"We've got post." Steven held up an envelope.

"We?" Wallace looked closer to see it had both of their names on it. He wondered who could possibly be mailing them and knowing they lived together. Nearly everyone in the know had their numbers.

Steven opened it up and Wallace moved to read over his shoulder. "Well, this should be fun."

It was an invitation to the Unova region to participate in the Pokémon World Tournament. It seemed to be the biggest gathering of the best trainers ever attempted in their lifetimes.

"You do want to go, right?"

"I look forward to it," Wallace said as his Nav rang. "Winona! You called just as I got some interesting news… Oh? Well, that's great, that's just what I was calling about."

The mainline rang and Steven picked it up. "Oh, hello, Juan… Yeah, he's talking to Winona… Same, we're going to go… Uh-huh, both of us…"

They both ended their calls and waited for a moment wondering if there would be another call.

"You do realise we'll be going up against other champions, right?" Wallace asked.

Steven nodded. "We should train. We might even get to face each other again. I still haven't had my revenge for you beating me all those years ago."

"You wouldn't beat me on an international stage, would you, dear?"

"Hey, it's my pride on the line too. Every region will be watching." Steven's face changed, as if he'd just realised something. "Oh, can we make a holiday out of this? I want to see their caves while we're there."

Wallace couldn't help but laugh. This was exactly the response he should have been expecting when they opened that letter.

Unova was a nice place to be in the spring. It was so different to what Wallace was used to, but it did make a pleasant change. The fact that he was there with all the gym leaders from Hoenn was also a great experience. He got to spend some quality time with Winona and Juan, something he'd been doing less of since he and Steven got together, but he also got to meet leaders he'd faced during his own journey as well as some new faces. Tate and Liza were a surprise, they looked just like their parents who used to run the Mossdeep gym. Yet the most interesting part was sitting down with all the other champions from the other regions. To think that this group of people were the best from their respective region really did make him wonder how different the places were. He was pleased to see that he and Steven weren't the only double champions. Red and Blue seemed to be sharing the crown, but Alder was only here because Iris had invited him, having recently taken over.

Then there was Cynthia. Wallace had wondered what it would be like to meet her. If someone had asked him to pair people based on how they looked he would have put them together straight away. Her black attire was a perfect complement to Steven's and it made her look just as intimidating.

Wallace watched as Steven greeted her, suddenly aware that they were about to be introduced and he had no idea what to say.

"Ah, the famous Wallace," she said, holding out a hand. He shook it as she continued, "I'm a big fan of yours. I was hoping you'd come and participate in Sinnoh's Grand Festival some time."

"Oh? Really?" He was flattered. It dawned on him that he was actually one of the more famous champions here. "I didn't realise I had fans overseas. Maybe I will make the trip."

He noticed Steven grinning. "Can we make a trip out of that too? I really want to go to Iron Island."

"Isn't that the part where you offer to look after the league?" Cynthia asked.

"As Champion I reserve the right to close it at any time."

"With the amount of time you spend in caves you'll need to find a replacement champion or face months' worth of complaints."

Wallace watched on and it didn't take much to see why these two were friends. She got his humour also more than Wallace himself did.

"…Yeah, well then I'll have to beat you."

"You have no chance, surely you realise that?"

Wallace had lost track of the conversation, but suddenly Steven was at his side trying to drag him into it. Cynthia was staring at him and he noticed she was actually quite tall, almost level with him.

"Maybe you could beat me," she said to him. "But you," she looked at Steven, "are going down."

"Have you two never battled?" Wallace asked.

"We did," Cynthia said.

"And I won." Steven was smiling and Cynthia lightly hit his head.

"You caught me at a bad time. I would have won if I was expecting to find you just digging about in Victory Road."

Wallace laughed, he honestly couldn't have imagined a better first-meeting story.

"But you had already said you'd meet me."

"Not then, not there. That wasn't what we agreed."

As he watched them argue, feeling that he was in for a long couple of weeks. It seemed that he'd be hanging out with other people when these two were together.

Steven and Cynthia did settle down after their first reunion, but Wallace still decided to take the opportunity to meet new people. He found Lance to be an interesting person to talk to, someone who had a similar team to him. While he ran a water/ice team, Lance was more of a dragon/flying person, but nearly all the other champions had variable teams. He also wore a cloak which instantly made him seem cooler. Through his conversations with Lance he met Iris who was also a master dragon trainer. They tried to convince him that he should get a dragon for his team.

He also decided to visit the gym leaders, after all he could have been here representing Sootopolis rather than Juan if he had returned to the gym sooner, but he was glad he hadn't, nothing was better than having all of his favourite people here. Juan introduced him to the other water specialists, the most popular type there. It was just like Cynthia had said, he was a popular person. Of the 4 leaders before him only Crasher Wake hadn't heard of him. They were an easy bunch to talk to and he wished he had the chance to face off against them to see who the best water trainer was. He suggested they have an unofficial tournament amongst themselves at some point.

