Bang—
On the flat training ground, two figures—one red and one blue—were constantly colliding with each other.
Their speeds were nearly identical, but in terms of raw power, Scizor held the advantage!
Lucario, on the other hand, was relying on Extreme Speed, which consumed far more stamina!
After all, Lucario only possessed quasi-Champion level strength, and only by using Extreme Speed could he keep pace with the Champion -level Scizor.
"Brick Break!"
Given Lucario's typing, the only moves in Scizor's arsenal that could deal significant damage were Fighting-type moves.
Even without the boost from the Technician Ability, Brick Break was still the optimal choice.
"Bone Club!"
Lucario slammed his paw onto the ground, and a translucent, earth-colored bone appeared in his grasp.
Bang—
Scizor's swinging pincer was blocked by Lucario's raised Bone Club!
"Bullet Punch!"
Scizor's movements contained no wasted motion whatsoever.
His other pincer shot forward with incredible speed.
Lucario could only defend clumsily with his Bone Club.
Swish—
Under the relentless barrage, Lucario's Bone Club dissipated into glimmering fragments of light.
"Close Combat!"
The two Pokémon immediately engaged in intense close-quarters combat.
The sounds of strikes landing echoed continuously throughout the training area.
Ultimately, this was just practice—knowing when to stop was enough.
Watching the distant sun being obscured by the mountains, its rays painting the white clouds a fiery red across the sky.
"Cynthia, it's time to head back," Steven called out to Cynthia, who was spraying a Potion on Lucario.
"Mhm!"
After treating Lucario's injuries, Cynthia turned around with a sweet smile.
Meanwhile, Piplup stood off to the side, holding Cynthia's Pokémon Egg. His entire body was stiff, trembling uncontrollably.
Mysterious gaseous matter emerged from an Odd Keystone, and the face-like expression within the swirling gas was quite terrifying—like a grinning monster.
At this moment, Spiritomb was staring intently at Piplup.
If Piplup were to drop and shatter the Egg, or shake it too violently...
Spiritomb would attack without hesitation.
"Piplup... o(TヘTo)"
Please let this end soon...
With that, today's training session concluded with the battle between Scizor and Lucario.
The battle between Metagross and Garchomp had already finished before the main training began, so they didn't continue battling.
In the match between Piplup and Milotic, Milotic emerged victorious. (This assumes Piplup's Torrent Ability wasn't activated.)
Aggron versus Spiritomb—Aggron won.
Riolu versus Roserade—Roserade won.
Skarmory versus Gastrodon—Skarmory won.
Scizor versus Lucario—Scizor won.
Overall, Steven's current strength was slightly greater than Cynthia's.
With healthy competition, their rate of improvement would accelerate!
"Thank you, Piplup," Cynthia said as she rubbed the little Piplup's fluffy head and carefully took the Pokémon Egg from his flippers.
"Piplup! 〒▽〒"
It's finally over!
A Piplup perched atop Steven's head while Cynthia cradled the Pokémon Egg in her arms.
The two walked side by side, chatting casually until they reached the doorstep of the house.
By then, night had completely fallen.
After settling all the Pokémon in the backyard, Steven decided to prepare their food first.
"Cynthia, do you want to go upstairs and shower first?" Steven asked while rummaging through his backpack without looking up.
"Mhm," Cynthia responded softly.
"Then I'll call you once I'm done cooking."
"Okay!" Cynthia's lips curved into a smile.
She had to admit, Steven's cooking really suited her taste.
Last time at Professor Rowan's laboratory, she hadn't eaten much out of politeness.
Everything had been devoured by those researchers like hungry Snorlax.
After Cynthia headed upstairs, Steven paused, staring at the portable Energy Cube maker in his bag.
He pushed it deeper inside.
No matter what, he couldn't afford to lose face!
After preparing Energy Cubes for all the Pokémon, Steven headed to the kitchen to start cooking.
"Oh, right! Cynthia! Is your grandmother coming back tonight?" Steven suddenly remembered Carolina's existence and called upstairs.
