"Mr. Xia Ren, long time no see."
"Steven Stone, did the commotion here draw your attention after all?"
"Not at all. A promising young trainer I think highly of asked me for help. I happened to have already returned to the Hoenn Region, so I came over."
The newcomer was none other than Steven, standing atop Metagross's head. Seeing that Ye Lan was safe and sound, Steven greeted him with a smile.
"Metagross!"
"Roar!"
When Metagross saw the Charizard beneath Xia Ren, however, there was no hiding the sharp hostility in its eyes.
The atmosphere grew rather awkward.
A bead of cold sweat ran down Ye Lan's face. Having brought this about, he went over to Jenny Li and asked cautiously, "Is there some grudge between Champion Steven and Champion Xia Ren? Something feels off here!"
"Champions aren't usually ones to sweat the small stuff. I wouldn't call it a grudge."
"It's just that Champion Xia Ren's Charizard has always had a terrible disposition. As for the details, you'll probably find out someday."
Recalling the exchange between the two regions back then, Jenny Li smiled helplessly.
Champion Xia Ren's Charizard really was a troublemaker. It was only because Champion Steven had such a good temper that the two of them hadn't ended up in a full six-on-six battle.
"Mr. Steven, did you find that Crystal Steelix? How did it go?"
The moment Ye Lan brought up Crystal Steelix, a hint of delight appeared in Steven's eyes.
It was his first time seeing such an unusual Pokémon, too.
For someone who loved stones as much as he did, it would still be a favorite of his even if it had little potential and wasn't much of a fighter.
Apart from being a size smaller than others of its species, this unique