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Steven and Cynthia said their goodbyes to Professor Rowan and left the Research Institute.
Before heading to the train station, Steven stopped by an ice cream stand on the street and brought Cynthia along.
"Hmm..." Cynthia stared at the wide selection of different flavored ice creams, finding herself in a bit of a dilemma.
She was always decisive and sharp in battle, yet such a simple choice left her strangely troubled.
"Boss, I'll take two scoops—vanilla and strawberry, please," Steven said with a smile, making the decision for her.
"Which flavor do you prefer?"
"Either one is fine with me," Cynthia replied, turning toward Steven with a gentle smile.
"Here you go! Two ice creams for you both."
Steven and Cynthia sat down on a bench by the street, enjoying their ice cream together.
"Cynthia, what do you want to do after you become Champion?" Steven asked curiously.
After all, the Cynthia he remembered was primarily a mythologist, with her role as Sinnoh's Champion being secondary.
"Hmm... I think I'll become a mythologist," Cynthia said after a moment of thought.
"After all, with Grandma Caroline's influence, I've grown really interested in mythology."
"A mythologist, that's wonderful. It's no easier than being Sinnoh's Champion, you know," Steven said thoughtfully. A mythologist's work was indeed quite demanding.
Not only would she need to learn ancient languages, but she'd also have to conduct research day and night, publishing her findings only after thorough preparation and gathering evidence.
She would even need to visit ancient ruins for fieldwork and investigation.
"What about you? Have you thought about what you want to do?"
"I'll go dig for stones. When I travel to different regions, I'll dig along the way," Steven answered without hesitation. He was truly captivated by the beautiful internal structures of stones.
"I think you're only using travel as an excuse to dig for stones, aren't you?" Cynthia chuckled. "After all, your house is completely filled with all sorts of stones."
"That's probably true."
"By the way, Cynthia..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Do ancient ruins have lots of different kinds of stones?"
"Pfft—"
Cynthia let out a small laugh, glancing sideways at Steven. She saw him looking up at the clear blue sky.
"Hmm, I think so."
"Then, when I find that 'gift,' I'll polish another ornament exactly like the one I made before and give one to each of you," Steven said with a grin.
"Huh? Why would you do that?"
Steven turned his head, looked at the girl's delicate face, and said with a smile:
"Because wearing matching ones would look really cute."
"Absolutely not!"
Their laughter filled the air as the time for their temporary farewell drew near.
On the train, Steven and Cynthia sat together in their seats.
Steven gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the window. When he lowered his gaze, he could see the sleeping girl's delicate and peaceful face.
He gently tucked a few strands of her slightly messy hair behind her ear, his movements so careful that they didn't wake her.
"It's truly wonderful to be alive in the Pokémon world..."
Steven thought to himself.
This place wasn't the dark world depicted in some novels or by conspiracy theorists.
This was a utopian world.
Although evil organizations existed, they couldn't change the fundamental essence of this world.
Time passed quickly, and when the train pulled into the station, Steven gently woke Cynthia.
The girl, with a small trace of drool at the corner of her lips, looked somewhat bewildered as she had just woken up.
"We've arrived," Steven said with a gentle smile.
"Oh, okay..."
Steven led Cynthia off the train. Normally, Steven wouldn't worry too much about Cynthia's safety.
After all, Garchomp was probably grinding its teeth in frustration at him right now.
Cynthia would continue her journey, and so would Steven.
"See you next time!" Cynthia and Steven were about to part ways at the airport.
"Here, this is my Pokégear number. Call me if you miss me," Steven said with a mischievous grin, pulling out a slip of paper with his number that he had prepared on the train.
"I won't miss you!" Cynthia huffed lightly, but she still took the slip of paper and held it tightly in her hand.
Steven looked at the girl who occasionally said one thing but meant another, and raised his hand to pat Cynthia's head.
"You..."
"You hit me twice, so isn't it fair for me to pat you once?"
