Change skins?
Inside the Poké Ball, Rayquaza's mind filled with question marks. What did that even mean?
It had long accepted that its inheritor had plenty of strange ideas—like the time he made Rayquaza put on a show, pretending to be captured by one of his alternate identities.
Well, actually, it wasn't even pretending. It had been captured.
But this whole "change skins" thing? Rayquaza really couldn't wrap its head around it. Was he asking it to wear human clothes?
"Rayquaza, human technology has advanced a lot. As far as I know, there's a lightweight, waterproof, and durable dye that doesn't harm scales or skin."
Rayquaza was still completely lost.
"To put it simply, this will let you turn black—just like your mother. Exactly the same."
Dylan decided to be more direct.
"As long as the paint doesn't wear off, no one will be able to tell the difference just from appearances."
"!!!"
Rayquaza instantly understood—Mother's black night-colored scales!!
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, another day had gone by. The awakening of Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon and their battle in the Hoenn seas had sparked massive attention.
After all, the Primordial Sea and Desolate Land had temporarily covered most of Hoenn. Cities near the battlefield, like Sootopolis and Slateport, saw large-scale evacuations.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible for the Hoenn League to keep things under wraps—not that they even tried.
"The criminal organizations Team Magma and Team Aqua, in pursuit of their selfish ambitions, awakened the super-ancient Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre, leading to a catastrophic battle that posed an unprecedented threat. Their crimes are unforgivable!"
"But justice prevails! Under the leadership of Champion Wallace and Mr. Steven, along with the assistance of Sinnoh Champion Cynthia and Kanto's Gym Leader Dylan, the League successfully captured the leaders and key members of Team Magma and Team Aqua. The disaster of the land and sea war was averted, protecting the Hoenn region."
"The Hoenn League sincerely thanks all those who contributed to this effort. —Official Statement from the Hoenn League."
The Hoenn League acted swiftly, releasing a statement to reassure the frightened citizens.
And it worked well. Most people didn't fully understand how severe the situation had been, but as long as they knew the crisis had been resolved, that was enough.
Dylan, as a Gym Leader, had gained a surge of popularity in Hoenn.
However, it was worth noting that the Hoenn League had not mentioned Aizen or Zinnia at all. It was unclear what their reasoning was.
At the same time, another shocking piece of news spread—Devon Corporation's president, Joseph Stone, had voluntarily turned himself in at Lumiose City the previous day. He had been immediately imprisoned.
According to reports, Joseph had been sentenced to twenty years in prison.
Twenty years!!
Devon Corporation was the largest company in Hoenn. In terms of influence and wealth, no other business even came close.
Yet its president had been sentenced to twenty years!
This news shocked not only the people of Hoenn but also sparked discussions worldwide.
For now, Devon Corporation was being managed by its vice president. Before going to prison, Joseph had transferred all his shares to Steven—but Steven had no interest in running the company.
All he cared about now was finding Zinnia and doing whatever he could to make amends, hoping she might forgive his father.
"Joseph Stone still has some sense."
When Dylan heard the news, he found himself respecting the man, at least a little.
Although it had come years too late, Joseph had finally chosen to take responsibility. Ultimately, he wasn't the true mastermind.
His twenty-year sentence was his way of showing Zinnia where he stood. Otherwise, considering his contributions to Hoenn over the years, there was no way he would have received such a heavy sentence.
For reference, even high-ranking Rocket executives like Ariana and Archer—whose crimes were far worse—had only received twenty-year sentences.
Lumiose City
This was the capital of the Hoenn League, home to the League Headquarters.
Dylan and the others had arrived here and reunited with Steven. He looked exhausted, which wasn't surprising—his father had just been sent to prison.
The Hoenn League Chairman personally welcomed Dylan and Cynthia, expressing his gratitude and presenting them with gifts on behalf of the League.
Even though they were all part of the Pokémon League and helping each other was natural, proper gratitude was still necessary. Otherwise, it would just seem ungrateful.
And so, Dylan received a Beldum, while Cynthia was given a Bagon.
Cynthia looked slightly troubled.
She did like Bagon—Salamence was an incredibly strong Pokémon, and Zinnia's Salamence had proven that its Mega Evolution had immense potential.
