Rainbow Lysandre truly didn't expect that things would turn out like this the moment he arrived in this world.
What the hell was that thing?!
That Swinub—ridiculously strong beyond reason! It wasn't just strong—it opened the door to the absurd!
Lysandre had considered the possibility of obstacles to his ideal world in this unfamiliar parallel world… but never expected that obstacle would be a pig. A tiny, unevolved Swinub!
"Uhh… Grandpa??"
Zossie was completely dumbfounded, staring wide-eyed at the snowy field before her.
This was the aftermath of that Blizzard? From that Swinub?
"What's wrong?" Pryce asked calmly, wheeling himself forward with the same serene smile as always.
"Nothing." Zossie obediently rushed to Pryce's side and began pushing his wheelchair, casting awestruck glances at the sleepy Swinub once again perched on Pryce's lap.
So the lazy little guy who always seemed to be napping… was this strong?!
"Hand over all your Poké Balls. No tricks. Xerneas can be thawed, but the process may leave permanent damage. You should understand what I mean."
Pryce stopped not far from the kneeling Rainbow Lysandre. His tone was mild, but the threat was crystal clear.
Lysandre's expression flickered. If he gave up his Poké Balls, he'd be defenseless—completely at their mercy.
"Resistance is meaningless. Xerneas can't help you anymore."
Pryce's voice was still calm, but there was no mistaking the authority behind it.
"Who… are you?"
Lysandre cast one last glance at his frozen Xerneas before his shoulders sagged in defeat.
Xerneas was his strongest trump card, yet in front of that Swinub, it was utterly helpless.
He had no choice. He didn't want to end up a frozen statue.
"Just a retired old man," Pryce replied with a faint smile.
Lysandre said nothing.
Was this world seriously that dangerous? He just stepped out of Ultra Space—and the first grandpa he ran into could destroy him.
"Did you also capture Ghetsis?" Lysandre asked grimly as Zossie, at Pryce's signal, moved in and began collecting his Poké Balls.
"Oh? Curious about Ghetsis' whereabouts, are we?"
A calm young voice interrupted from the side.
Lysandre turned—and saw a young man in a black shirt emerge from a shimmering space ring.
"Dylan!" Zossie's eyes lit up with admiration.
"Zossie, long time no see. And thank you, Pryce." Dylan ruffled her hair gently and exchanged a smile with Pryce.
Beside Dylan floated a curious figure: the bound Hoopa, staring wide-eyed at the frozen Xerneas.
That's right—upon hearing of the incident, Dylan had borrowed the sealed Hoopa from the Valley of Creation.
After much training, Hoopa had finally mastered spatial rings again and could now travel with ease.
With Hoopa's help, Dylan could hop to Alola in seconds.
Lysandre tensed, staring at the newcomer.
"No need to be on edge. Soon, I'll send you to meet Ghetsis."
Dylan stepped up to the frozen Xerneas and clicked his tongue in awe.
Yep—letting Pryce guard Alola had definitely been the right call. Without him, Rainbow Lysandre and Xerneas could've caused massive chaos.
"Tell me, Mr. Lysandre—how many of you came this time?"
"I can't…"
"No need to be stubborn," Dylan interrupted with a smile. "Hypnosis works just fine."
What, did Lysandre think he could hold out? Hypnosis could get the answers just as well.
Sure, forcibly using it could cause neural damage—but that only happened with poorly trained Pokémon.
Dylan had a shiny Mewtwo. Hypnotizing Lysandre would be a breeze.
Lysandre grimaced.
"It's just me."
"You sure?"
"Of course. But I'm only here to scout. If I go missing… I don't know how many will come next."
Lysandre's voice was grim.
"You don't understand how powerful that organization truly is."
"I see."
Dylan nodded slightly. That made sense.
With both Rainbow Ghetsis and now Lysandre missing, Rainbow Giovanni would definitely realize something was wrong.
But Dylan knew someone like Rainbow Giovanni—he wouldn't give up on this parallel world easily. He'd be back. Soon, even.
Having gotten the info he needed, Dylan signaled to Hoopa, who knocked Lysandre unconscious with a flick.
"Thank you again, Pryce. I really appreciate your help."
"Think nothing of it. I owe you far too much. Helping you is the least I can do."
Pryce smiled as he gently stroked the tiny Swinub curled on his lap.
His gratitude toward Dylan was immeasurable. Dylan had saved his life—even if the rescue had come very late.
"I'll still be relying on you, though. This group is no joke. If more anomalies pop up, I'll need you to handle them."
"No problem. Leave it to me." Pryce nodded without hesitation.
After a bit of small talk with Zossie and Pryce, Dylan stood in front of the frozen Xerneas, deep in thought.
"Dylan, this Xerneas feels different from the one I know," Hoopa commented as it floated beside him.
