I didn't count on being this busy this summer, but hey, I did a summer term, and it has been extremely busy! I also forgot to mention last chapter that it's been four years since I've started writing this...
Worse yet, I've come to realise that after this summer, with my studies going to be twice as hard from now on along with job searching, writing is going to very difficult. Updates might come every two months now! Ugh... If only things were easy like they were before, but now it's gotten worse.
I've also recently received a complaint that the Pokémon world isn't very evident in this story. I suppose I'll have to try making some changes, if I can.
DaX0315, StRAngE ToASt, TrueLightHikari (welcome back!), darkwolf0909, Jumamoy, and rmj, please enjoy a full meal. You've probably have been waiting for it all month: LaBrie cheese on puff pastry seasoned with Tamato berries, spinach, vinegar, and basil, or a Chevroum cheese and mushrrom quiche seasoned with thyme, vinegar, and basil are your courses of choice. You'll still get a Leppa berry puff pastry for dessert!
This chapter promises to be entertaining, again.
Chapter fifty-five: Affinity in Disguise
There was a local emporium within Lumiose City known for the retail of rare and precious stones. 'Precious stones' meaning evolutionary stones used for empowering certain types of Pokémon. Steven hadn't mined for stones for a while, ever since he took that day off where Cynthia bumped into him accidentally. He had a picnic with her… Hold that thought. Why was he thinking about her again?
Instead, Steven walked into the shop to observe the merchandise. The storekeeper greeted him with the typical "Salut, hello" before allowing Steven to carry about browsing.
He had always had a keen eye for rocks of every kind. Just by merely glancing at one, he could measure the value of the rock and maybe even its historical value. Sometimes, his colleagues would pester him for being a rock maniac, but Steven didn't mind. It was just a hobby, right?
There were the classic, relatively common, Fire, Water, and Leaf Stones on display, which reminded Steven of his ventures in Sinnoh. After he retired from battling, he went on at least one trip to Sinnoh to explore the so-called Underground where treasures were abundant. He could recall those times when he used his pickaxe and hammer to extract treasures from the walls, such as stones. Didn't he use that same pickaxe and hammer on that day he had a picnic? Oh, there he was, thinking about her again. Steven stopped looking at the stones.
The door flew open, which naturally caused Steven to briefly glance at the newcomer. It was a woman dressed in almost all gray. She was wearing a cardigan, a sunhat, and sunglasses. Did she really need sunglasses indoors? Perhaps she was sensitive to light. For the record, her hair was a natural platinum blonde and was tied in a very long ponytail.
Steven continued examining the stones. While he looked, one stone on a pedestal caught his eye. It had a tint of light blue, but if Steven didn't know better, he would have mistaken it for an icicle. There was a snowflake design imprinted within.
"You have a good eye there, monsieur," the storekeeper said. "I only have one of those, so if you're interested, I could get you a deal."
"Oh, that's okay. I'm only just looking around," Steven said. "Still, can you tell me more about this stone?"
"That's an ice stone. It's not the sort you would find anywhere; it was mined in the faraway Alola region. Some say it even has historic value, but as far as I'm concerned, it is ice-cold to the touch, but it won't melt. It's what you might call a variant of the Never-Melt-Ice, if you ever had your hands on one."
What really still caught Steven's eye was the snowflake design on the stone. Perhaps the ice stone had some properties he could study about later? He would have to buy it.
"What did you mean that it might have historic value?" the platinum blonde said.
"That would be a question for the archaeologist. I planned to sell this to the museum next month, but if you're interested, you can buy it still."
Steven looked at the platinum blonde. There wasn't really much he could tell about her, apart that she like to wear dark-coloured clothes. It was really her hair that could make her stand out. Even then, she was wearing sunglasses.
"I'd like to buy it," Steven and the platinum blonde said together, which forced the two of them to look at each other.
"Well… If you're really that intent on buying it, I won't stop you," the platinum blonde said. "I'll probably just donate it to the museum after."
"I do like my rocks," Steven admitted. "Still, I could simply just let you borrow it if you're a history maniac." He added a soft laugh. "Otherwise, I could donate it to the museum all the same."
Even though the platinum blonde was wearing sunglasses, Steven could tell his remark had left an impression on her.
"You must have a lot of rocks, in that case," she said. "Do you have a taste for history too?"
