Wallace, you're truly my best man!
Steven glared at Wallace with a murderous look. Oh, so you're off the hook, and now I have to wear the dress instead? Is that it?!
Wallace looked a little guilty—he couldn't bring himself to meet Steven's eyes.
"I see. Well, while I do believe Wallace would look far more stunning in a dress than you, Mr. Steven… if this is how you two feel, then so be it."
Dylan nodded thoughtfully. He had no doubt that Wallace would look absolutely breathtaking in a dress.
But Wallace wasn't willing.
Steven, on the other hand… well, he was quite handsome, and his skin was flawless. He could probably pull it off.
Most importantly—this was Steven!
If Steven wore a dress, it would definitely shake the world.
"Then, Mr. Steven, please go ahead and change. I have no doubt that the artistic beauty of you two will be immortalized in history."
"WAIT!!"
Steven immediately stopped him. Was this guy seriously going through with it?!
"Aizen, don't you think this is a bit ridiculous? I think Wallace would suit this much better—he's beautiful, after all!"
"STEVEN!!"
Steven shot Wallace a look. Wallace blinked—was Steven planning something?
If that was the case, Wallace decided to trust him. After all, Steven was his best friend.
"See? Even Wallace agrees."
"Perfect, then."
Dylan smiled, watching the two of them.
"Ma'am, may I trouble you to let these two gentlemen use your house to change?"
His tone toward the elderly couple was polite as always.
"O-Of course, of course…" The old couple wouldn't dare refuse.
Inside the house, Wallace held the dress in his hands, looking helplessly at Steven.
"Steven, do you have a plan?"
"Aizen and Zinnia's goal is likely to awaken the legendary Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre. You know the myths—these two Pokémon created land and sea."
"And today, they came here to steal the orbs connected to these legends. That can't be a coincidence."
Steven spoke seriously as he changed into the gem-blue suit Aizen had provided.
"I see. But what do we do? I doubt we can stop them by ourselves."
Wallace frowned. Aizen and Zinnia were simply too powerful.
No, only you are too weak.
Steven held back his thoughts. He was still fighting, while Wallace had already been defeated. What was he supposed to do about that?
Although… he had to admit, Aizen was likely stronger than him.
Where did this guy even come from? A Champion-level Trainer this strong, yet there had been no prior information about him at all.
"We'll need to call for backup. Hoenn's League alone won't be able to handle this."
Steven sighed. What else could they do?
"That works. I heard there's a Trainer in Kanto who was recognized by the Legendary Pokémon, Reshiram. If we can get him to help, we might be able to stop Aizen and Zinnia."
"And then there's Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh. As for Unova… never mind, Unova's a mess right now."
Wallace pondered. Lance, the Dragon-type Champion of Kanto, was known for his unrivaled dragon army, but he was currently busy dealing with Team Rocket.
So forget borrowing a Champion.
However, the Gym Leader recognized by Reshiram might be an option.
And then there was Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion—rumored to be incredibly powerful. She had single-handedly dominated the Sinnoh League.
"You're the Champion of Hoenn. This is your responsibility." Steven nodded. His best bro's brain was finally working properly.
"Of course! Steven, I am, after all, the ever-charming Wallace!"
Wallace casually swept a hand through his hair, fully confident in his own charisma.
As a top-tier Pokémon Coordinator, Wallace believed that not only should his Pokémon be beautiful, but he himself should also maintain an elegant and striking image.
"Good. Do your best. I'll be heading out first."
"Alright—wait, hold on! When did you finish changing?!"
Wallace instinctively responded but suddenly realized something.
His eyes widened as he looked at Steven, who was already wearing the blue suit.
"Wait, bro—what about me?!"
"You wear this."
Steven opened the door and looked at Wallace in confusion, pointing at the dress in his hands.
"Don't worry. Once we're done with the photoshoot and leave, I'll help you get revenge.
As Hoenn's Champion, it's your duty to make sacrifices."