Indeed, this was not their world's Xerneas.
"Yeah… it's from a parallel world. And now I have no idea what to do with it."
Dylan sighed. It wasn't like with Rainbow Ghetsis' Zekrom, which had been fused into Kyurem and needed no handling.
This Xerneas was different—it had chosen to follow Rainbow Lysandre. It wouldn't just change allegiance easily.
"You could seal it," Hoopa suggested. "Then send it home later."
"Guess that's all we can do."
Dylan nodded. Not ideal—but it would work.
He summoned Necrozma and opened an Ultra Wormhole to Ultra Megalopolis.
There, he had White Kyurem reinforce the ice crystal sealing Xerneas, then locked it deep inside the central tower—just like Necrozma itself.
Pretty honorable, honestly. Not every Pokémon got that treatment.
Then, he returned to the Indigo Plateau of Kanto and threw Rainbow Lysandre into a cell—right across from Rainbow Ghetsis.
Dylan was a kind man, after all. He didn't want the parallel-world visitors to be too lonely. He gave them roommates.
With that little Rainbow Rocket episode handled, Dylan returned to his regular gym duties at Rota Gym.
But the World Cup Tournament? It was just getting hotter.
Everyone was waiting eagerly.
And leading the charge—Blue had arrived at the battlefield!
As the first top-20 trainer to issue a formal challenge, Blue's match created massive buzz.
He wasn't some unknown rookie—he was an Elite Four member of Kanto!
And his opponent? Wallace!
The man himself—the most elegant coordinator in the world, and former Champion of Hoenn!
And the day had finally come.
Sootopolis Coliseum, the largest arena in Hoenn and home to the annual Wallace Cup, was packed to the brim.
Most attendees were locals, but a huge number had come from Kanto—including Professor Oak, Daisy, and even Gary.
"What a crowd~" Dylan stood at the railing in a low-key outfit and hat, scanning the masses.
"Wallace is still very popular," Steven said with a smile.
Of course Dylan had come to Hoenn for this. And he wasn't alone—Cynthia and Geeta were here too.
"Do you think Wallace can handle Blue? He's pretty strong," Geeta mused, graceful in her sharp suit.
"Blue's very talented, but Wallace has grown too. We'll see," Steven nodded.
They all knew Blue's strength. Back during the Saffron City incident, Blue and Red had both proven themselves.
Even back then, Blue was already Champion-level—and he'd only gotten stronger since.
Steven quietly hoped his best friend could pull this off.
"If Blue wins today, the rankings will really shake up," Cynthia noted, eyes on the scoreboard.
Across the arena, Giovanni, Red, and Silver were seated together—of course they came to support Blue.
Right next to them? Professor Oak and family.
"Envious?" Giovanni asked as he noticed a flicker of ambition in Silver's eyes.
"Father, I want to battle you and Dylan… in a stadium like this!"
Silver clenched his fists, fired up like never before.
He wasn't even an officially registered trainer yet—but this atmosphere stirred his soul.
A massive arena. A roaring crowd. The eyes of the world.
"Hahaha…" Giovanni chuckled, gently patting his son's shoulder.
"Then I'll be waiting on the Indigo Plateau."
That was all he said.
There was nothing more to add. He saw the resolve burning in Silver's heart—and it made him proud.
"You'll have to work hard, Silver. Challenging Giovanni won't be easy."
Professor Oak chuckled from the side.
"He'll be registering as a trainer soon. I trust you'll help guide him."
"Of course. Your senior, Yellow, got her first Pokémon from me too. Silver, just let me know what you want—I'll prepare it."
Oak's smile was warm as always. He loved seeing young trainers full of fire.
Silver bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Professor."
"Haha, no need to be so formal. I look forward to the day you challenge Giovanni!"
And as the announcer's voice rang out—
From opposite ends of the arena, two figures entered.
A spiky-haired youth in a black tee and purple pants strode to his podium, hands in his pockets and a cocky grin on his face.
Here we go. Time for my show!
On the other side, wrapped in a white cloak, Wallace sighed theatrically and adjusted his posture.
Graceful and composed—Wallace's elegance was unmistakable.
"Really now, I hadn't even picked my own opponent yet, and someone already came knocking."
He lifted his head and looked calmly at the cocky youth across the field.
"I can understand a young man's desire to make a name for himself. But Blue…"
His clear eyes gleamed as he met his challenger's gaze.
"You picked the wrong target."
His voice was calm, elegant, and full of poise.
Yes—you picked wrong!
Wallace was confident. He was the former Champion of Hoenn! Even if he couldn't match Dylan or Steven—there was no way he'd lose to a rookie from last year.
Absolutely not.
There was no doubt about it—Wallace was going to win.
(End of Chapter)