Steven chuckled. "That depends on your version of history. If it comes to rocks, I can probably deduce how old the rock was and where it came from. For example, there are certain stones, like the Dark Stone and the Light Stone of Unova, that are said to embody Unova's history. If I had time to research, I would look into it more."
The platinum blonde looked curious. "Wait, so you're saying you don't have enough time? Hold that thought… You're that chef and former Champion… Steven. I see. So there's no wonder that you have little time to do your hobbies."
Steven and this woman seemed to have had enough of the emporium and left for outside. Still, this woman had also left an impression on him. When was the last time he had talked genuinely like this before? He followed her, and the woman seemed just as surprised that he did.
"I've heard there's a museum near this area, if you're interested that much into history," the woman said. "You seem like the type."
"You've 'heard'?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "I take it you're not from Lumiose, then?"
"I'm just a regular traveler. Nothing more."
Steven hadn't even bothered to ask for this woman's name when they got on a taxi towards the museum. Oddly, this woman opted to keep her sunhat and sunglasses on when they got on the taxi. That seemed somewhat suspicious to Steven: could she be a celebrity of some kind?
"May I ask, how shall I address you?" Steven asked. Clearly, staying quiet would not be useful.
The platinum blonde seemed to hesitate at first, but replied, saying "You can call me Cindy."
That name sounds awfully familiar, Steven thought, and then said, "Nice to meet you, Cindy."
The taxi passed by more cafés, but there were also chocolatiers in the area too. Now that the taxi had stopped for traffic, Steven got a good look at the nearest chocolatier outside his window.
"There is a popular candy shop around here that sells imported chocolates. Did you know that?" Cindy remarked. "I've heard they even have hazelnut chocolates shaped like hedgehogs. Now that would just be adorable."
"Hedgehogs…? How?" Steven tried searching his mind. He had never heard of such a feat.
"Consider this," Cindy said. "It's a chocolate shell shaped to look like a miniature hedgehog with hazelnut filling. I would think it's too adorable to eat. But it has so much hazelnut in it that you would eat it anyway. They happen to be made in Larousse City, so it's something special."
Steven scoffed. "You seem to have a sweet tooth, Cindy. For a traveller, do you always try to sample the best desserts? Or are you a culinary artist, by some chance?"
Behind her mysterious appearance, Cindy chuckled. "I'm just a simple traveller trying to make her way around the world. It doesn't hurt to try out the local specialties, if I have the budget. Food is one thing that doesn't tire me."
Steven smiled. "You've probably heard of my cook-off competition then, eh? Are you going to it? I don't suppose you are here in Lumiose by chance, right when the competition was announced."
"It has been all over the media, so I'll give you that," Cindy replied.
Eventually, the taxi got going again and made its way to the front of Lumiose Museum. The design of the building looked classical and modern at the same time, and wasn't far off from Hotel Richissime, as it happened. Still, the appeal of the building at first glance was enough to make Steven forget about cooking. He could enjoy his time like he was on vacation.
Vacation.
Martine said such similar words when she and the staff conspired to drag Steven to the beach. Now that he thought of it, what was Martine up to these days? Then again, Steven decided to push those thoughts aside. If Martine saw him now, with this woman, she would probably humiliate him. No, he had to focus on resting, because things were bound to be busy tonight.
Steven followed Cindy to the entrance. He was just about to bring out his wallet in advance when Cindy raised a hand to stop him.
"There's no need. The government funds the museum, so admission is not required," she said. "That's what I know, but I'm guessing there must be some kind of subsidy involved."
"All the better, then." Steven walked past the receptionists and followed Cindy around, and passing on an offer to rent an audiobook.
The interior of the museum was dimly lit, but hardly dark, with the lighting mostly concentrated on the artwork displays. Just from looking at the environment, Steven had a feeling of relaxation; that he could really enjoy his time (unlike being forced to the beach). Maybe there was a silver lining in visiting Lumiose City after all.
He followed Cindy to observe the first painting, which consisted of a series of structures that seemed familiar to Steven.
"That looks like the Battle Tower." Steven looked closely at one of the structures in the painting. "I know there's one in Hoenn, so why is it here? Is this an imaginary landscape of battle facilities, like the Battle Frontier in Hoenn?"
"This is the Sinnoh Battle Frontier," Cindy said, reading off the description.
"You know, for a museum, the paintings are relatively modern," Steven said. "Okay, maybe for a Kalos museum, there's much to appreciate about artwork, but I was expecting something more historical."
