I can't believe it's been almost five years since I started writing "Culinary Rivals"!

And now, here is the most dramatic chapter yet in "Culinary Rivals", in my opinion! And, I'm glad I got this chapter up in less than a month.

Servings of Stone Accolade en croute and croquembouche dorée are there for StRAngE ToASt, darkwolf0909 (we shall see if and how Cynthia will ever get into his heart!), and 1oreo1!

Chapter sixty-six: Cynthia and Cindy

The world had ended, and it was thanks to the words that left Chef Bordeaux's lips.

"This cook-off's winner is Steven." He gestured to Steven's direction. "Congratulations." At that, the audience erupted into cheers and jeers. Applause and the clapping of hands rang out alongside the cheering, and the media crew looked like they were having a field day. Cameras flashed constantly at the stage as journalists frantically jotted down whatever notes they could think of.

Steven's neutral face broke into small grin, but anyone who saw that grin of his could second a guess that he was screaming inside. That is, screaming out of joy.

On the other hand, Cynthia bit her lip and looked down. She couldn't help it: trying to keep a straight face with a result like this was too much. The best she could do was hide her face so that the media couldn't make a story out of it, and clap along with the audience for sportsmanship's sake.

"So although I have no idea why you are doing this cook-off in the first place…" Chef Bordeaux muttered, "you have indeed proven to be the marginally better chef than Cynthia."

This time the audience clapped in response. Given all the cheering from moments earlier, it appeared that everyone wanted to save their voices. After the applause died down, Siebold walked up to begin concluding remarks.

"Well, I hoped you all had an entertaining time watching this colossal fight of delicious proportions…" he began. "First off, you have heard Chef Bordeaux express his thanks to our host, Clemont, for using his Gym. That is true, but I want to thank Chef Bordeaux himself for giving up his time to help us. He is a legendary chef, after all!" Siebold's remark was met with lots of applause, and as that was going, an assistant went to Siebold with what appeared to be a frame.

"Secondly, to commemorate these past five days of competition, I present to Steven a plaque as a symbol of achievement for winning this cook-off." Siebold held up the plaque for the audience to show but also passed it to Steven's hands at the same time. For half a minute, Siebold and Steven posed with the plaque in front of the cameras. This looked like it would be in the records for a while, particularly on newspapers, magazines, the internet, and on TV.

"Of course, this is by no means getting an automatic Richissime Star," Siebold said. "But based on what we've seen and tasted thus far, we can conclude that Steven's restaurant is worthy of another. We're not the judge of that! Perhaps the folks at Hotel Richissime may want to consider that."

He and Steven shook hands firmly amid the photo taking.

Cynthia continued clapping until the general applause had died down.

"All in all," Siebold went on, "without further, on behalf of Wallace, Clemont, the judging chefs, and all staff who put this event together, bonne nuit, tout le monde!"

Cheers rose again, and that was the cue for everyone to leave. Siebold retrieved the plaque back from Steven, as he would give it back afterwards. Siebold then went to shake hands with Cilan and Chef Bordeaux, and Wallace himself also went up to the stage to do the same.

Meanwhile, Steven and Cynthia walked off to the back. If by some miracle they were able to leave this Gym without being impeded by the media, that would be great. Then again, there were security guards around to do just that, and cordons. But they could worry about that later as they had to set about collecting their things and then return to their boutique hotel. Nevertheless, it was anyone's guess to think about what could be going through their minds when they would return.

Watching from the reserved section in the Gym's battleground, Diantha knew that plenty of conversation would follow from her fellow audience. While the general audience was getting up and leaving, most of those in the reserved section had stayed put to chat.

"She wasn't looking too well." Fantina said of Cynthia. "It was like she wasn't in the game."

"How can you blame her? She paused midway through here cooking!" Diantha said. "To be honest, I'm not surprised Cynthia ended up losing this last round for that reason. However, I'm sure there is an explanation – if only I knew what it is."

"Mon amie," Fantina rolled her eyes. "You know well that involves going into her private life, and I know you are better than that! You're a celebrity too, so you understand."

