And finally, here we have the last chapter to cap off this Culinary Rivals spinoff! This took way too long.
Chapter nine: Gift Exchange
By the time night fell, Wallace had called for everyone to gather at Cynthia's restaurant in Cyllage City for a wrap up. A wind chill was passing through the city, making the air colder than it already was. Snow was falling constantly and was invisible unless it fell near a light source, such as a streetlamp. Plus, the sky was a dark blueish-gray. It also meant that it was more comforting to stay indoors. So in the end, Wallace called a meeting at Le Café Sinnoh.
Officially, only Winona, Lisia, and Diantha were invited but the staff had to be there anyway (Martine insisted on it). To mark the occasion, Cynthia had prepared slices of tiramisu cake for everyone with steaming spearmint tea or peppermint cocoa with candy bits. Together, they tasted as light as the snow falling outside. Everyone had seated at the tables in a manner that Wallace could be seen clearly.
"First off, the competition ended in a tie," Wallace began. "It can't be helped! After all, these two are only the best chefs ever in Coastal Kalos. They need each other to have that third star."
"That's good though! It means they are equals," Lisia chimed.
Cynthia nearly choked on her tiramisu. Did Wallace really have to market the relationship like that? The last thing she wanted (as did Steven) was to become something like a celebrity chef. Then again, given the media attention she and Steven had the past while, that was unavoidable.
"What happens now?" Diantha asked.
Wallace replied, "Nothing too much! First off, we'll need to reimburse you for the ingredients used for the fundraiser, and paying wages to those who helped set up the venues. I should mention that Hotel Cyllage's cheque already covers all that, so that means everything else will be donated to the Pokémon Centres as promised. With this many donations... it may as well be a Christmas gift for them."
Steven raised his hand, "No need to pay for the ingredients, Wallace. We'll cover that."
Wallace grinned. "Really? That's really generous of you! Gratefully accepted!"
As Lisia added that amount to the donation total, Wallace continued explaining still tens of millions of Poké donated after subtracting expenses. It was an incredible performance. This money would in turn be donated to the Coastal Kalos supervisor of Pokémon Centres who would use this money to support medical clinics as well as health and wellness programs.
Cynthia smiled too. The efforts she and Steven had put into Wallace's project left her with a warm and fuzzy feeling. She turned to her cake and tea, about to take another bite.
"The only question remains," Wallace said, loudly this time to distract Cynthia, causing her to stop her from eating. Was he serious? Cynthia could even see Winona balling a fist, ready to punch Wallace in the face. "Did this fundraiser get Cynthia and Steven closer?"
Silence followed.
"I mean, besides that, that was the objective of the fundraiser after all–"
SMACK
Winona punched Wallace in the face and then he collapsed.
"Honestly, if that's really all you can think about, putting their relationship in front of the fundraiser, you've got another thing coming!" Winona said, whilst palming her fist. Amusingly, her voice sounded graceful, not so for her body or her eyes. Her body was in aggressive mode and there was something like fire in Winona's eyes.
"Winona! He's your husband-to-be!" Lisia gasped. "And I thought you were gentler than that!"
"Exactly."
Everyone chuckled at once.
What not many people in Le Café Sinnoh noticed was that Astrid had been sitting quietly near the space for the live band. She had been sipping a cup of hot cocoa while watching the mild drama unfold nearby. All in all, the fundraiser had been a success and everyone except for Cynthia, Steven, and the staff remained. Sébastien and Henri saw to cleaning up the tables and Martine put away the tiramisu.
"Have you been seriously sitting here the whole time? No one would have seen you," Cynthia said. She pulled up the chair at Astrid's table to sit with her.
Astrid smiled widely. Was there anything in the world that could make her not smile? "That's the point! I know that you and Steven have too much attention already. There's no need for publicity," she said. Her smile was just too pure. Astrid was also thoughtful too, Cynthia thought, since she wanted to keep unwanted attention away from Cynthia and Steven.
Cynthia replied, "Anyways, I'm glad you could tag along. Did the children have fun too?"
To which Astrid balled her hands into fists excitedly. "You bet! When they each went back to their parents, you could see stars in their eyes!" Then she sipped some of her hot cocoa. "Really, many thanks, Cynthia. They were really grinning from ear to ear. It wouldn't have happened without you."
Just the thought of Astrid's explanation brought a smile to Cynthia. At the end of the day, the fundraiser had done some good for the neighbouring communities. People coming together to support others, with herself and Steven to market it, was one thing. Yet the competition also brought some joy to those who merely attended it, like the schoolchildren. It was like a gift for them.
