Hope everyone has been healthy! I'm still alive. Now I'm entering the final week of my undergraduate university studies! But convocation has been cancelled... I can't believe after coming so far with "Culinary Rivals" throughout my university studies, and it's still not done! But it's close.

Enjoy some palmier biscuits, please. A special order goes to DaX0315, darkwolf0909, and Nine or None!

And also enjoy the dangerous breaking the fourth wall here.

Chapter seventy-nine: Be at Home

It was well into twilight by the time Cynthia and Steven had left Plaza Median. The sunshine was edging closer to the horizon across the ocean and there was something in the air signalling the end of the day. Or, at least, it was coming soon.

Now that they were also away from Martine and the others, there were still blushes on their faces that they couldn't look at each other. Just to keep them company, Skarmory and Roserade walked alongside them but even the two Pokémon could feel an awkward silence between them.

"Which way is your home again?" Cynthia asked, finally breaking the mood.

Steven raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would have known this city inside out by now," he replied. "Shall I guide us there, then?" That answer was out of instinct, but then Steven realised the deeper gravity of the question. "Whoa, whoa. Cynthia, you're not trying to stay there again are you?"

"There's no better place to go to," Cynthia said.

Steven conceded that Cynthia didn't have a place to stay here in Cyllage City either. As they continued walking and past the market, a thought came to his mind. It made him a little nervous to even think of asking her that. Even though they were in a starting relationship.

"Then… um… you wouldn't mind staying for dinner then…?" he whispered.

Cynthia hadn't expected Steven to offer dinner like that. Like Steven, her gut tightened, and she was lost for words, unsure of how to reply. How could she reply to that? It was like Steven was asking her out, but in a more personal way! Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh, she thought. Great, now she was not acting like the cool and collected Champion she used to be. Instead, Cynthia felt nervous.

She brushed some of her bangs aside. "But you're busy, aren't you? I can't just walk into your home and have dinner with you. I would just get in your way." For the briefest instant, Cynthia felt like she was saying something only Cindy would say. Did that part of Cindy's personality actually rub on her?

"I was hoping, well, that we could cook together. I'd like to see what your cooking is like," Steven admitted. "Plus, you have my keys."

That was a very good point he made.

They continued walking along the waterfront towards Steven's villa and the sunset was becoming more evident. The skies had faded into a darker blue, with the majestic sunset dominating the landscape now. As they walked, Steven snuck a glimpse at Cynthia, and this time with the sunset behind her. In this light, Cynthia looked absolutely stunning, and beautiful.

Why was it so hard to stay in this relationship anyway? Between them, they knew they were in love with each other. Steven had confessed his feelings back in Lumiose not that long ago and Cynthia, having made the journey to come here, came to sort things out. And earlier own, Cynthia's feelings for him were even more apparent. Heck, even the entirety of Kalos knew about it, let along the staff at Cynthia's restaurants.

"Hey, Steven?" Cynthia said.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever thought that… the relationship we have seems forced?" she said. "I can't shake off the thought sometimes that my thoughts and feelings aren't my own. I feel like I'm the protagonist in some kind of warped fanfiction and…" She trailed off. She didn't want to sound like a lunatic in front of Steven, so she left it at that, but Cynthia also wanted to be honest too.

She expected him to treat her words like nonsense, but instead it felt like he wanted to ease into the issue.

"It seems forced enough already, don't you think? My friends and my staff have been forcing that on us for months! But no, I don't think so, at least no entirely. At least for me, I…" Steven blushed. "I had feelings for you, perhaps not at first sight, but once I got to know you better – in part to our culinary rivalry – I saw you differently."

"But don't you feel like it's strange?" she said. "It's like a cliché love-hate relationship, and we're being pitted against each other in a fanfiction! It almost feels like our relationship is one that only exists in fanfiction."

Steven flashed a smile. Martine had echoed those words from way earlier, like from the early days when Vue sur la Lune opened. "You know, Cynthia, I do feel the same."

Cynthia's eyes widened.

"Lisia keeps pressing the thought onto me all the time," Steven explained. "She made me wonder whether there really was some kind of author working away at his computer and putting you and me into some kind of twisted love story. And you know what? This kind of love story must have taken him years to write, I bet, with the help of reviewers. You and me in a relationship… heh. Is there some kind of author deciding what your love life will look like too?"

Then Cynthia smiled. So Steven did understand her point, word for word, and thought for thought.

"You get it then, that our thoughts and even our conversation right now might even be the product of this author's thinking?" she asked.

