Wallace was on the verge of breaking down.
Yesterday, he had made it very clear to that man—he would absolutely NOT wear women's clothing!
Yet today, that bastard had brought it up again, and not just that—he wanted him to wear a dress and take a photo with Steven?!
Was this guy even human?!
"Calm down, Wallace."
Steven sighed helplessly. If his friend kept reacting like this, wasn't he just playing into Dylan's hands?
"I'll handle him. You focus on the girl."
After reassuring Wallace, Steven turned his gaze back to Dylan. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed the girl on the Altaria.
For some reason, he had the distinct feeling that she was staring at him.
And her expression... was odd.
There was a subtle hostility in her gaze, but Steven had no idea why.
He was sure they had never met before. And he considered himself a fairly amicable person—he didn't go around making enemies.
Unless…
Steven pursed his lips. Please, no.
"Understood."
Wallace took a deep breath. Then another. Then a third, forcing himself to calm down and focus entirely on his battle against Zinnia.
"If you surrender now, I might conside—"
"Ha! Wallace, do you actually think you can beat me?"
Zinnia's fearless grin was as bright as ever.
"That's not a very funny joke, Wallace. Sure, I might not be a match for Aizen, but beating you? That shouldn't be a problem."
She folded her arms, exuding the confidence and arrogance of a true Dragon-type trainer.
Even when facing the Champion of Hoenn, she showed no fear.
"I see… you're quite confident."
Wallace's eyes narrowed slightly. Though he was usually composed, he couldn't help but find this amusing.
Aizen was one thing, but now some random nobody thought they could talk down to him?
A single Salamence? Four times weak to Ice. No matter how strong it was, so what?
I am Wallace, the Champion of Hoenn!
If my Milotic loses to this Salamence today, I'll write my name backward!
"Then allow me to show you the heritage of the Draconid people!"
Zinnia's grin turned wilder as the Mega Bracelet on her wrist gleamed.
"ROAR!!"
Salamence threw back its head and let out an earth-shaking roar, its body glowing with the light of Mega Evolution.
Wallace: ???
He stood there, utterly dumbfounded, as Salamence began its second evolution.
Wait, what?!
He had heard rumors from Kalos about a newly discovered form of evolution… but wasn't it still unproven? The examples were unstable at best.
How was this girl using it so effortlessly? And why was it Salamence of all things?!
"Wallace, be careful. This girl clearly knows a lot about Mega Evolution."
Steven glanced at the now fully transformed Mega Salamence, his expression growing serious.
The sheer intensity of its presence made even him feel pressured.
The Draconid people…
"I understand." Wallace's eyes were just as grave.
"Mr. Steven, looking elsewhere during battle… should I take that as an insult?"
Dylan's calm, almost ghostly voice suddenly reached Steven's ears, snapping him back to reality.
"Zoroark, Dark Pulse."
Zoroark let out a sharp cry, its claws glowing as it gathered dark energy into a pulsating sphere before launching it at Metagross.
"Meteor Mash!"
Steven remained composed.
Metagross raised its steel claws, their metallic sheen intensifying—it was preparing a Meteor Mash!
Steven had absolute trust in his ace. There was no way it would fail to counter this Dark Pulse.
"Steven, be careful—his Zoroark, it's—"
"Milotic, Surf!"
Wallace had been about to warn Steven, but Mega Salamence launched an aggressive assault, leaving him no time to split his attention.
Meanwhile, Metagross charged straight into the incoming Dark Pulse—
—only for its Meteor Mash to hit nothing but air.
The Dark Pulse continued forward, but Metagross's attack passed straight through it.
There was no impact, no resistance. It was as if the Dark Pulse was nothing but an illusion.
"Crap!"
Steven's pupils shrank.
Zoroark's illusion!
"Night Daze."
Dylan's lips curled slightly.
A dark shadow flickered into existence—Zoroark materialized right in front of Metagross, its claws glowing with a sinister purple-black energy.
A critical hit Night Daze!
SLASH!
Metagross let out a pained cry as the attack struck deep, completely catching it off guard.
"Dark Pulse."
A chilling fox-like howl echoed through the battlefield as another blast of dark energy shot toward Metagross.
"Protect!"
Steven reacted instantly.
Despite the pain from the previous attack, Metagross forced itself to raise a shimmering green barrier just in time, blocking the incoming Dark Pulse.
"Impressive, Mr. Steven. Even under these conditions, you still managed to react so quickly—your training is truly remarkable."
Dylan gave genuine praise. Compared to Wallace, Steven was on another level entirely.
