Chapter 244: Steven, Why Don’t You Look Behind You?

The video continued playing.

Wyndon Stadium had descended into complete chaos.

The Pokémon were all emotionally unsettled after suddenly becoming tiny and started running around everywhere.

Their Gym Leaders had no choice but to chase after them, leaving the entire stadium in a complete mess.

"Leon, when you said, ’Let Galar’s brilliance shine across the entire world,’ this is what you meant?"

After an enormous amount of effort, Raihan finally managed to recall his miniature Duraludon into its Poké Ball.

He immediately turned on Leon.

Leon looked up at him.

"Would you believe me if I said I have no idea what happened either?"

"I believe you."

Raihan stepped forward and placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder.

"But everything that just happened was broadcast live."

"So now every single one of us here is famous."

"And it’s all thanks to you."

Leon followed the direction Raihan was pointing.

Hoopa was floating in midair with a camera three times larger than its body perched on its shoulder, the lens aimed directly at the bedraggled Gym Leaders below.

The moment it noticed Leon looking over—

Hoopa immediately raised both little hands in an OK gesture, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hoopa got everything in super high definition!"

"All right, Hoopa, stop messing around! Turn the camera off already!"

Elaria jumped down from the spectator stands and planted both hands on her hips.

"Fine, fine."

Hoopa reluctantly ended the livestream.

"Everyone was having so much fun watching, too."

"But what exactly happened?"

Nessa walked over.

"Dynamax has never malfunctioned like this before."

"As for that, this old lady does have a theory."

Opal slowly emerged from the crowd, leaning on her cane.

"Madam Opal." ℴℴ𝘮

Bea blinked.

"Do you know why the Dynamax failed?"

"I wouldn’t say I know."

Opal tapped her cane against the ground.

"It’s only a theory."

"The source of Dynamax energy is Eternatus. If something causes Eternatus’s condition to fluctuate, then the Dynamax energy field throughout the entire Galar region would naturally be affected as well."

Leon frowned.

"But Eternatus’s condition has always been stable. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Indeed."

Opal raised her head and looked toward Elaria.

"Perhaps Eternatus is having a little trouble adjusting after moving into its new home?"

"Leon, you really are Galar’s number-one king of causing a scene."

Raihan gave him a thumbs-up.

"Turning a Dynamax exhibition into a complete disaster and broadcasting the whole thing to the entire world..."

"That’s a level of spectacle most people couldn’t pull off even if they tried."

Leon was just about to argue when Hoopa suddenly floated over and shoved the camera lens directly into his face.

"Champion Leon! The question viewers all around the world want answered most right now is—"

"As the strongest Trainer in Galar, how do you plan to clean up this mess?"

Leon stared silently into the camera for a moment.

Then he cleared his throat.

"...I’ll call the League in a bit and ask what’s going on."

The scene changed.

Asher leaned back in his office chair.

The terminal screen in front of him was lit up, currently displaying the live broadcast from Galar.

The office door quietly opened.

Diantha walked in carrying a cup of coffee and placed it on Asher’s desk.

"What are you watching?"

"Galar’s Dynamax exhibition."

Asher picked up the coffee and took a sip.

"Pretty entertaining."

Diantha leaned over and glanced at the screen.

The image happened to be frozen on the exact moment Leon’s miniature Charizard spat two sparks into his face.

"...You call this entertaining?"

"From a comedy standpoint?"

"Perfect score."

Just then—

A researcher in uniform stumbled into the office, nearly sending the folder in his hands flying.

"Chairman! Emergency!"

His face was filled with anxiety.

"There’s an abnormal energy fluctuation in the Kalos forest! The monitoring station detected an energy frequency we’ve never seen before!"

Asher put down his coffee.

"Get to the point."

The researcher spread the documents across his desk.

"The forest’s life energy has dropped by nearly sixty percent over the past seventy-two hours."

"At the current rate of decay, if we don’t intervene, it may completely disappear within two weeks."

Diantha frowned.

"Have you found what’s causing the loss of life energy?"

"Not yet."

The researcher shook his head.

Asher leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"Notify the Kalos League. Have them designate the surrounding area as a temporary protected zone."

"No one is allowed to approach without authorization."

"Also, send the contaminated samples to Professor Oak in Pallet Town and have him analyze them."

"Yes!"

The researcher turned and hurried out of the office.

Once the door closed, Diantha walked over to Asher.

"Hubby, you don’t look surprised at all."

"This isn’t the first time that energy has behaved abnormally."

Asher picked up his coffee again.

"Last time, it slept for three hundred years before waking up."

"This time probably won’t be much different."

"Then what are you planning to do?"

"I’ve found a way to solve the problem once and for all."

Asher raised one finger and lightly waved it.

"And it’s also one of the reasons I kept Eternatus around."

[VIP Chat Group]

[Steven]: See?! See?! I knew it! Brother Asher leaving Eternatus on the communications tower was all part of his plan! This is what you call thinking ten steps ahead!

[Wallace]: Steven, could you stop popping up every single time the conversation turns to Asher? Are you his personal AI pop-up notification?

[Steven]: I’m not a pop-up! I’m Brother Asher’s human scrolling comment! I exist solely for him!

[Asher]: Steven, that sentence just gave me goosebumps.

[Steven]: Brother Asher, you’re finally here! So where exactly is Diancie?! Please, I’m begging you, just tell me!

[Wallace]: Steven, you’re not even pretending anymore? You’re just asking him outright?

[Steven]: There’s no need to hide my true self in front of Brother Asher.

[Steven]: I am who I am—a firework unlike any other.

[Asher]: Fine. I’ll tell you.

[Asher]: Do you know which cave is closest to you right now?

[Steven]: Closest to me? Granite Cave. Wait... is Diancie inside?!

[Asher]: Yep. Go inside first and stand still.

[Steven]: I’m inside! Where’s Diancie, Brother Asher? I don’t see her anywhere!

[Asher]: Don’t rush. Why don’t you look behind you~?

[Steven]: Huh? HUNGRY—AAAAAAAH!!!!

[Bruno]: What happened?! Why did Steven scream like that?!

[Asher]: Nothing. Steven got hungry, so I’m taking him out for a meal.

[Wallace]: I hope something DID happen to Steven!

[Phoebe]: ...Was that Wallace’s genuine wish?

[Glacia]: I think it was.