My imagination has been on a roll! I ended up writing the following chapter in a record nine days and forgot to upload this one last week! Now, I'm sure you've been waiting for it! A small shout to Ou7X, by the way: my area is seeing relatively very low rises in Covid, so not enough to put me in lockdown... yet.
Chapter eighty-six: Bonding by Vacationing
It felt like ages since either Cynthia or Steven had been to Unova, not to mention flying in aircraft.
The plane that would take them from Kalos all the way to Unova would depart from Lumiose and arrive at an airport outside Nimbasa City and Castelia City. And the time they met up at the origin took several hours. They opted to travel together sitting in the same row of seats near the window, having bought a relatively inexpensive pair of tickets for the flight. One might consider it odd why two stellar Richissime star-winning chefs would choose to fly in a lower class of seats. Wouldn't the food taste awful, after all?
But Cynthia and Steven understood that well enough, which was why they chose to eat before they got on the plane. When they arrived at the airport, they treated themselves to one of the indoor restaurants which specialised in seafood and sandwiches. Its appearance was nonetheless that of a classic Lumiose café on the outside, but it was reputed to have been awarded one Richissime star. Such was its reputation. An hour before their boarding time, Steven purchased the meal for the both of them: two servings of the restaurant's trademark fish stew.
And speaking of which, as Richissime stars garnered attention, Cynthia and Steven themselves had to go out in disguise to avoid any kind of media attention. There was no telling if the media could pop out in an instant and crush them with a barrage of questions. So it was better safe than sorry, Cynthia suggested.
So in the end, when they met up in public, Cynthia was again donning her 'Cindy' appearance again, minus the 'Cindy' personality. To Steven, just seeing Cynthia in a ponytail, sunhat, and sunglasses made him wonder how he fell for Cynthia this way from earlier. It seemed to have worked out now. As for himself, Steven was wearing a fedora just so he could hide most of his steel-blue hair. So far, no one had noticed them when they had lunch together.
Joining them at their table were two of their Pokémon. Roserade and Skarmory, to be exact. The restaurant did its part to accommodate for the Pokémon too, serving delicious Kelpsy berry soups which had the essence of the sea. Not to mention the Kelpsy berries themselves already added a dash of colour to the soup itself. Skarmory himself was enjoying the soup and Roserade looked like she had entered a soporific state and wanted to go to bed.
"I never thought the soup would be sleep-inducing," Cynthia remarked.
"To their credit, this food is very nice," Steven said. He delicately lifted a spoonful of his stew, gazing beneath his fedora, then savoured it slowly. He could understand well why the restaurant here had its reputation with a Richissime star. With food like this, there was no need to eat on board the airplane. This did the trick. He then had another thought. "So just wondering, what shall we do once we arrive? Go straight to Undella Town, or…?"
There was no way to tell what was going on in Cynthia's mind behind those sunglasses. She was like an enigma or some kind of blank slate at the moment. Not that Steven blamed her, but the Cindy appearance made her appear like she wouldn't care one way or the other.
Then Skarmory made a small screech to get Steven's attention. Of course Steven wasn't the only one to look because Cynthia had also followed Skarmory's gaze. It appeared that there was a small mob of photographers and reporters walking about the terminal. Was it possible that they knew the chefs were going on vacation? No, that was unlikely. Even so, in light of how much attention Cynthia and Steven got in recent times, it was very difficult to go unnoticed even in disguise. Maybe they might recognise Steven's facial structure, or perhaps Cynthia's platinum blonde hair. Put two and two together, and someone was bound to figure out their identities.
It made Steven wonder how Diantha, who had a high profile in Kalos, could always manage it.
"That… might be a problem. They will recognise us, regardless," Steven said.
"Got any plans to slip away?" Cynthia said. "I have some doubts."
"Or we can let them pass by and hope they don't notice us. If there was anything inconspicuous we can do, now is the time."