"True, true, but I'm only saying it as a friend. I'm worried for her." Diantha grimaced and watched Cynthia follow Steven off the stage with her head still down. It was a wonder how she could keep walking like that with her hair partly in her way.

Sitting not far away in the same back seats, Martine was having mixed feelings. She was happy for Steven that he managed to get a win out of this, and yet she could tell that his relationship with Cynthia didn't seem to progress. From the start, she figured he had feelings for her, and somehow hadn't acted on them since. Moreover, Cynthia was more concerning. Just what had happened to Cynthia?

Cynthia had kept quiet by the time she had returned to the back, not to mention had kept her head down. Her face was expressionless and if anything, she could have looked depressed, as if she had completely lost her will to live. Nonetheless, she went about her business and packed her bags.

"Remember some time ago, I said I was coming for you?" Steven said smugly. "I told you earlier to not mess with me, and look where that got you!"

Cynthia remembered his words well. "You don't have to rub it in, Monsieur Steven. You got what you wanted, alright? Just leave me alone." She looked away and continued packing her bags. The sooner she got to leave this Gym, the better. She hoped that Wallace had arranged some sort of quick escape route, but knowing the media they probably had reporters stationed all around the tower. Wallace probably had set up some sort of red carpet for her to walk on. Great. That would be what Cynthia did not need.

She couldn't help but notice Steven digging into his bag to fish out his phone. Did he want to check on his messages? Make a phone call? Check for missed calls? It ringed the moment he pulled the phone out. That was surprising – for Cynthia, that is.

"Bonjour," he greeted. "Oh! Salut, Astrid… Yes, yes, merci. That was entertaining, wasn't it? Did you watch the whole thing?"

Cynthia only glanced at Steven from time to time as he talked, but she couldn't help but eavesdrop on his words. At the same time, she continued packing her things with a heavy heart. She removed her chef's jacket and was back in her casual attire.

"I think a little celebration is in order…" Steven went on. "Yes, yes, we will train again, but I have my own celebrations to mull over. If all else fails, I can always ask you to join me… Yes, I understand." His face showed all smiles. "What am I going to do now? Now, I can't tell you everything. It's a secret."

By the time Cynthia had her bag packed and ready to go, Steven had finished his phone call and had started packing his things. He too had removed his chef's jacket and had neatly folded it into a roll, so that he could put it in his bag. There would be time to wash it at home.

Cynthia's depressed expression was still on her face when she faced him again.

"I enjoyed our battle…" she said slowly, which caused Steven to raise an eyebrow. "What will you do now?"

"I will head back to Cyllage City." Steven scoffed. "And knowing that you can't mess with my restaurant now. I can't say your cooking will ever get to my level at this point."

Those words cut like glass shards piercing into Cynthia's heart.

"How – How can you say that?" Cynthia couldn't help herself. "Weren't you at least impressed by my cooking?"

Her eyes met Steven's.

"You are sounding desperate." He cautiously said. "Are you alright, Cynthia? What do you mean by being at least impressed?"

"I mean, it's why I…" She looked down, her mind scrambling to pick the right words to say, but she couldn't think straight. "That's why I gave you vouchers when my restaurant opened, so you could try it. You didn't… Haven't you…? No, no…" She brought a hand to her head, as if her head was dizzy. "I had some affection for…"

Steven shrugged and interrupted her. "You must be joking. Tell me why I should be impressed."

Cynthia clenched her fists, and now she even looked like she was on the verge of tears. She couldn't figure how to get her thoughts and feelings out clearly. What Steven was saying may as well have been a slap to her face. He didn't even let her finish speaking, and Cynthia ended up bringing a hand to her forehead. She couldn't think straight.

It was pretty close to heartbreak. Very, very, close to heartbreak.

"You didn't even win." Steven added. "Convince me."

When Cynthia didn't say anything, Steven only shrugged and look away from her. He held onto his phone and went to make another phone call. Cynthia held onto her bags and began to lift them up.

That was when she heard her phone's ringtone go off.

Alarmed, Cynthia dug her phone out and, hiding it from him, she looked at the caller ID.

Steven.

