I am proud to present the 30th chapter of Culinary Rivals! But before you read on, I'd like to make a few acknowledgements and announcements! I normally don't make large announcements, but in this case, I have to!

For one thing, this chapter will ensure Culinary Rivals has surpassed Serendipity in terms of words (but I wish Oblivion Star Seeker would actually update it).

Unfortunately, due to work and school (especially the latter), it has been cutting into my time and for a while I was super worried about how my writing style was changing over time. I had a writer's block - a big one - until recent reviews from October 10 to October 28 actually re-inspired me to write!

DaX0315 especially: thank you thank you THANK YOU! It was your random idea that provided a bridge to my future ideas! It was also the reason how I was re-inspired to write despite my busy schedule.

The idea of including Pokémon Sun and Moon's Lusamine is a great idea! Except the only one problem I have is if she is actually hostile, but nevertheless it would inject a healthy amount of drama. We'll see what happens when the game is released in a few weeks' time...

LEGAL-EAGLE53: to answer your previous question (which I guess you haven't read in the past chapter), Laurent wasn't stuttering regarding "nous nous" earlier. To quote myself: "In French, there is a certain preposition which must be accompanied with subjects and certain verbs. In the case of the word se battre, it must have the preposition je me, tu te, il/elle se, nous nous, vous vous, or ils/elles se. Otherwise, the word se battre would never make sense."

The honoured Guest: your meal is here! Don't die now! Stay away from the light! It's only been 18 days!

So to malzhar dizon, LEGAL-EAGLE53, ToLazyToSignIn, DaX0315, and the honoured Guest, your patience has been rewarded. Each of you please enjoy a gift basket made by Steven! LaBrie and De Cyllage cheeses, Persim berries, apples, oranges, and grapes should keep you happy, eh?

If anyone ships Sophie and Laurent, well...

Chapter thirty: Putting It Together

While Viola was certainly pleased to have a personal conversation with the handsome Steven by herself, hence why he phoned her, she suspected something was up when he requested she bring her camera.

"You have your photos developed?" Steven asked with uncertainty.

They met in the most unsuspecting place relative to Cyllage City and Santalune City, which was at Camphrier Town. While Viola found it peculiar why Steven had to choose that town, she supposed it was fair as it was between the cities. They were in the Pokémon Centre, in a secluded corner which made their activities look quite shady.

What made it more 'special' was that today marked exactly three weeks and a day since Vue sur la Lune had opened, and wow, had it been an eventful three weeks.

For Viola's part, she decided to dress nicer if she was going to meet Steven anyway. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail – a style she normally reserved for Battle Château outings – and she was wearing a dress. Such a style made her look anything but a photographer.

"You managed to slip past the media again, eh?" she said, handing Steven the photos. "I'm kind of glad you called, but do you seriously want these?"

Steven was too busy examining a photo of just him and Cynthia at the table together, which Viola obviously noticed.

"Oh, Steven… you're breaking my heart already," she joked. "Is Cynthia really the only girl in your mind right now? You ought to call her once, at least."

Steven only had to look up with an expression such that Viola grinned. Clearly, Steven was irritated, hence the dozens of media coverage he had been exposed to. Without saying anything, Steven picked up a different photo to analyse it.

"She's just a former colleague. That is all," he monotonously replied. "Now look where we're at."

"Otherwise, I could take her place if you want," Viola said, blushing. "Oh! I mean…"

Steven looked into her eyes only to raise an eyebrow.

This photo showed the horrific moment that night when Diantha apparently caught her allergic reaction over dinner. He was there, Cynthia was there (though Steven spent a moment gazing at Cynthia, as if he was attracted by her appearance), but all in all there was Diantha clutching her throat. Not to mention that this was a similar photo that made the front page of Lumiose Press, albeit at a different angle, which provided him a different perspective.

That wasn't there before, he thought, analysing it carefully.

And beside the paper bag, a little bottle that looked remarkably familiar...

"Hey, Steven? Something wrong?" Viola asked.

"It's definitely her," he muttered.

"Well, of course it's definitely her!" Viola replied, as if surprised at Steven's cluelessness. "You know, I thought you of all people could recognise her! You're acting pretty strange, my friend. Where have you been?"

