Explaining everything to Officer Jenny didn't take long.
Steven and Cynthia kept it straightforward — they had been visiting Snowpoint City when the Battle Pyramid passed overhead, so they went to greet Mr. Brandon. Hunter J had shown up in the middle of that, and things had escalated from there.
The two Champions stepped out of the police station side by side. Diancie hopped ahead of them, her small feet leaving light impressions in the dusting of snow on the steps.
Steven looked up. The sky was a flat, heavy gray — the kind that promised more snow before long. A single ice crystal drifted down and settled on the lens of his glasses.
"Come on," he said quietly, taking Cynthia's hand. "Let's head back."
"Mm."
Diancie didn't protest or ask to linger. It had more sense than that. Normally it could be perfectly playful, but after everything that had happened — after standing in the presence of a Legendary Pokémon and watching the chaos that followed — even Diancie understood that now was a time to be still.
Back at the hotel, Steven didn't go straight to his room. He stopped at the front desk and booked one of the private lounges instead. The rooms were spacious, but not spacious enough for all of his and Cynthia's Pokémon to stretch out comfortably.
Once the lounge was theirs, he released everyone and began setting out food.
Skarmory stood apart from the others, wings folded tightly, wearing an unmistakably sulky expression.
"I really am sorry," Steven said, walking over to give its head an apologetic pat.
"Yo..." Skarmory let out a low, deflated sigh and dipped its head.
It had held Iron Defense for what felt like an eternity — and it hadn't gotten to do a single thing beyond that. Not one move. All that effort and discipline, completely unseen.
Truly tragic.
But then again — two major incidents in just a matter of days. If things kept up at this pace, surely another would come along soon enough. Next time, Skarmory told itself firmly, giving a decisive little nod, next time I'll get my chance.
Steven watched it reach that conclusion entirely on its own and felt a quiet warmth settle in his chest. That kind of resilience was something he genuinely admired.
Sandslash, by contrast, had no such concerns. It sat happily in the corner, munching through a bowl of Ice-type Pokémon food with great enthusiasm, occasionally letting out a contented little hum between bites.
"Sand~"
As expected, it had not been called into battle this time either. And honestly, that was fine. Steven had come to understand, after their encounter with Yveltal, that even Pokémon at the Champion level could only contribute so much in a confrontation with a Legendary. A Sandslash — even a strong one — would have had limited impact in a fight of that scale. Better to be warm and well-fed.
Across the lounge, Larvitar had made its way over to Diancie, rubbing its small palms together with a hopeful expression.
"Larvi~" ˋ( °▽,°)
Sister Diancie~ could I have a little more~
Diancie gave a soft, amused laugh. With one small wave of her hand, a glittering cascade of pink diamonds rained down directly over Larvitar's head, burying it completely.
The diamonds were rich in Fairy-type energy, which wasn't particularly useful for a Rock- and Ground-type like Larvitar. But they were exceptionally hard, and their mineral density could be absorbed and used to strengthen Larvitar's naturally tough hide. More importantly — and Larvitar would be the first to say so — they tasted wonderful.
Aggron had been watching from nearby. It leaned its large head over, pointed at itself, and raised a hopeful brow.
"Aggron gets some too," Steven said.
Diancie reversed her gesture obligingly, and a neat pile of pink diamonds appeared in front of Aggron.
"Hoo~"
Nearby, Honedge drifted in slow, idle loops through the air, a steel gem caught loosely in the trailing end of its ribbon. It seemed perfectly content to just float.
"Aobo!"
Empoleon, food bowl clutched in both flippers, was chasing it. Honedge looped higher. Empoleon's expression darkened.
Steven's attention drifted to the far end of the lounge, where his Lucario and Cynthia's Lucario sat close together, eating side by side. Out of all the Pokémon between the two of them, those two had probably grown the closest.
"Togepi~"
A cheerful cry rang out from across the room. Togepi came toddling toward Cynthia at full speed, tiny arms waving, face bright with delight.
Thump.
Its short legs caught on a stray pink diamond, and the little eggshell tumbled end over end until it rolled to a stop right at Cynthia's feet. There was a brief, stunned silence.
Then Togepi's lower lip trembled.
