Steven watched as Scizor walked back toward him, its steel body marked with cuts and burns from the battle. He let out a quiet chuckle and reached out to pat its shoulder.
"Well done, Scizor. You worked hard out there."
A soft green light passed from Steven's hand into Scizor's body. The Synthesis-like energy flowed through its frame, and Scizor straightened slightly, looking steadier than it had a moment before.
"Tch."
Scizor gave a short, indifferent nod. Then it allowed itself to be recalled into its Poké Ball in a beam of red light. Steven clipped the ball back onto his belt and stepped forward across the field.
Alder met him halfway. The Unova Champion extended his large hand with a wide grin, and Steven shook it.
"Thank you, Steven. I really enjoyed that match," Alder said warmly.
"Mm. Me too," Steven replied with a slight nod.
Alder glanced out at the crowd filling the stadium, his expression shifting into something more thoughtful, almost hopeful.
"I hope that one day, Unova can have a Champion as calm and strong as you."
Steven considered that for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Unova's next Champion would be Iris. The girl with the gift for Dragon-type Pokémon. He had seen her battle in the World Championships, watched her stand on the same stage as Trainers using Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax. She had none of those. And yet she had given everything she had.
"Every Champion has their own style," Steven said gently, shaking his head. "They don't need to be like anyone else. As long as she cares for both people and Pokémon, and is willing to fight for them, that makes a good Champion."
Alder sighed with a look of fond regret. "That's true... Still, it's a shame you weren't born in Unova."
Steven smiled faintly but said nothing more. Some things were better left unsaid.
The rest of the ceremony belonged to Alder and the event host. Steven gave a polite wave to the audience, then followed a staff member's directions toward the back exit of the stadium.
"Steven! Congratulations!"
Diancie stood just inside the backstage corridor, her small hands clasped neatly in front of her, posture perfectly poised as always.
"Thank you, Diancie," Steven said, giving her a light smile.
He looked up and found Cynthia standing nearby. She had an odd expression on her face — caught between something she wanted to say and something she was trying to hold back.
Steven smiled and opened his arms.
Cynthia's cheeks flushed. She let out a small noise of embarrassment, then stepped forward and leaned into his embrace anyway.
"Ah? Diancie wants one too!"
The composed little princess from the Diamond Kingdom abandoned her graceful posture in an instant. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around both their legs, squeezing tightly.
Steven and Cynthia looked at each other over the top of Diancie's head.
A giggle slipped out from both of them at the same time.
"No laughing!" Diancie's tiny fists thumped against Steven's leg. "Diancie doesn't allow it!"
Steven cleared his throat and pulled his expression into something appropriately serious.
"You're right. My apologies, Diancie. We've had professional training for exactly this sort of situation. No matter how amusing things get, we won't laugh again."
"Mm, that's right," Cynthia agreed, her face equally solemn.
Diancie took two small steps back and tilted her head, studying them both with wide, suspicious eyes.
"Really?"
Pfft —
Steven had managed to hold it for all of two seconds. The moment he turned his head and caught Cynthia's eye, they both lost it completely.
"Steven and Cynthia are bad! Diancie isn't talking to you anymore!"
Diancie's cheeks puffed out with indignation. She crossed her arms, spun on her heel, and marched off down the corridor with her head held high.
Steven watched her go with a soft expression. Since leaving the Diamond Kingdom, Diancie had slowly started to act more and more like an ordinary child. Back home, the Carbink of the kingdom had only ever treated her with formal reverence. They didn't play with her. They reminded her, constantly, of the responsibilities she carried as their princess. Maybe this — the laughter, the pouting, the rushing ahead to look at shiny things — was the kind of life she had always quietly wanted.
"Shall we head out?" Cynthia stepped back, smoothing her coat.
"Mm. The staff said we should leave through the back of the plaza," Steven replied.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a purple Gengar-shaped hat, pulling it down over his silver-blue hair. A pair of plain glasses followed. He checked his reflection briefly in the nearest window, then took Cynthia's hand as they fell into step.
"Hurry, hurry!" Diancie called from ahead, already several paces in front of them. She had apparently forgiven them, or at least decided the matter of the stones was more important. "The shop owner said a new shipment of high-quality stones would arrive today!"
Steven's pace quickened at once. "Really?"
He had been so exhausted from carrying bags the day before that he hadn't even registered which shops Cynthia and Diancie had stopped at after he'd nearly collapsed at the entrance of one of them.
"Yes," Cynthia said, covering her smile with her free hand. "They mentioned it while you were slumped against someone's doorstep."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
Steven picked up his pace, and Cynthia laughed as she was pulled along beside him.
"Let's go!" Diancie announced gleefully from the front, skipping ahead down the street.
The gem shop was tucked into a narrow street a short walk from the plaza. Steven and Diancie moved through it slowly, pausing at each display case, occasionally exchanging glances with the quiet ease of two people who shared exactly the same tastes.
"This one has a slight flaw here," Steven murmured, leaning close to the glass and pointing to a barely visible line running through one of the stones.
"Mm, I noticed that too," Diancie said, nodding. "And the color isn't quite translucent enough."
The shop owner stood behind the counter. His face, which had started out perfectly pleasant, was now a deep, unhappy shade of purple.
Cynthia stood a little to the side, offering the man a polite, apologetic smile every time he looked her way. She was doing her best. It wasn't going especially well.
"Steven, come look at this one!"
Diancie's voice carried a note of genuine excitement. She pressed close to one of the smaller display cases near the back of the shop, her eyes bright.
Steven crossed the room in two quick strides and crouched to look at what she had found.
Inside the case sat a small stone, mostly white but with a faint blue tint running through its core. It was columnar in shape — broader at the top, tapering toward the base — with naturally pointed ends at both tips.
Steven stared at it.
The quality was remarkable. High, clean, almost flawless. In all the years he had collected stones — and in all the time he had spent going through his father's collection — he had rarely seen something like this.
"It's not bad," he said carefully.
Praise it too much, and bargaining would become impossible. He had enough money that it didn't truly matter, but the process of haggling was something he genuinely enjoyed. There was a particular satisfaction to it.
He and Diancie looked at each other. A small, matching smile passed between them.
Behind the counter, the shop owner felt his stomach drop.
A trick. They're planning something.