Steven nodded, and before Cynthia could say another word, he added, "If there was an author would there who could simply make up the words I'm speaking now, I'll find him and give him a beating he'll never forget."

That remark only made Cynthia's smile a little wider.

They kept walking towards the villa and the sunset was a sight to behold now. There was a feeling in the air that also made her feel hungrier too. With Togekiss completely exhausted, dinner from Steven also sounded more welcoming than ever.

"One more thing, Cynthia," Steven said, breaking Cynthia's thoughts of being hungry. His voice sounded uneasy, Cynthia thought. Was he nervous? "Since, uh, you do understand my thoughts, we might have a lot more in common than we think. Let me ask you, what do you think if this author made this fanfiction of his… public? Like if he published it?"

Cynthia became tense. What if that was true?

"I think it would be embarrassing enough that if enough people read it, we should break up," she said, looking away to see the sunset. She watched the ocean waters reflect the light so brilliantly that it was blinding. So Cynthia looked back at Steven instead. "I couldn't live with the shame. How many readers do you think would want to read such a story?"

When their eyes met, Cynthia realised that Steven was right. The two of them did have a lot more in common than they thought. Aside from the common interests in cooking, battling, being former Champions, and sharing a love of history, they had the same thought about this fanfiction idea. Cynthia wondered if the idea was even real. In that respect, the two of them were a match.

"You would think the readers would want us to be together," Steven replied. "It doesn't make sense, despite our interests. But would you break up with me for that sake?"

"No, and of course it doesn't make sense!" Cynthia protested. "How is it that we have supposed readers who are interested in a relationship between us?! It's just like the media here in Kalos who keeps pressing us to be together. It makes me feel like my feelings for you aren't authentic."

Their eyes continued locking onto each other's as they walked.

To Cynthia's surprise, Steven held out his hand for her, and so she took it. Walking together now while holding hands, Steven replied, "But I know your feelings are genuine, because we've been through that already. Despite that, I'm glad I have someone who feels as strangely as I do about this fanfiction thing. Maybe we should just forget about it. It's creepy enough as it is. Fans I can live with, but fanfiction readers, I think I can do without. You never know what kind of readers there are out there who really want us to be together."

That was enough to make Cynthia smile again. She nodded in agreement.

When Cynthia helped unlock the door to his villa and Steven stepped in, he immediately caught whiff of a delicious savoury aroma. It didn't smell of something he would eat at a restaurant, no. Instead, the aroma smelled of something he would eat at home.

"That smells…" Steven trailed off. Instead he stood at the door taking in a deep breath. "It smells delicious! Did you cook something in here? You must have."

Cynthia didn't know what to say. She had expected Steven to have overreacted about her using his villa's kitchen, not to mention the groceries he had bought. Instead, Steven appeared even more surprised at what she had cooked instead. He stood for a moment to breathe in the aroma.

The two of them let their Pokémon out to wander freely in the villa, alongside Steven's other Pokémon. That is, Skarmory, Roserade, and the beaten Togekiss. As the Pokémon mingled, Steven and Cynthia walked toward the kitchen.

"You had to use my kitchen, didn't you?" Steven remarked, looking around it. Cynthia had taken the liberty of cleaning up the dishes too. Quelle femme, he thought. "What did you make? It smells like home cooking."

Pleased that Steven had taken an interest, Cynthia smiled, while also relaxed. "I'll show you. It's really, really, easy, actually. Do you have any more noodles? Or bread? Or rice?"

At once, Steven went for his grocery bags in search of any pasta packages he knew he bought. As he looked for them, he figured that Cynthia probably didn't look through the groceries thoroughly. But he knew some things were missing or had been used. Nevertheless, he not only got the pasta packages but also got half a loaf of baguette too. He also set about getting some rice too, but they were way more than Cynthia would need.

"Um… what are you craving?" she added.

Steven stared away for a second. "Pasta or rice. Your call."

"Hey, I was asking you!"

So the decision came to both pasta and rice. In a pot on the stove, Cynthia had placed a handful of Cheri berries, a Tamato berry, two Pecha berries, and a Payapa berry. All of that plus a sprinkle of oil in order to get the flavours out. She continued to stir the pot and poured a can of broth in as well, occasionally adding a sprinkle of flour as she stirred. And then she used the same can to add water to finish it off, so that it wouldn't be too salty.

