Kalos region.
A cruise liner glided steadily through the twin sea walls that flanked the harbour entrance, before pulling into the port of Anse City.
Steven stood at the bow of the deck, looking up at the city as it rose before him — layer upon layer of buildings climbing the hillside, topped by what appeared to be a grand castle-like structure at the summit.
The layout reminded him of somewhere.
It looked rather like Rota.
"Steven, what are you looking at?"
Cynthia leaned slightly toward him, her hands clasped behind her back, curiosity plain on her face.
"Nothing in particular," he said, shaking his head gently. "It just reminded me of somewhere I visited once — Rota Town."
"Rota Town?"
Steven had told Cynthia about his time there before — described the architecture, the old castle, the way the town felt suspended somewhere between history and legend.
"Yes." He nodded. "I find myself wondering how Lucario and Mew are getting on these days."
"Then let's go visit together sometime!" Cynthia smiled warmly and slipped her hand into his. "Next time, I'm coming with you."
"Yes," Steven said. He glanced down at her, and a quiet laugh escaped him. "Definitely."
The ship completed its docking, and the two of them joined the flow of passengers making their way off the gangway.
Anse City was alive with noise and colour. Every street was thick with people — the festival had drawn crowds from across the region, and the energy was something close to overwhelming. Steven kept a firm hold on Cynthia's hand as they moved through the bustle, his gaze drifting between the stalls and attractions that lined the paths.
To avoid drawing attention, they had both put together simple disguises before disembarking. Cynthia had done the uncharacteristic — pinning her long blonde hair up, altering her silhouette enough to throw off a casual glance.
They made their way through the lower streets, pausing occasionally to look at things. The stalls were popular, queues stretching back into the crowds, and neither of them was particularly inclined to wait. So they kept walking, winding upward through the city until they reached the castle district at the top.
The atmosphere here was calmer. The crowd had thinned, and scattered across the open plazas below the castle walls, Trainers were engaged in Pokémon battles. Steven and Cynthia found a comfortable spot to watch.
"Hey, Steven." Cynthia nudged his arm, licking her ice cream. "That Slowbro — is that a Mega Stone on its wrist?"
"It is." Steven glanced at his own cone, then back at the battle. "In the past few weeks, Mega Evolution has been appearing more and more frequently."
Both Pokémon on the field were holding Mega Stones.
The Slowbro was pale pink, standing upright on two feet. Cream-coloured bands crossed its rounded belly, and the Shellder clamped to its tail had been there so long the two had grown into each other — the shell's jagged teeth biting into the tail, its surface spiked and marked with dark patterns.
Across from it stood a Pinsir. Its body was a deep brown, and two great horns curved upward from its head, edged with smaller spines. Its grip was enormous — three claws on each hand, three on each foot — and its expression was, as Pinsir's tended to be, entirely without patience.
Both Trainers raised their Key Stones together, and the crowd around them cheered as white light flooded outward from the Pokémon. Mega Slowbro and Mega Pinsir emerged from the glow, and the battle resumed with renewed intensity.
In the end, Pinsir edged the victory — its Bug-type moves landing with double effectiveness against Slowbro's Water and Psychic typing.
"Shall we move on?" Steven said, once the battle had concluded.
The two of them were strong Trainers, but nothing remarkable — not the kind of strength that would threaten someone like Diantha. It was a pleasant watch, nothing more.
He took Cynthia's hand and they continued upward, through the castle's arched entryway and up to the observation terrace above. From there, Anse City spread out below them in full — the harbour glittering in the distance, the festival stalls and banners dotting the streets all the way to the water.
"It really is lively." Cynthia rested her arms on the stone railing, looking down at the movement below. Pokémon battles were still visible between the rooftops, small flashes of light and colour from one corner to the next.
"But it's not quite like Eterna City, is it."
She said it without bitterness, just a quiet observation. The crowds here were part of the spectacle — but they also kept everything at arm's length. She and Steven had spent the morning walking and watching and tasting the local street food, and it had been pleasant enough, but it lacked something.
The time Steven had taken her to the Eterna City festival — unannounced, with no grand plan — had felt entirely different.
"Is that so?" Steven tilted his head. "I think it has its charm."
He shifted, turning slightly so that his shoulder caught more of the wind coming over the railing, letting Cynthia stand in the shelter of it.
"Since Cynthia prefers that kind of festival," he said, a light amusement in his voice, "I'll make sure to take her to one like it again."
He raised his arm and rested it around her shoulders.
"Just not today."
"Hmm…"
"Growl."
A low sound pulled both of them out of the moment.
They looked up.
Crouched on the pointed roof just above Steven, a Pokémon regarded them with large, calm eyes. It was dark blue and humanoid — long-limbed and lean, with the fluid poise of something built for speed. Its tongue, pale pink and enormously long, was wrapped loosely around its neck like a scarf, one end drifting in the wind.
"That's—"
"Greninja," Steven said. "One of the Kalos starter Pokémon's final forms."
A beat of silence.
Why, he thought privately, does a Greninja feel the need to sit on rooftops and watch people?
"Excuse me — I apologise for the interruption."
A calm, even voice came from the rooftop on the opposite side. Steven turned.
A man crouched there, dressed in deep blue — a close-fitting outfit with a black mask covering most of his face. His posture was still, balanced, entirely at ease on the narrow pitch of the roof.
"We had no intention of disturbing you," he said. There was genuine regret in his tone. "My apologies."
"Growl..." Greninja ducked its head in a small bow of its own.
"It's fine," Cynthia said, though her eyes were still moving over the pair of them with a careful, assessing look.
The man gave Greninja a brief glance. The two of them dropped from the roof without another word — the ninja landing soundlessly, Greninja springing after him — and within seconds, both had vanished into the narrow streets below.
"That was strange," Cynthia said quietly.
"Yes." Steven looked at the spot where they had disappeared. "Who spends a festival afternoon on someone's rooftop?"
He trailed off.
Wait.
Something else had caught his eye in the moment they'd gone. His gaze had followed them down — and there, in a small side alley just visible between the buildings below, something was moving.
Steven leaned forward over the stone railing, craning to see.
"Steven? What is it?" Cynthia leaned with him, following his line of sight.
In the alley below, a Pokémon hopped along the cobblestones. It was small and extraordinarily elegant — a pale form with a large, shimmering pink diamond set into the crown of its head, surrounded by a ring of smaller octahedral and elongated diamonds. A golden arc-shaped collar encircled its neck, inlaid with another faceted stone. Its upper body tapered into something resembling a white gown, and its lower half was formed from raw diamond ore, uncut and glittering where the light caught the exposed crystal.
The pink diamonds on its body caught every angle of the afternoon sun.
Cynthia glanced sideways at Steven. His expression had gone somewhere else entirely.
Of course, she thought, the corner of her mouth lifting. Of course it would be a Pokémon that looks like a walking gemstone.
"Is that really...?" Steven breathed, almost to himself.
He grabbed Cynthia's hand.
"Come on — I have to see this up close."