The New Normal – 9-2 – Interlude – Steven & Bruno

(Steven POV)

Steven took a sip of his tea as he waited for his invitee to arrive. There were a few people fluttering around the restaurant at Cianwood, but he thought reserving the entire restaurant just for this meeting would be a bit overkill.

More importantly, it would give off the wrong first impression to the person he was trying to meet. And impressions were everything.

Plus, he enjoyed his brief stopover at Cianwood City. It reminded him greatly of Dewford Town, and he always appreciated any reminder of his home. At least he was returning soon.

The sounds of a chair scraping across the floor dragged him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see his that the person he was hoping to meet had finally arrived. Bruno plopped himself down in the chair, his large muscles making both the chair and table look comically tiny in comparison to him.

Wow, he really was a wall of muscle, wasn't he?

"Thank you for joining me, Bruno. As you know, I'm Steven Stone." He greeted and extended a hand to shake.

"I was surprised at the invitation." Bruno admitted while giving him a firm handshake. "But I am here, so speak."

Someone of his status might have been offended by the lack of politeness in his tone, but Steven had expected such bluntness. And he knew that everyone interacted differently with others.

To secure a working relationship, you had to be able to understand how the other person preferred to communicate and adapt yourself to match it. That was how you avoided stepping on any toes.

So he immediately dropped any intention of using his more 'fanciful' language, "Frankly speaking, I wish to challenge you."

"Done." Bruno said immediately, as he knew he would. It was why he started off with this, after all. "When and where?"

Steven chuckled, knowing he had his attention, "It could be now if you like."

Bruno let out a grunt and almost stood up from his chair, but Steven waved him down, "Just a second, if you please. I do have other topics I wanted to discuss with you outside of this battle."

Bruno shot him a quizzical look, but there was no impatience there. "Go on."

"I would like you to join me in my return to Hoenn." Steven stated directly, not bothering to sugarcoat his words, "I believe I have many opportunities available to you that would help both of us progress our mutual goals."

Bruno didn't react at his words, but he did say, "Explain."

"I would like to hire you as my personal trainer." Steven revealed, "I understand that your ambition is to pursue martial excellence, and I seek to be the strongest trainer in Hoenn. I believe we can help each other."

If Steven were a lesser person, then he would have missed how Bruno had been constantly watching him. Bruno's eyes were sharp; almost like they didn't miss anything. The man was seeing if Steven was worth his time. Just like Steven was judging Bruno.

Steven never understood how anyone could see Bruno and think of him as a mere dumb brute. This man was far more intelligent than his brutish appearance let on.

"Why me?" He asked.

"You are strong. But more importantly, you are one of the worst matchups for me to fight against." Steven explained, "My Pokémon are built on defense and wearing the enemy down, but I believe you will be able to overcome such tactics. If I am to defeat the Elite Four and the Champion in a clean sweep, then I must make myself as strong as possible."

The idea of a challenge must have resonated in Bruno's eyes, because Steven saw a faint of approval reach his eyes, "When is your challenge?"

"Before the end of the next circuit." Steven answered, "I must become strong enough to overcome them by then."

Bruno fell into thought, but Steven continued, "In return, you will have my full backing and resources to pursue whatever you require. I will fund all of your activities during your employ-"

"I want to fight strong trainers." Bruno cut him off, and Steven was about to respond before Bruno elaborated, "Indigo has become stale for me. I have exhausted the list of trainers that I am able to fight and learn from. I wish to expand my horizons and challenge new foes. Acquire them for me."

"…What kind of foes are you seeking?" Steven wished to clarify.

"Everyone. For the journey to better myself is without end." Bruno declared with utter conviction.

And in that moment, all Steven could see was the look of a man that had worked himself to achieve a singular goal, and demanded nothing less than perfection from himself as he sought to achieve it.

It reminded him of himself.

(Bruno POV)

The businessman was an interesting man. Even though Bruno was intentionally being difficult with his demands and his bluntness, Steven didn't seem bothered at all by his relatively rude way of speaking. Many of the richer scions that he had battled against would have already lost their temper and walked out of the meeting after Bruno failed to address them with the 'appropriate' respect.

The fact that Steven seemed different bought him his politeness. The fact that Steven seemed to understand to not waste his time bought him his attention. The fact that Steven had an curious offer bought his interest.

And Steven's offer did intrigue him. He knew about Steven's battling ability, and to be able to repeatedly test himself against a strong opponent like Steven was not something he would quickly turn down. But the ability to test himself against any and all trainers in Hoenn, within reason, was something he was quite interested in.

Sure, he could have made the challenges without Steven's help, but it would take considerably more time. He recognized that his reputation was still not at the point where trainers would come running for a battle against him just because he asked.

And he wasn't stupid. Money talked. While he wasn't a materialistic person, he appreciated the conveniences money could bring for him. Money that Steven had in boatloads.

Though it didn't show on his face, he inwardly chuckled at the image of all of Steven's net worth being gathered in one place. Would he be able to lift all that money?

The sounds of Steven's fingers tapping on the table drew his attention back. Steven was thinking hard about this, carefully weighing the pros and cons of his proposal.

It only took a moment though, and Bruno saw the flash of decisiveness appear in Steven's eyes. He approved – you needed to be confident in your decisions.

"I accept." Steven agreed. "We can get something more formal drafted soon."

"Let us hope this is the start of a fruitful friendship." Steven added, and a familiar glint of cunning flashed through the businessman's eyes. Most would have missed it.

He did not.

"Agreed." He replied as their eyes met and their hands shook.

As he stared into Steven's eyes, he imagined himself shaking his hands with a snake. But a snake with a steel spine, and one that understood the value of integrity. Steven had not once tried to manipulate him in this meeting, and the respect was obvious in his eyes.

Even in this brief meeting, Bruno knew what kind of man Steven was. A cunning and ruthless businessman, but tempered by his sense of responsibility and his genuine respect for integrity. Ambitious, but not obsessively so.

An interesting fellow. Maybe he'll learn more in their upcoming fight.

A.N. The beginnings of a VERY unlikely friendship. Steven and Bruno are practically opposites in every way that matters. But I had an inspired thought and wanted to see if I could make a friendship happen despite these differences. Hope you liked it!

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