?"

"Sure," Emery said pleasantly.

Both of them were glad for the other's presence. They were happy to finally meet someone who noticed them beyond the surface. Maybe it would turn into something more.

Hope you all enjoyed this little story. I might add more oneshots to this if suitably motivated.

-clicheluver