"??!!"
NO! I DON'T WANT TO BE HOENN'S CHAMPION ANYMORE, TAKE IT BACK, STEVEN!!
But before Wallace could protest, Steven had already stepped out the door.
Wallace gritted his teeth.
So after all that, Steven just didn't want to wear the dress and threw me under the bus?!
"STEVEN!!!"
Steven pretended not to hear his good friend's "affectionate" call from inside the house.
Yeah, right! He was the heir of Devon Corporation and a former Hoenn Champion—there was no way he was wearing a dress.
Not happening. Absolutely not.
Besides, he had come to help Wallace. He was a free agent now, doing this out of goodwill.
And yet, he was getting dragged into this nonsense?
Wallace had already taken "artistic photos." What's a little crossdressing on top of that?
Besides—he didn't even have a girlfriend right now.
Steven felt zero guilt.
Wallace's heart was strong. A little crossdressing wouldn't hurt him.
There were plenty of guys in the world who wore dresses. No big deal.
And then—
"Oh~ my heavens, Wallace, your beauty truly astounds me! Arceus must have made a mistake when creating you!"
Dylan exclaimed dramatically as Wallace stepped out of the house in a dress.
His tone was exaggerated beyond belief.
To be fair…
Wallace was already tall and slender, with delicate features and fair skin.
Even without makeup, the flowing dress and green wig transformed him into a stunning beauty.
If not for the fact that his chest was flat, he could have easily passed as a woman.
"So pretty~!" Leaf and Lillie's eyes sparkled.
Zinnia: (⊙▽⊙)
Wallace's expression was blank, though his face twitched slightly.
He had thought long and hard inside the house.
In the end, compared to Team Magma and Team Aqua's dangerous plans, a little personal sacrifice wasn't a big deal.
He was Hoenn's Champion. It was his duty.
With that in mind, he glared at Steven—only to see Steven propping up his chin, nodding in approval, and giving him a thumbs-up.
(You look stunning.jpg)
Then came the photoshoot.
"Alright, Steven, put your arm around Wallace's waist. Wallace, lean back—yes, just like that. Now, hold hands—Steven, lower your head a bit—yes, perfect! Absolutely stunning!"
"Look into each other's eyes with deep affection. If necessary, I have eyedrops. Steven, hold Wallace while standing at the cliffside. Wallace, spread your arms out."
"Wait, Steven, I didn't tell you to grab his chest—stop messing around! Hold his waist properly!"
"Amazing! The perfect shot. This is pure art!"
For two whole hours, they went through three outfit changes.
Steven… actually didn't mind too much.
Other than the overly intimate poses, he thought it was pretty fun.
By the end, even Wallace had given up.
"Phew~ That was a fantastic shoot! Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen!"
Dylan contentedly put away his camera and smiled at Wallace and Steven.
"Aizen, we've taken the photos, but according to our agreement…"
"Mr. Steven, you can rest assured. You are free to leave as you wish—I will never go back on my word."
Dylan nodded. Keeping Wallace and Steven under house arrest wouldn't benefit him in any way; it would only provoke the Hoenn League into taking drastic action.
Steven breathed a sigh of relief. His greatest fear had been that Dylan would imprison them, preventing them from stopping Team Magma and Team Aqua's next moves.
The group untied Officer Jenny and the others, then prepared to leave Mt. Pyre to inform the Hoenn League.
"Aizen, it's not too late to turn back. If you're willing to abandon your current path, I can vouch for you. The League won't make things difficult for you."
Steven turned back to look at Dylan and Zinnia. He knew that convincing them was unlikely, but he still didn't give up.
What if there was a chance?
If Aizen and Zinnia abandoned their plan, everything would be much simpler.
"It's useless, Mr. Steven. But as a reward for your cooperation, I'll give you a piece of information—for free."
"The course of fate cannot be changed. No matter what, too much time has passed. Those two Pokémon will inevitably awaken. Even without us, it would still happen."