Feeling incredibly bitter, she looked to Steven and said, "Will you excuse me?" Then she walked away so that he couldn't see where she was. Feeling exasperated, Cynthia turned the volume off her phone and then picked it up. She looked at the caller ID and wondered what to do. Should it be answered? But what could she say?

The phone fell silent, which added a heart-wrenching feeling for Cynthia. She felt like she should have answered the call – since Steven clearly trusted Cindy and plausibly was attracted to her. But it didn't make sense, because he clearly showed his disdain for Cynthia, when Cindy was actually Cynthia.

As if to answer her thoughts, her phone ringed again. This time, Cynthia answered the call.

"Hello?" she softly said.

"Hi, Cindy. How are things?" Steven's tone was more lighthearted than just two minutes ago. So, there could be no doubt: he treated Cindy differently than Cynthia and didn't suspect they were the same woman. "I was wondering… uh… Did you watch the match, by any chance?"

"Um, yes," Cynthia replied, as she thought of choosing her words carefully, but her mind was still in pieces. "I watched it up close and personal. You did pretty good out there."

It didn't help that Steven himself was within earshot of her. She couldn't speak too loudly, or else he would get suspicious. If she moved now, while still on the phone, Steven would notice and then would get suspicious.

"Oh! So, you were actually here?" he said in a manner that suggested he was being friendly. "In the tower?"

"Kind of, yeah, in a way." Cynthia now wished she could take back some of her words. "I was on my way out, so…"

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner," Steven interrupted. "Um, pardon my interrupting, but I do feel like celebrating. Are you interested? I will be cooking for just the two of us."

It was hard for Cynthia not to gasp. Was he asking her out? Like this? He wasn't serious. He could not be serious!

And what about Astrid? Did he have no feelings toward her at all? It really seemed that way, but Cynthia had a new problem on her hands. She was competing for Steven's heart with herself.

"But I was just heading out," she whispered. "I would have really loved to have joined you."

"Aw, but since you're still here, we can still meet up, right?" It looked like Steven was having none of it. He really did want to meet with Cindy. "Wait for me at the front. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Cynthia couldn't help herself. "Y- You can't!" she cried.

And that was when she realised she spoke too loudly. Cynthia hazarded a glance at Steven to see whether he noticed her. To her disbelief, he did look in her direction, with his ear still to his phone. He looked to his phone again.

"What do you mean by that? I'm sorry Cindy. Could you excuse me a minute?" he said.

Cynthia hid herself again. She clutched her phone to her chest. "Nononono…" she muttered to herself, before putting it back to her ear. "Um, is something the matter, Steven?" she asked. There was clear desperation in her voice as she said that, and it was no good. Steven had his phone down and was walking in her direction!

Knowing something really bad would happen if he discovered her, Cynthia turned around and started to walk towards the elevator in a hurry. She still kept her phone to her chest and didn't dare close the call. This was the worst situation she had ever come across. Never mind making the dangerous treks on Mount Coronet or encountering mythical Pokémon with potential to annihilate the world. Those were nothing compared to this. In this case, Cynthia was in the danger of her world falling down and burning up in a fiery crash.

It didn't help that her shoes were making noise against the hard floor too. Not that it was loud, but it was hard to hide nonetheless.

"Cynthia?" said his voice.

Great. It was all over.

"What are you doing here?" Now Steven's voice hinted he was suspicious, if not at least condemning.

"I… Uh…" Cynthia couldn't answer.

"And what are you doing, clutching your phone like that?" Steven added, noting how desperate Cynthia was reacting. If he could hazard a guess, she was even sweating. "Did I bother you? Sorry about that, if I did."

She relaxed her grip on her phone. Without saying a word, Cynthia shook her head as if to say she was doing okay.

A little puzzled, Steven went back to his phone call. "Sorry, Cindy… Cindy? Hello? Cindy? Cindy…?" He lowered his phone to see whether the call was closed, but it was still there. He brought his phone back to his ear.

And it was in that moment that Cynthia brought her phone back to her ear and replied, "I'm still here, Steven."

Steven heard Cynthia say that, and then heard Cindy say the exact same words from his phone only a second later.

He stared at her.

