"Does this look convincing?"
Half an hour later, Wallace had finished doing Grey's makeup.
Grey stood before a full-length mirror and examined himself from head to toe before giving Wallace a thumbs-up. "Holy Tauros, you can't tell it's fake at all."
This makeup should help him avoid any more "battles."
Once he returned home, he might even be able to wipe out the entire "debt" he had accumulated with Sabrina lately.
"Thanks, Wallace."
Grey patted Wallace on the shoulder and prepared to have Hoopa Unbound send him back.
He had been away from Kanto for quite some time. It was about time he returned and checked on things.
"You're welcome. See you around."
Wallace and Steven watched as Grey left.
However, just as he reached the office door, Grey turned around and handed Steven a piece of cooled volcanic rock.
"This came from one of Groudon's Precipice Blades. I thought you might like it. Also, Groudon created the land itself, so I imagine the two of you would get along pretty well if you took it mining. Want me to leave Groudon's Master Ball with you?"
Groudon was a first-class Legendary and one of Hoenn's most famous Legendary Pokémon.
One of the Master Balls Grey had used had originally been given to him by Steven, and Grey had used it to catch Groudon.
If Steven wanted Groudon's help while mining, it would certainly make things much easier.
Steven's eyes immediately lit up.
Using Groudon to explore caves...
Wouldn't that allow him to find practically any stone imaginable?
However, Steven ultimately declined Grey's offer.
"Grey, there's no doubt that having Groudon's help would make mining far more convenient, but overcoming those difficulties is a major part of what makes mining enjoyable. Relying on a Legendary Pokémon would take all the fun out of the journey."
Steven loved rare stones, but he enjoyed collecting and trading for them through his own efforts even more.
If he constantly relied on Groudon to dig everything up for him, it would defeat the entire purpose.
"All right, then. Call me whenever you run into something too dangerous to handle."
Grey gave Steven a casual salute and walked out the door.
At the entrance to the Hoenn League headquarters, Palkia and Dialga approached Grey with suspiciously meaningful expressions.
"Grey, considering how much we've helped you, don't you think you should do us a favor in return?"
"What is it?"
Grey scratched his hair and stared strangely at the two dragons of Sinnoh.
"You need to command us while we beat Giratina senseless," Palkia said, narrowing its eyes. "Grey, we put an enormous amount of effort into helping you reach that other world. Without us, you probably wouldn't have been able to return at all."
"When Reshiram came to us, we signed a contract," Dialga added. "The terms were simple. We would beat Giratina senseless."
This matter directly concerned Dialga, so it naturally had to back Palkia up.
"Hmm..."
Grey pondered the matter for a moment before slowly raising his head.
"But didn't you already beat Giratina?"
The Giratina Grey was referring to was the one from Hoopa Unbound's world.
Giratina was Giratina. Palkia and Dialga had beaten one of them, so that should still count.
Palkia and Dialga stared at him in disbelief.
"How could that possibly count?!" Palkia exclaimed.
There was actually a loophole like that?
It had not even been the same Giratina!
Realizing what Palkia was thinking, Grey corrected it.
"Giratina is still Giratina. You never specified which Giratina you wanted to beat, and you already beat one."
"Bring Reshiram out here and let it explain!"
Dialga did not bother arguing with Grey. Instead, it demanded to speak with the Reshiram that had readily agreed to their request.
When Reshiram appeared, it immediately felt the furious gazes of the two first-class Legendaries.
"Reshiram, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Yes."
Reshiram nodded gently.
Its answer remained the same as before.
Reshiram had agreed to the contract, not Grey.
Whether Grey chose to command them was an entirely separate matter.
After hearing Reshiram's explanation, Palkia and Dialga exchanged looks.
They suddenly felt as though they had been conned.
"How about this? Showing up at Giratina's home and attacking it for no reason wouldn't be fair, right?" Grey said.
Grey knew that Palkia and Dialga had contributed a great deal.
Palkia in particular had become a complete laughingstock and had nearly lost its reputation as the deity of space. Grey felt that he should offer it some form of compensation.
Since Palkia and Dialga wanted to fight Giratina, they could simply call Grey over to command them the next time the three of them clashed.
The arrangement seemed perfectly reasonable to Grey.
He explained his idea to the space-time duo.