If Steven was honest, he could have told Viola he had been to see Diantha. However, he knew better than to say so. For one thing, it was a private matter that he would keep to himself, and if Diantha wanted to go public about that, that was her business. The second thing was that Viola worked for the media Steven so hated right now, and the last thing he needed was admitting he had been to see Diantha.

He held up the photo again, and then put it down to look at Viola. "Do you mind if I keep this?" he asked.

Now Viola looked confused as ever. "I don't see what use you'll have for it, but sure, it's yours?"

Steven smiled for a moment, and then he took out a business card and pen to write his signature on it with a quick note. He then handed it to Viola. "The next time you come to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, your meal is on me."

Viola swallowed, like she couldn't believe she was getting this. It was like an honour! With a shaky hand, and wearing a wide smile the entire time, she gratefully took the card with a word of thanks. Afterwards, she piled up her photos and pocketed the business card before she exited the centre. As for Steven, he quietly followed Viola on the way out.

Even though it had been at least fifteen minutes since Sophie cracked, her face was completely red, and her eyes in tears. Laurent had managed to catch up with his co-worker at last, close to Cyllage City, albeit the ice cream on the brownies had completely melted in. Sophie seemed to have stopped running and stood where she was with her hands on her face.

Taking a deep breath, Laurent approached Sophie cautiously. He was careful to approach her as another outburst just might make him drop the brownie sundaes he had taken with him – for her!

"Sophie…" he whispered.

Sophie removed her hands to reveal her red face drenched in tears. If the situation wasn't so serious, it would have made almost anyone laugh. But Laurent could partly understand what Sophie was going through, and it made Laurent himself a little sorry.

"I brought a little something to cheer you up," Laurent added, holding up the brownie sundae on a plate for his co-worker to see. "You did want two, so you could only imagine how hard it was to carry these and catch up to you. You forgot your merchandise too, and the trophy."

Whatever blushes Sophie had on her face only grew deeper.

"Oh, no! Laurent! You didn't – you really didn't have to!" she said, completely flustered.

Instantly, after she had wiped her tears, she took the bag and held on it tightly as if afraid she would lose it. For good measure, she did put on one of the necklaces she – or rather, Laurent – bought. However, she still couldn't face him.

Laurent seemed fine with that. He merely pushed the plate into her hands and, to Sophie's surprise, the brownie was very warm despite how long it had been since they were served. Pleased yet embarrassed, Sophie turned her back to Laurent while quietly enjoying her dessert.

"A-Are you sure you can hold all that?" she said, worried that Laurent would actually drop something. The trophy in one hand, the bag of merchandise on the arm, and the plate of brownie sundae in the other hand seemed to make Laurent look like he was struggling.

"I'm fine," he assured.

But Sophie looked back for a moment and realised that Laurent hadn't touched that other plate of untouched brownie. "You're not going to have that, mon ami?"

"I already had one back at the château when you left," Laurent said. "This second one is just for you! But if you can't finish this one, we can eat it together at the restaurant, oui?"

It seemed like that suggestion made Sophie only more flustered than ever. She placed her free hand on her cheek, as if she was very touched. Quietly, she continued eating more bits of brownie and fudge.

"Well, we can start heading back if you'd like," Laurent offered. "I think Monsieur Stone will be missing us."

Before Sophie knew it, he was already walking ahead of her with the club trophy in one hand and the untouched brownie in the other. Giggling, Sophie quietly followed in his tracks as they went back to Cyllage City.

After travelling the short distance, they were walking on the infamous road that spanned the Cyllage waterfront. On their right, Vue sur la Lune, its café, and its chocolatier La Lune de Chocolat were operating business as usual. Opposite, amusingly, was the Stone Bistro. Now that Laurent and Sophie had a good look at it, it was like the two restaurants were having a standoff – two enemies staring at each other in the face.

"We were away for a while, weren't we?" Sophie remarked, having discarded her finished plate into a nearby trash can.

Her serious eyes looked into Laurent's, and then to the plate of brownie. Without need for asking, Laurent handed over the second brownie to Sophie. In comfortable silence, Sophie took one bite of brownie, and then offered it for Laurent to try.

