Steven Stone was a man of many hats. He was the champion of the Hoenn League. He was also the heir to the prestigious Devon Corporation while also working for his father in said company. He was a world-renowned geologist, paleontologist, and archaeologist. A leading mind in two of the fields nonetheless. Even among his peers, Steven Stone was a name that commanded respect. He had managed to keep his personal life private and completely separate from business, having few friends. That had created the illusion of aloofness. He was rarely found outside of the league save for mandatory social events or business meetings, though even some of those he attended virtually. It was one of the rare times where none of the above applied to his absence from the league. Wallace had asked him for a favor. It was a strange favor, Steven mused, but not unreasonable. Wallace, along with three other master class coordinators, had been tasked with helping expand the contest hall in Rustboro City and requested assistance from Steven. He had wondered at first if it was due to Devon's resources, but Wallace had assured him that he was asked only because they were friends. Wallace had been worried about falling behind schedule given they only had a month left before the grand opening. Steven had agreed and cleared any matches for the upcoming month and made the trip to Rustboro City. A fair amount of his job could be done remotely and being in town meant any Devon business could be handled easily in person if needed. His research on mega stones could be put on hold for a month. The first day he had arrived in town was spent getting settled in the hotel and later that night he enjoyed a quiet dinner with Wallace and Roxanne.

The second day he woke earlier than even he was used to and met Wallace at a small café a few blocks from the contest hall for a to-go coffee. They were the first ones to arrive at the hall, by no surprise given it was still dark out, and set to work. Within the hour, however, more and more people arrived. Everyone fell into place and work seemed to be progressing quickly. Steven suspected Wallace was being overly cautious about the timeline and was pushing to finish early given how much was finished by the time he had arrived to help. His best friend was a walking paradox if he had ever known one. He was carefree and generally went with the flow, but when it came down to it, he would over-prepare. In a way, it was the perfect contrast to Steven's careful nature. Steven hated anything he was unable to control. He found it stressful trying to plan for so many unknown factors. Wallace often told him that he should just let things happen as they were going to, but the idea alone made him stressed.

At the end of the day, Wallace had suggested they go out for a bit. Steven had agreed reluctantly and followed Wallace to a small bar that was tucked away in between a restaurant and a theater. He was familiar with the theater and restaurant but had never paid much mind to the bar. The theater was something he always meant to check out and according to Roxanne, they did weekly performances. They were in the part of town that most people thought of as the 'rich area', but in reality, it was no different than the rest of the city. The strip where they were generally held a more elite crowd, but that was really the only difference. The door to the small establishment was at ground level where there were two large men checking IDs before letting people down a large ramp that seemed to lead down to the under level. That was where they were heading. Steven wondered, not for the first time, how he ended up at an upscale bar with Wallace. He was perhaps more surprised that there were familiar faces among the patrons of the establishment. He had grown accustomed to hanging around Wallace long ago and his antics were nothing new, but a place like this was new even for Wallace. He looked around once more after ordering his drink. He noticed a table off to the side that had three familiar faces. The twin sons of a business partner of his father and the son of a politician from Slateport City. They were sitting with two women he didn't recognize, but it seemed, if he were to guess, that it was business-related. Another table was occupied by two top-ranking coordinators from earlier. He didn't know their names but recognized the two women from watching Wallace. The man at the table was a complete unknown. There was a woman at the bar alone who he thought was the owner of a large cosmetics franchise. The bar itself was dimly lit with a large stage that drew attention as soon as you walked in. A polished grand piano occupied a corner of the stage. It seemed as if it were open to anyone since several of the unknown customers rotated playing a mixture of gentle melodies and upbeat tunes. It was only when the piano stopped and the sounds of a guitar drifted throughout the room that Steven turned his attention back to the stage. He didn't understand the strange look on Wallace's face at first. It was almost…amused but also annoyed. The person playing was the male coordinator from the other table. He turned away and took another sip of his drink. He allowed himself one when out with Wallace, but since he didn't care to drink one would last him the night. He turned to ask Wallace if he needed to bring anything to the contest hall in the morning, but the look in his friend's eye stopped him. "Are you alright, Wallace?" He whispered, his voice barely audible over the music.

Fair maid by day
Her lips are sweet, her words a gentle trill

"Me? I'm fine." Wallace replied with a shrug.

A beast by night, my love takes flight, her fangs sharp for the kill
I kiss my dear and thrill with fear, she haunts my waking dreams

"Very well," Steven replied. He could tell when Wallace was lying and he wasn't. He found Wallace's strange turn in attitude odd, but he would question it later. He was about to ask his question again, but this time was interrupted by the music getting closer. Wait closer? He turned around on his stool and came face to face with the singer. He had been moving throughout the crowd in a flirtatious and seductive manner, but Steven didn't think he would be near them.

Her whisper dancing in my ear: All is not as it seems

He shot a glare at the man when he leaned in close and brushed his shoulder against Wallace before twirling away and landing on the stool next to Steven. Steven's breath caught in his throat when his eyes locked with teal orbs. The man's skin was paler than he could imagine being healthy, but it was somehow beautiful. He had black hair that was cut short with longer bangs, yet it fit his face perfectly. Steven shot another glare when he leaned in and gave a wink, not hiding the fact that he was checking him out, before dancing away. His clothes were tight and likely meant to be seductive. Something around his neck caught his attention. It twinkled a deep red and was shaped like a dragon claw. It was a very strange piece, but it was enough to earn attention. He concluded after another twinkle that it was ruby.

Beware all who meet her

Steven hated to admit that the man had a pleasant voice. He was perhaps objectively attractive as well, but his personality made him an automatic no. What made it even worse was that his Leavanny was dancing along with him. "Who does that guy think he is?"

