Once Steven finished instructing Rei for the day, that wrapped up all of today's work.
As for Cobalt Coastlands, Steven planned to head there a bit later.
Captain Cyllene wouldn't have waited this long to send Steven out there alone. She valued her team members' safety too highly for that. Before she'd even assigned him this mission, she had almost certainly already sent someone to scout the area first.
Her stated goal for the mission was simple: have Steven track down the token. But the deeper purpose, the one she hadn't said outright, was that she hoped he'd also bring back word on the missing team members. As for testing Steven himself, that part was really just to confirm whether he could hold his own out there. And even if he couldn't, it wouldn't be the end of the world — Lian would be there to help. On top of that, if the Forest King showed any sign of trouble, Pearl would come running to check on it without being asked, and Cyllene had already worked that much out. That was exactly why she'd told Steven to find Lian first.
Captain Cyllene thought several steps ahead on everything. That was precisely why she'd earned her place as head of the Investigation Team. Others might not always catch the reasoning behind her decisions, but as long as the results held up, that was all that mattered to her.
At the moment, Steven was busy tinkering with his energy-cube crafting tools, Empoleon standing at his side, one hand venting a steady stream of cold air on command. Earlier, after wrapping up with Rei, Steven had swung by an orchard near Jubilife Village to gather berries for ingredients.
With its free hand, Empoleon held a small blade and traded "sword" strikes with a Doublade, the two of them clanging away at a kind of makeshift swordsmanship practice.
Skarmory and Aggron looked close to breaking through to Champion Level, and Steven wanted to see that through before heading out to the coast. The pace of training here in Hisui these past few days had already outstripped what a full month back home used to accomplish.
Steven kept his head down, working through another batch of energy cubes, occasionally brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes.
"Is my hair growing a little too fast lately?"
"Metagross."
Metagross gave his hair one brief glance, and at once Steven's silver-blue hair shot straight up, standing on end like he'd gone full Super Saiyan.
"Thanks, Metagross," Steven said, a faint smile crossing his face.
Metagross didn't bother responding. It was hardly worth mentioning.
Skarmory sat with its eyes shut, perfectly at ease. Aggron, meanwhile, sat quietly on the ground nearby, occasionally picking up a chunk of ore and popping it straight into its mouth. When the usual stock ran low, it would settle for a pink diamond or two instead, though it clearly preferred ore rich in Rock- and Steel-type energy — better flavor, and it did more to build up its strength. Aggron was, if nothing else, a picky eater.
Pupitar wasn't picky at all. Back when it had still been a Larvitar, it used to snap up pink diamonds any chance it got, since to a Larvitar, a pink diamond was just as good a source of Rock and Fairy energy as anything else. Food was food, as far as it was concerned.
Lucario's progress lagged a little behind Skarmory's and Aggron's, and it hadn't broken through that same wall yet — though given its raw talent, it probably wouldn't be long. Empoleon, meanwhile, even setting aside how fully it had grown into its unusual Brave trait, already matched Diancie in raw strength — and with its battle experience factored in, it was actually stronger overall. Diancie's own strength, reached with barely any training at all, came down to simply not being an ordinary Pokémon: it had been born in the Diamond Kingdom, steeped from birth in that land's abundant Rock-type energy.
"And that's done," Steven said, letting out a breath as he eyed the jar now packed with finished, high-grade energy cubes. He stood and stretched.
He took Diancie out for some fresh air, planning a short walk, and ran into Rei and a girl named Keito along the way.
"Big Brother Steven, let me introduce you!" Akari said brightly, jogging over. "This is Keito — she caught all three of those runaway Pokémon today, using just three Poké Balls! Captain Cyllene's already brought her onto the Investigation Team!"
Steven gave Keito a small smile. "Congratulations on joining the team, Keito."
"That's thanks to you too, Steven," Keito said, smiling and giving a small nod.
"Wait, you two already know each other?" Akari asked, scratching her head. Pikachu, perched on his shoulder, mimicked the same confused gesture right back at him.
"Steven's the one who brought me in and got me onto the Investigation Team in the first place," Keito explained.
"Ohhh, so that's the story!" Akari said, striking her fist against his open palm as it clicked into place. Pikachu copied the motion. "Pika!"
"Oh, right — Steven, I got my own Pokémon!" Keito said, pulling out a Poké Ball, clearly excited.
Bang!
A small, otter-like Pokémon appeared in front of them. Its head and claws were white, its body a deep blue, its little supporting feet a darker shade still. Two dark blue spikes sat atop its head, a scattering of black freckle-like spots dotted the area beneath its eyes, and a small brown, oval-shaped nose sat above a cheerful mouth. Along its stomach ran a row of yellow, shell-like markings.
"An Oshawott," Steven said, smiling as he looked over the Water-type starter from the Unova region.
"Hello there."
"Wott~" Oshawott raised one paw in greeting, grinning.
"This is Keito's very first Pokémon, so treat Oshawott well," Steven said, laughing lightly toward Keito. "I'll be showing Akari the ropes for a while — you're welcome to tag along too."
"Okay! Thank you, Steven!" Keito said, giving a small bow.
Akari chuckled. "I've picked up plenty myself, so feel free to ask me if you get stuck on anything~"
Pikachu, still riding his shoulder, let out a long, exaggerated sigh, throwing up its little paws and shaking its head at him.
"Say that once you've actually mastered it," Steven said, reaching over to ruffle Akari's red cap thoroughly.
Laughing quietly, Steven made his way down the path through Jubilife Village, taking in the small, warm scenes of everyday life spilling out of each house they passed. Diancie hopped along beside him.
"Seeing this reminds me of the Diamond Kingdom," Diancie said with a soft laugh. During the day, the Carbink there would work, ferrying diamonds to their proper storage sites. At night, they'd gather together and simply play. Being underground, there was no real way to tell day from night by looking outside — but after so long keeping the same routine, it had become second nature to work at one hour and rest and play at another.
"Do you miss it?" Steven asked.
Diancie nodded. "A little."
Steven let out a soft chuckle, and just as he opened his mouth to say something in return, Diancie's voice reached him first, straight into his mind.
"But I don't regret leaving the Diamond Kingdom to travel with you."
"The good times have far outweighed anything dangerous."
"And I don't regret coming all the way out here with you, either."
Diancie tilted its head up toward the star-filled sky. The only thing missing, compared to home, was the quiet, fleeting trail of a shooting star.
Diancie looked back at Steven and spoke again, voice soft with quiet amusement.
"You helped me finish what I set out to do."
"So of course I'll help you finish yours too."
"That's what friends do for each other, isn't it?"
"Isn't it?"