Hello again everyone! I'm back again, with another dose of Darksteel goodness. (And yes, quite a speedy turn around after my previous chapter.)

Now, with regards to this story, this one shot is based off two requests actually, and it regards Steven's brief appearance in the Pokemon Platinum manga storyline. For those who haven't read it, the brief page in that manga, actually depicts Steven signing over his villa to Platinum in Sinnoh, before departing on Metagross, in order to return to Hoenn. So based on that, two reviewers have requested a story based around the possibility of Cynthia visiting him, in this villa.

This is also why the story is just entitled 'The Villa,' as it just sort of sums up the story and its contents quite nicely.

So, without any further delay, here is my completed interpretation on this. It should be noted that each page break, indicates a different time in the meetings. So, the events sort of follow a timeline, eventually leading up to Steven's departure in the Platinum manga. I hope that makes sense. I'm sure you will get what I mean as you read on.

This story only features Cynthia and Steven. Sorry, there are no other guest appearances in this one.

It should also be strongly noted that this one shot is rated a T, and there's a very good reason for that, as there are implied things in this story that cannot be considered a K+. So, you've been warned.

So, without further ado, here's the finished product.


Cynthia rarely visited the Resort Area, as not much tended to happen there that would require the region's champion's constant presence. However, after a rather stressful few hours, dealing with sightings of Team Galactic grunts, she'd needed a rest, and she'd just happened to be flying over this area at the time.

As she landed on solid ground, she'd returned Garchomp to her pokeball, and that's when she looked up and spotted it. Well, in truth, you couldn't actually miss it. To the resident side of the resort, there stood a large, spectacular, and rather luxurious villa, complete with a vast garden and swimming pool. The building and its surroundings just screamed class, and it took no genius to realize, that someone of wealth lived there.

Cynthia's eyes remained wide, as she took in the villa once more. She was sure that it hadn't been there a few months ago, but then again, she didn't visit here that often, so who knows how long it had actually been there.

She hadn't noticed that she'd been walking towards it, until she heard the front door opening, and that's when she realized, that she'd stopped just short of the front entrance, just as the owner had opened the front door, in order to pick up the newspaper that had been left on the doorstep.

Cynthia felt her face flush slightly in embarrassment; she should have turned around and left, but she couldn't seem to move her legs, she was frozen, and besides, it was too late to run now; she wouldn't be able to leave without seeming foolish otherwise.

After steeling herself internally, she raised her gaze to the owner, before doing a double take. She recognized him. There was no way that she wouldn't recognize him, the man was quite publicly known throughout every region. From the signature tousled, steel coloured hair, to his bright blue eyes and the stylish, classy business suit, it could only be one person.

"Steven Stone?" she blurted out in shock.

The owner, who had been engrossed in the newspaper he had retrieved, looked up, to finally notice the blonde standing inches away from him with a look of bewilderment on her face. Steven studied the blonde in front of him; he recognized her from somewhere. And then, it just seemed to hit him.

"Cynthia!" he exclaimed, with a rather wide smile. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet you at last, and yes, I'm Steven, but I assume you already know that."

Cynthia still couldn't seem to answer the man; she felt that she must have looked like a right idiot, as she stood there gaping at him. But Steven just gave a slight chuckle at her expression, as he held his hand out.

"Well, if this isn't a rather strange coincidence."

That seemed to do it. Cynthia finally managed to shake herself out of her rather stupefied state.

"Indeed it is," Cynthia managed to answer him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Mr Stone." She raised her right hand and placed it into his outstretched one. "May I ask, is this your villa?"

Steven lowered his head to place a small kiss onto the back of her hand before releasing it. Cynthia could feel the warmth spreading from that hand into her face.

"Please, Steven will do. And yes, this is my villa for the time being. I had it built specifically for my stay here," he answered, paying no heed to the slight blush that had appeared over her face, or he could have been just politely ignoring it, to save any further embarrassment on her behalf. Either way, Cynthia was grateful.