"His stage name is Echo. I think his name is actually Alexander or something." Wallace answered without taking his eyes from the dancing man "He's a pain, but a skilled coordinator. He also does theater during our off-season I think. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him. He lives here in Rustboro."

"I feel there is a good reason we have yet to meet," Steven commented as Alexander danced around the crowd. He was fairly certain that the man hadn't been at the contest hall earlier in the day.

There's venom in her ruby lips, there's ice gone
Through her veins
My mistress gives me many gifts: sharp pleasures and sweet pains

Steven tried to get a read on the other people in the room. Most seemed swayed by the luring tune, but a few looked indifferent. Was he the only one who found this to be annoying? He moved his hand to take another sip of his drink when his fingers brushed against something under the glass. He glanced down at a folded napkin. Curiosity stirred inside him so he unfolded it. It was a phone number. Seriously? Of all the people who had given him a phone number, this man was last on the list of people he would call. He nudged Wallace with his elbow before passing the napkin to him.

"I wouldn't. He's bad news." Wallace warned. He took a sip of his drink before continuing "If the rumors are to be believed that is."

"How do you know him?" Steven asked idly. He was curious about the person who managed to get Wallace of all people riled up.

"Met him on the circuit a few years ago. Seemed okay at first, but then he…I dunno. Something just rubs me the wrong way with him. He's insufferable." Wallace finished his drink and stood with a sigh "Let's just get out of here."

"Yeah, sure." Steven was not hurt by the idea of going back to his quiet hotel room. He expected the walk to be quiet, but Wallace seemed to be back to normal and was chattering about the plans for the hall. Steven simply nodded and hummed at the appropriate times. He was listening, but he couldn't stop thinking about those teal eyes. They were such an unusual color. The way his eyes seemed to sway with the music had him entranced. Who was the handsome stranger that Wallace disliked so? "Yeah, probably." He replied to Wallace.

"You aren't listening, are you?" Wallace sighed "I asked which hotel you were staying at."

"Ah, my apologies. I promise I was mostly listening. I'm at the Sky Tower." Steven chuckled. What was his problem tonight? He gave his head a good shake "Sorry Wallace, I'm just a little tired."

"You worked hard today. Go get some rest. I will see you in the morning." Wallace flashed a reassuring smile before parting with Steven.

It was with that Steven returned to his hotel room, still in a daze. He must have been far more jet-lagged than he originally thought. He was out like a light as soon as he finished his nightly routine and checked in with Glacia.

The next morning followed the previous day. He met with Wallace at the café again for coffee and they went to the contest hall. He had to reassure the water specialist that he was fine after last night. He must have really seemed out of it.

"Wallace!"

The duo turned to see who had yelled and came face to face with the man from the bar. Alexander, Steven recalled. He looked completely different from the bar. His clothes were far less flashy. He was in black stretch pants and a long-sleeved shirt that came down over his hands with a hole for his thumb. He had the same pendant dangling from his neck, but now in the light, it was shining green and Steven could identify the stone as Alexandrite. Emerald by day, ruby by night he recalled. It was an unusual stone to be sure and somehow fitting for the odd man.

"Echo." Wallace greeted with a smile "You decided to stick around."

Steven knew that smile. Wallace was no happier about the man in front of them than he was.

"The association found out that I was back in town and asked me to pitch in. I see you brought another pair of hands." He extended his hand out to Steven "And here I thought you were just a passing face. I truly had hoped you would have called. Alexander."

"I don't make a habit of accepting numbers from strangers. Professional appearance. I'm sure you understand. Steven Stone." Steven accepted Alexander's hand. He wasn't sure he liked the playful look in his eyes.

"Well in my experience people don't hold onto things they have no interest in." Alexander gestured to Steven's pocket where the napkin from the bar was poking out.

Steven kept his voice even as he replied "I must have forgotten to throw it away." before he shoved the napkin further into his pocket. He was positive he had thrown it away.

"Wallace, how did you convince the great champion Steven Stone to come help build the contest hall?" Alexander questioned slyly "Not that I am opposed to having him around."

"I swear to Arceus…" Wallace snarled "Echo, if you don't go find a hole to slither back into I will make sure you never sing again."

"Wallace!" Steven warned sharply "Calm down. He's not worth it." He wanted to avoid a fight if possible, but there was an unspoken history here that was stronger than Wallace's normally calm demeanor.

Alexander held up his hands in surrender "Oh, my mistake. I thought you were still with that gym leader of yours."

"Steven and I are friends. You know I have been with Winona for years." Wallace took a breath and glanced over at the people watching them. "That said, I am done entertaining you and your foul personality. If you are going to be here, please make yourself useful."

"Looks like my time is up then. Please then, tell me what you would like me to start on."

"Anything that keeps you out of my way."

"Wallace, let's go. He's not worth it." Steven encouraged. Last night at the bar was beginning to make more sense now. This Echo guy was bad news.

"Right. We are close to finishing so we shouldn't waste any more time." Wallace turned and walked away leaving Steven standing in front of Alexander.

"I'm not entirely sure what that was about, but please leave us be." Steven turned an icy look on the smaller man. It was rare that he was taller than other men his age, but right now he felt as if he were looming over the coordinator, even if just by a few inches.

"Wallace and I have a complicated relationship. See you around Mr. Champion." Alexander winked before striding off into the grand hall.

Steven shook his head. That man was going to be a headache. How could someone like that be part of the elite circle of coordinators? It was going to be a long month.

Arahbo: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! As always, feel free to let me know what you think! I would also like to mention that I do not own the song lyrics!