So I came back from an eight-day vacation and am rested up to keep writing! Also, as of yesterday (Dec 18), I am qualified to complete my university studies!
And I didn't plan on this, but throwing Astrid into this part of the story has become entertaining...
Please enjoy breakfast from Café Pokémon-Amie to start off this Christmas season! Especially for DaX0315, Phsycres Wolf-Brother, and the honoured Guest.
Chapter seventy-four: Why Secrets don't Last
Steven returned to the hotel only to find Martine waiting for him there. His bags were all packed up and everyone was prepared to leave. Amusingly, for some reason Sophie was crying non-stop and according to Martine had been like that for the past hour. Laurent had been doing his best to console her but the effort seemed fruitless. Martine explained, as Steven suspected, that this was entirely Wallace's fault for doing so.
"Why is she crying again?" Steven muttered, trying to get away from Sophie's wailing.
"Oh, it's nothing too serious! Wallace sort of threatened Sophie in a way that would cost her Laurent's love… But I have no idea how that makes sense at all," Martine replied.
"But it doesn't make sense…" Steven muttered. Before he could say any more, Martine looked at Steven's eyes intently.
"So? How did it go?" she said, smiling. "I can tell, judging from your eyes and not just your smile. Did you two bond that closely already? Come on, boss. Where did you go?" Martine took a couple steps closer so that she was inches from his face, like she was examining for anything out-of-place.
Steven swallowed. He did not want to say much, but Martine was curious and deserved to know, of all people.
"We went to Café Pokémon-Amie, I bought breakfast for her, and we played with our Pokémon together for a while," he explained, still smiling. "It was fun."
Unfortunately, Steven realised he might have said too much because Wallace and Winona were not too far away. In the worst-case scenario Wallace would have listened in, but thankfully he didn't. Yet like Martine, Wallace knew something was different with Steven. Worse yet, at least for Steven, Wallace went up to Steven and seized his collar with both hands.
"There you are! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you! We need to get you home!" Wallace shook Steven carelessly and Steven felt like his neck was going to snap. "And why are you smiling? You should NOT be smiling! You do not smile when you haven't found your love!"
He kept shaking Steven until Winona punched his face, releasing Steven at the same time.
Steven rubbed his head and neck as if to recover from the ridiculous reaction he got from Wallace. Of course, he wasn't going to let Wallace know what had happened exactly. Whatever happened could be kept secret for now.
So instead, Steven went to see to Laurent and Sophie. Sophie, still crying, had been wiping her cheeks with a drenched handkerchief.
"Sophie… I don't know what happened, but you shouldn't take Wallace's words too seriously," Steven quietly said, so he could console her. "Come on. You know Laurent wouldn't be one to give up on you so easily." But Sophie continued to cry, which left Steven wondering just what kind of words Wallace had said. "What did Wallace say to you?"
Looking up with teary eyes, Sophie said with a choked voice. "H-He said that i-i-if I didn't tell h-him where you w-w-were, i-i-it would mean I don't love… L-Laur-Laur…" At that, Sophie burst into tears again, and while Steven let Sophie cry into his sleeve, he couldn't help sighing. So this was the reason?! There could not have been a worse explanation to make the young receptionist cry.
Eventually he decided it was better to head to the station.
Steven also knew that keeping secrets was extremely difficult if more people knew about them.
For example, if a group of ten people created some sort of conspiracy against the Pokémon League, it would have to be well-executed. On one hand, conspiracies took time to develop, and on the other hand, someone had to make sure no one among those ten people spilled the beans. Ten people couldn't even keep a secret even if it would land them in jail. The secret would last, at most, a month.
How was his secret any different? Martine could be trusted, but Sophie, Laurent, and Diantha knew about it too. That was in total five people who knew about his activities. In light of Wallace's efforts at pressing Sophie for answers, it was only a matter of time before Sophie cracked. Five people between him and the others knew his secret, and it probably wouldn't last long.