"Grandma went out for something—she won't be back for a few days!"
Cynthia's voice, muffled by the bathroom door, sounded somewhat distant.
"Why did he call her 'your grandmother' so naturally..."
Cynthia muttered to herself. The flush on her face could have been from shyness or from the hot water.
A simple meal for two didn't require many dishes.
Steven opened the refrigerator and scanned its contents. Fortunately, there were plenty of ingredients stored inside.
There were also numerous ready-made instant meals that could be eaten after heating.
"Uh..."
Steven turned to glance at the kitchen trash can, where charred remnants were scattered inside.
No wonder...
It seemed he still couldn't let Cynthia handle the cooking, or he might not live to see another day.
The simple meal—two meat dishes and one vegetable—was quickly prepared and steaming hot.
Steven carried the food to the dining table and called upstairs to Cynthia, who was drying her hair. "Cynthia, you can come down to eat now!"
"Okay, wait for me!"
Steven didn't start eating right away. Instead, he headed to the backyard.
He raised his hands and gently rubbed Skarmory's metallic face.
"Yo~" Skarmory's eyes curved happily, clearly pleased.
Steven pulled out a chunk of high-purity ore and handed it to Aggron as a post-meal treat.
"Kaaao!" Aggron's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the ore in Steven's hand.
After making his "rounds" among his own Pokémon, Steven approached Cynthia's team.
His main goals were to ask if the taste of the Energy Cubes was to their liking and what flavors they preferred.
But the most important objective was to build a strong relationship with Cynthia's Pokémon!
This was crucial! Especially, especially, especially important!
For this purpose, Steven even enlisted the help of his professional translator, Metagross.
"Luca..." Lucario nodded reluctantly and waved his paw dismissively.
It's acceptable. I'm not particularly picky about what I eat.
Finally, only Garchomp remained, glaring at him with a look that could kill.
"Garchomp, what do you think..."
"Kaao!" Garchomp roared furiously.
You think you can win me over?!
Steven's smiling expression twitched slightly.
This Garchomp was definitely the toughest obstacle!
Metagross casually glanced at Garchomp.
Just a defeated opponent—nothing worth mentioning!
Metagross's dismissive expression seemed to further ignite Garchomp's fury.
"Kaao!"
Let's battle again, Iron Crab!
"Metagross~"
Defeated opponent~
Metagross also had quite the talent for irritating Garchomp.
His specialty was passive-aggressive commentary.
Steven had no idea where Metagross had learned this behavior.
It was somewhat different from the meticulous Metagross he remembered from before.
"Steven, aren't you going to eat?"
Cynthia poked her head out from the doorframe, asking curiously.
"Coming right now," Steven replied with a smile. Before leaving, he deliberately stole one last glance at Garchomp.
Garchomp had turned sideways, clearly suppressing her anger.
Indeed, only Cynthia could keep Garchomp in check.
Cynthia's face was slightly flushed as she sat down across from Steven.
Suddenly, she became aware of an awkward atmosphere between the two of them.
So Cynthia clasped her hands together and whispered quietly, "Let's eat..."
"Pfft—"
Steven couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Don't laugh!"
Her slightly pink face suddenly turned crimson, and Cynthia let out an embarrassed protest.
Steven gazed at Cynthia, who was now shyly biting her chopsticks with her head lowered, and couldn't help but become momentarily lost in thought.
"Is something wrong?"
Cynthia noticed Steven's unusual behavior and asked curiously.
But inwardly, she was questioning herself.
Was I... too harsh just now?
Steven snapped back to reality, shaking his head with a gentle chuckle. "No, nothing. Let's eat."
A cozy home with just the two of them, and their Pokémon enjoying "harmonious and joyful" companionship outside.
The beautiful young woman before him, fresh from her shower and looking like a lotus emerging from clear water, wore black pajamas with white spots, appearing even more relaxed and comfortable.
Her golden hair, half-dried by the hairdryer, flowed beautifully without appearing messy.
Steven felt as though this atmosphere was like...
Like... like married life?!