Wow, this is the first update in over a month! I admit I have been cramming a lot into my schedule as of late, such that I had to even sacrifice my weekends, but now I'm in the clear for the month!

Plus, I'd like to point out this chapter satisfies another milestone of "Culinary Rivals"!

DaX0315, StRAngE ToASt, and Dev1ce, please have a serving of Cynthia's chocolate sea salt ice cream.

Chapter forty-six: A Hot Day at Plaza Median

Steven didn't know why, but the square plaza at the end of the road where he had competed with Cynthia twice had been dubbed "Plaza Median" by the community. The media already reported it, and now it was said to be the de facto neutral ground between his restaurant and Cynthia's.

Cyllage City, being a seaside resort it was, was experiencing one of its usual heat waves that made eating ice cream or drinking cold beverages the ideal thing to do. Of course, Shalour City rivalled its resort-like atmosphere, but each had their specialities. For that reason, Steven and Martine used their break get away from the heat.

But in Plaza Median, of all places?

"This brings back bad memories…" Steven muttered. He looked at the plaza which echoed the fierce fights he and Cynthia had here. Worse, though, was that this area became something like a media hub. No matter the media, be it Gym Freaks or Lumiose Press, they would set up their base here. However, that went without saying that Plaza Median was a public park. It was just that the public enjoyed bringing food all the way from the two rivalling restaurants to eat here.

Steven, who was wearing sunglasses, sighed as he tried to stay in the shade, but there wasn't a lot of it. The plaza overlooked the view of the ocean and the sun was directly facing it. At most, the shade would be generously supplied by the surrounding apartments, but that was only in the morning.

"Tell me, boss, what's on your mind, maintenant?" Martine asked.

Steven wiped the sweat off his heat. "Nothing, Martine. Absolutely nothing."

"Oh come on, I know you're sweating," she said. "You could have stayed inside the restaurant, you know! Why did you come out?"

"I just… want something cold out here. Some local specialty," Steven replied.

It took a brief moment, but an idea flashed into Martine's mind. Her eyes gleamed, like there was some kind of hope in her eyes. Even if that hope should have died, clearly Martine wasn't letting go.

"I have an idea, boss! Let's go for ice cream!" she cheered.

In his bones, he knew Martine had a point. He too was craving an ice cream, and now that Martine had trapped him in his words, there was no way out of it. Whatever escape plan he could think of was gone in an instant.

He HAD no options!

"Um…? Boss? You okay? You're shaking," Martine said.

Steven threw a Poké Ball into the air. "Metagross!" he called.

His trusted Pokémon companion appeared before him on the ground. But before Steven could even say a word, Metagross bumped him towards Martine.

"Meta…gross!" it roared.

"Ugh, alright, alright," Steven held up his hands in mock surrender. "You can go man the restaurant with James for now. I… will go get some ice cream."

Metagross had a short laugh before levitating off the ground and floated down the street to the Stone Restaurant and Bistro. Now more than ever, Steven really craved an ice cream, and he didn't have the gut to admit it in front of Martine.

The two of them walked down the street away from Plaza Median, albeit briefly. As Steven wondered what kind of ice cream shop Martine had in mind, Martine was staring into his eyes even as she walked.

"What's on your mind, boss? It wouldn't be Cynthia, by any chance?"

"No! Nothing like that. I'm just wondering what kind of ice cream shop you're bringing us to. It better be worthwhile," he replied.

"You're in for a treat, boss! No pun intended."

But the moment Steven had his hopes up for a minute, they were shattered as he realised Martine had dragged him to the doors of La Lune de Chocolat; adjacent to Le Café Sinnoh. Alarm bells were ringing in Steven's mind, as if he was told to get away as far as he could! Unfortunately, that wasn't happening when Martine dragged him inside the chocolatier. No wonder she was hinting at him to get a treat, and this was too much.

"No. NO!" Steven cried. It was no good. He was well within La Lune de Chocolat, and escape seemed pointless. "Okay, we'll make a quick grab for ice cream, and then we're out."

He looked around anxiously and hoped that she would not appear. As it happened, the cashier was giving Steven odd looks.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses inside, monsieur? It's very strange," he said.

Steven shook his head. After deciding on what he wanted, which was ice cream on a cone, he took out the cash and prepared to pay.

But then she appeared. Her hair was as long and platinum blonde as Steven remembered.

"Something the matter? I… Oh," she said. Her voice faded upon seeing Steven and Martine.

"Salut, Cynthia," Martine greeted. "Don't mind us! We're just here for ice cream!"

"Sure, sure," Cynthia muttered. She looked as down as ever; and if not dull, she looked drained. "I was just testing out ice cream bars, so maybe you would like a taste?"

