Whoosh—
Aggron and Garchomp swept their arms at the same moment. The currents they created tore through the dust cloud, clearing it in an instant.
Both Pokémon were breathing hard.
The moment it looked like Steven and Cynthia were about to press on, Professor Kukui stepped forward.
"That's enough! Both of you — please!"
Another exchange like the last one and the field would cease to resemble solid ground at all.
Whoosh!
The light of Mega Evolution receded from Garchomp. It reverted with what could only be described as a disappointed expression.
"Kch-aoh!"
It had come so close to finishing that iron crab off.
"Metagross." Metagross looked genuinely puzzled. As far as it was concerned, the battle had been entirely even. Where was Garchomp getting this confidence?
"Kch-aoh!"
Never mind.
Steven and Cynthia recalled their Pokémon and walked back toward the students, both of whom were standing in various states of shock.
"I suppose we got a little carried away," Steven said, rubbing the back of his neck with a mildly sheepish look.
Kukui said nothing. He had a strong suspicion that "carried away" was the plan all along.
"What did everyone think of that battle?"
"That was incredible!" Kiawe was the first to snap back to himself.
"Cynthia seemed like a completely different person once the battle started!" Mallow said, her eyes still wide.
A wave of noise followed as the students all started talking at once.
Steven raised one hand calmly, and the chatter gradually settled.
"Pokémon battles are one of the ways Trainers express the bond between themselves and their Pokémon." He spoke without rushing, his voice easy and steady. "But battles are also fought for things people want to protect. Strength matters — but chasing power without any other purpose will only take you so far."
He glanced across the five students in front of him and smiled quietly.
"There's a phrase I came across in some ruins not long ago. I think it's worth sharing."
"All life encounters other life, and something new is born from that meeting."
"Whatever is born between you and your Pokémon is yours alone. Others might give it the same name, but its meaning — what it actually is to you — belongs only to you."
He paused, looking faintly self-conscious.
"I'm not much of a lecturer. That was a little scattered."
But he meant it. He had thought about that phrase more than once since leaving those ruins, and it had stayed with him.
After the session ended, Steven and Cynthia said their goodbyes and left the school.
The matter of a Z-Ring could wait a little longer. The Pokémon School wasn't going anywhere, and completing the Island Kahunas' trials — which were apparently a prerequisite for obtaining a Z-Ring — would take more time than a single afternoon. Steven's vacation was genuine, but so was the reality that work could call him back at short notice. There was no need to rush.
Puff!
Cynthia dropped onto the soft hotel bed and fell back with her arms spread, exhaling contentedly.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Steven set a pair of women's slippers beside her bed and straightened up with a quiet smile.
"I want you to cook something~"
"That's not going to happen, I'm afraid." Steven spread his hands. "No kitchen."
It was a seaside hotel — comfortable, with a view of the water, and a room that had two separate beds. The two-bed arrangement had been Cynthia's: she had wanted to share the room, but not the bed. Steven had found this distinction both entirely reasonable and quietly amusing.
They had arrived just as the sun finished setting. Most of the better beachfront options were already fully booked — unsurprising for Melemele Island in this season — but a room had been found without much difficulty.
"Alola specialties it is, then," Cynthia said easily, rolling onto her side.
A moment later, she tilted her head. "What are you looking at?"
Steven was sitting on the edge of his bed, scrolling through something on his Pokégear. "Beachfront villas near here," he said. "Private grounds — fewer tourists."
"You're going to rent one?"
He glanced over at her. She had propped herself up on one elbow, golden hair falling across one eye, her calves swaying idly behind her.
"No," he said, with a small smile. He held up the Pokégear. "I bought one."
"You can use it for holidays, or whenever the Sinnoh winter gets to be too much."
Cynthia's expression shifted into a small pout. "But I actually want to see snow."
"You see snow every winter in Sinnoh," Steven said, genuinely puzzled.
"That's different." Her lips curved upward, something warm and unhidden in her expression. "This time, I won't be seeing it alone."
Steven smiled. He understood completely.
"Cheese pizza for dinner?"
"Yes."
After they had eaten, Steven retrieved Cynthia's gray fluffy pajamas from his bag and held them out.
Cynthia took them with slightly pink cheeks and pointed at him firmly.
"No peeking."
"I promise." Steven lay back on his bed and covered his eyes with one hand.
He left a very small gap between his fingers.
He caught just a glimpse of Cynthia's expression — flustered, faintly indignant — before the bathroom door clicked shut and the sound of running water began.
Steven sat up.
He wasn't actually the type to pry.
He crossed to the floor-to-ceiling window and pulled the curtains open. Outside, the ocean had dissolved into darkness, but the surface of the water still caught the moonlight, scattering it in broken silver lines across the waves.
Buzz buzz buzz—
His Pokégear vibrated. Unknown number. He answered and held it to his ear.
"Champion Steven!"
The voice hit him so suddenly and at such volume that he yanked the device away from his ear at once.
"You didn't tell me Key Stones were that expensive!"
He recognised the voice. It was Phoebe.
With Professor Sycamore's paper on Mega Evolution now published, merchants across Hoenn and Kalos had begun offering Mega Stones and Key Stones. Demand had driven prices to a considerable height. Steven had arranged a Mega Stone for Phoebe's Banette, but the Key Stone he had left to her to source herself.
It appeared she had since discovered what they cost.
"How much was it?" Steven asked.
"Two million League Coins! The entire salary I've earned since becoming an Elite barely covers one!"
He could picture her expression without any effort at all.
Two million was no small figure for a newly appointed Elite Four member working on their own income. Phoebe's Pokémon happened to be Ghost-types, which were not especially demanding to feed. If she had been raising something like Aggron or Tyranitar, the monthly expenses would have been a separate problem entirely.
"Give me your Trainer ID number," Steven said.
"...What?"
"Your Trainer ID. I'll transfer the amount."
A sharp intake of breath. Then: "Champion Steven, you— I think I'm actually going to cry—"
"Please don't," he said, with a patient laugh. "I'll need you handling some responsibilities while I'm away. Consider it compensation in advance."
"You have my absolute word! Leave everything to me!"
The call ended shortly after. Phoebe's Trainer ID came through almost immediately, and Steven completed the transfer — two million League Coins in a matter of seconds.
The villa he had purchased earlier that evening had cost more than twenty times that figure.
Money couldn't make his workload disappear. But it could make sure that Phoebe handled the parts that didn't require his personal presence.
Steven pocketed his Pokégear.
When he turned, the bathroom door was open — just slightly. A small head appeared in the gap: golden hair damp, clinging to skin still flushed from the hot water, grey eyes fixed on him with an expression somewhere between suspicion and alarm. One shoulder was visible at the edge of the door, still gleaming with water droplets. Through the frosted glass panel, a faint, indistinct outline—
Steven went very still.
Then Cynthia's voice came from behind the door, characteristically direct.
"Who were you talking to?"