The New Normal – 11-12 – Interlude – Steven
He sat down opposite his friend with a plate full of food. Except, it wasn't exactly the food he was hoping to eat.
"Are you happy now?" He spat out frustratedly.
Unperturbed by his anger, Bruno simply nodded, "It would be better for your long-term health if you ate healthier."
"I'll have you know that a dietician came up with my diet." He bluffed, but Bruno quickly saw through it.
"If that was true, then you should fire them." He snorted, "Waffles are tasty, but they are far from a balanced meal."
Steven grumbled, but kept his silence as he shoved the seaweed salad that he had into his mouth. Truth be told, it was far from horrible, but he was just annoyed at Bruno for denying him his syrupy waffles.
This all started when, one day, he had the bright idea to finally ask Bruno if he wanted to learn more about politics and business. Bruno was reluctant, but he managed to convince the martial artist by stating that he would listen to one favour from Bruno in return.
He REALLY regretted making that trade, because of course the taskmaster that was his friend demanded that he eat healthier foods and have a more balanced diet.
It wasn't his fault that he had a more refined palate than most. His rich upbringing practically demanded that he had a taste for the more delicate and refined foods that the world had to offer.
Yet Bruno did not care. All he saw was that Steven was eating unhealthily, and he was determined to correct this.
So gone were syrup-glazed waffles. Gone were the sweets. Gone were the rich and creamy desserts. Instead greens of all kinds replaced his diet, alongside a healthy amount of meats. He wasn't even allowed to put sugar into his coffee!
Of course, he had gotten his revenge when it was time for him to tutor Bruno about the complexities and subtleties of politics and business. Admittedly, it was clear from the start that Bruno was not at all suited for intrigue. He wasn't dumb, far from it, but he was just too honest and straightforward a person to really be able to deceive his opponents.
But that was fine. That was what Steven was hoping for, in fact. He never wanted Bruno to become like him; he wanted to maintain Bruno's bluntness and honesty. All he wanted was to make sure that Bruno would be able to recognise when he was being played, which Bruno was already good at since he was very good at spotting lies and deceit.
Bruno would never be a master politician. But he was invaluable to those who were.
Thinking about Bruno's improvements in politics reminded him of the topic that he wanted to bring up today. "I assume you've heard of John's success in Indigo?"
And what a success it was. Even though Steven knew of John's intentions in advance, he was still awed by the level of his ambition – and the fact that he managed to pull it off. It was making him start to think about his own plans when he became Champion, and he began to question whether they were really ambitious enough.
John's proposal was impossible to be overlooked. The passing of the proposal and its effects were still being discussed on practically every radio station and news channel. Even his father had called him up to discuss what he thought of it.
Bruno nodded, "I have. I caught it on the radio this morning."
"Then you know what I'm about to ask – if I could turn it into a reality as Champion, following in John's footsteps, would you join the Hoenn Elite Four? Now that there is a very real chance of you being able to?" He asked his friend.
There were several reasons that made him so insistent on getting Bruno to join the Elite Four once he became Champion. For one, every Champion wanted an Elite Four member that they could trust to not challenge their position, and he knew that Bruno would rather give up training entirely than willingly take on the position of Champion. The man despised paperwork as much as he despised laziness.
Second, Bruno was ridiculously strong, even for a member of the Elite Four, and would serve as an excellent shield to prevent would-be challengers from running the gauntlet and challenging the Champion like Cynthia had done.
But ultimately, he wanted Bruno in the Elite Four because Bruno was his friend, and he wanted his friend to gain the recognition and fame that he rightfully deserved. Even amongst the Gym Leaders, Steven knew it in his heart that there was no one comparable to Bruno. Not in strength, nor in mentality.
Bruno may not care very much for the fame, but Steven wanted him to be acknowledged regardless.