While Martine looked at Steven expectantly, Steven tried his best to look away. He couldn't look at Cynthia, no matter how pretty she looked. Wait, did he just admit she was pretty? No, he couldn't have. He was already locked up in his mind with nowhere to run…

"Boss? Um… You're starting to look pale…" Martine whispered. "Oh! You must be ready, right? Show off your true feelings…"

Now that got to him.

"Martine, no," he said. "I…"

Cynthia interrupted Steven's words by holding up an ice cream on a stick, which was covered in a simple chocolate and almond shell. "This one's on me. You'll be the first to try it, so I hope you'll like it."

Martine stared at Cynthia first, and then Steven. There was only one cream bar!

Ooh… I see what you're getting at, Martine snickered in her thoughts. You're really trying to win him over, oui?!

Steven looked hesitant as if it was a trap. He remained mostly silent while he eyed from Cynthia to the ice cream and back to Cynthia again.

"Look, ice cream will not hurt you, alright? It's only sensible to eat some on a hot day like this," Cynthia added calmly. "Besides, you're sweating."

"Ooh! So you can notice these things, Cynthia! That's amazing!" Martine remarked. This remark almost caused Cynthia to blush, were it not for Steven's behaviour.

As for Steven, he brought a hand to his forehead and hair to wipe off a bit of sweat. Was he sweating that badly? Seeing there was no way around it, he reluctantly took the ice cream from Cynthia's hand.

"Merci," he quietly thanked.

He felt awkward afterward after doing that and wanted to leave the chocolatier soon. But it didn't help at all that Martine was taking her time choosing an ice cream she liked (she was debating on whether to have the grenadine flavour or not). Steven, who couldn't take more of Cynthia's presence, walked out.

"I'll be at – what did they call it – Plaza Median, Martine," Steven said. He walked out first hoping to lose Cynthia as fast as he could. Cynthia meanwhile looked confused as ever, but decided she was better off helping Martine first before, dare she say it, check on Steven.

"What can I get for you, Martine?" Cynthia asked. "Actually, Garchomp can help you here."

Martine remained undecided between wanting the grenadine ice cream or not. However, Cynthia had something else weighing on her mind, and she wanted to rid of it quick.

The sun was blazing down mercilessly on Cyllage City and Steven had no idea whether to be grateful or not to Cynthia for the ice cream. Even though it was hot, the ice cream and the chocolate shell covering it surprisingly hadn't melted yet. It was like it could stay in direct sunlight for the better of eight minutes and still wouldn't change.

Now that he was at Plaza Median, he went to find a place to sit. Fortunately, the plaza had plenty of benches available but not so many with shade. Nevertheless, Steven found a comfortable seat facing the ocean where he could enjoy some peace.

Still, he looked at the ice cream bar in his hand. It was tempting to eat, but temptations like this could have consequences.

For what it was worth, this ice cream bar could be poison. Cynthia might be quietly assassinating him!

Ugh, Steven. What are you thinking?! You can't… he thought to himself. Was he really getting this flustered just because Cynthia gave him an ice cream bar? He sighed. Just what could he do right now? One option was to simply eat the ice cream in this hot and sunny day…

He hated her.

"That looks nice," said a cool but cheerful voice; one Steven did not recognise.

He looked up to see a girl standing in front of him, who looked no older than he was. She wore a top with two shades of purple, with a matching skirt and boots to match. Her platinum blonde waist-length hair fell down her back. It rivalled if not surpassed that of Cynthia's! What did stand out was that she wore an earring bearing an insignia familiar to Steven.

"Um… Indeed," Steven replied. He was slightly starstruck by her appearance.

"But why are you staring at it?" she asked. "You know ice cream melts if exposed for too long. Oh, let me guess. Did your girlfriend give that to you?"

Steven's eyebrows rose. Now just hold on a minute. Who was she to ask about his personal life? She was a stranger!

"That's not your concern," he replied calmly. "Then, may I ask, qui êtes-vous? I don't believe we have met."

Now she sat down beside him. "My name is… Astrid. But I know who you are, Steven; there's no need to introduce yourself. Your name has been all over the media for at least ten days straight."

Steven smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment, then."

With the ice cream bar in his hand still not melting, Steven went on to eat it. The combination of almond and chocolate was a nice mix, but it was the creamy vanilla that took the spotlight. Astrid looked at him carefully.

"You don't even have a girlfriend, do you? In spite of all that attention, you really don't have anyone, do you?" she said. "You were a Champion, after all."

