To be honest, if someone else had said something so close to sexual harassment, it would have been serious enough to immediately call Officer Jenny for help. But when it came from Steven—a handsome, powerful, and well-born young master—the sleazy feeling instantly vanished. How magical.
Of course, this was just Lucas's personal sigh.
For Terapagos, Steven's sudden descent, combined with his words and the burning gaze directed at it, was quite rude. It was still in the stage of exploring and adjusting to the outside world and was easily startled. After Steven's actions, Terapagos's impression of him plummeted to rock bottom.
It had been enjoying the courtyard scenery but now stood up on its hind legs, wrapped its forelimbs around Lucas's calf, and unhappily indicated that it wanted to go home. As for Terapagos's home… naturally, it was the satchel Lucas carried with him.
With no other choice, Lucas could only let Terapagos crawl back inside. After hearing its unhappy "Bagogogo," he watched as it even retracted its head, refusing to peek out no matter what.
"Aiya, it'll probably take some effort to coax it back now."
Lifting the satchel, Lucas shrugged helplessly at Steven.
Steven also realized he had lost control earlier and said somewhat ashamedly, "…I'm truly sorry. My tactless words seem to have upset Terapagos."
Mainly, the moment he suddenly saw Terapagos's crystal-like beautiful body, the fanaticism belonging to his stone-enthusiast side had completely taken over his brain. He had subconsciously spoken that string of words on instinct. After all, who would have thought that Terapagos, which had hidden most of its body in Lucas's satchel, would have such a turtle shell that made Steven's heart pound with excitement?
At that moment, Wallace, who had secretly sighed that his warning had come too late, stepped forward to smooth things over.
"He's always like this. When it comes to stones, he easily loses his senses. He even gave up the Champion position to me just to dig for stones. What he said just now was unintentional. I should also apologize to you and Terapagos. If I had reminded him in time, this wouldn't have happened."
Lucas naturally knew what kind of person Steven was. After all, he was the man said to be capable of marrying a stone. If he saw Pokémon like Diancie or Terapagos, it would be strange if he didn't get excited. At first he hadn't reacted because Terapagos had only shown its head; he couldn't see the crystal turtle shell resembling Tera crystals.
It was just a small matter. Since the other party had sincerely apologized, Lucas had no intention of dwelling on it. He waved his hand and said:
"It's fine. Later, if we prepare some Hoenn specialty dishes, I think Terapagos should forget this unpleasantness. Right now, it's quite curious about different foods."
Upon hearing this, Steven breathed a sigh of relief and revealed a smile that could charm countless fans across Hoenn. He joked, "Then I must prepare the most characteristic and delicious dishes to personally seek forgiveness."
After a brief, silly interlude, Wallace formally hosted Lucas and Steven as guests in his home—that is, the vast Sootopolis Gym. The tea brewed from tea leaves that Juan, Wallace's master, had treasured for a long time, along with the desserts he had specially prepared… The three sat in the reception room and chatted for a while. Midway, many delicacies that Steven had summoned using his financial power also made the slightly unhappy Terapagos willing to peek out again.
It was just that Steven's occasionally restrained yet still fervent glances still made Terapagos a bit uncomfortable.
At that moment, Wallace brought up a proposal he had been looking forward to for a long time.
"The Gym area is currently not open to the public because Master is preparing for the upcoming Wallace Cup. But the related facilities are still regularly maintained and can be used normally. Would you do me the honor of letting me admire the even more dazzling forms that your Milotic, Ninetales, and the others have grown into since then?"
It could be said that Wallace's invitation for Lucas to visit Hoenn was not only because he truly saw him as a friend, but also because of Milotic and Ninetales. Wallace himself was open and honest about this without hiding it. He had seen the qualities of beauty and elegance in the two Pokémon and wanted to witness those qualities bloom and bear fruit with his own eyes.
Understanding this, Lucas nodded without refusing. After all, before coming to Hoenn, he had reluctantly brought Milotic under its eager gaze and specially brought Ninetales—which didn't particularly like Hoenn's tropical environment—precisely so Wallace could see them.
