Spelunking // Cynthia & Steven
shiroselene:
He was right, of course, she’d admit to that. If there was anyone on the planet who understood the tedium of ceremony and convention, it’d be the heir to a multimillion pokédollar empire. Who’d also been a champion, at some point, to boot— and that was the only part she could claim to find relatable. If there were anyone that she’d have thought would be exhausted of it all, by now, it’d have been Steven. And yet, he still seemed as polite and put-together as the best of them.
And she’d thought she had it tough.
“Steven it is,” she said, testing the name out on her tongue, feeling no odder than any other time she’d been asked to drop the formality before the name. She’d get used to it. Fleetingly, she wondered if people usually referred to him as Mr. Stone or champion. Mr. Champion?
“I wouldn’t say I’m well aware of. I know the basics, of course— my grandmother used to tell us stories of legendaries of all sorts; I was always fond of Hoenn’s. I can’t admit to having read more than a few more thorough academic files on the matter, though.” That sort of stuff was hard to come by in Sinnoh. Papers boasting more than just the tales of legends were almost as hard as actual, tangible evidence itself was, particularly when the pokémon in question weren’t region-native.
Steven enjoyed being able to strike a conversation with someone who stood on equal ground with him. It was plenty rare for League Champions of different regions to sit back and discuss matters aside from the inner workings of their respective homes-- but he wasn’t going to complain about that, of course. Tedious as it may sound, the meetings and gatherings he’d had to attend as a champion were all for the greater good of the League’s Community. An organization simply couldn’t have any one of its gears fall idle and rust. And besides, it wasn’t like Steven wasn’t trained to properly handle himself growing up. His experiences with Devon Corp at a young age had taught him plenty about responsibility and the maintenance of companies. The climb to the top has never been about comfort.
Still, it was impossible to argue that he didn’t enjoy breaks such as this. Two Ex-Champions discussing legendary Pokemon. In a cave no less, the place where he’d found valuable time for himself over the years. A sudden realization hit him and he turned to Cynthia, “Ah! On second thought maybe this isn’t the best idea,” he paused for dramatic effect, “caves aren’t very well known for its relaxing atmosphere,” he broke out to a grin and chuckled.
“I’m just kidding-- there’s something brilliant in this cave, just you wait!” There was a sense of accomplishment at his own attempt to break the ice, but he immediately tried to compose himself. It was a trick he’d learned growing up-- composure is always key. Cynthia went on about the extent of her knowledge regarding Hoenn’s mythos, and as soon as she finished Steven pulled out a folder and handed it to the trainer. “Written in these files are the events involving Groudon and Kyogre initiated by Team Magma and Team Aqua respectively. A separate set of files note down the event concerning Rayquaza and a meteorite. I’m sure you’ve heard of these events. The appearance of these Pokemon almost ended Hoenn-- if not the entire world. It surely would have been able to given time,” he paused to sigh, “if not for those two remarkable trainers we might not be having this conversation.”
He stopped in his tracks. In front of them was the entrance to their destination. “It’s right past here,” he gestured to the room, “after you.”