Laurent seemed equally touched and, despite having Sophie eaten a bit of that brownie, used his own unused spoon to eat part of the brownie too.

They re-entered the doors of the Stone Restaurant and Bistro to finally meet with Martine once again. Even though it looked busy, Martine was doing an adequate job at managing the customers – and yet she could send a smirk to the two receptionists.

When the last of the customers were being ushered into the restaurant, Martine turned to the receptionists. Her smile looked very, very, innocent – perhaps it was too innocent! Suddenly, Laurent and Sophie became suspicious.

"Alright, Martine. What is it now?"

"Vous deux…" Martine cooed. "How was your date? I hear from those in the know that you're comparable to lovebirds. Ooh, and are you two sharing that brownie?! Ooooooh!"

"How –" Sophie started, feeling that huge blush arise once more.

"Lisia called me," Martine explained, pointing at the phone on the reception desk. "She told me all that I needed to know and how you cracked when her uncle was playing games on you. I wouldn't have thought you'd take it so seriously! You two are sure looking like you're enjoying yourselves, like you're an ideal couple –"

But Sophie quickly pushed the remainder of brownie towards Laurent. "Je dois partir. Je m'excuse," she said, and she quickly went to the washrooms with her hands on her face. Laurent, now holding the brownie, sighed and placed the brownie on the desk.

Martine looked very attracted to the smell of that brownie, though. For the most part, her eyes didn't leave the half-eaten brownie, which Laurent noticed. She stared, and stared, and stared…

"Don't get any ideas," he warned. "That's mine…"

"And Sophie's," Martine added, which made Laurent somewhat uncomfortable. Martine's eyes never left the brownie, however.

Laurent blinked, and as Martine's eyes became wider and wider, he decided to gently push Martine away from the desk. "Tu peux y aller maintenant," he said, which Martine walked away disappointed. Without much to do until Steven came back, Martine sat in the lounge, and at the same time Sophie returned.

"This other half is still for you," Laurent said, gesturing at the plate.

But instead, Sophie pushed the plate between her and Laurent, insisting they eat it together. Grateful, Laurent handed Sophie the spoon so she could have it first.

Yeah. Check out the lovebirds… Martine thought grudgingly. Why was it that they could have a brownie but she couldn't? Oh, it must have been a side effect of leaving work.

On Kalos Route 7, Steven Stone had just walked past the Battle Château. He walked alone, and with much on his mind – for that reason he decided not to fly back to Cyllage City. It was too much, perhaps, as he thought back to Winona, Diantha, and Viola. Just all of their inputs seemed to point to Cynthia as the source.

"Is it possible? But there's no way around it," he said to himself. He felt like he had a heavy weight thrown on his shoulders and he had to drag it with him back to the city.

First, Winona's claim about Cynthia stealing his wines was a possible explanation – albeit bizarre – why the number of wines Steven actually had wasn't matching the shipping invoice. Sure, Steven might have been locked in the wine cellar and claimed to have seen a live robbery, but his staff was unconvinced.

Second, the revelation of Diantha's allergy – from Diantha's words no less. As Steven was quite certain that his food products have had no contact with coconut, it was a bizarre idea to suggest how there had been coconut in the – what was it? – Watmel berry salad Diantha had that night. There was no viable explanation.

Third, Viola's photo showed Cynthia seemingly acting suspiciously with Diantha (that is, from his point of view). A paper bag with a stick of perfume looked out of place, but perhaps that because they were women, Steven was in no position to judge.

Fourth… Steven's thoughts lingered back to yesterday. Cynthia's perfume and picnic blanket were in his office, and was it a coincidence that the perfume smelled like coconut of all things? The same perfume that was present that night…

The only plausible explanation Steven could infer was that Cynthia was really trying to do a lot of damage to him. So, he was right all along! Those times Cynthia treated him to dinner, that time she was on Route 10 coincidentally, and now wine theft. It was a pretext to get him, wasn't it? What about the croquembouche…?

