To be honest, I have been working on this chapter for a while, and it technically isn't complete. The reason is because the chapter is so long I had to break it in half so it would make your reading easier. Believe me! The other half of the chapter is still in progress! Also, because I'm still playing Pokémon Moon, I haven't been putting too much effort lately!

To the honoured Guest, DaX0315, and LEGAL-EAGLE53, please enjoy a glass of sparkling Pinap berry juice with a Rowap berry!

Honoured Guest: yeah... I can see what you mean by Steven and Diantha centric in the anime now. But the way I see it, they're only doing their job when they're interacting!

DaX0315: well, just you wait for future chapters... hahaha, I can already imagine what Wallace could do right now, too.

LEGAL-EAGLE53: glad you enjoyed the coffee. Well, if there's anything in the la pierre de boeuf bourguionne that you can't eat, let Steven know. As for Wallace, what kind of attire he is wearing is up to you to imagine. I'm leaning to the ORAS attire, unfortunately.

Anyway, for everyone else, consider this rapid update a Christmas present! I took a leaf out of a certain anime to make this chapter...

And for this chapter: please welcome our guests: Grant and Korrina...

Chapter thirty-three: Fondue Fight

Even Wallace had to admit the aroma of Steven's dish was enough to make his mouth water.

It was clear that the dish was pleasing to the eye – so appetising, so delicious, so fragrant… What more could Viola ask for here? This was a lunch that she wouldn't want to forget. Maybe this could make it onto the newspaper for all of Kalos to know!

Click.

Indeed, she simply had to take a picture of this dish to do so. It didn't matter how many eyes were fixed on her just waiting for her to take a bite. Viola didn't mind at all. They could wait.

"Merci beaucoup," Viola thanked. Unbeknownst to her, Cynthia looked the other way out of 'disgust' as if this wasn't worth touching. On the other hand, Viola picked up her fork to spear one of the raw meat cuts and submerged it into the stone pot of boiling oil.

Cynthia kept a close eye on Viola's movements. If Steven had done anything to her that could influence the outcome, then Cynthia would have every reason to think this challenge was rigged. Then again, Viola was just at Steven's restaurant…

"And how do I know this contest isn't rigged?" she said suddenly, eyeing Viola pretty suspiciously. Viola looked up, unsure of how to respond, before she returned her attention to the pot. The smell of Nomel berry and lime was amplified through the meat being cooked in the oil altogether – such that Viola could taste the sweetness of it.

"You probably do know," Viola answered smartly, like it was obvious. "You two dragged me out here! It's only fair that I pay you back and declare one of you two lovebirds to be the loser."

"We're not –" Cynthia's face and voice grew hot.

"There you have it, Cynthia," Steven held up a hand for her silence. If he had noticed just how red Cynthia's face was getting, he would have easily assumed Cynthia's blood was as hot as his.

Whispers, murmurs, and indistinct chatter filled the plaza. While this proved only a mere distraction, it did little to slow everyone's anticipation of Viola taking that first bite. Now, after Viola was done cooking the raw meat, she removed the fork from the pot to see the slice – fully cooked, and it smelled wonderful.

Here we go, Viola thought, putting the piece in her mouth.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

In the midst of a field of Nomel trees, Viola wandered around aimlessly looking around for potential great photo shots. However, she could feel the overall refreshing sense of adventure – it was like she was just starting out. What did that mean? It meant that Viola was about to embark on a journey – a journey where she would have no idea what she would encounter.

Taking her camera with her hands, Viola took pictures of her soundings. The trees, the grass… they were refreshing. The scent of Nomel berries felt good, and the aroma of basil around her was so thick she could taste it already. All around her, the green of limes in the grass was welcoming – no doubt about that!

After getting past the trees, Viola emerged onto a field with nothing more but rolling hills and a simple gravel path showing the way forward.