"Perhaps we could ask the receptionists for something like that?" Cindy suggested.
The two went back to the front desk to ask exactly that, and were told whatever history they would look for, would generally be on the third floor. Having taken that into account, Steven and Cindy made their way to the third floor and found a directory, which explained which series of paintings could be found.
They walked together quietly and looked at the artwork.
As they did, it occurred to Steven that even in this dimly lit museum Cindy hadn't even bothered removing her sunglasses. The sunhat, yes, Steven could make an allowance for. But how were sunglasses excusable? He couldn't find a good reason why.
"Cindy. Mind if I ask how you can see the paintings with those sunglasses on? It's pretty dark in here," he said.
"I…" Cindy started, but couldn't finish immediately. "I am sensitive to light? It's why I have to keep wearing them."
Steven raised an eyebrow. "But even then, it's pretty dim in here. I'm sure you could tolerate some degree of light."
"It would take some time for my eyes to adjust, so maybe it's for better that I keep them on." Cindy pushed her sunglasses as if afraid they would fall off. "Not to mention that when I leave, it will hurt."
To be frank, the third floor had little art pieces to demonstrate the history of Kalos. It seemed more like a showcase of artwork in general. As a result, Steven gave up on the history aspect and focused on the art itself, which seemed to frustrate Cindy. Nevertheless, they kept about browsing the artwork momentarily until they ran into one that piqued both their interests.
The painting depicted something of an explorer extracting a fossil underground. He was brushing the surface the fossil so as to clean it off.
"That can't be right. It looks surprisingly smooth for a fossil," Steven said. "I've encountered fossils before, but it looks more like a stone than anything."
"Tell me, Steven. Do you know much of the Sinnoh Underground? Or have you been there?"
"I have been there a few times," Steven replied. "I do have an explorer's kit at home, you know, that I've used at the Underground. You'd be amazed at how many things you could extract from the walls. You know, things like tradable orbs that vary in sizes to rare rocks and artifacts. Have you been there as well?"
"I've done my share of mining, but it's not something I'm totally in to. Nevertheless, it's a pretty fun place to hang around."
Cindy looked a little more closely at the fossil and so did Steven. Steven had no idea what was on Cindy's mind, but if she was like him, he expected her to determine what kind of fossil it was.
"That's a shield fossil, not a stone," she finally said. "Have you ever heard of the Pokémon called Shieldon?"
"Can't say I have, but tell me more."
Cindy and Steven ended up having a long discussion about fossils and stones, and the Pokémon who were related to them. Steven was impressed, that she had such knowledge about how far the fossils dated. When he asked her about star pieces and rare bones, she was happy to oblige on talking about their history. Star pieces may have been found in places where rocks also did, but there was a theory that they had some origin with stars.
That conversation molded into the connection between ancient rocks and Pokémon. Steven went on explaining how he was involved in an ordeal with the legendary Pokémon of Hoenn, and how he had come into contact with the respective Blue and Red Orbs. Such artifacts were treated with suspicion when he actually got his hands on it, and it fascinated him. Furthermore, Steven went off-topic and talked about his ventures at Dewford Town's Granite Cave, where he found an ancient mural allegedly depicting the origins of Hoenn.
In effect, that sort of topic caught Cindy's attention.
"I wasn't aware that Hoenn had an artifact like that," she said. "I would love to check it out if I had time. You know, that's the sort of stuff I really like; learning about a region's history."
"That sort of stuff is for the ruin maniacs." Steven laughed. "You know, there is more to Hoenn's history than the legendary Pokémon said to have formed the land and sea. In another of my excavation outings, I was told of tombs that held the legendary titans: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. How they actually originated or ended up in Hoenn is beyond me. Perhaps you could investigate that?"
To his surprise, though, Cindy's response was almost automatic.
"There is a temple in Snowpoint City, in Sinnoh, that houses the 'creator' of the titans," she said. "It's a Pokémon called Regigigas. According to the history books, or at least what was written in old manuscripts, Regigigas had the power to move continents and the legendary titans were a by-product of Regigigas' feats. The people of old held Regigigas in high regard, but Regigigas was so powerful that the people were afraid of it, so they eventually sealed it away into a deep slumber."
"So you don't suppose that they sent them away to Hoenn then? And that it probably originated in Sinnoh itself?" Steven added.
Cindy nodded. To her surprise, Steven's lips curled into a genuine smile.
