I received some feedback four months ago that this story didn't involve the Pokémon world enough. So this chapter will remedy that! Man... This chapter was overdue by like a day! Hard to believe December is here already. But I'll be honest - life has been burdensome. I took a couple of programming-intensive courses and the stuff is really biting me back. Not to mention, life has been rough. Yet, here I am, still soldiering on with this 58th chapter!
DaX0315, StRAngE ToASt, Phsycres Wolf-Brother, darkwolf0909, and TrueLightHikari, you get waffles from the previous round! Steven's savoury steak waffle (onion and red wine sauce) on one hand, and Cynthia's cheesecake waffle (coconut, lemon, and sea salt) on the other!
DaX0315: will Cynthia follow them? Well... you looked at this chapter title, right?
StRAngE ToASt: heh, the last round has yet to come!
Phsycres Wolf-Brother: whoa! Where have you been since the fourth chapter?! That seemed like an eternity ago!
darkwolf0909: I hope things don't escalate too! But how long will it take...?
TrueLightHikari: you're not alone here! I wish I could try these waffles too.
Chapter fifty-eight: Astrid v. Cindy
The following day was meant to give everyone a breather and time to prepare for the next round of the cook-off series. The press had apparently been busy with highlighting the events of the cook-off for all of Kalos to see. The entertainment section in Lumiose Press had dedicated two full pages of coverage, countless TV shows were re-broadcasting the events (legally), and the popular Kalos magazine was having a field day.
Of course, on the business side of the cook-off series, Steven had to wait out on Chef Bordeaux and the other judges had decided on the next theme ingredients. Whether it would be Diantha or, dare Steven speak his name, Wallace, Steven had to be patient.
That meant he would have to endure another night with the woman he so dreaded, who at any time could be at his throat. No… He could do the same to her, but she was a former colleague, and Steven was much more civilised than that.
The last night, he and Cynthia had to share the same bed again. They continued to honour their agreement and not cross the strip of tape that divided the bed in two. Yet Steven could tell Cynthia had been quiet the whole night. He guessed that, like himself, she was still comprehending what had happened during the cook-off.
Even in the morning, Cynthia had remained in bed for the morning. Seeing no reason to stay with her, Steven took Metagross with him and left the boutique hotel. He had some plans to take care of. Besides, he was expecting a call from Wallace or even Diantha to update him on the theme ingredients for tomorrow night.
After Steven had closed the door, Cynthia slowly got to her feet. But how slowly she had gotten to her feet, she quickly went for her bag and looked for a certain set of clothes to wear. Besides thinking about him, she also thought about where he might be going at this hour. Just to be safe, she brought Garchomp with her.
Steven really had to take time out of his day to do this, but with all that had been going on, he could use a break. That is, having breakfast – or petit déjeuner as a Kalos local would put it – in a Lumiose café.
Served on the table before him was a breakfast meal, which probably wasn't what he was used to making, but it was welcome nonetheless. A croissant and a muffin lay before him; served with a fruit salad and coffee.
Sitting across from him was Astrid.
"Bon matin," she greeted cheerfully.
"Bon matin," Steven said back. "Shall I get you something?"
Astrid grinned. "Aw…! We're that close already? You a better mentor than I thought!"
Steven remained silent and sipped his coffee. Astrid was as enthusiastic about this mentorship as she was about battling. Come to that, he could tell that was her sole purpose for meeting up today.
"It's alright. I've got money to buy coffee for myself." Astrid continued grinning and waved down a server for a cup and a croissant. "There's more important stuff to talk about."
"Battles?" Steven raised his eyebrows. He wasn't going to be surprised at all.
"Yup, plus your opinion on your competition so far," Astrid added. "Having fun?"
That caught Steven off-guard. Though he almost sweated, he took a deep breath to counter his instincts. Meanwhile, Astrid was staring him down like she was watching a lab specimen. In other words, Steven felt that Astrid was another Martine, albeit not one to edge into his personal life, or so he thought. Unlike Martine, he seemed to find Astrid's company more welcoming and less irritating.
