"Uh— you're joking, right?"
Wallace's eyelids were twitching like crazy.
"Damian, you literally just said you don't hurt people! You're a Champion‑tier Trainer—how can you lie?!"
Wallace truly felt people should stand by their word, especially someone as strong as this Champion‑tier Damian.
"I said 'under normal circumstances.' That doesn't mean I can't. After all—"
The smile on Damian's lips grew even more wild and unrestrained.
"I'm with Evil Team Rocket, y'know～"
Wallace's face changed. He was having a hard time keeping it together, because he could hear it—Damian even sounded kind of proud about that.
"Champion Wallace, y'know what the best part of Team Rocket is? No morals. No baggage. Nobody gets to stand on some moral high ground and hold me hostage with it, because as a villain, I don't have morals to begin with."
Damian smiled lazily at the now‑grim‑faced Wallace.
I'm already a villain and you still wanna morally blackmail me? Then what's the point of me joining an evil team in the first place?
"But as long as you cooperate with me, Champion Wallace, I can promise—professional honor—I'll definitely let all the Officer Jennys go safe and sound in the end."
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Wallace's face shifted. Crap—this guy had clearly been after him from the start!
"Relax, I'm not gonna make you do anything too awful."
Damian's grin stretched even higher as Caitlin finally appeared behind him.
And Caitlin, just arriving, blinked when she saw Wallace in front of her and a whole row of Officer Jennys already lying on the ground.
She'd only been gone long enough to buy some clothes, and the fight was already over?
What really threw her, though, was Suicune off to the side, expressionless as it kept lifting its paw and slapping Ludicolo across the face over and over.
What on earth was that about?
Caitlin looked at Damian, silently asking for an explanation.
"Don't mind it. The water dog's just getting its pride back," Damian replied, amused.
He hadn't expected Suicune to be this petty. No wonder when they'd first met the water dog, it'd been snorting at everything.
Ludicolo had only smacked it once, and Suicune just had to smack it back.
"Gladion, Courtney, have the subordinates pack up and head for the outskirts near Mauville City. We're ditching this base."
Damian gestured for Gladion and Courtney to go handle the men. This base was obviously exposed to the Hoenn League now.
On top of that, it was stuffy and suffocating in here, and Damian had already hated the place.
"Yes." Gladion nodded and went off to give the orders.
"Then that just leaves our business now, Champion Wallace."
Damian walked slowly up to Wallace with Caitlin, looking very pleased with himself.
"Gulp— what are you going to…?"
Wallace had a very bad feeling. The swagger from when he'd declared "you're the challenger" was gone. Right now he felt more like a delicate girl pinned against a wall by a big thug.
"Here's the thing—I've always been a fan of yours, Champion Wallace. Your handsome face and your elegant manners have my deepest admiration."
Damian's tone was gentle.
"Ha~ is that so?"
A proud smile bloomed on Wallace's refined, handsome face. If he weren't paralyzed, he'd absolutely have given his bangs a dramatic toss.
What could he say—his charm was just too much. He, Wallace, was simply that captivating a man.
"So I've always had this one dream."
Damian waved at Armored Mewtwo. They were perfectly in sync; with a little flick of its finger, the six mini Poké Balls on Wallace's body all flew out and landed neatly in Damian's hand.
"Damian!" Wallace's expression changed. His Poké Balls!
"Relax, Champion Wallace, I'm just holding onto them for now. I'll give them back to you afterward," Damian said, smiling.
"I actually prepared some gifts just for you. I'd like you to put them on, and I'll personally be your cameraman."
Damian took a bag from Caitlin and handed it to a now‑freed Wallace—coming clean with his real intentions.
Caitlin gave Wallace a very complicated look. Oh boy.
"Clothes? Just… put on some outfits and take a few pictures?"
Wallace was baffled. That didn't really sound that excessive to him.
"Exactly. I've always had this dream of doing photography. Champion Wallace, could you help make that dream come true?" Damian's smile only deepened.
"If it's just something like that, then no problem at all. Damian, my fashion designer's always telling me my perfect figure is the best clothes hanger—"
Wallace declared with great pride as he casually opened the clothing bag, genuinely curious about what outfits Damian had picked.
But the moment he opened it, his words snapped off.
Wallace's face went from white to red, then from red to green, his breathing getting faster and faster.
"Da…mian!!!"
Wallace's voice started low and deep and climbed higher and higher, his rage clearly spiking.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
He pulled a white long dress and a green wig out of the bag and glared daggers at Damian.
"A dress. What about it?" Damian blinked innocently. "I think you'd look absolutely beautiful in it, Champion Wallace."
"How dare you insult me like this! I'm a man!"
Wallace exploded. He was a man! A real man!
Sure, he was pretty—but he was still a man!
"Ah, now that's where you're wrong, Champion Wallace. Your vision's too narrow. Art doesn't care about gender."
Damian shook his head with a sigh.
"As long as you can let go of your hang‑ups, I'm sure, Wallace‑sensei, you'll end up with a perfect photoshoot."
"I've got a lot of confidence in my skills!"
Damian thumped his chest with conviction. He'd had a photographer's dream even in his last life!
If he hadn't become a Trainer this time around, he was sure he could've ended up as a master‑class cameraman!
"No way!" Wallace's face went black. "Dream on! I'm the Hoenn Champion—you want me in a dress?"
He rejected it without a second's hesitation. Crossdressing? No way. Not in this lifetime.
"And don't call me 'sensei' either!"
You're the teacher, your whole family's the teacher, you jerk! I haven't even shot anything yet!
Wallace was furious; he refused to acknowledge that title.