"Aizen, was it? Why is a Trainer like you working for Team Magma and Maxie?"
Steven stared at Dylan, suspicion lacing his voice. The same question applied to Zinnia as well.
Two Champion-level Trainers—obviously acquainted—yet one was siding with Team Magma and the other with Team Aqua?
This made no sense.
Steven wasn't underestimating Maxie and Archie, but there was no way they had the charisma to recruit Trainers of this caliber.
They must have an ulterior motive!
"Good question—why do you think?" Dylan replied with an ambiguous smile.
"If I had to guess… you're using them. What exactly are you two planning?"
Steven's voice was firm.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. There was no logical reason for Aizen and Zinnia to join these criminal organizations.
Any League would treat them with the utmost respect.
But instead, they were working with Team Magma and Team Aqua?
If anyone told Steven they weren't up to something, he wouldn't believe it for a second.
"Hah~ Mr. Steven, no need to make it sound so unpleasant. But as expected, you're sharp."
Dylan clapped his hands lightly in amusement.
"So, you don't deny it?"
"Why would I?" Dylan tilted his head slightly.
"As you said, Zinnia and I are not truly loyal to those two. Do you really think someone like Maxie or Archie could command us?"
Dylan's voice remained gentle and courteous, but his words carried a biting arrogance.
"However, our goals align with theirs. So, strictly speaking… we're 'cooperating.'"
Dylan smiled thoughtfully.
"Besides, I haven't really done much. I simply helped Team Magma with a couple of small matters."
Steven's gaze flickered, his mind racing.
"The same goal? What exactly is that?"
Expanding land and sea—that was Team Magma and Team Aqua's objective.
But… something about this was clicking into place.
"Rather than that, shouldn't you focus on the battle? Wallace seems to be struggling."
Dylan suddenly pointed out.
Steven instinctively glanced at Wallace, only to see—
Mega Salamence slamming Milotic into the ground with a devastating Dragon Rush, relentlessly pounding on it.
Milotic was barely clinging to consciousness.
…Huh?
"STEVEN! Stop talking and FINISH YOUR DAMN FIGHT ALREADY!"
Wallace sounded utterly miserable.
Mega Salamence was relentless. Even an Ice Beam wasn't enough to stop it—it charged straight through the attack and obliterated Milotic.
It was too brutal!
Sure, Ice had the type advantage over Dragon… but that didn't matter when Mega Salamence just brute-forced through everything.
"…"
Steven fell silent.
How had just a few minutes of conversation resulted in Wallace's Milotic nearly getting knocked unconscious?
This wasn't good. He needed to step it up. If Wallace got taken out first, he'd be left fighting a two-on-one battle.
And that was not happening.
"Metagross, Psychic."
Steven's gaze fixed on the eerie Zoroark before him, his brow furrowing.
Zoroark's Illusion Ability was troublesome. Psychic wouldn't work on a Dark-type like Zoroark, but Steven wasn't trying to attack—it was a test to pinpoint the real Zoroark.
After all, Illusion was just visual deception.
The question was: Was the Zoroark in front of him real, or just another illusion?
Since he had been distracted talking to Dylan earlier, he hadn't paid attention to whether Zoroark had already "switched" places.
No matter. AOE attack, problem solved.
Metagross let out a low growl, unleashing a colorful psychic wave that rippled outward. This was an offensive Psychic attack, meant to hit everything around it.
"Sucker Punch." Dylan countered instantly.
Zoroark's eyes gleamed ominously as it dashed forward at an incredible speed. It completely ignored the Psychic attack—it didn't phase through it, it simply wasn't affected.
So this Zoroark was real.
Steven confirmed it.
Zoroark's sharp claws slashed toward Metagross with astonishing speed.
"Bullet Punch!"
Metagross raised both arms and launched a flurry of rapid punches, as fast as bullets.
A priority Steel-type move—Bullet Punch!
But…
Metagross's punches passed straight through the "Zoroark."
It was fake!
Steven's eyes widened in alarm.
"Dark Pulse."
A second Zoroark emerged behind Metagross, forming a sphere of dark energy before blasting it at point-blank range.
BOOM!
Metagross let out a pained cry as the powerful Dark-type attack struck, sending it flying backward.
Something's wrong. Steven's frown deepened.
From the way the earlier Psychic attack had reacted, the charging Zoroark should have been real.
Wait—could it be that the Zoroark appearing to phase through the Psychic attack was itself an illusion?
If so, this was beyond illusion—it was practically an advanced level of deception.
"Metagross isn't in good shape. This Zoroark is too unpredictable."
Steven thought for a moment before tossing out another Poké Ball—Skarmory.