"That sounds acceptable," Dialga said.
Dialga naturally understood that Grey had devised this compromise with their interests in mind, so it gave him a few thoughtful looks.
"Fine. I suppose that's our only option," Palkia said helplessly.
Palkia and Dialga then returned to their respective homes.
Grey, meanwhile, returned to the Fighting Dojo.
"Grey! Why didn't you invite me to Alola?!"
The instant Grey arrived at the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City, Green rushed over, grabbed him, and demanded an explanation.
Green had learned from Sabrina that Grey planned to travel to Alola with Sabrina, Caitlin, Cynthia, and Lillie.
Bumiao would serve as the acting Gym Leader and take care of the Gym, while Silver had no interest in joining them.
That meant Green was the last person to hear about the trip!
She gritted her teeth, convinced that Grey no longer cared about her!
Back when Grey had first recruited her as his apprentice, he had always thought of her whenever anything happened.
But what about now?
Grey had changed!
Men!
She had even spent an entire night in pain because of him, yet now he was going on a trip without her!
In the end, she had given her heart to the wrong man!
Green wiped away imaginary tears and whimpered, "It's fine. I suppose the senior girlfriend has to shoulder all the responsibility."
Grey fell silent.
This girl certainly loved being dramatic.
"Do you honestly think I'm going there on vacation?" Grey asked, rolling his eyes. "Look at the people going to Alola. Does that lineup look like a vacation group?"
"Yes."
Green nodded emphatically. "You look exactly like a harem protagonist from a light novel taking all his heroines on vacation. You're even planning a swimsuit episode, aren't you?"
Grey stared at her.
Come on, how could she possibly think he was that kind of man?
Realizing Green had misunderstood him, Grey hurriedly explained, "Green, you've got the wrong idea. The situation isn't nearly that simple."
Green looked stunned. "What else are you planning besides a swimsuit episode?"
Grey rapped her on the forehead with his knuckles, his expression darkening.
"I'm going there to deal with some important matters. I'll also be taking Lillie home."
Green blinked, not immediately understanding.
"Lillie's mother, Lusamine, is the president of the Aether Foundation, the largest organization in Alola. Her daughter accidentally ended up in Kanto. Do you really think she wouldn't be worried? I've also heard that members of the Aether Foundation have already arrived in Kanto. They might come visit us soon."
After hearing Grey's explanation, Green asked suspiciously, "Do you really need to bring that many people?"
"Yes."
Grey nodded. "Team Rocket has lost most of its influence in Kanto, so it will inevitably extend its claws into other regions. Alola has the lowest overall combat strength, which means it will probably become Team Rocket's first target."
As he spoke, Grey deliberately breathed heavily a few times, making himself look like a wounded man.
"So aside from taking Lillie home, we're also going to stop Team Rocket. Does that make sense now?"
Green finally nodded in understanding.
"If you're going there to deal with Team Rocket, then I suppose it makes sense."
One battle-legend tier Trainer, one Champion, and two Elite Four-level Trainers traveling to Alola together did seem fairly reasonable.
"When are you planning to leave?"
"Probably in half a month. I just returned, so I need some time to rest and recover first."
Grey coughed repeatedly before lying down on the couch.
Green narrowed her eyes.
Something about Grey's injuries seemed wrong.
At that moment, Sabrina hurried into the room.
"Grey, Bumiao told me you were badly injured. What happened?"
Sabrina had just finished overseeing a Gym challenge when she heard that Grey had returned with severe injuries. She immediately rushed over.
The moment she arrived, she saw Grey resting on the couch.
His face looked absolutely horrific.
He resembled someone who had barely crawled out of a massive war alive, covered in blood and wounds.
"It's nothing serious. I just took a few attacks from first-class Legendaries head-on," Grey said honestly.
He had indeed taken those attacks.
The wounds were simply makeup.
Mixing truth with lies made a deception far more convincing.
"First-class Legendaries?!" Green exclaimed in shock.
Grey had taken attacks from first-class Legendaries head-on and survived?
He was built like a Tauros!
"That's right. Riolu and the others can vouch for me."
Grey lifted Riolu from his shoulder.
"Riolu."
Riolu nodded, confirming that Grey was telling the truth.
Green sucked in a sharp breath.