But unlike Cynthia, Steven didn't have sunglasses to hide his eyes. So that state meant might have been self-defeating. If the media even glimpsed at his eyes, they would be onto him like hounds (or Houndoom) and there would be no escape. To think the point of coming here in this airport was to escape! Things appeared bleak.
And Cynthia decided Steven had had enough of that. To take his mind of things, she reached for Steven's head and pressed her lips forward to his. Steven's adorable reaction was one of shock at first, and to Cynthia's slight embarrassment he actually returned the kiss, and their eyes closed just for a few moments to let time pass.
Surely the media must have passed them by now? They just appeared as a typical young couple in love.
When their lips parted, they were left with more surprised than embarrassed faces. Cynthia in particular had at least a slight tint of pink on her face. "Well, that was inconspicuous, wasn't it?" she said, albeit it was rhetorical.
"…Oui," Steven said.
That was also when their eyes fell on Skarmory and Roserade again, who were looking back at them with – there could be no doubt – smug grins on their faces. Perhaps to them it felt like the romance between Cynthia and Steven was more comedic than anything. Well, the Kalos media had already built a story around that already, and the Richissime Guide (of all things) publicly endorsed it.
"Skarmory. Wipe that smile off your face."
"Roserade. Don't smile, okay? Just don't smile."
Nevertheless, the two Pokémon could stop smiling but at least decided to attend to their Kelpsy soup before it got cold, and hide their smiles. That only left Steven and Cynthia a little more frustrated. Even their own Pokémon were seeing this too humorously. Was this relationship a curse and doomed to fail?
In the end, the meals were finished quietly, the Pokémon were recalled, and then the chefs started their way to their respective boarding gate.
Many hours later, the plane that had departed Lumiose was arriving at the airport. Thankfully, the flight had been a quiet one. Although the plane was at capacity, everyone seemed to have minded their own business and Cynthia and Steven had kept their hats on for the whole trip. Unlike almost everyone else on the plane, they both opted not to eat anything on the plane and had only water instead. Besides, the meal at the Lumiose airport was good enough.
But at least the matcha flavoured chocolates were a treat.
And with it, the process between getting out of their seats and leaving the airport onto Castelia City's streets felt pretty quick too. The airport was thankfully not very busy and all they needed to do was pick up their bags, leave the plane, pass by customs (which took much shorter than expected) and they were on the road. It was rush hour, so there were thousands of people bustling back and forth on the road such that no one bothered to look twice at them. Moreover, it appeared that people were either heading home from Castelia City to Nimbasa City, or that they wanted to go to Nimbasa City for some entertainment.
Well, for a city with a fast-paced lifestyle like Castelia City, that was normal. Besides, neither did Cynthia or Steven needed the publicity. The only ones who might have recognised them, perhaps, were Cilan and his brothers. But other than that, Steven and Cynthia were ordinary people in this sea of faces.
"Don't suppose we have to walk there?" Steven said. "Couldn't we just fly? I have Skarmory with me, and you have Togekiss."
"It might be better if we were inconspicuous," Cynthia replied. "Besides, I'd like to spend a little more time with you if that's alright."
Steven nodded, agreeing to what she said. Why bother spending more time in the skies and the wind when they could just simply walk? Besides, they had spent more than enough time on the plane anyway. Stretching their legs felt much-needed now. They weren't hungry either, so they could spend some time walking and sightseeing. And of course, in Cynthia's opinion, spending more time with Steven away from work sounded very welcoming.
Cynthia wrapped an arm with Steven's and then started to lead. It was apparent that between them Cynthia was more familiar with the area. She travelled to Unova occasionally for vacation, like Steven used to travel to Sinnoh for the same reasons, with a small difference that Steven had sold off his villa in Sinnoh but Cynthia still had a place to stay.
"I know you like your rocks, Steven. So if you'd like…" Cynthia suggested. "Let's see… Ah yes, this is Route 4, just so you know. As you can see…"
"I'm confused already," Steven replied. "It's clearly a desert here but look at the construction work being done here. What's going on? Is there a development or something?"