Cattle, sheep, and Miltank lounged in the fields in the distance – they moved slowly. As Viola got closer to see them, the scent of Nomel berries dissipated. It was a shame, really, since the scent was something of a comfort to her. Nevertheless, Viola still looked forward to taking more shots of the landscape and the pasture in all of its magnificence.

The wind continued to blow, and once Viola felt it on her back, she understood it was time to keep move. So this is what a fresh adventure felt like!

"Viola, what do you think?" Steven asked.

Viola snapped out of her trance as she kept chewing on the meat. The rich flavour of the meat may have seemed ordinary at first, but that blend of Nomel berry with basil and oil was… flawless. Words failed Viola for her expression was in shock.

It had taken a moment for Viola to regain her composure, and once she did she realised just how close Cynthia was leaning towards her, as if expecting some sort of conclusion.

"If you haven't got any idea so far, just hold that thought," Steven added, gesturing Viola to cook another piece of raw meat into the oil. The flame continued to burn beneath the stone pot and boiling the oil – such that it was only a matter of time before the meat was cooked until crisp.

Even after that first bite, Viola felt like she couldn't have enough of the bursting flavour of meat and the embodiment of red wine and vinegar within seemed enough, and with that surface of Nomel berry taste and basil – it was overwhelming. Just how much more could Viola take?

"Steven," Viola said. "It's unbelievable – and in a good way."

Cynthia looked super nervous, as a smile spread across Steven's lips. The latter replied, "You still haven't tried the sauces, and I strongly, strongly, recommend trying them one at a time."

On the side was a selection of sauces supposedly created by Steven – the first one Viola dipped her freshly cooked meat into was creamy white with a tint of yellow with plenty of what appeared to be black beads. Curious, yet anticipating its taste, Viola put the meat in her mouth. Once again, yet on a different perspective, Viola's eyes widened in surprise.

It was an entirely different flavour, and somehow it was the same but magnificently enhanced. The taste of the creamy sauce embodied by peppercorns provided an excellent showcase of flavour with the crisp oil-cooked meat. As if the Nomel berries and the lime coating the oil on the meat wasn't enough, now the peppercorn sauce was amplifying the flavour of the meat to new levels – new levels unseen to Viola.

These were new levels that were like reaching unseen heights. Viola was journeying on a mountain trail that lead to who knows where, but that was how her adventure unfolded, wasn't it? She took a shot of the landscape before her as she continued walking.

At some point, Viola passed by a waterfall on the mountain. Mountain water, supposedly from an unknown glacier, flowed welcomingly beside her in the form of a river. It looked cool, refreshing, and welcoming, so she kneeled down to drink a little of the water.

Feeling more energised afterward, Viola moved forward to follow the trail once more. The only thing she had in mind was to keep moving forward and see where this mountain trail would lead her.

As Viola reached higher ground, she saw that the river actually originated from a massive waterfall unbeknownst to her on the other side of the mountain. Looking down, the waterfall was bursting out of the rocks and to the misty distance below, where the river flowed.

The view was magnificent, and it felt rewarding just to see it let alone hear the relaxing sound of the waterfall itself.

The commotion had almost certainly attracted the attention of more and more bystanders in Cyllage City. By then, the media from Lumiose Press was already starting coverage of the scenario – but there was yet to be broadcasting for either television or radio.

Needless to say, this commotion had caught the attention of the local Gym Leader, Grant, who was amongst the bystanders. Were it not for the delicious aroma he had smelled earlier, he probably would have skipped right by the plaza and went on his way. But now he was definitely curious as to what was exactly going on.

While trying to get closer to the plaza, he received an impolite collision on his side and the force knocked him over and almost set him off balance.

"Ah! Désolé!" a familiar feminine voice apologised. Where had Grant heard that voice from? Of course, he only would have heard her during meetings and conferences with the Kalos Pokémon League.

"How can you walk around in public with those?" Grant said, without looking. "Korrina."

Shalour City's Gym Leader may have had a knack for wearing roller skates, let alone experienced in wearing them, but Grant sometimes couldn't stomach the reason why she had to wear them practically everywhere.

