Cynthia was recognized mere seconds after stepping foot into the establishment, and soon the hostess brought out the owners of the Seven Stars Restaurant, Ramon and Kylie. With Diantha at her side, Cynthia stepped up to the huge battlefield set in the middle of the restaurant, toying with a minimized Pokéball in her hand.

"Champion Cynthia. How kind of you to join us." Roman said in greeting, taking up the other side of the battlefield with his fiancée, Kylie.

"Your guest is welcomed as well." Kylie added, "You know the drill. Shall we begin?"

Cynthia spared a look over to Diantha, who nodded back, "Yes, we're ready."

"Go, Girafarig!"

"Go, Drifloon!"

"Garchomp, battle formation!"

"Gardevoir, the spotlight's on you! Time to take center stage!"

All four Pokémon stood tall on the battlefield, staring each other down. Diantha took the initiative to hold her arm out towards her opposition, signaling for them to start things off.

"By all means, you two may have the first move." Diantha said, sneaking a sly grin towards Cynthia.

Cynthia just shook her head and laughed to herself, "This is near overkill."

Roman pointed to Cynthia's Garchomp, "Bite!"

Kylie directed her attention at Diantha's Gardevoir, "Constrict!"

Sharing a look with one another, Diantha and Cynthia waited a few moments for the two opposing Pokémon to near their own before simultaneously issuing out the same order, "Dodge!"

Gardevoir and Garchomp both took to the air to evade the oncoming attacks from Girafarig and Drifloon. While they were airborne, the two Champions devised their counterattack.

"Use Shadow Ball on Drifloon!"

"Draco Meteor. Look sharp!"

Gardevoir joined her hands together, causing a bursting sphere of dark energy to appear in her grasp. As she hurled the sphere of energy at Drifloon, Garchomp was focused on its own attack. It lifted its head into the sky, focusing on creating five rocks that hung in the air over the battlefield. The rocks then jettisoned downwards, cloaked in a dark aura as it descended upon Girafarig. Gardevoir and Garchomp's attacks kicked up a lot of dust on the battlefield, so all that was left was to wait…

When the dust cleared, both Girafarig and Drifloon were down for the count, leaving Garchomp and Gardevoir as the winners.

"W-What?!" Ramon gasped, eyes wide in shock.

"Already?!" Kylie shook her head in disbelief, "Just how strong are these two?!"

Cynthia looked over at Diantha, exchanging sly glances with one another until they high-fived.

"That was easy…" Diantha laughed softly.

"They never even stood a chance…" Cynthia nudged Diantha's side. The hostess came over again, escorting the two Champions to a table. While they passed Ramon and Kylie, they both shot the two owners a sweet look, almost in apology, "That was a great battle!"

"Hah, of course…" A sweatdrop trickled down Ramon's forehead, "Enjoy your dinner…!"

Kylie only hung her head, "Did that even deserve to be called a battle…?"

Cynthia scratched her cheek, still looking at the two owners while walking to the table, "...Yeah, that was overkill."

Diantha smiled bashfully, "Let's… Let's not think of that for much longer, huh? I think it would do us both some good…"

They reached their table soon after, and their drink orders were taken by the waitress when they sat down. Cynthia had been to the Seven Stars Restaurant so many times that she knew her order like the back of her hand, and even the waitstaff could probably recite it too. She simply crossed her arms and rested them on the table, watching as Diantha read over the menu.

Diantha looked up, seeing how Cynthia hadn't even so much as looked at the menu. "Already know what you'll be having?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cynthia nodded, "Mmhmm. I've been here enough times to know what I like."

"So I'm not the first person you've brought here, hmm?" Diantha teased with a playful grin.

"No." Cynthia squinted, glancing at the ceiling as she thought it over, "I know I've brought other visiting Champions here before… I've brought the League here a few times… This is where I had my twentieth birthday party, and I may have brought a date or two here. The staff knows me quite well."

"I would imagine!" Diantha tilted her head, that playful grin still on her face, "Dates, huh? How interesting…"

Letting out a wry laugh, Cynthia just grimaced at the direction the conversation was taking, "Ah… Don't get any thoughts in your head. It's been two years since I last went on a date, and one year since I even kissed someone. My sister says that my love life is as interesting as watching paint dry."

"Two years?" Biting her lip to suppress a laugh, Diantha simply looked amused at that little confession, "That's… surprising, to say the least."

Cynthia winced at that too, "Completely pathetic, right?"

Diantha shook her head, "No. I just figured that men and women would drop left and right for a chance at you."

"Yeah, well… Some do. I just… don't have the time. Or the interest." Cynthia scratched her arm idly, shifting her eyes off to the side. "But, uh… What about you? You're the Master of the Kalos League and an A-List actress. The same could go for you."