First it was because of surprise, and then it became shock. She had the same voice as Cindy and talked like her. For better or worse, she and Cindy were the same person. How as that possible?

"No…" he whispered. "No. No way. Nononono. Is this a joke?! Cynthia… No. Wait. You're Cindy?" It seemed like colour was draining from his face. "N-No! NO! You can't be! It's not possible!"

Cynthia put her phone away, and then brushed her hair aside to look at Steven. "I'm so sorry…" she said quietly. "Cindy doesn't exist. You really had feelings for her, didn't you? But Cindy is me."

"How… and why…" Steven was lost for words.

"Have you ever wondered why I gave you vouchers when we met at Cyllage City?" Small tears trickled down her cheeks. "I thought I could have impressed you with my cooking. But what did you do? You never gave me a chance. Can't you see? They were for you, and I thought we could have a connection when I set up shop across the street."

In her bones, Cynthia knew she was venturing into unknown territory. These were circumstances beyond her control and she had no idea how this conversation – or rather, confession – would end up. On the other hand, Steven's mind was drawing blanks, and he was still in a state of shock.

"But it looks like I'll never get to impress you, ever. You've said so yourself. My cooking will never get to your level." Cynthia's breathing was short. "And I thought they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But every time, you always prove to be the better cook. Couldn't you tell that I wanted your attention the whole time? The vouchers, my pluie de chocolat… Okay, I admit that I enjoyed our competition from the day we met, where we created so many things no chef in Kalos has thought of before… But along the way, as we interacted in and out of the kitchen, you had my affection. Not to mention that time when we had a picnic together."

Steven stayed silent as she ranted, and when she had quieted down, he finally spoke.

"Then, why?" His voice was quiet. "Why the coverup as Cindy?"

Cynthia shook her head. "You don't get it, huh? I'm surprised you didn't recognise me. It was the only way I could get close to you." She clutched her chest. "And then… there was that time I made you that drink, the one with Pinap berry peel. Don't you know how much I suffered because of that? Just thinking about you makes me angry! And then there you are spending your downtime with Astrid… and also Cindy. You seem to like Pokémon battles still, and I can't believe you would choose Cindy over me! Me! When I've been trying to get your attention all this time!"

Steven still wore his same stunned face.

"Then… Kiloude City…"

"That was genuine. Plain and simple. That kiss for you? That wasn't from Cindy. That was from me." Cynthia shook her head. "But don't get me wrong. You're probably thinking that I was doing that to infiltrate you and get under your skin. No matter what I do, I will always be distant to you."

"No, Cynthia, I… No, you can't be." Steven muttered.

"You're still in denial, huh? Those are my feelings for you, Steven… And I'm…" Cynthia shed a tear before continuing. "Didn't you mention I'm a joke to you? I'm so sorry I got in your way, and if it's worth heartbreak over, that's fine by me."

She turned around and began to walk to the elevator. "Adieu, Steven."

Good-bye, she said. And judging from the sound of it, it looked like she meant good-bye forever.

"Cynthia…" Steven muttered. By then, he realised that she had hurried off. Confused as he was, Steven tried to chase her to the elevator.

But she had walked faster than he thought. He didn't make it to the elevator to catch Cynthia in time. All the same, his mind was in a mess. The one woman he had developed some feelings for (and was even attracted to), was the same woman he had despised so much.

What kind of cruelty was this?

Eventually, he got on the elevator and began his descent down the tower. As he waited, thoughts raced through his mind. He couldn't believe his ears, his eyes, or his mind. There were several things he wanted to ask her – Cynthia, not Cindy – but he still couldn't comprehend what was happening before him. Now that he thought of it, he wondered how big of a head start she got.

The elevator counter hit the ground floor, the doors parted, and – lo and behold – there was a crowd outside. They weren't just any crowd, but more than half of them were from the media and the press. When they saw him, they practically surrounded him right after. That was not helpful!

Among the frontrunners were Viola and Alexa.

"Steven! Steven! Over here! It's Alexa from Lumiose Press!" Alexa had her film camera rolling. "Tell me what's going on your mind right now!"

