Between the conservative faction and the radical faction, there had always been small conflicts. The two sides could barely stand to look at each other.
So when Layered Peaks Gym discovered the entrance to an ancient secret realm, the League sent people from Purple Dragon Gym to act as the liaison. This was also a way to keep both Gyms in check.
If Purple Dragon Gym ever needed a major upgrade in the future, it would be Layered Peaks Gym's turn to represent the League. This unspoken rule had formed slowly, after years of both cooperation and rivalry between the two Gyms.
Mort and Gilbert had guessed that the League would send someone from Purple Dragon Gym. They had expected one of the older members of the Wrenleigh family to show up. What they had not expected was for the League to send the Champion in person. That caught both of them off guard.
Still, since the Dragon Emperor was the League Champion, he could not act only on behalf of Purple Dragon Gym. He had a reputation to protect, a serious and fair image that the whole region trusted. Because of this, the negotiations went far more smoothly than usual. There was much less of the pointless arguing that came from dealing with the older, craftier Gym members.
The Dragon Emperor, the Dragon Lord, and the rest of their group first examined the ancient Pokémon that Gilbert and Mort had caught inside the secret realm. Then, true to his serious nature, the Dragon Emperor insisted on entering the secret realm himself to see it firsthand.
The League wanted to confirm whether the newly found spatial rift at Layered Peaks Gym was a new path into the massive Hisui Secret Realm. To test this, they arranged a simple experiment. League staff would enter a different, already known entrance to the Hisui Secret Realm, carrying a quantum communicator. The Dragon Emperor would carry a matching device into this new entrance. If the two devices connected, it would prove that both groups were standing inside the very same space, confirming this was indeed a new entrance.
As hosts, Gilbert and Mort led the Dragon Emperor and his two aides back into the secret realm. Meanwhile, Diane, who badly wanted to come along and explore, was ordered by her brother to wait outside instead.
Bored, the Diane muttered a curse at her brother as he vanished through the spatial rift. Then her striking purple eyes turned toward Nova, who had also been left behind outside.
Nova was about to point out that her curse technically insulted herself too, since they were siblings, but the words caught in his throat the moment he saw the look in her eyes. His stomach dropped.
Nova: "Wait. What do you want?"
Diane: "I want you."
Nova: "Oh no..."
Diane: "Then come and stop me."
It wasn't that Nova lacked confidence. With his sharp mind and quick tongue, he rarely lost an argument to anyone, let alone a young woman.
But the Diane was the one true exception. Nova wouldn't even dare to banter with her, let alone flirt.
Her reputation among Trainers was already infamous. Nova had no interest in getting tangled up with someone like her. He was certain his life would become unbearable if he did.
It was true that people sometimes let their instincts get the better of their judgment, but that didn't mean it was wise to let instinct take over completely, especially not around someone who could eat you alive and leave nothing behind.
Nova's head was starting to hurt. "Stop! Seriously, stop! Miss Wrenleigh, I don't want to be rude, but please don't tease me like this. I'm a proper Trainer!"
The Diane laughed and slung her arm around Nova's shoulder without warning.
She stood well over six feet tall, while Nova was barely five and a half. He looked like a little boy caught by an older sister, with no real way to break free.
Nova tried to shrug her arm off, but although he was reasonably strong for a sixteen-year-old, the arm holding him belonged to someone who was, quite literally, part dragon. No ordinary human strength could pry loose a dragon's grip.
But a cat could.
The Meowscarada following Nova had at first assumed this was just an ordinary conversation between its Trainer and a tall stranger, so it hadn't paid much attention. But once it saw Nova struggling to get free, it understood immediately: this woman was bullying its Trainer, right in front of it.
That was unforgivable.
While the Diane was enjoying herself, a furry paw suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked it away, tossing it off Nova's shoulder without any gentleness at all.
Nova felt like he'd been granted a pardon. He immediately hugged his loyal Meowscarada close.
Good cat. Bad human.
Rubbing her arm, the Diane tilted her head and studied Nova and his Meowscarada with obvious interest.
"What a devoted little cat. It really does care about you, doesn't it? I wonder, if I took you away, would it come crying after me?"
Nova, now thoroughly annoyed, pulled out Nidoking's Poké Ball and said bluntly, "Go ahead and try."
A strange, excited grin spread across the Diane's face. "Oh, are we really doing this? You're the one who drew first!"
The situation had clearly gotten out of hand. The four Elite Trainers from Layered Peaks Gym who had stayed outside quickly closed in around them. Both Nova and the Diane held important positions in their respective Gyms, so this was no longer a small disagreement. If a real battle broke out, it could shake the entire League.
Purple Dragon Gym still had two of its own Trainers waiting outside. They didn't fully understand why Diane was acting this way, but this wasn't the moment to sort out who was right. Choosing a side mattered more than being correct.
Five against three, in an unregulated battle. The numbers favored Nova.
That was Nova's calculation. If the Diane truly wanted to fight here, he was ready to show her exactly what a battle with no rules and no restraint looked like.
Dragon in human form or not, could she really take a Psybeam head-on without flinching?
But just as Nova prepared to throw his Poké Ball first, the spatial rift shimmered and pulsed. The Elite Trainers guarding both important figures let out a visible sigh of relief.
Only the Diane looked annoyed, kicking at the sand beneath her feet.
"Ugh, how boring. Why did they have to come back right now?"