He swallowed. "I wish it could be over soon, but there's a lot on the line for me."
"The crêpes you made looked really delicious! How you managed that is beyond me. I'm not the best cook," Astrid admitted. Her coffee arrived with her croissant on a plate, and after adding a spot of cream, she looked at Steven again, who was eyeing her coffee.
"No sugar?" he said.
"Not today. I only take sugar on Sundays. It is Saturday today, oui?" Astrid replied.
Steven swallowed. Saturday. It had been a Saturday, two weeks ago, since the night Diantha had visited his restaurant for dinner, and then Cynthia had to ruin it completely. His slight discomfort didn't go unnoticed by Astrid, who smiled.
"Aw… Did I make you flustered just because it's Saturday? Saturday must have some special meaning for you. Is it because you're reminded of a special someone?"
Steven had more reason to convince himself that Astrid was a third Martine. If Lisia was the second, then Astrid would be fit to be the third. However, Astrid was different: her way of talking was a less intrusive than that of Martine's, which was welcome.
"Not quite. Now if you think it has anything to do with the competition, I'll just say that it's not." He quickly said.
Still, Astrid could only shrug, so she started on her breakfast, first by taking the coffee and then started eating her croissant. Steven had a lot more than that, and he started on his muffin instead. As he ate, he noticed Astrid eyeing his fruit salad from time to time. Now it was his turn to smile just a little.
"Let me guess…" He pushed the fruit salad to her. "Just take it."
"What? Non! It's not that I –!"
But Steven answered her surprise by sipping his coffee, like the conversation was already over, and then casually finishing his muffin. "We have an agenda to go through today, and you know I've made time for you today as your mentor. Better not waste it."
Astrid smiled widely. "You really miss battling, don't you?"
"Less than you might think," Steven replied.
Smirking at Steven's answer, Astrid speared some strawberries from the little bowl and continued eating. Steven ate his muffin in further silence like he was deep in thought, and he reserved time to drink his coffee to digress from his thoughts.
"So if you're not battling, then that probably is why you've turned to cooking," Astrid said. "Hard to believe you've still got your battling skills in you."
"You could say that it comes from lots of experience," Steven said, still sipping his coffee and finishing his muffin. Next, he started on his croissant, whereas Astrid was only halfway through hers. Steven seconded a guess that she didn't eat a lot, or rather would eat just enough. "On that topic, do you know of any places where you want to train?"
"Not really, no. I thought we could just talk about it over breakfast. I know you have your hands full," Astrid replied. After a pause, she quickly added, "Oh, and you didn't have to specially make time for me! I'm sorry you had to."
Steven smiled a little. "Well, so long as we're here now, we might as well talk."
Not too far away from the café, Cynthia had been observing Steven's interactions in disguise. Just watching him talking with Astrid like that made her chest tight on one hand, and her heart rate quicken in seconds. Even so, from her point of view, Cynthia knew it was near impossible to approach him, and any effort at doing so would only end up in hostility. Her hatred for him was a reason why. No doubt that he would return the hatred.
Not unlike the competition from yesterday which was still ongoing.
Cynthia had to ask herself why she was even wasting her time following this man.
She just had to settle on the name 'Cindy', didn't she? But Cynthia had no choice now. It had to be Cindy, because that name stuck with Steven. It was the only way to approach him.
Cindy was as usual wearing her sunglasses and had her hair neatly tied into a long ponytail. Given the nature of her hair, it was only natural that her ponytail ended up being very long. Not sure whether she would be recognised beneath the sunglasses, albeit it worked last time, Cindy approached the table.
"Bon matin," she greeted Steven and Astrid.
"Oh. Bon matin, Cindy," Steven greeted back. "Ah, Cindy, this is Astrid. She's my… student, so that makes me her mentor."
