The Weather Institute—an important research facility located west of Fortree City.
Its primary focus was studying Hoenn's weather patterns and developing technology to manipulate them.
However, today, the institute was anything but peaceful.
Right in front of the facility, two opposing factions were locked in a confrontation—no, rather, one side was being completely overwhelmed.
"Damn it!"
"Team Aqua, don't push your luck!"
"You bunch of pirates, we occupied this place first!"
A group of men and women clad in red hooded outfits gritted their teeth as they glared at their adversaries, resentment burning in their eyes.
Since when had Team Magma ever suffered this kind of humiliation?
Most of their Pokémon had already been defeated. With no high-ranking officers present, they had no choice but to fend for themselves.
But without a commanding officer, how were they supposed to stand against the other side's leadership?
"Hahaha! Team Magma, you guys are hilarious. Just because you occupied this place first, you think it belongs to you?"
A burly Team Aqua grunt, dressed in blue-and-white pirate gear, laughed mockingly.
His blatant ridicule made the Team Magma members tremble with fury.
"Damn it! If only Tabitha were here!"
A female Team Magma member bit her lip in frustration.
To them, Team Aqua was the ultimate enemy.
Their beliefs were fundamentally opposed—one worshiped land, the other, the sea.
Not only were Team Magma and Team Aqua rivals, but they also utterly despised each other's ideologies.
And now, being surrounded and taunted by Team Aqua's grunts—it was unbearable.
"Tabitha? That fat guy's still alive?"
A smooth, almost sultry voice rang out.
The Team Aqua grunts parted to reveal a tall, curvaceous woman with tanned skin, swaying her hips as she stepped forward.
The Team Magma members immediately tensed up, their faces full of wariness.
It was Shelly—a Team Aqua Admin!
"Don't insult Lord Tabitha!"
Though fear lingered in their hearts, the Team Magma members refused to back down, glaring at Shelly with defiant eyes.
"Heh, you little runts. Why don't you run back to your precious Lord Tabitha?" Shelly chuckled, clearly unconcerned with them.
The Team Magma grunts hesitated.
With Tabitha absent and their Pokémon already defeated, retreating seemed like the logical choice.
But the thought of losing to Team Aqua was infuriating!
"Ugh, I can't stand watching this. Is this how things are done in Hoenn? Bullying the weak in broad daylight?"
A calm, magnetic voice sighed, carrying across the battlefield.
"Hm?"
Shelly looked past her subordinates and spotted three figures approaching.
Leading them was a tall, brown-haired man with glasses, his face strikingly handsome yet gentle. Behind him were two young women.
"Are you all alright?"
The man in white approached the defeated Team Magma members, adjusting his glasses as he spoke in a warm, reassuring tone.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you. I, Aizen, cannot stand to see the weak being oppressed!"
His voice remained soft and soothing, yet his gaze toward Shelly and the others turned sharp.
"…"
The Team Magma members were utterly stunned.
What the hell?
Where did this guy come from?
"Who the hell are you, meddling in Team Aqua's affairs?"
A burly, scar-faced Team Aqua grunt scowled.
"Kid, you've got guts!"
Several Team Aqua members stepped forward, their Mightyena and Muk snarling menacingly at Aizen.
"Such arrogance… So, you are Team Aqua?"
Aizen chuckled, completely unfazed.
"That's right! Now take these Magma fools and get lost. This facility belongs to Team Aqua now!"
"I see."
Aizen sighed softly, looking at them with what could only be described as pity. His voice remained gentle.
"So ignorant. Arrogance without power to back it up… what a ridiculous display."
"You little—what did you just say?! I'll—"
The scar-faced grunt fumed. Something about this guy's words pissed him off so much.
But before he could finish his sentence, a shadowy figure appeared silently before Aizen—a sinister-looking fox, its slitted eyes cold and calculating.
Shelly's pupils contracted.
When did that Pokémon appear?!
She hadn't even seen him release it from a Poké Ball!
"Dark Pulse."
Aizen spoke calmly.
A sharp cry rang out. Zoroark brought its claws together, forming a swirling mass of black energy.
In the next instant, a dark shockwave erupted forward, engulfing Team Aqua's Pokémon.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the ground as a powerful gust of wind surged outward, sending dust and debris flying. Aizen's white coat billowed dramatically in the aftermath.
Casually adjusting his bangs, he maintained a faint, unreadable smile.
The Team Magma grunts stood frozen, their eyes wide in disbelief.
As the darkness dissipated, the battlefield was left in ruins. Mightyena, Muk, Golbat—all lay unconscious on the ground.
Several Team Aqua grunts, caught in the blast, groaned in pain as they sprawled helplessly on the ground.
"W-What…"
Shelly stared at the bespectacled man in shock.
How is he this strong?!
"Are you their leader?"
Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Shelly.
Zoroark's gaze locked onto her as well.
A chill ran down Shelly's spine, and goosebumps spread across her skin.
"We're leaving!"
She wasted no time.
Lingering would only make things worse.
That trainer was terrifying—she knew she wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Besides, this was just the Weather Institute. It wasn't worth the trouble. The Hoenn League wouldn't just sit by and let them occupy it for long anyway.
Not to mention, the researchers had probably already called the authorities.
Shelly decided to retreat for now—and more importantly, investigate this Aizen guy.
That Zoroark… It's too dangerous.