"I hope you realize that the show business dating scene is the most chaotic, messiest place in existence." Diantha said lowly, not even peeling her eyes off of the menu, "I'm not sprouting grey hairs in my late twenties because of dating, of all things."

"Fair enough…" Their drinks came in that moment, and Cynthia instantly grabbed her wine glass and downed half of it in a single gulp. That took her mind off of the terrible, obligatory love life conversation before Cynthia had a better idea, "So… What led you to becoming a Champion?"

Diantha set down her menu and smiled fondly at the memories, clasping her hands together, "When I was only a child, my best friends and I would always talk about how we were gonna go on this huge journey when we were old enough. They got their Pokémon from their parents, but mine didn't have any. We still went on the journey together, but I didn't have a Pokémon for the longest time until we reached Lumiose City. I rescued a Ralts from a fountain in the outskirts of the city, and she wouldn't leave my side after that. I had a lot of catching up to do at that point to reach the same level as my friends, so Ralts and I kept working harder and harder, and we just kept getting better and better until the only thing left for us to do was challenge the Champion… And the rest is history!" She laughed softly, tilting her head and closing her eyes.

Cynthia grinned at that, now at enough ease to not need to be chugging from her glass. She set her glass down and raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, "You traveled around Kalos in a group?"

Diantha nodded, "Yes! There were three of us: me, my neighbor Anaїs, and then our friend Florent. We were an inseparable bunch… They were the ones who got me to join the entertainment industry. They're both actors, and we've done a few projects together." Diantha placed her hand to her chin and looked off to the side, eyes narrowing in thought, "I am certain that they're in love with one another but are too afraid to admit it…"

Letting out a laugh, Cynthia rested her head in her hand and slowly started to swing her leg in amusement, "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, it's almost ridiculous!" Diantha leaned forward, visibly quite passionate about the subject, "I've noticed it since we were kids, but it's still the exact same now that we've all grown up! They always wind up playing each other's love interests in the projects we all do together, and it's nearly painful to watch them dance around each other!"

"Let me guess…" Cynthia was enjoying this gossip almost a little too much, "...They both think the other is acting?"

Diantha nodded, "Exactly! But I've seen acting- I know acting, and they're definitely not acting!"

"I know the feeling all too well. My sister is nearly the same." Cynthia had a sly grin on her face, "Elizabeth likes to think she's some smooth devil, and honestly, she kind of is when she's flirting as a joke. The second she's around someone she likes, though… It's literally the most painful thing to watch in existence. She's a mess!"

"Is this the same sister you told me once dyed her hair blue because the person she liked said blue was their favorite color?" Diantha asked, suppressing a laugh.

"Unfortunately so…" Cynthia let out a chuckle, shaking her head in exasperation, "Do you see what I have to deal with when I'm around her?"

"I can certainly understand now. I have to meet her someday. She sounds delightful, to say the least…"

"I'm sure she'll rear her ugly head in some time or another…" Rolling her eyes, Cynthia sighed but regained that smile of hers.

Diantha grinned widely at that, and she crossed her arms over the table, "If you're so positive that'll happen… I'll be waiting until then, so it seems."

The conversations only took off after that. They talked about everything as they ate, from more gossip, to strange challengers they've had over the years, to their work outside of being Champions- everything. It was well past ten when they finally paid and left so Cynthia could show Diantha to the lake, which meant they were chatting away at the restaurant for almost two hours. The night wasn't set to end there, and there was still so much more in store. Cynthia led Diantha through Grand Lake Hotel and up the Valor Lakefront, her shoes in one hand and Diantha's wrist in the other. There was an excited grin on Cynthia's face the entire time she dragged Diantha along through the lakefront, and it only got bigger the closer they got to the lake.

Diantha just laughed as Cynthia pulled her along, and she couldn't fight off Cynthia's contagious excitement, "Easy, easy, darling!" She laughed, stumbling a little bit as she tried to keep up with Cynthia, "This dress isn't exactly made for agility!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just… can't help it! I want to show you all the work the locals and I put into restoring the lake!" Cynthia looked over her shoulder towards Diantha with a wide smile, and she slowed down a bit.

"That's right… I remember you telling me that a few days ago." Diantha glanced around at the surroundings. It was hard to envision a majority of the lakefront being blown up with how gorgeous it was.

"Everyone worked so hard on it, people and Pokémon alike." Cynthia's eyes practically shone at this point, "You're going to be the first one to see it complete that wasn't a part of the restoration process. It's going to be great!"

"R...Really?" Diantha was caught off-guard by that, she almost forgot to keep walking, "I… don't know what to say…!"

"Just say you're excited!" Cynthia laughed, and she suddenly stopped and turned towards Diantha, "Okay, we're close. Close your eyes! I don't want you peeking until we're right in the center of it!"

Diantha seemed a little concerned about that, "...You're taking me into the center of the lake…?"