He hadn't counted on Cynthia to reply, but she did anyway. "It's a small political problem," she replied. "There's a mini-war between the developers who want to build a string of complexes on Route 4, and an activist group who wants to save some ancient ruins in the same place." Cynthia brushed her hair aside. "Both groups are lobbying the governments in Nimbasa City and Castelia City, but we've yet to hear a decision." Her sunglasses-hidden eyes looked to Steven again. "As I was saying, we could stop by those ruins, if you'd like…"
And Steven laughed, then added, "I can see it in your eyes that you want to go as much as I do." And he had a point. Cynthia preferred studying these sorts of things, and it was also an excuse for Steven to check out any rocks he could find.
So they made their way towards the ruins with some of their Pokémon tailing behind them, namely Skarmory, Roserade, Garchomp, and Metagross. And naturally, they four of them together would make up quite the travel party. Any fan of the Pokémon League might recognise the Pokémon belonging to the former Champions, but at the same time Steven and Cynthia safely assumed no one would guess that the two of them had snuck to Unova. Why not assume everyone thought they were in Kalos instead? They had simply disappeared from public life for now.
Metagross and Garchomp, in particular, could sense the excitement brimming from their Trainers. Having respectively known their Trainers since they were little Beldum and Gible, they were well acquainted with what piqued their interests. Steven his passion for rocks, and Cynthia her love for history. Thankfully, as Pokémon they had their own language to communicate with each other. Neither Cynthia and Steven knew what they were talking about, but nevertheless the two Pokémon were away chatting about the similarities their Trainers shared. Garchomp shared some secrets passed from Roserade about Cynthia's true feelings while Metagross compared them with Steven's.
And watching Steven and Cynthia talk with each other, they seemed to enjoy each other's company very much. The travel party then entered the ruins.
"So what can you tell me about these ruins, anyway?" Steven asked. "I'm assuming they have some connection to the history with Unova."
Cynthia shook her head slightly. "I'd have to do more research on this place myself. All I can tell you from what I know is that the ruins date thousands of years, and for that same reason the activist group wants the ruins preserved." She went ahead to examine some of the pillars, with a saddened face. "Unfortunately, I wonder if this place will stay. With time, these ruins might disappear if the dessert sands keep filling up the place, unless the government wants to preserve them."
They were in the midst of a vast chamber with sturdy-looking pillars and collapsed stone bridges. The pillars caught Steven's interest, but it caught Cynthia's even more.
"I mean, look at this pillar!" she said in awe. "It's been here for thousands of years! Imagine how long these ruins have been around for. If I recall correctly from my initial research, these ruins may have ties to the origin of Unova itself. The local folklore goes is that one of the two founders of Unova created this castle, along with one of the two dragons that sided with it…" Cynthia paused. "I'm so sorry, am I boring you? I sure feel like it."
Cynthia was met with a small smile from Steven. "No, no. It's okay. Keep going."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"Tu as tort," Steven still kept his smile. "On the contrary, I'm entertained. You can tell this pillar has been around for thousands of years, eh? Let me guess. I'm guessing some kind of stones are involved?"
And Steven was met with rolling eyes from Cynthia. "Yes, yes," she said. "At some point after the creation of this structure, the dragons reverted to stones. A light and a dark. You know, that's your kind of thing, isn't it? What with them being stones and all, and you have it similar in Hoenn, right?"
"Speak for yourself," Steven answered. "It's your kind of thing too, with the history of Unova itself being their embodiment. Right?"
Laughing together, they walked about the chamber for a little while. They examined the walls, the bridges, and even the rock and sand beneath their feet (Steven insisted on doing that). It was a fortunate that Cynthia kept a dowsing machine handy – a relic of her Trainer days – for treasure hunting. How long had it been since she had used it? A long, long, time ago, it felt like. Granted, the one Cynthia had in her hands was an older model, but the principle was basically the same. Any detected items would pop up on the machine's radar which would direct her where to go. And once they did find the spot, Steven would bring out his explorer's kit, take the necessary tools, and extract the item from the space below or above, or in the wall.