Steven could imagine the damage he would get. His secret, especially with how timid Sophie was and how easily Wallace swayed people, would probably last days. No matter how he looked at it, his secret was doomed to exposure. The only way to, unfortunately, temporarily mitigate the damage was to get out of Lumiose before the world caught up to him. He could not allow the others to know while he was still in their midst, and even if it meant he would miss the train.
But that didn't stop him from wanting to buy a gift for Cynthia. From the earlier days they met at Cyllage City, he decided that he owed her a little bit for all his trouble. The day Cynthia revealed herself to be Cindy (or was it the other way around?) and the words she said to him struck him. So before he departed for the station, he stopped by a local Lumiose store. Ten minutes later, with some time to spare, he walked out with a wrapped bottle.
As he walked toward Lumiose Station with his bags, he was suddenly hit by someone from behind in full force, forcing him to stumble forward.
"Désolé!" said an apologetic voice.
That voice. It had to be a certain Gym Leader. "Korrina…" Steven said. "Haven't you mastered the art of rollerblading already?"
The two of them were a crumpled pile on the pavement. Steven was thankful that Korrina always had that helmet of hers on, since she landed on the ground first. Wallace had a point: was Korrina imitating Winona? She did have the helmet and ponytail after all. No. Now was not the time to be thinking of that.
"I've mastered it alright, but there's just so many people in Lumiose that accidents happen," she replied.
Steven would not accept that as an excuse, but he let it go. Instead, he looked up from where he was to see Diantha, plus Viola and Grant, looking right back at him. Viola didn't have her camera out (thankfully, Steven thought), Grant was snacking on some sweets, and Diantha was sporting sunglasses. To Steven, the three of them were going on a walk before they had to leave for the station.
"So, how did it go?" Diantha asked.
Steven shot Diantha a glare. This was exactly his point. Not even five people could keep a secret! Now that Diantha was even hinting that he had met up with Cynthia; Viola, Grant, and Korrina would catch on. That would be even more damaging because Viola would report this to the media.
And then the entirety of Kalos would know of his secret.
And then the world would know.
That was nothing short of disaster.
"Steven? Are you okay?" Viola said. "Come on, let me help you up."
Grant also went over to help Korrina back on her feet while Viola helped Steven. Still a bit dazed, Steven got back on his feet and picked up his bags.
As Korrina was back on her feet again, she regained her balance on her roller blades but needed both Viola and Grant to stand up straight.
"Wallace was definitely beside himself when he realised you were gone," Viola said. "Where did you go, exactly? What happened? Did you meet up with Cynthia? Probably?"
Viola's words brought an instant flashback to Steven of Cynthia's lips on his. The way Cynthia kissed him so suddenly… It was unexpected that he couldn't think of how he would move on from now. So many things had to be done, but it also felt like he was at peace.
Still, the thought of Cynthia made his cheeks go red instantly.
"That's private," he said, as cool as he could.
"Aw…" Korrina cooed, with Viola and Grant grinning idiotically beside her. "So you did meet her. What was it like?" Without warning, Korrina brought her hand to Steven's cheek for a second. "Ooh! Your cheeks are getting quite red and hot. Is this too touchy for you?"
Now fear was starting to take hold of Steven's heart. This was exactly why his secrets couldn't be kept for even a day. And to think this all started with Diantha hinting at what he did this morning! At breakfast! He looked to Diantha like he was pleading for her help, but Diantha looked like she was enjoying the scene.
And if that wasn't enough, Viola finally brought out her camera.
"Viola… If you do that, you will regret it. Okay?" Steven said, though his voice showed he was more scared than angry.
"It's fine! I wasn't going to take a picture of you, if that's what you're thinking," Viola 'assured' him. Steven thought, even if that was true, his secret was done for. The last thing he wanted to do now was go to the train station, because he had no doubt everyone would talk about it.
Then again, was it something to be so embarrassed about? Naturally, no. But things were different when there was media scrutiny over his relationship, which he did not want. And then there was Wallace.