Dylan shook his head and smiled faintly.
Yes, this was an inevitability. Even without his and Zinnia's intervention, Team Magma and Team Aqua would still have awakened Groudon and Kyogre.
This was always destined to happen. Their involvement had merely pushed the timeline forward.
"The land of Hoenn has always carried their traces. This time, the disturbance may be greater, but ultimately, it's just a replay of history."
"At the very least, it gives you some time to prepare, Mr. Steven, Mr. Wallace. Do your best."
"If we meet again, I'll have to think about what kind of special feature to prepare for you."
Dylan's smile was warm and polite, even cheering them on.
But Steven and Wallace frowned deeply. To them, Dylan's words were far from good news, and much of it was incomprehensible.
Damn riddles!
And a next time? A special feature? Screw that!
Wallace cursed inwardly. If there really was a next time, shouldn't it be Steven in a dress?
But Dylan had no intention of saying more. He led Lillie and the others away from Mt. Pyre.
Now that they had the Crimson Orb and the Indigo Orb, there was no need to say what came next. Team Magma and Team Aqua would go all out in searching for Groudon and Kyogre's resting places.
Meanwhile, Steven and Wallace hurried to Lilycove City to report back to the Hoenn League.
They had more or less figured out that Team Magma and Team Aqua's goal was to awaken the two ancient Pokémon. Naturally, they needed to prepare for a response.
Stopping Groudon and Kyogre would not be easy. The records of these two legendary Pokémon in Hoenn's history were far from benevolent tales.
A day had passed.
"Steven, we've received responses from the Kanto and Sinnoh Leagues."
Inside the Hoenn League building in Lilycove City, Wallace turned to Steven.
"Kanto's President Goodshow has responded. He's sending Gym Leader Dylan to assist us. Sinnoh is also sending someone—Champion Cynthia will be coming."
"Good. With their help, we should be able to capture Aizen and Zinnia."
Steven nodded, still studying the map.
A hero chosen by the True Dragon, and Sinnoh's Champion Cynthia—if these two were on their side, they would definitely be able to take down Aizen and Zinnia!
"We can do this!" Wallace took a deep breath. He hadn't slept well at all last night.
Because he suddenly realized—when they took that artistic photo with Steven, they forgot to set any conditions with Aizen!
Last time, when he had his personal artistic shoot, he had specifically told Dylan not to share the photos publicly. But this time, they had forgotten!
Now, he was terrified that at any moment, the internet would explode with pictures of him in a dress—worse yet, intimate shots with Steven!
If those went viral…
Wallace felt like his life might just be over.
No! They had to capture Aizen! They had to delete all those photos and videos!
"Recently, members of Team Magma and Team Aqua have been gathering in Slateport City and Sootopolis City. Wallace, you understand what that means, don't you?"
Steven, unaware of Wallace's concerns, studied the map thoughtfully.
"They must have confirmed the locations of Groudon and Kyogre. It should be near these two cities."
Wallace wasn't slow to catch on.
"Exactly. Wallace, inform the President that Slateport and Sootopolis need to enter high alert immediately. If anything unusual happens, civilians must be evacuated at once."
Steven instructed firmly.
"And we need to move out as well. If we can prevent Team Magma and Team Aqua from awakening Groudon and Kyogre, that would be ideal. Otherwise, we have to seize the Orbs!"
"Understood!"
Hoenn's former and current Champions took action.
Meanwhile—
"The Hoenn League wants my help to deal with the evil forces of Team Magma and Team Aqua?"
Dylan, who was leisurely strolling through Sootopolis City, received a call from Goodshow. He raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Leaf and Lillie, who were barely holding back laughter.
"Of course, President. You know me—I have no greater virtue than my unwavering stance against evil organizations. No matter what kind of criminals they are, I will bring them to justice!"
Yes! I, Dylan, have always been the archenemy of evil!