It wasn't mandatory for all of the participants to watch each tournament, but Wallace sat in for a fair few, after all when was he ever likely to see something like this again? He made sure not to miss any of the Hoenn ones, water and flying-type tournaments. As their champion and friend he felt he should be there for support. Overall, the World Tournament was tough on those who had been asked to represent their regions, with morning, afternoon and evening sessions they would battle against other superb trainers with one non-league opponent hoping to make their way to the top. Of course that person had to compete in preliminaries to even get that far. He couldn't wait to see who would make it to the champion tournaments. He was sat in the Hoenn evening session when he realised just who would make it in a tournament like this. The girl facing Flannery was older now, but he recognised her and the determination in her eyes. May stood ready to battle and Flannery smiled, more than aware of who this was. If May was here then surely her friend had followed. It would only be a matter of time before Brendan popped up.

Sure enough the first champion tournament featured him, facing off against Steven who was more than happy for a rematch. Wallace took down Blue in a drawn out battle, only to be beaten by Brendan in the next round. That kid was here to win and not even the silent but deadly Red could stop him from taking home the first title. Wallace was luckier in some of the other matches, stealing a win from Cynthia that evening, but he knew that May would probably be in the next day's matches, waiting to beat them all.

The PWT was the most amazing battle experience he'd ever had. Nothing compared to fighting against some of the greatest trainers of the time. It wasn't often he was unsure of whether he could win a battle, but then again back in Hoenn he didn't go looking for tournaments, much preferring to compete in a non-violent contest.

On the last night everyone who had participated, even the non-league participants, were invited to attend a closing party. It was a chance for them to all say goodbye before returning to their home regions. Wallace wondered how many of these people he would actually see again. He had plans to travel to Kanto and Sinnoh to the Grand Festivals, but whether he would actually see anyone was another matter. Misty promised to meet him at the Kanto festival one year, and Cynthia would be there for the Sinnoh one. He made the most of talking to everyone he imagined he'd never see again, especially May and Brendan who would probably drop off the radar again after this.

Steven was spending his time with Cynthia, Lance and Clair, the four of them were sitting round a table with a bottle of wine between them. From where Wallace was sitting they looked like the next Elite Four, ready to take on everyone in the room. Since arriving in Unova he hadn't spent much time with Steven, he preferred to watch the tournaments while Steven would run off to the nearest caves seeing as the champions didn't have to do anything until the last few days. He was looking forward to going home and spending time together after what seemed like a fortnight of not seeing him.

A lot of them ended up staying to socialise until well after midnight. The numbers were slowly dwindling, but Wallace was still there talking to Fantina, a fellow coordinator Juan had introduced him to. Their paths hadn't crossed much, so they had only just properly gotten to know each other. Another person who promised to meet him at the Sinnoh Grand Festival and the way she spoke made him worry that she would beat him. At least Misty was a cool competitor, so she wasn't direct competition unlike Fantina.

By the time Wallace was ready to leave he found that everyone he knew had already left. He'd honestly been expecting to see Steven still around, but clearly he still was somewhere because when Wallace got back to their room Steven wasn't there. Maybe he and his little group had gone elsewhere. He wasn't worried, but he still thought he'd call to check and put his mind at rest. The Nav rang, but no one picked up. He tried again a few minutes later, but there was still no answer. Now he couldn't help but worry just a little. He knew where Cynthia's room was, so he took a trip upstairs. If she was in she would probably know where he was, and if she was out then at least he knew that Steven was probably out with them and he'd just have to live with not knowing.

His hand stopped inches from the door when he heard sounds from inside. It couldn't be… He wanted to believe that what he was hearing was innocent fun, he really did. The only way to be sure was to press his ear to the door. After all, the deeper voice could be anyone. The rhythmic sound of movement accompanied with laboured breathing told him that his initial instinct was right, but he still couldn't tell who she was with. It felt so wrong to stand there listening to this, but he needed to know that it wasn't Steven. Whoever was with her was quieter and hadn't said anything else since before he pressed his ear to the door. Every moment that the other person stayed silent made him more certain that it was Steven.

"Touch them, Steven."

Wallace pulled away from the door. That was all he needed to hear. Anger rose within him and he raised his fist to hit the door. But he faltered, not wanting to see either of them if they answered the door. Instead he rushed down the stairs and stood in the corridor housing the Hoenn participants. Right now he really wanted to talk to Winona… He dialled her number and after a few rings she picked up.

"Wallace?"

"Are you still up?"

"I am now."

"I'm sorry for waking you. Don't worry, I'll talk to you later."

"No, I'm listening. Has something happened?"

He began to walk down the hall. "I just…I need someone to talk to."

"I'm listening, please don't cry."

He paused to collect himself and Winona opened her door. She took his hand and led him inside. "Shall I make some tea?"

Wallace nodded solemnly.

By the time they were both seated with a cup in hand Winona was more awake and Wallace had pulled himself together somewhat.

"So, tell me everything."

Wallace blurted out everything he knew about Steven and Cynthia's relationship and what he had just heard. "…They're just so perfect together. I can see it when I see them together. Why would he ever chose me over her?"

