After the encounter with the Legendary Pokémon, Metagross had come to understand its own weaknesses more clearly than ever before. The time it once spent reading had dropped sharply, and whenever a free moment appeared, it threw itself straight into training without hesitation.
This encounter had brought more than just a hard lesson. Besides Steven gaining the power of the Viridian Power, Scizor had also crossed a new threshold in raw strength, pushed forward by the life energy that Xerneas had released. Steven's team now had two Pokémon standing at Champion Level strength.
"Steven, it keeps staring at me." Diancie tugged at the hem of Steven's trousers and slipped behind him, pressing close to his back.
A short distance away, Larvitar stood drooling, its wide eyes fixed on the glittering diamonds on Diancie's body.
"It likes to eat rocks," Steven explained with a calm smile. "Could you make a few diamonds for it? Nothing too special — just something it can snack on."
Diancie understood right away. It stepped forward and stretched out both small hands. In an instant, a soft pink energy swirled through the air, and a scattering of ordinary-sized pink diamonds clinked down onto the ground around Larvitar.
Larvitar looked at the pile of sparkling gems surrounding it and went completely still.
Is this… heaven?
Its eyes slowly turned back to Diancie, bright and wide with something close to awe.
Are you… an angel?
"Larvitar is thanking you," Steven said.
"Really?" Diancie blinked its large eyes. "It looks more like it wants to eat me…" It quickly shuffled behind Steven again.
Steven chuckled softly. "It won't."
Though the thought had probably crossed Larvitar's mind.
Larvitar snatched up a pink diamond and tossed it into its mouth.
Mmm… Delicious.
"Kaoo!" Aggron reached down, grabbed a fistful of pink diamonds, and threw them all into its mouth at once.
Oi, don't go eating by yourself.
Leaving aside the Fairy-type energy running through each gem, the raw quality of Diancie's pink diamonds was exceptional. For both Aggron and Larvitar, eating them carried a mild strengthening effect on their bodies. It was not a dramatic boost — the diamonds were rich in Fairy-type energy, with only a modest trace of Rock-type energy — but it was something.
Nearby, Cynthia was working her hands along Garchomp's back in slow, firm circles. After every serious battle, she always took the time to massage Garchomp, helping it ease the tension in its muscles.
Steven's gaze drifted across the group until it settled on Skarmory, who was standing apart from the others with its wings drooped and its head low. Because it had been in the middle of molting, Steven had kept it out of the battle entirely. Skarmory couldn't quite understand why, at a moment like that, it had been left on the sidelines.
Steven walked over and placed a hand gently on Skarmory's head.
"Hey. It was just one battle," he said quietly. "You'll be back out there soon enough."
"Skar…" Skarmory gave a small nod and glanced down at its half-grown feathers with a look of resigned frustration.
"Gupa…"
Sandslash was lying flat on the ground nearby, still not fully recovered from the sight of that enormous bird. Its mind kept replaying it.
"Honedge!"
A bright flash of movement caught Steven's eye. Honedge was spinning through the air around him, its ribbon trailing in wide arcs, calling out with what could only be described as excitement.
"What's gotten into you, Honedge?" Steven followed its movements curiously, watching the way it danced and wove through the air.
Then he felt it — a subtle but clear shift in the energy Honedge was putting out. He smiled.
"You learned Swords Dance!"
It made sense. Nearly half his team could use that move — Scizor, Lucario, Empoleon — and now Honedge had added it to its own kit.
"Good work." Steven reached out and lightly tapped Honedge's ribbon. "I'm proud of you."
He turned toward Larvitar, who was still steadily working through the pile of pink diamonds. "What about you, Larvitar? How's your training coming along?"
"Larvi?" Larvitar swallowed what was in its mouth and stood up straight.
"Agg!" Aggron folded its arms across its broad chest and waited, its expression expectant.
Don't embarrass us, little one.
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar raised both arms. Several large rocks tore free from the ground and came rushing in, then crashed back down under Larvitar's direction, controlled and deliberate.
"Rock Slide," Steven said, nodding.
"La Larvi!"
Larvitar let out a sharp cry, stomped one foot hard into the earth, and a line of jagged stone pillars burst upward from the ground in quick succession.
"Stone Edge too?" Steven raised an eyebrow. "You've been busy."
Aggron and Larvitar turned to each other, then both planted their hands on their hips and puffed their chests out at the same time.
Diancie pressed both hands over its mouth, trying very hard not to laugh.
"What's going on over there?"
Cynthia's head appeared over Steven's shoulder, her arms looping comfortably around his midsection as she leaned in to look.
"Just checking in on Larvitar's progress," Steven said, glancing sideways at her with a smile.
"Larvitar!" Larvitar nodded firmly, as if to confirm that yes, all the food had been completely worth it.
"Alright, I'm done here." Cynthia laughed softly and straightened up.
Steven looked around at the pink diamonds still scattered across the ground and sighed with quiet amusement. "I suppose we're waiting until those two finish cleaning up."
Aggron and Larvitar heard that, exchanged a quick look, and immediately began sweeping up the remaining diamonds at remarkable speed.
"Empo."
Empoleon waved a flipper slowly in Honedge's direction.
Honedge tilted its blade, curious, then drifted over to Empoleon's side.
Empoleon let out a low sigh and carefully drew Honedge's blade from its scabbard, holding it up and looking it over.
I almost didn't make it back. And all I could think about was whether I'd ever get to hold my sword again.
I'm not wasting any more time.
"Where are we going next?" Diancie looked up at Cynthia, its eyes bright.
"Snowpoint City," Cynthia said with a warm smile. "Up in Sinnoh. I want to show you the snow."
Buzz buzz buzz…
Steven watched the two of them for a moment, a quiet smile on his face. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out his Pokégear, and stepped a few paces away when he saw the incoming call.
"Something wrong, Flory?"
"Champion, a mission has come in."
"What kind of mission?" Steven asked, his tone light but patient.
"The Vertress Conference in Unova is coming up, and the Unova League has formally requested an exhibition match between you and the Unova Champion."
"Mm."
Steven nodded to himself. It was framed as an invitation, but there was really no turning it down. Exhibition matches like this one served an important purpose — they raised the Champion's visibility, gave Trainers something to look up to, and more practically, they helped bring in funding for the League. Refusing wasn't really an option.
"Understood. When and where?"
"One moment…" There was a brief pause as Flory checked. "The match is scheduled for three days from now, at Shuanglong Plaza in Opelucid City."
"Got it. Thank you for letting me know."
"Of course, Champion. It's my job."
He ended the call and slipped the Pokégear back into his pocket.
When Steven turned around, he found Cynthia and Diancie with their heads together, whispering.
"He's always on the phone with some girl…"
"I know, I know." Cynthia made a show of wiping at her eye. "I've gotten used to it. Truly. Boo-hoo."
Steven looked at them. "You know that when you're whispering to each other, you don't have to keep the telepathy link open in my direction, right?"
A beat of silence.
Then Steven burst out laughing. Only Diancie could whisper something to someone else and somehow simultaneously broadcast it straight to the person being talked about.
"Oh." Diancie rubbed the back of its head, looking sheepish. "I forgot."
The two of them dissolved into laughter. Diancie's small face went red, its cheeks puffing out with indignation.
"That's it! No more laughing, either of you!"