"Pathetic."
Watching Team Aqua flee, Aizen simply shook his head.
"Are you all alright?"
Turning back, he addressed the Team Magma members once more.
"N-No, we're fine…"
The leading female grunt stammered, still trying to process what had just happened.
What just happened?!
A high-level trainer randomly showed up and helped Team Magma?!
Sure, they weren't the most hated organization in Hoenn, but they were technically wanted criminals.
"Um… Sir Aizen, do you know who we are?"
One of the male grunts cautiously asked.
Especially after seeing that eerie Zoroark, he couldn't help but swallow nervously.
"Team Magma. Those guys mentioned it earlier."
Aizen smiled.
"If I recall, Team Magma doesn't have the best reputation either."
Hearing this, the Team Magma members immediately panicked.
"Sir Aizen, please don't misunderstand! That's all a huge misconception!"
"That's right! We in Team Magma work for the good of all people! We only seek to expand land for a better future!"
"Land is the foundation of human civilization! With more land, both people and Pokémon will have more space to thrive!"
"Those Team Aqua fools are the real villains, spouting nonsense about how 'the sea is the source of all life.' What a joke! Do they expect us to live underwater? Ridiculous!"
One by one, the Team Magma members passionately defended their ideals, all while ridiculing their lifelong rivals.
"Interesting."
Aizen chuckled softly, his demeanor as composed as ever.
Taking advantage of the moment, the Team Magma grunts eagerly invited Aizen and his companions into the Weather Institute.
Outside the facility…
"Lady Courtney!"
Two Team Magma grunts respectfully addressed a purple-haired girl with a cold expression.
Courtney—one of Team Magma's admins.
"Is he inside?"
"Yes, Lord Aizen is currently on the second floor."
"He's strong?"
"That's right, Lady Courtney! Lord Aizen is incredibly powerful! If he were to join us, Team Magma would have no trouble crushing Team Aqua!"
Courtney tilted her head in confusion, watching her two subordinates speak with such enthusiasm. She seriously wondered if this "Aizen" had cast some sort of spell on them.
Still, she was quite curious about this Trainer who had helped Team Magma.
Given Team Magma's current reputation in Hoenn, recruiting new members wasn't exactly easy—especially strong Trainers.
When she reached the second floor, Courtney immediately spotted the white-clad man surrounded by two of her subordinates. His features were gentle and handsome, and at a glance, he seemed like the kindhearted type.
"Hello, I'm Courtney, an Admin of Team Magma."
Courtney was straightforward and wasted no words.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Aizen, and these are my sisters, Bloom and Gin."
…Lillie was now "Bloom"—a name Dylan had picked for her.
And Leaf was "Gin"… Don't ask why "Gin" was now a girl. That was Leaf's own decision.
"Thank you, Lord Aizen, for assisting Team Magma. You're not from Hoenn, are you?"
Courtney gave Lillie and Leaf a slight nod as a greeting, but she remained indifferent—she never paid much attention to people or things that didn't interest her.
"We're from Unova." Dylan smiled warmly.
"I see."
Unova was quite far from Hoenn. Courtney pondered this briefly.
Just then—
"Lady Courtney, bad news! The League is on its way—and leading them is Wallace!"
"What?!"
Courtney's expression changed as she quickly moved to the window. Looking out, she saw a group of people approaching the Weather Institute, led by a strikingly handsome, green-haired young man draped in a white cape.
It was really Wallace!
Courtneys usually calm face grew serious. Wallace was the current Champion of Hoenn! Someone of that caliber was far beyond her ability to handle.
But this didn't make sense…
Why was Wallace here?
Was it just her terrible luck that he happened to be nearby?
Her mind raced for solutions, but at the moment, she couldn't think of a way out.
"Miss Courtney, you should take your people and leave through the back. I'll hold them off for a while."
A gentle yet firm voice reached Courtney's ears, making her pause.
"Lord Aizen… That's Wallace we're talking about…" Courtney hesitated, offering a reminder.
Many in Hoenn believed Wallace might not be as strong as the former Champion, Steven, but regardless, he was undeniably a Champion-level Trainer.
A Champion.
"I know. But I have a bit of confidence in my own strength. Stalling for time won't be difficult."
Dylan smiled, his expression completely at ease.
"…Understood. I'll stay and fight alongside you, Lord Aizen!"
Courtney stared at Dylan, her gaze shifting with uncertainty before she finally calmed herself and went to gather the Team Magma members.
As an Admin, it was her responsibility to ensure the safe retreat of her subordinates.
Meanwhile, Dylan gazed out the window at Wallace's approaching figure and suddenly spoke up.
"You guys think it'd be a problem if I gave Wallace a good beating?"
It wasn't every day one got the chance to beat up a regional Champion in broad daylight.
Lillie: (⊙.⊙)
"Wouldn't that be bad? …Wait, no, we're in disguise right now—beat him up!"
Leaf was momentarily stunned but quickly realized the situation, her voice rising in excitement.
"But be careful not to blow our cover, or that'd be awkward."
Dylan pondered which Pokémon to use.
After all, he was currently operating under the alias "Aizen" and planning to join Team Magma.
What? You're saying Dylan beat up the Hoenn Champion? Do you have any proof?
There were so many witnesses—Wallace was clearly beaten down by Team Magma's villainous mastermind, Aizen.
What does that have to do with Dylan?