He was shaken from his thoughts as Bruno responded, "…I am not as against it as I was once. I fear that if I remain merely a wandering trainer, I would eventually find myself stagnating due to a lack of appropriate foes. Perhaps joining the Elite Four may give me access to more capable trainers than I otherwise would have, or perhaps it will unlock new opportunities for me to train up my Pokémon and explore the heights of being a martial artist. And…I think I would like to see the world you intend to craft with your two hands."
"However, you are thinking too far ahead again, Steven." Bruno reminded him, "You have not even become Champion yet, nor will Wallace be an easy foe for you to beat. Let alone the rest of the Elite Four. I suggest you focus on achieving your current ambitions before planning further ahead."
Steven sighed, "I know, I know. You know how I get."
He admitted he might be getting a little overconfident about his chances, but that was solely due to all the training that he had done with Bruno. He had witnessed and analysed Wallace's performance in the Tournament, and he really felt that, thanks to all the sparring, his Metagross would be able to cleanly overwhelm and break through his Milotic's defences.
Thus, by the time the Hoenn Conference rolled around, he knew he was going to be in a prime position to crush any who faced him. Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, Drake, or Wallace – it didn't matter. Bruno had helped him harden his Steel types into unbreakable walls, ready to face off even against a Champion.
"I do." Bruno nodded, unaware of his thoughts, "Which is why my duty is to keep you grounded. You are prone to arrogance, and I must do my best to rid you of it."
Steven chuckled, "That's true, but I could at least speak to Wallace about this sometime in the future and get the foundations set up in advance. I don't think he'd be against this."
"That would be prudent." Bruno agreed, "Though I have not confirmed my decision to join the Elite Four yet. Perhaps I may spend some more time wandering around the lands first."
"Speaking of wandering, have you ever thought about heading to Sinnoh?" Steven asked, "Father said that he might be sending me there soon for business. I wouldn't mind your company, if you want to join."
Bruno tapped a finger on his arm, "I think I will join. It will be interesting to experience new things with my Pokémon, and perhaps visiting a new region will inspire me to train my Pokémon in new ways."
Steven facepalmed, "Of course that's what you're concerned about. Next thing you're going to tell me is that you intend to climb to the top of Mt. Coronet with your bare hands."
"I do not think I will have the time to do so, but perhaps in the future. It would make for a great challenge." Bruno responded, missing his sarcasm, "Also, I have read reports about the strange 'otherworldly' presence that can be found on Spear Pillar. Perhaps such unusual conditions would make for a great training ground."
…He shouldn't be surprised that this was what he thinks of first.
"Spear Pillar is also an important historical and religious site." Steven pointed out, "I don't think they'd take it kindly if you used it as a gym."
"Ah. True." Bruno nodded, "Best not."
"Are you considering catching any of the Fighting types there? I know they aren't pure Fighting, but Sinnoh does have some powerful Fighting types that you could consider training." Steven asked, changing the topic, "Perhaps a Lucario? That's a Pokémon I want too."
"…Let me think on that." Bruno replied after a moment, "It will be different than the Pokémon I have trained with so far, but you have convinced me that I would enjoy and relish the additional challenge of training a dual type Pokémon. If I join the Elite Four as a proper trainer, it would be better for me to have a more varied team."
"I hope you do. You'll be so much stronger for it." Steven nodded back.
Bruno didn't respond, instead falling deeper into thought. But Steven knew he would be convinced; he was growing less stubborn about maintaining a pure Fighting type team thanks to all of their spars together. Bruno's biggest weakness was his Pokémon's lack of any versatility, and after Steven had adapted to Bruno's strengths, it was obvious to the both of them that this lack of versatility was really starting to hurt him.
Therefore, he had done his best to persuade Bruno that training up a dual type did not make him any lesser of a martial artist.
And once Bruno did start training up more Pokémon, then he truly would be a monster to be reckoned with. Which only further cemented his resolve of getting Bruno into the Hoenn Elite Four.
No one that strong deserved to remain outside of it.
A.N. More friendship moments between the two! I hope I've showed how comfortable that Steven and Bruno are with each other. They're basically each other's closest friends, which I thought would be an interesting direction to take both these characters. Hope you enjoyed!
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