And speaking of gifts…
"This is for you, Astrid."
She brought out a relatively large box from her bag. It looked like it held many things. Astrid looked surprised at first. "Aw, vraiment, Cynthia? Thanks very much! But did you really have to? It looks a bit much."
It was an arrangement of berries, Poké puffs, macarons, and a hair ornament similar to what Cynthia wore in her championship days. Presumably, the berries and Poké puffs were for her Absol, and the macarons and hair clips… for herself?
"Seriously, what do I owe the pleasure?" Aside from the surprise of receiving this gift, Astrid was shocked. She picked up the hair clips and put them around her head. They were purple, unlike Cynthia's which were black.
Cynthia smiled sheepishly. "Let's say it's a way of thanking you for lifting my mood this past while. No wonder Steven enjoys your company."
Astrid looked flattered. "He is my mentor after all. I have to be sure to be a student he can be proud of! Plus, he treats me to lunch, on the plus side. So all the more reason to do him proud!"
And not too far away, Steven watched from a distance Cynthia and Astrid talking. He felt his chest tighten, as if he was envious that Astrid was spending time with Cynthia, when he wanted to be in Astrid's place instead! It was like Cynthia would rather spend more time with Astrid than him. Could that really be the truth here?
If so, then Wallace's 'objective' of the fundraiser had utterly failed.
"Aw… Is the boss jealous still? You need to try harder," Martine popped up right beside him. She was trying to hold back a giggle, clearly. Then her tone softened. "Come now, you got that gift for her. You just have to give it to her."
She playfully nudged Steven's side, knowing the gift wasn't too far away – literally. The gift, which Steven bought, had been passed to Laurent and Sophie who unsuspiciously handed it over to Sébastien at the café counter, who hid it under the café's display of treats. Then, also unsuspectingly, Henri passed by to hand the gift, wrapped in paper, to Steven moments after Martine's nudge.
"Oh look, perfect timing!" Martine said.
"You really planned this, didn't you? Looks cheesy."
"Aw, boss. Just take it as is!"
When was the last time he had felt nervous like this? Steven knew that certain, but not all, eyes were watching him as he approached Cynthia. No, he couldn't do this in public, for his sake and Cynthia's. His face was a mix of emotions such that as he approached the table, Astrid could tell something was off.
She still smiled brightly as usual. "Hi Steven! Care to join us? You're looking a little off-colour. Exhausted? Tired?"
Why was it so easy to smile at Astrid? Steven couldn't help it either. "I… I would just like to speak with Cynthia for a few moments." He looked at Cynthia. "Care to step outside for a moment?"
Raising an amused eyebrow, Cynthia agreed silently. She got up and followed Steven quietly to outside Le Café Sinnoh's front door. It was very dark outside save for the streetlights and the lights glowing from the surrounding buildings. Snow kept falling and the air was crisp and dry, so the snow didn't stick easily on their clothes and hair.
"Right. What is it, Steven?"
Steven looked a little nervous. He had to catch his breath before saying anything. "Nothing. I was just wondering if there would ever be a chance to spend time with you such as now. You really are spending lots of time with Astrid, aren't you?"
Cynthia giggled, to Steven's annoyance. "I can't blame her, and can you really blame me? She wants to learn from us, and she can't stop talking about you either. She's practically a fangirl of you. To be honest, she is fun to hang around with."
"But would you choose spending time with her than me?"
"Hmm… Well…" Cynthia's giggles subsided but the smile was still there. "Ooh, let me guess. Are you jealous that I'm spending time with her?" It was as if she were trying to pierce through Steven's annoyed gaze. And that remark caused Steven to blush and his eyes to widen. Cynthia scoffed. "Besides, it's not like I see Astrid everyday, and you've seen her more times than I can count! Besides, at least it proves she doesn't have a teacher complex with you."
Again, that teacher complex remark. It only caused Steven to blush speechless. "Cynthia," he said, but that was all. It was hard to talk with that kind of reply. There was no way that he had a student complex, right?
Cynthia found his reaction adorable. "To answer your question, Steven, it's only for a short time. Y you have no idea how much she likes to spend time to you. She won't stop talking about you, honestly."
"It sure feels like you see her everyday. Makes me feel like you'd rather spend time with her than me… And, you gave her a gift."
And Cynthia then rolled her eyes. "Again, Steven. It's only for a short while. She'll take up quite a bit of time and come now, you know exactly how it feels too. Didn't you make lunch for her that one time last season? It's entertaining to train with her while she's fangirling over you the whole time."
