Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

Chapter 230: If It’s Hard to Deal With, Then Don’t Deal With It! (Power Stone Milestone Extra Chapter)

The video continued playing.

Elaria had already returned to the League’s Cultural Department.

After telling Diantha and Asher what she had planned, she officially began preparations for the new movie.

A few days later.

Steven, who had been off mining in Alola, somehow caught wind of the news.

He rode Metagross across three entire regions and arrived at the filming location covered in dust from his journey.

”My dear niece Elaria!”

Steven jumped down from Metagross’s back, his voice cracking from excitement.

”I heard you’re making a new movie! How about letting your uncle play the villain? Don’t worry, I’ll volunteer! You don’t even have to pay me!”

Elaria blinked.

”Thank you for offering, Uncle Steven, but we’ve already chosen someone to play the villain.”

”WHO?!”

Steven immediately began searching around the set.

”Who could possibly play a better villain than me?!”

”It’s Uncle Wallace.”

Elaria pointed farther into the set.

”He said appearing for only four seconds last time was way too short, so this time he wanted to play a major villain who appears throughout the entire movie. He came to me as soon as he heard about it.”

Steven turned his head in disbelief.

Sure enough.

Wallace was currently standing beside Diancie, elegantly waving toward him.

”Steven.”

There was a trace of delight in Wallace’s voice.

”You’re too late. I’ve already claimed the villain role.”

He lifted the script in his hand.

”This time, I play an evil Sea King who plans to use Kyogre’s tsunamis to flood the entire Hoenn region. What do you think? Jealous?”

Steven took a deep breath.

Then he ripped off his suit jacket and threw it onto the ground.

”Wallace! I’m putting it all on the line right here and now—this villain role has to be mine!”

Wallace didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

”The villain has already been decided, and the script is already written. You can’t seriously expect me to tear up my entire script, can you?”

”Then we’ll settle it with acting!”

Steven took a step forward, fighting spirit blazing in his eyes.

”Whoever wins gets to play the villain!”

Wallace finally lowered his script and looked seriously at Steven.

”Are you certain you want to compete with me in acting?”

”As a Pokémon Coordinator, performing is something that’s been ingrained into my very bones for years.”

”So what?!”

Steven refused to back down.

”I’m the man who won Best Villain at the Golden Statue Awards for playing the Dark Ore King!”

”Um... Uncle Steven, Uncle Wallace...”

Elaria raised her hand, trying to stop them.

Wallace’s gaze became exceptionally sharp.

”There’s no point wasting words. I’ll make you fully understand the difference between us, Steven.”

Steven swept his suit jacket aside.

”Then let’s do this!”

He turned toward Elaria.

”My dear niece, you can be the judge!”

”Elaria.”

Lillie moved closer with a troubled expression.

”If they keep this up, we won’t be able to get any work done today.”

”B-But...”

Elaria looked equally troubled.

”I don’t know what I’m supposed to do either.”

It was the first time she’d ever encountered a situation like this.

And since the people involved were two of her uncles, she genuinely had no idea how she was supposed to handle them.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Flint]: Good grief. One former Hoenn Champion and one current Hoenn Champion are fighting on a movie set over who gets to play the villain. Is this what Champion-level dignity looks like in Hoenn?

[Diantha]: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. This scene would make excellent news too. How about the headline—”Hoenn Champion vs. Contest Master: The Forbidden Showdown”? What do you think?

[Leon]: Why do all the headlines you come up with sound like they belong in a gossip magazine?

[Diantha]: You don’t understand. A headline needs that special something that makes people unable to resist clicking on it. Just look at that close-up of the two of them staring each other down. Add the words ”Forbidden Showdown,” and the click-through rate would explode.

[Bianca]: Um... I’m actually a little curious. If they really competed in acting, who do you think would win between Champion Steven and Contest Master Wallace?

[Flint]: I’m betting on Wallace. He’s a Contest Master, after all. Performing is practically carved into his bones.

[Volkner]: Then I’ll bet on Steven. His villain performance in the last movie was actually pretty good. I think his acting ability is probably pretty high too.

[Elesa]: Hmm... I think Steven and Wallace have completely different performance styles. If they really competed, the key wouldn’t be who’s the better actor. It would be who can throw away their dignity more completely.

[Wallace]: Then I admit Steven wins. He doesn’t have any dignity to throw away in the first place.

[Asher]: Wallace is right. Steven’s one redeeming quality is that he’s completely shameless.

The video continued playing.

Just then—

A very familiar set of footsteps came from the entrance to the set.

”Why is it so lively in here? I could hear Steven and Wallace all the way down the hallway.”

Asher walked in carrying a cup of coffee.

He was still wearing the same gaudy vacation shirt as usual, his flip-flops going slap, slap against the floor with every step.

Diantha followed behind him.

Today, she was wearing an ivory casual jacket and carrying two paper bags in one hand, both printed with the logo of a long-established dessert shop in Lumiose City.

”Daddy! Mommy!”

Elaria ran over to Asher and looked up at him.

Her expression was like someone who had finally found her savior.

”Uncle Steven and Uncle Wallace are fighting over the villain role. Elaria doesn’t know what to do.”

Asher looked down at his daughter’s sparkling golden eyes and reached out to ruffle her hair.

”Then don’t deal with it.”

”But...”

”No buts.”

Asher placed his coffee on the table and turned toward Steven and Wallace.

”You two.”

”One of you is the Hoenn Champion, and the other is a Contest Master.”

”And you’re pulling this nonsense in front of a ten-year-old because you’re fighting over a movie role. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

”I’m merely defending my art.”

Wallace elegantly adjusted his collar, sounding completely unapologetic.

Steven, meanwhile, rushed straight over to Asher and clasped his hands together.

”Brother Asher! Perfect timing!”

”I won Best Villain the last time I appeared in Elaria’s movie. Tell me—doesn’t that prove I’m better suited to playing the villain?!”

”A villain role isn’t some family heirloom. What’s there to fight over?”

Asher looked at the determination burning in Steven’s eyes.

He fell silent for a moment.

Then he spoke.

”How about this? The script isn’t finalized yet anyway.”

”You can each play a villain. Problem solved.”

Steven froze.

”One each?”

”Yeah.”

Asher picked up his coffee and took another sip.

”Wallace was planning to play the ’Evil Sea King Who Controls Kyogre,’ right?”

”Then you can have Groudon.”

”Come up with your own character setting. That work for you?”

”Yes, yes, yes!”

Steven’s eyes instantly lit up like two Electro Balls.

”Brother Asher, you’re a genius!”

Diantha placed the desserts on the table.

Then she walked over and crouched beside Elaria.

”Elaria, Mommy has some good news for you.”

”What good news?”

”Your Aunt Cynthia agreed to make a guest appearance in the movie too.”

Elaria’s eyes immediately widened.

”Really?! Aunt Cynthia agreed?”

”Mm.”

Diantha reached out and straightened Elaria’s collar.

”She happens to have the day off and is out investigating some ruins today. You can go discuss her role with her yourself.”

”That’s great! Thank you, Mommy!”

Elaria wrapped her arms around Diantha’s waist.

Then she scooped Kirlia into her arms and turned around excitedly.

”Big Sister Lillie, let’s go right now!”