"However, we will handle this matter ourselves, so we won't trouble you," Pearl said, meeting Steven's gaze.
Steven spread his hands helplessly. "But if I don't quell the Lord of the Woods, my assessment will fail. Besides, Captain Cyllene asked me to help Lian quell it as well."
Pearl looked into Steven's eyes and pondered for a moment. "Alright then. Please allow us to accept your Helping Hand," she said, bowing slightly.
"My pleasure," Steven replied, nodding gently.
So the Sinnoh Grandeur revered by the Pearl Clan was the Spatial Pokémon, Palkia. It was no coincidence, then, that the names of the Pearl Clan and the Diamond Clan corresponded to the Lustrous Orb and the Adamant Orb, the former round like a large pearl, the latter faceted like a diamond.
Steven had originally assumed the Sinnoh Grandeur spoken of by the people of Hisui referred to Arceus alone. Perhaps, he thought now, it was simply a shared title for all three legendary Pokémon tied to this land. As for that irritable Ghost/Dragon-type he had in mind, it had likely been banished to the Reverse World by Arceus long ago. Unless, of course, some other clan out there, a Platinum Clan perhaps, paid tribute to Giratina instead.
"Quelling Kleavor is a matter of urgency," Pearl said, her brow furrowing. "If more people and Pokémon are attacked, it will only stir up disputes between us and the Diamond Clan."
Lian looked up at Steven and spoke in a deep, steady voice. "Since that's the case, we have no choice but to quell Kleavor together. Normally, when it's in a foul mood, giving it its favorite food is enough to calm it down. But that isn't working this time."
Steven smiled helplessly. Was everyone around here a foodie?
"Then I'll battle Kleavor to wear down its stamina first, and we can calm it with food afterward," Steven said. Quell, then soothe. First the slap, then the candy. It seemed reasonable enough to him.
"In that case, Lian and I will prepare the Calming Balm," Pearl said, glancing at the Metagross standing behind Steven. She gave it a small nod of approval. The presence that Pokémon gave off felt almost identical to that of a rampaging Alpha Pokémon, and after having watched Steven's earlier battle, she had come to trust in his strength.
"But the moment we get close, Kleavor will attack us. It'll be difficult to actually hand over the Calming Balm," Lian pointed out.
"Couldn't we just put the Calming Balm in a bag and throw it at Kleavor?" Steven asked, curious. It wasn't so different, he figured, from tossing a Poké Ball.
Pearl and Lian exchanged a glance and nodded to one another.
"That's not a bad idea," Pearl said. "Rest here for now. We'll set off once the Calming Balm is ready."
"Mm, all right," Steven said, nodding gently.
Lian led Steven to a small wooden cabin and left him there to spend the night, while she and Pearl went off to gather the ingredients they needed.
Steven used a Hyper Potion and some Sitrus Berry energy cubes to restore Lucario's stamina, then found an open patch of ground behind the cabin to train his Pokémon. Training in the Hisui region seemed to go unusually well, though he couldn't say exactly why. Whatever the reason, he wasn't about to complain; the faster his Pokémon grew, the sooner he'd make his way back home.
While he watched his team train, Steven put his own body through some conditioning as well. If his Pokémon could grow stronger so efficiently here, perhaps he could too. His body had already been touched by Xerneas's life energy once, leaving him somewhat strengthened, and though he still couldn't stand toe-to-toe with something like Metagross, he could now hold his own against most Outstanding-ranked Pokémon and anything weaker. It might be worth asking Ho-Oh for a bit of Sacred Ash to push himself further still, so that even a direct hit from a Legendary Pokémon wouldn't kill him outright.
Most of his core team no longer needed much oversight; each of them had settled into their own training rhythms by now. But Diancie, Doublade, and Sandslash hadn't been with him nearly as long, so Steven went around checking on each of them, pointing out what needed work.
The night sky above was thick with stars, utterly unlike anything visible back in the city, out here in what felt like true wilderness. Inside the cabin, Pearl and Lian were still hard at work on the Calming Balm they'd need by morning. After exchanging a few words with them, Steven retired to his room, knowing he'd need to conserve energy for the encounter with Kleavor ahead. The bed was little more than a wooden plank frame, but the mattress on top made for a surprisingly comfortable night's rest.
...
By morning, it was Steven who woke the other two, who had fallen asleep in the main room. The dark circles under their eyes told him plainly enough that they'd stayed up working long into the night before finally giving in to sleep.
"The rest is up to you now, Steven," Pearl said through a yawn.
"No problem. Just try not to miss," Steven said with a light chuckle.
Once Steven engaged Kleavor in battle, Pearl and Lian would be the ones responsible for throwing the Calming Balm. The bag holding it was designed to loosen on impact, releasing an enticing scent meant to draw Kleavor in. With any luck, once it ate the balm, it would come back to its senses.
Steven still felt the plan was a bit haphazard, honestly, but considering how obsessed Pokémon like Pupitar and Aggron tended to be with food, maybe it wasn't so far-fetched. He certainly wasn't one to judge anybody's aim, given how rarely he'd thrown a Poké Ball himself. His past attempts at carnival-style throwing games had been charitable acts at best, so this job was clearly better left to Pearl and Lian.
The three of them set off toward Kleavor's territory. Along the way, Pearl spoke up.
"This was originally a matter for our Pearl Clan to handle on our own, but since we couldn't manage it, we had no choice but to bring it to the Galaxy Team," she said, a note of helplessness in her voice. "Once the matter is settled, we'll thank you properly."
"It's fine. This is exactly why I came out here in the first place," Steven said, waving a hand.
A proper thanks wasn't something he cared much about. Now, if someone offered him a fine stone or two, that would be a different matter. He hadn't yet had the chance to dig for good stones in the Hisui region, but he already had plans for them: the finest specimens for his personal collection, the high-quality but plain-looking ones fed to his Pokémon, and the more beautiful pieces sold off later for a tidy profit.
How delightful. How delightful indeed.