"It's just a matter of finding someone who matches my interests," Steven replied. "I've retired from battling, at least, so there's no hope there." He swallowed. How did he become this open with someone? Was it because he needed to talk with a fresh face, or something?

Astrid grinned. She winked at him.

"That doesn't mean you still can't battle though, yeah?" she said.

"But what about you?" Steven asked. "Are you experienced?"

"I'm actually very experienced. I did make it to the semi-final, after all."

Now biting off another chunk of ice cream and savoured its flavour, Steven lowered his hand. "That's impressive. You must be quite a competitive girl."

Now Astrid's smile grew wider. "You sound confident, and I could show you if you like." She reached out for a Poké Ball in her pocket, and that was when Steven remembered that he had sent out Metagross to the Stone Bistro already.

"I don't have any Pokémon with me at the moment…" Steven started.

For her own reasons she could not explain, Cynthia went out to check up on Steven. Her justification was that she wanted to know what she thought about the ice cream. Surely he could at least appreciate a cold treat on a day like this.

Plaza Median, he said to Martine. Now there was only one place that fit that description Cynthia knew too well. To try to keep herself concealed, she tied her hair back in an extra-long ponytail and wore sunglasses. That should keep some public eyes away from her. Equally, she was wary that someone might recognise her.

For that reason, Cynthia had mostly been keeping to walls, corners, and behind lampposts. She had to ask him in private what he thought of the ice cream.

As she made her way past the Stone Bakery, she sadly looked at the business it was embracing. Customers were happily enjoying the improved Slateport cakes along with iced coffees. How did those go together? Cynthia did not want to ask.

But as she thought of approaching him, a thought struck her. Why would he even bother with her? He did declare he would come for her in the most hostile way possible.

Why did she care so much? Was it still possible…?

She thought, No way! I don't feel that way about him! Do I?!

Now Cynthia felt more frustrated than ever, but also wanted to have a word with Steven. Would her ice cream really impress him?

Martine had finally made up her mind and decided not to have grenadine-flavoured ice cream and instead went for chocolate. After Garchomp had helped her with the ice cream, she walked out of La Lune de Chocolat and towards Plaza Median. Steven had to be there, since he had no choice. Of course, Martine could count on him not being there either.

The cone was in her hand as she walked and was impressed that in spite of all this heat, the ice cream was retaining its rigidity. It looked appetising too, so she was eating it as she walked over to find Steven. Fortunately, it wasn't that far.

That was when Martine saw Steven sitting… with a girl!

What is this? Is that a friend of his? Martine thought.

But before Martine could get a closer look at them, Steven and that blonde-haired girl stood up and walked a short distance away from before facing each other.

Civilians backed away, and Martine knew this, when they realised a Pokémon battle was imminent. The blonde girl tossed a Poké Ball to unleash a fearsome Absol while Steven had, somehow, Metagross back on the field.

As Martine kept her distance watching the battle and eating her ice cream, she tried to get a better look at Steven and the girl. Steven had an empty ice cream stick in his hand, the girl was wearing mostly purple albeit with platinum blonde hair to rival Cynthia's –

Oh wait. Could this be a sign?!

The girl's Absol clashed with Metagross blow after blow, but they tried their best not to destroy Plaza Median along with them. Not wanting to draw attention, Martine walked a little closer and took a seat to watch the battle.

"Meteor Mash!" Steven shouted.

"Shadow Claw!" the girl shouted likewise.

The two attacks traded blows and shook the atmosphere. It was a wonder how the shock did not shatter the windows of nearby buildings. However, the sight was worthwhile to watch. It seemed like it had been a while since a Pokémon battle had occurred here, and even Steven looked like he was enjoying himself.

After recoiling from the blow, the Absol landed flat on the ground on its feet, while Metagross returned to its position near Steven.

"You're pretty good," the girl called. "You're strong, but you noticed something on me, didn't you? You know what this is?" she pointed at her earring.

"I'm surprised you have one," Steven answered. "I have one that hasn't been used for a long time. I don't have a choice but to use it now, do I?"

Martine was confused at where the conversation was going. Then, she was spoken for when the Absol became a blinding light and changed form. The Absol looked different, and stronger-looking. Likewise, Steven had something similar happen to Metagross where Metagross also changed form. It didn't look that much different, but it was more agile now.

"Let's see who does better in a mega battle!" the girl said. "Don't hold back on me!"

"We'll see!" Steven shouted. "Meteor Mash!"

Metagross took to the air and started plummeting towards the Absol like a meteor. The girl reacted by having the Absol strike back with such strength and agility that the air felt like it had torn. The tremors could be felt almost all over Cyllage City.

