Sootopolis City, Hoenn.
A city where history slumbers, shrouded in mystery. In the games, it could only be reached by sea or air.
Of course, reality wasn't quite so dramatic. But even here, Sootopolis was renowned as the "City of Water," with its intricate waterways making for a breathtaking sight.
"A thousand years ago, a massive meteorite crashed into the ocean, splitting the earth and gradually forming what is now Sootopolis City."
"Legend has it that among the residents of Sootopolis, there are descendants of an ancient people known as the 'Lurian Tribe,' who are tasked with guarding the seal of the Sky Pillar."
"I wonder if Champion Wallace knows about this? After all, he used to be the Gym Leader of Sootopolis."
As they strolled through Sootopolis City, Dylan turned to Wallace with a smile.
"Gym Leader Dylan, you are indeed well-informed. I have heard such tales before, though I cannot say for certain if they are true."
Wallace replied with a composed smile, exuding elegance and charm.
Lillie blinked her large, bright eyes. So this is the Wallace everyone talks about.
Blue wasn't with Dylan and Lillie at the moment. Instead, Steven, standing to the side, was watching Dylan with a slight frown.
Yes, they had come to Sootopolis, and Kanto's legendary Dragon Hero, Gym Leader Dylan, had also arrived.
Naturally, their paths crossed here. But what Steven hadn't expected was that Dylan was the same person he had encountered back in Rustboro City.
"Mr. Steven seems to have taken quite an interest in me." Dylan had noticed Steven's gaze.
Wallace also looked at Steven with some curiosity. This wasn't like the Steven he knew.
"Gym Leader Dylan, about what happened in Rustboro City…"
Steven finally brought up the matter.
"Oh~ So Mr. Steven still remembers. Well? Did you confirm it with Mr. Stone?"
"Yes, my father told me everything." Steven's tone was heavy.
"I imagine that must have been quite a blow for you, Mr. Steven. I understand your character well enough."
Dylan sighed lightly.
Steven fell silent, while Wallace furrowed his brows. Was this about Uncle Stone?
Judging by Steven's expression, it seemed like something serious. No wonder he had been looking so disheveled and drained lately—it was probably because of this.
Wallace didn't speak hastily. As Steven's close friend, he knew that if it were necessary, Steven would tell him himself.
"Gym Leader Dylan, I want to know… that girl from before?"
"She was my sister."
"..."
Steven fell into another heavy silence. So that girl was Dylan's sister.
"Then you…"
Steven's voice was dry. He wanted to know what Dylan planned to do about Joseph Stone.
"Mr. Steven, you should know that time doesn't wash everything away. I told you that before."
"The deeds of the past must be accounted for. After all… the dead deserve justice. Don't you agree?"
Dylan shook his head. Whether or not Joseph Stone was the mastermind behind her death, he was still an accomplice.
It was because of the device Joseph Stone provided that she had died in battle. There was no escaping that responsibility.
Regardless of whether Steven chose to stand by Joseph Stone, Dylan and Zinnia would not let him go.
The dead…?
Wallace froze. What did he mean? Had Joseph Stone caused someone's death? Dylan's sister?
Steven let out a deep sigh, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. What could he even say?
Even if Joseph Stone was his father, Steven understood the truth—murder demanded justice, debts had to be repaid.
Even if compensation was an option, what amount of money could ever make up for a life? And after all these years, even if there was compensation to be made, it was far too late.
"I understand. Gym Leader Dylan, I ask that you give me a chance—I will convince him to turn himself in."
Steven stopped walking and bowed deeply to Dylan, his voice thick with apology.
"I sincerely apologize for the pain my father has caused you."
"There's no need for that, Mr. Steven. This matter has nothing to do with you." Dylan looked at Steven. Steven was indeed responsible and had a strong sense of justice.
"Besides, the one you should be apologizing to isn't me. But whether or not she chooses to forgive you… that's not for me to decide."
Dylan had no right to make that decision for Zinnia. She was the one who had suffered the most.
But Dylan truly believed that Zinnia was remarkable. Or rather, she was incredibly self-controlled.
She was fully aware that Steven was Joseph Stone's son. Yet, back at Mt. Pyre, she had managed to suppress her emotions.
Then again, it made sense. Right now, Zinnia had prioritized her clan's mission above all else.