Standing beside Cynthia, Steven watched her stir the mix until it started to boil, and then Cynthia started to get the pasta cooking. She set a boiling pot of water and placed the uncooked noodles in and allowed them to soften. As the pasta was cooking, the berry mixture became more apparent to Steven as to what it actually was. It was curry, and the sort that made Steven feel like he was at home. Even the Pokémon were interested in what Cynthia was up to! Cynthia tasted it a couple times, adding lemon or salt where she saw fit. At the same time, she made sure the pot of pasta wouldn't overflow and lifted the pot up once in a while.

Steven was, in short, impressed. In his heart, he came to admire Cynthia even more for her skill in home cooking. How was it that he had hated her in the first place?

The aroma was now starting to make his mouth water. Steven swallowed. Never had he smelled something like this in the premises of this villa. He then started to wonder what it would taste like, but before he could think any more, Cynthia politely asked him to serve the pasta and rice. Nodding and eager at the same time, Steven got plates out and tasted one noodle (to ensure it was cooked) before serving them.

Within the next half-hour, the curry was complete and the plates full of steaming pasta and rice had huge servings of spicy-sweet curry on top of them. The meal looked hearty, and there was more than enough to go around. As Steven served the plates for him and Cynthia on the table, Cynthia set about making servings for all the Pokémon in the home. What Cynthia was doing took time, so Steven helped serve the dishes to the Pokémon.

After all that had happened, Cynthia and Steven were finally sitting together at the table. Looking at the dish, Steven looked amazed, and Cynthia looked pleased as punch that he had that reaction.

"Now that I think of it," Steven said. "This is the first time I've genuinely eaten dinner with someone in my villa."

Cynthia looked up when he said that. That was a surprise. She had expected that Astrid or even Wallace would have come in here to eat. Then again, Cynthia also knew that Steven hadn't lived in Cyllage City for long either. It made sense that Steven had little company in his home, save for his Pokémon, of course.

"Aw, now that makes me feel special. I'm honoured to have cooked this dinner for you." Cynthia replied. She picked up her fork and looked at Steven, who had a slight blush on his face. "Bon appétit."

"Bon appétit," Steven replied.

He took the first bite, first with rice. How long had it been since he had rice? Not since he left Hoenn, he felt. While his signature restaurant dish did use rice envelopes, this wasn't the same. It was genuine rice and curry.

And it tasted like something he should haven eaten here, at home.

Unable to stop, but still able to control, his pace of eating, Steven ate more curry. He alternated between rice and pasta, but the flavours were all there. Even the Pokémon, sitting beside table, couldn't stop themselves from eating more. It was not the sort of food expected at a restaurant. No, this was a long shot from restaurant-quality, but it was homemade, which was something a restaurant couldn't match.

Cynthia watched Steven eat, smiling at his reaction, as she ate her own portion quietly.

Like Steven, Roserade, and the others, Cynthia was satisfied. The curry was delicious! Even Togekiss, who was completely beaten from that aggressive battle with Astrid's Absol, looked refreshed by the time he was done with his curry and pasta. Afterwards, the Flying-type went to sleep.

The curry was so delicious that both Steven and Cynthia went for second helpings together. When they returned to the table, Steven decided to bring up other matters. "Will you come to check out the restaurants tomorrow? I also had this idea that we could simply merge our restaurants under one legal entity, but that you'll basically be operating Vue sur la Lune freely."

Cynthia took another mouthful of curry and rice, swallowed, and nodded. "I'm listening. What do you have in mind?"

"My sous suggested, and I have to admit, he's right," Steven began. "What do you think that we continue competing against each other but under one roof? Looking back, I can see there were positive outcomes that came from it. You could see it too, right?"

Merging the restaurants? That seemed possible, Cynthia thought. But what was the positive they had from competing…? Suddenly, it made sense to Cynthia.

"When we competed against each other, we…" Cynthia looked away to gather her thoughts, "we created so many dishes that no restaurant in Kalos had ever thought of; food and combinations like never before. You had your Stone Open, then we had our fondues, and then…" Cynthia blushed, "there were our curries we made at the beach."

"Yes!" Steven replied, looking relieved.

"And then we had our cook-off in Lumiose…" Cynthia added. She chuckled.

Now that she thought of it, the culinary rivalry at Lumiose had spawned a lot more dishes than she thought. While she credited the judges for coming up with themes, she hadn't expected to have thought of the creations either. As a result, she had made a special set of Poffins and that croquembouche dorée too.

