Steven sipped his morning coffee pensively as he assessed the state of affairs present in the dining hall of the hotel. There were a minimal number of guests, mainly the Unova League staff and the Champions. People helped themselves to the lavish breakfast buffet, chatters going about the large hall.
"Mornin'," Leon greeted as he carried a plate topped with a generous amount of food. "Mind if I sit here?"
Steven shook his head and the fellow Champion sat opposite of him. They both engaged in small talk as they ate, the dining hall getting slightly more crowded as more people filed in. Steven would glance at the entrance a couple of times, almost expectant.
"You seem rather excited," Leon remarked.
Steven froze for a split second, before he asked, "Excited?"
"For the Battle Showcase, of course."
"I suppose so," Steven replied candidly.
Leon nodded his head in agreement, "I wonder who would battle Alder later on."
"It could be you," Steven suggested. Leon laughed heartily in reply, his eyes glimmering with a hunger that Steven was all too familiar with.
"I wouldn't mind going against him," Leon said. "But I'm pretty sure the audience would want someone more exciting since I defeated him in our previous bout."
The Galar Champion sounded mighty pleased with himself with that last bit and Steven could understand why. Alder is one of the longest-reigning Champions in history and when someone as young as Leon defeated him in a Battle Showcase, the news had hit international headlines, catapulting Leon into international stardom.
"Someone more exciting?" Steven asked. "Such as?"
"You, of course," Leon grinned. "I don't know if it's pure luck or what, but you've never battled any regional Champions in the past. I'm sure people are curious about your strength."
"It's just a friendly match," Steven said calmly. "First and foremost, the Battle Showcase's purpose is not to demonstrate which trainer is stronger."
"But it does represent the relative strengths of each region's trainers," Leon interjected, looking very serious. "If one region's strongest trainer were to lose to another region's strongest trainer, it says a lot."
Steven stayed silent, as he took another sip of coffee.
"It's a matter of reputation and pride," Leon concluded.
Steven set his cup down and gazed at Leon calmly.
"That may be true," He said evenly. "But the purpose of pokémon battles is not to compare people or to classify the strong and the weak. It's to celebrate the bonds between humans and pokémon, isn't it?"
Leon's eyes widened and he slowly reclined into his seat with a smile, seemingly convinced. Meanwhile, Steven felt a familiar presence brush past him.
"Well said, Mr. Stone,"
Steven looked up in surprise, grey eyes regarding him with respect and assurance. Cynthia then walked past their table, her long blonde hair contrasted against her usual black outfit. The morning sunshine that filtered through the windows accentuated her beauty and it wasn't just Steven that was entranced by her appearance; she commanded glances from everywhere.
"Now, that's a looker," Leon commented, and a sour feeling dropped in Steven's stomach, spoiling his appetite in an instant. He said nothing in reply and merely drank his coffee, which tasted ten times more bitter.
"But Sonia's prettier," Leon then sighed, his voice just barely audible.
"Pardon?" Steven asked, the sour feeling dissipating away. He recognized the name Sonia as the granddaughter of Professor Magnolia instantly.
"O-Oh," Leon broke away from his trance. "It's nothing."
Steven chuckled inwardly, as Leon fumbled with his utensils. The Galar Champion then shot a look towards Steven.
"You heard nothing," he said firmly with his face tinged pink.
"Yes, yes," Steven reassured.
Leon cleared his throat and sat up straight, clearly trying to steer Steven's attention to something else. "Isn't this the first time you're meeting the Sinnoh Champion?"
Steven paused for a moment before he nodded his head lightly. Leon stared at him intently before his lips curled into a playful smirk.
"I think the two of you make a great couple."
Steven was positive, that if he did not swallow the mouthful of coffee, he would have performed a spit-take then and there. Leon's words had caught him off-guard and he stiffened.
"You joke too much," Steven laughed dryly.
Cynthia had mentally prepared herself for the Champion's Walk, for the public that was to greet her in her first public appearance in the Champion Gathering. She was aware of its importance to both her and Sinnoh's reputation and she knew that the last thing she had to do was to screw it up.
But, this is not something she expected.
When she got off the limousine, a giant red carpet stretched far ahead of her, the striking color disappearing into the far distance. Camera lights blinked at her, a torrent of cheers and screams charging towards her, the dizzying sight almost causing her to lose her balance.
