"It looks like our plans to visit Sinnoh for the snow will have to wait," Steven said, glancing down at the navigator in his hand. "We're heading to Opelucid City in Unova instead."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "The Unova League has invited me to an exhibition match with Champion Alder."
Cynthia stood beside him with her hands clasped behind her back, listening quietly without saying much. After a short silence, she tilted her head slightly and said, "Perhaps we don't even need to travel all the way to Sinnoh to see it."
Steven held out his open palm and looked up at the sky.
"Hmm?" Cynthia followed his gaze upward.
A single snowflake drifted down and landed softly on her face.
It had already begun to snow right where they stood.
Nearby, Diancie held a fallen snowflake in her tiny hands, turning it over slowly and studying it with wide, curious eyes. A moment later, it melted away against her warm skin.
"Larvitar!" Larvitar suddenly snapped to attention, raising one small hand sharply.
She was reporting in.
All the pink diamonds had been taken care of.
Steven blinked, caught off guard. That quickly?
The pink diamonds Diancie had created earlier had been more than enough for Larvitar to practically swim in. Yet she had already finished every last one?
Larvitar let out a small, satisfied burp.
It wouldn't be long before she was hungry again.
"Well then, let's get going," Steven said. He returned all of his Pokémon to their Poké Balls, leaving only Metagross out, and turned to look at Cynthia and Diancie. "Alright! Let's go!"
The flight touched down at Opelucid City in the Unova region.
This was Steven's second time visiting the city. The first had been because of Lucario.
"Finally!" Diancie exclaimed the moment the plane landed, unable to wait a second longer. She hurried out and drew in a long, deep breath of fresh air.
"What's the matter, Diancie?" Cynthia asked, looking at her with gentle curiosity.
"I couldn't move in there," Diancie said, puffing out her cheeks. "It was so uncomfortable!"
Steven gave a helpless smile. "In that case, I'll go and meet with Champion Alder on my own. Cynthia, would you mind taking Diancie to do some shopping in the meantime?"
Diancie's eyes lit up and she clapped her small hands together. "Shopping? I get to go shopping!"
Cynthia let out a soft laugh, glancing warmly at the excited Diancie before looking back at Steven. "Send me your location when you arrive."
"Of course," Steven said with a calm nod.
"Diancie, shall we go?"
Steven watched the two of them head off before turning and walking in the opposite direction.
He made his way to a nearby hotel and dialed Alder's number on his navigator.
"Is this Champion Steven?"
A deep, rough voice came through on the other end.
"Yes. Champion Alder, I've already arrived and I'm in the hotel lobby downstairs."
"Good, give me a moment. I'll be right down."
The call ended. Steven settled into a seat in the lobby and waited for about five minutes. Then the elevator doors opened, and a broad-shouldered middle-aged man stepped out.
Steven stood and walked over to greet him.
"Hello, Champion Alder."
Alder looked at Steven with a hint of surprise, studying him for a moment before asking in a puzzled tone, "You're Champion Steven?"
Steven gave a light smile and nodded. That reaction was exactly what he had expected.
"Champion Alder, shall we find somewhere to talk about the exhibition match?"
Alder thought for a second, then suggested, "There's a café nearby. How does that sound?"
"Oh?" Steven replied.
"Something wrong? Not suitable?" Alder let out a low chuckle. "I may be getting on in years, but my tastes haven't aged quite so much."
Steven shook his head quickly. "No, not at all. I was just a little slow to respond. Please, lead the way, Champion Alder."
Steven followed Alder to a nearby Pokémon café. He wasn't particularly fussy about what he drank, so he ordered a cup without much thought, then got straight to the point.
"Champion Alder, how are you thinking of structuring this exhibition match? Are we keeping it entertaining for the audience, or going all out while stopping short of serious injury?"
Alder raised a hand. "Easy there, Champion Steven. No need to rush."
He leaned back in his chair and looked at Steven with a steady gaze. "You made your debut less than a year ago and swept through the competition in Hoenn to claim the Champion title in under half a year. That's not something you hear about every day."
"I've been wanting to see you battle for a while now," Alder admitted. "This exhibition match was my idea from the start. Normally, for something like this, I'd send out the Elite Four. But this time is different. I want to battle you myself, and that's the real reason I arranged all of this."
There hadn't been much choice, either. Steven had left Hoenn the day after taking office, and even the Hoenn League had trouble tracking him down. In the end, this formal invitation was the only reliable way to bring him in.
"May I ask why you want to battle me specifically, Champion Alder?" Steven asked.
Alder was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, carrying a weight to it.
"To be honest with you, my Volcarona was badly injured on a mission not long ago. Even the Pokémon Center couldn't do much for her."
Steven looked at the older man's expression. There was real pain in it. "I'm sorry to hear that, Champion Alder," he said quietly.
Alder waved his hand slowly. "I've made up my mind. I'm going to step down from the Champion position. After that, I plan to travel around Unova, and I want to spend more time focused on the bond between me and my Pokémon. No more chasing titles."
He paused, then added, "So this exhibition match with you will be my last battle as Champion."
Steven lifted his cup and took a slow sip.
"I understand, Champion Alder," he said, setting the cup back down. He met Alder's eyes and spoke without hesitation. "I'll give everything I have."
He meant it. This was a veteran Champion's final battle. Alder had earned the right to face a full-strength opponent, and Steven had no intention of holding back.
Steven glanced down at his own hand for a moment. He had been given the Viridian Power — the ability to communicate with Pokémon and aid in healing their injuries. He wasn't sure whether it could help Alder's Volcarona recover. He honestly didn't know.
But maybe that didn't matter right now. A good, honest battle was what Alder was asking for, and that was what he would get.
This was Alder's abdication battle. It was also a moment for the public to witness the passing of the torch between generations of Champions. Even though the two of them belonged to different regional Leagues, they both carried the same responsibility. In times of crisis, they would always be the first to stand between the people and whatever threatened them.
Alder scratched the back of his head and grinned a little. "I originally thought about inviting Champion Cynthia, but Chairman Goodshow told me she was still on vacation." He shrugged. "Wouldn't have minded having a battle with her too. It's been a while since I've seen a female Champion in action."
Steven smiled and took another sip of his coffee. "Champion Cynthia is remarkably strong. I don't believe she's any less capable than I am."
Though, he thought to himself, Garchomp would still lose to Metagross.
"Heh, that's good to hear," Alder said with a broad grin.
Then he leaned forward slightly. "I remember, Champion Steven — you specialize in Steel-type Pokémon, is that right?"
Steven paused, his cup halfway to his lips. "That's right. Is something the matter?"
Alder's grin widened. "Then I'll battle you with a Steel-type Pokémon of my own."
He let out a short laugh. "If my Volcarona hadn't been injured, fighting you with a type advantage would have felt like bullying a junior."
Steven was quiet for just a moment. Then the corners of his mouth curved upward into a quiet smile.
"That's quite a bold claim, Champion Alder."