"Oh, salut, Grant!" Korrina replied. "Hey, don't worry about me! I've got it covered. But what about you? Have you eaten yet? Or is it because you can literally smell the food coming from over there? Oh, and is this…?"

She had to take a moment to observe her surroundings. There was the plaza on the corner which for some reason was the centre of commotion here. On the same block as the plaza stood the Stone Restaurant and Bistro, and across the street was Vue sur la Lune. Korrina's eyes widened.

"Oh…! I see, so this is where it happened, eh? This was in the paper! So this is where Steven and Cynthia work!" she said. In the next instance, she had a thought that partly tied to the aroma in the air. "Grant! Are you feeling hungry right now?"

"You know very well that I always maintain a steady diet, my friend," Grant replied, though truthfully his mouth was starting to water due to the smell that was diffusing throughout the street. The smell of oil, laced with lime, wine, vinegar, and garlic was evident, and he grew very hungry.

My stomach… Grant thought.

"Come on, Grant, let's check it out," Korrina nudged his back after getting up (and yet still wearing her roller skates). "If you're not going to eat anything now, like you said, then we should see! Come on! You're the Gym Leader here! You should know these things!"

Shaking his head, Grant walked forward and tried to get past the crowd for a closer look, but that didn't seem likely now.

"Besides, I really don't get why you have to cut down on foods!" Korrina added. "You know perfectly well that you can't cut down on food to keep your weight down! Ceci est faux!"

Grant raised an eyebrow against her, but Korrina ended up slapping her forehead.

"If you really want to keep your weight down, you should do less shopping for clothes at the boutique and more working out at the gym," she said, and before Grant could respond, Korrina beat him to it. "And no, your Pokémon Gym doesn't count. You have to do more exercising! Like me!"

Annoyingly to Grant, Korrina took a hold of one of his arms and gently squeezed it. "Huh," she said. "According to the media, you're supposed to be 'lean and muscular' but you keep cutting down of eating, like they said. Buddy, you're not going to lose weight by having muscles like these! There are no muscles! At least I exercise by rolling blading every day."

Casually shaking off her grip, Grant fired back, "I don't see how that really 'counts' as exercise, though! And you're wrong! I have enough muscle! You just can't tell! Plus, can you really believe anything that the media says?"

Korrina smiled idiotically, as if she were being super-smug. "How many times have you passed by Cynthia's café so far? I bet you'll have passed by a thousand times but you've never went in."

That certainly took Grant's level of annoyance to a new level.

"Besides, rumour has it that Steven loves to head out of Cyllage City to the Connecting Cave to dig for rocks," Korrina said. "You should go rock climbing with him! You'll be able to get your share of workout and show him around! Oh, and if you rock climb, you have to work out. And if you can work out, you can eat food afterwards! Comprendre? Ceci est une bonne idée déja! Plus, you still get to train!"

Grant looked as if he couldn't take anymore so-called tips from her anymore, so instead, he went further through the crowd to get a good view of what was going on. Plus, the aroma grew more intensely as he and Korrina got closer to the scene.

"I see them, the two chefs, no doubt," Korrina said. It was clear that there was some sort of competition going on, with the unmistakable faces of Steven and Cynthia in sight. After all, she had to owe it to the media – that is, not limited to Lumiose Press or the popular Kalos magazine – for reporting on all that was going on here in Cyllage City right now.

Grant followed suit, looking at the scenario, before he choked. "No way! Is that Viola?"

Korrina couldn't actually see who was seated at the table in the plaza, so she did have to move in even closer. As she did, whilst following grant, they ended up standing at a spot close to the action. That is, the only thing blocking their view was a couple who were dressed in odd clothes. Indeed, Korrina could see Viola seated at the table, and it looked like she was enjoying herself.

"That's her alright," she muttered to Grant. "What is she doing?"

But before Grant could say another word, he ended up eavesdropping on a nearby conversation.