It was those same tremors that caught Cynthia off guard. Where did they come from? This place was not very earthquake-prone. Based on that, and Cynthia's experience as a battler, there must be a Pokémon battle going on. The magnitude of it was a different story.

There was a cloud of dust that had shrouded Plaza Median by the time she had arrived there. When Cynthia walked in, she could clearly notice a clearing where a battle had been. People had backed away so everyone else could see, and Cynthia saw two Pokémon: an Absol and a Metagross in the "mega" forms she had heard about.

But Steven was the only individual Cynthia knew would have a Metagross. Right after, Cynthia's fears were justified. Steven became visible once the dust had cleared, and he looked more energetic and, dare she say, alive than she had ever seen him.

Realising that she was still in the open, Cynthia quickly blended herself in to the atmosphere by taking a seat on a bench while keeping Steven in sight. It seemed that Steven was the victor of that battle, which was obvious as the Absol was knocked out. Cynthia though was focused on what was in Steven's hand, which held an ice cream stick.

Frankly, Cynthia was surprised that he had eaten it at all. At first she thought of asking him straight, but she decided against it after. Steven might see her as a stalker if she did that.

Then, she watched the other opponent approach Steven after the Absol was recalled.

"That was pretty fun," Astrid said. "You know, you're pretty strong as they say! Former Hoenn Champion, eh?"

"Thanks," Steven replied. "Metagross has been my most trusted partner, though. And thank you. It's been a while since I've had a battle like that, and I'm impressed! You've shown some skill."

He went over to take back his seat near the bench, like he was exhausted. To his surprise, Astrid sat beside him.

"I suppose that's one thing we have in common, eh?" she said. "Trainers like you are really hard to come by, and I haven't had a decent battle like that since my semi-final. Say… What do you say we do it again?"

She looked at Steven expectantly, which brought an awkward sense to him.

Noticing that, Astrid quickly added, "I mean, not now! I meant another day! You know we can't battle after something as intense as that!" She smiled and looked to the ocean. "So why did you stop your career?"

"I felt like I was getting to that time," Steven replied. It felt like a while since he had shared to someone about these feelings; the last people being Wallace and the current Hoenn Champion. "I couldn't be stuck in the League forever, and I wanted to do something I really like."

"Like cooking?" Astrid said smugly.

Steven laughed.

"Not exactly," he replied. "I really like mining for rocks of all kinds, but I discovered cooking on the way too. That's another story, though. What about you?"

"Just training will do me," Astrid replied. "One of these days, I'll get to unseat Diantha from her Champion's position and I'll be the next one, for sure!"

Steven chuckled. "I would toast to that," he said. "Though, to be honest, it has yet to be dinnertime."

Just saying that caught Astrid's ears. She looked as if she understood something implied.

"Oh, are you suggesting we have dinner tonight?" she asked. "But then again, you've cooked in the plaza against someone here a few times, haven't you? A change of pace wouldn't hurt."

Being faced with two related but fundamentally different questions was not what Steven had counted on. Then again, Steven thought it wise to answer them separately.

"I'm not saying we should have dinner," Steven said. "But I'm on break and I still have to work."

"Then… you don't mind if I talk with you later?" Astrid asked. She gave Steven a nudge.

"Not at all. Still, I would be down for another Pokémon battle," Steven said. "Having a fight like that brings me back to old times. I could teach you a few things if you like."

Astrid looked heartfelt and placed a hand over her chest. "I would really much like that! Plus, that would make you my mentor, right? I actually would like you for that. So why not? Feeling the nostalgia already?"

Steven had to look the other way.

"I'll think about it, Astrid," he said.

After Astrid and Steven had parted ways and left Plaza Median, it happened that another certain platinum blonde in sunglasses had been eavesdropping on the conversation. She had been sitting right behind Steven just a few paces away.

Is he…? No, he couldn't be…! Cynthia thought. So Astrid is her name, eh?

She watched Steven retreat back to the confines of his restaurant, so Cynthia was left by her lonesome in Plaza Median. If only she had the gut to ask him straight about her ice cream, things would have been smooth. But she couldn't do it while Steven was talking with that Astrid girl.

Now that she had walked over to where Steven had sat, she noticed something oddly familiar. There was a finished ice cream stick lying flat Cynthia recognised from Le Café Sinnoh. There could be no doubt as she picked up the stick to examine it. Either he finished the ice cream, or he gave it to that girl to eat – no way, he wouldn't!

Her wrist began to convulse.

Whew! There we go. For those who are wondering, Astrid is an actual but generic character. I figure that left me room for creativity, and she isn't OoC either.

Leave a review, and have a vanilla ice cream, in a chocolate and almond shell!