Aside from Alexa's camera, Viola was taking pictures (with lots of flash to boot) along with the many reporters around them. Recorders were pointed in Steven's direction as well as a couple microphones. Without a doubt, Steven knew he was being swarmed by the media.

"No comment," he replied flatly.

"Oh come on, you can not say nothing's going through your mind right now!" Alexa said excitedly. "You just won a hotly contested battle with your biggest rival, oui? Come on, it doesn't hurt to reveal your true feelings at this time!"

True feelings? If only she knew how he was feeling right now. But of course, Steven wasn't prepared to tell anyone what was going through his head right now, and certainly not what had happened just a few minutes ago.

"Let's just say I'm still absorbing the shock – I mean – the feeling that I've won, okay?" he replied. He tried to find a way to slip past the crowd, but that was impossible. If he wanted, he could have sent out Metagross to clear a path, but he wouldn't know what that would do to his image.

"What are you plans afterward?" Another reporter asked.

"I'm not prepared to answer that at this time." Steven replied. "I will get some rest for tonight. That's all I can tell you."

True, Steven was used to publicity back in his Champion days, but this level of media coverage was overwhelming. Unlike those in Hoenn, the media seemed to have a heavy presence in Kalos, and in Lumiose City of all places.

"And will Hotel Richissime award you that star? Are you expecting it?" Another question.

"Perhaps, but that will be up to them, not me." He realised his answers were getting shorter – was he in that much of a hurry to get away? Or did he really want to find Cynthia?

Not only was Cynthia fast, but it looked like she had a way of sneaking out undetected too. It was almost as if Cynthia had plotted the media to cover her tracks, or else it was just a coincidence. Nevertheless, Steven thought, even if he did find Cynthia again, what was there to say to her?

It had taken an hour to leave Prism Tower, and Steven had to call Wallace to help him back to the hotel. Even so, despite getting a ride back, the media had been hot on his tail all the way to the hotel's foyer. At the doors, there were uniformed guards blocking off the entrance to restrict entry.

In that entire hour, Steven's mind was fixated only on Cynthia. He thought about the revelation that Cindy was Cynthia, and once every ten minutes, he stared at Cindy's contact number on his phone. But this number was Cynthia's, not Cindy's.

He remembered talking to Martine about how he met a mystery girl who was not Cynthia, but now he knew that that was a lie. The mystery girl was Cynthia.

"No…" he said to himself as he walked back to his room. "She couldn't be."

He unlocked the door and stepped inside the tape-filled room. Red tape and blue tape lined the walls, thanks to him and Cynthia doing exactly that. Yet as he partly expected, Cynthia wasn't in the room.

It was strangely quiet, as if peaceful, for once. It seemed eerily peaceful, and it was unsettling.

Walking further in, Steven noticed a cloche on the table. Did he order room service or something? Steven didn't recall doing so, and neither did he recall ever making something recently. So, someone must have been in this room and prepared something with a cloche to cover it. Otherwise, Cynthia might have ordered room service, and if nothing else, whatever was under that cloche might have been something she made.

Steven put down his bags and went to the table. Not minding the tape, he looked at the cloche and noticed a slip of paper beside it. He picked it up and read it.

Steven,

I'm sorry if I ever got in your way. I thought I could get to your heart through your stomach, since we share interests in not only battling and history, but also cooking too. Even though you're the better cook, I hoped to leave you a parting gift here.

Thanks for our date, by the way, and letting me try your langues de chat. I thought I'd return the favour and cook up an improved version. Excuse me if you think I stole your recipe.

Cynthia

Parting gift? Steven uncovered the cloche to find out. As it happened, underneath the cloche was a small pile of biscuits that looked like his langues de chat de Cyllage. It had the same colours as his own version. For once, he was afraid to eat one, but he did so anyway.

The cheese tasted creamier and smoother than what he usually made. That was a surprise. How was it possible that she could do this? It made him feel like he was on the streets of an Ecruteak City market, and sampling speciality foods. Yet he felt like he was alone in that city, like someone was watching him but was walking farther away.

Steven looked at the biscuit in his hand.

"Cynthia…" he whispered.

Oho. What did you think of this chapter? Dramatic, eh? With Cynthia's feelings and her version of langues de chat on the line too.