"Which one will she pick? Steven's? Or Cynthia's? I'm putting all my money on Cynthia's, since he might have to think of a please her even more." someone said. Whoever that was, Grant and Korrina ended up tracing that voice to the couple – a man who was dressed in absurd clothes (then again, didn't everyone here dress in absurd clothes? Korrina was one example already, Grant thought) – first, a white cape, white pants, white shoes, and an unusual scarf.

"I'm thinking it'll be Steven's," the woman beside the man said. "Hey! I thought you were going to test the food too!"

"I wanted to, but I'd much rather spend my time with you."

"Oh, stop it…"

In Korrina's eyes, this woman had a helmet that rivalled her own. Sure, the wings and the goggles might have given it away that she was a pilot of some sort, or at least a Pokémon Ranger… but did this woman also have to have a long ponytail to rival Korrina's own?

A helmet and a ponytail.

Seriously?

"Where is Lisia, anyway?"

"She's missing out, that's for sure."

Not knowing what the circumstances were at the moment, Grant tapped the man's shoulder. "Excuse me, monsieur, but what's going on here?"

The couple turned around to face Grant, and Grant recognised them instantly. Not only that, but Korrina nearly stumbled in shock when she saw them too. Who else would dress up like this? Not normal people for sure, or at least not the die-hard fans who follow their every movement.

"Hmm? Is something the matter, friend?" Wallace said. "Oh, I see! You must not know who they are! I'm surprised, since I thought you were a local! Well, if you don't know, let me give you a brief explanation –"

"Wallace!" Winona cried, grabbing and shaking Wallace's arm before he could say another word. "I'm pretty sure he knows what's going on! Besides, you don't know if he's local or not, and he looks like he recognises you!"

Taking that into account, Wallace gently eased off Winona's hand before looking at Grant head to toe carefully, like a scientist would to a specimen. Slightly unnerved, Grant took a step back, in which Korrina stepped forward to look at Winona carefully like a wandering traveller would to a map. Now it was Winona's turn to step back.

"Uh… salut?" Korrina greeted uncertainly, not looking away from her. "You're Winona, right?"

Winona didn't know what to say at first, and only let a miniature "Yes" escape her lips. But before Korrina could say anymore, Wallace stepped between them.

"Now, now," he said, holding up his hands. "I don't know if you find her interesting or not – I kind of do, I assure you – but it's not polite to – OW!"

Now, Wallace's arm was on the receiving end of Winona's fist in which he had to back away a little. When he looked into Winona's eyes, he no longer saw the gracefulness in her eyes for a brief moment, but they soon returned after.

"I can't believe you," she said quietly, but there was a clear hint of anger within. "Do you want me to break up with you again?!"

"It's okay, Winona," Wallace assured, patting her head with his weakened arm. "I know you are impossible to break up with! It's almost like a good burden to drag around with me!"

She bowed her head in exasperation. "That sounds so wrong already…"

Grant and Korrina exchanged glances, and it wasn't before long that they exchanged smirks to chuckles to laughs. The outburst was such that they had caught the attention of those around them who looked at Grant especially, before they returned their gaze to the demonstration in the plaza.

"But in all honesty," Grant said, "you're the Champion from Hoenn, oui? Aren't you supposed to be managing the League right now? Je m'appelle Grant. Je suis le champion ici."

"Et je suis Korinna, le champion de Shalour City," Korrina introduced herself.

"Yes indeed," Wallace answered. "My name is Wallace, if you haven't heard! But I guess since you're a Gym Leader yourself here, you would understand that I'm on vacation! This is Winona, but I suppose you knew that already, but I bet you wouldn't know –"

However, Korrina interrupted him with a raised hand.

"She's your girlfriend?" she said. "Ooh, I bet she is. After all, how many times have you broken up before? One hopes that you two were made for each other! How many times have you eaten together? I can already imagine it. You probably had dessert together or something, oui?"

She reminds me a lot of Martine, Wallace thought.