He looked pleased to see Cindy.
Astrid innocently waved to the woman whose hair colour almost matched her own. Cindy, on the other hand, looked surprised, but it was very difficult to tell when she was wearing sunglasses. It was as if she was trying to mask everything she had behind them! Hesitating at first, Cindy waved back politely.
"You've met Steven before? That's cool! And you know he is pretty cool." Astrid said. "Come, sit with us!"
"You don't mind?" Cindy raised an eyebrow.
"Not really. We're just going to talk about battles, if you don't mind that." Steven stood up and drew an empty chair to the table.
As Cindy sat down, Astrid took note of the sunglasses Cindy was wearing.
"It's not that bright out today, even though there is sunshine." Astrid said. "Have you thought of taking those glasses off? Do you always wear them?"
Cindy swallowed. "I have a medical problem with my eyes. They're really sensitive to light."
"When we met each other, we visited Lumiose Museum, and I don't know about you, Astrid, but it's pretty dark in there. Even then, Cindy didn't remove her glasses." Steven explained. "I guess you could say she would only remove them before bed!"
Astrid looked sympathetic. "But that's so… sad. Much of your sight would have to be seen in a dark lens. Even at night, you would have trouble seeing? You should go see a doctor."
"In time, I will," Cindy replied. "But enough about me. What about you? How are your skills with Pokémon battling?"
It occurred to Steven and Astrid that their coffees were cooling, so they both drank larges sips from their cups at the same time. Then Astrid replied, "My record at the Pokémon League was finishing up to the semi-final, and that was it. I have been learning lots from Steven though. He is the best teacher any girl could ask for!" Astrid beamed brightly at Steven, which made Steven swallow.
Cindy also swallowed, but she chuckled. "That's good to hear. At least you're a contender. I don't remember the last time I had a battle."
"Ooh! Ooh! Then let's battle together!" Astrid had balled her hands into fists, adding, "That way, Steven can monitor my progress and see how far I've come! Although, I may have to go easy on you since I do have lots of experience."
Saying something like that made Cindy feel that Astrid was being condescending – her reaction being raised eyebrows told the story. That, in turn, made Astrid laugh.
"Judging from your looks, you probably know how to battle already. That's perfect! Then let's battle together." Astrid grinned widely, and her excitement made Steven smile.
"She never fails to impress me. You can't turn that down, I guess?" Steven said to Cindy. "I don't think you've ever mentioned your skills at battling."
Cindy sighed. Here she was, expecting to check on how Steven was doing. How did she let herself get dragged into this? It wasn't like she knew what was going on between Steven and Astrid, or what sorts of things Steven was teaching Astrid. She didn't even want to know! Plus, she had no intention or desire for battling either. Not that she wanted to show off her skills.
At least, Steven was smiling.
"Do you know a good place to battle?" Cindy said.
Because of the publicity Steven was getting, launching a Pokémon battle in the middle of Lumiose City was not smart. Yes, Pokémon battles were not uncommon, but because Steven was involved, the battle would be sure to get the attention of anyone and there was a small risk of interruption. In the extreme cases, the media would react as fast as a swarm of Crobats; deadly, and fast.
So at Astrid's suggestion, the party ended up at the more secluded Route 14, north of Lumiose City. The very thick and humid forest gave off an atmosphere that would make anyone feel cold inside, and it wasn't easy to stay warm here either.
Fortunately, where Astrid said she would train was just outside of the forest.
"Let's see what you've got." Steven threw his Poké Ball. "Do you mind watching, Cindy? I don't want to bore you."
"No, no. It's okay." Cindy quickly replied. "I can… referee if you want."
There was a large clearing in front of the forest that gave ample room to battle and watch from the sides. While Steven and Astrid got themselves set up, Cindy opted to stand on the side. She could have sat down, but she decided it was more entertaining to watch the battle at level. As she waited for the battle to unfold, she put one hand on her hip.