Cynthia shook her head, "N-No! It was an expression! Just… Just close your eyes!"

Not wanting to fluster Cynthia any further, Diantha did as she was told and closed her eyes. Cynthia let go of Diantha's wrist to instead wrap her arm around Diantha's waist to lead her the rest of the way. Diantha felt significantly more nervous than before, and her face grew warm due to being pressed against Cynthia's side like that. Maybe they both had a bit too much to drink at dinner. They both were starting to act differently…

Soon Diantha could hear Cynthia snicker, and Cynthia dropped her arm from Diantha's waist, but she didn't step away from Diantha's side.

"Open your eyes." Cynthia said in a soft voice, and her smile could practically be heard in the tone she spoke in.

Slowly opening her eyes, Diantha immediately let out a gasp when she registered her surroundings. She took a few steps forwards to get a better look for everything herself, mouth slightly agape.

The moonlight reflected gracefully off of the still water, as well as all of the lights of the nearby buildings and street lamps. The grass was as green as could be, and it framed the water perfectly. It was like looking at a painting, where the artist took great care in using colors and lighting effects over the water. It was beautiful.

"You… You did this?" Diantha asked quietly, entirely mesmerized by the sight in front of her.

Cynthia caught up with Diantha, tilting her head to get a good look at Diantha's awestruck expression. Cynthia only grinned at the sight, "It wasn't just me, but… yeah. Nearly all of the eastern population of Sinnoh pitched into the efforts one way or another, through donations or labor or some other means. This is our masterpiece."

"It's simply… breathtaking." Diantha's voice was almost lost in her breathing, only proving her point, "I… I almost refuse to believe this was all man-made."

Cynthia let out a soft laugh, "Well, we did have Pokémon helping us…"

"You know that wasn't what I meant." Yet Diantha couldn't fight off the grin that came to her face at that.

"I know." Cynthia shrugged her shoulders almost bashfully, returning her gaze to the lake itself, "We wouldn't rest until everything was perfect. This is one of the sacred lakes, so restoring it at half of the beauty it had before wasn't an option. Humans were the one selfish enough to destroy it in the first place… We almost had something to prove in restoring it for Azelf, that we're all not like that, and not all of us want to use the trio for our own gains."

Diantha nodded in understanding, and she turned to face Cynthia, "Well, I may not know Azelf personally like you do…" She teased, her arm brushing against Cynthia's own, "...But I bet it's grateful for all the effort you and all of the region put into making the lake this beautiful. I'd say the message isn't falling on deaf ears." As she spoke, she slowly reached out out for Cynthia's hand, her fingers fumbling with Cynthia's own as if she were hesitant to go any further.

Cynthia looked over at Diantha, glancing down at their hands before meeting Diantha's eye. She looked a little surprised about Diantha's words of encouragement, but eventually Cynthia just smiled, fully lacing her hands together. "I hope so too."

Diantha's smile widened at that, and her thumb absentmindedly drifted along Cynthia's hand gently, "Thank you for taking me here. The lake truly is beautiful…"

"It was well worth the wait, huh?" Cynthia teased, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow.

Diantha let out a soft laugh, nodding, "It certainly was…" She drew in her bottom lip, taking it between her teeth. Her gaze trailed down Cynthia's features until she reached her red lips. Perhaps Diantha lingered a bit too long, because she finally caught herself and tore her gaze away, looking back at the lake and wetting her lips.

This didn't slip past Cynthia at all, and she only watched as Diantha tried to compose herself after that. It was late, and they've both had long days, and there was an even longer day waiting for them come morning. Cynthia just tilted her head to get a better look at Diantha, swallowing a bit.

"I really do hate to cut such a wonderful night short, but… tomorrow's going to be a long day of filming. I don't want to keep you up late and have you suffer in the morning." Cynthia said with a nervous laugh, "I really did have a great time tonight, though. We should do this again whenever we get a free night."

Diantha nodded at that, forcing a grin to her face, "I had fun too. You certainly know how to show a girl a good time."

Cynthia let out a laugh at that, ducking her head out of view bashfully, "Hah, thanks… I'll… I'll see you tomorrow, Diantha. Good night." Despite every voice in her head warning her not to, Cynthia leaned forward, closing her eyes as she kissed Diantha's cheek in goodbye, because she had been wanting to do it all night and she would never forgive herself if she hadn't. Reluctantly she pulled her hand out of Diantha's grasp and called out her Togekiss so she could fly home. She left shortly after, leaving Diantha to her own by the lake.

Diantha walked towards the water and leaned over it, seeing the red mark on her cheek from where Cynthia kissed her. She let out a heavy exhale, shaking her head, "Mon dieu... " She said in a breathy voice, slipping back into her native tongue, "Bah… Bon travail, Diantha… Ça, c'était pitoyable…"