Sinnoh League Headquarters.
A girl with long golden hair, cascading like a waterfall, sat behind her desk. Loose strands fell over one eye, leaving only a single gray eye visible. In front of her lay just two folders, mostly untouched. In the desk's upper right corner stood two photo frames.
The first showed Carolina holding a little golden-haired girl in her arms, the child flashing a peace sign and a bright, childish grin. The second showed the same girl now grown, eyes closed, pressing a kiss to the silver-blue hair of a boy beside her. Through the window behind him, scattered city lights glittered in the distance.
Cynthia turned a small gift box over in her hands, her gaze distant and unfocused.
Flint, his hair a wild burst of red, leaned toward Lucian, who sat buried behind a stack of paperwork.
"Hey, Lucian," Flint said, curious. "Any idea what's been wrong with the boss lately? She's been out of it for days."
"I only ever saw her like this once before, not long after she took the title of Champion," Lucian replied without looking up. He glanced sideways at Flint. "Have you never noticed the photo frame on Champion Cynthia's desk?"
Flint waved his hands quickly. "No way, I wouldn't dare go looking! I still remember what her Garchomp did to the last person who pried."
"Then you must at least know of Steven, the Hoenn Champion," Lucian said with a tired sigh.
"Sure, I know him. Missing for what, four months now? Wallace took over as Champion after him — he used to run the Sootopolis Gym."
"Ohh." Flint's eyes lit up as it clicked into place. "So the boss and that missing ex-Champion have got something going on between them!"
Lucian's mouth twitched. It was probably for the best that the League left most of the paperwork to him. Flint really wasn't cut out for this kind of desk work.
"But why now, out of nowhere? She's usually the most level-headed person I know," Flint pressed, still puzzled.
Lucian closed the document in front of him, picked up a fresh one, and answered evenly as he opened it. "If you'd bothered looking up Champion Steven, you'd know today is his birthday."
Flint let the realization sink in with a long "Ohhh." "That explains it."
Before Flint could ask anything further, Lucian slid the newly opened folder across the desk toward him.
"If you've got this much time to gossip, how about helping me get through some of this instead? Once we're done, I'll tell you every last bit of gossip you want."
"Uh…" Flint eyed the dense block of text on the page and immediately took a step back. "Elite Lucian! Much appreciated for all your hard work!" With that, he bolted.
Lucian watched him flee, glanced once more at the golden-haired woman across the room, and returned to his documents.
Buzz, buzz…
Cynthia sat staring blankly at the small gift box, not even noticing her phone buzzing on the desk.
"Champion Cynthia? Champion Cynthia?"
Lucian's voice finally broke through her daze.
"Hm? What is it, Elite Lucian?" she asked, turning toward him.
Without a word, Lucian simply pointed at the phone. Cynthia noticed the call at last, thanked him, and picked it up.
"Grandma? What's wrong?"
She listened for a moment, then rose abruptly to her feet. Before hurrying out, she called back to Lucian, "Elite Lucian, something's come up at the ruins. Could you cover the rest of my work?"
"Ah — sure…" Lucian watched her rush off, then looked down at the two folders still sitting on her desk. "A little more, a little less. Makes no real difference at this point."
…
Cynthia flew from League Headquarters to the outskirts of Canalave City on the back of her Garchomp.
"Grandma!"
She spotted Carolina waiting near the entrance to the ruins and jogged over at once.
"Grandma, you said you had news about Steven?" Cynthia asked, gripping her grandmother's hand, unable to hide her anxiety.
Carolina patted her granddaughter's hand gently. "Don't rush. You'll understand everything once you come down into the ruins with me."
She took Cynthia by the hand and led her inside.
"These ruins were only just excavated," Cynthia said. "How could there possibly be news of Steven down here?"
Carolina gave a faint, knowing smile. "I already told you not to rush, dear. You've been Champion for years now — why are you still so easily rattled?"
Cynthia swallowed her questions and followed quietly, though her heart wouldn't stop pounding. Worry has a way of stripping away composure, and for one terrible moment, she pictured the worst outcome imaginable. Could Steven's body actually be down here? Her breath caught at the thought.
Sensing the shift in her granddaughter's mood, Carolina only shook her head gently and picked up her pace.
She led Cynthia into a stone chamber, where torchlight flickered across murals covering the walls. Cynthia studied the painted figures with growing astonishment.
On the left side of the mural stood a boy, a four-legged Pokémon resembling a great crab beside him, and at his feet, a small humanoid figure made of diamond. Ten Poké Ball symbols encircled him. Ahead of him were painted images of Kleavor and Heatran.
Cynthia stepped forward in a daze and reached out to touch the wall. Her fingers came to rest on the boy's painted face.
"You read ancient script better than I do," Carolina said. "So I won't need to explain this part."
Cynthia's eyes drifted downward, following the boy's painted figure to the rows of text beneath, written in the shapes of Unown. Two lines near the top stood out above the rest. Roughly translated, they read:
Pacify the Forest King. Stop Heatran from losing control.
Below that ran a longer passage, describing Steven's journey from the moment he arrived in Hisui to the moment he left it. And at the very bottom was a short message, left behind for him by someone else.
Keito: Mr. Steven, we never got the chance to properly thank you. Because of what you did, we were able to protect this world. If you ever see this mural, we hope it reminds you of the time you spent with us in the Hisui region, however brief it was.
(In the Hisui region, it's said that whoever falls from the sky becomes the hero of the story — which was reason enough for Keito to be the one to leave these words.)
The message itself was short. But an entire mural had been carved into stone for the sole purpose of letting Steven read it one day. Understanding that made the weight behind those few simple words impossible to miss.
"This mural dates back to ancient Sinnoh, from the era once known as Hisui," Carolina said softly, watching her granddaughter with tender eyes.
Cynthia nodded, tears welling in her eyes even as a small smile touched her lips. She thought back to the very first time she'd met Steven, when she was just a little girl. That memory alone was reason enough to explain why she still cared for him after all these years. She had never once forgotten the smile he gave her that day.
Cynthia took two steps back, taking in the whole mural one last time, and smiled with quiet relief.
"I understand, Grandma."
"I understand everything now…"
…