Steven blushed. He also wasn't expecting that answer either. Cynthia was right. He replied, "But we never got to spend time together throughout the fundraiser, so I got you something." He swallowed. With a slightly nervous and twitchy hand, he handed over the modestly wrapped gift to her (wrapped in light blue paper with Snover patterns by Sophie and Laurent).
Cynthia's gasped. "Oh! Really?" She was taken aback at first, and then she gratefully accepted the gift. She showed the faintest trace of a blush as she wasn't expecting him to come up with something like this (although in all honesty, that was true; it was Martine's idea). "That reminds me, Steven! Attendez ici, s'il vous plaît."
And she disappeared back into Le Café Sinnoh just like that, leaving Steven alone in the snowfall. Judging from the Astrid-like tone in Cynthia's voice (gosh, was he really comparing people to Astrid now?!), he supposed she had something innocent planned. It wasn't like she was setting up a cheesy breakup outside in the snow, right? At least it wasn't rainy, which would have made it more cheesy.
Oh come on, he was outside in the snow. Anything could be cheesy for what it was worth. If this was the plot of some author writing fanfiction about him and Cynthia in this moment, he couldn't imagine living it down.
Cynthia came back out with the gift Steven gave her in one hand and a much larger gift in her other arm. It was a small box wrapped in red wrapping paper with Charmander patterns. It looked fiery just from the look of it. She handed it over to Steven.
"For you," she said.
Now it was Steven's to be surprised. When did she buy this gift? As he took the gift into his hands, he looked back at Cynthia's eyes to ask it was okay to open it. Cynthia nodded back. So he opened the wrapping delicately as if he didn't want to damage the paper.
Once he was done, he found himself holding a Rocky Helmet, which was easily recognisable by the many rocks embedded in the hard hat. It was the perfect piece of equipment to protect one's head from falling debris or rocks.
"Whoa, that's really… really thoughtful of you, Cynthia. Thanks," he whispered.
As he said that, Cynthia was already unwrapping the gift he got for her. The sound of crackle from the wrapping paper was unmistakable. By the time he looked back at her, she had already unwrapped the gift to see what was in her hands.
It was a book about the ultimate weapon in Geosenge Town. Now if Steven's reaction to his gift was one of surprise, Cynthia's was one of delight. She hadn't expected Steven to get her a gift like this, but it was welcome. And unlike Steven, Cynthia expressed her thanks with actions and not words at first,
"Aw, thankyouthankyou!" she said excitedly (Astrid-style, if Steven was brutally honest). Then Cynthia on top of that wrapped her arms around Steven's neck and hugged him, causing Steven to hold onto the Rocky Helmet more tightly for fear he would drop it on Cynthia's toes.
"Cyn – you're –," Steven gasped.
After she finally released him, Cynthia looked back at his eyes again. Her eyes were sincere. "No really, that's really thoughtful of you! I wouldn't have thought of it, but I like it. You know me too well, don't you?"
"You're one to talk. You got me this helmet," Steven replied. He looked back at the helmet and if he was honest, it kind of paled in comparison to the gift Cynthia got for him. "I have to ask, though. When did you get this?"
"Oh, it was after our outing at Ambrette Town. I thought about giving it to you during debrief but you wanted to head home, and then Astrid showed up."
Here he thought Cynthia had forgotten about him. Clearly, Steven was wrong, and he was also touched. The gift was so unexpected to him that he didn't know what to say next. The surprise still hadn't gone over him. Cynthia had been thinking of him! What else could he say?
"Well… My gift for you feels small in comparison," he said, a little embarrassed.
"Oh, don't be like that Steven. I really like it lots. If anything, you're less impressed with my gift than yours! You're like a stone, hence your name."
She had a point. While she reacted with a genuinely grateful hug, Steven was speechless. Cynthia obviously noticed that and playfully poked his shoulder. "And besides." Her voice softened. "Don't be too disappointed. I have you alone, anyway. Isn't that enough?"
That was true, Steven thought. If anything, that should have been the realisation the entire time. As he was lost in thought, Cynthia opened the door and walked by him as her hair brushed his knees. And then now it was just him standing outside.
"Steven. Can you come in? It's cold." Cynthia shivered a little, while her thoughts snapped Steven back to reality.
The snow wouldn't relent and it was sticking to his hair. Steven smiled sheepishly and followed Cynthia back into the warmth of Le Café Sinnoh.