Wallace finally managed to suppress the agitation in his heart and the urge to act.
Because he suddenly thought of something: the two Eevees that were lost at the beginning were one thing, but the remaining four were all in the hands of Huokui and his three companions. The four of them were unusually united, and even if he was determined to get these Eevees, he wouldn't dare to confront them directly.
But now, all four of these Eevees had appeared before him, which invariably indicated one thing: Huokui and his three companions had all died at the hands of the three people in front of him.
The people he wasn't sure he could deal with had been handled by the other party, and it seemed the other party hadn't suffered too many losses.
At the same time, facing his unrestrained demeanor, even though he called him "Lord," there was no hint of respect in his actions or tone.
"It seems that from the very beginning, everyone underestimated you. Leafeon and Jolteon must have been in your hands for a long time, right?" Wallace said in a deep voice.
It seemed that the areas where those Alliance members were active were very likely Region Three, but Region Three had already gotten a head start and taken those two Eevees.
Wallace had wondered why, after sending out so many people and spending so much time, they hadn't even seen a shadow of the two Eevees. It turned out they had already been captured by Region Three.
Aoki shrugged noncommittally, but he was somewhat surprised that Wallace could suppress his urge to act.
It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.
As a superior, it was truly difficult for Wallace to speak properly with someone who was once his subordinate.
Aoki had initially thought that they would definitely have to fight for Wallace to recognize his strength before they could sit down and discuss how to break the Space-Time Mountain barrier.
"Since you have already collected six Eevees, why are you still looking for me? You can break the Space-Time Mountain barrier yourself," Wallace said indifferently. At this moment, he truly lived up to his identity, appearing to have sufficient depth of character, no longer the hothead who would easily fly into a rage.
"Hehe, Lord Wallace, please don't joke with your subordinate. I don't think merely possessing these six Eevee-type Pokémon can break the barrier. Otherwise, why would the Divine Cult want us to come in? Especially strong individuals like you and that other one…" Aoki would not believe Wallace's nonsense so easily.
The Space-Time Mountain barrier was set up jointly by Dialga and Palkia. Although it was unknown if a random attack would be met with a counterattack from the barrier, Aoki was certain that it would definitely attract Dialga and Palkia again, and then he truly wouldn't know how he would die.
Moreover, if it really was just the fusion of energies from six different-typed Pokémon that could break the barrier, Aoki didn't believe that Huokui and the others, who had been here for twenty-five years, wouldn't have tried. There must be a crucial missing item or method in between, and Wallace's existence was to fulfill this role.
"...You've thought it through very clearly," Wallace said slowly after a period of silence.
In fact, from the recent exchange, Wallace had gained a new understanding of this Region Three in front of him.
Meticulous in thought! And quite shrewd!
Now, recalling the scenes that unfolded on Space-Time Mountain ten days ago—the deceased Region Four, the wrongly accused Region Five, the easily ignited Evyard, and... himself, constrained by his role as the person in charge—it seemed everything was within the other party's control.
Although the other party was in the dark and he was in the light, being played like this was a significant blow to Wallace, who had always prided himself on being able to control the overall situation.
The loss of strength was a considerable blow, but being played with intellectually was what he found most unbearable.
So, when he thought that the person standing in front of him was the one who had made him run around in circles, Wallace's mood was not very good.
"Alright, Lord Wallace, I think we should stop beating around the bush. Weren't you very straightforward when you first got to the point?" Aoki was also unwilling to waste time with Wallace at this moment, especially when he knew he had the strength to communicate with the other party directly.
Taking a deep breath, Wallace said in a deep voice, "Indeed, a special item is needed to open the Space-Time Mountain barrier, and that item happens to be in my possession.
But! What happens after the Space-Time Mountain barrier is broken?"
Aoki's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he said without backing down, "Of course, it's each to their own ability. Whatever gains there are then will depend on one's own strength."
Hearing Aoki's words, Wallace looked at Brad and Catherine behind Aoki.
Noticing his change in gaze, Aoki continued, "Lord Wallace, you can rest assured, these two will not participate in this matter.
Of course, in order to prevent them from participating in this matter, I might need your help with a small favor, Lord."
Although Wallace believed that even with his greatly diminished strength, he should still be stronger than Aoki, he knew nothing about the strength of Brad and Catherine behind him. Who knew, they might be another, no, two instances of feigning weakness to hide their true power.
"Tell me," Wallace said.
"If I were to say that I want them to leave now, you certainly wouldn't believe it. So there's an even simpler way, which is to help them leave the Space-Time Continent. Once they leave the Space-Time Continent, you should be completely at ease, right?" Aoki said with a smile. At this point, he no longer needed to deliberately imitate Bartram's way of speaking.