For Cynthia, it felt almost nostalgic to be mining for treasure, as if this was a throwback to her days in the Sinnoh Underground.
"Want to dig too? I can see it in your eyes," Steven joked. "Did you say before that you liked mining? That works for me." He offered the miniature pickaxe to her.
Cynthia snapped out of her trance, and then she accepted the pickaxe gratefully. True, she did like doing this before and the same whiff of nostalgia filled her as she began digging at the wall beside her. The feel of the pickaxe in her hand brought back skills she hadn't practised since leaving the Sinnoh region. How much more nostalgic was it for her to be digging for treasure again? And with Steven beside her, no less. She delicately dug at the wall to carefully extract the item without causing the space to cave in. Steven watched Cynthia do the work but also took a moment to gaze at Cynthia herself – did she always look this pretty when she was mining? She showed the same passion for mining like him.
And it wasn't just Steven watching. Garchomp and Metagross were watching close by, so close that if they had gone any closer, Cynthia would either have been distracted or that the Pokémon might accidentally collapse the wall. Fortunately, neither happened as Cynthia extracted not one, but two stones from the wall. Furthermore, they were not only stones but fossils, judging from the patterns on them. Steven and Cynthia recognised them as such immediately.
The last time the two of them had seen fossils before was, incidentally, when they were prospecting in the Sinnoh Underground. That felt like a long time ago, as the two of them had spent their careers so far on the culinary scene, so digging up fossils like this felt strangely welcoming. It was almost fun too, since they were enjoying each other's company. Upon examining the fossils extracted, one had the appearance of a feather, and the other a shell.
"Well? You dug it up, so you get the first pick," Steven said.
Cynthia, humoured, looked at the fossils carefully. The feather-like fossil did have the qualities of a plume like birds would have, and the other was like a shell similar to other fossils she had seen before. The Pokémon called Shieldon in her homeland also had the round-like properties of this fossil. Feeling for the feather, Cynthia held onto the feather-like fossil and gave the shell-like one to Steven.
"Well, if we ever have more time, let's take a good long look at what these are," Cynthia suggested.
"I agree," Steven replied while putting the fossil in his bag.
They could have spent a few more hours prospecting for treasures in this castle, but eventually they decided to get to Undella Town earlier. Still, digging up a couple fossils was rewarding already and they did to get some rest, after all. The two of them even showed them to their Pokémon when they all got outside and then made their way to Nimbasa City.
"You're not in a hurry, are you?"
"Oh, there's nothing to hurry about. Why?"
"You seem to be walking faster than usual."
"Steven. This bridge is huge. Want to guess how long it would take to walk the whole thing?"
"We could have just flown then, but that would be conspicuous."
"I know, I know…"
They were walking the entire length of Unova's Marvellous Bridge, which joined Nimbasa City with the forest in the east. If they had more time, Steven and Cynthia would have liked to tour the forest for a while, but it was getting dark, and they – and their Pokémon – were getting tired. And not just because of jet lag.
Still, the sights of Marvellous Bridge and the sights from it were still ones to behold. The bridge was a modern one and its architecture was styled such that it put the ones Steven and Cynthia knew about to shame. Then there was the magnificent view of the sunset stretching over the horizon, along with a dimming night sky coloured a vibrant dark orange and midnight blue. Such a sight looked like the perfect backdrop for a wedding proposal. It was just that pretty to see.
Cynthia leaned on Steven's arm as they kept walking quietly. If nothing else, they were simply enjoying each other's company in silence. No words were needed. They only needed each other's presence and that was enough.
"Well, I think we are far enough from the cities and from any people out there," Steven suggested. "What do you say we take to the skies? And save our legs, for once." Togekiss and Skarmory also seemed to agree with Steven's opinion, seeing that it would be very dark by the time they got to their destination.