But the problem was…
Her Garchomp was already 4× weak to Ice. And now she had a Salamence—also 4× weak to Ice.
Cynthia was a multi-type trainer, and honestly, Metagross would have fit her team much better.
After all, as a Steel/Psychic-type, Metagross was just as strong as Salamence but had far better resistances.
But seeing the enthusiastic League Chairman, Cynthia quietly accepted the Bagon.
She was sure that if she asked to swap for a Beldum, the chairman would agree without any complaints.
But Cynthia just couldn't bring herself to ask. Outside of battle, she had a naturally calm and reserved personality.
Bagon was just as valuable as Beldum. It was a strong Pokémon in its own right—Cynthia just felt like Metagross would suit her team better.
"Chairman, I don't think you're very familiar with Miss Cynthia."
Dylan glanced at Cynthia before turning to the Hoenn League Chairman with a smile.
The chairman, a man named Chilo, was actually in his sixties.
"Oh? What do you mean, Gym Leader Dylan?" Chilo asked curiously.
"Cynthia's team already has a main Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon. Compared to Bagon, I think she would prefer Beldum."
Dylan spoke with a lighthearted tone.
"Oh~ I see. That was my mistake."
Chilo immediately understood and patted his bald head with an embarrassed chuckle.
His thought process had been simple—since Dylan already had a Salamence, it made sense to give him Beldum. Meanwhile, in Hoenn, the two most valuable Pokémon were Beldum and Bagon, so he had naturally chosen to give Cynthia the latter.
Without hesitation, Chilo arranged for the trade. Although both Beldum and Bagon were rare, the Hoenn League had access to a limited supply.
Considering how much Dylan and Cynthia had done for Hoenn, Chilo was more than happy to provide them with valuable Pokémon.
Cynthia accepted the Beldum and discreetly cast a glance of gratitude toward Dylan, who simply smiled back.
Afterward, Chilo enthusiastically invited them to dinner. He ended up drinking too much and had to be carried out by his assistants.
After dinner, Dylan and the others took a walk to clear their heads. They had been drinking, after all.
"Dylan, have you really never considered moving to Hoenn?"
Wallace's pale face was flushed from the alcohol as he warmly extended an invitation.
He wouldn't dare try to recruit Cynthia—she was the Champion of Sinnoh. But Dylan? That was fair game.
"If you join the Hoenn League, I'll give up the Champion title to you, and Steven and I will become your Elite Four!"
"Trust me, if the three of us work together, we could make Hoenn stronger than ever!"
"Steven, what do you think?"
For once, Wallace was speaking boldly.
He had never been attached to the title of Champion. If anything, he preferred being a Gym Leader, as it gave him more time to participate in Pokémon Contests.
If Dylan were willing to come to Hoenn, Wallace would gladly become one of his Elite Four.
"…"
Cynthia glanced at Wallace.
For someone with such a refined and elegant appearance, he sure had some ambitious ideas.
"…If Dylan were the Champion, I wouldn't mind being an Elite Four member."
Steven thought about it seriously before responding.
Compared to being Champion, being in the Elite Four gave him more freedom—more time to dig for rare stones.
And with Dylan as Champion, Hoenn really could become a dominant force in the Pokémon League.
After all, Chairman Goodshow was already getting old. He wouldn't be in charge for much longer. When he stepped down, Hoenn could push to claim the position of League President.
"Pfft~"
Lillie covered her mouth, giggling.
She had seen this before!
"Wallace, you know, Alder said the exact same thing to me once." Dylan chuckled.
Wallace blinked, then immediately understood.
"That doesn't count! Alder's already old, but Steven and I are still young!"
"If the three of us join forces, even the Kanto Elite Four wouldn't be a threat!"
Wallace wasn't giving up. He had no idea what kind of offer Alder had made to Dylan, but in his eyes, it couldn't have been anything special.
Unova? That region had already been looted beyond repair, hadn't it?
Even their Legendary Pokémon—the White Dragon and the Ice Dragon—had been taken away by Dylan. Forget people, they didn't even have legends left!
How could they possibly compare to Hoenn?