"Your knowledge of this history amazes me. Do you work as a historian, perhaps?" he said. "I thought you were some kind of celebrity, but maybe that was just my imagination."
Cindy almost flushed. "I spend my time exploring old runes and researching at the library," she explained. "There are plenty of historical sites, you know, that I've been to. Snowpoint Temple, the ruins at Celestic Town, and the Spear Pillar; to name a few. Now that I think of it, are you aware of certain stones significant to the Spear Pillar?"
Steven hummed for a second, lost in thought. It did not take long for him to reply, however, with that same genuine smile.
"There are certain stones that I've researched about, now that you mention it. The Adamant Orb and the Lustrous Orb, correct? I may be a fan of rocks, but I have yet to see these orbs. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of their relation to the Spear Pillar."
"To be fair, you've had contact with the Red and Blue Orbs. I'm jealous, to be honest," Cindy said. Seeing Steven smile like this and sharing her interests made her smile too. "I would have loved to study them, and see what power they held."
It appeared that Steven's focus was well away from the painting (though surprisingly, it was the start of all this) and onto the conversation. Never had he felt this open-minded to someone. "Please. Tell me more about the orbs relating to the Spear Pillar."
Cindy smiled again. It was like Steven had forgotten about them, and truthfully, he did. After all, the conversation was probably more important than her taste of fashion.
"Certainly," she replied.
They exchanged information about historical facts and the like. Why, Steven even got to bring up the topic of the Cave of Origin to coincide with the Spear Pillar. Next thing he knew, he was talking about more legendary Pokémon with this woman.
By the time they were done talking and could finally walk away from the painting, Cindy had left an impression on Steven.
"You know, Cindy, it occurs to me that you know a lot about the Sinnoh region. Are you from there, perhaps?"
"Wait. What makes you say that?" Cindy flushed.
"The Battle Frontier, then Regigigas, and now the Spear Pillar, you know. Next thing you know, you're talking about the Canalave Library." Steven's eyebrow rose. "At the very least, you must be a frequent traveller to there."
He could tell she was blushing.
"I… I am from there. Yes. I come from a small Sinnoh town," she replied. "Growing up near some old ruins, not to mention having a shrine in the town, it's no wonder I'm driven for history. But anyway, enough about me. Shall we get going?"
They walked out of the museum looking somewhat exhausted. Surprisingly, it was already well into the late afternoon.
"Oh gosh. It's this late already?" Cindy said. "Sorry. I have to run. Thanks for your time, Steven."
"It's been my pleasure," Steven replied. "You know, we could always keep in touch. Want to exchange contact info? I mean, I don't want to make you uncomfortable either, since we just met."
That seemed bold, and the reaction he got was Cindy pushing her sunglasses closer to her eyes. If nothing else, she actually looked hesitant. Nevertheless, the hesitance was only temporary.
"Nah, I don't mind. I loved the conversation we had today, so here you go."
She pulled out her phone and allowed Steven to type his phone number in. At the same time, Steven pulled out his phone so Cindy could do likewise. If he had more time, he would have invited her to explore the ruins in Hoenn. But now was not the time.
"But yeah, I have to run now, Steven. I know you have a big day coming up soon, against that other chef." Cindy walked away, but not before adding, "Best of luck."
"Take care, Cindy, and thanks." Steven replied, waving to her as she disappeared into the streets of Lumiose City. Cindy… That name had such a familiar ring to it, didn't it? What she said was right, though. He better focus on the competition. The theme ingredients would be announced soon, so he had better start thinking of a dinner plan before Cynthia returned to the hotel.
He stopped by a side shop to grab a Lumiose Galette (the local specialty) and had it topped with an assortment of berries. Then he sat down and began to eat, whilst reflecting on the day's events. Steven couldn't imagine feeling this relieved that he could talk about his hobbies with someone else, and was glad that the media hadn't been following him. How would the public react if he was seen with another woman? He could imagine the results would be scandalous. Of course, the people who could make it worse was either Wallace or Lisia, or if he really stretched it, Martine.
Steven continued eating, but sighed.
At a boutique hotel, Cindy had just returned to her hotel room. But for her own reasons, she had to be extra cautious when entering. She hoped her roommate wasn't inside, but then again, she didn't expect him to be.
She first undid her ponytail to let her very long platinum blonde hair free, then removed her sunhat and sunglasses and hastily hid them away. Soon enough, Cynthia was standing the room again, and sticking to within the red tape borders she had drawn out and keeping away from Steven's.