Anyway, no matter how he imitated now, it wasn't very important.
Hearing this, Wallace was slightly stunned, then looked at Brad and Catherine behind Aoki again.
"So... these two people... are they remnants? You're really lucky to be able to subdue two remnants."
Wallace's expression turned slightly cold. He hadn't expected there to be remnants on the Space-Time Continent. It seemed that Huokui and the other six had died for a good cause; trash wasn't worthy of such strong power.
"Do you take me for a fool?! Help you bring two remnants back?!" Wallace shouted loudly, his voice filled with undisguised mockery, now that Region Four was no longer there to hide it.
However, Wallace's words had no effect on Aoki. He simply shrugged and said, "That depends on what you think, Lord. If you don't mind them staying with us, I certainly have no objections.
And... I forgot to mention something. Thanks to the help of your subordinates, their strength has almost completely recovered, and they are both first-rate fighters.
Lord Wallace, let them show you their strength. After all, to ask a great person for help, you have to show your 'sincerity'!"
Hearing Aoki's words, Brad and Catherine exchanged glances and smiled at each other. They had been underestimated.
Then, both of them threw out two Poké Balls, summoning their strongest Pokémon at that moment.
Seeing the Pokémon summoned by Brad and Catherine, Wallace's expression froze. From the four Pokémon opposite him, these two remnants' strength was truly not to be underestimated, at least much stronger than ordinary Divine Cult members.
"Lord... what do you think?" Aoki's words were full of playfulness. If the other party really wasn't willing to help, Aoki wouldn't mind leaving Brad and Catherine to help him. He had other ways to help the two leave, but that method would be more troublesome.
Moreover, Aoki also had a task for the two to return to the Pokémon World to complete for him first. If they could leave at this time, it would be best.
Wallace felt a bit awkward being asked such a teasing question by Aoki.
However, from the current perspective, sending these two away was clearly the best choice for him.
Having understood this, Wallace ungraciously threw a metal-like object into Aoki's hand.
"So that's how it is." Aoki looked at the special material in his hand, on which the method of departure was engraved.
In fact, if Aoki himself wanted to leave, it wouldn't be very difficult. It was just a bit troublesome to find the location of the Pokémon World in the boundless space. But with this item, it became much simpler. He wouldn't even need Wallace's help; he could send Brad and Catherine back himself.
"Lord, we should stay and help you first..." Brad stepped forward and said.
Aoki slowly shook his head and said to the two, "You still have tasks in the Pokémon World. Don't forget what I told you."
Remembering what Aoki had instructed them to do after returning to the Pokémon World not long ago, Brad and Catherine said no more.
Using psychic power to forcibly open a spatial rift, he then slipped the metal plate into Brad's hand. The two were swallowed by the spatial rift. With the help of that special item, it could ensure their safe and sound return to the Pokémon World.
Clap, clap, clap—
Wallace gently clapped his hands. "I have to say, you are indeed someone worth following, but... is it a good thing to let your two subordinates leave at this moment?"
Aoki turned around and looked at Wallace. "If I didn't do this, would you be at ease, Lord?
Now... we should be able to properly discuss how to break the Space-Time Mountain barrier, and what we should do if others intervene, right?"
A smile appeared on Wallace's face as he looked at Aoki and said, "Tsk, why do I feel like you no longer have the strength to communicate with me on equal terms?"
Seeing that Aoki was now alone, Wallace naturally felt that Aoki's current strength was not enough to communicate with him on equal terms, at least not until he saw the other party possess the strength to do so.
"Oh dear, Lord Wallace is really burning bridges, but that also fits your identity." Aoki's words seemed a bit frivolous, but at this moment, he no longer wanted to play the king and knight game with Wallace. His novelty for playing around had worn off.
"Then I'll let you see a little bit!" His tone had now become somewhat cold.
Gengar emerged from Aoki's shadow. Now, Gengar no longer concealed its strength, fully revealing its aura.
Wallace was also stunned as he watched Gengar's aura gradually rise.
Gengar was Aoki's first Pokémon to break through the second hurdle of the Champion-level, and ten days ago, while Aoki helped Darkrai increase its strength, he also helped his other Pokémon increase their strength.
Now, Gengar was incomparable to the original Gengar of Region Three.
"Next... show your true strength, Gengar!"
As Aoki's words fell, a large amount of colorful light burst forth from Gengar's body. Mega Evolution energy coiled around it, and it Mega Evolved directly, without hesitation.
As the Mega Evolution energy dissipated, Mega Gengar appeared before Wallace. The powerful aura that washed over him made Wallace's breathing hitch.