His secret was doomed to exposure, he told himself earlier. He had to get out of Lumiose as fast as he could. So many things weighed on his mind: keep his profile private, resolve his problems with Cynthia privately, and cut off any connections that would cripple his personal life. From the beginning, Steven did not want to be a celebrity, but his titles as a former Pokémon Champion and as the head chef of his restaurant made that impossible.
As he walked toward the station with Korrina skating beside him, a thought came to his mind. He was sure Cynthia felt the exact same way he was feeling.
No wonder everyone wanted to see his side of life now, and hers.
"You're still blushing, you know," Korrina grinned.
"Steven. You have to tell us. What happened this morning?" Viola said as she walked beside Steven also. She was only a few paces ahead of him but was looking back at him expecting an answer. Grant said nothing and continued munching on his sweets, with Diantha enjoying her fellow co-workers tormenting the poor and already-embarrassed Steven.
Steven also said nothing. He kept his gaze forward in search of the station.
"Did you… kiss?" Viola suggested.
Steven's eyes widened, while Grant and Diantha broke into grins.
"Oh! So I was right!" Viola added. "I must take notes of this… Steven, will you be available for an interview in the coming days?"
In response, Steven buried his face into his hands (as he walked). His secret was dead.
At Lumiose Station, Cynthia came with a box of sweets from her restaurant. She had made them herself and, knowing that he was going back to Cyllage City by train, he should have something for the ride. The sweets were in fact a batch of assorted tarts. While there were Mago berry tarts and Pecha berry tarts making up one quarter of the box, another quarter was filled with Pecha berry tea-infused biscuits. The other half was a set of Sinnoh-style cheese tarts that looked like egg yolks on the surface, but contained the essence of cheesecake beneath. It was, in Cynthia's opinion, a taste of home.
She hadn't thought of making these in Kalos before, but the idea sprung in her mind as she passed by a local patisserie in her neighbourhood.
Cynthia looked at the clock.
Why hadn't he arrived yet? The train was set to depart in half an hour! Or maybe he was already on the train? Fear started to build in Cynthia's chest. It would mean she went through this trouble to get him a gift and she completely blew the opportunity.
Then again, she could call him, but she wanted this to be a surprise.
Thankfully, she could see a familiar sight not far away. It was a crowd of people, but everyone was dressed in their unique way such that Cynthia had no problem identifying them. Wallace's hair, Winona's helmet, Martine's red hair, and Diantha's white attire. Who else would be there?
Steven, of course.
Cynthia waved at Steven with a smile, despite he was surrounded by pretty much everyone who had scrutinised his private life. Cynthia sometimes wondered why she didn't need to bear the same burden. Perhaps she did, but Steven seemed to have a lot more connections. While she had people like Diantha and Fantina to talk to, plus Henri, Steven had his restaurant staff and Wallace (who frankly seemed to know a lot more people than Steven did).
He's probably thinking what I am doing here or why am I here, Cynthia thought. But now that she could see a lot of familiar faces around Steven, she felt her heartbeat pounding faster. Gosh, was it really this hard to hand him a gift? It was just a box of sweets, which could be interpreted as a display of affection but the context might be interpreted differently when there were many others in the area.
Everyone turned their eyes in her direction.
Steven's expression fell.
"What in… What is she doing here?!" he whispered to himself.
With as much courage she could muster, Cynthia boldly stepped toward Steven amid all these Gym Leaders and colleagues and handed the box to Steven. "I heard you were leaving," she calmly said. "But I don't want you to go without a parting gift. You'll remember me, right?"
Steven was shocked. He didn't know what to say or how to react. Slowly, he nodded, and Cynthia flashed a smile and then walked away.
It was now or never. He had to give her the gift now.
"Cynthia," he said before Cynthia could have walked further. Cynthia turned around, and before she knew it Steven had taken a bottle wrapped in paper out of his bag and forced it to her arms. "This… Okay, I confess that I bribed your supplier once."
Dazed by what Steven was doing, she merely nodded and left.
