"It's over. Not a single surprise in sight."
Wallace leaned back on the sofa, gazing at the massive screen through the spotless floor-to-ceiling window.
Dylan had only used four Pokémon—Gholdengo, Aegislash, Flutter Mane, and Gengar—while Cynthia's entire team had been wiped out.
And honestly, aside from Flutter Mane taking a bit more damage, the rest of Dylan's Pokémon barely had a scratch.
The only one that hurt itself was Gengar—because of Curse.
"Hey~ Steven, you should feel proud, you know? Sure, Cynthia beat you to the top spot, but at least when you challenged the Gym, you managed to take down one of Dylan's legendaries."
"If you can't say anything nice, then shut your mouth."
Steven's face twitched as he shot Wallace an irritated glare.
Seriously? How was that even comparable? Back then, he was taking on Dylan's Gym challenge. How much Dylan was holding back—only Dylan himself knew.
Elesa couldn't help but giggle behind her hand.
"What a monster… And the craziest part is that he actually has a full team for every type!"
Iris clicked her tongue. That was what truly shocked her.
Raising Pokémon took time and energy. To raise them to perfection, you needed a proper training plan and the discipline to see it through.
But Dylan? He was downright absurd.
From what was known, Dylan had assembled a full team for every single type—even though there were plenty of overlapping Pokémon.
Take Gengar, for instance—it could fit into both a Ghost-type team and a Poison-type team.
Even so, Dylan must have trained at least sixty Pokémon to peak condition—and that was being conservative.
Of course, Iris knew that number wasn't totally unheard of. Plenty of Trainers had collecting habits.
Take Blue and Green, for example—the number of Pokémon they'd caught definitely wasn't less than Dylan's.
But the key difference? Dylan didn't just catch them—he trained every single one to be strong. That's what made it so terrifying.
Iris truly couldn't understand. How did Dylan even train them all? Was he cheating?
"People can't be judged the same way. Even geniuses have levels among themselves," Alder said, patting Iris on the shoulder with a sigh.
Steven, Wallace, and the others nodded in deep agreement.
"He's incredible~ I'd love to battle someone like Dylan." Leon's eyes burned with excitement.
If Dylan used a regular monotype team like this, Leon's fighting spirit would immediately ignite.
"Let's go. They should be heading back to the waiting rooms now, right? Let's grab them for dinner."
Wallace stretched lazily as he got up. He was done chasing the Master rank—staying comfortably in the top twenty suited him just fine.
Alola Region.
"Our Gym Leader cousin is amazing! He beat Miss Cynthia so easily!"
On the same sunny beach, the ever-cheerful Selene wore a flowered sunhat as she watched the livestream with Zossie.
"Yeah, yeah! Dylan-cousin is sooo cool!" Zossie nodded rapidly, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"Hehe~ He is super cool! But one day, I'm totally going to beat him!"
Selene puffed out her chest confidently. The curve wasn't much to speak of, but that was fine—an energetic, flat-chested girl was still cute!
"Heh~ Beating Dylan won't be so easy."
A raspy chuckle drifted from nearby. It was Pryce, sitting in his wheelchair with a fishing rod in hand.
He was dressed simply as always, a gentle smile on his weathered face. One hand held the rod, the other stroked the small sleeping Swinub resting on his knees.
"Hmph! I totally can! I'll beat Gym Leader cousin, and then I'll make him… hehe~!"
Whatever Selene imagined made her pure little face twist into a pervy grin, giving Zossie goosebumps.
Selene-cousin looked kinda creepy when she smiled like that!
"If you've got that much determination, then keep training. The Delibird and Lapras are already waiting for you."
"Huh? So soon?" Selene's face fell instantly.
Honestly, even she struggled with Pryce's training—the Delibird and Lapras were absolute monsters.
Even her ace Incineroar couldn't withstand a single Ice Beam from them. How was that even fair?
"I let you finish the match. Now go," Pryce said softly, brushing his hand across the Swinub's back.
