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"Akira... is Captain Cyllene really that big of an eater?"
Steven blinked, watching as Cyllene polished off her tenth taro cake.
"That's just her usual amount," Akira said, taking a bite of his own taro cake as though it were nothing unusual. "No one in all of Jubilife Village has ever managed to beat Captain Cyllene's record of ten taro cakes."
Steven's mouth twitched. Between himself and Diancie, they'd only managed three. Even counting Akira's share, the total barely reached six.
Once Cyllene had finished eating, she rose and headed back toward Galaxy Team Headquarters.
"Phew! All done!" Akira patted his stomach, eyes bright as he looked at Steven. "Big Brother Steven, are we doing special training now?"
"Uh... next time. I'm heading to Ginkgo Landing to find Lian." Steven paused. "This is my entrance exam for the team."
Akira's eyes widened. An entrance exam — at Ginkgo Landing?
"What kind of exam did Captain Cyllene give you, Big Brother Steven?"
"Subduing the Forest King," Steven said flatly.
"Oh..." Akira nodded slowly, then froze. "Wait — subduing the Forest King?!"
He slapped the table and shot to his feet, staring at Steven in disbelief. Every team member nearby who'd been quietly eating suddenly turned to look at Steven too.
"It's fine, really — I already fought it once," Steven said with a tired smile, pulling Akira up and steering him outside before the whole room could start asking questions.
"Wait, how did it go? How did it go?" Akira asked eagerly once they were out the door. The title of "King" carried real weight throughout the Hisui Region — that kind of strength was said to have been passed down through generations, and the very first King to hold the title might have been stronger still. Steven privately suspected a King's power went well beyond Champion-level.
"It went fine. From what I saw, it's not unbeatable," Steven said thoughtfully. Had the fight gone on longer, he doubted Scizor would have lost.
"Really? Can I come watch?" Akira's eyes lit up.
Steven raised a hand as if to shield himself from the sheer enthusiasm. "No. This is my entrance exam, not a spectator event." Unfortunately for Akira, he wasn't quite Ash, and his Pikachu certainly wasn't that Pikachu — this was something Steven needed to handle on his own, and quickly.
"Fine, fine..." Akira sighed, managing a small smile. "But when you get back, you have to teach me!"
"Don't worry," Steven said, chuckling as he set a hand on Akira's red hat. "I will."
After leaving the Taro Full Pavilion and parting ways with Akira, Steven returned to his dorm to sort out food for his Pokémon. Looking over what remained of his supplies, he wondered if he could gather fruit from the trees around Jubilife Village — as for restocking on ore, that would mean finding a cave to dig through.
Once his Pokémon had all eaten their fill, he climbed onto Metagross and set off once more for Ginkgo Landing. He arrived back at the site of that morning's battle with Kleavor just before sunset.
"Now, where would Lian be?" Steven scratched his head, glancing around. He had nothing to go on but a slow flight over Ginkgo Landing, scanning for any sign of a dwelling.
Before long, he spotted a row of torches leading toward a small wooden hut in a clearing. He landed and looked the place over, then knocked on the door. No answer came.
"Who are you?"
The voice came from behind him. Steven turned to find a short boy with curly orange hair and an oversized hat, clutching a bag of berries and eyeing him warily.
"You must be Warden Lian. I'm Steven, from the Galaxy Team's Survey Corps," Steven said with an easy smile.
"Ah, I see — you've come to see the strong, handsome Kleavor too, haven't you?"
Kleavor. So that was the Forest King's name — Cyllene had never actually told him. Hearing it now, Steven felt fairly confident in a guess he'd been turning over since the fight: Kleavor might well be some other form connected to Scizor's line.
"I understand completely," Lian went on, half to himself, nodding along. "Because right now, our strong, handsome Kleavor has become even stronger — and even more handsome." His tone shifted, turning serious. "But I can't let you see him. Not while he's this strong. That lightning last night was probably the power of the Sinnoh Grandeur — it must have made him even mightier!"
"Uh, Warden Lian—" Steven cut in, unable to let the boy keep talking to himself.
"Hm?" Lian tilted his head curiously.
"I already fought him. Last night," Steven admitted with an awkward smile. Honestly, the fight had stayed within reason — nothing like tangling with a Legendary, at least.
"You fought him?" Lian's eyes went wide as he looked Steven over from head to toe. "Since when does the Survey Corps have a Trainer this good?"
"Actually, I'm not officially one yet," Steven said with a light laugh — he hadn't passed the entrance exam yet, after all.
Lian waved the detail away, unconcerned. "Last time, I let it slide since you came back unharmed. Not this time, though. Pearl made it very clear — no one is to go near Kleavor."
That's a problem, Steven thought. His whole assignment was to subdue the Forest King. If Lian wouldn't even let him near it, how was he supposed to get anywhere?
"But my mission is to subdue him — he's rampaging," Steven said, a note of frustration creeping in.
Lian's expression hardened. "No. Absolutely not. Whatever power the rampaging Kleavor has taken on likely came from the Sinnoh Grandeur itself. He shouldn't be subdued at all!"
Steven studied the boy's dead-serious face. Cyllene had been right — Lian's devotion to the Sinnoh Grandeur and to the Kings ran deep.
"But whatever's affecting him is unnatural," Steven pressed, frowning. "It's not something he can control — it's what's driving the berserk state, and making him attack people. Doesn't that trouble you at all?" It struck Steven as something closer to blind faith than reason.
"If that's how it is, then my partner and I will simply have to drive you off," Lian said, expression firm as he drew a Poké Ball. The design was different here in Hisui — a clasp set into the middle in place of the usual button. He flicked it open, and a burst of white light spilled out.
The Pokémon that appeared was mostly purple, its skin smooth and glistening, with silver-gray rings mottling its tail and neck. Two sturdy antennae rose from its head, and mucus coated its whole body, thickest around its hands and chin. A large shell curved over its back, giving it the look of an oversized snail.
"A Goodra? Some kind of regional variant?" Steven asked, studying the creature with interest. A Hisuian Goodra, then. Judging by presence alone, this one felt close to King-level — which explained why it had been entrusted with guarding Ginkgo Landing. King-level strength wasn't something found just anywhere in a region; even Cyllene, for all her authority as the Survey Corps' leader, didn't quite match that level of raw power herself. The Galaxy Team's commander, Steven guessed, would have to be stronger still than Lian standing before him now.
Steven raised his Rotom Phone first, recording the Hisuian Goodra's appearance and rough combat data. Then he reached for a Poké Ball of his own.
Bang!
"Lucario!"
A flash of white light, and Lucario stood ready.