He needed to restrain this Zoroark somehow. Otherwise, it would keep running circles around him.
Glancing over at Wallace's side of the battlefield, Steven saw that he had sent out Ludicolo and Gyarados.
But—
Gyarados had just taken a direct hit from Mega Salamence's Dragon Rush.
It was not looking good.
'Hoenn Champion? Really? Faced with my dragons, he still has to bow his head in defeat! — Zinnia, the Draconid.'
Steven silently averted his gaze and refocused.
He needed to ramp up his offensive. Otherwise, he'd really end up fighting two opponents alone.
"Infernape."
Seeing this, Dylan casually tossed out his second Poké Ball.
This wasn't an official battle, so there were no restrictions on the number of Pokémon used—or the methods employed.
As long as they won, even directly attacking the Trainers themselves would be fair game.
However, both Steven and Wallace were Champions of the Pokémon League. They valued proper battles and had no intention of attacking a Trainer directly.
Besides, the League had strict rules: Unless absolutely necessary, Trainers were forbidden from using Pokémon to attack humans directly.
Then again… who didn't have a few tricks up their sleeve?
Dylan had more than one Pokémon hiding in the shadows, so even if Steven and Wallace did decide to play dirty and go after him personally—
He wouldn't be afraid.
As for Zinnia, she had been airborne on her Altaria since the battle started.
The fight raged on, and then…
"At least try to last a little longer!"
Steven was completely stunned as he turned to see Wallace, already tied up with his hands and feet bound, looking both innocent and frustrated.
Steven sighed and raised his hands in surrender.
"I've done my best… Besides, you're not exactly in a winning position yourself."
Wallace mumbled in embarrassment, turning his head away.
Steven: "..."
He glanced at his own Pokémon—his Aggron and Cradily were badly injured.
It was true—his Metagross and Skarmory had already been taken down by Aizen's Zoroark and Infernape.
And now, Zinnia's Mega Salamence and Noivern had joined the battle, completely overwhelming him.
He turned to check on Wallace—and saw that he had already been restrained.
What the hell?!
How am I supposed to carry you now?!
"Calm down, calm down. We're all good brothers here. No need to argue—you two still have a photo to take later."
Dylan played the peacemaker, ensuring the mood wouldn't be ruined before their grand photo session.
"Aizen, what exactly are you after?"
Steven glanced at the few Officer Jennys who had also been handcuffed and asked coldly.
"You do realize you're making an enemy of the Pokémon League, right?"
"Mr. Steven, it's not fair for you to accuse me like that. I have no intention of opposing the League." Dylan smiled gently.
"Otherwise, would you two still be standing here having a conversation?"
Steven frowned. That was the most confusing part.
Despite everything, Dylan didn't seem openly hostile.
Meanwhile, Zinnia clearly held some kind of grudge against him.
But… Dylan's actions didn't exactly scream 'good intentions.'
Then—under Zinnia's gleaming gaze, Dylan approached Wallace, holding…
A blue dress.
"Alright, Wallace. Time to put it on. I specially picked out this 'Flowing Celestial Gown' just for you—it was quite expensive, you know."
"Aizen, you bastard! Dream on! I would rather die than wear that! I am a proud man—why the hell should I wear women's clothing?!"
Wallace firmly rejected him, righteous and indignant.
Taking those "artistic photos" yesterday had been one thing. But crossdressing?
Never. Absolutely never.
This is actually quite entertaining.
Steven watched as Aizen patiently tried to coax Wallace, while Wallace fiercely resisted.
Steven wasn't about to intervene—he wasn't the one being forced into a dress.
"It seems Wallace truly refuses. But today's theme is a 'couples' photoshoot, after all."
Dylan sighed regretfully.
After ten minutes of persuasion, Wallace still refused to wear the dress.
What now?
Dylan stood up, deep in thought. Then, he turned to Steven.
Steven: "?"
"Wallace, you wouldn't want Steven to wear a dress, would you?"
Wallace blinked. He turned to look at Steven—their eyes met.
After a moment, Wallace's gaze shifted away.
Steven: "???"
"If you don't wear it, I'll put it on Steven instead."
Dylan held the dress up against Steven, measuring the size.
Steven's desperate eyes turned to Wallace.
"Ha! You think you can use that to threaten me? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If you dare, go ahead and force it on Steven! I believe Steven, as my dearest brother in arms, would rather sacrifice himself than let you succeed in your wicked scheme!"
Wallace stood tall, looking righteously unyielding.
Steven: "???????"
Wallace, with a friend like you, I must be truly blessed.