And I wonder what tragedy caused her to act this way, he thought. One thing was for certain: if the Stone Bistro was going to survive, Steven would have to begin taking countermeasures. But then again, his staff – particularly James – would probably see him as psychotic.

Maybe Steven was being too rash, or maybe he was jumping too quickly to conclusions. At least there was always the staff he could count on. Perhaps Steven was missing out on what truly mattered? But it still stood that the Stone Restaurant and Bistro wasn't the successful monopoly it had enjoyed in the past. It was in the competitive market, so to speak.

At least Madame LeBlanc's review was having a positive effect on the business.

Walking along the pathway and finally approaching the Connecting Cave, Steven began the familiar entry into welcoming darkness of the cave. Truth be told, Steven could never have enough of the vast number of stones the cave had to offer, with the cave being so close to Cyllage City. Perhaps he ought to make more trips here in his downtime, as if he didn't make enough already!

Before Steven had even gotten close to the Connecting Cave, however, Lisia was well ahead of him. Lisia accompanied her uncle and his girlfriend back to Cyllage City shortly after their share of Cynthia's desserts. As much as Wallace wanted to annoy Cynthia at the time, Winona insisted they head to Cyllage City for a hot drink to complement their brownies.

Furthermore, Cynthia had managed to clean up her equipment surprisingly fast. It looked like she was in a hurry to go elsewhere and had everything loaded into a rented van parked nearby. Within minutes, Cynthia had the van sent to Cyllage City while she made a personal trip back to the same place.

Even if Wallace really wanted to interfere with Cynthia's day, the idea was sadly defeated by the club supervisor, who literally stopped him in his tracks by tripping him.

As a result, Wallace insisted that they pop by Steven's restaurant again, with the brownies no less. After all, it seemed more comfortable to eat there, anyway. By the time Steven entered the Connecting Cave, Wallace and Winona were on the other side and entering Cyllage City.

"I think I'll head back to the hotel," Lisia said. "Or better yet… I think –"

"But Lisia, don't you want to visit Steven again?" Wallace said, patting Lisia on the head. "You can only learn so much if you're not in the field. Plus, we must check on how Sophie is doing with her boyfriend. That was due to our tireless efforts, you know."

Winona scoffed. 'Tireless efforts'? That seemed highly exaggerated! But she had to give credit to Wallace that he always found ways to have things his way. Lisia brushed her hair like she was annoyed by her uncle patting her head. Nevertheless, Lisia had to admit her uncle had a point – it would be fun to check on Sophie's romantic 'progress'. For all Wallace cared, it was working.

So at the end of the day, Lisia was on the familiar sidewalk which led to the waterfront and, ultimately, where the rivalling restaurants were facing each other. Ahead of her, Wallace happily made his way to the Stone Bistro like it was his second home. Because Lisia's curiosity got the better of her, she followed her uncle inside, to no surprise.

She walked into the lobby to be met with the lounge-like atmosphere of the lobby. The chandelier above her head provided the welcome atmosphere. The familiar reception desk where Laurent and Sophie were supposed to be stood at the end of the lobby, where the space behind it led to the rest of the restaurant (excluding the bar and museum, that is). Lo and behold, Wallace was already a few seconds away from approaching them, so Lisia quickly drew closer as well.

From the looks of it, Sophie and Laurent looked like they were having a moment together. On the desk was none other than a hot brownie covered in ice cream made by Cynthia, and Sophie was enjoying it with Laurent.

Such a distraction diverted the receptionists away from doing their job properly, and it allowed Wallace and Lisia to walk up to them unnoticed! The moment they were noticeable, Wallace and Lisia were only an arm's length away from the desk itself.

"Y – you?!" Sophie said, appalled, suddenly dropping her spoon. "You're not welcome here!"

"Things are going well, oui?" Wallace asked. "Don't worry. You only need to thank me and Lisia for making the big step. You know, it's a wonder how just one date together makes all the difference –"

"This isn't the first time we go to fan club, you know!" Sophie objected, her face remaining in the same state of shock and yet was red. "Laurent and I go to the club meetings all the time!"

Lisia's smile grew just as wide as her uncle's.

"Ooh! So you have been dating for a long time!"Lisia said, which forced Sophie to cover her own eyes in shame. "Hey, Martine, did you know –?"