"Tooo! "
"Oh, sweetheart — no, no, no crying~" Cynthia crouched down immediately, scooping Togepi up into her arms and cradling it gently, swaying from side to side in the slow, soothing rhythm of someone rocking a baby to sleep.
Gastrodon had been nearby when it happened. It crawled quietly to Cynthia's side and lowered its head, radiating guilt.
"It's all right," Cynthia said softly, reaching over to give Gastrodon a reassuring pat. "It wasn't your fault at all."
"Togepi~"
Togepi, already calming down, reached out one small hand toward Gastrodon as if to agree. It's okay. It's okay! Clearly, it was the fault of whoever had left a diamond lying in the middle of the floor.
"La!"
Larvitar sneezed. It blinked and looked around suspiciously.
...Was someone talking about it just now?
It must have been from building that snow castle earlier. Yes. Definitely just a cold coming on.
Satisfied with this conclusion, Larvitar popped another pink diamond into its mouth and resumed chewing.
The days that followed passed quickly and easily.
Steven and Cynthia spent several days traveling through Sinnoh together. On a clear evening in Snowpoint City, they walked the quiet streets beneath a sky scattered with drifting ice crystals. From there, they made their way down to Floaroma Town and joined the locals for a flower-picking festival. They made a detour to Veilstone City, stopping at a small clothing boutique run by a trainer with a well-known fondness for games. And finally, Cynthia accompanied Steven to Oreburgh City, where they spent a morning down in the mines, trying their hand at fossil excavation alongside the city's miners.
The last stop was Oreburgh City Airport.
Cynthia stood facing Steven, the quiet activity of departing travelers moving around them. There was something in her eyes — a reluctance she wasn't trying very hard to hide.
"Thank you, Steven," she said softly, with a gentle smile.
Steven blinked, then gave a quiet laugh. "What's this about? A sudden thank-you out of nowhere?"
Cynthia's grip tightened around his hand. Her lashes dipped slightly. "Because this past month has made me very happy. That's all."
"You don't need to thank me for something like that," Steven said, pulling her into a quiet embrace. He could catch the faint, clean scent of her hair. "It's not as though this was the only time."
"I know," she murmured against his shoulder.
"Give me a little while, and I'll come back to Sinnoh," Steven said, smiling.
Cynthia pulled back just enough to look up at him. "No."
Her voice was gentle but firm. "Next time, I'll be the one to come to Hoenn."
Steven looked at her — the quiet sincerity in her expression, the way she meant every word of it — and he smiled.
"All right then. I'll be waiting."
Cynthia rose slightly onto her toes and leaned into him. Their lips met, brief and warm.
"Bye-bye, Cynthia~"
Diancie trotted along at Steven's side toward the departures gate, turning back to wave one small hand.
"We're off," Steven said.
Cynthia raised her hand in a quiet wave. "Take care on the way back."
She had her own work waiting. As Sinnoh's Champion, there were responsibilities to return to, and as an archaeologist, there were still untranslated passages from the Solaceon Ruins sitting on her desk — ancient script that hadn't been fully deciphered yet. That would take time.
Diancie headed back to Hoenn with Steven. And if anyone had any doubts about whether that was necessary — Larvitar had already made it abundantly clear that going more than a day without Diancie's pink diamonds would leave it completely inconsolable.
Steven's Hoenn responsibilities had been passed along to Flannery in his absence. There hadn't been much, and she was more than capable of handling it. His main reasons for returning were to get his Pokémon back into serious training, check in on the development of Pokémon: Gem, and see how the research on the new model Pokédex was progressing.
Cynthia remained by the terminal window, watching the plane begin to move. Her reflection looked back at her from the glass.
How long would it be this time? When she was deep in her work, she sometimes forgot to reply to messages for days at a stretch. She hoped he wouldn't mind.
Inside its Poké Ball, Garchomp stirred.
Finally.
Finally!
Cynthia turned away from the window. Something in her expression had shifted — softer a moment ago, now quiet and determined. Her long golden hair swayed as she adjusted the collar of her coat.
She walked toward the exit.
Steven was heading back to Hoenn. And Cynthia's next destination was already clear.
The Sinnoh Pokémon League — and the inauguration that awaited her there.