After finally letting her embarrassment settle; Cynthia cleared her throat.

"If you pardon me for being so blunt, can I ask, why are you in Sinnoh?" she enquired.

Steven clicked his fingers together on his right hand.

"Ah, well you see, I finally managed to get some time off from my champion duties, so I thought it was about time that I broadened my outlooks, with regards to my hobbies. And what better place to start than Sinnoh, with its rich history and vast areas of land filled with rare stones, waiting to be discovered." Steven glanced at the intrigue that he could see register on her face, before a small smile settled on her lips.

"Well then, I welcome you to Sinnoh, Steven, and I hope; that our rich land can provide you with what you are looking for. And remember, if you need any advice, or any help, then please, do not hesitate to ask."

A smile appeared over his face, as she welcomed him to her region, before a thought flicked through his mind, as he clicked his fingers together again.

"Oh, excuse me, where are my manners. Please do come in Cynthia," Steven asked, as he stepped to the left and indicted for her to enter the villa.

Cynthia's eyes widened.

"Oh no please, do not trouble yourself Steven, I was just passing through," she managed to stutter out, but it seemed, Steven wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Please, I insist. It'd be nice to actually speak to a native of the region, to find out where the best places to investigate would be; and who better than the region's champion? You just said so yourself, all I needed to do was ask," he said, before clapping his hands together. "And besides, it will also be nice to finally speak to a fellow champion."

Cynthia sighed, he was persistent; she'd give him that; but then again, he did have very valid points, not to mention it was rude to decline a second invitation.

With that, Cynthia gave a little smile, before stepping past him and entering into the villa, with Steven following close behind.


"Might I make a suggestion?" Cynthia stated, before taking a sip of the tea he had so kindly made for her. She saw him give a little nod of approval. "I would personally start with Iron Island, as there is quite a few caverns there, that I'm sure you will find some rare stones in." She took another sip of her tea. "Also, there are very few people who venture to the island, unless they are training, so it should be pretty quiet. In fact, I can actually ask a colleague of mine to take you there, if that appeals to you?"

After discovering his intentions in Sinnoh, when she'd first met him, she'd informed him; that she had her own rather extensive map of the region, with specific points and factoids scribbled on it, that he might find of interest as well. He'd been intrigued, and she'd offered to get it copied for him, to which he was quite agreeable too.

After coming to drop off a copy of this map, he'd invited her in for cup of tea, as a form of thank you for her generosity. She knew it would be impolite to not accept, so she happily agreed to his offer. (Besides, he wouldn't take no for an answer, she'd learnt that from when they first met.) So, here she now sat, in this rather luxurious villa, drinking tea.

"Well, I must say; that is extremely helpful, and no doubt that I will probably take you up on that offer." A gentle smile broke out across his face, as he lifted his mug of coffee to take a sip. "And I do appreciate this, by the way," he stated, after lowering his mug, and pointing to the map she had brought.

"You're welcome," she replied sincerely, before a gentle smile spread across her lips as well, before she raised her own mug once again.

Truth be told, she was actually quite glad that she'd made his acquaintance.


"You know, we seem to have an uncanny ability, to be in the same place, at the same time," Cynthia said, giving a slight chuckle in amusement. "You're not stalking me are you?"

He gave a little laugh in response.

"I'd call it more, a happy coincidence. And no, I am not, although, I could ask the same of you."

She burst into laughter at his response and he joined in, immediately after.

They were currently sat out in the back garden of his villa, enjoying a leisurely drink, as they watched their pokemon relax in the villa's lush greenery and swimming pool.

It was bizarre, but recently, over the last few days at least, they both seemed to have an uncanny knack, for being in the same place, at the same time. She'd been just leaving the Oreburgh library, while he was departing the Oreburgh mining museum, when they had run into each other this time.

