Hey all! Thanks for waiting around for this one. School started again, as is often the case in late August, so my last year of undergrad is now underway and it was a busy first week. Hopefully this chapter is to your liking; it's a bit of an abrupt change from the last several. *cough* SMUT *cough* It was a lot of fun to write and I hope you like it! Feel free to leave reviews/criticism as always, I love feedback!

Mr. Briney was a delightful traveling companion for their trip across the water the next morning. He sang songs loudly and gleefully as they leapt through the waves in his small but speedy boat, Peeko cawing along with him when he arrived at an especially loud chorus.

Ella stood on the front deck of the boat, gazing out at the water. It was another glorious day. There were absolutely no clouds to be seen, and the sun shone upon the tops of the Tentacool she could see pop above the water every once in awhile. She wondered how deep the water was, and was amazed to see all of the swimmers out with their Pokemon. How were they so comfortable with the swimming Pokemon touching their legs under the water…? She shook the thought off with a shudder. Deep water frightened her more than a little bit. Once she got a Pokemon that knew Surf, though—that would be fun. She'd just have to not fall off.

Dewford Town was very small, though still larger than Littleroot by a moderate amount. The Gym was obvious above the roofs of the smaller buildings, and just past the edge of town lay a great rocky cave. Most of the ground was coarse sand and there was a good deal of seaweed on the shore. It wasn't a great beach to relax on, but appeared to be an excellent shoreline for fishing and for shell collectors. The other striking part of the town was its people, milling about and talking excitedly outside. As Ella wandered through, she noticed that most of the citizens were speaking about the same thing: "Large Berry". Was it a band? That was her first thought. Maybe they were in town nearby? There were people with Large Berry t-shirts, Large Berry buttons…even a rather tipsy man who declared to all who would listen that he had a Large Berry tattoo on his left ass-cheek. (Interestingly, he declined to show it to those who inquired further.) Ella couldn't figure out exactly what this fad was, no matter how many conversations she overheard—but no matter, maybe she'd discover it in the next place she went.

It was also unclear to her exactly where she would find Mr. Stone's son Steven. She checked in some of the public buildings, but there was no sign of anyone except eager Large Berry fans. Somehow, she didn't think Steven would be one of them. Finally, an inquiry at the Pokemon Center led her to the cave at the edge of town.

It was dark inside, but not impossible to see. There was a nice man who advised her to use Flash if caves got any darker, and she said she would keep that in mind. There wasn't a whole lot of the place to explore; narrow tunnels led her in a single path to end at a larger chamber where she finally located Steven.

He was tall and slender, it would seem, underneath the dark suit he wore. Why he was wearing such clothing to explore a cave was beyond her—honestly, that suit looked outrageously expensive, and if he was truly Mr. Stone's son, she was certain it was—but he stood poised with his back to her as he studied the markings on the cave wall carefully. His silvery hair was unruly, but it was the kind of careful unruly that was clearly planned out beforehand. He was perhaps twenty-five? Twenty-six?

She moved closer to him slowly, not wanting to disturb his thought process as he studied his surroundings.

"Their primal forms really held this much power at one point…?" His voice was soft as he mused to himself, and he stroked his slightly stubbled chin pensively. "What terrible strength they showed…" A shift in posture. "Perhaps I will not find my answers today."

Ella took a deep breath. "Pardon me, are you Steven?"

The man turned around and blinked at her from behind silver-rimmed glasses, his eyes full of wisdom beyond his obvious young age. He was strikingly handsome and dignified, and the resemblance to his father was clear.

Essentially, he was one of the most attractive men she'd seen in awhile.

"I am. Who might you be?"

"I'm Ella Rosewater." She offered the beautiful man her hand to shake.

If her surname was at all familiar to Steven, he made no indication of recognition. "It's a pleasure, Ella." He shook her hand formally, with a polite smile.

"Likewise, Steven." She held onto his hand for ever-so-slightly too long before letting go. Ohhhhh, she was thirsty.

"I often travel the region in search of historical knowledge and discovery, Ella, but I have a feeling that something else brings you to me today." He folded his arms across his chest. "What would that be?"

Well your dad said we should date and although I don't want to date anyone right now you're pretty hot and we should definitely screw around for fun was what she WANTED to say, but she held it in, feeling utterly searched by his eyes—not a bad feeling at all, even though she knew he didn't mean it in a flirtatious or invasive way. Clearly it was just something he did.

"I have a letter for you. From your father." Ella reached into her purse and pulled the envelope out, pleased that it hadn't been damaged en route. "I met him while I was in Rustboro."

Steven took it from her, somewhat surprised. "Oh. From my father?" He looked at the outside of the envelope briefly—it had only his first name written on it in elegant script—and placed it inside of his suit jacket. "I suppose I should probably thank you for bringing it all this way. It can't have been that simple of a journey, coming all this way from Rustboro." He began to rummage around in the bag that he carried with him.