"Fine, I'll let you off this time," Cynthia said with a small huff.
Steven waved goodbye to Cynthia as she prepared to board.
Inside their Poké Balls, Garchomp and Metagross seemed to exchange glances, as if communicating telepathically.
Garchomp: (▼皿▼#) Next time, I'll smash your iron shell, you metal crab!
Metagross: (●—●) Try not to break your own fin, you grumpy shark.
Cynthia watched Steven, who kept looking back every few steps, walk into the cabin.
Once the plane took off, Steven pressed his face against the window, watching the Sinnoh Region grow smaller and smaller below.
Returning home now...
He hadn't fought Cynthia to the very end, so it was still unclear who was actually stronger.
But Steven was certain that the next time they met, he would definitely be stronger than Cynthia!
After spending an entire day on the plane, Steven had been away from Hoenn for five days.
It was already the sixth day when he finally returned to Rustboro City.
Steven first released Scyther back into Petalburg Woods to reunite with its companions.
Then, he headed straight to Devon Corporation in Rustboro City.
However, before reaching the president's office door, Steven adjusted his hurried breathing, adopting a more relaxed demeanor, and knocked on the door.
Knock knock...
"Come in."
A slightly weary voice came from inside.
Steven pushed the door open, and his eyes met the tired face of his father, Joseph.
"Father."
"You're back," Joseph said with a smile, though it appeared somewhat forced.
"What did you actually need me to do in the Sinnoh Region?" Steven asked, softening his tone to avoid sounding accusatory.
"Hmm... to get fossils, I suppose," Joseph said after a moment's thought.
"But Grandma Caroline told me there weren't any fossils at all."
"..."
"And your Pokégear number wasn't reachable. What have you been doing these past few days? Why did you specifically send me away?"
Joseph didn't respond immediately. Instead, he reached into his drawer and took out a box.
"Open it and see."
Steven walked forward and opened the tightly secured box.
Inside lay a black fingerless glove and a silvery-white metal band.
Steven's eyes widened as he looked at the contents of the box.
What mattered wasn't the glove and the band themselves, but what was embedded in them!
Set into the band was a perfectly round, light blue stone with a yellow, diagonally-placed light gray-blue leaf-shaped pattern inside.
Embedded in the glove was a colorful stone with a leaf-shaped pattern in the center that resembled a DNA structure.
These were a Mega Stone and a Key Stone!
"I've been collecting all kinds of information about Mega Stones. Although there's still no detailed information about Mega Evolution yet, finding similar stones is still possible," Joseph explained.
However, searching this way was still far too slow.
"A few days ago, I received intelligence that traces of a Mega Stone appeared near Meteor Falls. However, a mine collapse happened to occur at the same time, and it took my team two full days to locate it."
"Then I took it to the Kalos region to show Dr. Sycamore, who specializes in Mega Evolution research, and he confirmed that this stone has a very strong connection with Metagross."
"You were already in Lavaridge Town at that time, and I was worried you might go to Meteor Falls to dig for stones and get caught in a cave collapse. So I sent you to the Sinnoh Region first."
"I remember that little girl likes you quite a bit, and you two could also use this opportunity to spend some time together."
Joseph explained the entire sequence of events.
In Joseph's view, Steven might disregard his own safety in pursuit of a Mega Stone.
Steven might indeed do exactly that, since he had Metagross as his partner and protector.
Steven looked at the Metagrossite and Key Stone in the box, then looked up at Joseph.
"Thank you, Father."
"Saying that makes us sound like strangers. You are my son, and of course I'll support you with everything I have. This also makes up for lost time in the past."
"Mega Evolution isn't easy to master. The rest is all up to you now."
"I will become the Champion of the Hoenn Region and won't disappoint you," Steven said solemnly.
"Go on, continue your journey," Joseph said with a slight smile.
After Steven left, Joseph leaned back in his chair, smiling as he rubbed his forehead and murmured to himself:
"When have you ever disappointed me?"