After a pleasant greeting between them, he'd informed her of his examination of the rather extensive collection of rare stones; that the museum had to offer, before she mentioned that she'd been in the library, researching into the ties between the legendary Regigigas and the Hoenn Regi trio. He'd been curious upon hearing that, to know what she had discovered, because the topic of the legendary Regi trio; was something that he had always taken a keen interest in, and he was also beyond intrigued on discovering how they tied in, with the legendary from this region.

So, based upon intrigue and curiosity, he'd invited her to his villa, so that she could shed some light on what she had discovered, along with sharing his discoveries on the subject, from the Hoenn perspective. Much to his delight, she'd agreed, and that's where they found themselves now.

She'd already recounted much of what she had discovered, and he had reciprocated as much as he could, by what he could remember off the top of his head.

He gave a little sigh.

"I'm sorry I can't really be much more of a help. I do have a lot of my research written down, but they are currently in my journals at home," he stated rather sullenly, before a thought crossed his mind. He clicked his fingers together. "I'll tell you what, I'll see if I can get them shipped over soon, so you can read them."

Cynthia shook her head, her Lucario headband, swaying with the movement.

"Oh please don't trouble yourself over this, it's fine. There's plenty of time, I can wait."

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all," he replied with a shake of his head, as his tousled hair ruffled with the breeze. "I want to help; and besides, it's nice to find someone, who shares similar interests. It's quite refreshing."

Cynthia couldn't help the little smile that flittered across her lips; she had to agree with him, she'd never met anyone before, who'd shared similar passions to her, like he did.

A moment of peaceful tranquillity passed, as the voices of their pokemon wafted on the cool breeze, before Steven cleared his throat.

"Perhaps we should exchange numbers?"

Cynthia could feel her cheeks flush slightly, from his request. At her flushed features, his cheeks turned slightly pink, before he hurried on.

"I mean; it'll be easier that way right? Because, I can then let you know when the research arrives from Hoenn."

A rather amused smile broke out over her lips, as she observed his rather flustered expression, as he awkwardly attempted to cover up his rather bold request. He was truly one of a kind, and she was glad that she had met him and got to know him a bit better; he'd become a good friend.

Cynthia briefly froze at the thought, before shaking her head, cursing her own hesitancy; that's what they were now wasn't it, friends?

She'd like to think so, and I'm sure he did as well.


"As promised, here's my full research into the famous Hoenn Regi trio," he stated; pointing towards a collection of journals that sat atop of his coffee table. "I had my father ship them to me from Hoenn."

He'd called her a few hours ago to inform her of that. She'd been busy with her league requirements when he called, but she had dutifully informed him; that she'd drop by after she had finished, to pick them up. Which is now where she found herself, sat on the sofa inside the villa.

"And don't worry about rushing with them. Please, take your time, I'm in no hurry to take them back."

Cynthia couldn't help the rather bright smile that blossomed on her face. He was an amazing friend.

Steven had to take in a sudden breath at the bright smile that appeared over her features. Her smile was one of the most, if not the most, beautiful form of appreciation he'd ever received.


She strode confidently up to the villa's front door. She'd messaged Steven earlier, to see if he was available. He'd replied, saying he was doing some cataloguing of his collection, and that he was remaining at the villa for the day.

As she reached the front door, she raised her left hand to knock. As she waited, she couldn't stop the feeling of excitement from rushing through her, as she shuffled from foot to foot. What she had discovered was big, and it was all thanks to his research; that he had let her borrow, because it had allowed her to discover something; that shed some light on the connection between all the Regi legendaries.

After she'd discovered this rather remarkable breakthrough, there was no way that she wasn't going to share this piece of wonderful news with him. She just knew he'd be just as intrigued and excited.

Just then, she heard a lock being turned; the front door opened, and then Cynthia found herself gazing into a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Hi!" she greeted excitedly. "I thought I'd drop by and update you on some of the things I've discovered with regards to the links between the Regi legendaries, thanks to your research." She raised her right hand to show him the notebook that she was holding there. "Your mind's going to be blown!"