On one end came Steven's Metagross, and on the other came Astrid's Garchomp.
"Let's see what you've got." Steven said to Astrid.
Cindy took a deep breath, and then said, "You may begin."
Absol made the first move with a direct frontal assault. It appeared that Astrid was counting on sheer speed to get things done first, but Steven could second a guess that Astrid had a plan of some sort.
By homing onto Metagross' position, Absol dealt a quick head-butt to Metagross' face which forced the metal giant a short distance back. Just from that sight alone, Cindy could tell that Astrid and Absol had gone through a lot of training. Given that Steven was a former Champion, she supposed that Astrid's training with him was paying off a little.
"Megahorn!" Astrid commanded.
Speed and power appeared to be governing Astrid's tactics. Cindy could definitely read that, and it was because of that kind of strategy that she could easily be outclassed by Steven. First, Absol charged with the Megahorn attack which made direct contact with Metagross' Meteor Mash. The shock of the impact forced Cindy to step one step back.
But the moment the impact sent both Pokémon back, Absol quickly recovered and jumped over Metagross to deal a series of Psycho Cut attacks before Metagross could evade. After the repeated attacks, Absol sent a finishing blow which sent Metagross back to Steven's position.
"Alright. That's enough." Steven said, as he rubbed Metagross' head. "I'm impressed with how much power Absol still has in it. How did Absol manage to recover that quickly?"
Astrid smiled widely. "Don't you remember the advice you gave me like four days ago? You told me that to give Absol harsher training to build up the right energy system! Now it's stronger and faster than ever!"
Steven recalled Metagross into the Poké Ball. "I see you've made progress. That's great to hear, Astrid. At this rate, you may be able to make it past the semi-final, but you have to keep on training."
Cindy had remained mostly quiet as she observed the match. She still kept a hand on her hip.
Astrid looked at Cindy. "Oh! Do you want to battle too? We haven't seen what your style is like. Plus, you seem to be a strong type."
"What? I…" Behind her sunglasses, Cindy's eyes widened. "I haven't battled properly since I left..." She silenced herself before finishing the sentence. It would not be smart to say too much. "Let's just say I haven't battled for so long, alright?"
"But at least you know how! Come on, Cindy! You can do it!" Astrid's eyes had brightened.
Steven cleared his throat, saying, "Astrid, don't be pushy. If Cindy doesn't want to battle, then you should leave her be."
Cindy swallowed hard, but she kept it secret from Steven and Astrid. In her bones, she did want to battle, but if this kept up, she would be revealing too much. If Steven could make the connection, then that would be disaster as Cindy would know it. She would have nowhere to hide.
"You're on." Cindy said.
Within minutes, the battleground was occupied by Absol on one end and, to Steven's curiosity, Garchomp on the other. Then again, Steven was reminded that Cindy came from a small Sinnoh town, so he shouldn't have been surprised.
"I'll make you proud, Steven! Just watch me!" Astrid said enthusiastically. "I haven't had a proper battle with someone other than you!"
"You're a girl after my heart…" Steven shook his head and backed away a little to give space to the battleground.
Astrid laughed, and then proceeded to start battling Cindy. With Absol out on the field already, Cindy threw her own Poké Ball forward. Garchomp emerged from the ball, and landed in fierce fashion. Cindy was also looking fierce, at least in Steven's eyes, because it was hard to tell what Cindy was expressing behind those sunglasses.
"Commencez," Steven said, and let the two Pokémon get to work.
While Absol made a direct charge at Garchomp, Garchomp jumped back to narrowly dodge the attack and simultaneously made her own eyes glow. It appeared that Garchomp had entered into some sort of meditative state.
In Steven's eyes, he knew that that was a sign of a Swords Dance move. He wondered if Astrid would catch onto it.