With Dylan as Champion and him and Steven as Elite Four, wouldn't that be completely unstoppable?
"No issues with that." Steven fully agreed with his best friend's idea.
"Wallace, you really know how to joke around. Dylan never needed help to stand against the Kanto Elite Four."
Cynthia couldn't listen anymore. What do you mean, 'if they team up, they won't fear the Kanto Elite Four'?
Dylan alone could flatten the Kanto Elite Four. Why would he need these two?
"I appreciate your kindness, Wallace, but I have no plans to change regions right now. Being a Gym Leader is quite fun." Dylan chuckled.
Why did all these Champions keep trying to recruit him? It was like they were all trying to poach him from Kanto.
Dylan could only sigh—his damn irresistible charm.
"Fine, then how about we exchange Gym Leader experiences? Dylan, I used to be the strongest Gym Leader in Hoenn!"
Seeing that persuasion wasn't working, Wallace switched tactics.
"Oh?" Dylan became intrigued.
Wallace wasn't bluffing. As a Champion-level trainer, he had previously served as the Gym Leader of Sootopolis City's Gym.
He really had been Hoenn's strongest Gym Leader—or rather, one of the strongest Gym Leaders in the world.
He wasn't necessarily among the strongest Champions, but as a Gym Leader, Wallace was undoubtedly among the best.
"Wallace, do you want to try challenging my Gym?" Dylan smiled.
"I heard your Gym is quite unique. And aren't you working on a Water-type team? This would be the perfect opportunity to challenge your Gym with my own Water team."
Wallace was confident. His mastery of Water-types was something he took great pride in.
"I heard that ever since your Gym introduced its new challenge mode, the success rate has been zero."
Steven was also quite curious. He had made sure to gather information about Dylan's Lanturn Gym.
"Oh, that's right! While some people have obtained some Badges, none of them actually won it by defeating my brother in a Gym challenge." Lillie beamed.
"But it's not like my brother just overpowered everyone—he always adjusts his Pokémon to match the challenger's strength."
Lillie quickly added that important detail. Otherwise, outsiders might think Dylan was just using his strongest Pokémon to crush challengers.
"Looks like your Gym's undefeated streak is about to be broken today."
Wallace confidently flipped his blue hair.
Come on, he was the Champion of Hoenn. A mere Gym challenge—how could he possibly lose?
Dylan wasn't even going to use his real powerhouse team. How could I lose?
If he actually lost and people found out, he might as well just step down as Champion.
"You're really confident, Wallace." Dylan smiled at him.
"Let's find a nearby battle arena, then."
The group of five headed toward a nearby battle facility, while Lillie sent a message to Leaf.
There was no helping it—Leaf wasn't in a position to join them right now. Dylan had simply handed her a bank card and sent her off on a shopping spree.
Leaf was currently having the time of her life—she had never shopped this freely before.
"Champion Wallace, if you want to challenge my brother, you'll need to spin for your battle type first."
At the battle facility, Lillie pulled out a small roulette wheel from her bag.
"Interesting." Wallace and the others were intrigued.
"Poison, Dark, Ghost, Dragon, Grass, Fire, Normal… and the Golden Legend."
Steven read through the list. Including the "Golden Legend" option, there were eight different teams.
Cynthia was also curious. Dylan is skilled in this many types?
"I definitely don't want this one!"
Wallace's eye twitched when he saw the small golden section on the wheel.
He had done his research on Dylan's Gym rules.
That golden section meant Dylan would use an all-Legendary team—a team where he didn't bother adjusting strength for challengers.
Because it didn't matter.
Dylan's Legendary Team was his strongest setup, and unlike his other type-themed teams, it wasn't something he could replicate with weaker Pokémon.
Wallace placed his pale, slender hand on the spin button, and the wheel began to rotate rapidly.
He stared intently at the needle as it slowed down, eventually landing on a gray section. Inside the section was a white circle with two small dots—the Normal-type symbol.
"Normal-type, huh?"
Wallace's ocean-blue eyes sparkled, and he instantly felt much more at ease.
Normal-types weren't difficult to deal with. This was in the bag!
I'm Wallace, the Champion of Hoenn!
I'm definitely going to win!
(End of Chapter)