Narrowing his eyes, Wallace looked at the Mega Gengar in front of him and felt the pressure. This was a completely different feeling from the Pokémon summoned by Brad and Catherine just now.
Pokémon: Mega Gengar (Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 86 (88)
Type: Ghost + Poison
Ability: Shadow Tag
Held Item: Gengarite
Egg Moves: Fire Punch, Mean Look, Haze
Basic Moves: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Curse, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Payback, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse, Destiny Bond, Hex, Nightmare
Learnt Moves: Rest, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Skill Swap, Snore, Perish Song, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Role Play
TM Moves: Protect, Hidden Power (Grass), Sleep Talk, Toxic, Taunt, Poison Jab, Venoshock, Thunderbolt
Mega Gengar's theoretical level reached 88, placing it among the top-tier Pokémon below the first hurdle of the Champion-level.
Wallace had lost his strongest Houndoom and Malamar, and his strongest Pokémon at this time was only at this level.
So, when he discovered that Region Three still had such hidden strength, the sense of frustration grew even stronger.
"Now, do I have the strength for an equal exchange, Wallace?!" Aoki said in a deep voice.
Damn it!
Wallace cursed inwardly, but his expression remained calm.
"Let's go," Wallace said, then turned and used Teleport to disappear from the spot.
Aoki revealed a slightly mocking smile. Although he didn't say it directly, it indicated that the other party had chosen to agree.
With a wave of his hand, Aoki also immediately disappeared from the spot.
...
When the two reappeared, they were already at the summit of Space-Time Mountain.
Originally, because the Divine Cult had settled here, it looked very clean and spotless.
But after Dialga and Palkia appeared last time and mercilessly eliminated the two strongest Pokémon, coupled with the destruction caused by the internal strife of the Divine Cult, the place became a mess, now completely filled with broken rocks.
Coming here again and seeing the scene brought back memories of what happened that day. Thinking about the loss of his two strongest Pokémon was the biggest blow to him.
However, nothing was as important now. What was important was how to break the barrier that had troubled him for so long.
At this moment, Gengar was by Aoki's side, while Wallace was accompanied by his strongest Pokémon at the time, a Greninja.
Pokémon: Greninja (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 88
Type: Water + Dark
Ability: Torrent
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Mind Reader, Mud Sport, Water Sport, Power-Up Punch
Base Moves: Water Shuriken, Night Slash, Haze, Role Play, Mat Block, Pound, Growl, Bubble, Quick Attack, Lick, Water Pulse, Smokescreen, Shadow Sneak, Spikes, Feint Attack, Substitute, Extrasensory, Double Team, Hydro Pump, Haze, Night Slash
Taught Skills: Hydro Cannon, Water Pledge, Snatch, Low Kick, Gunk Shot, Ice Punch, Water Pulse, Icy Wind, Bounce, Grudge, Snore.
TMs: Toxic, Protect, Ice Beam, Sky Drop, Rock Tomb, Aerial Ace, Acrobatics, Giga Impact, U-turn, Waterfall.
This must be Wallace's starter Pokémon, and its strength is quite formidable; the terrifying aura emanating from it made Aoki glance sideways.
With such a powerful Pokémon by his side, one must always be on high alert, otherwise, there's a constant risk of losing one's life.
The saying "to plot with a tiger" probably means this.
However, didn't the other party have the same thought?
At this moment, half of Wallace's attention was on Aoki's Gengar; this Gengar also made him extremely wary.
"Alright, now let's talk about what exactly we should do," Aoki said, looking at the visible silver-white barrier in front of him.
"First, summon all the Eevee," Wallace said indifferently.
Hearing this, Aoki didn't hesitate, throwing out six Poké Balls at once. Six Eeveelutions were summoned.
Wooh wooh—
When the six Eevee appeared, seeing their familiar companions, they immediately gathered happily, clearly indicating their good relationship.
It's likely that Huokui and the others intentionally fostered their bond, otherwise, even if they were all Eeveelutions, the energies of different types wouldn't easily merge without a significant period of cultivation.
The six were Flareon (Fire), Vaporeon (Water), Jolteon (Electric), Umbreon (Dark), Espeon (Psychic), and Leafeon (Grass).
Then Aoki looked at Wallace.
Now that all the Eevee were gathered, it was up to Wallace to produce something that could truly break through this barrier created by Dialga and Palkia, and moreover, without these two legendary Level 1 Divine Beast (first-class divine beasts) discovering it.
Wallace saw the six Eevee, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I never thought the six Eevee I've been longing for would gather under such circumstances. It truly is like searching high and low only to find it right under your nose," Wallace sighed.