"You know, Steven," Cynthia said, "I would love to keep competing against you again. But we can always keep it a friendly competition between us. Who knows? One of us might earn a Richissime star on the way."

Steven blinked. That was what James had told him in the morning. A friendly competition. "Maybe we are meant to be," he said, and then had another bite of curry. "We could spend time together making food, or maybe exploring some ruins for rocks. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

When Cynthia looked back at Steven's eyes, the two of them blushed. She smiled. "That's thinking a bit too far down the road, don't you think? Let's talk about now." Then her expression became serious. "By the way, what are you going to do about Astrid?"

To her exasperation, Steven's response was automatic and his face lit up. "I know. We should arrange training dates with her. I'm sure she'll love to be mentored under me and having you as a battle partner. She did beat you, after all. You may need to start dusting off your skills, Cynthia. Mine too."

That was not what Cynthia was expecting either. It was like he had attacked her pride as a former Champion, on one hand, and on the other hand Steven was extending an invitation too. Yet he still cared for his student, which Cynthia suspected maybe Steven was cheating on her…

"Look, are you having dark thoughts again?!" he said.

Cynthia snapped out of her mindset. "No, no… I was just thinking about, uh…" Clearly she couldn't reply properly. "The battle. I was thinking of the battle."

"You have to admit, Astrid has skill," Steven said. He chuckled, causing Cynthia to raise an eyebrow. "Astrid thought I had fallen in love with Cindy too… and I did. But I'm glad that despite everything, she was you after all. Plus, you do know that Astrid also… ships us."

Cynthia grinned. She hadn't forgotten Steven's confession, and thinking back also to the revelation at Prism Tower seemed funny now. But she kept that thought to herself. Instead, she stood up and collected the empty plates.

That had to have been the most comfortable dinner she had in a long time.

"By the way, Cynthia. Do you like ice cream?"

"Oui. Very much. Why?"

"You're in for a treat, then."

What Cynthia hadn't counted on was that Steven would prepare dessert after. She watched him make the ice cream fresh in the kitchen. As she did, she watched him bring out a handful of a certain green berry. Each one looked like a miniature cactus and were also very hard. So Steven set about grinding each of them.

"Those are… Salac berries," Cynthia said. "I haven't seen those in a long time."

"And rumoured to contain the power of the sky, and they're expensive too." Steven looked at Cynthia as he continued grinding. "Just for you, Cynthia, I'll make an ice cream out of these. They're sweet and sour, with a touch a bitter. It's excellent."

Having made the custard-like cream, mixing the Salac berries in there, Steven went to throw the mixture into the freezer. Cynthia decided to help clean up the kitchen too. By the time she was done cleaning and the ice cream was ready, the Pokémon had fallen asleep in the villa's living room. So that left the ice cream to deal with.

Cynthia was at the table, waiting on Steven to bring the Salac berry ice cream out. Her eyes were expectant. When Steven did do exactly that, he realised just how late it was. Apparently he had overlooked how long it would take to make the ice cream. But to him it seemed worthwhile. Plus, he had waffle cones!

"That took a while…" Steven said. "Enjoy."

"Yay!" Cynthia cheered, which raised a question mark over Steven. That reaction seemed out-of-character, or maybe because Cynthia had a soft spot for ice cream. Well, that was a note-to-self Steven would need to take. "Merci, Steven!"

"De rien," Steven replied, seeming satisfied. He wanted to taste this ice cream too.

What was even more flattering was that he had made this just for her. Cynthia was touched. She started scooping out ice cream for him and for herself into the cones.

"You can also say… this is my way of apologising," Steven said with his head down. "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have made you my enemy from the beginning. I even caused you hardship, didn't I? I'm so sorry."

He heard a noise that meant Cynthia had stood up, and when he looked up, he realised that Cynthia had caught him in a kiss by surprise.

A kiss.

When their lips parted, Steven's face blushing as they did, Cynthia smiled. "Consider that my way of accepting your apology. Now, can we eat dessert?" In her view, Steven's expression was priceless. He hadn't expected to receive a kiss like that, did he?

The Salac berry ice cream was much better than anticipated. Looking at each other as they did, Cynthia and Steven shared chuckles. This experience felt so awkward, but it looked like things would turn out okay from now on.

When the ice cream cones were finished, Steven had another thought. "By the way, Cynthia. It's getting late. Would you like to stay the night here? I only have one bedroom here, but–"

"Oh, it's okay, Steven. I used your room last night and your Pokémon were okay with it too," she replied. "But since you've offered… I'll take you up on that too. Merci beaucoup."