After receiving Lucas's reply, Wallace's eyes lit up. "Although clothing itself is merely a tool to accentuate a Pokémon's inherent qualities, I have also prepared some suitable outfits for Milotic and Mimikyu. You can try them on later; perhaps you'll discover a different kind of charm?"
Under Wallace's lead, the three headed straight to the ecological water pool in the Sootopolis Gym. Several floating platforms on the water were fixed like small islands on the clear surface, where many aquatic Pokémon lived. Looking at the species, most of the common Hoenn water-types were present.
"Next to it is the Water Field used for Gym challenges. This side is where the Pokémon usually live. Both the ones I raised and the ones Master raised live inside."
As Wallace introduced the place to Lucas, he interacted with the Pokémon that showed excited expressions upon seeing him. It took quite a while for the lively water pool to quiet down.
As a water-type coordinating artist, the ecological water pool that Milotic-specialist Wallace had built at great expense truly surprised Lucas. Its scale was already comparable to the farm's Thunder Lake, and this was just an indoor Gym facility. Fortunately, thanks to Tapu Fini residing there, the water quality of Thunder Lake should still be better than this one.
Steven was already familiar with the Sootopolis Gym environment. He simply stood behind the two with his arms crossed, listening to Wallace's introduction.
Moments later, Wallace finally stopped his speech and looked at Lucas with expectant eyes.
Lucas didn't keep him in suspense. He held five Poké Balls between his fingers and tossed them into the air together.
"Come out, everyone."
Red beams of light landed on the floating platforms or in the water pool. Five figures appeared in the space: Swampert, Mimikyu, Politoed, Ninetales, and Milotic.
If Mimikyu, Ninetales, and Milotic were the ones Wallace was looking forward to, then Swampert and Politoed were special surprises for him. For a moment, Wallace felt like his eyes were dazzled.
Although Mimikyu wasn't wearing the outfit that had astonished even Wallace during that performance-style Contest, it instead exuded an adorable quality that made one want to cherish it. Milotic's aura had become even more mature, having completely transformed from its Feebas days. Seeing Ninetales's transcendent, sacred aura again, the sense of amazement hadn't diminished in the slightest. Not to mention the unexpected joys of Swampert and Politoed.
Wallace himself had raised a Swampert, and in his view, its potential was in no way inferior to his ace Milotic. Yet upon seeing Lucas's Swampert with his own eyes, he couldn't help but feel that he had lost.—This Swampert was simply too outstanding in both presence and appearance compared to others of its kind.
The other one, Politoed—although Wallace himself hadn't raised this Kantonian Pokémon from across the sea—judging from his expertise as a Water-type specialist, it had been raised exceptionally well. It was the kind that would gain bonus points in the breeding category just by standing on a Contest stage.
Wallace genuinely felt that the surprises Lucas brought him were far too many. Even the observing Steven didn't skimp on his praise. He sincerely marveled, "It's clear that every single one of them has been raised with care. Especially this Swampert. I imagine it would have a very enjoyable battle of strength with my Metagross."
"Bi-mi!" Seeing its companions come out, Victini excitedly flapped its little wings and flew over, circling the applauding Politoed.
Looking at everyone who had quickly adapted to the new environment, Lucas also smiled and loudly announced what he had decided with Wallace on the way here.
"Everyone, get ready. We'll try on the new clothes in a bit!"
That's right. Ever since Wallace had seen the brand-new charm Mimikyu radiated after changing outfits during that performance Contest, he—who had always pursued showing Pokémon in their original forms and auras—had begun considering the possibility that clothing could play some unexpected roles. He then tried buying some clothes and accessories suitable for Pokémon to wear and found the effects remarkably outstanding, so he simply bought a large pile more. This cycle repeated, and now the Sootopolis Gym even had several dedicated rooms storing the various outfits and accessories Wallace had purchased for Pokémon.
Ninetales's aurora-style dress was one that Wallace had taken a liking to while shopping. Now he was no longer limited to ready-made items; he had begun designing and custom-ordering clothing himself.
This time, Wallace had prepared quite a few outfits suited to Milotic and the others' styles, all to satisfy his pursuit of beauty and art.
With Wallace and Steven helping, the Pokémon were soon dressed in new clothes and accessories.
