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"Grandma! We're home!"
Cynthia pushed open the front door and called out, her voice bright with energy.
"Yes, yes, welcome back," Grandma Caroline yawned and gave a lazy wave.
"I'm going to take a bath!"
Grandma Caroline watched her granddaughter hurriedly press her Poké Balls into Steven's hands before sprinting upstairs. Then her gaze shifted to Steven.
"Did you have dinner, Grandma? I can make something if not," Steven said, pulling off his hat with a quiet chuckle.
"If I'd waited for you two to come back, I'd have fainted from hunger by now," Grandma Caroline said with a grin. She tilted her head. "Speaking of which, Steven — why don't you go wash your face?"
"Huh? Is there something on it?" Steven raised a hand and touched his cheek.
"Just a little bit of something red," Grandma Caroline said pleasantly.
These two are moving along faster than I expected.
"I — I'll go take a bath," Steven said, with an awkward laugh, and moved toward the stairs.
"If you go up there now, are you planning to share the bathroom with my Cynthia?"
Steven stopped mid-step. Something cold went down his spine.
"I'll — go check on the Pokémon in the backyard."
He turned and walked there with great purpose.
"Those two," Grandma Caroline murmured, shaking her head with a fond smile. "I'll have to ask Joseph one of these days when we can make this official."
The backyard was calm. Steven's Pokémon were resting, and the moment Honedge sensed him it floated straight into his arms.
Steven looked it over. It seemed lively, energetic — back to its normal self. He let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Awoo!"
What sort of expression is that supposed to be.
Steven ignored Empoleon's pointed look entirely. He turned to Skarmory instead and waited. Skarmory gave a small nod. That was enough.
Satisfied, Steven settled down and began to gently play with Honedge. After these past weeks, it had grown to a proper size — which meant the larval stage was over. Training could finally begin.
"Kaaao~"
Aggron lumbered over, patted its own stomach, and fixed Steven with its most aggrieved expression.
Still hungry.
"Alright, alright." Steven laughed, pulled open his bag, and poured out a generous portion of ore. Aggron sat down heavily and began eating with great contentment.
Nearby, Lucario sat cross-legged in the grass, eyes closed, quietly working on its Aura. Scizor was resting against the garden wall — it opened one eye when Steven came back, then closed it again.
Steven released Metagross, Garchomp, and Togepi from their Poké Balls.
Garchomp turned and fixed Steven with a flat, furious stare the moment it materialized.
You actually let me out.
It had been simmering all day. Now it took one step toward Steven, jaw set.
Metagross moved in front of Steven without hurry.
Metagross: (●—●)
Garchomp: (ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻
You again. You iron crab.
"Don't go overboard," Steven said mildly. Sparring was one thing; exhausting each other into the ground was another.
Togepi made a beeline for Gastrodon, wrapped its small arms around it, and promptly began to sob.
I knew I shouldn't have agreed to go. Stuck in a Poké Ball all day — do you know how long that was?
Gastrodon lowered its head and nudged Togepi gently.
There there. Want a ride?
Steven sat down on the grass and leaned back against Aggron's side. He reached up and touched his cheek with one hand, staring at nothing in particular.
That feeling was so strange.
He had absolutely no idea what to do about it.
Clack—
Cynthia stepped out of the bathroom in soft gray pajamas, her face faintly flushed — whether from the hot water or from something else entirely, she didn't stop to consider. She padded into her room and drifted over to the window.
Down in the backyard, the blue-haired young man was sitting quietly in the grass, leaning against Aggron.
Cynthia rested her chin in her hands and smiled to herself.
She turned to look at the calendar pinned beside her desk.
Twenty days until the Lily of the Valley Conference.
"You'll have to wait for me," she said quietly.
Her expression settled. Twenty days of serious, focused preparation — that was what came next. She would not allow herself to fall short.
Cynthia looked over at the doll on her bed. Without a word, she gave it a firm poke.
"You could have told me sooner, you know."
The doll had no defense to offer.
— The following day —
Steven ran with Cynthia in the mornings, building the physical stamina that sustained Mega Evolution. There was no shortcut to it — endurance had to be earned.
Cynthia kept up well. For someone her age, her conditioning was already strong, and she bore the increased load without complaint.
After one particularly hard session, she came to a stop and bent forward, hands braced on her knees, catching her breath. Steven held out a folded handkerchief.
Cynthia looked up at him, cheeks pink, and smiled.
"Help me?"
Steven couldn't, apparently, say no to that particular smile.
He folded the handkerchief into a neat square and carefully wiped the sweat from her face. The morning light caught each drop and turned it briefly bright.
"My turn." Cynthia took the handkerchief, flipped it to a clean side, and lightly dabbed at Steven's face.
There wasn't much to wipe — the cold air and the easier pace had seen to that — but she did it anyway.
From across the yard, Garchomp watched this exchange with its teeth grinding.
It turned to Metagross, who was observing calmly from the side, and raised a blade-arm.
Metagross glanced at it and raised a steel arm in response, blocking without any particular effort.
Metagross: (●—●)
"Ka-ow!"
Garchomp turned and walked away.
Every single day.
More infuriating every single day.
Halfway across the yard, it stopped, turned back, and directed a sharp roar at Metagross.
Ka-ow! Don't think this is over, iron crab!
The days that followed settled into a rhythm.
Morning runs and physical conditioning. Afternoon training with their Pokémon. Battles between the two of them once the day's training was done — close, hard-fought matches that left both of them breathing hard and satisfied.
These were probably the happiest days Cynthia had had in a long time. Even better than the visits before, when things had been warm but undefined. Something had shifted between them now, quietly and entirely, and the difference showed in everything.
Cynthia had the photos from Eterna City printed and arranged them in a large frame, which she set on her bedside table. The Ferris wheel photo went in the center.
Every morning, before she got up, she would lie there and look at it for a little while with a slightly foolish smile on her face.
The days counted down. The Lily of the Valley Conference drew closer.
Steven had begun to picture the end of his visit — watching Cynthia step onto the tournament stage with everything she had. That had seemed like enough.
Then something unexpected happened.