Steven smiled wide in response; her enthusiasm was contagious. He couldn't help but be struck by how beautiful she appeared, when she was this excited.

"By all means, please come in," Steven replied, before standing sideways in the doorway, to allow her to enter. "I'm most intrigued to hear this."

She beamed back at him, before stepping over the threshold and into the villa.

As she strode past him, Steven caught a whiff of her perfume; he couldn't help but inhale its rather intoxicating scent. He let out a small sigh; he'd realized something recently, something that threw him off balance. He'd realized; that he'd become rather fond of her, to the point, where he was now positive; that his feelings had gone way beyond platonic for her.

He gave another little sigh. Unfortunately, this piece of information put him in quite the dilemma. He knew how he felt, but he had no clue as to what her feelings were towards him. He knew for a fact; that she now thought of him as a close friend, but had her feelings deepened? Was there something more there? He didn't want to push, for fear of driving her away; he couldn't bear the thought of that, as she'd become rather special to him.

"Steven?"

He could hear her call out to him from inside the villa.

"Coming!" He called back, as he shook his head, in order to clear his thoughts, before closing the door and following her inside.

He gave another little sigh as he caught sight of her sat on his sofa. Regardless of her feelings, he couldn't be anymore thankful for meeting her that day, and then getting the chance to know her. No matter what she felt, he was just extremely grateful that she was in his life at all, whether they remained best friends, or became something more.


"What is this one called again?" Cynthia enquired, as she observed the rather dark, dirty and dusty stone; that she held out in front of her.

"It's called, Serendibite." Steven replied. "And believe it or not, it's quite rare, especially, in that colour."

Cynthia glanced to her right, to look at the man currently sitting there.

It had been another, rather funny coincidence to have bumped into him again. She'd been in Celestic Town visiting her grandmother, and she'd just been about to call out Garchomp to take her home; when she had spotted him exiting one of the many entrances to Mt. Coronet. She'd been quite surprised to see him, but it quickly evaporated as she made her way over to greet him; she knew she couldn't leave without at least saying hello, as he was, what she now considered a close friend.

Steven had been quite surprised to see her too, but was happy nonetheless. After greeting her, he'd given her a brief overview at what he had discovered in the Labyrinth that was Mt Coronet. To say she had been intrigued was an understatement. After seeing her expression, he'd invited her to his villa, so he could explain more, which she happily agreed to, as she was quite curious to see what he had found on his travels.

So here they now sat, both of them, side by side on the villa's sofa, with a variety of stones scattered over his coffee table in front of them, and her, holding and examining this particular stone.

Cynthia turned the stone over in her hand a few times, before deciding to blow some of the dust off the outer shell, in order to try and get a better look at it. However, unfortunately for her, she'd misjudged the amount of dust that seemed to be coating the stone, meaning, as soon as the air parted from her lips, some of that dust, had flown back into her face, and more annoyingly, into her eye. She groaned in annoyance.

She could hear Steven give a little laugh, but she was too preoccupied with rubbing at the stray particles that had landed in her eye. Luckily, her other eye had been protected by her fringe, but still, she couldn't help but be annoyed with herself for her own stupidity.

"Stop rubbing your eye, you'll make it worse."

She could hear Steven say, but she couldn't see him, as the current stinging in her eye prevented it. She wasn't even going to bother to ask what the rest of her face looked like; luckily, she couldn't see it at the moment anyway.

"Face me," he commanded. "Let me see if I can remove the rest of this dust from your face."

Cynthia finally did as he commanded, and manoeuvred herself to the right, so that he could see her face.

Steven raised his left hand, as he began gently wiping away some of the dust smattering her face.

Finally, the stinging sensation seemed to ease, and she opened her eyes, just as his hand was brushing her right cheek. Their eyes met, as they both froze; deeply lost within each other's gaze. Steven stared into her visible eye, (the one that wasn't obscured by her fringe,) and he couldn't help but be mesmorized, by the way the light reflected off of her dark iris, because of the glassy effect it had, due to her constant rubbing.

