Chapter 235: Anyone Who Can Keep a Straight Face Is a Legend

The movie continued playing.

On the screen, the purple-robed villain played by Asher slowly raised his right hand and loosely curled his fingers.

Dark-purple flames of energy surged around his body.

Diancie desperately shielded the Heart Diamond with both hands, while cracks had already begun spreading across the crystal floor beneath her feet.

Just then—

Two figures appeared at the edge of the screen.

They stepped out of the mist with unbelievably arrogant strides.

The camera slowly panned upward, revealing their faces.

Steven and Wallace.

The two stopped on either side of Asher before bowing simultaneously.

"Boss."

The camera deliberately lingered on the shot for about two seconds.

On the left stood a red-haired weirdo in a suit with a cone-shaped hairstyle.

On the right stood an elegant handsome man in a dark-blue robe.

And in the middle was the ultimate villain—purple robes, golden eyes, and a faint smile hanging from the corner of his lips.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Valerie]: Pfft... Hahahaha! Sorry, I really couldn’t hold it in after seeing that.

[Raihan]: The second Steven appeared, this movie instantly turned into a comedy. Who could possibly keep a straight face?

[Leon]: Easily keeping a straight face. Casually keeping a straight face. Seriously keeping a straight face. Calmly keeping a straight face...

[Volkner]: You happen to have a natural poker face and suddenly you’re showing off.

[Lt. Surge]: The moment those two showed up, I felt Asher’s villain aura drop straight through the floor. Wallace’s outfit is fine, but Steven’s cone head is way too ridiculous.

[Steven]: How can you say that?! Parallel-world me is clearly demonstrating the noble spirit of a supporting character! Without my ridiculous appearance, how would Brother Asher look even more handsome by comparison?

[Sidney]: So you’re admitting your hairstyle looks ridiculous.

[Wallace]: Does it really matter whether he admits it? Looking at those three in the same shot, if no one told me otherwise, I’d assume Steven was a special effect.

[Diantha]: Even special effects couldn’t achieve a visual impact that strong. Steven himself clearly has a passive ability called Art-Style Collapse. Wherever he goes, the entire visual style falls apart.

[Volkner]: Seriously. That red cone is burned into my brain now. I couldn’t forget it if I tried. I genuinely can’t imagine how parallel-world Asher and Wallace managed to share a scene with him without breaking character.

[Viola]: Being an actor... really isn’t easy.

The movie continued playing.

Asher tilted his head slightly and glanced at the two men.

"Everything taken care of?"

"Yes, Boss."

Wallace deliberately lowered his voice.

Combined with the dark eyeshadow around his eyes, he actually carried a decent amount of villainous pressure.

"Groudon and Kyogre are already under our control."

Asher gave a small nod.

"Good work."

Steven immediately puffed out his chest, his red cone-shaped hairstyle gleaming under the lights.

"Of course! We, the Dark Iron Triangle—"

"Shut up."

The instant Asher spoke, Steven’s mouth snapped closed as though someone had zipped it shut.

"Take Diancie away."

Asher turned around.

"Keep a close eye on her. Don’t let her escape."

"Yes!"

Steven and Wallace answered simultaneously before turning toward Diancie.

Steven walked up to her with a wicked grin and rubbed his hands together.

"Your Highness, don’t be scared. I’ll take you somewhere safe."

"Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. I’m a professional~"

Diancie instinctively stepped half a pace backward and held both hands protectively in front of her chest.

"D-Don’t come any closer!"

"Enough. Stop wasting time."

Wallace stood beside them with his arms crossed.

"If the Boss blames us for taking too long, neither of us will be able to explain ourselves."

"I’m calming down the hostage! This is called professional conduct!"

Diancie was then sandwiched between Steven and Wallace as they escorted her through corridor after corridor shrouded in mist.

The walls on both sides were embedded with enormous slabs of black crystal.

At the end of the passage stood a prison cell sealed behind pillars of dark-red energy.

After Diancie was locked inside, she gripped the bars with both little hands, her red eyes filled with defiance.

Outside the cell—

Steven sat on a folding chair.

A small hot pot bubbled away on a stand in front of him.

Wallace stood nearby holding a glass of red wine, maintaining his usual elegant demeanor.

"Do you think the Boss’s plan will actually work this time?"

Steven dropped several slices of meat into the pot without looking up.

"He’s been getting harder and harder to read lately. Neither of us can figure out what he’s actually planning."

"If you can’t figure it out, then don’t."

Wallace gently swirled his wine.

"The Boss has never treated us badly. Just do what we’re told."

"I’m just curious."

Steven fished out a slice of meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Normally, the Boss just tells us what to do. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him take something this seriously."

Wallace didn’t answer.

He stared toward the prison cell for a moment before setting down his glass.

"Keep an eye on her. I’m going upstairs for some air."

Not long after Wallace left—

Steven continued fishing cooked meat out of the hot pot and stuffing it into his mouth while humming an off-key tune.

He completely failed to notice the sudden blue glow behind him.

The next second—

BONK!!!

With a crisp impact, Elaria knocked Steven unconscious with a single swing of a wooden stick.

Steven collapsed.

And his thirty-centimeter-tall red cone hairstyle plunged perfectly into the bubbling hot pot in front of him.

The broth was spicy.

His cone-shaped hair absorbed the red chili oil like a giant red sponge, producing an extremely subtle—

Sssssizzle.

Several slices of meat Steven had just put into the pot were trapped beneath the cone.

They helplessly flipped over in the boiling broth.

Kirlia floated behind Elaria and spoke through telepathy.

"Kiru kiru~" (Was that hit a little too hard?)

"Nope."

Elaria tossed the wooden stick aside.

"Daddy said Uncle Steven has a really hard head."

The dark-red energy pillars surrounding the cell were still humming.

Diancie gripped the gaps between them with both hands and quietly asked,

"Y-You... Who are you?"

"My name is Elaria."

Elaria answered while rapidly pressing buttons on the control panel beside the cell.

"Don’t worry. I’ll get you out right away."

A few seconds later—

The energy pillars gave a sharp crack.

The restraints around the prison cell vanished.

Diancie stepped outside and looked up at Elaria, momentarily unsure of what to say.

"Come on. I’ll get you out of here."

Elaria took Diancie’s hand before nodding toward Kirlia.

"Kirlia, Teleport!"

Blue light flashed through Kirlia’s eyes.

The next instant—

All three figures disappeared from outside the prison cell.

...

Ten minutes later.

When Wallace returned, he found Steven kneeling on the floor in an incredibly proper posture.

Both hands were planted on the ground.

His entire face was buried between his arms.

Wallace stared at him.

"Steven, what are you doing?"

"...Reflecting on my mistakes."

Steven’s voice came out muffled.

"Reflecting on what?"

"Which position I should use when apologizing after the Boss docks my pay so I look the most sincere."