But Cynthia shook her head and kept her lock on Steven's arm. She wanted to enjoy his company just a little longer.
And it had gotten very dark as the black of night fell by the time they had arrived at Undella Town. The journey from Marvellous Bridge and past the forest had been uneventful too. That aside, the walk together gave them both another shot of nostalgia of their travelling days as Trainers. The two of them remembered the times they would spend countless days travelling around their home regions, training and battling others on the road, and eventually rising up to championship titles. How much more did they spend late evenings doing the same thing!
They were greeted by a welcoming sight of the modest and unassuming Undella Town, with its twinkling lights being small candles in the night, lighting a fire up in the night. It reminded Steven a bit of Cyllage City since Undella Town, similarly, was a seaside community with glamourous views of Undella Bay. Yet there were obvious differences. The town was smaller than Cyllage City and its landscape curved around the bay, and likely because the bay served as the foundation for the town.
It actually had a very, very, strong resemblance to the Resort Area in Sinnoh where Steven had lived in for a while. Steven did not need reminding himself how many times he had used his former villa there as a base while he was extracting and prospecting for rocks, stones, and maybe fossils in the Sinnoh region. Those were old times and he had since sold that villa. But his current villa where he lived now was, and he didn't need reminding either, built to the same specification and design as his former one. His current villa resembled his old one and he was happy with that.
Cynthia's villa was different.
Cynthia could tell, judging from Steven's reaction, that he was surprised at the size of the villa. On the outside, it was considerably smaller than their villas in Cyllage City, but at the very least it looked chic and its design was as conventional as the villas surrounding it. Some of the villas had patios and balconies overlooking the bay while fewer even had swimming pools. Did people even live in these places? Then again, it wasn't peak summer season yet. Steven could only imagine how busy this place would be in hot weather, not that Cyllage City was any different. At the very least, that was good news. It meant that Undella Town was a genuine getaway place, free from media and public attention. No one would guess that two Richissime star-winning chefs would be hiding here.
"It's… not bad," he remarked. "I thought you would have owned something a little bigger."
"To be fair, this place actually isn't mine," Cynthia replied. "Caitlin, an old friend of mine from Sinnoh who has since been living in Unova, owns this villa. But she doesn't stay here a lot, so she doesn't mind me treating this place like home." She took a key from her bag and went to the door, unlocking it and walking in. "After you," she said.
He went in and turned on the lights. As they flickered on, Steven was greeted with an even more modest dwelling compared to Cynthia's villa back at Cyllage City. While his villa pretty extravagant already and Cynthia's was modest by several notches, this villa was quite basic. It had a kitchen, TV, dining table and, behind a wall, a bathroom and bedroom. But that was all. The only thing that did make up for its modesty was the window which had gorgeous views of Undella Bay, which was probably the selling point of this building. But at least it was spacious. There was enough room for all their Pokémon to wander about freely in here and mingle, let alone how many guests this place could hold.
Steven put his bag aside. "I don't suppose we should get some sleep?" he said.
Cynthia nodded and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah… you can shower first if you like. Get all that dust and sand off you."
"Of course," Steven replied.
And Cynthia hadn't expected Steven to kiss her cheek before he went off. That was a surprise! It was as if that was uncharacteristic of him. Then again, hadn't she done something like that to him last week? Perhaps her antics were rubbing off on him.
As Steven went off to shower, Cynthia took a moment to sit on the bed to think about today's events. If there was anything she could reflect on, it probably was that her bond with Steven had grown much closer since the day she set up shop in Cyllage City.
But she soon drifted off to sleep on the sofa, too tired to think any more.
And there's a nice slice of life chapter for you! Leave a review, and you can also have what our lovers had for lunch: the fish stew at the airport. Or you could have a crack at matcha-flavoured chocolates. Or Kelpsy berry soup!