It was then; that Steven felt something inside him ignite, as he could no longer find; that he could control or hold back his feelings for her any longer. There was no denying that he had been attracted to her from the moment they had met, but those feelings had only grown deeper over the past few weeks, and he knew, as of right now, he wanted more than her friendship; he wanted all of her.

With this epiphany, Steven slowly began to lean forward into her personal space, giving her ample opportunity to pull away if she wanted. Much to his relief, she didn't move. With that knowledge, he finally closed the remaining distance between them, closing his eyes just as he placed his lips over hers for a sweet kiss, all the while, keeping her face at his level, by the hand that he still had, resting on her cheek.

Cynthia was slightly taken off guard by his bold actions at first, but then she slowly settled into the kiss, before surrendering completely to the feelings he provoked from within her, as she finally gave into temptation. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying his affections, nor could she deny that she didn't have any feelings for him. She'd been attracted to him, since they day they had met, and there was no denying; that she'd been anticipating this.

"Hmm…I don't think, I had any remaining dust there, Mr Stone," she said softly, just after their lips separated, and their eyes reopened.

Steven leaned back into his seat, but still kept his left hand on her cheek.

"Hmm…well, I just thought I'd check to be sure. Besides, it pays to be thorough," he replied gently, before lowering his gaze to her lips once again. A sort of, thirsty longing began to stir within him, making him want to kiss her again. "Although, I do believe that I should recheck, just to be completely sure, as I think I wasn't thorough enough, that time."

Cynthia could see the desire burning within his irises as his heated gaze returned to hers. To be fair, she had never really expected these kinds of spontaneous actions from him, but she couldn't say she was disappointed; in fact, she was enjoying his attention and affections. She was more than willing to accept his offers, and maybe even bestow some of her own ideas on him.

She smirked.

"Hmm…by all means Mr Stone, check away," she responded seductively.

The permission was all he needed, as the hand that remained on her cheek held her steady, as he leaned in once again, to eagerly cover her lips with his.


"You know, we are being quite cliché about all of this," Cynthia amusedly said, with her head resting atop his bare chest, as they both lay against his bed, inside the villa's master bedroom.

After their quite memorable first kiss, (or kisses, would be the better term, as that had actually turned into a long, long make out session,) they had established a sort of routine, over the past two weeks. She'd attend her league duties, before flying over to his villa after her work was completed, in order to spend their evenings together in privacy; which generally consisted of catching up with each other on what they had done that day; while also, expressing some of their attraction towards each other. Although, that part had evolved slightly in the past five days, with this new, particular intimate activity starting between them. So technically, they had tweaked the routine slightly, but regardless, there was a routine.

"Hmm…there's nothing wrong with being cliché about things you know," he softly responded, as he moved to kiss the top of her head, while his left hand rubbed along her bare back. She shivered with pleasure at the feel of it. "Although, in fact, I wouldn't call this a cliché."

"Oh?" she questioned, as she raised her head off his chest, in order to look down into his face. "And pray tell Mr Stone, what would you call it then?"

He looked up at her through half lidded eyes, as his right hand lifted to brush the hair away from her face.

"I'd think I'd call it, something along the lines of, being domestic."

Cynthia smirked.

"You do realize that being domestic, is classed as a cliché?" she said amusedly. "In fact, being domestic is the biggest cliché of all."

Steven smirked in return at her playfulness.

"Hmm…I suppose you have a point," he replied, before lowering his right hand to join his left, now wrapped tightly around her waist. "Be that as it may, I don't think it actually matters what we call it really." With that, he rolled her over, so she was now flat on her back, with him hovering above her. "Call it what you will, I'm quite happy with it, regardless." And with that, he lowered his head to capture her lips in a deep kiss.

Cynthia sighed happily against his lips, as she raised her arms to wrap around his neck. He was right, regardless of what they called it; she rather enjoyed this routine that they'd made for themselves.


