"Grandma, we're heading out!"
Cynthia waved goodbye to Grandma Caroline, Togepi tucked in the crook of her arm.
"Steven — you'd better take good care of my Cynthia." Grandma Caroline gave Steven a mock stern look, then smiled and waved after them.
"Of course, Grandma," Steven replied with a small, wry grin.
Before leaving, the two of them had let their Pokémon know what to get on with during the day. The plan was straightforward enough — except that Togepi had latched onto Cynthia's leg and refused to let go, so she had no choice but to bring it along. Honedge, meanwhile, had dozed off again right after breakfast. Steven left it in Empoleon's care, though he quietly asked Skarmory to keep an eye on things as well, just to be safe.
Other than Togepi, they each brought only one Pokémon with them — Metagross for Steven and Garchomp for Cynthia.
They rode out to Eterna City separately, since neither Metagross nor Garchomp could comfortably carry two passengers. Steven had Metagross use Psychic along the way to keep the wind off Cynthia as they flew.
Before the city came into view, he signaled for them to land. Cynthia brought Garchomp down beside him.
A Shiny Metagross in the middle of town would draw a crowd in seconds — and that would put an end to the disguise before it had even started.
"Good work, Metagross. Take a rest." Steven dismounted and gave Metagross a slow, appreciative rub along its leg.
"Metagross!"
It returned to its Poké Ball without complaint.
Steven turned around. Cynthia had already recalled Garchomp.
"Ready?"
"Let's go~" Cynthia laughed, taking a few quick steps to fall in beside him.
Her eyes drifted sideways — just far enough to catch the line of his profile. His lashes caught the light with each breath, fluttering faintly, almost like Beautifly wings.
She smiled quietly to herself.
Togepi, sensing the shift in her Trainer's mood, wriggled happily in her arms.
"Togepi~ (/≧▽≦/)"
Steven looked over at the little Pokémon and smiled. "Togepi seems very happy today."
"I am too," Cynthia murmured.
They reached Eterna City.
It was a perfectly ordinary afternoon. There was no sign of any festival anywhere.
"Steven..." Cynthia tugged gently at his sleeve, Togepi balanced in her other arm. "About this festival..."
"Uh..."
Steven scratched the back of his neck through his mask.
The festival was, admittedly, something he had invented entirely. It had worked exactly as intended — but now he had to deal with the consequences.
"I saw it posted online! Whoever put up that information is going to hear about it when I get home." Steven shook his head with great conviction, then turned to Cynthia with a softer expression. "I'm sorry, Cynthia. I brought you all the way out here for nothing."
"That's not what matters."
Cynthia's fingers tightened slightly on his sleeve, her head dipping a little.
"Togepi... ╯﹏╰"
She hadn't come for a festival. She had come to be here, with him. That was the whole point.
"We came all this way together — we're not going back without doing something." Steven reached over and gave the Togepi hat on her head a light pat. "There's plenty to do."
The sparkle came back into her eyes immediately.
"There is?"
"Of course there is." Steven laughed.
He scanned the street ahead. His gaze landed on an ice cream cart, paused for just a half-second, then moved on to a hot dog stand a little further along.
"Hot dogs. Want one?"
"Yes~" Cynthia's smile broke wide open.
She had caught that brief pause — and felt something warm settle quietly in her chest.
"Togepi~ (´∇｀)"
Hot dogs~
"Togepi, you're too young for hot dogs!"
"Togepi... Ծ‸Ծ"
All the fun belongs to everyone else.
Is that really fair.
"Steven! I want that one!" Cynthia pointed across the lane with her free hand, hot dog in the other.
There was a ring toss stall ahead, and among the prizes displayed at the top was a large, 1:1 scale Gible plushie.
Steven looked at it. His mouth pulled to one side.
In a world where most people spent years training their Poké Ball throwing arm, ring toss games had a certain reputation for being straightforward — at least for some people. Steven, for his part, had never developed that particular habit.
He bought twenty rings from the vendor and decided to give it a go.
The rings were about the size of a Poké Ball. The Gible plushie sat at the center of the target arrangement, round and smug.
Steven gritted his teeth and started throwing.
His aim, it had to be said, was solid. Eighteen of the twenty rings made clean contact with the Gible plushie's head. The problem was the force — every single one bounced straight off.
"You've got this, try again!" Cynthia cheered from beside him.
"Togepi! (ง •̀_•́)ง"
"Your girlfriend's cheering you on, sir — you can't stop now!" the vendor called out cheerfully, jumping on the moment.
Cynthia heard the word girlfriend and immediately turned to the vendor.
"Fifty more, please!"
Steven opened his wallet with a long-suffering smile and accepted the basket of rings the vendor held out.
"How many rounds of this am I going to have to survive..."
He threw every ring with full concentration. Forty-six. Forty-seven. The forty-eighth ring caught the edge of the Gible plushie's head, wobbled — and slipped off.
The plushie was positioned with its crest pointing downward, which cut off any chance of looping a ring around the fin. The vendor had thought of everything.
Steven looked at the two rings left in the basket.
"Steven... can I try?" Cynthia asked quietly.
He looked down at her, then at the remaining rings, then shifted Togepi into the crook of his arm.
"Togepi! (ง ˙o˙)ว"
Go, Trainer!
Cynthia's expression went calm and focused. She studied the plushie for a moment, adjusted her angle, and threw.
The ring curved cleanly through the air and settled onto the Gible's head with a soft bounce.
It tilted once, twice — and stayed.
"...She makes it look so simple." Steven's expression was something between impressed and pained.
He really should have handed it over sooner.
"Your girlfriend's got a great arm, sir!" The vendor laughed, holding out the Gible plushie.
Steven became aware that a small crowd had gathered without him noticing. People were grinning around them.
But no one had recognized him.
He let himself feel quietly pleased about that. The disguise had held.
Cynthia tucked the Gible plushie under one arm and reached out to take Steven's sleeve with her free hand, smiling so brightly it was hard to look at directly.
Steven had Togepi in one arm. He watched Cynthia's expression and found, somehow, that he didn't mind how the last hour had gone at all.
As long as she was happy.
They were passing the Eterna City amusement park when Steven slowed down.
"Want to go in?"
"Yes!" Cynthia answered before he had finished the sentence.
"What do you want to go on?"
Cynthia thought for exactly half a second.
"The haunted house."
"The haunted house?" Steven looked at her, genuinely puzzled.
"Togepi~ (つд⊂)"
Togepi buried its face in Steven's arm.
Why the haunted house.
Why.
"Don't ask questions — come on, let's go!" Cynthia grabbed Steven's arm and pulled him through the entrance at a near-run.
In a haunted house, every startled grab, every instinctive step closer — all of it would be completely natural. No one could say a word.
The thought made her smile widen without meaning to.
Steven watched her laugh as she tugged him forward, and decided not to think too hard about it.
The corner of his mouth curved.
As long as she was happy.