Then, Wallace didn't dawdle. He carefully took out a box made of special material from his storage space.
Aoki's attention was immediately drawn to the box in Wallace's hand, but the first to react wasn't Aoki, but... Darkrai, hidden in his shadow!
If Aoki hadn't noticed Darkrai's anomaly at the first moment and immediately stopped it, Aoki estimated Darkrai would have been exposed.
Although Darkrai's exposure wouldn't have a significant impact on Aoki at this time, Aoki always needed to ensure he had some trump cards so he wouldn't be completely at Wallace's mercy.
Moreover, for Darkrai to almost lose control... there could only be one reason...
Wallace opened the special box, revealing a palm-sized, special scale that was pitch black with a hint of purple, and this scale contained a large amount of Ghost-type and Dragon-type energy!
Combining Darkrai's reaction and these two types of energy, Aoki had only one answer in his mind!
Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon!
This is Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon's scale!
Aoki's Gengar, standing beside him, was also drawn to this scale. Its body already contained Giratina's Ghost-type energy, and although it had converted and absorbed it, the energy within its body now had no relation to Giratina, having all transformed into its own energy.
But this didn't prevent it from recognizing whose scale it was at first glance.
"This is..." Aoki couldn't help but speak.
A hint of triumph couldn't help but surface on Wallace's face. When he learned the true origin of this scale, he was utterly terrified, and because of that, his belief in the abilities of the Divine Church's Bishop grew even stronger.
After all, not just anyone can obtain a scale from a first-class divine beast like Giratina.
Moreover, this scale wasn't just a common scale from Giratina. While common scales from Giratina aren't easily obtained by others, a mere common scale would clearly be insufficient to break through this energy barrier created by Dialga and Palkia working together.
But! If it's a reverse scale, then that's a different story!
As a Dragon-type Pokémon, Giratina also has a reverse scale, and the energy contained within it is incredibly vast.
When Aoki's Kommo-o shed one of its reverse scales for Aoki's Salamence, it almost caused its strength to plummet a level. If Aoki hadn't intervened in time, its strength might never have recovered.
This shows how important reverse scales are to Dragon-type Pokémon.
And now, a reverse scale belonging to Giratina was before Aoki and Wallace.
"This is the reverse scale of Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, who controls the Distortion World and is as renowned as Dialga and Palkia! Do you know the value of this item?!" Wallace held the box in his hand with a fanatical expression, snarling at Aoki.
His eyes were filled with desire for this reverse scale, and in order to suppress that desire, his expression was so ferocious at this moment.
Indeed!
Hearing Wallace's words, Aoki's heart stirred, confirming his conjecture.
Previously, Aoki had learned secrets about Giratina, Dialga, and Palkia from Darkrai.
Giratina's initial growth energy source came entirely from Dialga and Palkia. Since it could absorb the energy of those two divine beasts, its scales must also possess a special ability related to these two energies, making breaking through this energy barrier not a problem.
So, the most crucial element in breaking this Space-Time Mountain barrier wasn't those six Eeveelutions.
Although these six Eeveelutions of different types are hard to find, and their strength is also extraordinary, compared to Giratina's reverse scale, everything else seems insignificant.
"This reverse scale and those six Eevee are indispensable, but we can't break the barrier yet, can we?" Wallace inexplicably closed the lid of the box in his hand again, then said to Aoki without much context.
But Aoki seemed to understand what he meant and slowly nodded, "Indeed, it's not time yet."
At crucial moments, some people always come out to cause trouble, don't you think? Evyard?
Aoki and Wallace simultaneously looked towards a large rock not far away.
"So that's it! I knew there was something I didn't know; so the Bishop entrusted this to you for safekeeping!" A figure slowly emerged from behind the rubble where Aoki and Wallace were looking. It was Evyard, whom Aoki had mentioned, the same Evyard who, like Wallace, had lost his two strongest Pokémon!
"Evyard." Seeing the person who walked out, Wallace showed a look of course. Just now, when he took out Giratina's reverse scale, he felt an abnormal fluctuation of psychic energy behind the stone not far away, and at the same time, he roughly guessed who this person, capable of hiding under his nose, was.
Aoki wasn't too surprised to see Evyard. Even if Evyard occasionally went crazy, when he was normal, his abilities were quite outstanding, no less than Wallace's.
And...
"Mr. Evyard, do you think I really didn't notice your presence when I was dealing with those four idiots?" At this moment, Aoki felt little fear towards the two of them.
Indeed, Aoki's psychic abilities couldn't detect Evyard's movements, but Darkrai could; its sensitivity to psychic reactions was much stronger than Aoki's.