Still, something felt strange.
Grey's aura was extremely chaotic, but it did not feel like that chaos had been caused by a Pokémon attack.
Instead, it seemed self-induced.
Green was an experienced master of disguise herself.
Her eyes turned thoughtfully before she addressed Sabrina.
"Sabrina, I can handle Grey's injuries. I have experience with this kind of thing. Could you make him some ginger tea?"
"All right."
Sabrina immediately Teleported away.
Green crossed her arms and tapped one foot against the floor, smiling knowingly at Grey.
"That makeup is pretty good. You almost fooled even me."
Grey froze.
How had she figured it out?!
"Who do you think I am? I'm the original master of disguise."
Green grinned at him. "Just imagine what Sabrina will do when she finds out you're faking it."
Before Green could finish, Grey hurriedly covered her mouth and lowered his voice.
"You wouldn't want your Gym Leader to keel over from exhaustion, would you?"
Green tilted her head.
She did not understand what Grey was implying.
However, why did he suddenly look so miserable?
"It's a common problem for aging men."
Grey rubbed his lower back.
"Give me a massage."
"Ten thousand Pokédollars per session, forty minutes, paid up front."
Green extended her hand.
"If you want a massage, you should at least pay me for it."
"Ten thousand? That's way too expensive. Nelly only charges me six hundred."
Grey considered it briefly.
"One thousand. That's my final offer."
"That little?"
Green was immediately displeased.
Who would work for only one thousand Pokédollars?
She earned more than that by helping people evolve their Pokémon.
Ten thousand Pokédollars for forty precious minutes of her time was already a special price for a friend!
"Five thousand. I'm not going any higher."
Grey multiplied his offer by five.
"Fine. I suppose I can reluctantly help you. Turn over."
Green sighed and had Grey lie facedown. She then straddled his back and began massaging him.
Grey closed his eyes.
"That feels much better."
He quietly enjoyed the rare moment of relaxation.
Before long, Sabrina Teleported back with the freshly brewed ginger tea.
After seeing Green massaging Grey's back, Sabrina placed the tea nearby, sat quietly beside him, and began massaging his shoulders.
An hour passed.
When Grey opened his eyes, he felt like a completely new person.
He was refreshed and overflowing with energy.
"Drink this."
Sabrina handed him the tea, which was still warm.
Grey drank it all in one go.
A warm sensation suddenly spread from his lower abdomen throughout his entire body.
"Pretty effective, isn't it?" Sabrina asked with a soft smile.
"It's not bad, but I feel strangely warm. What did you add besides the ginger?"
Grey smacked his lips, unable to identify the other ingredients.
"Nothing important."
Sabrina gently shook her head.
Once Grey sat upright, she placed one hand against his face.
"You've worked hard. Spend the next few days resting and recovering. Don't push yourself too far. There's no hurry to reach Alola. You can go after you've completely recovered."
"Ugh, that's way too sweet for me."
Green could not stand watching such an affectionate scene and quickly got up and left.
Shortly afterward, Lillie entered the room.
The moment she saw the makeup covering Grey's face, she became so frightened that she started crying.
"Grey! Are you all right?"
Grey had always treated Lillie extremely well.
Now that he looked as though he had returned from the depths of hell, she feared that he did not have much time left.
"They're only superficial wounds. I'll recover after resting for a few days."
Grey shook his head.
Humans in the Pokémon world possessed absurdly resilient bodies.
Even if these injuries had been real, they probably would have healed within a month.
As an Aura Guardian, it was perfectly normal for Grey to recover just a tiny bit faster.
He only needed to keep everyone fooled for a while.
"Are you sure? Grey, please don't lie to me. If it hurts, you have to tell me!"
Lillie tightly held Grey's hand.
From a distance, Green felt as though she were witnessing Grey lying in a hospital bed with a breathing mask, only moments away from leaving this world.
No, that could not be right.
Scoundrels lived forever. Grey would never die that young.
Ding-dong.
While everyone was lost in thought, the Fighting Dojo's doorbell suddenly rang.
"Hello! I'm Wicke from the Aether Foundation. Is anyone inside the dojo?"
Speak of the devil.
They had only just mentioned the Aether Foundation, and Wicke, the assistant branch chief at Aether Paradise, had already come knocking.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.