"Megahorn!" Astrid ordered. Now Absol's horn glowed brightly and went to strike Garchomp. Cindy, knowing that special attacks would not be helpful at slowing it down, ordered Garchomp to use Dragon Rush, so Garchomp charged.
The contact between the two attacks sent a shock wave strong enough that Steven could feel it hitting his chest. So this was how powerful Astrid's Absol was! But furthermore, it felt like Cindy's Garchomp had the upper hand. Indeed, after that Swords Dance, it appeared that Garchomp had enough power to send Absol back and flying.
Just who was Cindy? Steven thought.
He thought of Cindy as a timid and quiet woman with an interest for history and old artifacts, not unlike how he handled his stones. He wouldn't have guessed that beneath the sunhat, sunglasses, and cardigan, Cindy had a lot of power within her.
The battle continued to clash before him, and no sooner was Astrid's Absol starting to tire out. Astrid even considered activating the Mega Stone she carried as an earring. However, Steven had to interrupt.
"I wouldn't do that. That shows no skill. Come on, you've got more tactics than that."
Although Astrid looked discouraged, she kept her head up and nodded. Absol continued to barrage Garchomp with a series of Shadow Claw attacks, which were countered by a Dragon Rush from Garchomp.
However, Steven could tell that Astrid was really going for the deceptive maneuver that he had taught her. It appeared Absol was attempting to feint Garchomp into attacking head-on again, in which by then Absol would intentionally jump back to get Garchomp to lose her momentum.
I see where you're going, Astrid. Steven thought.
Despite Garchomp unleashing an Earthquake attack this time, Absol charged forward with a Psycho Cut, and just a second before they made contact again, Absol stopped short and jumped aside. Garchomp would then have too much momentum carrying forward which would allow Absol the best chance to strike a crushing blow.
But somehow Garchomp had been expecting that from the get-go. With some minor advising from Cindy, Garchomp also recoiled and unleashed an Outrage attack. Absol didn't have time to evade or recover, and was on the receiving end of a relentless barrage.
No wonder Absol collapsed.
"I guess that means Cindy is the winner." Steven muttered.
After the Pokémon had been cared for and then recalled, Astrid looked nonetheless discouraged.
"After all those weeks of training, and still no progress," she said and crossed her arms.
"You tried pulling off that deceptive maneuver too soon," Cindy said. "To your credit, it was a good effort, but not good enough, I'm afraid."
Astrid still crossed her arms. "Then how can you explain your effort, huh? You're probably too good a trainer to mess with! What do you think, Steven?"
Steven laughed nervously. "Cindy has style, for sure. Maybe you ought to battle with her more often; but then again, you probably would want to train more first. You know, Cindy has a battle style that's more aggressive than yours; one I haven't seen since…"
Cindy rubbed her arm nervously.
"Say, Steven. What are your plans for tonight?" Cindy said quickly before Steven's thoughts could process further. "Going to prepare for the competition again?"
"I have to, I'm afraid," Steven replied.
Eventually, the three of them had their things packed up and walked back to Lumiose City. It was sunset, which brought an aura of calm onto the streets in spite of the media swarming around. From Steven's point of view, it was unlikely anyone knew a battle session had occurred outside the city. With all the attention on the cook-off, there was sufficient reason why.
They approached the nearest plaza, by then Steven offered Cindy, "Shall we escort you home?"
"No." Cindy's response was automatic, but she recoiled. "I mean, I can't at this time. I have urgent business to attend to."
Steven raised an eyebrow, but he smiled a little. "I'll leave you be then, but I'm glad I got to see what your battle skills are like. You are more interesting than what you make out to be behind those sunglasses. Au revoir."
He and Astrid then walked away.
Behind the sunglasses, Cynthia only stayed where she was. She clenched her fists again. Her heart felt like it was on the brink of shattering.
And that is that! A genuine Pokémon battle in "Culinary Rivals"! There's also a Lumiose breakfast on the line consisting of croissant, muffin, fruit salad, and coffee for anyone leaving a review!