"By the way, I told you to catch an Ice-type Pokémon. How's that going?"
Pryce looked at Selene. Ice-types were his specialty, and this girl's talent was the finest he'd ever seen.
Compared to Leaf, Silver, or Erika, she outshone them all.
He was getting old. Though he'd chosen to retire peacefully in Alola, it would be a shame to let his decades of Ice-type mastery die with him.
Selene was the perfect successor.
"I did it! Tada~!"
Selene grinned and pulled out a Luxury Ball, releasing a Pokémon that looked remarkably similar to Delibird.
"I thought about it a lot, and I figured—if I want an Ice-type, then Iron Bundle is the best! So I asked Gym Leader cousin for one!"
"Good. Then go on."
Pryce glanced at the Iron Bundle. A Paradox Pokémon, huh? And apparently a future form of Delibird? How interesting.
"Okay!" Selene cheered, racing off toward the training area.
Pryce's training was harsh, but for someone as determined to grow stronger as Selene, her drive burned brighter than ever.
"Heh heh heh~"
Watching her spirited figure disappear into the distance, Pryce's smile deepened.
Beep beep beep~
Just then, Zossie's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Zossie, another Ultra Wormhole just opened—and the readings are weird. Have the old man take a look."
"Got it!"
A strange Wormhole energy?
Pryce had already heard. As Alola's "gatekeeper," he'd dealt with plenty of Ultra Beasts before.
It wasn't difficult for him—many times, he didn't even need to go himself. Sending Delibird alone was enough.
But Pryce knew the real reason Dylan stationed him here: the invaders from parallel worlds.
He'd already dealt with one last time… and now, another?
Better to check it personally, just in case.
South of Melemele Island — a nameless islet.
A net-like Ultra Wormhole opened, and two figures emerged from within.
"Hey~ What a gorgeous sea! Man, seeing the ocean always puts me in a good mood!"
The burly man with a blue bandana, wearing a dark blue wetsuit, grinned wide.
It was Rainbow Archie.
"It'd be better if a certain stick-thin idiot weren't here."
Rainbow Archie shot a glare at the man stepping calmly behind him, scowling.
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't team up with you either," said the red-suited man, Rainbow Maxie, pushing up his glasses with a cold look.
"After all, working with a brainless brute is nothing but a hindrance."
"What'd you say, you skinny bastard?! You looking for a fight?!"
Rainbow Archie's temper flared instantly.
"I wouldn't mind that—but now isn't the time."
Rainbow Maxie replied coolly, his gaze shifting toward the ocean.
A Lapras was swimming toward them.
"Just an old man," Archie snorted dismissively.
"Try using that waterlogged brain of yours," Maxie sighed, feeling genuine regret that this was his partner.
"Both Colress and Lysandre went missing in this world. You really think it's that simple here?"
"And we just arrived in the real world, yet that old man is already heading straight for us. You think that's coincidence?"
Maxie prided himself on being the smart one—unlike Archie, who was pure muscle.
"Bah! Talk all you want—either way, it's gonna end in a fight," Archie sneered.
They were invaders here, enemies of the locals by default. Didn't matter to him.
Lapras reached the shore, and Pryce—still seated—looked calmly at the two Rainbow bosses.
"Two this time?" he murmured, nodding slightly. "That's fine."
"Hey, old man! I'm asking you—where's the Hoenn region?"
Archie barked the question without restraint.
Maxie didn't speak, instead watching Pryce carefully.
Something about this old man didn't sit right—but he'd let Archie play the fool first.
"I think introductions come first."
Pryce raised his phone, snapped a photo of the two, and said evenly,
"Well, since you asked so sincerely, I don't mind telling you!"
Archie grinned proudly. "The name's Archie! Leader of Team Aqua!"
"All life was born from the sea! The ocean is the source of all things! And as its leader, I will create a—"
Archie raised both hands dramatically, clearly hyped to give his grand speech.
"And you?" Pryce interrupted coldly, turning to Maxie.
He couldn't care less about oceans and nonsense like that.