Also—
Where the hell was Steven?? He'd sent him so many SOS messages already. Had that guy fallen into an outhouse or something? Why hadn't he shown up yet?
Hurry up and get over here and save me, you bastard! Your bro's being forced into a dress over here!!
Wallace screamed internally.
Meanwhile, in Slateport City's public restrooms—
"Ugh—"
Steven clutched a roll of toilet paper, his handsome face deathly pale and weak. He felt like he'd turned into a literal artillery cannon.
He'd seen all the frantic help texts Wallace had sent, but Steven honestly couldn't leave the bathroom right now!
He couldn't exactly ride on Metagross while having explosive diarrhea, could he?
At noon, over in Slateport's street stalls, he'd curiously bought a bowl of cold jelly noodles. They'd tasted amazing—but afterward, something had felt very wrong.
He'd already run to the bathroom four times, nearly emptying himself out.
Damn it. He'd heard the horror stories about sketchy street stalls, but he hadn't expected this.
Wallace, just wait. Once I finish this round, I'll hop on Metagross and come save you!
Back at Jagged Pass—
"Precisely because you're Wallace, these photos are worth taking."
Damian shrugged. If it weren't Wallace, he wouldn't even bother. He wasn't that easy to hire as a cameraman.
"I'm not doing it, end of story." Wallace put on a "do whatever you want" face. He was done.
"Wallace‑sensei, think this through."
Damian raised a brow, smiling as he shook the Poké Balls in his hand.
"Even if something happened to your Pokémon and those Officer Jennys, that wouldn't bother you?"
"You—!!"
Wallace's eyes went wide with fury.
"So what's more important—your stubborn pride, or your Pokémon and the Officer Jennys' safety?"
Damian smiled like a schoolyard bully, his unhurried tone straight out of a TV drama where the villain forces a girl to "comply."
"Damian! You're so damn cheap!!"
Wallace ground his teeth. He'd never felt this powerless before.
"I'm honored, sensei." Damian dipped his head in mock thanks. "In that case, let's not waste time. Please get changed—this is only the first outfit.
"The sooner we finish, the sooner you can rest."
"What do you mean by that?" Wallace's heart gave a little lurch.
"I bought seven outfits, Champion Wallace. No need to thank me."
Caitlin gestured delicately at the seven clothing bags on the ground, giving Wallace a soft, reserved smile.
Wallace's head spun, his face going white. Seven sets of girls' outfits???
"Mewtwo, could you whip up a changing room?"
Armored Mewtwo stayed silent, thought for a moment, then raised its arm toward an empty patch of ground.
Earth Power plus Psychic. Under its precise control, the ground rolled and heaved like ocean waves, then rose and warped, reshaping itself into a simple little three‑meter‑tall hut.
The whole thing took less than ten seconds.
Wallace just stared.
"That's incredible～!" Caitlin breathed in awe. "What kind of psychic control is that?"
"Heh～ As expected of you. You really are the ultimate Pokémon."
"Wasn't difficult."
Shadow Mewtwo answered with perfect calm, but from the way its tail was swishing much faster than usual, it was clearly in a great mood after being praised.
"Wallace‑sensei, after you."
Damian extended a hand toward Wallace in an inviting gesture.
Wallace's expression cycled through a whole storm of emotions as he looked at the dress in his hands. Was he really going to crossdress?
But if he refused Damian, what would happen to Milotic and the Officer Jennys? Would Damian really hurt them?
No. He couldn't gamble with their lives.
It was just a small sacrifice, really. As Hoenn's Champion, he had a duty to protect everyone!
It was just a dress! Fine, he'd do it!
Wallace grabbed the dress and hurried into the little house.
"Very nice! Now, for this one—raise your leg just a bit, sensei. Left hand up by your ear—yeah～ perfect!"
"Don't keep your face so stiff, Wallace‑sensei. C'mon, give me a smile. Sweeter. A little girlish shyness to it—yes, that's the one!"
The instant the shutter clicked, Wallace's face dropped right back to blank.
Then he looked at the full‑length mirror Armored Mewtwo had dragged over from who‑knew‑where.
He was wearing a deep blue fitted top, paired with a white long skirt.
A slim neck wrapped in a sapphire necklace.
Smooth green hair flowing down to his waist.
A fair, delicate, soft‑featured face, cheeks lightly flushed, and beautiful green eyes like polished jade.
…Crap.
Wallace turned away, expression stone‑cold.
He couldn't keep looking—one more second and he was going to fall in love with the woman in the mirror.
He was on the verge of tears. Why did he look this good in women's clothes??
Damn it, this cursed beauty of mine!
"Excellent! Next let's try the JK uniform, sensei. With skin this nice, you're gonna look fantastic."
"Perfect, Wallace‑sensei! That's it, run a little—so pure, so full of youth! Every shut‑in who saw that smile and that figure would put you up as their 'white moonlight' goddess for sure!"
"Next we'll switch things up with a black‑stockings combat look."
Time ticked by. Two hours slipped away.
"What a shame. The scenery here's still too plain—and, sensei, your facial expression control needs a lot of work."
Damian looked at the film in his camera with some regret.
"But that's enough for today. Next time, if we get the chance, I'll shoot another set for you. You've worked hard, Wallace‑sensei."
In the end, Damian was satisfied as he packed the camera away, smiling at the slightly exhausted Wallace across from him.
"I'll give your Poké Balls and the Officer Jennys back now, Wallace‑sensei. I'm really looking forward to our next meeting."
Wallace didn't want to speak.
He just stared blankly up at the sky.
Uuuu～ Steven, I'm not pure anymore!!
~~~
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