Time to turn on the charm. "No trouble at all." Ella smiled her loveliest smile. "And I got to meet you at the end, so I can't say I'm disappointed."

He looked up and raised an eyebrow at her forwardness, but didn't seem to be swayed. Rather than responding, he pulled a device out of his bag and handed it to her. "Ahem. I'd like to give you something…This is my favorite move for Pokemon, called Steel Wing. You're obviously a Trainer, and you could use it well, I'm sure."

Ella's cheeks reddened. "I—thank you. That's very kind."

Steven nodded at her. "Of course." He looked over his shoulder at the cave wall again. "While you're here…would you mind answering another question for me?"

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully/sexily, careful to keep eye contact. That ALWAYS worked. "Anything, Steven."

"What goes through your head when you look at the images on this wall?" He turned away from her again, looking skyward (or at least cave-ceilingsward).

She took a few steps forward, standing to his right. The picture they stood in front of was of an enormous Pokemon. Fear and destruction seemed to surround it in the form of water elements: tidal waves and rainstorms and cyclones, no hope in sight. This was a loaded question coming from Steven; was she supposed to impress him with her history knowledge? "I…" Thoughts raced through her mind.

The taller man looked down at her next to him, patiently waiting for her response.

A long silence endured before she finally said something. "I just think…the world has really changed." A tear sprang to her eye unexpectedly; she wiped it away.

The world had changed. She wasn't just talking about history. Her own world had changed, taking her from young academic to hands-on Trainer. She saw a different future for herself now; a different future than she'd seen in Johto with Jamie and research and whatever the fuck else she'd painted in her mind next to her made-up house with a white picket fence. Not knowing what was next was unfamiliar; it was intimidating. Ella had never been one to be intimidated before.

She shook it off, hoping Steven couldn't see her heavy introspection, and spoke again. "The world has changed in every sense, and we can only control or guide so much of it as we live."

There was another long silence.

"There is fear in this image on the wall. This Legendary Pokemon caused destruction worse than humanity has ever seen before—and you're right, Ella. We couldn't control it. Perhaps there were things we could have done differently, but what's done is done. However, the feelings of hopelessness we saw then are still evident in this image…" He sighed. "Humanity has changed."

They stood together quietly, viewing the scene on the wall in front of them.

"I think," Steven began, "you'll be a great Trainer."

"What?" Ella was thrown off by the sudden change in subject.

"Keep working and understanding, and I think that you could go very, very far. You could even become the League Champion."

She was absolutely stunned. "I—thank you—my father was Champion, but…"

"Your father doesn't factor into this." He was looking directly at her. "This is about you, not your name." His face was hard as stone.

"…Steven. Thank you."

He waved away her thanks. "No need. I wish you luck."

"Thank you. That's very kind." Tears threatened to fill her eyes again, but she blinked them back.

"I must be going, now." He shook her hand briefly once more, and began walking towards the entrance to the chamber.

"I hope I see you again!" were the words she called after him.

Steven stopped in his tracks, but did not say anything. Another silence filled the room, and Ella, cheeks burning, turned back towards the drawing on the wall.

"Ah…Ella?"

She cringed slightly. Had she gone too far with her flirtations? She wasn't out of practice or anything, but it was entirely possible that he wasn't at all interested. "Yes, Steven?"

He was very close to her suddenly, and she felt the color rise to her cheeks in a brief moment of vulnerability. "If I'm reading you correctly…"

Ella felt a hand on her hip, gently.

"…I'm fairly certain you may currently be interested in more than just a history lesson and pep talk." She felt his breath hot against her neck and suddenly she was also very hot in certain other areas. "Is this correct?"

It definitely was, and it also seemed as though he was interested in reciprocating.

Jackpot.

"I might be, yeah. Would you be—"

He spun her around to face him, and she noticed he'd taken his glasses off, his eyebrows raised to accentuate the very slight smirk he wore—

"—interested in giving me more than that?" She was nearly unable to breathe, but was working incredibly hard to maintain a calm and collected façade.

Steven leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I find it difficult to say no to the pretty girl who walked into Granite Cave and listened to me prattle on about the past for so long." He gripped her hips in both hands, and goosebumps spread down Ella's arms. "I don't think we'll be bothered here for a little while."

In response, Ella wound her arms around his neck enthusiastically and brought his lips down to meet hers. He chuckled as he kissed her back, lazy but hungry, his hands moving from her hips to her waist underneath her shirt and caressing the skin he found there. He was talented with his tongue, though it's not as if I expected anything less, she thought as she bit the lower lip of the tall academic, causing him to reciprocate with a low growl. Fuck.