She stood up and (suspiciously) took the bowl of remaining Salac berry ice cream (which frankly, there was still a lot remaining). But before Steven could even ask or react, she quickly walked away with the bowl and toward the bedroom.

"Cynthia…?" Steven muttered, and then it hit him. "Cynthia! Stop right there!"

He quickly got up to chase after her but by then it was too late. Cynthia had disappeared into the bedroom and had slammed the door shut. Knowing it would be extremely impolite to simply break down the door, and also risk damaging the ice cream, Steven simply banged on the door.

Oh gosh. It felt like déja vu! Hadn't he gone through the exact same thing just yesterday?

"Let me back in!" Steven shouted, banging the door. "This is my home! Quelle femme!"

Then he noticed something near his feet. Cynthia was slipping something from under the door, so he bent down to pick it up.

It was a 2000 Poké bill.

Steven muttered something of nonsense to himself. He had gone through all that work to make that ice cream, with Salac berries, and this was how Cynthia repaid him. 2000 Poké. Even though this was compensation, it didn't appear to be worth the effort. Sighing deeply, he took the money.

When he walked back to the kitchen, he noticed that both his Pokémon and Cynthia's were on the verge of laughing at him. This may have been his home, but Steven had never felt like this before. It was ridiculous, in his opinion, how he was being treated.

All that effort for 2000 Poké!

Eventually, Cynthia came back out of the bedroom with the ice cream nearly finished. But there was a bit left over just for him when it returned to the table.

Steven was in no mood to talk. He was pouting with his arms crossed.

"Aw… Steven, don't be like that! It was good ice cream," Cynthia complimented.

Grudgingly, Steven took the ice cream and finished the rest of it. No doubt the ice cream was delicious and tasted as light as sorbet. "Really, Cynthia. If you and I want to take this relationship seriously, you should save me some of this ice cream too…" he added. Even so, despite what ice cream remained, the flavour was still worthwhile. He even wondered for moment if she was impressed by his skill at dessert-making. Perhaps he ought to simply pass on this recipe to her. "You could improve this, right?" he added.

"I can, for sure." Cynthia smiled. "I'm sure it could wait 'til the next time. For now, just finish the rest."

So Steven did just that.

Afterwards, when the remainder of dishes had been cleaned and the table wiped, Steven had to address the hard part.

"How are you sleeping here, anyway? I only have one bed," he said.

"About that…" Cynthia was smiling suspiciously.

It was then within the next few seconds that she made a dash for Steven's bedroom. Steven, his paling, realised what she was about to do and quickly ran after her. No way was he going to let her steal his bedroom a third time! (Assuming she slept there last night, Steven thought)

"Oh no you don't!" Now he was panicking.

Cynthia loved the reaction she was getting from him, but she made it an objective that she had to take the bedroom for herself. To put it plainly, Steven's bed was surprisingly comfortable and she wanted to steal it for another night. Fortunately she beat Steven to the bedroom.

Unfortunately, Steven's arm and leg stopped her from closing the door. "You're not stealing this room again!" he shouted.

But Cynthia decided to go ahead and sit on Steven's bed. "Okay, Steven. Make me not steal it," she said in her usual cool voice, which forced Steven to groan.

"That sounds unusually childish of you, Cynthia…" he muttered.

"Okay. In any case, bonne nuit!" she replied.

And then Cynthia fell back on the bed and onto the pillows. Her hair spreading on the bed. She hadn't even bothered to change into nightclothes, but then again, this wasn't her home either. Letting out another sigh of exasperation, Steven thought of retreating.

"There's no stopping you, huh?" He shook his head.

But since there was only one bed, he figured it was only fair he had a share too. Oh gosh, it was like being back in that night in Lumiose again. The very thought of sharing a bed with her seemed ridiculous. Worst of all, this was within his home! Taking a breath, Steven climbed onto the bed beside her, while making himself comfortable.

Cynthia turned her head to look at him. There was a smirk on her face, albeit with a blush. "Really? You can't sleep elsewhere?"

"You practically invaded my bedroom," Steven whispered, scoffing. "I want my bed back."

"You can have it back in the morning. Bonne nuit, Steven."

She shuffled closer to kiss his cheek, making Steven's eyes widen, and then she went to sleep.

"Bonne nuit, Cynthia."

Aw... Now that's just sweet, eh? I'll make it sweeter by leaving a serving of Cynthia's curry pasta and Steven's Salac berry ice cream for you.