There are several places Lucian would have enjoyed vacationing and he was adamant that Hoenn was not one of them. There was a distinct lack of psychic Pokemon here and it was dreadfully hot and humid. This type of weather was not something he would miss when he returned to Sinnoh. It had been Cynthia's idea that everyone takes a vacation. She had insisted that they were working too hard and deserved a break. In Hoenn. In the summer. It was no secret that she liked to drag him to other regions on a whim, and oftentimes the others, but Hoenn in the summer for a vacation was a new one. He was admittedly a little intrigued by some of the places he had visited. The Museum in Slateport City had been rather interesting. He had stopped in Mossdeep to see the Space Center While he was there he had been challenged by the twin gym leaders after they caught him enjoying a walk with Girafarig. There had also been the Weather Institution. That one had been a bit more boring than the other places. Now he found himself wandering around in the ruins west of Lilycove City in search of psychic Pokemon. The odd brail on the walls had been rather curious, but given he didn't understand it he didn't linger. The damp cave air had felt glorious against his scorching skin, though the dim light did little to help the pulsing in his head. He pushed deeper into the cave, but after deciding that there were no psychic Pokemon here, he hadn't run into a single Pokemon at all really, he turned back. He was nearing the place where he first found the brail when a bark caught his attention. He looked down to find a small Pokemon covered in a steel-like armor. He couldn't recall having seen a Pokemon like this before.

"Aron, don't wander too far."

Lucian's head snapped up in the direction of the voice, the sudden movement making him realize just how dizzy he was feeling. The voice likely belonged to the sliver tufts of hair poking out from behind a rock. The small Pokemon barked again and took Lucian's pant leg in his mouth, giving a firm tug. He sighed and followed the strange Pokemon.

"Aron?"

The voice called out again and Lucian wondered if he should announce himself. Everything felt so foggy now that he wasn't sure if this was all real or a hallucination. When the Pokemon didn't respond to its trainer, the man pulled himself up and peeked over the rock. Lucian's heart skipped a beat, making him suddenly feel dizzier when he realized the voice belonged to Steven Stone. The champion of Hoenn was standing in front of him in an abandoned ruin and he could barely stand up straight.

"Lucian? What in the world are you doing here?" Steven blinked before getting to his feet.

"I-" Lucian stopped to clear his throat when his voice came out hoarse "I was exploring these ruins hoping to find a new Pokemon for my team. More importantly, why are you here?" He blinked hard as the world around him began to spin. What was happening to him?

"I have been looking into these ruins for a few months now. There's a set of three across the region and…" Steven trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he studied Lucian "Forget that. Are you well?"

Lucian was taken aback by the sudden change in Steven's tone. It was serious now. "I'm fine, I think. Just a bit tired." He took a step back as Steven cleared the distance between them in moments. The shorter champion seemed to be studying him closely and it was making him a bit uncomfortable.

"Lucian, you're flushed."

Lucian could feel the heat radiating from his body so he wasn't too surprised by that. The blistering Hoenn weather was not doing him any favors. His eyes widened as a shiver passed over him and he pulled his suit jacket tighter. He watched as Steven's frown deepened.

"How long have you been out in this heat dressed like that?" Steven tilted his head as if in thought.

"Dressed like what?" Lucian questioned. It was at that moment that his body began to sway and the world spun dizzyingly. He was freezing now and he shuttered. Suddenly Steven was wrapping Lucian's arm over his shoulder and dragging him over to the wall of the cave.

"Lucian?"

Steven's voice sounded urgent. Was something happening? He thought they were simply talking. Steven wasn't one to express worry freely.

"Lucian, look at me."

Why did Steven sound so worried? He looked up at the champion. He hated that the younger man looked so upset. "I'm fine." He mumbled.

"I need you to tell me how long you have been out in this heat," Steven said as he knelt in front of Lucian.

"I left the Pokemon center around eight I think?" Lucian couldn't be sure. Everything felt fuzzy and his body ached as it shivered. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Steven curse quietly.

"It's after five. Lucian, you aren't acclimated to this type of heat." Steven pressed his palm against Lucian's cheek and then forehead "You're burning up. We need to get you back to the Pokemon Center. Have you had any water?"

Lucian shook his head. He had given the last of his water to Girafarig. Steven cursed again. He must be hallucinating now.

"Okay." Steven started with a sigh as he quickly packed everything up into his bag "You're going to hate me for a bit, but Cynthia would kill me if I left you here like this. Up you go." Steven pulled Lucian up, struggling a bit under Lucian's weight and his bag. He recalled Aron to his ball and continued. "Just try to stay awake for me."

Lucian did his best to follow Steven's instructions, but he was so tired. He couldn't remember the last time he was this tired. He listened to Steven ramble about his Pokemon and various rocks he found in the cave. He wasn't expecting any response given the way he kept talking. He was trying to keep Lucian conscious. It worked for the most part. The two were nearing town when the spots began to dance in his blurred vision. That was strange. His glasses are supposed to help with the light sensitivity. Why did his eyes burn? That was the last thought he had before everything went black.

The next thing Lucian knew he was being carried by something cold and hard. The voices floating in the air around him sounded distant like they were underwater. Most of them sounded concerned, at least he thought so, but one was calm and instructive. He tried to force his eyes open, but despite the effort to do so, they stayed closed. He had to. Steven was worried about him and he needed to prove that he was okay. He took a steadying breath and forced his eyes open. His eyes widened when he realized that he was being carried by a huge steel Pokemon.

"Relax. This is Aggron. He won't hurt you."