"You're heading back to Hoenn soon, aren't you?" she asked one evening, while she was snuggled up against him on the villa's leather sofa, her back to his front. She didn't want to ask, but she knew she had too.

He sighed; he knew she would ask this eventually, and there was no point in delaying the inevitable conversation any longer.

"Yes," he replied, while tightening his arms around her waist.

"When?"

"I leave in a week," he replied, while burying his face into her blonde tresses that covered the back of her neck.

Cynthia sighed; she knew it was coming, he was still the champion of his region, and she knew, that he had to return to fulfil his duties sooner or later. She understood this more than anyone, but that still didn't mean; that it didn't hurt all the same.

They'd grown so close, well…more than close. She'd never met anyone like him before. After the first few coincidental meetings, they had bonded over their interests and passions, and before she knew it, he had become a great friend, someone who she could talk to, and spend time with. However, shortly after that, she became all too aware, of the rather strong attraction she held for him. And then that attraction had spilled over, and she had fallen for him, hard and fast. He'd become so precious to her over the past few weeks, and now he had to leave. What was that famous saying, all good things have to come to an end? How right it proved to be.

She could feel her heart break with each passing second. She felt a droplet of water trickle down her face, which was quickly followed by more. She'd never been one to cry. After her parents had passed away, she had steeled herself to be strong, and to not give into weakness. But then again, she'd never felt this deeply for anyone before.

"Cynthia?"

She could hear him ask, words muffled by the fact that his head was still buried within her hair. But she couldn't answer him, her emotions were all a mess; she didn't want him to see her this way. They had precious few days left together; she didn't want to spoil them, even if the thought was tearing her up inside.

Unfortunately for her, she hadn't hid her emotions that well, and Steven picked up on the subtle tell tale signs. He knew she was crying, even if she tried valiantly to hide it. He knew she was upset, hell, even he was. The thought of leaving her, to go back to Hoenn; was like a knife stabbing his heart. However, even though he had to physically leave, this wouldn't stop him from being with her. She was everything to him, there was no way he was going to let her go; he just couldn't.

With that thought, Steven shifted and unlocked his right arm from around her, so he could turn her in his arms, to allow him to look at her beautiful face. She resisted at first, but when he kept on trying, she eventually gave in and turned to face him. Her visible eye was glassy, and he could see the tell tale signs of tear tracks, streaked down each of her cheeks. He'd been right.

"Hey, what's with these tears?" he asked, while raising his right hand to wipe away the tears that had spilled over.

She shook her head, as she tried to bury her face in his chest to hide, but he wouldn't let her.

"Cynthia, look at me please," he asked softly.

The way he asked, pulled at Cynthia's heartstrings, and she gave in, and raised her eyes to his.

"I may be leaving Sinnoh Cynthia, but I'm not leaving you. I couldn't leave you."

She looked at him in slight confusion, how could he not be leaving her? His words didn't make a lot of sense. She was just about to question him on the matter, but the feeling of his finger over her lips halted her.

"Please, let me finish."

She could see the strong emotions swirling deep within his bright, blue eyes; the ones that she could happily drown in forever.

Steven raised his right hand, to push aside her fringe that covered the left side of her face, so he could gaze deeply into both of her breathtaking eyes. It was time she knew, he'd kept it to himself long enough. He was ready. He took a deep breath.

"These past few weeks with you, have been some of the best days of my life. I came to Sinnoh looking for rare stones, but I ended up finding something else, or rather someone else; something that I hadn't planned for." He moved his right hand to cup her cheek, before leaning in to place his lips gently over hers. He pulled back after a few seconds, to gaze into her eyes once again.

Cynthia's breath caught in her throat, as she observed the warmth she could see radiating from his eyes.

"No matter how far apart we may be physically, I will always be there for you Cynthia, whenever and wherever you need me. I never expected to find someone as beautiful, intelligent and as amazing as you, and this is why, I'm not leaving the region really, because my heart is remaining in Sinnoh…with you."