The crowd was insane.
She started walking forward, her body trembling and her heart sat on her throat as it thumped nervously. Keep up the façade, she repeated endlessly in her head. Don't break the mask, don't break the mask.
She smiled as normally as she could and waved at the cameras as normally as she could, but she did not know how long more she could keep this up. This was a crowd she had never experienced before and she could feel herself getting drowned out by the cries, the lights and the attention directed at her. This was nothing like her coronation when Professor Rowan was right next to her while her family was looking at her with pride from the VIP seats.
Here on this red carpet, she felt truly alone.
She was barely holding on as each step felt like lead, and the Unova League Building looking despondently far away. How did her predecessors deal with this? In fact, how do all the Champions deal with this level of fame and attention? Diantha, the Kalos Champion, who was walking a distance ahead of her, amicably waved her hand towards the crowd, the movie star used to the red carpet. But not Cynthia. She is just a trainer who came from a small town, who plays the role of an archaeologist and mythology enthusiast. Nothing more, nothing less.
At that moment, she immediately understood why the famed undefeated Kanto Champion, Red, chose to resign soon after rising to the position. This pressure was not something any ordinary person could handle. And he, like her, was as ordinary as she was.
She wanted to stop. Turn back. Turn back.
"Relax,"
All the pent-up frustration and anxiety were released at the sound of his voice and Cynthia finally breathed. The gentle voice eased her mind and her vision cleared, the noise and lights suddenly fading away into the background. Instead, the sonorous clacking of boots sauntered past her and she widened her eyes in surprise as Steven Stone smiled at her reassuringly.
He was dressed in his usual suit, in his usual hairstyle, with his usual smile. And all of these made her heart skip a beat.
With renewed confidence, Cynthia faced the cameras head-on and greeted the crowd, refreshed. Her steps were much lighter and she would wave, smile, and walk, wave, smile, and walk.
In the corner of her eye, she noticed Steven always walked a distance ahead that was not too far, not too near. She could tell that he was purposely walking at the same pace as she was, just close enough to let her know that she was not alone on this giant red carpet.
He is there for her.
When she finally entered the League Building, far away from the eyes and cameras, her knees buckled. But before she could fall onto the ground, a pair of arms supported her gently.
"That was a bit too much, wasn't it?" Steven remarked.
"Yeah," She sighed as she steadied herself. Looking up, she met Steven's gaze and she could see the lines of worry written all over his face.
And he was close. So close to her.
Cynthia hastily let go of his arms and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.
"I'm all right," She said. "Thank you for your help."
"Don't mention it," He said before he pointed towards the stairs. "Shall we?"
Cynthia nodded her head and the two of them soon climbed the stairs. The League staff directed them towards the balcony, where the rest of the regional Champions were waiting. The crowd on the ground cheered as Alder walked forward. One of the League staff handed a mic to the Unova Champion.
"Good morning everyone!" He greeted cheerfully, earning roaring applause and cheering from the humongous crowd. "Thank you for joining us for the opening ceremony for the thirty-fifth Champion Gathering!"
Alder's opening speech then commenced, and Cynthia's attention shifted to the man who stood next to her.
"He told me this: I don't want to be a Champion."
Riley's words resounded in her head and she stole a glance towards Steven. She remembered his confident gait down the red carpet, the way he carried himself and how he had saved her again and again.
Steven is a Champion, in every sense of the word.
"Without further ado, we shall begin the Battle Showcase!"
Cynthia snapped back to reality, her attention back onto a small opaque box that was held by a League staff. Alder's large hand reached into the box, clearly picking a name who will be his opponent.
A slip of paper emerged, and Alder peered at the writing on it. He turned around, his eyes meeting Cynthia's, and the Sinnoh Champion froze.
"The first Battle Showcase, Unova versus Sinnoh!"
Hello, I sincerely hope that this new chapter (that I wrote while being stuck at home in sunny Singapore) finds you well! Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, please take care of yourselves and be socially responsible! In these uncertain times, let's unite and be kind to one another :)
Also I updated the story cover with an illustration of Cynthia and Steven done by yours truly, hope you enjoy it as much as I spent time to draw it!