Winona put an arm around him and shushed him. "You just said that they tried and broke it off and you also just told me that he said he's only ever loved you. So, why are you doubting your worth? I'm not trying to excuse whatever's going on upstairs, but I think you need to believe in yourself just a bit more. Wait until tomorrow and see if he says anything. If he doesn't mention it then I'm here to back you up in kicking his ass."

"Thank you."

"Seriously though, from what I've seen, he does care for you so much more than you give him credit for. I'd be surprised if he doesn't come begging for you to forgive him."

"Should I? Does he deserve forgiveness? Can I trust him?"

"Well, that all depends on what he says. Honestly I don't want to deal with you being heartbroken, but if you don't want to be with him anymore, then that's up to you. Do what you feel is right."

Wallace ended up staying in Winona's room that night, not wanting to be woken if Steven returned before he had gotten a good night's sleep. He hadn't been up long when there was a knock on Winona's door. She answered it, looking as cool and composed as could be.

"You haven't seen Wallace have you?" he could hear Steven ask.

"No, have you lost him?" she asked.

"Yeah, and he won't answer his Nav either. I, uh, lost track of things last night. I've got some missed calls from him at about 2am so I'm worried."

Wallace looked at his Nav to see no less than 5 missed calls.

"Maybe he's gone out for a walk. I'll keep an eye out though." Her voice dropped to a whisper and he couldn't make out what she said before closing the door.

"What was that last bit?" Wallace asked.

"Just a bit of advice," Winona said as she resumed packing. Most of them were leaving today, Wallace included. "I'd probably give him some time before you meet."

Winona kept him busy helping her until she decided that he could go back to his room.

Steven was sitting there idly sipping a glass of water. "Wallace!" He jumped up and attempted to reach out for a hug, but Wallace put a hand up to stop him. "I was worried –"

Wallace cut him off with a quick slap to the cheek. He was worried? "How could you?"

Steven saw Wallace's stern expression and his face fell. "I…" This wasn't how he'd wanted it to go. How had word travelled so fast? The shame that he felt stopped him from looking at Wallace when he next spoke, instead staring at his shoes. "Wallace, I can't apologise enough. The excuse that I had one too many glasses of wine isn't good enough, so there isn't really an excuse for what I did. I'm just a terrible person. Who told you?"

"I did."

Steven's eyes were wide when he looked up, regret plastered across his face. "I…fuck." Silence filled the room. "I'm so, so sorry. All I can say is I'm sorry you found out that way. The last thing I want to say is that it was a stupid, idiotic mistake and that to me it meant nothing. I still love you, Wallace. I love you exclusively, but I understand if you don't want to see me anymore." With that Steven left the room.

Wallace barely held it together for a few seconds more, the tears he'd been holding in came pouring out. He loved this man so much and he could see just how much Steven regretted it all and that just made him hurt even more. But if this was part of Steven's character then maybe it was for the best that they end it before Wallace was hurt again.

Just as he was pulling himself back together he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"How did it go?" Winona asked softly.

"You were right," he sniffed. "He cares so much and I just can't hold it against him because I love him so much. But it still hurts."

She rubbed his back. "Well then I think everything's going to be okay."

The plane ride back was as awkward as could be. The pair of them hadn't had the time to properly sort things out, in fact the only thing that had happened was Winona had told Steven that Wallace wasn't going to disown him. Now they sat with Winona and Juan between them, neither mentioning anything. Wallace was aware that Steven would be able to hear their conversation and Juan pretty much had no idea what had happened, no one wanting to start going into details right there.

"Are you going back to Ever Grande?" Steven asked when Wallace didn't move as the plane touched down in Sootopolis.

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I do too?" Steven looked so uncomfortable.

"No." Wallace leaned over and touched his shoulder lightly, just a little something to diffuse some of the tension.

When they arrived home they unpacked in near silence before resting on the sofa. They sat at each end, neither of them knowing how to start the conversation.

"Wallace…" Steven hadn't really planned how he was going to voice any of his feelings, but he couldn't take the silence any longer. "I hate to just ask for your forgiveness, especially in a matter like this, but I don't know what else to do. How do I prove that I love you more than anything? I thought about giving you my most treasured stone, but what does that prove? It's a material object that can't ever match up to what I'm trying to say. I could go out tomorrow and find a more amazing stone that I preferred, but you…I could never replace you." Steven placed his hand out on the sofa, hoping that Wallace would take it. "I could tell you over and over how much I love you and never want to let you go, but they're only words."

Wallace placed his hand on top of Steven's and the other gripped it, not willing to let the other go now.

"I don't know what else to say… Please say something, Wallace."

Wallace sighed. "I love you so much, but you really hurt me. I want to forgive you for a drunken mistake, I want to believe that you'd never do something like that in your right mind. But I don't know if I still have the same trust and belief in you. For one, if this happens every time you've had a little too much then I don't think I can live with it."

"I promise you - I promise every rock I own that this was a one off."

"I want to believe you, but I think we need to have a break." It hurt him to say it, but he knew it was for the best.

Steven looked sad as he whispered "Okay."

Wallace stood up and said nothing more for the rest of the night.