Ninetales still wore the aurora-style dress. Although Wallace had already seen the photos Lucas sent, when Ninetales moved, he was still stunned for a long time.—It was so sacred that no one could bear to profane it. Just watching its figure felt like the soul was being purified by towering snow-capped mountains.
Strictly speaking, Milotic only wore some of the accessories Wallace had prepared. Wallace had already tried matching outfits for his own Milotic. The conclusion was that a serpentine body like Milotic's wasn't actually suited to most small dresses.—It was already beautiful enough on its own; it only needed accessories to accentuate its beauty and aura. Under the sparkling body chain accessories, Milotic's streamlined curves were even more pronounced, while adding just the right touch of allure to its serene beauty.
Wallace was so excited he nearly got a nosebleed, repeatedly muttering that his idea had indeed been correct.
For Mimikyu, Wallace hadn't prepared a full bodysuit this time, but there were still outfits. He had chosen a pastel-style set for it, consisting of a small cloak with a bow and a wide magician-like hat. It looked quite adorable.
Politoed wore a magician-style top hat, and Victini put on a cute little vest. Only Swampert received no dressing up. In Wallace's words, it radiated the beauty of strength at all times just by standing there—no need to add unnecessary flourishes.
After the fitting session, both Wallace and Lucas were very satisfied. Wallace had feasted his eyes, Lucas's camera shutter hadn't stopped clicking, and only Steven had been bitterly working as a changing assistant. He was still sad that Terapagos seemed unwilling to pay him any attention.
Unknowingly, the sun high in the sky was about to set. Wallace and Lucas could only reluctantly stop their Pokémon dress-up session and give the gradually listless Pokémon some rest time. Aside from the aquatic Pokémon living in the ecological pool, the area quieted down again.
Lucas recalled the tired Mimikyu and the others into their Poké Balls. Looking at the mountain of boxes and bags filled with clothes and accessories in front of him, he asked Wallace helplessly:
"Can I really take all of these?"
"Of course." Wallace nodded slightly, spreading his arms with an intoxicated expression. "Suitable clothing should be paired with suitable subjects. These were born for your Pokémon~"
At that moment, a commotion suddenly came from outside. A girl's chattering voice approached from afar, accompanied by occasional responses from a middle-aged man.
Lucas looked toward the source of the sound and saw a girl about twelve or thirteen years old with a teal ponytail coming toward them, along with a mature-looking middle-aged gentleman.
Wallace's unsurprised voice rang out.
"Master, and Lisia, you're back?"
"Mm. The final preparations are done. Now your Wallace Cup only needs to be held." Juan stopped, nodded slightly, then asked in return, "As for you, how has hosting the guest gone? You didn't get busy satisfying yourself again, did you?"
Juan knew his disciple very well. In terms of obsession with beauty and art, Wallace was even more passionate than he was. This also meant that when Wallace immersed himself in satisfaction, he easily failed to read the room and caused trouble for others.
Before Wallace could respond, the chattering girl beside Juan locked onto him like a little fangirl. Her eyes sparkled as she grabbed Wallace's hand, treating no one present as an outsider and immediately acting spoiled.
"Uncle, train with me again tonight, okay~!"
As a Coordinator planning to compete in the Wallace Cup, Lisia wanted to receive more advice directly from Wallace.
Wallace, who had been pestered by his niece, looked somewhat helpless and couldn't help but press his forehead. "Better not. Seeing your performance in advance would bias my scoring. You should go to your grand-uncle instead."
"Ehh Whyy" Lisia dragged out her words in dissatisfaction and puffed up her cheeks, but she didn't forget the other two men present besides Wallace and Juan.
After politely greeting Steven first, Lisia's gaze fell on Lucas. She then narrowed her eyes. After a suspicious silence, Lisia put on a perfect idol's signature bright smile and stepped forward to grab Lucas's hand.
"It looks like this big brother is the guest Uncle specially wanted to host today. Nice to meet you. I'm Lisia, currently working as a Contest idol!"
"…Hello?"
Lucas, bewildered by the girl's sudden burst of enthusiasm, responded. Then he heard Lisia's very abrupt invitation.
"So without further delay, can big brother have a Contest battle with Lisia?"
Lucas: "?"
Girl, isn't your train of thought jumping a bit too much?
…