Lucian turned his head to the side to find Steven walking alongside the Pokemon. The champion looked relieved, but still concerned. Lucian would need to apologize for worrying him. "I can walk now."

"You blacked out. I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I might need help, but I can walk." Lucian was already embarrassed being carried through the Pokemon center by a Pokemon like he was a child. He couldn't let his pride fall anymore.

"Fine." Steven conceded after a moment of thought. He helped Lucian stand before recalling Aggron and pulling Lucian's arm over his shoulder "I have Nurse Joy preparing a cold bath. That will help bring your temperature down." Steven explained as he opened the door to his room.

Lucian didn't complain as Steven practically dragged him into the room and dropped him on the bed. Lucian had stopped sweating by now and was sitting there shivering. He felt pretty bad if he were being honest. He glanced up when Steven sighed.

"This is the part where you start hating me. We need to get your core temperature back down so-"

"I'm not sick." Lucian cut Steven off shortly. Why was Steven treating him like he was sick? Sure, he didn't feel very well, but he wasn't sick.

"You are suffering from heat exhaustion." Steven explained patiently "You aren't sick in the normal sense. Your body can't cool off and it is causing your core temperature to rise. If we don't get it under control soon you could end up in the hospital. The next step up is heat stroke."

Lucian wanted to protest, but Steven's patience and worry made him think better of it. "Very well."

"Good. Now let's get you cooled off." Steven hesitated for a moment before moving closer to Lucian and unbuttoning his maroon jacket. He could tell Lucian was uncomfortable with this, but it had to be done. Once he had helped Lucian out of his jacket, he pulled at the hem of his shirt and tugged it over his head, revealing a black tank top. "You are crazy for wearing this many layers of clothes. No wonder you feel so bad." He scolded gently.

Lucian had not been expecting to be scolded by Steven, but something told him that the champion was probably right. He watched as Steven discarded the clothes on the floor and pressed his palm against his forehead, his frown somehow deepening more.

"You feel warmer than before. The bath should be about ready. Come on."

Lucian obediently followed after Steven on wobbling legs. He just wanted to sleep, but going to the hospital didn't sound like a good vacation idea. He was led to one of the larger bathrooms in the Pokemon center and the chill in the air told him the water wasn't warm. Great. He was already freezing and now he had to take a cold bath. He stared at Steven as he simply stood there. Was he really expecting Lucian to get in while he was there? Absolutely not happening.

"I won't watch obviously, but I can't leave you here alone after you blacked out earlier."

It was as if Steven had read his thoughts or perhaps the other man was uncomfortable with the whole situation too. Either way, Lucian was grateful when Steven turned his back to him. He slowly undressed, his lethargic movements clumsy and uncoordinated. He tested the water with his hand and hissed as the water was icy. "Can't we warm the water up?" He pleaded.

"No. We need to bring your temperature down. It's not as cold as you think it is. Your body is feverish so it feels colder. I did say you would hate me for a bit."

"I wouldn't say 'hate' per say." Lucian forced through clenched teeth "But this is not how I planned to spend today." Those words were truer than he cared for. He was naked in a cold bath with the Hoenn champion standing on the other side of the room. He had collapsed in front of said champion and been carried by one of his Pokemon. He had somehow managed to get himself sick too. Today was going great. Absolutely perfect. It took moments before his slow shivering escalated to full tremors. He could feel his teeth chattering and the ache in his muscles somehow felt worse than before. All of this just exasperated his headache. They spent the rest of the time in silence until Steven turned around and approached the tub. "W-what-" Lucian started dumbly.

"Checking your temperature," Steven replied softly.

Lucian noted how he was doing his best to avert his eyes as he pressed the back of his hand to Lucian's head. He must be doing better because Steven seemed to relax a bit. It was only his shoulders that gave it away, the concerned frown was still firmly in place.

"I think it's been long enough. You are not shaking as badly and you feel cooler. Here." He offered out a towel and turned back around.

If Lucian was in a better headspace, he might have said the champion looked embarrassed. He quickly dried off and put his clothes back on. He let Steven lead him back to the bedroom. He felt…not as bad. It's still nowhere close to normal, but still less bad.

"You can stay here today. Once you are feeling better then you can leave." Steven was still doing his best to avoid looking at Lucian. "If you want, that is. I'm not going to kick you out obviously." He added quickly.

That was beginning to bother him. After Alola, he thought they were making progress, but now it seemed as if Steven was being just as aloof as before. "I can go now if it's a problem." The words were colder than he meant for them to be, but he felt horrible and would love to just go to bed.

"Problem?" Steven's eyes snapped up "You being here is no problem. What made you say that?"

Lucian had not been expecting that type of reaction from Steven. "I just…you seemed uncomfortable with me here. By the way, why are you helping?"

Steven sighed and took the heavier blanket off of the bed, leaving only the sheets, and gestured for Lucian to lay down "Just rest for now. We can talk later. You probably want to take off as many layers of clothing as you can. It will help you cool off faster."

Lucian blinked in confusion before stripping down to his boxers and tank top and crawling into the bed. He flinched when a bottle of water was pressed against his cheek. It felt cold despite having been sitting out.

"Drink. You are dehydrated. Slowly so you don't make yourself sick."

Lucian complied and gratefully took the water. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was until the water hit his tongue. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Steven spoke quietly.

"You helped me when I was sick in Alola."

Lucian couldn't be certain given that Steven had his back turned to him, but Steven's voice was quiet and softer than before as he added. The lack of context left him confused.

"Pardon?"

"You asked why I was helping you. You helped me when I was sick."

"I did," Lucian confirmed, still not really following.

"Besides…we're friends."