Grant, however, had different ideas. "One would hope that he would have had dessert with her," he said, "since it's probably the ideal thing to get something sweet – OW!"

Indeed, Korrina's eyes flared and she punched Grant's arm. Not once, but twice! Grant had to rub his arm afterward, but he still said, irritably, "What was that for?!"

"Is dessert and sweets the only thing you can think of at a time like this?!" Korrina fired back. "There are more things to consider than sweets, you know! If you ever had time to eat some, you would understand!"

Ooooookay, now she reminds me of Winona, Wallace thought. He looked even more closely at this girl, Korrina, as if she was someone familiar. Actually, she looks like a copy of Winona! Except she's brighter than Winona, I'll admit.

As if Winona actually heard his thoughts, though she only needed to look into his eyes, she slapped his cheek.

"Stop staring at her as if she looks like me!" Winona complained. "I'm right here, you know!"

"But it's true, my dear," Wallace replied, patting Winona's head once more. He looked at Korrina for a moment as if to compare her. "You see, she looks like one of your fans! If anything, she looks just as amazing as you! You must have made an impression, dear. Now, if I didn't know better, she looks just as attractive! She looks more outgoing though. Am I right, Korrina?"

However, Wallace was unable to get a response since Korrina had no idea how to respond at all. First, she looked at Winona's helmet and compared it with her own, as well as looking at her own hair for some reason…

"Well done, monsieur Wallace," Grant said, amused. "I think you've flattered her."

At this, Wallace got slapped by Winona again.

"OW!"

"You deserved that!" Winona shouted.

Moreover elsewhere, attention overall was still focused on Viola despite the heated interaction involving Wallace. Cynthia and Steven watched as Viola went for the next sauce – a paste of grinded shallots with a light red tint to it. From the looks of it, it probably was going to be spicy.

Looking at Cynthia first and then Steven, Viola put the meat into her mouth and waited for the flavour to come again.

At once, her head started to sweat.

She had her camera with her, but all Viola could do was try to prevent as much damage as she could to it. Viola was wearing a harness and supported by a strong rope as she attempted to descend into an active volcano.

Cautiously, Viola descended deeper and deeper. Her helmet was fastened securely, she wasn't wearing anything more than what she usually wore, and the air became hotter the further she went in.

She didn't know how much she could take of the heat, but if she managed to get as low as possible to see it, it would be worthwhile. Her head was sweating, and the heat was overwhelming her. If being cooked alive was possible, this was it.

At last, deep within, Viola saw it. There existed a lake of lava bursting dangerously below. It looked incredibly unstable and outbursts of the molten rock rocketed upward. Of course, the closer Viola got to it, the more dangerous it was going to become. It looked like the Tamato berries had really had their work cut out, with several clusters floating on the lava like bombs ready to cause the volcano to erupt.

I don't have long, Viola thought.

She lowered herself much closer to the lava. As Viola got closer it became more and more unstable as the berries started to shake. Quickly as she could, she got more pictures of the lava pool before it really started to become violent.

She looked at the lava again. Wait, were there shallots mixing into the lava? Viola clearly must have imagined this, but somehow, it looked like the shallots were playing a part into calming the volcano for a bit like it was prolonging the inevitable. Well, that gave some space for Viola to catch her breath! She stayed around for a little longer, whilst shooting as many pictures as she could, before the lava below began exploding.

Now, Viola had a mission to get out of here. Rocks were falling down by her sides and she wondered how she was going to make it out in one piece. Grabbing her rope and harness, she gave it a tug before starting to climb out of this hellhole. Quickly as she could, Viola grabbed whatever she could to help herself up as the lava below started to rise…

Viola realised that her mouth was burning, but it was fortunate that the flavour of the meat itself had managed to sustain her. As a result, she had no need to completely finish her sparkling Pinap berry juice with the Rowap berry in it. Still, the slight sourness of the Pinap berry helped calm her taste buds.