Ella let him back her into the wall, grabbing handfuls of his shirt underneath his immaculately tailored suit jacket. How she had landed this gig was a mystery, but—oh, his mouth was on her neck now and she wasn't complaining. She tangled her hands in his hair and let him suck at her soft skin, not hard enough to leave marks—he was too polite for that—but intently enough to elicit multiple surprised gasps from her.

Steven's hands moved their way upwards beneath the fabric of her shirt to grasp both her breasts and squeeze hard, and the resulting hungry moan of approval he made against her neck made her grin as he kneaded them eagerly. He kept his hands there as he kissed her mouth again and brought his knee in between her thighs to lean against the cave wall.

Ella pushed his jacket off of his broad shoulders and he removed it the rest of the way, letting the expensive material fall to the ground without a second thought. Her next stop was lower on his body, moving closer to the obvious hardness in his pants—

Suddenly and swiftly he took both her wrists in one of his long-fingered hands and swept them up above her head, pinning them to the wall. Ella made a noise of surprise and Steven pulled back from her, meeting her eyes. "You good?"

She nodded breathlessly, and he grinned and kissed her again. His other hand was fumbling with the fastenings on her pants, which came undone within seconds—she was surprised he was able to do that one-handed—and his fingers lingered at the waistband of her lacy panties before moving underneath.

Ella felt Steven smile once more against her lips as his warm fingertips touched her wet sex. She drew a sharp breath, feeling the pressure there that she so loved and hadn't had lately, and couldn't help but moan softly as this near-stranger touched her as if he'd known her for much longer. He stroked her slit again and again with varying speeds, careful to surprise her just as she least expected it, and continued to kiss her fervently, biting and sucking at her lips and occasionally her tongue. After a moment, he slipped two fingers inside of her, crisscrossing and scissoring them while keeping his thumb on her swollen clit to create one of the most intense slow builds Ella could remember having.

Maybe part of it was the environment, but her Pokemon journey was certainly turning out to be enjoyable, far beyond what she had expected—

"Mmm—fuck!" Ella's eyes opened wide as her whole body tensed and released, coming violently against Steven's hand, his mouth again on her neck. "Fuck…me."

Steven kissed her on the cheek, released her wrists, and pulled away again, laughing. "It's against my morals to sleep with anyone within an hour of meeting them for the first time. Seems a little shallow."

She blushed—if it was even possible to get any more flushed than she already was from their activities—and tucked a couple of loose strands of hair behind her ears. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know." He met her eyes, smirked, and sucked her excess off of his fingers (she lost track of coherent thoughts in that moment). "Satisfactory?"

Ella stared for a few seconds, then responded by swiftly spinning the two of them around and pushing Steven against the wall instead, kissing him fiercely.

"Ah, so…yes?"

Wordlessly, she unfastened his belt and pants and pulled out his rock-hard (or should I say "stone-hard"—sorry) cock. He said nothing more, but raised an eyebrow at her. Keeping eye contact, she knelt in front of him and took him fully in her mouth. The low hiss she heard in response was all the affirmation she needed that it was the correct move.

He was larger than average, as she had expected, but not enormous to the point of discomfort. Although, even if he had been, she still would have happily done the same thing. She wanted to impress this man desperately—and by the sounds he was making as she swirled his length around with her tongue, she was succeeding.

It hadn't even been five minutes of satisfied grunts and Steven's hands in her long hair before he was on the verge of climax. His fists tightened, pulling sharply at the blonde fistfuls he was holding. "Ella. I'm going to come."

She hummed encouragingly around his cock, letting him know she wasn't pulling away, and swallowed as he let his breath out slowly.

He swore softly. "Alright."

Ella stood again, grinned, and cleared her throat. "Satisfactory?"

"Quite."

Steven took a moment to catch his breath, leaning up against the cave wall. The two of them reassembled their clothing in silence, eager to slow their racing heartbeats.

"That was fun," Ella finally managed when they had put themselves back together.

Her tryst partner laughed. "Yes. Fun is the word."

She knew she had to assure him that there were no strings attached, but was somewhat unsure how to do it. "I, ah…"

He cocked his head at her questioningly, the smile fading.

"This was a one-time thing, of course." The words coming out of her mouth sounded harsher than they did in her mind, but she did not. want. to start something.

His face was unreadable. "Of course it was. No need for concern."

"I just don't want to get involved with anyone right now." It was hard to meet his eyes, but she forced her gaze up anyway.

"There's no reason to explain." He had resumed the business-like demeanor of before, his arms folded in front of him. "I had assumed that was the situation."

"Well…good." Ella wasn't sure how to proceed from here. "I'm glad."

Steven cleared his throat. "It's been a pleasure, Ella. Thank you for spending time with me today." He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again."

She closed her eyes briefly. "Perhaps we will."

"I wish you the best."

He was the first one to walk away, out of the cave, leaving Ella to reflect.

She had been eagerly awaiting an encounter like that, but hadn't expected to like him so goddamn much.

Her thoughts were racing as she too left the cave.