For her, finding Rayquaza was what mattered most.
And that time was now very, very near.
But even if they found Rayquaza, would it accept Zinnia as its successor?
Whether in the games or in the manga, Rayquaza had always rejected her.
"I understand." Steven kept the matter in his heart for now, as another reinforcement had arrived.
At the Sootopolis City airport, Dylan and the others saw a tall blonde woman dressed in black.
She wore a fitted black long coat over a matching black top and trousers. Her fair, stunning face was framed by radiant golden hair cascading down to her calves, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.
It was none other than Sinnoh's Champion—Cynthia.
"So that's Champion Cynthia?"
Lillie gazed at the graceful Sinnoh Champion in fascination. This was her first time seeing a female Champion—Cynthia truly lived up to her reputation.
Dylan was also quite interested. Well, mainly because he had liked Cynthia in his previous life. Plus, in his current game, he was close to reaching the Sinnoh League.
"Champion Cynthia."
"Champion Wallace."
Wallace stepped forward to greet her. He was the current Champion of Hoenn, whereas Steven was the former Champion, and Dylan was an external reinforcement.
"Thank you for coming, Champion Cynthia." Wallace performed a flawless gentleman's bow.
"There's no need to thank me. As members of the League, supporting each other is only natural."
Cynthia wore a gentle, elegant smile. When Sinnoh's League President contacted her and explained the situation, she had accepted without hesitation.
Even though they were from different regions, they all belonged to the Pokémon League.
Besides, evil organizations weren't exclusive to Hoenn. Sinnoh's Team Galactic was just as much of a headache for the Sinnoh League.
Compared to Maxie and Archie, Cyrus was on an entirely different level—utterly insane, yet terrifyingly powerful.
Helping Hoenn now meant she could ask Steven and Wallace for help in Sinnoh in the future.
This was simply a matter of reciprocation.
"Come, Champion Cynthia, let me introduce you. This is Steven, this is Dylan, a Gym Leader from Kanto, and this is Dylan's sister, Miss Lillie."
Wallace led Cynthia over and introduced them. Cynthia nodded politely to each of them.
After that, they headed to Wallace's home in Sootopolis for a proper discussion.
"According to our intel, we've confirmed that Team Magma and Team Aqua's goal is indeed to awaken Groudon and Kyogre. And they are very close to locating their resting places."
Steven spoke gravely.
"So what's our next move?" Dylan asked after a moment's thought.
"We need to split up. Team Magma and Team Aqua have different targets, and Groudon and Kyogre are sleeping in separate locations."
"We must divide into two teams to stop them. If we can prevent them from awakening Groudon and Kyogre, this operation will be a huge success."
Steven continued, then turned to Dylan.
"Gym Leader Dylan, you're at Champion level, right? And you have Reshiram. Your strength should be above both Wallace and me."
According to President Goodshow's proud statements, Dylan, who had obtained Reshiram, was now stronger than Lance.
Which meant Dylan was undoubtedly Champion-level.
"I have indeed reached Champion level. Compared to you two, I might not be as skilled—but White Dragon is very strong."
Dylan remained humble, but he didn't deny that he was stronger than Steven and Wallace.
Inside the Poké Ball, Reshiram: (—)
Cynthia's clear eyes glanced at Dylan. Truth be told, she had never heard of him before.
After all, Sinnoh and Kanto were quite far apart.
She had assumed that since Steven and Wallace had invited him, he must be someone special—but she hadn't expected this Gym Leader to be even stronger than them.
Are Gym Leaders in Kanto really this strong?!
Why isn't he part of Kanto's Elite Four? Cynthia was quite curious.
She wasn't arrogant—while she believed she wasn't weaker than the other regional Champions, she also didn't think she was significantly stronger than them. After all, everyone at the Champion level had their own strengths, and no one was inherently superior to the others.
"Since that's the case, I'll leave Gym Leader Dylan and Wallace to deal with Team Aqua."
Steven made his decision without hesitation—he absolutely, absolutely did not want to team up with Wallace again.
The strongest should carry the weakest—after all, he was not about to drag Wallace's dead weight along.
"Fine by me." Dylan glanced subtly at Wallace, whose expression had turned stiff. At this moment, Wallace was staring gloomily at Steven.
Yep. Wallace had more or less figured it out—Steven was ditching him.