"That was crazy, Steven!" Viola commented. "But nevertheless…"

Gladly, and happily, Viola didn't need to completely down her drink. There was still enough of the sparkling Pinap to go around.

"Here," Steven interrupted, helping dip another piece of meat into the oil to cook it. "Next, try the cream sauce. I'm very certain it will be much more pleasant."

Cynthia rolled her eyes and looked away as if she wasn't pleased at having Steven do a service for Viola. Her own fondue wasn't yet to be served until Steven was done, and she would be better off if she served it hot and ready for Viola after. Nevertheless, she had to observe what was going on so as to not make herself publicly look bad.

By the time Cynthia returned her gaze, Steven handed the crisp meat to Viola who took it and dipped it in the cream sauce. Afterwards, Viola put the piece in her mouth. Instantly, Viola's eyes widened again.

Far away from the reaches of the volcano, Viola found herself walking along the seaside. There was the scent of lemon trees in the air mixed with the air of the ocean. The scents blended together like they were in harmony with each other – such that Viola could hear… singing from the ocean and the lemons. On top of it all, it helped that there was a notion of garlic tying the harmony together – like a composer leading an orchestra in sync.

Feeling refreshed by the air, Viola kept walking along the seaside path. While she was walking, she continued to take more pictures of the majestic ocean. It was a little hard, since the sun was shining on the waters such that they were producing a glare. Still, Viola couldn't turn her eyes away for a moment.

Soon enough, Viola was walking along the beach to take closer pictures of the waves splashing on the shore. The waves gently crashed on shore while Viola took pictures, and once she was done with those she took more pictures of the Kelpsy berries growing on whatever could support vegetation here.

That still went without saying that the ocean view was enough stun her speechless. The air of lemons and the ocean were then accompanied by a soloist – the scent of limes was playing a lone part that felt like it was calming the waters around Viola. Once that part had passed, Viola continued to listen to the sound of rustling lemon and lime leaves come together with the sound of the crashing waves.

After Viola opened her eyes, she took into account of the beauty of the ocean once more. If she could, she would have stayed here forever. The harmony was something she wanted to immerse in every minute.

"Well, Viola?" Steven said.

"That was amazing!" she said, as she helped herself to more meats and cooking them in the oil again. "You couldn't have gone wrong with striking the balance between tenderness and crispiness in this dish! You know, you could even imagine different flavours coming in from all directions! Steven, I have to say it, bien fait!"

"Avec plasir," Steven replied. "I hoped you enjoyed it. C'est la pierre de bœuf bourguignonne."

It had taken a moment or two, but later, Viola was having another round of the different sauces to accompany the cooked meats. Spiciness, sourness, saltiness, and a subtle sweetness made her feel like she was on top of the world – this dish was unrivalled! What more could she ask for?

Indistinct chatter filled the plaza all around while Cynthia looked pretty uncomfortable from she was hearing around her. Whilst Viola was happily eating the remainder of her lunch (though she had plenty of meats to spare), Cynthia uncomfortably brought her prepared dish – also covered by a cloche – to the table. Without looking at Steven, she placed her dish before Viola after the meal was done. Indeed, there was still some leftover oil in the stone pot, but Viola had finished her lunch. Not a drop of the three sauces had gone to waste.

"Aw…" Viola whined. "It's almost finished already. But I must say, Steven, that without the oil this probably wouldn't have tasted good. That is where the strength lies!"

That being said, because of how well Viola had cleaned her plate, Cynthia had a slight whiff of doubt whether her dish would actually surpass Steven's. But of course, that would remain to be decided – the fight wasn't over. Not yet!

"Le voila," Cynthia stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

Wow! How was this?! From reading this chapter, you can have a dish of la pierre de boeuf bourguignonne too if you leave a review! Personally, writing about Grant was gold here.

For the next course, the other half of the Fondue Fight...

Customers: I've also created a poll asking which are the tastiest dishes in Culinary Rivals so far. Check it out on my profile!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, by the way!