While Lionel was battling his heart out at Roxanne's Gym, sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of Devon Corporation's top floor, scattering warm pools of light across the office.
Steven sat behind a broad desk, cradling a Pokémon egg in his arms.
The shell was pale blue, laced with silvery-white spirals that looked kissed by moonlight. It quivered now and then, as if the life inside were peeking curiously at the world beyond.
"This egg looks extraordinary."
A gentle voice sounded at Steven's side. Wallace walked over carrying a cup of steaming black tea, the corners of his clear, slightly upturned eyes carrying their usual soft smile.
His trademark emerald-green hair was loosely tied back, a few strands brushing the fair nape of his neck and making his complexion seem even more translucent.
The sleeves of his perfectly tailored white shirt were rolled up, revealing gracefully lined forearms. With cool fingertips he brushed the shell and felt the faint tremor inside.
"Which Pokémon's egg is this? Those spirals look rather Dragon-type."
Steven lowered his gaze to the egg, fingers lightly tracing its patterns, a faint, tender smile unconsciously tugging at his lips:
"Good eye—it's a Dratini egg."
"Dratini?"
Wallace arched a brow, surprise filling his eyes, voice tinged with astonishment:
"From the Kanto Dragon-Family? They value their Dragon-types more than life itself—why would they give you a Dratini egg?"
At the mention, Steven chuckled softly, tapping the smooth shell with a clear, crisp click:
"We have that youngster Lionel to thank."
He paused, fingertips still caressing the spiral patterns:
"Lance had earlier wheedled my Mysterious Amber and revived an Aerodactyl.
Later I casually reminded him that the Unknown Fossil he'd once dismissed had been given to Lionel—and it revived into a Tyrunt.
I even sent him the company's gene data on the evolved form, Tyrantrum. The moment he saw it, he went green-eyed and pestered me for the other Unknown Fossil with the feather imprint."
Wallace's hand holding the tea paused; ripples slid along the cup as curiosity flashed in his eyes:
"Oh? Could that Plume Fossil also revive something Dragon-type? Your luck would be absurd—fossils you dug up on a whim turning out draconic."
"Not that lucky," Steven waved a hand, a sly note creeping into his tone, eyes glinting with mischief:
"The revived Pokémon, according to its Gene Chain, is a Flying-Rock type—Archen, nothing to do with Dragons."
"Pfft—"
Wallace almost sprayed his tea. He set the cup down hurriedly, covering his mouth as his shoulders shook with laughter, tears sparkling at the corners of his eyes:
"Flying-Rock type? And Lance still traded, even offering a Dratini egg?"
"He jumped to conclusions himself."
Steven shrugged, the mischief in his eyes deepening. "I told him I'd dug up two Unknown Fossils, but never said they came from the same spot.
I merely mentioned that the fossil with the Big-Fang Imprint revived the ancient land tyrant, Tyrantrum, so perhaps the feather-marked one might revive an ancient draconic sky ruler.
He over-thought it, assumed both were Dragon—one ruling land, one sky—and insisted on swapping for the egg."
A triumphant smile curved Steven's lips. "Archen's already revived and the trade's done—he can't exactly send it back."
Wallace rubbed his forehead, shaking it in fond exasperation. "Only you would prank Lance like that. When he learns the 'draconic sky sovereign' he coveted is just a Flying-Rock Archen, he'll probably fly straight to Hoenn to settle the score."
"Let him come," Steven replied airily, a hint of eagerness in his smile.
"Perfect timing for a little sparring. Back when we were mining at Cinnabar Volcano in Kanto he pestered me every single day, so I gave him a piece of Mysterious Amber; now I've handed him a new fossil Pokémon as well. Trading him a Dratini egg for that—he's hardly getting the short end of the stick."
As he spoke, Steven seemed to hit on a new idea; the mischief in his eyes deepened and, with a soft chuckle, he added:
"And just picture it—Dodo paired with Archen. Doesn't that team-up sound absolutely perfect? A match made in heaven!"
The moment those words landed, Wallace was caught right in the funny bone. Clutching the edge of the table, he doubled over laughing and gasped:
"Hahaha! Dodo and Archen—only you could dream that up. If he ever hears it, he'll blow his top!"
...After the two finished poking fun at Lance, they casually picked up the tablet on the table, tapped the screen, and opened a live stream.
On-screen was Lionel's Gym battle in Rustboro. Amid the dancing light and shadow, the boy's focused profile was crystal clear.
Wallace leaned in as well, eyes on the display, and asked with a smile:
"So that's Lionel? Managing to catch a shiny Feebas—talk about enviable luck."
The instant the words left his mouth, the Feebas on-screen gathered pale-blue water energy and snapped off a crisp Water Pulse that struck its opponent dead-on, ending the fight in a heartbeat.
The stream's chat had already turned into a rainbow sea, thick with scrolling praise and gasps.
Steven watched the Feebas on the screen nuzzle its trainer's hand in delight while recalling how, moments earlier, the Tyrunt had woven Dragon Dance perfectly into its assault. The smile in his eyes grew warmer:
"The kid clearly knows his stuff. Whether it's Tyrunt or Feebas, he's raised them full of spirit. At his age, having such a grasp of Pokémon battles is genuinely impressive."
"More than impressive," Wallace murmured, moving closer to Steven, a gleam of admiration flashing in his eyes.
"Look at this Feebas's move control—setting aside the opening Whirlpool, after that Water Pulse soaked the field, Icy Wind cut in with pinpoint timing. The transitions are almost seamless.
Pushing the battlefield to its absolute limits—frankly, it reminds me of my younger self."
"You're really patting your own back there." Steven shot him a glance and mercilessly pointed out, "Your Feebas back then was nowhere near this strong."
Wallace's cheeks reddened; he kept his composure and retorted, "He's still a step behind. I just never let my Feebas show you its full power."
"Oh?" Steven arched a brow, his drawn-out tone carrying a teasing lilt as he swept a half-smiling gaze over Wallace beside him.
"Still, this love of streaming and drawing every eye really does match you, 'Master of Contest Champions' Wallace."
Wallace burst into hearty laughter, fingers already dancing across the tablet screen, a playful glint in his eyes:
"In that case, let's throw him some popularity and join the fun!"
"Good—let's do it!" Steven nodded in brisk agreement.
Before the words faded, two dazzling golden fireworks suddenly bloomed across Lionel's stream. As they burst, two gilt pillars of light—the mark of the highest-tier donation—shot up from the bottom of the screen, and a system chime thundered out—
[Congratulations, streamer! You've received 10,000 Pokédollars from Steven!][Congratulations, streamer! You've received 10,000 Pokédollars from Wallace!]
When the brilliant effects cleared, two gleaming gold messages sporting official badges drifted across the screen alongside the donation alerts:
[Steven: Nice work—your Tyrunt is coming along beautifully. Keep it up!]
[Wallace: Superb move control from your Feebas. I loved that opening Whirlpool grinding the stones into a gorgeous scene!]
A double donation plus two Champions dropping in—an already raucous chat room detonated like a bomb.
popularity points rocketed upward at a speed the eye could track; the live viewer count whirred higher, and in the blink of an eye it smashed past the million mark as new comments came so thick and fast they nearly buried the screen:
"Streamer, check the chat! This is insane—Champion Steven and Master Wallace!!!"
"Come out and thank them! You've been personally picked by two Champions!"
"Holy—?! That's Champion Steven and Master Wallace?! And they both tipped ten thousand Pokédollars?!"
"..."