Archie's face twisted with rage. Being ignored like that set him off instantly.
"You old geezer! You're asking for it!"
He hadn't wanted to hit a frail old man—but this arrogance was infuriating!
"I wasn't talking to you," Pryce replied calmly.
Maxie frowned. Something was off. The old man was far too composed.
"Hmph! Kyogre!"
Archie snapped, releasing Kyogre.
The Sea Basin Pokémon loomed before him, and the moment it appeared, storm clouds gathered overhead.
Patter… patter…
The skies burst open in a torrential downpour—Kyogre's Drizzle taking effect.
"Kyogre, huh?" Pryce frowned slightly at the sight.
Another legendary… The last one had been Xerneas. Were all these invaders running around with legendaries?
"Hahaha! Old man, if you beg for mercy now, maybe I'll let you live!"
Archie roared with laughter. Kyogre was what had let him flood most of the land in his own world.
"…"
Pryce said nothing, just gave the Swinub on his lap a pat.
This meathead was getting way too carried away. Maybe it was time to cool things off.
Swinub hopped down, shaking the rain off its fur, and stared up at Kyogre.
"Pfft—Swinub?? Hahaha! SWINUB!"
Archie blinked, then doubled over laughing.
A Swinub—seriously? Against Kyogre? Was this old fool trying to make him laugh to death?
Even Maxie looked exasperated. All that caution for this?
"Blizzard," Pryce said calmly.
A howling storm of snow and ice swallowed the sky whole.
And then—
"Thanks for the help, old man."
Dylan glanced at the two dazed, frozen Rainbow leaders—Maxie and Archie—then at the solid ice encasing Kyogre and Groudon.
As expected of Pryce. Ever reliable.
"No need to thank me," Pryce said, shaking his head. "From what they said, there are more coming. Their leader's already arrived."
"I got here as fast as I could, but only found these two."
"They must've split up. Got it—I'll stay alert."
Dylan's eyes flickered. So Rainbow Giovanni was here too? Then Rainbow Cyrus must have come as well.
Kanto Region.
A pair of polished leather shoes stepped into Viridian City.
Short-cropped hair, a shadowed expression, a sleek black suit—an "R" embroidered on the lapel in rainbow colors.
It was Rainbow Giovanni, leader of Team Rainbow Rocket.
"Viridian City… how nostalgic."
Hands in his pockets, he strolled confidently toward a familiar place.
"So, you came all this way just for that?" a deep, rasping voice murmured beside him.
"Of course. Mewtwo, no one knows Giovanni better than I do," Rainbow Giovanni said coolly, eyes gleaming with malice.
"Even a Giovanni from a parallel world must have exceptional talent. If I can win him over, he'll be far more useful than those muscle-headed tools like Archie."
"You're not afraid he'll stab you in the back?"
Mewtwo's mocking tone dripped with sarcasm.
"Heh~ Any man bearing the name 'Giovanni' has unmeasurable ambition," Rainbow Giovanni said with a confident smile. "But I believe in myself. I'm the strongest Giovanni."
"I wonder what this world's Giovanni is like… But the Viridian Gym's the place to start."
He smirked. Back before his world conquest, he had used the identity of the Viridian Gym Leader as cover.
If this world's Giovanni had any brains, he'd have done the same.
No—if he bore the name Giovanni, then he had to be brilliant. Ambitious. Ruthless.
Rainbow Giovanni was sure of it.
And then—
"Whoa!! Giovanni! It's Giovanni of the Elite Four!"
Rainbow Giovanni froze, turning to see a bug-catching kid holding a net, staring at him in awe.
Wait—what?
"What did you just call me?" Rainbow Giovanni asked, stunned.
"Giovanni, of course! The head of the Indigo League's Elite Four! You're that Giovanni, right?" the boy stammered.
Giovanni… Elite Four?
Rainbow Giovanni's mind went blank.
No way. The Giovanni of this world had become a member of the Elite Four?!
Now that's wild.
(End of Chapter)