Of all the names I had to make up, and I picked Cindy?! Oh my gosh, Cynthia thought.
His smile wasn't so easily forgotten.
She picked out her Poké Ball and had Garchomp sent out. Already when the dragon Pokémon was out, she could tell that something was weighing on Cynthia's mind. Cynthia's breathing was short, and Cynthia was clutching her cardigan tightly.
Garchomp gestured Cynthia to take a seat at the table, still keeping to the taped lines. If Roserade were here, she probably would have gotten a cup of tea for Cynthia to drown her sorrows. So Garchomp went about doing exactly that. Meanwhile, Cynthia buried her head into her hands.
"Why! Why?!" she wailed quietly. Her voice was muffled by her arms. "No way! There's no way I feel that way about him! I can't…"
It was like, for the first time, she had realised just how compatible her interests were to Steven's; that somehow, they had been dragged into a flawless conversation without trying. Cynthia took a moment to grieve for a bit, and that was when her phone rang.
Cynthia jumped. Was he calling her already?
Garchomp had returned with a cup of tea for Cynthia, and then realised that Cynthia was sweating. Smirking, Garchomp wiped Cynthia's forehead with a tissue she had before placing the tea on the table. As for Cynthia, she looked shocked to pick up her phone.
"H-hello?" she said.
"Cynthia! It's Diantha. I've got some news for you! The two theme ingredients for tomorrow have been decided by the judges, and Chef Bordeaux has asked me to forward them to you."
"I'm listening," Cynthia replied.
"They're going to keep it really simple tomorrow. Maybe not so simple for the subsequent cook-offs," Diantha explained. "In short, the first theme is crêpe and the second is waffle. Better start thinking, my friend."
Diantha hung up the line and Cynthia began pacing around the room. Crêpe, and waffle? What could she prepare so she could face off against Steven? She would need to decide on a strategy, and hopefully Steven wouldn't know what she would have planned.
She drank her tea and went about thinking.
In the end, Cynthia sighed deeply. Just how did she end up in this mess? She was fighting for the survival of her restaurant. That was plainly obvious. So why did it feel like it went deeper, or something?
Pinap berry peel. Right. That was where it had officially started.
Why did Astrid get to have dinner with him and not Cynthia? If Steven hadn't had dinner with Astrid, at Vue sur la Lune of all places, then maybe things could have turned out differently. It was like pouring salt on the wound, in Cynthia's case.
No, she had to get mind working for tomorrow. There was no use in not preparing.
She made sure that her sunhat and sunglasses were well secured, because if he came back and searched her bags to find them… Cynthia may as well not forgive herself. She did wear her cardigan though, and went to the door to go get groceries. She would need crêpe and waffles, and build her strategy while she was at it.
Now that she was all dressed up, Cynthia went for the door.
But the moment she opened it, she was looking directly into Steven's eyes. He was carrying two paper bags full of groceries.
They stared at each other, in silence.
That was when their breathing got deep, like they were not pleased to each other, whether it was herself or Steven.
"Please move aside." They said at the same time.
However, Steven's phone call interrupted the exchange, so he set down his groceries on the floor to answer the call. This gave Cynthia an opportunity to walk by him to the elevator.
"Bonjour," she heard Steven say. "Oh, hello there, Astrid. How have you been? Oh… You want more advice again. What is it this time…? Oh, a deceptive maneuver? That would be tricky with one-on-one combat, but it's perfectly possible."
Deceptive maneuver? Combat? What was Steven to Astrid? Why did Steven just have to stick around with that girl, anyway?
She watched him talk away into his phone while he picked up his grocery bags. At least, with that phone call, Cynthia hazarded to guess Steven would not rummage through her bags and find her sunhat and sunglasses, or even her hair tie. He would be too busy cooking with his foods or talking enthusiastically on the phone.
Her hair tie.
Did she forget to pack it? Sweat started to trickle down her head.
But by the time the elevator doors opened, Cynthia found the hair tie in her cardigan pocket. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that she didn't pack away her cardigan at all. Now, it was time to decide what food to prepare for tomorrow, but she couldn't have gone thinking that without clenched fists.
Oh my gosh. Another 4000+ word chapter. But I'll be honest, writing this chapter was fun! There is a berry Lumiose Galette on the line for this chapter...