It's just that at the time, Aoki genuinely mistook Evyard for Wallace, as the place he had arranged with Wallace and the place he had arranged with Huokui and the other four were not far apart.
However, after meeting Wallace, Aoki realized that the psychic fluctuation was not Wallace, but the even stronger psychic user, Evyard.
Hearing Wallace's call and Aoki's words, Evyard wasn't too surprised. He merely glanced at Aoki and Wallace, focusing his main attention on the Giratina reverse scale in Wallace's hand and the six Eevee getting along well nearby.
"It seems you two have gathered everything. How about I join you?" Evyard had a smile on his face, but there was no warmth in it.
Aoki and Wallace exchanged glances. Although they were adversaries, they both held indispensable trump cards, while Evyard had nothing yet wanted to join directly, which seemed unreasonable.
Furthermore, Aoki and Wallace had agreed from the start that if any disruptors appeared, they would unite against them.
Although neither of their words could be fully trusted, Evyard absolutely could not be allowed to get involved. This was the first, and only, thought in both their minds.
"I'm afraid..." Wallace began.
"No!" Aoki interjected, showing surprising synchronicity at that moment.
Seeing how unified these two were truly surprised Evyard. "I never thought you two could be so in sync now. It truly exceeds my expectations."
Then Evyard stared intently at Wallace, "Wallace! You probably don't know that the other party isn't truly the so-called Number Three, do you?"
Hearing this, Wallace frowned and said in a deep voice, "What do you mean?!"
Seeing Wallace's expression, Evyard knew he was genuinely unaware, so the smile on his face grew wider. "It seems you really don't know, but then again, I almost didn't notice it myself at the time.
That day, right here, when I repelled Number Four and walked past this 'Number Three,' I discovered that this 'Number Three' and the original Number Three, although their psychic fluctuations were very similar, were still different.
So... the person in front of you is not Number Three at all! Or rather, he's not one of us from the Divine Church at all!"
"Not from the Divine Church?!" Wallace's expression grew increasingly grave, and he slowly took two steps back, putting some distance between himself and Aoki.
While whether the other party was truly Number Three didn't significantly affect what they needed to do, Wallace had believed he saw through the other party completely, only to realize that what he saw was merely the surface.
Evyard's smile remained unchanged as he looked at Aoki and continued, "So, this is someone who dared to replace Number Three halfway, and... the other party also possesses psychic abilities no weaker than those of our Divine Church members. In this space-time continent, not many people can achieve this.
Wouldn't you agree? Aoki, the Sandstorm Elite Four of the Hoenn League?! Or rather, Aoki, the Rocket Team executive?!"
Evyard directly exposed Aoki's identity.
Actually, it wasn't hard to guess. Here, someone not from the Divine Church, yet possessing such strong psychic abilities, and also capable of producing Leafeon and Jolteon, there was only one person!
The Divine Church had conducted some research on Aoki's existence, and the Divine Church certainly had spies within Team Rocket, so they were very clear about Aoki's true identity.
And unlike the League, the Divine Church was very certain about the identity they had investigated, but the League couldn't achieve this. They were still very certain about Aoki's identity at this time.
"Aoki?! That young fellow who just became one of the Elite Four not long ago? Although his potential is quite extraordinary, and he's the one who eliminated our previous Black Emissary, to possess such strength at his age..." Wallace's words trailed off, but his tone still conveyed skepticism towards Evyard's statement.
Evyard looked at Aoki, simultaneously extending his surging psychic energy towards Aoki, intending to pull off his black cloak and the psychic membrane on his face. "What? Not going to reveal yourself at this point?!"
Feeling the psychic energy rushing towards him, a smile appeared on Aoki's hidden face.
Are you treating me like a pushover?
Boom!!!
The energy around Aoki's Gengar enveloped Aoki like a golden bell, and then Evyard's psychic energy was directly repelled.
Evyard stumbled. Gengar's powerful Ghost-type energy was a bane to psychic abilities.
Evyard, relying on his powerful psychic abilities, wanted to do as he pleased, but he also had to see if Aoki's Pokémon would agree.
Don't bully Aoki just because he's young—
Gengar's seemingly bulky body moved incredibly fast, appearing in front of Aoki instantly, staring coldly at Evyard, as if to say, "If you dare to make another move, I'll make you regret it."
Aoki reached out and patted Gengar's shoulder, signaling him not to worry.
"Does my identity matter?
What matters is that these six essential Eevee are in my hands. If you want to open the barrier, you'll need my cooperation!" Aoki waved his hand casually, displaying the six Poké Balls in his hand before the two of them.
Identity isn't important; what's important is the strength one possesses and the trump cards one holds.