It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to her. Cynthia could now put a name to the emotions, that she could see shining out of his eyes. Now she knew what he meant, when he said he wasn't leaving her. He loved her, she knew that now, and she'd be lying, if she said she didn't reciprocate his feelings. She felt those tears surfacing once again, but this time, it was out of happiness, not sadness.

Steven could see the tears forming in her eyes once again, and he was slightly worried that he had taken it too far, but then the most beautiful smile blossomed on her face. He could feel the happiness seeping from her in waves, and in that moment, he just knew that she felt the same. At that realization, he finally let the words flow freely from his mouth.

"I love you, Cynthia," he said softly, before leaning in once again to cover her lips with his, but this time, with more passion.

She reciprocated in kind, by raising her left hand to behind his head, in order to bring him in closer, before deepening the kiss. She could feel his right arm rejoin his left around her waist, as she was pulled tightly up against him.

After endless blissful moments, they eventually pulled away, both breathless.

"I love you too, Steven," she said breathlessly, before removing her hand from behind his head to cup his cheek, as she gazed lovingly into his eyes. "And I will keep your heart safe with me in Sinnoh, and I will never let it go, as long as you keep mine safe in Hoenn, with you."

After minutes of staring dreamily into each other's eyes, Cynthia decided to ask the question that she had been pondering in the back of her mind, ever since Steven had mentioned his departure.

"What'll happen to the villa?"

"Well, someone has already bought it. In fact, all I have to do is sign it over to them before I leave," he replied, before sighing. "It's a shame that I have to sell it on, I've actually grown quite fond of the place."

"Hmm…me too," Cynthia agreed, before a bright smile appeared on her face. "Although, this does now mean that when you visit next time, we will have to find a new place to spend our time together in."

Steven gave a wide smile in return.

"Hmm…I guess you're right," he thoughtfully replied, while using his right hand to stroke through her long, golden locks. "So, here's a plan. How about the next time I come visit, we go looking for that place together? A place that we can call ours."

Cynthia smirked, before raising herself onto her right arm, so she was now looking down on him.

"I think that that Mr Stone, is a brilliant idea," she responded, before leaning down to kiss him passionately, all the while, pushing him onto his back, before climbing on top of him.

It was true that he was leaving the region, but he'd be back, she will make damn sure of that, because love works both ways, and she would never leave him either.


As Steven signed his name and handed over the deeds of the villa to the agent, he felt slightly remorseful in relinquishing a place; that held so many memories of his time here. But then again, it was the moments that were shared in there, that were precious, not so much the building itself.

As he began making his way off the land, just before he released Metagross, he turned and glanced once more at the villa. It was like an ending to a chapter in a book, it seemed so final. But really, in actual fact, that chapter may be ending, but a new one was just beginning.

He didn't need a villa; he had something far more wonderful now. The region itself may not have needed a rock collector, but its champion did, and he was more than fine with that, in fact, he loved it.


And there we have it. What did you all think? I hope I did it justice for you, and I hope it wasn't too confusing with page breaks. I did try and keep it realistic, and to have some sort of flow between each of them, as a sort of timeline.

And trust me, I was actually largely disappointed that they made Steven leave in that manga, it would have been awesome to have him there, especially to see him and Cynthia together, taking down Team Galactic, but hey ho. I suppose at least I get to see him in the ORAS arc, but roll on the Sinnoh remakes as well, I can't wait to see what Cynthia will be like in them. (Mega Garchomp: shudder.)

On a side note, Serendibite is actually a stone, and it is extremely rare in black form, apparently.

Mind you, two chapters within three days, I'm quite impressed, but I did have this one more or less written before real life interfered, so it was only a case of tweaking and proof reading.

Keep them suggestions coming, and FYI, I think the next upload will be the battle story everyone is requesting, but trust me when I say, that one is going to have a twist.

So, until then dear readers, thanks again.