As Cynthia walked away, she could already hear the commotion behind her. Wallace was doing his best to seize the box from Steven's hands, but Steven quickly shoved Wallace's arms away ("Why are you being so defensive, Steven?!" Wallace said. "Is it really that special to you?"). Also, the girls were firing extra questions in Steven's direction too. Cynthia chuckled to herself. In a case like this, she would have completely blown up her secret to keep her relations with Steven private. She could only imagine what the fallout would be. At best, she could have a higher profile with her Lumiose café, but the media might catch onto her at some point.
Maybe she ought to visit Cyllage City one of these days too; at least when her debts had been paid off, the ones Steven promised to help her repay.
She couldn't help but look back at Steven again, who was holding the box close to him like treasure while Wallace was doing anything to take it. In a sense, Cynthia felt sorry for Steven that he had to put up with that. Worst-case scenario: Steven would accidentally destroy the sweets, but Cynthia hoped that wouldn't happen.
The train finally departed Lumiose Station and left for Cyllage City. Even though the transportation had been arranged by Wallace, Steven somehow managed to get a seat in a relatively quiet part of the train. There, he did not have to worry about any annoyances from his colleagues. After all that had happened, he could rest. Even though it was only morning, he felt the past day and night had been nothing short of exhausting. He could rest properly for once.
He had Cynthia's box securely placed under his seat, so there was little hope it would get stolen. With that out of the way, Steven rested his head back and closed his eyes.
"You're not going to open that?"
Martine, of course, would never leave him alone, but Steven couldn't blame her either. He didn't open his eyes but knew that the red-haired nineteen-year old had taken the seat across from him.
"Come on, boss… Aren't you at the least bit curious what she might have made for you?" Martine said, as if she were begging him to open the box.
"It's probably something poisonous. Now let me sleep," Steven replied.
"It's only the morning… Come on, you had breakfast, right? Right?" Martine said.
True, the seats on the train were quite comfortable and inviting enough to sleep. Martine knew her boss was tired, but that reason wasn't enough to not annoy him a little bit. She was also curious as to what Cynthia had given. Knowing Steven, he had to budge at some point, right? He had to. Let's see, Martine thought, he gave in to Sophie's serious eyes once, and then he seemingly was forced into this trip to Lumiose.
And then there was that time, when Martine at the others showed up at his doorstep urging him to search for Cynthia. So how hard could it be to get him to open a box?
Martine edged closer to Steven so that her eyes were looking closely at Steven's.
When Steven opened his eyes, he saw Martine pouting her lips. She was begging him.
"Martine. You know that will not work," Steven said, but Martine keep pouting and her eyes looked like they were about to tear up. For once, Steven was amused. "Ha, okay, Martine. You know that doing an impression of Sophie will only get you so far."
"But… it always works on Laurent and you," Martine said, not letting go of her pouting.
Still amused, Steven reached for the box and put it on the folding table. "You should tell that to Sophie," he replied. "I'm sure she would be happy to hear that." When he looked up again, Martine was still not letting go of her expression and had nearly touched noses with him. Steven's cheeks went a little red: why did Martine have to imitate Sophie, eh? He sighed and looked back to the box. Even he was curious as to what was inside.
But before he could lift the lid, he felt Martine wasn't the only one watching him. He looked to his side to see… yes, Wallace, Winona, Laurent, and Sophie looking right back at him. Plus, Diantha was standing beside Wallace looking just as curious. But now that Steven looked behind Diantha's head, he saw Viola standing nearby with her camera in hand.
"Are you seriously here to watch me open this box?" Steven said. "It's just a box!"
To Steven's astonishment, everyone nodded their heads simultaneously. It appeared that no one intended to leave him alone until he at least opened the box. Even then, Steven seriously doubted that they would leave him alone for the journey. So much for getting rest.
When Steven finally lifted the lid, he could not help smiling.
Sweets and treats of different colours and shapes greeted him.
I would have offered the entire box of treats for you, but I'll save that for next chapter! Instead... have one each of the Pecha berry and Mago berry tarts.