But when Lisia looked around for Martine, she saw the redhead was standing in front of Winona and appeared not to have heard her. What made things more curious was that Winona wore a face like she had no idea what to do or if something was out of place, so Lisia walked over to the lounge.

Indeed, Martine was staring at the plate of brownie Winona had in her hands. As Lisia got closer and the aroma of brownie became more apparent, she noticed Martine seemed mesmerised by the brownie itself! Winona appeared to want to eat it, since there was a spoon in her hand, but it was impossible with a 19-year old girl staring down at it.

Martine drooled, staring at the brownie like she was in a world of her own. Her breath was short.

"What are you looking at?" Winona said uncomfortably, shifting her brownie aside. "This brownie is mine."

But Martine's eyes only grew wider and followed the movement of the brownie. Her drooling became more apparent and her breaths became even shorter.

Winona sweatdropped. Just how was she going to eat her brownie like this?

Martine's eyes grew wider and wider, and if nothing else she could have been in a staring contest with the brownie for as much as she liked. The brownie looked so good, so appetising, so tasty…

Winona shook her head.

Sure enough, a moment later, Martine had a large bite of the brownie. Tears swelled up in her eyes as she chewed.

"Oh…! It's so good!" she cried. "So much chocolate, fudge, and ice cream…!"

"Okay, I know," Winona said grudgingly. After Martine had her bite, that was that. Winona was going to keep this for herself! "You only get one bite, okay?"

"Mm hmm…" Martine nodded, not really caring what Winona said. Contrary to Winona's words, Martine reached her spoon towards the brownie once more.

An action that was too obvious and probably too threatening for Winona to notice.

"Hey! Non! Non! Non! Arrêtez! You only get one!You greedy!" Winona cried.

Suddenly Martine's voice became a loud whimper and her jaw fell wide open. On the other hand, her eyes started to well up with tears like separating herself from the brownie (and ice cream) would deprive her of life.

"Awww….!" she started to cry. Immediately, Winona was taken aback, and she cringed backward.

"Alright! Alright! You can help yourself to the whole thing," she said, handing the entire plate to Martine. Wearing a big smile, Martine took it and helped herself to more bites. Even though it had been a while since the brownie had come out of the oven, it was still hot. More than half the ice cream had melted into the softness of the brownie, which combined to make a delightful treat.

Winona looked very disappointed having her brownie taken away from her like that. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to Wallace. While Sophie and Laurent had a brownie in front of them, Sophie didn't feel comfortable eating in front of Wallace.

"I want a brownie…" she whined, as she poked her boyfriend's arm.

"My dear, didn't you have one earlier?" Wallace remarked. "What happened to yours?"

"Martine." Winona's response sounded just as depressed as she really was, which did make Wallace looked at her concerned. Seeing how 'sad' she was about not having a brownie, Wallace scooped a bit of brownie and gently poked it at Winona's lips.

Suddenly, Winona smiled again, as if this was very affectionate of her boyfriend, and ate the brownie piece.

It looked like Laurent had taken what Wallace just did as sage advice and scooped a bit of brownie too, and poked it playfully on Sophie's lips. While Sophie blushed and giggled at first, she took the bite and the spoon from Laurent – repeating exactly Winona's actions.

This forced Wallace to laugh. "See? It's a wonder how a relationship goes between you! All it takes is a little push, oui?"

Sophie and Laurent looked into each other's eyes, and quickly looked away.

Somehow, a voice called out across the lobby. "It seems like you won't need to do overtime, Laurent and Sophie. You've brought quite the party! And…"

It was none other than the boss: Steven Stone.

"Now hold on just a minute!" he added, alarmed. "Where did you get those brownies?"

Muahahahaha, I think I might have pushed it placing Viola and Steven together at first, or if there was too much Laurent and Sophie, or enough of Wallace and Winona, heheheh...

Leave a review, and a serving of Cynthia's brownie sundaes - with ice cream - will be served to you fresh from the oven! Help yourself, by all means!

If I were to incorporate a third person... I'm going to need a lot of time to work that into the story. Plus, I'm always busy...