"I'll go with Champion Cynthia to stop Team Magma. But we need to be careful of two people."
Steven spoke again, pulling up a holographic projection that displayed two half-body portraits—Aizen and Zinnia.
"Aizen claims to be a trainer from Unova. His main Pokémon, as far as we know, are Zoroark and Infernape. He's extremely strong—I'm not his match."
Steven admitted frankly.
"Zinnia claims to be a Draconid. She appears to be a Dragon-type trainer. Her known main Pokémon include a Mega Salamence, Noivern, and Altaria. Wallace isn't her match either."
"These two definitely know each other, yet they've joined opposing teams—one with Team Magma, the other with Team Aqua. It seems they're also after Groudon and Kyogre. We don't know much beyond that, but we need to be careful."
Two Champion-level threats?
Cynthia furrowed her brows. No wonder the Hoenn League had requested reinforcements—it seemed they had already fought and lost.
"Our main goal is to stop them from awakening Groudon and Kyogre. If we fail, we'll have to face these two ancient Pokémon head-on."
Steven's voice was grave. No one truly knew just how powerful Groudon and Kyogre were.
But according to Hoenn's ancient legends, these two were the origin of land and sea themselves.
"And if those two do awaken?"
Cynthia asked, not to be pessimistic, but because she was used to preparing for the worst.
"Then we'll do everything we can to stop them. Or…"
Steven glanced at Wallace. They had considered this possibility before. If all else failed, there was still one last option.
Wallace was a descendant of the Lurian Tribe, meaning he could unseal the Sky Pillar—the rumored resting place of Rayquaza.
The Dragon of the Sky. The ruler of the ancient heavens—Rayquaza! It was the only force capable of stopping Groudon and Kyogre.
"No worries! We've gathered four Champion-level trainers for this!"
Wallace understood what Steven meant, but he was also confident in their team.
"Team Magma and Team Aqua? We'll take them all down!"
Yes, Aizen and Zinnia were powerful—but could they really take on four Champion-level trainers?
They were done for.
This group included three regional Champions! Plus, they had Dylan, a Legendary Trainer who had Reshiram!
They would win!
Another day passed in the blink of an eye.
With insider information, the team was ready to move. Dylan, Lillie, and Wallace headed for the Seafloor Cavern to intercept Team Aqua.
Meanwhile, Steven and Cynthia took a boat toward an island chain where Team Magma was attempting to awaken Groudon.
"It's a shame I'm not going after Team Magma, but it's fine. Steven and Miss Cynthia should be able to handle it, right, Gym Leader Dylan?"
"Of course. With two Champions, stopping Aizen shouldn't be a problem."
"—"
'Gym Leader Dylan' cleared her throat and responded with a smile, just in time to maintain her cover.
Lillie sat behind 'Dylan,' keeping her head down, not daring to speak. Ugh, big brother is so mean!
He had ditched his precious little sister and left her behind while he went off to have fun—unforgivable!
Yes.
The 'Dylan' in front of Wallace was actually Leaf in disguise.
Leaf's transformation skills were top-notch, and with Ditto's help, she had perfectly transformed into Dylan.
As for how she got here?
With a certain teleporting Pokémon, travel was ridiculously easy.
"Gym Leader Dylan, I heard you specialize in multiple Pokémon types and even organize your Gym into different type-based teams. Have you put together a Water-type team yet?"
Wallace asked curiously.
"I have some ideas, but I haven't finished assembling one yet. Do you have any recommendations, Champion Wallace?"
'Dylan' perfectly mimicked Dylan's usual tone and expression, smiling warmly.
Incredible!
Lillie was amazed—as expected of Leaf!
"Oh~ Gym Leader Dylan, you've asked the right person! While I may not be as strong as you, I am an expert on Water-types!"
Wallace regained his confidence and elegance, puffing out his chest proudly.
After all, he was a Water-type Champion!
And the current Champion of Hoenn!
He could definitely teach Dylan a thing or two!
"If you're interested, Gym Leader Dylan, after this mission, we could have a friendly match. The best way to understand Water-type Pokémon is through battle!"
"Of course, I'd love to spar with you, Champion Wallace."
'Dylan' smiled subtly.
Dylan, you should really thank me—once again, I've given you an opportunity to mess with Wallace!